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Authors: Edward Irving
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and present danger to the United States, not only do you seem to know nothing about it, but, what’s worse, your only resource is a worn-out hack who has managed to perform two magical party tricks so far?” His voice rose. “Am I going to have face violent death or injury every time you need a little magic done?”
“We do think you’ll improve–”
“Improve?” Steve was shouting. “I’d better freaking improve or these tarot-card-carrying terrorists are going to turn me into a freaking rabbit and stick me in a hat!”
“Well, probably not a rabbit.”
“What then?”
“From all indications, you’ll just be killed.” Ace said. “They won’t go through the trouble to transform you.”
Steve threw the phone at the SEAL, who caught it smoothly. “That’s it. You hired me to come here and do a bit of reporting and now it turns out that I’ve been drafted as an Army of One. You have no idea what’s happening and I’m supposed to be the expert as well as the grunt on the front lines? This makes no freaking sense. I quit.”
“It’s only been an hour since this happened.” Barnaby sounded petulant. “You’ll have to be satisfied–”
“Want to bet?” Steve interrupted.
“Um. No. I don’t like the odds.” Barnaby said. “Please reconsider. Your nation needs you.”
“Find someone else.”
“There is no one else.”
“Get out there and search every sideshow, run down every water dowser with a crooked stick, and ransack those towns in Florida where all the circus acts retire. I am not doing this.”
Barnaby began to speak, but Ace put her hand over the speaker, muffling his voice. “Listen up, Rowan; you are going to do this.”
Anger had the blood rising in Steve’s neck until he felt like his head was about to burst. He started to shout but the Master Chief made a cutting motion across her throat and he stopped. He was surprised at his reaction but then realized that Ace was simply the sort of person where a threat to cut your neck might just not be intimidation but something with more of the aspects of a promise.
“Now shut up and listen.” Ace spoke calmly, but somehow it had all the visceral impact of Hitler’s speeches to the Nuremberg Rallies in Triumph of the Will. “Whoever ordered that plane destroyed is determined to find you and kill you. They clearly enjoy killing or, at best, just don’t have any reservations about it and you are simply too dangerous to let live.”
“I could join them–”
“Like they’d take you.” Ace snorted. “You just said it: you suck at this. Face it–you really just have to answer a very simple question.”
“What?”
“Do you want to go off and die–probably within hours, at best days–cowering all alone in some lame hiding place, or do you want to face this with me, Barnaby, and all the other resources of the US government?”
Steve thought. “Is the government really a resource–”
“Shut up.” Ace interrupted. “You’ll probably get killed either way, but with us at least you’ll have company.”
At that, Steve nodded.
CHAPTER NINE
Steve took the cell phone back and said without a great deal of enthusiasm, “OK, Barnaby. I’m in.”
“Do we have any more intel on the alleged perpetrators?” Ace asked. “Who are they? What do they want? Why use magic? And why hit an empty parking lot at Fort Meade?”
The picture on the phone rotated to the horizontal and Barnaby said, “Watch the screen. This is what we’ve been able to construct from combining about a thousand of our best digital surveillance systems with a little guesswork. It’s a kludge but it may answer some questions.”
Steve could have sworn he heard Barnaby say at a much lower volume, “Although it’s more likely to raise questions than answer them.”
A video of an American International 747 flying low over a leafy suburb appeared on the smartphone’s screen. It was silent and Steve checked to see if the audio was
“We do think you’ll improve–”
“Improve?” Steve was shouting. “I’d better freaking improve or these tarot-card-carrying terrorists are going to turn me into a freaking rabbit and stick me in a hat!”
“Well, probably not a rabbit.”
“What then?”
“From all indications, you’ll just be killed.” Ace said. “They won’t go through the trouble to transform you.”
Steve threw the phone at the SEAL, who caught it smoothly. “That’s it. You hired me to come here and do a bit of reporting and now it turns out that I’ve been drafted as an Army of One. You have no idea what’s happening and I’m supposed to be the expert as well as the grunt on the front lines? This makes no freaking sense. I quit.”
“It’s only been an hour since this happened.” Barnaby sounded petulant. “You’ll have to be satisfied–”
“Want to bet?” Steve interrupted.
“Um. No. I don’t like the odds.” Barnaby said. “Please reconsider. Your nation needs you.”
“Find someone else.”
“There is no one else.”
“Get out there and search every sideshow, run down every water dowser with a crooked stick, and ransack those towns in Florida where all the circus acts retire. I am not doing this.”
Barnaby began to speak, but Ace put her hand over the speaker, muffling his voice. “Listen up, Rowan; you are going to do this.”
Anger had the blood rising in Steve’s neck until he felt like his head was about to burst. He started to shout but the Master Chief made a cutting motion across her throat and he stopped. He was surprised at his reaction but then realized that Ace was simply the sort of person where a threat to cut your neck might just not be intimidation but something with more of the aspects of a promise.
“Now shut up and listen.” Ace spoke calmly, but somehow it had all the visceral impact of Hitler’s speeches to the Nuremberg Rallies in Triumph of the Will. “Whoever ordered that plane destroyed is determined to find you and kill you. They clearly enjoy killing or, at best, just don’t have any reservations about it and you are simply too dangerous to let live.”
“I could join them–”
“Like they’d take you.” Ace snorted. “You just said it: you suck at this. Face it–you really just have to answer a very simple question.”
“What?”
“Do you want to go off and die–probably within hours, at best days–cowering all alone in some lame hiding place, or do you want to face this with me, Barnaby, and all the other resources of the US government?”
Steve thought. “Is the government really a resource–”
“Shut up.” Ace interrupted. “You’ll probably get killed either way, but with us at least you’ll have company.”
At that, Steve nodded.
CHAPTER NINE
Steve took the cell phone back and said without a great deal of enthusiasm, “OK, Barnaby. I’m in.”
“Do we have any more intel on the alleged perpetrators?” Ace asked. “Who are they? What do they want? Why use magic? And why hit an empty parking lot at Fort Meade?”
The picture on the phone rotated to the horizontal and Barnaby said, “Watch the screen. This is what we’ve been able to construct from combining about a thousand of our best digital surveillance systems with a little guesswork. It’s a kludge but it may answer some questions.”
Steve could have sworn he heard Barnaby say at a much lower volume, “Although it’s more likely to raise questions than answer them.”
A video of an American International 747 flying low over a leafy suburb appeared on the smartphone’s screen. It was silent and Steve checked to see if the audio was
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