Jim blushed. “I don’t know about that. Ms. Sylvia never seems too pleased to see me.”
“That’s because she’s crabby,” Sarah Jennifer told him. “I’ll meet you guys back at the ship. Make sure we don’t leave any bots out here that can’t run with just EI supervision until you get back.”
“I’m going to bring them all in,” Carver assured her. “They’re too expensive to replace.”
Sarah Jennifer left them to finish their tasks and took the pressurized walkway that ran along the side of the habitat to the landing site. The Enora sat covered in the film of red dust that coated everything out here.
She took a moment to watch the bots working the agricultural sector that ringed the habitat and stretched to the boundary of the planned city limits. Three times the size of a human, the partially autonomous bots were designed to remove toxins from the land, depositing a mix mostly comprised of nitrates, phosphates, and potassium as they churned the Martian soil.
Soon, the soil the bots were enriching would be hidden by crops.
The sky drew her gaze, the swirl of pink and blue alien compared to sunset on Earth.
Sarah Jennifer smiled, her impatience to get the Defense Force moved here tempered by the progress they were making.
New Romanov
Esme pulled a thumb drive out of her computer and pushed back from the workstation. Her chair almost toppled when the wheels snagged on the cables snaking between her computer and Lilith’s casing.
“Are you okay?”
Esme waved off Lilith’s inquiry and hurried through the door leading deeper into the mountain. She neither slowed nor spoke until she reached the chamber where the test subjects were held.
“This is the one, Lilith. I feel it in my bones.”
“Well, divination is always a reliable method of predicting an outcome,” the Kurtherian replied with amusement.
“Less of your lip,” Esme retorted with equal humor. “My intuition is rarely wrong.”
The Mad raised hell when she entered the chamber. Esme walked past the sixteen cells, which were separated by six feet and barriers of transparent pink Etheric energy. Fifteen of the cells were currently occupied, the group comprised of two Mad from every group save the Weres. The Weres were less susceptible to the Madness, so the pack was hard-pressed to find very many who had been infected. They threw themselves against their cells, the resulting activation of the barriers filling the chamber with a strobe effect.
Esme ignored them as she made her way to the terminal in the center of the chamber. She plugged the thumb drive into the computer and hooked it up to the main drive.
She selected the program named >>Rotters and added the chunk of code she’d just completed to the command list. She did the same for the programs >>Nomad, >>Bitten, >>Wechselbalg, and >>Earth-Air-Water, and sat back.
“Lilith, give me some juice. It’s feeding time.”
“Which cell?” Lilith asked.
Esme's eyes glowed gold. “All cells. In for a penny, in for a pound.”
The Mad ceased trying to get to Esme when the machinery surrounding the cells whirred. Those who still had a semblance of a mind shrank back in fear. The rest, reduced to relying on their instincts, salivated in anticipation of the coming meal.
There was a long moment where the only sound in the chamber came from the printers producing nanocyte-infused meat.
Esme looked upon the Mad with pity. Each of them had been brought from a different population representing a different method of infection. Therefore, each would need a variant on the patch that would restore their humanity.
“This is going to hurt you more than it hurts me, but dammit, it hurts me enough to see you reduced to this, you bitey bastards.” She closed her eyes. “Let this be the one.”
She turned back to the monitor. The command prompt was flashing.
Esme clicked Execute.
The energy constituting the cells parted above the heads of the Mad, and a slab of bloody meat was deposited into each cell.
The mindless fell on the food, devouring it greedily.
Esme looked away, sickened by the voracity with which the Mad tore into their meals.
The two former nomads only stared at the meat, their expressions those of dogs watching their masters eat. They did not trust the food since they were able to recall the meal that had ended in pain when the previous patch failed. Some reaction between the Were nanocytes they’d ingested as blood leeches and the Madness-corrupted nanocytes had left the nomads with a ghost of intelligence. Nevertheless, they were as flesh-hungry as their mindless counterparts, and as always, instinct won out over their better senses. They too began to eat.
The nanocytes in the meat were effective almost immediately.
The Mad fell to the ground unconscious as the nanocytes began their work.
“Here's hoping this is the patch that works,” Esme murmured. “The last thing I want is for the pack to have to go find replacement test subjects.”
“Again,” Lilith agreed.
The nanocytes replicated from Ezekiel’s blood donations had given them the breakthrough they needed back in ‘215. However, his blood was not a cure-all. An outright update had proven deadly for any who received it since the existing nanocytes in the Mad reacted much the same as white blood cells did when a foreign body was introduced to the host system.
Esme and Lilith had done everything they could to refine the testing process, eventually coming up with a number of patches that worked to counter each “strain” of the corruption. The number of Mad who had died in this lab over the last ten years to reach this point was a drop in the ocean compared to the total number of Mad who had died worldwide. However, Esme was no Arthur Drake. She took every one of the deaths personally, as did Lilith.
Their fears proved unfounded. Unlike in the earliest tests, the Mad did not begin spouting blood from every orifice. This time, they fell into the sleep Esme associated with the transformation they were looking to achieve.
The nibblet of hope Esme kept close to her heart sprouted a tiny tendril as they twitched and shuddered.
“How long until we know whether this has worked, do you think?” she asked Lilith.
“It’s hard to say,” the Kurtherian replied. “A few days, at least. Without individual Pod-docs to monitor them, it is a waiting game.”
Esme switched off the nanocyte delivery system and got up from the terminal. “In that case, I’m going to leave them in your capable hands and take my aching old behind back to Salem. The Samhain festival is two nights from now. Annie and Lenore have everything in hand, but there’s not much time to prepare for my part in the ceremony.”
“Go,” Lilith told her. “I’ll call you if there is any change in their condition.”
The Pod sped over the Atlantic Ocean with Enora at the controls.
Esme pottered around the open compartment, making last-minute adjustments to her ceremonial robes in preparation for the one time of the year where she had to be in Salem.
The winter festival had grown to include traditional celebrations from the many different groups who made up the Protectorate that covered the area between Salem, Pennsylvania, and New York, but Samhain was the main event for the magic users who made up the majority of the population.
Enora watched her sewing and gluing with curiosity. “Esme, why is Samhain so important to the magical community?”
Esme paused, needle in hand. “Well, lovey, it’s to do with tradition, of course. Samhain gives people an event that they feel is all theirs, one that celebrates them as witches. There’s a lot of comfort to be had from coming together for the blessing.”
“Are you feeling confident about such a large use of mind magic?” Enora inquired.
Esme nodded. “Yes.” She glanced at the small display screen on the console from which Enora’s face peered at her with interest. “The ancestor blessing is what brings people together, no matter their walk of life. It’s only right that everyone gets to
experience it.”
Enora was well-used to Esme answering a different question than the one she’d asked. She didn’t repeat herself, knowing she’d get another answer that wasn’t the one she’d been seeking. “I admit, I am interested to see how it goes down since this is the first year you intend to share the magic with everyone in the Protectorate.”
Esme smiled. “Me too, lovey. Me too. Lenore and Annie have worked for months to prepare. Those as knows the secrets of magic will be there to ensure everyone gets a visit from their loved ones.” She paused. “Well, as long as Sarah Jennifer makes it back on time.”
Sarah Jennifer’s voice filled the Pod. “Don’t think I’d miss this for the world. We’re about done up here.”
Esme’s head shot up, a wry smile playing on her lips. “You were listening in?”
Sarah Jennifer’s laughter came from the speakers. “Karma, my old friend. Karma. How did the testing go?”
Esme grinned. “It’s looking good so far. We’ll know more in a few days, Lilith says.”
“And the festival prep?”
“I’ll find out when I get back. Hopefully, the council won’t have torn each other to shreds, and the blessing will be shared with everyone. Did you hear from Amelie? She and Eoin are planning to attend.”
“Linda is coming, too,” Sarah Jennifer informed her. “I think she’s more interested in finding out where Ezekiel is than any ceremony.”
Esme’s lip curled. “She’s not bringing that awful man with her, is she?”
“Play nice, Esme,” Sarah Jennifer chastised, chuckling. Neither of them liked the man, but that was politics. “Adrien has been a great support to Linda since she became chancellor.”
“Don’t mean I have to like him,” Esme retorted.
Sarah Jennifer laughed. “See you in Salem.”
Chapter Two
Salem, MA
Brutus and Sarai walked hand in hand through the park with their three children.
Jody held the hands of his younger sisters, making sure Macey and Tori didn’t get lost in the crowd gathering for the celebration.
“Don’t look now,” Brutus murmured to his wife. “Frank is selling candy apples.”
Sarai spotted the danger and groaned. “There goes any chance of us getting the girls to sleep before midnight.”
To prove her point, all three children turned hopeful smiles on their parents.
Brutus covered his mouth with a hand and whispered, “They’re doing the thing with the eyes. How can I say no?”
Sarai laughed. “Go ahead. It’s Samhain.”
The girls squealed with delight as she gave Jody a handful of coins. Jody was more circumspect, thanking them before shepherding his sisters to Frank’s booth.
Brutus swept Sarai up, his arms around her waist. “How was I ever lucky enough to marry the most beautiful, most intelligent, most kind-hearted woman in the world?”
Sarai giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Don’t forget that I’m an extraordinarily talented nature witch and domestic goddess beyond compare,” she teased.
Brutus kissed her soundly. “With a healthy ego to match.”
Sarai nuzzled his cheek. “Why, yes. It wouldn’t do to be all of those things and not recognize my own awesomeness. How would I have snagged the hunkiest Were in the Defense Force otherwise? Us mere mortals aren’t worthy, my love.”
Brutus’ comm pinged, saving him from his blushing reply.
Sarai laughed. “My shy guy. Go take care of your duty. I see Amelie with her brood.”
Sarai sashayed away to where Amelie and her children were standing, putting an extra swing in her step since she knew Brutus had his eyes on her.
“Damn, woman of mine. I hate to see you leave, but I sure as hell love to watch you go.”
Sarai patted her ample rear end with a hand as she looked back to wink at him.
Brutus answered his comm, his cheeks burning.
“Took you long enough, Lieutenant,” Big Ace grumbled.
“I was saying goodbye to Sarai. What’s up?”
“Need you over at the gazebo. There’s a problem with the setup.”
Brutus had been concerned about their ability to transmit the multiple live feeds the council had requested the Defense Force set up across the Protectorate for tonight's ceremony.
“On my way.” He set off. “Let the major know.”
“Oh, she knows,” Big Ace replied. “If you ask me, it was a stupid idea to have everyone out of town while we were setting up for such a large event.”
“I don’t recall asking you, Quartermaster.” Brutus toned down his annoyance. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
He reached out to Sarah Jennifer as he walked.
“I already know,” she answered. “Esme will be there before I get back with Jim and the guys.”
“Gotcha,” Brutus told her. “I’ll try her now.”
Esme answered the comm with a burst of colorful language. “What now? I’ve had an earful from the Ace boy already.”
Brutus suppressed a chuckle. “Just wanted to know what your ETA is.”
“Twenty minutes, so don’t touch a thing!” the reply came before Esme cut the connection without saying goodbye.
Brutus sighed. “To say this is a celebration, there’s not much of a celebratory mood in the pack today.”
The gazebo was roped off, the inner area bustling with enlisted engineers and uniformed logistics people working to prepare for the ceremony.
Brutus nodded at the private who lifted the barrier for him.
“Got to love Samhain, huh, sir?” The Were smiled as he spoke.
Brutus couldn’t help being uplifted by his enthusiasm. He returned the private’s smile. “Sure do, Jenner. You all set for the blessing later?”
“I’m on duty all through tonight, sir,” Jenner informed him. “Sure looking forward to seeing my old dad, though.”
Brutus caught sight of Big Ace waving him over. “As you were, Private. Enjoy the celebration.”
The quartermaster’s hair was out of place, and his uniform showed signs of having been worn for two days in a row. The dark circles under his eyes told Brutus that Ace was at the end of his tether.
Ace gripped the datapad that had long since replaced his ledger, stabbing a finger at the screen as he spoke. “The public screens aren’t connecting. The radio is down at Hartford, and I can’t get a senior engineer out here for love nor money.”
Brutus steered Ace over to the mess tent. “When was the last time you took a break?” He wrinkled his nose as Ace’s ripe smell hit his olfactory center. “Or a shower?”
Ace gaped at him. “With what time? We have dignitaries arriving from all over Europe. Everyone in the Protectorate is expecting a visit from their ancestors. I have requests for replacement equipment coming in every few minutes, and—” His datapad chimed three times, proving his point. “And I don’t have the staff or the resources to deal with all of this.”
Brutus eased Ace into a foldout chair. “Sit tight. We’ll get this resolved. It will go easier with coffee.” He left Ace there and went to get them both a cup of caffeinated goodness, returning to the table to find the quartermaster on a comm call with Sergeant Izzy Bloom.
“Sergeant, anyone who touches supplies meant for Mars will be severely—”
Brutus got on the call. “Izzy, can this wait a half-hour?”
“Sure thing, Lieutenant,” the reply came. “It wasn’t urgent.”
“He’ll call you back.” Brutus ended the call and handed Ace one of the cups. “It’s not like you to lose your temper with Izzy, Ace. What’s going on with you?”
Ace sighed tiredly. “Cherie had her first shift this week.”
Brutus suddenly understood. He and Sarai had been watching Jody for the signs of his first. “I get it. I’m taking you off duty for the next two weeks. Call Izzy back and tell her... Oh, wait, Sanderson could be next to have his since they were only born a few weeks apart. Remin
d me again why we all had kids around the same time?”
Ace dropped his head into his folded arms and groaned. “Some dumbass pack instinct driving us to continue our genetic line?”
Brutus laughed. “Yeah, that about explains it. Well, now Cherie has shifted, it won’t be long until the others in her age group figure it out.”
“Jody won’t be far behind the others,” Ace told him.
Lucy paused. She was walking by with a sandwich in each hand. “Be glad your children had nice, untraumatic childhoods. I remember how hard it was riding herd on a bunch of toddlers running around in wolf form.”
Ace looked up. “Finally, someone who knows what the hell they’re doing!”
“Raising Weres?” Lucy gave him a sideways glance.
“No!” Ace exclaimed. “The screens!”
Sarah Jennifer tugged on the laces of Esme’s bodice, trying to persuade the recalcitrant garment to obey her.
“Easy, Duckie. You’re going to crack a rib!”
Sarah Jennifer grunted and pulled harder, putting her knee in the small of Esme’s back to get some traction. “That joke gets funnier every year.”
Esme craned her neck to look Sarah Jennifer in the eye. “You know this mood of yours is getting into the whole Defense Force?”
Sarah Jennifer had no answer for that. Or at least, not one that didn’t violate her personal preference to avoid poor language.
“Duckie…”
Sarah Jennifer finished tying Esme’s stays and turned to leave the room. “You’ve got the rest of this. I’m going to check with the engineers to make sure that the snafu with the live links has been resolved.”
She left before Esme could call her back.
Esme sighed. She knew exactly what was getting her friend down, but it wasn’t her place to interfere—yet.
Chapter Three
Sarah Jennifer made her way to the park, then checked in with the engineers and found everything in order.
Since the witches were scattered around the Protectorate, she didn’t have to worry about anyone reading her mind, but her pack knew their Alpha was silently stewing beneath her smile.
End of the Line Page 2