CHAPTER 21
I was woken at 5AM by my DOM calling me in, as Gill had promised. Upon arriving I found the briefing room populated by two dozen faces I did not recognise. From the variations in uniform I guessed many were from abroad. Chief Commander Gill addressed us.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “I would first like to thank our visitors from sister D.O.M’s across the world for responding to our request for cooperation.”
There were nods of acknowledgment.
“Now, you are all in this room for two reasons,” he continued, “One, because you are among the few persons capable of detecting an incredibly illusive spell. And two, because you are going to participate in an operation; an operation that is, I have no problem saying, one of the most vital I have coordinated. First I’d like to bring you all up to speed and mention that our Specialists, now that they are looking for it, have turned up traces of the Spell everywhere. At virtually every D.O.M in the city, as well as Rehabilitation Centres, Detention Centres, and even hospitals. It’s clear we’ve been missing it for weeks, probably months.” He riffled papers. “Now regarding Judy Carlson and one Linda Hastings, our specialists have put together a report. It seems this Crowd Surfing Spell can be utilised in a flexible manner, changed to deliver specific commands. Based on what they are learning recently at Global Net. I will get to that in a moment. In the case of these two women speculation is that one was placed with the intention of going hot, and the other to spark that intended reaction.”
“Why?” someone asked.
Gill sighed. “You all saw what happened at the stadium? Judy Carlson was ‘the gunshot’, this city ‘the stadium’. Only the reaction is happening in slow motion. Also,” he looked at me, “there seems to have been some attempt to kill two birds with one stone. Clarence was assigned to Judy specifically. And it seems obvious this was no accident.” His eyes returned to the hall. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you the situation is a now officially a crisis.”
I blinked. The city had certainly not appeared to be gearing up for any sort of crisis.
“What steps are being taken, sir,” I asked.
“Subtle and quiet ones, Clarence. This spell requires only another spark to get pumped up. And panic, mass hysteria or any large scale excitement, would fit that bill perfectly. Do you understand?”
I swallowed. “Yes, sir.”
“Now we have been following leads at a day care centre called Little Dreamers, as well as a corporate building Global Net. The officials of these establishments are sketchy to say the least. Apparently they are not owned by anyone. What I can confirm is that work has started on a counter-spell. But it will take time.”
There were mutters.
“Is this Spell not an SME?” an Enforcer asked.
“Yes,” Gill agreed, “And it has spread across the city at an alarming rate, sitting dormant in what we estimate to be hundreds of thousands of magic users. But like all Spells of this nature it will inevitably burn out and must be bolstered to be kept strong. What happened at the stadium was, we believe, an effort to reinvigorate the Spell in as many civilians as possible. Hence, there was a Caster at the stadium. And that brings us to the nature of this operation.”
“So are we going to catch a Caster?” someone jumped in.
“We originally intended on convincing Jeremy Dempsey to organise another gathering for the sake of this operation. But he was going ahead with one already despite the obvious dangers. He said, and I quote; ‘his place is with the people who need a voice, regardless of the circumstances’. Very inspiring.”
A few chuckled.
“He doesn’t know what we intend and neither does anyone beyond this room. And it must be kept that way at all costs. Now, he agreed to have the gathering outside the city, which will minimise the effect spreading if things again go hot. But I’m afraid it will also make those attending more volatile, straight off the bat. I’m sure I need not say this will be a very dangerous operation. Any more questions?”
There were only sombre expressions.
“Then you are dismissed for the moment. I recommend the next two days be used honing your detection skills. Clarence, stick around.”
The room began to empty. Gill turned to me. His expression was apprehensive.
“The information at Global Net is invaluable,” he said, “well done.”
“I’m glad, sir.”
“You’ll need a bit of additional training for the operation. I’ve organised it in the Preparation Hall with a man who couldn’t be better suited for the job, an ex-trainer. He sounded happy to oblige.”
“Alright, sir.”
Balance - Book 2 Page 55