Agents, Agreements and Aggravations: In Her Paranormal Majesty’s Secret Service™ Book Three

by Anderle, Michael

  Ula raised a hand. “Hold on, hold on. Are you saying that specters are organic? I thought only mortals had biological makeups?”

  A grin appeared on Hendrick’s face. “Astute observation. While you’re right, specters cannot be technically labeled as organic matter, they do have an energy signature. There is yet to be a name attributed to the state of matter that composes a specter, but since they exist in this world and since there is a way to physically touch, see, and hear specters—evidenced through conduits and the latest technologies—we cannot rule out the fact that there is something biological and organic in their makeup.”

  “So, science lesson aside, what are we looking at here?” Tanya asked.

  Hendrick scratched the bridge of his nose, then returned his hand behind his back. His gaze fixed on the swimming silver liquid. “I’ve told you—a compass. The essence of the specter contained within the essence will migrate toward the side of the box that is closest to spectral energy. At the moment, it is tracking the McFarlene brothers, but take it out into the city and…”

  “It’ll find the Dreadnought,” Triton finished for him. “Hendrick, that’s genius.”

  Ula nodded her appreciation. “It’s probably a good idea if we have no specters with us when we go. Good timing that Sandra is with Jennie in NYC, eh?”

  Tanya’s face hardened. “They’ve moved on to Boston. Jennie updated me this morning.”

  “Damn, sounds like they’re on a trail of their own,” Ula replied.

  Tanya changed the subject, returning their attention to the compass. “So you’re saying we can take this into the city and it’ll detect spectral activity? How will we know if we’re tracking the…” her eyes found Ula’s “Dreadnought? Surely other specters will be detected too? We could be on a wild goose chase for days.”

  Hendrick opened his mouth to reply, but Lupe cut in first. “If this Dreadnought is powerful enough to take over bodies and create an army of possessed specters, then he must be strong. His spectral signature will be much greater than any of the other riff-raff we find in this town.” He turned uncertainly to Hendrick. “Right?”

  Hendrick gave a curt nod.

  Tanya clapped her hands together. “Okay, then. Detect the enemy, take him down. We can do that, right?”

  Ula, Roman, and Triton nodded in agreement, unconsciously moving their hands toward their weapons.

  Lyla and Krissie exchanged a glance.

  “What was that?” Feng Mian asked, catching the exchange.

  Lyla gave a half-hearted shrug. “How are you going to take him down? I mean, I’m still totally confused by what the hell is happening here, but there is clearly something at play that is not of this world. First, we find out that specters are real, and now you’re going after some kind of…what? Demon? What is this thing?”

  “We don’t know,” Tanya answered simply. “But what we do know is that if it carries on as it has been, then soon the town could be overrun, possessed like you two were only last night.”

  “Can you all do that head thing?” Krissie asked, looking around the room at each of them in turn.

  Tanya raised an eyebrow. “What head thing?”

  Lyla's eyes lit up as a sudden memory came back to her. “That’s right! Your friend. That small one with dark hair. She helped us. She did something.” She looked at Krissie. “Right?”

  Krissie nodded.

  Tanya studied the pair. “What do you mean ‘did something?’ Who?”

  “We don’t know her name,” Lyla replied. “She’s short. Asian-looking. I’ve not seen her since.”

  Roman’s attention had been caught. “Jiao?”

  Once again, Lyla shrugged. “Sure?”

  “What did she do to you?” Tanya asked.

  Krissie put her hand to her forehead. “She just touched us, like this, I think. It’s all a blur, but I remember it as if coming out of a dream. She touched our heads, and somehow the darkness was lifted.”

  Tanya’s brow was creased in confused thought. She met Feng Mian’s eyes. “How is that even possible?”

  Feng Mian stared levelly back. “I don’t know.”

  It was then that they noticed Jiao wasn’t sitting with them. “Where is she?” Tanya asked.

  “Last I saw her, she was upstairs,” Ula replied. “In her bedroom. Haven’t seen her since.”

  Tanya’s eyes widened. Without another word, she leapt from the couch and ran up the stairs.

  She wasted no time with pleasantries and barged into Jiao’s room. While not the largest suite in the manor, there was still plenty of room for Jiao to be swallowed by the size of it. If it hadn’t been for Jiao speaking on her cell to someone in the far corner, Tanya wouldn’t have noticed her at all.

  Jiao’s head whipped around. She hung up the phone instantly and pocketed it. “Tanya? Don’t you know better than to barge in?”

  Tanya crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed near Jiao’s chair. In the doorway, Roman and Ula gathered. “You healed those girls?”

  Jiao’s brows knitted together. “I’m sorry?”

  Tanya shook her head. “Don’t play dumb with me, those two girls just told us. You drove the specters out of their bodies? How did you do that? Why didn’t you tell us?”

  Jiao stared down at her feet, her face a mask of innocence. “It was just something I wanted to try. A trick I picked up while working for the Dragon. He tried possession on a few occasions, and I prepared myself, terrified I might be next.”

  Tanya sat across from Jiao and took her hands. “Jiao, it worries me that you’d hide something like that from us. Particularly now, when we’re battling an enemy whose undoing might require it.” She gave a reassuring smile. “You freed those women, okay? You saved them. You helped us. You’re not with the Dragon anymore, so you can let go of any worries or doubts you might have. Be honest with us. We’ve been honest with you.”

  Jiao looked up, her eyes covered in a wet sheen. “I’m sorry.”

  Tanya let out a small laugh. “Don’t be. Just show us how you did it, and we can start helping the others we might find. Is it easy to do?”

  Jiao shrugged. “Somewhat. It involves some precise drawing and an incantation. I can teach you.”

  Tanya studied her features. Her lips were impossibly red, her eyes dark amber. It was no wonder Feng Mian was attracted to her. “I mean it, Jiao. You are safe here. The worst is behind you. Just trust us, okay? You don’t have to hide anything from us.”

  Jiao nodded and pawed away a stray tear. “Thank you.”

  Tanya led Jiao out of the room and down toward the others. They passed Roman and Ula and disappeared down the stairs, and the two conduits waited until they were out of earshot.

  Ula let out a deep breath. “I know what you’re thinking.”

  Roman’s face was set. “I know.”

  The question went unsaid between them, but it was something that neither of them would forget as easily as Tanya.

  Who was Jiao on the phone to?

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Somewhere over Philadelphia, USA

  A multitude of information was coming in thick and fast. Updates attacked Jennie’s cell phone, detailing the latest from the searches occurring in all the major cities that had been attacked in Zhao’s operation.

  She had managed to pull information from Hartford, albeit reluctantly. Lionus was being less than cooperative, but a sharply worded reminder regarding the involvement of Kurt Rogers made him spill the beans. Sturgeon, Tiptry, Clark, and their men had yet to find anything of note in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, although they too had stumbled across specters who may be of use in the investigations.

  Cassie Ferries was sitting across from Jennie, studying her through narrowed eyes. Jennie still didn’t entirely trust Cassie, but she had given them enough information to proceed toward Baltimore. Jennie had already called ahead to Daggro to warn her of their movements and to share the information they’d received from Cassie earlier that day.


  “The plan didn’t fully go into action,” Cassie had told them when they found a room clear of dead bodies and started their line of questioning. “Zhao wanted six other explosions simultaneously. That was the plan.”

  “But there were only four,” Baxter declared.

  “Exactly.” Cassie adjusted in her seat and wiped sweating palms on her trousers. “Two of them failed. One was supposed to go off in Baltimore, and another in Washington.”

  “Washington!” Rhone exclaimed. “Not the White House?”

  Cassie shook her head. “No, that would have been too high profile, even for specters to break into and plant the device. Zhao knew that there were links in Washington with you, Jennie, and the SIA, given his containment. He looked for something a little less in the public eye, but with enough impact. Y’know, like the Public Market in Boston.”

  “Where was the target?” Jennie nudged.

  Cassie’s eyes met hers. “The JFK Performing Arts Center.”

  “Jesus,” Julia muttered. “That’s a pretty big deal.”

  “They’re all big deals,” Jennie retorted. “So, what happened? Why didn’t Washington or Baltimore happen while the other four did?”

  Cassie glanced at Terri, the specter she had called a traitor for helping Jennie. Everyone in the Airbus could sense the irony of Cassie’s sudden switch in loyalties. “Cowley, who was the guy stationed in Baltimore, got cold feet. He and his spectral assistants came across the SIA’s outreach headquarters in Baltimore and worried they’d get found out too easily. They didn’t have enough time to get things in place.”

  “Thank God for that,” Rhone murmured. “Makes me thankful we diversified when we could. That’s one thing we can thank the Umbra for.”

  Carolyn nodded in agreement.

  “And Washington?” Jennie encouraged. “What about there? I notice that you don’t seem so concerned about our nation’s capital.”

  Cassie’s eyes glazed over as a memory suddenly came to her. She took a moment before replying. “Ruben McAffey was sent to Washington, but he got more than cold feet. He was plotting to escape, to rebel. He wanted nothing more to do with Zhao or the seven. So, Zhao…”

  Cassie went quiet. They waited patiently for her to continue. “Zhao sent a specter to kill him. He broke his neck live on our video feed. We all saw it, the way his head twisted to that unnatural angle. The next thing we knew, he was dead.”

  Jennie placed a hand on Cassie’s knee, feeling compassion for her for the first time. “It’s okay. It’s over now.” She waited a few moments before adding, “Do you know who it was? Surely with SI glasses, they would have seen the specter?”

  Cassie shook her head. “The specter was invisible until he wasn’t. Totally undetectable, until he chose to show himself. If creatures like that exist, how can the rest of us be safe?”

  Jennie assured Cassie that as long as she stuck with them, she’d be safe. They had encountered these kinds of specters along their way, and the good news was they had survived each and every encounter.

  Baxter shuffled in his chair, leaning closer to Cassie and Jennie. “What happened to Ruben after?”

  Cassie raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, dead things rise,” Baxter explained. “What happened to his specter?”

  Cassie’s eyes widened. “I didn’t even think of that!”

  Jennie tried to soothe her. “I’m sure it’s okay. Just because a man was killed by a specter, I don’t believe his loyalties will change. He was a traitor to Zhao, he will remain as such.”

  “How can you be sure,” Carolyn asked.

  “Experience,” Jennie replied. “Still, just to be safe, we’ll alert Daggro and give her a heads up. She can send what agents remain to guard the performing arts center and keep an eye on Washington. From what you’re saying, Cassie, Baltimore is our most pressing priority right now. Let’s jump in the chopper and hash out the details on the way.”

  She had called Daggro, unsurprised by her surly replies to her questions. Daggro sounded almost unrecognizable, her voice a harsh scratch down the phone. As they drifted over Philadelphia, they were all deep in thought, wondering what would be awaiting them when they arrived in Baltimore. Hoping they wouldn’t be too late.

  An hour or so later, and Baltimore came into sight. They touched down in Patterson Park a little after midday, landing far enough away from where Craig was rumored to be that he wouldn’t detect their arrival, but close enough that they could easily hail a cab and get to where they needed to go if the SIA didn’t come through.

  A group of SIA agents was waiting for them when they arrived. Jennie was surprised by this. She hopped out and greeted the lead agent, a man with tight curls of dark hair and a scar running across his chin.

  “Agent Erik,” the man announced, offering a hand. “It’s an honor.”

  Jennie tried to detect sarcasm in that tone but found none.

  “And you, former Agent Rhone,” Erik added, shaking Rhone’s hand. “I’m sorry to hear about your dismissal from the agency.”

  Rhone smirked. “It was a mutual agreement, let me assure you. I didn’t want to work for a psychotic bitch, and Daggro was determined to be one.”

  Erik’s face remained passive, but there was humor in his eyes. “While I can’t speak ill of our superior, it is a damn shame that things ended that way. Some people can wind themselves up so tightly that they don’t know how to undo what they’ve done. Time will achieve that for her, I’m sure.”

  Jennie decided that she liked this man, who was honest but respectful even in a situation such as this. She had begun to lose hope that anyone else in the SIA could show an ounce of integrity and charisma.

  “Erik, what’s the situation here?” Jennie asked. “Have you been searching? Anything show up on the radar?”

  Erik glanced at the city behind him. “Nothing whatsoever. We’ve scoured Maryland Science Museum and found nothing of note. A few agents are still there searching the finer crevices, but no sign of anything amiss. Are you certain that was where the attack was due to take place?”

  Jennie looked at Cassie.

  Cassie nodded. “One hundred percent.”

  When Jennie saw Erik’s expectant gaze, she added, “She’s our informant. One of the seven responsible for making all of this shit happen. I’ll be honest, five out of seven successful detonations isn’t a great success rate, but finding her and bringing her around to our way of thinking is.”

  One of Erik’s agents broke rank. “Do you trust her?”

  Erik looked as though he was about to reprimand the agent, but he let it lie. “Well?”

  Jennie considered this carefully. She had no other choice in this situation, so she replied. “Yes. Yes, I do."

  “Okay, then,” Erik replied. “In that case, lead the charge, Rogue. After hearing tales of your exploits, it’ll be an honor working alongside you.”

  Jennie smiled. “I like you, Erik. Do you know why?”

  Erik told her he didn’t.

  “Because you’re one of the first agents who has spoken about working alongside me.” Jennie laughed. “It’s amazing how many of you federal types fight for dominance and want to take the lead. Let’s make this happen together, okay? Show me what you’ve done so far.”

  * * *

  Maryland Science Museum was much more than a museum. It was an entire complex, complete with an IMAX cinema and a planetarium.

  The outside of the building was cordoned off to hold back the public who had gathered to take photos of the building and the agents making their way in and out. Police had been called in by the SIA. They made their presence felt at the cordon and worked at diverting the media so the SIA could search in peace.

  Erik parked around the back and allowed himself access through a rear door. A single reporter tried to follow him, shouting questions as they entered. Sandra pushed a pulse of spectral energy and disabled her camera and microphone.

  The inside was deserted,
their footsteps echoing like thunderclaps in the empty space. Jennie nudged Cassie to the front of them and ordered her to lead the way.

  Cassie glanced around the main lobby, indicating the front of the building. It was entirely made from glass, curving around the building to its entire four-story height.

  “This is where the bomb should have detonated, if they had made it,” Cassie offered. “Behind this reception desk. But there’s nothing here.”

  Jennie thought aloud. “Craig was already worried about getting caught. SIA is much more present here than elsewhere. He wouldn’t have gone for something so obvious, knowing that there’d be no easy escape for him.”

  “Wouldn’t it be specters doing the job?” Baxter asked. “In Boston, you made specters perform the duties, didn’t you, Cass?”

  Cassie’s eyes fell to the floor. “Some of the seven are more brazen than others. I’m smart enough to allow specters to do my bidding. Even if they did turn out to be traitors.” Her eyes found Terri’s again, and the specter shrank back. “Craig was younger than some of the others. He might have wanted the thrill of doing it himself.”

  Jennie chewed on that. “Do you really believe that?”

  “How did you contact him?” Rhone asked. “You said you had a video link to you all, but did you have any other contact with him? A phone number, perhaps?”

  Cassie unlocked her cellphone and tapped through to her contacts. She found Craig’s number and held it up to Rhone.

  Rhone and Erik exchanged a look. Jennie caught the drift of their unspoken message.

  “What?” Carolyn asked.

  “Call him,” Jennie instructed to Cassie. “Call him now. Tell him you’re concerned about him and want to help. Keep him on the phone for as long as possible. Erik, you can triangulate the signal, right?”

  “Of course,” Erik confirmed. “But we can’t do this out in the field. We need to hook the phone up to our servers back at HQ.”

  Jennie glanced around the wide-open lobby and spotted a few agents standing guard at the front doors. Another cluster was roaming upstairs and searching for clues. “Okay, we’ve got enough coverage here. Let’s drop back to base and see what we can dig up.”