The Sinner’s Price, Part Five
“Number 16, sold to the gentleman in the white hat for four hundred thousand dollars!”
Catherine sighed as the auctioneer's gavel came down. 'So, what's the verdict? Is the matrix safe?' There was a long pause, during which she straightened and looked over to Yousef. He was already hurrying towards her.
“The radiogems just went dead,” he said urgently. “One moment, the Director was talking to Jack about that matrix, and the next... nothing.”
“Come on,” Catherine said, pushing the back door open and striding out. A security guard looked over to her, and she gestured. “Come on! Where's the organizer?” She pulled out her flute case, shaking her head. “We have a problem.”
“Not necessarily,” Yousef said weakly. “There could be feedback. Radiogems are psionic technology, after all. A bit of excess energy in the matrix could...” He broke off, and shook his head. “No, even I don't believe it. Let's go.”
The Sinner’s Price, Part Four
“Next on the block, Number 16 – a rare sculpture depicting the Atlantean goddess of the harvest, Kialara.”
Catherine leaned against the back wall of the auction room, looking over the gathered clients. They were, unfortunately, exactly what she’d expected – a mixture of the idle rich, a handful of well-dressed but bored-looking agents representing people too important to attend in person, a few out-of-place academics, and a few low-tier mages hoping against hope that they might discover something interesting.
The Sinner’s Price, Part Three
Sitting on top of a small apartment complex across the street from the auction house, a bulky man clicked open his walkie and spoke into it. “Position 3, Todd speaking.” he murmured. “There are SEA agents covering the loading dock. No sign of Tranquil yet.”
“Thank you, Position 3.” Melchior’s voice came over the walkie, smooth and serious. “I’ve sent Molly up to your position. The passcode applies. Watch for any shadows on the rooftops nearby, and don’t let them spot you.”
The Sinner’s Price, Part Two
“Jaaaack!” Blossom sprang out of the garage door, practically knocking Jack over as she surged towards him. He laughed, catching her with only a slight stagger backwards. “Welcome back!”
“Thank you, Blossom,” he said with a grin, disentangling himself from her. “Although you're behaving as if we didn't see each other last Friday.”
“Okay, well, yes...” Blossom said, mask still grinning. “But it's not the same. You're back for real now.”
“Yeah, it's kind of a big deal,” Roland said, stepping up to pat Jack on the shoulder. “Welcome back, man.”
Unforeseen Delays
For a variety of reasons, today's update will in fact be up tomorrow. Apologies.
The Sinner’s Price, Part One
“Bored!”
Melchior looked up from his papers as Fenris stalked into his small office, and held back a sigh. Fenris dropped into a large cushioned chair across from the desk, draping his legs over one arm and leaning his head against the other. “I am bored, Melchior,” he said. “You told me we could get this show on the road as soon as you finished with that scrap we stole from the plant girl. What’s the holdup?”
“The holdup, my lord,” Melchior said smoothly, “is that we can’t free Jormungandr if the time isn’t right. If we attack the prison while its bindings remain strong, we’ll have wasted twelve years of preparations.”
Kryptonite, Part Ten
“So that was our day,” Blossom said with a sigh, leaning back in her seat. She was back at the base, having retired to her room while Yousef and Catherine were busy being checked up, and was now typing up her report while chatting on the phone. “I wish you’d been there. I kind of wonder what you’d have been offered.”
“I think I’m happier not knowing.” On the other end of the line, Jack shook his head, glancing around his modest kitchen. In the other room, he could faintly hear the sound of furniture moving as Tarah cheerfully swept the floor. “Too much introspection is bad for the soul.”
Kryptonite, Part Nine
“Well,” Roland said with a smile, watching as a small team of SEA agents carefully bundled up the mirror, “that was a pretty painless…”
“Finish that sentence,” Catherine growled softly, “and I will hurt you. I don’t know how, yet, but I will find a way.”
Roland chuckled, patting her on the shoulder. “Glad to have you back, Pipes. Now I don't have to do the heavy thinking for a while.”
Kryptonite, Part Eight
Roland found Chad on the roof, sitting on the edge and rolling a small thread of fire between his fingers and staring off into space. “I interrupting?” he asked.
For a moment, Chad looked like he wanted to say ‘yes’, but he shook his head, patting the ledge next to him. “Nah,” he said as Roland sat down. “I called Christine.”
“How’d it go?”
“Oh, it was sunshine and puppies,” Chad snapped.