Iridescent-throned Aphrodite, deathless
Child of Zeus, wile-weaver, I now implore you,
on't--I beg you, Lady--with pains and torments
Crush down my spirit,
Hymn to Aphrodite, Sappho
May 5th, 2007, - Pre-Dawn
Rm 501 Melville Cottage, Whateley Academy
Sebastiano Lorenz Valensuera y Ramirez lay awake in fear. It was now four days since his disastrous attempt to blackmail Nimbus. It had been terrifying to watch the sniveling little nerd turn into someone...something...else. Whatever had control of the body of Nimbus, it wasn't a teenager and he wasn't even sure it was human.
Never had Sebastiano ever been so upset about being right about something.
Now he lay in a room by himself, not a single as he thought of as his due, but a double with no-one as a room-mate because he was considered a pariah. No-one could stand to be in the same room; the last boy that Mr. Forrest had tried to partner with him had told the House Parent flatly he'd rather be expelled than sleep in the same room as the Don. It was a humiliating social rejection. Of course, not having a room-mate wasn't the same as being alone.
It sat on the rail of the bed across the room from him, red eyes staring, lidless and un-sleeping and watching. He'd already tried to get help for three days; he'd gone to the magic department, trying in guarded tones to say there was a malignant spirit watching him. Ms. Grimes had performed a ritual after much begging and pleading, but found nothing while it snickered at her efforts and continued to stare at the Don. Then he thought perhaps it was a psychic compulsion and used the same, roundabout requests with Dr. Carstaires who had been even more skeptical than Ms. Grimes had been and he found nothing either.
Sebastiano wasn't about to let Fubar into his head.
And so the creature, whatever it was that no-one else could see, that Nimbus had told him in no uncertain tones would tell him everything he did, sat and watched, a constant chilling reminder of just how badly the Don had underestimated a Mythos Mage. He had no idea what this thing was, why no-one else who he considered formidable, if not experts, could not detect or combat it. Perhaps he was damning himself, but he couldn't believe that Nimbus, for all his power, was a match for the entire school!
Figuring out what this thing was would be the key to getting out from under it. That he understood. That was his first priority. Of course, he had to give lip service to what Nimbus wanted. Sebastiano wasn't sure what his end game was with the avatar-jacking scheme, but it was clear now that it was key to Nimbus. And as it was key, it was a weakness, a way for the Don to turn the tables on the sorcerer, save himself and perhaps even come out as the hero who saved the school. The thing hissed at his line of thought. The Don smiled. Carefully testing his limits over the last few days, he'd purposefully ordered his mind on rebellious thoughts, acts of revenge against Nimbus.
Always the creature had hissed at him, as though it knew the flavor of his thoughts, but not the details. And Nimbus, ever one to taunt him, had not commented on any of them. His keeper had limits that could be exploited and used against his new 'master.' The little thing hissed again, but didn't move. The Don allowed himself a moment of triumph. Nimbus wasn't as all powerful as he thought he was. Overconfidence was a good weakness; it had been the downfall of countless greats throughout history.
That was one weapon in his small but growing arsenal.
The other was that new Franks girl.
Kayda Franks was rare - an avatar and a paladin who channeled a much more powerful spirit. She was clearly a threat to Nimbus' plans, but when he'd carefully volunteered to be Nimbus' cats' paw, fawning as though to try and curry favor with the monster, Nimbus had only laughed and told him not to worry about her. He had his own plans.
And finding out what those plans were might be the lock that his key would open and see Nimbus undone. The Don got out of bed and smiled at the creature. Soon you'll be back in whatever hell he plucked you from and I will rule again! He thought.
The creature hissed.
But before if ever you've heard my pleadings
Then return, as once when you left your father's
Golden house; you yoked to your shining car your
Wing-whirring sparrows;
Hymn To Aphrodite, Sappho
May 5th, 2007, Just after Midnight
West River South Dakota
The second son of Unhcegila crawled from the attack; the barking of the dogs and the house alarm would surely bring others, and though he could easily defeat them, a battle - no matter how enjoyable - would distract him from his quest. And unlike his brother, he thought scornfully, he would succeed. He would not fall to an untrained, weak priestess of that witch.
He moved slowly, more slowly than he had to, because his bulk was leaving marks - a trail which warriors would follow to hunt him, delaying his mission. So he had to use his tail to obliterate the marks he left - the broken shrubs, the bent grass, the scuffs in the dirt. Though he despised the People, he nonetheless respected their skill at hunting and tracking. To add to their power, they now had more of the fire-sticks, the invention of the white man that he'd encountered over a century and a half ago, when he and his father and siblings had gone into hibernation. Unlike the puny bows, lances, and spears, the fire-sticks could hurt him - and now it seemed that nearly every warrior had a fire-stick.
Worse, the fire sticks they bore shot much more rapidly, and the tiny spear-points they hurled more easily penetrated his armor than the round lead balls he'd first encountered. Those were dangerous; these new ones were deadly. It had to be the white man's doing; the People had fought him for centuries with their bows and axes and spears; the memories he'd consumed told the disturbing story of wave after wave of white people moving across the land, displacing the People and slaughtering the vast, uncountable herds of Bison, breaking promise after promise.
Something resembling a very self-centered conscience stirred - perhaps he should help the people expel the infestation of the invaders, to restore the balance to the prairie, and then he and his sibling and father could better resume their roles as hunters and demons of the People. There would once more be the vast herds to feast on again, and warriors to challenge him as a rite of manhood or mastery of their warrior arts. And the People would show the proper respect to the son of a demon.
On the other hand, the invaders, though numerous, seemed weak, at least according to the memories he'd already devoured. Worse, they didn't believe in demons - much - and didn't fear or respect them. It would be so easy to terrorize them, inflicting huge amounts of that delicious emotion called fear. The trick with dealing with them would be to avoid their fire-sticks, which would be easy if he could catch their gaze first, melting their minds before they could act. And then he'd have many, many more to feast upon.
Several miles from the site of his attack, the second son located his burrow from the previous evening - no sense in repeating a task that was already done - and crawled inside. The jackrabbit which had taken shelter in the burrow awakened to the face of a demon, and because the body of the snake-demon blocked the entire entranceway, the poor rabbit had nowhere to run. It wasn't even a challenge, the snake thought as he devoured the animal in one gulp.
The second son of Unhcegila nestled in, pushing some loose dirt up with his back, until the entrance was blocked, disguising his hidey-hole. He focused his energy and began to sift through memories. The shaman he'd eaten had been at the revelry for the witch girl. And - there was a plot to lure her back to the reservation? Most interesting, the snake-demon thought as he contemplated his father's reaction. She'd be closer, and thus easier to hunt down and defeat.
There was a flurry of names - acquaintances, friends, family, fellow members of the tribe. Johnny Shadow-Walker, in his many decades of life, had accumulated much knowledge that the snake-demon had to sort through. Throughout this mish-mash of memories, though, the snake focused upon the names of shamans. It frustrated the snake-demon that he found nothing of interest - mostly names and ceremonies they'd participated in with Shadow-Walker.
Far back in the memories of Johnny Shadow-Walker, back when he was in his twenties, there was a hint of something that intrigued the snake. A ceremony, the passing of a treasure from one generation to the next, to the next surviving shaman in a long line of shamans of one family. Something roundish, and brown, with an uneven skin coating it, held aloft during the ceremony like it was the most priceless object in the world. And the recipient was a relatively new shaman named Grey Skies.
After sorting through the memories of the deceased shaman, the snake-demon reflected. There was only one event that even remotely hinted of a precious round object. That and the sacred bundle were the only sacred items of myth and lore that the Lakota passed down carefully from generation to generation, or at least the only ones in the memories of the shamans he'd killed. That meant that the round, brown object was the sacred sphere Unhcegila coveted, and its keeper was a shaman named Grey Skies. Or, if Grey Skies had gone to be with the Great Spirit, a descendent of Grey Skies kept the treasure. Of this, the snake demon was now positive.
"Father," the snake demon called out psychically, excited by finally having some positive news. Yes, his father had urged patience, and he could be patient, but this hint was still extremely gratifying.
"Yes, my son?" Unhcegila called back, using some of his precious store of energy to penetrate the man-made psychic barriers.
"I have found it."
There was a long pause. "You have it now?"
"No, father," the son of Unhcegila answered somberly. "But I know who has it. It is a shaman named Grey Skies whose family have been the keepers of a venerated, uneven, brown ball."
"You are sure?"
"The memories of the shaman I just ate were clear as to the name and the image of the object."
"Find Grey Skies. Destroy him, and take the sphere!"
"I will, my father," the snake demon replied dutifully. "I will not fail you."
"Do you know where to find this Grey Skies?"
"In the direction of the rising sun, far across the big river," snakey responded. "None of the shamans I have consumed knew anything more."
"How many shamans have you killed?" Unhcegila sounded upset.
"Four, father. Why?"
"I have summoned Kigatilik to hunt the shamans," Unhcegila answered, his voice a little angry. "You must leave him shamans to hunt - it is the price I agreed to pay him."
"Should I leave Grey Skies to him?"
"No. Grey Skies has the sphere. That shaman is yours to destroy."
"It shall be done, my father."
May 5th, 2007 - After Breakfast
Arena 99, Kane Hall Tunnels, Whateley Academy
Pickett's Revenge ran on a beam reach nearly perpendicular to the wind on a hard starboard tack. She was heeled over to thirty degrees, her port deck awash and level with her waterline more than not as she surged on her rigging at nearly ten knots - which was nearly four knots faster than the boat was supposed to be capable of traveling.
It was a perfect early Georgia summer day in the middle of a New England spring, but the Arena saw to the weather conditions. Kayda squealed in cold delight as a wave broke over the deck rail and splashed her back. She, Kodiak, and Debra were 'meat railing' sitting in the center of the boat, on the starboard rail, counter balancing the heel of the hard run Lanie was pushing the boat through at the small ship's wheel in the cockpit. And even though the boat was 'only' moving nearly twelve miles per hour, the combination of wind power, heel and spray made the experience much more exhilarating than one would have thought. Along the tree-lined shore the occasional expensive house slid by on the side they were facing; on the other side was Red Top Mountain state park.
Between the computer-generated weather and having the lake to themselves, it made for a perfect morning.
"Are we in a hurry?" laughed Debra over the wind. "I'm gonna get sea sick!"
"Wouldn't that be lake sick?" retorted Cody.
"You wanted to know how fast she'd go," reminded Elaine from where she was balanced in the cockpit by the ship's little stainless steel wheel.
"Now we know!" Deb conceded with a laugh. "Can we slow down now?"
"Spoil sports," Lanie mock complained as she let the wheel over and the Close haul widened into a close reach and the boat slowed. She gave out trim on the head and main sails and she slowed further and slowly righted herself from an exhilarating thirty degrees to a sedate five. Deb was wearing one of Elaine's spare bikinis as she hadn't thought she would need to bring a bathing suit. The two girls were close enough in figure that it worked, even though Deb was a little smaller-breasted than the redhead. Elaine herself had added a pair of ratty cutoff jeans that were tight enough to have been painted on and wore her hair up in a ponytail. Wyatt was a walking gun-show in a pair of jam beach shorts that were a riot of colors and patterns loud enough to actually make noise, while Kayda wore a more modest one-piece with a deeply scalloped back.
This wasn't Wyatt's first excursion on Pickett's Revenge and he was on his feet faster than the two girls, effortlessly picking them up and setting them back on their feet. "You still going to make for Ranger Cove?" he asked as he steadied himself by the mast. Lanie shook her head.
"No, there's a nice little spot over by the Park Marina," she replied. "Go ahead and take in the main sail and I'll bring her in with the jib."
"Aye, aye, Cap'n" he said with a chuckle, undoing the halyard and cranking down the main sail.
"Wow!" exclaimed Deb with a smile as she plopped down on the cockpit bench and Kayda wasted no time snuggling up against her. "Who knew something as sedate as sailing could be so exciting?"
"Back home on the real Lake Allatoona, on Harbor Town, that marina we passed? There's a guy with a carbon-fiber racing catamaran. I've crewed for him a couple of times. It will do almost forty miles an hour."
"And just now we were...?" asked Kayda, eyes wide.
"About ten or eleven," she replied with a grin. "He has aspirations of the Louis Vuitton cup. I'd love to take a couple of months and do some real deep-sea racing, but my dad would have a coronary if I asked to go be one of two girls on a crew of eleven on a little sailing cat for two months."
"Not just your dad!" laughed Wyatt as he made his way back to the cockpit from hauling down the main sail.
"You're so cute when you're jealous," she told him sweetly.
"Here lately I've had a lot of practice!" he shot back with a smirk.
"Sorry," Kayda apologized quickly, wincing, but Wyatt was smiling and shook his head as he stood and made his way to the little hatch that led below deck.
"It's nothing," he assured her.
"We banter a lot," Lanie added with a smile as the big man shoe horned himself down the too steep for stairs, not steep enough for ladder.
"Who's thirsty?" he hollered up from the fridge in the galley.
"Coke's around," Elaine yelled back as she plucked a handle from a bin handed it to Debra. "Put this in that winch there, would you? Untie that line and crank it clockwise until the head sail is all rolled up." Kayda enjoyed the view of her girlfriend turning the winch, and the sympathetic jiggling it caused certain portions of her anatomy.
"Say, speaking of jealous," she started with a wink at Elaine. "Just how good of a friend did you say you were with Lanie, Debra?"
"She was my photographer," the other replied from her turning. "That good?" she asked and Elaine nodded. She set about tying off the line as the boat slowed even further, gliding into the protective little cove the redhead was aiming for. "And she was with Maria at the time, of course, but after they broke up we had a great time at the Poe End-of-Term Orgy."
"The what?" shrieked Kayda.
"The end-of-term orgy," she repeated as if discussing old news. "It's a tradition thing, all the co-ed dorms have an blow out orgy at the end of each year. I was going to go to the Melville orgy, but I heard that Lanie was coming to Poe so..."
"You didn't miss anything," Wyatt added as he carefully came back out on deck and passed out cans of soda. "Kinda boring really."
Kayda looked between the two and shook her head. "You're having me on," she declared finally. "Ha ha, very funny."
Debra turned to Lanie. "That mark on the inside of your thigh, you got it looked at?" she asked.
Elaine rolled her eyes. "Ah told you, it's just a birth mark," she told the other girl. "Ah've had it mah whole life."
Kayda blinked, remembering suddenly a small, oak leaf shaped discoloration high up on the inside of Lanie's right thigh. She had only noticed it because. Because... She swallowed and admitted to herself, Because you were staring and imagining what she tasted like. She shook herself to clear the memory, but it did give her a context and she shook her finger at her girlfriend. "Nice try, but I know Lanie attends the hot-tub socials and you probably saw..."
"Oh, of course I did," Debra replied, opening her can and taking a sip. "Don't believe me? I'm sure Rosalyn will have a lot of fun dragging you to the Orgy this year."
"You guys do anything special?" Wyatt asked. "This year's Melville theme is S&M and that's not really my scene."
"You'd look great in tight leather pants!" Lanie protested, causing the boy to flex his arms in a body builder's pose. Elaine continued, "Well, if Zenith wasn't having me on, Poe's theme this year is Tantric Enhancement. Mrs. Horton is supposed to have a guest lecturer sorceress coming that has techniques that can make an orgasm last for hours."
"Hey, I'm liking the sound of that!" Wyatt enthused.
"Drop the anchor, babe," she instructed. He opened a cover built into the side of the deck house and pressed a button inside. At the nose, the anchor popped free and with a rattle of chain began to unspool until it caught and the boat gently drifted around its new tether. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it." She looked at Debra. "Is she a screamer? She better bring some throat lozenges."
Debra shrugged. "She's more of a moaner, but word the wise, Kayda, sweetie."
Kayda's face changed from disbelief, to amazement, to annoyance as she studied each face in turn. "Ok, you guys all got together to pull this, right?"
Wyatt raised an eyebrow. "You attend a school for mutants," he declared, his voice dripping disbelief at her skepticism. "All of us have super powers, three of us share our bodies with spirits from another realm and you don't believe there's an end-of-term orgy? That's what you don't believe?"
Kayda blinked and looked somewhat terrified at Debra. "But...but...really...?"
It was a mighty effort, but in the end fruitless as the smile wormed its way onto Debra's face right as Wyatt snickered, and with that ice broken, the three of them roared with laughter. Kayda felt her cheeks burn but smiled nonetheless and shook her head.
"You guys suck!"
"Only at the end-of-term orgy," managed Wyatt around his guffaws.
Debra punched him in the arm playfully. "I believe I'd pay money to see you walk down the other side of the street!"
Wyatt took a sip and feigned surprise. "What? Didn't you know? There's a whole subset of male homosexuality devoted to me!"
"To you?" the other demanded, highly dubious.
"Certainly," he replied with great disdain. "You've never heard of the gay fetish for Bears?"
Debra protested loudly at the pun and the youngsters had a grand time floating and forgetting their worries and cares. It was a wonderful morning, but despite that, the closer to noon it got, the closer to Debra's leaving it got, the more maudlin Kayda became. Finally Lanie shooed them below decks and closed the hatch to let them have a final good bye alone. She and Wyatt spent the time with her in his lap, leaning against him and being held.
And that was wonderful too.
May 5th, 2007 - After Breakfast
Behind Holbrook Arena, Whateley Academy
Amber wasn't sure why she was walking into the wood behind Holbrook, only that she felt it was very important. She stopped in a small clearing, looking around. There was no nervousness in her expression, just mild confusion over an almost blank, emotionless face that could have been a mask.
"Have those fools taken the bait? " Hekate's Master asked as he stepped out from behind a large tree, his body and features shrouded by a hooded cloak.
Amber nodded woodenly. "Yes. They're setting up an ambush for one and a distraction for the other."
He rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Good! Very good. And they know of your boyfriend's interest in the girl?"
Amber nodded again. "Yes."
"I don't trust those fools to have thought of everything," he said with a frown. From his robes, he pulled a small pendant on a chain. "Take this." As the girl reached for the pendant, he continued. "Make sure you arrange to bump into them this morning. Here's what you're going to say ..."
May 5th, 2007 - Mid-Morning
Room 302 Emerson Cottage, Whateley Academy
"So we got the stuff to humiliate one of the two of them. Are you going to let me know which of them gets which treatment?" Eddie grumbled. "And how we're going to get them set up...?"
"Patience," Darren said, not even looking up from his computer terminal. "It's all in the notes to lure the people to the right places. Now shut up so I can get the wording right." He concentrated, typing, backspacing, and retyping. "The tricky one is that freak Heyoka who does stuff backwards a lot of the time." Finally, he sat back, satisfied. "There. That should pique their curiosity. Isolate both of them, send their humiliating alibi, and then ...." He made a slicing motion across his throat.
Eddie read over his shoulder, and a wicked grin spread across his face. "Perfect. This'll be so easy."
"And they won't be able to resist taking the bait," Darren said gleefully. "And we'll cleanse this place of their stench!"
"You're going to print them in the library?" Eddie asked, confused after seeing the other boy send the files to the Beck Library Printer Folder.
Darren nodded knowingly. "With everything being printed there, no-one will notice. But since it's Saturday, no-one is printing anything downstairs, so it'd stand out and someone might accidentally find it." He smiled, knowing that Eddie wasn't as tech-smart as he was. "I'm taking every precaution I can so there aren't any clues."
Eddie had a rather horrifying thought. "What about the security cameras? They'll see me in the tunnels!"
Darren grinned. "Already thought of that, buddy. You know that thing Juice lost, the one that glitches security cameras so they freeze on an image?" From his desk drawer, he retrieved a small black plastic project box with a small switch and LED."
"Is that ...?"
"Turn this on and anytime you pass by a security camera, it'll freeze on an image." He frowned. "If I remember how he was bragging about it, it'll freeze about 15 frames at a time."
"That's not a lot of time," Eddie said with a frown.
"Plenty of time for a speedster to get past the camera range," Darren reassured him. Silently, he wasn't so certain. But it was all he had without getting more people involved - which he really didn't want to do.
May 5th, 2007 - Mid-Morning
Roof of Melville Cottage, Whateley Academy
It was a rare kind of day at the school.
While it was seventy-five degrees and sunny in the simulator's recreation of Georgia, in New Hampshire things weren't so bad either. The sky was a vibrant blue and clear; it had started chilly and below freezing this morning, but with the sun up the campus had quickly warmed, and while cool the day was well on its way to the predicted high of fifty-five degrees. But that wasn't the best part.
The best part was it was a Green Flag Day.
Everyone who could was out enjoying the weather. The sky was like a mini-New York as young people, costumed or otherwise flew from place to place and exalted in the freedom to be who they were. Stephen Nalley sat on the corner of Melville, looking out at the campus for the first time as he'd always imagined it but its grandeur didn't hold him as much as it might have otherwise.
While he had made his peace with Kodiak, closing that door had opened a whole new one. The revelation that his sister had had a lesbian relationship shocked him. Lanie had always been just Lanie; he'd never really even thought of her as a sexual being before now. Truth be told, except for her obsession over her hair, it was hard to tell she was a 'she' at all, until Christmas. His sister had left for school in September, tall, a little scrawny, though now that he thought about it, she was wearing her clothes a little baggier when she'd left. And she and Mom had gone on some kind of 'special' shopping trip that neither they, nor Dad, would talk about.
And while Lanie had left for school, the girl who came home for Christmas wasn't her.
It wasn't unusual for Lanie to bring girlfriends home for holidays. Dashboard had stayed with them for a week last summer, and Christmas was no exception with the clutch of girls she had come home with. But the girl with the red hair wasn't his sister.
Stephen winced as the thought crossed his mind again and he frowned, chewing on it.
The girl at Christmas, that Mom had fawned over and Dad...Steve still wasn't sure what Dad was feeling from the expression on his face. A weird mix of fear and determination was the best he could come up with, but not the why or the context. No, the girl that came home for Christmas was a girl.
His sister wasn't a girl.
Well, she was, obviously, a girl; she wore dresses and had make-up and she and Mom got their nails done and their hair wasn't cut at a barber but styled at a salon. But...she wasn't a girl girl. At least not until Christmas... Stephen sighed and looked out at the campus again. Steve was honest with himself in that he practically didn't recognize the woman who had come home from this place for Christmas. His sister was now a very beautiful young woman and it was unsettling how much she had changed.
Dealing with that was bad enough, but now he had to wrap his head around his sister was gay.
Well, that wasn't technically accurate either, as evidently she was very much with Kodiak. But he knew his sister. Knew everything about her, what her favorite food was, knew that she preferred dogs to cats, iced sweet tea to hot tea, baseball over football, Ford over Chevy, damn it he knew who his sister was!
But he didn't.
Evidently he didn't know this woman at all.
It was like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. She sounded like Lanie, and she knew everything Lanie knew, but...she wasn't Lanie. A blue and white streak flew around him, then slowed and settled next to him. "Hey there!" Marty greeted with a grin. "You look like somebody shot your puppy! What's wrong, baby?"
Stephen forced a smile. "I...I'm sorry, Megs, I'm having a strange day."
"Strange can be good," she replied. Despite being a New Yorker, Martine Penn was a dyed-in-the-wool optimist and she tried to find the best in everything. "Depends on the flavor, right?"
He slipped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "Your smile could cure a rainy day," he told her with a smile and a wink. "I'm just trying to work something out I found out. I thought I knew someone, but..."
"Oh no," she commiserated, slipping her own arm around his waist to return the hug. "Not too bad is it?"
Steve let fly a heartfelt sigh. "Can you keep a secret?"
Marty looked around them. They were on the roof of a building, where one would think such a conversation could be discreet. But then again, this was Whateley Academy and neither of them had taken the elevator or the stairs to get to the roof. For now, however, they were alone so she nodded. "Sure, Steve, always, but if you're not comfortable..."
"My sister is gay," he replied, tumbling it all out in a rush.
"Uh, well..."
"Yes, yes, I know, bi, whatever. Why didn't she tell me, Marty?"
Mega-Girl smiled softly behind her mask and laid a comforting hand on her man's shoulder. "Because it's not your business, Steve," she told him softly. His head snapped around, aghast at what she'd said, so she quickly pressed on. "You don't tell her the details of our dates, do you?"
"No!" he protested. "But, she's my sister!"
"That doesn't make it your place to know who she shares her bed with," she repeated. "Look, Steve, you know my dark secret, and I'll be honest with you, I did know about Lanie..."
"You knew and you didn't...?"
"No, I didn't, and I wouldn't," she insisted. "Just like I don't spread around things about you that are private I have knowledge of." She sighed. "In the interest of full disclosure, for a while I wasn't sure what side of the sexual street I was going to walk on, so yes, I went to a couple of gatherings of the Sisters..."
"Sisters?" he asked, confused.
Marty winced. "It...it's what the bi and lesbian girls call themselves, the Sisterhood."
He chewed on that for a moment. "So, what do the gay boys call themselves?"
Penn shrugged and he was captivated with the things it did to her uniform. "I dunno, never hung with them. Point is, yes, I knew Lanie was...er, well I guess, now she's technically a switch hitter, isn't she? The on again off again thing with Wyatt seems to be on again. And no, I would never have told you, not because I don't care about you, and not because I get off on having secrets or anything. You got to realize, Steve, here at Whateley, secrets are how we live our lives. I have mine, and so do you. Need I remind you you're wearing a mask? The best thing you can do is keep your mouth shut and if she does choose to tell you, be surprised and remember she is and always will be your sister, the only one you'll ever have."
He sighed and looked out at the campus again. "I..I just...I mean, I've always bought into it being genetic, you know? Being Gay, I mean. Christ, who would choose to despised and feared and discriminated against, and...and...does that mean that maybe I am...?"
"It's not about you, Steve," she said. "And if I had to guess, I'd say no. I mean, you didn't come after me because you knew who I was under this," she said softly, looking away. His gloved hand caught her chin and brought her eyes up to his.
"That's not true," he told her softly. "I came after you exactly because of who you are under the skin. You're smart and fun and warm and caring. You make me laugh and you make me want to be a better man than I am. You have a beautiful wrapper, Marty, but nobody keeps the present for the wrapping, it's what's under the wrapping that makes all the difference."
Her cheeks went rosy as she smiled and her eyes twinkled at him. "So you just answered your own question, didn't you?"
May 5th, 2007 - Late Morning
Security Main Office, Kane Hall, Whateley Academy
A low, threatening growl got Officer Coltrain's attention in a way that the opening door hadn't. He hated being assigned desk duty on weekends because all the really troublesome crap seemed to happen on Saturday and Sunday, and if Delarose was out, Lieutenant Trout and Sergeant Buxton had no qualms about putting his ass on the line if mistakes were made.
He found himself staring up into the angry countenance of Hippolyta, one of the most intimidating female students on campus. Tall, muscular, and attractive, she radiated unhappiness that seemed laser-beam focused on him at the moment. He gulped because she was extraordinarily imposing. "Can ... can I help you?" he found himself stammering.
"Yeah," Hippy growled. "You gotta find my friend. She's missing."
Coltrain gulped again. The girl's request sounded more like a threat. "How do you know she's missing, and how long since you've seen her?"
"She's been missing since Tuesday night," Hippy growled, "and the house-parents keep telling me not to worry. But I know something happened to her."
"Who is the student?"
"Sara Waite," Hippy said firmly.
Coltrain's eyes opened wide at the name. He'd been the one who'd passed bad info about her to the Medawihla Tribe, and she'd made it clear that there would be payback. Her reputation made Coltrain realize that she wasn't joking, and the longer he went with nothing happening, the more terrified he got of her eventual surprise revenge. But then he considered the fact that she was being reported missing - and by a student rather than administration or faculty or the house-parents. If she really was missing, retribution was unlikely, especially if she stayed missing. On the other hand, if he played a key role in finding her, she'd owe him, and maybe the promised payback would be removed.
"Tell me what you know," he said, still battling internally about how to handle this. As he took Hippolyta's statement, delivered in a less-than-friendly, man-hating growl complete with glower, he struggled mentally.
"Okay," he finally said when he'd gotten all the information Hippy had to offer. "We'll take care of finding her."
"You better," Hippy snarled before she turned and stormed out of the security office.
Coltrain watched the girl stomping away angrily. In the end, it was her pissy, anti-male attitude that carried the day with his decision. He took the notes he'd gathered, put them in a folder, and slipped it into a drawer that was informally known among the less-diligent and less-than-scrupulous officers in security as the 'graveyard', a place where files went to be buried and never again see the light of day.
Five minutes after he'd dismissed Hippolyta's complaint, Lieutenant Trout returned from his 'rounds', which meant getting fresh donuts from the cafeteria. "Anything happen while I was out?" he asked.
"Nah."
"Who was that leaving," Trout asked skeptically.
Coltrain shrugged. "Usual stuff. Complaints about guys trying to hit on her, wanting us to stop him." He saw the look of disbelief on the lieutenant's face. "Yeah," he said with a wry chuckle. "More likely that she was filing a complaint first so she can beat the crap out of someone and have a plausible excuse." He smiled to himself when Trout snorted derisively and walked to the duty officer's desk, completely dismissing the supposed complaint.
May 5th, 2007 - Late Morning
The Quad, Whateley Academy
"Speakeasy!" The girl's voice called urgently, causing Darren and Eddie to stop mid-stride. Their expressions both lightened when they saw that the girl calling them was Amber.
Darren waited until she was next to them. "What's up?" he asked casually.
Amber glanced around first. "You asked me to let you know if Mike was doing anything?" Darren nodded. "He wants me to spy on her, to find out any weaknesses or emotional vulnerabilities."
"Yeah," Darren acknowledged. "And?"
"And he gave me this," she said, showing off a charm dangling from a silver chain.
"Okay, so your boyfriend gave you a necklace," Eddie retorted sarcastically. "Big deal."
"It's not just a necklace," Amber countered acidly. "It's some kind of Indian invisibility charm." She stared at their blank faces. "Like the spell Kayda is supposed to be able to use. With it, I can spy on the girl and find out what he wants to know."
"Okay, so it's an invisibility charm," Eddie countered.
"Damn!" Darren spat, disgusted with himself. "Of course!"
"What, Darren?" Eddie asked, baffled by Darren's adamant reaction.
Darren shook his head. "Don't you get it? It's the perfect way to walk right past the security cameras, the same way a Native American would! The same way either of those two would if they had the charm!" He read Eddie's blank stare. "Look, Juice's devise is good, but not perfect. But with this," he continued, looking at the charm in Amber's hand. "Amber," he purred, turning on his little psychic nudge, "would you mind if we borrowed that for a couple of hours?" he asked.
Amber shrugged. "Sure, I guess so. Just as long as you give it back."
"We'll make sure it gets back to you," Darren said confidently. "Count on it." He took the charm that Amber held out toward him, knowing that he'd just solved their last problem.
May 5th, 2007 - Late Morning
Kayda's Hometown, South Dakota
Fuming inwardly, Pete Franks sat in his office in the dealership, shaking his head as he stared at the picture of his daughter, looking stunning in her Lakota dress and face paint, hair braided and adorned with feathered and beaded hair ties, and wearing the headband with the four eagle feathers. Without warning, his features clouded and he grabbed his empty coffee cup, hurling it angrily across the office to shatter on the door casing. "Dammit!" he swore aloud.
One of the employees was just outside the office, about to come in to talk to the boss about a particular problem, but he decided to wait for a better time. Pete had been in this foul mood ever since he'd gotten a call from the courthouse the day before. Backing slowly away from the door cautiously, he had just turned to walk away.
"Ron, what's the problem?" he heard Pete behind him.
When the employee turned, he saw Pete standing in the doorway to his office, scowling and arms crossed. "Uh, we got a recall notice for the spool valves on the three-way hitch lift."
Pete lowered his head, shaking it slowly. "Well, that's two."
Ron wrinkled his brow. "Two? Two what?"
"They say bad news comes in threes. That's two." He took a few deep breaths. "Okay, get a look at sales and find out how many ...."
"Already did the cross-reference," Ron reported, holding out the paper he was carrying to the boss. "Twenty five tractors we've sold, plus three in stock, and spares. Total is thirty-three."
Pete scanned the page. "If it fails, it's pretty bad, huh?" He saw Ron's nod. "Okay, what's the factory say?" He wasn't going to take time to read the paper; he trusted his employees.
"Because it's so extensive a recall, we'll have a quota of how many parts come in the first shipment."
"First priority is getting the ones in the field fixed. Demand twenty-five."
"Okay. And I've tagged the parts in the bin as 'do not sell, defective'."
Pete nodded. "Good. Contact all the customers with tractors with that part and give them a heads-up."
"I'm on it." Ron started to turn, but reconsidered. "And I'm sorry to hear about the ... trial. Brandon was a good kid. He didn't deserve that, and then ...." He shook his head, noticing the awkward silence.
Pete clasped his hand on Ron's shoulder. "Thanks, Ron. You've been supportive and understanding, unlike some of those other assholes. I don't know how I'm going to tell ....." His eyes focused out the front window to where Judge Reinard walking in to his office. Rain or shine, cold or hot, Judge Reinard walked the ten blocks from his house to the courthouse every morning and evening, and lunchtime. "I gotta have a word with someone." Pete darted to the front door of the dealership, and in a couple of quick steps, caught up to the judge.
Judge Reinard looked at him and smiled. "Morning, Pete."
"Morning, Charlie, though I can't see anything good about it," Pete said in reply. "Going to work on a Saturday?"
The judge smiled. "No, it's not that bad. That's a bennie of being a judge in a sleepy town like this." He glanced at the packet under his arm. "No, I've got a package to get in the mail before the post office window closes at noon."
"Oh." Pete took a few silent steps beside the judge, trying to figure out what to say.
Charlie Reinard chuckled. "Go ahead and say it Pete. We haven't known each other this long without me being able to tell when there's something on your mind."
"You're letting them getting away with ... with raping and trying to kill my daughter Kayda!" Pete said bluntly.
"What do you want me to do? Throw out the plea deal, and then get defeated in the next election?" He saw Pete's stunned disbelief. "And besides, do you really think a jury is going to convict them in this town?"
"But the evidence ...."
"Which District Attorney Peterson and I talked about." His visage became hard, cold. "Rape kits - lost or never processed. Electronic medical records are missing. Chain of custody of evidence broken, so what evidence does exist is all compromised."
"But ... there are eyewitnesses, and a confession!" Pete protested.
"That hotshot lawyer Hollings' dad bought is more than eager to impeach all the witnesses - you and June included, and he'll go after the confession as being coerced from the fight. Plus, in that fight, your ... daughter ... and her friends kicked the boys' asses. How do you think that would play to a jury in this town, where half the adults belong to Humanity First!?"
"Change of venue?"
"Peterson and I talked about that. I would have granted it, but the defense would have appealed, dragging this out longer and longer - and depending on who on the circuit court heard the appeal, would probably be denied anyway."
"So they get away with trying to kill my daughter twice, and gang-raping her!" Pete spat the words bitterly.
"There wasn't anything else I could do. Peterson did a good job of covering his ass so if or when the state Attorney General investigates, he'll come off squeaky clean."
"He's a member of Humanity First!" Pete growled. "He was tainted! Surely that means something."
Judge Reinard shook his head. "Peterson covered his tracks well."
"He didn't even try to charge the others!"
"No rape kits, a 'coerced' confession - or so the defense will claim, biased witnesses?" Charlie Reinard shook his head. "Besides the biased jury pool?"
"But ..."
"And no victim, because she's away at school. So do you want me to delay, and then have her put on the witness stand and have to go through all that again, as well as being assailed and impugned by the defense attorney as having provoked or invited it, or something like that?" Reinard stopped and asked bluntly and forcefully. "Think, Pete. Do you really want her to be put through that?" Reinard shook his head. "I know how defense attorneys work in rape cases. They do their damndest to make it look like the victim's fault - and they aren't kind at all when the victim is on the stand."
"So they walk."
"Goddammit, Pete, weren't you listening?" the Judge exploded in a display of his own frustration. "There's no physical evidence, so it's all a he said/she said case! I know the guy the defense got - Adam Quinn. He's vicious to witnesses and victims in cases like this! He was almost disbarred once for being so aggressive against a victim! He'd have June in tears and make it look like your daughter was a tramp and a slut asking for anything that happened to her! Do you really want to put them through that when it's very unlikely that the jury would convict the boys?" Reinard nodded. "So yeah, they walk. At least until the FBI starts investigating denial of civil rights," he said. "And I personally called them."
Pete Franks' brow wrinkled. "How are they involved?"
"Your wife and daughter are enrolled members of the Rosebud tribe, right?"
"Yes, but ...."
"Affairs involving Native Americans usually automatically trigger hate crimes investigations and prosecutions. So I'd make book on them coming in to investigate."
"But ... trying to shoot her? In front of dozens of witnesses? And he didn't even try to press that one!"
"Same thing. She's a mutant in a mutant-unfriendly town. Steve pushed the minimum charges he could to keep DoJ off his ass, while still not riling his H1 buddies."
"Attempted murder - plea bargained down to aggravated assault - as a juvenile?"
"Pete, if I'd have been the DA in these circumstances, I would have probably offered that same deal. You have to understand the fear - paranoia - that exists in small towns after the Huron-Pierre rager incident."
"I don't like it. Shooting at her eight times - with witnesses?"
Reinard nodded. "I understand. There's one more factor to consider. Your daughter and her friends kicked their asses - badly. But worse, some witnesses stated that your daughter was fighting out of control and was ready to kill Scott Hollings, and that only her friends intervention stopped her from killing him. That kind of testimony can get the MCO involved, and they'll use it as an excuse to classify her as a rager. You know what that means, don't you?" He didn't wait for Pete to answer. "It means they'd put a DFA tag - Deadly Force Pre-Authorized - on her MID card at the very least, and then ANY law enforcement officer anywhere could justifiably kill her for any reason, even something as simple as a speeding violation!"
Pete goggled at that revelation. He hadn't considered that angle.
"If that evidence got in court records, your daughter would be in serious trouble." He shook his head sadly. "Peterson was trying to cover his ass and do the very minimum he thought he could get away with not triggering an investigation by the Attorney General's office, and by plea bargaining, he ended up doing her a huge favor. If he realized that, he'd be pissed. Juvie records are sealed. If they'd prosecuted Hollings as an adult, the records would be open to the MCO."
Pete stood in the middle of the sidewalk, trying to take it all in. As a father, he wanted to see the boys prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But after listening to Judge Reinard, he understood a little more how the system - and the town - were stacked against justice for Kayda's assailants.
"And Pete?" Reinard added, "we never had this conversation. Understand?"
Pete nodded. "Yeah. I understand," he said bitterly.
May 5th, 2007 - Just Before Lunch
Arena 99, Kane Hall Tunnels, Whateley Academy
The four teenagers were in a fine mood as they clambered out of the boat and the simulation of Georgia faded away. Now they could see the boat was a replica of the real Pickett's Revenge suitable only for the sim suite and not a real lake, in a little tank of water on wheels, and the 'dock' was likewise a rolling scaffold, but that didn't bother anyone. They were having a grand time, laughing and conversing as they made their way to the doors of the arena, a time that came to a screeching halt as the doors opened.
And standing in them were Gunny Bardue and Lady Astarte.
"Mrs...uh..." stammered the group of youths. The super heroine smiled and started to give Debra a hug, until she realized she was wearing a bikini and was likely not very dry. She settled for holding Debra's shoulders and giving her a fake kiss on the cheek.
"Miss Matson!" she greeted. "Always nice to see you dear! You and Miss Franks enjoy your lunch and let me wish you a safe journey back to Sioux Falls."
"Uh...Lady Astarte, this swimsuit belongs to..."
"Miss Franks, I trust you can see it to its rightful owner?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Very good." She turned and though her expression didn't change, her smile seemed to take on a sadistic streak. "Miss Nalley, Mr. Cody, just who I needed to see." She let them exit the simulator and let its door close. Almost hesitantly, Kayda and Debra moved off in the direction of the locker room to change. "Mr. Cody, I believe your costume is in the lockers here, is it not?"
"Uh, yes ma'am..."
"Excellent. Go put it on." She turned back to Elaine. "Miss Nalley, where are your uniforms? Specifically the Wicked uniform as you seem to favor it recently?" Elaine repressed a shudder and pointed to the locker room that Debra and Kayda had disappeared into. "Wonderful! Go and put it on, then report back to me here. Your training in these new abilities you wanted starts now."
"But, Ah'm hungry!" Lanie protested.
"Then you'll be motivated to do well," Mrs. Carson replied with an almost evil grin. "As Ben Franklin famously noted, 'Hunger is the best pickle.'"
Elaine was coming to be an excellent judge of the Headmistress' moods and correctly realized there was no point in arguing with her, but trudged to the locker room and began to change. She returned the regretful waves of Debra and Kayda as they left for a final lunch together before Debra started her trip home, pulled the battery pack off the charger and connected it before placing it into its pouch, then bow in hand walked back to the waiting teacher.
She waited patiently under the teacher's gaze until finally Mrs. Carson asked, "Why a bow?"
"Ah'm sorry?" she asked, a little taken aback.
"When you came to me and told me everything that had happened with Songbird and Freya and Kodiak, we knew we would be creating a 'villain' from scratch. When you met me coming back from ARC you had fervently settled on an identity of an archer, why?"
"Ah...Ah guess Ah knew it would be simple to kit up trick arrows pretty quickly and we could fabricate almost everything off the shelf, so..." Elaine couldn't continue because Mrs. Carson had almost casually reached up and slapped her sharply across the mouth.
"Don't lie to me," she commanded, her blue eyes flashing. Elaine blinked back stunned tears as she held her face that throbbed where the heroine has struck her.
"Ah'm not..." she started, only to be slapped again.
"You are!" the Headmistress hissed. The bitter, angry tears flowed down her face as the Headmistress stood over her, her own face angry and flushed. "You're a liar and a slut, Elaine Nalley and I'm wracking my mind trying to remember why I should give a damn about you!"
"Don't talk to me that way!" the girl shouted back, pride stung and shame burning inside her.
"I'll talk to you any damn way I please you little whore!" Carson spat, her disgust palpable.
"Don't call me that!" Lanie snarled through clinched teeth, her blood boiling.
Carson poked a finger into her chest and got nose to nose with her. "What's the matter, Cinderella? Upset because the shoe fits? You are a liar and a slut and whore..."
Elaine's vision went red and she felt her lips pull back from her teeth in primal snarl of rage. Before she realized what she was doing her hands curled into fists. "Ah said don't call me that!" she roared and swung. The teacher had expected her to lead with her right hand, but Elaine swung left handed and connected solidly with Lady Astarte's jaw.
The heroine was launched ten feet, rag-dolling head-over-heels from the force of the swing. She turned the tumble into a controlled roll and was on her feet before Elaine could charge after her. Lady Astarte wasn't so easily fooled with the next assault; the girl's swings were wild and predicable. She easily caught both of Elaine's wrists and stared her down, eye to eye. "Is this who you are?" she demanded, grunting with the strain of keeping her painful grip on Lanie's wrists. "Are you an animal?" she shouted. "Unable to control yourself?"
"Ah'm not a whore!" Lanie roared at her teacher, trying desperately to break the hold and wrap her massive paws around the blonde's throat.
"You're behaving like an animal!" Mrs. Carson shouted back. "Are you an animal?"
It suddenly occurred to Elaine that she was much taller than Mrs. Carson. That she had paws instead of hands and the realization was enough of a shock to cool the murderous rage. She stepped back from the Headmistress and her eyes stung from tears that then flowed freely down her muzzle. "Why did you do that?" she wailed. She sat painfully on her rump and looked at the Headmistress whose eyes were just as mournful as hers. "Ah could have killed you!"
"And now you know you could kill someone," Mrs. Carson replied as hugged the bear girl and dried her eyes. "I was afraid this would be true for you as well."
"I was an ultra-violent my first year," Wyatt said softly as he came over and sat down next to her and took a paw in hand.
Lanie sniffed mightily trying to clear her sinuses. "Why didn't...didn't...you tell...tell me?" she shuddered around her sobs. Mrs. Carson smiled as she produced a handkerchief from somewhere and dried her eyes and fur.
"Tell you I was going to insult you to try and trigger a rager event?" she said, rolling her eyes. "That defeats the purpose, doesn't it?"
Elaine finally nodded, then looked down and noted that the uniform was perfectly fine and fit her as if made for this form. "Why...why didn't mah change destroy mah uniform?"
"Because it's soul-bound to you," Mrs. Carson replied. "You needed a hint of magic to pull off the sorceress archer ploy and binding the clothing to you was easiest." She helped Elaine to her feet and smiled. "Now, let's put you through the paces for a bit and then I'll let you run to lunch. You don't meet the criteria for a rager, yet, but you don't miss it by much! You need to be mindful, alright? If someone provokes you, you leave and get security."
She sniffed mightily and nodded. "Yes ma'am."
"Alright, while Gunny gets situated, tell me the real reason you wanted to be an archer." Mrs. Carson cocked an eyebrow at her student and added, "And don't think I won't use a truth spell to get to the bottom of this."
"Do you remember what Ah was wearing when you took me to Doyle Medical Center the night Grizzly and Ah merged?"
"How could I forget?" she replied. "Dr. Hewley has been begging me to make you give them access to that ridiculous outfit since he laid eyes on it. Where did you get it?"
"Aunghadhail," she replied softly. "When we entered Cavalier's and Skybolt's minds, Ah was dressed that way. Aunghadhail said Ah was descended from the Picts. In fact, she kept calling me Pict Daughter. Near as Ah can track, Ah was what the Pict call a Banshee, or mah ancestress was. Ah wanted to see if Ah was as good with a bow really as Ah was in that mind space. When Kayda performed the ritual, one of the trees told me to 'Come Forth Pict Daughter' and suddenly Ah was wearing it. That's why."
Mrs. Carson smiled. "Interesting," the Headmistress murmured to herself. She looked up at her student and shook a finger in mock sternness. "And Elaine, don't lie to me again, sweetheart, you're a terrible liar."
May 5th, 2007 - Lunch
The Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
I ... wish you didn't have to go," Kayda said softly.
Debra patted Kayda's hand tenderly in response. "I know. But you've only got a few more weeks of school, and then you'll be back home."
Kayda stared at Debra longingly, and then smiled sadly. "Only for a little bit. Addy, Alicia, and I already have travel plans. We're going to spend a couple of weeks at home, then a couple of weeks at Alicia's home in Louisiana, and then two weeks in Bordeaux."
"I bet your mom is happy that Twinkletoes has volunteered to chaperone you guys," Debra chuckled. "But we all know he's going just so he can see Mage Astre again." A grin adorned her features. "He's still got it bad for her."
Kayda's voice dropped to a whisper. "If it's anything close to how I feel about you, I understand." She saw movement behind Debra and she groaned softly.
"What?" Debra asked, puzzled.
"My regular customers," Kayda said with a sigh. Seeing Debra's bewilderment, she explained, "the three girls I made a deal with. I supply them with tea, and they teach me magic spells."
Debra laughed. "You and that tea!"
"Hi, Kayda," Clover gushed as she, Palantir, and Abra bounced to Kayda's side. "We need supplies for our tea."
"I know," Kayda replied. Debra looked amused at her dealings with the middle-school girls.
"And can you give us enough supplies for the week?" Palantir begged. "That way we won't have to bother you every day!"
Kayda chuckled. "Are you guys caught up on spells?"
Palantir glanced nervously at Abra and Clover. "I think we are," she said uncertainly.
Kayda let them squirm for a few seconds, and then gestured to the seats. "I'll get you supplies, and since you're actually ahead on spells, I'll make you each some tea today." She watched the girls goggling at the unexpected news. "I didn't tell you - while I was on spring break, I used one of Clover's spells to help in a fight. I think I owe you guys one." While Abra scurried to get cups of water, Kayda took out supplies from her medicine pouch.
May 5th, 2007 - Lunch
The Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
"It's perfect," chuckled Darren around a mouthful of hamburger. "The bitch sat right between us and the soda fountain! Just nab her ID on a refill trip and..."
Eddie Rutherford - Quickdraw - looked over his shoulder at the two girls in the small table between them and the soda fountain. Kayda was in the buckskin dress she much preferred but the other girl with her he didn't recognize. She was a stacked blonde easily an 18 on the Peeper scale of Exemplar babe-hood which of course had Fey at the top as the only twenty one. "Why?" he asked softly. "What good is her ID going to do...?"
"Do you have any kind of brain?" snarled Darren - Speakeasy. "One of the paranoid techies told me the ID cards have RFIDs in them! You never wondered how the teachers and security always seem to know where you are? I'd be willing to bet there are receivers in damn near every doorway or any other major piece of furniture on this campus!"
"That's kinda creepy," complained Eddie. "It's like this guy Orwell talks about in this book we're reading in English Lit III where..."
"Would you shut up?" growled Darren. His eyes snapped back to the table where three of the junior high kids had walked up and had her distracted. "Now's your chance! Go! Go!"
Quickdraw obviously didn't think it was an opportune time but he dutifully stood with his glass and walked towards the soda fountain. As he got closer he saw that she had clipped her ID to the outside of her purse. Quickdraw stumbled over his feet and steadied himself on the table, hands by her purse. "'Scuse me," he muttered, lifting the ID and walking off to the fountain. Neither girl really turned from their conversation with the three little kids. He refilled his cup and came back to Darren who had glee in his eyes.
"Perfect!" the other boy exalted. "Now, go get the jar and..."
"I'm not going anywhere near that jar," Eddie told him mulishly. "After what it did to TNT and Nitro? Forget it!"
"Fine," snarled Darren, flinging the notes he'd had printed on the library computer at the other boy. "You go plant the notes!" He glanced around. "You're lucky. Both of them are here, so you should be able to slip them the notes easily. That'll just leave the one for the third target." He let a smile creep across his face. "I'll deal with the trap!"
"I'm not finished with my lunch...!"
"Move!"
May 5th, 2007 - Just After Lunch
The Quad, Whateley Academy
"Hey, Jamie!" Jamie Carson, Heyoka, halted abruptly and turned at the sound of his name. He thought he recognized the voice, and seeing the tanned girl with ash-blonde hair confirmed his suspicion.
"Bye, Maggie," he said in his contrarian talk. It caused no small amount of trouble on campus to very frequently - and unpredictably - say the opposite of what he meant, but that was part of being Heyoka, the contrary one, the sacred clown of the Lakota.
"Hey," Maggie, Lifeline, said as she trotted to his side, "we haven't seen you at a meeting for a while. Is everything okay?"
"No, things are bad," he replied.
It took a moment for Lifeline to process his contrary speech. "Oh. I thought that maybe the rumors were true."
"What facts?"
"There are rumors all over that you and Kayda ... that your spirits hate each other and you two are fighting," Maggie blurted out.
Jamie snorted. "Our spirits sometimes agree, and usually over huge issues," he replied simply.
Okay, Maggie thought - the two didn't always agree, but it was small stuff. "I see."
"What about the facts I haven't heard about you?" Jamie asked, picking a bench in one of the sheltered niches. "Let's stand while we talk so our feet get tired."
Lifeline chuckled and sat, with Jamie joining her. "What have you heard about me?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I haven't heard any facts that you and Loophole aren't fighting, and that you are getting along wonderfully. I also didn't hear that you moved in with her."
Maggie frowned. "It's ... it's complicated," she stammered, her eyes suddenly moist. "She's ... she's changed! She's getting obsessed with ... some spirit." She wiped at the corners of her eyes. "She's ... getting scary, and I ... I can't take it!"
"Ah," Jamie replied, looking thoughtfully. "That wouldn't be the spirit that Kayda unbound from her." He shrugged. "People never change. You know what our traditions aren't. A shaman never binds a spirit to a person to hinder them in the challenges they never face."
"It's not that easy," Lifeline said. "She was my best friend, and then she got ... scary." Lifeline shuddered as she remembered the first day Elaine had woken from her coma. The cavalier way she dismissed her friends concerns; indeed the only real worry she seemed to have was how her mother would react. Then there came that fateful second morning, where Maggie had woken up to find herself sharing a room with a monster. "You don't understand, Jamie, she's not the person she was anymore!"
"You'll forget how much you were friends, and you'll never realize that she's not the same person."
Maggie flinched, stung by how much her rational was turned back on her. "You didn't see her when they tested her in that form," she told Jamie. "Didn't see her destroy those barriers with her bare hands, or rip that ANT apart like it was nothing!" Didn't see her in some kind of berserker lust enjoying it, Maggie thought to herself.
"Why would anyone enjoy being strong?" Jamie replied as if he had read her mind. "Loophole was never afraid before and had nothing to fear, no reason to like being strong now." Jamie frowned and cocked her head to the side. "You are absolutely right to shun her."
Maggie frowned for a moment, then seemed to change her mind and gave an ironic chuckle. "This advice from the one who's feuding with Kayda?" She saw Jamie' noncommittal shrug. "So there is some truth to the rumors after all."
"We don't have any ... differences," Jamie replied.
Maggie's eyebrows arched. "Oh?" If Jamie was so casually saying there were no differences, there were some issues, and they were of concern.
Heyoka looked at his watch and stood. "Well, I have all day to hang around, so I don't have to leave. I'll never see you again, Maggie."
"Bye," she whispered, her mind in circles.
May 5th, 2007 - After Lunch
The Nations Sweat Lodge, Whateley Academy
A boy's face peeked out from the woods near the Native American group's sweat lodge, looking around intently, and the boy had his ears cocked for any unusual sounds. After over two minutes of watching and listening, he crept out toward the structure, a large igloo-shaped, skin-covered half-dome that the Nations used for their sweat lodge ceremonies. Being Crow, Darren knew only too well what a sweat lodge was and knew the religious significance of the sweat lodge ceremonies. If he was perfectly honest with himself, he envied the members for being able to participate in their ceremonies - but when he thought of her - the false prophetess - pompously leading the ceremonies like she was all-important, a red mask of rage clouded his reasoning.
Still glancing around, he stepped to the flap of animal skin covering the door which was oriented toward a fire pit in the center of the clearing in which it sat. Pushing aside the flap of hide, he peered into the sweat lodge. "Good," he muttered to himself. It was empty, as he'd expected.
First, he pulled out a flashlight and a trio of small devices from inside his backpack. Stepping inside, he shone the light around, looking at the structure. "This is better than I could have hoped for," he chuckled to himself. The frame of the structure consisted of poles bent into arches, arranged in a circle. A lattice of horizontal elements curved around between the uprights, like lines of latitude on a globe, creating a mesh to support the faux-hide covering of the structure. He looked around, selecting three spots that were equally-spaced around the perimeter, and then twist-tied the devices to the wooden lattice-work, pausing to turn them on. The batteries would only last ten to twelve hours, but that was more than enough time.
The laptop he pulled out latched on to the signal from the wireless relay he'd set up just inside the tree-line, and moments later, he had an image from the camera on the screen. Frowning, he set the laptop down where he could see it and adjusted one of the wireless cameras. Satisfied, he changed the view on the laptop and adjusted the other two for optimal viewing angles. With a grin of satisfaction, he closed up the laptop and slipped it into his backpack and ducked back outside the sweat lodge.
He knelt, letting the flap dangle back over the opening while from his backpack he extracted a jar that was carefully sealed in multiple layers of plastic bags and a bag of other supplies. Suddenly covered in sweat, he pulled on elbow-high latex gloves, then a second set, and then a heavy pair of rubber gloves.
"I hope I don't get any of this shit on me," he swore softly to himself as he began to peel the protective covering off the small jar. When he had it exposed and the lid open, sweating even heavier, he pulled a small brush from his supplies and dipped it into the small amount of liquid in the jar. Working carefully to avoid any splatters, he painted the liquid onto the hide flap, on both the right and left edges, liberally dosing the flap so that anyone who opened it from either the left or the right would have to touch the treated areas.
Once he completed his task, his hand shaking nervously, he capped the small jar and placed it and the brush into one of the zippered plastic bags, which went into a second bag. Then he carefully pulled off the heavy rubber gloves, being careful not to touch his skin, exactly the way his mother, a scrub nurse, had taught him. The rubber gloves ended up inside-out, and he put them into yet another zippered bag. With the two-layers of latex gloves still protecting him, he put the baggie containing the jar into a third layer of bag, sealing it, and then put the bag containing the contaminated gloves into a second bag. After sealing those, he took off the latex gloves the same way he'd peeled off the rubber gloves, sealing them in yet another baggie.
Only then did he pause to wipe the considerable sweat off his brow. He hadn't expected dosing the hide flap to be so nerve-wracking, but he couldn't get the images of Tee-Kay, Nitro, and Tissy out of his mind. He really didn't want any of that crap on him.
Darren sat back, and only then did his nerves overtake him. He trembled almost uncontrollably as he thought of what he'd been working with, of the power he'd seen demonstrated in the trial run. It took several minutes to steady his nerves, but he eventually put the baggies into the backpack, slipped it on his shoulders, and retreated the direction from whence he'd come, satisfied that the trap - one of them - was fully baited.
May 5th, 2007 - Early Afternoon
Room 315, Dickinson Cottage, Whateley Academy
Fortunately Sahar was out somewhere, probably with Zenith, so it meant Tansy would have the room to herself for some time. That was good. For what she had in mind, she needed privacy. From an extremely well-hidden compartment in an antique brooch that was itself hidden, she took a small little square of plastic and metal. It had a USB connector on it, and very little more; it could have been of the little 'jump drives' that were so common, or it could have been radio antenna for older model laptops that did not have WIFI.
It was in fact a bit of both.
Plugged into her laptop, it overrode the networking of the device and mounted a cellular modem. This connected through a series of extremely secure 'tunnels' through the internet to connect to a server, a very special server.
Tansy didn't know who had recommended her, didn't know who had planted the device where she would find it. She had gotten emails from someone who called them-self the 'Hindmost', her sponsor to the greatest and last advantage the embattled Junior had. The screen lit up with a simple prompt for a user name and a password that she provided, then the page wiped and a little window opened welcoming her to The Syndicate.
Walcutt quickly scanned the announcements and saw that nothing applied to her before she called up a search and typed in Wicked. A moment later a bio appeared with a photograph of an ebony haired woman in a red body suit that left her legs and arms bare. Her hair was much longer, and the wrong color, and even though she wore a full face mask that stopped at her hair line, there was no mistaking the unnaturally green eyes that coolly stared out of the photograph. "Freelance cat burglar, huh?" Tansy asked herself. She read the entry, an interesting collection of lies and half-truths and pondered exactly what the status of On Hiatus meant. The website of course defined it as someone taking a break from the life that was not the more temporary statuses of 'vacation' or 'medical recovery' or the more permanent of 'Retired' or 'In Jail'.
A Hiatus could be weeks or years; but there was the unspoken asterisk that implied the owner meant to return. Tansy sat back and stared, trying to puzzle out this latest turn. She clicked the links to Hero Watch and was rewarded with security camera footage of Wicked fighting Lioness of the Empire City Guard. Tansy had no idea Loophole could be so graceful. The fight was like a dance, sharp and deadly, but beautiful to watch.
But she certainly knew Sensei Ito's teachings when she saw it. Again her left elbow ached in sympathetic pain. It had been the little devils' favorite place to strike her for 'correction'. Hero Watch had a lot of speculation about the thief Lioness had fought, rumors of past jobs, reputation of success and dangerous competence and touting they had the only known video of her.
Tansy watched the video again, something about it bothering her. There!
Tansy froze the play back and took a screen shot she quickly moved into Photoshop. Walcutt was a model, but Ian Parker was a thorough teacher. She knew the complicated program inside and out and more about photography than many so-called 'professionals'. She isolated and enlarged the window pane and it's ghostly reflection. Quickly the pane was removed, leaving a dark shape in the form of a woman. She converted the image to a gray-scale for better contrast and sharpened the borders as much as she dared. It wasn't much more than a human shape, blurred and misshapen. Tansy got a reference photo from Hero Watch that was close to the pose she thought she saw. She adjusted again and the blob became a distinct mantled cape, a misshapen limb became an arm holding a rod, a very specific rod.
Some looked at the geography of Mars at low angles with light and shadow and saw Pyramids and a face.
Tansy Walcutt looked at her work and saw Lady Astarte.
She checked the date on the video and sure enough, that was the week Mrs. Carson had been off campus. 'Business' had been the official excuse. Business indeed, snorted Tansy. Why are you in New York, Loophole, and why aren't you stopping your student from committing a string of felonies, Lady Astarte?
Solange sighed and made her up mind. She didn't need Hero Watch to know that Lioness wasn't a third-string nobody, but a dangerous, and feared Martial Artist. And 'Wicked' had not only fought her to a standstill, she'd gotten away with whatever she stolen from the Emerald Tower. It was enough. Mrs. Carson was deep in Loophole's back pocket if she would allow her student to commit a crime in front of her and get away with it. Maybe Carson wouldn't listen to Solange, but she would listen to Wicked.
Now I just have to get Wicked to listen to me.
May 5th, 2007 - After Lunch
Berlin Shuttle bus, Whateley Boulevard, Whateley Academy
Don Sebastiano kept as much of his dignity as he could as he took a seat on the shuttle bus. The injustice of everything he'd lost never failed to rankle. Once upon a time, as Alpha Male mooching off the financial resources of Tansy and Hekate, a limousine would have been summoned when he required something from off campus. And it would have included a private jet ride to Boston at least, if not New York or some other civilized destination that could boast real stores and shops, not some Podunk hillbilly breeding farm of a 'town' that barely deserved the title.
Now. He seethed inside. Now he rode a bus, like a commoner.
For some reason of late, Tansy had been far less forthcoming with funds. He frowned; she'd been remarkably distant too. Was the air-headed blonde actually plotting something?
The...thing...for lack of a better word made a sound that the Don took to be it laughing at his debasement and enjoying his discomfort. Not for the first time, Sebastiano regretted siding with Freya over Nick DuPraeve. The Don turned, taunted into giving defiance to the creature when he saw something that stunned him. The shuttle was just passing through the main gate, preparing to turn onto Stark Highway and the long slog down to Berlin, when the creature looked over its shoulder and scrambled away from the front of the bus and dove through the back.
"What are you looking at?" demanded the boy behind the Don as he whirled in his seat to watch the strange behavior.
Sebastiano ignored him as he turned back to his window looked back towards the gate. There, the creature was, spitting with rage and fading away in the distance. "You can't cross the warding," whispered the Don with dawning realization.
Jackpot.
May 5th, 2007 - Early Afternoon
Guest Cottage, Whateley Academy
The two girls - one younger and dark-haired and the other taller, older, and stunningly blond - stood hugging in the parking lot by the guest cottage. The shorter girl was fighting back tears. "I don't want you to go," she sniffled.
"I know, hon," Debra replied, kissing Kayda on the forehead. "I don't want to leave, either." She pulled Kayda more tightly against her. "But I have to, and you know it."
Kayda nodded. "I know."
"We can dream walk," Debra offered to her girlfriend. "And I think you'll find our dream-walks even more ... realistic," she added with a mischievous grin. "Now that you know how certain things really work!"
"Yeah," Kayda chuckled through her sad tears.
"I know you don't want me to leave," Debra said. "But if I wait much longer, I might miss my flight."
"What's wrong with that?" Kayda asked with a smile.
"I'll see you in a few weeks," Debra said, being strong in the face of incredible temptation to sweep Kayda off her feet and carry her into a bedroom. "Until then, we can talk and dream-walk." With one more prolonged, passionate kiss, Debra opened the door to her rental car and climbed behind the wheel. "I'll see you soon." She giggled. "And the next time I talk to your mom, I'll be sure to thank her."
Kayda's mouth dropped in surprise, and her cheeks burned. "You ... you wouldn't!"
Debra chuckled. "No, I won't. But I bet your Mom asks you." She saw Kayda flush even redder. "She already did!" she said, realizing the hidden meaning behind the blush. "Your mom already talked to you?" Debra laughed. "At least you don't have to worry if the subject is ever going to come up."
As Debra's car rolled down the drive toward the gate, Kayda stood, feeling incredibly sad to see her girlfriend driving off. She waved, knowing that Debra was probably not looking in the mirror but instead concentrating on the winding road, but she couldn't help herself. Finally, after the car was long out of sight, Kayda turned to walk back to her cottage, pausing to take a tissue from her purse to wipe her tears. As she did, a folded paper fell to the ground.
Immediately, Kayda figured that Debra had slipped her a love note, and her heart went pitter-pat. Quickly, she unfolded the paper, anxious to read something tender and intimate from her lover. But as she read, she scowled. "What the heck?" she mouthed to herself.
Kayda chuckled to herself, already dismissing the oddity of a note instead of a call or text message. They were probably guarding against Sam's nanite hive 'listening in' to their communications since the team was scheduled for a simulation soon. That sounded like Lupine and Mule - anything for an edge, and assuming that Gunny would overhear any electronic communications. She changed direction so instead of walking toward Poe, she strode lightly toward Holbrook Arena; the temporary sweat lodge the group had erected lay a couple hundred yards past the arena.
The Lakota girl glanced at her watch as she approached the igloo-shaped temporary sweat lodge. She was about fifteen minutes early, and nobody else was around. Smiling to herself, Kayda knew what she'd do - if the group wanted to discuss team tactics while in a sweat lodge ceremony, she could get a head start on heating up the 'stones' in the lodge. Unlike an authentic sweat lodge, the group used self-heating simulated stones for heat instead of fire-heated rocks, so she could get those warming up in preparation for the sauna-like feel of the sweat lodge.
Kayda pulled back the flap covering the lodge opening and ducked into the structure, pausing to turn on some small candle-like lights to illuminate the interior. As she knelt on a buffalo-skin rug next to the center fire-pit, she felt a strange tingling in her hand, and she started to feel flush, warmer than she should have.
May 5th, 2007 - Early Afternoon
Tunnel 'Broadway', Kane Hall Tunnels, Whateley Academy
The Tunnel System under the school was an esoteric collection of warrens in the New Hampshire bedrock and their nomenclature system was just as chaotic and haphazard as the tunnels themselves were. Some were numbered - Tunnel 24, for example, ran between Kane and Dunn Hall, having entrances in the basements of each building. Most (but not all) the numbered tunnels had been manmade.
Some of the tunnels had proper names and while they had been leveled and paved, for the most part the named tunnels were part of an underground tributary that had once fed into the Miskatonic River. Broadway was the main 'trunk' of this now dry aquifer, snaking a lazy S through the campus near Hawthorne, then doglegging around Poe, under Melville, then back under Schuster Hall, where it bent again under Kane Hall where it then turned to go under Emerson then ran in a nearly straight line under Whitman off the campus to the river.
It was generally what people thought of when someone one mentioned the 'tunnels': a vaulted cavern of granite forty feet wide and nearly thirty feet tall in places. Branching off Broadway were uncounted side tunnels, some more bits of this dry river system with names, some numbers of artificially cut stone, some impossible to determine their origin. In places, the tunnels were so tall that a catwalk had been installed with stairs and ramps up to an upper-level of little labs, offices and rooms that had been carved into the bedrock.
It was in a bit of an alcove that Quickdraw lurked, nervous and sweating. Having seen what the 'serum' did to Tee-Kay and Nitro, there was no way he wanted to be anywhere near it so Darren was out baiting the trap. That left Quickdraw the task of planting the lures. In truth, Quickdraw was getting worried about Darren; sure some guys just couldn't deal with some people. For some it was race, or being a mutant, and even mutants weren't immune to it as the exemplar, baseline, GSD divide underscored. It wasn't that Quickdraw had a soft-spot; he was an equal-opportunity bully and thug. That was the difference. He never fixated or obsessed over a target.
But Darren really couldn't handle Kayda. Or Heyoka.
He couldn't be around them, he couldn't stand that they were even at the same school as he was. It was getting creepy to be honest. And now he'd come up with this harebrained scheme. Messing with Tee-Kay and Nitro, that was one thing. They were losers and they didn't have friends. But messing with Loophole? Loophole was an Alpha. Loophole was Kodiak's girlfriend. Messing with Loophole was like picking a fight with Champion.
Oh wait, Kodiak had done that.
Quickdraw wasn't just nervous, he was scared. Cloak-and-dagger wasn't his style. He went for plain thuggery. If he got caught... He swallowed and peeked around the corner. Down the way was that little food stand 'Got To Eat', but it looked deserted. There didn't seem to be anybody else in the tunnels, but for a Saturday that was probably normal. Quickdraw had followed Loophole here from the Crystal Hall and she'd been in there for a while. He screwed his courage, what there was of it, shot out from the Alcove at top speed, dashed up the stairs three at a time, and ducked into the little side tunnel where Loophole's lab was.
First door on the right, he skidded to a stop, just long enough to flip the piece of paper he carried under the door, and turned and took off again, not stopping until he was back in the Alcove where he'd started from. Panting from exhaustion as never before, Quickdraw struggled to catch his breath and finally peeked around the corner again. Nobody was following him, nobody was even...wait...
Quickdraw blinked. The very last person he expected to see down here was carefully walking up the metal stairs to the catwalk. She was following a map, drawn on a piece of paper in her hand. She turned down the side tunnel that Loophole's lab was on.
What is she doing there?
May 5th, 2007 - Early Afternoon
Loophole's Private Lab, Kane Hall Tunnels, Whateley Academy
Elaine sat up, forcing her back to stretch out until it popped. She'd been hunched over the work-bench since lunch, voltmeter in one hand, her tablet open to the IEEE capacitor and resistor reference page, with an oscilloscope off to one side. And on the bench was Mrs. Savage's husband's device. Its case was open, revealing the guts of the device, and she had just painstakingly checked every circuit, transistor, capacitor, and resistor on the thing. She'd already found and replaced two blown transistors, but the device still stubbornly refused to turn on.
"What's wrong with you?!" she shouted at the little gadget, frustrated as she never had been before. Every testing device she had said it should work, but no matter what she tried it still sat mute and blank. She picked up the electronic guts of the little gadget and turned it over in her hand. She felt the hard plastic of the bread-board and the slick, latex-like finish of the various resistors and chips, the weight of the screen and the hardness of the batteries. She knew what it did only because Mrs. Savage had told her and what her own knowledge of electronics, learned these last two years at Whateley, gave her of the chips and their uses.
Otherwise the thing was dead in her hands. Her mind told her it should work, but her hand, her power - that she now belatedly realized she had depended on far too much - was silent.
She frowned and concentrated. She became aware of the flow of blood in her arm and of it nourishing the cells of her body while a sharp pain like an ice-cream headache settled behind her eyes. Biting her tongue she pushed harder and felt the interconnections of the tendons and muscles of her arms, how her nerves communicated with them, how it chose which muscle in which sequence to fire, and her eyes began to water.
When she was fourteen she had found a bottle of Jack Daniels her father had put back for special occasions and company, and thinking it no worse than the beer she was already used to, had poured a large glass and forced herself to drink it, knowing that alcohol was an acquired taste. What she had acquired was a case of alcohol poisoning that caused an emergency trip to Kennestone Hospital, and even with her stomach being pumped she'd skipped drunk and gone straight to hangover. It was more pain than she'd ever felt, a blinding white hot agony made worse by any ray of light or the slightest sound.
But this was worse.
It was as if a branding iron was being slowing forced into her forehead, a searing, sweaty misery like a fractured tooth that would not ebb or wane but only throb from bad to worse to unbearable. A cry escaped her lips as she kept forcing, trying to make herself see what was wrong when she heard a roar of Grizzly inside her and felt as though the spirit tackled her. Mrs. Savage's device was dropped onto the table as the force of what she believed she felt carried her off the stool and down to the floor. For a frantic moment she felt the soft fur of her spirit and the hot breath of her on Elaine's face as she licked her forehead to soothe the agony to a dull roar. Don't hurt yourself, Grizzly scolded her as the feeling faded.
Elaine sat up on the floor of her lab and rubbed her eyes. As she did so she noted a piece of folded paper had been slipped under the door. She reached for it just as the door chime sounded. "Miss Walcutt to see you, Miss," Carmen informed her.
"Tansy?" Elaine asked as she got to her feet, bringing the note with her. She opened the door to find the announced Venus, Inc. member standing on her door step, looking very much out of place. There were bags under her eyes that were badly hidden by too much make-up and a haunted look that was out of place on her perfect face.
She blinked and hesitantly said, "Your nose is bleeding."
Elaine wiped at her face, and finding her fingers sticky, she turned and went to the small sink in the corner for paper towel. "What do you want, Tansy?" she demanded from cleaning her face. The blonde took that for license and entered the workshop and shut the door.
"Your help," she managed after a long moment. That shocked Elaine out of her cleaning by the sink to turn and look at her. "And...and to apologize. I...you and I...look, I'm sorry."
Lanie squirted some hand sanitizer into her hand from the dispenser and returned to conversational distance, rubbing it into her hands. "What is this?" she demanded flatly. "If you're trying to play me, you'll regret it, Ah'm in no mood..."
Strangely, the blonde didn't get angry. In fact, she seemed contrite and looked away from the redhead's fierce stare. "I'm not trying to play you," she protested. "I...I guess you could say I joined Bitches Anonymous and I'm on Step Nine."
"Carmen?" Lanie asked the air. Tansy started when a disembodied voice began to speak.
"I will make direct amends to the people on the list I made of who I have harmed wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others," the computer stated flatly.
"That was fast," Elaine replied after a measuring glance.
Tansy shrugged. "I'm an exemplar." She looked up at Lanie and then back at the floor. "If...if you have any doubt about what you did to protect your mind don't. I can't sense you at all. It's like you're not there, and it's kind of creepy to be honest."
Walcutt saw the rage flush across the other girls face and backed off, throwing up her hands. "I'm not using my powers! I swear to God! I'm...I'm also an empath so I 'hear' people around me! It's purely passive, I swear!"
"If you try to mess with mah mind, so help me Ah will..."
"God! I swear! I'm just trying to apologize and beg for help! Beg! Damn it!" Elaine saw the tears fill her eyes and despite her temper, it was not in her nature to be sadistic. Her expression softened and she pulled out the stool on that side of the table and gestured to it.
"Do you want something to drink?" she asked.
"Do you have any vodka?" she asked as she sank onto the stool and sagged under what seemed like the weight of the world. Elaine paused on her way to the little dorm fridge by the sink.
"I thought you were on a twelve step program?"
She had her head in her hands as if she didn't have the strength to sit up on her own. Despite herself, Elaine wondered when it was she'd slept last. "I haven't given up alcohol yet, just bitchiness."
"How about a rum and coke without the rum?"
"I'll take it." Elaine removed a pair of cans from the fridge and opened it before sliding it across the table to her odd guest. "You shouldn't open a can like that," Tansy said immediately as she dug for a straw in her purse and opened it for the can. "You'll break a nail."
Loophole smirked. "Not these Ah won't," she replied. "Now, what is this you want to apologize to me about?"
The blonde took a sip through the straw, conscious of not smearing her lipstick, and sighed. "I guess I should have known you wouldn't want the abridged version. Ok, I'm sorry about attacking Greasy..."
"Tell him," Lanie ordered gruffly. Oddly, Solange didn't argue, but rather nodded, resigned to it.
"I will. I'm sorry for everything I called you last year. You are actually a really good photographer and I guess I was jealous of Debra when I saw your work. And...and I'm really very sorry for walking into your dark room. I lied to Mr. Parker when I said I didn't see the warning light lit; I did it on purpose."
Lanie's face suffused with anger. "Five hours Ah worked for those shots, Walcutt! Do you know what Ah had to lie in to get those angles...!"
"You...you were going to beat Naomi...!"
"Ah deserved to beat Freeze Frame!" Lanie shouted back. "Anders can kiss mah lily-white ass, god damn you, Tansy, Ah...!"
A tear rolled down Tansy's face. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Do you want to hit me? Will that make it better?"
"Don't tempt us!" she snarled in a different, earthy voice that didn't have her normal accent.
Tansy flinched as she remembered Kayda saying she had bound a spirit into Loophole, and realized that she had just heard that spirit speaking. She wasn't dealing with one person anymore and kicked herself mentally not to forget it. "Please..." she whispered. "Please, I need your help..."
"With what?" Lanie demanded in her old tone of voice. She stood suddenly and turned her back, obviously trying to master her temper. "God! Why do Ah care? What good has ever come from listening to you! Or your little lickspittles, Flicker and Fade!"
"Because I know who he is!" she declared desperately. "Hekate's Master," she added, seeing the confusion on the other girl's face. "The...the thing that gave her that spell, his...his name is Nimbus! He's down here somewhere, one of the..."
"There's no-one named 'Nimbus' on the Engineer track," she replied, disgusted. She snatched the folded paper off the desk and opened it to read.
"It's probably a codename," Tansy persisted. "I was down here look for the three pests and the Don's been crowing about how he had figured out who Hekate's Master was and they met, down here..."
"And you saw him?" Elaine snapped.
"Uh...no..." Tansy admitted. She shuddered. "But I heard him," she admitted in a whisper. "And I don't ever want to again, but we have to. That's why I need your help!" She sighed. "I know, you don't have any reason to trust me and I've given you plenty not to, but I'm being honest with you Loophole, I'm...I'm trying to not be the monster I've become anymore!"
The redhead sighed. "Lanie," she muttered.
"I'm sorry?"
"Mah name is Elaine, but people call me Lanie. Ah...Ah don't care for mah codename."
"Tell me about it," the blonde muttered. "If I ever get my hands on that French son-of-a-bitch..."
Elaine raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like an interesting story," she remarked, holding up the folded paper. "But Ah don't have time to hear it just now. A friend needs mah help, so Ah have to go." She sighed. "If you're serious about this, meet me and Cody at the edge of the woods south of Melville, tonight after dinner. Say six o'clock."
Tansy was confused. "Why out in the woods?"
"We won't be overheard," Lanie replied. "And Tansy, this is your second chance. Don't blow it."
"I won't, I swear."
May 5th, 2007 - afternoon
Kayda's Hometown, South Dakota
A solitary figure walked lightly through the small copse of trees sheltering the small house from the north and west and pulled out a cell phone. In a moment, a number was dialed.
"Yes?" the male voice on the other end answered simply.
"It's me."
"I know, Grey Skies."
"They reached a quick verdict. The prosecutor didn't press for true justice."
"What happened?"
Grey Skies frowned. "Only one of the boys was given a light sentence for assault, with deferred adjudication."
"Which means what?"
"They didn't even try to press for the insult against her. And if that boy keeps his nose clean, it will be as if the conviction never happened."
"So what do we do, Grey Skies?" The man sounded angry and frustrated.
Grey Skies' frown deepened. "Now? For now, return to your homes. We have preparations to make. They have insulted our Ptesanwi. They refuse to confess or to atone - except the one boy who shows honor. The rest of them - and the town - have asked for war, so we shall give it to them. "
May 5th, 2007 - About 2:00 pm
Poe Cottage, Whateley Academy
It was the strange dance of people dodging each other in the hallways - Jamie going one way and Hank the other. First both attempted to dodge to the south, and seeing themselves still blocked, they instinctively dodged north. Once more to the south, and then Hank plastered himself, back-first, against the south wall. "After you," he said, gesturing that his roommate could pass him on the other side of the corridor.
Jamie nodded. "No thank you," he said in his sometimes-contrary phrasing.
"You look like you're in a hurry." Hank interjected quickly. "Meeting someone?"
"There is no hurry," Jamie replied. "And I'm not meeting anyone, especially not Pejuta."
"Ah, I see." Hank was, by now, quite used to Jamie's backwards speech, and easily negated the sentence. "I haven't seen her this morning," he added. "Where are you supposed to meet her?"
"She didn't send me a note telling me not to meet her, but not in Arena 77."
Hank frowned. "Wait, she told you NOT to come?" He wrinkled his face in puzzlement. "That doesn't make sense."
"I must not go," Jamie replied. "I will be early if I rush."
"K. Don't let me hold you up. See you later?"
"No," Jamie said nonchalantly. "I have a ton of things to do this afternoon, and I can't just hang out watching your old war movies."
Hank chuckled to himself as Jamie scurried down the hall. As roommates went, he could have had a lot stranger one. Jamie was mostly quiet, and apart from the backward talking, he was okay in Hank's book. Besides, Hank thought with a grin, Jamie was really getting into his collection of old war videos.
May 5th, 2007 - About 2:00 pm
The Nations Sweat Lodge Whateley Academy
Elaine couldn't help but wonder about this odd behavior from Tansy as she walked out to the sweat lodge The Nations had built. Tansy was the chief reason she hadn't been taking as many photography classes this year after the constant snide comments last year. And Mr. Parker was fond of cross-teaching so his photographers shot _all_ the models. There was no escape from it. As far as Elaine was concerned, helping Cody snatch the Alphas away from her had been a public service, something she'd been proud of.
Or it had been until it cost Elaine her best friend.
Lanie winced as her stray thought opened the raw wound of her lost friend. She had only seen Maggie once since the night she had found the note, and Maggie had changed direction so as not to come into conversational distance. She wasn't sure how she would react if Maggie were at the lodge... Elaine frowned, suddenly wondering if Kayda's request for her help was the Lakota girl trying to patch up the rift between the two. That would be awkward to say the least. "And just like her, something she'd do, try'n to be helpful," she admitted to herself, fishing out her iPhone and dialing Kayda's number. The call went to voice mail so Elaine hung up. More and more, this was feeling like Kayda trying to be helpful.
But the feelings were so raw right now, and her temper... Elaine was starting to be afraid of her temper. Afraid of how quickly her blood would boil. She sighed again and put a smile on her face. Kayda was trying to help - she saw friends in distress and she was doing her best to make things right. That's what mattered. That's how she would handle it, she decided as she arrived at the timber and leather building and swept aside the flap, "Kayda Ah appreciate..." she started, which was as far as she got before she was stunned into immobility.
The lodge was warm, which was nice after the brisk fifty degree New Hampshire spring outside, and even though it was warm enough, Elaine was startled to find the young Lakota girl naked. And somewhere in the back of Elaine's suddenly-foggy mind, she seemed like she remembered there were some indigenous rituals that were done 'sky clad', and having been nude with Kayda before, it wasn't so surprising to find her that way here.
It was very, very much surprising to find her laying back on a fur that was spread out over the ground and masturbating furiously.
"Ah...Ah..."stammered Elaine as the dusky skinned girl looked up at her like a starving man might eye a banquet table, laden with food before eating himself to death. Lanie spun around, her hand, the hand she'd opened the flap with itching oddly, the room was so warm her jacket was becoming uncomfortable. "Ah'm sorry, Ah didn't realize..." she stammered.
"Lanie," whimpered Kayda. "I can't...I need you!"
"Ah should go..." she forced herself to say, her mind seeing the glistening sweat covering the dusky skin of the younger girl like a coat of diamonds. Her voice wasn't very loud, she wasn't even sure she'd said it out loud.
Her hands were on Lanie's shoulders, pulling on the jacket, trying to disrobe her. "I can't," Kayda whispered. "I can't stop...!"
Within her, Grizzly roared and Lanie felt her holding her from the front, even as Kayda's hands slid the jacket off her, then slowly came up her front to cup a breast in each hand. Lanie! Sweetheart! Stay with me! Grizzly roared. You have to focus...!
Elaine's nipples were so hard they ached as the girl behind her pressed her body against Elaine's and kneaded them. She moaned in pleasure as Kayda's hands slipped under her shirt and bra so she could feel the other girl's skin against her own. Wyatt's hands were huge and strong and sometimes his need could make things rough, and sometimes, she admitted to herself, she liked rough, but a woman's hands were so soft and so gentle, and having breasts of their own, women knew just exactly how to handle things. "Kay...Kayda," she panted. It was becoming hard to think. It was becoming hard to do anything that wasn't getting her clothes off and accepting this gift she was being given.
Her lips and tongue laid a smoldering kiss on Lanie's neck from behind. "Don't...fight..." she panted. "You...you...want me...don't you?"
"Oh, God yes," the redhead whispered.
LANIE! Roared Grizzly in her ear. Her eyes lidded in slits through the pleasant haze she saw her spirit's brown eyes locked with hers, worried and fearful, and...and Kayda arched her wrists causing Elaine's bra to pop up her chest, freeing her breasts from confinement as her fingers found and pinched her nipples. Lanie you have to run! Get outside! In the fresh air!
"Ah want her," she admitted to her spirit as Kayda's fingers sent electric jolts up and down her nervous system from where the Lakota girl had ahold of her.
Fight! Fight, baby you can do it!
"De...Debra," she managed as she was relieved of her shirt and bra.
Kayda turned her slowly so the girls were face to face as her head lowered. "She'll understand," Kayda breathed, her air warm on the nipple her mouth covered and began to suckle. Elaine arched her back, her neck thrown backwards in a desperate attempt to give the other woman total access to her breast. Her hands were running through the silky, ebony hair cradling the girl against her.
The warmth spread from Elaine's hand and kept her comfortable as she was relieved of her jeans and panties. She looked down and locked eyes with her lover as Kayda raised off one breast on her way to the other. "Wy...Wyatt..." she whimpered. Kayda's tongue snaked out to bathe her areola, cruelly ignoring her aching nipple. She reached up with the hand she had been using on herself and drug it across Lanie's lips.
"I don't care if he joins us," Kayda panted in an earthy, lust-filled haze. "Later." Lanie's lips parted and for the first time Lanie tasted the other girl from her fingers, just as Kayda's tongue attacked her nipple.
Elaine's mind exploded in orgasm as her willpower was shattered and her only thought was feeling her lover and letting Kayda feel her in return. She was so enmeshed in her lust that it didn't register on her that Kayda hadn't freaked out at the thought of Wyatt, but had actually acted like she'd be glad if he joined them. The girls sank down into the fur intent only on their rut, lost in mindless lust, desperate to be sated. They turned and held each other as each consumed the other, perfect and timeless.
May 5th, 2007 - About 2:15 pm
Arena 77, Tunnels between Schuster Hall and Doyle Medical , Whateley Academy
Jamie Carson glanced again at the note in his hand as he walked through the tunnels. What on earth was that girl doing that she'd so expressly forbidden him to see? To most kids, a note like that tickled their curiosity. To Jamie, Heyoka, the contrary one, it did far more. Heyoka did almost everything in a contrary fashion to teach the People to question every aspect of their lives. And because of many awkward experiences, most of the students and staff understood and made allowances for his odd habit. And so Heyoka, by his very nature, did exactly the opposite of what he was told.
He paused, looking up sharply, his eyes darting around; it felt like there was someone nearby, watching him, but seeing no-one, he continued his journey through the tunnels. Like the other arena, Arena 77 was off the main avenues in the tunnel system, unlike many of the other lab and warrens that were difficult, if not impossible, to find.
Jamie nodded in greeting to the people he passed; on a Saturday in the spring, very few people were in the tunnels because they'd much rather be outside enjoying the weather. And there were few devisors and gadgeteers either; those types were apt to be in their labs from morning through curfew - and some beyond the bedtime hour. Some of them, he thought, needed to learn about relaxing and balancing their lives. Unfortunately, as he'd already discovered when he'd attempted to teach a couple of the gadgeteers through contrary behavior, the lessons either went over the head of one and was interpreted as mocking by the other, which led to a chase with a narrow escape from a possible thrashing.
It was so much easier with the People, who knew how to interpret the actions of the Sacred Clown.
Which led Jamie right back to the note. What was she up to? It wasn't right for one spirit sacred to the People to exclude another. Then he realized that she would have commanded him to NOT do what she wanted him to do. So she would be expecting him! If she was thinking contrary like Heyoka. But if she wasn't, then she didn't want him at whatever meeting or event she'd been planning.
After pondering the confusing dilemma for a while, Jamie arrived at the main entrance to Arena 77. For a moment, he debated whether to go to the stands or to the arena floor, but then he reasoned that if the meeting or event or whatever was held in the arena, it had to be because the arena had something that wasn't in a normal classroom or meeting room, and that something had to be the large arena floor.
Jamie stepped briskly to the door leading to the arena floor and pressed a button. "Close the door," he said to the computer.
"The arena door is closed," the computer replied mechanically.
Times like this made Jamie want to scream. Having that contrary spirit in him was so frustrating at times. Though he'd had months of practice, he still tended to say things in a contrary way to his true meaning. Only Ptesanwi understood his contrariwise speech. And computers? They were absolutely hopeless with his backward speaking habit. He thought about closing the door. "Open the door," he said automatically.
In response, the computer opened the portal leading to the floor of the massive arena.
Someone had already started the default program for the arena, which didn't bother Jamie at all. The arena floor was a huge blank room, which meant that ambushes and surprises were unlikely.
"Is this empty?" Heyoka asked, wondering if anyone else - especially she - was present. There was no reply.
Glancing at his watch and figuring that he was early, Jamie marched to the center of the arena floor and sat down to wait.
He didn't have to wait long. The door opened, but as Jamie jumped to his feet to greet her, the door closed again without anyone having entered. It seemed most peculiar; Jamie paused, trying to find an aura, which would show if she'd used one of her spells. The sound of running footsteps - far too fast for a person - broke his concentration.
May 5th, 2007 - Mid-Afternoon
Supreme Pizza, 244 Main St, Berlin, New Hampshire
Being released from his keeper had opened a world of possibilities for the Don. First he'd gone to the G-Mart across the street and purchased a disposable pre-paid phone with cash. Then he'd come to this little hole-in-the-wall 'establishment' that he refused to dignify with the word restaurant. It was, however, quiet, discreet, and there was no-one else from the school here. He took from his pocket a small device that one of the little workshop sluts had built for him trying to prove her affection and put it on the table. Anyone pointing a microphone at him would get an earful of static now. He ordered a beverage and slice of pizza he had no intention of eating and set about getting the phone set up.
Once that was finished he called a number he'd memorized some time ago, grinning as the line connected to a growl of "What do you want?"
"Why, Kally," he purred. "Is that anyway to talk to your liberator?"
The pure, unadulterated hatred in her voice was music to his ears. "Don't call me that," Hekate hissed in a rage. "And I don't need your help, Sebastianio, I'll be free from this prison of Darrow's soon enough, and when I am...!"
"Kallysta, my dear, you wound me!" protested The Don. "And besides, don't you really want to know who you should take your vengeance on...?"
"Come between me and Nikki Reilly and die Sebastianio!"
"I wouldn't dream of it, my dear!" he assured her. "But who was it that really betrayed you, eh? Fey was merely a cat's-paw at best. An unlucky underestimation of too powerful an enemy, unless..."
"Fey is not more powerful...!" she snarled.
"My dear, you are imprisoned in the basement of a psychopath; the question of power is moot at this point," he said reasonably. "But, who led you to believe you could best her? Who withheld key knowledge that set about your downfall? Who was the one who put you in that position in the first place?" The pause over the line was long and while she was too far away for his powers to actually sense, The Don knew Hekate well, and all of her strings and buttons.
"What are you saying?" she asked in small voice.
The Don smiled. "I know who your mentor is," he told her smugly. "That is who withheld the information, that was who tossed you aside when you weren't useful anymore. And while he knows that I know..."
"You fool!" she snapped. "You tried to blackmail him, didn't you?"
"There were miscalculations, I grant you..."
"I will be free of my prison soon enough," she growled. "Tell me who this maggot is that thinks he can trifle with me!"
"Not so fast, my dear," The Don continued. "You and I are the most perfect of teams. If I tell you, you'll be tempted to have your revenge before you're ready. But, together..."
The line was silent for a long while again. "I see you got a disposable phone," she admitted.
"I am not without some guile," The Don smiled. "My chief issue at this point is he has set something watching me. It can't leave the warding of the school, so I can only contact you when I'm off campus..."
"I'll be back at school next year," Hekate purred. "Not that anyone will know until my blade is in their backs to the hilt! Now, this thing you mention, I presume no-one else can see it?"
"Yes..." he admitted warily.
"It's called a...well it doesn't matter what it's real name is, you couldn't pronounce it anyway! Think of it as a Watcher. I will divert it, never fear. And Sebastianio, don't think you can dangle that traitor from me as a way of controlling me..."
"My dear," he protested. "I would never think of such a thing! More importantly, we are better off together, the better to rule this campus and then...!" He sighed, letting himself dream large, expensive dreams. "How will you accomplish your escape and how may I help you?"
May 5th, 2007 - Mid-Afternoon
Room 302, Emerson Cottage, Whateley Academy
Darren was beside himself.
As he had watched the two girls from the camera he had skillfully placed he finally understood why some men obsessed with lesbians. The quality was certainly not of any comparison to the porn he had seen on the internet, and of the three cameras he'd planted only one had a good shot and the lighting was not particularly good. But while it might not compete in technical details, it had something few of those movies could lay claim to; passion, raw unadulterated passion.
These were not actors, preforming for a camera, these were two girls in the throes of the very essence of lust incarnate. Darren tried to focus on his hatred of Kayda, tried to remember his goals, but it was all for naught. His own member ached from its erection and it was all the boy could do to not rush to the sweat lodge and join in.
But what kept from it was the edge of desperation in the two girls as they writhed on the bear-skin rug, rolling from seduction to arousal to climax to seduction over and over and over again. Darren had lost count of the number of times he was sure they had climaxed, and yet it never seemed to satisfy them and they seemed to realize it and were becoming afraid themselves. Finally, throats horse and raw they called out a final time and first Kayda, then Elaine actually passed out from the exertion.
Darren shuddered and was grateful he'd maintained control over himself. Finally he understood the demon half of lust-demon. He looked over at the small safe he'd purchased from G-Mart that held the remaining essence from Sara and wondered he needed to invest in something stronger.
Something on the order of Fort Knox maybe.
He copied the video to a pair of flash drives - one he put in the safe with the jar, careful not to touch it, the other he sealed in an envelope that was labeled Watch Me. Time to get his patsy for her final performance.
May 5th, 2007 - About 2:45 pm
Arena 77, Tunnels between Schuster Hall and Doyle Medical , Whateley Academy
Marty and Steve were in fine spirits when they arrived at the control panel for Arena 77. They'd been intending a basic kind of light workout, just something for fun before their date in Berlin that evening. Things were going better than either of them imagined, better than either had any real right to expect they should. They had won the rarest of genetic lotteries, and likely would never had met if not for the fact of their mutation.
Marty took both his hands and twirled, leaning against the wall with their hands high over her head as though he had pinned her there. She looked up, her blue eyes deep and endless as she panted softly in a crazy mix of excitement, apprehension and fear. The fear every T-Girl knew that no matter how well things were going, they could all fall apart. She looked up into his green eyes, deep behind the mask he wore and wondered again what she could possibly have seen in the bigot Bobby 'Iron Star' Hastings.
He leaned down until their noses were only apart by millimeters. "You're trembling," he told her softly.
"I'm afraid," she admitted. "Afraid I'm dreaming and that I'll wake up and find that Lanie is an only child and that I'm still chasing a bigot who would hate me if he knew who and what I was..."
"You're smarter than that," he scolded and then their lips met and he still had her hands over her head so she could only stand against the wall and be kissed. Their lips parted with a soft smack and he smiled at her. "And you're not dreaming."
Her pants turned into gasps and she couldn't take her eyes off him. "Oh yes I am," she whispered. "Dreaming of you and me and...oh such wonderful dreams."
His smile would melt a glacier. "Well, I hope I live up to them!"
She hooked her leg behind his buttocks and used it to pull them together and grind against each other. And even through the cup he was wearing she could feel him react to her. A dry tongue licked dry lips. "I'm sure you'll measure up..." she commented, dripping innuendo. "There...there are other ways to work out you know..."
"Miss Penn," he chided with that little half smile that melted her heart. "A southern man does nothing in half measures! And despite our bellicose reputations, we do in fact know how to wait, and we have a keen eye to know the best things worth waiting for." With his elbow he pressed the button. "Launch Stronghold workout program two."
"Unable to comply," the panel replied in a flat, monotone voice that was obviously computer generated. "Program is already running."
"What program is running?" he asked, releasing her hands and letting her stand away from the wall. "Who is running it?"
"Default workspace one is running," the panel declared. "Running occupant unknown."
"Open door," he commanded, sharing a glance with the girl at his side. The heavy door opened with a hydraulic whine revealing a blank, featureless white room in the center of which lay a body in a pool of blood. Marty squealed and rushed forward, despite Steve's attempt to grab her and keep her from seeing it. He rushed forward to see a young student. A girl, he could see now, with black hair that was matted with dried blood around an ax or hatchet of some kind that was buried in her skull. Lifeless eyes stared vacantly and forever at the ceiling. And that would have been horrific enough, but the poor girl had been brutally disemboweled as well and her intestines spilled out in the pool of blood.
It was easily the most horrific thing either had ever seen.
Marty spun away from the gristly sight and buried her face into Steve's chest. She sobbed and the young man swallowed to keep his lunch in his stomach and was unable to tear his eyes away. "Emergency!" he shouted at the ceiling. "Summon paramedics and security!"
Steve swallowed hard, grimacing at the awful sight before him; he was no doctor, but he was certain no doctor would be able to help this poor girl. "Security, this Sergeant Harris, state your name and the nature of your emergency."
"This is Stronghold. I'm with Mega Girl in Arena 77 we...we've just discovered the body of a student."
"Body?" the sergeant asked quietly. "Is there anything you..."
"No," Steve declared flatly. "She...she's been..."
"She's been practically cut in half!" Marty shouted.
"Stay where you are, squads are coming. Are you in any danger?"
"No, there's no-one else here," Steve replied.
After a long pause, Sergeant Harris asked, "Do you know who the student is?"
"Jamie," Marty said quietly. "Jamie Carson. It's Heyoka."
Skimming down the paths of the sky's bright ether
On they brought you over the earth's black bosom,
Swiftly--then you stood with a sudden brilliance,
Goddess, before me;
Hymn to Aphrodite, Sappho
May 5th, 2007 - About 3:30 pm
Arena 77, tunnels between Schuster Hall and Doyle Medical
, Whateley Academy
"Two murders in as many weeks," muttered Mrs. Carson as she shook her head. A pair of crime scene techs from Coos County police were finishing up while the coroner was supervising the gentle handling of the remains into a stretcher to be taken to the morgue. Chief Delarose was stone faced as he let the Headmistress vent her anger and now she was winding down to depression. "I want to know who did this, Franklin," she ordered.
"Yes ma'am."
"I want every student's whereabouts on this campus accounted for!"
"Yes ma'am."
"God! I have half a mind to cancel finals and the rest of the year and just send them all home!" she said with a sigh.
"No, ma'am," he told her softly. She looked up, startled and angry at security chief. "That doesn't do anybody any good," he reiterated. "Wasn't it you who told me when I took this job that I was going to lose kids? That there was nothing I could do about it? That I should take that frustration and protect as many as I could?"
"I said that?" the blonde demanded with a raised eyebrow.
"No," he admitted. "But you would have." He sighed and looked over the techs who were picking up the bag and placing it on the stretcher. "You know the list of people who know how to use a tomahawk isn't very long..."
"Every student, Franklin," she ordered. "Pictures aren't the only things that get framed on this campus."
"Yes, ma'am."
She stood, and for the first time, Franklin thought he caught a glimpse of Liz Carson's true age in the thirty-something looking woman beside him. "Now I have to call Gabriela and inform her that her ward is dead." She turned back, her eyes harder than diamonds. "You find who did this, Franklin!"
"Yes ma'am."
"Excuse me, sir, ma'am," Officer Michaels said solemnly, interrupting the two.
"What?" Chief Delarose and Mrs. Carson asked simultaneously.
"Um, I ... I got the RFID tracer log for the area," Michaels reported, holding out a report.
Delarose saw something in the man's eyes, something he really didn't like. Hesitantly he reached for the report, but Mrs. Carson beat him to it. Her eyes went wide as she looked over the listing of which students, faculty, and staff had been where in the warren of tunnels surrounding Arena 77.
"Every student, Franklin," Mrs. Carson repeated through clenched teeth, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Late Afternoon
The Nations Sweat Lodge Whateley Academy
Elaine woke to the sounds of tears and soft crying, but quickly realized even without that sound she would have woken soon regardless. She was sore and wrung out and, what was worse her mind was perfectly clear and she remembered everything. She remembered the fevered, overwhelming need that had taken over both of them, a need they couldn't seem to satisfy, no matter how many times they climaxed. In addition to her nether regions being sore, her jaw ached and her tongue felt like it was made of lead.
She sat up to see the dusky skin of her new lover sitting on the far side of the rug, her back was to her and she shook with wracking sobs as she cried. Some sense told Kayda that Elaine was awake and she looked over her shoulder, her eyes red and filled with remorse and guilt. "I...I'm...so...sorry," she gasped around her sobs.
"For what?" Lanie asked her as she scooted closer and gathered the other girl into a hug. The hot rocks that warmed the lodge had cooled somewhat and the warmth of the other girl was welcome against her skin. She kissed the top of Kayda's forehead as at first the girl resisted and then all but crushed Elaine in a hug.
"I...I...I...raped you..." Kayda wailed, crying into Elaine's shoulder. "I...I...couldn't stop! I tried! I...!" She practically collapsed; only Lanie's arms around her kept her from falling. "I'm ... I'm an animal! Just like they are! I'm no better than they are!" she cried, bawling uncontrollably.
"Bullshit!" snapped Elaine, surprised at how quickly the hot tears went cold against her skin. "You didn't rape me! Ah'm at least twice as strong as you are and what's more Ah don't recall anyone holding a gun to mah head when I put my face...well..." As she tried to think of a more diplomatic way to put things, Elaine licked her lips, and tasted her there. She sighed, realizing how things were going to be and laid back down, gently, but firmly pulling Kayda with her. "You didn't rape me, Kayda," she whispered softly, using a hand to gently caress the other girl's cheek. "Neither one of us could stop."
Kayda sniffed massively trying to clear her nose. "You...you're ok with...? You don't regret?"
"Regret making love to you?" the other asked. "No. There will be consequences, though," she admitted softly, "and we'll have to find some way to make this right to the people we love..."
The Lakota girl's green eyes went as wide as saucers. "No! I can't...not Kodiak! Or Debra!" Tears welled up in her eyes again. "I've betrayed her. It'll break her heart..."
"Cody will understand," Lanie told her, not entirely sure how she knew. "We didn't do this on purpose and Deb doesn't hold grudges." She turned her head and called, "Grizzly?"
The girls blinked and found themselves on an island, warm from sun above and sand below. They were still in each other's arms but resting up against the soft, furry form of Elaine's spirit. "I'm glad you're both alright," the she-bear said, planting a kiss on the forehead of each girl.
"What happened, Griz?' Elaine asked as she slid her hand down to the small of Kayda's back and squeezed her reassuringly. "Why couldn't we stop?"
"I've been looking into it since you passed out and I could think straight," the spirit replied with a smile.
"Sorry," Kayda murmured, but the spirit chuckled.
"Oh, it's not you, little one," she told her with a smile. "My host is a bad girl and enjoys her carnality far too much!"
"You know what boys call girls who just lie there?" snapped Elaine. She winked at Kayda's perplexed look. "'Ex'," she finished with a grin. "So Ah'm enthusiastic, so what?"
"I'm not complaining," Kayda admitted in a soft voice.
Ahem. The Spirit cleared her throat. "As I was saying, now that I can think straight I've been doing some investigating. Elaine, an oily, long chain, magically active protein entered your body shortly before the, um, activities began, and attacked several different regions of the brain and endocrine system. The vector seems to have been your left hand through the skin."
"Mah hand itched," Elaine admitted from gently stroking Kayda's hair. "And Ah used that hand to open the tent flap of the sweat lodge..." She thought for a moment. "Ah got a note from you asking for mah help with something," she said, looking into the other girl's eyes. "What was it?"
Kayda was perplexed. "I didn't send you a note...but I got one too! The Nations were going to have a meeting to get around some of the stuff Gunny was throwing at us in the sims!" She slowly lifted her right hand staring at it. "My hand ... itched and kind of burned ... after I opened the flap ... before ...."
"It's a setup," finished Grizzly with certainty. "I'll get with Kodiak and see if we can figure out what this substance was that you both were dosed with - before it decomposes," she added ominously. "Meantime, you two should probably get dressed." She looked at Kayda. "You need to have Wakan Tanka examine you to see if she can find anything. And it would probably be advisable to get your blood sampled - just in case."
The girls blinked and were back in the sweat lodge. The calm of the dream-space lifted, Kayda's eyes began to fill with tears again until Elaine sat up and kissed her. It wasn't passion, nor was it platonic, they were something different now, their relationship permanently changed and they knew it. "If...if I wasn't," she stammered. "If we..."
"Hush, Soul Sister," Lanie told her, naming the bond they both felt. "Ah know, and Ah feel the same way. There are goin' to be consequences," she cautioned. "But how we face them will show who we are. If we tried to keep this secret, to deceive them, they would be right to be angry and to leave us. We didn't do this deliberately, we had no control over that, but we do control our own honor and honesty. It is done and we have to face up to that."
After a long pause, Kayda dipped her head onto the taller girls' shoulder and seemed to drink up her strength. "Sister, I'm afraid." she admitted softly. "He was trying so hard to be my friend and now I've betrayed him! He'll be furious! He'll have every right in the world to be angry, and to hate me!"
"He won't hurt you," Lanie promised. "It's not in his nature. And he'll understand." She squeezed the other girl again and relished her return squeeze on her. "Eventually. Come on, we got to face the music."
"I hate needles," she whispered as she stood and looked around for her discarded dress.
"Well, first stop should be Doyle," Lanie told her, pulling on her discarded socks before rooting through the skins. "Where is mah bra?"
"I...I kinda threw it," Kayda admitted with a grin that was trying to overcome her sadness. "Over there I think. You don't ever not...?"
"With these hooters?" she demanded as she scrambled to her feet and went to the far side of the lodge. Kayda watched her effortless grace, it was neither a dancer's grace, nor the semi-liquid flow of a hunting cat, just someone completely comfortable in her own skin. For a moment she burned with envy. "That's a recipe for the mother of all back aches! Here it is." She pulled it on and got her cleavage tamed as she looked at the tent flap like it might bite them. "On the way to Doyle we need to swing by Whitman. Ah want to get mah tricorder and take some readings."
"Your what?" Kayda asked as she pulled the dress down and joined her friend at the flap, well back from it.
"Ah put together a hand held sensor device," Lanie explained. "It has a pile of different sensors and instruments, air pressure and quality, Geiger counter and with that a rough radio-carbon dater, and fairly complete molecular chemistry analyzer..."
"What did you call it?" Kayda pressed. Lanie smirked and rolled her eyes.
"Ah call it a tricorder..."
"You are such a nerd!" laughed Kayda as she hugged her friend.
"Hush," Lanie told her with a smile and a blush. "Mah parents are big Trekkies, and it's how Ah got interested in space exploration."
"What do you sell those for?" Kayda asked. "NASA contracts must be worth a mint...!"
"Ah haven't yet," Lanie retorted as she pulled on her panties and jeans. "Ah'm not done with the integration yet and until Ah'm satisfied it's perfect Ah won't. Lives depend on space hardware."
"I thought everything you did worked?"
"It works fine," she replied from buttoning up her fly. "For what it does, but it's still really just a prototype. Ah have to work out the final stuff and then submit it to UL and NASA to be certified. Just haven't gotten around to it." She bent over and picked up her shirt and eyed the door. "Fine enough that Ah'll figure out what was on that flap, maybe even a bit of who put it there."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Late-Afternoon
Room 302, Emerson Cottage, Whateley Academy
Darren broke out in a cold sweat from what he saw on the screen.
He didn't count on the bitch having some way to analyze what he dosed them with! And if they were going to come clean to Kodiak...! Darren was no match for the Alpha male and he knew it. Visions of being beaten within an inch of his life danced through his head, then a memory snapped up and demanded precedence.
"It was the most horrific thing I'd ever seen," Psike's mental voice had told them. As if looking at a disembodied brain in a floating jar wasn't the most horrific thing anyone in the class had seen. The senior had been a guest speaker in their Psychic's Canon of Ethics class. "You think because you can read minds or affect emotions you are all gods, you are not! You think the muscle bound bullies on this campus are your playthings, they are not! Wildman provoked Kodiak into doing what he did and Kodiak beat his head into mush!"
Darren could have sworn the brain was 'looking' at him when he'd finished. "Wildman is in ARC, his regeneration saved his life. Or perhaps it didn't, however you want to look at it. I understand he's learning his ABCs all over again..."
Speakeasy started shaking. He wasn't a regenerator. If Kodiak beat his head into mush he wasn't coming back from that. He had to cover his tracks. He had to get rid of that tarp and he had to do it right now. He grabbed a jacket and took off running as fast as he could.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Late Afternoon
Basement of the secret base of Charles Darrow, Boston
There were few good things about being trapped in the care of the Necromancer, reflected Hekate grimly as she selected the book she wanted and opened it to research. But one of them is definitely the library, she thought to herself. Darrow's magic library was unmatched in the young witch's experience, easily the equal of Whateley's and without having to wade through all of the crap about nobility, 'good' magic practices and the other fluffy nonsense to get to the real magic.
Simply banishing the little turd that was watching Sebastiano wouldn't do; her Master would feel that. But, that bond could be taken advantage of. Summoning it away from Whateley would be tricky, but not impossible, especially not with the magical stores available to her here. In a way, she would almost miss this place; of course, nothing said she couldn't come back and kill Darrow and claim it for herself later. That was a very pleasant thought.
Suddenly, Hekate stiffened and a look of shock registered on her face. 'Damn!' she swore to herself. The answer had been in front of her all along! The means of her escape and revenge was so simple; she'd studied all the spells in her study of Darrow's books during her forced confinement - and she hadn't seen the obvious! It had taken her former master putting a watcher on her former lover to let her see how the pieces fit together! A positively wicked grin slowly crept across her features, replacing her surprise.
She would need a handful of spells for what she had in mind. The summoning was the easy part of this. Then once the demon was here things would get interesting. Ah, here it was, a way to supersede the enslavement of a minor demon without its original master's awareness. Excellent. The rest would take deeper study but she was already on the right track and soon, soon she would show Nikki Reilly what real magic looked like. Yes, this will do nicely.
Kallysta took her phone from a pocket and dialed. "Have you gone back to school?" she demanded without heed to greetings or pleasantries. "Good, don't. Not for three hours at least, you understand? Three hours." She left the book and went over to the store room where the working components were kept. "I don't care what you do, it's not my problem. Do you want the thing gone or not?"
She hung up and grinned. Invisible was just as good as gone as far as the Don was concerned. And what better way to both keep an eye on him, and feed useless trivia to her 'master'? Having what she needed, she returned to the circle and set out. It was time to put her revenge in motion.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Late Afternoon
Exam Room 2A Doyle Medical Center, Whateley Academy
"Sorry, girls," Dr. Tenent led with as she walked into the room where Kayda and Elaine were waiting. "Your A1C numbers are both 4.8, CBC is normal, MPV and CMP are both right down the middle, in short, you're both depressingly healthy." The Doctor put her hands on her hips and smiled at the two girls. "You want to tell me what you're looking for?"
"We...we thought we might have been exposed to something..." Kayda hedged as Elaine reached for, and was given the clipboard with the results.
"What was your symptomatology?" asked Ophelia.
"Uh, itching and burning sensation in the hand where we touched the...hide...that might have been contaminated."
"No redness, rash, fever, hives?" the Doctor asked, looking at the girl's hand.
"Dr. Tenent, mah estrogen levels are pretty escalated," Lanie pointed out from the test results she was looking at. Dr. Tenent didn't turn from examining Kayda's hand.
"That's because you're on The Pill, dear," she replied, fishing out a flashlight to be sure of the skin. "That's how it works. Miss Franks, I don't see anything wrong here. Miss Nalley, your complexion is lighter, let me see the hand you touched it with."
"You're on The Pill?" demanded Kayda, wide eyed.
"That's right," Dr. Tenent interrupted from her examination of the other girl's hand. "It regulates Miss Nalley's difficult and somewhat irregular cycle, doesn't it?"
"Yes ma'am," Lanie replied. Dr. Tenent sighed and shook her head.
"I'm sorry girls, whatever happened, it's apparently gone now. You're both fine as afar as science can tell."
Elaine brandished the small piece of beige plastic she'd retrieved from her room. "Let's go be sure."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Late Afternoon
Basement of the secret base of Charles Darrow, Boston
Kallysta double checked the circle she had drawn and the sigils that would protect her from the being she was about to summon. Satisfied, she disrobed and carefully inscribed a matching protective sigil around her navel, irritated she didn't have her slave Skybolt to do it for her. Replacing those two would be a priority at some point. So many things on her to do list and never enough time it seemed.
Once she finished she cleared her mind, focused her essence and began to cast. Kallysta kept her mind in laser focus, sending essence out into the world was like lighting up a flare for the Black Hand. And a summoning gone awry could let it into the warding that was protecting her. Fortunately however, Kallysta had excellent mental discipline and soon a horrific little creature that was all eyes and mouth appeared inside the circle, hissing its displeasure.
Hekate smiled a wicked smile. "You'd struggle more if you knew what I have planned for you," she assured it.
The creature hissed in response.
"First the easy bits." She worked her will on the sigils. What looked like flesh in the circle was merely psychic energy, projected into this dimension from someplace else and soon there were two of the creatures in the circle, both a bit smaller than the original had been. One hissed its outrage, the other stared adoringly at, as far as it was concerned, its mother. "Good," Kallysta purred. "Now, you'll go back to the Don and you'll watch. Stay invisible, don't let anyone see you. If your old master summons you, just fill his mind with images of school, and classrooms, tying shoes, looking at girls," she paused and turned a malicious smile. "And defecating. The Don has eaten something that disagreed with him, lots and lots of defecating."
The creature drooled lovingly.
"But otherwise, you tell me, who he talks to, what he says and what they answer. Understand?" More drool fell on the floor of the circle. "Be on your way then, my pet, and serve me well." The creature vanished, returning to take the vigil by the ward, waiting for the Don to return.
"Now, it's your turn," Kallysta purred. Darrow let her study his texts - he couldn't prevent it, in fact, he had never provided her with what she might need to escape her prison. After all these months, though, she finally had the tool she needed - something that could be shaped and bent to her will. She went back over to her working materials and removed a small white rabbit. "You are connected to the Don," she told the creature. "By the summoning your master placed on you. I am connected to the Don because he was my lover. By the law of similarity, by the memory I give, I combine our connection so you are bound to me." She clutched the rabbit to her breast and concentrated feeling her hatred of Fey grow and fester. Once more she relived riding the Don, feeling him thrust up within her, feeling her orgasm build feeling at any moment...
"Oh, God, that s so good " she whispered " Nikki."
The approaching climax was snuffed like a fly in a hurricane. Kallysta felt her rage burn white hot anew. The rabbit squirmed as the memory and its accompanying hatred boiled out of Hekate and into the innocent she had clutched to her chest, next to her heart. The rabbit's fur was black now, as black as her own heart and its red eyes burned with the same fiery hatred of Nikki Reilly that burned within Hekate. The monster in the circle slobbered and hissed, feeling the beginning of the connection.
Kallysta smiled as she walked over to the circle and the creature within it. "Take my hatred, take my memory and take the consequence of it for your own, by similarity, by intent, by the name Hekate I take from me and give to you." She forced her finger into the rabbits mouth and let it bite her, feeling the blood from the wound fill its mouth. "By the blood of the body it once wore, now and forever, my burden is yours."
She flung the rabbit into the things snapping maw. The rabbit squealed as its life was snuffed out, eaten whole as a weight came off the girl who once was Kallysta Thessellarean, who once called herself Hekate. The weight of revenge that was seeking her soul now had a new target, the new Kallysta Thessellarean, the new Hekate. The Witch smiled as the many eyes of the demon Kallysta widened, feeling the Black Hand that was trying to get to it. To exact its three-fold revenge.
"Now," The Witch cackled. "Now we're ready to begin."
Kallysta hissed.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Late Afternoon
The Nations' Sweat Lodge, Whateley Academy
Darren was gasping for breath as he broke through the underbrush into the clearing by the sweat lodge, watching around himself frantically. He stopped to catch his breath for a moment and to look around and listen. As far as he could tell, no-one else was around, but he knew that would change; Lanie and Kayda were coming with some sensors. They'd find the cameras, and possibly the lust serum on the door flap.
Rubber gloves were pulled on hastily, and then he attacked the hide covering the opening. It refused to come free, and he was afraid of tearing something, but he was more afraid of Kodiak. But the flap wouldn't free. Panicking, he let go of the contaminated edges, and then he saw the sticks - or something - through slits in the leather. He pulled the sticks out, and then the flap dropped free. Breathing a sigh of relief, he tossed the contaminated leather aside and then pulled off the now-contaminated gloves.
From his backpack, he frantically pulled out another piece of leather, holding it up to the door and sawing in some slits. It took him over seven tense minutes, but he managed to get the new piece of skin in place and fastened.
Glancing around quickly once more, he ducked into the sweat lodge, groping in the dark for the cameras, and when he found them, frantically tugging them free rather than taking the time untwisting the ties that held them, shoving the small devices into his pockets. When the third camera was in his pocket, he dashed toward the opening to get away.
The lack of light had not only hindered his search for the cameras, but now he stumbled over the center pit, falling and thrusting out his arm to break his fall. Unfortunately, his hand landed against one of the hot fake rocks, scalding his hand badly and causing him to cry out in pain. Rolling to one side and retracting his hand, he scrambled back to his knees and crawled toward the door, his burned hand and arm tucked up against his stomach.
Rolling out of the sweat lodge, Darren used his good hand to push himself to his feet. A garbage bag came out of a pocket, and he gathered up the gloves and the contaminated hide, turning the bag inside out and using the big, thick plastic sack like a glove to avoid touching the hide, lifting it and then pulling the bag down over the hide. The gloves followed the hide into the bag, and then, still twisting it shut, Darren fled into the trees, to where he'd placed the wireless relay.
Taking down the relay with one hand wasn't working, so with adrenaline surging through his veins and enabling him to ignore the second-degree burn on most of his left hand, he tugged and pulled the electronic device from the tree fork he'd wedged it in.
All of the evidence in the bag, Darren breathed a sigh of relief, but as he crept back away from the lodge, he noticed - for the first time - how seriously his hand had been burned. The pain surged and pulsed as his adrenaline level decreased, and he paused, nearly fainting, and sat down to steady himself.
After ten or fifteen minutes of painful throbbing and feeling nauseated and faint, he swallowed hard and levered himself back to his feet.
He was going to have to go to Doyle. There was no denying that fact; his hand was horribly burned, but his fear of not having a good excuse and getting awkward questions made him hesitate. And the bag in his hand was too incriminating. He had to get it to the incinerator - now!
Wincing in pain, feeling woozy, he stumbled back to the center of campus and then found an elevator down to the lab area. Hiding his hand from the various passers-by, he carried the bag through the tunnels, ignoring the odd looks he sometimes got.
When the bag slid down the chute to the garbage to be incinerated, he stumbled into a stairwell and sat down again before the pain made him empty his stomach. He had to get his hand and arm healed somehow - and without any strange questions.
Too bad he wasn't friends with a healer, he thought, and then he caught himself. With his right hand so badly injured, it took a while for him to fish out his phone, and then he dialed a number. Fortunately, whoever he called answered. "Hey, Banned Aides," he said, trying to sound normal but knowing severe burn had been sapping his strength. "It's Speakeasy. Hey, you remember when I helped you out last term? You said you owed me one." He winced when the phone was instantly cut off. "Damn," he swore to himself. "I guess he's still pissed at me!"
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - About 6:30 pm
The Nations Sweat Lodge Whateley Academy
"Anything?" asked Kayda as the little box hummed and blinked in Elaine's cautiously outstretched hand. There was a frown on the redhead's face.
"Ammonium sulphate and chloride," she said, eyes intent on the little screen inside the plastic case. "Formic and Sulphuric acids, traces of Sodium hydrosulphide...you guys just bought a hide from Tandy Leather or something? You didn't tan it yourself?"
"I...I don't know," she replied. "What do you mean?"
"This hide is full of chemicals; it's been professionally processed. Like you go to the store and buy a leather purse, or gloves or something. I wouldn't have expected you guys to just buy leather; you didn't go kill something and skin it yourself?"
"No!" she replied. "Mr. Lodgeman provided them..."
"Hmmm," Lanie said, closing the device. "Well, there's nothing on this flap I wouldn't expect to be a tanned hide."
"Shouldn't we check the other parts - to see if there's a difference?" Kayda asked tentatively.
"Maybe we can tomorrow," Lanie said, aware that daylight was rapidly waning. "But for a final test of the flap tonight, there's only one thing to do."
Kayda flinched. "Touch it?"
Elaine nodded. "Ah'll run the tricorder on you and see if it happens again. I kind of wish I had more biological and medical sensors in it. I'll have to get with Jericho and see what we can come up with." She opened the device again and pointed it. "Anytime."
Kayda closed her eyes and sighed. "You won't let just anyone...?"
"Me and no one else," Lanie promised. The Lakota girl nodded and steeled herself, then ran her hand all over the flap as if she was going to open it. A long moment passed as the birds chirped and flew overhead. "Anything?" Elaine asked after a moment of completely normal readings.
"My hand isn't burning," Kayda said with some regret.
"Whatever it was is gone then," Elaine declared with a sigh as she closed the device and put it in her purse. "Nothing else for it then. Time to go face the music."
Kayda's skin paled but she fell in step with the redhead towards Melville.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - About 6:30 pm
Rm 803, Melville Cottage, Whateley Academy
Wyatt sat going over his notes for Team Phoenix. Mrs. Carson had made him aware that Kayda would be assigned to his team next year as Kali left. On the one hand, having a second magic user on the team could be useful, especially someone who could be more reasonable than Bifrost. On the other hand, Bifrost was exactly the kind of guy who would take having a second mage on the team personally. Not for the first time, Wyatt wished he could boot people off the team.
Of course, as leader, that was one of the things he was supposed to be learning, how to get people to work together to achieve a goal and set aside their personal differences. It was a skill he hadn't considered important until recently. And it was going to be difficult to integrate Kayda's unique Lakota fighting style. She was a low-level exemplar and he didn't want to see her get hurt. Wyatt rubbed his chin in thought.
Maybe she'd stay near Lanie and they'd both do the archery thing? The young man winced and shook his head at the paper he was making notes on. The number of assumptions in that stray thought had been staggering. "Yeah, and maybe I'm Henry the Eighth," he muttered, distracted by the knock on his door.
"In!" he yelled, sitting back and staring at the paper, willing it to give him an answer. He wasn't even sure Elaine was going to shelf the power armor and stay with the Archer theme, or being honest with himself, he realized he wasn't sure at any time of anything Lanie would do.
The door opened and a pretty girl was behind it. She was a little hesitant, mousy brown hair in an attractive style, light 'natural look' make up and it was obvious she cared about her appearance and put herself together well. She was easily an eight or so on the pretty girl meter. On any other high school campus she'd be A list popular for sure, but this wasn't any other campus and here the 'pretty girl meter' started at 10 for exemplars and went up to 20 and she wasn't an exemplar and so she was background at best. Cody's mind flipped through his filling system and pulled out a name. "Amber, right? What can I do for you?"
She smiled, flattered at being remembered. "Yes, that's right," she said with a nice smile and cute dimples. She held out an envelope. "I was asked to give this to you."
"By whom?" he asked, not reaching for the envelope.
"I..." her eyes glazed over a bit and then her expression changed. "Who doesn't really matter. Look, I don't like being the one to tell you this but your girlfriend is cheating on you."
"Excuse me?" he demanded flatly.
"I owe a favor and I'm paying it off," she declared, placing the envelope on his desk. "Watch it or not, your call." He stood, towering over her.
"Who sent you?" he demanded again.
For the first time, fear crept into her face. "Look, I don't want to get involved, ok? I owe a favor, and I'm paying it. And I don't even think the person I'm paying off had anything to do with it either. I think they're paying off a favor. I just found this under my door with a note to give it to you."
After a long moment, Wyatt nodded. "Ok, fair enough. Thank you, Amber. If you have any trouble, let me know, alright?"
She nodded and withdrew. Wyatt looked at the envelope on his desk as if it were a rattlesnake, poised to strike. Finally he touched his left gauntlet and mentally shuffled through the menu in his mind that the Kodiak had shown him how to use. Holding his right hand over the envelope the magic, or whatever that powered the artifact flowed through him and sensed the paper. There was no magic on either the paper of the envelope, or what was in it. Just wood pulp and plastic, nothing that could harm him by touching it. Still, Wyatt didn't take any chances and fished in the drawer of his desk for a moment, coming up with a pair of extra-large latex gloves.
In the envelope was a little SD Memory card that was labeled Watch Me. He retrieved a little hand held media reader one of the techies who had had a tremendous crush on him had given him some years ago and put the card in the throw-away device - just in case the tampering was computer-based, and found the card blank except for a single, extremely large video file. He played it and was stunned into immobility.
There was no lead up, no establishing camera work, no real idea where what he was looking at was. It seemed to be some kind of tent with animal skins on the ground as carpet or floor. On one of the skins, two girls were frantically making love in the classic sixty-nine position. He didn't need to see their faces to know who they were, he would recognize the red-head's body in his sleep. As for the dusky-skinned girl she was with, well, there weren't many possibilities there either and his suspicions were confirmed when first one, then the other would come up, gasping for air then return to her previous activities.
Wyatt very carefully set the device down, lest he fling it across the room. The rage that boiled up within him frightened him a bit because he had not been this angry since Wildman. Then, suddenly he felt his spirit behind him, great heavy paws on his shoulders. Easy son, the Kodiak cautioned him in his ear. You're being played.
"You think I don't know that?" he shouted, whirling on the spirit. The paw came up and a claw touched the young man in his forehead. Wyatt found himself at the cave on Kodiak Island.
"Yelling won't help," the Kodiak told him, still holding him by the shoulders.
Wyatt waved off the bear's paws and took out his anger on a nearby tree, knocking it over. With a wordless yell of pain and rage he panted, trying to master himself. "Who is responsible for this?" he finally demanded in a cold voice.
"Well, at first blush I'd say it's not the Pict...." Kodiak stopped and sighed. "Elaine or Kayda. It's not either of them."
Wyatt whirled, his eyes wild and angry. "Why?" he demanded. "What makes you so sure?"
The Kodiak morphed into his half human form and crossed his arms over his chest. "You've fucked her, boy! Does she act like that when she's with you? Open your eyes! Do either of these girls look like they're enjoying what they're doing?" he demanded, manifesting the little player somehow and holding it up for him to see.
The odd question pierced Wyatt's emotions and let him look more clinically at the recording. He could see the desperation in both of them now. The wild-eyed look in Kayda's eyes and Elaine's lack of a smile. They had been sleeping together for months now; he had seen her accepting him into her beneath him, seen her looking down from riding him, seen her orgasm tremble through every muscle of her body, and seen her just on the edge of sleep, nestled into the crook of his arm. Every time, in every instance, that beautiful smile had lit up her eyes in the simple joy of being a woman who was with her man.
But that wasn't the expression she was wearing now.
Granted, it had only been a dream, but Wyatt had seen Elaine with Maria in the dream they had shared. Seen the same simple, uninhibited joy of life and its affirmation as the two girls had played with each other. In the dream the girls enjoyed each other in a slow, gentle dance, a thing full of love and tenderness that had been a beautiful privilege to watch. But that wasn't what he was seeing now.
He stepped forward, curious. "She looks afraid," he muttered. The two girls went at each other with a desperate, overwhelming need, a need they couldn't seem to satisfy; there was no emotion here, no love, no joy, no caring for the other, other than the deep friendship the two girls already shared. This was lust, undiluted and reduced to its basest form.
"I won't know for sure until we see them, but I'll bet your balls that is a compulsion, a powerful one too." The man bear turned and looked away to the east. "They're coming," he declared, and Wyatt blinked to find himself back in his room. The knock on the door roused him from the stupor of communing with his spirit. He turned off the player and opened the door.
On the step, neither meeting his gaze, were Elaine and Kayda, their clothes wrinkled and disheveled, and their hair was wild. Elaine was still wearing the ring he had given her and the thought of someone taking liberties with his fiancie enraged him all over again. Of course, that's when they would both work up the courage to look up and wince, seeing the anger on his face. "Don't say a word," he cautioned, opening the door wider and motioning them in.
They shuffled in as if on their way to a gallows.
Wyatt shut the door and pulled out chairs for both at his little table, then made his way to the kitchenette he'd made. He drew hot water from the coffee maker and the sugar set and a mug for Kayda, a pair of Cokes from the fridge for himself then walked back over, laying them out before the girls. "Wyatt..." Elaine started, but he shook his head.
"Let me make this easy," he said finally, as he turned and went back to his desk. He picked up the little player, brought it over and turned it on with the screen facing them. Both girls winced when they saw and tears welled in both sets of eyes. He turned off the device and with great effort mastered himself. "Kodiak tells me what he saw was a compulsion of some kind. If it was, tell me what happened and I will find out who did this and I'll make them wish they'd never been born," he hissed, his voice heavy with promised mayhem.
Kayda flinched as she woodenly went about making her tea. Wyatt sighed again and with great care laid the device on the table.
"If it wasn't a compulsion, if you two would rather be with each other, just please look me in the eye and tell me to my face." He swallowed, keeping his temper on the shortest leash he had. "I promise, I won't yell, throw anything or lose my temper, just..."
"Shut up," growled Elaine, her face an odd expression between shame and annoyance. "Ah want to marry you," she whispered. "Ah wasn't lying the other night, Ah wasn't lying when Ah said yes that Ah would marry you and Ah'm not lying now."
Wyatt's eyes flicked over to Kayda and saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. He went into the restroom and returned with a box of Kleenex and put it on the table as he sat down. "Alright," he said softly. "Tell me what happened..." he paused, noticing the girls' down cast expressions. "The PG Version," he added softly with a gesture to the device on the table. "I know the rest."
"Someone lured us to the Sweat Lodge," Kayda said softly. Finally she worked up the courage to raise her eyes and met Wyatt's gaze. "There were fake notes. They put something on the flap. When we touched it..." she trailed off and made a vague gesture at the player. "Wyatt, I swear, if we could have stopped, we tried..."
"Neither of you are responsible for this," he said firmly. Kayda took another tissue and wiped her eyes and blew her nose. "And...I'm sorry I'm probably not making this easier for you. I am angry, no, I'm beyond angry, I'm furious, but not at either of you, alright?"
Kayda shook her head. "No, Wyatt, you don't understand. I...I was... beaten half to death. And then...they..." The girl's gaze fell and her cheeks burned with shame. Elaine reached out and touched her in support as she turned to her fiancie.
"Look, Wyatt, it was bad, ok?"
"I know," he said softly.
The redhead nodded, not really listening, she continued, "If you'd have been there, the trauma afterward ...."
Wyatt nodded, burning inside with the frustrated desire to hurt the wastes of skin that could do such a thing to a defenseless woman. "Would have been too much. I know."
"Just leave it at...what?"
"I said, 'I know,'" he repeated calmly. Kayda's eyes shot up from the table, wide and fearful.
"How...?"
"Debra and I go way back, Kayda," he told her. "After dinner last night, when we both hit the restroom at the same time? You remember?" She nodded. "When we could be discrete, she told me, asked me to keep an eye on you." He sighed. "Guess I'm doing a pretty shitty job, huh? Maybe if I'd been there I could have stopped..."
"No," she said softly. "No, you couldn't have, Wyatt. You know how much I flinch and seize up around men. And if you had been there..." She shuddered. Not a little shake like someone who's cold, but a whole body spasm like an epileptic having a seizure... She couldn't bring herself to complete the thought, her voice was trembling in time with her body shaking. "I couldn t have stopped myself! I would have ....!" She stopped, eyes wide in horror and her entire body trembling. "I would have worn you out. That is how much we couldn't stop. Whatever we were hit with, it's horrible and it's dangerous! You can...not...stop!"
Wyatt rubbed his chin. "Are either of you hurt?"
They shook their heads in unison. "Mah pride stings," Lanie said quietly. "And both of us are sore in places it ain't polite to talk about in public, but Ah want you to know, Wyatt..."
"You don't have to push, baby," he told her softly. "I know neither of you would lie about something like this." He sighed again and his face became stony. "Someone is playing with fire, and they need to be burned."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - About 6:00 pm
Headquarters, Coos County Detachment, Mutant Commission
Office, Berlin NH
"Thank you for calling your Mutant Commission Office in Berlin, New Hampshire, how may I direct your call?"
"Let me speak with the agent in command." The voice on the other end of the line was deep, rasping and it set Gretchen Holder's hairs on end. She was glad to get rid of whoever it was and hoped she never had to hear that voice again.
Agent Jack Dougan sat back in his chair, annoyed. No, annoyed was too mild a term. Angry would fit better. He'd been a very good agent for the MCO in the Los Angeles office, helping to control the 'mutant menace', when, without warning, he'd been transferred to this little hick town of Berlin, far away from anything of interest except the promise of bitterly-cold winters and boring, boring, _boring_ summers. He didn't miss the implied threat of the move - Fritz Haustin, the previous director, and his entire staff had been arrested for putting DFA tags on the MIDs of minors. The charges being levied against them were very, very serious; conviction on any one of the lesser charges would put Haustin and his agents behind bars for a minimum of five years. The most serious charge - conspiracy to commit genocide against children? Haustin could face life imprisonment without parole or even the death penalty. As if that wasn't bad enough, the MCO officers in one of the Dakotas had been arrested on similar charges. It was almost like the DPA was conducting a purge of the MCO. It never occurred to Dougan that he'd been placed here to take him out of the line of fire because the LA office was similarly being investigated. Here, in the backwaters of the US, he could lie low until the DPA fanatics were finished, and then the more 'dedicated' agents could return to the real hubs of mutant activity.
The ringing of his phone stirred Dougan out of his fun. "MCO office, Jack Dougan," he repeated blandly.
"Are you the new head man there?" the voice on the other end asked without introducing himself.
"I'm acting head. Who is this?" Dougan asked, annoyed at the interruption.
"The lilies are late blooming this year," the voice said cryptically.
Dougan bolted upright in his chair, thinking quickly of the details he'd been briefed on. "But the colors are spectacular," he repeated from memory.
"I have a juicy little tidbit for you."
"I'm interested," Dougan answered, trying to control his eagerness for some type of action.
"It seems the county mounties and security at Whateley are investigating a pair of murders."
"Go on."
"A couple of particularly vicious murders," the voice reported, "involving mutants."
"Are you sure?"
"It's at Whateley academy. The headmistress has no doubt informed the DPA by now."
Damn! "If the DPA knows ...."
"I'm sure you can figure out a way to make this work in your favor." The phone clicked dead.
Dougan tilted his head back and tried to recall all the details of his briefing on Whateley Academy. It was not under the jurisdiction of the MCO, and he wondered how the hell they managed that. He turned to his computer to read the notes he'd made from the briefing - it was on a reservation. A light bulb clicked on - due to treaties, the MCO had no authority on the reservation, and thus on Whateley's grounds. Growling with frustration, he continued. And then he grinned, pausing to reread some of the notes and very secret procedures that his predecessors had left, and which hadn't been found by the DPA when arrested all of the office and searched all of the computers.
Dougan did a quick search and then dialed a number. "I'd like to speak with Assistant State's Attorney Jerome Hervik, please," he said politely but insistently into the phone. "This is Agent Dougan of the MCO."
Moments later, a male voice sounded on his phone. "This is State's Attorney Hervik. How may I help you?"
"I understand you're the go-to guy for dealing with mutant in the county area?" he asked.
"And you are ...?"
"Agent Dougan, MCO and acting head of the Berlin office. I was recently transferred here."
"Ah, yes, Agent Haustin's replacement."
"Yes. Listen, I've been advised of a serious crime at Whateley Academy."
"You know we don't have jurisdiction there. It's on the Medawihla reservation."
"According to my notes, though, you do have a cooperative agreement with the tribe for assisting with investigations and prosecutions, correct?"
There was a pause on the line. "Yes, that's correct."
"Then you'll be very interested in this," Dougan said, trying not to grin. "An ... a friend ... informed me that there've been two murders on Whateley's campus. They were described to me as a pretty vicious - and they involve mutants." There was silence on the line. "I take it you're interested?"
Assistant DA Hervik's voice was firm. "Yeah. And by the terms of the agreement, I'm allowed to bring assistants to aid in the investigation. I take it you' be interested in being ... .deputized ... to the DA's office?"
Dougan grinned. "I'll be there in five minutes." He paused and though. "No, better make that fifteen. I've got to get ahold of the DPA first."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Dinnertime
The Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
Kayda felt a little strange walking with Lanie and Wyatt to dinner. To see her lover holding hands with the big senior and leaning on him made her feel strange. It was obvious that Wyatt and Elaine were very much in love, anyone could see that.
And Kayda felt absolutely sick at heart that she had to tell Debra what had happened. Lanie had volunteered to dream-walk with her so she didn't have to do it alone, but Kayda had told her no. It was obvious Lanie really wanted to make things up with her future husband. The lead weight on her heart at the hurt she would do to Cornflower threatened to drown her.
And yet...
She saw Lanie lean into a hug from Wyatt, saw him kiss the top of her head and she couldn't help feeling jealous! A part of her wanted to tell the big jerk to get his hands off her girlfriend even though she knew she had no right to such a claim. Things were not helped by how soft and solicitous Wyatt was being. He didn't shout at Elaine for having sex with someone else, he was angry that someone had done something to both of them. That someone had challenged his protection of them and he would do violence on their behalf to avenge them.
He was willing to fight to protect the girl who had had sex with his future wife!
Nothing made sense and it seemed every day Kayda was at Whateley Academy was a day when the world made less and less sense! The infamous school bully was a noble, if somewhat shaggy knight in denim and flannel, the school bitch queen helped the new girl in the depths of a black depression because she realized what a bitch she'd become!
And the deadly rival for her own place in the school had become her best friend and now a lover she dreamed about! She stole another glance at the two and, unbidden, the image of him happening upon them in the Sweat Lodge popped into her mind, the look of shock on his face as the two women untangled themselves from each other to rip his clothes from him and put him to stud.
She shuddered as she imagined those big hands on her as she put him to stud.
No! she told herself. I'm in love with Cornflower! Lanie and I are friends! Lanie and I...
Goodness! I certainly was tempted, said Cornflower's voice in her memory.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kayda stole another glance. Lanie was whispering something in Wyatt's ear and...and...that bulge in the front of his jeans was getting bigger! Kayda forced her eyes away and blushed until she was afraid her skin would catch fire. Primal, that was how Elaine had described being with him, being the complete focus of someone's attention to the exclusion of everyone and everything else. As her cheeks cooled, Kayda couldn't help but look at her two smiling friends and wonder what that would be like.
Wyatt held open the doors to the Crystal Hall for both of them, helped them both out of their jackets. Kayda paused nervously in the door frame of Crystal Hall, looking around nervously. "They're all staring," she whispered to Lanie, who was at her side, with Wyatt on the opposite side of Lanie.
Lanie chuckled softly. "Hon, guys have been staring at you since you got here. You are on the top ten list of pretty girls, at least in some guys' lists."
"They ... they suspect something, I just know it!" Kayda said, wincing.
"Nobody knows anything," Lanie reassured her friend and Soul-Sister. "Your friends are at your usual table, so just be calm, act like nothing happened, and get your dinner."
Kayda glanced up at the redhead. "Can you act like nothing happened?"
Lanie winced. "Um, no," she admitted with a slight blush, then she straightened almost unnoticeably and her eyes became a bit harder. "But then what happened doesn't bother me and Ah don't care what anyone else thinks. You just do your best, okay?"
The smaller Lakota girl stared for a moment, taking reassurance from Lanie's assured expression and stance. "Okay." The unlikely trio walked to the serving line, where they joined the queue. Looking at him, Kayda was honest with herself and realized when she had been Brandon, Wyatt Cody was the kind of guy he would have loved to be friends with, solid connections, popular, top of the A-List, the kind of friend any freshman would kill to have.
Now that she was Kayda, she had to admit that he wasn't that bad of a guy from the other side of the gender gap. But now, now there was depth that Brandon would never have seen. Brandon would never have learned of Wyatt's formal to the point of stilted manners, or his love of Romantic Era poetry or the fact that he wasn't that bad of a poet himself, based on what he'd quoted to Elaine on the walk over. Brandon would never had met that Wyatt Cody, but Kayda was glad that she had.
A few feet away, Quickdraw watched the Lakota girl carefully. He had to time this right; the fact that she was in the company of Loophole and Kodiak was more than a little intimidating. As they reached the line for the trays, he moved quickly. His hand a blur, he bumped into Kayda with enough force that she was knocked into Wyatt. "Excuse me!" someone hastily said, backing away. "I'm sorry, I stumbled..."
"Be more careful, Quickdraw," growled Wyatt.
"Sure! Sure, Kody! Sorry..."
Kayda watched the boy leave. He seemed oddly familiar but she couldn't place him. Vaguely she wondered what had him wearing latex gloves. Knowing Whateley, it was something odd.
Quickdraw grinned. It had been so easy - all of it. And so rewarding! His mind replayed the charge under the invisibility spell, fake horn held firmly against him for leverage to simulate an attack from that girl's stupid buffalo, the look of shocked disbelief on Heyoka's face as the horn ripped his guts out, the slow-motion - at least to a speedster - falling of his body, the rewarding thunk as one of the girl's training tomahawks buried itself in Heyoka's skull. And the blood! The crimson splatters of blood everywhere as life force instantly faded from the boy-girl Jamie. Quickdraw trembled at the powerful, enticing memories of his first kill. It was a hyper-adrenaline rush! He didn't realize it, but by that one act of murder, he'd put himself perilously close to the line between bully and psychopath.
"Ya'll want to eat with us, Kayda?"
Franks shook her head. "No, Lanie, thanks though. I think I'll eat with Charge and my other friends."
"We've got to eat and run," Lanie explained as they stood in the checkout line. "We've got ... a meeting." She gave Kayda a reassuring smile. "Everything will be okay, right?"
The other tried to smile. "Okay," she repeated. "Yeah." Despite her words, she didn't look at all confident in what Lanie was telling her. She glanced at Wyatt who was cajoling the cook at the carver station to cut him bigger pieces of the roast beef. "You and Wyatt need some time. I'm good." She took her meager tray, not really hungry, to one of the pay islands and as she brought up her purse to get her ID it beeped that it had already registered it.
Kayda didn't notice, she just walked with leaden feet over to the table Charge and some of the Nations members were sitting. She still had to tell Cornflower - and face the fact that she'd cheated on her lover, betraying Cornflower's trust. Somehow there had to be a way not to break Debra's heart, but damned if she could see it.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5, 2007 - Dinnertime
Kane Hall Security Offices, Whateley Academy
Jerry Hervik had an air of confidence that bordered on arrogance. Chief Delarose was already sure that he didn't like the Assistant State's Attorney. Nevertheless ...
"Excuse me for a moment," he told the tallish, thin attorney with piercing eyes and a predatory look about him, and the stocky man next to the attorney, "I have to speak to Mrs. Carson, our headmistress." He took the papers that Jerry Hervik had presented and went into his office, carefully closing the door behind him. Wearily, he sat down on behind his desk and picked up the phone, pressing a single button to speed-dial the headmistress' office. It only took a moment for her to answer. "Liz? Franklin. I've got the assistant State's Attorney in my office with a letter from the DPA."
"I was expecting that," Liz replied wearily. "They sent me the same letter."
"So he is authorized to act on behalf of the DPA?"
"Afraid so," Liz said sadly. "Which means full cooperation from us."
"It's worse," the security chief said, grimacing. "He reminded us of the cooperative agreement between the county and the Medawihla tribe. He's acting in official capacity."
"Shit!" Liz swore in a most unladylike fashion. "Which means ..."
"Which means that I'm effectively deputized to the Coos County sheriff's office for the investigation, and you're now the representative of the tribe."
"Which means Kayda has no advocate or even neutral party right now."
Franklin nodded. "That's how it looks."
"What's your impression of this guy?"
Chief Delarose couldn't help but shake his head. "Not good. He brought along that new MCO guy Dougan as his 'deputized assistant' - and he's already pressing us for a principal suspect - and from their comments, I think they know Kayda is the most obvious one."
"Damn! If he's playing it that way, he'll keep you so busy that you won't have time to find any evidence exonerating Kayda if there is any, and then he'll pull some card to take her into custody." She sighed heavily. "Recommendations?"
Frank Delarose shook his head. "I can't think of any. We're boxed in, and they know it. Kayda's in real trouble. He's already got his sights set on Kayda, and he's already strongly suggested that he knows she's a flight risk."
"Damn. How the hell did he get that?" There was a long pause. "Has he pushed to take her into custody on that yet?"
"Not yet. I'll keep you informed."
"Pre-empt them."
"What?" Chief Delarose asked, mouth agog and not quite believing what he was hearing.
"Pre-empt them. We can't give them an excuse to get her off campus," Liz said, her voice grim. "Even if she's innocent, if they get her off-campus ...."
Chief Delarose winced, knowing exactly what Liz was thinking. If they got her in a county or state jail, Kayda was unlikely to leave. "You know I don't like doing this, Liz."
"Neither do I." She sighed heavily. "Franklin, this smells like a setup. It's too neat, too picture-perfect. And they're taking away our ability to find out if it really is a frame job."
Franklin thought for a few moments. "What do I tell her?"
"The truth, Franklin. Tell her the truth."
As soon as he hung up, Franklin pushed a button on his phone. "Sam, I need to talk to you, ASAP."
It took Samantha Everheart less than two minutes to get to Delarose's office. "You want to see me, Chief?"
"You know what's going on with the murder and with Kayda?"
Sam let her nanite hive access the computers. "Yes," she said after a moment. "The State's Attorney has you playing his game."
Delarose nodded. "I'm essentially working for a prosecutor now. And Mrs. Carson has to remain neutral as the tribal rep. Which means that I can't help Kayda if she's innocent."
"All the evidence so far points to her as the perp." She saw Franklin start to speak. "It's too perfect. Her ID card, the weapon, the attack method." She shook her head. "She's smarter than to kill Heyoka in such an obvious way."
"In your opinion, could she?"
"I don't know," Sam admitted. "The whole spirit thing is beyond my experience. But apart from that? I don't honestly know. If she was threatened ....."
"I know. Her uncontrolled PTSD rages." He frowned, looking like someone who'd swallowed something really bitter. "And from what they've already revealed that they know, our best working assumption is that someone has leaked everything about her to them, including her near-rager events."
"How long ...?"
Delarose grimaced. "According to the tribal agreement, Liz has to have a preliminary evidentiary hearing tomorrow to see if there's enough evidence against Kayda to turn her over to the county or state authorities."
"That's not much time," Sam said with a big frown.
"I want you to ...."
"Janice Talbert," Sam interrupted.
"What?'
"Janice Talbert. Former NYPD Paranormal Investigations Unit, detective, first-class investigator. She's got experience in this area. I don't."
"Get her on the job." Chief Delarose looked grim. "You two bird-dog this one - hard. Use any and all resources you can get. These guys already know how to pin us down. And you have to work fast - they're probably already looking for loopholes and clauses that'll let them take her off campus and into custody."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Dinnertime
The Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
"Kayda Franks?"
Kayda had been more than a little depressed, trying desperately to figure out how she was going to explain to Cornflower what had happened between her and Elaine. It was great for Lanie to be able to spend some 'quality' time with Wyatt and work things out, but Debra was hundreds of miles away now! She wouldn't be able hold her or do anything but dream-walk or talk on the phone for weeks.
She was so wrapped up in her own worries she hadn't noticed her table mates react to the small crowd that had gathered behind her, nor had she herself. She looked up to see Circe standing next to Chief Delarose. Behind them were the Wild Pack, looking grim faced and a handful of Security Guards in full armor. In her veins, Kayda's blood turned to ice. "Ms...Ms. Circe?" she stammered.
The Head of the Mystic Arts Department held a necklace in her gloved hands. "Kayda, you need to put this around your neck," the teacher declared, somehow less than a command, but certainly more than a question. Kayda forced herself to nod and when the necklace touched her skin she felt a sick feeling in the very pit of her stomach as every bit of essence was pulled from her and held in the charm. For a moment she was sure she would throw up, but the feeling lessened some, leaving her standing, extremely pale and unsteady on her feet, trembling at the shock of having her core of essence ripped from her. "Her magic is sealed," Circe told Chief Delarose.
The head of security looked very old and tired. "Kayda, show me your ID please."
The girl blinked in surprise, not sure if the question itself threw her or another effect of the necklace. She lifted up her purse and frowned, not seeing it clipped to the side pocket where she kept it. "It...I don't have it," she said.
"There, you see?" declared Circe, but Franklin merely shook his head and took a small device off his belt.
"No, it's there," he declared. "Check your purse please, Kayda."
"I don't keep it in my purse," the girl protested weakly as she struggled to open it with shaky hands. "I lose things and I don't have a photographic memory like other exemplars, so I have to...wait..." She dug a bit deeper and pulled out her student ID card. "I don't understand, I don't keep it there."
"Have you had your purse all day?" he asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Where were you between two twelve and four fifteen this afternoon?" he asked.
"Uh, I was...um... in the Sweat Lodge for most of that..." she admitted with a worried gulp.
Franklin sighed. "Stand up," he ordered softly. "We need to continue this conversation in an official capacity. Turn around and place your hands behind your back."
"Wha...? No...!"
"Do it," ordered Mindbird with a somber expression. "Please don't make us use force, Kayda."
Woodenly, ashen and visibly quite shaken, Kayda turned around and felt the Chief click the handcuffs onto her wrists. "Kayda Franks, you are officially detained. As a minor, you may request a member of the staff to act in loco parentis and sit in on any further questioning. If you do not have a preference, a member of the staff will be appointed."
"Can I talk to Mrs. Carson...?" she asked, but the chief only shook his head, stone faced.
"As the representative of the Medawihla tribe..."
"Mrs. Carson must sit in judgment until I have been cleared or will be turned over to the authorities," she finished in a whisper. What little color was left was drained out of Kayda's face. "Chief, why am I being detained?"
"Miss Franks, you are being detained as a person of interest in the death of Student Jamie Carson." Franklin could not have stunned the girl further if he had gut punched her. "Do you have a preference of a staff member to act on your behalf?"
"Dr. Bellows," she managed to squeak. Franklin Delarose looked at Mindbird, and the Junior began walking in a determined fashion in the direction of Doyle Medical Center.
"Come with me," ordered the Chief of Security.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - After Dinner
Headmistress' Office, Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
Her expression carefully schooled into as neutral as she could manage, Liz Carson looked around the conference table, her eyes meeting her staff one-by-one, in a brief instant conveying her concern and reading theirs. Chief Delarose was worried, concerned, like her, that they were being forced into a miscarriage of justice.
Sam sat to Franklin's right; her expression was inscrutable, but Liz could read her body language, and she shared her boss' concern. Mrs. Michiko Shugendo was less reserved in showing her feelings; she was very concerned that events were spinning out of control. Surprisingly, Ms. Hartford bore a grim expression; the Assistant State's Attorney, with the authorization from the DPA, had wormed his way into having some authority in this case, and it rankled with Ms. Hartford that Whateley's neutrality was being compromised.
At the end of the table sat the hawk-faced Jerome Hervik, the state's attorney, and next to him was Agent Dougan of the MCO, whom Hervik had dragged along as his 'assistant'. They had smug smiles on their faces, as if they knew that they had the high trumps.
Continuing around the table, Dr. Alfred Bellows, wearing the heaviest worry lines in the room, fretted , and the final person was Dr. Rascomb from Doyle Medical Complex.
"We are going to deal in facts, ladies and gentlemen," Liz growled, mostly at the MCO agent and the State's Attorney. "We are not going to speculate or deal in rumors. Is that clear?"
Hervik smiled innocently. "That's all we can do, Mrs. Carson," he practically purred. "But we also have an obligation to ensure that the safety of the other students is safeguarded, would you not agree?"
Mrs. Carson glared at the impertinent little shit. "That is my concern, Mr. Hervik," she said in an icy tone.
"First, I have to ask if you have any prime suspects," Hervik said smoothly.
Frank Delarose looked like he was about to leap from his chair to throttle the man. Mrs. Carson pre-empted the chief's outburst by fixing a glare that had cowed some of the most powerful villains in the world on Hervik and Dougan. The MCO agent's anger flared, but the lawyer looked on the verge of soiling himself. "Do you have a preliminary cause of death?" she asked Dr. Rascomb simply, not taking her glare away from Hervik and Dougan.
Ted Rascomb took a deep breath. "Dr. Traekham came out from Dunwich for a preliminary examination of the victim. There are two wounds, either one of which would have been fatal. Based on the pattern of bleeding, the first wound was a gash to the abdomen."
"Like the gash inflicted on the security guard?" Dougan asked. "The one inflicted by being horned by a manifested buffalo?" Eyebrows shot up around the room; the MCO agent should not have had access to that information.
Dr. Rascomb nodded. "It would be consistent with the wound, yes." He consulted his notes briefly. "The second wound was a tomahawk blow to the cranium, crushing the skull and embedding in the frontal lobes of the victim's brain."
"Is there a primary suspect?" Hervik repeated.
"Dr. Rascomb," The Headmistress drawled, her steely gaze on the challenging agent. "What else could have caused the gash to Heyoka?" The Doctor blinked in confusion.
"Ma'am?"
"You said the wound was consistent with the wound caused by a manifested buffalo. Is that the only possible cause of the wound?"
"Oh, no ma'am," the doctor clarifed. "To be specific, the wound was caused by a tapered object with a dull tip, about one inch in diameter and perhaps four long based on the tear pattern. There are hundreds of objects that could have caused the wound. Thousands, it could be argued."
Agent Dougan swallowed the lemon his face looked like he had bitten into before he looked away. Mrs. Carson continued to glare, but rephrased the question she knew the lawyer would demand be asked. "Franklin, do you have a person of interest in your investigation as yet?"
Delarose winced even though he already knew that he was going to be put on the spot. "There is a student whose capabilities fit the pattern of the attack."
Dougan leaned to one side and whispered something to Hervik, who nodded. "Would this be a student whose manifestation injured a student, and who has a history of uncontrolled, violent attacks with a tomahawk?"
"Mr. Hervik," Mrs. Carson's tone was ice-cold, "speculating is not in the interest of Justice."
"But it is the same student?"
Delarose scowled. "Yes."
"Is there any other evidence tying her to the crime scene?" Hervik continued as if he was in charge of the meeting.
"Mr. Hervik," Mrs. Carson reminded him, "I am the administrator here." She stared him down until he blinked and nodded acknowledgment of her position. Once he was suitably cowed, she turned to her security chief. "Franklin?"
"The RFID tracking information puts her at or near the crime scene at the estimated time of the attack," he reported grimly.
"Then in accordance with the agreements between Coos County and the Medawihla Tribe, we will take her into custody," Hervik pronounced, a predatory grin on his face. "For the protection of the remaining students here."
"You will do no such thing," Mrs. Carson she replied coolly, eyes lidded and body tightly under control. "You do not have the authorization ...."
"In case you forgot, Mrs. Carson," Dougan snapped, "the DPA has authorized us to assist with this investigation as necessary to ensure the safety of the school."
"Nonsense!" Ms. Hartford growled, startling everyone in the room. "The MCO has no authorization to act on the grounds of Whateley Academy, and your presence here is tolerated only because the State's Attorney's office requested it."
"Our agreement with the Medawihla tribe ..."
"Extends to assisting in the investigation commensurate with the Constitution of the United States, the policies of the DPA, and the laws of the Medawihla tribe," Mrs. Carson completed the thought. "And no further," she declared in a voice as final as Judgment itself. She looked at the Chief again. "Franklin?"
"The student in question has had her magic sealed, and is detained in our secure detention facilities to prevent flight and to protect the other students in the event that she is guilty." He frowned at the two. "In accordance with school policies and DPA guidelines."
Dougan and Hervik did not like the response, but the lawyer knew that their hands were tied and that his gambit had failed; Carson was not going to easily surrender custody. Hervik knew of one other avenue, though. "According to those DPA guidelines, you have twenty-four hours to conduct an evidentiary hearing to determine if there is cause to have the suspect detained by authorities - which in this case would be the Coos County Sheriff's Department and the State's Attorney's office."
"I am aware of those policies," Mrs. Carson said, controlling her anger. "And you will recall that the timeline is twenty-four business hours. We will have a hearing Monday afternoon." She glanced warily at Mrs. Shugendo and Ms. Hartford. "As is my prerogative, the hearing will be closed to protect the privacy of the minor student who is under suspicion."
Hervik glared at her, his mind racing. The Headmistress was trying to force a closed hearing - probably so she could control the records and hide things she didn't want public. She was apparently not playing the game as a neutral third party, but was going to try to get the suspect off. "Mrs. Carson," he protested sharply, "as an authorized representative of the DPA, I must insist on an open hearing so that facts are not ... inadvertently ... omitted from the record."
"Very well," she agreed. Before either of the outsiders could talk, Mrs. Carson turned to Dr. Bellows. "Alfred," she began, "how is she?"
"Mrs. Carson," Hervik interrupted as though he was in a courtroom, "I object. You are supposed to be a neutral representative of the Medawihla tribe. I must insist that your discussions of the suspect be held outside your presence. And that of your security chief." He smiled wickedly. "We wouldn't want to taint the investigation, now, would we?"
Mrs. Carson nodded in a way that let Delarose and Mrs. Shugendo know that she'd maneuvered them into what she wanted. "Indeed," she agreed. She looked around the conference room. "The purity of this investigation being paramount, Dr. Rascomb, I don't know that you need to stay. Franklin, please escort our guests to your security office so you can continue the investigation. I will be in my office if anyone needs me." There was no doubt but that she expected the others to remain to discuss Kayda's situation. She stood and could not have more forcefully expelled the two interlopers in her domain unless she had chosen to do so bodily. Which was not to say that was needed. In fact, cowed, and tails proverbially tucked between legs, the Agent and the Lawyer followed the Security Chief stealing resentful glances over their shoulders like puppies that were being house broken. Mrs. Carson paused in the door to wink at the remaining members of her staff before she shut the door.
After the others left, Sam picked up where Mrs. Carson had left off. "Dr. Bellows? What's your opinion of Kayda?"
Dr. Bellows shook his head. "Not good. Being detained for murder has shaken her quite thoroughly. Worse, locking her magic has made it impossible for her to commune with her spirits. She's alone in a way she hasn't been for months. She is in considerable psychological stress, almost a state of shock."
Michiko Shugendo grimaced. "You need to have Fubar ...."
Dr. Bellows shook his head, interrupting her. "Fubar can't get through to her. He tried. Her bison spirit has completely sealed her off psychically, and since she can't talk to it, she can't tell it to open her mind to Fubar."
"That wouldn't do any good for the investigation," Sam interjected. Seeing the eyebrows rise, she continued, "Psychic evidence is seriously frowned upon as unreliable, so anything Fubar could find would be contested in the evidentiary hearing - properly so."
"What do you mean, properly so?" Mrs. Shugendo demanded.
"Any evidence which might clear Kayda of charges," Ms. Hartford explained directly to the Dean of Students, "must be in accordance with the evidentiary standards of a court of law of the jurisdiction in which she would be tried. In this case, Coos County or the State of New Hampshire. Neither allows psychic evidence, Michiko."
Sam nodded. "Janice and I have our work cut out for us - and not much time. So I hope she's not late getting here."
"Do you want to interview Kayda first?" Dr. Bellows replied. "Since I'm her chosen representative, I'll need to be there."
Sam looked at them, a gallows expression on her face. "Unless we can find some exculpatory evidence," she said, "her only chance might be to plead PTSD and try to plea down to manslaughter instead of murder-one."
Mrs. Shugendo blanched. "They ... wouldn't? To a minor?"
Sam nodded grimly. "She's a mutant. Yes, they will try for the death penalty."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - After Dinner
The Grove, south of Melville Cottage, Whateley Academy
"I don't like this," growled Wyatt for the fourth time since they'd begun walking to the Grove. "Meeting Tansy, way out here, growing dark..."
"Relax," Lanie told him. "If the two of us can't handle Tansy..."
"It's not her I'm worried about."
"The only people who knew Ah told her to meet me out here was her and me, and my computer that was recording the conversation," she told him with a grin. "Momma didn't raise no fools. If something happens, we've got her." He grinned his lopsided grin and gave her a one armed squeeze.
"Smarts! That's what you've got!" he said with a raised eyebrow down at her.
"Oh, give me an easy one why don't ya?" she chuckled. "Firefly, and Ah should point out, there isn't much point to this game seeing as we both have photographic memories." She grinned and elbowed him in the ribs. "That and Ah'm sure Ah've seen more movies than you."
He sobered, but was still affectionate. "Alright, so why all the cloak-and-dagger? What is it that she wants to tell me that you don't want overheard?"
Elaine rolled her eyes. "Ah told you, Ah'd let her tell it. Ah'm not sure Ah believe it mah own self, and Ah don't want to prejudice your decision on mah misgivings. It could be too important." She kicked a rock and watched it go skittering down the rough trail. "Still don't know what you saw in that blonde..."
"I saw the way of getting control of the Alphas," he retorted.
"And a nice pair of tits?"
He grinned and shrugged. "I'll spare you any tales of woe about sacrifices I made for my country."
"There's a good sized bush over there," she observed. He gave her a questioning look and her rapier wit flashed across her face. "You're so full of shit, Ah figure you must need to take a dump..."
"Hey, I'm human," he protested. "You switch hit, you telling me you wouldn't want a piece of Tansy?"
"Not really into Blondes," she replied with a shrug.
"I've noticed that ethnic brunettes are more your speed," he said, causing her to look up into his face with some worry. He caught her glance and his expression softened. "Hey, you're not the first switch hitter I've dated so I do know some of the territory. I know who I am and I know that it's a man you choose to be with. Some guys might be threatened by your past but I'm not. Just like I hope that you're not threatened by my past because you are who I choose to be with."
She smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. "Maria really kind of swept me off mah feet and then you and I happened for reasons we won't mention to keep the conversation pleasant." She sighed, "And Kayda...Kayda just happened. Ah looked at her and she looked at me and...we connected is the best way Ah can describe it. We connected - in a way that...wasn't sexual, at least, not at first maybe? It wasn't love at first sight either. It's like ... when you see someone and you know they'll be a 'best friend'?"
An eyebrow ran up his forehead. "A best friend that isn't sexual, but you sleep with anyway?"
"Yeah, not really a guy thing, huh?" she asked with a pretty blush to her cheeks.
"Not so much," he agreed.
She shrugged and kept walking. "Ah guess Ah'm still working out who mah 'type' is." Her expression became salacious. "Ah know Ah like mah men big and shaggy and...big."
His chest puffed out just a bit in subconscious reflex. "Anything to oblige, my lady."
Her expression softened and became more serious. "Ah don't think of mahself as being vain or really judging people on their appearance. Besides, Ah'm attracted to people, not their parts and Tansy is ugly in a way that has nothing to do with her figure." She felt his eyes on her and sighed. "But, yeah, ok, as pure sex symbol sure, she's hot, but Ah don't know that Ah could separate what she's done from what she is."
He rubbed his chin with a big hand. For a split second she imagined that hand on someone else and had to steel herself to keep her facial expression neutral. "If that's true, why the second chance?"
Again she shrugged and looked away. "Ah gave you one, that's worked out ok." He stopped and used her hand he was holding to spin her around and she was in his arms and pulled against him.
"I picked you," he told her earnestly. "You're not in competition, honey. And even if you were you still have nothing to worry about."
"Ah know Ah'm not as 'experienced' as some of the girls you've been with," she replied, still unable to meet his gaze. He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"Lanie, despite what any number of standup comics would have you believe, guys really don't keep score. I'm not comparing you against anyone else, because there's no one I've been with that would be in your class, baby! You are without a doubt the most..." he paused, trying to find some polite way of expressing his affection. "...I mean...You...you're so...gah." He sighed. "I've had my share of sex, I've even made love to a girl a couple of times, but you are the only girl I've ever made love with. That's loved me back, I love that about you, Lanie!"
"So you're saying a poor plan executed vigorously is better than a perfect plan executed at leisure?"
"Patton," he replied with a grin. "And yes, absolutely. You're extremely vigorous." He paused and his expression got salacious. "Well read too..."
"Ah was thinking of checking out the Kama Sutra from the library," she intimated.
"God save me!"
"We'll see," she purred. She caught sight of something behind him and straightened. "Here she comes." Lanie turned to see Tansy picking her way down the trail they'd just walked, in her version of 'outdoor' clothes, a pair of designer jeans, mukluks that were seeing something other than pavement for the first time in their lives and a red and black checkered shirt that looked like flannel but wasn't.
She looked exactly like what she was, a model playing at being outdoors and 'roughing' it. "There wasn't anywhere indoors we could have done this and not be overheard?' she demanded as she arrived.
"Hello Tansy, how are you?" growled Wyatt.
Surprisingly, she immediately became contrite. "Sorry, old habits."
"Lanie tells me you mean to turn over a new leaf," the big senior grumbled. "If it's true, I wish you well, it's an uphill climb, but I've found it's worth it."
"I'm sorry," she said, looking up into his eyes. "I should never have laughed..." she trailed off, looking away and shaking her head.
"Laughed?" asked Elaine, seeing the dumbfounded look on her boyfriend's face.
"I saw the tape," she said simply. "He tell you about it?"
"The tape of The Don...?"
Tansy's face went hard again, back to its old lines. "Yes, the tape of the Don abusing Skybolt and Cav. God save me, I laughed. It makes me sick to think about now." She turned and looked back up at Wyatt. "I know that's when you made up your mind to dump me and take the Alphas. You...you were right to have dumped me," she said painfully then forced herself to stand up straight. "I'm sorry. If I can make it up, I will, but even if you never forgive me, I need to make you aware of this, and...and beg your protection."
Lanie knew her fianci well enough to know he was deeply moved by her words, but there was a wary stiffness as well. He wanted to believe her, but he was still wary. "Protection from whom over what?" he asked finally.
She sighed. "I know who Hekate's Master is. Or, rather, I overheard the Don talking to him. He's one of the Engineer nerd..." she blushed and stole a glance at Elaine.
"Yeah, we're nerds," she said with her chin in the air, "and you're pissing your pants afraid of a 'nerd' so..."
"You don't want to claim solidarity with this...monster..." she said and shivered. Turning back to Kodiak she went on, "I was tracking down three JR High girls, I got stuck being Ms. Grimes' TA and they went down into the tunnels for some reason. Sebastiano's been gloating for weeks that he's figured out who Hekate's mentor was. Evidently he went to confront him in the tunnels, to blackmail him."
Wyatt crossed his arms over his chest. "And you managed to overhear this without being seen yourself?" She nodded, obviously afraid. "This couldn't possibly have been staged for your benefit?" He left off the hanging threat of her pulling something on purpose.
Her mouth opened and closed several times without speaking as her eyes went wider and she obviously just realized his supposition could be true. "I...I don't know what to do...!" she wailed. "He...if he was acting..." She mastered herself and stood up straighter. "My father is not a nice man," she declared finally. "I can't really say he's ordered anyone harmed, but he's hired men, men whose minds remember being hired to hurt and kill people. I know a killer when I hear one and this 'Nimbus' isn't just a killer, he's evil. Not greedy, not selfish, I was those things. Evil. Evil like there aren't really words for."
Wyatt weighed that for a long moment. "Alright, let's assume you were unnoticed. You saw this fiend?" Tansy shook her head.
"No, I was around the corner. But I heard them and I won't ever forget the sensations from that horrid mind."
"So you're certain you'd recognize him?" Tansy nodded and the fear in her eyes was plain. Finally, he rubbed his chin and nodded. "Alright this is important enough that I want this asshole in a DPA van. So, as of now, Tansy, you are under my protection."
She sagged as an unseen weight of worry was lifted. "Thank you," she whispered.
"You're in Venus, Inc. and Lanie, you do photography work for them, so Tansy you'll stick close to Elaine for a bit as your schedules allow."
"I'll have plenty of time now that I'm not wasting time hanging around the Don..." Wyatt smiled and a cold December went down Tansy's spine. "Don't tell me..." she started.
"Intel is always a good thing, Tansy. And if you suddenly shun the Don, he may get froggy and Nimbus might come calling."
"I hate you and your damned logic," she muttered with a shiver.
"In fact," Wyatt drawled with a grin. "This gives me an idea..."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5, 2007 - Early Evening
Kane Hall security offices, Whateley Academy
Sitting in a chair in an interrogation room, Kayda shook nervously, her voice trembling in time with her body shaking. "I told you, I was at the sweat lodge most of the afternoon," she insisted weakly, as if the act of speaking was incredibly fatiguing.
"Is there anyone who can corroborate your story?" one of the two unfamiliar men - the hawk-faced assistant States Attorney - pressed.
"I ... I was ... expecting friends," Kayda said, looking down and avoiding eye contact. Besides the States Attorney Hervik and the MCO agent Dougan, Chief Delarose, Emily Strong, and Mindbird were in the room with her. And Dr. Bellows. She couldn't see, but she knew that two armored and armed security guards were outside the door - just in case.
"Who?"
"I told you!" Kayda complained, her eyes still stinging from the tears which had fallen from the point she'd been handcuffed and marched out of the cafeteria - with all eyes riveted on her and her humiliation.
"I will thank you to calm down and ease your strident tone, Mr. Hervik," Doctor Bellows said calmly.
It immediately drew the ire of the Lawyer. "Or what?" he demanded.
"Or I will use my authority as guardian acting in loco parentis of this minor, and this interview will cease," the psychologist replied in a steely tone of voice and an unflinching gaze.
"You wouldn't..." he started, but as if they'd rehearsed it, Dr. Bellows and Chief Delarose answered in chorus.
"Try me," they declared.
The lawyer gauged the situation and leaned back, switching to 'good cop' mode. "We're only interested in justice, of course," he said by way of massaging his ego. Dr. Bellows gently patted Kayda's hand and shared a smile with her.
"Mule and Lifeline wanted to meet about the simulation tomorrow," she said finally.
Delarose shook his head sadly. "Kayda, Mule and Lifeline swear that they never planned to meet you."
"But I got a note!" Kayda protested. "It's ... I put it in my purse after I read it!"
"They didn't send any note," Delarose said, "and there was no note in your purse."
"I ... I had a note!" Kayda reasserted softly. "I swear I had a note, Chief! They asked me to meet, and then we'd do a sweat lodge ritual." Her voice and energy seemed to be waning as the questioning continued; the trauma of having her essence ripped from her had taken a significant toll on the girl.
"You didn't meet Heyoka?"
"No."
"You weren't in Arena 77?"
"No."
The attorney plopped some papers down in front of the Lakota girl, a fierce expression on his face. "They how do you explain this?"
"Kayda," Chief Delarose said softly, his voice weary, "the RFID trackers show you going to Laird Hall - presumably to retrieve a tomahawk. And they place you in the tunnels around Arena 77 around the time that Heyoka was murdered."
"But ... that's not possible. I was at the sweat lodge." Kayda protested, fighting tears. "I ... I could never kill Jamie!" She looked around the room desperately. "The cameras - they'll show that I wasn't there!"
Delarose shook his head sadly. "The cameras show nothing, Kayda," he said slowly. "And that's the problem. Since you can ghost-walk, you're one of the few who could get from point A to point B on the campus without it showing on the cameras."
"Someone ... someone hacked the cameras, maybe?" Kayda was clutching at straws, and the desperation in her voice showed it. "And spoofed the sensors?"
"How have you gotten along with the victim?" the state's attorney asked, changing the subject abruptly.
Kayda glanced around the room nervously. "Um, we ... we mostly got along, I guess. We didn't see much of each other."
"Do your ... spirits know each other?" the MCO man demanded. Kayda didn't see the glare he got from Delarose.
"Ye .... yes," Kayda stammered. She looked - and sounded - like she was going to collapse any second.
"Do they get along?" he continued the line of questioning.
Kayda glanced nervously at Dr. Bellows, who nodded. "Um, kind of," she said softly, voice quavering. "Not all the time, because their roles to the People are different."
"I see." The MCO man scribbled in a little book, looking smug.
The state's attorney put a picture in front of Kayda, and she nearly retched. "Do you remember this?"
"Yes," Kayda voice trembled as she answered, staring fearfully at the picture of Officer Lyle Matthews lying on the floor, his guts spilling out of his body from Tatanka's attempt to disembowel him, and his face nearly unrecognizable from nearly a dozen shots from Hick's gun. That attempt on her life had been close, and extremely frightening.
"How did that ... abdominal injury occur?" Dougan asked with a smug smile.
"My ... my manifested buffalo spirit," Kayda said, trembling, "horned him." She was pale, shaking with fright at the awful memories, with seemingly no energy reserves to help her cope.
"And that abdominal injury is remarkably like this one," Dougan continued, dropping a photo of Heyoka lying on the floor, similarly disemboweled.
This time Kayda did retch, managing to turn her head before she hurled what little dinner she'd had onto the floor. The image was ghastly - Heyoka's guts were split open, just like Matthews' had been, but in place of the gunshot wounds, a tomahawk was embedded in Jamie's forehead.
Dr. Bellows stood up. "And that is as far as I will allow this go," he declared with finality. Throwing up seemed to have drained all the rest of Kayda's energy; Mindbird had caught the barely-conscious girl before she could pitch over face-first into the mess on the floor. With a free hand, she took a handkerchief from Chief Delarose and began to clean Kayda's face.
Dougan sneered at him. "And you're qualified to say that because?"
"Because I'm a licensed, trained psychiatrist," Dr. Bellows answered, not backing down in the slightest. "She needs rest; it's clear to see that she's physically and emotionally exhausted. Gentlemen, surely you can see that she's is in no condition to continue questioning." He glanced at the pendant on the necklace on Kayda's neck. "Having a person's magic sealed is a traumatic experience, both emotionally and physically. And when an Avatar loses contact with his or her spirit, it's extremely emotionally stressful. She's been through both experiences tonight!" He shot a glare at the MCO agent and the assistant State's Attorney. "She needs time to recover from that shock. A shock you have aggravated with these needlessly horrific photographs that I will be happy to testify about, either in her defense at her trial, or the hearing to address whether you should be disbarred, sir."
Delarose nodded at the doctor. "I agree," he said, looking at the exhausted girl huddled in a chair. "Mindbird? Please take her to confinement."
Hervik scowled deeply. "If she's not being questioned, she must be taken into custody. She is a proven flight risk."
Franklin stood, drawing himself to full height and imposing stature. "Mr. Hervik," he said, the fury in his voice barely contained - on purpose, "with her magic sealed, Kayda is not a flight risk. She will be held in a warded room for her - and the students' - protection."
"But ..." Dougan started to object.
"And with the physical and emotional trauma she's suffered tonight, she will need to be kept under medical observation," Dr. Bellows added angrily, glaring at the lawyer.
"Let me remind you that until Mrs. Carson has held an evidentiary hearing, you have no right to do anything more than help investigate. If it is determined that the preponderance of evidence suggests guilt, then - and only then - will she be turned over to the proper authorities. Do I make myself clear?"
Hervik looked like he was sucking on a lemon. "Very well. If you're willing to assume the risk ...." He turned and left the interrogation room, with Dougan at his heels.
"Mindbird, can you take Kayda to ... to a cell?" he said, flinching at the word he was forced to use.
The junior nodded, and then picked up the girl who was in a state of psychological shock. "Come on, Kayda," she said soothingly. "Let's get you some rest." As soon as she stepped through the door, the security officers who'd been guarding the room fell in behind her.
Dr. Bellows shook his head. "I don't like this. I don't like it one little bit. You're treating her like she's a hardened criminal, and she's terrified and almost at the point of emotional collapse."
Franklin sighed, nodding. "I don't like it either, Alfred," he confessed wearily. "But we don't have a choice."
"You always have a choice!" Dr. Bellows retorted angrily. "Treating her like this? As much trauma as she's been through? If this doesn't push her over the edge, she'll be damned lucky!"
"We don't have a choice, Doctor!" Franklin replied sternly. "The State's Attorney has a letter of authorization from the DPA to assist." He watched Bellows' eyes widen. "If we weren't being proactive, they'd have every right to insist on taking her into custody because of her powers and the fact that she's a flight risk, hearing or no! And her file with the MCO still has an 'active investigation' tag on it from her misadventure in Sioux Falls. What do you think the chances are that we'd ever see her again if we let them take her off campus?"
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5, 2007 - Late Evening
Franks Family Farm, South Dakota
"Hello, Franks Residence," Danny was the first one to the phone when it interrupted the family dinner.
"Is this Kayda's brother?" an unfamiliar woman asked. Her voice was pleasant but stressed.
"Yes," Danny answered, a bit perplexed. He didn't recognize the voice.
"Could you please put your mother or father on the phone? This is Mrs. Carson from Whateley Academy."
Danny's eyes widened when he recognized the name. Kayda and her friends had talked a lot about Mrs. Carson, to say nothing of how much his mom gushed about how nice she was from the trip to take Kayda to Whateley. "Sure." He walked to the table and handed the phone to his mom, who was looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"Hello? This is June Franks."
"June, it's Liz Carson from Whateley," the headmistress said wearily. Some phone calls to parents she hated making; this was one of them.
"What's wrong? Is Kayda okay?" June asked, immediately sensing that something was wrong just from the tone of Mrs. Carson's voice.
"Kayda is okay ... for now," Mrs. Carson paused, trying to figure out the best way to word things.
June keyed in on the words 'for now'. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"Kayda has been detained," Liz said, the wince on her expression echoing strongly in her voice. "On suspicion of ... killing another student."
"What?!?" June practically screamed. "What?"
"We're investigating," Liz said quickly, "and she's not under arrest. Detaining Kayda was strictly precautionary."
"Precautionary against what?" June demanded, her hand with the phone shaking visibly.
"Under a long-standing agreement with the Medawihla tribe, the State's Attorney for New Hampshire is assisting in the investigation, and he's brought in an MCO agent as part of his team."
"What? The MCO?" June demanded.
"We detained Kayda to deny them an excuse to take her into their custody," Liz said quickly. "
"She would never kill someone!" June protested. The side of the conversation that Pete could hear alarmed him. He signaled his wife to put the call on speaker phone.
"I shouldn't say this, because under the agreement, I'm supposed to remain neutral as the local representative of the tribe, but we believe that Kayda is being framed," Liz said.
"What do you mean by detained?" June demanded, both angry and terrified.
"To pre-empt the State's Attorney and the MCO, we had to seal her magic and have her stay in a warded, secure ... facility ..."
"A jail cell," June spat the distasteful word.
"Uh, yes," Liz admitted reluctantly. "We had to detain her according to DPA guidelines, or ..."
"Kayda's in jail?!?" Pete Franks interrupted loudly, having overheard his wife's increasing agitation at the conversation.
"Mrs. Franks," Liz tried to calm down June, while understanding completely how the woman felt, "this is a preliminary investigation. We don't know who committed the murder. Kayda is a person of interest, but she has not been formally accused."
"Then why is she in jail?" June demanded angrily.
Liz sighed heavily. "Because somehow, the MCO has gotten information of some incidents, and they're trying to use them to get Kayda into their custody. Now, would you rather that we took her into custody, where we can care for her and protect her, or that the MCO took her into custody? I want you to know that we're leaving no stone unturned here. I've got my best people helping defend her and investigating all the clues, and our best psychiatrist is seeing to her care, because, as you would expect, this is very stressful to her."
"I'm going to be on the first available flight out there," June stated with determination. "And I'll see if our attorney can recommend any ... friendly ... lawyers in the New England area!"
"Of course," Liz replied. "If it were me, I'd break down the gates of hell to protect my child. Let us know your flight arrangements, and I'll have a car to meet you. I want you to know that I've got my best people working on your daughter's behalf. If she is being framed, we'll get to the bottom of it, I promise you."
"O ... okay," June replied slowly. "I'll let you know our arrangements. Thank you ... even though it wasn't good news." Her hand started shaking as she hung up the phone. She stood in shocked silence until she realized that her husband and son were staring at her, bewildered. She turned, just as the emotional dam broke and she began to cry, throwing herself into her husband's arms.
"Oh, Pete!" she sobbed, "they've arrested Kayda for killing another student! She's in jail!"
Pete, stunned held his wife tightly to try to reassure and comfort her. "We'll both go. You call your sister Ida - see if she can't watch Danny for a few days. I'll get us flights booked. And then I'll call our lawyer."
Sobbing, her face buried in her husband's shoulder, June Franks nodded, knowing that she had to count on Mrs. Carson - who she had appraised as a very caring woman - and her husband, because the news had her feeling like she was going to completely collapse.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5, 2007 - Late Evening
Kane Hall security cell, Whateley Academy
Mindbird set Kayda down on the cot in the cell, gently rolling the girl to her side. "Rest, Kayda," she said softly.
The Lakota girl sniffled, and then started to cry again. "I ... I can't feel ... my spirits!" she whimpered softly. "I ... can't ... can't ... get to my dream space!" She looked distraught and near panic. "Without my magic, I ... I can't talk to Wakan Tanka! Or Debra!"
Mindbird suddenly felt sorry for the girl; she'd been through so much in such a short time, and in all her dealings with Kayda, Mindbird never got the impression that Kayda could be murderously violent. And now this. But she was security, she kept telling herself; she couldn't let her feelings interfere. And even as she tried to remind herself to remain impartial, she couldn't help but want to help Kayda be more comfortable. "Can ... can I get you stuff for your tea?"
"They ... they took away my medicine pouch," Kayda said, her words barely audible.
"I'll get it for you," Mindbird volunteered.
Kayda shook her head. "It won't ... it won't do any good," she protested weakly. "Without ... without my magic, I can't ... can't make the tea." She stared at the opposite wall, her gaze unmoving, lacking both the strength and the motivation to look at Mindbird. "I didn't kill him," she sobbed. "I ... I wasn't at the arena, I was at the sweat lodge." With great effort, she lifted her head and looked at Mindbird. "Why won't they believe me?" she practically begged for an answer. "I didn't ... I ... I couldn't ... kill him!" Her head flopped heavily onto the small pillow on the cot as if the simple gesture of looking up had taxed all her energy.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" When Kayda didn't answer, Mindbird checked to see if she'd fallen asleep, which she hadn't. Instead, she seemed to have sunk further into a state of denial or withdrawal.
Easing the cell door closed behind her, Mindbird realized that there was something that she could do for Kayda. As soon as she was out of the detention area, she picked up a phone in the security office. "Mrs. Nelson?" she asked. "It's Mindbird. I need you to get a student up and dressed; I'll be there in a few minutes to pick her up. I know it's past curfew, but this is a very important security matter."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Late Evening
Sam Everheart's Office,Kane Hall, Whateley Academy
"Sorry I'm late," Janice Talbert explained as she strode into Sam's office. "Car wouldn't start."
"Have a seat, please," Sam said to Janice without looking up from the display on her computer monitor.
"May I ask what's so urgent that everyone is operating in 'all hands on deck' mode on a Saturday evening?" Janice asked as she eased herself gracefully into a chair. Though she was dressed in jeans and a casual shirt, she still managed to look professional.
"You've heard about Jamie Carson?" the former admiral asked, turning her chair to face the former detective.
"Heyoka. Murdered in Arena 77 sometime today," Janice said, nodding grimly. "I read the security briefing as soon as you called me." She saw Sam's eyebrow arch, and smiled. "Old habits. And no, I didn't look at anything I shouldn't have had access to."
"There's a leak in security," Sam reported, "and we now have an eager-beaver Assistant State's Attorney and an MCO agent snooping around pressing hard to take the primary suspect into custody."
Janice winced; she knew what it would mean to have the MCO take a student into custody. "And you don't think the student is guilty?" Out of habit, she produced a small notebook and pen and started taking notes.
Sam shook her head. "We don't know if she's guilty or not. Mrs. Carson doesn't think so. The Chief doesn t. According to Dr. Bellows, her psych profile doesn't fit."
"But?"
"But the evidence is pretty damning," Sam concluded. "There's a file in the computer system with a record of the first round of questioning." She turned her monitor so Janice could read.
"Got it," Janice said when she'd finished scanning the notes from the computer file. "Let's start with what we know about the murder," Janice began, but she had a thought. "How long do we have?"
"According to policy, Mrs. Carson has to have an evidentiary hearing to determine if jurisdiction should be turned over to the DPA. If the DPA is interested - and they have authorized the Coos County State's Attorney's office to investigate, so they _are_ interested - Mrs. Carson must have a hearing within twenty-four hours of the time a suspect is identified. She's got them stalled to twenty-four business hours - which buys us a little time."
"And there is a suspect?"
Sam nodded, grim-faced. "Kayda Franks."
"Okay, let's go through the facts," Janice said, resigning herself to a major effort for the next couple of days.
Interrupted by Janice for clarification or more detail, Sam ran through the known facts of the case. When they'd finished, Janice sat back in her chair, staring at a point on the far wall. "Okay, the first question that comes to mind is why the State's Attorney's office and the MCO are so interested in pressing this so quickly."
"Agreed. I've got a student who does some work-study for us in computer systems. I'll get him trying to trace to get more information about Attorney Hervik and Agent Dougan." Sam smiled slightly. "Blue really likes it when I let him loose on the internet with the blessings and authorization of the school."
"Good. Get him digging for something. There's a reason they're so interested. Let's find it."
Sam hesitated for a couple of seconds, her motion slowing down and her eyes unfocused as her nanite hive interacted through the secure Whateley security computer systems and into the general campus network, searching for a particular student's electronic signature. Once identified, the request was made and an answer received. "He's on it," Sam reported a moment later.
Detective Talbert shook her head. "Damn, that's creepy," she observed. "I'll never get used to the direct computer interfaces and cyberpaths. I prefer good old-fashioned detective grunt work." She shot a quick smile to Sam. "No offense intended." Seeing no adverse reaction on Sam's face, she continued. "This case hinges on three facts. First, was the RFID tracking system spoofed, bypassed, or otherwise compromised? Second, was the camera system compromised to not record events? And third, are there any witnesses that place the girl somewhere else during the crime?" Janice waited to see if Sam had any comments, which she didn't. "I suggest we get resources looking at the known evidence. Because of the time deadline, we're going to have to divide and conquer with all of these tasks. Once those efforts are underway, we can interview the suspect. Then we'll need to look at the crime scene and the entire path the suspect is supposed to have taken before and after the crime."
"Agreed," Sam nodded.
"Let's look at the one note we know of. And the girl claims that she was given a note, too, right? We need to see if we can find that."
"Ms. Hartford has locked down the print servers and file servers and is looking for traces of the note in question. Who wrote it and where was it printed. She also has Kayda's laptop and is running a forensic scan on it for the same reason."
"Good." Janice gave a half-hearted chuckle. "You guys are almost as thorough as the detectives and investigators back in my old job." She screwed on her working expression again. "If there is a note to Kayda, it might be at this sweat lodge she was talking about, so we'll want to go there, too - to see if there's any evidence proving that she was there as claimed."
"Since I doubt you have the visual range and acuity that I have, I assume that would be better done in the morning?"
"Yeah," Janice concurred. "It's too easy to miss important clues in the dark. Has that area been secured?"
"Guards are posted with orders to not come within ten yards of the structure and to keep unauthorized persons away."
Janice nodded her approval. "Good." She paused as thoughts coalesced. "Who can we get to show us the sweat lodge? It's always better to have a guide who can explain any ... irregularities ... so we don't chase down blind alleys."
"Lifeline," Sam answered instantly. "Or Stormwolf."
The detective's eyes narrowed. "Isn't Stormwolf one of the security auxiliaries?"
"Yes. He's spent a considerable amount of time dealing with Kayda during her first few weeks."
"Just for appearance's sake, let's get Lifeline." She saw the quizzical look on Sam's face. "We're dealing with the MCO. They'll use any appearance of prejudice or bias against her. We need to prevent that opportunity." She thought some more. "Let's discount the attack method for now; anyone with half a brain could have used weapons that would implicate someone else. It's one of the oldest tricks for framing someone. Instead, let's focus on two aspects of the case. First, the tracking system noted her presence at the scene, and second, the cameras saw nothing. We need to compile a list of ways that a person could spoof the trackers. Could someone else have used her ID card?"
Sam shook her head. "No. She had it on her person in the cafeteria when she was detained. She had to have it in order to get her dinner."
"Okay, so then let's compile a list of known gadgeteers and devisors who are smart enough to spoof the RFID system and make it appear that it was her."
"That might be a long list."
"And we need to get a list of mages and devisors who could create a cloaking field, as well as devisors and gadgeteers who might be able to jam or otherwise alter the camera feeds."
Sam nodded with a sight wince. The camera trick had been used to devastating effect with the Team Kimba's simulation that had gone south. "Affirmative."
"Okay, now the tricky part," Janice said, "Who do we have that we can trust to help bird-dog some of these things?"
"I'll make a list."
"One more thing."
"What's that?"
"We're going to need a lot of coffee." She sighed. "I don't think we're going to get much sleep for the next couple of days."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - About 10:30 pm
Fixer's Patio, Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
If Tansy hadn't liked Wyatt's idea, Elaine was certain she hated it. It would be a heavy, heavy burden to bear, and as much as she wanted to, Lanie knew she couldn't argue with the logic of it. That was a great part of what made it maddening. Wyatt couldn't help but look a little smug when he'd laid it out, and as she herself had pointed out to him just the other night, he only acted dumb. It was galling even to know he was far more intelligent than he let on only to be taken by surprise at how subtle he could be.
Nobody expects the high school quarterback to be able to give Machiavelli a run for his money.
And while Lanie wasn't sure if Wyatt even knew how to play football, let alone the fact that Whateley didn't have a football team to begin with, the 'quarterback' was the ages-old agreed-upon king of the high school social heap - that was certainly the spot occupied by Wyatt. At least she'd been able to convince him to wait until next year. Things were far too unsettled just now to try something as complex as he'd laid out.
Still, if Tansy did know who Hekate's Master was, bringing him or her to justice would take a large burden off Wyatt's shoulders. The big man took what had happened very personally; it was the only thing she had ever heard him cry about, in the depths of the night, when he thought she was asleep. The odd trio had walked back to campus in silence, Wyatt excusing himself at Melville while Elaine and Tansy continued on to the Crystal Hall.
"Could...could I talk with you for a minute?" Tansy asked as they arrived at the fixer patio.
The staff were lighting the Pillars - natural gas space-heaters - against the chill of the growing evening, with gas lamps on top for a golden, romantic glow. The fixers were closing up shop to make way for the love-birds that would be taking over the patio for date night. "Sure," Elaine replied as the pair bought cups of coffee from the bar and Elaine followed her lead to a secluded table. "What's on your mind?"
Tansy squirmed and couldn't meet her gaze. Lanie wondered what was coming; in her experience, Tansy was a top-drawer liar and could look you in the eye and tell you the sky was green and the grass blue. "I...well...I learned things ... that are of a personal nature by accident..."
After a moment of parsing through the odd phrasing, Elaine frowned. "You accidentally read someone's mind?" she demanded flatly. Tansy's fidgeting went up a notch and she finally forced herself to nod, still without meeting the redhead's gaze.
"I...I'm a touch...my power always worked better when I could touch someone," she admitted after a long moment. "I don't have to touch someone, but if I do I can go deeper. Ever since I discovered my power I guess I've just left it on by default."
"The better to blackmail with?" Lanie demanded and to her surprise, Tansy nodded, blushing.
"Ye...Yes," she said and wonder of wonders, it even sounded like she was ashamed of herself. "I helped your friend Kayda last week, when she was hiding from Mindbird..." She finally looked up into Elaine's face with what seemed to be genuine look of contrition on her face. "She...she was thinking about..." Tansy sighed and looked around to be sure they were being ignored, then leaned forward and whispered, "She was thinking about when she kissed you in some hot tub."
Elaine rolled her eyes and took a sip of coffee. "Yes, and?"
The blond blinked in surprise. "You...you don't care?"
"Care about what?" she demanded a little crossly. "That you know Ah was naked in hot tub with a bunch of other girls? No, Ah don't. Do Ah care that you know Ah kissed her? No, Ah don't. Why should Ah? What business is it of yours who Ah kiss?"
Tansy blinked, obviously stunned, then stood and came around the table to sit down next to Elaine. "Now I know why she sees you as being so strong," she said as she sat down. "Please...don't misunderstand me, I'm...I'm so confused. How do you not care?"
"Tansy, you're not making a lick of sense," Elaine started and paused when the other girl shuddered at the word lick. "What the hell is the matter with you?"
"I...I don't know," the other girl admitted. "I've just heard all my life that being gay was wrong! That it was perverse and evil and...and..." She saw the expression on Elaine's face and flinched. "Well, what do you expect from me?" she demanded. "I was a little kid and that's what my daddy said and daddy's preacher said and why wouldn't they be telling the truth?"
Elaine sighed and nodded, admitting the point. "Ah guess one of the best things about being Episcopalian is Ah grew up hearing about a God who loved me, not one that wanted to punish me. You obviously are trying to say you've changed your mind, why?"
"Right before I ran into Kayda, Montana attacked me." She paused and looked over at the Oak tree on the path down to Laird Hall. "I suppose I deserved it considering how I'd humiliated him. But, Banned Aides was there to heal me. He...he never had before. And when he touched me..."
"What?" she demanded. "Everybody knows what side of the street Kelly walks. You couldn't deal with a gay man...?"
"No," Tansy retorted quickly. "No, that's not it all." She looked back at the tree and into her mind's eye to see the young man's mind once more. "Yes, he's gay." She laughed mirthlessly. "Completely gay," she said shaking her head. "But he's so...beautiful. He only wants to help, without thought to himself without thought of himself. He would run into a burning building or across a battlefield to get to some stranger whose life he could save. I...I can't believe God would take me over him just because he's gay." Tansy looked back and met Elaine's eye without flinching. "He's more of a human being than I will ever be."
"If you can make a declaration like that, there's hope for you," Elaine told her.
In a hollow voice, the blonde said, "You don't know half of what I've done."
Elaine took a sip of coffee. "Maybe, but Ah do know that admitting you've done wrong is the first step to making it right. You're the one who says she's going to Bitches Anonymous, isn't admitting you're a bitch step one?" Tansy suppressed a laugh somehow without it becoming a snort.
"I suppose so," she said softly. After a long moment she turned and gazed into the other girl's eyes. "You know, I don't know how many boys I've let use me, but I've never felt anything like what Kayda felt when she kissed you."
"You're not a tool, Tansy," Elaine told her. "You're not a piece of furniture. And if you don't care about somebody, why are you having sex with them?"
"To get power over them," she whispered. "To use them back the way they were using me." Elaine sighed and put her coffee down before she held up her hand. Tansy looked at her curiously. "What?"
"Ah'm going to remember something," Lanie told her, offering the hand. "And Grizzly, mah spirit, is going to let you remember it with me. But Ah warn you, Tansy, they just reclassified me and Ah'm an Exemplar Four now; if you try something, Grizzly will know, and we will break every bone in your hand."
Tansy blushed and looked away. "I...I'd rather not experience something...like...that... Thank you, though."
Lanie raised an eyebrow. "You don't think Ah'm so cruel as to make an obvious ... well ... homophobe is a strong word, but let's say someone who is uncomfortable around gay people experience a homosexual act, do you?"
Tansy blinked in surprise. "Then, what...?"
"Ah love Wyatt, Tansy," she told her softly holding up her hand where his ring rode on her finger. "Ah intend to marry him and have his children." Again the blonde shuddered. "And since you have been with him too, Ah thought you might want to know what being with a man you love feels like. So you could compare it to your own memories."
She sighed, shaking her head in amazement and finally looked up. "You...you are everything she thinks you are. I..."
"Tansy!" The two girls looked up in time to see Dale Townsend come rushing up. "Mrs. Nelson said to see you! Where is Clover?" Mindbird was obviously in a panic, then started seeing who Tansy was sitting with. "Loophole? I thought you two hated each other?"
Walcutt blinked in surprise. "Are my personal friends a security matter?" she demanded crossly. "And what do you want Clover for?" She stood in exasperation. "What has she done now?"
Mindbird shook her head. "No, nothing! I need her to make some tea for Kayda!"
Now it was Elaine's turn to blink in surprise. "Why doesn't she make her own?"
"She says you have to have magic to make it and with her magic sealed and under arrest..."
"What?" shrieked Elaine, jumping to her feet.
"You didn't hear?" demanded Dale. "She killed Heyoka! Or at least they think she did! They've got her in Kane Hall in a cell." She turned back to Tansy. "Please! Do you know where Clover is?"
"She's having a slumber party with Irene in Melville," Tansy replied, with a glance at Elaine. "I'll take Dale...?"
"Yes, that's fine, Ah've got to get to Kane. You'll be alright?"
Tansy smiled weakly. "Go help your friend."
Elaine paused long enough to give Tansy a smile in thanks and then she was off at a trot. Most of Schuster Hall would be closed this time of night so she took the long way around the bulk of the Crystal Hall, then the rectangular kitchen extension that jutted off from it, away from Schuster Hall and its triple loading dock and steep ramps for the delivery trucks. From there it was a brisk walk through the parking lot of Schuster Hall to come in the side door of Kane Hall and into the security center.
The desk guard only just looked up from his Kindle. "Can I help you?"
"Elaine Nalley to see Kayda Franks," she declared. He turned back to his computer and typed.
"If you have your pistol on you, you need to surrender it," he told her. Elaine sighed, removed her father's .45 from the holster in the small of her back, cleared it, and presented it with the slide locked open. The guard re-cleared it, placed in the row of gun safes built into the wall behind him, turned the key and removed it, handing it to her. "Sign in," he directed at the little reader by the desk that Elaine swiped her ID through. There was a click, and the security door opened. He led her back into the cells and opened the warded one in the back.
Kayda looked up as the door opened, her eyes dull and practically without life. Seeing her was like being punched in the gut. Elaine rushed in and swept the smaller girl into a hug. The human touch seemed to get through to her and her eyes became a bit more alive. "Lanie? Lanie, I want to go home..."
"Ah'm here, baby, it'll be alright," murmured Elaine as she felt Grizzly come through the warded door thanks to her tie to Elaine. The spirit engulfed both girls and Kayda's breath quickened a bit. "Kayda, what's going on?"
You are not alone, the spirit whispered into the shaman girl's mind and she could feel her spirits through Grizzly's link back to the March of Dreams, but it was like seeing old friends on the deck of a ship, still a ways from the pier.
"Oh, Lanie!" she gasped, grabbing at her friend and this brief glance into the world she had been sealed off from like a drowning victim clinging to a bit of flotsam. "I don't know! They think I killed Jamie!"
"Ah know you didn't," Lanie whispered, smoothing the other girl's hair. "Ah know."
"They won't believe me!" Kayda managed around her fear and emotion. "I keep telling them and..."
"When was Heyoka killed? Where were you?"
The Lakota girl flushed dark brown. "When...when we...you and I..."
"Then you're as good as sprung!" Lanie enthused as she stood carefully. Kayda didn't want to let go. "Ah'll just go tell Chief Delarose and..."
"No!" the other whimpered. "He'll want to know what we were doing! You can't tell him - it would out us both!"
"Do you think Ah give two shits what these nerds on this campus think of me?" Lanie demanded. "Grizzly is right about only worrying about what you think of yourself! They're only jealous because they'll think Wyatt has his way with both of us and they want a piece of that action! As if!"
Kayda curled into a ball. "I...I can't! I'm...I'm not strong like you! It's hard enough and they'll be staring and whispering and..."
"Kayda, baby, they do that now," Lanie pressed, but the ruddy-skinned girl shook her head adamantly.
"No, Lanie!" she shouted. "I can not do that! I...I just can't!"
"Alright," Lanie acquiesced. "Ah won't say anything to Chief Delarose..."
Her face shot up, wide eyed and frantic. "Don't split hairs, Lanie! Don't tell anyone! Promise me!"
"Mrs. Carson..."
"Promise me!" the other girl wailed. Finally Elaine nodded.
"Ah promise. Ah'll run over to Poe and get your night clothes and some pillows. Do you want something specific?"
"Hurry back," the other girl whispered. "I...I don't want to be alone. I'm ... I'm scared."
"You are not alone," Lanie and Grizzly assured her. "We'll be right back!"
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Late Evening
Basement of the secret base of Charles Darrow, Boston
The Witch panted as her spell was finished. Hours she had cast, and was now physically and magically drained. She had used an obscene amount of essence, but she had plenty stored. She was as weak as a new born kitten, but safe here and well warded. She had no fear of attack from without.
From within, the object of her designs was still in the circle where it had been summoned. Already it...now her form was changing, molding herself to the will of the Witch and her spell. What had been her target was now her thrall, consumed and severed of her own will, now only burning with the naked hatred of Nikki Reilly that The Witch had given her. Even this early it was obvious the Witch had out done herself. This would be a master stroke, prelude to a killing stroke.
The Witch smiled and locked the door of her workshop on her way to bed. In the morning, the next phase of her plan would begin and tonight she would dream warm, comfortable dreams of bloody revenge.
Sweet, sweet revenge. The Witch could hardly wait.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - About 10:30 pm
Emerson Cottage, Whateley Academy
Steve Nalley made good use of it being two green flag days in a row. He'd been struggling through a reading assignment for world history when Mr. Filbert had stuck his head into the room he shared with Mechano Man. Steve didn't ask questions when Mr. Filbert told him that Mrs. Horton had called, requesting him. He knew that Mrs. Horton was Marty's house mother; if she wanted him, there could only be one reason. He had been out the door like a shot and his flight had him landing at Poe's door in seconds.
Ayla was waiting for him. "Come with me," the young mogul had ordered, leading the way upstairs. Despite Mrs. Horton's commands, a small crowd had formed around the door to the room. Stronghold could hear his girl's frantic sobbing and stepped around his guide.
"Get out of mah way or get moved!" he bellowed. The curious Poesies parted like the Red Sea before this Heart-of-Dixie Moses. Marty saw her boyfriend and leapt up from the bed where Mrs. Horton was trying to comfort her and flung herself into his surprised arms. "What happened? He demanded. "Marty, are you hurt, baby?"
"They killed him!" she shrieked into his chest. "They're going to kill us all! They won't stop! None of them!"
Steve gently maneuvered her into the room again, and kicked the door closed, putting an end to the floor show. "No one will hurt you," he swore. "Not while I'm here, baby, not while I'll keep you safe!"
"Don't you see?" she wailed. "They hate us! They killed Jamie because he didn't fit in their little gender boxes and now they're going to kill us all! Every...!" her mouth snapped shut as she jerked trying to speak and unable.
"Marty?" he asked, startled. "Marty!"
She couldn't speak for the sobs and hiccups that wracked her. Finally, Mrs. Horton got up and pronounced a heavy sounding word while she touched Marty's forehead. The young blonde sagged as she lost consciousness so completely that her shell dissipated and the young, thin, mostly-androgynous boy underneath was exposed. Steve picked him up and laid him gently on his bed, gently brushing the hair from his face as he did so.
"What's happened?" he demanded of the house parent.
Mrs. Horton's dark eyes bored into Stronghold's soul. "Sit verum audietur. Sit verum sciri!" she declared.
Stronghold felt the sudden warmth of the Denatured Adamantium in his uniform try and fail to block the magic and balled his fists. "Ah wasn't raised to hit a woman, but mah hand of God, Mrs. Horton, if you try to hurt Marty..."
"You knew Marty is a boy under her TK shell, didn't you?"
"Marty is becoming a woman!" he shot back. "She wants to be woman and that's all that matters!"
"Would you kill to defend her?"
"In a New York minute!"
"Will you ever hurt her?"
"God strike me dead first!"
Mrs. Horton sighed and sank back onto the edge of the bed. "I won't hurt your love, Stephen. Sit down, son, let's have a chat." Stronghold was taken aback by the odd turn the conversation had taken, but pulled out a chair from Marty's desk and sank into it. "Marty will be alright," she promised. "She jerked because of a spell placed on her...placed on all my students." Her dark eyes bored into his soul again. "Can you guess why?"
"Spell? All...?" Steve blinked. "Everybody in Poe is gender changing?"
Mrs. Horton smiled. "No, not all. Poe has a secret, it is where we put those who are changing, or gay, or lesbian, where they can support each other. Because Marty is so upset, she was going to accidentally reveal that secret, and the spell wouldn't allow her. A spell I have to put on you now, Steve."
He looked at the sleeping boy on the bed and nodded. "Oh...ok. But, why is Lanie is Whitman then? She...?"
Mrs. Horton squirmed in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with the question. "Stephen, normally, I don't talk about other students, but as you have something of a special situation, I will say that your sister 'discovered herself' here. There was some talk about moving her last year, but it was decided not to for reasons I won't go into with you. Now, does she know that you are aware of her...preferences?" Stephen shook his head.
"No ma'am. I...I found out through someone else."
"I think you and she need to have a conversation, don't you?" the house parent asked softly. The young man nodded his promise, then turned back to his love, the anguish on his face.
"Why is she so upset? She doesn't think Kayda killed Heyoka does she?"
"Oh, of course not," Mrs. Horton replied. "None of us do. But of all my students, this school, even life itself, is toughest on my changelings. They don't really belong anywhere or with anyone anymore."/p>
"But, soon..."
"Stephen, Marty won't ever not be a changeling," she cautioned him softly. "She'll have a vagina someday, and menstrual cramps and, God willing, beautiful healthy children." With a twinkle in her eye, Mrs. Horton said, "You might even have something to do with that."
Stronghold blushed fiercely, and with a tenderness most wouldn't ascribe to a PK Superman, he again brushed the lock of hair from her sleeping face. "I hope I'm that lucky," he whispered.
"But, despite that, son, Martine's past, thisMarty - Martin - lying here, this won't ever go away for her. And in the back of her mind, whenever she's happiest, whenever she thinks she's finally put it behind her, something will remind her that this, Martin, is who she used to be. Something will renew her fear that her secret will be exposed, putting her in new danger. And, sadly, there will always be those who will be only too happy to remind her. It will take a very strong man to be there for her when she goes through this."
"If..." he stammered. "If I ain't him, I guess I can hang around till he shows up."
Mrs. Horton stood and smiled. "I think he's here already, Stephen Nalley." She made a gesture and touched his forehead. "I seal this truth within you, to aid your honor and only with those you know to be privy to this secret may you speak, lest I free you by Libere loqui." A strange feeling churned in the pit of his stomach and he nodded.
"No one will hurt her, not while I'm around; I swear." He looked down at Marty again, then back up at Mrs. Horton. "Can, can I stay until she wakes up?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - About 11 pm
Private Lab, Devisor Tunnels, Whateley Academy
Not that she didn't trust the electronic, key-coded locks, but ... well, on second thought, she didn't trust the electronic locks. Not with so many skilled gadgeteers and devisors around Whateley. Especially Belphegor, the fat thieving slob. Satisfied the door was secure, Tweak set her laptop on the workbench and plugged a special plug into what appeared to be a normal power outlet.
Instantly, the computer recognized the external data source that was the lab's secret security camera, battery-run and well-hidden. She wasn't sure if the Secret Squirrels had found it yet or not, but she had reason to believe not. First, they had no reason to check up on her - which was just fine as far as she was concerned. Second, she'd left working 'bait' cameras around, and they hadn't been messed with.
It took her computer about thirty seconds to analyze the video for any motion or intrusion. Satisfied that there had been none, Tweak plugged her computer into a second network and hovered over the keyboard, entering keystrokes. This was the tricky part; according to information she'd gleaned, this was the time that security transferred their sensor data files to the archives, and they were vulnerable to snooping. She looked at a display that monitored the transfers. Damn! She was a few minutes late; the data transfers had already started. A few keystrokes and her computer put an electronic tap on the data movement, copying the files into her computer for analysis.
She was going to show Cueball and the other Masterminds that she had what it took to join that club! She could impress Cueball that she was worthy of her attention! Tweak was honest enough with herself to admit that she had a huge thing for Cueball - and why not? He was very smart and quite crafty; his approach to crime was to treat it like a business, and he was learning business to further his goals. He was her ideal of a Mastermind - someone prudent about villainy. She strongly suspected that when Cueball finished his business studies, he'd use profit margin and comparative risk analysis of all types of criminal activities, selecting those with the highest payoff for given risk. Unlike many of the other - immature - boys, Cueball wasn't drooling over or chasing after the hot exemplar babes, which suited Tweak just fine. She knew that she was reasonably cute, and she kept herself looking nice, but she also knew that she wasn't in the same league as Fey or Cytherea or any of the other exemplar babes. So she had a chance with Cueball - he seemed to respect cunning and intelligence more than looks, and she had both. And she wanted to be by his side, aiding and abetting as she showed that self-righteous son-of-a-bitch who'd impregnated her mother and then mooched off her for years, all the while pretending to be an upstanding hero and defender of good.
Tweak had looked up to her dad for years, wanting desperately to be a hero like he was. It was only later - after he'd abandoned her and her mom - that she learned the ugly truth. He had a huge gambling problem, and he took money on the side to 'overlook' certain criminal activities. Tweak's mom worked two jobs to try to support his increasingly rapacious need for money - a cashier during the day and a strip dancer at night, all the while dear-old-dad fooled around, using the appeal of super-hero-dom to bed lots of adoring young ladies. And then he left, leaving Tweak and her mom to fend for themselves. Tweak's illusions of a good superhero were shattered, leaving her bitter and swearing to never emulate the asshole or any other caped hypocrite.
Instead, she would join the Masterminds, a group who were at least honest in what they were doing - and whose goal in life was to stick it to the phony heroes. First, though, she'd have to prove herself worthy, and what better way than to figure out how to spoof the remote monitors that were all around campus. Good gadgeteers were in high demand in the criminal world; outwitting increasingly sophisticated electronic security systems took talent. But first, she had to figure out how they worked, what data they collected. And so, from the myriad of data streams, she selected one that looked promising; it was a remote monitor north of Holbrook Arena.
As she began a signal analysis to tease out the various different components - she suspected visual, infra-red, and a couple of other sensors merged into one data stream. And so she sicced her analysis program - one of her own design - onto the data, a genetic algorithm to tear into the data stream, analyze it using various tools, and then 'mutating' the strategy to try again, saving only the best mutations for 'breeding' successive attempts.
Within seconds, an alarm flashed on her screen, catching her attention. She read the message - there was something hinky about this particular data stream. It was throwing off generations of program evolution.
After thinking for a few seconds, Tweak connected her computer to some of her electronic equipment and played the data stream out to it.
"What the hell?" she mouthed to herself as she looked at a Fourier analysis of the signal. "Where did you come from?" The signal showed a component that she'd never seen before, a weak, higher-frequency additional signal mixed on top of what she'd expected. Perhaps Security had added a new sensor; if so, it stood out like a beacon, and so should be very easy to isolate and analyze.
It took almost no time for Tweak to configure a sixth-order Chebyshev bandpass filter; when the original data was played through it, a near-pristine, amplified, isolated signal popped out as if by magic.
"Now let's see what you are," Tweak said to herself. She started as she examined it; it seemed like simple, unencrypted, unscrambled video encoding, like one would get from an off-the-shelf wireless security camera. She shook her head; this was no challenge at all; software to decode such a video stream was part of the standard software kit on every Whateley laptop! Still, it was something new. A few keystrokes and a few connections later, she played the snippet of data into her computer, into the software decoder.
Tweak gasped at the scene showing on her laptop. It was the inside of some building or structure, dimly lit, but what grabbed her attention were the two nude figures writhing on some kind of rug, bodies intertwined in frantic sex. She stared, mesmerized and at the same time repulsed by the hot, lesbian sex scene she was viewing. Only too quickly, the short file finished playing, leaving a freeze-frame image - the last complete frame - on her computer screen. "Loophole!" she gasped as she recognized one of the two girls. And the other - she wasn't quite sure, but her makeup looked strangely like that silly Native American pattern that new girl - Pejuta? - wore.
Tweak bit her lip; this could be worth a fortune! And it could be her ticket into the Masterminds. She had blackmail material, proof of something that would humiliate her gadgeteer rival, the girl whose work overshadowed that of everyone else in the labs. Slowly, a grin crept over her face. She'd own Elaine Nalley, getting her to work for her, and at the same time, her ability to 'persuade' the so-called Lab Queen to be her minion would easily earn entrance into the Masterminds. And Cueball couldn't help but notice her skill!
It couldn't be more perfect.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - About 11:00 pm
Poe Cottage, Whateley Academy
No sooner had Lanie walked into the cottage than she was in a sea of curious girls.
"Is it true that Kayda's been taken away?" "Where is she?" "Is she okay?" "Did she really kill Jamie?"
Lanie shook her head. "Ah don't know much more than y'all do," she replied sternly.
A girl jostled her way through the mini-throng. "Lanie, is she okay?" Evvie asked, looking horror-stricken at the rumors she'd been hearing about her roommate. "It isn't true, is it?"
"Ah know for a fact that she didn't kill Jamie," Lanie told Evvie with a confidence that pierced the roommate's sense of gloom and doom. "There's evidence against her, but ... she didn't do it."
Suddenly, the sea of girls swarming around Lanie parted as if by magic, and Mrs. Horton strode to the girl's side. "Come with me for a moment, please," she indicated to Lanie. As soon as she closed the door to her apartment behind them, Bella turned to Lanie. "What's going on with Kayda? I was notified earlier that someone had ..." she lowered her head, shaking it, "had killed Jamie." The words came hard to her. "And now Kayda's been detained. Do they think she did it?"
Lanie nodded with a grimace. "Ah'm afraid so." She saw the shock on Mrs. Horton's face. A couple weeks earlier, Apathy had disappeared, and then turned up dead. Now Heyoka had been brutally murdered, and a third one of her charges was the most likely suspect.
Events were taking an emotional toll on Mrs. Horton. "Did she?" she asked warily.
Lanie shook her head. "No. Ah know that for certain." She read the questioning look on Bella's face. "We were, um, together," she explained, blushing so that her cheeks matched her hair color.
"You two ...?"
The redhead nodded. "So Kayda doesn't have a good alibi."
"Except to out both of you," Bella said with grim certainty.
"Even that might not be enough," Lanie continued. "Somehow, her RFID tag shows her in the tunnels around the time of the murder - even though we were ...."
Mrs. Horton sighed heavily. "What happened?"
"Someone ... dosed us with something," Lanie said, flinching at the memories of their desperate, insatiable lust. "Some kind of ... hyper-aphrodisiac." She saw the hopeful look on Mrs. Horton's face. "Ah already scanned the items that might have been used to ... infect us," she added quickly, "and we both had blood tests done in Doyle. Whatever it was left no trace."
"So ... it's a setup?"
Lanie nodded. "Ah got a note sayin' she wanted mah help at the sweat lodge. She was ... um, already seriously infected," she decided to explain. "Neither of us could stop." Her cheeks were rosy from blushing again. She took a deep breath. "Whoever is doin' this is playin' a very deep game," she continued. "Cody got a video of the whole thing," she fought extreme embarrassment, "to try to anger him. Ah think whoever did this was tryin' to get him to go rager at her."
"She has to tell Mrs. Carson what's going on!" Bella insisted firmly. She took a hold of the red-head's shoulders, her expression sad. "Elaine, you know I don't want to ask this of you, but could you live with being outed?"
"Ah tried to tell her that." She shook her head. She sighed and shrugged and looked away. "Ah've already had to deal with some of it from mah Circle of Masters trial. Ah guess Maria and Ah weren't as discreet as we thought we were. Hell, Ah don't care who here knows." She laughed a hollow laugh. "Half of them probably will be wishing they had it as good as they'll imagine Cody has it with me and Kayda..."
"I'll have a chat with Mr. Cody," Mrs. Horton started, but Elaine shook her head.
"He won't be spreading it, ma'am. Believe it or not, that's not who he is." The house mother gave the young girl a long, measuring look before letting the matter pass. "Ah already looked at the video," Lanie explained in a heavy voice. "There are no time markers, so there's no way to prove it happened today or yesterday or last week."
"Is there anything I can do?"
Lanie nodded. "You might have to convince her that outing the two of us is her only hope. Ah know she's terrified of doing that, of what it'd mean to the two of us, what with all the gay-bashers on campus. Ah think she thinks she's tryin' to protect me from that, but Ah don t think she realized how much danger she's in. She's exhausted and traumatized by losin' her magic and her connection to her spirits, and Ah know she's not thinkin' too rationally. Ah told her that she had mah permission - in fact, Ah insisted on it, but she's still afraid - more for me than for herself. But if she doesn't, the State's Attorney and the MCO might get their hands on her, and ...." She shook her head, grimacing at the thought. Lanie read Mrs. Horton's expression. "Yeah, someone tipped off the State's Attorney and the MCO offices, and they've already got reps here nagging Mrs. C."
"I'll get some of the older girls trying to control the rumors, at least within Poe."
"If you don't mind, Ah was going to get a few comfort items to take to her."
"Go right ahead. Is there anything else?"
Lanie nodded. "Pray."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Late Evening
Franks Family Farm, South Dakota
Pete franks sighed heavily as he viewed the travel reservations website. June picked up on her husband's mood from subtle hints from her husband. "What?" she asked bluntly.
"We can't guarantee arrival until Tuesday morning. Best I can do is standby for Monday."
"What about ... through New York? Or Boston?"
Pete shook his head in frustration. "I've tried everything. Hell, I even looked at flying into Boston and taking that train of theirs!" He banged his fist on the computer desk in frustration. "I don't know what the hell is going on, but flights into everything in New England are booked solid!"
"Take what we can get," June said, standing and putting her hands on Pete's shoulders, rubbing them out of habit as she did whenever he got tense. "And we'll have to pray and hope that Mrs. Carson was being honest when she said she had her best people on it, and she's certain that it'll turn up that someone is trying to frame Kayda."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Late Evening
Security Cell, Kane Hall, Whateley Academy
Janice sat in a chair facing the bed in the cell, on which a visibly shaken and distraught girl lay curled up in a fetal position, facing her. To one side of her, Dr. Bellows occupied another chair. Sam stood by the closed cell door. "Kayda," Janice said soothingly, "you need to talk to us."
"You think I did it, don't you?" the girl muttered, her voice devoid of emotion and weak.
"No, Kayda," Dr. Bellows said firmly. "I don't think you would consciously do such a thing."
"But you think I did it - while I was having an attack," the girl said.
"Kayda, the only times you've had a violent attack with your PTSD are when you've been attacked first, and by a male," Dr. Bellows continued.
"Were you attacked?" Janice asked.
"No," Kayda answered. "You think I did it, don't you?" she repeated sullenly.
"Kayda," Dr. Bellows said soothingly, "I'm not going to lie to you. It really doesn't look very good for you right now."
"All the evidence so far points to you," Janice continued that line of thought. "We need to know where you were, and who you were with someone that can vouch for you."
"I was in the sweat lodge," the girl without thinking. "By myself," she added hastily.
Janice glanced toward Dr. Bellows, surprised at the certainty with which she'd attested to being alone, and being an experienced enough interrogator to see it for the pale lie it was.
"Kayda," Dr. Bellows tried another tack, "right now, you're looking at Murder One - premeditated murder. And as a mutant, you would most likely get the death penalty."
"But I didn't do it."
"That's not what the evidence so far says," Janice prodded further. "Why were you at the sweat lodge? No one...saw you go out?"
"I ... I got a note from Mule that he wanted to meet about the team simulator tomorrow," the girl finally admitted. "And Lupine suggested the sweat lodge because ... because we might get a blessing that would help us."
"Do you have the note?" Janice asked hopefully.
"I ... I don't know," Kayda shook her head weakly. "I think I put it back in my purse."
Sam shook her head after a brief moment. "The contents of your purse were inventoried. There is no note."
"I ... it might have fallen out," the girl replied softly, "in the sweat lodge. Or when I was walking there from ... from the guest cottages."
"Did you send a note to Heyoka yesterday morning?" Sam continued probing gently.
"No," Kayda answered. "I was ... busy ... all morning."
"And someone was with you in the morning?"
Kayda nodded. "My ... friend from back home was with Lanie, Cody, and me in the simulator. We were ... on Lanie's sailboat simulation. Then we had lunch, and I went with her to say goodbye. And then I went to the sweat lodge."
Sam nodded. "That would be Debra Matson?"
"Yes."
"I'll contact her to confirm your whereabouts."
"Can ... can you tell her ... what's happening?" Kayda sobbed, the first display of emotion from the emotionally-exhausted girl. "I ... I can't dream-walk with her! Not without my magic! And they won't let me call her!"
Dr. Bellows and Janice exchanged a knowing glance. "Okay, Kayda," Dr. Bellows replied.
"Let's let her rest," Janice said to Sam and Dr. Bellows. "We can talk to her more tomorrow." Janice stood and walked with Sam to the door. As the guard opened the cell door, she continued. "Can you find out how Ms. Hartford is doing tracking down the note that Heyoka got?"
"We'll go out to the sweat lodge at first sunlight." Sam stepped through the now-open cell door. "We might want someone knowledgeable about the lodge to accompany us."
"Good idea." Janice paused, laying a hand on Sam to hold on now that they were out of earshot of the cells. "And Sam, she's lying. There was someone with her. If we can find out who...?"
The Admiral nodded. "That might be the key to this whole thing. I'll see what I can find out."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Very Late Evening
Security Detention Area, Kane Hall, Whateley Academy
Clover's eyes were wide in shock and fear as she let Mindbird lead her into the cell holding Kayda. She'd never seen the Lakota girl look so ... haggard, almost like the living dead.
"It's okay, Clover," Mindbird said, holding the junior-high girl's hand.
"What ... what happened to her?" Clover stammered, unable to take her eyes away from the girl who'd been so friendly and helpful with her magic tea.
Mindbird flinched, on the spot to tell Clover something without causing the rumor-mill to run rampant. "Something ... happened ... to Jamie Carson ..."
"Heyoka? The kid who got killed in the arena?" Clover asked curiously.
The rumors were flying fast and furious, Mindbird realized. "Yeah."
"Did Kayda kill him?" she asked, eyes bulging as she stared fearfully at the near-catatonic girl. "Is that why she's in jail?"
"We don t know yet," Mindbird replied. She saw an opportunity to help curb rumors and to educate the girl. "In our system, a person is considered innocent of a crime until they're proven guilty."
"So why's she in jail then?"
"Kayda ... tried to run away from school last week," Mindbird said carefully, "when she was afraid that she'd hurt a friend. Because of that, and because she's a suspect, she has to be kept here so she doesn't try to run away again."
"Oh." The girl glanced between Kayda and Mindbird. "Why did you bring me here?"
"Part of being kept here is that her magic has been sealed. She can't access any of her essence or magic," Mindbird explained.
Clover's eyes, which were already wide, threatened to bulge out of their sockets. "They can do that?" she asked very nervously.
Mindbird nodded. "It's very traumatic - it hurts a lot when that happens." She knelt down so she was looking more eye-to-eye with the young girl. "Kayda needs her tea to help her, but with her magic sealed, she can't make it."
"She can't?!?"
"No, and that's why I brought you over here. She did a big favor for you by teaching you how to make the special tea. I'd like you to make some to try to help her now."
"But ... but she made me do a sorcerer's contract," Clover stammered.
"I know," Mindbird explained. "And if you help her now, she'll agree that the favor has been repaid."
Clover pondered that for a moment. "You can't make her agree to that. Did she say that?"
Mindbird flinched at the girl's logic. "She can't, Clover," she replied. "She's ... almost unconscious." She saw the young witch staring at her tea benefactor. "How about this - if she doesn't agree, then I'll agree to owe you a favor."
The girl's eyes opened wide, and one could practically see the gears turning as she thought about the possibilities.
Mindbird noticed. "But I won't do anything to break any rules. Okay?"
Clover thought a second or two. "Okay." She took Mindbird's hand in her own and shook. "Deal and deal."
"Get out your supplies," Mindbird directed, "while I get a cup of water." Working from memory - which was pretty good - Clover said the incantations and sprinkled the ingredients into the cup. A small flash in the cup signaled that the magic was completed.
Mindbird sat down on the bed and carefully lifted Kayda to a sitting position. "Kayda?" she asked softly, "I've got something that should help you." Kayda's eyes opened a bit and she stared blankly at Mindbird, trying to focus. Mindbird reached out and took the cup from Clover. "I had Clover make you some tea," she said gently. "Drink some. It should help you." She held it up toward Kayda's mouth.
The girl stared at it for a few seconds, and then slowly reached up her shaking hands, cradling the cup of the precious tea. "Clover?" she asked. Slowly, she brought the cup to her lips, still trembling, and took a sip.
The small amount of essence in the tea was a splash of water on a parched land that immediately absorbed it. The essence begun to spread, bring relief to Kayda's inner magical core, soothing it after the sudden, painful removal of all of her essence mere hours before. For a moment, the girl's features softened as some of the ache was soothed.
But no sooner had it begun to calm and comfort Kayda than the charm, still around her neck, grabbed hold of the essence and violently ripped it away, stealing it to the untouchable magic repository that it contained. Kayda was wracked by a massive spasm, much bigger than in the cafeteria, and the ache of her missing essence became a stabbing pain that wrenched her guts. Her stomach convulsed violently and what little fluid was there was expelled.
When Kayda quit convulsing after nearly a minute, Mindbird, apoplectic over what the tea had done, held the girl close. "I'm sorry, Kayda," she said, almost weeping. "I'm so sorry. I ... didn't know it would do that to you!" Over and over she apologized profusely, trying desperately to comfort the stricken Lakota girl and ignoring the vomit spattered on her armored suit. When Kayda's breathing seemed regular again, she gently laid the girl back on the cot. "I'm so sorry," she repeated, standing and getting some paper towels from the tiny sink in the cell, and then wiping Kayda's face.
Only then did she become aware that Clover was watching her, horror-stricken. "See if she'll take some plain water," Mindbird told the shocked little girl. "A sip or two. I'm going to call Doyle so a doc will come to look at her. And then get this mess cleaned up once we know she's okay." Inwardly, she was kicking herself. Her attempt to help the girl had backfired badly; Kayda's pallor was far more noticeable, and she seemed to be closer to full-blown catatonia.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Very Late Evening
Highway 110, Between Berlin and Dunwich
The gloom of night felt less heavy than the frustration felt by Jerome Hervik as he drove back to Berlin from Whateley. In the passenger seat, Agent Dougan was working feverishly on his laptop, seemingly oblivious to the darkness around them.
"I had a feeling she was going to pull something like that," he grumbled aloud.
Dougan looked up, interrupted from whatever he was working on. "What?" he asked as Hervik's words caught up to his thoughts. "Oh, yeah. My predecessor left some copious notes on Mrs. Carson and Whateley. They said she's tricky to deal with."
Hervik nodded. "We had her! They have no grounds to not turn her over to us."
Dougan snorted. "She knows the laws, regulations, and policies associated with that school inside-out and backwards." He shook his head. "Face it, Jerry - she played us."
"What pisses me off is that they're going to get away with it!" Hervik said disgustedly. "They're trying to protect a murderer - just because she's a mutant."
Dougan started chuckling. "Maybe not."
Hervik arched an eyebrow. "What?" he asked simply.
"My ... friend ... in security gave me a few ... notes. Some incidents in the girl's file." He was almost chortling in glee. "It seems she has PTSD, and has had several episodes where she's been in an uncontrollable rage. She severely wounded a boy in her hometown with a tomahawk, and was ready to deliberately kill another, but she was dissuaded by her friends. She attacked students twice and a training dummy once in a rage - and would have injured or killed them had they not been invulnerable."
Hervik's mind was racing with this news. "So ... I can persuade the administration that the State's Attorney's office would be willing to accept a plea bargain of manslaughter with extenuating psychological reasons."
Dougan frowned. "What good does that do?"
Hervik's grin was purely evil. "It'll convince them that we will go light on charges for a guilty plea, that the girl will get a probation and counseling for her PTSD since she's a minor."
"But...?"
Hervik chuckled. "Once we get our hands on her, it's full-court press for Murder One."
"And the needle?" Dougan asked.
"Of course," Hervik said with an evil grin.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 5th, 2007 - Almost Midnight
Security Duty Office, Kane Hall, Whateley Academy
"Ah demand to see mah friend!" the redhead snapped to the duty officer.
"I'm sorry, but you're not permitted to see her," the duty officer replied gruffly. "Visiting hours are over."
Lanie frowned at him. "According to regulations," she began to cite, "if a student in detention is in distress, you have to make provisions to ensure maximum physical and psychological comfort. Ah happen to know that mah friend is in severe psychological discomfort because her magic has been locked away from her."
"You're not a psychologist," the duty officer replied curtly.
"Then you are required to call one to get an assessment of Kayda's condition." She saw the officer looking uneasily at her. "Go on, look it up. Ah'll wait."
"He left about thirty minutes ago,"
"Call him," Lanie insisted. She fought the urge to call forth her Grizzly spirit to intimidate the man; it would have made it so much easier to ... persuade him ... to be cooperative. But the lesson of the morning hadn't been lost on her. Besides, security would respond with extreme force, and that wouldn't help Kayda one bit.
"I'm sorry, but ...."
"Would you like to be on the receiving end of a grievance, followed by a lawsuit if anything happens to the detainee?" Lanie asked. "Because you didn't follow procedures and regulations?" She pointed over her shoulder at the camera trained on the desk. "It's not like you'll be able to lie about this conversation or having been notified of..."
The man flinched. "I'll call him," he reluctantly gave in.
Five minutes later, Lanie was let into the cell with her friend. "Hi," she said as she sat down, trying not to flinch at the sight of the girl. Her eyes were fixed in the thousand-yard-stare. She was pale, looking utterly and completely broken psychologically, her clothing rumpled and her hair mussed. She looked like she was catatonic. "Kayda?" Lanie asked again. Again, there was no reply. "Kayda?" she tried a third time.
Lanie turned toward the door, to the security officer standing guard outside the cell. "Get Dr. Bellows! Now!" she barked. The man hesitated. "She's having a PTSD attack!" Lanie tried to get through the man's thick skull. "She needs Dr. Bellows' help now!"
As the guard hastened out to the security desk, Lanie picked up Kayda and cradled the Lakota girl in her lap, hugging her tightly. "It's okay, Kayda," she said in as soothing and calming a voice as she could manage. "It's going to be okay, Sister." She wished she could sound more confident.
* * * * * * * * * *
Deathless face alight with your smile, you asked me
What I suffered, who was my cause of anguish,
What would ease the pain of my frantic mind, and
Why had I called you
Hymn to Aphrodite, Sappho
Sunday, May 6th, 2007 - 5:45 am
The Nations Sweat Lodge, Whateley Academy
"When I said early," Janice Talbert grumbled between sips from her travel mug as the trio walked through the woods approaching the sweat lodge, "I didn't think you'd interpret that as first light."
"Imagine how I feel!" Lifeline complained. "Sunday mornings are meant for sleeping in."
Janice took another sip from her cup, wincing at the strong, bitter taste. "Where the hell did you get this coffee, anyway?" she said with a grimace. "It sure isn't from the cafeteria. Or from the coffee mess in Kane."
Sam chuckled. "It's Devisor coffee," she explained. "I had an officer pick it up this morning, since I figured you'd need a lot of caffeine to keep going after an all-nighter."
Lifeline paused as they broke out of the trees and into the clearing around the sweat lodge. "Can I ask what's going on?" she said. "First we heard that Jamie got killed ..."
Sam nodded, her face carefully neutral. "He did."
"And then there are rumors that Kayda killed him and was hauled off by the MCO," Lifeline continued.
Sam and Janice exchanged a wary glance which didn't go unnoticed. "Kayda is a suspect," Janice admitted warily, "but she is not the only suspect, nor has she been hauled off by the MCO."
"So why are we out here at the crack of dawn?" Lifeline's question was obvious. "Unless ... " she thought a moment. "Unless Kayda's alibi is that she was out here and not in the arena when Heyoka got attacked," she deduced quickly. "And you're out here to look for evidence." She saw the two exchange glances again. "And you brought me along because I know how things are supposed to be, right?"
"Very good," Janice said respectfully. "I was told that the girls in the Whateley Book Club were rather accomplished detectives; I see that wasn't an exaggeration."
"So you want my help looking for anything that seems out of place?"
Sam shook her head. "In a way, yes. Mostly, you're here to help us ..."
"Like the tent flap?" Maggie interrupted.
"The what?"
"That's a new tent flap," Maggie said confidently. "Where's the old one?"
Janice arched her eyebrows. "How do you know?"
Maggie shook her head. "Because I made the one that was here four days ago." She pointed at the flap, which was slightly mismatched in color. "And that is not the one I made."
Janice cocked her head to one side, walking slowly toward the covered opening. "Are you absolutely certain?"
"Positive."
Janice halted a few feet from the entrance, looking around the ground near the sweat lodge. "This area looks disturbed, too, like there's been a lot of activity around the entrance," she said. "Maggie," she asked, turning toward Lifeline, "in the ceremonies your group does here, is there a lot of activity around the entrance?"
Maggie shook her head. "No. Everyone just goes in."
"What's the fire pit for?" Sam asked, looking at a fire pit fifteen or so feet from the sweat lodge in the center of the clearing."
"It's kind of like a campfire." Lifeline explained, shrugging. "It's our fire circle. The traditional way to have a sweat lodge ceremony is to heat rocks in the fire circle and use them to heat the lodge."
"Like a sauna?" Janice asked with certainty, pretty sure she understood what Lifeline was telling her.
"Yeah. But now we use devisor simulated rocks. They heat up faster and it's less work and less risk of getting burned than using a fire circle and real rocks."
Janice inched toward the campfire circle, her eyes focused laser-beam-like on the area. "When was the last fire circle?"
Maggie shrugged. "A week ago." She frowned as she stared at the fire circle. "And it rained last Wednesday, so there shouldn't be anything stirred up in the fire circle, is that what you're saying? Like that ... mess?"
Janice was looking at the scuffed up dirt on one side of the fire circle, and at the disturbed ashes inside the ring. "Yeah."
Sam studied the site. "One person? In a big hurry?" she asked.
"Yeah, that was my first impression," Janice nodded as she looked closer, one hand rummaging in her purse slung over one shoulder. "Let me get some pictures - there are some clear shoe-prints around here. I'm willing to bet it's from the same pair of shoes." She pointed at other marks. "And that - like something was thrown over here, and then picked up?"
"Maybe the old tent flap?" Lifeline volunteered.
"Could be," Janice said as she took photos of the area. She continued to get more pictures of the fire circle and then the area surrounding the entrance to the lodge. "It looks like there's been a lot of activity around the entrance in the last day or two. And you say there haven't been any ceremonies or other uses since?"
"Nope," Lifeline reported with certainty.
After Janice had sufficiently photographed around the entrance area, she began studying the tent flap.
"This really isn't my work!" Lifeline said with a derisive snort. She read Janice's expression. "Look at the holes for the pegs! They're not even, they don't line up well, they're ...." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "It looks like a four-year-old was playing with a pair of dull scissors!" She felt the hide. "And it's not even .... It's too heavy a hide. And I don't think it was traditionally brain-tanned like all the skins Mr. Lodgeman's got us."
Inside, Lifeline switched on the simulated candles, and Sam pulled out a bigger light and turned it on to supplement the meager little lights.
Janice wrinkled her nose as soon as the smells penetrated her olfactory system. "Do you guys ... do ... like sacrifices or something in here?" She pulled out her own flashlight and began looking around the interior.
"No, why?"
"Because I smell something burned." Janice had to force back some memories of her time on the force - and in particular one horrific victim that had been burned beyond recognition. The smell of charred flesh was indelibly imprinted on her mind - and this place had a hint of that smell to it. Instead, she looked around, looking for things that seemed out of place.
The dirt floor was covered with animal hides, except for a circle in the center, which held what looked like stones. "These are the hot stones?" she asked. Her flashlight was already probing around the structure. "Lifeline, what's supposed to be up here?" The light was fixed on a cross-junction between the uprights and the latitudinal frame.
Lifeline frowned. "Uh, nothing." She looked again. "Nothing goes up there. The inside is pretty bare - on purpose."
Detective Janice Talbert was getting a sense that there was a lot wrong with the scene, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. One or two things being out of place? Maybe. But .... She focused the light in one area and drew very close to the indicated spot. "See this? The bark on these poles is chafed, like something is supposed to be tied here." She frowned. "Or was tied here."
"And there's another over here," Sam pointed out, shining her light at a spot about a third the way around the lodge, and at the same height - which was eye-level. Her light continued its path around the interior. "And here." More methodically now, Janice and Sam probed all of the junctions in the lodge's skeleton, looking for other unusual marking, but apart from the occasional sloppily-tied joint, there were only the three spots that had the unusual abrasion.
"What's this?" Lifeline interrupted Sam's search.
The admiral was impressed - most teenagers would have picked up something unusual that they saw; Lifeline was on her knees looking into the central pit, pointing at something and very deliberately not touching it. Sam looked closer at what appeared to be folded paper, browned and semi-charred from the rocks a few inches away. "Janice? We might have found the missing note."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6th, 2007 - Dawn
Headmistress' Office, Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
There was far too much coffee in Mrs. Carson's cup and far too little in her system as she finished the walk to the administration offices in Schuster Hall. Sunday was a day of rest and she did her best to observe that in her bed until at least nine. But that wasn't to be this morning as her appointments were waiting on her, coffee cups in hand themselves as the Headmistress fished her keys out of her pocket and opened the door. "This better be good," she warned the pair, as she led the way to her office door and worked the ring in her hand to find its key.
"I think you'll be quite happy with things once you've heard," Dr. Bellows assured her after a fortifying gulp of his own coffee. "Bad news first, I'm afraid."
"This is about Kayda?" Mrs. Carson asked as she flipped on the office lights and made her way to her desk.
"Yes," Dr. Bellows replied. "You know how a mage can react when their magic is sealed?" he asked, to which Liz nodded grimly. "It can be very traumatic. And you know what happens to avatars when they lose their spirits."
"I know it's serious, Doctor," Liz started to say.
"No, you don't know how serious it is," Bellows countered with uncharacteristic frustration. "I'm the one who has to try to help the kids put their shattered selves back together." He realized Liz was practically gawking at his outburst. "I'm sorry, I was up most of the night trying to assist her, and I'm exhausted. He shook his head again. "You know the statistics - seven cases in the last six years, one of whom ...." He couldn't bring himself to say out-loud that a student had committed suicide over spring break because of losing her spirit. He didn't have to; Liz knew only too well. "Two in ARC Red, maybe permanently, and two extreme cases of depression! And that's just one kind of psychological trauma. You know that – but..."
"Alfred," Liz gently admonished him for his outburst.
Dr. Bellows caught himself. "I'm ... sorry," he apologized. "Two of the worst psychological traumas that can be inflicted on a student, and Kayda got hit with both of them - and you're wondering how she's doing?" He shook his head. "She had a serious PTSD episode last night, disassociation, along with confusion and lethargy." He yawned and shook his head. "She's nearly catatonic. I don't know how she's hanging on, but in my professional opinion, if we leave her isolated for much longer, she'll be leaving in a straightjacket going straight to ARC Red."
"And how does Miss Nalley figure into this?" Mrs. Carson asked with an arched eyebrow to the other occupant of her office.
"Miss Nalley found Kayda in her cell, bringing her a few comfort items from her room," Dr. Bellows informed her. "And a good thing she did. I shudder to think how bad things would have gotten if she had been that way all night and found this morning."
Mrs. Carson frowned. "Do we need to transfer her to Doyle?"
"No," He said with a smile. "That would require her to be handcuffed to the bed, which honestly would likely make things worse. However, Miss Nalley made me aware of a wonderful solution..."
Mrs. Carson rolled her eyes. "And since I'm deprived of my morning, logic suggests it's a wonderfully contorted bending of rules that requires the Headmistress' approval." She sighed and fixed a steely gaze on the young redhead. "Alright, let's hear it."
Lanie blushed and hid it behind a sip of coffee. "Well, with Kayda's magic sealed, that just leaves her as a Gadgeteer, which under the Yerunkle-Corbin System is an Esper (3)G talent and a physical package Exemplar 1..."
"I'm aware," Mrs. Carson replied. "However, under the Hewley-Aranis system..."
"Ah," replied Lanie with a grin. "But the Hewley-Aranis system hasn't been adopted by the DPA and so has no force of Law or Federal Regulation. So as an Exemplar One is only just measurably above baseline, the individual in question has no access to a vehicle or ready stores of cash if she surrenders her MID to the recognized representative of the Medawihla Tribe, then under Federal Guidelines she is no longer considered a flight risk. And Ah am an Exemplar Four, full package and as a Federal Firearms Permit holder a duly certified Volunteer Air Marshall..."
A grin that would give Satan himself pause brightened the Headmistress' features. "Let me make a phone call, Marshall."
* * * * * * * * * *
Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Early Morning
Security Detention Area, Kane Hall, Whateley Academy
Buoyed by a second large cup of coffee, Lanie paused a moment to rearrange her expression to something that wasn't grim or sad. With a deep breath, she stepped through the outer security door into the area with the detention cells, to where Kayda lay curled up on an uncomfortable bed, although Lanie figured that in her distress, Kayda hadn't noticed how uncomfortable the bed was. She could barely wait for the officer to unlock the cell door, bolting past him into the cell and sitting on the cot beside Kayda in a blur of motion.
"How are you feeling?" Lanie asked, her hand automatically reaching out to gently stroke Kayda's cheek, to brush her hair from her face.
The Lakota girl didn't answer, but just shook her head feebly.
"Ah'm sorry Ah couldn't stay with you all night." Lanie's apology was heartfelt and sincere; she really had wanted to stay to comfort her friend through what had to have been a long night for Kayda.
"I ... I know," Kayda stammered softly, forcing a smile. "Dr. Bellows stayed most of the night and he was a big help."
"Ah've got good news," Lanie said, pulling the other upright into an embrace. "Dr. Bellows and Ah managed to get you out on bail."
Kayda backed up and stared at the redhead, her eyes wondering as her traumatized, sleep-deprived mind tried to digest the facts. "Bail?" she asked hesitantly.
"Well, Ah found some regulations, and Mrs. Carson agreed with mah interpretation, that help," Lanie explained. "With your magic sealed, you can't teleport or go invisible. Nor are your powers dangerous enough to make escape likely. Under the circumstances, you aren't a flight risk according to Federal Code. You'll have to give Mrs. Carson your MID until you're cleared, but when you do, that entitles you to supervised release."
"Supervised release?"
"You need to be supervised at all times by an authorized agent, and since the school is on reservation property not subject to state law, only an authorized Federal agent can fill that role." She smiled at her friend. "Did Ah ever mention that Ah'm a deputized, authorized Federal Volunteer Air Marshall?" She saw the others eyes widen. "Until the conclusion of the hearing, you and Ah are Siamese twins."
Kayda looked at her friend, the words slowly sinking in. "So I ... I can go ... back to my room?" she asked timidly. "I ... don't have to stay here?"
Lanie grinned. "Nope." She chuckled at a particularly amusing thought. "Ah would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when Mrs. Carson told the State's Attorney that you were being released to mah custody and that the hearing wouldn't be held until Monday."
"But ... but she has to have a hearing," Kayda protested. "It's in the rules. She has twenty-four hours."
Lanie chuckled again. "She has twenty-four business hours. So she could have technically waited until Tuesday. From what Ah was told, she's tryin' to balance giving the team time enough to thoroughly investigate against damage to your reputation from bein' under a cloud of suspicion. They'll probably have the hearing as soon as they can, if they can find evidence." She paused and gave the other girl a baleful glance. "Of course, they'd have some really good evidence if someone would let someone else..."
Her panicked expression did all her protesting for her. The tall redhead stood abruptly and took Kayda's hands, helping her to her feet. "Alright, Ah won't bring it up again. Now come on - let's get out of this place."
Getting out was easier said than done. Kayda and Lanie were briefed on their responsibilities and duties, including what Kayda could and could not do. That led to forms for the girls to sign indicating that they'd had the briefing, understood the restrictions, agreed to not evade said restrictions, and Kayda agreed to random, spot inspections as needed to check her compliance. Kayda's personal possessions were returned - after a thorough check of an inventory of her purse's contents to verify that nothing was missing. Of course, there was a form to sign for that. Just getting out of the 'jail' took more paperwork than Kayda would have thought necessary.
And on top of that, Lanie had taken Kayda to a bathroom, where she fussed over the Lakota girl's hair and makeup until she was satisfied that Kayda was presentable in public. "The rumpled look for your clothes won't do," Lanie griped, "but there isn't much Ah can do about that right now." She smiled. "Let's go."
Sam was waiting when they exited the restroom. "Kayda," she said solemnly, "a word of advice." She saw that she had the girl's attention. "Don't mess up. Don't do anything wrong."
Kayda gulped at the somber tone the Admiral had spoken in. "I won't," she promised.
"Good. Now you two need to wait a moment. One of the Wild Pack will be here in a moment."
Kayda's eyes widened. "The ... Wild Pack?"
"Any time you're out of your cottage, unless you're in class, you are to be escorted by not only Miss Nalley," Sam said firmly, "but also by a security auxiliary."
Kayda gulped again. "Yes, ma'am."
Within a couple of minutes, Mindbird entered Kane, goggling at Kayda and bearing a stricken look on her face. "Let's go," she said uneasily.
No sooner were the three out of Kane Hall than Mindbird spoke to Kayda, her voice strained. "I'm sorry, Kayda," she apologized, rushing to get out the words. "I really, really didn't know it would hurt you!"
Kayda thought. "I ... I wasn't dreaming?" she asked hesitantly. "You ... got me some ... tea?"
Lanie glanced back and forth at the two. "What? What did you do?" she demanded angrily.
"I ... I was trying to help," Mindbird continued quickly. "I know how much her tea helps, so I had Clover make her some."
Lanie stared at Mindbird, stunned. "What ... happened?"
Mindbird shook her head sadly. "The tea has some essence in it," she began.
Lanie's eyes went wide. "And ... it got absorbed into the charm?"
"Circe really gave me hell for trying it," Mindbird said with a nod. "She explained that losing her essence was ... traumatic ...."
"That's an understatement," Kayda whispered softly, looking quite pained at the memory.
"And ... when the essence from the tea hit and then got yanked back, it was even worse." Mindbird winced. "Kayda ... got sick. We ... the security team and I ... made sure she was okay and conscious, and the on-duty doc from Doyle came over to check on her. The doc said she was almost completely exhausted, probably from the loss of her core of essence, and that security should check on her periodically."
A deep scowl greeted that response. "Dale Townsend, of all the stupid, half assed..." Elaine ground to a halt, her face flush and obviously furious. "She went into a PTSD episode," Lanie shouted at the Security Auxiliary who only winced and seemed to shrink under the blistering scolding.
"I'm just repeating what the doctor said," Mindbird explained quickly. She glanced at Kayda, nervous that the girl was going to hold it against her. "I'm really, really sorry, Kayda."
The Lakota girl shook her head, a significant effort given her near-total exhaustion and laid a restraining hand on Lanie's arm. "You didn't know," she said softly. "You were only trying to help."
"I'm sorry," Mindbird repeated. "That scared me. And it really scared Clover!" she added.
The girls walked quietly for a bit. "What did you have to pay her?" Kayda finally asked, breaking the awkward silence.
"What?" Mindbird gawked at her. "What makes you think ...?"
"Sucker..." Lanie chuckled in a sing-song voice.
Kayda's smile was thin and knowing. "It was one of the Three Little Witches," she said. "So did you have to enter into a sorcerer’s contract with her?"
Mindbird stared at Kayda for a moment, and then nodded. "Yeah. I owe her a favor." She paused. "We're here. Remember, if you want to leave the cottage, you have to have a second escort."
Kayda sighed, nodding. "I know."
Dale turned her so the girl was facing her. "Kayda, this is deadly serious. You can't treat the rules so casually like you did before. If you aren't properly escorted, the authorities have grounds to take you into custody off-campus. And you know what that means, don't you?"
Kayda nodded somberly, gulping yet again. "Yes."
"Don't worry," Lanie said firmly. "Ah won't let her."
Inside the cottage, Kayda paused, feeling awkward as conversations ceased and every eye seemed to focus on her. She trembled nervously; "They all think I did it," she whispered to Lanie.
Lanie shook her head. "No, they don't," she replied firmly. "Is Mrs. Horton in?" she asked in a louder voice.
"Right here," Mrs. Horton said, appearing in the doorway to her apartment. "Come in girls," she added, ushering the two into her apartment and closing the door behind them before wrapping Kayda in a massive hug. "How are you doing, dear?" she asked, genuinely concerned.
Kayda started to answer, but tears started flowing instead. "I'm ... I'm scared," she whimpered. "And very tired. Everyone thinks I killed Jamie."
"No, they don't," Mrs. Horton replied firmly. "Everyone is curious because a lot of things have happened so quickly."
"Mrs. Horton," she said quietly, "what now? They said Lanie has to be with me all the time! Does that mean ....?"
"No, we're not kicking Evvie out of your room," she glanced at Lanie and saw the mischievous twinkle in her eyes, "and you're not sharing a bed with Elaine."
"Oh, darn!" Lanie feigned a complaint. "And Ah brought over mah best leather bustier too!"
"Hush, you rogue!" Mrs. Horton replied in a mock scold. "Evvie and Naomi moved a few ... essentials ... up to three-oh-three, which is empty right now. Lanie, it's right next to Wallflower's room, and since she's a security auxiliary ...."
Lanie grinned. "If Ah have to use the restroom or the shower, Lily can watch Kayda so she's always monitored." She looked at Kayda and put on a pouty look again. "But that takes away my excuse of showering with you, too!"
A knock on the door interrupted things. "Come in," Mrs. Nelson called out.
Evvie peeked nervously in, like she wasn't quite sure if she was intruding or not. Pure relief flooded her features when she saw Kayda, and she bounded into the room, sweeping her roommate into a bear hug. "Are you okay?" she asked. "I was so worried - when I heard all the rumors, and when Lanie came to get some things for you," she babbled, her friendship for Kayda causing her emotions and words to spew forth almost uncontrollably. "But you're back now - Naomi and Ros and I moved a few things up to the third floor for you, so you should be comfortable, but ... it's not the same without you in the room."
"Thanks," Kayda said wearily. "I have to be escorted by Lanie all the time ...."
"You look exhausted. Maybe we should take you up to your temporary home so you can rest" Evvie suggested.
"If you need anything," Mrs. Horton said before they walked out of her apartment, "call. Any time, day or night. Okay?"
Kayda nodded, reassured by Mrs. Horton, and flanked by Evvie and Lanie, she walked up the stairs, through a gauntlet of curious stares - and possibly some accusatory ones. Evvie and Naomi had moved up some clothes, her books, and bedding and toiletries, so it was almost like her room downstairs. Almost. The poster of her beloved was absent, and not having Evvie in the room made a difference.
"I'm sorry I got you mixed up in this mess," she apologized softly to Lanie, looking down out of embarrassment.
Lanie plopped on the bed beside her and lifted her chin. "Ah'm not," she answered firmly. "Ah am sorry you feel on the spot about what happened between us."
She felt Kayda's arm snake around her waist and hug her one armed. Lanie smiled and touched her forehead to the other girl's forehead. "The only thing Ah regret about that is that neither of us was free or really willing." She sighed and looked away for a moment. "Ah'd be lying if Ah said Ah hadn't wanted to be with you, because Ah did, and...honestly...Ah do. You...you fill a hole in me Ah didn't realize Ah had. But, more important than you being mah lover, you're mah Soul Sister, and Ah'd do almost anythin' for you." She gave the Lakota girl a quick kiss on her forehead. "And don't you forget it."
Kayda nodded. "Were you ... hoping you'd have to share a bed with me?" she asked in a voice that wasn't quite playful and wasn't quite serious.
Lanie laughed. "Even Sisters have a few secrets from each other." She smiled again and shrugged. "Ah am here for you. If you need me to hold you while you sleep, Ah will." Her form blurred as she stood and suddenly she almost was too tall for the ceiling, rich reddish brown fur over a form that was strong and yet so wildly feminine. "You can even say you only slept with your teddy bear."
Kayda doubled over in a giggle at her friend's off beat sense of humor, holding out her arms and being wrapped up in the mother of all bear hugs. For the first time in a long, exhausting day, she felt warm and safe. "You can hug me for a little while," she whispered.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6, 2007 - Early Morning
Cyberspace, Whateley Academy Servers
The network stretching out in front of him, Blue paused at the Whateley firewall before him. He, or more accurately, his cyber-avatar, stood in the cyberworld, a dark blue plane lined with dull silver traces that pulsated in time with the data packets they carried, blobs of bright silver stretching the traces like swollen spots in garden hoses as they moved down the information highways. Here and there, angular structures jutted forth, from small boxes that were individual computers to towering edifices resembling fortresses - the bastions and firewalls of secure facilities, castles to be stormed electronically, as if it was all a colossal game for her private amusement. The 'ground', if one could call it that, seemed to stretch forever in all four directions, and overhead, looking more like a painted ceiling than a sky, a faintly-glowing medium blue canopy illuminated the cyberworld. It had an other-worldly air to it, and Paige found it quite comforting, a place she could escape the harshness of reality into this techno-fantasy world in which she was one of the pre-eminent rulers.
He knew that getting out to the open internet would be easy. From there - not so much. And the branch off toward the security sub-domain within Whateley - even less easy. Still, Sam had practically given him carte blanche. He turned around again, looking. <Are you here?>
The girl appeared out of nowhere, but it didn't surprise Blue. <Ah, I was wondering if you were up yet.>
<A girl's gotta eat, you know,> the girl replied with a smile. <Why are you standing there gawking at the firewall?>
Blue paused, and then sighed. <Sam Everheart asked me a favor.>
<Oh?" the girl was intrigued. <Does this have anything to do with whatever has Hartford in a tizzy?>
Blue shrugged, but inwardly he wasn't so sure. <Maybe. There's a lot of interest in an Assistant State's Attorney and a new MCO agent in the area. Why?>
<Hartford has me doing scans of the print servers. If the first file scans don't turn up anything, we'll be doing deep scans. And I mean real deep scans. Trying to tickle out first and second and third layers of data from disk sectors, looking for some keywords on some print jobs.>
<Wait, isn't that what the NSA ....> Blue dropped his head, shaking it. <Sorry,> he apologized, smiling in a way that the girl thought was rather cute in an embarrassed way. <Forgot who I was talking to.>
<I've got the basic scanning jobs running in automatic mode, so it's boring.> A wicked smile crept across her features. <How about I help you dig for whatever it is you're going to dig for?>
Blue frowned deeply. <I thought it wasn't safe ....>
Paige chuckled in the net-realm. <I thought of a trick - if you want to try it.>
<What sort of trick?>
<I'll piggyback on your net avatar,> the girl said confidently.
<But ... someone will notice. And you said it was dangerous.>
<Not if we link in a private tunnel through this server. Copy down this string.> Paige rattled off a string of over one thousand alpha-numeric characters. <When you get a dialog box, enter that and it'll establish the link.>
<It's worth a try," Blue said. A moment later, after he'd typed in the string, Paige's avatar drifted into his and merged. <Whoa! This is ... kind of freaky.>
<Now, what's the game?>
<Are you in my cyber-mind?> Blue asked cautiously. "Because if you are, that's kind of ... private.>
<Don't worry. If I find out anything, I won't tell,> she said coyly.
<Okay, we're supposed to find out anything we can about MCO Agent Jack Dougan and Coos County Assistant State's Attorney Jerome Hervik.>
<Let's go searching then. First we'll go for this Hervik guy, and then the MCO agent. It's been a while since I've played with an MCO system.> She sounded positively eager to have at the much-vaunted MCO computer security systems.
A very short time later, Paige sighed as Blue walked out of a firewall somewhere on the vast internet domain. <Well, that was no challenge.>
Blue shrugged. <It's a university. What do you expect?>
<So Mrs. Hervik was a big Humanity First zealot in college before they got married,> Paige said. <That's pretty thin evidence.>
<What would you suggest?>
<How about we go digging ... >Wait a sec," Paige interrupted her own train of thought. <Someone else is looking for info on our guy!>
<Who?>
<Dunno,> Paige answered. Tens of nanoseconds passed while she thought, which was an eternity to Blue. <Let's backtrack and find out.>
It only took a moment to backtrack to a server in France. <Damn,> Blue swore. <A randomizing anonymous server with encrypted links backward.>
<Hmmm,> Paige thought again. She suddenly seemed to vanish, only to reappear moments later. <That should do it.>
<What? What did you do?> Blue asked warily. He already knew that to Paige, bits were bits, and she seemed to have no compunction against manipulating data in ways that were frowned upon, if not downright illegal.
Paige chuckled. <Set up a honey-pot with data about our man - and his wife. Now,> she paused, <just a moment here ....> another few milliseconds passed. <Bingo! They've taken the bait.>
<So what?> Blue commented. <It's ...>
<Encrypted? Yes. But I've got a little program running doing correlation between the two sides of the anonymizer. It shouldn't take long for ... There! We've got them!> Guiding Blue, they went through the internet to a firewall, a solid block bigger than the meager firewall of the university they'd just visited. Silver traces, pulsing with data blocks, led into the impressive structure. <Give me a sec,> Paige told Blue. Cybernetically, she analyzed the firewall; it was pretty sophisticated, but nowhere near as good as what she and Ms. Hartford had placed around Whateley. She watched it poke and prod around its perimeter, looking pro-actively for threats.
<Ah, here's what we need,> Paige said nonchalantly. Through Blue, she reached out to touch the firewall - and immediately, a hole opened that the two walked through. Inside, there were five computers frantically at work, reaching out through the firewall to the anonymizing server. Paige reached out to them, touching each in turn. <Okay, we can go now.>
<What? You didn't infect them with something, did you?>
<No,> Paige admitted with a chuckle. <I just got their session keys for the encryption. Now we can simply monitor the traffic from the outside while we look elsewhere.> The duo crossed back into the 'wild'. At the relay server, Paige paused, placing a code package - a shimmering blob of something ethereal - into the block that was the computer. <We'll just sniff and log everything they find. Who knows - they might find something that we didn't.>
Blue snorted. <Not likely.>
<Let's go look at the IRS,> Paige suggested.
<What?>
<If she's still active and giving speeches, there have to be honoraria and reimbursed travel expenses, and those will show up in their tax records.>
<But ... the IRS?"
Paige chuckled. <If the North Koreans and a couple of rogue Russian hacker groups can waltz through, how hard can their security be? And if we don't find anything like you're looking for,> Paige said, <we can always make something up.> Blue couldn't see, but somehow he could sense Paige grinning. <And then the fun - we get to go after the MCO's deepest, darkest secrets!> She was positively chortling with anticipation.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Breakfast
Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
Heads turned, and conversations trickled to a halt as Kayda walked in, flanked by Lanie and Wyatt, with Mindbird close behind. For a few moments, the only sound was the splash of the waterfall, until someone dropped a tray and the shattering crash of a plate and the clatter of silverware and metallic tray on the floor broke the awkward silence.
"They're all staring at me," Kayda whispered nervously to Lanie.
"Let them," Lanie said back confidently. "You and I know you didn't do it. So just be strong and hold your head up high."
"Yeah," Wyatt whispered at the Lakota girl, chuckling softly so no-one else could hear. "That way you won't be staring at my girlfriend's tits!"
Kayda stared at him, sputtering in disbelief for a moment, and then her features relaxed. "Thanks," she said softly. "Surprisingly, that ... helps my nerves."
Worse than the silent stares, though, where when the whispered gossip started spreading, stopping when the trio passed, the participants staring, and then the gossip resumed when they were out of earshot. It was quite disconcerting to Kayda to know that she was the subject of what seemed like all the cafeteria gossip.
As she stood in line, she encountered another bubble of silence, and, looking around nervously, she saw Anno Domini glaring angrily at her, his expression betraying judgement that she was guilty of killing a member of his team.
Wyatt noticed and stepped around Kayda to him. "You got a problem, AD?" he asked in a deceptively calm voice, his disapproving glare piercing the other's willpower.
"Yeah," AD said with righteous indignation. "She killed one of my friends."
"The jury's still out on that," Wyatt said coolly. "You should wait for all the facts and not prejudge someone based on rumors and gossip."
"I know what's been reported to security," AD countered, "and it's pretty obvious she did it." A few students were using his stubborn courage to buck up their own spines. "Yeah," a number of them echoed, slowly edging near him to present a united front.
Kayda's lip trembled at the unfair, accusatory glares she was receiving, but after closing her eyes a moment and taking a deep breath through clenched teeth, she turned away, shaking mildly, and stepped to the serving line, refusing to let them see that their accusations stung her, instead pretending that he hadn't rattled her but that she was ignoring him.
"Someday," she heard Lanie said venomously behind her, loud enough for half the cafeteria to hear, "Ah hope you get to feel what it's like to be unjustly accused and have everyone treat you like you're guilty before the facts are in."
In the ensuing stunned silence, Lanie and Wyatt joined Kayda at the serving line. With AD and his buddies retreating, grumbling, the trio finished being served and paid.
"You want to see the view from upstairs?" Lanie asked, "or do you want to introduce us to your friends?"
"I wanted to get takeout food," Kayda grumbled, but Lanie saw that she wasn't serious - just tired and emotionally exhausted.
"Let's go up to the third floor," Wyatt suggested. "There aren't as many people up there, and the view is better." Kayda knew immediately what he meant; fewer people meant not as many would be staring or gossiping about her, which would make her breakfast more comfortable.
Upstairs at the Alpha table, several students already seated looked uneasily at Kayda, but they were unwilling to say anything because Kody and Lanie were standing beside her. Wyatt noticed. "Ladies, gentlemen," he said in his booming yet polite voice, "you all know Kayda. As leader of the Nations, she is a de-facto Alpha, so we invited her to dine with us this morning." The unspoken message was clear. 'Any of you have a problem with that, you can take it up with me.'
Kayda noticed that everyone was staring at her, and she gulped nervously, still trying to follow Lanie's advice and example and hold her head high, but then she saw that the stares were over her shoulder, not directly at her. She stole a glance at Lanie and Kody, who were back to talking with each other, so Kayda figured that the disturbance couldn't be serious trouble. She turned around ....
... right into a hug from Fey. It felt as if the Sidhe girl was magically pushing energy and strength and calm - which was impossible given the charm on Kayda's neck; still, the Lakota girl felt reassured and soothed by the caring embrace. Moments later, Fey was displaced by her roommate, whose hyperactive hug startled Kayda. She was followed by a hesitant hug from Tennyo, but Kayda didn't let her off with a half-assed embrace, pulling her close into something meaningful as she realized that she was crying because of how supportive everyone was being. Jade followed with a hug that dwarfed her small stature, her eyes brimming with sympathy for Kayda's plight and conveying her wishes that the troubles be over with soon.
"If there's anything I can do ...." Ayla said awkwardly when it was his turn, reluctant to hug the Lakota girl for fear of triggering a PTSD attack, but knowing he should show support in some way.
"Thanks," Kayda said softly, wrapping him in a hug. It was comforting to have friends who were supportive; it offset a lot of the harsh, judgmental looks and whispered gossip that greeted her wherever she walked.
"I've got Trinn and McIntyre standing by just in case they take you off-campus, they'll keep you safe from the MCO and H1. And I've got a couple of top-notch lawyers on retainer if it comes to that," Ayla informed Kayda, telling her in his own odd way that he really, really cared for her as a friend and that he'd do anything he could to help.
Kayda shuddered at the implications of Ayla's preparations. "Thanks. I ... I hope it won't come to that."
After they left, Kayda turned to Lanie. "Is Ayla kidding ... about Trinn and McIntyre?"
Lanie shook her head, smiling but unable to hide her worry. "No. Ayla doesn't kid about things like that. Ah'm willin' to bet that T&M are already doing research on everyone in the county who might try to get involved. And probably makin' plans for appeals, changes of venue, and any other legal strategies that could be necessary."
* * * * * * * * * *
Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Early Morning
Franks Family Farm, South Dakota
Pete Franks slammed the phone down. "Shit!" he swore uncharacteristically.
June turned from the stove where she was cooking breakfast. "No luck?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"Everything goes through Chicago or Minneapolis, and after they cancelled a Chicago flight yesterday, the airlines are all very overbooked trying to catch up," he spat bitterly. "We're on standby for two flights on Monday, and they can only confirm a flight on Tuesday."
"Can't they do better?" June asked, worriedly.
Pete shook his head. "I pleaded with them," he said sadly. "No dice."
"Ida can come whenever we need her," June said. "Maybe we should drive to Sioux Falls just in case?" Her voice had the worry of a mother whose child was in trouble and she needed to help.
"We'll drive down early tomorrow. If we go now, what will we do? Sit in the airport and fret?"
June shrugged, but her worry lines over Kayda's predicaments were slowly becoming permanent creases in her otherwise flawless skin. "Like I'm going to do anything but fret here!"
Frank walked over and hugged June from behind. "I'm sorry, hon," he said in earnest. "I don't know anything else we can do."
June dropped her spatula, spinning and clutching tightly to her husband, her eyes misting. "Oh, Pete," she started to sob, "did we make a mistake sending her there?"
* * * * * * * * * *
Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Morning
Administrative Offices, Whateley Academy
Amelia Hartford sat at her desk staring into the screen, a cold cup of coffee ignored on her desk, her eyes impossibly sorting through a flurry of data, the results from the server search that were streaming into her computer. In real-time, reacting to the flow of data, she adjusted search parameters to try to weed out nonsense and false-hits. Frowning, she typed in a command.
She expected an instantaneous reply, but it took almost three quarters of a second. <Yes, Ms. Hartford?>
<Where are you?> Ms. Hartford typed. Her stern presses on the keyboard couldn't translate into cyber-messages, but that didn't dissuade her from expressing her displeasure on the keys of her computer.
<Oppo research,> came the answer from within the cyberworld.
<You know it's risky for you to leave the campus network.>
<Got it covered. What do you need?>
Amelia scowled. Paige would change the subject away from her behavior. <We have no hits from the servers in Twain, Whitman, or Hawthorne,> she reported. <I want to modify our search.>
<I just started a task to look through the network logs, too> Paige reported. <And I've got a search going on in the printer buffers.>
<Skip that - I already looked. They're clean.>
<Hold on - I've got something on the library's server,> Paige interrupted Ms. Hartford's typing.
<What?>
<One disk sector - it' a partial print job.>
A moment later, the fragment of a message was displayed on Ms. Hartford's computer. <NOT come to Arena 77. Don't be there at 2:00. Ptesanwi>
<The first sector or two of the file - including the source - have been overwritten,> Paige reported.
Amelia's fingers danced on the keyboard. <Start a deep scan on the disks, looking for the first previous generation.>
<I'll have to take the servers off-line,> Paige cautioned.
<Do it. And expand the search," Hartford typed. <Add 'sweat lodge', 'Mule', 'Kayda', 'Lifeline', and 'Pejuta'>
<The search is running,> Paige replied via the screen. <It's going to take a lot of my time, though.>
<Can you get to the data from security sensors ...> Hartford called up an image on her screen, <Bravo 14 and 15 and Echo 3?>
<The RFID sensors are out on Bravo 14 through 17. Window of the search from fourteen-hundred thirty hours to sixteen-hundred thirty hours?>
Ms. Hartford shook her head. <Start at fourteen-hundred hours. That gives margin before the crime.>
<Please let the Chief know I'm poking holes in his firewalls again, :P> Paige displayed. "He got a little upset last time.>
<Last time, you didn't have my authorization. And FYI - he's the one who asked for you on this assignment.> Satisfied that all the variations of tasks she could think of were covered, Amelia let her fingers dance again. <Now, what are you doing off-campus?>
<Blue and I are gathering intel on the State's Attorney and the MCO agent who were at school last evening. Finding some interesting stuff, too. There's a file on your computer with what we've found so-far.>
Amelia scowled - Paige was a little too good of a cyberpath, putting files on her protected hard drive at will. <Ask next time.>
<You were busy; didn't want to interrupt something important. Hang on - doing a Bernstein and Woodward.>
<What?>
<Follow the money. We're going into the IRS database.>
<DO NOT DO THAT!> Amelia typed frantically. There was no response, so she typed it again, more urgently. She sat back, fuming at the girl's bravado, while at the same time, Amelia couldn't help but admire the girl's talent for thinking outside the box.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6, 2007 - after breakfast
Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
The arm giving her a reassuring squeeze on her shoulders was a comfort to Kayda; she'd had to walk through another gauntlet of stares, glares, and whispered rumors as she, Wyatt, and Lanie walked out into the sunshine, followed a few yards behind by Thunderfox from the Wild Pack. "Was that as bad as you feared?" Wyatt asked.
Kayda nodded. "Yeah," she replied, feeling a shudder from nervousness course down her spine. "Or worse." She looked at Lanie. "How ... how can you be so ... so confident?" she stammered. "So strong?"
Lanie and Wyatt both chuckled. "You saw what Ah looked like last year," the redhead said with a wry smile. "You know how desperate Ah was to bind with Griz." A grin spread across her face. "Confident? Ah wouldn't say so."
"But ... you're ... not afraid," Kayda protested. "You don't care what people would say if ... if we were ... you know."
Lanie squeezed Kayda's shoulders again. "Ah'm comfortable with who Ah am, Sister," she said. "What others think of me doesn't change who Ah am."
Kayda shook her head. "It's ... hard," the shorter girl admitted with a gulp, "when you know people are staring and talking about you. When you aren't sure what everyone is saying."
"And that matters to you why?" Wyatt smiled. "You have to be comfortable with yourself and confident. You have to trust what your true friends think, not what random idiots and fools say or think." He glanced down, a knowing sparkle in his eye. "And it's not easy, but we know you can get there. We believe in you. You need to believe in yourself."
"Miss Nalley!" A woman's voice pierced the morning air. The trio turned as one toward the woman walking briskly in their direction. "Miss Nalley!" They stopped so Janice Talbert could catch up to them. "Admiral Everheart and I need to talk with you," she glanced uneasily at Kayda; it was obvious that the topic was Kayda's current difficulties.
"Ah presume you want to meet in the security office?" Lanie asked. When Janice nodded, Lanie clutched Wyatt's hand tightly. "Ah'll catch up with you later, baby," she said, her voice silky smooth.
Followed by Thunderfox, the three women strolled toward Kane, a little urgency in the Janice's pace. As soon as they entered Kane, Thunderfox split off from the group, turning back toward Schuster.
Admiral Everheart was waiting for them. "Kayda, can you wait out here?" Sam gestured to some chairs in the duty officer's area, while Janice led Lanie to a small conference room.
"If this concerns Kayda," Lanie fussed unhappily as she sat down at the conference table, "why is she not included?"
Janice grimaced, but Sam was ready to answer that. "Miss Nalley, what can you tell me about how the student ID cards track students?"
"It's pretty simple, and foolproof. The reader transmits a low-power challenge code. The card receives that signal, uses the signal itself to power the chip on the card, and encrypts the challenge code and transmits it back to the reader."
"So if someone understood the encryption..."
"You're asking the wrong person," the redhead stated bluntly. "Kayda knows a lot more about that weird encryption math than Ah do." She read the looks on their faces - having Kayda prove that someone could spoof it wouldn't carry much weight in the investigation.
"You don't think it's possible to spoof the encryption?" Janice asked.
"Ah wasn't finished," Lanie said. "The readers all have decryption chips to verify the response. They store the challenge and response locally, and they forward that data to security to be permanently stored."
"So if someone intercepted the signals from the readers ...." Janice asked hopefully.
"They'd get useless data bits. The data sent to the central security server is still the encrypted challenge and response codes. That provides authentication and non-repudiation - it's considered impossible to crack the encryption code."
"So if every reader has the encryption technology, wouldn't someone be able to hack one of them and then use that ...?"
Sam shook her head at the same time Lanie did. "It's public-key encryption using a pair of keys - the public one that everyone knows, and the private one that only the smart card or the reader knows. Knowing the public key isn't enough."
Sam turned to Lanie. "Miss Nalley, can you use your power to find vulnerabilities in the system?"
The redhead's face blanched, knowing that the primary evidence was the RFID system and the student IDs. That was what Mrs. Talbert and Admiral Everheart were poking at - if they could find weaknesses in the RFID system, it would undercut the case against her friend. "Um, my power ... isn't exactly workin' right now."
"What do you mean, not working?" Sam asked, eyebrows arched in concern.
"When Ah got mah spirit," Lanie explained with a pained expression, "it put pressure on the part of mah brain that works with mah power. Ah have to learn to use it again."
"So ... you can't help find weaknesses that someone could have exploited?"
"Shit!" Janice swore, letting her head tilt forward to rest her forehead in her palm, shaking her head gently. After a second or two, she looked up, frustration evident on her face. "At least you can tell us who in the labs might be able to spoof the RFID system?"
Elaine arched one eyebrow as she thought. "Well, for starters..."
Sam pushed a notebook to her. "Write them down, please. " Lanie pushed it back and shook her head.
"You're over-thinking it," she said earnestly. "KISS."
"What?" demanded the former detective as the Admiral chuckled.
"It's an acronym," Sam told her. "It means 'Keep It Simple Stupid'."
"If you're gonna try to hack security this good, complexity is the enemy," Elaine added. "You've got to keep it simple." She reached over and plucked Janice's ID from her blazer pocket and walked out the door, then stuck her head back in. "You just left. Ah have record of it and everything."
"But I saw you..." drawled Janice, her eyes lighting up.
"And if you hadn't?" she asked coyly. "And what if Ah put it back before you notice it's gone?"
"Of course!" Janice blurted aloud. "Why try to spoof the system if you can use it to your advantage by stealing an ID?"
Sam blinked as the Hive up-linked with the school's computer system and fetched the file she wanted. "Kayda said her ID wasn't where she kept it in her purse when she was detained. It's in Circe's witness statement."
"Cameras," declared Talbert. "Let's put time stamps with video and see if something doesn't sync up."
* * * * * * * * * *
Sunday, May 6, 2007 - Morning
Cyberspace
Confident but still worried, Blue threaded his way through cyberspace toward the realm of every mutant's worry or fear, the MCO computer systems, the vaunted keepers of who-knew- how-much personal information about each and every mutant in the country. In the cyber-domain, the MCO's system resembled nothing so much as a massive fortress, a towering firewall with everything behind shrouded in mists, a vast mysterious landscape both inviting and foreboding.
<Cool, isn't it?> Paige asked, with her voice echoing her supreme confidence.
<Intimidating is more like it,> Blue said, gulping nervously.
<Piece of cake. Now reach out to the firewall.>
<Are you sure about this?> Getting no response, Blue reached out to the menacing structure.
Arms, like mechanical robotic appendages, reached out suddenly from multiple points on the gleaming black wall, grippers on each clacking together like crab pinchers. Blue flinched, knowing that if he was caught by these robotic snares, the firewall would pin his connection enough to trace where he'd come from and learn his identity.
The claws halted, the arms falling limp, inches from Blue's avatar body. <Told you,> Paige's voice echoed in his mind.
<You could have warned me,> Blue snapped, stepping to the firewall.
<Hang on,> Paige commanded. Blue felt some strange energy reaching out of his avatar toward the monolith. <Adding an exception to the firewall so it'll recognize this encryption stream as part of normal traffic. Otherwise we'd be cut off when you go through.>
<I see what looks like the personnel database,> Blue reported almost immediately.
<Damn! The disks are encrypted!> Paige swore. <These guys aren't stupid, are they?>
Blue looked around. <Hey, there's someone poking around what looks to be a case file database.> He grinned. <Are you thinking what I'm thinking?>
<Hijack his credentials and see what it gets us? Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too.>
Guided by Paige, Blue tiptoed over to the connection that glowed with use. He followed the line back to a computer - where it was physically was irrelevant in the cyber-domain - and carefully, using some of Paige's tools, wiggled into the computer's operating system. A few nanoseconds later, he re-emerged, holding a piece of data. <Got his session key - and I think we've got his master key, too.>
<Ms. Hartford will love that piece of data. She's been trying to get into their encrypted database for ... well, for quite a while.>
Blue tried something. <It bounced from the personnel file system. Guess he's not authorized.>
<It'll work on the case files. Let's go looking for Mr. Jack Dougan,> Paige said with the glee of someone on a hunt.
As the database queries ran, Blue frowned. <That's odd.>
<What?>
<Our man doesn't seem to have filed any cases in his career.> Blue thought a second. <Let me try expanding the search and see if he's been part of investigating teams.>
<Concentrate on Los Angeles division.>
Blue scowled. <Well, duh!> He started a new set of queries in the database. Around him, he could feel Paige poking and peeking into adjacent servers and machines. <What are you doing?> Blue asked, concerned.
<Seeing if I can find anything useful and unencrypted. And leaving a few probes around to catch keystrokes and user keys.>
Blue frowned. <They've got some real deep-scanning anti-malware tools here - it looks like they have checksums of ever executable file! How are you going to keep them from eradicating your probes?>
Paige's grin was audible again. <Simple. I slipped the probe into the anti-malware and then placed a copy in one of the core OS files. And no, they won't notice the checksum or file size - the file is the same size, and I fiddled with some of the oddball, never-used cursors to get the checksum to come out the same.>
<How ...?>
<Simple. Distributed algorithm, like they use for SETI. I actually used the SETI swarm and sent permutations of the file manipulations to a few million idle computers to compute checksums. Then it was just finding the one that matched the old code.>
Blue grinned. <I'm glad I'm not on your enemies list!> He looked at the search. <I've got everything the case-file server has on Dougan. What now?>
<I'm already sending it back to Ms. Hartford.> Paige chuckled electronically. <Now, let's go to Disneyland!>
<What?!?>
<Just kidding. Let's go pay a visit to the LA MCO office. Maybe they're sloppier with their security.>
Getting to the LA office was even easier - they just followed a secure tunnel from inside the main MCO facility - and because it came from MCO-Main, the LA computer systems assumed it was safe and trusted.
<Shit!> Blue cussed after testing the access controls on the main file servers. <They're encrypted, too!>
Paige had been poking around at a few computers while Blue was busy. <Maybe,> she answered, <but their department manager really needs to retake security training. His master crypto key was just lying around in resident memory in his computer.>
<Jackpot!> Blue declared gleefully.
<You see what you can find.>
<What are you going to do?>
<As long as they're vulnerable, I'm going to set up an exfiltration job to vacuum every bit of data out of these servers. Maybe Ms. H will give me an A in hacking this term!>
The nanoseconds ticked by agonizingly slowly for Blue as the searches progressed. Finally, he saw some results. <Aha! We've got our man!>
<What?>
<He's been running second-fiddle to all the major bads that the DPA scooped up.>
<Do you suppose someone was hiding him? Letting the other bad apples be exposed in case something went down?>
Blue nodded, a grim expression on his face. <Yeah. Or he was hiding himself. It's classic misdirection - obscure your real attackers behind pieces you don't mind sacrificing and hope your foe isn't paying attention.>
<If they did it with him, chances are there are still a lot of bad apples that the DPA didn't catch, but are still hidden.>
<Yeah, that's ... Hey! isn't Pejuta from South Dakota?> Blue suddenly asked.
There was a brief pause before Paige came back. <Yeah. Her student record shows some problems with the MCO office in Sioux Falls.>
<You're snooping in student files?> Blue asked, incredulous.
An electronic chuckle sounded from Paige. <I could, but this time I just asked Ms. Hartford. Why?>
<I thought I remembered that. Well, take a look at this - Dougan's best friend at West Point also left the service when he did, and then the two of them went through the FBI academy together, and then both of them transferred to the MCO - at the same time.>
<Not a coincidence,> Paige observed.
<Worse - both of them were FBI liaison officers to Humanity First - that was back when the FBI was trying to calm them down, remember? >
<Okay, so they're both pretty dirty. What's the tie to Pejuta?>
<Dougan's friend Norm Sallas was one of two agents in Sioux Falls who were arrested - just like the MCO offices in Berlin and LA - and the Deadly Force Pre-Authorized tag they put in Pejuta's file was evidence used against them.>
<Dougan's friend ...was taken down because of her?>
Blue nodded. <Apparently.>
<That explains a few things. Okay, let's tidy up here. Then we need to pay a visit to the Sioux Falls computers and see if there's anything interesting we can find there.>
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6th, 2007 - Mid-Morning
Camera Surveillance Review Room, Kane Hall, Whateley Academy
The monitor review room looked like something you'd see back in the days of live TV, dozens of monitors on the wall with a small bank of controls to command them. The Hive interfaced with the computer system, calling up cameras and footage at specific date and time stamps. To a normal human it would have been impossible to take everything in all at once. Fortunately Sam Everheart was nothing close to normal.
She sat back like a director might have in those live TV days, concentrating only a couple of high interest monitors as the Hive began to sort through miles of footage as fast the computers could feed it to her. It was only a matter of time now.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6th, 2007 - Late-Morning
Interview Room 2, Kane Hall, Whateley Academy
Kayda sat somewhat skittishly in the chair Detective Talbert indicated. She stole a glance at Elaine who was now seated at the far wall, fiddling with her phone, but the redhead looked up and smiled at her. "Are you thirsty?" asked Janice as she closed the door.
"I...I'm fine," Kayda replied.
"So, first the good news," the blonde said as she sat down and took out her note pad. "We have a good lead on how we think the RFID system was spoofed. Admiral Everheart is running that down now. However, it would help if we had some additional collaboration."
"Sure," Kayda said. "I'll help however I can..."
"That's good," Janice told her as she got the page of her notes up. "So, at the time of the murder, you told me you had received a note to meet your team at the sweat lodge?"
"Yes," the Lakota girl affirmed. "I found it when I saw Debra off, in the parking lot of the guest cottage. I...I thought she had snuck it into my purse, but it was from Mule."
"And you went straight to the lodge?" Kayda nodded. "You didn't call anyone or make any detours?"
"No, I went there directly, uh, by the front of the guest cottage, then the connecting path between it and Dickinson Cottage, then up to Holbrook and around behind it."
"There was no one in the lodge when you arrived?"
"No, but I figured I'd just gotten there early."
"Who arrived after you?"
Kayda blinked and stuttered, "No...no one..."
Janice sighed and put down her notes. "Kayda, I was a police detective for a long time, did you know that?" The girl nodded uncomfortably. "So I have a pretty good idea when someone is lying to me, so I know that someone arrived after you got to the lodge."
"No!" she declared firmly. "I...I was there alone!"
"Stop. Lying. To. Me," growled Janice in a completely new tone. "I can't help you if you won't tell me who was with you!" Kayda looked away and sat silently, almost peevishly, mule-stubborn. Janice stood and came around the table and sat on it, gently forcing the young girl to look up at her. "Let me tell you what's going to happen. The States Attorney has an excellent circumstantial case that you murdered Heyoka."
"But I..."
"What you say doesn't amount to a hill of beans!" snapped the detective. "According to rumors all over the campus, you had a motive to kill Heyoka. The RFID system that a busload of experts can testify is unbreakable put you at the scene of the crime, at the time of the crime - that's opportunity! The boy was killed by a large animal, just like one you can manifest and by a tomahawk blow to the head, your favored weapon! I personally have put people in prison for life on less evidence than that!"
Kayda's eyes went wide and white. "But..."
"But what?" Janice demanded. "But you're innocent? So what? You think that matters to that lawyer? Convicting you is a win on his record! A record he'll parlay into being District Attorney at some point, then perhaps a judgeship or maybe he aspirations of going to the State legislature or Congress! He doesn't give a damn about the guilt or innocence of Kayda Franks, only what he can prove in a court of law! And while you think about that, chew on this - New Hampshire has executed six people since 1939 and do you know what they all have in common? They were all executed within the last ten years and every one was a mutant!"
Kayda's skin blanched and she went pale. "I...I can't! If...if I betray them, they will be badly hurt! It will ruin her life and I can't be responsible for..."
"How ruined will your parents' lives be if their daughter is convicted as a murderer and executed?" the detective demanded softly. "This man has enough evidence to get a Capital Murder charge to stick against you. And don't think that a jury or your gender will buy you any sympathy! Do you want to die?"
A tear ran down her cheek. "N...no..."
Janice leaned in. "Then tell me who was with you!" Kayda's eyes subconsciously flicked over to Elaine, but the Detective was focused on her subject with laser like intensity. "Of course!" she exclaimed. Having caught the guilty glance, she turned on the redhead sitting against the wall. "She's being stubborn! What's your excuse?"
"Sorcerer’s Contract," Elaine told her bitterly. "Making promises to a mage sucks."
Janice sighed as she stood and went back to her side of the desk. "It's a start," she said, picking up her note book. "At least now we have one person who corroborates your alibi. Not much, but a start. So, what were you two doing out there?"
"Lanie...!" whined Kayda, but the taller girl shook her head.
"Ah'm sorry, Kayda, Ah won't let them put a needle in your arm just because it's embarrassing, and she already figured out I was there with you." She stood up and looked the detective in the eye. "We were having sex."
Janice blinked. "I...I see. And...and you're both of age?"
"Ah turned seventeen March tenth."
"Ah just had my sixteenth birthday in April," Kayda whispered, her skin bright red and her eyes down cast. "The twenty-sixth."
The Detective shook her head. "I'm not judging you, I...I got started early myself, so..." She sighed and raised an eyebrow. "Just the two of you? No one else can confirm...?"
Lanie reached into her pocket and pulled out an SD card. "Ah can prove what we were doing, but you technically can't see this without committing a crime."
Janice rocked back as if struck. "You...you videotaped yourselves? You're pornographers?"
"No!" protested Kayda, her skin as red as Elaine's hair.
"We were set up," Elaine told her. "Ah got a note..."
"You got a note too?"
"Yes, here," she replied, pulling out her purse and handing her the folded slip of paper. Was put under the door of my private lab. I noticed it right before Tansy came by to see me." Janice's pen started scratching notes on the paper.
"When was that?"
"Uh, about one-thirty Ah think. After lunch anyway." Lanie's eyes widened. "Wait a sec! Something isn't right with the note."
"What isn't right that you didn't notice before?"
"Ah was distracted in mah lab," Lanie replied. "And Ah didn't notice, but the note - it's addressed to Elaine."
"But that's your name."
Kayda shook her head, suddenly realizing what the redhead was driving at. "If I'd have written a note," she said firmly, "I would have addressed it to 'Lanie'."
"That's mah nickname that Ah prefer," Lanie explained. "Ah don't know why Ah didn't think of that sooner!"
The detective produced an evidence bag and put the paper in it with a pair of tweezers. "Excellent. So this just says Kayda needs help, but if she left it, why not knock? Interesting, you went to the lodge and...?"
"Well, Ah didn't go to have sex," Lanie replied somewhat indignantly. "Ah thought Kayda was trying to smooth things over with me and Maggie Finson." Lanie shoved her hands into her pockets at the implied question and looked away. "Mah new bear form, Ah don't have a whole lot of control over, Ah woke up in it and..."
"This I heard about," Talbert admitted with a raised eyebrow. "Maggie is holding a grudge?"
"No, she's afraid of GSD ragers and Ah guess Ah reminded her," Elaine replied. "Anyways, Ah thought Kayda was trying to play peacemaker. Cept, when Ah got there she...well, she had been exposed to a very powerful aphrodisiac, which Ah was also exposed to. The results are here."
"How did you get that if you didn't record it?"
"Someone delivered a copy to Cody, trying to trigger a fight between us and accuse me of cheating on him," Elaine replied. "Or try to trick him into going rager on Kayda."
"I wondered what those marks were," Janice muttered. At the two girls' glances she elaborated, "We found marks that three small unknown devices had been strapped to the upright timbers of the Lodge. Doubtlessly the cameras that took this footage."
The door opened and Admiral Everheart entered, a smile on her face. "We may have a new person of interest in this investigation."
One of Janice's eyebrows arched. "Oh?"
Sam looked at Kayda. "Do you recall being bumped or jostled at lunch?"
"Uh," Kayda was thinking, trying to recall the facts of Saturday lunch with her sleep-deprived and emotionally-unsettled mind, "I ... I don't remember," she admitted when nothing came to mind.
"We don't have a face shot, but someone came by your table and it appears, as near as I can tell from the security tape, that person did something with your purse," Sam explained.
"Her ID card?" Janice caught on to Sam's line of thought immediately.
"Exactly," Sam said.
"It's not a lot, but it's something. I have some exculpatory evidence myself," Janice replied. "Mrs. Carson?"
"Not yet. She has to stay neutral, so we have to have all the data ready, and I have a few loose ends to tie up. I'll summon the others. Let's have a conversation with Mrs. Shugendo."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6, 2007 - Lunchtime
Cyberspace, Whateley Academy
<Yes, Ms. Hartford?> Paige asked in the blue and silver realm of the cyber-world, and artificial and yet somehow comforting world to her.
<I go more information from Mrs. Talbert of the investigating team,> came the reply from Ms. Hartford's computer. <I need you to broaden your search.>
<That'll mean starting some scans over,> Paige replied. <The first-level deleted file scans are about halfway done, and I don't want to restart them. It's taking most my time and toolkits.> She shook her head, an action not seen by Ms. Hartford, who wasn't directly in Whateley's corner of cyberspace. <The hardware isn't really made for this type of job.>
There was a long pause - which seemed an eternity to Paige. <Look at the other servers first while the Beck job finished.>
<What do I need to add?>
<Loophole, Nalley, Elaine,> Ms. Hartford replied, causing Paige's eyebrows to rise. <There may be a note to Loophole asking her to meet Kayda at the sweat lodge.>
<Okay.> Paige turned a bit of her attention away from the Beck Library print server, toward the servers in the other buildings, reaching into the thin air and creating a small glowing cube out of nothing, a portal hanging about shoulder-high which gave her access into her private file systems elsewhere in the artificial techno-world. <The fragment we saw traced to a job submitted through the Emerson router's IP address space,> Paige reported to Ms. Hartford. <According to the router log, it looks like it was printed at 12:13 pm yesterday.>
<Interesting. Anything else odd about the jobs?>
Paige knew she had piqued Ms. Hartford's curiosity. <Before I took it offline, I noticed that the Beck server printed three jobs that were submitted within two minutes.>
<Three?>
<And there was very little other traffic Saturday early afternoon.>
<Mrs. Talbert will be very interested to note that there are three jobs.> Ms. Harford speculated. <Anything ...?>
<Hold on!> Paige interrupted. <The router packet-header log shows three jobs from somewhere in Emerson, all destined for the Beck Library print server, all printed within a one-minute, forty second time span.>
<That can't be a coincidence,> Ms. Hartford noted. Her deep frown wasn't visible, but Paige knew it was there.
<Hang on - we got a bit of luck!> Paige declared. <The router captured and logged one of the jobs.> She fiddled a tiny bit with a file in cyberspace, pulling a glowing packet
<Elaine, I need your help at the sweat lodge as soon as you can come. Kayda.> Ms. Hartford read on her screen. <Good work, but this makes the mystery even deeper.>
<Isn't that what Mrs. Talbert asked about? Didn't she tell you why?>
<Yes, and she didn't tell me. And I'm very curious.> Ms. Hartford replied. <When ...>
<This job printed at 12:14 pm.>
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6, 2007 - Lunchtime
Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
Tweak frowned to herself as she eased down into a chair beside Cueball - he didn't even look up from his computer, let alone acknowledge her presence. At least, she consoled herself, he wasn't spending all his time gawking at or chatting with other girls, even though Heartbreaker did frequently dine with them. Today, she wasn't with the Masterminds or the wannabe Masterminds, so there wasn't really any competition for Cueball's attention.
"Morning," Tweak said casually to Cueball.
The boy looked up from his laptop, attracted by her tone of voice. He arched an eyebrow as he saw the self-satisfied smile on her face. "What's got you looking so ... smug?"
Tweak fought to keep a silly grin off her face as she shrugged, trying desperately to look nonchalant - and failing at it. "Been working on a project in my lab," she explained.
"Yeah, I heard." He was getting more and more curious at her diffident answers. "And?"
"I ... found something rather ... interesting," she couldn't contain herself any longer. "Very, very interesting. It's ... got huge potential!"
"Oh?" Cueball glanced around - one could never tell when the wrong ears might be listening. "What kind of potential?"
Tweak glanced around, and then hunched closer to Cueball. "Handled one way, it could cause a certain ... high-profile individual enough fear of exposure that they might be inclined to do some favors," she said in a hushed voice. "Another - it could get that person expelled. Yet a third way could humiliate them and destroy their reputation and credibility. A fourth way could incite certain ... highly opinionated people to act rashly and take, shall we say, extreme ... permanent ... measures."
"That sounds ... interesting," Cueball said, studying her posture and expression thoroughly. "And the risk of having this information is ...?"
"A certain ... friend ... of the individual might become rather irate," Tweak continued with her euphemisms, not wanting to say anything that might be overheard. "Of course, that would depend on how the information was dealt with, now wouldn't it."
"And ... what might it take for me to get access to this information?" Cueball asked, his face carefully schooled to betray no emotion.
"You know how valuable information can be," the girl stated the obvious, "especially in certain ... enterprises. And even more-so is someone who knows how to get that information from hidden sources."
"So what will it take?" Cueball repeated, expressionless.
Tweak was fighting frustration - her interest in this boy was almost overpowering and his careful neutrality was even more maddening. "There's a movie coming to Dunwich that I really, really want to see," she purred, trying her best to sound sexy and seductive, since the 'spymaster' approach didn't seem to be working. "And I so hate to go to a movie alone."
"A date?" His eyebrows arched again. "You want me to ask you on a date - in exchange for the information you have?"
"Actually," Tweak admitted shyly, blushing a little bit as she looked down to her plate, "a date would be a ... bonus." She shook off her mild embarrassment - after all, she told herself, fortune favors the bold. "Actually, I'm really interested in joining an organization that might help me make best use of my talents and abilities, and make contacts for after we graduate." She looked back at Cueball evenly. "An organization that looks more to success than to ... following outdated rules and bureaucratic regulations."
His eyes narrowed to slits. "And what if the information is ... less than worthwhile?"
"It'll cost you a date to find out," Tweak said, smiling boldly. "And would that be such a huge sacrifice?"
Cueball studied her expression for a little bit. "Deal," he said finally.
Having observed the little flirtatious dance between Cueball and Tweak with amusement, Heartbreaker, left her table and took a seat on the other side of the boy, much to Tweak's ill-disguised annoyance. She decided to change the subject. "Have you heard the latest about Pejuta?"
"Yeah," Cueball said nodding. "I don't know ...." He shook his head. "Something doesn't seem right."
"According to word around security," Heartbreaker reported, "she had motive - hell, everyone knows how she and Heyoka were feuding."
Tweak shook her head. "That's all rumor." She snorted derisively. "Give me an hour, and I could have rumors all over campus that ..." she looked around the dining hall, and her gaze settled on a trio of boys, "that those three are flaming homosexual lovers, and that their outspoken bigotry is a cover."
"Yeah, right!" the other girl replied, not believing her.
"No, she's got a point," Cueball observed. "Rumors are all circumstantial, and besides, nothing travels around campus faster than a rumor with a hint of scandal."
"And her ID shows up at the scene of the crime at the time of the crime," Heartbreaker continued.
Tweak winced. "That pretty solid evidence," she admitted. "But ... I still don't buy it."
"Oh?" Heartbreaker's comment was a bit snarky. "What would it take to convince you that she did it?"
"If she didn't have an alibi," Tweak said, a knowing smile on her face.
"What?" Heartbreaker and Cueball said at the same time, seeing her shit-eating grin.
"The file I was talking about. It has some really ... interesting things," Tweak said suggestively.
"Do I have to wait for the date to see...?" the boy asked, curiosity burning in him like an inferno. From her comments, he knew that she had something good, or she would have been able to keep a straight face and not look like the cat that ate the canary.
"No, your word is good, isn't it?" Tweak glanced around, and then handed a memory card to Cueball. "Take a quick look at the still image here," she said, her grin of triumph unmistakable.
Cueball and Heartbreaker also glanced around, and then he put the memory card in a slot. A few mouse clicks later, an image appeared on the screen, which was obscured from other students by the trio huddled closely around it.
"Is that ...?" Cueball tried to ask, his jaw dropping nearly to the floor.
"Ho. Lee. Fuck!" Heartbreaker mouthed softly.
After staring another couple of seconds, Cueball closed the file. "Is that genuine?" he asked, almost in a state of shock.
"It was muxed onto security camera data," Tweak said softly, smiling. "I don't think a security camera took this, it wasn't encoded. But it could be someone caught onto their little fling and decided to get some blackmail video. This might explain the lack of an alibi," she added.
"This is a ... goldmine!" Heartbreaker said slowly.
None of the trio noticed a small spider robot hanging precariously from the underneath the support structure of a second-floor dais, it's eye-like cameras pointed down toward them. At the other end of a wireless link, a mouth hung agape. "I have got to print this out for Cody," the gadgeteer girl said softly. "He's gonna kill Cueball!" Rez grinned. "And I've finally got the goods on one of the Masterminds!"
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6th, 2007 - Early Afternoon
Kane Hall, Whateley Academy
"I hate to interrupt your lunch," Sam said, sticking her head into the temporary office Janice was using and seeing her partner chewing on a half a vending-machine sandwich.
Janice shook her head and quickly washed down the bite in her mouth with a large gulp of devisor coffee, which made her wince. "If I get addicted to that stuff, we're going to have words," she grumbled. "What have you got?"
"We got an analysis of the browned paper - enough that we can read the words." Sam reported. "And interestingly enough, it matches word-for-word with the file Ms. Hartford's team found on the print server. The font and spacing in the print job reproduce exactly to what's on the paper."
"What does it say?" Janice let the sandwich fragment in her hand fall to the desktop.
Sam recited the words from the computer file, which the hive was reading.
"Kayda, the team wants to get together about 1:30 to talk about tomorrow's simulation. We need to do some planning and also think about thing that might go wrong and how to deal with them. We'll meet at the sweat lodge; Lupine thinks a purification ritual couldn't hurt our chances against Gunny and Admiral Everheart.
Mule"
Janice nodded, smiling a tiny bit. "This and the note for Elaine Nalley corroborate their ... alibi."
"There's an alibi?" Sam arched her eyebrows, curious.
"And it's a problem," Janice said. "Because someone was apparently attempting to blackmail or humiliate Elaine and Kayda, so their ... interactions were recorded."
"Interactions?" Sam nodded as the meaning sank in. "They were ..."
Janice nodded, wincing. "... having sex, yes."
"I see."
"Kayda is afraid of being outed, and in her present emotional state, she's not thinking clearly; she's even more worried about Miss Nalley being outed."
"I can understand that, given the bigotry we have around here." Sam puzzled a moment. "Do we have two different parties at work here - one that killed Heyoka, and a second who's opportunistically trying to blackmail them?"
"I considered that. It's possible, but it's more likely that we have one party who's not nearly as clever as he thinks he is." Janice sighed. "But what we've got so far isn't enough to hold up to legal analysis. According to Miss Nalley, there are no time marks on the recording, so it's still possible that Kayda killed Heyoka, then met up with Miss Nalley for the ... events that were recorded." She shook her head. "It's an alibi, but it's a weak one."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6, 2007, afternoon
Dickinson Cottage, Whateley Academy
"There's nothing good to watch on Sunday afternoons," Carlie complained, sprawled in a chair in the third floor Dickinson TV room.
Kandy looked through a newspaper. "What do you mean, nothing on? Titanic is on channel 4."
"Oooohh," Tangent cooed, "Leonardo DiCaprio!'
"Bleh," Cytheria scoffed. "He's ... incredibly average."
"Compared to the guys around here," Heartbreaker chuckled, "yeah. But for a baseline..."
"You guys want a good romance movie? An Affair to Remember," Tangent chimed in her opinion. "Too bad that's not on."
"Casablanca," Flicker and Lemure opined at the same time.
"I don't know," Kandy said hesitantly, afraid she'd get ridiculed. "I like The Princess Bride."
"What's your favorite, Tansy?" Duplex tried to get something from the increasingly reticent and reflective former bitch-queen.
"I don't know," Tansy said hesitantly. "Pretty Woman, maybe."
"That figures," Flicker sniped, her snarky tone unmistakable.
Tansy's spine stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing," Flicker said in a syrupy, sweet voice, pretending she hadn't meant anything by the comment, when in fact she had - a nasty reference to Tansy's habit of screwing guys to get into their minds so she could get control.
"What about you, Teresa?" Cytheria changed the subject away from the increasingly bitter sniping between Tansy and her former lackey Flicker. "You haven't said anything."
Duplex shrugged "I ... it’s a little different," she hedged. "I really like Show me Lover."
"Never heard of it."
"It's a Swedish film," Duplex said cautiously. "It's an ... alternative ... love story."
Tansy's eyes widened. "Alternative - as in lesbian?" she asked in horror.
Heartbreaker snorted derisively. "You want a lesbian movie, go ask Cueball to see the little film clip he got at lunch."
"Huh?"
"A couple of girls caught on video doing the nasty," Heartbreaker chuckled.
Tansy got a sinking feeling inside, based on her mental touch with Kayda and a general feeling from Lanie. "What kind of nasty gossip are you yakking about now?" she said sternly to try to quell the rumors.
"Oh, it's not gossip," Heartbreaker chortled. "Kayda and Loophole - going at it like there was no tomorrow - captured on video."
"Yeah, well, that's not surprising. Loophole spent most of last year in Songbird's little love nest." Cytheria couldn't help but sound more than a bit judgmental. "It was no secret which side of the street she walked last year."
"Wait - isn't she busy riding Cody's baloney pony?" Washout asked, frowning. "Unless he's got it set up that he's doing both of them?"
"Oooohhhh!" a couple of girls cooed.
Heartbreaker shook her head, smiling wickedly. "No sign of Cody in the video," she said. "It was all girl-on-girl."
"Yuuuuccckk!" Tangent squirmed uncomfortably, but then a slow, devious smile crept across her features. "Hey, maybe if those two are busy with each other, I could get Cody's attention!"
"Fat chance of that!" Duplex said with a knowing leer. "The two of them are probably more than he can handle, and they have to turn to each other ... to stay satisfied."
"Excuse me," Tansy said, faking a yawn to cover her need to leave based on the topic of discussion - and the gossip. It was almost physically nauseating to hear such cattiness. Wyatt and Elaine had been good to her, offering her protection and help as she sought to reform herself. And Kayda? Well, she didn't know what to think of the Native American girl, except that she seemed innocent and shy and very, very badly wounded emotionally. "Anyone else want to walk over to Melville, to Call Me Coffee?"
"Nah," Duplex declined, echoed quickly by the other girls.
Tansy waited until she was outside the cottage before she took out her cell phone. She dialed a number from memory, then winced as she waited for the other party to pick up. "Please be there!" she whispered urgently. "Please ...." The phone picked up. "Wyatt? It's me, Tansy. Hey, are you busy right now?"
"No, just putting some polish on a term paper for Dr. Zinn. If you can save me from Gilgamesh I'm all ears."
"How about you meet me in the coffee shop in Melville? I just left my cottage, and there are some rumors going around that you probably want to hear about."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6th, 2007 - Afternoon
Arena 99 Simulator Briefing Room, Whateley Academy
"I'm sorry, Kayda, but you know the rules." For the first time in the Lakota girl's experience, Gunny Bardue sounded sympathetic. "You can't use the simulators while you're on in-house detention or supervision."
"Aw, c'mon, Gunny," Lupine pleaded on Kayda's behalf. "She's worked so hard to set this up and get it scheduled! Can't you just, you know, look the other way?"
"Her presence in the sim suite - or any arena or other combat area - will be logged based on her ID," Gunny countered, shaking his head. "It's set to alarm in security when a student is so restricted. No."
Kayda, looking down, nodded slowly. "I ... understand," she said in a heavy voice. "It ... it was just ... I was hoping for a little ... fun ... to break up all this stuff."
Stormwolf exchanged a glance with Mule, and then glanced around the rest of the group before looking back at Kayda. "We'll reschedule this for later."
Kayda looked up sharply at the group. "No," she said softly but firmly, her lip trembling at the emotional effort of her thoughts. "It's not my group, it's yours, So you guys go ahead and have fun."
"Are you sure?" Flux and Pristine asked at the same time, looking a little guilty that they'd get to have fun doing the simulation that Kayda had been so looking forward to, while she couldn't.
The girl nodded to reassure them, but even the most insensitive one in the group could see the hurt in Kayda's eyes.
"Go to your sim chairs," Gunny ordered gruffly, breaking up group's emotional mood. "We've got a sim schedule to keep, you know."
Mule nodded. "Team, to the simulators." He turned to file out of the briefing room toward the individual sim suites, pausing in the door to look at Kayda. There was something positive and hopeful in his expression and his hand clasped the girl's shoulder. Startled, she turned, and then looked up at Stormwolf. "I know you didn't do it, Kayda," he said softly. "You're not that kind of a person. I know this is all a big Charlie Foxtrot, and it'll be sorted out soon enough." He smiled. "Keep your chin up." With that, he turned and, as the last member of the team to leave the room, ambled through the door and down the corridor to the sim suites.
"I'm sorry, Kayda," Gunny repeated. "And you really need to leave the sim area. It's bending the rules for you to be even in the briefing room."
Kayda nodded. "I know," she said without feeling before walking out the other door, the one leading to the tunnels and eventually back to her little island of exile, her own Elba in Poe.
"I didn't think it'd work," Lanie said, not taking any delight in saying 'I told you so.'
"I .. I had to try," Kayda replied.
Lanie wrapped her arms around the shorter girl and gave her a hug. "I know, sister," she said softly, so softly that Mindbird, a few feet away to provide the required second escort, didn't hear.
"I ... I need ... I need something normal." Her words didn't sound whiny, or tearful, but a few drops of moisture from her misty eyes left spots on Lanie's shoulder. It had been less than a day without the her core of essence seeming to warm her within, without her spirits talking to her, without the ability to dream-walk - and Kayda understood now only too well how losing a spirit or one's essence could dishearten someone so thoroughly that they'd do something rash after a period of time trying to live like that.
Lanie released Kayda from the embrace and the trio - with Lanie and Dale flanking Kayda, began a long, slow walk through the tunnels - a pace that was almost funereal. Occasionally, they'd pass another student - a devisor or gadgeteer scurrying through the maze of tunnels between labs, or a student going to or returning from a simulation, or someone from the outer cottages
"Was ... Maggie there?" Lanie asked quietly.
Kayda had known the question would come up. "Yes," she replied softly. "She was." From the corner of her eye, she saw her friend tense up. "She ... I think she knew you were around to escort me; hell, everyone knows that by now."
"Or they're speculating that my being around you is for other reasons," Lanie sighed.
"She didn't say anything, and I didn't either." Kayda didn't need to see the look on Lanie's face to understand the distress in her friend. Instinctively, she wrapped an arm around Lanie's waist and pulled her close, her other arm resting gently on Lanie's. "I'm ... I'm sorry. I should have realized that she might be at the sim and not dragged you down here."
"It's okay," Lanie said, trying not to show the hurt she felt. "What were you planning to do if Gunny let you participate? You know I'd have to be with you."
"Eep," Kayda winced. "I didn't think of that." She glanced at her friend. "Maybe I'd have had to sit in your lap?"
"Oh?" Lanie asked, wiggling her eyebrows. "Let's go back. I'm sure I can find something in the rulebook that would let your participate!"
"You're bad," Kayda chuckled, slapping Lanie's arm playfully.
A couple of guys passing them glared at the two girls, Kayda's arm still around the redhead's waist. "Fucking muff-divers!" one snorted angrily, deliberately loud enough that the girls could hear. "Keep your filthy displays out of public view!"
Kayda flinched, feeling her cheeks burn, and she dropped her arm from around Lanie.
"Keep your head up, Sister," Lanie said softly to Kayda. She turned toward the offending uncouth boys, but Mindbird saw the potential conflict brewing.
"This is official security business," she warned the two in a commanding voice. "Clear the area immediately."
Muttering loudly, all of which were disparaging, insulting, or outright hateful comments about lesbians intended for Lanie and Kayda to hear, the two boys moved away, hastening their pace to get clear of the security auxiliary.
Lanie reached over and lifted Kayda's chin. "Hold your head high, Sister. If you believe in yourself and are comfortable with yourself, you have nothing to be ashamed of."
Kayda nodded uncertainly. "I know," she said. "But ... it's hard." She trembled uneasily. "And ... without ...."
"I know, Sister," Lanie tried to reassure her. "I know."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6th, 2007, afternoon
Devisor Tunnels, Whateley Academy
Cueball didn't make a habit of wandering through the tunnels, but Tweak had invited him to look at something she'd figured out, promising that it was even more important than the video clip she'd given him. He lost himself in thought as he strode down the main 'avenue' of the tunnel complex, what the tunnel rats called 'Broadway', thinking about Tweak. She was a little too obvious in her desire to join the Masterminds, and she was way too obvious in her 'hints' that she wanted to go out with him. Was she playing the romantic angle to use him to join? Or was she wanting to join as a way to gain his interest?
Damn girls, he thought as he rounded a corner toward her lab. So confusing, so illogical at times. Their machinations make counter-espionage seem like a kiddie's game.
On the other hand, she was attractive and intelligent, not some ditzy blonde airhead. She was highly rated as an electronics gadgeteer. He could easily see the utility of such skills when he graduated and went pro. And she was attractive; yet the two of them could easily pass as baselines, unlike many of the exemplars with their over-the-top glamour and good looks. Disarmingly sweet and innocent and attractive and so obviously not a mutant - until it was too late and the caper was done.
Damn, but his rational, logical thinking was being swept away. And he was way too distracted thinking of the girl whose presence had wormed its way into his brain. He barely noticed others, until a very distinctive, loud, angry voice called out, "Cueball!"
Cueball stopped and looked around, puzzled, just in time for his shirt to be grabbed in two massive fists as he was hoisted up and slammed into one of the tunnel walls. "Oh, hey Cody!"
"Where is it?" Kody demanded, his angry, snarling face mere inches from Cueball.
"Where is what, Cody?" Cueball asked even as he knew what the big, beefy senior wanted.
"A friend told me that you were showing off a video clip at lunch today," Kody snarled. "A video clip that shows my girlfriend in a very ... unflattering light. So where is it?" he demanded again.
Cueball fought to control his bodily functions; Wyatt Cody enraged was a truly terrifying spectacle. "Um," he stammered, "I ... it's on my computer."
"How did you get it?" Wyatt demanded. "Who gave it to you? Amber?"
"N ... n ... no," the smaller boy said, shivering in fright. "I ... I got it ... from ... from Tweak! She gave it to me ... at lunch!"
"Who else saw it?" the senior demanded as he lowered a rattled Cueball to his feet.
"Um, nobody, I don't think," he answered nervously. Everyone had heard the story of Wyatt Cody and Wildman, and everyone was suitably scared of an enraged Cody. Suddenly spurred to honesty, he added, "Heart...Heartbreaker! She was there, she saw it too!"
The senior's face clouded over as he got even angrier. "You claim to be a spy and you let one of the biggest gossips on this campus see...?"
"I didn't know what Tweak was going to show me!" the other boy stammered. "Honest!"
Cody grasped Cueball by the arm, his big beefy hand encircling the upper arm of the smaller boy and squeezing painfully tightly. "Let's go talk to Tweak then, and between you, you can tell me how you got this video, since now I know which one of you has been telling everyone about my girlfriend and Kayda!"
"Honest, Wyatt, I haven't told anyone!" Cueball simpered. Half carried, his feet only occasionally touching the ground, he had no choice but to be dragged by the big senior to Tweak's lab.
Tweak heard a knock on the door and looked up from her computer, surprised. She was expecting Cueball - she'd given him the one-time-use code for her door lock - so a knock had to be someone she wasn't expecting. A couple of keystrokes on her computer and the hidden camera near the lab door sent an image to her computer.
Tweak gasped. She expected Cueball; she did not expect to see him held - painfully so, judging from the expression on his face - by Wyatt Cody. And Cody did not look happy at all. She did what most people in her position would do - she froze.
"Linda? Open the door please," Cody said gruffly, his voice booming through the heavy reinforced door.
Tweak thought - quickly. Elaine Nalley - one of the two in the video clip - was Wyatt's girlfriend. Had he found out about the video? If so, she gulped at the thought, he would be very, very upset, and possibly rager-angry? She had to get rid of the evidence - and quickly. She started fumbling with the keyboard frantically, her shaking hands interfering with her intended actions.
"Linda, open the door before I have to tear it open," the senior said, his voice threatening. "You know I can do it if I have to."
Tweak hesitated, knowing that Wyatt Cody could and would rip her door open. Then what? Would he tear apart her lab looking for the security files? Or was he, as some claimed, such a gentleman that he wouldn't hurt her? It quickly dawned on her that trusting him to be merciful was her best - really her only - option.
"Just a sec," she called out, her voice cracking. With trembling hands, she undid the deadbolt and released the electronic locks, tugging the door open.
Wyatt Cody was an impressive specimen when viewed from across the quad or in the cafeteria. From a distance of three feet, holding her would-be boyfriend like a rag doll and completely filling the door frame, he was beyond impressive; he was downright terrifying, especially with his very unhappy scowl. Tweak retreated a couple of steps without even realizing she'd done so.
Wyatt set Cueball on the ground, releasing his vice-like grip on the smaller boy's arm; Cueball automatically began to rub his upper arm where Cody's mitts had painfully encircled the limb. "Sit down, please," he suggested to the two as he shut and bolted the door.
Eyeballs bulging in fear, Cueball stumbled backward, pulling a lab stool from beneath the bench and plopping nervously onto it. Tweak, likewise, sat down at the bench.
Cody noticed her nervous glance upward. "I fully expect that you're recording what happens in your lab," he said bluntly. "And I want you to know that I'm not planning on doing anything violent. I just want to know where you got that video clip and who you've shared it with.
"Video ...?" Cueball started to feign innocence.
"Don't try to lie. I've got very solid information that says one of the two of you," he pointedly looked with a frown toward Tweak, "obtained a video clip that shows ... my girlfriend and another girl in a ... compromising position."
Tweak exchanged a nervous glance with Cueball. "I ... I wasn't looking for anything like that," she stammered, her voice as shaky as she was. "I ... I was ... looking at security data feeds ..."
"Yeah, because you're trying to join the Masterminds," Wyatt finished, sounding quite bored.
Cueball's and Tweak's eyes widened. "You ... know?" Tweak stammered.
"You two aren't exactly subtle," the senior chuckled, surprising them. "Now tell me about what you found. And who you've shared the data with."
Tweak winced, glancing again at Cueball. "I ... managed to get a couple of data files from ... from the remote monitors," she confessed. "I've been trying to crack their data packing and crypto. It's ... a way to sharpen my computer and electronic skills."
Wyatt shook his head, smiling knowingly. "Yeah, right. It wouldn't be because knowing how to crack the security monitors would let you monitor other students, or even spoof the sensors if you wanted to do something ... against the rules, would it." He saw the two sitting, looking like kids who'd been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. "Okay, I may not understand all the electronic stuff, but I want you to show me how you got the data."
Still fearful, Tweak turned to her computer. "I ... hacked into the security router so I could intercept the log files from the monitoring system to the general administrative file servers. Each file is from a remote sensor - in this case, I got this data from Bravo fourteen. Somehow, another wireless signal got coupled onto the main data signal. I noticed it, so I started filtering it out." She repeated the steps on her laptop - which took no time this time around, "and I found a streaming video feed." She winced, but seeing the look of grim determination on Wyatt's face, she configured her computer to play back the data stream. "This is what I found," she announced.
Wordlessly, Kody watched the short video clip, his expression inscrutable. "Okay," he finally said more than twenty nerve-wracking seconds after the video clip stopped. "What can you tell me about this file and its other data?"
Tweak glanced at Cueball again, and then looked back at her computer. "Just this afternoon," she said, "I figured out how to read the primary video feed and the time codes. I still have to ..."
"The time codes?" Wyatt asked, eyes wide in astonishment.
"Yeah," Tweak said nervously. "Every frame has a time code so security can do time correlation, look for spoofing attempts, and so on."
"And you know the time code of this fragment?" he asked, a hint of excitement in his voice, confusing the two other teens.
"Yeah," Tweak said, puzzled. "This one is between two twenty-three and ten seconds and two-twenty five and forty seconds."
"Are you absolutely sure?" Wyatt demanded.
Tweak nodded. "Yeah."
"And if I got you more security files from that sensor, could you extract the time code at the same time as you extracted the video?"
"Yeah," she answered. "But ... why?"
"Hang on a second." The burly boy pulled out his cell phone.
"That won't work," Tweak warned him. "We're out of range of the repeater." She pointed to a phone on one corner of her lab bench. "Use that."
Wyatt nodded and then picked up the phone, his fingers dancing over the number keys as the other two sat, watching but not understanding. "Security? Wyatt Cody. I need to talk to Sam Everheart. It's urgent." He seemed amused at the expressions on the two other's faces. "Sam? Kody. You know the missing time codes? I think I found them."
A few seconds later, Wyatt hung up the phone. "Okay, you're going to bring your equipment to security."
"But ... my work ...!" Tweak protested. "I can't afford to have my computer and equipment confiscated."
Wyatt shook his head. "It's not going to be confiscated. It's going to be used to examine the data files from that sensor - Bravo fourteen, did you say? - and get the video with timestamps."
"But ... why?"
"I can only tell you what you need to know," Wyatt said curtly, "and then you can tell me who saw that video and what you're going to do to ensure that there are no more copies of the video on either of your computers." He saw their looks of disbelief. "For your information, the two ... girls ... are both under eighteen. Which makes reproduction and distribution of that video distribution of child porn." He saw them goggling at that piece of information. "And you know what that would mean!"
Both teens gulped - child porn was a sure-fire ticket to detention with the MCO, and they' lock up the perps and throw away the key. And no-one in the administration - not Mrs. Carson, not Ms. Hartford, not Chief Delarose, and most definitely not Mrs. Shugendo - would raise a finger to help.
"But ... I ... I can't analyze the video then," Tweak said weakly. "It'd be ...."
"Sam Everheart will get you exempted for what you've done so far, and for anything you do under the auspices of a security investigation. As long as you cooperate in destroying any other copies."
"Why?" Cueball asked simply.
"Because a friend of mine is being railroaded into a murder one charge ..."
"Kayda Franks - Pejuta?" Tweak asked, already knowing the answer. She'd heard the rumors.
Wyatt nodded. "And she's potentially facing the death penalty because she doesn't have an iron-clad alibi. Your little ... gizmo ... and those security files give her that alibi." He indicated that Tweak should begin packing up her gear. "It'll cost her - she'll be outed as a lesbian, and my girlfriend will be confirmed bi, but that's better than Kayda being convicted and executed." He stared evenly at them. "And I know those rumors are already spreading like wildfire - possibly because of your little video clip." He saw them both swallow hard, afraid of repercussions for that little inadvertent disclosure by the two of them. It would help them cooperate to stay a little nervous.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6th, 2007 - Dinnertime
Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
"I wish Kody was here," Kayda whispered nervously to Lanie as the girls walked through the doors into Crystal Hall. To Kayda's imagination, every conversation halted, every eye was fixed on her, and then as murmuring began, she was convinced that all the conversations, whispered among little groups as they gazed accusingly at her, were about the murder and her being a suspect, or worse, about her and Lanie.
The taller redhead seemed to know precisely what the Lakota girl was thinking. "Everyone is not gossiping about you and me or accusing you of killing Heyoka."
"Yes, they are," Kayda retorted, her voice trembling as she struggled to keep her emotions in check - a difficult task considering the incredible emotional trauma she'd suffered in the preceding twenty-four hours, her incredible fatigue, and the incredible loneliness in her heart where her spirits should be comforting her.
"Wyatt said he found something very important - someone else managed to get the video signal ..."
Kayda rolled her eyes. "So that's where all the gossip is coming from," she spat in disgust.
"But the other video source has time codes on it, so it's pretty solid evidence that you ... that we were ... that you weren't near the arena," Lanie tried to console her friend. "He's working with a ... a gadgeteer that intercepted the video," she winced, knowing that she was confirming Kayda's fear that the proof had gotten out among the students. "And Sam - they're recovering all the time codes and correlating them to the video on the SD card." Lanie knew better than to try to lie or bluff; Kayda would see through that instantly.
"Hey, Loophole," one smartass guy in line ahead of them called out, "how's your baby dyke?" Around him, his friends chuckled.
"Did you get lucky and get a gold star?" a girl with the boys sneered. "Fucking rug-munching dykes!"
"Oh, Fran," Lanie sighed. "Ah'd say envy doesn't look good on you, but honestly, anything is an improvement..."
Fran's face turned beet-red, and her jaw clenched with considerable force - and pain. Her mouth flapped, trying to emit some kind of witty rejoinder, some mocking and insulting comeback to Loophole, but her rage at Lanie's insult had her brain nearly locked up.
"So Wyatt is a cover story, right?" another mocked them. "And you really prefer Kayda?"
"Ah'll be happy to let you take that up with Wyatt," Lanie said confidently, unfazed by the taunting. "But if you really want to know," she turned to Thunderfox, who was the escort of the hour, "Diana, could you please educate these ... I hate to use the word 'gentlemen' because it so obviously doesn't apply ... people as to why we're here with Kayda?"
Thunderfox gazed evenly on the small gaggle of students who were gathering at the taunting and public scene. "Kayda is on supervised release until the hearing," she said calmly, "to be escorted at all times by a registered Federal Marshall and a security auxiliary to preclude the MCO taking her into custody off campus." There were a few gasps of shock; no matter how much one student might have disliked another, no-one wanted any student to be taken by the MCO.
"Lanie happens to be a registered Federal Volunteer Air Marshall, so she has to escort Kayda at all times," Diana continued.
"At all times?" a boy leered, waggling his eyebrows. "Including showering and sleeping with your new pet?"
Elaine smiled a cruel smile. "Why, yes, Ollie, Ah'll be all alone with a beautiful girl - dressing and undressing and showering ...and you won't ever know what that's like!"
Kayda goggled at the cool, aloof rejoinder Lanie had so almost instantly snapped off. She felt the color drain from her face as Lanie was all but admitting their liaison, like she really didn't care, just as she'd said. Trembling, Kaya wished desperately that she had Lanie's self-confidence.
A number of the other boys cat-called Ollie Hatchel as the taller girl gave the red-faced boy a 'talk to the hand' gesture and turned back to the line. While a few idiots and assholes continued to taunt Kayda and Lanie about being lovers, most the students who had been gathered turned their attention back to food, leaving the girls dealing with only a few occasional snide comments and leering stares. Lanie was taking the experience in stride, letting the comments roll off her easily, Kayda was having a lot more difficult time dealing with the hazing.
"Where do you want to sit?" Lanie asked as they cleared the checkout island. "Up at the Alpha table?"
"Uh, no," Kayda stammered, still feeling like she was under a microscope, surrounded by judgmental and condemning gossip. "I ... I ...." She wasn't quite sure what she wanted. "Can we sit with my friends?"
"Sure." Lanie was full of self-confidence, totally unfazed by the comments they'd gotten, which was puzzling to the shorter girl, but at the same time was heartening that, given time, maybe she could learn to be so confident and cool.
"How ... can you be so ... cheery?" She wanted to know how Lanie did it, so she could learn to be so self-assured and confident and not care what others were saying.
Lanie smiled at her younger friend. "Ah like who Ah am, and that doesn't depend on what others think. With Griz, Ah feel comfortable with mahself. And we're getting' you out of this pickle, so why shouldn't you feel good too?"
Kayda let her head droop, staring at the floor. "You ... have your spirit. I ...." Her eyes misted again, and she felt the terrible ache inside her where her spirits until so recently had brought her succor and assurance. "Mine ...." She couldn't go on, fighting tears. "The other day, you asked me what it would be like if I didn't have my spirits, remember?" she sniffled. "Now I know. It hurts! It hurts real bad. I feel ... lost, and so ... alone. And without my magic, I'm ... I'm ...." A tear dribbled down her cheek. "I'm just a ... a baseline." The tear was joined by another. "Before, I could ... hide, so no-one could see me to make fun of me, or to accuse me, but now ...." She looked up at Lanie. "I feel so ... vulnerable. Like the night ..." She dropped her gaze, tears rolling from the corners of her eyes.
Lanie set her tray down on the nearest table, ignoring the three students sitting there, and then wiped Kayda's cheek with her finger, pushing the salty tear away. "You're going to be okay," she assured her younger friend.
"Do you ... do you really think so?" Kayda sniffled, her voice devoid of even a hint of confidence.
"Ah know so," Lanie said firmly. "Ah promise you, Ah'm not going to let anything happen to you. So buck up, and let's go eat our dinner." She picked up her tray and walked beside the shy, emotionally battered Lakota girl to her table. "Hi," Lanie said cheerfully to the four already seated - Alicia, Addy, Laurie, and Adrian. "Mind if we join you?"
"Mais oui," Addy said warmly. "We 'ave missed you dining with us," she continued as Lanie and Kayda sat down.
"How are you doing, ma cherie?" Alicia asked in her Cajun-accented French, taking a moment to hold Kayda's hand gently, showing her support for her friend. "I would imagine this is really tough."
Kayda nodded, relieved to see that her friends' expressions displayed concern about her, and nothing but support; there wasn't even the slightest hint of doubt or accusation. "Yeah," she said. "I'm trying ... but it's hard." She sighed. "It was bad enough with being arrested and ...." A shudder coursed through her at the memories of the previous, brutal evening in the cell. "It's ... hard to be under a cloud of suspicion." She sounded exhausted, which wasn't surprising given the turmoil and trauma of the preceding twenty-four hours.
"And I'd imagine that the other rumors don't make it any easier," Adrian commented sympathetically. He saw something in the quick glance Kayda shot Lanie's way. "They are just rumors, right?"
This time, it wasn't a furtive glance Lanie's way, but a full study of the redhead's expression, which Kayda found supportive and, surprisingly, encouraging her to tell the truth - all in the subtle looks she was giving Kayda.
Kayda looked down at her plate, ashamed. Why couldn't she be strong, like Lanie? She wanted to be so confident, so self-assured that she didn't feel so fragile. Maybe, when - if - she got her spirits back, she could be. After all, that's what Wakan Tanka and Tatanka had been trying to teach her ever since she manifested. But that confidence had seemed so far out of reach, given all she'd been through, and now, without her spirits to help her, and without her magic to help her feel safe against bullying and possibly worse, she felt like she had no self-confidence. And there seemed no end in sight for her torturous isolation.
"No," Kayda squeaked. Under the table, Lanie gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "No, they're not rumors. It's ... true."
The silence at the table was palpable, giving Kayda more reason to not look at her friends. She feared that they were going to reject her now that they'd learned that she was gay.
"There was something ... that made a very powerful compulsion," Lanie explained softly. "We ... couldn’t stop."
The hand touching hers snapped Kayda out of her self-pitying mood. She looked up, following the hand across the table to Laurie, who was smiling at her - like she ... understood? And wasn't condemning Kayda? The warmth in her smile, reflected in her eyes, was nothing but reassuring and accepting.
Kayda was confused, and she looked around the table. Addy, of course, knew, but this was news to Alicia and Adrian, and also to RPG who'd joined them without Kayda having noticed. "Ah'm not goin' t' judge y'all," Alicia explained softly. "Ah cain't imagine doin' that myself, but ...."
All eyes at the table were on her, including Lanie's supportive look and smile. "I ... I need to explain," Kayda said softly. "After ... after I manifested," she managed to squeak, "I ... I was beaten almost to death twice."
"Da. We know," Vasiliy commented.
Kayda looked down again. "What you don't know is that the second time," she halted, her voice cracking, "I was ...." She couldn't continue.
"Kayda was brutally raped," Lanie finished the thought. "Ah hope you understand why she can't even think about being romantically or physically involved with guys."
"That's why ... I'm ...."
"Gay?" Alicia asked softly, to which Kayda just nodded.
Kayda looked down again. "I understand if you don't want me on your training team now." She fully expected the team to reject her now that they knew she was gay. Everyone on the campus knew - or would know soon, and that might create trouble for the team.
A hand lifting her chin startled the Lakota girl. She found herself looking eye-to-eye with Laurie. "You are who you are," Laurie said with a smile. "A warm, wonderful, caring friend. I can't speak for the others, but I like you for who you are, and your being gay doesn't change that one little teeny bit. I'm honored to be on a training team with someone like you."
Stunned, Kayda gawked at Laurie, not sure what to say.
"And Debra is your girlfriend, isn't she?" Laurie asked rhetorically. There was no doubt she knew.
The dusky-skinned girl nodded. "Yeah." Slowly, she looked around the table at her friends, one by one. Addy, of course, already knew Kayda's secret, and she put her hand on Kayda's, squeezing it warmly. "You are ma cherie," she said, "and you always will be. And my team-mate."
Alicia nodded. "Ah've never had a friend who's gay," she said, causing a moment of panic in Kayda, "until now," she concluded. "And y' know what? It don't make a bit of difference as far as Ah'm concerned. Ah'm lookin' forward to you visitin' mah folks this summer, and Ah'd be a stupid bigot if Ah let your being gay interfere with our friendship."
Adrian nodded. "What they said," he repeated simply.
Vasiliy smiled broadly. "In Russia, is against law," he began, making Kayda worry. "But Russia has great many stupid laws like that. You are good person. Have only once concern - but you having girlfriend makes it not a worry. As long as you are not trying to be stealing affections of Chat Bleu, does not matter to me." His goofy grin was infectious.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6th, 2007 - Dinnertime
Kane Hall, Whateley Academy
The batch of chemicals and moonshine that Sam called a meal only took seconds to ingest, seconds away from a very urgent task. Once that task was completed - without the mealtime camaraderie and gustatory delight that she'd once enjoyed but was now meaningless to her mostly-nanite body, she settled back in her chair in her office.
Inside, the hive nanite brain was working feverishly, digesting security file after security file from the remote sensors, searching for the subtle data overlays that were the parasitic video from the sweat lodge. It was tedious work - extract the video from the signal after creating software algorithms based on the experimental apparatus Tweak had showed them, extract the corresponding time-code from the encrypted security data stream, and then do frame-by-frame comparison between the video from the SD card and the video from the security monitors - output to a split-screen display configuration with the SD card on one half and the time-coded security stream on the other half.
Tweak didn't know it - yet - but Sam had taken the precaution, via her nanite hive, of searching Tweak's computer and completely eradicating all traces of the video, erasing it to the extent that not even the NSA's best tools would ever recover the data from the hard disk. It was highly unlikely that Tweak would complain; after all, she'd been reminded multiple times that the video file she had was legally child porn and its mere possession was a felony, never mind the fact that she'd been the one to process and produce it from a random security file.
The breaks between security files were a major nuisance; to avoid gaps, each sensor produced files containing ten minute of data which had a five-minute overlap with the previous file, essentially two parallel data file sets offset by half the file time. Entire files could go missing and the security data stream could still be reconstructed in its entirety. But those breaks and overlaps created a significant amount of extra work for Sam, doubling the time required to process the data.
Once the Bravo-14 sensor data was processed, Sam began to look at nearby sensors to see if any other data streams contained the anomalous - but serendipitous - data. Bravo-13 had bits of the data, but the signal level was so low that only about one frame in fifteen was recoverable. Still, Sam processed it, creating yet another file which had corroborating evidence.
After over an hour of intense work, Sam stretched and then thumbed on her speaker-phone. A few rings later, the other end of the phone line was picked up. "Janice? Sam. I've got the video all processed. I created a complete, side-by-side comparison of the two different video sources with time codes overlaid on the video from the security sensors."
Less than a minute later, Janice knocked and entered Sam's office without waiting for a reply. "Whatcha got?" she asked, skipping formalities and walking directly around the desk to where Sam sat before her computer monitors.
"I'll show you the first frame that includes both girls and the end frame," Sam offered. "Beyond that ....."
"That includes both girls? Do you mean that ... there's video of just one of them?"
"Yes. Miss Franks arrived first, and she ... began to ... pleasure herself. When Miss Nalley arrived, Miss Franks practically ripped Miss Nalley's clothes off ...."
"She raped Miss Nalley? Janice asked, absolutely astounded.
"At first, Miss Nalley seemed a little reluctant. But then she became as ... eager ... as Miss Franks and their sex was mutual."
Janice nodded, wincing a little inside. If she was still an active detective on the NYPD, she could view the data with immunity from prosecution on child porn laws. Here at Whateley, it was far less certain that she could claim such immunity. Still ....
She gasped when the first shot came up on the screen, two images side-by-side on the single monitor. There was no doubt in her mind that the girls were engaged in sex, sufficiently so that this video evidence would definitely get the two girls expelled. On the other hand, being expelled for Kayda was a lot better than being executed for murder. She nodded to Sam, who switched the video to the final frame, where the two girls were lying naked cuddled tightly together.
"I presume the entire video is an unbroken sequence with good time correlation?"
"Perfect correlation," Sam reported. "There's virtually no chance the two videos are different sources."
"Okay, that's a pretty solid alibi," Janice admitted when the image disappeared from the screen. "But is possible that the video was played into a transmitter during the time of the murder?" She read Sam's expression that it was possible.
"If we don't have a good suspect, or can't poke holes in the evidence in the tunnel cameras, I'd expect the prosecutor to go after Miss Franks," Janice postulated, "and as she's a mutant, even though the evidence is circumstantial, he might have a case he can win."
"That might be difficult," Sam noted. "There aren't many people with the ability and the motive."
"I'm going to call Michiko, Amelia, Alfred, and the students to go over what we have and where we still have work to do. Probably about fifteen minutes, over in Schuster."
"I'll be there." Sam turned back to her computer, no longer looking at Janice as she left, her heels clacking on the tile floor. Sam focused on the data as the Hive started going back over the data, looking for something that she may have missed. There was something nagging at her, but she couldn't quite put the pieces together.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6th, 2007
Conference Room A, Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
Mrs. Shugendo and Ms. Hartford went over the folder of evidence slowly, giving everything the weight and attention a subject concerning life and death demanded. As they did so, a clutch of students waited as patiently as young people in their situation could. Kayda was nervously playing with her fingers while Elaine fiddled with her phone and Wyatt crossed and re-crossed his arms, scowling at the administrators for not making a snap judgment in his favor.
A bit separated from them Admiral Everheart and Mrs. Talbert were encouraging Tweak and Cueball that silence was golden and their continued silence would help in mitigating their dire circumstances. In the middle was Dr. Bellows who walked from the group of teachers to his patient, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. Finally the Dean of Students and the Assistant Headmistress looked up from the file.
"Where did this SD card come from?" Ms. Hartford demanded after a long pause.
Wyatt cleared his throat. "A student delivered it to me, Amber Prentice," he told her. "I don't believe she made it. She told me she was delivering it to pay off a favor and she didn't seem to know what was on the chip."
"When did she deliver it?" asked Mrs. Shugendo.
"Just before dinner," Wyatt told her. "About five fifteen or so."
The Dean wrote on her note pad. "Is there any chance the time stamps here have been tampered with?"
"No," Ms. Hartford replied. "I wrote this algorithm myself. It's embedded not only into the data stream itself, but here is the check sum bit inserted instead of a color bit and it's cross checked by the receiving server. There are other measures, but I won't mention them in front of students. This is legitimate."
Mrs. Shugendo sighed. "Well, this clears one problem, but opens another. We'll have to convene an expulsion hearing based on..."
"Based on what?" asked Ms. Hartford blandly. "A video that purportedly exists on an SD Card? Have you seen this video, Michi?"
"Of course not, Amelia!"
Hartford's smile was predatory. "Of course not, that would be a crime after all."
"We have testimony from..."
"From minors," Hartford purred. "Who claim they saw a video that no one can watch without possibly committing a crime." She sniffed. "Hearsay at best. The handbook clearly states for a student to be expelled for carnal actions a member of the faculty must discover them In flagrante delicto. And since that has not occurred, as far as I am concerned, the only expulsion hearings will be to cover the offenses of murder, blackmail and extortion."
Mrs. Shugendo managed to close her mouth with some effort. "That...that is uncommonly generous of you, Amelia."
"Rules are in fact rules, Michi. Don't you agree, Miss Nalley?"
"Oh, yes ma'am," the redhead affirmed.
"Now," the Assistant Headmistress said, closing the file. "the timestamps of this file and the affidavits of those who have seen the file place Miss Nalley and Miss Franks at the 'Sweat Lodge' at a length of time that precludes either of them from being the perpetrator of the killing of Miss...er...Mr....um, Student Heyoka. We have evidence that Miss Franks' ID has been stolen and used fraudulently from Admiral Everheart and Mrs. Talbert. And we have testimony from Miss Franks and Miss Nalley that they were affected by some chemical at the sweat lodge. Can that be corroborated?"
The appearance of a full grown Kodiak bear out of the air did not cause as much consternation here as it might have elsewhere. If I may, Ms. Hartford?
"Mr. Cody," Amelia asked coolly. "Is this in fact your spirit?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"The testimony of spirits isn't admissible in New Hampshire," Mrs. Shugendo cautioned.
"Fortunately, we are not legally in New Hampshire," Ms. Hartford replied. "You have something to add, Kodiak?"
While my testimony may not be admissible, the bear thought at them. I can point you in the right direction. Having seen the footage in question, it seems to me both girls were under the influence of a major compulsion."
"A psychic compulsion?" demanded Mrs. Talbert.
No, the bear corrected. Grizzly noted a chemical entered her host's body through her left hand. That means a physical, possibly magical component. Based on the activity it compels, I feel safe in calling it some derivative of demonic lust. And you do have an expert in such substances here on campus.
"Mrs. Talbert," Ms. Hartford said calmly. "I believe this report is incomplete. Will you kindly include an interview with Miss Waite?"
"I'd be delighted to, Ms. Hartford."
<
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6th, 2007 - Evening
Lovecraft Room, Hawthorne Cottage, Whateley Academy
The hover-chair floated in the middle of the wide hallway, pointing toward a rune-marked door that gave the eerie sense that it was alive. "This is it," Mrs. Cantrell said from her chair. "If you go in, don't be surprised if you find yourselves in Poe Cottage when you leave. The room likes to move back and forth, but no-one has figured out the pattern - if there even is one."
"No one has seen Miss Waite for the past couple of days?" Janice asked to confirm her information.
"Not since Tuesday night. Hippolyta was ... visiting, and she claimed that Sara just disappeared. She said she filed a report with security, but nothing has happened, and Sara hasn't been seen," Mrs. Cantrell reported, her disgust at the lack of response by security palpable.
"Can you send for Hippolyta, please? I'd like to talk to her after I talk to Sara - if Sara's here, that is." As Mrs. Cantrell turned her hover-chair and zipped back toward the stairs, Janice rapped on the door nervously, half-expecting the door to grab her hand or something equally creepy.
There was, of course, no answer to her knock, so, glancing at Sam, she rapped again, louder and longer. The only sound was the faint echoing of footsteps elsewhere in the basement corridors. Janice looked at Sam. "If you please?"
The old skeleton key looked particularly gruesome, the handle being a miniature skull in dull metal, with something in the eyes that seemed to glint red - perhaps some semi-precious stones, Janice convinced herself. As Sam extended the key toward the lock, she suddenly had to fight to control it because some supernatural force was tugging the key, pulling it toward the slot in the keyhole cover, and even with Sam's considerable strength, she couldn't control the key. When it was seated, the eye sockets in the skull, previously glinting red, glowed unnaturally.
Despite years in the paranormal division of NYPD, Janice shuddered a bit at the key. It was like the key - and thus the room - were inviting them in. Being it was called the Lovecraft Room, Janice was a little nervous. No, she corrected herself, a lot nervous. Despite some very interesting cases, she'd never dealt with anything Lovecraftian.
Sam glanced at Janice, and then twisted the key in the lock, turning the doorknob and easing the door open. She half-expected the hinges to creak eerily as the door slowly swung open, but there was no sound.
"Maybe Sara doesn't like squeaky doors," Janice said, trying to keep the mood light - mostly so she didn't get more nervous than she was. It happened every time she went to a paranormal crime scene - she got a case of the willies, which she could usually control. In her mind, it was something that kept her on edge, anticipating the unexpected, but deep down, she knew it was because of the horrific, demonic murder of her best friend in front of her eyes when she was but a little girl. Those memories had been indelibly seared into her mind, the seeds of nightmares that she'd only really gotten over when she went to college. Going into paranormal law and law enforcement had been a way for her to confront those terrors, and it usually succeeded.
But this was Lovecraft. This was potentially terror beyond human ken. She gulped nervously
The room inside looked reasonably normal - if by normal one meant a lavishly carved bed and dresser set whose patterns seemed to throb like heartbeats, or if by normal one referred to walls covered with strange and eerie raised runes that pulsed like they were alive. Janice winced.
"Miss Waite?" Sam called, looking around the room to no avail. There were clothes in a laundry hamper beside a massive armoire which was carved to match the bed. The bed wasn't made, but quite messy, as if someone had just arisen and hadn't bothered to straighten the covers. "Miss Waite?" Sam called again, a little more urgently.
Janice looked around the room, her eyes focusing on minute details. "She left in a hurry," she noted, looking at the wrinkled bedding. "And she wasn't alone, either."
Sam's eyebrow arched. "What makes you say that?"
"Look at the wrinkle patterns in the bed. It looks like two people were here, not just one."
"Hippolyta, perhaps?" Sam speculated.
"Why do you think it was her?"
"According to Mrs. Cantrell, Hippolyta was visiting and claimed Miss Waite just vanished. She also stated that Hippolyta filed a report with security about Miss Waite's disappearance."
Sam got that far-off look in her eyes again, for a brief moment. "There have been no reports filed about Miss Waite disappearing. What's more, the RFID tracking system shows no trace of Miss Waite since Tuesday evening."
"Okay, so now we have four mysterious events in the last two weeks." She saw Sam's quizzical look. "One - someone killed Apathy - after he was identified on video swapping weapons in Miss Frank's training gym. Two - someone killed Heyoka and made it look like Miss Franks is to blame. Three - someone lured Miss Franks and Miss Nalley to the sweat lodge and - if the story is to be believed - dosed the two of them with a very potent lust aphrodisiac."
"I saw all of the video clips," Sam interrupted, "not just the first and last scenes. I had to in order to process the video," she added at Janice's odd look. "As time went on, they were not enjoying themselves, so that by the end, they looked desperate, one might even say agonizingly so."
"Which lends credence to them having been dosed with something. And that brings us to number four - the one student who might be able to shed some light on this aphrodisiac - or possibly be the source of it - appears to be missing."
"You suspect that Miss Waite had something to do with the setup or the murder?" Sam asked.
"It's possible."
Sam shook her head. "Not likely. Have you ever seen Miss Waite eat?" she asked bluntly.
"No."
"Don't. It's ... disturbing," Sam said, involuntarily shuddering at the memories. "She ... absorbs the life force from a living thing. That reduces the ... victim ... to a handful of blue powder." Sam watched as the implications sank in. "If she wanted to murder Apathy or Heyoka and leave no trace, she'd just have to sweep up a little blue dust and put it in the trashcan. No need for all this elaborate ruse."
"Could she have had a grudge against Heyoka, maybe? Or against Kayda?"
Sam shook her head. "I doubt it. Sara is in pretty tight with Team Kimba, and so is Heyoka. There haven't been any reports of friction among the three of them. And since we found Apathy's corpse and not a pile of blue powder, it was unlikely to be him."
"This keeps coming back to Miss Franks," Janice speculated as the two searched the room, including in the dresser and armoire, looking for anything that might be a clue. "Apathy was in a position to make mischief with the poster, and to steal the copper spike."
"And he was vulnerable to blackmail," Sam noted.
"Oh?"
"Apathy was gay, but not out. If someone knew that, he'd be very vulnerable to extortion."
"So someone used Apathy to get at Miss Franks? Why?" Janice was a little peeved that all this background information was coming to her attention very late in the investigation.
"There have been a number of attacks and events surrounding Miss Franks."
"Someone trying to get rid of her?" Janice frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Why not just kill her instead of Apathy and Heyoka?"
"Consider that may not have been the goal."
Janice thought but a moment, and then her face lit up and her eyes widened. "Someone want her off campus? Badly enough to try framing her, or blackmailing her for being gay?"
Sam shook her head. "Doesn't add up. At least three of the incidents were intended to be fatal. Why would someone who just wants her off campus try something fatal? And if they wanted her dead, why would they try things that are non-fatal?"
"As I understand it," Janice posited, "Miss Franks is an avatar with a very important Lakota spirit. It'd be easy to imagine someone wanting her out of this school and back in the tribal lands. But dead?"
Sam's eyes widened as realization dawned on her. "What if there isn't one party, but two? What if someone wanted her dead? Pinning a capital murder rap on her is a death sentence. And there's another, separate person who just wants her off campus?"
Janice shook her head. "I thought about that. The problem is that the murderer would have had to make sure that Kayda has no alibi." She sat down in a chair. "Look at it this way - if someone wants her off campus and doesn't care if she lives or dies, then it makes sense to frame her for a murder while luring her to a situation where her alibi gets her expelled for violating the rules, and even if she isn't expelled, she'd be outed as gay, which might cause her to leave in shame. If someone just wanted her off campus but alive, it's too risky to frame her for murder."
"Cause who to leave in shame?" a girl's voice boomed from the door. Sam and Janice both spun to the interruption, startled.
"You would be ...?" Janice asked hesitantly, staring at the blonde-haired Amazon who looked like she wanted nothing more than to rip someone apart.
"Hippolyta," Hippy growled. "It's about fucking time those pencil-dicked morons in security finally sent someone to investigate Sara's disappearance."
"How long has it been since you've seen Miss Waite?" Janice asked.
"It's in the report," Hippy snarled angrily.
"What report?" Sam asked. "There's no security report on Miss Waite."
Hippy's rage went up to a new level. "I filled out a report for that dick-faced weasel Coltrain! The son-of-a-bitch said he was going to take care of it!" She looked like she'd personally rip Coltrain's lungs out if he was in the room.
"Calm down," Sam said to the agitated girl. "I just notified Emily Strong to start looking around the files to see if it got misplaced." None too gently, she took Hippy's arm and guided her to a chair. "Now, tell us all about her disappearance."
"If you're not here because she disappeared," Hippy scowled, "then why are you here?"
"First things first - what can you tell us about Miss Waite's disappearance?"
Hippolyta looked first at Sam, then at Janice, her expression wary at best. "I was ... visiting ... Tuesday evening. She was helping me ... study," Hippy explained, her expression angry and daring the women to challenge her assertion.
"Was there a phone call? An e-mail message? Did she just get up and leave?"
Hippy snorted derisively. "It's all in the damned report!" She saw the stern expressions on both older women. "Okay," she conceded, lightening her tone a little bit. "We were ... cuddling," Hippy admitted as if daring someone to tell her it was wrong.
"Go on," Janice prompted gently. Hippy was a seething volcano of emotions, and she could easily be set off when they needed to get information from her.
"All of a sudden, she stiffened, convulsed violently a couple of times, and disappeared," Hippy continued. "It was weird - like something was pulling her, and she was trying to fight it." The Amazon girl shuddered at the memory. "When that was happening, her mark ... on me ... burned for a moment." She shook her head. "I haven't felt anything in her mark since."
Janice looked knowingly at Sam. "A summoning?"
Sam shrugged. "You're the expert, not me."
"I'm hardly an expert, but it does match what I know of a summoning."
"Wait a sec," Hippy interrupted. "A summoning? That means that Sara ... could be anywhere," she wailed, tears coming to her eyes. "You have to find her! Please! I need her!"
Janice and Sam exchanged glances again, both wondering just what kind of relationship this Amazon girl had with the lust demon. "Um, yeah," Sam said uneasily, "We'll find your report and get searching. But first, since you're here, we have a few questions about Miss Waite that you may be able to answer."
Hippolyta looked, her eyes pleading, at Janice, and then slowly nodded. "I'll ... I'll try," she sniffled.
"In your ... friendship ... with Miss Waite, have you seen or experienced her inducing strong lust? Perhaps even uncontrollable?"
"N...no," the imposing girl answered hesitantly. "She ... she has a lust aura - the same way that elf has a beauty glamour. But it's not that strong."
"That you know of?"
"Uh, yes. I've ... experienced it," Hippy admitted, her cheeks flushing a little bit, "but it wasn't irresistible or overpowering or anything."
"Is her lust aura the only way she can cause ... sexual attraction?" Sam tried to be discrete, but with the topic, that was proving nearly impossible.
"She ... her ... body fluids ... can be very powerful. She told me that she has a lust essence that is impossible to resist, but that she's never used it because she thinks it can be dangerous."
Janice frowned. "That jibes with what I know about demons and their core essence," she said. "So ... maybe ...."
"Maybe someone found out how to summon her, and once summoned, she had to obey? Even possibly giving some of her demonic essence?" Sam completed the frightening thought.
"That would imply the summoning was on campus, or nearby," Janice speculated, her mind racing. "But summonings can be very, very dangerous. The slightest mistake - a crack in a concrete floor through the summoning circle, for example, and the being that was summoned can escape."
"So if someone summoned Sara," the impatient Amazonian interrupted, "why didn't she come back?"
"Let me ask you a hypothetical," Sam spoke to the student. "Suppose someone were to expose two people to this ... essence. Would they be able to resist having sex?"
Hippy shook her head immediately. "From what Sara told me, no."
"And if they were of the same sex? Say, two guys. Or two girls?" Sam continued.
"Wouldn't matter," the girl answered matter-of-factly.
"And ... how long would it last?"
Hippy thought a moment. "Sara told me it could last for hours. But it's not something you'd want to use on yourself."
"Oh?" Janice was surprised. "Why not?"
"From what I understand, if you were under the influence of the essence," Hippy explained, "you couldn't get satisfaction. You'd literally wear yourself out trying to get enough sexual pleasure to satisfy the essence - and you'd probably pass out first."
"Speculate her for a moment, Hippolyta," Sam said, "what do you think it would be like if a person was exposed to the essence? Would they ... start to be desperate, perhaps? Frantic? Could it cause a mental breakdown?"
Hippy bit her lower lip for a moment as she pondered the question. "I suppose, and this is only my guess, that anyone exposed would be quite desperate, maybe even afraid that they couldn't get enough satisfaction."
Sam looked knowingly at Janice. "The video. That's what Wyatt Cody's spirit was trying to tell us - Kay ... the girls ... looked desperate!"
"You've gotta be talking about Kayda and Lanie, right?" Hippolyta speculated correctly. "Because that's all the rage in the gossip circles right now." She shook her head. "But that doesn't make any sense."
"What do you mean?" Janice and Sam asked simultaneously.
"Kayda's gay. Not surprising, considering she was brutally raped. And Lanie - she's was a good Sister, but now she's sold out to that ... piece of man-sausage Kody!" Hippy snarled.
"Yeah, but how many other people know that?"
"About Lanie? A lot of people, probably. She and ... her lover last year weren't exactly ... discrete." She shook her head. "But Kayda? I don't think anyone outside of a few close friends know." She deliberately neglected to mention that the entire Poe girls' community knew of both the rape and her sexuality.
"I've got a few new questions," Janice said, pulling out a notebook and jotting down a few items. "What happens after a summoning - is the demon automatically released? Does an RFID sensor penetrate a summoning circle? How long does the essence last before it wears off? How could one be exposed to the essence? Through direct contact? Via an intermediary, like essence left on a glass?"
"Or a tent flap," Sam said with certainty.
"Yeah. I was thinking the same thing." Janice offered Hippolyta a hand to rise from her chair. "We aren't forgetting about Sara. In fact, she's even more important to the case we're working than we would have thought."
Sam nodded grimly. "I'm going to find out what happened to that report, and if someone deep-sixed it, they're going to wish that they drew sewer duty." She turned and led the trio out of the room.
"What the hell?" Sam demanded on entering the hallway. It was ... wrong.
"We're in Poe," Hippy said. "The room moves whenever it wants to."
"Okay. We'll take the tunnel back to Kane," Sam said with a sigh. "It's a bit closer anyway." She set out for the tunnel entrance at a quick-step. "How did Debra Matson take the news?"
Janice stutter-stepped, startled. "What?"
"About Kayda being detained? I suspect she'd want to come out here to support Kayda since they're ... close friends."
"I ... I thought you called her," Janice protested weakly, paling at the thought that they'd overlooked calling Cornflower.
"I thought you had called her," Sam replied, wincing. "Oh, shit."
"I'll call her as soon as we get back to Kane."
"Okay. Do you know who in the magic department knows the most about summoning?"
Nearly running to catch up to Sam's very rapid pace, Janice shook her head. "There was a Mr. Langford from Berkeley here in the winter term; he's supposed to be one of the country's foremost experts in summoning. He might still be around. If not him, probably Circe or Elyzia Grimes."
"Call them. We need to meet with them ASAP. I don't need to remind you that the clock is ticking." She grimaced. "I don't like the fact that the one student who could tell us about lust and such has gone missing, too."
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6th, 2007
The Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
Despite what Lanie had been certain had been a very profitable day, Kayda remained worried. She'd asked 'what if' questions all through dinner, panicked about every little possibility and potential outcome. Lanie tried to reassure her friend that her innocence was basically proven, that the investigation had moved past exonerating her to finding who the real culprits were.
In public, Kayda had made all the right noises, but her barrage of questions and theories hadn't abated. Instead of the date they'd had planned, Wyatt, Elaine and Kayda had settled for the inaugural Crystal Hall 'Movie night' that Dashboard had set up with the assistance of Mr. Parker. She projected a three story hologram, much larger than a traditional movie screen, but less than the new Imax format that was becoming popular, against the waterfall and the sound was piped through the Crystal Hall speakers. The feature picked to start this new tradition was The Princess Bride.
Lanie had spent the night cuddled up against Wyatt, more feeling that listening to his laughter while she watched Kayda in the flickering darkness. Kayda hadn't watched the movie either. She'd stared listlessly off into space, when she wasn't stealing lonely, forlorn, envious glances at Elaine and Wyatt. She didn't join in when the students began shouting 'Inconceivable!' or 'As You Wish' at the screen, every time the line was uttered. And the speech about the rarity of True Love had tears streaming down her cheeks. She seemed to be sinking into depression about her situation - being alone without Debra to comfort her, under suspicion, having lost her spirits and her magic, and now being outed and subject to ridicule and nasty taunting.
Finally, the redhead could take it no longer and with a meaningful glance at her own lover, she sat up, reached over, and pulled the smaller Lakota girl against her, then laid back down against her man. "No!" Kayda hissed, looking around frantically. "People will see!"
Kayda looked up just in time to see the pair turn to her and look her directly in the eye, then, in chorus as if they'd planned it, Lanie and Wyatt whispered, "Fuck them," then turned back to the screen.
Kayda spent a fruitless moment in a halfhearted struggle, but Lanie was much stronger than she was. It was not so much that she was held against her will, it was more a firm affirmation that the redhead didn't care who saw them. Kayda looked up to see Wyatt looking at her, a slight smile on his face as he winked at her and laid one of his massive hands on her shoulder, mostly on Lanie's arm where she was holding Kayda against herself, but Wyatt had big hands. For the first time in her new life, Kayda didn't flinch at the touch of a man, didn't feel threatened, but rather, felt perfectly at peace and safe. She knew Lanie wouldn't let Wyatt do anything to her. She quit struggling and laid her head against Elaine's soft breast and sighed in contentment.
Before the Dread Pirate Roberts came for their souls she was asleep. Lanie kissed her forehead and then the arm of her fiancée, feeling him kiss the top of her head. "No man," he whispered into her ear, "ever had a better mother for his children than you."
Elaine smiled as she rubbed her cheek into his chest and realized yet again Wyatt had cut through all the innuendo and appearance to the true heart of the matter. There was nothing truly sexual in their embrace and it could easily be that of a married couple and their child. Lanie absently stroked Kayda's long, midnight black hair and basked in the love she felt.
Tomorrow there would be trials and tribulations, more drama in discovering who really had committed this horrible crime. There would be rumor and rumor-mongering and all the foolishness that came with high school, but tonight, just now there was only love and friendship and a wonderful little peek at what motherhood would be like. A peek that more than ever strengthening Elaine's resolve that she had chosen the right course for her life. "As you wish," she whispered.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 6th, 2007- Late Evening
Walkway between Schuster and Poe, Whateley Academy
Kayda was snuggled up in Cody's arms, and given her size compared to the burly senior, the appearance was that of a father carrying a small child. Lanie hung on his arm, leaning her head against his shoulder, occasionally gently stroking Kayda's cheek or hair if the girl squirmed or started, while she cooed softly to Kayda that everything was okay.
The content little trio dodged to the side of the walkway as two adults came quick-stepping down the brick path, and then Janice Talbert halted suddenly when she recognized Kayda being carried by Wyatt, with Lanie at his side. "Miss Nalley," she said, insistently and softly, "May we have a word with you?"
Lanie glanced up at Wyatt, who seemed confident and comfortable gently cradling Kayda, an image of loving fatherhood that put a lump in Lanie's throat, re-confirming what she already knew. With his affirmative nod, she took a few steps toward Janice and the other woman, who she could see was Sam Everheart.
"Yes?" she asked simply, not quite sure how else to start or ask what was on their minds. Her concern lay with her charge a few feet away, and the fear that Kayda would awaken and be startled by Wyatt holding her and be pushed into a PTSD event.
"Has Kayda ... Miss Franks ... asked about Miss Matson?" Sam asked softly.
"No," Lanie replied. "She's very concerned about how Debra's goin' to take the news, but frankly, Ah think she's too emotionally and physically exhausted and too distracted."
"We ... accidentally neglected to call her," Janice said, wincing at the admission. "Each of us thought the other had."
Only the fact that Kayda was asleep in Wyatt's arms a few feet away kept Lanie from launching into a loud bit of invective against their negligence and what it might have meant to Kayda if she'd asked and discovered that Debra hadn't even so much as inquired about her. "Ah see," she said, her voice cold and hard despite the near-whisper.
"I'm going to call her as soon as I get back to Kane," Janice added hastily.
We will talk to Kayda's beloved in dream-space, Grizzly sounded in Lanie's mind. "It will be better than a ... cold phone call. And you can use that time to prepare Kayda's beloved for the truth, which Kayda will have to tell her eventually."
"Ah'll contact her," Lanie said, shaking her head sadly at the oversight. "Better that she hear from a friend than an anonymous school official." She sighed. "Ah know Debra from last year, so it'd be easier on her. And Ah can dream-walk with her - with my spirit's help. That'd be much less impersonal."
"Are you sure?" Sam asked uneasily.
"No," Lanie replied, glancing at the peacefully-sleeping girl. "No, Ah'm not sure, but Ah know Ah have to."
"Okay," Janice said. "If you think that's best. Well, good night then." Janice and Sam resumed their march toward Kane, albeit at a slower, less-determined ace.
Wyatt looked at Lanie as she stepped back to his side. "Are you going to tell her?"
Lanie nodded. "Ah ... Ah don't know how Ah can not tell her," she admitted softly.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 7th, 2007- Early Morning
Dream-space of Debra Matson, The March of Dreams
There are many who believe that a dream-space of an individual must be some pastoral scene of idealized nature; that the accomplishments and buildings of Men have no place in this perfect realm. They are wrong, however, as a Dream-space is as personal a thing as can be and reflects the tastes and personality of the person, as does the way they appear in the March of Dreams.
Elaine had started on an island in the middle of Lake Allatoona in a pair of cutoff jeans and a bikini top that she had explained what she had to do to Grizzly in. The primal Bear had become her Amazon self and started walking. The small island they had started on was too small to have a forest this thick on it, but the trees gave way to an alley way, and the alley gave way to Madison Avenue in New York.
It was not, however, the New York some hundreds of miles to the south, but an idealized New York, full of handsome, well dressed mobsters, lantern jawed honest cops and everywhere there were glamorously dressed, beautiful women. There was no litter, nor even street crime, this was far too cosmopolitan for that, this was the New York of the movies, black and white or color, Bogart and Bacall or Joel and Carey this was a New York that only existed in dreams.
Lanie stepped up on the curb to find her foot was now encased in the Prada pumps Mrs. Carson had bought for her, and indeed she was wearing the same designer silk skirt suit and while Grizzly was as equally dressed to the nines to match her, there was something almost 'body guard' about her flowing pant suit and there was almost certainly a hand gun under her stylish jacket; not that she would need it. The doorman tipped his hat as he held the door for the two and heels' clicking sharply on the marble they made their way to a bank of elevators that dutifully took them up to the penthouse. "I'll wait outside," Grizzly murmured as Lanie allowed a maid to take her fox fur stole and over coat.
Inside, the redhead was led to a sumptuous art deco living room right out of a film noir to find Debra laying on a chaise lounge in a white sheath gown that would have looked at home on Marlene Dietrich. She blinked in surprise. "Lanie? What are you doing here?"
Elaine couldn't help but look around, surprised at the surroundings. "Ah have to say, Deb, you are a master of 'if you're going to dream, dream big.'" She cocked her head in confusion and looked back at the blonde. "Why are you in Sioux Falls?"
The penthouse shimmered and suddenly they were on a farm so perfectly American you'd expect the name 'Kent' to be on the mail box. Both girls were leaning on a split rail fence next to a bright red barn in jeans, a flannel for Debra, a Ford T-shirt for Elaine. A ways off Grizzly was leaning against Elaine's Mustang on the gravel driveway, wearing a cut off flannel tied under her impressive bosom and a pair of Daisy Dukes. "Because who would ever believe a glamorous super model came from this?" she asked with a grin.
The grin faded somewhat. "How is Kayda? What's going on? I got this vague phone call about an investigation and..."
Elaine sighed and did her best to look the older girl in the eye. "Deb, Ah've got some bad news..."
"Oh God," the blonde whispered. "Is she...?"
"She's alive, and she's not hurt," Lanie told her quickly, watching the other girl sigh in relief. Elaine reached out and put a hand on the other girls' shoulder. "But she's in trouble; legal trouble. Somebody is framing her for the murder of a student on campus."
Debra's face marched through several expressions, finally settling on shock. "Murder? Kayda? But...how? Why? And why isn't she...?"
"They've sealed her magic," Lanie told her which caused Debra to be instantly aghast.
"They can't do that!" she shouted. "She has PTSD! To have her magic sealed would shut her off from her spirits and..."
"Murder, Deb," Lanie told her softly. "Mrs. Carson is already playing fast and loose by letting her out in mah custody. Ah'm doing what Ah can for her..."
The redhead was surprised by the other girl sweeping her into a hug over the fence. "Lanie, you're the best!" she enthused. "Please tell her I..." Debra felt her friend stiffen and pulled back from the hug. "There...there's more, isn't there?"
Elaine forced her head to nod as Debra's grip on her shoulders tightened to the point of pain. "Deb, whoever did this, they tried to make sure that Kayda wouldn't have an alibi. They lured us..."
"Us?" the blonde demanded archly. The grip crossed over the line on Elaine's shoulders. "What do you mean, 'us' Elaine? Why wouldn't Kayda have an alibi if she was with you...?"
"Deb, it wasn't on purpose..." Lanie's protest died off in a cry of pain as fingers dug into her shoulders. In a flash, Grizzly was behind her, massive furry paws around Deb's wrists.
"Take your hands off my host," the bear growled.
"What did you do?" Debra demanded, releasing the other girl and yanking her hands free from the spirit to clinch the rail between them until her knuckles went white.
Elaine turned gently gestured to Grizzly. "Ah got this, Grizzly, it's ok." It was obvious the bear spirit didn't think so, but she withdrew to a more conversive distance. She sighed and turned back to Debra. "Deb, Kayda and Ah got lured to that sweat lodge she built and we were both dosed with...something. Grizzly thinks it...it was lust demon essence."
Debra's eyes filled with tears but she said nothing. "It was lust-demon essence," Grizzly affirmed.
"We...we couldn't stop, Deb, we tried. Mah hand of God..."
"You...you had sex with her," Deb whispered. "After all your promises and protests of how much you love Wyatt, the god damned instant my back is turned...!"
"Deb, it wasn't like that!" Lanie pleaded.
"How was it, you whore?" she shouted, tears running down her face. "The bear makes Wyatt a complete man slut, but I thought you had integrity, Elaine Nalley!"
"God damn it, Deb, listen to me!" she shouted back. "Yes, alright? Ah wanted to fuck Kayda! Ah admit it! Ah wanted to dive into her and wrap her around me! There, Ah said it! But we didn't have sex by choice!"
"How...?"
"The flap on the tent was covered in lust-demon essence! You took demonology! You know there is no resisting a lust demon! And god damn you, we both still tried! When we finally came out of it Kayda was hysterical because she thought she'd raped me! Her first thought was how she'd betrayed you! She's terrified that even though it wasn't her fault, you can't or won't forgive her, but that you'll turn her away now because of this. She's scared to death of losin' you!"
The tears streamed down the older girls face. "Why are you telling me this?" she demanded.
"Because Ah wasn't lying at the table, and she wasn't lying. Sure, Ah turn her on, and she turns me on." Elaine sighed and reached out to pull the other girl into a hug. In her ear, she whispered, "But she loves you. Ah'm so sorry, Deb, if Ah could undo it, Ah would!"
Debra withdrew and sniffed to clear her sinus, where she forced a smile through the tears. "No you wouldn't," she managed with a laugh that wasn't quite so forced. "You...you know you wanted her."
"Deb..."
She shook her head and spun around to pace. "No, I'm sorry, Lanie, it sounded funny in my head." She sniffed again and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Thank...thank you. This was hard to hear, I won't lie, but knowing you came and told me, shows you weren't..." Her eyes flooded and spilled down her cheeks. "I love her, Lanie!"
The redhead leapt the fence and hugged the other girl. "Ah know, Deb! Ah'm sorry!"
"Don't you take her from me! I don't know what I'd do without her!" Deb's legs gave out and the two girls sank into the grass as the final dam gave way and Debra sobbed out her grief and fear. "Don't take her from me!"
"Ah won't," Lanie swore. "Ah swear, Deb, Ah won't take her!"
Debra clung to her friend and wailed out her grief and frustration that she could not even have the solace of anger. So she held onto Lanie while she tried to believe these new promises of honor and fidelity and wept out her sorrow. For her part, Elaine could only hold the friend she had unwillingly betrayed and let her cry.
* * * * * * * * * *
To my side: "And whom should Persuasion summon
Here, to soothe the sting of your passion this time?
Who is now abusing you, Sappho? Who is
Treating you cruelly?
Hymn to Aphrodite, Sappho
Monday, May 7, 2007 - Early Morning
Poe Cottage, Whateley Academy
Slowly, sound penetrated Kayda's sleep-addled mind, fighting to stir her from her exhaustion-induced slumber. The song playing on the alarm made no sense to her at all; it was familiar in a way, but certainly not as something to rouse her from her sleep. It didn't help to wake her that the song was slow, unlike what she usually awoke to.
Georgia, Georgia
The whole day through (the whole day through)
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind (Georgia on my mind)
I'm say Georgia, Georgia
A song of you (a song of you)
Comes as sweet and clear
As moonlight through the pines
Out of habit, Kayda reached toward her desk - situated conveniently behind the headboard of her bed, groping for her alarm clock so she could silence the disturbance and let herself fall back into the land of nod. Frustratingly, though, she couldn't find the alarm clock, and her groping became more desperate as she tried to find the offending device. But the song wasn't that bad as morning wakeup songs went. Still, being different, it was making it harder for her to sleep in.
I said Georgia, oh Georgia
No peace I find (peace I find)
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind (Georgia on my mind)
Across the room, her roommate wasn't stirring, or if she was, she was playing possum, lying in bed trying to eke out the last few minutes of rest before it was truly time to get out of bed. Kayda shook her head as she tried to wrap her pillow around her ears to get a few more moments of blissful peace. Tendrils of light were snaking through small gaps among and around the drapes, which weren't nearly opaque anyway, so the room was bathed in a morning glow which made sleep -once Kayda was awakened - rather difficult. Still, she tried to ignore the light and the music and let herself rest, if only a few moments longer. After a bit, the soulful sound of Ray Charles singing Georgia on my Mind faded away, leaving the girl hoping grateful for one less distraction.
L.A. proved too much for the man
(Too much for the man, he couldn't make it)
So he's leaving a life he's come to know, ooh
(He said he's going)
He said he's going back to find
(Going back to find)
Ooh, what's left of his world
The world he left behind not so long ago
He's leaving
(Leaving)
On that midnight train to Georgia, yeah
(Leaving on the midnight train)
Said he's going back
(Going back to find)
To a simpler place and time, oh yes he is
(Whenever he takes that ride, guess who's gonna be right by his side)
I'll be with him
(I know you will)
On that midnight train to Georgia
(Leaving on a midnight train to Georgia, woo woo)
I'd rather live in his world
(Live in his world)
Than live without him in mine
(Her world is his, his and hers alone)
That gratitude faded almost immediately when another song came on, replacing the first. Kayda wanted to scream in frustration, but she knew that Evvie would get annoyed. It didn't quite sink in that she wasn't with Evvie in her room, but had a different roommate with far different taste in music. Somehow, despite still feeling exhausted after a long night's sleep, the music was in a way soothing, rich and soulful and making her want to go back to sleep, at least through the remainder of the song. It ended soon enough, but just as Kayda uncovered her ears, another song came on, loud and boisterous and definitely enough to wake anyone in earshot.
Well, I ain't
never been the Barbie doll type
No, I can't swig that sweet Champagne, I'd rather drink beer all night
In a tavern or in a honky tonk or on a four-wheel drive tailgate
I've got posters on my wall of Skynyrd, Kid and Strait
Some people look down on me, but I don't give a rip
I'll stand barefooted in my own front yard with a baby on my hip
'Cause I'm a redneck woman
I ain't no high class broad
I'm just a product of my raising
I say, 'hey ya'll' and 'yee-haw'
And I keep my Christmas lights on
On my front porch all year long
And I know all the words to every Charlie Daniels song
So here's to all my sisters out there keeping it country
Let me get a big 'hell yeah' from the redneck girls like me, hell yeah
"Ah'm up," a voice called out wearily and unconvincingly from the opposite side of the room, as if out of habit of reassuring a roommate or parent that she was indeed awake - finally. The Lakota girl opened her eyes a crack and stared across the room, watching a tall, very curvy redhead lever herself to a sitting position and stretch, showing off in the process her generous breasts that jiggled and bounced as she lifted her arms above her head and took a deep breath.
The radio gave no solace; it was as if the lack of Georgia-related music would release Lanie from the land of the living to drift back to sleep. Either that, or Lanie had deliberately picked the selection of music just to demonstrate her love of her home state. As Lanie pulled her sleep shirt over her head, the MP3 player continued it's 'hit parade' of 'Georgia Redneck' theme music.
How much is a
ticket back to Georgia
Time for me to fetch a home
Headin' back down a railroad track of memory
Find that girl I left there all alone
I've been tryin' to find some rhyme or reason
And I've been cryin' for a while
But it just seems like it's open season
But I know where I can find a smile
An amused little smile crept across Lanie's features as she dropped her sleep T onto her bed, lowering her arms. "Enjoyin' the show?" she asked, looking directly at the girl who was lying quietly on her side, trying not to be obvious staring at the redhead.
"Um ... I ... I was ..." Kayda stammered, knowing she'd been caught admiring Lanie but still desperately trying to find an excuse. "I wasn't staring ...."
"Sure," Lanie chuckled, standing and pulling off her panties and slipping off her robe. "Besides, it's nothin' you haven't seen before, right?"
Kayda blushed so brightly she figured she could be seen from orbit. "Do you like embarrassing me?" she asked in mock indignation.
"Whenever possible, yes," Lanie chuckled. "You look so cute and innocent when you're blushing." She grabbed her toiletries bag and stood by the door. "Now get up. You can't leave mah side, even when we're showering, and Ah'm goin' to shower, so you have t' go too."
Kayda pulled back her covers. "Eep!" she cried in surprise, startled to discover that she was naked except for her panties, which elicited a chuckle from the redhead. "Um," she asked, knowing her cheeks were still red, "how ... how did I get here? And ... like this ... in bed?" She arched an eyebrow. "You ... didn't ....?"
Lanie smiled, unoffended by the implication that she'd taken liberties with her temporary roommate. "You fell asleep on mah shoulder during the movie," she explained. "And no, Ah didn't do anythin' funny. Wyatt carried you back here, and then Ah got you tucked in bed." There was a wistful tone to her voice, like she was fondly recalling the previous evening. That bliss lasted a few seconds until she realized that Kayda was staring at her in shock. "Ah was just thinkin'," she added hastily, "of how nice it was to be holdin' you and carin' for you, and thinkin' about someday having mah own child to care for and tuck in bed and kiss goodnight."
"Oh." Kayda sounded uncertain - a little flattered at how caring Lanie - and even Wyatt - were, and at the same time, perhaps a little disappointed that Lanie had been so darned decent and honorable and hadn't taken advantage.
"Now - Ah gave you a peep show, so get up and return the favor while you put on your robe and get ready to shower." She tried to leer at the smaller girl but she couldn't hold the expression and ended up giggling. "Really, we have to get showered and get breakfast."
Kayda slid her arms through the sleeves of her robe and then slipped off her panties. "I'm ... not hungry," she mumbled.
"You need to eat so you have strength for your victory dance tonight," Lanie said confidently and cheerfully. She grabbed Kayda's hand. "Come on."
"I wish it was after lunch," the smaller girl practically whispered as Lanie led her out of their temporary room and down the hall to the bathroom, to where a cacophony of teenage girls getting ready assaulted their ears when the door opened.
"Hey, Lanie," Angel said enthusiastically when she saw the two enter, turning from the shower line and giving the redhead a hug. "I heard rumors that you were visiting for a while."
Lanie shrugged. "Official duty," she reported. "Ah have to escort Kayda until the hearing is over."
"Ooooohhhhh!" a couple of girls cooed suggestively.
"Sorry, girls, it's not like that," Lanie said, shaking her head. "Carson's orders. It's official business."
"And here I thought the rumors were true and that you were making a little love nest," Shove joked. "Based on the way you were checking her out at the hot tub, I thought you might have succeeded."
Kayda was blushing, but Lanie shook her head. "Girls, much as Ah wish Kayda and Ah were an item," she said seriously, "this ain't no laughin' matter. Someone's tryin' to frame Kayda for killin' Heyoka, and she's only out of a security cell because Ah'm a federal air marshal." She saw the girls winding up to ask questions. "And no, Kayda didn't kill Heyoka. Ah know that with one hundred percent certainty."
Diamanta's eyes widened as realization hit home. "So the rumors ...." Her mouth hung open in surprise, unable to finish.
Lanie drew a breath to speak, but Kayda's hand on her arm startled her momentarily, and when she looked at the smaller Lakota girl, she understood. "They're true," Kayda answered softly, for the first time not looking down, no matter how much her cheeks burned, because she so desperately wanted to be strong like her friend. "We were ... together. Almost the whole afternoon." She saw the inquisitive and suggestive stares, the subtle signs that some of the girls were going to ask more questions, and it took all her willpower to not look down blushing, but to look directly at the girls. "It was ... some kind of compulsion. I know you've all got a lot of questions, but if you don't mind," she preempted any further inquiry, "I'd rather not talk about it." She realized that she was shaken from just answering that question, and it rattled her confidence - what little she had - about how she would handle the questioning in the hearing later that day.
While the other girls backed off a wee bit, respecting Kayda's wish for privacy, Naomi boldly stepped forward and swept the Lakota girl into a huge hug, ignoring the fact that she was nude. "Are you okay?" she whispered softly. "We're all worried about you, and we know you didn't do it."
The embrace - a tender gesture of support and concern - made Kayda's eyes start to water. "I appreciate it," she replied, her voice trembling a bit. That gesture broke the ice, and all the girls lined up to hug Kayda - Angel, Wallflower, Shove, Diamanta, and all the others - one at a time and with heartfelt concern, reducing Kayda to a blubbering mess by the time it was her turn for a shower.
"Hey, Lanie!" Naomi sang out as the redhead hung up her robe. "When did you get the tats?"
"Yeah? What's up with them?" Angel asked, head slightly cocked, staring at the Celtic knot work tattoos encircling Lanie's biceps.
"Ya like 'em?" Lanie chuckled softly. "They're a gift," she said. "When mah spirit was bound to me, Ah got these as a bonus."
Eyes widened as nearly every girl goggled at the redhead. "Wait, you've got a spirit? You mean, you're an avatar?"
Elaine stepped to one side and wrapped her arm around Kayda's shoulders. "Thanks to mah Sister, Ah have the spirit of Grizzly to protect me."
Kayda realized the girls were staring at her again, wide-eyed at what Lanie had revealed. "Don't ask. I got in serious trouble over that, and I'm not going to do it again!"
Reluctantly, Kayda slid free of Lanie's arm - which was so comforting and felt so safe, and hung up her robe. Slowly, she became aware that a few of the girls were staring at her. "What?" she demanded, confused.
Shove winced a little, shrugging her shoulders. "Sorry, but, well, the girls on the second floor get to see you every day."
"And you don't, is that it?" Kayda sighed. "But ... quit gawking at me! Please."
"Girls," Lanie said sternly, "c'mon. Give her some peace. Kayda's got a hella day ahead of her, and she doesn't need to start it being ogled and gawked at."
"You just want her all for yourself," Destry chuckled. "But really, can you blame us? She is a very attractive girl!"
Kayda slipped from Lanie's arm and into an open shower stall, aware that eyes were still glued to her. It made her feel like she was on display in a meat market, like she had at the hot-tub party when all the girls had been so blatantly checking her out. And yet .....
The door opened again, and Lanie started to step into the shower stall. "If you wash mah back, Ah'll wash yours," she said with a deliciously wicked grin. "And maybe your front, too!"
Kayda's jaw dropped. "Lanie!" she protested.
"Ah was told Ah have to stay with you all the time," Lanie said with a grin. Several of the other girls guffawed at the look of horror on Kayda's face. The tall redhead let her panic for a moment before she stepped back out of the stall. "Just kiddin'." Instead, she stepped into the adjoining shower stall which was conveniently empty.
Despite being intimidated because of her past, and her exhaustion, and her upcoming ordeal in the hearing, a tiny part of Kayda sneaked a tiny smile onto her face. These girls were confirming what she'd been so long in denying, but which her friend Lanie accepted so easily - she was an attractive girl. What was more, she slowly was realizing that she enjoyed feeling attractive, or at least a part of her did.
Lanie noticed. As the two of them dressed for the day, back in their room - both in regular school uniforms and Kayda skipping her warrior markings, Lanie chuckled. "You enjoyed the girls staring at you in the bathroom, didn't you?"
"I ... I didn't," Kayda stammered, shocked at Lanie's speculative words. "It's ...."
"You enjoyed it," Lanie repeated, more certainly this time. "Don't lie to me, Sister. Ah could see it in your face and in your posture."
Kayda's gaze fell. "I ... I'm ... so confused," she admitted. "I shouldn't like it, but ... I kind of do. It's ... nice to feel like I'm attractive enough to get attention."
Lanie lifted the Lakota girl's chin until the two were staring eye-to-eye. "You are attractive, Kayda," she assured the shorter girl. "You're smart, you're fun - when you're not wallowing in depression or having PTSD attacks. You've got so much going for you - if you only let yourself realize it." Though a huge part of her wanted to kiss the shorter girl, Lanie drew her into a tight embrace, cheek-to-cheek. "You're very, very special, and it's about time that you started realizing it."
Kayda tried to nod affirmatively, but she couldn't quite manage. "Lanie," she said softly, "I'm scared." Her voice trembled, accentuating the nervous expression darkening her features. "What if I never get my magic or my spirits back? It hurts, Lanie! It hurts real bad! It's empty where my magic was, and it's empty when I can't talk to my spirits! I can't ... I can't ...." She was fighting a losing battle against tears. "I ... can't do it! If I can't get them back, I don't want ...." She shook her head slowly, seemingly with no energy. "All I want is for it to stop hurting."
"Hush!" Lanie held Kayda, alarmed by the shorter girl's very dark mood - almost like she was psychologically giving up. "Everything is going to be okay."
"What if they don't believe us? What if Mrs. Carson has to hand me over to the MCO?"
"Hush," Lanie said softly, clutching her friend tightly. "She won't, and you know it. We've got enough evidence to show that you weren't anywhere near Arena 77."
"But ... that means ... everyone will know!"
Lanie nodded. "And you shouldn't give two shits for what anyone else thinks."
"I don't know how," the shorter girl whimpered. "I'm not strong. Not like you."
"If you remember," the redhead chuckled, "until a couple of weeks ago, Ah was kind of a neurotic mess mahself." She clutched Kayda tightly. "If Ah can learn how to be confident in mahself, then Ah know you can do it, too."
Kayda nodded, sniffling from the few tears that leaked down her cheeks. "I ... I feel confident when you're holding me," she said wistfully, "but not when I'm alone."
"Then Ah'll give you a hug whenever you need one," Lanie promised. She released the girl, backing off a half-step. "Now finish getting dressed so we can go eat. You might not be hungry, but Ah am."
May 7th, 2007
Joe Foss Field, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Pacing back and forth in the open walkway was doing Pete no good except to physically vent some of his pent-up frustration and anxiety. Emotionally, though, he was still a wreck inside. Glancing around didn't help; the boarding area was quite crowded, making it highly unlikely that he and June would get on the flight. He stopped in front of June, who was doing her fretting trying to read a magazine - unsuccessfully. "I told them that if they have one opening, that they don't have to take us both, and that you'll get the seat."
June nodded. "Yes, dear," she said, trying her best to be patient. "You told me."
"You're her mother. You can help her more than I can," Pete continued.
To the side, the gate attendant opened the door to the jetway, signifying that the plane was going to start boarding. Slowly, a throng began to form around the door to the jetway. Pete and June didn't join them; they were still waiting hopefully that someone wouldn't show up and that they'd manage to get on board.
"June?" a voice called from down the hall. June Franks turned apprehensively toward the voice, and relief flooded her face when she recognized the caller.
"Deb!" she said, practically leaping to her feet and running to hug the younger woman. "What are you doing here?" she asked as the two embraced.
"I suspect the same thing you are," Deb replied, her voice trembling. "Our girl is in trouble, and our place is with her."
"Damn!" June swore. "I should have called you last night! I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Deb reassured Kayda's mom. "We've both been awfully worried since we got the news." There was something in her voice which concerned June, a subtle hint of dread that didn't quite make sense to June. It was understandable that Deb was as worried as June and Pete, but Deb seemed far more rattled than that.
"You on standby, too?" Pete asked, getting a confirming nod from Deb. "Okay." He turned and approached the ticket counter again. After a bit of animated discussion, he returned. "I switched your place with mine on the standby list. She needs you more than she needs her daddy," he said, trying to feign a smile. The look on Deb's face was unabashed gratitude at his thoughtfulness.
"Have you heard anything else?" June took Debra's arm, and the two started pacing, while Pete sat down in June's vacated chair to watch the carry-on luggage.
Debra nodded. "A ... friend," she almost choked on the word, "with a spirit dream-walked with me last night." Her lower lip trembled at the memories of what Lanie had told her. "I know she didn't do it," she said confidently. "Because she has an alibi." Her voice cracked on the last bit, leaving June to wonder what that alibi was if it frightened Deb so.
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on point of view, at that moment June's cell phone rang. "Hello?" she said hesitantly after fishing it out of her purse.
"Mrs. Franks? Michiko Shugendo from Whateley here."
June winced; getting a personal call was unexpected. "What's going on?" she blurted out, unable to control her anxiety.
"I wanted to personally give you status of the investigation," Mrs. Shugendo answered calmly. She didn't want to alarm Mrs. Franks unnecessarily. "We've got a top-notch former detective from the NYPD working the case, and we've uncovered a number of clues that show that your daughter has an alibi, and that someone attempted to frame her."
June almost collapsed with relief. "Oh, thank God!"
"Mrs. Carson has to start the evidentiary hearing this afternoon - due to some regulations and agreements, but we're sure that there's not enough evidence to proceed any further. It's not a done deal, because some of the ... evidence ... is ... sensitive," Mrs. Shugendo added carefully. "But we're very confident that we have enough to keep her out of external custody."
"Sensitive?" June's alarm level climbed again.
She could practically hear Mrs. Shugendo wince through the phone. "It's not something I'd like to discuss over the phone."
"Okay. We're on standby for two more flights today," June explained, "and we're absolutely confirmed for tomorrow. At the latest, we'll get in about two in the afternoon tomorrow."
"I wish you were already here; this has been very stressful for Kayda. We had to seal away her magic, and that broke her contact with her spirits, as well. She's ... under constant observation."
Mrs. Shugendo's last comment sounded bad to June; she didn't know just how bad, and that increased her motherly need to be with her daughter.
"I'll make sure the guest cottage has a suite ready for you," Mrs. Shugendo added.
"And one for Debra Matson," June added quickly. "She's coming out, too."
"Oookayyyyy," Mrs. Shugendo's voice couldn't hide her uneasiness at that bit of news. "I've got to get back to coordinating the investigation and Kayda's defense. I promise I'll call with any new information."
"Thanks," June said, relieved that Mrs. Shugendo was going to keep her informed. "Bye." She hung up the phone. She turned to her husband and Debra. "They're starting a hearing this afternoon to look at the evidence," she said nervously, "but Mrs. Shugendo said that everything is pointing to someone trying to frame Kayda. She said she'd keep me up to date."
Relief flooded Pete's and Debra's faces. "That's good news," Pete said.
June beckoned Debra to her, and the two walked to a secluded corner of an unoccupied gate's waiting area. "How was Kayda when you left her?"
Debra couldn't help but smile at the memory of Kayda's sweet face as they kissed goodbye, of the pleasant way they'd spent their last morning together, both in the boat and in the guest cottage. "She was ... very happy. I'd say that in the mood she was in, she couldn't possibly have killed anyone except in self-defense."
"You know what her alibi is, don't you?" June prompted
Deb drew a deep breath and held it for a second, wondering if she should tell June what she knew before realizing that she had to. "Yeah," she said, wincing. "Someone ... set a trap for Kayda. And a mutual friend," she added quickly. "They were drugged with some kind of demon serum - a lust demon." She saw June's eyes widen as the implication hit home. "Yeah. They ... spent a few hours - unable to control themselves."
"Was it a ... guy?" June asked, horrified at the thought of what sex with a guy would do to Kayda's fragile emotional and mental state.
"No," Deb answered, her voice sad. "It's a girl I knew from last year. She's ... a gadgeteer, like Kayda, and ... she's really ... pretty," she added, lowering her eyes. "The two of them have a lot in common, and they really hit it off at the hot tub party." Her voice choked a bit; she couldn't help but worry that Lanie was stealing her girlfriend away from her.
June's eyes widened. "And you're afraid ...."
"That Lanie is going to steal her away from me," Deb finished sadly.
June pulled Deb into a warm, motherly embrace. "Then we'll just have to make sure you get out to Whateley often enough that Kayda doesn't forget you, right? Because I hope you're not going to let Kayda go without a fight."
"Do you want me to start calling you 'Mom', too?" Deb joked even though she was a bit weepy, both from concern but more from gratitude at what June was offering her. It was like June already considered Deb part of the family.
June's smile could be felt through her hug. "If you want, dear," she said. "If you want." She tightened her embrace. "I don't know if this country will ever be free of anti-gay bigotry enough that you could be a couple, let alone be married," she whispered, "but I'd be honored to call you my daughter-in-law - even if it's only informal."
May 7th, 2007
Kane Hall, Whateley Academy
Sam reviewed the video from the tunnels surrounding Arena 77 for perhaps the thirtieth time, scanning each one individually. And just like every previous review, there was nothing out of the ordinary. That bothered Sam greatly, but she couldn't figure out why.
Frustrated that she was running out of time, she rewound the video and started to replay it. There was a cacophony of background noise - students talking, walking, doors in the side labs slamming - all with the normal forms of students walking around. It was normal - and that bugged Sam. There wasn't even a hint of someone bumping into anyone or anything invisible.
Even those clips that had no students had the noise of far-off doors opening and closing and the constant background loud hum of fans circulating air through the tunnels. It was as if a ghost had .....
Sam froze, suddenly remembering something an old friend, Captain John Robertson, US Navy (retired) had once told him. Captain Robertson was a skipper of a fast-attack boat, a nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarine, and his job was to find the enemy submarines that were trying to disappear into the background in the ocean. Sometimes over beers, they'd swap war stories, and Sam always left with an appreciation of the sophistication of the sound processing systems and the skill of the men that operated them - able to find the sound of a slightly-off-balance shaft, or a propeller with a tiny surface imperfection - all against the constant background noise of the ocean.
Sam knew instantly what to do. There had to be the sounds of footsteps hidden in all that noise. And the Navy sound processing systems should be able to tickle out those sounds. They were the best in the world - bar none. She let the hive slip into cyberspace. <Blue?>
It took only a moment for the student to reply. <What's up skipper?> Blue was the only student that Sam let get away with calling her 'skipper'. Blue's family had been Navy going way back.
<Can you get into ComSubPac computers and get me the software algorithms for their sound processing?>
Blue whistled. <Wow! Tall order, skipper. Security around them is pretty tough.>
<Get your friend online. I'll give you a clearance code if you need it.>
May 7th, 2007 - First Period
Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
"Miss Nalley, nice to see you joining our class today," Dr. Hewley said warmly as the two girls walked into the classroom just as the bell rang. "Is this a permanent schedule change so you can learn about your new spirit, I hope?"
Lanie ignored all the students' mouths dropping open in confusion or shock. "Mrs. Carson already assigned me to this class in the fall. Right now, Ah'm just here as a security escort for Kayda."
"Ah, yes," Dr. Hewley said. "I understand. Well, you should find the lecture today interesting nevertheless." As the girls walked toward unoccupied desks, with Lanie seeming so confident but Kayda looking down to avoid the gazes she knew she was getting - about the spell she'd done, about her being a suspect in the murder of Heyoka, and about the rampant rumors about her and Lanie's tryst.
"And girls, could you please stop by to talk with me after class?"
"More research?" Lanie asked, her voice full of dread.
Dr. Hewley nodded. "Okay, this is actually a good opportunity to talk about hallows and the strengths of spirits. Until very recently," he continued, looking directly at Lanie and Kayda, "the prevailing theory was that a person's hallow was fixed in size if they were an avatar. Yet here we have a student who was not an avatar who now has a spirit bound to her."
"Excuse me," Lanie interrupted. When she got a nod from Dr. Hewley, she continued. "Mah spirit says that everyone is an avatar, but usually their hallow is only big enough to hold their own spirit."
"Then how ...?"
The entire class was focused on the instructor and the pair of girls. "Kayda can explain it better," Lanie said with a glance at her friend. "She performed the ritual."
"Ritual?" Dr. Hewley asked, getting more and more interested. "Please explain."
Kayda shot an unhappy glance Lanie's way - she was now the center of unwanted attention. "Long before there were mutants," she began, her voice quavering slightly at being forced to be in the spotlight, "shamans in my tribe - in fact, in most tribes - could bind an animal guide spirit to a person. There's a shaman ritual to expand the person's hallow. That's what I did for Lanie."
"So if someone wanted to be an avatar, or get a bigger hallow - <snort> - so they could hold a more powerful spirit ... <snort>?" Peccary, one of the students in the class, started to ask. He looked like his spirit was starting to change his body to have a few traits of the boar, his spirit; so far, his GSD was relatively minor.
"In theory," Kayda responded uneasily. "I got in very serious trouble with Mrs. Carson for using that ritual." She gulped nervously at the memories. "It can be quite ... dangerous."
"But you did expand Miss Nalley's hallow so she could bind with a spirit, correct?" Dr. Hewley scratched his chin. "Interesting. Sometimes, it seems our science gets so focused on the technical that we overlook older traditional methods." He smiled at the class. "You see, our science is far from precise. Even someone who's worked in this field for years can be surprised as we learn more."
With that, Dr. Hewley turned his attention back to the lesson for the day. Though her official duty was escorting Kayda, as the lecture and discussion continued, Lanie became more and more interested in the theories and science behind avatars. She couldn't help but wonder how much she'd learn from class compared to what Grizzly - and Wakan Tanka - could teach her directly.
After class dismissed, Lanie and Kayda hung back to talk with the teacher. "You wanted to talk to us, Dr. Hewley?" Kayda asked hesitantly, still worried that Drs. Hewley and Aranis were upset for the damage that had been caused to Lanie's system sense.
"Ah, yes," Dr. Hewley looked up from gathering his lecture notes, and a broad grin grew on his face. "Yes, indeed. I'd like to schedule some time with you to do some experiments with this shaman ritual of yours. If we can alter the hallows ...."
Kayda shook her head vehemently, a horrified look on her face. "It's ... it's very dangerous," she said. "Mrs. Carson said I am not to ever do that again except with her explicit permission and supervision." She was rattled by his request, as if experimenting with people and hallows and spirits was like making breakfast.
"It did put me in a coma for three days," Lanie added for emphasis. "It's not exactly ... something trivial."
"And it's interfering with her primary power," the dusky-skinned girl added quickly, looking ashamedly at Lanie, still smarting from what her ritual had done to her friend.
Without even seeing Kayda's glance, the redhead understood exactly how guilty Kayda still felt about what the ritual and binding had done to her power. Instinctively, she grasped Kayda's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"Let me talk with Mrs. Carson, and we'll set up some controlled experiments to observe this ritual and its effects," Dr. Hewley replied easily. "We've had some students in the past whose spirits are a little too large for their hallows. The results aren't ... good."
Kayda winced visibly. "My availability ... depends on this afternoon," she squeaked, unexpectedly reminded of the hearing scheduled for later in the day.
May 7th, 2007 - Morning
Cyberspace, Outside Whateley Academy
<Blue? What are you doing here?> Cyberkitty asked as she saw his cyber-avatar strolling across the alien landscape of blues and silvers.
<I could ask the same,> Blue replied with a grin. <I thought it was dangerous for you out here in the wild.>
<I've been wandering around since last night,> the girl admitted. <I couldn't sleep> She chuckled. <Probably go to my kitty form and nap this afternoon if I can find a warm sunny spot.>
Blue arched his eyebrows, showing his interest. <I'd pay to see you in your kitty form. I bet you're really cute as a kitty-girl.>
<Hmphhh! That's all you boys have on your minds.> she snorted, crossing her arms and turning away in a mock fit of pique.
<So what bring you out here anyway?> Blue returned to a safer conversation.
The girl uncrossed her arms and turned back toward the boy. He was kind of cute, after all - or at least his cyber-avatar was. <Something was bothering me about the murder case.>
<What?> Her curiosity struck at Blue's curiosity, too.
<Why isn't there video?> the girl asked bluntly.
Blue frowned. <Because some of the less honest security officers might sell the video?>
<That makes sense for official security video,> Cyberkitty nodded. <But our combat finals - and many of the simulations - end up on pay-per-view anyway and there is heavy betting in Las Vegas. So there's almost always a video feed apart from the official security cameras.>
<So why isn't there any security footage?>
<The security feeds are on only when there's something scheduled in the arena.>
Blue frowned. <Let me guess - there was nothing scheduled, so there's no official security video feed, right?>
<Last fall, Ms. Hartford had me tracking down illicit video feeds from the arenas,> the girl explained. <Somehow, someone keeps getting cameras into the arenas, and the video can be found out on the internet.>
<So let me guess - you're looking for an illicit video feed from Arena 77?>
<Yeah. But whoever put this in really knows what they're doing,> the girl grumbled. <The nearby cell and wireless towers, and any routers, aren't showing any traffic patterns that are consistent with streaming video.>
<That makes life complicated,> Blue agreed.
<Tell you what - while you're here, can you look for any pattern on the local touch-points that look like frequency-hopping? You know - deliberately routing packets in a seeming random pattern across all the touch-points?>
<Got a higher-priority job first,> Blue replied. <The Admiral wants me to break into ComSubPac's computers and steal their sound-processing algorithms.>
<Wow! Tall order.>
Blue nodded grimly. <She even offered to give me security codes if I needed them. That's why I'm glad I found you. I need your help.>
<Okay. We'll do your job first. Then we do my job. I'll piggy-back like I did yesterday?>
<Deal. We get what the admiral wants, then we look for video. What exactly are you planning?>
<Break into the three gambling houses in Vegas that seem to handle most of the betting on Whateley combat finals and matches, and see if I can't find a direct archive of the video.>
May 7th, 2007 Third Period
Kirby Hall, Whateley Academy
Martial Arts had been a complete waste of time; Kayda was not allowed to participate, and sitting and watching was worse than boring, especially since students kept looking at her. She knew it was either because they thought she was guilty or because of all the rumors. Having Lanie as a security escort didn't help quash any of the rumors.
Lanie tried to cheer her up as they walked to Intro to Magical Arts. "This is like a preview of what you'll be tutoring me in next fall," she said with a smile.
"Assuming this afternoon goes okay," the Lakota girl said morosely. They took seats near Ayla and Palantir, and to Ayla's amazement, Tansy smiled and gave a small wave to Kayda and Loophole.
"You have got to tell me what that's about," Ayla said, struggling to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
Even before Ms. Grimes came into the classroom, the students began their essence exercises, Lanie watched Kayda; she didn't look steady, but seemed wobbly, and the look on her face indicated some degree of distress. The girl swallowed hard several times, trying to keep steady.
"Ayla," Lanie hissed to the young mogul. When she had Ayla's attention, she nodded toward Kayda. "Does she look alright to you?"
Ayla studied the Lakota girl for a moment, watching her still swallowing as if fighting nausea, and wobbling a bit in her chair. "No, she doesn't. Not at all."
"Funny. She seemed just fine a bit ago." Lanie stood and scooted quickly to the teacher coming into the room. "Ms. Grimes?" she said to the teacher, "Kayda is looking quite ill."
"What?" Ms. Grimes snapped her attention around to look. By that point, Kayda was shaking visibly, and her complexion was exceedingly pale. She looked like she was going to throw up any moment. The teacher puzzled for a moment, wondering, and then realized that Kayda was wearing the charm that locked away her magic. "Get her out of here!" she directed Lanie sharply. "Now!"
"But ..." Lanie didn't understand.
"Get her out of here now. All the loose essence in the room is messing up the charm, and it's trying to drain Kayda of essence she doesn't have! Take her down to see Mrs. Chulkris; she should be able to help Kayda out. Hurry, before she passes out or gets sick."
Lanie needed no further urging. She dashed back to Kayda's side, scooping the wobbly, pale girl out of her seat. "Ayla, bring our books!" she directed as she half-guided, half-carried the girl from the classroom.
Once they were in the hallway, out of the classroom, Kayda seemed to stabilize a little, but she still looked shaky, weak, and pale. "Mrs. Chulkris' office?" Lanie asked Ayla.
Ayla nodded and, still carrying the girls' backpacks, led the trio down the stairs, with Lanie practically carrying Kayda, who was looking a little steadier now that she was out of the essence-filled classroom. Eventually, they came to a blank section of wall, but Ayla slipped right into it - presumably through some kind of magic barrier, so Lanie guided Kayda to the wall section as well. She stepped into the wall, figuring it was like the portal from the vehicle lab to the Salt Flats, but while she easily passed into the magic portal, her companion was violently pulled from her grip and thrown back as if she'd been hit with a thousand volts and then bounced off a strong PFG.
Lanie spun, calling out as she did so. "Ayla! Something happened to Kayda!" She was at her soul sister's side almost instantly, bent down beside the girl who was crumpled on the floor.
"Owww!" Kayda groaned, struggling to sit up. "That hurt!"
"What happened?" Lanie asked, relieved that Kayda was at least conscious and talking, and helping the girl sit up.
"It felt like I hit an electric fence - on high." She winced at the general discomfort she felt in all her limbs. "I guess this stupid fucking amulet won't let me go through a magic portal," she swore. "But a little warning tingle would have been enough!"
'"I'll go get Mrs. Chulkris. Or Circe," Ayla explained before quickly ducking back through the magically-hidden portal.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Lanie asked, concerned by the way Kayda had bounced off the magic shield.
"How would you say it?" Kayda asked, sighing as she winced with discomfort. "Ah'm fine. Ah've hurt worse."
Lanie slapped her arm playfully. "Just for that, Ah won't kiss it and make it all better! You need to work on your accent, you know." She switched accents with some difficulty. "It's quite dreadful, you know," she concluded in a passable upper-crust British accent.
Kayda chuckled, letting Lanie know that she wasn't badly hurt. "I'm not feeling as nauseated as I was in the classroom," she reported. "And I think I'm okay from the portal - just ... winded." She tried to sit up, wincing. "Mostly."
"You're goin' to worry me to death," Lanie chided her gently. "Or are you deliberately tryin' to educate me on how a mother feels when her child gets injured?"
"Maybe I'm trying to get you feeling so sorry for me that you shower me with hugs and kisses," Kayda joked.
Ayla chose that moment to burst through the unseen portal in the wall with Mrs. Chulkris on his heels. "What happened?" Mrs. Chulkris demanded. She glanced at Ayla. "You may return to class, Miss Goodkind." Ayla nodded and turned down the hall to return to Ms. Grimes class.
"We went to Intro to Magic class," Lanie explained, "but when the students started working with their magic, Kayda started gettin' pale and unsteady. Ms. Grimes said it was because of the amulet and told us to come find you or Circe."
"And when I tried to go through the hidden portal," Kayda added, "I got shocked and kicked back pretty hard." She winced. "With my luck, I probably cracked a rib when I hit the wall."
"If you're up to it," Mrs. Chulkris said, "we can go to a non-magic classroom, and we can discuss some magic theory that you probably missed from the first few classes." She smiled and patted Kayda's shoulder. "I suspect you'd rather do something like that than sit around bored and just waiting."
Kayda glanced at Lanie, and then nodded. "Yeah. Waiting ... sucks."
Lanie helped Kayda to her feet, and then the trio, led by Mrs. Chulkris, walked down the hall to a small study room. "Yes," she said, looking around the small room with a table surrounded by six chairs and a large whiteboard on one end of the room. "This will do nicely. Have a seat, girls."
Lanie noticed that Kayda's color was returning, and her hands weren't trembling as much, so she relaxed slightly, though she was still concerned.
"Kayda, can you tell me the primary component of magic?" Mrs. Chulkris asked an obvious question.
"Essence," she replied, a bit confused at such an elementary question.
"Good. Now Elaine, since you're going to be taking magic next fall, let's see how much you know already. Do you know what a Wiz power rating means?"
Lanie glanced at Kayda, who had a small smile. "Ah don't suppose you're going to help me, are you?" she asked her friend. Seeing the slight shake of Kayda's head and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, Lanie sighed. "Ah guess it's how powerful of a spell you can cast."
"That's a good guess," Mrs. Chulkris said, but she continued before Lanie could get a smug smile. "Kayda?"
"That's what I thought too, but it's completely wrong. Any mage - even baselines - can cast the most powerful of spells - if they can gather enough Essence." Kayda explained to Lanie. "That's the most important thing about magic - gathering enough Essence to cast a spell."
"How do you gather Essence?" Lanie asked the obvious question, "and how do you hold it?"
"Everyone who can use magic has what we call a Well," Kayda explained when Mrs. Chulkris prompted her. "It's where a mage has their spark of Essence, and where Essence is stored until it's used in a spell."
"Very good, Kayda. Once a Mage accumulates enough Essence, it lights a 'spark' in that well. That 'spark' is a core reserve of Essence that is critical to being able to attract and more easily hold more essence."
"Ah'm goin' to guess that everyone's Well is different, then?" Lanie proposed.
"Yes, but there are other factors that determine how much Essence a Mage can effectively hold. Only very rarely does a mage hit a hard limit on how much Essence they can hold; the limit is almost always the process of gathering the Essence in the first place. When you have enough Essence, you can shape and form it through Formulae and the Laws of Magic into spells."
"Correct, Kayda." Mrs. Chulkris changed the subject. "What do you suppose is the most difficult thing for a mage?"
"Casting a spell?" Lanie guessed.
"No," Kayda corrected her without prompting, realizing that Mrs. Chulkris was using this opportunity to test her on her knowledge of the basic principles of magic. "It's gathering and holding the Essence."
"Right again. Essence is wild and chaotic. It's hard to catch and harder to hold. Stray thoughts and wishes dissipate it easily. The 'spark' in one's well can grow, as Essence is attracted, into a flame, and then a bonfire and a wildfire raging out of control, dissipating Essence wildly with embers carried aloft on every breeze of thought and wish."
"Fey showed me how hard it is to gather and hold," Kayda explained. "It's very easy to lose Essence."
"Ah'm not sure Ah follow," Lanie said cautiously.
"Gathering essence is like charging a capacitor," Kayda said, putting it into terms Lanie could understand. "The bigger the charge, the more energy you have to use. Capacitors have leakage current. That's like unintentionally bleeding off Essence. But there's also a variable leakage current - your stray thoughts and incomplete wishes and such - they leak off Essence, too."
"But if Ah charge a capacitor, it's leakage rate is constant. It doesn't depend on mah mood or wishes or stray thoughts," Lanie protested. "Leaking Essence doesn't make sense."
Mrs. Chulkris nodded, smiling. "That's because you're thinking of magic in terms of conventional logic, but the laws of magic don't exactly follow the laws of conventional physics. Not losing Essence is a matter of mental discipline, your WILL to hold your Essence. Even poorly worded wishes or desires can cause it to leak or to be dissipated ineffectively."
"Without good mental discipline, which I'm still learning, you can't accumulate a lot of Essence before it dissipates." Kayda looked at Mrs. Chulkris. "I think that's why the three little witches want to hang out around me - to try to catch the Essence I'm leaking."
Mrs. Chulkris nodded, a slightly distasteful look on her face. "And if your leaked Essence helps them light their sparks, God help the rest of us!" She shook her head, shuddering at the thought, but then recomposed herself. "What is involved with collecting and holding essence, Kayda?"
"Anyone can collect essence," Kayda answered confidently. "Even people without Wiz ratings, although mutants with a Wiz rating have a huge advantage." She saw Mrs. Chulkris' nod of approval at her explanations, so she continued. "The most important thing to learn at first is to learn to master your Will so you don't waste any Essence, and to learn the boundary between creative thought and actually invoking Essence."
"Ah'm not sure Ah follow."
Mrs. Chulkris took over the explanation. "If you are writing a story or having a dream, you are using your imagination with no intention of making it real. If you're daydreaming about a fantasy," she noticed the quick glance exchanged between the girls, "you might have some desire to make that fantasy real, and without strong Will, your Essence will attempt to form to fulfill your desire according to the rules and laws of magic - and you lose Essence without intending to. A student mage has to learn to keep control of those daydreams and fantasies, to strengthen his or her Will, so as to not dissipate Essence."
"Baseline mages accumulate only a very small amount of Essence each day through simply living in the world with free Essence around them," Kayda continued the explanation to her friend, but she was starting to sound less and less enthusiastic. "The advantage to mutants with a Wiz rating is that the higher their rating, the faster they can accumulate Essence, and often from different sources."
"During our early instruction," Mrs. Chulkris continued the explanation, "every student is given a small amount of essence and taught a simple, very efficient light spell that can be used for illuminating a room at night or in searches. Using this, we can measure how much students accumulate essence, leak or lose essence, and use it effectively in spells. Other spellcraft is not learned early because the primary focus must be on gaining and keeping essence."
"Except when you have a spirit that's teaching you spells and giving ...," Kayda interrupted - but cutting off abruptly as her thought reminded her that she couldn't feel her spirit or get Essence as she'd been used to.
"Kayda very nearly made a mistake that early mages make - using all the Essence in her well fighting the snake demon," Mrs. Chulkris reminded Kayda, which made her squirm unpleasantly at the blatant reprimand. "If a mage uses all their Essence, it can extinguish the spark in their Well, making it impossible to naturally attract Essence and requiring that mage to find a source of Essence to re-ignite the spark. And this is very difficult because drawing Essence into a Well and igniting the spark requires Essence and Will."
Kayda gulped nervously. "Mismanaging Essence and risking permanently losing your ability to attract more Essence that is the biggest challenge to Mages. Most spells take a good amount of Essence, even the simple ceremony of Drawing Down the Moon."
"Drawing Down the Moon?" Lanie asked quizzically.
"It's a spell that draws magic Essence from the Moon Goddess - you get a lot more than it takes to cast the ceremony - but it still takes a lot of Essence to do the ceremony," Kayda explained. She got a wistful look. "It's like ... my shaman magic. The healing tea ... magnifies the essence I put into it by drawing natural essence into the tea." Her words again had a forlorn cast to them, yet another reminder of how far she was from her spirit and her magic.
"Even a modest apprentice can keep that much Essence in his or her Well, but it's far from enough for serious spells like battle magic. That's why Apprentices spend so much time learning and practicing ceremonies and spells that result in gathering more Essence than they consume." She looked at Kayda. "Can you explain the ways of gathering Essence?"
Kayda winced; she wasn't sure she knew them all. "There are primal planes with elemental magic, converting things into raw Essence - like I do with some of my Shaman spells - or used to," she added bitterly. "Ritual sacrifice, making agreements with extra-planar beings - which can be risky."
"That's what Mrs. Carson was telling us about, right?" Lanie asked, recalling the Headmistress' words and adamant insistence that the two girls take a special class.
"Yup," Kayda confirmed. "There used to be a lot of Natural magic in the world that could be easily used before the Sundering broke the Five-Fold Courts. Fey can easily use what magic is left."
"What if you aren't good at holding Essence in your Well?" Lanie asked.
"Mages practice creating power gems and other devices to store Essence - in a way that doesn't take mental focus and Will to keep from wasting." Mrs. Chulkris looked at Kayda, as if her next words were intended primarily for the Lakota girl. "The first area of focus for magic students is holding Essence. Just because there's a natural source replenishing the Essence, it's no excuse to not practice diligently in mental focus and Will to keep all their essence. Unlike baseline mages, mutant mages are attuned to naturally gather Essence from one of the several natural sources - so much so, in fact, that new mutant Wiz students are sometimes sloppy about learning discipline and control of their Will, and as a result, they almost never have enough Will to hold large amounts of Essence in their Well. Mutant mages can almost always hold much more Essence in their Wells than a baseline apprentice - if they are properly trained. If not, the extra Essence spills out all around the student, mostly harmlessly."
"Is that like Nikki's hobgoblins?" Kayda asked.
"That, and subtle effects of probabilities around you, or several other effects. It can create an overwhelming desire to cast spells - like a safety valve trying to let off the extra Essence burning in your Well. Kayda," Mrs. Chulkris asked, "can you explain how a Wiz rating affects your available Essence?"
"It's exponential with rating increases. If a baseline can do a light spell for a few minutes with a day's accumulated Essence, a Wiz-1 naturally gathers enough Essence to do that same spell for an hour. A Wiz-2 can sustain it indefinitely because Essence accumulates as fast as the spell dissipates it. A Wiz-3 could sustain dozens and dozens of copies of the spell. That's just from the natural accumulation of Essence because of the mutation." Kayda looked uncertainly at Mrs. Chulkris, not quite sure she remembered the details right, but the nod of agreement from the teacher let her know she'd explained the concept correctly.
"So any mage with a big enough Well, enough focus and Will, and time to accumulate enough Essence, can cast any spell?" Lanie asked. "The advantage to a mutant is that the Well recharges faster?"
"Exactly," Mrs. Chulkris beamed. "A baseline Journeyman mage with four to six years study and gathering Essence is likely to have as much Essence available to him as a mutant Wizard between 2 and 3 rating. Only a dedicated Master will match a new Wiz-3. Few baseline mages will ever match a Wiz-4 or higher. Because a Wiz mutant draws Essence at high rates, he or she will have much stronger Will and control over their Well than baselines with years and years of practice. And a mutant Wiz can begin spell-casting from practically the beginning of their studies. Who has the advantage in battle, Miss Nalley - a traditional mage with decades of experience, or a mutant Wizard?"
"Ah ... Ah can't tell," Lanie answered hesitantly. "Whoever is better prepared?"
"Correct. But what if the combat becomes extended? Then who has the advantage?"
"The mutant Wizard?"
"Correct again. A traditional wizard will use up his spells and charms and holdouts, and possibly even drain his storage devices. A mutant, on the other hand, has a Well full of Essence that refills quickly, so he or she can simply call down a new spell."
"So being a mutant Wizard doesn't make you a better spell-caster, or able to cast more or better spells?"
Mrs. Chulkris shook her head. "No. It only affects your rate of accumulating Essence. And because it can accumulate faster than a novice mutant Wizard can use it, the first thing we start learning in class is to store extra Essence, and to then draw it from storage into your Well." She looked at Kayda. "Because you started the term late, you need extra practice on training your Will, and also at the skill of storing your essence - so you aren't spewing it all over the place."
Kayda frowned, feeling frustrated and irritated by the lecture that - at present - was completely meaningless to her since her magic was sealed, painfully so. "That's just what Nikki said."
Mrs. Chulkris smiled. "And she was right. You need to practice."
"How? This doesn't do any fucking good while my magic is locked," Kayda complained bitterly, having had too many unpleasant reminders of her loss of her magic and her spirits. "This is a waste of time for me." She angrily turned away from Mrs. Chulkris - and the lesson which had been intended to help her and Lanie, but was instead a brutal reminder of her confinement. "Hell, I can't even sit in a magic class without getting sick, or go to an office in the magic department without getting battered by a force field." She rose angrily to leave. "I shouldn't have even bothered trying to come here today," she spat venomously. "Come on, Lanie. Let's get out of here."
"Kayda," Mrs. Chulkris said sternly, halting the angry, frustrated, tired girl, "this is important."
"Bullshit!" Kayda practically screamed, her frustration so great that she was starting to cry. "How can it be important when I can't practice any of it? When I can't even get close to too much essence without getting so sick I'll hurl? When the MCO wants to lock me up in a warded cell - at best - so I can never touch Essence or magic again?"
Lanie practically leaped up and put her arm around Kayda's shoulder to calm the Lakota girl. "Kayda, Ah know you're upset, but ..."
"Do you?" Kayda yelled at Lanie and Mrs. Chulkris. "Do you know what it's like to have your magic locked away? Completely out of your grasp? To have a talent that made you special, only to have it taken away?"
Lanie's face clouded - slightly - and she turned Kayda to face her. "Yes, Ah do," she said sternly. "And Ah know it's not the end of the world."
Kayda stared at her in shock for a moment before she realized exactly what she'd said. Then her tears really started gushing. "I'm sorry, Lanie," she cried. "But ... but you got Grizzly. I ... I don't have anything! I don't have my magic, I don't have my spirits! I'm just ... a nobody!" She turned away, burying her hands in her face and bawling.
Or rather, she tried to turn away. Lanie grasped her shoulders and pulled her into a firm embrace. "Sister, you aren't a nobody! You're someone very special."
Kayda collapsed onto Lanie's shoulder. "It hurts!" she sobbed. "It's like ... parts of me were torn away, and there's nothing but pain where they used to be!" Her whole body was wracked with convulsions as she cried. "I want it to stop. I want the pain to go away." She looked up at Lanie, her eyes pleading even as rivulets of tears streamed down her cheeks. "Make it stop hurting, Lanie! Please! I can't take it anymore! It hurts too much! Make it stop!"
Lanie glanced at Mrs. Chulkris, who had an alarmed expression. "Go call for a security auxiliary," Lanie whispered to the instructor. "And call Dr. Bellows. Tell him we're on our way over to his office."
May 7th, 2007 - Morning
Cyberspace, Kane Hall, Whateley Academy
The Hive crawled into the world of the network, the unreal world of bytes and bits and ethereal storage and computers and routers - a place alien to most humans. But the Hive was at home in the network, and so were the two students it sought. <Blue?> it called. <Cyberkitty?>
The girl answered almost immediately. <Yeah?>
<Did you get the algorithms I need?> the Hive asked bluntly. Sam saw no need - or time - for social niceties.
<On your hard drive,> Cyberkitty reported easily. <They're pretty hefty - going to take a lot of horsepower to run these. What are you planning on looking for with programs that can identify a whale by its fart half an ocean away?>
<Trying to solidify the case that Pejuta didn't kill Heyoka,> the Hive retorted. <Most of the tunnel cameras also have audio. I'm going to do an analysis of the tunnel audio the same time that her RFID chip said she was there.>
<Got a hunch?>
<Yes,> the Hive answered. <We have a person of interest in possibly stealing and returning her ID card. If I'm correct, he didn't walk through the tunnels, but ran. He's a speedster.>
<Ah, and if you can filter out background noises - like submarine sound equipment does ...>
<Then if what's left is the sound of a speedster running, it really makes the other person of interest our real prime suspect,> the Hive concluded.
<I suggest you take the primary blade servers off the simulation farm and get them working.>
<I'll need to get the code recompiled...>
<I'm working on it already,> Cyberkitty reported. <Let me know when you've got the servers and which files need to be looked at first.>
<Copy.>
<Oh, and there's one more piece of good news,> the girl said almost as an afterthought.
<What's that?>
<Blue is retrieving a video file from an illicit camera that's in Arena 77 - covering Saturday afternoon.>
<What?> Sam - and the Hive - were astonished - and elated. <Where did you find that?>
<In Las Vegas. I'll tell you more later.>
May 7th, 2007 - Morning
Arena 99, Whateley Academy
"Diva," Zip called out frantically, "incoming at four o'clock. Looks like multiple fliers."
"Damn," Diva swore. Just her luck that Gunny was pulling a really shitty scenario when it was her turn to be team lead. "Redlight, can you get up above them and circle behind them? We need to know how many and what we're up against. Zip - what's your estimate of their speed?"
"Probably about seventy."
"Can you get their attention and lead them on a chase? See if we can give Redlight time to get above and behind them."
"Will do."
"Lead them in a circle - give me time to get up to the top of the building at E-4. If you can bring them by, I'll see if a little sonic ...."
The sound suddenly went dead, and the simulation video instantly vanished, replaced with solid black. "What the hell?" Diva swore to herself.
"The simulation cluster has been preempted by Whateley Security. All students disengage from simulation chairs and report to the debriefing room immediately. Repeat, the simulation cluster has been preempted by Whateley Security. All students disengage from simulation chairs and report to the debriefing room immediately."
Diva lifted her visor and began to unplug her sim suit from the numerous and complicated interfaces. "What kind of cluster-fuck is this?" she swore to herself. "And this damned well better not count against my grade!"
May 7th, 2007 - Late Morning
Kane Hall, Whateley Academy
Sam reran the filter on the audio data, carefully correlating noises to the images. Lip-sync and motion -sync were not trivial, but fortunately, the Hive was a massive swarm of processors and could do the work faster than the Simulator blade clusters, Blue, and Cyberkitty put together. Still, all of them and the blade servers were at work, because it was much slower going than the earlier task Sam had undertaken - correlating video with the RFID trackers.
Each person walking produced audio sounds, which had to be located in the jumble of noise, and then filtered out, including forward and back projecting the footsteps because the microphones picked up sound from a much wider range than did the camera. All speech needed to be identified, correlated to someone visible speaking, and then filtered out. Background noises - fans, water and steam in pipes - had to be identified and filtered out. And what was left, once all visible and constant, expected background noise sources were identified and removed, might - might - be a clue.
What Sam found was stunning. She smiled as she compiled the results into a report and annotated audio clips.
Then she turned her attention to the bootleg video that had been found on the internet. It was always suspected that someone tapped into the simulations for gambling purposes; the video Blue and Cyberkitty had found confirmed it.
The tape showed the attack on Heyoka in gruesome detail, from the initial gut-rending blow across Jamie's abdomen to the final blow, even before Heyoka had completely collapsed - a tomahawk embedded in the skull.
And the tape showed no attackers. No manifested white buffalo. No Kayda. No anyone or anything. Just two fatal blows, with Jamie's screams of agony between the two blows.
Since there were no visible attackers, Sam did the same sound analysis on the videotape. That's when the sound of footsteps were isolated and amplified from the background until they could be easily heard, footsteps dashing across the arena, halting, running back, and then a chortle of laughter before the footsteps ran once again, pausing for the arena door to open.
May 7th, 2007 - Afternoon
Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
Chief Delarose stood ominously in the hallway in Schuster, flanked by two security guards waiting as Kayda and Lanie, trailed by Thunderfox, entered through the front doors of the administration building. He looked pained, even embarrassed, as he stepped in front of Kayda. "I'm sorry," he said, wincing, "but according to procedures ...." He held up a pair of open handcuffs, sighing heavily. "I'm sorry."
"Haven't you humiliated her enough already?" Lanie barked at him as he clicked the handcuffs on the compliant Lakota girl.
"DPA requirements, as pointed out by our ... friends ... from the State's Attorney's office and the MCO," he said apologetically. "I know with your magic sealed ...."
Her head down in shame, utterly and completely humiliated, Kayda let the two security guards escort her - one holding each elbow - into the site of the hearing - the largest classroom in Schuster Hall except for the auditorium lecture hall. It had been appropriated for the hearing, and instead of a podium at the front, long tables had been set up facing the audience. Between the long table and the students' seats, two smaller tables sat, one on either side of the main aisle from the doors to the front. Kayda was led to one table, where she sat between Dr. Bellows on one side and Janice Talbert on the other.
At the other table, Chief Delarose took a seat next to MCO Agent Dugan and State's Attorney Hervik. At the long front table, Mrs. Shugendo sat to the left of the center with Mr. Lodgeman and Reverend Englund. Two others that Kayda didn't recognize sat on the right end, with Mrs. Donner of the Medawihla Tribe sitting adjacent to the center seat, which at present was vacant, but there was no doubt who would occupy that chair.
Along either wall, three fully-armed security guards stood at parade rest, and two more flanked the doors at the rear.
Lanie glanced at the clock; it was still several minutes before the hearing officially started. After glancing around, she rose and walked out into the hall, looking for someone in specific. "Hey, Risk!" she called down the hall, walking quickly to the campus bookie.
"Hey, Loophole," Risk said with a wry grin. "Imagine seeing you here."
"Can it," Lanie said sternly, glancing around at the other campus bookies gathered in the hall, busily taking bets, like they did with almost every aspect of campus life.
"I presume you want to know the odds?" Risk asked knowingly. When Lanie nodded, he continued. "Seven to two against Kayda," he said bluntly. "And two to one she gets the needle for Murder One."
"I'll take some of that action," Lanie started to say.
Risk shook his head. "Sorry. You're in the pool, too, so it'd be insider info." He smiled at Lanie's quizzical stare. "It's five-to-two that the both of you get expelled for ... certain activities ... that are rumored to be her alibi."
Lanie's expression hardened. "I hope you lose your shirt when she's found innocent," she said, her voice ice cold. She turned and angrily stomped into the hearing room, finding Wyatt almost immediately and slipping into the seat that he'd saved for her.
While Kayda studiously looked forward and down, unable to turn and face any of the many attendees, Lanie looked around, knowing full well that Kayda wasn't going to. Not shackled the way she was, humiliated by her treatment as a hardened criminal. Some of the people she wasn't surprised at seeing; Sam Everheart sat in the front row with Ms. Hartford. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Two Knives sat in front. Surprisingly, so did Rosalyn Dekkard, Mindbird, and Stormwolf, as well as two relatively unfamiliar students she recognized only as Cueball and Tweak. She frowned, realizing that the front-row seats were probably reserved for people who had information about the case - which included Cagliostro, Truck, Mule, Adalie, Megs, Lancer, and Ayla. And Lifeline, who turned away from Lanie rather than meeting her gaze.
Also seated in the front row was a woman of some sophistication, wearing a designer suit that screamed 'I'm important'. The rings on her fingers were ostentatiously prominent, and if the stones in the necklace and earrings she wore were real diamonds, they were worth tens of thousands of dollars. She wore her hair short and elegantly styled, and her makeup was just perfect, like every other thing about her. She was the type of woman who could have been thirty-five or fifty-five; it was really impossible to tell her age accurately because she wore it that well.
"Gabriella Guzman," Wyatt whispered to Lanie. "Apparently, she was Heyoka's guardian."
Lanie winced. "If I remember, she's a major donor to the school."
Wyatt picked up her train of thought. "She's fair, or so I've heard. And I trust Mrs. Carson to rule impartially. If Ms. Guzman were to pull her support, Mrs. Carson would find money elsewhere."
"This place is a zoo!" she said, half wincing as she recognized faces. The classroom could hold fifty or so people, and it was standing-room-only, with over a dozen students electing to stand so they could see the event. Some of those present were obvious; Mrs. Horton, Zenith, Wallflower, and several others from Poe, including the Kimbas. Evvie, Naomi, Alicia, Vasiliy, Laurie, and Chat Bleu rounded out Kayda's normal dining companions and friends. Also in the group, though, were some who she wasn't sure about. Anna was a friend. Fantastico, Minefield, and Tee-Kay were reputedly quite anti-gay, and Tee-Kay's friend Truck had had a run-in with Kayda on her first day at Whateley.
Pendragon and Gloriana represented the Capes, Anno Domini and Valkyrie, the Dream Team. Dashboard and Mr. Donner represented the Gearheads. The Spy Kids were all present for some reason. Deadeye and Bomber from the Grunts, Judicator and Pythia from the fixers, Chou and Molly. And Poise from the Alphas - or Venus Inc.; it wasn't clear which group she represented. Windrunner's opinion was obvious by the glare she was shooting at the back of Kayda's head.
Paige Donner and Ringo sat immediately behind Sam and Ms. Hartford, curiously. Paige didn't get out of Hawthorne much because she was still a were-panther kitty, subject to blood rage if she became angry, and thus quite dangerous. Her presence signaled something important, but Lanie couldn't put her finger on exactly what that could be.
At precisely one o'clock, Mrs. Carson walked into the hearing room, causing an instant shuffling as students, used to courtroom dramas, rose to their feet.
"Sit down," Mrs. Carson ordered sternly. "This is not a courtroom, and I'm not a judge." She circled the table and gracefully sat down at the center chair. "This is not a trial, nor is it an expulsion hearing," she began, glancing around the room. "It is an evidentiary hearing in accordance with DPA regulations twenty-four B seven and the US criminal code. Under these rules, anyone asked a question is required, under penalty of law, to answer truthfully. Is that clear?"
Jerome Hervik rose. "Madam Chairman," he stated in a self-confident tone that rattled Kayda, holding a paper that he was reading through reading glasses, "I would like to proceed according to DPA guidelines, section fourteen, paragraph 2, point C, wherein the evidence is presented in accordance with normal trial procedures in that evidence against the ... accused... is presented in its entirety first before exculpatory evidence." He took off the glasses in a dramatic fashion, as if to emphasize that he was reading the rules verbatim.
"He's up to something," Janice whispered to Kayda. "Don't worry. It's merely procedural."
Liz frowned, but nodded. "Request granted. Proceed Mr. Hervik."
"First, I present the condition of the body," he said, "and more specifically, the fatal wounds."
Liz interrupted. "I would remind all in attendance that this evidence is confidential, and some will be disturbing ... very disturbing. If you wish to leave, do so now." She paused, but not a single person moved. "Proceed."
"Dr. Rascomb, could you please describe the nature of the injuries to the deceased?"
The doctor stood in place, as there was no witness box for this informal hearing. "The first blow was a tapered, dull object tearing open the abdominal cavity, causing severe trauma to the victim's intestines. The second blow was a hand-held edged weapon ..."
"A tomahawk?"
"Yes," Rascomb admitted. "In the frontal skull, smashing and splitting the skull and embedding itself in the cranium."
"Is this the picture of the victim at the time of discovery?" Hervik pressed a remote and the room's projector cast a picture on the front wall - a horrific image of Heyoka lying, body torn asunder and skull split with the tomahawk still embedded. The gasps of shock in the room were accompanied by hasty footsteps as some students fled before they upchucked at the gruesome scene. Not everyone made it out of the room in time.
"Yes."
"And is the abdominal wound consistent with that caused to a security officer who was horned by a manifested bison?" The image changed to Officer Matthews lying in the tunnel.
"Yes. But ..."
"Ah object!" Lanie practically leaped to her feet, annoyed at the smart-ass attorney. "The image of Officer Matthews has nothing to do with the issue at hand, and is only there to prejudice ..."
"Miss Nalley!" Liz roared from her chair. "You are not Miss Franks' defense or counsel. Now sit down!" She glared at the redhead until she took her seat again. "Despite the ... unorthodox ... means of objection, I am forced to agree that this image is not relevant to the proceedings." She shot her own disapproving glare at Hervik. "We will take a short break while custodial services cleans up some ... unpleasantness." She made it clear that she wasn't leaving, so very few others did. In fact, the only ones who departed were the audience members who'd been too close when others had gotten sick. Seemingly out of nowhere, two janitors with mop buckets sped around the room, cleaning up the splashes of vomit and leaving in their place the unpleasant but preferable smell of cleaning chemicals.
It was closer to fifteen minutes before the janitorial staff finished and left the room. "Are we ready to resume?" Liz asked, interrupting the dull roar of private conversations, which ceased as instantly as if a light switch had been turned off.
Hervik stood again. "Chief Delarose," Hervik called out, "who manifested the bison that killed the security officer?"
"Miss Franks. Her power includes the ability to manifest a bison."
"Prior to the murder, has this bison attacked anyone besides the security guard?"
Delarose fumed that he'd had to share that information with Hervik as part of the investigation. "Yes. During testing, the bison gored a PK brick of the Sioux Falls League. Also in Sioux Falls, in defense of Miss Franks and friends, the bison gored a criminal named the Gemologist ...,"
"A wound which would have been fatal had the named criminal not been a high-level regenerator?"
Lanie shot to her feet again. "Ah object! Counsel is leading the witness!" She saw the disapproving stare from Mrs. Carson and lowered herself back to her chair.
Hervik shot his own glare at Lanie, but then continued. "Let me rephrase the question. How would you describe the injuries suffered by the Gemologist?"
"According to the superheroes and first-responders, the wound would have been fatal if the villain hadn't been a high-level regenerator," Franklin admitted, scowling at how he was being played. "And shortly after arriving on campus, the bison gored a student who was ...."
"Was that student code-named Truck?" Hervik interrupted.
"Yes."
"Is this student present?"
"Yes, sir," Truck announced, standing up and casting a sideways glare at Kayda.
"Can you please describe the attack?"
"My friends and I, we were just doing a little hazing, you know - innocent stuff - and she manifested her buffalo and had it attack me."
Kayda was already standing when both Dr. Bellows and Janice Talbert clamped their hands on her wrists. "Be patient," Dr. Bellows urged her softly. "We'll get our turn. Mrs. Carson isn't going to let him get away with a one-sided presentation."
"So, Miss Franks has a history of using her manifested bison to attack, is that correct, Chief?"
"That's a leading question again!" Lanie snapped loudly.
"Madame Chairman!" Hervik turned to Mrs. Carson in protest. "This is highly unusual for a ... spectator ... to be interrupting the proceedings."
Mrs. Carson shot Lanie another look of disapproval. "I will remind the audience to remain quiet and seated unless called upon. Is that clear?" She was staring unhappily directly at Lanie, who reluctantly nodded. "Very good. As to the point raised, I concur that it is a leading question. Chief Delarose, you may not answer the question posed by Mr. Hervik."
Hervik glowered; his attempts to characterize Kayda as being out of control were being thwarted. He would have expected this in a regular court of law, but in an informal hearing? He turned to his next line of questioning. "As to the other attack, Mr. Two Knives?" Billy stood. "You are Miss Franks' private tutor in traditional Native American weapons?"
"Yes."
"How would you rate her proficiency in the use of the tomahawk?"
"Well above average," Billy reported in a neutral voice. "Not nearly as good as an expert warrior, but very capable."
"Capable of inflicting a blow like the cranial blow the victim suffered?"
"Yes." His face was carefully neutral, but his eyes betrayed his distaste at having to answer the questions the way Hervik was presenting them.
"Has Miss Franks ever seemed ... out of control ... during training?"
Kayda paled; she knew precisely where this was going to go.
"Yes. She has had a couple of episodes of PTSD-induced rager behavior."
"Thank you." Hervik looked at the front row. "Are students Lancer and Phase present?" Both of the Kimbas stood. "In your sparring with Miss Franks in your martial arts classes, have you encountered any episodes of PTSD-induced rager behavior?"
"Yes," the two answered unhappily.
"If you were baselines, or significantly more vulnerable, can you describe what you think the outcome of the attacks would have been?"
Lancer looked like he was sucking a lemon. "The attacks would have likely been fatal." Ayla simply nodded in agreement.
Lanie simply couldn't contain herself. "Objection!" she roared, leaping to her feet once more. "The witnesses are not medical experts and do not have the knowledge to ascertain what injuries might have occurred!"
Mrs. Carson glared at her, "Unless some heathen has created an association of Rules Lawyers, Miss Nalley, you aren't admitted to that Bar. Second, this isn't court. And despite a well-deserved reputation as a rules lawyer, you're not A lawyer nor are you Defense Council! One more objection or outburst from you and you'll be objecting to the tune of a fifty thousand word essay on the history of jurisprudence in the American system as derived from English Common law!"
Lanie fumed at the headmistress. "Well," she grumbled, "someone has to keep this from being a Kangaroo Court, convicting mah friend on supposition and speculation."
"And the administration will do so," Mrs. Carson said sternly. "And if you continue to look at me with that glower of disapproval, I'll assign it just for the pleasure of reading your effort! Is that clear?"
"Yes, ma'am," Lanie said glumly, avoiding Mrs. Carson's penetrating 'glare of supreme authority'.
"May I continue now?" Hervik asked sarcastically, staring deliberately at Lanie." Seeing that she was properly chastised and unlikely to interrupt again, he continued. "Is the student called Charge present?"
Adalie stood. "Oui," she answered, her voice trembling. She knew precisely what Hervik was going to ask, and what she had to answer.
"During a recent trip with Miss Franks to her hometown, was Miss Franks involved in a fight?"
"Oui, monsieur," Addy answered. "The boys started ...."
"During this fight, would you say she was in a PTSD-induced rager state of mind?"
"Oui." Addy said unhappily.
"Can you describe the two attacks of consequence?"
"We were outnumbered and ambushed. During the fight, Kayda 'ad to strike one of the boys in self-defense ...."
"Severely injuring his shoulder so that he was in danger of bleeding to death, correct?"
It was Doctor Bellows turn to rise angrily. "Objection. As a licensed psychiatrist knowledgeable in human anatomy and physiology, I know it is improper for an untrained student to be asked to speculate on the outcome of an injury."
Hervik scowled, but continued. "And only the pleadings of her friends prevented her from deliberately murdering a defenseless second boy with a tomahawk blow to the head, correct? A blow which would have been similar to that suffered by the student Heyoka?"
"Oui," Addy said bitterly, knowing that her words were tightening the noose around her friend's neck.
"We now know that Miss Franks is both skilled with the murder weapon and has a history of violent attacks."
Janice could not let that one go. "I object to characterizing Miss Franks as violent. Her episodes have all been in tightly controlled training situations or in self-defense."
Hervik smiled wickedly. "Perhaps, but she is capable." He looked down at his notes, doing his best to appear studiously prepared. "Now, as to opportunity..."
Kayda gulped nervously; she knew what he was going to show next, and it was going to require her to out herself and Lanie - with very incriminating and humiliating video - to prove an alibi.
"Chief, can you please display the RFID trace map from the afternoon of the murder?" Hervik asked Delarose - actually, it was more of an order, as he was assuming control of presenting the evidence against Kayda. On the wall was projected an overview of the campus, with major facilities shows as outlines. Also shown were red dots appearing along a curving path from Schuster Hall toward Laird, and then moving back toward Schuster and onward until they paused inside the rectangle labeled "Arena 77." A short while later, the dots began to move back to Schuster, whereupon they ceased. "Please explain the sequence."
Delarose clenched his jaw a couple of times before speaking. "The trail shows Miss Franks entering the tunnel system at Schuster Hall, proceeding to Laird Hall. Internal sensors in the building show her entering the training room where her weapons are kept. She then moves from Laird through the tunnels to Arena 77. Shortly after that, she moves back to Schuster and exits the tunnel system."
"Mr. Langley Paulson?" Hervik asked. When Mr. Paulson stood, Hervik looked straight at him. "As chairman of the advanced technologies program, what would you say are the chances of someone spoofing the RFID tracking system?"
"Very low," Mr. Paulson replied. "We had a couple of students who might have been able to fool the system, but they were expelled months ago."
"Ms. Hartford? I understand you are familiar with computer technology?"
"That's Doctor Hartford." Ms. Hartford's expression was steel, her words ice. "I am a computer technology expert."
"Doctor Hartford," the lawyer oozed with an oily smile. "Would it be possible for someone to post facto manipulate the sensor data to make it appear that someone else was present?"
Hartford glared at the weaselly little man. "There are three persons on this campus who could do such a feat to the data in the central computer. Myself, and two of my students." She saw the man start to open his mouth with another question. "But even that would result in a discrepancy between the raw data which is retained for thirty-six hours on the sensors and the computer records. So I would rate it as virtually impossible."
"Are there any glitches, jumps, or other anomalies in the data files that would indicate tampering?"
"No."
Hervik manipulated a remote control. "Please notice that the video from the tunnel sensors does not show Miss Franks' presence at the time that the sensor indicates her presence." He looked directly at Circe. "Ms. Circe? You're the head of the Mystical Arts Department?" She nodded. "Is Miss Franks capable of an invisibility spell?"
Circe nodded. "She has a 'ghost walking' spell that gives her invisibility for a limited time."
"Would that explain why she doesn't appear on the cameras?"
"Objection!" Janice snapped with a scowl. "Leading question - again!"
Hervik raged inwardly. He was the trial expert in this room, and yet several people - including one impertinent student - were identifying and objecting to points where he was trying to lead a witness. That shouldn't be happening - not in this setting! "Allow me to rephrase the question. Could her invisibility spell explain her not appearing on a security camera?"
"Yes."
"Would that spell hide the student ID sensors?"
"No. The sensors have some ... enhancements ... to prevent that," Circe answered, trying to be circumspect but confirming what most students had already thought true.
"Thank you." Hervik fought to keep the shark-like grin off his face. Despite the setbacks, this was going well, and was fitting his strategy perfectly. "Chief Delarose." The chief didn't bother to stand. "Does Miss Franks have ...." He caught himself, knowing that someone else would object if he didn't phrase his question correctly. "Has Miss Franks ever used her invisibility spell to hide from security?"
"Yes," Delarose said, frowning.
"On multiple occasions?"
"Yes."
Hervik grinned inwardly. By getting those details from the security records onto the hearing records, he was demonstrating a pattern of behavior by Miss Franks that was very damning.
He turned to the audience again. "Student Blackrose?"
Uncertainly, Ros stood. For the first time, Kayda turned to look at the audience, specifically at Ros. She couldn't help but see the turmoil reflected in Ros' eyes.
"You were witness to an interaction between Miss Franks and Student Heyoka?"
"Yes." Ros' voice was heavy, forced.
"Would you please describe this interaction?"
Ros winced. "I was escorting her to class ...."
"Escorting? Please explain."
"Kayda ... had gotten in some trouble and had some ... attacks on her. Security thought it best that she be escorted at all times. For her safety!" she added quickly and urgently. "Because she'd been attacked so often. I was escorting her to class and we crossed paths with Heyoka."
"And what happened?"
The pain of having to tell the story was evident on Ros' face. "She manifested a spirit which argued with Heyoka."
"And what was your impression of that argument?"
"Kayda's spirit was quite unhappy with Heyoka."
"Thank you."
As Ros sat down, Kayda saw her wipe her eye, mouthing the words, "I'm sorry."
"Further, Student Heyoka was found with a note from Miss Franks indicating, in a contrary fashion which I'm led to understand is Heyoka's standard method of communicating, that he should come to Arena 77 to meet her."
"Are you finished with your evidence, Mr. Hervik?" Liz asked coldly.
"As far as the evidence is available, yes, Ma'am," he replied formally, sitting down.
"Mrs. Talbert? Are you ready to present your evidence?"
"One moment, if you please," Dr. Bellows interjected, standing. "As this recounting of events - especially the traumatic scenes of injury - has been upsetting to Kayda, as her appointed adult representative, I would request a short break before we resume."
"Very well, Doctor," Liz replied. "We will take a twenty-minute break." With that, she rose and walked with Mrs. Shugendo out of the classroom.
May 7th, 2007 - Afternoon
Joe Foss Field, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Pete sighed as he watched the gate attendant close the door to the jetway, signaling that the fight was going to depart. He, June, and Debra stood morosely; they'd missed getting June on the plane by one person. If they'd have been just a couple of people higher on the standby list ....
"Well, that's it for flights today," June said softly.
"Unless we want to catch the late flight to Minneapolis, then catch a red-eye to Boston," Pete said. "Then catch the morning train to Dunwich." He glanced at his smart-phone. "Or rent a car. That'd put us in Dunwich around ... one pm by train, or about ten thirty if we rent a car."
Debra glanced hopefully at June. "What do you think?"
June's mind was already made up. "If we wait for the flight tomorrow, when will we get in?"
"We'll get to Berlin about one, which would put us at Whateley about one-thirty," Debra beat Pete to the explanation.
June looked at Pete, and a determined expression crossed her face. "We'll go through Minneapolis. Anything is better than sitting here waiting."
May 7th, 2007 - Afternoon
Kane Hall, Whateley Academy
Emily Strong watched Coltrain leave the main desk for the afternoon and she sighed to herself. The man was a menace to neatness and order, far more than any other three security officers put together. And with the filing systems being her responsibility, she felt an obligation to make sure all the data was properly entered - and then filing a report with her supervisor about how poorly some desk officers handled files.
The first thing Emily did was to look over the incident reports that had been logged into the system from the point Coltrain came on shift. It appeared that, for once, he was diligent about entering data, because Emily only had to correct a few items.
Once she finished, she opened the third drawer of the four-drawer filing cabinet to file the raw reports according to date of the original report. It helped to cross-check original reports against the computer files. The drawer was pushed shut, but it didn't latch, popping back open a centimeter or so. Puzzled, Emily pulled the file drawer open again, checking to see that everything was neatly organized so it wouldn't stop the drawer from closing. Satisfied, she tried again, with the same result.
Mystified, Emily pulled the drawer all the way open, hoping to see if there was some obstruction behind it. What she saw confused her even more. She could see through the gap that there was something in the bottom drawer that was sticking up, blocking the third drawer from closing all the way.
Now more curious than upset, Emily pulled the mostly-empty bottom drawer open. It stopped, though, before it was completely open, so she bent down and looked into the drawer.
Crunched up in the back were a number of papers and folders, haphazardly stuffed into the drawer and sticking up far enough to block the third drawer. In the gap between drawers, she reached in and began to tug at the obstruction, and was rewarded with sheets of paper and several crumpled folders. "What the hell...?" she asked as she began to leaf through the papers. They were incident reports, or at least most of them were, and as the key data management person in the office, she should have been familiar with the incidents. The problem was that she didn't recognize a single one of them. She turned to the desk and began to type into the computer - and found no matches to the first five reports.
Emily picked up the phone and dialed into the campus security radio system. "Chief Delarose?"
"The Chief is busy. This is Sam Everheart. How can I help you, Emily?"
"I found some unfiled reports stuffed in a filing cabinet," Emily answered. "I wanted to know how I should handle them."
Sam got the 'raised hackles on the neck' feeling. "Look for a report of a missing student - Sara Waite. A student claimed to have filed a report, but it's not in the computer files. It is very, very important that we find this report if it is in your pile of unfiled paperwork."
"It's on the top of the stack. Hippolyta gave a report about Sara Waite going missing from her room in Hawthorne."
"We're taking a break. I'll be right over."
May 7th, 2007 - Afternoon
Conference Room, Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
"We're okay, Kayda," Janice Talbert said, sitting on one side of the girl in a borrowed conference room. On the other side was Dr. Bellows.
"But ... they know about everything! All the times Tatanka attacked. All the ... incidents when I lost control! They're making me look like a monster."
Janice shook her head. "And we've done our homework. You've got an alibi. We have the notes - at least the data where they came from. We have some sound analyses from the tunnels and arena. We have the video ...."
"Do we have to show that?" Kayda cried. "That'd ... be humiliating."
"Kayda," Janice said bluntly, "Elaine's been released from the sorcerer's contract. Besides, if I wanted to be technical, since your magic was bound at the time she made the promise, there really is no sorcerer's contract."
"You know you have to admit it," Dr. Bellows said. "Otherwise, we can't use the recording with the time stamps. Mrs. Carson - and the trustees - will have to see at least excerpts from the video."
"Yeah, I know," Kayda admitted, looking at the table. "I'm just ... scared."
"I just wish we could prove the compulsion part," Janice said, frustrated.
A knock on the door interrupted them. "Come in," Dr. Bellows said warily.
A very calm, friendly-appearing Jerome Hervik entered the room. "I was wondering if I could have a moment with Miss Franks," he said politely.
Janice looked at Kayda, who looked at Dr. Bellows. "I will be present for any and all discussions," Dr. Bellows said, iron in his words.
"And I wouldn't have it any other way," Hervik smiled, deceptively pleasantly.
"I'll be outside," Janice said, rising and leaving the room. Hervik took a seat opposite the girl. "Let me be perfectly frank, Miss Franks," he said, oblivious to how stupid his statement sounded. "We have motive, we have opportunity, we have an MO, and we have weapons. The RFID trace is pretty damning evidence."
"You haven't heard any defense yet," Dr. Bellows protested sharply.
"With the RFID trace, it will be extremely difficult to avoid a trial. And if it goes to trial," Hervik said, sounding concerned, "a jury would probably go for a capital murder conviction. But, since it's known that you're a troubled girl with PTSD - for some reason you haven't revealed, we could work a plea bargain - perhaps second-degree manslaughter, brought about by your PTSD." He saw the panic in Kayda's eyes, and continued his honey-smooth pitch. "Given your condition, if you admit guilt, we can get you proper psychological treatment, and once your condition is cured, you'd probably have a short period of parole before you're free."
Dr. Bellows stood, leaning over the table on his fists. "Sell it to someone who's buying," he snarled with an anger that Kayda had never seen. "Do you think we're stupid?" He stormed to the door and opened it. "Janice, this ... person ... was trying to convince - or scare - Kayda into copping a plea of second-degree manslaughter under the condition of PTSD."
"Mister Hervik," Janice roared at him, her face red, "I served years with the NYPD Paranormal Affairs Department. I know how DAs and assistant DAs work - especially with mutants. You'll promise the damned moon, and once you get in a courtroom, you go for the jugular. That. Is. Not. Going. To. Happen!" she snapped. "Not on my watch!" She pointed angrily at the door. "Get out! Before I complain to Mrs. Carson that you're attempting to intimidate Miss Franks!"
Hervik, stunned by her vehemence, stood and backed to the door. "It's possibly her only fair chance," he tried one final time. "There's more than enough evidence to get a grand jury to indict, and probably get a conviction. My offer of a plea deal will save her from that." Seeing the growing rage on Janice Talbert's face, he beat a hasty retreat.
May 7th, 2007 - Afternoon
Call Me Coffee, Melville Cottage, Whateley Academy
Not for the first time, Maria Ricardo glanced at her watch, wondering if her 'invitation' would be accepted, and with that thought, she also wondered if she was stepping over some line of privacy, of interference in matters that didn't concern her. She took another sip of her Amaretto Supreme coffee and glanced around the little shop on the first floor of Melville - empty at the moment because it seemed that everyone who wasn't currently in class was either in or trying to get into the hearing room in Schuster, or gossiping madly on the Fixer's patio behind the administration building.
As she sat, alone, she considered why she'd called the girl - it felt like she was meddling in things that were none of her business, and yet she couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible. Freya was in charge when Hekate had performed her vicious, inhumane act, and Maria was Freya's willing deputy, a henchman who helped in all the evil her former mentor had done. She felt the guilt as if she'd been the one who'd cast the spell.
Was her phone call out of guilt? Or out of a sense of need to help, just as she'd helped - or tried to help - so many victims while she was in New York? Was she trying to assuage her own sense of feeling responsible for the fates of the two?
Maria sensed rather than saw someone enter the coffee shop. She was turned with her back toward the door, believing in her heart that if the girl saw her, she'd either turn and flee or attack her - not that she'd blame the girl for either action.
Elaine Schroepfer walked stiffly, awkwardly to the only occupied table. When Maria mustered the courage to look up at the girl whose life she'd played a part in ruining - even if only a small one, she saw the very attractive girl standing, glaring down at her with a haunted look behind the anger in her eyes. "You!" she declared, her voice echoing both anger and surprise.
"Hello, Elaine," Maria said simply. "I ... I need to talk to you. Would you join me?"
"Why should I?" Skybolt demanded.
"You and I - we have a lot to talk about. The role I played in what happened to you and Cav. The ways we were used by those around us, the ... unique pain that I know you feel - because I've felt it most of my life, too."
Skybolt's eyes narrowed. "If you think a simple apology is going to make everything somehow better ..."
Maria shook her head sadly. "No. I know there's no way I can ever atone for my part, however large or small, in what was done to you. I'm not going to beg for forgiveness."
"Then ... why?"
"Please give me five minutes, and judge for yourself." The girl eyed her warily, knowing that Songbird had a powerful siren ability and that based on her past, she might be up to no good once more. And yet ....
She sat. "I'll take a French Vanilla coffee," she said simply.
Maria nodded and went to the barista, ordering the coffee for Skybolt. When she sat back down, Skybolt took a sip of the hot beverage. "I missed this," she said. "For over a year, simple pleasures like this were denied to me."
Just looking at Skybolt made Maria cringe at the evil she'd been affiliated with. The girl had multiple piercings - her eyebrows, her nose, a nose ring, multiple piercings in her ears, her tongue - and that was only the visible ones. She knew, from having hung out with Freya and the Don, that Sky had many more piercings all over her body, all bitter reminders of her year of mental slavery. And the doctors were removing them slowly, fearing that removing too many at once might cause serious system shock to the girl. And even then, they were going to leave scars, damaged tissue that would always remind Elaine of what she'd gone through.
"I didn't know it at the time," Maria began her explanation carefully, "but when I met Freya, I was a broken person. She used that to make me think she believed in me and that, in her eyes, I was wonderful." She looked into her coffee cup, shaking her head slowly. "It took something extreme to make me realize that she'd just been using me, like she used everyone else."
"You had nothing to do with Hekate's spell ...." Skybolt retorted quickly.
"Yes, I did," Maria said sadly. "I was part of the 'inner circle' that planned the whole thing. I ... sirened you and Cav to trust Hekate, to believe that she could help you."
Skybolt's eyes flared with rage, her jaw clenched tightly. "You ... bitch!" she roared, and for a few seconds, it seemed inevitable that she'd use her lightning energizer power to incinerate Maria.
"I swear to God," Maria said quickly, defensively, "I had no idea of what they were going to do! It sounded to me like they were going to persuade you to back off of them! Freya was getting tired of the constant in-fighting and..."
"I spent a year as a mind slave, unable to do or say anything to free myself!" Skybolt roared angrily. "I ... was forced to do the most humiliating things - and all the while, I knew. I KNEW!" Her eyes started misting at the horrible memories. "And I could do nothing to stop myself!" The mist condensed into tears which started flowing down Skybolt's cheeks.
"I wouldn't blame you if you struck me down where I sit," Maria said softly. "God knows I deserve it for all the evil I helped Freya do."
Elaine stared at Maria for many silent seconds, fury burning in her eyes, but slowly the burning rage subsided, the anger abating. A soft half-chuckle escaped her lips. "My therapist says that while revenge would feel sweet for a moment, it wouldn't help me regain who I really am."
"Elaine," Maria said softly, "I cannot begin to imagine what it was like for you. But I can tell you this - when I was young, my step-dad brutally and repeatedly raped me, and my mother turned a blind eye. A ... dear friend ... scared me - terrified me actually - that she was watching me and that if I used my power for anything like I'd done before, she'd destroy my soul." She looked up boldly at Skybolt. "I ... I spent the last year volunteering at a rape crisis center in New York while I was going to school." She looked down into her coffee again. "I ... I think I helped myself more than I helped all the women I counseled. I ... I realized that it wasn't my fault, that it wasn't anything I'd done, but that my step-dad was just evil."
There was no response from Skybolt, and fearful that she'd failed in her intent, she looked up at the abused girl. "I'm not telling you this to get sympathy for me. I ... I'm ..." She shook her head sadly. "I've gotten over a lot of my pain. But ... while I was volunteering, realized that ... my understanding, my experiences, made it easier for me to sympathize with victims of abuse, and to be their advocate and someone to whom they could talk openly without fear of being judged or criticized, but who would understand and try to help them." She sighed again. "That's ... that's why I asked you to come here - to listen to my ... apology ... and to offer to help in any way I can."
Elaine Schroepfer nodded silently. In her eyes was everything Maria needed to see - the pain, the despair, the sense of being at fault, the feeling of shame and guilt. She looked down again, afraid of letting Maria see through the windows to her soul, to let someone see her inner anguish and pain.
"I'll listen," Maria offered. "Any time, any place. I know what it's like, how little things can remind you of your ordeal and trigger flashbacks and pain and tears. After my part in what happened, the least I can do is to be there so you have someone who will listen and understand and not judge. Someone who will let you cry when you need to. Someone who won't tell you how you're supposed to feel, but will help you understand why you feel the way you do, and maybe, just maybe, offer some advice that can help you get a little closer to feeling whole again."
Elaine looked up from her hands wrapped around her coffee cup. Her eyes were watering, drops rolling slowly from the corners of her eyes down her cheeks. "I ... I think I'd like that," she said. "I don't know why, but I ... feel like I need someone like you to help me, to listen to me." She shook her head sadly. "Dr. Bellows is a good counselor, but he has no idea of what Cav and I have gone through, of the humiliation, of no-one believing us or helping us." She took a couple of slow breaths, trying to steady her nerves. "You've been there. And you've helped others. I'd ..." she looked down again, the wet trails of moisture on her cheeks glistening in the light, "I'd like ...." It was too much for the girl - this sudden and unexpected offer of help from someone who understood only too well what she felt like. The trickle of tears turned into a steady stream.
Maria reached across the table to gently place her hands on the other girls'. There was nothing sexual about the move; only a gesture of support and understanding. She knew the tears on Elaine Schroepfer's face, where they came from, why Elaine felt like they'd never, ever stop, why she felt cheap and dirty and damaged.
"It's okay to cry, Elaine," Maria said softly. She didn't want to say anything too loudly. She needed to build trust with Skybolt, and that definitely meant not using her powers, even though they might help Skybolt, if only temporarily. It would be another mental abuse on the poor girl who'd suffered more than enough already.
Skybolt tried to nod, but couldn't. "It's ... it's so hard," she managed to say finally. "When I go anywhere, when I see people looking at me ...."
Maria nodded. "You think they know, don't you?"
"A lot of them do know!" Sky whimpered. "I ... they made me ... I couldn't stop ...."
"Elaine," Maria said in a surprisingly sympathetic voice, though without using the power she could have used as a siren, "it was not you!"
"But ... I ..."
"Elaine," Maria repeated, "it's no different than if they'd done those things to you by physical force, because that's what they did. They forced your mind - against your will. Rape is rape, whether it's coerced by physical or magical force. It is never right, but it's also never the victim's fault."
"But ..." Sky wiped at more tears with one hand, letting Maria's comforting touch stay. "But because of the spell, ... I had to .... to ... to ask for guys to do things to me! To be the aggressive one and go after things. To ... to beg them ... to use me ..." She let her head tilt forward, ashamed to be talking about her horrific ordeal; not surprisingly, tears started to stream down her cheeks once more.
"In my time as a rape counselor," Maria said, "I heard terrible stories, and I worked hard to help women learn that they weren't damaged, that they weren't at fault, that they were still valuable, precious human beings." She shook her head, a soft half-chuckle sounding. "And somewhere in all of that, I was trying to convince myself that I wasn't damaged goods, that I was still a valuable human being." She tenderly wiped tears off Skybolt's cheek. "I know what it feels like to be damaged, to feel self-loathing, to feel like it was all my fault."
Skybolt nodded slowly. "I ... I guess you're still working at that job, aren't you?"
Maria started. Was that what she was doing - still doing rape counseling? She thought back to her own teenage days, to when she'd been so horribly and so long abused by her step-father, with her mother turning a blind eye. How many others on campus had similar experiences, suffering in silence? How many others could use the help she never got? Maybe ... if she could help one, she'd do far more than anyone had done for her. A seed of an idea germinated and sprouted. She'd have to talk to Mrs. Carson and possibly to Dr. Bellows, but maybe ....
"Maria?" Skybolt asked again.
"Sorry," Maria apologized. "I just had a thought." She patted Sky's hands. "You're going to be okay. You have Cav, and the two of you love each other. The two of you can help each other. When you need a shoulder to cry on, let him support you. And sometimes, he'll need a shoulder to cry on, too." She smiled faintly. "And sometimes, if you both need it, come to me. I'll let you cry on my shoulder, or talk, or whatever you need, any time you need."
Skybolt's tears flowed again, and Maria noticed. Seeing Maria's shocked expression, Skybolt tried to chuckle. "No, it's not that. It's ... it helps so much to not feel like you're going to judge me, that you're going to listen and reassure me that I'm not cheap and dirty and worthless." She smiled, a contrast with the glints of moisture on her cheeks. "Thank you for listening."
Maria smiled. It felt good to know that Skybolt felt safe confiding in her - just like back at the crisis center. She knew she could help others - if she could convince Mrs. C and Dr. Bellows.
May 7th, 2007 - Afternoon
Conference Room, Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
To anyone who really knew her, Liz Carson looked like her years were wearing on her, even though she appeared only thirty-five or so. There was just a little stiffness in her movement, a little less life in her gaze, a little less force in her expressions. "Let us resume," Mrs. Carson ordered sternly. "As a reminder, this is merely an evidentiary hearing into the facts surrounding the murder of Student Heyoka. Also, anyone asked a question is required, under penalty of law, to answer truthfully. Is that clear?"
Janice wasn't used to acting the part of a lawyer, but she did know the law and rules of evidence and court procedures - even though this wasn't a courtroom. "Let us begin by discussing the fatal injuries to Heyoka," she said. "Dr. Rascomb, would a horn be the only item which could cause the abdominal injury?"
"No. Any tapered object with a semi-sharp point could inflict that type of injury."
"So if a person were to hold a piece of horn or antler, they could in theory do the same damage?"
Rascomb nodded. "Or numerous other objects. But it would take a tremendous amount of force."
"On a campus full of high-level exemplars, psychokinetics, and various other mutations, would it be hard to find someone who could apply the requisite force?"
Rascomb shook his head. "No. If you gave me a couple of minutes, I could probably name three or four dozen students who could inflict that damage."
"Thank you." She turned toward the table where Delarose sat. "Chief, in all of the times where it has been reported that Miss Franks' manifested buffalo attacked, how many were unprovoked or aggressive?"
"All were in self-defense - with the exception of the incident in Sioux Falls where, as part of powers testing, a brick received a minor injury."
"So the school doesn't rate the manifestation as a serious danger to other students?"
"No. On one public occasion, it argued with Miss Franks when she was upset and angry and wanted it to attack, but it refused."
"So you think the manifested spirit is sentient?"
Delarose shrugged, smiling thinly. "I'm not an expert in avatars and spirits, but in all my interactions and reports of its behavior that I've read, it has most definitely acted sentient."
"If necessary, we will get more data on the sentience of spirits, but for now, that's all I can think of. Thank you, Chief." Janice turned toward the crowded room. "Mister Two Knives."
Billy Two Knives stood, his weather-lined face still impassive. "Yes, ma'am?"
"Is Kayda the only student who is learning to fight with the tomahawk?"
"No, ma'am," the Lakota warrior said simply. "Several of the Native American students have begun to learn to use traditional weapons as part of rediscovering their heritage and culture."
"Of these students, who is the most skilled with the tomahawk?"
"Miss Franks."
"Is it a complicated weapon to wield in battle that would require considerable skill?"
"In a melee, yes," Billy replied. "There is much that can be done in a melee with a tomahawk, but it requires much practice."
Janice nodded, glancing at Hervik who was smiling at what he'd just heard. "How about for a sneak attack in a non-melee situation? Could an amateur, someone who has never used a tomahawk before, use it to make a fatal blow on someone unsuspecting?" she asked, shocking the entire room with the simple elegance of her question.
"Certainly. It'd be no different from using a hammer or a hatchet," Billy explained. "As you requested, I can demonstrate that easily."
Janice looked at Mrs. Carson, who nodded. "Proceed."
"Rosalyn Dekkard and Hank Declan, could you come to the front of the room please? Doctor Rascomb, could you please come forward for a technical analysis of the results?" Billy asked. The two were ready, having been briefed and prepared, so they were seated at the front of the room, and the doctor joined them. "Miss Dekkard, have you ever used a tomahawk before?"
Ros shook her head, causing her wavy black tresses to dance around her shoulders. "No."
"And your rating is Exemplar-1 - so you have no special strength or speed?"
Again she shook her head. "No sir."
"Very good. Mister Declan, you have a PK shell which is nearly impenetrable by normal weapons, correct?" He saw Hank's affirmative nod. "And you've sparred with Miss Franks when she used a tomahawk, and emerged with no injuries?" Again Hank nodded.
Billy took a tomahawk from his waist. "Mister Declan, I would like you to participate in a demonstration of the use of a tomahawk, but I cannot force you to do so. You understand the risks?"
"Yes, sir. I'm willing to do my part."
"Very well." He handed the tomahawk to Rosalyn. "I want you to strike Mister Declan with this tomahawk - right between his eyes, with all your force." He read the nervous expression in her eyes.
So did Hank. "Ros, I sparred with Kayda. It's okay. You can't hurt me with that."
Nervously, Ros gulped, then she glanced over her shoulder at Kayda. Realizing that she had to go through with this to help her Lakota friend, she lifted the tomahawk over her shoulder, stepped toward Hank, and swung with all her might. There was no sickening, bone-shattering crunch. The tomahawk merely bounced off Hank's PK field and he stood there with a silly grin on his face.
"Again please," Billy requested. "Harder this time. And try to hit between the eyes instead of over one eyebrow."
Less nervously, Ros complied, and the more-forceful blow hit where Billy Two Knives had requested.
"By your estimation," Janice asked Dr. Rascomb as Billy took the tomahawk from Ros, "what would have been the effect of those blows?"
"Either would have smashed the skull in a fatal blow. Both would have penetrated into the brain," Dr. Rascomb reported.
"So in your opinion, is there any special skill required to use a tomahawk as a murder weapon in this particular case?"
Billy shook his head. "Nope."
"And I suggest that the only reason a tomahawk was used was to point suspicion to Miss Franks, who is widely known on-campus to be learning to use such a weapon," Janice concluded with a smug smile as she saw the frown on Hervik's and Dougan's faces. The participants in the demonstration took their seats as well.
Janice paced back and forth, more deliberatively than nervously. "Let's address Miss Franks' PTSD. Dr. Bellows, can you elaborate on Miss Franks' condition?"
Dr. Bellows shook his head. "I'm sorry, but as a physician, I cannot disclose patient information without the consent of the patient, or, as Miss Franks is a minor, without consent from her parents."
Janice nodded, retrieved a couple of papers from her table, and presented them to Mrs. Carson. "While the school has forms for in loco parentis, I took the time to notify her parents of these proceedings and get specific permission for Dr. Bellows and any other medical staff at Whateley to discuss her medical conditions to the extent necessary to clarify facts of the case."
Dr. Bellows nodded; he'd known of the permission forms, but was following Janice's lead to keep the attorney and the MCO agent a little off balance. "Miss Franks suffered severe physical trauma twice after manifesting. Her former classmates attempted to beat her to death, inflicting significant psychological trauma as well as massive injury."
"And how does she react in stressful situations?"
"Generally, she gets into a severely withdrawn state, almost catatonic. On one occasion, she was hospitalized from a mental collapse which did result in a nearly comatose state."
"Excuse me," Hervik asked, rising from his chair. "As this medical information is not in her security files, I request that the chair indulge me in asking a few questions."
Liz nodded. "That's permissible - within limits. If, in the opinion of her physician your questions are not relevant or psychologically traumatic to Miss Franks, the question will be disallowed." Janice and Dr. Bellows frowned. They knew Hervik was up to something, and they weren't sure what. Nor how much information he had accessed about her.
"Thank you," Hervik said. There was something in his expression that made Liz and Janice nervous. "And in situations where she doesn't become withdrawn?"
"When attacked, on occasion, she has reacted with uncontrolled aggression," Dr. Bellows continued. "Almost a low-grade rager type of attack."
Hervik glanced at Mrs. Carson. "Might I be permitted a couple of follow-up questions to this?" When Liz nodded, he smiled. "Chief Delarose, has your security team responded to any incidents where Miss Franks had a PTSD reaction?"
"Yes," Delarose looked like he was sucking something particularly bitter.
"Is either Sensei Ito or Sensei Tolman present?" Hervik asked.
From the back of the room, Sensei Tolman stood. "I am Sensei Tolman," she replied simply in a tone that couldn't possibly be mistaken for pleasure at being questioned.
"In her martial arts training, has Miss Franks had either a withdrawal or aggression PTSD reaction?"
"Yes," Sensei Tolman responded. "Some of both."
"I'd like to ask either of you, Chief and Ms. Tolman - is there a discernible pattern in the cause of these PTSD episodes?"
When both hesitated for several seconds, Liz was forced to intervene. "The question is relevant. Answer please."
Sensei Tolman spoke first. "Kayda's reactions have all been caused by contact - deliberate or inadvertent - with ... male students or instructors."
"I see. So, Doctor, would you speculate that Miss Franks has an aggressive phobia of male students? One that can manifest itself as either withdrawal or aggressive attack? And if so, what would cause such a thing?"
Mrs. Carson's face was fiery-red, even redder than Dr. Bellows'. "Mister Hervik ...," she began thunderously.
Kayda had been emotionally beaten around by Hervik's line of questioning for too long, until she was an emotional mess inside. She'd had to sit quietly through the rantings and ravings of Hervik, all accusing her of murdering Heyoka. All the while she'd had no comfort from her spirits, no contact with her love Debra, exhausted, and frightened. She was past her emotional breaking point.
"Yes," she yelled, bolting to her feet, "it's all guys! You know why?" She ignored Dr. Bellows hand on her arm, trying to calm her, to get her to sit down and shut up. "Because they fucking raped me!" she screamed in her emotional venting. "When they tried to kill me, they fucking gang-raped me!"
In the deathly silence of the shocked room, she slowly sank back to her chair, her entire body convulsing as she began to bawl. "Is that what you wanted?" she yelled through her sobs. "To completely humiliate me?" Her outburst, caused by a sudden release of all her bottled up frustration and anger at the entire farce of a hearing, spent all her emotional energy. Crying hysterically at the forced memory recall, she let her face fall into her hands on the desk.
"I demand a recess," Dr. Bellows snarled, glaring at Hervik as if his angry stare alone could slay the man. "And I promise that I'll do everything in my power to get you disbarred for unprofessional conduct with a minor," he promised ominously.
May 7th, 2007 - afternoon
First Floor Common Room, Dickinson Cottage, Whateley Academy
"Did you hear what happened in the hearing?" Heartbreaker asked Fade as the two passed in the first-floor common room of Dickinson, during the chaos that was the rush of girls returning from sixth period classes and those scurrying off to make a special after-hours class period.
"No," Fade said, curious. The hearing was all the gossip for the afternoon, and the number of girls who detoured toward Heartbreaker was not small.
"Kayda was almost beaten to death after she manifested!" Heartbreaker reported. "But that's not the big news. She was gang-raped by the guys trying to kill her!"
"What?" "You're kidding!" "No way!"
Heartbreaker nodded, looking around the coterie that now included Pristine, Dragonrider, Kandy, Chat Bleu, and Aquerna. "She admitted it herself," she continued. "The attorney from outside was questioning Sensei Tolman about why Kayda reacted in some fights and not in others. Tolman told the hearing that she only has reactions to fighting with boys." More girls were drifting into the crowd, attracted by the size of the group and the obvious gossip, with squeals of disbelief.
"Hey, Aquerna," Kandy noticed Anna listening in. "Isn't she in the fourth period martial arts class with you?"
"Sometimes," Anna said. She didn't want to say anything bad about Kayda, because Kayda was so nice to her, even helping her dream-walk and meet real squirrel spirits. And she didn't know anything for sure, so it'd be awful to spread gossip about her friend if it wasn't true.
"Well? Is it true? Does she freak out when she fights boys?" Fade pressed.
Aquerna winced. "Uh, kind of," she admitted softly. "She's ... she's getting better."
"But she does freak out fighting boys?" Dragonrider asked.
Aquerna nodded slowly. "I suppose I would too if that happened to me!"
"O. M. G!" Rachel squealed. "Like, I can't even imagine what it'd be like to have that happen!"
"No wonder she's in Poe with the other headcases," Lightweight commented, shaking her head sadly. "Are you sure, though?" As she spoke, Mindbird joined the little circle.
Heartbreaker nodded. "She said it herself! At least that's what Sharpie said, and he was in the room."
"Said what?" Dale asked, curious about the latest gossip.
"Kayda was raped after she manifested!" Rachel blurted out.
Dale's eyes narrowed. How had this news gotten out? She knew Kayda's secret, but hadn't divulged it to anyone. Nor had any of the security auxiliaries that she knew, at least she suspected not. They had too much integrity for that. "How ... where did you hear that?" she asked plainly.
"She admitted it in the hearing," Heartbreaker replied. She looked evenly at Dale, her gaze penetrating. After a moment, she gave the tiniest of nods toward Dale, acknowledging that if Dale did know, it wasn't Heartbreaker's place to spread such news.
"Mon Dieu!" Charmer exclaimed softly. "That poor girl!"
Doli Peshkali - Wind Runner - stumbled back from the group, collapsing into a chair, her face a mixture of shock and guilt. Was it true? Had she been gang-raped? Her hatred for Kayda instantly waned, leaving her feeling shocked at how something so awful could have happened, and guilty for having been such an ass toward the poor girl.
"What's going on out here?" Mrs. Nelson asked sternly as she waded into the middle of the circle of gossiping girls. The response was a chorus of voices, all excitedly trying to report the gossip they'd heard. Mrs. Nelson put up her hands. "One at a time!" she commanded sternly without yelling. It wasn't lady-like to yell, and she wasn't about to set a bad example for her girls.
"Mrs. Nelson," Heartbreaker jumped in, "according to Sharpie, who was in the hearing, Kayda was gang-raped and almost beaten to death when she manifested!"
Mrs. Nelson nodded grimly, holding up her hand to quell any other commentary. "Girls," she admonished the gathered cluster, "proper ladies do not speculate in or spread gossip, and I fully expect that you won't spread rumors." She looked around, seeing more girls in the lobby, and she called out. "Please gather around." In moments, all the girls in the lobby were in a semi-circle around Mrs. Nelson.
"Right now, it's only a rumor - second-hand at that. If, and I repeat, this is only if at this point, if it's true that she was raped, then I expect you to offer her support in any way you can."
"But Mrs. Nelson ..." one girl started. She was silenced with a glare from the house-mother.
"Put yourself in her shoes. Imagine that you were the victim of such an awful crime. Would you want people gossiping, especially other girls who should understand and be sympathetic try to help?" She looked around, seeing her words sink in. "The best thing you can do for her is not to treat her as broken or damaged or fragile. Don't try to suddenly be sympathetic. Treat her like she's one of the girls. Like she's a normal, teenaged girl. That's what she needs most of all - to feel normal." She looked around. "Okay?"
Slowly, the girls in the lobby nodded their understanding. Mrs. Nelson saved a special stare for Wind Runner, who was still in a state of shock in the chair. "Doli?"
"Yes, ma'am," Doli said softly, wondering how the hell she was supposed to treat Kayda normally when they'd been rivals, but now she felt sorry for the girl.
Near the wall, apart from most of the girls, stood Tansy Walcutt, listening to the last bit of the gossip and the warning words from Mrs. Nelson. She couldn't help but recall the feelings and emotions and thoughts she'd experienced a week prior when she'd helped Kayda hide from Mindbird. She'd felt, in Kayda's mind, the lingering horror of something awful; now she knew for certain what that something was. And she understood. It was no wonder that Kayda found Lanie's kiss so wonderful and safe and loving; it was because after something like a brutal rape, she could probably never trust a man to not hurt her, but she could find love and solace and comfort in a woman who could never hurt her in that way.
And Tansy realized something else. She, too, had been used and abused and emotionally hurt by men, leaving her just as distrustful, and worse, bitter and angry, trying to use men in return, in an ongoing attempt at revenge. That had been part of what had made her into a monster. Maybe, she found herself thinking to her completely surprise, just maybe, all of those forbidden thoughts of loving another woman in a way that she'd never experienced before weren't wrong or evil. Maybe it was okay for her to admit the feelings she'd hidden and tried to squash for so long. And surprisingly, that thought wasn't nearly as terrifying as she thought it should have been.
May 7th, 2007 - Afternoon
Conference Room, Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
"Has your manifested buffalo ever appeared invisibly?" Janice asked in a much-subdued hearing room, once the recess was over.
"He can't," Kayda explained. "Not that I've ever seen."
"A point, if I may," Dr. Hewley rose in his chair. Seeing the nod from Liz, he continued. "In order to interact with our physical world, a spirit must be in our physical world. For the manifested buffalo to cause damage, he would have had to have been visible."
"Thank you, Dr. Hewley," Janice said. "And as we saw on the video of the murder, there was no manifested buffalo. There was nothing!" She looked thoughtful for a moment as she sorted facts in her head. "Dr. Hewley, earlier we saw the video clip of Officer Matthews' attack on Miss Franks, and her buffalo's attack on him. Would you say that scenario would have been an ideal time for the buffalo to manifest invisibly if it could?"
"Of course. As the footage showed, the buffalo was shot and took damage from Officer Matthews' rifle. If it had been invisible, there wouldn't have been a target, and the buffalo would have been able to inflict more damage, better protecting Miss Franks."
"I'm still very concerned about the source of the video clip of Arena 77," Hervik scowled. "Security said there are no recordings of the arenas unless there are scheduled events."
"Admiral Everheart?" Janice invited Sam to answer.
"One of our computer experts located footage from the arena on a server farm associated with a Las Vegas gambling concern. We've always known that cameras get snuck in, and that betting on our combats and simulations is big business in the gambling industry, so it was no surprise to find footage once we looked."
"On that and the next points, Sam, could you explain the analysis done on the video footage?"
Sam Everheart stood and walked between the tables. "We applied sound processing algorithms to the audio-visual footage to remove artifacts and known sources of noise."
Dougan perked up. "What is the source and pedigree of those algorithms? How would a jury know that they're accurate and unbiased?"
Sam smiled. "Very good question. As to the source, the algorithms were borrowed from the US Navy. As to the specific use in the navy and the algorithms themselves, I would hazard a guess that there is no-one in this room cleared sufficiently highly for that information."
"Except you?" Janice asked.
"Correct." For show, Sam picked up the remote control, even though it would have been trivial for the Hive to control the computer display. "Let me walk you through the process with this demonstration video clip." Sam played a video clip from the tunnels, in which several students passed by. The sound was a jumble of voices, footsteps, blowers and fans, and other assorted noises. "First, we had to use lip-syncing to correlate voices to people, and then suppress those sounds." She played the video clip again; this time, there was less noise. "Footsteps of visible people are identified and removed in a similar way." The clip played again, and there was far less sound, "and then the background mechanicals were isolated and removed." This time, there were only faint, regular pulses of sounds. "When amplified," Sam pushed another control, "we find that the noise corresponds to footsteps that have no visible source."
"So you have determined that someone who could walk invisibly, like Miss Franks, walked through the tunnels? And we already knew that from the RFID trackers." Hervik sneered.
"That's when things got interesting," Sam said, unflapped by the attorney's condescending tone. "Extrapolating the average stride length to the footsteps, we estimate that in this video clip, the source of the sound was moving at forty-eight point three miles per hour. When we then checked the timing between RFID sensors, we discovered that the ID moved at approximately forty-eight point one miles per hour. The discrepancy is well within the range of error expected from our interpolation methods." She smiled. "Kayda's maximum speed from testing is just under thirty-one miles per hour."
Hervik looked quite displeased. "Surely there are spells or other means to speed a person up."
Sam actually smiled. "But not to the degree required in the arena. We performed the same sound analysis, and it is estimated that the speed at first impact with the horn was seventy-one point eight miles per hour. Then there's a scrambling sound, like the assailant is trying to recover balance, followed by a burst of speed at just under ninety miles per hour at the point of the tomahawk blow. There's a muffled laugh, and then the footsteps exit at approximately sixty miles per hour." Sam shook her head. "It is physiologically impossible for Kayda to have performed the attack."
"But ... she has no alibi!" Hervik protested.
Janice rose. "That is a mistaken assumption, Mr. Hervik," she said calmly. "We found, at the scene, a note that seemed to be from Miss Franks. However, forensic analysis of her computer and all router logs and server logs shows that she submitted no print job with that note. Miss Franks? Did you also receive a note?"
Kayda nodded, to which Janice held up a browned paper in an evidence bag. "This note?" she clicked the remote and the browned paper showed - barely - blackened letters upon it.
"Yes." Kayda replied.
"And Miss Nalley received a note as well?" Janice asked. "This note?" Again, she clicked the remote and the note to Lanie appeared.
"Yes, ma'am," Lanie answered. "It said that Kayda wanted mah help at the sweat lodge."
"And all three notes were submitted through the Emerson network router for the printer in Beck Library - in a three-minute window. It is reasonable to assume that the note to Heyoka was not from Miss Franks."
"That's still not an alibi," Hervik grumbled. "The RFID tag shows that she was at the murder scene."
"Perhaps," Janice said with a wicked grin. "Mrs. Carson, can I see your faculty ID for a moment?"
Half-suspecting what Janice was up to, Liz removed her ID and handed it to Janice. Smiling, Janice walked out into the hallway, returning a few seconds later. "You just went to the Ladies room down the hallway."
"No, I didn't," Liz said, trying not to smile at the obvious demonstration.
"The RFID sensors say you did." She handed Liz's badge back to the headmistress. "It's not necessary to spoof the complicated, nearly foolproof RFID tracking system. It's only necessary to 'borrow' someone's ID. And if you return it without them knowing, they have no idea of where they supposedly went." She smiled and winked at Lanie for the brilliant idea.
"Circe, do you recall what Miss Franks said when you detained her?"
The elder mage stood. "She said that her ID card was not in the usual spot she kept it. She was surprised that it was located in a different part of her purse."
"Thank you." She turned back to Kayda. "Miss Franks, where were you at the time of the murder?"
"I was at the sweat lodge, following the note."
"And was anyone with you?"
Kayda gulped, and glanced at Lanie; the redhead nodded firmly. "Lanie - Elaine Nalley," she said nervously.
"Is there any evidence that you were at the sweat lodge?"
Kayda nodded again. "There is video which recorded our presence."
"And where did this video come from?" Janice asked, pre-empting Hervik.
"Someone had recorded our ... activities ... and arranged to have a copy delivered to Wyatt Cody," Kayda said, looking down at the table, knowing her cheeks were practical aglow from blushing.
"We will need to see that video that purports to show Miss Franks at this sweat lodge," Hervik said.
Janice grimaced. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. You see, according to New Hampshire and Federal laws, I can't give this video to anyone, nor can anyone legally watch it unless they are in a legal, Federally-recognized investigative or prosecutorial role in the related matter."
"And why would that be?" Dougan asked, annoyed.
Kayda glanced at Lanie, reassured by her nod and confident look. "Because it shows Lanie and me ... being ... intimate," she said firmly. The stunned silence and gasps of surprise in the room lasted only a few seconds, followed by a rapidly swelling background noise of murmured rumors and innuendo.
"And as both participants are under the age of majority, this video technically classifies as child pornography, so you will understand the restrictions upon it."
"Miss Nalley?" Mrs. Carson called out sternly. "Is this account true?"
"Yes, ma'am. We were lured to the sweat lodge, where ... we had sex," the redhead replied calmly with only the slightest hesitation. "For a rather ... extended ... period of time," she added with nary a hint of embarrassment.
"There is a second source of the same video, inadvertently collected in hidden data in the security system, which includes time stamps and verifies - frame by frame - this video."
Liz grimaced. Situations like this made being headmistress complicated. "We will take a short recess. Mr. Hervik, I assume that as a prosecuting attorney in New Hampshire, you have limited immunity for handling evidence?"
"Yes."
"Miss Nalley, Miss Franks, accompany us please. Mr. Cody, you too, as you were the one who came into possession of the video. Sam?"
The former admiral nodded. "I'm cleared."
"Good." She stood, both grateful that there was some type of hard evidence that exonerated Kayda, and dreading how she was going to handle the inevitable fallout. "We will resume in thirty minutes." She glanced around the room. "Dr. Hartford, Trustees - we'll send for you in a bit when we determine what you may and may not legally see as evidence."
"Mrs. Carson," Wyatt Cody interrupted as people started to rise. "Tweak and Cueball need to be present. For reasons that are best explained in private."
Mrs. Carson stared at the two for a few uncomfortable seconds. "Very well. Come with us." She led the procession out of the classroom, followed by Mr. Hervik, Sam, and the five students. Kayda felt her cheeks burning at the stares directed her way as they walked out of the classroom and down the hall toward the administrative suite. Despite that, she tried hard to hold her head up high, to look ahead without blushing or feeling embarrassed or ashamed - just like Lanie was doing. If Lanie could walk out of a room, head held high, after admitting a lesbian affair, then by damn, Kayda was determined to do the same.
May 7th, 2007 - Afternoon
Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
Jadis smiled faintly as she listened to the gossips coming to and fro by the 'fixer's terrace' the little patio adjacent to the Crystal Hall in the back of Schuster Hall. Shock at Elaine Nalley having sex with another girl could only be expressed by those who, ironically, weren't watching. It seemed quite obvious to her how less than discreet Elaine and Songbird had been last year. When the third girl launched into yet another reiteration of the torrid lesbian affair, Jadis couldn't help a self-contemplative frown that she hid behind a sip of her coffee.
Being honest with herself, she realized that getting back at Freya for the Alpha pledge party had been a big focus of her time last year, and notions of using Loophole to get at Freya through Songbird had seen Jadis shadowing the redhead and her Spanish lover quite extensively. Perhaps, she realized on further reflection, few others had cared as much as she had. That being the case, she'd had a prime piece of information she'd over looked the usefulness of because she'd considered it common knowledge.
Jadis took the pen from behind her ear and scratched out a note to herself on the pad, thankful that she had had the foresight to learn shorthand. The art was becoming lost, giving her a moderately secure way to take notes not only quickly, but ones that defied casual scrutiny. To the untrained, they merely looked like squiggly gibberish.
"Well, I heard that Kayda and Elaine are both having sex with Kodiak!"
"That dog!"
"And Heyoka found out about it and was going to blackmail them so they killed him!"
Jadis rolled her eyes for all the vaunted exemplar intelligence and so-called Mental Package the amount of ignorance, stupidity and outright inability to think on this campus was staggering. She flipped her notes back to what had happened between Tee Kay, Nitro and Tissy. It was no secret to anybody watching that Speakeasy had a deep-set pathological hatred for Kayda and Heyoka, something to do with their tribal affiliations evidently.
Speakeasy rents a room from her, applies something to glasses and papers, two militant, homophobic, GSD-phobic males and one very angry, very GSD female engage in a reckless amount of sexual activity, performing acts obviously none had attempted before - and would never have considered doing. Now the campus is alive with rumors about lesbian love fests with Loophole and Kayda, but Jadis seemed to be the only girl on this campus that had noticed after her Saturday night date with Kodiak that Elaine was wearing a new ring.
An engagement ring.
It didn't take Perry Mason to figure out what was really going on here. Jadis chewed on the end of her pen for a moment then whispered, "For you, mom." She picked up her cellphone and dialed. "Hi, it's Jadis. I'm cashing in your favor. Yes, now. I'm on the patio, enjoying the sun. See you in five."
To his credit, Jadis' watch said he'd arrived the three minutes and forty two seconds. "So, what do you need?"
Jadis fished an SD card from her purse and handed it to him. "Take this to Mrs. Carson and tell her to watch what's on it; to watch all of it and alone. That's important. You don't watch it, no one else watches it. And you have no idea where you got it from."
"She's not going to buy that," he protested.
Jadis smiled. "You'd be surprised."
"Ok, then what?"
A white eyebrow rose up her forehead. "Then nothing. We're done, you're paid in full. Not so bad, was it?"
He grinned, and, truth be told, he had a great smile, just enough teeth, nice and white, not quite perfectly straight, just enough movie star, just enough rogue. "Not at all. Listening to your voice is a distinct pleasure."
"Move, you...you smiling devil you!" she admonished and he sauntered off. I have a nice voice? she wondered to herself.
May 7th, 2007 - Afternoon
Schuster Hall, Mrs. Carson's Conference Room
Her fingers steepled before her face, Mrs. Carson stared into the screen of the laptop in front of her, contemplating. "Okay," she finally said, "Thanks to Tweak, we have proof that the two of you," she glanced up at Lanie and Kayda, "were in the sweat lodge." She looked at Cueball and Tweak who were seated at the other end of the table, sweating bullets.
"I can't give you detention for your, um, creative signal processing," Mrs. Carson said, her gaze boring into Tweak with a guardedly-neutral expression. She watched the two squirm, knowing that the hammer was going to drop, but not knowing from where or how hard. "But for your, erm, indiscretion in displaying the video in a public setting, which has become public knowledge with images and clips posted on the Whateley servers, you each get a week of detention. I will leave the choice of assignment to Mrs. Shugendo - and I will ask her to be suitably creative." She scowled at the two. "Perhaps you two didn't realize the devastation you could cause to two students' reputations by that little indiscretion, so this might be a learning experience. You two should not be surprised if friends of the two students decide that a little ... impromptu ... retaliation is in order. But if you did know and spread the imagery anyway, it would be a felony child porn offense, with all of the attendant consequences."
The two students goggled at her, sweating profusely as the Headmistress made only too clear the fine line they were walking. Any false move or word on their part, and she could have them expelled and turned over to the authorities. Wisely, the two said and did nothing.
"Well?" she demanded, glaring at the two. "Which was it?"
"Erm," Tweak squeaked, "it wasn't intentional."
"You two may leave," she dismissed them, and the two students stood, happy to have dodged a bullet. "But," Mrs. Carson halted them with an afterthought, "you might want to spend some time in serious thought about how you might make an effective apology and atonement to the two girls whose reputations you have so affected."
"Yes, ma'am," Tweak stammered before she turned and practically fled the room, with Cueball close on her heels.
As soon as the door shut, Mrs. Carson put her hands behind her head and leaned back in her chair. "Sam? Janice? Recommendations on what parts of this we need to see?"
Janice shrugged. "I would suggest starting at the earliest time, demonstrating that Kayda is in the sweat lodge, then the point of entry of Miss Nalley, then a still frame every ten minutes - close enough to demonstrate that neither of them left the sweat lodge until well after Heyoka's murder."
Kayda stared at her in disbelief for a moment, realizing that a lot of imagery was going to be shown to a lot of adults, then dropped her gaze, her cheeks burning. Beside her, Lanie grasped her hand in support.
"Mrs. Carson," Sam interrupted, looking at Kayda's embarrassed expression, "I can suppress ... details of the video in real-time so the video is less ... revealing."
"Very well, Sam, do that." She glanced around the room. "Let's get this over with."
At a rate of two and a half seconds per frame, long enough to recognize Lanie's and Kayda's faces and read the time code, the long video sequence was projected on the conference room's large screen built into one wall. True to her word, Sam pixelated - severely - much of the scene, so that little beside the two faces and the background of the sweat lodge could be recognized. Despite that, it was abundantly clear that the girls were having sex.
Wyatt stood suddenly. "Back up a frame, please," he asked Sam. Without even glancing at the Headmistress, Sam did so. "The Kodiak studied this part to show me something. Can you please step through this frame by frame?"
And then there was, beside the large senior, a huge manifestation of the Kodiak, the healer, the spirit from Wyatt's hallow. A moment later, Grizzly was there, too, standing beside the huge bear.
Across the table, Jerome Hervik looked like he was going to soil himself with fright over the sudden manifestations in the room. "What ... what ... are those?" he squeaked, sounding more like a terrified child than an adult attorney.
"These are the two spirits which inhabit Loophole and Kody. They have some ... unique insight into this situation," Mrs. Carson explained, taking some sadistic pleasure in watching the attorney squirm uncomfortably.
As Sam advanced the video, the Kodiak suddenly reared. "There!" he growled. "Can you get a close-up of their faces?" Dutifully, Sam zoomed in the image. "What do you see?"
"They don't look ... happy," Liz hazarded a guess.
"No," Grizzly confirmed. "Advance a few more frames, slowly." The video moved as she wished. "In fact, at this point, their expressions are far more afraid and desperate." She crossed her massive arms. "There was some foreign agent in my host's blood. Some long-chain, magically active protein chain that disrupted much of her rational thinking and hormonal levels - at least temporarily."
"It has all the symptoms of a demon essence," Kodiak said before Mrs. Carson could ask. "Specifically, a lust demon." The great bear turned to Sam. "Can you rewind to the point that Miss Nalley entered, and then show the video in slow-motion?"
Sam nodded; the Hive was going to be busy doing real-time video masking, but she knew it had more than sufficient capability.
"Okay," Grizzly noted as the tape showed Kayda on the skin rug, and Lanie pulled back the tent flap and stepped in. "Note the surprise on my host's face. Also please note the ... intense desire ... on Miss Franks' face. Please note as the frames advance that my host is scratching at and rubbing her left hand." She let the video advance a few seconds. "At this point, my host was trying desperately to resist whatever agent had entered her body - most likely through her left hand. As the video progresses, you will see her resistance crumble ..." she waited for the film to catch up to her narration, "and now her expression is as lustful and desirous as that of Miss Franks."
"From that point to when the girls pass out from exhaustion is nearly two hours - the end of which is marked by severe desperation and anxiety in their expressions," Kodiak continued. He turned to Sam. "Please advance to where the girls awaken." When the appropriate image was shown, Kodiak continued his analysis. "Note that at this point, whatever was in the girls seems to have worn off. There is no burning lust, no unstoppable desire."
"At the point they awakened, my host was in full control again," Grizzly said. "Whatever essence remained in her blood was rapidly decaying."
"Ma'am," Lanie volunteered, seemingly unflustered at having been the star in a very x-rated video clip, "we went straight to Doyle to have our blood tested. It showed nothing. And when we came back with mah tricorder, Ah couldn't detect any foreign chemicals on the tent flap, which we figured was the method by which we were dosed with the serum."
"By that point, the tent flap had been changed," Janice said, nodding with certainty at the revelation. "That's why Lifeline noted the differences! And three cameras were fastened in the sweat lodge at the points we found abrasions on the structure."
Mrs. Carson leaned back, her fingers intertwined and her hands resting atop her head, staring toward the ceiling in thought. "Now for the tricky part," she said after a long sigh. "There's not much on that video which we can show to the Trustees."
"I've been extracting key frames aligned with the search parameters - within reason, anyway - that show one or both faces and the time codes. The inappropriate parts have been pixelated and it is being converted to a PowerPoint slide show. I should be done processing in about twenty seconds," Sam reported. "All within legal parameters."
"Good, Sam," Mrs. Carson said gratefully. "You children may leave now. Mr. Hervik and Janice, too. Janice, would you be so kind as to ask the trustees to come to the conference room?"
May 7th, 2007 - Afternoon
Classroom, Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
Upon hearing that the administration and trustees were filing back into the classroom, students descended upon Schuster like locusts on a field, all wanting to hear the verdict and pronouncement of the biggest event of the spring term. There wasn't even standing room left - only the single central aisle that would allow the parties to the hearing to move to the front.
Kayda, Dr. Bellows, and Janice Talbert sat at their table, having been informed that the Trustees had finished their deliberations and they should return to the hearing room. Kayda sat upright, trying her hardest to look dignified in the face of what had been revealed. Lanie and Wyatt, having been with Kayda for moral support, had had to chase kids out of their seats, which was an exceedingly trivial matter.
At the other table sat Assistant State's Attorney for New Hampshire Hervik with Chief Delarose and Agent Dougan. Lanie leaned closer to Wyatt. "Hervik and Dougan look very unhappy," she said with a smile. "That can only be good news for Kayda."
Wyatt grinned down at her, his mighty arm wrapped around her shoulder. "I think that attorney was about to shit himself when Kodiak and Grizzly manifested."
"Ah'll be surprised if ..." She stopped talking when she realized that all other noise in the room had ceased and that a procession was coming down the aisle. In a dignified manner, the four trustees, Mrs. Donner, and Mrs. Carson strode around the table and took their seats, Mrs. Carson carrying a folder which she hadn't had before.
"Ahem," she cleared her throat, "This hearing is now back in session, and the rules of behavior apply. Is that clear?" The room was silent.
Mrs. Carson opened the folder and extracted a sheet of paper. "In the matter of the murder of Student Heyoka, the initial evidence suggested that Kayda Franks was at the scene of the crime and committed the murder. Further investigation, however, reveals two independent sources of data which show that Miss Franks was not at the scene of the crime, but was instead at the Sweat Lodge as she claimed. Evidence suggests strongly that the trace of her student ID through the tunnels occurred at a pace that was far too fast for her to sustain, and that the murder was accomplished by a speedster able to move at a far higher rate of speed than Miss Franks. Video evidence refutes the presence of Miss Franks' white bison as a causative agent, in that no person or manifestation was observed on the video during the attack on Student Jaime Carson." She looked at the table with Chief Carson and Hervik, and then at Kayda, Dr. Bellows, and Janice Talbert. "As a neutral representative, it is not my place to make a decision. Supervisors? How do you vote?" She looked to her right. "Reverend Englund?"
Englund glared at Kayda for a moment. "With regard to the issue of her murdering Student Heyoka, no, there is insufficient evidence to charge her."
"Mr. Merrow?"
"The alibi is solid. No."
"Mrs. Shugendo?"
"No."
"Mr. Lodgeman?"
"As the student is an advisee of mine, I must abstain," he said with dignity.
"Very well. Mrs. Donner, as the head of the Medawihla Tribe, how do you vote?"
"No." She bore a look of particular distaste for the interlopers on Whateley's campus.
Mrs. Carson turned to her security chief. "As the lead investigator, Chief Delarose, what is your opinion?"
Chief Delarose stood to emphasize his point. "All evidence pointing to Ms. Franks as the perpetrator is not credible in light of contradicting and exonerating evidence. There is no basis, in my opinion, to charge Ms. Franks with this crime. I believe it to be an attempt - clever, but flawed - to frame her for the murder for purposes unknown."
"Very well, Chief. It is the conclusion of this panel that ...."
"Excuse me, Mrs. Carson," Hervik was on his feet, a book in hand and opened to a page he was staring at. "In accordance with Section forty-two, Rule 8.C, paragraph 2, as the designated representative for the Department of Paranormal Affairs at this proceeding, I am entitled to ask for a review of the evidence by senior lawyers at the department itself."
For a moment, Mrs. Carson looked like she might turn into Lady Astarte and shove the rulebook down Mr. Hervik's throat and straight out his ass. She was definitely not happy, but she clenched her jaw tightly as she scowled at the impudent little man.
"There is also the matter of consent for sexual contact with underage ...." he continued.
"Mister Hervik," Mrs. Carson glared at him, "both of these girls are over the age of consent in the State of New Hampshire, so what they do of choice is of no concern to you. What's more, we are not within the jurisdiction of Coos County or the State of New Hampshire, but by the Medawihla Tribe, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Department of Paranormal Affairs. Further, given the nature of the ... evidence of such contact, if you disclose this evidence outside a very privileged and limited set of authorized individuals, you will be in violation of the rules of the bar of the State of New Hampshire, and I will use every contact and power I have to see to it you are prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned for such an offense."
"There is sufficient evidence to convene a Grand Jury," Hervik said defensively. "She had motive, she had opportunity, she had expertise with the murder weapons. All this talk about a sexual liaison is a distraction. The speculation of some demonic compulsion, some lust demon serum, is a distraction - and would not be admissible in a New Hampshire court of law! You apparently didn't consider the possibility that the entire ... .affair ... could have been recorded at an earlier time and broadcast during the time of the murder to provide an alibi." He was not going to back down. "I request that the girl be taken into proper custody by the Coos County sheriff's office so that we may begin formal proceedings."
"Not until you have a ruling from the DPA," Mrs. Carson's words were of iron; she was not going to yield to Hervik one iota.
"Very well. We shall await a ruling from the DPA. Until then, according to the rules, the girl is to remain in custody."
"In my jurisdiction," Mrs. Carson shot back at him. She rose angrily. "This proceeding is adjourned for the day. I will announce later tonight, after I talk with the head of the DPA, when we will resume tomorrow morning." She gave her trademarked 'daggers of death' gaze to the attorney and the MCO man. "You are not welcome on my campus until we resume proceedings tomorrow morning."
May 7th, 2007 - Afternoon
Headmistress' Office, Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
"Mrs. Carson?"
The Headmistress looked up at the young man standing in her doorway, hand still raised from the courtesy knock he'd rapped on the open door. Adrift in her own thoughts, she hadn't seen or heard his approach. She straightened in her chair and pushed aside her worries about Mister Hervik and where he was getting his information from. "What can I do for you, Mr. Nalley?" she asked with a beckoning gesture to one of the chairs that faced her desk.
The young man entered, hat in hand, despite the lack of actually having a hat, but remained standing. "Nothing for me, ma'am," he told her, offering his hand. "I was asked to give this to you."
Arching a perfect blonde eyebrow, the Headmistress extended her hand and found he was giving her a small SD Card. "What is this?" she asked archly. "And who gave it to you and who asked you to bring it to me?"
"Uh, I don't know, and I was asked not to say," Stronghold replied. "Only that you, and only you should watch what's on it and all of what's on it. That was specific about being important."
The other eyebrow joined its comrade on top of the Headmistress' forehead. "Mr. Nalley, have I ever given you the impression that I am partial to dissembling, veiled comments or otherwise described an affection for speech in a manner that is imprecise, obfuscatory in meaning or unclear?"
"Not in the least ma'am," the young man replied stoically. "Which is why, believe me, I am so uncomfortable at my position in this, but I'm honor bound to deliver this and to respectfully refuse to answer any questions you have as to its source."
Carson pursed her lips. "I see," she said finally, one hand tapping a key on her laptop to bring the device out of its standby mode. "Very well, wait outside and shut the door if you please. Depending on what I see here will determine if I must compel you to break your word."
The young man nodded and withdrew, quietly closing the door behind him as he went. She gave her computer the password she wanted before she put the card into it, just in case there was some kind of keystroke logger on the card, then called up a defense program Ms. Hartford had written for her. It chewed on the SD Card once inserted and finally pronounced it safe. There upon she found two video files and a text document named README. Launching it she read:
VIDEORAW.MPG is the raw footage recorded with date and time stamps that authenticate the recording. VIDEOSUMMARY.MPG is an edited version of VIDEORAW that does not rise to the legal definition of child pornography. It compresses six hours of time into five minutes.
"What the hell? "Carson muttered to herself, allowing a rare lapse into profanity. She inserted a headset into the audio port in case there was a sound track that also needed this level of discretion and played the summary file.
Five minutes later she rose smiling like the Cheshire Cat. She paused to open her door and dismiss Stronghold with thanks for a job well done the young man found bewildering. Still, he knew when the going was good and got to it. To Ms. Hartford she said, "Have Mrs. Talbert come to my office please, won't you Amelia?"
Hartford was confused, but nodded and reached for her phone. Liz didn't wait, but strode back to her desk and keyed the direct line intercom there. "Security, Chief Delarose."
"Franklin, Liz," she greeted, still grinning. "I need you to locate and arrest students Darren Haskins and Edward Rutherford."
The security chief's tone was confused. "On what charges, ma'am?"
"Murder and conspiracy for a start, Chief. On your way."
"Yes ma'am." For the first time since the discovery of Heyoka's body, the Chief sounded eager to do what his duties required.
May 7th, 2007 - Dinnertime
Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
"Well, we all knew Wyatt was a big man on campus, but two girls at once?"
"That asshole, that just isn't right! How does he deserve...?"
"You think they get jealous?"
"Man, just thinking about two girls at the same time on my..."
With each snatch of a conversation Kayda seemed to hunch a bit lower into herself. Already just getting her food she'd put the tray down in preparation of bolting only to have Elaine appear as if by magic at her side, run her arm through Kayda's and start talking about what ever food was in front of them. Her grip didn't pinch or bind, by she was so strong, Kayda knew she couldn't break the grip. She felt a warm, but frustrated flush for what her friend was trying to do and listened to the inane, meaningless trivia about the food and its ingredients.
For her part, Lanie refused to even acknowledge the rumors; she was unselfconsciously physical and affectionate but there was nothing sexual about it. Just the normal, somewhat touchy ways girls who were friendly with each other were. It was strange in its straightforward normalcy. They made their way through the checkout island only to be accosted by one of the most creative of the 'school uniform worn wrong' club.
The boy's hair was too long, a shaggy dirty blonde that hung into his eyes so badly it was a wonder he could see; certainly no one knew what color his eyes were. He wore the uniform shirt and tie, but the shirt was open to his navel and the tie pulled so far askew that it hung loose like a black and gold striped necklace. His blazer was tied around his waist by the sleeves and there was a massive leather banded watch on one wrist and an interesting collection of bandanas and cheap metal bracelets on the other. "Greetings babes of hotness!"
"Not now, Slash," Lanie replied, rolling her eyes as she led the way to the elevator. Slash was not so easily dissuaded.
"Totally don't be that way, O Goddess of the Gadgets," Slash replied as he squeezed into the car with the girls and pressed three for them. "I'm here to apologize on behalf of all maledom!"
"Maledom isn't a word," Lanie told him, noting that Kayda had squeezed herself into the corner of the car, Lanie interposed herself between the somewhat oblivious rocker and the Lakota girl. "And this is a really bad time, Slash..."
The car opened on the third tier and Slash walked backwards out, staying in front of the two girls on their way to the Alpha table. "Well, of course it's a bad time, dudette! I mean, like, there's never a good time for rape, am I right?"
Kayda flinched and a number of the girls at tables they were passing gasped in outrage. "Slash...!" snapped Elaine, but the young man blindly continued.
"You idiot!" one snapped.
"How could you possibly think...!"
"You thoughtless asshole!"
"That's my point! See, not every guy is like those creeps! Kayda, I just totally want you to know you don't have to be a lesbian! There's guys who would be kind and gentle and show you the good loving, babe! Like me! I would totally..."
Slash stopped because a massive hand had fallen heavily on his shoulder. "Let's go have a chat, Lester."
"Awe, dude, bro!" Slash was still protesting as the massive hand collected a handful of his shirt and drug him off in the direction of the bathrooms, hidden behind the artificial rock of the waterfall. Here was less in the public eye and the 'cool' protestations became more mild and took on a more definite tone of begging. "Kody, don't hurt me, man! I was just..."
"Making as ass of yourself, Lester!" Wyatt told him with a dark chuckle as he released the boy's shirt.
"Dude, that's totally not my name...!"
An eyebrow ascended Wyatt's forehead. "Oh? Would you prefer 'Les' or Mr. Bobienski?"
"Slash! Dude, my name is Slash!"
A thick finger planted itself on the smaller boy's chest. "Your name will be mud with every female on this campus if you keep showing your ass like that! Every girl in here now thinks you're a first class asshole! What were you thinking, Les? Were you even thinking? Hitting on a rape victim? And mentioning the rape?"
"But Brah! I was totally trying to show her..."
A bit of the Kodiak crept into Wyatt's tone. "Are you that fucking stupid, Les? Do I need to take you out behind The Shed and beat some sense into you?" The other boy paled visibly and the thick rocker California dude accent was replaced by a distinctly nasal Wisconsin twang.
"No! No, Cody, it's cool, don't ya...I mean..." he shook his head and looked over at Kayda who was obviously crying and Lanie who was working hard to comfort her. "I...I'm sorry, I didn't..."
"You want to make it right?" The blond head nodded. "The thing a real man would do is to put on your humble suit and go to Kayda. Don't say anything except "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend or hurt you." Don't expect anything from her, like "that's okay". Just apologize like a man - and if she yells at you, stand there and take it like a man, then apologize again and walk away. And if she slaps you, which any girl very well might do, you take it like a man and keep your mouth shut. Otherwise, every girl at Whateley is going to think you're the ultimate cad."
Lester's eyes got so wide they could be seen through the hair hanging over them. "Dude...!"
"Man up, 'Les'," Wyatt growled menacingly. "Or don't show your face on my tier again. What's it gonna be?"
The boy's Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed his fear and nodded. "Oh...Ok."
"Let's go." Wyatt didn't frog march the other boy to the Alpha table. That was on him. He just returned, pausing to whisper something in Kayda's ear and sat down next to Lanie. After a long moment of working up his courage, Slash walked over, feeling the hate-filled eyes of every girl on the tier willing him to burst into flames as he did so. He stopped, close enough for conversation but far enough that he hoped she didn't feel threatened.
Kayda's eyes were on her food, but Elaine was glaring daggers enough for both of them. "Uh, Kayda?" he said softly. "I...I'm really sorry. I...I wanted to help, but I...I was being a jerk. I didn't mean to offend you or anything."
"Offend me?" the Lakota girl whispered in the suddenly utterly silent hall. Even the splash of the waterfall seemed muted. "You...you think you offended me?" she demanded. She stood, her chair squealing across the tile like a gun shot and she stood up, shaking with anger. "You...you bastard!" she shouted. "You knew I was raped and you have the god-damned gall to hit on me?!"
He winced, but stood there. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"Get away from me," she hissed, snatching up her purse. "Don't ever speak to me again!"
Slash moved out of her way as she half-ran, half-walked by. "I'm sorry." he said again.
Kayda stopped and glared at him for a moment, like she was contemplating slapping him for his gall, but then turned to Elaine. "I want to go to my room!"
"Ok," the redhead drawled, picking up the bread stick from her plate and getting her own purse. She paused in front of Slash until she 'felt' more than saw his eyes on her through the hair. "Before? That was fucking stupid, Slash."
"I know," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."
"Ah can't speak for Kayda, but for me, apology accepted." She turned and escorted the other girl out, munching on her bread stick as she went. Slash watched them go, seeing the other boys laughing at him, but more than a few girls nodded approvingly, sensing that a lesson had been learned.
Darren couldn't be happier. As he munched on his favorite sandwich all around him he could hear the gossip, girls and boys whispering in racy tones. Kayda and Lanie, Kayda, Lanie and Wyatt, wild orgies, what exactly was going on in that sweat lodge? Every little speculation or statement of racy detail was music to his ears. That Lakota tramp was getting the humiliation she so richly deserved. And there was still a lot of speculation that she'd somehow killed Heyoka between rounds of sex in the Sweat Lodge - and the MCO wasn't convinced of her innocence.
It was perfect! Nothing could...
"Edward Rutherford?"
The stern, commanding voice of the security chief cut through the babble of voices, even up on the second tier where Darren was eating. He turned and looked over the rail to get perfect view of the chief, four guards in full armor and the entire Wild Pack encircling that idiot Quickdraw. "Oh, hey, Chief..." he started then turned to run at full speed. But Delarose had been expecting that. Four separate TASER barbs flew from the guards' weapons. None directly at the speedster, but in arcs of his lines of escape, anticipating where he would be if he ran. One found its mark and Quickdraw collapsed as every muscle in his body locked up. The other guards were on him in a split second, wrestling him into brick cuffs and leg shackles.
Oh shit! thought Darren as he quickly looked away. There was only one reason why security would arrest Quickdraw. They were onto them! Somehow, someone had figured it out! Snarling, he stood carefully, meaning to bolt for it then, remembering, took out his student ID and left it on the tray with his food. That done, he quickly made his way to the door from the second tier of the Crystal Hall into the second floor of Schuster Hall. There were things that had to be taken care of before his room was searched.
May 7th, 2007 - Evening
Headmistress' Office, Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
Even late in the evening, a pile of unattended paperwork at her right hand and eating Whateley's version of fast-food - takeout dinner from the cafeteria, Mrs. Carson managed to look elegant and sophisticated. Wiping the corners of her mouth with a proper cloth napkin, she set the napkin aside and took a sip of coffee, wincing that it was cooler than she preferred. Still, this late at night, without staff around, she knew she was lucky to have coffee.
"Franklin?" she asked, pressing a button on her intercom, hoping he was already outside her office but knowing that was unlikely. He would have just knocked and come in. She pressed another button to buzz the Dean of Students. "Michiko? Is Franklin there?"
This time, there was an answer. "No, but he called a minute ago. He's on his way from security," Michiko Shugendo replied. The speed of her response spoke volumes of how serious she was taking the whole matter.
"When he gets there ...."
"Ah, he just walked through the door."
"Good. Could the two of you come down to my office please?" Liz asked politely, even though everyone knew it wasn't really a request so much as an order. It only took moments for the two to walk the short distance from the Dean of Students' Office to the Headmistress' Office.
"Have a seat," Liz invited. "Coffee?" She grimaced as she made the offer. "It is a bit cooler than I like."
"No thanks, Liz," Franklin Delarose answered. "My doc has me on herbal tea to keep my nerves and stomach calm."
"I just finished a cup," Michiko Shugendo replied. "I actually think I might get a decent nights' sleep tonight if I don't OD on caffeine."
"I'm about to call Roland and Ty about this whole thing, and I want you both here for that call. Michi? Your team did some great work digging up info on agent Dougan, and I want you to make sure I don't omit any details." She glanced at her security chief. "I'm going to give them a run-down of the evidence; after the discussion, I want you to assemble a packet and get a warper to take it there immediately, okay?" She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I want this whole thing wrapped up tomorrow morning, no loose ends."
"Does that involve our friend, the Assistant State's Attorney?" Michiko asked, an eyebrow arched. "He'll be trickier to deal with."
"We'll see how Roland and Ty want to handle that part."
"Hervik is going to scream bloody murder if the Attorney General's office isn't represented at the hearing tomorrow," Franklin warned.
"Yeah. I've already put in a priority call to the New Hampshire AG's office - basically telling him we have a crisis and need immediate response."
Mrs. Shugendo gave a wry smile. "With our luck lately, we'll be in the middle of a call with the DPA when the AG calls."
Liz didn't return the smile. "If that happens, I need you two to handle the DPA while I deal with the Attorney General." It was a sign of how important both calls were, but also of how much she trusted her staff. Seeing an approving nod, Liz dialed a number from memory.
After four rings, the phone picked up. "Roland Atley's office."
Liz switched to speakerphone. "Trish? This is Liz Carson at Whateley. I need to speak to Roland and Ty West. I hope they're still in the office, but if not, I need to get a hold of them as quickly as, no immediately. Priority One."
"Not even time for a pleasant 'hello', Liz? Must be serious," Trish Watkins, the personal assistant to the head of the Department of Public Affairs Roland Atley said.
"Unfortunately it's very serious," Liz replied. "We're dealing with a situation that involves the New Hampshire State's Attorney's office and the MCO."
"Does this have to do with the student's murder this last weekend?" Trish asked. Leave it to her to be well-informed of everything going on around the office.
"Yeah. The States' Attorney want a formal DPA review of the evidence before he'll let it go, and I'll be damned if I let him continue to torture one of my students by leaving a possible murder rap hanging over her head." Liz' voice was hard, her tone unmistakable.
"I'll put you through to Roland, and I'll chase down Ty and get him into the call, too."
"And I'll be sending a warper with a special-delivery package as soon as we can put together a summary of evidence," Liz added.
"Transferring you now." The phone beeped, and then another line was picked up. "Liz? Roland. Trish told me you've got some kind of trouble brewing up there. Is this about the Heyoka case?" He sighed audibly. "Gabriella Guzman called earlier today, and she was extremely pissed."
"Well, it was her charge."
"More than just that," Roland said. "She was pissed that the State's Attorney was being a horse's ass, and that he managed to, and I quote, smuggle an MCO dick onto campus to help him harass students, unquote."
"That's part of our problem. Is Ty on yet?"
"Just picked up, Liz," Ty West's voice sang out. "What have you got for us that keeps us in the office so late?"
"We finished an evidentiary hearing this afternoon," Liz began.
"The Heyoka incident," Roland explained.
"There was some good evidence, but we're convinced that it was a frame job. Let me run through what I've got; I let Trish know you'd get copies of ... most ... of our evidence tonight by warper."
"Most?" Ty and Roland asked at the same time.
"Let me run down everything we've gotten for evidence, and you'll understand why we can't share everything." Aided by Franklin and Michiko, Liz ran through everything they'd discovered, both the incriminating and the exonerating evidence, but this time, they went through what appeared to incriminate Kayda, followed by the facts which demonstrated her innocence. From the ID card to the camera photo showing her card being returned, from the weapons to the demonstration by Billy Two Knives, all of the evidence on both sides was presented in its entirety.
"The problem," Roland said with a sigh, "is that she doesn't have an alibi, so even with that fancy sound-processing software your security deputy borrowed from the Navy, there's enough probable cause to turn her over. Unless she has an alibi."
Franklin and Michiko Shugendo saw Liz wince. "There's the problem. She does have an alibi, but it's the type of evidence that we can't exactly share."
"Oh?"
"Someone was trying to blackmail her or make sure her alibi was too humiliating, and they recorded her in certain ... activities - and because of their ages, it's not exactly legal to show the evidence."
"And you can confirm the veracity of this ... evidence that cannot be viewed?" Ty asked skeptically.
"Yes," Liz nodded. "My deputy security chief is processing the video to get excerpted still images that are legally viewable, but ...."
"Okay," Roland Atley said after thinking a moment. "If the evidence you send up matches what you described, we'll back you and dismiss his Rule 8C appeal."
"Franklin, how long until you have an evidence package ready?"
"Sam's working on it now," Delarose answered. "Within five minutes of getting back to the office."
"Go help her get finished and get it to the warper." As Franklin rose to leave, she continued. "And that brings us to our big two problems."
"The MCO agent? Who else?"
"One of our more ... gifted ... students did a little investigation in the MCO databases, and we found something very peculiar. It seems our Mr. Dougan is very closely associated with one of the agents who was arrested in Sioux Falls. Their careers are parallel back to the military academy, through the FBI academy, and into the MCO. Dougan was godfather of the Sioux Falls agent's oldest child."
"So you think he might be taking this case a little personally?" Ty asked?
"The accused student was one whose file helped bring down the Sioux Falls office."
"That's enough for an investigation."
Liz shook her head, even though the others in Washington DC couldn't see her. "There's more. If you look, his record looks pretty spotless because he's not primary in any of the dirty investigations or actions in the LA office. But he's deputy on every single one of them."
"Someone is covering for him?" Roland asked quizzically.
"Yup. And I bet if you dig - and my ... special resource ... can help - you'll find a lot more agents who are covered like this."
"You want us to clear him out of Berlin?" Ty asked bluntly.
Liz chuckled. "Actually, no. We know who and what we're dealing with. We've got the goods on him. We can keep him pretty neutralized, especially since ... our student ... has penetrated the Berlin office's computer systems, including all their encryption. We'll know what they're doing before they do." She smiled wickedly. "By the way, would you have any use for the encryption keys for the LA office and some of the keys for their main office?"
"Good God, Liz!" Roland said, astonished. "How badly did your ... assets ... penetrate their systems?"
"Enough. And that brings us to our second problem - the Assistant State's Attorney from Berlin, Jerome Hervik."
"What's up with him?"
"He's ... dirty ... with Humanity First, too," Michiko answered. "Our asset tracked down the honoraria his wife gets annually for speaking engagements. Even though they sound innocuous, every single one is from a shell corporation or organization fronting for a Humanity First chapter, and he's accompanied her on every trip - and spoken at some as well. He was very active in Humanity First while he was in college as well. He stopped only when he ran for office - probably to appear neutral and impartial."
"How in the hell did you find out that?" Roland demanded.
"If, hypothetically, one were to trace the tax returns of a couple and find travel reimbursement and honoraria, one would find the names of the organizations that funded the appearances. A little more digging would find who were the major players in those organizations, and their affiliations and dues can be tickled out of the database."
"Holy shit!" Roland exclaimed, awed by what they'd dug up.
"Part of me would like to smack him with it in the continuance tomorrow morning, but I'm thinking it'd be better to let the New Hampshire Attorney General handle him. I've got a call in to his office."
"Good strategy."
"I'd like you guys - and one of your hot-shot lawyers - in a holoconference tomorrow morning to finish the hearings."
"You got it."
A flashing light on the phone indicated to Liz that another call was incoming. "I've been waiting for a return call from the AG, so I've got to duck off. If you have any more questions, Michiko Shugendo, our Dean of Students, will fill you in. She's been in the middle of the entire investigation."
"Okay. We'll talk to you tomorrow morning Liz."
"I'll go to the conference room, Michi," Liz told the Dean. "After you get done, let's tag up and see where we're at." With that, she rose and quickly strode out of her office.
May 7th, 2007 - Evening
Grounds Keeping Shed, near Dickinson Cottage, Whateley
Academy
Amber walked towards the hollowed oak tree next to the Grounds Keeper's shed. It was better than a hundred years old, and more than half dead, and the grounds keepers seemed to take keeping it alive as a personal challenge. Amber had no real reason to be there, nor any real intention of going there; it was slightly on the way from Dickinson to the Crystal Hall, though were she asked, she would not truthfully know why she was there.
Nor did she know why she stopped by the gaping hole in the tree, remove a small charm on a pendant around her neck, and place it in the hole. Had anyone been watching, they would have seen her start, as if waking from a day dream, shrug her shoulders and walk off, humming a syrupy romantic song on the way to see her boyfriend, already forgetting about the charm she'd worn until seconds ago and the second charm she'd given to Darren. But no one saw her, and if anyone asked, she would be certain, more certain with every day that went by that she had not gone by the tree.
And that was according to plan.
May 7th, 2007 - Evening
Arena 77, between Schuster Hall and Doyle Medical
Complex, Whateley Academy
"Hold!" shouted Tabby Cat.
Stronghold stumbled as he altered the trajectory of the swing he'd just committed to, but did not strike the teacher and his flight saved him from a fall, if not his ego for looking remarkably silly. Tabby Cat reached up and snapped her fingers in front of Marty's face, causing her to jump. "Oh, sorry..." she started, causing the teacher's feline eyes to narrow.
"End program," she growled, "Out!" The fortress of the Master Human vanished and once both students were outside of Arena 77 and the door firmly closed she rounded on Marty. "Where the hell were you?" Mrs. Turner demanded.
Marty looked down at her boot tops. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Turner, I'm...I'm just afraid..."
Tabitha examined the young blonde for a moment then turned to the girl's boyfriend. "That's all for today, Stephen. Hit the showers and good work."
"But..."
"Hit the showers," she growled again, this time even sounding a bit feral.
"Hey, you know, I think I could use a shower," the young man replied, still he reached around the teacher and laid a gentle hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. "Hey, you ok?" Marty nodded and Tabitha's expression softened. With a silent tilt of her head, she excused the young man and waited until he had disappeared into the boy's locker room.
Mrs. Turner led Marty into a side office and closed the door, gesturing for her to sit as she half sat, half leaned on the desk. "What is going on?" she asked flatly. "Boy trouble?"
Marty shook her head. "No, well, wishing I was finished with this damned transition so Steve and I could, eep...!" Marty closed her mouth on her line of thinking with an embarrassed glance at the older woman. For her part, Tabitha just smiled, her somewhat prominent canines making it a bit more intimidating a gesture than she might have wanted.
"Oh, to be young and horny," she said with a wink. "How far along are you?" Mega-Girl became Martin for a moment, then back again, whereupon she had to take several moments to readjust her uniform. "PK Shell?"
"It's a kind of MATD they tell me," she replied sullenly. "It's taking forever."
The teacher looked over her shoulder at the wall in the direction of the boy's showers. "He seems very taken with you. And, despite our...differences...I can respect a young man who stands up for what he believes is right." She looked back at the younger girl who squirmed in her seat under the intensity of the gaze. "Does he know?"
Marty nodded, a forlorn look on her face. "Yes. It doesn't bother him, but it's tearing me up in side!"
"Why?"
"I..." She sighed. "Look what someone did to Heyoka! And now they're blaming it on Kayda! Sure, Steve accepts me, but it was six months after..." her eyes misted over and she sniffed, fighting back tears. "It was six months after I manifested before my dad would talk to me! Call me by name! He treated me like I was a stranger who had killed his son!"
Tabitha reached out and dried the tear from her cheek. "This transition isn't easy on anyone, Marty," she told her. "How does your father treat you now?"
Marty shrugged and mumbled something, looking away. As her hand was already on her cheek, Tabitha used it to gently force Marty's face back up. A raised eyebrow over a yellow cat's eyes did all the questioning she needed. "He...he tries," she admitted finally. "Christmas he told me he..." Her eyes filled with tears and began to leak from the corners of her eyes. "When will be over?" she demanded. "I don't want to be a freak! I just want to be normal! I made my peace with it - if I'm going to be a girl, why can't I be a girl now?"
Tabitha pursed her lips in sympathy. "When you were young, there was a movie that I got so sick of hearing about, but one of the lines I certainly sympathize with in that the choices of women are never easy or simple."
Marty snorted, a sob changing into a chortle in the middle of the process. "Oh, swell!" she swore. "My life is being compared to Titanic! That bodes well!"
Mrs. Turner shook her head. "You're certainly ahead of things from when I was your age," she observed quietly. Seeing the girl's expression she just sighed and stood, beckoning for her to follow. She led the way into the girls' locker room and into the bathroom where she picked a stall. She pointed to a piece of graffiti on the stall wall.
"Need a fuck? Call Tabby the whore?" Marty read. She blinked in astonishment. "That's about you?!" she demanded, astonished. "And the graffiti's still here?"
"Girl, there were legends about my whoring around this school," Mrs. Turner admitted with a rueful shake of her head. "Girls first," she admitted quietly as she came back out to the locker area and sat on a bench. "But, guys not too much later..." She sighed. "Someone used some powerful magic on that writing. No matter how they paint over it, it shows through."
Marty sank down on the bench next to her. "But, why?"
"I didn't make my peace with it," she replied. "I hated, hated God, myself, my parents, anybody and everybody. And I took it out on everybody. You're ahead of me, Marty, not because of Steve, but I can tell you girl, a good man, a good lover, a good partner, makes all the difference." She smiled and turned away. "There are times I think the only boy on this campus I didn't have sex with was my future husband."
"They...they knew?" she asked softly.
"Some did, that made a kink, some didn't. Some not till after, and that had its own problems..."
Marty sniffed. "That's what I'm afraid of!" she said earnestly. "When...when do I stop being afraid?"
"When you decide to," the older woman replied with a friendly hand on her shoulder. "I hid from who I was in sex, learn from my mistake, Marty, don't you hide in fear."
"But...!"
"No, listen to me," she interrupted. "If you live your life afraid, you'll miss everything that makes it worth living. The joy, the mystery, the adventure - these aren't just words, they are the truth of how things truly are. I can look back now and realize I wasted years trying to rub a good man's nose in something that wasn't his fault. A man who accepted me for who I was, and wanted me to be a part of his life because of who I really was inside, someone even I hadn't met, but he could see." She sighed and looked the younger girl in the eye. "I'm not telling you Stephen is your One True Love, he may not be. But he accepts you. Do you have to be cautious? Yes, every woman has to be cautious. Every man should be cautious, but many aren't. There will always be gossips, Marty, but if you get to know you, what they say won't matter, you'll hold your head high regardless. And if you don't, you could give birth to a dozen kids, and you'll still be Martin the scared little boy here," she said, pointing at her heart.
"Your biology doesn't make you who you are," she told her. "You will always be a T-Girl, Marty. That's a fact. But that doesn't make you who you are either. You do. Make yourself someone you want to be." Tabby smiled and it was a warm, genuine smile. "And then the fear and the gossips won't matter."
May 7th, 2007 - Afternoon
Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport
"God dammit!" Pete swore angrily as he turned away from the ticket counter.
June dashed to her husband, with Debra a step behind. "What now?" she asked, her voice full of dread.
"They cancelled the red-eye because of mechanical problems with the plane," Pete said angrily.
"What?!?"
Pete sighed heavily. "The flight is what they call a positioning flight, to get a plane to Boston for tomorrow morning's early flights. With our plane grounded, they're moving a plane from another airport up to Boston instead and rebooking the few of us on our original flight."
"But ... we've got to get to Kayda!" June protested.
"We're rebooked for tomorrow - late afternoon because of how full their flights are."
"I need to get to my baby!" June cried, getting distraught.
Deb shared her concern. "She needs us," she agreed. "Why is this stuff all happening on this flight? Even a probability warper couldn't make this many bad coincidences!"
"I don't know. But because it's mechanical, they're paying for a room," Pete said with a heavy sigh. "We might as well go get some dinner and then get some rest." He wrapped his arms around his wife. "It'll be okay. Mrs. Shugendo told you, remember?"
"But ... my baby needs me! This must be awful for her, and we're not there for her!" She saw Debra's expression, and drew her into the hug. "She needs all of us."
"There's not much we can do," Pete said resignedly, picking up his and June's carry-on bags.
They'd no sooner started trudging down the hall than June's cell phone rang. "Hello?" she answered hesitantly when she saw the area code and prefix from Whateley.
"Mrs. Franks?" the voice said hesitantly. "Mrs. Shugendo."
"June, please," she said, trying to be less formal as if that alone would remove any bad news.
"Then I insist you call me Michiko, June. We completed the evidentiary hearing," Mrs. Shugendo reported, sounding rather pleased. "The supervisors agreed that the evidence does not support accusing Kayda of committing the murder."
June's legs almost gave out as relief overwhelmed her. "Can ... can you say that again?" she stammered.
"The supervisors agree that the evidence clears Kayda of suspicion," Michiko Shugendo repeated.
June covered the microphone, seeing the other two staring at her with worried, even frightened, expressions. "The evidence clears her," she reported with relief flooding her voice.
"We do have a procedural hurdle we have to get through, though," the Dean of Students reported. "The State's Attorney asked for a formal Department of Paranormal Affairs review of the evidence, so we have to keep her under supervision until the DPA clears her."
"You mean ... in jail?" June asked, horrified that Kayda might be kept in a jail cell for another day.
"No," Michiko reassured her quickly. "She's on supervised release - one of our students is a volunteer Federal Air Marshall, and she's basically got 'custody' of Kayda until we clear the last hurdle."
"A student Air Marshall? Who ... who's watching my baby?"
"Elaine Nalley. She's a very responsible girl, and a friend of Kayda's."
"Elaine ... Nalley did you say?" June permitted herself a small smile, not seeing the look of shock and trembling lip on Debra's face. "I'll have to personally thank her for taking care of Kayda."
Debra turned away sharply, her eyes already misting. It wasn't bad enough that Kayda and Lanie had spent Saturday afternoon fooling around; now Lanie was essentially Kayda's guardian - and Debra knew what that meant from having taken paranormal law. The two were virtually Siamese twins, inseparable until all the legal proceeding ended. Her fear of losing Kayda to Lanie resurfaced with a vengeance.
"I thought I'd let you know," Michiko said, "and I've been trying to call, but your line hasn't picked up."
"That's because we're traveling, trying to get to Whateley," June replied. "But we're hitting a streak of incredibly bad luck."
"There are a couple of problems, though," Mrs. Shugendo cautioned June. "In an open hearing, Kayda ... had to admit ... what she was doing for her alibi."
"Oh?" June's curiosity - and concern - peaked again.
"She was, um, having ... sex ... with another student," Mrs. Shugendo said hesitantly.
"Yes, I know," June said. "And I know it was another girl." She heard a gasp of surprise from the Dean of Students. "Debra is here with me; their mutual acquaintance ... dream-walked with Debra and told her everything. Debra told me this morning."
"Oh. Well, at least it's not a surprise to you then." She sounded quite relieved. "But ... she also had to admit - in the hearing - that she'd been gang-raped."
"What?!?"
"The ... State's Attorney pushed hard, and Kayda got a little ... overwhelemed ... at the innuendo. She admitted to the event." Mrs. Shugendo sighed. "We know it's going to make life ... difficult ... for Kayda in some ways, and in others, it may be easier. The girls ... I think will be much more understanding of Kayda's being gay after what she went through, and she may pick up some unexpected allies and defenders. Some of the bigots - well, they may think twice about harassing her for a while."
June nodded slowly. "Yeah, I could see that. Well, I'm sure you have a lot to do, and we need to get to a hotel for the night. With the current cancellations and such, we'll be at Whateley late tomorrow evening."
"We'll have cottage rooms waiting for you and your husband, and for Debra."
"Thank you. Thank you all for watching out for Kayda," June gushed, feeling a little giddy at the news. "Tell her we'll be there for her as soon as we can."
May 7th, 2007 - Evening
Interview Room One, Security Offices, Kane Hall, Whateley
Academy
"Asshole!" shouted Eddie as he was shoved through a door and it slammed behind him. "Hey! What about these cuffs?" he shouted at the closed door.
"I have to wonder," purred a voice behind him. He spun, seeing a blonde haired woman in her late thirties sitting at the table looking at a manila folder. Eddie vaguely remembered seeing her around campus, probably a teacher, but she didn't teach any class he'd had. And being something of a 'frequent flyer' as the security guys called their problem kids, he knew she didn't work security either.
Still, she was a good looking woman, late thirties or not and as far as Eddie was concerned, pussy was pussy. So he walked over with what he thought was a very suave leer on his face. "Wonder what, baby?" he asked jocularly.
She looked up, deep blue eyes cold and hard. "What he'll be like," she replied with a cruel little smirk. To his confused expression, she continued, "The hardened lifer inmate that's going to make you his bitch. You're probably the closest thing he's come to being around a woman in years, decades even. After the first week, I imagine you'll think you've been fucked by a train."
Eddies face went bright red, "I'm not anybody's bitch!" he screamed, the effect spoiled somewhat as his voice broke. She took an eight and a half by eleven glossy from the folder and slapped it on the table. It was a perfect shot of him in the room they'd rented from Jadis holding a glass for Darren to coat with that demon shit on it. Then another of him setting out coke cans to get the same treatment. Then a third of him 'bumping' into Kayda to return her ID to her purse.
"Oh, you're a bitch all right, Eddie," the blonde told him. "You've been Darren's bitch for a while now, haven't you? You think we wouldn't figure out it was you who killed Heyoka? Sit!" she ordered.
Eddie sat, his face pale and all the bravado gone. "I...I want a deal..."
The shock dripped off her face. "We have you dead, Eddie. We've got your little test run with Tee-Kay, Nitro, and Tisiphone. Did you take notes? You'll be getting corn-holed before too much longer," she paused meaningfully. "Before they put the needle in your arm..."
Now a terrified little boy squealed, "I want a deal!"
"What do you have to deal?" she demanded.
"Darren!" he squeaked. "It...it was all his idea!"
"What was all his idea?" she pressed. "We know you killed Heyoka! You have nothing to trade..."
"Sara!" he shouted, eyes wide with fear. "I've got Sara! I want a lawyer and a deal and I'll tell you where she is and how Darren planned the whole thing! He...He's the one that summoned Sara! He's the one that hates Kayda! This was always about getting to her! Getting her off campus!" She produced a tablet and a pen.
"Start writing!" she commanded.
Behind the two-way mirror, Franklin Delarose shook his head. "Damn, she's good."
Carson smirked. "I spared no expense hiring her. She's a damned good teacher, and this is proof that she's worth it." She turned to Franklin, her worry lines gone, at least for the moment. "Have someone you trust go search their room. Tear it apart."
"I'll see to it myself."
May 7th, 2007 - Evening
Grounds Keeping Shed, near Dickinson Cottage, Whateley
Academy
A figure paused by the oak tree and reached into the hole. The figure had no fear for his hand, there was nothing that could be in the tree worse than he was. As his fingers found the charm he knew would be there, a voice behind him demanded, "You! What are you doing?"
"Oh, hey, Mr. M!" the seemingly young man said with a smile. Holding up the charm in his hand he continued, "We're on a Scavenger hunt! Say, do you know where...?"
Mr. Miyamoto frowned. "Ok, this time. Tell your friends to leave this tree alone! It's sick and we're trying to cure it."
The sorceror and devisor nodded as he quickly got out of the grounds-keeper's way. "Sure. Sure, Mr. M." He turned from the little gardener and walked away with a smile. One out of two wasn't so bad; especially for coming up with the plan off the cuff and the gold plated idiots he'd had to use as pawns. Of course the Lakota girl and her spirits would be troublesome, but perhaps not as much trouble as Heyoka might have been. A shame to lose those spirits, but safer that way. The Thunderbird had a long history of unraveling plans and revealing hidden truth. It was a long game he was playing and time was on his side. With a chuckle, Hekate's Master made sure of his public face and walked off towards the nearest entrance of the tunnels. It had been a very good day.
May 7th, 2007 - Late Evening
Tunnels, Whateley Academy
Darren felt panic like he'd never felt it before. Based on the gossip from the cafeteria, Nalley and Kayda were as much as admitting that they'd been lovers; they certainly weren't vociferously denying it. And that meant that Kody, the rager who'd nearly killed a high-level regenerator, had probably been told that they couldn't stop themselves - which was precisely what Darren had seen on the video.
Now that they'd arrested that idiot Quickdraw, it wouldn't take long, he realized, for someone to put together the resident lust demon's doing and the girls' uncontrollable urges. Assuming he didn't just sing like a canary the moment they laid out the screws, never mind put him to them! And then they'd start a search - looking for anything that might be related to Sara Waite or the demon essence. And besides, that essence was dangerous.
He practically ran back to his room and retrieved the small safe in which he'd hidden the lust essence. Starting toward the storage lockers, Darren suddenly realized that if Eddie was singing a song for a deal, he became suspect number one, they'd search his room and his storage locker. Worrying, he realized that he needed to find somewhere else to hide the safe, somewhere that people would not associate with him, and that would be difficult to find. He wandered seemingly aimlessly, checking doors, peering in the labs - which were surprisingly populated with devisors and gadgeteers - searching for ... something. Some place to hide the small safe.
Off a tunnel to private labs, he discovered a storage room full of maintenance supplies and some janitorial equipment. And then, to his joy, he found that the little closet had a rear door, which judging from the dust on the doorknob, hadn't been opened in years, maybe a decade or more. It was so perfect a setup that the key, equally dusty, was still in the lock.
Behind the door was a storage room, lined with shelves, all covered with a thick layer of dust. Breathing a little easier, Darren found a shelf in the back corner of the room and placed his small safe on it, careful not to disturb too much of the dirt. And even more fortuitously, there were some tarps and dropcloths in the room; he took one and covered the safe, and then carefully sprinkled dirt over the safe and its cover.
A couple of large crates slid - with some effort - in front of the shelf, and more piled atop it. Then he got a broom from the janitorial supplies and evened out the dust, including his footprints, so that when he closed the door, the room looked barely disturbed.
The key he started to pocket, but then realized that it, like all Whateley keys, was coded with a serial number and would lead someone to the room - and eventually to the safe. Instead, he placed the key atop a shelf, as far from the front edge as he could reach, so that someone would have to be eight feet tall or a flier to spot the key.
That only left one thing. If someone found the carefully-folded plastic-backed paper, it would soon be evident that it was a summoning circle, and Sara Waite would be freed. He shuddered inwardly at the thought of what she'd do to him for summoning and trapping her. But if the paper was never found ....
A few minutes later, Darren was back in the tunnels, but this time, he went the opposite direction, until he came to a general-purpose lab that was about half-occupied. He saw something he liked - to deal with the walking disasters that were Whateley students, the workbenches were very heavy duty and they'd been securely bolted to the floor.
Quietly, Darren slipped into the lab, ignored by all the gadgeteers and devisors who were so focused on their projects that a grenade would probably not get their attention. He walked to one empty workbench in a corner, and looking around, saw just what he wanted. Pulling out the folded paper, he also extracted a can of spray-adhesive from inside his jacket and then liberally sprayed the glue on the paper, counting on the noise from various inventions and gadgets to cover what he was doing. Glancing around nervously, he saw that the lab-coat crew were still heads-down, still focused on their own projects. Smiling to himself, Darren pulled a drawer open and out from its runners, and then he reached into the opening, flattening the paper - glue side up - against the inside of the lab workbench. A little tape secured the corners and edges so they wouldn't sag, and then the drawer was replaced.
When he got back in the tunnels, Darren felt much less tension. There was nothing to tie him to Kayda and Elaine. The SD card had been dropped anonymously in Amber's mailbox. He no longer had the incriminating summoning circle trapping Sara. The dangerous serum was hidden, probably for twenty or thirty years given the state of the room he'd secreted the small safe in. Now there was only one more thing to do.
Popping through an emergency door outside the main buildings, Darren ducked into a the evening darkness, further obfuscating himself in a shadow and pulled out his cell phone, dialing a number from memory. He waited impatiently as the other end rang, looking around very nervously. Finally the phone picked up. "Glen?"
"Yeah?"
"Darren. Say, I need to call in those favors you owe me," Darren said, hoping he didn't sound too desperate.
Glen sighed heavily. "Okay, okay. What do I need to do?"
"How far can you teleport with another person?" Darren asked carefully. He didn't want to give away too much, but he had to bring someone in on this last little bit.
"About thirty to forty miles," Glen said. "Depends on how rested I am and how heavy the person is."
"Meet me in the trees west of Laird - as quickly as you can get there."
"What did you do now?" Glen asked knowingly.
"Don't ask questions and don't talk to anybody, and I'll give you the PIN number for my secret cash account. There's close to two thousand in that account."
Glen considered quickly - a few thousand in cash, plus no longer owing favors to Darren, who was an absolute asshole about collecting favors with plenty of interest? "See you in five." Glen hung up the phone, and Darren realized in the sudden silence that he was going to miss this crazy place, but he'd have to leave either way - in shackles in an MCO truck if Quickdraw squealed, or his way, free, to get back home away from those who were going to hunt him.
May 7th, 2007 - Late Evening
Room 303, Poe Cottage, Whateley Academy
"You're stalling," Lanie groused as Kayda sorted through her night-clothes for the fifth time to decide what to wear.
"No, I'm not," Kayda countered sharply - too sharply. "I ... just can't decide."
"No one's going to see you but me, and Ah've already seen you buck naked, so a nightie isn't going to make a difference," Lanie retorted. "Unless you want to sleep nekkid again tonight."
Kayda stuck out her tongue at her temporary roomie. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"Ah wouldn't turn down a view like that," Lanie grinned. "But Ah promised Ah'd behave. Now get your nightie on, get your teeth brushed, and then we've got to get to bed."
"I already brushed my teeth," she murmured from in front of the open armoire . Finally she spun around and demanded, "Why ... why didn't they let me go tonight?" Kayda asked, her lip trembling. "Didn't Mrs. Talbert prove that I didn't...? That because we...? I didn't kill Heyoka!"
Elaine sighed as she pulled on her tank and come over to give the girl a hug.
"Now, Ah'm not a mind reader, but there's always folks who take the whole 'life is a game' thing to heart. This jerk, Hervik? He's exactly the kind of man who keeps score in the game of life. We're beating him and men like that don't like to lose. They'd rather look the fool and be seen as vengeful, sore losers than to bow out gracefully. They call it never giving up, but they're just nasty little men who can't admit when they're wrong."
"I can't imagine that," she whispered.
"Oh, sure you can," Lanie countered as she reached into the clothes press past the girl and pulled out a red silk teddy and handed it to her.
"Fetish?" demanded Kayda with an arched eyebrow.
Lanie just grinned and patted her cheek.
"Looking is free," she replied. She walked back over to her duffel bag and fished for her brush. "Mah dad told a joke the last time some asshole sued him, tryin' to say the car that he didn't care of failed because of mah daddy's repair. Daddy said 'a lawyer rented a call girl and they got back to her room, he drops his trousers and revels his dick is just four inches hard.'" Kayda shuddered, but it was mostly subconscious judging by the look on her face. Lanie continued, "Well, the working girl asked him, 'Who do you think you're going to please with that?' and the lawyer just grins like he's proud of his little pecker and says, 'Me.' That's the kind of man Hervik is."
Kayda chuckled around a yawn and then struck a pose. "Like it?"
Lanie winked at her as she sat down to start brushing her hair. "It's you, girl. Good night, Kayda, sweet dreams." Kayda had already lain down and muttered something to the effect of not being tired but was snoring before she finished her sentence. Lanie just smiled and turned off all the lights but the desk lamp and settled in to brush.
Lanie was still brushing her hair several minutes later when the soft knock interrupted her drifting mind. "Come in," she called softly. She was quiet because Kayda was already snoring softly and as taxing as the day had been, the girl needed her sleep. The door swung open to reveal the kindly face of Mrs. Horton.
"Elaine dear, you have a guest," she told her, noting that both bunks were on opposite walls of the dorm room. The redhead frowned as she put the brush down on the desk.
"Wyatt? It's almost..."
"No dear," Mrs. Horton told her. "It's not Wyatt. It's Miss Walcutt."
"Tansy?" Elaine asked, genuinely surprised. Elaine looked over her shoulder at the sleeping Kayda.
"Go on," Mrs. Horton told her. "I think she can be alone for a few minutes." Lanie slipped her feet into a set of slippers that looked like giant blue monster paws and padded after the House-mother down the stairs. Tansy was standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking fashionable as always in her jeans and a loose, flowing top whose elbow-length sleeves gave an impression of a cape.
She turned to take in Elaine coming down the stairs in a pair of sweats and a tank top, obviously on her way to bed. "I'm sorry," she started, "Mrs. Horton, I..."
"She wasn't asleep," Mrs. Horton told her. "You girls can talk in the kitchen. Miss Walcutt, don't be long, but I can give you an excuse to Mrs. Nelson if you need it," she said as she retreated into her apartment. It was not lost on either girl that the kitchen was across the hall from her apartment.
Tansy nodded as she followed Elaine into the small room. It was more kitchenette than kitchen; there was a cook top, an industrial refrigerator-freezer combination unit, and four microwaves, but no oven or dishwasher. It seemed obviously intended for snacks and very light 'meals'. Elaine noted that the power light was still lit on the Bunn coffee maker, indicating its hot water reservoir was still hot. She took out an envelope of hot chocolate from the box next to it and held it up in offer to the blonde. Tansy nodded nervously and paced a bit while Elaine busied herself with the cocoa. "What's on your mind?" she asked as poured out the powder.
"I heard about Kayda," Tansy replied softly. "I was...was afraid it was something that bad. I ran into her last week, when you were in Doyle. She was a mess, and mentally shouting about what a bad person she was, how worthless and damaged. I was afraid it was..." She sighed and shook her head. "Jesus, rape is bad enough, but gang-rape? Men are such...animals..."
"Not all of them," Lanie countered as she brought the cups over to one of the small tables and sat, placing Tansy's mug in front of her.
"Yes, I know," Tansy groused, "Wyatt is so wonderful..."
"Actually, Ah was thinking of mah daddy," the redhead replied. "He once faced down three men who were beating a boy to death just because he was gay. Or mah Uncle Frederick, he's a police officer up in Cartersville..."
"Lucky you," muttered Tansy into her mug as she looked away. "My father is a monster. Oh nothing like what Kayda went through, but I've had nine step-mothers, nine! One for less than a year. I haven't heard from my real mother since I was ten."
"Poor little rich girl," Elaine told her sharply. "You know, if we don't cultivate the good men, all we'll be left with will be the bad ones."
Tansy turned back and looked her in the eye for the first time. "The Christmas before last, my father took me to a party so I could read the minds of his competitors for him. When I told him that my power needs physical contact to pull guarded thoughts that deep, he told me to fuck them. My own father is trying to whore me out to one up his business rivals."
"Yep, he sounds like a real asshole," Elaine agreed. "But Ah gather you didn't schlep over here from the far side of the campus to bitch about men?"
"No," she said softly. She looked up at the ceiling as if trying to pierce the tiles in the ceiling with X-Ray vision. "You know, she practically worships you," Tansy said. "Kayda. You're her hero, everything she feels that she isn't."
"Pish," Lanie replied with a sip. "Ah..."
"No, really," Tansy pressed. "She's adrift in a sea of shame and self-doubt. Every mentalist and empath on this campus knows it. She sees you, blowing off the creeps and the comments, walking tall and refusing to even blush."
Tansy put her cup down and once again looked the other girl in the eye. "How do you do it, Elaine? I...I see you go to church nearly every Sunday, being gay is..."
"Don't start," Lanie growled. "Ah have no interest in debating theology with you, Tansy, or anybody else. If God doesn't like who Ah fall in love with, that's between me and God and nobody fucking else."
"That's what I'm talking about!" she replied quickly. "I just...if it had been me and you in that hut...I...would have gone to jail instead of..." She felt Elaine's disbelieving look and nodded, again unable to look her in the eye. "I would have," she repeated.
"Tansy, what are you trying to tell me?" Lanie asked her softly. "That you...?"
"I don't know what love is!" the other girl interrupted quickly. "I've used men! I've used sex to control men - and subconsciously hated myself for what I was doing! You...you offered to show me a...a memory...I...I want to know what love is."
"Alright," Elaine told her. She held up her hand on the table. "Take mah hand." Tansy looked up, as much fear in her eyes as a deer caught in the headlights and staring down her own doom. "Go on," Lanie encouraged her. "It's just Wyatt, nothing you haven't seen before."
The other girl's hand came into hers and Lanie closed her eyes. With Grizzly's help she remembered, she experienced the wonder and amazement of technical knowledge of anatomy being replaced with the sights and feel and taste of the flesh of a man. She felt the intense focus of being in the arms of Wyatt Cody, the feel of his weight on top of her, the pungent, manliness of his smell, the gentle but demanding sensation of being claimed by him. She felt his hands on her breasts, rough, calloused skin and the velvet iron of the muscles beneath the skin and the expert knowledge that guided them. She wrapped her memory around his hips and forced him on his back to look down on the expression of wonder and simple affection on his face. She heard him tell her that he loved her and felt the proof of it deep within her and he pulled her against him and she was completely a woman, warm and safe and loved.
Tansy's hand slipped from hers and once more they were in the kitchenette of Poe Cottage, and there were tears rolling down the blonde's face. "I...I hate you," she whispered. "I could have...and you took..."
Lanie shook her head. "No, Tansy. Ah didn't take him from you. You never had him in the first place, did you?"
"No," she whispered. "I never even knew what it could have been...!" She sniffed mightily and fished out a handkerchief from somewhere and fought a losing battle to try and save her mascara. "It...it's not fair. You! Why are you so lucky! How do you deserve...? Why?!" she shouted. "Why doesn't my father love me?!"
Lanie had no answer to that, but could only offer the hug that Tansy finally accepted and let the girl cry.
"Aileen? Bella. No, nothing's wrong. Well, I just wanted to let you know that Tansy Walcutt will be spending the night here in Poe. Oh, it's just late and the girl talk got a bit emotional is all. Wouldn't want her wandering around in the dark in an emotional state. Who knows what that might attract on this campus? Yes, I'll put her up in my spare bedroom. Good night." Mrs. Horton turned off her cordless phone and smiled a small smile of pride. Yes, she thought from the doorway where she could see the backs of the two girls, one sobbing, the other consoling. Elaine Nalley, you're coming along nicely.
Her heart leaped into her throat, choking off words, as Kayda halted, too nervous to proceed. The figure sitting on the bench, facing away from her, was unmistakably Debra, and she seemed preoccupied , lost in thought and not looking around the campus on such a glorious spring day. Or rather, it should have been a glorious spring day. The sun was doing its part, chasing away all but the occasional cotton-puff of a cloud, its warm rays having already chased away the morning chill.
But Kayda couldn't get the chill out of her heart, the icy grip of terror that encircled her. Slowly, she forced herself to walk forward again, trying to call out but still unable to make her voice work.
Just as Kayda was reaching out her hand to her love's shoulder, Debra heard her and turned. The look of curiosity at who would be approaching her changed the instant she recognized Kayda into a mixture of anger, hurt, disgust, and a dozen other negative emotions that made Kayda take a half-step backwards with uncertainty.
"Debra," she managed to squeak, having found her voice somewhere in the midst of her terror at having to face the girl she'd so horribly betrayed, "I ...."
"Shut up!" Debra screamed at her, red-faced with anger and her eyes suddenly wet as the hurt made her eyes water. "Don't talk to me, you ... you ... you slut!"
Kayda stepped back, in utter shock at the vehemence of Debra's words. "But ... I didn't ...." she tried to protest.
"You lied to me, didn't you?" Debra screamed, standing and getting in Kayda's face. "You couldn't wait, could you? I wasn't even on my plane and you were fucking her, weren't you?"
"Debra, it wasn't ...."
"You wanted her! You told me that, and you just couldn't wait!" Debra wiped at her tears while still yelling. "You promised me you wouldn't do anything! And that was a lie, wasn't it?"
"It wasn't our fault!"
"Who was it then? Somebody else? Bullshit! It was you and Lanie fucking each other's brains out! And you promised me!"
"It was demon stuff!" Kayda tried to protest. "We couldn't help it!" Her tears gushed from her eyes.
"You ... you Judas!" Debra screamed. "I trusted you, and you betrayed me!" She was advancing on Kayda, her face a mixture of rage and anguish. "What else did you lie to me about? Was it a lie that you loved me? Were you just trying to sack me, too?"
"I do love you!" Kayda protested, backing away. The altercation was gathering a crowd around the two.
The sting on her face was sudden, Exemplar-3 strength knocking off her feet into a nearby bench. The crowd didn't part, but moved, a human fighting ring around Debra and Kayda.
"Who else have you whored yourself out to?" Debra screamed at her. "How many other girls have you tasted and fucked, all the while pretending that you loved me?"
"It's not like that!" Kayda cried in protest. She tried to summon Tatanka to defend her, but there was only emptiness where her spirits should be, and another slap from Debra knocked her down again.
"What is it like? What kind of lie are you going to tell me this time?" Debra turned away, wiping at her eyes. "Go away!" she cried, fighting tears. "Just go away! I don't ever want to see you or talk to you again!"
"Debra ...." Kayda tried to protest, moving closer to put her hand on Debra's arm.
Debra spun, yanking her arm away from Kayda. "Go away, you fucking slut!" The tears she'd been fighting ran down her cheeks. She turned her back on Kayda. "Go away!" She stomped off, the crowd parting to allow her to pass.
Bawling, Kayda tried to walk after her, but when Debra sensed her and spun, the look of pure, unvarnished hatred on her face startled the Lakota girl into freezing in place, suddenly terrified of the anger that burned within the girl she thought was her soul-mate. Debra turned and walked away again, fists clenched, not looking back once, while the crowd circled around as Kayda sank to her knees, burying her face in her hands a she cried her heart out, ignoring the catcalls and rude comments from the spectators.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007 - about 2 AM
Room 303, Poe Cottage, Whateley Academy
The scream of a girl in the midst of an obvious nightmare yanked Lanie back from her dream realm, or more to the point, Grizzly shoved Lanie back into reality, waking her instantly. The loud crying from the bed on the other side of the room immediately grabbed her attention, and she was out from under her blankets and across the floor in a single bound, sitting on the edge of the bed, bending forward to wrap the crying girl in an embrace. "You're okay, Kayda," she repeated over and over.
The hysterical crying slowed, and eventually the nightmare released its hold on the Lakota girl. "It's just a nightmare, Sister," Lanie reassured her. "You're okay."
Kayda's eyes opened, and in the dim light, Lanie could clearly see them looking up plaintively at her, the wetness on her cheeks glistening like thin ribbons of crystal.
"You're okay, Kayda," Lanie repeated, hugging the frightened girl. "It was just a nightmare."
"She's going to hate me," Kayda sniffled, fresh drops of water joining the wetness already on her cheek. "I promised her, and ... and ..." She broke into tears again. "I ... I betrayed her! I broke my promise!"
"It wasn't you, Sister," Lanie assured her, holding her head close to her chest and stroking her hair. "Hush, now. It was just a nightmare."
"I ... I can't even dream-walk with her!" Kayda sniffled. "But that won't matter. When I tell her, she'll never want to dream walk with me again!"
"Kayda," Lanie said solemnly, "she knows."
The smaller girl's head snapped up, staring at Lanie, her eyes wide with wonder. It took several seconds for the redhead's words to sink in. "You ... you ... told her?"
"Griz and I met her in a dream," Lanie said, hesitantly because her ability to meet Kayda's girlfriend and love in a dream was much more than she could do. "I ... I had to tell her."
Kayda stared at Lanie, her eyes wide, puzzled, wondering, afraid, hopeful - a hundred emotions flitting through her mind and across her features in less than a second.
"She ... she doesn't hate you," Lanie reported. "If she's mad at anyone, it's me. She was terrified that I was going to take you away from her." Kayda's stare at Lanie spoke of disbelief. Surely, she knew, Debra was going to be furious at Kayda for breaking her promise so quickly.
"Let's call her."
"What?!?" Kayda asked in astonishment. "I ... I can't! They confiscated my cell phone, and ... and I'm not supposed to call anyone!"
Lanie grinned. "There's no rule that says I can't call her, and if you happen to be in the room and have a conversation ....." Kayda stared in shock as Lanie grabbed her cell phone. "You'll have to tell me her number."
Stunned, not quite sure if this was a dream or real, Kayda slowly recited the phone number she knew only too well. Sitting beside Kayda, Lanie tapped her foot impatiently as the phone rang. "Pick up, Deb," she said softly. "Pick up."
"Hello?" a sleepy voice replied finally.
"Deb?" Lanie spoke quickly. "It's Lanie."
"Lanie?" Deb gasped. "Is ... is something wrong?" Her voice sounded nervous, even terrified.
"No," Lanie hastily reassured her. "Kayda's okay. Well," she added with a grimace, "mostly okay."
"Mostly?"
"Deb, Kayda needs to ... to talk to you," Lanie explained. "She's ... she's scared." Without another word, Lanie handed her cell phone to the visibly trembling girl who was vehemently shaking her head no.
"He ... hello?" Kayda asked hesitantly after she put the phone to her ear, eyes wide with fright and her voice quavering nervously.
"Honey? Are you okay?" Deb asked, her voice echoing her concern, and a bit of nervousness on her own part. After all, Kayda was with Lanie.
"Someone ... I got ... they tricked ...." Her voice, merely shaky at that point, broke and she started bawling. "I'm sorry," she said over and over. " I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I ... I didn't mean for anything to happen! I'm so sorry!"
"I know, hon," Debra said, trying to sound confident. "It's okay," she said, over and over, trying to break through Kayda's ceaseless barrage of apologizing and expressing her remorse. "Lanie ... Lanie explained it all to me."
That didn't stop Kayda's tears. "I'm sorry. Please don't ... hate me. I ... I didn't .... I wasn't trying ...." She started bawling anew. "I ... I love you, and I'm so sorry that I hurt you and I'll understand if you're mad and don't want to ever see me again, and you've got a reason to hate me for lying because I betrayed your trust and your love, but ...." She was babbling through her tears.
"Kayda, honey?" Deb said, trying to interrupt Kayda's nearly-incoherent rambling.
"... and I hope you'll give me another chance, because I really, really love you, and I don't want to lose you, but I hurt you, and ...."
"Kayda, honey! Stop!" Deb said firmly to cut through Kayda's verbal thought stream. She was met with silence. "I have one question for you."
"O ... Okay," Kayda replied hesitantly.
"Do you want to be with Lanie?" Deb's voice betrayed her nervousness. "Would you rather be with her than with me?"
"No!" Kayda replied sharply. "I love you! I ... I want to be with you forever! You're my soul mate!" She wiped her cheeks. "Lanie ... is like a sister, but you're my love!"
"And I love you, honey," Deb replied. The fact that she was crying wasn't hidden by the sound of her voice. "I ... I don't want to lose you!"
"I'm sorry," Kayda said again, blubbering. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
"Kayda, Lanie explained that it wasn't your fault," Deb replied.
"I ... I let you down," Kayda continued. "I betrayed your love and your trust! I'm so sorry!"
"Honey, listen to me," Debra said firmly. "It was not your fault. Someone did something to you. I believe you when you say that you didn't mean for anything to happen."
"But ... I .... " Kayda shook her head, sobbing. "How can I ask you to trust me ever again?"
"Kayda, my love," Deb replied calmly despite her own emotional turmoil, "we'll get through this - if you want to!"
"Mmm, hmm," Kayda said softly. "I ... I don't want to lose you!" she said softly. "You're everything to me! You ... you stole a piece of my heart, and I don't want to ever, ever lose you!"
"Kayda, honey, I know you can't dream-walk. Were you having nightmares?" Deb asked presciently.
"Yeah."
"It's not going to be like waving a magic wand and 'poof',' this never happened. It's something we'll have to work through together, okay? You can go back to sleep without worrying. Even if she wanted to take you from me, I'm not letting Lanie - or anyone - steal your heart! I'm going to fight for you if I have to, and I'm going to make sure you never forget how much I love you. When this is all over and we can dream walk, we'll ... we'll work things out, okay?"
"Okay," the dusky-skinned girl agreed.
"Now, it's very late for you, and you need to get your sleep. I know it's hard not being able to dream walk, but soon enough, honey. Soon enough. Now, can you give the phone back to Lanie for a moment?"
"Okay. I love you," Kayda sounded a little hopeful for the first time since she'd awakened from her nightmare. "I love you with all my heart and soul."
"And I love you, too, honey. Sleep well, sweetie." She made a kissy sound into the phone, which Kayda echoed before handing the phone back to Lanie.
"Lanie?"
"Yeah, Deb?"
"Please take care of my girl. And don't take her away from me! Please!" Deb said, breaking into her own bout of sniffles at the end. "I ... I need her in my life! I don't know what I'd do without her!"
"Ah promise. Ah'm engaged to Wyatt, and while Kayda is ... hot, she's not the one Ah love. She's your girl."
"Thanks. Now you two get some sleep. If I'm reading my alarm clock right, it's almost two in the morning there!"
"Thanks for talking to her. She needed to know she wasn't going to lose you," Lanie explained. "And ... she couldn't call you because she's detained."
When Lanie hung up the phone, she smiled at Kayda. "See? Ah told you not to worry. She loves you, and Ah know you love her." She gave the girl a kiss on the forehead. "Now, lie down and go back to sleep."
"Can ... Can you sit with me?" Kayda asked softly, still feeling overwhelmed by her entire predicament, even though one of her greatest fears had been allayed. "I ... I'm still ... scared."
"Sure, Sister," Lanie said, sitting on the edge of the bed. She tucked the Lakota girl in, and within minutes, the exhausted, emotionally-overwrought girl was asleep again. Lanie padded back to her own bed. "If this is what being an RA is goin' to be like, Ah should have mah head examined for agreein' to the job."
Now she runs away, but she'll soon pursue you;
Gifts she now rejects--soon enough she'll give them;
Now she doesn't love you, but soon her heart will
Burn, though unwilling.
Hymn to Aphrodite, Sappho
Tuesday, May 8th, 2007 - Early Morning
Headmistress' Office, Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
"Good morning, Mrs. Carson," Ethan Moore, the Attorney General of the state of New Hampshire, greeted pleasantly on the telecon.
"Good morning," Liz replied, feeling rested for the first time in several days. "I've got Director Atley and Ty West of the Department of Paranormal Affairs on the line as well, with Ms. Norma Lewis, senior attorney for the DPA. In my office with me are Sam Everheart, my deputy security Chief, and Mrs. Michiko Shugendo, Dean of Students."
"Good morning," Roland Atley said. "What's up, Liz?" he asked bluntly. "I thought we were going to tie in to the hearing in an hour?"
"We are," Liz Carson said calmly. "But we had a development late last night that we need to discuss before we get in the hearing."
"And that would be ....?" Atley prompted, intrigued.
"Based on late evidence, we apprehended a suspect," Liz said. "He confessed and sang like a canary when we presented him our evidence - even pointing a finger at the student who was the planner and brains in the whole thing."
"That's good news," Ty said. "But ...?"
"Now there's the rub," Liz said. "He asked for a deal to get the information."
"What kind of deal?" Attorney General Moore asked warily, not sure he liked which direction this was going.
"We keep him out of the hands of the MCO," Sam said bluntly.
"We can do that," the AG said.
"No capital punishment, and no life without parole," Sam added.
"That's a pretty extreme deal given the evidence I've seen." It was obvious that the Attorney General was unhappy at them having promised a killer a deal like that.
"It's in line with how DPA would prosecute a minor, isn't it, Roland?" Liz asked.
"It depends," the DPA lawyer, Norma Lewis, replied. "But yes, it is a reasonable deal."
"The kid who did this is a follower, not a leader. And the kid who set up the whole plot is a projective empath. He can psychically influence others. It's not clear that the killer would have acted if not for that influence," Mrs. Shugendo said.
"In those conditions," the DPA lawyer, spoke, "the DPA would use psychic scanning to check for such influence, and the presence of psychic influence would be a mitigating factor in both the charges and the sentence."
"I see. That type of evidence is not admissible in a New Hampshire court." Attorney General Moore was silent for a bit. "Okay, I'll agree to that deal. What about the mastermind he supposedly fingered?"
"We did a search for him, but he's missing from campus," Sam reported. "His ID card was found on a tray in the cafeteria, so we had no trace of him. However, our sensors did note that another student - an acquaintance who owed a number of favors to the mastermind - disappeared from campus for a few minutes and then reappeared. When questioned, he admitted to warping the mastermind off campus."
"An accomplice?" Roland asked.
"The killer didn't finger him, so we think the mastermind called in favors in a desperate act to escape apprehension."
Shugendo spoke up. "We'll get the details of the young man to your office immediately so you can start a manhunt. The warper took him in the direction of the Canadian border."
"And we do not have a deal with him," Liz added ominously, bluntly implying that she didn't care whether, if apprehended, the state of New Hampshire fried Speakeasy.
The implication was not lost on the AG. "Okay. That's fair. So we'll drop the investigation of the girl?" he asked.
"Agreed," Ty, Roland, and Norma answered concurrently.
"And that brings us to the next problem," Liz continued. "Have you had a chance to review the information I sent last night?"
"Yes," the state Attorney General replied, his voice grim. "Are you certain of your sources?"
"Dead certain," Sam confirmed without hesitation. "We cross-checked everything to be sure."
"So part of the deal is that we don't want Hervik within fifty miles of the prosecution of our student," Liz said bluntly. "And to ensure the integrity of the prosecution in sticking to the deal, we want a DPA lawyer in all proceedings."
The Attorney General's wince was almost vocal. "Agreed," he answered after a moment's deliberation. "Is it acceptable that I take the case in my office rather than the county prosecutors?"
"Ty?" Liz asked about the integrity of the New Hampshire Attorney General with a single word.
"That's acceptable," Ty replied.
"We'll detain him until your representative can take custody," Sam said.
"And Hervik?" the AG asked.
"He's your problem, not ours. I just don't ever want him on any case that involves my school."
* - - * - - *
May 8th, 2007 - Breakfast
Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
The normal buzz of conversation didn't quite stop, but it did significantly lessen, and heads turned toward the doors as Kayda walked in with Lanie and Cody, trailed by Mindbird, the designated security auxiliary. Lanie kept chatting with Cody as if nothing was going on, but Kayda flinched, knowing she was the center of attention, or at least the subject of a lot of rumors and gossip.
Trying to hold her head high, like Lanie was doing, Kayda walked smartly toward the food serving line, which was reasonably crowded.
"See? They're doing everything together!" a girl's voice whispered. "I told you they were having a 3-way affair!"
"No way! She got raped! She wouldn't let Cody touch her!"
"Too damned bad she's a lezzie!" a guy's voice said, barely loud enough to be heard over the slowly-increasing chatter and noise. "Yeah!" a few guys with him agreed, all gawking at Kayda.
"If it was me, I'd die of embarrassment!" another girl whispered to her friend.
Lanie just held Kayda's arm loosely, like a friend would do, and led her to the food counter.
"They're all talking about me!" Kayda whispered insistently to Lanie.
The redhead shrugged, her smile never leaving her face. "So what? Half the girls - even the ones who claim to be totally straight - are jealous of us, and after last night with Slash, the guys are scared to death of trying to talk to you."
"What ... happens when Kody isn't here?" the shorter girl asked nervously.
"Give it a couple of days. Something else'll happen, and nobody will be talking about you anymore." Her eyes narrowed as she fixed her gaze on someone approaching.
Kayda noticed, and turned abruptly - and saw Wind Runner stopping a couple of feet from her. "Doli," she said in cautious greeting.
"Kayda," Doli stammered, not quite sure what to say, and her embarrassment and confusion reflected on her features, "I ... I want to say ...." She shook her head, not quite sure how to proceed. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Kayda, pulling her close. "I ... I heard the news," she said softly. "I ... I'm sorry I was such a bitch. I ... I had no idea ... of what you'd been through."
"Nobody did," Kayda admitted. "I ... was too embarrassed to tell anyone."
"I'll be nicer and back off at The Nations," Wind Runner said, ashamed at how she'd opposed Kayda. "I guess you need a place that seems normal."
Kayda eased herself out of Doli's embrace. "Don't you dare back off!" she chided the Navajo girl, eliciting a look of stunned surprise. "I wasn't trying to take it away, but to make it more and better. I expect you to compete one hundred percent with ideas to keep making it better and better." She smiled.
"I didn't think ...."
"It's not my group, Doli," Kayda repeated. "It's all of our group. If you think I'm doing something wrong, the best way to help me is to tell me. If you have an idea, the best way to help me is to share the idea, and help the group implement it. The same is true for everyone." She held the Navajo girl's hand. "I don't expect you to suddenly try to be my friend - especially out of pity."
The Navajo girl looked Kayda in the eyes, reading her heart as she digested the Lakota girl's words. "I ... understand."
"And if we're rivals, I want to be cordial, friendly rivals, not bitter enemies." Kayda shuddered involuntarily. "I've had too many ... enemies ... in my life. I don't need more."
Doli nodded. "Okay. I ... I can do that." She stepped back a half step, awkwardly wondering how to continue - or discontinue - the unexpected conversation. "If there's anything ...."
Kayda shook her head sadly. "Thanks, but there isn't anything you - or anyone else - can do to erase what ... happened." She glanced around and saw a lot of girls staring at her, reminding her that due to news and rumors, she was on display. She glanced at Lanie, looking for an escape from the increasingly awkward encounter.
The redhead noticed; she'd been watching Wind Runner like a hawk protecting its nestlings. "Do you want to sit up on the third tier this morning?" she interrupted, breaking the uneasy silence and giving Doli Peshkali an excuse to leave.
"I ... I think I'd like to sit with my friends," Kayda replied uneasily, knowing that on the first floor, she'd be subject to more stares and thus gossip and speculation, but at the same time, it might help reduce the rumors about her and Lanie. She snorted to herself at that thought; until she was formally released, Lanie was her Siamese twin - which would fuel rumors no matter where the two sat.
"Okay." Lanie whispered something to her big fiancee, who simply smiled and continued to load his plate.
It was shocking to all in the caf when Wyatt Cody, the head Alpha, the premier Big-Man-On-Campus, eschewed the stairs and elevator and instead followed Kayda and Lanie to the table of Kayda's friends. "Do you mind if I join you today?" he asked with an affable smile, as if anyone with sense on campus would tell him no,
No sooner had she set her tray down than Kayda got a swarm of hugs from the girls, all trying to reassure her and offer whatever silent comfort they could. All of the Ghost Walkers knew her secret, and no doubt the girls had discussed with the normally-clueless boys what they should and shouldn't do and say.
Lanie sat down beside Wyatt across from Kayda, allowing Alicia and Addy to sit next to her temporary charge. She glanced up at Wyatt. "She's got some great friends," she said softly.
"Yeah, I noticed," Wyatt smiled back, "including a very special soul-sister." Under the table, he gave her hand a squeeze, inadvertently squeezing a diamond-capped metal band into the ring finger of her left hand, reminding the shapely redhead just how much Wyatt was devoted to her. He turned to the group. "I understand you guys are forming a training team."
The broaching of a normal topic was a breath of fresh air to the group who were very nervous about what they could and couldn't say in front of Kayda. "Yeah," Adrian answered. "A couple of us were going to be assigned to teams by the end of the term, and the others would get assigned soon anyway, so we figured we might as well make a team."
"We're calling ourselves the Ghost Walkers," Laurie added.
"If we're lucky, Kayda can make us some ghost-walking charms like some warriors were using back at 'er 'ome," Addy said enthusiastically. "That should give us a little edge."
Wyatt exchanged a knowing grin with Lanie. "You'll find out soon enough how sadistic Gunny Bardue and the simulator team can be," he chuckled.
"Can't be worse than Ito," RPG replied.
Wyatt laughed at his comment. "Actually, the two of them have a running contest to see who's the biggest, baddest son-of-a-bitch in the student training department."
"And since Kayda has the attention of our beloved Headmistress, Lady Astarte," Lanie added, noting the Lakota girl's look of dismay, "I guarantee that she'll take an interest in your training as well."
Evvie and Laurie exchanged worried looks, and Adrian gulped nervously. "Um, it can't be that bad." He saw the amused look on Wyatt's face. "Can it?"
"Keep tellin' yourselves that when y'all go into a sim and find yourselves facin' Lady Astarte with what seems like an impossible scenario," Lanie chuckled. "Ah'd strongly suggest you get someone to learn the rules really well, just to make sure."
"And by the time you get some sims under your belts," Wyatt added, "Kayda'll be pretty experienced, so she should make a good team leader." He winked at the dusky-skinned girl. "She's doing sims with the Nations, with Team Phoenix, and with you guys."
"Kayda?" Evvie gasped. "When ... when did you get put on Team Phoenix?" She looked up at Wyatt, then at Lanie. "You ... you aren't trying to poach ...."
Lanie shook her head. "Actually, it was Mrs. Carson's idea," she chuckled. "Somethin' to do with the little ritual Kayda and Ah did, and Mrs. Carson insisting that we had a few things to learn." She smiled. "Who has heard the news about the remodeling of Poe this summer?" she asked, glancing around the table. Evvie and Naomi nodded, but none of the others did. "One thing they'll be adding," Lanie explained, "is Resident Advisors, one per wing of rooms, to kind of help out Mrs. Horton. Ah'm goin' to be one of the RAs, and Mrs. Horton thinks that Ah can keep you two and the Kimbas out of trouble," she glanced between Evvie and Kayda.
"Is impossible job," Vasiliy chuckled. "Easier to destroy T-90 battle tank with bare hands." He paused, thinking reflectively. "Wait - I do that. Hmm - maybe is not impossible job."
"Well," Wyatt replied with a grin, "it'll be handy because Kayda's going to be tutoring Lanie in magic, and Lanie'll be tutoring Kayda in gadgeteering."
Evvie frowned, glancing around to see if there were prying ears nearby. Seeing no-one obviously listening in, she leaned closer to Kayda. "You both know that's going to fuel the rumor mill," she cautioned.
"Like Ah give a shit what pinheads think," Lanie replied. "Besides, Ah've got mah man," she continued, leaning on Wyatt's shoulder and grasping his hand. "Ah'm not in the market for a girlfriend."
The burly senior decided to change the subject, both to avoid embarrassing Kayda and the others, and to distract them from the upcoming hearing continuation. "When you start training, if you need help or advice, you come to me. I'll help you any way I can."
"And you'll need help," Lanie smiled. "Ah remember one sim - we were supposed to avoid capture by Lady Astarte for forty minutes. Ah was captured, like almost everyone, but Ah had to remind her that the only reason she caught me was that she spotted me in a crowd of high school girls because Ah was wearing a mask as required. But the fact that she used the mask to spot me was technically cheating." She chuckled at the memory. "Ah can tell you, she wasn't too happy to be reminded of the rules."
That got Wyatt talking about a different simulation run by the sadistic Gunny Bardue, with running side-notes from Lanie, which led to her telling of a third harrowing simulation experience. And as they talked, chuckling in hindsight at the forced lessons they'd absorbed in the rather brutal simulations, the kids of the newly-formed group looked around at each other nervously, wondering if perhaps they'd bitten off more than they could chew.
All in all, it was the perfect way to distract Kayda from the continuing gossip and rumors, and nervousness about the upcoming continuation of the hearing.
* - - * - - *
May 8th, 2007 - First Period
Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
Like the previous day, the classroom turned hearing room was beyond capacity, the innate curiosity of a school full of teenagers exceeding their duties to attend classes and other such matters. Janice Talbert shook her head as she looked around, walking down the central aisle toward 'her' table. She couldn't really blame the students; a gruesome murder and a rather salacious alibi would have gotten her attention when she was these kids' age. Still, the intense interest - with the resulting gossip and rumors - was going to make life difficult for Kayda.
Across the aisle, Assistant State's Attorney Hervik and MCO Agent Dougan sat in quiet conference, neither looking too pleased nor too smug. They were here for blood, and Janice understood why after last night's briefing in the administration wing's conference room. For Hervik, it was general anti-mutant principles, immersed as he and his wife were in the Humanity First! organization.. For Dougan, it was personal; he no doubt blamed Kayda for ending his friend's career in Sioux Falls. They were not going to give up easily.
At precisely two minutes before the hour, Kayda entered the room, escorted as before by two armed security guards and her arms shackled, followed closely by Dr. Bellows. She held her head high, despite knowing that she was the focus of every gaze and stare in the room. She was going to emulate her hero, Lanie, no matter how humiliated she felt.
No sooner had Kayda and Dr. Bellows taken their seats than the supervisors and Mrs. Carson filed in, silently taking their seats. Mrs. Carson sat, then nodded to a computer technician at the end of the long table. Four holographic images flickered into existence - three on one end of the table and the fourth at the other end. Hervik gasped audibly when he recognized the person in the fourth holographic image.
"We are currently on-line in a holographic conference with Attorney General Ethan Moore of the State of New Hampshire," Liz gestured to the solo figure, "and Director Roland Atley, Mr. Ty West, and Senior Attorney Norma Lewis of the Department of Paranormal Affairs." She indicated the other three, all the while looking impassively at Agent Dougan and Attorney Hervik. Neither looked happy, despite their best efforts to appear unfazed.
Liz looked deliberately around the room, and then continued. "Yesterday, based on accumulated evidence, this panel determined that the evidence exonerates the accused student, Kayda Franks. As the appointed representative of the Department of Paranormal Affairs, Assistant State's Attorney Hervik requested a Rule 8.C review of the evidence by the Department of Paranormal Affairs." She turned toward the holographic projection of the three DPA agents. "Director Atley, has your team conducted a review of the evidence?"
Roland's image nodded. "Yes, Dr. Carson," he replied. "Ms. Norma Lewis, Senior Attorney in the Legal Affairs Department, conducted a review of the evidence."
"And your conclusion?"
"The Department of Paranormal Affairs agrees with the determination of the evidentiary board. The submitted evidence - all of it - is on the whole exculpatory of the accused. The appeal is denied."
Hervik rose. "Madam Chair, based on the standards of evidence of the State of New Hampshire, the evidence is sufficient to convene a Grand Jury. Under the standards of the severity of the crime, standard procedures are to take the accused into custody to protect the general public during the investigation and Grand Jury proceedings."
"In your rush to judgment, Mr. Hervik," Liz Carson drew upon her considerable talent at appearing and sounding exquisitely imposing, "you are looking to detain and indict a girl who evidence shows is innocent. We will not allow such a miscarriage of justice to occur. Especially in light of further evidence."
"What additional evidence?" Hervik demanded angrily. "How can you make a decision without presenting all the evidence to the representatives?"
"The evidence is extremely exculpatory," Janice said with a wicked grin. "We have a student who was apprehended last evening and who confessed to the murder."
"What?!?" Hervik and Dougan demanded at the same time. Dougan actually turned and glared at Kayda, no longer disguising his personal interest in seeing her turned over to the MCO for the crime.
"Ms. Talbert, would you please present the evidence?" She looked impassively at the two agents. "Which, by the way, the Attorney General and the DPA have seen this morning before breakfast."
"What?" Hervik was astounded that the AG had seen the evidence before him. It was not a good turn of events, he realized slowly.
Janice touched a computer control, and a picture was displayed behind the trustees, who each had a monitor in front of them to see the evidence. "We noted a discrepancy in the RFID tag between the security camera showing Miss Franks arriving in the cafeteria, and her ID card arriving in the cafeteria." She pressed a control, and the video began to play the security camera footage. At a point, the video stopped. "At this point - please note the time - Miss Franks' ID showed her arriving through the door. However," she fiddled with the controls, causing the image to zoom in on the doorway "if you will note, she is not coming through the doorway with the small group of students who are entering." She touched a control, and the camera went back to its original moving view. "Now we watch," she touched a control and the video went to fast-forward view for a few seconds before she set it back to normal speed, "and ... there!" She paused the image and zoomed the video in. "Notice at this point that Miss Franks is entering the cafeteria with Miss Nalley and Mr. Cody."
"We saw that yesterday," Hervik said impatiently, anxious to get past whatever stalling tactics they were using.
"Yes, but this video clip is important to set the stage for the evidence of importance." She smiled at the trustees. "If you recall, Miss Franks indicated that her ID card was not where she usually kept it. This video shows why - it was not in her possession. But later, it was in her purse when she was detained. Why?" She grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Look at this section of the security video." She touched the control. "Notice ... here ...," she paused it, "someone bumps into Miss Franks and Mr. Cody." She zoomed in the video until the student was mostly recognizable.
After waiting a few moments, she touched the control again. "A piece of video was brought to the attention of the administration last evening. It shows two students applying some substance to papers, glasses, and soda cans in a room where other students were lured. One of those two students is the same one who bumped into Miss Franks - and we believe used that momentary contact to replace her ID card in her purse."
"But how ...?" Hervik was confused. His airtight case was falling apart before his eyes, embarrassing him in front of the state's AG.
"The video clip made available to the administration is evidence of a 'dry run', a test to see whether the substance could have the desired effect to ensure that Miss Franks' alibi was so humiliating that she would not speak of it. Suffice to say that it did have the effect."
Chief Delarose stood. "Based on the evidence of these two video clips, last evening we apprehended Edward Rutherford. When confronted with the evidence, including a magic amulet found in his room - an amulet which is confirmed to render a wearer invisible, he confessed when offered a deal."
Hervik was on his feet again. "You have no right to offer prosecutorial deals ...."
The image of the Attorney General frowned. "No, but I do. I agreed with the terms of their deal based on the evidence."
"Lieutenant Reynolds," Chief Delarose called. The rear doors opened and a figure in both leg irons and handcuffs was led in by armed security officers until he stood before Mrs. Carson.
"Mister Rutherford?" Mrs. Carson prompted the boy, "do you have a statement for this hearing?"
"Are you going to keep the deal?" Quickdraw asked, sounding humbled by events.
The AG nodded. "Yes, the State of New Hampshire agrees to the terms."
"Okay," Eddie said softly, looking down. He took a couple of deep breaths. "I ... killed Heyoka," he confessed. "It was Darren's idea - he has some kind of racial hatred for Heyoka and Kayda. He ... got obsessed with getting them off campus. He came up with a plan, and then I ... I used the invisibility charm to kill Heyoka - in the arena."
"And Miss Franks?" Delarose prompted.
"I swiped her ID card at lunchtime so the security system would think she was the one. I put it back in the cafeteria at dinnertime. Kayda and Elaine were lured to the sweat lodge so their excuse would be too humiliating to use."
"Mister Hervik," the Attorney General spoke again, much sterner this time, "your investigation of Miss Franks is complete. With the signed confession I saw this morning, there is no evidence that she committed the crime."
Hervik winced visibly. "Yes, sir."
"Further, as a condition of the terms with the Department of Paranormal Affairs, this case will be prosecuted directly from within my office. Is that clear?"
Hervik grimaced; this could be really bad for his career. "Yes, sir."
"Mister Dougan," Director Roland said from the other holographic projection.
"Yes, sir?" Dougan was on his feet, facing the image.
"You are hereby ordered off the premises of Whateley Academy. You will not set foot on the Academy grounds again without the express, written permission of the Headmistress, her assistant, or the Department of Paranormal Affairs. Is that clear?"
Dougan paled. "Yes, sir."
"Good," Mrs. Carson said. "Chief, please return Mr. Rutherford to his cell until the Attorney General's designated agent arrives to take custody." With but a nod from the Chief, Lieutenant Reynolds led Eddie out of the hearing room, picking up guards on the way.
"Miss Franks." Kayda stood, no longer feeling nervous, but just tired and rather humiliated. "You are hereby exonerated of the charge of murdering Student Heyoka. All rights and privileges are hereby restored." She looked at Chief Delarose, who strode, smiling, to Kayda and personally removed the shackles, and then shook her hand.
To say that pandemonium erupted in the hearing room would have been an understatement. All of Kayda's friends were hugging her, some crying with happiness, but none more-so than Lanie, who, like Kayda, was in tears that the ordeal was over.
"Ahem," Mrs. Carson cleared her throat in such a manner as to cut through the celebratory and congratulatory noise, instantly garnering the attention of every person in the room. Once she had the quiet she desired, she continued. "Your magic will be unsealed in the Magic Arts department, as it requires some procedures which we aren't prepared to do here. Is there any further business for this panel? If not," she glanced around, "then we will adjourn. Miss Franks?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"I would like to see you and Miss Nalley in my office in ten minutes. Is that understood?"
Lanie exchanged a worried glance with Kayda. "Yes, ma'am."
As dignified as could be managed among a throng of students, half of whom wanted to congratulate Kayda while the others filed out of the room to trudge to their next classes or other destinations, Mrs. Carson led the board out of the room.
* - - * - - *
May 8th, 2007 - Morning
Hyatt Hotel, Minneapolis-St Paul
The phone rang once before June grabbed it and silence the tone, glancing out of habit over her shoulder at her husband, who was still asleep. "Hello?" she whispered softly so as not to disturb him.
"June? Michiko," the Whateley Dean of Students introduced herself. "Good news. It's all over. Kayda is officially cleared."
"What?" June's eyes were wide open as the news processed through her brain. "She's cleared?"
"Huh?" came a groan from beside her.
"A boy confessed to the whole thing. She's cleared and free of restrictions!"
June's eyes started watering. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she gushed with heartfelt gratitude. "Tell her we'll be out there late tonight, okay?"
"I will. Now you can relax, and I'll get back to normal school business. I'm sorry we had to put Kayda through all of this."
"I know these things happen. Thanks, and bye." June hung up her phone.
"Who was that?" Pete groaned beside her, only partially awake.
June put her phone down and rolled over to face him. "That was Mrs. Shugendo from Whateley. Kayda has been officially cleared."
Pete's eyes popped open. "What? She's cleared?"
"Free as a bird." June smiled. "Why don't you call Debra? I'm sure she'll want to know. I'm going to go ... freshen up." She slipped out of bed and sauntered into the bathroom.
Pete nodded and picked up his own cell phone. A few seconds later, a shriek of joy could be heard from the adjacent room after he told Debra the good news. Hanging up the phone, he sensed something, so he turned to look. June, wearing a rather flimsy nightie, stood in a seductive pose by the bathroom door.
"Since our flight isn't until this afternoon, I thought maybe we could ... sleep in a bit?" she asked in a sultry, suggestive voice. "To ... celebrate."
* - - * - - *
May 8th, 2007 - Morning
Mrs. Carson's Office, Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
Led by Mrs. Carson, the small group filed into the administrative conference room - Ms. Hartford, Mrs. Shugendo, Sam Everheart, Chief Delarose, Janice Talbert, Ms. Grimes, and Dr. Bellows, followed by Kayda.
"You two may wait outside for the time being,"Mrs. Carson interrupted as Lanie and Wyatt started to follow Kayda inside. "I'll call you in a few minutes."
"With all due respect, ma'am," Lanie said, standing her ground in the doorway, "Ah haven't been properly relieved of mah duty as a security escort, and Ah'd be negligent in mah duties to not stay by mah charge's side."
Mrs. Carson sighed, shaking her head, while Chief Delarose and several others simply rolled their eyes.
"Your devotion to your friend is admirable, Miss Nalley, but as of the dismissal of the charges, strongly denoted by the removal of her restraints, Miss Franks is no longer in custody. Therefore, your services are no longer required."
Lanie let her jaw flap a couple of times trying to come up with a suitable rejoinder, but judging from the bemused look on Mrs. Carson's face, she wasn't quite sure what would be appropriate. "She's ... she's mah friend," she finally said. "And Ah'm concerned about her."
Mrs. Carson glanced around the room, noting the smile on Janice Talbert's and Dr. Bellows' faces. With a sigh, she relented. "Very well. You and Mister Cody may come in." As soon as Wyatt was through the door, she continued. "Please shut the door and have a seat."
Lanie was already sitting beside her Lakota friend, her hand atop Kayda's on the arm of Kayda's chair. Wyatt sat down on the other side of Lanie, taking her free hand in his massive paw.
"Let me remind you two that this is an administrative affair, and while we probably will not be discussing private data relating to Miss Franks, I am confident of your ability to not disclose any of this data. Is that clear?"
"Yes, ma'am," the two echoed, while Kayda gulped a bit. She was still hurting inside by the loss of contact with her spirits and her extinguished spark of essence; it had been far too long without feeling those, and she was emotionally rattled, even though the fear of prosecution had been removed.
"Let me begin, Kayda," Mrs. Carson said, startling the girl by using her first name, "by saying that I'm very sorry you had to go through this ordeal. It was never our intention to incarcerate you or seal your magic, which I know is a very traumatic event."
"Then why did you ...?" Lanie began, unable to control her curiosity and sense of protectiveness of her friend.
Mrs. Carson glanced at Chief Delarose and then sighed. "Our hands were tied. The Assistant State's Attorney was tipped off to the crime somehow, and he managed to get a DPA authorization to act on their behalf during the investigation. And he brought in the MCO agent as his 'assistant'."
"Kayda," Chief Delarose continued, "they got access to your security file. They knew that you'd tried to run away from campus last week."
Lanie's jaw dropped, staring at Kayda. "Ah ... Ah never heard that!"
"With that knowledge, you were a flight risk. As a mage, you would be considered dangerous. With the DPA authorization, they could have taken you into custody - off campus."
Kayda's, Lanie's and Wyatt's eyes widened at that revelation.
Mrs. Carson nodded to confirm what Delarose had said. "We had to do everything we could to pre-empt them, to deny them the ability to get you in their custody." Kayda gulped again; she and the others knew that a mutant taken into custody by the MCO had very little chance of freedom again. "I ... had to give Franklin ... Chief Delarose ... the order to arrest you and confine you."
"I'm sorry it had to be done in the cafeteria," Delarose added. "I know it caused you significant embarrassment to be arrested in public. I wish there had been another way.
"I'm sorry that you had to be under a cloud of suspicion and confined for so long. They were pushing for a 24-hour turnaround on an evidentiary hearing. I got 24 business hours. Those extra hours - as hard as they were for you - enabled us to gather all the evidence."
"I ... understand," Kayda said softly, her expression devoid of blame or resentment.
"Even then, it was a close thing. When they found out about your PTSD episodes ..." the Chief said.
"We were placed in a situation where we had to remain absolutely neutral," Mrs. Carson explained. "I always back my students, and I would have backed you, but my hands were tied. The same for Chief Delarose." Mrs. Carson looked straight at Kayda. "If you'd have been classified as a rager, we couldn't have stopped them."
Kayda glanced at Dr. Bellows, who nodded his confirmation. "Kayda, losing self-control in a fight or combat is one of the symptoms of being a rager. Attacking without thinking, in a blind rage, is another. You are very close to being classified as a rager because of your PTSD."
"We did consider that, Kayda," Chief Delarose acknowledged. "I'm very glad we decided not to; if we had, you wouldn't be here right now." He grimaced. "They had access to your security file, and they saw the incidents that you've had. The MCO agent was pushing very hard - including a call to the DPA - to get you classified as a rager so they could take custody."
"The upshot, Kayda," Mrs. Shugendo explained, "is that you must do something to get these episodes under control. If something happens again, we might not be so lucky. You have to have a clean security file, for your own protection."
"Miss Franks," Janice added, "Kayda - there is a reason agent Dougan was so interested in you. He had very strong ties to one of the MCO agents in Sioux Falls who was arrested for their misdeeds. It is very likely that he blames you. He will be watching for another opportunity. You can't give it to him."
"I understand," Kayda said softly. She glanced at Dr. Bellows. "I suppose we'll be having a lot of counseling sessions?"
Dr. Bellows' smile was friendly and reassuring. "We'll do whatever it takes."
Mrs. Carson stood abruptly and circled the conference table, stopping to take Kayda's hand and gently guide her to her feet. Before she knew what was happening, Kayda found herself wrapped in a warm, motherly embrace. "I'm so sorry we had to put you through this. I'm so sorry I couldn't stand up for you."
Kayda nodded, enjoying the secure feeling she got from the headmistress. "I know."
After a moment, Mrs. Carson released her embrace, walked back to her chair, and sat down; Kayda followed suit. "We have one more matter to consider here."
Kayda gulped at the stern expression on Mrs. Carson's face, and she shot a sideways glance at Lanie, who shared her concerned expression.
"Ah suppose this is the part where you'll be expellin' us for violatin' certain rules," Lanie deadpanned.
"What violations of what rules?" Mrs. Shugendo asked with a wry smile on her face.
Kayda and Lanie glanced around the room, getting more and more puzzled by the roomful of bemused looks they were getting. "Um, we ... you know," Kayda said.
"As a matter of fact," Ms. Hartford said, "we don't know."
Janice smiled to herself at the confused looks the two girls bore. "We have a statement from you two that you engaged in some carnal relations - which was your alibi."
"And you've got the tape!" Kayda added, confused.
"Well, now that's the rub," Sam said, joining the conversation for the first time. "Technically, we possess a recording of something, but as you two are under the age of eighteen, we can't legally view it."
"And if we can't legally view it, we have no grounds on which to expel you," Mrs. Shugendo concluded, "since all we have is your statement with no proof to back it up."
"Well, Ah'll be ...." Lanie muttered to herself.
"I thought you'd be impressed by the complex rules involved in our little dilemma," Mrs. Carson smirked at Lanie.
"Because of the fact that it was an open hearing, you will be subject to some harsh gossip, rumors, and insults," Mrs. Shugendo said. "Unfortunately, this campus is full of anti-gay bigots, and your ... interaction ... in the sweat lodge is now public knowledge."
"I know," Kayda said, nodding her head as she blushed.
"It was also testified to that you had most likely been exposed to serum from a lust demon," Mrs. Shugendo explained. "And we have a signed confession from Mr. Rutherford about how he and Mr. Haskins summoned a demon, got the essence, and then applied a dose to the tent flap of the sweat lodge."
"Someone," Mrs. Carson continued, giving a special focus on Lanie as she spoke, "brought me a video file from an anonymous source that very clearly showed a 'test run' of the demon serum. There are other students on campus who were similarly affected. A statement to that effect could reduce some of the bigotry to which you might be exposed."
Kayda glanced at Lanie, reading the redhead's expression, and then she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled to calm her nerves. "After yesterday, everyone knows Lanie and I had ... had sex." Blushing slightly, she glanced at Lanie, who shot her a tiny smile. "And unfortunately, everyone on campus now knows that I suffered a ... gang rape ... when I manifested. Or they will when the rumor mill gets moving."
"Yes," Mrs. Carson said, wincing. "It was unfortunate that that information came out in public."
"I'm a lesbian. I'm not ashamed to admit that," Kayda said boldly, "at least not after all of this. Any idiot who has heard about my ... ordeal ... and doesn't understand is too stupid for their opinion to matter." She glanced at Lanie, who nodded approvingly. "I know it'll make life difficult for me at times. I accept that." She shook her head. "But what I won't accept is trying to weasel out of a little potential embarrassment by making others suffer the same indignity."
Mrs. Carson and the others were staring at her, almost in amazement. "It could get rough."
"I'll have to put up with that regardless, because some narrow-minded bigots wouldn't believe the truth about the lust-demon essence anyway. True?"
Several of the adults present nodded, confirming her assessment.
"Then it's not worth making others go through it, is it?"
"That's amazingly mature of you, Miss Franks," Ms. Hartford said in a cool but admiring tone.
Kayda shrugged. "Dad always taught me that I can't try to blame others for my own problems." She winked at Lanie, smiling. "Someday, I might even be as good as Lanie about turning comments around on other people to make them look stupid."
"Very well, Kayda," Mrs. Carson said. "We're done here, unless you have any questions." Seeing none, she continued. "I believe you and Miss Nalley have some paperwork to take care of in security." She saw Kayda's puzzled look. "At the very least, I should think you'd want to get your knife back!" She glanced at Lanie. "And I'm sure Miss Nalley has better things to do than serve as your private security escort."
"Ah probably should go to mah classes," Lanie admitted with a sheepish smile, and then she grinned to Kayda. "Not that Ah mind helpin' to protect mah ... sister!"
"Admirable, but you do have to keep up your studies, Miss Nalley," the headmistress chided her. "Now you two walk on over to security with Chief Delarose and get all that straightened out, and then you need to go to Kirby Hall." She read Kayda's puzzled expression. "You do want to have a certain charm removed so your magic and your spirits are released, don't you?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Kayda said, eager to get the hated charm off her neck. She followed Chief Delarose out of the office, followed closely by Lanie. Wyatt, too, stood to go with the girls.
"Not so fast, Mister Cody," Mrs. Carson said, causing him to pause in the doorway. "Please close the door and have a seat." As he sat down, she continued. "We need to discuss a very important role you still have to play."
* - - * - - *
May 8th, 2007 Mid-Morning
Circe's Office, Kirby Hall, Whateley Academy
It was a brisk, beautiful morning in New Hampshire. Outside, the sky was clear and blue, birds were singing and the trees were coming to life again. While it had just dipped below freezing the night before, it was already in the fifties and the day was well on its way to eighty. Circe kept a 'public' office in the outward-facing part of Kirby Hall, where, due to the building's round shape every outside edge office was a 'corner' office as it were. It was on the eastern side of the building so the morning sun gloriously shone through the large windows that dominated the back wall of the room.
Perhaps in spite of her history, Circe eschewed the diaphanous, flowing gowns of Greek antiquity she was normally portrayed in, preferring instead more sensible skirt suits of fairly durable fabrics. There were rumors that she actually owned a tweed traveling suit. Ironically, however, today she was actually wearing jeans and blouse. "When this is released," she cautioned Kayda while pulling on a pair of silk gloves, "your magic and the ties to your spirits will return almost instantly. I warn you, it's a very intense feeling, almost like manifesting once again. Are you ready?"
Kayda licked her lips a bit fearfully and nodded. She sat in the chair the teacher indicated and careful to only touch the charm and its necklace with the gloves, Circe removed the necklace from her neck. Kayda tensed and had a sharp inhalation as she grabbed the arms of the chair for support.
The air around the girl exploded in a shower of rainbow colored sparks, phantasm images of people, places, animals and nightmares as the connection of the essence in the charm was returned while the power it blocked sucked in essence from around her. This was like a pair of dams opening floodgates into the same spillway, creating a maelstrom of excess essence poured off as hobgoblins and cantrips and simple illusions that the experienced mages in the room brushed aside with ease. Ms. Grimes, holding a crystal near Kayda to 'read' her magic, worried her lip for a few seconds until she saw Kayda's inner essence re-light safely, and she sighed with relief. Sealing a mage from essence was always a very chancy thing. Sometimes, the essence wouldn't re-light, and magical ability could be lost forever. In Kayda's case, that would be doubly-devastating, because it was her magic that allowed her to commune with her spirits. Fortunately, Kayda wasn't so affected. Her core of essence glowed brightly for a moment, sucking back the essence the charm had stolen and the flood from around the air, then settled back into the normal, soft glow she'd had when Ms. Grimes had first met her. "She's alright," the teacher proclaimed, letting the spectators all breathe again.
Kayda's eyes filled with tears and leaked out as she finally opened them. "My...my spirits! I can feel them again!"
The ancient sorceress smiled. "Yes, that will be a bit overwhelming until you're used to it again, so you're to take things easy the rest of this week." She dropped the charm into a metallic box whose carvings glowed briefly as it was closed, then she picked up a pair of slips of paper from her desk and presented them, one to Kayda, the other to Elaine. "These are excuses from class today. She doesn't leave your sight," she ordered Elaine.
"Yes ma'am."
"Now, I believe young Mr. Cody and his spirit have a ritual that may be of some use to you, Miss Franks." Kayda looked at Lanie and back to the sorceress.
"You...you aren't worried...?"
A thin eyebrow ascended the classic Hellenistic face. "That the Kodiak will try something?" she asked with a nasty looking grin. "No, not with every teacher in Magic Arts and Psychic Arts and the headmistress watching. If your behavior alters even a smidgeon, we've made him aware we'll consider it his fault."
Ms. Grimes held up a small jar with a couple of tufts of hair in it. "I'm certain he'll behave," she opined with a particularly wicked smile. "Unless he wants a much less pleasant visit to my formal casting circle."
Elaine placed a hand on Kayda's shoulder. "We're all watching him," she assured her friend. "And he was a healer. What Wyatt was talking about should help you." Kayda weighed that for several moments.
"Ok," she finally admitted. Turning back to Circe, she asked, "Should I go now...?"
The sorceress grinned. "Shoo!" she proclaimed with a dismissive gesture. "And take it easy!" she called after the backs of the departing girls.
Elaine couldn't help but smile as the younger girl all but bounced all the walls with excitement and energy. It was a welcome change from the depressed, listless Kayda that she had tried to help for days, ever since this whole mess got started. Lanie just smiled and nodded, letting the girl babble excitedly in a stream-of-consciousness tsunami as the Lakota girl rode the high of restoration by trying to talk about everything at once.
Fortunately it was a short walk to Melville, though the enthusiasm dialed down several notches as they waited in the elevator lobby for the car. "Do...do you know what it is he wants to do?"
Kayda looked up in time for Lanie's posture to change ever so slightly and her eyes went brown. "It's not anything to worry about," Grizzly said through her host. "PTSD is the brain reacting to new triggers in the same way as old stress. You were hurt badly and it's natural to want to avoid being hurt again. But sometimes, this response is fooled, innocent things seem to be what caused the hurt, or somehow remind us of what caused the hurt and we react the same way, even if the trigger is harmless and the reaction is inappropriate. There are ways to 'show' your brain these triggers that 'seem' to be the cause of the old injury aren't."
"Kodiak will be in my mind?" she asked somewhat fearfully.
"Yes." There was a predatory nature to Lanie's smile that it normally didn't have. "So will I. Don't worry, so will your spirits." Kayda forced herself to remain calm and rode the car in silence. The door opened to a strobe light flash of a camera that had both girls blinking in surprise, partially blinded.
"Kayda!" shouted a voice. "Now that you've beaten the Heyoka Murder rap, are you and Loophole on your way to a celebratory orgy...?"
"Peeper!" snarled Elaine in a voice Kayda had never heard her use before. Blinking back stars, she found Elaine holding the somewhat rotund freshman against the wall by his throat in her human form, one arm cocked behind her ready to deliver a blow. "Give me one reason why Ah shouldn't beat the taste out of your mouth!"
I had no idea she was so strong! Kayda finally got her vision cleared and laid a cautioning hand on Elaine's shoulder. "Let him down, Lanie," she told her sister softly. "He's not worth it."
"Let me just catch you pulling a stunt like this again," she growled, throwing the boy into the elevator and pressing the ground floor button. "See if Ah don't tan your hide!" she shouted at the closing doors. "Gutless little turd," she muttered as she led the way around the corner to Wyatt's room and knocked.
"Are you ok?" the Lakota girl asked softly. The redhead shook herself and forced a smile and a nod. The door opened on the imposing bulk of Wyatt Cody wearing a pair of loose, jersey shorts and a Gold's Gym Rat A-shirt.
"Good morning, Ladies," he practically purred. "Do come in."
Kayda wasn't sure what she was expecting by Wyatt's room; nothing ever seemed to fit him. He was big like a jock and one would have thought that there would be sports teams logos and posters everywhere, but he wasn't really 'athletic' in that way. Nor was it about body building or other 'jock' obsessions. Despite his reputation, his bed was a simple full-size rectangle with cotton sheets, not king-sized with satin sheets as one might expect. There was a fire place and a bear skin rug, but it seemed more for being comfortable than for homage to his being Alaskan or the school's most accomplished Don Juan.
Ironically the only poster on the wall was of an airplane of some kind. Kayda wouldn't have pictured him as the 'aviator' fighter jock type, he was too big, and the plane seemed to be a civilian model anyway. "Sit down on the rug," he invited, sinking down onto it himself after he and Elaine shared a 'hello' kiss. His eyes were intense, but also concerned.
"Kayda, this is going to be hard on you," he cautioned. "You'll have to be strong, you'll have to see things you don't want to see, hear things you don't want to hear."
She nodded, a bit apprehensively. "Oh...ok..."
"Face things you have not and don't want to face," he finished. "Everything that follows, is done with love, alright?"
"Maybe we shouldn't pile up..." she started, but his hand shot out and touched her forehead. He was much faster than he looked.
* - - * - - *
May 8th, 2007 - Morning
The March of Dreams, Dream Space of the Ptesanwi
It was black, everywhere and everything, an endless darkness, there was no up or down, no left or right, just the inside of one's eyelids in a pitch black room. Then, suddenly, the Kodiak was there, reddish brown fur glistening with health, eyes dark and endless as the blackness that stretched from here to infinity. Hello, Brandon.
Brandon started, conversely confused and elated to find himself tall again, strong again, normal again in the endless darkness, while a shadow self, his Kayda self, stood to one side looking on. "I..." he said, surprised and shocked. "Why? Why did you do this?"
What makes you think I control this? The spirit asked, ambling up in a deceptively long gait. This is your mind. Why is it empty? Why do you think you're male?
"I don't...I mean, I...I'm just here...You..."
I am a guide, the Kodiak retorted. Wakan Tanka told you about how spirits guide humanity to Truth, hasn't she? And so I will guide you. He sat, and his eyes were still on the boy's level. What we see, you control, not I.
In a flash the blackness was the alley behind the honey factory, a group of boys gathered in a circle, cheering on a horrific crime. "Fuck that mutie bitch!" one sneered, even as he drove a pile-driver of a fist into the helpless victim's ribs.
"No!" shouted Brandon, whirling away from the horrific scene. "Don't show me this!" Beside him, the Kayda shadow-self cringed at the brutal memory as well.
You show me, the bear retorted. Is this why in your heart you are not Kayda?
"Stop! Please!" wailed the girl in the memory.
"Fuck her!"
"Dibs!"
"Save me some ass!"
"Stop it!" screamed Brandon at the spirit. "You monster! Stop showing me this! Wasn't it bad enough...!"
The Kodiak reared to his feet and towered over the boy. I do NOT show you this! You live here! You hide here because you think you could have stopped this!
The boy pointed an accusing finger at the girl who stood by mute. "This is her fault! I could have stopped this if wasn't for her! I wasn't strong because she made me weak...!"
You were powerless; they were many, and you were emergent and untrained. Why do you cling to this notion you could have done something?
"If I had been Brandon.... I was strong! I was a starter on the football team! It was her! I ... I was ...!"
Foolish boy! Enough! roared the spirit. He swept aside the crowd and Brandon saw himself, Brandon, not Kayda, beaten, bloody, in the act of being abused. See! Look and see the truth! Male or female, you were powerless!
"No!" he shouted, once more whirling in rage to face the girl he had become instead of the bear that rubbed his nose in what he saw as his failure. "It's not true! It's not! Kayda! Kayda is weak! Kayda is a girl! She was raped because she wasn't strong!"
The spirit waved his arm, and the scene changed to the gym, to the corridor where Brandon fled, chased by a mob of angry students, catching him and then beating him mercilessly.
"Kill the mutant!"
"We don't want your scum around here, Mutie!"
Blow after blow rained down on Brandon, curled up and trying desperately to protect his face and abdomen from the unceasing hail of punches and kicks. Pain exploded out from every impact, causing Brandon to whimper in pain, begging for mercy.
Were you strong here? demanded the spirit. You were Brandon, but you couldn't stop them because they were too many! Even as a male, you were powerless against the mob that was trying to kill you.
"No!" Brandon cried out to the spirit. "I ... I should have been able to ...."
Even as Brandon, you were helpless! roared the spirit. Why can you not see the obvious?
"I ... I could have ..." Brandon whimpered softly. "She..."
She? The bear demanded. She was there your whole life! She gave you strength not of body, but conviction. She helped you see what was right and what was desire masquerading as virtue. She would tell you now if YOU did not keep her silent, choosing to live here and wallow in this fetid memory! While you hold her silent and cling to the misguided notion that you could have somehow prevented the rape, you harm your Kayda-self the Kodiak growled. You make her overreact or keep her from acting because you cannot accept the truth, but live in these memories.
"I ... I don't believe you!" Brandon cried out, eyes wide to realize now that the image of Kayda that was standing nearby actually had her hands tied and was gagged by his own bandanna, the spirit bandanna the whole football team had gotten together to show their loyalty to each other. "No," he whispered, fighting the realization he knew now was true.
The scene shifted to the parking lot at spring break, and Brandon saw his female self inside her magic shield, protecting her friends from eight .45 caliber shots fired at very close range. He saw Kayda deflecting blows from attackers, fighting like a dervish, besting multiple attackers with speed and grace and determination that Brandon could never hope to match. He saw Kayda taking down her principle foe, and then being held from a killing blow. "Kayda did stop them. Could Brandon have done that?" asked Elaine who was suddenly by his side.
Who is stronger? the Kodiak demanded. Brandon cringed, looking away from both the spectacle of the memory and from Kodiak. The bear reached down, taking Brandon's chin in his massive paw and turning Brandon to face him. Who is stronger, boy?
Brandon's lip trembled, and tears started to leak from his eyes. "Kayda ... is stronger," he sobbed.
"Kayda is a sorceress," whispered Lanie. "A shaman, an exemplar, and an avatar. Kayda could stop them. Kayda did stop them."
"They..." Brandon whispered. "They were my friends..."
Friends do not do what they did, whispered Grizzly.
You were powerless, the Kodiak told him softly. Not anymore. Why do you cling to this conceit that you could have done more than what Kayda has? Why do you cling to the fantasy that Kayda is not you, that Kayda is somehow inferior to you?
"They ... they hurt her! They ... they raped her!" Brandon cried out in anguish and began to sob as truth penetrated his stubborn conceit and he sank to his knees, his face buried in his hands. "They ... they raped ... me!"
A soft glow penetrated the darkness and Tatanka ambled softly up, a regal nod of acknowledgment as he passed the Kodiak. "Child, will you now accept my gifts? You and Kayda are one. You are Winkte - Two Spirits. You belong together. Joined, you are strong. Come, leave this dreary memory behind, once and for all." The mighty white buffalo nudged the Brandon spirit toward the Kayda-spirit.
Hesitantly, Brandon pulled himself to his feet, his uncertain gaze darting back and forth between Kayda and the white buffalo, and he stepped toward her, reaching out slowly to fumble with the knots to release the girl and then touching the other half of his Two-Spirits self. "I...I'm sorry," he whispered to which Kayda only smiled and reached up to hold his face in her hands. Glancing nervously at Tatanka, who nodded affirmatively, the Brandon spirit stepped deeper and deeper into the Kayda spirit, until the two merged and were one. As they did so, the blackness of Brandon's nightmare faded away completely, leaving them in a familiar, tranquil mountain meadow.
Kayda threw herself around her friend the buffalo spirit, burying her face deep in his shaggy white fur and her arms as far around his neck as they would go. "Come, child," the buffalo told her. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. The Kodiak has shown you the truth - that you are more powerful, more capable now as Kayda than you were before. What you feared before, you need not fear now; what hurt you before cannot hurt you now." Kayda lifted her head and stared at the buffalo, looking in one of his soulful eyes. "Search your feelings; you know it to be true."
There were still tears to join the flood Kayda had cried, but at long last some were tears of acceptance. The musky smell of her spirit filled her nose and at last the week caught up to her and when the darkness came again, there were no ghosts of Brandon, but only welcome sleep to a weary young woman, a Two-Spirits who had finally overcome the last barrier to completely accepting herself.
* - - * - - *
May 8th, 2007 - After Dinner
Between Boston and Dunwich, NH
Pete drove the car at a casual pace; thanks to the morning's news, all sense of pressure and tension was gone, and this was just a trip to visit their daughter - and for him to see the school he'd heard so much about. In the back seat, Debra was asleep; some girl had called and told her that Kayda wanted to dream-walk. Having done so himself with his daughter, he understood.
Beside him, June rested, having put up her magazine when daylight faded. With a bit of road construction, it would be well after midnight when they finally got to Whateley, but that was fine. There was no sense of urgency anymore.
With a glance in the mirror, he saw the peaceful look on Debra's face. He wondered if she wasn't already dream-walking with Kayda. Instinctively, he reached out and touched June's hand. "I knew having kids was going to be a challenge," he said softly so as not to wake Debra. "But this?"
"Did we do the right thing - sending her here for school?" June asked, still fighting her anxiety over the whole affair.
"I think so. There are good people looking out for her. They can take care of her in ways we can't, or don't know how to," Pete answered. "So yeah, I think so."
* - - * - - *
May 8th, 2007 - After Dinner
The March of Dreams, Dream Space of the Ptesanwi
Wakan Tanka sat by the fire, tending a little pot, smiling as she felt the spirits approaching even though they weren't visible yet. Eventually, four figures - two humans and two large bears - approached the tepee circle, stopping outside an unseen ring.
"Cante waste nape ciyuzapo," the she-bear intoned formally, her gruff voice nevertheless warm and unthreatening.
"Join us," Wakan Tanka replied, not looking up but instead pouring tea from a large clay pot into several cups. "And you need not be so formal."
Lanie crossed her legs as she sat down. "Ma'am," she said in her dulcet voice, "mah ma taught me to be respectful, and Ah wouldn't feel right just comin' and goin' without bein' polite."
"You set a good example for your takshi, your younger sister Wihakayda," Wakan Tanka said with a smile. "It is no wonder she loves you as her cuwe, her older sister. Because of your bond as soul-sisters, you may come and go in her dream space as you wish, the same as her soul-mate Debra."
"How is it that Ah understand you, but you aren't speakin' English?" Lanie asked as she accepted a clay cup of tea from Wakan Tanka.
"Your spirits understand," a gruff voice came from behind Lanie, between two tents, as a shaggy white bison ambled to the fire circle, "and so you understand."
"How is she?" Lanie asked, worried about her friend who'd been sleeping on the bearskin rug in Cody's penthouse all afternoon, missing both lunch and dinner. She'd forsaken going to eat so she could watch over her friend, while Cody got them to-go meals, even though Kayda's had gone uneaten.
Wakan Tanka looked at the large bear who was awkwardly lapping his tea from his cup. "The healing the Kodiak did was very fatiguing to her. With the added stress of being locked from us and from her magic, and her panic attacks, she is doing remarkably well. Debra, her tawicasa, is with her, comforting her as she rests."
Lanie was grateful to hear that Debra was helping Kayda, and that the young Lakota girl was resting and improving, but a part of her couldn't help but be jealous; she didn't know if it was because she'd become so close to Kayda during the young girl's ordeal, or if it was because they'd been lovers, or if it was because she'd so enjoyed caring for Kayda like a sister - or child - at the movie. "Good," she replied simply.
"It felt like a demon touch when ...." Wakan Tanka said, looking uneasily at Lanie as she spoke, gauging the reaction of the redhead.
Grizzly nodded. "I felt it as well in my host."
"There is a student who is the daughter of the lust demon," Cody replied. "She is the Kellith. She is most likely the source of what our hosts felt."
Lanie nodded. "Apparently, she is missing. The boy who confessed to killing Heyoka also admitted that his friend summoned her, but never released her from the summoning circle."
Wakan Tanka nodded grimly. "Summoning a demon without releasing it? He deserves all that he gets when she frees herself. Her revenge will be ugly and eternal and painful." She shook her head. "What do you know of this demon-girl, the Kellith? Will she now be an enemy of us as well? Have we earned her enmity through this?"
Wyatt shook his head. "Sara is ... unusual ... but pretty cool. As long as she's been on campus, I've never heard of her blaming the victims, but she has the ability to be merciless with the perpetrators. Darren and Eddie are in serious trouble if or when she shows up again."
"It would be very bad to have such a demon as an enemy," Wakan Tankan said, sounding relieved by Wyatt's observation.
"Indeed," the Kodiak nodded.
There was silence around the fire circle as the group sipped - or lapped - at their tea. Finally, Wakan Tanka spoke again, her voice sad and reflecting disbelief. "Killing the host of the Heyoka ... who could do such a thing?"
"The boy who planned this all is Crow," the Kodiak said, frowning.
"That figures," Wakan Tanka snarled. She spat into the fire in disgust at the ancient enemies of her People. She looked at the Kodiak. "I told you that some will never be ready to join as One People and accept our place with the White Man. Some tribes will never let go of their ancient hatred. The Crow are among them."
"But you will nevertheless support a call to the spirit council to call the Nations to peace?" Grizzly said, sounding confident of her supposition.
"Yes," Wakan Tanka said, staring into the fire, her eyes narrowed in anger. "I will do what I can to bring peace, so that prosperity may be returned to all the People of all the Nations." She continued to stare silently, trying to contain the fire raging behind her eyes that matched the fire burning in the circle. "But I will have a very hard time forgetting that a Crow tried to destroy my prophet," she said through gritted teeth. After a long internal battle, she took a sip from her cup.
Lanie started to stand. "I'm going to check on the girls," she said. "Kayda has been resting without food nearly all day, and Ah'm gettin' a little concerned about her."
"Let them be," Wakan Tanka ordered in a voice that couldn't be ignored. "Wihakayda needs much rest, and their souls need time to heal and reconnect." Abruptly, she stood. "Come with me, Pict Daughter. I feel the need to stretch my legs, and your company would be welcome." She offered a hand and helped Lanie to her feet. Silently, the two walked between the tepees and out of the camp. After walking thirty or forty yards, Wakan Tanka stopped and turned her head skyward and gazed at the stars, the magnificent hazy, milky band that was the Milky Way. "What do you see when you look skyward, Pict Daughter?" she asked Lanie.
"Do you mean literally or figuratively?" she asked hesitantly. After a long moment of the spirit refusing to answer the redhead nodded and took a guess. "Figuratively, Ah see the future of mankind. Ah see space stations and mines and colonies and star ships. Ah see a time when humanity won't be in danger of being wiped out by a stray rock traveling at a hundred miles a second."
The spirit woman smiled an inscrutable smile but said nothing. Elaine shrugged and continued. "Literally? Ah see ... Ah see billions of stars. As far as the eye can see, nothing but stars." Lanie answered. "And Ah'd prefer it if you called me Lanie instead of Pict Daughter. It is mah name, or at least it's the nickname Ah prefer."
"And yet, Lanie," Wakan Tanka emphasized the girl's name, "if you look at the sky, your eyes are drawn to a few of the stars, is that not true? Stars which stand out as special, attracting your gaze."
"Ah know that," Lanie said, trying not to sound curt or condescending. She did know a lot about space, after all.
"You and Wihakayda are special, like stars that stand out in the night,"
"Supernovae stand out," Lanie observed sardonically, "and they burn out quickly. Like comets and meteorites."
"Are you a comet or star that will burn out quickly?"
Lanie stood there for a moment, gawking at Wakan Tanka and trying to figure out how to respond. "Ah ... Ah hope not," she finally said. "Ah don't want to ..."
Wakan Tanka gazed at the sky, staring at a spot. "Do you see those two stars, Lanie? The two bright stars close together?"
Lanie looked up. The view did not match what she should see in early May in early evening. Another paradox of the dream world. "Those are the 'twins', Castor and Pollux, in the constellation Gemini."
"When I see them, I think of you and Wihakayda - two stars shining in the night, close by each other." She smiled at Lanie. "You and Wihakayda are very much alike, Lanie, much more so than either of you want to admit. You are both adventurous to the point of being reckless. And yet you believe yourselves not to be so. You both want to learn. You are both a little insecure. You are both seeking to find who you really are inside - on your vision quests." She chuckled softly. "You two should have been born twins, like the two stars in the sky."
"Why are you telling me this?" Lanie asked, confused. "You're her spirit guide, not mine."
"Are you ashamed that you and Wihakayda were lovers?"
"No," Lanie snapped instantly. "Ah only regret the harm Ah did to Debra."
"Will that memory stop you from being her friend? Or Soul Sister? Will it stop you from helping her deal with the consequences of your having been lovers because it embarrasses each of you? Will it make you more cautious or more distant from her?"
Lanie's eyes widened as she thought. "Ah ... Ah don't want it to. No, Ah won't let it," she concluded with stubborn certainty.
"Even though you find her attractive? Even though she tempts your two-spirit half?"
"Mah what?"
"You are Two Spirits. You love women. You love men. You have both a male spirit and a female spirit in you; although your female spirit is stronger, you have a male spirit." Wakan Tanka said.
"You mean Ah'm bi,"
Wakan Tanka smiled, shaking her head. "That's a ... white man's concept, Lanie. It is much more than that. It is how you see and live life. Wihakayda can help you learn what Two Spirits means." The smile vanished. "Will your two-spirit nature make you keep Wihakayda at a distance for fear of getting too close, of being too tempted or too attracted?"
Lanie shook her head. "No. She's ... more than a friend. Kayda is ... like the sister Ah never had." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Ah need her help ... to learn who Ah really am inside - even if that means Ah'm two-spirit, or whatever that is."
Wakan Tanka clasped her hand on Lanie's shoulders, looking up into the redhead's eyes. "Wihakayda chose her best friend and sister well." She smiled as Lanie's eyes widened when Wakan Tanka called her Kayda's best friend. "As much as you need her as a friend and Soul Sister, she needs you to be the same for her. You two have much to teach each other."
"Ah'll ... try to be a good sister," Lanie said, her voice choking slightly.
"You will be a good sister. I know that. I can see it." Wakan Tanka took Lanie's hand. "After the healing, Wihakayda has a difficult road ahead of her. She has pain to overcome, and much to bring into herself to fully accept being two-spirits. You, too, have things to learn. You can help each other. You must help each other."
"Ah ... Ah'll try," Lanie said. "But how can Ah help Kayda? She knows more about this two-spirits thing than Ah do."
"You know more than you think." She grasped Lanie's elbow. "Come. Let us go back to the fire circle. Wihakayda is waking."
"Ah have a question," Lanie said as the two women walked. "Why do you call her Wihakayda, and not Kayda, her real name?"
"Wihakayda means 'little one'," Wakan Tanka said with a smile. "It is fitting, is it not?"
The two women walked back to the fire circle; the first thing Lanie noticed as she neared was the smell of meat cooking long before they got in view of the fire. As they came between the last tepees nearest the circle, she saw a large rack of ribs cooking over the fire, and a chunk of what looked to be a huge steak on an improvised 'grill' cooking. Wyatt had another such steak in his hands and was enthusiastically chowing down. Across the circle, the Kodiak was ravenously tearing into a large chunk of meat.
As Lanie sat down by Wyatt, confused, she glanced around and saw that Tatanka was no longer in the circle of spirits. She frowned at him, and seeing her expression, he just shrugged. "I was hungry. What can I say?"
No sooner had he spoken than the tent flap opened and Kayda came out with Debra. For the first time in days, Kayda looked rested and at peace, although she wasn't completely awake yet from her yawn and the way Debra supported her.
Deb and Kayda trudged to the fire circle and sat down on a log, taking cups of tea that Wakan Tanka proffered. Lanie took the opportunity to scoot a couple of feet over and wrap an arm around Kayda's shoulder supportively. "How are you feelin'?" she asked, her simple question conveying all her concern for her friend's well-being.
Kayda took a sip of tea, and then let her head rest on Lanie's shoulder for a moment. "I ... I can't ...." She sighed. "I don't know I could ever repay you for all you've done to help me." The corners of her eyes moistened at the memories of how much Lanie had stood by her side, supporting her, giving her strength to carry on through what had been the toughest ordeal she'd ever faced.
Lanie smiled and kissed the smaller girl on the forehead. "Anything for my little sister." She relaxed her arm, consciously not prolonging the hug so Deb, on the other side of Kayda, wouldn't get even the slightest hint of a wrong idea. "Just like Ah know you'd do the same for me."
"I think the ribs are almost done," Wyatt announced, interrupting the reflective moment of friendship. "Want some? I've got another chunk of steak cooking, too."
"No, I'm ...." Kayda's eyes narrowed as she looked at the rack of ribs cooking over the open fire, suspended by an improvised frame of sticks. The steak was cooking on a forked branch that was leaned across a rock and over the fire, a second large rock providing a counterweight so the stick and meat wouldn't fall into the flaming wood. From having grown up on a farm/ranch, Kayda knew meat. "Is that ... beef? Where'd you get it?"
"Close enough," Wyatt replied. "Funny - I always heard it tasted just like beef, but I didn't believe it."
"What did you do?" Kayda fairly screamed at Wyatt.
"I got hungry, so I had to cook something!" Wyatt protested. Without a second thought, he looked at Deb. "How do you like your steak? Medium? Medium-rare?"
Kayda's eyes were round. "Where's Tatanka?" she demanded, her voice frantic.
Kodiak looked up from the chunk of meat he was devouring. "He's around," he answered simply before going back to eating.
"Could use a little A-1, though," Wyatt said reflectively, not really talking to anyone in the fire circle. "And I wish I had some barbeque sauce for the ribs. Mom taught me a killer recipe for barbeque sauce. You'd love it."
"Where is he?" Kayda screamed again, staring horrified at the rack of ribs over the fire.
Lanie frowned at Wyatt. "What did you do?" she demanded.
Wyatt got a 'who, me' look on his face. "What? I knew Kayda would be hungry, so I was just trying to help."
The Kodiak looked up from his meal. "We didn't have time to organize a hunt," he said. "We had to make do with what was on hand."
"Where's Tatanka?" Kayda demanded, starting to feel a little panic-stricken at the absence of her buffalo spirit and the meat cooking on the fire.
Wyatt shrugged, finished chewing the bite in his mouth, and turned to Debra. "We probably should talk about next fall. In fact, the whole school year." There was uncertainty, hesitation in his voice, like he knew something that Debra probably wasn't going to like.
Debra glanced at Kayda, then at Lanie, and finally back to Wyatt. She wasn't sure she liked the looks on any of their faces. "What's going on next year?" she asked hesitantly.
"What did you do to Tatanka?" Kayda demanded from Wyatt, her eyes shooting daggers at him.
Lanie winced, glancing at Kayda. "Um," she began softly, "Mrs. Carson assigned Kayda and I to a special class on extra-dimensional things."
Kayda tore her angry gaze from Wyatt and looked at Debra. "Kind of punishment for doing rituals and bindings without really knowing what we were doing," she chimed in meekly. "And because Lanie has to take Intro to Mystical Arts, Mrs. Carson assigned me to tutor her."
"You know, Wakan Tanka," Wyatt interrupted, "a good Merlot or Cabernet would go really well with these ribs. I don't suppose you have anything like that. Or any kind of red wine?" His comment was rewarded with glares from the girls.
"Wyatt Cody!" Kayda fairly screamed; if Lanie and Debra hadn't been holding her arms, she'd have leaped to try throttling the big senior. "Where's my buffalo?"
"And I'm supposed to tutor Kayda in gadgeteering and technology," Lanie added, watching Debra's face starting to register shock at how much time the two girls were going to be spending together.
Debra nodded slowly, then she turned to Kayda. "That's not all, is it?" she asked knowingly.
"There's more," Kayda added, wincing at how she expected Debra to react. "Mrs. Carson ... assigned me to Team Phoenix," she said.
Debra shrugged. "Being on a training team isn't unusual. But ... didn't you're friends and you agree to your own team - what was it, the Ghost Walkers?" She read the expressions on the other two girls. "Unless ...."
"I'm on two teams, thanks to Mrs. Carson," Kayda said glumly, still glaring at the senior happily chewing a chunk of steak.
"Wyatt is the team captain of Team Phoenix," Lanie explained. "And Ah'm on the team, too."
Wyatt leaned forward and tugged at the rack of ribs over the fire. "Yup, they're done." He tore a couple of ribs and meat free. "Who wants one?" he asked, waving them toward the girls.
"Oooookaaaay," Debra said cautiously. "So ... you two are going to be ... together a lot next term."
"We both want to keep our friendship," Kayda said, worried by Debra's reaction enough to not focus on Wyatt or her missing buffalo. "Lanie's ... like a sister. But ...."
"But you both know that you'll be tempted, right? Because you've both acknowledged that you're attracted to each other?"
"If it hadn't been for the lust demon essence ...," Kayda started to say.
Wyatt interrupted. "Make sure you tell her all of the story," he cautioned. He took another bite of the meat he was chewing. "Mmm. This is really good! Are you sure you don't want some?" he asked the girls.
Debra looked at him, and then her eyes narrowed as she alternated her gaze between the two girls. "What else is there?"
"Poe is getting remodeled this summer," Lanie began.
"And they're adding in positions of student Resident Advisors to help Mrs. Horton manage the ... chaos," Kayda continued.
"Ah ... was offered the job of RA in Poe - for the group that'll be the sophomores," Lanie explained, wincing. "Which includes Team Kimba."
"And it also includes Kayda?" Debra asked cautiously, already afraid that she knew the answer.
"Yeah," Lanie and Kayda answered together.
"But the RA room has a private bath. Ah won't be sharing a bathroom with Kayda," Lanie added hastily, "so that'll take away mah temptation."
Debra stared at the two girls, her lower lip trembling, her eyes getting misty. Finally, she could take no more, and she jumped to her feet and bolted from the camp. As soon as the shock wore off, Lanie and Kayda were chasing her. They caught her just outside of camp when she collapsed to her knees, burying her face in her hands as she began to wail aloud in anguish.
Kayda knelt beside her love, putting her hand on Deb's shoulders. "Debra, honey?" she implored, "what's wrong?"
Debra shook her head, struggling to not cry aloud. "I've ... I've lost you!" she cried, consumed with grief and heartache. "I ... I can't compete - not with as much time as ... as ... you'll be with ... with ... with Lanie," she finished, her sobs choking off her words.
Kayda pulled Debra's head onto her shoulder, scooting awkwardly in front of Debra so she hugging her at the same time. "I love you, not Lanie!" she said firmly, trying to reassure her sweetheart. "I shared my soul with you, not with her! I ... I want to spend the rest of my life with you!" She pushed Debra back a little from the tight embrace and lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "I am going to spend the rest of my life with you!" she declared. "Not Lanie."
"But ... you two ... will be together all the time," Debra sobbed. "I ... I won't be there ... when you need a hug or when you want a kiss or a cuddle!"
Lanie squatted down beside Kayda. "Debra Louise Matson, listen to me," she said sternly in an almost-parental tone, turning Debra's head gently to look at her. "If it hadn't been for the demon essence, Ah would not have given in to temptation!" She saw the uncertainty in Debra's eyes. "Let me tell you something about that hot tub party," she continued. "Ah had mah eye on Kayda, Ah'll admit it. But mah friend Ayla told me about you and her bein' lovers, so Ah backed off."
Debra's eyes widened, fearful and hopeful at the same time. "I don't understand."
"Ask Kayda - at the party, Ah gave her a birthday kiss, and from how she reacted, if Ah'd have wanted to, Ah'm sure Ah could have talked her into leavin' the party with me." She glanced at Kayda, and though the color of the shorter girl's cheeks were hidden by the dark of the evening, Lanie knew that Kayda was blushing.
"But ...."
"But nothing!" Lanie cut off her protest. "Kayda and Ah clicked - after we got past a little misunderstanding. But we clicked as friends! Did she tell you what we talked about?" She saw Debra glance hesitantly at Kayda and then shake her head. "We talked about our cars. We talked about classes in the labs. It was geek lab-talk, not whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears! And when Ah left early, Ah knew that if anyone at the party had a chance with her, it was me! Wyatt and Ah had broken up. Ah was unattached. And Ah still left the party early because Ah knew you two were in love!"
Debra's eyes widened with surprise, and Lanie could tell that Kayda was astonished at the revelation as well.
"That's right. No matter how tempted Ah was, Ah was not going to come between you. And God knows Ah was tempted! But Ah knew it'd be wrong. Ah couldn't hurt mah friends - either mah old friend or mah new one!" She smiled thinly. "So Ah left the party early rather than letting mahself get more tempted."
"But ..."
"Deb," Lanie said sadly, "Ah tried to stop. We both tried to stop. We couldn't. But that wasn't us - that was the demon essence. We fought it the best we could. Ah can't speak for Kayda, but Ah know Ah've never fought something so hard."
Debra sat silently, digesting what Lanie had said. Finally, she looked at Kayda. "Lanie said that once it wore off ..."
Kayda couldn't fight the tears that memory brought back. "I ... I hated myself for betraying you," she said softly. "I ... I couldn't stand the thought that I'd done something that would hurt you." She was sobbing softly. "I ... I was terrified that you were going to hate me and leave me because I couldn't stop myself."
Debra nodded slowly. "I'm ... I'm scared. By how much time you'll be spending together," she said. "With all the classes and training and being her RA, and then all the tutoring."
Lanie smiled. "About that last one. Wyatt had a good idea, and Ah think you'll like it." She saw that she had piqued Debra's curiosity. "Since we're all going to be very busy, Wyatt suggested that we could do some tutoring in dream space, because time here is different than in the real world." She saw the older girl's puzzled look. "If we do that in dream space, it'll be all of us -, me, Wyatt, Kayda, Wakan Tanka, and you. Ah'd feel better, in fact," Lanie continued, "because you'll know for certain that Kayda and Ah are behavin' and you won't have any reason to doubt either of us."
"I don't want to lose Kayda," Deb said softly to Lanie.
"And Wyatt and Ah don't want to lose each other," Lanie countered. "The only way Ah could see me getting' together with Kayda is if Wyatt and Ah broke up and both of you were amenable to making a happy trio!" she added with a chuckle.
Debra stared, open-mouthed, at the redhead, and then she couldn't help laughing, softly at first and then increasing until she was chuckling aloud. "Don't think I wouldn't be tempted ...." she said with a smile, wiping at the tears on her cheeks.
"Deb!" Kayda protested to her girlfriend, shocked at what she'd heard.
Deb turned and gave Kayda a quick kiss on her forehead. "Don't try to convince me that you wouldn't be tempted too." That elicited a deep blush from the Lakota girl.
The trio of girls clustered into a group hug, the tension having been broken. And then, somehow, Deb gave Lanie a kiss of gratitude, acknowledging that she trusted the redhead and was grateful that they were still friends. It wasn't a quick peck, either, but it was far from the lip-lock Kayda and Lanie had exchanged at the hot-tub party. Lanie turned and Kayda flinched, suspecting that this was some ritualistic thing, a sealing of a promise and mutual friendship. When Lanie leaned closer, Kayda glanced nervously at Debra, and then lifted her lips to Lanie's.
A few moments later, feeling breathless from the depth of feelings involved, Kayda pulled back from Lanie's kiss, blushing slightly, but then Debra leaned to her and began to passionately kiss her girlfriend, sealing the three-way bond of trust and the love of friends. Only in this case, it was far more - the two clutched each other tightly, losing themselves in their exuberant kiss, exchanging their love with their lips and tongues. Time stopped in their perfect expression of love, and their surroundings blended with the background into a bland nothingness, unable to distract them from the depth of feelings they were sharing.
When they broke their kiss some unknown time later, it took a while for the two lovers to realize that Lanie was gone; that Kayda and Debra were kneeling at the edge of the tepee circle, clutching each other tightly, holding with the tenderness of a mother holding her newborn and the strength and desperation of a drowning man clinging to a life preserver.
Eventually, the two rose, and arm in arm, walked back the fire circle, barely able to take their eyes from each other, their love reassured. For a few moments, they were the perfect couple, Kayda's head on Debra's shoulder as they walked slowly to a log, where they slowly sat down, still holding hands as if unwilling to let go.
Lanie sat next to Wyatt, chewing on a large hunk of rib like he was. Eventually, Kayda noticed them, and her eyes widened.
"Want some?" Wyatt asked, reaching to the much smaller rack of ribs still over the fire.
Kayda goggled at the sight which had been momentarily forgotten. "Where is Tatanka?" she fairly screamed. "If you hurt him, I swear I'll ... I'll ..." She stammered, unable to finish the thought.
"Calm down, Wihakayda. He did not hurt me," a gruff voice sounded from behind Kayda. The girls spun toward the sound, startled, and as soon as Kayda recognized the speaker, she practically leaped up and wrapped her arms around the furry bison, still glaring at Wyatt.
After a few seconds of listening to the others chuckling - except Debra - Kayda let go of her shaggy friend, and as she backed away, she noticed that he was chuckling as well. "You!" she said, open-mouthed. "You were in on this, too!" she accused him. She glanced around accusingly. "You were all in on this!"
Wakan Tanka smiled. "They were; I was not."
"But you didn't' say anything," Kayda retorted angrily. "So indirectly, you were in on it."
The goddess shrugged. "I didn't feel like defeating the Kodiak today."
The bear's head popped up, and he changed into the form of a massive, barrel-chested warrior. "Oh, so you think you could do that?"
"You? Yes," Wakan Tanka replied dismissively. "But I do not care to fight the Grizzly as well, and no doubt she would come to your aid since you and Grizzly are bound to the two lovers."
"I don't know," Grizzly said after changing into her 'Amazon biker chick' form, "it might be amusing to see him get smacked around."
"Ah'd pay to see that," Lanie giggled, earning her a stare of disapproval from Wyatt.
"We are here for healing," Wakan Tanka said, "not for fighting. Healing relationships, healing old wounds."
"Besides," Wyatt chuckled, "the look on your face as you stared at the ribs was priceless!"
Kayda scowled at the burly senior. "I will get you for this," she promised.
"Wyatt," Deb snickered, "when a woman says she'll get you, worry."
Wyatt thought a moment, and then held out some ribs to Kayda as a peace offering. "Have some. They're really good. But there's no barbeque sauce," he added with a shrug.
Wakan Tanka stared at him in disbelief for a moment, and then shook her head. "Remember where you are. Remember the nature of the spirit world." Seeing his look of puzzlement, she continued. "Where did you get the meat to cook? Your mind created it. In the same way, your mind can create this 'barbeque sauce' that you seem to desire."
Wyatt thought a moment, and then focused; a bottle of A-1 steak sauce appeared in his hand. "I ... forgot," he admitted sheepishly. He thought again, and, completely out of period and setting, a bottle of wine and some wine goblets appeared. "Perfect!" he said. He poured the wine and passed the goblets around
After eating some of the barbequed buffalo and drinking some wine, Kayda looked tired. "I think I want to rest some more," she hinted to Debra. She also shot a longing glance at Lanie, who in turn glanced at Wyatt with her unspoken question.
Kayda clambered to her feet, offering a hand to Debra and helping her stand. Wearily, the two trudged into a tepee. Behind them, Wyatt and Lanie likewise stood, and with Lanie leading the way, they entered the same tepee.
Wakan Tanka sat at the fire circle, sipping her tea, for several minutes. Finally, she stood. "Come," she said to the two bear spirits. Following her, they went to the tepee the kids had entered, and Wakan Tanka pulled back the tent flap.
The four high-school kids were spooned together, with Kayda snuggled up tightly behind Debra. Lanie snuggled behind her, sandwiching the fatigued girl between them, and Wyatt cuddled up behind Lanie, his meaty hand on her hip. All seemed to be asleep. Wakan Tanka let the tent flap close. "They are all tired," she said to the bear spirits. "It has been an ordeal for all of them, and they need their rest." Without another word, she walked back and took her place at the fire circle.
For several minutes, the trio of spirits sat silently, the dancing orange and red flames reflected in their eyes as they were each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Wakan Tanka broke the silence. "I know of your conspiracy to draw the two together," she said simply. "You used them to further your own vendetta against the Bastard," she accused the Kodiak.
"The Bastard is a threat to all of creation," the Kodiak replied easily, as if those words alone justified his actions.
"That may be true," Wakan Tanka said, "but does it give you the right to meddle in the affairs of Lanie and Wyatt?"
"As if you have room to talk, old woman!" the Kodiak snarled.
Wakan Tanka looked stunned. "I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Yes, you do," Grizzly joined in. "You know it was to be Brandon's daughter who was your next prophetess, the next Ptesanwi! But you couldn't resist once Brandon manifested as an avatar. You just had to move in, take up residence, and change him - against his will!"
"You couldn't resist the temptation to appear early," the Kodiak accused. "Did you force him to be Two-Spirits, too, to further your goal?"
"You know that he was always Two-Spirits!" Wakan Tanka hissed. "Kayda was always part of him, about a third of Brandon. It would have helped him be a good father," she added lamely. Her lie was obviously transparent. "
"And you saw to that, too - so he could better raise your prophetess," Grizzly said evenly.
"This from one who tricked a girl into accepting your spirit?" Wakan Tanka counter-accused. "At least Brandon remains as a part of Kayda - so she remains Two Spirits. How much did you change or influence Wyatt and Lanie so they'd accept your goals?"
"We did what we had to. Without Lanie by his side, Wyatt would have been too distracted, pining for her, and he would fail at his task of defeating the Bastard." Kodiak defended.
"So you mess up their lives to further your agenda?"
"And you don't?" Grizzly countered sharply.
"The enemies of the people are awakening! It was necessary to ... to fill his avatar hallow, to speed up the plans." Wakan Tanka defended.
"They awaken only because you brought Ptesanwi back," Kodiak said evenly.
Wakan Tanka glared at the two angrily, and then looked back into the dancing orange flames of the slowly dying fire. "You ... will not tell Kayda of this?" Wakan Tanka asked softly, pleaded actually.
"And you will not tell Lanie or Wyatt of what we did?" Grizzly asked in reply.
"It sounds as though we are agreed. What's done is done. We will keep our secrets from our hosts, and only help them go forward," Wakan Tanka said grimly. She glared at the white buffalo, who simply nodded his agreement.
"And we will speak of this no more," Kodiak added grimly.
"Agreed."
* - - * - - *
Wednesday, May 9th, 2007, Early Morning
Poe Cottage, Whateley Academy
The knock on the door sounded like cannon fire, it was so insistent. Kayda squinted against the early morning sun rays peeking through the slats in the blinds and looked at her alarm clock. "Six o'clock?" she asked herself, puzzled.
She looked around, and her heart felt like it was dancing a jig. She recognized her room, and Evvie snoring softly across the room. A quick turn of her head showed her precious poster on the wall, personally autographed by Debra. It seemed so - normal! Had she been dreaming all of this? Was it merely some sick, twisted nightmare?
The warm sensation of her core of essence and the extra-warm sensation of her spirits clinging to her, as if hugging her extra tightly in the spirit-world, told her that it had happened, that she had been detained for killing Heyoka, that her magic had been sealed, and that she and Lanie had ....
Kayda couldn't help feeling her cheeks burn at that memory, and yet, she felt herself flush, felt a warm tingle within her. It had been absolutely glorious - at first - and she could still almost feel Lanie's hands on her body, the taste of the hot redhead, Lanie's tongue .....
Kayda snapped herself out of that train of thought. She hadn't even realized that her hand was drifting toward her nether regions of its own accord, while the other gently cupped her own breast, her mind thinking of Lanie's hands instead of her own. But that line of thought was dangerous. She had Debra. She loved Debra. She was soul-bound to Debra.
That still left the mystery of how she had gotten back from Melville, the last place she remembered being, resting after an emotionally exhausting dream-walk with Kodiak to help her heal. Had Lanie or Wyatt carried her? Had Lanie tucked her in? And ... had she really healed, or started healing? She didn't feel different inside.
The insistent knock destroyed any further reminiscence of those memories. Instead, she pulled back the covers and, pulling on her robe, walked to the door, her eyes still only half-open.
The soft shriek of delight was loud enough to cause Evvie to groan in protest and pull her pillow over her head. "Ohmygod, ohmygod, onmygod!" Kayda squealed over and over, leaping into Debra's waiting arms, her lips eagerly seeking those of her soul-mate. Their kiss was long and passionate, a tender and yet frenetic renewal of their mutual love.
"Ahem," a voice sounded beside Debra, interrupting their reunion after a couple of magical minutes.
Kayda backed off from Debra slowly, unwilling to let go of her partner, or to cease feeling her lips caressing Debra's and vice-versa. But she knew, from the interruption, that Debra was not alone. "Mom?" Kayda asked, goggling at her mother who stood patiently in the hallway, watching Debra and Kayda's enthusiastic reunion with a bemused smile.
"Did you save any hugs for me?" June asked wryly, stretching out her arms toward her daughter.
In response, Kayda reluctantly left Debra's arms and let her mom encircle her as only a mother could, her hug showing love and comfort and safety. "What ... what are you doing here?" Kayda asked when her brain caught up.
"If you think I'm going to stay at home while my daughter ..."
"And my girlfriend," Debra interrupted to add.
"... is under investigation and suspicion, then you're crazy." June clung tightly to Kayda again. "When I heard what you were going through ...."
"Wait," Kayda interjected, her eyes narrowed. "You know? Who told you?" She shook her head. "Mrs. Carson couldn't," she noted, "because of the neutrality requirement."
"I know. But someone from the school was still required by policy to contact us. Michiko ... er, Mrs. Shugendo ... told me all about Mrs. Carson's position when she called to tell me what was going on."
"The question is," Debra added, clutching Kayda's hand like she never, ever wanted to let go again, "how are you doing?"
"I'm fine," Kayda replied simply.
Debra frowned and looked knowingly at her. "You weren't 'fine'," she said. "You had your magic sealed and lost touch with your spirits. That's pretty serious. So how are you really doing?"
Kayda sighed, half-smiling and shaking her head. "I ...." She closed her eyes, recalling some of the awful moments, and an involuntary shudder coursed through her. "It was hell!" she finally said, her voice trembling as she fought tears from the memory of the horrible feeling of being alone. "I ... I felt so lost and alone, and so terribly vulnerable."
"You're okay now, sweetie," Debra said, hugging Kayda again.
A couple of doors down, a girl in a robe emerged and, her eyes on the trio in the hall, walked to the bathroom.
"I suppose we should step in the room, but I'm afraid of waking Evvie," Kayda said, wincing at the two bad options. "On the other hand, in a few minutes, this place will be Grand Central Station with girls heading for the showers."
"Then we'll go back to the guest cottages where your dad is catching up on the news," Mom announced definitively. "So we can get ready for breakfast, and you can get ready here. Then we'll meet you at Crystal Hall."
* - - * - - *
May 9th, 2007 - Early Morning
Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
"Why were all the boys and girls staring at you?" Dad asked as they sat at Kayda's usual table. None of the Ghost Walkers were there yet, so it was just the four of them. "I can understand the boys; after all, you are a very lovely young lady ...."
Kayda drew a deep breath to steady herself; despite all her efforts, it was still so hard to emulate Lanie and not care that she was being stared at. "The ... rape ... came up in the hearing, so pretty much everyone at school knows now," she said softly, feeling her cheeks flushing. "And ... my alibi ...."
Debra put her hand on Kayda's, squeezing it lovingly and reassuringly. "Kayda and our mutual friend Lanie were lured to the sweat lodge," she explained, saving Kayda the embarrassment of having to tell her folks that she'd had sex with the redhead. But it was still awkward coming from Kayda's girlfriend. "They were exposed to lust essence from a demon, and," she winced at the mental image of Kayda and Lanie in a sixty-nine position, pleasuring each other, "they had sex."
"Darren - Speakeasy - set it up and taped it to humiliate me. According to the kid who killed Heyoka, he wanted to shame me into leaving Whateley even if I managed to get out of the murder rap." Kayda winced.
"I presume, from your reaction," Dad said without criticism in his voice, "that also was revealed in the hearing?" Kayda nodded mutely.
Debra rescued the mood by taking Kayda's cheeks in her hands. "So if everyone knows you're a lesbian, I can do this." She pulled herself into a serious lip-lock with Kayda, who promptly blushed so hard that she was afraid she was glowing red. But she returned the kiss, because she couldn't refute Debra's logic.
At a table across from them, three boys sat, one of whom had a red demon-looking girl hanging all over him. The largest boy - a solid-looking brick that Kayda knew as truck, wrinkled his nose. "Oh, get a room!"
Debra fully expected Kayda to flinch or otherwise be embarrassed by the none-too-subtle comment. Instead, she held her head high and looked straight at Truck. "After classes, maybe," she said, not giving him the pleasure of intimidating her.
A moment later, a boy and girl walked up to the table, looking nervously at the adults seated with Debra and Kayda. "Morning, Laurie," Kayda greeted the girl cheerfully. "Adrian. Please join us. These are my parents," she introduced Mom and Dad. "And you know my girlfriend Debra." She turned to her parents. "Adrian and Laurie are on my training team."
"Which one?" Debra asked with a knowing smile.
"The Ghost Walkers," Kayda answered as four more girls walked up and plopped down.
"Good thing we got a big table," Evvie chuckled. "I presume these are your parents?"
"Is Vasiliy coming, or is he off chasing Chat Bleu again?" Kayda asked with a light laugh.
"He's with the Berets," Adrian answered with a chuckle. "He said some guy thing that was pretty stupid, she got upset, and now he's trying to make amends to her."
"These are my parents," Kayda said to everyone. "Mom, Dad, these are most of the rest of my training team. Evvie is my roommate," she began.
"We've talked a lot," Mom said. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."
"And Naomi, who's a sophomore. She's a gadgeteer like me."
"I'm just a Gadgeteer-1," Naomi protested. "Not a 5 like you!"
Kayda laughed, as did Adrian and Laurie. "Don't let her false modesty fool you. She's known as Freeze Frame for a reason - she's a wiz behind a camera, and she makes fantastic gadgets and inventions for photography."
Kayda continued around the table. "You know Addy, and this is her roommate Alicia Thacker - Headrush."
Mom's eyes widened and she smiled. "Are you the one Kayda is going to spend part of the summer with?"
"Yes, ma'am," Alicia replied with a huge grin. "It's nice to meet y'all. Mah parents and Ah are lookin' forward to Kayda visitin' this summer."
Mom looked around the table, and it was clear that her eyes were misting. "I ... I want to thank you all for being such wonderful friends for my daughter," she said, her voice choking. "I've heard so much about you before all of this ... stuff, and I know Kayda couldn't have a better group of friends supporting her."
Kayda's cheeks flushed. "Mo-om!" she protested, "you're embarrassing me!"
Pete Franks laughed aloud. "That's a parent's job," he said. "So you'll have to deal with it."
"What are you going to do while I'm in classes?" Kayda asked to change the subject.
"Michiko suggested that we follow along since we're here," Mom explained. "I was worried about disrupting everything, but she said that since we know all about powers and stuff, it'd be a green flag day - whatever that is - and nobody would really care."
A dour expression came over Kayda's face. "You're going to embarrass me!" she protested.
That elicited a chuckled from Debra. "Oh, so you're not embarrassed kissing me in public anymore, but you are embarrassed of your parents tagging along?" The others got a hearty chuckle, while Debra squeezed Kayda's hand under the table reassuringly.
"I'm ... I'm glad you came," Kayda said, feeling her own voice crack. "It's ... it's a little easier to think of all I went through when I know - now - that you were trying to get out here for me."
"You're our daughter," Pete said firmly and proudly. "We couldn't have done any less."
* - - * - - *
May 9th, 2007
Laird Hall, Whateley Academy
"Wait up, Kayda!" The call was from behind the Lakota girl, so she paused and turned to see who was calling after her. The trio of Franks and Debra turned almost as one to the sound.
"Hi, Adalie," June Franks said warmly as the speedster hurried to catch them, quick-stepping would have been a full-out sprint for a baseline. "Don't tell me you have the same class as Kayda?"
"Oui, Madame Franks," Adalie said in her sexy French accent. She couldn t help it; she could be yelling angrily at a person and it would have sounded sexy. "And Alicia is in our basic martial arts class, too."
June's eyebrows rose. "The same Alicia from breakfast? The Alicia you're traveling with this summer?"
Kayda nodded. "Yeah."
"I hope you aren't planning to have as much excitement in France this summer as you did in South Dakota on Spring Break, are you?" June asked in rusty but passable French.
Addy's eyebrows arched. "Kayda, you never told me your mother could speak French!"
Kayda was gawking at her mother. "Huh?" she stammered. "Mom, why didn't you tell me you spoke French?"
June shrugged. "It never came up," she said. "Besides, my high school French is probably pretty atrocious. I haven't used it in years."
"Non, Madame Franks," Addy said, wide-eyed at Kayda's mom, "your French is quite good."
"Much better than the Cajun-accented French Alicia speaks," Kayda added with a chuckle. "They speak a variant of French in her home in Louisiana - it's quite ... unique."
Pete Franks held open the door to Laird Hall for the women, following behind them as they entered the gym. A swarm of students was about to leave, and behind them, on the sidewalk, another herd was approaching in the inter-period rush-hour.
Debra gently took Mrs. Franks' elbow and turned her toward a set of double doors. "We'll go into the gym to watch; the girls need to get changed first."
Inside the locker room, Kayda found herself wrapped in Alicia's arms. "Ah'm so glad you're back in class wit' us," she said. Her smile and hug were as genuine as her thick Cajun accent.
"We better hurry and get out to the mat so we don't get in trouble," Kayda reminded her friends. They quickly changed into their gis and scurried out to the edge of the mat, getting into seiza position with about fifteen seconds to spare. Kayda glanced nervously toward her parents and Debra, managing to give them a smile despite feeling nervous, like she always did in martial arts.
"I see our resident dyke decided to grace us with her presence," Long John, one of the less bright and more bigoted students sneered just loud enough that Kayda would hear.
If he'd been intending to get a reaction, he succeeded, but not the one he intended. Alicia and Addy were indignant; Alicia was starting to make a move like she was going to rise but Kayda put her hand on Alicia's arm, shaking her head to dissuade the girl.
"I always heard that guys with fancy code names were compensating for something," Kayda replied, her voice trembling a bit but determined to emulate her hero Lanie. "With a name like Long John, I think we can all figure out what you're compensating for."
"Ooooh, burn!" a couple of people chuckled, while some of the girls giggled at the way Kayda had slammed Long John.
"When we spar, I'm going to make you regret those words," Long John, his face practically glowing cherry-red, snapped furiously, "you muff-diving bitch!"
One of the very hetero girls winked at Kayda before turning to the offending asshole. "Dude," she hissed at Long John, "I think it's safe to say that any of the straight girls here like me would happily take an x-rated, lesbian romp with Kayda before even kissing a cretin like you!"
"I'll ...." Long John started to stand.
"Do you have something you wish to share with the class?" Sensei Tolman demanded as she and Ito walked out onto the mat, catching Long John completely by surprise. "Or are you volunteering early for a demonstration?"
Long John goggled at the instructors. "I was just .... she .... they ...," he stammered. When it finally sank in that he was looking foolish, he sank back to the mat. "No, Sensei," he mumbled, realizing belatedly that those were the safest words to say.
"We will begin with sparring to see how well you learned your lessons from the past two days," Ito said. "Count off by threes and go to the appropriate circle." As Tolman watched the students counting, Ito walked directly to Kayda. "After your ... ordeal, are you able to spar today?"
Kayda nodded. "Yes, Sensei," she said a little nervously.
"You learned the techniques two weeks ago in the advanced class, so you will not be at a disadvantage."
"Yes, Sensei."
"I understand the ramifications of what this weekend may have done to your powers and to you physically and emotionally. You will go with Headrush. If you feel any unusual ... aftereffects from this weekend, you are to stop immediately. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sensei."
"Headrush, I expect you to watch Pejuta. If you sense anything wrong, you are to stop the match. Clear?"
"Yes, Sensei," the Cajun girl said hesitantly. She realized that she was responsible for Kayda's safety, and she gulped at the implications of that.
When they got to the third sparring circle, the girls each joined a separate line. One student from the head of each line went into the ring, and the two students went through drills breaking grapples, as they'd been taught, with each student alternately playing the attacker and victim.
When it was Kayda's turn, she saw that her opponent was Alicia. She relaxed a bit - doing this drill with Alicia wouldn't be stressful at all. Bowing to each other, the two girls assumed their positions, with Kayda as the first victim.
"Y'all okay?" Alicia whispered as she got into position.
"I never thought I'd be glad to be in this class," Kayda retorted with a smile.
"Hajime," the drafted 'referee' called out. Before she even knew what happened, Alicia was on the ground, one arm stretched out almost painfully and Kayda's elbow in her windpipe. She dutifully slapped the mat.
"Reverse positions." The two changed roles, and when the ref called out 'hajime', Kayda grappled Alicia from behind. It took her a bit longer to break the hold. After doing the other two grapples, the two bowed out of the ring for the next pair of students.
Kayda pulled Alicia to the side. "Anna and Ayla showed me a trick in fourth period," she said softly to her friend. She proceeded to demonstrate how to shift one foot, thrusting her hip into the attacker, to get more leverage.
The students went through another round, and because the lines weren't the same length, the opponents were being changed with every round. Kayda was pleased to see Alicia had paid attention, and she was able to almost instantly break the first grapple. She got up from the mat grinning, giving Kayda a thumbs-up.
The next pair of students went to the ring to demonstrate, and Kayda looked across at the other line. Long John stood ready, a look of grim determination to get revenge on his face. For a brief moment, Kayda felt a chill through her as the panic started to rise.
"We are one. Together we are strong," she said to herself in her dream space. Her Brandon-self stood, looking paralyzed with fear. But her Kayda-self reached out to take his hand. "Together we are strong," her Kayda-self repeated. Hesitantly, her Brandon-self took her hand and stepped toward her Kayda-self, stepping into the Kayda-self until they were again one.
Kayda came out of her dream space feeling eerily calm. She closed her eyes a second and took a breath to center herself, and then when the 'ref' indicated that it was her turn, she stepped into the ring.
Long John knew he'd easily win. The dyke always freaked out when she had to fight guys, and now everyone on campus knew why. All he had to do was to grapple her and she'd be paralyzed by fear, and he could then slam her around as retribution for her insults. He'd show the bitch.
When Kayda turned her back, as the form required, Long John grinned. At the call of 'hajime', he moved quickly, cheating a bit by stretching even though powers were not supposed to be used. The girl was in his grasp, and he felt her tense - a prelude to her panic attack. He slipped his hand down her chest, deliberately and provocatively cupping her breasts to drive her completely into her panic attack.
It should have worked. A day earlier, it would have worked. What no-one but Wyatt, Kayda, and Lanie knew was that the Kodiak's healing, though emotionally difficult, had helped Kayda immensely.
After a brief moment of terror at being groped, Kayda forcibly pushed away the threatened PTSD panic attack and reacted with a bit of an edge since she'd practiced these moves in her advanced tutoring, albeit with girls. Faster than he knew what was happening, Long John was on the ground, his arm stretched quite painfully, and Kayda's elbow was pressing hard into his throat. "Don't do that again," Kayda hissed very softly but very menacingly in his ear. Startled, he slapped the mat.
Alicia, monitoring Kayda, saw Long John copping a feel, but even as she was starting to react to protect her friend, Kayda turned the tables on the offending boy, flattening him to the mat in obvious discomfort.
Kayda played her role as attacker, and Long John demonstrated that he had much still to learn, but he did manage to clumsily break the grapple. Feeling more confident, Kayda lined up for the second form. This time, Long John was genuinely angry. The dyke had to be humiliated for insulting him so impudently. No matter what it took, she was going down!
When the ref called 'hajime' again, he moved quickly, his stretching helping him grapple more quickly and more tightly. This time, though, to thoroughly humiliate the lesbian bitch, he got her in a tight hold across the chest with one hand, his hand firmly cupping her breast, and his other hand slid down toward her crotch.
Having defeated a PTSD attack moment before, Kayda simply reacted. This time, Long John flipped onto his back, but instead of rolling him over her hip as normal, Kayda put a little extra into the move, tossing him instead, one of his arms firmly in her grasp. As he fell toward the mat, she stretched his extended arm, twisted her own body, and brought her knee down firmly on the boy's outstretched arm. The sickening crack was audible to all in that sparring circle, and the kids flinched from what they'd seen, even as Long John screamed at the sudden pain of a shattered arm.
"Yame!" Alicia cried as soon as she saw the boy copping a feel again, followed a moment later by the 'ref' saying the same when he heard the bone snap.
"What's going on here?" Sensei Tolman yelled as she dashed to the third ring, drawn by the scream of pain from an injured student. The students parted like the Red Sea to let her through.
"That rug-munching bitch deliberately broke my arm," Long John screamed, his eyes watering from the pain.
Kayda stood as calmly as she could, still fighting to prevent a panic attack at how she'd been deliberately groped. "Yes, I did," she said in a shaky voice to Sensei Tolman. "I warned him the first time he inappropriately touched my breasts. When he touched me inappropriately the second time in the practice, I did as you instructed and took corrective action." She glanced to the side, to where her parents and Debra were watching. She saw the horrified looks on her parents' faces, and knew she was going to hear about this. At the same time, though, Deb gave her a quick nod to acknowledge her actions and then leaned close to Mrs. Franks to explain the situation.
"Ah saw him ... tryin' to cop a feel," Alicia spoke up, pushing her way to the front. "And it looked like he was goin' to touch her ...." she broke off, a little embarrassed.
"That's a lie!" Long John protested, his good arm clutching at the broken one.
"I saw him doing it, too" one of the other girls spoke up. "He does it to the rest of us all the time." A couple of other girls nodded their agreement.
"That's not true," the boy protested.
"You have a choice right now," Sensei Tolman said, looking down on the offending boy. "You can continue to deny what they say you did, which will result in the instructors and a security team reviewing the tapes which, due to prior incidents, now record all of the class. If the statements from the girls are accurate, you will automatically fail this class, and you will be at the very least given significant detention." She let that soak in for a moment. "Or you can admit that you inappropriately touched Kayda, apologize, learn a lesson, and go to Doyle to get your arm treated."
Long John glared at Kayda, but as his brain processed his options, he realized that he really didn't have a choice. "Sorry," he grumbled, not looking up at the girl.
Sensei Tolman glared at him for the insincerity of his apology. "This will go into your training records, so if there is a repeat offense, the girls are justified in reacting to counter the unwanted contact." She looked around and saw the boys gulping. Satisfied, she pointed to Moebius. "Take him over to Doyle for treatment."
As Moebius helped the stricken Long John off the mat, Sensei Tolman looked around. "Boys, take a lesson here. Martial Arts is not an excuse to cop a feel - or otherwise inappropriately touch any of the girls. Accidents happen. When it's deliberate, though, a girl so touched has the choice of reporting the offense to me or applying her own countermeasures." She saw them all saw them pale, while some of the girls smiled wickedly. "Girls, a warning - accidental contact will occur. If you take this as license to injure one of the boys, you will be punished instead. Clear?"
It was the girls' turn to gulp. "Yes, sensei," they said nervously.
"You have to use your judgment. If you aren't sure, tell one of your instructors. But if it's clearly deliberate and repeated ...." She looked at the boys. "Many of these girls can apply sufficient force that even your ... cup ... won't protect you. Remember that."
She looked around the students. "Okay, resume the exercise. Kayda, a word."
Nervously, Kayda glanced at Alicia, and then quick-stepped to the instructor's side. "Yes, Sensei?"
"Was this a result of a panic attack?" she asked, gazing evenly at the Lakota girl.
"No, ma'am," Kayda replied meekly, still trembling a bit from the encounter. "The first time, I warned him. The second time, when he started reaching for my ... crotch, I very deliberately decided to correct him. I ... I fought off a panic attack," she explained, slowly getting her shakes under control. At least now, though, she now had some confidence that she could control them.
Sensei Tolman arched an eyebrow. "Are you implying that your PTSD is cured?"
Kayda winced. "I don't know for sure, but I think so. Mostly." She read the dubious expression on her instructor's face. "The Kodiak helped me - in my dream space. To directly confront the cause."
"Very well. After what happened today, I would prefer you not spar with any boys until Dr. Bellows authorizes it, but from the description of the event, I'd say you've made remarkable progress."
Kayda nodded. "Mrs. Carson noted that I was almost classified a rager because of my PTSD episodes. If that had happened, the MCO ...." She shuddered involuntarily at the 'what if' scenario.
"I understand. Then Mr. Cody has done you a very big favor."
"Yes, Sensei." Kayda glanced at her parents and Debra, and saw her mother give her a tentative nod, acknowledging if not fully understanding what Kayda had done. Debra was talking to her dad, explaining to him what she'd just explained to her mom. While they were no doubt startled how she could so deliberately injure the attacker, she realized from the look on Deb's face that eventually they'd understand. Then again, given her dad's lessons on bullies and fighting back, maybe it wouldn't take long at all.
"Then get back to practice." Sensei Tolman watched with satisfaction as the girl gave her a quick bow and hurried back to the sparring circle. Good progress, indeed.
* - - * - - *
Wednesday, May 9th, 2007, Late Afternoon
Arena 99, Whateley Academy
The kids sat in the chairs behind their tables nervously. Even Stonebear, as big and powerful as he was, found the situation intimidating - which was precisely the effect that Gunny Bardue intended.
"So it's similar to the scenario you ran on Sunday - a traditional buffalo hunt." He glowered at Kayda. "Who's in charge?" he demanded, looking alternately between her, Mule, and Stormwolf.
"Don't look at me," Stormwolf said with a wry grin. "I'm a part-timer with the group, and I'm only here because hunting buffalo sounded like fun."
"Um," Kayda winced under Gunny's blistering gaze, "where are we hunting?"
"Where are you hunting?" Bardue exclaimed. "What difference does that make? You're hunting goddamned buffalo! Does it make any difference if it's in Central Park or outside Kansas City?"
"Yes, it does," Kayda replied uneasily. She was beginning to have second thoughts about sims with the Nations and agreeing to be on the Ghost Walkers after she'd been assigned to Team Phoenix. She was going to get a triple-dose of Gunny's sadism. "Whoever is most familiar with the area should be leader."
"Mule?" Gunny demanded.
"Standard procedure would be that person would be intelligence officer for the operation, providing information as required to the leader," the Grunt replied curtly.
Kayda frowned. "Last time I was in a sim, you got mad that I wasn't leading, because the setting was in the plains that I was familiar with."
"So just because I say something, it's automatically true? You don't have to think and research and make your own decision based on your own situational assessment?" Bardue demanded.
Kayda wilted under his brutal commentary. "I ... I'm not a military tactician," she said defensively.
"No, but you're a campus leader, aren't you?" He saw a tiny nod from Kayda. "Then lead! Who's in charge?"
"I ... I am," she replied uneasily. "Where are we hunting, so I know who to count on for intel?"
Gunny arched an eyebrow. She was learning. "Yellowstone basin territory near the Tetons."
"Wyoming?" Kayda glanced around. "Lupine, you're intelligence lead."
"Your objective is to kill at least four bison to feed your tribe, which is waiting at camp, hungry and anxious to eat what you manage to kill. Loss of more than one warrior is unacceptable casualties."
"What other tribes are in the area that we might bump into?" Kayda asked, her eyes narrow.
Gunny shot a quick glance at Sam; this girl learned her lesson from her last simulation. "No other tribes."
"Others? US Cavalry? Trappers or traders? Any other humans?"
Gunny drew himself up to full height, giving a withering gaze to Kayda. "No commander has ever gotten perfect intel of a situation before an engagement. What makes you so special that you think you're entitled to it?" He glared at her for a couple of seconds, long enough for her to flinch from his chastisement. "Do you want me to promise you won't bump into a wagon train heading to Oregon, too?" he added sarcastically.
Kayda winced at his sarcasm. "Lupine? What might we face?"
Lupine, in her human form, looked at the gunnery sergeant. "What time of year?"
"June."
"Bears will be at higher elevations, then," Lupine reported her outlook on the situation. "Elk and deer aren't in rut, so they should avoid our party. Calving is over for the bison, but the mothers will be very protective of their calves. Biggest danger is probably rattlers."
Kayda nodded and then looked back at Bardue. "Limits on powers?"
"Lupine's shifting, your shaman magic, and brick strength. Others - no."
The kids collectively winced. They knew from his reputation that if he was okaying brick-level durability, this was not going to be a routine buffalo hunt.
"Any other questions?" He looked around the room with a stare that almost dared someone else to ask another question. "You'll be mounted, with traditional weapons. Bows, lances, tomahawks, knifes." He pushed a button on a remote and a display came to life on the front wall. "You're starting here," he pointed at a spot on the map. Kayda frowned - the expedition was in a mountain valley in a meadowed area on either side of a large stream.
"Shit!" Hardsell swore softly in the back row.
"You have a comment, Mr. Hershel?" Gunny glared at the boy.
Hardsell gulped at the sudden unwanted attention. He hadn't intended that his muttered oath be overheard. "Uh, yes," he said hesitantly. "That setup is a perfect trap - and I don't mean for the buffalo."
Gunny smiled a particularly evil smile. "Nevertheless, that's where a herd has been spotted, and your poor, starving families back in their tepees are counting on you to bring back some food." He looked around. "Any other questions?" Seeing none, he continued. "Okay, go to your sim suites."
With nervously eager smiles, Kayda, Mule, Pristine, Lifeline, Hardsell, Lupine, Stonebear, and Stormwolf noisily pushed back their chairs and filed through the door toward the A set of sim suites. Gunny waited until all of them were inside their suites before he closed the door to the corridor.
Sam clicked on a button. "Did you hear?"
"Every word," came the answer.
"You have to give Kayda credit," a second voice said. "She's learned pretty quickly that you're sneaky and devious."
"Well, we are supposed to be teaching them to be on their toes," Sam commented dryly.
Gunny sat down and fiddled with the keyboard. "Are these acceptable insert points?"
There was a momentary pause. "Yeah, that looks good. She won't risk trying to stampede the herd up the canyon. Trapped bison turn into a ton and a half of horns, hooves, and real bad attitude. They'd be too dangerous if they got cornered."
"I'd say 'have fun', but I know you will," Gunny chuckled.
* - - * - - *
The mountain-fresh air, wafting on a gentle breeze down from the upper slopes, the sun warming their faces in the still-cool late morning air, the splendor of the snow-capped, pine-forested mountains as a backdrop - all of this combined to distract the team as soon as they appeared in the sim scenario. It was an idyllic situation - their sim a perfect replica of the mountains around the Yellowstone and the Tetons which reached up from the flatter ground of the Yellowstone basin to the northeast.
Kayda immediately looked around, suspicious that such a setting was a clever trap laid by Gunny Bardue. She looked around quickly to ensure that the entire party was present, and then having satisfied herself, she reached out to the sky spirit and the earth spirit to 'feel' if there were any dangers nearby.
"Gunny is up to something," she said softly.
"Of course he's up to something," Mule replied as if it was a dumb question. "It's Gunny."
"It'd be just like him to have a cavalry detachment trap us, or another tribe's raiding party catch us here." Lupine shook her head. "I don't like being hemmed in on the sides like this. It feels ... confining."
"Well, he did say no other people would be in the simulations," Pristine added to the discussion."
"No, he didn't," Stonebear corrected her. "He very specifically didn't answer that question."
"We should get some scouts out," Mule brought the discussion back to the situation at hand.
"Your thoughts?" Kayda asked the more experienced tactician.
"A scout on the hills - there," he pointed to one side of the canyon, "and there." He pointed to the other. "The south side looks pretty steep though. And that hill should give us a view up and down the valley."
"Agreed. Hardsell?" Kayda pointed to the south ridge. "See if you can spot anything. Mule? The north side?" The two designated scouts nodded and urged their ponies on. "Lupine, can you scout up the canyon? Not more than a mile." She looked to another team member. "Stonebear, scout down the canyon about a mile."
Stormwolf dismounted and walked toward the stream that ran down the valley, studiously examining the ground and vegetation. In a few moments, he came back. "Bison tracks," he said curtly. "Going upstream. I didn't see any coming back down."
In another minute or two, during which Kayda felt the air and earth spirits, Lupine came back down the valley. "I didn't see them, but with the wind coming down the mountains, I could smell bison. And the tracks going upstream are pretty fresh."
The group waited until the scouts returned. "Nothing downstream."
"Can't see anything from the south ridge."
"Nothing from the north ridge, either."
"Okay, let's go up the canyon," Kayda decided. "Stormwolf, Stonebear, you go along the ridges to flank them. Mule, Pristine, you hang back a bit - just in case Gunny pulls something nasty from behind us. Lupine, scout ahead of us."
After the scouts dispersed to their assigned locations, Lifeline, Hardsell, and Kayda began to ride slowly up the valley. After a minute or so, Kayda gestured to Hardsell to move ahead a bit.
"I'm waiting for Gunny's surprise," Lifeline said in a low voice. "He wouldn't just give us a simple exercise."
"Yeah, so I've heard," Kayda answered. "Since we've got a bit of privacy, what's going on with you and Lanie?"
Lifeline stiffened visibly on her pony. "I'd rather not talk about it."
"She's your best friend," Kayda wasn't going to let this opportunity go.
"Lanie was. That ... evil thing ... that possessed her isn't." There was no mistaking the vehemence in Lifeline's voice and her disdain for Grizzly.
"Grizzly is not evil, Lifeline," Kayda tried to reassure the girl.
"Bullshit!" Lifeline said angrily. "She's fooled you, too! Just like she fooled Mrs. Carson and Circe. But I know - and I'm going to get proof so Lanie can be saved!"
"Lifeline," Kayda pleaded gently, "do you think a spirit would be able to fool Mrs. Carson? Or Circe? Do you honestly think that Mrs. Carson wouldn't apply a can of whoop-ass on a spirit if it had ill intent toward Lanie?"
"Did that thing tell you to convince me that it was harmless to her?"
"It is harmless!" Kayda countered. It was like arguing with a tree. "I know! I met Grizzly when we dream-walked! Grizzly swore an oath, binding herself to the contract of Solomon, that she wasn't going to harm Lanie."
"And you got tricked into helping so she could be possessed," Lifeline accused. "But I know you thought you were helping her because that thing tricked you, too. So I don't blame you. It's all that thing that possessed her."
Stung by Lifeline's erroneous - and hurtful - accusation, Kayda nonetheless continued. "As a shaman, I can help you dream-walk so you can meet Grizzly, so you can see that Lanie is still Lanie and isn't possessed."
All the color drained from Lifeline's face. "If you think I'm going anywhere near the spirit world after that ... that ... that thing possessed Lanie, then you're crazy!"
"Lifeline," Kayda tried to reason with the girl, "you know the shaman traditions. Dream-walking has been done for thousands of years by shamans. It's perfectly safe." The scowl didn't abate in the slightest. "You can see for yourself that Lanie is still herself, still the enthusiastic, legalistic, sometimes reckless bundle of energy she always was."
"No."
"At least talk to Lanie," Kayda urged. "Please? She's still your best friend, and you, of all people, should know how terrified she was after Kodiak messed with her mind, changed her memories, and got her to do nasty things to someone last year. She needed to feel safe from that ever happening again. Grizzly gives her that protection so she's not afraid anymore."
"You're just trying to defend your lover," Lifeline tried a different tack to counter.
Kayda sighed heavily. "You know Lanie better than that!" Kayda said sternly. Maybe the stern parent approach would get through to her.
"I know that she was shagging Songbird all last year, so her taking you as a lover isn't surprising to me!"
"She is not my lover," Kayda repeated, stronger. "It was the lust-demon essence, just like was explained in the hearing." She sighed. "She still loves you as a dear, best friend, and she's hurting terribly inside because you're rejecting her."
That thought actually seemed to make Lifeline pause to think. "It's all an act by that bear-thing," she reasserted. "Someday, you'll see how wrong you are, how you've been fooled. I just hope it's not too late for her, that I can save her in time." She kicked her horse's flank lightly, urging it forward toward Hardsell and away from Kayda, who was shaking her head slowly. Lifeline was being so stubborn, but she didn't understand why.
Further thought on the subject was halted when Lupine and Hardsell stopped, signaling for quiet. In moments, Mule and Pristine caught up, and shortly after Hardsell made a bird call, Stormwolf and Stonebear joined them.
"Fifteen adults, three calves," Lupine reported. "They're just around the bend ahead."
Kayda bit her lower lip as she thought. "What do you think?" she asked, looking first to Stormwolf and then to Mule. "Should we chase them up the valley?" She winced. "Not knowing the terrain, that one bothers me - we might end up chasing them for miles."
"We do know the territory we've been on," Stormwolf said, looking around. "This would be a good place to ambush them," he said. "It's wide, mostly flat, and would give us room to maneuver our horses."
Mule nodded in agreement. "Yeah, get a couple of scout to circle them and stampede them downstream, and we can ambush them here, where we're at least a little familiar with the terrain we're fighting on. I'd hate to corner them somewhere and have those things turn on us. You should have seen the last time we tried this. Those things are dangerous when they get riled."
"You picking up anything unusual?" Lupine asked.
Kayda closed her eyes for a moment, better to concentrate on the sky and earth spirits. "Nothing but normal wildlife." She frowned. "I thought I sensed the bear Mato, but it was fleeting." She shook her head. "I can't be sure, but there might be a bear around here."
Lupine frowned. "They should be in the upper elevations now."
"Okay - Mule, circle to their left to get behind them. Lupine, to the right. We'll back into the tree line so we're hidden, and once they start running downstream, we'll hit them from both flanks." She looked around. "Remember, the goal is four bison down, and no losses. Let's move out."
Hardsell, Stormwolf, and Lifeline wheeled their ponies toward the tree-line on the left, while Kayda, Stonebear, and Pristine moved to the right and the two scouts - Mule and Lupine - moved upslope to circle behind the herd.
* - - * - - *
The slope was steeper than Mule had anticipated, and he debated for a moment leaving his horse and going afoot. But then he'd have to get his horse, and he'd be too slow to help with the kill once the herd started moving. Carefully, he guided the animal to where he thought the slope would be easier, giving the horse enough rein that it could choose its own path.
His horse was skittish, and it suddenly stopped. Mule heard something from the massive boulders to his left, but before he could do anything, a massive bear darted, startling the horse, which reared and threw Mule. Before he could clamber back to his feet, the bear reared up over him.
Mule tried to draw a knife or tomahawk, but the bear grinned at him. "You lose," the bear said, and in a sickening instant, Mule knew what had happened. Still, he tried, but a massive swipe from the bear's paw smacked into him, knocking him brutally into the rocks. His simulator helmet went black.
* - - * - - *
Lupine arrived at the upper end of a small meadow, behind the small herd, and she waited for Mule to join her. After several minutes, she frowned. Could something have happened to Mule?
Something about this smelled like a setup. Dismounting, she changed into her wolf form - and immediately she smelled something. She barely had time to react to dodge the charging bear, and when it continued to chase her, she figured the only thing was to go back to the group and get more firepower. She darted downstream, the bear close at her heels, right toward the buffalo herd.
One of the herd saw the approaching wild animals - both of which could be dangerous, and it bellowed, turning instinctively to run away from the oncoming threat. Others followed, and the herd began to stampede down the canyon, away from the wolf and the bear.
* - - * - - *
Kayda heard the thundering hooves almost at the same time she sensed the oncoming herd through the earth spirit. Immediately she made a bird call to alert her team. She shifted her weight on her horse, eager to run in the chase. It would only be seconds now. The buffalo came into view, running wildly right into their trap.
Just as she spurred her horse into motion, Kayda sensed Mato the bear on the other side of the small meadow - behind the other half of the team. And it was right on top of the team. "You son-of-a-bitch, Gunny!" she screamed in frustration
* - - * - - *
Across the meadow, the other trio were waiting for the signal when their horses skittered. Stormwolf heard - or sensed - something behind them, and he spun his head around to face whatever was behind them. He was startled - like his compatriots - to see a massive bear charging.
Without thinking, Stormwolf shot the arrow he had nocked at the bear, and though it stuck in the bear like a needle in a pin-cushion, it had no other effect. "I'll hold this thing off," he snarled as he vaulted off his horse, a tomahawk already in hand. "Go for our mission objectives!" The bear took a massive swipe at Stormwolf, which he dodged, countering with a mighty blow from his tomahawk on the bear's shoulder. It didn't seem to have had much effect other than to anger the bear - and to distract it for a brief moment, which gave Stormwolf enough time to switch the tomahawk to his left and draw a vicious-looking, long knife with his right.
"You wanna play rough?" the bear asked with a bemused grin, ignoring the blood on its fur. "Okay. Game on."
Stormwolf had a sinking feeling that he knew who the bear attacking him was. Screaming a warrior cry, he leaped, blades flashing, toward the bear, even though he knew it was probably hopeless.
* - - * - - *
As the herd thundered by, five riders converged from both sides. Kayda sat on her mount, guiding it with knee pressure as she picked out a large bull bison. Riding on a converging course, she drew back her bow, arrow nocked, and when she was certain, she fired.
The feather-fletched arrow, topped by a razor-sharp flint arrowhead, flew true, penetrating the tough hide, tearing up internal organs, and coming to rest in the animal's still-beating heart. The next beat of the animals heart contracted muscles onto the still-sharp flint, tearing the vital muscle even more, and the animal's motion jostled the arrow around, causing still more damage. In the space of a few seconds, the animal lost so much blood to internal bleeding that it crumpled to the ground.
Kayda wheeled her horse, already knocking a second arrow and looking for her team and trying to assess the situation. The roar of a bear carried over the thunder of hooves and the war-cries of her team; she stiffened. She _had_ sensed a bear. A quick read of the earth spirit revealed to her a battle between a warrior afoot and a very large bear across the meadow.
* - - * - - *
Startled by the appearance of a bear from seemingly nowhere, and urged on by Stormwolf, Lifeline spurred her pony out of the tree line and onto the meadow, charging toward the bison herd. She drew back the bowstring as she charged, feeling rather than seeing that Hardsell was right by her side. The duo headed toward the closest animal, and in the panic of the surprise bear attack and the adrenaline rush of the bison hunt, they failed to notice that the animal they'd selected was a cow - with a calf at her side.
Two arrows flew toward the buffalo cow, but neither Hardsell nor Lifeline were as accurate with the bow and arrow from a riding position as Kayda was; neither had really had time to practice. The arrows found the animal, but one stuck in the shoulder and the other stuck in the belly.
The wounded buffalo cow turned on her attackers, and while Lifeline was able to wheel, Hardsell, being close to Lifeline, wasn't so lucky. The cow's horn tore into Hardsell's horse, and a second angry flail of her head knocked Hardsell off the fatally-injured horse. His sim helmet went black as he cursed his own stupidity at being sandwiched between Lifeline and the buffalo cow.
* - - * - - *
Kayda wheeled to help Pristine, who had seriously wounded a bull, but she'd had to pull away when it charged at her. Her arrow flew, but she missed any vital organs, instead tearing into the huge animal's neck. It bellowed in pain, and as it thrashed about, the damage from Pristine's two shots took its toll; the animal slowly sank to its knees and then toppled.
Giving herself a moment after the second animal went down, Kayda looked around, and her heart sank. Lifeline was chasing a wounded cow, but behind her, Hardsell lay bloodied and still on the meadow beside his dead horse. Then she heard a bear roaring, but unlike the one she'd heard before, this one came from behind the herd. She turned, spotting Lupine running for her life, chased by a large reddish-brown bear.
Kayda knew instantly what Gunny had done. "Sunkce!" she screamed to no-one in particular, wheeling her pony and drawing a 'special' arrow. She fired over the top of Lupine, toward the bear. When it struck, not penetrating or doing serious damage, a brilliant flash of light erupted, dazzling the bear and temporarily blinding it.
While the bear staggered around, Kayda drew her bow and fired, and again, and yet a third time; all three arrows hit the bear, but none seriously. It was like throwing darts at an elephant; they stung and annoyed the bear, but did little real damage. The bear looked at her, changing direction from Lupine, and Kayda thought she saw a wicked grin on the bear's face. She had a sinking feeling; she was pretty certain that she knew exactly what Gunny had done to them.
Kayda hastily threw up her combo shield and ghost-walking spell, leaping from her horse. The spell wasn't big enough to protect both, and as long as she was on a visible horse, the bear would know precisely where she was. Tomahawks in hand, she moved a bit to the left of her horse and then charged the bear.
* - - * - - *
In the control room, Sam looked at Gunny. "Sunkce?" she asked.
"I've probably been called worse."
A quick look-up in the computer produced a translation for Sam. "She just called you dog-shit."
Gunny nodded. "Yup, I've been called worse." He grinned sadistically at how the simulation was unfolding.
* - - * - - *
Despite the invisibility cloak, the bear came almost unerringly toward Kayda. "Damn," she thought - it must be the bear's sense of smell. Pausing, winding up, she expertly threw a tomahawk, embedding it in the bear's shoulder as she drew Wakan Mila, her sacred knife.
"Dammit, Kayda, that hurt!" the bear roared, confirming for Kayda who she was being forced to fight.
She charged in toward Lanie, and she ducked below a wild swing from the bear, poking her knife viciously into the bear as she chopped with her tomahawk at the bear's skull. She'd heard that grizzly bear skulls were extremely tough, that even large-caliber pistol shots ricocheted off them, but she had to try. True to the stories, while she cut the bear across its forehead, she did almost no serious damage.
A real bear wouldn't have known how to triangulate two attacks and know where the invisible attacker must be. Lanie wasn't a real bear. She swiped with a massive, clawed paw, which impacted Kayda's shield. She realized, too late, that she'd invoked a spell that she'd meant to modify but hadn't yet taken the time to do so. The combination invisibility and shield protected her in a sphere, and like a billiard ball that had been struck, Kayda caromed across the meadow away from the bear, impacting on a large outcropping of rock.
* - - * - - *
Kayda was morosely shaking her head as the team filed into the debriefing room. Lifeline seemed ambivalent, Hardsell was pissed that he'd been killed, and Lupine and Mule were chuckling at how things had gone down. Pristine seemed quite contemplative, while Stormwolf and Stonebear seemed to be already mulling over the simulation and how they could have done things differently.
Moments later, Lanie and Wyatt came in, chuckling and high-fiving at their little fun adventure. When Maggie heard others coming in, she turned to look, giving Kayda hope that maybe, just maybe, she'd realize that Lanie was unchanged. But Maggie's posture stiffened, and she turned away deliberately, making sure her back was to Lanie. The redhead couldn't help but notice the intentional slight, and her smile inverted into a sad frown, her mood suddenly tempered by the knowledge that her former best friend was still distant and emotionally cold to her. Wyatt noticed the whole non-verbal exchange, and he carefully clasped his hand atop Lanie's, offering whatever support she could draw from his touch.
"Okay," Gunny barked from the front of the room to get attention, "that was the saddest performance I've seen in a long time. How the hell did Native Americans survive if that's the best you can do? Can one of you please tell me what the hell you people thought you were doing?"
Kayda glanced around her group nervously, and then sighed. "You gave us a scenario which was completely unrealistic."
"Oh? In what way?" Gunny asked, his eyes laser-beam focused on Kayda.
"Bears are territorial and are never encountered in groups. Kodiak bears are not native to the continental US, and further, at the time of year in question, bears migrate to the upper mountains to eat freshly-emerged vegetation and animals emerging from hibernation."
"Oh, so you're a wildlife expert now, are you?" Gunny asked sarcastically.
"No, but my spirit is, and after Lanie 'killed' me, I had time to speak with her in the spirit world while I was waiting for the sim to end. And I communed with Mato, the bear spirit. Your scenario was unrealistic."
"Interesting," Gunny said, looking thoughtful instead of delivering the verbal lashing that Kayda expected. "Okay. Five-hundred word analysis of the flaws in the scenario, due before your next sim or in one week, whichever comes first." Kayda's jaw dropped in shock. "Is there anything else you wish to note?"
"Yeah. How the hell did you expect me to stop a seven-and-a-half foot rampaging grizzly bear?"
Hardsell, seated on the opposite side of the room from Wyatt and Lanie, snorted derisively. "As soon as you knew it was Lanie, you could have started making out with her to distract her!" he said sarcastically.
On the other side of the room, Lanie giggled at the thought, while Wyatt scowled at Hardsell, letting him know non-verbally that he'd stepped way over the line. In the front row, Kayda's cheeks burned from embarrassment.
"Hardsell," Gunny boomed from the front of the room, "would you care to write a thousand-word essay analyzing the ways traditional Native American weapons could kill a grizzly bear?"
Hardsell flinched. From the reactions - most of which were a bit hostile, he knew he'd really stepped in it. "Uh, no," he said quickly. "I'm sorry."
"Too late for that," Gunny said with the mother of all frowns. "That's your assignment. Same deadline as Kayda."
"Let's look at the results. You were supposed to kill four bison and lose not more than one of your party," Sam took over the debrief, playing the 'good cop' to Gunny's 'bad cop'. "Instead, you killed two bison and lost five members of your party, and the rest had to flee, so in essence, you really got none of the game, correct?"
Kayda nodded glumly. "Yes."
"Where was the simulation?"
"In the Tetons, near Yellowstone," Lifeline answered, still stiffly turned away from Lanie.
"And what kind of bears are native to that area?" Sam continued the interrogation.
"Grizzlies," Kayda muttered angrily. "I checked the sky and earth spirits, and there were no bears in the area."
"What's the range of your ... spirit check?" Sam asked.
"A little over five hundred yards," Kayda replied.
"Call it five hundred yards. And assuming a grizzly bear is running at top speed, which is thirty miles per hour, how frequently would you need to check for bears?"
Kayda solved that one in her head. "Every thirty-four point oh-nine-one seconds." She saw Sam winding up with a follow-on. "But since they were spaced out, a bear could easily approach and attack a remote member before I had time to recognize its presence." She crossed her arms on the desk and dropped her head into the resulting cradle, shaking it slowly. "So I fucked up big time and it cost us the simulation," she muttered, angry with herself for a poor performance.
Sam sighed to herself; it was difficult to watch students being so hyper-self-critical when they were still learning and couldn't be expected to know and prepare for all situations. In a way, Kayda reminded Sam of Ayla - a student who was way too self-critical for her own good.
"Let's talk about what you guys did right," Sam continued, "before Gunny's surprise hit you."
* - - * - - *
"You should have seen the look on your face when you realized it was me!" Lanie giggled, walking between Wyatt and Kayda on their way to meet Kayda's parents in Crystal Hall for dinner. The sim had been squeezed in, and as such, they were a little late already, and rules prohibited the Franks from sitting in on the debrief.
"I did a lousy job," Kayda said, still moping over the critical assessment. "Anyone would have done better than me."
"You're still learning," Wyatt said, still in a light-hearted mood. "Nobody expects you to be perfect."
"Ah remember mah first sims," Lanie said, smiling. "Ah really messed up a few times, and Ah thought the team was going to throw me off." She chuckled. "Like the time Ah blew up New York City. If Ah hadn't been put on the team by Mrs. Carson, they would have thrown me off."
"Well, you have to remember that we'd had a big fight and you were still pretty pissed at me going into the sim," Wyatt reminded her gently.
"You've just gotta learn to expect the unexpected," Lanie said, wrapping her arm around Kayda's shoulder and pulling her close for a quick side-hug. "You won't make that mistake again, Ah guarantee it!"
"I'll just make one of thousands of new mistakes," Kayda said with a heavy sigh. She looked up at her redheaded friend. "And if I'd have remembered to modify my combo shield, I think I might have been able to take you instead of being bounced around like a ping-pong ball and knocked unconscious."
"Maybe we'll have to give that a try sometime," Lanie chuckled, which in turn elicited a soft laugh from Kayda. At least Lanie had broken through her self-doubt.
But Kayda was still mulling over what she'd done wrong as they walked silently for a bit. Including her attempted discussion with Lifeline. She knew she had to tell Lanie. "Um, Lanie?" she asked hesitantly.
"What?" Lanie couldn't help but notice the nervousness in Kayda's voice.
"I ...," Kayda began, but wasn't quite sure how to say it. "Um, when we had our scouts out," she cautiously continued, "I had a chance ...." She fidgeted a bit. "I, um, talked to Maggie," she blurted out, "and tried to explain to her that Grizzly wasn't possessing you, but that she was bound by the contract of Solomon, and that Mrs. Carson would have ripped Grizzly up if it meant you harm, and that you really hadn't ...."
"Whoa," Lanie said, raising a finger across Kayda's lips.
"I ... I hope you're not mad, but I wanted to try to make things right between you and Maggie, and I even offered to help her dream walk so she could meet you and Grizzly in the spirit world so she'd know that you were okay, because I feel like it's my fault, and ...."
"Hush," Lanie said. "Ah've tried to talk to her, too. She won't even come near me, let alone talk to me; she has her mind made up that Ah've been deceived and possessed. Worse, though," Lanie glanced around the tunnel, "is that Ah woke up manifesting Griz, and it terrified her. She has a bad phobia of GSD mutants, you know."
"I'm sorry if I did something wrong, but I know it hurts you, and I wanted to help ...."
Lanie nodded sadly. "Ah know. To be honest, Ah figured that the note to come to the sweat lodge was because you were goin' to try to fix things up between me and Maggie."
Kayda blushed at that memory; while parts of it were glorious, it was also quite humiliating. "I ... I might have."
Lanie gave Kayda a big side-hug. "Thanks for tryin'," she said warmly. "Ah know you care, and that means a lot to me, sister." She gave the shorter girl a quick peck on her forehead. "While you were restin', Wakan Tanka talked to me." She felt the Lakota girl start at that news. "She told me, and Ah quote, Wihakayda chose her best friend and sister well unquote." She smiled at the startled look on Kayda's face. "She told me you look up to me as your older sister, Ah think she called it cuwe, and you're mah taksi, mah younger sister." Lanie got a far-off look in her eye. "If you're mah sister, Ah wonder how mah mom is goin' to take the news that she's got a new daughter?"
Kayda goggled at Lanie's irreverent humor, and then started to smile. "Does this mean that Ah have to learn to talk with a Southern affectation to mah voice?" she asked, giggling.
"Or Ah could just start wearin' war paint and buckskin," Lanie giggled back. "Ah think Wyatt might like it if Ah wore buckskin the way you do."
Kayda slapped Lanie's arm playfully, noticing that Wyatt was looking at the redhead, waggling his eyebrows as he visualized Lanie in a short buckskin dress with a low-cut neckline. The mood lightened considerably, and the trio walked further toward Crystal Hall. Then Kayda thought of something. "You aren't going to start calling me ... Wihakayda ... like Wakan Tanka and Tatanka do, are you?" she asked, a little worried.
"Well, Ah might slip up now and again," Lanie chuckled. She saw the look of horror on Kayda's face at the thought of that nickname getting out. "But Ah promise Ah won't say it in public, okay?"
Kayda breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, cuwe," she said with a contented smile. Her stomach rumbled softly, reminding her how late she was for dinner. "I hope they're serving something good," she mused.
"You want to know what's for dinner?" Lanie interrupted the silence with a grin. "'Cuz Wyatt and Ah can tell from here what they've cooked up."
"Assuming there's any left after the locusts went through the line," Wyatt chuckled.
"If your team has already eaten, come up to eat with us," Lanie invited.
"Okay," Kayda said. "But people might talk ...."
Lanie and Wyatt burst out laughing at that. "Ah heard how you put down that idiot Long John in martial arts. Ah think you can handle yourself if someone does say something." She gave her friend another squeeze of her shoulders. "Ah hope there's some meatloaf left," Lanie said. "After a workout like that, Ah'm starvin'!"
"Yeah, me too. Dad loves meatloaf." She smiled at Wyatt. "You two are going to love them."
"Won't it be a little ... awkward?" Lanie fretted. "They do know, don't they?"
Kayda shrugged, still smiling. "We're in high school. They think we're supposed to do stupid stuff. So yeah, I think they'll understand." She grinned at Wyatt again. "As long as neither of you puts a move on my girlfriend!"
Wyatt and Lanie exchanged a quick glance. "Deal!"
"At least not in front of your parents," Lanie added with a naughty grin, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.
Kayda started at the redhead's suggestion, and then she got a sly grin. "Unless she gets bored with you and it's the three of us girls," she chuckled, watching Wyatt's eyes widen at the thought of a lesbian three-way, while Lanie laughed out loud.
* - - * - - *
May 9th, 2007 - Dinner
Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
"That was an easy training simulation?" Pete Franks stammered, his jaw practically dragging in his plate of food. "From where we were watching, it looked pretty ... vicious!"
June shuddered to recall Kayda fighting Lanie in her bear form. "And you kids like doing that?"
Kayda shrugged. "Most of the time. It's just when Gunny gets into a sadistic mood ..."
"Which is always," Lanie interrupted from across the table. The group - Kayda and her parents, Lanie, Wyatt, and Debra, were seated at the Alpha table on the top level of Crystal Hall. The Franks had been very impressed by the view, and when they learned it was Wyatt's idea and that he'd led the project to remodel and add levels to Crystal Hall, they were doubly impressed.
Kayda chuckled at her comment. "Yeah, that's true."
"And you don't get in trouble for calling him sunkce?" June asked, one eyebrow arched in puzzlement while the other eye was narrowed in the 'mother look'.
Wyatt's curiosity was stirred. "What's sunkce?" he asked Kayda, who was by now blushing furiously at being called on her little slip of the tongue in the sim.
"Dog ... droppings," she said, wincing and trying to make it sound less offensive than it really was.
"You called your instructor 'dog shit'?" Pete gawked at Kayda, but Wyatt, Lanie, and Debra were practically roaring with laughter.
"He's been called a lot worse, trust me," Debra offered by way of explanation. "In my day, I came up with what I thought were really creative epithets and curses for him." She grinned. "Then I heard J A - he was a senior last year, too - cursing at him."
The grin was contagious; immediately Wyatt joined her. "Now that was poetry in motion," he said almost reverently. "He took cursing at Ito and Gunny to a whole new level." Seeing the puzzled looks around him, he continued, "When he got on a roll, it was incredible to hear. He stopped several sims and fights just because people wanted to listen to his ... creative cursing. You'd walk away thinking that you'd just heard the ultimate in prosaic, filthy, creative insults. And then he'd outdo himself the next time. They had to blank he audio during his combat finals because it was so totally inappropriate."
Kayda looked at her parents with a bit of defiance, as if to say, 'see, what I said was nothing.' But the withering look she got back from her mother let her know in no uncertain terms that June considered cursing at her teachers - no matter how creatively - a serious no-no.
After a bit, the group carried their trays to the dirty-dishes conveyer, and then walked out into the crisp spring air. They walked for a bit, chatting about campus life in general, avoiding the subject that hung over them like a Damoclean sword, until June whispered something to her husband.
Pete nodded in acknowledgement. "Say, Wyatt, I'm feeling like a cup of coffee. How about you?" The effort was transparent; every single person understood what June wanted.
"Sure. There's a nice coffee shop in Melville."
"We'll catch up to you in a bit," June said to her husband, effectively dismissing the two men. As they strode away, she eyed a couple of benches and tables in a little walled sitting area. "I think it'd be nice to sit down and enjoy this lovely evening for a bit, don't you?"
Kayda followed her mom and the other two towards the little walled area, and after they sat, she turned directly to her mom. "Okay, Mom. What's on your mind?"
"Can't a person just want to enjoy the evening?" June asked, feigning hurt that Kayda could doubt her intentions.
"Yeah," Kayda acknowledged, "but that's not how you operate. So what is it?"
June put her hand gently on Lanie's arm. "I want to thank you for all the help and support you've given Kayda through this whole ordeal. I don't think she'd have made it through without you."
"It was mah pleasure to help mah ... best friend," Lanie said, a bit choked up as she acknowledged that her old best friend Maggie might never be her friend again. Still, she'd gotten a new best friend - and a sister - out of the deal.
"I'm just worried," June continued, "because of, well, things...."
"Mrs. Franks," Lanie began in a soothing, understanding tone, "Ah dream-walked with Debra, so she knows everything. Yes, Kayda and Ah had sex. And yes, Ah find her attractive, and Ah enjoyed the intimacy with her." She looked at Debra, a wry smile on her face. "Debra knows that Ah'm engaged to Wyatt ...."
"You're ... bi?" June asked, surprised.
"Yeah," Lanie answered matter-of-factly. "But Ah've made mah choice, and it's Wyatt. Despite that, Ah can't deny that Ah find Kayda attractive, and she's fun to be with."
"But Debra is the one I share a soul-bond with," Kayda interjected. "I like Lanie - as a friend. If we weren't both involved ...." She shot a glance at Debra to reassure her, a heart-melting, totally-loving look of adoration and devotion. "But we are, and neither of us want to mess up our friendship or our current relationships."
"Kayda and Deb share a very special bond," Lanie added. "Not Kayda and me."
Kayda nodded. "Debra is more. Much more." She put her hand lovingly on Debra's. "She is tawicasa, my love. She is my very wiconi, my life."
"I think you're wrong on that count," June replied with a knowing look in her eye. "Both of you. You two do have something special."
Kayda stared at her mom for a moment, and then nodded. "Wakan Tanka said that Lanie is my cuwe, my older sister, and that to her I am her taksi, her younger sister."
"So, Mom," Lanie said, her eyes twinkling with mirth, "Ah hope you won't mind if Ah bring mah boyfriend home on breaks."
June goggled at the redhead's sudden humor.
"Yeah, Mom," Kayda jumped right in with a wicked grin. "Do I have to share a room with my sister?"
"Or worse," Lanie giggled, "a bathroom?"
"And how awkward is it going to be when Debra visits if we have to share a room? Would we make Lanie sleep on the sofa so Debra and I could have some ... privacy?"
"But it wouldn't be so awkward if Lanie wanted to join us for some cuddling!" Debra chuckled, enjoying watching June's startled reaction.
Mom was giggling by that point. "You girls are all bad!" She scooted until she could gather the girls in a group hug. "I know you girls all love each other," she said, her voice trembling, "but I can't help worry that one or more of you are going to get hurt."
Kayda glanced at her friends in their little huddle. "I don't want to hurt Lanie or Debra," she said solemnly.
"Neither do I," Lanie and Debra chimed in almost simultaneously.
"We'll be extra careful that we don't," Kayda said solemnly, which drew nods of agreement from the other two girls.
Mom looked pleadingly at Kayda. "If ... if you need," she said, "you can talk to me. Either of you. I promise I won't judge or criticize anything."
"After you paid for me to fly to Whateley so your daughter and I could have sex, you think I'd worry about you being judgmental?" Debra guffawed.
That broke the somber mood, as Lanie stared in disbelief at Kayda and June. "Please don't tell anyone," Kayda asked when she saw Lanie gawking at her.
"And I hope you know that means any of you," June added. "You two are like family to Kayda, and that means you're like family to me."
The girls nodded, and then the redhead grinned. "Where's mah allowance?" she asked with a giggle.
* - - * - - *
Come to me once more, and abate my torment;
Take the bitter care from my mind, and give me
All I long for; Lady, in all my battles
Fight as my comrade.
Hymn to Aphrodite, Sappho
Wednesday, May 9th, 2007 - Evening
Tunnels, Whateley Academy
Tisiphone lay next to Nitro on the fold-out bed, her head on his shoulder and their naked bodies covered by only a thin sheet. Despite the afterglow of an intense round of sex, something felt wrong. She was afraid.
Nitro noticed. "What's on your mind?" he asked, pausing to kiss her forehead on her soft red scales.
Tissy didn't move, didn't look up at her boyfriend, or the one who she thought was her boyfriend. "Dr. Bellows ... called me to his office this afternoon," she said hesitantly.
"Oh? What did he want? Nothing bad, I hope."
"He ... he explained to me," she said, her eyes moist as fear gripped her like a vise, "that ... that someone ... used something on us ... in the room last week," she continued softly. "Something that ... made us do what we did."
"Yeah, I know," Nitro replied. "He had the same conversation with me. He said it was lust-demon serum, and that there was no way would could have stopped ourselves." He let his lips brush Tissy's forehead again. "Apparently, someone used the same stuff on Elaine Nalley and Kayda Franks to humiliate them."
"Do you ..." she started to ask, but she couldn't continue for fear of his answer. The past week had been glorious, better than any she could remember in her life, and now she was afraid it was going to come crashing to an end.
"Do I regret it?" Nitro finished. "Only parts." He saw her moisture-laden eyes turn up toward his face, her lower lip trembling with fear of what he was going to say. "The only parts I regret are the ... stuff with ... Tee-Kay," he said, shuddering at the awful memory of gay sex with his friend. He bent forward and kissed her, a bit roughly. "I don't have a second's regret over what we did."
She did start crying then as he pulled her close, holding her tightly. "I'm scared," she admitted softly, "that the way you feel about me is because of that stuff still affecting us."
Nitro kissed her again, longer and more passionately this time. "Dr. Bellows said the stuff wears off in a few hours." He grinned. "By the time you and I woke up after we passed out, it was probably out of our systems."
"And you still ...?" She sniffled. "Even though I'm a ... a monster?"
Nitro tilted her head up to she was looking into his eyes. "You are not a monster, Tissy. You're very special - and you ... you're kind of a ... fantasy to me. You excite me, babe," Nitro admitted sheepishly. "I ... like being with you."
"Just because you're ... a horny guy?"
Nitro laughed. "Well, great sex is certainly a plus. But more than that, you're ... fun to do stuff with."
"Wait, you think I'm ... good?" Tissy asked, stunned. "I ... thought you'd ... be upset because sometimes I ... I get a little rough."
Nitro snuggled close to her. "To be honest," he said, blushing, "your rough play is ... is a real turn-on to me."
"Oh, really?" Tissy purred, looking up at him, her claw scratching across his chest, leaving four small reddish streaks that would have been bloody scratches if she had applied more pressure. "Even ... this?" she asked, rolling suddenly atop Nitro, pinning his arms beside him. "Even when I'm the one telling you what we're going to do? Even when I'm always taking charge?"
Nitro, pinned by her arms, her warm breath on his neck, not knowing if she was going to kiss or bite his neck or ears, felt himself getting strangely aroused by her dominant play. "Yes," he said, his body trembling with excitement.
"Yes, what?" she asked, her demonic teeth putting pressure on his neck, getting a little more assertive and dominant.
"Yes, Mistress Tissy," Nitro said, his arousal rising dramatically as she got more dominant and demanded him to be more and more submissive.
* * * * * * * *
Thursday, May 10, 2007
TV Station 25UHF WFXT, Boston, MA
"Good evening, I'm Chet Harrison. The specter of mutant crime is raised once again in Roxbury tonight as a young girl was brutally murdered by what witnesses call some form of magical or mutant energy. We caution our viewers that some of the details of this report are disturbing and viewer discretion is advised. Here with the details of that crime is Fox25's Terry Hollings. Terry?"
"Chet. Roxbury residents were stunned earlier this year to discover a prison for dangerous paranormal criminals was built, in secret, in their neighborhood. A secret that was very publicly outed by the attack of the A-List Threat to Humanity known as The Necromancer which lead to the escape of an unknown number of criminals and mass murderers that City Hall still refuses to clarify. And while 'Roxbury C' as it was known has been shut down, no one in this neighborhood felt safe. And, as this cell phone camera footage shows, they had good reason not to. We warn our viewers, this footage is brutal and graphic, and viewer discretion is advised."
"She just appeared out of nowhere, yelling, 'Don't kill me, Nikki,' then all hell broke loose!"
"LaToya Smith was on her way to pick up her children from their day care when the mutant whose MID identifies as 'Hekate' appeared down the street from her. What followed was a brutal exchange of super human energy. And while her assailant, 'Nikki' is not seen, Hekate's murder is all too clear."
"I got my phone out thinking Lamplighter might show up, and then... And then... That poor girl!"
"What Latoya saw, and what we have chosen not to broadcast was that 'Nikki', whoever or whatever she is, caused Hekate to burst into flames and the young girl burned to death. Dan Heigel of the Boston MCO office confirms that 'Hekate,' a Greek citizen, was in the United States on a student visa. A student visa that was suspended as she was expelled from her school and was a person of interest, wanted for questioning in connection with the destruction of the supposedly vacant Heklin Insurance Building in Kansas City late last year, and other unspecified crimes. Public Affairs Officer Heigel had this to say."
"There is an ongoing investigation, which appears to involve both this crime and the Kansas City event. I can confirm the Mutant Commission Offices here in Boston and in Kansas City have been working closely with local law enforcement and the Department of Paranormal Affairs, but apart from the one MCO officer, no agency would officially comment. If and when we have further information a press conference will be called."
"Thank you Officer Heigel. The horribly burned body of Hekate is at the Boston Police Department morgue where, we are told, both scientific and magical forensics experts are examining the remains to see if there are any clues as to who this 'Nikki' could be, and how to go about bringing this dangerous and violent mutant to justice. Reporting live from Roxbury, I'm Terry Hollings, Fox 25 News."
* * * * * * * *
May 10th, 2007
Room 216, Poe Cottage, Whateley Academy
Team Kimba sat in Ayla's room, watching a recording of the broadcast. Most sat in shock at the news, but Fey had a determined scowl on her face. "Serves her right," she muttered angrily. "I hope the bitch is still burning! In Hell!"
"What?" Toni and Ayla asked, stunned at her callousness.
"She tried to make me into a mind-slave. She'd done it to Sky and Cav. She cost Jade her body. And don't forget what she did to Succubus. She deserves everything she got, and more," the redhead Sidhe said, her voice almost chilling in its lack of emotion or compassion or even warmth.
"Well, you now have a problem," Ayla pointed out unnecessarily. "The MCO and law enforcement are looking for someone dangerous and powerful, named Nikki. You could become a suspect. And with that DFA tag on your MID...."
Nikki stood, chin regally in the air. "If someone comes to me looking for trouble they'll find it! There's plenty more of what Hekate got!"
Toni sighed, shaking her head. "Why do I have the uneasy feeling that Hekate isn't done creating problems for you?" she asked rhetorically.
"Ask me if I care," the redhead replied as she left in a royal huff. Toni and Ayla shared a glance of foreboding, wondering how much more 'interesting' their lives just became.
* * * * * * * *
Thursday, May 10th, 2007 Dinnertime
Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at the Ghost Walker's table at dinner, except that Vasiliy was dining with the Berets in deference to Chat Bleu, who seemed to be getting more interested in the Russian even though she was playing coy. The girls and Adrian were chatting as usual, patiently waiting for Kayda. Things were getting back to normal, but Evvie, Laurie, and Naomi couldn't help but worry about their Lakota friend. The admission that she was a lesbian had started a lot of nasty taunting, but that was offset because the news of her brutal rape had stirred something akin to sympathy among many of the girls, and they'd taken it upon themselves to stand up for Kayda against the anti-gay bullies.
"Wonder why she's late?" Evvie asked; her roommate hadn't come back from electronics class for a little hanging out before dinner, which was surprising.
Naomi shrugged. As a gadgeteer, she knew that sometimes people got busy in the labs and tunnels, and with Kayda having a bit of classwork to make up, her staying late for help from the teacher wouldn't be unusual. "Probably finishing a make-up lab," she speculated.
"Oh, there she is!" Laurie chimed in, spotting Kayda at the entrance door. She waved and caught the dusky girl's attention; Kayda waved back, smiling a little. "God," Laurie said, shaking her head, "I don't know how she puts up with all the gay-bashers!"
Adrian, seated next to her - as usual - shrugged. "I'd say that most of the guys aren't really rabidly anti-lesbian," he observed. "There are a few more because of ...," he dared not say the unspoken word, "now that they're certain she is totally gay. I mean, it spoils their fantasy of a little girl-on-girl as foreplay to a three-way."
Evvie and Naomi wrinkled their noses in disgust at the thought of a three-way with a guy. "Ewww!" Naomi protested verbally.
"And you know this 'secret guy stuff' how?" Laurie turned on Adrian, her eyes flaring.
"Um," Adrian belatedly realized that he'd stepped into dangerous territory with his girlfriend, "you know - guys talking. In the locker rooms and such," he added quickly.
"Uh, huh," Laurie replied caustically, her skepticism evident for all to hear. "Well let me tell you something, mister," she said, poking her finger in his chest, "if you decide that you want something like that, then you'll be looking for a new girlfriend. That is," she added menacingly, "when you get out of Doyle!"
Because she was later than normal, Kayda got through the serving and checkout lines quicker than normal. She squared her shoulders and prepared to march the 'gauntlet', the walk from the checkout lines to the Ghost Walker's table where she knew some guys were going to make rude comments and some girls were going to be extremely catty.
She strode purposefully, head held high, closing her mind to the comments around her, even though tonight's round was tamer than that at lunchtime. She so wanted to be like her friend Lanie, who kept her dignity and used her razor-sharp wit to crush those who made lewd or insulting comments. At least now, though, she had to admit, she was doing better at ignoring the morons and buffoons, and though the comments still got under her skin, she at least wasn't letting it show - as much.
Because of her focus, she failed to see an attractive brunette girl, about five-six, walking quickly toward her. The brunette was dressed down as if to hide her appearance, and her makeup was very light - if she wore any at all, but even if she'd worn fluorescent purple eye-shadow, the first thing most people would have noticed were her many, many piercings - in her nose, her lip, her eyebrows, and all around her earlobes.
"Excuse me?" the brunette interrupted Kayda's march through the valley of taunts. "Are you Kayda?"
The Lakota girl stopped, turning cautiously for fear of some kind of trick or gag. She made a quick check to see that her magic shield was in place. "Yes?" She gasped when she saw the girl's face, studded as it was by metal.
"You don't know me, but ...," the girl paused, not quite sure how to proceed. "A friend and I ... would like to talk with you about something - over dinner."
Kayda's eyes narrowed as she tried to 'feel' the girl's emotions and thoughts, desperately wishing she was an esper or telepath. "Is it important?" she asked warily, trying to buy herself time. She had no idea what motivated the brunette, and she really didn't want surprises; she'd had enough of those in the past several weeks.
The girl shrugged. "My friend and I think it might be ... beneficial ... to you if you would join us and we could talk a little."
"Um," Kayda tried to stall for time to think, "my friends and I just formed a training team," she said, the only thing she could think of at the moment, "and, well, they might want to talk about team stuff."
The brunette smiled sadly. "I understand that."
There was something about the girl's demeanor that tugged at Kayda. "Let me check, okay?" When the girl nodded, she strode quickly to their table. "Hey, guys," she said in greeting.
"Class run long?" Laurie asked simply.
Kayda shrugged. "I was trying to get caught back up on labs after we had a quiz, so it was a little hectic."
"Sit down and take a load off," Evvie patted the chair beside her.
"Actually," Kayda admitted, glancing over her shoulder, "someone invited me for a little talk over dinner."
"Oh?" Eyes widened around the table.
"Yeah, and I don't know who she is or what she might want, so ...." Her skepticism was understandable.
Evvie and Naomi turned to look over their shoulders, while Adrian and Laurie merely had to lift their gazes. "Hmm."
"What the hell does Skybolt want with you?" Evvie asked, astonished.
"Skybolt?" Kayda asked, her jaw dropping in surprise. "That's Skybolt?"
"I take it you heard about her," Adrian commented.
"Duh!" Kayda said sarcastically. "Is there anyone on campus who hasn't heard about her and the Alphas and the Don and Hekate?"
"I wonder what she wants," Naomi said, eyes narrow with suspicion.
"I guaran-damn-tee you it has nothing to do with the Don or the Alphas!" Adrian said with certainty.
"Maybe she's heard about your healing?" Evvie asked. When she saw puzzled looks around her, she explained, " I heard is that all those piercings have some kind of nasty magic enchantment on them so they won't heal, so she can't get them out."
"Too bad, too," Adrian said, shaking his head sadly. "She was an absolute knockout. Then she started hanging with the Don and Hekate, and she started getting all those piercings and looking so punk and trashy ...." He clearly disliked her new look. "I heard she got a lot of trashy tats, too."
"Maybe she heard about my healing or decontaminating the spikes and wants some help?" Kayda proffered a theory. She looked uncertainly at her roommate. "What do you think?"
Naomi and Evvie shrugged. So did Laurie. "If she wants your help, then yeah, I'd listen to her. But with her history, I'd be careful," Laurie cautioned Kayda.
The short, dark-haired girl took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. "I guess I can hear what she has to say, since it'll be in the caf, and there are security cameras all over." She turned and walked back to where Skybolt waited nervously. She seemed as uneasy in the "valley of the shadow of rumor" as Kayda had.
"Where do you want to sit?" Kayda asked, trying to sound confident but still nervous. The stories surrounding Skybolt and Cavalier and Hekate were many, and it wasn't clear which were truth and which were rumor.
"There's a quiet table back by the restrooms, behind the waterfall," Skybolt suggested.
"I know it well," Kayda said with a chuckle. "Some would say too well." The two girls walked casually away from the rumormongers and circled behind the waterfall. Kayda pulled up sharply, seeing another girl seated at the table. Girl? More like a young woman. She didn't look like a student, but was dressed more professionally, like she was a teacher. And yet, she looked too young to be on the faculty.
"Ms. Ricardo," Skybolt said a little nervously, "this is Kayda?"
Kayda stepped forward as Ms. Ricardo stood. "Please, call me Maria," she said as she took Kayda's tray and courteously set it on the table, after which she clasped Kayda's hand.
"Kayda Franks," Kayda said nervously.
"Yes, I know," Maria said.
"And I'm Skybolt - Elaine Schroepfer," Skybolt formally introduced herself. "Won't you have a seat?"
Kayda glanced nervously at the table and chairs, and then, keeping her eyes on Maria and Skybolt, she eased herself into the chair behind her tray.
"Let me introduce myself," Maria said, trying to break the ice and allay some of Kayda's suspicion. "I'm Maria Contessa Elyssa Gomez y Ricardo," she said, "but I'm better known as Songbird. I graduated last year."
"I see."
"And I knew your ... I knew Debra. Unfortunately, due to some poor choices in my associates, we weren't exactly ... friends," Maria confessed simply, deliberately not trying to sound like she deserved sympathy. "I'm back as a faculty member now, for drama and sirens."
"I see," Kayda said cautiously, not quite sure where this was going. Suddenly, something clicked. "You ...." she said, her mouth hanging open in surprise. "You're ...."
Maria nodded, a sad cast to her expression, but her tone was even and there was no anger in her eyes. "Yes, I was, or rather we were."
"I...I'm sorry..." stuttered Kayda. "I...we... I ... I was afraid that ... you were going to be mad at me because of ...," Kayda said shyly to Maria, her voice tailing off at the end.
"For what?" Maria started to say, and then her eyes widened. "Oh. Oh!!!" She smiled. "I suppose I'm a bit jealous," she admitted, "but she hasn't been my girlfriend for almost a year. So I can't hold that against you, can I? Last year, yes, I would have. Now," she shook her head, her expression betraying a hint of sadness, "she's a student, and I'm faculty. Whether there was still anything," she winced, "let's just say that ethics and the law make resuming our relationship impossible."
Relief flooded through Kayda and Songbird forced a sad little smile. "There are things I regret, of course. But..." She sighed and her smile became just a bit less sad. "I've made my peace with it. However, Skybolt and I would like to talk with you about..."
Confusion swirled in Kayda's mind. "I ... I don't get it. Are you saying ...?"
Skybolt's mouth hung agape for a moment, and then she smiled sadly. "No. I ... have Cavalier, Jean-Michel Cardan."
"But there is something else we have in common," Maria said cryptically, looking at Skybolt to continue.
Skybolt nodded. "We heard rumors Monday evening," she said, "when you ... admitted ... certain events."
"And?" Kayda prompted cautiously.
"We all have something in common," Skybolt said, her voice quavering. Maria patted her hand reassuringly, giving the girl a look of confidence. "We ... are all ... victims of ... a particularly vile crime," she said, looking down as her cheeks flushed with shame.
Maria patted Skybolt's hand. "Neither of us have had to admit it publicly like you did," she said, "and all our experiences were different."
"Everyone knows what happened to me," Skybolt said sadly. "They ... basically pimped me out for favors when they tired of using me for their own amusement."
Kayda held her tongue, not sure what to say, or even if she should speak, although she was amazed at how Skybolt could contain her anger at what had been done to her. It was clear from the way Skybolt spoke - and from the stories - that her ordeal had been awful, perhaps, she mused, worse than her own. Skybolt had been imprisoned in her own mind, aware of everything and unable to stop it - for over a year! Kayda couldn't help shuddering at the horror the girl must have undergone.
"I was abused as a little girl," Maria admitted softly, "by my step-father. Repeatedly. And my mother knew and did nothing to stop him."
Kayda stared, wide-eyed, at the two girls and their horror stories. "I ...." she stammered, not sure what to say.
Maria shook her head. "We know. I was at the hearing," she said, this time patting Kayda's hand. "It ... must have been so humiliating to have to admit what happened to you."
Kayda looked at Maria, and saw the sympathy in her eyes. She felt her own eyes watering, and she hastily wiped at the still-forming tears.
"We're not here to judge you. I spent most of the last year working as a volunteer in a rape crisis center. After I spoke with Dr. Bellows, he gave me a tentative green light to try a Whateley rape survivor's group, to see if it would be useful to our students. It'll have to be ... ultra-secret, of course, to protect the privacy of any students who might need the group."
"You want ... me to be part ... of that group?"
Maria put her hand on Kayda's again. "Kayda," she said, her voice sympathetic, "we all have unique stories, but we all suffered from rape. We can help each other - when we have nightmares, when we feel sad for no reason, when we just need a friendly face and a comforting hug, when we need reassurance that we aren't the ones that were at fault, and that we're not broken but valuable human beings that were the victims."
Skybolt nodded when Kayda looked at her. "And if it happened to the three of us, you can bet that it happened to more. Even some ...," her voice cracked slightly, "boys have suffered." She winced, closing her eyes against the painful memories of Cavalier being sexually abused by the Don and the other Alpha sadists.
Maria nodded. "Rape and abuse of boys is under-reported and overlooked - and is just as devastating to the victims, maybe even more so because few think of it as a problem. You - as a shaman-in-training - can help, possibly even more than either of the other one of us."
Kayda glanced back and forth between the two women. "I ... I don't know ... if I could help ..."
Maria held her hand again. "Kayda, we're not asking you to suddenly be a counselor for rape survivors." She waited until the Lakota girl looked directly into her eyes. "We want you to help us and let us help you. We want to try this - the three of us..."
"And Cav," Skybolt said, her voice uncertain. "I hope he'll let us help him, too."
Maria nodded. "Rape is a very shameful thing for men to admit and talk about. But male survivors need help as much as we do. Maybe more."
Sky nodded in agreement. "He ... doesn't talk much about his sessions with Dr. Bellows. I worry, because he doesn't talk much about it at all, but I can see the pain in his eyes. I hope I can convince him."
"The three of us, or the four of us if Cav joins," Maria corrected herself, "to see if it's useful as part of counseling. Dr. Bellows thinks it will be. I think it will be." She looked into the Lakota girl's green eyes. "What do you say? Do you want to give it a try?"
"Um," Kayda hesitated, uncertain of how to answer, and yet knowing inside what Wakan Tanka would advise her, what she'd want her protege to do. "Um, I guess I can try."
The girls clasped hands atop the table. "I hope you won't regret this," Maria said. "For some reason he wouldn't say, Dr. Bellows thinks you'll be particularly effective helping Cavalier. Although I suspect I know his reasoning." She shrugged, watching Kayda's eyebrows arch in surprise. "In any event, we can help each other."
Kayda nodded. "It's ... already comforting to not feel ... alone." She looked at Skybolt and then at Maria, seeing the sympathy and understanding in their eyes.
Without warning, she chuckled, surprising the other two. "What?" Maria asked.
"I was just thinking," the Lakota girl mused, smiling "that my ... spirit ... would approve not only of me getting help, but also - more - that I'd be doing what a shaman does - helping people." This might be very, very helpful.
* * * * * * * * * *
May 11th, 2007
Headmistress' Office, Schuster Hall, Whateley Academy
"Come in Elyzia," Mrs. Carson greeted, waving the teacher in with a handful of sandwich. "Sorry, working lunch, can I get you something?"
Elyzia Grimes was even paler than normal as she shut the Headmistress' door and walked in. While her complexion and long, straight black hair, one would have thought she'd would be at home in some full length gown with bat's wings details; she was in fact wearing a very smart black skirt suit with white accents on the blazer's lapels, cuffs and the hem of the knee skirt that set off her legs very nicely. She sank into one of the overstuffed leather wingback chairs that faced the desk and shook her head. "No, thank you, Liz."
"How was Boston?"
"Liz, we have a problem," Elyzia replied. "Kallysta Thessellarean is dead."
Mrs. Carson put the sandwich back on her plate and turned off her monitor. "That's what Boston PD wanted you to consult about?" she asked softly. "They found her?"
"Her ... body..." the witch replied. "It was identified by cell phone footage of the ... attack ... and her MID ..."
"Nikki Reilly hasn't left the school grounds," Carson told her. "I know that for a fact."
"We both know she wouldn't need to," Elyzia said with a soft shake of her head.
Liz sat back in her chair and steepled her fingers. "The Black Hand?" Elyzia nodded. "You really think Nikki is capable of ..."
"I know Aunghadhail was," the witch replied. "I suspected when Solicitor ..." she trailed off and swallowed, banishing the memory. "Now, I'm certain. Liz, this is murder ..."
"I'm aware of the legal ramifications," the Headmistress replied. "Are you aware of what this could do? If Nikki faces a trial for murder, her defense will naturally bring up why the Black Hand was cast in the first place. That will involve this school, poor Cavalier and Skybolt and don't forget detailed testimony on the existence of Mythos Magic to the general public. Think what the backlash of that could mean, Elyzia."
"A girl is dead, Liz!"
"I didn't say she wouldn't be punished," the Headmistress told her. "I don't like being in this position any more than you." She sighed noisily. "God damn it! Why couldn't she have just gutted the little bitch at the time? That would have been simple self-defense! Damn Sidhe and their revenge games!"
"It's not Nikki's fault, Liz ..."
"Oh, my spirit made me do it? That will go over well," Mrs. Carson snapped, then grimaced at her tone. "Sorry. I'll call a meeting of the Trustees," she said at last. "We'll see how Ty and the others want to handle it. Much as I hate passing the buck, this is beyond what I can decide on my own."
"I'll await their decision, then," Ms. Grimes said softly, neither women liking the choices they had to make.
* * * * * * * * * *
Saturday, May 12th, 2007, Lunchtime
Crystal Hall, Whateley Academy
The group sat in the cafeteria, chatting away happily about their newly-formed training team. She still disliked the name they'd chosen, but she didn't really have a choice; she'd be outvoted, since her friends were unanimous in choosing 'Ghost Walkers' as a team name.
When Kayda glanced around, she saw Lanie and Wyatt strolling happily out of the caf. She was manifesting her she-bear Grizzly form, with the side effect that she was extremely endowed, a stunning model of Amazonian womanhood that made just about every other girl green with envy. Tall, well-built, she made Kayda flinch that in comparison, she was a petite little, undeveloped girl with practically no breasts, or so it seemed. Her realization that she was _jealously_ comparing her feminine assets to Lanie caused her to start, and then to giggle.
On the way back to Poe, Naomi took an opportunity to ask. "What was so damned funny?"
Kayda smiled sheepishly. "Wakan Tanka and Tatanka have been fussing at me so much to accept being a woman - and at lunch, I was mentally comparing myself to some of the other girls, like Lanie."
"She's ... pretty curvy."
"And more-so when she's in the form of her she-bear."
"Damn, but that form has _ginormous_ tits!" Evvie said in awe.
"Yeah, and I was thinking how _little_ I am up top compared to her!" Kayda chuckled.
Evvie and Naomi laughed aloud. "You _are_ getting to be such a girl!"
"Yeah, I guess I am," Kayda said softly. "Don't you _dare_ tell her! Or anyone!"
"Are you going to the range for another simulation this afternoon?" Evvie asked, changing the subject.
Kayda shook her head. "No. I've got to go to town. I got a phone call that a special order is in, so I've got a few things I have to deliver."
"Oh?" Evvie asked, her eyebrows climbing up her forehead.
"Yeah. And it involves you guys, too," she said. When they pressed, she refused to give any more hints. "Just be in the study room at," she glanced at her watch, "four thirty."
Starting at four, Kayda began carrying many large boxes into the communal room, set them on a pile, and then cast a ghost-walking spell on them. No sooner had that been completed than Toni wandered in, looking around curiously. "What up, homey?" she asked in her typical casual way that Kayda knew she'd sound stupid trying to imitate.
"Yeah, what's going on?" Jade asked, following Toni closely.
"Just take a seat, and it'll be revealed soon enough," she said cryptically
Ayla, right behind her, cocked an eyebrow. "You're making this sound like the reveal of a cheap murder mystery," he said.
"Hey I know!" Toni declared, "Ayles did it, in the classroom, with a pedantic monologue!" Ayla just rolled his eyes at Toni's off-beat humor. Fey, Billie, and Hank entered, looking as puzzled as everyone else.
Evvie and Naomi soon joined the gathering of the Kimbas. "Okay, Kayda," Evvie demanded as she looked around, "I assume that _something_ is going on, since you've gathered us all here."
Kayda smiled innocently. "What makes you think I'm up to something?"
Fey stared at her. "Because you don't do the 'innocent' look very well."
"Do I have to get Rosalyn to tickle you to make you talk?" Naomi threatened.
"No!" Kayda said, flinching involuntarily at that thought. Ros would _like_ that!
"Are you going to tell?" Jade asked, eager and excited like a kid on Christmas.
"In a bit. I've got to go meet a few people in the lobby." With that, Kayda excused herself and went downstairs, where some of her other friends - Addy, Alicia, Adrian, Laurie, Vasiliy, and Anna were waiting. "I'm glad you could make it," she said enthusiastically, giving the girls quick hugs.
Laurie looked at Kayda suspiciously. "The way you made it sound, we didn't have a choice!"
"Yeah," Alicia drawled in her Cajun accent. "Y'all are up t' somethin', Ah can tell!"
"Oui," Addy added with a nod. "you are acting tres etrangement."
"Da," Vasiliy agreed. "You have secret you are not telling us, da?"
"Just follow me." Kayda led the group up the stairs and to the study room, which became even more crowded as they jostled for seats.
Lanie practically jumped to her feet and gave the Lakota girl a hug. "Ah was worried about bein' late," she said with a grin, "but Ah see Ah'm not the last one to the party." Wyatt stood wordlessly, looking impassively at the two girls hugging each other.
Kayda returned the hug. "You and Wyatt must have slipped in the back door while I was meeting the others in the lobby."
"Yeah," she answered as she pulled Wyatt into a vacant love seat with her.
With sixteen students in the study room, it was more than a bit crowded. Everyone sat - Billie upside-down on the ceiling, Toni doing her trapeze act on the ropes, and a couple of people stretched out on the hammocks. "The reason I asked you all here today ...." Kayda began.
"... is you want to know where we were on the night of January Fourteenth," Fey deadpanned, which elicited some serious chuckles and guffaws.
Kayda tried to shoot her a glare, but the innocent, doe-eyed look she gave Kayda made it impossible to keep frowning, and Kaya giggled. "I wanted all of you to know how helpful you've been to me. My first weeks here have been ... hectic ..."
"Yeah," Hank interrupted, "you're making _us_ look like we're the sane and rational ones!"
"I wanted to thank you all for sticking by my side and for helping me believe in myself. Even through these last two ... rough weeks, you were all standing by my side." Kayda sounded a little choked up by the memories of just how much they'd helped, "and I wanted to say 'thank you' in a special way." With a deep breath, Kayda incanted a spell, and suddenly, a large pile of boxes was revealed in a corner.
Ayla's eyebrows rose incrementally, a testament to how well he controlled his emotions, while the others mostly stared at the pile of rather large boxes.
"Oooh! Christmas in May!" Jade giggled.
"And I didn't get you anything, Ayles," Toni said with a mock sigh.
"You can't open them until _everyone_ opens them at once," Kayda cautioned everyone as she started handing out the boxes. As she passed them around to the various people, Jade yelped in surprise, which elicited a chuckle from Kayda. "I told you not to open them." She smiled. "Or use your talent to peek inside. Just for that, I'll release the binding on yours last!"
"Shocking that Jade would try to snoop!" Billie said dryly.
Fey chuckled. It was nice to hear her perking up enough to laugh; she'd been through so much with losing Aunghadhail, and her smile told the group that she was recovering, if only slowly. "You put a binding on the boxes to keep us from opening them?" Kayda just grinned in response. Toni and Billie shot her unpleasant looks because Ayla didn't have a box, but Fey had a knowing smile. No doubt once she'd revealed the boxes, Fey had poked around magically and knew Kayda's secret.
Once all the boxes were passed out, Kayda released the spell she'd put on them. "You can open them now." She turned to Jade, trying hard to ignore the +10 Big Sad Puppy-Dog Eyes directed her way. "Except you," she said, quickly averting her gaze from Jade's devastating weapons.
Toni opened her box like a hyperactive kid full of caffeine on Christmas day, and she ooh'd and aah'd with delight as she pulled a pair of boots from the box. "Is this ... what I think it is?" she asked as she eyed the satin-finished ebony-black, tall, high-heeled calf boots.
"Yup," Kayda answered with a grin.
Toni did a flip off the ropes, kicked off her shoes midair and zipped her legs into the dark calf-boots before she landed gracefully. "Oh, yeah! We bad!" she said as she strutted around, modeling her new footwear. "We kick ass, take names, and wear the hides! Mess with us and you end up footwear!"
Fey rolled her eyes. "In case you forgot, Toni, Kayda and her friends did the ass-kicking."
"We can still wear the hides so we look bad!"
"How much hide did you get from the snake-demon?" Ayla asked warily. He'd schooled his expression to hide any emotion at the fact that he didn't have a gift.
"Way more than enough. Forty to fifty feet long, about five feet diameter - you figure it out!" All of the girls were oohing and aahing over their matching high-heeled calf boots and a matching belt, while the guys looked at their matching shoes and belt. Wyatt's footwear was somewhat special - they were boots that matched his Ren-fair look when manifesting Kodiak.
Anna gasped in surprise, then began gushing with delight. "Ohmygosh, they're beautiful!" she cried, her eyes misting that someone would give her a present. "You didn't have to do this. I mean," she continued, "I really like them, because I don't have much for fashionable footwear because my toenails can tear them up, and I can't really afford to get new shoes."
Kayda smiled at Anna. "I wanted to do something nice for my friends."
Anna launched herself into a crushing hug of Kayda. "They're wonderful! I've never had a pair of boots like this! Are you sure, though? I don't want you to spend your money on expensive presents, because ...."
"Anna," Kayda interrupted the stream of babble from the girl with the squirrel spirit, "hush! I wanted to do that, and it's no hardship for me. So enjoy them, okay?"
"How did you get our sizes?" Adrian asked as he tried on one shoe. "It fits perfectly!"
Kayda chuckled. "I have my sources." She glanced around, and seeing that everyone had opened their presents, she cast a quick spell, nodding to Jade that she could now open her gift.
Jade gasped, and then giggled with delight as she opened her present. "It's perfect!" She held up the purse, made of snakey's hide. On the front, embroidered in contrasting thread, was an outline of "Hello, Kitty".
Ayla wasn't the only one who groaned at that. "You shouldn't indulge her," he grumbled to Kayda with more than a hint of disgust in his voice.
"Kayda," Billie said cautiously, "did you forget Ayla?"
Kayda grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Nope," she said, cancelling the _other_ concealment spell and retrieving a large box, not yet giving it to Ayla. "I couldn't quite decide exactly _what_ to get, so I thought about giving you matching boots."
Ayla's eyes widened with horror at the thought that she'd gotten him a pair of sexy, high-heeled calf boots too.
She suddenly found herself wishing that Toni had had a mouthful of soda, because she _would have_ blown it out of her nose! As it was her derisive chuckle was highly entertaining. "Ayles, you gonna be _stylin_ in dem boots!"
"And then I thought maybe a pair that of simpler shoes," Kayda continued thoughtfully. "But with nice high-heels to match your teammates."
The look on Ayla's face got more distressed as he considered what she might have done.
"So I just told Celia to go wild with something really flashy and stylish for you."
It was Billie's and Lanie's turn to snort with laughter; they'd experienced Celia Rogers' design magic and could easily imagine Ayla ending up with something feminine and sexy.
Watching Kayda warily, Ayla opened the box, sighing with relief as he pulled out a pair of what looked to be Doc Martens, but with a _little bit_ of heel. His careful expression slipped - a little bit - to one of gratitude that she hadn't humiliated him with calf boots. A moment later, he pulled out a belt and then a matching purse. An eyebrow shot up as he held up the purse.
"You should all have purses - or wallets," Kayda noted, causing a scramble to look through the boxes again.
"This must have cost a fortune," Ayla observed. Kayda smiled smugly, and Ayla realized that she wasn't about to answer.
"Is this safe?" Fey asked the question Kayda had been expecting as she held up her boots. "I feel some ... magic residue on these." She was being more than a trifle cautious around something with a magic 'feel' to it.
Kayda grinned. "Watch this." Winding up, she cast a simple magic spell on Toni's boots and they scintillated in multicolored, iridescent glow as the magic interacted with the boots. "They have some magic resistance as well," she added.
"Way cool!" Toni beamed. "Cast a spell on me, sucka, and even my boots'll dazzle your ass, hypnotizing you while I kick your sorry butt!"
Kaya glanced over and saw Lanie looking at her boots with an appreciative but sad look. "What?"
"You know what'll happen if I manifest Griz while I'm wearing these," Lanie said cautiously, trying not to sound ungrateful.
Kayda grinned. "Try it. I think you'll be surprised."
Warily, Lanie took off her shoes, zipped on the boots, and then manifested Grizzly.
One would have thought that the sight of a somewhat tall, curvy redhead suddenly manifesting a nearly-seven-foot-tall, massive she-bear form would have caused panic, or at least consternation. The fact that no-one seemed to bat an eye - with the possible exception of Alicia and Addy - testified to how often really weird stuff happened at Whateley.
"They ... stretch!" Lanie exclaimed excitedly. "They still fit me perfectly!"
Kayda nodded, smiling. "That's one thing that the residual magic does - they'll fit you perfectly forever, no matter how much you grow. It's one property of snakey's skin. It'll stretch to fit, and it's very, very tough." She looked at Anna. "I don't think you'll ever have to worry about your toenails tearing through the boots."
Anna's eyes widened. "Are you sure? Because my toenails really tear up my shoes, and I can't afford to keep replacing shoes, so I have to file them every day and it takes a long time, and ....,"
"Anna," Kayda interrupted the girl again, "these should be okay. And as if you need, we can work something so we can use some of the leftover hide to make you other shoes that are a little more ... durable."
Anna gasped in surprise. "But ... I could never afford to pay for those, and I can't ask you to spend your money on shoes for me! They must have cost a lot, and I'm ...."
Kayda gave the squirrel girl a hug. "We'll figure out something, okay?" Once Anna nodded in understanding, Kayda turned back to Lanie. "Oh, and the leather bikini will be ready in a couple of days."
Lanie goggled at her friend, while Wyatt's eyebrows waggled with anticipation. "Bikini?" she asked nervously.
One by one, the gathered friends lined up to give Kayda hugs - or in the case of Adrian, Ayla, Hank, and Vasiliy, hand-shakes, because they were afraid of causing a panic attack. The girls, though, were all very enthusiastic in their embraces, none more-so than Jade with her 'Hello Kitty' purse, all the while trying to convince Kayda that it showed that she just had to join Wondercute. After a bit, the only one left to thank the Lakota girl was Wyatt. The big senior stood and stepped to the small girl, slowly reaching his beefy hand to shake hers. Lanie, hovering protectively beside Kayda, grabbed Wyatt's hand and stood tip-toe beside him, whispering something in his ear.
The puzzled look on Wyatt's face made Kayda wonder. "Are you sure?" Wyatt asked Lanie, his voice tinged with doubt. Lanie simply nodded.
With a shrug, Wyatt tentatively stretched out his arms, giving Kayda the opportunity to back away if she felt uncomfortable. But she didn't. Wyatt had helped her in a way that no-one else in the room knew. Like a kid hugging a favorite uncle, she practically leaped into his arms, encircling him in a heartfelt embrace.
Wyatt closed his arms tenderly on the girl. "Thank you for the boots," he said simply.
Feeling her eyes moisten, Kayda shook her head. "No," she said softly but emphatically. "Thank you for helping me heal."
"Ahem," Lanie cleared her throat after a few seconds, letting Kayda and Wyatt know that they'd hugged long enough in her opinion.
"Jealous?" Wyatt teased her.
Lanie frowned. "No. Ah don't want to be late for dinner."
"A likely excuse," Kayda giggled to Lanie as she eased out of Wyatt's hug.
That seemed to be a signal; everyone decided to collectively go to the cafeteria for dinner. Lanie and Wyatt went to the Alpha table, the Kimbas to their table on high, Anna and Alicia to sit with the Underdogs, and Addy excused herself to sit with the Berets, leaving the rest of the group at their usual table. Kayda and the girls couldn't help but smile at the buzz from some observant guys and probably jealous girls about the calf-tight, sexy boots all the girls wore. At the very least, Addy and Alicia were loving the attention; Cecilia had made the boots quite fashionable, and there was just something about shapely girls in tight calf-boots with high heels that screamed "sexy", at least to every boy with a pair of functioning eyeballs.
Back in Poe, Kayda picked up one last box and trudged up the stairs. Hesitantly, she knocked lightly on a door.
"I ... I didn't expect you!" the occupant said when she opened the door and saw Kayda.
"I have something ... for you. As a way of saying thanks," Kayda said timidly.
The other girl looked at Kayda, puzzled. "For ... what?"
"Open the box first."
Arching an eyebrow, with her fingernail, she sliced the tape holding the lid and then hesitantly opened the box. As expected, her jaw dropped in shock. As she pulled one of the boots out of the box, she gasped. "They're ... gorgeous!" She threw her arms around Kayda, wrapping her tightly into an embrace as her damp cheek pressed against the Lakota girl's. "Thank you!" she gushed.
"No, thank you," Kayda replied sincerely, returning the hug enthusiastically, "for everything you did to help me through my first weeks here."
"You shouldn't have!"
Kayda smiled. "I like doing nice things for my friends."
She pulled back, her surprise plain to see. "After all that - after what I had to say in the hearing, you ...." She was having a hard time finding words. "You ... think of me as ... a friend?"
The Lakota girl smiled. "Yes." She swept the other back into an embrace, and after a moment, pulled back from the hug. "If you have any problems with fit, let me know, but they're kind of magic, so they should fit okay."
Giving Rosalyn a friendly kiss on her cheek, Kayda turned, and with a smile on her face, walked back down to her room. She felt good, better than she had since she'd changed. She had a lot of very good friends, she'd overcome some big challenges, and she was learning to like herself, like Lanie, and to ignore what others said, like Lanie.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sunday, May 13, 2007, Afternoon
Devisor Tunnels, Whateley Academy
"What the hell are we looking for again" Officer Green grumbled as Metler rattled the doorknob set into a frame in the side of the small tunnel.
"You were sleeping through the briefing, weren't you?" Metler said, shaking his head as he pulled out a master key.
"Nah," Green said. "Wife made her burrito casserole last night. I was making an extended head call."
"So that's why the bathroom smelled so bad! Man, you gotta warn us when you eat that stuff!" Metler said, wrinkling his nose. The door opened with a creak. Metler reached inside and fumbled until he found a light switch. The room was immediately bathed in harsh white light, revealing it to be a small janitorial type closet with a shelf of cleaning supplies, miscellaneous brooms and such, and a large janitorial sink.
"Well?"
"We're supposed to tear the place apart, looking for a small G-mart safe, and also for a piece of Tyvek, folded or rolled up." Metler started looking around the shelves, including underneath them.
"Tyvek?" Green asked, puzzled. "Is that some new kind of devisor stuff someone here invented?"
"Nah," Metler said. "You haven't been around construction much, have you? You know what white stuff they wrap houses with? To make them weatherproof and airtight?"
"Yeah? What of it?"
"That's Tyvek. Some kind of synthetic paper. Supposed to be really strong and durable, which is why they use it in construction."
"Yeah?" Green shook his head. "So we're supposed to find some of this stuff? How big a piece?"
"Dunno. They guessed it'd be at least three feet square."
Green snorted derisively. "Not asking for much, are they? The safe? Yeah, I can see finding that. But a paper like that? That could be folded up or rolled up and put damned near anywhere, including in the ducts."
"Yeah? Well, it's got top priority. But then, you'd know that if you hadn't been on vacation fishing."
"Hey, it was a good trip! You telling me you'd turn down a salmon fishing trip in Alaska to hang out here? Or doing honey-do chores for my wife?" Green chuckled.
"I've met your wife," Metler scoffed. "I'd rather take a vacation wrestling grizzly bears than spend it hanging out with your wife!"
"So what's the big deal with this safe? And some piece of Tyvek?"
"You missed a lot of excitement while you were fishing. Apparently, the safe and the paper are tied to the murder of some avatar student a little over a week ago." Metler explained. "Big to-do. Got the DPA and the state's Attorney General involved. And they arrested your buddy the Buffalo Gal."
"No! Get outta here!"
"Seriously. It gets better. She didn't do it, but her alibi is that she was having hot lesbian sex out in that Indian lodge they built."
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"Yeah, and someone filmed the whole thing."
Green leered. "I don't suppose that a copy of the video is hanging around somewhere."
Metler pulled out a flashlight and bent over, looking underneath the lowest shelf. "Man, I bet no-one has used this place for ten years." He straightened up. "No, and if you value your hide, you won't ask. The girls are under eighteen, and Hardass herself has spyware snooping around looking on everything electronic to find and destroy copies of it." He shook his head. "If you get caught with it, you'll be looking at fifteen-to-life for kiddie porn."
Green whistled. "Since when have they gotten so serious about this?"
"Since it got the attention of the state and the DPA," Metler answered. He stepped to a small door at the back of the closet and twisted the very dusty doorknob. It refused to turn. Frowning, he pulled out his keys and fumbled for a bit. "This lock has to be thirty years old. None of the master keys fit!"
"Look at the dust," Green commented. "No-one has walked through that door for a very long time."
Metler wiped the dust off his hand. "And with that much dust, nobody has opened that door recently either." He paused and looked at the door. "Suppose we ought to kick it in to see what's back there?"
"Nah. Nobody's been in here for ages, and we've got a lot of searching to do." Green shook his head as he pulled out a tablet computer and made a mark on a map.
"At least give me a hand looking on the top shelf," Metler suggested.
"I looked. Nothing there," Green retorted. "Let's move on."
"Okay." The two left the room, pausing to lock the door and turn off the light.
Inside the inner door, the pattern of dust on the floor was not uniform, streaked and mottled enough to raise suspicion had anyone opened the door. In the corner, on a shelf in a back corner, hidden by a dust-covered tarp and a couple of crates, sat a small G-mart safe. Inside, triple-wrapped in sealed plastic bags, was a small bottle with a bit of fluid in it, and a small art paintbrush.
* * * * * * * * * *
In a general devisor lab, the students all stood aside as three security officers swept through, looking everywhere they could think - in every drawer, under every bench surface, inside every nook and cranny.
"What are they looking for?" Smoke Test asked Little Bee and Ergonomic as they stood in a small cluster, watching the security guards work and hoping that none of their work was disrupted by the search for whatever they were searching diligently for.
"I heard it's something to do with the Heyoka murder," Ergonomic answered in a soft voice. "Rumor is there's a safe and some kind of large paper."
The security and faculty team eventually gave up, having searched everywhere. Except for the undersides of the benches above the drawers, hidden unless the drawer were pulled out, which they hadn't been. In one corner bench, In one corner, in one of the benches, in that spot missed by the searchers, a folded piece of Tyvek clung to the underside of the bench.
* * * * * * * * * *
Through the portal in the folded paper, squeezed into an uncomfortable pocket dimension, Sara Waite fumed, her anger growing with every passing second at the impudent boy that had summoned her, and her desire for revenge grew even more rapidly. Worse, she was coming to some unpleasant conclusions about how he'd managed to trap her. She was the daughter of Gothmog; a normal summoning circle should not have held her. She thought she'd recognized something familiar on the paper that Speakeasy had been reading from; now she was convinced that someone had used him to invoke some Mythos magic to trap her. And trapped she was. All the things which should have worked against a regular summoning circle failed to free her, increasing her frustration with every attempt.
As time passed, a different sense of time in the strange pocket dimension, Sara's creative streak was taking vicious, nasty turns. Someday, she'd hunt down Darren, and then he'd pay. Oh, how he would pay. But first, the summoning circle had to be broken, or Darren had to release her. And given what he'd said, it was not likely that he'd be so inclined. So she was trapped until the fates decided to let her go.
* * * * * * * * * *
Sappho was a Greek lyricist, born on the Isle of Lesbos sometime between 630 and 612BCE. While she was a prolific poet, most of her poems are lost, but not her notoriety. We know of Sappho because of her immense reputation and fame throughout the ancient world. And while her name and the isle of her birth would become defining words for female homosexuality, Sappho herself was likely what we would consider bi-sexual. She was married and had at least a daughter we know of, but her love of other women, the torrid affairs she had and the impressive body of love poetry to these girls and young women were legendary.
In her day, Sappho was a superstar, considered one of, if not THE foremost lyricist and poet. There are many surviving, gushing notes of praise of her work from a veritable who's who of the ancient world. Ovid writes of her in glowing terms and Plato campaigned for her to be deified as the tenth Muse. Unfortunately, most of her work exists only in a collection of fragments that survived the sacking of the Library Alexandria, finds in tombs of poetry lovers, or quoted in the works of other great masters. The only poem of hers to come to us in its entirety is her Hymn to Aphrodite which we have quoted in loving respect for the greatest poet of History.
- The Authors
Sappho's Hymn to Aphrodite
Iridescent-throned Aphrodite, deathless
Child of Zeus, wile-weaver, I now implore you,
Don't--I beg you, Lady--with pains and torments
Crush down my spirit,
But before if ever you've heard my pleadings
Then return, as once when you left your father's
Golden house; you yoked to your shining car your
Wing-whirring sparrows;
Skimming down the paths of the sky's bright ether
On they brought you over the earth's black bosom,
Swiftly--then you stood with a sudden brilliance,
Goddess, before me;
Deathless face alight with your smile, you asked me
What I suffered, who was my cause of anguish,
What would ease the pain of my frantic mind, and
Why had I called you
To my side: "And whom should Persuasion summon
Here, to soothe the sting of your passion this time?
Who is now abusing you, Sappho? Who is
Treating you cruelly?
Now she runs away, but she'll soon pursue you;
Gifts she now rejects--soon enough she'll give them;
Now she doesn't love you, but soon her heart will
Burn, though unwilling."
Come to me once more, and abate my torment;
Take the bitter care from my mind, and give me
All I long for; Lady, in all my battles
Fight as my comrade.