by Karen Diem
He frowned. “That could help if they’re building a massive drill or a really crappy cartoon laser. Most of the companies they stole from manufacture assorted electrical or mechanical parts. Did you ever find out what they swiped in New York robbery you failed to stop? It wasn’t sharks, was it? If it was, I don’t know if that’d be appalling or hilarious or both.”
“Just rub in the failure part, why don’t you?” Zita said. She wasn’t certain why he was talking about sharks, but he at least seemed more animated.
Andy lifted his head and stared at the sky. “The New York theft is the standout, since they attempted to be discreet. Most of the others had a bunch of thugs with guns busting in, instead of a once-removed invisible person and a cat girl. We should contact Jerome and see if he’ll research what was stolen.”
She waved her hand. “No need. Hound said they grabbed a copy of some software that measures high energy outputs and regulates things.”
“Things. Nice and specific there, Z.” Andy scowled at his food.
“What crawled up your ass and died? He was vague, and I’m interpreting. General Aetherics didn’t specify in any more detail than that,” Zita said.
He stopped, hands poised in midair. “Wait. The software was from General Aetherics?”
“Yeah, so? I mentioned that before,” she said around another mouthful.
He turned to face her. “I missed it. I mean, I heard it, but all I could think of was Brandi’s patents for the sportswear. The equipment combined with the software they stole… I can’t tell without a list, but they’d need to pour cement and rods, and none of the places I saw listed would have that.”
“Wait, Zeus does have a cement mixer and a bunch of big steel rods.” Memory tickled at her. “Remember when they busted out Halja? The trucks they used to block off part of the highway had those things, and they rolled them through the portal when they escaped.”
Andy’s moroseness disappeared, and he slapped his forehead. “I thought they took them because their guys were inside, but you’re right! We don’t have time to eat. Put away the food and teleport us to Wyn’s house.”
“Why?” The word was garbled around a massive bite of sandwich.
“I think I know what they’re after.”
She took another mouthful and packed away all but the half she’d almost finished. “What’s that? Peace, love, and good will to men?”
“Balls.”
“If nothing else, the number of heists they’ve done proves they have some of those.” She snickered.
He snatched her food and tossed it into the cooler. “Let’s go, funny girl.”
“Hey!” Zita grabbed the container in one hand and Andy’s arm with the other. “Fine. But I better get to finish my lunch soon.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Zita teleported both of them to Wyn’s basement. As soon as the stacks of cardboard boxes and the altar appeared, Andy pulled free and ran up the wooden stairs, shouting for Wyn.
While only pausing long enough to pick up the paperback he’d knocked over—this time the shirtless man on the cover had wings and tattoos—and put it back on the wooden stool, she followed behind him, lifting the cooler so it wouldn’t bang as she followed him, bemused.
“Andy?” Wyn’s voice carried curiosity. “Is Zita here too? Of course, she is.” Snuggled up on the rich crimson velvet of her dramatic sofa, Wyn had a stack of printouts around her, a blanket over her legs, and fragrant, steaming green tea in a minuscule floral cup. Her tablet glowed on the table nearby. She nudged one of her cats, distracting the animal from its previous occupation pulling strands of duct tape up from the back of the couch.
Andy paced the length of the living room in the small house, his color high and eyes bright.
“What are you two doing here? Didn’t I get a text that you had somewhere to be today?” Her nose wrinkled as she noticed the old cooler Zita toted and the layer of red dust it had picked up in the desert. “Ah, and I see she brought a light snack.”
Recognizing Wyn’s cup as one she’d repaired after it had been broken in a home invasion in August, Zita smiled at her handiwork. Not a crack visible and holding liquid. Score. “Hey, Andy had a brain fart.”
As she toyed with a chestnut curl, Wyn offered untidy stacks of papers to the others. “If you’re free after all, you can assist me in determining Zeus’ actual goal, since the Heart was either a diversion or a side project. I haven’t figured out the pattern, but perhaps you will have more success. I’m baffled. The best I could do was determine that most of the companies they targeted manufacture electrical or mechanical parts.”
Andy beamed at her. “No need, I think I know. In addition to the parts you noticed, they have cement, metal rods, and software they stole from General Aetherics. Wyn, what is General Aetherics known for?”
Excitement on her face, Wyn inhaled. “Self-Normalizing Aetheric Reactor Cores!” She pronounced the words as if swearing.
Her forehead wrinkled, and Zita tapped fingers on her thigh. “Zeus wants a SNARC ball? What, he ran out of batteries and decided to replace them with the priciest one possible? He doesn’t have a city to power… I hope.”
Andy ignored her questions. “General Aetherics keeps the technology close to their chests and even insists on using their own installers, or each one wouldn’t command a billion-dollar price tag. Nobody else can build SNARC balls. It’s still cheaper than nuclear overall since you don’t have to install as many safety measures or requisition as much land. If we assume not all the robberies have been reported, the theft of that software, plus the diamond, the cement mixer, and the other heavy equipment, means they’re building an aetheric power plant somewhere!”
Zita absently jogged in place while she thought. “Pues, it’s great to know you could put all that together and get a solution, but… why would we want to stop them from building it?”
Wyn said, “If they have a plant but can’t construct a SNARC ball, they have to steal one. Once a SNARC ball has been activated, you can’t touch or move them, so they need a ball before it’s used. Since General Aetherics doesn’t release the location where they’re built, they’d have to catch it in transit.” Her milky skin turned paler still. “Rani… she took a job as an apprentice with General Aetherics as an installer. They offered her unbelievable money because of her electrical immunity. Since they’re installed so infrequently, she’s supposed to help with one—or watch, anyway—today in Brazil. Manaus, Brazil.”
Zita blinked, then swore. “That’s where we dropped the mercenaries. It’s also the biggest city in the northern half of the country and a major tourist hub. Millions live there.”
Andy leaned toward Wyn. “Do you know where and when they’re installing it? And can I use your tablet?”
Wyn handed him the electronic device, but shook her head hard, sending curls bouncing over her shoulders. “No, she didn’t say other than Manaus. General Aetherics is handing it off to the military somewhere.”
As she used the cooler to do bicep curls, Zita thought aloud. “The Brazilian Air Force has a base in Manaus. They’d be set up to counter a strike by the local cartels so they wouldn’t risk bringing it in by river, and they’d minimize land travel. They’ve got to be flying it in. Boats… Is the airport right by the Rio Negro?”
After he pulled up a map, Andy nodded, his lips pressed tight together as he bent over the tablet.
“I still don’t get what they need a SNARC ball for, though,” Zita said. “Based on the snooze-worthy speeches, Zeus is all about Zeus. He won’t be doing a charity project to light up poor neighborhoods.”
Andy’s fingers stilled, and he glanced at her. “That’s a good question.”
“Energy,” Wyn said. “He and Zita must’ve had the same thought.”
“Well, that’s frightening,” Andy said.
Wyn continued as if uninterrupted. “Halja tried to sacrifice multiple New York blocks to gather power using the Hades knife. SNARC balls are almost unlimi
ted power. If they can figure out how to hook it up, they can blast through that temple Janus said Zeus was obsessed with and find whatever they’re searching for. Perhaps the boy seeded truth with the fiction that sent us on the wild goose chase.”
“Makes sense. Evil sense.” Andy nodded. “Having failed with magic, they’re now going for a scientific solution.”
Zita lifted the cooler and held it up, her expression dubious. “I know I suggested it before, but that’s a lot of effort to open a decrepit temple that might be empty. The SNARC ball is worth a small country, and the waiting list takes decades so they could get more money than anyone can spend in a lifetime if they steal it. They could sell it, retire, and use the other stuff to build a tricked-out mansion.”
“What about the giant industrial diamond in this fantasy?” Andy asked.
She had to raise her hands in the air at that one. “Maybe Zeus wants to teach the escaped inmates a trade making flashy jewelry? Or he wants a disco ball for the mansion? It’s more likely than a crazy plot to use a reactor to crack open an old temple for magic powers.”
Andy laughed. “These are supervillains, though. It’s not that farfetched for them, though I haven’t ruled out sharks with lasers on their heads either. I double-checked the list. Everything is exactly what you need to set up a power generation system. Most of the equipment they stole measures output and temperatures. The cement is a common part of most nuclear reactors, and I can only assume SNARC ones are similar. The only outliers are six motorboats and a scientific prototype monitor.”
Wyn managed a weak titter.
“Let’s not forget the hundred criminals they pulled out of the Supermax prison,” Zita offered.
“Shock troops.” Andy shuddered.
Zita put down the cooler. “Stick the escapees in stolen boats as a diversion while the main force portals in and takes the SNARC ball.”
His expression turning thoughtful, Andy said, “Do you think the ball can go through a portal?”
“Why not?” Zita tapped fingers on her leg.
He paused. “I guess it’s the idea of putting something more powerful than a nuclear reactor through a portal powered by an unknown energy source… but it’s inactive, so it should be fine, just a lump of electronics.”
Wyn sipped her tea, her eyes contemplative. “That explains the boats, but what about the prototype equipment that measures dark energy? Does a SNARC ball produce that?”
Andy shook his head, but his face warmed with enthusiasm. “No, but Professor Farnswaggle posits that dark energy is related to our powers. While there’s a lot of speculation on that subject, he has the only equations that mathematically support his theory. Nobody else has even come close to proving an alternative. It’s not a popular theory, though, since many discount him as a crackpot, especially after the Stephen Hawking meatball fight. He can be a little out there, but most of his stuff is genius.”
Wyn’s eyebrows rose, and she tapped a finger on her rosebud lips. “So, he’s like Tesla? The bulk of his work is solid, but he’s known for the more outré ideas?”
Andy nodded. “Close, but Tesla was an experimentalist, and Farnswaggle is all about theoretical physics.”
“Either way, where do we look for them? We can assume they’re in Central or South America since Janus mentioned they were staying somewhere hot and jungle-y, and I heard howler monkeys twice when the portals were open. That doesn’t narrow it down much.” Zita paced the room, her steps rapid with her frustration.
His face intent, Andy said, “We’ll have to catch them when they make the play for a SNARC ball. When’s the one being installed today? That would explain the timeline—get us out of the way until they’re done.”
Wyn pursed her lips and shook her head. “Rani didn’t say other than she was leaving yesterday and expected to install early this afternoon.”
Zita glanced at the clock. “It’s almost noon, we need to go now!”
Andy said, “Whether they steal it to sell or install, they’ll need the special technicians too, not just the SNARC balls.”
After a deep breath, Wyn went pale. “We should warn General Aetherics. They can cancel the install and keep Rani and her trainer safe. They’re the only ones who’d know the real names of SNARC ball installers and where they all are.” She set the papers on the table and leaned forward, catching both of the others in her gaze. “We also need reinforcements.”
Realizing her chance to eat was slipping away, Zita retrieved the mangled sandwich before offering her opinions. “We can call Jerome and try Remus, though Remus was real uncomfortable with all the violence at the museum. No Aideen. That girl’s loosely corked right now. If she loses control, Manaus is packed with people who could get hurt in a blaze and a jungle that’d be hard to put out. If we hit up Jerome for money, which I don’t want to do, we could try to hire those mercenaries and see if they want a piece of their former employers. We’d also have to hope that detective I called last time to contact them actually has their number.”
Her voice tight, Wyn said, “Not the mercenaries. They’re creepy and could be working for Zeus. We don’t want to warn them that we’re onto their real plan. I agree on calling in the boys and leaving out Aideen.”
“Agreed, especially on the creepy,” Andy said.
“You might have a point. Freelance—besides being both incredibly competent and hot—did say they don’t do freebies.” Zita concentrated on eating, rationalizing that the last thing she needed was to sneak somewhere and have her rumbling stomach give her away.
“Did he say freebie?” Andy asked. “For some reason, I feel more masculine if he used that word.”
Her forehead wrinkling, Zita gazed at him. “No, he didn’t. I was paraphrasing.”
He sighed. “Figures. We need to hurry, too, or we’ll miss them.”
“Pues. Well, I’ll teleport to the National Mall and see if Jerome and Remus want in. While I’m there, I’ll try to call and warn the Brazilians and General Aetherics, if one of you can find the phone numbers. You want to throw on your costumes and come with?” Since she had her special sportswear on already under her hiking clothes, Zita shucked all the extraneous clothing, put the phone in her pocket, and wolfed down the last bite.
Wyn rose, walked over to her purse, and rummaged in it. She pulled out a mask and tossed it to Zita. “If you don’t mind, I’ll wait here. I need to powder my nose and retrieve insect repellant from where I put it away for the spring.”
Even knowing the probable answer, Zita had to ask in the vain hope her friend would be reasonable. “Sure you don’t want to stay here? The Brazilians might not believe we’re on their side. Almost everyone will have guns. You don’t hide well, and bullets hurt you.”
Setting aside her bag, Wyn narrowed her eyes. “That’s exactly why you need me there. I can persuade them and heal the injured, which, let’s not forget, might include you since bullets injure you too. Not to mention, if they bring Tiffany, I can undo her spells. That said, I’m content to cower in a corner somewhere for most of it.”
“Don’t even ask me to stay home, Z.” Andy crossed his arms over his chest. “Though, I should eat and get something from home, so could we do a side trip?”
“Sure,” Zita said amiably. “Wyn, find your bug spray. I’ll teleport us all to Andy’s so he can eat, you can pee—”
Wyn winced.
Undeterred, Zita continued, “And I’ll go make my calls. When I get back, we’ll meet up with Jerome. You’re good flying, right, Thunderbirdseed Pervert?”
His tone gruff, Andy said, “Wingspan will do. I’ll have lunch while you’re making your calls. If I have to fly, I don’t want to eat a tanker or city bus on the way.”
“You’ll love the lunch in the cooler,” Zita said. “Nice and hearty.”
Wyn smiled, and her mental voice spoke in the depths of Zita’s mind. He didn’t argue being the bird this time.
Plus, that was almost a joke, such a good sign, Zita sent in agreement.
After a short search for Wyn’s spray, they teleported to the familiar confines of Andy’s basement apartment.
***
When Zita returned to Andy’s a few minutes later, a cloud of eucalyptus scent assaulted her as soon as the room formed around her. Coughing, she waved a hand in front of her face. “You two good to go?”
Wyn tossed a lock of hair over her shoulder and touched her amulet. Her illusory form sprang up. “Ready. And hopefully bug-proof.”
“I can tell. The mosquitoes can probably smell you from Brazil,” Zita said, wrinkling her nose.
On the opposite end of the room from Wyn, Andy nodded, a mask over his eyes and empty plastic wrap in his hands. “I have to agree. That’s the first time I’ve felt like a koala when eating a pot roast sandwich.” He tossed the trash into the can.
As Andy moved to her side, he shook out something blue and fastened it on himself. A long piece of fabric flapped behind him as he caught up to the two women.
Zita frowned. “Why do you have a sheet tied around your neck? And did I hear Velcro?”
“It’s easier to concentrate in a cape. Besides, capes are cool, like superhero bling. Velcro means I can take it off, so I don’t get sucked into a jet engine or something.” Andy crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his chin out.
“That’d be tough on the plane,” Zita murmured. “And since when have you ever cared about bling?”
Wyn giggled. “Is this because of the ‘Vigilante Party’ video?”
He glanced away. “I’d rather the cameras not get a good look at me.”
“That’s a yes, then. Mano, if they’re ogling at your culo, they won’t be staring at your face. Your usual jeans are so baggy that people wouldn’t connect you and Wingspan anyway.” Zita’s mind raced. If he’s determined to wear one, perhaps we could make it useful. She came up with a few attractive options. “We could use the cape as a rope or a protective blanket for when he has to jump somewhere with you, Muse. Does it have pockets?”
Andy rolled his eyes. “No, and even if they did, I wouldn’t carry your snacks.”