by Paul Neuhaus
“No, I guess I should let her know what’s going on. Then I can distract her with a shiny object.”
For the first time, Blank reproached the redhead on the subject of her sibling. “Quinn,” she said. “Mia’s really upset. And for once it’s not about herself. Maybe, just for the time being, you should cut her a little slack.”
“Fuck. Why do you gotta be so rational and good-hearted all the time?”
“I can’t help it.”
The women went through their freshly-painted front door and Mia immediately rose from their couch. “What happened?” she said. “Did you find Josie?”
Quinn was pleased that that was the first question out of her sister’s mouth. Maybe there was hope for Mia after all. Molly brushed past the two of them on her way to Josie’s room. “No,” Quinn said. “We’re still trying to put the pieces together. The good news is I saw David. He’s tired but he’s fine.”
A weight rose from the junior Henaghan, but she was still confused. “Where the fuck is he? Why hasn’t he gotten in touch with me? I’ve been worried sick about him.”
“Let’s sit,” the elder sister said. “I feel like I’ve been through a taffy puller.” The girls sat, and Quinn took a deep breath, searching for the right thing to say. “I don’t know why David’s not keeping you in the loop. Maybe… with the way you are… he’s not taking you as seriously as he might oughta. Maybe you need to let him know you’re not fucking around.”
Mia dabbed at her eyes. Mascara covered both cheeks. Quinn had expected the “way you are” comment to be more provocative, but the younger girl took it in stride. Finally, she said, “I think maybe you’re right. I know you’re right. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the past couple of days. A lot. I, uh, I overheard what dad said to you. About mom wanting to spark you so she could be important. The idea burrowed into my head and stayed there. When we got back to the hotel and dad told mom what happened, mom exploded. Said she wasn’t leaving until you and she talked. The same overly-dramatic dog and pony show. Anyway, I’m sitting there on the couch and something inside me snapped. I told mom she should go the fuck back to Atlanta and she was a terrible person and she needed to grow the fuck up. I don’t know where it came from, but once it was out, there was no getting it back in. Anyway, we’re both on the outs now. You and me. Something about that feels right.”
It took Quinn a moment to digest what Mia said, but she did, and she smiled. “Wow. You said all that?”
Mia giggled. “I did,” she said. “And it felt good as hell.”
“I can imagine. Look, Molly and me might be in and out, but why don’t you stay here for a while? There’s no point you going back to David’s empty apartment. You can stay here, and you can talk to David when he comes back.”
Mia nodded, clearly grateful. “Maybe after I talk to David, I could talk to you. About us finally being sisters.”
“Deal,” the elder Henaghan said. “I have a feeling we can probably work something out.”
“Okay,” Mia said. I’m gonna take a nap, I think. Why don’t you go find your niece?”
“Damn right.”
Quinn left her sister on the couch and went into Josie’s bedroom. Molly had been thorough in her search. She’d even taken down the posters. “Did you find anything?” Henaghan said.
“Just the Caress like you said.” The brunette indicated a cigar box on the teenager’s bed. Quinn made a mental note to dispose of it as soon as she was able.
The redhead sat down on the edge of the queen-sized. “I can’t think of any ideas based on known information. The only thing that keeps coming back to me is the phrase, ‘Okay, what else is Nisha up to? What other fronts is she likely to attack on?’ She’s gotta have other schemes in play. We found out about Caress and shut down both the clinic and the factory. The war she tried to orchestrate is—at least currently—on hold. Someone as crafty as she is isn’t gonna let that stop her, though.”
“What else do you think she might be up to?”
“I dunno. I’m trying to think of weaknesses she might poke at. Loopholes she might exploit. I can’t help thinking, whatever it is, it’s probably got something to do with me.”
“Uh oh, the ego’s back.”
Quinn sighed. “The ego’s not back. Think about it. I am kind of the anomaly on the chess board. I’m supposedly the messiah. She’s probably aware that I’m Overchanneling. If I were her, I might push at that sore spot.”
Before Molly could reply, the spectral image of David Olkin appeared at the base of Josie’s bed. “Can you see me?” it said.
Both Molly and Quinn said, “We can see you.”
“Good. I’ve never tried this before. Quinn, I’m sorry, but I need you to come up here. I’m about to meet with Johns and, I dunno, maybe you oughta be there. Also, I’ve got something to show you.”
Henaghan sighed and stood up. “Alright. Give us a minute.” Olkin’s image winked out and Quinn steered herself toward the living room. Molly followed close behind. The redhead planned to alert her sister they were leaving but Mia was fast asleep on the couch. With no one to alert, Quinn summoned a portal and dropped it over Blank and herself.
Molly and Quinn reappeared at the Celestial Pictures Ranch, inside the Groundskeeping facility. Not much had changed since Olkin had banished Henaghan. On the whole, most of the Channelers in the little office looked healthier than they had when Quinn had last seen them.
David looked up from a desk he was hovering over. “Oh, good. You’re here. The meeting with Johns and his people is in just few minutes. Obviously, they couldn’t stay hidden even in all these trees. I sent a messenger over there early this morning. Not only did the Resolute not kill the guy, they agreed to meet.”
“Any sign of Johns’ little friend?”
“The deamhan? Yeah, unfortunately. It’s alive but it seems to have returned to its old pattern of wandering through the trees until it takes a mind to attack. It hasn’t yet taken a mind to attack.”
“You don’t think Johns’ll just get us over there and then spring his beastie on us?”
Olkin shrugged. “He might. He’s just the type. I’m gonna err on the side of optimism.”
“Famous last words,” Molly said.
“I hope not,” David replied. He grabbed his jacket off the desk and came around to their side. “C’mon, I wanna show you something.” He went out through the front door and they followed him. Above the concrete slab surrounding the building, several Channelers hovered. Olkin spread his arms wide and beamed with pride. “They’re searching the globe. For the Deva and for Josie.” He indicated the muscular fellow in the Patagonia jacket who’d fought in the Albtraum raid. “Mason’s taught them all how to look for cloakers. They’re dividing the planet up into grids.”
Quinn grinned from ear to ear. “You’re no dummy, David. Ferley made the right choice.”
Henaghan’s former boss sighed. “I hope you’re right. It’s still gonna take a while for them to trust me. And they’re right to be cautious. Anyway, let’s get moving.” He put on his jacket and walked toward a group of waiting Channelers. Four men.
Quinn leaned toward Olkin. “When we get back, I think Mia’s gonna wanna have a talk with you.”
David rolled his eyes. “About what? Whatever damn-fool David Bowie-esque persona she’s gonna adopt next?”
Henaghan shook her head. “Nope. It’s serious this time.”
By then, they’d joined the waiting Channelers. One of them was Brad from Taft’s Books. When he saw Quinn, he put out his fist for her to bump and she bumped it.
“Only seven of us to go into the lion’s den?” The redhead asked David.
“Six of us,” Molly corrected. “You and I are only half a person each.”
“Six of us,” Quinn conceded.
The agent shrugged. “What’s the right number of people to take to a treaty signing?”
“Or a massacre?”
“Or a massacre.”
Quinn a
nd the others reappeared at the Resolute camp. It was a sewage reclamation plant. Adam Johns and four other Channelers were there to meet them. Meanwhile, other Resolute fighters walked the grounds, seemingly uninterested in the diplomatic meeting about to unfold. “Welcome,” Johns said. “Welcome.” He appraised them with an arrogant eye and stopped short when he saw Molly. “Oh. I didn’t know we were inviting spouses. Should I’ve brought my good lady wife?” He was standing on a short flight of concrete steps looking down on them. He was in excellent physical condition and was handsome with his short-cropped hair and chiseled features. He was a combination of John Kennedy and Charles Bronson.
Olkin ignored their host’s pointed question. “You have a good idea what we’re here to talk about, am I right?”
Johns came down the steps and extended his hand to David. His entourage hung back. “I do. Congratulations on your… rather unorthodox promotion, by the way.”
The agent shook hands with the politician and mumbled his thanks. He wasn’t eager to get into that particular topic. “It looks like our two sides have a common enemy,” he said.
“That’s right,” the Resolute leader said, folding his arms. “A Deva you said. I gotta tell you, the whole story had me and my guys scratching our heads. I mean how does a Deva even get through the mesh? Why would an almighty Deva take an interest in us squabbling little ants? It’s a crazy story.”
David sighed. He knew Johns was trying to muddy the waters. “The mesh was only designed to keep out the Asura. I thought we made that clear.”
The ex-military man nodded. “You did, you did. Hey, didn’t one of your people design the mesh? Wasn’t it her responsibility to keep out anybody that’d wanna do us harm? Seems like maybe she fucked up a little, am I right?” The men behind Johns smiled and Johns looked at Quinn.
Quinn shook her head. “She didn’t fuck up. She did what she did on purpose because she was colluding with the very Deva we’re talking about. She traded a victory over the Asura and thousands of years of peace for the future of the planet and the human race.”
“Huh,” Johns said. “I don’t know if I like people making deals for the future of me and mine. Seems like maybe I should’ve had a say.”
Henaghan rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, I’m sure Aisling would’ve consulted you if you’d been there.”
“Let’s cut to the chase…” the Resolute chieftain said, his attention turning back to David. “What do you want?”
“You know what I want,” David said. “I want a ceasefire. At least a temporary one until we get all this sorted out. I want that, and I want help if this threat proves to be legitimate. That shouldn’t be a hard sell since, if I’m right, it’s a threat against all of us. Not just the Tilted.”
Johns took a deep breath. “‘If this threat proves to be legitimate’. ‘If I’m right’. You’re asking me to go all-in on a boogieman you’re not even sure exists. I gotta say, for a big shot Hollywood agent, you’re a lousy negotiator.”
“Allow me, then, to unmuddy the waters.” No one was sure at first where the voice came from. It was a woman’s voice commanding and strong. All of them, Tilted and Resolute alike, looked around but did not see the speaker.
Then a woman made of light, statuesque and six feet tall, appeared out of nothing. Quinn looked at Johns’ face. An “Oh, shit” expression appeared then disappeared.
All of the Channelers adopted defensive postures. All of them had fire burning around their hands. Johns’ entourage formed a half-circle around him. This in particular seemed to amuse Nisha. She spoke directly to the Resolute bodyguards. “Yes. Protect him. For now.” She turned to the leader of the Dharmin. “Tell them, Adam. Tell them how you suckled at my teat.”
Johns looked back and forth between the Tilted contingent and the Deva. He said nothing. The other Resolute at the makeshift command post took notice of the odd turn and watched the peculiar standoff in the making.
Nisha now stood a few feet away from the two delegations. Quinn wanted to rush her. Molly grabbed onto her bicep and held firm. The Deva cocked her head at Johns. “Nothing to say, gopati? I guess it’s not much of a story is it? It’s certainly nothing new. A weak man colludes with the strong for power. He gets the power. The power eats him. It’s one of literature’s greatest clichés, isn’t it? Still, for the amusement of your friends, your enemies and your Aja… Tell us how you came to me and told me how you wanted to be king. Tell us how I loaned you my power. How I loaned you my influence. How I loaned you my deamhan. Tell us how I resurrected the Tīvara and gave them to you. Tell us how you got your throne and tell us what price you paid.”
Every set of eyes had turned toward Adam Johns. The chieftain lowered his chin and refused to make eye contact with anyone.
Nisha took a few more steps forward and no one moved to stop her. She reached over and picked up John’s chin, forcing him to look her in the eye. “Tell them, Adam. I insist. Tell them the price I required for your doomed quest to make magic great again…”
Johns closed his eyes and said one word. “War.”
The Deva tightened her grip on the leader’s chin and said, “Yes?”
“War with the Jihma. War that would thin the herd. Cull Channelers on both sides.”
Nisha smiled a motherly smile. “There, you see, Adam? The truth will set you free.” She picked Johns up by his chin and threw him through the air effortlessly. He landed many yards away and bounced on the hard ground. The Deva turned her attention to the Channelers in front of her. “Sometimes the subtle path is not the best.” She rose from the ground and her eyes and hands caught fire. She was poised to rain death upon all assembled when a body hurtled through the air and slammed her into the building.
Quinn knew who the newcomer was as soon as the blur of its motion faded.
It was Sam.
Henaghan had two thoughts, the second close on the heels of the first. What is Sam doing here?! and A Deva and an Asura cannot fight! She shouted to those around her. “Keep them separate! They’re Asura and Deva. A catastrophe could happen!”
To Quinn’s surprise, men on both sides of the ideological line leapt into action when she did, all of them scrambling toward the entangled Sam and Nisha.
The ground started to shake. Tree limbs and leaves fell. Cracks formed in the ground.
Henaghan snapped a bubble of force around Molly and herself. It was not something she would normally do in combat, but she had to keep her girlfriend (and her insurance policy) intact.
Unfortunately, the men closest to the two embattled women went in with their bare hands. Quinn had expected them to use magic and they paid the price for their direct approach. They only had a moment or two of direct contact before either Sam or Nisha threw them off with a fist or a ball of fire. The Channelers went flying in all directions.
Henaghan adopted a martial stance and unleashed a tendril of ectoplasm from her outstretched fingertips. Next to her, Olkin followed her example. The ground split under their feet and, without breaking the potency of their spells, they stepped backward. Their combined tentacles of force grabbed at Sam. By that point, Sam was positively feral. She spun in place and, still sitting on Nisha, she ripped at the grasping tentacles.
A voice underneath Sam said, “Enough!” Nisha blasted at Sam and Sam flew backwards through the air. Unfortunately, since they were attached to Sam via their tendrils, David and Quinn were pulled right along. Molly went too since she was inside of Quinn’s protective bubble. The four of them landed—hard—on the path leading into the Resolute camp.
All three humans had the wind knocked from them, but the redhead was quick to recover. “Hold her! Hold her!” She bore down upon Sam with a heavy weight of hardened air. Again, Olkin followed suit. At first, the raging hybrid pushed against the force pressing down on her and was very nearly able to topple both Henaghan and her former boss. She and David redoubled their efforts until Sam was pressed back down into the soil.
The tremors dissipated.
> “Here you are again,” Sam snarled. “Holding me prisoner.”
“We’re not holding you prisoner, Sam!” Quinn shouted. “You’re half Asura. Nisha’s a Deva. Asura and Deva can’t come into direct conflict. You’re polar opposites. You’ll tear the continent apart.”
Sam gave this new information only a moment’s thought. “I don’t fucking care,” she said.
“You do care,” Henaghan retorted, her patience at an end. “You’re fucking standing on the continent.”
Sam was having difficulty wrestling with that logic. Before she could speak again, Nisha herself interjected. “Twists and turns,” she said. “Life would be dull without it’s twists and turns.” She reached out her hand and, with magic, pulled Quinn hard through the air. The force bubble was popped, and Molly was left behind. “Come to me, daughter,” she said. The Deva rolled the redhead over in the air so they were facing one another.
Henaghan could not move her arms or legs. She was held rigid above the ground. “Daughter? I’m not your daughter.”
Nisha’s facial features were indistinct thanks to the glow she gave off, but her tone carried her smile. “Don’t be naive,” she said. “Do you think a miracle like the recessive gene you carry could be an accident? I was there. From the earliest days. I saw the great works the Asura wrought and, being the generous soul I am, I contributed. In fact, I cared so deeply, I gave of my own body.”
Quinn clenched her teeth. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“The Aja gene. It is a Deva gene. Aisling was my daughter. You are my daughter. Even that monster behind you is my daughter.” She pulled Henaghan closer to herself and she said. “Good daughters do what their mothers tell them.”
With that, Quinn’s entire body burst into white flames and she screamed a scream that echoed through the tall trees.
Molly rose from where she’d fallen and scrambled toward her girlfriend. She saw Quinn had been set alight by Nisha and she was terrified. Over her shoulder, she yelled for David Olkin. Olkin shook off the spots marring his vision and rose to follow the brunette. From her place on the ground, Sam watched the others hurry toward Henaghan. She was no longer weighed down by magical force, but the enormity of Nisha’s words shocked her into temporary inaction. Nisha was the author of the Aja gene. Verbic had attempted to exploit that gene by raping her mother who carried it. He wanted his own Aja. An Aja he could control. Revulsion and deep existential angst filled the half-breed. One thing she knew now: Nisha, by creating the Aja gene, had also authored all the pain Sam had ever endured. Sam was right to come to this place.