I looked at him, leaning away slightly. "How many of these funerals have you been to?"
He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "Too many." He nodded to the table. "Your turn."
I swallowed hard as I approached the table, feeling like there were too many eyes on me, yet not enough at the same time. The entire Chakra really should have been invited.
Why I am here?
Alex just came and got me – Micah stayed in the nursery with Bee. Not an age-appropriate event, was what he said. Like she would realize what was happening. I snorted, then glanced over my shoulder, hoping no one heard. I was supposed to be writing some meaningful message to a guy I barely knew.
What was I going to write? Sorry about your life – sorry about your death. See you soon, but hopefully not too soon. I chewed on my lip while I thought. Funerals were more for the benefit of those left behind; not the deceased. So I wrote the one thing that would make me feel better:
Bee is Shawn's daughter.
Then I placed the piece of paper in the chalice and lit it on fire with the lighter the Air left on the table. I watched as the ashes floated up into the sky, same as the ashes of the paternity test results. My secret was safe with the spirits.
Chapter 49
The Plan
After the funeral, I called a meeting between the four of us. Well, four and a half.
"The money will take up to ten days to transfer to the Chakra accounts," I said. We sat in the kitchen, only falling silent during the occasional interruption by an Elemental or guard looking for a snack.
Susan nodded. "I am going to distribute it among some of the new accounts I created, just in case Shawn had access to Cato's old banks."
"I didn't send everything…" I said cautiously. "There is more if we need it."
Susan held up her hands. "Let's go over the plan, in detail. Then we'll decide what's needed. I hope not to use all of it."
Alex straightened up from leaning on the counter. "I've come across some disturbing intel on One Less. If it’s any indication of what is to come, money will no longer matter."
The rest of us went silent, broken only by the sound of Bee's rattle.
I looked over at the playpen set up next to the fridge. "What?"
Alex cleared his throat. "We're all aware of the decline in…well, everything. Agriculture, the world economy, even larger governments—"
"Get on with it," Micah growled.
It was good to know I wouldn't be the one trying to strangle the words out of Alex faster.
"So I've been collecting what data I could on One Less. The flu epidemic, the Indian drought, the earthquakes – all of that can be traced back to them. But there’s more. Shawn’s been doing research on electromagnetic pulses."
"Like – from the sun?" Micah asked.
Alex nodded. "Yes. Solar storms – to be more specific."
"Can Elementals do that?" I turned to Susan, then Micah. "I mean – I always thought the sun would be too far away for us to affect."
They both shrugged.
I turned back to Alex. He was the only non-magical type among us and so far was proving to be way more useful.
Alex continued, "So far it was just basic research – electrons, neutrons, collaborating with corporate scientists. But recently, he's done a few test runs with the Earth's magnetic field."
"How do you know all this?"
"Once we discovered some of his recruiting methods, we were able to place our own guys there," Susan explained.
"Right," Alex said. "Forgot to mention another indication – he's refocused all his recruiting on more Fires."
"Share much?" I narrowed my eyes. "How long have you known?"
"Sorry, Kaitlyn." Susan lowered her eyes. "There’s just a lot going on."
"Tell me about it," Micah said, standing up from his stool. "Some of this is new to me, even."
"Anyway," Alex said, rolling his eyes. "I'm not sure how much time we have."
I stood from my stool abruptly, walked over the fridge, and pulled out a beer. After popping off the cap on the doorframe, I caught the playpen out of the corner of my eye. Damn it. I was due to feed
Bee in another two hours.
"Here." I shoved the beer into Micah's chest. "Chug this for me."
He raised one eyebrow. I just looked back. He shrugged, tipped the bottle up to his mouth, and didn't set the thing down until it was gone.
After he let out a satisfying belch, I continued, "Okay. This is what we're going to do. Alex – we need more info. Place more spies if you can. Find out how much time we have, and how we can stop it. Also, we'll need to ramp up our training here. We are going to militarize this place."
"Militarize?" asked Susan. She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes.
"Training a mass of people in the shortest amount of time – militaries can do that." Alex backed me up. "Boot camp time, ooh-rah."
At least someone was excited about it.
"Micah," I continued, "Does the Chakra have political contacts?"
"Yes, mostly that was Cato's deal, but I can follow up."
"Good. We're going to need their support. Stay away from any with corporate interests, though. Those are Shawn's people."
Susan huffed. "Which will be like – all of them."
"Well, as best as you can anyway. See if we can get One Less designated as a terrorist organization. Use any proof Alex can get you." I looked longingly at the empty beer bottle.
"What do I do?" Susan asked.
I turned to her. "We'll need you to keep recruiting."
"I can do that."
"Also, keep working on spells, and any other magic that will give us an advantage over Shawn. Sour that son-of-a-bitch's luck."
"I can do that," she repeated, with hesitation this time.
"And I need you to do the most important thing of all."
"What?"
"Prepare us for a world after an electromagnetic attack. The Seven will have to repurpose. Focus on agriculture, using the natural environment this time – instead of working against it." I thought of the dwarf and his garden. "Ask Clay about permaculture."
I turned to Alex. "What will happen, exactly?"
"If it is strong enough – a worldwide blackout. Electrical systems will be fried."
"That son of a bitch is going to plunge us back into the dark ages," Micah said, eyes wide.
"Yes," I agreed. "The best way to protect the planet."
Chapter 50
Boot Camp
We each parted ways. Susan returned to her library and her computers with Bee, Micah went to make phone calls, and Alex and I went outside together to begin our 'boot camp' training. Alex took out a small notebook and pen from his cargo pocket. "Do you want uniforms?"
I gave him a sideways glance. "Uniforms, why?"
He tapped the pencil against his lips as we walked, "Conformity, unity—"
"Absurdity," I mumbled.
"Accountability, productivity," he continued. He had me beat. "Besides, imagine having an army ten times the size we do now. Now imagine the battle we had on Heard and McDonald Islands. How would we distinguish our troops from theirs?"
"Easy. We'd be the ones winning." I straightened my back and crossed my arms.
He barely glanced at me, "You're never serious when you know I'm right."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Order uniforms. But I want a General insignia."
He didn't laugh. "Yes, we should have ranking. Or at least identifiers as to what elemental they control."
"Right – make it easier on the enemy to figure out how to attack."
"Point taken – maybe something identifying their circle, then? I'll give it some thought." He flipped the page in his notebook. "Training schedule."
"Six in the morning until nine at night. Every day. No exceptions."
He raised his eyebrows at me.
"We don't know how much time there is, so no exceptions."
"Right." He scribbled in his note
book.
"Every new recruit will have a two week introductory period, studying the doctrine, and anything else in the Book of Shadows Susan determines necessary. Basic English, even – if they don't speak it. Then they will be assigned to a circle."
"What do you want the typical day to look like?"
I stopped walking before reaching earshot of the camps. "Group exercise, showers, then breakfast. Study period for a few hours. Give them access to the lab as they require. I want them learning what we know and discovering new ways to work with their elements. Lunch, then practical exercise. Two hours with their circles, then two hours with their elemental group."
Alex nodded, still scribbling away.
"The rest of the day will be spent in their circles, but still interacting with the others. I want them learning how to live in a world after the electromagnetic pulse."
"EMP," he offered. "Should we really plan for failure like that?"
"A world without electricity – without engines, power plants, and computers. Would it really be a failure – or just what every eco-activist dreams of?"
"There would be a lot of death," Alex said quietly, probably afraid of my train of thought – if he were smart.
"I know," I said, looking down and kicking at the rocks. "Besides, they will be learning things that will be applicable in today's world, too," I offered.
"True. Ok." He wrote it down, and smiled at me. "I'll throw dinner in there somewhere."
"Right. Good man. I knew I hired you for a reason." I hooked my arm around his.
We approached a few of the tents pitched around the lake. I frowned at the empty space. There had been more tents before.
"Where is everyone else?"
"A few of the circles decided to try sleeping inside for their first rotation. We haven't had any incidents with the Waters or the Fires. Seems like being in a group like that balances their powers. It was the right choice to reorganize them."
"Glad I did something right," I said under my breath.
"But the two Earths won't budge from their garden – so those two groups are camped out there."
"Why don't you gather everyone up? We'll announce the changes."
Alex popped his heals together, straightened his back, and saluted. "Yes, sir."
A sideways glance at the tents told me people were already watching. Maybe I could do without the General insignia.
Alex was still there, expecting something. A salute back, maybe? Hell no. I took a step closer and lowered my voice. "I believe that's 'Yes, ma'am'."
He popped his heals again. "Yes ma'am, sir."
I laughed, and kicked at him. "Get out of here."
He trotted off toward the Chakra to rally the troops.
I glanced back at the Elementals, still trickling out of their tents. What was this, siesta time? Maybe a hard and fast training schedule was not such a bad idea.
I took a deep breath and walked toward them.
Brandt greeted me, "What's up, chief?"
I held back a small smile. "More changes. New schedule. We'll go over it once everyone is here."
He eyed me. "More changes? I guess I didn't expect anything less. If you're anything – it's unpredictable."
"Is that a good thing?"
Brandt shrugged. "Keeps us on our toes."
I nodded. I still didn't know if that was a good thing, unless we were all training for a ballet. "We should have new recruits coming in, too."
"Gearing up for something?"
"We're in for some action," I said. No reason to hide it now. That drew a few more people closer.
"One Less?" Brandt asked, louder than before. Even more people gathered. He was doing it on purpose – trying to get their attention without calling for it.
"Yes. We've gotten some indication that they are planning an electromagnetic pulse, using solar flares. Have you ever tried using the sun's energy for your element?" I turned to the group. "Has anyone?"
Someone spoke up from the back, "It's too far away, I think."
We all tilted our heads toward the yellow and orange globe in the sky.
"Possible with a Medwin, maybe?" I suggested.
"What's a Medwin?" Brandt asked.
"Traditionally, a small group of people in the Seven support the Gaia. Micah is the Ardwyad – my protector. The Rais leads the group, which is Susan." My voice faltered at the mention of Cato's old job. I cleared my throat. "And then there is the Medwin. He…or she, I guess, can regulate powers by strengthening them, or blocking them completely." A shiver went down my spine.
"Who is the Medwin?" Someone else, a woman this time, asked. "Alex?"
"Alex doesn't have any powers, stupid." The man next to her nudged her.
"Well I don't know – stupid. No one tells me anything." She nudged him back.
That's about to change.
"Our Medwin defected. His name is Shawn – though you may know him better as the leader of One Less." I watched their reactions closely, just to see if they gave anything away. They didn't. A few shocked faces, some gasps, and nothing more. "And he is the one toying with EMPs, probably as we speak. We're not sure how much time we have."
"Well, then – we'd better get started." Brandt stepped away from us and faced the sun.
I paused, caught off guard, then moved to stand next to him. "What are you going to do?"
"Try to create an EMP, so we know how to stop it."
"Don't," I said. "It could fry all the circuit boards in our computers."
He gave me a sideways glance. "Maybe we ought to do something about that." He faced the sun again. "Well, we could at least see if we can reach its energy."
Without warning, he flung his hand out.
Everyone, including me, gasped and stepped back as searing heat licked at our faces. I attempted to recover quickly, being the fearless chief…or general…or whatever that I was. I stepped forward, and opened myself up to his frequencies
Brandt's energy stream went higher than the flames actually did. I kept following them up, but he couldn't have even hit flying altitude.
"I'm going to add to your streams, slowly – just try to keep it steady."
He nodded, and I extended my hand next to his. My energy was invisible, but powerful and condensed. I slowly intertwined my weaves with his. This was another thing the Medwin was good for – merging powers seamlessly. Though we seemed to be doing okay ourselves.
"How are you doing that?" he shouted over his flame thrower.
"Practice. Years and years of practice." Actually, this was a first for me, but no need for him to know that.
Together, our reach extended much further.
"The particles are so far apart, now," I said.
He nodded, "I think I am out of Earth's atmosphere.
That leaves another 149 million kilometers to go.
Another thing he probably didn't need to know.
"Try drawing the energy to you now," I suggested.
He didn't respond. I glanced over at him; a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. I felt his momentum shift, and I followed it with my own energy. I concentrated on the frequencies around our highest point, seeking out the sun's power. Finally, I felt the presence of charged matter. It wasn't quite gas, liquid, or even a solid.
"Plasma," Brandt said, with a squeak in his voice. "From the sun."
I took his word for it. He was the Fire, after all.
The smell of burning flesh drew my attention, "You're burning! You need to stop!"
The skin on his palm, already red, started to blister. It smelled like charcoal.
"Just a few more seconds – I'm almost there." The grimace on his face gave away his pain.
I turned back to the onlookers. "Where is his circle?"
Natasha and Nina stepped forward.
I gestured toward his hand wielding the fire. "Cool him down."
Natasha drew in moisture from the air and directed it to a sleek, flat shape that formed perfectly to the contours of
his palm. The resulting steam was contained in a tight circle around the stream of fire by Nina.
The pull at our apex was stronger now. The sun's plasma was stretching closer, and solar winds raced toward the merging point. What would happen when the two energies met? Would we be doing Shawn's job for him?
Without warning, I retracted my energy. The sudden loss sent all four of us reeling backward. Unfortunately, Brandt's element still raged. His stream of fire veered sideways, hitting the treetops across the lake.
I was the first to my feet.
He was next. "What'd you do that for?"
"I…we…" The burned treetops on the other side of the lake distracted me. "We need to find out more about plasma before we go calling it to Earth."
"I was so close," he grumbled. Any further argument was forgotten in favor of nursing his hand. It had to be throbbing.
"What happened?" Alex came up behind us, with several other Elementals, plus Susan and Micah, in tow.
"Just…experimenting." I waved it off because Susan was staring at the burned trees. I certainly didn't want to get into that. "Get him to a medic."
Brandt scowled at me.
"We can try again tomorrow."
I watched him walk away with Natasha and Nina.
"Well, what did you find out?" Micah asked, shifting Bee in the baby backpack.
"We need a Medwin," I said. "Susan – when you are recruiting, don't forget to look for more Medwins, and Ardwyads, even."
She nodded.
"And I need to do some research. Is there anything in the library on plasma?"
"Yes." Susan was still looking at the trees. "Especially considering 99.9% of the universe is made up of plasma."
Right; I knew that.
"Alex – we'll need to find out how to shield our own electronic systems from an EMP. And help Susan back up all her e-files. Like, by tomorrow. They're going to keep practicing this."
"Does that mean you're volunteering to take my dish duty tonight?" he asked.
My shoulders drooped. "Fine."
"I'll help you," Micah put his arm around me.
I smiled, "Is that a date?"
"It's a date."
"I'll be sure to wear my prettiest apron."
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