Jacques shrugged. I have never seen anything like it. He, too, was struggling to focus on the inert form.
The other guard, a normal human, shook his head.
How did he get in? I asked Raquel.
Sheheit was wearing Denise.
Denise from zombie duty? Denise was a werewolf whose main job was zombie cleanup. I never went on zombie missionsno glamours, so anyone could do it. Plus they werent ever hard to pinpoint, although agents had a heck of a time covering it up with the terrified locals. Just another service of IPCA: keeping the world blissfully unaware that most of the supernatural beings of myth are, in fact, real.
Yes. Itit as Denisecalled for a pickup. The zombie was a false alarm. I saw them as they came out of the faerie door. Denise turned and knocked Fehl, the faerie, back through. I pushed my panic button and went to confront her when she punched me and grabbed my communicator.
How did he know where your office was?
Sheheran into Jacques and pretended to be dizzy, asked for help getting here.
Jacques shuffled his feet, embarrassed. How should we neuter it?
He wasnt talking about literally neutering it. Yuck. Neuter is just our little term for rendering a paranormal harmless. Werewolves get tracking bracelets with massive amounts of sedatives set automatically for the full moons. Vamps get the holy water bracelets. Faeries are easy once you know their true names, since they have to obey whatever you tell them to do when you use it at the start of your command. Well, easyish, since they always seem to find little ways to work around their strict boundaries. Never underestimate faerie ingenuity for deliberately misinterpreting commands.
Sheheran into Jacques and pretended to be dizzy, asked for help getting here.
Jacques shuffled his feet, embarrassed. How should we neuter it?
He wasnt talking about literally neutering it. Yuck. Neuter is just our little term for rendering a paranormal harmless. Werewolves get tracking bracelets with massive amounts of sedatives set automatically for the full moons. Vamps get the holy water bracelets. Faeries are easy once you know their true names, since they have to obey whatever you tell them to do when you use it at the start of your command. Well, easyish, since they always seem to find little ways to work around their strict boundaries. Never underestimate faerie ingenuity for deliberately misinterpreting commands.
Raquel frowned. I dont know. Just use the standard volt/sedative combo. When we know more about what it is, well find something with more finesse.
Jacques pulled out an ankle tracker. He looked hesitant to touch the thing and shook his head. I can barely see it. Where is the leg?
Raquel and the two guards frowned as their vision slid around the figure on the floor. I sighed. I can see his leg. Ill do it. I held out my hand and Jacques, relieved, gave me the tracker. Kneeling down, I paused, nervous. Would my hands go right through him, like plunging into cold water? But he had to be corporeal, otherwise Tasey wouldnt have worked. Suppressing a shudder, I put my hand on his ankle.
He was solid. His skin was warm and as smooth as glassbut no glass had ever been this soft.
Weird, I muttered, activating the ankle tracker with my finger, then fastening it. It took the selfadjust mechanism several tries before it sealed around his ankle. He twitched as the sensors jabbed in but didnt wake up.
I stood, still feeling his warmth on my hand. Well, thats that. And Im not carrying him to Containment, if thats what you were gonna ask next. Youll be able to feel him even if you cant see him. Besides, dudes nakedIm not touching him again.
I held back a laugh at the looks on the guards faces. They reached out like they would get burned, grabbed Water Boy, and carried him out of the room.
Id better find out what happened to Denise. And Fehl, too. Raquel gave her best why is it always me that has to deal with these things sigh (one I was well familiar with at this point), then patted me on the shoulder. Good work, Evie. I dont know what would have happened if you hadnt found it.
Justkeep me in the loop on this one, okay? Hes the weirdest thing Ive ever seen. I want to know whats up.
She smiled, a tight, noncommittal smile that I knew meant not a chance, then picked her communicator up off the desk. I walked out, seriously bugged. IPCA had a tendency not to tell me much more than where they needed me to be and what I needed to do. Screw that. I skipped my room and headed straight for Containment. If she wasnt going to keep me informed, Id just have to inform myself. I palmed the door and walked into the long, brilliantly lit cell-lined corridor.
My gremlin buddy from before was snarling and jumping at the electric field just inside the six inches of Plexiglas that lined its cell. Each time it hit the field, it yelped and flew backward, only to start the whole thing over again. Gremlins? Not smart.
Jacques wasnt too far down the hall. Wrapping my arms around myself, I hurried toward him. I was always cold in the Center, but Containment was downright frigid. Jacques stood there, a disturbed look on his face as he stared into a cell. I turned and my jaw dropped in surprise. There was