Flying Blind Ch. 02

"No," Madison responded, "you have to give me a lift."

Sasha squared her shoulder, doing everything in her power to resist Madison's plaintive stare. "I won't let you do nothing and I won't let you hide this from your friends."

"Why are you being such a bitch?"

Sasha glowered. "Because I have to be. Turns out you're pretty cool most of the time and I like you. So tell me what happened and I'll decide if you're going to the medical center first."

"I can't," Madison said, putting her bag down and going to drag out the heavy case of gear she used for smaller parties. "I need the money Sasha. I really need it."

Sasha sighed. When Madison started reminding her how poor she was, she had to accept she'd never win the argument completely. Madison had struggled to make ends meet on more than once occasion, and her stubborn pride would not let the were-bat ask for help.

"Your health is worth more than your job," she reminded the girl.

"But not my rep. I start showing up late for gigs, then I might as well kiss the extra money goodbye."

"Madison, you were mugged."

"What?!" came a voice from the door.

'Damn,' Madison thought as she realized that Heda had shown up to give her a lift. She should have been happy to see her new friend, but all she could feel was a deep-rooted shame.

"Mugged?" Heda reiterated. "When? Did you get a good look --"

"It was Alvin again," Sasha interrupted. "I'm trying to get Madison to go get herself checked out."

"And to call the authorities, right?" Heda strode in to get a better look at the red mark on the girl's face. "You have called the cops?"

"There's a special line at the campus police for shifter-related issues," Sasha said.

Madison felt herself breaking down. "I can't! I've got to get to work, and it's not like the cops or the Council are going to do shit anyway!"

Sasha mouthed the words "Do something" to Heda, who racked her brain for an idea.

"Madison, either call the cops and let them do their job or I promise you I'll take care of matters myself."

"No! I don't want you getting in trouble!"


Heda picked Madison's phone up off the bed and handed it to her. "Then make the call."

Madison was fighting back more tears as she reluctantly accepted the phone and called the emergency number. Then she called her contact for the party and explained that she was running late but would be willing to do gig for free if they still wanted her. When they heard why she was late (at Heda's insistence), they completely forgave her and told her that they would not hold it against her at all if she was not able to make it in. While waiting for the Shifter Security Forces to show up, she was "strongly encouraged" to tell her friends what happened. Halfway through the explanation, Billy showed up in response to Madison's odd message, and he soon looked ready to kill someone. The only thing keeping him and Heda from going looking for blood was Madison threatening to tell the cops nothing if they did.

The were-bat recited the whole story to the Security Forces. Yes, she had encountered problems with Alvin Hannity before. Yes, she could recognize his voice well enough to identify him. No, she did not know for sure who was with him. Yes, she was pretty sure he was the one who had slapped her and then kicked her. When they finally took Madison over to the Medical Center for a check-up, everyone went with her but had to wait outside during the examination.

Heda got a phone call from her roommate Joanna, who had seen some campus cops approach and talk to Alvin at the food court.

"Did they arrest his ass?" Heda asked angrily as she paced around the front doors of the clinic.

"No, they just questioned him for a while. Why? Why would they arrest him?"

"The son of a bitch pretty much mugged Madison. Hurt her knee, ribs, and smacked her in the face something good."

"Seriously?"

Heda was growling by this point, a noise not normally suited for eagles. "Do I sound like I'm joking? How could they just let that rat-fucker walk?"

"I . . . I don't know what they asked him, but they also talked to some of his posse. And Alvin looked pretty damn smug afterward."


Heda stopped pacing and glared at the sky. The sky was unimpressed. "I can't believe it. You'd think they would at least keep him overnight."

"His family has friends in high places," Joanna reminded her. "My bet is they're playing the his-word-versus-hers game."

"Fuck! We're talking with Reichert on Friday. Hopefully he'll at least get Alvin to back down until the Council starts convening." Her conversation with Madison the night before came back to her thoughts. "Hey, what do you know about Reichert?" She figured a reptile shifter might have more intel on the King of Reptiles.

"Besides the fact that he's dreamy and that I'd like to --"

"Joanna, focus."

"Uhm, he's probably the single most powerful shifter on the planet, his classes are insanely popular, his ass is hard as a rock --"

"I mean is he an on-the-level kind of guy? Madison's worried that he might just blow her off because of her condition."

"Madison may have a bit of a persecution complex," Joanna snipped.

Heda rubbed her eyes. The monarchs were held in some reverence by the rest of the shifters, and the monarchy of your own species was even more revered. Trying to get the were-cobra to doubt her own king would take some doing. "Joanna, that's not fair. Just because someone is paranoid doesn't mean that people aren't out to get them."

"Not Reichert," Joanna reaffirmed. "Hey, I didn't mean anything by what I said. If Madison needs someone to walk her home or to classes or anything, count me in. And count the guys in."

"Volunteering other people now?"

"Babe, with these tits, I can convince any straight guy of just about anything."

That actually got a laugh out of Heda. Joanna really had no shame, which was fairly refreshing. "You could probably convince ME of a thing or two."

"I promise, the second I think of batting for your team, you'll be the first person I sleep with. Just don't hold your breath."

"Wasn't planning on it. Hey, I'm not sure when or if I'll be in tonight. If Madison wants company, I'll probably stay with her."

"That's cool. Are you still going to be up for the movies on Friday, or do you want to skip?"

"Let me see how this meeting turns out," Heda finished, then said her goodbyes. When she went back inside, Madison was on her way out. A tall, lanky handsome blond clerk at the front was checking her out, the ever-so-patient smile plastered on his face derived from the practice of dealing with sick and whiny people all day. This was just a few days after school had started. She wondered if he would still be smiling in a month.

"So the doctor left instructions to call if your ribs don't feel better or if breathing becomes a problem. You shouldn't need the pain killers, but you've got the sample packet just in case."

"Thanks," Madison said, looking really, really sad and pathetic. She seemed to be walking a little better, which was encouraging.

"No problem. My name's Detrius, by the way. And I already know that you are the infamous Madison Sloan. No, I'm not psychic."

Madison almost smiled. "I just gave you my student ID. Then I told you my name. Then you --"

"Yeah yeah, my great secrets revealed. And I love your show by the way."

That perked Madison up a bit more. "Thanks. I'll give you a shout out tonight."

"Are you still planning on working? Most people would take a night off after this."

"Those people must not have bills to pay," was the reply. She walked outside with her friends, and Heda gave her the rundown on Alvin's encounter with the cops. Another source of irritation to Heda was that none of the others even seemed that surprised.

"Probably best not say anything about Reichert either," Sasha said. "Not that I don't believe Madison, but he can do no wrong in the eyes of most."

Heda looked nervously towards Billy. "I'm not trying to --"

"It's okay," Billy interrupted, "I basically think the whole King-by-might thing is archaic anyway. It's just a holdover from lycanthrope tribal tradition when physical strength was everything."

"Or speed," Heda put in. The Bird Queen was not the strongest of the bird shifters by far, having a hummingbird for a totem animal, but she was faster than hell, trained like a ninja, and was incredibly aggressive when provoked. Heda felt fortunate to have Samantha Brown as an old family friend. "Madison, I've got a suspicion that this is where you'll get defensive and independent on me, but I don't think you should be walking alone until this gets sorted out. You know if you just came clean about your Gift, you could deal with him a lot more easily."

"It wouldn't stop him. It would just make him find other ways to screw with me."

"I'm beginning to think that Heda's right," Billy interjected, "but the decision is up to you. Let's get you to the radio station, okay?"

"Babe, I've got a student council meeting to go to. We're talking elections for the year," Sasha said, standing on her tippy-toes and kissing her boyfriend. "I'm going to take off."

"Heda, could you walk her to the student center? I don't like the idea of you walking alone," he added, turning back to Sasha.

"Sure thing. Madison, you want company tonight? I can swing by after dropping Sasha off and picking up some stuff."

Madison's heart rate picking up to a level dangerous enough that she almost went back inside the medical center. She very much wanted Heda to spend the night, but she did not want to appear weak. "You don't have to," she muttered.

"Yeah, but I want to. I've slept on less comfortable things than the floor."

Madison got nervous. "You could sleep in the bed. You know, if you wanted --"

Heda cut her off with a kiss. It was not as passionate as they had been the other night, nor did it seem like an invitation. It was friendly, and it was a reminder that Madison could feel safe with her. "I want. I'll talk to you later." She and Sasha headed towards the student union.

Without using her echolocation, Madison knew that Billy was grinning, and it caused her to blush. "Shut up."

"I didn't --"

"You were thinking something nasty. I know you."

"Whatever you say, oh Pied Piper of women's hearts."

"Remember the who 'shutting up' thing?"

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Later that night . . .

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The Cold crept around the One kept in its Spanish Mantle, a reinforced barrel that had only a hole for the One's head to stick through. This One was trapped, blindfolded, drugged and effectively trapped in the filth which had begun to accumulate over the course of the day. Its hands and ankles were cuffed together with wire, and the barrel was reinforced with magical steel. The One was going nowhere until the Cold had made the message clear.

"Why are yuh . . . you doing this?" the One asked, spittle flying over parched lips. It would need water soon, as there was no reason to let It die before It understood.

The Cold did not respond It would communicate in Its own way and time. But the Message was only just beginning to be written. The Cold grabbed its tongue-tearer, a wicked device that looked like a pair of metal shears with a screw running through the handle. The One would be made to understand, and then the Enemy would remember what fear was like.

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The next morning . . .

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Madison was afraid to move. She was spooning. Or was the correct dynamic "being" spooned? Her back was to Heda, and the other girl's arm was draped over her midsection. Her ribs felt better. She had shifted last night, which helped with the healing process, so she knew she could make it through her day without a problem. Her immediate problem was that she needed to pee, but she did not want to pull away from the comfort of Heda's body. They had not had sex, but Madison had allowed herself to be held and coddled, and she had gotten a small thrill from an intimacy she had never expected from a woman she would have once thought was beyond her reach. She did not want to leave that yet. She did not want to wake Heda up. But she REALLY needed to pee.

"You awake?" Heda whispered softly from behind her.

"Yep!" Madison replied, leaping from the bed and rushing to the bathroom. A few moments later, she let out a tremendous sigh of relief and said, "Oh yeah. I needed that." She instantly heard Heda start laughing her ass off.

"How long were you waiting?" the eagle shifter asked from the comfort of Madison's bed. She was dressing in her bra and boy-shorts, which was odd for her since she preferred sleeping nude. She just had not wanted to make Madison feel like she was expecting sex, so she had curtailed things a bit.

"Thirty minutes," Madison said, thankful Heda could not see her blush.

"It's okay just to get up and go you know."

"I've never done this before. I didn't want to wake you up."

"I can go back to sleep easy. It looks like you're feeling better."

"Yeah, I'm gonna be okay." Madison cleaned herself up and opened up the door. "You don't have to babysit --" she trailed off. She had paused to use her echolocation and found that Heda was sitting up, her body and her "bed clothes" there for Madison's viewing pleasure and making her forget all about her planned objection.

"It's not babysitting. If you weren't so intent on being willful, you'd probably admit that having a friend or two around these days wouldn't exactly suck." Heda heard the were-bat mumble something, which was probably as close to an agreement as she would get. "I'd stay tonight, but weapons practice is going to run late."

"I understand. You know, I really should just move off of campus. I could take out a little more by way of student loans."

"I don't know if that would stop Alvin, unless you got some ass-kicking roommates." Heda stood up. "I'd volunteer, but I think we're a little early in the relationship to be moving in together."

Madison's ears perked up. "Relationship. Are we dating? I mean, we had sex and I know you've done the one-night stand thing before and I'm not mad or anything because you're been really honest with me --"

Heda put a finger on the girl's lips. "Yeah, we have a relationship. I might even say we're in the early stages of dating, which is weird territory for me."

"Weird?"

"Yeah, I haven't 'dated' anyone since high school, and I'm year removed from that. So don't be nervous, because this is all kind of new to me too. I really like you, I think you're sexy, and . . . no, I'm not kidding," Heda said, cutting off a question from Madison that had been preceded by an incredulous look. "You're damn sexy and I'd like to keep you that way. Now write up your class schedule and work schedule. I don't want Alvin getting another shot at you."

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Friday afternoon . . .

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Madison seemed even more depressed now than she did after being attacked. She was wearing her nicest clothes, sitting outside of Professor Reichert's office. He was finishing up with another student to close out his regular office hours, but he had promised Heda to schedule her in some time. Madison could not help but notice that he had made an exception for the daughter of Jessica Adler, an honor he did not extend to everyone.

Finally Neil Reichert appeared at the door, escorting a blushing young lady out. Heda saw the red aura of an arachnid shifter, but did not see any of the tell-tale signs of a sexual interlude. It seemed that the Reptile King simply had that effect on young women. Probably older women too.

"Come in Miss Adler," he said warmly. "I didn't mean to keep you waiting. Miss Sloan."

"Thank you for seeing us on such short notice Mr. Reichert. We just felt that this needed attention faster than it would take to convene the Council. My understanding is that even once they convene, personal grievances can take weeks."

"Indeed. So tell me what has our newest star athlete so worked up?"

Heda was puzzled. She thought she had been pretty clear that this was about Madison, but Reichert had not so much as glanced her way. "It's about Madison. In the last week and a half, she's been harassed pretty seriously by Alvin Hannity."

"Ah yes, the Hatfields and the McCoys at it again." Reichert's sigh was a tad melodramatic. "Who started it this time?"

"Uhm, Alvin," Madison said haughtily. "Same as the last six times."

"Mind your manners in my office," Reichert said coldly.

This was not how Heda had seen this going. "Sir, she was being harassed on the first shifter night out in the woods. I saw several bats and a couple of birds chasing her through the trees and one of them nicked her wing."

"And you are sure it was Alvin Hannity. Miss Sloan, you make a great number of accusations against him and yet none of them seem to bear fruit."

"An investigation only actually goes somewhere if, oh say, someone actually looks into it. Wacky how that works."

"Madison, please," Heda said. "Sir, I saw the incident in the woods, and that was before I even really knew Madison. Then she was mugged outside her dorm." She looked over at Madison and gave her a "go on" nod of the head.

Madison straightened up and told the story as precisely as she could. "I recognized Alvin's voice for sure. The other guy could have been Bill, but I don't his last name and wouldn't swear by it."

"I received a report from our sources inside the police department on the day you lodged the complaint. Alvin Hannity claims that he was with friends all afternoon and they will vouch for him. Do you have anyone to corroborate your side of things?"

"She's got a breakdown from the doctor," Heda said. "C'mon, there's obviously a history of harassment. I saw it the night of the meet-and-greet, and I'm sure Billy Forester and Sasha Baker will back me up on that. Then a bat shifter happens to take a swipe at Madison's wing while in the company of a bunch of other shifters, the same variety that hangs out with Hannity, and then she gets attacked just after she lodges a complaint that actually has a witness. And you don't even think it's worth investigating?"

"Of course it is worth investigating. Both of the involved parties have been questioned, but right now it's her word against theirs."

"Did you even send a werewolf or something else with a good nose to see if Alvin was there? His scent would be fresh --"

"Alvin Hannity could have been in that area any number of times recently. At the time of the attack, he has corroborating witnesses."

"I told you," Madison said angrily. "He's just like the rest of them."

"Sir, is this really your whole stance on this? Until she gets beat up in front of more people, you're just going to sit back and watch? That's bullshit!"

At that moment, Neil Reichert, professor of anthropology, took a back seat to the King of Reptiles. "Miss Adler, I would expect better of you. I have already asked your companion to show some respect. I didn't think the same would be required of you."

Heda felt her skin crawling as the animal part of her wanted to flee the predator before her. But the human part of her . . . the warrior part of her . . . was too proud. "Respect is earned, not assumed," she said as calmly as her voice could manage, "and right now I'm not seeing much worth respecting." She stood up, as did Reichert, and the two of them stared each other down. Heda knew she had to break the gaze, because she was not even close to being alpha enough to challenge a monarch, regardless of the species. "You're whole opening speech was just talk, wasn't it? We don't prey on each other and all that? But that's the culture you're creating. Is all the shit you said just window-dressing?"