Genie and Engineer 1: The Engineer Wizard (39 page)

Another ball of light appeared, this time much larger and
many times brighter. It formed in mid-air but floated over to a nearby Ford Expedition
parked at the curb. The form solidified into a large white dragon. Paul had to
admit that he found the simulacrum to be highly impressive. From the tapered
head with its yellow glowing eyes, to the huge swept wings, the taloned feet
and the long sinewy tail, the creature exuded the very essence of a solid
substantive dragon.

It draped itself across the roof of the Expedition and swung
its head in Chris’s direction, blinking at him while exhaling small puffs of
grey smoke through its two nostrils. The tail stretched forth, wrapping itself
tightly around a parking meter.

“I like the smoke,” Paul declared, hiding a smile behind one
hand. “Nice touch. But as you can see, he’s still not convinced.”

A glance at Kingsley’s face confirmed what Paul was saying.
Yes, Capie’s father appeared surprised. But suspicion and anger also could be
seen mixed in there, too.

“I don’t know what the two of you think you are doing, but
you can stop this nonsense right now,” Chris declared with authority and anger.
“There is no such thing as magic.”

“Dad!” shouted Capie. “This isn’t smoke and mirrors. We’re
in the middle of a parking lot, for crying out loud! How else would you explain
this?”

Paul had a sudden inspiration. The way to convince a
scientist was with science. Extending both arms wide, Paul said, “In the name
of Johannes Kepler, Stephen Hawking and Samantha Carter, may the gravity of
this area fall under my control.”

Capie gasped.

Paul tilted his hands and without warning, the ground pitched
sideways below their feet.

“What?” shouted Chris Kingsley, a very startled expression
on his face.

The effect was local, only out to a radius of thirty or so
feet. The ground continued to tilt, throwing all four people sideways. Chris
smashed up against the suitcases, all piled up against the base of the nearby
statue of Nicolaus Copernicus. With a loud screeching noise, a large stone planter
began sliding across the concrete.

“Paul! Are you nuts?!” screamed Capie as she struggled to
stay upright.

“A grand idea!” boomed Jaret as he tilted sideways but kept
to his feet. “I wish I’d thought of it.”

And still the gravity continued to twist.

With a spell, Paul reached out and grabbed Capie and they
floated and twisted together in the air. The ground was rotating, now forming a
wall to their south. Chris Kingsley was hanging onto the statue’s arm and
looking positively panicked, almost on the verge of gibbering.

“Okay, I believe you!” he screamed. “
I believe you!”

But with a nasty grin, Paul twisted his hands even more.

The sky rotated downward. The wheelchair, suitcases, planter
and the professor’s cell phone fell in that direction, the dirt and green
shrubs spilling forth from the planter and falling into the twilight lit sky.

Where everything stopped, about fifty feet up (down?) and
hovered in one pathetic pile.

Chris was hanging upside down now, locked onto the statue with
both hands. Capie stared incredulously at the impossible scene.

“Paul!” she screamed. “Enough! Make it stop!”

Paul felt sorry for his future father-in-law who was gaping
past his feet at the open sky, obviously terrified that he might fall into the
empty vastness at any moment.

Capie was right. Paul had proved his point. With a twist of
his hands, gravity spun again, this time back in the direction of Earth. In
only a few seconds, all four of them were back on their feet on ‘solid’ ground
again, the suitcases, concrete planter, dirt, bushes, wheelchair and cell phone
all floating back to the sidewalk for soft landings.

Chris weakly collapsed to a sitting position on the ground, staring
around himself, as if he couldn’t believe the experience he had just lived
through.

Capie managed to skitter over and drop back into the
wheelchair again, breathing a sigh of relief as she did so. And then held up a
hand. “Please, Paul. That’s enough for now. Dad, we’re going to give you a few
minutes to recover from the shocks you’ve just had. Then we’re going to tell
you a long story, a story that will challenge everything you think you know
about science. After that, I expect you to apologize to Paul. He’s a very good
man, and I’m lucky to have him. So, take all the time you need. Paul? Grab Dad’s
cell phone, please? And then why don’t we all go into the planetarium and wait
until he is ready?”

Adler Planetarium

East Solidarity Drive

Chicago, Illinois

June

Thursday 7:42 p.m. CST

W
ith
a small spell from Jaret, the front doors to the planetarium unlocked themselves
and swung open. This was a necessity because Chris, who had the key, was so discombobulated
that he couldn’t figure out which key on his key ring was the right one, let
alone use it to open the door. Paul used a spell to float Capie and her
wheelchair over the steps and into the building. The luggage dutifully climbed
the steps and followed along behind them.

Inside the building, Paul found and turned on the lights,
glancing around to make sure that they were alone. He had previously considered
visiting the planetarium several times but had never seemed to find the time.

The Rainbow Lobby was spacious, the granite tiled floor
polished to a high sheen. Against the back wall there was a lighted alcove
containing a very large marble plaque. Paul could see branch corridors curving
off to the left and right of the lobby. Above their heads, cylindrical light
fixtures hung from a high white plaster ceiling.

Capie and her father found a padded bench against one wall
and collapsed on it. Paul and Jaret exchanged glances while waiting for Chris
to get his bearings back.

To his credit, it only took Chris about ten minutes. After
that, Paul and Capie started their story from the beginning. Paul deliberately
edited out any part that touched on The Plan (such as his objectives for a new
talisman or his intention to declare war on the wizards of
Errabêlu
).
But Chris asked an increasing number of questions along the way, some of them
surprisingly detailed and insightful.

Finally, he leaned back against the wall, apparently out of
questions.

“My daughter’s fiancé is a wizard,” he said, shaking his
head, looking at the floor. “A real life functional wizard. Can you beat that
with a stick? Who would have guessed?” He looked at Paul with a measured scowl,
as if really seeing Paul for the first time. “I think, all things considered,
I’d rather you were a murderer.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” snapped his daughter. It
was painfully obvious to all three men that Capie had not yet forgiven her
father for turning Paul in.

“He’s even more worried about your safety now, Capie,” Paul
explained, watching the dance of emotions on the other man’s face.

“You understand, then,” Chris groused but with a hint of
respect. “A murderer I could have gotten rid of by sending him to jail. But
this! They’re chasing you, trying to kill you! And even with your magical
abilities, they still caught you. But Capie doesn’t have magic powers, does
she? And she can’t really protect herself, not against the level of threats
that she will face, being close to you. Don’t you see, young man?! Your
presence puts her in extreme danger!”

“Dad, we have to leave Chicago,” Capie declared sharply.

Her father’s head snapped up and he pleaded with her. “Look,
honey, I understand there are people looking for him. But not for you. You
should stay here, with me. I promise you that you will be safe. I have
contacts—”

“Like Connor?” Capie asked, scowling, her voice dripping
with disdain.

Her father stopped in mid-word.

“Dad, you’re the one who doesn’t get it. Can’t you see? My
life is in danger no matter if I stay here or go with Paul. I am not safe here
anymore!”

Paul swung around and stared at her. So she had figured that
out on her own already? Smart girl. It took her, what? Two hours to see what
took him months to realize? Yeah, smart girl.

But Capie was still talking. “…And why am I not safe? Because
they already know who I am! And who told them that? Huh? You did, Dad. When you
called Conner. You are the one responsible for endangering me. On that score,
you have no one to blame except yourself.”

There were several seconds of silence as Chris’s mouth
worked open and closed. He was visibly trying to come up with a counter
argument. And failing.

But Capie went on. “They know now that Paul loves me and
that they can get to him through me. If I stay here, it will just make it all
that much easier for them to find me. Next time, they will just pop open a
portal anywhere they like and snatch me. And neither you nor all your contacts
in Washington or here in Chicago can stop it. We are talking about wizards that
are hundreds, even a thousand years old. They control all the governments. They
see us Normals as disposable, inferior life-forms. Do you really think you can
protect me against that kind of threat?”

Paul could see Chris still struggling to find the right
words. And still falling short.

Teary-eyed, she reached out and took his hand. “Dad, don’t
you see? My best chance is with him. He is far more capable of keeping me safe
than anyone you can come up with.”

“Honey?” Chris finally managed to say. “I’m begging you. Please
don’t go with him. We will find a way to work through this, I promise. Don’t
you remember right after the accident—?”

But Capie was shaking her head. “I love him, Dad, with all
of my heart. I have a chance now to live my life instead of just existing.” She
turned and took Paul’s hand. “With him, I can be far more than I ever was
before, far more than I am now. It’s a chance at life. It’s what I’ve wanted,
what I’ve dreamed of since I was a little girl.”

“But—”

“Dad, you’ve known me all of my life. Do you really think
that anything you could say at this point would change my mind?” she asked him
gently.

With a slack expression and heavy wet eyes, Chris’s gaze
fell to the ground at his feet. “No,” he responded softly. “Just like your
mother, you can be so stubborn sometimes.”

Paul held up a hand to interrupt their conversation. “Wait a
moment, Capie. The situation has changed now. I highly recommend your father
come with us.”

Capie looked startled. “Why?”

Chris blinked and gave Paul a quizzical look. “Yes, please
explain that.”

Glancing briefly at Jaret, Paul turned back to Chris before he
replied. “Because I underestimated how ruthless they are. I never anticipated
that they would threaten to harm Capie to force my surrender.” He held up a
hand to forestall Chris’s reaction. “Yes, I should have foreseen that
possibility, I agree. Forgive me. I just didn’t think that part through. But my
point right now is that I’m sure they wouldn’t hesitate a nanosecond to kidnap
you and use you as leverage against us in the same manner. The only way to keep
you safe is for you to come with us.”

Chris considered Paul’s words then shook his head. “No, I
don’t know what your overall plan is but I am sure I don’t want to take it on
the lam. I’m too old for that. And I have important work to do. And I have
connections. They wouldn’t dare.”

Paul turned to Capie. “Your father doesn’t understand the
danger. These wizards care nothing about scientific research or of Normals.
They have instigated worldwide wars, famines, and killed hundreds of millions
of people. Making one prominent astronomer permanently disappear wouldn’t faze
them in the slightest. Nor would they hesitate to do him bodily harm in order
to lay hands on me. Please, if anyone can convince him, it’s you.”

Chris practically radiated his anger. “I am not leaving
here. I think you are greatly exaggerating the danger, young man!”

Almost, Paul nearly blurted out the fact that his birthday
preceded Chris’s by nearly a decade but he managed to hold his tongue.

“Dad?” Capie asked, a serious note of concern in her voice.

He shook his head. “If you want to protect me, you will have
to stay here. I am not leaving.”

“The risk—” Paul started.

“I am not leaving,” he declared again.

Paul sighed. Capie bit her lower lip.

“And what were you saying about my being stubborn? Dad, I
must go with Paul. He is my life now. Please come with us,” she pleaded
tearfully.

“No. You stay here,” he implored her, his voice cracking
with emotion.

It was all happening so fast. A sudden lump in his throat,
Paul realized how much this man loved his daughter. He abruptly felt guilty,
knowing that he was the one responsible for taking her away from her father.
Worse, with sudden insight, he could see the most likely outcome of all of this.
Chris Kingsley would be taken captive, his life placed at extreme risk. Capie
would be devastated, especially if her father came to harm.

Paul glanced over at Jaret who was giving him a strange look
in return.

There had to be something Paul could do. Perhaps…yeah. He
whispered a spell. “In the name of cryonics, Larry Niven’s stasis fields, and
Mythbusters
,
let the Normals here be held upright but asleep.”

“…Dad—” Capie was saying but then she stopped, her eyes
snapping closed.

Paul checked Chris too and found him to be vertical but
asleep as well.

Jaret tilted his head to one side. “You are worried about
her father, are you not?”

“I am,” Paul replied with a frown. “Back on the plane, you
told me that you marked me so that you could find me later. I didn’t want to
bring it up in front of Capie or her father so I put them to sleep to ask you
this question. Just how did you mark me?”

Jaret frowned and looked down at the floor. “It’s not a big
deal, not really. I, uh, just implanted a subconscious mental pattern in your
mind, one that would respond to a specific magical spell. Your subconscious
mind then sent me a magical signal telling me where you were. Nothing fancy.”

Paul’s jaw dropped. “You played around in my mind?”

Jaret shrugged. “I had to do that anyway, to give you your
magical powers. This was much less of a change. After all, it did let me find
you in that metal flying contraption. And I did help you escape, sort of. So,
it all worked out in the end.”

And if
Errabêlu
had only known about Jaret’s spell to
‘mark’ Paul’s mind, they could have tracked him down instantly. He shuddered in
horror at the thought.

“I agree, it did all work out, as you say,” Paul conceded.
“But later, when there is time, I want that spell removed. Okay?”

Jaret seemed vastly relieved. “But of course, my friend.”

Paul nodded toward the professor. “Can I cast the same spell
with him?”

With a chuckle, Jaret crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m
sorry, but no. We can implant mental responses, yes, but he has no way to
communicate with you. He cannot send a magical response since he is not a
wizard.”

Running a jerky hand through his hair, Paul nervously
considered the situation. “Fine, I need to find a different solution then,” he
concluded. “One that tells me the moment he is threatened by
Errabêlu
.”

“Hmm, that is quite a challenge,” Jaret agreed. “I don’t see
an easy solution myself. Maybe if we…”

But Paul was too busy slapping himself in the head. “Stupid,
stupid, stupid! He has a cell phone, dah! Listen, Jaret, could we implant a
mental response in him, one that makes him touch his cell phone when he is in
imminent danger?”

“That device he was talking to earlier? Of course. That can
be accomplished rather easily. But how does that help?”

“There are over 130 million cell phones thrown away in this
country every year,” Paul patiently explained.

With a snap of his fingers, Paul created a small portal in
mid-air, retrieving a discarded smart phone from a dumpster in an alley near
West Lake Street.

Giving it a critical eye, Paul said, “This unit needs a
little TLC.” With a wave of his hand, a spell took the scratches out of the
display and recharged the battery.

With the phone reactivated, Paul punched a few buttons. “I
just need to buy a few minutes here using a credit card in the name of Wesley
Farrell, then download a burner app for a temporary phone number. Then buy more
minutes for that number…ah, there. Now I have a phone and a number that the
Feds don’t know about.”

Paul reached out and took Chris’s phone from the other man’s
jacket pocket and activated its screen. “We’ll turn on the GPS app in his phone
and also set up a speed dial button. All he has to do is touch that button, it
will call my new burner phone and we’ll know when he is in trouble and where he
is.”

After navigating the screens and setting things up, Paul
returned the phone to Chris’s pocket.

Jaret shook his head in amazement. “That was an amazing
display of magic. I haven’t a clue how you did what you just did.”

Paul produced a small grim smile. “Now, if you please, set
up that mental response we talked about, the one for him to push the phone
button if he feels threatened.”

Jaret shrugged and waved a hand. “Done.”

Paul snorted in surprise. “You make that look so easy.”

“Are you going to wake them up now?”

“Yes.” Paul reached out and snapped his fingers. Both Capie
and Chris blinked their eyes and shook their heads.

“You were saying?” Paul asked.

But before Capie could answer, her father’s cell phone started
playing the theme song to
Johnny Quest
. Paul jumped back a step in
abrupt surprise.

Chris dug the phone from his pocket and answered it. There
was silence while he listened to the voice on the other end of the line.

“No,” he said suddenly. “No, Director Hawken, I haven’t seen
him.” A long pause. “No, I haven’t heard from her since noon. I tried an hour
ago and she didn’t answer her phone.”

And then Chris looked at Capie sharply. “You have agents at
her house now? She’s not there? And you’ve tried her cell phone too? It’s
possible that she might be out shopping.” Another pause. “Yes, of course I will
call you, the moment I hear from her. Thanks for taking a personal interest in
my daughter’s safety. I’d like to know the moment you find her or catch that
fiend you are chasing.”