Burning Bright s-15

by Tom Dowd

  "And I've been sent in to handle Knight Errant's investigation of who's responsible and what we might do to restore the boy to health."

  Kyle hazarded a glance at Hanna Uljaken, whose eyes showed concern.

  "Well, your assistance is certainly appreciated," Kyle said. "With Knight Errant helping out I'm sure we can-"

  "They want to take over," Melissa said suddenly, her gaze darting between Kyle and the frown her father was giving her.

  Ravenheart was also frowning. "As Mr. Truman and I were discussing when you arrived, Knight Errant would prefer to handle the investigation and security exclusively. To do otherwise might slow down critical communication and hinder the operation-regardless of the other talent involved." She gave Kyle a slight smile. "Nothing personal."'

  He shrugged. "None taken. I agree it would be a good idea to combine forces, but I'd argue for your people to assist us." He let his gaze travel briefly around the assembled group. Things are already happening. I'd be reluctant to lose any time transferring command and information.”

  "And, truthfully, I've been exploring some avenues that I'd rather not reveal due to the confidentiality of the sources. Knight Errant's assistance is certainly appreciated, but it seems to make more sense for them to support the existing structure than trying to rebuild it."

  Ravenheart was about to protest, when Daniel Truman cut in. "I tend to agree with Mr. Teller. Ms. Uljaken tells me that the two of them have been making progress toward identifying the people responsible."

  "People?" asked Ravenheart, turning back to Kyle. She seemed about to continue her line of thought, but a flick of her eyes at Mrs. Truman apparently decided her otherwise. Instead, she said, "That's good news. Whatever your decision, Mr. Truman, Knight Errant is at your disposal."

  "Excellent," he said. "Mr. Teller is still looking into this for me and my family, and your prior acquaintance should make it all the easier for him to get what he needs from your team."

  "I'm sure it will."

  "For anything else," Truman told her, "please liaise through my assistant Ms. Uljaken, who is also working with Mr. Teller."

  "I'll do that, sir. In the meantime would it be possible for Mr. Teller to brief us on his progress?"

  "Now's as good a time as any." Daniel Truman motioned his family toward the doors leading back inside. They obediently followed his lead, though Melissa gave Kyle another strained look as she disappeared from view. This time Hanna saw it too, but he didn't react to the questioning on her face. Devress also stayed behind, but melted farther back from the discussion.

  "First I'd like to apologize for not introducing the other two members of my team," Ravenheart said immediately. She gestured to the burly man, who Kyle was fairly certain was not a mage. "This is Sergeant Keith Vathoss," she said.

  Vathoss nodded, and Kyle could almost hear the flat-motors and microhydraulics of his cyberware rev up as he did. His hair was buzz-cut and bright red, his chin square and neck bulky from the chemicals he was taking to boost whatever natural muscles his body still had. His eyes were dark and translucent, a protective shield grafted over what Kyle was sure were equally artificial vision and related sensory systems.

  Vathoss smiled. "Sir," he said.

  "And this is Lieutenant Paul Gersten." Ravenheart gestured to the other man. "My second in command."

  Gersten stuck out his hand and Kyle shook it. “Pleased to meet you," he said, noting that Gersten's grip was strong, but cold.

  Ravenheart turned back to Kyle. Her posture was formal and her eyes set while she spoke. "We've got a somewhat awkward situation here because we know each other." He nodded agreement. "But we're going to have to ignore that, even if it means things might ultimately get more awkward."

  Kyle could see Hanna watching the exchange with intense interest.

  "Now don't take this wrong," Ravenheart went on, "because I have the greatest respect for you and your talent, but you're way out of your league this time."

  “Thank you for pointing that out," Kyle said.

  She sighed. "I'm sorry to be so blunt, but you probably didn't know that Knight Errant has been conducting its own investigation concurrently with your own."

  Kyle glanced at Hanna, who seemed surprised. Beyond her, Devress was expressionless.

  "And we've turned up a few interesting things.” She turned to Gersten. "Lieutenant?"

  Gersten cleared his throat and took a small step closer to them. "We know that we're dealing with a covert group of anima spirits operating in the guise of five women, Dierdre Reinmann, Karyn Moffit, Mary Hauser, Gwen Pitvorec, and Linda Hayward. They're a conspiratorial group whose motivations are unclear except that they are apparently directed toward the gain and advancement of the group."

  "How does Mitchell Truman fit into this?" asked Kyle. "It sounds like some kind of women-only group, probably with pretty hard-line strictures. They couldn't have been trying to recruit him."

  Ravenheart shook her head. "We believe they were trying to possess him," she said, "but slotted up royally."

  "How could they hope to pull that off? If they're anima spirits, they've got pronounced 'female' characteristics. It would have been difficult for any of them to pretend to be Mitch Truman."

  "The boy was bisexual," said Gersten, and Kyle saw Ravenheart wince.

  Kyle glared at the man. "I won't even bother responding to that"

  "I'm with you," Ravenheart said. "I think the Hayward-spirit targeted or stumbled across Mitchell, established a romantic connection, maybe through magic, and was going to use him." She paused. "And then something went wrong."

  Kyle nodded. "Something in the relationship changed. Who knows? Maybe he found out something, and they had to act."

  "What you don't know, Kyle, is that the night Mitchell Truman was found, his sister Melissa was on her way to meet with him."

  "What?"

  "She'd received a call from her brother earlier that evening and had sneaked off to meet him. We intercepted the call and so knew where to go when she shook off the two guards with her. She made it, but her brother never showed up."

  "Do you think your people might have scared him off?"

  Both Gersten and Vathoss seemed to bristle slightly, but Ravenheart just shrugged. "Hard to tell. Our team was pretty well concealed, but anything is possible. The point is simply that he called his sister and asked her to meet him secretly."

  Kyle frowned. "You think they were switching targets and going for Melissa?"

  Devress didn't flinch, but Hanna gasped. "It would make sense," Ravenheart said. "If they saw they were losing control over Mitchell, it would have been logical to try to get direct control over another member of the family."

  "Through possession," said Kyle.

  Raven nodded. "Through possession. In the same manner they control the bodies they now inhabit."

  "So what do you recommend as our next step?"

  "Maintain level one security on the whole Truman family and their immediate staff," Ravenheart said. "It's unlikely the group will try again, especially now that we're alerted, but we want to play it safe. Once we've got that in place, we continue our pursuit of the Desolation Angels."

  "Got any leads?" Kyle asked.

  Ravenheart smiled. "Oh yes, but our sources are confidential, so I can't reveal the status of any just yet."

  Kyle returned the smile. "Of course."

  "Suffice it to say we're close."

  "Good. Then I won't keep you." Kyle reached into his pocket for one of his business cards. "Let me give you my portable telecom number…"

  "I have it," Ravenheart said.

  He stopped searching. "Well, then, can I have yours?"

  "Ms. Uljaken's got it. You can reach me directly at that number or through the command post we've established in the building's security office."

  "That should make it easy."

  "Good. Then everything's settled for now." Ravenheart turned and, much to Kyle's surprise, gestured her teammates toward a walkw
ay that led along the patio and out of sight toward the building area. "I'll be in touch as soon as we learn anything further."

  Ravenheart turned to follow the other two Knight Errant troopers away, but looked over her shoulder just before passing out of sight. "We should talk too," she said.

  Kyle smiled. "We will."

  She returned the smile and vanished around me corner.

  "Where are they going?" he asked Hanna, who was walking quickly toward him. Behind her, Devress was scanning the patio area slowly. He seemed very intent on something.

  "They arrived in a tilt-rotor. I presume they're going back to the helipad."

  Kyle nodded, then called for Charlotte.

  The spirit was instantly at his side, and had probably been waiting directly alongside him in astral space. "Watch them and make sure they all leave. Return to me if they don't go straight to the aircraft, and return to me if they depart in it."

  "I will," Charlotte said as she vanished.

  Kyle looked around the pool area. "Seeks-the-Moon?" he said.

  Devress looked up. "Yes?" he said, his features and clothing melting, flowing against gravity into the form of Seeks-the-Moon.

  "I'll be damned," said Kyle.

  "Quiet possibly," agreed the spirit, "but I suspect your old friend Captain Ravenheart will be receiving her fitting punishment a few circles below your own."

  "Oh?" said Kyle.

  “You will, of course, find yourself head turned backward with the others of your kind in the seventh pouch of Malebolge," said the spirit, quoting Dante, "while she will be found three below you, in the tenth pouch, with the other liars."

  "You think she lied to us?" asked Hanna.

  "Nearly every word," Kyle said.

  Hanna looked back and forth between Kyle and the spirit "How do you know?"

  "Timing," said Kyle. "Everything she said here and the things we already know imply that Knight Errant was investigating the case long before the Truman family actively recruited them."

  "I don't follow."

  "We know Knight Errant bought out your previous security provider's contract about three months ago. Why?"

  Hanna shrugged. "Prestige, market position. Any number of reasons."

  "Three months ago was about the time Mitchell Truman first met Linda Hayward, or whoever she is."

  "True, but I don't see how you can be sure there's a connection," Hanna told him.

  "I also know that Knight Errant is throwing mega assets into the Chicago area. In fact they've been doing that for some time now. For about the past three months, to be exact"

  They're gearing up to be a force in the Chicago market," Hanna told him. "They were very clear and direct about that."

  Kyle shook his head. "Wrong kinds of assets. You don't move military-grade combat teams into a city if you only intend to beef up your image."

  Hanna's eyes widened. "Military? You think that Captain Ravenheart and her people are military?"

  "Knight Errant's equivalent, certainly."

  A dull whine began to echo overhead, quickly building to a powerful roar of jet turbine engines. Seeks-the-Moon was a blur as he moved out of sight, passing through the patio doors and into the sanctuary of the condoplex. Over their heads, visible through the armored glass skylight, a Knight Errant tilt-wing cleared the building and began accelerating away quickly, its engines rotating into position for forward flight. It was going west.

  "Heading to O'Hare," said Kyle.

  Hanna nodded. "Ares has a small enclave out there. We understand that's where Knight Errant has its base."

  Kyle turned as the patio doors slid open. Seeks-the-Moon stepped through, an odd smile on his face. Close behind came a sour-faced Daniel Truman, who stood watching the receding tilt-wing craft. At that moment, Charlotte also reappeared next to Kyle.

  "Master," she said. "They all departed on the aircraft."

  "Thank you, Charlotte. Resume your patrols." The spirit vanished.

  "What kind of game do you think they're playing?" Truman asked him.

  Kyle shrugged. "Truthfully, I'm not sure."

  "But you agree something's going on?"

  "Most definitely," Kyle said. “They obviously have their own agenda here. I'm just not sure what it is."

  "Pardon me for saying so," said Hanna to them both, "but I still don't quite see why you're so sure Knight Errant is up to something."

  "I've met Damien Knight twice, Hanna," Daniel Truman told her. "I could repeat to you verbatim all twelve words we've exchanged. Yes, my firm has some dealings with his. But the two of us? We aren't friends. Especially not the kind of friends who give the other a billion nuyen worth of help without being asked."

  Kyle gasped. "A billion? What did they offer you?"

  Truman smiled lightly. "They said if things got particularly unpleasant-and they subtly warned me they might-I might want to think about taking a vacation with my family off-planet."

  "Off-planet?"

  Truman nodded. "They offered me a free orbit-lift and luxury quarters on their Daedalus space station."

  Kyle was nearly speechless. "That seems more than a little…"

  "Yes, doesn't it?" Truman said. "Of course, they said that would be a worst-case option, but they wouldn't elaborate on what that worst case might be."

  Kyle shook his head. "Knight Errant is up to something. Do you feel comfortable releasing them from your service?"

  Truman frowned. "No… for better or for worse, they're the best at protecting me and my family. I think they have ulterior motives for doing so, but I don't think they wish my ill."

  "I suspect you're right. Though I don't think we can assume they wouldn't be against sacrificing one of you to get whatever it is they want."

  Truman's eyes were hard. "Like they might have done with Mitch."

  Hanna's eyes widened. "I don't understand…"

  "If they were watching him and my family for months," Truman said, "why didn't they step in and do something when Mitch got grabbed? Hell, they may even have known where he was."

  "I don't think so," Kyle said. "Otherwise they'd have had no reason to be watching Melissa the night Mitch was found."

  "They were watching Melissa?" Truman was obviously surprised. "Who the hell told you that?"

  "It came up during the talk I had with Captain Ravenheart. The night Mitch was found, Melissa sneaked away to meet with him. She'd received a telecom call or some other contact that Knight Errant monitored from Mitch. I think they deliberately let her think she'd ducked them and then shadowed her. Mitch, however, never showed."

  "You have proof of this?" Truman asked.

  "Just circumstantial. Knight Errant was supposedly using ritual sorcery to trace her. They even had a ritual sample, which should have made it incredibly easy to track a nonmagically protected target like Melissa. It would have taken no more man the minimum time for the ritual-say an hour or two."

  "But they said they didn't find her until she was back at the condoplex," Hanna said. "Nearly five hours later."

  "Exactly," said Kyle.

  "Goddamn them," said Daniel Truman, staring off in the direction of the long-gone tilt-rotor.

  Seeks-the-Moon quietly stepped forward. "It would also seem that they have some information regarding the women-spirits."

  Hanna started. "I nearly forgot. My search didn't really turn up anything useful"-she turned to Kyle-"but yours did."

  "Oh?" he said.

  She shrugged. "I looked when I grabbed your datapad…"

  "What did it find?"

  "You got a couple of search requests indicating that Knight Errant and Ares were both willing to pay for information regarding something called 'aberrant spirits'."

  "What does that mean?" asked Truman.

  "Spirits they don't understand," said Seeks-the-Moon. "Or perhaps a type that contradicts what they believe they know about spirits."

  "Aberrant spirits," echoed Kyle. 'That could be almost anything." He looked at Hanna. "Do you
remember when it said Ares first started looking for that kind of data?"

  Hanna closed her eyes and tilted her head, trying to recall. "Early February twenty fifty-one," she said after a moment. "About four years ago."

  "It could be a coincidence," Truman pointed out.

  "Yes, but too many coincidences aren't likely either," Kyle said. "Did the searches turn up anything on their findings?"

  Hanna shook her head. "No, not directly, but you and I combined did get about two and a half gigapulses of data on the various subjects."

  "Great. The answers could be somewhere among all that data, but we might never find it."

  "I can set up a search program with a finer filter to run through the data we have. Index and cross-reference it. Then we can just scan the topic list," Hanna offered.

  "Do that," Kyle said, then turned to Truman. "In the meantime, I'd like to-"

  Somewhere, deep inside of him, the echo of a part of his being that had been sent elsewhere twisted. He felt it burn, and then an instant later, dissolve as potential unexpectedly freed returned to him.

  He gasped.

  Seeks-the-Moon was suddenly alongside him. "What is it?"

  Concern also showed on the faces of both Hanna Uljaken and Dan Truman.

  "One of the elementals I left guarding Mitch has been destroyed," Kyle said. He turned to look out across the city in the direction of the Handlemann Institute. "And that means the hospital is under attack."

  Dan Truman turned white. "Oh my god…"

  "I've got to get over there," Kyle told Seeks-the-Moon, who nodded but seemed surprised. "Charlotte!" Kyle called, and the air elemental appeared alongside him.

  "Help her," he told the spirit, pointing at Hanna. "Gather the rest of the Truman family inside. Then do anything and everything Seeks-the-Moon tells you."

  If air spirits could scowl, Charlotte did so, but all she said was, "I will do as you say."

  "You'll need my help at the hospital," said Seeks-the-Moon.

  "No, it could be a trick," Kyle said, quickly sitting down in one of the pool chairs. "Excuse me. I need to get over there."

  Working as fast as he could, Kyle turned his perception inward and allowed his spirit freedom from its physical body. He separated, then looked over the quiet area of astral space around the pool, the mundanes Dan Truman and Hanna Uljaken, though she still wore her scintillating earring, and the spirits Seeks-the-Moon and Charlotte. The mundanes stared at his body while the two spirits watched where Kyle floated a meter or so above the ground. Only Hanna seemed to catch on that Seeks-the-Moon was looking somewhere else than she was.