Dark Spy’s Mission

by I. T. Lucas

  The other problem was holding on to several tethers at once. It was a mental burden, and finding the right tether to follow wasn’t easy. She’d had to concentrate hard to figure out which of her friends had been at the end of what string.

  “They didn’t make a fuss the first time, but it was a big deal.” She took a sip from the water bottle. “The stinky eye looks they gave me are still fresh in my mind.”

  Arwel shook his head, but she didn’t give him a chance to respond.

  “Why should I have to tether them when they are right here? Especially since Kian wants them to know that they are tethered. I don’t get the advantage of my metaphysical spying over that of a physical device attached to them in a way they can’t remove. I’m sure your boy-genius William can come up with something.”

  “Do you want to talk to Kian?”

  She wasn’t looking forward to it and doubted she could convince him to change his mind, but it was worth a try.

  “Can you call him and ask if he is willing to hear me out? I feel odd about calling him directly, especially since I will have to use your phone.”

  Arwel chuckled. “I get it. Whenever I want to talk to Kian, I prefer to text him first. With everything he has to do, the guy is so busy and short-tempered that it’s better to let him answer at his convenience.”

  Pulling out his phone, Arwel typed up a short message and sent it.

  As several long moments passed without a response, Jin concluded that Kian wasn’t going to bother acknowledging her request. After all, she was a nobody, not even a member of his clan.

  Not yet.

  Or was she?

  As Arwel’s mate, she probably would have been granted membership. According to Mey, no official ceremony was needed to establish them as a couple, so what determined her status? Did Arwel have to make an official announcement?

  Jin stifled a chuckle. He could use the one she’d come up with.

  When Arwel’s phone buzzed, she hoped it was Kian.

  “Yeah, she is right here with me.” Arwel handed it to her.

  Taking a deep breath, Jin closed her eyes for a moment. “Hi, Kian. Thanks for calling back.”

  “Arwel said that you wanted to talk to me about tethering your friends. I assume that there is a problem?”

  “It’s not that I can’t do it, but I don’t think it’s the best way to keep tabs on them. It’s not like I follow that tether all of the time. That’s impossible to do, especially when I have several attached. Besides, if they do something while I’m not watching, I wouldn’t know about it. A physical tracker of some sort would do a much better job.”

  “I see your point. I’ll have William put tracking cuffs on Richard and Wendy, but you still need to tether Jacki because she is going with you, and the cuff is not going to do us much good. You can also tell her that it’s for her own safety while on the mission.”

  Jin exhaled a relieved breath. “Thank you. That’s going to be much easier to explain and not as creepy. Also, I forgot to mention something about my talent when I was talking to you and Edna. It’s really difficult for me to hold several tethers at once, and even more difficult to follow a particular one to the right person. I guess it’s a cognitive load that gets heavier the more people I tether. I think it would be best to leave my mind as unencumbered as possible while I’m connected to Kalugal. Keep the connection uncluttered, so to speak.”

  Which meant that she would have to release Mey’s tether. Most of the time, Jin didn’t think of it or even feel it, but that was because she wasn’t tethering anyone else at the moment, and the load was light.

  “Absolutely. I didn’t know that it burdens you like that. Did the program director know about it?”

  “Yes. That was the purpose of the experiment. I tethered all of my teammates to test how many I could hold at once, and whether I could follow the tethers to the right people. After three, it got messy. The director told me that when I got an assignment, it would be to tether one person only, and that whenever possible, I would get notified when to follow it, like during important meetings.”

  “I’m starting to get a better picture of how it works,” Kian said. “To know what your target is doing, you need to actively follow the string and listen and watch. You need to suspend whatever you are doing at that moment to concentrate on that.”

  “Correct.”

  “Then it’s not a good tool to keep tabs on someone. It’s only good for emergencies and for spying on people at particular times, not on an ongoing basis.”

  “That about sums it up.”

  “Let me think about what to do with Jacki. I’m not sure your tether is the right tool for keeping tabs on her either.”

  “You are right about it not being good for that, but I think I should tether her, especially when we go after Kalugal. If he messes with my mind and makes me see things, my tether to Jacki might help me see what’s really there because she is immune to his mind tricks. Or at least we hope that she is. If he is as powerful as you say, he might be able to compel her as well.”

  15

  Arwel

  “You are good.” Arwel took the phone from Jin and put it in his pocket. “Kian accepted your explanation without argument.”

  “I’m just as surprised as you are. Maybe I have some compulsion power too?”

  “You just speak in a language he understands. Logic.”

  Jin sighed dramatically. “You have no idea how hard it is to find people who are fluent in it. Most have no clue.”

  “How about me?”

  She pursed her lips. “You are an empath, so naturally, your thought process is influenced by your emotions and those of others. You are no Spock, that’s for sure.”

  “And neither are you and Kian. You are both motivated by feelings, and doing the right thing is more important to you than doing the smart thing. Turner, on the other hand, is the most Spock-like person I’ve ever met. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it before, but he is the strategic mastermind behind our most daring missions, and he’s also Bridget’s mate.”

  “I would like to meet him.”

  “You’ll get your chance when you move into the village. Or maybe even before that. Turner’s curiosity might bring him over here sooner.”

  “Is he curious about me, or is it my spying talent that interests him?

  “Neither. I bet he wants to hear every detail about that facility and the people in charge of it.”

  “I’ll tell him everything I know, but I’m afraid it’s not much.”

  “Nevertheless, he’ll want to know every little detail and store it in his big brain for later.”

  Jin finished the last of her water and tossed the empty bottle into the trashcan. “I need to tell Jacki about the tether.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?”

  “Yes, please. You can back me up if she gets snappish.”

  Since it was no longer Kian who wanted Jacki tethered, Arwel wondered how he was supposed to do that. But if Jin needed him to come with her, he would.

  They found Jacki in Mey and Yamanu’s place, which had become the central hub for the dungeon inhabitants.

  “I need to talk to you.” Jin sat next to her friend on the couch.

  Arching a brow, Jacki crossed her legs. “About?”

  “Tethering you.”

  Arwel stifled a chuckle. Jin was no diplomat, that was for sure. She rivaled Kian in her no-nonsense, get-straight-to-the-point attitude.

  Walking over to the dining table, he pulled out a chair and joined Yamanu. “This should be good,” he said in a whisper inaudible to humans.

  “I thought that you’d removed the tether.” Jacki narrowed her eyes at Jin. “Did you put out a new one without telling me?”

  Jin huffed. “Do you always jump to conclusions without hearing the explanation first?”

  “Just say yes or no.”

  “No, I didn’t tether you without your knowledge, but I want to explain why I think tethering you is a g
ood idea.” She glanced at the open door. “Can you please close it? I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say around the others.”

  “It’s better that they don’t know too much about your target.” Yamanu pulled out his phone and activated the door’s mechanism.

  When it clicked into place, Jin continued. “I don’t have to do it now, but definitely before we go after that guy. Since you are immune to his mind tricks, I might be able to see the real him through your eyes.”

  Jacki shook her head. “I don’t think so. He is not manipulating your eyesight. Your eyes see one thing, but your brain translates it into what he wants you to see. So even though your connection to me doesn’t pass through your eyes, it still needs to enter your brain. Your brain will turn what you get from me into whatever Kalugal wants everyone to see.”

  That sounded logical, and given Yamanu’s nodding, he thought so as well.

  Mey, on the other hand, seemed to disagree. “Not necessarily. I’m not a neuroscientist, and maybe you should consult Amanda about it, but even as a layperson I know that the brain has many regions and processing centers. It’s not straightforward like a computer. Kalugal might be affecting the visual and auditory perceptions, but the feed from the tether may rely on a different mechanism and get processed by a different region in the brain.”

  That made sense too.

  Yamanu nodded proudly. “My lady is smart.”

  Jacki cast him an amused glance. “And you are not at all biased.”

  He shrugged. “I am. But I’m also right. You are smart too.”

  “Thank you.” Jacki rewarded him with a happy smile.

  It seemed important to her that other people regarded her as smart. Did she feel insecure because of her lack of a college education?

  That was nonsense, of course. Should he mention that the formidable Kian had never received any formal education? And that neither he nor Yamanu had gone to school either?

  Nah, that would open up a whole can of worms, with a lot of why questions he couldn’t answer truthfully.

  “So, what do you say? Are you okay with me tethering you?”

  “On one condition.” Jacki lifted a finger.

  “Name it.”

  “You have to promise to remove it as soon as you tether Kalugal.”

  “Of course. I don’t want to have you tied to me indefinitely. As much as I like you, that’s a mental burden I can do without.”

  Jacki’s lips twisted in a half-smile, half-grimace. “That didn't sound very friendly to me, but it will do.”

  Arwel cleared his throat. “Maybe you shouldn’t remove the tether right away. Wait until we get back.”

  “I don’t want Jin in my head for a moment longer than absolutely necessary. It’s a creepy feeling. Would you like it if she tethered you?”

  He hadn’t thought about that before, but Jin having a tether to him might open up very interesting possibilities. When they were making love, she could see herself through his eyes.

  Damn. Just thinking about it got him stiff as a baseball bat.

  Shifting in his chair, Arwel affected an innocent expression. “I would love it. In fact, I’m going to insist on it.”

  “Really?” Jin regarded him with a frown. “You don’t mind me seeing everything that you do?”

  “I have no secrets from you.” He pushed to his feet, walked over to her, and offered her a hand up. “Let’s go to your place, and I’ll explain the benefits.”

  His lady was smart, getting his meaning right away.

  Letting him pull her up, she wrapped her arm around his middle and smiled at the others. “Excuse us, but Arwel and I have some private matters to discuss.”

  Mey stifled a giggle, Yamanu rubbed a hand over his jaw, and Jacki rolled her eyes.

  “Will we see you two at lunch?” Mey asked.

  Shrugging, Jin winked. “Maybe.”

  16

  Kian

  “Turner is already here.” Anandur pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot. “That’s his Tesla.” He pointed at the car.

  “Did you memorize his license plate?” Kian asked. “Turner’s black Tesla is a popular model.”

  Anandur turned the ignition off. “Did you forget that I followed him around after he’d asked you to turn him immortal?”

  “I had assumed he’d gotten a new one since then.”

  “Nah. It’s the same one.”

  Stepping out of the SUV, Kian glanced at his watch. “We are not late. He always gets to the meeting place first.”

  “That’s because his office is less than a five-minute drive away from here. He doesn’t have to deal with traffic.”

  What Anandur had hinted at was that Kian, as the head of the clan, shouldn’t have to drive forty minutes to meet Turner. It should be the other way around.

  There was something to that, but it wasn’t about a power play. He and Turner were both super busy, but since it was Kian who needed a favor from Turner, it was only fair that he meet the guy where it was convenient for him.

  “I’m just glad that the place has a good selection of excellent vegan dishes for me. I don’t mind the drive.”

  As usual, they found Turner sitting in the restaurant’s most private booth. It was close to the kitchen, which was the main downside, but it was also the farthest from the other tables and booths.

  “Good afternoon.” Kian slid into the bench across from Turner and offered him his hand. “Thanks for meeting me.”

  Anandur sat next to him and Brundar next to Turner, which was another habit they’d adopted. Turner didn’t like to be crowded, which couldn’t be helped with Anandur’s bulk, but he was fine with Brundar sitting next to him. It had probably more to do with how quiet the guy was and how still he sat than with his slim build.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to the village for a lunch meeting. I’m in the middle of planning a complicated rescue mission, and I want to be done with the initial framework by the end of the day.”

  Kian unfurled the napkin and put it over his knees. “The downside to meeting here is that I can’t smoke my cigarillos. The upside is the food. I need to bring Okidu here to sample them. Perhaps he can figure out what goes into the vegan dishes.”

  “I’ll bring Callie here,” Brundar offered. “She can analyze your favorites and write a recipe for Okidu.”

  “Thanks. That’s a better idea.” The task might be too complicated for Okidu.

  Turner reached for the breadbasket, looked at it, and then pushed it toward Kian without taking anything. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  Kian lifted a slice of bread. “The other recruits. Those we’ve left behind.”

  Turner arched a brow. “I thought we decided to leave them be for now.”

  “My conscience is not letting me do that, especially the kids. I’ve been thinking about their families, and that they might be at risk too. What if those kids have siblings? Even if they don’t manifest special abilities, the program’s director might go after them as well. He might even go after the parents and test them to figure out the genetic combination that produced their special children. Given what Jin told me about the super-babies he was pushing for, that’s not a farfetched scenario.”

  Turner leaned back. “They could do that to the families of the adults too. Do you want to rescue them all?”

  It was a rhetorical question, but Kian nodded. “If I can.”

  Turner sighed. “That is not your job, Kian. Shit is happening all around the world that is much worse than this, and you can’t do anything about it. You are already going above and beyond by fighting trafficking.”

  “This is different. These might be my people. The adults, the kids, and their families are all likely Dormants.”

  When the waitress arrived to take their orders, Turner seemed relieved to hit pause on the conversation. His opinion on the matter was clear, but despite his opposition to taking action, Kian needed the guy’s big brain to come up with a creative idea for ge
tting the rest of the recruits out of the program.

  Once the waitress left, Turner shook his head. “Give it a rest, Kian. You don’t want the government breathing down your neck. You can’t ask for a worse enemy. The Doomers will seem like annoying mosquitoes next to the big gorilla that would come after you.”

  Raking his fingers through his hair, Kian sighed. “I know that. I was hoping that you could come up with a brilliant solution. So far, it seems that they are not making too much of a fuss over the missing talents, right?”

  Turner nodded. “There is an APB on Richard. He is accused of kidnapping the three ladies, and photos are included. It’s important for all four to stay in hiding or use good disguises when they venture out. Later, those who do not transition should consider either plastic surgery or moving out of the country.”

  “I’ve seen the APB. Roni showed it to me. Doesn’t it strike you as odd, though, that that is the extent of it? Roni did some snooping around, and apparently there were no airport searches either.”

  The lack of serious pursuit only reinforced Kian’s gut feeling that one of Jin’s friends was a mole.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Turner said. “But there might be another explanation for why their escape didn’t get more attention. The program is top secret, and they want to keep it that way. Making too much of a fuss about the four escapees might attract unwanted attention to what they are doing. Especially if some of it is not sanctioned by the higher-ups. I would be very surprised if the program for breeding super-babies had gotten official approval.”

  Kian snorted. “The government has done much worse in the past. Like exposing soldiers to toxic materials and later covering it up. I wouldn’t put it past them to approve a fucking breeding program.”

  Turner’s lips narrowed. “That was a long time ago. Things have changed.”

  Kian snorted. “Take it from someone who’s been around for a very long time. The more things change, the more they stay the same. But if you are right, and the program’s director or directors are not interested in anyone finding out what they are doing there, it gives us an advantage. We can snatch people with impunity. They will be more interested in keeping their activities secret than finding out who is stealing the paranormals and their families.”