Red

Red leaned back in the seat of his Deville, still parked in his spot at Wreckie HQ. Should he go after Nina and the Harper kids first? No sense collecting Lisa if he didn’t have Evan. Then again, the Wreckies would no doubt be going after them, with or without Red. But unless Mistress Kreeg went in herself there was no chance a Wreckie strike force would be able to get them out. Surely, she’d go after the Root, right? Yeah, she wouldn’t care about anything else. Red took a deep breath as he realized he was Nina and the Harper kid’s best chance. Karen instantly knew it too. Crap.

He’d been to Cuāuhtli the City-State before, of course that was almost a century ago during the Great War, or was it World War 2? Best cave rat tacos he’d ever had. Of course, that was back when relations were good. Back when everyone had a common enemy and they’d almost defeated the Sovs once and for all. Back when the world was simpler, to be sure.

Then again when he had last gone, he took the main entrance, hell there was only one entrance then. Or at least one commonly used entrance. He’d heard rumors of unofficial ways in, but he never needed to use those. No doubt Reggie would know, or he’d have a contact, or both. Fuck, he would know probably know where Lisa was too. Why did all roads have to lead to Reggie?

He held his thumb over the screen of his phone. He put it down. He picked it up again and flipped through his contacts. No. He put it back down. There had to be another way.

Red pulled on the end of his mustache. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he thumbed through the files of Cuāuhtli City on the display. He was screwed.

But maybe, just maybe, he could trade information this time, plus like Karen, Reggie loved Lisa. He’d probably give him everything he needed without all the usual bullshit. Maybe? Hopefully?

Red paced across the four-inch-thick pink carpet of Reggie’s main foyer. Above was the massive two-story glass chandelier that dominated the room. The glass globes on it pulsed a faint yellow instead of their normal rainbow flickering. The impressive, but ridiculously gaudy, room was so like Reggie on so many levels.

Reggie’s assistant, Alasdair maintained a disapproving glare while keeping his eyes on Red as he paced. “And where is that lovely doll Nina? She was so delightful.”

Red twisted his neck refusing to look at the man and instead moved closer to the massive windows overlooking San Francisco. “That’s part of the reason I am here. How much longer is that assclown going to be?”

Alisdair let out a polite but flustered little grunt. “Well, that is why you make an appointment when you need to see Reggie. You know how busy he is.”

Red huffed. “Twenty bucks says he’s getting a manicure or haircut.”

“I will not discuss Reggie’s personal business with the likes of you, thank you very much. Now, are you sure you don’t want to go ahead and start some artwork? You know how insistent Reggie is on that. It will save you time in the long run.”

Red turned to the doorway leading to the art studio and the three stories of gleaming white wall that stretched from the door to the ceiling. “You’re right. Reggie will insist upon his precious art.” He focused a charge of ESH into his right index finger and carved ‘Red was here’ onto the wall. “There, all done,” He fished a reserve butterscotch out of his pocket and threw it at Alisdair. “Here’s his food. Now will you call him already?”

The mahogany doors leading to Reggie’s office opened. Reggie, in the same purple jacket, ushered a slender woman in a golden yellow pantsuit with blonde hair tied up in a bun wearing a serious expression. The red sun of the wizard Aruna was emblazoned on the breast pocket of her jacket. Aruna took his name from the Hindu god of the sun and was rumored to live hidden away in the Himalayas. One of the great wizards, he maintained a mostly neutral posture when it came to the happenings of the world. Rumor was he was too busy concerning himself with the study of magic to bother with the events of the world. Perhaps the sudden appearance of the Root had piqued his interest.

Reggie glanced up at Red’s handiwork and shook his head disapprovingly. He said something inaudible to the golden woman and she nodded.

"Red,” Reggie said in a surprisingly cordial tone. “I would like to introduce Zanzia. She is a representative of Aruna, who I am sure you are familiar with.”

Red nodded.

Zanzia maintained her serious expression except for the narrowing of her eyes. She tilted her head forward and bowed politely. “Ah yes, the timeless enforcer of the Wrecht Order, always keeping the world safe from the Sovereign Sect.”

Red couldn’t shake the feeling she was mocking him. But Aruna had sided with Mistress Kreeg during World War 2. Maybe he was reading too much into the woman’s mannerisms. Anyone close to a wizard tended to be eccentric. Karen was the perfect example. Red returned the bow. “It’s a pleasure. But I am no longer a member of the Wrecht order.”

“Provisionally, from what I hear.” Zanzia said.

How could she possibly know that? Relations with the Wrecht order must be better than he understood.

Zanzia turning back to Reggie. “And now I must leave you. Do take great care of it.” With that, she stepped into the elevator and left.

Reggie blew a loud raspberry. “Wow and I thought you were stuck up and tense. Now, what errand did Karen send you on this time? Looking for the Harper’s house, I assume?”

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Red nodded.

“Uh and what about payment? I didn’t receive any money in my account.” Reggie pointed to the wall. “That does not count as art, you heathen. If anything, I should double my fee because now I have to get it—”

“Look you pompous blowhard,” Red interrupted. “I’m not here on some Wrecht Order errand. Yes, our wants align, but I’m done with them.”

“And you think that means you don’t have to pay the normal rate?”

“I have information I can trade.” Red laced his fingers together in front of him.

“I doubt you have—”

Red held a finger up defiantly. “I know how to break the Sov connection.”

Reggie audibly gasped, then squinted. “I don’t believe you. How?”

Red folded his arms. “Are we going to exchange information or not?”

Reggie stared him down for a few awkward seconds. Red remained like stone, unflinching and unblinking until Reggie finally cracked. “Fine, let’s go to my office. “Alisdair, cancel the rest of my appointments and go and fetch two thermal suits from storage.”

Thermal suits?

“Are you sure?” Alisdair asked.

“Yes. Now come on Red, you better have what you claim. You don’t know how hard it is to get my stylist to come visit.”

Red glanced back at Alisdair. “Told you.”

Reggie led the way into his office. The curtains of the two-story window were drawn giving the room a more mysterious feel than normal. Mahogany bookshelves trimmed with gold lined the walls. Books and a series of faintly glowing oddities covered their shelves. Reggie grabbed a large backpack hanging from a post on a hook in the corner and tossed it onto his ornately trimmed mahogany desk. “Well, come on, out with it.”

Red helped himself to one of the chairs in front of the desk. “First, I need information about the Harper’s house. Who could have grabbed it? And where is it now?”

Reggie slowly sat down on his desk chair making eye contact with Red. “What is this, foreplay before you ask what you really want to know?”

Red curled his lips in to hold back his frustration. No. Don’t antagonize him, that will just make him more unbearable. “Look, I know it’s someone from the Cuāuhtli fiefdom, but there are a lot of bosses down there.”

Reggie leaned back in his chair shaking his head side to side. “Honestly, it's rather arrogant to call it a fiefdom. Like Mistress Kreeg granted them land to work and live on. If you go down there you better drop that attitude, or you’ll get a macuahuitl in the back.”

“A macuahuitl?” That word was familiar.

Reggie laughed. “Oh, this is going to be fun. A macuahuitl is a wooden stick lined with sharp stones, traditionally obsidian, but now they use ESH charged crystals. It’ll cut through most things, including mages like yourself.” Reggie smirked. “Now, the correct term is the Cuāuhtli Empire. And yes, there are many power players within it. Even though Houston is near the border of the empire, it lies under the purview, or should I say over the purview since it is above ground? Anyway, the Harper house is squarely in Atzi’s area. If he didn’t sanction it directly, he will know about it or allowed it to happen.”

The Spader Society was too expansive and not Red’s area of expertise. This was going to be difficult at best. But the part that still bothered Red the most was the why and the how they found the Harpers’ house. “Okay, I get that each Spader fief...or empire has various ways of finding ESH through dirt and rock, but how would they find the Harper House? Even with the massive ESH signal from the Root. That’s the name of the ESH source, we’ve been hunting by the way. We found it and the wizard.”

Reggie started shoving items in his backpack. “Oh, I already know all about it, and Adelfried.” Reggie delivered a smug grin. Damn. It’s only been a few hours since Red learned of the Root and Adelfried and who he was. How the hell did Reggie already know? It didn't matter.

Reggie continued, “But to answer your question, it is unlikely they would find the Root without some kind of previous knowledge. I know they keep up with affairs of the topside world, so maybe they started looking in Houston if they connected the dots? But if you ask me, someone tipped them off.” Reggie went to a bookcase behind him and grabbed a book from the shelf. A section of the bookcase pivoted up into the air exposing a keypad. Reggie had a safe hidden away and he was letting Red watch him. This was out of character to be sure.

Reggie moved to block Red’s view of the keypad and started to press the buttons, each responding with a beep. After fourteen beeps, a metal door swung open revealing several small boxes, stacks of paper, and other curios Red couldn’t quite make out. Reggie put a small metal box in and took one out. He opened the lid on the box and dumped its contents—a lot of ESH money—into his backpack.

Reggie closed the safe and slid the faux bookshelf back into place. “Now, are you going to ask me what you really want to know?”

Red hated it when Reggie obviously knew something he didn’t. “What’s with the backpack, Reggie?”

“Just getting ready for our little adventure.”

Red squeezed the armrest of his chair as he could feel his blood pressure rise. “Funny.” He leaned forward. “I could have sworn you just said our adventure. But as annoying as you are, I will admit, you’re not a complete idiot. And being not a complete idiot, you would have to know that there is no scenario where we do anything together.”

“Uh huh, sure. So, ask your question, Red.”

Red sighed and folded his arms. “Fine, what intel do you have on Lisa and her current location?”

Reggie’s fat little piggy face formed into a very punchable smile. “That’s what I thought. And you want to know because you have a way to set her free and it has something to do with the house, which is deep underground now. So just tell me exactly how you can break the Sov connection, and we will go and get it. Because as much of a bruiser as you are, you will be out of your element down there and will need someone like me to survive. Now do tell, little chickadee, do tell. Is it the Root itself? Some device Adelfried created? Come on, out with it.” Reggie leaned forward, propping his chin on his knuckles.

“It’s the boy, Evan Harper. He drains anything he touches of ESH. I saw him cure his mom right in front of my eyes. Even Mistress Kreeg confirmed it. It was the damndest thing I ever saw.” Red jabbed a finger at Reggie. “But you’re still not coming with me.”

Reggie leaned back putting his feet on his desk. “Yes, I am. Since Mistress Kreeg shut down the main entrances and their internet, the first topsider they see is going to get it. And by it, I mean a macuahuitl in the back. But they know me, and I know other ways to get down there. But truthfully, we are going to need to stay hidden if we want to find the house and Evan Harper. No way was this sanctioned by the empire, even with the current tense relations. They don’t want Mistress Kreeg on their ass. This had to have been an independent job.”

“It’s not just Evan in the house, his sister, Kae, and Nina, are down there too.”

Reggie tensed. “Oh no. But she was one of the Wrecht Order’s few remaining bright spots.”

Alastair walked in with two suits that shined like tinfoil. He placed them on the chair beside Red and left. Red pinched the material. It was some kind of thick metal mesh. “Okay, I’ll bite, what’s with the suits?”

“See, yet another reason you’ll need me. Now, please tell me you brought some Bizzy Batteries. We’re going to need those too.”

Fucking Reggie, always one step ahead.