Justice Keepers Saga--Books 1-3, page 74
Even Justice Keepers were only human. Anyone could become complacent without the occasional reminder of public scrutiny – apathy was the path of least resistance, after all – and he wasn't going to let himself fall into that trap.
Selena lifted a tablet up in front of her face, sliding her finger along its surface. It irked him that he couldn't see her expression. “Now then…” she said, setting it down on the desk. “Your friend Agent Lenai recently foiled a bank robbery.”
Jack tilted his head back, smiling up at the ceiling. “Yeah…she did at that,” he said, eyebrows rising. “The very first time I saw Anna in action, I thought she was incredible. Brave and fierce as a tiger.”
“Was she at all concerned about civilian casualties?”
“Why don't you ask her?”
Selena watched him with an expression that might have been carved in stone, holding him pinned by the force of her stare. “Because I'm asking you,” she answered. “In case you've forgotten, you owe me for that business with Cal Breslan.”
Jack winced, shaking his head. “You're gonna keep bringing that up then?” he said. “Okay, Ms. Knowles. Go ahead and ask your questions.”
“Was she worried about civilian casualties?”
“No.”
“How do you know?”
He leaned back in his chair with arms folded, his face twisted into a grimace. “Because Keepers are trained to minimize that risk,” he snapped. “Anna would not have taken any action without assessing the situation.”
The interview continued like that for a good fifteen minutes, and he found himself surprised by every pang of irritation. It seemed Jack Hunter was perfectly comfortable subjecting himself to scrutiny, but question the integrity of his best friend and suddenly he became defensive.
In his defense, it really wasn't a fair interview. Anna should have been the one to answer these questions – if her actions were going to be held under a magnifying glass, she should at least have the chance to speak for herself – but he supposed Selena wanted to talk to someone familiar first. Anna had already put up with plenty of media attention in the last few days.
By the time they had run through all her questions, Jack was feeling worn out. If someone had told him that bonding a Nassai would mean frequent exposure to the press, he might have reconsidered. Summer felt a pang of sadness at that, but he soothed her with a reminder that he wasn't serious.
Jack looked up with a broad smile, blinking at the woman. “So, are we done?” he asked, getting to his feet. “Because I do have other meetings. There's a cardassian who really wants to know how many lights are on the wall.”
She swiveled in her chair, turned so that she was facing the window. The sunlight on her lovely face only served to remind him that…No. Such thoughts were pointless. “We are done,” she assured him. “I'm sorry you find my presence grating.”
“I don't find your presence grating.”
She sniffed.
Jack turned to go, making his way toward the door. “I don't find your presence grating,” he said, glancing back over his shoulder. “I just don't know how to answer your questions.”
The only thing he could see was the back of her chair, but his words seemed to give her pause. “I'd say you did a fine job,” she muttered. “Don't be too hard on yourself, Jack. Not many people are used to being in the limelight.”
“Is that a little sympathy I hear?”
“Don't get used to it.”
He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, smiling down at himself. “You know, it's funny,” he said, shaking his head. “We actually make a pretty good team when we stop snapping at each other.”
She got out of the chair, smoothing her skirt as she walked over to the window. “A compliment from Jack Hunter?” Selena faced him again with the light silhouetting her body, framed by a golden halo. “Now I have heard everything.”
Jack pressed a palm to his forehead, sliding it upward to rake fingers through his hair. “Well, you're a formidable opponent,” he said. “I kind of like knowing that I'm not going to win every verbal sparring match.”
She chuckled.
As their amusement faded to awkward silence, he found himself recalling Gabi's advice. Should he actually go through with it? “You know, I was wondering…” It seemed his mouth had decided to press on without checking in with his brain. In other words, it was a typical Tuesday afternoon. “You wanna grab a cup of coffee some time?”
“My goodness. Are you asking me out?”
“Yeah, seems like I am,” he admitted. “If you want, we can add it to the list of reckless decisions that will likely result in my body floating face-down in the river.”
Selena strode across the room with her fists balled at her sides, her face twisted in a frustrated scowl. “I was afraid this was going to happen,” she mumbled. “You and I can't go out, Jack; it would be a conflict of interest.”
“Okay. Noted.”
“On top of that…” She sank into the chair that he had vacated, hugging herself and rubbing her arms. “On top of that, you're just not the kind of man I could see myself with. I'm sorry.”
Jack closed his eyes, leaning his head against the doorframe. He took a deep breath through his nose. “Don't be sorry,” he said. “I know you're just being courteous, but that's not the kind of thing you apologize for.”
“Thank you.”
He backed up into the hallway with his hands raised defensively. “I'm just gonna go,” Jack said softly. “Call me the next time you need a source, and if I don't see you, have a merry Christmas.”
The waves of the Pacific Ocean washed up on the sandy beach with a soft, soothing sound. The afternoon sun was sinking toward the horizon, causing the waters to glitter as though a thousand diamonds had been strewn across a dark carpet.
Gabrina Valtez stood on the beach in a white sundress with pink flowers along the skirt and a short denim jacket, her long hair streaming in the wind. After weeks cooped up on that space station, she needed a little fresh air, but Canada was out of the question. There was no way she was going to endure another blizzard.
Ten years of working for an intelligence agency taught you a thing or two: not the least of which was a tendency to mind your surroundings. Justice Keepers had the luxury of being able to sense when someone was coming up behind them; everyone else wasn't so lucky. She had to learn to rely on her ears, and right now, her ears detected footsteps.
She turned.
Jack came striding through the sand in gray pants and a black shirt under his coat, a forced smile on his face. “I don't see why we couldn't do this in Ottawa,” he said. “This is a bit much, don't you think?”
Gabi wrinkled her nose. “Not a chance,” she insisted. “Sorry, hon, but I'm not willing to shiver through our entire conversation, and Los Angeles seems as good a place as any.”
“If you say so.”
“So you said you asked her out?”
He stared off into the distance with a blank expression, blinking slowly. “Were you looking out a window?” he asked in a quiet voice. “'Cause I'm pretty sure you could see the fireball from space.”
She turned back to the ocean.
Turning her face up to the sky, Gabi closed her eyes and let the wind caress her skin. “I'm sorry to hear that,” she murmured. “But look at it this way: at least you won't always be wondering what might have happened.”
Jack stepped up beside her with hands in his pockets, his eyes downcast. “Oh, I'm not sure about that, Gabs,” he grumbled. “I think moments like this might be good PR for the Ignorance is Bliss community.”
Gabi crossed her arms, backing away from the water's edge. She turned her face away from him. “Don't be like that,” she said. “Melodrama doesn't suit you, Jack. We all have to deal with rejection sometimes.”
Of course, it didn't help that she had pressured him into it. As a young woman, she had learned the hard way that sometimes you just had to leave well enough alone. As a rule, people didn't like it when you meddled in their personal lives, even if you did it with the best of intentions. Worst of all…
Worst of all, she was happy the reporter had turned him down. That wasn't a very noble thought, and now she had to reexamine her own motivations in doing this. Had she pushed him toward this woman just to shoot down any chance that something might happen between the two of them?
He sighed.
Jack turned around, walking through the sand toward the strip that overlooked the beach. “Come on,” he said, gesturing into the distance. “I think it's time you learned a bit about Earth culture.”
Gabi followed along with her arms folded, shaking her head ever so slowly. “I'm not sure I really want to learn anything more,” she teased. “Besides, we had a perfectly nice view of the ocean.”
“Would you just trust me?”
A broad walkway lined with palm trees ran in front of a series of small apartment buildings with chairs on their front porches. A bright orange truck was positioned at the very spot where sand met concrete, and she noticed pictures of several different elaborate confections on the side.
Jack approached with hands clasped behind his back, speaking to the man in the truck's open window. “Two swirl cones, please,” he said, standing up on his toes. So, it seemed she was going to be having an early dessert.
“Oh dear…”
A moment later, Jack spun on his heel and made his way toward her with a huge smile on his face. “This is called ice cream,” he said, offering one of the cones he held. “Kind of a tradition when you go to the beach.”
Gabi closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “Thank you,” she said with a quick bob of her head. “You know, we have ice cream back on Leyria. Your planet hasn't exactly cornered the market on dairy-based dessert.”
“Oh, well that's a relief.”
“Oh?”
He looked up to gaze with wonder at the clear blue sky. “Yeah,” he said. “I'd like to go to Leyria one day; hell, with my job, I might even end up stationed there, and it's nice to know I'll find something familiar.”
She couldn't really argue with that.
They sat on a bench next to the walkway, enjoying the shade offered by the palm trees. At this time of year, California wasn't precisely hot, but Jack was still dressed for winter. That was something of a necessity as he would have to return to a city that was currently suffering from sub-zero temperatures. In a way, it would be easier for him if he simply chose to live aboard Station Twelve, but she supposed she couldn't blame him. In his place, she would insist on a home where opening a window was an option.
For a short while, they made pleasant conversation, and she found herself sharing the details of some of her previous assignments. The other day, she and Anna had spent over an hour discussing the other woman's assignment on Alios, and Gabi realized that she very much wished she herself could have such an assignment. Warm weather and infrequent crime? Who wouldn't want that? Then again, Anna was still young enough for ambition to trump everything else. Not that Gabrina Valtez had let go of her ambitions, mind you, but she was at an age where proving herself wasn't always her first priority. After a little while, Jack decided to change the subject.
He sat bent over with his arms folded, smiling down at the pavement. “So, you really think it was a good idea?” he asked with a shrug. “Coming clean like that probably strained my working relationship with Selena.”
Gabi threw her head back, rolling her eyes as she considered the question. “Was it a working relationship that you valued?” she inquired. “Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe I've heard you voice your distaste for media attention.”
“You heard right.”
“Well, then what's the difference?” She popped the last piece of her waffle cone into her mouth and chewed thoroughly before continuing. “It was a relationship that primarily benefited Selena Knowles.”
“That's not entirely true.”
“Oh?”
Jack was as red as an open flame, squeezing his eyes shut as a shiver went through him. “I would rather keep that to myself, if you don't mind,” he said. “Let's just say she was there for me when I needed her.”
He stood up and paced across the pathway, pausing at the small concrete wall that bordered the property of a small office building. “I guess I feel like I owe her. Now, she might not be so willing to call when she needs a source.”
It was all Gabi could do not to chuckle. Somehow, despite her very best efforts, she always found herself dispensing advice. An older woman who had lived next to her when she was a teenager had once referred to her as a “sage” because she steered people around trouble. “People sometimes develop feelings, Jack; it's not a crime,” she said. “A working relationship should not be damaged so long as you respect her boundaries.”
He turned with a puzzled frown, the wind playing with his hair. “Then if you don't mind my asking,” Jack began, “why were you so uncomfortable admitting that you were attracted to me?”
Gabi felt her mouth tighten, then lowered her eyes to stare into her lap. “You're a good deal younger than me,” she said softly. “I just thought it wouldn't be appropriate to indulge such feelings.”
“I'm twenty-two years old, Gabi,” he said with more than a touch of irritation in his voice. “Who you date is your business, but I'm hardly a child.”
“That's true.”
A thought popped into her head, one that her better judgment tried to kill before it found its way to her lips. She knew it was a bad idea; a long-term relationship would be out of the question – they were at different points in their lives, and Justice Keepers didn't make great spouses – but damn it, she had such a crush on this guy. “All right,” she said. “How about this? We have sex. Just once. No strings attached.”
Jack's face turned several shades of scarlet before he hid his blush behind a fist that he pressed to his forehead. “That wasn't what I…” he stammered. “I mean I wasn't trying to make you…”
“I know.”
She squinted at him, shaking her head. “Why are you so flustered?” she asked, standing up and moving toward him. “Be honest with me, Jack. Have you ever been intimate with a woman before?”
“No, I haven't,” he said without hesitation. “But Gabi, I'm not trying to persuade you to do anything, and I don't need you to take pity on the inexperienced young man.”
“Jack, if pity were in any way involved in this, I wouldn't have made the offer.” It was sad really: the way in which his mind worked. She was willing to bet that he hadn't even considered the possibility that her offer might be genuine. “You're charming, brave and very intelligent. All highly sought-after qualities. And if you'll forgive my tendency to offer unsolicited advice, you may want your first time to be with someone who makes you feel safe.”
He seemed to consider that.
“Just think about it,” she urged. “If it's not something you want, I will understand. And if it is…Well, you know where to find me.”
The image of suited men in a conference room filled the television screen, but Ben had to admit he wasn't really paying attention to the plot. He was unfamiliar with Earth's history, and much of the nuance passed over his head. Supposedly the 1960s were a time of great upheaval; he'd reviewed certain texts when preparing for this assignment, but it was difficult to keep it all straight.
The living room in Darrel Smith's apartment was sparsely decorated with metal shelves and a cactus next to the TV. Through the window in the wall to his right, Ben could see a crisp, clear night.
He closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. “You really like this,” he said, turning to his boyfriend. “This random show about trying to dream up new ways to sell old products.”
The other man sat next to him with his knees together, a great big smile on his face. “I guess it doesn't make much sense to someone who wasn't raised with money,” Darrel answered. “But it's a fun drama.”
Ben stood.
Clasping his chin in one hand, he paused for a moment to study the television. “I can't say I like it very much,” he admitted. “But I do like you. So that raises the show's quality by proxy.”
Darrel was grinning as he stared into his lap. “Well, it's good to know I have an effect,” he mumbled. “Hey, maybe if you don't like this stuff, you can show me some Leyrian TV.”
Truth was, Ben didn't watch a lot of Leyrian TV. Well, the Leyrian equivalent of TV anyway. There were visual-based storytelling media on his world, but it wasn't quite the same. For one thing, much of it was done with holography.
He made his way to the kitchen.
White counters topped wooden cupboards that had endured more than their share of nicks and scratches from previous tenants, and the window above the sink was frosted over. The only light came from a small bulb above the stove. Just being here made him feel a little bit off.
Ben had never been very skilled with the culinary arts. For most of his life, he had been forced to make do with a robot that would prepare most meals for him. Convenient yes, but also a little boring. Robotic kitchen assistants would prepare each meal in exactly the same way every time unless you reprogrammed the recipe. And since he didn't know how to cook to begin with… Why had he come in here again? Half the time, he went to the kitchen only to forget what he-
His multi-tool beeped.
Lifting his forearm, he rolled up his sleeve to reveal Leyrian text on the screen. He had an incoming call from…Palisa. That couldn't be good. Just seeing those words made his chest tighten. “I've got to take a call, Hon!”
“Okay!” Darrel shouted.
When Ben stepped into the bedroom, he was reminded that his boyfriend was a bit of a slob. The bed was unmade with sheets rumpled and bunched up on the mattress, and there were dirty shirts hanging from pretty much everything. The dresser, the nightstand, the headboard: all were home to at least one article of clothing. It seemed Darrel just tossed his shirt aimlessly when he took it off each night.
Tapping his multi-tool with the fingers of his left hand, he brought up a program that he had coded years ago. The tool's mini-fabricator spat nanobots from the metal disk, each set clumping together to form a small crescent-shaped object about the size of his palm. He made four of them, placing one along each wall.
