“Grant believed in me and hoped that I could help them find the terrorists.” She paused, looking up at her father.
Ian nodded, already communicating with her in their private way. “Did you?”
“Not really, I was mostly just following them around,” she said disappointedly.
Ian frowned in a way that didn’t match their conversation. He looked down sharply at his daughter and then took her in his arms, nodding. She squeezed her eyes closed and accepted his hug, laying her head on his chest. They embraced each other with gentle, encircling ribbons.
“It must have been hard for you,” Ian said quietly. “I’m sorry that this happened.”
Scythe, feeling suddenly impatient, turned and entered the room next to him. He dropped Ian's things on one of the bunks, appearing to ignore the people in the room. The only one his eyes flicked over was a man who sat on his cot and fidgeted with his things. Turning back to the door, he extended his hand to Ian who had just arrived with Mercy.
Ian hesitated only a second before taking the offered hand, and the vision that Scythe sent him when Ian’s ribbon touched him: in a room full of people unpacking their gear, one young man with a thin aura of power surrounding him sat down on the bed next to Ian’s.
“I have some things to take care of before the briefing. It was nice to see you again, Ian.” Watch yourself. Try not to use your gifts, if you can. Mercy should not use any at all. The Eler has marked her.
Like his daughter, Ian left most of his thoughts and emotions on display for Scythe to see in the connection between them. The sudden burst of feelings as well as the force of his power made Scythe want to step back. It was as if he had come in from the cold and stood too close to the furnace. Had he forgotten how powerful the man was, or had he just grown more sensitive in recent years? Maybe he had been around the unpowered too long. Whatever it was, it made him jittery inside. Instead of yanking his hand away like he wanted to, Scythe held still, slowly loosened his stiff jaw, and kept from frowning at what he felt from his old friend. Ian’s fear was tempered with a father’s determination to protect his child. He had a confidence in his ability to do that which Scythe couldn’t bring himself to agree with.
Luckily, it wasn’t his problem anymore.
Scythe, Ian began. Flowing close to the man’s emotions was another, sharp, uncertain fear. With a shock, Scythe realized that Mercy was still connected to her father and, now, to him.
With a light snap of his power, Scythe broke the connection.
"I'll see you at the meeting," Scythe said. He took his hand back casually and strode out the door.
Within a few minutes, he had made his way to the company’s main office, where he was able to get access to a communications port.
[encoder enabled]
[verifying]
[falcon program initiated]
[verifying]
[host id: scy241]
[negotiating connection]
[guest id: aor179]
[host]: do you have anything yet q<
[guest]: as predicted the two main warehouse leads are dead_both apparent suicides and a third one is missing_am following up on secondary strands_also the local who reported the ambush was not known by any others in the area and has disappeared<
[host]: i want her tracked down_will investigate here as well_the suicides are new to me_are there other related cases q<
[guest]: not on record_will check<
[host]: blood samples q<
[guest]: interesting_two were unregistered but one was officially deceased_border guard kia seven months ago_following up on the event and tracing all key figures<
[host]: all figures are key figures<
[guest]: understood<
[host]: bombs q<
[guest]: bombs were homemade_everything easy to get including ingredients_researching inquiries re: ingredients instructions etc made to human database back 5 years<
[host]: go back 15 and add kin database<
[guest]: negative_too much data<
[host]: and cross reference<
[guest]: with q<
[host]: dates locations names or events_1 attacks using similar plastics_2 known terrorist areas_3 sales records of ingredients in bulk_4 kin aggression against humans in bordertowns_5 human incidence of suicide_6 involving human sympathizers<
[guest]: kin sympathizing with humans q<
[host]: just check<
[guest]: understood_will take time for all that<
[host]: will submit for assistance_how many do you require q<
[guest]: three more at least<
[host]: will request three under you_i will need the names of any data techs you are working with_manipulation of information is becoming a key point_also for you only aorin_reevaluate all data with suspected missing/corrupted information to determine where/when/who could have changed/corrupted the data_i want to know who or how many whos could be in a position to make the alterations_this could be a vital lead for us_if the terrorists are all dead or similarly nonexistent it would explain why it is so hard to track them down by typical means_this is a priority<
[guest]: understood<
[host]: last thing_are our transmissions monitored q_how easy is it to monitor q_same inquiry for data dumps<
[guest]: policy states that all department transmissions are secure_however monitoring may be possible_will research_have a friend not a data tech who works in information_should I contact q<
[host]: do you trust q_can you get me a background first q_name q_in the capital q<
[guest]: marina_here in quo ire_i trust her but i am trusting<
[host]: not reassuring_get me her info first_if possible i would like full updates for each strand of inquiry every other day_can you do that q<
[falcon: anomaly detected at: unknown]
[falcon: action taken: access denied]
[falcon: worm program initiated]
[falcon: worm lost]
[guest]: if i do not take any days off and work nights_will do<
[host]: good_report to me or my second if you have any personal security issues_keep a backup with you should she present herself_secure your main<
[guest]: personal security issues q<
[host]: as a precaution yes_my second will be watching over you_as always do not reveal identity<
[guest]: personal security issues q q q<
[host]: just focus on your job<
[disconnected]
Scythe put in the request for three additional data technicians and spent the remaining free time on a few searches of his own before heading out to the briefing in Huran’s large, plush board room. Each seat at the long wooden table had a built-in terminal which displayed the directives from both the Human and the Kin governing forces. For longer than Scythe thought was necessary, the two groups debated over prioritization and semantics, but eventually the two sides were able to come to a consensus about how to proceed and how the teams would work together.
They were divided into four teams that would alternate between field operations and security at the Huran building. It was agreed that their base of operations would be a likely target, so, in addition to a standing guard, added security measures would be implemented. Security cameras and a perimeter fence were scheduled for immediate installation and perimeter patrols were assigned.
Scythe, as a Scere special agent, represented the Kin but was outside the authority of Captain Reave. He requested and was assigned his own team, which included Ian, two other Humans and four Kin. Mercy, after being officially recognized as a Human consultant, was relegated to the base. The Kin did not question her purpose and the Humans did not offer an explanation.
A Kin woman named Temper arrived halfway through the meeting. She was the mission’s Watcher, a high level agent in the Scere. She was assigned to the base but was free to join any team at her discretion. Her job was to monitor the operation and ensure that it was carried out according to its parameters. Scythe had worked with her
before; she was a competent soldier and an intelligent strategist. Her other, unmentioned responsibility was to determine if Mercy was sufficiently valuable to the Scere L’ Eler to be taken into their custody. Scythe already knew that Mercy possessed sufficient power to warrant what was essentially a legal abduction. The difficulty was going to be keeping knowledge of it from the Watcher.
He wasn't happy with the need to deceive Temper, someone he had collaborated with in the past and respected. Aside from his personal regard for her, Scythe was like the majority of the Kin: he abhorred blatant lying. Although most people accepted as natural and even necessary the many ways of getting around telling the truth without actually lying, he himself didn’t. That meant that he was in a difficult situation with Temper; he didn’t like to walk the line of his convictions where she was concerned.
The Human captain, Rogers, wanted to personally inspect the ambush site, so his team accepted that duty. The third unit would pursue the next logged objective of the original task force; it would spend several days visiting locations in the region that had been identified as likely targets for the terrorists.
The fourth team was assigned on Scythe’s recommendation to further investigate the woman who had reported the warehouse explosion to the Kin authorities. She had identified herself as an employee of a nearby packaging plant who was on her way home for the day when she saw the smoke from the explosion. At the end of the meeting, Sevren, a capable and experienced Kin man, took his team out to interview her at the plant.
The more he thought about it, the more curious he became about a person who would report the incident and then disappear. The terrorists did not have any reason to hurry a discovery that would have been made shortly anyway, so it seemed unlikely that she was connected with them. In fact, the only element about the aftermath that had any time constraints on it at all was the likelihood of a certain survivor’s death. However, the woman hadn’t entered far enough into the room to have known that Mercy had been trapped. And, if she had somehow been aware of her presence and was concerned about her, why hadn’t she pulled the girl out herself or brought help? Scythe’s inability to come up with any satisfactory answers or motivations made him wish that he could be in on that hunt, but he had more pressing demands.
Scythe had volunteered his team to secure the base, a job that he thought would take three days. He wanted the time to do some more research as well as ensure personally that the base was safe. He had a nagging feeling that the Huran estate would be attacked, despite the fact that it was such an obvious target that no group known for self preservation would dream of doing such a predictable thing.
That afternoon, he sent his team out to work on the camera installation, after clearly and repeatedly going over it with a detailed map. After Ian and the rest left to mark the areas and begin setup, Scythe secured a room for his use and pulled out his compact terminal from his backpack. The small computer was one of his prized possessions because it allowed him to send and receive transmissions on a closed network that was separate from those used by the Kin military and civilian populations. It utilized higher frequency waves than the traditional networks, so it was difficult to detect without specialized equipment, and the unrestricted and secure communication it provided was invaluable to him. His particular model could also piggyback on the more common networks when security wasn’t an issue. Like his other tools, it allowed him to work very efficiently. It also gave him a level of autonomy that he appreciated: he could function well above those who were more poorly equipped, and he didn’t have to go asking for help, something that could be troublesome for the halfblood.
The first thing he did was contact his second in Quo Ire, the Kin capital. He took her report for their previous mission and gave her the Aorin assignment. Once he had completed briefing her and she had signed off, he turned his attention to the security protocols that were sent to him from Soshia, one of the Hedeler’s highest council members. He had already committed them to memory, but he had not yet tried them. After an hour, he was satisfied that he could safely and anonymously gain access to all but the most difficult Human and the majority of Kin systems.
Following a hunch, he logged into the Human military database and started a new line of inquiry.
Scythe continued to work into the night, having dismissed his team when they returned at mealtime and thanking Ian for the food he brought by a short time later. In the quiet of the late evening, he was rapidly typing his latest findings when he felt the approach of Ian’s power and heard his swiftly moving footsteps. He set aside the tablet and leaned back in his seat. A quick sniff warned him, and then his eyes confirmed Ian’s mood when he turned the corner, strode straight up to the desk and planted his hands down in front of Scythe.
“You let my daughter believe that Grant’s death was her fault?” Ian’s voice was low and steady and brimming with fury. The power that was normally contained in the easygoing man seeped out of him in small, thick ropes that waved in the air.
Scythe, already tired from a succession of long days, had to take two breaths to calm his body’s instant reaction to his old friend’s hostile posture and tone. The impulse to knock down anyone even remotely aggressive who got that close to him was a thing he could barely control, even when it was someone he knew. A shot of adrenaline that felt as good as Human street drugs raced through him. That, mixed with his instinctive desire to dominate and his well honed fighting skills, combined in the field to make him fast and lethal. At moments like the current one, however, it was a liability, which was why he strategically avoided situations like the one he was facing.
Those two breaths lasted too long for Ian. His eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward across the desk, unaware that his closer proximity pushed Scythe nearer to the edge. “You did. You little…” He stopped when Scythe, who hadn’t moved yet, lifted up one finger.
One more breath. It was that or break something, like a nose.
At the back of his head, the old, familiar personality purred like a cat. Just hit him. He’s the one provoking you. It’s practically self-defense.
Taking Scythe’s tight control of himself for cool indifference, Ian’s mouth pinched over his clenched teeth. He lifted his hand and swung it in an attempt to smack down Scythe’s hand.
The amount of time it took Ian to shift his weight was all Scythe needed to snatch the other man’s wrist out the air and yank his unbalanced body across the desk, jerking it at an angle so that Ian lay face up on the table, his wide eyes looking up at his old protégé. He recovered quickly and his whole body tensed. Fat cords of power began to wrap around the younger man’s arm.
“Don’t,” Scythe said, his tone deadly serious, and tried very hard to not strike him. He gripped Ian’s hand like it was a lifeline. The one who had brought him more pain and fear than anything else in his life whispered, What’s the worst that could happen?
The worst thing, bastard, would be you interfering again. Get lost.
Ian, finally noticing the sweat on his forehead and the panic in his eyes, nodded. The power, which had hit a wall at Scythe’s skin, soaked back into Ian. His body relaxed and he watched Scythe closely.
Well, damn. When Ian backed down, Scythe’s impulse to fight began to bleed away. The voice commented before fading into the background, Ian would appreciate the irony in this, don’t you think?
Scythe made himself release the arm and step back, but he couldn’t quite take his other hand off the knife. He hadn’t noticed before how much squeezing the handle, custom made for his grip, calmed him.
“Give me a minute Ian, and don’t ever try to hit me.”
Ian slid off the desk and stood back a step, watching Scythe closely. He frowned, noticing the young man’s struggle to keep in control and the weapon that he hadn’t put away. “Is this from the virus?”
Scythe shrugged, “Does it matter?”
“Yes, of course it matters.”
“Not to me.” Scythe said.
“It doesn�
�t bother you to violently attack your friends?”
“No, it doesn’t matter to me if it is because of the virus or not. It is what it is.”
“If it isn’t the virus, what is it?”
Scythe didn’t answer. The adrenaline was leaving him, and he was quickly becoming more tired than he was before. That and Ian’s meddling put him in a bad mood.
“You have changed a lot, Scythe. I felt it the second I touched you. You’re really distant now,” he said.
Scythe shrugged again.
“Fine.” Ian sat in one of the chairs along the wall. “Even so, you used to despise how much Humans lie. There is really nothing left of you if you can lie so easily now, and to a young girl.”
“Ian, there is no point in this.” Scythe knew that there was no way they were going to agree on whether or not Mercy was at fault for Grant’s death. He pulled the tablet back in front of him, scanning the information to find his place.
Halfblood Journey Page 9