Tom Dowd - Burning Bright

"First I'd like to apologize for not introducing the other two members of my team," Ravenheart said immediately. She gestured to the burly man, who Kyle was fairly certain was not a mage. "This is Sergeant Keith Vathoss," she said.

Vathoss nodded, and Kyle could almost hear the flat-motors and microhydraulics of his cyberware rev up as he did. His hair was buzz-cut and bright red, his chin square and neck bulky from the chemicals he was taking to boost whatever natural muscles his body still had. His eyes were dark and translucent, a protective shield grafted over what Kyle was sure were equally artificial vision and related sensory systems.

Vathoss smiled. "Sir," he said.

"And this is Lieutenant Paul Gersten." Ravenheart gestured to the other man. "My second in command."

Gersten stuck out his hand and Kyle shook it. “Pleased to meet you," he said, noting that Gersten's grip was strong, but cold.

Ravenheart turned back to Kyle. Her posture was formal and her eyes set while she spoke. "We've got a somewhat awkward situation here because we know each other." He nodded agreement. "But we're going to have to ignore that, even if it means things might ultimately get more awkward."

Kyle could see Hanna watching the exchange with intense interest.

"Now don't take this wrong," Ravenheart went on, "because I have the greatest respect for you and your talent, but you're way out of your league this time."

“Thank you for pointing that out," Kyle said.

She sighed. "I'm sorry to be so blunt, but you probably didn't know that Knight Errant has been conducting its own investigation concurrently with your own."

Kyle glanced at Hanna, who seemed surprised. Beyond her, Devress was expressionless.

"And we've turned up a few interesting things.” She turned to Gersten. "Lieutenant?"

Gersten cleared his throat and took a small step closer to them. "We know that we're dealing with a covert group of anima spirits operating in the guise of five women, Dierdre Reinmann, Karyn Moffit, Mary Hauser, Gwen Pitvorec, and Linda Hayward. They're a conspiratorial group whose motivations are unclear except that they are apparently directed toward the gain and advancement of the group."

"How does Mitchell Truman fit into this?" asked Kyle. "It sounds like some kind of women-only group, probably with pretty hard-line strictures. They couldn't have been trying to recruit him."

Ravenheart shook her head. "We believe they were trying to possess him," she said, "but slotted up royally."

"How could they hope to pull that off? If they're anima spirits, they've got pronounced 'female' characteristics. It would have been difficult for any of them to pretend to be Mitch Truman."

"The boy was bisexual," said Gersten, and Kyle saw Ravenheart wince.

Kyle glared at the man. "I won't even bother responding to that"

"I'm with you," Ravenheart said. "I think the Hayward-spirit targeted or stumbled across Mitchell, established a romantic connection, maybe through magic, and was going to use him." She paused. "And then something went wrong."

Kyle nodded. "Something in the relationship changed. Who knows? Maybe he found out something, and they had to act."

"What you don't know, Kyle, is that the night Mitchell Truman was found, his sister Melissa was on her way to meet with him."

"What?"

"She'd received a call from her brother earlier that evening and had sneaked off to meet him. We intercepted the call and so knew where to go when she shook off the two guards with her. She made it, but her brother never showed up."

"Do you think your people might have scared him off?"

Both Gersten and Vathoss seemed to bristle slightly, but Ravenheart just shrugged. "Hard to tell. Our team was pretty well concealed, but anything is possible. The point is simply that he called his sister and asked her to meet him secretly."

Kyle frowned. "You think they were switching targets and going for Melissa?"

Devress didn't flinch, but Hanna gasped. "It would make sense," Ravenheart said. "If they saw they were losing control over Mitchell, it would have been logical to try to get direct control over another member of the family."

"Through possession," said Kyle.

Raven nodded. "Through possession. In the same manner they control the bodies they now inhabit."

"So what do you recommend as our next step?"

"Maintain level one security on the whole Truman family and their immediate staff," Ravenheart said. "It's unlikely the group will try again, especially now that we're alerted, but we want to play it safe. Once we've got that in place, we continue our pursuit of the Desolation Angels."

"Got any leads?" Kyle asked.

Ravenheart smiled. "Oh yes, but our sources are confidential, so I can't reveal the status of any just yet."

Kyle returned the smile. "Of course."

"Suffice it to say we're close."

"Good. Then I won't keep you." Kyle reached into his pocket for one of his business cards. "Let me give you my portable telecom number…"

"I have it," Ravenheart said.

He stopped searching. "Well, then, can I have yours?"

"Ms. Uljaken's got it. You can reach me directly at that number or through the command post we've established in the building's security office."

"That should make it easy."

"Good. Then everything's settled for now." Ravenheart turned and, much to Kyle's surprise, gestured her teammates toward a walkway that led along the patio and out of sight toward the building area. "I'll be in touch as soon as we learn anything further."

Ravenheart turned to follow the other two Knight Errant troopers away, but looked over her shoulder just before passing out of sight. "We should talk too," she said.

Kyle smiled. "We will."

She returned the smile and vanished around me corner.

"Where are they going?" he asked Hanna, who was walking quickly toward him. Behind her, Devress was scanning the patio area slowly. He seemed very intent on something.

"They arrived in a tilt-rotor. I presume they're going back to the helipad."

Kyle nodded, then called for Charlotte.

The spirit was instantly at his side, and had probably been waiting directly alongside him in astral space. "Watch them and make sure they all leave. Return to me if they don't go straight to the aircraft, and return to me if they depart in it."

"I will," Charlotte said as she vanished.

Kyle looked around the pool area. "Seeks-the-Moon?" he said.

Devress looked up. "Yes?" he said, his features and clothing melting, flowing against gravity into the form of Seeks-the-Moon.

"I'll be damned," said Kyle.

"Quiet possibly," agreed the spirit, "but I suspect your old friend Captain Ravenheart will be receiving her fitting punishment a few circles below your own."

"Oh?" said Kyle.

“You will, of course, find yourself head turned backward with the others of your kind in the seventh pouch of Malebolge," said the spirit, quoting Dante, "while she will be found three below you, in the tenth pouch, with the other liars."

"You think she lied to us?" asked Hanna.

"Nearly every word," Kyle said.

Hanna looked back and forth between Kyle and the spirit "How do you know?"

"Timing," said Kyle. "Everything she said here and the things we already know imply that Knight Errant was investigating the case long before the Truman family actively recruited them."

"I don't follow."

"We know Knight Errant bought out your previous security provider's contract about three months ago. Why?"

Hanna shrugged. "Prestige, market position. Any number of reasons."

"Three months ago was about the time Mitchell Truman first met Linda Hayward, or whoever she is."

"True, but I don't see how you can be sure there's a connection," Hanna told him.

"I also know that Knight Errant is throwing mega assets into the Chicago area. In fact they've been doing that for some time now. For about the past three months, to be exact"