* * * *
Francis got an incoming message on his iPhone. His transmitter was finally able to penetrate the shield blocking it. Yes there’s an app for that. He logged a mental note to have a talk with the techie that told him it would transmit through any spell out there. Olrick, his cat, had jumped into his lap as the map displayed itself on his phone. He knew that by the time his people would get there, the rebels would already be gone.
Francis stroked Olrick as he thought about his next move. Olrick was the only one that Francis had let close to him. Francis called Nigel to get a team together to search the location of the transmitter. A file arrived on his phone a minute later. It was a sound clip; the transmitter had storage for five minutes of voice data. Unfortunately the spell blocking the transmitter also corrupted must of the data. Only about thirty seconds of on the clip was useable, but he didn’t need to have it analyzed; he knew that voice anywhere: Nish. He and Nish had a long history together. On several occasions Nish had almost killed him, so he’d set a trap for Nish. He wanted Nish to suffer the humiliation that he had suffered.
When Nish was subdued, he’d cast a spell to permanently remove all of his hair. For a dwarf, Francis knew this was a fate worse than death. He wanted Nish to live with his shame and dishonor, knowing that Nish would never be accepted back into his native lands.
Timothy picked up a coded message saying they had a lead on the location of the miscreant’s location. He was to report to the briefing room for further instructions. Timothy was sure he would be able to get some information from the location, even though it was more than likely abandoned already. Tammy was a tough opponent and would not allow herself to be taken so easily. They were going to have to draw the awakened out. Timothy was sure that he could use something from his file to use against him. This Samuel was going to be the weakest link in Tammy’s armor. Timothy was using a different terminal to gather as much information about Tammy as possible. He wanted to understand her so he could predict her moves. He knew that capturing this public enemy would get him his chance to be turned, his reward for a job well done.
The site was, as everyone suspected, abandoned. They left a burning building behind, very clever of them, and let the fire department put out the flames. None of the fire fighters had noticed that the flames burned so hot they were blue. It was the work of magic to conceal the true nature of the building’s purpose. It was an hour before the energy used to maintain the fire was consumed. All that was left was a couple of wall fragments here and there. Everything else was melted, even some of the concrete at the point of ignition. This had to be the work of Tammy; very few had this level of power. Gathering information from this site was going to take the work of a team specialist a couple of days. By that time, the trail would be cold once again. Timothy wondered if he was strong enough to take down someone so powerful by himself, and if he should start recruiting help.
Francis showed up after the blaze was out wanting answers he knew no one had. Francis loved the power he held over people. His 24 hour deadline was fast approaching and he was fairly sure that he would get the privilege of killing someone. He so liked the feel of releasing people of the burden of life. It was one of the true pleasures that one could truly savor, watching someone die, knowing in that instant who that person really was. He had the pleasure of truly meeting so many people. Francis had already decided to kill the new guy, Timothy. The kid had useful skills but seemed to lack the killer instinct needed for the job. Francis approached Nigel and told him his time was up and if he didn’t have any answers for him then someone was going to die. Nigel told him they had something back at the office. Francis conceded to wait until they got back the office. The team then packed it in.
Timothy knew that he was in danger if Francis wasn’t happy. When they got back to the office Timothy knew that he had to show his enhanced model with a clear view of Tammy in the van. Francis demanded to see what they had discovered. Timothy decided it was now or never. He started casting his spell to show the model of the attack and the escape route. Nigel stepped in saying that the footage from the parking lot was unusable. Timothy cleared his throat and said that he was able to “enhance” that footage.
Impatiently, Francis said, “I’m waiting.” Timothy spoke a few words and the image appeared from inside the van. Francis walked up to the image of Tammy and said, “Hello there.”
Timothy chimed in saying that he had run her image against the database and found out her name. Francis said it before Timothy could.
Coldly, Francis said, “We are very familiar with each other. This is interesting news indeed. I should have recognized her work at the factory. This has just saved your life. Good work.” He left with a grin on his face.
Nigel started screaming at Timothy for withholding the information from him. Timothy just kept saying that he’d just discovered the information before the lead on the building and he had forgotten to tell him about it. Timothy knew he would have to keep a watchful eye on Nigel from then on. Nigel was a dangerous man to cross and he had just done that twice in less than a day’s time.
The Woes of Training
Max let me stay but there were a few conditions involved. First, I had to learn to take care of myself. This meant I had to learn how to live off the land like Sammy. Plus I had to learn how to fight like Candy and Nish. Then I had to learn to remain undetected by Todd. Tammy and Allyson thought an awakened lacked the ability to learn magic like them so they agreed to help with any other training they could. Two months and three relocations later I was sore all over and covered with numerous bruises. I wasn’t sure if they were teaching me or just using me as a way to work off frustration.
Sammy was brutal in his methods. I thought all he would do is teach me the difference between edible and none edible plants. But he wanted to make sure I was physically fit to survive. “Survival is more than just finding food. You have to be able to get to the food before you can eat it,” was Sammy’s motto. That meant running at least five miles a day. My legs never stopped hurting. I hadn’t known that type of pain before. Then there was the upper body strength training. I was starting to think that Sammy wasn’t human, but a machine that was fueled by the pain of others. Sammy’s training left my arms and legs feeling like limp noodles.
I wasn’t sure who was the bigger sadist, Sammy or Candy. I’m still not sure if there is a martial arts style that she doesn’t hold a black belt in. She assured me that she was going to take it easy on me. I’m sure she lied. There was no wax on wax off like in the movies. She taught me several blocks and how to use them. Then she beat me black and blue. There was no half speed practice; instead there was real time practice trying to block a martial arts genius. During one of my few breaks in training I watched Candy practice with Sammy. Candy had marked out an area on the floor for their sparring. When she got warmed up, her strikes became little more than blurs. I was amazed that Sammy was able to block any of her blows. With all the moving and dodging they did, neither one of them stepped out of bounds. That was the moment I learned she was indeed taking it easy on me. She could have snapped me in half like a twig.
I figured Nish’s training would have been easier. He started off with a shotgun because you didn’t have to be too accurate and it was easier to use. Having no experience with firearms it made sense. I mean how hard can it be to point and pull the trigger? He just gave me the shotgun and told me to shoot. I remembered watching a video of some guy nearly dislocating his shoulder by not seating the weapon correctly, so I set the shotgun firmly in place and pulled the trigger. I hadn’t seen Nish laugh until then. I went flying to the ground with a thud. I missed all those funny videos of the importance of foot placement. I’m sure someone videotaped my first shoot because later that night I was awakened to loud roaring laughter. I was in too much pain to go see what was so funny, but I could have sworn I heard Allyson saying, “Play it again.”
I learned that Nish was a di
shonored dwarf. He was like me in that he was not allowed to return to his old life. He never told me what happened but I’m sure it has something to do with him being bald. Every fantasy movie shows dwarves as having full heads of hair and beards. Nish had no body hair that I could see. I respected him enough to not ask the other about his dishonor.
It turned out that Todd was the best teacher. He taught me to ignore my surroundings. Enlightened could tell the difference between enlightened and the sleeping but they couldn’t tell the difference between the sleeping and the awakened. So all I had to do was blend in with the crowds. That was easy for me because I was used to feeling invisible most of the time anyways. He taught me how to spot the most likely locations for cameras and how to keep them from getting a good picture of me.
“Relax and walk like there is nothing wrong in the world,” Todd said. “Security people get bored just like everyone else. They won’t pay you any attention unless you draw attention to yourself.”
I learned that no security camera was “closed” to the vampires. Todd wasn’t sure how they got the footage but get it they did. Todd and I became very close friends. One night he told me that he liked me because I could make him laugh like his brother used to. Being friends with a thief has advantages. For starters I knew my meager possessions were safe from Todd, not just because I didn’t have anything worth stealing, but because we were friends.
Even Allyson was getting into the spirit of educating me, teaching me her dialect of Elven. I was always good with languages. When I mentioned that it was very similar to what my neighbors’ spoke, she told me that was because the common Elven language was the basis for the Arabic languages. Most of the Arabic nations were run by different Elven tribes. At one point, the different tribes were great and powerful nations that led the rest of the world in science and mathematics. Then she went silent for a moment and continued the lesson. I didn’t ask what she had been thinking about because she looked like she didn’t want to talk about it. I was a natural with languages. In high school I learned French and I had a working knowledge of Arabic. Allyson was impressed that I picked it up so quickly.
I had a hard time getting any information about her during our lessons. To reinforce her lessons she would only speak to me in Elven. Tammy and Erica both jumped on this band wagon. Erica spoke a slightly different version of the language. The best I can describe it is like the difference in Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. They are different languages but they can all still understand each other. I felt like a child learning to speak for the first time. As a reward for doing well I would be taught a curse word. I’ve only learned two so far. My goal is the mother of all curse words: F*U*C*K.
Max was starting to get nervous that we had overstayed our welcome. He gave Todd a list and asked him if he could fill it. Todd gave a nod and walked off. Then Max told everyone to get ready to leave soon. He didn’t like staying in one place to long. It made it harder for others to track our location. With the exception of the first place, we left each place exactly as we found it. Max wasn’t assigned to train me but I watched him and how he interacted with the rest of the group. He was clearly the patriarch, and always asked the others to do things. I’m sure that half the people could take him but they all chose to follow him. After the first few weeks I could see why. He instilled confidence in those around him. He was careful with his actions, but not paralyzed by the situation. I could see him leading an army victoriously into battle, changing tactics as the situation called for it. You felt awe being near him. At first I thought all this training from the others was his way of making me pay the price for Tammy throwing her weight around. When I arrived I was a ninety-eight pound desk jockey whose exercise was walking up and down the stairs at work. By the end, I wasn’t a liability, I was actually useful in the camp. I still felt that Max didn’t fully trust me but I was trying to prove usefulness. I hoped I’d soon earn a place in the group.
After Todd finished getting everything on Max’s list we changed locations again. The move went like clockwork. Max had us take different vehicles and different routes to the new place. I rode with Tammy, Erica, and Allyson. They wanted to see if I could hold a conversation in Elven. Before we left Allyson started muttering to cast her spell. Erica turned towards me and said, “Silly spell casters always mumbling to channel energy.” After a minute, the same flow of energy came out from around her that Tammy had done that first day. I sort of understood the meaning of the words she was saying. For instance, she was asking to make the vehicle undetectable and prevent tracking of all sorts. The spell didn’t seem complete. I made a mental note to ask her about the spell later. For the moment I had to concentrate on doing well so I could learn my next curse word.
My job when we arrived at the new place was to help with the unpacking of the communal supplies and to assist anyone that needed help. Because I didn’t have much more than the clothes on my back it was easy for me to get ready. All I had to do was throw my bag on the floor and I was done. As usual, Max and Todd were the last to arrive. There was something that Todd did to make the building harder to detect that he refused to teach me, no matter how much I begged. Max would stay to protect him if the need arose. Max looked happy about the progress we had made. Todd called me over to help him set up. He already had a room picked out for us. Todd and I had often bunked together when there were not many rooms. When I was done helping Todd I went to see if Max needed help. When I found him he was mostly done unpacking. He told me, “You should be more careful with your belongings.”
Confused I told him, “My stuff was already in my room.”
Max said loudly, “If your stuff in already in your room, then what is in the back of my truck?”
Everyone had come out to see what was going on. I could feel them staring at me as I walked to the back of Max’s truck. I was feeling nervous about what was going on. I pulled the box with my name written on it. There were clothes, a smart phone, and some other things in the box. I was brought back to reality when Max clapped his hand on my shoulder. “Welcome to the family.” I was almost in tears and thanked everyone. Max pointed a finger quickly to Tammy, who nodded at me. I finally felt like I truly belonged to something. It is a feeling I hadn’t felt since I left home. Only a single tear got out before I managed to fight the rest back. No one realized it wasn’t from joy.
Todd taught me to always have a “fly away” bag. It’s a pack you can grab if you have to leave in a hurry. It should include a complete change of clothes, a knife, a pistol, and some money. He told me he lost everything twice before he learned to pack a bag that is easy to carry. Todd had picked a perfect backpack for me to use. In the backpack was a survival knife, a real one, not one of those crappy ones that don’t hold an edge. I had a pistol I kept near me. Plus, part of the gear I got was a shoulder holster that carried a few extra clips. It had a low profile so it didn’t show under the jacket they had gotten me.