Dragon Detective

by Mell Eight

  "I remember," Nickel answered, wondering where Dane was going with his explanation.

  "Well, one of O'Simmons' cohorts revealed the location of some of their safe houses during interrogation. At the time, all the safe houses were searched and then put under surveillance. A little over a month ago, one of them showed signs of life. A team was dispatched, but within twenty-four hours the occupants had moved on. According to Stockton, a few members from the strike team decided to stop for lunch on the way back to headquarters. They went to a restaurant in one of the small towns only about sixty miles from here. The gossip that day was about a very polite young man awkwardly asking to wash dishes in return for a meal and how diligently he worked just for a hamburger and some fries."

  Nickel nodded along with Dane's story, still wondering where it was going and why Dane looked so interested in it.

  "Then two men at a nearby table started asking some very pointed questions. Was his hair very long and white? Was he about eighteen years old?"

  Was he an air dragon? Nickel added to himself. Was he, perhaps, the air dragon calling himself Platinum currently haunting the woods up Mountain Road?

  Dane nodded as if he could read the direction of Nickel's thoughts on his face. "They repeated the story to their supervisor, who sent them to ask some questions of their own at some of the other towns. At the town closest to the safe house, they heard a story of a white-haired teen stealing a few granola bars. Then there was the town where they had lunch. After that, there were two more towns where a young man matching the same description offered to wash dishes."

  "He was slowly moving closer to us?" Nickel asked.

  "Or being herded," Dane contradicted. "I've never made a secret of where a dragon needed to come to get my help. What if it's another trap planned by the enemy to catch us?"

  "Then why send Platinum our way? All they would need to do was come to your office themselves to corner us." Nickel was frowning as he tried to figure out that contradiction. "Maybe he did escape and they're trying to catch him too? It could just be luck that he came in this direction."

  "We're missing one important fact," Dane said after a moment of thought. "If Platinum really is manipulating the weather with his powers over air, there's no way the enemy would allow him to escape their clutches."

  "If they even know what kind of power he has," Nickel countered. If it was even Platinum causing the bad weather too, as there was no guarantee that coincidence was fact either. All they had was a lot of speculation. "You said something about chatter?" Nickel asked when he couldn't think of another avenue to take their current discussion.

  Dane frowned and rubbed his chin absentmindedly with one hand. "Stockton thinks he's found an online chat room where the scientists from various, separated hiding spots get together to share information. One group is claiming they're about to get their hands on the most powerful dragon they've ever seen. They apparently call it the philosopher's stone dragon."

  "Are they trying to change lead into gold?" Nickel scoffed. Outwardly, he was trying to brush it off as just another crazed fantasy, but the mere idea that those evil scientists might get their hands on a dragon that powerful was extremely frightening.

  "More like turn the least magical race on earth, humans, into the most magical race," Dane replied scathingly, his scowl completely focused on those damned scientists. "It's pretty much the same level of impossibility."

  With modern science, it wasn't impossible to turn lead into gold, Nickel knew, just as it was also possible for those evil scientists to somehow use dragon magic. Nickel didn't doubt they would be happy to increase the limited spool of power they had managed so far into something far greater—and a philosopher's stone dragon might give them that.

  "Stockton's got his own people looking into it, of course. Mercury included," Dane continued. "But he's emailing you all the information so we can work together on it. The URL for the chat room should be included. Why don't you introduce yourself?"

  Nickel nodded and pushed back his chair. He stood and walked from Dane's office to his own little desk in the corner. His laptop let out a little beep when he opened it. Nickel settled carefully in his own chair so he didn't bump his knees and waited for his email to load.

  Was there a philosopher's stone dragon? Not that Nickel could think of. There were elemental dragons like him. Those dragons could manipulate just one element. Maybe the enemy was focusing on a precious dragon, like Mercury. Precious dragons weren't confined by the elements, able to do whatever spell they wanted within their personal power restraints. Some precious dragons were stronger than others, but the enemy had already experimented on both precious and elemental dragons and hadn't been nearly as excited about the prospect.

  If Nickel had to guess, he thought one of the dragons the enemy had experimented on in the past might have been genetically altered enough to cause that kind of excitement. Nickel had certainly never heard of an elemental dragon able to manipulate the weather, if that was even what Platinum was doing. Perhaps they had conducted a new type of experiment on Platinum that had given him such advanced powers. He had been able to escape using them, but the enemy knew that once they caught Platinum again they would have a wealth of power at their fingertips to exploit.

  Nickel's resolve to find Platinum before it was too late only doubled. If Nickel hadn't been able to find his den in the woods, the enemy shouldn't be able to either. Still, Nickel thought he might spend the night camping out on the mountain just in case.

  The first email that popped up was from Mrs. Mitchel. Nickel read through it quickly, but she hadn't said much. Just a simple thank you, a confirmation that she would handle the rest, and a note that she would put a check in the mail.

  Stockton's email was much longer. Nickel read through it quickly, but Dane had already told him all the salient information. At the end of the email was the URL link with a username and password already created for him. The username was Scienceguy1965, and Nickel hoped it would hold up to inspection. He clicked the URL and waited while his web browser opened.

  According to Stockton, Scienceguy1965 was named Marcus Quillian. He was a microbiologist who had been working for the research arm of a big-name pharmaceutical company, but was fired when his experimentation went a little too far into the illegal range for the company to feel comfortable with. He was someone the evil scientists would be happy to hire: a man with loose morals and a big brain. That he was entirely fabricated by the U.S. Government in order to catch the bad scientists was another matter entirely.

  The page that finally loaded was a plain black screen with two fields for username and password. Nickel signed on and found himself in an active chat room. There were three other people there. HaikuMu was typing up a storm. Petridish1000 appeared to be interjecting every once in a while. ThatGuy wasn't saying anything, and a closer glance at his status said he had been present, but inactive, for over three hours. Nickel decided to follow ThatGuy's example.

  It was agony sitting in front of his too-small desk, reading HaikuMu blathering on about how her most recent accommodations didn't even have running water. How could she conduct any experiments when she only had antibacterial wipes to keep her hands clean? It didn't sound like she had any actual live dragons, just specimens, but Nickel still kept track of everything she was saying just in case she gave away her location. Petridish1000 was entirely unsympathetic. Apparently, he had been camping out in the woods for three and a half weeks, waiting for an opportunity to strike. The bastard was probably waiting for a dragon to wander into his path and fortunately hadn't had any luck yet.

  After an hour of their bitching, Nickel was ready to pull out his hair. He wanted to be back on the mountain, searching for Platinum. He knew he wouldn't find Platinum no matter how hard he tried—an air dragon couldn't be found if it didn't want to be, as Zinc had taught Nickel many times—but that didn't mean Nickel didn't want to try anyway.

  You don't say much.

  The private message poppe
d onto the lower right-hand corner of his computer screen. ThatGuy apparently hadn't fallen asleep at his computer after hours of watching HaikuMu and Petridish1000 gripe at each other.

  There's not much to say, Nickel typed back after a moment of thought.

  Then why are you still here? ThatGuy asked. There was no way to infer tone from a few words on a computer screen so Nickel didn't know if ThatGuy was merely curious or whether he was testing Nickel. Everything was a test, Nickel reminded himself. ScienceGuy1965 was fake so everything Nickel typed had to fit the correct persona or ThatGuy would shut Nickel out.

  I was promised science and the next big breakthrough. I'm waiting for that to start.

  You just have to be patient, ThatGuy insisted. Everything is in place. Give it a few more days and the philosopher's stone will fall directly into our hands. Nickel suppressed a wide grin. The SupFeds had really done a good job integrating ScienceGuy1965 into the enemy's trust if they were willing to tell him their plans in a private chat.

  I'm looking forward to it.

  As am I. We may have also located the soldier in our search for the philosopher's stone. Two dragons of immense power should be coming your way soon.

  Nickel frowned at ThatGuy's last sentence. Who was the soldier?

  How invigorating, Nickel wrote. He was trying to sound evilly excited. I should make extra preparations.

  I will contact you again when we have made the capture.

  ThatGuy didn't sign off, but his status returned to inactive. Nickel did sign off. He flipped windows to Stockton's email and hit the reply button.

  A user named ThatGuy has confirmed their search for the philosopher's stone dragon, Nickel wrote. He also indicated that they had located a dragon they're calling the soldier. I would appreciate your sending me any information you have regarding the soldier. ThatGuy also appears to be a leader of some sort. He knew everything that was going on. Have you been able to track him down?

  A crack of thunder sounded, shaking the building and echoing through the mountain. Nickel jumped, and he might have also let out an undignified squeak. Dane swore in his office, and Nickel heard something clatter off his desk. Becky continued blithely typing on her computer. Lightning flashed as Nickel got up to look out the window. The sky was dark with heavy thunderclouds, and wind was whipping through the trees. Another crack of thunder sounded, strong enough that the window shuddered in its frame.

  "Shut the computers down before the storm fries them!" Dane called from inside his office.

  The surge protectors the computers were plugged into were supposed to protect them in bad storms, but it was still safer to shut them down entirely. Nickel hurried back to his laptop, sent the email, and shut down.

  "It's almost time to close up anyway." Dane sighed as he walked into the main office. "Let's head on home."

  "I was going to keep an eye out for Platinum tonight," Nickel said with an apprehensive glance out the window as another bolt of lightning flashed and thunder followed.

  "Not in this weather you're not," Dane disagreed sternly. Becky was pulling out her purse as he was speaking and getting ready to head home too. "Look, no one's going to want to be outside in this weather. I'm certain Platinum will be safe from any dragon snatching tonight."

  Nickel felt like a child being reassured that there weren't any monsters under the bed, but like that child, he trusted Dane to know what he was talking about. Platinum would be safe in his mountain den until Nickel could return in the morning.

  Becky smiled at them both and waved goodbye before activating the spell circle that would take her home. Dane called on his magic, sending a shiver through the air, and Nickel felt his wards go up around the office. Nickel put his hand on Dane's shoulder, and Dane's magic pulled them both away.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Thunder woke Platinum from a late afternoon nap. It rolled through the mountain range like drums beating through the heavy trees. Lightning flashed. He rolled off the couch and brushed his hair out of his face. It had come loose from the braids Platinum had tied it in, but he had to wash it anyway. The window in the kitchen was small, but it was big enough that he could see well into the woods in the back of the house.

  All the trees and their large leaves blocking out the sun made it seem later than it was. Platinum splashed water on his face at the sink and dried himself on a dishtowel while watching the rain fall heavily. He had been having a nightmare, Platinum remembered. The rain beat against the kitchen window while he frowned at his reflection. He couldn't remember all the details, but there were more than enough terrible things in his memories to amount for an entire lifetime of nightmares. And dragon lifetimes weren't short as long as they didn't run into any evil scientists killing them off in droves.

  It was a lonely feeling, knowing he was going to live forever and ever with only his nightmares for company. There was a time when there had been other dragons around him when he woke from a nightmare. He remembered Zinc calling through the bars in her cell so he could hear her comforting words. But then the scientists had taken him to a new facility and left her behind. He only found out later that she was dead thanks to overhearing some gossip.

  Platinum knew he was better off away from the scientists. He never wanted to be put under for some unknown experiment again, not knowing if he would actually wake up or slip off into the realm of death with some bastard's scalpel still inside him. At the same time, he missed the sound of voices as the scientists and the guards spoke around him and the touch of another person's hand, even if it was only a guard dragging his half-conscious body back to his cell. Platinum was all alone in the forest, running and hiding for weeks without hearing a voice outside of his own. He knew he had to live like that, and he wasn't under any illusions that he would find a kindred spirit willing to run through the woods at his side. Maybe he would run into Zinc's ghost, but it was safer to be alone so he didn't get anyone else tangled into his mess.

  The rumbling thunder sounded like the storm was slowly moving away, heading east. Platinum thought he might follow the storm in the morning and see what a big city was like. He knew there was one on the coast called Boston thanks to an old map decorating the wall of a diner he had stopped at in one town.

  Platinum spun away from his reflection in the window and sighed. He might as well shower and get ready for bed, even though he would only have more nightmares waiting for him. He wished the storm would return—the thunder booming overhead was better than having to listen to his own thoughts—laughed sadly at his foolishness, and went to wash his hair.

  *~*~*

  The leaves overhead were still dripping when Platinum packed all of his things into his backpack. He threw his garbage into a neighbor's can—his one bag hopefully wouldn't be noticed amid the rest of their trash—and headed down the mountain one last time. The ground was springy with excess water and squelched under his shoes as he picked his way around the puddles. The storm hadn't abated until very early in the morning. Every time Platinum had been woken up by a nightmare, the thunder had been there to greet him.

  It took longer than usual to walk into town. He had to take a serpentine route in order to keep his shoes dry, which added time. He didn't really want to be wearing soaked shoes while walking the miles and miles it would take to get to Boston. Plus, Platinum didn't need to rush to get to the grocery store before the trucks arrived. He was on his own time and could move at his own pace.

  He could see a construction crew moving into one of the vacant lots along the shopping strip as he turned the corner by the gas station and headed towards the grocery store. They were busy pulling out whatever fixtures the previous tenant had left. Platinum briefly wondered who would be moving in then pushed that thought away. As much as he liked the sleepy town, he was only an interloper stealing a bed. It didn't matter how much he liked the town or how interested he was to know who was opening a shop. He was moving on, and that was final.

  The consulting firm that smelled like dragons was dark as h
e walked past. They would be arriving any minute, Platinum guessed, given how early it still was. He should leave a note warning them that the scientists chasing him would snatch any dragon they came across along the way. Maybe the grocery store owner would take a message over there for him. Platinum didn't want to encroach on their territory, but leaving a note was better than letting another dragon get hurt.

  Platinum reached the grocery store and walked inside. The automatic doors closed quickly behind him as he headed to the nearest associate that didn't look too busy.

  "Can I talk to the owner?" Platinum asked the young woman standing idly in the bagging section of a check-out line. There wasn't anyone in her line, but she still took a few seconds to double check before she nodded.

  "I'll go get him." She waved to the cashier to tell him she was leaving for a minute and headed to the back of the store.

  It took a long time for Ryan to arrive. The woman working the bagging station returned with a smile and was followed by Ryan a few minutes later.

  "Platinum, just the guy I was looking for!" Ryan said with a happy smile. "I've a friend who wants to meet you. I just called, but it seems he's not in his office yet. Do you mind waiting a few minutes?"

  "Looking for me?" Platinum repeated warily. Had the scientists found him? Ryan was a good guy, but he wouldn't know a corrupt cop if one approached him about locating Platinum.

  "Nothing bad," Ryan reassured Platinum, no doubt seeing Platinum's wariness on his face. "It's Dane from next door. He runs a Supernatural Consulting Firm, and he would like to have a few words with you."

  Platinum took an involuntary step back. "You can tell him that I'm not encroaching on any dragon's territory. I'm planning to leave as soon as I stock up on some travel supplies, so he doesn't have to worry about me any longer."