Page 44 of Spring L.A.W.
Katie made a face.“You’re going on adate? With Major Spartacus?”
Rayna smirked. “Apparently. He asked, and I said yes. Unlike most men in tactical gear, he actually listens when I talk. Also, he doesn’t flinch when I say things like ‘demon mucus.’”
Katie snorted. “Great. You’re into emotionally available death machines. Duly noted.”
They turned the corner toward Rayna’s car. The back window had a faint scorch mark. No one had explained it, and Katie was afraid to ask.
As they climbed in, Joell’s face appeared on the dashboard screen. “Update?” she asked, not even bothering with hello.
Rayna gave her the quick version. “Gray 2.0 has fully integrated into human society. Or at least, he’s faking it better than a C-list actor at a Comic Con panel. No residual energy, no magic trail. He’s learning fast.”
Joell’s expression tightened. “We were hoping he’d be feral longer. This means he’s either evolving or being trained.”
“That’s what we said,” Katie piped up. “Also, he stole my job. So, I’m declaring war.”
Joell didn’t even blink. “Suck it up, Cupcake. We’ve got a new priority. Something weird is pinging near the Atlantic Terminal.”
Rayna frowned. “Weird how?”
Joell tapped something off-screen. “Magnetic anomalies. Small-scale dimensional fluctuations. Possibly a breach site, possibly just bad luck.”
“Bad luck doesn’t usually distort GPS signals or fry the A-train timetable,” Rayna muttered.
Joell continued. “I need you three to check it out.”
“You mean two? Payne’s already on his way back to his basement lair at Ft. Hamilton.”
“Damn. Well, just do a drive-by. Don’t engage unless it’s active. And for Goddess’s sake, don’t blow anything up this time.”
“That wasonetime,” Rayna muttered.
“It was the Library of Congress.”
Rayna scowled. “They were coming through an interdimensional portal. What was I supposed to do?”
“Not throw fireballs in a paper palace.”
“Fine.”
Joell signed off. The screen blinked back to neutral.
Atlantic Terminal wasbuzzing,but not in a fun, urban-vibe kind of way. More like someone had sprinkled it with static. Katie’s teeth buzzed before she even stepped onto the platform.
“Do you feel that?” she asked, rubbing her arms.
Rayna had her hand discreetly tucked into her coat pocket. “Yeah. The air’s too thin. Like someone’s borrowing atoms and not putting them back.”
“Can they do that?”
“Not legally.”
Rayna flicked her fingers and murmured a detection spell. A soft shimmer pulsed outward like a dropped pebble in a magic pond. There was a flicker near the stairwell.
Katie gasped. “Did you see that?”
“Something shimmered,” Rayna confirmed. “A cloaking field, maybe.” Rayna was already moving fast, yet stealthily. She crouched near the source, then reached forward and yanked something invisible intoview.
A kid, a little younger than Katie, stumbled out of the air like he’d been tripped by an invisible foot. He was covered in graffiti ink, wearing an old hoodie, and a look of pure terror. His eyes glowed faintly gray.
