Call to Quarters (A Gaeldorcraeft Forces Novel Book 1)

by Honor Raconteur

  Considering how many times in the future that Noriko would likely fry her lock, she carefully filed away the instructions to herself: never dead bolt the door unless she was inside, always carry around a card that she could destroy if she needed to. Taking a half step to the side, she carefully watched Cameron as he worked on her stubborn door. This was going to be something she would need to know in the future.

  The door quietly clicked open. Cameron let out a crow of victory.

  “You’re in,” Kirk stated knowingly.

  “I’m in. Thanks, man.”

  “No prob. The next time you want to do something only semi-legal, I will have changed my number and not tell you about it.” The way Kirk laughed as he said this, he wasn’t at all serious.

  “Right, I’ll remember to call you first,” Cameron replied, for all the world as if he were agreeing.

  “Some friend you are. Toodles. And goodbye, fair maiden Noriko. We gotta meet soon, maybe dinner or something? I’ll tell you everything there is to know about our man Cam, here.”

  Now that was a dinner she definitely wanted to have. “I look forward to it.”

  Most people in that situation would be a little alarmed, but of course Cameron wasn’t, and he grinned down at his phone. “Only if I’m invited. Dinner’s on you.”

  “After I’ve turned you into a harden criminal and given out the best advice of your life for free? No way, hombre’, dinner’s on YOU.”

  “Dinner’s on me,” Noriko stated firmly. “After all, it was my door.”

  “Groovy. Then our fair lady of perpetual beauty will pay. Hey I gotta bounce now, I gotta go kick the neighbor’s cat again.” The call abruptly ended.

  Noriko was a little startled by this abruptness. And she still wasn’t sure what to make of him. “Your friend is really a police officer?”

  “A CHP.” At her blank stare, he rephrased, “California Highway Patrolman. I never speed in LA. If he ever catches me, he’ll have waaaaay too much fun with it. Now, your phone is fried. You probably don’t have an old phone lying around that you can use?”

  She shook her head sadly even as she made a beeline for the kitchen. Getting the ice cream into the freezer was a priority. “No such luck. This phone is actually GF issued.”

  “Oh man, bad luck all around, then. I’ll email Cap for you and explain the situation. If we do get an emergency call, I’ll come down for you, okay?”

  That worry had yet to occur to her until he’d said it. Then she winced. Oh, that would have been bad. “No, I’ll get a new phone after we get this sorted out.”

  He gave her a pat on the head, like she was a five year old that needed comfort. “Put your groceries away. I got this.”

  Was he trying to be supportive of her or trying to tease her? Noriko couldn’t figure out which. Or maybe she was just too tired to analyze him at the moment. Giving up, she obediently put her groceries away. Except the ice cream. That she pulled back out as it had just become breakfast.

  It had just been one of those days. Seeing Cameron turn and look her direction, she demanded, “What?”

  “Nothing. I know better than to ask a woman who’s eating ice cream straight from the carton how she’s doing.”

  Well. Maybe he was smarter than he looked after all.

  10th Merlin

  Because they had pulled some overtime the day before, their team had been given the next day off. Noriko was beyond thankful, as she was bone tired. More than that, her heart still hurt from what she had seen and lived through. Part of her was still a little rattled at how close she’d come to being buried alive, too. If not for Cameron’s quick reflexes, they’d both have been severely hurt.

  She took advantage of having the day to herself and slept far later than she normally would have. She woke up to a chain of text messages from Tye and Sam. The two of them were planning a get together for Friday night, although neither of them were thinking of doing anything elaborate. Impulsively, she sent back a message to both of them that they needed to have a pedicure party at her place that evening instead. She got back enthusiastic responses.

  It was just as well that she had a day off, as she really hadn’t finished unpacking yet. Having guests over would give her the needed motivation to get everything out of boxes and properly cleaned up.

  Shower first, though. Even after washing twice, she still felt like she was covered in grime.

  Once under the spray, with shampoo in her hair, Noriko started thinking of other things than preparing for tonight. How was the investigation going? Before going to sleep, she’d gotten no updates from either Jack or Banderas, which made her wonder. Were they really having that hard of a time deciding on where to set up shop? Had something else been discovered after they’d left?

  Worried, she stepped out of the shower long enough to send a quick email to them both. By the time she’d scrubbed up, dried off, and had most of her clothes back on, she’d gotten this response:

  Noriko,

  Everything is progressing well. We have offered Mr. Goudie a conference room here in the station, which he has already taken over. We’ve also been contacted by one of the engineers you helped to save, Mr. Mike Yockey. He wishes to help us with the investigation, but has not been medically cleared to work yet by his company. We are currently waiting for his medical checkup and reports to come back before we can move forward.

  You still have today off, so don’t worry about it until tomorrow.

  Do not worry about the possible backlash either. I have already notified the other stations, and they are all on alert and patrolling the ley lines.

  Jack

  She read through the email quickly, then again more slowly. Mike Yockey…Mike? The one that had helped her with the injured woman? Must be. True, having an engineer would be extremely helpful to them. He could give them a firsthand accounting of what the setup was, what had happened, and how the test cell was configured before it blew. Just having all of that knowledge would surely help Goudie sort out the important facts from the unimportant.

  It was brave of the man to volunteer to help them, so soon after living through such a horrible experience. Noriko appreciated his pride and mettle.

  She sent back a quick reply, thanking Jack for the update, and felt better for asking. It cleared her mind so that she was able to relax and not have thoughts of work hanging over her head.

  Humming a song to herself, she finished getting dressed and tackled her disorganized apartment.

  It was just as well that the pedicure party was set for six that night, as it took almost until five for Noriko to finish unpacking and get the apartment cleaned up. It wasn’t that large, a one bedroom with kitchen/dining and living room, but she had basically ignored her boxes after arriving in Tehachapi in favor of studying. Really, she’d been living out of a suitcase more than anything else. Now it looked like someone actually lived there. Pictures were up on the wall, the furniture wasn’t drowned in a sea of boxes, and she had a few decorative touches around that made it feel more like home.

  There was a quick rap at the door before Tye waltzed inside, brandishing a tote as she did so. “I got us everything we need. I think. My dears, we got munchies?”

  “We have munchies,” Noriko confirmed. It may have been very impromptu, but now that she had people arriving, Noriko felt like it had been a good thing to do. She, Tye, and Sam had been in the same schools since basically elementary. Well, Sam she’d met in Junior High, but regardless, they’d known each other for years. It felt wonderful to have people to talk to that she knew how to react to.

  “You know, I would have thought that after being transferred to the same town, we’d have met up more often than this,” Tye observed as she started unloading the tote onto the table. There were quite a few bottles of polish, most of them in shades that Noriko would never, ever wear. “But it’s been, what, a week since I last saw you?”

  “About that,” Noriko agreed, bringing two plates of nachos and salsa to her coffee table. �
��Tye, don’t take up the whole table. Where am I supposed to put these?”

  “Oh, sorry.” Tye obligingly scooted the bottles closer together to give her room.

  There was a knock on the door, but with her hands full, Noriko wasn’t able to answer it herself. Knowing who it probably was, she called out, “Come in!”

  Sam entered, two pizza boxes balanced on her hip, dark curly hair flying all around her face. She looked ready to go to work as she had makeup on, or as much makeup as Sam ever wore. It was a good thing her fair skin was naturally clear and didn’t need much in the way of foundation, because Sam hardly used the stuff. “Can you believe my hairband broke just as I got to your door? And this wind up here is something else.” Spitting out strands of hair, she handed the boxes over to Tye. “Nor, got a rubber band I can steal?”

  “Sure do, hang on.” Noriko went for the blue dish next to the door, where all of the odds and ends seemed to end up, and fished out a rubber band before handing it over. “So? How is life in Tehachapi?”

  “You know, it’s a good little town.” Sam plopped down on the couch, the only place to sit in Noriko’s apartment aside from some thick cushions stacked in the corner. “It’s growing on me. People are nice here, I get a tan while working, and the weather’s nearly perfect all of the time.”

  “I can’t comment on the tan,” Tye drawled, which made the other two laugh. After all, Tye was African American and her dark skin could get slightly darker but ‘tanning’ wasn’t a possibility. “But I am liking this weather. My new partner isn’t bad to work with, either.”

  Noriko had heard a little about him, but not much. “You said his name was Gage?”

  “Right, Gage Halden. About ten years older than me. He lost his first partner to cancer, poor guy, and he’s still a little rough over that. Apparently the two were real close. But he’s treating me good, and he’s patient while we’re feeling each other out.” Tye shrugged as if saying she didn’t have anything to complain about. “But girl, I saw your new partner, and that’s what I want to hear about. He is lickable.”

  Knowing that these two would appreciate the story, Noriko plopped down on the floor so that she formed a rough triangle between them. “Harmony Cameron Powers.”

  “Repeat that again?” Tye’s eyes flew wide, mouth opening in a ready laugh. “His mother did not name him Harmony.”

  “She really, truly did,” Noriko assured them, laughing as they laughed. “His mother is apparently a hippie out of time or something. He goes by Cam most of the time.”

  “I sure would,” Sam responded, shaking her head. “That poor guy. So what’s he look like? I haven’t gotten a glimpse of him, as we’re on totally different shifts.”

  “Surfer bum?” Noriko offered, then nodded at her own choice of words. “Don’t know how else to describe him.”

  “Yummy surfer bum,” Tye corrected, a laugh still lingering on her face. “Tall, rather good looking, blond hair, perfect tan. He looks like he’s our age.”

  “About that,” Noriko agreed. She’d heard his age but had promptly forgotten it. Her retention on things told to her orally was abysmal. It took seeing it in written form before it stuck. “He’s got an interesting personality. Definitely a ‘my pace’ kind of guy.”

  “But he’s treating you right.” Sam’s tone said ‘if he isn’t, I’ll do something about him.’ Which she would.

  “Oh, he’s fine to work with,” Noriko assured her. “In fact, he’s well-grounded, ability-wise. He’s just quirky.” Realizing they were letting the pizza get cold, she popped to her feet and headed for the kitchen, gathering up plates. “I think I’ll get used to his strange sense of humor eventually,” she added over her shoulder. “Did anyone think to bring drinks? I only have water, apple juice, and milk right now.”

  Tye reached for a pizza box. “Water should work for—” she paused at a knock on the door. “I thought we were all here?”

  “We are.” Noriko frowned and headed for the door.

  Tye, being Tye, answered it instead.

  There in the doorway stood Cameron, a six pack of soda in the crook of his elbow and a hopeful look on his face. “It sounds like you’re having a party down here.”

  Noriko blinked at him. “Can you really hear everything through the ceiling that clearly?”

  “What can I say, walls are thin,” he responded with an illustrative gesture toward the ceiling. “You doing nails?”

  “We’re having a pedicure party,” Sam warned him, tone gentle and amused. “That’s generally a girl thing?”

  “Cool. Count me in.”

  Tye bust out laughing, slapping her leg. “Sweets, if you want one, you can have one. Come on in. Be one of the girls.”

  “Okay.” Brightening instantly, he stepped inside, offering the sodas with both hands like an offering to a pagan god. “I bring beverages.”

  “And we needed them,” Tye accepted cheerfully, snapping them out of the plastic handles and passing them around. “I’m Tye Lewis, by the way.”

  “Cameron Powers,” he introduced himself, offering a hand and taking Tye’s in a firm grip. “Oh, nice, I like how you feel. You’ve got nice control. Can you do that climbing-beam trick too?”

  It took Tye a moment to realize what he meant. “Ah, you saw Noriko doing that? Yup, sure can. Sam can too. Oh, this is Sam, Sam Stoliker.”

  Cameron extended a hand, brows climbing as Sam shook it. “Nice to meet you. D-4?”

  “Same as you, feels like,” Sam confirmed.

  “You from the same school as Spidey?”

  Both Tye and Sam gave him blank looks and repeated in unison, “Spidey?”

  “She climbs buildings with her bare hands,” Cam explained, pointing to his partner. “So she’s Spidey.”

  Sam snorted, amused, but Tye set off laughing all over again. “I have a feeling I’m going to like you, Cam. Can I have a nickname too?”

  “Sure,” Cam responded, going along with the flow. “Which superhero do you want to be?”

  “Let me think on that.” Tye actually sobered, as if giving this serious thought. But then of course she would, as her personality was almost a perfect match for Cameron’s in some ways.

  Noriko shook her head, resigned to the whole situation of her male work partner crashing her girl’s night. That was just Cameron all over. “To answer your question, Cam, yes we all went to the same schools together. Sit, get yourself some pizza.”

  Without an ounce of hesitation, Cameron sat next to Sam, pulling a pizza box around. “Oooh, meat lovers. So why didn’t you match up with Spidey or Tye?” he asked Sam.

  “Because Teddy would have had something to say about it.” Sam handed him a plate, studying him openly. “Why?”

  “Spidey’s one of the best Mægancræft I’ve ever seen,” Cameron responded frankly. “I can’t figure out why she hadn’t already been snapped up.”

  Noriko flushed at this unexpected praise.

  Without changing a whit of his expression, he continued, “She’s also cute and really fun to tease. So you can see why I’m confused.”

  It was instinct on her part, mostly habit from growing up with younger siblings, that had Noriko reaching out and lightly smacking him on the back of the head. Then she froze, realizing belatedly that she wasn’t close enough to him to react like that.

  The room froze with her, all except Cameron, who twisted to give her an open grin of pure delight. “I was wondering how far I’d have to push before you’d smack me.”

  What? He’d been aiming for that? “Are you a masochist?” she spluttered.

  “Nope. Just believe that people can’t be friends until they tease each other.” Happy, he bit into his pizza.

  Sam gave him a once over with her eyes before giving Noriko a look that said, Yup, I see what you mean, definitely a ‘my pace’ kind of guy.

  Strangely, though, his reaction made her realize that what Cameron really wanted wasn’t just a work partner, but a true friend. He’d been teasi
ng her, pushing her, and trying to get past her line of ‘professional relationships.’ Even crashing the party with the girls tonight was likely because of that desire. It felt rather strange to treat someone that she’d only known for a short time like she would a long-term friend. But she had to admit, they’d both be more comfortable as friends than otherwise. So if that was what he truly wanted, maybe she could treat him like one of her brothers?

  Alright, if he wanted teasing, she’d do her best to oblige. “So if I pick out a color for your pedicure, you’ll go along with it, right?”

  Cameron’s head jerked up sharply, reading her expression, and a slow smile won over his face. “You’re going to choose something outrageous, aren’t you?”

  “You bet I am.”

  “If you do the honors, Spidey, I won’t refuse.”

  Idiot. She grinned as she thought it and plopped back down to the ground, angling herself so she had access to his feet as she moved. Then she reached for the colors and picked out two of the more glaringly bright bottles, shades that she herself wouldn’t wear. “Passionfruit or Yowza Yellow?”

  Good to his word, Cameron didn’t back down or even flinch. “I’m in a passionfruit kind of mood. Paint me up, Spidey.”

  11th Merlin

  Wednesday morning rolled around bright and early. Noriko went for her daily run early, trying to beat the heat, then spent the rest of the morning doing necessary errands and chores. She walked into work thirty minutes before her shift was actually due to start because curiosity was driving her mad. She’d been waiting to hear if they had discovered an answer to the cause of the explosion, and she hadn’t heard a peep. She really, truly didn’t want it to be because a ley line had abruptly gone unstable and made the engine explode, but she wasn’t able to put the question out of her head.

  Curiosity might have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. It did her no harm to walk in and ask, right?