Aftermath (5 page)

My first thought was to let loose and kill as many of the bastards as I could before any of them slipped away but cold, hard, and utterly fucking annoying reason intruded. All it would take was for one of the DSI goons to get away and I could guarantee an army of operatives would be going after my kid until they’d succeeded in their mission. That fear was exactly why I’d come to Pitkin in the first place, to keep her out of harm’s way. Abby didn’t need to be a part of my life. Nothing good ever came from it. This was a perfect example of that.

“What the hell do you want, Shaw?”

A serpentine smile slithered across her lips. “Since you asked so nicely, I could use your assistance with something.”

“I’m sorry but no one, not even me, is capable of pulling that stick out of your ass.”

“Then it’s a good thing that’s not what I need from you, isn’t it?” Shaw stepped toward me once more, confidence restored. “This location is not the only facility maintained by us and I suspect it won’t be the only one attacked.”

“God damn it, Shaw. You have got to be kidding me.” The realization that more cities might be nuked in order to free people from secret DSI prisons made my stomach churn worse than it had when I’d seen the bodies spread about Pitkin. “You would let how many people die just to point the finger at me?”

“As many as it takes to get you to cooperate,” she answered.

I knew it to be true and let out a tired groan. “Where are you going with all this?”

“I need soldiers, Trigg. Soldiers who can stand up to a supernatural attack and win out. You and your friends at DRAC just happen to fit that description.”

“You’ve got your own army,” I said, motioning to her goon squad, “or something resembling one. What do you need us for?”

“My people are untrained and lack the raw power possessed by your organization. I am uncertain they are up to the task without experienced backup. Together, however, we can stop the assault and ensure the plot ends then and there. Wouldn’t that be novel?”

“You know exactly who is involved in this, don’t you?”

She shook her head. “I wish I did, but regardless who is masterminding the breakouts
we
cannot afford to have any more prisoners released. They are all dangerous beings placed there for a reason. Them being loose in the world is a threat to us all and the more out there, the greater the danger.”

“We? You keep using that word but I don’t think you know what it means.”

“It means exactly what it means; we, you and I. As long as you cooperate your daughter will remain safe and humanity won’t have you as the scapegoat to blame for the nuclear war being waged upon United States’ soil.”

“Why don’t you just move the damn prisoners and be done with it? You know, avoid all this bullshit from the get go.”

“Then I wouldn’t know where the next attack might occur.”

“So you’re using the prisoners as bait?” I shook my head. Shaw made it hard to forget just how coldblooded she was. “You could sneak the prisoners out rather than leave them hanging on the hook waiting to be snatched up.”

“It’s really not that simple, Trigg, or we would have already done that, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know what to think when it comes to you.”

“Exactly, so just do as you’re told and you won’t have to worry about such difficult concepts as reason or logic.”

“You’re a bitch, you know that?”

“It’s been mentioned a time or two, yes.” Shaw smiled. “Gather your people and I’ll send you the coordinates you’ll need to be at within the hour.”

I held my ground glaring at her but there was no point in putting off what needed to be done any longer just so I could salvage some small piece of my pride. Before I ended up looking like more of an idiot than I already had I whipped up a storm of energy and shot into the air, kicking up dust and debris in my wake.

It was petty revenge against Shaw’s manipulations but I’m not gonna lie, it made me happy.

Chapter Five

Rachelle opened a portal a good distance from where Shaw had directed us and we clambered through the dimensions somewhere in Missouri. At least that’s where I was told we were going. Minus the char and ruin the place looked pretty much like the area around Pitkin, which I figured was the reason Shaw had put her damn prison there to begin with. Quiet, out of the way, and desolate all seemed like pre-requisites for stashing a sneaky government jail.

“I’m still not sure about this, Frank.” Rahim’s head swiveled as he took in our location. His expression mirrored his statement, sour and full of distrust.

“I’m not either but Shaw didn’t exactly leave me a load of options.” With that in mind I’d had Rahim send a message to Katon to have him and Scarlett to take a vacation out of reach, just in case Shaw really did know where they were hiding out. It wasn’t much comfort seeing how she had the government’s resources at her fingertips but it was something. "Still, I figure we’re gonna have to deal with this bullshit eventually so why not hit it early? Maybe we can knock it out and be home in time for dinner.”

“You really believe that?” Rachelle asked.

“Nope,” I answered, shaking my head. “Not one bit.”

“Neither do I,” Rahim added. “We’re not exactly at full strength these days with Scarlett and Katon gone. If Shaw is walking us into a trap we’re in no shape to defend ourselves against the whole of her resources.”

Michal Li, DRAC’s resident telepath, chimed in from the other side of the portal we’d come through, his voice reverberating through my skull. “I’m picking up Shaw and her team about a mile from your location.”

“That’s reassuring,” I told him, speaking aloud since I’d never gotten the hang of carrying on a conversation in my head that didn’t involve talking to myself.

I could almost hear his mental shrug. “Thing is though, there’s no hint of
anyone
else in the area.”

“The last prison was underground,” I said. “Could that be blocking you?”

“No, not really. It might limit the quality of direct contact with someone dependent upon how deep the prison was buried, the ground distorting my signal, but I should be able to pick up the most basic of brain waves floating about regardless. There’s simply nothing there.”

“So Shaw
is
setting us up.” Rahim dragged a huge hand across the scruff growing on his chin, his frustration growing.

He didn’t say, ‘I told you so,’ but he might as well have. Rahim had wanted nothing to do with the DSI after what they’d done to DRAC and had only come along because I’d told him of the threat to Abigail and Katon and Scarlett. He was loyal to a fault but that didn’t mean he was stupid.

“Maybe not.” I remembered the strange tingling I’d felt while examining the cells. “Could they keep you from sensing anyone by using magic?”

“Hmmmm. The wards would have to be pretty sophisticated.”

“What are you thinking, Frank?” Rachelle broke her silence to ask.

“When I was examining the last place there was this weird mystical energy between the main door and the interior of the prison and more of the same at the doors to the cells. Nothing happened when I triggered the stuff, and it felt residual for lack of a better word, inactive, so I didn’t bother to check it out. Maybe that has something to do with why you can’t pick anything up.”

“It’s possible,” Mike admitted, “but I can’t be certain without examining the last prison to see what kind of defenses they put in place.”

“Which isn’t going to happen anytime soon,” Rahim said, motioning with his jaw toward a figure that appeared out of nowhere a dozen yards ahead of us.
Grace.
She raised her hands in a peaceful gesture before starting our direction, a natural sashay in her stride.

Or ever, seeing how they blew the place up. “Guess they got tired of waiting,” I said.

“Looks that way,” Rahim confirmed. He turned and raised an eyebrow at Rachelle.

“I’ll keep my finger on the proverbial trigger,” Rachelle answered, realizing immediately what he was asking. “Michael will be listening in as well and will
assist
me in opening a gate should we need a quicker exit.”

Rahim sighed.
If
Shaw was setting us up, more than the usual that was, she could wipe out the last of the command structure of DRAC in single blow. Without Rachelle or Rahim around to keep the reins tight the organization would fall apart and become even more ineffective than it had become after the Army kicked in the doors at DRAC headquarters. She’d dealt us a hell of a blow that had only been mitigated by the whole of DRAC moving into Hell and me convincing the vamps and weres to hit back against the government to give them someone else to focus on. That had led to a lot of grief for Shaw and her people. As such, I could easily see Rahim’s point of view that she was luring him and Rachelle out of hiding so she could take a shot at them and end this once and for all.

That said, I was starting to get a pretty good feel for the way Shaw thought. She was a user, first and foremost. She needed something and we were the means to achieving that particular something. The woman would most definitely make a play and try to take us out eventually but her primary motivation was to accomplish her goal and better her circumstances. As long as we were prepared for her and took precautions while we went about our little chores we could head her off at the pass and hold to the status quo of hate and hate alike.

“Taking in the view?” Grace asked as she approached, her gazer meeting mine.

I looked her up and down and grinned. “It is way more pleasant over here than it is over that way.” I gestured in the general direction of Shaw and the others. “Madam Corpsula send you to be our escort?”

“We are on a bit of a schedule, end of the world and all that.”

“Aren’t we always?” I met her cold stare and waved her off. “Run along and tell Shaw we’ll be right there.”

Grace harrumphed and disappeared.

“Your charm knows no bounds, Frank.” Rahim shook his head. “We’re as ready as we’re going to be so let’s get this over with.”

There was the gentle tug of Rachelle’s power coming online and the space between dimensions peeled open before us. I could see Shaw and her flunkies staring at us through the other side. They stood there stiff and untrusting but there didn’t seem to be any open sense of hostility on their part. No more than usual, at least.

“Still no one in the area,” Michael’s voice rang in my skull. His announcement was a small relief though with the damn teleport rings the DSI had they could summon an army in an instant.

I shrugged before stepping through the portal. Our little détente at a distance was over. We either bailed or got on with shit. That in mind I pushed my energy to the forefront as I went through Rachelle’s gate. If anyone was looking to start something I wanted them to know exactly what they were getting into.

Shaw grinned at me as I hopped out. “Was there a sale on helium? You seem a little…broader than usual.” Thud chuckled and elbowed Styg as if he were the only one who got the joke. The necromancer didn’t even glance my direction while the rest of the DSI stood off to the side by Shaw, staring without saying anything.

“Just making a point, Princess Doom n’ Gloom.” I moved out of the way so the rest of DRAC could sidle through the portal, going on the verbal offensive to keep the DSI folks occupied. “I thought you said there was another prison here. From our end it looks like you’re selling wolf tickets.”

“Dare I ask what wolf tickets are?”

“I wouldn’t,” Rahim answered, stepping forward. “Why are we here, Shaw?” His Barry White rumble had an edge to it.

Normally I’d be the one to cross the line to violence but there was no mistaking the fury that stiffened his posture. Waves of power wafted off him, and I moved alongside just in case he decided he wanted a piece of Shaw. She’d hurt and killed a lot of people at DRAC and there was no way all that was going to be forgotten or forgiven by the man. We’d get our revenge but I’d rather it wasn’t today. There was too much riding on our getting along for the time being. I wouldn’t let Abby be put at risk no matter how much I agreed with Rahim and his feelings. Fortunately he seemed to realize it himself, easing back on the throttle of his power before things got out of hand.

Shaw smiled, sensing the de-escalation. “We’re here for exactly the reason I told Trigg. These terrorists, whoever they might be, have attacked one of our installations and it seems reasonable that they will attack more.”

“But why are we
here
?” he repeated, aiming a finger at the ground beneath him for emphasis.

“Because this is where the installation is located.” She pointed off toward the woods. “Or at least a short distance that way. I didn’t think it prudent to be sitting right atop it should we fail to notice the approach of our erstwhile bombers.”

“I still can’t find anything,” Michael told us, listening in through our senses.

“Your prison has a means of escaping detection?” I asked.

“It most certainly does but I’m not at liberty to discuss the specifics of it, of course.”

“Of course.”

Rachelle glanced about, surveying the area with narrow eyes.

“Where do you need us?” Rahim asked, clearly wanting to be as far away from Shaw and her cronies as possible.

She had other ideas. “Right here actually. We’ve surveillance on the installation, both technological and mystical, and the plan is to simply wait until our assailants show themselves and pounce before they can activate the bomb.”

“This is a nuke we’re talking about. It’s not like they need to land it dead on,” I countered.

“No, but just like at the previous location it needs to be very, very close or the explosion won’t be sufficient to counteract the installation’s defense protocol.”

“I’m not sure I believe—” Rachelle set a hand on my arm and stopped me from finishing my sentence.

“The prison isn’t here on Earth,” she said, her gaze landing on Shaw, a crooked smile stretched across her pale lips. “It’s in Limbo. Or at least part of it is.”

“Whatchu talkin’ about Willis?”

Shaw started up a slow clap. “Impressive. I hadn’t expected you to divine that, Miss Knight. Seems we need to work harder to hide our assets in the future.”