Page 12

Freshly dressed and free from any of the lingering silver, I summon the single flame and see within it Andrew’s office.

As always, the flame gives me a chance to look around the space I’m jumping to. I assume it’s to make sure I don’t teleport into someone or something. But the ability also gives me a sneak peek into the office itself. I can see Andrew sitting alone behind his epic desk. I choose one of his client chairs in front of said desk, and teleport just behind it.

He sits back, gasping and clutching his heart, which, for all I know, sports an Iron Man vibranium-type heart. I doubt it, but if you’re one of the richest men in the world, who knows?

“I’ve got some follow-up questions for you,” I say.

He nods, lowering his hand from his chest. “I thought you might.”

“You should know that I’ve already located the target and spoke with him.”

“Impressive, Ms. Moon.”

I shrug. “I had help.”

“I’m guessing he was prepared for you,” says York.

“You guess right, no thanks to your previous attempt.”

“Be easy on her. She’s still recovering.”

“Luckily, he wasn’t waiting with a gun and silver bullets—mostly, because he hadn’t a clue I was arriving.”

“But he was prepared for you, I assume.”

“Colloidal silver dispersed through the air system.”

“You inhaled it?”

“I did. A lot of it,” I say, and explain to him the debilitating effects of silver in general and colloidal silver in particular.

“Are you okay?”

“I am now.”

“The AI is thorough, learning as it goes, researching everything.” He nods and sits back. “Checks and balances.”

“Pardon?”

“The Universe cannot bestow upon you great power without a foil. In your case, it’s silver. There needs to be a system in place wherein someone like yourself can be stopped, if necessary, and not run rampant in the streets—well, not for too long. But you seem to have made a full recovery.”

“I did, yes. But I expect him to be abundantly prepared for my next visit.”

He nods. “You’re talking silver bullets, silver-tipped crossbow bolts, or something along those lines?”

“Something along those lines, yes.”

“I’ll have my team be aware of any such purchases being delivered to the San Diego area, and try to intercept the shipment.”

I nod. “A good plan, surely, except... I suspect he might be using a crypto system with payments to black-market couriers.”

“Oh, right. That makes sense. Of course. And he could be meeting them in places with no security cameras.”

I nod. “Underground.”

“Is that where you found him?”

“Yes. A workroom, of sorts. A maintenance hub.”

“With computers?”

“Yes, one. A laptop.”

“I was afraid of that. It was stolen from the hospital. The last thing we need is that thing anywhere near a computer. The ultimate hacker, to say the least. The dude could damn well gain access to nuclear facilities, if given enough time. To say we need to stop him is an understatement.”

“Well, he’s there and he did mention causing a distraction to keep the likes of you and your team far away from him. How close he is to making that distraction a reality, I don’t know.”

“And we need to act fast before he can prepare a more elaborate method of destroying you.”

“I agree with that assessment. And if all goes well, then I will have him back here, in this office in minutes.”

“I can hardly wait.”

“When I do, what is the plan for him again?” I ask. “I want assurances that Norman will not be harmed.”

“We will conduct an immediate—and safe—surgery to remove the infected device from his head. If all goes according to plan, the man, Norman, will have a normal life moving forward, his thoughts and actions all his own. The AI only has control of him through the device.”

“Okay,” I say. “Let me go get him.”

“Be safe, Ms. Moon.”

“Thank you.”

“Wait!” he shouts. “I want to come with you, if possible.”

“Are you sure?”

“I want to... talk to him. Talk to it.”

“Okay, hold on.” I summon the single flame, and see within it the small control room Norm had been using. Except, it’s empty. The desk he had been using, along with the thick laptop, is gone. “He’s not there,” I report. “Sorry.”

“You can see that?”

“I can, yes.”

“Fascinating. Can you take me to the room anyway?”

“Yes.”

“Will you teleport there, like you just did in here?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Okay, hold on. Is it... painful?”

“Not for me.”

“Okay, I can work with that. I’m ready when you are.”

I nod and come around his desk and place a hand on his shoulder. Next, I summon the flame again, and focus again on the empty space in the middle of the control room, exactly where I had landed before... and, in my mind, step toward the flame, even as it rushes to me.

“Oh, shit!” says Andrew next to me.

I stifle a smile and continue the process of teleporting, which starts as mental and soon turns into physical. True to form, Andrew’s chair doesn’t make the leap with us, though his clothing does. So does mine. Having been sitting pre-teleport, Andrew finds himself in a sitting position upon arrival in the room, and is about to topple backward, when I catch him and help him to his feet.

“Um, thanks.”

“You bet.”

“We’re here?” he asks.

“This is where I found him last time.” I take in some unnecessary air, and can’t help but note the cleanliness of it. No damn silver. I can actually look around this time—wait, why is my inner alarm clanging? I don’t know, but something is up.

“I’m in danger,” I say.

“Just you?”

“Maybe you, too. We need to get out of here.”

Andrew had already run over to the desk to study the set-up (I presume). “Damn. He took the laptop. God only knows what he was able to do down here. At the least, we paused whatever plans he had.”

Meanwhile, the stale scent of damp concrete and old circuitry fills my heightened senses. The room is small, just large enough to house a rickety desk, a tangle of cables strewn about like a spider’s web, with the faint hum of electrical currents running through the walls.

Meanwhile, Andrew’s wild eyes glint with a sort of crazed curiosity, looking a bit like a maniacal mastermind—which he very well might be. He steps over a fallen chair—the only chair in the cramped room. When he speaks, his voice carries an almost boyish excitement, despite the gravity of the situation. “Looks like he skipped out in a hurry.”

I don’t move from my spot. Something is wrong. My inner alarm is ringing steadily.

“What’s this?” Andrew reaches for a small box on the desk, about as big as a pack of gum.

The air feels too still, the silence unnatural, despite the faint hum of residual energy. Truth be told, the room feels like a trap waiting to be sprung. Meanwhile, my inner alarm, that ancient instinct I’ve learned never to ignore, goes berserk.

“Andrew, don’t—”

Too late.

When his fingers brush against the box, something above the room clicks .

A mechanical whir fills the air, like the coiled tension of a spring snapping free. The hair on my arms rise as my vampire senses kick into overdrive. A panel in the ceiling slides open, and something small, roundish, and metallic drops toward us—a grenade.

Only instead of packed with shrapnel, this one, I know, is packed with silver shards.

I’m sure of it. I can sense it. My sixth sense has been all too aware of it.

I react on pure instinct. Before Andrew can even register the threat, I move. Time slows as my superhuman speed kicks in, the world around me blurring. I lunge forward, grabbing Andrew by the collar, my strength lifting him off his feet as I spin on my heel.

The grenade hits the floor with a loud clank .

I don’t wait for it to detonate.

I rush to the only exit as the air distorts around. I tap into all my abilities. The moment stretches, my entire being shifts through the fabric of space just as the explosion ignites behind us.

The blast sends a shockwave rippling out of the room, through the open door, and out into the tunnel—luckily, we’re already out of the room, around the corner, and safe in the tunnel beyond. The noise is deafening. I can feel the heat licking at my back. Silver particles slice through the air like razor blades. A second slower, and we’d have been torn apart, and there might not have been any putting me back together again. Not with silver at play.

Andrew gasps, his breath coming in short, ragged bursts. “What. The hell. Was. That?”

I exhale sharply, rolling my shoulders and neck as I assess our surroundings. We’ve landed in a maintenance hallway, deep beneath the city of San Diego—a corridor that likely hasn’t been touched in years. The walls are coated in dust, the floor littered with forgotten debris. The only light comes from flickering overhead bulbs, casting eerie shadows that dance across the grimy concrete.

“A trap,” I mutter, brushing soot from my sleeve.

“Norm knew we would come back.” Andrew swipes a hand over his face, smearing sweat and grime across his cheek. “Can’t believe that asshole rigged his hideout with a silver freakin’ grenade.” His voice is incredulous, tinged with a mixture of fear and admiration. “Who the hell does that?”

“Someone who doesn’t want to be followed—and doesn’t care about consequences.”

“A psychopath.”

“Your words.” I narrow my eyes, scanning the hallway. No signs of movement. My inner alarm has settled back down. No immediate threats. But that doesn’t mean we’re completely safe. “He’s two or three steps ahead. He also knew I’d bring someone with me this time.”

Andrew lets out a sharp laugh, his breath still ragged. “You could’ve warned me sooner.”

“I did .” I shoot him a look. “You just didn’t listen.”

He runs a hand through his hair, glancing back in the direction of the obliterated room. “Well, what now? That was our best shot at figuring out what he’s up to.”

I don’t answer immediately. My mind is already piecing things together. The silver shrapnel wasn’t meant to kill me—not outright. It was meant to cripple me, slow me down. That means Norm isn’t just running—he’s covering his tracks.

Which means we may not have a lot of time...

I turn to Andrew, my expression grim. “What now, you ask? Now, we find another way to track him. Because whatever he’s planning? It’s gonna happen soon.”

Andrew exhales. “Great. Just great.”

I push off the wall, already moving. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before Norm’s next surprise shows up.”