Chapter 22 (Adam Novus Chronicles - Book 1)

"Sir, there is a bicycle courier in front of the building. He has brought a package for you.”

One of the security agents told me, and I went outside to sign for the parcel. It never reached my hands; two security technicians took it from a confused courier, who then had the pleasure of answering a few questions about where the package was picked up, and who gave it to him. Of course, firstly he had to prove that he was in fact just a courier, while his credentials were thoroughly checked.

Dawn has barely broken, so this was most likely his first job of the day; if he only knew what a hassle it would cause him to deliver anything to this address, he would’ve taken a day off.

Those technicians took the box so they could give it a meticulous scan and inspection before they would release it to me. Were they thinking that I was sent a bomb or something as sinister? I’m all for a reasonable level of paranoia, it could even be considered healthy, but these people were taking it to the next level. I guess that with all the black marks their company acquired in such a short time, they wanted to make sure nothing was left to chance.

When I finally got a hold of the packet, I saw it was one of those new thin laptops. The familiar scent of industrial cleaner told me that this piece of tech went through the same treatment as the tracker, making sure that there would be no way for us to trace it back to its owner by prints or a DNA sample. The courier’s interrogation was also a bust, not that I doubted that for a second.

I brought it to the office and set it on my desk, facing the door. There was no way for so many people to fit behind my desk. Waiting for that thing to boot up was unnerving; the familiar welcome screen was anything but. Finally, the desktop showed up, with only one icon in the middle of it. It was named ‘Click me.’

“That is an Internet shortcut,” the computer tech said. He was as stereotypical as they came, with a pocket protector and a set of thick glasses. “Wait just a moment for us to hook it up to our system; we may be able to track the location.”

It took two minutes for him to plug all the cables that led to his computer, and then he stuck a piece of black electrical tape over the small camera lens. Maybe I wasn’t paranoid enough; it would have never even occurred to me to do that. After double-checking all that he had done, he nodded for me to continue.

I clicked the icon, while behind me, Esmeralda, Marcus, Julius, and Katarina Bast were holding their breaths.

In a few seconds, the page loaded up. There were excited exclamations from all the people in the room when it opened. It was a live-stream video of a small jail cell, and lying on a narrow cot in one corner was… Nina.

Seeing her locked up created such a monstrous surge of fury within my soul; I had a hard time keeping myself from lashing out. If those who had done this were in front of me at that moment, I could have ripped them limb from limb, and I would have enjoyed every second of it. They had dared to take someone under my protection; an insult that could only be washed away in blood.

I took a deep breath to calm this sudden surge of emotions, not the usual way I reacted to things. I was taught to make myself impartial, so every situation could be methodically analyzed for the appropriate response. Ever since my underground ordeal, baser instincts have been far more dominant, and they were not something that would help Nina right now.

“How are you, Mr. Novus?” a highly digitized voice said through the laptop speakers. “As you see, young Miss Bast is alive and well; continuation of those conditions depends entirely on you.”

“Let me speak to her as a proof of life; for all I know, this could be a recording.”

I didn’t have much training in hostage negotiations, just a few classes that covered do's and don’ts. However, getting proof of life early on was always emphasized as paramount.

The voice was silent for a few seconds. “Fine, you have one minute.”

The sound from the speakers changed in quality as if coming from a large room. There was a faint sound of Nina’s breathing, which could not be heard a minute ago.

“Nina, can you hear me?” I said loudly.

The young werecat jumped straight up from the bed, indicating her animal heritage.

“Adam? Where are you? What the hell is going on?” She yelled, turning around herself. A camera that was recording her must have been hidden or miniaturized, as was most of the tech in this new age.

“Don’t worry kid; I’ll get you out as soon as possible,” I said hurriedly, as her mother was pushing me and my chair to the side, wanting a better look at her daughter. The speaker must have been in the general direction of the camera; Nina was now turned towards it.

“Baby, what have they done to you?” Katarina Bast queried the image on the screen in a quivering voice.

“Mom…” Nina cried, losing that grown-up demeanor she was trying to project, and reverting to a little girl in need of her mother.

We all kept quiet, leaving the remaining time to a fearful parent and her child, trying to comfort one another in a terrible situation. At least we did find out that she was well and was not being mistreated. They gave her an MRE field ration packet for breakfast, and she didn’t see any of their faces. Which was a good thing; kidnappers who do not care if their victim sees them—usually plan to kill the witnesses after getting what they want.

At exactly sixty seconds, the audio cut out; we were still able to see Nina’s lips move, talking into the silent air.

“I hope you are satisfied that the girl is very much alive. Don’t worry, for the time being, we will take good care of her.” The digital voice from before said.

“How much do you want?” I snapped through my teeth, “I’ll pay it.”

"Oh, no, Mr. Novus, money does not interest us, but you can have Miss Bast back in exchange for three items. I am sure a man with your particular set of skills will have no trouble acquiring them; given the eclectic company you have been keeping."

"What do you want?" I asked, looking at Nina’s face on the screen. She had figured out that the communication was cut, so she returned to her cot, laying on it in a fetal position.

“The first item is Syamantaka Jewel, which you can ask your friend Julius about, then we will require one Danu's tear, that your doctor can help you obtain. Lastly, we need you to acquire Sesshō-seki from the Death Clan in Japan. Again, ask your friend Marcus about that last item." He said in the similar tone of voice one would use when ordering from a menu in a restaurant.

I didn’t look at them but could feel the sudden apprehension of the two people mentioned. The voice from the laptop continued. "You have seven days to collect the items and be at the coordinates we will provide to you. If you are unsuccessful... well, I guess you will need to find a new secretary because Nina Bast will be… dead."

The voice cut out, and the image on the screen turned black.

Katarina Bast screamed, "Wait!" reaching toward the screen that showed her frightened daughter a second ago, and then stopped with her hand hovering in the air. Her emotions were a turbulent maelstrom of pain, panic, and a desire to rip someone to shreds. Being a werecat—that was a strong possibility.

“Tell me you got a location from where they were broadcasting that video,” Esmeralda said to the computer tech, who shook his head.

“I am sorry, ma’am; the feed was routed through multiple servers all over the world, and they broke the connection while we were halfway to the source. Whoever set this up knew what they were doing.”

It was a long shot, but I had a feeling that their attempt would be unsuccessful. As the tech said, they sure knew what they were doing, and would not be so easily located. It reminded me of the way we used to prepare for our ops in the unit; every move planned in advance, every contingency considered.

The computer was taken by the technician, which was a good thing since I did not want the damn thing anywhere in my house. No matter how useful these machines were, I could not help but think how easily a hacker could turn them into a perfect spying device.

Katarina Bast managed to pull herself together, although her eyes were still puffy from the tears that shined in them. One could hardly miss the sheer determination and barely controlled desire for aggression, especially as they were at the moment fixed on me.

“Mr. Novus, I will activate all the Were assets available to me, and hopefully find her. Nevertheless, if I am unsuccessful, I expect you to find all the items they are demanding, and to exchange them for my daughter when they give you the time and the place.”

Then she came closer to me, almost whispering in my ear.

“If you fail and they do what they said they would… I will find a way to end you, even if the price is my life… Do you understand?”

There was no mistaking the intent and single-mindedness behind those words. Katarina Bast was not someone who made empty threats, and this was a solid promise if I ever heard one. I believed that I could take her, one on one, but there was no doubt in my mind that the lady was a master at playing dirty. Besides, I didn’t want to think of the possibility that Nina could die. If that happened… I don’t think much of my soul would be left anyway; one more innocent life was a burden it couldn’t take. Whatever remained after I dealt with those who had done this, was more than ready to unobjectionably suffer anything the grieving mother was prepared to do.

“Yes,” I whispered and nodded.

After acknowledging my response with a nod of her own, Katarina Bast left.

***

An hour later, all the security people had left the house, leaving only Marcus, Esmeralda, Julius, and me.

“Whoever they are, they know too many details about all of us, far more than I would have believed,” Marcus put into words what all of us were thinking. He was using my desk to write the shopping list of demands on a piece of paper.

“And they have been keeping tabs on you and the people you associate with,” he said, not looking up. “You were probably under their surveillance for a while now.”

“I’m sure I haven’t been followed lately,” I replied a bit defensively, trying to remember anyone suspicious I might have seen.

“Adam, spy toys have made incredible leaps in the last decade. There are small high-altitude drones that can follow and record you every second of the day, and you would never be able to see them. Listening devices that use lasers and the vibration of windows to reconstruct what was being said in a room, without leaving any electrical signature. If someone has the means and know-how, they can make your entire life an open book.” Esmeralda lectured, shaking her head.

I guess part of me knew that, but it was still hard for me to understand the leaps technology took during my long sleep. Even in my time, you had to constantly keep up with new gizmos, or you would be left behind. My ten-year-long sabbatical didn’t do me any favors. Let’s face it—I was rusty. Regardless, the fact that they knew so much was not important now; the only thing that mattered was acquiring items they wanted so I could exchange them for Nina.

“So what do we know about these items?” I asked, after getting everyone a stiff drink. God knows I needed one too, but I opened just a cold beer for me. No need to free that locked monster ever again.

“For one, all of them can be classified as objects of power, intrinsically magical in nature. I remember that there are a few obscure rituals in my Grimoire that require such objects for them to work,” Julius murmured, looking at the paper Marcus wrote the list on.

“Do you remember which one would need all three of these… objects of power, and what would be the outcome of such a ritual?” I asked, hoping he would shed some light on everything that happened.

“I’m sorry Adam, but I really don’t; there are hundreds of rituals inside, and I barely remember a few of them. The only reason I recall anything about those that use such components is due to the fact I found it interesting that the objects of power are in many cases substitutable. You don’t specifically need these three, but those that work in the same general way,” he said with remorse in his voice and emotions.

Esmeralda shook her head, looking at the half-demon. “It is your family’s Grimoire; how can you not know?”

Julius was so visibly embarrassed; I did not need that empathic sense to know it.

“To tell you the truth, I was never that good with magic; you could say that I was the black sheep of my family, who were all practitioners of some renown. But then again, that was the reason why most of them were all hunted down and murdered by the Church of Lucifer. They are the predominant religious organization in Hell, sworn to eradicate all magic users that are not under their control. When I stumbled upon the portal that led me to Earth, I was running for my life. That Grimoire was one of the few belongings I managed to take with me… it is a family heirloom,” he said quietly, remembering a painful part of his existence.

It was fascinating to learn about Julius’s past, but we had more pressing matters to talk about. “Okay, let’s focus on the important things, like the Syamantaka Jewel the kidnappers said you know about,” I said looking at the half-demon.

“Oh, that is something I can help you with. It is one of the famous jewels in Hindu mythology, originally belonging to their Sun God and supposedly having magical powers. You can compare it with the mythical Excalibur, except this thing was said to produce one hundred seventy pounds of gold every day, out of thin air.” Julius explained, reverting to that lecturing voice he used whenever he was talking about a subject that fascinated him.

“And where can we find it?” Esmeralda prompted; a bit impatient with his long explanation.

“You don’t need to search for it, I have it. I'm sure that thing has some magical properties, but I haven’t been able to discern what they are.”

“You have it?” I repeated excitedly; glad that at least one of the items would be easy to get, no matter the price.

Julius nodded eagerly. “I acquired it before the First World War when I visited India; the man who sold it to me didn’t have any idea what he was selling, so I got it for a very reasonable price. The funny thing is the common belief that the Syamantaka Jewel is a Koh-i-Noor diamond, which is one of the Crown Jewels of England, but my research discovered that it was in fact a ruby. The moment I saw it I knew it was special. Xavier was the only one who knew I had it.” He finally said, and the shadow of pain crossed his face. Caused by the realization of how the kidnappers knew he had it.

I looked at Julius, hating that I needed to stay on point, despite his feelings. “Julius, I am sorry. But I have to ask you, how much do you want for it?”

He looked confused for a second and then shook his head. “Oh, no, I do not need any money; you are quite welcome to it if that will help get Nina back. It is currently in my bank vault in Switzerland, I can get it to you in two days.”

“Thank you,” I said, nodding in his direction. “OK, that is settled, now what about the two other items on the list?

Marcus pointed at the last one, “I know a bit about the Sesshō-seki or the Killing Stone, as it is better known by. It is in Japan, in possession of a quasi-religious cult made exclusively of vampires. A friend that owes me a favor is a member, so I will call him to ask how we can obtain it.”

“That is great, but what the hell is Danu's tear?”

“The kidnapper said you will need help from doctor Rogiel,” Esmeralda said, “And as far as I know, Danu is an elf goddess by which they named themselves. They do not refer to themselves as elves, but Tuatha Dé Danann; it translates to ‘People of the Goddess Danu’.

I closed my eyes and breathed in a deep breath, trying to find that center of calmness that made me think more rationally.

“OK, let’s hope it won’t be too difficult to get these two remaining items. Meanwhile, Esmeralda please use the security agency and the Were resources Katarina Bast mentioned to find any clue about the kidnappers. If all three items are not acquired by the time of the exchange, knowing where they are holding her and making a direct assault is the only option I see. But first, let’s go see the Doc.”

***

Esmeralda, Marcus, and I were once again in that big limo of his. I didn't want to take my car, in case that tracker I found was not the only one placed by the kidnappers. It was an old tactic to place one easy-to-find tracker as a decoy for another one that was much harder to locate. Marcus just shook his head when I inspected the underside of his limo for any nasty surprises.

While Esmeralda was furiously typing on a laptop in front of her, Marcus was having a long phone call in Japanese with his friend. I couldn't understand almost anything that he said, just the word Sesshō-seki repeated several times. His emotions and the manner of his speech told another story, and it was not a good one. Whatever his friend was telling him, didn't agree with Marcus. I had a feeling that we would have to jump through some hoops before getting the killing stone. And that name was as ominous as you can call some piece of rock.

“Problems?” I asked after he finished his conversation, almost an entire hour into our drive. It was supposed to be a relatively short trip, but the traffic was horrendous. The psychotic cab drivers didn't help any with their suicidal driving, even causing a full traffic stop when one bumped another a little too hard. If we were not in such a hurry, I would have enjoyed a lot more looking as they were slugging one another into unconsciousness.

“Yes,” he said, exhaling loudly and lifting his head to look through the limo’s tinted sunroof.

“I guess your friend could not simply ship that stone to you by express mail?”

He presumably tried to show me an ironic smile, but it looked more like a grimace. “No, he certainly couldn't. If we even want to see the bloody thing, we need to go to Japan, and then attend some sort of ceremony to be allowed to go anywhere near it.”

“I’ll call the pilot to prep the plane,” Esmeralda said, not lifting her head from the computer screen.

I closed my eyes and had to press my lips together to contain a few juicy profanities that wanted to get out; this was Murphy’s Law at work. To get one of the items I needed to travel all the way to Japan, and God knew how much time that trip would waste.

***

“Hi Doc,” I said as we entered the old elf’s office. He did not have any patients at the moment; Esmeralda called ahead so he was expecting us.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked after seeing the three of us entering together.

“Well, Doc, I need a favor…”

His calm demeanor lasted until I explained why we came to see him.

“Adam, you don’t know what you are asking for,” he said, looking more worried than I ever saw him.

“Danu's tears are religious artifacts in my world which priests use during our last hours of life, to help the soul transition into the next level of existence. The ones who can grant such a request are those very high up in our priesthood hierarchy.”

He massaged his temples before he started speaking again, and looked at me with… pity?

“My race is… highly political would be one way to describe it, and is not motivated by wealth at all. The prevailing currency in highborn deals are debts, and they differentiate by several levels. The clergy are no different than what amounts to our politicians.

“I can explain the situation and ask on your behalf, but the chances that your request will ever be granted… are not good. Moreover, if by some miracle they agree, the debt for this would be immense. Being in debt to Tuatha Dé Danann is never a good thing. And don’t judge them by using me as an example. I have been naturalized by living on Earth for a long time, so I act more like a human than the rest of my people would ever allow themselves.”

I did understand what he was saying, but Nina’s life depended on this.

“I don't see another way Doc, unless you have a spare Danu's tear laying around?”

He stayed silent, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “Then know that if by some miracle they agree to this, they will ask something of equal value in return, and Danu's tear can be considered to be immensely valuable. They can literally demand your first-born child, or something even more insidious. Maybe they will not ask immediately, but it is a certainty that in time they will,” he said after a few seconds.

“Moreover, you can’t refuse them when they come to collect, regardless of what the request is, or they will swear an everlasting vengeance on you. Considering the lifespan of my kind, we may as well be immortal compared to humans; being marked for extermination by an entire race is not a thing to ignore. Hence, I’ll ask you again—are you sure you want to do this?”

“It isn’t a matter of choice,” I whispered through my clenched teeth. When the time comes for me to pay the price… I will. Although something inside told me that it would not be one bit of fun.

“Make the arrangements Rogiel.” Marcus decisively said, and I could almost feel that he was calling on some old debt between them. Doc held his gaze for some time before he closed his eyes in compliance.

“All right, it will take me a few days.” He quietly said, and I could see that he was feeling profoundly sorry for me. As a priest would feel for a man on a death row, on his last confession.

It didn’t matter to me what future debts I’ll need to pay. One way or the other, I’ll see this through.

We were soon out of Doc’s office, again in the limo, but this time heading for the airport.

“I arranged for Julius to take my plane to Switzerland and retrieve the Syamantaka Jewel,” Esmeralda said. “Global 7500 is being prepared as we speak, and you two will be on your way towards Japan within an hour. Security is packing your travel bags and retrieving your passports; they’ll meet us at the plane. I’ll stay in New York to coordinate everything.”

There were no words to express my gratitude towards these two. They went beyond anything I could expect to help get Nina back. Moreover, Esmeralda told me several times that there was no need for expressing gratitude between friends. Again, confirming the fact that meeting Marcus in the Amazon Jungle was the best thing that happened to me.

From the moment I entered the house last night, everything felt as if I was jumping through hoops; someone was playing a cat and mouse game with me—and I was the mouse.

Seven days looked like a long time to gather all the things needed, but who knew how much time we would need to get that damned stone from Japan, and if Doc would be successful at acquiring this tear thing from his people.

I just knew one thing with absolute certainty—whoever had taken Nina would rue the day they were born, no matter how long it took me to find them.