by MJ Fletcher
“You’re not coming?”
“The bonding process isn’t done yet,” he said motioning to his new arm and side.
“No problem,” I said and headed for the door.
“I’ll be a phone call away if you need anything,” Slade called after me.
I waved to him as I entered the elevator and punched the down button.
Monk’s place wasn’t too far from Slade’s in the Diesel Factories. I made my way through the Factories, crossing over the street where Slade and I had been attacked and found myself at Monk’s place. I pushed the door open and heard the jangle of bells as I entered.
Monk was standing behind the counter, screwdriver in hand, working on a contraption. I walked up and stood in front of him, waiting for him to finish what he was doing.
“That should do it,” he said placing the box on the counter and turning a lever on the side of it. Nothing happened.
“Is it supposed to do something?” I asked.
“Maybe I need to recalibrate the amplitude of dimensional variance.” He spoke aloud what I assumed were his personal ruminations.
“Do you remember me? I’m Jess Grimm—Michael Slade’s friend— he said I would be stopping by.”
“Yes, of course, the Guilder. Slade said you had a new list for me to look at,” Monk said holding out his grease covered hand. I placed the paper on his work station. He pulled it up close to his face, his eyes appearing to scan every line.
“I was hoping you could tell me how close they might be to building something with that,” I said.
“Some of these objects are very old. I’m not surprised young Slade didn’t recognize them. Now his father, he would know what they were.”
His remark knotted my stomach. I was hoping that Slade’s father didn’t have anything to do with what was happening.
“How many people do you think would know how to turn those objects into something useful?” I asked.
“A handful at best,” he said scratching at his ear as he kept reading the list.
I sighed and reached into my pocket and pulled out the list of names Slade had given me a while back of Engineers who were most capable of working on the device for Nyla. I handed it to Monk. “Which of these Engineers would be able to do it?”
“Slade, the others are fools.”
My heart sank. It was his father doing the work. Ugh, why did everything always have to be so complicated?
“You’re sure?” I asked, needing to confirm it.
“Yes, of course. As a matter of fact the elder Slade ordered some other bits from me a few weeks ago that would go nicely with these components.”
“Wait, you’ve been in touch with Mr. Slade?” I asked my mouth dropping open in shock.
“Yes, of course, I’m the go to man for parts.”
“Where is he? We’ve been looking for him for months.”
“No idea,” Monk said.
“But you just said he bought parts from you.”
“Yes, he used a courier, but it was him for sure. I recognized his hand writing.”
“Who was the courier?”
“No idea. Never saw him before,” he said.
I wanted to scream. I was so close, and Monk was being immensely helpful and yet no help at all at the same time.
“Can you tell me anything?”
“The courier did mention he needed to get back in time to make sure he caught his ride.”
“Get back where?”
“The Dimensional Diner.”
Chapter 26
I rolled over in bed and glanced out the window. I’d finally gotten to sleep in my own bed after my meeting with Monk. I had spent the rest of the day trying to discover what and where the hell the Dimensional Diner was, and I’d finally gotten a lead. Luckily, I found out where it was supposed to be this morning. The fun thing about the diner is that it travels all across the dimensions, popping up in different places during the day.
I sat up in bed, tucking my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around my legs. My night shirt was sleeveless, exposing every scar along my arms up to my chest. It was a sick pattern of slashing cuts made by Gremlin claws and teeth. The undersides of my forearms were another matter, though they were scarred, it was the Skeleton Key tattoos that stood out more than anything. Even I had to admit they were beautiful, though I didn’t want to. They started at the edge of my wrists and stopped a third of the way up my forearm. The detail in them was amazing. The remarkable shadows and colors would make you think that actual Skeleton Keys had been embedded in my skin.
I pushed myself off the bed and hurried along the cold wooden floor, barefooted, and down the staircase into the kitchenette. I yanked open the refrigerator door and grabbed the orange juice and took a swig. What did it matter? It wasn’t like there was anyone to share it with.
The knock at the door took me by surprise. Old Kind very rarely used an ordinary door. I was far more used to someone opening a portal into the loft, than someone entering through the front door. I wasn’t sure when the last time was that I had even used it.
I didn’t think. I sprinted across the floor, grabbed the handle, and swung it open. Leaning against the door jamb was Ronan Sparrow. He was dressed in a sharp grey suit with a white shirt and black tie. He seemed to look better every time I saw him. He smiled and cast a lingering glance from my face down to my toes and back up again.
My stomach roiled as I realized I had been so shocked by someone knocking at my door that I hadn’t gotten dressed. There I was standing in front of my new partner, wearing nothing more than a skimpy t-shirt and tight shorts.
“I like your new look.” He grinned much too invitingly.
I wanted to fold up my arms and hide my scars, but something about the way he looked at me made me stop. His eyes had perused my body like men had once done, admiring my curves. Only he had lingered a bit longer on my tattoos and scars. I’d earned every one of these scars with my blood, and I wasn’t about to show him that they bothered me in the least. I raised my chin and stared him down.
“Get a good look, it’s the last time you’ll ever see it.”
“That would be a shame,” he said.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve, Ronan.” I turned on my heels walking back into the loft.
“Me? You’re the one who is supposed to be my partner, and I hear you went to see Michael Slade on you own.” He walked in closing the door behind him.
“So what, he’s my friend. I see him all the time.”
“And you always go see old Monk after that? I thought you wanted me as your partner, Jess?”
“I do want to be your partner. It’s just that I don’t know you well, and I’m used to doing things my way,” I said crossing my arms over my chest to cover myself as best I could, since I was beginning to feel uncomfortable with him fully dressed and me barely dressed.
“Fine, then let’s start fresh. Why don’t you tell me what you learned and we can go from there, agreed?”
“Fine,” I said.
He strolled around the loft as I walked up the stairs to my bedroom.
“So what did your former partner tell you?”
“I wouldn’t call him that,” I said as I looked around for something to wear.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you two were an item.”
I came to stand at the top of the stairs and peered down at him “What? I didn’t say that!”
He smiled up at me. “Good to know.”
“Whatever.” I shook my head annoyed and returned to looking for clothes.
“Did he have anything for you?”
“The information the League had didn’t mean much to him, so he sent me to Monk.”
“And what did the old codger have to say?”
“He seems to think that Slade senior is the only one capable of working the objects into a useable device,” I said reluctantly. I needed to get Ronan to trust me enough to open up, so I could see what I could learn about the League and LaReina.
“And how did your friend take that news?”
“I haven’t told him yet,” I said.
“Why not?”
“Until I’m sure, I don’t want to cause him unnecessary worry.”
“Understandable. So get cleaned up and we can get started.”
I thought about taking the boot I was holding in my hand and throwing it at his head. But I thought better of it when I recalled how much Gran was relying on me to find out more about the League’s loyalties, not to mention getting my hands on what Slade’s dad was working on.
“Give me a minute,” I called out and slipped into the bathroom off my bedroom. Morning light streamed into the room reflecting off the white tiles. I placed my hand on the vanity and leaned forward, looking myself over in the mirror.
I was sans makeup and my hair was still a wreck from last night’s sleep. Wonderful, a supremely hot guy shows up at my place, who happens to be interested in me, and I look like a zombie. Why couldn’t I have been freshly showered and looked like some amazon goddess? No I had to look like crap.
I pulled my clothes off and turned the hot water on, hopping into the shower and scrubbing off the grime of sleep. I wasn’t sure about Ronan yet, but I had to admit that he had gotten me to trust him more than I did Merric. He’d put himself on the line, helping save me and Slade, and telling me about Nyla. That had scored him some heavy points with me. It was obvious he was interested in me as he had told me as much, but since getting the scars I had avoided getting involved with any man. I suppose I lacked the confidence, though maybe it was because I had never had much luck when it came to relationships. I had always managed to pick a guy that was unavailable or totally wrong for me.
It would be nice to have a guy not only look at me like a woman once again and not some experiment gone wrong, but actually be interested in only me.
I rinsed off the shampoo and soap and turned the water off. I yanked a towel off the heating wrack and dried myself quickly. Returning to the vanity, I thought it was time to fix myself up. I had always known how to make myself look good. Thankfully, it was a skill I hadn’t lost.
It took longer than I wanted, but when I walked out of the bathroom I was happy with the results. I came down the stairs to find Ronan, his suit coat spread open, sitting on the couch.
I had on skinny jeans with over-the-knee, black suede boots and a long sleeved, black top that hugged my slim waist and arms down to my wrists, the holes at the ends hooking over my thumbs. My blond hair fell in natural waves around my face, and I had kept my makeup to a minimum, highlighting my lips and eyes with just the right amount of color. It got me the results I wanted.
Ronan stared at me as if dumbfounded, which brought a smile to my face, since I had never seen him fail for words. It was nice to know I could turn him speechless.
He finally said, “You look...” he let his words drift off as his eyes lingered over my body, and then his mouth turned up at the edges. “Incredibly beautiful.”
“Thanks,” I managed to say, his sincere compliment making me blush.
“So where are we going?”
“The Dimensional Diner.”
“Which is?” Ronan stood and buttoned his suit coat.
“A constantly moving restaurant, which happens to hit the area where Mr. Slade is supposedly hiding.”
“Sounds good to me, let’s go find some bad guys.”
Chapter 27
The Dimensional Diner sat on the side of the highway in Manahawkin, NJ, in all its metallic glory, a classic diner car. Stainless steel was cut with red lines and a neon sign blinking its name rested above the door. Portal energy rolled off of its sides and I knew that by tomorrow it would move on to a new position in time and space.
A row of Impossible Engineers converted motorcycles sat in a row in the parking lot.
“You sure this is the place?” Ronan smoothed his hands over his suit and gritted his teeth.
I had the feeling he wasn’t use to such blue collar places. “This is it.” I smirked. “Is there a problem?”
“Not at all,” he said without an ounce of enthusiasm.
“Good,” I said as I mounted the steps to the Diner.
I pulled the door open and stepped inside. A long low bar ran the back length of the diner car with red leather covered stools bolted to the floor every two feet. The floor was black and white tile and the walls were covered in framed pictures of racing cars. On the opposite side were red booths with a white accent.
“Take a seat anywhere, sweetie,” a woman with wavy brown hair called out to us as she slapped her gums, chewing a wad of gum. She was wearing a red dress and white apron that had a tag with the name Melissa over her chest.
I slipped into one of the booths and Ronan took the other side. Melissa walked up with a smile and handed us a plastic covered menu. She looked Ronan up and down, as if she was sizing up a side of beef.
“Can I get you two something to start?”
“Coffee would be great,” I said.
Ronan didn’t even glance at the menu. “The same.”
“Two Joes coming up.”
“Order up!” The cook called out from the pass between the kitchen and dining area. He reached out a tattooed arm to hand a plate to another waitress whose hair was short and red. She had on the same uniform as Melissa, though her name tag read Jennifer.
“Timmy,” her voice had an icy chill to it, “I said over easy, this is scrambled.”
She shoved the plate back through the window and Timmy leaned forward, grabbing the plate. His blue eyes shot back and forth between the plate and the order ticket, dangling from the wheel.
“You need to write clearer,” he yelled.
“You need to use your brain,” Jennifer shot back.
“The two of you are going to be the death of me,” Timmy mumbled as he took the plate back to the kitchen.
Melissa returned to the table, placing two hot cups of coffee in front of us. She pulled a pad from her apron and a pen from behind her ear. “What else can I get you?’
“Actually I was looking for something not on the menu,” I said.
“What’s that sweetie?”
“Information.”
She smiled and tapped her pen on the pad, looking me over. “Jen, can you help me for a minute?” Melissa called out and the other waitress finished slipping plates onto a nearby table and spun around to join us.
“There a problem?” Jen asked with all the warmth of a snake about to kill its prey.
“These folks are looking for something off menu.”
“That so?” Jen said staring at me.
“Yes,” I said meeting her stare with a firm one of my own.
“What did you have in mind?”
“Information.”
“That’s a tough one these days, sweetie.”
“I heard otherwise.”
“Look we might come across info from time to time, but we don’t know you or your friend,” Jen said with a nod to us both.
“Ladies, we’re only looking for someone,” Ronan said and turned a tantalizing smile on them.
“Sweetie,” —Melissa patted his shoulder— “you’re really hot, but that doesn’t get you very far with us. You look about as trustworthy as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Now drink your coffee while the ladies chat.”
I stifled a laugh, and Ronan looked as if he had just been smacked across the face. I was starting to like this place.
“Who sent you?” Jen asked.
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Her left hand wasn’t visible, but I didn’t need to see it to know she was activating her powers.
“You might want to think about that carefully,” I said calmly, placing my coffee cup on the table. Then I slipped my thumb out of the hole and rolled up my sleeve, revealing the Skeleton Key tattoo. I smiled at the women as my tattoo pulsed crimson red.
They stepped back in unison.
“It’s true then,” Melissa said.
“That’s right.”
“Why are you here?” Jen asked.
“We’re looking for someone,” I said.
“We get a lot of customers,” Melissa said.
“This one was carrying something, and he used your diner as a means of travel.”
Melissa looked at Jen who was watching me intently. She was doing more than sizing me up. I could feel her all around me as though her powers could touch me in some way.
“I know who you’re talking about,” Jen said.
“Jen,” Melissa protested.
“It’s fine,” Jen said.
“How do you know?” Melissa asked.
“I just do,” she said with a smile and nodded.
“The man I’m looking for came from an Impossible Engineer shop in the Diesel Factories. He would have been carrying equipment with him.”
“I know who he is, but that isn’t who you’re looking for. You’re looking for Mr. Slade, aren’t you?” Jen said.
“Yes,” I replied not entirely surprised. It seemed there was more to this place than a diner. “You know where he is?”
Jennifer nodded.
“It won’t be easy,” Melissa said. “We can take you there, but once there, we won’t be any help.”
“We don’t need it,” I replied. “We can handle ourselves.
“Order up!” Timmy leaned out the kitchen window, holding a plate of food.
“Not now,” Melissa called back.
“It’s gonna get cold,” he said.
“Then you deliver it; we’re busy,” Melissa called out.
Timmy yanked the plate back through the window and walked out of the kitchen door and started walking down the row toward us.
“I gotta do everything around here,” he mumbled as he passed.
Jen turned to Melissa and winked, then cleared her throat loudly. Timmy stopped in his tracks and glanced back at her.
“Table twelve is that way genius.” She hiked her thumb over her back, and Timmy dropped his chin and grumbled as he walked back the opposite way.
