Federal Agents of Magic Boxed Set

by T. R. Cameron

  The man followed his gaze and coughed to cover the choking sound he made. He turned and faced away from them. “She gives me the creeps, man. It’s like she wants to crawl into the boss’s skin or something.”

  “Mur’s?”

  “Hell no. The boss boss. Sarah.” He shuddered visibly as he said her name.

  Sloan nodded. “I know how you feel, man. I’m totally right there with you. Any idea what’s going on?”

  He hadn’t brought it up in the car and had simply played dumb. He guessed that Teddy was both in the dark and scared because of it, and he wasn’t doing much better. The other man shook his head. “Mur texted, said get everyone down here and be ready to move tonight.”

  Sloan cursed inwardly. It was a moment of decision, and he was still worried after the little witch had identified the turncoat and the big witch had brought about his demise. He pulled out the low-end smartphone he carried, called up the keypad, and dialed in a ten-digit code. The phone blanked and was now essentially bricked—no one would be able to get anything from it as the data would permanently scramble itself. It remained good for only a single thing—transmitting what it heard in tiny encrypted packets onto a specific Internet site, one monitored by Kayleigh and her AI.

  If the transmission was discovered, he could say he’d picked the phone up and found it broken, which would give him some weak deniability. Any examination would conclude it was only a damaged cell trying to get a signal from the nearest tower. The feed would also act as a location beacon as the device would constantly transmit. He’d carried similar devices on undercover assignments before but had never needed to use one. Maybe I’m overreacting. The likelihood that anyone would be capable of discovering my secret is minimal, at best.

  The black-clad witch appeared at the head of the stairs and walked down slowly. She gazed at them possessively, like they were a herd of cattle. Or pawns on a chessboard. Likely sacrifices, either way. She stopped halfway down, where every eye in the room would have a good look at her, and her presence was such that every eye was locked on her. Teddy nudged him, but he ignored the man and kept his gaze glued to the woman.

  “People, it is finally time to put all the excellent training you’ve done into practice. We are called upon tonight for one of the most important tasks we have ever been given. We have the honor of making the first move in a larger offensive, and at the end of it all, there will be abundant rewards for everyone.”

  A half-hearted cheer rose but quickly fell silent. She didn’t seem to notice the interruption. “There is some room in a couple of trucks for those who want to ride inside. Otherwise, we take individual cars. We are headed across the state to strike at an enemy that has long interfered with the actions of people of power here on Earth. Under the guise of law and order, they have repeatedly oppressed our kind, both those of us with magic and those of us who choose not to follow all of society’s weak rules.”

  She was stirred up and spoke quicker as she delivered her speech, and the crowd responded to it. Damn, she has charisma in proportion to her crazy. That’s so not good. He wondered if there was a way for him to slip out and had gotten as far as looking around for an exit before she said the words that sealed his immediate fate. “Get to the vehicles now. We are headed for Philadelphia, and before we leave the City of Brotherly Love…” Her tone was viciously mocking. “We will turn one of their most famous icons into nothing but rubble, dust, and blood.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Kayleigh had put the call out as soon as Sloan’s phone went into ghost mode and the team was assembled to check gear and await the command to deploy. Diana was eager for the same, ready to go another round with the scary witch who’d taken charge of the criminal organization when BAM had captured their leader.

  For now, though, she waited for the monitors in front of her to light up with feeds from the other essential participants in the afternoon’s discussion. The one on the left illuminated first to show the concerned face of Carson Taggart, Special Agent in Charge of ARES. Next, the one on the far right activated, and she grinned to see Bryant, even in this circumstance. He responded with a smile and a professional nod. Sure, sure, pretend to be all supervisory. After rounds of drinks with you, I know what you’re really like.

  The middle display came to life with the image of a concerned-looking woman. She wore the uniform of the Philadelphia Anti-Enhanced Threat team. She had short black hair, only an inch or so on top and shaved on the sides. Diana guessed she was in her early to mid-thirties by the few lines that showed on her makeup-free face. Her features were sharp, and her entire demeanor echoed the look. “Thanks for taking the time for this call. I’m Kendra Michaeli. What’s going on?”

  Taggart, as the initiator of the conference, took the lead. “Our Pittsburgh bureau has received credible information that there will be an attack in your city today. All we are sure of is that it will be something big. Our intelligence intercept caught the word ‘icon,’ but our analysts caution that it could simply be hyperbole.”

  The woman nodded. “We deal with threats like this every day. What makes this one such a cause for concern?”

  Bryant replied, “The nature of the opposition. They have worked on a regional basis before and attacked simultaneously in several cities. In this case, they appear to be bringing help in from other locations to act against yours. That is something you should be highly concerned about.”

  “Do you have any idea why?”

  Diana shook her head. “All we know from our…intercepts is that the Pittsburgh group has been deployed to attack you by someone above them in the criminal hierarchy. This is the group that was responsible for the attack on the Army train a while back, so they are not a force to be taken lightly.”

  The woman’s face settled into a scowl. “I heard about that. It sounded like a major mess from start to finish.”

  All three ARES agents winced, but it was her obligation to reply. “It was. There were issues. Let’s all agree to blame military bureaucracy and move on from there, shall we?”

  The AET officer gave a dark laugh. “Yeah, I hear you. So, in summary, there’s a team of heavy hitters who have targeted our city, probably tonight, and probably someplace notable. We have all the usual activities going on for a Friday night, plus a couple of concerts and a baseball game.”

  Bryant asked, “Who’s playing?” As if it matters.

  The fact that she didn’t have to look up the answer kicked her up a notch in Diana’s estimation. “Phillies vs. Red Sox at Citizen’s, Taylor Swift at Wells Fargo, and GOT7 at BB&T.”

  He frowned. “What the hell is a GOT7?”

  Diana laughed. “K-Pop band. Crazy popular.”

  “How the hell do you know that?”

  “Rath likes them.”

  Taggart and Michaeli watched them with odd looks on their faces, and Diana returned to the topic. “It seems like any of those could be a legitimate target.”

  The AET officer nodded in agreement. “I’d probably assume that GOT7 is the least likely if they mentioned a Philly icon. It’s technically not in the city.” She held her palms up and shrugged. “Honestly, though, if we include historical monuments, there are too many to name. Not to mention museums, the aquarium, and that sort of thing.”

  Taggart sighed. “A plethora of options. Diana, any indication of where they might strike?”

  She shook her head. “None.” The Remembrance leader had made the strategically sound decision to require cell phones to be left at the warehouse. All they received now was the sound of a few caretaker hoodlums watching the place and grousing about not being included in the operation. Kayleigh was personally offended at the lack of data and was already talking loudly to anyone in proximity about implanting trackers in all of them. We’re all frustrated at the impending action and at the fact that one of our own is involved. Some of us merely have more creative ways of working it out. She rocked her neck back and forth to crack it. Me, I’m looking forward to shooting somethin
g. A tracker’s not a bad idea for Rath, though.

  Bryant looked and sounded angry. “Okay, what can we do to upend whatever these bastards have in mind?”

  Diana put a fist gently into her other open palm. “My team is down for a road trip. But we’ve already lost a lot of time.”

  Taggart nodded. “There’s no way you can drive. We’ll borrow a transport from the Air Force Reserve base near you and fly you in. You’ll need to carry your own gear as there’s no chance to have supplies routed there today.” Diana glanced down and typed a quick text to Cara to instruct her to start the team packing. “DC has its own obligations tonight. Bryant, is there anyone else we might bring in?”

  “Negative. They’re all busy getting back on their feet.” The AET officer looked confused, but no one chose to explain the comment.

  “Okay, then. It’s up to AET, Philly SWAT, and ARES Pittsburgh. Diana, tell your people to play nice with the other organizations, please.”

  She laughed at the joke. “Boss, we’re always nice. Except to the enemy, of course.”

  Michaeli shook her head. She probably thinks we’re all totally insane. We have her fooled. We’re only mostly insane. “We’ll put our ear to the ground for any clues and prepare for your arrival. Thanks in advance for helping us keep the peace.”

  They said their goodbyes, and the woman dropped from the call. Taggart’s concern was visible on his face and audible in his tone. “I don’t like this one. They’ve been all about acquiring magic and suddenly, they’re taking a detour into domestic terrorism? It doesn’t smell right.”

  Bryant asked, “If the orders are coming from someone on Oriceran, is it really ‘domestic?’ I mean, it’s not international, but maybe interplanetary?”

  Their boss sighed. “Bryant, I understand that you’re trying to be funny to lighten the mood, but you’re not good at it, so you should stop.” Diana snorted, and her regional supervisor grinned. Taggart simply shook his head and looked equal parts amused and exasperated. “You people need to take this stuff more seriously.”

  She shrugged. “What’s the point? We’re doing all we can do. A little dark humor between friends soothes the soul.”

  He seemed about to argue, then surrendered by shifting topics. “If this is like every single other thing they’ve done, it won’t be a one-off.”

  “Agreed. Everyone should be on their toes. I’ll make sure the Cube and PD are aware here.”

  Bryant growled his frustration. “I’ll warn Hartford. Do you think it’s worth sending out a regional terrorism alert to make people alert for trouble?”

  Taggart nodded. “I do. I’ll check in with Finely to see if he agrees.”

  “And if he doesn’t?” Diana asked.

  “We’ll have Bryant do it so I have deniability with the oversight committee.”

  The other man’s voice was laced with syrupy sarcasm. “Gee, thanks, boss. It’s awesome how you provide cover for us and all. Maybe you should consider becoming head of the CIA so you can show them your unique brand of support by sharing the names of all the agents with the media or something.” The jibe made everyone laugh, and Taggart shook his head in disbelief.

  “Every time I think you can’t be more stupid, Bryant, you step up your game. It’s truly amazing.”

  BC sounded very pleased with himself. “And worth rewarding with a raise and some additional vacation days?”

  “Worth rewarding with a week training in Siberia, maybe.”

  “If you were head of the CIA, you could probably arrange that for him,” Diana quipped,

  Taggart threw his hands up in surrender. “We’re done here. Diana, be safe and kick some criminal butt. Bryant, try to make yourself useful.”

  The call dropped, and she shook her head. “Friday, put me on intercom.” A small chime acknowledged the order. “We roll out as soon as possible, people. Finish packing and get it in gear.”

  Forty-five minutes later, the team drove out of the garage in a caravan of SUVs filled with agents and equipment. Local PD held the intersections for them to join the highway and blocked the ramps to give them an unimpeded route to the reserve base. They pulled the four vehicles up the ramp of the C-130H Hercules transport, and Air Force personnel rushed to secure them to the deck under the shouted orders of the loadmaster.

  Diana hopped out and waved her team into the jump seats mounted in the front of the aircraft. She continued forward to talk to the pilots. “How ancient is this thing? Did you have to take it out of the actual mothballs for this mission?”

  The man with the grey crewcut on the left laughed. “She’s not that old. Late forties, early fifties. Age, not build year.”

  The younger woman in the right seat nodded as she made a mark on her checklist. “We have any number of people who spend most of their drill time making sure she’s good to go. We’ll get you there, no worries.”

  Diana grinned. “I have no doubt. I’m busting your chops, that’s all. Is there anything I need to know?”

  The first one spoke again. “Nope, relax and enjoy the ride. We have priority clearance for both departure and arrival and should be on the ground within two hours of wheels-up.”

  She patted them both on the shoulders. “You rock.” When she headed back, her team had strapped in and left an open seat between Tony and Cara for her. She sighed and looked at Anik and the Air Force officers, all of whom avoided eye contact. “Does anyone want to trade seats? Anyone? Please don’t make me listen to those two for the whole flight.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Thirty minutes out,” called the loadmaster from the cargo area of the plane. “Pilots say weather is clear now and you can do your thing.”

  Diana popped the harness holding her in her seat and strode toward the back of the transport, the rest of her team a step behind. They’d talked over the mission for most of the flight and were all as frustrated as she was about the long wait for action. Even Kayleigh, linked in through the comm equipment in the SUVs, sounded irked about the delay.

  They opened the four rear compartments and withdrew the crates inside, each almost as large as the area allotted for it and requiring a pair of agents to extract it. They set the cases on the deck and strapped them down, then popped the lids to retrieve their equipment. The first held something Kayleigh had promised for a while but they hadn’t had time to train or deploy in yet. Their new tunics were tight and designed to be worn under their other tops. The wiring that connected the vest capacitors to the shock gloves passed through built-in channels with a connector dangling at each end. A thin fiber-optic camera tube ran down the left inner forearm.

  The neck was contoured to follow the line of the AI collars that she and Cara wore, ensuring that the devices could read their vital signs. The tunics had that capability as well, for redundancy and to track the team members who didn’t have the other equipment yet. Diana twisted her arms to look at the channels and admired the way her muscles rippled through the tight material. “Kayleigh, damn, nice work.”

  The tech’s voice was tense. “Glad you like it. All the tests have been good. Even if something goes wrong, the only loss is the shock gloves, really.”

  “Nothing will go wrong. Your gear is always amazing.”

  Tony growled and flexed in imitation of a bodybuilder to make those around him, all of whom were in better shape, laugh and tease the stocky man. He took it in stride and traded pleasant insults with them. They all slipped into their heavy knife-resistant pants and shirts and replaced their footwear with combat boots. All the street clothes went in the case, which Anik and Cara returned to the first SUV.

  Next was the container full of defensive gear. Tony retrieved the shin, thigh, forearm, and upper arm guards and passed them around. As she sat to buckle them in place, Diana missed being able to help Rath into his equipment. She hadn’t felt good enough about the mission to bring him along and wanted him safely away from whatever nonsense the Remembrance was up to tonight.

  I guess Nylotte’
s warning has taken a deeper hold than I expected, both for me and where Rath is concerned. Besides, if they saw a troll with us, they might figure out we weren’t local, which could out Sloan.

  She looked around at her team and thought again that they needed at least one more fighter. And another tech, someone with magic to complement Kayleigh. And maybe a driver for the mobile armory we don’t have. She snorted to herself. Actually, we should ask for a plane as transport and negotiate down to the truck. But one a little newer than this one.

  The aircraft bumped, no doubt in turbulence, and the team exchanged alarmed glances, then broke into shared laughter. Cara nudged Anik with her boot. “Nervous, puddy tat?”

  The demolitions expert flashed a grin and looked around with wide eyes. “How did I end up here? I must have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque.”

  The woman grinned. “No, you let Diana talk you into becoming a part of something ridiculously dangerous because you’re an adrenaline junkie, exactly like the rest of us.”

  He blinked, then nodded. “Okay, actually, that’s on point.”

  Tony nodded as well. “Yep. That says it all.” He turned to face Diana. “Way to turn our dreams into nightmares, boss.”

  She laughed. “You’re the only nightmare around here. Should we discuss the museum incident again?”

  He raised his hands and spoke loudly. “So, more equipment then.” He retrieved the vests and passed them out, then replaced the lid on the empty crate. They all stood to don them and assisted each other to hook the connections up between vest and tunic and thread the cables through the small grommets that had been stitched into their shirts and trousers.

  The next one held their utility belts, holsters, and other straps and pouches neatly laid out in custom indentations cut into grey foam rectangles. She retrieved hers and set it on top of the case. The belt fit snugly around her waist as she snapped it closed with the thick fastener in the front. She tied the holster down to her right leg and attached the grenade-holder strap on her opposite hip. The holster for the Ruger was already in place to the left of the small of her back, and she touched it to confirm the location.