HeartStorm (HeartFast Series Book 3) (11 page)

            Perlakian acquiesced. "Very well. I'll leave that up to you."

            "Well, that takes a load off my mind," Deceiver admitted. "Barring the use of
Transport One
to take you there, there's no way you could have taken
Three,
even though it would have meant letting a couple more of you go with Star as support and backup. As long as
Two
is out of commission, we're rather strapped for transportation."

            "Not for long."

            Everyone looked up to see Commander and the newcomer Wooly stride into the room. The big grins on the two's faces were unmistakable.

            "With Wooly's help, we were able to fix several of those glitches that had been plaguing me. The engines are now fully online, and the relays are operational. All that's left is to finish patching the hull,
and we're good to go. Furthermore..." He clapped a hand on the young man's shoulder. "I would like to formally invite Melbin Wooly to be an active member of the Guardians."

            "But he doesn't have a specific power, does he?" Provoker inquired.

            "The man hardwired a galactic freighter to a narbesium power coil," Commander stated. "He was able to punch a communications signal through an ion storm raging at over eight hundred urgs per second. I couldn't begin to pull off miracles like that. If this man isn't Guardian material, then neither am I."

            "I'm going to have to side with Commander," Perlakian spoke up. "You brought me in as a Guardian, and I have no special powers, either. Just the knowledge, training, and experience as a medical doctor that was needed. If Commander believes Wooly will be a great benefit to us, I give him my vote."

            "And mine," Hunter added.

            Sender raised her hand. "Me, too."

            Provoker rapped the table for attention. "Eh, before all this glory gabbing gets out of hand, has anyone asked the kid if he wants to become one of us?"

            "Oh, yes!" Wooly finally spoke out. "I would love to be one of you! I just never..." He nervously looked around the room in obvious awe.

            "You never what?" Sender prodded gently with a smile.

            "I never dreamed of anything like this happening to me. I mean, Provoker's right. I don't have a special power. I've just always had a knack for putting things together that worked in ways they hadn't before. Like when I was barely two years old, I dismantled the security system at my home and rewired it to where it sent amplified disrupter waves five hundred meters into the air above the house. I don't remember much of what happened after that, except the police were all over the place, questioning my mom and dad. Since then, my parents were always telling me to leave things alone." He laughed nervously, his hands wringing the hem of his shirt.

            Deceiver glanced around the table. "Then let me put it this way. Are there any dissenters?" When no one answered, the Guardian leader smiled and turned to the little man. "The majority has spoken. Welcome, Wooly. You're officially a Guardian."

            Several members, including Sender, rose and went over to congratulate the young man. Hunter gave his wife's shoulders a gentle squeeze. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear. "I felt relieved, too, when Devorah stepped in. I'm sorry about your mother, but I wasn't wanting you to go with that man."

            "Doesn't matter." She reached up to pat a hand. "I don't think I could stand being away from our daughter for any length of time. Not right now, anyway."

            At the thought of the infant, she could feel her breasts begin to swell as they filled with milk. Her body was signaling it was almost time to feed the baby. Before she could mention to Hunter that she needed to return to their apartment, her husband got a funny expression on his face. At the same time, the tiny crystal chip embedded in her throat gave a soft chirp.

            "Callie's awake," he murmured.

            "Take me to her," Star asked softly.

            With a warm smile, he enclosed her within his shield, and they popped out of the meeting room. Their absence was immediately noted by Animator.

            "Hunter and Star left."

            "Probably had something to do with the baby," drawled Provoker.

            "In that case, guess this is as good a time as any to call a halt to this meeting so we can head over to the dining room for lunch," Deceiver announced.

            Provoker raised his hand. "Hear, hear! That's the smartest thing you've said all day...so far."

            Corona threw her shoe at him.

Chapter Thirteen

Emergency

            "Woman."

            Devorah stopped on her way back to the clinic and turned around, a warm smile already on her face. Commander strode up and didn't stop until he gathered her in his arms. Hungrily, he kissed her, pressing her back against the wall in order to drag his body across hers. His mouth was insistent, making her squirm with anticipation. Too quickly, he ended the kiss to give her a mock frown.

            "Where do you think you're going?"

            "Mmm, let me see. I'm a doctor. There's a clinic on base. I don't know. To the supply store?"

            "I'm hungry and I don't want to eat alone."

            Before she could respond, he set her back on her feet, grabbed her hand, and pulled her along with him as he headed for the dining hall.

            "All right. Guess I'm on my way to dining hall," she quipped.

            The first time he had demanded her undivided attention, she had resented the intrusion and interruption. Until she realized her quiet husband acted that way because he needed her. Needed to see her and touch her, and have her near. Needed to seek her comfort, as well as her wisdom. She was his sole, safe ear to whom he could confide in. If something bothered him, he sought her out to immediately resolve the problem.

            After talking with his family, she learned he was not the type of person to keep things bottled up inside himself. But since joining the Guardians, he'd been forced to keep a wide array of information secret for the security of the team. He had faced horrors without being able to discuss the details to anyone other than his fellow teammates. And for the most part, that had been a satisfactory outlets.

            Since his emergence from the wormhole, along with Hunter, Seeker, and Disaster, he no longer wanted to remain in isolation. And that had included the fact that he was willing to risk exposing his true feelings for her the moment they returned.

            Perlakian looked up at her husband as she hurried to keep paces with him. He must have sensed her stare, and glanced down.

            "What?"

            "Oh, nothing," she replied. "Just thinking about the antithesis of your actions."

            Her comment stopped him in his tracks, and he gave her a confused look. "My antithesis?"

            She tried to smother the grin that would give her away. "You're like light and dark, Paol. From one extreme to the other just like that." She snapped her fingers for emphasis.

            "And that's a bad thing?" he questioned, tilting his head slightly to one side.

            "Not really. Considering how often you rush from one place to another, like everything's an emergency, you certainly can take your slow, sweet time making love."

            Her admission got the results she hoped for. A flush came to his face. Slowly, inevitably, that beautiful smile she rarely saw except in private spread across his lips.

            "Dev, sometimes you confound me."

            "Oh? How?"

            "You're like an alien circuitry board. I never know what to expect from you. I can never tell how you're going to react. And I sure as crap can't figure you out most days."

            "Paol Beni Tuazi, I think that's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me."

            He laughed, a deep, hearty sound she was starting to hear more and more from him. But, again, only in the privacy of their quarters. Otherwise, he projected an intensely serious attitude that was meant to frame his Commander persona. After one more sweet kiss, they hurried into the dining hall where the rest of the Guardians were sitting down to eat.

            While getting her tray, Perlakian noticed that Hunter and Star were still missing, but didn't find it unusual. Taking a seat next to her husband, she dove into her soup, vaguely aware of that exact topic being discussed at the next table over where Morning Fire, Corona, and Animator were sitting. Fire remarked as such to the doctor.

            "Any idea where Hunter and Star could be?"

            "You might as well expect that type of behavior for the next few months," the physician told the women, but loud enough to where others seated nearby could hear. "Star needs to feed the baby at regular intervals. Get used to her sudden disappearances until Callaura gets a little older, and the feedings become less frequent."

            "Speaking of disappearances, where's our newest member?" Disaster wondered aloud. He looked at Commander, who shrugged.

            "The kid went to find the restroom. What can I say?"

            "You didn't offer to show him the way?" Perlakian teased.

            "I gave him directions. He's a big boy. He can figure it out."

            "Speaking of," Time Merchant spoke up as Wooly walked through the door.

            "Hey, where have you been?" Provoker asked. "Dinner's getting cold because of your tardiness."

            Wooly blushed furiously. "Sorry. I..."

            Sender got up from where she was eating and walked over to where the young man was awkwardly shuffling from one foot to another.

            "Hey, don't let Provoker get to you. That's what he does best, irritating the crabbies out of you. Come on, I'll show you where you can find something to eat."

            "I meant to ask you earlier," Deceiver remarked to the newcomer. "Do you want us to call you Wooly? Is that the Guardian name you want to be known as? Or is there another name you'd prefer?"

            Wooly paused. His eyebrows knitted together as he considered the Guardian leader's question. "Well, you guys can still call me Wooly. But as for a Guardian name, can I get back to you on that? Let me think some more on it."

            Sender gave Wooly's jumpsuit a tug. "And when you decide what you want to be called, maybe we can design you a niftier looking costume." The young man blushed again, but it was apparent he enjoyed Sender's attention.

            "If you're needing a little time, that's not a problem," Deceiver answered. "By the way, did you have any trouble finding your way around? This place can seem a bit convoluted."

            Wooly threw a thumb over his shoulder. "Nope. I ran into Bruiser. He told me which way the men's dorms were, and where the nearest restrooms were located. He also said I get to have my own apartment."

            "That's true," Sender told him. "We each have our own apartments, except Seeker and I share a room. The women's quarters are on the other side of the concourse, separate from the men's."

            "And the married unit is separate from the other two," Time Merchant added, tossing a finger in the direction where Perlakian and Commander were sitting. "Except for those two. They have their bunk at the rear of the clinic."

            "You said you talked to Bruiser?" Condemner interjected. "Was DiMackerlyn with him?"

            The young man nodded. "Yeah. They were heading for the restrooms, too."

            "Ah. Our missing parental couple have arrived," Provoker remarked, staring past Deceiver. They all turned to see Star and Hunter getting their trays inside the cafeteria. They joined the others, taking a nearby table for their own.

            "So how's the little cherub doing?" Provoker remarked dryly.

            Star ignored the man, leaving Hunter to answer. "She's doing fine. I can't believe how tiny she is."

            "Any indication she could have any special abilities?" Deceiver queried with a grin.

            "None that we've seen. Right now, all she can do is eat, sleep, and dirty her diapers."

            "Better enjoy the itty bitty-ness while you can," Perlakian remarked. "She'll be running all over this place before you know it."

            "Oh, geeze. She's right." Star looked at her husband. "Does this mean we'll have to baby-proof the base?"

            A loud groan drew their attention to Provoker, who sat with one hand over his face. "Don't tell me we're going to have to install latches on all the doors and cover up all the comm ports with safety caps!"

            The claxon erupted with nearly ear-splitting intensity. Commander grabbed Perlakian's hand to bring her with him as the entire group rushed to the meeting room where Deceiver yelled out, "Who's on comm watch?"

            "Me!" Blender answered, already plugging himself in to the board in the table.

            A holo screen jumped into view from the center of the table, but it remained dark. "Blender, where's the video?" the Guardian leader demanded.

            "No video. Audio coming in now. Feeding it through the interpreter."

            "...Command! We are on Tur De Me Fa, in the Silici quadrant of the Be Ta Du system. Our world has gone dark! Please help us! We need light to live! Guardian Command! We are on Tur—"

            Blender closed the connection. "It's a loop, but the message is tagged as a Priority Red One distress call."

            Deceiver turned to Provoker, who was already on his comm board. "What can you tell us about Tur De Me Fa?"

            "Level two intelligent species. No advanced space travel. Discovered during the initial exploratory flights five hundred years ago. They are part of the Intergalactic Regency, but their status is non-participating, which means they follow the treaties, but they aren't actively involved in policing others. They're non-humanoid, and solely dependent on light for their survival." He glanced up at the Guardian leader. "They need light in order to live. They can't eat, or even breathe, without it."