Firestarter

by Jan Stryvant

  Robert smiled to himself as another sucker took the bait and swallowed it whole.

  "A bomb."

  "A bomb? What's so dangerous about a bomb?"

  "A big one, a truck bomb. Like those terrorists used in Oklahoma and New York. It'd mean the loss of one or two of your members if we want to be sure it's done right, but we could easily level their building in town."

  "Or even take out enough of their compound in the hills if we made it big enough!" Pastor Cross said with a smile.

  "I think the target in town would be a better one," Robert said with a dour look. "The compound is too open, success wouldn't be guaranteed. Their building in town, however, is much more vulnerable."

  Pastor Cross smiled predatorily at him, reminding Robert quite suddenly of shark. "That's why you have me!" Cross chuckled nastily. "You think too small. Why do we have to pick a single target? Why not both?"

  Robert blinked, leaning back a little in surprise at the sheer audacity of Cross's statement and his willingness to send his followers to their deaths. "Both?"

  Cross nodded. "Both."

  Robert pondered that a moment and then smiled. "Both is good."

  #

  Sean looked through his binoculars at the small gateway hovering a few inches over the sagebrush.

  "Nothing's come through?" he asked Chad, who was standing next to him.

  "Nope. Not a damn thing."

  "Yet they fought us tooth and nail at the last big gate," Sean said, thinking about the one that had closed yesterday.

  "Maybe they don't have the resources?" Max asked.

  "Oh, they've got the resources," Estrella grumbled.

  "I think they're not using them because their king doesn't know what to do with them," Chad said, speculating. "Think about it. Stell here told us the king never gets involved until the main gateway opens."

  "So because he doesn't know how, he doesn't?" Max replied. "Sounds a bit too pat to me."

  Chad shrugged. "We've been kicking his ass at the large gates where he can bring in all the power he wants. I've said it before; I think he's using them to get an idea of what he'll be up against when the main gateway opens. If that's the case, then he's not going to learn anything with these. He'll just be pissing away assets he could use when the next large one opens."

  "Or maybe he's just trying to lull you into a false sense of security," Max countered. "So when he does strike through them, we're all caught off guard."

  Chad smiled. "I admit the idea has merit. Besides which, it's good practice for the new troops, if nothing else."

  "How many troops do we have now, anyway?" Sean asked.

  "Quarter of a million, and growing fast."

  "Any projections on how many we're going to end up with?"

  "Between the reserves and the actives, I think we're going to have at least a half million here by July."

  "Just how big is the US Army?" Max asked.

  "Over a million," Chad told her, "with about another million in the reserves. Then of course there's the militia."

  "Militia?"

  "Every able-bodied male from like seventeen to forty-five."

  "You're kidding me!"

  "All of your men are in the military?" Estrella asked, also sounding surprised.

  Sean nodded. "Yup, and for ninety percent of them, it's going to be a rude surprise if and when the government decides to call them up."

  "It's an old law," Chad said, continuing. "Been on the books since the country was founded, and never taken off. Probably how they justify the draft, I don't know." Chad shrugged. "Law isn't exactly my thing. But when things start to go really crazy, I suspect we're going to see a very big increase in numbers."

  "They've got millions on the other side," Estrella said in a soft voice. "Maybe ten million? More? I don't think we're going to be able to hold them off with just a million soldiers."

  "We've got better weapons than they're used to," Chad pointed out.

  "Perhaps, but they've got magic."

  "We've got magic, too," Sean reminded her.

  Estrella shook her head. "Not like they do. The demon kings and queens, their magic is different than ours. It comes from their followers, the ones bound to them. I've seen some of the things a demon lord can do, and a king has dozens, if not more, tied to him through each of the princes he controls."

  "I guess we'll be finding out, then," Chad said. "It's not like they're going away."

  "Don't forget that the race who built all the gate controllers beat them with technology," Sean pointed out.

  "They still lost the second time around," Estrella countered.

  "Because they didn't do a thorough job, nor did they keep their weapons around afterwards. We know better than to do that."

  "Plus," Max said with a grin, "we really like our weapons!"

  "So, what are our plans for the long term then?" Sean asked, turning to Chad.

  "Fight the large gates, keep training and recruiting, and prepare for the main one. The logistics guys are telling me they're getting things converted over to iron, and there's a lot of interesting development going on to make sure we don't lose." Chad shrugged. "Other than that, until we're really into it, there's not much to say. They haven't shown us any new tricks since we blew their fort up."

  Sean nodded. "How are things going with the magic users? You getting enough support?"

  "I was a bit worried at first, but they seem to be warming up to the job. I just wish we had more of them. They've all been pretty unhappy about the lack of attacks coming from the small gates."

  "What? Coming out here isn't worth their time?"

  Max and Chad both laughed. "No, they're complaining because they're afraid they're not getting enough practice. I think Jack is working on setting up some sort of war games for them, using his lycans as the opposing forces."

  "I'd been hoping we could steal a bunch of magic users from Europe to help us," Sean said, shaking his head, "but with the rumors coming out of Germany, I'm not so sure that's wise."

  "Still no word on what's really going on there?"

  Sean shook his head. "There aren't a lot of magic users in Eastern Europe; they all fled back when communism was running things. Most of the ones in Western Europe picked the really big cities, or the nicer climates to the south."

  "What about the magical gangs?" Max asked.

  "I've been told that someone is looking into it, but nothing beyond that."

  "Well," Chad said, motioning for them to head down the other side of the rise away from the gate, "let's call in our ride and head back to base."

  "Not worried about someone coming through?" Estrella asked.

  "Not really. My people know what needs to be done, and it's only a small gate; I'm sure my captains can handle it. I got better things to do than just stare at a hole."

  Sean had to agree; he'd come along today because he hadn't been out since the last large gate over a week ago. Estrella had been spending a lot of hours every day with Chad and Max going over everything she'd ever seen or learned about the enemy. Even Joseph Harrison from the Council of Eruditio had been coming up to the compound a couple times a week to ask her about the demons and life on the other side of the gateway. The only thing they hadn't been telling anybody about was Mahkiyoc Aan Drues, the being they'd met there who was the last of his race. The First had ordered them not to discuss that topic with anyone on Earth, only in the lion realm, where none of them could be overheard or spied upon.

  "So what are your plans for the afternoon?" Estrella asked him as they got into the helicopter.

  "I guess I need to meet with Deidre to go over finances," Sean grumbled.

  "Right, finances." She chuckled.

  "When she called me earlier, the message made it clear I had actual work to do."

  "Oh, my poor boy. Reduced to doing actual work!" Estrella teased.

  "I know, right? I'm a lion! Rawr!" Sean said with a grin. "I'm supposed to lie around all day, sleep, and get waited on hand a
nd foot."

  "Does that ever work for any of them?" Max interrupted.

  "Once, I think. They all still tell each other stories about it!" Estrella giggled.

  "Let me guess, Dad?" Sean asked.

  Estrella laughed again. "Hardly. I think he's a, what's that word I heard last week? 'Workaholic?' I think mother would be delighted if he was to just lie down and ask to be waited on for a century or two."

  "Why's that?" Max asked.

  "Because if he's working, we're all supposed to be working, too."

  "Now I know why you went through the gateway!" Sean laughed. "To get away from dad and get some time off!"

  Estrella hauled off and punched Sean in the arm hard enough that if he hadn't been strapped into his seat, he probably would have fallen out of the helicopter.

  "Not funny!" she growled.

  "But is it true?" Sean teased back.

  Estrella shook her head and grumbled, "That's why it's not funny."

  "Okay, I'm sorry," Sean said and put an arm around her, pulled her close, and gave her a kiss. "I'll be sure to make it up to you tonight."

  "Better," she said and leaned into him a bit. "You know, these helicopter things aren't so bad once you get used to them."

  "I heard a rumor that Daelyn is learning to fly them?" Chad asked.

  "Yeah." Sean nodded. "I think she finally found something more insane than that car of hers. Still, it's a good idea, I just wonder what she'll end up buying."

  "You don't think she'll take one of the Black Hawks?"

  "Not if there's something faster she can get her hands on. You gotta remember, her 'Cuda is fast. That thing is more like a low flying missile than a car."

  They talked a bit more, but the flight back to the compound wasn't a long one, and a few minutes later Sean was walking into Deidre's office, which again reminded him that he had to see about finding where his own office was, now that he was no longer sharing with her. Apparently he was expected to do work when he was in his office now, instead of doing Deidre, he thought with a grin.

  "Ah! Master Sean! You're here! Let's go."

  "Go? Go where?"

  "You need to inspect the building we bought."

  "We bought a building?"

  "The casino project? Remember? With your friend Steve and the head of the eastern pack, Claudia?"

  Sean blinked, he'd forgotten all about that.

  "Come," Deidre said, taking his hand and leading him out of the room. "Cali and Daelyn are waiting out by the car."

  "We actually bought a building?"

  "Actually, Claudia has had the building for ages, but the licensing is about to come through, so you need to be there as one of the principals."

  "I thought I put my mother in charge of that?"

  "You did. That's why we haven't bothered you until now," she told him as they got to the car. Deidre got in behind the driver's seat; Cali got in behind the passenger's. Getting in and closing the door, Sean leaned back into the seat as he felt Cali's fingers start to massage the back of his neck and lower scalp.

  "You know, I have no idea where we're going?" Sean said as Daelyn pulled out of the parking lot and started flying down the driveway.

  "Don't feel bad," Daelyn laughed, "I'd forgotten about it too!"

  "Makes me wonder what else I've forgotten about," Sean said, looking out the window as the traffic flew by. "Hey, is it my imagination, or are there fewer cars on the road today?"

  "People are startin' to notice that there's definitely somethin' going on out in the desert." Daelyn said while negotiating her way around a couple of slower vehicles. "So they're movin' out."

  "Huh, took 'em long enough."

  "Yeah, well, they got something now to drive it home that life's about ta' change on 'em."

  "Oh? What?"

  "Lemme show ya'."

  Daelyn hit the exit ramp, slid the car around in a nice drift, and pulled off onto East 2nd.

  "What am I looking for?" Sean asked as she slowed down and drove towards downtown. He was a little surprised that she hadn't grabbed the previous exit for 80 and just taken it down to Virginia.

  "You'll see," was all she would say.

  Nodding, Sean looked out the window. He tried to recall the last time he'd been downtown. It had been what? A few weeks ago, but that had been at night when they went out to dinner.

  Daelyn pulled around a couple of Humvees, and then passed a few other transports he wasn't exactly familiar with. There were a lot of armed people on the streets now, a lot of them were in uniform, and a fair deal of the ones who weren't were in the new 'militia' outfit the governor had asked Sean's people to wear so the police would leave them alone.

  But other than that, it seemed to be perfectly…

  Sean stopped and turned to look out Daelyn's window, looking past her. There were quite a few armed people on that side of the street, as well. Then there were the military vehicles on the road they'd been passing going the other way.

  "When the hell did the Army get here?" Sean asked, looking around some more.

  Daelyn, Cali, and Deidre laughed. "When you brought them here?"

  "But I thought we only had a quarter million…" Sean stopped and facepalmed. A quarter of a million people in a city of a quarter million was going to stand out, even if only a quarter of them were living in the city.

  "It's more like a half million, my husband," Cali said from behind him. "There are still a lot of human soldiers who either have not been infected, do not wish to be infected…"

  "Or failed the selection process to be infected," Deidre finished for her.

  "It's startin' to look like there's a war on, ain't it?" Daelyn chuckled.

  Sean nodded and continued to look around. "I guess you're right."

  It only took another couple of minutes to get downtown, then they pulled into the back parking lot for an old office supply store. Or what Sean remembered as an old store. The place had once been a casino many years ago, and from the new signs on the front, it was about to become one once again.

  "This must be the place Claudia bought?"

  "From what I've been told, she's been sitting on it for several years now," Deidre said, "which is why the gaming commission was able to move so fast. You're required to have owned the property for at least two years prior to your application."

  Getting out of the car, Sean helped Cali out of the back, then put one arm around Cali and the other around Daelyn. They headed into the building, with Deidre following close behind him. He wasn't surprised to see armed security at the door. He didn't recognize either of the men, who were both werewolves, but they recognized him immediately, and giving nods of their heads, one opened the door for him and showed him inside.

  "Wow, they've been doing a lot of work in here," said Daelyn, who was used to working at casinos, looking around.

  Sean had to agree. The place was freshly painted, and the many gaming tables appeared to be, if not new, then clean and in good repair. There was a small stage at the south end of the gaming room, with a couple of small platforms for lounge bands scattered throughout the room.

  "The main stage is through that arch," Deidre said, pointing to one of the many exits from the gaming room.

  "Been here before?" Sean asked her.

  Deidre shook her head. "No, but I went over the plans several times with your mother."

  "Hey! They got mechanical machines in here!" Daelyn said, pointing to the rows of slots.

  "Yes, your uncle was quite helpful. Seems he had a lot in storage and was willing to rent them to us."

  "I just felt a large drain on my bank account," Sean said, putting a hand to his heart.

  "Thppt! I've probably worked on half of 'em. Maybe when this war thing is over, I can get me old job back!"

  "You want to work on slot machines?" Cali asked.

  Daelyn shrugged, but she was grinning. "It's a fun hobby. I like mechanical devices, and slot machines have all sorts of fascinating idiosyncrasies. The new ones ar
e all just electronic garbage. Inside, they're all exactly the same."

  "Come, the office is back this way," Deidre told them, and Sean followed, watching that nice butt of hers. He'd been in lots of casinos over the years, and with all the stuff on his plate, being part owner in one just wasn't all that exciting right now.

  "Sean! Cali! Daelyn! Deidre!" Louise said as they entered the office of the general manager.

  "Hi, Mom," Sean said, and hugged his mother after the girls each took a turn saying hello. She was dressed sharply in a very conservative suit, with a skirt instead of pants. "Looks like you really do know how to run a casino!"

  Louise snorted. "I haven't started running it yet. Claudia and Steve's father are in the conference room with the lawyers and the regulators, getting everything ready to sign."

  "What's Steve's dad doing here?"

  "Steve gave him power of attorney to sign for him, seeing as he's stuck in DC."

  "Ah," Sean stopped a moment and looked his mother over; she looked a lot younger these days. A lot younger.

  "Sean?"

  "Am I going crazy? Or are you getting younger?"

  Louise smiled. "I told everyone I got a facelift, that that was the reason I was gone."

  "I'm not following you, Mom."

  "I'm half faerie, Sean. Faeries live a very long time. Being half one means I age a lot slower, and will live longer as well. The problem is, if I didn't appear to age, people would have gotten suspicious. So I used an illusion spell to make it look like I was aging."

  "So you stopped using it?"

  Louise nodded.

  "Why didn't you stop using it earlier?"

  "Because I only cast it about once a year. When it wore off a month ago, I decided not to bother casting it again."

  Sean shook his head and wondered how he'd missed that? Then again, it wasn't like he looked at his mother that way. It was only seeing her dressed up like this that had caused it to stand out to him.

  "So when is the casino going to open?"

  "May 1st."

  "Wow, that's less than a week away! Well, let's go sign, and then I guess it's back to work for all of us."

  #