by Eric Flint
“The guild. Yes. This particular branch of the guild uses Völundr’s Hammer as its moniker. I have some thoughts on where they’ve been hiding.” Rao gestured for her to take a seat.
He strolled about the metal platform high above the floor of the plant, footfalls silent under his felt soles. Night had come, and with the darkness, Rao’s comfort level increased and he became more loose than during the daylight hours.
Lali remained silent, satisfied to accept his teachings, at least for the moment. Rao had no adepts, only the acolytes, the khâu, but Lali believed she was to be his one adept.
“Information you provided has assisted me greatly in my current strategy, but I have need of more information from you.” He dropped his chin to his chest and stared at her. “Tell me, were you tasked with finding me? Tasked with learning about the Iron Thorn?”
“Of course not.” She answered without a hint of hesitation.
“Then what is the lure? I mean, what drove you to accept my summoning?”
“You. You’re fascinating.” She cocked her head and tilted it forward slightly, casting what she hoped was a glint of mischief at the powerful man.
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “What draws you to the Câ Tsang?”
“To serve and learn of the nâga. Lean of the greater purpose, and seek enlightenment on the other side.” A rote answer, of course, which she sort of meant…
“Good,” he said. “But we will never achieve such if the bumbling ways of the khâu persists. You will arrange for the next sacrifice.”
“But—”
“But nothing. Obey or be punished.” He raised his hand high above her, as if to backhand her. “Rao needs to do something about the current group of khâu.”
She winced at the thought of the coming strike, but said, “Sacrificing one or two of the khâu to the nâga would set things right through fear, would it not?”
Rao lowered his hand. Was that a smile on the man’s face, a cruel smile, a sneer perhaps? “That is an idea,” he said, “which I will consider. But I have another task for you.”
“What will you have me do?” she asked.
“Continue with your life and your job. Pay attention to the people you meet and what they discuss. When the time is right you will be provided all you need to know of the next sacrifice.”
“Yes, Rao. I seek to serve you and the Câ Tsang.”
“Excellent, Eulalia. Now go.”
Chapter 16
Jasper slouched in the passenger seat, eyes masked by sunglasses, sipping black coffee and hating every drop of the burnt liquid. He glanced at Temple.
“I have no time to baby you,” she glanced back at him, “and by the way, nine A.M. is not early.”
“I suppose, but bearing foul coffee did nothing to improve upon the early call.” He slouched in his seat. “Where in the hell did you get this crap, anyway? And you know what?”
“I’m listening.”
“You’re too made-up,” Jasper lifted his sunglasses, “and well, perky for this time of the morning.”
“Excuse me? Made. Up?” She didn’t bother looking at him, but kept her eyes on the road. “Stop your bitching and tell me which way I’m heading. This is your neck of the woods, not mine, remember? Oh, and by the way, you look like shit. Perky my rear end—never been accused of that before.”
“I’m trying to sleep back here, you two mind?” Vance protested from the back seat.
“From here on I foresee a productive morning with no arguments or strife.” Temple focused on the road, but Jasper sat up—
—put the passenger side window down and dumped the coffee she’d picked up for him.
“Such foul stuff,” Jasper said.
“Hey!” Vance cried from the back seat.
Jasper turned and looked at Vance who wiped at his face and hair frantically.
“You ass,” Vance said.
Jasper slumped and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Vance, really. I didn’t mean to splash the nastiness on you.”
“You should rush me to the burn unit—”
“See, Vance? Now that comment was funny.” Jasper grinned.
“Put the window up,” Temple chided. “It’s like I’m driving a couple of arguing brats to school.”
“Yes, mother,” Jasper said, “but don’t you believe in air conditioning? I’m roasting.”
“Yes.”
“Okay, so why aren’t you using it, then?” Jasper returned to the slouched position.
“It’s morning, and it’s not yet sweltering. And I’m cold. And I’m driving.”
“Fine, but I didn’t ask you to drive.”
“Yeah, but if I hadn’t picked you up, it would have been lunch time before you dragged yourself to the office.”
“It is the weekend still, you know. I was up even later trying to explain to my boss, Johnson, why he needed to get a team out to recover that body behind the shed. And then I received a phone call from ASAC Masters. I’m walking a tightrope with my executive management. Oh, and we’re lucky my contact agreed to meet with us.”
“Thanks for talking your office into assisting. Didn’t you say the contact lived near the campus?”
“Well, yeah,” Jasper said.
“So quit your bellyaching—you’re already up and might as well get into the spirit of things,” Temple said.
Jasper dialed her in as they made their way over to Chicago.
“You know, this area we’re driving through, Hyde Park, is sort of known for its cultural diversity. African-Americans are known to—”
“Known to what?” Temple asked forcefully.
“Uh, live in this area? The Obamas lived here.”
“And?”
“Nothing, I guess.”
“Hyde Park also at one time tried to keep black people out,” Temple said. “And I don’t want to hear about South Shore and Farrakhan either, that’s close by too, right? I’m a Christian, you know, so why would I give a damn about Farrakhan?”
“I never brought him up.” Jasper shrank down in his seat.
“Spare me the lessons in black history,” she said. “But it’s nice to see that apparently someone has been paying attention to the Bureau’s black history month.”
“Wiseass, and it’s African-American Appreciation Month.”
“Pfft. You really have been paying attention.” Temple laughed and smacked the steering wheel. “But how about this: Why don’t you tell me about this guy we’re meeting, this biochemist buddy of yours, before we get there. That’d be swell.”
Temple grinned, knowing Jasper would be thankful for the change of topic. Why did he think she’d care about Hyde Park, anyway? Simply because she was black? That’d be like her telling him something about backwoods rednecks while traipsing around the Ozarks.
“Not much to tell,” Jasper said into the window. “He wasn’t exactly a buddy back then, but a professor of mine. We became friends later.”
“Oh? He an older man?”
“Why,” Jasper glanced over at Temple, “you have a thing for older men?”
“Oh, but she does,” Vance chimed in from the back seat. “Tell him about the old guy from HQ that—”
“Vance?” Temple glared at him in the rear-view mirror. “You’d do yourself a favor if you keep that trap of yours shut.”
“A pleasant start to the day,” Vance said. “Donuts, some chiding, and coffee—which I received in the face I might add.”
“I agree.” Jasper grinned. “So, back to my old professor. He’s become a friend over the years, especially since I got assigned to the Merrillville Resident Agency.”
“This old coot got a name?”
“Ed White.”
“Sounds like your standard crusty old white guy.”
Jasper snorted, and pushed himself up. “Ed isn’t all that old. Let’s see, he was in his early thirties when I met him. So he’d be in his mid to late forties now.”
“Oh,” Temple said, realizing at once how that so
unded.
“Ah ha, so you do wish he were older. How interesting,” Jasper said.
Vance tapped on Jasper’s seat. “Oh, that’d be so perfect.”
“What?” Temple asked, annoyed.
“Black and White,” Vance said. “You see? Your name is Black, and his is—”
“Yeah,” Temple said, “I get it. You’re a riot, now sit back and shut up.”
Jasper burst out laughing.
Temple shook her head. “I’m dealing with juveniles here. Not another word until we get there, and no uncouth or childish jokes please, we’re professionals.” Temple glanced in the rear-view mirror. “And Vance? You’re not amusing.”
“All right, we’re almost there,” Jasper said. “Turn down this street right here and try to find a spot. It’s early enough and a Sunday, so we shouldn’t have too much trouble. There he is, he’s waiting for us.”
“Where?” Temple asked.
Jasper laughed.
Temple parked. Jasper hopped out and headed toward a middle-aged black man who was perched against a nearby fire hydrant. The man rose, smiling, and extended his hand to take Jasper’s.
“Ed, how in the hell are you? Still carrying that beat-up old thermos, I see.”
Inside the car, Temple spent a few seconds silently cursing herself. Without ever thinking about it, she’d just assumed a biochemistry professor at the University of Chicago would be white.
She got out of the car and headed toward them, Vance trailing behind her. “This is Ed, I take it,” she said.
Jasper nodded. “Ed, these are my colleagues, Vance Ravel and Temple Black. And this is Edwin White, but as you can see, he is—”
“Yeah, all right,” Temple said, “you got me. Ha ha.”
Chapter 17
After an abbreviated tour of the immediate area of the University of Chicago, Ed ushered them into one of the empty stadium-style lecture halls he used for the lower-level science courses he taught.
“The university’s changed since you stumbled through here, my friend.” Ed gestured to the flat panel monitors on the wall. “Not to mention all the kids these days carry laptops, tablets, phones, you name the gadget and they’ll have one.”
Temple glanced about the hall. “Much different than the small school I attended.”
“Things couldn’t have changed that much since you attended college, what, a few years back?” Ed grinned.
“Really, Ed? This guy,” Jasper thumbed toward his old professor, “thought women would fall for his Billy Dee Williams routine, but—”
“Hey, you’re the one who invented all the Billy Dee nonsense,” Ed put up his hands as if fending off an attack. “Tell me this woman doesn’t look youthful.”
Temple averted her eyes from Ed’s and turned her head ever so slightly.
“You falling for this load of crap, Temple?” Jasper grinned.
“Well, I’d say Ed’s a lot classier and more refined than some people I’ve been associating with lately.”
“I like this lady,” Ed said.
Jasper shook his head. “Ed, I hate to tell you this, but Temple is about as old as you are. Well, maybe not quite as old—”
“What is this, high school?” Vance dropped his bag on the lab-sized table and rustled through the contents.
Ed coughed. “This guy right here, this so-called Special Agent, once raised his hand during a lecture and asked—”
“Yeah, a truly painful and boring lecture,” Jasper said, laughing, “I said something like, ‘Hey Lando, is it true you just made a deal to keep quality education out of here forever?’”
“You believe this guy?” Ed chuckled, deep and good-natured.
“I don’t—oh, I get it, Billy Dee, Lando from Empire Strikes Back,” Temple said. “What did you do?”
“I answered him like Lando, and even got the line correct.” Ed smiled broadly.
“Hey guys?” Vance peered at them from behind his bag of whatever, a gigantic grin on his face. “Let’s talk science.”
Temple, Jasper, and Ed laughed long and hard.
“What?” Vance looked at each of them in turn and held up a sample he’d taken from one of the scenes they’d visited.
“Forget it. Ed, I’m gonna sober this up a bit—we’re investigating a few disturbing matters with bizarre occurrences we’d like to run by you.”
Ed’s brow furrowed. He clunked the metal thermos down on the table and pulled a pair of glasses from the breast pocket of his dress shirt. Ed ignored Jasper and peered over octagonal framed glasses at Vance. “You seem eager to discuss science, at least.”
Ed reached for the sample and peered at the liquid within the vial. “Light pink in color, nonviscous in appearance. What am I looking at here?”
“Well,” Vance said, “this was the only liquid found at a crime scene, the remains of a human. I also found—”
Ed turned to Jasper. “You didn’t mention anything about human remains. Was this a murder?”
“We can’t figure out what is happening,” Jasper said. “It’s beyond my understanding.”
“Perhaps you should start from the beginning. Provide me some perspective.” Ed spread his arms wide, palms up.
They briefed the entire affair to Ed, told him what they’d witnessed and everything they’d found so far.
The lecture hall was still and devoid of any sound. Ed sat, an intense expression on his face. Finally, after a long pause, he spoke. “I’m not sure I’m following the part with the haze and the dragon and these, what did you call them?”
“She called them demons,” Jasper said. “I’m not sure that part of this equation is even real. Did we imagine fantastic creatures? Or perhaps the mist congealed in such a way—”
“No. I don’t think so,” Temple said. “You obviously aren’t familiar with certain books of the Bible.”
“I have read the Bible, you know.” Jasper folded his arms.
“This is fire and brimstone stuff. I can’t help but think we need to pay attention and not dismiss a possible Biblical origin of these…creatures, if the word ‘demon’ bothers you too much.”
“I’m not disputing any of your religious beliefs. But too many other factors exist. You’re acting like this is the start of the End Times, for crying out loud.”
“And why not? God promised not to send another flood, but—”
“Yes, yes. I’m familiar with that part of Genesis,” Jasper said.
“But he didn’t make a covenant not to send forth demons and therefore pave the way for the second coming of Christ, did he?”
Jasper threw his arms up.
“I’m not sure I understand why the Bureau is getting involved in this,” Ed interrupted, peering over his glasses. “I didn’t think you investigated murders, unless they involved something like national security.”
“Oh, allow me to explain,” Jasper said. “Temple and Vance are assigned to SAG.” He let the acronym hang—
“SAG? Like Screen Actors—”
“All right,” Temple said. “I can’t help the acronym. SAG wasn’t my first choice but people at headquarters have zero imagination. SAG stands for Scientific Anomalies Group. And by the way, Jasper is assigned to us now as well, and I am his supervisor—”
“Temporarily assigned,” Jasper added.
Ed rotated the vial in his fingers. “Vance, if what you told me is correct, well—this would be the discovery of a lifetime. You’re talking alien life, alien elements. I can’t even imagine how such chemistry could exist on our world.”
“It could if supernatural forces were involved,” Temple said.
“You mean divine intervention?” Jasper shook his head. “And why would God send some terrible creature, one resembling a Chinese-style dragon, down here to digest people outside its body? Can you explain that?”
“I didn’t say anything about divine intervention,” Temple replied.
Ed flipped through a textbook lying on the table. “All right, are any of the mat
erials you’ve shown me here classified information?”
“No. I haven’t made any of this classified,” Temple said. “So far, this is a criminal investigation, not national security.”
“In my mind,” Jasper said, “our discussions have no choice but go down the path of weaponization.”
“I don’t think so,” Vance and Ed said at the same time then regarded one another, as if in unspoken respect.
“I’m no scientist, but if Temple asserts divine—or satanic, whatever—intervention in the daily lives of people and Vance asserts alien elements? Well, I’m afraid the government, and specifically the military, would say otherwise. Almost everything has weapon potential.”
Temple smacked the table. “That is the whole reason I’m not classifying anything right now. I want to keep all talk of aliens off the radar.”
Jasper pursed his lips. “Damn. I hadn’t thought of that angle. Good call, Temple. Withholding information from headquarters, since they typically stick their noses in places they shouldn’t.” He laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing really, only that you’re headquarters, right? And SAG is sticking its nose in fieldwork. But you sure aren’t like them; you’re not even close to resembling standard HQ bureaucrats.”
“Gee, thanks for the compliment,” Vance said, “I think.”
Jasper shook his head. “We’re letting speculation get too far ahead of us. As of now, mangled bodies are our only concrete evidence.”
“I wish I’d seen the specimens in person,” Ed said.
“Specimens? I’m not so sure.” Jasper made a face. “It’s one thing to view bodies and speak of bodies in a clinical manner, but on a crime scene, when they’re bloody and mangled, well—”
“Yes,” Temple added, “when confronted with the brutality of man directly, it’s sobering.”
“Horrific, I’m sure, but you didn’t witness the acts.” Ed peered at them from over his glasses. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to diminish or downplay any of what you’ve all been through.”
“I witnessed two men incinerate themselves by way of thermite.”
Ed winced. “Sorry. Nasty stuff. I can’t imagine a human being making a conscious decision to end their life in such a horrible manner.”
