He gave as much of a shrug as his restraints would allow. They had locked his forearms and biceps to the arms of the chair and bound his chest to the back, while his thighs were strapped to the seat. The chain that connected the shackles on his feet was attached to a hardpoint in the floor.
"The food's okay but the company's lousy. It’s not quite a fancy hotel, but it's fairly cushy. You must feel special, having brought in the toughest guy in the place."
Diana laughed and patted him on the head. The convict strained to reach her with his teeth. "You're merely an average everyday thug, buddy. Don't worry, though. I'll do my best to send you friends who are actual threats. Maybe you can learn something before you get out of here." She snapped her fingers. "Oh, wait. That's right. You'll never get out of here. Once we had your information, digging into back cases showed what a bad boy you've been."
His grin was both vicious and unrepentant. "I have had a…colorful life. All self-defense, though."
She stared pointedly at his bulging muscles and vented a prolonged sigh. "Right. That's what it was."
He laughed again, and Diana had to smile. He was a scumbag, but she'd met worse. His offenses were all against other criminals, as far as the techs could tell, which was a point in his favor. Still, she wasn't ready to release the personal grudge he'd earned when he’d thrown her into her car and dented it.
She folded her arms. "So, how about you tell me about your boss and whatever he was doing? Why go after the ambassador? What was the plan?"
He blinked and donned an innocent expression. She imagined that if his hands weren't bound, they'd be clutched over his chest in a gesture of feigned incomprehension. "You mean the owner at the Twisted Lizard, right? I was the bouncer there. He was a nice man and paid me well. Plus, the work was easy. It came with free drinks, too. I wouldn't mind going back there." Much to her surprise, he actually managed to sound wistful.
In the next moment, the surprise gave way to the sheer lunacy of the statement. She laughed, unable to restrain her reaction. He soon joined in. She wiped at the corner of an eye and said, "You're good, Cresnan. But I'm afraid you won't be able to resume that prior life. Your boss is dead, and your alleged place of employment coincidentally burned down shortly after you failed to abduct the ambassador. Did you make someone angry at you?"
The Kilomea shrugged, seemingly unfazed by the information. "Oh, well. I'm sure I'll find something entertaining to do when I get out of here. Maybe I’ll pay you and your little family a visit."
Diana suppressed the instinctual growl that rose in her throat and shook her head. "We were getting along so well, and you had to ruin it. Remember what happened the last time you threatened my family? It didn't go so well for you, did it?" She raised her index finger and a jolt of electricity surged through the chair, drawing an angry curse from the prisoner. "That shock is only level one. Imagine if we took it to ten. And ours is special. It goes to eleven. Do you think you're tough enough to handle it? Would you like to give it a shot?"
The giant was far more annoyed than hurt. He hissed through clenched teeth. "Bring it, bitch."
She sighed. "I knew you wouldn’t be reasonable about this, but we all thought it was worth a try." Her voice adopted a singsong tone. "Oh, Bryant?"
The sound of the door unlatching echoed through the spartan room and her boss entered. He looked serious and official in a tie and suit that hugged his frame. The man was the very picture of a government agent on the rise. His brown hair had been carefully combed to the side to reveal more of his narrow face. If she’d met him now for the first time, she might even have believed he wasn't the chucklehead she knew him to be.
He crossed the intervening space to stand beside her and gestured at the Kilomea. "Is this one being an idiot?"
She nodded. "I told you he would be. I gave him a little shock, too, but it doesn't seem to have triggered any sense of self-preservation. Did you get word?"
"We did." He turned to the bound prisoner with a half-smile. "It is my distinct pleasure to inform you that the Oriceran consulate has agreed that your extensive list of crimes is substantial enough to warrant imprisonment in Trevilsom Prison."
The effect was more profound than Diana had thought it could be. All the color washed from Cresnan's face, and he gave a single visible shudder before a clear effort brought it under control. He licked his lips as if they'd suddenly gone dry.
She grinned. "What was that about the Cube being a cushy gig? You’re not quite so tough now, are you, Sasquatch?"
His voice was more subdued than she'd imagined it could be. "You can't send me to Trevilsom. That's for the worst of the worst. I'm not in that league." She had heard of the prison, of course. It was located in the middle of an Oriceran ocean. Prisoners kept there were slowly driven to madness by the excess magical forces that permeated the place—without exception. It was a death sentence, but one preceded by extended torture measured by the heartbeats of those imprisoned.
Diana imagined that the brute before her would last a long time and had no doubt that he was aware of it, too. "Do you want to stay here? Then talk. And don’t lie.” She gestured at the two-way. “We have an empath back there." They didn't, of course, but Cresnan wouldn't know that.
He spoke in a flat, emotionless tone. "Kergar was the leader of our group. We were only muscle. None of us were on the inside. Only him and maybe the bartender."
She checked the case notes on her smartwatch. "Enthan?"
The Kilomea nodded. "Yeah, that's the guy. Anyway, we only took orders. We weren't in on the big picture."
Bryant turned to her. "That's not enough to make it worth keeping him here. Life in the Cube is expensive. We have to provide clothes, food… The courts even think they should have full access to books. Before long, we'll have Oriceran convict scumbags with law degrees."
She smothered a grin and turned back to Cresnan. "You heard the man. Last chance. Give us something useful, or we're out of here and you blow your only shot to avoid being sent home."
Given his current options, the outcome was obvious. "Okay,” the prisoner said hastily. “But you have to keep me away from any members of the Remembrance who come here. I want guaranteed protection."
She forced her face to stillness. "We don't know very much about the Remembrance."
Understatement. We've never heard of it.
"Tell us more. And you better be sure it doesn't conflict with the information we’ve already gathered from the others."
He nodded. "All I'm sure of is that there's a group of shady assholes at the top who follow Rhazdon's ideas. They sweep up those who still believe and band them together in her name. They communicate with these fancy coins. Kergar was very excited when he finally got his."
Diana shot a look at Bryant. Taggart's suspicions were right on the mark. They hadn't found a way to activate the coins yet, though, and weren't willing to tip their hand by pairing one with the statue they'd discovered for fear that it would alert whoever was on the other end.
I guess that was a good call. Go you, Taggart.
She turned back to Cresnan. "How many people?"
"I don't know."
"Who's in charge of it all?"
He shook his head. "I don't know."
"Okay, who's above Kergar?"
The Kilomea barked a laugh filled with mockery. "I saw him once, the bastard, when the boss was drunk and forgot to ward the door. He used that little crystal thing he had, and a small glowy version of the dude hovered over the top of it." Cresnan looked at the ceiling and sighed as if remembering hurt. "He wore a robe and some sort of hood. I can't tell you anything about him other than he's male and has an accent. He sounded like an elf, but who knows?"
"What kind of elf?" Bryant asked.
He shrugged. "One elf sounds the same as another. Weak, pretentious."
Bryant turned to her. "Do you have enough?"
Diana tapped her chin and felt the prisoner's eyes on her. She let her face fall as if she wa
s about to say no, and the Kilomea blurted out, "There’s a branch here, too."
Both of their heads snapped around. Bryant asked, "Here in the Cube?"
He waved a hand as far as he could, given the restraints. "No, idiot. Here in this town."
Diana fought down the desire to chuckle at her partner. "We already knew that. Thanks for nothing. But since you came clean, we'll keep you here—well, for at least a while longer."
Here, too. Damn.
The two agents moved toward the door. The brute behind them barked a hopeless laugh. "How about round three, Sheen?"
She didn't turn to face him. "I told you. We want you alive. When that changes, you'll see me again." They exited the room and the door clanged shut.
The warden frowned as they rejoined her behind the mirror. "That's concerning."
Bryant nodded grimly. "To say the least. Remember, you can always call on Diana and her team if you need to."
Murphy nodded, then smiled at her. "Agent Sheen, I hope you'll come back soon for a real tour. It would be good for you to learn the ins and outs of the place, just in case."
Diana extended a hand and they shook. For such a lean and sharp-looking woman, her grip was surprisingly warm. "Count on it. Together, we're gonna clean up this town."
Chapter Two
Bryant swung the SUV into an underground parking garage after a short drive over one of the many bridges that spanned the river from the north side of Pittsburgh. They descended to the bottom floor and parked across two spots in the mostly empty lot. He waved an arm as they walked toward an unmarked door. “There are always open spaces on this level. The office building nearby doesn’t have the same demand it used to.”
Diana nodded and looked ahead. She was eager to memorize every section of her new home, from the cracks in the pavement to the chips in the walls. They reached a door that featured a hefty lock above a long handle. She tested it for kicks and smiled at the stout resistance it offered.
Bryant grinned. “I was the same way when we opened the office in DC.” He waved his smartwatch at an unmarked portion of the door frame and a soft click sounded. A fire alarm on the wall was no longer flush, and he swung it aside to reveal one of ARES’ ubiquitous keypads. “The code is the same as the model year of your car.” She grinned and typed in 2018. The sound of the barrier unlocking echoed through the vacant level. He glanced around, presumably to be sure they were alone, then pulled it open and gestured her inside. “Of course, you’ll want to change it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Duh.”
He swung the door shut behind them and laughed. Motors rumbled as they extended a set of heavy metal bars into place.
Diana nodded in satisfaction. “Not skimping on security, eh?”
“Not a bit.” He shook his head. “Your location in such a public place here in the downtown proper of Pittsburgh carries a little more risk than our comfortable home in the DC cookie-cutter office park.”
She followed him down a long corridor. Her internal compass was fairly sure it ran at an angle toward the city’s other river, but she made a mental note to study the layout in more detail and fix it in her head. The hallway was dim but clean and freshly painted, and the construction was new.
The lights are probably motion-sensor-controlled and still warming up.
Bryant paused while she observed the structure a little more closely. “As far as anyone outside ARES knows, the garage doesn’t connect to your building. We’ve run construction on this alongside other hidden infrastructure over the last few months.”
“The city didn't complain?”
He raised his palm, turned it over, and flipped it back up again. “This is one of those need-to-know things. The Council determined that local government did not need to know, so they’ve run interference with the bureaucracy. There’s a legitimate Army Corps of Engineers project going on nearby, which has provided good cover. They’re upgrading the underground portion of the city’s light rail to cope with flooding issues. At the same time, they’ll add a few special features for us.”
Diana shook her head in wonder. “It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t have to tell anyone what you’re up to.”
“Right?” They resumed their trek and soon arrived at another heavy door. Bryant typed in the same code. It released, and they entered the new base of the Anti-magic Response and Enforcement Service, affectionately known as Black-ops Agents of Magic.
She frowned. At first glance, in the minimal glow of hanging work lights, it resembled a dump. A second and closer look confirmed it. “So, this is what—a storage floor?”
Bryant chuckled. “Hardly. This is your main site.” He slapped a palm against a button to his right and fluorescent bulbs buzzed to life throughout the cavernous space. Support pillars dotted the structure at regular intervals, and a staircase and elevator entrance were both visible on the distant wall.
She scuffed the sole of her boot along the dirt on the cement floor. “I know you said it was a startup, but this is, uh…less started up than I expected.”
He laughed at her obvious distaste. “Construction teams will be on site before long. We want to use our own people for this part of the job, and they’re currently on assignment elsewhere.” He escorted her forward and pointed to several stacks of military-style crates. “Your version of the core is in those boxes. It will go here.” He gestured at the area in which they stood, which was roughly the center of the room. “We’ve beefed up the signal security in every direction and run dedicated fiber into the space from the local hub. The cable company for the city has no idea, of course. The cord itself is shielded and monitored for issues. No one will hack into your stuff that way.”
They walked toward the staircase and he pointed at the elevator doors. “That’s a private elevator and goes between here and the top floor, nowhere else. The building’s main elevators don’t come down here, and they’re locked out of the top floor without one of our watches.” He led her up the stairs to the next level. This area was also empty, but the tape on the ground marked the likely placement of walls and various other pieces of equipment.
“I assume these will be offices?” Diana asked.
Bryant nodded. “Offices in one half, space for labs and medical in the other. The armory will be downstairs near the core.”
She folded her arms. “I always assumed that ARES was deeply committed to this location but mentioning medical right off the bat suggests that you’re more serious than I thought.”
“We are. Your proximity to the Cube would be enough to justify this level of concern on its own. But data shows us that this is a particular hotspot, even without the prison. And the Kemana nearby adds any number of potential wrinkles to the situation.” He gestured to another staircase and led her up it. “You won’t be a DC level of importance, at least not at the start, but you’ll be as vital as any of our other locations, and more so than most.”
Diana nodded. “Okay. I can work with that.”
They emerged into a lobby where sunlight streamed in through the many windows. The warm glow illuminated a seating area with several couches and chairs, a small desk with a security guard, and a local-brand coffee shop on the opposite side. A sign announced Thirty-Four Coworking in bright gold letters on a black background.
She raised a skeptical brow at Bryant. “The street address? That’s the best you could come up with for a business name?”
He shot her a long-suffering frown. “Dammit, Diana. I’m an agent, not a marketer.”
The Star Trek reference deserved a small laugh, at least. Seconds later, he introduced her to the guard. “Larry, this is Diana. She’s from Thirty-Four Corporate and will be around from time to time to check on things.”
Larry nodded. The man was the size of a college linebacker and didn’t appear to have much fat on his large frame. His sharp blue uniform, short buzz-cut black hair, and professional, stoic expression combined to suggest a heavy level of commitment. His voice was deep but
smooth. “Welcome to Pittsburgh, ma’am.”
Diana smiled. “Thanks, Larry. Please, call me Diana. What do you think of this place?” She gestured around.
He scratched the back of his neck and sighed. “Well, first let me say that I like working for Thirty-Four—good company and treats me right. But some of these people you rent to…they’re plenty strange.”
Both agents laughed and Bryant replied, “As long as they have the money, who are we to judge? Am I right?”
The guard nodded but still frowned disapprovingly. Bryant gestured toward the elevators, and Diana gave the guard a wave. “See you around, Larry.” He grunted what sounded like an affirmation, then turned to deal with a person who’d rolled up to the desk on a skateboard.
A short negotiation of various electronic devices and an elevator ride later, they stepped onto the fifth and final floor of the building. It was well-appointed, with an unmanned reception counter, several offices with sizes and furnishings appropriate to upper-level management, and a giant conference room with windows that faced the river and the mountain beyond it. Diana sighed an appreciative, “Ah,” at the reflection of the bright sunlight on the water, even though it was still frigid outside. “Now this, I could get used to.”
“Don’t.” Bryant stepped beside her to gaze at a barge going past. “This is your public face when required. If you need to bring someone in who's not cleared for the base below, this is where they come. With enough notice, one of our managers below will come up and handle reception. If needed, we can always put bodies in the offices to make it look more legit. We have staff on floors two, three, and four and we’re close to breaking even, too. The place is catching on.”
“You really have thought of everything.” She tapped on the window. “I presume these are bulletproof?”
“Up to a fifty-cal, they say. But if you see a missile coming in, get to one of the offices. They have go-bags and reinforced walls.”
Federal Agents of Magic Boxed Set Page 23
