Authors: Richard Jackson
Act Two: Recovery
Chapter Fifteen
I stop delaying the inevitable and open my eyes. There is something disturbing about waking up someplace other than where you fell asleep. It’s even more disturbing when you’ve been knocked unconscious. It’s happened to me more times than I would have liked. It’s something I will never get used to. I never consider it a good thing. This time is no different.
My surroundings are a step up from what I was expecting or imagining. The room has a warm and cozy feeling to it. There are no bars on the window to clash with the wood furnishings. Instead, each window is outfitted with latest in home security and child safety devices. They can open just enough to let fresh air into the room but not enough for a child to get through unless the window is broken in which case an alarm will sound summoning my hosts and lord knows who else.
Kara is here. That makes me feel better. She has almost as many questions as I do. This isn’t what she was expecting when she told me I would be free soon. I catch her up to date as I find some clothes to wear. They aren’t mine but they are just the sort of thing I would wear, jeans and a t-shirt. Whoever my hosts are, they are thorough. Not only did they get my size right, there is also a brace for my knee.
“
Are they with the man who attacked you?
”
“
No, cause I’m still alive.
”
Kara nods in agreement. If they were with the man who tried to kill me, they could have finished me in the hospital. That doesn’t make them friends.
“
True. The man who attacked you was surrounded by a Glamour.
”
I frown at this latest revelation. Only the Fae and their descendants can use that style of magic. What do they have to do with this? The last time I checked, I was on good terms with both of the Fae courts.
“Well, that’s something. I would feel better if I knew more like who my hosts are and why I’m here.”
The knee brace looks simple to put on and adjust. I get dressed and fasten the thing on, testing it out. The pain is still there but no where near as bad as it was before. I might be able to get by without having to resort to the aluminum crutches that sit in the corner of the room. I nearly fall down making my way over to them when Marino enters the room. She is carrying a wooden tray with what smells like breakfast.
“Good morning, Mr. Albritton” She says.
Marino seems pleased with herself. She should be. I am right where she wants me to be. Whoever she works for must have some pull to get me out of the hospital. I focus on the woman ignoring my hunger. The labels that immediately come to mind are pretty and athletic. After her little act in the hospital, I add smart and clever to the list. Marino also looks a lot more relaxed and at ease than she was the last time I saw her. I imagine this is less stressful than waltzing into my hospital room under false pretenses and kidnapping me. I don’t make it easy for her. I give her the silent treatment while Kara checks her out.
“
She’s not enchanted. She’s not a sorceress or one of the Fae.
”
Marino sets down the tray on a table near one of the windows. “I know this must be hard for you. We had to take you into protective custody.”
“Is that what they call kidnapping these days?”
The promise of breakfast and food lures me closer. It smells delicious but it doesn’t solve my problem. How do you deal with someone who kidnaps you? I could shout and scream but it won’t get me anywhere so I force myself to be reasonable and fail.
“Where do people get this stuff from? Oh wait, it was for my own good.”
“I’m sorry but there is a lot at stake. You wouldn’t have come willingly if we told you who we were,” she says.
“Lady, after the story I told you and your friends there isn’t a lot that I could call implausible. It can’t be worse than anything I’ve seen, done or said.”
It begins to dawn on her just how silly this whole situation is. Marino lets her guard down and for the first time, I catch a glimpse of her true smile. She stops just short of laughing.
“You’re right. It seems like something you might see in the movies,” She gestures to one of the chairs at the table before sitting down. “Okay, let’s start from the beginning. My name is Jennifer Marino and I’m with the government.”
“That narrows it down. What agency?”
“You probably never heard of it. I’m with the Defense Intelligence Agency.”
Marino is wrong. I have heard of it. Who said you couldn’t learn anything from a game of strip Trivia Pursuit. Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds. The only reason why I remember this bit of trivia is because I got the answer wrong. After the game, I decided to read up on the DIA. What I found out was interesting enough to remember. The DIA works hand in hand with the Department of Defense and intelligence communities around the world. Its role is much like that of the CIA. Unlike the Central Intelligence Agency, they get a lot less press. The DIA is a military organization. When I hear those stories about men in black who deal with the weird stuff the other agencies won’t touch, I think of these guys. The organization’s symbol laden seal is the sort of thing that would give a conspiracy theorist a woodie. Its dark background brings to mind the unknown and hidden dangers surrounding us. In the foreground, the Earth and a flaming torch beating back the darkness.
“
I would have felt better if she said she was with the Vatican.
”
I don’t quite smile at that. I’ve actually dealt with the Church on several occasions in my career. They have always had more than a passing interest in the occult and supernatural. It’s something they don’t publicize but I digress.
“I’ve heard of you. It just raises more questions. What is the DIA doing investigating something like this?”
I can think of a few reasons why they might be interested in me and my friends. None of them are good. I need to know where we fit in. I don’t interrupt Marino. I listen to her carefully, with the ear of a skeptic. Alert for some lie or missing detail that will tell me I am being tricked again. In the end, I can only stare at the woman as I digest my meal and what she has told me.
Kara’s thoughts mirror my own. “
These people are dangerous.
”
The DIA is split into several different directorates. Her department deploys field agents to gather intelligence and analyze data. These agents are assigned to task forces which work hand in hand with United States’ allies to point out potential threats and in rare cases, act against them. Each task force varied in size. The amount of funding and support they received is based on how dangerous a threat might seem to the Director. For instance, the task force assigned to deal with nuclear and biological weapons was the largest and most heavily funded one with terrorism as a close second. Marino’s task force is one of the smallest as she tells it. I don’t think anyone in the DIA thought the supernatural was real much less posed a threat to the world until two days ago. I ask the question, knowing I will probably not like the answer.
“What changed their minds?”
She doesn’t answer me, not immediately. That brief pause tells me she is going to leave something important out. “I forgot that you were pretty out of it for the last two days. There was an incident, the night you were attacked in the hospital. At first, we thought it was the work of terrorists. As we investigated, we realized something strange had happened. My commanding officer took a special interest when one of our psychics described you and mentioned something about the Seven.”
Oh joy, a psychic fingered me. Dealing with psychics is almost as much trouble as trying to get a straight answer out of an oracle or soothsayer. They always speak in mumbo jumbo or give cryptic clues that never make sense till all is said and done. The only one I trust is Rook and it is seldom I visit her for a reading.
“And what happened?”
“It will be easier to show you.”
***
A picture is worth a thousand words. It tells the story far better than Marino could do with mere words. I watch the recording again. This time I pay more attention to the little things. No one, except for me and my friends, knew why the building collapsed. With or without Meredith’s arrest, there was going to be an investigation. The light show Scott and Sol created saw to that. It was something I didn’t take into account when I asked them to level the place. Moments after the city engineers entered what was left of the building, there was an explosion. When the first camera got on the scene, it was in time to capture the worst of the tragedy. The thick ash grey cloud that was seemingly dispersing on the wind had flooded the neighborhood. It only covered a three block radius but the casualty reports were still coming in. The news called it an accident involving some sort of biological or chemical agent. The coroner was still working on the cause of death. The mystery helped fuel the panic which now gripped the city. The common theory was Meredith was stockpiling some sort aerosol based weapon within the building for terrorists. The truth is a lot more frightening.
“That cloud is some kind of elemental.”
From Marino’s expression, she doesn’t know what I’m talking about. This is all going to be new for her. Hell of a time for a crash course in this sort of thing.
“An elemental is a spirit that is associated with one of the seven elements: fire, earth, air, water, mind, wood and metal. Their power and sentience varies. That one is very big, bigger than any I ever heard of. It’s more than a little dangerous.”
“
That was why it was imprisoned in the Stone. It is what we call a Servitor.
”
As Marino gets a handle on this new bit of information, I cope with my own revelation. I don’t need Kara to tell me why it’s called a Servitor. It’s not hard to guess why. What I don’t understand is why Kara didn’t tell me this in the first place. Maybe it’s my own fault for not asking for details after we encountered the thing. I try to keep the anger out of my thoughts but that’s impossible.
“
How the hell did it get loose?
”
“
I don’t know. Maybe the building collapse weakened its prison. It could have been anything.
”
Marino is looking at me oddly as if she is wondering if I am daydreaming or something. I blurt out something to avoid looking like a crazy person. “So, you want my help. Is that it?” She nods slowly. Before Marino can start laying out all the reasons why I should help, I blunder onward. It will save time. I was committed the moment she showed me the video. “All right, I just need a few things.”
Her expression changes slightly, becoming guarded, almost hostile. Marino must think I am about to ask for money. “I need you to keep the police off my back. I’m useless without freedom to operate. If you can do that and level with me then it should be smooth sailing.”
“I’ll have to check with my superiors but I don’t think there will be any issues. Was that it?”
“Just one more thing, I need my ring back.”
She thinks about it before answering. “That might be a problem but I‘ll see what I can do.”
I’m sure it will be a problem. After all, it was last on Meredith’s person. The police are probably holding it as evidence especially after my brief statement. I had told the police he took the ring from me. It was the only thing I could think of to explain how my fingerprints got on it. The explanation was close enough to the truth and I wasn’t questioned too much about it. To the authorities, there was nothing special about the Bloodstone.
With that elemental or Servitor free, I will feel safer with the ring in my possession. Kara echoes the sentiment.
“
You will need it.
”
Chapter Sixteen
“
I need to do a few things today. Will you be okay without me for a few hours?
”
I nod to Kara. She is gone without another word. I’ve always trusted her but the past week has put a strain on our relationship. She is holding out on me. I can feel it. There’s a lot she isn’t telling me and it’s putting me on edge. Maybe, the break will do us both some good.
After breakfast, I have the house all to myself. It gives me time to explore my new surroundings. The crutches and knee brace turn the tour into an adventure. The stairs become a treacherous mountain to descend. I’m breathing hard by the time I reach the safety of the hardwood floor below.
The house is well furnished. On the surface it seems perfect. When you look a little deeper, the place lacks the little things that make it a home. It’s just a roof over your head. I have no complaints. It’s far better than my hospital room. During my tour, I find one of the rooms has been outfitted as a conference room while two others have been set up as offices. A glance at the cable bill gives me the address. The house is somewhere in Scarsdale, a beautiful place that represents the best and worst of the suburbs. Scarsdale with its Tudor architecture has an upscale feel to it. I don’t come out here much even though it is within easy reach of city by car or mass transit. It isn’t my sort of place. I’m more comfortable in the city, any city. Each one is unique with its own look and style yet they all feel just as alive to me as the wilderness. I find myself missing the familiar pulse and beat of New York while I think about what to do. Like any living thing, cities can die and with the Servitor loose I can see that happening all too clearly.
***
It is late afternoon when Marino returns. She doesn’t have the Bloodstone but she does have some good news for me.
“It’s safe to move you back into the city.”
“What’s changed?”
I can tell from the set of her shoulders something is bothering her. She had been relaxed yesterday, now the tension I saw in the hospital grips her again.
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
I frown at that. “What happened to playing it straight?”
“It’s complicated, Count. Things have changed. We’ve found someone else who can help us.”