Steel Heart

by R. J. Blain

  “I am not questioning that miracle.” Cleo poked and prodded at my teeth, and despite Henry’s assistance, I could feel when the loose ones wiggled. Every time Cleo touched one of those, a dull throb spread throughout my jaw and cheekbones. While it hurt, I’d endured far worse over the past few weeks, and I sat still and waited for him to finish his work.

  To my relief, it didn’t take him long to finish and take his fingers out of his mouth. “Give it another minute for the nerve pain to settle, Henry. What do you want to tackle next? I’ll help while she eats. She’s more than half starved, and with those teeth, I’m damned surprised she ate anything at all.”

  “There were days it involved holding her down and forcing soup down her throat,” my father reported.

  “Ruthless but effective. Don’t blame yourself for her unwillingness to eat. Jesse has ridiculous pain tolerance, but that level of discomfort would turn anyone’s stomach. I’m not even sure how she has a functional digestive system at all.”

  “The Hope Diamond,” my father reported. “It tries, but it does not understand the human body.”

  “Well, that’s different. Let’s try to teach it what a healthy tigress is, Henry. Jesse, we’ll try not to stop your feeding frenzy, but we’ll have to interrupt you every now and then. You need every damned bite you can cram in at this point, so act like a proper glutton. Anatoly, your job is to bring her food until she can’t eat another bite. And no, you will not have her eat out of your hand however much you would enjoy it. If you want to hand feed her, wait until you’re somewhere private.”

  “Since when has she ever let me hand feed her? I mean, I wouldn’t mind, but she tends to look like she will stab anyone who gets too close to her food when she’s eating. I’d rather not be impaled with a fork.”

  “That’s because you’re smart. Go get someone in the kitchen to start on another steak, and get them to make up a plate of vegetables. And yes, Jesse, you need the damned vegetables.”

  I snagged my plate, dragged it close, and tested a bite. When no pain manifested, the relief at being able to do something so basic without it being a struggle was almost enough to make me cry. Instead, I took another bite, determined to avoid any tears through food therapy.

  Anatoly left with my father following. My mother continued her war against the President of the United States, and the grizzlies settled into a roaring match certain to alarm every Secret Service agent in hearing range. Gentry sat across from me, sighed, and shook his head. “Jenny is going to turn this place upside down. Like she always does. I should have guessed you were my niece from the first time I saw you following Todd around. I don’t even have to look too hard to see the resemblance. I’m just a blind old man at this stage. Only my sister would set her daughter loose and then get upset over the resulting chaos.”

  Cleo snorted, and he rested his hand on my side. Henry placed his hand on my back, and while I didn’t like the tingling sensation, it beat pain. As choking would make it harder for them to work and take longer for me to fill my stomach, I took my time cutting up my steak. “You also didn’t think I’d be an assassin, either.”

  “Yeah. That one caught me by surprise. I expected you to get your hands dirty somewhat; street kids who become mercenaries tend to create trouble wherever they go, but Todd kept you on a short leash. Not a short enough leash, but you’re as stubborn as your mother. Of all the damned things to breed true. Jenny, this is all your damned fault!”

  “Come say that to my face, you brute,” my mother howled before roaring at my aunt again.

  Shaking my head, I took another bite of steak, careful with my teeth until I could confirm yet again they no longer ached.

  Steak tasted so much better when my mouth didn’t hurt.

  “I would, but I’m watching your daughter eat. Your mate ran off.”

  “He’s tending to the boy, so don’t you worry none about him. Mind your own business, Gentry. I’ve got a few words to have here with Steph, then I’ll deal with you.”

  The lecherous rabbit joined Gentry, and he sighed. “This was not what I had in mind. I was expecting Jenny to be a little more restrained in her behavior.”

  Gentry snorted. “You’ve been hit in the head a few too many times, I think. This is exactly what I expected. Jenny and Steph have been brawling since the first time they saw each other. It’s what they do. Don’t get me wrong, I love both of my sisters, but they’re both stubborn and have a temper. You’ve seen them fight before. Don’t act all surprised.”

  Between bites, I grinned and said, “They’re grizzlies. They have a temper by default. Still. I had no idea Felicity was the Vice President. How did that happen?”

  “How else? It started as a damned joke. My sister thought it would be hilarious if she, a grizzly, had a wolverine as a political partner. She figured she wouldn’t stand a chance for the Presidency, but she had underestimated how much Americans wanted someone who wasn’t afraid of using a little violence and didn’t need any damned man taking care of her. Add in the damned rabbit here, who did his best to hide for the first few months of her campaign, and she managed to offend the entire country so much they started paying attention to her. Then it turns out they liked what they heard, and they voted in her favor. The other options were that bad, though. President Wilson’s demise along with a bunch of other higher authorities in the government really did a lot of damage—but it allowed for a complete change in the system. Then Americans decided they liked the change. She tried to leave after her second term, but the people weren’t having any of that. Every state voted to have the term limit overturned, because the options after her just weren’t up to their standards. Do you know how she won her third term?”

  “No. I never really paid attention to that sort of history,” I admitted. “I generally prefer to vote with the mentality of don’t fix what isn’t broken, and right now, we have something that generally works.”

  “That’s how I vote, too. Most do. Change for the sake of change is a disaster waiting to happen. That plus we’re generally lazy, have no desire to see a major overturn of the government when it’s doing its job, and otherwise don’t want to deal with election campaigns. Hell, nobody even remembers what party Stephanie is anymore. Nobody cares. That plus my wife was from the other party, so everyone has some form of representation at the top. Don’t ask my wife what her party affiliation is, by the way. She’ll just tell you it’s the one that’ll kick your ass. And then she’ll kick your ass. She hates that question. And right now, the law treats everyone equally. Anyway, Steph was written in on the ballot, and the states voted to abolish the term limits. The government had a choice of changing the term limit rules or face a rebellion. In the next few days, she’ll write a speech about the incident in Charlotte and have the couriers work as news mules for a while to make sure everyone finds out about the details. Then she’ll, because she’s an idiot, open the country to a vote of what they want to see moving forward. I expect the voters will tell her to shut up and go back to work, please and thank you. And we’ll have a new surge of Secret Service applicants, because that’s what happens every time she calls an out-of-cycle vote.”

  “Why doesn’t she just wait until the end of her term?”

  “That was one of the additions to make it so the government—or the President—could jumpstart an election if there was a reason for it. The Clan Council can start an election cycle with a seventy-five percent majority. The congress can also call a session and trigger an election with a seventy-five percent majority. The senate and house can force the congress session with a majority vote on both. Half the time, the senate and house don’t want to be bothered with sessions because they have work to do for their constituents, and they’d rather be doing their jobs at the local level unless something needs to be changed at the top.”

  “So the Clan Council controls just about everything, doesn’t it?”

  “Pretty much. And when it runs into a situation where they can’t resolve it without the
congress’s input, they call a session. They also send weekly reports to all upper government employees. This generally means the states have more control over their business, but as long as they follow the rules the Federal government puts in, that’s what people want. Steph tends to handle the really important matters.”

  “Gentry, she’s going to talk to you if you keep talking to her, and that will slow her rate of steak consumption,” Cleo announced, pausing in whatever he was doing to point at my uncle. “Stop distracting her from eating. You can sit and make sure nobody interrupts her if you need a job to do.”

  “Can I get an update on what you two are doing so I can stop the women and turn on their maternal instincts before they break my guild?”

  To make Cleo happy, I rampaged on my steak and devoured it without bothering to chew. Once I swallowed the last bite without choking on it, I said, “I want to know, too.”

  “Right now, Henry is working on your lungs. When he started, you were down to half functionality at best. The theory about the Hope Diamond helping seems to be accurate; he’s making much better progress than I expected. I’m working on your heart, which is working to about a quarter of what it should be. That’s part of why you’ve been sleeping so much; your heart just can’t move blood everywhere it needs to go, and you’re resting because you’re oxygen depleted. Your brain is in good shape; I am refusing to question that miracle, either.”

  Henry sighed, and he patted my back. “The Hope Diamond is definitely paying attention to what we’re doing. It seems to be trying to repair the damage now that were working to restore organs to their proper working state. I’m going to be working on your kidney and liver next. Once Cleo is done with your heart, I’m going to have him tackle your immune system. From what I can tell, it’s not functional at all. The Hope Diamond seems to be working as a stand-in, likely because it understands something keeps making you sick, but doesn’t get how antibodies work.”

  “I’m a mess.” I regarded my empty plate with a scowl, hoping Anatoly would return soon. Then I’d have to decide if I wanted him or the steak—or both. “This is going to hurt, isn’t it?”

  Henry grinned. “No, I don’t think so. I’ve never had to teach a rock about basic biology, but it wants to help, so it is. Good job convincing that stone to like you. It really wants to help. It’s funny. It can do so much, but it doesn’t really seem to understand something as basic as making someone healthy. It can sink cities. It can freeze cities in time. It can flatten cities. The can raise cities from the ocean if it wants. It can imbue everyone in its radius with magic. But, for all the destruction it can bring, it is really struggling to keep you alive. Now, it’s getting the job done, but you’re even more of a mess than Miracle was. But, you’ll be back on your feet in no time. Unlike with your horse, we know how to treat this in people.”

  Cleo grunted and shifted his hand closer towards my back. “Depending on how much the Hope Diamond helps, we should have you back on your feet within a week for basic physical therapy. In good news, for the next week, all you get to do is eat, sleep, and snuggle with Nate. Nate needs the affection, you need the affection, and you need rest. I’ll have to fight the grizzlies and whatever the hell your father is, but I don’t play fairly. You’ll be able to do your share of the mental work if you’d like, but your body needs to rest.”

  I liked the thought of resting for an entire week and getting to keep my tiger close company. “I was supposed to walk to his house.”

  “You will not be walking to his house. If you’re not up for riding one of your black demons, I’ll saddle Todd up and make him work the stiffness out of his leg. Breaks are tough on the equines, and he’ll be grouchy and sore for at least a week.”

  Poor Todd. “He’s all right, though?”

  “Just surly he broke his toothpick leg trying to pretend he’s a warhorse when he’s better off as a trophy. He’s also mad us mystics weren’t gentle about fixing the break during combat. He should be happy he can use his leg. If he wanted a gentle pampering, he should have hired Henry.”

  “Normally, I would be upset I was causing you any discomfort, Jesse, but I checked your pain levels before I started, and you probably don’t even think you’re hurting at this point. And I can’t give you painkillers; your organs can’t handle them.”

  “It tingles, which is far better than what I’ve been dealing with.”

  “Well, you’ll be tired and hungry most of the next week, but you’ll be in much better shape. After dinner, you can answer everyone’s questions, but once that’s done, you’re on an easy schedule until you’re in better health.”

  Anatoly returned with my father, and they both carried two plates each, which they placed on the table in front of me. My stomach growled, and I wasted no time accepting the plate Anatoly offered.

  I gave the steak, mountain of mashed potatoes and gravy, and steaming pile of asparagus, carrots, cabbage, and other green things a lifespan of approximately five minutes. As I expected my damned tiger would withhold the other steaks until I cleaned my plate, I went to work shoveling everything into my stomach where it belonged.

  Cleo sighed. “You don’t have to inhale it, Jesse. It’s not going to escape. You’re not at any risk of throwing it up, either, unless you eat too quickly. You’re going to burn those calories right off while we’re doing our work. Take your time.”

  My father sat beside the First Gentleman while Anatoly say beside Gentry. “I have been worried about her teeth. It hurt her to eat, even though she tried to hide that. I tried to tell him she would not be able to handle more than one steak, and the one might be too much. I wanted to offer soup. He said she needs meat.”

  “I’m glad you noticed, although I question why you gave her the first steak if you knew her teeth were hurting.”

  “It is a reward for good behavior. Will her teeth recover?”

  “I’ve already taken care of it. She can have as many steaks as she can stomach, and she might get a sore jaw from exercising it so much chewing, but she’ll be fine. Jesse, I’m going to start working on your kidney, and you might want to sit still. I’ll try to keep this as painless as possible, but it’s going to hurt, even with Henry trying to shut your nerves down while I work. It’ll be just about as bad as a punch to your gut.”

  My lecherous rabbit of an uncle grimaced. “Having experienced one of her punches, I don’t envy you at all right now, little girl.”

  As warned, Cleo’s mysticism hurt like hell, and I roared in the donkey’s face. The pain intensified, and I hissed at him to make it clear I disapproved of his less-than-gentle treatment of my internal organs.

  “Well, your lungs are definitely doing better. Good work, Henry. Can you reduce the effectiveness of her lungs a little until we’re done here? My ears are now ringing.”

  “Easy does it, Jesse. He’s about done, and the Hope Diamond’s figuring out what is supposed to happen. And, unlike Cleo, it’s surprisingly good at being gentle. Do her liver next, then handle the gallbladder. I’ll tackle the rest of her digestive system. After that, we can work on her immune system.”

  “That’s going to be fun. Not.”

  That didn’t sound good. “Why is that not going to be fun?”

  “The immune system is a very complicated beast, and we’ll have to fiddle with your bone marrow, a bunch of glands, and parts of your brain to fix that mess. Hopefully, we can get the Hope Diamond to figure it out without a lot of work from us, but I don’t think it understands how illnesses work in the human body.”

  My eyes widened. “Wait. After Fort Lauderdale, I kept getting sick. Is this related?” The mystics fell silent, and I narrowed my eyes. “My immune system broke before this, then?”

  “You would have been exposed to radiation from riding Miracle,” Cleo replied, and the tiredness of his tone worried me. “It’s possible there was enough radiation on the horses that were brought in that your body was already starting to suffer from radiation sickness even then. But we hadn’t
thought to check for that; we figured your immune system had been impaired due to the severity of your shoulder injury.”

  “It’s not your fault. I didn’t even know radiation was something that could make people sick until you all started using the word.”

  Henry cleared his throat, and Cleo waved for the other mystic to take over the conversation. “It’s complicated, Jesse. But some techs figured out how to make it work, and it does a good job, but it’s not without its problems. It generates a great deal of heat without combustion, which is why it drew a lot of attention. But I think we’ll start trying to find an alternate power source. I think everyone failed to see how it could be turned into a weapon—a very lethal weapon. And while we can heal those sickened with radiation, it’s not an ideal situation. And there aren’t that many mystics who can handle the work.”

  “Yet the two healing mystics I know both personally can.”

  “We’re that amazing,” Cleo announced before snapping his fingers and pointing at one of the untouched plates. “Eat. If the rabbit could get his wife to settle down and ask Jesse questions while we finish up here, that would be useful.”

  “Why are you making me split those two hellions up? Do you want me to die, Cleo?”

  “Your wife loves you too much to kill you, and your sister-in-law actually likes you enough to keep from killing you.”

  My father chuckled. “I will take care of this.” Turning in his seat, he hollered, “Jenny, beat on your sister later. The mystics are working on our daughter, and they have news.”

  To my amazement, the fighting immediately halted, and while both women looked worse for wear, they came to the table, wearing identical suspicious expressions. My aunt placed her hands on her hips and glared at Cleo. “Report, donkey.”

  “It’s definitely radiation sickness, it’s the worst I’ve ever seen in a still-living person, and the Hope Diamond adores her. We start working on fixing an organ, and it figures out what we’re trying to accomplish, and it picks up the work. We move to a new organ, and it keeps piggybacking on our work. The worst part was her kidney, but Henry’s been dampening the rest of the pain. Her teeth were a mess, but that was the first thing we fixed. We do need to rebuild her immune system; I suspect radiation exposure from Miracle is responsible for her immune system difficulties. But with the Hope Diamond helping, Nate can take her home with him as early as tonight. We’ll need to do daily checkups and help make sure her organs are functioning properly, but she’s already leaps and bounds better off than she was an hour ago.”