“So what’s the procedure?” Lacey held her tablet, ready to make notes.
“Basically, your doctor Reaper will hold the vial, open to the air, when he begins his astral journey. When his spirit leaves his body, the nanites should attach to his energy, to be carried into the plane with him. Once he touches the soul or umbilical of the vic, the nanites should follow it in the same way.”
“Doctor?” Lacey looked at Jaidon.
“I’ve not had a chance to look at the science of it, and I’ve not studied nanites in depth. But it sounds plausible to me.”
“What about tracking them?” She demanded of Linus.
“They’ll be sending out real-time GPS. You won’t lose them.”
“Good. Where are we as far as communications?”
“If I may?” Jaidon spoke up. Lacey nodded. “Marcell and I discussed this. I believe it will be possible to configure an EEG machine to pick up on the Reaper’s thought processes. It may not give him full range of speech, but certainly we can get yes or no responses at the least. Possibly a short code worked out beforehand?”
“Will we have time to test it?”
“Not likely.” The expert in Immortal Studies looked down at his tablet.
“Danger to Doctor Matthews?”
“No more than to any other human getting a brain scan.”
Lacey nodded. “I’ll take what I can get. Are we ready? Doctor Ingold, we can drop you off wherever you’d like.”
“You’re going back to the hospital?”
“Yes. We’ll put the nanites into Doctor Matthews’ hands for safekeeping, and find out when it’s a good time to try again. Marcell said he’s refused to sedate the victim again today.”
“Perfect. I am planning to stay with Marcell rather than at a hotel, so I’ll go along with you.”
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
The screaming voices in his head now never stopped. Xiong couldn’t eat, he couldn’t sleep, and he most certainly couldn’t Reap. His body trembled constantly. The voices created a din of confusion, and he couldn’t even think coherent thoughts. He was feverish and his skin was clammy with cold sweats. His head pounded. He even called in sick for work the next day, something he had never done before.
Random thoughts flickered in and out of his mind, like wisps of clouds on the brain. Sometimes, he thought about the early days, when Ling was teaching him, and everything was perfect.
Other times, he thought about growing up, the child of a drug abuser who abandoned him more often than not, disappearing for days at a time and leaving behind a 6-year-old son to fend for himself. Xiong was forced to eat macaroni and cheese until he could stomach it no more. But it was the one thing he knew how to make, and usually, the best thing available in whatever smelly, rotten apartment they found themselves in. It wasn’t until his mother was arrested when he was eight that Protective Services had any idea of his existence, and it was the first time he attended school.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
One night, lying in bed with Ling, he told her the story of his sordid childhood. She listened with rapt attention, stroking his hair in comfort.
“And look at what you’ve accomplished now.” Her tone was tender. “You found yourself, in education, when so many others couldn’t. You should be proud.”
“It is what it is.” He said it as if unimpressed.
“Do you know what happened to your mother?” Ling’s question was soft.
“I don’t know, nor do I care. She abandoned me a long time ago, even before the authorities found me. She means nothing to me.”
“What about your father?” Ling rolled onto her back, looking up at the ceiling, dimly lit by the flickering candles.
“Probably some jerk she fucked in exchange for drugs. Or maybe she was a prostitute, who knows? Anybody that would associate with her wouldn’t give a rat’s ass about anyone but themselves.”
If Ling was disturbed at his callous attitude, it didn’t show. “You poor child.” She sighed.
“I am not a child.” He jumped out of bed, yelling. “And I sure as hell don’t want or need your pity!”
She looked stunned at his sudden outburst. “That’s not how I meant it, and you know it.”
His body vibrated with fury, but her soft voice pushed aside the tendrils of rage. She sat up, cupping the sheets to her ample breasts with one arm, reaching out to him with the other. Xiong sat back on the bed, facing away from her, and felt his arousal begin when she pressed herself to his back, her bare skin feeling hot against his. Her long black hair fell over his shoulder, and she kissed his neck.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Xiong hurled the glass in his hand as hard as he could. Liquid flew, and the glass exploded on impact with the wall, shards raining down in a tinkle of sound. His body rebelled; at the memory of Ling, he experienced an instant erection, adding to his frustration. His thoughts bounced between his childhood and his time with Ling, and he felt an even greater desire to steal another soul. If only I can get just one more. One more, and everything will be okay. It will be perfect again.
He stood, feeling ashamed at his outburst. Xiong took a small broom and dustpan from under the kitchen sink, and swept up the debris from his glass. He put these into the trash can, then mopped up the water left on the floor, and still dripping from the wall. He must find another soul. He knew, if he didn’t, his life would be over.
21
Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it. ~~Helen Keller
They were ready to try again. Niall informed them Cherri slept well overnight, and they were both prepared for another attempt to track the unsub. Lacey joined Colton, Kazz, Marcell, Jaidon, and Niall in Cherri’s room, and wondered if there were too many people in the small room. Jaidon and Marcell were hooking various wires to sticky tabs placed on Niall’s head, and Kazz was chatting with Cherri about one of the hottest reality shows on TV. Colton stood by the door, thumbs hooked in the pockets of his jeans, a scowl on his face.
She stepped closer to her partner and lowered her voice. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for all of us to be here. Niall might have trouble concentrating. Perhaps you and Kazz should go sit with Linus as he tracks the nanites. You could keep communication open with me.”
“Sounds okay to me.” Colton grumbled. “I don’t really want to be here, anyway.”
Since everyone met at the hospital that morning, she knew Colton had his truck and could get himself and Kazz to the lab. She still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of him driving her beloved car. He probably wasn’t too keen on the idea, either. Then again, it would probably be much safer with him driving it, since he drives like an old man. Lacey cleared her throat and called to Kazz.
“What’s up, Lieutenant?” Kazz sounded as enthusiastic as ever.
“I’m going to have you and Colton clear out, go over to the lab and monitor with Linus. How’s the vic’s state of mind?”
“Well, she’s very troubled about her soul, you know. But, I would be too, if I were in her place. On the other hand, she knows we’re doing everything we can to help her, and she’s optimistic.”
“Good. Go on over to the lab with Colton now, and keep in touch.”
“Come on.” He motioned to Kazz and turned for the door. “Good luck, Little Sister.”
After the door closed behind them, Lacey murmured, “Thanks, Big Brother.”
Marcell turned to her. “I think we’re almost ready.”
“I’ve sent Colton and Kazz to the lab to monitor with Linus.” He looked at her in surprise. She shrugged. “I thought there were too many bodies in here, and it might be distracting.”
“Quite right. So, we’re testing the EEG, and it seems that if Niall can keep his focus, he’ll be able to communicate using simple sentences. The machine will translate his thoughts onto the screen, we’ll read it as text.”
“How accurate is it?” She asked.
“A little more accurate than text-to
-speech on your phone is.” Marcell gave her a smile. “But a lot depends on how coherent Niall can keep his thoughts.” A small shiver passed through her, though she tried to hide it. “What’s wrong?”
With a sigh, she admitted, “I absolutely can’t stand this waiting. How much damage is he continuing to do while we fucking sit here and chase our tails?”
“We’re doing all we can, and we’re moving as fast as we can.”
“I know that.” She softened her voice in apology. “But I’ll feel much better when we can start looking for this bastard!”
“I think, soon, your waiting will be over.”
Niall called to Marcell. “I think I’m ready.”
“Is the machine set to record, in case we miss something?” Lacey asked.
“Yes, it is.” Niall’s voice was sober.
Had the situation not been so serious, Lacey might have laughed. Niall’s dark hair was hidden from view by a bonnet of sorts, and pale face were covered with electrodes, wires streaming out behind him to a machine on wheels. Cherri was tucked into bed, a soft blanket wrapped around her. Niall held a small syringe containing the sleeping medication, and Jaidon held the vial of nanites. Niall administered the drug through a vein in Cherri’s arm, then reached for the vial Jaidon handed him. Niall pulled the stopper from the vial but immediately plugged the hole with his thumb.
“We’re ready now, Cherri.” Marcell spoke softly to the young woman. He lowered the head of her bed. “Just relax now, and try not to be afraid. You’ll start to feel sleepy in a few minutes.”
Already her eyelids were drooping. “I trust you.” Her voice was a whisper. Marcell stepped back toward the door. Jaidon followed, and the three Vampires stood watch in the dimly lit room.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Niall did his best to relax, though the wired electrodes wouldn’t make it easy. The sleeping drug worked fast; Cherri’s eyes were already closed, her body soft in sleep. He watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest, until her eyes started to move. He drew in a deep breath, and stepped out of his physical body.
Glancing down, he saw that the vial of nanites did, indeed, cross into the astral plane with him, and it didn’t have the odd look of things in the room still on the physical plane. The vial looked as clear and sharp in focus as his own astral body did. I hope that’s a good sign, he thought. Going to the young woman on the bed, he saw the tiny, spider web-like filament of her astral umbilical. He tipped the vial of nanites, spilling them out on the tether. He couldn’t see them, of course, but he hoped they were where they needed to be. Niall gathered his thoughts carefully.
Nanites delivered.
He had no way of knowing if his message got through to the EEG machine, since they didn’t have time to adequately test it beforehand. Time was running out, and he felt it as acutely as anyone else on the team. He thought about trying to follow Cherri’s umbilical, in case the nanites didn’t work or the lab was unable to track them. But the strand was so faint, it was almost impossible to see it once it cleared several feet from her physical body. He was so troubled he formed another thought to the trio watching.
She’s running out of time.
He soared toward the ceiling, wondering if the girl’s tether would be more visible if he got away from the other people in the room. For a moment, Niall was amused as he took a glance at the shining, silvery orb that was Lacey’s spirit. He remembered a conversation in which she doubted she still had a soul, and he wondered if he should tell her. But before he could move away from the four people in the hospital room, he heard a faint voice calling to him.
He was confused; he’d never before encountered anyone, other than his trainer, in the astral plane, and he had no idea who was calling to him. It was an entirely new thing for him. If he was still in his physical body, he imagined the hairs on the back of his neck would be standing on end.
Tentatively, he mustered a reply. Niall still had no idea who he was talking to.
The voice sounded stronger, possibly like it was getting closer to him. Not knowing how long he was going to be in the astral plane, he sent another message to Marcell and the team.
Met someone here. Someone needs to talk. Not sure who. But I’m safe.
He hoped his message got through.
Her mental voice was sad.
Niall was shocked.
With a sound that roared in his ears, Niall found himself back in his body. A headache started pounding at his temples, and he felt a little nauseated. He took several deep breaths as Marcell and Jaidon rushed to his side. They unhooked the electrodes from his head, and Lacey handed him a cup of water.
“Thanks.” His voice was barely audible.
“Are you okay?” Marcell’s tone was laced with concern.
“I think so.” He took another deep breath, and a gulp of water from the cup. “We may not need the nanites, though I hope they functioned as they were supposed to.” His eyes met Lacey’s. “I may have a name.”
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
“A name?” Lacey demanded. “What name?”
“Su Xiong.” Niall sounded tired. “That’s the name he was using when he was trained. I have no idea if he’s
using it now. But it might be a starting point.”
Lacey whipped out her tablet and sent a text message to Colton’s phone. Then, she called the lab, directing the call to the big screen in the room.
“What have you got?” She asked with no preamble when Linus answered.
“Hello to you, too,” Linus said with a hint of a smile. “The nanites are doing their work. But it’s a little muddled. My computer is still compiling the data. It looks like I might be able to narrow it down to a couple square blocks. That may be the best we can do.”
“Colton?” Lacey knew he could hear her. “Did you get the text?”
“Yeah, what do you want me to do with it?”
“Look it up, see if you can trace it. This may be the name he’s using now, but it may not. See if you can find anything.”
“He trained at Mt. Fuji in Japan.” Niall offered new information. “I don’t know if that helps.”
“Did you hear that, Colton?”
“Mt. Fuji, got it. Kazz and I will start looking, though I’m not sure how much good it will do.”
“Might as well do something, while waiting for the nanite data.”
“Got it.”
Lacey set the tablet to record, and looked at Niall. “Tell me everything that happened.”
An hour later, Lacey had recorded the entire story as Niall explained it. She knew the team was in this thing far too deep now, and she knew they needed a different perspective. Throwing in the towel, she called Joe Pratt.
The ADA answered his phone on the third ring. “Pratt.”
“Joe, it’s Lacey. Mind if I put you on screen? We’ve got something urgent we need to discuss.”
“No problem. This is about your case?” Joe was all business.
Lacey connected the big screen with her tablet, and Joe’s face appeared on the screen. In his hands he held a gold pen. “Joe, I’m at a loss here. So maybe you can offer an opinion. Niall?”
The Reaper repeated his story for the young attorney. Joe listened in silent attention until Niall spoke of Ling.
Souls of the Reaper Page 21