The Indigo Spell Chapter Twenty

IAN WOKE ME THE NEXT MORNING with a super-early ph single call. At prototypical, I thought maybe he hoped to sneak in before the former(a) Alchemists woke up, simply it turned extinct he just wanted to deliver breakfast beforehand. Seeing as hed small-armaged to get me access, I couldnt very advantageously refuse. Hed originally wanted to go to the facility in the late morning, scarcely I talked him into red ink closer to nonen. It meant lingering long over breakfast, besides it was worth the sacrifice. However, I was strictly support to khakis and a linen top. Espionage aside, cocktail dresses and breakfast buffets just didnt mix. As a concession, however, I un stillt unityd both howevertons at the top of my shirt. Openly wearing that into the facility was practically R-rated, and Ian seemed thrilled by the scandalous act.Sunday at the facility was a proper deal quieter than the previous night. Although Alchemists neer right generousy got a break from their duties, about of the center drubed normal weekday demarcation hours. I had no unenvi subjecties checking in through the main reception again, notwithstanding as predicted, we had a small delay in getting to the capture area. The guy on duty wasnt the friend who owed Ian a favor. We had to wait for him to exercise extinct from the back room, and even then, it as wellk Ian a bit of cajoling to convince his assistant to let me in. I depend it was obvious to both of them that Ian was just nerve-wracking to impress me, and finally, the first guy relented to what seemed like a harmless errand. later all, I was a fellow Alchemist, and I was unless going on a tour of a library. What could possibly go wrong?They searched my udder and do me walk through a metal detector. I had two fascinations in mind that I could perform with appear physical comp atomic number 53nts, so at least I didnt return to explain any crystals or herbs. The trickiest region was a interchange drive Id hidde n in my bra. They might not have questioned me carrying one in my purse, tho I hadnt wanted to lay on the line it creation called out. That being verbalize, if the thumb drive did show up on the scan, I was going to have a ofttimes to a greater extent difficult time explaining why I was hiding it. I tensed as I stepped under the scanner, bracing myself to either run or onrush a Wolfe move. But, as hoped, it was too small to find, and we were waved through. That was one obstacle down, though it didnt make me any less tense.Did you end up trading this for the currency he owed you? I asked once Ian and I were descending toward the archives.Yeah. He make a face. I tried to just swap it out for half of what he owed, and it was all or nothing for him.So how much is this trip priceing you?Fifty dollars. Its worth it, though, he added quickly.Dinner had cost some the same. This was turning into an expensive weekend for Ian, component particularly since I was the only one truly r eaping the rewards. I couldnt help but face a bit guilty and had to remind myself again and again that this was for an important cause. I wouldve strikeered to pay him back for it all, but nearthing told me that would counteract everything Id been pass awaying to achieve with my female charms.The archives were sealed with electronic put aways that rudeed when Ian scanned his card key. As we stepped privileged, I nearly forgot that coming in here was just a stay for the larger cast. Books and books and books surrounded me as well as scrolls and documents written on parchment. Old and delicate items were sealed under glass, with notes and signs against a far bulwark on how to access digital copies of them on computers. A couple of Alchemists, immature like us, worked at tables and were transcribing old books into their laptops. One of them looked excited well-nigh her logical argument the otherwise guy looked bored. He seemed to welcome the distraction of us entering.I must have worn an fittingly awed expression because when I turned to Ian, he was watching me with pride. Pretty cool, huh? Apparently being a glorified librarian had just become a much much excite job for him. Follow me.He didnt have to tell me twice. We began by exploring the unspoilt extent of the archives room, which stretched back much farther than I initially realized. The Alchemists prized effledge, and it was obvious from this collection, which dated back centuries. I lingered at the shelves, absent to read every title. They came in different languages and covered a full range of topics useful to our trade chemistry, story, mythology, the supernatural . . . it was dizzying.How do you organize it? I asked. How can you find anything?Ian pointed to small pla tease on the shelves that I hadnt noticed. They bore alphameric codes that were part of no filing system I recognized. These catalog it all. And heres the directory.He led me to a touch screen panel embedded in the wa ll. I pressed it and was presented with a menu of options AUTHOR, TIME PERIOD, SUBJECT, LANGUAGE. I fey SUBJECT and was led through a series of more(prenominal) and more specific topics until I finally realized Id been searching for Magic in the supernatural parting. It gave me a list of titles, each with its own code in the organizational system.To my surprise, at that place were actually a number of books on magic, and I burned with curiosity. Did the Alchemists have records of witches? Or was it all speculation? Most likely these were moral books preaching the wrongness of humans even considering much(prenominal) feats. disregard I browse some of the books? I asked him. I mean, I k instantly I cant sit and read all subsequentlynoon, but theres so much history . . . I just kind of want to be a part of it. Id be so, so grateful.I in truth didnt think that would work twice, but it did.Okay. He pointed toward a small mutilateice in the back. I need to catch up on a a couple of(prenominal) things. Do you want to meet back here in an hour?I thanked him profusely and then returned to the touch screen. I yearned to investigate the magic books but had to remind myself why I was here. As long as I was in the archives, I might as well do some research that would help our cause. I flipped through the menus until I located the section on the Alchemists early history. Id hoped to find a reference to vampire hunters in general or the Warriors specifically. No luck. The best I could do was issue onward the codes to shelves and shelves detailing our groups formation. Most of the books were dense and written in an antiquated style. The really old ones werent even in English.I skimmed a few and soon realized a task like this would take longer than an hour. The newer books had no mention of the Warriors, which didnt surprise me, seeing as that information was straightaway covered up. If I was going to locate any references to vampire hunters, it would be in the ol dest books. They didnt have much in the way of tables of contents or indices, and there was no way I could do a full read. Remembering my real mission here, I put the books away after about ten minutes and sought out Ian. That earlier tenseness returned, and I began to sweat.Hey, is there a contraption in here?I prayed there wasnt. Id seen one down the hall when wed come to this aim. Part of my plan depended on getting out of the archives.Down the hall, by the stairs, he said. somewhat work issue had required his attention, and if my luck held, it would keep his centers off the clock. Knock on the admittance when you get back. Ill tell the scribes to let you in.Id had a knot of anxiety in my stomach all day that Id been move to ignore. Now there was no getting around it. It was time for the unthinkable. civilization had no role in Alchemist earnest. The hallway contained cameras at each end. They set about each other, providing a long, continuous shot of the corridor. The restrooms were located at one end of the hall, almost directly under a camera. I went inside the ladies room and verified there were no other people or cameras within. At least the Alchemists allowed some privacy. Casting the invisibleness spell was diffuse. acquiring out was a little more difficult. The cameras position made me think the restroom vergestep was too flush with the wall for either camera to really get a good look at it. The threshold makeed inward, so I was able to slip out and feel confident no camera had picked up a ghostly doorsill opening. The door to the stairs was the real beast. It was in the range of one of the cameras. Ms. Terwilliger had told me the invisibility spell would protect me from video and film. So, I had no fear of being spotted. I simply had to take the risk of the camera recording the door opening by itself.Although I knew security guards watched live feeds of the cameras, there were too many for them to scrutinize every second. If no sudden movement appeared on this one, I doubted any guard would notice. And if things stayed tame on this take, no one would have any discernment to review the footage. But the operations level . . . well, if everything went according to plan, this sleepy Sunday was about to get a crowd more exciting there.I slipped in and out of the stairwell, opening the door with absolutely as little space as possible. The operations level was even more secure than the archives, with heavy, industrial-looking doors that required both key cards and codes. I had no illusions about cracking any of it. Entry into the security office, much like the rest of this task, relied on an odd mix of logic and luck. The one thing you could count on with Alchemists was reliability. I knew how schedules tended to work. Lunch breaks were interpreted on the hour at typical eat times eleven, twelve, and one. This was why Id asked Ian to schedule our visit to this time, when I could be relatively certain workers would be moving in and out of the room. Noon was five minutes away, and I crossed my fingers individual would exit soon.As it turned out, someone entered. A man came whistling down the hall. When he reached the door, the smell of fast-food hamburgers gave away his lunch choice. I held my breath as he scanned his card and punched in the numbers. The lock clicked, and he pushed the door open. I scurried in behind him and cleared the door without having to catch it or open it farther. Unfortunately, he came to a halt kind of than I expected, and I brushed against him. I immediately shrank away, and he scanned around, startled. please dont think theres an invisible person here. How terrible would that be to have made it this far, only to be detected at present? Fortunately, magical subterfuge wasnt the first thing Alchemists turned to as a reason for anything. After a few more puzzled moments, he shrugged and called a greeting to one of his coworkers.Wade had described the room perf ectly. Monitors covered one wall, flipping back and forth between different camera views. A couple of guards kept an eye on the footage, while others worked away at computers. Wade had also told me which workstation contained the files I needed. I approached it careful to avoid any other contact mishaps. A charr was already seated at the station.I was thinking of Thai carryout, she told one of her coworkers. Ive just got to finish this report.No She was about to take her lunch break. For my plan to work, that couldnt happen. If she left, she would lock her computer. I needed it accessible for this plan to work. She was campaign late on her lunch, which meant I had to act now.This room wasnt exempt from surveillance. in time the watchers had watchers. Fortunately, there was only one camera. I selected an empty computer with a screen facing the camera and stood behind it. Wires and cords snaked out of the computers panel, and the fans whirred steadily inside. I rested my hand o n the panel and did one more quick assessment. The computers back was out of the cameras view, but it would do no good if it was in the middle of someone elses line of vision. Everyone seemed preoccupied, though. It was time to act.I created a powerhouse a small one. I kept it in the palm tree of my hand and rested it right next to the panel. Despite its size, I summoned as much heat as I could. Not quite blue, but getting there. It took effect quickly, and within seconds, the cords and panel began to melt. The scent of burned plastic rolled over me, and smoke drifted upward. It was seemly. I let the perk upball fade, and then I sprinted away from the computer just in time. Everyone had now noticed the burning computer. An alarm went off. in that location were cries of surprise, and someone yelled for a fire extinguisher. They all rose from their chairs to hurry over and look including the woman whod been at the computer I needed.There was no time to waste. I sat immediately in her chair and plugged in the thumb drive. With gloved hands, I grabbed hold of the mouse and began clicking through directories. Wade hadnt been able to help much at this point. Wed just hoped finding the files would be intuitive. in all the while, I was conscious of the time and that someone might notice a mouse moving by itself. take down after they put out the fire, the Alchemists hovered around the smoking computer, trying to figure out what had happened. Overheating wasnt uncommon, but a fire happening that quickly definitely was. And these were computers that contained highly responsive information.I felt like there were a million directories. I checked a few likely candidates, only to hit a deceased end. Each time I hit a dead end, I would silently swear at the wasted time. The other Alchemists werent going to stay away forever Finally, after more stressful searching, I found a directory of old surveillance footage. It contained folders linked to every camera in the building including one marked MAIN CHECKPOINT. I clicked it open and found files named by date. Wade had told me that eventually these files were cleared and moved to archives, but the day I needed was still here. The cameras recorded one physical body every second. Multiplied by twenty-four hours, that made for a ample file but not nearly the size continuous film would create. The file would fit on my thumb drive, and I began copying it over.The yokeing was fast, but it was still a big transfer. The screen told me it had ten seconds to go. ten seconds. The computers owner could be back by then. I allowed myself another glance at the Alchemists. They were all still puzzling out the mystery. The thing about scientists like us was that a technological failure like this was fascinating. Also, it neer occurred to any of them to look for a supernatural explanation. They tossed around theories with each other and started to take the melted computer apart. My file finished copyin g, and I sprang out of the chair, just as the woman began walking back toward it. Id been fully watchful to risk another ghost door while they were distracted, but the fire alarm had summoned others in the hallway. People moved in and out with such frequency that I had no botheration holding the door open just long enough for me to sneak through.I practically ran back to the archives level and had to calm myself when I reentered the restroom. I uncast the invisibility spell and waited for my breathing to slow. The thumb drive was back in my bra, the gloves back in my purse. Studying myself in the mirror, I decided that I looked innocent enough to return to the archives.One of the scribes let me in. It was the engrossed girl, and she gave me a look that said opening the door was a waste of her time. Ian still appeared to be engulfed with work in the back, which was a relief. Id been gone far longer than a bathing tub trip would require and had worried hed wonder where I was at. Th ings couldve gone in earnest if hed sent the girl to find me, both because I wasnt in the restroom and because shed be really annoyed at the interruption. Over in the history section, I sat on the floor with a book picked at random, which I only pretended to read. I was too anxious and discover up to parse the words, no matter how many times I tried to reassure myself. There was no reason for the Alchemists to suspect me of cause the fire. There was no reason for them to think Id stolen data. There was no reason for them to think I was connected to any of this.Ian found me when the hour was up, and I feigned disappointment at having to leave. In reality, I couldnt get out of this building fast enough. He drove me to the airport and chattered nonstop about the next time wed get to see each other. I smiled and nodded appropriately but reminded him our work had to come first and that my post was particularly consuming. He was obviously disappointed but couldnt deny the logic. The Al chemist greater good came first. Even better, he didnt try one of those awful kisses again though he did suggest we set up some times for video chatting. I told him to email me, secretly vowing Id never open up any marrow from him.I didnt relax until the flat took off, when the potential for an Alchemist raid seemed pretty low. The most paranoid part of me worried there could be a company waiting for me at the Palm Springs airport, but for now I had a few hours of peace.Id just assumed Id deliver the drive to Marcus and leave it at that. But now, with it in my possession, my curiosity got the better of me. I had to get to the arsehole of this mystery. Was the Z. J. whod visited the Alchemists really Master Jameson?With fresh deep brown in hand, I undecided the file on my laptop and began to watch.Even with one frame per second, the footage went on forever. Most of it was nothing but a quiet checkpoint, with the most exciting parts being when the guards changed position or took breaks. Plenty of Alchemists passed in and out, but relative to the overall time span, they were few and far between. Ian actually showed up once, off to start his shift.I wasnt even halfway through when the plane began its descent. Disheartened, I resigned myself to an evening of more of the same when I got back to the dorm. At least Id be able to make some decent coffee to get me through. I was almost tempted just to push the file off on Marcus tomorrow and let him deal with reviewing it . . . but that nagging vocalization urging me to find out for myself won. It wasnt just because of my curiosity either. I didnt really think Marcus would fabricate anything, but if I could see for sure that There he was on the screen.He wasnt in those over-the-top robes, but there was no mistaking Master Jamesons old-fashioned beard. He wore business mundane clothing and seemed to be smiling at something a man beside him was saying. The man had a lily on his cheek but was no one I knew.Master J ameson. With the Alchemists.Marcus and his Merry Mens conspiracy had panned out. A suspicious part of me wanted to believe this was a setup, that maybe theyd altered and planted this. But, no. Id taken it myself, off an Alchemist server. It was possible Marcus had more insiders running errands for him, but this hadnt been easy for me, even with magical assistance. Besides, why would Marcus go to so much trouble to make me believe this? If it was some twisted way to get me to join him, there were a million other ways he could have attempted it, with evidence much easier to fake.Something in my gut told me this was real. I hadnt disregarded the similarities in our rituals or how the Warriors had wanted our groups to merge. Maybe the Alchemists and the Warriors werent best friends yet, but someone had at least humored Master Jameson with a conflict. The question was, what had happened at that meeting? Had the Alchemist in the footage sent Jameson packing? Were the two of them togethe r right now?Regardless of the outcome, this was undeniable proof that the Alchemists and Warriors were still in contact. Stanton had told me we merely kept an eye on them and had no interest in hearing them out. formerly again, I had been lied to.