around a bit to find a second handgun, and gave it to Danelle.
"I'm not leaving you here alone, either."
The place where we had stopped was pretty light on energy, but it was enough to get Evan up and moving. I lifted the lid to the cooler and reached in, pulling on the fields and sending the magic through me and into the corpse. I was still a little freaked out by what Rayon had said, and my voice trembled when I called him back.
"Captain Evan Williams. Time to deploy."
The cold, glassy eyes became a little less cold and glassy. A skeletal arm reached up and grabbed the edge of the cooler, and his half-face created an angry sneer.
"You know I hate when you call me like that, asshole. You were never on the force, so don't act like you're my C.O."
"Just get up," I said. I didn't like Evan. I never had. I respected him for the badass he had been when he was alive... excluding the fact that he'd gotten blasted in the chest by his own wife after he'd almost beat her to death.
He lifted himself from the cooler and stepped out, his bone foot making a hollow sound when it landed on the floor of the van. "Well? What do you want?"
"I want you to defend the van. If anything tries to give Danelle trouble, take care of it."
He glanced over at her and sighed. "Invalid duty again?"
"Fuck you, Evan," Danelle said.
"Back at you. It's not like I have a choice." He looked over the collection of weaponry. "Still no M-16?"
"Do you know how much those things cost?"
He picked up the Bushmaster. "This is close enough, I guess. You want me inside or outside?"
"Stay inside unless there's trouble."
"Fine. Now get lost."
I went back to the front of the van. "Any last words?"
"Try not to touch anyone. We can't afford to boost you a second time in the same week." She handed me the card.
I nodded and went out through the drivers side, circling around the back of the van towards the alley. The street was still deserted, and the quietness left me feeling edgy. Even so, I made it to the rear of the building without incident.
The door was there, just as Danelle had said. I tried to push it open. Locked. I looked around while I dug my hand into another pocket, locating my set of picks and bringing them into the open. I moved myself so my body hugged the door while my hands worked the picks, and the picks worked the tumblers. The door was open inside of five seconds.
I slipped in, using as little space as possible. I was in the inner emergency stairwell, a narrow, dimly lit vertical expanse of metal grated stairs. Looking up, I could see a pair of size twenty feet three floors above me. They weren't moving, so I could only assume the wearer hadn't heard me come in.
Which left me with an interesting choice. Sneak up on him and take him out, or let him know I was here right now. I tucked myself into the shadows and watched him for a minute while I tried to decide. Danelle had known there would be guards in the stairwell, which meant they could probably be reasoned with.
"Hello," I said, raising my voice and stepping out of the shadows. The pair of feet shifted, and then a large head leaned over the railing, looking down at me.
"How'd you get in here? I didn't hear nuthin'." His voice was deep, and it echoed through the stairwell.
I ignored his question. "I'm here to see Mr. Clean."
"What for?"
I held up the card, making sure it caught enough of what little light there was that he would understand.
"Who's the ghost?"
"Daaé." Every ghost had a handle. That one was Dannie's.
He stopped looking down at me. There was some rustling. His voice carried in the narrow enclosure. "Got a ghost here... Daaé... Mr. Clean... yeah, okay." His head re-appeared. "Come on up, slow like. Keep your hands where I can see 'em."
His small, dark eyes followed me a I wound my way up the steps, walking as lightly as I could so that the soles of my boots barely made a sound on the steel. I wanted him to know I could have snuck up on him, if
"I'm not leaving you here alone, either."
The place where we had stopped was pretty light on energy, but it was enough to get Evan up and moving. I lifted the lid to the cooler and reached in, pulling on the fields and sending the magic through me and into the corpse. I was still a little freaked out by what Rayon had said, and my voice trembled when I called him back.
"Captain Evan Williams. Time to deploy."
The cold, glassy eyes became a little less cold and glassy. A skeletal arm reached up and grabbed the edge of the cooler, and his half-face created an angry sneer.
"You know I hate when you call me like that, asshole. You were never on the force, so don't act like you're my C.O."
"Just get up," I said. I didn't like Evan. I never had. I respected him for the badass he had been when he was alive... excluding the fact that he'd gotten blasted in the chest by his own wife after he'd almost beat her to death.
He lifted himself from the cooler and stepped out, his bone foot making a hollow sound when it landed on the floor of the van. "Well? What do you want?"
"I want you to defend the van. If anything tries to give Danelle trouble, take care of it."
He glanced over at her and sighed. "Invalid duty again?"
"Fuck you, Evan," Danelle said.
"Back at you. It's not like I have a choice." He looked over the collection of weaponry. "Still no M-16?"
"Do you know how much those things cost?"
He picked up the Bushmaster. "This is close enough, I guess. You want me inside or outside?"
"Stay inside unless there's trouble."
"Fine. Now get lost."
I went back to the front of the van. "Any last words?"
"Try not to touch anyone. We can't afford to boost you a second time in the same week." She handed me the card.
I nodded and went out through the drivers side, circling around the back of the van towards the alley. The street was still deserted, and the quietness left me feeling edgy. Even so, I made it to the rear of the building without incident.
The door was there, just as Danelle had said. I tried to push it open. Locked. I looked around while I dug my hand into another pocket, locating my set of picks and bringing them into the open. I moved myself so my body hugged the door while my hands worked the picks, and the picks worked the tumblers. The door was open inside of five seconds.
I slipped in, using as little space as possible. I was in the inner emergency stairwell, a narrow, dimly lit vertical expanse of metal grated stairs. Looking up, I could see a pair of size twenty feet three floors above me. They weren't moving, so I could only assume the wearer hadn't heard me come in.
Which left me with an interesting choice. Sneak up on him and take him out, or let him know I was here right now. I tucked myself into the shadows and watched him for a minute while I tried to decide. Danelle had known there would be guards in the stairwell, which meant they could probably be reasoned with.
"Hello," I said, raising my voice and stepping out of the shadows. The pair of feet shifted, and then a large head leaned over the railing, looking down at me.
"How'd you get in here? I didn't hear nuthin'." His voice was deep, and it echoed through the stairwell.
I ignored his question. "I'm here to see Mr. Clean."
"What for?"
I held up the card, making sure it caught enough of what little light there was that he would understand.
"Who's the ghost?"
"Daaé." Every ghost had a handle. That one was Dannie's.
He stopped looking down at me. There was some rustling. His voice carried in the narrow enclosure. "Got a ghost here... Daaé... Mr. Clean... yeah, okay." His head re-appeared. "Come on up, slow like. Keep your hands where I can see 'em."
His small, dark eyes followed me a I wound my way up the steps, walking as lightly as I could so that the soles of my boots barely made a sound on the steel. I wanted him to know I could have snuck up on him, if
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