Title : Friends in Need
Author: YS McCool
Rating: PG-13
Date : 18 August 1998
Series: Upgrade # 22

Summary: The RO is losing the street war against the strength chip enhanced criminal element, and they receive help from an unexpected quarter.

Warnings: Violence

Disclaimer: I do not own The Sentinel characters, nor do I make a claim on them. Established characters are the property of Pet Fly Productions. Original characters are the sole property of the author.

Upgrade # 22

Friends in Need

By YS McCool

Blair turned away from the graveside service of slain RO, Craig Phillips. It was so sad. Craig had been such a fun person. Full of life and energy. Dead at 35. He walked over to Reese and kissed her cheek. "If you need anything, anything at all, you call me." He meant it. He also knew that Reese was from Mars and, by definition, proud. He left her to say her final prayers for her husband.

Simon put his arm around Blair and walked with his nephew back to the honor escort. "It's so hard to see them taken at this age," Banks whispered. "I keep thinking how close I came to losing you." He planted a light kiss on the younger man's forehead.

"I love you too, Simon." Sandburg watched the young widow place two blossoms on top of her husband's casket. Craig's body had been so traumatized that it could not be displayed. "What did Joel say about the posthumous promotion for Craig?"

Banks tucked the smaller man a little closer to himself. "Phillips had the highest score on the practice test; there's no problem. Reese will receive his pension at a sergeant's pay scale."

Grateful for the warmth generated by the larger man, Blair stayed close to his uncle. "Thanks for taking care of that, Simon."

"Craig was one of my men, and I take care of my people." The two men stepped aside as the honor guard performed a 21-gun salute.

Blair patted his uncle's arm. "Yes, you do."

Simon led Sandburg back to his car, where Jim and Jet were waiting. Blair had held the young widow's hand all during the service, acting as father of the widow, as Reese had no other family.

Simon leaned against his car and regarded his nephew. "Now I need a favor from you, or more specifically from your foundation."

Sandburg was puzzled. "What's that?"

Simon cleared his throat. "I need Frank to work on some counters for these Mr. Universe chips."

Blair sighed. They were in gray territory now. "It's not illegal to have those chips implanted, Simon. Currently, they are not on the restricted list. Working on a jamming device could get us into some trouble. 'Fee hungry advocates on my doorstep' trouble."

"I know that, but we need something to help out our people. Fifteen injuries, nine serious, and one death is too many." He jammed his hands in his pockets, a sure sign of torment for Simon. "Especially in the commission of a single crime."

"I know." Blair looked back at the coffin as it was covered with dirt. Just five years older than Blair and dead. He shook himself. "I'll talk to Frank about working on this for you."

"I'll talk to the brass about covering your people on this one. We need help." Banks hugged the smaller man.

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

General Percy Forsythe gazed on his bank balance with a feeling close to sexual completion. He had never seen that much money in his life, and it was all his. His. Every single credit.

Thirty years of service to the Human Sphere had left him with a retirement account that would have purchased him a fine meal in a restaurant, but not much else. It was foolish for people who had no training in finances to have control over their own accounts. If he had left the money alone, simple interest would have let him enjoy his retirement without having to worry. But he hadn't left it alone. Again and again, he had invested in the latest thing or a new planet only to have his investment wiped out.

Now he was set for life. He had long ago passed the goal which he had set for himself in turning the XR7-Strength chips into cash. But if he kept the operation going just a little longer, he could go from retiring in comfort to retiring in style. After all, he wasn't hurting anyone. At least no one he cared about.

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

Simon sat back in his chair stunned. Not only was he not allowed to ask Blair to jam the Mr. Universe chip, if he found evidence that Sandburg was pursuing it, he was to arrest his own nephew. Why? The chip had been designed for military use, and therefore the entire matter boiled down to a few criminals versus the needs of the Human Sphere.

He wanted to tell Blair this story himself. He called Sandburg's private number. He was one a very select few to have access to this number and Simon never forgot that.

"Hello?" the familiar voice answered.

"Blair, this is Simon. I just spoke to the brass, and they said--"

"I already know, Simon. I just received a 'Cease and Desist' order for work that hasn't even begun," Blair informed him.

"I'm sorry about this, Blair," Simon said apologetically. The last thing he'd wanted to do was bring trouble to the man's door. "I tried to explain that they're making a big mistake, but they're not listening."

"I hope a high body count isn't what it will take to change their minds," Blair said sourly.

"So do I," Simon agreed.

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

Jim Ellison frowned at the balance statement from the joint account he had with his wife. "Honey, I thought we were living off our salaries." Claudia came from a wealthy family, but she was a pediatrician, still early in her career and paid like it.

Doctor Claudia Sandburg-Ellison looked up from the thank you notes that she was still writing. "We are."

"What's all this money doing in our account?" It was close to twice his current annual salary. A substantial sum... for him.

"Wedding presents." Claudia went back to her thank you notes.

Many of Claudia's family from her mother's side of the family couldn't attend the festivities because of the travel time and had sent cash instead. "Ah, that explains it. We need to invest this money, Darling. It's too much to just sit in the account."

Claudia finished another note. Each gift required a handwritten response and sometimes an attachment of a photo. If she had been writing on paper instead of a screen, the surface might be smoking. "Why don't you seek Steve's advice on a good place to invest it? It could serve as a bonding experience as he dazzles you with his business acumen."

Jim smiled. "Yeah, I'll invite him over for dinner and bend his ear."

. . . .

Claudia went to open the door, expecting her brother-in-law, but instead finding four of the neighbors' children. "Hello?"

"Hi, Mrs., I mean, Doctor Ellison. Can we play with your Guardians?" The little boy was one of the Post's children. The livid red hair was a dead giveaway.

"Well, they are not *our* Guardians. They just stay here while waiting for transport." She watched their sweet faces get that look that said they knew they were not about to get their wish. "Come on. Maybe some of the little ones want to play." She led them through the house and into the backyard.

Hawthorne was trying to negotiate the return of a silver platter that had caught a couple of the juveniles' attention. They had lifted it off the sideboard to play with it.

Once the Guardians spotted the children, the platter was forgotten. They dropped it and rushed over to introduce themselves.

Hawthorne grabbed the platter and dashed back into the house. "Slight delay in dinner, Doctor Ellison," he apologized.

"Never a dull moment," she muttered.

. . . .

After dinner, Jim made good notes of Steven's suggestions on safe, profitable, and long-term places to invest their wedding cash. Normally, such money would go to pay the cost of the festivities, but the wedding was paid for, in full, by Blair. Because he was Blair's Shield, it was Sandburg's duty to pay for Ellison's wedding. "Thanks, Steve. I appreciate your helping me out with this."

"No problem," the younger Ellison responded. He looked at his brother. "How are you doing? I mean about Craig?"

Jim leaned back in his chair. "I'm okay. They officially retired his badge number this morning and put his picture up on the wall." He sighed. "And next week we get at least 25 rookies."

Steve whistled. "That's a lot."

"We have a lot of slots open. Several people took early retirement because of the rules changing, and we lost nine this year," Jim explained. He refilled both their glasses with iced tea. The imported water made it one of the best mixes they'd ever had in the house. Jim had expressed his opinion to Hawthorne that they continue to receive this water from the planet Telluride.

"What about all the people Blair operated on?" Steve inquired after having a sip of his tea. "He told me he had hundreds of applications."

"Almost half were turned down for re-implantation," Jim reported. "The ones who wanted to return to active duty, and have been off the force for more than a year, have to go through the academy again."

Steve frowned and not because he had to get up and let Sebastian into the conservatory again. The cat seemed to have to visit each group of Guardians wherever they were, which required being let in and out of the conservatory and into the backyard quite often. "Why were so many turned down for the chip?" Steve asked once he'd returned to the table.

"They didn't pass the psych evaluation part of the screening, or they had other physical problems that would have made a new chip dangerous or fatal." Jim had also been hoping for a huge influx of trained officers, but that hadn't happened. He remembered all too well his own reaction to what he'd thought had been the end of his career. Some people couldn't come back from the precipice of despair. 'Thank God for Simon Banks and Blair Sandburg.'

"That's a shame," Steve remarked.

"Yeah." They sat quietly in the conservatory and watched three Guardian pups peer into the largest fish pond. Luckily for the fish, it took all the pups' strength just to cling to the side of the structure. Otherwise they would have been pawing the poor fish onto the floor to eat them. That made Jim think of food. "Can you come to dinner tomorrow night?" He loved having a table crowded with family and friends. Especially when it was his night to cook.

"Sorry, I have a date," Steve reported almost smugly.

Jim smiled. "Oh?" he asked casually.

"I'm taking Brandy to the 'Shakespeare in the Park' festival and a picnic at the Grotto," Steve reported. The Grotto was a domed park-like area that maintained warm late spring-like temperatures and air almost as clean as the air they had lost from the conservatory during the earthquake.

Jim smiled. "That's nice."

"And romantic?" Steve prompted.

"And romantic," Jim agreed.

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

RO Elizabeth Eyembe rolled left, came to a kneeling stance, and sighted the criminal with her pulse cannon. She fired. The first time she had done so in a "real world" situation. Her suspect smashed through the decorative glass windows of the bank, which he had been robbing before he decided to take hostages.

The Mr. Universe chip gave the man unnatural stamina and strength, but it did nothing about suddenly having a fist-sized hole appear through his body. He was dead.

Liz checked her partner. Cortez had taken a shot to the chest. His armor had held, but he was unconscious. "Mandy, I need to move you. Mandy, can you hear me?"

"Yeah... hurts," her partner's voice was cracking under the pain.

"I know, Buddy." She moved her partner away from the weakened area of the lobby. "Med tech support needed. Home in on location beacon," Liz called into her emergency subchannel.

"Team 18, we have your signal," Central Command answered. "Response twenty minutes."

"What? I need medical support now!" Eyembe demanded.

"Sorry, Eyembe, we have thirty-six active scenes," CC reported.

"I'm a doctor," a customer said. A beautiful older, dark-skinned man with salt and pepper hair moved over to the two RO. "Peter, get my bag from the APV." He addressed a tall, lightly tanned, blond-haired teenager, who rushed to comply.

"Thank you, Sir," Eyembe said as she opened Cortez's armor.

"I have to help," the doctor said. The teenager returned with the requested medical kit along with a stack of beach towels.

"Ow!" Mandy complained as his inner chest panel was opened.

Elizabeth and the teenager hissed in unison at the mottled and abused flesh that was revealed.

"I am Doctor Joshua Efrem. What is your name, young man?" the doctor inquired.

"Mandy Cortez, Sir," the RO replied between clinched teeth.

"Age?" the doctor inquired.

"32," Mandy responded.

"Are you married?" Efrem asked.

"No, Sir," Mandy reported.

Efrem smiled. "I have a lovely unmarried granddaughter."

"Great-grandpa!" the youth complained.

"Not to mention a handsome widowed grandson," the doctor added. He may have been older, but Efrem's hands moved quickly over Mandy's injuries with the calm confidence of experience. Eyembe was impressed.

"Does he have children?" Mandy asked, sounding a thousand times better now that his wounds were sealed.

"Yes, he does. He has a five-year-old daughter in addition to this one." The doctor pointed to Peter before he administered a hypo spray.

"Oh, that's so much better." Mandy smiled. "Am I dying?"

"No, young man. I refuse to let that happen." He looked into Elizabeth's terrified eyes. He scanned her and shook his head. "I need blood donors, and I need them now."

Eyembe nodded. She stood up. "Everyone, we have an emergency. My partner needs blood. He needs A positive, subgroup seven or O positive, any subgroup." Four people stepped forward.

By the time the med tech support team arrived, Mandy was stable and had the phone number of the doctor's grandson tucked into his pocket.

**************************

Blair pulled back sharply as Tanya Eastwood brought the regenerator under his right eye. "Ow!"

"Quit moving," she instructed. "Boy, Maxine really nailed you this time."

"I didn't get this from Maxine. I got this in the field." Blair hissed as Eastwood attended the deep gash under his right eye.

She clicked in disgust. "Why didn't you have this attended to at the scene?"

"Tanya, there were people dying out there," Blair protested. "I needed to help them, not worry about a cut under my eye."

"Doctor Sandburg, you have visitors in the lobby," reception called over the comm system.

"I'm healing a cut on his face," Tanya warned.

"Who is it?" Blair asked.

"Stop moving, Sandburg," Eastwood complained. "I'm not leaving a scar because Jet would have my hide."

"They're Guardians and not very talkative," reception continued.

"Then how did you know they were here to see him?" Tanya asked, as she switched to a narrower beam.

"I don't know," the receptionist said in a puzzled manner. "Now that you mention it, how did I know?"

"Finished," Tanya announced. She turned to her fifteen trainees. "Any questions?"

"Are you married?" one of the fresh from medical school trainees asked.

Tanya rolled her eyes at the handsome young man. "No, but I'm seeing someone."

"Got to go," Blair announced. "Carry on."

Sandburg came down to the lobby where the seven hulking Guardians were causing quite a stir. They sat in a perfect line, quiet and dignified. All they needed was a slight breeze to ruffle their fur and majestic music playing in the background.

He automatically spotted the leader and went to her. He pressed his forehead to hers in a show of respect and crouched so that he was on a level with her. Another show of respect.

~I am Charger. We have come to offer you our assistance in exchange for your pack's help in moving our people to a better place.~

Blair was surprised. "Lady, we sought nothing for our aid. We do it all in respect."

~That is why we are here,~ Charger explained. ~You give of your hunts, you offer us a place at your fire, and you look the other way as our youth test all patience.~

Blair laughed. While the pups tended to be universally cute and their shenanigans mostly harmless, the juveniles could find mischief no matter where they went. Even the normally unflappable Hawthorne had taken several rounds with Jim's aggression bag to keep from yelling.

Not only was Blair hosting the migrating Guardians, but so were most of his family, including Steven, who got to enjoy the solitude of his new home for all of one day, before he found himself sharing digs with twenty Guardians.

"What do you know of our troubles?" Blair asked.

~They buzz like your RO, but in a different tone. They hurt, steal, and damage. They are bad people and cause much fear and suffering,~ Charger responded. ~We will help you.~

"You can tell when humans are chip-implanted?" he asked.

~Yes,~ Charger agreed. ~The buzz is always audible to us.~

"This could be very dangerous, Lady," Blair warned. "I could not ask your kin to die for us when we are so close to getting you to a new home."

~We know and understand the danger. There are many among us who are not happy as a protected species. It is in our blood to battle. Those are the ones most eager to find new worlds where the concrete does not go so far.~

Blair nodded. "I see. You have warriors who are chaffing while waiting to move. This will give them something worthy to do while they wait."

~Yes. We will help. Of our own free will,~ Charger assured him.

Sandburg smiled. "I can't wait to see the expression on my leader's face when I propose this."

~You think your leader will turn down our offer?~ she asked.

"Not if he has any sense, and the commander is *very* sensible."

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

Commander Taggart stepped to the podium to speak to his rapidly diminishing force. He had lost five people to the injury list just the day before. He had canceled all vacations and non-essential leaves, except for honeymoons, until the end of the crisis.

Joel waited until all conversation had ended. "I'm sure that all of you have seen the latest injury reports, so I won't go over them again. Since this chip has hit the street, we have been losing. Yesterday an outside force offered their assistance, and I gratefully accepted." He continued over the buzzing of voices as speculations whipped around the room as to who had offered this assistance.

Taggart nodded at the guards on the side doors. The doors were opened and ranks of Guardians poured through. They sniffed their way around the officers and settled near whomever they wanted to work with.

"It is illegal to even attempt to make a Guardian work for you, but they can volunteer." He spread his arms to indicate the 126 adult Guardians who were now in the room with them. Another 124 would be going to the other half of his command, the Pacific Southwest regional office. "They have volunteered to aid us during this crisis. I need the sergeants to make sure that if an officer has a Guardian partner that they have an assault vehicle to ride in, because, people, no Guardian can fit on a flycycle." He gazed sternly at a black and silver Guardian who looked vaguely like a German Shepard. "And don't go running off trying to fly one." The RO officers laughed and the Guardian who held Joel's attention made a noise like a revving flycycle. This made the officers laugh harder.

Huitink looked over at Goldberg. "I would end up with the daredevil."

"Okay, flash-load the Human-Guardian language database and let's roll," Taggart ordered.

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

"Rafe, don't you dare offer Echo of Thunder pizza," Del Rio warned.

"Why not?" Jason asked.

"Because he's going to the wild, and there is no pizza in the wild," Angel explained. "You'll give him bad habits."

Rafe held the pizza steady while Echo took a bite. Seconds later the entire pie was gone. "He likes it."

"Jason, not even Fast Freddy Pizzas delivers to Orion V." Angel absently stroked Echo's silky fur.

"Then he should enjoy it now." The RO Sergeant ordered a second pie and a slab of ribs for Echo. "Besides in an infinite universe, there is a planet where wild packs of pepperoni and Canadian bacon pizzas roam, pouncing helpless, but very prolific, mozzarella sticks that they roll into the edge of their crust for slow digestion."

Sergeant Angel Del Rio shook her head. "And in the winter they grow protective coats of mushrooms and onions."

"The bull pizzas also develop green peppers. It attracts mates," Jason added with a slight swagger.

The two RO were still laughing when they got the emergency call. Surprisingly, Echo was willing to abandon his ribs for duty.

The call came from the Whispering Pines Mall in the suburbs. Rafe broke all speed records when he saw that the name on the complaint was Leslie Brown, wife of RO Sergeant Henry Brown, and Jason's childhood friend.

Leslie was lying on the medical stretcher, calling for her child, and trying to get up.

"Take it easy, Chip," Rafe soothed, as he fell back on her childhood nickname. Chip, as in Chip-off-the-old-block. A reference to her resemblance to her mother.

"Took Vicki," she forced out.

Rafe wanted to scream. His precious Vicki had been taken? "What happened?"

"Came to get shoes..." Leslie stilled, and the medical support people surrounded her. Leslie was unconscious.

Rafe turned to Del Rio. "Question the staff," he ordered in a choked voice. 'Not Vicki. We can't lose Vicki.'

"We have to transport her," the lead tech said. "She's stable, but she'll need full support."

Jason watched as one of his oldest and dearest friends was loaded into the ambulance. "We'll find her, Chip. I swear we will."

Echo dug out another victim of the assault. "Thank you," the man gasped.

Rafe assessed the man's injuries--compound fracture of the left arm, a concussion, two broken legs. "The baby, they took the baby," he wailed. "My fault, all my fault."

"You're not a trained combatant," Jason soothed.

"No, you don't understand. They knew she was here because of me." Tears rolled down the man's plump face, leaving paths of pink skin in the dirt.

Rafe wouldn't move for the medical personnel who wanted to help this piece of offal. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

"The Browns were here before, and I took the kid's picture and put her on my webpage. I've never seen a cuter kid." He groaned when Jason grabbed his injured arm.

"What did you do?" Rafe demanded.

"A modeling agency offered me a big commission if I could arrange for them to meet the kid. So I sent the mother a gift certificate for six pairs of high-tech walking shoes. I knew a nurse would really want them. When she called to confirm it, I told her that I would throw in a pair of first shoes for the baby because she was so cute." The man began to sob.

"Sir, we need to attend this man," the med tech interrupted.

"Shut up!" Rafe snarled. "He gets help, when I *say* he gets help and not a second before. Now talk." Jason barely refrained from punching the store manager.

"I sent the message when the Browns arrived, but instead of some business people and advocates, it was three mercenaries. They hit Mrs. Brown and grabbed at the kid. I tried to stop them, but they just threw me like I weighed nothing." He groaned. "They were so strong." He shook but continued his account. "I crawled back. I had to stop them, but I couldn't. Mrs. Brown tried to take on all three of them by herself. I couldn't believe she was doing so well. A cop came in and shot them, but they just kept fighting. He fired again, and one of the mercenaries, the woman, twisted his neck."

Rafe looked back at the dead cop lying broken at the front of the store. "Then what happened?"

"The bigger man started to break Mrs. Brown's neck, but the smaller one stopped him by saying that she might have another child, and they could come back for that one, too. By then I had lifted the baby out of her carrier, and I was crawling away. She didn't even cry. It was like she knew she had to be quiet. But they saw me. They took the baby and threw me across the store. They said that my commission was being left alive."

"Take him," Rafe said. He stepped away and called headquarters. "We have a code 6 emergency. Victoria Kennedy Brown, daughter of RO Henry Brown, age 10 months, has been kidnapped from the Walking Right shoe store. We theorize that the child will be shipped off-world for an illegal adoption. You can find her picture on almost any terminal, including mine. I need a psi hunter, priority one, to this site."

"By the Goddess," dispatch whispered. "Routing personnel."

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

Jim left his flycycle hovering as he leapt off and entered the Physical Sciences building at Rainier's College of Engineering. He expanded his sense of smell and found Daryl quite easily by his uniquely herbal scent in a building with over nineteen hundred people in it.

The students turned and gasped when they saw an RO enter the room, complete with dented armor and a terrified look on his face. Daryl raced over. "Jim?"

"They took Vicki and nearly killed Leslie. The RO psi hunter failed to make a connection with the baby. The kidnapping happened less than an hour ago, so we still have a chance to find her. We need you, Daryl." Jim knew his voice sounded panicked because he was panicked. They couldn't lose Vicki, they just couldn't.

"Professor Li, this is an emergency. I have to leave." Daryl didn't wait for his professor's answer. "I need to stop by their apartment and get one of her toys."

Jim remounted his bike and Daryl swung up behind him. "I'm counting on you, Daryl. We're all counting on you."

Daryl Banks picked up Humphrey the bear from his place of honor in the crib. He was an aged and well-loved toy, handled by a succession of psi-talented children--Marcus, Blair, and now Victoria. It was the reason the child so loved the little toy, she could sense the love that it held. He lowered his shields and sought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vicki was hungry and uncomfortable. She could not find the comforting presence of her parents, nor could she sense any other mind that held her in love. Where were her comforters? She pushed out and tried to find them, but found only harsh and hurtful thoughts. She cried.

Banks touched the child's mind. ~Vicki, it's Daryl.~

~Daryl?~ Her tears dried to sniffles. Yes, she knew this comforter. She liked this one because he always understood what she wanted.

~Open your eyes and see for me, Sweetheart,~ Daryl sent. ~Look around.~

She looked. She saw faces and things. She saw tiny lights and a big blue ball with swirls of white on it. She reached for it, but it was too far away. Then something blocked her view of the ball. Something grey and cold looking, with designs on it that she didn't understand. ~Daryl, I want Mommy and Daddy.~

~I know, little love. We're coming to pick you up,~ Daryl promised.

~Okay.~ Vicki settled back down in misery. She was still hungry but Daryl would bring her parents, and she would be warm, fed, and loved soon.

"Creepy," a man said.

"What's creepy?" another man asked.

"The kid's eyes are like they see everything." The first man shuddered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daryl turned back to the anxious crowd. Mere seconds after he'd first picked up Humphrey, his father and Joel had joined them. "I spoke to her. She is on a ship in the docking ring over Earth. Their ship is on the port side of one called 'Journey's End'."

Simon relayed that information to Central Command, warning them that the kidnappers were all strength-enhanced. They waited.

"They've boarded the ship," Banks announced. "They've found Vicki and three other children."

"That was smooth," Jim said suspiciously.

"They must have sent in strength-enhanced soldiers to even the playing field," Simon suggested. "It's the only thing that makes sense."

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

Leslie Brown woke up and felt her daughter in her arms. Her husband was lying beside them. "Hello, Love."

"Hello, Dearest. We've both missed you so," Henry said softly.

"I tried, Henry. They were just too strong," Leslie sobbed. "You must hate me for letting them take her."

"Darling, don't talk like that," Henry whispered. "From what I saw, you did better than I could have ever hoped. And here is our child, safe and sound."

"How did you find her?" Leslie asked as she cuddled her precious daughter.

"Daryl traced her with Humphrey," Henry reported. "He could see what she could see. The military boarded the ship she was on and took her and three other children back."

"The military," she sneered. "It's their fault the chips are out on the street in the first place."

"I know, and they will have to explain themselves," Henry replied dangerously.

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

"Brandy, I really appreciate you helping me on your day off. I mean, Blair must give you one of those at least once a quarter." The businessman smiled.

"Steve, Blair is not a slavedriver. I get two days off a quarter," she said solemnly.

"I stand corrected," Steve said contritely.

"It's alright," Brandy smiled. "So what did you have in mind for a gift?"

"I don't know." He paused in front of a sporting goods shop. Hunter shook her head no, and they moved on. "Daryl's turning eighteen, and that's a hard age to buy for. I also thought with a new little sister on the way, he might be feeling a little neglected this year." Steve stopped in front of a chocolate shop.

Hesitantly, Brandy shook her head no. "So you thought that I would know what an eighteen-year-old man would like?" Brandy looked in the window of a shop that sold musical instruments, but did not go inside.

"Yes," Steve agreed, "especially since you are so much closer to 18 than I am."

Brady smiled at her companion. "At least physically," she teased.

"Careful, young lady," Steve warned, "I am holding the nigh on impossible to get tickets to the opening night of the Daria Whitehawk retrospective at the Cascade Museum."

"Don't tease," she warned. "They're not even selling tickets to that, it's all invitation only."

"I know," Steve agreed. "I went to school with Lady Whitehawk's grandson, Brandon. He was one of my many tutoring students."

"You really did work your way through college, didn't you?" she asked.

"Yes, I did. Everything I have, I earned. I worked more jobs than you can imagine so that I could attend the best school." They walked into the jewelry shop.

"This is what he wants," Brandy announced.

"Jewelry?" Steve asked, surprised.

"Earrings. He's of age, and he should now mark himself as unmarried." She addressed the shopkeeper, an older woman of perhaps eighty years with waist-length, coal black hair, and skin that reflected years of an outdoors life. "My lady, we have come seeking a symbol for an unmarried man of 18 years. He is strong of spirit and heart, and his symbol must reflect that."

"Your hand," the shopkeeper requested of Steven.

Ellison placed his hand across the older woman's palm. "He is family, but of the spirit and not the flesh. You love this young man."

"Dearly," Steven admitted freely.

"This is new to you," the woman noted.

"It was not the way I was raised," Steve explained.

"But it is the way you are." She smiled. Without looking down, she retrieved a small box with a single earring inside.

Brandy gasped. "It's perfect."

"How so?" Steven inquired, curious.

"This symbol is for someone who's future will be told amongst the stars. The outer band points to someone who will lead a powerful life and leave an everlasting legacy."

Ellison whistled. "That's quite an onus to lay on a kid."

"He will rise to that, and more," said the shopkeeper with full confidence.

"Well, I'll take it and that lovely silver bracelet for Brandy," Steve announced.

Hunter guffawed. "Steve, that's a handfasting bracelet and totally inappropriate for a couple who's only been on three dates."

Steven blushed. "I meant no disrespect."

"None taken."

"Do the pearls mean anything?" he asked.

"That you have deep pockets," the shopkeeper answered.

"I'll take them," Steve responded.

"Steve, you don't have to impress me with jewelry," Brandy tried to explain.

"I know that." He placed the single strand of pearls around her neck. "You don't have to refuse them to impress me. I know I could never buy your affection, and I have no intention of ever trying."

"You could buy my affection," the shopkeeper said mischievously. "And for far less money."

Steven smiled and paid for their purchases. The couple left with their bags and headed deeper into the walking mall.

"Can I buy you lunch?" Ellison asked.

Brandy looked around and pointed toward the outdoor tables and chairs that designated a "food stall" or queue. "Okay, the queues or a restaurant?"

Steve looked wistful. "I know this great little place that's about six blocks from here. It's family run, tiny, and serves the best Cuban food."

Hunter smiled. "I *love* Cuban food."

"Then it's a date." Arm-in-arm, they walked toward the small restaurant.

Ahead of them, two armed men kicked in the doors of the Paris Gallery, a shop that specialized in restoring paintings. Brandy pulled out her datapad and called for the police. Then they heard the screams.

Steven activated his personal shield and made sure that Brandy did the same. Since his run-in with Max Ryan and the appearance of the strength-augmenting chip, he had taken this step for himself, his family, and friends.

One of the armed men was dragging out a slender young man with long golden blond hair and a familiar face. "Put that man down!" Ellison shouted.

The second man fired at Steve, but the blasts were simply absorbed by their top-of-the-line shields. It seemed to disconcert the kidnappers.

Steven kicked the first kidnapper in the groin and removed the victim from the man's arms. The second kidnapper grabbed at Brandy. Time slowed.

The brooch that Hunter always wore, which seemed to be a tree with many entangled vines, turned blue. The air seemed to still. Vines of blue light reached out from the broach, strangled the kidnappers into unconsciousness, then vanished. Brandy sagged against the wall.

Steven released the young man, who he now recognized as a famous actor, and rushed to his lady's side. He held her tenderly and pressed his handkerchief to her sweaty and pale face. "I didn't know that you could do that."

"Neither did I," she gasped. "This is the first time I've been attacked."

"You just haven't hung around the family long enough. You get used to it." In the distance, the sirens wailed.

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

Blair stepped out of surgery and flopped down in a chair, defeated.

"Chief, what's wrong? Did they die?" Ellison asked in a worried tone.

"No, they'll survive, but their chips were totally depolarized. I've never seen a psi talent that could do something like that." He shivered.

"The military will be convinced Brandy had some kind of weapon," Jim muttered.

"The energy signature is totally organic, man. No weapon could duplicate it." The three military chip experts stepped outside the surgery. "Do you agree with my findings?"

"Yes, Doctor Sandburg, we do. There was no weapon, therefore no violation." They left in a tightly packed group.

Sandburg frowned. "I don't like it."

"Do you think they might try something against Brandy?" Jim asked.

"Only if they want to deal with *all* of us," Blair growled. "That would be a very big mistake."

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

The suspect grinned wickedly as he pressed the activator on his grenade, killing himself and taking out a large section of the bridge.

Ken was thrown back and landed with a painful smack onto the shredded girders of the once proud bridge that allowed pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the river in comfort. Henry rolled off the edge without making any effort to save himself. Foley grabbed his partner. Barely.

Foley held onto Henry Brown with the last of his fading strength. The damaged bridge was sagging under their combined weight, and he couldn't throw the unconscious Henry back up to safety. They were both going to fall. Nine days before his wedding to Doctor Evelyn Dorsey, and he was going to die.

The scent of a Guardian hit his nose. "Help! We're over here!"

He was suddenly yanked back onto a more stable part of the structure, where he lay panting. Henry was lifted and carried off to safety with lightning speed. They had been rescued.

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

Prowler, a female Guardian and partner of Jet Preston, peered into the coffee cup. ~Darkness and Solitude, do you drink this?~

"No, Prowler, I live on the stuff," Jet answered. "How about some spring water for you? Something to wash down those ribs."

~Thank you.~

Jet opened the bottle and handed it to Prowler. The Guardian sat back on her haunches and tilted the bottle up. She drank it efficiently.

"Would you like another?" Jet offered.

~Yes, and one for later.~

"You've got it."

Preston's partner, Officer Asa Ng, stepped up to the table with his tray. "Did you hear what happened to Brown and Foley?"

"Yeah, it's all over the subchannel," Jet answered. "They were very lucky. The Guardian who found them wasn't even a volunteer."

~She is now,~ Prowler announced.

"What?" Jet asked.

~Song of Spring will join the pack as a partner to Brown.~

"What did she say?" Ng asked.

"She said that the Guardian who rescued Ken and Henry will be joining the volunteers as a partner for Henry."

Ng frowned. "How does she know that?"

~The pack is not so far spread on this concrete that we cannot talk.~

"I heard that," Ng said, amazed.

"You're full of surprises," Jet remarked. She ruffled the Guardian's dark brown fur.

~And ribs and spring water.~

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

"You've got two options!" Ellison shouted. "A cell or a coffin, and the paperwork's the same for me, Waleneick!"

"Bite me!" Waleneick shouted back.

~Enough of these wolf calls,~ his Guardian, Strike, complained. ~Let us tear out his throat and leave his unworthy meat for the buzzards.~

Maxine snickered. "You've finally met your match, Ellison."

"Don't encourage her," Jim complained.

~I must agree with my litter mate,~ Grumble asserted. ~The time for posturing has past. It is action that is called for now. The scent of the dead clings to this human, and their blood calls for vengeance.~ The male Guardian crouched low, his tail swishing in agitation.

Jim sighed. "Okay, here's the plan. I need the two of you to rush him. He's not afraid of RO, but he'll be terrified of the two of you."

~Naturally,~ Strike agreed.

"And stay low. You'll be harder to hit that way," Maxine added.

~We know the way to bring him down,~ Grumble said. They emerged from cover, growling and snarling like mad things.

Waleneick shrieked and fired wildly, never even coming close to his targets. Ellison and Rosenberg fired, damaging Waleneick's state of the art armor before he was crushed to the ground by almost 300 kilos of Guardian. Strike broke Waleneick's gun arm, while Grumble held his throat.

Waleneick begged, cried, and was grateful to be arrested.

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

"Any dizziness, blurred vision, or unusual sounds?" Blair asked.

"No," Foley responded. "How's my chip?"

"Fine," the doctor answered as he continued to examine Ken.

"Can I go back on duty?"

"Normally, I would insist on three days down time, but not right now. Yes, you can go back on duty." Blair signed the order.

"Thanks, Sandburg."

"No, problem." He checked his datapad. "Next?"

A beautiful Guardian, with the coat and markings of an Irish setter, hopped up on the table. She had a gash in her shoulder where the battle armor she wore was slotted so that she could run properly. Her badge declared her name to be Sandstorm. "Hello, Sandstorm, most brave and lovely one. My hands are the hands of a healer--"

~Is this the part where you tell me that this will hurt you as much or more than it hurts me?~

Blair smiled. "Only if you bite."

~You are the acknowledged mate of the most dangerous Darkness and Solitude. Such an action would have me transformed into a decorative fur rug,~ Sandstorm asserted.

"That pretty much sums up Jet's attitude toward me." Sandburg deadened the area and sealed the wound. Carefully, he took the time to regenerate the skin and fur.

It would have grown back naturally, but unmated Guardians, and all their volunteers were unmated, were very conscious of their appearance. Any flaws might make them seem unworthy for mates. "There you are, lovely as ever."

~Thank you.~ She bounded down.

"Next?" he called.

"That was the last one," Simon said as he stepped into the office. They were so shorthanded, that the captain had been working as Blair's nurse.

"I didn't take anyone off duty," Sandburg reported.

"Neither did anyone else," Banks said. "The Guardians are turning the tide in our favor."

Blair closed up his medical kit. "There is something else we're working on."

"What's that?"

"We can't build a jammer, but we can make a detector," Blair reported. "Frank is studying Brandy's brain waves to see if there is a clue to what exactly she did to those two kidnappers."

"Tread carefully, Sandburg. The military is taking a drubbing over all this," Simon warned. "I wouldn't put it past them to come after us for anything that's developed that they would see as weakening their chip program."

"Selling them to outsiders was the only thing that weakened their program," Blair said forcefully. "They screwed themselves, and we're all paying for it."

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

Blair closed the door to his home and headed up the stairs. Once in his bedroom, he took a look into the backyard from his sitting room window. Jim, several neighborhood children, and five Guardian pups were playing baseball. He watched fascinated as the Guardian at bat actually batted. She held the bat in her paws, sat on her haunches, and swung. Paw-eye coordination wasn't there and not to be greatly expected at her tender age. Then she connected with the ball. It bounced about three feet in front of home plate. She took off and was a blur of motion as she rounded the bases. If she had been human she would have been out at first, but because of her speed, she made it a triple. She sat in triumph on third base.

"Bravo!" he shouted from his second floor window. The kids waved, and Jim grinned.

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

Franklin Sandburg pushed his food around his plate. He sighed.

"What's wrong, Love?" Merry Flynn asked.

The doctor sighed again. "I was able to duplicate Brandy's psi attack brainwave today in the lab."

"That's great." She noted the look of disappointment on her lover's face. "Isn't it?"

"Not really." He took a bit of his grilled vegetable dish. He chewed, then spoke. "Instead of being able to just detect these chips, it immediately polarizes them. That's worse than a jam, that's a weapon. I would look so *tacky* in prisoner garb."

Merry sipped her wine and thought. "Have you tried oscillating frequencies, shadow probes, or an echo processor?" She paused. "If a direct copy destroys, perhaps a mimic or opposite will just detect."

Frank stared. "Why do you insist on being smarter than me?"

Merry laughed. "But Frank, you're brilliant, beautiful, and you have a body that just won't quit." She wiggled her eyebrows.

Franklin frowned. "You know, we men have come a long way, Merry. We should be appreciated for our accomplishments, not just for our figures or our faces."

Flynn was contrite. "Of course, Dear."

"But you can appreciate me for my body if you want." The doctor smiled.

She smiled. "And I do."

"Thanks."

"Is there a dessert to go with this fabulous meal?" Merry asked.

"Yes, I hope you'll like it." He rose from the table and went into the kitchen. "I should warn you that it's very rich."

"I won't hold it against it," she promised.

He walked back into the dining room balancing a glass casserole dish. It was chocolate brownies with swirls of yellow cake and roasted macadamia nuts. He cut it up and served her a slice.

"What I like about this recipe is that you have two elements in it that have always stood alone and been fine that way. Even happy that way," Frank announced. "But now that they are together, you can't imagine them apart."

Merry looked into her boyfriend's eyes. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Yes." He took her hand. "I don't want to stand alone anymore. I want you to stand with me." He reached into his breast pocket and extracted a box. He opened it and displayed the ring inside. It was a six-carat emerald surrounded by diamonds on a gold band. He slipped it on her finger. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Flynn lunged at Frank and kissed him hard. The brownies were squished between them.

"Merry, you've covered my chest in brownies," he complained.

"Don't worry, Love. I'll lick it off."

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

"How many inside?" Blair asked.

"Over twenty," Ellison reported.

"More accurate, Jim," Sandburg insisted.

"Twenty-four," Jim reported dutifully.

Maxine Tate Rosenberg moved to stand beside them. "Our people are in place, waiting for your signal. Ready when you are."

Ellison gave the signal, and the RO task force rolled through the warehouse.

Blair took a diving roll when someone aimed a rocket launcher at him. Brother of Hawks, his recently acquired Guardian partner, took that move very personally. He rushed the mercenary and relieved him of his weapon and a part of his hand. The man's screams could be heard even over the horrific sounds of battle.

Sandburg came to his feet in time to see that while the chip made the mercenaries stronger, Maxine was just born in a different class. She pummeled the idiot who thought he could stand toe-to-toe with her in personal combat. His body dropped from the catwalk onto the hard floor with a SMACK.

"Rosenberg, I need that control room secured. Now!" Ellison ordered as he kept another mercenary from getting to a weapons locker. Maxine continued to her objective.

Preston and Prowler smashed through a tight defensive knot of mercenaries who were making their way to a rear door. They scattered. Blair tackled the one closest to him. The man was military, Sandburg could smell it on him. He fought military style, but Blair had been trained by Maxine to fight street style. He disarmed his opponent and hauled him to his feet.

Banks cuffed his two captures with Blair's and shoved them against the wall while visually checking over Blair for injury. The bruise he found on his nephew's face earned the military man a hard shove into the wall that dazed their prisoner.

"Don't ever touch the kid," Simon warned as he thumped the man around. "You'd rather face that Guardian than me if you ever touch the kid again," he hissed.

"And you say Jim is bad," Blair complained.

"Sandburg, I just talked to the man and explained. Ellison would have ripped off a limb just for a demonstration," Simon countered.

Over their heads, a mercenary made a high arcing fall to the floor. The lights blinked, signaling that Maxine had taken over the control room. Unable to summon help or conceal themselves in blast-proof rooms, the mercenaries surrendered.

====<><><><>===<><><><>====

Simon stirred his barbeque sauce with careful attention for any signs of burning. He had opened the window over the sinks about two minutes ago. He knew he would have guests in about three minutes or less.

The doorbell rang. Outside the door were the gut grumbling hungry Jim, Claudia, Hawthorne, Blair, and Jet. Moore let them in. He had surmised that after escorting the Guardians to their transport and feeding the rest, that his family would be too tired to take care of themselves.

Simon, however, was pumped because with the arrest of General Forsythe, caught and subdued with authority by Blair of all people during their raid, there would be no more Mr. Universe chips hitting the streets.

Percy Forsythe had been supplementing his upcoming retirement by selling the chips to a syndicate and then denoting those chips as destroyed for not meeting standards. He'd covered his tracks well, but by literally being caught in the act, his dirty deeds were made public. Percy would be busting rocks on the prison world for decades to come.

The arrest had put Simon in a good mood. So good, that he had started a brisket in the slow oven the day before. It would be perfection at this time.

Banks checked his rolls. They were ready. He removed them and set them on the counter to cool. The blackberry cobbler was sitting in the warming tray and would be accompanied by some of the homemade vanilla ice cream he had made the day before to satisfy another of Helaine's cravings.

"Hello, Uncle Simon," Blair said shyly. Banks looked at the younger man. Not even a rag-wearing, rain-soaked, war orphan could look more pathetic and hungry.

"Hi, all," Banks said cheerily. "Going out?"

"Not if you have room at your table," Jim asserted. Claudia smacked him lightly on the arm. "Ow."

"I always have room at my table for my family." Simon smiled at his extended family. "Claudia, could you go down to the cellar and pick out a wine that would go well with a slow-cooked brisket? We'll need at least three bottles." The doctor rushed away. "Blair, could you make a salad for us?" Sandburg opened up the refrigerator and gathered the ingredients. "Jim, I need you to set the table. Make room for Maxine, Robert, and Daryl's date. Jet, grab some pot holders and take the potatoes out of the oven."

"Hmmm, twice-baked potatoes." She licked her lips. The baked potatoes were cut in half, scooped out, stuffed with a mixture of potatoes chives, onions, garlic, rosemary, course ground black pepper, and baked again. Some had cheese on top of them. "Is that real cheddar cheese?"

"Yes," Simon responded proudly. "My newly discovered cousin, Arnold Banks, sent us a huge wheel of smoked cheddar cheese from Wisconsin."

"How may I assist?" Hawthorne asked.

"Cecil, you may carve when I bring out the brisket." He opened the door to the slow oven and basted the meat with his sauce.

"I'd be honored," the butler said.

"Dad, I'm home, and I brought *one* guest with me," Daryl called.

Simon laughed. "My son never meets a stranger or a friend who's not hungry."

Daryl escorted a short and plump young lady, with large expressive brown eyes and thick, wavy black hair, into the kitchen. He introduced her as Tina Montrose.

Helaine arrived almost immediately after Daryl and went upstairs into the master bedroom to freshen up. Maxine and Robert arrived next.

The family sat down to dinner. Simon led a family prayer for the safety and happiness of those they loved. They tucked into their meal.

After dinner, the family played a rousing game of baseball with mixed teams of Guardians and humans on both sides. Neighbors joined in and expanded both teams to well over the nine that were expected on each side. The youngest player was three-years-old and the oldest well into her nineties.

It was a blast.

. . . .

Maxine helped Blair make a huge batch of lemonade. "Blair, do you think I'm selfish for not wanting to delay trying to start my family until this crisis is over?"

"Heck no, Maxine," Blair assured his little sister. "We caught the man who was actually selling the chips."

"Don't be modest, you caught him," Maxine reminded him.

"Well, yeah," Blair grinned. "The point is that the tide has turned. Live your life, my dear. Because the next crisis is just around the bend, and we can't keep waiting for the perfect time to do anything." He kissed her cheek.

-- End Chapter 22 --

Next Chapter 23: The Hunt

It is time for Fox and Hounds again, but this time, there are additional players.