Project Phoenix

by D. C. Fergerson

  Richard shut his eyes and shook his head. Cora stepped forward.

  “You didn’t do this, Richard,” she said. “Toller was working us and Children of Earth. He was always acting on behalf of Lucius.”

  Richard walked around the room, looking at the display on each door. His steps made no sound. His chest did not move with breath.

  “How am I doing this, Richard? Where is this?” Cora asked.

  He turned and faced her, his expression dour and pained. “Your father’s NSA file was a book unto itself. He was at one point believed to be one of the most powerful and dangerous magic-users on the planet. Classifying you, his daughter, as a natural adept may have been an understatement. As for here, I don’t know. I come and go, fading in and out like a dream. It’s hard to remember things here.”

  “Like a dream,” Cora repeated. “Have you been reaching out to me from here?”

  Richard stared at her, puzzled. “No. I don’t have any magical ability at all. I wouldn’t even know how to find you.”

  Cora sighed. “We have a lot to discuss, but I don’t know how much time we really have.”

  “Let’s begin,” Richard nodded.

  “You were at the restaurant,” she said. “Drake used Toller to decrypt the data on his rig. You saw something that alarmed you. It made you go warn the handler. What was it?”

  He took a moment, staring at the ground, struggling to recall. “It was Project Phoenix. We were under the impression it was one location, but it’s two. Two separate lists sorted and tracked through Project Ashes and then sent on to one of the two facilities.”

  “Where are they?” Cora asked.

  “The only one I saw was a satellite station in Spreewald,” Richard replied. He closed the distance between them. “Cora, you shouldn’t go there. This is the secret Lucius was protecting. Bauer is going to be all over that place. It’ll be too much, even if we still had a team.”

  Cora walked away. She needed to put distance between her and this spirit. His corpse. She hopped up and sat on the exam table and rested her head in her hands.

  “You don’t know what I’ve been through since you’ve gone,” she said. She took a breath. “Lucius used Toller’s message node with the NSA to breach us. He knew all of our movements. He took your fitness report from last week and replaced it with one that makes me sound...unstable, and possibly politically sympathetic to Children of Earth. The NSA thinks I’m involved in your death.”

  “No,” Richard shook his head. “I broke my promise to you. I wanted you to be free.”

  “I got a team together,” Cora continued unabated. “We even had the data, fully decrypted. Giovanna said we should make a play to reach out to Director Thompson, but we didn’t know about the breach.”

  “Was he at least willing to talk? I mean, I’m his daughter’s godfather, for Christ’s sake,” Richard asked.

  Cora nodded. “He was reasonable. But it was too late. Lucius knew. He...killed my second team. Right in front of me, along with the data, all of the evidence I had. He said he wanted me to suffer for crossing him.”

  Richard put his hands over his mouth. His eyes widened. “Oh, no, Cora. You’re here because you want to finish this with him.”

  She didn’t reply. He took a step towards her. “Cora, this isn’t a power play, it’s desperation. It’s suicidal. You can’t take on the dragon by yourself.”

  Cora hopped down and walked to Richard. She was so close she could touch him, but still resisted the urge. She didn’t want to know what would happen if she did.

  “You have to go, Richard. Leave this world behind. I can’t leave this room knowing I left you like this, trapped here,” she pleaded. “For years now, you’ve been like a father to me. I can’t tell you how much I love you, how much I’m trying to keep pushing forward like you taught me. I try to put my emotions to the side. I feel like if I finally face the fact that this our last conversation, and you’re really gone, I’ll fall apart at the seams. I won’t ever be the same without you.”

  Cora crossed her arms and dropped her head in her palm. Unable to stem the well of emotions, she broke down. She sobbed, her head pounding from exhaustion and crying. Two strong hands gripped her shoulders, startling her. She looked up. Richard pulled her into him, pressing her head to his chest. His fingers ran through her black hair.

  “I love you, too, Cora,” he said. “Somewhere along all of our trips, all of the lessons, you became the daughter I never had time to have. You filled a void in my soul I never knew was there. That’s why you have to run, Cora. Forget about all of this and...survive.”

  Cora reached around him and squeezed, giving her the strength to get herself together. She pulled back and looked up to him.

  “I can’t do that,” she replied. “I won’t live in fear. Lucius won’t stop. So, tonight I’m either going to join you or avenge you.”

  Richard tried to speak, but Cora cut him off.

  “I made my decision, Richard,” she said, her voice nasal and full of congestion. “I’m at peace with it. I need you to be at peace with it, too. We all knew the dangers of the choices we made. We joined you anyway. You have to accept that.”

  Richard released her and stepped back. He looked her hard in the eye for an eternity. She held his gaze. Her mind was made up. He nodded.

  A bright light formed in mid-air behind Richard, growing and swelling. The light was intense and blinding, yet beautiful and calming. Cora shielded her eyes as it grew in size and radiance. It formed an elliptical portal taller than Richard. Cora leaned to the side to look around it. Despite the view from the front, at the side it appeared as flat as paper.

  “I hope it is a long time before I see you again,” Richard said, glancing over his shoulder at the portal of light. “Survive, Cora. It’s what you do. It’s what you’ve always done.”

  “I will,” she replied.

  Richard turned around and stepped toward the swirling light. With another step, the gate collapsed in on itself, Richard vanishing with it. Cora clasped her hand over her mouth, crying and screaming into it. She continued to weep as she slid the tray back into the freezer and shut the small door.

  The smooth metal door reflected back at her. Her own face shocked her and filled her with fright, reeling back from the stainless steel. Her eyes were black from corner to corner. She blinked, letting the dark magic unravel and absorbed the energy back into her body. Another look at her reflection showed whites with dark brown irises. She let out a sigh of relief.

  Cora walked back down the corridor in a daze. Whether the dwarf had turned on her or not, whether Bauer waited to execute her in the lobby, it was fine. Richard was at peace now. Something in all of this horror had finally gone right. She opened the door to find Doctor Krin still sitting at his desk, playing a video game in the air, projected from his Arcadia. He closed it as she drew near and reached to the end of his desk. He pulled a tissue from a box and held out his hand.

  “Thanks,” Cora said, blowing her nose into it.

  “Looked like you could use it, dear,” he said. “Worst part of my job, really. I can take care of every body that comes through here, but I can’t treat the damage they leave behind on the living.”

  She took a deep breath and tossed her tissue in a garbage bin beside his desk. “Nothing can. But I know what will help, now.”

  “Good. That’s good, dear,” he replied.

  The dwarf made his best attempt at empathy, but the concern over his payment was just under the surface. Cora motioned him with her hand. As he leaned in, she reached for his wrist. Swiping through screens, she pulled up the app she knew he’d have open. An untraceable bank account for dealings such as these. Being in this part of Berlin, she assumed it just came with the territory. She tapped her comm.

  “Initiate transfer from First Elven Bank of Kyoto,” she said. “Three hundred thousand to this device.”

  She swiped her banking screen in the direction of his. Both screens reflected the communicati
on and transfer. Holding up her wrist to his, they mirrored each other, showing a successful transfer. With a nod, she headed for the door.

  “Thanks again,” she said over her shoulder.

  “To you, as well, dear.”

  Cora was pleased to find the cab driver still waiting for her outside. The dark-haired cabbie unlocked the doors with a thunk. She got in and wiped her eyes.

  “Where to now, my friend?” the cabbie asked.

  Cora held up a finger and checked her computer as fast as she could swipe through it. She found more good news. There was only one biker bar in Kreuzberg. At least she wouldn’t have to go bar-hopping in the middle of the night.

  “Take me to Growl and Roar,” she said.

  The driver cocked his head. “You know that’s a tough bar, right? Could be dangerous for you.”

  “I’m counting on it,” she replied.

  Growl and Roar

  When The Awakening began, the CDC estimated the emergence of genetic traits from magical races to be around four percent for each of the four major populations. The number sounded small enough not to cause riots. The reality was over three hundred million people worldwide changed over the course of a three month period. Overnight, people went to work without realizing they looked years younger and grew pointed ears. An average-size man woke to find he was too big for his bed, had horns like a ram, and two sharp teeth protruded from a porcine lower jaw. In the reverse, some woke at half their size. Some, like Cora’s father, awakened to a more subtle change, with caramel, reddish skin, and an unshakeable connection to the earth.

  After that, the Illuminati warned there would be others that emerged, magical beings that had been there all along, hiding among humans or hibernating between the Awakening periods. Every fantasy, horror, and urban legend was called into question as some proved real, while others were gross exaggerations.

  Instead of hysteria and panic, lines were drawn in the sand all over the world. Homogenous nations were suddenly dealing with multicultural populations, while more diverse countries like the United States broke apart under the pressure of so many competing interests. In Germany, it seemed like everyone that wasn’t human was looking for sanctuary. Growl and Roar catered to that crowd exclusively. It was a safe haven with only one rule - no humans without an escort.

  Known by most outsiders to be a biker bar from the looks of the parking lot, the facade outside hid the truth within. When Cora paid off her cabbie and stepped inside, the deafening chatter of two-hundred people combined with a DJ playing Synth for the dance floor. Holographic vid screens played sports highlights by the bar. The dizzying display momentarily distracted her from the most awe-inspiring part of walking in - the patrons. Nine-foot trolls sat beside four-foot dwarves, drinking a pint while watching soccer highlights. A group of elves sat in a roped-off VIP section, sipping wine in their three-piece suits. A drink tray floated past Cora’s face with a buzz. The tray floated several feet past her before she noticed the winged fairy carrying it from underneath.

  Alas, a quick survey of the area determined she was the only Native in the room. It wasn’t that surprising in Germany, as her people were mostly Awakened in the Americas. Still, it was disheartening to know the only of her kind she found in Berlin were from Children of Earth, may they rest in peace.

  Cora weaved around the varied magical people sitting or standing around tables, avoided the dance floor at her right, and found an empty seat at the bar in the back of the room. A smooth-shaved, hairless troll towered over her from the other side of the bar, looking down on her with what she assumed was a smile. It was hard to tell with his lips curled around his lower fangs. She tried not to stare at the horns that swept back from his temples and curled up under his ears.

  “What can I get you, Miss?” he said in German.

  “Whiskey, no rocks. Leave the bottle,” Cora replied.

  “Gonna need a pre-pay for that,” the troll said.

  Cora held out her wrist, and the troll hit her Arcadia with a scanning gun from under the counter. Her credit was good, so he walked back to the glass shelves and pulled off a bottle of Black Forest Rothaus and held it up for her approval. Cora nodded and waved him over. The brand didn’t make a difference, even if it was top-shelf. It wasn’t like they would have Jack just laying around, so she’d take what she could get.

  The troll set down the bottle and glass and crossed his massive, toned arms. Either he was waiting for her approval or an admission the price was too high once she noticed the tag. Cora popped the cork without looking and poured. She held up the glass in salute, then shot it down. The bottle’s artwork screamed sipping whiskey, but berry notes and scents of raisin were for the elves. She wanted numbness and to shut up the voice that made her second guess why she was here.

  She leaned in and gestured the troll closer. He had to put his hands on the bar to brace himself as he got down to her level.

  “I’m looking for Derk,” she shouted over the annoying dance music.

  The troll stood erect, raising a hairless eyebrow. He held up a finger and walked off. Cora lost him as he went to the far end of the bar, a sea of customers blocking her view. To her right, a drink tray floated onto the bar beside her. Inch by inch, it came to rest at an angle, as though something was crawling out from beneath it. Cora grabbed the edge of the tray and held it up. A brunette woman in a black leather one-piece and heels emerged, with gossamer wings folded behind her back.

  “Thanks, sister,” she said. Despite being less than a foot tall, her voice projected loud enough to hear over the din of the crowd and music. Her accent was hard to place, perhaps Irish or Scottish. Dark circles under the fairy’s eyes made Cora tired just looking at her.

  Cora waited until she was clear to set down the tray. She nodded and poured another drink. The fairy stood at the edge of the counter, looking back and forth. She turned to Cora and motioned back with her thumb.

  “Did you see where Eric went?”

  “I asked him to get someone for me and he walked off,” Cora replied, pointing down the row.

  “Oh, guess I’ll just wait for him, then. Customers love to wait,” she said, crossing her arms.

  “Rough night?”

  The fairy took in a deep breath and exhaled. She smiled and nodded. “Weekends are great for tips, but it is really tiresome.”

  Cora shook her head, holding back a laugh. “I can’t imagine what you need credits for.”

  “Rent is due on the fifth, that’s what,” she replied. Her eyes burned with offense. “Berlin is expensive. We don’t all live in trees and shoeboxes.”

  Cora shook her head and raised her glass. “Hey, no offense intended. I’ve never met a fairy before. I don’t know your story.”

  The fairy warmed up with a half-hearted smile. “I’m sorry, I might be a little touchy. I worked a double on this shift and I’m getting a little crabby.”

  “Here’s to you, then,” Cora laughed and took a shot.

  The fairy’s eyes moved to something behind Cora. Her face scrunched with concern. She spread out her wings.

  “I don’t know who you pissed off, but good luck, sister,” she said, fluttering her wings into a blur and flying away.

  Cora could feel the gravity and presence of someone behind her. It was someone big. Her hair stood on end. She growled to herself, annoyed. A pink-skinned hand grabbed hold of her shoulder, a hand so large that his pinky dangled in the air. The nearest customer, a dwarf two seats away, looked behind Cora and excused himself from his seat.

  “Who’s asking about Derk?” a rumbling voice asked.

  “Someone that doesn’t like being touched,” Cora replied without turning around. “So move that hand if you want to keep it.”

  She was never one to initiate fights, but she had just enough tragedy and just enough whiskey to not take another offense tonight. She closed her eyes, summoning a small bit of magic from within, and waited on his move. The energy flowed through her until she felt it at the ready,
a heat in her arms, waiting to explode.

  “I said-”

  The troll yanked at her shoulder to spin her around. Cora let the spell burst into her arms, a surge of superhuman strength. A fleeting spell that lasted only seconds, she’d have to act fast to end the situation or make it horribly worse. She used the momentum of the troll pulling her around to slide backwards off the stool. Her left hand grasped his on her shoulder and pulled him in while she weaved under him and switched places. His momentum carrying him forward, Cora used her other arm at the back of his horned skull to guide him. His own size worked against him, slamming his stomach into bar, bringing him low enough that Cora smashed his face into the bar counter beside the drink tray. With a turn of his wrist, his face rested on the wood and he moaned with discomfort as his arm bent back behind him awkwardly.

  “I said take your hand off me,” Cora said. “This is what you get for not listening.”

  Cora felt the magic dissipate within. If the pink-skinned troll made a move now, he’d outclass her strength by a wide margin. He stayed in the position Cora forced him into even as he could escape anytime. As long as he didn’t realize that, Cora was safe.

  From her peripheral vision, a troll bouncer was moving her way from the left, while another troll came up from the dance floor on her right. The one on the right came up fast, too fast for her to switch gears and move against him. Bystanders surrounded her in every direction, with nearest ones gawking right at the scene unfolding. She decided the best course of action was to use the bouncer she had as leverage.

  The troll that came from the right was dark-skinned and wore a white tank top and the kind of lycra track pants that made noise with every step. His long, messy hair partly obscured his horns. He took a seat a few feet before reaching them, putting his back to the bar. Cora could only afford a glance, but it looked like the troll was laughing. He leaned to the side, drawing closer, and looked into the eyes of the troll she had pinned to the bar.