Edward

by Marcus LaGrone

  “Oh, old people music,” Tatiana smiled and returned to her room.

  “Forgive her, she is young,” offered Gillian.

  Edward laughed, “It's okay. Ivy's music was never my thing anyway. I didn't know she had toured off world. I've been told she was good, but I didn't know, or appreciate, how good she was.”

  Gillian smiled, “I do confess, after all the frenetic activity of a live concert, sitting back and just listening to piano is quite relaxing. Don't tell Tatiana, it'll ruin my reputation.”

  “I heard that!”

  8

  Things felt wrong as soon as Edward stepped off the elevator. It was going to be a long night. Like the morning, there was a mob of fans waiting outside. Instead of the protestors of the morning, there was a plethora of media hacks with cameras in hand. Tabloid vultures, ready to document exactly what Tatiana was or wasn't wearing as she headed out for the night. They were a hazard of the course, unfortunately. It wasn't up to Edward to judge people, he was there for one thing: protect the client, protect Tatiana.

  Unlike the morning crowd, this one pressed tight up against them. It was work to force their way through the mob. On more than one occasion he had to stand his ground and forcefully clear a path. He was about ready to call in Alex for help when they finally reached the refuge that was the waiting car. Edward let out a sigh of relief as the door opened for Tatiana and she threaded her way over to the vehicle.

  Edward's nose itched. He hated when it did that. Urban smells often set him off, he was a creature of the high forests. Ugh! It was a nasty sweet smell and it wasn't Tatiana's perfume but it was prevalent, something from the car. The back of Edward's mind clawed at him as Tatiana climbed into the car. Cyclohexanone. That is what it was. Why did he remember that? He hated chemistry. Why did he remember that name? Solvent... it was a solvent... why would he know a solvent? All the chemistry he knew was...

  Edward screamed into his comlink as he grabbed Tatiana and yanked her out of the car. She was in no condition to move fast enough so he threw her over his shoulder and launched back into the crowd, screaming for everyone to take cover. Two long heartbeats later the rear of the car exploded in a sharp blast followed by sooty billowing flames. Edward held Tatiana tight and fast until he heard the unique gait of Shukurae running up to him. Much to his surprise, not only had he raised his Live Steel armor, but he had also cocooned Tatiana in it as well.

  Tatiana was a mess, battered and torn dress, she would have been mad, furious in fact, but the shock on her face as she stood there watching the car burn said it all.

  “Alex, let's get her back upstairs. Kadu point!”

  Edward scanned the crowd for Gillian, she had gotten caught up in the crowd, separated from the two of them. That may have saved her life. Gillian. As a matter of ethics, they were going to need to expand their view to cover her. Edward gnashed his teeth as Kestrel's words caught up with him. There were too many neutrals, they could not protect them all. They had to stop this at the source. They had to find the bombers. Well, they had the first bombing on their watch, and it was the worst one yet. Time to see if they could learn what and who was involved.

  Jake's voice sparked over the comlink, “Cameras caught it all. Trevor is working it now. How bad is it on the ground?”

  “Injuries appear to be superficial, a few will need formal treatment. No fatalities. Chauffeur took the worst, concussion and ruptured eardrums at the very least, but doesn't appear to be life threatening,” came the chatter over the link.

  “Jake, you and Paul still covering the tower? We're going home and we don't want any cheap shots as we go back in,” barked Edward.

  “You are covered. No concerns. Just get her inside. Nice work on the armor by the way.”

  Edward nodded as he and Alex escorted the catatonic Tatiana back to the elevator. Gillian, with blood running down her arm, quickly caught up with them.

  “Is she okay?”

  “Scared, dazed, but unscathed.” Edward cursed to himself at how long it took the elevator to reach them. “How bad you hurt Gillian?”

  “Me?” Gillian looked at herself and only then did her own injures catch up with her. “Can't be that bad, I didn't know anything had happened,” she offered with a feeble laugh.

  “That or shock. Seriously ma'am,” countered Alex. “We'll have some of our people check you out.”

  “Door. Let's move people!” The crowd moved into the elevator. Kadu stooping to fit, while Edward ran up her back and out the emergency safety hatch of the top of the elevator. A quick check and he rejoined them the way he had gone. “Clear, let's go up.”

  “You think they'd bomb the elevator?” asked Alex.

  “No, but I didn't think they'd bomb the car either. They have escalated their game, just as Kestrel feared. Our job has just begun.”

  Edward stared at the wall as the elevator climbed painfully, slowly, to the penthouse.

  Kadu put her hand on Edward's shoulder, “Breathe, remember to breathe. You don't want to swift.”

  Edward blinked at her in mild confusion. He wasn't aware he hadn't been breathing but he knew Kadu wasn't about to joke about things like that. He nodded at her and slowly, deliberately started breathing.

  “Is he alright?” asked Gillian more than a little confused.

  “He is frustrated. In this situation he normally has someone to kill,” began Kadu. “All the adrenaline and no place constructive to direct it.”

  The doors opened to the upper level and the team scrambled out. Edward lent his shoulder to support Tatiana as she stumbled. Kadu attended to the door while Alex sat about closing the blinds on all the windows.

  “I want broad spectrum blinds to install in all the rooms in the penthouse within the hour. We also need to get full spectrum scanners running in the rooms,” barked Kadu over the comlink.

  “You think the rooms might be bugged?” asked Alex.

  “Not unlikely. We need to consider all of the client's schedule to be a target,” began Kadu. “Lady Gillian, I would like to make your calendar for the client to become privileged data. Do you have any problems with that?”

  Gillian nodded, “Normally I'd be pissed at you for asking, but after what just happened, I think it may be for the best.”

  “Medic up in less than five,” barked the comlink.

  “D-tack,” replied Kadu.

  Kadu nodded to Edward and he took Tatiana over to a couch and sat her down. She still looked glazed and confused. Edward sat down beside her and held her hand. “How are you feeling?”

  Tatiana stared blankly before slowly turning to face Edward, “I'm okay.... I guess...” Her voice was detached and distant.

  “Can you think of anyone that would have wanted to do this? Anyone at all? Anyone that you might not have mentioned to the police before?”

  There was a noticeable delay as if the words were slowly bouncing around inside her head before she finally responded, “No.... no one.... why would anyone want to hurt me? They almost killed me!” The tempo of her speech started to pick up and she started to gain clarity, “Gillian, you are hurt!”

  Gillian smiled at her, “I'll be fine dear. It looks worse than it is. I think it mainly happened when I got thrown to the ground. I'll be okay. I'm far more worried about you. You had quite a scare there and you got quite rattled. Do we need to get you something?”

  Tatiana tried to smile, “I'll be okay.” She snuggled up against Edward. “Edward took care of me.” Suddenly her eyes went wide. “The driver! Was he okay? He was in the car when it went up!”

  “Initial reports indicate he will need a trip to the hospital, but should be released in the morning,” replied Kadu. “There are other reports of other injuries, but they were all superficial.”

  “We got lucky,” murmured Edward.

  Kestrel knocked on the frame of the room, “Is it okay to enter?”

  Edward smiled broadly, “Of course.”

  “Ma'am,” began Kestrel to Gillian, “we have
our medic out on the landing. It would be best to get that looked at.”

  “Just call me Gillian, and thank you. Thank you all.” She smiled as she left to the atrium.

  Kestrel nodded to Edward, “You have a moment to talk, or do you need some more down time?”

  Edward started to get up and realized that Tatiana was sprawled across his lap and already starting to sleep. “Whoa! That was fast.”

  “She probably needed it. Mild shock. So long as nightmares don't chase her. Natural sleep is best; I'm glad she's passed out on her own.”

  “Indeed, but I don't think you, of all people, came up here to talk about Tatiana. It's the bomb.”

  “The bomb indeed. How did you know it was there?”

  Edward knitted his eyebrows as he tried to think back through it all, “There was a weird smell. I think you once told me it was cyclohexanone. Did I say that right?”

  “Yep, commonly found in leftovers from RDX and HMX production. That implies a commercial, or more likely, a military explosive and not a homemade explosive. That is also consistent with the sharpness of the explosion.”

  “Um... were the previous bombings using those types of explosives?”

  Kestrel shook his head, “No. Most of the previous were simple pipe bombs. This is a whole new level of yuck.”

  Edward took a deep breath and thought it all over, “Did they escalate just because of us? Or were they going to escalate anyway?”

  Kestrel shook his head, “We have no way of knowing. But we have a lot of data tonight. I'm sure we'll find something to work with.”

  “A lot of data? How so?”

  “Well, all those media vultures were taking a lot of pictures. Rather than trying to sequester them all, Trevor is buying them all. We have a herd of photos of everyone in that crowd at every angle for almost thirty minutes before it all went down.”

  “Do you think the bomber was in the crowd? Was the bomb in or under the car?”

  “A quick look implied under, and sitting on the ground. That means someone in the crowd dropped it and kicked it under the car.”

  Edward nodded, “And with everyone taking pictures, we should be able to ID everyone there.”

  Kestrel nodded before changing the subject, “You did an awesome job there. Not just pulling her clear, but that weird Live Steel thing too. You completely covered her up.”

  Edward smiled and looked down at the sleeping form of Tatiana, “Yeah... I didn't know I could do that. I just had to, so I did.” Edward laughed, “I'm starting to sound like Llewellyn now.” How much more? How much closer did that push him? He was a High Silver, he had to be.

  “That's no bad thing.”

  “Hey, Kestrel, I'm sorry. You were right.”

  Kestrel looked confused, “Sorry for what?”

  “I was all cavalier about this assignment, but looking around after the bomb went off just drove home how many neutrals there were. I can't save them all.”

  “No. No you can't. But I'll wager you do a better job than just about anyone else I know.” Kestrel smiled. “We’ll get them, that's our job. Your job is to watch out for her. You did great, don't sell yourself short.”

  “Thanks, Kestrel. That means a lot coming from you.”

  Kestrel smiled, “Well, I got to go. Your night has come to an end; mine has just started. Take care and try to get some sleep of your own.”

  9

  The next morning was a welcome change on all levels. Tatiana was scheduled to spend most of the day practicing at the concert hall. The transportation had been shifted from luxury stretched limo to an armored car driven by a Shukurae with a second in the front passenger seat armed and armored to take on all comers. Edward was surprised to see fans gathering at the door once again, considering the previous night's insanity, but there they were. And there were four very gruff looking Shukurae parting the crowd as the trio exited the hotel.

  Tatiana pouted as she entered the car, “I don't like the fans being treated like that. It's not fair that some fruitcake spoils it for everyone.”

  “They'll catch the nut job, dear, don't worry. And then things will be back to normal,” coddled Gillian. “Kind of sparse on the inside of here isn't it?”

  Edward smiled professionally, “Sorry, Gillian, they are having another one converted with more amenities, as we speak. They hope to have it done tomorrow afternoon.”

  Gillian nodded, “After last night, it is kind of shallow for me to complain. I've just gotten used to my creature comforts. Your team is quite exceptional. We'll make do. And if I complain, just put it down as a lady running on borrowed time.”

  Tatiana stared at Gillian with wide eyes, “Are you okay? I've never heard you talk like that before?”

  Gillian laughed, “Just give me a few days. I'll be fine. Now to the schedule...”

  They pulled up to the rear entrance of the concert hall right on schedule. Kadu was there to meet them along with Alex and his Shukurae partner Meeka. Simple nods were all that passed as communication as the ladies exited the armored car and worked their way through the back of the concert hall. As they walked, Edward watched Tatiana start to transform once again. From a meek and sheltered posture, she was soon strutting with her head held high and eyes flashing by the time they made it to the stage.

  Musicians and dancers were already on stage; it was quite a mob. But then again, it was supposed to be quite a production. The idle chatter faded away as Tatiana entered. So, too, faded the simple honest smiles. Soon everyone was wearing the most practiced, forced smiles Edward had ever seen. It was kind of creepy. If they were smiling before why didn't they just continue the same? As he looked around, he found his answer: uniformity. No one's smile was now brighter than anyone else's, or more importantly, Tatiana's.

  “Okay everyone,” barked Gillian, “We are going to start off by doing a dry run of the whole thing. The sections that do well are excused this afternoon, the rest will stay here until they get it right. Or midnight. Whichever comes first.”

  Edward doubted she was kidding on the 'midnight' comment. And from how quickly everyone got into place, including Tatiana, neither did the cast. Poor Tatiana! It didn't matter how well she did, if the rest of the group didn't do well she was likely to have to be there all night with them!

  In less than two minutes the lights were up and the sound was going and the first dry run was off. Edward would have loved to have watched, but his job was security. He needed to learn the stage and the concert hall as a whole, forwards and backwards, every way in and out, and how to make a few exits of his own if needed. It was a mammoth building complex and the plans that Trevor had given him didn't do it justice. Edward started walking the entire stage area as much as he could without interfering with the practice at hand. Next he turned to below the stage. Ughh! A mix of trap doors and wiring for effects and lights. Not good!

  “Edward, you free?” chirped his comlink. It was Trevor.

  “Walking the site. What is up?”

  “We have an ID on the bomber and are sending an entry team in with the local police to go say 'hi'. Do you want in on it?”

  Edward smiled, man Trevor was fast! “You are awesome, Trevor. You know that, of course. But no, I'll give it a miss unless you need me. This building is huge and it is going to take me a long time to learn it.”

  “Eh, I've got a lot of good help,” came Trevor's laugh over the speaker. “Yeah, that is a huge building, good luck with it. I'll keep you posted.”

  “Thanks Trevor. Good luck and out!”

  “Out!”

  Edward smiled. Progress, and quickly too. Enough of the underside of this stupid stage. It was a little claustrophobic. Edward soaked up the light as he made it back to the top of the stage. He saw Kadu in the middle of the seating and wandered over her direction.

  “You heard from Trevor?” asked Kadu. “They achieved actionable information from last night's bombing.”

  “Yep. He just called and asked if I wanted in on the entry team.
”

  “I notice you are still here, so you declined?”

  Edward laughed, “Yeah, well, check my ego at the door. It's just a room sweep and take the guy alive. Anyone can do that. I've better use of my time learning this place. But if it all does pan out, then even that is moot.”

  “My initial suspicion is there is more than one person involved. Hopefully either I am incorrect or their first target will provide evidence leading to others.”

  Edward nodded, “Practical as always, Kadu. Well, I better get back to the task at hand.”

  Kadu nodded and smiled as Edward headed back up front. The music was all but overpowering, and this was with the speakers turned down for practice! It was going to be insane during a live concert. Adding in would be the noise from the fans and it was going to be hard to think. He watched across the stage at the insanity at hand. Musicians, dancers and lights all in motion. One musician caught his eye, she was smiling like she was having fun, a far cry from the forced neutral smile of all the rest. Edward laughed to himself. Well at least one person had their job for the right reason. Too many of these people were here as hanger's on for someone else's fame. Jealousy... could it be an up and coming performer that was associated with the bomber? Or maybe a boyfriend or girlfriend engaging in said heinous acts on their own to “help” their loved one. Oh what a mess! Treveor was checking into them all. Now just to hear back from the raid...

  Suddenly all the music stopped. Edward turned his attention to the center of the stage. Gillian was in the middle of it all and she was livid! They were supposed to do a complete dry run, but something had gone wrong, badly enough that she had called it short. Half the cast was sent off stage while the other half was visited by the wrath of a very mad Gillian. Wow! When she was mad she was a scary lady. Edward's brain suddenly clicked. What if Gillian was the target, not Tatiana? They were going to have to check into that. Oh! So many options!