Fate: No Strings Attached

by Erik Schubach

  He slapped the desk hard, causing me to flinch and he opened his mouth to cut me off, he now had a dangerous look in his eye. But then something happened. He suddenly looked unsure about everything, and was that... was that fear I saw shadow his face for a moment?

  Agent Kepler started looking around almost frantically before leaning in and whispering, “Is this... are you with Project Lazarus?”

  I blinked at him, not knowing what the hell he was talking about. Before I could respond in my confusion, he held a hand out toward me palm out as his other hand went to the nape of his neck and he started rubbing it frantically as he said, “Wait! Don't answer that! Don't, just... fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

  Then he suddenly stopped speaking and started pacing. Glancing at the door, then the windows, and he moved over to peek between the blinds. What the hell was Project Lazarus and why did it throw a military man like him into a sudden panic?

  I've had centuries to learn how to read men, he thought he had just stepped into a hornet's nest with no chance of escape. I took a deep breath and schooled my face, pushing all of the fear, frustration, sorrow, and anger out of it, and I just stood.

  His hand went instinctively to his side at the movement as he spun toward me. Knotted threads! I'd lay dollars to donuts that's where he usually carried a weapon when he wasn't pretending to be with the FBI.

  I didn't react and just blinked at him as if I were bored and said in a cool even tone, “Listen carefully, Kepler. I'm only going to say this once. Me and my people are going to leave now. We were never here.”

  Almost before I was finished, he said, “Of course.”

  I tried not to react, not to smile as I added, “If we find that you are spying on me or my...”

  He didn't like me talking, or confirming his new fear, he just held up a halting hand again, “I'm pulling the teams immediately.”

  I thought of those other special mortals in the pictures. I pointed. “And them?”

  He said, “I can't speak for the others, but our teams will fall back.”

  I knew I was already pushing my luck, but they had something too dangerous for them to possess if the Adumbrate ever found it... “I'll need that sample...”

  I looked at him expectantly, and he looked almost panicked again after he was starting to relax. He rubbed at his short hair and said carefully, “We... we don't have it. It's at the...” He lowered his voice. “Crucible.” He glanced around like someone might hear.

  I take it that the Crucible was some sort of military lab that had something to do with this Project Lazarus. Frayed ends! How was I supposed to retrieve it now? They didn't know what they had, and if the shadow ever found out, none of them would be safe. I played it out, “Good. Good.”

  I exhaled, I couldn't show my frustration if I were supposed to be affiliated with Lazarus. I collected the pictures and then snapped my fingers expectantly, looking at the folder. He couldn't move fast enough scooping it up from the desk and handing it to me.

  I started walking toward the door, steeling myself for a protest that never came. I called back, “I want everything you have on these women, and there better not be copies. I placed my hand on the door handle and said without looking back, “Do I make myself clear?”

  I heard him snap to attention as he belted out, “Yes ma'am.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from smiling as I stepped out. I could hear him on his radio frantically snapping out orders. Then my amusement faltered when I wondered what made the head of a black ops shadow department fold like that? If he was that afraid, should we be afraid too?

  I'd have to check the weavings with Lach when we could get a chance. Now that I got a taste for the man's life thread, I should be able to follow it back to the others involved to see if death followed them. Were the mortals starting to take that next step in evolution?

  I wasn't half way down to the dock again when I saw Mother, Andreya, and a very perturbed looking Enid being escorted from various boats to me. Drey had fresh blood on her lip that was mingling with the other blood and bruises on her. I heard growling and realized it was coming from me. Someone had hit her!

  When we met up, Enid started to ask, “What's going...”

  I looped one arm in hers and my bum arm in Andreya's and started dragging them toward the marina exit.

  Mother strode next to us as I said without looking around or at them, “Don't say a word, just come with me before they change their minds.”

  We hustled out, and it wasn't until we had a taxi drop us off at Andreya's apartment that we spoke again. I stopped Enid's forty-seven thousand questions. “Not until we are inside.”

  We slipped in, and then I finally relaxed. I slumped with my back against the door, wincing when my shoulder hit it. I would heal... the fabric of life within me would see to it.

  Then Enid started. “What’s going on? They were asking all about you and some other people.” She held her chin high as she said proudly, “I didn't tell them anything.” Een narrowed her eyes and said like an over protective mother bear, “They had pictures of you, Sloan!”

  I nodded and asked, “Can we just rest a moment? It's been a long day, and it is a long story. I held up the file and handed it to Drey. They gathered around and started thumbing through the folder.”

  I muttered, “Sit everyone. Let me look at your injuries.”

  It was a couple hours later when there was a knock at the door. We all froze. Andreya reached between the cushions on the couch where she sat beside me and pulled out a magazine and slammed it into a pistol she pulled from the same cushions.

  I asked in a whisper, “You keep a gun in your couch?” She winked at me, gave me a quick kiss on the lips to shut me up, then moved beside her door. She pulled aside the little curtain from the thin window at the side of the door and then looked around. She holstered the gun and opened the door and grabbed a file box. She looked around again and then stepped back inside and locked the door.

  We all gathered around when she sat back down, and we started sifting through various folders and evidence bags and artifacts. One had my name on it. I muttered, “Kepler. This is everything they have on me and the other special humans they are tracking. They think we are all with that Project Lazarus that they are so paranoid about.”

  Drey took a deep breath and winced at the pain it caused. I placed a hand over the bandages I had applied to her cracked ribs. Then she took everything and put it back in the box, took the box to the hallway and stood on a chair and moved a ceiling access panel to the attic space and slid the box up there.

  She looked around at our beat up, ragtag crew and said, “There will be time for all of that later. Right now, we all need to rest.”

  She made a ton of sense, I suddenly realized just how exhausted I felt. But that felt good, it meant I was alive. Another knock sounded at the door, and Andreya stomped to it with us following behind. She flung the door open and snapped out, “What now?”

  We all just blinked at the emo punk looking girl standing there with her purple hair and studded black leather collar. She was shorter than even Enid and couldn't have been older than eighteen or... no, she turned nineteen three days ago, I knew that to be true.

  But there was something unnatural about her life thread that was... I started grinning in realization as the teen struck a pose, one hand up in the air, her wrist down, her other hand on her cocked hip. She asked, “You like? It was all I could find close by. An overdose.”

  I reached past Drey and pulled the sassy girl into a tight hug. “Atta!” My grandmother was back!

  As everyone realized who she was, she passed out hugs like candy. Then she asked, “So what the fuck have I missed. It was a bitch even pulling constructs from you from across realms.” She blushed and covered her mouth for a second before apologizing. “Sorry, I'm getting flashes of Tammy's memories here, and she has quite a mouth on her.”

  We all chuckled and then sat down for another long explanation. I was excruciatingly
aware of Andreya's thigh touching mine on the couch the whole time. Under the smell of the antiseptic, the scent of soap and gun oil was driving me crazy.

  Then finally Drey said, “Alright ladies. We should count our blessings and get some rack time. I'm sure our lives are about to become complicated as hell.” Her eyes were on the attic ceiling panel.

  She looked at Enid. “Eeen, you and little miss potty mouth can take the guest room if you like. Unless you want to go home? And Brett, I can set up the...”

  Mother interrupted her. “I'll head back to my place. They didn't have anything on me in those files. And maybe my girl is back from Spokane.”

  Enid nodded, yawned, and stretched as she started to follow my blondie. She blushed profusely when Mother gave her a goodbye hug. Then she squeaked when Atta actually pinched her butt as they went down the hall with my girl.

  I started chuckling when she teased my roomie, “Tammy thinks you're easy on the eyes, Enid.” By the stitch and nap, she was going to embarrass the hell out of the poor girl.

  We saw Mother off at the door when Drey returned, exchanging hugs.

  Then we exhaled, decompressing as we shut the door and the beguiling detective shared a look with me. My pulse started racing, and suddenly I wasn't that tired anymore. The hungry look she shot me had me weak in my knees as heat in me answered that hunger in kind.

  I just took her hand and started leading her back to her bedroom, glad that this chapter of madness was finally at an end. I said to her, “I'm pretty sure my case is now closed, so that means you aren’t assigned to me anymore. Something tells me you're about to get all kinds of lucky.”

  She mimicked Atta and pinched my butt with her free hand and asked with a smoldering grin on her face, “Oh, is that so?”

  I nodded and pushed her gently back onto her bed and whispered, “It's all in the weave.”

  The End

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  Novels by Erik Schubach

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  Books in the Techromancy Scrolls series...

  Adept

  Soras

  Masquerade

  Westlands (2017)

  Avalon (2018)

  Books in the Urban Fairytales series...

  Red Hood: The Hunt

  Snow: The White Crow

  Ella: Cinders and Ash

  Rose: Briar's Thorn

  Let Down Your Hair

  Hair of Gold: Just Right

  The Hood of Locksley

  Beauty In the Beast

  No Place Like Home (2017)

  Shadow Of The Hook (2018)

  Books in the New Sentinels series...

  Djinn: Cursed

  Raven Maid: Out of the Darkness

  Fate: No Strings Attached

  Open Seas: Just Add Water (2017)

  Ghost-ish: Lazarus (2018)

  Books in the Drakon series...

  Awakening

  Dragonfall

  Books in the Valkyrie Chronicles series...

  Return of the Asgard

  Bloodlines

  Folkvangr

  Seventy Two Hours

  Titans

  Books in the Bridge series...

  Trolls

  Traitor

  Unbroken

  Books in the Fracture series...

  Divergence

  ------------------------------------------------------

  Romance Novels by Erik Schubach

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  Books in the Music of the Soul universe...

  (All books are standalone and can be read in any order)

  Music of the Soul

  A Deafening Whisper

  Dating Game

  Karaoke Queen

  Silent Bob

  Five Feet or Less

  Broken Song

  Syncopated Rhythm

  Progeny

  Girl Next Door

  Lightning Strikes Twice

  June

  Dead Shot

  Music of the Soul Shorts...

  (All short stories are standalone and can be read in any order)

  Misadventures of Victoria Davenport: Operation Matchmaker

  Wallflower

  Accidental Date

  Holiday Morsels

  Books in the London Harmony series...

  (All books are standalone and can be read in any order)

  Water Gypsy

  Feel the Beat

  Roctoberfest

  Small Fry

  Doghouse

  Minuette

  Squid Hugs

  The Pike

  Flotilla

  Books in the Pike series...

  (All books are standalone and can be read in any order)

  Ships In The Night

  Right To Remain Silent

  Evermore

  Books in the Flotilla series...

  (All books are standalone and can be read in any order)

  Making Waves

  Keeping Time

  The Temp (2017)

  -------------------------------------------------

  Novellas by Erik Schubach

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  The Hollow

  Books in the Paranormals series...

  Fleas

  This Sucks

  Jinx (2017)

  Short stories in the Fixit Adventures...

  Fixit

  Glitch

  Vashon (2017)

  Descent (2017)

  -------------------------------------------------

  Short Stories by Erik Schubach

  (These short stories span many different genres)

  -------------------------------------------------

  A Little Favor

  Lost in the Woods

  Rift Jumpers: Faster Than Light

  Scythe

  Snack Run

  Something Pretty

  MUB (2017)

  Sample excerpt from Flotilla: The Temp...

  Prologue

  I was ready to start pulling my hair out. With Speedy gone off on her honeymoon with McGrath in Ireland, and Angie doing her best to manage the renovation of our latest building acquisition while they are gone for three weeks, I can't seem to keep up.

  It was fine when all I had to solo manage were the flotilla ships and the Slingshot Program's housing placements. I thrived in the process and the satisfaction of knowing I helped people who had fallen on hard times to get their feet back under them and get a place they could call their own.

  But the Flotilla Project has grown to such a scale, that even with Mrs. Smythe managing our various housing structures, our management team has been spread way too thin. Maybe Tabby was right and I needed to hire more people to take up the slack when one of us was taking personal time.

  I can hear her now, “I told you so, Paya.”

  I grinned at that, because, yes, she told me so. The little stinker.

  I'd be ok, barely, if I din't have to spend half my day doing all the running that Speedy could do in half the time. I had no clue how she was so efficient... well other than her driving which endangered everyone in the greater London area that is. I giggled at that. The poor girl was perhaps the worst driver I have ever met, yet somehow she has never been pulled over or received a citation. I think she may be magic or something.

  Well never let it be said that Paya Doshi can't swallow her pride and ask for help. No really, never say that, I will hunt you down. The two proper responses here are either, yes ma'am, or yes Paya.

  Just great, I'm chastising thin air now. I just need a runner for the duration and... Ah-ha! I grinned and grabbed my mobile and sifted through the contacts. I stuck my tongue out at speed dial one, my best mate, Tabitha Romanov and found the number I wanted.

  I was all for keeping it in the family, and smiled when Speedy's sister, Christine answered with a smile in her voice, “Paya? This is
a pleasant surprise.”

  I grinned and said in a pathetic voice, “Help?”

  She chuckled, “What can I do for you today?”

  I explained, “You know that traitorous sister of yours? The evil one who ran off with that sexy leprechaun with a tool belt, leaving us runnerless?”

  She replied with a thoughtful tone, hamming it up, “I believe I may know the Lenore that you speak of. About this tall? Hair like this?” I could imagine her hand movements and had to stop from smiling. Lenny's sister was a whole lot of fun.

  I nodded and then pointed out, “I know your brother is in school still so I was wondering who else I knew that might be able to do Speedy's job while she is off galavanting in the land of Ire. And you were the first on my list. Willing to help a poor woman out and make a tidy sum on the side? I'd owe you one.”

  She sounded apologetic as she explained, “I really wish I could. And having everyones favorite Indian-Brit owe me one is like money in the bank, but I've full time employment now, and haven't been there long enough to request a holiday.”

  I sighed, but she added brightly, “My umm... friend Reid is doing temp jobs. I'm positive Reid would fit right in there and knows the city inside and out. Deliveries would be a snap.”

  I mulled that over a second, “Hmmm a temp. That might work...” I paused then smiled, “Wait... Reid? Is this the person you've been secretly dating? The one you won't tell Speedy or McGrath about?”

  I could almost hear her blushing over the phone and it was soooo cute. She squeaked out, “Maybe.”

  Ahhh! To be the first of the group to meet this mysterious bloke... or... hmm, Reid was an pretty interchangeable name. Did our Christine prefer the fairer sex like her sister? Ok I was doubly intrigued now. We all saw Christine as our own little sister here. And I would be the first to solve the mystery of the person who made her blush like a schoolgirl with her first crush.

  I went fishing, “That sounds brill Tina, just have her? Him? Come on down to the Persephone and meet with me.”

  She sounded excited as she chirped out, “Great! I'll have Reid meet you there within the hour!”