by T S Paul
I stared at what had to be the spirit of Verity, my many time's great grandmother. She is the one that built everything I was familiar with in my life. Family should trust family. Crossing the gazebo, I picked up the matching bracelet and slid it onto my left arm.
"At last. A true guardian steps forward. One day you will understand, but not yet. Remember that the Gods are fickle, cruel, and tricky. They always have their own agenda. Now you must wake up and face the day. You will be needed soon."
"Agatha wake up! It's pancake day." The noise shocked me out of sleep.
I felt tiny hooves on my chest as Fergus trotted back and forth across the blankets. Opening my eyes, I could see the sun and groaned. What a weird ass dream that was.
Swinging my legs around I touched the floor. "Eww cold." Reaching down, I felt around for my shoes. The only clothes I had were what was in my bag, and Minerva had confiscated that. My hand touched the top of my tennis shoes, so I pulled them up and dropped them. They were coated in fresh mud!
"Fergus! Did you go camping in my shoes again?" Last time he did that he filled them with hay and carrots.
"Camping? No. Not this trip. If you want to, we can try to hunt down those mice. Don't you want pancakes?" he whined.
"Why don't you tell Grandmother that I'll be down in a moment." Grabbing the little guy, I set him down on the floor. Just as he left, I could feel my bracelet hug my wrist. And then I felt something on my other wrist. Looking down, I stared at both of my wrists in shock. "That was a dream. You were a dream." I spoke to the two bracelets as if talking to a person.
Hurrying, I threw on a robe and ran to the kitchen. Grandmother would know what to do.
"Hungry, dear?" she commented, glancing at my attire as she flipped a pancake. Fergus sat on the edge of the table waiting.
"I am. I had the strangest dream last night."
"And what was it, dear?" Grandmother flipped another pancake.
"Great Grandmother Verity led me into the Garden to a gazebo and fish pond." I was too busy staring at the new bracelet to notice that Grandmother missed the pan and hit the stove with the pancake. She now stood stock still.
"It can't have been real, could it? I mean my shoes are dirty, and I have this." I slid my sleeve up further so she could see I now had two bracelets.
"Verity said its name is Certainty." The second bracelet gleamed upon my wrist opposite the original.
Chapter 17
The team had headed north toward Maine after finding out about the contract on their lives. Their single contact attempt with Director Mills' office had not helped the situation.
"Director Mills office, how may I help Sir or Ma'am?" The phone was answered by Beatrice, one of the Bs, who kept the director's part of the FBI Academy running.
"Beatrice, it's Agent Catherine Moore. Is the Director available, I really need to speak with her?"
"I'm sorry Agent Catherine, but the Director isn't available at the moment. If you need something, I suggest you speak to Agent Winthrop and get back to me." For some reason, Beatrice was talking in an exceedingly formal manner.
"Agent Winthrop isn't available at the moment. Is there someone else I can speak to?" Cat wondered why Beatrice was telling her to call Chuck. She knew Cat and Chuck were working together.
Faint mutterings could be heard in the background on Beatrice's end of the connection. Cat strained her ears and caught a faint "Who is it on the line?" Beatrice responded with "it's just an intern that wants advice on what to do. May I tell them the proper response?"
Right away Cat realized something was wrong in the office at the Academy. Cat heard the unknown voice murmur in response to Beatrice's question.
Coming back on the line Beatrice said, "If you know the location of your immediate supervisor, you should present yourself to him. He is the one that can answer your questions now, agent. Please reserve contact with this office for problems related to the internship and not miscommunication. Is there anything else?"
"No, Thank you." Cat hung up the phone. Someone other than the Director was in her office, and Beatrice was trying to cover for her.
So help from that quarter was not an option. As a group, they voted to join Agatha in Maine. At the worst, she would only get a little mad. The investigation had gone flat. Like all the way flat. Their last meeting was the perfect example of that.
"So what do we have on Senator Harvey and his brother, Goober?" Cat asked looking over at Bill.
"Not a damn thing we can prove. Airtight alibis for the both of them. Lots of innuendoes, but nothing we can lay out on the table and prove." Bill answered as he tossed a packet of paper on the table.
Moving on to the next person, Cat said, "Ana?"
The Vampire shook her head. "Nothing. There used to be records stored in cloud servers in Ashburn, Virginia. But there was a freak fire that consumed the entire building. Three different companies had fire suppression systems installed there, and they all failed. One of the backup centers was in Manassas, and it burned too. Goliath and some of the other online retailers are freaking out, but they have other backups. As it stands, all the Senator's business records are just gone. Unless he had hardcopy records or discs of his own, he's been wiped out at least from a business standpoint."
"What about some of the other names Marvin gave us from the records he saw? There were a bunch of politicians and public figures in there." Cat asked the group.
Chuck read from his notes. "According to the Hound Network, there have been twelve suicides, five murders, and over a dozen suspicious accidental deaths in the last two days. Almost all are centered around Washington. The government is running scared."
"They cutting their losses! Killing everyone that could expose a connection to them. Marvin can still implicate the head of the Strega though," Cat pointed out.
Bill threw up his hands. "Yes. Which is why this investigation is a bust. As soon as we find something, it disappears. I don't know how the investigative branch does this day after day."
"Bill, didn't you do this for years with that branch?" Chuck looked up at him.
Making a face, Bill laughed. "Sort of. You need to remember technology has advanced a lot since my early days in the investigation branch. Now you can just call a series of records up on your screen. We used to have to do a physical records search, which sucks by-the-way. Just as soon as I could get into major crimes and more hands-on work I did."
"That makes sense. So if the server farms are gone, what about the hard copy? Don't they have to store it in warehouses or something?" Chuck looked up with a questioning face at Bill.
"I have no idea? Anastasia? What do you say to that?" Bill looked at the Vampire who was now frantically typing.
"That Chuck is a genius and that I'm glad he's on my side. The records in question are stored about thirty miles from here in a warehouse complex owned by one of Wally's shell companies. If you think Goober is funny, you should see that one. Beaver Enterprises."
"Do you have an address, Ana?" Cat grabbed her tablet and stuffed it into her bag. "Maybe they haven't gotten to it yet."
Anastasia called out the address. "I do. It's 485 Mapleton Drive. According to the map, it's just up the road."
"Let's go then. I'll lead. Ana, see if we can get a warrant to search the place." Cat hopped out the door and headed to the command vehicle.
~~~~~~~~
"I want them all dead! How dare she do this to me? What is it you people say? The only good enemy is a dead enemy?" Camilla stared at her contact with green-rimmed eyes.
The dark cloaked man sat at the end of the table staring at her. Deep down, he was regretting ever dealing with this vain woman. While her money had always been good, her antics and demeanor had come close to exposing them over the years. Pick one husband and stick with him. He thought.
"Something like that. What is your wish now?" He said.
"Death. I want them all dead! My mother and my sister's stupid child are all that stand in my way to taking over
the town and the valley. Imagine the energy that can be derived from the contents of the Garden alone? Prodigious amounts of power are just sitting there. When it comes to spell components and rare plants, the Garden is unequaled on this side of the Atlantic." Camilla "pushed," her will at him as she spoke.
"What are the names of your mother and niece? This will be the last time, Camilla. Regardless of who your sponsor is, we can only kill off family members for so long before the exposure for us is too much." The assassin at the table leaned forward, his look pinning Camilla in place.
"You go too far. My sponsor could fry you for your words."
The assassin laughed. "Doubtful. Your sponsor is ours as well. Lord Set needs groups of followers more than he needs single individuals. You put on airs as you American's like to say. You are but a small fish in the grand scheme of things. If you wish the deal, give me the names. If not, you can piss off."
"Fine. But my Lord Set will hear of your insolence. My mother's name is Marcella Blackmore. My niece Agatha has the same last name. I need both of them eliminated soon if not immediately." Camilla leaned forward her eyes gradually turned green.
"You are insane. Why have you never told us of this name before? You are the daughter of Marcella Blackmore? The same Marcella Blackmore that leads the World Species Council and is a Guardian Between the Ways? That Marcella?" Camilla's mouth dropped open at what the assassin revealed.
"I don't know what you are talking about. Marcella Blackmore is just the leader of the Briarwood Coven, and she runs a fruit stand. World Council, Guardian? What does all that mean?" Camilla looked confused.
"Stupid woman. You do not understand what you ask. But we will take pity upon you. Agatha Blackmore is known to us. She is the target of another of our clients. They wish the harshest sentence imaginable for her. But we will not kill Marcella for you."
"What has Agatha done? She was just a timid child with magick that didn't work."
It was all the assassin could do not to shake his head. He guessed even Gods made mistakes in choosing followers. "What is her location, this niece of yours? Please tell us where she is hiding."
~~~~~~~
The attack was completely unexpected.
"Cat, take the next turn on the right. That should be Mapleton." Cat was listening to Chuck's instructions in her ear and almost missed the semi-truck that abruptly swerved into her lane.
"By the Gods!" Cat shouted as she smashed her foot down on the gas causing the RV to suddenly speed up. A giant truck was heading straight for her as she twisted the steering wheel to the right. Her top-heavy RV tipped up on the wheels on the left side as it became unbalanced. The oncoming semi clipped the rear of the teetering RV, causing it to skid left and tip back over onto the driver's side.
Bracing herself, Cat spun the wheel as the RV lost all traction, going out of control. The impact was too much to overcome as it rolled, hitting the ground sideways. The impact jammed Cat against her door and the ground as it came to rest. Crying out in pain, she felt her arm and shoulder snap with a loud crack. Her last conscious thought was that Agatha would kill her.
Chuck reacted as Cat did when he saw the truck heading straight for them. He could only watch in horror as it clipped the lead vehicle causing it to crash. The initial impact swung the out-of-control, heavy semi-truck directly into the path of the RV he was driving. "Everybody hold on!" He shouted.
He yanked the wheel to the left swinging his vehicle away from the rig even as it glanced off the gigantic unit. Designed to hug the road, it shook and bounced, but didn't tip. The semi slowed to a halt between the two damaged vehicles in the middle of the intersection.
"Bill! Are you OK?" Chuck called out.
"I'm fine. Is Cat OK?" Bill asked. Tossed from the seat that he had been in when the truck hit, Bill climbed to his feet. He moved toward the front to help his friend.
"I'll check the truck." Chuck was two steps behind Bill as they exited the bus. The intersection was a scene of horror. Cat's RV lay crumpled and on its side, wisps of smoke coming from the rear end. Bill moved off toward Cat's vehicle. The semi-truck with its front end crushed came to rest between the two Magical Crimes vehicles. Diesel fuel and other fluids sprayed from both wrecks.
"Ana, can you contact emergency services for us?" Chuck yelled into his microphone alerting their other team member.
Chuck reached the semi's front end and found the steering wheel tied down and the cabin empty. "Bill, it's a trap!" Chuck shouted.
Opening with a bang, the rear doors of the semi flew open, and dozens of black-clad assassins poured out of the truck. They fired at Bill, forcing him to abandon Cat and duck behind the rear of the fallen RV.
Chuck reached down inside of himself and called forth his other form. Since graduating, he had kept his more violent side penned up and safe. Now he wasn't holding anything back. With a loud roar, Chuck's warrior form charged the men shooting at his friends. He would give them something else to worry about.
~~~~~~~~
Cat woke in pain. Both her shoulder and arm felt as though they were on fire. The burning sensation went from the shoulder to her feet. Carefully opening her eyes, she looked around. Smoke filled the front of the RV. The crash had driven the dashboard and steering wheel backward, wedging her between the sliding wall and the steering wheel. Her seat had snapped off its mounting, pinning her tightly against the driver's door. The pain of broken bones was preventing her from using her pack magic to shift. The heat she was feeling was real. Parts of the RV were already smoldering. "Help me! Chuck, Bill, somebody, help me!"
With the battle roaring outside, her cries couldn't be heard by anyone living.
Anastasia gripped the sides of her sleeping quarters with both hands. Earthquakes she could deal with. In her long life, she was present for many such happenings. This was entirely different. Nearly dying from assassination was something she hadn't experienced since the heady days of controlling the Russian Empire. Killing off the competition was common then.
The assassins had Bill pinned and Chuck, well he was tearing some of them a new one. Ana had no idea his Cat form was so impressive. Russian Weres were usually of the Bear variety. It was only here, in this New World that other species dominated. They genuinely needed the Witch for battles such as these. She balanced the team during fights.
Ana zoomed the cameras in on the now burning RV. Jack's old vehicle was on its side. She could see just a bit of the front-end damage. Where was Cat? Her form could sway the battle in their direction. Pressing a button, Ana focused her rig's microphones at the fight happening just a few feet away.
"Please help me." The faint words would have been missed by another tech, but not one who was also a Vampire.
Damn. Ana glanced at the clock. Two in the afternoon was not when any Vampire would be out and about. Only an ancient could step outside and survive the instant sunburn. She had kept her secret for over seventy years. How could one life pay for that? Pretending she didn't hear it, Ana continued to watch the fight on her screens.
Cat pounded on the steering wheel, but it was wedged in tight. Her shoulder was healing finally, but would it be fast enough? The fire was spreading to the interior furnishings. If it burned through one of the propane lines or batteries the resulting explosion would fry her. Few Weres survived immolation. Projecting her voice, she cried louder.
Chuck paused in his battle against the assassins when he heard Cat's cry. He spun to the left to help. A lucky assassin stabbed forward at that moment, piercing Chuck's arm.
His cry was half scream, half roar. Sharp two-inch claws came around as he swung out in pain and confusion. The man with the dagger was impaled by Chuck's left hand as his right disemboweled him. Forgetting his Alpha and friend amongst the blood and pain, Chuck dove back into the battle.
Ana looked and grimaced. Bill was under siege at the rear of the now burning RV. He had twice picked up his assailants weapons to continue to shoot. He favored one of his legs, so she assumed he was
injured. Chuck was in berserker mode. Claws and teeth flashed as he carved his way through the assassins. Several cars had pulled up disgorging even more gunmen. These were shooting indiscriminately at anything that moved. If no one did anything in the next few minutes, Cat would die in the fire.
Hoping she didn't regret the consequences of this, Anastasia grabbed her fighting knives off her wall. The last time she fought with them in the light of the day was against overwhelming opponents in 1453. She had been sent to oversee the battle for Constantinople in the company of Mehmed the Conqueror. It marked the fall of the last Roman Emperor as well as the destruction of a Necromancer. She could still see the waves after horrifying waves of zombies and other undead creatures that had poured from the city. To this day, she didn't know how Mehmed's army survived.
