3 Dark Energy

by John O'Riley

  “Why were you ordered to increase production of the dark energy collectors?” Ben asked.

  “They never explain to us what they’re using that stuff for. It could be anything,” Edison replied.

  “Did they give you any hint as to what they’re planning?”

  “All they said was that it’s time to do something big. They gave us a potion and told us it’s crucial to drink at least two tablespoons a day until it’s safe to stop.”

  “It sounds like some sort of attack is imminent. Do you have any idea what kind of plans they’ve developed in the past that they may or may not have already implemented?” Ben asked.

  “They’ve never told us about any of that.”

  “What’s the recipe for this potion you were given?”

  “They didn’t give that to us. We only have the potion and enough doses to last for about a month.”

  “Weren’t you curious about it? Did they give away any details about how it was made?” Ben asked.

  Edison’s eyes glazed over then he jerked his hands which rattled the handcuffs that secured his wrists to the table top. His expression became confused as the memory suppression spell took effect.

  “Where am I?” Edison asked.

  “You’re at the police station. You’re being questioned about the crimes you’ve committed. Tell me about the potion you were given. Do you have any idea at all how it was made or at least some of the ingredients?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Edison peered at him with confusion.

  Ben clutched a mini wand measuring approximately five inches in his right hand which contained the truth-speak enchantment. He deactivated the spell and the energy field surrounding the four men in the interrogation room winked out of existence. These spells were exceedingly valuable and rare so Ben couldn’t afford to continue using it on someone who’d developed amnesia.

  “We got the names and addresses of the other four members of his team and a lot of useful information. Too bad we couldn’t get the name of the territory administrator,” Jennifer said.

  The Valituras were so extremely organized and paranoid that they divided their members into teams. Each team comprised of approximately five individuals with one representative as their leader and only the leader knew the names or how to contact anyone outside their team. One administrator was assigned to lead the teams in a territory which was broken down into clusters of two or three states. Team representatives were never given the address or the real name of their administrator. Instead, they were given messaging stones which signaled their leader that a meeting was requested. None of the Valituras teams or their representatives knew who was in charge of the administrators. Ben had Jennifer and several officers transport Edison to the Clearwater Corrections Facility. Ben reported his findings over the phone before he and Josephine gathered in his office to speak privately.

  “Good work on catching Edison. You seized a perfect opportunity to knock him out and rescue Meg. I couldn’t ask for a better scenario,” Ben said.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “As you know, the team of combat enforcers is located in Miami so we have to wait for them to fly in before we can make our move on the other Valituras agents here in Sarasota. We sure could use some of those teleportation enchantments that you’re making.”

  “Since I’m the only one in this entire country that’s ever managed to capture a Valituras agent without any intel, maybe the headquarters for Florida state should be relocated to Sarasota?” Josephine suggested.

  Ben laughed boisterously. “You’re so funny! And I also happen to agree with you but so far, no one’s listened to my suggestions for them to move here. Seriously though, I would like for you to spend half a day working on manufacturing teleportation enchantments for the team. It would give us a distinct edge against the Valituras.”

  “I can’t make them on my own. I’d have to work on it elsewhere,” Josephine advised.

  “That’s okay. I’ll schedule you to come in late on Tuesday’s. How many do you think you can make if I gave you half a day every week?”

  “I’m still learning but I would guess I could do about three or four a month.”

  “That’ll work.” Ben leveled a satisfied smile at her. “And you’ll probably get better with practice, right?”

  “I’m sure I will,” Josephine agreed.

  “It’s rare for people to work together successfully in manufacturing enchantments. Who’s assisting you?”

  Josephine tensed as anxiety clawed her gut. She already knew he wanted to know who this mysterious individual was and had made guesses before in attempts to coax the answer from her.

  “You know I can’t say.”

  “Maybe he or she would consider working for us as a manufacturer,” Ben suggested.

  “They can’t work with others for reasons I can’t explain.”

  “It’s someone who’s practicing white magic, isn’t it? You’ve found a way to work with this person to combine mainstream magic with white magic, haven’t you?” Ben asked in his typical booming voice.

  Josephine didn’t want to reveal her recent discovery as she didn’t want to rope Mark into any dangerous situations. White magic applications were limited to the general areas of healing and defense. For this reason, along with the fact that working with source energy inhibited one’s ability to use mainstream magic, even those rare gifted individuals usually chose to turn away from white magic.

  “I really can’t say.” Josephine adopted a stoic expression so she wouldn’t reveal any of her uneasiness.

  “Come on! You can tell me! I promise I won’t say a word to anyone – not even my supervisors. And just so you know, I learned that Mark is a practitioner of white magic.”

  Josephine was stunned that Ben had found out. An instant later, she stewed with anger over the fact that Ben had either spied on her or invaded her privacy somehow.

  “I can see that leaving retirement was a huge mistake. Ever since I started working for you, I feel like I’m always being studied under a microscope,” Josephine said.

  Ben’s expression turned apologetic. “I’m sorry to be so blunt with you. I didn’t have anyone spy on you or anything, if that’s what you’re thinking. I heard you and Jake talking at the end of your shift the other day and you mentioned Mark.”

  “You’re right. I was careless.”

  “It’s not a dark secret. Mark isn’t breaking the law or anything. In fact, I’m sure I could get a contract drawn up where we could purchase enchantments that he makes.”

  “You’re right, he’s the one I work with.” Josephine pointed her finger at Ben in a stern gesture. “And you promised this is a secret between just the two of us.”

  “I promise.”

  “Enchantments made from pure source energy can’t be triggered by anyone except for a white magic practitioner.”

  “I know that but the two of you can somehow make stuff with a combination of those energies that allows anyone to use the spells,” Ben argued.

  “That’s true but we can only work together on a limited range of spells. So far, the teleportation enchantments are the only joint effort we’ve been successful at,” Josephine advised.

  “That’s a huge accomplishment by itself.”

  “You can see why Mark could never sell his work now, right?”

  “I do understand. And I’m sorry for being so pushy. I hope you’re not really thinking about quitting,” Ben said.

  “I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”

  “Good.” Ben offered a relieved smile. “As usual, you did an outstanding job today.”

  Chapter 4

  Mark and Nathan were seated at a table next to a window and near the corner of the room at Triple Play Burgers which was where they usually met for lunch during the week. Nathan was an incubus in his eighties and his appearance was that of a young man in his early twenties so even though he was Mark’s great uncle, he only looked a few years older. Nathan a
nd Mark looked remarkably similar and sometimes people mistook them for brothers. Nathan had a distracted look in his eyes as he took another bite of his burger.

  “I think Josephine’s the one. I’d like to take things to the next level and for us to move in together but because of our family secrets and the Freeman secrecy enchantment, I don’t know how that can ever happen until we are married,” Mark said.

  Nathan made a sympathetic noise as he continuing staring at something past his great nephew’s shoulder. Curious, Mark glanced behind him but didn’t see anything unusual.

  “What in the world are you looking at, Uncle Nathan?” he asked.

  Nathan flashed a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I was checking out a guy over there. He’s just gorgeous. I can’t seem to take my eyes off him.”

  “Sometimes I wonder how you can still be a virgin. Especially when you’re an incubus.”

  “You can enjoy beautiful artwork without taking it home with you.”

  “Okay.” Mark cocked a bemused brow at his uncle. “Are you ever going to start dating so you can meet someone?”

  “As you know, I spent decades going to the bars and dating but I’ve reached a point in my old age where I decided if I have a soul mate somewhere, destiny will find a way for us to meet,” Nathan said. “But enough about me. It sounds like you’re very concerned with our family’s legacy and the secrecy enchantment we’re all forced to take which keeps us from revealing all of our grandiose family spells and other odds and ends.”

  “How do any Freemans get married when they can’t move in together until after they’re married?” Mark asked. “There’s no way to get really close to someone.”

  “You don’t need to live with someone to be intimate with them. You and Josephine have already attested to that fact.”

  Mark’s face flushed with embarrassment. “What I mean is how do we really get to know each other and take our relationship to the next level?”

  “You and Josephine are getting closer and closer all the time. I can tell you’re both very much in love. There will come a point where you’ll just know the time is right. That’s when you propose to her. For now, I think you should just let things develop naturally.”

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  “I’ve observed over the years that relationships are rarely ever easy. And I just want to point out that if you really feel it’s important that the two of you live together, there’s always the option of putting the Freeman legacy enchantments in storage. That would satisfy the terms of our secrecy spell that binds our actions,” Nathan advised.

  “I hadn’t thought of that.” Mark leveled a relieved smile at his uncle. “Thanks for the tip.”

  “You’re welcome.” Nathan hesitated as he was about to broach another uncomfortable topic. “I hate to mention this but your father called and said he needs to speak to you as soon as possible. He wouldn’t leave a message except that it’s important family business. I think he discovered that you withdrew from college a few weeks ago.”

  “I’m sure he has. I just don’t want to listen to him lecture me again. My business is doing very well and it’s allowing me to fully explore my abilities with white magic. I’ve reached the point where I can scan psychometric energy like a category five or six without using any enchantments.”

  “That’s great! I didn’t realize that was even possible.”

  “I really dread talking to Dad about this.”

  “You should accept the inevitable and that this will probably be the last straw for him.”

  “What do you mean?” Mark asked.

  “He may have decided to cut you off from the Freeman legacy.”

  “He can’t do that!” Mark’s expression was outraged.

  “He’s the clan leader. He has complete control over the family estates and magic. But you have to ask yourself if it really matters. Sure, you can get to Seattle in the blink of an eye to visit the relatives but is that really important? They’re a bunch of stuck-up hypocrites and I always dread the holiday visits. Besides, how often have you really wanted to access our family’s library?” Nathan asked.

  “Our family is often approached by the Phoenix Community and offered membership.”

  The Phoenix Community was a centuries-old organization comprised of only category six wizards. There were many individuals who were latent sixes and their abilities could be awakened with a spell that only members of this agency possessed. The downside was that the Phoenix Community lived in hiding and complete seclusion from outsiders.

  “Now that you’re with Josephine, would you really want to join them?” Nathan leveled a pointed look at his nephew.

  “You’re right. I wouldn’t. I just don’t want to be completely cut off from the family.”

  Nathan’s lips twitched in a sardonic grin. “I wouldn’t worry about that. They’ll still want to meet for the holidays twice a year in the hopes that you can be convinced to straighten up and fly right.”

  “I guess.” Mark heaved a weary sigh. “I should probably just call Dad and get it over with.”

  “I think you’ll feel better once you don’t have that unpleasant conversation looming over your head anymore.”

  Mark’s phone chimed which indicated he’d received a message from a customer. He pulled it out to check the message and he stared at it with astonishment.

  “What is it?” Nathan peered at him with curiosity.

  “I’ve got someone who wants me to do a restoration and they’re offering fifty thousand,” Mark said.

  “What on earth do they want you to restore?” Nathan asked.

  “She doesn’t say. It involves travel to New Hampshire and she’ll pay all expenses if I accept the job.”

  “It sounds like a fantastic opportunity.”

  “I can’t wait to find out what this is about.” Mark’s eyes danced with anticipation.

  As soon as they finished their meal and Mark was back in his car getting ready to drive back to his house, he dialed the phone number that was left in the message.

  “This is Director Virginia Hamilton.”

  “It’s Mark. You left a message for me about a restoration job that involves travel to New Hampshire?”

  “Yes, I’m in charge of a project for MADA. We’re trying to develop new and advanced applications for magical technology. Is there somewhere we can meet in person right now?” Virginia said.

  “Sure, I have about a couple hours before my next appointment. If you’re in Sarasota, I can give you my address and I could be there in about five or ten minutes,” Mark offered.

  “That’ll be perfect. I’m ready for the address.”

  Mark gave her directions and Virginia thanked him before disconnecting the call. Mark arrived at his house only a few moments before her. Virginia was in her forties, short and portly with her brown hair styled in a pageboy. She wore a brown pant suit, a suit jacket, a beige blouse, and brown shoes. Dustin, a combat enforcer in his thirties, accompanied her. He was average height with short-cropped black hair and a no-nonsense expression on his face. The three of them gathered in Mark’s living room to discuss the business arrangement.

  “So what exactly is MADA?” Mark asked.

  “It stands for Magical Applications and Development Administration. It was funded just over a month ago along with a few other programs in an effort to help the U.S. become better equipped to defend itself against the Valituras threat,” Virginia explained. “I’m in charge of a project that involves the research of ancient magical technology. I’ve recently uncovered evidence that leads me to believe that American Stonehenge was created by an advanced civilization of wizards. I would like for you to restore one of the main structures at this site. Are you familiar with it?”

  “Yes, I read about it a few years ago. It’s located in Salem, New Hampshire. It’s a huge site that covers about thirty acres. I’ve always wanted to visit it. I’d also like to see Stonehenge in Ireland.”

  “That’s fantastic! I’ve bee
n there and it’s definitely worth seeing. Ireland is beautiful!” Virginia’s green eyes shone with enthusiasm. “I’ve closed down the site in New Hampshire for tomorrow so we won’t have anyone in the way. I have a private jet booked for tomorrow morning at seven. Will you accept this job?”

  “I do accept the position. We’ll need to work out the terms of this arrangement. I want to assure you I have a very high success rate but in the event that the artifact can’t be restored, I do still charge a nominal fee of twenty percent which would be twelve thousand. I’ll draw up the paperwork for us to sign. It’ll just take a few moments.”

  “Of course. Go right ahead.”

  “Would you like something to drink? I have iced herbal tea and soda,” Mark offered.

  “That’s all right. I’m fine,” Virginia responded.

  Mark had a standard business form saved on his computer. He just had to fill in a few details and then print it out. Mark returned a few moments later with two copies of the contract. Virginia read through it briefly then signed and Mark did the same. He gave her one of the copies for her records.

  “Can I ask how you heard of me?” Mark inquired.

  Virginia leveled an excited smile at him. “I developed a strategy of finding a well qualified restorer. The first thing I did was compile a list of all restorers listed in the entire country. Next, I checked any references and feedback about the services that customers may have left online. That helped me to narrow down the list to about twenty. After that, I purchased twenty dishes from a thrift store and had a simple glamour enchantment made on them. Then I broke the dishes and hired someone to pretend to be a customer for each of the twenty restorers I was researching to see how well they did. You and one other person were the only ones that managed to restore the glamour back onto the broken dish.”

  “It must have taken a lot of time to do all that,” Mark commented.

  “No more than a few weeks. I needed to be sure I hired the very best candidate for the job.”

  “What made me stand out over the other restorer you mentioned?”