4 Terramezic Energy (11 page)

Chapter 13

Josephine was accustomed to being the first to awaken but when she stepped into the kitchen, the light was already on and a pot of coffee had already finished brewing. She poured herself a mug and added plenty of cream and sugar before strolling into the dining room to find Maggie working at the table with her lap top. A large mug of coffee was positioned in front of her and dark circles marred her skin beneath her eyes. Maggie had the same clothes as yesterday which made Josephine suspect she’d never went to bed.

“Long night?” Josephine asked.

Maggie looked up from her computer. “I couldn’t get any sleep.”

“Maybe you could try now,” Josephine suggested.

“No, I don’t think so.” Maggie’s voice had an edge to it.

“If you worked all night, Virginia will certainly understand if you start your shift later. You’ll be working from my house anyway so she probably wouldn’t even know. She’s in Seattle.”

“For most of my childhood, APU 81 had complete control over me. It was horrible to be trapped inside my own body like that. I witnessed it doing unspeakable things to its victims and helping the Valituras become stronger. All that time, I knew it planned on killing me when it switched to another host. I vowed I would find an opportunity to get back at it. I’m going to make it pay for ruining my life and I’m going to destroy it!” Maggie’s hands clenched into fists and her eyes shone with ire.

Josephine was struck speechless by this passionate speech so she took a sip of coffee and wondered if there was anything she could say or do to make Mark’s sister feel better. She had to admit that if a hostile artificial intelligence had seized her body and planned on killing her when it left for another body, she would probably feel the same way. Josephine thought about her own encounters with APU 81 and how it had almost killed her and Mark. The memories stoked a sudden anger that she had thought she’d come to grips with.

“We definitely need to destroy APU 81,” Josephine said.

“It occurred to me last night that there may be an enchantment that already exists that can help me to scan for terramezic energy at a much greater distance. I found several templates in high level clearance archives for military research and applications. Based on those templates, I came up with an idea for my own enchantment. It would involve an interlocking set of enchantments that would connect with a power vortex to boost the signal. I think I can make it work but it’s going to involve some risk.” Maggie’s tone was determined.

“What kind of risk?”

“It will generate unsafe levels of energy. Only a category five or six could use the enchantment and it would take at least four of them to do it. As you know, when too much power is involved, a spell is volatile and unstable. If any of the wizards become out of sync with the others, it could cause an explosion that would kill everyone in the vicinity.”

Josephine wondered if there was any way to perform the magic safely. “Is it possible to minimize the risks somehow? What if the wizards have extra shielding while they do the spell?”

“Personal shields will interfere with the scan,” Maggie explained.

“If there are more than four wizards, will that help make the enchantment less volatile?” Josephine asked.

“No. In fact, the more people that are involved, the greater the instability but the wider the range of the scan. With four wizards, I feel we would be able to reach approximately half the country. Five wizards would allow us to reach about three-quarters or more of the U.S.”

“Do you think Virginia would be able to get approval for us to do that kind of spell?” Josephine asked.

Maggie’s lips formed a grim smile. “The government officials are going to be a bit panicked after their only Ancient facility was destroyed by APU 81.”

“You’re probably right.” Josephine wondered if she could allow herself take such a grave risk for just a scan. If it were a weapon that could destroy APU 81, that would be different. “How long do you think it will take to come up with an enchantment and for us to complete it?”

“I’m sure I’ll have a design made up by this afternoon.”

Josephine regarded her with surprise. “That’s very fast. Are you sure about that?”

“I’m positive,” Maggie confirmed. “Once I have the design ready, it will take us a few days to make the enchantment. We’ll have to be plugged into a vortex to make the process go fast; otherwise, it would take a month or so.”

“It sounds like a plan,” Josephine said.

“Maybe a safer approach would be better.” Mark appeared at the doorway with a mug of coffee and a frown of concern on his face.

“I’ll make the enchantment as safe as I possibly can,” Maggie assured him.

“But it will still be extremely dangerous.”

Maggie shot him an annoyed look. “Do you have a better idea?”

“I’m wondering if I can create a long range scanner using white magic,” Mark said.

“That’s an interesting idea.” Josephine perked up at the thought of a plan that didn’t involve the possibility of blowing up.

“The only problem is that white magic doesn’t follow the same principles as mainstream magic. It’s wild magic and therefore you can’t depend on the design to work as it’s intended,” Maggie said.

“Nevertheless, I’m going to try. I’ll need to study the information that you have on detecting terramezic energy.”

“We’ll need Virginia’s authorization for that.”

“That probably won’t be a problem,” Mark said.

It turned out Mark was right. Virginia didn’t hesitate in approving his work and hiring him to complete the enchantment. Mark received permission to hire two helpers because he planned on asking Perry and Helen if they would assist him. Virginia also gave the go ahead for Maggie’s idea. Another team on MADA was doing a similar enchantment but had advised it would be at least a week before they could implement their plan. Josephine hoped that Mark finished his white magic terramezic scanner first. It was a long and grueling day preparing the enchantments. Josephine was exhausted as she lay in her bed beside Mark in the dark. A sliver of moonlight peeked through the closed curtains and illuminated the side of Mark’s face.

“Do you really think you can make a terramezic scanner?” Josephine asked.

“I think so.” Mark turned on his side to face her. “I had to try something. I couldn’t stand the thought of you and Maggie taking such a grave risk.”

“I suspected as much.” Josephine leaned closer and brushed her lips against his.

Mark wrapped his arm around her and moved closer to snuggle. “I love you more than words can say.”

“I love you, too.”

It was hard to believe that just a week ago, life had seemed almost perfect. Now, she had APU 81 trying to murder her and it would probably target Mark and Helen since they were White Knights and close to her. And she also worried about Yvonne and Charlotte. Even though they had been reassigned from Josephine to Arthur Gallagher, she felt sympathetic towards their plight and wished she could help them. She hoped the two young women were healed of their K Syndrome and the mind control enchantment.

Maggie was the first to come over the next morning for coffee. Josephine opened the front door and arched a brow at Maggie’s professional yet stylish navy-blue outfit and her perfectly applied makeup. Maggie looked ready for another twelve-hour work day.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a slave driver?” Josephine stepped aside so Maggie could enter her home.

Maggie’s expression turned stormy. “I was told that many times while I was inhabited by APU 81.”

“We’re not starting work right away. I need my wakeup time.” Josephine offered a wry smile.

“Of course.”

The two women gathered in the dining room with their coffees. Helen and Alice arrived a short while later and they played Rummy although Maggie declined the offer to join them.

“I can’t believe you play cards first thing in the morning,” Maggie remarked.

“It helps give you a little pick me up,” Alice advised. “You’ll understand when you get to be my age.”

Maggie snorted with disbelief and took a drink of her coffee. Alice won the first hand very quickly. Josephine shuffled the cards.

“Don’t pass any to me. I’m going to sit the next one out. I need to refill my coffee,” Alice said.

“We can wait,” Helen said.

“I’m almost finished with this cup and by the time we start, I’ll need to stop to get more coffee and then I’ll feel pressured to hurry up,” Alice said.

“Okay.” Josephine eyed her friend with incredulous disbelief. She’d never seen Alice pass up on a hand of cards before when she was in the middle of a game.

“I don’t like to be rushed.” Alice’s lips formed a moody frown.

Josephine and Helen played the next hand of cards without her. True to her word, Alice excused herself shortly after they started.

“What’s up with her?” Josephine asked quietly.

Helen shrugged. “Beats me.”

“Maybe she’s just grumpy this morning,” Maggie suggested.

When Helen won the next hand, Alice still hadn’t returned.

“Alice?” Josephine called out.

When she failed to respond, Josephine ventured into the kitchen and found Alice wasn’t there. She noticed her mug was filled with coffee though. Alice emerged in the doorway and halted with startlement when she saw Josephine.

“Where were you?” Josephine asked.

“Can’t a woman powder her nose without getting the third degree?” Alice scowled with displeasure.

Josephine could sense that her friend was hiding something from her. Faint impressions of guilt wafted to her mind. Because Alice was a category five, she didn’t generate much psychometric energy. Josephine could perform a scan but she never did that to her friends as it was an invasion of privacy. She was sorely tempted to do so as Alice walked past her to the dining room. As the three women played their next hand of Rummy, Alice kept looking down at her lap. She was clearly distracted and Josephine scored a lot of points. When they started the next game, Alice continued to dart furtive looks down at her lap.

“What in the world are you doing?” Helen asked.

Alice stiffened with surprise. “I’m just checking my phone for texts.”

“Is something wrong? Are you expecting a message?” Josephine asked.

“I’m fine.” Alice offered a nervous smile.

They continued playing cards until the doorbell rang. Alice flinched while Helen, Maggie, and Josephine exchanged puzzled looks.

“Who on earth would be visiting me at this hour?” Josephine rose to her feet.

“I’ll get the door! I’m losing anyway.” Alice dropped her cards face up on the table and scurried out of the room.

Josephine and Helen stared down at the cards in shock. Alice had quite a hand and she’d just given up.

“I can’t believe she just did that!” Josephine exclaimed.

“Me, too.” Helen regarded her with astonishment.

“She’s acting very peculiar – even for her,” Maggie commented. “Could she be possessed by APU 81?”

“No, I would sense a complete absence of psychometric energy if that was the case,” Josephine said.

Alice returned with Jake and Alex.

“Hey, guys.” Jake’s lips curved in an amiable smile.

“What’s going on?” Josephine asked.

Jake and Alex blinked at her with surprise.

“Does this mean there’s no breakfast?” Alex asked.

Alice whipped her hand up high into the air to reveal she had Josephine’s cell phone.

“I sent Jake and Alex a text message, pretending I was you and inviting them over for breakfast.” Alice’s eyes glittered with stubborn resolve.

“Why on earth would you do such a thing?” Josephine regarded her with bewilderment and mild annoyance.

“This is an intervention!” Alice exclaimed. She set the cell phone on the table then pulled something out from behind her and held it up for everyone to see.

Everyone peered at the box in Alice’s hand which turned out to be a pregnancy test kit made by NEV-R-FAIL, Inc. which was the most reliable enchantment on the market.

“I’m tired of seeing you in denial! You need to admit the truth and start preparing for your baby,” Alice said.

Josephine and Maggie both burst out in hysterical fits of laughter while Helen smiled with faint amusement. Alex and Jake looked a bit nervous but they forced polite smiles on their faces. Mark appeared at the doorway with Perry perched on his right shoulder in the form of a white dove.

“You’re hilarious!” Josephine said when she’d finally started to contain her laughter. “So that’s why you were acting so strange this morning.”

“This is no laughing matter! I’m going to prove, once and for all, that you’re with child.” Alice opened the box and took out one of the clear, glass mini wands. She whipped up the wand with a flourish and held it out towards Josephine.

“I’m not taking that stupid thing.” Josephine eyed the test wand with amusement.

“You’re afraid! You must suspect the truth already or you wouldn’t be scared to get tested!” Alice taunted.