by Pam Uphoff
***
Rael watched Endi as guards spread out, searching the trails that led off into dense woods, and trying to back track the floaters. The men on Paer’s back trail returned to report four more bodies and another floater.
Then Endi answered questions. "Crystal turned up that trail, it seemed likely they'd have taken the first way off that open road, and it was obvious a vehicle had been crashing through the trees." He shrugged. "When I entered this clearing, two men were running from that air car there toward Paer who was being manhandled by two men. Xiat was on the ground, but threw a slice spell at the two approaching. So I just dealt with the two that had Paer."
Urfa eyed him. "Wait just a bit." He turned away to talk to Captain Onca. The next flier in dropped off a civilian garbed man. Average height, a bit pudgy, unnoticeable until he met your gaze. Ohme was a roaming Priest of the One. A man who had been part of the hive mind. Urfa led him over to Endi.
"Tell me what happened all over again. Start with you entering this clearing."
"And first I require you to lower your shields for a truth match." Ohme watched Endi calmly. Rael knew priests well enough to know that not a twitch was being missed.
Endi met his eyes, and bowed his head a bit. His shields softened, backed away. Now she could see that he was concealing his power. He barely glowed, but the subliminal sense of power hidden. . . Rael lowered her own shields, and listened as Endi both talked and visualized his way through the scene. This time Endi admitted to adding his slice to Xiat's and feeding a slow trickle of power to the exhausted guard. He kept everything else locked away.
Rael rubbed her temples. He was telling the strict truth about his actions and what he saw, but he is hiding his own thoughts and feelings both while it was going on, and now.
Urfa frowned at him. "We've run a DNA scan on you. We know you don't have the One power gene."
"That just means the person is limited to their internal power, the strength, endurance and energy of their body. There's a good reason I stay in shape."
Urfa nodded and Endi was finally allowed to walk Crystal homeward. Rael caught Urfa’s eye and jerked her head in Endi’s direction. Urfa nodded. She collected poor Idjit’s reins and followed Endi down the winding path.
A trio of grooms met them where the trail hit the dirt road, with the horse box. Crystal looked wistfully up the track, but walked in and was taken home. The vet was waiting, braces, bandages and x ray machine ready. The mare had cooled down and stiffened up enough to not look completely sound, and Endi received dubious looks from vet, stable hands and the Black Horse Company en masse.
"Mind you, using Crystal to find the princess was clever, but still . . ." Captain Onca smiled unpleasantly. "If you'd killed the girl's horse galloping about making a nuisance of yourself during an emergency, we'd be pounding you to a bloody pulp instead of thumping you on the back."
"Thus proving that it's better to be lucky than smart." Endi smiled innocently.
Captain Onca gave him a thoughtful look. He wasn’t the only one.
Chapter Twenty-five
Paris, European Region
20 Shaban 1396YP
Izzo managed to wangle an observer's place on the raids. And found that Endi was driving their transport.
"That ratty old horse box is perfect for transporting hit squads." Captain Onca nodded to Rael as she rushed in. "You coming too? Get into combat gear, pronto. Only Endi gets to wear civvies."
Rael whistled faintly as Endi walked in. Strutted. Old sleeveless shirt showing lots of muscle. Tight pants. A few chains. Sunglasses.
"Hey Spikey, what do you put in your hair?"
"Gel." She looked at him speculatively, and then grinned. "I'll be right back. I've got to get into uniform."
"Really? In that get up, I'll bet you could distract half their guards." Endi looked innocent under a rain of glares. "No?"
They all looked at her. Red hair in spikes, green shirt with a very vee neck and insufficiently long, darker green skirt barely covering the essentials, orange running shoes.
Onca pinched the bridge of his nose, then pulled up the site pictures again. A tidy brick office building. Four floors. "If you were to just walk down the street and buy something from this autovend . . . I'll bet you'd pull this side door guard out of position. We might manage to get our hands on some unwiped machines if we can get in fast enough."
"Just be ready to throw up a shield." Izzo said.
Rael shook her head. "When the Princess School hears about this, I'll probably get a personal pink commendation. Whether that is good or bad depends entirely on one's goals in life." She strode off, returning with a selection of markers and a bottle of something she smeared on her hands. "C'mere Endi. I'm going to make you completely unrecognizable."
With his hair slicked back, then spiked in front and sunglasses, and a hand drawn thorny vine "tattoo" up his neck and onto his cheek, he was definitely unrecognizable. Every female in the place was sneaking sideways glances at him. Izzo tried, and failed, to not be glad Xiat was still in the clinic.
Looking around at the short-haired soldiers, he could see why the Captain had roped in Endi to be the very visible driver, but still . . .
The entrance and blocking teams were dropped off in two locations, then Endi parked across the street, nearly at the corner, diagonally across from the building.
Izzo eased into his observer's position and started shifting the mobile microcams to where he could see the side door, as well as the truck and Rael. And more importantly, send real time pics to the teams.
The passenger side door opened and Rael climbed down from the high seat. Her skirt rode up rather high as she slithered out. She adjusted it all with a wiggle, blew Endi a kiss and pranced a few feet down the block to the corner auto vend.
Izzo tracked back to the side door. The two goons had both walked out far enough to watch Rael hesitating over her purchases.
She took her time, bending over to look at the examples. Wiggling that pert bottom.
The guards swapped glances and angled across the street toward her.
The team poured down the alley, barely pausing for the lock on the door.
The front door opened. "You two! Get back to your post!" A large man stepped out and scowled. "Honey, you get out of here, or I'm going to have some fun with you!"
"Well!" Rael put a wealth of gleeful indignation in that.
Endi jumped down from the truck. "Spiky, I tol you t'was trouble, comin’ here. Nutin but Natives."
Two more men stalked out of the building. "What did I just hear you say?" The leader was as tall as Endi and outweighed him.
Endi, a street rumble was not in the plan! Izzo scanned the side and front of the building, switched to infrared. Warm bodies at several windows. Close to half the number of mobsters they'd estimated were there at night were watching the confrontation in the street. Two more men walked around from the far side of the building. More than half and all the outside guards!
"C'mon, Spiky." Endi grabbed her by the arm and hauled Rael away from the vendomat.
"Hey, White Worm, that's no way to treat a woman. If she doesn't want to be with you, I'm available." The front door man stepped up to try and loom over Endi, which was just barely possible.
Rael winked at him. "Oh, a Gentleman! See, you could learn some manners."
"Someone’s gun t’learn some manners, t’night." Endi growled, and hauled Rael down the street.
In the building, some of the watchers turned away from the window. Had they heard something?
On the street, one of the mobsters lunged to grab Rael, Endi swung her away, turned back to punch him. The other six jumped in. Rael shrieked, then cursed in shrill tones. None of them heard the alarm in the back of the building.
Izzo concentrated on the raid, but spotted Endi kicking one mobster, Rael threw another, turned and kicked. Two collapsed as Endi released their necks. He turned and double punched another, turned . . . no one left.
&nb
sp; <
<
<
Izzo picked up his gear and walked down to help document their finds. One Damn it, why don't I get to play too? It's Hell getting promoted out of the fun stuff.
***
Deep was trying hard to not show how much she wanted to kill someone. Any of the fellows around them would do. Kail was looking innocent and young . . . and alert.
Este, of course, looked like he might be able to out think a rock. He just happened to be standing where he could bash the most obviously deadly of the people surrounding them.
Deep gave an entirely false smile to the head fellow. "Our manufacturing process can produce a hundred blanks a month. The only question is whether you want them all and how much you will pay for them."
The head of the Al Iadrah Mob was a nasty snake of a man. Well dressed, but flashy. Black hair trimmed, but to her eyes, greased unattractively flat. Thin, moderately tall.
"Now, don't diminish your attractive self like that, Honey. Let's get friendly and talk over the exact details . . ."
And overhand strike to the throat . . .
"Let's just stick to business."
"Ice Princess, heh?" He stepped even closer. "I just love warming up a frigid woman." His smile widened.
I must have let my expression slip.
A shrill ringing. The mobsters around them stiffened, glares aimed their way, hands reached for weapons. Mr. Nasty waved a hand at the computers and other machinery.
"Wipe them." His eyes narrowed at Deep, as he stepped to the door.
She could hear running feet, a gasping voice. "It's a raid. Black troops. We've got to get out of here."
Nasty glanced back. "Kill them."
Then he was gone, and the weapons were coming out . . . and everyone there was folding up onto the floor.
Kail grabbed absolutely nothing. "We can get into a bubble and leave tomorrow."
Este nodded. "Good idea. Grab stuff. We might as well take all of this with us."
Deep grinned. "And set up for ourselves."
The bubble was massively claustrophobic. And lumpy with jumbled electronics. Este was the most comfortable thing to lean on, and damn it she didn't intend to lean but the walls were elastic and pressed everything together . . . A tiny bit of light. Then a wide opening.
Kail's silhouette hopped out the opening. Which closed.
Then opened.
To the back room of the shop.
" . . . worried about all of you! The news is full of the raids on suspects." Heil switched her glare from Kail to Este to Deep as they climbed out of the bubble.
"Why t'raids?" Este rubbed his side. No doubt bruised.
"That to-do yesterday at Versalle? The Al Iadrah tried to kidnap the President's daughter." Heil rolled her eyes. "Endi says he's still warm and cozy."
Kail wrinkled her nose. "He ought to have warned us . . . although I didn't actually mention that we were trying to do business with a better class of criminal, last time I talked to him."
Deep snorted. "We'll probably be the next raid."
***
"Orku is still furious." Efge was pacing through the situation room.
"Probably because he was blind-sided," Izzo muttered. That got him a sharp look from the subdirector. He stifled a yawn, it had been a busy afternoon and night. He hadn't seen a window lately, but according to his watch it should be dawn. Yesterday's late night raid would probably be the last, though. Nabbed the Boss.
Rael had been in uniform and Endi had, since the first raid, behaved himself and stayed out of the fighting.
Izzo had, finally, been in a position to take down a fleeing mobster.
Very satisfying, but only because they didn’t succeed in the kidnapping. We had an indication of them taking an interest in Paer. They beefed up her coverage in town, but she was still allowed to ride out into a semi-wilderness that has no access control at all. Even with guards that was a bad idea. Both Presidential and Interior Directorates dropped the ball. I never heard that a request for information came down from Orku. Did he just send back a canned report? No one investigated this specifically? Damn poor communication.
Glue walked through the doorway and dropped a report on his stack. "Their IDs are interesting. The opposite of our other problem. The blanks are crude, barely adequate, the programming excellent."
Izzo grimaced. "Not good. We've found one of their comp labs, but several machines are missing, The others are wiped, we're trying to read enough pieces to get a diagnostic for their programming. Unfortunately we also found two of the perfect blanks on the premises."
"Ouch. We need to shut that supply down."
They both looked at Efge, who shook his head. "I'm beginning to think they were just customers. We've followed them, taken classes with them, gotten friendly, got drunk under the table with them. But the Director says to not interfere."
Izzo nodded. "We're still inspecting places as they track down the ownership tangles. So we'll be getting a flood of information over the next few days. No particular rush on the Knickknack people."
Efge nodded. "Keep going with the president’s men, if you can, Izzo. It’s useful for us to know what they’re doing, whether to double check it or to avoid duplication of effort. Hopefully we'll also find out if Endi Dewulfe is implicated. He was in a position to give away the princess's schedule, whether knowingly or just chatting with a friend, or his sister."
Izzo blew out a breath. "How about if one of their cards failed? No threat, just a cheerful clerk telling them they needed to pop down to the license bureau and get a new one."
Efge raised his eyebrows. "That might work. They'd go first to where they knew there was a source."
Izzo nodded. "Whether they're large, small or just a customer. But we've got two ends of a puzzle here, and since one of them lands so close to the President, we'd best find out if they connect."
"I'll check with Orku and see about setting something up."
***
When the door chimed Xiat opened one eye. That was all she had the energy for. "Who?" Her voice sounded like a croak.
"Senior Analyst Izzo Withione." The apartment computer had a businesslike androgynous voice.
"Crap." Is this where I find out if he's really trustworthy? She hesitated. Decided she was too tired to care. "Let him in." She let the eye close.
She didn't hear footsteps, nor feel an aura. She smelled flowers. Roses. She managed to open the eye again. Red. Lots of them. In a very large and colorful vase.
"Have you had anything to eat or drink since you came home?" He had his voice softened.
"No." She drifted off again.
Until the mattress sagged under his weight. "If I help you sit up to drink this will you promise to not kill me?"
She opened the eye. He was fully clothed, looked like he'd come straight from the office, evidence to the contrary. She tried to get up and every overstrained, under nourished muscle in her body started tightening and aching. She was scooped up, flipped over and sat up.
"Drink this. Right now."
She recognized the taste. Salty and sweet, with all the minerals and vitamins her brain had stripped from her body, trying to provide her with the energy, the power, she’d needed to fight. She drank it all, and a glass of water, then sank back flat.
Might have left the clinic too soon. She raised her arm enough to check the long slash diagonally across the upper and outer side of her left wrist. Sealed. Looked fine. Thank the One I hit the panic button before the microknife took it off. Lucky I didn't lose a hand.
Lucky I didn't lose Paer.
She sort of lay there blinking at the setting sun until it was long gone and even the city lights were starting to wink out. Then Izzo insisted she drink another glass of the nasty stuff.
"They should make this stuff in chocolate. Wh
at are you doing here?"
"Princess Paer called and said you were being stubborn and checked yourself out of the clinic before you'd re-mineralized." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I'm taking notes, you know. I'll bet you don't see a doctor until you're practically dying."
"Ha!" Her voice was sounding better. "They've got scanners, you can't get into the Palace without them taking your temperature, and you don't go on duty if you don't see the doctor. Bastards."
He chuckled and offered more water. And then assistance to the toilet. She sent him away, and made it back to bed without him. Dreamed of shivering, cold and drained, then a great glowing presence came, not to take her soul to The One, but to feed her power. The God of Spies. "What?" She blinked at the darkened room. Weird, what a free associating mind could come up with.
When she woke again at dawn, she felt almost normal. A blanket was folded neatly at the end of her couch, only sign of an overnight visitor. The fridge held another dose of mineral laden glucose. And apple juice. A covered plate with heating instructions. She blinked away tears. Pushy Colonial Withione. She got out her computer and checked in while she drank and ate. Everything was quiet at the Palace.
She'd gotten an update before she'd dragged herself home. Knew Paer'd been rescued by Endi, of all the people to show up. Now Urfa growled his doubts about Endi, despite his being Truthed.
"Ohme said he was hiding nearly everything except his memories of the incident. He said he's obviously got power, and obviously is very well trained. I'm going to ask Rael to get closer to him. When you are able, I'd like you to stick with Paer. She will have extra guards, both close and distant, but I want you and or Rael within arms reach of her as much of the time as possible."
