11:50 AM September 13th 2026

Industrial Park District Near the Port of New York

Frank liked Samantha Wattkins. He really did. She was competent, polite professional, and worked hard. Which was a lot more than he could say about a lot of people he’d worked with over the years.

Sure, there were people who had issues with her…if they were insecure jackasses who thought she only got her job because of favoritism. Or if they mistook her professionalism and competence for arrogance and standoffishness. Then, of course, there was Gleipnir, who was both arrogant and was an absolute void of professionalism.

So, it was normal for Frank to initially assume this was some Sam and Gleipnir had just rubbed the wrong way. After they two began speaking, however, it started to seem as if there was something else going on. He sidled over to the junior agent who had arrived with Sam Wattkins.

“You Wattkins partner?” His question was pitched low but Alex was also so distracted watching this interesting interaction that she didn’t notice the conspiratorial nature of the question.

“Uh. Huh?” The young woman spared only the briefest glance at her addresser. “Um, yes.” Her head snapped back to watching Sam and the kind of cute consultant from the museum.

“I know I shouldn’t ask but,” Frank hesitated because he’d never really participated in gossip before. “What’s the story with those two?” He nodded at the pair off in the distance and the poor Magicorps soldier awkwardly trying to avoid being noticed. “Like, is this a work thing or a…personal thing?”

“I…I…” The junior agent stuttered absorbed in the distant drama. “I have no idea. Whatever this is, was before my time.” They watched in speculative silence as Sam coaxed the younger man out of the vehicle.

“Five bucks says it’s an ex.” A third agent added as they walked up. Frank frowned but couldn’t stop watching the trainwreck in action. Inexorably his eyes would be drawn back every time he tried to jerk them away.

“I’ll take that.” Alex chimed in. “Five dollars says he dislikes her because they’ve worked together.”

“I mean,” Frank added thoughtfully, “Those two situations aren’t mutually exclusive.” Then he blushed and ducked his head before glancing back at the vehicle. The two junior agents turned their heads slowly to stare at him in awe for suggesting to them a scandal neither would have attributed to Sam on their own.

Everything seemed to be moving along and the possible former couple were smiling when Sam suddenly stopped, turned on the consultant, and slapped him viciously across the face. He staggered back with a look of disbelief. The watching agents gasped. It wasn’t all the agents, just the few who weren’t actively patrolling the perimeter of the quarantined area.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know what that’s for.” Sam’s shout of pent-up betrayal almost sounded like a sob. “Now let’s just get this done so I don’t have to spend another second in your presence.

“Fine by me.” The young man cupped a cheek and rubbed it wincingly as they started walking again. The soldier with them covered his mouth as his eyes bulged in shock. He slapped his other hand to his thigh and took a second to recover from his shock. His hand was still covering the lower half of his face as they approached the cluster of senior agents.

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“Alex, catch!” Sam tossed a personal magic collector and arcane sensor to her partner without bothering to see if the woman caught it. “Gear up. The faster we’re done with this the faster our consultant can leave.” The three veered toward the barrier and made a beeline for the waiting mystery within.

“Oh. My. GOD!” Alex whisper-screamed to herself as she put on the magic collector and activated the sensor. Then mouthed it a second time. Frank gave a shake of his head and turned after the trio.

“Okay, people!” He gave a bellow aided with magic to make it loud enough for all the agents on site to hear. “We’re sending the museum consultant and the magic technicians into the perimeter.”

Alex hurried to catch up, wary of getting caught in other people’s drama. Without looking at her the consultant snapped.

“Turn off your collector until we finish our readings.” How did he know? Alex couldn’t sense that much difference in the magical currents. The place was flooded with magic. She obeyed quietly.

For once, Sam seemed to be behaving humbly, letting the consultant take the lead even if she had slapped him only a few minutes ago. So, Alex turned her attention to the consultant. Despite his potential cuteness, the Warlock of the Archivist was haughty. His gaze was intensely serious, and his jaw set with determination as took measurements around the open area of devastation around the vehicle.

The asphalt, sidewalk, and parking lots nearby were ruptured and crumpled like demented accordions. Some large pieces were completely vertical with the gravel and earth beneath exposed. Water pipes and other infrastructure poked through the surface periodically.

“Okay,” Kyle exclaimed after a hike around the wasteland. “…I’ve gotten all the readings I can. Turn on your magic collectors and stay behind me and Sam. Gleip, I need you to do your thing.”

“What thing?” Sam questioned, though she suspected she didn’t want to know.

“That thing where I drag you to safety at the slightest sign of danger whether you want me to or not,” Gleipnir responded smugly as he unwrapped his chain from his warlock’s waist.

“That’s right, my man read my mind.” Kyle held out a hand and got a high five from the tail of Gleipnir’s chain before it rewrapped itself around Samantha protectively. Both chuckled as Samantha glowered.

She tried to brush a lock of her light brown hair back in irritation, but it was already securely restrained in a ponytail so she smoothed any that might have come loose instead. Then she activated the magic collector on her wrist and tried to focus on their destination. The closer she got, the more familiar the vehicle and its branding became. Was that a giant with a crown missing a chunk out of its side standing over…

“Oh, my gosh.” Finally, the information that had been tingling in the back of her head popped into her awareness. “Kyle, the company branding. Is that Mountain King Movers?” Kyle narrowed his eyes and blocked the sun with one hand as he tried filling in the missing imagery with his imagination. Then his eyes widened, and he turned to his sister in excitement as he came to the same conclusion.

“I do believe you are right.” His gleeful exclamation was echoed by Gleipnir’s own crowing.

“Ha, ha. Yes, it is my darling Samantha. On the count of three. One, two, three…,” The sentient magic item counted down as Alex and Specialist Jones gave each other dubious looks behind Sam and Kyle’s backs. Then the two siblings and Gleipnir broke into the song from the company’s commercial set to the tune of In the Hall of the Mountain King.

“When you need to move your stuff,

Trust in us,

We are tough,

When you need to move your stuff,

We will get it done.”

Their impromptu serenade ended on laughter and the three paused for a moment then exclaimed in unison “Jinx."

“Da fuck?” Specialist Jones murmured under his breath. “I think I’m going to hate my job when those two work together.” He added thoughtfully, lost in imaginings of what other horrors they might drag him into. He was already dreading what would happen if someone reported the whole slapping incident to the museum director and word got back to his boss.

“I think I like that guy,” Alex exclaimed with a smile.