Chapter Twelve

Spooky Action at a Distance

Sarah vaguely remembered that people don't generally work weekends, but that changed nothing for her. She sat at her desk, and tried to place where Scott was.

He was off the grid. That much was clear. But there weren't many places off the grid. Idly, she brought up the image of the world listening stations, looking for anomalies. Japan was blood red as always, with Tokyo's flashing white; she slid her eyes north to Siberia, where there were no listening stations yet. Nothing she could see. Sliding east, she looked at Alaska. They still needed to get listening stations up there; they didn't have anything west of Anchorage. No, Alaska was calm, except….

That was odd. Just a flash, a wiggle of yellow and red where the signal died…and then nothing.

She wondered.

Suddenly, a different flash caught her eye, this one in Europe. It momentarily lit up on the Rhine, a burst of white that cascaded throughout the sensors in the neighboring countries, before they faded back to their usual red, except for the trace over the epicenter.

"The hell?" she muttered, looking at the dying ember of activity. She hit a button. "Ops, did you just see a huge flash in Germany?"

"Yes'm," came the reply. "Huge outlay, maybe a megagril. Trying to localize."

A megagrildrig? That was huge. Only an adept could….

"Got it," Ops said. "Localized in and around Heidelberg, Germay. Should we dispatch a team?"

"Definitely. Let Dieter know about this, have him get on it ASAP. Did you say Heidelberg?"

"Yes'm."

"Right, okay, let me know when the situation resolves."

She closed communication, and looked back at the map. Alaska was back to its usual blues and greens; could be just a sensor glitch from before. She made a note to check further. Then, she sat back. She didn't want to worry, but she was a big sister; if something big was going on in Heidelberg, she though she'd best check in on Susi, just in case.

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The unmistakable whistle part of "Young Folks" cheerily indicated the phone call. The mobile sang out its little song even after it was picked up.

"Sarah," said von Karajan, reading the call ID and smiling tightly. "Interessieren." For a split-second, he considered answering; there was a part of his old competitive spirit, after all, that liked the idea of taunting her, pushing her toward a misstep.

But he knew that would mean giving away too much information for too little reward. Instead, he simply waited for the voicemail prompt to light up, then turned the phone off.

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"Fuck fuck fuck!" Sue said, digging through her purse. "I can't believe I forgot my cell! God, that sucks! I was going to call Sarah. Tell her we were coming."

"I thought you didn't like your sister," said Lloyd, as they walked toward the platform at the train station.

"Did I say that? Hell no. I'm glad I'm Sarah Kensington's sister. I just wish I wasn't 'Sarah Kensington's Sister.' It was bad enough when she wasn't making People's sexiest people list and becoming one of the most powerful humans alive. I mean, I thought I had a lot to live up to when she was a law student. But now…."

Sue stopped, and turned to Lloyd. "My sister is probably a much better person than I am. Or you are. Don't ever forget it."

Lloyd tried to stammer something, but fortunately, Lil interjected. "I'm sure she's a lovely person, Sue. But you've been more than helpful so far. I imagine your sister is quite as proud of you as you of her."

Sue smiled wryly. "Of course she is. Because she's perfect that way. Doesn't mean she should be. Come on, we need to get going."

"You could use my mobile, " Ráichéal offered.

"No good," said Sue, sighing. "I don't remember the number. It's just one of the numbers in my phonebook. I could call my parents to get it…but I really don't want to do that."

"Why not?" asked Lloyd.

"You've never been fourteen and been present while your sister and brother-in-law explained why they were just seen fighting a massive, deadly battle on CNN, have you?" said Sue. "Of course not. It's a dumb question. Forget I asked. My parents took it well, all things considered. Well, my mom did, anyhow. But…"

She grew silent, and looked around. "Fuck," she said. "This isn't going to work."

"What won't work?" asked Ráichéal.

"They'll be watching the train stations."

"We could shrink, like we've been doing," said Lloyd. "That's how we got to Heidelberg, after all.

"No, no," said Sue. "That's how they tracked you to Heidelberg. Didn't you see that thing he had? It's a grildrometer. Measures the amount of energy being used to generate spells. And if you're an adept, like Henry Bigg said, you're bleeding energy just standing here. Every spell you make, every change, it's like a big neon sign saying 'Here I am!'"

Lloyd looked down. "So every time I changed, I was drawing them to me."

Sue looked at him, and smiled kindly. "You don't have the first clue about any of this, do you?"

"Not really," Lloyd said. "I didn't know I was anything special. At least, that I was that special."

"You are," said Sue, quietly. "I can feel it. You're strong. Don't worry Lil," she said, taking an unconscious step backward in response to Lil, who was moving to interject herself between Lloyd and the bespectacled punk beauty. "I'm not moving in on him. He wouldn't have me anyhow. I can't compete with you, and I don't want to. No, he's strong like my sister, like my brother-in-law."

"Like you," said Lloyd.

"Maybe," said Sue. "Maybe."

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Sarah couldn't help but feel a bit disconcerted. Oh, maybe Sue was studying, or sleeping one off, or maybe she'd found herself a nice Bavarian boy to bed. Yeah, it was her little sister, but given what Sarah had been doing by age nineteen, if Sue was just having sex with a hot guy she was pure as the driven snow.

Still, Sarah hoped she'd hear something soon. She had a bad feeling. After a few minutes, she picked up the phone and made one last call.

"Teri? Are you getting back in tonight or tomorrow? Great! I'll meet you at the airport. We need to talk…well, I need to talk. It's been an eventful Sunday."

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"C" Barracks was a relatively nondescript building, as were all the buildings on base, for that matter. Zoraida first showed Tori to a room, and was now showing Angie and Liz to the room they would share.

"So," said Zoraida to Liz. "You're legendary, you know."

"I know," said Liz, looking back at her. "What's your name?"

"Zoraida Abarca. I'm an adept."

Liz's eyebrow went up at that. She wasn't sure why Zoraida was trying to intimidate her. Maybe it was insecurity, or something deeper. As for Zoraida, she was trying to suss out whether Liz was The Coed that she'd been told about. She seemed calmer. Either way, Zoraida didn't trust her, not a bit.

That wouldn't have bothered Liz; she didn't trust Zoraida. Not at all.

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"So you think this will work?"

"Not necessarily," said Sue. "But I don't know that we have much choice."

"It makes some sense," said Lil.

"I don't like it," said Lloyd. "We don't know where they're going."

"True," said Sue, "but the Cadre won't either."

They were standing near the train station, observing a tour bus bearing some Americans slowly wandering back. It looked like the kind of if-This-is-Sunday-this-Must-be-Heidelberg tour that busy people take when they don't trust their own sense of direction. But they were close enough to the train station and close enough to leaving that it looked like a good way out of town.

"Once we get some separation, we can use our powers again," said Sue. "But if we shrink and then go quiet, they won't be able to follow us. Not easily."

"You don't think we should…uh…'transport?'"

"I told you the second I thought of it, Lloyd. They’ll be watching Berlin, Chicago, probably Tokyo, too. We may want to transport, but we can't do it blindly. If we do, we may be slitting our own throats."

"Glad you talked me into coming," said Ráichéal. "All right, how do we get aboard?"

Lloyd pointed to a young couple, perhaps on their honeymoon, or perhaps just happy to be away from the kids for a while; they were seemingly perpetually in danger of throwing one another to the ground and leaping atop and/or astride each other.

"They're going to be oblivious," he said. "And she's got her bag on the ground. If we hurry…"

"Yep," said Sue, nodding. "All right, let's do it."

And she quickly shrunk them and transported them into the shopping bag that rested against the woman's ankle.

About forty minutes later, von Karajan arrived. "They shrunk outside the station," he said, sweeping with the grildrometer. "What trains left in the half-hour?"

"Stuttgart, and Frankfurt."

"Spread out to those stations," he said, frowning. "Search the trains at destination. Leave no stone unturned."

He didn't think to look for a bus. He didn't expect those kids to be that creative.

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The knock at the door came as no surprise to Liz. "Come," she said, quietly.

"Hello, Liz," said the President of the League. "Angie, would you excuse us, please?"

Angie gave Liz a peck on the cheek before leaving the room. Leah, for her part, sat down on a chair, opposite Liz, who was sitting on her bunk.

"I'd forgotten about your history with her," Leah said, offhandedly.

"Me too, for a while," said Liz. "Angie is a good person."

"A good woman," Leah agreed. "No question. There's a reason we had her running the New York safehouse. She's not overly skilled, but she has heart. She believes, like you do."

Liz nodded, and said, "So what do you want to talk about, Leah?"

Jackson started just a bit at the use of her first name; she wasn't accustomed to it. "Well, Liz…I wanted to find out what your intentions were."

"Excuse me?"

"I know that in Madison, it was your operation, that you brought me back for my technical expertise, and my command experience. This organization was dead until you revived it. But with all due respect, much of the building was done after you were captured. I would hesitate to give up command of the organization, much as I can understand if that is what you seek."

Liz shifted back, and crossed her arms inscrutably. "Leah, I'm offended."

"Liz —"

Liz put her hand up. "I'm offended that you would expect I would try to take over, or expect you to turn over the keys. You've done well, Leah. Very well. We're in a great position. And I want you to retain command of day-to-day operations.

"All I want is a sinecure, a position that shows deference to me – perhaps one that is technically equal, sort of the head of state to your head of government."

Leah smiled. "You've read my mind, Liz. I want you to take over the new position as Regent of the League. When we have captured the world, I'll do the dirty work. But we need a face that people know, and fear. That's not mine. It's yours. They all saw you at Madison. They know."

Liz returned her smile. "I assume 'Regent' is roughly the same as 'Queen,' right?"

"And I your Prime Minister," Leah agreed.

"Perfect," said Liz. "So Madame President, let's get down to business. The rumor that was going around prison before our escape was that the League had Chelgren. Is that true?"

"Well…your Highness," said Leah, "we have him…in a manner of speaking."

When Leah finished explaining Chelgren's daring escape, Liz was stone-faced. "So he could be anywhere. He could even have gotten away."

"No," said Leah emphatically. "He's still on the base. We haven't seen any indication that he got away. He was too small to escape on his own, way down in the microscopic realm. And the few flashes of activity afterward were all explicable and tied to our own people. No, Chelgren hasn't cast so much as a transform spell since he escaped. He can't wait forever. A few days, at most, and he'll have to surface."

"Don't be so sure," said Liz. "Jake Thiessen trained him, and I know Jake well enough to know he trained Scott well. I want to review the security tapes from the prison break. See if I can find anything that your people missed."

"Yes, your Highness," said Leah.

"Now, Madame President, what can I do for you? Surely you have ideas."

"I want you to train Zoraida," said Leah. "Wafia is strong, but unpredictable. She's a good evangelist, and a great soldier, but she's not command material. You, on the other hand…you're smart. Calm. Brilliant. And deadly. I want you to take her under your wing, teach her how you killed in Madison, and how to handle herself as a giantess. Ultimately, I think between you and Zoraida, you can defeat the Chelgrens."

"And what of Wafia? Isn't she an adept?"

"Yes, but…she's angry. So angry," said Leah.

"Aren't we all," said Liz.

"I suppose," said Leah. "But her anger makes her move rashly. It's how Sarah Kensington-Chelgren beat her in Mendota Heights, and it's why I can't trust her as the lynchpin of my operation. No, I need people I can trust, people like you, and Zoraida."

Elizabeth the First, Regent of the League, smiled tightly at that. "Well, Leah, I like to think that you've earned my trust. I'll train the adept. For now – it's been a long journey. Do you mind if I take a nap before the day gets much later?"

"Not at all," Leah said. "I'll wake you and Angie before dinner. There I'll introduce you to the ladies."

"Very good, Madame President. If anything requires my attention before then, I am at your call."

"Thank you, your Highness. And likewise," said Leah, bowing slightly. She smiled. This was perfect – the perfect set-up for her triumph.

Liz, for her part, fretted. She didn't know whether she could turn Zoraida into the right kind of adept, and she herself was hearing some voices, long-buried. Voices she thought that she'd excised a long time ago. And they were telling her, softly, that she had found her home.

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The check-in went as it had in Brussels and Frankfurt, and now Matt and Erica Treehorn were happily moving into their room in Zurich, which was not exactly plush, but which had a big, soft bed, which was all they really required.

As they went downstairs for dinner, a small party was exiting the bag of tchotchkes. "Well, that was an interesting form of travel," said Ráichéal. "It was a little smoother than Ryan Air, I suppose, but still…oof."

"It could've been worse," said Lloyd, "if Lil hadn't gotten the bright idea to stow ourselves in the Toblerone box. That probably saved us."

"Well, I was getting tired of dodging that giant nutcracker," said Lil. "Blasted thing. I don't know why the Germans ever started making them."

"Well, we all came through okay," said Sue, dusting herself off. "But still, I think we should probably figure out where we are."

"We're in Zurich!" shouted Lil, as she walked across the enormous desk, looking at the hotel's information guide. "I don't know how that helps us, but there you are."

"I meant in the room, and the answer, obviously, is a desk. Could be worse. Anywhere good to hide while we wait for the lovebirds to return?"

Lloyd scanned the surface. "Not really," he said. "Frankly, the bag might be the place to go. This is pretty slim pickings."

"Well," said Lil, "Sue, do you think we could survive a leap into that?"

On the ground was the couple's suitcase, which had been opened but not yet unpacked. "Well. That's a bit of a drop at half a centimeter tall. Still, we're proportionately stronger, and that's pretty soft material. Yeah, that's a heck of a good idea. I told you she was a keeper, Lloyd."

"I know she is. All right, do we just jump, or what?"

"We jump?" said Ráichéal, looking sickly over the edge.

"Don't worry," said Lil. "I know being tiny is freaky…"

"Oh, it's not that. It's just getting my brain to accept what it's seeing. Shrinking and growth have been around for millennia; I doubt the leprechauns thought it was 'freaky.' All right, on three then?"

On three, they jumped into the sea of clothing.

They impacted and bounced all over the place, ricocheting off of shirts and skirts and socks and stockings. They bounced to a stop in alternate quarters of the case.

"All okay?" shouted Lloyd.

"Okay!" yelled Lil.

"Roger!" said Sue.

"I'm fine…except for the fact that I think I'm in a pair of briefs," said Ráichéal.

Lloyd looked around, and blushed slightly, realizing that he'd alighted in a pair of black lace panties.

Lil, for her part, was straightening herself. She could see Ráichéal, and waved to her. "I'm coming," she said, climbing down a bit off of the folded black socks. "At least they appear clean."

"Aye," said Ráichéal. "They do at that. Imagine how well hung a guy would have to be to fill these out?"

"Don't have to," said Lil. "It's impressive."

Lloyd, for his part, reached a hand down to pull Sue up from the bowels of a pair of silk stockings. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just fine. You know, I –"

But the group fell silent at that moment, with the sound of an opening door.

They heard the sounds of the titanic couple reverberating, chuckling and laughing. "So you want to try the club, honey?"

"You know how dancing gets me."

"I know how everything gets you. I thought women weren't supposed to want sex more often than men?"

"Please. You know you're glad you married a nymphomaniac."

"Glad? I thank Jesus every day for you, Erica. Let's get changed and go to the club…and see where it gets us."

The four hitchhikers tried to disappear as the enormous form of a busty, blonde, just overweight enough to look phenomenal, appeared over the case.

"Do you want to change your underwear? I'm changing mine," she called out, grasping a pair of black panties and a pair of white cotton briefs.

"Sounds like a good idea," said Matt, as Erica lifted the items from the case, along with a pair of pants, some socks, and a shirt for him, and a skirt, a bra, and a blouse for herself.

She also lifted four people, though she didn't have any idea of that, of course.