Guardian Angels
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As Saipia moved her attention from Jack to Erica, the two began to explore their feelings and their biggest issues. One of Saipia's issues with her feline girlfriend was her dogs. Erica loved her canine pets, but tended to get extremely emotional when they died. And, when Erica's dog Max gets dog-napped, she once again gets moody. While the other Angels figure out who took Max and why, Saipia proceeds to comfort Erica. But when they finally find out who took and killed Max, her true feelings about the situation come out and she sent Sebastian a clear warning. Now, however, Saipia and Erica are off on vacation with Erica admittedly through with having pets. But, what awaits the rest of the angels while the boss is away?
Episode 15: "While The Boss Is Away..."
Part 1
James sat behind Saipia's desk with her nose buried in her hands. She had a spring cold and was getting ready to go home for a couple days, but there was a little more paperwork to do. She was nearly asleep when Jimmy knocked on the door. "Come on, in," she said as she sniffed away the snot from her nose.
When the border collie entered he was shocked by what he saw. "Holy crap, James, you look awful. Why don't you go home. I don't think Saipia would want you to work in such a condition."
"Yeah, I'm almost done here and then I'll be out of here," the maned wolf replied.
"Almost done nothing. James, go home. Don't make me get the chief in here. Or Bryan. You are far too sick to be of any use. And you can get whatever you need to get done just as well at home," Insisted the Sergeant.
"You can't tell me what to do, Jimmy, I out rank you," James protested.
"At this moment, you outrank no one. For your safety and as the next in command while Saipia and Erica are gone, I'm relieving you of your duties. Go home and get some rest. Don't come back until you're better," Jimmy ordered and promptly left the room before James could argue. Outside the office, Jack and Bryan were waiting for orders. "Well, guys, looks like I'm in charge for a little bit. James is sick and with only the three of us, I don't think we can go after anything big. However, I think there are a couple cases in the Genoid part of town that would be good for us."
"Whatever, Sergeant," Jack half spat, still irritated at his massive demotion.
Jimmy growled at the hyena as James slipped from her office and moved towards the exit, slowly slipping on her jacket. "Damn. She does look pretty bad. I think before I do anything, I should drive the poor girl home."
"That is a great idea, doctor. Meanwhile, Jack, maybe you should go fire off some rounds and get it through your head that your screwed up bad and accept the consequences. No one wants to put up with your attitude anymore, and I'm sure as hell not going to risk taking you out on a mission while you're all pissy. Get your act together and grow up. By the time you get back, I'll have some real work for you," ordered the dog.
Chief Anderton had seen the whole scene and laughed at the order and the look on Jack's face. "Saipia sure knew what she was doing when she picked you guys. Every single one of you has leadership potential."
Jimmy smiled. "I served in the GSFS before I became a cop. There, we were all taught to be leaders. However, serving under Saipia is the greatest honor of my life. There's no way I'm about to let her down. And besides, she chooses who she commands very carefully. I mean, the five of us have known Saipia for a while and she knows we're good people and good cops. And she spent nearly a month going over the candidates for the new recruits."
"Genoid Special Forces Squad, huh? It impresses me that each of you also has a different background. Even the new recruits she picked out have completely different histories. And she even convinced me to let her hire two more Genoids than I originally gave her," said the old man.
The dog laughed at that. "Well, if you specialize in one thing, you specialize in failure. If all of us were ex-Special Forces then we'd all essentially have the same way of thinking. But, if everyone comes from deferent places and backgrounds and motivations, then it makes the team stronger as a whole because we bring our different points of view and ideas and experience to the table."
* * *
Saipia lounged on the deck of the ship while sipping on a pina colada and wearing her favorite purple bikini. A few feet to her left was Erica who wore a matching bikini with a thin sarong wrapped around her waist. The two were thoroughly enjoying their vacation. However, Erica was a little irritated by just how blasé the wolf was being about the whole thing. "You know, it's not like it's a secret that you're Saipia Jones, leader of the Guardian Angels."
"Are you still wining about my attitude? I'm on vacation, Erica. You've been on vacation with me before," Saipia replied.
"Exactly. I seem to recall someone trying to kill you every time you're on vacation," Erica said.
Saipia laughed. "Well, you can relax for now. There isn't anyone else on this ship besides us an the crew."
That threw Erica off her train of thought as she looked around. "Damn, you're right. I wonder why."
"Because it's my ship. I knew there was the possibility of getting attacked while in transit to the island and I also knew that you'd be wanting to bring your truck, so, I had made sure we had the boat to ourselves," explained Saipia who stood and walked towards the railing of the vessel.
"You own the ship? Where in the world did you get the money for a ship this big? I mean, you owning it explains how you can afford a lot of other things, but I don't understand how you came to possess the ship," Erica questioned.
Saipia smiled at her friend as she sipped on her drink. "That is a long story, but let's just say it was a gift."
That seemed to satisfy Erica's questions, or at least kept her from asking any more. "That's some gift. Don't you ever expect me to get you anything this expensive."
The wolf laughed. "Of course. I've never asked my girlfriends or boyfriends for anything but love. Oh, speaking of odd things that I own, as soon as we get to Hawaii, we will be spending the rest of this little vacation at a house that I own. But, be warned, I do have a lot of maid-bots there to look over the place while I'm away, but one of them isn't a robot, but a cyborg friend of mind who agreed to take care of the maid-bots while I was away."
Erica just shook her head. "I'm glad I brought my truck."
"So am I, my dear," Saipia replied as she turned her back to the sea and handed her empty glass to the stewardess.
"Is there anything else you ladies need?" the rabbit in a red and black bikini outfit asked them.
"I would absolutely love a mojito and I, if I remember correctly, Erica is quite fond of her Long Island Ice Teas made with actual tea, if you don't mind. And I think it's almost time for dinner. But, I'm sure when you get back with our drinks we'll have decided what we want to eat," Saipia said.
"Sounds good. I'll be back in a little bit with those drinks," said the stewardess who jotted what they wanted on a pad and slowly and seductively made her way back to the galley.
Erica shook her head again. "Isn't that just a smidge cliché? I mean, a sexy bunny?"
"Hey, she's great in bed. And she's the only rabbit on my staff here. And before you ask, I didn't hire her for the sex. She's actually very smart, an excellent drink mixer and I think she used to be an FBI agent or something. She's my chief security officer on this ship, as well as the head stewardess. She's also a first generation Genoid," Saipia defended.
"You pick your staff like you pick your recruits, huh? Never hire someone you can't trust, right?" Erica commented as the two took a seat at one of the empty tables on the deck.
Saipia smiled and gave a nod to her friend. "Damn straight. Most of the people on this ship I would trust with my life. And most of the Genoids here are first generation Genoids."
"Why is that? What's wrong with us second generation Genoids?" asked Erica.
"Because, with every new generation, the human content decreases. Five or six generations down the line and you'll have just an ordinary animal. But, with every generation, Genoids become unstable. They're becoming capable of a lot. Granted, I love you a lot, and you are the exception to that rule. But, I mean, look at Jack," Saipia said and scratched at her mane.
Erica smiled at her friend and leaned back in her chair. She knew the real reason why Saipia preferred first generation Genoids, but it wasn't important and she was glad just to see her friend and boss so relaxed as the rabbit from before returned with the drinks. Without another word the two women took sips from their respective drinks before ordering. "I'd some crab if you've got it," she ordered.
"And I'll have a Hawaiian burger with an extra beef patty and extra teriyaki sauce," added Saipia.
* * *
When they arrived at the large house, the two women were very relieved to have their long journey over. Erica was completely amazed at how big the house was and knew it must have cost a fortune. They were instantly greeted by four of the maid-bots who looked surprisingly human. "Welcome back, Miss Jones. Shall we get your luggage for you?"
"Yes, you can. By the way, this is my girlfriend and current bodyguard, Erica Martin. If she is here by herself, you will answer to her, is that understood?" Saipia replied.
"Yes, Ma'am," replied the robots in unison, bowing politely towards their owner.
As they hurried out the door to retrieve the luggage, another maid entered the room from the kitchen. Erica made no reaction towards her until her scent reached her sensitive feline nose. "Damn, you're flesh and blood. If it wasn't for my nose, I wouldn't be able to tell you apart from the damn robots."
Saipia and the girl smiled together. "That would be the idea, ma'am. And I am only blood. My flesh is synthetic," the brown-haired woman in a long, pink skirt and white blouse said.
"And I suppose you not only know how to maintain all the robots and other computers in this house, but know how to fire all kinds of weapons as well as know a lot of martial arts," Erica said as she took a long awaited seat on the white couch that sat in the living room facing the biggest TV she has ever seen.
"Of course. Saipia wouldn't have left me in charge otherwise. By the way, Miss Jones, the acquisition you inquired about a couple months ago has successfully gone through," the woman announced.
"Perfect! I trust you got all the security measures in place, as well, right?" the canine asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"Your trust is, as always, well placed. Although, adhering to what the Hawaiian government would allow was a little challenging, but I still think you'll be quite satisfied," said the girl.
"Excellent! Is there anything else to report, Saundra?" Saipia asked as she joined her friend on the couch.
"Nothing exceptional. It has been a long time since you've been here, but nothing severe. There was a group of kids that tried to break in, but, thanks to the defenses built into this house, they were swiftly arrested by the local authorities.
"The volcano tried it's best attack, and I am proud to say that the defensive measures you put in place worked flawlessly," said Saundra.
"Wonderful. You are full of good news for me. That's good as I am on vacation," the wolf replied with a bright smile.
"What is this 'acquisition' you acquired?" Erica asked.
"Oh, yes. When I left this place a while ago, I put in a inquiry about the section of beach a few yards from my back porch, and a few months later, I got a reply and so, I told Saundra to go ahead and start going through the process to buy said beach. And now, it's mine. So, we have our own private beach to hang out on while we're here," explained the white wolf.
"Well, I am learning a lot about you, my friend. I had no idea you were so wealthy. However, from the sounds of it, this place is where you keep all the evidence of all your little secrets. For example, your anime collection. I know you've never given them away. Even keeping the duplicates," Erica commented.
Saipia smiled and stood to her feet. Walking over to the TV she pressed a button on the edge of it and it slowly rose into the ceiling, revealing a large bookcase full of Japanese cartoons. Erica and Saundra just laughed as the maids finally brought all the luggage from the truck and carried it into Saipia's room. "And this is only part of my collection. Simply the ones I watch more often. Anyway, I need to go over more personal things with Saundra. If you need anything my maids will get it for you. If you want to take a nap, you can use my bed, just down the hall."
"Where's your video games?" Erica questioned and Saipia smiled at her friend. With a press of a button on the side of the bookcase, the TV returned. Saipia walked over to the end-table closest to her friend and pulled it around so Erica could see the set of gaming consoles hidden within it's depths.
"Everything's connected to the TV, already. The games are in the other end-table and if you want a steering wheel, one of my maids can get it for you," she explained and gave her girlfriend a kiss.
"Thanks, babe. Just know, though, that I probably won't play for long. I'm exhausted after the boat and drive," Erica said as Saipia moved towards the human maid.
* * *
Meanwhile, back in Hollywood, Jimmy and Jack were looking to bust a couple of drug dealers in the Genoid side of the city. They dressed in civilian clothes so they didn't draw too much attention to themselves. Although, they did dress so differently, that it was obvious they didn't hang out together that often. Jack, of course, wore his cowboy outfit with blue jeans, button-up shift, leather jacket and hat, while Jimmy wore khakis and a brown t-shirt. As Jimmy knocked on the door of the house, there the two Genoids could hear the distinct sounds of drug dealers trying to hide their evidence. "You think they're expecting us?" asked Jimmy
"I don't know, but if you're a drug dealer, you wouldn't hide your drugs every time someone knocked on your door. It might just be a fair bet that they've been tipped off," Jack agreed.
The two thought for a moment of who could have done such a thing and it only took a moment before they glanced at each other with the same thought. "Mayor Ashley," they said in unison.
"That bitch is going to be the death of us," Jack commented.
"If Saipia doesn't kill her first," retorted Jimmy as the two placed their hands on their firearms.
Finally the door opened to reveal a scruffy, human male with bags large enough to carry groceries in under his eyes. "May I help you guys?"
"Yeah, we were looking to score some weed. I heard you were the guy to talk to around here," said Jack.
"Weed? Nah, man, I ain't got no weed. Why would I have weed?" The dope dealer's response that far too casual and the two cops decided it would be a waste of time to continue the cherade any longer.
"No weed, huh? You're going to answer the door high as a kite and tell two plan clothes officers that you don't have any weed?" Jack questioned.
"You guys are cops? I had no idea." the stoned man commented.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I've got a better question, what the hell is a human doing on the Genoid side of town. I mean, I've heard of Genoids moving to the human side, but I've never in my entire life heard of a human living over here," asked Jimmy.
"Well, I like you guys. I've always wanted to be a Genoid, but I can't afford it," the man answered.
The cops laughed at that. "She got us good on this one," Jack commented.
"Well, I guess we could always do this Saipia's way," Jimmy suggested.
"You mean just go in guns raised? No she's got far more tact than that. Usually when she barges in somewhere, she has all the evidence she needs to do so," said the hyena.
"Yes, but sometimes to get that evidence, you gotta be a little rough," remarked Jimmy.
"I sure hope you're not going to harm this man, gentlemen?" said the mayor as she, herself stepped up behind the human.
The Genoid officers looked at each other a moment. "No ma'am. We were just discussing what to do with the idiot who gave us our information. Sorry to have bothered you, sir. Have a nice day," Jimmy replied and the two officers walked back to their patrol car.
They eased away, but made sure not to go too far away. "What the hell was that all about? Why would the mayor take such an interest in a junkie like that?" Jimmy asked while Jack looked at the houses and other buildings in the vicinity.
"It's not the junkie, she's interested in. I mean, look around you. Every single one of these houses is empty thanks to Liv. The real question is why would a junkie have a house here?" Jack commented.
The border collie looked around at the houses that were beginning to deteriorate. "Well, no one would look for you here."
"Right. But, a place this deserted could also be bad for business. Unless drugs weren't the only thing you were selling. Something else is definitely going on in there. Looks like we stumbled onto a much bigger case. One that Saipia will want to be a part of," Jack replied.
"I'm not pulling her off her vacation. She needs it," said Jimmy as he finally headed back for the precinct.
"I don't know. I think that if Mayor Ashley just happened to be here when we got here, something tells me she's not going to let Saipia have such a peaceful vacation. Good thing she took Erica with her," Jack said.
* * *
Saipia and Erica were enjoying the private beach. There was no one else there to bother them, not for miles. The two had taken to spending their lunches out on the beach and just watching the surf. It was the third day of their vacation that their peace was interrupted. As the one of the maid-bots brought them their drinks, a bullet caused it's head to explode. "Holy crap!" exclaimed Erica as the girls quickly ran for cover in the small forest that separated the beach from the house.
They only had to wait a moment, before the patio door of the house swung open and Saundra stepped out with a sniper rifle of her own. Quickly she aimed the weapon in the direction the shot had been fired from. BOOM! A large round jumped from the barrel singling the two Genoids to rush towards the house with Erica making sure to keep herself between the enemy sniper and Saipia.
"Threat neutalized, ma'am. However, I am putting the security systems on high alert and switching the maids to defense mode," commented Saundra.
"Good girl, Saundra. Now, show me who's trying to dares to interrupt my vacation," the white wolf demanded.
Without a word, Saundra moved up to the TV and opened a panel on the side. Pulling a retractable cable from the panel she gently lifted her hair and connected what appeared to be a simple headphone jack to a port at the base of her skull. Instantly the TV came up with a clear picture of the sniper that had shot at them. "Anything stand out to you?"
"Yeah. That's one of Ashley's men. Looks like she and Sebastian are working together. Only she's far more annoying. Now, the local authorities are probably already alerted to whatever bogus crime Ashley's brought against me, so we need to either leave, or hide the evidence," replied Saipia.
"I would highly suggest hiding the evidence. Especially if you considered that there are currently 142 legal violations in this house. And it would be impossible to hide all of them if the cops start snooping around," Saundra suggested as a set of maid-bots hurried out the door to clean up what remained of the bot that had been destroyed.
"Yeah, yeah. I wouldn't have them if I didn't need them. Now, while Saundra is taking care of the evidence, you and I should get back to our vacation. And I know just the way to do so," Saipia replied.
"I don't think you'll have much time for that, ma'am. The Police will be here in about ten minutes," informed the cyborg.
"We don't need to actually have sex, just look like we've been making love," Erica replied before giving Saipia a big kiss. "Hey, I brought something I want to try out, if you're up for it."
Saipia gave her lover a quizzical look and followed her into their shared bedroom. "The day before we left, I swung by Linda's for a checkup and while I was there, I decided to inquire about some more exotic things. I mean, since most of my body is prosthetics, anyways, I figured it would be fun to maybe have some options, and I know that you're bisexual, and so, I had Linda make up some hermaphrodite pieces," explained Erica as she pulled out a suitcase from under the bed.
The wolf smiled and placed her hands on her hips. "I thought you didn't like Linda."
"Well, she does great work. And she's also the only prothetics maker that will make stuff like this. And she was the cheapest. There were a couple others that would have made it for me, but they were going to charge me a crap load of money and I doubt they're products would have been any where close to this quality. I mean, the arm she made is be far the best one I've ever had and the new eye..." Erica began and was silenced by a kiss from the now naked Saipia.
"I'm very glad you two are getting along. But for now, less talk more sex," the white canine insisted.
* * *
It didn't take long for the police to knock on the door to the large house. The girls had slipped out to the couch in the living room and quickly scrabbled for clothes as Saundra opened the door. "Hello, officers, how may I help you?"
"Yes, we got a call about some gunshots being fired around here and were wondering if you heard anything?" asked a young-looking jaguar.
Saundra opened her mouth to say something, but Saipia cut her off as she wrapped a bathrobe around her naked body. "Officers Sashawn and Will. What brings you two all the way over here?"
"You know these men, ma'am?" Saundra asked.
"Yeah. They're from Hollywood. I have no idea why they're here, though," replied the wolf.
"We were tipped off that someone was going to make an attempt on your life today, and we couldn't allow you, or anyone to die, could we?" asked Will the black stallion.
"Yeah, my bodyguard and I were about to enjoy a seaside lunch on my beach when some jackass shot at us. Destroyed one of my maid-bots. Those things aren't cheap, either. Especially of that quality," complained Saipia and the two officers laughed as Saipia and Saundra stepped aside to let the officers inside.
"Ma'am, you do know it's illegal in the state of Hawaii to own more than three maid-bots," commented Sashawn.
"Knock it off, Sashawn. It's not like you're going to arrest me anyway," scolded Saipia.
"I don't suppose you got a good look at the shooter?" asked Will.
Erica and Saipia both motioned towards Saundra. "She did. And you're lucky that she's a cyborg."
"Why don't I just print off an image," Saundra suggested and walked casually over to a simple printer located on a shelf on a wall. By the time she got there, the picture of the shooter was already printed.
"Lots of technology in this house," Will commented, looking around.
"Hey, I recognize this guy. He's one of Ashley's goons," remarked Sashawn as he looked at the picture.
"We've established that much ourselves," Erica commented, herself in a bathrobe.
"Sorry, ma'am. You must be the bodyguard. It's nice to see Saipia still hasn't lost her good taste," Sashawn said.
Will huffed. "In your opinion. I heard she was dating a guy. What happened to him? I was hoping to meet him."
Saipia laughed. "And you just might get to if I feel like humiliating him. But he decided that whatever he's working on is more important than me. I just hope for his sake that it was worth it. But from what Tess said, that's highly unlikely."
"That's too bad. I'd be happy to humiliate him for you. Especially if he's as cute as you described," Will replied.
"Thanks, guys. Now, if I were you I'd go investigate the location where that sniper was and let me and my..umm...bodyguard get back to our vacation," Saipia hinted, wrapping her arms around Erica.
"Right. Talk to you ladies, later," Sashawn said as he and his partner waved to the girls and left.
"Do you still insist on finishing your vacation?" Saundra asked.
"Of course she does. She's worked long and hard for this vacation and nothing is going to keep her from enjoying it," Erica answered before behind lead by the hand back to the bedroom.
"Yes, and now, Miss bodyguard, I've got a body that needs a little more guarding," Saipia remarked, causing the other two women to laugh.
