“Shut the door,” Julian directed to Michael.
Cora stepped toward her friends. Johnny moved to get up and offer his seat, but she raised a hand to stop him. She looked at Julian and motioned to the Madeline and Tesla.
“You want them involved?” she asked.
Julian shrugged. “They’re artifact holders. Isn’t this where they belong?”
“We already need a bigger room,” Johnny joked, adjusting his shades.
Cora sighed. “Alright, Gideon, hit me. How bad is it?”
Gideon’s robotic voice projected from speakers at the four corners of the room. “Oh, it’s real bad. Eyes to the monitors, people.”
Two of the holovid screens on the wall lit up. On one, a 3D model of a skyscraper rotated. The other contained flat satellite images, zoomed in at high resolution at particular parts of the roof.
“Tour Tetriarch is forty-eight stories,” Gideon said. The 3D model turned to make the roof visible. “It was erected back in 2063, the first of Tetriarch’s satellite facilities outside Germany. After Elven separatists began that terror campaign in 2071, the roof was outfitted with two surface-to-air missile launchers on the north and south corners. Bauer Securities has twelve-man patrols on the roof at all times.”
Cora shrugged. “Twelve guys and two missile launchers doesn’t sound like that big a deal.”
Julian grumbled. Michael shook his head.
“She jinxed it,” Michael said to Julian. “She had to jinx it.”
“Bad form,” Julian replied.
“Unfortunately, they’re right,” Gideon said. The map shifted back to a wide view of the skyscraper and became transparent. The bottom half of the building lit up in red. “The first thirty four floors are offices, employing some seven-thousand people in the city of Paris. All of them are civilians working for Tetriarch. Bauer guards on the lower floors are at reduced patrols, but that has more to do with the bleeding-edge biometrics they have in place. In short, there are simply too many locks on too many doors. If you tried to brute-force your way through this, there would be civilian casualties.”
“Okay, so no going in through the downstairs,” Cora said, giving a side-eye to Julian. She still didn’t understand the superstition.
The upper floors turned yellow. “Top-level administrators occupy the last two floors, and those are protected. Tetriarch Research and Development labs occupy the two floors beneath that. These are top-secret research facilities. Bauer presence can be assumed to be ridiculously high on these four floors. That leaves floor 44 through 35. Crowley can be on any of these floors. Since the elevator is a capture point, you’d have to use the stairs. Once the roof is cleared, teams would have to fight their way through Bauer soldiers floor by floor. It will only get harder as you get further down, as reinforcements get called in to fortify their positions.”
Cora raised a finger. “Oh. That’s what you meant by suicide mission.”
“See?” Julian replied, motioning to the screen.
“We can narrow search,” Tesla said. He walked up beside Johnny and swiped the keyboard to project in his direction. After a few taps on the keyboard, he stood up straight. “Gideon, go to node address I give you with this password.”
There was a pause before Gideon replied, “What the hell? Where did you get this?”
Everyone in the room exchanged glances. Cora groaned.
“Don’t leave us in suspense, here, Gideon! What have you got?”
The third holovid screen lit up. It projected dozens of small images. As Cora tried to sift through the mess of what she was seeing, several of the images showed different angles of the Eiffel Tower.
“This node is some kind of master access to the city’s camera systems,” Gideon explained. “I have traffic, police, drones...this is how you were able to monitor the museums for Julian’s team to break in!”
Cora guffawed at the old man. “I thought you weren’t a hacker?”
“I’m not,” Tesla replied, holding out his hands. “I find man who work for Paris Security Systems. He make some bad men very mad. He give me access, I transport him to Aruba.”
“You crafty old bastard,” Johnny laughed, slapping the desk. “I like this guy.”
The third monitor flickered as dozens of cameras vanished from the screen. Once Gideon finished, he’d pared it down to six.
“Okay,” he said. “I have eyes all over the building. It’ll take me awhile to write an AI to model the data, but I might be able to narrow down the floor Crowley is on, at least better than a ten-floor estimate.”
“The rolling reinforcements are going to be a problem,” Giovanna said. She sat back and crossed her legs, smoothing her designer dress over her knees. “If we can’t use the elevators, we can’t let them, either.”
“That’s a hard no,” Gideon replied. “I’ve already snooped around their security software. The intrusion countermeasures protection they’re running is stronger than UNS systems. Basically, I’d have an easier time breaking back into the Pentagon than getting in there.”
Cora paced, trying to come up with a solution. The tone of the room depressed. Her friends were losing hope. These were some of the best military and black ops agents in the world. She was an Arcane Unit infiltration specialist herself. There had to be a way.
She snapped her finger. “Think bigger, Gideon. Their security is too strong, fine. What if we took down the entire grid?”
“Are you mad, woman?” Julian scoffed. He motioned to the screen. “That’s city blocks we’re talking about, in the heart of Paris!”
“Hmm,” Gideon said wistfully. “She might be onto something, though. The electrical grids in Paris haven’t seen much in the way of infrastructure upgrades since the 50’s. It’s actually been making some news lately how outdated they are. I’d probably have an easier time of it than a head-on attack on the Tetriarch building.” Again, the model of the building rotated to the ground level. A box the size of a truck illuminated on the grounds beside the building. “However, they have a backup generator capable of running the entire building. It’s behind fencing and guarded. It would need to be simultaneously crippled.”
“Easier if we did it from the air, then,” Johnny said, staring at the model.
“Me!” Michael stepped forward. He implored Cora, “Please, let me. I never miss.”
Cora saw the plea for revenge in his eyes and nodded. “Alright. Yeah, that’s you.”
Johnny raised a hand. “That means you need the mobility to move around the building, get our people to the roof, and hover in position for a shot on the generator. You need a helicopter pilot. That’s me.”
“You’d still need to get the SAM launchers down,” Julian protested. He held up a defensive hand. “Not that I doubt your skill, Mr. Clean, you’re a legend even on this side of the Atlantic, but those missiles would have you down in seconds.”
Cora turned to Tesla and pointed to him. “You said you sent a man to Aruba using your transport. Could you get me on the roof of the building to clear it?”
Tesla looked around the room and shrugged. “I mean, I could, but it deliver you with lightning strike. Everyone see you come.”
“You will be shot to pieces,” Julian said, stepping toward her.
“I can take a bullet...or two,” she replied. “I’m telling you, it has to be me. I don’t die.”
The room fell silent. Merlin sat up from his chair, garnering the attention of everyone in the room.
“This is the moment,” he said. “For all of you. This is the first battle against Lucius that we provoke. Every one of you has a different reason to be here, but you must be certain in your conviction. This will have consequences, and you must be prepared to lay your lives on the line to stop him.”
“I am certain,” Madeline said with a bow of her head. “There is no higher calling.”
“There is no way we’re bringing a child into this,” Julian spoke stern.
Madeline crossed her arms and motioned her h
ead to Tesla. “I go or you don’t have his teleportation machine.”
Julian turned to the doctor, his eyes demanding confirmation. Tesla looked over his shoulder to Madeline, then back to Julian. He nodded. Julian huffed and pointed to the girl.
“This is on you,” he said. “I will not have your blood on my soul.”
“I made my choice, mon ami,” Madeline replied.
“There’s still the disaster scenario,” Michael interjected, raising his hand. “I know Julian and Cora, perhaps Madeline might not mind...but what if Lucius shows up?”
Cora looked to the ceiling. “Gideon, is there any chance we could manufacture another problem that demands his attention? Like the play you made to get me out of Germany?”
“I think I can cook something up,” Gideon replied. “But it’d be a lot easier to keep tabs on him if I knew where he was going to be to begin with.”
“Ugh,” Cora grumbled. “Leave that to me. Julian, you’re leading this mission?”
Julian shook his head and motioned to the room. “I’m with you, but this is your show, Cora. Make the call.”
Cora rolled her shoulders. All eyes were on her. “Okay. Everyone knows the plan now, let’s get on prep. Doctor, see if you and Julian can scare up some of the ship’s engineers to assist with getting your machine set up in one of the labs. Johnny, secure a chopper. Gideon, you have a million things to do, so do all of them.”
“Got it, boss,” Gideon replied.
“I have a phone call to make,” she said, heading for the door.
A few steps out, she realized she was being followed. She turned to find Giovanna behind her. She sped up to walk alongside Cora.
“Was that on purpose that you didn’t mention me?”
“This is a run-and-gun,” Cora said, stopping to turn and face her. “Your shapeshifting abilities can’t help us here.”
“I can fire a weapon much more easily than I can shapeshift,” Giovanna said. Her glossy red lip curled. She was offended, hurt, or both.
Cora leaned in close, and spoke into her ear. “You are like a sister to me. More than a sister to me. I don’t even want Madeline and Julian on that roof. I’m not putting you in harm’s way if I don’t have to.”
Giovanna spoke back to her in kind, hushed tones to keep from the ears of nearby guards. “This is the second time you’ve benched me since we got here. I’m not made of glass, patatina. This had better not have anything to do with what that little shit made me say about my past. I will walk out of here and go fight Lucius myself.”
“No,” Cora pulled back, shaking her head. She locked Giovanna’s gaze. “No, it’s not like that. I meant what I said, I don’t feel a bit different about you. I just...I haven’t processed it all, okay? First, the restaurant...I thought that waitress was you, and then again when the van exploded...I can’t take the idea of losing you.”
Giovanna raised a wagging finger. “I heard what you said, but this is the last time. Don’t you ever sideline me again in a mission I’m qualified for or I go freelance. Clear?”
“Clear,” Cora nodded, stifling a single tear.
Giovanna pulled her close and kissed both of her cheeks. “I love you, too, patatina.”
Once the Italian was gone, Cora shut her eyes and collected herself. With a cleansing breath, she continued down the hall and tapped the comm button on her earpiece.
“Call Lucius.”
The first ring made her heart skip a beat. The second put it in her throat. Then he answered.
“To what do I owe the honor, Cora?” Lucius said. No matter how many times they spoke, she was never ready for how deep and unearthly a voice he had.
“I’m flying back into Paris tomorrow,” she replied.
There was a pause. “That is unfortunate. I’m truly sorry to hear it.”
“Can we talk tomorrow?”
“Of course,” he replied. “The same cafe. Breakfast. I think I quite enjoyed their crepes.”
Declaration of War
Cora stepped off the sidewalk in front of the Hôtel San Régis and crossed the street. Vincent shuffled nervously on her shoulder. Two Bauer agents in dark suits and darker sunglasses watched her approach to the tiny cafe. As she tried to move past them, one beefy soldier held up his hand to block her.
“You want to lose that hand?” she asked.
“Pat-down,” he said, turning his head. He had the nonchalant badass routine down perfect.
Cora rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Fine, make it quick. Slow pat-downs get me all riled up, and neither of you look like you could handle me.”
They were well-trained. If her attempt at humor evoked any emotion from them, they had shoved it in a closet and locked the door before they’d let her see it. The soldier on her right stepped behind her, lifted her arms and gave a quick sweep over her form. She wouldn’t be stupid enough to bring a weapon to a meeting with Lucius. Even the implication that she would be hostile with him was excuse enough for him to escalate in kind. She didn’t want a war of one-upping each other to begin.
“She’s clean,” the guard said behind her.
The guard in front of her stared at Vincent with a dour expression. “The bird stays.”
“Screw you,” Cora said, tipping her head to Vincent. “He’s my wingman.”
“You’re a comedian,” he replied. She imagined he rolled his eyes at her beneath the glasses. “Bird stays or you do.”
With a huff, Cora gave a silent command for him to perch somewhere near the building. Their requirements didn’t matter, anyway. With a thought, Vincent came running to her through walls. Neither Lucius nor his people understood magic well.
Satisfied, the guards moved out of her way. She pushed through the door and was greeted by a completely different hostess than the other day. A brunette with a pixie cut smiled warmly and escorted Cora to the only table in the restaurant. Lucius had a fork in his hand, loaded with food. Cora’s plate steamed away at an empty white chair. She sat down and opened her mouth to speak, but Lucius shook his head.
He took a bite of food and closed his eyes. He chewed slow, savoring the taste. He took a deep breath after, his broad and massive shoulders lifting and collapsing heavy. He reached back and tossed long, silver hair off his shoulder. His eyes opened, glowing like flames as he met her gaze.
“Exquisite,” he said. “Possibly the best in the city.”
Cora rested an elbow on the table and propped her chin in her palm. “As big as your true form is, does human food really sustain you?”
Lucius smiled and sipped his juice. “Eating is a pleasure I discovered early on. I do not need to do it at all. In my true form, my scales absorb the natural minerals in the ground around me. You could not possibly have brought me from Berlin for this type of conversation.”
“I’m trying to break the ice. You said this talk would get ugly.”
“It will,” Lucius replied, his tone grave.
“It doesn’t have to,” Cora said. She looked down at the table, unsure of what she wanted to say. “We could throw fate in the toilet and stop fighting each other. Go get wasted at a troll bar and play ‘Never Have I Ever’ or something. Could get interesting.”
Lucius struggled to smile, but his heart wasn’t in it. “What happened, Cora? A revelation, no doubt, but what? What piece of the puzzle have you picked up and looked at? You didn’t like the picture you saw.”
Cora huffed and shook her head, trying to figure out if he was reading her mind. “How?”
“I asked first,” Lucius said, returning to his food.
“I thought I was a player in this war,” Cora replied, her eyes cast down. “I’ve been educated that I’m more than that.”
“Did you really think I’m having breakfast with the lot of you?”
Cora threw up her hands. “Call it low self-esteem or...what was it you said? I’m self-deprecating and self-destructive? I told you before, I don’t hate you. It doesn’t make any sense that I’m the focal point. It doe
sn’t make any sense you are, either. You don’t hate me.”
Lucius’ lips parted to speak, but he stopped himself.
“No,” Cora pointed in his face. “I’ve watched you do this enough times. I don’t care what future outcome it spoils. Stop hiding what you feel behind some facade that we’re fated enemies. We don’t look like it, act like it, or feel like it. Say what you were going to say.”
“You will come to eradicate my kind from this world,” he said, folding his hands in his lap. He shrugged his shoulders. “That is what we’re here to decide, a world where humans stay or we do.”
Cora rolled her eyes. “That’s absolutely ridiculous. You probably know more about me than anyone else on the planet right now. I mean, there’s Helen in Seattle, Xi in China, who’s your sister in Melbourne? Starts with an ‘r’, and I can’t ever remember.”
“Rhea.”
“Yes!” Cora exclaimed. She shook her head. “You’re some of the most beautiful creatures I’ve ever seen. Can you really imagine me trying to destroy any of you? All of you? It doesn’t make any sense!”
“Yet you will,” Lucius insisted.
“So you say. Maybe your intel is wrong,” she said.
“My knowledge comes firsthand,” he replied. “It will happen, and it will be you.”
“You know me better than that!”
“Stop it!” Lucius shouted, slamming his fist down.
The wooden table buckled under his force, splitting in two with a terrible crash of plates, glasses and broken wood. His anger startled Cora. She thought she was getting through to him. The dragon stood up, swept half the table out of the way with his foot and squatted down in front of Cora. Her numb gaze stared at the destruction beneath her before returning it to him.
“Do not try to do that again,” he warned. “It’s not just that I know more about you than anyone else, I know more about you than you know of yourself. Do not sit here and try to tempt me with a world you can’t deliver on. You are one half of the reason this war starts. I am the other. You need to accept that and stop trying to fight fate. That didn’t work out so well for your father.”
The Pendragon Codex Page 16
