by Jasmine Walt
The Balance must be tipping. Towards Earth.
“Well, that was a waste of time,” said Ellen, as soon as Carl was out of earshot. We stood in the Alliance’s entrance hall following our report to the head of the guards—two hours combing the Passages and not so much as a wyvern claw to show for it. The sound had been unmistakable, but nothing appeared.
“You’re telling me,” I said. “There’s not normally this level of activity in the Passages, is there?” And wyverns were the rarest monsters of all, even on the lower level.
Ellen shook her head. “I forgot you’re new here.” Her eyes flicked up to meet mine, a smile playing on her lips. I couldn’t help noticing she’d somehow avoided getting any dirt in her hair. Skill.
“Yeah. Hell of a week.” I smiled back.
“It’s not always this exciting. You were amazing against that chalder vox, by the way.”
And I totally wasn’t checking her out in that tight faux leather uniform despite it being way below the line of ‘professional behaviour’. If I wasn’t mistaken, she’d been doing the same to me. “I don’t suppose you have plans later…?”
She looked startled, but flushed. “Not that I know of. Wow, that makes a change.”
“Sure does.” I laughed softly. I needed a distraction. “How about a drink? I’m not familiar with the local scene—only moved here a week ago.”
“I’ll show you around. Give me time to get ready. I’m covered in tunnel dust and God, do I want a shower. I’ll call you, okay… Kay?” She laughed.
“You’ve no idea how many times I’ve heard that one,” I said.
“I can guess. See you later.”
Today wasn’t a complete bust after all. No reason to dwell on prisoners and murders and hidden Passages…
I spotted Carl coming out of the guard office, and strode over to him. “Did you tell them about that light?” I asked. “Because I know that place backwards, and that tunnel’s supposed to dead-end.”
“How do you… ah. You’re sure about that?”
“Of course. I have a copy of my grandfather’s map, I memorised it.”
Technically, it was my father’s, and I’d stolen it before he’d left five years ago. But Carl didn’t need to know that.
“Right. I’ll pass that onto the others.”
That was one thing taken care of, at least. I was done with it. None of my business.
As I left the building, my communicator vibrated in my pocket. Incoming call from the New York Alliance branch. I crossed the car park to my vehicle, and hit the touch screen to accept the call.
“Who is it? It’s the ever-elusive Kay Walker.”
“Simon,” I said, leaning against my car. It figured my old friend from the Academy would want to know the details. Damn, had it really only been less than two weeks since graduation? “Guess you heard?”
“Heard things went apeshit at Central? The whole world knows. Haven’t you seen the news?”
“Dude, I’ve been living it. I arrested the suspect.”
Simon sucked in a breath. “Well, shit. I can’t say I’m surprised, but damn, Kay. You’ve been there what, three days?”
“You won’t believe it,” I said, “but Aric’s here, too.”
“Thought he was transferring to the States,” said Simon. “Shit. Isn’t Tara…?” He cut himself off, too late. “Sorry, man. Too soon?”
“It’s been two years, Simon,” I said, but my hand strayed to the scar on my left arm just the same. Simon usually knew better than to go poking at the past with a rusty nail. Of the three people who knew what had really gone down at the Academy, he was the only one I was on friendly speaking terms with. Though seeing as the other two were my ex and Aric, that wasn’t saying a whole lot.
“Two years. Jesus. Aric’s still being a conceited dickhead, then?”
“Yeah. He has zero professionalism. I know there must have been bribery involved for him to get in here—but there’s too much going on at the moment for anyone to pay attention. I’m hoping he gets himself fired before…”
Before anything happens like two years ago. Simon could fill in the gaps easily enough. He cleared his throat. “How’s Central, anyway? Apart from all the craziness? They working you as hard as at the Academy? Because no shit, I don’t think I’ve had more than four straight hours of sleep since I transferred here.”
“Yep. Same here. It’s all paperwork and questionings, and occasionally kicking monsters around.”
“You got to fight already? Not fair. Just don’t go tangling with any more wyverns.”
“There was one in the Passages the other day, actually, but it got taken care of.”
“Damn.” Simon whistled. “You do have a knack for getting yourself knee deep in crap, don’t you?”
“You’re telling me.”
“Three days and you’ve got the place in chaos. Well done.”
“What, you’ve not brought a plague of swamp rats down on New York yet?”
“Watch it, you. Anyway. Is Central as swanky inside as outside? What’re the other employees like?”
“All right, I guess.” I glanced up at the building, which gleamed against the surroundings like a particularly potent middle finger.
“Yeah, it’s weird after five years knowing all the same people. Still, the girls here are drooling over my accent. Kind of awesome.”
“Bet it is.”
“What about you? It’s been three days, so I’m predicting you have at least one admirer.”
I rolled my eyes, even though of course he couldn’t see. “Yeah, right.”
“Anyone caught your eye, then? I know you, Kay. Don’t dodge the question.”
“Okay. Maybe.” I meant Ellen, but another face kept intruding. A pretty, stubborn redheaded prisoner, who intrigued me more than I wanted to admit to myself. The way she’d glared at me when she’d asked if I’d murdered anyone… she genuinely thought the Alliance were cold-blooded killers. That I was one. And it bothered me more than it should have.
Quit that. I rested my forehead on my knuckles, holding my communicator with the other hand.
“Well, that’s something,” said Simon. “Man, this place couldn’t be more different from Central. Did you know they have a Passage door right in the middle of the city which is open to the public? Seriously. I mean, it’s a bit dull because there aren’t any monsters, but instead you get to meet people coming in from offworld. It’s pretty cool. They run, like, shelters for people escaping from their homeworlds for whatever reason. London doesn’t have any of those.”
“Yeah, Central needs to get on that,” I said. With Central being Earth’s first Alliance headquarters, they were neck deep in bureaucracy when it came to offworlders wanting to settle on Earth. Some of the other Alliance branches worldwide were more lenient.
“Pity I can’t come back and visit until I get my permit. I already figured out how to get to London’s Passage door from this side. A two-hour walk’s quicker than a flight.”
“True,” I said. The Passages were arranged in such a way that using them as a shortcut across Earth wasn’t usually possible unless you wanted to navigate through ten layers of different worlds’ security, or trek through the lower level and risk getting eaten by one of Cethrax’s monsters. Flying was definitely a safer bet. “London’s under lockdown at the moment, anyway.”
“Crap, I suppose it is. They barred all the Passages?”
“Yeah, otherwise I’d have used my own permit by now. It’s only open to patrols.”
“You be careful. Wait, you’re not going to listen, are you?”
“I can give it a try.”
“Talk to you later, you lunatic.”
“Sure, asshole,” I said, and clicked off the phone icon. I looked up at Central, where a crowd of people had gathered outside. Guards, mostly, but also office workers.
Damn. I crossed the car park quickly, in time to see a pale-looking supervisor raise his communicator and project his voice across the cro
wd.
“There’s been another murder, this one in the elevator from the fourth floor. Alan Gregory from Office Fourteen.”
11
Ada
I hardly dared breathe as I ran my hand over the device, searching out the button that would put me on speakerphone with Jeth. Even though the guards had left, it was risky. He’d be at work right now, and there was no guarantee he’d have the Chameleon on him. Did he carry it everywhere? I’d never asked. But I had to try.
Now the cuffs were off, I could move around my room. I peered out the door and couldn’t see any guards, but I knew they’d be there somewhere. I drew in a deep breath, and went back over to the bed, the part of the room furthest from the door. Then I flicked the switch.
“Jeth,” I whispered, loudly as I dared. “Can you hear me?”
Silence. I waited, counting to sixty, then flicked the call button again. “Jeth, please. It’s me, Ada.”
Nothing. I tried again, every five minutes. At least it helped me keep time. Though I had to stop and sit back innocuously when the guards brought me food, and then there was another bathroom break. By what must have been late evening, I was starting to give up hope.
“Jeth. Please answer me. It’s Ada.”
Finally, there was a sharp intake of breath. “Ada. Is it really you?”
“Course it is, you idiot,” I said, relief seeping through me. “I’m at Central. The Alliance caught and arrested me.” All the panic and fear bubbled up in my throat again. “They think I’m a murderer, Jeth.”
“Holy shit, Ada.” He paused. “Okay. If the Alliance is on full alert we won’t be able to walk in there and get you out. I’ll think of something.”
“I was so worried. Is Nell okay? Did Alber and Skyla get away?”
“They’re fine,” he said. “Well, Nell’s frantic of course. Skyla knew right away the Alliance must have you, but there was no way we could check.”
Trapped on all sides. “What should I do?” I whispered. “I’m locked in here. I forgot I was still wearing the earpiece. They’re bound to find out soon. For all I know, they’re listening in.”
“Don’t panic. Let me think for a second. They haven’t hurt you, have they?”
“No…some of the guards are pretty rough, though.” Not all of them. “I’m fine.”
“You said they think you’re a murderer? That’s messed up.”
“They’ve no evidence otherwise. It happened while I was here. Two people have questioned me, and… this woman.” I swallowed. “She knows I’m not from Earth—they both know. I have no idea how they figured it out.” And my contacts were starting to hurt my eyes. I couldn’t keep them in forever. But removing them wasn’t an option.
“Hang tight. You had your ID with you, right?”
“Yeah. They saw through it. They know it’s fake. They have my phone. But they couldn’t get into it.”
“Good. Listen, Ada. I’ve got an idea. I’m going to need you to get hold of a communicator.”
“Huh?”
“Any communicator—you know everyone at the Alliance carries one. And I know how to hack into them.”
I exhaled, almost laughed. “Of course you do.”
He recited a short code, and I did my best to commit it to memory.
“Right. That’ll get you emergency access to any device. Every communicator comes fitted with an alert button. Hit that, and it’ll be like breaking the glass on a fire alarm. Everyone will panic, they’ll think they’re being attacked. If you escape then, we can meet you at the back gate. Alber already knows how to get in. Think you can manage that?”
“I’ll have to run fast,” I said. “But yes.”
This was no different from one of our usual schemes. Right? But there was a new tightness in my chest, and it was hard to suppress a shiver. Too much at risk…
“Okay. I’ll call Nell. She’ll probably send Alber, though she might come herself. We’ll have someone watching the place, anyway. Wait for your opportunity, then get hold of a communicator.”
“Right, I will.” But I didn’t know if I could wait too long. The desire to get the hell out of there burned within my very skin. Maybe it was a reaction to the antimagic cuffs…
Wait. I wasn’t wearing the cuffs anymore.
“How quickly can Alber be here?” I asked. “I think—if I use magic, I should be able to escape this room. Within an hour.”
“Perfect,” said Jeth. “Ada, I’m sorry that happened. We’ll get you out. Promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” I swallowed. “See you soon.”
I hoped so. God, I hoped so.
I breathed, in and out, calming myself, reaching for the magic I knew so well. It wasn’t like when I’d come out of the Passages with magic buzzing through my veins like adrenaline. I felt drained. But I could do this. I had to. It was the only way to escape, the only way to get back home… To get back to what I was supposed to be doing. Helping people. I couldn’t be locked up for a murder I’d had nothing to do with.
Shouts rang out from the corridor. My heart leaped in my chest. I ran for the door and pressed my forehead to the window, trying desperately to see what was happening outside. But the bars were in the way. People dashed by, panicked shouts echoed, but I couldn’t see the reason.
Like the panic had kick-started it, magic flooded my veins. I could see, as though through a veil, the faint magic present on Earth. More than there usually would be—and enough for me.
I didn’t hesitate to debate whether I was making a huge error. I pulled on the magic, let it flow into my hand and released it. A stream of purple-red energy hit the floor, and I shifted aside to avoid the rebound striking me. Instead, it sizzled through the lock on the door. The sound was lost in the general confusion. I rammed the door open with my shoulder. I turned left for the way out, headed for the stairs. I had to get a communicator off a guard, before everyone spotted me—they must have all left for the entrance hall.
Thud. I slammed into someone, who grabbed my arm, tight. Damn. Of all the guards to run into, it had to be Kay Walker.
“Going somewhere?” His eyes flashed. I’d have done my best to kick him… were it not for the communicator sticking out of the inside pocket of his faux-leather guard jacket. Inches away.
I feinted a kick, fast, darted forwards and snatched the communicator. His eyes widened as I spun around and ran faster than I ever had in my life. I had the advantage—I was much shorter than most guards, and easily wove in and out of the gathering crowd. I had a decent head start before I heard the shouts of, “Stop that girl!” and “The prisoner’s escaping!”
You won’t catch me this time.
As I ran, I tapped the touch screen of the communicator and put in the key Jeth had given me. I wheeled around a corner, nearly dropping the device when it vibrated in my hand. Following Jeth’s instructions while running for my life was an obstacle I hadn’t seen coming—I was lucky not to trip on the stairs, though the narrow stairwell slowed the guards down, too. At least enough for me to locate the emergency button, and hit it. A high-pitched, siren-like noise reverberated through the air, making my ears ring. I pounded up the last few steps and out into the entrance hall of the Alliance. Too many people to count ran in all directions, came down staircases and poured out of the elevators.
Except for the one at the far end. A gleam of red caught my eyes, reflected in the glass, I couldn’t help glancing in that direction…
The world tilted under my feet. That was blood. A lot of it.
Someone else was killed.
I had to get out of here. I shot towards the exit, but someone barred my way. Kay, white-faced with fury, blocked my path. His hand caught my arm, making me skid to a halt. Cursing, I pushed down the instinct to draw on the magic buzzing under my skin, as it’d be too risky in a place with so many people. But it put me in a major dilemma. Unless…
“I’ll take that back,” he said, snatching the communicator from my outstretched hand, “and I’l
l be taking you back downstairs.”
“Like hell,” I said, twisting to free my hand, but only getting my arm locked. I bit back a scream, but he’d already caught my other hand. When I dug my heels into the ground, he lifted me into the air.
“Put me down, you bastard!”
My shout drew attention, and I cursed myself for stupidity. Within seconds, several other guards descended on me. Conflicting orders bounced around the entrance hall, but Kay didn’t let go of me once, no matter how I twisted and kicked. Finally, they agreed that locking me back downstairs was the best option.
I screamed at them, dignity going clean out the window. “I’m not a murderer!” I yelled. “I didn’t kill anyone, I haven’t even committed a crime. You people are a bunch of fucking morons!”
“That’s very flattering,” said Kay, tugging on my hands, “but you’re creating a scene. I did tell my supervisor you were innocent, you know. You’re not helping your own case.”
“Screw you!”
I screamed my throat raw, but he still managed to get me out of the hall and downstairs. Again. There was no chance I was getting that communicator off him now. But he hadn’t zapped me with a stunner. There was a surprise. Wait—was he even armed at the moment? Not that it’d help if he wasn’t, seeing as I wasn’t either.
“You’re locking up the wrong person!”
“Stealing an Alliance member’s communicator is a crime,” he said. “As is breaking out of your room.”
And he shut the door on me. Again.
Helpless tears threatened to intrude, but I furiously blinked them away. Damn him. Damn them all.
KAY
I shut the door on the girl, noticing that there was a smoking hole where the lock used to be. Hellfire. She’d used magic to break out, all right. I positioned myself in case I needed to hold the door. If I’d had some of those cuffs, I’d have had to use them. But I was unarmed. I’d handed my weapons in. The Alliance really needed to look into that. If employees had been allowed to carry weapons inside Central… then Alan Gregory might not be in bloody pieces all over the inside of an elevator.