Zero Sum (40 page)

I felt a surge of pity, disgust, and wrath. How could any culture do that to their children? Rei’s first kill had been her best friend…

“Rei, you were too young to understand the consequences.”

“I understood that it would hurt. I understood…but I still found it appealing.”

“But, Rei—”

“Dieter, why can’t you understand this? I
wanted
to cause her pain.”

I shook my head. “We’ve all wanted to cause one another pain—
especially
those we care about the most. I meant the consequences. You didn’t grasp the consequences.”

“That is true…” Rei frowned. “Dieter, how could you possibly know that?”

“Because I watched the aftermath.” I looked down at the cracked cement. It was my turn to feel guilty. Rei was silent for a long time. I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest.

“How?” she finally asked. “You were not present. I do not understand this.”

“On the train, Rei.”

She thought for a moment. “You mean that strange sensation? I thought you had glimpsed my aura. I thought you were merely frightened. A Nostophoros’ aura can be…difficult.”

 
“Na, I’d already seen your aura. I was straining my Sight to feel out your intentions. Somehow, I tripped and fell inside.” I looked up into Rei’s moist eyes. “I watched Nana die, Rei. I watched you try and save her. Then someone came in. You got angry, and the vision sorta popped. It was the shock of returning that knocked my socks off. It was like an ice bomb went off in my brain.” I scratched my stubble. I’d never seen a spell like that before. “You must have had a whiteout,” I offered. “Oh, and speaking of auras, thanks for wrapping yours around me today. That was a really cool spell. Did Dante teach you that? Was it some sort of shroud?”

Rei cocked her head. “What are you talking about? I cannot conduit mana.”
 

“Of course you can. You go to Elliot. You’re a mage.”

Rei rolled her eyes. “Like any Nostophoros, I can use the lives of others to enhance my abilities, fortify my body, and heal my injuries—but I continue to fail at even the most basic spells.”

“Huh?” I managed. I just presumed Rei liked to practice by herself. She wasn’t much of a team player.

“Each Nostophoros is born with a unique set of talents. Some can manipulate an element, some can erase their presence from view, but one with the capacity to become a magus is extraordinarily rare. Albright claims that I have that potential. However, considering my position…Some nights I wonder if he is simply trying to flatter my father by allowing me to attend.”

“That’s quite emo, Rei. Maybe you should start a moan rock band. Now explain why all the vamps failed to notice me until I let go of your hand.”

“Because…” Rei placed her hands on her hips and frowned. “Fascinating…I do not know the answer to that question. Magi are quite noticeable to my kind.”

“It was because you were moving mana around with your Ki. I Saw you do it.”

“You mean my aura…you observed it?”

“Of course.” I stuck my thumbs in my belt loops and puffed out my chest “I’m an auraceptor.”

“What does it look like? Is it terrifying?”
 

“Wait, you
can’t
see auras? I thought all Nostophoros could.”

Rei laughed. “What books have you been reading? A Nostophoros’ auraception is a form of smell, not sight. But I am curious, Dieter, what do they look like?“

“They look like fuzzy clouds, and they’re always centered around the chest.”

“They issue from the Ki, yes?”

“Right. And I find an aura is easier to sense if the person is experiencing strong emotions. If they are directed at me, I can actually feel the aura’s touch.”

Rei nodded. “The same is true for me.”

“The first time I felt yours was when I was stretching outside of the bus. You were hungry, right?”

Rei blushed. “I was groggy. I had a case of the…what do you call them?”

“The munchies?”

“Ah, yes. Those things. I had those things.”

I shivered. “Anyway, most auras are amorphous blobs, but some have unique shapes. Cumo’s looks like a giant cotton ball.”

Rei smiled. “He smells like vanilla and cinnamon.”

“And all auras have colors. It’s kinda weird, but if you stare at one for a while, you just
know
what the emotion is.”

“It is the same with their scent. Sour for jealousy. You?”

“Lima-bean green.”

“So that old adage is true.” Rei giggled and took my hand. “Sulfur for deceit.”

“Deceit? A gross mustard-yellow, but it’s hard to Sight unless they’re straight-up lying.”

 
“Indeed. And my aura? You said it had a shape?”

“Yea, it’s like this oversized cloak. The ends are shredded, and it looks like it’s been outside for too long.”

“An old haggard cloak?” Rei kicked at the cement in disappointment. “Is that supposed to be a complement? That doesn’t sound terrifying at all.”

Oh, so she wanted it to be terrifying.

Typical.

“It’s plenty creepy.”

Rei raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Most auras are just fuzzy circles, but when we were holding hands, yours wrapped around me like a warm blanket. I’ve never seen another aura do that.”

Rei was busy strumming her chin when she stiffened. “Daybreak,” she grumbled. She flipped up the collar of her coat. “And I have forgotten your sunglasses.”

I watched the sun lumber over the valley’s red crust.

Rei stretched her arms and yawned. “Minion, if we survive the next week, I should like to conduct more handholding experiments. Perhaps I can convince my most flexible aura to strangle you to death.”

I grinned. “Sure thing, kumpadre. But that’s a big if.”

Chapter 18

ONE MORE MOUNTAIN

“Yep, we’re as ready as we’re gonna be…You too, Monique. Talk to you later.” Dante hung up the phone. “They’re set up two blocks away from the Over the Top. Maria has line-of-site on the south side of the building. Monique, Roster, Sheila, and Ichijo are waiting on our signal. We have until midnight to locate some of this artificial conduit material and either shut down Carrera’s spell or get the heck off the tower. Sadie’s gonna insert separately. If she doesn’t hear otherwise, she’s gonna bring the whole place down.”

“And the tower? She’ll make it fall
away
from the Strip, right?”
 

Dante nodded.

“Awen’s Ghost,” Jules said, her teacup shaking. “I cannot believe we’re doin’ this.”

Exhausted from pacing back and forth, I plunked down in the chair next to her and put my hand on her shoulder. I didn’t want to go up on the tower either—I hated heights.

“Our best shot is to find this artificial conduit material early on,” Dante said. “An ICE team is on standby. If we can steal some of the ACT stuff fast enough, we can show it to the ICE and they’ll be able to intervene before midnight—that is, if this stuff is what Albright thinks it is.”

“And what about Albright?” I asked. “Isn’t it about time he showed up?”

Dante shook his head. “He was given a direct order not to intervene. Forces are on the move, Dieter. The Department wants every last man defending the Salt Lake’s leynode. They think Talmax is massing for a strike.”

I groaned. “In the history of war, how many times has sit-back-and-wait worked?” I shook my head in frustration.

“Bud, I hear ya, but—wow.”

I turned my head and gaped. Rei was clonking out of the bathroom in towering heels. Her hair was one perfect glossy sheet, and she was wearing a fresh coat of lipstick in a dark cherry hue. The low-cut chiffon dress gave little hints with every motion—but hid just enough to be totally unfair.
 

Dante shook his head. “If looks could kill…”

“Then I wouldn’t need fangs. Speaking of which, are they obvious?” Rei gave us the half-smile she’d been practicing.

Jules put her glasses back on. “Not at a glance. They’re teeny pokies anyway. No one will notice unless they’re lookin’ for them.”

“Excellent,” Rei said. “Then, Druid, gentlemen, I am off.”

“Hold it, Queen of Darkness.”
 

Jules, Dante and I looked at each other. “Break a neck!”

“Naturally,” Rei replied.
 

I couldn’t help ogling her long bare calves as they strutted out the door. I had no idea how girls managed to walk in high heels, but I sure could understand why. I checked my watch. Still fifteen minutes before we shipped out.

“There’s one thing still bothering me,” I said.

“I know,” Jules said. “That poor girl. What she told ya before she…” Frowning, Jules checked to make sure Rei was out of earshot. “Do ya see now, Dieter? You can’t be a denyin’ it anymore. Rei can be nice and all, but drainers are butchers, plain and simple.”
 

 
I crossed my arms. “I’m not arguing otherwise. But the Nostophoros’ human rights record isn’t this week’s big concern—that would be the homicidal mages trying to sacrifice a few hundred thousand people.” I didn’t care to rehash the same argument we’d been having for months. I made it known with an obstinate look.

“So why on earth do ya think they’re holdin’ those initiates?”

“You got me,” Dante said. “It’s not like they’re gonna be short of bodies. The Over the Top announced they’re handing out free drinks for the grand reopening. There are gonna be tons of people cued up for booze. Why they would need six initiates on top of that is beyond me.”

Jules rubbed her temples. “I went over the literature—again. Mages differ from other humans in three big ways: we have the ability ta sense and conduit mana, we have larger mana reserves, and we live longer than the average man. Why we can conduit mana has somethin’ ta do with the nature of our Kis. Our Ki are also bigger than yer average human’s. That explains why we attract more mana. Why we live longer isn’t so clear. My best guess is that it has somethin’ ta do with conduitin’ lots of mana. After all, the most powerful mages seem ta live the longest, and mages who abandon their craft seem to age like regular humans. But take those differences away, and we’re basically the same as your average Joe Soap. It’s not like we’re chock full a’ power crystals. I don’t see how capturin’ a bunch of grubs could help Carrera with his cast. Grand spells always come down to the fine control of
massive
amounts of power. Grubs are awful at that.”

“Bud, it’s like you were saying: We’re stuck on the why. There are hundreds of different magic styles and zillions of different spells. Without knowing exactly
why
Carrera is massing power, we can’t narrow down the possibilities.”

Carrera’s motive…My posture sagged. Despite skimming every history book in the local library, I still had no idea who “Kit” was or what Las Vegas had to do with the Mexican-American War. “All we know is that Carrera’s got a bone to pick with the US Government. But the men he fought against are dead and gone. Everyone that was involved in the Mexican-American War is dust, and Carrera sure as hell can’t recapture New Spain. Conquering territory is a direct breach of the Tenets. DOMAs can’t intervene in the affairs of foreign Imperiti governments. Heck, just kicking the DEA’s teeth in has already caught the ICE’s attention. If they tried annexing territory, it’d be the end for them.”

“Yea,” Dante agreed, “world conquest just doesn’t fly as a motive.”

“Worse still, even after reading his book three times through, I still have no idea what type of guy Carrera is.”

“Secretive,” Jules offered. “A capable mind mage. Patient. Organized. That’s about all I’d dare ta venture. I don’t like it either. Even if we have surprise on our side, we have no idea what we’re surprisin’. That be flat dangerous.”

“We can only stay focused on our objectives,” Dante said. “Let’s find some evidence and let the ICE sort out the rest. Those are our orders. We get it done, and we go home.”
 

I leaned back in my chair. I was relieved that Dante was in command. I felt entirely out of my depth. The phone rang again, and Dante answered it. As Dante listened to the line, his face filled with concern. By the time he turned to us, Jules and I had nearly tripped over the table.

“Monique just got word from DEA Command. Talmax just launched an attack on our leynode in Salt Lake.” He swallowed. “Our forces are outnumbered. They don’t think they can last the night.”

+

Monique clicked in over the line: “Okay, sound check.”

We chimed in one-by-one. When it was my turn, I pressed my ear gently. That pressure activated the microphone.
 

“Dieter here, loud and clear.”
 

Jules and Dante did the same and we headed into the Over the Top. It was a good thing we didn’t bring any weapons. The security was absurd. They even confiscated Jules’ chapstick. (The nerve of some people.) After getting screened, Jules, Dante, and I rode up in the service elevator with nine other servers. My ears popped three times on the way up. The elevator gave up at one-hundred-and-something stories. Stars above, I hated heights.

The door slid open to reveal three men in cheap tuxedos. They were mages. The magic just hummed off of them. Carrera’s WIP team, I presumed. I glanced over at Dante and Jules. They looked relaxed. Getting Jedi mind probed was old hat for them. I took a deep breath. There are three basic principles to resisting a wipe:
 

1) Be aware—if you know the whammy is coming, it’s much easier to it fend off.
 

2) Consider your beliefs—a wipe is designed to edit your memories, but it’s harder to overwrite data if it’s being actively used. You need to remind yourself of who you are, what you believe in, and why it’s important. (Oh ye of little faith? Sorry, you’re fucked.)

3) Be born resistant.
 

I felt the pressure of the wipe as soon as the man in front demanded that we line up against the wall. It wasn’t too hard to resist his effort. Lucky for me, I was pretty darn resistant. I frowned. On second thought, if I weren’t resistant, I wouldn’t have been given this horrid assignment in the first place. I fought the urge to crawl into the nearest corner and cry. Instead, I pretended I was back in Polimag and stared dumbly ahead. There was a light push each time the man spoke. He ordered us to serve efficiently, find nothing unusual, depart when instructed, and remember nothing. When I compared it to the strength of Rei’s compulsions, the mage’s attempts seemed laughable. Finished, Carrera’s WIP team moved on to the next elevator and waited for the rest of the kitchen staff.