Tads raised her eyes to the dragon, and then with every fibre of her magical talent tried to pierce what she so sincerely hoped was a magical illusion. She knew how convincing her phantasms had been to various people chasing after their truck or trying to spot the chopper – so there was no reason why someone else couldn't do the same to her. She strained, her eyes searching for the imperfections or evidence of magical energy bleeding out from the illusion – but there was none to be found
[Foolish mortal.] the sound was pervasive – and more importantly, it was in Nenet. It was as if it just appeared in her mind as a thought.
[Well of course it does.] She thought of a sigh. Or she thought she did. It was all…very strange.
[So, why are you here?]
They were all looking up now, sharing glances as they each thought the words, hearing them in German, Yoruba, Mongolian, Japanese, English…
[Can I answer you back in my head?]
[You can, but nobody else will understand what is going on. You're so limited.]
"Oh, well in that case, we're just a bunch of smugglers, on our way to do a thing. The wind and something pushed us here - presumably you," said Kai out loud.
[I know why you're on the mountain, but why are you here in my domain?] The thought 'felt' a little testy.
"Ahh, just an error in navigation then."
[Really?] The thought felt flat and annoyed.
"Yes, we're just passing through."
"He said Iran, Kai - the whole country. At least that's what I'm assuming from 'my domain' anyway."
"We deliver to places, if this is Iran, this is Iran. I sort of lose track."
[You should listen to your German friend, he seems to understand things, much as he dislikes what I am.]
"Well, to be honest, he dislikes a lot of things. You should see the people that scratch his car."
[No. That's not quite right, is it? You don't dislike what I am…you resent what I represent. Interesting. Oh, I see. Well that explains things. So why were you in Eastern Turkey?]
"We were delivering things."
[WHAT things?] The mental volume was louder, and there was a definite edge to the voice. The others glared at Kai, who continued on, either oblivious or uncaring.
"We delivered some things purchased from another country to some people, they are going to use them enterprisingly, we think."
[So what were you doing in Armenia?}
"We were just refuelling – we needed to top off the tanks to make it here," Marius responded.
"Oh, is that what we had to do? Fair enough." Kai's voice was light and airy, as if none of this had any consequence. The long sinuous neck flexed, bringing down the broad saurian head in front of Kai. Huge nostrils flared and huge ink like eyes stared at him unblinking.
[Don't press me.] The voice in the head had an edge of unmistakable anger to it, and Kai swallowed nervously, realising that he might have pushed too hard. He was sure the dragon was used to people reacting at one of two extremes – either absolute servitude, or uncompromising fear. He'd hoped that his approach might be fresh and different enough to be novel. There was a sudden sound of indrawn breath from his left, as Aswon looked up sharply as his brain made a mental connection.
"Ohhhh! Of course. The guerrillas. Smuggling down the central parts. It's all tied back to the PKK, isn't it? People trying to bring about a free Kurdistan!" The draconic head swung towards him for a moment and then raised once more to look down on them.
"Look, we're independents, we'll do any job for money except for a few things - forced movement of unwilling people, massive environmental damage. We don't like killing people, but sometimes it has to be done." Marius suddenly thought about the assassination in Shirvan, the dossier flitting through his head, the phone calls, and discussions with the team. It was like someone flicking through his memories to examine what had happened as the Dragon probed his mind. He hated it.
"Tell him what we've just done, Kai. And who for."
"I think he already knows Aswon, so I don't…"
"It doesn't matter. Tell him. Think about what you've done, and why." Aswon tried to get over that it was more important to feel about what they'd done than to report facts – it was clear that the Dragon was inside their heads somehow, and it was probably more the emotional values that mattered to him. It was Marius that responded, though.
"We just dropped off a big bunch of military weapons and equipment to some of the Kurdish Guerrillas, to help them out."
"I can catalogue them if you want?" offered Hunter.
[But because you were being paid, not because you wanted to.]
"We didn't know who it was for, or where they were going, we didn't know the details before we took the job." Tads said. A couple of looks from the others told her that it might not have been the most helpful comment.
[But you could have been taking the supplies to the Turks to use against the Kurds, couldn't you?]
"We could have, but we didn't – and besides, the Turks definitely don't like us! Not after our little trip through Turkey a while back. And come to think of it, probably not the Iranians either."
He keyed up his subvocal microphone, still worn from their journey in the tilt-wing.
"Do you think he knows the old man? He might vouch for us?"
"Which old man?" Kai sent back.
"The guy with the water, from the pass just south of here that we met in the truck." Aswon was exasperated, and wondering how the Dragon felt – and how close to being eaten they were getting. His curiosity was sated when Aden let out a low roar, accompanied by a rolling wave of yellow fire. It was a low-intensity fireball, still viciously hot, but it roiled and rolled through the air, yellow and orange flames carrying the unmistakeable waft of sulphur and toxic gasses. Hunter's built-in gas analyser flagged up at least a dozen compounds that were dangerous, let alone the actual flames. But, it was nothing like the concentrated jet of almost blue flame they had seen on the trid that some fireballs showed.
[I grow tired of talking with the...seven of you?]
Kai and several of the others were confused. Had he miscounted? Tads meanwhile, on the end of the line, caught the blast of eggy sulphurous acid and couldn't help herself. The thought raced through her mind, wondering when the Dragon had last cleaned his teeth.
The dragon struck, lightning fast. A huge scaly leg extended, and one powerful talon struck Tads – but it wasn't a downward rend, instead it was an upwards flick. The impulse sent her up into the air, tumbling end over end and then she landed with a crashing thump on the mountain, immediately starting to roll downhill amidst the scree. With an effort she cleared her mind and then cast a levitate spell on herself, arresting her fall just before she hit the mountain again. A small avalanche of rocks and pebbles continued down the mountain below her, and she steadied herself, breathing deeply and shaking her head to calm herself down. She decided to stay where she was, in case floating back up was seen as a challenge or a sign of disrespect. An amused snort echoed through her thoughts.
Back up the top of the slope, Kai looked over to Shimazu and asked a question.
"Do we have the leeches still? They're not here, are they?" Shimazu shook his head, so Kai turned back to face the Dragon. "Seven?"
[So, what is the deal here then?]
"Well, like I said we're smugglers on the way to a job"
[No, not you, Marius. I wasn't talking to you.] The Dragon looked towards the upslope end of the line. As the team all looked that way, a figure stepped forward, into sight. It was the old man – this time standing with a sweeping brush, much like he'd last appeared to them in the Turkish motel near the steelworks. He gave them a smile and a little wave of the hand. Somewhat bemusedly, the team waved back.
The old man stepped forwards, and his smile drained away, leaving a serious expression on his face. He slowly lowered himself to one knee, laying the brush on the floor to the side of him and spreading his arms wide, palms open and facing towards the Dragon.
"My lord, I apologise for the intrusion, I hope I and these people have caused no offence to you."
[Oh, get up, old man.] A flash of tolerant amusement raced through their mind, along with something that felt like recognition.
"These are ...interesting people. Most interesting. They could be useful in the future. Most useful indeed. I would humbly ask that you let them go about their business, and continue their labours. If I may be so bold, I would perhaps ask them about their employment and see if it might be intriguing to you."
"Kai – tell a good story." Aswon's voice was low and guarded, laden with context.
"We came together by accident having been captured by some petty warlord. We managed to escape and found ourselves sticking together for lack of anywhere better to go. We took on some work, travelled a lot and met some interesting people. We have a truck and this tilt wing, to carry out our work. And to be clear, in terms of work, we'd be happy to be employed by a dragon."
[I hear nothing intriguing, these are like merchants willing to sell their time and services.]
Aswon moved the spear so that the tip was aiming down to the ground, deactivating his powers to make it clear that he didn't intend any hostile actions.
"This isn't interesting?"
[Oh, that is, and you're not leaving here with it...] Aswon fought down the instinctual action and thought that followed that statement, trying to remain calm and centred. After a moment, he looked at the Dragon directly and raised an eyebrow at the Dragon.
[Ahh, a little spirit finally! Strong feelings that are not rooted in asinine behaviour.]
"Hey! I had to fight a demon from the netherworld for this!" Aswon retorted sharply, his anger getting the better of him.
[SILENCE!] The thought raged through their mind, a shout that deafened them temporarily. They reeled slightly under the mental assault, and the Dragon continued. [Would you do so again?]
"We're not afraid of getting our hands dirty." Kai responded, along with a chorus of yes's and nods of the head from the rest of the team. The Dragon cocked his head and considered this, staying silent for a moment. As the seconds passed, the old man stood and took a step back, then nudged Marius in the ribs.
"Got any other jobs? Just asking like. Maybe he'll be interested in something else?"
"I was telling him, but I got cut off – he didn't want to hear." Tads called up the slope as she struggled to listen to the conversation.
"Are you talking about the job at Kum Dag?"
[What are you doing in Turkmenistan?]
"We don't really know yet. It's a job for a friend…well someone we worked for once." Kai started to waffle on about the previous job while Marius suddenly stood up, his mind working overtime. They'd helped Johanna out, striking against Dekita Oil, and had helped stop production to their oil facilities – contributing to the strike against their owners, Fuchi. They hadn't kept current with who owned what, but they knew that Maersk had done some refinancing and purchased some old assets – and it would make sense for them to try and consolidate the oil fields. That meant there were likely only two companies in the area drilling – Maersk and Esprit.
And Esprit were, according to rumour, owned by Saeder-Krupp, his old employers. A company owned entirely and run as a personal extension of his power by the Great Dragon Lofwyr.
The penny dropped, and Marius looked up at the Dragon. They'd been pretty certain it had been Aden, from the colourings and general description. But now it seemed clear. Aden and Lofwyr were mortal enemies, their animosity well known. Striking at Esprit would be a sting, no matter how small, in the side of Lofwyr. And that – that would be intriguing to Aden.
As he thought through that chain of logic, he felt another presence in his mind, examining his thoughts. Across from him, Aden sat back on his haunches and gave a little 'harumph', another billow of sulphurous air rolling across them.
[That is indeed intriguing. You may leave and continue your work. But without the spear.]
"Why in particular, is it yours? Or is it dangerous to someone you like?" There was a pause.
[It is because of what it represents.]
"What it represents is an ability to fight evil." Aswon stated, his knuckles tightening on the spears shaft.
"Big nasty corrupt evil that crawls up from under the ground." Her voice wobbled a little as she relived the horror of facing that primordial being in the stygian depths of the temple, and knowing that she was not enough to protect her comrades.
"An ability that without it I would not have. We rescued it from an ancient temple, defeated a horrific being for while rescuing those in need, dropped a mountain on it…." Aswon's voice faded away as he thought about the creature and how inhumanly strong it had been. Strong enough to resist a cave in?
"Oh yeah, we did..." Kai remembered – then his smile faded as other memories of that place resurfaced.
"Look - there's something alive living inside it, something I don't know enough about yet. This spear was laying there, and I've taken it and bound my will to it. I've seen things – things I don't understand. Things I need to find out. What will it take for me to keep it?"
[Hrrm… The price is quite high, are you sure you want to enter negotiations for that?]
"Well, I haven't heard what it is? It depends what the starting offer is - whether I walk out of here with my spear, or end up down your gullet without it." Aswon spoke in a voice that made them aware that he knew what chance he had against a creature like Aden – but would fight anyway.
"Surely it should be put to good use, rather than sitting here unused with you. And could that putting to good use, be of use to you?" Kai asked. He didn't try to use his voice to affect Aden – instead he spoke plainly and honestly, appealing to logic and shared benefit. After all, he figured if he tried magic, it would fail and most like be grossly offensive…
"I'm bonded to it, it protects me, I protect it. So what's your offer?"
[I will allow you to keep it if you go back to the temple and deal with the horror, because if it's not slain, it needs to be slain. It may have been slowed down by you collapsing tunnels or dropping mountains or whatever you have done - it may have been buried, but it will be working a way out, evil always does.]
"Well I'll need help, I've got no way of moving a mountain." Tads coughed and got his attention, then nodded at him, making it clear that she was up for helping. She turned towards Aden.
"And what advice do you have on slaying these creatures?"
[The way this old man is grinning at me tells me that you are actually a fairly resourceful bunch, otherwise he wouldn't be bothered with you, so I'm sure you'll find a way - so if you give me your word, your bond – your solemn oath; that you'll go back and deal with this threat, you may keep it - but you should feed it and look after it.]
"Kai - we ok on this?"
"Oh hell yes, Aswon. You know we're not going to say no. Magical adventures in death-defying sunken temples? We're all in on this, aren't we?" Marius shook his head, wondering just why he hung around with these utter idiots, but after a moment shrugged and joined the rest in nodding. At least it was likely to be interesting. And besides – he knew there was at least one of the Firestorm Heavy Machine guns with auto-sentry software pilots down there, and that would make a sweet addition to his gear…
"Then I give my word, that we'll go to the temple and deal with that thing." Aswon stared at Aden, who returned his stare. For a moment the air felt charged, and a flash of bronze reflected out of Aden's eye as they stared at each other.
"I can't believe I've just agreed to going back to that hole in the ground. What am I thinking?"
"Oh come on, don't be such a miserable thing, Marius. It'll be fun!" Marius stared at Kai, shaking his head at him in dismay.
[When you have dealt with Esprit, you can return here, and we will talk on the history of that spear and what it means.]
"Ahh, that answered my next question. Ok, we can do that." Kai said, breaking off his attention from Marius.
"So do we have to come back before we go deal with the horror, or not until after?" Tads called up, a little behind on the conversation.
"No, he's saying after Esprit, Tads."
"Thanks Aswon - just checking."
[Yes, you should learn more before heading back to wherever…] They felt that same feeling again, as if all their thoughts were filing cards in their head, and someone was rapidly flicking through them [Oh, I see up, there.] As his thoughts were rifled through, Kai remembered his early life on the steppes, and concentrated on the thoughts of rutting goats, hairy smelly beasts mounting their targets, big bulging eyes frantically looking around while their base natures drove them…
His thoughts were interrupted as a metre-long toe and talon flicked him off the mountainside, launching him in an arc towards Tads. A shriek of surprise echoed down the slope, sounding like a siren warbling as his body spun in the air. Tads let him bounce once, then caught him with her spell, figuring that he had to learn at least something from the lesson.
On the plateau, Aden yawned widely, revealing a huge mouth and gullet. Wickedly long curved fangs glinted in the sunlight, surrounding the man-sized mouth that could just have easily flicked out and bitten Kai in half. The message wasn't lost on the rest of the team – the understated power and potential to kill with the merest flick of the head.
[Return when you are done with Esprit and we will talk. But for now – GO!]
Marius didn't need to be told twice – he turned on his heel and headed up the ramp to start the engines, chuntering as he did so, closely followed by Hunter who climbed into the co-pilot seat.
Kai bowed deeply from his levitated position and thanked Aden, and then fixed his attention on the old man.
"A word...over here, if you don't mind?"
"Oluko, please may I be set down?" Aswon asked, hoping that Aden would understand his choice of word and not find it presumptuous to be referred to as 'teacher'. A moment later he was lowered to the ground and took a knee, bowing his head in respect at the huge bronze Sirrush, before rising and heading back in to the tilt-wing.
The old man wandered towards the edge, idly sweeping from side to side as he did so. He wasn't achieving anything, but it seemed to be important to his image… As he reached the edge, he met up with Tads and Kai raising slowly under her levitate power.
"Yes, you wanted a word?"
"Really? Were you with us all the time?"
"No, I just got here. Good job too - he was going to eat you."
"I'm not sure that wasn't the better option!"
"Well, it absolutely was, otherwise I'd have to find some more people to help me."
"Ahh. So. Now we've established that it's your fault... how exactly did you do the air-thing"
"Oh I didn't do that That was someone else..." he nodded his head at the retreating form of Aden who was lazily flying around the mountain, still looking unnatural without any wings to hold up his massive body. "By the way, that favour I was going to ask you about. Keep next November and December free."
Kai checked the date on his organiser - 29th August 2060. He hit the transmit button, making sure the others could hear his next words.
"So, make a note to keep the end of 2061 free. We're going to be helping you with something. Alright." In the cockpit, Hunter entered a note into his computer while Marius silently fumed next to him.
Kai waited for Tads to put him down, then thanked the old man for his intervention and made his excuses, before turning to join the rest of the team. Tads nodded respectfully to the old man, then turned to face Aden as he was disappearing around the bulk of the mountain. She wasn't sure if he could see her – but it didn't matter to her. She bowed her head in respect to him too, before striding after Kai.
With the engines cycling up, and the imminent threat of being eaten by Aden removed, the team looked around at their surroundings. The winds were still howling, but perhaps not quite as intense as before, though around them it was still calm and quiet. Marius had flown into a storm before, and was just about to point out the surreal nature of clear blue skies above them when he looked up and saw the solid overcast and swirling maelstrom of clouds – it was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. He alerted the rest of the team to the unnatural formation of the weather, as well as its origins.
Tads checked out the clouds through the viewing prism and recoiled from the swirling tendrils of power – the mana inside the storm was a mass of spiked lightning, vortexes of chaos and swirling power – as bad as any she'd ever seen. It wasn't 'evil', but more like a raw elemental force – one that would make casting even the most minor of spells almost impossible for her. Yet, as she watched, the air started to clear as the magic holding the storm in place was released.
It started to rain – the clouds having been trapped in place by - presumably – Aden's sorcery, now being able to obey the laws of nature and releasing the pent-up moisture in a sharp mountain storm. The clouds were melting away quickly and the storm would be short-lived - but until then, it was like flying in a monsoon.
"With that cloud cover up top, there's no chance that any high-flying recon flights or drones, or any satellites in LEO or GEO will have seen any of that you know." Hunter shrugged as Marius pointed that out. "So, we're the only people that know that just happened. Could be worse I suppose."
Kai looked out of the back ramp as the sweeper wandered along the path, soaked to the skin but still sweeping idly.
"Do you want a lift somewhere?"
"NO PASSENGERS!" Marius shouted out over the speakers, and started to close the back ramp to punctuate his point. The old man didn't seem to acknowledge or even care, continuing slowly along his way. Just as the ramp was about to close, his voice made it through the rain and the howl of the engines.
"Well, I'm sure I'll see you around, take care of each other, see you next November if I don't see you before. Good luck!" There was a clunk as the rear ramp sealed, cutting off any further noise. A moment later, they rose into the air, turning nearly a hundred and eighty degrees to head the ten kilometres back north towards the smuggler camp. Unsurprisingly, there was no sign of the old man when Marius looked down on the sensors…
It took only minutes to reach the area, and Aswon called out over the comms as Marius started to transition to landing configuration.
"This place is on his front door virtually. Aden has to know about these people. That they're still here means he almost certainly doesn't mind, or thinks they're valuable…" They considered his words as they lost altitude, closing in on the valley carefully. There was no sign of the storm here – it had clearly be localised on their position, controlling just enough weather to direct and then conceal their meeting, while leaving the rest of the area clear.
"Well, we can cross this place off the list of good stops from my point of view," called out Marius, "this is the last time we're coming here!"
"Second to last time – we have to come back and see him again when Aswon returns to learn about his spear."
"Well, to be fair, only I have to come back and see him again for that, Tads."
"And you think I'm letting you do that on your own, Aswon?"
"Well, I'd rather you didn't get eaten, for upsetting him anyway. What did you think to make him hit you off the mountain?"
"I just wondered how long it had been since he'd brushed his teeth."
"We can just fly to his home, we know where he lives now." Hunter flashed up the image of Mount Ararat on the screens.
"Yeah, you can fuck that idea right off." The team smiled at Marius's comment, nobody being surprised in the slightest.
"Well, I was actually thinking you could drop us off somewhere like this, and we'll walk the rest of the way. Little bit like a pilgrimage. He'll like that, I think. A bit of hard work to approach him. Or her. Not sure. Not going to ask. Apparently you get flicked off the mountain for being annoying."
As they dropped into the valley, Marius noted that there were short range sensors probing the area around him – clearly having detected a "something", they couldn't lock onto the craft with the electronic deception systems running. He turned them off, and disabled the other systems, and the dwell time of the sensors increased – they probably had him now, but only just. Sure enough, Kai's phone rang, and Rashid asked if Kai and the team were nearby. When Kai confirmed, the sensors abruptly turned off, and moments later the heavy duty camouflage netting started to lift in the centre, creating a 'V' of space leading inside.
Marius watched, and as the opening got larger, the rate of change got slower and slower – until it stopped entirely. He looked at the space and called out to the team.
"I'm not going to get in through that gap!"
"C'mon Marius – I have faith in you" replied Kai.
"No – you don't understand. We will not fit. The opening is not large enough."
"Oh, crap. Ok, gimme a mo." Kai called Rashid back and spoke to him for a moment, then keyed the intercom again. "They've got it as big as they can, they need some more help on the rope – Rashid wants to know if a couple of people can go and help?"
Marius grumbled but then swung the tilt wing round and slowly backed towards the mountain slope, dropping the back ramp as he did so. Shimazu and Hunter headed out, and as Marius balanced the tilt-wing perfectly on its tail, they stepped out and slid down the steep slope to the valley floor, sprinting inside through the opening. They found Rashid and Javad hanging onto a rope, struggling to keep the netting up at the current level. With the extra muscle and weight of the two largest team members, they hauled the rope up further, until it physically couldn't rise any further and watched as Marius slid the tilt wing inside, before releasing the tension and letting the netting slide back down.
As the team climbed out, they had a quick look around – the area had been developed some more since they were last here – there were a few small cabins and structures, all portable things that would fit on the back of a truck, and a number of fuel tanks lay neatly lined up in a row. There were some storage areas for supplies, but it was still rustic to say the least. Rashid and Javad greeted them all warmly, and they spotted Narsin at the back of the storage area, doing some work. She stopped for a moment to give them a wave, then returned to what she was doing. Tads waved back, as did Aswon, and Tads dropped into astral space to have a look around for spirits – spotting a lowish force mountain spirit watching the team and their attendant spirits, with a slightly nervous look. Tads waved to it, and called the spirits briefly to her, then back to their assigned team member – trying to convey to Narsin's spirit that they were no threat and under control.
"Hello my friends - we've managed to get all the fuel you requested, but I have some bad news. We only have a hand pump to do the transfer with - you're not in a rush, are you?"
"If that's what you've got, fair enough, how long do you think it will take?" asked Kai
"It depends on how tired we get. It is hard work, but we will do the best we can!"
"Good job we don't need a full tank!" grumbled Marius. Kai shot him a look, and then smiled back at Rashid.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we can pitch in and help, or maybe rig something up."
"Are we planning to be here overnight?" Tads asked, looking around the team.
"We were, so we can look into planning for this mission. I need to do some maintenance on the tilt-wing as well, and make sure we're ready to go into a potential combat situation."
They looked at the hand pump and the hoses, and did some checks to see if they could wire up a pump. After discussing levitating a drone and running a crankshaft off a wheel to provide power to the pump, they realised that by the time they'd rigged something up and checked it, it would be both easier and quicker – at least this time – to just do the job by hand, so they cracked on. Soon litres of fuel were being pumped into the tanks, with several of the team helping to crank the lever back and forth.
While they were fuelling, Hunter went over to the entrance way and looked at the netting and how they had it rigged up. It looked like a single long line, attached to the bottom of the netting and running up to a pulley near the top. He quickly realised that a simple pulley would make it much easier to operate – and they could also pull in two areas rather than just one, to make the opening wider and more like an 'n' shape instead of a 'v', instantly giving more clearance. Fortunately the base had plenty of climbing rope and equipment and he was soon levitated up and started to make the arrangements and improvements needed.
"So, Rashid - do you need anything?"
"More customers would be good, Kai. Some ground crews have started to come through, looking for fuel and overnight stops, or a place to make repairs. Sometimes a place to have a meeting on neutral ground. They've been coming up using passes, driving trucks like yours or four wheel drive cars, but not really many air vehicles. It's surprising, I would have thought more would come!"
"What's your maximum capacity?"
"I would have thought about three choppers or tilt-wings like yours, and some smaller stuff. Or a whole load of trucks and cars."
"Well, it just so happens that our decker up there," Kai waved at Hunter, floating near the ceiling as he set up the pulley system, "happens to be on Shadowlands. Perhaps we can do a quiet little post to help recommend the place. You'll need to make some arrangements though to get fuel in so they can top up the tanks – but I'm sure we can get you some more business."
"Hey Kai – good idea. But can you do that after we leave, so we don't get blocked in!"
"I'm sure they wouldn't come that fast, Tads. But if anyone does come, we'll make sure they don't double park…" Kai spent a while talking with Rashid, finding out what equipment they were short on, and what they needed to be more effective. "I think we'll also recommend you to a little place we know up north. There's a smuggler base there, and this must be about fifteen hundred kilometres south of there – it might make a really good place for people from there to stop and rest up, and refuel if they're heading south."
When Tads had finished levitating Hunter and he went to go and help Marius with the maintenance, she headed over to catch up with Kai and the others. Narsin intercepted her on the way, opening her arms wide to give Tads a hug, then grasped her by the hand and lead her back towards the storage area.
"I have many plants I've gathered, come and see!"
"When you say many, how many is that? And if you're intending them for sale,I don't know how much space we have, this is smaller than the last vehicle we had and we already have cargo."
Narsin didn't answer, but instead led Tads around to several trestle tables, where a veritable mountain of plants were laid out, carefully sorted into bundles. At a rough estimate, there must have been about three hundred kilograms of raw materials there, including some flowers that looked beautiful and very distinctive. Tads wandered over, intrigued and gently let her fingers run over the delicate leaves of some snow-drops and other unique looking flowers, gazing at them with a critical eye. There were certainly some interesting plants her that would make an excellent base for enchanting materials.
"These are very good, Narsin – very interesting. But if you managed to refine them down, they'd be much more compact and easier to sell – and more valuable too!" She spent a few minutes trying to describe the process to Narsin, but it appeared to be confusing her more and more. Hunter had been listening in over the comms and suggested she try and describe the process rather than magical change, but even when Tads tried to explain the refining process, it still seemed to go straight over her head.
She realised after a while that it was a lack of shared or common ground. Narsin had never been trained, never studied magic. Never been part of the elder – apprentice cycle, or read any magical texts. Her magical power was gained purely empirically, and she summoned her spirits without a process – just by the desire to protect herself and her friends. It didn't help that Tads didn't have the English, let alone other languages, for certain techniques or theories – only her native Nenets. When she suggested a mind-link between herself and Narsin to try and explain, she saw the wave of fear wash over her, the eyes betraying her thoughts. She wasn't sure she could convince Narsin to be a willing participant, which was essential for a good link, so she cast her thoughts around a little, and found that while talking, she'd been idly picking away at one of the plant stems, removing the surplus materials.
"How about if we show you a demonstration – if we come over and work through these plants with you and show you how to refine them to be better. Everyone on the team can do that now, so we can help you and make quick work of this?" Narsin seemed ok with that concept, so Tads called out over the radio to the rest of the team and told them what she was planning. Marius and Hunter elected to stay on their maintenance tasks, but that didn't bother her much – they were the least skilled with their talismongering, and while they would have been helpful, were not going to contribute as much as the rest.
They got to work on the herbal materials, Tads describing in detail what and how she was choosing leaves, stems and petals to keep, and the ones to discard, and the rest chatted with Rashid whilst they worked.
"So, Hunter – this Shadowland service. I take it the more posts you put up, the more your rep will improve and the more access you get?"
"More or less, Kai, it's a bit more complicated. But generally I suppose yes – the more useful information I provide, the more other people will trust what I say, and be inclined to post helpful responses to my requests, or take our word as good because of what we've said. So posting about this place would be good – might help people with their smuggling routes in and around the area, and get us a lot of good rep."
"But, more than that – if we let people know that there are magical raw materials available here for sale – it's likely that some people will come that might not otherwise have turned up – either as a better option or specifically to come here for supplies. And the better the equipment is here and the more Rashid can help those folks out, the more store people will put by our recommendations. There's probably special groups and boards you need to be invited to, hidden away – and that's what you really need your rep for."
Kai asked the team to do a full assessment on the base, looking for cheap upgrades and equipment that could make a real difference to the operation, and noting down some of the key deficiencies that needed to be fixed. Talking with Rashid they soon realised that he was still very poor – they had enough supplies to keep them going at the moment (and they all knew that Tads was going to fill up any container she could find with oats before they left) – but they didn't have any spare cash for improvements or expansion. They were only a small disaster or bad season away from folding, and really needed some help.
They were in a good position – only a day away from Karaj by road, so supplies could be shipped in ok. Tehran to the south was a melting pot of bad stuff and shadow activity – so they were ideally placed for a last stop before hitting the city, or a good place to stash stuff before a raid. Hunter checked around and found the mountains were a shallow layer of limestone in some places, but most of the stone was solid granite – excellent firm rock, and with the netting secured with climbing rope and pitons meant they weren't going to worry about avalanches here. Hunter did mention though, that the area indicated some key signs that confirmed an earlier observations – the mountain they'd met Aden on wasn't actually a mountain – it was more a long-dormant volcano…
Besides that, they were in a good place to get traffic to the gulf nations, and coming through the mountains made observation and tracking hard for anyone looking for smugglers. The northern border into the Caspian Sea also seemed not that tough in terms of radar coverage and air defences, so it made for a reasonably easy border crossing that then led to a number of other nations.
"Do you think if we posted on Shadowland telling people to treat these folk right, it would work?"
"I don't think so, Kai. For every person that would see it as an investment in the future, there would be someone else that would take advantage and ruin them. Human nature, it seems. Maybe if I got together with Shimazu we could work out some kind of word use to try and give the right impression without making them seem weak…hrmm. I'll have a think."
The team worked on, showing Narsin how to select the plants with the greatest magical potential or value, working through the mound until they'd made a bit of a dent, and produced a much smaller pile of refined materials – perhaps only fifteen kilos or so, with as much again as 'waste' material.
When Narsin and Rashid took the pile of refined herbs off to carefully box them up for sale, Tads asked the others for some tactical advice.
"I was thinking of leaving my body here and heading north to Samara, and taking the spirit flock with me. See if I could attack and destroy some of the spirits plaguing the base. But I know there's a certain amount of risk with me doing that – because of the travel time, if I get into trouble, there's no way anyone of you can help me. So I thought I'd discuss with it you first."
"Well, if there are summoned spirits, they will be only lasting as far as dawn or dusk, so getting rid of them is a short term gain. And if we're talking free spirits or ally spirits – you're not going to kill them of course, only banish them back to their home plane. They'll be disrupted for a month, but then they'll be back. That's a lot more valuable – but also riskier because those spirits are going to be far stronger."
"I don't know about that lot, Aswon, but I don't like the idea at all." Hunter was in one of his serious moods, so Tads paid careful attention. "As soon as you attack them, you let them know they've been made, and that magical attacks are coming their way. When we do get up there, they may have called in reinforcements, laid traps or have other defences ready. It gives up the element of surprise, and I think that's massively important. If we're going to go in, we go in hard, with as many weapons as possible, and do the most damage we can in a shock assault. I think your uncertainty is your common sense telling you that you already know the answer."
"I hadn't thought of it in those terms – but that all makes sense Hunter, thank you. One other thing then – when we're coming in to land somewhere, we need to keep a good astral watch out to make sure that any of those free spirits aren't sat where we're about to land, and then disappear."
"Surely we'd just crush them under our ward – or they would still have to get through it?"
"No – there's a trick, you see. Almost like a shortcut. A spirit can come back to any place it's been before, if it is coming from its home plane. It doesn't travel through the world – it just….arrives. So if you let a spirit into the chopper willingly, then it will always be able to get back in, by going through the metaplanes, and bypassing your ward."
"Oh. Well shit." Hunter clearly hadn't heard of that before.
"I think… think – that it's the origins of many folk tales. Like why Vampires couldn't enter the house unless you invited them. It's a corruption of stories from the previous time of magic, where they couldn't get past wards, until they'd been let in to your house at least once – but after that, they could whenever they wanted to."
The team nodded along – that seemed to make sense, and it was easy to see how the tale could be twisted from generation to generation. Whether it made sense or not though, it was something to be wary of in the future, and to certainly be careful of at Samara. Though any spirit that did arrive in the middle of the troop bay was going to have a very hard time fighting off Tads, Aswon and Shimazu, all confined in a small area!
Once they were done, Kai hooked up to the communications array, linking their systems to the subtle antenna that had been installed on the ridge line to give them full cell coverage and data capabilities. Apparently Javad had installed similar things across the ski-slopes of the resort to allow their patrons access to calls and for the resort to run their facilities over. Whatever the reason, it worked fine now, and they found a message from Spook waiting for them. Aswon gave her a call, and after a few minutes of social niceties, got down to business.
"So Aswon, I've got some more information for you about the job."
"Great – can I put you on speaker?"
"Who can hear – your team?"
"Yes, just them."
"No problem then, put them on." She waited a moment until she heard the change in audio level as the speaker engaged. "Hi everyone, I'm Spook."
"Kai."
"Shimazu."
"Hunter."
"Marius."
"I told them to call me Tadibya." There was a moment of silence, and a few looks amongst the team.
"Tads is fine though." Hunter said. "So you have some information?"
"Sure do – it'll give you something else to talk about once you've had a chat amongst yourselves after this call about names." Clearly Spook felt that Tads had said what she had for a reason. "So, Aswon, everyone else – I gotta stress to you that this is not solid info. It was told to me in good faith, and I trust the source – but that doesn't mean their source is good. Its rumour – got it?" She waited for a chorus of agreement from the team before continuing.
"It sounds like this team, 'unsubtle' are carrying the data to a courier – by the name of Falcon. I've only got a bit of information on them, and like I say it's not solid. But it seems they're a pretty powerful mage, good reputation for being pro. They do courier work – and only courier work. No B and E. No wetwork. No escorts. Just jobs with getting small, high value cargo from A to B. But they will cross some real gnarly borders and get the delivery through."
"So what is the tenuous part, Spook – I'm confused."
"I'm not entirely sure that Unsubtle are handing off to Falcon. I have reports that this Falcon character is closing on the area, and that they've turned down some other jobs that have been offered as they're already engaged on a contract. So putting two and two together, it seems likely. Now like I said, they're a courier – not a combat monster. But if they are a decent mage, and have spirits with them, then they're not going to be a pushover either. The key thing from my viewpoint is that if they get the goods, they're going to be very hard to catch and take out – that's their bag, their speciality."
"Other than that, a bit more about the delivery team. This Modulo character, had a voice box replacement after their throat was pretty much slashed open. Heavily cybered – could have had their voice box replaced with a decent synth, but decided to go for the robot voice instead. Various stuff I've read is pretty hardcore for the team, and that they live up to their name. I'm not sure that either negotiations or intimidation is going to work on them."
"What are they going to be driving, do you think?" Kai leaned over towards the pickup, making sure Spook could hear him.
"A Saab Wolverine, by the looks of things. Pretty decent set of wheels, mid-range APC with decent armour and systems. Looks like a either a six by six, or eight by eight transmission, depending on the model, and room for a decent weapon on the turret. Not subtle at all – but that's not their game is it?"
"The last thing I have for you is that there is a smuggler market taking place in the city. I don't have any details on it specifically as it's not my area - but it's what I'd use for cover if I was organising a handover. Hide in plain sight amongst the shadow scene, use them to keep an eye out, and get free security cover from the organisers. Lots of low-life scum like us there, dirty fixers, dodgy ex-mercs – eh, Aswon?" There was an edge of almost laughter in her voice, and Aswon shook his head in mock despair at her tone. "But lots of people around, moving from area to area, dead easy to arrange a subtle meeting there. That's how I'd do it anyway. All I've been able to find out is that the market starts around 21:00, and goes on likely into the early morning before packing up and moving on. Like I said, it's not my town, and I don't really have any contacts in the area – but I just think it's the most likely place to do the meet. So…"
"Is it announced, like an hour before opening then? How do these things work?" Aswon sobered his expression.
"Well the ones in Hong Kong move around each time, stay ahead of the authorities and mega corps, someone in the scene will be running it or organising things. There'll be a sub-board on Shadowland, invite only, - or it's buried deep on a SIG with the details. If you're in the local scene, you know where to look, or how to talk to – but like I said, not my area, don't know the locals."
"We can do some digging. I have an idea." Kai had a little grin on his face and winked at the team.
"Well, the markets in Hong Kong work like this, a few trucks arrive first, setup a perimeter or guard on the warehouse or office. A conjurer will call on some spirits to guard and patrol the place, and look out for unauthorised magic. The markets run for about four hours – get out before anyone can organise a raid team. They might not be on time, again that depends on the rep and skills of the people running it. They'll invite info dealers, arms smugglers, slavers - anything that can be sold off the back of a wagon. Nearly everyone there will be suspicious and careful based on your rep and how well know you are – so a local broker would be helpful."
"Alright Spook, thanks for the update. I think we're cool for now, but if you have anything else, drop us a message, please." Kai waited for her to say goodbye, and for Aswon to disconnect, then smiled again, reaching for his own phone.
"Do you think Rashid will be interested in the market? Is it something we can talk to people about if we go there?" Tads asked
"Don't know. Lemme just make this call, and we might be able to find out the…. Hey Anahita! It's Kai. Yep, long time no speak…. You know, busy with work…. Yeah, you doing ok? Hang on, I've got my guys here, going to put you on speaker. Ok, everyone, this is Anahita – she's based in Tehran. Fantastic businesswoman, works in the art and antiquities business. So Anahita – turns out we're in the area, thought we might drop in?"
"In the area? Like – in the country, or in the city?"
"In the country at the moment, but thinking about coming to the city for some business. So thought we'd give you a shout and see if you can point us in the right direction for some things, and see if you have anything you need taking out while we're here?"
"Well, ok. Right, ok, strange timing. I'm actually meeting with some people tomorrow, and I've got some stuff to sell them, but I might also be buying some things. Are you still...moving stuff?"
"We certainly are!"
"Small things." Aswon added.
"And not far as we have other jobs," Tads commented.
"Ignore the background noise, it's just people mumbling at me. So yes, we're going to be around town, and we can talk work, I'm sure."
"Sure then, if you come in we can have a chat, have some drinks. Maybe do some business."
"The thing tomorrow - it's not anything to do with trading, is it?"
"There might be a small number of stalls set out with various wares on display."
"That might be the thing we're interested in. Is this a secure line, or can I call you back on a different number?" There was a pause, as Anahita thought to herself, before she spoke again.
"Remember the number of the cafe we met at when you got me that Ming vase - I'll set my encryption to that number and call you back in a minute." There was a click as she hung up, and Kai immediately screwed up his face in concentration.
"Crap… what was it…. Ahh got it. I think. Shit, I hope this is right." The phone rang and a series of horrible squawks and static came out of the speaker. He tapped in the eleven digits into the keypad to set the encryption key, and then Anahita's voice emerged in the clear.
"Ahh, that's better, but let's keep it short and nonspecific just in case. It won't take long for someone to crack that. Yes, there's a market that's running tomorrow night that I'm meeting some people at."
"Great, that's the market we're planning on going to. Can we tag along? We're not after specific goods, but meeting people and making contacts."
"Yeah sure, I can take you along and vouch for you. Is there anything you're after specifically?"
"No, I don't think so - after that we're flying off fairly quickly as we have another job, but if you have anything that needs taking that we can move for you, we'd be happy to help."
"I don't have anything at the moment, but I might have some work coming up, it depends how business is on the night." Her avatar was replaced with a map of Tehran that was displayed for a few seconds, then started to zoom in slowly.
"This is out of date, I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that nobody has done a survey for some time. Let me show you some notes and beautiful landmarks. She zoomed in on a part of the map and held the image there for a number of seconds, long enough for them read the name clearly, then scanned around to several other places, not stopping long enough to see anything clearly. "What time do you want to meet? Are you coming to the market and staying the night or just swinging through?"
"Yes, we were thinking of it, for the most part, yes. Staying all night, that is."
"What the whole night? Thought we were just looking around!" Aswon sounded slightly confused – or at least that's what he tried to sound like.
"If you head down to the city for 6, 7 latest – it will take a while to get there, it's difficult moving around the city, what with the critters, the gang checkpoints and so on. You have to take precautions moving around."
"What if you came in alternative transport - flying? Where could we land?"
"Landing there is not going to be an issue, landing near me would be. But I can get to somewhere if you want to pick me up." The map scrolled to the east, zooming to a park. "I like the water, if I was going to meet you, it'd be near some water." Again, after holding steady for a few seconds, the map panned to other locations.
"So right, see you tomorrow night about 6 ish, near the water."
"Indeed, and then we can go shopping. See you tomorrow!"
Kai broke the connection and found that Hunter had already pulled up the map and loaded the best map he could find of the area. It was from before Aden's attack on the city, and showed a densely-packed metropolis with a broad eight lane road in an oval around a large park. In the centre a large sweeping plascrete tower soared into the sky and a dense network of paths spread out from it in geometric shapes. They appraised the area around the tower - clear sightlines, good access, good egress, plenty of places to escape to, with a railyard nearby. There were plenty of road routes, room to land air vehicles, room for the stalls and a place for backup groups or security teams to wait.
"If this place gets set up like a souk or other traditional market, then surveillance would be difficult in practice - crowded and jumbled." Marius examined the maps, trying to imagine how the market might look. "There are four main highways might be choke points as they are more likely to be open compared to side streets. May be able to set up observations there."
"So does she know that she might have to make her own way home from the market, Kai?"
"Nah, I'll explain that to her later, Tads – don't worry."
"You've not taken many girls out, have you, Kai?" He ignored the comment and tapped his finger on the display to focus their attention again. Aswon had a though, cocking his head to one side, and then speaking after another moment.
"This Falcon, Spook referred to them as "they" that says to me they're not sure on details, even what sex they might be. It could be very difficult to identify them. Could we put watchers up, quite high - look for large birds flying nearby? They're not going to land in the market, but they might land nearby, and change there. I'm just thinking, they're a fast courier, probably very cautious. If they notice us watching them - they might break off and abort the job. Then we get Tads to do a physical mask and someone appears as them and we intercept the goods. I mean, Falcon won't have the cash to pay them right, they're just the courier."
"Well we've got two sets of people, Unsubtle - who are... unsubtle," Kai started to say.
"I'd rather not get in a fight with them, and I don't think you're going to convince them to hand it over - there's a contract involved, and they strike me as that kind of team. They are not going to just roll over for us."
"And we have this Falcon – probably." Kai continued. "Now. Marius, what is going to be the best surveillance we can get from you? Drones up over the street?"
"Ja. If I have the condor nice and high, I should be invisible from the ground. And if they're driving a known make and model of APC, it should make them much easier to spot. After all, they are… unsubtle."
"How much of the map do you think you could cover, do you think?"
"Given that we know the vehicle quite high up, so we should be able to cover the entire park as we're looking for one specific type of vehicle so it's an easier spot. I don't want to get into a fight with these guys at the market though – I'm with Aswon on that."
"Hang on - too far ahead, let's not worry about the takedown yet. So, you can cover the whole park - main streets only, or the side streets as well?"
"The higher it is, the worst resolution we get, and the harder it would be to spot anything other than a specific shape – and forget looking for things like this Falcon. But it also makes the drone less likely to be spotted. Let me get the details of the vehicle and study the roads and the layout a bit and I can get you a better answer."
"Additionally, how much will the drone be foxed by trid phantasms and other spells?"
"Entirely, vehicle sensors are fooled by illusions really easily. You've seen how effective Tad's spells are when we were being chased by the police in the truck. We turn a corner, vanish and turn another corner and we're clear."
Both Shimazu and Aswon had been studying the map intently, and had some input to make.
"When I was working back in Japan, I often would attend large functions with my assigned VIP. Many of them would be in grounds or areas like this – though considerably more l secure I would say. However, in all the cases I have ever been to, the organisers would be responsible for overall security, and would run scans at the perimeter. Nothing bigger than a personal weapon would be allowed inside, and they would have both drones and magical guards patrolling the area. It kept tensions between sides manageable, and stopped an arms race between competing security forces. It might not be organised as well, but I would estimate that the market will run along somewhat similar lines."
"I think Shimazu is right. We raided a few camps when I was a merc, and if there were different groups allied together, then whoever organised the alliance would put up the security umbrella and be held responsible – but they'd set the rules. Nobody else had stuff up in the air at the same time. It cut down on the electronic fingerprint and made the meeting more subtle, and it stopped blue on blue incidents. I think they'll be a bubble, and inside that, the organisers of the market will be the only ones calling the shots." He sketched a finger around the park area, and then held up his finger to the rest of the team, stopping them from answering him.
"Additionally, I'm really concerned about Falcon - they're a specialist, if they get their hands on this thing, they're gone - just gone."
"That's why we need to get eyes on the unsubtle team as they come in - follow them, as they're going to be easier to track than a single person." Kai responded. "I'm been to a few smuggler handovers, and commonly you'll do a walk past your partner, check each other for tails. Once you're happy that everything is cool, the buyer watches the seller until the time and place is good, then makes a subtle approach. So if we follow 'unsubtle' carefully, they'll lead us to Falcon. We just have to be better at hiding than they are at spotting."
"Assuming we spot the APC on the way in then, what's the plan? Because we're going in with your friend, and we can't kick off a firefight without trashing her reputation – and I'm sure you don't want that. Let alone kicking off a massive fight amidst a ton of very bad people."
"We stay out of things initially, unless we can just get it and go – if an opportunity arises, we grab it and get the job done quickly. At the moment, I'm worried though that there's a code phrase or password for Falcon, or an encrypted ID chip or something like that."
"I've been thinking about that - we should get Falcon, but after the exchange with the other team." Aswon and Hunter both let out a whistle, and Hunter spoke quietly.
"That's a tight window to work in!"
"I know. But remember back to Sweden job, where we picked up those freezers? The handoff crew wanted to take photos to prove handover of goods to the next in chain. I think they'll do something like that. Once the handoff is made, and they have proof – Unsubtle won't care at all. They're getting paid, not their responsibility anymore." They considered Marius's words – it seemed to make sense.
"So if Falcon gets the goods, do we think they're change shape immediately, grab the stuff and head away, or would they get to a safe place..." Kai mused and turned towards Aswon, who normally seemed to have a good grasp on stuff like this.
"If they took the goods in the middle of the market, I'm pretty certain they'd get to somewhere concealed and out of the way before changing. They have a rep for becoming a big bird and stuff with spirits, which means very few people will have seen it happen. You don't get people thinking stuff like that if you do it right in front of them – they know. So it's got to be away from the area. If the handover is in the park, then they're probably going to clear the perimeter before casting their spells. Right?" He glanced at Tads, and she nodded in agreement with him, and they both looked back to Kai.
"Then I think that yes - that's our window. Not much of one, but the best chance to do this without a fight."
"And we already suspect that their spirits won't be able to get in the security bubble, so they have to leave the market entirely." If they're a mage they probably can have a couple of spirits summoned quickly, though, when they get there."
"Never mind summoned, Marius. They are a powerful mage – or rumoured to be and we have to believe that. They might have spirits waiting for them when they get outside the area, not having to summon them. So we have to be really quick. But, despite that, I'd rather not have to kill them, actually."
"I agree Aswon - me too. They're just a runner, doing their job. Let's not make it personal. Also, they might be a mage, might they be a shapeshifter instead?" The others pondered, that thought, as it wasn't something they had thought of. "I see the window as after receiving the data but on the way to their safe place outside the market. We should be planning to take them non-lethally, and steal the data, then leave them somewhere safe to sleep it off – whatever we do to them."
"So – when we're dealing with an attack like this - mage or spirits first?" Again Kai turned to Aswon. Tads might be their actual Shaman, but Aswon had run merc operations for years, and had seen more combat operations than the rest of the team put together. He also seemed to have a more general knowledge of the sixth world – perhaps from his travels or his work – while Tads was much more knowledgeable on the application side.
"We take the spirits first, but knock the mage out quickly – it will be mere seconds before they can call reinforcements."
"Ok, and the best way to do that?
"Tasers are good. The shock makes concentrating on magic very difficult, in addition to the incapacitation effects. Um – blunt weapons to the side of the head – a good solid whack to the forehead with the butt of the spear should do the job."
"I would suggest multiple simultaneous taser shocks, and if we can, a slap patch loaded with some kind of narcotic or sedative. But not a magical attack. I would imagine if someone attacked Tads magically, she has a higher chance of fighting that off than any other form of attack, and the same would be true here." Tads nodded in confirmation to what Marius said.
"I agree – and I'd feel a lot better if Tads was able to concentrate on protecting us. We saw at the swamp in Russia how important that was, and what a difference it can make. I'm all for that plan." Aswon smiled at her, and then Hunter raised a cup to her in salute, and Tads squirmed a little in embarrassment. Marius continued speaking:
"So I'm thinking, we're in the in the market, we sus out Falcon and the handover, we follow, and at a good location we converge, multi-taser shot, scramble their system, give them a knock out drug, get the data and leave with the mage alive - then it's just business. Nothing personal, and they won't hunt us down later."
"Perhaps we could we get some Hyper at the market? That would do the job." Aswon said. "Otherwise we're raiding the medkits and looking for full on tranq drugs and having to be careful with side effects.
"This has the potential for it to get messier, but once they are down, I have mind probe and alter memory spells. Once they are down, their magical defences will crumble and I should be able to find out more details of the job?"
"I'm not sure if that will help us – and it might leave magical traces? But on that note, I'd prefer not to leave the mage on the street where some ghoul or devil rat will eat them either. We should make sure they're as safe as possible while they recover."
"Could we get details of whoever is running security and alert them to Falcon's location after?"
"We can try. But that brings in a whole new set of risks. Contacts and recognition and so on. Threads to pull on. I don't like it." Aswon frowned. "I appreciate the sentiment, but it might be going just too far."
"So, it sounds like a narrow window, but I think we can do this."
"I agree, Kai. We just need them to break line of sight somewhere, so we can pounce."
"Also – they may be a professional. But most of the time I would think they are at maximum alert on the approach and during the meet. You can't be hyper-vigilant all the time, and they've got to relax a bit if the handover goes smoothly and they're walking away. They've done the dangerous bit, so they'll probably relax. It's just routine then. The perfect time for us to strike."
"Sounds good, Marius." Kai turned to Shimazu and saw him nod in agreement. "And our resident head shrinker agrees with you. Now – question. Do we think that additional distractions would help? Something like explosions on the edge of the park, stuff in the sky, anything like that? So we'd be trying to distract most people in the area at the point we make the strike?"
"They'd have to be both big and expensive to do the job, and I think that means we would need setup and prep time. With how close the market is, that means potentially under the watchful eyes of the people organising the market. There are a lot of chances for things to go wrong. And, as we won't know the layout, we may end up with our distraction getting people to face exactly the direction we don't want or need them to look. Hey, with the state of the city, there's probably random gunfire and explosions anyway around the city, and they might not notice! What?" Aswon looked at Hunter, who had one of his patent grins plastered across his face.
"Tads, couldn't you do a big illusion of a certain dragon – one that that you've been studying recently, up close and personal. Surely that would be a good distraction?"
"Hunter… well. Let's see. I, in theory, could do that. But there are two main downsides to it."
"Only two, Tads?" Aswon snorted at her.
"Is it that spell signature thingy you have to keep clearing up?" Hunter queried.
"Ok, then there are three main issues. That's one. The second is that my spell is limited in power – and I cannot make something big enough to make a convincing Dragon. Maybe something drake sized, like the one that showed us the way to the landing spot. But not a Dragon, let alone a Great Dragon."
"Oh, right. Never mind then. I guess that covers things like airliners and massive boats and stuff too – they're too big for your spell power?" Tads nodded to Hunter in agreement
"But also, in case this comes up again - I don't want them to find out we're taking the piss. I made one curious thought in my head, and he flicked me off the mountain. I'm not sure if he knew I could levitate. I'm not sure how lucky I was to be able to concentrate well enough to do it, while bouncing down the hill. But even more – I'm not sure he or she cared. And I don't know what Kai did to upset them, but if I wasn't ready to catch him, he could have slid hundreds of feet down the slope and broken a number of bones. If that's what you get for having a wrong THOUGHT, I'm not sure what they'd do if they found out you're been impersonating them. But it's not something I want to do. For them, or any other Dragon, to be honest."
"And don't forget what happened to the city. If you did that, it might be effective – but their mages will find out quickly that it's an illusion, and be looking for the source. And if there's something guaranteed to turn every single person against you, I would guess that would be it." Hunter nodded, but still grinned – they knew he was playing that movie in his head, watching people scream and run in panic from the attacking dragon. It was Marius that bought them back onto topic:
"As someone who used to do some espionage stuff in the places I was flying to – what we want to do is converge, lightning strike – make it happen in an instant, too quick to raise the alarm. Can we make them invisible, Tads, with a spell? Take them to the chopper on the edge of the market, but inside the security bubble, so their spirits aren't involved?"
"Ahh – that means having an active spell inside the market? We'd probably be rumbled by one of their patrolling spirits."
"Ahh, right, ok. Good point, Aswon. How about we just carry them, like they're drunk?"
"We've done disguises before. Put them in a burka or niqab. A good half of the population just ignores you then." There was an edge of bitterness to Tads' voice, who clearly found the idea of sexual inequality stupid. But everyone else nodded along, until Hunter suggested another gem.
"How about we roll them up in a carpet and carry them on our shoulders?" That got him pelted with bits of stray plant material from the table they were sat around, while the rest of the team groaned in despair.
"Hey – in a strange way though, that gives me an idea. If we the data into the chopper, could the mage and their spirits find the data - could they get through the wards?"
"They would have to break through the wards - if they are powerful enough, they could do. I mean we put up a pretty decent ward ourselves, so it's tough – why?"
"Well, imagine the scenario. Shimazu – check me on this. You're walking down the street, and out of nowhere, WHAM – you get mugged. A few minutes later you come to – all groggy and disorientated. But you're a mage, so you can leave your body and go hunting astrally. So what do you look for? People running away of course. People legging it from the scene of the crime. So if there is anyone else leaving the market – they'd be suspicious and likely have angry mage and spirit chasing them." Kai licked his lips to moisten them, then continued to explain his theory.
"But what if we got the data, got it back in the chopper, and then just sat there, all quiet. Let the heat blow over. Leave with the crowd, amongst the shuffle. We play the psychological aspect of this. Whadda you think? Surely it's got to be counter-intuitive to stay when you've got hot property?"
"That does seem somewhat reasonable, I guess. The natural urge is to run, and the natural urge when you see running prey is to give chase. If they're still suffering the effects of the attack, they could make some very poor decisions under stress, which would make their situation worse, not better. It sounds reasonable." Shimazu concluded.
"Ok – if they are a shapeshifter though, you might want to consider being tracked by smell." Kai nodded as Tads raised a very good point. "But otherwise, yes, that might work. Also, if you have disguises, you could throw off the spirit search a little." Kai looked confused at that, as did Aswon and Shimazu. That didn't sound like how spirits searched from their understanding of magic. "It all depends on how stunned the mage is. If we attack them and everyone is wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and they command the spirit to find 'four people in jeans and t-shirts' then that's what the spirits will do. And if you get back to the vehicle and change into tracksuits, you're not actually matching the description – so it doesn't matter if they get through the wards." Realisation dawned on their faces.
"Yeah – the spirits are likely to be somewhat clever, but if they're not told to look for the data, they won't. If the mage tells them to look for the right thing, that won't work, of course – but if they're groggy, woozy and with a pounding headache – they can make mistakes. Otherwise, I don't think they can do a ritual to track us – not unless they're a very weird and strange kind of mage I've never heard of before."
"We have a limited flight radius based on fuel and speed, depending on how quickly they might wake up. If they're a courier, they might be quite knowledgeable about such things – probably best to assume they do. So if they can get into astral, they can cover a lot of ground quite quickly. But there is a limit to how long they can stay out of their body. So if we don't attract the attention of the locals, don't stand out as the new people at the market… yeah, that might work."
"We'd need to check the box thoroughly for tracking thingies – but you guys have all the tech for that, don't you? You found the ones those guys in the garage put in the truck, anyway." Marius and Hunter nodded to Tads.
"Right folks – that sounds like we have a good basis for a plan. Let's get some sleep, I think tomorrow might be a long day, and we need to be on our toes. We got ourselves a courier to capture."
