by TR Cameron
Prash nodded slowly. “What guarantees do I have that this isn’t a setup for another attack on my company?”
Julianna shrugged. “You have lawyers. We have lawyers. We’ll set up a retainer with significant penalties for any such thing. Put the money in escrow. Whatever.”
Conversationally, as if she were doing nothing more than discussing a restaurant menu, the elf said, “Just so you’re aware, this is personal for me. Any betrayal would meet with deadly force directed at those in charge, not at their underlings.”
Julianna nodded. “Then indeed, we understand one another.” She gestured to the side. “Look at that.” The elf turned in the direction she’d indicated. Uniformed personnel with the Aces Security logo on their backs were watching people on the Strip, while others installed what looked like additional cameras on the exterior of the Invention casino. “Their footprint in the city is increasing, so there’s no time to waste. If you can take over their contracts with the casino and give me an inside resource, so much the better.”
Prash nodded and grinned, “Now you’re talking.”
Angelina portaled back to the company’s base, winding up in her office. She exited the room, took the couple of steps to reach her partner’s door, and opened it without knocking. He looked up from his desk. “Hey, how goes it?”
She plopped herself down on his couch with a sigh. “The Ely Strip is hot this time of year. Plus, it’s filled with oodles of annoying people.”
He laughed as he came around from behind his work area and sat in a comfortable chair nearby. “I believe they call those tourists. They’re the lifeblood of any gambling operation and also what will pay our bills in that town.”
She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the cushions. “So, the proposal is that we help the widow Sloane take the city for herself, basically. In return, we get to smack down Aces Security and eventually take an ownership stake in their casinos.”
He grunted. “Think she’s playing fair?”
Angelina shrugged. “I do. I think she’s willing to give up a decent amount to get what she wants. At this point, it’s less about the money than about payback, which is why she’s decided to throw in an ownership stake. Still, it’ll be risky.”
“Subsidiary corporation then, so nothing blows back on Worldspan?”
She nodded. “If the contract is with the subsidiary, we can later decide what relationship we want to have with the main company. Which means deciding how to handle that ownership percentage will be a lot easier.”
He grinned. “You never change, Ang. I love that about you.”
“Enough to give me fifty-one percent of our share of the casinos?”
He reached over and slapped her gently on the leg. “No, not that much. Fifty-fifty all the way, as always.”
She sighed, opened her eyes, and nodded. “I’ll have our people check to make sure there’s no snake hidden up her sleeve. I think we’re about to be doing quite a lot of work in Magic City.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Angelina walked into her facility’s arming room, and pride at the sight of her people getting ready to go struck her. This night’s operation would be different than usual since they wouldn’t be wearing their normal gear and wouldn’t be playing defense. No, tonight is all about offense. She clapped her hands for their attention and stood on a nearby stool. “Listen up, people. Our landing location is off the Strip, right next to the target casino. We’re going to go in hard. Our main goal is to draw out the principals of the security company for the place, who we’ve all had the displeasure of meeting before, and get them into the open so we can take them out.”
Her second-in-command, a man with a thin dark beard that ran from under his nose down to his jawline and up to his hair, asked, “All the way out?”
“Let me put it this way. I want them to be unable to operate their company for a while. If you can accomplish that by hospitalization, excellent. If you can’t, then do what you need to do.”
He nodded, a serious expression covering his face. “Got it, boss.”
Another person asked, “How big do we want this to be?”
Angelina chuckled inwardly. Brelle was the team’s demolition expert, and she could count on the woman to ask that particular question in almost any circumstance. She replied, “The casino should still be standing when we finish. Otherwise, I don’t care a bit. If some construction companies get some work out of tonight’s adventure, we can always claim we’re improving the local economy. Good for PR.”
Laughter sounded, and another one of her people commented, “Except for the gnomes and the other security companies, of course.”
She replied, “Well, we can offer the gnomes a discount on their contracts to make up for it.” She stepped down from the stool and walked through the room, reviewing her people. Roughly three-fourths of them were in the black business suits their recon had spotted the Aces personnel wearing, and the remainder were in fast-made duplicates of the other company’s uniforms.
Disguising themselves as their opposition necessarily meant leaving some of their best tools behind, unfortunately. They couldn’t bring rifles, for instance. Nothing more than what they could carry in small bags and hidden holsters would do. It wasn’t the first time they’d been in such a situation, though, so they had the right people with the right skills, using mostly the right technology. The other company had stolen a bunch of their gear that Worldspan hadn’t replaced, not that they would use the best stuff that evening since it was identifiable. Earpieces yes, glasses no.
That jogged her memory, and she raised her voice and announced, “Okay, two more things. First, remember to grab the IDs of anyone you take down, along with anything else that might give us access to locked doors and so forth. Pins, watches, whatever. If you have a second to grab it, do it. Don’t risk yourselves, of course, because Brelle can always blow any door that’s blocking us.”
The woman called, “You know it, boss,” and laughter sounded.
Angelina continued, “Oh, and if you see any of the tech they stole from us, take it or break it. Thieving bastards.”
Her second-in-command observed, “That stuff was insured, right, boss?”
“Of course, and the insurance company has already reimbursed us, which makes it an added benefit if we get it back. Bonuses for everyone. Don’t forget our primary objective: the Aces principals go down, and they go down hard. Secondary objective, make sure the gnomes realize how much they need a competent security company.”
Her people nodded, and pride filled her at their professional attitude. “All right, warriors. Fifteen minutes to the witching hour. Time to hit the road.”
Grentham was enjoying himself with a drink at Grinding Axes, where he was more or less a late-night regular. It was a sort of bar where he didn’t expect to see many folks he knew professionally, which suited him fine. Sometimes, he needed time to relax, drink, and people-watch. Even most of his crew didn’t know he frequented the place. He enjoyed the anonymity of being another face among the dwarves that patronized it. His phone buzzed, the display reading “unknown,” and he lifted it to his ear. Before he could speak, Scimitar’s voice snapped, “Put on the glasses.”
Adrenaline spiked as he obeyed, and displays blossomed to fill both eyepieces. One displayed the interior of Invention casino, which appeared as it should, full of tourists gambling, drinking, and carousing. The other was from an external camera they’d installed, and it showed a wave of people, dozens of them, dressed in outfits that looked exactly like what his personnel wore. She said, “A bot spotted those. Somehow I don’t think they’re yours, despite the outfits.”
He snarled, “They’re not. Sound the alarm at headquarters.” He stood and shoved the phone in his pocket, threw a twenty on the table to compensate for the rule he was about to break, and made the social faux pas of opening a portal right there and stepping through to his office. He ran into the locker room to get suited up, strapping on his vest and grab
bing a shotgun. His axes were at home where he’d been sharpening them, and he didn’t think he could spare the time to retrieve them. So be it. I’ll use magic to burn them down instead, and there’s the shotgun for anyone magic won’t suffice for.
Aces people flowed in quickly, and Jared showed up after a couple of minutes and opened his locker to put on his gear. “Know anything more?”
Grentham tapped his ear. “Scimitar says they’re inside and they’re causing trouble. She’s helping coordinate the response from the team inside.”
Jared nodded as he slipped his earpiece in. You should have had that with you already, chucklehead. His partner said, “Good,” then raised his voice and called to the people in the room, “Anyone who’s ready, get over here. You can go over with us. Anyone else, make your way there however you can.”
Grentham pulled out his phone and sent a text message. “Some of my most trusted folks will be here soon to act as transport.” He opened a portal, and a squad of four ran through it ahead of him and his partner. They pelted down the hallway and broke out onto the gaming floor to find it in complete chaos. Pistols were firing, patrons were shouting, and magic was being thrown all over the place. He cringed involuntarily as lightning blasts slammed into an expensive-looking chandelier with gems resembling gears. It shattered, and the jewels fell to the floor, adding to the frenzy as people scrambled to grab them. He muttered, “Idiots, they’re probably fake.”
Scimitar spoke, capturing his attention. “Signals from the building have been jammed. Even the wired backup is apparently compromised because there’s no police response from the automatic alarm. Also, from the outside, everything looks fine.” She opened the window in his glasses. It displayed the take from one of the drones the infomancer had positioned near the Strip at all times since agreeing to work with them. The exterior of the casino looked perfectly normal. He shook his head. “Illusion. Clever bastards. Okay, if things start to go wrong, you can call the cops. Your discretion. Still, wait until it seems like we’re not going to win.”
The infomancer barked a laugh. “I kinda have doubts already.”
Grentham grinned. Despite taking pleasure in the calm and comfortable parts of his life, moments like this were why he kept his hand in the businesses rather than selling out and retiring. “That’s because we still have some tricks you haven’t seen. Enjoy the show.”
He turned to Jared. “Stay safe, partner.”
The other man patted the advanced trauma kit that was part of his gear and nodded. “You too. Keep in touch.”
Grentham ordered the foursome to accompany his partner, preferring to work solo in the chaos. Sometimes being shorter than average isn’t a bad thing. He used the gaming tables and structural components of the casino to his advantage, skirting around existing fights, looking for a place where he could make a difference. Once I figure out who’s behind this, if they’re here, I’m going to kick their ass up between their ears personally. In the meantime, his thoughts trailed off as he spotted a fake Aces security person pulling the ID tag off one of his people who was down and bleeding.
He muttered, “I don’t think so,” and sent a force blast at the man. It caught him entirely by surprise and slammed him into the wall a few feet away. His skull cracked hard against it, and he slumped to the floor on all fours, shaking his head dazedly. Grentham ran over and channeled his momentum into a kick, ensuring that his foe would remain unconscious for some time. Scumbag. He knelt and checked the Aces guard, then grabbed the man’s first-aid kit and pressed a bandage on the bullet wound in his shoulder. He put the guard’s hand on it and pushed, causing him to groan and regain some semblance of consciousness. “Keep the pressure on, right here.” He patted his unwounded shoulder. “We’ll have a medic look at you as soon as possible. Hang on.”
He stood and moved away in a rush, in case anyone had noticed him. Over the comms, he ordered, “Medics, all of them. Quickly. Scimitar, see if you can get the gnomes’ medical people out here, too. Extra gear to treat gunshot wounds.”
She replied, “On it.”
The bark of a pistol from his left announced that someone had spotted him, and he grunted in pain as a bullet plowed into his vest. Their high-end armor was more resistant and channeled less of the impact than the norm, so he got away without any damage to his ribs other than discomfort and probable bruising. He reached down for the shotgun hanging at his side, brought it up with a smile, and pulled the trigger.
He’d loaded it with slugs in case it was necessary to use it as a lock breaker, and the heavy projectile slammed into the man’s chest and sent him flying backward to crash onto a blackjack table, knocking it over as he tumbled out of sight behind it. “Serves you right, jerk.” Grentham racked the pump to eject the spent shell and position the next. He’d mounted a holder with five more rounds on the weapon's stock, but he doubted he’d find time in the overall frenzy to reload.
Another target of opportunity slipped into view nearby, and he pulled the trigger. That one was a magical and had spotted him at the same time he’d attracted Grentham's notice. The other man called up a force shield, and the angled surface deflected the slug up and away. Then a jet of flame flew at Grentham's face.
He dropped the weapon and created a curved force shield in front of him to deflect the flames. The sprinklers activated since the number of small fires in the room had reached the appropriate level. Grentham laughed, reveling in the pure physicality of the moment, which informed his choice of attack. He rushed at the elf who’d tried to roast him, maintaining his shield and wishing that he’d taken the time to get his axes.
His opponent pummeled him with magical attacks, but none was strong enough to stop his headlong rush. He slammed the shield into the elf, who spun away and went down to one knee on the floor. Grentham let the magic fall and twisted his body into a left hook aimed at the man’s temple, which was now right at the perfect height for the punch. It connected, and the elf dropped. He noticed the man’s earpiece and cursed as he realized it was identical to his. He said over the comm, “These guys are Worldspan, which probably means they’re here because of us. Watch out for the leader, and let me know when you see her. I’m more than happy to give her a rematch.” He racked the pump on the shotgun, pushed two more slugs into it, and started hunting for more scumbags.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Morrigan portaled them from the roof of Spirits to the roof of Invention, and Ruby knelt at the edge and peered over while she positioned one of Demetrius’ network boosters. “You’d never know anything was happening inside from out on the Strip. Thank goodness Demetrius’s programs detected increased encrypted activity here.”
Morrigan replied, “Being a casino owner who could call the gnomes to ask what was up didn’t hurt either, right?”
She nodded and pointed at the doorway that led into the building, giving Idryll a push to start her moving. “Sometimes things work out how they should. Let’s get a move on.” They were each in the gear that they could quickly assemble at the bunker, which was most of it. Her knuckles hadn’t fully recharged because she’d been busy since she last used them, something that Keshalla would no doubt chide her for if she found out. Knowing Idryll, she’ll find out.
They smashed the security door barring them from the casino, both Morrigan and Ruby hitting it with force blasts simultaneously. Idryll led the way in her humanoid form, wearing the costume to disguise her identity to free up Ruby’s magic for other uses. Between fighting and dealing with the many voices in her head, sometimes concentration proved a problem, and every bit helped.
They quickly found the tube elevators, which Ruby had seen before on a tour of the place but hadn’t had the opportunity to use. She slapped another booster, or hack box as she liked to call the devices, on the wall, then jumped in. They delivered her and her partners to the first floor, which was chaos. Security was fighting off an apparent invasion force while patrons screamed and sought safety, but it was hard to tell the teams apart
.
Invention’s gnome security personnel had assumed that anyone who wasn’t of their species and was in a dark suit was fair game. The people in those outfits were squaring off against each other, which meant that choice would probably turn out badly for their contracted security force. Not my problem. She reminded, “Nonlethal unless it’s life or death. Lots of innocents around here.”
She ran over and pressed another box that provided Demetrius with greater access to the casino’s electronics onto a nearby wall. Morrigan had already vanished by the time she turned back to Idryll. “Think she’s okay?”
The shapeshifter nodded. “She’s working through some stuff, you can tell. I have no doubt she’ll fight hard.”
Ruby muttered, “Not exactly what I was asking,” then increased volume and said, “Okay. Let’s go see if we can figure out who the bad guys are.”
Morrigan had spotted a raised area in the corner, the centerpiece of a circle of slot machines that served as a display holder and advertisement. She blasted herself up to it and kicked the “one dollar” sign off the top, then crouched and reached back for an arrow. It seemed like invaders were still coming in the front doors, so she decided that would be a good spot to begin. She launched the first arrow, knockout gas, and followed it quickly with the second, the one that messed with people’s inner ears.
Both flew true and were dispatched on a high enough arc that their origin point was not immediately apparent to those affected by them. Having done what she could to stem the tide flowing into the building, she turned her attention to the melee below. She spotted a single uniformed security guard facing off against two suited attackers and launched a lightning arrow into the middle of the trio. They all writhed under the attack from the electrical magic, then fell to the floor or their knees. The power’s dispersal over three people meant that probably none of them would wind up unconscious, but it would at least slow them. Hopefully, someone from the home team would knock the attackers out.
