“So it is not antibodies you’ve developed but just the nature of your blood that prevents you?”
Zorica shrugged. “Well, Abaddon wasn’t that specific. It just called me the Anomaly. A singularity.”
“Did he say why?” Jaime asked.
“Not really. Nothing actionable anyway. But when Ash comes back, we should definitely do a study of my blood and see how it differs from everyone else’s.”
“Did he give you any indication of what the thing wants?” Jaime asked.
“World domination of course, like every supervillain.” Epone half-joked.
“Is he working alone or does he have help?” Jaime asked.
“We don’t know,” Epone replied.
Jaime sighed with annoyance. “What do you know?”
Epone’s eyebrows went up. “We know that the wizard is dangerous enough that the demons are wary of him.”
“Demons? What can he do to them? They can’t get sick,” Uzochi said.
“Apparently with this disease, they can,” Epone replied.
“Okay so…we now know a few things we didn’t before. Zorica is an Anomaly, a moniker that has been coined by…a Knight of Hell? Or more likely is known in some legend or other because this thing, the Wizard, also knew that Zorica’s blood was special. Would you say this conclusion is accurate?” Jordan said.
“Yes that sounds likely,” Jaime agreed.
“The parasite is a potent one which not only affects living beings but evil spirits too,” Epone added.
“Evil spirits possessing living beings,” Zorica clarified.
“The wizard is after something by releasing this virus into the universe. We’re not sure exactly what?” Jaime said.
“All of those,” Zorica said with a sigh.
Jaime turned to Uzochi and Jordan. “Guys? You’re up. Go careful, find us as many answers as you can.”
Chapter Twenty-Four: Liaising With Your Office
“Tell me about Zorica’s illness,” General Klaus said as they waited for their food to be brought.
Ash hesitated and then retrieved her comm. device, clicking on various icons until she had the one she was looking for.
“Zorica Killa Warwick, height 6.0 feet, weight 180 pounds, original eye color green, enhancements silvered eyes vision 30/20, augs for speed and strength, enhanced intuition. Was rescued from Planet Nine barely conscious and had a cyclic fever for three days, achieving bodily temperatures as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit-”
“How did that not kill her?” the general interrupted.
“I worked hard to bring her temperature down, using all means available. Still, it was quite remarkable that she survived,” Ash said.
“Remarkable indeed. What cured her at last? Was it your skills as a Drueerd?”
Ash sighed. “I would like to take the credit but all I did was make sure she stayed alive while her body fought the attack.”
General Klaus leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table and his head in his hands, watching Ash thoughtfully. “What exactly was she fighting?”
Ash broke eye contact, looking down at her device for a second as she tried to think of an answer. “I did not have the facilities to run all the tests, sir.”
“I see. And why did you not bring her to the Federation facility?”
“There was no time. We were afraid to move her too much; we had no idea how bad it would get.”
“So why go back to the moon? There was no longer a sub-sector to help with.”
“It was closer,” Ash said. “She needed stability. And the other team members also needed to recuperate. We thought that covering the shortest distance would be best so as not to tire anyone out.”
“That is another thing. You walked into a Stits stronghold and walked out with no fatalities when you say there is some mortal danger in league with them. How did you manage that?”
“We were not in the thick of the action,” AX said. “But there were some spells used to camouflage. The mission was search and rescue rather than attack. I believe the team used methods that would help them to infiltrate the facility without detection.”
“You believe? Were you not part of the team?” General Klaus’ voice rose in surprise.
“Jordan Adity and I provided back up while She-who-must-not-be-named stood by as medic. I believe Captain Pravin included a full report on the operation in his dispatch,” AX said.
General Klaus sighed, leaning back, as Anand placed a plate of food in front of him. “I will ask you to stick around until I have had a chance to study the report. I will want to debrief the whole team as soon as they can get here.”
AX and Ash avoided each other’s eyes.
“Of course,” Ash said, picking up a nut and placing it delicately on her tongue. AX chugged all his milk down in one go before picking up a quarter of his orange and peeling off the skin. He ate that first before biting into the fruit.
He cleared his throat, watching the general eat his rice and beans. “If we may, while we are here, can we visit the infected?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself again. Authorized personnel only. You have not given me reason to believe that applies to you.”
AX opened his mouth to come up with further argument but Ash pinched his thigh, making him flinch and glare at her. She shook her head slightly at him, eyes on her plate of nuts, as she took a delicate sip of water.
AX stood down, taking another quarter of the orange he was eating and demolishing it savagely.
∞
Jaime was lost in thought, his eyes on Zorica and Epone, huddled together, whispering to each other. Once he’d seen it, it was hard to unsee. There was more there than two colleagues with something in common. He didn’t know what it was exactly, but he was fairly certain there was no room for him between them.
He was surprised at the bitter twist of acid in his chest. Zorica had made no promises to him, not even obliquely. It was his own stupid desires that had fuelled this crush, made it into something it wasn’t. He sighed, trying to push the pain down, the inevitable loneliness that engulfed him at the thought of losing something he never really had.
“Captain.” Jordan came to sit at his side, eyes way too perceptive for Jaime’s comfort.
“Jordan. What can I do for you?”
“For me? Not much. Once AX gets back, I will pretty much have everything I need. You, on the other hand, look a little despondent.”
Jaime side eyed him, realizing that his penchant for truth only might have a previously unanticipated downside. “I’m fine,” he said.
“Liar,” Jordan replied softly with a half-smile.
“It’s impolite to say so,” Jaime said with a twist of his lips.
“Unfortunately, my mouth stopped taking notice of what was polite some time ago.”
“I know you can still choose your words, Adity.”
“Yeah, but what fun is having to tell the truth if you can’t be blunt?”
“Touché.”
“So, talk to me O captain my captain. Let me help you.”
“I would if there was something to help me with.”
Jordan’s eyes drifted to the corner of the pod where Epone and Zorica sat, intent in conversation.
“Zorica has that air about her, her magnetism almost irresistible to some. You shouldn’t blame yourself for getting pulled in.”
“I don’t,” Jaime bit out.
“I’ve been there, done that,” Jordan said.
Jaime lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “Really? You?”
“What? Why not me?”
Jaime shrugged. “I just…you didn’t seem like someone who was pining.”
“I wasn’t. When I realized there was no chance, I cut my losses. That conversation you overheard was an eye-opener for me.”
“How so?”
“I just…realized that Zorica’s priorities might differ significantly from mine.”
“Oh. Well, fo
r what it’s worth, sorry.”
Jordan laughed. “Thank you. Right back at you.”
Jaime shrugged. “At least you have someone new now.”
“Does everybody know about me and AX?”
“You guys are not exactly discreet,” Jaime said with a laugh.
Jordan sighed. “It’s the first time I’ve been in a…unusual…relationship I didn’t have to hide.”
“Good for you.” Jaime patted him on the shoulder.
“Anyway, much as this is great and everything, I actually did not come here to talk about relationships.”
Jaime’s eyebrows rose. “You didn’t?”
“Nope. I am actually quite concerned about Abaddon and what they said about your blood and the power of it. That little tidbit seems to have gotten lost among…larger concerns.”
Jaime gave him a look. “We knew that my blood enhances other people’s magic. This is not news.”
“But potent enough to keep a Knight of Hell trapped when they are actively trying to break free? That’s some serious firepower.”
Jaime smiled. “To think I was depressed about the results of my surgery. Yet here we are.”
“Yes, here we are. It’s funny how life turns out.”
“I think that the potency of Zorica’s blood is not the only one we should be testing.”
“Unlike Zorica, my particular affliction cannot be measured in a Petri dish.”
“We need to find some time to test the limits of your magic as well as Zorica’s blood.”
“Let’s gather information and then we can graduate to testing,” Jaime said.
Uzochi stepped into the pod. “All is ready now,” he announced.
Jordan stood up. “Let’s do this then.”
∞
The general kept them under guard even as they were allowed to retire to the guest quarters while he studied their reports. They were assigned separate quarters but luckily they were in the same block. AX messaged Ash’s device as soon as the door closed behind him and he was alone, the guard having stayed outside.
Are we to get out of here by brute force or stealth?
Ash was startled when her comm. vibrated against her skin. They were not connected to the intranet and that should have stopped them from being able to communicate either with their ship or with each other. She lifted the device to see that AX had messaged her. Perhaps he was right about the Federation not knowing the extent of what he could do.
She hesitated, not knowing if the room was bugged or anyone could hear or see her. She went into the bathroom, hunching over the bowl with the water running before typing out a quick message.
I can put them to sleep. I just need a distraction.
All she needed was some chamomile and proximity. She had the former and she just needed a ruse for the latter. The tricky part was that it had to be simultaneous. The guards were within sight of each other; should they get rid of one, the other would notice right away. It had to be both and therein lay the quandary. She typed a second message to AX.
Do you know about the surveillance? Are we being watched?
He took a while to reply and she began to worry that perhaps their messages had been intercepted. The vibration of her comm. had her reaching for it in relief.
Cameras at both ends of the corridors. The rooms are clear. I’ve put the cameras on a loop. Rendezvous in corridor in five.
Ash’s hands shook as she realized that they were about to do this now. Once they got this show on the road, there was no turning back; they had to get the samples and go. Get back to their ship and leave the Federation airspace without detection.
Wait! We don’t have a plan of escape!
She waited anxiously for AX’s reply. It was another two minutes before she got one.
I have control of the cameras. As long as we are not seen by anyone who knows who we are, we can get to the medical wing. We can use the shapeshifter spell we used on Planet Nine to get into the locked ward and also back on the ship. We just need to have confidence in our abilities.
Ash closed her eyes, regulating her breathing.
Okay. Count of two.
She sent the message, counted to two and opened her door.
The guard outside turned to face her, opening his mouth to undoubtedly tell her she couldn’t just wander about like a tourist.
“I am not feeling well,” she said before he could get any words out. “Would it be possible for me to visit the medical wing?”
The guard hesitated, clearly having been given orders not to let them anywhere near the medical wing, when AX’s door opened and he stuck his head out. “Ash, I heard you speak. Are you alright?”
His guard’s hand had already flown to his weapon but AX ignored him.
“I too am not feeling well.”
“Maybe it’s something you ate,” AX said, stepping right out of his room and coming toward Ash. The guards seemed confused as to what to do because they were not trying to leave but they weren’t in their quarters either. The guard behind AX began to follow him so that he, AX, Ash and her guard were clustered in a small group outside her door.
“Could be. I was just asking if I could go to the medical wing,” Ash said.
“That isn’t possible at this time,” her guard said.
She sighed, digging in her pockets. “I guess I’ll just have to use this for now,” she dug out the chamomile and held it in her palm, both guards looking curiously down at it.
“Yeah this might hel- bah rah gah doh,” she said, blowing the chamomile into the guards’ faces. They dropped like stones.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Preparations
“Last time you tried to do this, you ended up with a faceful of psychic acid. You remember that?” Jaime asked Uzochi.
The Seer nodded solemnly. “I can’t let that stop me,” he said.
“Indeed, you can’t. But my point was, if there’s a way for you to go in and this wizard not see you coming? What if you spied on him through a Stits in his entourage?”
Uzochi regarded Jaime thoughtfully. “I ignore if they even know much, and if the wizard senses that we are there, the element of surprise is lost. I’d rather risk the acid again and come away with intel than play it safe and fail.”
Jaime clapped him on the shoulder. “In that case, take as much from me as you need to be as strong as you can.”
Uzochi nodded and then went back to his preparations. Jordan looked over at Jaime and smiled. Jaime couldn’t be sure but he thought that the other man was definitely smiling a lot more these days.
“What?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
Jordan shook his head. “I was just appreciating your generosity with your gift. It’s an unusual quality.”
Jaime blushed and dropped his eyes, unused to compliments. He shrugged his shoulders, mumbling something about the good of the team, and then walked out of the pod. Jordan’s laughter followed behind him, spurring him to move faster. Zorica turned toward him as he approached them, an inquiring expression on her face. He shook his head, trying to go around them and back to his own pod.
“Captain?” Epone said. Jaime stopped and turned to her. “We have a problem.”
Jaime simply lifted his eyebrows.
“I think I have heard of this Eshugurin wizard. He was a legend among the Elementalists at the Lyceum. It was said that he studied amongst us for a time.”
Jaime inclined his head. “That would make sense,” he said.
“Yes but the thing is, this wizard was expelled for a transgression far worse than mine. He had not only mastered the art of manipulating elementals but also subjugate them to his will. The details were kept very much under wraps but something tells me time is running out to solve this mystery before it destroys us all.”
Jaime took a breath, feeling the heaviness of Epone’s dread as if it was a physical thing. Then he looked up, a light in his eyes. “Do you think he was able to produce this di
sease because he can manipulate the elements?”
“That Stits had grown to giant size,” Zorica said.
“And the other patients had developed new appendages, tails…dragon-like?” Epone asked.
The three of them exchanged charged glances. “We have to get a sample!” they all said at once.
∞
Ash and AX walked fast out of the crew quarters, trying not to attract attention, thankful for their uniforms with the GF logo proudly emblazoned on the sleeve. Unless one specifically knew who they were, they were just another two in the middle of a sea of GF workers. Even a Drueerd like Ash didn’t warrant a second glance; not without her wings. They power-walked toward the medical wing, adopting the stance of busy and stressed workers, running late on a project and simply wanting to get to their stations so as to get on with it. AX’s eyes glowed blue, acting as Ash’s AI even as he hacked into the medical wing records, searching for the location of the infected.
“West wing, basement,” AX murmured to Ash.
“Can we get there?”
AX was quiet for a long while, his eyes glowing.
“Okay, I’ve keyed us in as visiting professors from Mara Institute of Higher Learning,” he said.
“Where is that?” Ash asked.
“They are a biological study center dedicated to researching species, how they differ, how they are similar; they’ve visited before so it won’t be unusual to anyone if they see the entry in the system.”
“Good thinking,” Ash whispered as AX keyed in the five-key password that granted entry to the medical wing. The door swished open silently and they tensed. If their plan was exposed, this would be the most obvious place for that to happen. The corridor before them was empty, although sound and movement could be heard somewhere beyond their vision. AX gestured for Ash to step in before shutting the door behind her and then leading the way down the corridor, all senses on the alert for anything unusual.
“We should probably shape shift soon,” Ash whispered.
AX nodded absently. “Yes, there is a room…” He jumped suddenly, hurrying forward. “There it is. We’ll do the transformation in here.”
The door opened without trouble and Ash stepped in, seeing a wall of blinking lights on one end, something whirring just behind them and not much else.
Mage Marine Misfits: Book 01 Page 20
