Mana in the Modern World non illustrated version (3 page)

The front van was to be cut down by two heavy
machine guns firing armor piercing rounds before CO19 could exit.
One gun covered the side, the other covered the rear in case
someone managed to exit. Three more IFF members aimed AK47 fire at
the driver and passenger guard to keep them occupied until the
machine guns could be aimed at them if necessary.

NB had already stepped into the street behind
the fallen tree as the rear doors opened on the last van. The first
CO19 trooper dropped down and hesitated on seeing a figure about
twenty yards away waving his hands and shouting something. The
second trooper had just completed his drop to the ground when a
sizzling lightning bolt shot from the figure’s hands engulfing the
van and occupants. Loud pops are heard from the fallen guards and
inside the van as some ammunition cooked off.

The masked IFF quickly surrounded the armored
car and ordered the guards out. Having called in the ambush knowing
help would soon arrive and being in a bullet proof vehicle the
guards naturally refused. NB walked up to the driver’s window,
waved and shouted for the IFF people on the opposite side to move
aside.

He then pointed his index finger at the
window and spoke a series of short words releasing a thin green
streak from the finger which pierced the window, driver, passenger
seat guard and on out the far window. The streak faded in another
20 feet. NB then went to stand to the side of the rear door and
saying a few short words with gestures producing a loud click from
the door. The IFF members opened the door and ordered the
frightened guard out to which the young man quickly complied.

To further awe his men NB decided to give the
scared guard a special treat so he had the men strip him of weapons
and gear. NB smiled as he had always enjoyed performing the next
spell he had learned in the other realm. He began chanting long
phrases with meticulous hand movements with a final gesture the
guard started glowing and screaming.

The guard’s features and body started
changing shape, becoming smaller and finally disappeared within the
clothing. Movement in the clothing indicated something was alive in
the clothing when suddenly a small piglet ran out and away
squealing. The group of men were definitely in awe; but also
greatly amused as the young English copper that is now an actual
pig.

About ten minutes later the faint sound of a
helicopter was heard approaching at which the IFF members started
to scatter only to be halted at a Command spell from NB. He called
them back telling them to quickly drag over three or four bodies
and hold guns in a threatening manner at the bodies as if they were
alive. The chopper came in fast and low with a figure leaning out
each side with weapons ready. Coming to a hover about 100 feet
distance and height a loud voice calls out, “Put down your weapons,
on your knees, hands on your head!”

Looking over at his men NB asks, “Anyone know
how to fly that thing?” The shaking of heads and no’s indicating
not, NB says, “Pity, that might have been useful. Well perhaps in
the future,” then he begins speaking gibberish with precise hand
movements. He thrusts both his palms out toward the helicopter and
releases an intense bolt of lightning which engulfs the entire
machine which explodes and drops. Turning to his men Ty says, “Two
of you go take care of any still alive. O’Hara, call the vehicles
and get the money, discs and papers loaded.”

A long fusillade of automatic gun fire it
soon heard from the crash site.

Arriving at the robbery site it was first
thought only heavy machine guns were used and an RPG on the
helicopter. However the forensic team were confident that the
damage to the rear van and cops could only be caused by a large
electrical discharge. The two paramedics said the people in the
rear van, including the driver, were electrocuted and it had to be
very high voltage and current to do that amount of damage.
Especially as something also caused some of the ammunition to cook
off. A quick search failed to turn up any evidence where the
electricity could have originated. Neither the forensic techs or
paramedic had the slightest idea what could cause the smooth half
inch hole melted through the windows, driver and passenger. One
thing noted was that the holes thru the guards appeared cauterized,
as if done by a laser.

Tho being one of the scoffers about ‘magic’,
the lead inspector decided to ask IMS to fly someone out for a
look. About 30 minutes later and to his amazement the two figures
flew, actually FLEW, in soon after the request. Having heard about
the inspector’s quite vocal opinion of the new IMS organization;
and ‘Magic’ in general; the two figures, a male and female, landed
lightly in front of the shocked man.

“Inspector ….. ? I am IMS Agent Velma along
with Agent Harold. I understand you requested IMS assistance? So,
what’s the situation?” said Velma, the lead agent. “I I ah, yes I
called,” replied the inspector clearing his throat with a polite
cough behind his hand.

He knew full well that she knew who he was
and was pretending that she had no idea who he was and that he knew
who she was. ‘E gads and little fishes!’ he thought to himself, ‘I
will never live this down. Especially as she is young enough to be
one of my daughters!’

The smirk on her partner’s face and the grin
on most of the other men’s faces showed this would indeed quickly
spread. “Harrumph, ah yes, Agent Velma. Our forensic techs believe
the rear van and the helicopter were both struck by a massive
amount of electricity. However they have been unable to locate a
strong enough source nearby to cause it,” replied the
Inspector.

Agent Velma walked toward the van while her
even younger looking partner headed for the crash site. Following
along the Inspector noticed the she appeared to be mouthing some
strange words and was ‘shushed’ by her quickly upheld hand as he
was about to speak. Then, holding her hand out palm forward, she
walked around the van and then, from the van’s rear walked a
straight line to the tree obstruction across the road. With a loud
sigh she dropped her hand and turned to the Inspector and said,
“My, my ...this was a very powerful Warlock to throw such a
lightning bolt.”

“A lightning bolt? Warlock? Are you joking?”
asked the Inspector. Shaking her head Velma replied, “Absolutely no
joke and very, very strong too. Not sure I could stand up to that
kind of power alone and we call very mean or evil Mages Warlocks.
Rather nasty people!”

Walking back to the armored car she went to
the driver’s side and held her palm toward the small hole through
the armored glass and through both occupants out the other side.
Her partner came up after checking the missing guards empty
clothing and said, “Val, the guy that did the chopper is off the
charts powerful and there is something strange about the clothing
on the ground too. Yours too?” Agent Velma simply nods.

Suddenly a loud squealing is heard and a very
small piglet comes racing across the road up to Velma and starts
rubbing against her pants leg as if it were a cat. Bending down she
places a calming hand on the piglet and quickly jerks the hand back
with a curse, “DAMN!” Wringing her hands says, “That Warlock is
most definitely not a nice person.”

The unhappy Inspector calls out, “Michael,
you came from the country; get over here and do something with this
pig!” The piglet starts loud squealing and runs around to the other
side of Velma, shaking like a blowing leaf. Val holds up a hand and
shouts, “Wait!” Squatting she looks directly into the piglet’s face
and asks, “Can you understand me?” Piglet nods yes so vigorously he
bounces up and down on his front feet causing him to plop down on
its backside. Everyone are beginning to gather in a circle to
watch.

***

Picture here of piglet

***

Inspector Johnson asks, “The pig understands
you?” “Yes Inspector Johnson. What was the name of the inside
guard?” “Ben; but it looks like he may have been in on the
robbery.” The piglet almost goes crazy shaking it’s head and starts
to run at the inspector only to be held back by Val. She turns the
piglet toward her and asks, “Ben, can you still understand
English?” Emphatic nods from the pig.

“Agent Velma what is going on? That pig is
acting as if it really understands you,” states Inspector Johnson.
Nods are going around the circle of watchers. Lifting the piglet up
Val states, “This is your missing man, Ben. A very powerful and
cruel Warlock transformed, also called being morphed, him into a
pig and we must try to undo the spell on him while he retains his
human mind.

Harold, pop to headquarters and bring back at
least five others if available. I think that Warlock was so strong
it will take more than just the two of us. Use the helo area for
the return.” Without a word Harold disappears with a loud ‘pop’,
causing SWAT to go for their weapons. “WOWs” are heard from many
mouths. Looking at the piglet in the eyes she says, “Help is on the
way Ben. Just concentrate on remembering various memories to keep
your mind active as a human.”

About ten minutes later a loud explosion is
heard from the helicopter site again causing the troopers to spin
and drop to a knee with weapons presented. “Whoa guys!” shouts
Velma, “That’s just more IMS Agents coming to hopefully restore Ben
to human form. More agents tend to make a louder noise.”

Once the other agents, eight in total, walk
over they gather around Ben and Val tells him she does not know if
this will hurt but for him to be very still regardless. Ben nods
and gives a pigs version of a grin. In sync all the agents hold
their palms toward Ben and speak a fairly short phrase in Chinese.
A greenish glow starts developing around Ben and a loud hum is
heard, suddenly one of the agents collapses, and then another.

The glow vanishes, the agents drop their arms
and several set and then lay back flat, sweating and breathing
heavily. “My word,” says one of those laying on the ground. Then he
mutters, with a hint of Dixie and clearly fake British accent,
“Sticky wicket, what?” Everyone in the group, including Val and
Harold, start laughing along with some of the CO19 people. There in
the center of the circle now lays Ben in all his naked glory;
slumbering and starting to snore! Totally oblivious to the hovering
paramedics.

Later Johnson goes up to Agent Velma and
deeply apologizes saying, “I was wrong Agent Velma. Please forgive
my crudeness.” “Apologize accepted. But please remember that our
minds must always be open to new things. Especially in light of
what seems to have arrived.”

“After today’s happenings, I do believe you
are right Agent Velma; yes, yes indeed I do.”

NB, after learning more about the workings of
the IMS and their response to the robbery, decides that Jill, and
two IFF members that have passports, will go to Paris, France to
set up a secure location for their activities in France. Also she
is to find two or three gullible Muslims of 25 to 30 years of age
but not to actually make contact. Just to gather or hire someone to
gather information on them. HB wants to build a Islamic group
around one as the Mystical Messiah come to lead the Faithful in
revolution to their rightful place in France and Europe. HB plans
to begin disrupting the French government by causing chaos in the
Paris area using the increasingly large Muslim population.

She is also to arrange for passports for
himself and several other IFF members that need them. All this will
make it easier to procure, steal, more weapons and money for use in
becoming ruler of the UK. HB plans on finding several more
potential people to train as minor Wizards to help spread chaos. He
also decides to leave clues indicating that the ones responsible
for the armor car robbery moved on to France. This will deflect
attention away from the authorities looking for the people
responsible in England and will spread the search to Europe. It
will also be an excellent place to gather the beginnings of his
army for the return to England.

During the casing of banks to rob NB had
noticed several high class jewelry stores and got to thinking how
some diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious gems would be
useful and easily transported. Thinking this he then realized from
Bob’s memories that most gems now had serial numbers etched for
identification and tracking. He decided to find out in France where
gems were to be found before the etching process.

From what they had learned of France he
believed stealing gems and money in France should prove relatively
simple. Especially as France did not have IMS nor allowed them
entry. At least for now. Creating chaos in France will be easy and
enjoyable; especially using the Change spell and a good time to
prefect spells from the other side.

When full circumstances of the robbery
finally reach Hiy-u he is very concerned that Juneau may somehow be
free. He has word sent to the IMS office in the UK. IMS agents are
cautioned to on the watch for someone, male or female, possibly
with a stronger Aura than normally seen as Juneau was reported to
have a very strong one. Agents are advised not to accost him
directly via magic as he would probably prove be too much for the
fledgling IMS agents. Taking Juneau safely will require a careful
gathering of information and stealth.

Jack Albright, pursuing his photography
hobby, is photographing Steph, one of his favorite models, at an
area on his property that overlooks the San Jacinto River in
southeast Texas.

***

Picture here of Steph in overalls no bra