by TR Cameron
As they’d planned, three teams went left, and three accompanied her to the right. The blueprint that Julianna Sloane provided had allowed them to analyze the most likely trap locations meticulously. It was amazingly detailed and showed heavy remodeling of the interior of the building. Her infomancer must be sharp. It would be seriously difficult to get this amount of data on our place, and I don’t think the Aces people are stupid about cybersecurity.
She found herself smiling in anticipation and shifted back into her neutral game face. “Okay, people, remember, stay focused. Our primary concern at this point is locating traps without setting them off. Once we meet opposition, we take down said opposition and continue. No restraint required.”
She stayed behind the first two teams and ahead of the third. As much as she’d prefer to lead from the front, she knew her value. Getting caught by a trap because she was overeager would be an incredibly stupid epitaph for a radically successful career.
Finally, they met opposition. A group of four magicals set up an angled crossfire out of two offices, popping alternately out of the doorways to fire, then ducking back before a counterattack could catch them. They played their hand too early, allowing her people to evade the attack.
Angelina scowled. “Amateur hour. Time for them to learn drywall isn’t any kind of protection.” That was all the cue her teams needed.
Three of the four front team members fired force blasts at the walls concealing the Aces defenders. The fourth protected them, holding a pair of Kevlar plates hovering in mid-air to interpose against any decently targeted gunfire. In only a moment, the walls were down to splintered studs, and their enemies were fully visible. Team two cut them down in a hail of bullets.
She shook her head. Idiots. “Good job, people. Keep moving.”
As they progressed, she had to admit she was impressed with the defenses the Aces people had organized. If not for Worldspan’s superior technology and the skills of her magical trap finders, some of the moves her opposition had made would’ve been downright devastating. As it was, she lost an entire team on the other side of the building to some sort of homebrew explosive trap involving an oxygen cylinder. Several members of team three on her side wound up perforated with long nails after a trap that had remained dormant and unnoticed armed itself after they passed.
Everyone had healing potions, so the injured nearest her would be back in action before too long, but the loss of the other group angered her. She’d logically known that it was unlikely they’d all come out the other end safely. That rarely happened in an operation like this. But she’d still hoped for that outcome, apparently, and was offended at having her hopes dashed. She snapped, “Do we have them yet?”
The infomancer who was riding along on the operation replied, “No. They disabled the security system.”
“You can’t re-enable it? There’s no way their people are as good as you.” It wasn’t a false compliment. He was exceedingly effective at what he did, and to have him admit being unable to accomplish something was almost unprecedented.
“When I say they disabled it, I mean they physically unplugged the cameras and sensors that used to be part of the system. My guess is they have a different setup running, one they installed just for this purpose.”
She nodded. “So, what you’re saying is they knew we were coming.”
“Of course, just as you expected.”
“Think it’s a trap?”
The infomancer sounded doubtful, another unprecedented moment. “I couldn’t say.”
A familiar voice came through speakers set in the walls as Grentham replied with a growl, “Oh, it’s most definitely a trap, Angelina.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jared shook his head with a small smile. “You can’t help yourself, can you?”
He and his partner were in the garage, a spot his partner had selected as their fallback location. They’d been near the front of the building earlier, and he’d been the one to trigger the oxygen canister explosion that had taken out a number of the invaders. Jared had insisted on being part of the defense, and Grentham had agreed on the condition that they stayed together. Suits me fine. A little magical protection is always a nice thing.
The traps they’d installed hadn’t worked nearly as well as hoped. None of the magical or sensor-triggered versions had been effective. Only the ones his people physically set off had remained undetected, and they were hodgepodge, improvised efforts at best. They’d managed to slow the invaders but failed to reduce their numbers significantly.
Grentham replied, “What? She’s a wench, and she needs to know it.”
Jared sighed but didn’t answer. They’d retreated to the garage several minutes before, and their infomancer provided continuous updates about the invaders’ progress. Their people had punched holes in the walls and run cables to cheap cameras hidden throughout the facility since the possibility of Scimitar gaining access to their regular system was too high. They didn’t know she was working for the other side, but they couldn’t afford the risk. Grentham said, “Better take your position and give the order.”
Jared nodded. He tapped his comm and said, “Vacation time, people. I repeat, vacation time.” It was the signal for the defenders to find a safe spot to portal out of the building.
He moved to the opposite end of the garage, where they’d prepared a bastion for him on the room’s left-hand side. They anticipated the enemy would use the main door in the center of the inner wall. He had a heavy SUV for cover, as well as some stacked crates and toolboxes.
Grentham and any members of his team that hadn’t left yet would stand on the right side and draw the invaders’ attention. As long as they didn’t let the Worldspan people get behind them, they could easily skirt around the back and portal out, protected by the vehicle. It was a good plan, but they’d assumed there would be more defenders with them.
The Aces troops had fought bravely, but the Worldspan people outmatched them from the start. Grentham had ordered them to retreat when wounded rather than continuing to fight, and most of them had made it out of the building or to their last-ditch positions before he gave the order to evacuate. They both assumed the enemy leader would want some personal payback with Grentham. In fact, their plans depended on it.
When the door opened and someone who wasn’t Prash appeared, Jared was momentarily alarmed. Then the leather-clad warrior stepped through with a disappointed look on her face. She said, “Really? Just two of you?”
Grentham laughed. “I only see two of you.”
She grinned, showing teeth. “Give it a minute. My teams are cleaning your people’s blood off their boots.”
Jared shook his head. “You’re mighty cavalier over a bunch of unnecessary deaths.”
Her voice held a scowl that her face didn’t reflect. “I didn’t see you shed any tears when you blew up my building with people inside it.”
“We knew you’d escape. And most of your people were already out when the ‘gas leak’ went up.”
“My initial inclination was only to wound yours, but I’m afraid my folks got a little excitable. Seems they dislike you rather intensely.”
Grentham said, “That’s okay. They’ll get what’s coming to them, eventually.”
Prash shrugged. “This conversation is boring and stupid, just like you. Finish this, Dreana.” The Kilomea ran toward Grentham, who sent a fireball at her.
Prash interposed a force shield to protect her partner and pulled up her rifle one-handed. She waved it in Jared’s direction with the trigger depressed, and he ducked to avoid the barrage. He rose again in time to hear the blast of Grentham's shotgun and enjoyed the rewarding sight of the Kilomea flying backward as a heavy slug slammed her in the chest.
Unfortunately, there was an unrewarding sight to counterbalance it as eight more people flowed in through the doors. He called, “Grentham, quit screwing around.”
The dwarf replied, “Yeah, yeah.” Turrets hidden in the ceiling dropped into view
and roared to life, spitting bullets at the newcomers. The invaders reacted by diving into cover and interposing objects lying around in the garage to protect themselves.
Jared snorted. As if we had enough money to load the turrets with anti-magic rounds. Still, safest play. He dropped onto his hands and knees and extended his rifle under the car, drawing a breath before pulling the trigger and sliding the weapon from side to side. His rounds were anti-magic, and his enemies hadn’t done an adequate job of covering their feet. He managed to drop two before lightning wreathed the SUV and forced him to roll away.
He had a moment of clarity that being proximate to a gasoline-powered vehicle when the enemy had access to magical lightning and fire was a really stupid idea. Assuming I survive this, I have to think magically more often. He dashed around the back and ran for the opposite corner, where a small loading area would provide cover.
Grentham copied their foes’ tactics to protect him, levitating objects into the path of incoming attacks. His partner called, “Too timid to finish this one-on-one, Angelina?”
She snarled, “Whether it’s me or someone else, you’ll be just as dead, and I’ll be just as happy.” Her voice seemed off. Jared peered around the corner and saw her foot was bleeding as she limped toward cover. He lifted his rifle and shot at her but failed to connect.
A heavy tool chest flew at him and forced him to dive aside. He hit the floor awkwardly, wrenching his back. He came up hobbled, unable to straighten, and took stock of the situation.
Grentham managed to intercept all the attacks coming his way, but that left him no opportunity for offense. The one backup person who’d arrived during the fight was already down, and the plan had called for several magicals to be there in support. Apparently a bit optimistic. He said, “Might be time to leave, partner.”
Grentham replied, “Just a minute or two more. If I can keep them in a stalemate, I’m sure someone will come in on our side.”
Jared privately disagreed but deferred to the other man. He drew his pistol and aimed at an enemy who was in between attacks. The anti-magic rounds punched through whatever magical shield she might’ve had, and she dropped. He hit the catch to release the magazine and reached for a replacement, lifting the gun so it would be easier to slide in the new mag. At that moment, a pair of bullets burned into his torso through the armor gap under his right armpit, killing him.
Grentham heard Jared cry out and twisted in time to see him fall. He reached out with his force magic and grabbed the SUV, sliding it between the attackers and his partner. He ran to Jared’s side and knelt beside him, layering force shields around them and nearby, translucent versions that would prevent his enemies from knowing exactly where they were. The other man’s eyes were open, but there was no one home. His mouth was parted as if in surprise that someone had shot him.
The advanced trauma kit attached to Jared’s thigh emitted the steady sound that everyone who had ever seen a medical show knew meant that his pulse had dropped to zero. The human jerked convulsively as the kit shocked him to try to get his heart working properly again. Nonetheless, the relentless tone continued unchanged. I can’t portal him out of here until the machine does its job. I might mess it up. In retrospect, Grentham should have learned more about how the medical unit worked, but he never really imagined they’d wind up using it.
Magic slammed into his defenses, and a quick look showed that he had maybe ten seconds before his enemies were in position to shoot through the magical barrier. There was no doubt in his mind that they had anti-magic bullets loaded, enough to put holes in him from head to toe. Finally, the tone changed to beeping, and the man before him gasped. Grentham created a portal underneath them, and they fell through it together.
In the garage, Angelina frowned as the magical defenses suddenly cut off, revealing no one where the dwarf and the downed human had been. She shook her head. “You know, I really figured he’d stick around for a fight to the end.”
The Kilomea, wincing as she moved, stepped up beside her. “We’ll get them next time.”
Angelina sighed. “Maybe we can buy them out. This whole situation is a distraction we don’t need. It will be hard for them to keep operating once we steal all their stuff, which might give us enough leverage to convince them to sell. Is the other thing ready?”
The other woman grinned. “Oh, yeah.”
“Let’s get it done then.”
Twenty minutes later, they’d thoroughly looted the facility, and she was back outside, gazing at the damaged lobby windows. “Blow it.” At her command, the signal went out to detonate the satchel charges they’d distributed throughout the structure.
A loud crashing bang made her teeth vibrate, and the building shuddered for a moment in a way that rigid structures definitely shouldn’t. She watched it collapse in upon itself with immense satisfaction, the perfectly placed explosives leaving nothing higher than a doorway still standing.
Angelina grinned. “Now that’s what I call a successful operation. Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Elnyier surveyed the concerned faces of the Council members around her. Events on the surface had necessitated a special session. The others were doubtless fearful and irritated, each in their measure. At the end of the day, they’d prefer a quiet life with prosperous casinos and abundant recreation.
She kept her expression neutral, but inside, she laughed dismissively. Small minds, small goals, small dreams. Not like me. She said, “I think we can assume that Grentham won’t be joining us, which means we’re all here. Who has useful information about the incident at Aces Security?” She had plenty from a source with first-hand knowledge, but she wasn’t interested in sharing it with them.
Bartrak grunted, “Building blew up. Interesting how security companies keep going boom around here.”
Anders Caruthers, the wizard, shook his head. “It’s nothing to make light of. Beyond the fact that many of us use that company and might now have to deal with service interruptions, it certainly isn’t good for the city’s reputation to have some bizarre war between corporations.”
Rayar, who never failed to annoy her, added, “It does seem quite strange that Aces and Worldspan, assuming that they were the instigators and not only the victims, should turn from profit to combat. I wonder what’s going on behind the scenes there.”
Elnyier knew. She’d been given notice before the operation as a token of respect from Angelina Prash. Again, she wasn’t about to share. Lachsan observed, “Whatever’s happening with them, it doesn’t really matter to us.”
Anders countered, “Easy for you to say since you didn’t contract with either of them. I wonder how Challen feels about it.”
The gnome blinked, apparently not expecting anyone to call upon him. “The incident at Invention was extremely unfortunate. We’re still making repairs. To their credit, Aces had offered to share the expense of doing so since they were responsible for security when the event happened. This event certainly enhances the rumor that the attack on our casino was more about Aces than about us.”
Andrielle, the Atlantean, scowled. “Or, maybe it was more of the anti-human nonsense that’s been going around. Seriously, that’s bad for business. Elnyier, their leader is rumored to be one of your people. Can you talk to him?”
She opened her mouth to give the woman an annoyed response at the insinuation, despite its accuracy, but all that came out was a gasp. The door to the chamber—kept locked during Council meeting— exploded into the room with the broken body of a security guard atop it. Three identically clad figures in tactical clothes and eye masks flowed in afterward, already on the attack.
Bullets flew, accompanied by the chattering of guns, a sound Elnyier had never actually heard in person before. Lachsan, Andrielle, and Anders all spilled out of their chairs, victims of the initial volley. She rose and created a wall of shadow surrounding the Council. More gunfire sounded, and bullets sprayed through her protective shield. Fortunately, Ch
allen and Rayar had ducked, and Bartrak was crouched beneath the line of fire, moving toward the trio.
Rosalind had risen, however, and took a round in the chest that spun her around and dropped her to the floor. Elnyier switched tactics, letting the shield fall and grabbing the table with her force magic. She hurled it at the invaders, right over Bartrak's head, and it forced them to release their weapons and cast spells to stop it.
The fact that it required all three of them to deal with the force she’d put out brought a fierce smile to her face. She followed the table with chairs, a cabinet, everything not bolted down, hoping she’d get lucky and score a hit. The trio stayed clustered, two of them protecting against her further attacks. The third repositioned her rifle, pointing it at the spot where Challen and Rayar huddled over the fallen witch.
The gnome yelled, “We’ve gotta get out of here,” and Rayar replied, “Elnyier, Bartrak, come closer.” She complied, but the Kilomea had other plans. He threw himself in the path of the bullets aimed at the trio on the floor, the rounds punching into his heavy vest. The blow staggered him, but he righted himself and rushed forward, causing all three of the attackers to shift their attention to him as the closest threat.
Elnyier spun and ran, passing through the portal Rayar had created. She panted in fear or outrage for a moment, then turned to assist in pulling the witch through. Her last view of the Council chamber showed Bartrak slumping to the floor, perforated by bullets and burned by magical fire.
Rayar closed the portal and stared at her. She stared back, wondering why he had that look on his face. After a short delay, he said, “Elnyier. You need to alert the kemana that we’re under attack.”
She jolted back to the moment. “Oh, right. Yes.” She opened a portal to her underground home, which had duplicates of all the communication options available in the castle, and rushed through. Right, we’ll get this under control first. Then I’m going to find out who those wenches were and where they live. We need to have a conversation about who sent them.
