by Ramsey Isler
With the planning out of the way, we decided to call it a night and get some sleep. But first, we needed supplies. With the spare change in our pockets we caught a bus to a public storage spot in Tribeca to grab cash and fake passports from one of Newton’s emergency stashes. When I asked him why he happened to have a fake passport for me too, he just said, “Expect the best, prepare for the worst.”
The emergency stash also had a gym bag full of gadgetry. Leave it to Newton to pack a backup set of electronics for any possible scenario.
We caught a taxi to the nearest hotel and booked a suite with a large common area, and two bedrooms with private bathrooms so we each had our own little spot to retreat to. But, after long showers and some time to reflect, we both ended up in the common living area. We wrapped ourselves in ridiculously fluffy bath towels since neither of us had a change of clothes. We didn’t really talk though. I guess the events of the evening had drained us, and we’d said all the important things at the coffee shop. So we just sat on the couch and spent an hour staring at the night lights beyond our windows.
At some point I must have passed out from pure exhaustion because the next thing I knew I was opening my eyes and staring at a mid morning sun. Newton was lying on a chaise across from me, slowly coming out of deep slumber. He squinted against the streams of golden daylight bursting in through the windows.
“Please tell me I dreamed all that shit from last night,” he said. “Tell me we’re in this hotel because we got wasted and had so much fun my brain can’t even handle it.”
“I could tell you all of that,” I said, “but it would be a lie.”
“Damn,” Newton said. “I was afraid of that. At least I don’t have a hangover. Small comfort.”
I walked into the kitchenette to make some fresh coffee. “I’m going to go meet Cecil. You do remember part one of the plan?”
“I do,” Newton said. “But do you have to go right now? Cecil’s not expecting you to clock in and clock out at regular wage slave hours. He’s pretty much giving you carte blanche.”
“There’s a limit,” I said. “I’m not sure exactly what that limit is, but I don’t think we want to test it. But you’re right. After this, I’ll start sleeping in.”
“Great,” Newton said. “Sleep is very good for you. That’s why I try to grab a nap whenever possible.”
“No naps today, please,” I said. “You have work to do.”
“Yeah yeah yeah,” Newton said. He got up, stretched, and shuffled towards his bedroom. “While you’re gone I’ll work on raising my nightcrafter detection game.”
“Excellent,” I said. “Do you have a phone I can use to call Cecil since you turned mine into junk?”
Newton didn’t say anything as he disappeared into his bedroom, but a few seconds later he appeared again with a device that kind of looked like a phone, but not quite.
“This is not a cellular phone,” Newton said. “It uses voice over internet protocols and everything is routed through a number of secure proxies and tunnels. It’s connected to the hotel’s Wi-Fi now but there are lots of layers between you and the recipient of the call so nobody can trace it back to us. I typed Cecil’s number in there for you already and the phone is set up to spoof your cell number on any caller ID. Just hit the call button.”
“You’re amazing,” I said.
“I know it,” Newton said as he walked back towards his bedroom.
I hit the call button. Cecil answered after four rings.
“We need to meet,” I said. “Immediately.”
“Yes, I agree,” Cecil said. “I have some things of my own to report. There have been some interesting developments.”
“Oh really?” I said, trying to sound genuine and keep the sarcasm in my head out of my voice. “I can be at your office in thirty minutes.”
“That’s nice but I’m not there,” Cecil said. “I’ll send someone to fetch you. Where are you now?”
“I can get there faster on my own,” I said. “Just tell me where you are.”
“There’s a lounge for UN dignitaries,” Cecil said. “It’s very private. Actually, no. Private isn’t the right word. It’s a secret lounge, to be honest. There’s a team of uniformed officers you need to get past to get into it. It’s in Terminal One. I’ll give them a heads up but you’ll need to show them ID.”
“You’re confusing me,” I said. “Where exactly are you?”
“JFK Airport,” Cecil said. “I have a plane to catch to Brussels to give a report in person at HQ.”
“You’re leaving the country?”
“For a while at least,” Cecil said. “So if you want to see me you better move your arse.”
* * *
I showered, ripped off the bandages from my bullet wound (which was thankfully almost healed due to Kellar’s spell), and rushed out of the hotel. Then I flagged down a cab and made my way to JFK. Once at the terminal, I followed Cecil’s directions to a remote corner of the airport that looked like it was under construction. I found myself in the midst of plastic tarp, exposed metal, and walls in various states of demolition.
There were two officers standing in front of the entrance I was supposed to go through. They were wearing NYPD uniforms, but something about them didn’t fit what I would expect. They were a bit too lean and a bit too alert. They spotted me coming from thirty yards away and kept their eyes locked on me while I walked up to them.
I showed them my ID. “I believe you’re expecting me.”
“Yes,” one of the cops said. He gestured for me to walk through the entrance, so I did. It was immediately apparent that the construction was just a ruse. After walking about twenty feet and turning a corner, the plastic tarp and caution tape disappeared and I ended up in a corridor that was lit so brightly it hurt my eyes. I stepped forward into a scanning machine that looked like the same one used at airport security checkpoints. The contraption whirred and whined while unseen parts moved around to scan my body. Once that was done, another armed officer waved me through to the next section of the area. This part was nice and clean, with brand new carpeting that was plush and spotless. I approached a pair of doors that slid open automatically for me and revealed a swanky lounge with leather chairs, and crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Cecil was sitting in one of the chairs with a drink in his hand. He was wearing a suit that looked far more expensive than what you’d expect from a government employee.
“Kal,” he said with a toothy grin, “so good to see you again.”
“You look very happy about something,” I said as I walked up to him.
Cecil stood, put a thick arm around my shoulders, and ushered me along as he walked. “I have some very important news to share with you. We’ve eliminated the leader of the nightcrafters. That Mater woman.”
I tried to act surprised, but didn’t stop walking. We were out of the lounge now and heading down a new corridor. “Really?” I asked. “That’s crazy. How did it go down?”
“Well,” Cecil said, “once we ran her face through the ID databases we were able to find her next of kin and known associates. From there it was just a matter of planting some false leads until she showed up.”
“And what happened after she showed up?”
“A sniper shot her,” Cecil said. “Apparently the fellow had to lie on a rooftop for four hours, just waiting. But it paid off.”
“We do have prisons for nightcrafters now, you know.”
“Yes,” Cecil said, “and we have learned a great deal from them. However, after Kellar’s escape, I didn’t think we could risk having another master nightcrafter in captivity. That would just be tempting fate, don’t you think?”
“So you murdered her.”
Cecil’s stride hiccuped for just a second and we slowed our walk, but he quickly regained his composure. The corridor followed a gentle curve, so I couldn’t see the door at the other end, but there was a droning noise coming from somewhere ahead.
Cecil spoke again, but this ti
me his voice was lower. “I know this seems . . . well I know it seems unsavory. But these people present a real and present danger to all NATO member nations. We are well within our authority to treat them as armed and dangerous individuals.”
“And you didn’t think to seek my advice on this,” I said.
“You’re busy doing other very important work,” Cecil said. “I don’t want to bother you unless it’s truly something we can’t handle on our own.”
“Bother me? You know, if it’s a matter of potentially not killing somebody in cold blood, please, pretty please with a cherry on top, bother me all you want.”
Cecil winced and rubbed his temples. We kept walking along the arc of the seemingly infinite corridor. The droning sound from ahead grew louder. “You have to understand the data points I’m working with here, Kal. Last year the personal security guard for the former director of this department was killed by a creature baited out of the Rift by a nightcrafter. Thankfully you were around to save her. But later, when you became a NATO team member, you were kidnapped along with our best scientist. We can’t keep having staff members put in mortal danger.”
“Kellar let me go,” I said.
“Only as a ruse,” Cecil said. “Then — and it’s important that we all remember this — he would have killed you if Newton hadn’t been around. And even after we captured him, he completely destroyed a facility and killed yet another of our compatriots. These are the most dangerous people in the world, Kal. Handling them requires extreme measures.”
“I guess you had to do what you had to do.”
“Please don’t think less of me for this,” Cecil said. “If there had been any other way to handle this, I would have gone with that option.”
“Whatever,” I said. “Anything else you want to talk about?”
“Just one thing,” Cecil said. We had come to the end of the corridor and I was surprised to see that it ended right at the tarmac. There was a runway less than a hundred yards ahead of us and a sleek, spotless private jet waited just outside the end of the corridor.
“Do we have a status update on when you and Newton will install the new RID?” Cecil asked, raising his voice as a commercial jet liner taxied down the runway for takeoff.
I paused for a moment. I had to quickly recall everything I’d told Cecil about our previous plan. I was sure I had only briefly mentioned to him that we were planning to install the RID at the Empire State Building. Either he didn’t know that we’d tried and failed, or he knew and was just testing to see what I would say. I had to make a choice, and I knew the consequences of making the wrong one.
“We’re still working on it,” I said.
“Oh really?” Cecil asked. “From what I understand of Newton’s work, he’s usually much faster than this.”
“Magic is tricky like that,” I said. “I’ll keep you updated on the progress, but you should expect some delays.”
“Our ability to reduce the nightcrafter threat is greatly diminished if they can still hop through the Rift to elude us,” Cecil said.
“I know that better than anyone,” I said. “I also know how to resolve that problem better than anyone. So let me do it.”
“As you say.”
“I think we’re done here,” I said. “Have a nice flight.”
“Kal,” Cecil said as I turned to leave, “are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help expedite things?”
“Nope.”
“Very well then. You know, this business of ours relies a lot on trust. There are outside forces working to destroy every bit of our progress. They will turn everything we rely on against us if they can. If we can’t trust each other, we are lost.”
“I agree completely,” I said. “Let’s make sure we can trust each other.”
Cecil nodded. “Yes, let’s do that. By the way, I’ve finally found where your parents are.”
I was sure I didn’t hear him correctly through the jet noise. “What . . . what did you say?”
“Dominique had the information locked away tighter than I thought,” Cecil said. “Even many of the higher-ups didn’t know where she had put your mum and dad. After some persistence, I finally found the right people and convinced them that the new director of this operation needed to know this information. But the truth is, I felt you needed to know. You deserve to know after all you’ve done for us.”
“Where are they?” I asked, not really caring about his rationale.
“I will tell you,” Cecil said, “however there is one condition. You must promise not to attempt to contact them in any way. No phone calls, no letters, no showing up at the front door, not even sneaking a peek from afar with binoculars. It’s not safe yet, Kal. You know that.”
“Fine,” I said. “I promise.”
Cecil just smiled, reached into a pocket in his blazer, and handed me a small packet. “Everything you’ll want to see is in there. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a plane to catch.”
Cecil practically ran off to hop into his plane, leaving me to stand there shocked and overwhelmed with emotion. I hadn’t seen my parents in months, and much of that time had been spent alternating between worrying about them and doing my best to not worry about them. Now I had my first info on where they were.
I opened the packet with the utmost care. It was like I was afraid it was all a fragile spell that could be mucked up by clumsiness. There was a plain sheet of paper with an address written on it. But there was something else inside; something hard and circular. I tilted the packet downwards and a DVD slipped into my hand. Scribbled on its cover was a handwritten note that said, “Watch me.”
* * *
I left the airport and went to the nearest electronics store, where I was able to find a portable DVD player without too much trouble. I paid in cash, left the store, and headed to the bathroom at an organic juice shop across the street. It was a one person bathroom with a lock on the door, so I was able to get total privacy with little chance of nightcrafter tricks revealing things I didn’t want anyone else to see. I ripped open the package the player came in, plugged in the pair of headphones that were included, and carefully slipped the DVD inside. My parents appeared on the screen, and I had to blink back tears.
They were fine, all things considered. They looked practically the same as they had the last time I’d seen them. They were in good spirits, and they talked about how they missed me. They told me not to worry because the FBI agents were treating them very well and they had decided to think of it as a little free vacation. This worked out well because my dad loved free stuff and my mom always enjoyed traveling.
That was the first video.
Once the first video ended, another started playing automatically. Mom and dad were still in good spirits, and they talked about how they were enjoying their surroundings but couldn’t give me more detail than that. Mom mentioned that she was starting to miss their house in New York, but she was confident that I’d take care of it. I felt a bit of guilt then. I hadn’t even thought of visiting their place.
The second video ended, and a third popped up. I couldn’t tell how much time had passed between the two recordings, but I could tell by the change in my mother’s hair that it was more than just a couple of days. Her hair wasn’t the only difference. She had changed; they both had changed. Smiles didn’t come as easily, and when they did smile the effect didn’t quite reach their eyes. They talked about some minutiae regarding the weather, then the video ended. That was it.
I read the address printed on the sheet of paper that had accompanied the disc in the packet. I focused all of my attention on the text, trying to etch the information into my memory so it would stay forever. I must have stared at that thing for a good ten minutes straight. Then I broke the disc in half.
I ripped up the address page, tearing it into at least thirty pieces of ragged paper. Then I dumped everything into the toilet, and flushed it all away. I did this because Cecil was right once again. It wasn’t safe for me to try to see them
. And whatever tricks Dominique had pulled to keep this information safe were apparently working because even though Kellar seemed to know everything else about our operation, my parents were still safe.
But I knew that could not last forever. My parents could only be under house arrest for so long until they would demand to return home. Then there would be a conflict, and my parents would realize they wouldn’t be allowed to leave. They were practically prisoners, and they would stay that way as long as the nightcrafters still had their magic.
So I’d just have to do something about that.
* * *
By the time I got back to the hotel suite I shared with Newton, I had a renewed sense of purpose and drive. Seeing my parents again after so many months of worry and doubt re-energized me. I knew the road ahead was going to be rough, but I was ready for anything.
As soon as I entered our suite, I knew Newton was in one of his mad genius moods. The floor was covered in plastic cases, circuit boards, LCD screens, wires, and a bunch of other gadgetry I didn’t recognize at all. It was like a crate of laptops had exploded in here, and Newton was sitting in the middle of all this mess wearing nothing but his underwear.
He smiled when he saw me. His eyes were bloodshot. “How did your meeting with Cecil go?”
“It was fine,” I said. “Are you . . . okay?”
“A little tired,” he said. “What day is it?”
“Uh, it’s only been like six hours since I last saw you.”
“Really?” Newton said. “Felt like more time had passed.”
“I bet,” I said. I sat down on a couch and tried to figure out what Newton had been doing in here. No luck.
