“I suppose that I have,” she said, mildly surprised by Iffon’s observation and unable to disagree with it. “But I still don’t understand why anyone would be angry at the Falcorans.”
“They’ve noticed you’ve been absent for several days, since completing your meetings with the Falcorans. They can see now that you’re unhappy and they’ve put two and two together and are blaming the Falcorans.”
“Oh,” she said just as Teven returned with the coffee and water. She ordered breakfast for both of them, then took Iffon’s dishes from her pocket and set them up.
“That’s it?” Iffon asked. “Just oh?”
“What else should I say?”
Iffon was trying to come up with an answer to that question when Bean hissed softly. A moment later Zander Falcoran approached.
“Good morning Lady BreeAnna.”
She glanced up at him, then quickly away, her expression carefully blank. “Good morning.”
“Are you all right?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“No one has seen you for several days. We were worried.”
“I’m fine, Commander,” she said without looking up again. “There’s no need to concern yourself.”
“All right. I’ll leave you to your breakfast.”
She remained silent, so he turned and walked away. When she was sure he was gone she relaxed the grip she had on her thighs under the table.
“You okay?” Iffon asked.
“I just wish those men would stay away from me.”
“Did you feel him before he approached?”
“I did, yes. I can still feel him, and Zach too, even though they’re clear in the back of the cafeteria.”
“It’s gotten stronger then.”
“Yes, it has.”
“But you still don’t feel Zain.”
“No, not at all.” She sipped her coffee. “I don’t know why, and I no longer care. I just want them to stay away from me so I can focus on what I’m supposed to be doing.”
“Do you want me to tell them that?” Iffon asked. “Because I will, Bean. I’ll do it right now, if you like. No problem whatsoever.”
“Maybe,” she said, surprising him. He’d fully expected a resounding no. “If it comes to that, I’ll let you know.”
A few minutes later the waiter arrived with their food and Bean filled Iffon’s dishes for him. She felt Zander and Zach so clearly that she even knew when they looked at her. It was a feeling she didn’t like at all.
She kept her eyes on her plate and ate her breakfast quickly and in silence, grateful when Iffon did the same. When they were finished, she pushed her chair back and stood up. After wrapping his dishes in a paper napkin and shoving them into a pocket, Iffon flew up to her shoulder. She left the cafeteria, sensing their eyes on her so strongly by then that it was like a physical touch. A touch that didn’t fade until she was beyond the transparent wall of the cafeteria and in the elevator bay. She stepped into an empty elevator and pressed the button for Deck 5.
“I thought you wanted to practice weights and targets,” Iffon said.
“I do, but I need a few minutes to relax first. No one’s ever on 5 or 6 so I can walk around in peace.”
***
“I wonder what she told everyone,” Zain said when Zander returned to their table after speaking with Bean.
“What she told everyone?” Zander asked, confused.
“She doesn’t like us, and she’s obviously making sure no one else does, either.”
“That’s a groundless accusation, Zain,” Zach said, his eyes narrowing on his brother.
“Is it?” Zain asked.
“It is,” Zander responded. “We didn’t start getting angry looks until after she entered the cafeteria. People have obviously drawn their own conclusions as to the reason for her absence. Conclusions which aren’t in the least bit unfounded.”
“What did she say when you spoke to her?” Zach asked.
“Very little,” Zander replied. “I think I know why she keeps her eyes down all the time, though.”
“Why?”
“Because while she’s very good at displaying a blank, unemotional face, she can’t prevent her true feelings from showing in her eyes.”
“What feelings did you see?” Zach asked.
“Sadness. Deep, heart rending sadness unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”
“Sadness?” Zain asked, frowning. “I have a hard time believing that.”
“You’re doubting my word, Brother?” Zander asked tersely.
“No, I’m doubting her ability to feel emotion of any kind.”
“You’re messed up, Zain,” Zach said. Zain looked at him in surprise and saw that he wasn’t joking. At all.
Zain thought of several responses but after careful consideration, decided to keep them to himself. For some reason, Zander and Zach were seeing what they wanted to see in BreeAnna Lobo. He didn’t understand how they’d become so deluded when he was usually the first of them to succumb to a pretty face. Used to be, anyway. He’d learned his lesson in that regard.
Every attempt he’d made to convince them that they weren’t seeing her clearly only made them angry. He didn’t know why or what was really going on, but it was clear that he was going to have to keep his opinions to himself, his eyes open, and most of all, his guard up. His biggest fear was that she’d suck him into her web of deceit. If that happened again, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to live with himself.
***
After an hour of walking through the empty corridors and rooms prepared for the refugees, Bean went up to the rec deck feeling much calmer.
“What do you want to start with? Weights or control?”
“I don’t know,” Bean said, feeling oddly indecisive. “Weights,” she decided while walking toward the training room that her mother had designed and insisted be set up specifically for her. She pressed her hand to the small panel on the wall and the door slid open silently, then closed after she passed through it.
With the exception of one strip that ran the depth of the room along one end, the floor was covered in thick, pale gray padding. The contrast between the gray padding and the tiny square of white resting in the center of the room immediately caught her eye. She crossed the padded floor toward it, frowning as she attempted to decipher what she was seeing.
“What is that?”
“I’m not sure. A note, maybe?”
“Is that paper?”
“Yes, it is,” Bean replied, kneeling down beside it.
“Why would someone put a note on paper?”
“I don’t know,” Bean said. Paper was neither rare nor scarce, it just wasn’t used very much, especially for communications. That made the small bit of white, folded paper appear ominous. The fact that it rested in the center of her training room didn’t help. Bean knelt down, reached out, picked it up, and unfolded it.
The writing was cramped and uneven, making it a little difficult to read, but by no means illegible.
Stay away from the Falcorans.
First and last warning bitch.
“Well, that’s not very friendly, is it?” Bean murmured.
“What does it say?” Bean read it to him. “You need to show that to Kyrus right away.”
Bean nodded, then carefully refolded the paper, keeping her fingers on the edges as much as she could. Then she tucked it into her shirt pocket and stood up. As she left the training room and returned to the elevator she wondered who would write such a note, and why they’d threaten her, specifically.
When the elevator doors opened, she realized she didn’t know where to find Kyrus. She removed her hand terminal from its holster, and sent him a vid request.
“Hello Bean,” Kyrus said, a little worried simply because she’d contacted him. “What’s the matter?”
“I have something I need to show you, Kyrus. It’s kind of important. Where are you?”
“On the bridge. I’ll meet you outside the elevator.”
&n
bsp; “Okay, thanks. Be right there.”
She closed the connection, entered the elevator and pressed the correct button. A few seconds later the doors opened to reveal a very worried Bearen male-set. She stepped out of the elevator and followed them to the conference room. After Kash activated the security shield, she started to reach for her pocket, then hesitated.
“I found a note, written on paper, in the center of my training room,” she began before noticing that all three of them were staring at something. She followed their gazes and sighed softly.
“That’s Iffon,” Kyrus said. “Or, the bird he seems to prefer most, anyway.”
“It’s Iffon,” she admitted. “He uses less energy when he’s melded. Now that we’re well away from the Thousand Worlds, there’s little reason for him to continue pretending he’s other than he is.”
“Excellent,” Kyrus said, nodding. “If this means you can spare your strength for protecting Bean, I’m all for it, Iffon.”
“That’s precisely why I’m doing it, Kyrus. This note seems to illustrate the necessity.”
“Agreed,” Kyrus said. Then he looked up at Bean and smiled. “Well, I suppose I should actually see the note first.”
“It’s in my pocket, but I’m not sure if handling it more than I already have is a good idea.”
“Go ahead and remove it,” Kash said. “We’ll make allowances for your markers.”
Bean nodded, then reached into her shirt pocket, grasped the note by the barest edge and slipped it out. Kash used Air to lift the note from her hand, unfold it, and turn it so they could read it.
Deep rumbling growls immediately sounded from all three Bearens, but Bean expected that and wasn’t perturbed by it. After a few moments Kash used Air again, this time to create a thick, hard shell around the paper so he could hold it without actually touching it.
“This was in your training room?” Kyrus asked.
“Yes,” Bean replied. “It was lying folded in the center of the room where I usually sit when I practice.”
“There’s no security cam in that room, but there’s one on the corridor,” Kasper said. “Unfortunately, it’s programmed to begin recording only under very specific conditions.”
“What conditions?” Bean asked, surprised.
“It’s the rec deck, so if anyone is injured, bleeding, unconscious or otherwise in need of medical attention, it’ll begin recording and contact the infirmary. It’ll also record an assault or fight, as will all cams on the Askara.”
“I didn’t know that was possible.”
“She makes a good point,” Kash said to Kyrus. Bean frowned, not realizing she’d made a point at all.
“You’re right, she does,” Kyrus agreed. “Very few people on this ship are aware that the new security software makes the cams capable of selecting specific events matching specific criteria to record.”
“Oh,” Bean said, understanding now.
“That means someone with a lot of knowledge about our security systems did this,” Kasper said worriedly.
“Or someone who knows nothing about them,” Bean murmured. Kyrus, Kash, and Kasper shifted their full attention to her.
“What do you mean?” Kyrus asked.
“Well, the security cams are very obvious in all restricted areas of the ship. But they’re not obvious in non-restricted areas. I wouldn’t know there were any at all except that I helped my cousins, Jawn, Jax, and Jarl, test them after they finished installing them.
“I was curious about the different types of cams they were using so I asked about them. They explained that the idea was for people to be fully aware that they were being watched in places like the armory, but that it helped people relax more if they didn’t know they were being watched in other areas.”
“You’re right, Bean,” Kyrus said. “Someone who’s used to seeing the big obvious cams in secure areas is intended to assume that if they can’t see them elsewhere, they don’t exist.”
“That still makes no sense to me, even though I know it to be true,” Kasper said, frowning. “Why would anyone assume that a specific set of circumstances in one area automatically applies to all other areas?”
“You think we’re dealing with a civilian,” Kyrus said to Bean.
Her face turned red. “No, I’m just…I don’t know anything about security or cameras or any of these things.”
“You know enough to have made two very astute observations that we didn’t make,” Kyrus said.
“You would’ve made them yourself Kyrus. I’ve just had a few more minutes to think about this than you.”
Kyrus smiled. She was right. They would have come to the same conclusions given a bit of time. But he was still impressed with her reasoning, especially since, as she pointed out, she had no training.”
“When was the last time you were in there, Bean?” Kash asked.
“Sometime between two and three this morning.” She caught the quick looks between the Bearens but since they didn’t comment, neither did she.
“That’s our starting point then.”
“Don’t worry, Bean, we’ll catch whoever did this,” Kasper said before turning toward the door.
“I’ll go get started analyzing this note,” Kash said. “You did good, Bean, bringing this to us right away.”
Bean nodded and tried to smile. As much as she wanted to leave with them, she still had something she wanted to speak with Kyrus about.
“No one’s seen you around for a few days, Bean,” he said once they were alone.
“I wasn’t feeling well, I guess,” she said. “I’m fine now.”
Kyrus knew there was more to it than that, but it would have been rude to press her further. Just bringing it up had been inching a bit too close to the line. “All right,” he said reluctantly. “This note is disturbing, Bean. I’m wondering if I should assign guards for you.”
“Guards?”
“Your cousins would be best since they’re family, and you’re comfortable with them.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you, Kyrus, but it’s not necessary. I have Iffon, and he’s a lot more capable of guarding me than you might think.”
“I understand that, Bean, but that note was a direct threat against you. That’s not something to take lightly.”
“If I were taking it lightly, I wouldn’t have brought it to you, Kyrus.”
“I know Bean, and I appreciate that. I’m worried though, and the safety of the people on this ship is my responsibility.”
“Kyrus, I don’t need or want men following me around all the time. It’ll make me crazy.”
Kyrus was both glad and disappointed to see a stubborn gleam in her eyes. Glad that she was gaining enough self-confidence to actually argue with him. Disappointed that he didn’t have quite enough evidence to insist on guards. After all, a note was not an assault.
“You both need to promise me that if anything else happens, anything that gives you the slightest concern or seems the least bit out of the ordinary, that you’ll report it to me, Kash, or Kasper.”
“I promise,” Bean said immediately.
“As do I,” Iffon added.
“Thank you,” Kyrus said. “I want you to stay out of your training room until further notice, Bean.”
“Not for too long, I hope. I have to practice, Kyrus. It’s important.”
“I understand, Bean, and I promise we’ll work as quickly as we can. We just need time to scan the room and examine it.”
“I’ll go to my stateroom, then. I can practice some things there.” She frowned. “Kyrus,” she said, then bit her lip hesitantly as she rethought what she was about to say.
“Whatever it is, you can tell me, Bean.”
Bean nodded. “The note threatens me, that’s true. But it also mentions the Falcorans and I think that’s what’s most important about it.”
“Why most important?”
“Well, the four of us were alone in this room for a few hours every day up until a few days ago.
And, even though we were only in here for briefing, it might’ve been enough to make someone…well…wonder.”
“Wonder what?”
“I’ve heard the rumors, Kyrus. There aren’t that many people on this ship, and I’m not deaf.”
Kyrus knew she’d heard the rumors because of the comment Iffon had made regarding the Frisky Falcorans Fan Club. He still didn’t know what her point was though, so he waited patiently while she chewed on her lip again, wondering about her hesitation. Finally, she spit out what she so obviously didn’t want to say.
“I can’t help but think that someone might be a little jealous. Someone who doesn’t know why we spent time in this room with a locked door.”
“Jealousy is an ugly emotion,” Kyrus said, frowning thoughtfully. “I can’t honestly say that I understand it, but I do know about it, and I know it’s real.”
“I saw it a lot when I was away at school. Particularly in the years leading up to college. It’s illogical, irrational, destructive, and sometimes cruel. I’ve seen it incite otherwise perfectly reasonable people to do some perfectly horrible things.”
“Unfortunately, you’re right,” Kyrus said. “I’m going to have to report this to the Commanders. You know that, don’t you?”
Bean shook her head. “No, I don’t know that. Why must you tell them about this?”
“Because you made a good point about jealousy. I think they need to go through the personnel files to see if they recognize anyone.”
Bean dropped her eyes to the floor and nodded. “Okay, Kyrus. I understand.” She turned to the door and pressed the panel to open it. “Thanks for looking into this for me,” she said, then stepped through just before the door slid shut.
***
Ten minutes later Kyrus knocked on the door to the Commanders’ office, heard the call to enter, and opened it. All three of the Falcorans sat at separate desks with their own vid screens, reviewing the messages exchanged between the first expedition and Jasan. From where he stood, Kyrus couldn’t read the text on their screens, but he had no trouble seeing the thick black stripes indicating redacted data.
Whatever it was they were reading clearly had them engrossed since Zander barely glanced up at him when he stepped in. “Hello, Kyrus,” he said. He finished reading a sentence, then looked up again. “How can I help you?”
Bean's Heart (Hearts of ICARUS Book 7) Page 21