Doorways to Infinity (18 page)

He seemed unfazed by her ribbing. “I’m monitoring some phone traffic from Romania. Nothing exciting, though.”

“You speak Romanian?”

“A little. I’m working on it.”

Bryce eyed the equipment piled on the table. “What do you do if somebody comes over, like the landlord or friends or whatever? What do you tell them all this stuff is for?”

“Well, first of all, the landlord lives in Charlotte, and Terry and I don’t exactly do a lot of socializing while we’re on the job.”

“But what if somebody did come in, like a repairman?”

“I’d tell them I was a ham radio buff. I’ve used that line before.”

“What is ham radio?” Fred asked.

“It’s a hobby that involves spending lots of time listening to radio broadcasts and messages from around the country, and if you have a good antenna, other parts of the world. It used to be really popular, years ago. People still do it, though.”

“Ham radio.” Nova curled her lip. “Seems boring as homemade dirt.”

“Monitoring phone traffic is, too,” Terry said. “Puts me to sleep. I’d much rather check Internet communications. That’s what I mostly do when I’m not in class.”

Jamie waved one hand. “That’s all really fascinating, but can we get on with whatever you brought us here for? Bryce and I still haven’t showered or eaten dinner.”

Terry reached over to the laptop, which was set up at one end of the table with a large monitor beside it, and pressed a key. “We just got some surveillance photos from an agent who was staking out an airport that Cage uses sometimes.”

“Is it near one of his strongholds?” Bryce asked.

“No. We’ve lost two field agents trying to do that. This one is in Bulgaria, outside of Haskova. He uses that when he wants to drive the rest of the way to Greece or Albania, or even Turkey.”

“How did your agent know he was going to be there?” Rollie asked.

“He didn’t know for sure. We just knew Cage was going somewhere soon, so we staked out about a half dozen of his favorite landing spots, and we got lucky. The agent had a good camera with a telescopic lens.”

She pressed a key and an image appeared on the monitor. It showed a twin-engine airplane landing on a concrete runway; three black SUVs waited on the grass nearby. Terry pressed again and a new picture appeared, with the plane stopped on the ground and over a half a dozen burly men in black suits converging on it. The next image showed Phillip Cage emerging from the open hatch, wearing a dark jacket, which was unbuttoned and blowing open in the wind.

Terry quickly advanced through the next few photos, which showed Cage being escorted by a phalanx of men to one of the waiting vehicles.

“Can you go back and zoom in on that pic where he’s getting out of the plane?” Jamie said. “It looks like the best shot of his face.”

Terry did, and the man they were looking at appeared almost exactly like the one they’d seen in the older photo on Sunday — a fit, shorthaired guy with an average appearance.

“Wait.” Bryce pointed at the screen. “What’s that around his waist, right there where his coat is blowing open?”

Terry zoomed in closer, and just above the top of his pants was a wide, black belt.

“Can you get a little tighter?” Bryce pointed again. “On that thing he’s wearing?”

She pressed again and the screen filled with the image of the belt. Though slightly pixelated, they could see that it was ringed with finger-sized pockets full of slender things that glinted in the strong sunlight, like glass.

Rollie grinned. “It’s a Commander Hawk Action Belt! I had one of those.”

“Me too,” Bryce said. “I used to keep all kinds of stuff in mine, like matches and fishing line and whatever.”

“What the heck is he doing with one?”

Jamie peered closely at the image. “It’s not exactly like the Commander Hawk belt. It looks like he’s got test tubes or something in them.”

“I bet that’s where he keeps his potions,” Fred said.

“I bet you’re right.” Eric nodded. “That way, he’d have them handy at a moment’s notice.”

Melanie gestured at the screen. “Look at his left hand. He’s got rings on every finger.”

“And he’s wearing at least two bracelets,” Nova said. “Those could be counter charms to his potions. I wish we could see his other hand. Bet he’s got rings on it, too. I guess his witch doesn’t know how to combine spells into one object.”

Eric fingered his chin and peered at the image on the monitor. “If those are magic potions in that belt, do you suppose each one is different?”

“Probably.” Fred face was tight as she viewed the picture.

“That would make sense,” Terry said. “It would give him maximum flexibility. He wouldn’t have to decide which one to use until the last second.”

“Too bad there aren’t any women in these photos,” Jamie said. “Then we might know what his witch looks like.”

“He’s rarely been photographed with any women,” Eric said, “except for a couple of Russian models, and we’ve checked them out. We’re certain they’re not spies, and we’re fairly sure they’re not witches either.”

“Wait.” Nova held up both hands. “Are you saying that Russian models aren’t superspy danger bitches?”

“There are a few who are spies, but we know who they are, and those aren’t the ones he dates.”

“Dang.” Nova lowered one eyebrow. “That’ll make me think twice next time I pick up a fashion magazine.”

“Nova,” Melanie said, “have you
ever
picked up a fashion magazine?”

“I think so, once, at the doctor’s office.”

Jamie studied the screen with one fingernail between his teeth. “Eric, if you can’t get an agent close to his fortresses to get any photos, have you managed to get any shots from the air?”

“Satellite photos only. We sent a plane over his monastery four months ago, but it was shot down. He has surface-to-air missiles and radar.”

“This is a satellite photo of the monastery.” Terry pressed a couple of keys on the laptop and a new image appeared on the monitor, showing a sprawling stone structure. There was a long, narrow clearing next to it, and a single road on the other side that led away from it.

“Have you tried using drones?” Rollie said.

“Two. They were also shot down.”

Jamie held his arms out like wings. “What if I were to fly over it while using my invisibility shield and took a camera with me?”

“Can you even manage all three at once?” Bryce asked. “Flying, shield, and camera?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I could carry one of you on my back and you could operate the camera.”

“Jamie!” Fred glared at him. “Don’t even think about it. You are not going someplace where you could get shot at by missiles.”

“I think my shield can take the hit.”

Her voice became sharp and she widened her eyes. “You think?”

“Well, yeah. It’s not as strong when I use it with the invisibility spell, but it’s still pretty tough.”

“How tough is it when you use it normally?” Terry asked. “Can it stop a bullet?”

“Oh, sure.” Jamie nodded confidently. “You got a gun? We probably should go in the backyard, though, in case it ricochets.”

“No, Jamie,” Fred said evenly.

Jamie frowned at her, then turned back to Terry. “Well, I know my new and improved shield is strong enough to take a direct blast from a wizard as powerful as Renn.”

“A blast, like lasers from your fingertips?” Terry said.

“I’m not sure what it is, exactly.”

“What is the blast capable of?” Eric said. “Could it take out an army tank?”

“Easily. Renn’s blast might’ve taken nine or ten seconds to do that, but mine can do it quicker.” He snapped his fingers. “Like that. Mine’s more powerful because I incorporated plasma into it. Did the same with my shield.” He nodded again and grinned. “It can withstand just about anything. I think I can walk on the sun with it.”

“Don’t feel like you have to prove it,” Fred said.

“The gravity would crush you, anyway.” Melanie said.

“How did you figure out how to use plasma with it?” Terry asked. “Was that something you knew from the old sorcerer’s memories?”

“No, physics class. Mr. Watson, eleventh grade.”

“Is that why you like science so much?”

“Yeah. The more I know, the more I can do. But I think I might be able to fly over one of his bases and get some photos.”

Eric shook his head. “His radar would probably still detect you, and even if you could take the hit from a missile, Cage would be alerted to you. We don’t want to show our hand that you have that capability unless we have to, because he might be able to work out counter measures to your magic, especially if he’s using magic, too.”

“Hmm.” Melanie scrutinized the photo of the monastery again. “What about the people who live nearby? What do they think of Cage?”

“They like him,” Terry said. “He provides good-paying jobs for many of them. Somebody has to do the cooking and cleaning for twenty men, and take care of the building and the grounds. Cage spreads money around freely. He recently paid to have the school at the nearest town rebuilt after they had a bad fire.”

“Built a school.” Bryce said. “Sounds like you, Jamie.”

“He’s not a bit like Jamie,” Terry said. “Cage is a cold-blooded killer.”

“But the local people like him.”

“They do, but it’s difficult to get any intel from them. They know that he’d kill them if they talked.”

“Gee,” Rollie said. “Sounds like Renn the Sorcerer.”

“At least Renn had an excuse for being the way he was,” Jamie said. “His family died from a plague that Eddan could’ve stopped.”

“Has Cage always been like this?” Fred said.

Eric shook his head again. “He was a normal guy until the end of his career in the Delta Force. Something happened then that changed him, but we don’t know what it was.”

“If we ever catch this guy,” Terry said, “it probably won’t be at one of his strongholds. They’re too well protected and he seems to be able to see us coming every time. For all we know, he could have a witch at all three of them, and they’re using some kind of voodoo or crystal ball to stay one step ahead of us.”

“Crystal balls don’t work,” Nova said, “according to Momma Sue, though my mom seems to think so.”

“I don’t think it’s voodoo,” Fred said, “because Momma Sue would know, and she’s a voodoo queen.”

“Really?” Terry raised her eyebrows.

“Yes, and it’s a good thing she’s on our side, or we’d really be in trouble.”

“You’re sure she’s on our side?”

“No doubt about it.”

Melanie stared at the photo of the monastery again and shook her head. “I don’t understand how Cage can afford all of this. Three strongholds, plus security and household staff, and a helicopter and a plane. That’s a lot of expenses.”

“Well,” Eric said, “he bought the strongholds during his arms dealing phase, so now he only has to pay for his employees and upkeep.”

“Still, that’s not cheap.”

“No, but Cage makes a lot of money as a hit man. We don’t have access to his financial records, but we’re pretty sure that’s he’s the highest paid assassin in the world, and he probably makes several million dollars per assignment. There are a few top-flight professionals who can kill just about anybody, but that can be messy, politically and otherwise. Cage is the only one that we know of who can totally incapacitate a target without killing them, and make it look like it could be from natural causes. Unusual circumstances, yes, but still possible. Killing can lead to unexpected consequences from various parties, but what Cage is doing just causes confusion. Is it natural or not?” He tapped his chest with one hand. “We know, thanks to you, but nobody else does.”

Terry scrolled back to the close up picture of Cage getting out of the airplane. “So he’s carrying his magic potions in a utility belt. I’m glad you guys figured that out. That may be helpful to know.”

“It’s not just a utility belt,” Rollie said. “It’s a Commander Hawk Action Belt.”

Fred groaned while Nova wrinkled her nose at him.

“Hey,” Bryce said, “don’t laugh. Those are handy things to have. Maybe we should all wear one and put potions in them for emergencies and stuff.”

Terry grinned as if considering it, and said, “I’m beginning to think we ought to wear one of those Stupeyin’ pendants that Fred makes.”

“I’ll make you one as soon as I can,” Fred said, to Jamie’s surprise.
I guess she’s getting over her jealousy of Terry
.

Jamie closed the doorway behind them after they returned to Fred and Melanie’s room.

“Well,” Bryce said, “that was an interesting meeting.”

Fred’s expression was gloomy. “It looks like helping them catch Phillip Cage is going to be a lot harder than we thought.”

“It’s obvious that they need our help, though,” Nova said.

“Nova?” Jamie said. “Why do you give Eric such a hard time?”

“’Cause he’s such a vanilla-straight-laced guy. I’m just trying to shake him up a little, to see if I can get a reaction out of him.”

“You’re not having much luck. He seems to be good at ignoring it.”

“Maybe he had training for it at secret agent school,” Fred said. “Like when they train them to resist torture.”

“I doubt it,” Nova said. “I think he was born that way. Born to be bland.”

“Isn’t that a song?” Rollie started wagging his head and singing, “
Born to be bla-a-a-a-and
.”

“That’s
Born to be Wild
.” Nova grabbed his hand and pulled on it. “Come on, big boy. That’s enough. Walk me home before it gets any later.”

“It’s raining,” Jamie said. “Want me to make a doorway for you?”

“You can’t, remember? My roommate doesn’t know about the magic.”

“Well, at least
somebody
around here doesn’t.”

Chapter 9

Terry sat beside Jamie the next day during their Environmental Science class, but it wasn’t as awkward as before because she wasn’t spying on him.

When the lecture was over, all of the students stood to leave, but Jamie motioned for Terry to wait. He glanced around to make sure no one was looking and handed her a slip of paper. “Sammi called first thing this morning,” he said in quietly. “She heard this right after she woke up.”

Terry read it and her forehead creased. “Hotel Amira? That’s it?”