Face Behind the Mask

by Leo King

  Inhaling the warm evening air, she approached him. “Nice night, eh?”

  He jerked, probably out of deep thoughts. “Oh! Hey, Sam. Yeah, I just needed to get out here and clear my head.”

  Leaning against the railing next to him, she looked up as well. At times, she felt like she could reach up and grab them out of the sky. “Thinking about Cathy again?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Found out that she finally remarried. Nice guy, too. He’ll take care of her.”

  She noticed that for the first time he wasn’t wearing his wedding band. “Oh, Kyle. I’m sorry.”

  “Nah, don’t worry about it. She needs to be happy. I’m just glad we reconciled before ending it.”

  Hearing that made her think of Richie for the first time in almost a month. I still miss him, and I always will. But he wants me to be happy, right?

  ”So what brings you out here?” he asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

  “I dunno. I just was tired of being cramped in that bunker. Aren’t you supposed to be working with Hakim on ‘that one’s’ firearms skills?”

  “Ha, ‘that one.’ Yeah, Hakim is awesome,” he said. “But no. Turns out Meyer works better alone. Amazing, though. Their religions usually don’t get along, but here in GEIST, they are brothers-in-arms.”

  “We all are,” she said. “United against the Knight Priory and Vincent.” Then she leaned back on the parapet, her chest sticking out. “Kyle, the world is changing, isn’t it? And not for the better.”

  Getting a thoughtful expression, he gazed back up at the sky.

  She stood beside him in silence for a while. Then she said, “I mean, well, these dark things are coming out of hiding and hurting people. And we’re stopping them.”

  “You want my honest opinion, Sam?”

  When she nodded, he said, “I think those dark things have always been a part of our world. We’ve just refused to notice. People who experienced them were called crazy and locked away. And why? Because these incidents have been so isolated. But now, because of what’s happening in New Orleans, they’re getting widespread and more commonplace. Perhaps in time, we’ll realize that the people we called crazy were the sane ones, and we were crazy for not believing them.”

  Slowly, Sam turned toward Aucoin. He was watching her. She smiled. Of all the things she’d heard since that night in August when Rodger and Michael knocked on her door, this made the most sense. It was never crazy to believe in loa and voodoo—it was crazy not to.

  “Kyle…” She leaned over and hugged him. “Thank you.”

  He hugged her back. “You’re welcome.”

  They stayed that way for a while, the wind blowing over them, the sounds of crickets keeping them company.

  Their respite was interrupted by the sound of someone stepping out onto the roof. It was Abel. Under the moonlight, his pale skin nearly glowed, making him look otherworldly. She had once asked him what he was, and he had just said he was “no different than you.”

  “Sam, Kyle, the director wants to see you. It’s of paramount importance.”

  When Sam entered Dr. Lazarus’s office with Aucoin and Abel beside her, she noticed that he and Camellia were making calls on cordless phones. Abel cleared his throat. “Sir, they’re here.”

  Dr. Lazarus held out his hand and spoke into his phone. “I understand that you cannot make it, Mathias, but thank you for your support. Yes, it will be enough that she comes. Yes, Sam will be pleased.”

  He hung up and motioned for Sam and Aucoin to come forward. “Thank you, Abel. Please inform the other operatives that we’ll be having strategy meeting at noon tomorrow and that it will last several hours. Everyone will want to take an early lunch.”

  Abel bowed politely and left.

  Sam approached. “Um, so what’s going on?”

  A smile that wouldn’t fade parted Dr. Lazarus’s lips. “Sam, we’re ready to make our move. The secret operative I’ve had working for me? She’s back, and she discovered where the Knight Priory holds their secret meetings.”

  Aucoin whistled. “That sounds huge, sir.”

  “It is, Kyle.” Dr. Lazarus got Camellia’s attention. She was speaking in Scandinavian.

  “Camellia, please finish that in the other room.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said and left.

  Sam folded her arms. She didn’t know what to think. During the past year with GEIST, Dr. Lazarus had kept only one secret—the identity of the operative who was working undercover. As far as she was aware, no one but he and his innermost circle knew her identity—all to keep her safe.

  “So the Knight Priory’s headquarters has been located? Great. But what about my kids?”

  Still grinning, Dr. Lazarus leaned forward. “Yes! That, too. She found your children!”

  Her pulse spiked. “Are you serious?”

  “Absolutely!”

  She could have started dancing right then and there. “So, where are they? What’s the story?”

  He cleared his throat. “It’s better if she explains it.”

  She looked around. “OK. Well, where is she?”

  “I’m right here, Sam.” The voice was so steady and measured that it sounded threatening, and Sam felt a cold presence emerge from behind the curtains.

  It was a figure dressed in a dark indigo robe, her face covered by a skull mask. An assault rifle was slung over her shoulder. The stance, the arrogant air, and the feeling of coldness were unmistakable.

  But it was also impossible. This person had died by Sam’s own hand.

  “Blind Moses? But, how?”

  Her Sister Was Home

  (Tania Patterson’s Story)

  Chapter 38

  The New Blind Moses

  Date: Tuesday, June 10, 1997

  Time: 3:00 p.m.

  Location: Office of Harry Connick

  District Attorney, New Orleans City Hall

  And this is the story Blind Moses told…

  “Mr. Connick, the mayor is on line three about your meeting with him tonight.”

  “Oh, right. Send it over, Petunia. I’ll talk to him myself.” Connick’s voice had a deep timbre to it, especially when on the phone. “And once you complete those reports, you can clock out for the day.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Connick. Transferring him now.”

  Tania Marie Patterson, operating under the alias Petunia Evans, exhaled tiredly. Although it was necessary that she worked for the district attorney’s office as part of her mission, she couldn’t stand the day job. But it was necessary to keep abreast of the political winds in New Orleans if she was to discover where the Knight Priory gathered.

  Finishing the last report, she turned off the radio, which was playing the latest pop hits by artists like the Spice Girls and Jewel, bid her co-workers good evening, and left.

  Like always, traffic was bad going to the West Bank. When she got home, the neighbors of her rented duplex were arguing, as they typically did. And as usual, dinner took longer to cook than she wanted to wait with her increased appetite. By the time it was dark, and her food was settled, she was outright grumpy.

  You really are a bad influence on me, she thought to other residing within her.

  “So you say,” said the voice in her head. “Let’s just get going.”

  Mmm. Right. Since you’re so eager to atone for your sins.

  “Just shut up and get dressed.”

  She went to the attic of her duplex, pulling back several floorboards until she uncovered a large, black box. It was only thing left from the night her store had burned to the ground, and she had nearly died saving it. Taking a few seconds to run her fingers over its surface, remembering the life she’d left behind that night, she then unlocked it with a key she kept around her neck. Inside were several hooded indigo robes and black bodysuits, a skull mask, and a semi-automatic sniper rifle given to her by Dr. Lazarus.

  Good thing you kept more than one bodysuit. They tear so easily.

  “Good thing you widened th
e bust and hips on all of them.”

  Hmph!

  In a few minutes, she was dressed in her sister’s Blind Moses costume. Against the bodysuit, she strapped a pair of binoculars, a lock pick set, and a medical kit. Then, kneeling down, she made the sign of the cross and prayed. “Lord, forgive me for what I have done and what I am about to do. Amen.”

  Standing up, she closed her eyes and focused. All right. Let’s go.

  “Finally!”

  Her body shook, and her eyes rolled back as she felt the other presence move, coming forward and giving her power she never had on her own. When she regained control, she felt stronger, faster, and more focused, but she also felt crueler and more vicious, her own mind altered by the possessing soul. For five years, it had remained within her, gradually wearing down her once-cheery disposition until she was perpetually moody. But despite that, she was closer to it than anyone else in the world.

  It was the soul of her twin sister, Violet Patterson, who had been the original Blind Moses before Sam killed her. Together, they were the new Blind Moses, a secret operative of GEIST.

  Above the streets of New Orleans, Tania leapt from rooftop to rooftop, keeping clear of the police below. As Blind Moses, Violet had massacred dozens of officers, and Tania herself had broken into more than enough places during her year-long investigation of the Knight Priory. Oftentimes, the roofs of the city, the suspension cables of bridges, and the darkness of back alleys were the only safe way to travel.

  “Do you know our destination tonight, dummy?” Violet asked impatiently.

  Yes, Tania responded, although it was difficult to think in full sentences while dashing along the girders of the Crescent City Connection. She stopped at the top of one of its apexes. Mayor Morial has been meeting every night with Connick, who we suspect is the leader of the Knight Priory. I want to spy on their meeting tonight.

  She continued on to the other side of bridge, heading toward Poydras Street and the Central Business District.

  “Right, well, keep on your toes. You almost got us arrested last night.” Being dead had done nothing to make Violet any less antagonistic.

  We’ll be fine. And stop distracting me!

  Tania felt Violet settle down as she leapt onto the rim of the Superdome. Running up to the top, she hung on the flag pole, took out her binoculars, and then scouted out her target several blocks away—City Hall. Due to the increase in supernatural activity, as well as successful missions by GEIST, it had become one of the most guarded buildings in New Orleans. She spotted two armed guards on the roof and six more inside.

  Any loa? They’ve gotten better at using them as sentries. Ever since Evergreen Plantation, the Knight Priory had fully embraced the supernatural.

  “The spirits in the area are acting normal. I’ll know more once we’re inside.”

  Satisfied for the moment, Tania secured her equipment and took a deep breath, measuring the distance across Poydras, one of the largest streets in the city, to the building right next to City Hall. When she was ready, she sprinted down the side of the Superdome, gathering up speed until she was moving in a blur. When she reached the very edge, she jumped. Her robe’s material rustled as she sailed over the highway.

  A moment later, she landed on the side of the building, planted her heels on the nearest windowsill, and pushed. Her legs, augmented by her sister’s power, were like springboards. After a few well-timed jumps, she was on the roof.

  “Someone’s looking this way!”

  Sliding toward the parapet of the roof, Tania hid herself. When she glanced back up, binoculars in hand, she saw it—a sniper on City Hall, a third guard she had missed.

  “You don’t have a choice. He dies.” Violet almost seemed to be snickering.

  Tania grimaced. She disliked killing, but this was a war against the Knight Priory. They had crushed countless lives in order to obtain dominion, including murdering young Hannah Davis even though the krabinay possessing her had already been absorbed and devoured. As far as Tania was concerned, everyone on the Knight Priory’s side was a threat.

  You’re right. He won’t give a second thought to killing me. He goes.

  While on her back, she attached the silencer to her rifle and then set up the shot. There were lights and a strong headwind—a normal human had virtually no chance of hitting a target under those conditions. But Violet’s soul made her senses far more acute.

  Keeping the sunguard over the scope to prevent the sniper from seeing her, she waited. The moment the traffic on Poydras got loud, horns honking as commuters expressed themselves, she flipped open the sunguard and lined up the target. The sniper must have seen a glint, because he jerked in surprise. Without hesitating, she pulled the trigger. A moment later, his head burst open like a melon.

  Tania licked her lips. “Tango down.”

  “You are such a nerd.”

  Knowing she had only a few minutes before the dead body was discovered, Tania leapt down to the lower roof of one of City Hall’s annexes and rushed across to the main building. A few more seconds of leaping from ledge to ledge and she was on the main roof next to the dead sniper. Hiding the body, she lay low and waited. A few minutes later, the other two guards on the roof came over.

  “Hey, Rob, where are you? You’re supposed to be watching this side of the building while the mayor—”

  Before he could finish, she knocked out one with an elbow to the back of the head and another with a spinning kick to the face. Then she tied them both up.

  “Hmmm. You’re gonna let them live, eh?”

  Sorry to ruin your fun, Sister! Tania smirked as she slipped inside.

  Once on top floor, she felt Violet prickle up. “Hey, be careful. I feel a guardian spirit.”

  Any idea what it is?

  “If you’re talking about those classifications Dr. Lazarus came up with, then no. I told you, dummy, we ghosts don’t care about that. But it’s a loa, it’s big, and it’s hungry.”

  Keeping watch for signs of spiritual activity, such as drops in temperatures or the hairs on the back of her neck standing up, Tania snuck along the corridors of City Hall. Her movements were fluid and quick. The only sound she made was the rustling of her robe. Several times, she heard the footfalls of guards as they came near, forcing her to duck into an office or restroom and wait for them to pass. By the time she reached the doors outside the mayor’s office, she had been inside for over half an hour.

  “The guards on the roof will likely be discovered soon.”

  I know.

  “When that happens, they will raise the alarm.”

  I know, Sister. Tania was starting to get annoyed.

  The doors were guarded by two armed men, so she slipped back around the corner and into a nearby, smaller office. It wasn’t the first time she had snuck through buildings, so she knew exactly what to do. Removing a panel of foam insulation from the ceiling, she slipped inside, making sure to put her weight only on the support beams and cross-sections. Silently, she made her way through the ceiling.

  “All right. I’ll admit that you’ve gotten pretty good at this.”

  Thanks! As good as you used to be?

  Violet snorted. “Don’t press your luck, dummy.”

  As Tania passed over the threshold to the mayor’s office, she felt a sudden chill. Along with the sound of voices, she heard heavy breathing and the rattle of chains. Then she felt something searching for her. The sensation of dread was overwhelming.

  “Damn it! Sister, it’s a bakulu!”

  Tania froze in place. Bakulu, like krabinay, were petro loa, the malicious and dangerous spirits of voodoo. But unlike the kind that possessed Hannah, a bakulu was a greater loa—too powerful, too wild, and too violent to safely possess anyone.

  Those things eat lesser loa, don’t they?

  “Yes. And it can sense me. I’m going to withdraw before it detects me and blows our cover.”

  Before Tania could protest, Violet pulled back deep inside of her, which caused
her powers to fade away. Gritting her teeth, she struggled to stay stable on the ceiling’s support lattice, the only strength she had now from hours of yoga each day. But it worked. A moment later, she felt the bakulu’s attention shift elsewhere. Sweat was already dripping down her face and the inside of the mask. Stilling herself as best she could, she concentrated on listening to the voices.

  “You’ve made a wise decision, Marc.” It was Connick, his deep voice very distinct.

  “I hope so, Harry,” Mayor Morial said. “Those Republicans are throwing everything they can at me to discredit my administration. I need the backing of the elite to make a difference.”

  A woman spoke up. It was a cold voice that Tania didn’t recognize. “Mr. Mayor, let me assure you that the Knight Priory of Saint Madonna will give you its full support. All we ask in return is that you let us use the New Orleans police to crush a group that’s been… hindering our scientific research.”

  Tania gulped. The woman had to mean GEIST.

  “Scientific?” Morial sounded incredulous. “You call this floating… thing scientific? You call any of this voodoo-hoodoo science?”

  They could see the bakulu. It wasn’t a surprise. The ambient energy of New Orleans had gotten so strong that spirits and ghosts were able to manifest with ease.

  Connick chuckled deeply. “Our resident researcher, Dr. Kindley, has done extensive study on the loa and their composition. While we cannot control them, we can influence them. Isn’t that accurate, Miss Saucier?”

  Caroline! I remember her. Tania took off her mask and flicked the sweat away. Then she wiped her face dry.

  “Yes,” Caroline said. “So, Mayor, if you agree to our terms, we can induct you into the Knight Priory the night following the next.”

  “Right, so the immediate things. Apart from signing the order to demolish old Jonathon Russell’s mansion, what else did you want me to do?”

  Jonathan’s mansion? Why did they want to tear that down?