Mana in the Modern World non illustrated version (25 page)

Seeing Fred pacing Carol says, “They will be
OK Agent McBride tho I admit to being more than a bit nervous
myself.” “Please call me Fred. I have known Jack for some time and
he always worries me when I hear of some of his exploits. Now to
actually see one, well maybe one starting, is a bit unnerving.”
“The three of us discussed this on the flight to Salt Lake and, tho
I disagreed, the plan does seem to be the best and simplest way to
get data from inside the compound,” sighs Carol. “Tho I think it
would be prudent to have a couple paramedics and a Healer stay over
by the rug; just in case.”

“So you guys are pretty good at this magic
stuff?” says Fred. “They both are very good with this stuff. Me? I
am still learning but I have fun building strange spells.” Pointing
up to a dark corner of the tent she says, “Wanta see my latest cool
one?” “Sure; as long as it does not involve fire,” replies Fred
remembering CnC’s ‘fun’. Palm toward the corner she says, Juǎn tǒng
zhǐ, a Chinese word meaning web and a small web complete with
spider and trapped moth forms.

Pic here of web with spider and its encased
prey.

“I have been trying to make one glistening
with dew but zilch so far but I can make the spider and moth one
larger. That’s what I used when I first built the spell.” “Wow
Carol, that’s neat. How big can you make it?” “So far about eight
feet across between trees at Jack’s place; …my... my home,” she
replies with a sigh. “They are such nice people.” “I agree with you
Carol, they are indeed nice people. OK, on to more pressing
matters,” Fred remarks.

***

Jack and Anna were met by six heavily armed
men and, guns continually jabbing their backs, entered the large
dome. They are frisked thoroughly with Anna also being groped but
she broke two of the man’s fingers eliciting laughter from the
others. The place smelled the sickly stench of burnt meat and
sulfur.

Surprisingly the inside it is much like the
prisoners had said, wide open with a very large ceramic block in
the center. Now why would they have an oversize double garage
inside the dome? Looks like the bed of a small pickup protruding
from the double opening and what maybe a blackened something in the
truck bed. But with the distance it is hard to tell. There is a
long large pipe extending down from the very high ceiling to large
exhaust hood about five feet over the altar. Two motors at the top
look like fans used to pull out the smoke when something is burned.
There is a lot of soot around the dome’s top so the exhaust system
does not appear to get it all out. The altar looks burned tho some
minor attempt had been made at cleaning off the burn marks.

There are eleven more armed men and women
inside watching. There are several children looking to age from six
to ten or so. All wearing ragged clothing, looking scared and are
acting as waiters. Across the way Jack beside the garage he sees
five armed men enter a tall cabinet, closing the door after them.
The cabinet is, at most, five foot deep from the wall and certainly
not big enough for all that went in. He suddenly realized that they
looked as if they stepped down on entering. Something was
definitely amiss and it was time to leave.

Jack and Anna are brought before a vaguely
familiar tall figurer wearing a set of horns with a fairly strong
reddish aura about him and told to kneel. When they do not kneel
each is kicked behind the knees causing them to drop to their
knees. In a booming voice the figure asks, “Why do you intrude on
our religious ceremonies?

Jack bumps Anna’s shoulder and replies, “Well
we need to find out who shot at the helicopter and why so we can
hopefully settle this without more bloodshed.” “I need give no
reason and you have already been warned to stay away,” said the
figure. Looking around Jack says, “I thought you had many more
followers than these we see. Did some leave?”

“Where they have gone is not your place to
question. You are insolent to question me! Go now and tell your
masters that our Supreme Master has commanded that nonbelievers not
to be allowed close to his Church. This woman will stay to be
converted to the one true religion and Master,” said the figure in
a loud voice. A small very skinny child of maybe nine has been
slowly creeping around the armed people and suddenly runs to Anna
crying, “Take me home please, please! I don’t like it here!”

One of the armed women stalks over intent on
grabbing the child. Anna stands, grabs and holds the child away
from the woman. Jack also stands, grabbing the armed woman saying
to Anna, “Now.” A very loud bang is heard as the four
disappear.

***

Suddenly there is an explosion outside from
the direction of the helicopters. Rushing to the tent opening and
looking around the side they see helicopters burning and figures
running from the fires toward the tents. Several agents and
deputies have grabbed fire extinguishers and started toward the
fires when gunfire erupts and two deputies drop to the sand. One is
apparently was hit but the other had taken a knee and calmly
returns fire, quickly dropping one of the onrushing group which now
spreads out more.

Lifting into the air the two IMS probie
agents head toward the shooters only, having made themselves
primary targets, both are shot multiple times and fall several feet
to the sand. The oncoming group is now spreading out with several
heading for and firing at the reporters, most of who are still
standing frozen, having no idea what to do.

Fred yells for the reporters to get down but
they do not seem to hear over the gun fire. He turns as Carol walks
up and says to her, “Quick, hide. There may be too many for us to
stop.” “No way Fred, cause I’m gonna help.” Pointing a palm toward
the reporters and quietly says, “Down.”
“HIT THE DIRT
SCUMBAGS!”
is suddenly shouted at the reporters as if from a
megaphone above them which caused them to drop to the sand. “Wow
Carol, ok but stay behind me,” says Fred as he glances back at her.
There are three of her! All the state troopers, agents and deputies
are either on a knee or prone and returning fire. Taking a knee
Fred begins firing also.

Carol sees three of the bad guys (ok, so one
looks female) are almost to the group of reporters and she quickly
takes to the air, but just above the ground, to head to their
assistance. Getting in range she targets the two that are fairly
close together and says the web spell aiming slightly ahead of the
two as they run. Both run into the large sticky spider web that
appears and quickly drops to entangle the men who fall. The female
gunner sees Carol and quickly fires at her. Pointing a finger
toward the woman Carol shouts,
“SPEW!”
The woman drops her
weapon, falls to hands and her knees retching uncontrollably.

One of the reporters gets up, runs over and
retrieves the weapons saying, “Nice job Sorceress; very well done
indeed. I especially liked the puking thing. I got this trio.”
Pointing a rifle toward the small battle says, “Looks like the cops
have that bunch on the run.” Carol grins, lifts a bit higher, looks
and heads for the chase. Flying she quickly overtakes and passes
the chasers. Fred sees her and yells, “Carol, you get your butt
back here! You’ll get shot!”

“No I won’t, gonna get me that chunky
dawdler!” Carol shouts back and fires off another spew, dropping
the fat one. Suddenly a very loud explosion sound comes from the
direction of the command tent. Carol yells, “That’s Anna and Jack;
and from the volume they have company! Let’s head back and let the
others keep up the chase.” She spins and heads toward the tent with
Fred running full out and falling behind.

***

Appearing on the rug Jack and Anna stagger a
bit with ears ringing from the blast of noise and amount of power
it took with the extra load. He removes the woman’s rifle and knife
then duck tapes her securely including her mouth; just in case. The
young girl is asleep or more likely unconscious. Looking around
they see an empty tent and as the ringing in their ears from the
transport decreases they realize they hear gunfire. “Anna, please
stay here cloaked and on guard while I check what is going on.”

Quickly checking the cult woman’s rifle he
tsk, tsks about its condition and heads for the tent opening.
Exiting the tent he turns toward the gunfire and sees a Mage flying
fast toward him so he clicks on his strongest shield and trains the
rifle on the figure. The figure suddenly drops and yells, “It’s me
Jack. Don’t shoot!”

Carol quickly tells Jack what is happening
and he says, “Stay here cloaked with Anna and help guard the
prisoner and child. I’ll go see what I can do to help.” Heading for
the entrance he sees Fred stagger in gasping for air. Jack says, “O
hi Fred, nice of you to join us. You look like you haven’t been
keeping up with your exercises.” “Stick it Jack,” replies Fred as
he gets a water, pours it on his sweating head and sets down
gasping. Fred continues, “I looked back with my binoculars as I
headed back and it looked like the shooters were going down into a
tunnel.”

“Yeah, we got suspicious when we saw some
armed folks were hurrying down some concealed stairs. If it isn’t
to late radio the guys and tell them to act as if they cannot find
the tunnel’s concealed entrance and definitely not go in it as it
is probably trapped. Just place guards on it.” “Great idea Jack,”
replies Fred grabbing his radio and sends the message. “Just in
time Jack as they found the well hidden entrance and were not eager
about entering.”

“We’re going to need a bunch of SWAT to do
even this halfway safely and I doubt that so many are to be had.
Maybe the Governor will now allow use of some Guard troops.
Especially with that one Warlock; from what we felt he will be
tough to hammer. If he can teleport it will be difficult to capture
him, especially alive,” states Jack.

“Well I tell you guys one thing;” glancing
over at Carol; “for sure Carol saved some reporters lives. She is
something else and I find it hard to believe she is just still
learning?” “True Fred, we are right proud of her even tho she did
disobey her observe only promise,” said Anna with a firm look at
Carol. “You did good Carol but don’t get a swelled head; you could
have been killed especially if they had a Warlock along.”

“O they did; I think the one CnC shot but he
stayed low in the air at the rear. Too far for me to be sure where
to aim a number three Streak at him without center massing him and
I preferred not to kill him.” With a big grin she continued,
“Besides I figured we might want him alive. I think he had a big
bandage and one arm in a sling but wasn’t sure,” said Carol with a
sniff, “bet he was the first to run too.”

Jack first made sure the female prisoner is
not a mage before removing the duck tape to begin questioning. He
found out she was a biter as he tried to gently remove the tape.
She refused to talk except to demand, with a lot of cussing in a
heavy Russian accent, a shot of vodka.

Carol suggested they give the woman lots of
vodka. This causes a bit of an uproar until she adds, “Get her
tipsy and I bet she will talk then. I have the feeling that group
are not what we would call tight knit….. Or just shoot her full of
that truth stuff.” The woman was vigorously nodding her head at the
first mention of vodka.

Two bangs later Jack is back with vodka, the
good stuff, which they offer the woman if she talks. After downing
several slugs straight from bottle neck the woman tells them that
there are 150 or more men and women armed and ready to fight. She
only knows of three wizards; real arrogant bastards; but when the
Supreme Master comes then they really kowtow to him. There is a
Healer but she’s a uppity bitch and her prices are sky high. There
are a bunch of children but does not know how many as she did not
like being around the brats.

The child, Sophia, had been kidnapped almost
a year ago during a bank robbery in Spokane, Washington. Her father
was badly wounded and almost died trying to prevent the robbers
from taking her. The story of the children’s ordeals was truly
horrific. There are at least twelve child molesters and rapists,
including female ones, in the compound.

Sometimes they give the children drugs and
forced them do bad things to each other while the adults watch,
laugh and shout instructions on what to do. If the children failed
to do as told they are strung up and whipped. Some tortured and
killed as a lesson to the others. She does not know how many kids
are there.

***

Sophia, accompanied by two female FBI agents,
is fed, cleaned up and flown home. Word of her and the other
children’s ordeal spreads around the states then viral on the net.
Help in assaulting the compound is offered from people
worldwide.

Helicopters are sent out to a mile to search
for disturbed sand for any sign of other hidden exists. None were
found but a rotation of the helo’s continued to circle through the
night when thermal imagers could be used to locate any other exit.
The only other exit found was at night with the IR and had several
guards were posted with automatic weapons while plans were made for
the assault. However the thermal images only show the exit and a
short portion of tunnel so the tunnels were probably well insulated
or far underground. Therefore there may be other undiscovered
exits.

The Governor decided to approve; on a
strictly volunteer basis; of up to 200 Guard members and several
armored personal carriers for the assault plus two bridging units
in case the bridges over the ditch are blown. Over five hundred
Guardsmen quickly volunteered along with a multitude of people from
nearby areas. The governor deputized all the Guard volunteers.