Still My Ward - an Urbis Arcana short story (Revised)
Ever since moj_oduvan4ik offered to translate my short stories in exchange for translating her novella, I have been looking at Urbis Arcana stories I've posted already. They were written back in 2011 (if not earlier) and I wanted to clean them up a bit before sending them off for translation, maybe make some changes.
In some cases, I barely changed anything at all. But there are other stories when I decided to change something more fundamental, and Still My Ward was one of them.
I found myself thinking back to some of the changes noelct suggested back when I posted the earlier version. At the time, I dismissed them, feeling that they wouldn't work. But a year and a half later, a lot of them started to make sense. So I found myself making changes. And more changes. And even more changes. And, after I heard back from one of my betas, I wound up making more changes still. But, hopefully, the story will be better because of it.
I'm going to leave the earlier version up for the time being, but, for the purposes of Urbis Arcana continuity, this is the "official" version. Until I decide to change it again...
As before, I would like to to thank mysticowl and noelct for helping with the plot of the initial version, phoenix_anew and randirogue for betaing the earlier version, noelct (again) for inspiring this version and Bethany betaing it.
As always, comments, critique and feedback are very much encouraged
Still My Ward
(an Urbis Arcana short story)
May 16, 2008
1st Ward, Chicago
It was a pretty slow day at the 1st Ward offices when one of the most powerful wizards in Chicago walked in.
You’d in never guess it just by looking at her. In fact, I’d willing to bet that most of the people at the office pegged Sumitra Laungani as one of the “hip young professionals” that pretty much replaced young artist types as stereotypical Wicker Parkers. But if you were in the know about magic, you’d notice a faint glow of her aura tinged with telltale wizadly green-and-blue edge.
Since most of the staff was very much non-magical, they just saw a woman casual business pants and blouse combo she complimented with a stylish black jacket, a colorful scarf and bracelets dangling around her wrists. Rectangular glasses with thick black frames perched atop of a large, hooked nose. She had a long, angular chin and long jet-back hair parted off to the side. When she saw me, she smiled, and Eddie the Intern blushed and looked away.
“Dan,” Sumitra said after giving me a brief hug. “It’s been a while. I’m glad you could see me on such short notice.”
“Not a problem. If the head of the Special Research Group wants to see me in person, it has to be important. Come on, let’s step into my office.”
‘My office’ was little more than a portion of the first floor space sectioned off with drywall. It had room for two people, a shelf, and not much else. What can I say - being Alderman Salgado’s Chief of Staff has its perks.
In you’re like most Chicagoans, Sumitra’s title wouldn’t mean anything. The city bureaucracy is notoriously bloated, to the point where even some aldermen have trouble keeping everything straight. But for us magic-aware types, SRG is a big deal. It’s the city’s way of tackling paranormal threats - or anything that might turn into a paranormal threat somewhere down the line. And out of all the wizards of city payroll, no one had quite as much raw power and the skill to use it as Sumitra. There is some debate about who is the most powerful magic user in the greater Chicagoland, but Sumitra is definitely in the top ten.
“So,” I said as settled behind my desk. “What can I do for you?”
“It’s about the Latin Kings.”
I nearly bolted from my chair.
“They’re in the 1st Ward?” I asked, trying to keep panic out of my voice.
A lot of First Warders only know Latin Kings from the news. But I’ve talked to enough “old-times” to know what it was like to have one of the Chicago’s largest street gangs on your block.
“Earlier this morning, we intercepted a shipment of enchanted semi-automatic weapons,” Sumitra’s voice was all business. “I have no idea how Latin Kings got their hands them, but they already know a few things about magic, so… Anyway, we got one truck, but another one managed to sneak through. We tracked it down to Kennedy…”
“What exit?”
“Somewhere between Division and Diversey,” Sumitra said.
That covered a decent chunk of this ward. Damn it.
“McKenzie ran the odds,” Sumitra continued, “and she’s pretty sure that they stashed them in Lathrop Homes.”
I breathed a sign of relief - and immediately felt guilty.
Most of 1st Ward covered the Northwest Side neighborhoods that were either pretty damn gentrified or getting there. That’s what most people think our ward is. But they tend to overlook a small section on the other side of the Chicago River, which wraps neatly around Lathrop Homes.
Julia C. Lathrop Homes is one of the oldest public housing developments in Chicago. When it was built, the neighborhood was pretty industrial. Since then, the factories gave way to condos and big box stores, while Lathrop Homes remained the same. Everybody keeps expecting the Chicago Housing Authority to demolish it, but it hasn’t happened yet. For now, it just sort of sits there while its neighbors hold their noses and tries to pretend Lathrop Homes don’t exist.
“Makes sense,” I thought aloud. “Latin Kings claim the section north of Diversey. There are plenty of places where they could stash the weapons.”
Sumitra nodded.
“Just so we’re clear,” I asked, “We’re talking about your basic ‘make my gun act like a movie-type gun’ enchantments?”
“Yep,” Sumitra replied. “Unlimited ammo, improbable aim, making everyone else shoot like Stormtroopers - the whole package.”
“And they put those things in Lathrop Homes…”
It’s very easy - way, way too easy - to just write everybody who lives in public housing off as druggies, gangsters and lazy bums. But I’ve met the people who lived there. I talked to them. And, honestly - most of them are just regular people trying to get by.
There are a lot of families in Lathrop. Families with children.
“Any chance Latin Kings already moved the weapons?” I asked.
“It’s possible,” Sumitra adjusted her glasses. “But I doubt it. Judging by the trail, they got the weapons from a sweatshop. The enchantments are crude, and they were hammered in with all the subtlety you’d expect from overworked, unskilled mages. Right now, they are bleeding energy all over the place. So long as they are inside a building, they’re shielded, and Latin Kings know it. Or at least we assume they know it. They’ll probably hide them for a few days, wait for the enchantments to settle in. Maybe even send one of their mages to contain the energy properly.”
“No reason to wait,” I thought aloud.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Sumitra nodded. “I’m planning to launch a raid on Latin King section of Lathrop Homes at around 6:00 PM. I’d start sooner, but I need to get everyone in place and…”
“…Notify the local alderman,” I said. It was an old tradition, so old it was practically a legal requirement. “Consider him notified. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have any objections - he wouldn’t want enchanted weapons in his ward any more than we do. And if anything goes wrong… We’ll try our best to protect you. Anything else?”
“Two things, actually.”
“Oh?”
“First - we’ll be entering Latin King territory. Our caster badges are supposed to give us all the authority we need, but we both know that it’s not going to work that way. We could use some of yours.”
Every physical structure has built-in magical resistance. It’s nothing most people need to worry about, but for magically sensitive types like Sumitra and I, it becomes a barrier. It dulls our powers, making every spell harder to pull off. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, whoever lives there gets a power boost. In his own apartment, even the weakest mage can fight Sumitra to a standstill.
You can push back against the barriers, but it takes a lot of power. Real-world authority gives you a nice shortcut. So long as you can legitimately claim any authority over the area, you push back against the barriers without spending much energy, and it gives a nice boost to your spells and the spells of everyone you work with.
“I’d be happy to,” I said, “But wouldn’t having the alderman himself be better?”
“Maybe,” Sumira said, “but he doesn’t have any combat experience. You do.”
At first, I thought I misheard
“Wait - what?”
“See… that’s the other thing I wanted to ask you,” Sumitra adjusted her posture. “I need a good shield mage. We have no idea where Latin Kings are going to be hiding. We have no idea if they’re waiting for us. I need someone who can put up good shields, and quickly. Someone who knows the area.”
“I don’t know it that well,” I interjected.
“You know it better than any of my people,” Sumitra replied. “And you have enough authority to weaken the barriers. At least I hope you do…”
“The alderman trusts me,” I thought aloud. “So long as he agrees to let me do it on his behalf, we should be fine… But you have to understand - it’s been years since I’ve been in the field. And even then, Rada usually contracted me for behind-the-scenes security type things. Are you sure I wouldn’t be a liability?”
Sumitra shook her head slightly.
“You might not have as much experience as the others,” she said, “but I know you’ll try your damnest to keep everybody safe. Even if you don’t have enough power or the right spells, you would still try.”
Her voice quivered for a moment, and I remembered a young girl crouching in the alley as my shields took hit after hit. The patterns tensed and vibrated, and I kept pulling whatever power I could get. I had no idea what that creature was, or why he wanted a lost, scared girl so badly, but I knew that if I failed, she would die.
“Gee, Sumitra…” I said. “When you put it like that...”
She smiled a little.
“So, are you in?”
Was I?
Going into the field meant getting shot at. If something happened to me… Toshi would lose a father. Dani would be devastated. And Jas… we’ve bee friends for most of our lives… And my parents…
“Listen, Dan,” Sumitra said gently. “I’m not asking you to come back full-time. It’s just one mission. One quick mission and you can go home.” She studied my face. “But if you really don’t want to do it…”
I considered it… but only for a moment.
“No, it’s fine,” I said. “This is important. If we don’t find the weapons, people will die. I don’t even want to imagine how many. I’d be happy to help.”
At the end of the day, there was never really a question. Yes, it was dangerous, and yeah, I wasn’t as young as I used to be, but I’ve seen far too much to turn away.
Besides, it’s not like risking my life was new. When I first started working for SRG, Toshi was already born, for God’s sake.
I’d just have to make sure my defenses are absolutely flawless.
No pressure, no pressure at all.
“Thank you, Dan,” Sumitra smiled warmly. “I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” I said. “This operation could still go to hell in so many different ways… But I’m going to do my best not to let it happen.”
“I know,” said Sumitra, “That’s all I ask.” Then, she added. “Listen, if you need anything from our vaults…”
“No, I’m fine,” I shrugged it off. “Got my shields, a magic gun - that should take care of everything.”
Sumitra nodded.
“We’re going to be staging the raid from the CHA administrative building parking lot,” she said, “You know where it is?”
“Yeah, the corner of Clybourn and Diversey,” I ran through my schedule. “You say you’re going to start the operation at 6:00 PM?”
“At the latest,” Sumitra replied. “Can you get there by 5:30?”
“Give or take six minutes. The traffic won’t be doing me any favors.”
“I might be able to help you with that.”
I did a double take, “You can magic away rush hour?”
Sumitra smirked.
“No promises.”
---
The next few hours were a blur. I checked with the staff, just to make sure we were on the top of things. On paper, aldermen were little more than ward representatives in the City Council. But, like so many things in Chicago, tradition has more weight than any written law. The old aldermanic dynasties have been losing offices left and right, but people still expect their aldermen to be able to help them with anything from power outages to annoying neighbors upstairs. And we have to try our best to help.
Once I was sure everything was on track, I touched base with Alderman Solgado. He was happy to give me his blessings.
“Those bastards made my childhood hell,” he told me. “If there’s anything I can do to help, just tell me.”
Then, I began my preparations.
It’s been a while since I placed defensive enchantments on a business suit, but you know what they say about riding bicycles and all that. They would only last for two hours or so, but that should be more then enough. My first thought was to make simple bulletproof enchantments, but I quickly decided against it. Once deflected, bullets will still keep going, and when you’re in an apartment building or even a courtyard, chances are that they will hit something soft and fleshy.
So I created something more complex. Once the bullets come within a few inches of the fabric, the enchantments would leech their kinetic energy and they would just fall away harmlessly. The kinetic energy would feed the enchantments, so the more I got shot, the stronger they would become.
So long as it didn’t take too much energy at once, I’d be fine.
As the enchantments settled and cooled, I walked back to my desk opened the bottom drawer. Hidden inside was something that looked like a blue toy gun, the kind you could buy at any dollar store.
Until you say the code word.
Basically, it’s kind of like a wand. I’ve never been very good with offensive magic, so I commissioned a handy little tool that channels my power and did all the hard work of casting attack spells for me.
Hopefully, I wouldn’t need to use it.
I tucked the gun in the inside coat pocket. That was it. I was ready to go.
But, once again, I had second thoughts. My authority should be enough to push back against the barriers. But, in a situation like this, I wanted to take away any advantage Latin Kings had.
And for that, I needed the authority from someone Lathrop residents trusted. Someone who’s been fighting for better - well, everything - since before I was born.
Someone probably wasn’t too happy with me at the moment.
I picked up the office phone, took a deep breath and dialed.
One ring. Two Rings. Three rings. Maybe she wouldn’t pick up and…
“This is Gina Thompson, President of Lathrop Homes’ Local Advisory Council. How may I help you?”
Well, no backing out now.
“Mrs. Thompson. This is Dan Masterson, Alderman Salgado’s Chief of Staff. How are you today?”
“I’m good,” she responded curtly. “What is this about, Mr. Masterson?”
Mrs. Thompson had a few run-ins with the supernatural. She wasn’t completely initiated, but she knew enough to understand what was at stake. I didn’t have to lie to her.
“We’ve received credible reports that Latin Kings are using Lathrop Homes to stash enchanted semi-automatic weapons. SRG is on its way to secure them, but they are worried about the barriers…”
“So they asked you to talk to me?”
“Not quite,” I said. “I wanted to talk to you. They just asked me to lower the barriers. But I don’t think I can lower them without your help.”
“Is that right?” Mrs. Thompson chuckled dryly. “You need my help. Now, where have I heard that before?”
And there was the part I’ve been dreading. Last year, Alderman Salgado was up for reelection. It was a pretty close race - so close that a few hundred voters at Lathrop were enough to make a difference for once.
Alderman Salgado went down to Lathrop himself, talking to people, promising that, if he’s elected, he’d be their voice in the City Council. He promised resolutions that would expand job opportunities, relieve overcrowded schools - things Mrs. Thompson has been trying to get done for decades. And I was there, coordinating volunteers, making sure we talked to as many people as possible.
We won by just enough votes to avoid a run-off. And 380 of those votes came from Lathrop Homes.
“No answer?” Mrs. Thompson said. “Can’t say I’m surprised. Used to be that, when I called, you picked up the phone right away, but now, I’m lucky to get one of your interns. And all those things you promised… I don’t know why I’m surprised, I honestly don’t.”
I could tell Mrs. Thompson that Alderman Salgado was just one of the 50 aldermen, and there was only so much they could do. That the ward office can only respond to so many calls at the time. That, when there are pressing issues, things tend to get lost in the shuffle.
But that sounded hollow, even to me.
So instead, I said:
“You have every right to be angry, Mrs. Thompson. I could tell you all the reasons why things didn’t happen the way we promised, but… let’s be honest here. We could have done more. We should have done more. We should have tried harder, but we didn’t.”
“Damn right you could have,” Mrs. Thompson’s voice was still harsh.
“I can’t speak for the alderman, but I can tell you - I’m sorry.”
For about a minute, there was nothing. I waited patiently. Finally, Mrs. Thompson said.
“You put me in a tough position, Mr. Masterson. I don’t want any of those cursed weapons anywhere near Lathrop. But I don’t like the thought of a bunch of strangers coming in, looking for somebody to arrest. It’s too easy for innocent people to get caught up.”
“I understand, Mrs. Thompson,” I said. Maybe not as personally as she did, but I read their studies. “But I’ve known SRG Executive Director Laungami for years. I can assure you that she is not interesting in arresting anybody if she doesn’t have to. She just wants to get the weapons out of Lathrop Homes quickly and safely. If everything goes well, you’ll barely know they were there.”
Another long pause.
“Alright, Mr. Masterson. I don’t quite trust you. Not yet. But I am going to give you a benefit of the doubt. Please don’t make me regret it.”
A surge of power rushed through the phone line and into my city ID. I had the key to the barriers.
Sometimes, you need a complicated incantation to pull off a magic ritual. But sometimes, all you need are the right words - and the right intent.
“I won’t,” I breathed a sigh of relief. That was enough. More than enough.
Technically, I could have said my goodbyes and left it at that. But after this conversation, I knew I couldn’t do it quite yet.
“Is there anything else, Mr. Masterson?” Mrs. Thompson interrupted my thoughts.
“There is, actually,” I said. “I know our office hasn’t been very…responsive.”
“To say the least,” Mrs. Thompson noted dryly.
“I want to do something about it,” I flipped through the schedule on my desk. “I will talk to the alderman, but he should be able to meet with you… How about next Thursday, at around 4:00 PM?”
“What would the meeting be about, exactly?”
“We’d like to hear from you. We want to discuss the most urgent issues facing Lathrop Homes right now. Now, I can’t promise we’ll be able to address everything, but I’d like to at least name some headway.”
“How do I know he’ll actually listen?” Mrs. Thompson asked.
“I’ll talk to him,” I said. “He trusts me. And I can always remind him that it’s not a good idea to ignore constituents that helped elect him.”
“And in return?”
“Nothing.”
This time, the pause fell different.
“Why are you doing this, Mr. Masterson?” Mrs. Thompson asked, her voice warmer than before.
“Because Lathrop Homes are in our ward,” I said. “It’s pretty easy to forget it, but they are still in our ward. It’s about time we started acting like it.” Then, I added. “I know you’re worried that I won’t follow through, so let me give you my cell phone number. Feel free to bug me every waking hour until you get results.”
I dictated it, repeating it just in case.
“I appreciate that, Mr. Masterson,” said Mrs. Thompson “Who knows - maybe something will actually come of this.”
“I hope so, Mrs. Thompson. I hope so.”
---
The local Chicago Housing Authority administrative building sat right at the tip of Clyborn/Diversey intersection. Its parking lot - and the only proper parking lot in Lathrop Homes - was right behind the building. Getting in and out was tricky during the regular hours. Knowing how badly traffic clogs Clyborn and Diversey during rush hour, I figured I might as well walk.
Besides, the ward office was only twenty minutes away.
When I got there, I saw that the parking lot was completely full. I wondered how Sumitra was going to stage a raid from that.
And then I realized that I was a moron.
The parking lot was charmed off. Of course it was charmed off. Sumitra wouldn’t want people accidentally stumbling on her people.
Resisting every instinct that screamed at me to walk away, that there was nothing to see here, I walked toward a very convincing beat-up Ford…
…And stepped right through.
“Dan!” Sumitra waved from across the lot. “Glad you could finally join us.”
“Hi, everyone.”
The parking lot actually did have a few cars. Most of them were black municipal vans with discrete Office of Special Events logos. There weren’t really a whole lot of people. Tristan Gibbons, Sumitra’s right-hand man, greeted me with a silent nod. A few grunt-level mages I didn’t recognize picked through the gear. Lily McKenzie and Christina Olsen, SRG’s strongest fate readers, set up shop at a folding table covered with cards, mirrors and maps. Olsen was checking something on a laptop while McKenzie tossed a set of DnD dice and marked something with a pin.
Two figures stood near the only non-black car in the parking lot - a middle-aged man in a gray suit with a waistcoat and a slightly taller man dressed head-to-toe in white runner’s clothing and a long white trenchcoat. The older man had severe features and receding, graying hairline, and he was built like a boxer. The younger man had his face completely covered by a white mask, a hat and tinted goggles.
They were contractors, working often, but not exclusively, with SRG. And, after all we’ve been through, I’d recognize both of them anywhere.
“Kuzma,” I turned to the older mage. “I thought you said you’d never work for the city.”
“Masterson,” He sounded the way he usually sounded when talking to me - pointedly bored. “You are here. And still chattering.”
Kuzma Ozyorski was a gun mage - a combat mage who focused his magical talent on firearms. Which, if you ask me, was kind of limiting, but he managed to survive for over fifty years, so what do I know?
“Oh, come now, Kuzma,” the man in white walked over, his voice coming through slightly muffled “I love Dan’s chatter. A nice contrast to the whole Man-With-No-Name thing you’re doing, don’t you think?”
“Tenoch,” I held out my hand. “I knew I could count on you.”
He took my hand and shook it
“Oh, believe me, Daniel - pleasure is all mine.”
Becoming a vampire tends to bring out a person’s innermost urges. Some develop a taste for orgies and murders, but Tenoch, who’s been buying comic books since he was eight, saw his transformation as a chance to become a superhero.
The costume wasn’t just for show. His breed of vampires could function just fine during the day - so long as the sunlight didn’t touch his skin.
“So…” I said to Tenoch. “Enchanted guns. Are you nervous?”
“I’m not looking forward to digging the bullets out,” he visibly winced under the mask. “But better me than a mortal, right?”
“Right,” I replied. “But I’ll see if I can cover you anyway.”
“Appreciate the thought, man, but no thanks. Save the energy for the ones who don’t have regeneration.”
“There is only so much you can regrow without fresh blood,” Kuzma said. “Don’t take pointless risks.”
“What, me?” Tenoch replied. “Never!”
“Alright, people!” Sumitra exclaimed. “Now that everybody is here, here’s the plan. Dan is going to lower the barriers, the enchanted weapons should show up on the fate map. McKenzie and Olsen - as soon as that happens, try to narrow down the location to a building. Once we have that, we can track them conventionally. Dan - can you drop the barriers on all the buildings at once?”
I already thought it over on my way there.
“There is this a gathering spot down in the court yard where we used to do voter outreach. It can work as a magic circle. Between the location and the symbolic significance, it should do the trick.”
Sumitra nodded.
“Alright. Kuzma, Tenoch - you’re with us. Gibbons, Travis - you are our trump cards. Be ready to move out on the second’s notice. McKenzie, Christina - keep the eye on the map and call us the second you have the odds for the location. Everybody else - spread out and seal off all the entry points, security protocol B8. Keep your eyes peeled for any magic user. If you spot on, report to Gibbons immediately. Everybody clear?”
A round of affirmatives echoed across the parking lot.
“Let’s move!”
And with that, we stepped out through the charms and walked to the courtyard, into a part of Chicago that might as well be another world.
---
Lathrop Homes were built during the Great Depression, before Modernism reduced public housing to plain, white boxes. Oh, they were still boxes, each one between 2 to 4 floors, but at least the architects tried to make them appealing.
The buildings were made of pleasantly shaded brown and red brick. White trimmings framed every doorway, and square patterns outlined the staircases and the corners of the buildings. And thanks to a beautification project a while back, a few buildings were decorated with colorful Aztec-themed mosaics.
There were no ugly burn marks, no chainlink-covered balconies. But a few windows have been boarded up, and I could spot the simple black five-pointed crown gang tags on the sides of several buildings.
North of Diversey, most of the buildings were built between Leavitt and Clybourn. They faced the sidewalks, forming a nice protective barrier around the courtyard. Steam rose out of the heat vents. Over on the southern edge of the courtyard, a group of kids was completely caught up in a soccer game. Their parents checked their watches nervously. The sun was setting, and nobody wanted their kids outside after dark.
None of them noticed us. Sumitra’s “we are average people, ignore us” spell took care of that. And I found myself looking on, fascinated. This is what their lives are like every day…
“Dan?” Sumitra asked.
“Right,” I turned my gaze forward. “This way.”
I led them a couple of feet north of the improvised soccer field, toward a cement circle with benches that roughly corresponded to cardinal directions and four small pillars closer to the middle. Enormous trees loomed around it, almost forming a circle of their own.
“Ofiget,” Kuzma said under his breath. “This does look perfect magic circle. Wonder who put it up.”
If Sumitra heard him, she decided not to respond.
“Are you ready, Dan?” she said.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
I walked into the circle and placed my city ID right in the middle. With my finger, I traced a simple circle around the benches, and another circle around the pillars. Then, inside the inner circle, I traced the rough outline of the ward map.
I gathered up the power and chanted.
“I am Daniel Masterson, of the First Ward of the City of Chicago. The law binds us, but sustains us. By the authority vested in me, I come fourth.”
I touched the ID and I felt the power coursing through it, the building’s individual barriers and the weaker, looser barrier of the Lathrop Homes itself. And I said the magic words.
“Please. We mean no harm.”
And the warm glow of Mrs. Thompson’s goodwill - tentative, hesitant goodwill - spread out in ripples, And as the waves spread out to the surrounding buildings, I could feel her sitting by the phone, her grandkids watching TV in the next room, waiting. Her soul blazed with fierce determination. Whatever happened, she would see it through.
And then, I heard a phone ring.
“Okay,” Sumitra responded quickly. “Great! Keep an eye on the fate map, watch for any potential disruption.” Then, to us. “The barrier is down, and we have the building.” She moved her hands over the side of her glasses. “There it is!” She gestured at the building at the northwestern corner of the courtyard. “Let’s see… Sightbeyondsight… Second floor, somewhere at the end of the building. We need to get closer.”
We ran out of the courtyard and out on Leavitt as Sumitra shouted into her phone:
“Kazim, Gabby, Irma- converge on Blocks 2815 - 2827 and seal them off ASAP! Containment protocol B2! Nobody gets in or out but us!”
If you looked up the building with Google maps, you’d see something resembling a blocky question mark. We run into the front yard, where the “question mark” bent.
The front yard wasn’t much to look at. Two trees rose out of a plate of worn, beat-up asphalt, shrouding parts of it in shadow. There were three entrances - one in the middle, two on the sides.
Sumitra glanced over the building again, scanning the second floor carefully.
“Second apartment from the middle staircase!” she practically spat out. “Tenoch, you’re on the roof. Kuzma, cover the yard. Dan - with me.”
She and I dashed into the central entrance. The walls were caked with decades of paint and graffiti, and lights flickered as we ran up the staircase. In the back of my mind, I made a note to check how much of the ward budget we could spend on building repairs.
On the second floor hallway, only one lamp was glowing steadily.
“Which side?” I whispered.
“Right,” Sumitra whispered back. “There are three people here. One has been exposed to magic, but I can’t tell if he has any abilities. You might want to get your weapon ready.”
“Not yet,” I whispered back, “We don’t know who’s in there. For all we know the Latin Kings found a family and threatened them into hiding the weapons. Waving a gun in their faces wouldn’t help.”
But I figured I should have it within reach if something did go wrong, so I moved it to my pants pocket.
“Point. Let me see if I can get something.” She traced her hand along the wall, intricate circles forming around her fingertips. “I swear, sometimes I think the astral plane runs on dial-up. Here we go. Four people live in this unit. Alberto and Silvia Gutierrez… They have two children - Lucia and Paco. It won’t give me anything else.”
I ran through my mental rolodex. The last name rang a bell, but only because they shared it with a prominent state politician. Did I talk to them during the election? I couldn’t be sure.
“Do you have any idea if any of them are actually inside?” I asked.
“We don’t have their astral patterns on file, so no,” Sumitra poured some power into the protective enchantments on her coat. “Guess we’re just going to have to step in and find out.”
As I charged up my suit enchantments, Sumitra knocked.
At first, no one replied. Sumitra glanced at me, and I could tell that she was prepared to force the door open, but then, the locks clicked and we saw a middle-aged Puerto Rican couple staring on the other side.
“Mr. and Mrs. Gutierrez?” I said. They nodded. “Dan Masterson, 1st Ward Office,” I flashed my city ID. “This is Sumitra Laungani, Department of Special Events. Is your son home?
The Gutierrezes exchanged glances.
“Oh no…” Mrs. Gutierrez said. “What did he do this time.”
“Same thing he always does,” Mr. Gutierrez grumbled. “Sticks his face where it doesn’t belong. I keep telling him - everything has consequences, but does he listen? No. Of course not!”
“It might be nothing,” I tried to reassure them. “But we have a lead and we need to check it. We think your son might be hiding illegal merchandise in your apartment.”
Mrs. Gutierrez looked like somebody punched her in the gut. She even gasped.
Mr. Gutierrez glared at us: “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Please leave.”
“Sir,” Sumitra said. “We are not here to arrest your son. We are just trying to find the…merchandise. If we don’t get it out of here soon… It’s going to cause trouble. People would get hurt.”
“Please,” I said. “Just let us take a look inside.”
“And my son…” Mr. Gutierrez asked.
Sumitra glanced at me.
“If he doesn’t give us any trouble, I’m sure Ms. Laungani would be willing to let him off with a warning.”
She nodded.
Mr. and Mrs. Gutierrez looked at each other and exchanged a few words in Spanish.
Then, Mr. Gutierrez spoke, his voice thick with reluctance:
“Okay. You take a look. Take this… merchandise and go.”
“We’ll be quick,” said Sumitra.
The Lathrop Homes family units weren’t very big. Each one had a kitchen that doubled as a living room, a small washroom and two small bedrooms. Colored photos gave the drab walls a touch of life. Most of the pictures had kids - a young girl that I assumed was Lucia and an older boy. He didn’t look that much older than Toshi.
“Paco!” Mrs. Guiterez called out “We have…”
One of the doors opened.
The first thing I noticed about Paco was that he had the Latin Kings’ five-point crown tattooed on his left shoulder.
The second thing I noticed was that he had a gun. A gun brazing red and green with very crude, but very deadly enchantments.
“Where did you get that?” Mr. Gutierrez tried to sound stern, but I could hear the hesitation in his voice.
“Take it easy, Paco,” Sumitra’s enchantments blazed blue. “We’re unarmed."
His eyes darted at his parents, then us. As he focused on Sumitra, his eyes went wide.
He swore in Spanish and took a step back: “What the hell are you?”
It took me a few moments to realize what happened. Paco was holding an enchanted object. An enchanted object that was leaking power all over. And he’s been sitting in the room with God knows how many objects just like it.
What was it Sumitra said? Three people. One of them exposed to magic.
I just didn’t think it was quite that literal.
The way Paco was reacting, I was pretty sure nobody prepared him.They just gave him an order and he followed it like a good little gangster.
“It’s okay,” Sumitra’s voice was tense and very careful. “I know exactly what you’re going through right now. I’d be happy to explain everything, but first, you are going to have to put down that gun. Please.”
This was a very delicate situation. The poor kid was on a cusp, teetering on the thin line between the normal and the paranormal.
One thing for sure - there was no way Sumitra would let him walk away now. Not when it would mean giving Latin Kings a potential magic user.
“Paco,” I said. “I know this is overwhelming. But I want you to know that we can help you. What you’re seeing now… it’s a gift.”
“A gift?” Paco looked at me incredulously. “That chick is glowing!” he glanced at his parents, who stared back, confused.
He addressed them in Spanish, and I could guess that he was asking them if they could see it, too. Mr. Gutierrez responded, and Paco swore.
“Paco, listen to me,” I said. “You can see things other people can’t. Someday, you might be able to see more. Do more. Or you might decide that you don’t want this, and what you’re seeing right now will stop. But that’s something you have to decide, and we can help you. Ms. Laungani over here can help guide you through it.”
Paco sank deep in thought.
“So…”he finally said. “What you’re saying is that I’m a wizard?”
I couldn’t help but smile. God bless modern pop culture.
“No,” Sumitra said. “Not right now. But you might become one someday, if you are willing to work for it.”
Paco looked around. I noticed him looking at the family pictures, pausing at the picture of him and his sister.
“What would I have to do?”
“Well, you’re going to need to put down that gun, for one,” Sumitra said. “I can’t help somebody who wants to shoot me.”
Paco lowered the weapon, but he didn’t let go of it.
“Then what?” he asked.
“We would take you downtown and run some tests,” said Sumitra. “See what you’re good at, and which direction your powers might go. Then, we’ll give you some lessons and help you understand your options. Then, you’re going to have to make a choice. You could choose to become a wizard, but there are other options, and they all have their own perks.”
“Excuse me,” Mrs. Gutierrez suddenly interjected. “What are you saying? What are you going to do with my son?”
“Your son,” I said. “Has an opportunity to learn a set of skills not many people posses. Skills that would to make him highly sought after. He might be able to work for the city, but even if he doesn’t, there are plenty of people who would pay handsomely for his services. And it would be completely legal.”
Paco’s parents’ faces lit up, and I knew that it hit home. Their son had a shot at a job, a legal job, a decently paying job… Opportunities like this didn’t come often at Lathrop.
“Wizards get paid?” Paco asked.
“Absolutely,” I said. “You just need to know where to ask.”
Paco grinned, and I breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment there, I allowed myself to believe that everything was going to be okay. We’d secure the weapons, a Lathrop kid would have an opportunity others would kill for, Sumitra might get a new recruit… And no one would have to die. No one would even get hurt. And Mrs. Thompson’s faith in me wouldn’t be misplaced.
But then, a shadow crossed Paco’s face.
“What about…” he gestured toward his room.
“We’d take them away and dispose of them,” Sumitra said.
“Do you have to do it now?”
“We need to get them out as soon as possible,” Sumitra replied. “They are too dangerous to be left alone.”
Paco addressed his parents in Spanish, and I could’ve sworn I heard ‘Lucia’ somewhere in there. The tension in their response was unmistakable.
“You fucking idiots!” Paco cried out. “You thought you could just walk in, get what you want, and screw whoever gets left behind.”
Sumitra figured it out before I did.
“If you’re worried about your family,” she said, “we can…”
“… Protect us?” he mocked. “You can’t do shit!” He raised his gun, its enchantments burning brighter than before. “They’re going to want to know why I didn’t kill you right off…”
And then he fired. Mrs. Gutierrez screamed.
I underestimated the enchanted weaponry. The bullets fell to the ground, but the enchantments didn’t absorb all of their kinetic energy. The force was enough to knock me flat on my ass. Sumitra was better prepared, but even she stumbled back.
By the time we got up, Paco was already running.
Shit!
Sumitra flung her hand and the door snapped shut, but it was too late.
“Damn it!” She reached for her phone. “We need to secure the weapons. Shit!”
“Just seal them off!” I shouted. “I’ll get Paco!”
I ran out the door, past Paco’s shocked parents. The leaking enchantments left a clear trail, but even if I didn’t, I could guess where he was running - outside, to wherever his sister was.
I pulled out my magic gun and shouted the activation code:
“Morikawarahimi!”
A surge of magic rushed though it, triggering the ectoplasm lying dormant along its surface. The gun changed and grew in my hand, becoming an oversized, blocky thing with a long barrel, the sort of weapon you’d expect to see in action anime. Which was basically the point. It wasn’t supposed to behave like a real weapon, and I didn’t want anyone to mistake it for one.
Besides, so long as I commissioned something, I figured I might as well go all out.
The ectoplasm settled and engravings raced along the surface. A Polish code of arms appeared above the grip, and lines of Polish writing blazed bright blue along the sides of the barrel. Ochrony i Zachowac. Defend and Protect.
I peeked out the door - and quickly stepped back.
Out in the courtyard, a guy only a few years older than Paco held a girl I recognized as Lucia. His left hand wrapped around her, and he pointed a small handgun at her head with his right. Kuzma stood nearby, his own gun trained on the two, while Paco shouted angrily in Spanish as he tried to hold his weapon steady.
“Put the gun down, right now,” Kuzma’s voice was as cold as steel. “And I’ll let you walk away.”
“You crazy!” the hostage taker shouted. “Back off or the girl gets it.”
But Kuzma knew as well as I did that backing away and putting down the gun wouldn’t guarantee anything. The guy could still shoot him and Paco while keeping Lucia hostage. And, so long as he had a hostage, there wasn’t a whole lot they could do.
There was only one way to resolve it.
I switched the gun to my left hand and gathered the power at my fingertips. I thought of Toshi, drawing in every protective instinct, and imagined wrapping him in a warm blanket.
I held on to that visual as a small, glowing ball of appeared in my hand. Then, I visualized the patterns of containment charms to direct the spell. Thin, braid-like lines that whipped around the glowing center, wrapped it like the markings on the globe. I waited a few more seconds for the lines to get into place.
Then, I stuck my hand out and hurled it at Lucia.
The lines unraveled and wrapped around her, the gaps filling with glowing energy that covered her from all sides. Its edges pushed outward, pushing against the hostage taker’s arms and body. With a confused yell, he stepped back step back and tried to point the gun at somebody…
But before he could aim, Kuzma fired, the bullet slamming straight into hostage taker’s gun.
“Razbey!” shouted Kuzma and the hostage taker’s gun shattered into millions of harmless shards.
“Knockout mode!” I ordered my weapon. The tip of the barrel lit light blue as it expelled a small cylinder of energy that hit the hostage taker in the blink of an eye.
He looked at me and tried to raise his hand, but there was no stopping the spell. He fell the ground awkwardly.
The shield around Lucia shattered as she ran toward her brother, who wrapped her in a protective hug.
Paco looked at us, stunned.
“What the hell was that?” he asked.
“Magic,” I said. “And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
“Holy…” Paco looked at his sister as she pulled away “Holy crap.”
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Kuzma said. “Young man, get your sister inside, now! Masterson - shields!”
Paco and Lucia didn’t have to be told twice. I raised standard interceptor shields to cover their retreat.
“You think there are others?” I asked Kuzma.
“I know there are others,” he looked up.
I followed his gaze and saw someone leaning against the window of the fourth floor, on the other side of the central staircase. The window flew open…
“Sniper!” Kuzma shouted. Even as I raised a one-way shield, he raised his gun and prepared to fire…
Kuzma was fast, but Tenoch was faster. He jumped down from the roof and dove right into the open window. Seconds later, a large rifle tumbled down onto the pavement. Two more seconds and Tenoch stepped out onto the window ledge, grabbed the sniper by the collar and jumped down.
Magic stirred as I heard the sickening crunch of his bones breaking and mending.
Once his body healed, Tenoch let go of the sniper. The magic that kept Tenoch alive shielded the sniper from the laws of motion, but dropping down several floors was still too much for the kid. He tried to move his head, looked up at the sky and fainted.
Tenoch sniffed the air: “Four more,” he gestured right. “That door.”
Of course there were more. There are always more.
If the gangsters were smart, they would have taken cover behind the door. But those guys had enchanted semi-automatics. So they ran out into the yard, cover be damned, and fired.
I raised several shields, envisioning solid walls on every side of the courtyard, as I ducked behind the nearest tree. That way, at least, the bullets won’t hit anyone at the widows - or whoever happens to be walking along the street.
I looked at my gun. Raising several shields at once, to say nothing of the shield bubble I put up around Lucia, took a decent chunk of my power. I had to make the next few shots count.
“Knockout mode, target lock,” I peeked out of the tree, pointed it at the shooter close to me, and fired.
I fired off three, but because of those goddamn enchanted guns, only one of them actually hit the target. Thankfully, one hit of knockout spell still did the trick - he went down like a stone.
Tenoch moved so fast a human eye could barely follow, but he was up against enchanted weapons. He barely managed to stay ahead of the bullets as the guns kept firing magazine after self-regenerating magazine. Kuzma crouched behind a tree, firing off a few bullets carefully, precisely. Another one down.
The remaining two directed their fire at Tenoch. One enchanted weapon was bad enough - now he was up against two weapons that tested the limits of his speed. I threw up a shield, only to get hit by a hail of bullets that ripped right through the tree and slammed into my suit’s enchantments. If this keeps up, the enchantments will snap and…
“Rustify!”
Sumitra walked out the door as the bullets dropped all around her. The remaining Latin Kings watched in shock as the metal of their guns turned dull brown.
“Unbind, unwind, unhand, unmake!”
The crude enchantments that powered the semiautomatics gave one last surge of power and faded away. Everything that held the weapons together vanished, and the once-enchanted guns collapsed into parts.
The two gangsters tried to run, but Tenoch and Sumitra were already in motion. Tenoch knocked one out, while Sumitra, moving at a speed worthy of a vampire, tapped the other one on the shoulder and he went down. Tenoch made sure they fell gently.
“Sorry it took me so long,” Sumitra said as she massaged her hands. “I had to take care the parents.” She looked at the unconscious Latin Kings, the sniper rifle and the bullet-ridden pavement “Damn…”
“It could’ve been worse,” Kuzma said. “Nobody died. Nobody is even seriously injured. The civilians are safe - thanks to Daniel.”
He filled Sumitra in on what happened.
“I’m sorry,” I couldn’t help but tease. “Was that a compliment?”
“What you did with the shield sphere was… creative. You acted quickly and decisively, and you didn’t hesitate,” he grinned slightly. “But that’s just observation, nothing more.”
I nodded.
“Are the weapons secured?” I asked Sumitra.
“They’re sealed off. Gibbons and the others are coming over to pick them off.”
As if on cue, a few low-level mages walked into the yard. The shields I put up faded away around them. I could see two SRG vans driving up the street.
“What about the Latin Kings?” asked Tenoch.
“We’re taking them in for interrogation,” Sumitra said. “I want to see what they know about the weapons.”
“And Paco?” I asked.
“Good question,” Sumitra said. “We’d have to interrogate him, too, but then… As far as the Latin Kings are concerned, he failed them. The question is, would he want to listen to us?”
“I’d say he would, after what happened with his sister,” I offered. “And the city could always use another potential mage.”
“It’s going to be up to him, not me,” Sumitra said. “But we’ll see.”
“You need to move his family,” Tenoch said. “The sooner, the better. They’re not safe in Lathrop.”
“I’ll contact the CHA. They might be able to move them to Dearborn Homes until things cool down.”
Dearborn Homes had its own gangs, but none of them were allied with Latin Kings - and Latin Kings would not go into enemy territory for petty revenge.
Behind us, Gibbons was leading Paco out the door, with Lucia followed close behind. Paco was telling his sister something reassuring in Spanish, and Gibbons chimed in with some Spanish of his own.
“Can I ride with him?” Lucia asked in English.
Gibbons glanced at Sumitra. She nodded.
Behind them, the mages carried crates embossed with SRG containment seals and loaded them onto the back of the first van.
Tenoch went to help load the unconscious Latin Kings into the second van.
The sun was already half way to dusk. In the sunset light, the Lathrop Homes seemed brighter, rosier. The light reflected off the windows, filling them in red and gold.
And that’s when I noticed it.
Hundreds of eyes stared at us from all angles. They hid behind the curtains, because nobody wanted trouble, but they kept watching.
Ectoplasm hissed and retreated, leaving me holding a toy gun. The runes of Kuzma’s gun dimmed. Tenoch sniffed the air uneasily. Everybody’s defensive enchantments lit up, only to dull again.
“Barriers are up,” Kuzma commented. “We should get moving.”
I should have expected that. Whatever goodwill we got from Mrs. Thompson would only last so long. And now, there were way too many people staring at us. They couldn’t see magic, but they could see a bunch of strangers taking away their kids.
“Yeah,” I sighed. “I think we’re about done here.”
2013 (c) strannik01
In some cases, I barely changed anything at all. But there are other stories when I decided to change something more fundamental, and Still My Ward was one of them.
I found myself thinking back to some of the changes noelct suggested back when I posted the earlier version. At the time, I dismissed them, feeling that they wouldn't work. But a year and a half later, a lot of them started to make sense. So I found myself making changes. And more changes. And even more changes. And, after I heard back from one of my betas, I wound up making more changes still. But, hopefully, the story will be better because of it.
I'm going to leave the earlier version up for the time being, but, for the purposes of Urbis Arcana continuity, this is the "official" version. Until I decide to change it again...
As before, I would like to to thank mysticowl and noelct for helping with the plot of the initial version, phoenix_anew and randirogue for betaing the earlier version, noelct (again) for inspiring this version and Bethany betaing it.
As always, comments, critique and feedback are very much encouraged
Still My Ward
(an Urbis Arcana short story)
May 16, 2008
1st Ward, Chicago
It was a pretty slow day at the 1st Ward offices when one of the most powerful wizards in Chicago walked in.
You’d in never guess it just by looking at her. In fact, I’d willing to bet that most of the people at the office pegged Sumitra Laungani as one of the “hip young professionals” that pretty much replaced young artist types as stereotypical Wicker Parkers. But if you were in the know about magic, you’d notice a faint glow of her aura tinged with telltale wizadly green-and-blue edge.
Since most of the staff was very much non-magical, they just saw a woman casual business pants and blouse combo she complimented with a stylish black jacket, a colorful scarf and bracelets dangling around her wrists. Rectangular glasses with thick black frames perched atop of a large, hooked nose. She had a long, angular chin and long jet-back hair parted off to the side. When she saw me, she smiled, and Eddie the Intern blushed and looked away.
“Dan,” Sumitra said after giving me a brief hug. “It’s been a while. I’m glad you could see me on such short notice.”
“Not a problem. If the head of the Special Research Group wants to see me in person, it has to be important. Come on, let’s step into my office.”
‘My office’ was little more than a portion of the first floor space sectioned off with drywall. It had room for two people, a shelf, and not much else. What can I say - being Alderman Salgado’s Chief of Staff has its perks.
In you’re like most Chicagoans, Sumitra’s title wouldn’t mean anything. The city bureaucracy is notoriously bloated, to the point where even some aldermen have trouble keeping everything straight. But for us magic-aware types, SRG is a big deal. It’s the city’s way of tackling paranormal threats - or anything that might turn into a paranormal threat somewhere down the line. And out of all the wizards of city payroll, no one had quite as much raw power and the skill to use it as Sumitra. There is some debate about who is the most powerful magic user in the greater Chicagoland, but Sumitra is definitely in the top ten.
“So,” I said as settled behind my desk. “What can I do for you?”
“It’s about the Latin Kings.”
I nearly bolted from my chair.
“They’re in the 1st Ward?” I asked, trying to keep panic out of my voice.
A lot of First Warders only know Latin Kings from the news. But I’ve talked to enough “old-times” to know what it was like to have one of the Chicago’s largest street gangs on your block.
“Earlier this morning, we intercepted a shipment of enchanted semi-automatic weapons,” Sumitra’s voice was all business. “I have no idea how Latin Kings got their hands them, but they already know a few things about magic, so… Anyway, we got one truck, but another one managed to sneak through. We tracked it down to Kennedy…”
“What exit?”
“Somewhere between Division and Diversey,” Sumitra said.
That covered a decent chunk of this ward. Damn it.
“McKenzie ran the odds,” Sumitra continued, “and she’s pretty sure that they stashed them in Lathrop Homes.”
I breathed a sign of relief - and immediately felt guilty.
Most of 1st Ward covered the Northwest Side neighborhoods that were either pretty damn gentrified or getting there. That’s what most people think our ward is. But they tend to overlook a small section on the other side of the Chicago River, which wraps neatly around Lathrop Homes.
Julia C. Lathrop Homes is one of the oldest public housing developments in Chicago. When it was built, the neighborhood was pretty industrial. Since then, the factories gave way to condos and big box stores, while Lathrop Homes remained the same. Everybody keeps expecting the Chicago Housing Authority to demolish it, but it hasn’t happened yet. For now, it just sort of sits there while its neighbors hold their noses and tries to pretend Lathrop Homes don’t exist.
“Makes sense,” I thought aloud. “Latin Kings claim the section north of Diversey. There are plenty of places where they could stash the weapons.”
Sumitra nodded.
“Just so we’re clear,” I asked, “We’re talking about your basic ‘make my gun act like a movie-type gun’ enchantments?”
“Yep,” Sumitra replied. “Unlimited ammo, improbable aim, making everyone else shoot like Stormtroopers - the whole package.”
“And they put those things in Lathrop Homes…”
It’s very easy - way, way too easy - to just write everybody who lives in public housing off as druggies, gangsters and lazy bums. But I’ve met the people who lived there. I talked to them. And, honestly - most of them are just regular people trying to get by.
There are a lot of families in Lathrop. Families with children.
“Any chance Latin Kings already moved the weapons?” I asked.
“It’s possible,” Sumitra adjusted her glasses. “But I doubt it. Judging by the trail, they got the weapons from a sweatshop. The enchantments are crude, and they were hammered in with all the subtlety you’d expect from overworked, unskilled mages. Right now, they are bleeding energy all over the place. So long as they are inside a building, they’re shielded, and Latin Kings know it. Or at least we assume they know it. They’ll probably hide them for a few days, wait for the enchantments to settle in. Maybe even send one of their mages to contain the energy properly.”
“No reason to wait,” I thought aloud.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Sumitra nodded. “I’m planning to launch a raid on Latin King section of Lathrop Homes at around 6:00 PM. I’d start sooner, but I need to get everyone in place and…”
“…Notify the local alderman,” I said. It was an old tradition, so old it was practically a legal requirement. “Consider him notified. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have any objections - he wouldn’t want enchanted weapons in his ward any more than we do. And if anything goes wrong… We’ll try our best to protect you. Anything else?”
“Two things, actually.”
“Oh?”
“First - we’ll be entering Latin King territory. Our caster badges are supposed to give us all the authority we need, but we both know that it’s not going to work that way. We could use some of yours.”
Every physical structure has built-in magical resistance. It’s nothing most people need to worry about, but for magically sensitive types like Sumitra and I, it becomes a barrier. It dulls our powers, making every spell harder to pull off. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, whoever lives there gets a power boost. In his own apartment, even the weakest mage can fight Sumitra to a standstill.
You can push back against the barriers, but it takes a lot of power. Real-world authority gives you a nice shortcut. So long as you can legitimately claim any authority over the area, you push back against the barriers without spending much energy, and it gives a nice boost to your spells and the spells of everyone you work with.
“I’d be happy to,” I said, “But wouldn’t having the alderman himself be better?”
“Maybe,” Sumira said, “but he doesn’t have any combat experience. You do.”
At first, I thought I misheard
“Wait - what?”
“See… that’s the other thing I wanted to ask you,” Sumitra adjusted her posture. “I need a good shield mage. We have no idea where Latin Kings are going to be hiding. We have no idea if they’re waiting for us. I need someone who can put up good shields, and quickly. Someone who knows the area.”
“I don’t know it that well,” I interjected.
“You know it better than any of my people,” Sumitra replied. “And you have enough authority to weaken the barriers. At least I hope you do…”
“The alderman trusts me,” I thought aloud. “So long as he agrees to let me do it on his behalf, we should be fine… But you have to understand - it’s been years since I’ve been in the field. And even then, Rada usually contracted me for behind-the-scenes security type things. Are you sure I wouldn’t be a liability?”
Sumitra shook her head slightly.
“You might not have as much experience as the others,” she said, “but I know you’ll try your damnest to keep everybody safe. Even if you don’t have enough power or the right spells, you would still try.”
Her voice quivered for a moment, and I remembered a young girl crouching in the alley as my shields took hit after hit. The patterns tensed and vibrated, and I kept pulling whatever power I could get. I had no idea what that creature was, or why he wanted a lost, scared girl so badly, but I knew that if I failed, she would die.
“Gee, Sumitra…” I said. “When you put it like that...”
She smiled a little.
“So, are you in?”
Was I?
Going into the field meant getting shot at. If something happened to me… Toshi would lose a father. Dani would be devastated. And Jas… we’ve bee friends for most of our lives… And my parents…
“Listen, Dan,” Sumitra said gently. “I’m not asking you to come back full-time. It’s just one mission. One quick mission and you can go home.” She studied my face. “But if you really don’t want to do it…”
I considered it… but only for a moment.
“No, it’s fine,” I said. “This is important. If we don’t find the weapons, people will die. I don’t even want to imagine how many. I’d be happy to help.”
At the end of the day, there was never really a question. Yes, it was dangerous, and yeah, I wasn’t as young as I used to be, but I’ve seen far too much to turn away.
Besides, it’s not like risking my life was new. When I first started working for SRG, Toshi was already born, for God’s sake.
I’d just have to make sure my defenses are absolutely flawless.
No pressure, no pressure at all.
“Thank you, Dan,” Sumitra smiled warmly. “I really appreciate it.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” I said. “This operation could still go to hell in so many different ways… But I’m going to do my best not to let it happen.”
“I know,” said Sumitra, “That’s all I ask.” Then, she added. “Listen, if you need anything from our vaults…”
“No, I’m fine,” I shrugged it off. “Got my shields, a magic gun - that should take care of everything.”
Sumitra nodded.
“We’re going to be staging the raid from the CHA administrative building parking lot,” she said, “You know where it is?”
“Yeah, the corner of Clybourn and Diversey,” I ran through my schedule. “You say you’re going to start the operation at 6:00 PM?”
“At the latest,” Sumitra replied. “Can you get there by 5:30?”
“Give or take six minutes. The traffic won’t be doing me any favors.”
“I might be able to help you with that.”
I did a double take, “You can magic away rush hour?”
Sumitra smirked.
“No promises.”
---
The next few hours were a blur. I checked with the staff, just to make sure we were on the top of things. On paper, aldermen were little more than ward representatives in the City Council. But, like so many things in Chicago, tradition has more weight than any written law. The old aldermanic dynasties have been losing offices left and right, but people still expect their aldermen to be able to help them with anything from power outages to annoying neighbors upstairs. And we have to try our best to help.
Once I was sure everything was on track, I touched base with Alderman Solgado. He was happy to give me his blessings.
“Those bastards made my childhood hell,” he told me. “If there’s anything I can do to help, just tell me.”
Then, I began my preparations.
It’s been a while since I placed defensive enchantments on a business suit, but you know what they say about riding bicycles and all that. They would only last for two hours or so, but that should be more then enough. My first thought was to make simple bulletproof enchantments, but I quickly decided against it. Once deflected, bullets will still keep going, and when you’re in an apartment building or even a courtyard, chances are that they will hit something soft and fleshy.
So I created something more complex. Once the bullets come within a few inches of the fabric, the enchantments would leech their kinetic energy and they would just fall away harmlessly. The kinetic energy would feed the enchantments, so the more I got shot, the stronger they would become.
So long as it didn’t take too much energy at once, I’d be fine.
As the enchantments settled and cooled, I walked back to my desk opened the bottom drawer. Hidden inside was something that looked like a blue toy gun, the kind you could buy at any dollar store.
Until you say the code word.
Basically, it’s kind of like a wand. I’ve never been very good with offensive magic, so I commissioned a handy little tool that channels my power and did all the hard work of casting attack spells for me.
Hopefully, I wouldn’t need to use it.
I tucked the gun in the inside coat pocket. That was it. I was ready to go.
But, once again, I had second thoughts. My authority should be enough to push back against the barriers. But, in a situation like this, I wanted to take away any advantage Latin Kings had.
And for that, I needed the authority from someone Lathrop residents trusted. Someone who’s been fighting for better - well, everything - since before I was born.
Someone probably wasn’t too happy with me at the moment.
I picked up the office phone, took a deep breath and dialed.
One ring. Two Rings. Three rings. Maybe she wouldn’t pick up and…
“This is Gina Thompson, President of Lathrop Homes’ Local Advisory Council. How may I help you?”
Well, no backing out now.
“Mrs. Thompson. This is Dan Masterson, Alderman Salgado’s Chief of Staff. How are you today?”
“I’m good,” she responded curtly. “What is this about, Mr. Masterson?”
Mrs. Thompson had a few run-ins with the supernatural. She wasn’t completely initiated, but she knew enough to understand what was at stake. I didn’t have to lie to her.
“We’ve received credible reports that Latin Kings are using Lathrop Homes to stash enchanted semi-automatic weapons. SRG is on its way to secure them, but they are worried about the barriers…”
“So they asked you to talk to me?”
“Not quite,” I said. “I wanted to talk to you. They just asked me to lower the barriers. But I don’t think I can lower them without your help.”
“Is that right?” Mrs. Thompson chuckled dryly. “You need my help. Now, where have I heard that before?”
And there was the part I’ve been dreading. Last year, Alderman Salgado was up for reelection. It was a pretty close race - so close that a few hundred voters at Lathrop were enough to make a difference for once.
Alderman Salgado went down to Lathrop himself, talking to people, promising that, if he’s elected, he’d be their voice in the City Council. He promised resolutions that would expand job opportunities, relieve overcrowded schools - things Mrs. Thompson has been trying to get done for decades. And I was there, coordinating volunteers, making sure we talked to as many people as possible.
We won by just enough votes to avoid a run-off. And 380 of those votes came from Lathrop Homes.
“No answer?” Mrs. Thompson said. “Can’t say I’m surprised. Used to be that, when I called, you picked up the phone right away, but now, I’m lucky to get one of your interns. And all those things you promised… I don’t know why I’m surprised, I honestly don’t.”
I could tell Mrs. Thompson that Alderman Salgado was just one of the 50 aldermen, and there was only so much they could do. That the ward office can only respond to so many calls at the time. That, when there are pressing issues, things tend to get lost in the shuffle.
But that sounded hollow, even to me.
So instead, I said:
“You have every right to be angry, Mrs. Thompson. I could tell you all the reasons why things didn’t happen the way we promised, but… let’s be honest here. We could have done more. We should have done more. We should have tried harder, but we didn’t.”
“Damn right you could have,” Mrs. Thompson’s voice was still harsh.
“I can’t speak for the alderman, but I can tell you - I’m sorry.”
For about a minute, there was nothing. I waited patiently. Finally, Mrs. Thompson said.
“You put me in a tough position, Mr. Masterson. I don’t want any of those cursed weapons anywhere near Lathrop. But I don’t like the thought of a bunch of strangers coming in, looking for somebody to arrest. It’s too easy for innocent people to get caught up.”
“I understand, Mrs. Thompson,” I said. Maybe not as personally as she did, but I read their studies. “But I’ve known SRG Executive Director Laungami for years. I can assure you that she is not interesting in arresting anybody if she doesn’t have to. She just wants to get the weapons out of Lathrop Homes quickly and safely. If everything goes well, you’ll barely know they were there.”
Another long pause.
“Alright, Mr. Masterson. I don’t quite trust you. Not yet. But I am going to give you a benefit of the doubt. Please don’t make me regret it.”
A surge of power rushed through the phone line and into my city ID. I had the key to the barriers.
Sometimes, you need a complicated incantation to pull off a magic ritual. But sometimes, all you need are the right words - and the right intent.
“I won’t,” I breathed a sigh of relief. That was enough. More than enough.
Technically, I could have said my goodbyes and left it at that. But after this conversation, I knew I couldn’t do it quite yet.
“Is there anything else, Mr. Masterson?” Mrs. Thompson interrupted my thoughts.
“There is, actually,” I said. “I know our office hasn’t been very…responsive.”
“To say the least,” Mrs. Thompson noted dryly.
“I want to do something about it,” I flipped through the schedule on my desk. “I will talk to the alderman, but he should be able to meet with you… How about next Thursday, at around 4:00 PM?”
“What would the meeting be about, exactly?”
“We’d like to hear from you. We want to discuss the most urgent issues facing Lathrop Homes right now. Now, I can’t promise we’ll be able to address everything, but I’d like to at least name some headway.”
“How do I know he’ll actually listen?” Mrs. Thompson asked.
“I’ll talk to him,” I said. “He trusts me. And I can always remind him that it’s not a good idea to ignore constituents that helped elect him.”
“And in return?”
“Nothing.”
This time, the pause fell different.
“Why are you doing this, Mr. Masterson?” Mrs. Thompson asked, her voice warmer than before.
“Because Lathrop Homes are in our ward,” I said. “It’s pretty easy to forget it, but they are still in our ward. It’s about time we started acting like it.” Then, I added. “I know you’re worried that I won’t follow through, so let me give you my cell phone number. Feel free to bug me every waking hour until you get results.”
I dictated it, repeating it just in case.
“I appreciate that, Mr. Masterson,” said Mrs. Thompson “Who knows - maybe something will actually come of this.”
“I hope so, Mrs. Thompson. I hope so.”
---
The local Chicago Housing Authority administrative building sat right at the tip of Clyborn/Diversey intersection. Its parking lot - and the only proper parking lot in Lathrop Homes - was right behind the building. Getting in and out was tricky during the regular hours. Knowing how badly traffic clogs Clyborn and Diversey during rush hour, I figured I might as well walk.
Besides, the ward office was only twenty minutes away.
When I got there, I saw that the parking lot was completely full. I wondered how Sumitra was going to stage a raid from that.
And then I realized that I was a moron.
The parking lot was charmed off. Of course it was charmed off. Sumitra wouldn’t want people accidentally stumbling on her people.
Resisting every instinct that screamed at me to walk away, that there was nothing to see here, I walked toward a very convincing beat-up Ford…
…And stepped right through.
“Dan!” Sumitra waved from across the lot. “Glad you could finally join us.”
“Hi, everyone.”
The parking lot actually did have a few cars. Most of them were black municipal vans with discrete Office of Special Events logos. There weren’t really a whole lot of people. Tristan Gibbons, Sumitra’s right-hand man, greeted me with a silent nod. A few grunt-level mages I didn’t recognize picked through the gear. Lily McKenzie and Christina Olsen, SRG’s strongest fate readers, set up shop at a folding table covered with cards, mirrors and maps. Olsen was checking something on a laptop while McKenzie tossed a set of DnD dice and marked something with a pin.
Two figures stood near the only non-black car in the parking lot - a middle-aged man in a gray suit with a waistcoat and a slightly taller man dressed head-to-toe in white runner’s clothing and a long white trenchcoat. The older man had severe features and receding, graying hairline, and he was built like a boxer. The younger man had his face completely covered by a white mask, a hat and tinted goggles.
They were contractors, working often, but not exclusively, with SRG. And, after all we’ve been through, I’d recognize both of them anywhere.
“Kuzma,” I turned to the older mage. “I thought you said you’d never work for the city.”
“Masterson,” He sounded the way he usually sounded when talking to me - pointedly bored. “You are here. And still chattering.”
Kuzma Ozyorski was a gun mage - a combat mage who focused his magical talent on firearms. Which, if you ask me, was kind of limiting, but he managed to survive for over fifty years, so what do I know?
“Oh, come now, Kuzma,” the man in white walked over, his voice coming through slightly muffled “I love Dan’s chatter. A nice contrast to the whole Man-With-No-Name thing you’re doing, don’t you think?”
“Tenoch,” I held out my hand. “I knew I could count on you.”
He took my hand and shook it
“Oh, believe me, Daniel - pleasure is all mine.”
Becoming a vampire tends to bring out a person’s innermost urges. Some develop a taste for orgies and murders, but Tenoch, who’s been buying comic books since he was eight, saw his transformation as a chance to become a superhero.
The costume wasn’t just for show. His breed of vampires could function just fine during the day - so long as the sunlight didn’t touch his skin.
“So…” I said to Tenoch. “Enchanted guns. Are you nervous?”
“I’m not looking forward to digging the bullets out,” he visibly winced under the mask. “But better me than a mortal, right?”
“Right,” I replied. “But I’ll see if I can cover you anyway.”
“Appreciate the thought, man, but no thanks. Save the energy for the ones who don’t have regeneration.”
“There is only so much you can regrow without fresh blood,” Kuzma said. “Don’t take pointless risks.”
“What, me?” Tenoch replied. “Never!”
“Alright, people!” Sumitra exclaimed. “Now that everybody is here, here’s the plan. Dan is going to lower the barriers, the enchanted weapons should show up on the fate map. McKenzie and Olsen - as soon as that happens, try to narrow down the location to a building. Once we have that, we can track them conventionally. Dan - can you drop the barriers on all the buildings at once?”
I already thought it over on my way there.
“There is this a gathering spot down in the court yard where we used to do voter outreach. It can work as a magic circle. Between the location and the symbolic significance, it should do the trick.”
Sumitra nodded.
“Alright. Kuzma, Tenoch - you’re with us. Gibbons, Travis - you are our trump cards. Be ready to move out on the second’s notice. McKenzie, Christina - keep the eye on the map and call us the second you have the odds for the location. Everybody else - spread out and seal off all the entry points, security protocol B8. Keep your eyes peeled for any magic user. If you spot on, report to Gibbons immediately. Everybody clear?”
A round of affirmatives echoed across the parking lot.
“Let’s move!”
And with that, we stepped out through the charms and walked to the courtyard, into a part of Chicago that might as well be another world.
---
Lathrop Homes were built during the Great Depression, before Modernism reduced public housing to plain, white boxes. Oh, they were still boxes, each one between 2 to 4 floors, but at least the architects tried to make them appealing.
The buildings were made of pleasantly shaded brown and red brick. White trimmings framed every doorway, and square patterns outlined the staircases and the corners of the buildings. And thanks to a beautification project a while back, a few buildings were decorated with colorful Aztec-themed mosaics.
There were no ugly burn marks, no chainlink-covered balconies. But a few windows have been boarded up, and I could spot the simple black five-pointed crown gang tags on the sides of several buildings.
North of Diversey, most of the buildings were built between Leavitt and Clybourn. They faced the sidewalks, forming a nice protective barrier around the courtyard. Steam rose out of the heat vents. Over on the southern edge of the courtyard, a group of kids was completely caught up in a soccer game. Their parents checked their watches nervously. The sun was setting, and nobody wanted their kids outside after dark.
None of them noticed us. Sumitra’s “we are average people, ignore us” spell took care of that. And I found myself looking on, fascinated. This is what their lives are like every day…
“Dan?” Sumitra asked.
“Right,” I turned my gaze forward. “This way.”
I led them a couple of feet north of the improvised soccer field, toward a cement circle with benches that roughly corresponded to cardinal directions and four small pillars closer to the middle. Enormous trees loomed around it, almost forming a circle of their own.
“Ofiget,” Kuzma said under his breath. “This does look perfect magic circle. Wonder who put it up.”
If Sumitra heard him, she decided not to respond.
“Are you ready, Dan?” she said.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
I walked into the circle and placed my city ID right in the middle. With my finger, I traced a simple circle around the benches, and another circle around the pillars. Then, inside the inner circle, I traced the rough outline of the ward map.
I gathered up the power and chanted.
“I am Daniel Masterson, of the First Ward of the City of Chicago. The law binds us, but sustains us. By the authority vested in me, I come fourth.”
I touched the ID and I felt the power coursing through it, the building’s individual barriers and the weaker, looser barrier of the Lathrop Homes itself. And I said the magic words.
“Please. We mean no harm.”
And the warm glow of Mrs. Thompson’s goodwill - tentative, hesitant goodwill - spread out in ripples, And as the waves spread out to the surrounding buildings, I could feel her sitting by the phone, her grandkids watching TV in the next room, waiting. Her soul blazed with fierce determination. Whatever happened, she would see it through.
And then, I heard a phone ring.
“Okay,” Sumitra responded quickly. “Great! Keep an eye on the fate map, watch for any potential disruption.” Then, to us. “The barrier is down, and we have the building.” She moved her hands over the side of her glasses. “There it is!” She gestured at the building at the northwestern corner of the courtyard. “Let’s see… Sightbeyondsight… Second floor, somewhere at the end of the building. We need to get closer.”
We ran out of the courtyard and out on Leavitt as Sumitra shouted into her phone:
“Kazim, Gabby, Irma- converge on Blocks 2815 - 2827 and seal them off ASAP! Containment protocol B2! Nobody gets in or out but us!”
If you looked up the building with Google maps, you’d see something resembling a blocky question mark. We run into the front yard, where the “question mark” bent.
The front yard wasn’t much to look at. Two trees rose out of a plate of worn, beat-up asphalt, shrouding parts of it in shadow. There were three entrances - one in the middle, two on the sides.
Sumitra glanced over the building again, scanning the second floor carefully.
“Second apartment from the middle staircase!” she practically spat out. “Tenoch, you’re on the roof. Kuzma, cover the yard. Dan - with me.”
She and I dashed into the central entrance. The walls were caked with decades of paint and graffiti, and lights flickered as we ran up the staircase. In the back of my mind, I made a note to check how much of the ward budget we could spend on building repairs.
On the second floor hallway, only one lamp was glowing steadily.
“Which side?” I whispered.
“Right,” Sumitra whispered back. “There are three people here. One has been exposed to magic, but I can’t tell if he has any abilities. You might want to get your weapon ready.”
“Not yet,” I whispered back, “We don’t know who’s in there. For all we know the Latin Kings found a family and threatened them into hiding the weapons. Waving a gun in their faces wouldn’t help.”
But I figured I should have it within reach if something did go wrong, so I moved it to my pants pocket.
“Point. Let me see if I can get something.” She traced her hand along the wall, intricate circles forming around her fingertips. “I swear, sometimes I think the astral plane runs on dial-up. Here we go. Four people live in this unit. Alberto and Silvia Gutierrez… They have two children - Lucia and Paco. It won’t give me anything else.”
I ran through my mental rolodex. The last name rang a bell, but only because they shared it with a prominent state politician. Did I talk to them during the election? I couldn’t be sure.
“Do you have any idea if any of them are actually inside?” I asked.
“We don’t have their astral patterns on file, so no,” Sumitra poured some power into the protective enchantments on her coat. “Guess we’re just going to have to step in and find out.”
As I charged up my suit enchantments, Sumitra knocked.
At first, no one replied. Sumitra glanced at me, and I could tell that she was prepared to force the door open, but then, the locks clicked and we saw a middle-aged Puerto Rican couple staring on the other side.
“Mr. and Mrs. Gutierrez?” I said. They nodded. “Dan Masterson, 1st Ward Office,” I flashed my city ID. “This is Sumitra Laungani, Department of Special Events. Is your son home?
The Gutierrezes exchanged glances.
“Oh no…” Mrs. Gutierrez said. “What did he do this time.”
“Same thing he always does,” Mr. Gutierrez grumbled. “Sticks his face where it doesn’t belong. I keep telling him - everything has consequences, but does he listen? No. Of course not!”
“It might be nothing,” I tried to reassure them. “But we have a lead and we need to check it. We think your son might be hiding illegal merchandise in your apartment.”
Mrs. Gutierrez looked like somebody punched her in the gut. She even gasped.
Mr. Gutierrez glared at us: “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Please leave.”
“Sir,” Sumitra said. “We are not here to arrest your son. We are just trying to find the…merchandise. If we don’t get it out of here soon… It’s going to cause trouble. People would get hurt.”
“Please,” I said. “Just let us take a look inside.”
“And my son…” Mr. Gutierrez asked.
Sumitra glanced at me.
“If he doesn’t give us any trouble, I’m sure Ms. Laungani would be willing to let him off with a warning.”
She nodded.
Mr. and Mrs. Gutierrez looked at each other and exchanged a few words in Spanish.
Then, Mr. Gutierrez spoke, his voice thick with reluctance:
“Okay. You take a look. Take this… merchandise and go.”
“We’ll be quick,” said Sumitra.
The Lathrop Homes family units weren’t very big. Each one had a kitchen that doubled as a living room, a small washroom and two small bedrooms. Colored photos gave the drab walls a touch of life. Most of the pictures had kids - a young girl that I assumed was Lucia and an older boy. He didn’t look that much older than Toshi.
“Paco!” Mrs. Guiterez called out “We have…”
One of the doors opened.
The first thing I noticed about Paco was that he had the Latin Kings’ five-point crown tattooed on his left shoulder.
The second thing I noticed was that he had a gun. A gun brazing red and green with very crude, but very deadly enchantments.
“Where did you get that?” Mr. Gutierrez tried to sound stern, but I could hear the hesitation in his voice.
“Take it easy, Paco,” Sumitra’s enchantments blazed blue. “We’re unarmed."
His eyes darted at his parents, then us. As he focused on Sumitra, his eyes went wide.
He swore in Spanish and took a step back: “What the hell are you?”
It took me a few moments to realize what happened. Paco was holding an enchanted object. An enchanted object that was leaking power all over. And he’s been sitting in the room with God knows how many objects just like it.
What was it Sumitra said? Three people. One of them exposed to magic.
I just didn’t think it was quite that literal.
The way Paco was reacting, I was pretty sure nobody prepared him.They just gave him an order and he followed it like a good little gangster.
“It’s okay,” Sumitra’s voice was tense and very careful. “I know exactly what you’re going through right now. I’d be happy to explain everything, but first, you are going to have to put down that gun. Please.”
This was a very delicate situation. The poor kid was on a cusp, teetering on the thin line between the normal and the paranormal.
One thing for sure - there was no way Sumitra would let him walk away now. Not when it would mean giving Latin Kings a potential magic user.
“Paco,” I said. “I know this is overwhelming. But I want you to know that we can help you. What you’re seeing now… it’s a gift.”
“A gift?” Paco looked at me incredulously. “That chick is glowing!” he glanced at his parents, who stared back, confused.
He addressed them in Spanish, and I could guess that he was asking them if they could see it, too. Mr. Gutierrez responded, and Paco swore.
“Paco, listen to me,” I said. “You can see things other people can’t. Someday, you might be able to see more. Do more. Or you might decide that you don’t want this, and what you’re seeing right now will stop. But that’s something you have to decide, and we can help you. Ms. Laungani over here can help guide you through it.”
Paco sank deep in thought.
“So…”he finally said. “What you’re saying is that I’m a wizard?”
I couldn’t help but smile. God bless modern pop culture.
“No,” Sumitra said. “Not right now. But you might become one someday, if you are willing to work for it.”
Paco looked around. I noticed him looking at the family pictures, pausing at the picture of him and his sister.
“What would I have to do?”
“Well, you’re going to need to put down that gun, for one,” Sumitra said. “I can’t help somebody who wants to shoot me.”
Paco lowered the weapon, but he didn’t let go of it.
“Then what?” he asked.
“We would take you downtown and run some tests,” said Sumitra. “See what you’re good at, and which direction your powers might go. Then, we’ll give you some lessons and help you understand your options. Then, you’re going to have to make a choice. You could choose to become a wizard, but there are other options, and they all have their own perks.”
“Excuse me,” Mrs. Gutierrez suddenly interjected. “What are you saying? What are you going to do with my son?”
“Your son,” I said. “Has an opportunity to learn a set of skills not many people posses. Skills that would to make him highly sought after. He might be able to work for the city, but even if he doesn’t, there are plenty of people who would pay handsomely for his services. And it would be completely legal.”
Paco’s parents’ faces lit up, and I knew that it hit home. Their son had a shot at a job, a legal job, a decently paying job… Opportunities like this didn’t come often at Lathrop.
“Wizards get paid?” Paco asked.
“Absolutely,” I said. “You just need to know where to ask.”
Paco grinned, and I breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment there, I allowed myself to believe that everything was going to be okay. We’d secure the weapons, a Lathrop kid would have an opportunity others would kill for, Sumitra might get a new recruit… And no one would have to die. No one would even get hurt. And Mrs. Thompson’s faith in me wouldn’t be misplaced.
But then, a shadow crossed Paco’s face.
“What about…” he gestured toward his room.
“We’d take them away and dispose of them,” Sumitra said.
“Do you have to do it now?”
“We need to get them out as soon as possible,” Sumitra replied. “They are too dangerous to be left alone.”
Paco addressed his parents in Spanish, and I could’ve sworn I heard ‘Lucia’ somewhere in there. The tension in their response was unmistakable.
“You fucking idiots!” Paco cried out. “You thought you could just walk in, get what you want, and screw whoever gets left behind.”
Sumitra figured it out before I did.
“If you’re worried about your family,” she said, “we can…”
“… Protect us?” he mocked. “You can’t do shit!” He raised his gun, its enchantments burning brighter than before. “They’re going to want to know why I didn’t kill you right off…”
And then he fired. Mrs. Gutierrez screamed.
I underestimated the enchanted weaponry. The bullets fell to the ground, but the enchantments didn’t absorb all of their kinetic energy. The force was enough to knock me flat on my ass. Sumitra was better prepared, but even she stumbled back.
By the time we got up, Paco was already running.
Shit!
Sumitra flung her hand and the door snapped shut, but it was too late.
“Damn it!” She reached for her phone. “We need to secure the weapons. Shit!”
“Just seal them off!” I shouted. “I’ll get Paco!”
I ran out the door, past Paco’s shocked parents. The leaking enchantments left a clear trail, but even if I didn’t, I could guess where he was running - outside, to wherever his sister was.
I pulled out my magic gun and shouted the activation code:
“Morikawarahimi!”
A surge of magic rushed though it, triggering the ectoplasm lying dormant along its surface. The gun changed and grew in my hand, becoming an oversized, blocky thing with a long barrel, the sort of weapon you’d expect to see in action anime. Which was basically the point. It wasn’t supposed to behave like a real weapon, and I didn’t want anyone to mistake it for one.
Besides, so long as I commissioned something, I figured I might as well go all out.
The ectoplasm settled and engravings raced along the surface. A Polish code of arms appeared above the grip, and lines of Polish writing blazed bright blue along the sides of the barrel. Ochrony i Zachowac. Defend and Protect.
I peeked out the door - and quickly stepped back.
Out in the courtyard, a guy only a few years older than Paco held a girl I recognized as Lucia. His left hand wrapped around her, and he pointed a small handgun at her head with his right. Kuzma stood nearby, his own gun trained on the two, while Paco shouted angrily in Spanish as he tried to hold his weapon steady.
“Put the gun down, right now,” Kuzma’s voice was as cold as steel. “And I’ll let you walk away.”
“You crazy!” the hostage taker shouted. “Back off or the girl gets it.”
But Kuzma knew as well as I did that backing away and putting down the gun wouldn’t guarantee anything. The guy could still shoot him and Paco while keeping Lucia hostage. And, so long as he had a hostage, there wasn’t a whole lot they could do.
There was only one way to resolve it.
I switched the gun to my left hand and gathered the power at my fingertips. I thought of Toshi, drawing in every protective instinct, and imagined wrapping him in a warm blanket.
I held on to that visual as a small, glowing ball of appeared in my hand. Then, I visualized the patterns of containment charms to direct the spell. Thin, braid-like lines that whipped around the glowing center, wrapped it like the markings on the globe. I waited a few more seconds for the lines to get into place.
Then, I stuck my hand out and hurled it at Lucia.
The lines unraveled and wrapped around her, the gaps filling with glowing energy that covered her from all sides. Its edges pushed outward, pushing against the hostage taker’s arms and body. With a confused yell, he stepped back step back and tried to point the gun at somebody…
But before he could aim, Kuzma fired, the bullet slamming straight into hostage taker’s gun.
“Razbey!” shouted Kuzma and the hostage taker’s gun shattered into millions of harmless shards.
“Knockout mode!” I ordered my weapon. The tip of the barrel lit light blue as it expelled a small cylinder of energy that hit the hostage taker in the blink of an eye.
He looked at me and tried to raise his hand, but there was no stopping the spell. He fell the ground awkwardly.
The shield around Lucia shattered as she ran toward her brother, who wrapped her in a protective hug.
Paco looked at us, stunned.
“What the hell was that?” he asked.
“Magic,” I said. “And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
“Holy…” Paco looked at his sister as she pulled away “Holy crap.”
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Kuzma said. “Young man, get your sister inside, now! Masterson - shields!”
Paco and Lucia didn’t have to be told twice. I raised standard interceptor shields to cover their retreat.
“You think there are others?” I asked Kuzma.
“I know there are others,” he looked up.
I followed his gaze and saw someone leaning against the window of the fourth floor, on the other side of the central staircase. The window flew open…
“Sniper!” Kuzma shouted. Even as I raised a one-way shield, he raised his gun and prepared to fire…
Kuzma was fast, but Tenoch was faster. He jumped down from the roof and dove right into the open window. Seconds later, a large rifle tumbled down onto the pavement. Two more seconds and Tenoch stepped out onto the window ledge, grabbed the sniper by the collar and jumped down.
Magic stirred as I heard the sickening crunch of his bones breaking and mending.
Once his body healed, Tenoch let go of the sniper. The magic that kept Tenoch alive shielded the sniper from the laws of motion, but dropping down several floors was still too much for the kid. He tried to move his head, looked up at the sky and fainted.
Tenoch sniffed the air: “Four more,” he gestured right. “That door.”
Of course there were more. There are always more.
If the gangsters were smart, they would have taken cover behind the door. But those guys had enchanted semi-automatics. So they ran out into the yard, cover be damned, and fired.
I raised several shields, envisioning solid walls on every side of the courtyard, as I ducked behind the nearest tree. That way, at least, the bullets won’t hit anyone at the widows - or whoever happens to be walking along the street.
I looked at my gun. Raising several shields at once, to say nothing of the shield bubble I put up around Lucia, took a decent chunk of my power. I had to make the next few shots count.
“Knockout mode, target lock,” I peeked out of the tree, pointed it at the shooter close to me, and fired.
I fired off three, but because of those goddamn enchanted guns, only one of them actually hit the target. Thankfully, one hit of knockout spell still did the trick - he went down like a stone.
Tenoch moved so fast a human eye could barely follow, but he was up against enchanted weapons. He barely managed to stay ahead of the bullets as the guns kept firing magazine after self-regenerating magazine. Kuzma crouched behind a tree, firing off a few bullets carefully, precisely. Another one down.
The remaining two directed their fire at Tenoch. One enchanted weapon was bad enough - now he was up against two weapons that tested the limits of his speed. I threw up a shield, only to get hit by a hail of bullets that ripped right through the tree and slammed into my suit’s enchantments. If this keeps up, the enchantments will snap and…
“Rustify!”
Sumitra walked out the door as the bullets dropped all around her. The remaining Latin Kings watched in shock as the metal of their guns turned dull brown.
“Unbind, unwind, unhand, unmake!”
The crude enchantments that powered the semiautomatics gave one last surge of power and faded away. Everything that held the weapons together vanished, and the once-enchanted guns collapsed into parts.
The two gangsters tried to run, but Tenoch and Sumitra were already in motion. Tenoch knocked one out, while Sumitra, moving at a speed worthy of a vampire, tapped the other one on the shoulder and he went down. Tenoch made sure they fell gently.
“Sorry it took me so long,” Sumitra said as she massaged her hands. “I had to take care the parents.” She looked at the unconscious Latin Kings, the sniper rifle and the bullet-ridden pavement “Damn…”
“It could’ve been worse,” Kuzma said. “Nobody died. Nobody is even seriously injured. The civilians are safe - thanks to Daniel.”
He filled Sumitra in on what happened.
“I’m sorry,” I couldn’t help but tease. “Was that a compliment?”
“What you did with the shield sphere was… creative. You acted quickly and decisively, and you didn’t hesitate,” he grinned slightly. “But that’s just observation, nothing more.”
I nodded.
“Are the weapons secured?” I asked Sumitra.
“They’re sealed off. Gibbons and the others are coming over to pick them off.”
As if on cue, a few low-level mages walked into the yard. The shields I put up faded away around them. I could see two SRG vans driving up the street.
“What about the Latin Kings?” asked Tenoch.
“We’re taking them in for interrogation,” Sumitra said. “I want to see what they know about the weapons.”
“And Paco?” I asked.
“Good question,” Sumitra said. “We’d have to interrogate him, too, but then… As far as the Latin Kings are concerned, he failed them. The question is, would he want to listen to us?”
“I’d say he would, after what happened with his sister,” I offered. “And the city could always use another potential mage.”
“It’s going to be up to him, not me,” Sumitra said. “But we’ll see.”
“You need to move his family,” Tenoch said. “The sooner, the better. They’re not safe in Lathrop.”
“I’ll contact the CHA. They might be able to move them to Dearborn Homes until things cool down.”
Dearborn Homes had its own gangs, but none of them were allied with Latin Kings - and Latin Kings would not go into enemy territory for petty revenge.
Behind us, Gibbons was leading Paco out the door, with Lucia followed close behind. Paco was telling his sister something reassuring in Spanish, and Gibbons chimed in with some Spanish of his own.
“Can I ride with him?” Lucia asked in English.
Gibbons glanced at Sumitra. She nodded.
Behind them, the mages carried crates embossed with SRG containment seals and loaded them onto the back of the first van.
Tenoch went to help load the unconscious Latin Kings into the second van.
The sun was already half way to dusk. In the sunset light, the Lathrop Homes seemed brighter, rosier. The light reflected off the windows, filling them in red and gold.
And that’s when I noticed it.
Hundreds of eyes stared at us from all angles. They hid behind the curtains, because nobody wanted trouble, but they kept watching.
Ectoplasm hissed and retreated, leaving me holding a toy gun. The runes of Kuzma’s gun dimmed. Tenoch sniffed the air uneasily. Everybody’s defensive enchantments lit up, only to dull again.
“Barriers are up,” Kuzma commented. “We should get moving.”
I should have expected that. Whatever goodwill we got from Mrs. Thompson would only last so long. And now, there were way too many people staring at us. They couldn’t see magic, but they could see a bunch of strangers taking away their kids.
“Yeah,” I sighed. “I think we’re about done here.”
2013 (c) strannik01