by Anton Strout
I took her back from him and put a comforting arm around her. “She’s a little shaken, I think. From the whole Gibson-Case-Center-eating-her business. That’ll do it to a lady.”
“Gotcha,” Connor said. He stepped away from her, giving her a little distance. It seemed to relax Jane a little. I turned her to Brandon.
“This is Brandon, the man we have to thank for getting someone to help rescue you. If he hadn’t set his best man to the task, I don’t know where you’d be right now.”
Brandon looked at Jane, who was simply staring at him with a big blank smile on her face.
He nodded to her politely. “Nice to finally meet you in person. I’ve heard much about you.”
“You have?” Jane said, sounding a little too bubbly for talking to the lord of the vampires.
“Jesus,” I heard Aidan whisper to his Connor. “Are you going to have to buy safety scissors with her around?”
I shot him a dirty look to let him know I had heard him. He looked at me and bulged his eyes. What? they said.
“She’s just disoriented,” I said. “It’ll pass. I think.”
Brandon turned to Gerard. “Find her some clothes, if you would.” Gerard nodded and blurred off toward the door.
“I was just discussing with the council what our options were for a course of action . . .”
“And?”
Brandon sighed. “We hadn’t even figured out when to best discuss it,” he said.
Connor laughed. “So you’re effectively having a meeting to discuss when you’re having a meeting.”
I looked over at my partner. “It would appear our people have more in common with the vampires than we thought. That’s promising.”
Brandon looked at me, his brow nice and furrowed with frustration. “Do you have anything better in mind?”
“Actually,” I said, “I do. Your saboteur has toyed around enough with trying to keep your prophecy from coming true. Without knowing who exactly to get rid of, they tried to stop us all—first Connor, then Jane and myself. I can only speak for myself, but I’m sick of being a target. The sooner we get our sides talking, the less chance our saboteur has of succeeding. I’m taking Aidan with us. I have some business the four of us need to attend to.”
The council erupted in an uproar of protest, but Brandon shut them down with a look. “Agreed,” he said, gesturing toward me and Jane, “but first, pants.”
I smiled, feeling a little optimistic for once. My girl was at my side, albeit pantless, and I had a plan that felt like it stood a chance of actually working.
26
Just before sunrise the next morning, Jane, Connor, Aidan, and I walked straight into the Lovecraft Café without a problem. I was sick of all the skulduggery going on, and now that Jane was free, I wanted to take a no-bullshit approach to handling matters between the Department of Extraordinary Affairs and the slightly less living contingent that resided in the Gibson-Case Center.
In the café, no one gave us a second glance, and we kept on going, heading past the coffee counter toward the black curtain at the back. I pulled it aside and the four of us continued down the main aisle of the movie theater, where Connor MacLeod was loudly proclaiming up on the screen that, indeed, there could be only one. Aidan was eerily silent the entire time, even when we entered the tiny hallway where I pulled out my card key and swiped it outside the large wooden door marked H.P.
The offices were already busy with morning activity. Jane and I were the first to step through the door leading into the Department of Extraordinary Affairs, but Aidan remained firmly in place on the other side of it, making it impossible for Connor to get through.
“What?” I said. “He can walk into the Lovecraft Café and back through the theater, but not into here?”
Connor looked at me. “I think it’s the difference between public and private space, kid,” he said.
I looked at Aidan, hoping for an answer.
“Don’t ask me,” he said, shrugging. “I’m still the new vamp on the block.”
“Fine,” I said. “You’re invited in.”
Aidan stepped forward. The second he walked through the doorway to the main office area, he stumbled and reached for the wall to steady himself. Connor went to him, grabbing his other arm to help.
“You okay?” Connor asked.
The vampire looked a bit weak in the knees. Even his customary fake breathing became labored. The skin on his face and hands looked a little more drawn-out than usual, like a plastic bag that had been overstuffed. He looked up at his brother with bloodshot eyes.
“Crossing the threshold, it was like walking through a windstorm,” he said. “I feel . . . funny.”
“Even with my invitation?” I said.
Aidan nodded, then closed his eyes as he stood there trying to pull himself together.
Connor looked up at the walls of the office, and my eyes followed. Mystic symbols were carved into the heavy plaster that lined the older part of the office space back here. “Looks like Greater and Lesser Arcana have been earning their keep around here,” Connor said. “Even though you invited my brother in, the protective magic is thick in these walls.”
Aidan looked like he could use a nap. Jane looked worried.
“You think he’s going to be okay?” Jane asked.
Connor’s brother opened his eyes and forced himself back up to a standing position on his own.
“I don’t need your pity,” he said.
I put a hand of warning on his shoulder. “It’s nice to see that your general vampiric disdain for humanity is enough to bolster you,” I said.
“Go easy on them,” Connor said to his brother. “They’re just looking out for all of us. It’s risky bringing you here, more so for us than you. The paperwork alone will eventually kill us.”
I turned to Jane. “Speaking of paperwork, I’m sure Wesker has a metric assload of it waiting for you. You’d better put in at least an appearance with him. I told them you were out of town and I forgot to file the paperwork for you. They seemed to buy my filing ineptitude as an excuse . . .”
“Nice,” Jane said, leaning over to kiss me. She started off toward Greater & Lesser Arcana, waving to our group. “Good luck with the Inspectre. Let me know how it goes. I’m going to put in a few hours, then head on over to help Nicholas and see if we can crack the computers now that I have an insider’s view.”
Once Jane was gone, Connor turned to me, a look of concern crossing his brow. “You sure you’re okay with this?”
“Hey, if I’m to put any faith in their Encyclopedia Vampirica, I’m the great uniter,” I said, starting off through the office. “Just do your best to play human while you’re back here, Aidan. And keep an eye out for Allorah, Connor. I don’t need her going all Van Helsing on us.”
“You know,” Aidan said, falling into step behind me and speaking in a whisper, “not mocking our sacred books will go a long way to extending your life.”
We walked on in silence through the office. All around us business went on as usual and very few people paid us any attention. And why should they? By now I was well on my way to mastering the art of deception when it came to visiting the Department and Aidan was doing his best to play human. A few well-placed nods and hellos, and the three of us were already heading upstairs to the Inspectre’s office.
When we reached the top of the stairs, I turned to Aidan. “Let us go in there first, okay?”
He nodded.
The Inspectre’s door was open, and when I knocked, he looked up from his desk. When he saw it was Connor and me, he stood up.
“Gentlemen,” he said, nodding. “Connor, good to see you.”
“Hello, Inspectre,” Connor said.
“You’re looking well,” the Inspectre said to him, and it was true. The Connor beside me was much better than the beaten wreck I had rescued from the church graveyard several nights ago. Shaven, clean-cut, even a little chipper knowing his brother was alive. “Vacation suits you.”
“Thanks,” Connor said, looking a little uncomfortable after his long absence from the office.
The Inspectre noticed the lone figure standing in the doorway and peered at Aidan. “Friend of yours?”
“Something like that,” I said, gesturing for Aidan to enter. He came forward slowly. Whether it was from nerves or the effects of the protective runes of the Department, I wasn’t sure. “This is Aidan. Aidan Christos.”
The Inspectre looked at Aidan, then at Connor, his brow furrowed in disbelief. He shook his head.
“My boy,” he said, “we’ve been over this when you presented your case concerning Connor’s mental well-being the other night. Connor’s older brother has been missing for at least fifteen years by now. This fellow looks much younger than . . .”
The Inspectre stopped himself, taking a step back as the only logical answer hit him full-on.
“Show him,” I said to Aidan, suspecting that what I was about to unveil to the Inspectre was already forming in his own head.
Aidan looked across the desk, pulled back his lips, and, with some effort, popped his fangs.
The Inspectre, seasoned though he was, hitched in a breath of air. “I see . . .” he said, a bit stunned in his tracks. All things considered, he was remarkably calm.
“As you can imagine,” Connor said, “we’ve had a lot to catch up on.”
The Inspectre nodded, still entranced. “I’m sure you have.”
There was a gentle rapping on the door and all of us turned with a start. Allorah stood in the doorway, a small stack of file folders in her hand. She gave a polite smile to us all when she saw us standing there. “Am I interrupting something?”
Allorah’s smile disappeared in an instant when she saw Aidan’s fangs. Her face became a mask of fear and anger.
“Argyle!” she said, her voice sharp. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Calm down, lady,” Aidan said, rolling his eyes.
She turned to me, her face angry. “You thought it wise to invite a vampire into our ranks, Mr. Canderous?”
I nodded, trying to find the words to tell them about the prophecy, that things would be okay. But before I could speak, I was interrupted.
“This is the one safe haven we have from things like . . . him,” Allorah fired back. “And you, Agent Canderous, have betrayed that.”
The venom in her voice was thick, but the Inspectre held up his hand.
“Hear the boy out, Allorah,” he said, raising his hands in a calming gesture.
“No,” she said, her eyes darkening as her arms began to shake. “I’ve seen his kind. I know what they’re capable of.”
Allorah dropped her files, reaching for her necklace, but she must not have put it back on after I read off it yesterday, and her hand came away empty. She turned in the doorway, and stormed off toward her lab, leaving her files scattered on the floor. The Inspectre came around his desk, staying clear of Aidan as he went.
“Nice lady,” Aidan said, retracting his teeth so he looked human again.
“God,” I said, turning on him. “Could you be a little less flip? This is a delicate situation.”
He shrugged. “If you’re the so-called great uniter, it shouldn’t matter how I act, now, should it?”
Connor walked over to the file folders and started picking them up. “He’s got a point,” he said.
“Enough out of the two of you,” I said. I turned to the Inspectre, who was already to the door. “Sir?”
“I’ll work on Allorah,” the Inspectre said, pausing to address us. “The three of you? Get out of here while you can.”
There was disappointment in his voice. That hurt me more than anything had over the past few days. Without another word, the Inspectre shot out of the room and headed off down the stairs after Allorah.
“I could stop them,” Aidan offered. “I think. I’m not sure. I still feel . . . off.”
“I know your kind of stopping,” I said. “Why do I think it would end up with someone’s neck accidentally snapped?”
“It was just a suggestion.”
“Well, thanks, but no, thanks,” I said.
“So what now, kid?” Connor asked, all of the folders gathered up in his hands now.
“Let’s remain calm,” I said, more to convince myself more than anyone else.
“Calm,” Aidan said, distressed and crossing to me. He grabbed the lapels of my jacket and tried to lift me off the ground. Nothing happened. My feet stayed firm on the floor. “You want me to stay calm when I’ve been reduced to this? Powerless?” He shoved at me, and this time I felt a burst of his vampiric strength as I flew backward into the door. I hit it and started to slide down to the floor. Apparently not all systems were on the fritz with him.
“Okaay,” I said, pushing myself back to standing. My back cricked as I rolled my shoulders. “That’s not quite the kind of calm I was going for. Nice try, though.”
Connor stepped forward, standing between us. “My brother’s just a little spooked, is all.”
“I’ve lost my powers before, too,” I said, feeling a bit defensive. “Shoving people around didn’t help get them back.”
Connor turned to his brother and glared at him. “So what do we say to the nice human, Aidan?”
Aidan looked like he wanted to say something flip, but held his tongue. He let out a long, slow breath before finally speaking. “Sorry,” Aidan said.
“Good,” I said. I turned to the door, opened it, and checked the hallway. For now, it was empty. “Let’s go.”
Connor grabbed my arm to stop me, but I was already heading for the stairs, pulling him after me. “Go where, kid?”
“Out the goddamn front door,” I said. I took the stairs two at a time going down. “Allorah’s probably snatching up a complete vampire-hunting kit out of her lab or alerting the rest of the Enchancellorship, but I’m not too worried about the latter option. I doubt the Enchancellors are swift enough to be assembled together on short notice to deal with this. Just think of the paperwork . . . We’ll be long gone before they can get it in gear.”
I hit the bottom of the stairs, Connor and Aidan right behind me. We weren’t more than five feet off of them before I heard a commotion coming from just beyond the red curtains that separated the bull-pen area from the rest of the office proper. The curtain flew aside and a team of Shadowers was already assembled with Allorah in the lead, wearing her protective necklace and wielding with what looked like a Nerf pop gun loaded with a wooden stake. The Shadowers were armed, too, holding an assortment of crosses, holy water, and nets. One of them held a long sharpened pole. We were separated by several rows of cubicles and partial walls, but they’d be on us in no time.
“Shit,” I said. “I guess I shouldn’t underestimate an Enchancellor with a cause.”
“Looks like the locals are hunting for bear,” Connor said. “Still want to remain calm?”
“I say we abandon calm until cooler heads are prevailing on their side,” I said. I looked around to assess our options.
“Where’s the back door?” Aidan asked, for once his voice sounding a bit unsure.
“Don’t hurt anyone, Aidan,” I said, stern. “They’re only doing their jobs.”
“There isn’t a back door,” Connor said, answering his question. “Not that I’m aware of, anyway.”
Not that I was, either. Unless . . .
“Follow me,” I called out and dashed off in the opposite direction of the Shadower team. I heard Connor and Aidan fall into step behind me. When Connor saw where I was headed, his eyes lit up.
“The Gauntlet?”
I didn’t bother to answer. Instead, I kept on running toward the heavy old wooden door that led down to the research archives. I threw it open, and after Connor and Aidan came through, I slammed the door shut. All three of us put our weight against it.
I looked at Aidan, who for once actually looked winded. “Please tell me you have the strength to crush the locking mechanism on this.”<
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Aidan turned to the ornate handle and lock trigger, pressing the tips of his fingers flush against them. His face contorted with effort as he tried to squeeze them together. After a moment they started to give way, and once he had better leverage and momentum on his side, he was able to twist the two into an unwieldy knot.
“Happy?” he said. I nodded. Aidan lifted his hand and flexed his fingers. “Funny. I’ve forgotten what it feels like to exert myself.”
The thump of people reaching the other side of the door had me moving again. I ran down the carved stone stairs, taking a bit more caution given their age and the subterranean slope. The overhead lights lit up the tunnel all the way down.
We burst into the main room of the Gauntlet. Several of the archivists looked up from the long tables they were working at, while others simply carried on with their business. I spotted Godfrey Candella two tables away from us, where he was helping that Chloe girl with some sort of translation. When he saw me, he looked a bit startled, but waved.
“Hello, Simon.”
I was out of breath, but still found a little strength to wave him over to us. By the time he walked over, I was standing and had gained a little bit of my composure back.
“We need your help,” I said.
Godfrey stood there, his usual quizzical expression on his face. “Go on. I was just helping Chloe with a little bit of Carpathian she was having trouble with . . .”
I held my hand up to silence him. “Not now,” I said. He looked hurt. “Sorry,” I added. I continued on. “Remember when I was down here a few days ago . . . You took me to that place where we were looking up records on old New York, chasing down those blueprints from the 1800s?”
Godfrey nodded. “Of course I remember,” he said, sounding insulted.
“You need to take us there,” I said. “Now.”
Godfrey’s gaze switched to look at my two companions as if only now just seeing them. First he looked at Aidan, then at Connor. “Are they . . . ?”
“Related?” I volunteered.
“No,” Connor said, interrupting. “You’re just seeing double.” He looked back up the stairs, wary. The sound of approaching footsteps came echoing down the staircase.