by Jim Johnson
“And when you woke up?”
His frown deepened, turning the wrinkles at the corners of his mouth into deeper troughs. “I…I woke up not remembering the night before. I heard that some of my friends had died here during the night, and that there had been a gas leak or something in the home.”
He rubbed his forehead. “All seems so fake now, but I was sure that had been the truth.” His eyes widened. “There was no gas leak! It was that thing you and Malcolm were fighting.”
I nodded. “Yes. And the woman who came to visit you that night, her name is Miss Chin. She’s actually the one who trained me to…well, to use the magic you saw me use that night with Malcolm, fighting the Spinner.”
Grandpa shook his head as he listened. “But why would she mess with my head? To protect you?”
I shrugged, feeling my anger for Miss Chin ease off the more I talked to Grandpa. He wasn’t angry at her, just confused. It wasn’t really right for me to be angry at her on his behalf. I needed to be angry at her for me, and I discovered I just didn’t have the energy for it any more.
“To protect me, to protect you, to protect a lot of things. We talked about it and she told me how to remove the blocks on your memory. So I did.”
“I see.” His thoughts turned inward again, and I gnawed at my lip, waiting to see what he said next.
“So…all those tests they made me take, for memory loss and Alzheimer’s, all those tests were unnecessary. All the drugs they had me take…useless.”
I felt like crap for telling him, but I nodded anyway. “I’m so sorry, grandpa.”
He focused on me and then pulled me into a quick hug. “You have nothing to apologize for. It’s not your fault.”
He let me go and I sat back, in a mix of sadness, exhaustion, and residual anger.
“I’m glad you came here and told me, that you helped me get my memories back. Can you do the same thing for Grandma Forbes? I’m sure Malcolm would appreciate it, and I can help with talking to her and preparing her for the little explosion of memories once the blocks are gone.”
I nodded. “Of course I can. But…” A massive yawn betrayed me. “I think I’ve got to get some sleep. Otherwise I’m going to be useless when I…”
I broke off. I hadn’t intended to tell him where I was going next.
He raised an eyebrow and looked at me. “Yes?”
I bit my lip. “I’m, well. The Spinner has killed a lot of people and wrecked a lot of lives. I’m in a place now where I have nothing to lose. I’m going to find him, and when I find him, I’m going to kill him.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
THE SPINNER MARCHED HIS CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH the Holding, dragging the unconscious girl he’d scored at Rachel’s house along behind. The girl had proven to be resilient, but had been broken in time.
The Spinner still had some finishing touches to make, but then this new breed of ‘geist would be ready for prime time.
He worked his way through the shadowed facsimile of the streets of DC, heading toward the glowing beacon of light that was the National Cathedral’s footprint in the Holding.
He could have created a conduit through the Veil and Holding so that he could travel near-instantaneously to any location in the area, but he’d need all the energy he could muster if he was going to dive into the National Cathedral’s etheric matrix and twist it to his own devices.
So he walked his new avatar through the gray landscape of the Holding. The cathedral moved into view ahead, a shining pillar of light for those in need of such a thing.
He did not, of course. But he appreciated the clear navigation marker all the same. He marched toward the cathedral, shifting his Sight so that he could fully appreciate the breadth of power, of potential, he saw arrayed before him.
So far as he knew, no one had ever attempted to take ownership of a structure this size and strength. Given what he knew now, he suspected he’d become the first ever to work the etherics laced into the building.
He moved his avatar closer to the building, dragging his new ‘geist along with him. He’d unleash her soon enough, but for now, he wanted to get into the cathedral and locate the nexus of power within the building so that he could plug into the etherics there and take control.
It was the middle of the night in the real world. He focused his will and then slashed his hand into the air, and cut a rift into the Veil. He stepped through it and out of the Holding, and appeared on the wide concrete steps just outside the cathedral’s front doors.
He looked up and up toward the star-filled sky. Spotlights dotting the perimeter of the cathedral grounds illuminated the tall towers above, and for just a moment, he was taken in by the sight of such a massive, old structure built in faith toward one god.
Such an impressive symbol. Once he took control of it, he’d force his subjects to erect even more magnificent buildings in his honor. The world would bow down to his control of the ley threads. No one would ever call him a cripple or vegetable again.
He reached out to open the doors of the cathedral, and was surprised when his etheric hand bounced off an etheric shield that rippled with golden light. It hadn’t been there a moment before, he was sure of it.
He frowned and focused on the shield. It was stronger than any he had yet encountered, and seemed to be anchored to the building in multiple locations. It’d take some work to break through.
He narrowed his eyes and focused his energies, and took several steps back, moving away from the building so that he could take in a broader view.
He scanned the building with several sensor threads, seeking out weak spots in the shield. The cathedral had suffered significant damage from an earthquake some years back, and…
There. A section of the cathedral on the far side. One of the smaller spires had cracked and fallen, leaving a small gap in the shield. Most of the rest of the shield was sufficient to protect the building, but that one spot was all he needed to break in.
He gathered up more ley threads, and then, shifting them to his will, lifted himself up into the air and around the building toward the gap in the shield. Anyone walking by the cathedral and seeing him might think him an angel, or a god unto himself. He was almost tempted to check to see if anyone was walking by.
No. He had to focus on the matter at hand. He floated himself and the body of his new ‘geist toward the tower with the broken spire, and studied the shield there.
After several minutes of close examination, he thought he had the solution. It was almost too easy. He gathered up several ley threads and melded them together into the shape of an etheric crowbar, and then shoved that crowbar into the gap in the shield and twisted with all his might.
The shield held for a few precious seconds, but then slowly started to give way and bent under his power and his will.
He twisted the etheric crowbar this way and that, bending an opening in the shield large enough for him to pass through.
Once inside the shield itself, he warped the crowbar into a massive etheric wrecking ball, and smashed a hole into the side of the cathedral, a few levels above the ground and approximately level to where he was floating. He pushed the ‘geist’s body into that hole, and then turned to focus on the shield.
The hole he’d created in the shield would have to be patched. Now that he was inside, he could use the cathedral’s natural shield as his first line of defense. He’d have to patch the hole, though. Otherwise Rachel or someone else might get in much the way he had just gotten in.
He clasped his avatar’s hands together and focused his will, and then drew on his deep well of internal power and crafted a ward shield, which glittered with his yellow-gold aura mixed with the natural electric blue of the ley grid.
He spread his hands, and the shield expanded along with the gesture. Once his shield was somewhat larger than the hole, he maneuvered the shield against the natural ley shield around the cathedral, and then anchored his shield to it by fusing some of the threads he controlled to the shield’s
own threads.
For good measure, he also anchored his shield into the cathedral itself, digging deep into the ley matrix of the cathedral itself to find suitable etheric pillars with which to attach his shield.
He sensed his physical body so far away weakening with the effort, but his will and mind were as strong as ever. His physical body needed to put up with his etheric actions just a little while longer—once he was fully integrated into the cathedral’s nexus, he’d no longer need a physical body.
His brief time with that old journal in Rachel’s room had given him the idea he was now pursuing. It was possible to exist without physical form. He could leave his withered, broken body behind and exist solely in this massive, powerful etheric avatar.
He studied the shield once more, and satisfied that it was secure, turned and entered the cathedral through the hole he had punched into it.
He grabbed hold of his ‘geist’s body, and then floated it and himself down to the main level of the cathedral. Once on the main floor, he stared up into the high arches and rose windows, and was impressed at the sheer scale of the place.
Massive windows dominated either side of the cathedral, while tall arches and vaulted ceilings ranged all over. The building was an impressive example of human engineering.
And, switching on his Sight, an even more impressive image slid into view. Every arch, every stone pillar, every window in the cathedral, was laced with pulsating veins of electric blue etheric energy. The entire building was plugged directly into the ley grid far below the city, and the place fairly pulsed with power.
He could feel it all around him, the ley current, just out of reach, waiting for someone to claim it and take control.
At the edges of his senses, he thought he caught the glimpse of someone, but a focused examination of that area showed him nothing. Perhaps just a trick of the etherics.
He moved toward the center of the cathedral, where there was a stage of sorts erected in front of a gated section that contained the cross and sections for the choir.
Here was the nexus, he was sure of it. The etheric eddies swirled all around him in the center of the cathedral. He left the ‘geist’s body outside the center, and spread his hands wide.
He steadied his will, and then opened himself up to the currents. The sheer power contained within the cathedral rotated around him in swirls of energy, and he exulted in the feeling. He reached out with his ley threads, and attempted to harness that power.
When he took hold, there was a bright flash of light in his mind, a rainbow burst of color, and then he had it.
The entirety of the cathedral’s etheric power, all that coursed through it, was now under his control. Far easier than he could have imagined. A little voice somewhere in the depths of his mind or perhaps the etherics called out, but he pushed it away into silence so that he could focus on the energies coursing around him.
The power contained in the cathedral was like a raw current, stronger than any he had felt before, even stronger than the ley grid itself. He had no idea where all that power was coming from, but he was determined to possess it all.
And then no one would stand in his way.
Chapter Thirty
GRANDPA STARED AT ME LIKE I’D grown a second set of eyes in my head. “I don’t think I heard you right. What did you say?”
I sighed and looked away. “I said I’m going to find the Spinner and I’m going to kill him.”
“Just like that?”
I frowned and glanced at everything in the room except him. “Well, yeah.”
“Do you think you can take him on alone?”
I gnawed on my lip. “Malcolm may join me.”
Grandpa cleared his throat. “But if he doesn’t, can you take the Spinner yourself?”
I sighed, and forced myself to stare at him. After a long moment staring into his eyes, seeking out the recrimination but seeing only sadness, I shook my head. “I don’t know. I really don’t.”
Grandpa held his stare for a moment longer, then nodded. He scooted his chair closer to the bed and reached out to hold my hand.
“Been a long time since I was a sailor, and been a long time since I’ve had to kill anyone. I do remember that it was easy enough to say during training that we were gonna go on over there and kill ‘em if we had to.”
His eyes got distant. “Easy enough to say we were gonna kill. Way harder to actually do it.” He shrugged. “I guess when you’re in the moment, with the dust kicking up and the battle raging all around you, you don’t think about it so much and you focus on getting the other guy before they get you, so that you can get home again.”
He sighed. “But saying you’re gonna kill someone is way easier than actually doing the killing. You can put a gun in your hand easily enough, but to point it at someone and then pull the trigger, that’s another thing.”
“But he’s killed so many. He’s evil.”
Grandpa nodded. “Of course. Many are evil, and many do kill. But do they deserve to die too?”
He patted my hands and then folded his in his lap. “It’s not a religious question, this isn’t a matter of ‘eye for eye’ or whatever. This man, this Spinner, has hurt people you care about and killed people you love, and it’s only natural you want to get back at him.”
I nodded, not at all sure it was natural to feel that way but not knowing how else to feel, other that totally confused and frustrated.
I said, “It just seems like the only way. He’s been coming at me for a while know, and killed people close to me. It’s just blind luck he attacked my house when Abbie wasn’t home. Otherwise she’d be dead too and we probably wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”
Grandpa nodded. “If you were really full of rage, you wouldn’t bother getting any rest. You’d just go after him.”
He studied my face, and then nodded. “I think you want to do the right thing, Rachel, but aren’t sure what the right thing is.”
I stared into his eyes, at a loss for words. I really didn’t know what to say, or to do. I was on my own, really on my own, and I was sort of adrift. Gods, I hated that feeling.
My face must have betrayed my mix of emotions, because Grandpa simply stood up, reached out to me, and gently pulled me into a warm hug.
I melted into his arms and let my self-control go, let my emotions bubble to the top and overflow, let out all my anger and grief and confusion. I’m sure I babbled something or another, but I don’t remember what, and all Grandpa did was give me encouraging sounds and gentle pats on the back.
I don’t know how long he held me like that, but long enough for me to come out of the wallow and gain some sense of renewed equilibrium.
As sniffed and wiped my eyes, he retreated long enough to grab some tissues and returned to the bed with them. I accepted them and tidied up my wet face.
I balled up the used tissues in my hand and offered him a weak grin. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to cry all over you.”
He waved off my concern. “Not at all. Been a while since I had anyone open up to me like that. It’s good.” He reached out and patted my hands again. “Glad to be here to listen. Your grandma needed someone to listen to her a lot as well, and so I got plenty of practice.”
His voice sounded so tender and sad, my heart nearly broke for him all over again.
We sat in companionable silence for a few moments, then a gentle knock on the door broke the moment.
Grandpa glanced at the little clock next to his bed. “Now who the hell’s gonna be calling on me at two in the morning?”
I pulled a ley thread and scanned beyond the door. When I sensed who it was, I nearly leaped out of the bed and yanked open the door.
Abbie was standing in the doorway, her left hand balled up and cocked as if she was going to knock on the door again. Behind her stood Malcolm, who looked careworn, and Bonita, who was rubbing her eyes with her fists and looking more disheveled than I could recall ever seeing her.
“Come here, you…” I
said to Abbie, and pulled her into a hard hug. I kissed her fiercely, and then let her go so that I could stare into her eyes. “What are you doing here?” I glanced at Malcolm and Bonita. “What are you all doing here?”
Grandpa poked his head out of his room. “Not in the hallway, please! Get into the room before someone sees you.”
I linked arms with Abbie and pulled her into the room. Bonita followed, as did Malcolm. Malcolm closed the door behind him and locked it. He offered Grandpa a grin. “No worries, Mister Farran. I sent the night guards off on a wild goose chase and disabled all the security cameras.”
He frowned at me. “How?”
He shrugged and then waggled his fingers. “A little magic.”
Grandpa snorted and then pulled out chairs for Bonita and Malcolm. Abbie and I sat on the bed side by side. I held her hand as I glanced at my grandpa and my friends.
“I can’t believe you’re all here.”
Malcolm cleared his throat. “It’s my fault, mostly. I talked to Miss Chin for a few minutes, but then got out of there because I didn’t want her to start harping on me. I caught a cab home, and then gathered up some stuff, hopped into my car, and then started making some calls.”
I stared at him as he talked. “Who did you talk to?”
He gestured toward Abbie. “I called Bello to ask where Abbie had been put up, and called her. We talked and then I went and picked her up.”
Abbie squeezed my hand. “I really didn’t want to spend another night away from you. Didn’t know what else to do.”
I leaned over and gently butted my head against hers. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Malcolm said, “Once I had Abbie, it made sense to me to give Bonita a call as well.”
Bonita nodded. “Malcolm gave me the short story on the drive over. I think you’re crazy, chica, but I’ll do what I can to help.”
I stared at her in a mix of horror and confusion. Abbie seemed to have the same look on her face.
