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Chapter -4- Plus Sign

Tuesday January 23, noon EST Atlantic Ocean ...

** Aris Falcon folded his arms.** "What do you think, Sire?"

"Despite peer pressure, the fact you saved his life goes a long way with the boy. The fact you're letting him date a girl from the surface has cemented that trust bond."

Falcon turned back to the wall of monitors, watching Vincent in the room with Collobulous. "His brother knows about the artifacts. Perhaps we should sever outside communication before Vincent learns too much."

"No, don't be foolish, Aris. This is your best way to keep tabs on the Parker girl, the boy's brother, and all their friends."

"How so?"

"We know that he's being used to gain information on our operation for Reno Nevada and the rest of his group." Sire stood adjacent to Falcon and folded his own arms in a similar stance. "But we know because we monitor their calls. So long as we manipulate the information that Vincent gives them, we can control what they know ... or rather, what they _think _they know. We can create the disinformation and control the situation. If anything, we should feed that boy carefully selected information. Also, we can use Vincent's conversations to determine what his friends know about us. He's far more valuable now than he was when you restored his dead corpse with that machine from beneath Colorado. If anything, he's the center point of our operation for the time being."

"Perhaps. But I see you still underestimate the worth of his ability." Aris rubbed his chin, keeping his eyes on the monitor. "And what of Collobulous?"

"We'll need to come up with a reason why we should put him into cryogenic stasis. Eventually, we'll need to use that reason to put all of Vincent Nevada's peers into suspended animation. I liked that virus idea that was utilized with Jon Parker. We could say we're on a crusade to study it and find a cure for it. I wonder if anyone has figured out how Parker really contracted it - I must say, it was flawless and gives everyone plausible deniability in the issue. So far as this virus that kills supernatural people ... well..."

"Well what?"

Sire offered a genuine smile. "We'll say everyone opposing us must be captured and put into suspended animation. Then the boy will help us to 'help them,' and they'll simply be put into a closet and forgotten."

Falcon nodded slowly, watching the interaction between Vincent and the restrained Australian man on the screen. "This should prove interesting."

They watched the images on the monitor. In the containment room, Vincent stuffed his hands into his pockets and asked, "So, you're like Sinopa? You can do the premonition thing?"

"Yes. I've had time to meditate lately."

"So you know what happens next?"

"I can tell you're going to ask about your pretty dubbay. I can tell you that there's a good bit of doori coming your way."

"What?"

"Sex, mate. That sheila is a deadly sharp girl."

"So we're going to marry?"

"You two'll be apples and everything'll go ace, but no."

"What?"

"You'll be part of her life on and off for a number of years, mate, but you won't marry her. If anything, you'll be the one that pushes her into the arms of her future husband. For a time, there will even be ... well, the French call it a 'house of three.' The good doori, well, that'll last for a while then you'll return to Doctor Falcon's side to focus on your work here."

Vincent moved closer and whispered, "I'm going to have a ménage à trios with my girlfriend and her brother? Don't you think that's kinda sick?"

"Consider it a triple-roommate situation, mate. Don't look too far into the living arrangements, especially since you will eventually return here. So go and have a time with her. Avagoyermug, mate, you'll have the time of your life, so it enjoy it while it lasts, yeah?"

"But eventually I come back here?"

"Bang on, sport. There are things you don't understand yet."

"Why can't life be more like comics, games and TV shows? Real life is way more screwed up; complicated ... I just want things to be simple." Young Nevada lowered his eyes, sighed, then lifted his gaze back to the large, broad-shouldered man. "This is crazy."

"Nothing is ever simple, but I'm the one bailed up and bound down. Could be worse for you. No use swimmin' in the shame, mate."

"So am I playing for the wrong team?"

"Chin up, chest out. You need to understand, though, that you are not the bad guy, here. You see a picture bigger than even Aris Falcon can see. Aris feels that the Parkers' children are to be pivotal in helping usher in a new path of life that leads back to something he calls 'the First Age.' But you'll see things far more clearly than that. Be prepared, though, that the children will be far less open-minded or understanding than yourself. But let's be real, mate, there's no reason for them to know the 'dynamics' of your relationship with the Parkers."

"I hate to ask but how can I know you're telling me the truth? This is all very..."

Collobulous said, "Take my hand."

"Pardon?"

"Go on, now. Give it a go."

Vincent approached cautiously and reached for the man's large fingers. As soon as their hands connected, Vincent Nevada dropped to the floor with a groan.

Meanwhile, Falcon, in the control room, balked at the monitor, depicting Collobulous and Vincent. He reached for a radio receiver to call for help but Sire stayed his hand by grasping his forearm. "No, Aris. They don't know they're being monitored. Just wait."

Back in the holding room, Vincent sat up, dazed, and crawled away from the table. He approached the nearest wall and got to his feet, using the wall as support. "What ... did I just see?"

"A glimpse into time. I brought you into my dreaming. Specifically, you saw a scrap of the future. Many people have abilities, although not many are left. I have two."

Vincent rubbed his face and leaned up against the nearby wall. "Is that the dreamtime thing I've heard about?"

"Dreaming, mate. The Dreaming. Everyone's dreaming is a little bit different. Mine gives me glimpses of things to come. What I see is no guarantee, mind you ... just outcome probability. It's my job to determine if I need to preserve what I've seen, or to stop it from happening."

"Jesus. You said you have two abilities?"

"I don't gammon no yarns, mate, I have two. Outside of the dreaming, I have me strength. My ability in the metaphysical realm is a deep connection to the Dreaming. I can do what many of my people have only spoken of in myths and legends. I can see 'possible outcomes.' Follow?"

"Yeah. God that was intense."

"What did you see?"

"I ... I saw that the world becomes ravaged a few years from now. Does this mean I somehow have the ability to stop it?"

Collobulous tilted his head, looking over to the left. "What if what you saw was the 'better' scenario?"

"I don't understand," replied Vincent, his voice breaking somewhat.

"What if your vision displayed the aftermath of a battle that saved the world? What if you saw the repercussion of the war that saved humanity? Were there any people alive in your vision?"

"Yes. No nuclear radiation or the stuff you'd expect to see from that sort of mess. It was the aftermath of an earthquake. Many died but many survived. It wasn't a war or anything like that. Just an act of God, so to speak. How can anyone stop that? Is that what you've seen? A war?"

"Yes."

"Then our visions were different."

Collobulous shook his head weakly. "Or our interpretations were different. But I also know that I will be frozen in ice for an age. The sooner I'm placed into such a state, the sooner I'll wake up and begin my journey to help heal the world."

"I'm so sorry you're here. Have you eaten lately? Can I bring you anything?"

"Yeah. A plate of chook, chips 'n crisps. No, I'm fine, mate." Bull offered a wry smile and added, "My mish is done for now. Tell Doctor Falcon I know my role in all of this and I'm ready for my brief suspension of reality. Well ... brief for me anyways. When you speak to Rufus, give him a message from me."

"Uhm ... what, uh, what is the message?"

"Tell him that it's not her fault. Also, tell him that he needs to run. Tell him to take a walkabout in the never-never. He can sustain himself in the bush. He needs to go back the way he came, and don't look back until the water recedes on the home of his forefathers. He'll get it."

"Jesus. No offense but do people that tell premonitions always have to speak in such riddles?"

"The message isn't meant for anyone else to understand. Also, it's not meant for Rufus to understand until later in his life. However, the part about running ... that should be considered an immediate priority at the time he's given the message. No yabber, mate, just give him the message."

"I understand. I'll tell him as soon as I see him. Why would we put you into suspended animation?"

"It is my destiny. I am ready to begin."

A moment later, the door at the end of the room opened and Aris Falcon stepped in. He closed it behind himself and raised his brows. "Vincent? What are you doing here?"

"I ... was curious about the man who broke into the city."

"Step away from the table, now," said the doctor in a stern voice. "He has a strain of the virus from San Francisco ... but it isn't the mutated one. It's the original one that killed the father of your girlfriend."

"What? I don't understand."

Aris gestured for the boy to move away from the table. "Vincent, that virus was found at an archeological site. It was used to combat people who are supernatural. Like Mr. Bullakulla, here, and like yourself. Unfortunately we don't yet have the medical technology to fight it, so I've decided to put him into stasis until we learn how to beat it. He needs to be prepped for suspension." Falcon turned to Collobulous and said, "You'll be taken down to negative two hundred degrees, Celsius. Say goodbye to Mr. Nevada, it's time to go." Then he turned to Vincent and added, "Report to the lab so we can have you tested."

Collobulous offered a weak smile and said, "Remember, mate. Remember what I told you. This is my destiny unfolding."

"Good bye. I hope I'm around when we thaw you."

"Anything is possible. Keep that chin up and don't look so gobsmacked. Ooroo, mate."

Silence.

Bull glanced up at Falcon with a smirk.

Vincent left the room and shut the door.

"You lied to him?"

"No worries." Bull's smirk broadened into a wry grin. "I played your game, Doctor. I didn't tell the boy the _whole_truth. That is for him to discover when the time is right. I look forward to seeing it."

"Oh is that right? And when will that be?"

"After you've wounded the world, unfortunately, but before you can do further damage."

Falcon's eyes flitted over the black man's expression. The doctor sneered as if insulted. "I'm here to bring us back to the First Age so that the world won't end the way it's been prophesied by countless more 'seers' than yourself. If there is any resulting damage, it will be a drop in the bucket compared to what could have been if I didn't intervene."

"Or, perhaps, you'll discover that you, doctor, are the cause and effect that was at the heart of those prophesies. You can't gammon me with your bulldust yarns. Now put me to sleep."

"You really think you're going to wake up, Mr. Bullakulla?"

"Course I will. I'm glad I'll miss your so-called corroboree - this shamejob sadistic business you will bring to the world by nosing about in the Great Terra Nullius. I will blink and wake up in a different time, when the world is ready to be healed. That is where I can do the most good. I am ready to begin my journey."

Again, Falcon smirked then he clicked the footswitch on the bottom of the table and rolled it towards the door. "So you're friends are not going to get the artifacts back, hmm? So I win, do I?"

"If that is what you call it, then yes..."

"And exactly how does that happen?"

Collobulous watched the ceiling lights pass by above him. "You, Doctor, are what the world will refer to ... as the Anti-Christ. And, like that book says, no one will know you by that name until it's too late. And then you will be forgotten, and people will only know misery until a brighter future comes along. I believe you are familiar with the story, Anti-Christ."

Aris laughed. "The Antichrist! That's a new one. And how do you figure that will be my role?"

"Because you will promise better things and lead the world into darkness. All with the help of a demon."

Falcon stopped the cart in the middle of the hall. "A demon? Blond hair, green eyes?"

"Some have called her the Whore of Babylon. However, her role is far less integral than your own."

"She's one of the few capable of stopping me. I've been pondering ways of duping her. Why are you helping me with your information?"

"Because if I do not, you may kill _everyone_associated with Vincent. If that happens, things will be far worse. I'll take the lesser of two evils. All you need to know is that Karla Howard is..."

X

---

X

11:30, CST Aboard "The Busty Belle" yacht ...

** "...Pregnant?"** Karla held the kit in the mid-morning light filtering in through the bathroom window. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me! How is that even possible?"

She put the cap over the strip, flushed the toilet and turned to the mirror. Hands on the sink counter, she leaned towards the mirror and glared at herself. "It can't possibly be accurate. I've been with guys for four centuries. The odds of getting pregnant ... with as often as I've had sex and it not happening until now ... God."

She reached for her cellphone and thumbed the number labeled, "Methos." After a moment of ringing, a man picked up on the other end. "Lance, we have a problem. I missed my period. So I poofed over to land, bought a test kit and poofed back ... it says I'm pregnant. How's that even possible?"

"Karla, calm down," said Lance over the line. "The succubus and incubus reproductive system has never been broken. Just ... selective."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Karla, think about your parents. The incubus who was your father - we didn't get along at all. Needless to say, his plumbing works. So does yours."

"You know my family?"

"Yes, Karla. I haven't seen your father since before the Esoteric Civil War."

"And do you know my mother?"

"Yes, Karla. I knew your mother and her brother from Spain. Raul is still alive, he just doesn't spend much of his, uh, 'time' around us. Needless to say, the reason you do not have hundreds of half-brothers and half-sisters is because your ilk need to find someone genetically compatible in order to have children. The number of children who become a succubus or an incubus is very slim - you're far more likely to have a normal child. The fact your father in an incubus and you are a succubus has always been a brow-raising improbability. Usually it skips a few generations."

"Jesus. So my grandkids or great-grandkids could possibly be like me?"

"Anything is possible. It takes ages for a succubus to find a compatible partner, yet you've managed it. It may take many attempts to give birth to a demon like yourself; it may never happen at all. But like I said, anything is possible."

"That explains why we're rare," she mused. "But the fact remains that I'm freaking out. What do I do? And who's the father? It could be Johann, Eric, or any number of people I've seduced over the past two or three weeks before I started my new relationship with Eric."

"Johann and Eric are the most recent two? Before them, who is the last you've slept with?"

"Well, uh, the last few were oral. I can't remember shagging anyone before Eric and Johann. There was Rufus, the werewolf, but I had my period after him. God, I can't think right now. I simply cannot be pregnant right now. What am I supposed to do? I mean ... God, we're getting ready to mount a huge offensive against Aris Falcon soon."

"Just calm down," he told her, adding, "I need time to think about this. You need to talk to someone about this so you can calm yourself. Obviously Eric and Johann are not the right people at this juncture in time. You'll need to tell them eventually but not while you're all worked up and emotional."

"God. What if I get hormonal and start throwing things around? Or what if I get even more sexually needy? Or what if I..."

"Calm down. This is why you need to talk to someone about it."

"I need someone to talk to about motherhood. Fuck. Fuck! Do you have any experience in that field?"

"I cannot have children and, since Natalia cannot have children either, it doesn't much matter."

Karla threw her hands up. "What do you MEAN it doesn't matter?! We are talking about ME, not you! Wait ... ugh. You're still with her?"

"You know this. We've been on and off for centuries. Currently, the Kincade family is in hiding again."

Karla leaned back against the tiled wall. "For a bunch of ankle biters, they sure do hide every time things get bad."

"She and her brood are scholars and academic types. She only has one family member that fights now that Niall is dead."

"Yes, yes, I know. Kalen. He's the only one I like in that family," Karla muttered. "So they went into hiding when the supernatural community started dropping dead, huh? Instead of helping like Evan and Johann? Shame it took two geeky boys to take a serious stand."

"Those boys were successful because they were overlooked."

"Well, that and their unorthodox methods."

"Along with help from you. As I was saying earlier, I don't know how to help you because I'm unable to have children, as is my life-mate."

"Too bad, too. Kalen's hot. So if you and Natalia are lifers, why do you bang me?"

"Karla," he said with a sigh, "To last this long with one person is not possible. We are emotionally invested, her and I. She goes into a state of slumber for great periods of time. She acquires a temporary lover during her blood feedings, every now and then. And I don't recall you doing anything with me for months."

"True. And now that I got knocked up, I guess your shot at demon pussy just dropped to nil. So anyway, what the hell do I do now?"

"Speak to Sinopa. She is a mother."

"She doesn't remember raising kids! How is she going to help? Anyway, moving on! I'm going to need direction soon. We'll be getting to Miami in a few days and I need you and Steven to make an appearance and help us figure out what to do. We need direction and a plan."

"Well, at this time there are too many variables - I'm still processing what I can. But first and foremost, Sinopa needs to deal with Sire."

"Agreed. Now Rufus says that Collobulous was captured. Things are getting thick. I hope you're ready to get off your ass and help us."

"Karla ... when playing chess, no one sends the king out to fight. They use all their pieces to protect the king."

"I understand your greatest ability is to be a General inside the war bunker. But we need your help. Tell us what to do when we get to Miami. If you don't, I'll ring your neck and let Natalia Kincade find you in a ditch. I mean it. You're going to help us. I'm not going to do all the work by myself, here."

"Karla. No offense, but you've been compromised. You have a baby to consider, now. We need to leave things up to your friends. They're capable. You can go to battle with them but they need to know you're pregnant so they can keep you safe. Stay off the front line."

"You're being a dick."

"I'm being considerate of your child."

"Fine, whatever." She ended the call, took the pregnancy test in her hand and left the bathroom. Patience and Sinopa looked up from where they sat in the living room. She offered them a weak smile then asked, "Have you guys seen Fox, Eric or Jules?"

"They're on the back," said Sinopa. "They're fishing. After so many centuries, men still like to sit out on the water, cast a rod and sit in silence or tell jokes. Not much has changed about them after all this time, hai?"

"I supposed not. Girls ... we have a situation."

Patience tilted her head. "What is wrong, Karla? And how can we help?"

Karla held up the pregnancy test. "I'm, uh ... I'm going to be a mommy." She saw their eyes widen in unison. She swallowed back her own trepidation and said, "Let's keep it down. I'm not ready to tell the boys just yet. It, uhm, I mean, you know, I think it would be too much on their minds right now. We need them sharp and at their best, you know?"

X

---

X

9:40am, PST San Francisco, California ...

** The sound of broken glass and debris** crunched beneath Reno's shoes. He panned the flashlight from left to right then continued deeper into the burned out nightclub. He took the stairs to the top and opened the charred door to the penthouse office. The frame gave away and the door fell to the floor. Ashes and dust billowed up then settled.

Reno gave it a push with his foot then used it to bridge a gap in the floor where part of the floorboards had burned away. He approached the burnt husk of a fancy desk and opened one of the drawers. The handle crumbled and the drawer fell from its track, coming out at an angle. He thumbed through paper files that disintegrated to the touch. The files left ashy flakes on his brown leather gloves.

He withdrew a piece of plastic, slightly warped from heat. Within was an SDXC Mini camera card. Reno withdrew his cellphone and pushed the file storage card into the slot beneath the battery cover.

There was only a few files on the card. A few pictures and video footage. He loaded up the video and watched it play back on his phone.

The video feed moved about like a first person shooter game. It disorienting at first to watch from behind someone's eyes. He quickly noticed the blinking of eyelids over the lens.

Two people speaking caught his attention. Reno turned up the volume. He recognized the voice of the man in the video from a phone conversation he'd had with Karla in the rental car before finding Topaz at the mansion. Lance Patterson. He seemed to be having a conversation with a female voice. After a moment, he recognized the second voice belonging to Samantha Summers.

Reno skipped ahead in the video, looking for anything that sounded interesting.

In the video, Lance said, "No, Samantha. Bank of America is neither owned by the Yakuza, nor is it owned by the Jesuits. Why would you ask this sort of thing?"

Summers sighed. "I'm turning to you as my personal 'Snopes' okay? You seem to have all the answers about ... well, everything. Jeeze. I could just imagine a board meeting between the Yakuza and Jesuits. Comedy gold."

Reno groaned. "God, is she even for real or is this whole ditz thing an act?" He shook his head, rolled his eyes, and fast-forwarded into the video a bit.

Lance's voice started in mid-sentence, saying, "...over the last twenty-four years, Aris Falcon has been amassing artifacts that were spread out around the globe. Some were melted down and turned into other objects."

He skipped ahead a bit. Lance was still talking in the footage. "...Who knows what the Spear of Longinus was before it was forged into a spearhead."

Again, Reno slid the bar across the bottom of the screen, skipping ahead a moment or two. "...But all these artifacts, when in proximity to one another, will allow access to a city beneath the mountain range at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. They are combined to create a non-organic genetically-coded key."

Samantha scoffed. Her voice was louder, leaving Nevada to assume that she was the one holding the recording device. "That doesn't even begin to make sense. Genetic Code is something in a DNA strand, not an object. I just..." He skipped forward a bit.

Lance again. "You're an intelligent woman, Samantha, but you cannot begin to understand the technology we possessed at the time."_He slid the bar forward about thirty seconds or so. _"When these objects are brought back together, there is a computer system that will..." He thumbed the screen again in small increments. "...Scan these artifacts and register the amassed collection as the original key..."

Samantha sounded irritated in the video. "If I wasn't wearing these contacts and using them to judge your responses, I'd have thought you were full of shit. Atlantis isn't real. Artifacts cannot magically open sealed doors. And every door can be circumvented one way or another."

"Possibly. But it wouldn't be easy to bypass First Age technology with modern technology."

"Fine," she snapped with a sigh. "So how many parts does he need to create this Franken-key, and why waste twenty-five years hunting them all down?"

Lance shook his head and paced in front of her. "He most likely has almost everything by now. But the two most important parts were organic. People. And only those two people, with the key, can open the city again." Nevada scrubbed forward then released his thumb from the screen. Lance continued speaking over the small speaker. "...Was considered royalty, and he's long dead. He never had children. The other was a member of the house of Loupe. Justus, Donovan or Eric could act as the second person."

"God this is complicated. So Aris Falcon is going through all this shit just to break into some fairy tale city?"

A sigh, then, "Samantha, it's not a fairytale. The main key was highly sophisticated." Nevada thumbed the screen again, skipping ahead somewhat. Then Lance's voice played again. "...Some artifacts have been turned into other artifacts over time. But he collected almost everything. He did the impossible and I cannot understand how."

"So now what?" she asked.

"Do you understand how a key works, Samantha? It's cut so that it activates tumblers inside a lock. If you damage your key, but you have locksmith tools and the know-how to use them, you can help the damaged key do its job."

The eyes of the viewer panned to the floor.

Lance added, "If Falcon has all but one or two artifacts, he might be able to make due."

"So if he has Donovan Loupe, who is the other person he needs?"

"The clever bastard masqueraded as fertility doctor to help Sinopa and Jonathan Parker have kids. And then he genetically modified the twins so that their offspring would be genetically born as the leader of the First Age."

Reno quirked his brows then slid the fader bar along the screen.

"Jesus. But how does he know the twins will, uh, you know ... do the nasty?"

Lance sighed over the video._ "He altered the twins to emit a pheromone that only the other could detect. So they cannot but want to procreate."_

Samantha shook her head, but her eyes stayed focused on the man. Reno could see her bangs sway left to right over her eyes. "This is the sickest shit I've ever heard. Twins fucking to make a natural-born clone? Disgusting. What if the guy is born with webbed feet?"

Lance arched his brows at her outburst. "That sort of thing doesn't happen after one generation of incest. Regardless, it wouldn't happen with these children anyhow."

"Say what?"

"Samantha, Falcon changed their genetics enough, shortly after conception, that they only look alike. They have less genetically in common than third cousins. It actually isn't incest at all. Perhaps it is in their minds, but ... they wouldn't even pass a DNA test together."

"Holy crap, seriously?"

A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Reno's lips. For some reason everything made more sense and seemed a great deal less freaky to him.

He slid the bar forward, fast-forwarding a little further into the video. Lance spoke again. "_Don't get me wrong, they belong to JC and Sinopa Parker. But so much has been changed, they're hardly the children they would have been if they were naturally created. He took her egg and Jon's sperm, created the twins, engineered them, then put them into Sinopa's womb almost as if she was a surrogate." _

"What happens I the twins have a kid?"

"Aris Falcon will swoop in and abduct the child just as easily as he abducted each of the twins last summer."

She sniffed and closed her eyes. The video went black. "What, uh, what happens if that lunatic gets into this fairytale city under the ocean floor?"

"He will have access to technology beyond your wildest dreams."

"Okay, Lance. I understand. So let's say he gains access and we follow him in. If this stuff is brought to the light of day, is there a way to destroy it?"

Lance turned to face her directly and gazed straight into her eyes, making it look as though he was staring at Reno from the screen. "No. That is why it was buried beneath a Mountain Range under the Atlantic. An ocean that is expanding, so that it stays hidden until the end of time. Most of the people who knew of its existence wound up dead in Tunguska in 1908."

"What would Aris Falcon do with it?"

"I honestly think he would be harmless or try to better the world as he said. My concern is that if he acquires it, whoever has been helping him all along will then have access to it."

"What do you mean 'helping him,' Lance?"

"You think one geneticist is capable of wiping out a hundred thousand supernatural people? A thousand of which were immortal, by the way. No. He had help. Somehow. And if that technology winds up in the wrong hands, it can be used to do things that would make the Esoteric Genocide seem tame in comparison. It would be akin to placing a nuclear missile into the hands of Genghis Kahn or Alexander. If they had that kind of power, nothing would have stopped them. Because nothing in existence can stand up to that kind of power. He could terraform the earth and reformat it to his liking. The question is, who out there is worse than Falcon? That's what scares me - we don't even know who is pulling the strings, let alone what they're capable of."

Samantha opened her eyes and rubbed them with her hands. The video distorted briefly. "That's it. We're going after that bastard tonight. I'm going to start by luring out his little pal, Krys Monroe. I'm going to that stupid club and I'm going to burn the damn thing to the ground. Time to ring in the New Year with a bang and some serious fireworks."

Reno skipped forward a little more, nearing the end of the footage.

"We should prepare. I'll make you a high carb meal. You'll need the energy. Go and take a shower and get yourself ready."

"Thanks for the help, Lance." Samantha turned away from him and walked to a flight of stairs. She headed for the bathroom, closed the door behind herself and removed her contacts. Then she put them into a container filled with solution and closed the lid.

Again, the video went dark. He heard the shifting of fabric in the background, then the thump of a belt buckle on a tiled floor. After that, he heard the hiss of shower water over the little phone speaker.

"Ah well," he said to himself with a chuckle. "Too bad she didn't shower with her contacts in. Heh."

Reno shoved his phone back into his pocket. He looked around the top floor office again. A wall safe was open and empty on the far wall. A burned out desktop computer had its lid off. The hard drive was missing.

Nevada glanced down through another hole in the floor and knelt at the edge. Through it, he could see an overturned chair and table. The sight caused a brief flashback to the night he knocked over Krys Monroe's dinner. The night he was attacked and dragged up to the roof. The night everything changed for him.

He stood up, closed his hands into fists then kicked the side of the desk. The panel gave away and the desk collapsed to one side. Ash and soot clouded up, creating a black plume.

"I thought you'd be happier about this."

Nevada's heart jumped into his throat. He reached for a handgun that wasn't on his hip and turned towards the office door.

It took only a second for his mind to catch up, recognizing her voice.

Reno relaxed somewhat. "Jesus, Abigail. You startled the hell out of me."

Abby Chase walked into the office, layered for the cold season with a colorful scarf and wool coverings. "Sorry. I thought you'd have heard the jingle of my diklo, coming up the steps."

"Watch your footing; on second thought, don't come in here. The floor isn't safe. I'm coming out. Back up." He moved towards her and she backtracked to the doorway.

"Isn't this where I'm supposed to fall through the hole, you grab my hand and rescue me ... you know, cliché action movie stuff. It's right up your alley."

"Geeze, you kinda sound like Karla. Everything is 'cliché' with her. Now back up before you really do wind up getting hurt. This is real life, and in real life people get hurt in burned out buildings. This place needs to be condemned."

"Karla?"

"Blond hair, green eyes, pink fingernails, big ... uh, ego."

"Ah, yes, the lady with the teleportation and telekinesis bit. She's very ... odd. And yes, she is quite busty, but odd."

"Yeah. Yeah, she's odd alright." Reno stepped over a broken section of the floor then hopped over a hole and followed Abby into the hallway. "One hell of a structure fire. So, speaking of Karla, she says your last name isn't really Chase."

"My birth name and my legal name aren't the same. My legal American name is Chase. Since you were arresting me, it made sense to tell you my legal name. Did you know your parents didn't use the surname 'Nevada' even after you were born...? That was for you and Vincent only."

"Yeah, I know. How the hell do you know about my family anyhow?"

"I know people who know people. Your grandfather and his best friend worked with Nikola Tesla; if only your gramps knew about your new abilities. Still, ironic, huh? I don't know where the name thing came from. But I do know your father wasn't named Nevada."

"My father's birth name is Mike Tomes. He's from Indiana."

"Is he still alive?"

"Ask your 'people.' I haven't seen him since I moved out. He was already old when I was born. I don't know what he was running from, but he liked laying low and making it difficult to track the family. So when I was born Nevada. I doubt I'll carry on the legacy of changing last names for my future kids. It's stupid." He paused and tilted his head, making eye contact with her.

She gave him an expectant gaze.

"On record, he passed away from old age."

"Ah. So. You actually plan on having kids? In this crazy world?"

"It's a general statement. Who knows what will happen to me, kiddo. Anyhow, I'm tired of hiding out. I'm leaving California soon. If your people still need some sort of supernatural guardian to help with that seed thing ... I know a few."

"Reno..." She sighed and shook her head. "Reno, it was stolen by Aris Falcon. You're too late; you didn't help us in time."

"Shit. Shit, I'm sorry, Abby. I have no excuse. My head was too far up my own ass to see that everything was falling apart."

"That's exactly what happened. Everything fell apart, Reno. Every action has consequence. Your _in_action gave Falcon another artifact. Another stupid piece of his stupid puzzle. More people died, just like those in Golden Gate Park. But their deaths weren't in your city, so there was no mess for you to worry about." She frowned then changed the subject. "So why are you leaving California?"

"Dammit." Nevada sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Abby. If I had things to do over again, I'd have helped you. But I'll get it back if I can. I'm going to the East Coast with some friends to find Falcon. He won't be happy to see us, that's for sure."

"Don't get yourself killed."

"If I do then you should go into hiding. So. Are you legal now?"

She smirked and started down the steps. "Yes. I'm eighteen, now. You know ... legal. In case you were wondering." She turned about and continued down the stairs at the bend. "There's a basement, here," she called back, adding, "you should see it."

Reno quickened his pace. One of the stairs gave out and he hopped to the next one and continued down to the first floor. "Yeah? Fox stayed here for a while. Apparently so did my brother and Fox's sister. Back when they were remodeling this place, last summer. I'm curious what's down there."

"It's where the fire started."

"And you know that how?"

Abby smirked, glancing back over her shoulder at the ex-inspector. "Because my Baba started the fire."

"No she didn't. Samantha Summers did."

"No, she started a little fire in the kitchen. But it wasn't enough to burn down the whole building."

"What?"

"My Baba left camp that night and saw the lady's attack. But it was an amateur attempt. So the head of our kumpania snuck in during the chaos and slipped into the basement. She came across Krys Monroe and they fought. Monroe fled. Baba started a fire in the ventilation system. She stole whatever she could and left just as the lady, Summers, was leaving with one of the heads of the Esoteric Council."

"Good. I'm glad she's okay. I haven't heard anything from her in a while."

Abby sighed. "I only wish I could have been part of the raid. I got stuck watching the caravan and the children. Monroe was here. There was a firefight. They fired at the Baba. Baba fought back with actual fire."

"I'm glad she got out."

"Not exactly."

"Did she or didn't she, Abby?"

"She got back in time to warn me to run with the children."

"Your leader was followed?"

"Tracked by the super soldier created by Aris Falcon back in the 90's. I left with the children. I got them to another camp that was leaving the area. I went back to my camp but the man killed everyone."

"Everyone? Your leader is dead?"

"Yes. She died protecting the seed. Laus died. Renny made it back but he had to have his right leg removed because of the severity of his injury. Alina died. Sandu is the only one who made it back. He carried Renny on his shoulders. I was told that I should marry Sandu because he's a hero but he's not my type. Plus I don't find him attractive. Reno, there's more..."

"Pardon?" He stepped onto the dance floor, looked around then headed for a set of double doors labeled 'maintenance.' He opened the doors for her and they descended the metal stairs, carefully. "More what?"

"The people I mentioned, they were killed New Years day by that super soldier freak. But he didn't find the seed. Instead, two supernatural men showed up a few nights later. Before we could organize and hide it again."

"When did this happen?"

"Reno ... it doesn't matter because you weren't here to help us. It was over a week ago. Anyhow, they were supernatural. Vasile and Sorin fought him. Wadim tried to get the rest of us into the RV's and trailers. Alexandros and Wadim were killed while trying to get the caravan organized and out of the park. Vasile and Sorin were both killed but not before resorting to desperate measures to take down those two men working for Falcon. Other than Sire, those two are the only supernatural people I know working for Aris Falcon."

"How did your people take down two supernatural people?"

"Vasile and Sorin had buried several propane tanks from the wagons ... once the rest of us were on the road, they blew a huge hole in the park. Those two men working for Falcon haven't been seen since. It's been a while, so I'm pretty sure they're dead. Our caravan hooked up with another and we combined. The new kumpania is okay ... but it's not the same. I miss my family, Reno. I've lost so many friends. Sandu is the only one to get away unscathed besides me. I don't want to marry him. Renny was a good guy but he's cripple now."

"So are you going to get the hell out of the area or not?"

"I'd rather find someone who can help me retrieve what we lost."

Renos hook his head. "That's bullshit, kiddo. You need to get the hell out of the country and go into hiding."

"I have a sense of duty. My people protected that thing."

"You're just a kid!"

"I'm legal," she said and stuck her tongue out. "Silly gaje."

They stepped off the last stair and moved through a hallway unscathed by the fire. They stopped in an intersection where one hall was caved in. Reno and Abby continued straight until they made it to another fork.

To the right was a hallway devastated by the fire. Up ahead was a metal rolling door with an office on the left.

Reno gave a tug on the rolling door. "I think it's stuck in its track."

"You think?"

Nevada moved to the office door and gave a tug. It opened slightly but the hinges were damaged. He peered in and frowned. "The ceiling collapsed in this room, it's not accessible anymore." He rubbed his chin then smirked. "I have an idea. Stand back."

"Don't bring the ceiling down, please, Reno."

Reno waited until she was back a bit then he rubbed his hands together and pulled out a pocketknife. He charged it so that it was glowing. A grin spread across his face. "Light Saber. Cool huh?"

She shrugged at his joke, uncomprehendingly.

Reno frowned. He jabbed the knife into the metal door, narrowing his eyes from the shower of sparks. He carved out a thin section of metal, then backed away from the door. He held the penknife in his left hand, the small piece of carved track in his right hand and then called for Abby.

She came back up the hall and asked, "Well?"

"I've got some BB's in my coat pocket. Pull one out and place it between the two pieces of metal I'm holding."

"Not sure I understand but..." she reached into his coat pocket then withdrew two small BB's and looked at them. "These ... are gemstones."

"No. They're Graphene-coated diamond-pressed-carbon pellets. Carefully put one of them between the two pieces of metal I'm holding."

Abby furrowed her left brow then put one of the pellets between the two tracks Reno held close together.

Once it touched the metal pieces, the pellet disappeared and slammed into the rolling door. It blew a large hole into the metal, big enough to walk through. Reno looked down at his right hand ... the piece of metal he used was gone. The pocketknife was eroded and burnt.

He closed the damaged blade and put it back into his pocket. "Cheap chrome-coated piece of crap," he muttered then stepped through the door into the abandoned lab.

Together, they approached a glass stasis pod against a wall. The glass was broken and the chamber appeared extensively damaged.

Reno pulled his flashlight out again and looked the pod over then shrugged. "Creepy. If I didn't know anything about this guy, Falcon, I'd have thought this thing was a prop from a science fiction flick." He turned away from it and started down along the wall. Abby moved behind him.

"Reno, I'm going to Romania after this. I came to find you, only to find out that I'm in over my head, here. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. The oracle, YiaYia, said that everything happened wrong. She wasn't the only seer to say that. It's like ... someone threw a wrench into the cogs of 'life' and it's not a well-oiled machine anymore."

"Say what?"

"Nothing happened the way it was supposed to. Perhaps Falcon captured seers. Perhaps he determined what was to happen and changed everything on purpose. A new seer is selected to become The Oracle every so often. YiaYia has been doing it since 1999. All I know is that my life happened far differently than it was supposed to. So I'm going to Romania. This will be the last time I see you."

"Abby, I'm sorry. I really am. But hey, I have some good news. My brother is alive. And now he's taken it upon himself to work as a spy inside Falcon's ranks. That's why we know how and where to strike. That's why we're going to be successful in taking this guy down once and for all."

She offered a thin smile and a nod. "No gypsy charm is going to protect you from that man. So I won't waste your time with one. But I'll be thinking of you. He's quite dangerous."

Reno handed her the flashlight then turned towards a wall. He cleared his throat and held his hand out. With a grimace, he sent a bolt of lightning into the wall.

The room lit up to the point they both glanced away. The flash faded.

She turned back and flashed the light at the wall. Her eyes widened, seeing an enormous hole where there was once a concrete wall. "Good God, you struck it with a beam of energy."

"Yup. Once I figured out how to use my mojo, I realized it's not so bad."

"She hurried over to the hole in the wall, leaving footprints in the dust. She peered through and brought her scarf up over her face then stepped into the hole.

A moment later, she came back out and pulled the scarf down. "It's a store room. You managed to get into it from the back wall. Strange devices are locked in there."

"Here, let me see." Reno took the flashlight from her and stepped through the hole in the wall. "I impress myself. I was just trying to show you that I can zap things with electricity - Falcon will be on the end of one of my bolts real soon."

"I hope so."

He panned the light from left to right then approached a small canister on a shelf and examined it. "Again ... I feel like I'm on the set of a science fiction flick. This thing is labeled 'nano-bots.' Isn't that rich?"

"It's a shame that no supernatural has the ability to control computers. Isn't that what they are? Miniature robotic computers?"

Reno turned to her and simply started laughing.

"What?"

"Fox Parker does. God that's rich. That would be a trip. Anyways, I thought these were a theoretical fiction 'plot device' for books and movies and comics. There's no way to make a robot that small. Is there?"

"You're asking me?" she scoffed. "For me, technology is money. I find it, I take it, and I sell it; I don't use it. At least not anything fancy." She stepped into the storeroom, behind him, and started rifling through stuff on the shelves. "Speaking of which, let's see if there's anything worth money in here..." She paused then added, "I'm glad you're not using that gun of yours anymore."

Reno took the opposite shelf, going through the labeled objects on them. "Yeah? How do you know I don't have one hidden on me?"

"Because, Reno, you reached for it, upstairs, when I startled you. It wasn't there. You need to reprogram yourself to use your abilities instead of reaching for a gun. I hate guns."

"Yeah, I remember." He picked up another canister and looked the label over then passed the light back to her. Reno pulled out his cellphone and booted up a phone app that turned on his phone's camera flash. The LED light acted as a second flashlight.

She took the regular flashlight from him and watched him with the phone then began looking through the shelves on the right side. "That will run your battery down."

"It'll be fine. I can plug it in and hold the prongs. Charges it on the spot. On some phones, I can do this induction thing, too, but it's not as fast. Anyhow, keep looking for anything important. If this is the only thing they forgot to take with them..."

"Yes, I understand. It seems to me that it was inaccessible from the fire, because part of the hallway collapsed. You can see spots back in that last room where there are large clean sections on the floor where some sort of equipment was removed by Falcon's people after the fire."

"Well maybe we can access the rest of the lab by going through the storeroom door. I'll just blast it open." Reno paused and picked something else up off the shelf. "What's the difference between a nanorobot and a nanomite?"

"Again, you're asking me?"

"And here's one that is labeled, 'Bacteria-based robotic-organism.' I thought this stuff was make-believe? Like, Northrop Grumman and GE are supposed to be in a race to invent these. These labels are probably fake."

"Aris Falcon. Enough said."

"He's a genetics guy. He doesn't make robotic stuff like those other companies. Two different fields."

"But if someone invented them, he would be the one to steal them and make use of them. When will you learn, Reno? When you underestimate him, you can't beat him."

"I'm going to take these back to Fox and see what he makes of them. I gotta get back and help the guys finish making the car. Do you need a ride anywhere?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll be fine." She glanced at a watch then handed the flashlight back to him. "Actually, I should be going now. I have a flight to catch, paid for by someone in Romania. I've never flown before. I, uhm. I'm nervous."

"You'll be fine, kiddo." Reno pushed the flashlight back towards her. "Keep it. Listen, your ears will pop when the plane takes off. Just swallow back a little saliva. That will help with the ear-popping bit. Take care of yourself, Abbs. I'll have this fixed in no time."

She moved closer as if about to kiss him.

He turned to face her. Silence.

Abby paused, thought better on the situation and turned away. "Thanks for the flashlight, gaje. Don't get yourself killed, silly cop." She kissed her palm then blew it at him and left the storage room.

Reno watched her go with a sigh.

He opened his mouth to call after her. He wanted to say something meaningful or even say something comforting.

"Abby! Don't ... hurt yourself on the stairs!" he called after her. "Or the dance floor! This place isn't exactly safe!"

She called back, headed out into the hallway, "Yeah, I know. I'll be fine!" Her voice faded.

He sighed again. "She's barely eighteen," he whispered. "This is definitely for the best."

Reno angled the phone back to the shelves then put some of the canisters into his longcoat pockets. He unlocked the storeroom door from the inside then opened it and stepped into the hallway. He turned to the right and frowned at the cave-in.

Another sigh. "You'd get the girl killed anyhow." He rubbed his chin then headed left. Another lab was at the end of the hall. "Vincent is alive, Nichole has got to be alive, too."

He made his way through the doors then looked around at the computers lining the walls. He passed them, pondering if he would be able to give them power then he looked for any digital files that might help him against Falcon.

Reno continued through the room and into a large arena-like section.

Up ahead, he could see jail cells on the back wall. To his left, he saw something else in the corner. It resembled a person in the dim light of the phone's single LED bulb. As he approached, the details became harder to discern. "Hello?" The person seemed to be standing in the corner, facing the wall.

Once he was close enough for the phone's camera flash to create a shadow against the wall, the creature turned around and faced him, breathing in a raspy tone.

Nevada swallowed, seeing just how large the being stood.

It's distorted face and freakish boney joints made it look more like a monster than a person. It looked directly at Reno's light, opened its mouth, then screeched in disdain with squinted eyes.

The being thumped its gnarled fists against its chest and shouted, "I AM LARA!" The large being reached over and snapped one of the metal poles from the back-wall cell and waved it about.

Reno could hear the deep whoosh of the pole being swung through the air by the powerful ... thing ... person ... creature.

He licked his lips and looked around the otherwise dark arena. No other way out. He turned for the door back to the computer lab but the door was jammed into place.

"...Oh, shit."

---

Next chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/660860