Girl Gone Nova

by Pauline Baird Jones

  Doc tended to dive into the pool, but this time she tested the water with a toe first. “You and the Leader were the primary targets of the bombing, sir.”

  He didn’t blink. “And you know this how?”

  “Four men arrived before the rescue teams. They split up and went hunting. I followed one team to you.”

  He frowned, his gaze turning inward. His focus turned out again. “You dropped them?”

  The bullet holes were a giveaway during the autopsy.

  “I dropped two of them. Someone else took out the other two.” Hel? She didn’t say his name out loud. She never waved red flags at bulls if she didn’t need to.

  A slight widening around the eyes was his only reaction. “Who the hell are you?”

  She let her aspect shift. “The Major calls me Chameleon.”

  He still didn’t blink. Doc was impressed. He didn’t look surprised either, which was interesting. That seemed to indicate he’d known the Chameleon was on board or he bluffed well.

  “I thought your kind never broke cover.”

  His tone told her he wasn’t a fan, but was his ire directed at the Major, the Chameleon or “her kind” in general?

  “The Major allows me some latitude when I’m in the field.” Though calling another galaxy “the field” felt wrong on several levels.

  His stare busted her to her core—something that hadn’t happened in a very long time.

  “I wish you hadn’t met the Gadi Leader.”

  Doc was glad he didn’t appear to require a response to this wish. She was unable to agree with him, and it wouldn’t be smart to point out it was his fault she had met the Leader. She tried not to do “not smart” and when she had to, only did it as an operational necessity.

  “I want you to keep your distance, without looking like you’re keeping your distance.”

  Yeah, that would work. Doc studied the general for a minute. “If I start staying away now, he’ll wonder why.” She frowned, considering what she’d learned about the Leader. “He’d expect everyone at the reception to be hand-picked by you, to have a specific reason for being there.”

  “But I didn’t know who you were—”

  “We know that, but he doesn’t. He probably thinks you meant him to meet me. That you had a plan, a master plan.” Doc felt a bit evil about winding him up like this. Of course, just because it was evil, didn’t make her wrong. And he had ripped her a new one. Payback, even for generals, was a bitch.

  “So if you don’t avoid him, he’ll be focused on why I wanted you to meet.” The general’s gaze was reflective now. “Is this what you do for the Major?”

  Doc wasn’t sure how to answer that. There was a hint of irony in his eyes that told her he sensed more than he was saying. He wasn’t stupid, even if the reception hadn’t been his brightest moment, and she’d be wise not to forget it.

  “I do what’s required to meet my mission objectives, sir.”

  “And have you ever failed to meet an objective?”

  Doc might be a scientist, but she still had a streak of superstition running through her. She didn’t like tempting fate, even when it was the truth.

  “No.” She made a face. “Not yet.”

  “You weren’t much of a chameleon at the reception.”

  Doc’s chin lifted. “Camo was not my choice, and I was off duty.”

  He gave a sharp nod that could have meant anything.

  “If that’s what you can do off duty, I can’t wait to see what you do when you are.”

  Doc thought she heard fate cackling in the distance. What if the impossible was impossible this time?

  Chapter Four

  It pleased Hel that Delilah was his primary healer, though he was surprised that the General had allowed them to meet. Halliwell believed, perhaps with cause, that Hel had a weakness for Earth women. So why trail this one in front of him?

  Apart from her appearance, there were other things intriguing about Delilah. The healer was very different in her—he searched for the right word and finally settled for—aspect from how she’d appeared at the reception. Women could be dangerous in a variety of ways, but Delilah had exuded a physical threat at the reception just before the explosion. Her aspect was harder to quantify when she’d been pacing, but it had shifted to sultry seductress when Naman approached. He’d felt the façade of each aspect. Why did he know this? How did he know this? He had seen her adapt decisively to each change in circumstances, but before this he’d felt he knew her.

  The charm and her sense of humor were a nice bonus, something he’d never required from a female before. He hoped time would provide clarity—and if the general was throwing the dangerous Delilah at him, well, Hel didn’t mind. Safety was overrated.

  The uneasy peace had been difficult for him in the last two years and now he was tied to a bed with a government to run. A woman would be a pleasant distraction, though that was all she could be. They were galaxies apart in too many ways. His enemies had tried to use women to take him down in the past. Of course they had failed. His ability to use, without being used, might explain the more pragmatic approach of the bomb. Hel hoped his continued survival would be a lesson to all his enemies.

  The distracting woman in question chose that moment to enter his room, and he felt an unfamiliar shock of sexual awareness blast through him with a fierceness that surprised him. If she were the general’s weapon of choice, the general had shown unexpected cunning. Unless someone else was playing a game with him? The general had been injured, almost killed in the blast, too. He needed to think about this further, but not around the very perceptive Delilah. Her eyes saw too much.

  “How are you feeling this morning?” Her voice was brisk, very healer this new ship day aboard the Doolittle, but her eyes had turned purple, a phenomenon that appeared to be reserved for him.

  He smiled at her and the color got richer. An answering smile curled her mouth. He was going to have to kiss her soon.

  “I am tired of this bed.” Unless she consented to share it.

  Today she was back in camo, but this version, he had learned, were called scrubs for a reason clear only to them. The fabric appeared softer and moved when she did, making it somewhat more pleasing than what she’d worn to the reception. Her feet were covered. A pity. The memory of her narrow, elegant feet, the nails a shimmering pink, made his body heat.

  “There’s no reason you can’t get up. In fact, we’re going to have you take a couple of short walks, one this morning and another after lunch. If it goes well, you can stroll as much as you feel like within the infirmary area.”

  She didn’t say it, but they both knew it was a security issue. His people would not be pleased their Leader was on the Earth ship. If he remained cut off…

  “Also, the General has made arrangements for some of your people to come aboard, once they’ve cleared security.”

  “That’s very helpful.” And most unlike the good General. Hel wasn’t sure he wanted the accommodation until he’d isolated and eliminated the threat to his life. His well-honed instincts told him there was a link between whoever was after him among the Gadi and someone in this expedition. The General would top the list of suspects if he hadn’t been wounded in the explosion—though it didn’t totally clear him in Hel’s mind. With some reluctance he had to include Delilah on his list of suspects, despite the bomb she’d defused. It would not be the first time someone saved his life to gain his trust. He would have preferred communication by radio, but his people would be concerned he was being coerced. If the Council believed the Leader was being controlled, they’d move to replace him.

  “You are a head of state. There are diplomatic protocols already worked out. Just a matter of implementing them.”

  Her tone was pragmatic, but her eyes weren’t. The purple would start to fade, their gazes would meet and it flared again. The effect, against her matte white skin, would have made his head spin if he were the kind of man to let a woman make his head spin. It was something o
f a relief when she glanced down at the tablet she’d brought in with her.

  “And your children want to see you. Arrangements are being worked out. They should be here in time for your first stroll.”

  Hel frowned. His children? Did they want to see him? They didn’t act like they did.

  As if she sensed his unease, she added, “Your mother says they’re upset. That they needed to see you were all right for themselves.” She hesitated, then added without looking at him, “It’s probably a natural reaction, considering they’ve already lost their mother.”

  “Is my mother coming with them?” Hel tried not to flinch at the thought of his mother visiting here. There were so many things about this ship she would dislike. And she would blame him for the bombing, or worse, she might think his condition would make him more open to taking a new bond mate. It seemed everyone around him had a woman for him. A pity that, since the death of his mate, he’d seen only two women he wanted. Was it coincidence they were both from Earth?

  “She didn’t want to try out the transport system. Sorry.” Amusement tugged at the edges of her mouth. “My mum was a bit intimidating, too.”

  Rather than address the issue of intimidation, which he most certainly was not, Hel made a conversational side step. “Your mother is no longer living?”

  Her eyes turned dark blue, as if a cloud had darkened her horizon. “She died when I was fourteen. Stan died a few months later.”

  “Stan?”

  “My dad.”

  Hel frowned. “You called your father Stan?”

  “And he called me Ollie.” Her face softened, memory chasing away the shadow. “It’s a bad Earth joke about some comedians. And it made him feel old to be called dad. He was quite a bit older than my mum and it bothered him. If I didn’t call him dad, he could pretend I was one of his students.”

  “He was a teacher?” Hel was fascinated by this look inside her head. He had a feeling it was not typical for her to share this much of her past, or herself.

  “They both were. They taught at university—that’s an advanced kind of school—and they wanted me and my brother to follow in their footsteps and become teachers.”

  The shadows returned to her eyes when she mentioned her brother.

  “But you didn’t. You are here. Did your brother become a teacher?” He thought she’d ignore the question when she hesitated.

  “My brother,” another pause, “became ill, but I think he would have. He liked academia more than I did.”

  “I am sorry.” There was more to it, but he didn’t press. His curiosity was no match for the brief flare of pain in her eyes.

  “Thank you.” Her smile was tinged with sadness, but she was less healer, more real Delilah. She gave a tiny shake and held up her stethoscope. “We’ve strayed from the reason I’m here.”

  The purple returned to her eyes, as she positioned the stethoscope on his chest and took a listen. Her voice was light, professional as she discussed his progress, but the pulse at her neck belied her outward mien. They were both waiting. They both knew it.

  “I would like to show you my home,” he said, surprising himself as much as he did Delilah. Now was not a good time for a visit, as he had good cause to know.

  She looked up from her notes. “That would be,” she swallowed, “nice.”

  She dragged out the word, as if she also knew it would never happen. It stirred a desire to push the issue and after a very brief struggle, he gave into it.

  “Then you will come.”

  “No, but thank you for the invitation.”

  The General would fight a visit, but Rockley would jump at the chance to get someone back on the planet.

  “I will arrange it.”

  “You’re very confident.” She sounded more amused than annoyed.

  “I am the Leader. If I wish it, it will happen.”

  She chuckled.

  “What?” Had a woman ever laughed at him?

  “I’ve just never met anyone quite like you before.”

  “And you never will.” He spread his hands and shrugged. “I am unique.”

  “I won’t argue with you about that.”

  “It would be wise not to argue with me about anything.” It was a serious truth, but he kept his tone light and teasing. It wouldn’t do to spook her.

  His gaze caught hers, and he could see the purple building in their depths again. Perhaps he couldn’t wait. But the move to reach out for her was halted before it began.

  Simmons arrived. Her timing was impeccable—and annoying.

  * * * * *

  Saved by the nurse again. Did Simmons have built-in radar for when Doc was getting in over her head? Doc headed for her temporary office and sank down in the desk chair, her hands on her cheeks. That had not gone as planned. It hadn’t even gone as expected. She’d never told anyone about her family. Even the Major only knew the basic facts of their lives and deaths. He knew about her brother. It was a matter of record. He didn’t know Doc fought the same demons that had put Robert in a mental institution. If he knew—

  Don’t let them get you, Del.

  She could see his face the first time he said that to her. He was five years older and seemed fifty feet taller in her memory. He’d crouched to bring their faces level, horror in his eyes. Even at nine, Doc didn’t have to ask what he meant. She knew. She’d always known. The thing she didn’t know was why they hadn’t got her, too. Robert was older and stronger, but they’d taken him down like he was a straw man.

  She shivered, but not with cold. Thinking about them brought them in close. She shifted, needing something to do, something easy, something that required her to focus, something that would distract her from the racket inside her head, help her figure out how to get answers to questions spinning inside her head.

  Her gaze glanced off her Wii remote. Of course. A few games of Mario Kart were just what the doctor ordered, well, this doctor ordered. She booted up the game, picked her character and kart, then started a Grand Prix, losing herself in its whacky reality. They and the din faded into the distance as she battled her way through the various maps to victory. And while she played, other parts of her brain sifted through streams of data, analyzing and assessing, looking for patterns.

  Hel had been interesting. Lots of beneath-the-surface patterns to analyze, along with her own reactions to him. The banter had appeared light, but she sensed deeper currents there. She’d suspect he’d somehow picked up on her hidden reason for being in the galaxy, her new duty, but she didn’t know what it was, so there was nothing for anyone to pick up on. Her orders had referred her to the General and his sealed orders. Whatever her new objective, she couldn’t do it from here, but she couldn’t think of a good reason to be sent to Kikk.

  Not knowing her mission wasn’t a huge problem, because knowing what she needed to do and not being able to do it made her antsy, something that always gave them an in. There were plenty of non-mission related things to think about. Her brain loved patterns and it had found plenty to play with here. It was always interesting what brought them in close and what pushed them back. If she could find a pattern in that, she might finally defeat them, like she’d just done to her Grand Prix opponents.

  “Yes!” She jumped up and did a victory dance that turned her toward the door.

  And the two small people watching her.

  No, not people, children. She didn’t do children. Their eyes were too intense, too unsettling; they saw too much. She’d faced down men twice her size and felt less nervous.

  She cleared her throat. “Hello.” Okay, quit sounding scared. Children can sense fear. She’d heard that somewhere, hadn’t she? Or was that animals? “I mean, hi.”

  “What is that?” the older one asked.

  Even if she hadn’t known who they were through a process of elimination, his tone would have marked him as Hel’s son. He had the “I am leader of the galaxy” intonation down perfectly.

  “It’s a game.”

  They
both stepped deeper into the room, their gazes fixed on the screen. It was a relief to have their attention off her, but it didn’t relieve her anxiety. Despite her unease, she recognized the opportunity the boys presented. She’d collected information from a variety of informants, had manipulated them without blinking, but these were children. Children could smell manipulation and knew how to instinctively block information-gathering attempts from people they liked. With strangers, kids were ruthless. Even though technically she’d never been a kid, she knew this.

  Still, they did seem fascinated with Mario Kart. It seemed it had intergalactic kid appeal. She’d been using it to get inside her own head, so why couldn’t it help her get inside theirs? She bit her lip, hesitated for a long moment, then asked a question she’d never, ever asked a child.

  “Would you like to play with me?”

  Doc may have had a grown-up reason for the question, but she’d never felt this young as she waited for their answer.

  * * * * *

  Hel didn’t know what was the most startling, that he’d managed to lose his children, that his children had managed to find their way to Delilah, or the extraordinary thing the three of them were doing.

  They sat on top of a desk staring with fierce concentration at a screen of some kind. What was on that screen was so far outside his realm of experience he didn’t know how to describe it to himself, let alone to anyone else. Tiny, bizarre creatures riding on or in wheeled devices appeared to be racing around a course that went in and out of peculiar structures.

  Relsten held a strange white device in his small hands, and Hel could tell by his actions that he controlled the movements of one the creatures in a box at the top of the screen. Lorin sat between Delilah’s legs and her arms circled him loosely. Lorin held a similar white device and controlled the creature in the bottom square, with assistance, it seemed, from Delilah.

  “That’s good, really good, Lorin. Hold your red shell…hold it…fire!” One of the wheeled vehicles spun in a circle and a puff of smoke rose above it. “Direct hit!”