Searching
DAMON
Before they went to grab the tech, Javi made sure everyone bussed their plates, and the kitchen got cleaned up.
That was good for me because it allowed me to contemplate how I would use the extra help once they were ready.
Movies and TV seem to show people just jumping into a situation like this and being uber-successful, but in reality, non-computer people are rarely so easily led in a digital effort.
Even if they’re pretty good with tech, they are not versed in the areas of the web you’ll need to surf to find truly hidden or illicit shit.
So I’m making a quick list of targets to search for, how to enter and leave the deeper levels of the web through the ports I’m creating, and what to watch for that would indicate a problem.
I know my family is good at sensing real life baddies and issues, but they are not trained for doing so in the online arena.
I don’t want to be set back because someone chased a rabbit into a trap by mistake.
Reconfiguring and cleaning out the house network, devices, and fuck knows what else would be time consuming and annoying.
I have fairly decent protocols set up, but there are more skilled hackers out there, both in human and supe worlds.
I’m not eager to fight one off while we’re trying to duck actual killers and criminals.
Online Search List Assignments:
Rogue- contact new friends and relay information carefully about the channel that D is setting up on the dark web for communication.
Rebel- search for dark web activity in re: gambling, cheating, theories, predictions for the trike. Looking to see if it’s being fixed.
Angelo- search information on Society, Councils, realms, and various rumors about big names, especially any from the Apalachin.
Javi- search information/theories, etc. on weird happenings around the supe and the human world as other new friends suggested. Check across realms and the globe.
Archie- search information referencing Luca, Lola, and any other demons we suspect are involved in Hell or new goings on there. Can’t be Angelo, as it could trail back. (hopefully not if we’re good.)
That should do it. I have a lot of other things I’m looking for, but since I’m better versed in our tasks, I don’t want those assigned to anyone else.
Sighing as I go back to roaming the digital landscape setting up trackers and spiders, I wait for the others to come back with their devices.
We’ll have to load the right software first, then I will have to teach them a few things about how to actually do what I need them to in order for their efforts to be fruitful.
That won’t take too long, I don’t think, because they aren’t useless, just not hackers or IT pros.
If this works, it might cut some of my workload in half—at least, for now.
“No response from either side, yet,” Rogue says as she watches the screen in front of her.
“But I got the chat rooms set up. I’m doing a little research on them while I wait, so I’m not idle.
I see why you and Ang were surprised by the demons, though.
Their rep is solidly against what they presented in the elevator lobby. ”
Angelo snorts. “It would have to be or their parents would have had them killed eons ago. Keeping their true aims hidden amongst expected behavior is what’s kept them alive. Or… so I assume.”
“The little one isn’t talked about anywhere—which might be why they hovered around him so carefully.
” Rogue frowns as she looks at the laptop, her fingers flying over the keys in an impressive display of skill.
There’s something odd about the way she emphasizes the words, but perhaps she has a theory she isn’t ready to share.
I take a sip of my drink, pondering that for a moment before I decide against asking.
If she’s not ready to disclose, she’s not ready.
I get that; I’m often slower to share than the others because I’m still weighing options.
“Well, make sure you’re navigating all the likely places.
It seemed like he was new and I agree they were both cautious about us being near him and indulgent with his snark.
I wouldn’t have anticipated it from the royal caliphate. ”
Rebel holds a finger up, and we all turn to look at him.
“It may just be that he’s the center of their circle, like Rogue is ours.
I noticed the family we met from the university formed the exact same kind of ring around the hybrid woman.
She didn’t need it, but they were obviously protective. It might be mating behavior.”
“It’s true that multi-mated groups, even inter-species ones, gather around a central figure that brings them together.
” Javier scratches his chin as he thinks.
“It’s an instinct that is almost unavoidable, even if the fateds aren’t thrilled about being connected.
The dragon in the college group seemed to resent his position in it, which confirms my theory. ”
Rogue laughs, shaking her head. “Man, I feel for her with a dragon mate fighting the bond. It was bad enough that Rebel was stubborn as hell, but a dragon? That’s like…
the most stubborn mythical on the planet.
They’re fiercely loyal once they accept things, but until then?
It’s a nightmare. We’ve seen some fight the Guardian bond, and it’s not pretty. ”
“The Guardian bond?” I ask curiously. “You guys don’t talk about how you were… selected. How does it work?”
Rebel sighs and our woman shushes him, waving her hand dismissively.
“We’re not supposed to talk about this stuff, which is why we don’t.
But since I’m mated to most of you… It works a lot like the mating bond, so I assume that someone with a great deal of power enticed the primordial sisters to do the magic required for it.
It’s something that awakens with your powers; you just know and if you’re not in an enclave, the Society finds you.
They place you with families in places with the needed support until you’re of age. ”
“There’s a ritual that identifies your current charge or reveals that they are not born yet.
Unemerged supes are given their Guardian very quickly—usually someone at or around the same age, so they blend in.
That Guardian follows them until they emerge, then brings them to the local Council to have the ritual completed.
Then they are trained, and either released or inducted, depending on their talents and favorability for agent/member status. ”
I look at Rebel, noting that despite looking pained about relaying that information, he’s following Rogue’s lead on this. “Members are those who aren’t suitable for ‘agent’ status, whatever that is.”
“Yes,” Rogue says firmly. “They have voting rights, knowledge of our world and leaders, but no duties besides managing their powers and our secrecy. It’s a label that declares them not useful in any Society efforts amongst various places in the realms.”
Archie frowns, tilting his head. “That’s for everyone, right? Like we’re all technically members, but only the supes capable of providing benefits to the groups are inducted, right?”
“Yep. That’s why your mom and dads are inducted, so are Javier’s, but not ours.
Graciella and Odhran are useless.” Rogue looks extremely pleased at that statement, and I don’t blame her.
Those two treated her, her twin, and Rebel like accessories guaranteed to give them access to things they’ve never deserved.
“They have nothing to offer, not enough dough, and they traded in Reck, which didn’t go over well.
But unemerged supes are different and their rules are very strict. ”
Angelo looks up again, his brows furrowed.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever met one, honestly.
They don’t advertise it to the public. I’ve never met lost ones that test as ‘forever human’, either.
The rumors Luca used to use as bedtime horrors say those poor orphans get sold to some insane human organization to train as criminals. ”
“I’ve never heard it confirmed,” Rebel grimaces and shudders. “But it’s been tossed around in the Council ranks. Before you ask, Rogue confirmed Reck had powers from his early childhood. So that’s not where he went if it’s true. He was very weak, though, as far as we’ve been told.”
“I can’t remember it.” Rogue’s whisper is heart-breaking, and I rub my hand on my chest. “I remember most of our childhood before he went away, and I have vague memories of them being weak, but… I don’t know if that’s because it was repeated over and over until I believed it.
They wanted me to accept Reb and forget Reck.
That’s how they trained me—or tried to.”
Those fucking people deserve to be auctioned off to a death dealer, and I’d do it myself if she’d let me.
“We’ll find him someday. You know we will, sis. Just keep believing, and don’t let anyone discourage you.” Rebel’s expression is full of barely contained fury as he watches her nod, and then goes back to her screen quietly.
“The point is that they deal with the lost ones differently, and no one is sure if it’s ethical or not,” I say. Rebel sighs as he nods. “I guess no realm’s leaders are all good, huh?”
“No beings anywhere are all good because that’s subjective.
” Archie rakes his hand through his hair as he slumps in the chair.
“What is determined as ‘good’, ‘fair’, or ‘right’ in every realm is going to be different. Their mores and values may not match our own. I mean, look at how the demon thing was set up in the portal. Sure, that’s the ‘evil’ criminals, but…
you guys didn’t seem surprised or bothered by those events other than thinking about your parents being involved.
Demon culture is not Fae culture or shifter culture or even surface culture… you know?”
I do know, and he’s usually spot on with that.
“Yeah, it is. To be fair, regular demon culture is also varied from that mess. However, Hell’s accepted norms would not be the same as up here, even though there are demons up here and hybrids of other types down there.
” Angelo wrinkles his nose as he makes a face.
“Everyone in the more traffic-filled realms has mixed pretty thoroughly now. The ones from others are still homogenous, I think.”
Rogue sighs, slamming her laptop shut for a moment to pinch the bridge of her nose. She looks frustrated, and my eyes dart to the others while hers are closed. I’m hoping one of them might have an idea what’s eating her.
“Sis, I know finding out the other realms have this new travel method that could be how they have trafficked beings for a long time is hard. And it makes finding Reck seem even more impossible,” Rebel says quietly.
“But we haven’t located him yet because we weren’t looking in the realms that don’t cross here as much.
Now we have more places to check for him; that’s a good thing. ”
Her breath escapes in a slow hiss as she lets it out, and her eyes finally open to meet ours.
“I know all of that logically, but I haven’t processed the possibilities yet.
We were so focused at the meeting that it didn’t really hit me until now that he could have been sent to a lot more infinitely large places to do…
whatever. It could have been good or bad or straight up abusive, you know? It’s just hard to process.”
“We could distract you,” Archie says with a grin. “I mean, some of these things can run without us sitting at the keys. And we planned to have a six-way celebration, anyway. Some orgasms might help you take your mind off of things we can’t possibly control.”
Angelo grins, shutting his computer as well. “I vote for that. We can check this shit out after we clean up.”
Matching nods from Javi and Reb make her bite her lip until she looks at me. “Do you think that will be okay? Everything will run while we have fun?”
Oh, my beautiful, sparkly mate… it most definitely will.