by Jamie Davis
“That’s a neat trick, Kripke. I knew how to do that to objects but never thought about applying it to myself or another person. Thank you.”
The boy let the magic dissipate and his outline solidified back in to view. “You’re welcome, uh, Winnie.”
“Are there other people like you hiding out here in the Enclave?” Winnie asked.
“A few. We mostly keep to ourselves so we can’t give each other away. I know of three or four right around here.”
Winnie looked up at Danny and Garraldi. “We need to find them. They could all have tricks to show us. At the very least, they might want to join our ranks.”
“That’s fine, Winnie.” Danny glanced at his watch. “But we can’t start searching today. We have to be at the TV station soon for the interview.”
“Damn, that’s right.” Winnie looked at Kripke. “Why don’t you come with us? You can help later, when we come back to search for the others who got away from the sweeps.”
“I’d like that,” Kripke said.
“Good. Let me go get what we came for, then we’ll get on our way.”
Winnie didn’t want to forget her mom’s meds in the excitement.
“I’ll get them,” Elaine said, heading back to the bathroom.
“Where are we going now?” Kripke asked.
“To a TV station. I’ve been asked to do an interview there to talk more about Kane’s deception and plans to harm chanters. Then we’ll take you back to a place where you can be safe and meet the rest of our friends.”
Elaine returned with her pills, then they all left the apartment.
This time, Winnie closed the door. But she couldn’t lock it. The Red Legs had shattered the lock when they broke into the apartment. Still, at least it was closed.
Winnie followed the others back to the elevator then back to the street.
Her mind turned to the upcoming interview.
Things were finally turning around for the better.
CHAPTER 8
Winnie looked at herself in the mirror while the makeup artist—a woman in her fifties named Madge—swept back her hair with a styling brush and emptied a can of hairspray onto her scalp. Winnie held her breath. The foul-tasting mist didn’t stop the running commentary at all.
“I think you and your friends are so brave,” said the rotund brunette. “You know, I’d never have had the guts to go up against Director Kane like that, let alone get away and release all that video exposing him as a fraud. Who knew such a thing could be true? It boggles the mind.”
Winnie started to answer her but the woman wouldn’t let her.
“Of course, I always thought something was fishy about the whole series of resolutions the Assembly passed. I’ve got some great friends who are chanters. Why, this very styling brush was enchanted by one of them to never leave a hair out place. It’s one of the reasons why I got this job! Yep, I’ve been saying the chanters should all be allowed to come home since the beginning. There are some trouble makers amidst them but once you weed them out, I’m sure most chanters are harmless. Am I right, honey?”
Madge spun the chair around, leaning forward and started to apply the make up around Winnie’s eyes. She tried to hold still as the woman came at her with an eyeliner pencil. She didn’t dare to move her mouth. That was fine by Madge.
“I think they should lock up Director Kane and his cronies in one of those camps and see how they like it. Of course, I heard from one of the investigative reporters that most of the people in the camps have it better than they had it in the Enclaves. They have plenty of food, full net access, and even get to work on important government jobs. If you ask me, they should be thankful. I know a lot of middlings that would literally die for a steady government check.”
Winnie shifted her eyes and stared hard at Madge after that last exchange.
This woman was an idiot. For God’s sake, she actually thought the chanters in the camps had all that stuff and got paid to be there.
Winnie opened her mouth, but Madge shushed her.
“Quiet, dear. I’m almost finished. We don’t want to do anything to mess up your face. Oh, this is so exciting.” Madge applied mascara to Winnie’s lashes then patted powder onto her face. “I can’t wait to tell all my friends how I met the Winnie Durham in person. You’re about the most famous person to come through these doors in a while. I did have Bill Hadley, the Oscar-winning actor just last week. Hmmm.” She tapped the side of her glasses. “Well, definitely the most famous since him.”
Madge spun the chair around so Winnie faced the mirror again.
“My God, that’s me?” Winnie whispered under her breath.
“It’s all about seeing the potential we all have inside,” Madge said. “Then bringing out that potential with my brushes and makeup. You know, some have said I must be at least a little bit magic to do what I do. Maybe my grandmother slept with a chanter in some sordid affair.”
The woman threw her head back and imitated a braying donkey, waving a hand in front of her face until she regained her composure.
“Sorry, honey. You’d have to have known my grandmother to get the joke. She’d never have been caught dead so much as letting a chanter into her house. Still, times change. Look how far we’ve come now.”
Winnie started to tell her how nothing’s changed at all but was interrupted by a small blonde wearing a headset before she could say a word.
“I’m getting her right now. Tell him to keep his pants on. We’ll be right there. Madge just finished up.” The woman looked at Winnie. “Come with me, Ms. Durham. I’m Carol, the stage manager. The network decided to run your interview on the twenty-four hour news channel live as soon as you are able to get seated. The control room wants you in there in two minutes.”
Winnie muttered a thank-you to Madge as Carol grabbed her by the arm and hustled her out of the makeup chair and down the hallway towards the studio.
Winnie stumbled along behind her until they were in the central studio.
There were two chairs in front of a set constructed to look like a living room with a fireplace and a broad picture window that looked out into a green backdrop, probably to be replaced by a city skyline onscreen.
Hal Henderson sat in one of the two chairs, looking over a stack of papers while a technician clipped a mic to his lapel.
He looked up and smiled at Winnie as Carol led her to the empty chair. The stage manager sat her down, clipped a mic to her collar, then fiddled with something at the back of her blazer. Winnie flinched when Carol started to insert the earpiece running up her back and over her ear.
“Sorry,” Carol apologized. “Just press that into your ear so you can hear anything on the monitors. And so the control room can talk to you.”
Winnie pressed the soft earbud into her ear canal then she heard a voice.
“Test one, two, three. Winnie, this is the producer, Fred. Can you hear me?” Winnie nodded. “Excellent. Now count to ten for our sound guy to dial in your levels if you would.”
Winnie complied and started counting to ten.
“Good, that’s perfect,” he said at Seven. “You’re all set. She’s all yours Hal.”
“Thanks, Fred.” Hal looked up and smiled. “Winnie, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person. I feel like we’ve already gotten to know each other a bit after our brief call the other night.”
Winnie looked around, overwhelmed. She’d been in the makeup chair just moments before.
“Relax. Don’t pay attention to all the lights and cameras. Just talk to me. We’ll start in a moment. Carol will count us down from five then she’ll point to me and I’ll start the interview. Just take a deep breath and relax; you’ll be fine.”
“If you say so.” Winnie tried to smile, but felt certain that she had failed.
Carol stepped next to one of the cameras and called out, “Ready to go live in five, four, three.”
She finished the count with her fingers showing two, then one, and finishing with a gesture to
Hal.
He smiled at the camera and started his introduction.
“Welcome to all our viewers across the United Americas with our special prime-time episode of Exposé. You are in for a treat today, as we have an exclusive interview with Winnie Durham herself, live from our studios in Baltimore. Winnie, welcome to Exposé.”
“Thank you Hal.” Winnie felt self-conscious but tried to keep her eyes on the host, ignoring the many cameras and lights.
“Winnie, you exposed perhaps the biggest corruption scandal to hit our nation in recent memory. Why did you believe it was so important to take on the most powerful man in the country?”
“I suppose it was because I—uh—we had no choice. Kane had rounded up all our friends and relatives then threw them in concentration camps where he planned on leeching their magic and life force until they were dead. He wanted to control all of the magic. It wasn’t just a matter of life and death for my friends, it affected the entire world.”
“Weren’t you frightened to face him in his own center of power like that? We’ve all seen the spectacular video. You all barely escaped with your lives.”
“Of course we were afraid, but we had never intended to face Kane so directly. We only wanted to get the evidence of his true nature and expose it to the world. The confrontation and getting the video evidence was the result of a plan that didn’t work out as we expected.”
Hal opened his mouth to ask a question but was interrupted by a rumbling explosion somewhere in the building.
Winnie’s head jerked toward the sound and vibration.
She was searching for the source when a voice in her ear became a flurry of words. “Oh, my God, soldiers just blew up the transmitter tower outside the building. We’re off the air and they’re heading into the building!”
Hal stood and looked at Winnie. “Don’t worry, my dear. We’ll stop this.”
The reporter unclipped his mic and earpiece then walked off-set towards the control room.
Winnie looked around for her friends, shielding her eyes from the bright lights. She saw them standing behind the row of cameras.
“Winnie what’s happening?” Danny asked.
Of course, Winnie thought, they hadn’t heard the voice from the control room. “The station is under attack by soldiers or Red Legs or something.”
“Then we need to get out of here.” Garraldi stepped into the pool of lights surrounding the set. “Come on Winnie, we need to hurry. It might already be too late, but we have to try and get of here.”
Winnie pulled off the mic and earpiece, crossed to where her mother stood with the others, then looked around.
“We didn’t check to see where the back door is but they must have one.”
“There is one,” Carol said from nearby. “Come with me; hurry. They’re coming in the front door now and arresting everyone here.”
Carol was still wearing her headset and was obviously in communication with other parts of the building.
The five of them followed the stage manager out of the large studio room and down a back stairway. They reached the first floor of the building where the stairs crashed into a door.
Garraldi stopped Carol from opening it. He pulled a pair of guns from under his jacket and looked at Danny, who grabbed the door’s handle.
With a signaling nod from Garraldi, Danny opened the door and Garraldi stepped through into the hallway beyond.
He swept the pistols in both directions, scanning for threats.
The big man grunted. “All clear, boss.”
“Let’s go,” Winnie said. “Carol, lead the way. Where’s the exit?”
“It’s to the right. Down the hallway until you reach the loading dock.”
“You should come with us, at least until we get clear. Stay here and you’ll get arrested like the others,” Winnie said. “This has Kane’s fingerprints all over it. He will cover up this entire affair and make every witness disappear.”
“I have to go back upstairs,” Carol said, shaking her head. “My husband is in the control room. I can’t leave without him.”
Winnie looked at her kindly. “Thank you for bringing us this far. Be careful.”
“I will,” Carol said. “You, too.” She turned around and started talking into her headset in hushed tones while climbing the stairs.
“We need to get out of here,” Danny said.
“Agreed. Let’s go.” She pushed past the others and turned right, leading the way down the hallway towards the loading dock.
They arrived in a large open area stacked with equipment cases. There was a large bay door open to the outside, and a news van backed up to the bay, its back doors open.
The crews must have been loading it when the assault began.
“Danny, check and see if the keys are in that van,” Winnie said. “We can’t go back around front for our car and there’s no way we’ll get far on foot.”
Danny ran over to the van while the others started towards the open door.
Winnie heard a triumphant Yes! from Danny when he opened the door.
“Get everyone inside,” Winnie ordered.
She had one more thing to do.
Winnie closed her eyes, drew in the magic, and directed her flows at the van’s exterior. Soon it was shielded from view. While not completely invisible, the van was unnoticeable to casual inspection. Enough to safely flee the parking lot.
She jumped in the back and Garraldi pulled the double doors shut behind her. There were no windows in the back, or seats, so Winnie, her mother, Garraldi, and Kripke all settled on the floor as the van lurched into motion.
A metal cage separated the van’s rear cargo compartment from the front seats. Winnie could barely see Danny’s outline as he left the lot.
“There are military vehicles everywhere, Win,” Danny called back to them. “They all seem focused on the front of the building. I think I can make it past them and onto the street. Hold on.”
Winnie grabbed the metal shelf bolted to the van’s walls as Danny gunned the engine. The blindness was infuriating. She should have gotten in the front seat with Danny.
“We’re out,” Danny announced. “I’m heading for the highway. We need to get back to the Pike and figure out what’s going on. That was the Army back there, not the Red Legs.”
“That can’t be good news, boss,” Garraldi said. “Kane used the Army once before to help with the Enclave round ups. If he’s using them again, he must still have considerable control over some substantial resources, despite the Assembly’s investigation.”
“Danny,” Elaine said. “Put on the radio. See if they’re saying anything about what’s going on.”
Danny reached over and turned on the radio. They were greeted with the sound of static through the van’s front speakers. He kept fiddling with the controls as he drove.
“I’ve scanned up and down the dial. There’s nothing on the air. Just static.”
“This isn’t good,” Elaine said.
“We’ll just have to see what’s happening when we get back to the Pike,” Winnie said. “Danny, drive faster. The police won’t be able to see us.”
CHAPTER 9
General Philip Couch followed the Red Leg orderly through the broad hallways of Kane’s headquarters building. He had expected to go up to Kane’s offices on the top floor. Instead, he was led to the lower levels underground and assumed it was to go to some sort of command center. He cared not. The General had a job to do. He could report his progress to Kane as easily in the basement as on the top floor.
The orderly led Couch to a set of steel doors with two armed Red Legs stationed outside. They both saluted. He returned the gesture even though they weren’t technically in his chain of command as civilian officers.
One of the guards turned and grasped the handle, pulling backward with effort, dragging the thick, bank-vault style doors out toward Couch. The reinforced armored panels gleamed beneath the overheads.
Kane was clearly expecting some resi
stance.
The orderly continued onward once the vault door was opened. Couch followed down the concrete-lined hallway, doors set into the walls on both sides.
This part of the subbasement had all the hallmarks of a bunker or fallout shelter. There was a turn in the corridor and the hallway opened into a broad room with computer workstations and monitors lining the walls.
Kane was in the center of the room talking to a Red Leg inspector. Couch approached and Kane dismissed the inspector with a wave of his hand.
“Ah, General Couch. Thank you for coming in person. I want to know how things are progressing. Sit. Fill me in on your operation’s success.”
“Yes, Director.” Couch sat at the table. “The takeover of all three national networks has been successful. We now control the national network feed to all the local stations. There were some hiccups in the local station takeovers. We were only able to mobilize the resources in about half the national city centers.”
“How is it you were unable to complete the operation elsewhere? I thought you told me you were in a position to proceed. Only controlling half of the cities is unacceptable.”
“Director, with all due respect, I told you when we drew this plan that there would be resistance from certain circles. The tradition of civilian control over the military is strong. There were always going to be commanders and civilian leaders who refused to blindly follow our lead. We have a small standing army, here in the capital. We had to rely on local militia to implement martial law. Many have rebelled against those orders and placed themselves under civilian command.”
“But we still control the central military forces in the capital, correct?”
“Yes, Director. As the commanding general of all active-duty personnel, I control the several thousand remaining members of the standing army. They will back you one hundred percent; that I can assure you.”
“Good. If we control the capital, the rest of the country will have to fall in line eventually. I also understand that you failed to pick up Ms. Durham during your sweep, despite her being in the building during a broadcast.”