The Elder Witches

by R.E. Packer

  ****

  With that taken care of we went to check on Marvin. Taking the beltway we made such good time I had to wonder if one of my passengers was influencing other drivers somehow.

  Marvin’s motorcycle sat in the back lot of a neglected row of businesses in an industrial park. A dry cleaners and a liquid auto wrap shop were his only neighbors. Narrow stairs led up to the office where Marvin stood behind a woman wearing black horn rimmed glasses hunched over a computer. When the ladies entered the office all typing stopped and 3 sets of eyes were glued to them.

  I smiled at the sight, neither Gwen nor Maeve paused or seemed to notice.

  “How are you making out on our project?” I asked.

  “We’re making progress,” he said, glancing nervously at Eros and the witches.

  “We intercepted a few communications. Erin was just showing me the data stream she found— she’s a genius with this stuff, really. They’re really going all out looking for you guys” he continued. “We also intercepted a memo that they’re doing sweeps on foot through the city hourly. There was also mention of a secret weapon being deployed to their teams.”

  “Have you heard anything about Vivian Tutino?” Gwen asked.

  “Oh! The witch,” a man with a goatee sitting on the other side of the room said. He looked more like a lumberjack then a hacker. All he needed was a knit hat to complete the picture. When he spoke it was a rumble in his chest.

  “We found an email from her this morning, telling all troops to report to her directly if you were found,” he said. He gestured air quotes with his hands, which looked oddly out of place with the big man.

  “Chet hacked into their email server. It’s technically only available internally but he hacked through another system that has access to their server and then routed through that,” Marvin said.

  “Why would she want them to do that?” Chet asked, pausing to run his eyes over all of us again. “I don’t mind doing this and I know I can trust Marvin, but I like to know why I’m putting myself on the line. Why would a government spook have it in for you two?” He pointed at the women and seemed to consider something as he looked at Eros, then at me.

  Chet sat back and crossed his arm over his chest. His rolled up sleeves revealed forearms that looked more at home in muscle head gym or a cage match than sitting in front of a computer. Letting his size persuade others to give him information was something he looked very comfortable with.

  “Because she has a poor value on her self preservation,” Gwen said in a cool tone.

  Chet let out a loud barking laugh. “How hard would it be to take on too hot chicks,” Chet said laughing.

  “What has Marvin told you about us, Chet,” Gwen asked.

  Marvin swung around so rapidly he knocked over a coffee cup. “I didn’t say anything about you— any of you— or you know about your special skills,” Marvin said, earning a look of contempt from the giant hacker. Luckily, Erin's quick reflexes kept the coffee from spilling all over her keyboard.

  “Maybe I should just see if I can get a reward for all this information,” Chet said feeling more confident.

  “Now you’ve done it,” Maeve said shaking her head in a chastising manner.

  Gwen took a step toward Chet, in mid stride she shimmered and disappeared, then became solid again as her foot finished it’s stride across the room where Chet sat. All three hacker’s jaw dropped and Chet’s eyes grew wide having the effect that Gwen was going for. Before he could let his fear take over, Gwen swung hitting Chet in the nose with a right cross.

  “What the hell are you?” Chet asked, blood flowing from his nose.

  “Somebody who doesn’t like being threatened,” she said. “Now, are we done here or do you want to flex your muscles at me some more?”

  Enraged, he started to stand up, then thought better of it and sat back down.

  “Yes,” he said.

  “Yes, what?”

  “Yes, we’re done,” he said behind his hand.

  Blood now covered the front of his Chet’s shirt, dripping on the desk in front of him.

  “Well, this won’t do,” Gwen said, bringing her hand up to his nose. He flinched away, squinting his eyes almost shut. A blue glow that nobody but a witch or wizard could see wrapped around Chet’s head. The blood stopped, the swelling faded, and the redness in his face took on a more healthy hue.

  Looking back to Marvin she said “Be sure to keep us posted on everything you find.“

  Maeve stood watching Chet even as Gwen turned to leave. Instead of heading toward the door with Gwen, she walked toward Chet, her eyes never leaving his, her head tilting as she walked to maintain the eye contact he was now trying to avoid.

  “Are we good here Chet? I know you said you were, but something tells me you don’t like to let things go. What was that you were just thinking about telling a reporter?”

  Chet recoiled like he was hit again, finally settling on a look of contempt, his lips pursed.

  “Remember this big boy, I can hack more than your little electronic gizmos,” Maeve said.

  “How would you like to spend the the foreseeable future thinking you’re a drag queen?”

  “Would, could you, really do that?” I asked her, once we got outside.

  “I know a bar were they dress up in traditional Spanish flamenco dresses every Tuesday night. He would fit right in.”

  I couldn’t tell if she was serious or not, but I hoped I would never find myself craving a red frilly dress while a mischievous witch catcalled from the bar.