by Trudi Jaye
“They’re around here somewhere. I can smell them. And those dirty little robots are everywhere. Like vermin, they are.”
“Good thing you squashed two of them then, isn’t it,” said another voice.
Henry held Fee tight as she struggled at the mention of her critters being hurt. They had to wait until the two men went inside.
“Do we hunt him down?”
“Nah. Boss said to search here, and catch him if we saw him. Did you see him?”
“No.”
“Then we don’t have to bother chasing anyone.”
“I don’t want to be the one to tell them we lost the circus dude. They were real particular about wanting to ask him some questions.”
“But we didn’t lose him; we ain’t seen him. As long as he gets the woman, he’ll be happy. She’s the one he’s after.”
They went back inside, their voices dimming. Henry loosened his grip on Fee, and she darted to where the two tiny critters had landed on the concrete, their bodies broken and motionless. She crouched down and picked them up carefully, tears rolling down her face. He recognized Junebug and the strange Wildling from the midst of the broken pieces. The other three critters ran over and hid in the pockets of Fee’s jacket.
Henry came up beside her, the bag in his hands. He put one hand on her shoulder. “Fee, we have to go,” he said softly. “We were lucky they only sent two of them here.”
Fee nodded, and let him lead her away, clutching the broken critters to her chest.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The car sped away from the hotel, and Fee had no idea where they were going. But she didn’t care. Holding the two small creatures in her hands, silent tears traced their way down her cheeks.
They were both crushed beyond recognition. Junebug was the first robot she’d ever made, and the Wildling had been an adorable but crazy part of their small clan. They’d been with her for a long time now, and to lose two of them at once was a blow that went straight to Fee’s heart.
“You must think I’m stupid, crying over a couple of metal robots,” she said to Henry.
He shook his head. “No, of course not. They were special.” He paused to go around a corner. “Can you repair them?”
Fee shook her head. “I don’t think so. They’ve been so damaged. He must have stomped on them. They’re completely crushed.”
“I’m sorry.” He genuinely did sound sorry.
“Thanks,” she whispered. Thoughts started to clamour for attention in her brain. “Where are we going?” she asked. They’d been so focused on getting out of there she’d forgotten to make sure he was on the same page as her.
“Out of town. To rescue your friend, Alberta. We’ll collect her, and take her with us. I just need you to tell me where the farm is.”
“About an hour north of Little Rock, Arkansas.”
Henry nodded. “So we could get there in less than a day.”
Glancing over at Henry, Fee frowned. “Only if we drive all night.”
“Do you want to get there as soon as possible?” asked Henry, his eyes on the road.
Fee sighed. “I guess so. But we should share the driving.”
“Sure. I’ll take first shift.”
Fee looked back at the road ahead of them. “Where are we going after that?”
“The Carnival. I can protect us there.”
“But what do we do about the Witch Hunters?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. First we have to make sure Alberta is safe.”
Fee felt something relax on the inside. He really was going to help her save Alberta. “But what about Lucas and the others?”
“They’ll have to take care of themselves. You heard those guys back there. You’re the main target. The bomb was for you.”
Fee shivered. Surely, it couldn’t all be for her? She led a quiet life, going between her little cubicle at Callaghan and home. What harm was she doing? “I’m sorry you’re tangled up in this,” she whispered.
Henry shook his head. “It’s not your fault. But we do need a bit more information. I’m going to call a friend.”
He pressed a button on the dash and said, “Frankie.”
The sound of a phone dialling, and then ringing filled the car. Fee raised her eyebrows. “How many modifications have you actually done?” she asked.
Henry shrugged. “A few.”
“Hello?” a male voice answered the phone groggily.
“Tell me you weren’t asleep, Frankie. It’s the middle of the day,” Henry said in a joking tone.
“Henry?” The voice still sounded half-asleep. “What do you want?”
“I need some help. I’ve run into some trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Someone trying to blow us up kind of trouble.”
Frankie snorted. “That’s not difficult to believe. What did you do?”
Fee giggled and glanced at Henry. His face showed amusement at his friend’s ribbing.
“And who’ve you got with you there? That didn’t sound like one of your laughs.”
Fee put a hand over her mouth. Was she supposed to keep quiet?
Henry sighed. “She’s one of the researchers at Callaghan Technology, where I was working. She uses magic like we do. We think she’s being targeted by an organization called the Witch Hunters.”
“And you want me to find out more information about them?”
“Yeah, the Witch Hunters, plus a few people who might have helped blow up the Callaghan Technology building.”
Frankie whistled through his teeth. “Geez, Henry, what have you gotten yourself into?”
“I don’t know, but I hope Jack took payment of my fees before the contract started. ‘Cause I don’t think I’m getting paid for this one if he didn’t.”
Frankie barked out a laugh. “Give me these names, and I’ll get onto it straight away.”
Henry glanced at Fee as he spoke. “Three names. Dr. Pelgrim Shaw, Dr. Lucas Callaghan, and Dr. David... Fee, what’s David’s last name?”
“David Gardner,” she supplied quietly. It was a sad list, because she couldn’t say without a doubt that anyone on it was innocent. She hoped Lucas wasn’t part of it, but what did she really know about him? There was his ability to create commercially accepted designs, which she had always attributed to a little bit of the magic that hung around him. But maybe she’d sensed Witch Hunter magic?
“I asked Dad to check the Witch Hunters out too, so check in with him, see if he found anything,” said Henry.
“What do you know about them already?”
As Henry told Frankie everything he knew, Fee shook her head slightly, trying to clear it. She was used to having the Witch Hunter axe hanging over her head, and thought she’d done enough to ensure she would have enough warning of an attack. But she’d obviously become too complacent. She’d overlooked a major attack. Now she just didn’t know who might be responsible.
What if Eugene had been killed? It would have been her fault. She shivered, the reaction going through her whole body.
“I’ll check them all out, and get back to you, Henry. You take care of yourself down there.”
“Thanks, Frankie. I will.”
The phone clicked off, and Henry glanced at Fee before putting his foot down on the accelerator. They were on the freeway now, heading north. It would take more than a few hours to reach their destination. Fee wriggled around in the bench seat, trying to get comfortable.
“There might be a blanket or something in the back,” said Henry. “Something to lean on.”
Fee turned around, and almost knocked her nose on one of Max’s tentacles. “You see anything back there, Max?” she asked.
Max’s legs moved around, and a blanket appeared, smoothly sailing over his tentacles like a boat over water. “Is this what you wanted, Wild Feather?”
Fee sighed. At least some things never changed. “Yeah, thanks, Max-a-million.” He didn’t care about her using his full name,
but it made her feel better nonetheless.
Fee rolled the blanket and hung it over the seat, creating a pillow for her head. It had been a long 24 hours, and she was exhausted. “Is it okay if I grab some sleep?” she asked Henry.
“Of course. I’ve got Max here to keep me company.”
Fee nodded and closed her eyes. Images flashed across her eyelids like an action movie: Pelgrim yelling at them, being stuck in the lab, the burned out hole in the side of the Callaghan Technologies building. It had her heart racing and her blood pumping so fast that she opened her eyes again.
“Just take some deep breaths,” said Henry, glancing quickly over at her. “And try not to think about it.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one trying to sleep,” grumbled Fee.
She closed her eyes again and took some deep breaths. She was asleep in minutes.
***
Henry glanced over at Fee. She was sound asleep, her blanket pillow keeping her head up, her hands still clasped around the broken critters in her lap. They’d been driving for six hours, and she’d done a good job of catching up on her sleep.
“So, Max, what else can you tell me about the Witch Hunters?” The robot had been keeping him entertained: they’d played eye-spy, which was difficult with a very literal robot who had a dodgy sense of humour, and talked about robotics and artificial intelligence. When he talked about Fee while she was asleep, Max used her nickname, not the full name he always used when talking with her face to face. It was kind of spooky.
“I only know what I have been told or overheard in my time,” he replied.
“Which is...?”
“They are devout, and firmly believe in their right to kill those with magic, whatever the cost. They believe magic is a scourge they have been tasked with destroying.”
Henry shook his head. He didn’t know how they’d managed to stay under the radar at the Carnival all these years, but he was glad they had. These people sounded horrific.
Maybe blessing magic didn’t count? Henry tightened his grip on the steering wheel. And maybe it did. “What else?”
“They are generally rural based, although not all of them eschew technology the way Fee’s parents do.”
“And her parents?”
“After her first run in with her father, Fee escaped, but knew she would have to keep an eye on him to keep herself safe. She has a few simple spy cameras set up at the farm, with help from Alberta, and of course Alberta herself to keep an eye on things.”
“Where do the feeds for those cameras go?”
“Her phone. But I saw her checking earlier, after her conversation with Alberta. They were no longer in operation.”
“That doesn’t bode well for Alberta, does it?” Henry had a terrible feeling she would already be dead.
“No. It does not.”
Henry continued to brood for a while, wondering if they were making a huge mistake by traveling to get Alberta. What were they going to do after that?
The phone went off, sending vibrations along the steering wheel.
“Hello?” he said.
“Hi, Henry. This is Lucas.”
Henry slowed his speed, and sat up slightly. “Lucas.”
“Where are you? I’ve been trying to get in touch with you and Fee. The FBI agent wants to talk with you.”
Henry couldn’t tell if that was sinister or not. “We ran into some trouble. Have you heard anything new about the bomb?”
Lucas sighed. “They think they’ve narrowed the suspects down. It appears it wasn’t a very sophisticated bomb; they scored more points for ingenuity than finesse.”
“So not a professional, but someone who was smart enough to figure it out for himself?”
“Or herself,” said Lucas softly.
Henry glanced over at Fee. Her eyes were open. They widened slightly at the implication.
“You think Fee had something to do with this?” asked Henry.
There was a pause at the other end, and then Lucas sighed. “I don’t want to think that any of my staff were involved. But that’s what FBI Agent Franklin is telling me. Fee is the only person who has disappeared.”
“She’s not the one who did it. We’re hiding out because she’s the target of the bomb,” said Henry. No way was he going to let Lucas go on believing that Fee was guilty.
“Is that what she told you?” asked Lucas softly.
Henry took a breath. “What makes you think she did it?” he asked.
“At the advice of the FBI, I’ve offered everyone in the lab protection at a friend’s beach house. Fee is the only one who hasn’t come in and taken advantage of that.”
“You’ve got everyone else all together in one house?” asked Henry. He was suddenly worried for Nolan and Eugene, the only two he was fairly certain had nothing to do with the bomb.
“Yes. They’re all here. Except Fee.” Lucas’s voice was accusatory.
“Is that for their protection, or so it’s easier to find them when they decide who did it?” Henry asked tersely.
“Of course, it’s for their protection. Agent Franklin is actually leaning toward Pelgrim as the main suspect. It’s just that actions speak louder than words.”
Henry couldn’t decide if Lucas was sincere. He’d never sensed anything other than integrity and honesty from him, but he was also in a position to make all of this happen. He’d known where Henry was staying, and would have known exactly how to get past the security to plant a bomb.
“Okay, we’ll come in,” said Henry. Beside him on the seat, Fee shook her head violently. He put a finger to his lips, trying to let her know he was just playing for time.
“That’s great,” said Lucas, his voice sounding relieved.
“We’ll be a few hours. We have a couple of things to do first, and we were headed out of town.”
“Really?” Lucas sounded worried. “You know that just makes her seem guiltier, right? Are you sure she’s as innocent as you think?”
Henry paused. Was Lucas trying to convince Henry or himself? Was someone there talking in his ear, telling him this stuff about Fee, or was he the one in charge? It was impossible to know. “Of course, she’s innocent, Lucas. If you knew Fee better, you’d know it too.”
“How well do you actually know Fee, Henry? You’ve only known her a couple of days. Perhaps if you knew her better, you’d know she was capable of this.” Lucas paused. “Let me know when you get closer, and I can tell you where to come.”
“Sure.” Henry pressed the button to end the call before Fee could burst out with anything that would let Lucas know she’d heard the whole conversation.
“We’re not going back,” said Fee, turning in her seat, her eyes sparking green fire.
“Of course we’re not going back. We have no idea who is working with the Witch Hunters, and Lucas is a prime suspect. I just wanted to give us more time.”
“Oh.” Fee sat back against the seat again. “That’s all right then.”
“What did you think about Lucas’s voice? Did he sound suspicious to you?” asked Henry.
Fee shook her head. “I don’t think so. But he thinks I did it, doesn’t he?”
“I think he doesn’t know what to think. Either that or he’s the one who bombed the damn building. Maybe it’s not just about you? Maybe he’s trying to get the insurance money?”
Fee shook her head. “I definitely felt the Witch Hunter energy there. I don’t think this is a simple case of insurance fraud. And don’t forget the men at your hotel room.”
“So you think Lucas is part of it?”
“I was sure it was Pelly at first. Then David blatantly lied to me. But you’re right; it could also have been Lucas using David to put his message across.” Fee put her hands to her scalp and pulled at the hair. “I don’t know what to think anymore. I wouldn’t have said anyone was suspicious until we got bombed. Except maybe Pelly after he was fired. But the energy at the Callaghan Technologies building was real.”
�
��Then we have to figure out who might have done it, and find a way to stop them.”
“Have you thought about the fact that they could all be innocent and this is an outside job?” Fee didn’t like having to think of them all as possible suspects.
Henry sighed. “Yes, I have. It seems more logical that it’s an inside job, though. The FBI’s investigations backed up that idea too.”
Fee thought about that for a moment. “I guess it would make it easier to get past all the security. Less likely to be noticed. But they destroyed Violet. All our hard work down the drain.” Fee felt sick at the thought.
“Which makes it seem more likely it was Lucas. He didn’t think that the project was going anywhere. He was pressuring you all, brought me in to save it, but could have been planning to simply close it down and fire you all. This gives him the opportunity to claim insurance, get some of his money back.”
“So you think Lucas is guilty?”
Henry shook his head. “I don’t know yet. But he’s looking like a good suspect. Especially given that phone call we just had.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Fee woke to the vibration of the car under her body and the morning light from an early sunrise. She blinked open her eyes, and turned to see Henry concentrating on the road ahead of them.
“Morning, sleepy head,” he said with a grin.
“How are you still awake?” she croaked out, trying to get her bearings.
“I’m used to all night drives. We do it every time we change towns for the summer season. I usually drive one of the trucks, so this is like child’s play in comparison.”
Fee nodded and swallowed over her dry throat.
“There’s water by your feet, and we’re coming up to a diner where we can get some coffee and something to eat. According to the road signs anyway.” Henry seemed far too chirpy for this hour of the morning.
