Guardian Angels
Episode 27: "Heart Stealer"
The night was hard on Saipia. Nightmares plagued her. There was a faint memory buried inside her consciousness about Layta when she was in high school. She had dated the school quarterback for a while. But when he tried to pressure her into sex, she dumped him at the prom, in front of everyone. Now, there was this serial killer who was obviously seeking revenge for a broken heart. In her slight slumber, she watched the security camera in her daughter's room as it shown against her closed eyes. It surprised her that she was worrying so much about her fully grown daughter.
With a heavy sigh, Saipia slipped the covers of her bed from her body. Walking to her door, she slipped on a bathrobe before wandering down to her living room and plopping down on her couch. She leaned back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment. "Please, God, don't let that bastard be after Layta. And if he is, let me stop him before he finds her."
The thought of someone like that killing her daughter in such a way drove her mad. She could feel the rage building inside her, so, she wondered to her sparing room that was just down a long corridor from the living room. There she removed her robe and began practicing her martial arts on a foam bag.
Since the sparring room was next door to Erica's room, it didn't take long for the leopard to be awakened by the noise. As she entered the sparring room, she wasn't very surprised to find her friend practicing, but she was surprised at the tears that flowed from Saipia's eyes. "Damn. I didn't know you could still cry like that."
"I don't think I technically can. But, you'd be surprised what a mother's love can do," Saipia replied as she paused in her training to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
"Mother's love? What's wrong with Layta?" Erica asked.
"You should know. You're the one that told me the whole story. She dumped that guy at the prom, didn't she?" the wolf returned.
Erica was a little surprised at that statement. "Oh. I see. You're worried that this serial killer is that stupid quarterback from all those years ago and he's after Layta? It's not like Layta wouldn't be able to take care of herself. You did teach her everything you know," the feline commented while wrapping Saipia in her arms.
"I know, but she's my daughter, Erica. But, I will not let that bastard touch her. He'll have to get through me first," Saipia promised.
"And me, as well. And I'm sure her aunt and cousin will have something to say about it. Don't forget you're not alone in this, Sai," Erica added.
The canine sighed. "This is true. All of the Fifteen and the Angels and the Halves wouldn't allow Layta to be harmed just as much as me. Speaking of the Fifteen, there are a couple of them we should visit. I'm sure they'll know at least something about this killer. Maybe they can tell me if he is who I think it is."
"Who?" Layta asked as she wondered groggily into the room.
"Layta. You should be in bed," Saipia half ordered.
"Like anyone can sleep with you in here beating stuff up. Aunt Gjai was in the living room when I walked passed," the irritated tone in Layta's voice made the mother in Saipia very irritated herself, but she was also very remorseful and instead of yelling at her daughter about respecting her elders, she walked over and wrapped loving arms the shorter white wolf.
"I'm sorry, Layta. I didn't mean to wake you up. I was just relieving a little bit of stress. But, we should all try to get at least a little sleep," said Saipia.
"I agree. I have a job interview in the morning and I don't want to miss it. And I don't mind you relieving a little stress in the middle of the night, but maybe you could watch one of your anime shows or something a little more quieter. And who are you looking for and what does he have to do with me?" Layta replied.
Saipia kissed her daughter's forehead. "Nothing you should worry your little head about. I won't let anyone harm you."
"Dammit, Mother, I'm not five. You don't have to be so damn protective of me all the time," snapped the younger canine.
"Right. And might I ask what the hell you were doing at my house in Hawaii. I tried to ask Saundra about it, but she didn't know either," Saipia snapped back.
That stopped Layta in her defenses. "Umm...it beat the safe house that was chosen for me."
"I figured it was something like that. You're an ex-lawyer. I know you've made quite a few enemies, and while I know you can take care of yourself, I am still and will always be your mother. Sue me if I'm a little over protective of my young, but I could have sworn it was the second chapter in the parenting handbook right after loving them to death," Saipia replied and Erica giggled at that.
Layta couldn't contain her smile at the joke. "Parenting handbook, huh? Well, at least you've read something else besides comic books."
"You do know you're friends with Erica Martin, right? She almost exclusively reads comics of all kinds. I know she's read my entire collection plus most every other comic book ever written," defended Saipia.
"I know. Her obsession with comic books is why I refused to sleep with her in college," said Layta.
"Erica! You tried to sleep with my daughter?" Saipia questioned her old friend with a scolding look on her face.
Erica shrugged with a smirk on her face. "I tried to pop her cherry, but she wouldn't let me. And before you get upset, I did consider what you would think, and I figured that initially you'd be a little upset, but in the end, you would be glad it was me and not the schmuck she did sleep with."
Saipia stood there a moment, arms on her hips, glaring at the two younger Genoids in deep thought. "Alright, I've officially decided that I really don't want to discuss my own daughter's sex life. However, Erica, if I had known you tried to seduce my daughter, I would never have slept with you myself."
"Oh like what you and I do behind close doors can be considered sex," Erica retorted.
"Hey! I've had actual sex with you twice, and you know it, you little slut. But, don't think I'll sleep with you again," Saipia said.
Again the leopard shrugged and stretched her arms. "It's not like I'm getting any from you, anyway," she said with a yawn.
"Goodnight, Mother," Layta said as she slipped past Erica and out of the sparring room.
"Goodnight, Layta," Saipia called and quickly realized that she was tired, as well. "Bed is sounding pretty good, at the moment. And don't even ask if you can tuck me in, Erica."
* * *
All ten members of the Angels were present when Saipia approached the residence of Number 4, Boris Knight. "I don't understand why all of us had to be here for this?" Jack questioned, arms folded over his chest.
"Watch it, Evan. Boris is the strongest person I know. If it weren't for my prosthetic body and Erica's advanced training, I'm sure he could kick my butt. Even then, it would take some work to take him down," Saipia replied with a smile as she rang the doorbell.
"And why do you always call me by my real name. You can..." the hyena started, but Erica's firm hand on his shoulder cut him off.
"Believe me, Jack, Saipia has her reasons for not using your name. But it is not a very pleasant memory for her. Maybe in time..." the leopard began to explain, but Saipia cut her off.
"A long time ago, shortly before I got my prosthetic body, the chief at the time partnered me up with an Alaskan wolf named Jack Rayn. Eventually, we fell in love and we were even engaged to get married. Hell, the [i]daughter[/i] I had with him is living with me for a while. But, he was brutally murdered just days before the wedding. He didn't even get to see his own daughter. You see, Evan, I my heart still belongs to a Jack. That is why I will never use your nickname. And why I will never go out with you, regardless of how I might feel. I will never love anyone like I loved him. Now, as Erica mentioned, it's not a very pleasant memory, and I would be grateful if none of you brought it up, again," the blue canine explained as the door opened to reveal a human woman beaming back at them.
"I'm impressed, Saipia, it took you ten years to tell us Fifteen about Jack and Layta, and you're telling your team after a few..." the brunette said.
"Excuse, me Melody, but I forget, where's your little tattoo that proves to me your a member of the Halves and keeps me from knocking your teeth in every time I see you?" said Saipia, feigning ignorance.
Melody glanced around at the officers outside her door. "You're seriously going to make me show you in front of everyone, aren't you?"
"I am," Saipia said while briefly closing her eyes and when she opened them, her right eye was red and showed featured number one for a pupil.
Taking the cue, Erica raised her left and and showed the human the back of it. Quickly, her spots changed to show a "1½" "tattoo".
"Oh, so the rumors are true. You do have a Guardian. Although, I think she cheats with her little symbol," Melody replied.
Erica shook her head. "Nah. Kammy put in some fail safes. If I try to create any number other than 1 ½, then my spots disappear until she can fix it. And to be honest, I really don't like to change my spots. I've had them since I was born, and don't plan on getting rid of them any time soon."
With a groan, Melody turned around and slid down her pants to show off the little tattoo on her right butt cheek. "You know, Melody, if you don't like people looking at your ass, then why did you get your tattoo there?"
"Because, you told me to get it somewhere no one would see it," the human woman said.
Saipia shrugged as she and the other Angels slipped passed her. "Whatever. It's not like that's the most personal place someone has their tattoo. Liv, Rex, Isan, Zimi and Gjai all have theirs in places only a few will ever see. Although, with that lecherous Rex, I would rather him have his somewhere else."
Erica giggled at that. "Agreed."
"Anyway, why don't you get your husband for me. I need to ask him something," said the wolf.
Without another word, Melody opened the door to her basement and disappeared while everyone else took a seat on the various couches and chairs. "So, do all the Fifteen have nice houses like this?" Candy questioned.
Saipia shook her head. "No. Lyst lives in an low-income apartment as her only source of income is her little fortune-telling shop. Although, she does get a lot of business. Especially around Halloween. Rex doesn't even have a job and the only reason why he has his own home is because of his Guardian. Heck, Isan's the only member of her family that makes anywhere close to enough to afford that mansion she lives in. Kammy would, but she had to pay for all the crap she fixed and destroyed while staying at my place."
Again, Erica laughed, "Yeah, if your heart was still flesh and blood, you probably would have a heart-attack."
"Erica, dear, I'm seventy-six years old. If my heart wasn't a machine, I'd probably be dead by now. Especially working this job," Saipia retorted.
"And that's why you should work out with me, Saipia. I could make you strong and healthy like an ox," Boris, a wildebeest, said as he came up from the basement.
"Boris, you ARE an ox. But, you are older than I am," Saipia said.
"I'm a wildebeest," the big man retorted.
"Right," Saipia agreed quickly with a clap of her hands. "But, we really should get down to business. I am looking for someone. And before you start making jokes, I just want you to know, that my daughter's life could very well be at stake, so I am not here to mess around."
Boris and the other Angels were a little shocked at their leader's words. "Umm...You know, I'm always here to help, Saipia. Who is it that you need to find?"
"The Heart Stealer," the canine said quickly.
Boris' eyes went wide with shock. "Figures your team would be after him, but I don't know what he would have to do with..."
"Layta dumped the quarterback at he high-school prom. He didn't take it too well. He only came to school the day afterward and then he simply disappeared. 20 years of dealing with that grief, and I wouldn't put this string of murders by him. And, going over the victims, they are all canine and all of similar build to Layta," explained Erica.
Boris nodded in understanding. "Well, I can tell you that his real name is Zach Wright. I don't think I can give you anything more information than that. There have been a couple people who've talked about him, but from what I saw on the news, I didn't want to find out anything else."
Saipia swallowed her anger and stood to her feet. "Thanks, Boris. You've been a big help." And with that, she and the rest of her team left the house.
It wasn't until everyone was inside the police van that someone spoke up. "Should I call Isan or someone to watch Layta or something?" Erica asked.
All eyes were on the blue wolf in the driver's seat. "Well, we know who he's after. Perhaps, the best solution in this situation is make him come to us. I hate with all the fiber in my body to use my only daughter as bait, but I know she can take care of herself, and I also know there's going to be a small but very effective army waiting for his sorry ass. And I know that if that bastard lays one finger on Layta, I'll kill him myself."
"Perhaps you shouldn't be the one to make the arrest," Jimmy suggested.
Saipia shot him a nasty look but then took a deep breath. "You're right, Jimmy. I shouldn't. I should, however, go protect my daughter. I will let James handle this one. I would recommend waiting in the yard outside my house for him. Erica and I will be inside. We'll contact some of the Fifteen to help out, but that is all we can do."
"It is good to see you have some self control in this situation," James replied.
"It's the hardest thing in the world, my friend. But, what kind of leader would I be if I didn't take myself of a case where I clearly have a conflict of interest. Same with Erica. Layta and Erica grew up together. Erica wants to kill this guy at least as much as I do, if not more. She is my daughter. And I will defend her if I need to, but I think you guys can manage him without me. Just try not to mess up my yard too much," the canine replied as she drove towards her house.
* * *
Layta was very surprised to see her mother and Erica home from work so early, but the urgency in their steps made her not ask any questions. Erica stayed with Layta while Saipia ran up to her bedroom to change into civilian clothes. "Hey, Layta, is there a movie you want to watch?" Saipia asked as she came down the stairs.
"There's a few, but not many I want to see with my own mother. I'd watch them with Erica, though," the younger wolf replied.
"Well, I don't think your going to get much chance to watch a movie with just me. I am your mother's Guardian, after all," Erica commented as she headed to her room to change.
"She's right. And I really don't like the idea of you watching porn with Erica," the still blue canine said.
"Not all of it is porn, Mother," Layta retorted.
"I know you and I know Erica very well. I know that if there is something you won't watch with me, it's either one of Erica's stupid comedies, one of your chick flicks or porn. And since you don't like the comedies and Erica hates the chick flicks, 'cause, let's face it, she may look like a girl, but she's still pretty much a guy, and the only thing left is porn," said Saipia.
"Just because I don't like some of the stuff she likes and visa versa, doesn't mean we can't watch something that isn't porn together," Layta spat as Erica re-entered the room.
"Wait. Are you in love with Erica?" Saipia questioned while trying to read her daughter.
Layta turned away from her mother and focused her attention on Erica. "Wasn't there an anime movie you wanted to see, Erica?"
"There is. And it's one that I don't think Saipia has seen, as well," Erica answered.
Saipia smiled at the two and sighed. "You know, Layta, I really don't care if you date Erica. At least I know I can trust her to keep you safe. However, you have to remember that Erica has slept with me before."
"Yeah, I think I could live without you bringing that up every chance you get," Layta retorted.
"Hey, is anyone going to ask me what I want? At the moment, I'm not really interested in a relationship. I'm to busy keeping Saipia safe and I'm still a cop, and a serious relationship scares the crap out of me, right now," the leopard said as she took a seat on the sofa in front of the TV.
"Oh," said Layta with a slight look of disappointment on her face. "Alright. Well, it looks like I'm going to be in town from now on. I just got offered a job at a law school as a teacher. In fact, it's the same law school we all graduated from."
"That's good news. That means I'll get to see more of you," Saipia said with a smile as she and her daughter joined the feline on the couch.
Almost as soon as everyone was seated on the sofa, then their ears alerted them to a window upstairs opening. "I have really got to get my security system fixed," Saipia commented as she got up and drew her sword from it's spot inside her shoulder.
Erica stood, as well and the two police officers took up positions on either side of the stairwell. They silently listened to the footsteps as they approached the steps. Saipia had purposely made her floors and doors creak so it would be easier for her to hear intruders. However, the stench that soon hit the noses of all three Genoids on the bottom floor, would have allowed them all to track the killer if he was as silent as air.
Slowly, the killer descended the steps. As his hands came into view, Saipia noticed the dagger in his hand. Not wanting to find out what he was going to do with that dagger, Saipia promptly cut off his hands. The big bulldog paused in shock and glared for a moment at his bleeding stumps. "Did you really have to cut off his hands? Didn't you just get this carpet cleaned last week?" Erica asked her friend.
"He had a knife. It was self defe...." started Saipia.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT! I'm going to enjoy ripping out your heart, Saipia. And then I'm going to kill that bitch of a daughter of yours," the dog snapped and promptly threw himself at the now white wolf.
"Good luck with that," Saipia commented as Zach bit into Saipia's arm. "I technically don't have a heart, anymore."
Erica put a bullet in Zach's shoulder, but it didn't do anything. Saipia brought the butt of her sword down on the man's head, which finally got him to let go of her. As his teeth released their grip, her purple blood oozed from her wounds. Instantly, there damage reports tossed themselves on her eyes. "If you want to stop me, then you'll have to kill me," said Zach.
"That can certainly be arranged," Saipia replied as she took a position that put him between her and Erica.
Zach paused only for a second and glanced between the two women and the sword and gun eager for his blood. There were three choices left to him now, and two of them would result in his death. Charging, Erica first, he received a bullet in the shoulder and both knees, which didn't slow him at all. He quickly turned and tried to take another bite out of Saipia, but she blocked with her sword, and he his face greeted it. "Well, that's definitely the end of that," Erica commented as the bulldog slumped to the ground after Saipia retrieved her sword.
"Crap. To be honest, I wanted him alive. I would have rather him rot in jail then be dead," Saipia replied.
"But you're not going to cry too much over his death. Although, he is ruining your carpet," Erica commented as she and Saipia stared down at the dead body.
Saipia shrugged. "Eh. This is the original carpet, and to be honest, I've never really cared for it. This gives me a good excuse to shop for some new carpet. Which will also allow me to see if there's any damage or mold to the floor underneath."
Erica giggled at that. "Of course. You better get it changed within the next day or two before all the blood ruins the floorboards."
"I'll get a crew in tomorrow, probably. I already know what kind of floors I want," Saipia said.
"Floors? You're not just going to get more carpet?" Layta asked.
Saipia shook her head while silently contacting the rest of her team with her built in phone. "You've seen all the houses I've owned. They've all been hardwood floors. I don't like carpet. The only reason my last place had carpet was because Gjia had paid for part of the rent. Here, while she lives here, too, I own it completely. She likes carpet."
"How's your arm?" Erica asked pointing to the still "bleeding" arm.
The wolf tried to lift it, but her body refused to cooperate. "It's not functional. All the oil has pretty much bled out of it, which means I can't move it. And, apparently, Kammy installed a failsafe devise in this thing. It's telling me it's going to shut down everything unless I get rid of the arm. Apparently, Zach's lack of personal hygiene was enough to give him some pretty nasty saliva." Without a second thought, Saipia took hold of her broken arm and removed it from her body while telling the rest of her body to reject and turning off her pain receptors.
Saipia set the arm on her coffee table just as the door to her house opened and the rest of the Angels entered. "Well, it sounds like you got your wish," Jack half spat.
The white canine growled at the hyena, but it was Layta who spoke up first. "And just what crawled in your pants and died. Mom has explained why she doesn't want to date you, and you're still acting like Zach used to. You need to grow up, Evan, before your do something just as stupid as Zach and end up exactly like him. You know Mom wouldn't kill someone on purpose unless she absolutely had to, and I can tell, you, this wasn't on purpose."
"Mom? Damn, it figures Saipia would have such a..." the hyena started.
"Evan, if I won't date you, what makes you think I'm going to let you date my daughter. And besides, she already has her eyes set on someone else," Saipia remarked and looked towards Erica and Layta. "Someone who would be perfect for her and someone who I would trust not only with my life, but my daughter's life, as well."
"Don't look at me with those mothering eyes. It'll be a while before I date your daughter," Erica replied.
"I find it a bit interesting that while we were in high school and college, you were begging me to go out with you, and now, when I'm doing the begging you're more defensive than I was," Layta commented.
"I've grown up since then. And I've been hanging out with your mother a lot since you left for New York to be a lawyer," Erica explained.
"So, you're afraid of my mother? But she just gave you her blessing," Layta laughed.
"I don't know. I'd be afraid of Saipia, too," James said.
"Oh, bite me. I'm not that scary," Saipia defended.
"I think you should ask Kammy about that one. She left and hasn't even called," Erica corrected drawing a laugh from the other Angels.
* * *
The next day, as Saipia sat calmly at her desk filling out the report with her one good arm with a pair of classes perched on her nose, there was a knock at her door. Quickly she removed her glasses and tried to hide them from view. "Come in."
As the door opened, the chief slipped in, and Saipia heaved a sigh of relief and replaced the glasses on her nose. "That is the only time you actually look your age," said the chief.
"I know. And there are lot of people who will never know that I wear glasses for reading and working at the computer," Saipia replied.
"But don't you have a prosthetic body?" the balding man asked.
Saipia nodded silently. "You have to remember that prosthetic brain I have, is based off of my real brain and every little part of my body is based of a real life counterpart. Thus, I still have my little astigmatism. Granted, I could probably ask Kammy to fix it, but I rather like it. And I suspect that even if she did, I'd still wear my glasses from time to time."
"Right. Anyway, I heard you killed that serial killer," Chief Anderton said.
"I didn't mean to. I blocked with my sword and he ran his face into my sword," Saipia replied as she continued to work on her report.
Anderton nodded. "That's what Erica and Layta both said. I trust you, Saipia, I really do. You're by far, my best officer. Hell, you even took yourself AND Erica off a case when you knew Layta was in trouble, which caused you conflict of interest. I commend you on that."
"However..." Saipia encouraged.
"However, Erica mentioned that Layta used to be a lawyer for a while," said the chief.
"Not my lawyer. I asked her when I found out and she refused, stating that it would be a conflict of interest. But she did point me in the direction of a damn good lawyer which I've had ever since," Saipia assured.
"Okay. But, now she's a teacher at the same law school you went to. And she's interested in dating Erica. Are you sure she's not going to be an issue. I mean, it has been a long time since you've seen her," asked the chief.
Saipia leaned back in her chair while removing her glasses. As she nibbled on the end of them she thought about her daughter and all the wonderful memories she had of her. "If you were to ask Erica, I'm sure she would have her doubts. I do love my daughter more than anyone else. She is the only evidence I have that I was once so in love with someone to have their child. But, I don't suspect I'll see her that much. It shouldn't be a problem. If you look at my file, you'll see that she wasn't when she was a pup."
"Actually, I did check your file and you did take a lot more vacations back then," said the chief.
"Yeah, I did. I used to take her birthday and holidays off. She was my little angel. But know, she's in her mid twenties and I'm old enough to be her grandmother," Saipia commented.
"That's true. But just remember your duty as a cop," said the chief as he turned to leave.
"Family always comes first, chief. You should know that about me by now. It's weird. I've been fired a couple times because of that," Saipia responded.
"So I heard. But, I admire that quality in you," said the chief.
"As did my first chief. In fact, she's the one that taught it to me and told me to never do anything differently," Saipa called.
Before she could close the door or hide her glasses, Isan slipped into her office with her new arm. "Whoa! You look like a grandmother with those glasses," said the lioness.
Saipia sighed, removing her glasses. "What do you want, Isan. I'm an old lady with very little patients for your little games."
"Speaking of having little patients, what in the world did you say to Kammy? She's terrified of you. Made me come down and give you this arm. I've never known her to be that afraid of anyone," Isan scolded.
"She tore up my house and destroyed a bunch of my uniforms. And she left a screwdriver in my body which caused a lot of malfunctions, including one that almost killed one of the new recruits," Saipia spat in return.
"She was trying to help, Saipia. I don't like you scaring her like you did. She did put everything back the way she left it and she even bought you new uniforms to replace the one's she destroyed and she's even been able to get your cars back to you," Isan defended as she sat on the edge of the wolf's desk.
"Oh, she did, did she? Well, you can thank her for me and apologize for my temper. It wasn't a very good day, and I shouldn't have...she reminds me of when Layta was little. She was such a trouble maker. It seems ironic she became a lawyer," Saipia replied.
The feline smiled at the memories. "Yeah. But Layta always reminded me of you before you got turned. It is because of Layta that I have so much patients with Kammy. You know, before she became a Genoid, Kammy wasn't anywhere near as troublesome. She was always shy and well behaved. But, I guess we've all changed, haven't we?"
Saipia nodded. "Yeah. You couldn't toast bread as a human. Now you have your own cooking show and a mansion to show how awesome you are in the kitchen."
Isan laughed. "This is very true. Anyway, I invited Layta to dinner tonight at my house. If you, Gjai and Erica want to join us, you're more than welcome to. And I'm cooking, as always."
"Sounds good. We'll be there," the wolf agreed as she removed her jacket so she could attach her new arm.
