Reality Hack

by Niall Teasdale

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’m not really sure. It sounded like Latin or something. Then I… I’m not really sure. It was like I fell asleep.’

  ‘Do you remember what the man looked like?’

  ‘Uh… my height, thin, he had a narrow sort of face, quite a long nose.’

  ‘Hair?’

  ‘Short. I think. Blonde… or grey. It’s like… It’s like I could only ever see him through fog. His eyes. I remember his eyes. They were blue, really hard, icy blue.’

  Nisa gave a nod. ‘Okay, what happened when you woke up?’

  ‘I woke up… naked. Hung from a beam by my wrists. I think it was an attic room. One of the walls was sloping. There were no windows. The man was there. He… he hurt me. He never touched me, but there was so much pain…’ She pulled herself up tighter, and her voice was cut off by the soft sobs which began to burst out of her as though she was trying to hold them back but simply could not.

  Nisa had no idea what to do. Comforting the woman verbally seemed useless, and physically might be inappropriate. But she had to do something…

  ‘I… don’t remember what happened to me,’ Nisa said. ‘Not like the way you can’t remember his face. There’s just nothing there. I remember a man walking into the place I worked and speaking to me, and then I was here. I know what he did though. I know I just… let him do it. Right there, in the shop, over the counter, and there was nothing I could do to stop him. I know it happened, but I can’t remember it…’

  ‘I’m not sure whether that’s better or worse,’ Emily whispered.

  ‘Neither am I.’

  ‘I… I was begging him to stop, but he just kept chanting and the pain… And then the demon came. I know it was a demon. I mean, horns, pointed tail, glowing, red eyes. He spoke to it and it said it wasn’t enough, but it would buy him some time. And then… then it did something and… It was like someone was tearing my heart out of my chest. And then I woke up on the Heath.’

  Nisa got to her feet. ‘Thank you, Miss Copper. We’ll find him, I promise.’ She said it, but she wondered whether, with a description like that, it was a promise they would be able to keep.

  ~~~

  ‘Glowing red eyes?’ Nisa said. ‘And a pointed tail? Isn’t it a bit…’

  ‘Stereotyped, yes,’ Kellog replied, ‘but people know the image and it scares them. Demons are immaterial. They can take pretty much any shape they wish. It was trying to keep her frightened. It makes it easier to remove the soul.’ He looked across Hanson’s desk at his boss. ‘This smells so badly of a rogue Order wizard I can almost taste it.’

  ‘Yes,’ Hanson said, nodding, ‘it does.’

  ‘Maxim is not going to let me in there to investigate without a warrant.’

  ‘True, and that will take time we may not have.’

  ‘Why?’ Nisa asked. ‘You think he’ll do it again?’

  ‘Yes, and soon.’

  ‘The demon said the wizard was buying time,’ Kellog added. ‘It sounds like he sold off his own soul, probably ten years ago. It’s due and he’s trying to buy his way out with other people’s. If Miss Copper didn’t give him enough, he’ll be trying to find another victim, and soon.’

  ‘Traditionally, he’ll get a day for every year of the original contract, so we probably have until the twenty-fourth.’

  ‘Oh,’ Nisa said. ‘It doesn’t seem very long.’

  ‘No, but we may be able to get into the Order faster if we dangle a carrot. I’m willing to bet that Maxim wants to meet our new detective…’

  ‘No,’ Kellog stated flatly. ‘He’s–’

  ‘I’ll do it,’ Nisa said before he could go on. ‘I want this guy. Maybe not as much as Norbery seems to, but… I’ll do it.’

  ‘I’ll contact the Order,’ Hanson said.

  ‘There is one other thing,’ Nisa put in as Kellog, frowning, began to rise. ‘She said she was nervous before the wizard grabbed her. She said–’

  ‘The shadows seemed to be following her,’ Kellog finished for her.

  ‘Yeah. You don’t think the two cases are connected? Maybe this wizard is using some sort of Bug to find his victims?’

  Kellog’s frown deepened. Then he gave a shrug. ‘If we nail him and the sightings stop, then the answer is yes.’

  Tower Hamlets.

  Nisa had sent a couple of messages saying she had some work to catch up on and cried off going to Black Light. She was just not in the mood. There was the thought that being there might help her mood, but the events of the previous Friday were still fresh in her mind, with what had happened to Emily piled on top. Faline did not help.

  ‘The demon took her soul? All of it?’ the Witch Cat asked when she walked in from changing in the bedroom.

  ‘That’s what Norbery said,’ Nisa replied.

  ‘Oh… the poor woman.’

  ‘She said it hurt like Hell.’

  ‘Yes, but… Did no one explain this to you?’

  ‘What?’

  Faline sat down more heavily than usual and then curled up into a tight little ball on the sofa. ‘You can erode your soul away through various things, including just becoming a foul, unpleasant person. That just means you’re lost to the Cycle. When you die, you’re dead. No reincarnation, just… nothing.’

  ‘Okay, but Emily had her soul ripped out.’

  ‘And that’s a sudden shock to the system. The body… doesn’t normally survive for that long after something like that.’

  Nisa swallowed. ‘How long?’

  ‘The next new moon. The twenty-fifth. She won’t live longer than that.’

  ‘There must be something…’

  ‘It’s done, Nisa. She died when her soul left her body. On the twenty-fifth, her body will work that out.’

  August 16th.

  Nisa sat in the lounge, the coin in her hand, her thumb rubbing over the symbol which made the shape appear in front of her. It was in her mind, she had decided, not in front of her eyes, but she saw it as though it were a solid object and she could study it. She had been unable to sleep, so she was there, sitting in the dark, watching the illuminated shape turn slowly.

  It reminded her of something, but it took almost an hour before she realised that the something it reminded her of was not a real something. The shape somehow encapsulated the form in her mind when she cast the light spell. It held the structure of that spell, but it held more. It was the shape of Energy, the fundamental concept, the magical essence. If she could understand it…

  But understanding seemed just beyond her grasp. No matter what she did, no matter how she looked, the topology remained confusing. She focussed harder, concentrating on every detail, every spin and twist, willing the shape to reveal its secrets to her…

  ~~~

  She woke up with a groan and a throbbing headache. Faline, now a cat again, looked at her from where she was sitting on the couch, tilted her head, and gave a meow which sounded a lot like ‘I told you so.’

  ‘Okay, okay.’ Nisa got to her feet, cringing at the pain in her muscles. She had gone to sleep sitting upright against the sofa. ‘Let me get some aspirin and I’ll get your breakfast.’

  There was an ‘about time’ meow and Nisa thought to check the clock on the kitchen wall. It was almost midday.

  ‘At least I slept,’ she grumbled. ‘No nightmares.’ She got the bag of food from a cupboard and poured some into Faline’s bowl. ‘Actually, I haven’t had a nightmare since I brought the coin home. Maybe it is protective, sort of.’

  There was a non-committal prrt followed by crunching biscuits.

  With aspirin taken and a mug of coffee in hand, Nisa sat down on the sofa and began turning the coin over in her hand, making sure that she kept her fingers away from the symbol which triggered the shape. There were other marks on the same surface. It seemed likely that they had other hidden images attached to them, but she was unsure how to unlock them. And surely one indecipherable puzzle was enough?

  Except that there was anothe
r one still hanging there: why had the agents, because she was sure they were agents, given her the thing in the first place? If it was meant to teach her something, which was her theory at the moment, it seemed wrong. The System did not like magicians, so why make a better one?

  She put the coin down on the arm of the sofa. It was all a real pain in the neck, and she had enough of that already.

  Westminster, August 18th.

  ‘Does she know?’ Nisa asked as she watched Sandra putting a tray of food out for Emily. The one-way glass had never been so welcome.

  ‘No,’ Kellog replied. ‘There’s nothing we can do so… It seemed cruel to tell her. We’ll make sure she’s comfortable.’

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

  ‘Because you would have behaved differently. Frankly, I’d have preferred it if you hadn’t found out until the end, but I figured Faline would know.’

  ‘We have to find this guy.’

  ‘Yes. Well, even if I’m not happy about it, we are one step closer, perhaps. Maxim has agreed to see you. Tomorrow, nine-thirty. Wear that suit.’

  Nisa turned from the window. ‘How bad is this Maxim?’

  ‘With you, he’ll be all charm. Make up your own mind about him. He and I have history which I admit colours my view. Just keep in mind that he’s a powerful man, and a powerful wizard. He’s intelligent and he usually has an agenda.’

  ‘So, keep an open mind, but be on my guard.’

  ‘In your shoes, that would be my strategy.’

  Tower Hamlets.

  ‘Wizards,’ Faline said, assuming a lecturing tone, ‘fall into three basic categories. There are those who have less talent and have learned to be wizards because they can. Some do it for the power, some do it as a hobby, and some do it for academic interest, but none of them ever achieve much. The ones seeking power can be trouble since they tend to be frustrated and that often leads to bullying.’

  ‘I assume the other two types are more powerful?’ Nisa asked.

  ‘Indeed. And they are categorised by their goals. The academic ones are usually safer since they learn the art for the knowledge, but they can go too far. The ones seeking power are far more frequently dangerous men or women. Oddly, the more talent they have, the less likely they are to abuse it. Having the power is enough, I think. They don’t need to prove it.’

  ‘Huh. Do you know which category Maxim falls into?’

  ‘No, but I’ve heard rumours. He upset a lot of the older members when he took control. He’s young. His attitudes are different. I believe he is a rather academic practitioner, prone to long hours in the library. But he also likes to party and that is not the kind of personality that goes with the rather stuffy atmosphere which prevailed in the Order prior to his rise to power.’

  ‘So… that doesn’t help much…’

  ‘No.’ The cat-woman grinned a little. ‘He does have a flirtatious reputation. If you’ll pardon the expression from me, he chases a lot of tail.’

  Nisa gave a shrug. ‘He’ll probably like the suit then. I just hope he’s prone to handing out information to women he fancies.’

  The City, August 19th.

  The inside of the Order’s headquarters was as grandiose as the outside. Nisa had rather expected the door to be opened by a grey-haired man in a suit who peered down his nose at her, but the doorman looked to be in his twenties, maybe early thirties. He was wearing a suit, but there was no sense of superiority about him. He had put her in a small waiting room off the foyer and said someone would take her to High Grand Master Maxim shortly.

  For a small waiting room, it was not that small. You could have fitted well over a dozen people in and it had a large fireplace on one of the inside walls, though there was no fire set. Over that was the coat of arms of the Order: a red shield with a white flame in the centre, flanked by a pair of dragons, one black, the other white.

  Nisa was looking up at the emblem trying to work out the symbology beyond the whole ‘eternal flame’ thing when someone spoke.

  ‘The dragons represent order and chaos. The flame is said to keep the two in balance.’

  Nisa turned and found herself looking at the pretty blonde from the alley. She was dressed in the same skirt and coat outfit she had been wearing then, and she looked just as attractive now as before. In fact… Was she pushing her chest out a little?

  ‘Sergeant Harper?’ the woman asked. ‘It’s nice to put a name to the face. I am Alaina Peters, High Grand Master Maxim’s personal assistant. I’ll take you to him now, if you’re ready.’

  Nisa blinked, pushing aside the spell of Alaina’s body. ‘Uh, yes. I’m ready.’

  ‘Then please follow me.’ Alaina turned and walked out of the room. Nisa fought the urge to stay behind her so that she could watch the woman’s hips move, and won, stepping up beside her. ‘That outfit suits you better than the jeans and T-shirt I last saw you in,’ the PA said as they walked back through the foyer and into a long, vaulted hallway.

  ‘Thanks. I needed something… more business-like. I wish I could get away with something like that. I don’t think my bosses would approve, but it looks gorgeous… on you.’

  Alaina flicked a glance at Nisa and then quickly averted her eyes, smiling. ‘Thank you. The High Grand Master likes me to look my best.’

  They turned off to the right where a staircase led up from an alcove which was hard to spot unless you knew it was there. The architecture in the building seemed to have been designed to confuse as much as to look imposing.

  ‘How do you find your way around this place?’ Nisa asked.

  ‘You get used to the little tricks they used building it. After a while, the hidden stairs and obscure doors just don’t seem quite so hard to locate.’ She gave a tiny giggle. ‘I got lost half a dozen times the first two weeks I was here.’

  ‘And they teach magic here?’

  ‘Practical in the cellars and there’s a lecture theatre at the back. Most of the aboveground structure is offices, and the library. We have the best arcane library in the world.’

  Two floors up they walked down a corridor a few yards and then in through a solid oak door. The office within looked too modern for the rest of the building with its filing cabinets and functional desk with a dual-screen computer system on it. Alaina walked to a second, inner door, knocked twice, and then pushed it open.

  ‘Sergeant Harper to see you, sir,’ she said.

  ‘Thank you, Alaina.’ The voice had a strongly masculine timbre and, when Nisa walked past Alaina into Maxim’s office, the man himself matched the voice. He was tall, Kellog’s height, and a good three inches over Nisa’s five-eight. He stood up to greet her and she got the impression of firm muscle, though not of someone who worked out extensively. She figured he was active, but not an exercise freak. His face was square, with a firm jaw and thin lips. His hair was black and a little messy, though with a hint of careful crafting, and his eyes were dark, almost black. Blue would have lightened the look considerably. The one feature that marred the handsome face was a high-bridged nose which made him look a little like a boxer. He was dressed in a three-piece suit, grey, with a bright red tie to give some colour. It was too old for the face which was, almost, too youthful for the power this man had.

  He had a firm handshake which he held for just the right amount of time. Maxim was a man with a lot of skill in putting people at their ease and using that youthful charm he obviously exuded.

  ‘Sergeant Harper,’ he said, waving her to a chair before returning to his own. ‘I am, as I’m sure you’re aware, Alexander Maxim. I carry the unfortunate title of High Grand Master of the Hermetic Order of the Eternal Flame. Don’t let that fool you. I’m just a glorified administrator.’

  Nisa gave him a smile. ‘I think you’re more than that, sir.’

  He shrugged. ‘How can I help the Metropolitan Police?’

  Straight to business then. ‘We have a woman in our HQ who has had her soul ripped out by a demon. It seems that someone, a wizard, sold
his own soul and is trying to buy off the debt.’

  ‘And, obviously, that puts one of our people in your sights.’ Maxim nodded. ‘I can understand that, but we take something of a dim view of our wizards making soul pacts with demons. Just ask your DI Kellog… How is Brandon?’

  ‘Uh… He’s well. We think the original pact was made before you took over as head of the Order. As I understand it, the demon would not need to be summoned to collect on it…’

  Another nod. ‘True… You’re new to all this. The magic, I mean.’

  ‘I’ve only recently discovered magic was anything other than a legend, yes. I joined Exceptional Circumstances in June.’

  ‘And already tracking down demons. While I can’t believe one of ours is responsible, I’ll make some enquiries. I’m afraid I can’t have the Met digging into our affairs without some solid evidence of wrongdoing, but I can point you at a culprit if I can find one.’

  ‘Thank you, sir,’ Nisa replied, giving him another smile. This seemed to be going far too easily.

  ‘As I said, we take a dim view of such activities. And if someone is performing forbidden rituals to avoid the repercussions of past misdeeds… It’s just compounding one evil with another. You can be assured that I’ll make this a priority. Alaina will be in touch if we discover anything.’ He smiled. He had a nice smile. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get this underway, as well as dealing with all the more mundane tasks required of me.’

  ‘Of course,’ Nisa said, getting to her feet. ‘It was a pleasure meeting you, sir.’

  Another smile. ‘The pleasure was all mine, Sergeant.’

  Westminster.

  ‘You think he’s actually going to do as he says?’ Hanson asked.

  Nisa thought a bit of visible consideration was required, though she already knew what her answer was going to be. ‘I think so. He seemed… He seemed sure he’d find nothing, but I don’t think he wants the problems associated with us discovering it was one of the Order. If it is, and he can find the man, he’ll hand him over.’