Aftermath by Tim Marquitz Page A

shrugged. “A witch as far as I know.” I started to bitch but she raised a hand to ward me off. “Whether you wish to believe me or not, most of these prisoners pre-date my role as head of the Department of Supernatural Investigation, Trigg. I received very little information regarding them when I was placed in charge. In fact, I only learned there was more than one of these prisons by accident, stumbling across the information, which had been deliberately withheld from me by my superiors .” She sneered at the last word.
    “How many more are there?” I asked.
    Shaw grinned and remained silent but her snide smile died on her lips a moment later.
    “There are three remaining, Mister Trigg,” Poe said from where he leaned against the wall.
    She whirled and offered him a withering glare. “You will remain quiet, Poe…” She let the rest of her warning hang in the air.
    He offered up a congenial nod and feigned examining his fingernails. It was clear he’d yet to mend his fences with Shaw and planned to be a thorn in her side regardless the consequences. I found it amusing.
    “Where are they located?” Rahim asked, drawing Shaw’s ire to him.
    She swallowed back her fury before answering. “I’ll provide the location of the next nearest installation, which will be yours to defend. My people and I will deal with another.”
    “And the last one?”
    She shrugged. “We’ll have to hope I’ve chosen correctly.”
    “Which means you still don’t have a clue what’s going on or why your prisons are being attacked.” I groaned. We weren’t getting anywhere with her.
    “Put your little alien to work at translating those papers and maybe we’ll learn something before they hit the next target.”
    “Working with you is like having a non-romantic colonoscopy.”
    “Then let us get on with it so we can be done with each other sooner.” She pushed past us and stormed up the stairs.
    Her minions followed her without a word. Poe nodded to us all once more and made his way through the door and up the stairs. We trailed behind him and emerged once more into the crackling air of wherever we were.
    “Here is the location,” Shaw said, handing Rachelle a piece of paper with scribbled GPS coordinates. “I presume you telepath is in touch?” Rahim nodded. “Good. Have him reach out to Poe so we are in constant contact.”
    Either Rachelle or Rahim must have sent a message to Mike while we were talking because Poe spoke up right after. “Contact established.”
    Shaw nodded and continued. “We do not have the benefit of our resources being applied at either of these locations so you’re on your own as far as determining when or if the assailants are inbound. Should they strike at your location, have your telepath inform ours and we will come and assist. We ask the same of you, of course. Are we clear?”
    “We are,” Rachelle told her before Rahim or I could answer.
    Shaw grunted, then waved to her people. They were gone a second later.
    “There’s more to this than we’re being told,” Rahim said.
    “No doubt, but what?”
    “I wish I knew but I can guarantee it’s not going to end well.”
    I glanced around at the nuked terrain. “Can’t say it’s started all that well either.”
    Rahim handed me the rolled pages. “See if Rala can make sense of these. Maybe there’s an answer hidden somewhere in there. Rachelle and I will go to the prison and keep an eye out. Join us as soon as you can.”
    “Will do.”
    I was left alone right after I’d gotten the words out. Rachelle peeled open a gate and the pair stepped through and disappeared once the portal writhed shut behind them. I let my shield drop and drew in a deep, bracing breath of irradiated air. It burned going down like a cheap cigar or good meth.
    I shook the thought from my head and made ready for my trip down south when I spied the barest of movements in the gloom encompassing the trees. My senses slipped loose and I picked up someone’s