Souls of the Reaper Read online

  “Can you hear me?”

  “What have you got?”

  He recited a string of coordinates. Kazz, obviously more comfortable on a computer than Colton was, kept up with him, rapidly punching the string of numbers as he spoke them. The zoomed-out map of Dallas on the big screen faded away, replaced by a closer shot showing several city blocks. The red highlight detailed that this section of the city was within their previous search parameters. However, a deeper red lit up a smaller search area.

  “How many buildings is that now?” Lacey asked Kazz.

  “Eliminating businesses, for now, that leaves us about twenty or so to search.”

  “That’s better than 60,” Lacey commented.

  “We might be able to narrow it further if I were closer to that part of town.” Niall sounded tired, his voice tinny on the speaker.

  “Give me a central location.” Lacey demanded.

  Kazz’s fingers flew on the keyboard, and the map zoomed in even further. “How about here?” She pointed.

  “What is it?”

  Kazz looked at Lacey as she answered. “It’s a small park. It’s got a large parking lot.”

  Lacey pitched her voice to be heard through the phone. “Marcell, can you get Niall to Glendale Park? It’s fairly central to the coordinates you gave us. There’s a large parking lot there. You and Niall will be safe. Can he astral project again under those circumstances?”

  There was a moment of silence, then Marcell answered. “He says he can.”

  “What do you think?” Lacey was blunt. “Can he handle it?”

  “He will.” That’s not what I asked you. But Lacey let it go. “Also, he says he needs some more of those nanites, programmed exactly like Linus did before. Can you do that?”

  Lacey jerked her head at Colton, who slipped out the office door in silence. “We’ll get them to you as soon as we can.”

  “We’re leaving in five.” Marcell hung up before she could respond.

  “Kazz, grab a laptop. As soon as Colton’s ready, we’re on the move.”

  “Yes, sir.” Kazz began packing the laptop into its bag. The young officer moved with manic fervor. Lacey knew how she felt; she, too, was eager for some action. So much of this case dealt with sitting and doing nothing, and Lacey was raring to go, to do something, anything. By the time Colton returned with another vial of nanites in hand, Lacey and Kazz were ready.

  “Let’s go.” Lacey ordered tersely. She speed-walked to her car, leaving Colton trailing behind as he tried to keep up with her pace. Kazz had no trouble pacing her, though, and she and Lacey were already settled inside by the time Colton opened the car door to get in.

  “You gotta remember something, Little Sister,” he panted. “I don’t have your long legs.”

  “Sorry, Big Brother.” She started the car and pulled out in the street with a squeal of tires. “I forget sometimes.” It was said with a grin, so Colton would know she was joking.

  “Sure you do. It’s more like you enjoy being able to outrun me.”

  Lacey glanced in the rear view mirror to see Kazz cover a smirk. Nothing like a frustrating case to bring a team closer together. Considering what a mixed team we are. Lacey’s thought brought a touch of amusement. She was impressed with Kazz’s performance thus far, however, and made a mental note to add a commendation to the young woman’s record. Lacey was especially glad her newest team member seemed to have an excellent grasp of computers, something in which she and Colton were sadly lacking. It seemed the unit that not so long ago appeared to be doomed, was actually beginning to be a cohesive, viable squad in the police department.

  She pulled her attention back to the road. Her sporty car zipped down the highway, and this was one time Colton didn’t protest. He seemed as eager as Lacey was, leaning forward and staring out the windshield with unwavering intensity. Kazz was nearly panting in her excitement, and she’d forgotten to put on her safety belt. Lacey grinned to herself, remembering a time when she had been just as green. She also thought of their commander, and how she brought him under her wing, taught him the rules of the street, and more. Though he was eventually promoted over her, Lacey had no problem taking orders from the man she had trained. He knew his job, and did it well.

  The ride to the small inner-city park took about fifteen minutes, and when Lacey pulled into the parking lot, she immediately saw Marcell’s huge black SUV. The windows were as dark as those in her car, so she could barely see a vague shape in the driver’s seat, and another in the front passenger seat. There was no way to tell if anyone sat in the back, though she assumed Niall was with Marcell. She parked next to the muscular vehicle and walked around to the driver’s side window.

  Marcell greeted her as he rolled the window down. “You have the nanites?” He asked.

  Lacey responded by taking the vial out of her pocket and handing it to him, then she said hello to Jaidon. She glanced into the back seat, seeing Niall. Marcell passed the vial to the back, and Niall said, “Thank you.”

  “How are you?” Lacey asked Niall, concerned by his drawn face and sad eyes. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

  “I’m fine.” His voice was firm. “I can’t sit by and do nothing.”

  Lacey looked directly into Niall’s eyes. “Okay, then let’s finish this.”

  “You should relax for a minute,” Marcell said to Niall as he stepped out of the SUV. He walked her to her door. “I’ll stay in constant contact with you.” His voice was quiet. “He’s doing this against my better judgment. I don’t think he’s quite ready for it yet, but he won’t listen to me. We’re going to closely monitor him, but this isn’t the ideal place for him to astral project.”

  “I know it’s not. I wish it could be done differently, but it can’t. We’re so close now, we have to find this guy.”

  “We’ll do our best. You’ll keep in touch with the lab?”

  “Of course.”

  Marcell laid a hand lightly on her elbow, and she angled her body so her partners in the car couldn’t see anything untoward. “You’ll be going after him, once we pin him down?”

  “Without hesitation.” Her voice was certain.

  “Please, be careful. He could be extremely dangerous if cornered. Niall says Reapers aren’t designed to contain this much energy, and he could be very unpredictable. In fact, I’d say bordering on the insane.”

  One corner of her mouth curved upward. “Are you worried about me?”

  “I’m concerned about all of you, of course.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you are.” She opened the car door. “Put your phone on speaker.”

  She got back into her car, turning her body toward Colton and Kazz.

  “Are we ready?” Colton asked.

  “Yeah. Call Linus at the lab. Make sure we have an open line to him the whole time. I’ll do the same with Marcell.” She pulled out her phone, dialing the number. Jaidon answered.

  “He’s beginning now.” Jaidon’s voice was a whisper, so Lacey had to strain to hear.

  “We’re getting ready.” Lacey put the phone on speaker and turned to Colton.

  “I’ve got the lab,” he said quietly. “Linus confirms the telemetry is working properly.”

  “Jaidon, telemetry is up.”

  “Stand by.”

  Moments passed with nothing but soft murmurs through the phone. Then, there was silence. Lacey stared at the black SUV as if she could actually see what Niall was doing. She was startled when she saw, for a split second, Marcell’s vehicle glow with a bright white light, then fade back to black. She shook her head, thinking it must have been a trick of the sunlight in her eyes.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Niall struggled to close out the sensations from his physical body. It was difficult, under these circumstances, to concentrate enough to astral project, and he was still mentally exhausted, having never forced his astral self so hard and so often. But he knew he was the lone member of the team who could speak to Ling, and who could find the u
nsub so the criminal could be brought to justice.

 

 

 

 

  Niall asked.

  Ling’s voice betrayed her sadness.

  Niall pulled back just enough to speak through his body; they did not have the EEG machine in the vehicle with them, so he knew he must communicate by voice to those watching over him. Ling will find him and give me the address. Get ready. Though it was faint and echoed slightly, Niall heard Marcell speak tersely to Lacey.

 

 

  The silence stretched on, and Niall began to wonder if he had lost contact with Ling. He knew what she was doing must be incredibly hard. He could almost feel the sense of betrayal that came over the woman, and the thought of what her apprentice was doing must have devastated her.

  Ling’s soft voice came to him again.

  Niall wondered.

 

 

 

 

  She sighed.

  Niall felt the fear that washed over her, the fear of punishment, of not knowing what comes next. He finally understood that the humans felt the same sense of fright when faced with their death. A stray thought passed through him: perhaps the humans, in trying to deny the entrance of Reapers into the Registry, thereby condemning us to death, were trying to defy their own mortality. Perhaps they thought if Reapers no longer existed, the humans could not die. They never realized that we are not the agent of their death, only their guide.

  Suddenly, Niall felt a loud sound, almost like the pop of the eardrum when descending in a plane or traveling down a mountain pass. With it came a sense of dread, of the very fabric of the Universe ripping at the seam.

 

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Marcell’s voice suddenly came through Lacey’s phone with a loudness that startled them all. “I have an address for you, Lieutenant.”

  She gestured to Kazz, who was ready with the portable computer in her lap. “Go ahead, doctor.”

  He gave them the information, and Kazz looked it up on the map. “It’s a twelve story apartment building,” she told Lacey and Colton. “Looks like most of the units are vacant at this point in time, if this info is correct. Our unsub appears to have the entire top floor. No one at all on the floor below him. The risk to innocent bystanders appears to be minimal.”

  “Linus says the nanite telemetry matches that address, Lieutenant,” Colton reported.

  “Lacey,” Marcell interrupted. “Niall says Ling will try to distract him long enough to give you time. You need to be ready when she is.”

  “I’m putting an earbud on my phone now.” She plugged the coiled wire into her device, sticking the small ear piece in her ear. “Check, check.”

  “Loud and clear, Lieutenant,” Marcell replied.

  “Let’s go.”

  She stepped from the vehicle, popping the trunk as she did, and gestured to her partners. They moved to the trunk, where Lacey passed out bullet-proof vests.

  “Is this absolutely necessary?” Colton demanded. He mentioned once that he hated wearing the body armor.

  “It’s protocol.” Lacey’s tone made it clear she wouldn’t take no for an answer. “This guy might be dangerous. Kazz, call for backup.”

  “What about a warrant?” Colton asked quietly.

  “Both Ling and our nanite telemetry indicate this is where Xiong is. We’ve got probable cause to go in. And anything in plain sight when we get there is fair game.”

  “This is kind of a thin line you’re walking.”

  “I know it. But this guy is dangerous. We’ve got a chance to stop him now. We have to take it.”

  He nodded. “All right, I’m with you.”

  Once they were suited up, Lacey drove the two city blocks to the apartment building. The bakery on the ground floor was closed for remodeling. No likely casualties there, she thought with relief. The elevator took them to the top floor smoothly and silently. When the doors opened, Lacey put an arm across them to keep them open, and ducked her head into the hallway, looked quickly both directions, then pulled her head back into the elevator car.

  “Two doors. The one to the left is the stairwell. Besides that, the other way out of the apartment would be the fire escape.” She whispered to her partners.

  Lacey drew her weapon and stepped out into the hall, followed closely by Kazz and Colton. They flattened themselves against the hallway walls, inching up to the apartment door. Then, they waited, Colton and Kazz watching for her signal.

  “About 30 seconds.” Lacey heard Marcell’s voice. “And Lacey, be careful.” She signaled to Colton, who lowered his weapon and prepared to kick in the door. “Okay, NOW!”

  She swept her hand toward the floor, and Colton wound up, delivering a solid kick to the wooden unit door. The door frame splintered, and the door flew open with a loud bang. Immediately, Lacey stepped in the door, her pistol held in front of her. “Dallas police!” She announced in a loud and clear voice. “Su Xiong, show yourself!”

  Kazz went to a door to Lacey’s left, finding a small closet when she opened it. “Clear!” She followed protocol in the announcement.

  Colton swept to her right, weapon at the ready, into what looked to be a small bathroom. Lacey went forward, sweeping her gun through a small kitchen, while Kazz cleared the living room. The three of them met at another closed door.

  “Su Xiong.” Lacey tried one more time, not caring if she mangled the pronunciation. “Come out with your hands up!”

  There was no answer, but she could hear sobbing coming from the other side of the door. Quietly, she tried the knob; it turned with a minute squeak. She motioned to Colton. “You take high right, I’ll take low left. Kazz, you cover.”

  Her team members acknowledged, and she opened the door.

  Lacey was not prepared for what she saw. An Oriental man, obviously their suspect, was curled into a fetal position on the bed. He wore nothing but a pair of faded plaid boxer shorts and, for some odd reason, a pair of striped socks. His long black hair was unkempt and disheveled. He was weeping, his muscular shoulders heaving with the sobs.

  “Please don’t leave me again,” he wailed.

  A thin, ghostly figure stood before him, a vaguely human shape with the soft curves of a woman. Her arms were outstretched, hands reaching, as if she wanted to touch Xiong one last time. Lacey spared her a glance, then leveled her weapon at the man on the bed. “Su Xiong, you’re under arrest.” At that moment, she hesitated. What were the charges? No one had ever done anything like this before, so she had no idea what to call it. Was there even a law, a human law, against stealing of the human soul? If not, there should be. She shook her head, breaking her reverie, and jerked her chin at Colton.

  He strode over to the suspect, throwin
g him roughly onto his stomach and wrenching the man’s arms behind his back. “Don’t move, you piece of scum.” Xiong tensed, as if preparing for a fight, but Colton put his gun to the back of the other man’s head. “Give me a reason, you asshat. Please, give me a reason.” Xiong yielded, his entire body slumping. Colton slapped the man’s wrists in cuffs, then rolled him over so he was laying on the arms behind his back. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court. You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. And I hope they give you the dumbest ass lawyer on the face of the planet.” The last was said in a growl that made all the hair on Lacey’s neck stand on end.

  She turned to the evanescent figure still hovering by the side of the bed. “Ling, I presume?”

  Her form began to coalesce more physically, and Lacey knew suddenly why Niall asked for another vial of nanites; the microscopic machines were allowing the Grand Reaper to manifest in their plane of existence. Ling turned to the suspect, who started to shrink away from her. Colton held him in place, his weapon at the back of Xiong’s head.

  “Don’t fucking move. Unless you want to die.” It was said with a low growl that caused Lacey’s skin to crawl and break out in gooseflesh.

  The half transparent form of Ling placed her left hand upon Xiong’s brow. She began to speak, her voice faint with a slight reverberation. “Su Xiong, you have violated the ethics and code of the Reaper. You desecrated our sacred duties. I hereby revoke your status among our peers and declare you are no longer a Reaper.”

  “No!” The suspect yelled. “You can’t do this to me, I’m far more powerful than you are.”

  Ling shook her head sadly. “You poor little man. You have no idea who you’re up against. I’m a Grand Reaper, and I command you release those souls you have entrapped. And I command you do it RIGHT NOW!”

  A burst of electricity, like the zap one gets from static on a door knob, sizzled from Ling’s left hand into Xiong’s forehead. He screamed as if in pain, and Lacey saw the ghostly forms of the souls flying out and disappearing from view. The man continued to scream until the exodus of spirits was complete, some of the vaporous tendrils moving straight up to the sky, others slowly making their way out from the man’s body parallel to the floor.