Within several seconds Seshat informed them that, “Barnabas says he is free right now.”
Anne noticed Stevie’s exaggerated gulp from the corner of her eye. “Would you prefer a different time?”
Stevie shook her head. “Now is fine. Just let me message my parents so they know I will be home late.”
“Go for it.” Anne gave Stevie a thumbs-up. “Seshat, please ask Barnabas where he wants to meet.”
“Barnabas says he is on his way to meet you here,” the EI informed her.
“Well, that is convenient.” Anne waved to get Stevie’s attention. The young Were was talking to her mother, and when she looked up Anne motioned to herself and pointed to the kitchen.
Stevie nodded briefly to Anne to indicate that she understood, then she returned to the conversation with her mother. “Really, Mom, it’s a job interview.”
“Turn your tablet around so I can see the room,” Stevie’s mom demanded. After Stevie had complied, her mother scowled. “That doesn’t look like a business to me!”
Jinx could hear both sides of Stevie’s conversation, and she went over to stick her nose into Stevie’s tablet. “That’s because it’s a new business and we don’t have official space yet,” Jinx growled to Stevie’s mother. Jinx then chuffed her amusement when Stevie’s mother moved her tablet to arm’s length and her eyes widened in shock.
“Which one are you?” the woman asked.
“I’m Jinx. I’m partnered with Anne,” the dog exclaimed proudly.
Realizing that Jinx’ entry into the conversation had changed her mother’s attitude, Stevie set the tablet on the coffee table so that both she and Jinx were visible. “Anne is currently in the kitchen. I’m guessing she’s putting together some sort of snack tray since Ranger One is on his way over.” It was excellent timing that just then Anne reappeared from the kitchen carrying a tray with three Cokes, along with some sort of chips and dip. Stevie pointed at her tablet and then motioned for Anne to come into the camera’s range. “Mom, meet Anne. Jinx and Anne, this is my mother, Irina Kasyanov.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Anne said as she bent to slide her tray of snacks onto the table.
“You truly have work for my devochka?” Irina asked.
Anne realized that she’d have to be careful about what she said. “Yes, ma’am. I’ve known the Empress since before we left Earth, and a few weeks ago she asked me to do some odd jobs for her. I’ve discovered that to complete some of them, I need someone who can make me some tools. All the adults were too busy with their own work to have time for mine, so I needed to find someone who could help me out. Your daughter came quite highly recommended, so I’m hoping we will well work together.”
The woman in the tablet started shaking her finger at her daughter. “You behave, and don’t embarrass…”
>>Anne, my exterior camera shows that Guardian Marine Abigail is talking with Barnabas.<<
Stevie noticed that Anne was heading toward the door. “Mom, I’ll be on my best behavior, but I have to go right now.” She shook her head as her mother kept telling her that she needed to behave and be polite and… “Mom. MOM! I have to go, or I’ll be talking on my tablet instead of greeting Ranger One.” Stevie waited until her mother clicked off before smiling with the satisfaction that she had finally found a way to get her mother to end the call.
Chapter Ten
Abby Himmel didn’t know why Anne needed a bodyguard, and luckily she didn’t need to know why to do her job. After being introduced to Anne, she and her cousin E had briefly discussed their rotation with their Were partner Arthur Connors outside the apartment. Abby had drawn first shift, and a quick scan of the environment identified an area with some shadow that still had a clear line of sight to the door. It wasn’t dark enough to hide her from a Were or a vampire, but most humans and a lot of aliens would walk right by and never know she was there.
She’d been on duty for almost an hour when she observed a man walking down the hallway toward her. She’d seen the man before, as Barnabas would sometimes visit their workout area to spar with the troops. Abby moved from her corner to take up a position that was in sight of the door. She had noticed a camera over the door earlier, and her new location would ensure she was visible to whoever was monitoring the camera feed. Watching the vampire approach Abigail was once again fascinated by the man’s movement. Barnabas’ gait was pure economy of motion; the man had turned walking into an art form.
Barnabas approached the address that Meredith had told him was the residence of the young woman Anne. He slowed slightly at the sight of a woman standing outside the door, but a quick mental scan identified her as a Guardian Marine. Barnabas was curious. She wore a light jacket, but didn’t seem to be armed.
He stopped just a few feet in front of Abigail. “Good evening, Marine Himmel. Is this a weapons-free zone?” he asked, then added with a slight smile, “If a person spends several hundred years walking everywhere they go… Well, let’s just say that practice makes perfect.”
In her own form of “practice makes perfect,” Abby’s hand twitched from where it had been resting at her hip and produced an Uzi. “No, sir, not weapons-free, although this isn’t my favorite at the ranges we’re talking about here.” Abby tilted her head toward the hall behind Barnabas. “This should make a real mess of anything not wearing armor.”
Barnabas eyed the weapon in the Marine’s hand with interest. “Uzi?”
Abigail inclined her head. “Uzi Pro, to be exact. This was the latest iteration when we left Earth.” She extended the folding forearm brace, displaying the weapon to Barnabas. “It can empty a thirty-round magazine in under two seconds, and the forearm brace provides excellent one-handed control. At these short ranges, the nine-millimeter cartridge is reasonably effective on soft targets.”
Abby strongly suspected that even thirty rounds in two seconds would only piss the old vampire off. With that in mind, she folded the forearm brace back against the body of the weapon and slid it back behind her. “May I see some identification, please sir?” Abigail asked in her politest voice.
Barnabas smiled and tapped his temple as he watched the Marine conceal her submachine gun. “I think you’re right. I’d probably survive it if you shot me, but I imagine it would hurt like crazy. And ID? You already know who I am.”
“That may be, sir, but I don’t have any Jedi mind tricks, so it is in my job to ask for identification,” Abigail stated firmly.
Barnabas chuckled as he pulled the old-fashioned leather case from a pocket and displayed his Ranger One badge. He approved of the dedication the Marine was displaying. “Is this sufficient?”
“Absolutely, sir. You’re here to see Anne?” Abigail remained formal.
“I am, and if you knock and announce me quickly, said young lady won’t open the door on her own initiative. This way I can explain the proper protocol, which will save you from having to inform her that she has broken a rule she doesn’t even know about.” Barnabas waved a hand toward the door to hurry Abigail along.
Abby turned and knocked on the door—which opened instantly, thus proving the old vampire’s point. “Ranger One is here to see you, ma’am.”
Anne looked at the bodyguard. She hadn’t even known someone was out there until Seshat had told her she was talking to Barnabas. “Ma’am?” Anne couldn’t stop her eyes from widening as she asked.
“I could do ‘Miss’ if you’d prefer,” Abby offered.
Anne nodded vigorously. “When you use ‘ma’am’ I expect see my mother.”
“Very well, Miss.” Abby’s training allowed her to maintain a straight face. “Ranger One is here to see you.”
Anne stepped back to clear the door and motioned for Barnabas to enter. She was about to stick her head back outside to ask the Marine if she wanted anything when Barnabas put a hand on her arm and shook his head.
Once the door closed Barnabas greeted Jinx, and noticing the tray of refreshments, he sat down and plucked a few chips f
rom the bowl. Once he had eaten a couple chips he looked up at Anne, who was still standing. “I know you are new to having a security detail, so what I am about to say is not a criticism. It’s just information. Two things: first, don’t open the door until your guard notifies you of a visitor.” Barnabas could tell from her expression that Anne wanted to say something, and instead of reading her mind he looked at her and asked, “You have an issue with that?”
Anne looked slightly confused. “Seshat had already informed me you were here.”
Barnabas cut in before Anne could continue. “That may be, but your guard doesn’t know that, and having a door open behind him is a distraction he doesn’t need. The second thing is—and I know you are trying to be polite—while they are on duty, don’t offer refreshments or the like.”
“Another distraction?”
“Exactly,” Barnabas confirmed. “You would be boxing them in, so to speak. They wouldn’t want to upset you by refusing, but to do their jobs correctly they need their hands free.”
“Ok, that makes sense.” Anne smiled. “Thanks, I appreciate you letting me know.”
Barnabas grabbed a few more chips and stood. “Then my work here is done.”
Anne looked flustered and started to sputter. “But…but…” She pointed at Stevie.
“She’s approved. Go ahead and hire her for whatever you need her to do,” Barnabas declared, then looked at Stevie. “Just promise me you will inform one of us if someone tries to threaten or blackmail you.”
Stevie just sat there with a shocked expression on her face, then nodded vigorously. “Yes, sir. Absolutely, sir!”
“Excellent.” Barnabas held a chip in front of his mouth. “I expect I’ll be seeing more of you, then,” he said, crunching down on the chip as he let himself out of the apartment.
Stevie gave a brief nod to the Marine as she left Anne’s apartment to head home. She didn’t know whether she was shell-shocked, or gobsmacked, but it seemed like her head was spinning. Just this morning she had been a normal student. Well, except for shop, where she was freaking astounding. Too bad Old Man Jerk-ins had to be such a bistok butt. She had never seen a bistok, but everything she had ever heard indicated that if you looked up “Nasty-ass gross” in the dictionary there’d be a picture of a bistok.
Stevie made sure to monitor her surroundings with extra care on her way home. She wasn’t exactly certain why her new boss had a Guardian Marine team for security, but she wasn’t going to risk being caught unaware if it had something to do with this new project.
Project! What a way to term what she had been shown after Barnabas left. Seshat had played a couple videos of Anne’s first tests, then Anne had burnt another hole in her coffee table giving a live demonstration.
Stevie pushed some loose hair behind her ear. When Anne said she wanted to weaponize her experiment, Stevie had barely managed to refrain from shaking her head. How were they going to turn something that could burn through rock into a weapon? Stevie growled under her breath. That sort of thinking was only going to result in failure. The question she should be asking was, what steps did they need to take to create a weapon that could burn through rock.
Stevie was very pleased to find that her mother had kept a plate of supper warm for her. Weres burned lots of energy and needed a lot of calories. The little snacks that Anne had set out were the type a person saw at a social event, not to satisfy a hungry stomach.
Stevie was bemused by the contradiction. Anne didn’t seem to be the sort of person who attended social events, so it made her wonder where Anne had learned that type of entertaining. Another memory nagged at Stevie as she sat down to her dinner, and her eyes widened as the memory surfaced. Peter had talked to Anne like she had killed someone. Stevie decided she should probably ignore that subject. Asking possibly offensive questions might be detrimental to her health. What was that ancient Chinese curse?
Oh yeah. “May you live in interesting times.”
It sure had been a busy evening. Anne was cleaning up the extra dishes she had used while entertaining her unexpected guests when Seshat spoke.
>>You have a comm message from a Mr. Frank Kurns.<<
Wait, how did he know to call you?
>>He didn’t call me, he called your tablet. Since you were busy, I diverted the message. I can display it on my main screen when you’re ready.<<
I am not upset with you, but just for your information, normal procedure would have been to ask the person first if they were all right with you doing that, Anne explained to her newborn EI.
>> I apologize. It just seemed the most efficient way to do things.<<
It probably is. Just refer to my comment about biologicals.
>>Oh! I’ll remember to ask permission next time.<<
“Is Frank still on the line, or did he just leave a message?” Anne asked as she reentered the common room.
“He’s waiting.” Seshat copied Anne and spoke aloud.
“Okay,” Anne said as she took a seat on the couch and looked at the screen that was displaying Seshat’s avatar. “Accept the call, please.”
The screen on the wall now hosted two frames. Seshat’s avatar was in one, and a middle-aged man inhabited the other.
“Good evening, young lady. My name is Frank Kurns. Bethany Anne claims you are the angel who is going to save me from the incredible boredom I have been suffering,” the man stated theatrically.
Anne couldn’t restrain her giggle. “I find it hard to believe Bethany Anne called me an angel.”
The man looked smug. “I was raised in a much more genteel time. I may have translated Bethany Anne’s words to better suit my delicate sensibilities.”
Anne was shocked, first that the man could talk this way, and second that he could say that with a straight face. “I’ll just take your word for that.”
“Flowery language aside, Bethany Anne told me you might need someone with organizational skills,” Frank stated with an eager gleam in his eyes.
“I have a Guardian Marines security team and one employee already, with possibly more in the future. I’m still in school, and I’m not studying business. I don’t have a clue how to hire, pay, offer benefits…” Anne sputtered to a stop and shook her head, the scope of the project in front of her daunting.
Frank nodded confidently. “That’s what I’m here to do. Eventually Bethany Anne may have other work she will need me for, but right now I have the time to be like your CEO and get you started. If the Empress needs me to handle something else, I’ll make sure she gives me time to find and hire a replacement. You won’t be left high and dry.”
“Will you think less of me if I admit how wonderful that sounds?” Anne asked.
“Not at all! I wasn’t kidding with the ‘saving me from boredom’ comment. Bethany Anne has ADAM to handle the sort of tasks I used to be responsible for. I’ll admit that I had been thinking of retiring back on Earth, but a lot of that was just my old bones not handling the cold and damp as well as they used to.”
Anne carefully studied the man on the screen. “I take it you have benefited from some of the nanotech Bethany Anne controls?”
“I applaud your deductive capabilities,” Frank said, clapping his hands quietly.
“Do I need to do anything to get this up and running?”
Frank shook his head. “No, Bethany Anne provided enough details to get me started. You and I will need to meet in person one day soon so that you can bring me up-to-date on what you will need and I can explain what you need to know.”
“That sounds great,” Anne stated enthusiastically. “Seshat knows my schedule, so you can contact her when you’re ready to get together.”
Frank’s smile made him look extremely happy. “That sounds like a plan, and as they use to say on this silly show I used to watch, ‘I love it when a plan comes together.’ I’ll contact your EI in the next few days.”
Anne shook her head violently. “You’ll contact Seshat,” she corrected emphatically.
Frank Kurns might not look his age anymore, but he had been around for a lot of years. His experience made it quite easy to recognize that he had put his foot in it. “My apologies. I will contact Seshat within the next few days to set up a meeting with you.” He smiled again to reassure the young woman who was looking at him with steely eyes that he had not been offended.
Anne’s expression softened as she nodded in agreement. “I will talk to you later, then.”
With the immediate business concluded, Anne wished Frank a good evening, signed off, and headed to bed. While she still expected the nightmares, she was relieved to know that she wasn’t going to have to fumble around on her own to get her research group going.
Chapter Eleven
The days that followed fell into a pattern: school, homework, and then to the apartment to do testing. One of Stevie’s first contributions was a test stand, which was five feet tall and had grooves at the top they could slide tiles into. Stevie had found a formula for silica ceramics, and Cheryl Lynn had directed them to a small company that could produce about twenty-five tiles a week. At the base of the stand was a two-foot-deep water tank. Water wouldn’t stop a ruby that was still being powered from the Etheric, but if Anne cut the power before it hit the water, the ruby cooled enough to not cause any damage by the time it sank to the bottom. Each evening Stevie and Anne placed the ruby beside other samples, trying to find a material that the ruby wouldn’t vaporize.
“Guardian Connors just commed to let you know that Bethany Anne and Ashur are outside,” Seshat’s avatar informed them.
Anne was unwrapping a new sample while Stevie replaced the top two tiles, and she put the heavily perforated tiles into the crate they were using for trash. Stevie smiled as she watched Anne head for the door.
They were not any closer to finding a solution, but even so, Stevie felt a sense of accomplishment. When they had first started using the tiles, the ruby would burn through four of them before Anne could stop it. Day by day Anne was exhibiting more control; now she only burned through two. She was proud of her friend’s progress. Friend? Stevie pondered that as she listened to Anne enthusiastically welcome Ashur. Yes, she thought, I have a friend. She hugged herself briefly, enjoying the new feeling, and turned to greet the Empress.
Etheric Adventures Boxed Set: Books 1-3 Page 21