Lisa grinned. “I took a vacation. Work’s a little slow at the moment.”
“Still?”
“Yeah. I don’t get it. But, you know, whatever. Let me show you the rest!” She didn’t resist as the other woman dragged her through the house, showing her all the improvements she’d made. Finally, laughing, she interrupted the tour.
“I have to go meet with some fancy people.”
“That explains the outfit. It’s so not you.”
The agent put her hand over her heart. “Ouch. Cruel. Cruel and heartless.” She’d adopted a different style for the day, mainly to surprise Bryant, who she saw far too infrequently of late. The stylish spy boots were still part of the arrangement, but a long skirt and matching jacket, plus a bright red blouse, finished the ensemble. Her hair, nails, and makeup received extra attention too, and she was, she thought, looking extremely professional.
Her friend laughed. “I’m kidding. You look great. For a lawyer.”
She shook her head. “Shut up, or I’ll stab you.”
Lisa’s reply was interrupted by a knock on the door, and she opened it so Bryant could enter. He had one glimpse of Diana and uttered a comical wolf whistle, which made all three of them break into laughter before he sobered quickly as he looked at his watch. “We’re running late. Gotta go. Sorry to be rude.”
He summoned a portal and signaled for Diana to lead. She stepped through into a standard institutional corridor. Bryant led the way through the twists and turns until they arrived at Finley’s office. They entered through the outer door and were confronted by a thin, perfectly dressed secretary. He stood, smiled at them, and asked, “Bates and Sheen?” Bryant nodded, and the man gestured at the chairs against one wall. “The senator will be with you in a couple of minutes.” He sat again and slipped on a headset, then began talking to someone they couldn’t hear.
She leaned over to speak quietly to her boyfriend. “Is this normal? Should we be worried?”
He also kept his voice low. “There’s no danger from Finley. I guess it’s possible he has a guest in there who might concern us, but I think we’re okay.”
Her concerns vanished as the man himself appeared to escort them into his otherwise empty office. He veered toward the coffee machine and gave her time to examine the space. The carpet was thick and deep-blue, and the expected flags of the United States and his home state were in the two corners behind the desk. One wall was filled with bookshelves, and the other featured the long coffee-holding credenza, with storage below and a painting representing a scene from the revolutionary war above. Diffuse light was cast from beneath a molding that ran along the upper part of the wall and the illumination bounced off the flat white ceiling to give the whole area a warm feel.
The senator set mugs before them on his dark wooden desk and circled to take his own seat, a high-backed leather office chair. Piles of paper were arrayed in neat rectangles across the surface, and he moved the page he’d been working on to the side. He closed the lid of the nearby laptop and slid it away as well, then looked at his guests. “Thanks for coming.”
They nodded and Bryant asked, “What’s up? It was a surprise to hear that you wanted to meet with both of us.”
“I have some bad news. We’ve been following the trails you provided and have discovered that all the members of the oversight committee, except for the vice president, have been compromised to some degree. Even me.”
Diana blinked at the shocking information. “How?”
Finley shrugged. “The investigators aren’t sure. They’re operating under the assumption it’s a traitor within since that’s the worst-case scenario, but there are other reasonable explanations as well. It could simply be a really good virus but the search will expand to our homes. You can expect that they’ll look at you all next.”
She shook her head. “No way am I letting them into my systems. That will never happen.”
Bryant nodded. “I have to agree. For all we know, they’re the ones doing the compromising.”
The man spread his hands wide in a gesture of helplessness. “Which is exactly why I called you here. I’d expected things would be moving toward the ‘improvement’ side of the continuum by now but instead, they’re spiraling toward the ‘seriously messed up’ part.” He sighed and took a large sip of his coffee, then retrieved a device she recognized from his desk. He placed the flat black square on the wooden surface and pressed the button to activate the signal jammer. “I can’t leave this on too long or they’ll think it’s deliberate rather than an error.” He chuckled. “You need to check in with Taggart. I gave him a heads-up when I visited him. He’ll tell you the rest. We’ve planned for this but had hoped never to use the plan.” He turned the box off and his tone shifted and became harsh. “So, you’ll be required to give them full access, whether you approve or not. Remember, ARES is under governmental oversight for a reason. If you don’t like it, you can feel free to submit your resignations. Do you understand?”
They put on appropriately cowed expressions and nodded. Bryant said, “Yes, Senator, we understand completely. Thank you for your time.”
He led her from the office and they took the long way out of the building onto the plaza. Once outside, he turned and pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear. “You and I are almost certainly under surveillance, individually and together. I have a low-level jammer on but keep it neutral until we’re with Taggart.” He released her, plucked his phone from his inside jacket pocket, and summoned a car. They wandered arm in arm like tourists while they waited, looking at the many plaques and arrangements of greenery that decorated the wide space. Finally, the expected SUV rolled up to the curb and they stepped in for the ride to the hospital.
Carson Taggart sat in a large recliner, which was far better and more comfortable overall than where he’d spent his time while in the coma. He rose quickly but unsteadily to greet them both with handshakes before he fell heavily in his seat. “It’s so nice of you both to come. Is this a social visit?” His lopsided grin revealed that he was quite aware of the reason for their presence in his hospital room. They sat on the bed and faced him.
Bryant laughed. “You try to get out, but they keep pulling you back in, right, boss?”
The older man shook his head. “Like hell, Bates. I’m only here to teach you whippersnappers a thing or two.” He gestured, and Bryant retrieved his jammer and set it on the low table beside the man’s chair. It pulsed with a green light to confirm it was active. Taggart’s demeanor changed, and he leaned forward with an energy she hadn’t expected from him. “Okay, we don’t have all that long before someone interrupts us for one thing or another, I imagine, so let’s get going.” He cleared his throat. “We knew from the beginning that the oversight committee could prove to be a problem, and while we wanted that connection with the government, we feared the possibility that politics might interfere with our mission. So Finley and I, and several others, came up with a backup plan.”
“Project Adonis, right?” Bryant interrupted.
The older man laughed. “Yes. We love Greek mythology in our particular corner of the government, it seems. Anyway, the backup plan was to be invoked only under a few circumstances, but one of them was the discovery of traitors on the oversight committee or in the political chain of command that interfaces with us.”
Diana shook her head. “Well, we certainly have that. Finley said that it’s essentially ubiquitous—the penetration of our political side.”
He nodded. “That’s more or less how we envisioned it might happen, actually. Did he tell you that the vice president has overridden his selections for new members and is placing his own choices in there?”
Bryant made a choking sound. “What the hell?”
Taggart chuckled darkly. “Exactly. So, what we have here is a situation where the organization itself could be compromised. That can’t be allowed to happen, lest our enemies manage to turn it to their advantage.”
She drummed her finge
rs on her arm. “Okay, what’s the plan, then?”
“You get ready to move on a moment’s notice. Everything that’s essential lives in crates, trucks, or other easily transportable items. When the time comes, if the situation reaches a breaking point, you vanish to a new central location and keep doing what you’re doing.”
Diana frowned. “We leave whatever we can’t carry behind and go into hiding?”
He nodded but didn’t speak. Silence reigned in the room for almost a full minute before Bryant broke it. “That’s…a big ask.”
The man sighed. “Yes. I know. There’s a reason ARES agents tend to be unmarried and generally disconnected from things outside of their jobs. We never wanted to create a situation where someone would have to choose between competing loyalties.”
She cursed. “I get it. And while it makes sense—total sense—it still sucks.”
Both men nodded. Bryant asked, “Can you give us more details?”
“Everything but the timing and the destination.”
“Okay, let’s get to it before some handsome nurse comes in to offer you a sponge bath.” The laughter at the joke was strained and almost painful but it was there. Which was something, at least.
Diana and Bryant had planned a romantic night out but the news from Finley and Taggart had killed their enthusiasm, so they simply went to her hotel instead. They lay together on the bed, fully clothed, and stared at the ceiling.
Neither spoke for some time but finally, Diana said, “You know, it could be worse. We’d be in the same location for once, anyway.”
He laughed. “Are you asking me to cohabitate, Sheen?”
She slapped him with the back of her hand. “Don’t be a jerk.”
“I’m a slave to my instincts, you know that.” He turned serious. “It’s true. It could be much worse. Secrecy would keep us all safe from the garbage you’re dealing with and protect us from the kind of stuff that happened in Buffalo and Hartford.” He shook his head. “But, man, we’d give up all semblance of a normal life. I’m not sure my people signed on to be round-the-clock soldiers for ARES.”
“Maybe we need to give everyone an opportunity to opt-out now before things reach the point of no return.”
“Which risks giving the whole operation away.” He sighed. “I know it’s the right thing to do but let’s not go overboard yet. If we’re lucky, it could be that we can get out of this mess without ever needing to activate Adonis.”
She shifted to lay alongside him and rested the back of her head on his shoulder. “And, yes, if we lived in the same city, I’d be willing to let you move in with me. On a trial basis. Assuming Rath approved.”
He laughed. “I’ll always be second to the troll, is that it?”
“Of course. We’re partners for life, he and I.”
He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through her hair. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Chapter Fourteen
Rath was in his favorite place on Earth—out in the sun with his hands grasped around Max’s collar while the dog ran and jumped joyfully through the people-filled streets. Technically, they were on patrol and the Borzoi’s small saddlebags were packed with essential gear, but it was as much about being together as it was about looking for trouble. The team had already crossed the boundary from their home neighborhood into the area where the universities were, and numerous students outside out in the pleasant weather provided Max with enthusiastic attention and the troll with surprised compliments when they noticed him.
Once upon a time, he’d worried about how the people on this planet would treat him. By and large, though, experience had shown that they were extraordinarily accepting, aside from a few scumbags here and there. He didn’t feel the need to hide, even at his smallest size. And, if someone threatened him enough to cause him to grow to his biggest version, they would probably be the ones in trouble.
He and Diana had spent more time together lately, sometimes training and sometimes watching movies late at night. It was perfect in a soul-filling kind of way. When she was unhappy, he was unhappy, so it was good that her mood had taken a turn for the better, especially after her successful retrieval of the sword. She had been a little bummed after the trip to Washington, but they’d spent the evening playing board games and her attitude had improved again. All it had required was giving their roommate a harsh defeat in Catan to accomplish it.
When his comms unit pulsed to indicate an incoming message, he gave the dog the signal to stop so he could listen to it without distraction. The electronic voice he’d come to associate with Amadeo crackled to life. Kayleigh had decided not to try to lock the assassin out of the comms but had instead adjusted everyone else’s links to broadcast on a different channel. She’d set the old frequency to receive-only for everyone but the troll so the man wouldn’t know they were all able to hear him. Rath could send on both the old and the new channels. The mysterious voice spoke quickly. “Your friend with the antique shop is in danger. You should get there immediately.”
He yelled for Max to run, and the dog lurched into motion. Emanuel’s store was only a few blocks away, and fear for the older man’s safety coursed through him. He crouched low as his mount surged beneath him, and they covered the distance quickly. On the way, he instructed Gwen to summon the police, even though he knew they wouldn’t make it there before he would. He mentally reviewed the locations of his gear in the bags and fretted as they bounded along the final block. The screen door hung from its hinges, and the sight made him instantly angry. He slipped off Max’s back, grew to his three-foot size, and yanked his knives and batons from the dog’s satchels. Kayleigh had added magic deflectors to the knife vest, so he had some defense against the witches or wizards he assumed would be inside.
“Max, follow. Free to bite.”
He pushed the damaged door aside, slipped through, and heard loud voices from upstairs where the artifacts were. Another noise ahead indicated that someone was in the kitchen. He definitely didn’t want to get caught from behind, so that one had to go first. He pointed to the base of the stairs and ordered, “Max, guard.” The dog crouched out of sight but his posture suggested he was ready to make any intruder who might come down the staircase very unhappy. Rath crept down the hallway toward the source of the sound and darted hasty glances to the right as he passed doorways to ensure no enemies were lying in wait.
When he arrived in the entrance to the kitchen, he froze and studied a man dressed in dirty camouflage who a carried gun at his hip and faced the open refrigerator while he tilted a bottle of beer to his mouth. The invasiveness of the gesture irritated the troll, and he growled as he ran toward the offender. His target turned, his eyes filled with surprise and fear, and collapsed when the shock batons snapped at him. The bottle fell in his lap and the remaining liquid poured over him. Risky move. Lucky break. Bad Rath. No, Totally worth it. Thinking about Deadpool returned him to the right state of mind, and he hurried to the stairs and gestured for Max to follow him up.
They crept along the hallway and identified two strange men in the main area with Manny, one waving a wand and the other holding a pistol aimed at the old man. His friend looked like he’d been punched more than once, probably in an effort to force him to reveal where the artifacts were. It appeared that the intruders were in no hurry, which was a good sign and meant the rescuers had time as well. Rath suppressed his growl, not ready to let the invaders know he was there. Dog and troll moved to the next room and found one more with a rifle strap slung over his back. The troll pointed at Max and then at the enemy, and the dog’s eyes indicated his understanding.
Rath retraced his steps to the entrance to the first room and readied himself. He was a moment away from launching his attack when two things happened. First, the thug with the pistol raised it as if to strike Manny, which made the older man flinch. That made his friend look toward the door, and his mouth opened in surprise. Both enemies immediately turned toward the troll and his element of surprise vanished
as if it never existed at all. Okay, we’ll do it the fun way.
His first priority was to protect Emanuel. He darted forward and slashed with his baton at the hand holding the gun, and the weapon spun free. An attack from the mage caught him, but his deflectors flared and absorbed the magic energy. There was no cracking sound, so he assumed he would be protected from at least one more attack. Making sure he remained between the wizard and the innocent human in the room, the troll sidestepped the rifleman to get a better angle and delivered four blows in rapid succession with his batons—shin, opposite knee, thigh, and a stab into the man’s groin to finish the cycle. The stun blast discharged, the man yelped, and he stumbled back before he fell.
The mage launched another onslaught and Rath’s deflectors surrendered beneath it. They grounded most of the lightning but it left his hair sticking up on end in every direction. He dropped his batons and cross-drew two knives to hurl them at his assailant. The wizard waved his wand and they changed trajectories and twisted to target Manny. The troll’s eyes widened in panic as he flung himself into their path. His airborne blades caught the ones still sheathed along his ribs when he blocked their flight. He landed, vaulted up again to dodge the shadow bolt his foe delivered, and thrust off the wall and down toward the mage with a roundhouse punch. The man had no time for a magic solution, but he was light on his feet and managed to evade the fist.
As Rath recovered his balance from the missed blow, he realized Max was barking his head off and boots pounded noisily in the hallway. Dang. Reinforcements. And I didn’t hear sirens, so they’re probably not on my side. The wizard grinned, and his diminutive opponent did the only thing he could think of. He yelled, “Max, run!” and began to grow. He gathered his friend in one arm and snagged his vest as the Velcro parted and it fell away, then raced to the window. Glass shattered and wood splintered as he leapt through it. He landed on the soft grass of the backyard already running and at his full height. The dog joined him moments later, growling his frustration loudly to the world. Honestly, the troll felt like doing the same.
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