Chapter 19 #2
Agent Morse studied us both for a long moment, and I could sense the way she wrestled with herself, trying to come to a decision. Finally, she said, “There might be a way. But it would require you to trust me completely, and it would put all of us at considerable risk.”
“We’re already at considerable risk,” I told her, smiling wryly.
“True.” She pulled what looked like a small tablet computer out of her jacket, its screen glowing faintly in the darkness.
“The surveillance data is stored on encrypted drives in our mobile command unit. But the real problem is the real-time transmission to DAPI headquarters. Even if we destroy the local copies, the remote servers will still have everything.”
“So we need to corrupt the data at the source,” Ben said.
“Exactly. And that means getting close to the command unit while Dr. Rosenthal’s team is distracted.” Agent Morse looked directly at me. “Ms. Lowell, how much control do you have over your electromagnetic abilities?”
The question caught me off guard. “Not very much,” I admitted. “I’m just beginning to find my way around all this. Why?”
“Because I have an idea,” she said. “But it requires you to do something that will definitely get Dr. Rosenthal’s attention.”
A chill went through me, but I tried to keep my voice steady. “What kind of something?”
“A demonstration,” Agent Morse replied immediately. “Show her exactly how powerful you really are, but on your terms, in a controlled situation. While she’s focused on that, I can access the command unit and ensure all the surveillance data gets corrupted.”
I stared at her, a sort of horrified understanding dawning within me. “You want me to confront Dr. Rosenthal directly.”
No hesitation as Rebecca Morse replied, “I want you to show her that you’re not someone to be captured and studied. I want you to prove that you’re in control of your abilities, not the other way around.”
The idea was terrifying…and oddly appealing. Ever since this nightmare began, I’d felt like prey being hunted by enemies I couldn’t fight. The thought of taking control, of facing Dr. Rosenthal on my own terms, sent a surge of something like excitement through me.
But Ben looked less enthusiastic, to say the least. “Sidney, that sounds incredibly dangerous. If something goes wrong — ”
“If something goes wrong, we’ll already be captured anyway,” I broke in, cutting off his protests. “At least this way, we might have some control over what happens.”
Agent Morse watched our exchange with intent eyes. “There’s something else you should know. The electromagnetic disturbances you’ve been generating aren’t just affecting our equipment. They’re attracting other things.”
“What kind of other things?” I asked, doing my best to sound utterly innocent. After all, there were a whole lot of “things” hidden within the forest.
“We’ve detected large, unidentified thermal signatures moving through the forest. Whatever they are, they seem drawn to areas with high electromagnetic activity.
” Her voice lowered, even though there wasn’t anyone out here except us.
“Dr. Rosenthal thinks they might be some kind of undiscovered species. She wants to capture them, too.”
I swallowed. Dr. Rosenthal wasn’t just hunting me — she was hunting every magical creature that called Silver Hollow home.
“We have to stop her,” I said, the words flat.
“My thoughts exactly,” Agent Morse agreed.
“But we need to be smart about it. And we need somewhere secure to plan.” She gestured toward the darkness behind her.
“My vehicle is parked about fifty yards that way, hidden behind some fallen trees. We can talk there without worrying about being overheard.”
Ben and I exchanged glances. Getting into a federal vehicle felt like crossing a line we couldn’t uncross, but we were already far beyond the point of playing it safe.
“Lead the way,” I said.
Agent Morse guided us through the dim landscape, moving quietly while Ben and I did our best to mimic her…
although I doubted we were totally successful.
The SUV was exactly where she’d said it would be, a dark shape tucked behind a massive fallen oak that made it invisible from any direction except the narrow path we’d taken.
The interior looked pretty much like a standard SUV, except for the police radio and the riot shotgun tucked into a holster set up against the center console.
I tried not to look at it while Ben and I settled into the back and Agent Morse climbed into the driver’s seat.
However, I had to admit that I appreciate the tinted windows, which would probably make us much less visible to anyone who might be searching for us out there in the darkness.
“Dr. Rosenthal has the odds on her side,” Agent Morse said as she pulled out her tablet again, since she’d tucked it into her jacket pocket during the hike over to the SUV. “All we have is surprise, local area knowledge…and your abilities.”
“And hopefully, the fact that she doesn’t really understand what she’s dealing with,” Ben added.
Rebecca Morse smiled grimly. “I suppose so,” she said before returning her attention to the tablet she held, which showed a detailed map of Silver Hollow overlaid with various colored markers.
“This is our current tactical situation,” she went on.
“Dr. Rosenthal is setting up her teams here, here, and here.” She pointed to red markers positioned around the outskirts of town.
“The mobile command unit is in the parking lot behind the library, with a clear view of both the main road and the forest access points.”
“She’s trying to box us in,” Ben observed. His tone was so neutral, you would have thought we weren’t discussing anything more important than the best route to drive to the coast.
“Exactly. But she’s also made herself vulnerable.” Agent Morse tapped the screen, zooming in on the library area. “The command unit is relatively isolated, with only a small security detail. If we can create a significant enough distraction elsewhere, I can access it without being detected.”
“And the distraction would be me,” I said.
“You and Mr. Sanders, if he insists on being involved.” Agent Morse looked at Ben with something that might have been respect. “I understand you have a background in folklore and cryptozoology. Dr. Rosenthal would find your perspective interesting.”
His jaw set, and I could tell he wasn’t going to let me face this alone, no matter how dangerous the situation might be.
“Where would this confrontation take place?” I asked.
Agent Morse switched to a different view on her tablet, this one showing the area around Silver Hollow.
“Somewhere public enough that Dr. Rosenthal can’t just make you disappear, but isolated enough that civilian casualties aren’t a concern.
” She pointed to a location just outside town.
“What about the old mill site? It’s on public land, there’s good access for vehicles, and it’s far enough from residential areas that we wouldn’t have to worry about bystanders. ”
The mill was a local landmark — the ruins of a nineteenth-century lumber mill that had been preserved as a historical site. While people sometimes went out there to take selfies, it wasn’t nearly as popular a destination as the various paths that wandered through the forest.
“When?” Ben asked.
“Tomorrow morning, just after dawn,” Agent Morse replied. “Dr. Rosenthal will have spent all night searching for you. I’m hoping that she’ll be tired and frustrated…and eager to end this quickly.”
He seemed skeptical, if the one lifted eyebrow was any indication. “And you think she’ll come alone?”
Agent Morse shook her head. “She’ll bring backup. But if I can convince her that you’re ready to surrender voluntarily, she might be willing to keep the team small to avoid attracting attention.”
“There’s something else,” I said slowly, figuring I might as well lay it all out there. “Something I haven’t told you about my abilities.”
Agent Morse looked at me expectantly, her face ghostly pale in the tablet’s blue glow.
“The electromagnetic fields aren’t the only thing I can do,” I told her. “I’m also telepathic. Not reliably, and not very strongly yet, but enough to know when someone is lying to me.” I met her gaze directly. “That’s how I knew you were telling the truth about wanting to help us.”
Her head tilted slightly. “So, you can read minds?”
“Sometimes,” I said, remembering how her thoughts had crowded into my brain that one time she visited the shop. “Other times, it’s more like sensing emotions and intentions. Either way, it’s not something I can control consistently.”
Agent Morse didn’t appear too put off by that comment. “And Dr. Rosenthal doesn’t know about the telepathy?”
“I don’t think so,” I replied. “Her surveillance equipment would only pick up the electromagnetic effects, right?”
A small smile tugged at Rebecca Morse’s somewhat thin lips. “Then we have a significant advantage she doesn’t know about.”
Over the next hour, huddled in the back of the federal SUV with maps and surveillance data spread between us, we worked out a plan that was complex, risky, and depended on about a dozen things going exactly right.
But it was also our best chance of stopping Dr. Rosenthal and protecting Silver Hollow’s secrets.
I would contact Dr. Rosenthal directly, claiming that I was ready to turn myself in voluntarily in exchange for guarantees about Ben’s safety.
The meeting would take place at the mill site, a location isolated enough that she knew I wouldn’t be able to call for help…
not that any of my friends in Silver Hollow could have offered much assistance during this kind of situation.