A whole world, p.47
The Oriceran Rich and Famous Collection: Two Complete Oriceran Universe Series, page 47
“This was a government thing. Maybe it was the Navy out of the Kitsap base. Some kind of training exercise or experiment gone wrong. I mean, who has the means to erase all this security footage?”
“The Feds?” Lovell shook his head. “They could have done it. What about erasing everyone’s memory?”
“Who says anyone erased it? Maybe they were bribed or threatened, and now they’ve conveniently forgotten about whatever they saw. Hell, it still could have been erased though.”
“You think the Men in Black showed up with those flashy things?” Lovell groaned. “Wait a second. Are you about to talk about magic again? The Feds don’t need magic. They have all that alien technology from Area 51.”
“Don’t be so closed-minded. This shit has magic written all over it. Hey, look at that!” McGrath pointed at a small salmon-colored brick building. It was an Indian restaurant.
“What, you already hungry? We just got done with breakfast, and they aren’t open.” Lovell leaned forward, shaking his head in disbelief. “On account of the son-of-a-bitchin’ sports car lodged halfway through their front doors!”
McGrath pulled over and stopped. The two officers got out and rushed toward the restaurant’s vestibule. McGrath’s wide grin made the ends of his mustache twitch. “Shit. This is a Bugatti Veyron. These bastards cost about two million, at least, and someone left theirs parked here.”
“Or maybe they’re still inside, and they need help!” Lovell breathed heavily as he shuffled his bulk forward, bent, and stared inside the car. That was easy since the driver’s door was propped open. “No one inside. Looks like they might have ditched at the last second. The keys are still in the ignition.”
McGrath’s greedy eyes wandered up and down the length of the sleek black car. No security footage. No witnesses to whatever happened here. Hell, the owner of this car probably doesn’t remember anything. I could get in and tell Lovell I’m taking it into lockup…
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” said a soft voice behind them.
They turned to find a slender, sharp-chinned man staring at them from beneath the hood of a gray sweatshirt. The word that popped into McGrath’s head to describe the fellow was shady.
“Sir, you can’t be here.” McGrath pointed up the road. “This area is under investigation. I’ll have to ask you to leave. Unless you can tell us anything useful.”
The shady man stepped forward. He smiled as he raised his hands and drew a shape in the air. A sigil made of light appeared, floating in front of McGrath.
“Magic!” McGrath gasped. “Lovell, get a load of this shit! I told you.”
The sigil suddenly flashed forward and shrank as it arced up toward McGrath’s forehead. By the time it hit him it was the size of a grain of sand. It vanished from sight, and McGrath stared dumbly into space.
Lovell rushed toward the stranger. “Hey, what did you do to him? You wiped his memory, didn’t you?” He didn’t have a chance to do anything because another sigil embedded itself in the sweaty skin of his forehead. The officer skidded to a stop and looked around like he’d forgotten what he was supposed to be doing.
The wizard smiled at a job well done. “No. I did nothing to his memory. Not yet. That was a hypnosis spell, and your minds are now subject to my every suggestion.
“The two of you will return to your station and go about your day. You will not, under any circumstance, look into Henry Neumann. He isn’t a person of interest.” He paused and chanted, “Never was, never will be.”
A breeze moved through Bremerton, carrying away the last fifteen minutes of the officers’ memories. Lovell and McGrath got back into their squad car and drove away.
Reese leaned against the Indian restaurant's wall, watching as the police car disappeared around the corner. As soon as it was gone, he returned to the Bugatti and wove another spell. It warped reality, and it was taxing. Some theories said such spells drew from parallel universes, but Reese refused to dwell on that idea. He already had enough on his mind.
He waved at the Veyron. A shimmer like a heat mirage rippled through the air, and every identifying feature down to the VIN changed. The license plate number altered and so did the state—the car was now from Maryland.
“There you are, my badge-wearing friends.” Reese smiled at his handiwork. “The car is now registered to a person who does not exist. Have fun trying to track anything down.”
The wizard shut his eyes and called upon a projection spell that sent his consciousness into the sky. When he opened his eyes again, he was looking at downtown Bremerton from a thousand feet overhead. The magic made him dizzy, and his body wavered, trying to keep its balance. He turned his head, causing the isometric view to shift.
“I’ve already taken care of the mess at the ferry terminal and the pile of corpses near the waterfront.” Reese narrowed his eyes, trying to think of anything he might have missed. “It seems my work here is complete. I shall have to visit Henry and let him know.”
Reese crossed the parking lot to Burwell Street and retrieved his compact and inconspicuous Daihatsu Charade from the Harborside Garage. His phone rang as he got inside.
“Red,” Reese answered. “How’s it going?”
“Our recon team is currently checking out the area around Illahee Preserve.” The Kilomea’s deep voice rumbled across the airwaves. “I don’t think we’ll need any extra help on this one, but I will defer to you.”
“Yes, you will. I’m glad we see eye-to-eye. Some people like to bank their favors for when they need them, but I like calling mine in right away.”
Henry turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. He toweled himself dry, slipped on a bathrobe, and finally opened the door and switched off the fan. Then he remembered how silent the house had become.
He wandered downstairs and along the corridors of the Neumann manor. He stopped briefly at the game room. It was one of the most popular hangout spots for the teens, and it was spooky to see it so quiet and empty. The pool cues stood neatly racked, and the stereo and lights were off.
Where could they be? he wondered. Maybe they’re back in the cave by now, slinging weights around and letting off steam.
They weren’t. Winter and Finch were the only ones in residence. They silently worked back-to-back in the command center while ambient music played from the sound system. It was a droning hum along with birdsong and wind rustling in trees.
“Feel human again yet?” Winter didn’t look up. He wore a head-mounted magnifier, the kind worn by jewelers, and was inspecting the barrel seam on the wind cannon.
“Not really, but a hot shower helps.” Henry swiped wet hair back from his forehead. “I feel like I should be out doing something.”
“Same here,” Winter grunted. “But as Reese so politely put it in his text messages, we’ve done enough damage as it is. We’ve done all we can from here, so I suppose it’s time to trust the real magicals.”
“Speaking of which…” Henry turned toward the young elf. “Finch, any updates on the others?”
Finch shrugged and heaved a gloomy sigh. “Ellie finally texted me back. She said something about paying their respects to Norman.”
“Hard to do without a body. You’re not with them?” Henry asked.
“I told the boy he should go.” Winter touched a spot welder to the seam. There was a popping sound and a small burst of sparks.
“I work through things in my own way.” Finch set down the umbrella gun he was inspecting and turned around. “Even back…you know, before, when we were living under Seattle…I usually stayed behind at home base while they were out. I was the Winter of our group. Helping from a distance. It’s a necessary job, obviously, but sometimes I feel like it’s kept me on the outside.”
“I know exactly how you feel, kid.” Henry sat with a groan. The cold of the cave was already seeping into his battered body. “But you’re part of the family. I mean their family.”
Finch frowned. “I thought we were all one big family now.”
“Not yet. Maybe one day. I think we’re making negative progress now. High-stress situations can do that. Sometimes they bring people closer together, but most of the time they push people further apart. Before we let things get too maudlin, did we double-check everything?”
Winter leaned back and cracked his knuckles. “Double, triple and quadruple checked.”
Henry nodded, but then his eyes went wide as another spike of worry shot through his mind. “We got the main cameras at the Credit Union. I know we did. What about the ATMs? They all have cameras. Did we remember those?”
“We didn’t.” Finch laughed, nudging Winter’s chair.
“Of course we did.” Winter shook his head, feigning ignorance. “Don’t worry your big head, Henry. Old Winter has everything taken care of.”
“And young Finch,” the Light Elf piped up. He had already moved on to restocking Henry’s utility belt with a fresh batch of wind grenades.
Henry was finally ready to relax, but an alarm sounded. One of the manor’s camera feeds automatically enlarged itself across the main screen. It showed the view of the back gate.
Finch looked over from his work. “Some ugly, shitty little car.”
Winter leaned in to get a closer look. “Did someone order a pizza? I hope someone ordered a pizza. Seriously though, who could it be?”
Henry drew a deep breath. “It’s all right. I know that car. You can let it in.”
Winter shrugged and hit a button. The gates swung open and the Daihatsu rolled down the dirt track and into the hillside, out of sight.
They heard it approaching, a rumble that echoed and filled the tunnel. Henry and Winter went to greet it. The car pulled into the cave a moment later. When the engine died, Reese stepped out.
The bony wizard dusted his hands. “Everything should be taken care of now.”
Henry sized the man up. “Almost didn’t recognize you in those clothes. Were your normal wizard robes too conspicuous?”
“That, and a bit too breezy.” Reese shivered. “I had no idea it could get so chilly here. I thought it was supposed to be a temperate rainforest. Temperate. Back to business… I believe I have dotted every ‘i’ and crossed every ‘t.’ All except for Stryker’s undead warriors. If anything pops up about them, it will be a small and isolated problem that will prove easy to solve. In the meantime, I’d like to ask a favor in return.”
Henry drew a deep breath. “I knew that was coming. I don’t really like when you ask for favors, Reese.”
The wizard leaned against the dented hood and folded his arms. “If the Silver Griffins were still around, I would ask my colleagues for help. However, you have put me in quite a bind with this Kilomea.”
“Jeff,” Winter said. “Haven’t you dealt with him already? You were supposed to be taking him to a prison somewhere.”
“Yes, and that is still the plan. However, it isn’t easy to find a cell capable of holding a beast like this. The ordinary course of action would be to dump him off at Trevilsom, but someone promised Jeff a more lenient posting.”
“Don’t look at me.” Winter nudged Henry. “You can blame the big muscleman here for that.”
Henry shrugged. “It helped us deal with the Prev problem. I did what I had to do. Jeff isn’t nearly as much of a danger anymore. Seems like he’s beaten down and ready to submit.”
“Yes of course, and that’s why he’s already attempted to escape from our custody. Twice.”
Henry winced. “Where are you keeping him?”
“A temporary safehouse near Lower Roto Vista Park. Red is there, and that’s probably the only reason we’ve been able to keep Jeff from getting away. We found a prison for him, but the problem will be getting him there. Escape becomes much easier while on the move.
“That’s where you come in, Henry. We could use the extra hands, and maybe your presence will remind Jeff about whatever’s left of his honor. You promised him, but he also swore to go quietly.”
“I can tag along.” Henry stretched and groaned at the aches and pains from the battle. “But I’m not really in tip-top shape right now. Even if I was, what can I possibly offer? You’ve got plenty of talented magicals on your roster already.”
Reese smiled and touched Henry’s arm. “You have certain talents that we lack.”
Henry glanced at the command center, where Finch was still working. “What the hell are you talking about, Reese?”
“All your gadgets, of course.” Reese raised his eyebrows. “What else? We have the magic, and you have the magitech. Grab whatever gear you think you might need and meet us at the park at midnight.”
Reese gave them a lazy salute, got in his car, and backed out of the cave.
Henry sighed. “Why does everyone always want to meet at midnight?”
“All right, muscles, the road is clear ahead of you. No police in the area. They’re all hanging out downtown, trying to sort out the mess.”
“So feel free to speed like a motherfucker!” Finch added.
Henry nodded and adjusted the earpiece as he raced along Eleventh Street. The ride of choice for the night was the Suzuki GSX1300 Hayabusa, a black and orange beast capable of almost any speed he needed. I hope I don’t wreck the thing. It’s too damn nice for that. And now I’ve jinxed it by even thinking about it.
“Shut up, Henry,” he growled. “This is going to be a total milk run. Deliver Jeff to wherever the hell he’s going and make sure he doesn’t escape. How hard can that be?”
Lower Roto Vista Park lay at the southeast end of the Warren Avenue Bridge, the main connection between southern and northern Bremerton. Henry had been to the park several times. It was a postage stamp by the water’s edge that kayakers often used as a launching point. Tonight he stopped before the park at a square white house at the end of Elizabeth Ave.
The porch light was on, and a tall man with broad shoulders was sitting on a deck chair. He stood and rapped on the door as Henry approached. Reese came out as Henry moved up the driveway.
“Good, you’re here.” Reese gestured at the corner of the house. “Back there.”
A small detached garage sat at the edge of a shadowy stand of trees. An armored cash transport van idled there. Two men in dark clothing and masks were already in the front seat, ready to go.
“We’ve secured Jeff in the back,” Reese explained. “The rest of the convoy will join us once we’ve crossed the bridge. They’re currently performing recon up ahead to make sure no one’s setting up an ambush.”
“Where exactly are we going?” Henry demanded.
“Not far. We have only one magical capable of opening a portal in our retinue, and we guard him well. He’s not allowed to enter the field with us, so we’re going to him. It’s about a ten-minute drive.”
Henry breathed a sigh of relief. “All right, that’s not bad. I was worried you would say we’d need to cross state lines or something.”
“Oh, are you concerned about the police investigation of the incident at Wildcat Lake? It’s too bad about Nicole. If she were here, she could probably get that fingerprint evidence expunged for you.”
Henry growled and slammed a hand against the side of the armored van. “Don’t talk to me about Nicole. In case you forgot, Reese, we’re business partners, not friends. You do not want to piss me off.”
Reese smiled and stepped back. “Acknowledged, Henry. Leena!”
A woman in black leggings and a black leather jacket appeared from the back of the van. She looked a lot like Nicole, from the way she moved to the shape and length of her body. Henry felt a pang in his chest, but then he noticed the blonde hair spilling out from under the woman’s ski mask.
It’s not her. Of course it’s not. Nicole is with Stryker now. And if I know her, she’s already coming up with a plan to escape.
“Let’s open the back of the van for a moment,” Reese ordered.
Leena nodded and pulled a set of keys from her jacket pocket. Henry followed her to the back of the van. She pulled the door open. Jeff was flat on his back with glowing bands of light encircling his body at his shoulders, wrists, and ankles. The Kilomea took up all the floor space.
“Come to gloat, Neumann?” Jeff asked.
“I don’t gloat. Well, I guess that’s a lie. I do gloat, but that’s not why I’m here. Your path to redemption starts now, Jeff. If you ever want to be anything besides a criminal, you’ll behave yourself.”
“I can’t make any more promises to you.” Jeff wiggled side to side. “I don’t think that matters. I’m not going anywhere, so let’s get this show on the road.”
Leena tried to shut the door, but it hit Jeff’s feet and bounced back. Jeff bent his knees enough for her to get the door shut on her second try.
Henry turned to Reese. “I’ll follow close and watch the back of the van. Let’s move out.”
“You all heard the man!” Reese waved for them to move out. “Let’s get this done so we can all relax and put this mess behind us! Take this, Henry.”
He handed Henry an earpiece, which Henry put into his open ear as he hurried back to the Hayabusa. He was impatient to complete the mission. The van pulled onto the road, and he fell in behind it. He mostly let the bike coast, only giving it small jolts of gas whenever he fell behind. Another van pulled out behind him. A glance back showed Reese waving from the driver’s seat.
Once they were on Warren Ave. they picked up the pace and drove onto the bridge. Traffic was non-existent.
“So far so good,” Reese announced. “Even the water looks calm. As soon as we reach the other side, two more vans will join us with the rest of my crew. Just a little pleasure cruise. Nothing to worry about.”
“How’s the recon going?” Henry gazed at the moonlit ripples of the Port Washington Narrows.
“Last status update was five minutes ago. Everything’s clear.”
“A lot can happen in five minutes.”
“Indeed, but on a night like this? The Kilomea’s gang has already abandoned him, and most of them are dead or on the run. We’re being cautious, but really, who could want to spring him from our clutches?”
