Crow - The Awakening (48 page)

She looked up at him, wiping her eyes.

"If you can talk to her, it is possible our mission isn't a total failure." Lohet's mind raced with the possibilities. He had not considered that Penipe would have been able to connect with Asherah. The bonds Elves share were ever a mystery to him, but he was struck with a solution that could mean succeeding in their mission, Steven or no Steven.

"I don't know if she'll let me back in," Penipe said, looking into his eyes. Her daughter cut her out of the dreamscape abruptly in spite of Penipe's strength and centuries of experience, and it felt like hitting a stone wall.

"You must. It is imperative that we get word back to your life-mate," he said, releasing her and walking to the window of the cheap hotel room. The sun had risen and he put on his sunglasses to guard against the glare. Their sun was so much brighter than his own and he missed home. But his thoughts were now elsewhere as he worked to compile a message that was short and concise enough for Penipe to carry back with her.

Migalo and Sirel left to go hunting. He did not envy their need to eat so frequently. His own stores were starting to dwindle but had lasted him for nearly twenty years. Penipe set about packing their gear up and making preparations for departure to the next triangulation location. He looked at her, proud that she still maintained the fortitude and presence of mind to continue her duties in spite of what lay in store for her daughter - a fate that she herself would help bring to pass. Lohet shook his head and looked back out the window at the rising sun. The burden of the mission weighed heavily on him and he wondered if they would all ever make it home. Sighing, he turned and began helping Penipe get their gear ready to mobilize. They would need to leave soon.

Steven got off the bus a couple of stops early and walked the rest of the way to the restaurant. He stood across the street from it, looking at it apprehensively. He had never been there before. It was at the bottom of a short, seven story office building in a row of similar buildings and not far from a large shopping plaza and the mall. He looked down the alley he had ducked into but didn't see anything out of place. As he looked back, he noticed a shadow out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look but it was gone. He knew it was Asherah. He sighed and looked back at the restaurant.

"I don't like this, Steven." He heard her voice deep in his mind. Asherah was clearly afraid. Steven was a little nervous himself. Steven scratched his head, trying to think of anything he had forgotten. He had to admit that he didn't like it much either. But what choice did he have?

"Brandon may be in trouble. I can't just let him hang out there for this," Steven whispered, then caught himself talking to his imagination. An unrelated question nagged him. "Why can't I see you?" he asked, hoping no one would see him talking to himself.

"The fracture is not strong here. The gate is strongest where the fractures are strongest," Asherah's voice answered.

"Gate?" Steven said out loud. A passerby looked at him and Steven smiled and looked away, rolling his eyes. This was awkward.

"I can't tell you more. Not yet." Steven could feel Asherah's irritation that she told him what she did.

Steven shook his head. He was keeping secrets from himself and he didn't even know what the secrets were. He looked back across the street. It was almost time to go in. He patted his pockets. No phone, no flashdrives, nothing that could incriminate him. He was thankful he had not started using his physical address yet. For all intents and purposes, nothing could be traced back to his friends and fellow tenants. If they were fishing for proof, they're not going to find it. Without proof, how long could they hold him?

He took a deep breath and walked across the street, stopping in the door of the restaurant. Asherah's fear was distracting to him and he did his best to block it out. Quite abruptly it faded and Steven was able to relax and concentrate. He looked around and saw a lot of people enjoying
dinner
. No SWAT team waiting to tackle him. A little relieved, he stepped inside and smiled at the seating attendant who was seeing to another customer.

"The two on the right, one in front of us and one on the left and that guy by the kitchen entrance," Asherah whispered, even though it wasn't necessary. He was the only one who could hear her. Steven looked where she indicated but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Just people doing what people normally do in a restaurant. "The rest... they don't feel right either," Asherah continued. She couldn't quite explain it, however. "They're all... different."

"Huh?" Steven said before he realized he was saying it. "All of them?" he thought. There was a couple in front of him having a heated discussion, and a couple of families in there plus various other patrons, all eating and being normal. Steven wondered if he was getting paranoid. It wouldn't surprise him, since he was there to meet someone who could either be a great opportunity or a devastating setback for him.

"The guy in the second booth in front of us, drinking. He's ignoring us but he knows we are here," Asherah said. Steven walked in and the guy looked over his way and stood up waving. Steven hesitated but the guy sat back down and waved him over. Looking around nervously, Steven walked over to him. "Laurence?" he asked tentatively.

"Steven, I presume?" Laurence wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood up, holding a hand out. Steven looked at him warily and shook his hand. Laurence pointed to the booth and sat down. "I hope you don't mind, but I ordered for us."

Steven sat down and looked at Laurence. He was a common, everyday, not quite middle-aged man who looked very professional and fit. He could be a salesman for all Steven knew. Not remotely the mysterious secret agent type he had expected. "Listen, I don't know why you want me, but I haven't done anything," Steven said, not able to relax.

"Dinner first. It's not like you're in trouble or anything. Besides, the government is paying for it, so eat up." Laurence grinned as a heaping plate of sesame chicken on sticky white rice and a couple of smaller plates were put on the table. Another plate of egg rolls and a couple of bowls of egg drop soup were also placed on their table and the server left without a word.

Steven looked at the food, not sure how to feel. He had come in half expecting to be tackled and cuffed and dragged away kicking and screaming. He spooned a little sesame chicken on his plate and took a tentative bite.

"You're letting me down, Steven. I thought teenagers knew how to eat. Pile it on," Laurence smiled.

"Okay." Steven shrugged and dug more from the platter and piled it on his plate. He was feeling much more at ease and a lot less apprehensive. Laurence was turning out to be a lot different than what he imagined. He could still feel Asherah's apprehension, however, and that kept part of him on edge, attentive. Laurence smiled, his mouth full as he chewed. Steven noticed a glass of tea and took a sip.

"This is good stuff. We'll need to come here again." Laurence took a big drink of his tea and ate some more.

"We?" Steven asked, gulping down a big fork of food. He wasn't sure he heard Laurence right and still wondered if this was all a setup. But Laurence was already talking about a future that included him not being in some dank cell somewhere.

"Of course." Laurence started in on one of the egg rolls. "It's better than eating alone."

"What about Brandon?" Steven was a little apprehensive. This whole thing was to get Brandon off the hook.

"Does he like Chinese food?" Laurence waved a half eaten egg roll in the air. "He's welcome but I don't think the government will foot his bill."

"No, I meant..." Steven hesitated. Laurence laughed and started eating the egg drop soup, shaking his head at Steven.

"You know, I always found it fascinating how you could zoom around the network completely unseen. You're going to have to show me how you do that some day." Laurence pointed another egg roll at him.

"What?" Steven said as he finished off his own egg roll.

"Man, I'm thirsty." Laurence gulped his tea. Steven suddenly felt thirsty and sipped his, then took a deeper drink. Laurence grinned, grabbing the last egg roll.

"I don't really know what you're talking about," Steven tried to continue.

"Of course. I know how it is." Laurence leaned back, scratching at one of his teeth and wiping his mouth with the napkin that had been in his lap.

"No, really," Steven insisted. "I'm just a kid."

"You're a freaking genius, that's who you are." Laurence pointed at him, smiling broadly. "I mean, rerouting our cell signal so I couldn't track Brandon?" Laurence shook his head. "Art. Pure, unadulterated art."

Steven fidgeted. He didn't want to admit to anything or give anything away, especially in case this was a setup. But if he wasn't going to be arrested, how could he hope to get work with them without admitting to some of what he's been up to? The idea of confessing to that grated on him, however.

"Look at the man behind Laurence," Asherah whispered in his head. Steven shook his head then looked across the table and behind Laurence. A burly man sitting at the booth behind Laurence was rubbing his eyes and looking like he was going to fall asleep. Steven raised an eyebrow then looked back at Laurence.

"Listen, Brandon's not even on the radar. Look. Brandon who?" Laurence held his hands out, looking around and up at the ceiling, and shrugged.

"He was really freaked out," Steven explained. He couldn't get rid of the feeling that something odd was going on. Steven wondered how much of that feeling was coming from Asherah.

"Steven, I'm an investigator. My job is to use any means necessary to extract the information we need. That includes being creepy. Seriously, if you are off balance and nervous, don't you think it would be harder to stick to your story? It's all just part of the job. He met with you and we were interested in finding you. You've been found and that's all that matters." Laurence grinned amicably. "I go home and am a regular guy just like anyone else."

Steven looked down, feeling a little guilty. He was right, of course. Getting information from uncooperative people required a few extra measures that could easily come across as antagonistic. How much of it was personal and how much of it was just trying to get the information?

Laurence crossed his legs and leaned back in the booth, looking at Steven. "My boss wants you. You are going places, Steven." Laurence looked at his watch and frowned then looked back at Steven. "Are you feeling sleepy?"

Steven shook his head, finding that question odd. "Steven, something's wrong," Asherah whispered again and Steven waved his hand by his hair as if trying to hit a gnat. "Look at the other two," she insisted. Steven glanced over at the other two Asherah had pointed out to him. They were both looking very sleepy and trying hard not to drift off into their food.

"That's strange." Laurence looked around and noticed that his entire team had been incapacitated. He looked behind him and the agent behind him was laying on the bench. Looking down and thinking hard, he turned back and looked at Steven who looked around too.

"Is everything okay?" Steven started to get worried. Things were definitely wrong.

"Steven, I think you need to run now," Asherah insisted, her voice louder in Steven's head. He could feel her fear getting more palpable in him and suddenly he felt charged, like a gazelle ready to bolt. Was she doing that? But she was just his imagination. His intuition. It occurred to him that he might want to listen to his intuition, however.

Steven didn't wave her away this time, as if it would do any good anyway. He leaned forward, both hands on the table, looking at his host. "Laurence? What's going on?"

Laurence sighed, shaking his head in bemusement. "You know, the dose was given to both of us." He took another deep drink of his tea and sat back smiling. "I'm immune to it." He held up his arm showing a patch. "You shouldn't be."

Steven looked around then back at him. "I shouldn't be what?" His alert level was rising quickly.

"It must be your physiology. Perhaps you're not entirely human." Laurence leaned forward and peered closely at Steven. "Maybe that's it it. Maybe that's why they're so interested in you. Are you an alien, Steven?"

"Steven, I think you need to get up and leave right now." Asherah was getting more urgent. "Run, Steven," she insisted loudly.

Steven shook his head, trying to make sense of things. "Uhm, aliens? Are you on drugs or something?" Steven asked Laurence. "I thought you wanted me to work for you."

Laurence raised his eyebrows. "Your talents are immense, Steven. I am in awe of your abilities. But there is something else about you that my people want to explore." He leaned forward. "I think you're a special kid. Perhaps a real alien, sitting right in front of me."

Steven gaped at him, feeling his job prospect slipping away as other agendas started coming to the surface. "Really?"

"We were going to do things the easy way. You see, there was never any possibility of a negative answer, Steven. You were supposed to wake up at our office and my job would be done." Laurence sighed, dabbing his mouth with his napkin. "We're going to have to leave now. Maybe my boss will like you and we'll get that second date." Laurence smiled, scooting toward the end of the booth. "I hope so. The food here is spectacular. If they can just get some good help that doesn't tranquilize the rest of my team." Laurence looked out the window and froze as he watched a young woman with wavy brown hair walk by. It was the same girl he had seen on the police station cameras. She looked at him and smiled, waving. Steven followed his gaze and saw her blow a kiss toward him. Laurence was about to say something but stopped, looking at Steven. "Who is she?"

"I don't know," Steven said, incredulous. "Just some girl walking by." He had to admit, she did look familiar, but he had more important things to deal with now.

A couple at a table started arguing just then. Steven and Laurence looked at them as the couple got up and started yelling at each other. Laurence grinned and looked at Steven, "Well, it looks like they're having a worse day than we are." He stood up and straightened his shirt. "Shall we go?" Steven saw a gun under his shirt as he straightened it. That wasn't all that surprising. He was an officer after all. But Steven sat there, stunned. What happened to the job offer? He would have been thrilled to go with him a second ago.