by TR Cameron
Her foe shouted and summoned a flame shield, while she threw up an arm to shield her face and hoped for the best. A burning line tracked the path of one piece of hot debris as it scraped along her hasty defense, but she ignored it as she curved back toward him. She grinned when she noticed that his cover wasn’t wraparound but only protected his front.
By the time he realized her intent, she was close enough to lunge into the attack. Cara’s form was perfect as she launched a flying side-kick at his ribcage. He managed to interpose part of his shield, but her boots and tactical pants easily withstood the weak flames. She heard the satisfying crunch as his bones broke, and he fell with a cry. He landed a foot away, and he overcame the pain to extend his arms and deliver a flurry of fire at her face.
She sidestepped, rolled in his direction, and finished the move with a fist that pounded into his shattered ribs. He screamed and writhed in new agony. Truthfully, he wasn’t offensive enough for her to revel in the victory—just another moron—so she tapped him on the temples with her shock gloves to send him into dreamland. She brushed her clothes off, which hadn’t fared all that well against the muck of the neighborhood sidewalk, and looked up when her comrades appeared from around separate corners.
“You’re a little late, boys. You gotta work on your timing.”
Anik looked at the fallen man and the single remaining piece of the stun rifle that was larger than a fist. “Stunning him was what, too easy?”
Cara shrugged. “The ones who go easy get stunned. When they’re disrespectful enough to make me work for it, I’ll kick their asses on general principles.” The men laughed, and she shook her head. “Why do they always have to run?”
Tony sighed. “The solution is easy. More people. Rath maybe.”
“We gotta keep the little guy under wraps better than we have been. But more people is a good idea. You’re the principal of this Agency. Go find some.” He groaned, and she grinned. “Speaking of which, I’m headed home. Since you are both official with Two Worlds Security Consulting, you can handle the business end.” She walked off to the sound of sirens, transport for the criminals summoned automatically by the AI at the start of the fight. She smiled and thumbed her comm. “Quinn?”
“Yes?”
“Playlist one, please.”
No acknowledgment came other than the opening chords of The Pretty Reckless’s Going to Hell filled her ears. As she turned the corner out of sight of the others, she bounced along to the song. This is the life. I wonder how Diana would feel about us listening to music during missions?
Chapter Five
Tony sat behind the wheel of the borrowed unmarked cruiser and tried to ignore Anik, who reclined comfortably in the passenger seat and sang some odd song under his breath. Every so often, the demolitions expert leaned forward to extend a hand toward the controls for the lights and siren or for the computer that jutted out from the dash, which required him to intervene. Everyone de-stresses in different ways, I guess. He did it again, and Tony sighed. “No touchy.”
The taillights of the police transports glimmered ahead. The large black vans that carried the prisoners from the night’s events toward the station for processing were only visible when they passed under a street lamp. The wizard had earned additional shackles, ones that would shock him if they sensed arcane power gathering. It was potentially transformative technology innovated from anti-magic emitters by the head tech in DC. Unlike their bracelets, which were attuned to a specific kind of magic, the cuffs simply measured the quantity of the stuff and reacted when an increase reached a particular threshold. They weren’t flawless and were still in the prototyping phase, but everyone agreed that an extra shock to a criminal wouldn’t be the worst thing they’d ever done, which made it well worth the risk.
Tony sighed at the pleasant thought of magic users getting shocked. He’d become more and more convinced that arcane power bent its user toward corruption much more easily and often than it did toward charity. ARES folks hopefully excluded, of course. “It’s always nice to head to the station on the heels of success, rather than with an outstretched hand.”
Anik gave a short laugh. “Well, we do expect payment, so there is an outstretched hand.”
“But not one seeking a handout, as it were.” The other man groaned at the wordplay, which drew a grin. “Anyway, it’s rewarding to have a mark in the win column.”
“You were right, though. If we had positioned someone in the back, they would’ve never led us on such a chase. I don’t know about you, but running after morons makes me tired.”
Tony swung the wheel to take a corner. “Yeah, true, but it takes forever to vet potential agents through our process. Appropriately so.”
“Perhaps there is another option.”
“Do tell.”
The demolitions expert sounded like he’d thought about the topic for a while. “Well, maybe we could bring on independents and keep them at arm’s length. They don’t need to know about the other side of the house. Hell, they don’t even need to know about the back part of the agency. We simply need a pool of people we can call upon at need.”
“Basically freelancers.”
He expert nodded. “Exactly. There are bound to be people inspired to start their own bounty hunting careers as the city’s system gets more robust, which it can’t help but do with us in town.”
Tony grunted in agreement and followed the vans into the underground parking lot that served the downtown police station. They pulled in at a safe distance and climbed out to stand casually beside their closed doors. The agents continued talking over the car roof while they kept a wary eye on the transfer of prisoners out of the van and into the building proper. “So, how do you think we go about finding these people?”
The tiny scars on the side of Anik’s face rearranged themselves as he grinned. “I’m merely an idea guy. Execution is someone else’s job.”
Tony smoothed his mustache and gestured forward. They joined the procession after the guards behind the prisoners who were manacled to one another with wide leather belts. The magic user was in the center, attached to ordinary scumbags in front and behind him. “Craigslist? Soldier of Fortune Magazine?”
Anik snorted. “Perhaps starting with Bounty Hunter license applications would be a better way to go.”
The detective pointed at him. “See, you are an implementation guy. Make that happen.”
“Cara told you to do it.”
“I’m delegating. Congrats on the new task.”
They trudged up two long flights of stairs to reach the main floor of the jail. Its architecture harkened back to medieval castles, and Tony had more than once marveled at the stone curtain wall that encircled its courtyard and the high towers that overlooked it, both of which could’ve been taken straight out of a fantasy movie. The booking area was a large open room with intake stations on each of the four walls and benches in the center, and the police processed the newcomers with quick efficiency.
Tony and Anik followed as the mage was escorted to a special holding cell and watched through a thick transparent sheet as a guard secured him to an uncomfortable-looking metal chair attached to the floor. The prisoner sat calmly and the manacles around his feet allowed enough length for him to cross his legs, although he winced slightly as he did so. He looked like a man waiting for a business appointment rather than someone facing jail time. The officer shut and locked the door as he exited. Tony asked, “Can we have a chat with him?”
The prison worker ran his hand over the bald stripe down the middle of his head as he shook it. “Nope. Lawyered up.”
He nodded. “I’m not surprised but it was worth asking.”
The blue-uniformed man shrugged and walked away without any further conversation. Tony led Anik toward the stairs and headed to the next floor up. “Let’s get our just desserts.”
“Now you’re talking.”
The second level held a variety of offices along the walls and rows of paired desks in the cent
er. One room was marked Bounty, and they crossed to it and stepped inside the open door. The uniformed woman behind the desk had to be near retirement age and wore thick glasses above a tired scowl. Tony took one of the seats in front of her and waved Anik toward the other. “Hello, Phyllis. How are you this fine night?”
She rolled her eyes. “Mr. Ryan, always lovely to see you.” Her tone suggested the opposite. She pushed several sheets of paper across the desk. “One page for the magical, one page for all the non-magicals.”
Anik spoke in surprise. “We actually get paid for non-magicals as well? I thought you were screwing around and trying to sound important.”
Tony nodded as he filled out the business’ information on the sheets and initialed where he was supposed to. “When they’re proven to be affiliated with a bountied magic user and are apprehended while in pursuit of said bountied magic user, yes. It’s not a ton of money, but every dollar matters, right?”
The demolitions expert’s usually cheerful face shifted into a frown. “Doesn’t that seem like blurring the edges?”
The woman at the desk shrugged. She sounded tired and a little bored. “The way the government sees it, it’s a case of guilt by association. It’s similar to a situation where if we were doing a traffic stop and one of the people in the car had a warrant out on them, we would execute the warrant.”
Anik scratched his chin. “I can see that, I guess.”
Tony flipped the sheet over and signed with a flourish. “The bottom line is that as long as we follow proper procedure, we’re within the bounty mandate.”
“Is this a new law or something?”
The woman shrugged again. “Old law, new interpretation. It brings clarity to exactly the sort of situation you were in tonight. Also, it doesn’t allow for any extra shortcuts if there’s not a magical bounty clearly involved. The courts have upheld it that way a couple of times.”
The investigator stood to end the conversation and Anik rose beside him, although he still looked uncomfortable. Tony gestured with his chin toward the stairwell, and they turned to go. Halfway there, they were intercepted by two uniformed officers. The man had the build of an athlete with dark hair that pushed regulation length and was handsome and clean-shaven. His female partner had long blonde locks captured in a professional bun and looked like she was no stranger to the gym either.
“I’m James Maxis.” The man held a hand out. “I wanted to take the chance to introduce myself. You’re something of a legend around here.” Tony laughed and released his grip, and the officer shook with Anik.
The woman introduced herself to the demolitions expert first. “Vicki Greene.” She repeated the process with Tony. Before he could say anything useful in reply, an amused voice from across the room said, “Don’t pay any mind to Starsky and Hutch over there. That pair is nothing but trouble.”
In perfect synchronization, the two officers raised their right hands with middle fingers extended, and laughter bubbled through the wide space. It was playful ribbing, one of the things Tony missed about being in uniform. Although we give and get pretty good in BAM, too.
The man lowered his hand as he leaned in. “My partner and I heard about your takedown tonight. It sounds amazing.”
The investigator’s smile was professional. “Thanks, I guess. Is there something we can do for either of you?”
The woman spoke. “Both of us, actually. Jimmy and I met on the first day of boot camp, deployed together, and joined the academy together. We’re looking to get into bounty hunting and thought we might be able to learn some important things from you all.”
Anik frowned. “You’re a couple?”
The man laughed. “Nope. We agreed way back that dating would be a terrible mistake. We can both do better.”
The woman grinned and nodded in agreement, and the joke generated a chuckle from Tony. “It seems like SWAT would be your next logical route.”
Vicki replied “We are on the list, but it’s a long list. Plus, that won’t give us experience with magicals.”
Tony considered them for a second. Young, fit, ambitious, all good things. I wonder how they handle rejection. “Sorry, you two, we’re not hiring right now.” He ignored the look Anik shot him and extended his hand as the officers nodded.
The man shook it. “If that changes, keep us in mind.”
“We’ll be here for the foreseeable future,” The woman added. “It’d be a great opportunity for Jimmy and I, and a whole lot more interesting than putting in overtime directing theater traffic.”
That inspired a real laugh from Tony, and he waved goodbye. As the staircase door closed behind them, Anik asked, “Are they not exactly what we’re looking for?”
He nodded and passed through the doorway that led into the hallway connecting to the garage. “They are. We’ll have Kayleigh perform some due diligence and see what comes up.”
“Ah, that was a psychological move.”
“Yep.”
“You’re smarter than you look, Tony.”
“Bite me.”
The demolition expert was still laughing as they pulled out to make the short trip to check in at the Cube. The warden received them after the usual security gauntlet, and they settled at a table with steaming coffees in hand. Tony asked, “How are your newcomers fitting in?”
She chuckled darkly and looked thinner than she had before—the stress of the job, perhaps, which kept her from eating properly. Her voice and demeanor continued to communicate strength, though, from the sharp blue eyes to the wiry grey hair. “Well, the Kilomea is still an asshole.”
Both men laughed in response, and Tony said, “That’s a given.”
She went on, “The one-armed bandit made friends with him, and the new guy you brought in after the train fiasco did too. A real coffee clutch of scumbags.”
Anik asked, “Have you heard anything interesting?”
The warden shook her head. “No, but we’ll watch them more carefully when we put them together.”
Tony nodded. “Good plan. Where are they now?”
“Levels two, three, and four. The wizard is on the lowest.”
“That makes sense.” He took a long sip of his coffee. “What do you need from us?”
She shrugged. “Keep the flow of information going both ways. Share what you hear. Any threats to the facility—even guesses—and I want to know as soon as humanly possible.”
Anik chuckled. “Or non-humanly possible, as the case may be.”
There was a moment of silence as they all considered those words and she nodded. “Indeed. Whatever the source. Soonest.”
Tony stood and extended a hand, eager to end the late night and get to bed. “You got it, Warden.”
Chapter Six
Sarah paced slowly in front of the tall windows in her former superior’s office. The blinds allowed only the smallest view of what went on below. Each group had gathered on opposite sides of the warehouse from the other, as usual. The magical beings—her people—were enthusiastic to the point of raucousness as they admired some of the many items that had been stolen on the night of her ascension.
Members of the other group, the human mundanes, were quiet and huddled together as if for safety against a predator they did not comprehend. Which is not far from the truth. Understand me? They never could. Fear me? Rightfully so. They are lucky that events require their continued participation. For now. Her time in the World in Between had changed her, stripped away the weakest parts, and left only a core of will and focus. A soft Yessssssss sounded in her mind as the snake artifact embedded in her arm applauded the transformation.
The witch absently flipped the ornate token she had received the day after the events on the train. She had locked herself in this office, utterly spent, and collapsed into unconsciousness for hours. When she awoke, there had been a formal parchment rolled up on the desk and sealed with a wax disc bearing a stylized “D.” She had unrolled it and found the code to the safe, the coin, and a date and time. Th
e clock in her head told her that the indicated moment was nearly at hand.
She took one more look out onto the floor below. The humans were pawns, her people knights, rooks, and bishops. She was the queen, of course, and while Vincente may have been the king, he was ever a stand-in for the real power. The one who should summon her…now. She caught the coin out of the air and it grew warm in her hand.
Sarah crossed to the desk and sat in the chair. The small statuette was already waiting, and she slipped the coin into the depression in the base and turned it into proper alignment. She had examined the artifacts thoroughly and found nothing worrisome about them—nor had her artifact warned her, so she deemed them safe to use. Her efforts at spying on her former leader had shown her the procedure. He always thought he was so clever and never understood that some magics are subtle enough that his ham-fisted attempts at detection missed them completely. Fool.
As the image began to coalesce, she took a deep breath and straightened in her chair. A little nervous, she brushed a lock of black hair into place behind her ear. Finally, the figure resolved into a hooded being who transmitted a sense of power simply by his stance. His voice was resonant with it as he spoke.
“Sarah Renkin, thank you for responding so quickly to my request.”
Hardly a request. I am not fooled. “Of course.” She paused and a frown settled over her features. “I’m sorry, I am unaware of how to properly address you.”
The hood hid the upper part of his face, but she saw perfect teeth as he grinned, clearly aware she had poked him deliberately. His reply dripped with condescension. “Master will do, for now.”
She suppressed a growl, and her artifact sent dark images into her mind. The reaction must have appeared in her expression because the figure laughed. “Alternately, you may refer to me as Dreven, or sir.” A certainty settled over her that he had tested the compulsion placed on her artifact. Between them, she and the magical item identified that spell’s efforts and countered them with ease.