by TR Cameron
Demetrius replied, “Two drones. Both running concealment, so the PDA shouldn’t notice them.”
“Excellent. Keep me apprised.” She found a secluded spot and opened a portal to the middle of the desert, noting that the motel had burned down to its frame and what remained looked remarkably unstable. From there, she portaled to her office at Spirits, then to the bunker. She growled as she passed her friends, “Get that room done fast, people. I have a feeling we’ll need it.”
Margrave and Idryll tossed answers after her, but she had already left them behind, headed for the chamber holding her equipment.
After changing into her uniform and portaling back, she reacquired her target and followed him to a narrow apartment building. It was three stories high and only large enough to have one unit on each level. He entered and appeared to head for the stairs, and she released the tiny drone that was part of her gear. She piloted it around the structure, peering through every window. She reported, “Okay, three on the bottom, two in the middle, and the target plus one on the top.”
Demetrius replied, “That’s what I saw, too. Did you notice they all had pieces of casino uniforms lying around?”
“Yeah. Makes sense. Lower-level people often come here from out of town to take jobs and wind up rooming with others who work at the casino. That’s a lot of Kilomea inside one building, though.”
“Are you going to take them all out?” The words tumbled uncomfortably off his tongue.
“No. I only have two knockout darts left, and the ones I care about are on the top floor. I think if I put a shield around the apartment, it should block sound enough that the people at street level won’t hear. Can’t count on those in the middle unit not hearing, so they’ll have to go first.”
He replied, “Why bother knocking them out if you’re probably able to lock in the sound?”
“Backup plans, my friend. Always have backup plans. And an exit. And a snack.” She quit babbling and piloted the drone to a position where it offered a view of the inside of the second-floor apartment door. She left it hovering there and entered the building under a veil, climbing the stairs to that entrance. Using the reverse angle image, she called upon her force magic to slide the bolt quietly and turn the other two locks, muttering, “This is weird.” The feed from the drone revealed one of the two had moved into the living room. The other, presumably, was still in the bedroom they’d been in originally. She inhaled a deep centering breath, focused her will past the anger and rage that wouldn’t leave, and opened the door quietly.
The Kilomea on the couch turned from watching the television at her entrance, and she nailed him in the neck with a dart before he could do anything else. He slumped, and she retrieved the projectile and stuck it in her belt. She crept through the apartment, extending a sound shield so the ones above wouldn’t hear if things went wrong.
She discovered the other in the bedroom, asleep. Sorry, buddy. His eyes flew open as the dart punched into his flesh, then they fluttered closed again as the drug took effect. She retrieved the evidence of her presence and moved to the window, sliding it up.
A fire escape led up to the third floor. She repositioned the drone, making sure she’d have a clean entrance on the next level, and confirmed that the bedroom proximate to the metal staircase was empty. She climbed most of the way but stopped before anyone could see her from the apartment. It took her five minutes of careful effort to layer the top floor of the building in shields without possibly alerting those inside, but when she finished, she was confident no sound would escape, and no one would break in to interrupt her.
She ascended the rest of the way and slid open the window, climbed through, and dropped into a crouch. Her veil was strong, and she had no doubt she’d be able to make her first attack by surprise. She didn’t dare kill either of them, and she hoped for a quick punch with the stun knuckles to take out the roommate. What will be, will be. She said, “Going in. Keep an ear on the police band.”
Demetrius gave her a click in reply. Their experience working as a team had taught him to minimize distractions when a fight was at hand. Ruby walked out to the living room, invisible to the apartment's occupants. She found them both there, throwing darts and drinking. They discussed innocuous things: work, women, plans for vacations. She wondered if the second Kilomea might have been one of the three and re-resolved not to kill him.
There didn’t seem to be a way to separate the two, so finesse was pretty much out. She dashed forward, still hidden, and threw a punch at the roommate’s face with her shock-enabled fist. Something gave her away. The movement of air, maybe. Instincts were a thing, and by all accounts, the Kilomea had excellent ones where hunting and fighting were concerned. He swept an arm out to deflect the blow and hurled the pair of darts in his left hand in her direction with a loud shout of alarm. She dropped the veil and summoned a force shield to block them, then lashed out in a kick. It caught him in the midsection and knocked him stumbling backward.
The other had reacted equally quickly, throwing his darts and dashing toward the small kitchen that lay a dozen feet away. She growled, “No knives for you,” and hit him with a blast of force that sent him into the nearby wall with a satisfying crunch. The more you hurt, the happier I’m going to be.
The first was on his way in again, holding a knife. She dropped back into a boxer’s stance, whipping out her left hand to knock his slash away and leaving it there to hold the arm in place when he tried a backhand stab. She slammed her fist into his ribs and the shock knuckles detonated with a loud snap. He stood, dazed, but didn’t go down. Dammit, fall, you jerk. She snapped out a kick to send him tumbling toward the one that had snatched her sister, but that opponent deftly dodged the incoming Kilomea projectile and closed with her.
He charged for a bear hug, counting on his size to protect him. Stupid move. She blocked his arms out to open his torso and rammed a knee up at his groin. He shifted his thigh inward to catch the blow and snapped a fist at her face. She dove to the side to avoid it, judging that simply moving her head wouldn’t be enough. When she came up, the Kilomea were both alert and seemed eager to fight. The one who’d snatched her sister said, “Look, Magic City’s very own superhero. It’ll be fun finding out who you are.”
The other nodded. “And making sure you don’t mess with anyone’s plans again.”
Ruby laughed. “I’m far from super, and I’m no hero. However, I’m more than a match for the likes of you two idiots.” She grabbed the lightning grenade from her belt and threw it at their feet. The energy surged around them, stiffening them both. She dashed in to the roommate and delivered a right cross to his temple. The stun blast was less powerful, given the drain from the previous punches, but landed in a much better spot. He went down hard.
The other one swung at her, and she ducked, stepping back. She spread her arms wide and said, “What’s the matter? Can’t manage to hit a girl half your size?”
He growled but didn’t overreact to the taunt. Instead, he shuffled forward and delivered a flurry of punches so fast that she had no chance of picking each of them off individually. She summoned force shields on both forearms and positioned them in front of her, absorbing the blows and laughing at him until he stopped throwing them.
Ruby said, “So, I know you were there when the casino owner girl got kidnapped. You’re going to tell me where she is. Easiest way to get that done is for you to confess.”
He laughed darkly. “What, and you let me go?”
She shook her head. “That’s not in the cards. You’ll have to pay for your crime, no question. The only variable is whether you’ll be mostly unbroken when the door of your cell clangs shut.”
He growled, “I don’t care how much magic you have. I’ll beat you down just like I did that little tramp.”
Red fury obscured her vision, and she expelled power like a tidal wave of vengeance. When she was able to see past the haze again, the Kilomea was writhing in agony on the floor. Shadow tentacles wrapped around h
is body, two of them pushing against vulnerable pressure points in his arms and another pair resting above his horrified eyes, ready to plunge in.
Inwardly, Ruby snarled, No. She mastered control of the tendrils but didn’t retract them. Instead, she let them keep causing him pain. She smiled as she composed herself. “So, perhaps you’ve reconsidered your position?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ruby sat cross-legged in her warded circle, getting her thoughts in order for the events to come. The Kilomea had given up the information quickly, but all he’d had to offer was a general location—Reno or somewhere nearby. Margrave’s remote tracker was already there, in the hands of one of Diana’s agents. Man, I owe them a lot. She pushed that thought away, storing it with all the other concerns that didn’t relate to her sister. She needed purity of mind, especially after triggering the artifact against the Kilomea.
The item always left her feeling stained, but fortunately, Nylotte had been correct. Using the circle to meditate made that better, at least for a time. She layered her defenses, picturing the Atlantean in his glass box and putting walls around him. Stone, wood, force, fire, the layers went on one after the other, metaphysically blocking him from influencing her. I don’t need to know what he’s up to right now. I need him locked away.
After an hour, she was ready. She walked into the bunker’s armory to find Idryll waiting for her. The space was rectangular, with Idryll's section to the right, Morrigan's to the left, and hers on the long wall, along with a couple of common cabinets. Their gear was on display, functional, and somewhat artistic. She’d read somewhere in the past that such touches helped warriors focus their minds and had been part of martial design since the Middle Ages. All she knew was that she felt clearer in purpose when she saw it all laid out like that. Which is the same thing.
Her partner sat cross-legged on the bench in front of her area, looking toward the center of the room. She said, “You ready for this?” Her normal bantering tone wasn’t in evidence.
Ruby nodded. “Yeah. We’re going to kick these bastards in the teeth and take my sister back. We’ll find everyone else they’ve taken, too, once she’s safe.” Word had spread while she’d been tracking the Kilomea that a dozen people had been kidnapped and another four killed. “Hopefully we’ll also get an idea of who’s behind this. With Sloane dead, you’d think this garbage would’ve stopped.”
Idryll shrugged. “You have something very valuable here in the city, and people will always want a piece of it. As long as you restrict access, you’re going to have those willing to step across the line. It’s how people work.”
“Only those who follow a certain set of rules, or don’t follow any rules. This is our place. They have so many others.”
“Perhaps you should think about trying to share their space?”
Ruby shook her head. “I’m not sure if it’s real or a mental feature on our part, but many magicals feel the need to have a clear foothold on this planet. The belief that what’s ours is truly ours. While it started underground with the kemanas, that’s no way to live long term.” She ran her hand along her sword’s scabbard, feeling the hard leather and thinking the weapon deserved something better. “Did Margrave come through with the stuff?”
Idryll nodded. “It’s already in your gear. You’re all set.”
“Okay, then. Time to put it on.” She thought Rath would appreciate her referencing Men in Black at this pivotal moment.
She donned the base layer of leather, which she’d thoroughly cleaned after her tumble from the bike. The tight material embraced her, increasing her focus. She snapped the collar closed at the neck and added the equipment belt at her waist. She touched each item on it automatically, verifying its presence. Her lightning grenades, Margrave’s smoke, one of the new smaller model EMPs. A bulky cube sat at her lower back containing her small drone, and the controller for it went into a thigh pouch.
Next up was the bulletproof vest, which held two extra magazines for the pistol on her right thigh drop holster. It also carried a healing potion and an energy potion, backups for the ones in her left thigh pouch. Getting her sword strapped on over the vest was still a challenge, and she kept forgetting to ask Diana how she did it. When her hand touched the hilt to check the draw, the duo whispered in her mind. No castigations for once, only a feeling of support and unity of purpose. A sense of confidence spread from her core at the reassurance.
Next up were her shield bracelets, which held only two charges since she hadn’t had time to refill them. The knockout dart launcher went above it on her right arm. Idryll had reloaded the darts, and she had four at her disposal. “Did you change the canister, too?”
Her partner clicked the fastener on her equipment belt and made a dismissive snort. “Of course. You can’t go into battle with partial charges.” She spoke as if she was instructing a child.
Ruby didn’t mention her reduced bracelets as she returned to dressing. She laced up her boots, pulling them tight, and checked to make sure the throwing knives were still properly secured. Finally, she rested her hand on the hilt of her dagger and moved to face her companion. “How do I look?”
Idryll turned and raised an eyebrow. “Like you’re ready to get our partner back.”
Ruby nodded. “That I am. We only need one more tool.” She activated her comm, which routed through the bunker’s network. “Demetrius, you set up the thing with Alejo?”
The infomancer replied, “Hang on.” A few seconds passed. Then he said, “Okay, saved what I was working on. What did you say?”
“Alejo.”
“Right. She said the items you wanted will be next to the trophy and that she’s spending the rest of the day out in the field. You know what that means?”
Ruby grinned at the amateur spycraft, which would nonetheless get the job done. “I do. We’re good. Any word from Diana’s people?”
“Kaylee and I have managed to crack into most of the cell networks. Another half-hour and we should be able to bring that fully online. One of them is driving around at random with the locator, but they haven’t had a hit yet. Don’t worry, we’ll find her soon.”
“I know you’ll handle it perfectly.” She deactivated the connection and said, “Okay, let’s go to the portal room.” They entered the space, which featured the finest unfinished drywall and laminate floor. No one could guess its location by seeing it through a portal, even if the lights were on, which they wouldn’t be.
Ruby pulled the heavy door closed behind them and used force magic to reset each of the latches, one in the top, one into the floor, and three into the sides. It would be next to impossible for anyone who didn’t know right where the latches were to disengage them with magic, and blasting the door would only succeed after a long period of concerted effort. Margrave had warded the thing to drain magic, and unless you knew where the gaps were, even accomplishing something as simple as undoing a latch would be seriously debilitating.
It did permit signals to escape, so if one of them found themselves trapped inside, they could call out with their comms. The final failsafe was an extra comm hidden behind the drywall. Ruby flicked on the light until the door was closed and latched, then turned it off again. She opened a portal to the sheriff’s office and peered through to see that the woman had drawn her blinds and the space was dark. They stepped into the room, allowing the rift to close behind them. She pointed at the heavy backpacks on the couch. “Put that one on.” She grabbed the other and did the same.
Idryll asked, “Are these what I think they are?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Supplied by the PDA, no less.”
She laughed. “I’m guessing they don’t know who they’re for.”
Ruby nodded. “Correct. They believe the sheriff’s office needs them for some training.”
“Why do we need these anchors, exactly?” Despite her complaints, the shapeshifter moved easily with the backpack on.
“Mainly because while there’s no way to know what we’ll face,
the attackers this time included magicals. We have an edge with our combat abilities and equipment in any straight-up fight, so if we find ourselves in trouble, we trigger these anti-magic things to shift the playing field in our favor.
Idryll nodded. “Sensible plan. You came up with it?”
Ruby laughed. She couldn’t help it. “Don’t sound so incredulous. I’m not an idiot all the time, despite your belief that I am.”
Her partner grinned, showing her teeth. “You’re learning, and that’s all to the good. Let’s go get our teammate.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
A series of portals had taken them to a three-story structure out in the middle of nowhere, near Reno. They’d stopped partway so Ruby could remove the locators the PDA had hidden inside the backpacks. Margrave had given her the tech to detect them. Kaylee and Demetrius had finally managed to access enough towers that they were able to get a faint hint of Morrigan's location, and their roving tracker got closer to confirm it. Ruby took the device from the agent and secured it to her belt, offered her thanks, and focused on the building ahead.
In her ear, Demetrius said, “Feed coming now.” One of her eyepieces blurred, then displayed the image from the drone flying at maximum height above the installation. They’d figured the place would have good security and didn’t want to risk discovery any earlier than necessary. Her greatest concern was that the enemy would respond to an incursion by killing all the captives. She couldn’t see a way that was profitable, not given the roster of people they’d taken. All children of or partners of casino owners. You don’t throw away that kind of leverage without thinking about it a few times first. Since she wasn’t inside the head of whoever was behind it, the worry stayed.
They hadn’t managed to get that information out of the Kilomea. She had her suspicions, since it was Reno, that it might have something to do with Sloane’s organization. However, as Demetrius had pointed out, lots of people lived in Reno, and that connection was maybe a bit of a reach based on the evidence at hand. Still, I’m going to find out who worked with him as soon as we finish with this. Just in case.