Phaze

by S. C. Mitchell

  “Nice, but I doubt it will help me sleep.” Joel’s head still whirled with worry over Kayla’s disappearance.

  Aaron zoomed in on the base of the mountain where a blacktopped road entered a rough-cut tunnel. “Actually, I think this will help us all sleep a little easier. You’re looking at the new Xi Force Headquarters.”

  He looked closer, and still couldn’t detect any buildings or structures. Just a road and a tunnel.

  “Okay. Where is it? What is it?”

  An interior schematic replaced the photo on the screen. The entrance tunnel led to a large, underground parking chamber. Passageways extended into the mountain, with an array of rooms off them of various sizes. “This was Project Ozone. I have no idea what they were doing here. Some 1950’s Cold War project that was scrapped in the 70s. The complex was mothballed and pretty much forgotten by everyone, except for old Ferguson. Remember him?

  Dar Ferguson had been Joel and Aaron’s trainer when they first came to the FBI. Smart and shrewd, the man had been a crash course in the art of spying.

  “Dar found this?”

  Nodding, Aaron switched the display to interior photographs of the complex. “He’d worked there toward the end. Probably one of the few agents that would even remember the place existed. He contacted me yesterday after he heard about the attack. It’s secret, secure, and now it’s all ours.”

  Apartments, lab facilities, office space. Everything they required. It would all need a bit of updating, but wow. “Where is this?”

  “Northwest, only about four hour’s drive from here. Nearest town is an hour away, and the government owns all the land around it for miles. No one lives near who can get hurt if something happens.”

  Even out here at the secluded edge of an industrial park, the two attacks on the Xi Force Headquarters had inflicted some pretty severe collateral damage on the surrounding businesses. Complaints had been filed. This headquarters worked when the building and the Xi Force program were secret, but the word was out now.

  “It looks perfect, and we sure as hell can’t stay here.”

  Aaron’s eyes lit. A smile spread across his face. “And wait until you see this.”

  He brought up a video of the side of the mountain. Cracks appeared in the sheer stone cliff-face. Two sections of the wall pulled back and slid to the side to reveal a dark rectangular opening in the side of the mountain. “Big enough for three helicopters and the Xi-1. And yes, the Xi-1 can maneuver and land inside according to its specs. Maggie’s chomping at the bit to try it.”

  “It’s going to need some upgrades.” How long would it take before they could move in?

  “Already requisitioned. Representative Skaghorn is going to put his full attention to pushing it through the budget committee, and they need his vote for that new infrastructure bill. This, and so much more, is already moving forward.”

  Aaron’s enthusiasm was infectious, as he laid out new plans for the program. Xi Force was really moving on. This would be a new start for the whole program. A secret base of operations, new initiatives, and some new young scientists coming into the fold.

  But it also meant moving on from here, and everything that had been. Did that include Kayla?

  No. Joel wasn’t ready for that.

  He doubted he’d ever be ready for that.

  She had to be out there somewhere. He just had to find her.

  “Sir?” Paul Tompkins interrupted his thoughts.

  Paul was the highest-ranking survivor of Pike’s Rangers and had taken over command of the remaining troops and security of the building.

  “Yes, Paul?”

  Paul caught his gaze. “Did you take that sword out of the cell in the basement?”

  Joel’s heart froze. “No. Why?”

  “It’s missing.”

  ~ ~ ~

  “Welcome to my nexus,” Olivia announced as Kayla stepped out of the swirling chaos.

  A portal of some kind existed at the back wall of Masons, only visible and accessible to beings in Purgatory.

  Kayla worried that the sword, being in both dimensions at the same time, couldn’t pass through it, but the blade remained in her hand. “Where are we?”

  Olivia Floated toward a door labeled Kuriat. “I don’t know if it exists in the real world. My brother helped me set this place up. It’s kind of my home base. From here I can go almost anywhere pretty fast.”

  Doors lined a circular chamber. Each door sported a sign over it indicating a destination.

  “Carlos made all these doors?” He did seem to really care for his sister.

  Olivia shook her head. “He taught me a spell. I go someplace, incant the spell, and a doorway opens that connects back here. The first time I went, I had to float across the sea to get to this island. It took a bit of time, but I’ve got lots of that. Anyway, now I just have to go through this portal to get there. Come on.”

  As she passed through what looked to be a closed door, the portal began to spiral.

  Kayla followed her through. When her vision cleared, she found herself once again in the ancient-looking castle on that Mediterranean island where Amber killed Joel. “What is this place?”

  Olivia simply shrugged. “It’s called a Palentre, and it’s what drew me here. I’d been in this castle before it was moved here. It used to be deep in the heart of a Venezuelan jungle. There’s a lot of magic imbued into its walls, and most of it is dark arts, nasty stuff.”

  “This was in Venezuela?” Kayla remembered the crumbling, drying moss on the walls outside. “How the hell did it get here?”

  “If you know the right spells, you can move it just about anywhere you need it. Part of its charm. Because of its magic, the walls between dimensions are thinner in this place. I think that’s why Necromance had that bitch lady bring it here. If that sword is the key, this castle is the lock. And now we have both. We just have to figure out how to use them.”

  Magic, dimensional portals, moving castles, this was all so overwhelming. Kayla’s head whirled. But if she was going to get back to the real world, back to Joel, she needed to concentrate. Throw away all the science and believe in the fantastic.

  “Amber used a blood sacrifice to bring Necromance across. I’m not prepared to kill anyone just to save myself.” She held the sword up. “Any ideas how we can get this key to open the doorway without hurting anyone?”

  Olivia straightened and extended her hand toward the altar. “Abracadabra.”

  Nothing happened.

  A sigh resounded from behind them. “Have I taught you nothing, hermana?”

  Carlos Diego floated behind them.

  “Oh no. Did you die?” Kayla’s heart sunk. They’d lost so many.

  But Carlos smiled and shook his head. “No, my body is still in a coma. This is my astral form.”

  “But you are going to make it, right hermano?” A note of concern colored Olivia’s tone.

  “Yes, I believe so. Now, let’s figure this out.”

  Chapter 29

  “Where is it, Kirk?” Joel paced the control room, crossing paths with Aaron far more times than he wanted as his mind wondered down all the wrong pathways this thing could lead.

  At least he’d thought to attach that small tracking device to the sword before locking it in that cell downstairs.

  Kirk’s hands flew across his keyboard, the big nine-panel display featured an array of applications running that Kirk kept jumping between. None of it made any sense to Joel. IP address domains, long strings of unrecognizable characters, how the hell did Kirk make any sense of it.

  Chris, standing at Kirk’s shoulder, let out an exasperated sigh. “It can’t just have disappeared.”

  Kirk shook his head. “I’ve extended the Sat-Com search to global. If it’s anywhere on the planet, I�
�ll find it.”

  The digital signal’s trail went cold at the edge of the business park, in the same area as Mason’s. That gave Joel some hope. Could Olivia be involved? She’d created a portal there back to her nexus.

  But as a ghost, could she even affect the sword?

  He’d called the hospital to check on Carlos, only to find the man had slipped into a coma.

  “There.” Chris pointed at one of the screens.

  Kirk’s eyes widened. “The hell? It’s back on Kuriat.”

  Aaron huffed, banging his fist on the conference table. “There is no way the sword could have made it that far away from here in this amount of time. Even the Xi-1 couldn’t fly it there that fast.”

  But there was a way.

  “Olivia has portals from Mason’s and Kuriat. If the sword passed through, it could be there. Have Maggie fire up the Xi-1.”

  Aaron stepped in front of him. “Joel, be realistic.”

  “Nothing is realistic anymore.” Joel pushed him aside. “You coming or not?”

  Running his hand through his hair, Aaron sighed. “Hell yes.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Hours passed. Kayla reined in her frustrations as Carlos tried a succession of spells and rituals. Evidently, he could cast spells even in his astral form. But he couldn’t touch the sword. Only she could do that.

  She held the sword over the altar as he weaved a glowing green symbol in the air over it.

  Nothing happened and he grunted. “We may have to wait until I can come here physically. That could take a few days, but I will not stop trying. Don’t give up hope.”

  Commotion at the doorway drew Kayla’s attention away from his latest attempt. Two men dragged a third between them toward the altar in the middle of the room. A smaller, slight figure, shrouded in black, followed behind.

  The man between them struggled. “Let me go.”

  Tied hand and foot, the man wore the uniform of the U. S. Army soldier.

  The other two men sported the insignia of the international peacekeeping force that held the island after it had been taken from Ghaim control. They roughly threw the soldier onto the altar, shackled him in place, then backed away.

  The shrouded figure approached, pulling back the cowl of their robe to reveal the features of a young woman. Dusky skin, black hair, and features that hinted at a Middle Eastern origin.

  In her right hand, the woman held an ornate dagger. She raised it, pointing it downward at the soldier’s heart. “Og, Demon of Eternity, take this gift.”

  “No. No.” The soldier’s eyes were wide with fright.

  “I have to stop this.” Kayla brought the sword up, hacking at the knife and the hand the wielded it. Jason included a bit of sword training in her exercises. She never thought she’d ever use it.

  The robbed woman danced back, catching the sword blade on the hilt of her dagger. “Revelas deamonisca.”

  “Watch out. She’s a sorceress,” Carlos shouted.

  “You’re no demon,” the woman said, dancing back. “Tsongus blamose.”

  Her left hand glowed red with power as she batted the sword aside with the dagger in her right hand.

  “She’s casting a death spell.”

  Carlos shouted his warning just in time for Kayla to roll left, narrowly avoiding the bolt of red energy launched her way. Still, searing heat arched across her back as the spell flew past.

  The spells could hurt her, even from the other dimension, and she had a feeling that dagger was just like the sword, existing in both dimensions at the same time.

  Had she come all this way just to die?

  Damn it, if she was going down, she was going to take this bitch with her.

  Kayla bounced to her feet, grasped the sword with both hands, and lunged forward, swinging in a wide arc. She threw everything she had into the strike.

  The sorceress brought her dagger up to block, but Kayla powered through and the dagger flew from the sorceress’s hand.

  Kayla pointed the blade at her. “Yield.”

  But the woman’s eyes were crazed. “The ritual has begun. A blood sacrifice is demanded.”

  The sorceress flung herself forward, onto the sword blade before Kayla could pull it back.

  “Ieee!” The woman’s cry reverberated through the chamber.

  “No.” Kayla hadn’t wanted to kill her, just stop her.

  ~ ~ ~

  Joel sprinted down the exit ramp of the Xi-1 as soon as it extended.

  Chris followed on his heels, Heather at his side.

  Aaron came next, a hand-held Sat-Com tablet in his hand. He pointed north. “That way. In the old castle.”

  The place he’d died . . . the second time.

  Not really a place he ever wanted to visit again, but he was going in. They were getting that sword back. And maybe . . .

  No, he wouldn’t get his hopes up. Not until he had all the information.

  Two of the international peacekeepers lounged at the castle doorway. They came to full attention, pointing their guns at the group. “You can’t go in there.”

  A cry split the air, echoing from the sacrificial chamber above.

  “The hell we can’t.” Joel closed ranks with Chris, keeping Heather and Aaron behind them out of the line of fire.

  ~ ~ ~

  Deep, crimson energy flowed through the sword. A ghostly image of the woman took form alongside her physical body. “I give my soul to Og willingly.”

  “Then you’re a fool, woman. You’ve forfeited eternity.” Carlos’s voice sounded distant, as if heard down an echoing tunnel.

  Nausea gripped Kayla. Her head spun, and her stomach lurched.

  “What the . . .” One of the two men in the international peacekeeping force uniforms reached for his sidearm.

  Training kicked in. Kayla pulled her POS and fired. Once. Twice. Taking both men down.

  She looked around. Carlos, Olivia, and the woman’s spirit had vanished. And the floor beneath her feet was real. Somehow she was back in the real world.

  A blood sacrifice.

  The woman lay at her feet, her life’s blood spilling on the stone floor.

  “No, no, no.” Kayla knelt and opened the woman’s robes to reveal the nasty gash. But the wound wasn’t mortal. The heart still beat. She was still breathing. With attention, she could be saved.

  Pulling on her rusty medical skills, Kayla tore bandaging from the robes to bind the wound.

  Suddenly, more commotion at the doorway. Voices. But she didn’t dare look up. She needed to concentrate on the wound. She needed to save this woman. This woman who’d tried to kill her.

  Why?

  Because she was Phaze. She was a superhero. And that’s what superheroes do. They save people.

  “Kayla.”

  Joel’s voice. The sweetest thing she’d ever heard.

  Somehow, miraculously, he was here.

  Still she kept her head down, her eyes on the blood and gore. Fighting down the nausea as bile rose in her stomach. “I need to—”

  “Go to him. I’ve got this.” Heather knelt at her side, taking the bandages, urging her up.

  She didn’t need any more encouragement.

  She flung herself into his strong arms, and they wrapped around her.

  “Kayla, Kayla, Kayla.” Tears rimmed his eyes, fogging his goggles.

  “How did you find me?” She choked.

  Then he was kissing her and none of it mattered. The world felt right again.

  Long, passionate, she never wanted it to end. Tears leaked from her eyes and ran down her cheeks. Tears of joy and redemption. She needed him so badly and he was here. It didn’t matter how.

  ~ ~ ~

  Kayla. Whole, so
lid, and in his arms. Nothing else mattered more.

  He loved her. Needed her so much.

  “Um, guys?” Chris had a hand on his shoulder.

  Okay, maybe the rest of the world had to matter, just a little. He did need to retrieve the sword and figure out what the hell just happened here.

  He reluctantly broke the kiss. But he kept Kayla close, holding her to him as he surveyed their surroundings.

  A woman in black robes lay in a puddle of blood. But she not only breathed. She glowed. A bright, white radiance surrounded her like a halo. Her eyes flickered open and a soft smile spread across her face.

  “We meet again, sexy man. Who’d a thunk it?” She winked at him.

  He’d never laid eyes on her before. “Do I know you?”

  A soft chuckle. “You don’t know her, but you do know me. The fool gave up her soul to a demon before her body was even dead. Left a void in the universe. Closest ghost gets the prize.”

  Kayla squealed. “Olivia?”

  “In the flesh, it would seem. Oh, but my stomach hurts. Haven’t felt pain for a long time. Still, it’s a blessing to feel anything.” She grimaced.

  Heather threw her a stern look. “Whoever you are, you need immediate medical attention.”

  Taking charge, Heather sent Chris back to the Xi-1 for a stretcher, then had Joel help him carry the woman back to the plane. They secured her in the vehicle’s small medical unit, and Heather got back to work on her.

  As the Xi-1 lifted off for home, Aaron used his data pad, trying to work out all the legal ramifications of what just happened.

  Kayla sat next to Joel, her hand in his. “I can’t believe this is finally over.”

  Well it was and it wasn’t. “Could that really be Olivia back there?”

  She nodded. “I saw that woman’s spirit on the other side before I was pulled over. But I imagine Carlos can confirm it all somehow, when he wakes up from his coma.”