Chapter Five

Inertia

She saw Scott had been pinned to the pages of an album, like a butterfly. He was stoic, but she could see terror in his eyes. She reached out to pluck the pins out, and suddenly heard an angry mob approaching.

"Kill her!" came a shout from outside, which soon was where she was, facing a charging crowd bearing pitchforks and torches.

"This way, Teri! Quickly!"

She turned and followed the voice to a trap door, which she leapt into. The door slammed shut above her, and she heard the voice say again, "This way!"

"We have to go back for Scott!" Teri shouted.

"You'll never make it. They'll be expecting you," the voice said. "I will take care of it. Come on, this way."

Teri heard the roar overhead, and so she did as the voice recommended.

They were suddenly in a clearing, the way you only can be in the middle of a dream. She looked up in the dim, and saw a new moon against the stars.

"You'll be safe now," the voice said, this time attached to a figure.

"Thank you," said Teri, approaching it. "Now you must save Scott. Everything depends on it."

The figure removed the hood that had partially obscured its face, and Teri could see clearly who it was.

"I will go now," said Liz, calmly. "I promise, I'll return him to you safely."

"I know," said Teri. "I know."

Then, suddenly, she heard a scream, and turned to see a casket, raised, with Scott staring out of it.

* * *

Teri awoke with a start. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

She reached for her dream journal, trying to get the images down before they slipped away.

* * *

Lloyd sipped tea from a cup in his cubicle, and scanned through reports, his mind only partially on his work.

"Hey, you feeling better today?" came a voice from behind him, and he turned and smiled.

"Yeah, just a case of food poisoning, most likely. Feel much better, thanks."

"Don't mention it," said Henry, who was Lloyd's boss and, in a happy coincidence, his friend. The American ran a hand through his sandy hair. "Tell me, what are you up to tonight? Interested in going to catch a movie?"

"No, sorry--have plans. Thanks, though. Maybe another time."

"Those plans wouldn't happen to involve Lilavati Jayasurya, would they?"

Lloyd coughed on his tea a bit. "What makes you think that?" he sputtered.

Henry rolled his eyes. "Please, Lloyd, I know I'm a Yank but I'm not an idiot. I've seen how you two get along. I figured if either of you ever made the first move neither one of you would come up for a week or two."

"Well…look, I don't want this getting around, because--well, it's work and it's gossip, and besides, I know how things get distorted…."

"It is Lil! Ha! I knew it! All right, you two have fun. Maybe we can do lunch today?"

"Well…."

Henry chuckled. "Let me guess--booked for lunch, are we? All right, all right. Just don't get so caught up in lunch that you forget to get me the FletchCo financials before you leave today."

"No problem, chief. And I swear, I'll come up for air in time for summer, at least."

Henry laughed. "No rush. Carry on."

Lloyd smiled as he scanned through the reports. He sighed, and wondered briefly if he could hint at the exact plans for lunch he and Lil had. No--no need. Henry probably wouldn't believe him, anyhow.

* * *

€ Teri was already in her office by the time Sarah arrived. Which surprised the heck out of Sarah, as she was rarely beat into the office by anyone.

"Anything going on?" Sarah asked, poking her head in.

"Nothing I can put my finger on," said Teri, frowning and flipping through a file. "Sarah, when is Scott due to check in?"

"Why?"

"No reason. Just curious."

"Five days. It's got me twisted up in knots just thinking about it, so if there's a reason I need to be concerned--"

"No, no, Madame Chair. Just wondering. I had a dream that had him in it, that's all. When he checks in, I'd like to talk to him if I can."

Sarah arched an eyebrow, but simply said, "All right. Tell me if you need anything."

"Well, one thing--the detention center, you know--in New York. What is the start of visiting hours?"

Sarah arched her other eyebrow, and said, "Well, visiting hours usually end at twenty-one hundred, if that's what you're asking. If you want a pass, you can requisition it in a file on the q drive, in the special ops folder. You should have access; let me know if you don't."

"Thank you, Madame Chair. Is there anything you want me to do today?"

"Stop freaking me out, for one. Otherwise, keep reading and bringing yourself up to speed. Senior Staff meeting at eleven."

"Right. See you then," said Teri, turning to her computer. She found what she was looking for soon enough. She sent a quick request through the online system, then turned back to her work.

She hoped she knew what the hell she was doing.

* * *

€ Lil was doing all she could to stifle her groaning. She thought to herself that she really should have gotten this all out of her system yesterday, and yet Lloyd hadn't been eighteen centimeters tall yesterday, and he hadn't fit himself inside her just so, and she hadn't felt him slide himself back and forth across her pelvic floor while she looked over at the absurd sight of his tiny doll-clothes folded neatly atop the toilet paper dispensers in the third stall of the toilets on the fourth floor.

She could skip eating every day forever if this was what she was skipping it for.

* * *

€ Zoraida stood and looked out over the fortress—one that was at perfect scale for her, and for everyone around her. New Myrina was an impressive accomplishment no matter what the circumstances, but the four thousand women who were working there, right under the noses of the world--this was astonishing.

"How many people does the Society have?" asked Zoraida to Alyssa, who was guiding this particular tour.

"We estimate eight thousand, but of those only two thousand or so are really ready for battle. They have another two, three thousand who aren't ready but would give it a try. And three thousand or so are just pencil-pushers. And they're spread out across the whole world. Ninety-five percent of the League is here, at any given time."

Zoraida whistled. "Why don't you attack now? You've got superior numbers."

"Well…between you and me, about two, three thousand of our folks aren't ready but would give it a try. More than that, we've got a dearth of talent at the top. They have Scott and Sarah Chelgren--two adepts, both of them battle-tested. We have Wafia, who's tough--but she fought Sarah head-to-head and the best that can be said is she tied. And Scott was preoccupied.

"But that's where you come in," said Alyssa, smiling.

"Me? Well, I mean--why me?"

"You're an adept. A natural talent. You have more power than I could ever dream of."

Zoraida laughed. "You're kidding."

"Quick," said Alyssa, "shrink me to one-fourth my size."

Zoraida shrugged and did so. And Alyssa smiled from her position at her knee.

"I was even trying to block that. You don't understand--uh--how difficult it is for even reasonably talented people--uh--to--uh--Zoraida, could you help me? I'm trying to grow back, but you've locked this spell down hard."

Zoraida quickly restored Alyssa, who gleefully said, "That's what I'm talking about! You have the skills, girl. You learn how to harness your power, you'll be unstoppable. You and Wafia could neutralize Scott and Sarah—and then, like you said, we'd have the advantage."

Zoraida looked at Alyssa, still waiting for the punch-line. But she slowly realized that this was not a joke.

These powers--she was unusual. A freak.

A freak with unbelievable power, one that these women wanted in the worst way.

She realized suddenly that she was holding a very strong hand indeed.

"All right," she said, calmly. "So how do I learn to harness my power?"

* * *

Liz Peterson had been shocked to hear that she would have a visitor; doubly shocked to hear that the visit would be in person. She was accustomed to hearing from her family via telecom; she was a high-risk prisoner, and she accepted it.

But she'd been brought in by a guard and set on an enormous table, still in the prison complex but outside the dollhouse jail she usually resided in.

She sat on a chair that had been provided for her while the full-sized guard waited by the door.

There was a buzz, and the door opened, and the guard said something hushed to someone. Finally, she said, "All right, I'll be outside the door, Teacher. Let me know if you need anything."

The woman walked into the room, and Liz's heart sank.

She sat down in the full-sized chair by the table, and looked at her, and Liz stared back. She swept a mop of hair out of her eyes, and cradled her chin in her hands, and continued to stare.

Why? Why was she here? What did she want?

No--Liz stopped herself. She knew what she wanted. At least she thought she did. And so she said it.

"If you're here to kill me, I can't blame you, and I won't fight."

The Teacher laughed, a hollow chuckle. "No, Coed, I'm not here to kill you."

"I'm not the Coed, Mrs. Thiessen," said Liz, quietly, almost too quietly for Teri to hear. "She's gone. But it's my failure that she ever existed."

Teri looked at Liz a good long time, wondering if she was doing the right thing. At last, she touched her on the knee.

Liz started as the index finger came to rest, and started again when she heard, buzzing in her head, a simple message.

You can hear me, I know, said Teri. There is much for us to talk about.

Liz's eyes went wide, but she thought back, What do you want from me?

Teri smiled, a smile that almost seemed kindly, and the buzzing said, I want to hurt you, Liz, but I think that would probably be a waste--and there are more pressing things going on. And that's why I'm here.

And as Teri explained, Liz gasped.

This was impossible.

* * *

€ The coffin opened, and Scott put his hand to his eyes against the light, or he would have, had he not been an inanimate object.

She was staring down at him. "So," she said, in broken English, "You chase me, yes?"

She laughed as she felt the pathetic gemstone attempt to answer. "You mean to kill me, no? Most sorry, Scott Chelgren. I am heading home tonight. Early, yes, but you will be a surprise for my friend Leah."

Scott would have closed his eyes and groaned, if he could have.

"I just wanted to tell you what to expect. Go back to sleep, Scott Chelgren. Good night."

Scott was enveloped in darkness once more.

He hoped that this wasn't going to last forever.

He feared it was.

* * *

€ Lil exited the tube and headed up the stairs at Bayswater, eager to get home in time to start dinner. Lloyd had offered to host her at his flat tonight, but she'd told him, truthfully, that she had already been planning a special dinner for the night. She didn't mention that she was planning to make basic spaghetti and marinara sauce and then bed him for a half-dozen hours or so—but she didn't think he'd mind that much.

She turned the corner, and suddenly a hand grew over her mouth where none had been before, and something poked her in the back, hard.

"No games," the raspy voice said. "Don't make a fuss, and you won't get hurt."

Her eyes went wide with terror as she was quickly moved to a waiting van, and tossed inside. Her abductor sat down next to her, and closing the door, said, "Drive."

"Please," she said, "You can take anything I have."

"It's not you we want," the man said, putting a black bag over her head. "You're just the bait."

She screamed as the handcuffs snapped on.