Pain Stones (Coalescence Book 2) Read online

  “I can help with that? Benjamin needs a communications unit, doesn’t he?”

  They spoke about that kind of thing for a bit, as if it were all very real. Then, almost as if she were eager to go and play with her new magical palace, Elsa waved at them.

  “I should get home then? I’m invited to the party?”

  Will winked at her.

  “You still have a room here, even. I’m just going to be out most of the time for a while, I bet. Aunt Taman will want me to do some kind of project or training. She’s taking that part very seriously. I will learn to be a builder. Or else.”

  Which was true. It had been enough that, for the last while, the stress of it had actually affected her behavior.

  They spoke gently for a while, though he avoided contact with her. That got noticed, though he also made a point of dropping hints about marriage, twice. It wasn’t a horrible idea, if she were what and who, she seemed. Willum actually liked her and everything, which was better than many got, as far as a life partner.

  After she vanished into the node, using the red hut outside his door, everyone else there smiled at him broadly. Except Timon, who was just nodding.

  Alphonse pounded him on the back, and Sara grinned like it was her upcoming wedding that was being hinted at.

  The giant man, who was over nine feet tall, cleared his throat.

  “Sorry there, Willum. I didn’t get all of that at first. There’s some kind of other world thing at play, isn’t there? You had to do things differently and I nearly ruined that for you, acting like you were being a Doretta like that.”

  He rolled his eyes a bit and then shook his head.

  “Elsa can read minds when she makes contact with people. Everything they’ve ever thought or felt is open to her on contact. It’s… She might be working with the enemy. I don’t have any proof of that. She might also just be what she seems. There’s some evidence, but…”

  Not waiting, he listed off everything that he’d noticed, including the baked goods that had no real reason to be delivered in the first place, and the timing issues of the last attack. Also a few other small things that he’d noticed. Then Willum shook his head.

  “Which could all mean nothing at all. Even the clearing that had been done by Demon Zack might just be honest. He claimed that she was pretty much what she’d said. That there were a few things she hadn’t mentioned, but Elsa hadn’t gotten up at arms over that, when he’d mentioned it.”

  Tim Baker sucked air in through his nose, the pattern coming off of him frenetic and very, very clear. Both at the same time.

  “There just isn’t enough information to tell what’s going on there. That it might be happenstance that you met her is a little bit off, but not impossible at all. I get the idea here, however. About the party.”

  It was interesting, since everyone suddenly nodded. Even the new people.

  Sara seemed pleased by the idea.

  “That one is pretty good, given the new information, isn’t it? If Elsa is what she seems, then it’s a good excuse to win her over for that marriage. You could do worse than a line walker. Plus, she’s not hard on the eyes…” The woman smiled at him, her face showing dimples that hadn’t been there the last time she’d done that. “At the same time, if we come under a massive attack, since everyone will want to be there for your big day, then that might be a sign that she isn’t what she seems. In which case… Well, that would be a breakthrough, if we manage it correctly.”

  No one needed her to explain that part of things.

  The trick, of course, would be in managing things after that, if it were a real problem. Or even if he were simply going to have a relationship with the woman. Having her know everything about him every time they touched might not be that comfortable for her. Learning to get around that was probably important, given that.

  Even if they were just going to be friends. Not that knowing what he was thinking was that big of a deal, but he was a spy, like it or not. That meant he might, in the future, end up knowing things that would be dangerous for others to suddenly find out about.

  Now there was a real problem, since he had no idea how to get around that kind of thing at all. Just quieting his mind could work, as far as common telepathy went. Even at that, someone like Cindy from the IPB or Christian Pours, could move right past that and take data from him. Almost anything, if they did it right. Even things that he didn't know he knew. The Greater Demons seemed to have that kind of power as well, by their nature.

  It was a pain, but something would have to be done to get around that sort of ability. Really, now that it came up, even people like Cindy or Zack being able to do that to him was too dangerous. There had to be millions of individuals that could do that to him, in all the different realities. More than that, possibly. The fewer who could strip his mind, the safer his people would be.

  Shrugging, he smiled at the others.

  “It probably isn’t that large of an issue. Which means I better have a decently nice party set up this time, doesn’t it? Something a bit smaller than the last one?”

  That was up for argument. Timon agreed with him, but Karina seemed to think that going large would allow them to hide guards and fighters in the crowd more easily, just in case there was a problem.

  Slowly, everyone else followed him back home. Just following along with him, as if they were expected.

  They didn’t move back inside, just speaking out front of his tower, the black stone of the thing looming behind them. It was a bit sinister, he had to admit. Like its very presence was an omen, signaling that something wicked was coming. The trees surrounding them, which were mainly fruit of various kinds, scented the air. There was a warm breeze, which tickled across his skin.

  Finally, as he appreciated the world for a moment, a bird call got him to move slightly. As he did that, Timon clapped, making him jump slightly. It was almost certainly done on purpose. That was the sense coming off of the man, who wanted him to be alert and not lost in thought.

  “We’ll set these things up, then? If nothing else, we should try to impress our new friend. Elsa is a pretty name, isn’t it?” He glanced at Willum, who simply nodded about it.

  “I like it. She picked it herself, I hear.”

  The others thought that was funny, for some reason, but left, heading out through the transport hut. Leaving Willum all alone again. That part was fine, since he had places to go and things to do. The big one was learning to block mind reading from powerful people. First though, he needed to get with Lancaster and Marcia Turner, if that was doable.

  First, he showered. Being clean was important in life in general and even more so in the IPB reality. Many of them had very keen noses. Doing less than his best that way would be potentially insulting to them, given that.

  Then he had a complete meal, eating it in the kitchen. For the last several days he’d been nibbling, but not filling up like he should have. The alterations made to his system meant that Will needed a lot of food each day. Every single day he stinted would mean losing a few pounds. After less than a week, that would start to show on his frame. So he made a point of having more just then, in case he needed to go without for a good reason at some point.

  Finally, after filling up, getting clean again, and changing into proper IPB attire, he moved across realities to his other place. The IPB main base. There was a sense of things being familiar to him, as he did it. A bit like returning home. That was strange, given that he really hadn’t lived there all that long. A few months. Many of the people there were his close friends, even given that.

  The place was a lot like how he’d left it. For instance, it was dark outside. More to the point, the sun seemed to just be coming up on the horizon. It was also raining, which meant hurrying around the building, to go inside the office. Given the time of day he really didn’t expect to find anyone there at all, but that was incorrect, as it turned out.

  The place was filled with bodies. They all seemed tense, as well. Dressed up fo
r the day in work attire, for the most part, which meant something big was going on.

  Before he could figure out what was happening, Marcia Turner saw him, and waved for him to follow her into the large conference room, talking as they moved. She was dressed, much like he was, in a tan military style outfit with tan colored boots on their feet. Both of them had their names over the left breast pocket and IPB written on the sleeve.

  “You’re up on the situation here?”

  “No. I just got in. What’s the sit-rep?” Back home he would have been calling for a situation report, using the whole words, but it meant the same thing. Not that he had a right to know what was going on.

  Turner gave it to him anyway, as they got into the conference room.

  “We have six class fives or better working as a team. As far as we can tell, they came in from France, for some reason. They took over the U.N. and are holding nearly two hundred ambassadors and their people hostage. At least one of them is capable of some form of matter transmutation. The main room they’re in keeps altering in composition, making it really hard to get inside.”

  Brian Yi was sitting at the table, speaking on a rather large device. A pad, rather than a cell phone. Willum had been around long enough to get that basic idea down.

  “Yes, Mr. President… We can get inside, but doing that will mean a fight, first thing. That, unfortunately will probably lead to deaths.” The features looked both like Human and Demon Zack, as well as like the man might have been from Vagus. His dark hair was short and straight, but his face seemed really concerned.

  From the device, a voice that Will didn’t recognize at all spoke. He had a heavy accent, though it seemed to fit with the world they were in.

  “We can’t be responsible for the deaths of U.N. ambassadors… It would be better if we let the attackers do that part, if we can’t find another way.”

  Will made a face, then tilted his head to the left. The pieces fell into place for him, after a few seconds. It was something he’d heard of, rather than knew of first hand. A thing that clicked in his head, causing him to nod a bit. The voice speaking to him was, interestingly enough, that of Avery Rome.

  “We… need the S.R.R.”

  Everyone turned to look at him, since his voice was loud enough. It was the strange sounding fellow on the computer who glanced over at him however.

  “You got something? Spit it out. I’m open to pretty much anything at this point.”

  He nodded, knowing that Turner would probably want him to keep his mouth shut.

  “In a different reality, they have a special organization, called the S.R.R. Search-Rescue-Recovery. They use teleportation and magic to get people back in cases like this. I happen to know the woman who started it. In fact…” He glanced to the side then. “She’s that world’s version of Brian Yi. So we have an in there, that might allow us to get their help. I can ask about it, if… I don’t know if that’s allowed. I’m working with her on a different project. We’d need pictures and names, I think?” How they did it wasn’t certain, but Willum could have found the right people with less.

  He just couldn’t teleport anyone. They needed the right team for that.

  If the President wanted to risk that kind of thing at all. It didn’t seem likely, from the expression on the faces of the people there. Turner looked annoyed, and felt that way as well. It wasn’t directed at Will though, he noticed. Bridget, across the room, was doubtful enough for the idea to spread and Brian seemed to think that no one in their government would allow aliens to save the day. Even in secret.

  The man on the screen nodded.

  “Can you put that together? My people here will get them what they need, if they’re willing to help us. I don’t know how to pay them, but we’ll work that out.” He sounded hard, instead of slightly baffled then.

  “On it, sir. Though… Can we get pictures of the attackers as well?” He didn't know if that would work, but the man laughed. Clearly he got the basic idea.

  “Oh… I like that. Let me see what we can take off of the cameras? Get that set, Kellianne…”

  Turner waved at him then, since they had something to do now, it seemed.

  “Go. I wouldn’t have thought of that one, I have to admit. How we pay for this, I don’t know… Still, we’ll work out something, like he said.”

  Standing, he ran, only to find that he was followed by two people that had been in the room working. One of them was, of course, Bridget Chambers. The other, when he looked behind him, wasn’t Brian Yi or Marcia Turner at all, but was rather Doug Tibs.

  The man was the second in command there, Will thought. A powerful being, but also one who had been changed by Uncle Timon to be better looking. Honestly, he seemed nearly like he was Will’s brother as far as appearance went. If they told people that, no one would doubt it being the simple truth.

  The man was intending to beg passage at the hut, but Willum just took his arm, passing him and then Bridget to Gwen Harrison’s world. It was night time there as well. Willum focused on holding the bend in space he was using open as they all moved up the cobbled path to the front door of the large home. Without doing anything to indicate the change, he made his hair turn orange, along with his eyes, and turned his disguise amulet on. It wasn’t until he’d pressed the buzzer to alert the people inside and the door opened that he realized that he was supposed to have black hair and brown eyes there.

  The man who opened the door wasn’t old or anything. He seemed thin, and fit enough, but otherwise relatively normal. He seemed a bit taken aback to see who was there, but his eyes lingered on the outfits, more than anything else.

  “Good evening. May I help you?” He seemed concerned, but not scared, really. A bit of fear came from him, but the man was ready to fight them, if he had to.

  Willum bowed, not knowing if that would mean anything at all there. The man managed to do it back easily enough.

  Then he spoke, trying to sound like a native there, but also being as efficient as he possibly could.

  “Yes. We’re from another reality. We have a hostage situation. Dignitaries from other lands in that world have been taken by individuals that hold great powers. They, the attackers, seem bent on killing them all, to make a point. We’ve come to request the aid of the S.R.R.” Willum was about to offer to pay for their time, but the man in front of them waved them in, and ran then.

  “To the telestator! Gwen is away at the Westmorland base, helping with training there. Her friend Bethany Westmorland recently had a child, so she’s using that as an excuse to be near her, I think. We need…” The man scurried as he moved, and snagged a black leather bound book from a table, next to the array of silver globes on sticks. That, the spheres on a table, were all that the room seemed to hold. Opening the book with one hand, he tried to tap at a button then place his right hand on the metal ball in the middle of the array, there were five of them in all.

  That meant the book dropped, or tried to.

  Bridget took it from the air as it fell, and spoke rapidly, her voice high pitched.

  “What page do you need?”

  The man didn’t even blink at her, just nodding.

  “Adam Westmorland, Westmorland Central…”

  The code for that was delivered after no more than a few seconds, a voice interrupting as Bridget spoke.

  “Telestator Operator, how may I help you this evening?” The voice sounded professional and a bit bland for it, but the man spoke, his voice smooth.

  “This is Baron Tomas Harrison. Calling for Adam Westmorland or a representative.” Then he looked at Bridget, which got her to read the code off again.

  The voice, which seemed to come from the air itself, was clipped then. Hurried and matching what the Baron had just sounded like.

  “One moment. I’m putting you through.”

  Then they waited. About two or three minutes later a new voice came at them. This one sounding old and distinctly male.

  “Baron Harrison? Is there an emergen
cy?”

  Tomas nodded, glancing at the others.

  “Yes. There seems to be an issue in another reality? Hostages taken. They’re requesting the S.R.R. to aid them. I don’t know how to make that work. I was going to connect with Gwen, but this might seem a bit more official, if it comes from another direction.”

  “Understood. I have the codes right here. How do we transport them to this other world? I don’t think any of the operatives can do that one, as of yet. Gwen can, but as you mentioned, we might wish to do this in another fashion. They need the win, I think, without their hands being held.”

  Willum bowed again, even if no one could see him doing it.

  “I’ll take them? I’m holding a node point open here right now. In front of the Baron’s dwelling. Is that going to work? We can find a natural one, if we need to travel to these people first.”

  Will had let his accent shift, to the same one that he’d used on the telesar program, not too long before. It was a bit different than what the Baron sounded like. Gwen’s hour, or whatever it had been called. No one seemed to think that was odd or anything, except for Bridget, who looked up at him, still holding the book with the code in it. She seemed a bit bemused with him.

  The man on the phone, or more likely, magical speaking device given the world they were in, sounded positive about that at least.

  “Excellent. I need to get off the line to set this up. You’re at Harrison house at the moment?” That was, apparently, for the Baron, since none of the rest of them would know that kind of thing.

  It was a house, and the Harrisons lived there. Other than that, Willum didn't know enough to make any claims as for the name. That kind of thing varied, even inside of Noram. He lived in the Black Tower, but Uncle Timon lived at Tim’s Palace. The man at the device answered firmly, however.

  “That’s correct. Thank you, Mr. Westmorland. I’ll await your return call or that of whomever you send next.”

  The line broke suddenly, which was probably a good sign. The man, Tomas, stood back, removing his hand from the device in front of him.