“Could you pass me that piece, Jacob?” Krieger gestured to a small bronze panel. I nodded and handed it to him while the rest of the team stared in excitement.
“Is this thing really going to work?” Dylan asked.
“We’ll find out soon enough,” I replied. It better, after the work we’ve put in.
“I’m sure the two of them have been doing a great job.” Tatyana shoved Dylan lightly in the shoulder, making him pull her in for a squeeze. I had to fight the urge to get between them. Instead, I focused on Suri. She was in the nearby room. Why would I need to crush on Tatyana when I had her to crush on?
Santana smirked. “I’m just waiting for Katherine freaking Shipton to pop up on that thing so we can snag her once and for all.”
“Because that keeps working out so well for us,” Raffe said. He looked sick, barely able to prop himself up on the workbench.
“Hey, don’t talk like that. We’re going to get this bitch.” Santana put her hand on Raffe’s shoulder. He instantly relaxed, leaning his head against her.
Astrid nodded. “I’ve got good feelings about this detector.”
I passed Krieger the last panel, letting him fix it into place. He’d made some modifications to fit the new alchemical battery. As soon as that was fitted, we just needed to add the battery, and the device would be good to go. Provided we’d put everything back together right and didn’t accidentally cause the kind of explosion that would bring the whole coven down. No pressure…
“This could be exactly what we’ve been looking for,” Astrid added. “Especially since Smartie’s had no luck with the CCTV and news channels.”
Louella sighed. “This is pretty much our last chance of finding her, isn’t it?”
“It’ll work.” Isadora smiled at me reassuringly. “They’ve been working for ages on this device. There’s no way it’s not going to work.”
What did I say about no pressure?
“I think it’s time, Jacob.” Krieger picked up the gold-and-glass tube that held Rita’s battery. I wanted to swear, I was so nervous, but Isadora would’ve yelled at me. She’d always told me that “manners maketh the man,” and I didn’t think that stretched to swear words. No matter how necessary.
“Now?” I gulped.
“It’ll work,” Louella said quietly. Everyone nodded in agreement, though I could’ve cut the tension in the room with a knife.
“It’s a shame Suri can’t be here. She’d love to see this stuff.” I realized I’d spoken out loud, and now everyone was staring at me.
Astrid smiled at me encouragingly. “You know, it’s actually kind of nice to have another non-magical around the place.” I knew Astrid had been having some emotional issues after she’d died and been brought back to life, so it was odd to hear her speak so kindly. I appreciated it, though. That smile had even seemed genuine, and she didn’t smile very often anymore.
“Shame it won’t last,” Raffe muttered. “You know the rules. I doubt even Imogene could bend that one.”
My heart sank.
“Speaking of which, does Imogene know about our human friend yet?” Santana glanced at me.
I shook my head. “I’m going to tell her once we know the device works. I’m going to ask her to reconsider wiping Suri’s mind.” Everyone gaped at me, like I’d just said I wanted to lop off the Easter Bunny’s head.
“Are you insane?” Dylan stifled a laugh.
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Astrid chimed in. “Does it really matter by now if Suri gets to keep her memories? She hasn’t run off. She’s not scared of us. What difference does it make, if just one human gets to know about the magical world?”
“It sets a dangerous precedent,” Louella said. Seriously? I’d thought we were over this.
“We can talk about this later.” Krieger cleared his throat. “We have more pressing matters to attend to. Namely, if we can actually get this device to work. If we can’t, then Astrid is right: it won’t matter if one human knows about the magical world, because there will be no world for it to matter in.”
I nodded slowly. “Sorry, Krieger.”
“Well then, now that everyone’s attention is back to the task at hand, shall we try this?” Krieger’s hands were shaking as he brought the battery to the magical detector. Carefully, he slotted it into the space he’d made. Everyone held their breath, me included.
An orange light shot through the center of the battery, and I could’ve sworn every member of the Rag Team gasped. Two glowing sparks erupted from either end of the tube. And then… they fizzled out, the orange light dimming back down to just dull metal.
“Something must be wrong,” Isadora murmured.
Krieger cast her a disappointed look. “You don’t say.” Exasperated, he fiddled with the battery, but the same thing kept happening. It lit up, and then fizzled out. The rest of the present Rag Team looked disappointed, too. No, it was more than that—they looked crushed. We needed this so much right now, and any sort of hiccup felt like a massive blow to our collective confidence. We needed it to work, or it was game over. We’d never find Katherine.
“I was so sure it would work,” Louella said. “And then it goes and snuffs out like a damp squib.”
Santana chuckled. “Damp squib? Where did you pick that up?”
“I’ve become a bit of an anglophile, watching old British movies to help me relax,” Louella replied.
“Hey, whatever floats your boat.” Santana flashed her a grin. “It’s telenovelas for me. Call me cliché, but I love those things.”
“I’ve been reading a lot of Dostoyevsky,” Tatyana added thoughtfully. “There’s nothing like a bit of Crime and Punishment to—”
“What’s that?” Louella jabbed her finger at the back of the magical detector, cutting Tatyana off.
Krieger frowned. “What’s what?”
“There’s something stuck at the bottom there.” Louella got closer, pointing out what she’d seen. “It’s underneath that strip of wires. It’s like a fragment of metal or something.”
“Jacob, could you?” Krieger looked at me desperately. His hands were shaking. Getting the fragment out needed steady hands and a delicate touch to avoid accidentally tearing out any of the wires.
“What is it?” Astrid leaned in.
Krieger sighed. “I think it might be a piece of the lead suppressor that I’d put in to compensate for the Chaos. One of them cracked when we were dismantling the device—this must be a fragment from where it broke. I can’t believe I didn’t see it.”
“It’s not your fault,” Isadora replied. “You’ve been working around the clock to fix this. I’m surprised you’re even standing.”
“So am I,” Krieger admitted. He really had put everything into getting this device going, and I felt for him. He was at breaking point right now. If this device didn’t work, he’d crumble completely. His heart and soul and blood and sweat were in this thing, as gross as that might’ve sounded.
I took his place and tried to reach into the device, careful to avoid nudging the wires, but my hands were shaky and sweaty, too. Every time I thought I had it, it slipped out of my clammy grasp. I couldn’t risk being more forceful, in case I knocked something else out.
“Here, let me.” Louella sidled up to me and took up a pair of tweezers. With hands as steady as concrete, she reached into the device and whipped the lead piece right out. As soon as she did, a small golden connector clicked into the hole underneath—the one the lead piece had been hiding. She staggered back as the battery fired into life, sending a jolt of sparking energy right through the detector. Only, Louella’s hand was still in the device. Her body shuddered, like she was getting the worst electric shock of her life, the current searing through the tweezers and into her skin.
“Louella!” Isadora lunged forward just as the fingers that had been holding the tweezers exploded in a burst of black dust and spatters of blood. The tweezers didn’t fare much better. Th
ey just crumbled in her hands, like iron filings.
Louella stumbled into the counter behind her, hissing as she clutched her injured hand to her chest. Blood smeared across her T-shirt, right across the eyes of Hello Kitty. She always said she wore those T-shirts ironically, but I wasn’t so sure. I glanced at Raffe in time to see his eyes roll back into his head. Santana darted toward him and caught him before he fell, her arms wrapped around him as she urged him back into consciousness. He was breathing heavily, his skin tinged with the faintest flush of red. There was something about the blood, in Raffe’s weakened state, that had clearly gotten the djinn going.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you. Stay with me,” Santana whispered, holding him closer. I glanced at Louella, who was wincing as she held onto the spot where her fingers had been. She could grow them back, I was guessing, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t painful. She was dealing with it like a pro, though.
“I’m fine, by the way,” Louella announced, with a half-smile. “Nothing major. No need for panic stations. No need for anyone to swoop in and scoop me into their arms.”
Dylan snorted, shooting a wry glance at Raffe, who was blinking back into normality. Tatyana smacked him over the back of his head, prompting Santana to offer her a grateful smile.
“Ow!” he yelped.
“Oh come on, you’re a Herculean. That didn’t hurt.” Tatyana kissed the spot where she’d smacked him regardless.
“Raffe’s been through a lot. Leave him alone or you’ll have me to deal with,” Santana muttered, half-joking. “Are you sure you’re okay, Louella?”
She nodded. “Dealing with it. I’ll be fine in a minute.”
“Hey, in my defense, I don’t normally go white at the sight of blood,” Raffe replied with a weak laugh.
“Well, I think it’s romantic,” Tatyana said. “It shows Santana cares.”
“I care!” Dylan protested.
“Don’t worry, I’m happy with the cuddle I’m getting.” Raffe laughed.
“It’s working!” Krieger shrieked. “It’s working! I’m so sorry about your fingers, Louella, but the device is actually working!”
Louella shrugged and turned to run her bloodied hand under the faucet. “Do you think this is the first finger I’ve lost? It’s fine, I just need to adjust to the pain until it grows back.”
“The coven’s lizard strikes again,” Dylan joked.
“Eh, Regen, if you don’t mind,” Louella corrected. “Or gecko, or something cute, but not lizard.”
“Hello? I just said the device is working!” Krieger yelped. “Why is nobody reacting?”
“Huh?” I stared at the magical detector. The rest of the Rag Team did the same. With Louella’s fingers being singed off, we’d been sort of distracted. Sure enough, it really looked like it was working. The battery had lit up a fiery orange again, sending its energy through the circuits and into the orb of Chaos at the center of the newly shrunken device. My strand of Chaos spiraled like a tornado, reacting to the energy. It sputtered and sparked, before settling into a steady rhythm.
The revamped device was no bigger than a Chinese takeout box, and the whole thing was whirring smoothly. The circuits were holding. The circuits were freaking holding! Had Rita been in the room, I would’ve thrown myself at her feet and kissed her pricey shoes. As long as Suri hadn’t been in the room, too.
“What do we do next?” I looked to Krieger.
“We test it!” He was grinning like an idiot. The relief he was feeling must’ve been huge.
“How?”
Krieger chuckled. “Point this part at someone.” He gestured to a small arrow on the top of the device. “Come on, try it.”
Nervously, I approached the device. I turned it by its protective panels and aimed it at Krieger. At first, nothing happened. Looking more anxious, he stepped in and toyed with some of the dials. As soon as he stepped away, the Chaos orb sparked with a bronze glow. The next minute, his image appeared as a hologram, alongside a list of information.
Name: Wolfgang Krieger
Affinity: Dark
Abilities: Organa, Fire
The detector had done it. It could literally read anyone’s strand of Chaos and recognize them, forming an image and a list from what it detected. Unlike Astrid’s beloved Smartie, it didn’t have to hack into any kind of database. Instead, it drew its information straight from Chaos itself.
“That’s friggin’ incredible!” Santana gasped.
“It works even better than I could have imagined.” Krieger beamed from ear to ear.
Curious, I turned the device and pointed it at Astrid. A very faint image came up. And, instead of a big list, it simply flashed with the words—Human. Astrid Hepler. I guessed it was fainter because she hardly had any Chaos inside her. Just the usual, dimmed sparks that humans had.
Astrid smiled sadly. “That sucks. I was hoping it might find some secret magical-ness that I didn’t know about. I guess I should’ve known it would be there in black and white.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled, turning it away.
“But how can you use it to find Katherine?” Tatyana asked.
Krieger smiled. “I broaden the calibrations, extending it as far as I want to. See?” He leaned forward eagerly and turned the device into the empty space between Isadora and Raffe. He turned a few of the dials, prompting the Chaos orb to light up even brighter. A name flashed up, accompanied by a picture. I didn’t recognize the guy, but he looked middle-aged, with jowly cheeks and a worn-out expression.
Name: Harold Milliner
Affinity: Light
Abilities: Earth, Air
“It found the janitor!” Dylan whooped. “My man!”
“How about this?” Krieger turned the dials again. Another image flashed up. This time, it was a younger woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes.
Name: Alice Fowler
Affinity: Dark
Abilities: Telekinesis, Water
Louella nearly choked. “Alice Fowler is a magical?”
“You know her?” I glanced her way.
“She works in the archives! I never knew she was a coven member! Sneaky girl—she never mentioned anything to me. I just thought she was a human. I’ll have to have some words about this.”
Krieger chuckled. “You see, I just have to tell the device how far I need it to search. At the moment, it’s scanning the Fleet Science Center and its surrounding area. I can ask it to specifically search for a magical, too, which is how we’ll search for Katherine Shipton. However, that’s going to take a while longer to calibrate, if I’m to use that rag that Finch left me. Blood is a tricky thing to blend with technology, especially blood that isn’t fresh—organic and mechanic rarely like to mix.”
“Lots of knob twisting?” Santana asked.
“Exactly. A lot of knob twisting. And perhaps the need for another alchemical addition from Ms. Bonnello. This device is extremely sensitive.”
This thing is a total gamechanger.
If it could really do what Krieger said it could, then we now had a way of finding Katherine. An actual way. Sure, we didn’t know what we’d do, exactly, when we found Katherine—but Harley had that book now. She’d find something in there that could finally put us a step ahead of that psycho. It was obvious that we couldn’t keep doing the same things we’d been doing. We’d failed before, time and time again. This time, we needed new weapons. And we couldn’t make our move until we had them.
Forty-Four
Jacob
I found out where Harley was, and it worried me. Wade had been to see us and debriefed us on what she was doing. He’d told us everything and had been antsy to get back to her. But a whole day had passed, and she still hadn’t come out of the room where she was delving into the Grimoire.
To try and make it easier on her, the Rag Team had taken turns bringing the three of them food and water. Not that Harley seemed to be eating or drinking anything. She was just stuck in a weird black bubble in the corner of the room. At lea
st, she had been whenever it’d been my turn to deliver stuff.
It seemed like they’d be there for ages still. Wade had assured me that she was taking breaks, but I didn’t know whether to believe him. Then again, he had her best interests at heart… right? He didn’t have the hex on him anymore, so it wasn’t like he was trying to slowly kill her. He better not be, anyway. Apparently, she got immersed in it way too easily, and it was tough to bring her back out.
Right now, however, I was sitting across from Imogene in her office. Isadora was with me. Krieger was still in the infirmary, tinkering away with the device and adding safety features. I wished I was with him. I liked Imogene, but I hated meetings like this. They always felt ominous, like I was about to get yelled at. Major high school flashbacks.
Imogene had done a good job mixing the office up a bit. The Persian palace had gone. In its place was a room with sleek white walls and a white desk. Everything was white, pretty much, aside from a few bits of color. A blue striped chair. A blue set of drawers. A fancy gold lamp. A few gold things on the desk. It looked like something out of a magazine. So did Imogene, to be fair, even though she looked like she’d had a tough night, her face paler than normal.
“I expect you’re wondering why I asked you here,” she began, at last, in a quiet voice. “The truth is… How do I even say this? The truth is… I have some news, and it’s not good.” A tear slipped down her cheek, and she went silent. I shared a shocked look with Isadora.
“Imogene?” Isadora said. “Imogene, what’s happened?”
She shook her head. “The magical children that were rescued have been taken. My deputy director is dead. The LA Coven has been forced into lockdown.” Her expression looked hollowed, like all the grief had been scooped out of her, leaving her with nothing left to feel. “I wasn’t there to protect them, and now they’ve been taken. Marjorie, Micah… They’re missing, and I suspect Katherine is responsible.” Her eyes narrowed. “We had every security measure in place, but she is everywhere, and yet nowhere, moving like smoke through solid walls and endless defenses.”
Harley Merlin 7: Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix Page 36