Shattered by Magic

by Rebecca Danese

  An image fills one of the larger screens on the wall: a clear red line on a map of London, which seems to be showing the route that I took all the way to Marvin’s.

  “It would have been, if you hadn’t disappeared into a black hole as soon as you arrived in Golders Green. We’ve tracked you all the way to a street before your phone disappeared off our screens.”

  Wow. I know Marvin is paranoid, but I didn’t expect him to have a satellite scrambler over his entire road.

  “I didn’t know,” I say quietly.

  “Well, I just asked Bonnie to find me all the known associations with that street so that I could perhaps understand what had drawn you there. I wanted to see what was so important that you’d go against a direct order.”

  I keep my expression neutral but the sweat beading on my forehead gives me away.

  “It turns out that there’s an address on that street that belonged to a now-deceased cyber criminal suspect. But the strangest thing was that our files seemed to be empty of any record of his name or details.”

  I’m sure my pulse is going a thousand beats per minute. Please let the others be okay, I think to myself. Please let Lou be her usual, impatient self and insist that they meet me at the car or at home. Don’t let them be getting arrested at this very moment. It’s a silent prayer to no one in particular, but I have to hope that some god somewhere is listening.

  I wait for the CCTV footage of Marco and me scrambling the computer records, but none comes.

  “I don’t normally admit this, Curtis, but I made a mistake.” The look of disappointment on Ms. Angeles’ face is hard to look at, but Bonnie’s saddened expression is unbearable.

  “Ma’am, I can explain,” I say hurriedly.

  “If I wanted an explanation, I would have asked for one,” she snaps, making me flinch. “Crossley isn’t here to defend you and put up with your insubordination, and I’m not going to tolerate it. Whatever happened in that house caused important government documents to be removed from our database. A virus could have remotely accessed your phone so that as soon as you entered the ATU it scrambled our records. Whatever the explanation for the missing information, you’re lucky I don’t arrest you.”

  “Wait, you’re not arresting me?” I say in surprise. She shoots me a look that would wither any living thing, and I clamp my mouth shut.

  “God, Curtis, I am so disappointed in you.”

  That almost stings worse than a slap to the face.

  “But I really do have information that could help if you’d just—”

  “You are under-qualified to give that opinion,” she retorts. “You have been working side by side with people who left school knowing they wanted to work for Her Majesty’s government. Individuals who have fought in wars, served in the army or navy, and have trained for years to be where they are now. You are nothing more than an irresponsible teenager with a personal vendetta and a chip on your shoulder. It’s a wonder Miss Banks tolerated you as long as she did.”

  That hurts. If I felt inferior before, I feel like an insect now. A thought of how Miss Banks tolerated being ordered around by her flits through my mind. Part of me wants to cower under her glare, maybe curl up in a ball under a desk and suck my thumb. But another part of me, the part that Crossley has been telling me to squash these past couple of months, wants a fight. That’s the part that wins.

  “I’m just going to take a second here to point out that Miss Banks came to me. First she kidnapped—"

  “Apprehended.” Angeles doesn’t miss a beat. Her arms cross even tighter over her chest, if that’s possible, and she purses her lips.

  “Fine, apprehended Jer and me—“

  “And you broke out of custody by drugging Dr. Lindhurst and threatening Miss Banks with a gun.”

  “Sure, but then she came to me when she wanted help questioning the Duke and had my girlfriend kidnapped, not before making us sign our lives away to come and work for you.”

  I hear Bonnie give a little whimper from behind the screen, but I don’t take my eyes off Angeles, feeling it would ruin the effect if I did.

  “Are you finished?”

  I want to say more, but I’ve run out of steam, and she still looks nonplussed. I suppose not apologising for anything is a politician’s tactic.

  “Curtis Mayes, I am forced to relieve you of your duties, effective immediately.”

  I shouldn’t be surprised, but it still feels like a kick to the gut to hear it aloud.

  “Because I disobeyed orders once?” I snap. Stop now, before you get the others in trouble, I think to myself.

  “No, because you should never have been here in the first place, and I don’t want you to be my problem anymore. You’re untrustworthy. I should arrest you for what happened here in the past 24 hours. I gave you a lifeline, and you threw it in my face.”

  I don’t know why I open my mouth to protest, but before I can say anything more, she cuts me off.

  “Leave, before I have you escorted out.”

  “But—”

  “GET OUT!” The ferocity of those two words hit me harder than any punch. I glance at Bonnie, who refuses to look me in the eye— absolutely no help at all.

  I leave the Situation Room with as much dignity as I can muster, but as soon as I reach the corridor outside, I run.

  CHAPTER 8

  I keep running until I reach the Archives Department, but the place is as deserted as the rest of the complex. No note, no sign that Jer, Lou, and Marco put up a fight or even that they were here in the first place. Panic threatens to overtake me, but I run on, searching the few places that they might have regrouped: the canteen, the briefing room, the training centre. All empty. I run until my legs ache and my lungs burn, and then I keep going. There are a few clerical staff rushing about, looking tired and harassed, but no one stops to ask me what I’m doing or where I’m going, and I wouldn’t tell them even if they did.

  When I make it to ground level, our car isn’t in the car park, and I allow myself a moment of relief. If our car isn’t there, then they got away. That or someone towed it. No. Stop thinking like that. I chastise myself for always dreaming up the worst-case scenario. They must have gotten word somehow that everything was going sideways. Or maybe Lou got bored, which is an entirely plausible reason for them to leave without me.

  I force my body to keep moving and jog as far as the docks before I stop.

  When I finally reach the water’s edge, I slump onto the ground, panting, and drag myself to the side of the quay. If I’m still on ATU property, I don’t think anyone will care all the way out here.

  I take a few precious moments of quiet to gather my messy thoughts and calm my heavy breathing. My brain feels like it’s on overdrive right now.

  What the hell have I done?

  Betrayed the organisation I work for. Got caught lying to one of the most important people in the country.

  At least she didn’t realise I was fully and consciously responsible for Marvin’s files disappearing. She seemed to have pegged that down to my general incompetence. I feel like my ego has taken a beating with all the things Angeles said to me, but it doesn’t stop me from knowing what I need to do.

  If Ella really is caught up in the Duke’s mess, if she really believes she’s doing the right thing by helping him, then that’s all the more reason to put an end to this.

  The Duke wants what’s best for Augurs, no matter the cost to Normals. Angeles wants what’s best for Normals, regardless of how many Augurs get in the way.

  To tell the truth, all I want is to get Ella back. I’ve managed to fill that hole in my chest these past few days by pretending it isn’t there—by keeping myself busy. But now it burns like an infected wound, and it’s trying to force its way into my thoughts.

  God knows what Ella is going through. And our baby—the baby that she might not even know about—is in constant danger, with whatever it is she’s doing. Our child. I can’t even think about that right now; it hurts as much as Ell
a not being here.

  I’m not sure how I can do anything if I don’t have the backup of the ATU, but that won’t stop me. I ping off a message to Marco’s phone, knowing that it will probably be the last before I have to ditch the whole handset. If Angeles is still keeping tabs on me, I don’t want her to know what I’m about to do.

  While I wait for a reply, I take lungfuls of river air and allow myself to dangle my legs over the water’s edge, trying to clear my head.

  The River Thames sparkles, with dark green waves under the blue reflection of the sky above. A boat sails past on the far side of the river, the droplets thrown up in its wake glittering in the sunlight. The buildings on the other side are tall, proud, modern things that gleam like newly built machines. The whole scene is so calm and relaxed it goes against the electric agitation that courses through every part of my body. I clench my fists in my pockets, and my hand wraps around the ivory-handled pocketknife that the Duke gave to me. Sometimes I want to crush it so hard that it fragments in my hand, but it’s an antique which once belonged to my family, and it seems to be made of tougher stuff than that. I let it go and stare at the screen of my phone, willing Marco to answer me.

  “Look at the things in the distance. It’ll calm your thoughts and pull your attention out of the past, laddie.” Dr. Lindhurst’s cheery Scottish tone breaks my self-pity session.

  “Doctor,” I exclaim, turning to find her just a few feet away.

  “You were so lost in your thoughts you didn’t hear me coming.” She smiles, sitting down next to me and putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Want to talk about what happened?”

  I shake my head. I’m too ashamed. Ashamed of how I reacted and how I handled everything so badly. I don’t want to revisit that right now.

  “I can’t, Doc, but I appreciate the offer.” I lift the corner of my mouth in an attempt at a smile.

  “Very well. But I will say that life is hard enough as it is without speaking your mind. Secrets don’t get any easier to keep with time, just so you know.”

  “I didn’t know you were a philosopher, too,” I say, staring across the river.

  “Comes with the job description.” She gives a hearty laugh, and I feel slightly better for hearing it. “I’ll tell you this though, to ease your troubled thoughts: Ms. Angeles is one of the most senior members of our government. When it comes to the security of the country, she’s the one everyone looks at to keep it under control. So, if she’s got people working for her that she can’t trust…well, let’s just say it’s probably better all around if she cuts them loose.”

  News travels fast in the ATU, apparently. I was only dismissed, what, half an hour ago at the most?

  “You’re saying I shouldn’t take it personally.”

  “Well, at least don’t take it as hard as you are right now. I can see that you’re upset, but the fact is, if you were in her position, you’d probably do the same thing.”

  Damn, she’s logical.

  “Ella used to do that,” I say sadly.

  “What? Tell you not to feel sorry for yourself?”

  I snort. “That, too. But, no, she always saw the good in people. Gave them the benefit of the doubt. It’s not one of my skills, unfortunately.”

  “I think you beat yourself up too much, lad. You’re very trusting, and I’ve told you before: Your heart’s in the right place.”

  “Oh, I dunno about that, Doc. I thought that all I wanted was to save Ella and get back to living a regular life. Now I feel like I’m on some kind of vendetta. It’s not like it’s my job to save everyone or anything, so why do I let myself get into such a mess?” I groan with frustration and slam my forehead into my palm, as if I can knock my own stupid thoughts out of my head.

  The doctor regards me silently, realising that the question was rhetorical.

  “I don’t think I’m even really angry at Angeles. I’m just sick of messing things up. Just when I think I’ve got a handle on the situation and that the Duke and Ella are almost within arm’s reach, I end up forfeiting my chance to get to her by being fired.”

  “Are you done?” she asks, giving me a gentle elbow in the ribs.

  I smirk at that. I must sound like the whining teenager that I am.

  “Do you remember what you did when we first met?” she asks.

  As if I could forget. “You mean when I injected you with your own tranquilliser and stole your gun?”

  “Only after I’d patched up your fractured leg.” She chuckles, easing my guilt. “The point is, Curtis, you never gave up. You say you’re not destined to save everyone, and certainly not all the Augurs, and that may be true. But I’ll let you in on a secret: People underestimate you because you’re young. They think you can’t handle this kind of life, this path you’ve been led onto—maybe even that you’re weak.” She pauses, and I wonder if she was trying to make me feel better. “Let them.”

  I look up then and stare straight into her clear, sharp eyes.

  “Allow everyone to believe that you’re too young to understand what you’re doing, then prove them wrong. I know you’re having a hard time. You’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders, lad. But with a strong purpose to do what’s right, you’ll be unstoppable. I’ve seen that in you more times than I can count.” She pats me on the shoulder again and gets up to leave. I almost want to ask her to stay, but she’s got work to do and likely shouldn’t be seen speaking to me.

  Her words echo in my head, and a little warmth spreads through my chest.

  “Thank you, Doc. When all this is over, maybe we can sit down, and you can impart some more of your gems of wisdom to me.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” She puts her hands in her pockets and stares into the distance momentarily. “When you say ‘over’ can I take it to mean that you have a course of action for yourself now that you aren’t working for us anymore?”

  “Well, I’ve only been unemployed for less than an hour, but I have a vague idea,” I say, keeping my expression unreadable. If I’m honest with myself, I don’t know how I’m going to do anything without the help of the ATU, but I can’t say that aloud.

  “Very good. Just know that if you ever need any...assistance, you can always call me.” She pulls out her ATU business card and hands it to me. I open my mouth to tell her I won’t be calling her office number any time soon, then I notice a personal phone number scrawled in pen underneath.

  “I’m good for more than just fixing a few cuts and bruises, just so you know,” she says with a parting wink.

  I look up from the card to thank her again, but by the time I turn around, she’s already gone.

  I take another deep breath of river air and exhale, looking at things far away like Dr. Lindhurst told me to do.

  “Ella, if you could see me now, you’d be so pissed.” I shake my head at my own gloominess and check my phone again for messages. Marco has sent me a brief text telling me to meet him at Pier 20, just a short walk from where I am.

  I pick myself up and wander along the edge of the riverbank, heading east until I reach the next industrial estate that I know doesn’t belong to the ATU. Pier 20 is nothing more than a few abandoned shacks and a car park along the riverside. It serves as overflow parking for the few nearby businesses, and the ATU, when the need arises.

  “Thought you’d gotten lost,” he calls from behind a car when he spots me. My mood may be sour, but he manages to make me smile with a hearty greeting. “That went down the crapper pretty fast,” he says, climbing into the small blue Kia we were given by the ATU for commutes.

  “Tell me about it. You don’t want to know the things she called me. Didn’t do much for my self-esteem,” I admit, getting into the back with him. Lou and Jer are in their usual spots at the front, combined looks of sympathy and worry on their faces.

  “How did you get out? Did you know?” I ask them.

  Lou shakes her head but doesn’t say anything, instead making a sign and pointing to her ear. I know what that signal me
ans: bugged.

  Of course the ATU could still have tabs on us. They easily could have bugged any of their phones, too, so it’s best to keep conversation to a minimum, or at least to make sure it’s misleading.

  “She say why she fired you?” Jer asks.

  “I can’t be trusted. Satellites tracking my phone caught me disappearing into a black hole in that house, and they mysteriously can’t find the name of the deceased suspect who lived on the street.” I choose my words carefully, trying not to give anything away.

  “Huh. Interesting,” Lou says, driving us the familiar route home.

  “That’s what I thought, but like she told me, I broke her trust. I’m a liability, and I’m well and truly fired. I don’t know what that means for you guys though.”

  “Well, we waited around for as long as I could tolerate, but if I’m honest, I didn’t think Angeles would sign off on your plan anyway.”

  “So, you got out while you could?”

  “Exactly. If you’re not part of the ATU, then neither are we,” Lou says.

  “Is it wrong that I’m happy to hear that?” I ask, feeling selfish. I’m not elated that she didn’t believe in my idea, but she’s smarter than me, so I can’t hold it against her.

  “No, mate, we’re a team, and we stick together,” Jer says, turning round in his seat to give my knee a slap.

  I give him a satisfied nod and try to formulate our next steps in my head. Our berthing is barely twenty minutes from headquarters, but when we get there, it doesn’t feel like anywhere is particularly safe. We’ve discussed what to do if ever this should happen, although I never actually thought we would get this far.

  Pack a bag of necessities, ditch all the electronic gear, withdraw as much money as we can from a cash machine, and hole up at Beryl’s Chelsea town house. Worse plans have been devised, and Lou was the pragmatic one who made us hash all this out seven weeks ago, when staying in the ATU wasn’t a certainty. The sudden need for a plan B came after she attended one of the ATU’s counter-espionage classes, and she’s been paranoid ever since. Phones, laptops, and tablets are all left behind.