Mags & Nats 3-Book Box Set

by Stephanie Fazio

  We got to the abandoned warehouse without incident. Michael stopped the van, and everyone except for Smith piled out.

  Bri, her skin titanium once again, kept her hand locked on Valencia’s wrist. Yutika punched in a code to the security system she had designed and Smith installed. The creaky old garage door slid up, and we all squished and slopped across the cement floor.

  “Sit down,” Bri commanded. She shoved Valencia into the chair, which was the only piece of furniture in the entire place. Valencia clutched her purse to her chest like it was a child she needed to protect.

  As soon as Bri pulled off Valencia’s hood, it started to rain inside the warehouse.

  “Do you know how long it took me to blow out my hair this morning?” A.J. complained.

  Six umbrellas zoomed in and opened themselves over each of our heads. Valencia scowled. A.J. smirked.

  “There’s someone coming down the road,” Smith said into our earpieces.

  I exchanged a look with Kaira. We weren’t in an area where people just wandered around for no reason.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Bri said. “Shut the door behind me. I’ll be back in a flash.”

  Once she was gone, A.J. waved his fingers, and the garage door started to creak and groan as it closed.

  It was cold and damp in here, more so because we were all soaked, but it was adrenaline that was giving me goosebumps now.

  “Mag cops on the way,” Smith said. “We’ve got eleven minutes before they track us down.”

  “Michael, you’re up,” Kaira said.

  Michael crouched down next to Valencia. “Are you responsible for the four murders in the last week?” he asked.

  I was ready for the furious expression to melt out of her gaze and for her muscles to relax, but Valencia only continued to glare at us.

  The garage door, which was in the process of closing, came to a creaking stop. It hovered a few feet above the ground.

  “I didn’t tell you to stop,” A.J. informed the door. He waved his hand. Once. Twice. The door didn’t budge.

  “Valencia, look at me,” Michael said.

  She ignored him.

  “Graysen Gald-ah. You filthy Nat.” Valencia spat on the ground at my feet. “I shoulda known.”

  I looked down at myself, only to see my illusion was gone. I looked at the others. Their illusions had disappeared, too.

  Kaira met my gaze. “My illusions aren’t working,” she said, looking scared and confused at the same time.

  The umbrellas that had been hovering over each of us dropped out of the air. I had to duck before mine hit me on the head.

  I turned, and then blinked, convinced I was seeing things.

  A heavy-set man who shared Valencia’s wild red hair and thick-framed glasses was squirming under the door and into the warehouse. He had one arm wrapped around Bri’s neck.

  “He’s got a knife,” Bri called to the rest of us, “and my magic isn’t working.”

  “Who are you?” A.J. demanded.

  “Morons, let me introduce you to my broth-ah,” Valencia said with a smirk that turned my insides. “My Level 5 Shield broth-ah.”

  Six curses filled the warehouse at once. Shields blocked any magic within a certain distance. A Level 5 was strong enough to block the power of every Magic here.

  “Come near me or my sister, or pull one of your guns, and your little girl is getting her throat cut.”

  Shit. The Shield kept his back to the wall, so there was no chance of sneaking up on him.

  Bri turned her head to look at the man out of the corner of her eye. “You’re going to regret messing with me, pal.”

  I pulled my gun from its holster for the second time today and pointed it at Valencia’s head.

  “Hurt my friend, and I’ll kill your sister,” I told the Shield.

  We all stood there, glaring at each other and too afraid to move for fear of what we’d start. My gun might be useless, but the knife the Shield was holding up to Bri’s throat wasn’t. We had everything to lose in this standoff.

  Kaira gave me a panicked look.

  What do we do?

  Valencia guffawed at our obvious distress. Either she knew I wouldn’t use the gun I was pointing at her, or she was too cracked to care. “My broth-ah and I just need to sit pretty until the cops show up. You’re finished.” She gave us the finger for added effect.

  The Shield grinned, displaying crooked, yellowing teeth.

  While his attention was on me and the gun in my hand, A.J. snuck around the far side of the warehouse and slipped under the garage door.

  “I’ll slow the cops down and give you kittens time to figure things out in here,” he called once he was safely on the other side.

  “Want me to go after ’im?” the Shield asked his sister.

  “Psh, like you could catch him,” Bri retorted. “Fat-ass.”

  “Stay put,” Valencia barked at her brother. “Have you forgotten I’m being threatened?”

  “I’ll lower mine if you lower yours,” I told the Shield.

  Slowly, I dropped my arm so the gun was pointing at the floor. The Shield did the same. I let out a relieved breath.

  There was the sound of a car door opening and shutting. Then, the van peeled away from the warehouse.

  Valencia smirked. “Looks like you just lost your ride outta here. Too bad, so sad.”

  I glanced at the others in the room. I saw uncertainty and fear on their faces. They didn’t have any more of an idea about what to do right now than I did. A.J. and Smith might be able to hold the cops off for a little while, but not forever. We probably had fifteen minutes, tops.

  Think, I commanded myself.

  We wouldn’t get another opportunity to question Valencia.

  As I glared at the woman who was responsible for the dead bodies piling up and my almost-execution, a desperate plan started to form in my mind.

  “Yutika,” I said without taking my eyes off Valencia. “Remember when I asked you to hide that sealed folder with all of the documents inside?” I didn’t give her a chance to respond, since I’d never asked her any such thing. “I know we said we wouldn’t show Valencia all the phone records and bank statements our Techie accessed, but I think we need them now. Can you go get them while the rest of us stay here with the Starks?”

  I kept my gaze cool as my insides roiled.

  Come on, Yutika, I silently begged her. Don’t let me down.

  “It’s three blocks away,” Yutika said in a convincing whine. “It’s going to take ten minutes to get there and back.”

  “Then, you better hurry,” I said, still staring at Valencia as I tried to hide all the thoughts and emotions I was barely containing.

  “Want me to kill the bitch?” the Shield asked his sister.

  “What records?” Valencia demanded, ignoring her brother. “You don’t have anything on me.”

  “Not quite true,” I said, giving Valencia a shrug and quirking my lips in a casual grin.

  “Here’s what we do know. You arranged the four murders as part of your grand plan to activate Section 278, Article 3, 998J and destroy the Alliance. Your plan is to build up an army of Magics who will support you becoming the new authority in this city. And then you’re going to start a war between Nats and Mags.”

  The whole time I spoke, I watched Valencia’s face. I saw no confusion or surprise, only an angry kind of acceptance.

  So far, so good, I thought.

  The Shield stood clutching his knife, but he didn’t seem to know what we were talking about, or what he was supposed to do. I turned my attention back on Valencia.

  “We also know about your boss and how he’s been funding all of these murders you’ve arranged.” My thoughts were moving about a mile ahead of the words coming out of my mouth. This would be tricky to navigate, since it was all speculation on my part. One wrong word would unravel my entire bluff.

  “How did you find out about him?” Valencia asked. Her tone was hostile, but I didn�
��t miss the fear that widened her eyes for a fraction of a moment.

  “Our Techie’s a Level 10,” I informed her. “Did you really think we wouldn’t be able to connect the dots?”

  “He’ll kill me if he finds out you know,” Valencia whispered, digging her fingers into the plastic of her purse. “He’ll think I told you.”

  This time, her fear wasn’t a passing thing. I could almost feel it in the air surrounding her.

  At that moment, Yutika squirmed under the garage door and ran into the warehouse, cradling a thick brown folder in her arms. I had to hold back from kissing her on the cheek or breaking into an A.J.-like dance.

  I took the folder Yutika handed me without looking away from Valencia.

  I hit the folder against my hand, letting the smacking sound speak for how many papers were inside. Then, I slowly and meticulously unsealed the envelope.

  “I’m sure your employer will be more than a little pissed off when we go straight to the press with all of these phone records and money transfers.” I pulled out a sheet of paper that, to Yutika’s credit, really did look like a bank statement. I flashed it in front of Valencia’s face. Just enough that she could see the official-ness of it, but not long enough that she could read anything written on it. “Especially when I tell the Globe that you were the one who handed over all of this evidence about your boss.

  “But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Things are going to get worse for you when everyone finds out about your involvement in the Lab.”

  I held my breath.

  Valencia’s gasp was music to my ears.

  “You know about the Lab?!”

  “And what do you think your supporters are going to say when they find out about it?” I pushed.

  “I don’t envy the spot you’ll be in when everyone finds out,” Kaira said, shuddering for dramatic emphasis.

  “Me neither,” Bri piped up.

  My smile broadened.

  “Can I start stabbing people?” the Shield asked his sister.

  I shrugged. “Our Techie has everything programmed to go straight to the Globe if anything happens to us. Even if you somehow manage to make it past all of us, you’ll be screwed the minute the evening news breaks.”

  “Val, I’ll gut the Nat here and now—”

  “Shut up!” Valencia shrieked at her brother. To me, she asked, “Whaddya want?”

  “Um kittens, we have a situation,” A.J.’s voice said into our earpieces.

  “We’re headed back to you,” Smith said. “Be ready to get in the van in exactly two minutes.”

  The others started to shift restlessly, but I stayed where I was.

  “We want to know everything that our Techie didn’t already find out,” I told Valencia, tapping the folder for emphasis. “In exchange, we’ll keep your name, and your connection with your boss, out of the press.”

  I was walking a careful line between keeping my words vague enough to avoid revealing how little I actually knew, and scaring Valencia enough that she’d give me what I needed.

  She took the bait.

  “I don’t know his real name.” Valencia’s voice had gone hoarse.

  “If you’re going to lie to us—” Kaira warned.

  “I’m not lyin’!” Valencia’s lips had gone white. “All I know is that he’s rich enough to fund the Lab and pay my people for the murders. We have an arrangement. He works behind the scenes, and I’m the one the public will know as the Mag war general.”

  Mag war general? Really?

  “We already know all of that,” I lied. “You’ll have to tell us something we don’t already have in here.” I held up the folder.

  “I’ll tell you where the Lab is, but I don’t know what goes on there. Boss never told me—”

  “Address, now,” Kaira ordered.

  Valencia recited the address, which Kaira repeated into her microphone for Smith.

  “Alright, I’ve got it,” Smith said. “Now, get outside. A.J.’s dealing with ten cop cars, and he can’t hold them much longer.”

  “One last question.” I pinned Valencia with my stare as the others started to move toward the garage door. “The victims. How did you choose them?”

  Valencia swallowed. “Bobby Axelrod and Jonas Meddlesworth needed to be silenced because they knew too much about the Lab. Axelrod was gonna whistleblow about something, and Meddlesworth was trying to extort the boss for more money.” Her expression frosted over with disgust. “And the Nats were chosen because they were high profile enough to get everyone’s attention.”

  I swallowed my fury. There would be time for that later. Right now, I needed information.

  “And Penelope?” I asked through gritted teeth. “I’m pretty sure she wasn’t involved with the Lab.”

  “That wasn’t me,” Valencia said, shaking her head. “I arranged the other ones, but that one was my employ-ah. He said he was going to take care of the first murder himself, personally. That’s all I know.”

  She looked scared enough that I believed her.

  The Shield yelped. He still held the knife, but he was hopping up and down on one foot. Bri stomped on his other foot before sucker-punching him in the gut. She wasn’t made out of titanium, but the man still doubled over and wheezed like he couldn’t take a breath. Bri smirked as she ducked under the man’s flailing arms and went to join the others who were exiting the warehouse.

  “Galder, now,” Smith growled, when I didn’t follow.

  I slipped my hand into my pocket, closing my fist around the small rectangular object. Then, I lunged at Valencia, yelling something incoherent about my life being ruined. I collided with the Rain Maker.

  “Gray!”

  I looked up in time to see the Shield’s knife flying through the air. It was a wild throw, and the weapon went right over my head. I continued to shout at Valencia as I let Kaira take my hand and pull me out of the warehouse. I tried to contort my features so I looked furious and desperate. Then, I slid under the garage door and sprinted to the van.

  CHAPTER 26

  Smith got out of the driver’s seat and went back to his command module, while Yutika took his place. The rest of us piled in.

  The van flew down the road. We drove for less than a minute before A.J.’s yellow jacket became visible on the road. He was facing away from us with his arms stretched up to the sky. He looked like a 3D painting of Moses parting the Red Sea…if Moses wore neon and the Red Sea was replaced by police cruisers.

  Above him, ten cop cars hovered in mid-air. Their wheels spun, and they dipped and shook as the police inside shouted and banged against the doors. There were also about a thousand bullets frozen in mid-air all around A.J.

  A.J., his face red and dripping with perspiration, backed toward us without lowering his arms or looking away from the cop cars.

  “Michael…you…better…be…ready,” A.J. said through gritted teeth.

  “Ready.” Michael threw open the van door and got out.

  I heard the cops’ screams as the cars gently lowered to the ground. There was a light patter as the bullets plunked down on the asphalt at a speed about as dangerous as hail.

  “Officers, holster your weapons and listen to me.” Michael didn’t raise his voice, but it somehow carried.

  The rest of us waited in tense silence while Michael spoke to the officers. I was afraid there were too many for Michael to control at once, but it was obvious from their silence that the Whisper had their attention.

  “Police all over the city are looking for us,” Smith said, pulling my attention away from Michael and the cops. “They know there’s at least three Mags who were in a police van. They’re everywhere.”

  “I have an idea.” Yutika grinned as she scribbled madly on her note pad. “They won’t be looking for us in this.”

  She tossed the finished sketch out of her window.

  I watched as the black-and-white drawing hit the ground. And then the 2D vehicle lifted itself off the page and puttered a short distan
ce away on wobbly, paper wheels. There was the sound of a tiny engine revving to life.

  The 2D sketch began to expand. It looked too long to be a van, but in its miniature form, I couldn’t really tell what kind of car Yutika was creating.

  I heard the scraping of metal on metal as the toy-sized car began to grow. The air filled with the smell of burnt rubber and fresh paint. The paper-white vehicle became yellow as it continued to stretch up and out until a small, perfect replica of a school bus appeared before us.

  Remembering what had happened last time I observed a car come to life, I backed up so I wouldn’t be crushed underneath the thing when it became full size.

  The bus rocked from side to side as it swelled. And then the small bus doubled…quadrupled…sextupled…in size. In less than a minute, a fully-formed school bus was parked in front of us.

  The words Boston Public Schools appeared in black lettering on the yellow side. A small stop sign appeared beneath the driver’s side window. Its red lights even flashed.

  And, just like that, our new ride awaited.

  “So awesome,” I murmured.

  “How come you never get this excited about my powers?” A.J. complained.

  “Your powers are extremely cool,” I assured him.

  “Not as cool as mine,” Yutika sing-songed.

  Michael finished talking with the cops, who had all gone limp and doe-eyed. The rest of us got ourselves and all of Smith’s equipment onto the school bus.

  The cop cars turned around on the road and started to drive away from us. I let out the breath I’d been holding.

  As Michael jogged back to the bus, he started to shrink. By the time he got to us, he was no longer the grown man he’d been. In his place was a five-year old kid with chubby cheeks and wispy blonde hair. I couldn’t stop the semi-hysterical laugh that burst out of me.

  When I looked around, I saw the rest of the Six were now kindergarten-aged kids, too. The one exception was Yutika, who was now a heavy-set woman with graying hair in her sixties. I looked down at myself.

  I was pleasantly plump and covered with freckles. I was wearing tiny overalls and a shirt with fire trucks all over it.

  Cool.