Poison Agendas

by Stephen Kenson

  "It wasn't our—" Kellan began.

  "I don't want to hear it!" the Ares company man barked. "I don't care. All I care about is making sure my name isn't connected with any more of this drek." He glanced at Lothan, who simply watched and listened. "Fraggit." Brickman went on. "Hell's Canyon?" he asked. "Of all the places you could have gone ..."

  "What's the big deal about Hell's Canyon?" Kellan asked.

  "It's classified." Brickman said. "So classified that even I don't know what it's about. All I know is that the area is so important that the Salish-Shidhe government has had a special arrangement with Ares for the past eight years regarding it. The area is constantly patrolled by elite Firewatch teams, who are authorized to bust anyone who shows up there."

  "There's no way we could have known that."

  Brickman snorted. "The sad part is, nobody would have known you were there if you'd done the job properly."

  "It wasn't our fault!" Kellan said, smacking the table. "Zhade—"

  "Ah, yes, Zhade." Brickman said. "Who got hold of your supposedly 'secret' data, who showed up right behind you at the fraggin' site, and who took the goods right out from under you. Apparently I should have hired him!"

  Kellan yanked Brickman's credstick out of her jacket pocket and slammed it down on the table.

  "Yeah? Well you can take your fraggin' cred and—"

  "Enough." Lothan said. "Recriminations are pointless. What happened, happened. We need to move on."

  Brickman straightened up from where he'd been leaning over the table and glared at Lothan.

  "It's not quite that simple." he said. "There's still the small matter of Zhade, and what he took."

  "What of it?" Midnight interjected.

  "Under most circumstances, I wouldn't give a frag." Brickman replied. "But in this case, we all know that Zhade will use those chemicals, most likely right here in the metroplex. It's not going to be hard to track the source of the poison back to this team, and I don't trust you to be discreet; therefore, it will be traced to me. That, I can't afford, and won't tolerate. So it's this simple: you are going to stop Zhade and recover the chemicals."

  "Fine." Midnight replied, relaxing in her chair. "What's it worth to you?"

  Brickman's ghost of a smile sent a chill down Kellan's spine. "Oh, no." he said softly. "It doesn't work that way this time. As long as it's possible for any of this to be traced to me, it's in all our best interests to see to it that Zhade is deprived of any opportunity to use his swag. Because you will go down before I will. And you will go down in flames."

  There was a long moment of utter silence.

  "How do we find him?" Kellan asked. Brickman turned his attention back to her.

  "That's where you come in."

  * * *

  "This isn't going to work." Kellan said for the twentieth time.

  "Not with that attitude it won't." Lothan agreed. "If you don't want me to do this with you, I can go...."

  "Sorry." Kellan muttered. "I'm just not feeling too confident right now."

  "Kellan, you made a mistake—"

  "There's a newsflash."

  Lothan silenced Kellan with a hard look. "You made a mistake." he repeated. "But now you have a chance to do something to correct it—a rare opportunity."

  Kellan nodded. "Yeah. I do appreciate your help with this, Lothan."

  "Are you ready to get to work?"

  Since they all agreed that Zhade would use the chemicals rather than sell them, they planned to use a small sample of the stolen chemicals to find the remaining canisters, and thus the toxic shaman. The Firewatch team had given Brickman a sample of the poisonous substance from the bunker. It was, as Squeak had suspected, an old chemical weapon that the United States had been unwilling to deploy during the Ghost Dance War. When your enemy could control the wind and weather, such weapons could only prove ineffective, and dangerous to everyone involved.

  The magical principle of contagion postulated that there was a deep, unbreakable connection between the parts of an object and the whole. Magicians could use samples of blood, hair, or nail parings—a small part of the whole person—to cast spells against human and metahuman targets from half a world away. The same principle applied to inanimate objects: an element separated from the whole could be used to find the other part.

  Kellan understood the theory and had studied the ritual used to perform this magical task, but she had never actually tried to find something this way. She would need Lothan's help, which was precisely why Brickman had agreed to the other mage's presence.

  "This won't be easy." Lothan warned her. "Zhade may be mad, but everything I've heard indicates that he's a very capable magician. Odds are, he'll have defenses erected, and he may even be prepared for magical attempts to locate him."

  "Well, Zhade thinks we're dead." Kellan replied. "Hopefully that'll give us an edge."

  In the interest of making best use of every available moment, Brickman agreed to let them perform the ritual at Lothan's house, since he stocked everything they needed in his workshop. Lothan had removed the summoning circle he had used in his demonstration for Kellan's lesson only a few days before, so they were able to prepare the ritual space relatively quickly. Kellan consulted Lothan's grimoires for the necessary symbols to inscribe around and between the ritual circles. Lothan insisted on Kellan getting some rest before they started, saying she would be no use to the process if she failed in the middle of the ritual from exhaustion. Kellan did her best to meditate quietly for a little while as Lothan gathered the necessary incense, herbs, candles and other ingredients of the ritual.

  When everything was ready, they began. Kellan lit the candles and ignited some charcoal for the small incense burner, then gently poured some ground incense onto the coals. It sent up a thin stream of smoke smelling of sandalwood, myrrh and frankincense. Lothan took the censer and ritually swept out the circle to banish all unwanted and negative energies. Kellan set the incense on a stand in the middle of the circle next to a small iron cauldron filled with clear spring water.

  Standing together in the middle of the ritual space, face-to-face, the two mages created a circle with their arms around the cauldron. Together they raised the power of the circle, consecrating it as their place of working, creating a barrier between them and the mundane world as well as a protective ward around them on the astral plane. They invited the powers of the four directions and the four elements to join them in the circle, to support their work. With Lothan guiding and supporting her, Kellan felt a small part of her confidence returning as she spoke the familiar words that formed the beginning of every ritual.

  Kellan picked up the small, sealed sample vial Brickman had given her. She held it out in the palm of her hand and Lothan held his hand over it, so that their flesh surrounded the chemical. They focused their thoughts on the vial, and Kellan spoke the words of their intent.

  "Through this poison," she said, "we reach out to that which was taken, but always connected, part of the whole." Kellan felt the power building and took hold of it, directing it into the sample they held, using it to strengthen the connection between it and the remaining canisters of chemicals. "By our will is the connection made manifest, by our power is it made clear. Show us the way, show us the path we seek. So be it!"

  The energy spun out like threads of faerie light, infinitely fine, as if made from the swirling smoke rising from the incense. Kellan used one hand to gently play them out, casting them into astral space. She concentrated on the threads, making them an extension of her will. They stretched out like feelers, searching blindly. It was slow, delicate work that required Kellan's complete concentration to maintain and strengthen each connection.

  Then she felt it. A faint tug shivering through one thread. Contact.

  "There it is." she heard Lothan say softly.

  Kellan opened her eyes as Lothan raised his hand. She took the vial of chemicals and gently dropped it into the water in the cauldron. The surface of the water turned black
almost instantly. Kellan gazed at the ripples on the dark surface of the water. Reflected candlelight gleamed, and smoke drifted across it like fog. As the ripples shimmered, Kellan could see an image forming, becoming more distinct as each moment passed.

  "I can't see exactly where it is." she told Lothan. The troll came to stand behind Kellan, gently placing his hands on her shoulders.

  "Allow the vision to widen," he said softly, "and draw back."

  Kellan did as he said, rolling back the perspective on her vision like a camera pulling back from its subject, her point of view widening out. She saw a dingy, dimly lit building—a warehouse. Pulling back farther, she saw its dilapidated exterior and great mounds, mountains, of trash and refuse stretching into the distance.

  "It's a dump," she said, "a huge landfill."

  "The Rat's Nest." Lothan said.

  "I can see the building," Kellan said, "but I can't see inside; there's not enough light."

  "Don't force it. Better to just come back. Let the image go."

  Kellan released her vision, and it was like waking from a dream. Lothan took a ritual dagger and passed it over the cauldron, severing the connection they had created, so it couldn't be traced back to them. Then they carefully grounded the remaining energy.

  The rest of the team was waiting in Lothan's study. They looked up expectantly as the two mages walked in.

  "The Rat's Nest." Kellan announced. "I can lead us to Zhade's hideout."

  "Makes sense." Orion said. "Where else are you going to find a trash-rat like Zhade?"

  "Good." Brickman replied. "Now we deal with Zhade and recover the goods."

  "We?" Kellan asked.

  "Of course." he said. "You can't seriously believe I'd let this team out of my sight again. I want to make sure it gets done right this time."

  Kellan swallowed the response she wanted to make and nodded.

  "Fine." she said. "Let's do it."

  Chapter 22

  The door splintered under Draven's and Orion's combined weight, crashing onto the dusty floor.

  "Go!" Brickman ordered, and the shadowrunners covered each other as they entered the warehouse Kellan had pinpointed. The interior was dim, the only light coming from the doorway.

  Orion and Draven split off left, Midnight and Natokah went right. Kellan and Brickman headed straight. They moved from door to door, weaving around piles of trash, coming in high and low to cover each room. In a few minutes, they all met in the large central room.

  "Anything?" Kellan asked, and the others shook their heads.

  "Nothing here but trash." Orion said.

  "Look." Midnight pointed.

  A wide workbench took up half of one wall. Underneath it, resting on top of a stack of rolled cloth was a canister. Kellan examined it carefully.

  "This is definitely one of the canisters from the bunker." she said. "But where're the rest of them, and Zhade?"

  "Quiet." Orion said, cocking his head. "What's that noise?"

  Kellan heard it, a skittering and high-pitched squeaking.

  "Over there?" She thought she saw something move in the shadows, then suddenly they came.

  A horde of rats, dozens of them, came pouring out of the darkness. They were each nearly a meter long. Their pale bodies were almost hairless, covered in scabs and sores, and their beady eyes seemed to burn with a reddish light. They hissed and squealed and bared their fangs as they swarmed the shadowrunners.

  "Devil rats!" Draven shouted. He swung the new axe Brickman had supplied when he liberated the rest of their weapons from Ares, neatly cutting one of the charging rats in half. The dwarfs weapon sang in a deadly arc to fend off the attacking creatures.

  The shadowrunners stood back-to-back near the workbench. Midnight and Brickman both fired on the rats, the elf taking precise, deadly shots, the company man firing his submachine gun in short bursts that pulped the animals.

  Orion and Draven wielded sword and axe like exterminators, hacking and slashing with great efficiency.

  Natokah stepped close to Kellan, leaned in and pitched his voice to be heard over the racket. "Manaball!"

  Kellan nodded, then they turned and faced opposite corners of the room. The shaman chanted, his voice rising to a penetrating cry that echoed in the room. Kellan spoke the words she had learned to focus the power for her spell, shouting the final phrase. Light flickered in the shadows in a soundless explosion, and half the remaining devil rats fell unmoving to the floor.

  With the bulk of the devil rats dead from Kellan's and Natokah's spell, the other shadowrunners quickly finished off the rest. Orion yanked his sword from the last of the monstrous rats, wiping the blade off with a rag he tossed on the floor as Draven leaned on his axe and looked over the carnage.

  "Devil rats," he grunted, "disgusting fraggers. Figures Zhade would keep 'em like pets."

  Kellan had already turned back to the workbench, which had scattered printouts spread across it.

  "Look at this." she said, and the others gathered closer as Kellan picked up a sheet of flimsy paper.

  "Maps." Brickman said.

  "They show the stops along the monorail system." Kellan continued. "And here's a schedule of when the trains run."

  "Oh, frag." Draven muttered.

  "What?" Orion asked.

  "It looks like Zhade is planning to spread this stuff using the trains." Midnight explained.

  "He could take out a good part of the downtown area in a pretty short amount of time." Draven added.

  Kellan had already reached that conclusion, and was studying the maps and diagrams, desperate to find a pattern to the markings—something to indicate where Zhade planned to make his move.

  "Here." she said abruptly, pointing to a spot on the map. "This station has the heaviest circle around it. It must be where Zhade is going."

  "That's a pretty big hunch, Kellan." Midnight stared thoughtfully at the map. "But I agree with you. If I were going to try to kill a lot of people efficiently, that would be a good place to start."

  Kellan turned to Brickman. "You have to tell Lone Star so they can stop him."

  "Tell them what?" he replied, incredulous. "That there's a madman on the loose with a chemical weapon you rightfully stole before he took it from you? For starters, they wouldn't believe me. And even if they did decide to take me seriously, they wouldn't move fast enough to stop Zhade in time. Finally, I don't want Lone Star connecting me with this, so I'm sure as hell not going to give them the connection!"

  "You wanted to recover the goods. Well, we can't do that. So now we've got to stop him doing whatever it is he's planning to do." Kellan nearly shouted, flourishing the map in her fist. "You may not be willing to sacrifice your reputation to save lives, but I'll fraggin' sacrifice it for you if that's what it takes to get you to do the right thing! And I don't care if I go down first!"

  Brickman gave Kellan that smile again, the one that sent chills down her spine back in the conference room at the airport. But this time she was angry, and she refused to be intimidated.

  "It's fortunate for you, Ms. Colt, that your threats coincide with my own plans." He turned away and pulled out his cell phone.

  Less than fifteen minutes later, they were in an unmarked helicopter on their way to downtown Seattle. Kellan looked out the window at the lights of the metroplex, hoping they would be in time, hoping that she had guessed right. They were heading the direction in which the clues had pointed them; had they read the clues correctly? Was Zhade even making his move tonight?

  As they approached the station, they could see that something was happening. Pedestrians were running away from the monorail station, and no one was boarding or leaving the train. The pilot and Brickman talked briefly, and the helicopter headed toward a building near the station platform. Brickman turned to the runners. "It will add a minute to our time, but we're going to set down on that building"—he pointed—"and go down the exterior fire escape. We can't jump directly onto the platform from the 'copter with that thing in
our way." A huge, hulking creature that looked like a living mass of garbage and toxic waste occupied the center of the boarding platform, surrounded by hideously burned bodies.

  Kellan didn't bother to object, because there didn't seem to be any better option. The runners shot out of the helicopter before it actually settled on the roof and ran for the fire escape, making it to street level in record time. Kellan took the two flights of stairs up to the platform two steps at a time, with Orion right on her heels.

  The carnage was horrifying. The bodies of would-be passengers littered the platform, and many more of Zhade's victims lay thrown about in the monorail cars. As Kellan struggled to comprehend the sheer number of dead, she saw Zhade. At the same moment, the shaman spotted her, and the spirit lunged forward.

  "Zhade!" Kellan bellowed, charging toward the open doors of the train. Orion leapt between her and the toxic spirit, slashing at it with his sword, holding it at bay.

  Kellan swung in through the doors, pulling out her pistol.

  Zhade pointed at her and sneered, "You're supposed to be dead." A stream of acid sprayed from his outstretched hand. Kellan reflexively deflected a portion of the spell's energy, but not before the acid burned holes in her armored jacket and pitted and melted her pistol. Kellan tossed it aside. She kept moving toward Zhade and raised her hand. When he instinctively made a warding gesture, Kellan dropped low and lashed out with a leg sweep she'd learned from Orion. The blow knocked the shaman off his feet and back into the seats.

  She heard the other shadowrunners pound up onto the platform, and Natokah began singing a banishment against the toxic spirit. Kellan kept her advantage, leaping onto Zhade and grabbing what she could of the front of his clothes.

  "The poison!" she demanded, and Zhade laughed.

  "You're too late." A musical tone sounded over the train's speakers.

  "Kellan, the doors!" Orion shouted. As the car doors began to close, he dove through them, tucking into a roll as he hit the floor of the car. Midnight made an equally elegant dive through the closing train doors as the monorail lurched and began to move.