He stuck his hands in his pocket and started whistling If I Only Had a Brain as he walked away.
Lieutenant Weber frowned as he read the incident report on his computer. “Do you realize what this means?” He looked over his shoulder.
McMahon stood behind him, his arms crossed. “This shouldn’t be so bad. If what the cop reported was true, the guy has some sort of mind-control magic. He’s probably not bulletproof, though, so we can use a few of the anti-magic deflectors to take his ass down. Remember that time Hall told us how she took down that witch who used fear magic? She said the deflector worked really well in that situation.”
Lieutenant Weber shook his head. “I was looking over some of the stuff sent by the FBI and PDA earlier.” He clicked his mouse and brought up an image from a traffic drone. He pointed at a Porsche sitting in front of Sarkazian’s house. “They’ve identified that car as leaving Sarkazian’s place minutes before the explosion. They’ve got several shots of the driver in different places, algorithmic face match at ninety-five percent. He switched vehicles a few times. He also had a briefcase when he entered Sarkazian’s house, but he didn’t have it when he left, so that was probably the crystals.”
“Who is he?” McMahon leaned forward to peer at the image on the screen.
“Lyle Lassom. Low-level scum bag, mostly freelance, from the Providence area.” Lieutenant Weber pointed at the image. “He was just a normal guy, or at least he was until a few weeks ago. Turns out he was photographed near two wizards who were being investigated by the PDA for selling dangerous Oriceran artifacts. They were found dead a few weeks ago. It looked like they’d killed each other in some sort of deal gone bad, but the follow-up investigation found evidence that they’d been preparing to sell this bone mind-control charm.”
McMahon snorted. “So Lassom grabs it and decides he wants to be the kingpin, not the stooge?”
“That’s what I’m thinking. The FBI is now looking into a pattern of unusual occurrences across the country starting from several weeks ago. Lassom’s good at using his power, but he’s not always great about covering his tracks when he’s on the move.”
McMahon shrugged. “The play’s the same. Suit up, find him, and depend on the deflectors. If this power is from some artifact, all we need to do is get it off him, right?”
“That sounds simple, but I’m not so sure.” Lieutenant Weber brought up another video. “This is security camera footage from the store brawl.” He clicked Play.
Lyle stood in the center of a chaotic mass of fighters with a huge smirk. People lay on the ground all around, as others punched, kicked, or kneed one another. He stepped forward with a glassy-eyed old woman walking right in front of him. He laughed and put his hand on his chest before saying something. The old woman walked over to a bleeding man on the ground and stomped on his neck.
A few seconds later, she pulled out a contact Taser and jammed it into his ribs. The man thrashed on the ground as Lyle threw his head back and cackled.
McMahon’s face twisted in disgust. “Lassom’s the poster boy for ‘power corrupts.’”
“Yes.” Lieutenant Weber paused the video. “If you read the PDA report on this charm, it’s ridiculously powerful. It’s not any subtle hypnosis stuff. You can make a person do whatever you want. Just like Lassom made that old lady stomp and Taser that guy or that fifteen-year-veteran of the force open fire at random. We were lucky he didn’t hit anyone.” He nodded toward his screen. “The PDA thinks those dead wizards were controlled by Lassom, too. Apparently the bone charm leaves a particular magical signature when it’s used on a victim, and they found residual amounts of that where they found the wizards.”
McMahon frowned. “So, we have a guy who can make anyone do anything, and he doesn’t give two shits about innocent people. If we go after him, he’ll probably use human shields.”
“Exactly. Between the FBI, PDA, and local evidence, I’m going to try to get an emergency level-five bounty posted. I’m nervous about that, though.”
“Why?”
Lieutenant Weber sighed. “I just called Maria, and she told me Brownstone’s out of town for a few days.”
“He’s not the only high-end bounty hunter,” McMahon replied. “And we shouldn’t depend on him anyway. Do we know where Lassom is right now? If we play it smart, we can surprise him and win.”
“We’ve got no eyes on him. He switched cars again, and after the thing at the store, he was obviously trying a lot harder to avoid cameras.” The lieutenant stared at Lassom’s frozen image. “But you’re right. We can’t wait around for Brownstone or any other bounty hunter to do our job. We need to take this asshole down and fast. It might take a couple of days to get the bounty going, but if we can catch him in the meantime, fine.”
15
James pulled the truck up to the small guardhouse. The tiny dull-green building lay about ten yards from the twenty-foot-tall metal fence blocking further progress. The dirt road they’d been following disappeared past the fence, grass and bushes on the side. A gate was part of the fence, and it had various complicated runes and other symbols painted all over it.
“Do they have a fence around the entire forest?” James asked. “That looks like a lot of effort to seal off one place.”
Shay nodded. “Yeah. It’s not just a fence, and those runes on it aren’t just for show. It’s got a bunch of special wards and other magic on it. They had a lot more trouble than I realized right after the gates opened, but the magic we have now helps keep the shit contained. Fortunately for them, this forest is relatively small.”
“Can’t shit just fly out?”
Shay shook her head. “Not the way they’ve got the spells set up. They extend into the air, even though the walls don’t.” She shrugged. “It’s kind of funny. This is actually one of the more sophisticated magically sealed areas on Earth, but not a lot of people have heard about it, even though this used to be a major tourist attraction before the gates opened.”
“Everyone’s got magical shit around them these days.” James frowned and looked at the guard house.
Are those assholes gonna come over here or not?
Two bored-looking Romanian soldiers stood inside the guardhouse, watching their phones. One of them finally looked up, and he slung his rifle over his shoulder and stepped outside to head to the truck. He sighed the entire way over as if having to move was a great imposition on him.
“Just show him the QR code,” Shay told James as she handed her phone to him. “The Professor said all this shit should already be set up. I’m really hoping we don’t have to try to talk our way in if this doesn’t work.”
James rolled down the window and held out the phone.
The soldier stopped and stared down at the phone with a frown. He pulled out his own phone and ran it over the code. His phone chimed, and a message popped up.
The soldier looked up after reading the message. “It says you are Americans?” he asked, his English heavily accented but understandable. “You speak English, right?”
“Yeah,” James rumbled. “What about it?”
“I wanted to make sure you understand what I’m about to say.” The soldier narrowed his eyes. “Let me make this clear, American. Our orders say we are to let you through, but we will not go in there after you, no matter what happens, until you’re ready to leave. And once you leave, we’re not letting you back in.”
“Understood.”
The soldier shook his head. “Do you really understand? Most who go in there die or are injured. We’re here to keep watch on this entrance, but if people are stupid enough to go inside, they get what they deserve.”
“We love you, too,” Shay called from the passenger’s seat. “Stirring speech.”
The soldier snorted and nodded toward the gate. “We don’t allow vehicles in. There’s too much of a risk that the creatures might somehow use it to escape. You can move up to the gate and unload whatever gear or weapons you’ve brought with you, but it’s not too l
ate for you to turn around. You’re just going to waste your life in there. Why don’t you go back home, Cowboy? Go enjoy your beer and baseball.”
Shay laughed. “You have no idea who he is, do you?”
The soldier shrugged. “The pass just says to let one American man and woman through with weapons and explosives.” He frowned at James. “Why? Are you famous? Have you had a show?”
“I’m James Brownstone.” He shrugged.
The soldier stared at him for a few seconds, then blinked. He pulled up his phone and tapped away, panic on his face. An article in Romanian about James appeared, or at least he assumed it was about him since his frowning face was at the top.
“No, no, no.” The soldier shook his head, his face a mask of panic. “You can’t burn it down. They’ve told us that. If you burn it down, the evil will spread. The magic can only contain it so well.”
“Huh?” James blinked and looked over at Shay. “What are you talking about? Burn what down?”
“The forest, I’m guessing.” Shay laughed. “He thinks you’re going to burn it down.”
The soldier pointed at James. “That’s what he does. He blows things up. The Scourge of Harriken.”
“Not all that often. Mostly I punch and shoot things.” James shrugged. “Or slice them up or blast right through them. I don’t actually blow shit up all that often.” He started counting the number of areas he’d blown up in the last year on his fingers. He lowered his hand when the number ticked higher than he’d have liked.
Okay, so maybe I blow shit up more often than I think.
The soldier gritted his teeth and looked back at his partner as if he was deciding if he wanted to attempt to stop the Scourge of Harriken from taking on the most accursed forest in Romania. He took a deep breath and gestured toward the gate, some of the panic ebbing from his face. “The same rules apply. Stop your vehicle in front of the gate and get your equipment.” He muttered something under his breath in his native language as he headed toward the gate. James didn’t need to know Romanian to understand that the man was cursing.
James pulled forward. “Do I really blow shit up that often? I mean, I do it more than some random asshole in an office, but I’m a class-six bounty hunter.”
“’Often’ is subjective,” Shay responded. “You don’t blow up most of your bounties. That’s got to mean something.”
“I’ve never burned down a forest.”
“There’s always a first time. Had you blown up a hospital before that fight with the shepherd?”
“It was already closed and abandoned. That shit shouldn’t count.” James grunted as he stopped the truck in front of the gate. He killed the engine and hopped out to go to the back. The nervous soldier unlocked the gate and pulled it open. He yanked out his magazine and slipped in a red-painted one.
“Anti-magic bullets?” Shay asked.
The soldier gave a curt nod and focused on the forest on the other side of the open gate, his rifle at the ready. His partner emerged from the guardhouse, anti-magic bullets now loaded into his weapon, and advanced on the gate.
James glanced at the rifle as he opened the tailgate of the truck. Considering there were many guardhouses spread along the wall, even in areas without roads, the Romanian government was putting out a lot of money to ensure their soldiers at least had a chance against anything that might boil out of the forest.
James and Shay spent the next few minutes loading up. Standard guns and ammo, anti-magic and normal, a few frag grenades, and knives magic and normal. Shay took her tachi as well as her defensive pendant and ring. They slipped on canteens and backpacks that contained more ammo and several MREs. They had no idea how long they might be in the forest, and neither wanted to eat anything from a place tainted with such wild magic.
One of James’ ugly gray coats served as an additional ammo reservoir. Shay filled her pouches with different single-use artifacts of various types, unsure what might be useful given they still weren’t sure what all they would face.
Shay closed the back of the truck and headed toward the gate with James at her side. He reached up and felt for the amulet underneath his shirt. He hadn’t bonded Whispy yet, not wanting to listen to the amulet until he absolutely had to.
I wonder if I’ll even need him in the end. This place might be more hype than truth.
James stepped through the gate first, then Shay. He didn’t feel anything. He’d expected a tingle or a buzz, given all the magic that was supposed to be in the place, but it felt the same as the other side of the gate.
Shit. Kind of disappointing.
“The witches put powerful magic on this gate,” the first soldier explained. “You can’t open it without the special key. We’ll check the gate every couple of hours. If you’re at the gate then, we’ll open it. If not, you can yell, but if there are creatures near you, we won’t open it. Our duty is to protect the country.”
“Don’t worry,” James replied. “We won’t need your help.”
The soldier watched him for a moment, a hint of a smile on his face. “Let’s see if a monster can defeat monsters.”
The soldier pulled the gate closed and locked it, his partner still covering the forest with his gun.
James and Shay were now sealed in. Other than the dense undergrowth, it didn’t seem all that different from any other forest.
“Go ahead and bond Whispy,” Shay recommended as she took in the trees around them with a careful eye. She pulled a flat disc with a glowing green arrow on it out of a pouch.
James reached under his shirt and removed the spacer from the back of the amulet. “What’s that?”
“Secondary tracking artifact. This place is notorious for messing with people’s sense of direction. This little baby is pair-bonded with one in the truck. It’ll only last a few days, but as long as I have it, we should be able to find our way out of here. I figure it’s better than leaving breadcrumbs.”
“Probably.” James let the amulet drop and hissed as Whispy sank into his chest and spread his tendrils.
Initiation, Whispy sent.
James took a few deep breaths.
High probability of adaptation, Whispy reported. Unusual levels of compatible alternative energy sources detected.
What the fuck does that mean?
Continuing baseline matrix modifications potentially compatible with alternative energy sources. Adaptation analysis possible if concentrated source found. Find enemy. Engage enemy. Achieve maximum adaptation and primary directive.
“What the fuck?” James muttered.
Shay looked his way. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Whispy. He’s saying all this shit about alternative energy sources if I find a concentrated supply. I don’t know what the fuck he’s getting at.” James glanced around. He didn’t feel or see anything unusual.
Shay’s eyes widened. “No fucking way. This is perfect.” She laughed. “Too damned perfect.”
“I have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about.”
She gestured around. “This place. The magic. Maybe he can somehow adapt to use it.”
James shrugged. “There’s plenty of magic around all the time. You telling me he hasn’t been able to adapt to that shit after more than thirty years?”
“No.” Shay shook her head. “Everyone acts like all this magic spilled over Earth when the gates opened, when in truth, it’s more like a drip. It’ll take centuries for the gates to open fully, maybe thousands of years. Most places don’t actually have that much concentrated magic.”
“But I was on Oriceran, too.”
“From what you described, it didn’t sound like you were there all that long.” Shay grinned. “But it’s concentrated here in a weird way. Maybe using magic as an energy source requires a different sort of exposure. And—”
Shay whipped out her gun in one fluid motion and pointed it above her.
A small blue portal appeared several yards away in front of them. A few seconds later it winked out o
f existence.
“That’s different,” Shay muttered. “But I guess it’s not all that surprising.” She chuckled. “Don’t you see? This is why he has a chance of figuring something out.”
James grunted. “I wonder if that means I won’t have to get as pissed.”
If alternative energy source adaptation is achieved, primary power requirements will be reduced, Whispy explained.
Guess that means I won’t.
James frowned. “The bastard’s been doing long-term modifications ever since I took down the shepherd. I should have been asking him more about them.” He shook his head. “Whatever. Let’s find your crazy instrument. I might not even need my amulet abilities or any of the transformations.”
Shay sighed and reached into another pouch. She pulled out a small chicken figurine atop a black base, which rotated and pointed into a dense patch of forest. “Looks like it works.”
She uttered the activation phrases for her pendant and rings. Her skin started glowing silver, something that only happened when both were used together.
She marched forward, and James followed her, scanning the forest.
“You know what I don’t see?” he asked, looking around.
“Birds or insects?” Shay replied. “Or any animals at all.”
“Exactly. Just the trees and plants.”
They continued walking in near-silence, only the jangling of their equipment keeping the quiet at bay. Whispy occasionally murmured about finding enemies, but even the amulet was acting like they were in an unnatural place and he was scared.
The forest grew denser and darker as the minutes passed, and the trees more gnarled. Trees with curved trunks became more common, and the bushes and grass grew sparser. There were still no signs of any animals.
“I wonder what weird shit is gonna jump us,” James mused aloud. “No way they locked down this place without real shit to worry about.”
“Yeah,” Shay replied. “Peyton found a few incident reports, but mostly it was about recovering bodies after they’d been killed. From what he could find, the potential threats vary by season. All the government’s attempts to use satellites, drones, and scrying magic to perform a census has failed.”
The Unbelievable Mr Brownstone Omnibus 3 Page 72