by S. M. Savoy
Charlie’s wristcomp chimed and Stasia overrode his controls when he didn’t answer immediately, appearing before him in a three-dimensional image. She looked furious and the room she stood in was ransacked.
“He isn’t fucking here! We’re too late. I sent a team to his house and his plane and no one knows where he went!”
Charlie yanked at the chain and glared at the major who back-peddled away, holding out his hands.
“Did you search—”
Stasia interrupted the major. “Of course, I did! I found nothing!”
“He has other homes. Search them. This is a solid lead—”
“One you let get away!” Charlie yelled, so angry he was hyperventilating. He yanked again, and the chain ripped from the stasis unit, knocking it to the floor.
“I know and I’m sorry. But I really did think Stasia would get better results.
Charlie absently rubbed his wrist as he considered. He knew Nelson was telling the truth. His magic was darting around him. His momentary hope had energized it and it flitted wildly about the room.
Nelson grimaced but didn’t try to run or go for the gun on his belt.
Charlie said, “If you ever shoot me again, for any damned reason, I’ll kill you.”
Nelson sighed and shook his head. “Look, it isn’t personal. I’m trying to help. How would it help Sara if you’re in jail? Or did you intend to break out? Jesus, Charlie, think about this logically. If Tomas killed her, we’ll find her body, but beating him to death isn’t the answer. It won’t bring her back.”
“Maybe it will. Maybe we could resurrect her.”
Nelson shook his head, and Charlie turned away. He knew it was a slim hope, but it was all he had. If they could find their bodies before they decayed too badly, maybe with all of them casting resurrection it would be enough.
“We have to find them.”
“We’re trying,” Nelson said as he slapped his shoulder.
“I’m going to talk to Liniar myself,” Stasia said.
Charlie glanced at his HUD. All the Scouts had joined the channel while he and the major were arguing.
Nelson said, “Joy should go. She can keep a cool head.”
“I’m going,” Charlie said flatly.
“No, you’re not. I’m not kidding. That’s an order, Charlie, and if you won’t follow it, I’ll have you dismissed from the service. There’s no point in your going. What can you do except intimidate him? Your anger is a liability here. This isn’t a fight; its surveillance.”
“I’m going,” Hawk said. “The major is right. Lee, Joy, and I will go. And not just to him. We’ll recheck Tachimori and Nguyen too. If Tomas has contacts here, let them think you’ve given up and maybe they’ll grow careless. If he did force them to tell our secret, he’ll be prepared for rogues, but he can’t be prepared for me and my Hidden Nature. I can spy using the animals. The mice and the birds will be my eyes and ears, and the minute we have a lead, Joy and I will question him, forcefully if we have too.”
“Look, Chief, Stasia and I will go,” Joy said firmly. “We’ll find out everything there is to know. You stay here.
“I’ll be with them,” Nelson said cajolingly. “We’ll call when we find anything. It’ll be easier for Hawk and Joy to sneak into Vietnam and China than the group of you. Go do your duty. That’s an order. Stasia, you stay here to oversee the search. Talk to all of his acquaintances and find out if Tomas made any other undocumented trips.” He turned to Charlie as he said, “Now that we know Tomas was involved, we’ll question everyone again. I’d really believed he was innocent. His own daughter….” He trailed off, looking grim, and Charlie sagged.
He found it hard to believe too and he’d known Tomas had no love for Sara. He’d believed the man when he first questioned him and might even have been persuaded to believe him now despite the huge coincidence of his visit and her death if he hadn’t run. He wanted to rip Tomas apart with his bare hands, but the major was right— violence would get them nothing.
“Find them, Hawk,” he said as commandingly as he could.
Hawk saluted, his eyes shining so brightly they cast shadows on his face.
* * *
Lee started searching for their dead bodies as soon as she recovered. She traveled the world looking while the rangers and rogues searched.
Charlie reported to the Truman and did his duty efficiently and quietly. He oversaw the placement of the light-shield emitters and holographic projectors, knowing they wouldn’t be used. Without Sara and Oz it would take years to write the programing and iron out the kinks.
“It’s been a month,” Captain Williams said as he examined the schematics Charlie handed him. “When will they go online?”
“When Sara and Oz are retrieved, they can come do the tests.” Rage boiled up and he tamped it down with ruthless efficiency. “This is an untested system, and I’m not qualified to test it.” Charlie’s hands shook with fury, knowing that would never happen. He pushed the rage back with practiced ease now. The magic remained beneath his skin, a burning sensation he’d become all too familiar with. Soon. Soon they would find who’d done this and all those involved would pay. He’d kill them all himself, then join her. He lived now for revenge and the slim hope that her body would be found, and she could be resurrected.
“Right.” Captain Williams cleared his throat. “Dismissed,” he said softly.
* * *
The more time that passed the more desperate Charlie’s hope became. Joy had only been dead for days and it had almost killed Sara to resurrect her, but he refused to give up the hope, it was all he had. He returned to his bunk to reread the reports for the hundredth time.
Stasia had joined Joy and the two rogues traveled from Vietnam to China, from China to Florida, from Florida to Vietnam again.
Gina’s call was a welcome distraction and his damn heart leaped with hope.
“Yes?”
“I’m worried. Hawk is losing too much weight. He’s using too much energy.”
“Get him energy bars,” Charlie said impatiently.
She glared at him so hotly he could practically feel heat emanating from her holographic image.
“Don’t be stupid. Of course, I’m giving him energy bars.”
“Shut up!” Hawk barked, and Charlie winced at his scratchy voice.
“Take a break, Hawk.”
“No.”
Hawk sat in the dirt beneath a towering pine with his eyes closed, flicking his fingers as he directed a horde of lesser animals.
Charlie bit his lip. “I love you too, Hawk. Take a break.”
“Send them back to China. Wait, there’s a man here, a doctor…” Hawk leaned forward, cocking his head and scrunching his face, his head swaying slightly as if he read although his eyes remained closed.
“Back up,” he murmured and twitched his fingers again. Gina knelt beside him, her anxious gaze flicking from her wristcomp to Hawk.
“Get him into the sun,” Charlie said.
“Sam is searching for a safe sunny spot for him. There aren’t many spots close enough. Mr. Nguyen hardly ever leaves his offices—”
She snapped her mouth closed when Hawk gestured impatiently.
Hawk said, “He’s involved with her father. They want the skeins.” Hawk frowned as he flicked his fingers.
Charlie recognized the spells, but they made no sense. Hawk was sending an animal back and forth and left and right so fast it was hard to make out the patterns and he wondered if Hawk were just stretching his fingers.
“Liniar and he are bargaining with Tomas.”
A mouse crept into the clearing and dropped a scrap of paper at Gina’s feet. She reached for it as three more crept in. Within seconds the small clearing was teeming, each rodent bringing a scrap of shredded paper.
“Holy crap,” Charlie whispered, stunned over the amount of animals Hawk was bending to his will at once.
Gina gathered t
he papers, and Hawk slumped as the mice scampered away, opening his eyes and rubbing his shoulders. She immediately offered him a water bottle and granola bar. He waved both away.
“I’ve sent One and Two into the filing cabinet. It’ll take them a little while to chew through. Six and Ten are dead, and I released four, five, and eight. I need a bird or two and a racoon. Wake me in an hour.” He shook Gina’s shoulder hard. “An hour, Gina. He’ll be done eating by then and this is our first solid hit. We can’t afford to miss anything he says.
Gina nodded. Hawk released her and spoke to Charlie. “The man I sent Stasia to saw them. He was there in Anchorage. We’ll find them, Chief.”
“How are you controlling so many?”
“I’m not. I’m switching quickly. I can only control ten lesser animals at once.”
There had to be fifty mice there…”
Yeah, it’s a pain in the ass to make them go back and pick up the pieces, which is why I need a racoon.”
Can’t you use some ferrets or something?”
“I am. Look, we can talk about this later. I’m exhausted and I can sleep while they work. Every second counts.”
Hawk’s eyes were bleak, and Charlie knew his hope for a successful resurrection was waning.
“Sorry. Sure. It’s just I’m worried about you too.”
“Well don’t be. I’m fine. I’ll have all the information from the files within a few hours and then Mr. Nguyen and me are going to speak face-to-face.”
“I wish I was with you.”
It’s good you’re not. I can concentrate better without you looming over me, and Nguyen told Liniar that Tomas was a fool for running when you were powerless to hurt him. They’re discussing his return. Let that bastard think you believe him or are cowed by his wealth. The second he shows himself, we’ll get him.”
“Let it be soon,” Charlie said prayerfully and disconnected the call.
Stasia called him four hours later in hysterics. Joy and Nelson yelled at her to hang up in the background. “Tell Lee to search for them, not their bodies,” she said through gasping sobs.
The background grew quiet. “Major Nelson didn’t want me to call. He says it’s false hope, but, Charlie, they could be alive.”
“Stasia...” Charlie’s voice trembled.
“They ripped out the m-nerves in their hands. Charlie, if they did that and then moved them again, the magic would be free wouldn’t it?”
“God, I don’t know? How do you know what they did?”
“We have one of the doctors who did it. He doesn’t know what he removed. I mean, he doesn’t realize it was magic. He thought it was a bioweapon. Her father was definitely involved, oh god.” She started to cry again and sobbed incoherently for a minute, gasping and trying to talk.
The major got on the line. “We have more leads to follow up here. As you can see, the girls are very upset. I’ve sent for Rick and Drew. The rogues collected quite a lot of paperwork that I still need to go through while they return to the search.”
Joy yelled, “Don’t tell him,” in the background as Stasia cried.
“Don’t tell me what?” Charlie’s hands were shaking and his palms sweating.
“The details, there’s no need. Charlie stay there. That’s an order!”
Nelson hung up. Charlie couldn’t catch his breath. Hope burned like a flame fed with his rage. He called Lee. “Search for them, not their bodies— them! Go to Vietnam and China and do all provinces. If you find them, call immediately. Take three Scouts and keep a warrior in the zone.”
He hung up and called Hawk. “Nguyen can’t know we’re onto him. If they’re still alive—”
“Alive?” Hawk gasped and his eyes brightened.
“Stasia found a lead. That doctor removed their m-nerves. And maybe she’s right and it was enough to keep their magic from regenerating. God, Hawk… I need it to be true!”
Hawk said, “And if they are and we tip our hand…” He trailed off and nodded grimly. “Did Stasia kill him?”
“I didn’t think to ask. I sent Lee to you. She’s been searching for their corpses.” Anger at himself for not having more hope, for not insisting she search for them, washed over him in a hot wave, making his voice tremble. “She’ll be searching for both now. Whether they’re alive or dead, if they’re in China, she’ll find them.”
“If they removed their m-nerves—”
“Yes. They must know.” His throat felt tight. “They’d keep her in the dark so she doesn’t regenerate.”
“It’s been weeks.” Hawk snapped his mouth closed and his grim expression deepened.
“I don’t know if she’s alive or dead. How can I not know? Wouldn’t I know it? How could she be gone so completely and yet I still have hope?”
“Her fucking father,” Hawk muttered. “Liniar is practically stealing his businesses. Tomas will have to show soon or he’ll lose everything. And I don’t get it. His businesses won’t be hit that hard by the new engines. Why would he subject his own daughter to that?”
“Tomas’s business is weapons and he must see how powerful she is and want it for himself. Why else hire a doctor? He must be trying to figure out the magic. He needs a heal.” Charlie laughed bitterly. “God, it must be killing him to know she could heal him if she loved him.” His thoughts raced and hot and cold waves traveled him. “Tomas isn’t trained in medicine. There must be more doctors.”
“And I’ll find them. I need to talk to my sister.”
“She’s pretty upset. The major sent for Rick and Drew. God, it’s killing me. I want to go to her and you.”
“No. Stay there. I’ll talk to Amy and get her to write another program, but it’s going to take her a few days at least.”
Has Toric spotted anyone?”
“No but he reports the holograms are completely believable. If anyone is watching, they’ll believe Stasia is at your parents with Rick.”
“If he went to her…”
Hawk shrugged. It won’t be as realistic without a real person manipulating the environment, but your parents can interact with the projections, and I’m sure Amy could make a quick one so Rick appears to be inside, but no one is going to worry about the warriors just the rogues. And Amy has them covered. She’s a brilliant programmer with an artist’s eye for detail. I thought myself the images of Joy yelling at Captain Sanders were real.”
“And you?’
“I’m in the woods sulking. Tank is there and making me look real. He’s sensed no one except one lone hiker, and Glenn has set a team on him, but I think he really was a hiker. He hasn’t been back. No one cares where I am.”
“I care. And not just because we couldn’t find them without you.”
“It’ll take me a day to be sure One and Two are sure of their tasks. I’ll set them to watch Nguyen and they’ll call me if he mentions either of their names.”
“Call you? You’ll be out of the zone.
“It’s not that hard to teach a mouse to hit a button.”
Hawk disconnected.
- 18 -
Horrified
Joy held Stasia while she cried in a shabby hotel room in Vietnam. Major Nelson paced around the room, his face tight. “Take a sedative— that’s an order. I’ll go through the papers while you sleep, or at least rest.”
Nelson was sitting at the small desk staring thoughtfully into space when they returned in the morning. “Rick and Drew are on the way here.” He indicated a pile of papers. “I have work to do. You two take a break. I think we go to China next, but I want to think about this first.”
Later that night Rick came into the room followed by Drew. Tear streaked and pale, Joy and Stasia greeted them with hugs.
Their magic collided with enough force to make the windows rattle. Rick glanced uneasily at Drew as Stasia grabbed him and began sobbing.
“Jesus, what happened?”
Unable to answer through her sobs, Stasia shook in
his arms. Rick pulled Joy away from Drew and surrounded her in his magic. “Their horrified, literally sick with horror. The magic is terrified,” Rick said, sounding sick himself. “What happened?” Dread laced Rick’s voice.
Joy shook her head. “It’s better if you don’t know.”
“We’ll share this burden. What happened?”
“We found a doctor and he had video and pictures,” Joy said slowly.
Stasia pushed away to run to the bathroom and vomit.
Drew took Joy from Rick and smoothed her hair as he pulled her close. Joy winced and licked her lips. “I can’t, I’m sorry I want to forget.” She turned her face into Drew’s shoulder and cried quietly.
“Where is it?” Rick asked.
When she didn’t answer, he searched the room. Joy hugged Stasia and both cried. Rick slammed from the room and pounded on the major’s door.
“What’s going on!” he snapped.
Nelson glanced at his television and Rick pushed past him.
“Excuse us, sir,” Drew murmured.
Nelson snorted but didn’t try to stop them.
The picture on the screen showed Sara in a brightly lit room with a glass window that looked into an adjoining room. A man grabbed her by her manacled hands and tugged her closer to the glass. When she tried to turn away, he slapped her and yanked her hard by the metal collar she wore.
The glass was tinted, obviously one-way glass. Oz lay unconscious on a table in a much smaller darker room in front of her, wearing the same bulky manacles on his neck and ankle. A Vietnamese man was in the room with him cutting open his hands while Sara yelled for them to stop. Blue clouds of magic gusted about her. The man in the room with her handed her a paper.
“We know you tried to give him a weapon built into his hand, and you’ve been experimenting on yourself as well. We want you to remove the weapon or we will.” He spoke heavily accented but understandable English.
Sara said, “I can’t remove it. It’s part of his DNA now and will grow back. It doesn’t work well. He isn’t a danger. It isn’t a weapon, it’s a cure.” Tears streamed down her face.