Larry Correia - Spellbound

“So, I take it you intend to make me talk and then murder me?”

“No,” Garrett replied. “Though that would be rather easy. We’re recording this conversation to give to the Bureau of Investigation in order to clear the Grimnoir Society of any wrongdoing. Then you’re free to go. You have my word.”

Carr laughed. “You take me for an imbecile?”

“Not at all. We want the courts to deal with you publicly. It’ll be quite the scandal. The nation needs to know what you were up to. They need to hear the truth. They won’t get that truth if we were to just bury you in a ditch, now would they?”

He looked at the spinning wheels of the recording device with disdain. If the Grimnoir thought that would work, then they were bigger fools that he’d thought. No testimony coerced, nor evidence gathered, through magical means was admissible in any court of law. “Well, Mr. Garrett, Miss Hammer…” He was careful to state their names for the record, assuring that the tapes would be thrown out, because after all, how could he, a mere Normal man, resist the persuasions of mind-controlling Actives? He would simply say that he’d been forced to repeat whatever Garrett had wanted him to. “I would be completely unable to resist your magical persuasion anyway, so we may as well continue.”

“Was the OCI involved with the attack on Franklin Roosevelt?”

He did not sense any overt presence in his mind from the Mouth’s magic, but it was certainly there. “Yes.”

“In what capacity?”

It actually felt good to talk about it. “I had Giuseppe Zangara recruited for the task.”

“And?” Hammer prodded.

A half truth wasn’t much better than a lie to a Justice. “One of my men created a spell to augment Zangara’s natural Power and then we provided him with a Grimnoir ring.” Even if an investigator followed up on that, they would never be able to prove anything with Crow gone. “The purpose was to pin the crime on the Grimnoir Society.”

“Why?” Garrett asked.

“I needed an enemy for the people to unite against-an antagonist, if you will. And since you were the types that would stand in the way of magical registration anyway, I could eliminate-”

“No…” Garrett held up a hand. “Not about us. Why Roosevelt? Why try to kill him? Isn’t he in favor of registering Actives too?”

Carr laughed. “Of course he is. Registration will happen regardless. Oh, no, Mr. Garrett. Roosevelt had to go simply because I knew he intended to replace me! You see, the two of us have never gotten along. Franklin believes in the gradual and incremental increasing of controls over the Active race. I believe that time is of the essence and they must be controlled now. Rumor was that he intended to appoint someone else as Coordinator. I certainly did not put that much effort into building my dream only to have it stolen from me. Strike while the iron is hot I say!”

Garrett looked to Hammer. She nodded. Of course he was telling the truth. Garrett’s file had said that he was extremely subtle. Carr was impressed. It actually felt good to get this off of his chest.

“And the demon that tore through Washington?” Hammer asked.

“One of mine that slipped the leash. And a further example of why Actives need to be controlled at all costs.” Carr laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“I should be saddened by the destruction of my headquarters and the ruination of my plans, but this worked out so much better. Crow’s rampage inspired far more terror in the hearts of the populace than anything I could have dreamed of. I was only trying to convince the Normals, but now Actives themselves will come begging us for protection. It was worth the sacrifice of my research-”

“By research, you mean those poor Actives that you were torturing on Mason Island?”

“Torture?” Carr snorted. “A small price to pay for knowledge. They were science experiments, nothing more.”

“Innocent people, taken from their homes, and carved on, poisoned, manipulated, drugged… I’ve seen similar experiments conducted in the Imperium.”

“And the Nipponese are wise to do so! We have entered an arms race. The first nation to fully harness magic to its fullest will rule the world. As long as people like you are running free, squandering your gifts, we will lag behind!”

“So what do you intend to do about it, Doctor?” Hammer asked.

“Me? Nothing. My job is done. The tipping point has been reached. The masses will speak, first with words, then with force. Actives will be regulated, studied, quantified, and organized. You will be commodities, resources, your skills going to where they are most needed for the greater good. Our way of life will be preserved. We will reach for the stars. We will-”

“And for those of us that don’t want to go along?”

“This is America. Everyone has a right to choose-”

Hammer was blunt. “He’s lying.”

“Fine! To the trash bin of history with you! Collect the troublemakers and use them as breeding stock. Take the children born with gifts and raise them to be obedient. The next generation will serve admirably. And for the very worst of the worst, like you”-Carr sneered-“we could learn a thing or two from the Imperium schools.”

The Actives were silent for a very long time. Hammer was unreadable. Garrett seemed angry. Perhaps he’d said too much? But it could not be helped, not with a Mouth pressing his thoughts and a Justice testing his every word.

“What happens next?” Garrett asked.

“Plans have been made. Big plans.”

“Who else knows about these plans?”

The door swung open. “That’ll be enough.” Two tall men in suits entered, then quickly stepped to the side. The Actives looked up, not surprised in the least by the interruption. One of the new arrivals shut off the recording device and deftly wound and removed the tapes. Another man entered the room behind them, and the Coordinator gasped in surprise when he recognized the round face.

“Director Hoover?”

J. Edgar Hoover tipped his hat. “Coordinator Carr…”

What was the Director of the Bureau of Investigation doing here? “These people kidnapped me! They’re Actives!”

“Yes, I am aware,” Hoover said. “I recently accepted Miss Hammer’s application to be a BI special agent. She will be working for me now.”

Hammer beamed with pride. “Thank you, Director. I suppose that makes it official.”

That news seemed to surprise Garrett. “Really? I didn’t think you hired women or Actives.”

“Times are changing, Mr. Garrett, and the BI stays at the forefront of change. Recently, I’ve decided to reexamine some of the applications that were rejected in the past. Perhaps if I had more gifted agents on the payroll, heinous plotters, such as our good Doctor here, would not prosper.”

“This one is a Mouth.” Carr knew he had to think fast. “He forced me to say all sorts of terrible lies.”

Garrett leaned back in his chair. “You know how we Mouths can be.”

Hoover nodded. “I’m familiar with Mr. Garrett’s tricks.” He reached into his suit coat, removed a small orange box, and opened the lid. The sphere in the center was spinning. The Dymaxion nullifier was placed in the center of the table for him to gawk at. “I believe this belonged to you.”

Carr felt all of the blood drain from his face. “No… It can’t be.”

“I was on the other side of that door. This device was running the entire time. However clever Mr. Garrett thinks he is”-Hoover explained as Garrett grinned and rested his hands on his ample belly-“there was no magical influence during the recording of your conversation.”

The Coordinator tried to respond, but couldn’t find his voice.