by Dina Given
I debriefed the assembled group on what had happened to me on North Brother Island and told them about the government’s plans for opening the rift.
“That only gives us two days to prepare,” Jason said, concerned. “How are two humans and a handful of elves supposed to stop the government with all of its resources?”
“We have resources,” I said. “I have a friend who likes to collect toys.”
“Do you really think you can trust Nathan Anshar?” Jason asked.
“As long as he needs me to recover Sharur, I think he’ll be cooperative.”
“You also have the power of the mages behind you,” Alex said.
“No offense, man, but you are in no shape to be of any help to us at all,” Jason said, eyeing Alex, who sat slumped in his seat, barely able to sit up straight.
“No, I’m not,” Alex admitted. “But I also have friends I can call on. I have contacted the Mage Council and some have agreed to aid us.”
Jason and I exchanged a glance, both questioning the trustworthiness of the Council, although we didn’t have much of a choice. We needed as many allies as possible if we were to stand a chance.
“Okay, then,” I said. “Let’s start planning.”
We spent the next several hours looking over maps while we debated strategies and tactics until we had finally reached an agreement. I then found an empty bedroom and crashed hard for several more hours, awakening only after the sun had already set. I showered and dressed in black Lucky jeans and a Yankees T-shirt. As I was pulling on my favorite black boots, a soft knock sounded at the door.
“Come in,” I called.
The door opened a crack, and Lilly’s bright red hair appeared as she peaked into the room. “Hey, Em. Can I come in?”
I frowned. It wasn’t like Lilly to be deferential to others. I would have expected her to burst in, all effervescent and gabby. This quieter, more polite Lilly couldn’t be a good sign.
“Um, yeah, sure,” I said. “What’s up?”
Closing the door behind her, she replied, “Oh, nothing. I just thought I would check in to see how you were feeling.”
“I’m fine, thanks,” I said, going back to zippering my boots.
I expected Lilly to leave then; instead, she came farther into the room and sat next to me on the bed. I sat up, giving her a questioning look.
“Sooooo,” she said.
I tried to hide the twitch at the corner of my mouth. “So?” She clearly wanted to talk about something that she was struggling to bring up.
“You spent the night with Zane,” she said without looking at me.
The half-smile fell from my face. Lilly was right to hesitate bringing up this conversation. It wasn’t really something I wanted to talk about.
“Yeah, but it wasn’t like that,” I lied. “We were wiped and needed a place to crash for the night.”
“Mm-hmm,” she said with a lilt, not sounding convinced. “You expect me to believe you spent the night with a hot bad boy turned temporarily good, who saved you from the evil clutches of a torturer, and nothing happened?” I guessed, when she put it that way, I could understand why she didn’t believe me.
“Look, I really don’t want to talk about this.”
“Ah-ha!” she yelled in triumph. “Something did happen. Come on, you can tell me. I swear I won’t breathe a word.”
How the hell was I going to get out of this conversation? I had already said too much. Strangely enough, however, part of me wanted to confide in her. I had never had a girlfriend, never divulged my deepest, darkest secrets to anyone. But could Lilly really be trusted? I didn’t know much about her. True, her family seemed committed to helping me, yet allies didn’t necessarily mean friends.
“Zane and I have a history.”
“Oh? Do you still have feelings for him?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know,” I said sighing heavily.
“Are you confused because of Jason?” she asked, averting her eyes.
“Why? What does Jason have to do with any of this?”
“Well…I guess…I just thought. I assumed you and Jason were…”
“Wow,” I said. “Lilly Alfreda is at a loss for words. I never thought I’d see the day.”
She smirked, but mirth twinkled in her eyes. “So there’s nothing going on between you and Jason?”
“No, not anymore. We used to be together, but it didn’t last long. Don’t get me wrong, he’s an amazing guy and means a lot to me, but only as a friend.”
“Does he feel the same way about you—just friends?”
My hesitation gave her the answer. “Why are you asking me about Jason? Are you interested in him?”
Lilly shrugged. “I’ve spent a lot of time with him these last few days. I think we’ve become good friends, but I’d like for us to be more. I can tell something…or someone…is holding him back.”
“Lilly, Jason knows how I feel about him. I can promise you that I’ve done nothing to encourage him, but I’m not ready for him, or anyone else, to know about Zane.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” Lilly winked. “And what exactly is it you don’t want anyone to know about? I bet it’s that he’s in love with you and got you alone while he had his sanity back for a few precious hours. There is no way he kept his distance from you last night.”
I sighed, resigning myself to the fact that Lilly was not going to let go of this. “Okay, maybe something happened, but it doesn’t matter. He’s crazy again and out to get me. And I’ll probably have to kill him,” I finished despondently.
“Oh, shit,” said Lilly, as if she only then understood the implications. “There has to be a cure.”
“Apparently there isn’t. The mages have been trying for years to find a way to reverse Zane’s condition, but instead, they’ve only made it worse.”
“Like they do to everyone,” Lilly muttered. “Listen, I might be naive in the way of relationships, but I do believe that true love conquers all. You’ll find a way; I just know it. And the two of you will live happily ever after.”
I almost laughed out loud until I saw the sincerity in Lilly’s eyes. She actually believed what she was saying. Unfortunately, I wasn’t nearly as innocent in the ways of the world and knew happy endings didn’t exist for most people. One day, someone would come along and shatter her illusions. Until then, I simply gave her a brief hug, surprising both of us at my spontaneous display of affection. I don’t know where it had come from. Maybe I was grateful she had allowed me to open up, even just a little, or maybe it was the type of consolation hug an adult gives a child. Whichever it was, she gave me a broad smile in return.
“Come on, let’s get downstairs. We have a long night ahead of us.”
We walked into the kitchen and found Jason looking as handsome as ever in faded jeans, a blue long-sleeved tee, and worker boots.
“Are you ready?” I asked.
“Yup. I rented a U-Haul. It’s out front.”
We piled into the small van and set out for a self-storage facility in Easton, Pennsylvania. It was a long, boring drive through New Jersey and into Pennsylvania along Interstate 78, but at this hour, there was no traffic to slow us down.
A little less than two hours later, we were opening the door to the storage bay where I stored my weapons cache. We loaded the van with rifles, handguns, and automatics before I snagged a spare set of my military body armor.
On the way back to New York, Jason was very conscientious and obeyed the speed limit. Getting pulled over with a van full of guns would not have ended well for anyone. Thankfully, we made our way through the Holland Tunnel into Manhattan without incident.
It was almost midnight when we pulled into the garage beneath Nathan Anshar’s luxury apartment building. There was no point in being sneaky about it. I was sure his security team had alerted him to our arrival the moment we had pulled onto his street. Anyway, I planned on asking nicely for his help, not taking it by force … unless I had to.
“M
r. Smith!” I said with a broad smile. “It’s good to see you again, my friend.” I walked straight up to Nathan’s head of security and gave him a big hug. He reflexively stepped away from me, startled, and I broke contact before he could pull a gun on me. I definitely enjoyed throwing that smug son of a bitch off his game, even if only briefly.
He cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “Miss Hayes, Mr. Ryker, come this way, please.” He led us to the private elevator, and we ascended to the penthouse. The doors slid open to reveal the museum-like living room, and without waiting for an invitation, I strode into the back office where I knew I would find Nathan.
He was seated behind his ornate mahogany desk, speaking on the phone. I didn’t wait for him to finish his conversation before striding in and taking a seat in one of the leather chairs facing his desk.
“Uh-huh. Yes, if I was a gambling man, that’s where I would put my money … I know the odds, but everyone loves an underdog … Well, even underdogs need a champion once in a while … Good. Talk to you soon.”
“You always struck me as the type to back the obvious winner,”
“You don’t know me very well, Miss Hayes. All of the greatest moments in history occurred when the little guy overcame all odds: David and Goliath, the Spartans and the Persians, the American Colonies and the British, Rocky and Apollo Creed. Need I go on?”
“So, you’re a romantic at heart.”
“I suppose you can call me that, which is why I am rooting for you.”
“What makes you think I’m the underdog in this scenario?”
Nathan barked a short, harsh laugh. “Miss Hayes, in about twenty-four hours, you will be going up against the might of the United States government and their mutated super soldiers; the evil leader of an alternate universe and his army of supernatural creatures; and a supremely powerful mage. And what do you have? Your military skills, a handful of nature-loving elves, and a weakened magic user. Yes, I would definitely say the odds are against you.”
“How the hell do you know all of that?” I asked, trying unsuccessfully to keep the shock from showing on my face.
“One does not make it to my level without the help of many, many friends. But don’t trouble yourself with my extensive contact list right now. It seems you have much more important issues to deal with.”
His apparent knowledge of the entire situation made me squirm with distrust. How long had he known about the government’s plans? What else did he know that he wasn’t telling me? However, he was also right. I would have to worry about how he had come by his information later, as long as he gave me what I needed.
“So, what can you do for me to help even out the odds?”
“Why should I do anything? Maybe I want the entertainment value of seeing whether you can get yourself out of this one on your own. If I help you, it might be evening out the odds too much, and where is the fun in that?”
“Call me crazy, but I don’t think you’re in this for the laughs. I’m willing to bet you stand to benefit on the outcome. And, if you intend to back me, that means you need me to come out on top. Tell me I’m wrong.”
He smiled at me and leaned back in his chair. Holding his arms wide, he said, “Take what you need, that’s all I can offer.” He was giving me my choice from his weapons collection. “But none of these things will help you win this battle.”
“I have to find a way, and heavy firepower is one of the best ways I can think of.”
“This battle is to retrieve Sharur. In order to do that, you will need tools not currently at your disposal. Haven’t you heard the saying that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic?”
Was he telling me there was some technology out there that could help me fight those who wielded magic? “How would I get access to such technology?”
“Why, from someone in a position to procure very well-protected secrets,” he answered. “All I need to do is make a phone call.”
I nodded. “Tell him to meet me at my favorite place. He’ll know where it is. In the meantime, I think I’ll take you up on your offer.”
After adding some of Nathan’s more deadly collectibles to the van, we drove downtown to Raines. It served the dual purpose of keeping us safely in a public place with sufficient privacy while also allowing me to have a desperately needed drink.
We parked the van in a well-lit section of a heavily trafficked street to deter any would-be car thieves and then made our way into the bar. As always, they sat Jason and I promptly in our usual booth. It made me wonder if they actually kicked patrons out of the booth to accommodate us. I ordered a dirty martini with Grey Goose and extra olives, while Jason kept it simple with a Sam Adams.
We waited for almost two hours before Benjamin Hayes arrived. It was close to three a.m., though Raines was still bustling and would remain open for at least another hour. Benjamin slipped through the black curtain and took a seat beside me, giving me a hug that lasted a few seconds longer than usual. I gave him a squeeze of reassurance before we broke apart.
Jason left the privacy of the booth to stand sentry nearby. It was a smart move, but I also appreciated his effort to give me some privacy with Ben.
“So, you knew about me all along,” I said, making it more of a statement than a question.
“Yes. I’m sorry, Emma. I never wanted to lie to you, but I did it to protect you. When you arrived, I was asked to procure a secure space and medical equipment for you. I was informed of your manner of arrival, and for the next year, I stayed abreast of your situation because I had to approve the purchases related to your care. Those purchases included high doses of narcotics typically used for keeping people in artificially-induced comas, imaging equipment, surgical supplies, restraints, medical staff and security personnel. I finally decided to stop approving the purchases unless I knew what they were for, so the team responsible for you invited me to participate in their briefings.
“I learned that they weren’t making any progress with you. When they would bring you out of the coma, you were either violent and uncooperative or not lucid enough to talk. They were getting no answers about who you were, what you wanted, or where you had come from. So discussion turned to the next steps. Options on the table ranged from harsher methods of interrogation to euthanasia and autopsy to at least learn how you might be different from us. That’s when I finally stepped in.”
I thought back to the lab on North Brother Island and how close I had come to being picked apart and placed piece by piece into glass jars. I shuddered.
“After everything I experienced this past week, I can’t say I’m surprised at what was done to me, but I will make them regret it. How did you manage to keep me off the butcher’s block?”
“I told them I would find you a foster home with someone in the inner circle, in the hopes you would grow to trust that family and reveal your secrets to them and thereby to us. It wasn’t a well-received plan, but since I held the purse strings, they didn’t have a lot of options. Even if they voted against me, they would need to come back to me for budgeting favors in the future, and I wouldn’t be quite as willing to allocate the funding for their pet projects. So they grudgingly allowed it on two conditions. First, someone was to keep an eye on you at all times and immediately report back if anything … unusual ever happened. Second, if you didn’t reveal yourself, they would go in to retrieve you to explore alternate approaches. It looks like, after ten years, they have finally run out of patience, and I have failed you.”
“None of this is your fault, Ben. Believe me, if I had remembered anything, I would have told you. As it happens, my memories were forcibly walled off and remain inaccessible.” As much as I cared for Benjamin, I wasn’t ready to tell him the wall was crumbling. “But I have learned enough to know the government is on the wrong side on this one. They can’t force open a rift between worlds. They will be allowing horrible, deadly creatures into ours, and it could mean the end of humanity. You have to see that,” I said, grabbing his h
ands tightly.
“I do see that, which is why I have been protecting you. It’s also why I brought you this.” When he placed his briefcase on the seat between us, I noticed that it was made of thick steel, painted to look like a simple leather case when seen from a distance. The lock was not standard, either.
Benjamin placed his thumb to a flat plate where a lock would have normally been. The plate briefly glowed a dim green then several soft clicks indicated the locks had disengaged. “I coded the case to your fingerprint, as well, so you are the only one who will be able to access it.”
He lifted the lid to reveal black foam that was cut to snuggly house the object lying inside. It was a round object, about the size of a softball and made of a metal that looked unusual. I reached out a tentative hand to touch its surface lightly. It was surprisingly very warm, as if it had a small furnace burning inside of it.
“What is it?” I breathed.
“It’s called a High Density Field Generator, but the boys in R&D just call it the Blackhole. The casing is made of Tungsten Tetraboride wrapped in an atomic layer of Graphene. This makes the casing strong enough to contain a massively dense sub-atomic particle yet brittle enough to shatter upon impact. Its design is based on a theoretical concept of how to collapse a stable wormhole between worlds. It has never been tested, so I have no idea whether it will work. But, just in case they break through, this is our only hope of destroying the threat.”
“I never thought about what it took to close a stable rift. All everyone keeps talking about is how to get one opened.”
“That’s why we have the best minds in the world on this project.” He smiled at me wanly as he latched the lid closed, leaving the briefcase on the seat. “My true goal in all of this was to show you the best parts of humanity—love, friendship, day-to-day life on Earth—so when this time came, you would choose to save us, even from ourselves if need be. But that didn’t happen. I was outmaneuvered, and you were placed in that sorry excuse for a foster home that only taught you violence, pain, manipulation, and distrust. However, I still have faith that you will choose to side with humanity when war comes.” He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my cheek before he slipped out of the booth and was gone.