by Viola Grace
“Right. Okay.” Alietta’s eyes were wide. She scuttled to the back of the restaurant where the others would keep her safe.
It felt weird to have her clan next to her, but she followed Leadra’s instructions, and she took a seat with Monarth standing next to her at one of the large tables. Her cousin Kisian brought her a fruit juice, and she waited.
Leadra’s voice was cheerful when she greeted the elegant woman who strode in surrounded by bodyguards.
The woman looked just as smug as her son. She strode up to the table and glared at Brneary. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
Brneary smiled slightly. “There seems to be a rash of identity issues around today. I am Brneary Ornuac. I don’t think that you know that.”
The woman wanted to ask if Brneary knew who she was, but she stopped herself. “I am Ramiel Barcor. The first wife of Horimal Barcor.”
“Good for you.”
“Mother of the prime son, Ramon Barcor!”
“Oh, you messed up there. He’s a bully.” Brneary sipped at her beverage. “Have a seat.”
“I am not going to sit down with a mongrel who thinks it’s a purebred.”
One of her bodyguards touched her arm softly and whispered in her ear. He was staring at Monarth.
“Why is the strong right arm of the Cadein clan at your side?”
Brneary smiled. “Because if he is on my lap, it is hard to talk to people.”
Monarth smiled ever so slightly.
“If you are after my full name, it is Bromelalia Brneary Ilassis Win Cadein Ornuac. I can imagine that it is difficult to fit on a business card, so I just go by Brneary Ornuac. Prime of the Cadein clan.”
“Lord Temlia is the head of the Cadein clan.”
Brneary rolled the stem of the glass between her fingers. “I am afraid that he has recently passed, and with his heirs also recently deceased, I am the only one with the correct bloodline left.”
She looked at Brneary and struggled to form the next sentence. “I apologize to the Prime of the Cadein clan on behalf of my son.”
“Will you punish him?” Brneary sipped at the fruit juice.
“What?”
“Will you punish him? My recommendation is that he be removed from the line of succession. He will do nothing but haul the Barcors into a disaster, and his reign will be short and bloody.” She gave the lady a look through her crimson eyes that she knew were unsettling. “The moment that he steps into a control position, he is going to disappear. If you want to live knowing that that hangs over his head, you are welcome to proceed with him as the heir.”
The lady was pale. “You might not live forever.”
Brneary smiled, stood and pressed her hands to the table, pulling the granite into a suit around her. “It may be harder to kill me than you think, lady.”
A dark voice announced, “Enough!”
Brneary watched as a shadow took form, and a handsome man was standing next to Lady Barcor.
“I am Tormel Barcor, and I apologize for my son’s behaviour. Ramon has made it clear to me that using blood as a means for choosing the next clan leader is foolish. You are right in your assessment, and your mother would be proud.”
She inclined her head and smiled. “You were to have married her.”
“Yes, but she found the truth in her heart, and it was good that she went her own way. I never could have kept up with her. She was typhoon on legs. My condolences.” He bowed low. “I assume you are upset about your grandfather’s passing.”
Brneary shrugged. “Upset is not the word. Pleased, satisfied, wished he had suffered longer... but not really upset.”
“How did he?”
She chuckled. “He died via the radiation that he had released. It was dramatic justice, but it won’t bring those three thousand back.”
She remembered going to visit him a day after he had taken to his bed. He had whispered to her, Take it back.
She had smiled and whispered to him, you first.
His eyes had widened, and part of her mind could still hear his screaming.
Brneary blinked back into reality and smiled. “He was not a nice man. Now, would you care for something to drink?”
Tormel nodded. “I think that getting to know you might be a wise move. My lady, please be seated.”
He held the chair for his wife, and they sat with a comfortable distance away from Brneary. She carefully replaced the tabletop.
She grinned, “So, when I made the armour, where did the cocktail end up?”
Monarth murmured, “It was on your back, Miss.”
She wrinkled her nose and nodded while Tormel chuckled and his wife gave a weak smile.
Orders were placed, and soon, they were all sitting and talking about the state of the dark families and the possible heirs in line.
At least Brneary finally got to finish a drink with someone.
Chapter Nine
After asking a surprised Tormel about Tebber and gaining a glare from Lady Barcor, Brneary pointed out that he seemed to keep a steady mind and assess situations before acting. He had also had the brains to identify the only wealthy albino on the whole damned planet.
Lady Barcor blushed.
“Monarth, do you have the recording?”
“I do, Miss.”
He extended his tablet, and she showed the images of her son trying to extort a free meal for the dozen thugs as well as the sexual services of some of the servers.
Brneary tapped on the table. “That is not a good move. I am sure that you have access to several sex workers with one call.”
Lady Barcor frowned and said, “I don’t allow it. He didn’t say he did this.”
“No, I am guessing that he wouldn’t. Now for when I arrived.”
The servers’ faces were all blurred out, and only her face was clear while she had their little altercation.
His mother winced when he called Brneary an albino bitch. “I am not having a good feeling about what comes next.”
“Don’t worry. I gave him a chance to give up. He isn’t smart enough for that.”
His mother winced when he grabbed Brneary by the throat and slammed her against the wall. The rest was just fun for Brneary to watch. When she absorbed the knife, the female assassin jolted.
“You can...”
“Oh, yes. If it touches me, I can take it. It is a handy thing.” She smiled brightly. “Hence my needing a new cocktail.”
Tormel frowned. “There has never been any hint of you having a gift.”
“Getting irradiated does funny things to you. This was less funny and more cataclysmic.” She gave her a one-sided smile.
Lady Barcor leaned in. “I have some friends who lost their children there. Do you regret going?”
Brneary shook her head. “No. Not for a minute. They were investors, and there was no chance of them missing the event. I got to spend their last moments with them and with my friends. I didn’t die, but that doesn’t mean that I regret that moment. If I had remained at home, they would have died without me there, and I definitely would have had regrets.”
The lady blinked, and Tormel put his arm around her. “We lost our oldest daughter in the blast. She was out with friends. She was told she couldn’t go. She went anyway.”
“I am sorry. If it eases anything, it was fast. There was a bright wave, and then, the blast wave struck less than three seconds later. It was so fast that I only had a chance to look at my friends, and then, my world went black.”
Tormel blinked. “Why are you so frank with us?”
“Because you need to know that there wasn’t any pain. There was wonder, and then, there was nothing. It was over.”
Lady Barcor nodded. “Thank you. That is what they said, but...”
“But I am the only survivor. It seems that my gift was activated in the first wave.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I would work on training a new Barcor heir. It doesn’t need to be
Tebber, but you might want to retire Ramon to a place where he can’t hurt anyone. He seems to have issues with women, and if I hear he has hurt, injured, groped, raped, or forcibly tickled anyone, I will come for him, and you will definitely be in the market for a new son. I am sorry, but he has the potential to be a rabid dog, and that means he will be put down the moment he bites.” Her words were light, but her expression hopefully conveyed the fact that she was serious.
Tormel Barcor, prime of the Barcor clan, inclined his head. “I have been lax with him in my grief. I will take an active role in correcting him. Do you have any more indications of anti-social behaviour?”
She smiled brightly. “Ask your wife. I believe she has been bribing and threatening his way out of trouble for some time. Oh, I am not above threatening law enforcement as well. If he is charged and they let him go, I will be at your door in an instant. If he commits a crime outside the regulations of a contract, he has to be punished by the laws of Akerhar. Are we clear on that?”
Tormel smiled. “We are clear. I will look into his activities, and did you know, if things were different, you would have been my daughter.”
Brneary shook her head. “No, I never would have been. I am the product of my parents and the way they raised me. If you changed any part of that equation, I would not be me, and therefore, not your daughter.”
He chuckled. “True. Would you call me uncle?”
“No, but I will call you cousin if you like. Our families were once close.”
“Cousin will do. Thank you, Brneary Ornuac.”
Lady Barcor blinked. “For what?”
Tormel looked at her, and his lips twitched. “For not killing our son the moment that he called her an albino bitch. The women of the Cadein are not known for their restraint, and she has extended our son an opportunity to live and change his direction. He was not always such an ass, but losing our daughter has caused us—mostly me—to uncouple from our reality. This has reminded me that the world has continued to move around me. I have to join it once again or lose everything I have left.”
Brneary let them have their moment before she added. “By the way, if your son, his agents, or anyone with a drop of Barcor blood return to this restaurant with ill intent, I will take down the lot of you.”
Tormel flinched. “Understood. I will make it clear to my subordinates.”
Brneary nodded. “By the way, Lady Barcor. You made excellent time. Did Ramon call you from the vehicle, or did one of his cousins do it?”
She blushed. “Ramon called me from outside the restaurant. Your secretary called me while I was en route.”
“Okay, so he is still feeling vulnerable. That is good. That can be used, but it also means that he is going to consider you his backup plan. Has he assaulted any women?”
She paled.
Brneary looked at her. “If a man treated your daughter the way he is treating women, you would toss one of those death needles at him. If your dearly departed daughter were petrified and screaming for help, you would eviscerate anyone who came near her. One of the girls he is attacking might have the same inclinations. You might be able to kill him, but the bodies will pile up, and it will get my attention.”
Monarth bowed slightly. “We will begin a file on him.”
Brneary nodded. “Thank you.”
She looked at Ramiel. “My entire clan will be watching, and if he even disputes a bill at a restaurant, I will hear about it. Are you clear on what I am saying? You cannot hide from me, you cannot avoid me. I am everywhere on Akerhar, and he will not escape me.”
Tormel gathered his wife and her bodyguards, and he left the restaurant with a far more obvious tread than his moving in shadow gift. When the vehicles left, Brneary exhaled and pressed her head to the table. Her clan members stood with slumped shoulders, and relief was palpable.
A woman came through the door, and Leadra tried to stop her. “We are closed for the afternoon. Water main break.”
The woman inclined her head, a clipboard in her hand. “I am here to see Brneary Ornuac.”
Brneary looked at her, and she blushed. It was Investigator Jianik.
Jianik smiled brightly as she approached. “Miss Ornuac, how nice to see you in person. Your public appearances do not do you justice.”
Brneary got to her feet and came around the table, extending her hand.
Jianik shook her hand firmly, and then, she waved for Brneary to sit down. “I have something to discuss with you, and I am sure that you are very familiar with it.”
Brneary was at a loss for words while a tablet was set up and images of her being wrapped in different materials during the last six months were on display.
“Um, yes?”
Jianik looked at Monarth, Leadra, and the other clan members who were moving in. “Do you want to do this publicly?”
“Um, they are trusted beyond anyone; I trust the people in this room.”
Jianik grinned. “Very well. I know about your involvement in the Team Project. I know you have tried to disguise it, and I also know that you have safeguards in place so that the only thing Team Eight will get from you is money. No favours, no funds, no bending rules. It is pretty airtight, and you set it up before the funds started flowing. I would like to thank you for that.”
Brneary sighed.
“I also know you tried to set up a separate identity, but that didn’t work out for you either. Well, not with me. I specialise in research.”
“I know.”
Jianik chuckled. “Of course you do, you chose me.”
“I did. I chose you as the best choice to find the right members of a team that would be strong, independent operators who could still work as a unit. The other investigators are too wrapped up with the power of the heroes.”
“You are correct. I would like to have you take one of the team positions.”
Brneary blinked. “What?”
Monarth laughed. Leadra grinned.
“Despite your very public persona, you are a woman who believes in justice and protecting the unprotected first and foremost. If you want to punch someone, that is cool, too.”
Brneary blinked again, and she slowly began to smile.
“You will have to pass the basic training tests, time trials, and such. I will also downplay the extent of your skills. I know you can absorb weapons, but that is what will be left out of my report.”
Leadra gestured, and someone brought over more fruit juice.
Brneary smiled. “You can leave things out of a report?”
Investigator Jianik grinned. “Sure. If it isn’t pertinent to the facts, I can leave a lot out.”
Brneary sat, and they talked about the team, the trials, and going up against the other investigators’ selections. Brneary was confident. She knew she could work with a team, she had one standing around her right now. She could leave her work for weeks at a time. She had staff and family to step in for her. That was the joy of having competent people around her, she didn’t have to worry about anything.
Brneary had a thought, and she leaned in. “Now, about my suit.”
“Don’t worry. Dr. Hemmar has found a new material setup, and there are nanites that will also do the job. We can find things for you that won’t interfere with your gift.” Jianik blushed slightly. “Now, about your homicidal tendencies...”
Brneary blushed. “Right. Stop killing.”
“No, just make sure that the perpetrator is caught on record before you act. Well, it is in our team contract that we can act as a travelling judicial system. It saves a lot of paperwork if you can sentence and carry it out in the same visit.”
“So, we will have a license to kill.”
“As long as the world you are on allows capital punishment. A quick check will tell you what you can and can’t do. I am sure that if there is an accident, things can be worked around.”
Brneary brought her head up. “No. I mean yes to killing someone in the act o
f a capital crime, but no to tweaking the rules. If there is a crime, even a team must be brought to justice.”
Jianik smiled widely. “I knew I liked you. That is the right answer. Some of those we may be investigating are ex-team members. It is trouble when a hero goes bad, so we will have to step in.”
Brneary stuck her hand out for another handshake. “Deal.”
With that grip, the deal was struck, and Brneary was a candidate for Team Eight.
Epilogue
Brneary wrapped herself in dirt and turf, beckoning for Cone of Silence to get on her abdomen. She built in an extra platform, and with a light push, they were rocketing down the hill on the chlorophyll lubrication of grass on grass.
Cone murmured, “Did you ever imagine this as a test for a team?”
Wrapped laughed. “No. This is kinda fun. Don’t fall off.”
The woman glared at her but surfed on her down to the podium where they pressed the signals that they had completed their mission.
Cone asked, “How do you even move with that?”
Wrapped chuckled. “Practice. How can you talk to someone a distance away?”
“Accident.”
Wrapped nodded. She had promised Jianik that she wouldn’t look up the other team members. When Forecast finished fighting Made off and dodging the holes in space generated by Port Hole, their team member struck the icon, and they were declared the winners of the test.
Forecast slumped back, and she swayed. Wrapped was still coated with a light layer of dirt, but she caught her. “Well done, Forecast.”
Made walked in front of the podium, and she quirked her lips. “Well, I guess I was wrong. Passive gifts are useful.”
Forecast smiled. “I can hardly wait until I have a proper suit. This one tears too easily.”
Made looked her over and cursed. “You are losing a lot of blood.”
Forecast smiled. “Anything for my team.”
She wavered in Wrapped’s arms, and Made moved in a blur and caught her. “Right, medical for you. You need to be armour plated, like Wrapped.”