FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter -19- Passing The Torch

Twenty Minutes later...

** Reno Nevada ran his hands back through his jet-black hair.** He knelt over the body of the old man. His eyes lifted to Sinopa and Jules. He glanced back down at Nathanial Carrington.

Silence.

Reno looked around the area again. "So fill me in."

Jules nodded back at a highway patrol car sitting near by. "I ran out to the highway and waved at the cop who drove this-here car. That's how I called you."

Reno looked around the area. "Where's the patrolman for this vehicle?"

Jules waved his hand about, gesturing to the general area. "Checkin' around, just in case there be any more attackers. We called you because we were told you could help us, Inspector."

Reno glanced back towards Sinopa. "You know, you're lucky."

Sinopa pursed her lips in silence.

His gaze dropped back to the body of the old man. "I'm sorry. I know you just lost a friend. I just meant that it was lucky that I wasn't far from here when you called me."

Sinopa tilted her head. "I ... yes, I agree you arrived rather quickly."

Reno sighed. "Nicky isn't exactly pleased with me leaving the 'getaway by the sea' she set up for us. I was staying over in Muir Beach. It's just west of here."

"Ah." Sinopa nodded.

Reno shrugged. "I don't know what you guys expect me to do, though. Sanders suspended me until the first of October."

Sinopa tilted her head somewhat. "I do not understand, Inspector."

Reno looked back up at Sinopa. "My boss suspended me over my shooting incident - the one from the day we met."

"My apologies."

"Not your fault, Ms. Crevan."

She frowned. "Nathan asked for you by name before he passed."

Reno furrowed his brows. "I can't get involved with the Medical Examiner, I can't even legally touch this body. I can't help you hide _or_identify any of the attackers. This isn't even my jurisdiction - this is Marin County."

"But Nathanial asked for you by name. Did you know him?"

Reno looked back down at the old man. He stared at the man's face for a moment with a frown. "He looks familiar, but no. I've never seen him."

"If he looks familiar, perhaps you can..."

"Ms. Crevan..." Reno looked back up at her. "Again, I'm suspended for two more weeks. Me being here, right now, is technically contaminating_a crime scene. That's big _no-no."

Nobody replied.

Reno knelt over the old man and shook his head with a sigh. "So this old man fought off several mercenaries, huh? That's what you told me when I first arrived."

Sinopa nodded. "He fought them to the death."

Reno looked around at the nearby bodies. Some were diced open with severe burns. At a glance, a mercenary was missing his head. The attacker's throat appeared cauterized.

"Can you help us?"

Reno sighed. He looked back down at the old man. "This guy told you two to call me? Like only me?"

"Yes, Inspector." Sinopa gestured to a lump under Nathan's blazer coat. "He keeps his wallet inside his jacket pocket."

"Ms. Crevan..."

"Please. Humor me."

"God dammit," Reno said softly. He stared at the old man for a moment longer. "I can't touch his wallet. Best I can do, legally, is to verify that Mr. Carrington passed away."

Sinopa nodded. "I understand."

Reno reached down and placed his fingers against Nathan Carrington's neckline.

When Reno's skin touched Nathan's, a hiss-snap crackled in the air.

The sound caused Sinopa's ears to flicker in irritation beneath her hair.

Nevada jerked his hand back with a flinch of pain. "What in the hell just...?" He looked up at her, and then back at the body.

A wedding ring on the old man's left hand glowed.

Nathan Carrington's eyes peeled open, gazing up at Reno Nevada. Their gaze met.

Reno grimaced. "He's still alive," he announced to Sinopa and Jules.

The couple moved closer to see for themselves.

Reno licked his lips and leaned down, closer to Nathanial. "Mr. Carrington?"

Nathanial grimaced in pain. "Bullshit," he whispered.

Reno held his hand up, showing three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up, sir?"

Nathan smirked weakly. "You still have your hair."

Reno reached up and touched his tousled black hair. "Uh, yeah."

"You won't for long." Nathan glanced to the left and spied a 2003 Monte Carlo. A weak smile tugged at his aged mouth.

Reno moved his hand slightly closer to the old man's face. "I'm Inspector Reno Nevada - yes, it's my real name. I need you to tell me how many fingers I'm holding up, sir."

Nathan cut his eyes towards Sinopa, ignoring Reno's fingers. "Did Karla get the stone?"

Sinopa tilted her head. "I ... thought you were dead, Nathan-sama."

Nathan offered her a weak smile. "The juice is all that's holding me together, kid." He spoke with a gruff voice. "Did Karla get the stone?"

"I do not know," Sinopa said.

"God I hope so." Nathan frowned. His eyes shifted from Sinopa to Jules, and then back to Sinopa."

"We brought Inspector Nevada to you."

"Yeah." Nathan offered a weary smile. "Good job. I don't have long."

"Nathanial..." Sinopa's eyes glistened. "Do not say such things."

The old man smiled. "Stay beautiful, Sinopa. You've got a good heart." Nathan's eyes panned to Jules. "I know you're in love with her. You're a good man, Guillot."

"I'd take a bullet for her," said Jules.

"I know." Nathan lifted his gaze to the sky. "That's true love."

Reno leaned closer to the old man. "What can you tell me about the attacks that happened here?"

Nathan cut his eyes back to Reno. "There is no time for regrets in your life, Nevada. If reincarnation is real, I never found my wife again. But I might have been looking in the wrong place."

Reno arched his brows in confusion. "Hang in there." He glanced back at Jules. "Call an ambulance. He's dehydrated and not making much sense."

Nathan reached up and grasped Reno's wrist. Again, a snap-crackle sound came from the contact of their skin together. "What if I was wrong, and you found her?"

"Calm down, sir. You need to relax or you'll overdo it."

Nathan offered Reno a cryptic smile. The smile faded, followed by a serious expression. "There's going to be a triple homicide in Golden Gate Park."

"What?" Reno blinked. "When?"

"You're going to get the case when it happens," Nathan said. "Follow the clues. Stop at nothing, do you understand me? If anyone gets in your way, anyone at all, you tell them to go to hell. Don't let anyone stop you from solving it."

Reno blinked in confusion.

Nathan narrowed his gaze, glaring up at Reno. "Solve the case, understand? No matter how hard things get, don't let anything or anyone stop you from solving that case. Not your boss, not your girl, not your job, not even your brother. You solve that case, and everything will make sense."

"Wait, what?" Reno looked down at the withered old hand wrapped around his wrist. The old man's grasp felt hot.

Reno grimaced from the strange hot sensation. The old man's touch wasn't like a fever - skin contact felt more like the tingling sensation of licking a nine-volt battery.

Nathan glared at Reno. "The gypsy girl speaks English."

"What?" Reno blinked. "I don't understand half of what you're saying, Mr. Carrington.

"I don't have long," Nathanial said. "Just promise me you'll solve that case."

"I solve every case that can be solved. I have a department record for closed cases and convictions."

"Good man." Nathan afforded Reno a weak smile. "You're carrying the torch."

"What?"

"You're going to carry more flags than Larry Thorne, kid."

Reno blinked. "Who?"

"Look him up."

Jules cleared his throat. "War hero. Fought for Finland and Germany in World War 2. Came to America and fought for the Green Barrette Special Forces in Vietnam."

Nathan glanced from Jules back to Reno. "There's a man who died with his boots on. Throne fought for what he believed in. His flag changed with the times, but he kept true to his ideals. That's you, kid."

Reno furrowed his brows. He ran his hands back through his tousled black hair. "I'm a cop, I'll always be a cop."

"Yeah." Nathan lifted his head from the ground. "You'll always have those ideals - protect and serve. But you'll fly more flags than you can count. Just stay true to yourself."

Reno shook his head, confused. "No offense but that's some cryptic bullshit, Mr. Carrington."

The old man replied with a grin. "You can't bullshit a bullshitter. You'll see." Nathan glanced down the length his body. He squinted his tired eyes and smiled. "My boots are on."

Reno eyed the old man. "Is that a Doc Holiday reference from Tombstone?"

"Nah." Nathan eased his head back, lying flat on the ground. Again, he stared up at the sky. "Chance knew. He wanted to die with his boots on. I guess I never understood the significance until now..."

Reno stood up and turned to Sinopa and Jules. He ran his fingers back through the dark, full locks of his disheveled black hair. "Ms. Crevan, did one of you call an ambulance?"

Jules shook his head. "I had ta' flag down a car so I could call you, Inspector. EMP killed my cell."

Sinopa watched the glowing metal of Nathan's wedding ring. It dimmed. She swallowed back a swell of emotion.

Nathan's mind drifted away. His body became still.

Sinopa knelt besides Nathan. She put her fingers on his neck. A frown found her lips. "It is the same as earlier." She sighed with a frown. "No pulse. Nathan-sama, please, what did you mean when you told Inspector Nevada that he is carrying the torch?"

Silence.

Reno stared at her in disbelief. "You might have done it wrong. Obviously he has a pulse." Reno glanced from her back to the old man.

Nathan was silent. Motionless.

Reno lowered to his knee again. He put his fingers against the old man's neckline but couldn't find a pulse. There was no strange hot feeling anymore when touching the old man's skin.

For the first time, Reno noticed the old man's neck felt cool to the touch.

Reno scrunched his brows. "Wait. He was hot earlier."

Sinopa shook her head. "He never felt hot to the touch. Not to me."

Reno put the back of his hand against the old man's forehead. It wasn't cold, but was not as warm as a living body. "How long was he lying out here?"

"Forty-five minutes," Jules said. "I called you by the highway. I'd say you got here by car around the same time I got back by foot."

Reno looked back down at the old man's motionless body. He checked the man's wrist, chest, and neck again. No pulse. "He was alive just a minute ago!"

Sinopa frowned in silence. She began chanting a soft prayer in Japanese.

Reno put his hands over the old man's chest and started CPR.

Jules frowned. "I tried tha' earlier - military trained, CPR certified. That man is an enigma, Inspector."

Reno continued chest compressions for several moments but Nathan didn't respond.

Sinopa finished her prayer and knelt besides Reno. "Inspector, he gave you instructions ... almost with his dying breath."

Reno continued the chest compressions. "I know why you called me. You need this to be kept quiet. I get it, okay? I do. I saw the fire thing. But I'm not the right guy for the job this time."

"Inspector..."

A surge of electricity raced up from Nathan's chest. It channeled through Reno's hands and threw him back.

Nevada rolled twice and came to a stop on his side, covered in dirt.

Sinopa and Jules raced over to Reno.

Reno sat up, wide eyed and dazed. His hands cramped. His palms blistered up with first-degree burns. In a winded voice, he exclaimed, "What the hell was that bullshit? Did you guys see that?"

"Oui, Inspector." Jules hurried over to the police cruiser. He opened the trunk and found a first aid kit. He returned to Reno's side with a package of clear salve and immediately applied it to Reno's palms. "Hold still, s'il vous plaît."

Sinopa frowned. "I believe that is why Nathan asked us to bring you."

Reno rubbed his palms together to spread the clear salve. "What? So I could shock the shit out of myself trying to give him CPR?" Reno crawled back over to Nathanial. "What the hell caused that anyhow?" He reached towards the old man to resume CPR but hesitated. "Is it going to happen again?"

Jules settled adjacent to Nathanial's body. "Je suis CPR certifié." He put his hands one-over-the-other and started chest compressions. "I did this earlier for Monsieur Carrington, but I thought he died."

Sinopa turned to Reno. "Allow me, Inspector." She clasped his wrists and turned over his scorched hands to examine them.

Reno opened and closed his fingers gingerly. "At least the burns are only on my palms. I can still type the incident report."

"I would prefer you did not such thing. I fear it will draw attention to you."

"How do you figure?"

"Some of the participants in these attacks have ties to law enforcement. I'm afraid you would be targeted. It would be safer for you to conduct an investigation off the record."

"What?" Reno sighed. "Listen, I'm not Internal Affairs. This is something for them. Plus, these attackers are diced up - god only knows how that will be explained."

"Does this group have authority to put a stop to a global event?"

Reno blinked. "Excuse me?" He glanced at Jules, who continued to administer CPR to Nathan's lifeless body. Reno's eyes cut back to Sinopa. "You care to explain that?"

"You saw my ability to create flames. My friend," she nodded towards Nathan's body, "could generate and sustain electricity. Humans with such abilities existed across the globe, Inspector. These people have their own government bodies in place. However, they have disappeared. They were the targets of attacks like the one you discovered the day I met you."

"That was the body in the alley? They killed a target?"

"Hai, Inspector. The death estimation is over one hundred thousand people." She released his wrists and placed her palms gently upon either side of Reno's face. "Trust no one. Investigate in silence."

"Where the hell would I start?"

Sinopa lowered her hands back to his, placing her palms overtop of his. "Start with the clues given to you by Nathanial." She withdrew her hands from Reno's. She turned to Jules and wiped the clear salve from her palms against Jules' shoulders. "There is nothing more you can do for Nathanial. His mind is at rest, now."

Jules rose to his feet and turned to Sinopa. He embraced her.

Sinopa buried her face against Jules' chest and wept for the death of her friend.

Reno glanced down at his hands. His palms were partially healed. Nevada opened and closed his hands several times. He glanced back at Sinopa, hiding against Jules' chest. "How...?"

Jules offered a slight grin to Reno. "She can heal superficial wounds, m'ami. Right now, you were in the area when you saw a flash in the sky. Your police instincts kicked in and you came to investigate. You found the crime scene as is."

Reno glanced back at Nathan's body. The man's dress shirt appeared marred with a brown burn mark over the chest.

"Inspector?"

Reno turned back to Jules and Sinopa. He nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, 'je comprend' or whatever." He wiped his hands on his pants.

Jules lifted his hand from Sinopa's back and reached for Reno. "Shake on it?"

Reno took Jules' hand. They shook. "Military huh?"

"Oui, I was stationed at Yokosuka."

"Navy, huh?"

"Aviator. I piloted Super Hornets, F-35s, and I taught for a year in the SFTI program out of Nevada. I returned to Yokosuka after my first year as an instructor." He kissed Sinopa's head. "When I met her, I decided eight years was long enough in the Navy."

Reno stole a glance at Nathan's body. He grimaced and looked back at Jules. "SFTI? Is that like Topgun?"

"Oui, Inspector. It is Topgun."

Reno glanced back down at Nathan's body again. "Sorry for making small talk. I've seen more than my share of homicide victims on the job. I don't mean to be disrespectful."

Jules shook his head. "No worries, m'ami."

Reno's gaze returned to Nathan. He stared at the old man's face for a moment. "I wonder why he looks familiar. I've never seen him in my life."

"Maybe he reminds you of someone?"

"Maybe." Reno sighed. He looked down at his healed palms again, and then back to Nathan. "God this is complicated." He looked around the crime scene and sighed again. "Okay, if you really have the power to create fire, you should burn the bodies of the attackers. That way you guys can tell investigators that the EMP device somehow caused it. Feign ignorance. Stick to one story and don't give too many details."

Silence.

Reno looked around for the patrolman. "Quick, before the uniform gets back here."

Sinopa pursed her lips together. She turned and nodded towards the attackers.

The bodies of the dead merceanries' uniforms erupted in flame. Their clothing burned for a moment, then the fires fizzled out.

Reno sighed. "Okay. You attacked the EMP device with a rock or something, got it? They moved close to protect it. It went off. Their clothes caught fire. Other than that, you should stick to the truth as best you can. It keeps things from getting complicated."

Sinopa frowned. "My prints will be on Nathan's wedding band. They will likely attempt to identify me for verification purposes."

Reno tilted his head. "You don't have an identity in the system?"

"I have a passport, and enough of an established history that I do not 'raise flags' as the saying goes. But I will not hold up under the scrutiny of an investigation."

Reno ran his hands back through his black hair and sighed. "Okay, look, you're in witness protection and part of your background was wiped. I'll vouch for you. It's the best I've got under such short notice."

Jules turned to Sinopa and they spoke to one another softly. They both nodded in agreement to something.

Jules turned back to Reno. "You only just showed up, Inspector. We called you because we already had your card. That patrolman I flagged down - he ain't even seen you yet. That work for you?"

"Yeah," Reno replied with a firm nod. "That works." He looked up at an incoming vehicle. "Okay, guys. Game faces. I don't know if this is more attackers, or cops. Keep it cool."

An SUV pulled up, adjacent to a patrol car that Jules had flagged down earlier.

The patrolman came from the Vortac Tower and approached the group. He saw his cruiser's trunk open and shut it.

Three men stepped out of the SUV, one of which approached the nearby officer. Another man made a beeline from the SUV to the pickup truck by the Vortac Tower fence.

The driver of the SUV approached Reno, Sinopa and Jules. He looked down at the body of Nathanial Carrington and frowned. The man's eyes lifted back to Sinopa, Jules and Reno.

Reno reached for his credentials but Jules reached back to stay Reno's hand. Reno crossed his arms over his chest instead and remained quiet.

The man cleared his throat. "I'm Drew Reed of the National Transportation Safety Board. I was told one of you three witnessed men using an EMP to take down the plane that crashed near here?" he withdrew his cellphone and thumbed the screen, activating a voice recording application.

Jules showed the agent his blue military ID card. "I recognized the plane as a Dassault Falcon as soon as it came out of the cloud. You say it crashed nearby?"

"It's being investigated now. I need to know what happened..." Reed leaned in, reading Jules' ID card. "Jules Guil-wah?"

"G'loh," Jules replied. "The men in black body armor operated the EMP device on the back of their truck as the small jet flew overhead. I saw the exhaust trail disappear from the plane. It began to drop altitude from this point all the way into town. It glided due east, no course changes. It's possible that the pilots had no control due to the EMP discharge. Depends on the model, they might have had limited steering ability."

Reed switched his phone to his other hand, keeping it outstretched towards Jules. "Go on, Mr. Guillot."

"I didn't see any stalled cars on US101," Jules explained. "So I assume the device had a controlled detonation, or, at the very least, a limited range."

Reed, and everyone else remained silent.

Jules patted his front right pocket. "But the EMP affected our cellphones, the pickup truck, and our rental car up on that hill." Jules paused to point. "We thought the attackers were, uh, terrorists, you know?"

Reed eyed Jules. "Why would you think that?"

Jules nodded towards the nearby Vortac Tower. "They attacked a point of infrastructure, and caused a plane to go down. They had guns, and, let's face it, Monsieur Reed, this Government has made its people paranoid. I don't have to hear religious shouting in another language to jump to conclusions or terrorism in this day and age."

"Fair enough. Continue, Mr. Guillot."

"Sinopa and I saw them attacking this-here old gentleman." Jules nodded towards Nathan. "We started shouting at the attackers and ran down here. They opened fire. The elder gentleman, here, was killed in the attack."

Sinopa spoke up. "You will find my fingerprints on the man's wedding ring. I comforted him in his last moments by taking his wedding band from around his neck and putting it onto his finger at his request."

Reed nodded.

Jules continued. "The EMP unit finished priming then discharged. The terrorists were standing in front of the unit, defensively, when it went off. They used some sort of chemical detonation. It caused their clothes to catch fire."

Reed looked back at the nearest merceanry's body. "You're telling me their EMP device decapitated that man and sliced open another?"

"I'm not the expert in that sort of thing," said Jules. "I was a fighter pilot. Anyhow, Sinopa and I panicked because the old man was unresponsive. The attackers were killed when the thing in the pickup truck went off."

Sinopa cut in. "I asked Jules to go for help while I tend to the dying gentleman."

Jules nodded in agreement and continued. "I ran east to the road and flagged down a passing police cruiser; we called her friend, Inspector Reno Nevada, because we had his business card."

"And ... tell me how these attackers burned to the core, again? You saw the EMP device catch fire? It doesn't appear scorched."

"Oui, yes, about that ... I picked up a rock and threw it at their device. They moved into a position to defend the thing." Jules pointed back towards the nearby pickup truck. "One of them pointed a weapon at us. The other one turned to tinker with the device. Then it flashed and the attackers caught fire. Sinopa and I could feel a wave of heat but we were further back."

Reed looked around the area again. He shook his head. "Jesus. Alright, what happened next?"

Jules continued. "Their gear caught fire. One of the guns went off ... possibly cooked off by the heat, or maybe one of them started shooting in a panic. The gunmen began screaming, flailing about and such; it was jus' awful. They burned up bad."

Reed turned back to Sinopa and said, "Alright, I've got his name. I'd like to see your ID, ma'am."

Reno eyed Sinopa. He glanced back at the Federal Agent and sighed. "Listen, this is kind of complicated. But long story short," Reno trailed off and guided the agent away from Sinopa and Jules.

Reed blinked.

Reno spoke in a soft tone. "She's in witness protection. Her identification is so new that you might have problems running her prints or anything else for that matter. She's my witness in a homicide case."

"Alright, so..." Reed angled his phone towards Reno. "Who the hell are you?"

The Inspector smirked. "I'm an Inspector out of San Francisco. I met these two during a case. There was a shooting, so I'm on administrative leave as protocol. They had my card and called me when they saw this attack."

"How'd you get over here before me?"

Reno hooked a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to the west. "I was with my girl in Muir Beach. I'm just telling you, when you run Sinopa's background ... hers won't show much, if anything. She's in witness protection." Reno showed the agent his identification and badge.

Reed stared at Reno for a moment, as if trying to size up the Inspector. "Okay, for the record, why put her into witness protection? And why call you instead of the police?"

"Because the attack she witnessed was by men in black uniforms, _just_like these guys." Reno side-nodded towards the bodies on the ground nearby. "She figured they were related, or that they found her. But she couldn't call because her phone stopped working because of the EMP. Her boyfriend, Jules, figured the attack had something to do with the plane. If you need my case file on the attack, we arrested those guys."

"If you arrested them, why do you have her in Witness Protection, Inspector Nevada?"

"Because they were organized. I came to the conclusion that they were working as part of a cell or something. I felt it would be best to have Sinopa lay low in case they came after her. I don't have jurisdiction here, but if the two groups of men are connected, I'll get you my case file."

Reed eyed Reno again. "Yeah, alright."

"What, you think I'm bullshitting you?"

Reed shook his head. "No, this is too complicated. When people make shit up, it's either too clean, or too inconsistent. We need to determine if the plane was the target, then the FBI will be taking over the case."

Reno nodded in understanding.

Reed sighed. "I'm sure the lead agent is going to need to take these two in for a statement soon. I don't know who that will be. I'm releasing those two into your custody for right now. The NTSB doesn't get involved in criminal investigations like this. The Bureau will call to get a hold of the three of you soon."

"I understand."

Reed glanced to the left and narrowed his eyes. "One sec, Inspector." Agent Reed turned away and approached one of the other agents. "Something wrong? What's with the excited hand gestures?"

The two Federal Investigators began whispering amongst themselves. The third agent approached and they huddled with the highway patrolman.

Reno turned back to Sinopa and Jules. "Just play along with the bit about witness protection."

Jules nodded. "I'm retired from the military. Should I tell them I'm Sinopa's personal bodyguard? Lots of military people do private sector security, after all."

Sinopa crossed her arms over her chest. "It would be a believable cover story."

Reno shook his head. "No, stick to the truth, guys. Stay as close to the truth as you can, because that's what holds up under scrutiny. How long have you two been dating?"

"Two years," Sinopa said.

"We met in Yokosuka."

"Stick with that," Reno said. "I'll take you two back to Muir Beach with me. You can stay there; Nicky and I will head back to San Francisco. I'm going to have you two sit tight, lay low, and keep your heads down."

Sinopa bowed slightly to Reno. "I am honored you are so willing to help us, Inspector. You are risking your career, and I will not forget it."

"You throw fire, and mercenary cells are attacking people with super powers across the globe." Reno ran his hands over his face, then back through his hair. "Christ, I can't believe I'm lying to Federal Agents for people I only met once."

"Hai, you have my appreciation, Inspector Nevada-san. We will gladly accept your assistance. You have ours as well."

"Great. As soon as these guys give me the say-so, I'll get you back to..."

Reed turned back to the trio and said, "Gentlemen, madam, I'm needed over at the crash site." There was an edge to Reed's voice.

"Everything okay?" Reno asked.

"There's been a development. We have to go. Inspector, I'll need that card if you have one handy." Reed handed Reno a business card and received one in return from Nevada.

"Take care," Reno said. "Look, I'm not stupid, Reed. These guys used an EMP. Maybe the target was this ugly-ass tower, but then why wait for a plane to be overhead if they didn't want to be caught?"

"What's your point, Nevada?"

"If they did this to take down that plane, and if they are related to the guys I arrested a few weeks ago, then it seems to me they're organized enough to have a group go after the plane."

"Again, what's your point, Inspector? I have to go."

"They're armed and they're dangerous. They're trigger-happy. The ones I met in San Francisco spoke proper English. They even tried talking their way out of the firefight, only to turn around and shoot me ... twice. Center mass both times, thank Christ for my vest."

Reed grimaced.

"Just watch your ass, man. Don't let them try to talk you down. If it's the same guys I met, they're smart and well trained. They're also out on bail."

"Keep your witness safe, Inspector." Reed turned back to the other two agents and the nearby county officer. "Let's go."

X

X

9:45am PDT Sausalito Crash Site ...

** "Withdraw another thousand feet, ** or I kill a hostage," said the mercenary over the phone. "I'm done playing games, Agent Michener. You want to negotiate? You need to give me something I want. And right now, I want space, so move it!"

The mercenary slammed the phone receiver on its base. He turned back to Donovan and the unconscious blond girl. "No one goes anywhere until my people finish cleaning up these artifacts."

"What about letting her go as a sign of good faith," asked Donovan. "She's out cold, harmless, and her hand is in need of medical attention."

"No," said the leader of the mercenary group. "If I need to kill one of you two, I'll still need another hostage to show I mean business. You're doing good, Mister Loupe. If you continue to behave, we won't kill you."

Donovan blinked. "You know my name?"

"Goddamn right I do. Falcon said to let you live if you don't cause trouble. You must be important."

"Your people already attempted to kill me at the end of August."

"Well, now I'm being told not to set you on fire so long as you cooperate."

Donovan grimaced. "Do I get a name?"

"How do you feel?"

"I'm well, considering. Besides, what are my options? You have two men with flamethrowers."

"Exactly, and you'd best remember that." The mercenary smirked, seen through the cutouts in his ski mask.

Donovan remained silent and expressionless. He reached up and adjusted the knot of his tie.

"We might be here a while. So you can call me 'Smith.' Now, how did you two get here before anyone else? Did you know this plane was going to crash here?"

Donovan stared at the Smith for a moment, sizing him up.

"I know who both of you are, and if you don't cooperate, I will have my boys kill you, and I will personally burn your little jewelry store to the ground."

"Karla's ability allows her to teleport. We saw the plane going down. She teleported us from San Francisco to Sausalito. We followed the smoke."

"What the hell for?" Smith demanded. "Most of you supernatural bastards are dead. What do you want with a plane crash?"

"We..." Donovan trailed off, unable to think of a proper story.

"Don't lie to me, Mister Loupe."

Donovan shrugged gingerly. "With our governing body and social structure in ruins, we no longer have anyone to punish us for using our abilities in public."

"Excuse me?"

Donovan glanced at Karla's motionless body. His eyes lifted back to Smith. "A few of us feel uninhibited, now, and have chosen to use our abilities to actively help individuals in need, while other survivors freely use their abilities for personal gain."

"You two stupid idiots think you're superheroes now?"

Donovan grimaced. "When she and I saw the plane crash in the distance, we decided to look for survivors. We saw the plane make a slow descent and we thought there was the possibility that someone survived. What we found was a cargo plane - no passengers. The fire department showed up and found the cockpit first. She and I worked together to put the fires out in this section of the plane, lest the woods catch fire. Then you and your men showed up."

Smith narrowed his gaze. "So you two didn't attack the plane?"

Donovan blinked. "Why on earth would we attack a plane? We witnessed such, as it dropped altitude. From my vantage point, I observed no visible sign of said attacks."

Smith turned back to one of his men and they spoke softly to one another.

Donovan held his breath, trying to overhear them.

Smith said, "Were their any of our guys operating in the flight path?"

Donovan couldn't hear the other man's reply, but he could hear Smith.

"God dammit, Jerry, why the hell would one of our teams use an EMP?"

The man named Jerry spoke to his superior.

"The priority target? Did they kill him?"

Jerry whispered to Smith.

"Confirm it, then. I need to know if one of our teams took down that old bastard. I'll secure the site. Get out of here. Change into your uniform, blend in, and head out there to confirm the old man is dead. Go."

Jerry hurried away. He disappeared into the trees, away from the stand off between the authorities and the crash site.

After a moment, Smith turned back to Donovan and said, "Radio chatter suggests that an EMP may have been used to attack one of you freaks. It could have been a coincidence that the EMP was used in proximity of the plane."

"I would not attack a plane. But tell me, Mr. Smith, why are your people defending it?"

Smith smirked. "Since your details check out, I'm going to assume you're telling me the truth. Something tells me you're leaving out details, though."

Loupe frowned, feeling caught in his lie. "Your employer told you to let me go if I don't cause trouble. So I don't plan on causing trouble. But you have to give me your word that the girl lives, too. Then I'll tell you everything I know." Donovan felt anxiety well up in his chest.

Smith folded his arms and stared at Donovan for a moment. Finally, he said, "Fine. The girl lives. So long as she doesn't cause any trouble. What weren't you telling me?"

Donovan drew a deep breath to quell his anxiousness. He spoke calmly, choosing his wording carefully so as to speak in modern English. "Last night, I witnessed two supernatural beings attacking a cargo ship."

"I'm listening."

"I went to investigate out of curiosity when I saw fireballs from the highway. She was fighting men in black gear, like yourselves."

"She showed up in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago and has been a pain in my ass since. Go on, Loupe."

"I spoke to her afterwards," Donovan said. "She said she was a demigod from across the globe and she was looking for something that your employer stole from either her, or her people."

"The Emperor of Japan."

Donovan nodded. "Yes, that was it. The relic was stolen from the Emperor."

"Go on. Make yourself useful." Smith cut his eyes towards Karla. "Your pretty pal's life depends on it."

Donovan fidgeted with one of his cufflinks. "She controls fire. If she attacked your cargo ship, then she could have attacked this plane, despite what your recent intel has suggested."

"You think she might be the one who brought the plane down?"

"If she somehow knew the cargo belonged to Dr. Falcon, same as the cargo ship from last night, then that makes sense. Shouldn't you be less concerned with the cargo of this plane and more concerned with organizing a strategy to fight a fire-wielding Asian demigod?"

"What the hell do you care?"

Donovan tilted his head. "My weakness is fire - she flings fire about without a care in the world. The supernatural community had a very tense treaty with demigods. There was very little peace between our races. I don't wish to be at ground zero if she is on her way here."

One of the mercenaries approached Smith and said, "The jewelry store owner is telling the truth."

Smith looked up at his coworker. "Explain."

The mercenary glared at Donovan, briefly, then cut his gaze back to Smith. "One of our guys saw a chick with one of those Japanese swords, throwing fireballs at Pier-80 last night. Jones barely got out of there alive. He said he saw guys catching on fire, jumping into the bay and shit. After that, cops showed up. The whole shipment was secured by the goddamn Feds."

Smith clenched his left hand into a fist. "God dammit." He turned back to Donovan. "Pick up the girl and stand up, Mister Loupe. We're going to walk you out of here at gunpoint. We're going to load these crates into our vans, and we're going to drive away, with you two as hostages."

Donovan hefted Karla onto his shoulder and stood up, slowly, mindful of his footing in the side-turned fuselage.

Smith guided them out, while his men started throwing the crates together, preparing them to be moved.

Smith walked Donovan and Karla from the trees, and into the clearing. He put his gun to Karla's head and shouted, "We're leaving with our hostages."

The FBI agents sprang up behind an NTSB truck. Phil Michener and his agents pointed their weapons at the trio.

Law enforcement officers pointed their handguns towards the tree line.

Smith grimaced, counting the approximate number of weapons pointed in his direction. "Dammit." He turned to Donovan and said, "Your crap doesn't work in broad daylight, does it?"

"No. And knocking them over with an enormous shadow arm would cause them to open fire. I'd rather remain peaceful."

"Well now," Smith trailed off and smiled.

Donovan saw Smith's smile. "What?"

"Look for yourself, Mr. Loupe." At the far end of the clearing, four silver vans and two white vans pulled in behind the federal agents and surrounding police. "Looks like the cavalry has arrived. Perfect timing."

At the edge of the clearing, mercenaries in black gear poured out of their vehicles, pointing their weapons at the law enforcement agents.

Officers and Federal Agents reluctantly began to put their weapons down.

Donovan discretely brought his thumb and forefinger to Karla's nose, pinching it shut.

The trio continued to walk out into the clearing, approaching the line of over-run cops and agents. "This is a mess," Donovan murmured. "You don't need us anymore. You now have a whole host of hostages. Are we free to go?"

"You stupid fuck," Smith snapped, "I was never going to let you live. We kill people like you because you shouldn't exist. We're exterminating you."

"I thought Dr. Falcon said..."

"Falcon doesn't have to know," Smith interrupted. "You're no longer necessary."

They approached the line of agents and officers.

Smith gave Donovan a shove. "Down on your knees."

Donovan continued to hold Karla's nose shut.

All at once, she gasped for air and flailed in Donovan's arms. She let out a telekinetic wave that threw everyone back.

The wave flipped the the silver and white vans, several police cruisers, two black Chevy Suburbans, and leveled several of the trees at the back of the clearing.

Donovan blinked. He looked around the clearing.

Smith was nowhere to be seen. No one stood up or moved.

"By His blood, that was impressive and most certainly unexpected."

Karla groaned softly.

Donovan shifted Karla in his arms, and eased her feet to the ground. "Karla, how's your hand?"

"Hurts," she muttered. The succubus brought her left hand up and eyed it. She glanced back at Donovan. "It's not bleeding anymore. I don't see ... I think the little glass bits must have fallen out."

He gazed over her hand and frowned. "I couldn't even pull one out, before. But you appear correct. I don't see them." He reached for her palm and used his thumb to gingerly press against her wounded palm. "I stand corrected."

"What?" She furrowed her brows.

Donovan frowned. "The stones seem to be beneath the skin. We should talk to Lance. Are you feeling well enough to teleport us away from here?"

"We have to go and check on Sinopa first, remember? The plan was to meet them there. Do you have that little fancy box I couldn't open?"

"Indeed." He looked around. Some of the police and federal agents were recovering. Some of the mercenaries were starting to get to their feet. "We should make haste."

"I hope whatever is in that thing is what she needed." Karla tensed her uninjured right hand. The couple disappeared.

Several moments later, Karla and Donovan appeared near the Vortac Tower east of Sausalito.

There was a Ford sedan up on the ridge, and a charred pickup truck near the tower fence.

The area was otherwise empty.

Karla sighed. "We may have missed them. I have a killer headache. Let's just get the hell out of here before we get in any more trouble."

"For once, I'm inclined to agree with you."

Karla turned to a pickup truck with the EMP unit on the back.

Several plastic number plaques labeled the area. There was a spray-paint outline on the ground, adjacent to another number card.

The succubus swallowed and approached the outline with a frown. "There are two burned bodies over there. But no sign of our people. It looks like the cops started processing this scene. It's roped off with tape. They even left the mercenaries' bodies. But there's only one outline on the ground, and no body."

Donovan looked around the area and nodded in agreement. "Your assessment is accurate."

"God, stop talking like a dork for a minute."

"Karla..."

"Donovan, that means one of our people was killed. I hate the idea of falling back ... but until we find out who is dead and what's going on, we need to lay low. You're going to have to keep your store shuttered because they'll be watching it and waiting for you. We have to change our game plan."

"What about the people at the crash site?"

She frowned. "Yeah. I don't even know what to do about that. I'm injured, we're both exhausted, and we need to find our people because that should be the priority."

"I agree. Let's go and find Lance and determine our next course of action. Perhaps he will know what to do with the strange box."

Karla stared at the outline. She approached one of the burned mercenary bodies. One of them was decapitated. His neck was cauterized shut. She recognized the wound as one caused by Nathanial.

"Karla?"

She glanced back at the chalk outline and swallowed. She licked her lips and whispered. "Yeah..."

X

X