by Jaime Rush
The large room was set up with rows of chairs facing a podium. Magnus stood in the small kitchen where people fixed a cup of coffee in Styrofoam cups and snagged cookies. Heh. They weren't so different from the humans here after all. He tucked himself in the corner and tried to tune into the soft chatter of people speculating as to what was going on.
Before long, a man stepped to the podium. He didn't make a sound, but suddenly everyone went to their chairs and settled in. So that must be Torus, the man in charge.
Torus looked at a man near the door. “Is everyone accounted for?”
“No, sir.” He consulted his clipboard. “Swanson has not checked in. Nor have any of the Strasford contingent.”
Lanna, Copeland, and Nester. Swanson was probably the guy Pope killed in the tunnel. So they didn't know about the bodies yet.
“Try rousing them on their phones. It's important that everyone be here.” Torus turned to the audience. “We have been here for many years on a very important mission. It has not always been easy. A few of our people have gone missing and still haven't been located. You have given up your homes to live here in the desert, and for that your government is thankful. You will be rewarded well.”
A smattering of applause broke out, and Torus continued. “Of course, your discretion will continue to be necessary. You are among the very few who are privy to what we are doing here. You can imagine how our citizens would react if they knew we've been tapping into their own repressed emotions for the energy we sell to them. As the mass of Darkness has trickled through the finestra these past years, it has caused a serious resource problem in Surfacia. I am happy to report that we are very, very close to pushing the mass back through the finestra to our dimension.”
More applause broke out, and Torus allowed it to go on for several seconds. Magnus sorted through what he'd heard. Darkness creeping into this dimension and infecting the people of Strasford, just as Pope suspected.
Torus and the man at the door exchanged some nonverbal communication. The men hadn't been found. Torus indicated that he should conduct a search and then faced the audience. “As you know, we planned for a seven-day evacuation, detonating the explosives right before we exit through the finestra north of here. Darkness, however, is spreading faster than we anticipated and jeopardizing our plan. It's beginning to collapse the tunnels south of our Strasford monitoring station.
“If the explosives detonate from the southern point, it will send the mass of Darkness toward us and our escape finestra rather than the one we've planned. So we are moving up our departure time. You have three hours to pack your belongings and meet at the finestra.”
Panic rippled through the audience, nearly knocking Magnus right out of the projection.
“You will all go safely through before we start the explosions,” Torus continued. “Anyone left behind will suffer the same devastation as this entire area. This is one example of why it's imperative to follow the rules I have set out. You are dismissed.”
Magnus pulled out, waking up with three people staring at him. He sat up and rubbed his face, getting used to the density of his body again—and Darkness. “You want the bad news first or the really bad news?” He didn't wait for their response. “We have to disable those explosives before they take out the entire area. And we have three hours to do it.” He filled them in on everything he'd heard.
Pope leaned over the map and marked two F's near each end of the tunnel line they'd drawn. “So their plan is to push Darkness back through this finestra while they escape through this one.”
Suza followed the line with her painted nail. “Which is going to take out the town of Strasford. My friend. Everyone.”
Magnus hated to say it, but they needed to know. “And more bad news: they're looking for the missing people, so they'll probably find the body of the guy you killed, Pope. They'll be on alert, which is going to make it even harder for us to infiltrate it.” He took them in. “So we have a choice. We have enough time to get out of here and save our asses. We could try to warn people to leave the area because of an impending earthquake, but without credentials the effectiveness of that is unlikely.”
“Or,” Erica said, “we try our damned best to at least put a gap between the explosives so that maybe it won't be a chain reaction. Limit the damage.”
Pope leaned closer to the map. “But we need to send Darkness back to the other dimension. It's causing a lot of problems here and will continue to. If I can start the detonation with my Flare here, north of Strasford, we can send it through the finestra that Torus is planning to evacuate through. If we leave enough of a gap between Strasford and everything south of there, the town will be spared.”
Suza said, “It may cause damage, like a small earthquake would, but at least it won't be mass destruction. So we go down into the tunnel, gather the explosives between here and there.” She pointed to the tunnel line. “Start the explosion and do that freaky ‘port thing to get us out of here.”
Pope's expression turned grim. “If it works.”
Magnus said, “And if it doesn't, we die. That's a given. Are you all ready to make that kind of sacrifice?”
Erica’s mouth tightened in determination. “If we don't, a lot of people are going to die. What if the explosion affects Vegas?”
Magnus knew Erica would be onboard. She'd been sacrificing herself to save others for years. He hated the idea of it, though. He knew Pope would be in, too.
Suza said, “I couldn't live with myself if I just hightailed it out to save my own fanny.” She gave Pope a private smile. “I'm so in.”
Magnus said, “I bet the finestra is close to the house where we were held captive. When we went down into the tunnel, I felt a weird sensation.”
Pope tapped one of the F’s. “Do not get too close to it. Finestras pull in what belongs there. Darkness. Callorians. Since you have our DNA it might pull you in, but your body wouldn't survive the travel.”
“If the finestra naturally pulls in what belongs, why is Torus using the explosives to send Darkness back?” Magnus asked.
“Because it is such a huge mass, it will need help. The explosives are meant to guide it in the right direction. Torus has laid in much more material than he needs to ensure it happens. The destruction of cities and people doesn't matter to him; only his mission does. Suza and I will reduce the number of those devices leading from Strasford toward Vegas while you and Erica start from the other end. We will meet in the middle, as we did earlier. We'll need a receptacle to collect the explosives so we can take them with us.”
“It's a plan,” Magnus said. “A crazy-assed, risky, and probably doomed plan, but the only one we have. Remember that we may encounter our enemy.” He turned to Erica. “You cannot use your Lightning. I need you.” His heart hitched. “To stay alive, okay?”
She nodded. “I'll find some other weapon.”
Magnus tore his gaze from her and turned to the map. “We'll start at the house. I want to make sure Lanna got released. I'm sure she'll be mad as hell at us, but she's obviously not devoted to this group. I suspect she'll save her own ass rather than take us down.”
Pope said, “I’ll ‘port you there first and then take Suza farther up the tunnel.”
“No, save your power. We're going to need it at the end when it counts. The house isn't far from here. I'll project and figure out where it is.”
Suza handed him a set of keys. “This one is for my truck. Please be careful. It's almost paid off.” She released the dream catcher key ring. “I know, that truck's safety is the least of my worries, right?”
Magnus chuckled. “I'll be careful.”
Pope clasped his hand over Suza's. “Let's synchronize our watches.” They did, and in a blink the two were gone.
Erica stared at where they'd just been. “If it weren’t for all the other craziness I’ve seen, that would totally blow my mind.”
Magnus settled back on the bed and imagined that basement cage. What he saw propelled him right bac
k into his body and upright. “Shite. Bloody hell. Son of a bitch.” His stomach felt like a gaping hole inside him. He turned to Erica, who was clearly waiting for him to tell her what he'd seen. “Nester killed her. She was still locked in the cell…what was left of her. He's gone mad, tore her apart.”
“Oh, God.” She put her hand to her mouth. “You didn’t know what would happen. How could you?”
“Still, I left her there.” He pushed past the guilt. “Nester wasn't at the meeting so he doesn't know about the new deadline. Hopefully he's at the house. I need to go back and pinpoint the location.”
He dreaded seeing the scene again, but they would soon be there in person. The moment he projected into the basement, he floated up through the living room and roof, then far above it. Not surprisingly, the house was by itself at the edge of civilization. Magnus was able to see several signs, and he followed those streets to the main one. He extracted himself, feeling the familiar fatigue tugging at him. “Let's go.”
They pulled up to the house twenty minutes later. A sedan sat out front.
Magnus turned to Erica. “We have to be ready for Nester. And you—”
“Can't use my Lightning, I know.”
He hoped she did know. “You have no weapon you can use against him when he's in Darkness. You have to leave it to me.” He could see her resistance to that. “I can handle myself, but if you throw yourself into the fray, it'll make me crazy.”
She pushed her hair back. “All right. What if he's about to kill you? Because if you're…out of the picture, he'll go after me. I'm not going to let you die, especially when it means a death sentence for me either way. I'm going to use my Lightning.”
The thought of it nearly paralyzed him. Magnus wasn't arrogant enough to know he could defeat a man who had a lot more experience using Darkness. “We have two and a half hours. Let's go.”
They approached the house cautiously, Magnus watching for any movement in the windows. She carried the box of heavy duty yard-waste bags they’d picked up at the store. The front door was unlocked, and he pushed it open and went in first. Paper money littered the floor. Nester had gone mad, all right. Then he heard a sound out in the garage. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, and he instinctively moved in front of Erica.
“You won't make me go back there,” Nester's voice said from the garage. “Never going back!”
A black form raced out from the laundry room. Magnus Became on instinct, throwing himself out of the way—and into Erica—as Nester was about to slam into him.
“Get downstairs,” Magnus whispered, though it sounded garbled in his form.
He didn't want her there, as a target.
She ran toward a door that looked like it might go down to the basement. Magnus headed Nester off as he made a go for her. Their bodies collided, sending them crashing into the couch. Nester's fangs flashed in front of Magnus's face. He backed up in the nick of time, feeling only the brush of their cool length against his shoulder.
Magnus used his enormous paw to slam Nester in the side of his head. Nester fell to the side but kicked out, slicing Magnus's arm. He felt the pain, but also the way his form began to mend itself. He glanced up and saw Erica watching from her place behind the door, terror in her eyes.
He didn't have time to wonder if it was terror at seeing his beast or the prospect of him getting hurt. Nester came at him again. Magnus threw himself on his back and used his legs to toss Nester against the glass étagère. Shards of broken glass and metal poked through his form as it collapsed, and he screeched in pain. Magnus ran to him, feeling some of those shards beneath his paws. Nester broke free just as Magnus lunged at his throat.
Nester wrapped his powerful arms around Magnus, holding him back. Magnus pictured that bloody scene below, Nester attacking a defenseless woman. It injected him with a rage that suffused him, and he managed to tear out a chunk of Nester’s throat.
Nester clamped his paw over the wound. “You can't defeat me. You are less powerful than I am,” he growled. “I will kill you and then I will tear your female friend apart, bite by bite after I fu—”
Magnus’s rage exploded, and he cut off Nester's words with a head butt that knocked him back. “You might be more powerful,” Magnus said as he went for his throat again. “But when you threaten someone I care about, you ignite my emotions. And they are far more powerful than your madness.” He kept tearing at him, as Nester tried to fight him off.
Bits of Darkness scattered everywhere, like blood and matter, until there was nothing left for Nester to mend. Darkness melted away, and Magnus dropped to the floor to catch his breath.
Erica ran to his side, staring at what was left of Nester, who had returned to his mangled human form, and then at him.
“Yes, this is what I am.” He searched for the fear and disdain he had seen in her eyes before. “A beast, as you said.”
She knelt down beside him, brushing the skin next to the gash that hadn't had time to completely mend. “A beast who saved my life.” She kissed his cheek. “We'd better go.”
His heart opened as he came to his feet, even as he had to shut it again. He would not subject her to what he was, no matter the gift she had just given him.
Erica stopped dead midway down the stairs, frozen by the sight of the carnage. He stepped in front of her, blocking the view. She put her hand on his shoulder. “It’s not your fault. Nester did this. You did what you had to do to save us.”
He would have killed Lanna with his own hands to save them. Painful, but the truth. They went down into the tunnel.
Torus checked his watch. Everything was in place, even with the timeframe moved up. Still, he felt anxious, which wasn't like him. He rarely felt anything. But he had worked so long and hard out in this godforsaken desert, dealing with behavioral issues, missing men, and being away from home, all for this. He needed to return triumphant.
Some officer at the other end of the finestra was working just as diligently on the containment system for Darkness. Torus wondered if he were worried, too. Swanson's disappearance was more concerning. He wasn't one of the troublemakers, unlike Copeland, who had piqued his suspicion recently. His not reporting that Darkness was infecting the residents of the town in ways that would get press bothered him most. His brother was even more troublesome, always on edge. The fact that the entire household hadn't shown for the meeting didn't bode well.
He teletransported to their house. He didn't recognize the bright red truck in the driveway. Everyone in his group owned subdued vehicles that didn't attract attention. On alert, he entered the premises and found a room full of shattered furniture and broken glass. But nothing as shattered as the body in the corner. The thrum of concern grew stronger within his chest. He thought it was Nester.
He searched the house, finding packed suitcases and a stash of twenty, fifty, and hundred dollar bills. Money they would not need back in Surfacia. He went downstairs into the basement and encountered a scene even more gruesome. He remembered Lanna's white-blond hair, and the few tufts that were not stained with blood were that color.
With the tunnel door open, Swanson's disappearance now held even more ominous overtones. He called his new second-in-command—his first had also gone missing last month. “We have trouble. Sound the alarm and tell everyone to meet at the finestra immediately. But don't sound it in the tunnel. We're moving up detonation.”
“We still have two people in the tunnel: Swanson and Yurek, who went to look for him.”
“If they're not back in time, we'll have to proceed anyway.” Torus closed the door to the tunnel and pushed the latch in, then ‘ported back to the detonation switch at headquarters.
CHAPTER 17
Pope and Suza worked their way down the tunnel, pulling down those sinister white boxes and stuffing them into the trash bag they each carried. Hers was getting so heavy she had to drag it.
Pope moved faster than she did but kept glancing back to keep an eye on her. Every so often they would trade place
s so they remained close. He might be from another dimension. He might be scary and a killer, but he was risking his life to save others. People he didn't even know.
“You are thinking good thoughts about me,” he said, pulling down another box. “I like the way it feels.”
“Yeah, me, too. I just hope we get to explore this thing between us.”
“I'd like to take you on a date.” He said the word 'date' as though he'd never used it before. “I have heard a lot about dates. I think I'll like them.”
He gave her such a goofy, innocent smile she had to laugh. Which doused the smile.
“I have a lot to learn,” he said. “Petra took me to task for calling a date a social interaction with sexual motivation.”
“Mm, I can understand how that might dampen the fire. Except for the sexual part. I hope we get to explore that, too.”
Pope made a cute sound in his throat but continued with his task.
A noise echoed down the tunnel in the direction of the compound. Pope came up beside her, all protective, and watched the dim lights. A black panther materialized, coming up fast. Pope stepped in front of her.
The panther came to a stop only a few feet away and materialized to the man they'd seen earlier in Strasford. The one who would kill Pope.
Yurek gave him a phony smile. “Fancy meeting you here. I thought you might have something to do with Swanson's disappearance.” He took in the bags filled with the white boxes. “Torus would have your head, but I have no intention of letting him know about you. You think you can stop this? There are miles of explosives.”
He turned into one of the ugliest wolves she had ever seen and lunged at Pope. The two fell to the ground, the wolf's mouth clamped around Pope's wrist. Blood dripped down his arm as they tussled. Pope thrust out his hand. A glow emanated from his palm and then fizzled out.
He couldn't blast the guy. Suza's heart tightened into a tiny ball as she watched the two fight, unarmed man and a wolf-creature with sharp teeth that kept swiping toward Pope's throat.
