Logic Read online

  A criminal analyst with no social life fascinates a superhero during a hostage taking where she was the hostage, until she wasn’t.

  Beryl lives a quiet life taking online classes and working on solving cases for her brother when he needs a second pair of eyes. Her skills gain her the notice of the Volunteer Project, and she is encouraged to go and get a life of her own.

  Working as a criminal analyst is incredibly rewarding and she thinks she has everything she needs until her path collides with that of one of the local Guardians and her life takes a sudden turn.

  Toyo sensed Beryl before he met her, but watching her disable a criminal cemented his interest. Her blood called to him, her scent drove him wild, and when she knocked him on his butt, he knew it was the first of many encounters to come.

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  Logic

  Copyright © 2014 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-0034-7

  Cover art by Martine Jardin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

  Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

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  Logic

  Terran Times Second Wave

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Beryl Wilkinson looked up from her homework as her brother came in. His uniform was rumpled and he looked frustrated. “Hiya, Jim.”

  “Bebe, I have a puzzle for you.”

  She perked up. “Really?

  “Really. We are working on tracking some of the protest cells, but we have run up against a dead end. We can’t find out where they are organizing or where their money is coming from. If you solve it, it will have to be completely off the books.”

  “Of course.” She rubbed her hands together. “Show me what you have.”

  She sat still while he laid out the files on the table, each open to what he thought was the pertinent page. The Keepers were a pain in the ass, and if they were gathering en masse, the police needed all the help they could get.

  As she worked Bebe didn’t know how much time passed, she never did. When she found the connections, she quickly moved to confirm and verify the data.

  Jim was asleep on the couch, so she shook his shoulder. He blinked and rubbed at his eyes. “Did you find it?”

  “No, you were snoring and it was wrecking my groove.”

  “Funny. You don’t hear a thing while you are working on puzzles. What did you find?”

  She sat with him and laid out the information and the locations where the Keepers were going to strike. All they could do was warn the recruitment centres and defend the ones that needed help.

  Jim was on the phone in moments warning of the bomb threats. He worked through the night calling all the centres and the local law enforcement. When the explosion rang out and the news reported the devastation, the last number on the list went uncalled. They already knew.

  Bebe handed Jim a thermos of high-octane coffee and sent him off to work while she returned to her web design course. There was nothing else to do.

  Eighteen hours after he left their home, he returned and he was not alone. “Bebe, this is Recruiter Norz and he would like to make you an offer.”

  Beryl looked at the small silver man with the huge black eyes, the bodyguards in the hall and the look of hope and sorrow in Jim’s eyes. “I am being recruited.”

  Norz inclined his head. “It is not a matter of being ordered to do it, but Officer Wilkinson tells me that you will never be able to use your talent here for anything other than bookkeeping. I would offer you far more than that. There is a chance you can use your skills on a daily basis to save lives as you did today.”

  “I didn’t save them all.”

  “You didn’t have time. The information and connections your brother showed us prove that you have a knack for logic that goes beyond normal intuitive behaviour. With your permission, I would like to send you to the Nyal Imperium to work with the Guardians on worlds that are at risk and subject to destruction. Would you be interested?”

  Bebe winced. “Didn’t Jim tell you? My work mode is akin to being in a working coma. I don’t hear or see anyone. I would be useless in a fight.”

  Norz grinned and showed shark-like teeth. “We don’t want you in the fight; we want you telling us where to be.”

  Bebe looked to James, looked around the main floor of their house and the emptiness that was their constant companion since their sister passed away. She would hate to leave James, but he had brought Norz here.

  She looked at her brother and nodded. He smiled, but there were tears in his eyes.

  “Fine. When do I leave?”

  One month of basic training later and she was still homesick. It was time to head to her assignment, and she had one last direct call from the moon base to make.

  “Hiya, Jim.”

  “Hiya, Bebe. How are you doing?” He had a more relaxed look about him now that he had quit his job with the force and was working as the security coordinator for the Volunteer Centres.

  “I am good. I ship out tomorrow, so you will be without my input for a few days.”

  “Excellent. I like the hair.”

  She patted her pink roots that faded into a pale blush at the ends of her hair. “I wanted to splurge for my birthday. The bots are actually in my scalp colouring it as I speak.”

  “I don’t want the details, it just looks pretty. Did you get my present?”

  “Yes, and I had to share with my instructors. Terran pastries haven’t been too thick on the ground up here, and my meditation instructor has a helluva sweet tooth.”

  He laughed. “I am glad you have friends to share it with.”

  “I have always made friends, until they learned what I can do. This is the first time it has been backward, and I sort of like it.”

  “Good. Do you know where you are going?”

  “Some world name W’lyn. They need an analyst in the worst way, so I am going in to help work on the petty crime and the not-so-petty crime.”

  “Keep yourself safe.”

  She snapped him a salute. “Yes, sir.”

  She sobered. “I will miss you, Jim. Ask that nice girl at the pastry shop out.”

  He blushed. “I already did. How do you think I got two dozen cupcakes wrapped and packed for space flight? It is a bit of a strange order.”

  The image in her mind of him chatting frantically as the woman individually packed up the cupcakes before tucking them in the cargo container would keep her smiling for days.

  “You look tired. Good night and I will talk to you when I can. Keep the data parcels coming. It was the best addition to the contract that I could have asked for. I love being busy.” She rubbed her hands together.

  “Tell me when you get there.”

/>   “I will. Tell me when you get a third date.” She winked and waved farewell. They had said what they needed to say, and the screen went dark.

  Saying goodbye was not a family tradition. As far as Bebe was concerned, every time she said a goodbye, the person left her life forever.

  She sat back and sighed, rubbing her temples. What she hadn’t told her brother was that her new home was going to be hostile toward Terrans and her hair was camouflage. It not only altered her normally brown hair colouring, but it also altered her scent and that was what should allow her to pass through the population of W’lyn undetected.

  She didn’t want him to worry, but she was very aware that she was going onto a world where her blood would call out the beast in those around her. The suit she was given would contain her in case of any small accidents, but she was her own keeper. The peacekeepers would protect her, as would the Guardians, but only to the same extent as they would any useful employee. When it came to her blood, it was in her to keep or she was on her own.

  Bebe got to her feet and headed to medical for her final scans. When she passed the viewing ports on her way, she slowed down and looked at the Earth spinning below. She was doing it. She was in space, and tomorrow, she would be on her way to a new world. Yes, she would be doing the same kind of analysis that she did on Earth, but on W’lyn, she wouldn’t have to hide. She would be part of a team working to keep an entire planet safe.

  The research she had done on her new home had been enough to make her a little hesitant, but she was happy to have the position with the data-analysis team. An entire world made up of the descendants of Admaryn elves and blood-drinking Vimpyrs made her a little nervous, but the few meetings she had had with her upcoming supervisor had left her feeling secure with her safety. As long as she lived by the rules they had set down and avoided spilling her own blood in public, she would blend right in with the colourful and elegant population, with the exception that she was five inches shorter than the average female and a foot shorter than the average male.

  She was getting used to the idea, and it was only for three years after all. She could always go home if she really wanted to once her contract was up. All she had to do was survive. How hard could it be?

  Chapter Two

  “So, what are you doing tonight, Bebe?” Tamra was leaning against Beryl’s desk and chatting cheerfully.

  “The same thing I do every night, Tamra. I am going home, eating dinner and watching vids.” Bebe looked up and grinned. “Why?”

  Her hands continued to work within the interface she had been processing. This week, her focus was on organized crime within the sector, and as she finished her analysis, she sent the report off with a flick of her fingers.

  “There is a concert in the park today, and I thought you would enjoy it. A bunch of us from data analysis are going and you need to get out. You have been here for six months and have not seen any of Teanic City. We have a lot to offer if you will just come out and play.” Tamra stroked her long blue braid and flicked it at Bebe.

  Bebe withdrew her hands from the interface and turned to face her friend and co-worker. “Why this concert?”

  Tamra grinned, her pale grey skin sparking with the pearlescent sheen that marked her species. Her blue eyes were a more vivid colour than her hair, and her height was precisely seven inches taller than Bebe’s.

  “The Guardians are going to be there and I thought it would be fun to show you the folks that you spend every day protecting with your data mining.”

  “I have seen them on news vids.”

  Tamra leaned in. “They are so much better in person.”

  “I was looking forward to a vid on slugs this evening to kick off my free days.” Bebe got to her feet, but her friend still towered over her.

  Tamra sighed and put her hands on Bebe’s shoulders. “I swear; this will be better than slugs.”

  “And you will record the program so I can watch it later?”

  She winced. “And I will record the program so you can watch it later.”

  Bebe grinned. “Fine, but I am wearing this.”

  She was used to her containment suits, and today, she was wearing a particularly interesting shade of scarlet that made her hair look like cotton candy.

  Tamra sighed. “Do you have to? This is a fun event.”

  Bebe laughed, “This suit is fun. It keeps everything where it should be.”

  “Fine. Your body, your rules.”

  Beryl knew when she had won. She inclined her head and clocked out, enjoying her first steps out of the processing centre and the blue light of the sun. They stopped at Tamra’s place so she could get changed and then headed for dinner before the concert.

  Music was free on W’lyn. The Admaryn who settled on the planet had been a musical clan. Everyone either played an instrument or deeply appreciated music on this world. Bebe was no different.

  Sitting in the restaurant, Bebe ignored the curious glances toward her. She had become used to them after the first two weeks. She read the menu, made her selections on the table display and smiled at Tamra.

  “Thanks for the invitation, Tamra.”

  Tamra was about to speak, but she saw something behind Bebe that locked her up and left her humming with excitement. She whispered hoarsely, “Behind you.”

  Bebe casually turned and saw the four Guardians of W’lyn sitting down at a booth in the corner in full view of their adoring public. Bebe had to admit there was a lot to adore. The men were strong, handsome and powerful. Their lives were devoted to public service.

  Smiling, she turned away. She could almost hear the pulses in the restaurant speeding up.

  Tamra was staring with a worshipful gaze. “I can’t believe they are here.”

  Bebe smiled at the waiter who brought her her meal. “Even Guardians have to eat.”

  She was lucky that she had gotten her order in in time. All the servers flocked around the Guardians and everything came to a halt in the restaurant.

  Bebe shared her meal with Tamra when the woman decided that she needed to eat more than she needed to stare at the superheroes in dark leather. There was no way she would get service before the concert started as long as the Guardians were in the room.

  “You have to spring for a snack at the end of the evening, Tamra.”

  “I will get you some gashki during the concert.”

  Sugared beetles. Oh yay. They weren’t really bad, they just took some getting used to and Bebe had not bothered getting used to them yet. The beef jerky crossed with candied-nuts flavour was not one she sought out often.

  As she paid the bill and they rose to leave, she muttered, “Fine, but find a vendor that takes the legs off.”

  Tamra winked. “I promise, though you did look cute with those legs in your teeth. It was as if you had just been on a flyer without a windscreen.”

  They headed past the crowd gathered to watch the Guardians eat, and Bebe made her only concession to a night out. She untethered her hair and let it fall in a pink curtain down her back.

  With a sigh, she ruffled her hair and followed Tamra through the crowds.

  * * * *

  At the table, Toyo looked up, as did his three companions. The scent that had just struck them was a heady mix of innocence and female.

  Rand gave him a look. “Did you catch that?”

  Toyo nodded. “How could I miss it?”

  Drovin looked around casually, “Does anyone know who caused it?”

  Toyo stared toward the crowd and saw a blue head approaching the door. A moment later, the smaller figure of a female in a scarlet suit with soft pink hair appeared on the steps. “On the steps. Damn, it is a teenager.”

  Loesh turned and used his enhanced vision. “No, it isn’t. It is an alien and definitely a mature female.”

  The women passed the window of the restaurant, and Toyo saw the delicate features of the alien. She was cute, and if she tasted like she smelled, she w
ould be a woman worth pursuing.

  He scowled when he realised that the other three were tracking her as well. “I sensed her first.”

  The others looked at him and grinned.

  Drovin said, “I believe that the one who actually meets and woos the young lady is the one who has a claim to her. She will choose.”

  Toyo blinked at the light of the hunt in the eyes of his companions. It wasn’t like them to fight over a woman, but this one did something to their senses. It could be dangerous or blissful, he had no idea which.

  The first thing they had to do was find her.

  * * * *

  Lights, drums, harps and de-legged gashki made for a wonderful evening. Their seats were up high so they could see the entire performance, or that is what Tamra said.

  The group they were with were boisterous between the songs and completely silent during the performance. Analysts were a funny group. They were intelligent, intensely focused on their speciality and loved to unwind when not on duty.

  W’lyn was home to the largest gathering of analysts in the sector, and the Imperium was dependant on the information they processed on the comings and goings within the systems of W’lyn.

  Bebe had crime correlation as her speciality. It was what she had learned as a child and what she was good at. She solved crimes based on the data left behind after a crime and drew the logical progression as to the next move that those criminals would make. She had a ninety-nine percent accuracy rating and that was pretty good for an analyst.

  “Micro, what do you think?”

  Bebe made a face at Uurin. “I told you not to call me that.”

  He waved it off. “What do you think of the departmental bonuses coming down due to an increase in accuracy?”

  “I think it is a good thing, right? It means we are getting better and more lives are being saved.”