Dashing Devil Omnibus 2: Books 4-6, page 3
Laura could almost see Boyd’s casual, one-armed shrug behind her closed eyes.
“It is one of the plans—currently plan F,” Boyd admitted, “but it will get pushed further down the list of contingencies as we prepare and solidify plans that also prioritize our secondary and tertiary objectives.”
“Which are?” Raev asked, sounding a little grumpy.
Laura had gathered from overheard conversations that she had been up late drinking with the grieving Sinoe. The mountain nymph had lost her husband to the great beast right before Boyd and Silvie had appeared and saved her.
“The secondary objective will be no one dies,” Silvie bubbled brightly, and Laura could imagine her pleased smile. “That’s almost always top of the list, after saving the civilians.”
“Silvie is correct,” Boyd confirmed, warmth rising in his rumbly voice. “After saving the civilians, our top concern is that we all come home and that we don’t allow any outside casualties. No one dies.”
He said the last line in a firm, uncompromising tone. There had even been a slight pause, then—likely as he looked each of the four women who had gathered around him in the eye to make sure they understood this was the most important element of their plans.
Which meant… perhaps he wasn’t as reckless as Laura thought he was.
“Okay, and the tertiary objective?” Tinker asked.
Laura heard both Mindy and Boyd let out sighs at the same time—likely as he went over what he was about to say.
“I normally despise this type of behavior, but our larger goals require it. We’re going to have to make this as much of a show as we can. We’ll draw it out and make it dramatic.”
“And you get to be the star I’ve always known you could be!” Silvie all but gushed.
“It will include everyone, but we’re going to make me the star,” he agreed. “Again, I hate it, but that is our tertiary objective…” Boyd’s voice trailed off.
“We’ve asked you to make yourself as famous as possible,” Mindy said.
The way she said it made Laura think there was a bit more than that in the mental conversation the nurse would have bet her month’s pay that only Boyd and Mind Witch were privy to.
Mindy sighed again, “You need to be seen as a role model for all Changed and a symbol that even those that carry the appearance of typically evil creatures can be good, contributing members of society. This would certainly accomplish that.”
“And do we have any other objectives with this plan?” Tinker asked.
Boyd smiled at Silvie, knowing she would love this. “In addition to making me look good, we want to showcase how well Hope fits in with our team.”
Silvie beamed at him. “That will make our case for transferring her to The Devoted much easier!”
“That was my thought… yes,” Boyd confirmed. “I also plan to announce that I went Primal immediately afterwards.”
“Wait… what?” Mindy’s normally calm tone lifted in surprise. After a short pause, she stated, “Oh, I see… yes, that’s actually a good idea.”
“Care to fill the rest of us in?” Raev asked, wry amusement evident in her tone.
“We’ll make sure we’re set up for a live interview right after we’ve killed the Last Dragon, and ensure it shows in every city possible,” Boyd explained. “Even the tough nut, heavily Fundamentalist controlled cities will show it—despite it featuring a Changed Hero who looks like a demon. This is the Last-fucking-Dragon after all.”
“Well, yeah, that will be good… but why say that you’ve gone Primal?” Silvie asked. “You haven’t, and you don’t normally lie, Darling.”
“I will go Primal in the near future, as far as the term is normally applied—so it won’t be a lie,” Boyd explained.
Boyd’s response had Laura picturing him shrugging again.
“And if it is a lie, it’s a small one—especially compared to the much larger lie about going Primal being a natural phenomenon. I’ll say it happened years ago, and that I have been using the new methods to manage the urges while singing their praises. I’ll make sure to bring attention to them.”
“Oh,” Tinker was the first to reply, “that way you can get the word about there being new, better methods out to Changed in cities where The Authority blocks information about them.”
“Exactly!”
Laura could hear Boyd’s great big and supportive smile in his exclamation—though he did his best to mute it… probably for her sake, as he thought she was still napping.
“I’m also hoping to reach some of the more open-minded people in those cities, those who might be accepting of the idea that Changed are not just ticking time bombs or otherwise dangerous. We want people to realize that we might just be different people, no more dangerous than any other Powered—at least with the newer methods to control our urges.”
“As I said, it’s a great idea,” Mindy agreed. “But it doesn’t cover the rather large part of the plan that is killing the Last Dragon.”
“I’ve only put a few hours of thought into it so far,” Boyd worded his explanation carefully.
Which couldn’t be a good sign for its contents, Laura thought to herself.
“It’ll happen in two parts, the first will be an air battle. That part will mostly involve Silvie, Raev, Hope—if things go well—and myself, it has several phases. The first phase will consist of…”
Laura listened as Boyd laid out a plan that was clearly meant to have him all but dancing with the reaper. It would give the Last Dragon multiple opportunities to kill him. Forget about knocking at death’s door, Boyd would virtually be pounding on it and demanding to be let in.
That he was taking the time to lay out a plan was normally a sign of a cautious nature, but the plan he laid out was so reckless that Laura’s heart clenched several times just listening to it. It was still all hypothetical at this point, but she watched him die countless times as he explained what he wanted to do—even if it was just in her imagination.
“…and that’s it for plan A,” Boyd finished a few minutes later.
Laura thought that surely one of the women would shout him down at some point, but they all waited until he’d said his piece. She figured they were being polite or were perhaps just waiting for him to lay it all out so they could inform him in no uncertain detail all the ways his idiocy was unacceptable.
“Thoughts?” Boyd asked.
Laura was certain he’d just opened a door to a reaming out.
“It sounds great, as far as an early-stage plan goes,” Silvie was the first to reply, much too brightly. “I’d suggest a change in the first stage of the air part, though… you should be the one to pull Hope out. It will look better and will best support our tertiary goal by showing the world how good you and Hope are together.”
Laura was slightly flabbergasted, but Silvie always was something of a cheerleader any time others were around. Maybe she was offering support now to lessen the blow to his ego that would happen when the others got after him.
“We can talk about that,” he offered.
Boyd sounded agreeable, not at all how Laura expected someone who was being glared at by three women would sound.
“But I’d want to be sure it will be as safe as having you do it,” his deep voice said, “before committing to it.”
“Of course, Darling,” Silvie responded just as brightly, “it would definitely be worth doing from a PR standpoint, though.”
“I’ve got no issues. I just wish I could do more. I’m not well suited for dragon slaying though,” Raev responded good-naturedly.
She still sounded rough, though improving as time went on. Laura was becoming less certain that they planned to shred Boyd’s lunacy with her response. She’d thought Raev would be the one, if not Silvie, to set Boyd straight. It was not going to be Tinker, given how excited their resident inventor was about crafting dragon-killing technology. And Laura was starting to think that even Mind Witch might not protest too much—at least not out loud.
“You’ll be doing plenty,” Boyd assured her, his voice filled with warmth. “But yeah, I plan to keep you well back from the main fight. Getting you close would make it too easy to fail our secondary objective… no offense.”
“None taken,” Raev quipped. “I’m too pretty to disappear in a wash of some dragon’s energy breath, thank you very much.”
Raev’s reply was loaded with a wit only slightly undercut by her obviously hungover state.
“I think I can do better than what you’ve asked for,” Tinker said.
At least she sounded nervous, Laura thought.
Tinker quickly added, “Not that I think what you’ve asked for isn’t a good idea or anything… just that I think I might be able to contribute a bit more. Um, unless it messes up your plans… I can just make what you asked for. Sorry!”
Raev let out one of her velvet chuckles and Boyd responded with that damned warm smile in his voice, “I would love to hear your ideas, Tink. The reason this is a loose plan so far is mostly because I haven’t been able to sit down and talk with you about what you might be able to do. As soon as I’m permitted to leave the ward, I’d like to sit down with you and flesh out some ideas.”
“R-really?”
Tinker’s self-esteem had improved dramatically right before Laura’s eyes over the last few days, but it still had room to grow. She’d also watched Boyd diligently working to help build it up, too.
“Yes, really,” Boyd rumbled. “Would you please sit down with me to go over your initial ideas? I’d like to hear them first thing, so I can adjust the plan accordingly, and so I don’t waste any of your time.”
“Um… yes, of course…”
Tinker’s reply was almost too soft for Laura to pick up. Boyd had even made it a polite request, pointing out that he valued her time. Since she so obviously valued his opinion, it became another brick in the foundation of the insecure little genius’s budding self-worth. After Raev pointed it out to her, Laura tried to pay close attention to the man’s obviously well-trained interpersonal skills. He was good.
“Thank you very much,” Boyd responded. “And after we chat, you will take a nap while I draft the outline of a new plan.”
“But I should get started on production right away!” Tinker insisted energetically. “We only have a little more than three days before the Last Dragon reaches New Eden. I can’t waste any of it on sleeping!”
“Which is why I said a nap,” Boyd rumbled with gentle firmness. “If we weren’t pressed for time, I’d be making you lay down for a full eight hours until those bags under your eyes disappear. Instead, you will take a nap now and then again after lunch to keep yourself as fresh as you can until this evening. Tonight, you will be sleeping for at least six hours—even if I have to hold you down beneath my wings to ensure you do so.”
“He’ll do it too,” Mindy promised. “You still need sleep, dear. You can feel it… listen to your body. I know all the ideas make it tough, but your faculties will fail without sleep—just like anyone else.”
Laura imagined a motherly smile on the much taller woman’s face.
“Your faculties failing while making the equipment for this mission could be disastrous,” Mindy explained, “so you need your sleep. I can help settle your thoughts to make it easier, if you would like.”
“Um…” Tinker replied uncertainly.
“Kuh-he!” Mindy started with her signature—oddly cute given her goth looks—little laugh. “No, dear, it won’t require us sleeping together, and if it helps, you should know that I’m not into girls like that. I could hold your hand while sitting next to your bed or, if that is too intimate, just touch your shoulder or whatever you prefer.”
Mind Witch paused, and Laura suddenly knew that the woman knew she was awake and eavesdropping.
“Or Laura could give you something to help you sleep,” Mindy continued, “if you’d prefer the medical route. Or holistic, actually, she’s got a stock of Tranquil-Bloom that would probably help you a lot.”
Mindy had obviously plucked the thoughts out of Laura’s head, which was always a little disconcerting.
‘Apologies,’ the mind-reading goth’s voice appeared in her head. ‘I didn’t mean to intrude. When people think about what they might input into conversations I’m part of, it tends to jump out at me. Also, you don’t have to worry… no one will care that you are eavesdropping.’
“She speaks,” Boyd said with false surprise, cutting off the mental conversation before it could get started. “Can I take that as your tacit approval of the plan?”
“Yes,” Laura could almost hear Mind Witch roll her eyes in that single word, “you’re such a little shit… but you’re surprisingly certain you can do this without losing anyone—including yourself.”
That was not what Laura had expected her to say. The last person who might have been able to dissuade Boyd from this absurd plan had supported it.
“Despite how risky the plan might sound when laid out in its bare bones as you just did,” Mindy continued, though it seemed to Laura that the words were mostly meant for her ears, “it is much more complex than that and will involve safeguards at every stage. Your skills in tactics and strategy were recognized even by Mentors who disliked you. I trust you to get this done safely.”
“Thank you,” Boyd sounded a little confused by the oddly worded compliment, though he accepted it graciously.
Laura wasn’t confused. She knew Mindy’s statement had been for her.
‘Again, apologies for the intrusion, but yes… Boyd can be reckless, but that is only when someone he cares about is in danger. Otherwise, he is incredibly cautious. If he didn’t know—not think, but know—that everyone would make it home safe with this plan, it wouldn’t be the plan.’
Just how much of her thoughts had the mind Powered been privy to?
‘Thoughts related to Boyd also draw my attention, so… a lot of what you’ve thought about this morning. Don’t worry, I strictly follow the Principle of Privacy… which means that nothing will be shared with anyone else unless you give me permission to do so. You really should just talk to Boyd. Tell him what you’ve been thinking, because he has been avoiding you—though not for the reasons you think.’
Wouldn’t it be easier if Mind Witch just told her why he was avoiding her?
‘I’d have to ask his permission to share his thoughts with you… which I suppose I could do. But it would be better for both of you just to have a simple conversation. What are you worried about? It’s Boyd, Laura. He’s a teddy bear.’
Laura snorted. He really was a teddy bear, despite his outward appearance. That had become clear over these last few days—at least in a domestic setting. Laura had seen enough footage of him out in the field to know that didn’t always hold true.
“Okay,” Boyd said, “Tinker, why don’t you head to your lab and pull up any designs you might have? I might need visuals,” he said with a light chuckle, continuing a conversation that had occurred while Mindy was speaking in her thoughts.
“Raev, go take a nap. I’ll wake you after I’m done with Tinker. Silvie and Mindy? Please start gathering any information you can about Eden’s Protector’s plan for the Last Dragon—we’ll need to know their plan so we can determine our starting point. My four hours of bedrest are almost up, after which I’ll have Laura clear me and then join Tinker.”
His voice paused, and somehow Laura knew he was wondering where she was.
“If one of you spots Laura,” he finally said, “please send her my way.”
“Okay, Darling,” Silvie bubbled happily. “I actually woke up to a message from Hope asking to set up a call, I’ll go see when she’s available. She can probably tell us everything we need to know. Love you.”
Laura heard a kissing sound, likely as Silvie gave Boyd a peck and zipped away.
The others all excused themselves as well.
As they all filed out, Mindy spoke into her mind again, ‘Oh look… a perfect opportunity for a private conversation. How convenient. Talk to him, Laura, I promise it will clear things up.’
Laura grumbled to herself as she rose, heading into her bathroom to freshen up a bit. She could do a quick exam in a half-asleep stupor, but confronting Boyd with her grievances would take more awareness than that. He was a skilled communicator, and she didn’t want to be talked in circles.
‘I let him know that you are on your way and will be here in a few minutes. You don’t have to be so concerned about it being a confrontation,’ Mind Witch sent.
Laura slipped into her private room and then into her bathroom. Mind powered Heroes were always hard to deal with. She wondered if she would ever get used to these little mental conversations.
Chapter 3
Boyd sat recumbent in a hospital bed that had clearly been customized to fit him. It was just about the right size, leaving a little room to either side and below his feet, but allowed someone to stand close to administer treatment. It also had a smart bed mattress or some other means of conforming perfectly to his wings and tail. Perfectly comfortable for sleep, it served as a temporary workspace as he established an early draft of their dragon-slaying plan.
It was about seven thirty in the morning, the scheduled end of his confinement. His feet had fully recovered, he could feel that, and his wings were just about good as new—only needing another hour or so to finish up healing. He could fly now if he had to, but would prefer to avoid it.
He just needed Laura to clear him to leave the ward.
The terrible burns the Last Dragon had left him with after the near misses from its energy breath were just about gone. However, the injuries to its wing Boyd left it with showed no signs of healing in the latest drone-provided footage of it traveling towards New Eden and, more importantly—to Boyd at least—towards Hope.
She wasn’t quite his, but she wanted to be, and that was good enough for him. Or at least his other self. Either way, saving her didn’t feel optional.
