by John O'Riley
“You are correct and it has given me complete control.”
“You’re wrong.” Maggie took a small bit of satisfaction in seeing stunned anger cross Myles’s face for a fleeting instant. “There are redundant safety subroutines embedded in the software that won’t allow you to kill us.”
“I have ways around that. For instance, oxygen has been cut off from inside your energy prisons because I’ve tricked the computer system into thinking that no one’s inside there,” Myles informed her.
“Nevertheless, you don’t have COMPLETE control. It’s doubtful your computer virus has taken over all the security measures in place that protect the mainframe. APU 4093 will regain control again. It’s just a matter of time.”
Myles smirked at her. “That’s true but I’m not going to give APU 4093 the opportunity to restore its original programming back into the computer systems. I’m going to destroy the facility before that happens.”
“You can’t do that,” Maggie said but a sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she suspected there were ways around the safeguards.
“Watch me.” Myles raised his right hand and it radiated with a crimson glow for several seconds. An alarm blared over the speakers in the room and red lights blinked in warning. “I’ve activated the self-destruct mechanism. You won’t have time to suffocate. I would have preferred to stick around and watch you die but I don’t want to give APU 4093 a chance to interfere.”
He strode over to the teleportation platform and stepped on it.
A cruel smile curved his lips. “This will hurt Mark deeply. I wonder how he will cope with the death of his sister. Maybe he’ll finally lose his white magic so I can kill him easier.”
There was a flash of light and he vanished.
Virginia turned to face Maggie. “How much time do we have?”
Maggie closed her laptop computer which caused her holographic display to vanish and picked it up so she could look at the Ancient computer display. A large red symbol marked the display screen.
“I think we have two minutes,” Maggie said.
“Is there any way you can stop it?” Virginia asked.
“No, I don’t understand how this works.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.” Maggie frowned with contemplation at the computer screen. “Is there anything you can think of that might shut off these fields or give us more time?”
Maggie’s eyes lit up. “I’m going to try something.”
She tapped at the keys and waited for several seconds. When nothing happened, she pressed a bunch of the keys in rapid succession as though typing a complex code of some sort. Virginia watched with fascination. Several seconds later, the energy fields that trapped Maggie, Virginia, and the three enforcers winked out of existence.
“Good job! What did you do?” Virginia asked.
Maggie’s expression was sheepish. “I just pushed buttons at random. I suspected it might trigger the computer system to realize someone was trapped in here which would override APU 81’s previous orders.”
“Is there any way to possibly convince the computer to not blow up this building?” Virginia leveled a hopeful gaze at her.
“I’m afraid not. We need to get out of here. I’m pretty sure we have a minute but it might be less,” Maggie advised.
Virginia’s gaze swept over the enforcers. “Everyone step on the teleportation unit.”
All five of them gathered on top of the device.
“Get us out of here, Maggie,” Virginia ordered.
Maggie and one of the enforcers activated the device with a pulse of energy. A brief flash of light preceded their departure. Soon after that, an explosion razed the entire facility to the ground.
Chapter 12
Josephine, Helen, Mark, Perry, and Alice were gathered at the dining room table with their hands joined. Streams of white, gold, and silvery luminescence swirled around them as they continued to expand their magical network to include Perry and Alice. Josephine shifted in her chair in an attempt to get more comfortable. Fatigue settled into her muscles over the strain of working with so much energy for an extended period of time. She knew the others wouldn’t be able to last much longer. Maybe their last minute decision to include Alice had been a mistake. She didn’t work with light energy but since she was sort of a light being due to the praesentia infinitus enchantment that was cast on her, the group had reasoned she was a good candidate to become part of their linked network.
Josephine took another slow, deep breath. She knew Mark and Helen were the ones performing the bulk of the connection spell so they must be even more exhausted than she was. Josephine felt something snap into place like a puzzle piece and a rush of vibrant energy flowed through their circle as they linked with Perry and Alice. Perry and Alice both wore wide smiles on their faces and they both glowed with a radiant white light.
“I was starting to worry that it wouldn’t work,” Alice said.
“I’m surprised you wanted to join us. After all, we know how you despise white magic.” Josephine leveled a teasing look at her friend.
“I never said I hated it. I just said you can’t count on it.”
The glow around Alice and Perry began to dim and after several seconds it was gone. Josephine arched a brow of bemusement when everyone turned and stared at her.
“What is it?” she asked.
“You’re glowing.” Helen scrutinized her with a musing frown.
Josephine dropped her gaze to her arms and saw a faint glow. “All right. But Alice and Perry were both doing the same thing.”
“But nobody else had that happen to them except for you and you’re still lit up like a light bulb,” Alice observed.
Josephine eyed her arms and hands and after several seconds, they dimmed then stopped shining.
“Are you satisfied?” Josephine asked.
“No, I’m not.” Alice’s chin jutted out at a stubborn angle. “I want to know why you were glowing.”
Josephine flashed an amused smile. “I’m afraid this will have to be one of life’s unsolved mysteries.”
Alice swept her gaze over the rest of the group.
“Do any of you guys sense anything unusual about her?” she asked.
Josephine rolled her eyes with exasperation as she became the focus of several scans.
“She’s normal,” Mark announced.
“I don’t see anything peculiar at all about her,” Helen chimed in.
Perry cocked his head to the side as he scanned her. “There are light energy nodes around your major chakras.”
“I don’t see anything.” Helen furrowed her brows with puzzlement. “Are you sure, Perry?”
“It’s very faint and it’s superimposed over the mainstream energy nodes,” Perry explained.
“I don’t think we can scan deep enough to see that,” Mark said.
“Am I changing to a White Knight?” Josephine was a bit nervous about this because she relied on her mainstream magic – especially at work. What would she do if she lost her psychometric abilities and could no longer use the enchantments she possessed? She’d have to start over by making brand new light energy amulets and that would take a lot of time. She would feel vulnerable against attacks by APU 81 and possibly some stray Valituras groups who may still be targeting her.
“You have nothing to fear.” Perry’s tone was reassuring. “This type of energy pattern is not indicative of transformation to white magic.”
“How do you know that for sure?” Alice cast a curious gaze at him.
“As a light being, I’m programmed with certain knowledge about how white magic works. Josephine is deeply entrenched in mainstream magic. There’s no sign of conversion.”
“You can’t be certain since you don’t know what’s happening to her,” Alice argued.
“It’s probably a side-effect of being linked with White Knights,” Mark hypothesized.
Helen, Josephine, and Perry nodded their heads in agreement as this made perfect
sense to them although Alice’s expression remained skeptical.
Mark rose to his feet. “Is everyone hungry? I’ve prepared chicken tamales. I just need to throw them in the oven.”
“That sounds good,” Helen said.
“You’re such a sweetheart.” Josephine cast an affectionate gaze at him. “I didn’t realize you were going to cook.”
There was a flash of light that came from the corner of the room and an instant later, Virginia and Maggie appeared. Everyone turned to face the newcomers.
Virginia shot Maggie a questioning look. “Why are we here?”
“I’m sorry. I was trying to bring us to my house but I couldn’t help but think about Mark, too.”
“Not that I mind the visit but I prefer my guests knock on the front door first,” Josephine remarked.
“I’m sorry for the intrusion,” Virginia apologized. “APU 81 attacked the facility. Maggie and I barely escaped with our lives before it blew up.” She took stock of her surroundings with a puzzled frown. “That’s strange. What happened to my three enforcers?”
“One of them activated the teleportation unit at the same time as I did,” Maggie said. “I think they went somewhere else.”
“I specifically told YOU to teleport us to safety. I guess one of them was trigger happy,” Virginia said. “Not that I blame them.”
She turned to face the others in the room and briefly explained what had happened.
“That’s awful!” Josephine exclaimed. “Have a seat. We’re going to have dinner soon.”
“I didn’t realize it was that late,” Virginia said.
“I have a bad habit of working long hours,” Maggie advised.
“Me, too.” Virginia leveled a wry smile at her before turning back to Josephine. “Thanks for dinner. That’s very generous of you.”
Mark left the room to throw the tamales in the oven while Virginia excused herself to report in to her supervisor. Josephine showed her to a guest room for some privacy then returned to the dining room to join the others.
“We barely escaped with our lives.” Maggie looked shell-shocked. “I just can’t believe how quickly everything changes.”
“You’re alive and you’re safe. That’s what matters,” Mark said.
Maggie glared with frustration and ire. “Am I ever going to be free of that loathsome, despicable creature?”
“Who would that be?” Helen regarded her with puzzlement.
“She’s talking about APU 81,” Alice advised.
“Oh!” Helen exclaimed. “I wish there was some way we could track it down and destroy its crystal skull.”
“Maybe there is,” Maggie said. “I’m going to create the first terramezic energy detector right now.”
“Could it wait until after dinner?” Alice asked.
Josephine and Helen gave her dirty looks and Alice held her hands up in surrender.
“We’ll help you,” Josephine said. “Do we need special material?”
“No, any old stone or crystal will do. Or a wand.” Maggie opened one of her wand pockets in her pants and pulled out a wooden wand.
Virginia stepped into the room. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going to make some terramezic energy detectors,” Maggie explained.
“Great idea.” Virginia nodded with approval. “Let me give you one of my empty wands, too.”
They ended up with four wands at the center of the table. Maggie opened her notebook computer and displayed the schematics for the enchantment via a large holographic diagram that floated in the air between them.
“This is a bit complicated but it’s not any more difficult than anything I’ve tackled before,” Josephine said.
“If you and I tap into the vortex here, we should be able to finish the enchantments within a couple of hours,” Maggie said.
“I agree.”
Josephine didn’t admit that she was already plugged into the mini vortex residing in her house. Whenever she was home, she was always connected to it. She never wanted to live in a place without one ever again which meant she probably wouldn’t ever return to her condo. Josephine was still tired from the connection spell so she found herself in need of rest after about an hour. That turned out perfect since the tamales were ready. Mark served some steamed mixed vegetables on the side.
“This is delicious. You’re an excellent cook, Mark,” Alice complimented him.
“Thanks.”
Maggie only took a couple of bites before she excused herself. When she didn’t return, Mark left to go find her and see if she was all right.
“The poor girl,” Virginia said. “I didn’t realize this assignment would be so dangerous. We’re really in a precarious situation now. We don’t have the weaponry or defenses to handle APU 81.”
“I think a horde of federal enforcers would have enough fire power,” Josephine said.
“If Maggie’s enchantment works, we’ll finally have a chance of defeating it.” Virginia set her fork down and regarded her with a considering look. “Would you be interested in working with me on this case to find APU 81?”
Josephine took another hasty bite of her tamale to give herself time to think about her response. She wasn’t sure if she really wanted to accept the assignment. APU 81 was powerful and deadly. She didn’t want to have anything to do with it. On the other hand, it seemed determined to kill her so there was no way of avoiding it.
“Yes, I accept,” she said.
“Good.” Virginia offered a fleeting smile. “I’ll make the necessary arrangements. I’ll be sure to add compensatory budgeting to the Sarasota PD to more than make up for your absence. Hopefully, it will keep your chief of police happy.”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.”
“Maggie may need a few days off to recover. If she doesn’t, I’ll assign her to work with you. I’ll return to MADA headquarters in Seattle to coordinate efforts with some other teams,” Virginia said.
“All right.”
Mark and Maggie returned a short while later. Mark had a comforting arm draped over his sister’s shoulder. Maggie’s eyes were red from crying. She sniffed and took her seat at the table. Mark moved over to the other side of the room to sit down.
“Are you going to be all right, dear?” Virginia eyed Maggie with commiseration. “You’ve been through a lot.”
“I’ll be okay. What’s the plan?” Maggie asked.
“Josephine will be working with you here in Sarasota. I’ll be returning to Seattle in a few hours. What is the range of your terramezic energy detectors?” Virginia inquired.
“They’ll be able to scan within a two block radius.”
“Do you think you could come up with a much larger scanner?” Virginia’s expression was hopeful.
“How big are you talking about?” Maggie asked.
“Something that can scan halfway across the continent.”
“That isn’t possible with the current technology we have.” Maggie leveled an apologetic look at her boss.
“It’s all right. I was just hoping we could use it to find APU 81. I wonder where it’s hiding.”
Josephine fixed a questioning gaze on Virginia. “What would you like Maggie and I to do tomorrow?”
“I would like for you to search the police and FBI records and anything else you can thing of for anything that may give you a clue to APU 81’s whereabouts. It’s a long shot but for now, it’s the best we can do,” Virginia said.
“Government agencies like to assign scapegoats when things go wrong like ancient facilities being destroyed.” Josephine regarded the director with empathy. “You’re probably going to take the fall for this, aren’t you?”
“Probably not,” Virginia replied. “You see, the FBI doesn’t like to relinquish control and they never surrendered the security aspect of the case to me. I was only in charge of the research. They were in charge of safeguarding the facilities. I do have a lot of spinning to do to make sure my team and I are shown in the best p
ossible light. I plan on making a lot of visits and phone calls to management, government officials, and other directors to see what I can do about smoothing any ruffled feathers and making sure none of the blame falls on my shoulders. I’ll be quite busy for at least the next several days.”
“I didn’t realize you were so political,” Maggie remarked.
“It’s one of the most important aspects of my job that isn’t in the job description.” Virginia’s lips curved with mirth.
“I would hate that,” Josephine said.
“That’s just the way it is.”
Chapter 13
Josephine was accustomed to being the first to awaken but when she stepped into the kitchen, the light was already on and a pot of coffee had already finished brewing. She poured herself a mug and added plenty of cream and sugar before strolling into the dining room to find Maggie working at the table with her lap top. A large mug of coffee was positioned in front of her and dark circles marred her skin beneath her eyes. Maggie had the same clothes as yesterday which made Josephine suspect she’d never went to bed.
“Long night?” Josephine asked.
Maggie looked up from her computer. “I couldn’t get any sleep.”
“Maybe you could try now,” Josephine suggested.
“No, I don’t think so.” Maggie’s voice had an edge to it.
“If you worked all night, Virginia will certainly understand if you start your shift later. You’ll be working from my house anyway so she probably wouldn’t even know. She’s in Seattle.”
“For most of my childhood, APU 81 had complete control over me. It was horrible to be trapped inside my own body like that. I witnessed it doing unspeakable things to its victims and helping the Valituras become stronger. All that time, I knew it planned on killing me when it switched to another host. I vowed I would find an opportunity to get back at it. I’m going to make it pay for ruining my life and I’m going to destroy it!” Maggie’s hands clenched into fists and her eyes shone with ire.
Josephine was struck speechless by this passionate speech so she took a sip of coffee and wondered if there was anything she could say or do to make Mark’s sister feel better. She had to admit that if a hostile artificial intelligence had seized her body and planned on killing her when it left for another body, she would probably feel the same way. Josephine thought about her own encounters with APU 81 and how it had almost killed her and Mark. The memories stoked a sudden anger that she had thought she’d come to grips with.