Текст книги "Total Eclipse"

Автор книги: Rachel Caine

Соавторы: Rachel Caine
сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

The coyote got his head and shoulders in the way and lunged, snarling. I smacked him with my fist on the nose, and he backed up, shocked and hurt, just enough for me to get the door shut.

Davids voice was coming out of the radio, but it was just noise right now.

Go! I yelled. The Djinn floored it, and we left the angry delegation from Animal Planetbehind.

I immediately turned my attention to the snakebite, which was going to be much worse than the coyotes damage to my leg. Neither attack had hit any blood vessels, at least. The snakes venom hadnt found its way into my circulatory system yet, but it would soon if I didnt slow it downnow. I kept the arm down, below heart level. The pain of the bite was bad, but it was definitely going to get worse; the area around the fang marks was already swelling and discoloring in shades of angry red and mottled white. In terms of bite intensity, probably a three or a four. I didnt think it was quite bad enough to be classed as a five, which would have put my odds way, way down.

I knew enough about snakebites to know that ice wouldnt work, and neither would the old Western cliché of cutting open the wound and sucking out the poison. What wouldwork was antivenin. Which I didnt have.

Well, the good news was that this bite probably wouldnt kill me. It would just make me very, very sick. And I could lose the arm. I licked my lips, hoping that there wouldnt be any major symptoms, such as tingling, just yet. There werent. That was a good sign, I thought.

We were closing the distance fast to the perimeter, and I realized that this was, in fact, perfect.David, I panted, finally settling down enough to put something into words. Dont try to hide us. Take me right to the main gate, dump me off, drive away.

I cant do that! Dammit, Jo, stay still. Im turning the car around and taking you to a hospital.

No. You can stabilize me for now, right? I dont need to be healed. Just do enough to make me functional.

I was wrong about the lip-tingling. It started, and increased, and it felt like someone was sticking pins in my mouth. Veryunpleasant. I felt dizzy, too.

The Djinns hand flashed out and closed around the arm with the bite, and I screamed at the flash of agony that ripped through the nerves . . . but then it calmed to a dull, fiery ache, and I could breathe again. Tears stung my eyes from the intensity of the discomfort, but the torturous prickling of my lips and mouth receded, and the dizziness steadied. Keep the swelling, I panted. I need proof. Just get me ambulatory.

This is insane!

No, this is a plan, I said. Im a snakebite victim. They have to take me inside for medical treatment. I need you to take down their external communication systems, so they cant call out an ambulance. Theyll have antivenin in stock, in a place like this. Ill be fine.

I didnt feel fine, not at all. David didnt like my brilliant plan, but then again, he didnt know the extent of it, either. He reallywouldnt like the rest of it, and I wasnt planning on enlightening him. Not yet.

Once Im in, you can bring the car in however you can manage it, I said. Including blipping it in there. Ill find you. I wouldnt need the car, because of course the plan was that probably I would never leave. But it would be nice to have the option, in case things changed somehow for the better. Not that I had a single hope they would, but you know hope: it springs eternal.

And having David closeeven virtualDavid, talking through a radiowould make me feel braver. I hoped Id get to tell him, before the end, why I was doing this. I hoped Id get to say good-bye.

I dont like this, Davids voice said, coming now out of the Djinns mouth. We were coming up fast on the turnoff to the plant, which was protected by a guardhouse and pretty serious fencing. The compoundI didnt know what else to call itstretched on in a sprawl within the fence boundaries. The guardhouse was manned by two men, both armed, and there were more armed men in sight, watching with pointed vigilance as the Mustang coasted to a stop just beyond the guardhouse. Both guards stepped out, hands on their sidearms, watching us with cold, professional intensity.

Youre sure you want to do this? David said.

Im sure, I said, and then, impulsively, I love you, sweetheart.

I opened the door before he could respond, and bailed out in a heap. It wasnt hard, with the torn calf and the venom coursing through me. I felt generally pretty wretched.

The Mustang backed up in a shriek of tires, and the passenger-side door slammed shut as he braked, did a perfect sliding turn, and accelerated off down the road in a blur of dust and smoke. That was probably Whitney. David wouldnt have been as prompt in executing the hell-out-of-Dodge part of the plan.

The guards were shouting, and one of them ducked back into the shack. I heard alarms sounding, and thudding boots. Nobody touched me, so I slowly flipped myself over on my side. My head was pounding, I was too dizzy to sit up, and, with a sudden spasm, I threw up. Mostly the water that Id been drinking, but disgustingly convincing that I wasnt faking anything. The swelling on my arm was bad, and getting worse.

They patted me down for explosives, yelled for medical assistance, and finally, one of them leaned down and barked, Name!

Jo, I whispered. Joanne Baldwin. Security clearance. Checkcheck withmilitary. I wasnt lying. Wardens had security clearances. Mine was as good as his, Id be willing to bet. I hadnt endured all those questions and poking around in my personal life to fail to cash in my chips now. Rattlesnake.

I can see that, he said. Some of the ferocity left his voice. Stay still. Helps on the way.

The other man, I was sure, would be running my name back through channels. That was fine. I was fairly sure that nobody would turn away the help of a Warden, even an injured one, at a sensitive installationnot in times like these. Hell, I was security.

I felt filthy, doing it, but they were making their own logical assumptions. I wasnt lying to them, not one bit. I lay there on the pavement, retching helplessly, feeling miserable and in severe pain, but David had done as I askedI wasnt getting worse. Not yet, anyway.

There were conversations, hurried and clipped ones, with people who I assumed were higher up in the organization. Phones were used. Pictures were taken. A medical team arrived with a gurney, evaluated me, not surprisingly came up with a diagnosis of snakebite and some kind of animal attack, and loaded me up with a pile of hospital-approved blankets on top.

The gates parted, and I was wheeled inside the compound, past neatly lettered signs that warned of criminal prosecution to the fullest extent of the law for any violations of security protocols. More guards accompanied the medical team. I supposed I would have been handcuffed to the gurney, except for the snakebite, which made that impossible.

The first building we came to was obviously some kind of administration complexbig, blocky, heavily secure. Lots of locks, key cards, biometric scans just to get me into a hallway. A security officer was there, and he clipped a badge on my shirt, neon red, that proclaimed I was a supervised visitor. I didnt feel like a visitor. I felt like a prisoner. It probably had tracking devices built in, so I could be found and caught in seconds if I managed to totter up off the bed.

I didnt think I was going to bump the terror alert level any, given how I felt right now.

A doctor took over, clearly the Head Medical Cheese, and he did some unsympathetic probing of the snakebite wound. Its genuine, he said to a guard standing next to him. Probably a stage four bite. Shes very sick, and she needs antivenin urgently. He bent over to look into my pale, sweating face. Whats your name?

Joanne Baldwin.

Howd you get here, Joanne?

I was walking, I said. Snake bit me. Car picked me up but he dropped me here.

All completely true. The doctor frowned, clearly not thinking much of someone whod dump me and drive away, but he shook it off. Looks like a prairie rattler bite, he said. Lets get some CroFab in her, stat.

In a gratifyingly short timealthough every heartbeat felt like it lasted a year, thanks to the unbelievable and escalating paina nurse hustled back in with a vial and a hypodermic. He checked the labelthorough, I liked that in a doctorand filled the hypo with the straw-colored liquid. I hadnt really noticed, but someone had already put in a central lineand they must have been good at it, because I didnt like IVs, not at all. The doctor added the antivenin to the flow, then reached for another vial. There were six on the table. I wondered if that was some kind of a record.

Okay, this is going to take about an hour to get into your system, the doctor said, after emptying the last vial. If you start having trouble breathing, let us know immediately. Anaphylaxis is a possibility with this antivenin, but it isnt common. Youre not allergic to sheep, are you?

I gave him a blank look. Sheep? Really?

Really.

How the hell would I know?

Good point, he said, and grinned. Lie back and relax. Keep your heart rate down. I know its miserable, but the antivenin will help, trust me. Im going to take a look at the bite on your leg.

In the great scheme of things, Id almost forgotten the coyote bite; truthfully, it hardly registered, on the scale of Ow That Hurtsright now. But when he started probing the wound, I found myself gasping and guarding, and he shook his head. Lets irrigate, get some antibiotics on board, and Ill need to lay in some stitches. You are some lucky girl.

Id have given him the finger if Id felt up to it.

Someone arrived and handed him a packet of notes, which he speed-read, and as the nurse worked on cleaning the bite, he leaned casually on the gurney and flipped pages. I wasnt fooled.

So, he said. Youre a Warden.

Yes.

Not an Earth Warden?

This was the tricky part, because I was going to have to lie to answer, or explain more than I wanted. Earth Wardens cant heal themselves, I said. Not easily. Its a drawback.

He nodded. So it is. Is it as bad out there as weve heard? Storms, fires, earthquakes? Some people are calling it the end of the world.

Its not, I said. But it could be the end of us.

That sobered him up. He closed the file and tucked it under his arm, looking down at me. Doctors always looked similar to me; there was some kind of posture they had, upright and ever so slightly arrogant, but with good reason. This particular doctors name badge read REID, HOWARD. He didnt look like a Howard to me; he had thick dark hair, a long, thin nose, and smile lines around his mouth. An angular, mobile kind of face. Eyes of indeterminate color, maybe a dark blue. Not kind, though. Assessing and guarded.

Is that your professional opinion? he asked. Since thats your job, isnt it?

Yes, I said.

How serious is it?

I wouldnt go buying any long-term investments. I coughed, because talking was making me feel sick again. A nurse got me water and a sippy straw.

Dr. Reid stared at me for a few long seconds, and whatever calculations were going on, I couldnt follow them.

I shut my eyes as he got around to the stitches.

Dr. Reid wasnt the only person on the base who knew what a Warden was; I could tell from the steady stream of gawkers who found a reason to drop into the infirmary over the next hour. Among them was a tall man wearing casual clothes but with a straight-up military bearing. No rank visible on the badges, but I was willing to bet, from the way people gave him room, that this man was high up.

Hello, he said to me immediately, with the assurance of somebody who doesnt often meet equals, much less superiors. How are you feeling?

I wasnt feeling well at all, and was starting to think that this snakebite ploy was a Very Bad Idea, but I forced a smile. Ill live, I said, and cleared my throat. Joanne Baldwin.

He nodded. I had you checked out. Roland Miles. Im the director of the plant. I had to give special authorization to get you inside the gates. By the look he gave me, Id better humbly appreciate the sacrifice. Oh, and I did. Really. Ive given instructions that youre not to leave this bed for any reason, and that as soon as youre stable, youre going in an ambulance to a hospital.

Im a prisoner.

If you were a prisoner, youd be handcuffed to the rail, he pointed out pleasantly. Were just taking all necessary precautions for your health.

Including not letting me out of bed. What if I have to go to the bathroom?

Bedpan, he said, and I didnt think he was kidding. I take my responsibilities here extremely seriously, Miss Baldwin, and what I see about you in my classified files doesnt inspire confidence. You seem to have a running feud with the Wardens, and a shooting war going with authority. Now, why are you really here?

He settled himself in a chair next to my bed, and that put our eyes level. I didnt like it. I didnt like the very perceptive aura I was reading off of the guyhe was just plain human, but he was nobody to underestimate, clearly. They wouldnt have put him in charge of what had to be a major terrorist target if he hadnt been utterly capable.

Wait, I said, and gestured urgently to a nurse. She handed me a kidney-shaped bowl, and I retched up what little I still had in my stomach. It wasnt theater, it was truly that bad, and after I was done I fell back against the pillows, feeling shaky and still in sharp, cutting pain. So just to be clear, you think I got myself snakebit as part of a clever plot?

Maybe, he said, unmoved by my clearly unhappy condition. Im not taking any chances with you in my facility. You do have security clearances sufficient to gain entry under normal circumstances, so Ill let you stay until Dr. Reid says you can be moved, but the second that happens, you are out of here. With my best wishes, of course.

Of course, I said, and swallowed hard. Water?

He was kind enough to fetch the cup and sippy straw, and I drained it in a rush.

I know whats happening out there, he said, once I was done. He refilled the glass, which was a considerate thing to do, and set it within easy reach. I know how bad it is. And I cant think its any accident somebody like you just happens to show up on our doorstep, snakebite or not. You want to level with me, Joanne?

Well, Id liketo, but I dont think your security clearance is high enough, I said. And Im not in a share-y mood right now, what with all the venom and throwing up and you being a giant prick.

He laughed. It was a real laugh, genuinely amused. Nice to know I was entertaining, even now. Now thats the Joanne Baldwin people told me about. Youd be a smart-ass to Death himself, wouldnt you?

I had been before. But that probably wasnt something to share except on a need-to-know basis. If you want to know whats going on, stick your head outside, I said. Humanitys sitting on a bomb, and the timers clicking down. Thats whats happening. Forget global climate change; we wont be around to see the last of the polar bears drown. Thatswhy Im here, Roland. Im on bailing duty on the Titanic.

He didnt like that answer, not at all, and it didnt spark any kind of laughter this time. He was a smart man; he could identify truth when he heard it. And why come here? he asked.

I didnt! I was dumped out by the idiot who picked me up. I think he could have been running drugs. In this part of the country, that was an extremely plausible scenario. Carloads of Mexican Brown were caught all the time, zipping their way up through the Southwest. They werent fighting a major drug war in Mexico for nothing.

That was my first real lie; only it was actually speculation. I hadnt stated it as a fact, only a perception. I waited, and watched Roland Miless aura up on the aetheric. It was tougher to read regular people than Wardens, but there was no mistaking the troubled colors that surrounded him. The man was under a lot of stress, and he was wary. I didnt blame him. He certainly had every right.

Wary he remained, but I didnt get the sense that he detected any hint of a lie in what Id said. That was good. It wasnt that I couldnt tackle the defenses he could probably bring to bear, but it would be very, very messy. Lives would be lost, and there was a decent chance that Id end up having to do what Id planned without evacuating the plant first. I didnt want that on my conscience. Especially as the last act of my life.

Dr. Reid buzzed in the infirmary door, trailed by another nurse, this one carrying a tray full of the antivenin bottles. He nodded pleasantly to Director Miles, who stood up and moved his chair away from the bed to make room as Reid bent over me, taking my pulse, probing the badly swollen arm, and generally being a nuisance before he nodded. Second round, he said, and began loading the antivenin into the IV drip. I didnt figure that one dose would do you. That was a nasty bite. Hows the pain?

Intense, I said.

On a scale of

Ten. And I wasnt kidding, it really was. As an Earth Warden I was all too aware of the damage the venom was wreaking on my tissues, and it scared me. There was definitely going to be scarring from this, if I survived the day. In a weird way, it was comforting to think that I didnt have much of a chance of that, anyway.

Six vials of antivenin later, Dr. Reid gave me some kind of additional shot. I didnt see him do it in time to countermand, but I knew I was in trouble the second the warm, weighty feeling of pain relief began to spread through my body. Oh crap. I couldnt fall asleep. That would ruin everything.

No! I gasped. Hed only emptied about half a syringe into the central line, and now he looked up, frowning. No narcotics, please.

Youre in pain.

I dont want it.

He shook his head, but it was, after all, a patients right to refuse medication. So I got enough to dull the raging, chewing pain, but not enough to get rid of it, or to lull me into dreamland.

Best of both worlds, really.

Miles tried to ask me something else, but Reid cut him off. I closed my eyes and went up into the aetherica struggle, considering my physical conditionand watched Miles leave the room. Lucky thing about the plantthe buildings had always been built for pure industrial use, and there werent a lot of emotions soaked into the place. Where they existed, they were centered mostly on the area where I was currently restinginjured and scared people had been brought here over the years, and that lingered. But outside, the aetheric shape of the place was orderly, almost sterile. This was an administration building; as I expanded my view I saw activity in several other locations, in some areas going down deep into the ground.

That was where I needed to focus my efforts. Deep in the ground. But not yet, not until I was capable of moving on my own.

It took another forty minutes, but the swelling began to go down, to the pleased murmurs of the medical staff. The venom slowed its progress, and the antivenin began to break it down into harmless chemical strings that were swept away in my bodys efficient housecleaning system. I didnt feel good, but I felt better. Clearer. I drank a lot of water, and one of the nurses, on Dr. Reids approval, provided me with some kind of high-protein bar. I was able to keep it down, which was great.

By the time the second sixty minutes had passed, my arm was only a little swollen and red. Reid bandaged up the wound, after antibiotic shots, and gave me detailed instructions on what to tell the doctor at the hospital when I arrived.

Dr. Reid, I said. He stopped his medical lecture and looked at me, frowning. I need you to listen to me.

Im listening.

I cant leave, I said. I need to be here. And you need to help me get everybody out of this compound before its too late.

Too late for what?

Im going to do something to help us survive whats happening outside, but its going to be very messy. I dont want your deaths on my hands when I do it. So I need you all to leave the compound, do you understand me? I held his gaze, and I put all of my Earth Warden powers of persuasion into it. Isnt there some medical protocol for evacuation?

In the event of a major radiation leak, he said. Yes. But

Trust me, therell be one by the time you call the alert. How long to get everyone out of here?

He looked around, blinked, and said, Were on skeleton crew, so probably no more than fifteen minutes once the alarm sounds. Thats to load everyone into the vehicles and evacuate to the secondary rally point.

I loved a place that had their drills down cold. It meant people might actually survive this. Not me, of course. But these people, in specific.

You know about the Djinn, right? He nodded. Id figured that since he knew about Wardens, hed be up on the current information out there on Djinn as well. The Djinn arent under the control of the Wardens anymore. Theyre under the control of the Earth, and the Earth is very, very angry. Understand? The Djinn are going to come here, and theyre going to destroy everything. So you need to be sure you get this done, doc. If you dont, its going to be very, very deadly to your colleagues.

Ive got to talk to Director Miles.

If you want my advice, dont, I said. Director Miles will have an apparently sensible solution that will mean a short-term gain for you here, and long-term disaster for the human race. Let me do this. Im a Warden. I wouldnt take this risk if there was any alternative, believe me. I hesitated, then said, I dont plan on walking away from it, if that helps.

Youre not talking sense, Reid said. We can defend this place. Thats the whole point.

You cant defend shit against the Djinn, not when theyre like this, I said. Trust me. Ive been up against them, and its not a war you can win. Its not even a war.Its more like an extermination.

He knew enough about Djinn to understand I wasnt overselling it, and he shut up, watching me.

Look, I said, more gently. Doc, I know you wouldnt be working here if you didnt have the highest ethical standards. If you werent completely trustworthy. But the thing is, Im not some agent of another government or cause. The organization Im part of transcends borders, and governments, and causes, and religions. Were here to save the most lives we can, just like you. You haveto help me. I know it seems wrong, but

With no warning at all, guards flooded into the room, boots and helmets and hard expressions. Oh, and large weapons, which all ended up aimed at me.

Director Miles walked in. Dr. Reid cast a guilty look around, then stepped away from my bedside as Miles advanced toward me.

Did you really think I wouldnt have you monitored? he asked.

I smiled. Actually, I said, I was pretty sure you would. That was the whole point. Now that I have your undivided attention, lets talk about how this is going to go.

Oh, I already know how its going to go, he said. With you, handcuffed to your gurney, heading to the nearest FBI holding cell. Probably the medical wing, of course. Were not lacking in compassion.

Only in sense, I snapped back. I could bring down this place around you, you know. And I will, if I have to. But Im offering you the chance, one time only, to save your peoples lives. I suggest you take it, Miles.

Tell you what. The doctor here is going to trank you up six ways from Sunday, and you can tell the FBI all about it. He nodded to Reid, who stepped up to my IV with another syringe.

I yanked the line out, clamped down on the immediate bleeding, and used a sudden, localized increase in air pressure around the syringe Dr. Reid was holding to crush it, spilling liquid sleep all over the floor. Good luck with that, I said. Youre going to have to kill me.

Miles hesitated, then nodded. Regretfully. I suppose so, he said, and addressed the guards surrounding me. Shoot her if she moves a muscle. Or opens her mouth again. Lisa, get her handcuffed to the gurney, now.

Wait! Reid said. Let me bandage that first. He meant the leaking hole in my arm where the IV had been. Miles didnt like it, but he nodded. Reid was efficient with the pressure bandage and cloth tape, and stepped back as the guards moved in to slap the cuffs on. I winced as they closed around my still-swollen wrist, but they were fairly gentle about it. Didnt matter, anyway. Clearly, Director Miles had never tried to jail an Earth Warden, even a relatively inexperienced one like me. Handcuffs were a nuisance, but a completely insignificant one.

Since the orders had been pretty clear to the guys with itchy trigger fingers, I kept still and quiet, and reached down deep into the ground for power. It came slowly; this wasnt a place that was rooted deep in natural forces, but no matter how industrial it was, no man-made structure could keep out the flow of power to a Warden.

Instead of using it in an attack, I let it gather inside of me in a thick, still pool, filling me until I felt like an overflowing tub. Seductive and slow, that power; not like the energy I pulled for weather, or for fire. Instead of trying any dramatic gestures, I began to hum, very softly. It was Brahmss Lullaby, and with the power imbuing every gentle note, it began to affect everyone in the room almost immediately. I was carefulI didnt want them falling over, just drowsy and slow. I even got Director Miles, finally.

The only one I excluded was Dr. Reid.

I deepened the humming, and the power, and the guards one by one slid into a very gentle sleep. They didnt fall, exactlyjust folded up against whatever wall was closest and slid down to curl up in an utterly blissful rest.

I was kind of proud. That was subtle stuff, and not something Id been able to do very often. But it almost emptied out my power reserve, and I didnt have time to replenish it now. I expended a little more energy zapping the handcuffs, which fell away with a soft little click, and then swung my legs out of bed.

Dr. Reid was clearly trying to decide whether to tackle me, shoot me, or help me. He must have come down on the side of helping, because as my balance wavered dangerously, he moved to me and got me steady again. This is crazy, he said. Theyll kill you.

Eventually, I said. Really not an issue right now, though. I didnt hurt them. Theyre just sleeping. What I need you to do is to declare a medical evacuation, now.Miles cant stop you. I assume youre pretty much the authority now?

He nodded. His face was taking on new lines and stress, and I was sorry for that. How do I know youre telling me the truth, about what youre going to do? What if youre just here to steal warheads?

If I was going to steal warheads, I could get a Djinn to do it, I said. Im not stealing anything, and I promise you, nothing is leaving here except your people. Deal?

Deal, he agreed, but he didnt look happy about it. Only because Im pretty sure that if I dont agree, youll just put me out, too, and find some other way.

Thats true. But Id rather not. Doing this kind of thing takes power, and I need to preserve mine right now. Understand?

No. He checked my pulse, and frowned. Hows your pain level?

Manageable. Ill be okay. Relatively speaking, anyway. Do your thing, Doc. Get them out of here.

Where are you going?

Where I need to go. I reached out and took Director Miless badge from his jacket, and replaced my bright red visitors ID with his. This will get me in the doors?

No. Biometric scanners. You wont match.

I could handle those, but it would mean expending more power. Ill make it work, I said. Get moving. You havent got long before this place isnt safe anymore.

I left it deliberately vague as to whether I was going to make it unsafe, or the Djinn would. To be fair, it was probably going to be a team effort.

Reid didnt like it, not at all, but I could see that hed been doing some checking on who I was and what the situation out there in the rest of the world might be. He was convinced, but like all good humans, he was still in denial.

I didnt really have time for his stages of grief. One other thing, I said. I need your coat.

My coat? He looked down at it. Why?

Because people ignore other people in uniform in a place like this, and its easier to get on over my arm than one of their uniforms, I said. Coat, please. You can keep the badge.

He stripped it off, no doubt rationalizing that if he didnt, Id just knock him out and take it anyway. Which I would have, probably. I took it and very carefully threaded my wounded arm through the sleeve, hissing a little as the not-very-flexible fabric scraped over sensitive, burning skin. Once I had it on, though, I felt better. I buttoned it up, grabbed a gun from one of the snoozing guards, stepped over another one, and went to the far door. When I swiped Miless card through the reader, the door buzzed open.

Reid was still watching me, and I could see the struggle in himshoot me? Stop me? Wish me luck?

In the end, he didnt say or do anything at all. And that was okay.

I slung the semiautomatic rifle over my neck and used Oversight to get a good look at where I was going. The good news was that given the relatively mild aetheric energy of this place, I could fairly easily spot approaching people and avoid them. Nothing special about the buildinghallways, doors, offices, desks, filing cabinets. It was very clean. As Reid had said, there was only a skeleton crew here, so I made it from the infirmary to the door Id identified as being closest to my goal in record time.

Outside, the wind was turning cool, rattling loose bits of gravel and sending an occasional tumbleweed rolling around. I hugged the exterior of the building for a second, looking for guards; there were several, and at least one had a high vantage point and a rifle. That wasnt so great.

Id have to have faith in the lab coat.

I set off across open ground, walking with a purpose and trying not to show off the fact that I had a giant weaponwith me. I tried to walk like a doctor on her way to a patient. Calm, but focused.

It must have worked, because I made it across a hundred yards of open space, under the eyes of at least four heavily armed men, to the entrance to what was, at the aetheric level, a maelstrom of black energy.