by Drew Hayes
“At Fletcher Accounting Services, we strive for precision in all things. Punctuality is just one aspect of that. May I presume that case is our package?”
“You may.” Sebastian walked across the cracked concrete floor, coming right up to me, and held the case aloft. “Do not open it unless there is a dire need. This case has been specially crafted to shield and hide the Jewel of Temecula. It cannot recreate the wardings of a vault designed for such a purpose, but it will at least ensure that every mage in the state does not suddenly sense a spike in magical power.”
Standing a few feet away from us, Deborah piped up. “It is customary to inspect the goods one is being charged with delivering prior to taking possession of them.”
Sebastian glanced over at her and did a double take. “My goodness, what is the Prudence of the Blood Council doing here? Gideon truly went all-out on security, I must say.”
That caught me off guard, but there was no time to interpret or ask for an explanation, as Sebastian was already responding to a different question. “On this occasion, the case is the package. Right now, four other people are handing off four identical cases to other teams within the city. Only I and Gideon know which one is the real vessel. If you’ll recall your hiring documents, there should have been mention of increased security procedures. Call him if you’d like, but he’ll merely be annoyed by the interruption. This is the delivery we’ve arranged. You can open the case if you want; just be prepared for the consequences if what it contains is, as they say, the real deal.”
I reached out and accepted the briefcase from Sebastian’s outstretched hand. “That’s quite all right. I don’t see any reason to compromise Gideon’s security. If there’s an issue, we all know that Gideon is more than capable of sorting it out and ensuring whoever is at fault is held accountable.”
It was a threat, albeit a small one. Sebastian surely knew that if he tried to swindle the King of the West, there would be dire consequences. If he was desperate enough to take that gamble, then no amount of poking around from us would change his mind. Better to accept the job as it was, get clear of here, make the delivery, and allow Gideon to deal with any problems in his own way. We were only contracted to handle the escrow, and I did not intend to let us be pulled in any deeper.
“Go ahead and load that up, but we can’t let you leave until—” Sebastian was cut off by a ding from his pocket. He pulled out a phone and looked it over, muttering in some language I’d never heard before; from the tone, it sounded like a whispered vulgarity. “I swear, he does that on purpose. I just don’t yet know how. Good news: the first half of the payment has gone through, so you are free to leave. Get that to Gideon so I can have the rest of my money and be out of this town. Oh, and before I forget—” Sebastian snapped his fingers, summoning a flash of emerald green fire and smoke that cleared away to reveal a crisp white business card. “If you should ever need anything not freely available—be it goods, information, or other—do feel free to give me a call. Sebastian Selkirk, acquisitions specialist extraordinaire.”
He didn’t wait for me to respond or offer my card in return; Sebastian was already walking away by the time I looked up. It was for the best, anyway. Now that the clock had started, I was more than ready to get out of here. With luck and good traffic, we could be at Gideon’s within a half hour. The sooner this briefcase was out of my hands, the better.
My team piled into the SUV. Deborah fired up the engine and gunned us back out through the gate with exceptional skill I hadn’t expected. As she accelerated toward the highway, I laid a careful hand on her shoulder. “Don’t speed. Don’t draw attention to us in any way whatsoever.”
She didn’t dismiss the suggestion outright, though her face grew skeptical. “Given that there are five potential targets out there, and the real one is presumably shielded, I’d say speed is our best bet. If we can make it there before we get targeted, then we minimize all other risks. I’ve got the reflexes to outdrive any cop or potential accident we might encounter.”
“That would be a good point, except that we can’t afford to take even that minor of a risk. The other four briefcases are fakes.” I gently patted the leather-covered rectangle resting in my lap. “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Gideon gave us the real package.”
4.
No one was sold right away, but Deborah did agree to drive more conservatively until I fully explained myself. As we cruised toward the highway, I laid out the steps to what, from the outside, must have seemed like quite a wild leap of logic.
“It’s a lot of smaller factors linked together that gives it away. For example, we know Gideon needs someone really powerful, willful, or undead to not be tempted by the Jewel of Temecula, right? Well, Gideon doesn’t strike me as the type to casually trust the power or will of non-dragons. That means he would most likely use undead for the deliveries. Aside from us, the only other local vampires are the Turvas. So either he used a clan he doesn’t trust, or he brought in outside help, the kind that someone might notice when they suddenly showed up in town. Our team is the most low-key, trustworthy, and local option he has. Plus, based on what most people know about our company, we’re the weakest. Trusting strong enemies to overlook seemingly powerless foes strikes me as a very Gideon kind of move.”
Lillian piped up from the back. “Fred raises an interesting point. The man who handed off the briefcase to us wasn’t undead—we could all tell that much for sure—so either we got a fake, or Sebastian was powerful enough to resist the magical temptation all on his own. Deborah, do you have any insight on that?”
“He recognized me, but called me by my title rather than my name. That suggests he’s old, if nothing else. I haven’t publicly worked under my professional persona in quite some time. I’ve heard whispers of his acquisitions business before, but we’ve never dealt in person. Based on the way he carried himself and his scent . . . yes, I suspect Sebastian might very well have been capable of dealing with the Jewel of Temecula, at least in a warded case and for the short time that transaction required.” Deborah slapped the horn as a sedan suddenly tried to merge into our lane with neither warning nor signal. She refused to yield. For a moment, the sedan kept moving; only upon the realization that she had no intent to move did it return to its own lane. I really hoped this vehicle had some sort of armor or reinforcement; otherwise, Deborah was being very cavalier with our transportation.
“That does give Fred’s theory weight,” Albert chimed in. “If someone important made our drop, then it’s more likely we have the real gem.”
Much as I wanted to take the help, I unfortunately had to bring up all relevant information. “Assuming we actually met with Sebastian. It might have been an illusion, or some other kind of magic, for all we know.”
“No, he was real. You’d have spotted some of the telltale signs if he wasn’t. We’ve both still got mage blood in us; even though it’s faded, you should still be able to see magic. Did you not notice the sheen on some of Albert’s accessories?” Deborah never took her eyes off the road, but made to nod at the back seat, which resulted in some brief, but humorous, contortion. “Those are enchantments. We’d presumably see it from the briefcase, as well, except for the fact that the enchantments placed upon it are built around hiding the presence of magic. Point is, we definitely got the real Sebastian, which means you might be correct about—do you hear that?”
As Deborah trailed off, I listened harder to the world around us, instantly picking up on the noise she’d mentioned. There was no mistaking the sound of a helicopter flying through the sky. Normally, I would have presumed someone rich was doing a tour of Winslow, or that a local hiker was being rushed to the hospital. I lacked such optimism tonight, and as I caught sight of the distant spinning blades against the dark night sky through the windshield, my hopes slipped even lower. I was never one to study vehicles with passion—military ones, even less so—yet even I could tell the difference between a recreational helicopter and one designed fo
r war. This chopper was black, sleek, and carried visible guns on both sides. I could only see it from so far off thanks to my vampire senses, but at the pace it was moving, it didn’t seem like it would take long to catch us.
“Anyone here with some historical knowledge know if the Jewel of Temecula is especially sturdy?” I asked weakly.
“Nigh indestructible, from what I hear,” Deborah replied.
“Which means it would be easy to blow up the car we’re in and sort through the wreckage, rather than deal with three vampires and a zombie with a sword.” Lillian had reached the same conclusion as the rest of us, capturing the dangerous situation in succinct words.
I looked to Deborah for guidance, only to find her looking back at me. Shit. Even now, she was sticking to her guns. I had to solve this problem or likely be killed by my inability to do so. “Okay . . . let’s think this through. There’s a chance the helicopter isn’t after us, but based on how it’s moving steadily closer, let’s call that a pipe dream. Assume, for now, that they’ll definitely attack us. That means we either get fired upon while we’re on the highway and surrounded by cars, we get off the highway and are fired upon, or we try to ditch the SUV before they catch up.”
“If they don’t yet know it’s us, they will once we start driving like a crazy person trying to get away,” Lillian pointed out.
“But if they shoot us while we’re like this, the number of civilian causalities could be huge,” Albert countered.
It was like having an angel and a devil on each shoulder, only they were a zombie and a vampire in the back seat of a car. Still, it was helpful to see things laid out simply from time to time. They were both right, and that made our course of action immediately clear.
“We can’t risk the lives of innocent people for our errand. The whole reason we took this job was because we didn’t want wanton destruction in Winslow. Deborah, get us out of here. Find the nearest garage, or overhang, or what have you, and we’ll ditch the SUV. I realize they’re probably tracking the Jewel somehow, but maybe changing cars will buy us time. It will at least get us isolated.”
“You’re the boss.” Deborah jerked the wheel to the right, slamming into the hood of the sedan that had tried to forcibly merge a few minutes prior. While I was ninety percent sure there had been enough room to get over without hitting the other vehicle, we’d have to address that another time.
She made it to the exit without trouble, but the helicopter was getting closer. Enhanced senses meant that we’d gotten a lot of warning about the approach; however, we were still a car on the road versus a machine in the sky. Time was never our ally in that race. Gunning the engine, Deborah took us over some orange cones that were meant to halt preemptive merging onto the feeder road, and then slammed another hard right to get away from the highway entirely.
We hadn’t yet made it to downtown, thank goodness, and were still out in the lesser populated areas around Winslow. Unfortunately, lower population meant less traffic, which removed the need for conveniences like parking garages. Our best shot was a used car lot, or any area with enough cars for us to ditch our current SUV. It wasn’t an insurmountable task, if we’d a little more time. Sadly, we were still a car against a chopper, and much like a human versus a vampire, there was really only one way that engagement could end.
“Based on the way they’re hovering, I think we should expect them to open fire soon.” Deborah made the announcement rather calmly, almost worryingly so. “They may just have guns, in which case, this machine can probably withstand fire for a little while. If they have missiles, that’s another story. Either way, I’m sure you don’t want to lead a firing helicopter toward town, so what would you like to do, Fred?”
The SUV was a loss; there was no getting around that. With few other cars nearby, our only option was to go it on foot for a while. We could hide in buildings, use the shadows, and effectively stay unseen as we made our way to town. They might still be able to track us, but at least, without direct line of sight, they would be less likely to fire down randomly and put humans at risk. They’d have to come take the case in person.
“Is there any way we can safely get out of here without the helicopter noticing?” I asked. “Any and all ideas are welcome in this brainstorming session. We have to ditch the SUV and make a run for it, at least for now, but I’d rather not take gunfire in the process.”
“We’re about to pass under a bridge.” Lillian leaned over the center console and pointed ahead. “If we jump out while they’re over it and shut the doors behind us, they might chase the car long enough for us to get away.”
“Not bad,” Deborah said. “I’ll jam the accelerator down so it keeps moving; make them think we’re making a run for it. Just make sure you all get your doors. If even one is left hanging open, it will give us away.”
I turned in my seat to look back at Albert. Zombies were strong in their own ways, but they didn’t have vampire reflexes. In fact, Albert was something of a klutz at times. To my surprise, I found a pair of eyes set with determination looking back at me. He knew what I was checking on, and I’d already gotten my answer.
From her belt, Deborah produced a surprisingly large knife and leaned down, jamming it into the accelerator. At almost the exact same time, bullets began pinging off the top of the SUV, leaving miniature dents in the exterior of the cab with every impact.
“High caliber. The roof won’t hold as long as I thought. Someone really went all-out on this one.” Deborah finished with the knife and sat up, making sure her seat belt was clear. Everyone else quickly did the same. The bridge was approaching fast. Not fast enough for my tastes, honestly, since we were still getting peppered with bullets from above, but fast enough that we needed to be prepared. The jammed accelerator helped the matter, as our speed increased the closer we got to the bridge. Deborah’s timing was perfect; it looked like we were speeding up in an effort to avoid being shot—which was technically true, just not in the way our attackers would hopefully presume.
Then, all at once, the bridge was over us. Bullets died away as our adversaries lost their clear line of sight, and we all sprang into action. We jumped out of the vehicle, being sure to slam our doors shut behind us. I turned the moment mine was done, ready to aid Albert if needed, only to watch him successfully leap out and shut his door in a single, well-trained motion. It was easy to forget that while Albert had been burdened by certain limitations when he was my assistant, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t improve over time. Sometimes, even I needed to be reminded that we were more than our parahuman natures; we also had the skills and work we put in along the way.
As the SUV hurtled out from under the bridge, we all turned, ready to race in the opposite direction. The explosion hit before we’d had a chance to move more than even a few simple steps. A wall of force and heat slammed into our backs, driving us to the ground. Shock hit me as badly as the actual impact; I’d thought Deborah was being overly pessimistic when she mentioned the idea of missiles. Obviously, I was mistaken. Whoever was after us certainly seemed to be playing for keeps.
And to make the situation worse: they’d just blown up our distraction.
4.
“Don’t run.” In the escape, I’d ended up beside Albert, who gripped my shoulder as I started to move. “They aren’t chasing the car anymore, so they’ll see us if we run out the other side. If we’re lucky, they haven’t realized we got out just before the explosion. They’ll have to land to collect the Jewel. Once they start to come down, they’ll lose visibility on the other side of the bridge. That’s when we run for it.”
Concise, tactical, and obviously correct; Arch’s training had definitely begun to show in my former assistant. Albert always had a knack for seeing things through, but this was a level of critical thinking I’d never expected from him. Then again, I hadn’t ever really pushed him to find his limits, let alone urged him to break through them.
Across the covered stretch of road, we could see Lillian and Deborah nod
ding in agreement, smart enough not to yell their response to Albert’s assessment. As they began to make their way over, a spotlight cut through the night, landing on our flaming vehicle and splashing some illumination under the bridge, directly between the two halves of our group. The helicopter was landing—I could hear the change in noise in the rhythm of the blades—but they were coming down in front of our SUV. Once they were down, they’d have a direct line of sight into our hiding spot, and a light already shining there. Worse, we couldn’t risk crossing that area; any motion now might catch someone’s attention. We had a brief window of opportunity, and the wrong move would destroy it completely.
Everyone moved before a word was said. Albert and I darted out from under the bridge and arced to the left, while Deborah and Lillian did the same going right. We all made it behind concrete pylons just as the helicopter dropped below the bridge, bathing the entire scene in glaring light. There was no way to run back to each other now, not without being spotted. Instead, I silently held up my phone and shook it, to which Lillian and Deborah both nodded. Speech was risky, since we didn’t know what kind of parahuman was chasing us, but the art of the pantomime always had its uses. We all got the message: split the group temporarily, then use our phones to meet back up. I pointed toward downtown, just to make sure they knew the general direction, and Lillian silently slapped her forehead while rolling her eyes with that same delineated flair that spoke to decades’ worth of practice.
Rude, but I suppose the reaction did have some merit.
Albert and I began to run, losing sight of Lillian and Deborah as they set off in the other direction. They would have to swing wide and take another route to avoid being spotted; although, if Lillian could come close to matching Deborah’s speed, they’d catch up in no time. I didn’t need to worry about them, in life or in this particular situation. The larger concern was the fact that Albert and I lacked their centuries of experience, combat training, and were currently in possession of the briefcase everyone wanted.
