Beguiled damsel book 5, p.3
Beguiled (Damsel Book 5), page 3
Then she moved back, as a thick yellow liquid poured from nozzles in the ceiling.
The man didn’t instantly jump up, but after ten seconds, he was forced to rise, the room being filled to about four feet already. He wiped at his face, which didn’t seem to do a lot. Then he started to struggle harder. The room moving into near invisibility, thanks to how filled it was with pale yellow, suddenly. That stopped at about six feet, with a sense of movement inside of it.
That slowed down a lot, at about a minute into things. Somehow the man, Red Menace, was still breathing, though. The gas, concentrated in the upper portion of the room, finally got to him.
“He’s passing out for real… Now.” She spoke, but wasn’t going to count on her psychic powers, in particular. She was better with them than she used to be, but wasn’t perfect in novel situations. “He’s still alive.”
She wasn’t going to rest on that. The man was clearly too powerful for her to play with. Even if she’d been pretty involved in the game, that day. What Hannah didn’t bother with was asking what the plan was, then. It wasn’t really her business, she decided. The High Command was in charge of that now and she wasn’t one of them. They’d offered, more than once, and Hannah had refused, each time.
That sort of meant she wasn’t allowed to make demands about things like what they did with prisoners. All she could hope for was that they had something good, that would work.
A voice called out, this time from a speaker, which seemed to be built into the wall.
“We have vital signs from the subject. Strong heart beat at forty-five BPM. Respiration slow and moderate. EEG readings are showing high theta activity, predominate.”
The woman, who was about ten inches taller than she was, looked down at her and gave a terse nod.
“We need transport to the Farlow Holding Facility. Can you do that for us, Damsel? They only take subdued subjects, but we can have him placed directly in stasis, if we don’t lose him first. We can’t get lazy here.”
Hannah blinked, then took a deep breath.
“I don’t know where that is. I’ll probably have to be there to bring him in. Is that allowed? I…” She wasn’t a government agent, after all. Instead of saying yes or no, the woman pulled a phone, and tapped two buttons.
Then waited.
“Cleared. We have the target. Subdued, for the time being, locked in iron foam. We have teleportation arranged. We need to have our asset come to you first for that. What location?” There was no asking if it was all right, or speaking about who the asset was at all.
Then, other than a name for the place, which was section seventy-one, she wasn’t told anything about how to get there. A thing she suspected was supposed to come next. At least after she made the move, ending up in a cavernous space, next to a strange metal pod, about the size of two minivans standing on their rear bumpers, with a rounded feeling to them, and an orange window on the front, showing it was empty inside, there was a gasp. She spun a bit, to see that there was a man standing there, with a clipboard.
Also a cell phone to the side of his head.
“Um… Your person is in red and pink? Short blonde hair? About five-two?”
Hannah smiled, since that was at least two full inches taller than reality allowed for, in her case. Especially without shoes on.
She nodded.
“Damsel. I, um, need to put the… target, in here?”
She pointed, the man, who was in a blue button up shirt, with a black tie on and black slacks, gave her a nod.
“That will work. Do you need the doors opened?”
“Nope. I can do this from here. It will take me a bit. Half a minute or so.”
She was waved at then, the man still on the cell phone.
“All right, let me set this baby up first, then. It will…” The man moved for a while, tapping at a small computer terminal for about a minute, then, with a flourish, hit what seemed to be the enter key. “And there we go! As soon as bio-signs register inside, the slow time field will be brought up. Micro second processing, which means that there will be a gap of about a tenth of a second before it’s really in play. Ready when you are.”
It was harder this time, since she had to bring the man to herself, without too much of the foam he was encased in. At least she did it that way, even if it wasn’t correct. This time there was no attempt to break out, just a soft buzzing sound that turned into a hum, as soon as the large guy was visible through the much smaller glass window. After twenty seconds, there was a soft beeping sound.
The man wrote on the paper he was holding, nodding for a few moments.
“There we go! I have a copy of this for your people. This was… The easiest transfer I’ve ever had here. Normally we have to pull out a team of twenty people for this kind of thing. Complete with drugs and having people strapped to a stretcher. This was… Better. Thanks. Oh, I’m Declan. Declan Lintle.”
She nearly gave her own name, then grinned. Not that she was a super type or anything. Still, it had been pointed out in the past that, if she kept doing the job, people were going to get the wrong idea about her.
“Damsel. Nice to meet you, Declan. I should get out of here?”
Instead of her darting away, with amazing speed, the man moved forward and passed her a piece of paper, before she managed to get back home. It needed to go back to the High Command, she didn’t doubt, so Hannah changed where she was putting herself, and traveled back there, outside of the cage with the now broken glass. She half figured everyone else would have scattered, instantly, but when she looked at the location, she found there were enough bodies she had to come in at the side of the room, to make sure she didn't hit anyone.
As soon as she did that, Rick waved at her. Given he’d been facing the other way and had turned instantly, that was kind of impressive. The older woman did much the same, as soon as she got back.
“Without a hitch! That was amazing. Can we get you to help us like this again? Lintle, from Farlow, wants to hire you on, full time. I can see it. We work with a good teleporter, but she can’t do this.”
There was a wave at the cage then.
Hannah cleared her throat.
“That isn’t really true. Devya has been working on locating people, and is a much stronger teleporter than I am. I’m still doing better at finding people, but pair her with a good telepath and she could do this, no problem. We should have her up to speed on it on her own in a couple of months. Maybe less.”
Instead of doubting her, the woman grinned. It seemed honestly happy.
“She’s going to be able to do this, soon? What level of certainty do you have on that?”
Hannah put her right hand out and waggled it in the air for a few seconds.
“Pretty certain, but not on the time frame. She has the basic ability. Wisp, from the Requiem has been pushing both of us on our teleportation skills. We might have to get over to the Never and increase their abilities to find people and things at a distance, but that should be doable.” It was adding a power for each of them, but not so much of one that it should be a deal breaker. “We’d have to put in for that, with the committee. I have the first batch of files ready to go out, already. These are mainly for testing, really.”
As in, it was a test to see what Neary and Heline would allow them to have, as far as abilities went. The first batch had a good spread of things, as well as people, with a variety of powers being suggested for each of them.
The woman pointed at her then.
“I’ve heard about that! We don’t really have anyone that needs to be upgraded, specifically, so far. What you suggested for Agent Seven could work, really, if that’s allowed. How do we put in for that?”
“Send me the information on the person, and the requested power. In this case I can fill the forms out myself, before I send things off. That might be in the second group, even if it happens with the rest. I’ve been a bit shy about doing it, but I’ll try to get that done today.”
The woman made a face then, and after a moment, nodded.
“I actually need one other person given a power, now that I think about it. A temporary one, for a deep cover operation.” She looked around the room, then snagged Hannah by the arm and walked out of the room. She didn’t actually drag her away, just indicated that they were leaving with a gentle tug. Rick followed along, and wasn’t sent away when he joined them. They walked for several minutes, went up four flights of stairs and ended up in a rather normal seeming office. The carpet was short and tan, and the wall paneling looked fake.
It wasn’t until they were in the room, with the door closed, that the woman spoke. She sat on her desk, gesturing for Hannah and Rick to both use the chairs in front of that.
“I’m a shape changer, so will be going in on this one, personally. There’s a super team, out of Chicago. Unlimited. They have a fairly steady base group… and manage not to fight much crime at all. At the same time they have a rotating collection of young sidekicks. Normally girls, with powers, but nothing all that special. I’d been planning to claim my power was super strength, but that might be spotted. I’ve used that trick before. So, if I could get something else going on, that seems odd, but powerful enough to get attention, I might be able to earn a spot on the team. Three of their kids have killed themselves, over the last seven years. That isn’t normal. One way or the other, something very bad is happening to those children. I mean to find out what, and to stop it, if at all possible.”
Hannah got the basic idea, or at least the one that she was supposed to get. The kids were there to entertain, not fight crime. If they got out of hand, or threatened to talk, they were silenced. That or the psychological damage caused them to do it to themselves.
“Right. I can ask? This is temporary, and if we do something weird, but not that dangerous, it should be allowed. How about…” She thought for a few second, then wrinkled her nose up. Hopefully it was cute. “We could make it so that, when you blow, you create a dense and powerful blast of air? Hard enough to knock people down, but not kill, directly?” Unless she knocked them over the edge of a building, of course.
The woman bobbed a bit, seeming excited, suddenly.
“That could work, actually. I can call myself Blowjob and see if that will get anything started.”
Rick coughed at the name.
“That’s a bit too obvious. How about Blowhard? It should be close enough to provocative, without actually drawing a map to the location you’re heading.”
Hannah nodded.
“I need a name? Just for the files.” She supposed she could send it in as Agent whoever, but the woman waved a bit, instead.
“Larina Rogers. Agent One.” She waved, to indicate the High Command portion of things.
Hannah nodded at the name, getting the basic idea. Unless there was another shape shifter with super strength named Larina around.
“Um, June Seres is your mother?” She asked it that way, instead of giving more information, in case it was a secret.
Rick did act a bit baffled, even as Larina smiled, seeming a bit skeptical, suddenly.
“That’s right. You picked up a psychic similarity between us?”
She snorted a bit.
“Nothing that advanced. She’s my grandmother. So, you get the idea, you’re Aunt Larina. Aunty L?”
The woman, who didn’t look that much like her mother, rolled her eyes then.
“God, no. I hate that one. Aunty… Gah. Just call me Larina, and I can be the cool aunt. The one who buys wine for you and your friends? Though, I wasn’t aware I had any nieces…”
Rick looked back and forth, his face in a fixed smile.
Hannah just nodded.
“Marina Seres is my biological mother. I have a brother, Nate. He’s Luminous, with The Underdogs.”
Agent Two cleared his throat then.
“Marina Seres is your mother? Luminous… He used to be Solar Storm, with the Kahn Collective, didn’t he? Solaire and Solar Storm being related makes some sense, of course… They have basically the same powers.” He looked at Agent One, with more than a bit of concern, then.
Honestly, it seemed like he was nearly frightened. Not for a long time, just in the moment. Mere seconds. Then the expression changed, being schooled into something that seemed relaxed and controlled. It wasn’t real, but Rick didn’t need to convince her how strong he was inside. Hannah was willing to just assume that was the case. He was, if in an odd way, a superhero. Even if he didn’t have any powers, the man did the job anyway.
Not that he didn’t have powers. Hannah didn’t know if that was real or not. That was all.
Really, so far, it hadn’t mattered at all. The man was good. It was enough, really.
Larina glanced at the man, and sighed.
“I didn’t know part of that. Not that… I knew about Marina. When your identical twin becomes a super villain, you tend to take notice.”
That part was new to Hannah, so she went still for a few seconds.
“Twins? Identical? I thought that you had all the powers and that Mom didn’t? Can you be identical if… That seems off.”
There was a slow nod, and a shrug.
“That one… yes. The DNA is identical. And before you ask, yes, I think Marina always had powers. The same ones that I do, in fact. She hasn’t aged, really, which almost certainly means that. We’re both older than dirt, after all. She just wouldn’t use them, for some reason. I never knew why that was, but… There were things, when we were kids. We used to take turns making faces, jumping into the deep ravine, outracing the horses we kept and… Well, it wasn’t normal, you know? Then, one day, when she turned ten or so, she just wouldn’t. That… Well, she showed up with her powers later. They’re novel and you said that her son has them? That’s… Different.”
Hannah nodded.
“It probably doesn’t matter, I guess. I didn’t have any powers, myself. I learned some psychic tricks, using a lot of meditation, and all that, then got a bit of an upgrade in a different reality. Just enough to be useful, really.”
Larina grinned then.
“Well, have you ever tried changing shape? That or lifting really heavy things?”
She chuckled then. After all, it sounded weird, but she was honestly able to nod.
“I really have. Just in case I missed it, growing up. After June explained some things, I tried it. No joy on that one. I’m a little stronger than I used to be, but that seems to actually be me using telekinesis instead of having extra powerful muscles. I didn’t get that at first, but that seems to be my main thing. The psychic stuff.” She shrugged. It was still a power, if not the strongest in the world, and that was cool enough for her.
She grinned.
“I can also shoot things? That’s pretty much the same as being a shape shifter like you are, right? Well, I mean if I’m clever with makeup and have a good broad brimmed hat?”
The woman actually waved her right hand, as if brushing the annoying idea away.
“Pretty much. What you have going on is incredible, regardless of how you managed it. So, niece… We can get you to help out around here, using your skills? At least part time? We can pay you…”
She spoke the words as if she didn't know who she was talking to at all. Which was probably true, given everything. She didn’t mention it, but Rick smiled at the offer, at least.
“She’s on television. A reality show, with Katherine Sinclair. You’re up on that one?”
“Oh, my… Yes. Wisp. You did mention her, didn’t you? You’re close?”
Hannah smiled then, ready to defend her friend, if she had to.
“Best friends. She’s great, by the way. Also, Devya’s sister.” One of them. There were a lot. Those two looked identical, however. “I kind of have the weak version of their powers, so get to hang out with them for practice.”
The woman nodded, a bit abstractly.
“Interesting. How did that work out? It’s a bit odd, isn’t it? Having teleportation powers like they do? Most of the time teleportation means demon related activity, doesn’t it?”
The words weren’t exactly pointed, but Hannah had an actual reason as to why that had happened, anyway.
“When I was learning to do my initial psychic stuff, I paid attention to what they were doing when they used their powers and kind of picked up the gist of it. How to move things and all that. I guess everyone can do that kind of thing, if they learn how? It took months of work in trance states, then being upgraded like I was, using magic, before I could really do anything big that way.” She’d moved a few small items using her mind before that.
Her newly discovered Aunt gave her a look then, as if she were just being silly.
“You just learned to copy their powers? Even with some help, later… that’s kind of big. Still, not important right now. You got up early and didn’t even take time to dress. What’s going on with that? We’re hard here, but we can let you have some jeans and a t-shirt on, can’t we?”
Rick gave a nod then, seeming a bit sleepy, now that Hannah was bothering to notice that kind of thing. The man had circles under his eyes that weren’t normally there. Dark ones. She probably had that going on as well. She certainly hadn’t taken time to put makeup on before leaving her place.
Given that, it would be a bit much to insist he do that kind of thing. At least at that time of the morning.
The man, who sounded like he was the second in charge there, given his code name, and was certainly important, regardless, filled the woman in, without any hesitation.
“Red Bitch, from the Red Trio, was kidnaped and tortured. I mentioned that, earlier? Damsel grabbed her from a distance and took the target to her place. Her own home. She’s still there. Being watched by Alistair Marks and Alex Darius.”
Agent One stared at the man then. This time it was pointed, for certain.
“I recognize one of those names. I helped arrest him, once. It made national news. Who’s Marks?”
