Chapter 4

By the time Protectorate Medical had looked Erika and me over, I had just started to bypass the point of frustration. Likewise, I could tell that Erika was maybe a step or two behind me on the scale and catching up quickly. At that moment, we were sitting in the pilot’s lounge back at HQ waiting for someone from the Governor’s office to listen to our appeal. The Protectorate had denied both of us placement on the assassination attempt investigation, thus our frustration. We had heard, “You are both needed to protect Senator Lacy,” so many times I had lost count.

The pilot’s lounge was not one of my favorite places. The walls, floor and ceiling were clinically white, but the light was so subdued, if you tried to read a book in there you’d have to adjust the book’s page brightness. The tables, all metal, were welded to the floor; not bolted, welded. The chairs were attached to the tables on long swinging arms. Despite the fact that they were very comfortable, you couldn’t move them between tables. This meant you were stuck with four chairs around each table. There was maybe enough room to seat a fifth of the total number of pilots which proved how pointless the things were. The shelves were barren and always had been. The fireplace just had a projector in it that only worked after you slapped the sides of it violently and had stopped giving out heat long before the two of us had ever even seen the place. On top of all that, the couches stank horribly. The only way I was ever able to describe the smell was malted hops and stale sex.

I paced back and forth along the far wall from the main entrance. I wanted a long approach for my attack run when the Governor’s rep finally showed. Erika stood between the door and the fireplace, so she could flank him. I guess that showed the difference between the thinking of a pilot and a co-pilot/gunner. We were dressed in our black flight suits to make as much of an intimidating visage as we could. The waiting was almost as bad as getting denied from joining the investigation and the two of us were probably steaming too. This guy was going to pay for making us wait. I didn’t even have to look at my sister to know that she felt the same way.

When the door opened, we both started to move as one; me straight on, Erika from the side and rear. But two steps into our approach and we both faltered. The person that had walked into the room was not a representative from the Governor’s office, it was the Governor herself.

Our collective jaws hit the floor.

Governor Rebecca Elizabeth Mandela was a crushingly beautiful woman. Her kinky black hair fell down to her waist, tastefully styled to frame her heart shaped face and cascade down her back. Her large eyes were the brown of roasted coffee beans and her lips had a fullness that made a person think about soft and gentle kisses. The smile she wore to perfection shown even in the dim light with perfect teeth and brought a level of comfort with it. Even her nose, fitted symmetrically center and turned up a touch and featuring sharp lines, was perfection. The tone of her skin was a mix of chocolate and caramel that promised softness. The shapes of her form showed athleticism and firmness while retaining a strong level of feminism, professionalism, and sexiness. The cut of her suit and tie covered everything but proved her body’s lines. The heels on her boots pushed her close to the same height as my sister and I. Finally, there was just a touch of platinum grey starting to poke through at each of her temples. It let you know, in no uncertain terms, no matter what your initial thoughts of her, you were seeing someone with a deep and knowledgeable wisdom.

When she spoke, her voice was deeper than one expected, and commanded attention and obedience. All she said was, “Good evening. May we speak?” and gestured to one of the tables. Both my sister and I immediately moved to that table, though at a relaxed pace, and sat. Once we were both in motion, the Governor moved as well and sat before the two of us. In my peripheral vision I saw movement, looked that way, and saw one of the Governmental Protectorate closing the door. I hadn’t even noticed him in the room with us. I asked myself if it was a testament to his stealth or the Governor’s presence. Either way it was something to be aware of.

“I understand the two of you are the personal Protectors for Senator Lacy?” the Governor asked, pulling my attention back to her.

“That’s right,” Erika said before I could.

The Governor nodded once, “And you were piloting Kappa-One at the time of the first attack? And present at his residence during the assassination attempt?”

“We were,” I replied.

Erika gestured at me, “Red was even the one that apprehended the suspect-“

The Governor raised her hand stopping Erika mid-sentence. “So now the two of you would like to be placed on the investigation with the Governmental Protectorate.”

Erika and I nodded in unison. “Yes sir,” we said.

She leaned back in her chair, looking much more relaxed than I would have expected from a politician in this type of scenario. She crossed her arms and placed one hand on her chin, obviously deep in consideration. She inhaled once to speak, looked at me in the eyes, then my sister, and closed her mouth, exhaling through her nose. One finger came out and began to tap her mouth.

“You may argue your case,” she said after a moment.

Erika cleared her throat and I looked over at her. When our eyes met, I knew exactly what she was thinking; the direct and honest approach. That wasn’t our usual tactic and was risky as hell, but I felt like she had a point. Our normal tactic of a two directional bullying that confused and frustrated our opponent into accepting our request would never work here. The Governor was way too tough of a personality and seemed smart enough to see right through that tactic.

I nodded to my sister and she began. “Governor-“

Again, Erika was interrupted by single raised hand. “Please. Call me Rebecca. This is an important issue that affects all of us on a personal level. I was James’ assistant for the first 8 years he was in office and I love him like a father. He told me he looks at the two of you like children as well. I feel like, at least right now, we can dispense with the titles.”

Erika nodded with a slight smile and started over, oblivious to the trap I saw the Governor had just laid before us. “Rebecca,” my sister said, “as you said, my brother and I-“

It was my turn to interrupt my sister, but I actually just talked over her. “I’m sorry, Governor Mandela,” I said. There might have been a bit too much heat in my voice I realized, but I soldiered on. “Despite any feelings we might share with you, this is an official request.” I glanced over at my sister and the dawning look of understanding snapped into place. It was followed quickly by fury that made her eyes smolder, which is where her call sign came from. “I don’t want a level of familiarity to taint this appeal.”

When my eyes went back to the Governor, one corner of her mouth was ticked up just a hint and her eyes were sparkling. “Very well, Captain,” she said, enunciating the last word. “Proceed.”

“Our case is simple. The two of us were present at both attempts. At the first, we identified the pirate known as Lucifer-“

“Or someone claiming to be Lucifer,” she interrupted. I swear I could feel the heat coming off my sister. All though I’m sure I had the same heat because this woman hadn’t let us finish a gretting sentence yet.

I continued as if she hadn’t said anything. “- and at the assassination attempt, after the explosion, the man I apprehended told me that Lucifer said hello. Obviously, for some reason, this Lucifer has it in for the Senator. The two of us have had contact, however separated by degrees, with Lucifer twice now. Being the only two with direct connections to this case and having the most firsthand knowledge, Valkyrie and I are in a prime position to investigate and close this case quickly. We’ve proven our resolve and dedication. We deserve to be on this case.” I punctuated each word of the last sentence with my finger on the table.

Governor Mandela looked between my sister and I and I could see in her eyes the one thing I didn’t want: a pre-determined decision.

Sol.

She leaned forward, resting both elbows on the table and began gesturing with her hands. “You admit that you have successfully protected the Senator in two extreme situations in a single day,” she began with purpose. “It is obvious to me that the place the two of you belong is to continue doing what you have proven you are perfectly suited for. The question becomes, why aren’t you with him now,” she imitated my finger gesture on the table, “doing your job?”

Erika leaned forward, “Listen here, you condescending little cu-“

“Wait a minute!” I interrupted, half a syllable too late. “Are you suggesting that we aren’t capable of investigating on this case?”

“I’m not suggesting anything, Captain” she explained. “The two of you were trained, obviously very well, by the Senatorial Protectorate to protect Senators. Neither of you have had the extensive training of the Governmental Protectorate in investigation or the peaceful apprehension of criminals, as was proven by the suspect that is currently hospitalized. The two of you are assigned as Senator Lacy’s personal guard. You are obviously very good at your jobs and you should be commended for how good you are. But more importantly, you should continue to do it. The two of you would be in the way of the investigation team, become a liability, or end up using the wrong amount of force against a suspect. When compared to your obvious efficiency and proficiency at keeping Senator Lacy alive, neither one of you can give me an honest and solid reason to remove you from a job you are perfectly suited for and put you in one that you are perfectly wrong for.”

The Governor paused and exhaled deeply before she looked right into Erika’s eyes. “Appeal received and denied.”

With that, she stood and left at a quick pace.

Erika and I sat in silence for a long moment. The only noise in the room was the sound of our angry breathing.

“I don’t get it,” I said, my sister’s eyes jerking up to mine. “She had no intention of letting us in on this case. She had made her decision long before she got here.”

Erika smirked, understanding. “Exactly. So why would she bother to come down here face to face? If she already knew the outcome, why not just send a flunky or just message us?”

“Right,” I confirmed. “I see one of two possibilities: either she’s just a super evil woman, or that little trap you fell for was intended to let us down easy so we wouldn’t be too upset.”

“So she could talk us down and jam us back where we belong.”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

Erika shook her head slowly. “That seems like a logical, probable answer, but something doesn’t fit. It was like she took joy in the fact that you figured out her trap.”

“Like it was a test or something?” I asked, considering Erika’s angle.

“Yes. So maybe she was decided before she came down here, but maybe she came down here to test us too, see exactly the type of people she’d be dealing with.”

“Okay, so now she knows who we are-“

“- and knows we aren’t going to let this go-“

“-so she knows to keep an eye on us-“

“-and will probably need to take some sort of action to keep us out of this.”

We both leaned back in our chairs violently, kicked our feet forward, crossing them and our arms in perfect mirrored unison. “For Sol’s sake!” I exclaimed. “What do we do now?”

“There has to be something,” Erika said. “We need to find Lucifer, figure out why she’s trying to kill Jim, and stop her.”

“And,” I stressed, leaning forward, “we need to it without Mistress Governor figuring it out.”

“Perfect,” Erika said, “how do we do that?”

I stared at her for a very long time.

Nothing came to me.

I slammed the meaty bottom of my fist onto the table and dropped back into my chair. I growled in frustration and my sister echoed my growl. We briefly smiled at each other while crossing our arms again and returning to our pout. “I hate that woman,” I complained.

“Agreed,” Erika said.

We sat in complete silence for another long moment and stewed. Then, ever so quietly, Erika said, “She’s so hot.”

“So hot,” I agreed.

Next Chapter: Chapter 5