Page 125 of Grave Beginnings

“Yeah. Not usually search and rescue. Apprehension, mostly.” Usually, I’d had SWAT breaking doors to collect suspects, but I had my fair share of experiences. “I took all available combat and recovery courses I could. I’ll never be the guy who shoots first, or even goes for my gun first, but I’m first-aid certified.”

“Most things from across the Veil won’t go down from a few bullets anyway. A taser sometimes interrupts their magic. Like, a vampire using mind tricks on people. Hit them with a jolt and it breaks their concentration. Shifters are more susceptible to electricity than most other supes. Veil tears like this can go two ways. Either, it’s easy, and we are just shuffling people out, or the building will be filled with things from across the Veil that are just as confused as people. They aren’t always violent, but it happens more often than not. De-escalation is important.”

That didn’t sound terrible.

“Sometimes…” Angel paused. “I won’t mince words with you. Sometimes, it all goes to shit because something big has found its way through.”

“Something big? Physically?” I pictured a giant, or something like the security guard, golem-like.

“Supernaturally speaking, big would be a high-level demon, demi-god, or powerful fae.”

“So, the cosmic equivalent of a surprise audit. Fantastic. How will we know?”

“Sadly, it will look like a warzone inside instead of regular rescue. It would be more about recovery. The nastiest stuff snuffsout human life as if they are flames to be blown out on a birthday cake. Bodies everywhere tells us it’s bad, but it may attack us first. Some of the worst feed off negative energy, or life force. Encountered one once that sucked people dry and left them as brittle husks.”

“Great,” I said.

“If we can get whatever it is to move on, we clean the place up and close it. Humans naturally avoid the Veil, and anything from the other side has to have more energy to cross at all without burning up in the tear.”

“We’re not trying to catch it?”

“Do you have any idea how to contain a god?”

“Uh, no.”

“As far as I know, it’s not possible. Don’t try. If I’m running away…”

“I’m hauling my ass in the same direction,” I said without having to be told.

44

Angel pointed out a large,dark, windowless van marked with SED on the side. “I’m going to jump in there and change. You’ll need to suit up with all the tech. Donotgo inside without me.”

“Got it,” I said, finding Bobby a half-dozen feet from the dark van, handing out devices to a lot of unfamiliar faces. The first van’s back doors were thrown wide, but a curtain covered the back. Angel disappeared inside as I headed toward Bobby.

“Angel tell you to stay close?” Bobby asked as he clipped a camera to my vest.

“Yes.” Not that I wouldn’t—I had no fucking idea what I was headed into.

“NHVs enter first, but stick to your shifter like glue. Their noses will tell them which way to go. All of our teams are onsite with different entry points. You and Angel will be right behind Victor’s team. You’re to locate survivors and guide them to the team behind you. It’s a little like leap frog. NHVs clear the area ahead for you, your team directs survivors to the team behind you, who hands them off to the medical crew outside, and so on.”He pulled out an earpiece. “It’s an earpiece and mic in one. The line will be open until you’re pulled from the scene.”

Angel jumped out of the van beside us, shifted into his cat form and carrying his vest. He ambled to my side, sitting next to me while Bobby went through a handful of other tech: goggles, baton, a taser with three options of electricity or plasma, and an ankle bracelet that muted charges in case I got hit with a taser or plasma energy from across the Veil. Handy and terrifying all at once.

“Let me show you how to help Angel with his tech,” Bobby said, and pointed out the vest—which had to be custom to Angel’s leopard, as it fit him perfectly—and a collar. “The vest deters claws and bullets, but nothing is infallible. There’s an easy release if you need to get him out of it fast.” Bobby demonstrated how to clip and unclip the vest and collar. “The collar has a tracking module in it as well as a camera. As long as you’re close, he can hear anything you receive from your earpiece. And, in case of disaster, there is a set of handles here on his vest that you can use to drag him out of a situation.”

“I should probably do more weight lifting,” I said, looking over Angel. He tilted his kitty head at me. “Not saying you’re fat, just…” I put my hand to my chest, “Smallz, remember?”

He snorted.

“The NHVs know not to leave our people behind,” Bobby said.

Angel growled.

“Hanna put the fear of the dark fae into them,” Bobby said. He handed me a tactical helmet. I hated the things, as they really hindered my peripheral vision, but being shot in the head would be worse. “Set your taser on the lowest level to start. Did Angel tell you most of the shit from the other side will spit out any bullets you hit them with?”

“Spit them out?” I planned to keep my sidearm strapped to my belt. Firing any gun indoors was always a bad idea. Modernbullets rarely got stuck in walls like TV portrayed. Mostly because the bullets were stronger and the walls flimsy in new builds.

“Taser first. Bullets are last resort, as you’re more likely to catch one of ours than do any damage to stuff from the other side.”