Jean swept an impatient hand toward the waiting students. “I have a class to teach, and I have this department to run. How do you suggest I do all that and visit Earth to play nanny to a bunch of scientists as well?”
The tech shrugged. “You could always take the kids with you. They’re pretty smart. They could help and learn on the job. Practical experience will do them good.”
Jean looked at them again. They shuffled awkwardly, trying not to show the excitement they felt at the thought of visiting a genuine European castle.
“I’ll get back to you tomorrow with my decision.”
The tech nodded and hurried off. Jean waved the kids over and fixed them with a bright smile.
“Although I was supposed to come get you, welcome to my world. Looks like we’re all going to Wales.”
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Jean’s and John’s Quarters, Later that Evening
“Oh…that’s good. A little higher? There, that’s the spot!” Jean groaned with pleasure as John used his considerable strength to destroy the stubborn knot in her upper back. “I swear, there are not enough hours in the day.”
“Tough day at work, babe?” John asked, kissing Jean’s head gently and pressing his cheek to hers for a brief moment. He could feel her weariness. She was working like a demon, as always.
Life was never dull around Jean. She was a firework contained in the body of an angel. Her inner and outer strength had drawn him to her. Her fiery spirit outshone even Bethany Anne’s in his eyes, and her strength was a beacon that called him home to her whenever the darkness threatened to descend. It was his honor to be hers in return, and his good fortune to have realized it.
She followed him to the kitchen, where he snagged two glasses and a bottle of something darkly amber and steered her to the sofa in the lounge. Jean lay back with a sigh, removed her socks, and accepted the glass from him.
“Tell me all about it,” John soothed.
She groaned again as he rubbed her tired feet and let her head fall onto the pillow behind her after taking a sip of her drink. “It’s not the kids. The kids are great! Ronnie Diamantz especially—that kid can think outside the box! If I don't snag him when he graduates, I'm going on the warpath.”
“He's got a lot of potential,” John agreed. Jean lifted her head to look at him quizzically.
“He's friends with Tina,” he clarified.
“She's my other star, but I know she's going to end up in R&D. Hey, remember that show—the guy who got in a ridiculous situation every week and got out of it using gum wrappers and cuckoo spit, or something?”
“MacGyver?”
Jean grinned. “That's the one. That's Tina. You have a problem, she has a solution.”
That was high praise from Jean. John put a little more effort into the foot rub. “I don't understand half the stuff they say to each other.”
“I do, and I'm beyond impressed by all three of them.” Jean grimaced. “That's my issue. I’m still having problems at the Conwy facility, and I’m concerned they’re not getting enough of my time. They deserve my full attention.”
“What’s the problem with the facility?” He hadn’t been down there at all. The acquisition and security checks for that facility had gone through Nathan.
“That’s what I need to get to the bottom of. There’s something fishy going on there, and it’s going to put Project Gauntlet behind if I don’t address it.” She reached over and grabbed her tablet from the table, passing it to John after a few swipes.
He looked through the documents, seeing the places where Jean had highlighted discrepancies in the facility’s inventory records. “Looks like someone is stealing. Easy enough to remedy.”
“Not just that.” She swiped again, and there was highlighted computer code on the screen. “See this? This code doesn’t belong in the facility’s computers. They’ve been hacked.”
John was instantly concerned. “How were they hacked? Didn’t ADAM see it happening?”
“It was ADAM who brought it to my attention. He said he fixed the hacking problem, but I need to go down there in person to deal with the malfunctioning equipment. Gott Verdammt! I can’t delegate this one—it’s too sensitive. I’m going to have to take my techs down there to take over the disassembly while I take Laura off to repair the broken machinery, and what about the kids?”
Her misery was absolute, and tugged at John’s natural urge to protect his lover from any and all pain. He scooted up to wrap an arm around her, his brow furrowed as he searched for a solution to her problem. “I wish I could help, babe.”
Jean’s distress slowly resolved into a subtle smile as she leaned into his shoulder. “One of my team suggested I take them down with me…but I can’t see a way around the security issues.”
John erupted in snorting laughter. “HA! You’ve got the smarter half of Alpha Class, so they’re going to need more than one adult to supervise them—especially after Mongolia. They get into trouble every time they go down there! I wouldn’t let them out with anything less than a full security team.” John became aware that he had walked right into her trap the moment the words left his mouth.
“Oh, honey! How sweet of you to volunteer!” She actually batted her eyelashes at him. How was he supposed to get out of this now?
“Babe, I’d love to help out but I have my regular duties and a class of my own to teach. If I could, I’d go just to protect Tina, since trouble follows her like a magnet. Thing is, even if I thought it was a good idea, Bethany Anne would never go for it.”
Jean smiled knowingly. “Let’s ask her, shall we? Meredith, would you ask the Queen if she has a moment to speak with us, please?”
“Certainly, Jean.” Meredith’s cool voice came from somewhere above them.
Bethany Anne’s voice replaced the EI’s a moment later, though it came from behind them when she appeared in the corner of the room kept clear for that purpose. “If it isn’t everybody’s favorite power couple! What can I do for you both?” She slid onto the sofa next to John and put her booted feet on the footrest, adjusting the legs of her deep purple slacks so they didn't wrinkle.
John grinned roguishly. “Looking good, boss. One might say you look as good as a well-manicured—”
“Before the words ‘trophy wife’ leave your mouth, remember I didn’t have time for training yesterday,” Bethany Anne purred dangerously. “I’ve got some frustration to work off, and I might decide that you’re the only sparring partner I need tonight.” Her expression became one of pure delight as the color drained from John’s face.
Jean cut in before John could dig himself in farther. “I have an issue at the Conwy site that requires my personal attention. I want to take my class with me but two of them are Alpha and we all know they’re a security risk. John doesn’t think you’ll let him off the leash long enough to accompany us to Earth.” She fetched a glass for Bethany Anne and poured her a drink while John made excuses about not going down to Earth.
“Conwy…isn’t that the castle I bought for Laura Llewellyn’s outfit?”
Jean nodded. “The same. There’s something off. Machinery breaking down, stolen data, missing inventory. It smells of sabotage to me.”
Bethany Anne screwed up her nose. “Isn’t the UK government playing nice anymore?”
Jean shrugged. “You can never tell with the British. They smile to your face, but you can tell they’re lying through their teeth the whole time. They’re just waiting for an opportunity to get their hands on our tech. There haven’t been any overt attacks against us yet—that I know of, anyway.”
Bethany Anne’s eyes glazed over momentarily. “ADAM says they’ve stepped up surveillance, but you’re right. And it might be the last chance the kids get to see Earth before it gets too dangerous. John, you can go.”
“I have a class,” he protested. “Duties!”
Jean snorted. “He just doesn’t want to go down to the mudball with Alpha Class.”
“Not true,” he argued. “It’s
Craig I don’t want to take down there. I intend to see him through to the end of the year with both hands intact. That boy has no inhibitions at all, but he’s got a heart of gold. I keep watching and waiting for him to push it too far again.”
“How come he was assigned to you if he’s such a goof?” Bethany Anne asked.
“He needs it. Don’t get me wrong—the General made a great start on straightening him out when he had him, but he’s going to be an adult soon. If he doesn’t start showing some maturity then he’s not gonna make the cut for the Guardians.” He ran a hand over his head and sighed. “He has the potential to be one of the best one day, Peter says the same. All we have to do is keep him alive long enough to reach it. He’s all action, with no thought behind it. I miss having Peter to straighten out, I wish they were all as easy to slap the stupid out of as he was.”
Bethany Anne laughed, smacking her leg. “Is that so? Maybe Craig needs something like a trip to Earth to help him shape up and take things seriously. You know as well as I do, those kids are our best and brightest—our future. Let them learn to protect each other.”
She swirled the amber liquid around her glass and drank it in one gulp. “I wish I could still enjoy this. Okay, this is what you’re going to do: your class is reassigned to Jean’s class until further notice, and they will provide close protection—under your guidance, of course. Will that suffice, Jean?”
Jean nodded, one corner of her mouth turning up slightly.
John sighed. He knew when he was defeated. “Your wish is my command, my Queen.”
“Good to hear,” Bethany Anne replied with a smirk. She was about to say something else when she went blank again for a moment. “Gotta go. Ashur is having an issue.”
John turned his sternest gaze on Jean after the Queen vanished.
“So, lover, when did you decide I was coming with you?”
The corner of her mouth was still upturned. “This afternoon, dear.”
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Bethany Anne’s Suite
She strode out of her closet and assessed the situation. The lead-lined box Marcus had made for the Sacred Clan boy’s necklace lay open on the floor, the mystery pendant in a puddle of chain-links beside it.
The chair was upturned and the pillows from the bed were scattered around the room. Ashur crouched in attack mode on the bed, barking furiously at the necklace.
She was by his side in less than a second, stroking the thick fur of his neck to calm him. She spoke softly but firmly. “Ashur, sit your ass down! What are you acting up for?”
Ashur laid down on the bed, but his hackles remained up and he directed a low snarl at the open box on the floor.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked softly. “It's not active.”
Ashur whined piteously. Bethany Anne wrapped her arms around him, gently placing her chin on his head. “What do you mean it’s hurting your ears? TOM, is the necklace doing something to Ashur?”
The pendant is emitting a high-frequency signal. That would explain Ashur’s discomfort.
She sat up and listened hard. “I can’t hear anything, TOM.”
Canine hearing is much more sensitive than human hearing. Even though yours is exceptional, his is even better. Ashur’s enhancement must be making it unbearable for him.
Ashur chuffed sadly in confirmation of TOM’s theory.
Bethany Anne put the necklace inside the box and snapped the lid shut, and Ashur instantly relaxed. She began to massage the dog's neck and shoulders, bringing a sigh of contentment from him as he lay down, his panic over.
“Interesting. The lead is blocking the signal completely. Sorry about that, Ashur. TOM, have you figured out what the necklace does yet? Or how the Sacred Clan ended up with technology from the Five?”
Not yet, but I’m sure I recognize it from somewhere. ADAM and I were able to trace it back to the time of Genghis Kahn’s reign, but the trail went cold after that. We pinpointed the location of our werecat’s home using the Chinese military reports, but it's not good news. From what we can gather, there were no survivors in the boy’s village.
Her heart broke for Bai Hu. She'd visited him with Ashur earlier, intending to check he wasn't a Sacred Clan plant. Her search of the sleeping werecat's mind had brought tears to her eyes, and she'd had to have TOM dial her emotions down before they overwhelmed her. “That poor kid. He’ll have to stay with us, then. Nicholas Konstantinov has offered to take him in. His daughter was there when he was found, and they’ve bonded. What about this signal? What is its purpose?”
I don’t know, but it calls to me. I can only surmise that it attracts attention.
Quit beating about the bush or that cozy bedroom will be a distant memory. What kind of attention?
Her mental teasing aside, Bethany Anne could feel TOM’s discomfort as he spoke. The Kurtherian kind. I don’t think it’s safe to have it up here, Bethany Anne.
The whole point is to keep the Kurtherians away from Earth. If it’s going to attract them, it needs to be hidden for humanity’s safety. How about hiding it back on Earth? It’s been safe enough down there up until now.
I don’t think it will be anymore. Every flight to Earth is being monitored, and then there is the added risk of it falling into Majestic’s hands.
True. The last thing we need is those lunatics getting hold of Kurtherian tech. Even if they don’t, eventually someone will find it and open it. We don’t want that. She continued to massage Ashur, letting the rhythm be her focus as she turned the problem over in her mind. “I have a solution,” she said aloud as she picked the box up and strode purposefully toward her closet. “Come on, Ashur, let’s go for a little trip.”
Where are we going?
“To the Archangel, I’m going to hide it there for now. I'll figure it out once we get through that damned Gate.”
Ashur pressed his head against her side and wagged his tail, eager to get going. She placed a hand on his back and vanished.
CHAPTER SIX
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Stores
The mood on the tram was light, the carefree camaraderie between the students reminded Jean of the early days of her military career. These were the brightest of the academic kids, and the most proficient of the physically-oriented ones. Some of the kids met both criteria, thanks to the training Diane and Dorene had integrated into the curriculum. She thought they were growing into fine young adults.
Jean addressed the students as the tram pulled to a stop outside the entrance to the docking bays. “Get in there and requisition the items on your checklist from Isaac, then reconvene here as soon as you’re done to catch the tram back to the Academy. Make sure you all get a good night's sleep! We leave first thing tomorrow, so make sure you don’t forget anything—because it will be too late.”
Halli nudged Craig in the ribs and gleefully whispered, “She means you!”
“I mean all of you, Halli,” Jean admonished the girl. “Going down to Earth—even to a friendly nation—is dangerous. Our allies would not hesitate to turn against us if they were presented with an opportunity to gain the upper hand. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail—remember that. There’s no room for half-assed efforts when the stakes are this high. Now go.”
The kids grabbed their bags and poured out of the door as soon as it opened, spilling onto the platform and flocking as one to the Stores’ entrance. Jean grinned, buoyed by the students' inexhaustible energy, and went to catch up with John.
Tina and Ron were delighted to be reunited with Maxim so soon. Tina had that pre-vacation feeling, and she was not the only one.
“Whoooo! Goin’ to the mudball!” Craig sing-songed as he ran in a circle doing a series of handsprings. The contents of his pockets left a trail behind him. He completed his circle and slipped on the penlight he’d dropped, landing flat on his back with a resounding oomph.
The twins rolled their eyes and sniggered. “I swear, Masha,” Mischa purred. “It’s like having an infant on the team!”
Halli shot icy daggers at them from her eyes, which took on a yellow gleam. “If either of you say another word…” She pointed two fingers at her eyes, then at Masha and Mischa in turn before going to help Craig up.
“Ignore those two. They’re upset because they don’t want to leave the Meredith Reynolds,” Aleksi said quietly to Halli as she passed him.
“Enough of this. We should get inside and find Isaac,” Maxim said, taking charge. Craig finished picking his things up from the floor and they all went into Stores.
Isaac was waiting for them when, armed with their checklists, they arrived at the requisitions desk.
“You got cleared to go down there again?” Isaac didn’t try to hide his surprise when Maxim handed his checklist over first. “Oh, it’s just the UK. Wales, hey? You’re lucky—they love us there for putting so much into the economy. You’ll be fine. We’re buying a lot from them at the moment. It’s one of the few places that still does business with us openly.”
He finished transferring the requests to his EI Mischale, and grabbed his jacket. “Follow me.”
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Cafeteria
The next morning the cafeteria was bustling with students and staff alike, all in search of breakfast. Tina took her tray over to the unofficial Alpha Class table and sat down on the bench next to Yana.
“So how is class with my mother?” she asked, peeling her banana.
Yana’s eyes lit up. “It is everything I hoped. You are so lucky to have a mother like her! Did you enjoy your dinner together last night? She was anticipating it all day.”
Tina grinned as she opened her yogurt and sliced the banana into the cup. “We had a great time, thanks. How about you, did you have a good visit with your dad?”
Yana shook her head. “I did not go home. I stayed with Bai Hu instead, and Papa brought dinner to the medical wing. We had Chinese food. It was delicious, but we all ate too much, even Bai Hu!”
“How is he?” Tina was impressed with Yana’s dedication to the kid they’d rescued. He had been near death when they’d found him hiding from the Chinese army in a ruin in Mongolia, and Yana had made time every day to visit despite her full schedule.
Alpha Class - Discovery: A Kurtherian Gambit Series (The Etheric Academy Book 3) Page 3