by S T Branton
I put nothing past him. After the whole Shapeshifter situation came to light, I was even more on guard. Hobbes could have hidden his minions anywhere and waited for us to stumble across them, like the Easter egg hunt from hell.
Getting Pip to stay behind and be part of the nerve center wasn’t the smoothest aspect of leaving. She wanted to come with us and prove she could be valuable to the group. She even cited the fighting techniques I taught her in the alley beside the hotel and said she was completely prepared to take on anybody who might come her way.
She had a crazy idea that involved scaling the scaffolding on the other side of the building that was shockingly well-thought-out, but for now, this was what I felt was best for her and the mission at hand.
I did my best to tell her she was woefully unprepared for actual combat if it came down to it without using hurtful words, but subtlety wasn’t the lizard girl’s strong point. She kept insisting she come along, saying Dog was plenty of protection for Ally and we could use extra hands.
And an extra tail. Not happening. Especially with Archie in possession of the rune that was the only thing making Pip blend in as much as she ever did. There was no way we would bring her along with us into a crowd of thousands of unsuspecting humans. There was already enough potential for them to deal with some serious, life-altering stuff in the near future. We didn’t need to add a tiny Godzilla sighting to it.
I’d handed her the axe I took from Bentham and Thrash and told her it was her special job to protect the van. It made us leaving a little easier for her, Ally be damned. Nobody would get near that van without getting chopped between the eyes.
“Well, behave yourself. Unless you see Hobbes. Then don’t,” I told her. “I’ll check in with you later.”
Cabot and I made our way further into the crowd, inching our way toward the building. We got an assortment of strange looks I’d expected, but I hadn’t prepared for the several layers of security we had to get through. We successfully snuck around the first few guards we encountered, but finally ended up stopped before reaching the door.
“No admittance,” the guard grunted.
“We need to get in there,” I told him.
He shook his head. “No one goes in there without authorization. Strict policy.”
“We have authorization. We are definitely authorized,” I insisted.
“Who are you?” he demanded.
“Caterers,” I replied after a few stumbling seconds. “We received a specific request and are here to make an emergency batch of profiteroles.”
He stared at me for several seconds but must have heard Archie’s rambling earlier, because he stepped aside and let us through.
“What the hell kind of excuse was that?” Cabot asked when we were far enough away the guard wouldn’t hear us.
“Archie trying to talk about them made me hungry, and I can’t stop thinking about them. We need to make some. I’m sure cream puffs exist in England. Right?”
“I’m pretty sure they do,” she confirmed.
But the next guard we encountered wasn’t sure about anything. He stayed absolutely still in front of the door, his arms crossed over his broad chest like he was channeling his lifelong dream to be a bouncer.
“We need to pass through,” I told him. “Urgent pastry situation.”
“No one passes.” He held out an arm, so I bounced off it when I tried to walk by.
“All right, Gandalf,” I muttered. “No need to get all upset, but we need to get in.”
“Is there a problem here?” Another security guard walked up and eyed both of us. Playing an incognito pastry chef wouldn’t get us out of this one. A second later, Cabot flung off her hat and glared at them.
“Yes, there is. The problem here is that I’m expected at the summit and you people are too busy flexing your muscles to make sure I get inside safely. Do you realize I’m standing out here in the open?” she said angrily.
“Um,” one guard started. “I… Um…”
He looked at the other, obviously confused.
“Senator Cabot, I’m so sorry. I thought you were already inside. I didn’t realize it was you.” He fell all over himself while trying to save face.
“Clearly. Because if you did, you would know how much danger it could put me in to force me to remove my cover this way. Do you realize the kinds of people who exist in this world today?” she demanded.
“I’m so sorry,” the first guard apologized. “We would never intentionally endanger you. Please, go right in. Do you need anything else? Can we escort you to the main room?”
A hint of panic jumped up inside me. We definitely didn’t need our new friends coming with us through the summit. If we ran into carbon copy, Cabot edition, this would get awkward really fast.
“No. I think you’ve done quite enough,” she dismissed.
The guards opened the door, and we hurried inside.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“That was damn impressive,” I complimented Cabot as we hurried down a hallway.
“Yeah, well, one of those things you learn when you’re a representative is how to get your way when you need to. You have to know how to talk to people,” she advised.
“According to the widely respected and accepted oral traditions of the Appalachian people, ‘the green grass grew all around, all around, the green grass grew all around that hole.’ Now, as I understand it, there was also a tree in that hole. So, does that preclude it from being a hole? When does a hole being filled with something else stop being a hole and become the ground?”
I’d been so wrapped up in trying to get into the building that I had stopped paying much attention to what was coming through the earpiece. If I didn’t hear Ally’s voice, I figured it probably wasn’t important. And I was right.
“Can you teach him to do that?” I gestured toward my earpiece.
Cabot laughed. “I think he’ll need more work than I would ever have time for.”
“Fair enough.” I looked around. “Where are we going?”
“There’s a lounge right around the corner. A green room. It’s for the people involved in the summit, so they aren’t always out in front of the audiences and cameras and stuff,” she explained.
“That’s nice of the organizers to set that up for you guys,” I commented.
“It is. Which is why I’m fairly certain that’s where everyone is right now. Show me a place with no press, and I’ll show you a bunch of tired world representatives.” She nodded knowingly.
“That doesn’t sound like a fun game.”
We rounded the corner and found another crowd. Fortunately, they didn’t seem invested in stopping us, and we moved past them and through a door with nothing more than a sign on it declaring the space Private.
The door led us into the back of what looked like a small ballroom made smaller with a movable wall pulled into place across it. This created enough space for the people inside to mill around, but not so much that it seemed cavernous compared to the relatively small group.
“Look,” Cabot whispered as she elbowed me slightly and nodded ahead of us.
The people inside the room had created several small groups with some milling around from cluster to cluster like they couldn’t find one where they stuck. Ahead of us, the Senator sat in a chair with a drink in one hand and a stiff expression on her face.
Her face was Cabot’s face. I felt the woman stiffen beside me and knew she was trying to wrap her head around seeing herself across the room. The Shapeshifter muttered something to the person beside her, but her eyes—Cabot’s borrowed eyes—swept back and forth like she was keeping track of her surroundings.
It wasn’t only the representatives in the room. Several members of the security force stood out, making it seem less likely we could snag the Shapeshifter and run. I eyed Archie and returned Cabot’s elbowing to point him out.
“Let’s get closer to him,” I whispered.
We tried to act normal and phase ourselves into the
gathering. Cabot put her hat back on to avoid startling the others who might notice she’d duplicated herself, and we walked a slightly weaving pattern through the space. Archie’s eyes flashed our way, but he made no acknowledgment of us standing there. I examined a silver tray of snacks sitting among many others on a long table and selected what looked like a little piece of beef rolled up on a tiny slice of toast.
I popped the entire thing in my mouth and Cabot looked at me with an expression that was a mixture of disgust and amusement.
“How is it?” she asked.
“Good.” I shrugged. “It’s no street taco or anything, but I could take down a few of these.”
“I’m so hungry,” she groaned.
“Then eat one,” I told her. “Remember, we’re trying to blend in.”
“Yeah, you’re the epitome of inconspicuous right now.” She picked up one of the little pieces of toast and narrowed her eyes at my glasses. “Can you see through those things?”
“I can.” Then I noticed she was picking her way around the edge of the bread rather than simply eating it. “Oh, go for it.”
She shrugged and shoved the entire thing in her mouth. It was almost as impressive as her stance against the security guards.
“I’ve always said, philosophy is for the birds. And two birds, as you know, are always with you if you believe.”
My eyes slid over to Archie. He’d raised his voice slightly and was still staring at the man standing across from him.
“Great. He’s run out of logical word combinations and now loose words will start tumbling out of his mouth,” I said.
“Well, yes. That is an interesting insight,” the man struggled to reply.
Archie gave an over-exaggerated nod.
“It is. Like I said, philosophy is for the birds. And two birds are always with you.”
“Yes. I heard you.” The man glanced at the people around him like he needed to confirm the others heard the same thing he did.
“Two philosophy birds. With you. Right now,” Archie emphasized.
“What in the living hell is he talking about?” Cabot asked.
“Ally, do you hear this?” I asked. “I think Archie’s broken.”
“It’s code,” Ally told me through the earpiece. “He’s trying to warn you about something.”
Cabot and I immediately went on the defensive and looked around, trying to identify the threat.
“What is it? What could he be warning us about?” Cabot asked.
I turned, and my chest tightened. “Them. That’s Bentham and Thrash, agents of the Philosopher’s Guild. And bad, bad birdies.”
I still remembered the way Thrash looked as he took the axe from Bentham—almost gleeful to do the job.
Cabot drew in a breath, then looked at the security guards standing close by the Shapeshifter. She shook her head as her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
“Who are they?” She nodded slightly toward the men. “I don’t recognize them as members of my security team.”
“That’s because they’re probably more of Hobbes’s goons.” I turned my mouth to send my voice to the receiver to Ally. “Ally, tell Pip and Dog to be ready. We might need backup.”
“What’s going on?” Ally asked.
“Bentham and Thrash are here. Nothing’s happened so far, but be ready,” I warned.
Suddenly, Archie’s face looked for a brief second like it melted. His features drooped low, then sprang back up to reposition themselves into the right face. Cabot and I exchange fast glances. Archie laughed and squished his fingertips into his cheeks like he was trying to make sure they stayed attached to his skull bones.
“Must be all the lights. They’re so hot, they’re making my makeup run.” He patted at his face.
The people around him looked at him strangely.
“You aren’t wearing any makeup,” one pointed out.
Archie gasped as his face warped again, the rune glitching so it couldn’t hold the illusion.
“I’m not! Should I be?” he asked.
Bentham looked at him more closely, her eyes narrowing with suspicion as she stepped closer to him. We didn’t have much time.
It was now or never.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out Lights Out. Bentham’s eyes snapped to me when she saw the weapon, but I didn’t hesitate. I pointed the gun at the Shapeshifter and pulled the trigger, and everything went dark.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Slow-motion mayhem happened all around me, and I ducked out of the way of any quick-reflexed reactions. Knowing Bentham and Thrash, there would be magic coming in my direction, and I needed to make sure I didn’t get plugged before we could accomplish the mission.
My glasses flickered to life as I hit the floor, and I rolled under the long table in the room. Archie had been quite proud of these glasses, and it was one of the few creations he made that I was fairly certain wouldn’t explode on my face. Or at least, I was over fifty percent sure. More than simple night vision glasses, these could detect heat signatures and other abnormalities.
It was like the glasses from They Live were designed to look for Farsiders. I suddenly had a real taste for a stick of bubblegum. Feet stumbled and ran and tripped around me as the volume level of the room rose and everything seemed to not only return to normal speed but suddenly go into fast-forward.
I waited for a moment, letting them stumble around and try to find their bearings while I prepared to jump out and grab the Shapeshifter. As I was about to make my move, a blinding light stung my eyes, and I instinctively yanked off the glasses. The light disappeared, and darkness reigned again. A few seconds later, the light flashed once more and illuminated the room of pushing, shoving and confused people.
I glimpsed Bentham and Thrash behind Archie and making their way toward the wall where I stood. Then the light disappeared. It had to be an emergency light, which meant there was a backup generator somewhere that would kick the power back on any second. I didn’t have much time.
While sitting under the table, I silently counted the seconds between the next two flashes and slammed the glasses back into place. If I could move when it was dark and close my eyes when the light flashed, I would operate opposite how everyone else could and move twice as fast.
I stood, counting under my breath as I looked around. Bentham and Thrash were closer now, stopped for the moment to wait for the flash of light. Archie had turned toward them, and I knew he was about to try something stupid to distract them. It gave me an opening.
My eyes slammed shut, and for a second, light filled out beyond my eyelids and the volume of the shouting increased. Someone tugged on my arm, and I violently shook them off before the light zapped out and I turned to face them. It was the Senator, wielding her big, angry-looking knife. So…not the Senator. Shapeshifter. I dodged the blade, balled up a fist and swung for the fences, but missed her jaw as she fell to the side.
Something tripped her in the darkness, and I reached down to grab her as something else behind me barreled into me. I tumbled to the ground in a mess of arms and legs and shouting. I recognized some of the colorful curses coming from one of the bodies tangled with mine.
“Dammit, Archie!” I yelled.
“Go, Slick. I got Thrash. Go,” he yelled back as he struggled with the Guild Agent.
I got to my feet and looked for the Shapeshifter again, but she seemed to be missing. Somehow, in that moment of confusion, she slipped away. Panic gripped my stomach at the thought of all of this being for nothing when I noticed the Shapeshifter standing against the wall, trying to hide itself by wiggling behind a bookcase. I ran to it but only got a few steps before I had to shut my eyes once more.
When I opened them, my eyes focused directly on the Shapeshifter who now stared wide-eyed in my direction. She saw me and didn’t know where to go. All I had to do was get to her before the lights flashed back on again. I took a step.
A flying body tackle immediately knocked me to the floor. Fis
ts flew into my stomach, and hands tried to grab my arms to disable them. I kicked and wriggled, trying to get free as the person attacking me shouted. I instantly recognized the voice. It was Bentham.
“Stop resisting!” she shouted over the commotion of the room.
“Bentham, listen to me!” I shouted back.
Bentham wrapped one of my legs in hers and tried to lock in an arm bar. I grabbed her by the hair and yanked her backward enough to slam my forehead into hers. It was enough to loosen her grip, and I wiggled my leg under me and out of her hold. I heard a familiar sound, like an airplane fan roaring to life, and knew she was gearing up for a magical blast.
A faint blue glow swirled in the darkness, and I dodged in time for it to sear past me, then bounce off the floor and away. My time was running out. I had to do something now. I reached up, grabbed Bentham in a headlock and popped my hips so I yanked her to the floor with me, my body pressing down on hers to apply pressure. As we hit the floor together, I snapped my eyes shut, and beyond them, the world filled with light.
“Get off me, Slick!” Bentham angrily shouted, and in the distance, I heard Thrash shouting similar things at Archie, who was still running interference. “You tried to kill Cabot! I saw you with a gun.” She still struggled.
“No, I didn’t,” I argued while wrenching down on the headlock and trying to position her head so it angled toward the Shapeshifter. With the glasses, I could see the real Cabot making her way toward her in the darkness. In a moment, they would be face-to-face. When the lights came back on, Bentham needed to see it for herself. “Look!”
I timed it so she faced the two Cabots—one hiding behind a shelf and peeking out and the other making her way toward her, sliding across the wall in the darkness—as the lights flashed on. Bentham stopped struggling. I’d snapped my eyes shut, but two voices rose above the others in the distance and I recognized both of them as being Cabot’s.