Columbine

“Found anything yet?” Alice called over to Damien, who was lying in the bunk beneath hers.

“No.” He grumbled. “You?”

“Nothing.” Alice sighed.

She’d read the Sarah Crow file so many times that it had developed holes. It had to have been hours since she’d started reading it, and from the way the stars were twinkling outside the window, she had read well into the night.

“Okay.” Damien announced. “Let’s collaborate.”

“Let’s.” Alice nodded, slamming the file shut.

Collaborating always got more work done than reading until her neck snapped in half. It was a process that the two of them had developed a year ago, when they needed to find a solution fast.

“We know Sarah Crow graduated from a community college.” Damien started it off.

“And she majored in literature, minored in biology.” Alice put in.

“She worked as a secretary in a small but reputable law firm.” Damien said.

“When the New Era began, she dropped off the radar.” Alice said.

“Until she was discovered by an agent, working in a children’s shelter in Pennsylvania. She’d been found guilty of witchcraft.” Damien said.

Alice swung her legs off of her bunk, finally coming down to the floor.

They’d rented a room in a cheap hotel. Apparently they were too low-key to qualify for the Demataxt’s benefits package. They would have no life insurance or free suites at the company-owned hotel. It was too bad, but it was just as well. If they weren’t even going to be doing their jobs right, they didn’t deserve the blood money.

“So far nothing suggests a vampire in the mix.” Damien groaned. “I think this is a waste of time.”

“Are you sure it was even a vampire?” Alice asked, stretching her arms and legs.

“Like I’ve told you two thousand times, I’m positive.” Damien grumbled.

“Maybe we’re looking at this the wrong way.” Alice said. “You said there were other people there. Maybe the vampire has something to do with one of them.”

Of course, it would have to be the only remaining explanation. They’d been so focused on Sarah Crow that they’d forgotten about her familiar, the woman who owned the facility, and even Valentin.

“Do you think the vampire was an experiment?” Alice continued. “Maybe the scientists that lived there had found a way to make him less dangerous. That could be the reason he was so tame.”

Damien appeared to think about this for a while.

“Or not.” He said. “Humans have no way of catching a vampire in the first place. The only

possible person down there who could have made him harmless was the witch.”

This wasn’t going anywhere. And apart from that, they were still no closer to figuring out what the hell had happened on Halloween. Even the civilians had had no idea what had happened that night.

Somehow, despite all probability, music had been playing. And it had definitely been the product of electricity. Electric guitars and percussion machines didn’t work anymore, yet they’d been working on that night.

Was it one of those random events, like an ever-elusive time warp or a wormhole? Those never happened in the physical world! In the demonic dimension, yes, but never on earth. It just wasn’t possible.

“We need a break.” Damien concluded.

Alice couldn’t agree more. Her head was starting to hurt from lack of food, not to mention the concussion that she’d landed herself earlier that day. Her stomach growled in confirmation, and she cringed at the sound.

“Hungry?” Damien teased. But his joke wasn’t nearly as funny, given that his stomach growled even louder than Alice’s a moment later.

“Nah, you?” Alice grimaced. “Think Valentin’ll show us where to get food?”

“I don’t see why not.” Damien shrugged. “I’ll go ask him.”

Valentin had rented a room in the same hotel. It was down the hall, so he wouldn’t have overheard them talking about things that they shouldn’t know about.

Alice searched for street clothes in her bag while Damien went to ask Valentin for more touring guidance. She discovered a knee-length skirt and a shirt that went with it. She changed as quickly as she could. It took under two minutes, which was a personal record for her.

She hadn’t really taken the time to primp in what had seemed like years. Three years, to be exact. She hadn’t even primped much before then, but some expensive shampoo now and again was like a spa compared to the way she washed her hair now. In times of desperation, she just used the same old soap on her hair as she did on her skin.

Back when she’d appeared at least mildly presentable, she’d had Elizabeth’s expertise to take care of her. Sentimentality welled in her chest when she recalled Liz’s smiling face, her honey-blond hair, her dewy skin, the way she seemed small compared to everyone else but could still kick ass like nobody‘s business.

Liz’s training vacation in Japan had ended a few days ago, but she had no way of contacting Alice. She’d probably learned that she’d taken off to Egypt by now, but she had a pretty tight leash around her neck. The Demataxt knew full well that her power was something mystical, even for them. Not to mention the grudge Bael, the demon lord, still held against her.

Elizabeth had nearly killed him once with her sword, and probably wouldn’t hesitate in doing so again if the opportunity arose. Alice held nothing but respect and admiration for her centuries-old godmother. Not that the age showed, given that she was physically only three years older than Alice.

Somebody knocked on the door.

“Alice!” Damien’s voice called. “Let’s go. We get to bum a free meal off Valentin.”

Excited at this, Alice rushed out of the room. She hadn’t gotten anything for free in what felt like forever.

Damien and Valentin were both at the foot of the stairs that led down to the lobby. Damien hadn’t bothered to change. He’d merely taken off his Demataxt coat. Underneath it was a nondescript shirt that he’d most likely bought for five bucks at a department store years ago. Dark green pants of roughly the same quality covered the lower half of his body.

Valentin had dressed with significantly more style. He wasn’t wearing the Demataxt coat either. Jeans and a T-shirt adorned his body, fitting every limb and muscle perfectly. Alice felt underdressed in his presence.

“How’s your head?” He asked, startling her from her observations.

“It’s fine.” She said. She still couldn’t quite get over the fact that he was the infamous human son of Asmodeus. Looking at him, she would never have been able to tell. He looked nothing like a demon. But then again, Damien didn’t either. If she wasn’t a mage, she’d never had suspected that they were anything but two studly humans.

“How’s your case coming along?” Valentin asked as they descended the stairs. “Any leads?”

Alice and Damien looked at each other. Damien’s mouth was pursed, and Alice knew that he was keeping back a smile. She bit the inside of her cheek to accomplish just that.

“We’re kind of stumped, actually.” Damien lied. “Nothing in the file suggests any probable hiding places.”

“And I haven’t picked up on any traces of witch magic since I’ve been here.” Alice added.

“Maybe she left the country.” Valentin shrugged. Damn, he was sneaky.

“Not likely.” Damien said. “Nobody crosses borders without our sensors picking it up.”

“Sensors?” Valentin asked.

“Well, the Demataxt can’t actually prohibit people from crossing borders,” Alice explained, “But they can set up sensor barriers that send signals to the mage that put them there if they are transgressed without being put on record.”

“And how do you put it on record?” Valentin pressed.

“Once a person gives their name and identification, they are given a pass.” Damien said. “The pass works only once, like a ticket. It keeps the person hidden from the sensor when they go through it.”

“I see.” Valentin said thoughtfully. “That‘s a pretty clever system.”

They hadn’t been lying to him. They really had just given him all the answers that he’d needed if he wanted to flee the country. All he had to do was figure out which slips of paper were passes, which would be extremely easy. Then he’d just have to steal some and he would be free to cross as many sensors as he pleased.

“So what are we eating tonight?” Alice asked. Her stomach growled in accompaniment.

“If we’re lucky, Thai curry.” Valentin said.

“Thai curry?” Alice gaped. “In Egypt?”

“There’s lots of immigrants here.” Valentin explained. “They heard about the mummies’ curse, so they thought they could get protection that way.”

That explained it. It also made Alice feel a little guilty about the fact that she had a Demataxt coat lying in her suitcase. True she wasn’t wearing it now, but the fact remained that she was an agent, and it would always be her job to oppress people for all the wrong reasons.

“I guess Egypt is like the new U.S.” Damien mused out loud. “What with the immigration and all.”

“You wouldn’t have expected that five years ago.” Alice added. It was shocking, really. In three short years, the Demataxt had taken political control of nearly every part of the world. Alice decided that she might as well enjoy the last bit of human freedom that she could.

Hopefully the Thai food that had been promised her would be good.