Embracing the Shadows (14 page)

My commander thought for a moment. "I do not
believe I've brought one of those to your store before, unless one
of its like was mixed in with the pouch of gold and jewelry I
regularly bring to you. So, to be honest, I do not. Although,
judging from your reaction, Benjamin, I would venture to say a tidy
sum."

"A tidy sum . . ." Traeg repeated. He looked
at me and said, "Look, I know coins. On a quick sale, I could get
four grand for this."

"Holy crap, are you serious?" I asked, and
then stepped over to him and the helmet. It was half full of all
different kinds of coins. I held up a gold one and asked, "Is this
a fucking doubloon? Seriously?"

"Yes, it is," Viggo answered for Traeg.
"Fellow medieval numen did not refer to me as the 'Dark Dragon' out
of happenstance; I have always had a tendency to hoard. Now come
have a seat. I did not invite all of you down here to admire my
trinkets."

"Yes sir, sorry," Traeg and I said, putting
the coins back.

When we sat down near Viggo, he began with
some information. "I have seven other minions." He browsed through
a short stack of files on the coffee table in front of him. "There
is a sorting director of a local trash company, a Public Works
supervisor, a personal property manager, a police dispatcher, a
construction company owner, a janitor at Realm Management, and an
informant in the IRS." The last one was Natalie. I had no idea
about the others.

"Of my many minions, only you three do I
trust with most of my secrets. The others are loyal, to be sure,
but I do not feel a bond with them as I do with you. Not to
dehumanize the others, for they are all fine people, but those
minions are essentially tools I must use from time to time. Other
than the false name of Mr. Stone - used for my own security -
everything I have told each of you is true."

"Thank you for that," Gwen said sincerely.
Traeg and I echoed her sentiment.

"I know you all have questions," Viggo
continued, handing me the DVD remote. "I have something for you to
watch, and perhaps some answers will be given. Leo will address
your queries about the video; he was there, after all. I will
return shortly." He got up and walked toward the dark corner back
by the bed. I didn't watch - I'd seen it before. Gwen and Traeg
turned their heads to watch him, saw the corner get even darker,
and then Viggo was gone. By their reactions, neither of them had
seen that trick before. Traeg shouted "What the living fuck?" while
Gwen started mumbling "Oh my God" over and over.

Keeping in mind what they were about to
watch, I said, "Calm down. You haven't seen shit yet."

CONNECTING

Both Gwen and Traeg had the same access to
the hemo-net that I did, although theyd given it different names.
From it, they'd seen posts for Gatherings before. They'd just never
been to one and had no idea what went on at them. I started my
commentary with Herr Aldo Skala, the hemo who wore the camera. I
was immediately questioned about the word 'hemo'. Traeg used the
term 'vamp'. Gwen called them either 'numen' or 'the predators'. To
each their own.

I had to hit the pause and reverse buttons
more than I wanted to; Gwen asked about everyone who passed in
front of the lens. They watched the scene of a raging mad Ragna
like it was a horror movie, which it basically was. Neither of them
knew about Ragna before then. In fact, they didn't know about a lot
of hemos, Deviants included. Gwen had heard of Roach and Barnabus,
and recognized a few faces from working with video feeds. Traeg
knew Skin, but by his long Irish name; they'd haggled a few times
through the years.

We watched the part -twice - where Viggo put
a few hemos in their place. The few seconds where he gathered
shadows and disappeared, though . . . They had me replay that like
five or six times. Gwen was both excited and shocked to see Cordell
on the screen. I told her that he was one of them now, and admitted
that it was pretty much my fault.

Traeg was asking about scions and hemo
lineage when Viggo came back. My commander fielded a few questions
and then got to his point. "I want each of you to be better
informed. Your interaction will remove some of the burden from me.
Exchange computer addresses and phone numbers, but do not pass any
sensitive information through the latter. A new file and icon will
be made for your Deviant drives - a minion chat room, if you will.
Stay connected. If there is a need for supplies, contact Benjamin.
Gwen can offer assistance with questions of various natures. For
any security issues, talk to Leo."

Gwen and I already had each other's info, so
we typed our numbers into Traeg's phone while he did the same with
ours. "On occasion," Viggo continued, "I will send you a report
that the other minions have sent me. Therefore, familiarize
yourselves with these people." He turned and spoke directly to
Gwen. "You especially. Along with your current duties of analyzing
camera feeds, you will compile intelligence from these various
sources. As we have discussed earlier, you will be compensated if
time constraints do not allow you to keep your vocation."

"Yes sir, it's a generous offer," she
replied. "I'd still like to see if I can do all that and keep my
job, if you don't mind. I'll only need a week or less to know if I
can."

"Of course," Viggo answered. Addressing us
all again, he said, "On the topic of compensation, personnel of
ShadoWorks - whether full or part-time - shall begin receiving
regular pay instead of cash as needed."

I was a full-time employee. I figured because
of Gwen and Traeg's jobs, they were part-time. Gwen had an offer to
go full-time, but I didn't think Traeg would give up his business
to do the same. Viggo most likely wouldn't have wanted him to,
either. "You don't have to do that, sir," I said. "I can't speak
for everyone, but I bet we'd all agree that how you've been doing
things is fine with us." The others agreed.

"This decision is as much for my benefit as
it is for yours," Viggo replied. "It will remove the inconvenient
chore of passing around cash at various times for whatever mundane
needs you may have. I will explain the process . . ."

It boiled down to this: ShadoWorks had access
through a Deviant-run company to buy anonymous credit cards with a
good limit. Those got issued to full-timers. The same card with a
much lower limit would be given to part-timers. If the limit was
reached - meaning I wasn't spending my money - then another card
would be issued to me. The whole thing was handled by Viggo's
property manager, so no aliases had to be used. When I'd buy shit,
the only name showing up was that Deviant-run company. It also
masked the listing of most purchases. As a topper, Viggo said he'd
give out spending cash whenever it was time for a cup o' blood. It
sounded like a damn good plan to me.

I was essentially off the tax radar. Hey,
fuck it - I'd served my country and taken one for the team. Shit, a
lot more than one. Don't go thinking I was one of those
anti-government whackos; I was still patriotic, but I thought I'd
done my share. No more taxes? No more red tape, paperwork or
charges for . . . hell, pretty much everything? Who wouldn't take
that deal? I was all in.

Viggo said we should get back to our homes.
He gave Gwen and Traeg the option of either going back the way we
came - they hated every slimy step of it - or experiencing his
personal mode of travel. Traeg hesitantly accepted the chance to
take a void-walk. No, I didn't warn him about it. Gwen was excited
to try it, too, but her excitement was mixed with fidgety
nervousness. At her request, Traeg went first. After he and Viggo
were swallowed by the void, she asked if I'd done it before. I told
her I had, and the first time left me speechless. I was
intentionally vague. Sometimes I'm evil like that.

Five minutes later, Viggo reappeared and
called Gwen to him. Presto, they were gone, and it was closer to
ten minutes until he came back. "How'd they do, sir?" I asked,
curious as hell.

"Mr. Traeger barely managed to control his
convulsing stomach," he replied as he walked over and sat across
from me. "Miss Solomon feinted. Once I roused her, she assured me
she was fine."

I couldn't help but grin; Gwen was going to
catch so much shit from me. "I should get moving as well, sir. I
don't trust the Audi sitting by itself in a parking lot, no matter
how barren the area is. Oh, uh, about that car . . . It's a damn
nice car, sir. In fact, maybe too nice. It's pretty high profile,
which really doesn't fit me. And it kinda sticks out in my new
neighborhood. I appreciate you lending it to me, but could I maybe
start driving my Jeep again?"

He frowned. "Your vehicle is still known to
certain parties. One of them still might be foolish enough to
ignore my warnings and go after you if they recognized it. The
chances of that scenario are quite slim, but I would prefer to take
no chances whatsoever."

Disappointing, but he had a point. "I can
just trade my car in and get another."

Viggo shook his head. "No, that entails a
paper trail, which is what we are trying to avoid. Return the Audi
to Elmwood Cemetery. Take your vehicle to Mr. Traeger; he may have
vehicles available. If so, and if one of them suits your needs, he
will manipulate the paperwork and offer you a fair deal. Otherwise,
inform me and we will make other arrangements."

"That sounds great, sir. I appreciate it." I
stood up to leave.

"Do not thank me yet, Leo," he said
seriously. "Check your Planner in the morning; an update will have
been sent by then. Your new task will be outlined. An unpleasant
task." The shadows around Viggo began to slither and distort. Okay,
bad sign. "Something has occurred. I want answers."

QUINN

There was indeed a new task for me when I got
on the hemo-net late the next morning. It was a file simply named
'Quinn' and had a handful of notes attached to it. The first
attachment was a video clip of a news story that aired while I was
driving my fellow minions around the night before.

There was an attack and explosion at Quinn
Industries, a chemical processing factory a couple miles north of
downtown. A woman and a man assaulted a second-shift employee who
just got off work. They beat him, took his security badge and
wallet, then shot the poor bastard in the head. They charged into
the facility using a secondary door. The male suspect shot at any
third-shift worker nearby, while the female suspect threw Molotov
cocktails from a gym bag she carried with her.

One of the crude bombs made it into a
flammable compound mixing area, and boom. It was an enclosed space,
so the explosion was confined. Otherwise, the whole place might've
blown sky high. As it was, there were fires and some structural
damage. One worker died from a bullet to the chest, and another
didn't make it out of the mixing room. Six other employees were
wounded; two from gunfire and four from the explosion. Other
workers were hospitalized for possible noxious fume inhalation.

The two suspects escaped. The police had
leads, but were asking for tips to assist their investigation. That
told me they didn't have shit, and I wondered why. I mean, a
company like that had to have security cameras set up inside. Maybe
a few outside, too. Even if some of the cameras got fried in the
blast, their footage up until then would've been sent to a server
in an office somewhere.

Viggo's first typed note after the video
said, 'Since ShadoWorks is the primary stockholder of Quinn
Industries, I have a vested interest in its productivity. Attached
below is a security video that has not been released to the police.
Clearly seen in the video are the two culprits. The reason for
suppressing this evidence is simple. I want them first. I want
answers. The police can have whatever is left.'

Well damn, that was definitive. I texted
Gwen, saying that her skills were needed ASAP. While I waited for a
reply, I watched the next video clip. The interior security camera
was pointed at a loading dock and the back exit door that the man
and woman came in through. Viggo was right; the camera caught clear
images of both of 'em. The guy had an AR-15, shooting it as soon as
they came in. Two nearby Quinn workers ran like hell. The woman
didn't start throwing Molotov's until she was almost off-camera. I
replayed the short video a few more times to memorize their
faces.

Gwen texted back, just short statements: 'Not
a good time - auditors here - will call later'.

Shit. I needed her help, especially for the
recognition software. Rather than throw a fit, I drained my big cup
of Irish coffee and moved on to the next note. It was a listing of
Viggo's other minions; each came with a photo and relevant data.
Under the list was a comment saying that all of the above have been
made aware of us (Gwen, Traeg, and I). They only knew us as
'cohorts'. If contacting one of them, I must introduce myself with
that title - no name given. Sort of clandestine, but I stayed
anonymous.

I was allowed to contact those other minions
for the purpose of gathering info. The problem was that none of
them worked in areas that were gonna help me. The dispatcher
would've been the closest to what I needed, but I doubted she had
the clout to use police computers to find a facial match with the
two suspects. It was a fair bet they already had records.

A thought occurred to me, so I typed a return
message to Viggo. The attack might've been considered an act of
terrorism, which meant the local FBI office was involved. The CEO
of Quinn would have known if that was the case or not, and Viggo
had access to the CEO. Hell, he probably had him in his pocket. If
the FBI was running the case, our best bet was to gain control of
the lead investigator. If Viggo agreed, that part would be on him.
He wouldn't see my message until that night. Yeah,
inconvenient.