“That isn’t a spell I am practiced with.” Sabra replied, examining the woman warily.
“Well. In that case, why don’t you go get enough of your things for a stay in my room overnight?” Lilith asked, smiling slightly. “If people are going to be spreading rumors about me being too quick to date other women, we may as well take advantage of them!”
Sabra blinked, opening her mouth, then shut it as she looked at Lilith uncertainly. She was… confused, Sabra decided, at least for a moment. It was just for an excuse, not an actual proposition, so she quelled her nervousness and nodded. “Very well, that seems like a reasonable excuse. It does make it easier for us to both be in the same place when it comes time… you intend to act tonight?”
“The longer we wait, the more likely it is that he successfully activates his devices, and the more likely they are to notice. It isn’t like I can easily get a tour of the command room, so…” Lilith shrugged, a smile playing across her lips. She was certainly audacious, Sabra admitted to herself. And pretty. And a non-mage… who was blessed by Ra himself. That made her concerns shakier, which annoyed Sabra.
“Very well. I’ll go get my things, then,” Sabra agreed, turning to the hatch.
As she turned, Lilith stood and followed, which made her pause and narrow her eyes suspiciously.
“Wouldn’t it be suspicious if I didn’t show you out?” Lilith asked.
“Ah. Of course.” Sabra said, inclining her head slightly, then stepped to the side so Lilith could open the hatch.
The next moment Sabra stiffened, her eyes going wide as she saw Black Harbinger’s looming figure on the other side of the hatch, staring down at them. It was like a bucket of ice water had been poured over her, and for an instant she wondered if she was about to die.
“What are you doing?” Black Harbinger demanded, his voice echoing in the hallway. Him obviously not having heard them was a relief, even if Sabra was still trying to come up with a proper explanation.
“I invited her to join me in my room for the night,” Lilith told him, not a trace of fear in her voice as she raised her chin and glared back at the villain, making Sabra wonder if she was suicidal. “Sabra was just going to get her things when you interrupted.”
Black Harbinger shifted slightly, his head turning to stare at Lilith, then Sabra. She shivered under his gaze, entirely willing to admit that he scared her. Then he scoffed loudly.
“Her? You barely know her. What are you really up to, woman?” the villain demanded.
“Of course I barely know her,” Lilith snapped, taking a step forward and folded her arms. “She’s also reasonably charming, exotic, and she reminds me of a goddess I met in Sekhet-Aaru. I don’t see any reason I can’t have a dalliance to distract me from being, oh, kidnapped. So butt out, Black Harbinger. Omega Code didn’t say I couldn’t invite someone to stay with me, he simply told me that if I hurt Percy that I’d die in horrible pain.”
Sabra felt her cheeks heat as Lilith spoke. Most of the words were meaningless, but the one about Sekhet-Aaru… that struck home and flustered her. Being compared to a goddess? Her? That… no, she didn’t dare even think about it. It was sacrilege, and Sabra shied away from the thought, even as she looked at Lilith again. How could someone who was so powerless have so much confidence?
“You are arrogant for one so weak,” Black Harbinger growled, taking a step toward Lilith so that he loomed over her. Sabra thought it ironic that he had the same opinion she did.
“I’m not arrogant. I’m just not going to spend all my time hiding and capitulating the second someone threatens me,” Lilith said, letting out an exasperated sigh as she unfolded her arms. “Do you think I want to be here? No, of course not! I want to be in my own bed at home! Instead, I’m here, and I’m accepting that. I’m not going to cringe just because you’re glaring at me, though.”
For a moment Sabra thought that Black Harbinger was going to attack Lilith. Then he reached out and shoved her, sending Lilith staggering backward, and he spoke menacingly. “I’m watching you, Lilith. And you, Atlantean… step out of line and you’ll die.”
With that he stalked down the hall, and Sabra let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding, then looked at Lilith. “You… are far too brave for your own good.”
“I wouldn’t say brave. I just know that Omega Code wants me alive. You’re the one who’s expendable, obviously, so you’d best be careful.” Lilith replied, straightening again. “Either way… see you in a bit?”
Sabra nodded, straightening and inhaling deeply before she said. “Yes. I believe I’ll clean up first, however.”
Lilith nodded, and Sabra made her way down the hall. Though she didn’t say anything aloud, she was suddenly very, very glad that Lilith had made her offer. Black Harbinger’s threat had driven her precarious position home thoroughly.
She also tried to ignore her curiosity about how the night would go. This was just an act, she had to remind herself of that.
Chapter 52
Wednesday, November 5th, 2031
The Internet
Circe found it. Well, not exactly it, she had to admit, but she localized where Omega Code had to be operating out of, though it’d taken quite a bit of correlation that she hadn’t done before.
The problem was that unlike many other groups, Circe didn’t have direct access to the records of all the people who made plane flights. Worse, the rules of the government kept them from being able to track individuals too closely. She didn’t have that restriction, but they kept a close enough eye on the various systems that she hadn’t considered it worth the time or effort to break into them before. Amber’s orders had changed that.
Now Circe had the records from every airline going back seven years and had taken every appearance of Black Harbinger and plugged them in to see if anyone had traveled to those locations beforehand and come back afterward. None of them were perfect matches, unfortunately, but for those who’d been present for greater than ninety percent of the attacks, she cut the list down to three. And one person had flown in before all but two incidents, and for those she’d done a little digging, and found information in his employer’s database that the man had driven to meetings with clients in the appropriate cities at about the same time.
“Got you,” Circe murmured vengefully, looking at the information she could access regarding Tony Talbot.
He seemed like such a normal man, mundane and unremarkable. A salesman for a grain conglomerate, which likely had absolutely no idea that they employed the man who had to be Black Harbinger. She might not be able to tell exactly where he was, but the man lived in Wichita, Kansas, and had just gone home after flying to Paragon City for a job. That was enough of a tip to point Morgan in the right direction. It’d better be, at least.
She sent the message, then went back to digging behind the backs of the oblivious other AIs. They really were working hard.
Guardian Compound, Paragon City
“This isn’t working,” Morgan said, letting out a growl of annoyance.
They’d found the other end of the portal in northern Canada, but that was too far for them to teleport to, and Morgan hadn’t been able to detect Lilith anywhere in the area. That being the case, they’d let one of the heroes in that region know there was something there and had gone back to the drawing board. It was after midnight now, and despite having a few of Lilith’s hairs, Morgan’s attempts to track her hadn’t gone anywhere.
Rashida wasn’t present, he’d taken the hotel room that the Sentinels had offered to pay for, so it was just Morgan, Shade, and Warden at this point.
“Crap,” Shade said, letting out a heavy sigh. “Not that I didn’t expect it, but… what’re we supposed to do?”
“It sounds like the only real option will be to head north to the place Rashida helped us find,” Warden said unhappily. “If only we still had our links to Lilith… that would make this so much easier.”
“Yes, but we don’t. I think we’d pro
bably better… who’s texting me at this time?” Morgan asked, frowning as she picked up her phone, which had just buzzed in an odd way. On the screen she found a terse text.
Omega Code in Wichita KS area. Find her, before I have to for Amber. This message will vanish in thirty seconds. ~Circe
Morgan froze for an instant as shock, hope, and fear rippled through her, then asked. “Do you have a map of Kansas?”
“Yeah, why?” Shade asked, frowning.
“Circe just sent me a message, she says Omega Code is in Wichita, and—damn it, there goes the message,” Morgan said, scowling as the message vanished like it’d never been there. “She deleted the message somehow, but she said that Omega Code is near Wichita, and to find Lilith before she had to for Shadowmind.”
“She… oh, thank goodness,” Warden said, letting out a heavy sigh. “She’s okay. She has to be okay.”
“I’ll be right back,” Shade said, climbing to his feet and rushing out of the room. Wherever he was going had to be nearby, as it only took him a minute before he came back in with a large book that looked like it contained maps of each state in the United States. “Will this work?”
“It should,” Morgan said, taking the maps with trembling fingers and quickly flipping through, looking for the one of Kansas, then set it down. “If I can envision the area, that’ll allow me to focus the spells more, rather than trying to cover the entire planet. If Lilith’s in that area…”
“Yeah, yeah, just cast the spell!” Warden said eagerly, sounding more awake and hopeful than Morgan had seen her friend look in days. Maybe weeks.
“Alright,” Morgan said, and slowly inhaled, focusing on the spell as she fixed an area within about fifty miles of Wichita in her mind. Then she began murmuring, channeling magic through her rings and the hairs she was holding, sending the magic in search of Lilith.
Purple magic swirled out of her hands, spreading across the map, and for a moment Morgan’s heart sank… then she felt the faintest tugging sensation, as it swirled around an area due south of the city. It was a large area that encompassed fields and several suburbs, but it was a reaction. It indicated that she’d found something.
“Rach, is that…?” Warden began, but let her voice trail off as she stared at the map.
“Yes. She’s somewhere in that area,” Morgan said, staring at the map as her heartbeat quickened. “As long as we can get into the right neighborhood, I should be able to narrow it down more, but we’ve got a lead!”
“In which case, I’ll get the others, and we can get the jet in the air,” Shade said quickly, grinning. “I think it’s time to kick Omega Code’s teeth in, don’t you?”
“Lets,” Morgan said, standing up quickly. She hadn’t slept properly yet, but that could wait.
Lilith needed rescuing, and she’d be damned if she sat around when Lilith was waiting for her.
Chapter 53
Wednesday, November 5th, 2031
Final Countdown Redoubt, Kansas
With a last, adroit twist of her wrist, Lilith popped the collar free and was able to breathe again, as the same twist had made it so the collar couldn’t explode. A vital part of its circuitry was part of that section, which made it tense nerves relax at last.
Sabra didn’t move for a moment, then reached up to touch her neck, almost as if not believing it had been done. When she touched her bare neck, the woman blinked, then visibly relaxed as she nodded.
“That… is a very welcome sensation,” Sabra said, inhaling deeply, then let her breath out again. “I did not realize just how welcome until now. I believe that I need to thank you.”
“Thank me after we escape,” Lilith said, looking around the room again.
She hadn’t slept much that night. It was awkward, resting in the same bed as Sabra, and the other woman hadn’t seemed to sleep easily either. Eventually it was time for their attempt, though, and Lilith and Sabra had gotten up. She was a bit amused that the woman had done her makeup and gotten dressed first, but she couldn’t blame her. She wondered about the bag she was carrying, but didn’t pry. Unfortunately for Lilith, she hadn’t even been allowed to keep her purse, it was with her car.
Sabra mostly seemed to be avoiding looking at Lilith, which made Lilith wonder if she disliked her or something. It made her a little uncomfortable, but there wasn’t much she could do.
“As you desire,” Sabra said, inclining her head slightly. “How shall we go about your plan? I can likely blow the door off the hinges of the command center.”
“Mm, yes, but that’ll probably set off alarms. Instead, maybe we can entice them into letting us in with something else. Like, say, coffee?” Lilith suggested, tilting her head curiously.
“That… seems like a possibility. Though I do not understand the obsession your people have with coffee. It tastes terrible to me,” Sabra said, wrinkling her nose.
“It does to me, too, but other people like it,” Lilith agreed, shrugging. “I figure that we might be able to even get them to stand down. I’d rather not hurt them if I don’t have to.”
“I believe that’s a foolish endeavor, but as you wish,” Sabra replied, taking a deep breath, then nodded, cautiously opening the hatch, at which point she relaxed slightly.
No one stood on the other side of the door, prompting Lilith to look around, then nod as she slipped the tools into her pockets. They were a bit heavy, but you never knew when you’d need a screwdriver or vise clamps. She hesitated for a moment, then slipped the explosive collar under her pillow. While it might be useful, she wasn’t going to chance it taking her hand off.
Then she stepped through the door and made her way down the hall toward the kitchen, Sabra just behind her. As she walked, Lilith found that her footsteps sounded particularly loud, and while the lights were on, there was something faintly… unnerving about the hallway. It took her a few seconds to place it, then she realized what was going on.
This reminded her, ever so slightly, of when she’d been moving through the basement of the convention center, just before she’d been attacked from behind, and at the thought she shivered, almost feeling the phantom sensation of the garotte around her neck. Lilith reached up to run a finger down the smooth, unblemished skin of her neck, but it didn’t help much.
“What are you doing?” Sabra asked softly.
“Remembering how I nearly died in halls not that unlike this, if more poorly lit,” Lilith replied, shaking her head. “I… wouldn’t think that I’d remember now, but it springs to mind for some reason. The way the wire pulled tight around my neck, then he stabbed me… if it weren’t for the gods, I would’ve died, most likely.”
“That does sound unpleasant, yes,” Sabra agreed, and they slipped into the dining room, which was also empty.
“I’ve been seeing a therapist about it. I thought I was over it, even if she said that there was no way of knowing what would trigger the memories. I suppose she was right,” Lilith replied, shrugging nervously, but headed for the nearest kitchen. They all had coffee makers, so it wasn’t like it mattered which she chose.
Sabra didn’t respond, and when Lilith looked back at the woman, she saw that Sabra was studying her thoughtfully. Lilith also didn’t think it was fair that the woman appeared to have slept better than she had, though it could just be that her complexion and the kohl hid any shadows under her eyes.
Lilith considered speaking for a moment, then shrugged and decided against it. Instead, she started getting a pot of coffee ready, thinking about the escape attempt. She didn’t know how many people were on-shift, so she’d just take the pot with her along with several mugs, she decided. And maybe something else…
“Would you go into the fridge and grab a package of donuts?” Lilith asked, pulling out a tray.
“I can do that. Those are the round pastries with holes in the center?” Sabra asked, pausing until Lilith nodded, then the other woman made her way into the back.
It took a couple of minutes for the other women to find the d
onuts, which amused Lilith. She hadn’t realized just how different than most people the Atlanteans were, but she supposed it only made sense. The tiny amounts of ancient mythology she’d managed to absorb certainly showed how much the world had changed over the millennia, and Atlantis had been gone for a long time. Of course it would develop differently.
They had coffee soon enough, though, and Lilith glanced at the nearest clock nervously, hoping that they hadn’t spent too much time. With that in mind, she put the donuts on the tray and headed for the exit.
“When we get to the door of the command center, I’d like you to stay out of sight, they might think I’m less dangerous on my own.” Lilith said softly, just to make sure no one would hear them. “I don’t suppose you have a spell to make them fall asleep? Unfortunately, the gun I had for that didn’t come with me.”
“I am able to do so, assuming they open the door.” Sabra agreed, glancing at Lilith curiously. “You are putting a great deal of effort into ensuring no one gets hurt.”
“I consider most of the people here to be…” Lilith paused, thinking for a couple of seconds, then shrugged. “misled, I suppose. I like some of them, and I’d rather not hurt them in my escape attempt. Black Harbinger and Omega Code are exceptions, but I’d rather not face them at all. I’d lose.”
“Sensible,” Sabra murmured, then fell silent as they moved down the hall again, this time moving toward the command center.
Lilith hoped that they could keep this quiet until the last possible minute. There wasn’t going to be anything subtle about the way she intended to dispose of the bomb, but she was willing to take that risk. Hopefully it would be enough to distract Omega Code too much to worry about her escape.
Black Harbinger stirred again, opening his eyes as he focused on Omega Code’s base once more. He was precisely where he’d left himself before, in an unlabeled room in the storage wing, and he looked down, sliding a section of armor to the side to check on the motion sensor he’d set earlier.
Queen's Journey (Lilith's Shadow Book 5) Page 35
