by TR Cameron
Ruby sighed. “Fine. Be that way.” She got up from the bed with a groan and gave him an embrace from behind that was part-hug and part-choke based on where her arms wound up. She kissed the top of his head. “You owe me a date. Figure out what, where, and when. I’m not some feckless floozy you can toy with at random.” She imitated a movie starlet about to burst into tears. “I’m, I’m… Vulnerable.” He laughed. She responded in kind and headed out to work. “Keep it real, Tree. I’m serious about the date.”
While Ruby trusted Sheriff Valentina Alejo as much as she did anyone outside her inner circle, there was always the possibility the PDA might pressure her or that they could have an eye on her without her knowledge. Thus, agreeing to meet at a specific time and place was a bad idea. Instead, she portaled to a building near the sheriff’s department in her disguise and used the high-powered microphone Margrave had provided for her incursion into the security company that seemed so long ago to listen to the goings-on in Alejo’s office.
After thirty minutes of boring conversations, the woman told the other person in the room with her that it was time to get a snack, and a full minute of silence followed the sound of the door closing. Ruby packed away the device. If this is a trap, it’s an impressive one since she doesn’t know I’m coming. I think this is about as safe as I can manage. She summoned a veil and made her way to the building. Alejo’s office had a window, and it required minimal telekinetic effort to undo the latch. She extended the veil that concealed her to include the window, so if it generated any noise it wouldn’t be noticed and lifted it. After climbing into the room, she closed the opening behind her.
Alejo’s area was neat and precise, like the woman herself. Her desk was wood topped with plastic or glass, and perfectly aligned piles of paper rested at each of the far corners. The space in front of the chair held a laptop displaying a lock screen. All four walls were adorned with pictures of people and interspersed with accolades Alejo had earned. A martial arts trophy sat on a table in the corner, and Ruby approached to read it. First place, Northwest Regional Jujitsu Tournament. Not bad. Ruby arranged herself on the couch, which was old leather and surprisingly comfortable despite—or because of—its demonstrably heavy use. She firmed up her veil and enhanced her senses in case she was in the jaws of an elaborate trap.
Ten minutes later, Alejo returned with a mug of coffee and moved to her desk, settling in with a sigh. Ruby extended the sound dampening to include the whole room, added a sight shield so no one would see anything unusual through the window, then released the personal veil around her. Fortunately, she’d waited until Alejo’s hand was away from the coffee cup because the other woman started and jerked at her appearance. Ruby said calmly, “Sorry. Didn’t mean to alarm you. I can’t be sure the PDA isn’t watching you, so I needed to visit unannounced.”
Alejo took her time responding, bracing herself with a sip from the mug. “Well, I did ask you to come, so I guess I can’t complain. First, I wanted to thank you for your efforts at the warehouse. A lot of people could’ve gotten hurt without your help, and that’s all the PDA would’ve needed to expand their influence in Ely. They’re champing at the bit to step up, and I don’t think it’s good for any of us if they do.”
Ruby frowned. “Are they actively investigating the warehouse incident?”
Alejo snorted. “They’re trying their best to. Fortunately, they don’t have jurisdiction, and we’ve been able to keep them away from the people we arrested.” She shook her head. “Not that any of them are talking in any case. They must either be pretty scared of their boss or well-paid.”
“How about your informant?”
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “He says he did what we wanted, and now we should leave him alone.”
Ruby lifted an eyebrow. “Will you?”
The other woman laughed. “Of course not. Once you’re on the hook, you stay on the hook. Anyway, that’s not why I asked to meet.”
She stood, walked around the desk, and perched on the edge facing Ruby. “There’s a lot of chatter in the air about a big opportunity coming up. Apparently, a bunch of the stolen gems from the casinos, particularly Spirits casino, have been gathered together. Whoever has them plans to hand them over to a big-time fence who’s visiting town for the deal.”
Ruby frowned. She’d been checking on the precious stones at least once a day with her tracking magic, but nothing useful had come of it. They’d remained scattered, unchanging. This development must’ve happened very recently. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d done it, but surely it was after she got back from Oriceran. Or maybe not. That would’ve been stupid. Oh well, irrelevant. “Where? When?”
“The word is tonight, after dark, nothing more detailed than that. The where, though, no idea. Once that information gets out, and it’s sure to since everyone’s watching everyone else, we can probably assume mayhem will result as everybody goes after the diamonds. That’s going to be seriously ugly.”
Ruby sighed. “You’re right, of course. Do we care if a bunch of criminals winds up fighting among themselves?” She cared but wasn’t sure that Alejo needed to.
The sheriff nodded. “It’s officially on the radar, so a response is required. Given how big it is, we’ll have to do so in force.”
“Which means you have to work with the leaky Ely PD, which means anyone who doesn’t already know will soon, including the PDA. You realize it’s probably a trap set for me, right?”
The other woman shrugged. “Yeah, that occurred to me. So I’m not sure whether I’m warning you off or telling you what we’ll be doing so you can supplement our efforts. I can guarantee you that my people and I will be there in force. I’m positive you’re correct that the PDA will as well. The only chance we have of avoiding a bloodbath might be an unexpected move that takes out the gems or the key people who will cause the most trouble.”
Ruby sighed. “Okay. I hear you, and I’ll be there. Not sure what I can do, but at least we’ll be able to figure it out together. I’ll contact you when I’m in range. You contact me through the email address if anything changes. Now, if you’d be so kind as to leave the room, I’d rather no one witnessed my Batman-esque vanishing skills.”
Alejo laughed. “Seriously, though, be careful.”
Ruby nodded. “Always.”
Ruby returned to her parents’ house in the kemana. The underground city often seemed to give her more precision with her magic. Whether that was true or a subjective perception, she wasn’t sure. Either way, she’d take any help she could get. She dropped into lotus position on the bed, and Idryll sat back-to-back with her in her tiger-woman form. Contact with her partner calmed her, and she needed every available advantage for what she was about to do.
Before, she’d been vaguely able to sense the locations of the gems and thus know that they weren’t together. Now she wanted to try to pinpoint their location. If she could figure out where they were and retrieve them during the day, it would take the night’s activities right off the table and keep everyone safe. She closed her eyes and fell inward, visualizing a map of the area as seen from above. Heh. Magical Google Maps. She released her magic, envisioning it flowing up through the ground and riding on air currents, looking for the stones it connected to.
It took a while, but eventually, she got a sense of where the diamonds were and groaned at the discovery. They were together, as Alejo had said. Unfortunately, they were also moving. While her magic would’ve been adequate to nail down their position if they were stationary, she couldn’t track them in motion without a great deal of effort—energy and time she wouldn’t be able to expend while pursuing them. She considered whether she could guide Morrigan and Idryll into position, but after several minutes of trying to improve her connection to the gems, she released the magic in disgust.
Idryll asked, “Not quite what you’d hoped for?”
Ruby let her head fall gently back against the shapeshifter’s. “Nope. I hoped to find a sa
fer way to do this, but I don’t think there is one.”
“You won’t be foolish enough to leave me behind this time, right?”
Ruby laughed. “Oh, hell no. I wouldn’t dare go into this battle without you by my side.”
“Good. You’re getting smarter.”
“This is big enough that I’ll have to invite Morrigan along too. I think a trip to visit Diana and her people is in order. Better get this ball rolling.”
Chapter Fourteen
Goryo wasn’t in the habit of conducting his business in the daytime hours, but coordinating the various pieces of his operation required such sacrifices from time to time. He was dressed in a casual suit, no tie, and wore an ID badge that proclaimed him a reporter for a gaming website. He had several items with him that pretended to be something they were not: a phone, an audio recorder, and a small Bluetooth keyboard. Each would be important to the success of the endeavor ahead. Also hidden in his watch was a tiny USB chip that was exactly what it appeared to be. Those objects would be useful once he passed beyond the outer cordon of protection, but he needed to bluff his way through to get there.
Fortunately, he was skilled at every part of his vocation, including acting and spycraft. He slid the apparently innocuous items onto the conveyor belt and walked through the metal detector, nothing on him sufficient to set it off. From an average person’s perspective, the security of the building would seem tight. A black-uniformed guard patrolled the lobby, his gun belt holding a pistol and a taser, and another like him waited beyond the checkpoint.
In truth, it was lighter than it should’ve been, but that was because the people who clandestinely operated in the space relied on concealment. Foolish, in an age of infomancy. His final concealed item was disguised as a hearing aid in his right ear that would connect him to Scimitar, his frequent associate in computer-related endeavors.
He walked out of the UNLV Research and Technology Park building lobby and found the esports arena beyond it, as expected. It had two parts, a broadcast studio behind a pane of glass complete with anchor desk and control room, and the actual space where the gamers competed. It was all in the name of research on behalf of a casino wanting to stake a claim in that area, but it was also an authentic functioning venue. No casino would miss the chance to monetize their research. He approached an empty station under the guise of examining it and was intercepted by a redheaded female PR person in a sapphire business suit, white blouse, and heels.
Goryo plastered on a broad smile and spoke in a fake California accent. “Hi, I’m Steve Adretti, as you can see from my badge.” He laughed as he tapped it, and the PR person nodded as she peered down at the tablet in her hands.
“You’re on the list. Always happy to welcome reporters from Max Queue Gaming. Any questions I can answer for you today?”
He gestured at the machine. “What kind of specs are you running?”
She offered a professional smile that suggested people asked that question far too often. “Standard stuff, off-the-shelf. How about I give you a press kit with that information in it so there are no worries about accuracy? As you can see, our gamers are competing in a tournament. The game is one we created ourselves, set among the casino’s properties. It’s basically a big scavenger hunt, with tricks and traps that the competitors can use against each other.”
Goryo nodded. “Sounds interesting and challenging. Are they taking to it well?”
She gestured at the giant display at the far end of the room. “See for yourself.” The screen showed feeds from all the computers. The competitors did seem to be giving their all, each trying to gather all the relevant clues or prizes or whatever the game's point was. He didn’t care, and part of him wanted to start killing people rather than deal with this woman any longer. Instead, he inappropriately sat on the edge of the counter next to the empty computer and forced a smile. “How about I wait here and think of some more questions while you grab me that press kit?”
She nodded and headed for a small podium that stood behind the door. He retrieved the USB chip from the underside of his watch and slipped it into the back of the machine, pretending to examine the connectors. After ten seconds, a soft ping sounded in his ear. He pulled out the chip, straightened with a smile, and took the packet the woman offered. “Is it okay if I wander back and take a look at the broadcast studio, Miss Carson?”
She generated a smile as plastic as his. “I’ll take you there myself.” At that instant, her cell phone rang, and she raised a hand as she answered it. With a frown, she said, “I received an important message from the home office. I’m afraid I’ll have to go. There’s another representative inside the control room. Tell them I sent you.” He had already noticed the easy back-and-forth traffic flow between the two areas.
Goryo offered his thanks and headed for the passage beyond. He muttered, “Nice job with the distraction.”
Scimitar’s computer modulated voice replied, “No problem. I had the list of people working the event, so as soon as you said her name, it was simple. I’m fully into the upper-level system. Publicizing that they use their whole facility as a server farm to help with their esports events wasn’t such a smart move security-wise, although it probably got them a couple more dollars from technology investment companies. Morons.”
Once through the passage, he turned left instead of right, heading away from the esports area toward a service corridor that ran through the back. He wondered, as he often did, who Scimitar really was. She had told him she was female early on, but otherwise, he hadn’t been able to find out anything about her. He admired that fact and trusted her as much as he trusted anyone. She was the one who would have gotten him out of prison if the others hadn’t.
The infomancer reported, “I have cameras. Two guards ahead in front of the elevator. They’re carrying pistols and tasers, plus radios, of course.”
“You can jam them?”
The woman gave a static-filled laugh. “Honey, I was born able to jam radios. Child’s play. Literally.”
He shook his head, imagining what that sort of childhood would be like, then focused on the moment as he rounded the corner and saw the guards. He raised his voice, friendly and confident. “Oh. Hey guys. I seem to have missed a turn somewhere, or the PR person sent me in the wrong direction. Can you tell me how to get to the casino floor simulation?”
One replied, and both kept hands near their weapons. He pretended not to hear, turning his head so they could see the hearing aid. He cupped his ear to make sure the message got through. Each step of feigned confusion brought him closer to the guards, but their level of alarm didn’t rise, clearly willing to accept that he was what he seemed. Probably they deal with idiots like this all the time. When one of them lifted a hand, palm out, it was time to move.
Goryo raced forward at that one, who had moved slightly nearer than his colleague, and channeled his momentum into a flying sidekick that took him in his bulletproof vest. It knocked the man stumbling backward, which was the goal of the move. He landed smoothly and delivered an elbow to the other’s temple, who had foolishly gone for his taser rather than his gun. The blow stunned him enough that Goryo was able to grab the hand holding the taser, aim it at the first guard, and push down on the captive finger until the weapon discharged. He finished the standing one with another elbow, then kicked the one now on the floor thanks to the stun gun, rendering him unconscious.
He attached the false audio recorder to the panel outside the elevator doors, and they parted a moment later. It was the work of a minute to drag the bodies inside and position them out of easy view. “You can keep them locked up in here? Or do I need to kill them?”
“I have them. No worries. The car has a suppression system built-in, so if they get ornery, I’ll gas them.”
He nodded. “Okay. Going down.”
Chapter Fifteen
Now that he’d entered a space he definitely shouldn’t be in, Goryo needed to move with deliberate speed. He stripped one of the men of his
bulletproof vest and gun belt, slipping them on as the elevator dropped. The display had ceased giving floor numbers, but he trusted Scimitar would deliver him to where he needed to be. According to the blueprints acquired at great expense from a worker at the construction company who had built the facility's underground portion, three separate laboratory spaces awaited him. His source in the Paranormal Defense Agency, who was equally expensive, had let slip that weapons research happened at the facility, which was the inspiration for his incursion. Given the magical opposition he’d faced so far in Ely, he wanted to be as well-outfitted as possible, and the facility’s proximity made the decision to infiltrate it easy. Once I’ve finished here, there will be only one more item on my acquisition list. Then I’ll be ready to launch the operation phase.
The door opened, and he strode forward as if he belonged. The corridor was brightly lit with government-issue fluorescents overhead and had utilitarian linoleum on the floor. He muttered, “Guess they didn’t go for the same expensive flash down here as upstairs.”
Scimitar replied, “I’ll have to take your word for it. I couldn’t get past the elevator controls upstairs.”
He put on a bored expression, as if he was another guard on patrol, and located all three labs. One was indeed labeled “Weapons,” a second, “Info,” and the last, “Biology.” He whispered, “It looks as if your sources were correct, too.” The possibility of infomancy research happening in the facility had made joining too tempting for her to refuse. Professionals always seek to improve by whatever means they can. He pulled out the item that looked like a phone but wasn’t and pressed it against the touchscreen outside the door that Scimitar was most interested in. The portal popped open, and he pocketed the device.