CHAPTER TWELVE
With all the manufacturing directions inputted into Mavis for the last parts he needed, Callen decided to program his computer apps for his rig while sitting with his mother. In a worn chair, he worked next to the strange custom-designed medical equipment and IV bags full of unnaturally colored liquid.
Carefully, he entered the last lines of code for a program he called Labyrinth and a group of applications that would assault whatever he trapped in the mess of shifting firewalls. Then the assault applications would hack the system caught in the maze and allow him to upload whatever he wanted into the intruder's system. The idea behind it was to use it to isolate the bugs that were constantly being installed on Felix's network. Once the bugs were isolated, he could quickly modify the assault applications to learn, in a controlled environment, what the bug's purpose was.
Remotely, he set Mavis to run a simulation and to test labyrinth and yawned before pulling up some unfinished projects that Felix had provided him access to get some more ideas. There were files that had ideas for armor, various weapons, computer application programs, and various devices that weren't developed enough for him to quickly discern their purpose. So, he skipped those.
He pulled up the specs for a pistol that used a magnetic firing system and projectile accelerator coils. The designs were far from complete, but they got his imagination flowing. There were concept designs for a .50 magnum revolver. He pictured his mother armed with a finished version of the pistol on the screen and his disruptor tearing through one of those twisted demonic abominations.
He looked up at the tank and nodded with confidence. "Mom, when I save you, I'll make a weapon that can tear through those demons. You'll be better soon." He whispered and leaned forward. He placed his hand on his mother's hand. "I promise."
"Promise what?" Ania said as she entered the infirmary. Behind her, strange flashes and laughter came from Dr. Brewer's other rooms. She shook her head and laughed at the craziness as she adjusted the pair of old musty tomes and drawing pad she carried at her hip.
"To get Mom back." Callen said.
Ania nodded as she gazes at their mother's motionless face. "I hope it's soon, I don't think she has a lot of time left." She paused and her gaze shifted into the beyond. She shook her head. "But, I'm glad you found time to come visit her..."
Callen nodded. "It's good to have a chance..." His sister looked worn out. "You alright?"
"Just dazed. I had another migraine yesterday...a bad one." She admitted. "But, I'll be back to normal soon. Anyway, how's your stuff coming?"
"Good," Callen said. "I should have a working prototype in a day or two for Reeves. Then he can pull down one of those demons, and Mom..."
Ania nodded. "Good."
"You sure you're okay?"
"I've just been having clusters of migraines lately..." Ania shrugged. "I don't know..."
"That's unusual...what's going on?"
"I've had them before..."
"Did Dr. Brewer check you out?"
"No...and he isn't." She shook her head. "Callen, I need to tell you something...I can't keep it a secret any longer..."
Callen's gaze shifted to a concerned curiosity. He drew a breath to ask what, but before he could say anything, frantic commotion came from the hallway.
Dr. Brewer ran out of the other room, wild-eyed, as a group of monks carried a stretcher into the chained off section of the psychiatric ward. Renee was strapped to the stretcher. "In that room...not the one with the girl...in the door way..." He pointed further down the hall. "That one...the isolation room...quickly..."
The siblings immediately went to see what was happening. They saw the monks roll Renee's body onto a stained bed with rusty support rails. Once the monks had Renee situated, Dr. Brewer shook his hands. "Now out with you..." He ran into the room without closing the door. Immediately, he went to work using his equipment to plug in medical implants, run tubing, and forcing his strange elixirs down her throat.
Soaked in sweat, Renee struggled. Gurgles came from her mouth that sounded like words of extreme suffering. She could not see, and eyes were swollen shut. Her skin was covered in blisters, boils, and strange red blotches. The smell of sulfur hung in the air.
Callen noticed he had a dizzy spell and as he stabilized himself against the wall, he saw his grandfather arrive with Sadie and Tende following. He tapped his wrist computer. "Felix, we need yeh at the infirmary. Now...we need the residue scan...how far are yeh?"
"What's going on?" Callen asked. He felt a cough coming on, which he held back. "Is she contagious?"
"Sir Corth's initial field scans say no." Dr. Brewer professionally muttered. "But, I need to figure out what she has. I need you two out of here." He paused for a second as he finished filling a syringe with morphine. "No...no to the both of you...I told you before...no experiments on kids...that brings chickens...." He immediately went back to work. "Evil chickens...and not the tender kind..."
Ignoring the insanity, Corth elaborated. "I'm sure it was magic, lad. No idea what origin yet....now go...Sadie and Tende are at the gate.
Sadie looked petrified.
Callen coughed hard and noticed a little blood in his hand. "What happened?"
"I don't know..." Sadie said. Her face was ghost white. "Something came at us...fast. It had a glowing purple mark...and a scream...and the scent of sewer and sulfur..."
Another horrible scream from Renee pulled the children's attention to the window. Out of the corner of his eye, Callen noticed Ania staring hard at Renee. Blood began seeping from her injection sites and the other orifices on her body. Her boils began to ooze yellowish puss down her blotched skin, but they held fast in their struggle to aid the critical woman.
Felix came running down the hallway as fast as his legs could carry him while attaching some strange lens assembly to his goggles. He waddled into the isolation room and began helping Dr. Brewer.
"Sadie, can yeh tell me what happened?" Corth asked.
She nodded. "I was helping Renee with the trash..." Sadie said. "So, Tende could get out early. He had been stuck at Helga's late...and..."
Corth swore. "I should have had yeh take a vacation..."
"I saw a guy with a black jacket talking to some kids in the back of the alley. It looked like they were buying drugs...or something...they gave me the creeps." Sadie shook her head. "He looked at me and left the alley. I couldn't see his face, but the kids drew weapons and turned. When they turned, their faces were not human. Their faces were..." She shuttered. "Like changelings, but they had shark-like teeth and long pointed ears." She paused. "They were goblins, they had to be...but it was dark...then, the one began muttering something I didn't understand. Something glowed on its face...purple...it raised its hand and...Renee pulled back inside the Diner and a second later she began screaming...then you showed up in the truck and they scattered into the darkness."
Corth rubbed his beard. "Alright." He leaned into the treatment room. "Scolestis, demonic involvement...magic..."
"Thanks," Dr. Brewer answered in-between loud slurping noises. "Corth, I need your help too. Come in...and shut the door...we need holy water and your bible...I need you to ..." The door closed as Corth followed Dr. Brewer's directions.
Ania grabbed Callen's arm. "She has a carrion blood curse." She whispered. "To someone who doesn't know magic, it looks like an aggressive flesh-eating disease."
Sadie gave Ania a questioning look, but Callen spoke first. "Wait, what?"
"She needs a tranquilizer, a cold blood transfusion, and then an immense dose of antibiotics. The Needles need to be silver plated and blessed..." Ania whispered. "Followed by surgery and a skin graft...and..."
"Hold on, wait a minute here...How do you..." Callen asked.
"Lots of reading in Dr. Webs archives..." Tende answered slowly as he watched in
horror.
"Too late." Ania sighed.
Renee tried to scream as her eyes snapped open. Her eyeballs bulged as her leaky boils exploded. Her eyes followed with her heart monitor flatlining. Her blood soaked into the old sheets.
With shoulders hung low, Corth and Felix entered the hallway where the children stood in horror.
Felix adjusted something on his computer rig. "The source was goblin. I think. The spell residue left on her has goblin written all over it. There isn't enough to exactly what the curse was...but it was definitely goblin..." He shook his head. "I thought we cleared them out, and I thought goblin used simpler magic like fire...this is odd..."
"Yeh never get rid o' goblin...they are like demonic cockroaches..." Corth sounded sad. "This be a tragedy. Poor lass. We just not be quick enough..." The old dwarf's face was heavy with grief. "Poor lass..."
"Corth, we don't have time to get all sentimental," Felix said. "We gotta get to work to prevent this from happening again...this spell is way too complex for goblins..."
"Aye. It's more like a human sorcerer or demonic half-blood..." Corth sighed. "As fer their spells, maybe they discovered a new ritual or something...but we will talk more about this later."
"Whatever happened...I'm willing to bet that it's related to your case," Felix said. "Considering your last kidnapping was in that neighborhood."
“Aye, lad...that's what I be afraid of. Looks like I have something to approach my contacts with now..." Corth looked at Sadie. "Yeh alright lass?"
"Not really." She admitted.
"Aye," Corth said. "Yeh best be seeing Father Kenton. He'll help yeh set it straight. Tende, can yeh take her?"
Tende nodded.
"I..." Callen started to volunteer, but Ania grabbed his arm. He wanted to go with Sadie, but he knew he needed to talk to his sister.
"Don't worry, Callen." Sadie smiled warmly. "I'll be fine...I'll be in prayer...and I know how much you love that stuff..."
He relaxed a little. "Alright...come see me when you're done...I'll be where I always am..." He laughed awkwardly.
"I'll see you after church tomorrow," Sadie said. "Now come on Tende..."
"The both of yeh...good move calling me to come pick yeh up when yeh found out Tende got stuck there late." Corth said as Tende and Sadie turned to leave. "Things could have been worse."
Tende nodded. "Tell that to Renee." He sighed and he led Sadie back to the church. They passed Reeves and Cole as they walked down the stairs. Callen and Ania watched Dr. Brewer begin to dispose of Renee's body using a strange mixture of chemicals, an old bathtub, and a hacksaw.
"Yuck..." Ania said.
"Aye...yeh gotta do what yeh gotta do sometimes, lass." Corth sighed. He watched Cole and Reeves approaching. "Kinda like now..." He muttered.
Felix shook his head. "Let's keep this short shall we?"
"Aye." Corth agreed. "Callen, Ania...yeh two can head back now..."
"We're giving Sadie and Tende a few minutes head start," Ania said. "Before we go back..."
Callen looked down the hall and watched Sadie disappear into the dark stairwell. He let out a frustrated sigh.
"Don't worry. Sadie will be fine...the order has blessed ways of dealing with this stuff...she needs a priest." Reeves said as he and Cole joined the group. "Magic can have side effects."
"I just got Dr. Brewer's update," Cole said. "Looks like we have another problem in this city on our hands. This one's too close to us."
"Aye," Corth said. He swallowed hard and looked his grandchildren. "Way too close. I'll hit the troll market and the less hostile fairy mounds...I'll find something...even the least friendly of fey hate goblins..."
Cole nodded. "When you go to any of the mounds, watch yourself." She said. "Reeves and I are looking into something happening with the Fey population..."
"Yeh sound almost concerned..." Corth pointed out.
"I wouldn't count on it," Cole replied snidely. "I'm more concerned with the why..."
"What are yeh seeing?" Corth asked.
"Not sure yet," Cole said. "I'll let you now when I have more. Just make sure you're well armed."
"Oh, he will be." Felix grinned. "Got some new special rounds that need field testing..."