She gasped. “That’s insane.”
“It takes some getting used to, for sure.”
“Did you always know what you were?”
I smiled. “I knew I was different, but if you’re not surrounded by magicals from birth, you end up having to be told, same as you are now.”
She frowned. “You weren’t?”
“No.” A lump clogged my throat. “I was abandoned as a kid, after my parents died. I lived most of my life in the foster system. I didn’t find out about all this stuff until much later than most people. But I always knew I could do certain things. It’s just way weirder, because you have no idea what’s going on and no one to tell you that it’s normal.”
“I’m sorry.” Suri gripped her blanket tighter. “That must have been awful.”
I turned away to fight back tears. “It’s taken some getting used to. All of it.”
“Did you know your parents at all?”
Get it together, Jacob. “I met my dad in that place we were in. He got trapped there because of that evil woman, Katherine. Although, he was still dead, the way I’d always thought. Aside from that, I never had the chance to know my parents. My mom died soon after I was born, and I don’t think her spirit is hanging around anywhere, so that’s about it where they’re concerned.”
Suri shuffled closer to the edge of the bed. “I’m so sorry, Jacob.”
I shrugged. “Like with the magical stuff, it’s just luck of the draw. What about your parents?”
“My mom works all the time, so I don’t see a lot of her, but she tries to be around as much as she can. She separated from my dad when I was young, and he moved away to Georgia to start a new family with the woman he left us for. I haven’t heard from him since I was about ten.”
“I’m sorry.”
She gave me a small smile. “Luck of the draw, right?”
I chuckled. “Right.”
“Any siblings?”
“Not that I know of. You?”
“Two half-sisters, but I’ve never met them. Other than that, it’s just me and my mom.” She shuffled closer and stuck her hand out of the blanket. Turning her palm up, she looked at me. Did she want me to hold her hand? Gulping, I reached out. Her hand was small and soft and smooth. I didn’t even mind that it was kind of clammy. Mine was, too.
We stayed like that for a couple of minutes, in silence. I looked at her; she looked at me. And I had to wonder what was going on. It seemed as if she liked me. But how could she, after what I’d put her through? Weirdly, I felt closer to her because of it. Maybe, just maybe, she did too. After all, she still wasn’t running. Maybe she liked “different.” Maybe she liked “unusual.”
Trouble was, this was breaking so many coven rules. Even if I liked her, and I really did, it wouldn’t change the future. Her mind had to be wiped. That was protocol. I couldn’t change that. And yet, I wanted the chance to have something with her. Or, at the very least, see what there might be between us. Those eyes were hard to look away from. And my heart was pounding. We weren’t saying anything, but we were also saying a lot.
“What were you and the doctor talking about?” Suri broke the silence.
“You heard that? I thought you were out cold.”
She shook her head. “Not quite.”
“It might not make much sense.”
“It’s pretty interesting.”
I smiled at her. “Well, we’re building this machine, but we need help. I went to speak to the alchemist. She was kind of reluctant, but I hope she’ll decide to give us a hand.”
Suri blinked up at me. “An alchemist?”
“Yeah, it’s like a person who can change one thing into another, with chemicals and that kind of thing. Rita is one of the best. That’s what Krieger said, anyway.”
“I didn’t know they existed anymore. Aren’t they a medieval thing?” She looked puzzled.
My head snapped toward the door as a voice echoed through the infirmary, disturbing our conversation. Rita Bonnello’s exotic voice. I glanced back at Suri and lifted a finger to my lips. She suddenly looked worried again.
“Stay here and stay quiet. Nobody can know you’re here,” I whispered. “If they find out, they’ll make you leave.”
She nodded, frightened. “Okay. I’ll stay quiet as a mouse. I don’t want to leave yet.”
“I don’t want you to, either.” Reluctantly letting go of her hand, I hurried to the door and slipped out, closing it behind me. Rita was up ahead, about to walk into Krieger’s office. I ducked back to give her a chance to step inside without seeing me, before I followed. I hadn’t expected her to come to us so soon. And I hoped she had good news for us.
I walked into Krieger’s office a minute later. Rita sat beside Isadora, with Krieger opposite. She looked pleased, crossing her elegant legs as she perched on the workbench stool. She smiled at me as I took up one of the spare seats.
“You made your decision?” I jumped right in.
She chuckled. “It took less time than I thought, though I assure you I was thorough in my examination of all the facts. I understand the circumstances and the urgency of this matter, but you must realize that I had to be at complete peace with whatever decision I came to.” She spoke as powerfully as she dressed. “I’ve made a habit of never immediately saying yes or no to anything that might alter the lives of many. However, you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve decided to assist you.”
I reined in a massive sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear.”
“I thought you might say that.” She glanced over at Krieger. “Does this version of the device currently work?”
He looked sheepish. “I have tested it time and time again, but there seems to be something amiss with the mechanics. It’s a matter I haven’t yet resolved. I can’t quite tell if it’s to do with the power-up of the initial charge, or if there’s something else inside the device that’s causing it to short out prior to the main surge. Whatever it is, the device begins to power up, only to sputter out before it can fully get going.”
“We’ve tried everything,” Isadora added. “We’ve rewired it countless times and checked every panel and circuit to see if there’s a glitch or a crack, but we haven’t found anything yet that should cause it to keep sputtering out the way it’s been doing.”
“And I don’t think it’s the Chaos, right? You can see it in the glass orb.” I pointed to the glass egg in the middle of the detector. The swirl of my Chaos still twisted inside.
Rita smiled. “If I were to make an assertion, I would say you’re lacking the correct type of energy. It can’t be purely electrical. I don’t wish to step on your toes, Dr. Krieger, but electrical power is rarely compatible with Chaos-based contraptions, even if you trap the energy inside a thermal globe, as you have done.” I could have listened to her all day. “I see what you’ve tried to do to accommodate for the Chaos element, but you would need to have even more power cells to get a single spark of what you want out of this. As you want it smaller, I don’t think that’s the solution you’re looking for.”
“No… you’re right about that,” Krieger replied. He looked slightly disappointed that he’d missed something like that. I wanted to reassure him. After all, he was a physician by trade, not a magical engineer. No amount of personal interest and research could make up for years of training in that field. Krieger had done a killer job already, considering his knowledge on the subject.
“What would you suggest?” Isadora interjected.
“As with many objects like this, I would suggest utilizing some chemical reactions inside the device, to power it up efficiently, while compensating for the Chaos. That should make it run without a hitch and allow you to downsize considerably. You may be able to run it from a single battery, if we can create the right quantity of energy from chemical fission.” She rearranged her bracelets, looking satisfied but not smug. I could tell she genuinely wanted to help. She was simply giving her expertise, unapologetically.
“I’
ve spoken with several other preceptors about this, but none of them have suggested a chemical reaction.” Krieger stared at the device intensely.
“That’s because none of them are familiar with the field,” she replied.
“Oh, I wasn’t trying to discredit your theory. I was simply speaking out loud.” Krieger flushed. “I happen to agree with you. I’m just sorry I didn’t think of it first. I thought it might be too volatile, considering the Chaos we’re using, so I neglected the idea.”
“The thermal globe should protect the Chaos, keeping it separate from the energy surge,” Rita said. They were tossing around words I vaguely knew, but I would’ve believed anything she said. She hadn’t become so renowned in her field of expertise for nothing.
“So how do we go about this?” Isadora replied. She looked just as enamored with Rita as the rest of us. Girl crush central.
Rita looked over the magical detector. “I believe it could be resolved with a modified alchemy spell. As you’ve pointed out, Chaos can become volatile when combined with chemical reactions, so we’ll have to be careful with the levels and the chemicals used alongside the spell, but it’s something I’m very familiar with. I was the project manager on forging backup cells for coven generation. You can see my work in the SDC’s Aquarium, for one. I also happen to be one of the main researchers and alchemists on the Tesla project, though that has taken something of a back seat with all of this Katherine business.”
“The Tesla project?” My eyes were bugging out of my head. Tesla was my jam. I’d even had a poster of him on my wall at one point.
Rita smiled at me. “It’s a global initiative to provide free, renewable energy for the human and magical population, named after our most treasured, magical, scientific mind. It utilizes the fragments of Chaos that get trapped in the atmosphere, but we’re still a long way from completion.” She chuckled. “But enough about my accolades. I hate pride, even in myself. I will set to work on preparing a special battery and fuse for you, Dr. Krieger—one that can accommodate and utilize a more intense, efficient current, by using raw energy to power a smaller version of this device. In the meantime, I suggest you dismantle this ugly block, until it’s reassembled with only its necessary components that don’t relate to power.”
“I can help with that.” I raised my hand to volunteer.
“As will I,” Isadora added. “Although, I may not have as much time as I’d like. I have a few other things to look into.” I knew what she meant. She still had some inquiries to make about Levi, O’Halloran, and the security zombies.
Rita stayed focused on the detector. “You must make sure that every single wire and circuit in the new device works flawlessly. If I put this new battery in there and the machine isn’t perfectly assembled, it’ll cause an explosion so powerful that it’ll take down half of the coven. Chemical fission, combined with a strong alchemy spell, is not to be taken lightly. It must be perfect.”
Krieger paled. “We’ll work on it until it is.”
“Good, then I’ll see you all soon.” Rita edged off the stool and crossed the room. Her black dress looked like it cost more than I’d make in a lifetime. But if she was involved in projects like the one she’d mentioned, I guessed she was making a fair bit of dough.
“Should we get started now?” I eyed the device. It really did look like an ugly block.
Krieger nodded. “As they say, there’s no time like the present.” He paused. “However, there is one thing I wanted to talk to you about first.”
“Oh?”
Isadora cast me an apologetic glance that I didn’t like. “It’s time, Jake.”
“Time for what?”
Krieger cleared his throat. “It’s time for us to wipe Suri’s memory and send her back into the human world. She likely has parents who are worrying about her, and we can’t have anyone sniffing around the Science Center. There’s too much at stake.”
Panic lurched in my chest. “Not yet. Please, not yet. Just give her a couple more days.”
“There’s no use in waiting, Jacob.”
“Why not? She isn’t running off screaming, is she? And she can just send a message to her mom, let her know she’s okay. She can use her cell and say she’s staying at a friend’s house. Her mom won’t worry—she works a lot, so she’s never home anyway.” I knew I sounded desperate, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t ready to let Suri go.
Isadora smiled sadly. “Sounds like the two of you have been getting on like a house on fire.”
“Please, guys. She’s calm now, and she’s not causing any trouble.”
“Her being here is trouble,” Krieger replied.
“Come on, just a couple more days. She’s been through a lot. What if she has some kind of PTSD when she’s out in the human world? Shouldn’t you keep an eye on her for a bit longer, make sure she’s really okay? It’s probably safer if you keep her here for another few days, just to be sure her mind will hold the memory wipe.”
Isadora glanced at Krieger. “Perhaps a few more days wouldn’t hurt?”
Krieger stared at her in disbelief, before shaking his head with a laugh. “Very well, a few more days. I can’t argue with your logic, though I think it may come from a more personal place than you would have us believe.” He smiled. “Just be careful, do you understand? You can’t take her into any of the coven’s public spaces, and you can’t let anyone see her. Otherwise, it will be all of our necks.”
“What about the dragon garden?” I blurted out.
Krieger’s frown deepened. “I’m not sure that’s—”
“It might be safe after midnight,” Isadora suggested. I grinned at her. This woman always had my back, even in this. I loved her for that.
“I suppose it is safer after midnight, when everyone is asleep.” Krieger was backed into a corner with Isadora on my side. “Although, you’ll have to use your portal abilities. No wandering in the halls. I will give you an infirmary pass that will allow you to be out of the living quarters at night, in case anyone should happen upon you, what with there being heightened security all over the place. It’s fortunate your tracking chip was destroyed when you went to Lethe, but it took a lot of convincing to make sure Levi didn’t implant another one. I told him your body might reject it, due to the residual otherworld energies. Complete nonsense, of course, but he bought it. At least for now. Essentially, this infirmary pass will make me the one responsible for you and your whereabouts, at all times, so do not abuse it. I’m doing you a favor here, and I expect you to act accordingly.”
Isadora flashed me a subtle wink. “You just need to make sure nobody sees Suri, isn’t that right?”
“Yes, that’s correct,” Krieger replied. He sounded tense. “If Levi gets wind that there’s a new face around the coven, then you, Isadora, and I will all be permanently screwed. And you know I hate to use such coarse language, but I feel it’s important you understand the risks.”
“I understand. I promise I understand. I just want to show her some of this place before she has to go,” I explained. “She’s excited about it. And, up until now, she’s only seen the scary side of magic. It’d be nice to show her some of the good stuff, too, even if she’s not going to remember any of it.”
At that moment, Louella came into the office. She had a face like thunder. “Where is she?”
“Sorry?” I frowned at her.
“The girl. Where is she?”
“She’s safe. Why?” Isadora interjected, looking worried. “Has something happened?”
“The human needs to go, now. Jacob, you need to get rid of her.” Louella wasn’t playing around.
“Louella, what’s happened?” Isadora pressed.
“Levi’s on the warpath. If he finds her, he’ll have you all strung up for it,” she replied. “Plus, it’s not safe for her here, not with things as weird as they are. Levi’s got total control of the security magicals and O’Halloran. I thought I’d test the theory that something was wrong with them and see if I could fig
ure anything out.”
“Was it the same pattern I noticed?” Isadora asked, her brow creasing.
Louella nodded. “They blank out whenever anyone mentions notifying the covens about Echidna. And they clam up at the mere mention of Echidna being taken. It’s like they’re buffering, and then they change the subject, repeating the same damn thing about Levi handling it and that nobody can know. The usual Purgatory threats tend to follow.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” I mumbled.
“We’re dealing with enough without having to worry about Levi finding a human.” Louella crossed her arms. “Because then he will send you to Purgatory. Wipe her mind and send her packing, before Levi comes looking for trouble.”
I gaped at her like a beached fish, trying to find a reply.
“Even O’Halloran hasn’t improved, then?” Isadora said before I could speak.
Louella shook her head. “I mean, he acts normal until someone mentions Echidna. He got you out, and he’s still trying to get Santana and Alton out, which shows he’s still hanging on to some of his senses, but this Echidna stuff is eerie.” She turned back to me. “Suri being here is just putting us in more danger, since Levi is clearly doing something batty to the SDC. I’m sorry, Jacob, but she has to go, for all our sakes.”
She was mad, I could see that. But Suri didn’t deserve to be booted out. I’d made the whole PTSD thing up as an excuse, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen. And I didn’t want her feeling messed up while she was back out in the human world, with nobody to turn to.
Krieger intervened on my behalf. “I’ve already agreed to let Suri stay for another day or two so I can check for any lasting effects of what she’s been through. The memory wipe won’t work if she isn’t in a good state of mind. And that presents a far greater risk. She’s seen and heard things about Katherine. If the memory wipe doesn’t stick, she may well leak those things to the human world. We can’t afford to have that level of panic and exposure, if they were to believe her.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
“Can’t you just use a more powerful memory wipe?” Louella replied.
Harley Merlin 7: Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix Page 20