by TR Cameron
Taggart grinned. “Some things, you never forget.”
He aimed the gun skyward and flicked out the chamber to allow the cartridges from the safety rounds to fall into his off-hand. “One more set, I think.” He turned to the table, gathered up six rounds, and slotted them into the cylinder’s chambers. “So, do you have any thoughts about the mission you didn’t include in your official report?”
The agent shrugged as he considered the question. “Not really. It was a bad situation, but we did well, regardless. The new tech was a vital piece of it, though. We need to make getting anti-magic bullets a priority. Find out who has them and why.” The SAC waved his hand as if to say, “Heard it before, move on.”
Bryant complied. “Diana did great, as did the rest of the team. No areas of specific improvement necessary. Merely more of the same.”
Taggart spun the cylinder. The ratcheting was soothing. “And the troll did well?”
He rolled his eyes.
Of course Taggart found out about the troll.
“Rath was great, too. He will keep Diana on her toes even better than I could.”
The other man barked a laugh. “She has certainly landed in the thick of it, magic-wise.”
Bryant endured a moment’s discomfort before he decided some secrets weren’t important enough to keep. “I talked to her about her magic.”
“I wondered if you would. It’s good that you did. That shows strong leadership in the face of questionable policies, even if they’re mine.”
The agent laughed. “I learned from the best, boss. Anyway, she’s likely to be even more powerful than we thought. The early warning thing, some telekinesis, and…”
Taggart looked sharply at him as he swung the cylinder closed with a click. “And?”
Bryant shrugged. “She hasn’t really talked about it, but from what I’ve seen, there seems to be a randomness to her magic that is unique. She claims to have had only telekinetic power, but I definitely saw her use force magic at one point. I’m not sure, though. Maybe she couldn’t tell the difference, or maybe she doesn’t want to talk about it until she gets the hang of it. Either way, there’s something there.”
The SAC nodded and looked extremely satisfied that his instincts had proven correct. Again. “That’ll make your job even more fun.” Bryant laughed in response. “Are you ready to get started?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” the agent said. “We’ll need every one of those offices up and running as quickly as possible.”
Taggart paused, one earplug already inserted. “And if what we’ve seen with this bunch of scumbags is any indication, we’ll need to apply what you learn in the Northeast to the rest of the country sooner rather than later.” His companion nodded as Taggart finished inserting his earpiece and turned back to the target. He raised the Ruger and put six rounds into the target, one into each arm, and the remainder created a diamond pattern on its face.
Bryant shook his head. “Yep, you’ve definitely still got it, boss.”
Diana found Kayleigh waiting when she entered the core and rushed to share her appreciation. “The boots are awesome. The Ruger pulls clean every time. And they go with everything I own.”
The tech laughed. “Of course. I would never go half-effort on something as important as custom footwear.”
“And rightly so.”
She tapped a button, and the transcript of Diana’s after-action report spat out onto one of the displays. “I think a sonic grenade would’ve worked out better than the pepper spray.”
The agent laughed in appreciation of the brash comment. “You may be right. Maybe you should join us in the field and do some experimentation yourself.”
Kayleigh held up her hand and backed away a step. “No way, not a chance. I’m a learner, not a fighter.”
Diana folded her arms. “Learn to fight, then. I bet you’d be great outside the lab. In Pittsburgh, say.”
The other woman laughed again and looked ready to offer another counterargument, but the core’s main door opened and saved her from having to reply.
Oh, I’ll get you, my pretty. And your little dog, too.
Diana turned to Bryant and Taggart. “Howdy, gents.”
Bryant smirked at her. “Howdy yourself, Special Agent in Charge Sheen.”
She grinned.
It does have a nice ring to it.
Taggart ignored them both and addressed Kayleigh. “Can I see the chart in one half and the coins in the other?” She nodded and activated some buttons on the display table.
“Coins?” The happy note in Diana’s voice had been replaced by concern. Taggart gestured to the display where front and back images of two matching coins appeared on the screen. She peered closer. “They’re truly identical, not merely similar, aren’t they?”
He nodded. “They are. The tiny hope that we might be facing solo actors—or at most, a very small group—seems to have been put to rest.”
She frowned. “Why is that?”
Bryant answered. “One person with the coin would be strange since it’s a lot of work to go to for whatever they wanted to accomplish. There would be easier ways. If there were only a small number, we’d expect some differences in them to indicate that a limited amount of effort went into making them. I mean, if you only make a handful, the motivation to strive for perfect uniformity is minimal.”
“Unless the uniformity is necessary to make the spell or mechanism or whatever work,” Kayleigh chimed in.
“Granted. But we can’t afford to think best case, right?” Everyone nodded in response. “So, it’s likely there are more of these floating around.”
Diana stared at the image but no answers came. “Where was this one?”
“On the dwarf who went kaboom.” Bryant mimicked an explosion with his hands. “Despite being at the origin of that destruction, the coin was completely unharmed.”
She released a sigh to relieve the tension inside her. “Okay, so in practical terms, what does this mean for us?”
Taggart shrugged. “Well, by itself, nothing. But in the context of the rest of our discoveries, probably a great deal.” He swiveled his head to Kayleigh. “Can we see the Twisted Lizard, please?”
An image of a building that was more charcoal than actual structure displayed. “This bar burst into flame immediately after the incident at the hotel. It burned exceptionally fast and hot, so the fire department is calling it arson. Our teams went through after the blaze was out and found everything in the place destroyed except for a single pristine desk drawer.”
“A fireproof desk drawer? Is that a real thing?” Diana asked.
Bryant chuckled. “Probably not, but a heavily warded and protected one apparently is.”
Taggart nodded. “It took the magic techs a while to undo its defenses, but when they did, this was inside.” He gestured, and an image of a metal spiral supporting a gemstone replaced the destroyed bar. The golden twists were attached to a dark wooden base.
She stared at the gem, which was unharmed and happily aglow despite having been through the destruction of the building around it. “What is it?
The SAC sounded worried. “We’re not positive and are sticking with passive tests at the moment. Frankly, we’re not yet desperate enough to try putting it together with the coin to see what happens. Our best guess is that it’s for communication, or perhaps it’s a sensing tool.”
Bryant sounded equally worried. “Or maybe it’s a doomsday device. I hope you keep the coins in a different part of the building from the stand. Hell, in a different building altogether.”
Taggart chuckled. “We have it under control. Don’t get your boxers in a twist.”
“Boxer briefs, actually,” the agent snarked.
Diana waved her hands in front of her eyes. “Entirely too much information. How about we talk about what the symbol means instead?”
Taggart looked uncomfortable, an expression she’d never seen him wear before. “There’s no exact match to it in any reco
rds. Not ours or Oriceran’s. However, it does have resonance with an important icon from the past.” Without being asked, Kayleigh called up another image.
“An infinity symbol? The number eight? What?”
He didn’t laugh at Diana’s comedy. “That symbol was used by the followers of Rhazdon, an evil leader who tried to create a power base in opposition to the rightful rulers of Oriceran. She is directly responsible for the creation and dissemination of any number of artifacts that have appeared on Earth.”
“Two hundred and eight artifacts,” Kayleigh interrupted. Taggart held a palm up in acknowledgment.
Diana frowned. “So, she’s our target?”
Bryant shook his head. “You need to brush up on your Oriceran history, Sheen. Rhazdon and her followers were finally defeated a couple of decades ago.”
“So, what are we worried about then? Ghosts?”
Taggart sounded uncomfortable, too. “We think it’s too similar to be a coincidence. Whoever is in charge of this group is invoking her memory for some reason. Whatever that is, it’s unlikely to be good for us.”
“Well, at least we can sweat the Kilomea for details once he gets to the Cube.”
The SAC nodded. “You can take care of it personally since you’ve developed such a rapport with him.” She snorted. “Next week, you’re on your way to your new gig.”
Diana grinned. “You mean I won’t get to see Bryant every day anymore? That’s truly a sad, sad moment.”
Bryant smirked and put his hand on his heart. “Diana, I didn’t know you cared.”
“For him,” she finished. She received the expected laughs and beamed at her comrades.
That’s Special Agent in Charge Diana to you, pal.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The Legal Beagle was packed, even more than usual for a Friday night. Nonetheless, they’d been able to claim their favorite pair of seats at the end of the bar, and the trio of bartenders kept their drinks fresh without the need for instruction.
Diana wrapped up the tale of the fight at the hotel and the rescue of the ambassador. “So, that worked out okay.”
Lisa nodded, her eyes a little wide. “So Rath protected you? Not the other way around?”
She laughed. “We’re a team. We look out for each other. Exactly like you and me.”
Her friend chided her with a tsk. “I’m not sure how you’ll manage that from Pittsburgh.”
The agent rolled her eyes. Lisa had poked her about the impending relocation all evening, even though she understood the situation perfectly. “There will be eyes on you. And I’ll be back whenever I can to make sure you don’t destroy my house.”
Lisa laughed. “Hopefully, you’re a better landlord than you are a friend. Or a home renovator. Or, really, better than you are at most things, I guess.”
“Maybe we should discuss some sweat equity.”
“Please. Construction is not my bag, baby.”
They shared a laugh and paused to sip their drinks. Diana had ordered a thick double IPA, and the other woman drank a seasonal ginger cider she claimed to love. Lisa lowered her voice. “Why didn’t you bring Rath?”
Diana shook her head in exasperation. “I offered but he refused to come. Apparently, Max ‘must train.’ Frankly, I fear whatever the two of them get up to at home. There may not be a place left for you to move into.”
Lisa’s reply was preempted by a harsh slur from beside her. “Well, if it isn’t the tramp and her frumpy friend.”
They turned together to face Steve, who was clearly drunk and visibly angry. Lisa had confided to her earlier in the week that they’d broken up, but she’d played it off like it was amicable. The man’s attitude offered a different version of that parting.
Diana twitched and her mouth opened to tell him exactly what he could do with his inebriated idiocy, but Lisa stopped her with a hand on her arm. Her voice was chilled but reasonable. “Steve, we discussed this. I’m not ready for the level of commitment you seem to want, and we’re far from a perfect match, anyway.”
He pointed a finger, and Diana resisted the urge to break it and use it to slam his face into the bar. The pictures in her head were momentarily pleasing, though. His words emerged in an accusing snarl. “You were never honest with me. You lied.”
Lisa frowned. “You heard what you wanted to hear and saw what you wanted to see. We had some fun dates. Don’t ruin it with this nonsense.” Her voice hardened. “Now go away, or you’ll get yourself thrown out.”
The third bartender—who doubled as the Beagle’s bouncer on the rare occasions it was necessary—hovered nearby. Steve recognized his presence with a visible recoil, and he backed off with a parting, “Yeah, right. Whatever.” The name he muttered under his breath made Diana want to continue the discussion with her fist.
Lisa turned back to the bar. “I thought it was the female of the species who was supposed to be all possessive. Every man I date wants to marry me within a week, it seems.”
Diana laughed. “That’s really not a problem for me. I guess there is a benefit to not being the shining star after all.”
Her friend sighed and Diana watched her banish the incident from her mind. “So, I can move in next week?”
“Yep. Rath, Max, and I will head up Monday. Bryant will meet us and show us around. On Tuesday, the real fun begins.”
Lisa leaned back as if seeing her for the first time. “Special Agent in Charge. Bah. You don’t look the part.”
She ordered one more round of drinks. “I will probably have to dress up more often for the new gig, so if you think I’ll wear anything other than jeans and sweatshirts between now and then, you don’t know me as well as I thought you did.”
Well, and the boots Kayleigh gave me, anyway. I guess I’ll need to find a good shine spot in Pittsburgh.
They spent the next forty-five minutes in quiet conversation, as comfortable and easy together as always. Her imminent departure wouldn’t stop them from texting and talking, and they’d committed to getting together at least a couple of times a month. Diana wasn’t willing to lose her connection to DC, even though she eagerly anticipated the move north and all the challenges it would bring.
As they finished their drinks, a still-seething Steve stormed through the crowd and slammed the front door behind him. The women exchanged glances and Diana asked, “Do you think he’ll let it go?”
“Before tonight, I would’ve said yes. Now, I’m less sure.”
“I can hang out with you until your lift gets here and make sure you get away safely.”
“You can’t watch me forever. If he sees us together, he’ll wait for another opportunity—assuming he plans to do something, anyway. We’re probably worrying for nothing. Steve’s a talker.”
“You never know, though.” Diana thought for a minute, then nodded, her decision made. She gestured for the tab. “Okay, let’s find out if he’s up to anything or not. Here’s what we’ll do.”
Fifteen minutes later, Lisa left the building by the front door. She turned toward the pickup spot she always used when carless, far enough away from the front door to avoid the second-hand smoke. As she passed the small alley that ran beside the bar, Steve’s voice called to her and sounded remorseful. “Lisa, I only want to talk to you.” He slurred half the words, and she shook her head in sadness at his stupidity.
Why can’t people treat one another better?
She turned into the alley as Diana had instructed her. They had correctly concluded he wouldn’t be bold enough to confront her on the street.
Steve stood about six feet in, his back against the right wall and his hands in the pockets of his peacoat. He spoke before she could, and his breath misted in the cold air. “I’m sorry for how I behaved inside. Sometimes, I get a little too invested, I know. It’s just…I’m sure we could be good together. It’s hard to let go.”
Lisa nodded. “I accept your apology, Steve. I hope you find the right person for you. Truly.” She turned to leave, and his hand
immediately grabbed her wrist.
“I already have, Lisa. Give me another chance.” He smiled as his arm encircled her waist from behind. “I know I can make you happy.”
One last try.
“I’ve made my decision, Steve, and won’t change my mind. Now please, let go of me.” He tightened his grasp, and she sighed. With a rotation of her arm and a quick yank against the place where his index finger and thumb met, she broke his hold and stepped away.
His eyes betrayed his surprise, and he took a couple of staggering steps to put himself squarely in her path to the street. “No, Lisa—look, let’s talk about this rationally.”
From behind her, Diana’s voice rang out over the sound of the back door to the bar slamming shut. “I believe the lady asked you to leave her alone, Steve. Walk away before you find yourself in cuffs.”
His face twisted with anger and dislike as he looked past her at Diana. He bumped her shoulder as he strode past, apparently having made the incredibly foolish decision to confront her friend. Lisa sighed again. Idiot. You’ll wish you’d left.
Diana leaned against the bar’s outer wall, one leg crossed in front of the other, and watched him approach. It was cold, and she kept her hands tucked into the pockets of her leather jacket. There was no reason to think he was carrying, and she had no fear of his ability to fight unarmed given his alcohol intake. He appeared angrier with every step and clearly built himself up to confront her. She’d seen that particular routine before many times.
When he got within skip-sidekick range and opened his mouth to speak, she held a hand up and snapped, “Shut it.” She straightened as he blinked in surprise. “I trounce people twice as big and three times as smart as you on a regular basis. You do not want to do this. What you do want to do is turn around, walk out of this alley without so much as making eye contact with Lisa, and go home to sleep it off and never bother either of us again. Any other choice will end badly for you.”
