Chapter 105 – Reunion

  Cole gave his account to Bricker, who nodded along and occasionally asked the unremarkable clarifying question. But it wasn’t until the end of the debrief that Bricker asked Howie to leave the room to speak to Cole alone.

  The director stood up, pacing to the back of the office and running his fingers across the case that held his arquebus and sword from Curahee. “Cole, I have no intention to stop pulling at the thread of this world—the March, you called it?”

  “Yes sir, that’s the name the local we met in Babel gave us,” said Cole.

  “Doctor Sukesh mentioned in our chat that the chances are extremely high that the March has performed summoning magic in the past targeting Earth. Which means we may have one or more people over there. We will figure out whether or not that’s true. The fact this other other world leap-frogged its way to Earth is a hurdle, not a barrier. It means increased safety measures involving that world and likely conducting all contact tests here where we have attuned individuals on standby and lots, and lots of guns. But I’m getting off topic. I have a hypothetical for you, Cole.”

  Cole tilted his head. “Sir?”

  “Say we are able to create a stable portal to the March, and we are able to insert a team, and we are able to extract any Earth-natives from there. If your brother is among them, what’s next for you? Will you stay with the Department? Or will you give this up?”

  The answer came to Cole immediately. “Sir, I’m all-in. I saw what these kids are going through in Vael. I can’t sit by knowing I could’ve done something. If I somehow manage to bring Ryan home, hell, he won’t be my last extract if that’s what your worried about.”

  “I was, admittedly,” said Bricker. He returned to his desk. “However, if it comes to it, you won’t be the one leading a team into the March.”

  “Excuse me, sir?” asked Cole.

  “Leaving aside the fact that it’s either RI-4 or RI-5 which your team is not yet qualified or ready to handle, the stakes are too personal for you. Sending you puts the risk assessment through the roof. Mrs. Doukas admitted to me that she nearly dug her transponder from her arm with a knife to stay in Babel. And she wasn’t even a blood relative of Beth Black.”

  Cole shifted in his seat. “Blood relation could also give us an edge,” he said. “If what Artian said was true, my brother might be a person of renown over there. We might be able to work something diplomatically if I’m involved.”

  Bricker raised an eyebrow. “You really believe that?” he asked.

  Cole looked away. “No. They were press-ganging criminals to the front line to fight those demons. They’re probably as desperate as they’ve ever been.”

  Bricker huffed a laugh. “Probably. Sounded good, though. I’ll give you that, son. It’s all academic for now. Cracking the March isn’t something that’s going to happen overnight. Our one-hundred-meter target is still getting your team leveled up and getting more extractions under your belt. If you’re of appropriate level once we figure out this world, we’ll revisit this conversation. Continue being a level-headed leader and bringing your team and our kids home and it’ll go a long way towards telling me you can keep a cool head and be an asset, not a hindrance, if we find out Ryan is alive.”

  “Yes sir,” said Cole.

  Bricker drummed his thick fingers on his desk. “It says a lot that you and Howie held your own during the casualty. Dr. Sukesh had nothing but praise. I’ll admit, I’m impressed. Keep it up, but don’t get cocky.”

  “I won’t,” said Cole. If anything, nearly getting devoured and barbed by a giant armored snake demon was humbling to the extreme. If he’d been feeling cocky after taking on the Beast Cult in Babel and squeezing out a win by the skin of his teeth, being helpless against high risk-index monsters brought his feet right back down to Earth.

  Cole stood and left Bricker’s office, already thinking about the next assignment. More extractions, higher levels, higher risk, higher rewards. The unconventional war that DOR was constantly fighting would always have too few soldiers. He had no intention of leaving the Department even more short-handed.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  He made his way out of Lewis Hall and headed for the billets to shower and change uniforms. He made it about as far as the smoke pit before a familiar voice called up from the second floor terrace of the apartments.

  “Hey! Brave Sir Robin!”

  Up above, leaning over the balcony, Beth Black leered down at him with a wide, shit-eating grin. She waved, then disappeared. Cole heard the tromp of boots on the stairs, and the teen girl appeared and launched herself at him, much to the amusement of two other Kickers taking a smoke break. One whistled at him, while the other gave an exaggerated ooh-la-la.

  Now, without her enhancements, she was back to being as strong as a ninety-five pound teenage girl ought to, and she practically bounced off him.

  “Welcome back,” she said.

  “I ought to be the one saying that,” said Cole, prying Beth’s hands away. “I take it you didn’t reach the ninth floor.”

  “Naw, dude. Hard Tone and her goons came and swept me up like it was nothing. King Cuck was on their ass the whole time, throwing monsters and disasters at us, but they just plowed right through. How come your team’s not that badass?”

  “Give it time. How’s it feel to be back on Earth?”

  She shrugged. “Weird. Weak. But at least nothing has tried to kill me in a few days. I told them I didn’t want to come back. Hard Tone didn’t give me a choice. And honestly, I’m not sure it was even true anymore after that genie thing. But that Bricker dude said I’m legally dead. My mom had a funeral and everything. Probably just so she could collect the life insurance. Since I’m in legal limbo I might not have to go back home. I could get emancipated. New identity, like witness protection or something.”

  “Roxy know you’re back, yet?” he asked.

  Beth grinned. “Aww, your girl worried about me? Dunno. She’s not here and I don’t have a way to contact her. I want to thank her. Howie, too. And Besson and Nutmeg.”

  Cole noticed his own name was very conspicuously absent from that list, and from the sly smirk on Beth’s face, it had been one-hundred percent intentional. He pulled out his phone and called Roxy’s number before handing the phone over to Beth.

  After the disaster in Tennessee, listening to Beth Black tease Roxy over the phone helped ground him. All the danger and death was ultimately to help kids like her. And they were worth the risk. After a few minutes, Beth said her goodbyes and handed the phone back. She looked a little saddened as she did.

  “I wish I could call my friends, you know? Let them know I’m okay. I know I can’t, cause of the whole legally dead thing. But even if I could, I don’t even have their numbers anymore. They were in my phone and I lost that on the second floor. Wild how I never even bothered to learn them, right?” She scratched her cheek. “You think they’ll let me have a new phone?”

  “If they do,” said Cole, “I’ll drive you off post myself to get it.”

  Beth leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Can we go to a vape shop, too? No one here will share.”

  Cole laughed. “Sure. We can get you something. I think you’ve earned it. We’ll get some real food, too. What’s your favorite?”

  “Ramen,” Beth said, instantly. “I want some tonkatsu ramen with miso broth. And some mochi and fried ice cream. And some matcha green tea.”

  “I have no idea what any of that means,” said Cole. “Isn’t ramen just those little bags of square noodles? I think they have those in the shopette.”

  Beth wrinkled her nose. “That isn’t real ramen, boomer. I will teach you. Gimme your phone again.”

  Cole handed the phone back and waited while Beth started looking for a ramen restaurant in Fredericksburg. “What about Artian? Did he go on?”

  Beth’s eyes brightened. “Yeah, he did! We split that bag of blue marks you gave me. He got pretty strong, but he still couldn’t keep up with Hard Tone and the others. I think he’ll be strong enough to make it home if he doesn’t get himself in more trouble. But he’s wily. Like me. Said to find him if you ever found a way to his world.”

  Cole leaned back. That was good. With Artian home, they had at least one friendly contact in the March. Once DOR decided to crack that nut, they were going to need all the help they could get. And as much as it pained him to admit it, there was a Kicker he knew that had critical HUMINT skills. He might have to bury the hatchet with Moriarty in order to get those skills in his corner. But Cole wasn’t looking forward to it. Still, one thing at a time. A few weeks to rest, train, work, and then it would be another mission. Sophie would already have options lined up, he was sure.

  Beth turned the phone around and showed him a picture of a steaming bowl stacked with what looked like pork, corn, noodles, and a few other ingredients he couldn’t identify. But it looked amazing. “That is ramen,” said Beth.

  Cole took the phone back. On the map, it was only a couple blocks over from Howie’s townhouse. Hell, he wouldn’t be surprised if Howie ate there on the regular. Might as well invite his mage bombard along. Cole sent a quick text to Bricker for authorization to take Beth into town for food and a phone, and received almost immediate approval—with the caveat that she not contact her mother or friends yet. He stood up from the smoke pit table. He also had a pending text from a number that turned out to be Hard Tone (speak of the devil) with details on the after action for Babel the next day. He shot Howie a text as well, to see if he wanted to meet them in town.

  “Alright, we’re good to go,” said Cole. “Director Bricker cleared you for a new phone. Let me shower and change and we’ll go off-post.”

  “Hell yeah!” said Beth.