Dashing Devil Omnibus 2: Books 4-6, page 94
She nodded, frowning as she waited for the criticism.
“You got to the patients, helped, and were a good Trauma Specialist—which is the last thing a Hero wants in the field during an active engagement. Trauma Specialists belong in hospitals or field stations like the Osprey, well away from the danger. Heroes bring the civilians to you.”
Laura gave him an offended frown, but he pressed on with a stern expression.
“The only good you did was getting those kids treatment about a minute sooner than they would have if you’d remained safely on the Osprey. It took a lot longer than a minute to get them mobile after you initiated treatment. Even if they could have run, Raev would still have carried them for their own safety—kids trip all the time. In the end, the only thing you did was expose an extra civilian to danger and were lucky that there were no real consequences.”
Boyd sat back in his chair. “That there were no real consequences is why it was a learning experience instead of a tragedy.”
Laura deflated under his serious gaze the same way the kids back in the PAC always did when he pointed out the errors they’d made. “Well then… I guess I’m sorry.”
It was the first time she’d apologized, which meant he could stop bringing it up quite as often. He still couldn’t afford to be too kind if he was going to make her a Hero. Building her back up properly could only happen after he’d appropriately broken her and her stubborn walls down.
“Allow me to reiterate,” he said after studying her for a moment. “You are an intelligent, determined, hard-working, and courageous woman. You have all the makings of a Hero—if you didn’t, I wouldn’t be training you. It’s my job to get you out of a Trauma Specialist’s mindset and into something that works on a Hero team.” He gestured to the board. “Chess can help with that.”
Laura, who truly was a confident woman, perked right back up in response to the shift in the conversation. “Okay, but how can a board game help get me in the right mindset?”
“You’ll understand once you learn the rest of the lessons chess can teach you.” Boyd gave her his most devilish grin.
“Couldn’t you just tell me what lessons I’m supposed to be learning?” she didn’t quite whine. Laura, like most competitive individuals, did not much enjoy the repetitive losses she had suffered after dinner each night for the past few days.
“And risk stunting my trainee’s growth?” Boyd asked, one big hand going to his own cheek as if the very idea appalled him. “Never!”
This time, Laura did roll her eyes.
“But I will give you a hint,” he continued after a moment. “We aren’t using a timer; slow down. We only play for half an hour and typically finish three games in that time because you move too fast. You’re still learning. Take your time to consider the full lay of the board.”
“How long do you think I should wait before making a move?” Laura leaned in, her eyes sparkling with a playful undertone, subtly suggesting there might be more to her question than met the eye.
Boyd chuckled, appreciating the shift in the atmosphere as Laura continued to challenge him—both on the chessboard and in their banter. “Don’t make your move until you have considered all the moves I might make in response,” he met her pale green eyes with a smirk.
Laura leaned back in her chair, her lips curling into a mischievous smile. “Consider all your moves, huh? That could take a while. We would certainly have to prolong these games and I might have to bring snacks.”
Boyd raised an eyebrow, playing along with her flirtatious tone. “Snacks might slow you down even more. You wouldn’t want to lose because you were too busy enjoying a bag of chips, would you?”
“Oh, I can multitask,” Laura shot back with a wink. “I’ve been known to make strategic moves while enjoying a snack or two. It keeps things interesting.”
Boyd chuckled, finding her boldness both entertaining and refreshing. “Well, we wouldn’t want the game to get too predictable, would we? I might have to start throwing in unexpected moves just to keep you on your toes.”
Laura’s gaze intensified; her pale green eyes fixed on his own golden gaze. “I like a challenge, Boyd. So, feel free to make your moves as unpredictable as you want. I can handle it.”
Chapter 40
Boyd leaned forward, his playful demeanor giving way to a more serious expression. “Chess is about anticipating your opponent’s moves and adapting. It’s a dance of strategy and unpredictability. You’ll need those skills in the field as much as on the board.”
Laura smirked, undeterred. “Maybe we should take this dance beyond the chessboard sometime… see if you can keep up.”
Boyd’s serious demeanor cracked as quickly as he’d summoned it, and a hint of a grin danced across his lips. “You’ve seen me dance, Laura. I don’t think it’s me that has to worry about keeping up.”
Laura leaned even closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Oh, I’ve seen your moves, Boyd. But I’m not talking about the kind of dance you do with an audience watching, and you know it. I’m talking about the kind of moves all your lovers like to brag about when you aren’t around.”
Boyd felt his eyes widen ever so slightly, caught off guard by Laura’s directness—though after a moment, he realized he shouldn’t have been. He chuckled to cover the moment of shock and let his devilish grin through, setting out just a little of the challenge she responded so well to in his golden gaze.
“If they’ve been bragging to you,” he said, “then you should know you should be worrying about keeping up even more with that kind of dancing… what do they call it… the horizontal mambo?”
Laura’s laugh was genuine and bright, her confidence unwavering. “Oh, I’m always up for learning new moves, Boyd. Especially when it comes to dancing with someone as skilled as they’ve said you are.”
Boyd leaned back in his chair, a playful glint in his eyes. “Careful now, Laura. You might find yourself in over your head. I’ve been known to lead quite… assertively.”
Laura leaned forward, her tone teasing. “I’m not one to shy away from a challenge, Boyd. Besides, where’s the fun in playing it safe?”
Their eyes locked in a silent exchange, tension hanging in the air between them. Each word spoken carried a subtle invitation, a flirtatious dance that neither seemed willing to back away from.
Boyd had to remind himself that he was a professional, the gorgeous slightly older woman across from him was his trainee and, while it was meant to be casual, these chess games were a part of her official training.
“It seems we’ve gotten off topic.” The big demon schooled his expression into his no-nonsense instructor facade. “Last night’s reading was on the importance of operational planning, as well as its limitations. I provided you with a simplified version of our next mission’s ‘Plan A’ to reference after the reading. Tell me what you learned.”
“That you made things look very easy with the Last Dragon and the last mission.” She pursed her lips, thinking. “And that ninety-nine times out of one hundred, plans go to shit?” Laura made it more of a question than an answer.
To be fair, he had pulled a rather abrupt change in the conversation’s direction.
“Both of those mission’s plans did go to shit.” Boyd chuckled ruefully. “For the Last Dragon mission, two unauthorized S-Ranked Powereds invaded our engagement zone, one of whom attacked me. Then, during the last one, our Trauma Specialist abandoned her assigned position and exposed herself to pulse rifle fire part way through it. We were only just able to successfully adapt the plan to the changing circumstances and salvage as much of the desired result as possible.”
He arched his brows at her chagrined look. “The goal is always to return to the plan as efficiently as possible when additional variables drag you off it.”
Laura frowned and tapped her lip as she thought about what he’d said, then nodded in a subconscious display of understanding. He had picked up on the habit, and learned that until he saw that little nod, it wasn’t clear that the lesson had taken.
“Okay,” his trainee continued, “so what the reading said about planning being important but that, in most operations, it should be viewed as loose guidelines now makes a bit more sense. At face value, the statements seemed contradictory.”
Boyd gave her a grin.
“Then,” Laura said after a brief pause, “I reviewed your plan for the upcoming mission. Each step is clearly defined for The Devoted, but you only listed vague goals for the other teams. I’d assumed that was because you wanted them to do their own planning for their parts of the mission… but now I wonder if it wasn’t because you can’t predict the additional variables they might face?”
Her voice ticked up at the end to indicate it was a question.
“It was a little of both, actually.” Boyd waggled a hand back and forth as he eased back in his chair. “Davis is sending out Pinnacle Watch, who are veterans with a solid track record. Crimson Contender is a good captain and a decent tactician. I trust them to handle their own planning, so I assigned them some of the more important objectives that I know we can’t handle. They’ve got some NPO support to make the higher priority arrests and will be working the areas where our more vulnerable team members will be operating.”
Laura’s brows drew together as she considered this new information.
“Then, we will be working with the Quantum Guardians out of Nexusburg.” Boyd’s voice carried a neutral tone. “They may be a solid team, stronger even than Pinnacle Watch with their triad—Quantum Blaze, Titaness, and Photon Striker—but they are still relatively new. They only formed a couple of years ago and they lack experience in handling intricate situations. While Quantum Blaze may excel at making split-second decisions, planning is not his strong suit. I have tasked them with a mission that is both straightforward yet chaotic in nature. They must quell the chaos and disorder within the general population and attempt to make arrests where possible. Ultimately, they are responsible for shutting down any disturbances that arise. The nature of their task won’t allow for detailed planning, so I’m not bothering putting one together for them.”
“I wondered about that as well,” Laura admitted. “Won’t that lead to a greater possibility of civilian injuries?”
Laura raised an eyebrow again, a bit of accusation in her eyes. She was now challenging his morals. And, being a healer by nature, it seemed she found them wanting.
“Something like Heroes bursting in to arrest everyone in a crowded stadium tends to lead to people being trampled or blasted to pieces when a Powered or twelve panic. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more than a few deaths.”
Boyd chuckled as he met her accusing eyes without remorse or hesitation. “I have several moral compasses already Laura, but feel free to continue to act as one. I satisfied both Hope and Mindy by laying out the simple facts. Each and every person who attends this event is automatically party to multiple attempted murders. They will have gathered there to watch Changed fight each other to the death—for entertainment… and very few will be first-time attendees. This means that almost all of them are party to prior murders.”
“Not only that,” the big demon pressed on, keeping his tone civil and not returning any of the accusations she’d cast his way, “but most have paid a significant number of credits for the privilege of doing so—which goes towards funding the capturing of more Changed for the next event.”
“There might still be civilians who…” She stopped when he held up a hand.
“The only additional civilians present who are likely to die are the staff, who have and will also be party to many murders and attempted murders. So, while I understand that there is a likelihood of some fatalities during this mission, there will not be a single innocent civilian’s death if I can help it. Only criminals should die if my plan is a success, and hopefully very few of those.”
“Right…” Laura had blanched partway through his explanation. “Context. When you consider a crowd that large, you think ‘I’m sure most of them are inherently good people’. But that doesn’t account for them being gathered to enjoy a literal blood sport.”
She hung her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse you of…”
“Yes, you did.” Boyd cut her off with a charming smile he knew would take any bite out of his interruption. “But that is fine. You understood when I explained my reasoning, just like my other moral compasses did. It’s rare that I run afoul of them.” He paused, eyes going distant for a moment. “In fact, I’m not sure it’s ever happened now that I think about it. But I appreciate them being my compasses.”
“You appreciate me being here then, do you?” Laura smirked at him, not hesitating to seize another opportunity to derail the conversation—again.
“I’ve told you several times that I appreciate your presence on the team.” Boyd shook his head ruefully. “Now isn’t the appropriate time for flirting. Any other questions?”
“Yes,” Laura nodded, trying to hold a serious expression but failing as a smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth before she asked with a wink and deadpan delivery, “That must mean that there is an appropriate time for flirting.”
Boyd grinned at the aggressive woman’s antics and shook his head. “I meant did you have any questions related to the plan?” He answered her question with a question of his own, his tone amused but not allowing them to go further off-topic.
“Also yes,” Laura replied with a light laugh before she adopted a more serious expression. “Where will the Astral Osprey be positioned? I didn’t see it listed in the plan.”
“It will be in Glorith City.” It was Boyd’s turn to lift an eyebrow. “We don’t want it anywhere near an event that uses a lot of Powered with perception abilities for their security teams. Everyone will be entering the engagement zone on the sister’s grav-sled this time. We had a hidden compartment added for Silvie and me to burst out of when the time comes. The other teams have been provided the grav-sleds of people who would have attended the event but have already been quietly arrested.”
“But then where will I be positioned?” Laura asked, looking honestly confused.
“Well…” Boyd now understood the confusion. “I suppose you could spend the evening in Glorith if you would like, but otherwise I would imagine you’ll be back here. You aren’t coming on this mission, Laura. I don’t have anywhere safe to put you and we will already have two healers on location. I assume you noted Healing Harmony on the Quantum Guardian’s roster? The NPOs have several Trauma Specialists in their units, as well—ones with much more field training than you have.”
“But…” Laura was apparently at a loss for words and looked scandalized by his response.
Boyd resisted the urge to chuckle at her slightly slack-jawed expression. Previously he had offered no arguments each time she’d wanted to accompany them on a mission—with the caveat that she stayed in the Osprey. The first time he argued against the idea, he did so in a way that left her nowhere to go—resulting in a bit of whiplash.
He waited a moment for her to recover before adding, “Once the balloon goes up, we will be transmitting drone and suit video to Davis in Glorith City. If you would like to stay apprised of events, I’m sure Tink can ensure a feed is sent out here.”
She probably already had one for Granny, after all.
“I would like to…” Laura started, that familiar challenge in her pale green eyes.
“No, Laura.” Boyd shook his head as he cut her off firmly. “Glorith or here. It’s not about your stunt on the last mission. I’ve got nowhere for you in the field—this time.”
Laura scowled before responding. “I’ll stay here, I guess. At least someone can keep Daisy company this time.”
“I’m glad you’ll be with her.” Boyd smiled. “I doubt being alone out here is all that comfortable for her, even if she is invulnerable.”
Laura’s scowl changed at his statement, and she abruptly changed the subject. “Okay, so we have what… twelve more minutes? We can probably finish this game.”
She indicated the board’s opening moves. “So, let’s try this again and see if I can’t figure out where it goes wrong this time. I’ve already moved E-two to E-four.”
“Remember we are taking our time.” Boyd arched an eyebrow but otherwise let the topic rest. “I can take a picture with my datapad, and we can leave the board out between sessions. E-seven to E-five.” He decided to take the gambit this time around.
Eleven minutes later, Laura carefully turned the roaring Boyd figurine onto its side. “No matter what I do, you’ll win in four more moves.”
Boyd coughed into his hand. “Three… actually. But it’s good that you recognize four of the five ways this could go.”
Laura glared at him.
“Next time,” he rumbled as he stood, “or perhaps in your extracurricular study… I want you to research middle game strategies. You are too focused on reacting to my moves rather than presenting a coherent design of your own.”
Laura nodded and then sat back as her trainer walked out of the study.
“That man…” she started to say, but then shook her head and gave a self-deprecating little chuckle. She’d learned much more than she’d thought she would in only a few days’ worth of matches. Even more surprising, she found she’d thoroughly enjoyed it—except for being reminded at several turns about her egregious error on their last mission.
She picked up the white King. Tinker really had outdone herself. Idly, Laura traced a fingertip across the flexed arms of Boyd’s figurine. She saw the straining tendons and felt the raised vascularity with its arms thrown wide apart.
It reminded her of two things—how Boyd had roared after defeating Archangel, and how hot he looked when straining under the immense weights he lifted in the gym. Making up her mind, she snagged both the white king and her black rook. She knew just where she would put them. No one would find them on her bedside table in her room attached to the clinic.
