by Joseph Heck
“Sorcery is a construct of reality,” Megan explained patiently. “When magic is used in this world, it creates ripples throughout Li’Ethreal, what Humans call the astral planes.”
“I know what Li’Ethreal is!”
“Oh, I was not certain you did.” Megan looked at him in a noncommittal way before continuing. “We call this the ethereal echo. It acts like an encoded radio signal, although it is not. It is actually...”
“I didn’t ask for a lesson in magic,” Zak said impatiently. “Get to the point!”
She gave him a hard look. “Like I said, it is all rather fuzzy. It seems there was more than one sorcerer involved. I think they were Orkensha, but I cannot be certain.”
“Frag, so the Orks are involved!” Zak muttered.
“I said, I cannot be certain.”
Zak’s hatred for the Orks flared in spite of Megan’s uncertainty, but he did his best to push it aside. He had been trained to remain objective and not to jump to conclusions. And even if Orks were involved, it still didn’t mean that the Orkensha government or the Dhoraz were involved. It was quite common for Ork sorcerers to hire themselves out to any low life with the money to pay them.
He still couldn’t rule out industrial espionage. There were plenty of corporations - both foreign and domestic - that would sell their souls to be able to grab the SHIAM technology from Grimrok. It was only a matter of time before one of them actually attempted to do just that.
But there was another angle as well. Vennhim had come close when he suggested that the thieves may have broken into Grimrok simply to see what they could find. While Zak thought this scenario unlikely, SHIAM technology was not the only tantalizing prize Grimrok held.
“Could the SHIAM theft have been a diversion to cover up the theft of something else, like weapons technology?”
“We have conducted a thorough investigation,” Jonas said to him. “There is nothing else missing and there is no sign of any access to any other areas within the building.”
“How can you be so certain there was no access to any other area?” Zak asked the SHIAM. “Your security team didn’t even know there was a break-in until you noticed the SHIAM was missing. If it wasn’t for the unit being gone, nobody would have even noticed the break-in.”
Jonas looked perplexed, but said nothing.
“The Orks would find your weapons technology far more interesting than an android.” The temptation to lay this on the Orks, even without conclusive evidence, was nearly irresistible for him.
“You cannot assume that Orks were involved,” Megan said. “I told you, I cannot be certain. These echoes were deliberately distorted, making them impossible to interpret with any certainty. They seem to be Orkensha, but at the same time something does not feel right.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Megan ignored his question. Concentrating again, she made an attempt to discover something more about the sorcery. After some time she gave up. “No, it is simply too distorted.”
“That’s not a big help,” Zak mumbled. He had not intended for Megan to hear the comment, but Elves have a keen sense of hearing.
“I am sorry I cannot pull answers out of thin air!” Megan’s face contorted with anger.
“Look, I didn’t mean anything personal by it.”
“There is one other thing,” Megan said, clearly attempting to calm herself. “These traces I am detecting... I think they were deliberate.”
“What?”
“The traces of ethereal echoes, I think they were deliberately left to be found.”
“What makes you say that?”
“It was very cleverly done,” Megan said. “At first, I did not notice it, but the echoes seem to have been modified somehow. Normally the ethereal echo gradually deteriorates. Even with the use of strong sorcery they fade with time. The more they degrade, the more difficult it is to pick out any details about the particular sorcery. These traces here seem to have some sort of echo booster attached. They seem to send out periodic bursts, almost like beacons. They remain just strong enough to be detected, but too weak to gain any definite information. I am nearly positive this was no accident. Someone wanted the ethereal echoes to be found.”
“Why would the thieves do that?” Jonas asked.
“A good question,” Zak said thoughtfully. “A very good question.”
13
“Do you hate everyone, or just everyone you do not approve of?”
“What are you talking about, I don’t hate anyone!”
“Well, you were certainly rude to Jonas. You seem to have a hate-on for Mr. Vennhim. And you have already made it clear how you feel about Elves.”
“The metal head isn’t even alive,” Zak said defensively. “I have no feelings one way or another about it. Vennhim...is a personal matter.”
“And what of Elves?”
“I don’t hate Elves. Not really. It’s a long story.”
The rain was coming down hard and Megan was forced to drive at ground level. Even though she claimed she had slowed down for the weather conditions, Zak felt she was still driving too fast. He remained a nervous passenger as he looked out past the swishing strokes of the wiper blades.
“Would you slow down!”
“I have slowed down.”
“Not enough! You’re still going too fast for conditions.”
Megan’s response was to accelerate. Not a lot. Just enough to let Zak notice the change in speed. When he looked over at her and saw the antagonizing grin on her face, he decided not to comment. Instead he sat silently brooding. Of all the Elves in the world, why did this girl have to be Michavelli Teranika’s daughter?
“Well?” She said glancing over at him.
“Well, what?”
“What is it you have against Elves?”
“I told you, it’s a long story.” He was not happy with the way she made him feel. Off balance...and confused. He had always demanded control over himself in any situation. Since she had come along a few short hours ago, that control was already wavering. She had come into his life like floodwaters through a broken dam. And what really bothered him was that he was showing signs that he might enjoy the swim.
He had felt an attraction toward her from that very first glimpse he had of her on his security monitor, from the very first words she had spoken to him. Even after he’d learned that she was an Elf, the attraction remained. And even now, after learning who she was... Thinking about her identity brought back the guilt and with the guilt came regret. He fought back the memories that pressed at the edges of his mind. He needed to put those things behind him. It had all happened a very long time ago...
“What of the Orks?” Megan persisted with her questions. “Why do you hate them so?”
“They aren’t exactly favored among Elves either.”
“No, but it is different with you.” She glanced over at him, those penetrating green eyes of hers searching for something from him. “You have a lot of unresolved anger.”
“Don’t try to psychoanalyze me!”
The slapping of the wiper blades suddenly sounded harsher than before. Angry. Then Zak realized that the anger was his own. He cursed her, but silently.
“How old are you?” he asked her, determined to change the subject.
“Thirty-three.”
“You are barely out of puberty.”
“I am an adult!”
“Talk to me again when you’re two hundred.”
Unlike Humans, Elves lived as long as five hundred years. Being half-Elf, at age fifty, Zak was still considered to be a fairly young man, but could only expect to live to be two hundred at most.
They drove the rest of the way in silence. As they approached his loft, Zak realized that he had again been watching Megan out of the corner of his eye. She’d dropped the fashion spell and was now back to the degenerate version of herself he’d first met. He was surprised when he realized that her punky fashion statement and Elvish features were no longer the focus of his atten
tion. She was a desirable woman... No! Those kinds of thoughts had to end now!
Fortunately, He was home. Megan pulled over and let him out at the curb.
“I’ll call you,” he told her.
“Yeah, right!” They both knew he would not call her.
Megan drove off without another word. Zak watched her disappear into the pouring rain before turning and walking towards his building.
. . .
“Ke’aira!”
Zak didn’t appreciate the unexpected spray of water as the dripping wet Wilderdog shook herself. Not that Zak was any drier himself. The storm had let up shortly after Megan had dropped him off at home. He had decided to take advantage of the break in the weather and, although a light rain was still falling, he took Ke’aira for her walk. They were only about halfway through their normal circuit when the light rain once again turned into a full-fledged monsoon.
Zak was more worried than angry as they headed for the bathroom to dry off. Ke’aira had been in a constant nervous state ever since he had returned home from his second visit to Grimrok Corporation. He had hoped that the walk would help calm her, but the dog had only reluctantly agreed to the walk, her worried eyes continually shifting from side to side as they went. She had not been her normally curious self and had remained glued to Zak’s side as they made their way down the riverfront. When the storm hit again she turned and headed straight for home.
She now paced nervously, her eyes still filled with worry as she repeatedly glanced up at Zak as if expecting him to do something to fix whatever was wrong.
“Look at this floor. It’s sopping wet. Who’s going to clean this up!” Zak was hoping to provide Ke’aira with a sense of normalcy with his mock complaining. Even though he kept his voice light, he wasn’t able to shake his concern over the dog’s behavior.
Ke’aira cut his rant short by springing up on her hind legs, her front paws landing on his shoulders. She gave him several generous licks that did nothing to dry him. He was pleased that his distraction seemed to work.
“Okay, I forgive you. Now get down so I can dry us both off. And the bathroom.”
She dropped down to the floor, but rather than waiting to get dried, she turned to leave. She gave one more shake-off, glancing over her shoulder as she walked out. Zak could have sworn that the dog was smiling as she left.
“I need to dry you off. Don’t you go sitting on any of the furniture until you’re dry!” he called after her, knowing full well that she was heading straight for the living room couch.
As he finished cleaning up and changed into dry clothes his thoughts returned to the Grimrok theft. Whoever pulled it off went to a lot of trouble, first by covering it up and then, apparently, by leaving intentional clues behind. If that was really the case. Megan admitted that she wasn’t sure about what she had sensed. Could the beacon-like affect be some sort of an anomaly caused by the magic used in the break-in? If the echoes really were planted, did that mean the distorted Ork signatures were part of the plant? Or were they unintentionally left behind by the Ork sorcerers who had cast the spells?
Zak had more questions than answers and he found it beyond frustrating. Even his one and only solid lead was suspect. How could EAST Group have been involved? From all appearances, they didn’t have anywhere near the funding to finance something like this? Could their financial woes possibly be bogus? Could they have had a financial backer for this operation? If so, then the question was; who was the backer...the Dhoraz? That seemed unlikely. Elves and Orks barely tolerated each other for the most part. The better odds were on one of the Elvish nations secretly backing EAST Group.
There were just too many possibilities right now. The anti-SHIAM sentiment wasn’t the only possible motivation for the theft. The commercial value of the SHIAM technology was worth billions of credits. And, even though the World Federation had set restrictive guidelines in the use of AI technology in order to prevent it, the possibilities for military applications were numerous. Which brought Zak back to the possibility of both domestic and international involvement.
He used the towel he’d dried off with to dry the bathroom floor and walls. One big question was; how did information about the new generation SHIAM leak out of Grimrok in the first place? It didn’t seem likely that one of the SHIAM would have leaked it. Could one of the low level employees be a spy? It was the only thing that made any kind of sense. Even though Zak had accused Vennhim, he really couldn’t see the ex-ASID agent being involved. Vennhim was all about patriotism. He was excessive and fanatical, but not the kind of guy to hire out for industrial espionage. Unless...
No. Zak immediately dismissed the idea Vennhim could be on a covert assignment for ASID. What possible motive could the Aragne government have for stealing technology from one of their own military contractors? Still, there was something about Vennhim leaving ASID that picked at him. Vennhim was the lifer type. He liked the intrigue, not to mention the violence. Was it possible that even Vennhim had reached a point where he’d had enough? Zak made his way from the bathroom to his office area. He ignored the wet spot on the couch as Ke’aira jumped off it in order to follow him. He didn’t quite make it to his desk when the lower lobby intercom buzzed.
“It is Megan,” the voice from the intercom responded. “I need to speak with you.”
Zak hesitated. The sound of her voice produced both apprehension and anticipation within him. When she left him on the curb, he had intended for her to be out of his life for good. Now that she had returned, he felt relief at the prospect of seeing her again. But a sense of dread followed close behind. Her return signified a complication in his life that he had no desire to deal with.
“Zak, can I come up?”
The tension in Megan’s voice pulled him out of his dilemma. Something was wrong.
“Sure, come on up,” he told her.
When the elevator appeared Megan slid the gate up and stepped into the loft. She had changed into a pair of faded blue jeans that were no less tight than those she had worn earlier. She also wore a man’s styled shirt beneath a denim jacket. The top buttons on the blood red shirt she wore were undone, distracting Zak with a generous view of her cleavage. She had traded her military boots for a pair of high-heeled black leather boots. Her make-up was slightly different. Not as dark, but no less exotic. But even the make-up could not mask the worry that made her face tight with stress.
“What’s wrong?” Zak asked. He immediately felt protective of her. Seeing her distress sent something resembling chills down his spine, but he denied that it was anything more than compassion.
Ke’aira had also sensed that something was not right. She pressed her body against Megan’s leg in a protective stance and nuzzled her hand. Megan began absently stroking the dog’s coat, massaging Ke’aira’s neck and back.
“I am sorry to bother you,” Megan said apologetically.
“It’s okay. What is it?”
“Do you believe EAST Group is really involved with all this?”
The question threw Zak for a moment. He had expected a personal problem from Megan, judging by her mood. He hadn’t expected her to be worrying over the case. “There’s no solid proof either way. Why?”
“Well, I have friends who are members of EAST Group...” She hesitated as though unsure if she should continue.
Why was he not surprised at this revelation? “And you didn’t think it was important to mention this to me before?”
“I did not think it mattered,” she said. “I never imagined that my friends would become involved with...”
Zak pushed back his irritation with a deep breath. “Okay. It’s all right, forget it. Why don’t you just tell me what’s going on.”
“I have these friends...Samarah Lenetha and Gavril Iliadd.” She stooped and gave Ke’aira a hug as the dog continued to offer her comfort. “Samarah... She called me a little while ago. She is concerned about Gavril. She has not heard from him for a few days. At first, I told her not to worry. I have
known Gavril a long time. He is good at disappearing for days at a time. Usually, he takes off into the forests or wanders from place to place on walkabout...”
“He’s an Elf?”
“Yes.” Her expression turned instantly cold.
“I was just asking,” Zak said, holding up his hands defensively. “I didn’t mean anything by it!”
Megan warmed slightly and continued. “He can be very irresponsible at times. And Samarah tends to overreact. But then I got this really bad feeling.”
“You’d better come have a seat.”
Zak led her into the living area with Ke’aira keeping pace at her side.
“Ah, Ke’aira!” Zak had forgotten about the couch. The plush leather was wet and small pools of water had accumulated in the recessed areas of the cushions. “You’d better sit in the chair.”
As Megan seated herself in the chair with Ke’aira taking up position on the floor in front of her, Zak sat on the arm of the couch, ignoring the puddles of water for the moment.
“So, you have a bad feeling,” he repeated her words. “What, exactly, does that mean?”
“Well, I am not a seer or fortuneteller or anything, if that is what you are getting at!”
“I’m not trying to get at anything,” he assured her. “I am simply trying to understand what you are saying.”
She was silent for a moment. And then she said, “I just started thinking about all the stuff about the theft and all. I realized then that, according to what Samarah told me, Gavril disappeared about the same time as the burglary.”
“Does this Gavril seem like the type to get mixed up in something like this?”
“Samarah and Gavril both joined the EAST Group together. Samarah only joined because it was what Gavril wanted. It was Gavril who was really committed to the cause. He felt very strongly against the SHIAM, any kind of artificial intelligence for that matter. He believes that it is an abomination, that machine intelligence mocks the sacredness of true life.”
“There are a lot of people who feel that way, Humans as well as Elves.”