Mystic Flame (Beyond Ontariese 4) (19 page)

“We’re there, love.” He eased her back. “At
least, I think we are. Is this the right place?”

She slowly opened her eyes and looked
around. They were in a field across the street from the bar. A
small neon sign glowed in the darkness, but the parking lot was
nearly empty. “Did you do a straight across portal? Looks like I
should have had you target our arrival for a few hours before
this.”

“The establishment is no longer open?” he
sounded as disappointed as he felt. He’d been looking forward to
sharing this with her.

“Let’s find out.” She slipped her hand into
his and they walked across the street. The front door of the
nondescript building was open but a bartender and a young man
stacking chairs on top of the tables appeared to be the only ones
left. “Are you still open?” she called from the doorway.

“For another eleven minutes,” the bartender
told her with a smile. “What can I get you?”

“We’re both starving. Any chance of a
burger?”

“Let me check?” He disappeared into the back
then returned a short time later. “Burgers are a go, but you’ll
have to settle for potato chips. Dave already turned off the
fryer.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers. We’ll take what
we can get.”

“Have a seat. I’ll be right over.”

Dro Tar led Evan to one of the few tables
that still had chairs around rather than on top of it. The
nightclub wasn’t large, but it was arranged with a natural flow
that maximized the limited space. They sat facing each other, but
Evan reached across the table and took her hands. “How did you
learn about this place?”

“It was my third mission to Ear— I mean
Denver.” She lowered her voice and switched to Ontarian. “We were
chasing two really nasty smugglers. We knew they were guilty as
sin, but couldn’t seem to catch them in the act. Watching them
night and day had us trapped in a motel, surviving on pizza and
takeout Chinese food. One night I couldn’t take it anymore and
asked the pizza delivery man if there was a decent restaurant
nearby. He suggested this bar, said they were known more for their
grill than their wine selection.”

“You miss it, don’t you?” It was an insight
that shouldn’t have surprised him, but it did. She’d been a great
field agent. Why wouldn’t she miss it? He did.

“Risking my life for modest pay and no
recognition?” She laughed then admitted, “Sometimes.”

Rather than risk another foray into the
unpleasant past, he asked, “What have you been doing since you left
the military?”

The bartender’s arrival postponed her
answer. “Are you both having burgers? Dave can whip up anything you
want as long as it doesn’t require a fryer or an oven.”

“Two hamburgers and two beers then we’ll get
out of your hair.” Dro Tar winked at the man. “It’s never wise to
bite the hand that feeds you.”

“This should just take a few minutes and as
long as you don’t mind us cleaning up around you, you’re welcome to
take your time and enjoy the food.”

“Deal.” She flashed another friendly
smile.

“I’ll be right back with the beer.”

Evan understood she was using charm to put
the human at ease, but a dark possessive part of his nature wanted
to drag her across the table and kiss her so the other male would
know she was taken. The rational side, however, understood how far
they’d come and wouldn’t do anything to compromise their progress.
So, though it went against his aggressive instincts, he subdued his
possessiveness and kept the conversation casual.

“After the military?” he prompted.

“Right. I bought a simulation studio.”

“For training or entertainment?” Immersive
simulations were used for a wide range of purposes.

“Entertainment. Humans are fascinated with
aliens, or at least their concept of aliens. So I figured Ontarians
might enjoy a variety of adventures based on human concepts.”

The bartender set down two mugs of beer and
slipped away without interrupting.

“Give me an example.” Evan took a sip of the
cold beverage as he waited for her explanation.

“Vampires. We were working on simulations
involving vampires.”

“Like the vidfile we watched tonight?”

“Exactly. The customer could be one of the
vampire hunters or be the actual vampire. Or if they wanted they
could be the helpless victim seduced by a sexy blood sucker.”

“Would all of these adventures feature
vampires?”

“We…I guess it’s I now.” She sighed,
obviously thinking about the loss of her business partner. “I
intended to do a soft launch with vampire sims to see if they
appealed to Ontarians before I invested more time or money into the
concept.”

“I think the concept is intriguing, but I’d
provide at least three different themes before I presented it to
the public. Different ideas will appeal to different people. What
are some of your other themes?”

“I was going to work up some rock star
scenarios. Be a rock star for a few hours or maybe a groupie.”

He laughed and squeezed her hands. “I’m not
familiar with either of those terms.”

“A rock star is an extremely popular
musician and a groupie is a fan who wants to have sex with members
of the band.”

“Are groupies compensated for their sexual
favors?”

It was her turn to laugh. “No. The sexual
encounter is considered its own compensation.”

“Humans have some very strange customs.”

“You’re right. The rock star-groupie theme
might be too abstract for Ontarians to relate to. Maybe
professional athletics or the wild west.” She gazed off into the
distance and he could almost see the ideas churning in her
mind.

The bartender delivered their food as Dro
Tar drifted off into contemplative silence. Evan took advantage of
her distraction to study the food. The hamburger was a large round
piece of meat between two thick pieces of bread. Thin oblong disks
had been mounded on one side of the hamburger and an assortment of
what he presumed were vegetables stacked on the other.

“The green sheet is called lettuce, the
darker green disks are pickles, the red slice is a tomato, and on
top you have part of an onion.” Dro Tar explained. “I’m not much
for raw tomatoes and if you plan to kiss me in the next few hours
forget the onion. But the lettuce and pickles add a nice crunch.
And these,” she held up one of the yellow disks, “are potato
chips.” She popped it into her mouth and chewed with obvious
enjoyment. “Yummy.”

He lifted the top piece of bread and found
the inside smeared with a red substance.

“Ketchup,” she supplied, but the word meant
nothing to him.

Following her lead, he assembled his
hamburger and carefully picked it up. The aroma was pleasant so he
took a bite. Rich and lightly charred, the meat’s taste was as
pleasant as its smell. He took a larger bite and liked it even
more.

“Well?”

He cleared his mouth then said, “Yummy.”

She laughed. “There’s hope for you yet.”

The potato chips were crispy and salty, a
nice contrast to the hamburger’s heaviness. They talked about other
ideas she had for her sim-studio and time passed quickly. The
bartender cleared their plates as they finished eating and offered
them more beer. However, it was obvious the employees were anxious
to close for the night.

Taking pity on the humans, he waved to the
bartender then escorted Dro Tar outside. The night was cool and
clear. The stars seemed unusually bright without the clutter of
Frontine’s many towers.

“So what about you?” Dro Tar asked as they
meandered through the field. “Will you finish training with a
different mentor?”

“Despite my many objections, Master Vee
never officially rescinded my title. As far as the other Mystics
are concerned my training is complete.”

“Then will you take on an apprentice?”

He turned her to face him and felt his chest
tighten. Moonlight softened her features and shadowed her eyes. She
looked more child than woman, innocent and trusting. “I’m still
considering my choices, but my priorities have recently
shifted.”

Dro Tar fought back a smile through her
curved lips. “And why is that?”

“Oh there’s this exasperating woman that
keeps barging into my life.”

She laughed. “I didn’t barge into your life.
I chased you down like a dog.”

He yanked her into his arms and lifted her
against his chest until only her toes remained on the ground. “As
soon as we get back to your apartment I’m going to show you how a
dog tames his mate.”

Rather than object to the label Dro Tar
countered, “I’d rather show you why sixty-nine is my favorite
number.”

“Then it’s not a coincidence. I knew there
was more to it.” He released her long enough to Summon the Storm.
Then pulled her back into his embrace and practically dove into the
vortex, obviously anxious for the demonstration to begin.

They emerged from the conduit in a vacant
lot a couple of blocks from her apartment building. She chuckled as
he rushed along. He was certainly in a hurry to have the mystery
unraveled or maybe he just wanted to—

An explosion shook the ground. Windows
shattered and shards of glass gleamed in the moonlight. Fire
erupted an instant later, creating an orange glow against the
blue-black sky. Dro Tar gazed up at the fire in stunned terror,
recognizing the building and then the exact location. Her gaze
widened and her heart slammed against her chest.

“That’s my apartment,” she whispered,
momentarily numbed by the shock of her discovery.

“Are you sure?”

Her mouth was too dry to form words so she
nodded. Half a second later and they would have been inside that
apartment as it exploded.

“Show me your studio.” His arms wrapped
around her and pulled her flush against his body.

Shaking away the stupor, she formed the
image in her mind, zooming out to give him a frame of reference.
His arms tightened and then she felt a sudden rush of acceleration.
An instant later they were standing in the middle of her studio’s
largest simulation chamber. The door was open and a beam of
moonlight streamed in from the lobby. Neither of them activated the
overhead lights.

“The assassin thought we were sleeping,” he
mused as he eased away from her. “He waited for everything to go
dark before he struck.”

She hated not being able to see his face,
but she understood the precaution. “The only person who wants to
harm us is in custody.”

“Malos obviously has supporters. If he
really is a Rodyte spy, he doubtlessly has a handler, perhaps an
entire support network.”

“What do the Rodytes gain by killing us? Our
testimonies are already on record.” The muscles across the back of
her shoulders and neck were starting to spasm. She was still
struggling to accept the fact that someone had tried to kill her.
She wasn’t important enough to kill. But Evan was. Evan had
uncovered an interplanetary conspiracy that went back centuries.
His anxious movements took him into the moonlight and she sighed,
soothed by his familiar features.

“If they’re bold enough to risk murder in
the middle of Frontine, I can guarantee our recordings have
mysteriously disappeared.” He sounded grim and agitated. “We need
to know if Malos’ apprentice is back on Ontariese. Didn’t Trey
reactivate your profile?”

“Close the door so the lights will kick
on.”

“It might be wiser to leave. If the assassin
realizes he failed, this is one of the first places he’ll
search.”

She shook her head and closed the door. The
lights flickered then illuminated. “Didn’t you see that fireball?
No one could have survived that.” And yet they were still alive!
The realization spread joy through her being, allowing her to relax
her cramping muscles and take a nice long breath. “Saved by a
hamburger.” She laughed. “This has got to be a first.”

“We’ll celebrate the irony once we catch the
killer. Is there an access terminal in this building?”

“It’s in here.” She walked to the door
leading to the control booth and motioned for Evan to follow. Guilt
and grief tugged at her heart as she glanced around the small room.
Grat might have been manipulated into evil, but she’d considered
him a friend. “Most Mystics refuse to be chipped. I’m not sure what
you’re hoping I can learn.”

“Kellan is not yet a Mystic and he’s not yet
an adult. If we’re lucky, his chip is still active.”

Suspecting that their supply of luck had
been exhausted by their miraculous escape from death, Dro Tar
scanned open a deep drawer suspended beneath the wide control
console then slid it open. She pulled out a compact pulse pistol
and tucked it into the back of her jeans.

“Why do you keep a gun at your place of
business?”

He sounded curious not judgmental, but
sarcasm still crept into her tone. “Because I can’t throw people
around with my mind.”

She sat on one of three chairs arranged in
front of the controls. After encrypting the signal she accessed the
mammoth datastream reserved for high-level members of the military.
Trey had referred to the datastream as his, but it was actually
administered by Overlord Lyrik.

Before she started tracking down their prime
suspect, she tapped into the first responder channels and listened
for communications about the blast. “Sounds like emergency
equipment is already onsite.”

“Good. Was anyone harmed?”

She shuffled through the overlapping
transmissions until she heard a paramedic updating a hospital.
“Shit. Seventeen injuries. No fatalities as of yet. They’ve
requested assistance from the Mystics.” She sighed. There wasn’t
anything they could do for the wounded other than catch the lunatic
who set off the bomb. “I need more than Kellan’s first name.” Evan
supplied Kellan’s personal information so she could narrow the
search criteria. When the results appeared she shook her head. “His
chip was deactivated two cycles ago.”