by Wyatt Kane
“What if it doesn’t work? What if something goes wrong?” Dinah asked.
It took Ty a moment to understand that she was answering his question. “Nothing has gone wrong with either of us. And with the Architect’s documentation, I can reverse any changes I make.”
“Are you sure?” She wasn’t doubting him, just getting the information she needed. Which was, after all, her skill.
“Absolutely,” Ty replied.
“Okay, I’m convinced,” said Dinah. “Enhance me.”
Ty grinned. “Show me your device,” he said.
As he had done with Tempest’s and his own before her, Ty commanded the imager to scan Dinah’s device. This time, he found a couple of discrepancies between the holographic representations, but they were minor and required no more than a moment to sort out.
Then they were ready. Just like with Tempest, he asked Dinah to hold her arm out beneath the fabricator and held it in place.
But Dinah wasn’t Tempest. When the cold steel of the fabricator claws wrapped around her arm, she grew noticeably anxious.
“Will it hurt?” she asked.
“No,” Ty replied. Then he thought about it. “It’s like when you first put the device on, but not as severe. I had to hold onto the workdesk for a while, but Tempest didn’t bat an eyelid.”
Dinah smiled ruefully. “Tempest is Tempest,” she said.
“It’ll be fine,” said the woman in question. Without being asked, she came up beside Dinah and put an arm around her for comfort. Surprisingly, the deerkin looked to Ty for support as well, holding her free hand out to him.
He took it without thinking.
Again, her touch was electric. It made his skin buzz. He drew a quick breath that Dinah noticed but seemed perfectly happy about. In fact, it seemed that she welcomed it, that Ty’s reaction gave her comfort. Nor did Tempest voice any complaints.
Ty found himself wondering how his presence within their group might work out. He didn’t want to get between Tempest and Dinah, nor did he want to jeopardize whatever it was he had with the blonde woman. Yet the attraction he felt for Dinah was equally undeniable.
He decided it was all too complex to sort out right at that moment. “Are you ready?” he asked.
With a mixture of hesitation and eagerness, Dinah nodded.
“Then here we go.” For the third time, Ty gave the command, “Implement changes.”
Just like before, the fabricator worked its magic. Within a couple of minutes, the changes were made and Dinah’s arm was released.
But Dinah was more susceptible to the discomfort than either Ty or Tempest. As the changes started to make an impact, the deerkin screwed her face up in distress and started to crumple. Both Ty and Tempest did what they could to support her, one on each side.
“Easy,” Ty said. “We’re nearly there. A couple more moments.”
“Thought you said it wouldn’t hurt,” Dinah said, her teeth clenched. She was breathing hard and shaking a little.
Ty was still fumbling for an answer when the deerkin started to relax and straightened again.
“Are you ok?” Ty asked.
She took a moment to breathe deeply. Then, her poise recovered, she gave him a smile. “Yes. I actually feel pretty good. Stronger, maybe.” Then her smile broadened. “Let’s see what has changed.”
And she brought up her profile.
General
Name: Dinah Lore
Modifications: Full deerkin
Unique Skill: Information management
Secondary Unique Skill: Culinary intuition
Alignment: Neutral Good
Baseline
Strength: 4
Durability: 3
Healing: 4
Stamina: 3
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 6
Wisdom: 6
Skill: N/A
Post enhancement
Strength: 6
Durability: 5
Healing: 6
Stamina: 5
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 8
Skill: 4
Secondary Skill: 4
Ty was somewhat relieved to see that her stats were not wildly different from his own. It would have been intimidating if they had been similar to Tempest’s, and he was the only one of them to fall within a more normal range.
“Did it work?” Ty asked.
“Yes, thank you!” Dinah said. “I am stronger! And my skills have both improved. That’s fantastic.” She turned to Ty and gave him a spontaneous hug. “Thank you,” she said again.
But she didn’t give him any time to hug her back. She quickly disengaged and changed topic entirely. “I’m starving. Anyone else want food?”
Surprisingly, the first one to respond was Gremlin. The cat had found her way into the workshop and sat herself down at the bottom of the stairs.
“Meow,” she said. Ty couldn’t tell if she was saying that she was hungry or if she was scolding them for leaving her alone upstairs.
23: Plans
Somehow, Dinah managed to conjure a stunning feast around a centerpiece of salmon, with multiple salads and side dishes that served to enhance the fish, bringing out its smoky flavor.
This feast started off more relaxed than the last, with the conversation playful and light. By unspoken agreement, they largely avoided talking about Bain and the Architect and focused more on each other.
Ty learned that Dinah had grown up in the same suburb as he had, although he doubted they had ever met. Like many of those the Architect had chosen to wear his devices, she had been orphaned early. It made it easier, Tempest explained, because they pretty much had to keep their identities secret.
Again, this reflected what Ty had read in the comics. Not many of the heroes within those pages had large families, and those who did tended to be at odds with them. It was interesting how real life seemed to mirror the fictional worlds.
Ty mentioned that he did have family, but that they were separated by geography and age. He wasn’t exactly distant from his mother and remaining sister, but he wasn’t really close to them either. Yet it was something to worry about. Bain and his mercenaries already knew who he was. It wasn’t a great stretch of the imagination to think that the monstrous man might target his family to force Ty to give up his device.
At the thought, Ty started to excuse himself from the table so he could make a call. But Dinah stopped him.
“Your family is safe,” the deerkin said. “It was one of the things I did while you were working. Your family is no longer connected to you in any way that can be traced. Bain will have no reason to go after them.”
“Thank you,” he said. It was all he could say. To him, Dinah’s quiet thoughtfulness was as appealing as Tempest’s boldness. And she seemed to enjoy his appreciation.
“It’s something I’ve done for my foster family, as well as for those of us who still have people we care about.”
“How does it work?” Ty asked. “Your ability, I mean.”
Dinah smiled. “Well, I just pick the food I want to eat, and make it taste as nice as I can,” she said.
“No,” Ty said. “I mean –”
At this, Dinah started to laugh, and Ty realized she was teasing him. He smiled and waited, and Dinah soon relented. “You were asking about my other skill. Information management.”
“Yes.”
The deerkin shrugged a little. “I’ve always been nosy, able to find things out. I guess I’m just better at it now than I was. It’s kind of instinctual. I can sense where to look and how to bypass firewalls and other online security. It’s like I can sniff out weaknesses, and when I do, I just know what I’ll need to lever them open. I can either find the right Trojan horse or hydra, or I can make my own.”
Ty was fascinated. In a way, it reminded him of what Tempest had said of the Architect, but it was different as well. Opposite sides of the same coin, perhaps. Dinah’s ability was that she could h
one in on something that was already there, whereas the Architect could see how it was all connected.
“I can do it with people as well,” Dinah continued. “I just seem to know the right thing to say to unlock their secrets.”
Ty couldn’t help but wonder which of his own secrets she might want to unlock, or how she might go about it.
◆◆◆
After they had eaten, the three of them and Gremlin all moved into a room that looked to Ty like a small lounge or den. It had a number of sofas and an artificial fire that Ty had to stare at for some moments before he realized it wasn’t real. The floor was covered in rugs, and the walls were lined with bookshelves.
Gremlin immediately began exploring every new and interesting thing she could see, sniff, or rub herself against.
To Ty, the room felt warm and snug, like the comfortable overcoat you would wear on a winter’s day. He couldn’t help but relax the moment he entered.
Tempest must have seen his expression. “You like this room?” she asked.
So far, there hadn’t been a single room within the mansion that he hadn’t liked. “Yes. Very much. It’s comfortable.”
Dinah had brought in a tray laden with different cheeses and a selection of fruit. She placed it on a low table and settled herself on the sofa next to it, then looked at Ty and patted the seat beside her in invitation.
There was plenty of space on the sofa for Tempest as well, so Ty took the offered seat. Except that Tempest didn’t sit next to him. Instead, she sat on the floor in front of him.
“Rub my shoulders?” Tempest said, and Ty obliged. “Harder. I’m not that breakable.”
Ty did his best, once again very conscious of how perfect she was.
“Now,” Tempest said to Dinah. “Tell us what you found out about Bain.”
Dinah reached for the grapes, came back with a small handful, and popped one into her mouth. “There’s only a little to tell. Bain Fury, known as Crusher, real name Bain Haversmith. 32 years old, no siblings. He was married briefly, but she died in an accident. There is some uncertainty over whether the accident really was an accident, but nothing I could find was conclusive.”
She paused for a moment to eat another grape. “Bain grew up on the streets and survived by fighting his way through anything that came at him. He was in and out of juvenile detention from the time he was eight and graduated from that straight to prison. Violent offenses. More than one murder was attributed to him, but he was clever enough to escape punishment for those.”
“Sounds like the guy we know,” Tempest said.
“Yes. He joined the military in his early 20s. The records suggest that he didn’t take kindly to orders, but he did test well for certain types of high-risk missions. He was dishonorably discharged about five years ago and has been making his way around the world as a mercenary ever since.”
Dinah shrugged. “And that’s about all I could find. He dropped out of sight about three months ago. There is no indication of who he was working for or what he did from that point. Oh, and the records show him as being muscular and a touch over six feet tall. Nothing like the eight-foot monster you described.”
“Ah, that’s good,” Tempest said to Ty. “Maybe a little harder. Did you find any indication of how he might have learned about the devices?”
Dinah shook her head. “Not a clue.”
Ty found himself being distracted by Tempest’s proximity and his hands on her neck and shoulders. The woman was beyond intoxicating. Yet he managed to keep his scattered thoughts together enough to ask a question of his own.
“What about any technical aptitude? Could he have upgraded his device like I’ve done with ours?”
“His records don’t show any real interest in that area at all. Unarmed combat, weapons training, tactics. That’s about it. If he had a gift or interest in tech, it would be in his records.”
Ty couldn’t help but wonder what that might mean. “So, do we think he’s acting alone?”
“It’s hard to tell,” Dinah replied. “He doesn’t seem to like following orders, yet he has hired himself out many times in the past. Nor do we know what he’s up to. Does he want just Ty’s device? Or all of them? Why? And how did he find out about them in the first place? What is he planning, or is it even him doing the planning?”
It was a lot of questions and no real answers. Ty kneaded Tempest’s shoulders in silence for a while.
Then Dinah asked the most important question of all. “What are we going to do about it?” she said.
“That one’s easy,” Tempest responded. “We find him. Then we take him down.”
“Yes. But how?”
“I’ve been thinking that maybe I can help with part of that,” said Ty. “If I can create a stun gun out of the toaster, surely I can come up with something a bit more creative and powerful. Like, maybe enhance one of those blasters we took from the mercenaries. What do you think?”
“You can do that?” Dinah asked, fascinated.
“With what I saw in the workshop, yes. It wouldn’t be difficult.”
“Sounds good,” Tempest said, her voice full of approval. “But what about defense? Bain packs a powerful punch.”
Ty nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been thinking about something that might help with that as well. Some sort of shield generator.”
Tempest turned her head enough so he could see her grin. “Good. Put it on the list. But not tonight. It has been a long day already.”
Ty couldn’t agree more. It had been a very long day. And a surprisingly good one, given it had started with Bain’s mercenaries forcing their way into Ty’s apartment.
“My turn,” Tempest said. With that, she got up and squeezed herself in behind Ty on the sofa and started working on his shoulders.
It felt amazingly good. Ty let out an involuntary groan of pleasure, at which both women laughed. There was something in the way Tempest massaged him that was overtly sensual. Ty wasn’t sure if he should be enjoying it quite as much as he was, especially with Dinah present.
The deerkin was watching them both quietly, her lips curved into a slow smile. “You two are going to make me jealous if you don’t watch it,” she said.
“No need to feel jealous,” Tempest said playfully. “Join in any time.”
That got Ty’s attention. What was Tempest saying, exactly? Yet if the invitation was real or no more than banter, Gremlin managed to deflect it. The cat had finished her inspection of the den and stepped up to Dinah as if they’d known each other forever. Gremlin pawed the rug, started to purr, then all at once leaped onto Dinah’s lap.
The deerkin let out a happy noise of surprise, but Gremlin wasn’t done. She assessed Dinah’s lap for comfort, then, still purring, curled herself into a ball.
Ty watched it all. “Traitor,” he said to Gremlin, but the cat just stared at him with unblinking eyes. Then, slowly, she closed them, and let out the cat equivalent of a sigh as Dinah started to play with her ears.
“She doesn’t usually do that,” Ty said to Dinah.
“I feel special,” the deerkin responded, smiling broadly.
They returned to the topic of Bain. “As for the finding him, I think I’ve got an idea,” Tempest said. “We know what he’s after. He knows where Ty goes to work. If he’s up to it, how about we just let Ty go?”
The way that she said it sounded like she wasn’t happy with the idea. And somehow her hands on his shoulders felt strangely protective, as if she didn’t want to put him in danger. Yet Ty understood.
“Use me as bait,” he said.
“Only if you’re up to it. Of course, I would be there as well. Hidden and waiting.”
Ty nodded. “It makes sense,” he said, although the prospect scared him even to think about. Nor was he the only one with concerns.
“Is there no other way?” Dinah asked.
Apart from Gremlin’s purring, there was silence all around. Then Tempest spoke. “If there is, I can’t think of one. Bain killed Zach. Whatev
er his endgame is, he has to be stopped.” She wrapped her arms around Ty from behind and gave him a squeeze. “Not that I want to risk our lovely Ty at all. We’ve only just got him. But … maybe it’s the best chance we’ve got.”
Ty swallowed. The enormity of the situation was all too apparent. Bain was monstrous. The thought of facing him again was appalling. It was enough to make him sweat. The man was almost too powerful for words.
Yet Tempest’s words also made perfect sense.
“I think I’d better start working on those projects I mentioned,” Ty said, trying to sound like he wasn’t petrified.
But Tempest still had her arms around him and wouldn’t let him get up from the sofa. “Do you think you could work on those maybe tomorrow?” she asked. “I kinda have plans for you this evening.”
24: A Pleasant Surprise
The cozy environment combined with the company of the two most extraordinary woman Ty had ever known helped to persuade him that he could indeed work on his projects tomorrow.
As he settled back down, Tempest’s gentle ministrations became more suggestive, her talented fingers running across Ty’s collarbone as she nuzzled ever closer. At first, Ty felt slightly awkward with Dinah sharing the sofa but not the attention, but it wasn’t long before Tempest encouraged him to relax.
As the evening passed, the atmosphere within the room became unmistakable. Tempest uttered occasional sighs that expressed her desire as she caressed him through his shirt. But it was when Dinah sighed as well that Ty took notice. The deerkin looked both amused and disappointed as well, and all at once Ty was uncomfortable again.
Then he noticed that Gremlin, still sitting in Dinah’s lap, was looking at him with an expression of profound disapproval.
He couldn’t help but laugh. Tempest saw what was happening and took it as her cue. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get you settled in for the night.”