by John O'Riley
He raised his dagger and poised to strike. Josephine struggled to free herself or to deflect the blade with telekinesis but the dampening field was too strong. She couldn’t rescue Hermina or even herself. Dorionus plunged the dagger toward Hermina’s stomach. A bright white wave of source energy swept through the room from one side to the other. Ludovic and Dorionus collapsed as they lost consciousness and the dampening field dissipated. Josephine’s efforts finally paid off, deflecting the dagger before it could stab Hermina. Josephine, Maggie, Alice, and Hermina landed on their feet as they were released from Ludovic’s imprisonment. The remaining guards regarded them with stupefied puzzlement before they aimed their brass wands and fired. Josephine and her friends raised their shields before the blasts could reach them.
“What happened to those two?” Josephine shot Maggie and Hermina a bewildered look.
“I don’t know.” Hermina looked confused but she returned her attention to the guards.
Josephine, Maggie, Hermina, and Alice brought out their wands just as another wave of source energy rushed through the room. The guards and Maggie lost consciousness. Josephine frowned with concern but was relieved something had just saved their bacon. Mark stepped through the entrance wielding a large staff with a crystal ball fastened at the top in his right hand and a cobalt-blue glass witch ball in his left. The witch ball as well as the crystal ball on top of the staff emanated a radiant white luminescence and a sense of tranquility.
Hermina eyed the witch ball with wonder. “You’ve activated the modified city shield.”
“Yes.” Mark gestured with it to point out the two unconscious AI’s. “And it works.”
“What is the other enchantment you used to knock everyone out?” Josephine asked.
“The staff contains a wide-range sleeping spell that affects everyone in the vicinity who isn’t of the Light,” Mark explained.
“So the three of us weren’t affected because we’re part of the magic network together?” Alice asked.
“Yes, a network of White Knights,” Mark confirmed.
“I’m not a White Knight though,” Alice argued.
“You channel a trickle of light energy because of the network,” he explained.
Alice frowned with annoyance. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Would you rather be sleeping like everyone else?” Mark asked.
“Point taken,” Alice said.
Mark’s gaze dropped to Ludovic and Dorionus who lay inactive with their eyes staring up at the ceiling. “I had to knock everyone out or the dark energy from the violence would weaken the city shield.”
“I understand.” Josephine leveled a fond smile at him. “I’m glad you stopped them.”
“Now that they know about the underground base, we don’t have any time to plan for breaking into the Interplanetary Transit Center.” Hermina’s expression was anxious. “I suppose that we shouldn’t have any trouble as long as both your enchantments remain active.”
The other four White Knights, Jarlath, Kristian, Marius, and Rhia entered the room with white energy shields active.
“You four should stay here. We can lock this room up just in case,” Hermina said.
“We’ll secure the room. You can take our guests back to Earth.” Jarlath’s lips curved in a wry smile.
“I’ll be back soon,” Hermina promised.
“How do you plan on getting us inside the building?” Josephine asked.
“Easy.” Hermina’s blue eyes danced with humor. “We just walk right in.”
Mark shifted his staff as he fixed his attention on Josephine. “All of the androids in the entire city are dormant and anyone within one to two blocks of us will go to sleep.”
“That means the guards will wake up when we leave,” Alice pointed out.
“We’ve got our own staff.” Rhia raised her staff in the air and it began to glow. “Don’t worry about us. We’re fine.”
“I can’t believe white magic is going to save our butts,” Alice remarked.
Jarlath shot her a puzzled look. “How can a light being be so grumpy and doubt the power of white magic?”
“I’m only a light being because Josephine used a praesentia infinitus enchantment to cure me of a curse.” Alice shot him a moody look. “And when you get to be my age, you tend to lose some of your patience.”
Maggie snorted with amusement. “Are you saying you used to be completely different than you are now?”
“I was a professional psychiatrist.” Alice adopted a haughty expression on her face. “What do you think?”
Chapter 33
Hermina, Josephine, Maggie, Mark, and Alice had reached the last leg of their journey on Adamas. The last sliver of the setting sun indicated nightfall was fast approaching. The large gold pyramid of the Interplanetary Transit Center lay dead ahead. Alice continued pushing Maggie’s unconscious body in the wheelchair Hermina had provided and was forced to carefully weave around the sprawled forms of dozing guards caught in Mark’s sleeping spell. Josephine could scarcely believe they had almost reached their destination with no active opposition. The small wheel on the right side of Maggie’s wheelchair caught on the sleeve of a fallen guard. Alice found herself stuck for several seconds as she shoved and jerked until the cloth tore free. Josephine, Hermina, and Mark glanced at her with concern.
Alice scowled with displeasure. “Like I said before, white magic always bites me in the ass.”
“It’s unfortunate that Mark couldn’t get the spell to release Maggie. It would have been easier if she could walk with us,” Josephine said.
“That’s putting it mildly,” Alice grumbled.
“Still, we couldn’t have gotten this far without a single fight or obstacle if white magic hadn’t cleared the way for us.” A bright smile lit up Hermina’s face.
A gentle, cool breeze caressed Josephine’s youthful, smooth skin as she turned to face Alice. “I told you before that I don’t mind taking over with the wheelchair.”
“For heaven’s sake, you’re a pregnant woman! What kind of a friend would I be if I let you do that?”
“I’m a category six. I’ll probably be pregnant for two years,” Josephine pointed out.
Alice threw her a grievous glance. “It’s going to be a long two years.”
Josephine pressed her hand to her abdomen, remembering how long it had taken for her daughter to grow inside her. The first five months had been child’s play but it had taken a lot of endurance the remaining year and a half. She returned her attention to her surroundings and the impressions that continued to flow into her mind. Her psychometry wouldn’t do any good if she failed to pay attention to the information. She became aware of the traces of dark energy that clung to Maggie. It disturbed her to sense the vile particles in Mark’s sister.
“What’s wrong?” Alice fixed her attention on Josephine.
“It’s nothing.” Josephine didn’t want to discuss this troubling subject. They had more important matters to attend to, namely escaping this world and returning home.
“You’re worried about Maggie,” Mark commented.
Josephine hesitated before admitting it. “I don’t like the fact that she has dark particles in her body.”
“I noticed, too,” Mark said.
“As did I.” Alice’s tone was dismissive. “I hardly blame her for dabbling in the dark arts. She’s been through a rough experience with APU 81.”
“Black magic warps your mind. It quickly becomes an addiction and the more it’s practiced, the more distorted your personality becomes.” An uneasy frown spread across his face.
“Relax, Mark. She probably hasn’t done anything since that time Josephine talked her down in the living room. Dark energy doesn’t like to leave its hosts. Besides, I don’t see how it can hurt for her to experiment just a little bit,” Alice said.
Mark stumbled on a dozing guard’s arm and almost dropped the witch ball in his right hand.
Alice shot him a reproachful look.
“Pay attention to where you’re going. If you drop that thing and break it, all of these bozos will wake up and attack us.”
“Sorry.” Mark moved more slowly toward the entrance to the large gold pyramid.
The door slid smoothly open and they entered the building where a long corridor stretched out before them.
“No offense, Hermina, but you people are obsessed with walking,” Alice remarked.
Hermina flashed a wry grin. “It’s a common design among the colony worlds to space the buildings apart to allow for the natural beauty of the outdoors to flourish.”
“How do you keep things secure?” Alice asked.
“What do you mean?” Hermina scrutinized her with curiosity.
“For example, how do you keep a thief from going directly into a building where there’s valuables and stealing them? Or prevent people from teleporting bombs in acts of terrorism?”
“I see what you mean,” Hermina acknowledged. “The computers analyze people for dangerous items and won’t allow them to teleport if there’s something suspicious. And areas that need protection from intrusion or theft contain teleportation shields.”
“That makes sense,” Alice said with grudging acceptance.
Hermina turned to face Mark. “I have a gift for your sister.” She withdrew a scroll with a stamped wax seal on it. “This is a design for an enchantment that defragments and translates information in the mind during occupation by an AI. Anytime an AI inhabits a host, it leaves a copy of all its knowledge and experience behind. Most of the data is in binary code and spread across the brain in bits and pieces. This spell will coalesce the information and translate the binary code to the primary language of the host.” She slipped it in his pant’s pocket.
“Thank you, Hermina,” he said. “Maggie will appreciate that a lot.”
“The human mind is adaptable but very complex. She will most likely learn a little bit each time she uses the spell. She’ll have to be patient but it’s a tool to help her remember.”
They entered the main room with the large circle of standing stones on one side of the room and the control console on the other. About a dozen sleeping guards littered the floor. Hermina’s pace quickened and she reached the computers first, typing a series of commands into it. Josephine and Mark took up positions beside her while Alice rolled Maggie to the outside of the perimeter of the standing stones.
“The guards locked out the controls. It’s going to take me a minute.” Hermina rested her hands on the smooth, cool surface of the wizard glass and furrowed her brows in concentration. Josephine knew she was reading the psychometric energy of the console and would have helped with the task except that it was in an alien language which would just be gibberish to her. Hermina’s eyes opened and a triumphant expression lit up her face. “Got it!” She tapped a series of codes and the computer chimed at her. She glanced at Mark and Josephine. “Hopefully, APU 81 doesn’t have the Interplanetary Transit Center on Earth blocking any connections or this may take awhile.”
Josephine, Mark, and Alice waited with tense anticipation, hoping this wouldn’t be the obstacle that prevented them from escaping Adamas.
The computer chimed again and Hermina beamed with excitement. “I’ve established a connection!”
An instant later, a bright gold light flared into existence between the standing stones. Mark handed the witch ball and the staff to Hermina.
“There should be enough light energy to keep these enchantments active. You’ll be able to return safely to your base,” Mark advised.
“Thank you.”
“We appreciate everything you’ve done for us. I hope you’re able to make this a free world again,” Josephine said.
“Me, too,” Hermina said with fervent passion. “You should go now. With such a vast distance between these two worlds, the portal won’t stay open too long. Once it’s closed, Maggie will be out of range of the sleeping spell. Hopefully, she’ll remember what I taught her.”
“I hope we can meet again under less dire circumstances,” Josephine said.
“Come on! We’ve got to go!” Alice said.
Josephine and Mark strode toward the portal. When Alice saw them approaching, she pushed Maggie through the opening and vanished. Josephine and Mark quickened their pace as they crossed the room then vanished into the circle of stones. They emerged from the large ring of stones in the Venice facility in the middle of the night. The light from the portal and the overhead street lights provided ample illumination as Josephine, Mark, and Alice stood in the front yard just outside the ancient structure. Four men donned in military fatigues surrounded the perimeter with their wands raised and ready. They moved closer and lowered their wands when they recognized who had just arrived.
“Josephine, you’ve returned,” one of them said.
Alice pushed the wheelchair farther away from the stones. “You might want to get farther away from that thing.”
Josephine and Mark exchanged amused looks but heeded her warning. The light from within the center of the circle of monoliths vanished. A sense of relief washed over Josephine as the reality of their return home finally sank in. Maggie stirred in her wheelchair and groaned softly. The group circled her and Mark knelt in front of her. The guards hung back but remained close enough to listen in.
Maggie’s eyes fluttered open and she fixed a confused stare at her brother. “What just happened?”
Mark briefly relayed what she’d missed. Josephine’s cell phone rang and she excused herself to answer it as the name of the caller was none other than Director Virginia Hamilton.
“Hi, Virginia.” Josephine couldn’t believe how fast her supervisor had discovered her arrival.
“Josephine, we have a lot to discuss. Could you swing by Helen’s place? We’re still here.”
“Who exactly is with you?” Josephine asked.
“My new partner, Perry, and Helen.”
“Did you say you have a new partner?”
“I’ll explain it all at Helen’s condo.” Virginia’s tone harbored a bit of tension.
“We’ll be right there.” Josephine suspected this may not be good news.
As soon as she disconnected, she realized she should have told her she’d need a ride but then remembered her car had been parked in the street. She peered in the dark and saw that her car was waiting for her exactly where she’d left it. Maggie shut down the Interplanetary Transit Center with ease. When Josephine, Maggie, Mark, and Alice arrived at Helen’s condo, they met with Virginia, Helen, Perry and Colonel Eugene Mills who was a stocky man in his forties with gray thinning hair, a mustache, green eyes and clad in a black enforcer uniform.
“Thank you for coming here on such short notice.” Virginia flashed an amiable but stressed smile at the group.
Colonel Mills radiated authority as he spoke to the group in a rough, gravelly voice. “It has been decided that Director Hamilton and I will be partnering with two of our teams. One of my teams led by Captain Gallagher will fall under the supervision of the two of us. On the same token, the team led by Josephine will be under the same leadership.”
“Are you saying that I’m going to have to work with Arthur?” Maggie asked.
“The teams will be separate most of the time; however, you will sometimes share assignments with Captain Gallagher.” Eugene’s stony gaze bore into hers.
Maggie shifted with discomfort. “Who will lead our team when Josephine goes back to her normal duties as a police enforcer?”
“We’re prepared to offer you a permanent position on this team.” Virginia regarded Josephine with a hopeful smile.
Josephine dreaded the idea of working with Eugene and Arthur. One of the main incentives that had lured her away from retirement was the fact that she could spend more time with her grandson. However, with APU 81 still running loose and Maggie’s warning of unknown threats that may pose a danger to her unborn child as well as Mark, Josephine couldn’t dismiss the offer without undue consideration.
Virginia clasped her hands on the table top. “You will be a federal enforcer with the rank of Captain.”
“On a probationary status,” Eugene warned. “I’m not entirely on board with Director Hamilton’s decision and if you make any major mistakes, you’ll be demoted.”
“We would both have to agree for you to receive that kind of disciplinary action,” Virginia said. “I do hope you’ll accept this opportunity and join my team.”
“Our team,” Colonel Mills corrected her.
Virginia ignored his remark as her earnest gaze locked onto Josephine’s. “The main function of the team is research but you will sometimes handle magical dangers that require special abilities such as Yvonne and Charlotte.”
“How are those two young women?” Josephine asked.
“Captain Gallagher has failed to cure them of the mind control spell,” Virginia said which caused Eugene to clench his jaw with irritation. “Charlotte is to be reassigned to your care while Yvonne will remain with Gallagher’s team. Whichever team can cure their patient first will be given the assignment of helping the other victim of this terrible enchantment.”
“This sounds like a competition.” Josephine regarded her boss with curiosity.
“It’s a matter of efficiency. We need this case to be assigned to whichever team is better suited for it,” Eugene said. “And it will help us to gauge which one of you will be the leader when your groups are combined periodically.”
“How often will I work with Arthur?” Josephine inquired.
“It will be extremely rare.” Virginia’s tone was reassuring. “I also want to add that Helen and Perry will be part of your team. They’ve both accepted a position as field agents.”
“Are you talking about Perry White?” Maggie pinned her boss with an expression of stunned amazement.
Eugene shot her a reproachful look. “Of course, we’re talking about Perry White. Is there another Perry sitting here in this room?”