A-Cup Angst Ch. 08

Jamie grimaced at the news. He had almost hoped Section was behind this breach. Helena ordered Nova to display all the traffic cameras in their home town. Nova reported the entire traffic camera system in their home town was down for maintenance. "Nova," Jamie said, "tap into my sister's phone and listen in. I'm too scared of dialing it, she might be hiding and I don't want to give her away with the ringing."

"Jamie," Nova said, "Suzie's phone's battery is empty, or removed, I can not listen in on its microphone. Her last signal is recorded at 213 Maple. The house in question is rented by the Grossman family and their oldest child is Anne, who goes to school with your sister. Their landline telephones have mechanical switches for their microphones, so I can not tap into them, but I've tapped into Mr. Grossman's cell and all I can hear is two people snoring."

Jamie ran his hand through his hair, nervously. His head was plagued by questions about Suzie. What was she doing at the Grossmans' house? Did she go there for a sleepover? Did she tell mom and dad about it, or did she just sneak out? Jamie found himself hoping the little brat just up and went on her own, without telling anyone. Their parents were sure to be charmed for info on Suzie's whereabouts, post haste, and if they knew where she had gone, they'd tell on her. Jamie held no illusions about the people that took their families forgetting about Suzie. They'd come to the Grossman house, sooner or later. Why was her phone battery removed? Were they there already?

He scryed on Suzie again and got no result. Either she was still wearing the jewelry, or she was obscured by someone else's magic.

Jamie was about to start screaming in frustration when Cyrus called him. "Cyrus," he said, "please, give me some good news!"

"Wish I could, dude," Cyrus said, sadly. "Your house is untouched, but your family isn't here. There are no traces of anyone having been there recently, either. Oh, and your cameras are fried, dude. I'm thinking RF gun."

Jamie felt tears slide down his cheeks. "Please, go to 213 Maple," he said and sniffled, "Suzie might be there, and she could be in a lot of trouble. Please, hurry! If she's there, they might not know about it, yet. There could be time to save her!"

"Who's they, dude," Cyrus asked.

"I don't know, exactly," Jamie said, "but they're dangerous to the extreme." Jamie thought about his best friend, computer wizard that he was, going up against an actual wizard. "Don't... don't even bother getting backup. These guys are beyond you and your bosses. Just go to 213 Maple and see if you can get Suzie out of there before they come! Go now, please!"

Cyrus was silent for a few moments and then said, "You got it, dude!" He hung up.

Jamie's head was full of terrible thought as he was consumed by the fear of what might be done to their loved ones. The other girls felt the same, but his order kept them phoning and scrying and working out how to find their parents. Sandra was the only one who had a sibling and she placed a call to the "Big Stick", as her brother called the aircraft carrier that he was stationed on. All the carriers had Section personnel on board and were warded against being scryed on. Back when the ship was being built, materials that amplified the effects of a concealment ward were embedded into its structure and it now only took a few casters to cast the daily wards that prohibited scrying on the ship and all onboard personnel from the moment they boarded a transport bound for the carrier, or a vessel in its escort group. It took her a lot of effort, but she had finally managed to get a hold of her brother and heard that he was ok. She felt silly for having worried about him. He was somewhere on the high seas and surrounded by thousands of sailors and tons of firepower. He'd be safe.

Jamie's heart thumped wildly in his chest and his phone rang. He saw it was Cyrus and answered it, hoping to at least hear about who took his sister. "Hey, dude," Cyrus greeted, "I got Suzie." Jamie exclaimed in relief. "Her battery ran out and she didn't have her charger with her. She's a bit grumpy and she, uh, she wants to talk to you, dude."

Jamie sniffed and cleared his nose of snot. Suzie's voice came on the line, saying, "The fuck are you doing, birdbrain? Your boy here just scared the living shit out of Anne!"

"Everything is going to be all right," Jamie squeaked out through his tears. He had no clue how to break the bad news to her.

"No, it's not," Suzie said. "The Grossmans are going to totally call the cops and report me kidnapped, buttwipe!"

"Did," Jamie's voice faltered, "Did mom and dad know where you were going?"

After a brief silence, Suzie said, "Of course they did. No need to go calling them about it in the dead of night." Jamie yelled out in relief. He could plainly tell that Suzie had snuck out without telling anyone where she was going. The Grossmans were safe. "Are you crying, dingleberry?"

Jamie sniffed back his tears and drew a deep, shuddering breath, "You just go with Cyrus, sweetie, and do as he says. I'll be there to pick you up in no time at all, ok?"

"Yeah, I guess?"

"Put Cyrus back on the line, please," Jamie said.

"Yo, dude" Cyrus said, after taking the phone back.

"Take her to your place and keep her safe, please," Jamie said. "I'll be there in..."

"We are half an hour out," Nova whispered.

"In about half an hour," Jamie finished.

"Ok."

"Thank you Cyrus," Jamie sobbed. "Thank you so much!"

"Yeah," Cyrus said, "Bye now!"

Jamie buried his head in his hands and cried. His parents were taken, along with the girls' parents, and nothing good was going to come of it. He still had trouble wrapping his head around it. The only ones that could possibly know about their family were Section and the Johanssons, but only the Syndicate had very good reason to go after them. The Suit had kept their secret of being unlicensed, and from what Alice had told them, it probably did so to keep from being dismissed from its post by the President. It was a political appointee and if it sent Section after all of their parents, the fallout was going to get it fired for sure. And that was only if it managed to stay alive long enough for that. Jamie was feeling quite ready to snuff the shit.

The Johansson clan had no clear motive to go after their families, either. Jamie guessed they might want revenge for Eric, but going after their parents meant that Section would probably have to band together with Jamie and the girls in taking down the clan. And the takedown would be very fatal if Jamie had any say in it. He ordered Nova to get a location fix of all the members of the Johansson clan, via their cellphones and to listen in on their microphones until it was certain each and every member of the clan was accounted for. In mere minutes, his A.I. reported having located all members of the clan and only Martin and Jessica Johansson were in their home town, but they were attending a dinner party at a friend's house. Not a single Johansson gave any indication of knowing anything about this attack. Jamie ordered for the wiretap to go on until further notice. He was torn apart by doubts and guilt and plagued with imagining terrible scenarios until Nova announced they were landing, just outside of town.

Jamie sat up straight and set his jaw. "Fuck the past," he thought to himself. "What's done is done!" He steeled his resolve. He was going to find their parents. He was going to save them all. And he was going to rain hellfire down on the heads of those responsible, whoever the fuck they were. His fingers deformed the armrests as he let his wrath inundate him.

Nova put the plane in a landing configuration and aimed for an empty field, just out of town. It flipped a switch in the cockpit and an electrical current activated the enchantments on the engines. The underwing engines slid forward and tilted to divert all of their thrust downwards. The tail engine's nozzle elongated and tilted down. Nova selected a different setting on the landing gear lever and the tires expanded. The plane kept gliding down towards the field slowing down with each second, until it gently set down, doing about twenty knots. The brush all around the plane caught fire from the heat of the exhausts and the tires started to burst and magically reform, even as they absorbed all the irregularities of their landing site. Nova flipped the switch and the engines assumed their regular configuration. It pulled back on the throttles and applied the brakes, making the plane slow down to a stop, just beyond the brush fire.

Before the plane came to a complete halt, Jamie undid his seat belt, called on his power and flicked a finger at the door. The door opened and he leaped out of it, followed by the exclamations of his girls. He landed, rolled, jumped back up and took off running towards the nearest house, all in one fluid move. He used his magic to enhance his leg muscles and make himself run even faster. He saw a car in the distance and ran for it. When he got closer he waved his hand and the car's door opened. He twisted his wrist and the ignition turned, starting the engine. Jamie leaped into the driver's seat and put it in gear. His foot pinned the gas pedal to the metal and the car tore off down the street.

Behind him, in the distance, Rose and Sandra used a spell to cool down the brush fire and help Nova, Helena and Sonya snuff it out with handheld fire extinguishers.

Jamie zipped through the familiar streets of his home town, driving to Cyrus' place and his baby sister. He stopped the car in the middle of the street and was met at the door by an unhappy looking Cyrus. "Dude," he said, "you can't make this much noise in the middle of the night!"

"Where is she," Jamie asked.

"I'm right here, skidmark," Suzie said as she appeared in the front hallway of Cyrus' house. Jamie barreled past Cyrus and rushed to sweep her up into a tight hug. "Shove off," she wheezed, punching his shoulder weakly. "Lemme go, you ogre!" Jamie gave her one last squeeze and then set her down on the floor. "Geez!" Suzie looked up and saw his tear stained cheeks. "Did you get bit by the gay bug, or something?" Jamie wiped his tears and sniffed. He went down on one knee before her and opened his mouth to tell her their parents were kidnapped. He faltered, not quite able to tell her what happened and break her heart. "You're gonna catch flies." Cyrus closed the front door and stood by Jamie, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Well? What is it? Are you and Cy lovers? Are you coming out?"

"No," Jamie yelled. "Damn it!" At times, Jamie thought that Suzie's only goal in life was to annoy him. The kid was looking at him with eyes full of mirth, but Jamie knew her well enough to be able to tell she was starting to get a little worried. "It's about our parents, Suzie." When his sister just gave him a "get on with it" look, he took a deep breath. "They've been kidnapped."

Jamie caught a flash of worry on her face, just before she waved her hand dismissively and said, "Nah, you're gonna have to do better than that to fool me."

"I'm not kidding, Suzie," Jamie said, sniffling back tears.

"He's really not," Cyrus added.

Suzie looked around with a wicked smile. "I'm being punk'd," she said. "I know I'm being punk'd."

"No," Jamie said. "mom and dad have been taken tonight."

"Then why aren't the cops here to tell me," she asked.

"They talked to me," Jamie said. "I'm telling you."

Suzie squinted at him, crossed her arms, and said, "Bullshit!"

Jamie nearly laughed at hearing her dismiss his claims. He had spent the past half hour dreading telling her their parents were taken, and now he was frustrated that she wasn't taking him seriously. He was still in denial about the whole thing, and he asked himself if it was truly necessary for her to know exactly what's going on. He decided it wasn't. He looked up at Cyrus and said, "Could you give us a second, please?"

Cyrus nodded. "Sure, dude," he said. "I'll go see if the cocoa is ready."

After Cyrus left for the kitchen, Jamie drew on his power and put it in his voice. He waved a hand before Suzie's face and said, "Mom and dad went on a vacation and you are to stay with me until they get back."

"Jackass," Suzie said. "Like I'm gonna fall for such a lame trick? I'm telling on you for trying to scare me like that, as soon as mom and dad get back from their vacation!" Jamie hugged her and she squirmed, but endured it with just a growl of displeasure. Cyrus called out that he made cocoa and all three of them sat down in the living room and sipped the hot beverage.

"Where am I gonna sleep," Suzie asked.

Cyrus and Jamie looked at each other. "Dude," Cyrus said, "this house isn't zoned for bratty, little half pints."

Suzie rolled her eyes and said, "Get a haircut, Cy! You look like a dandelion."

"Suzie," Jamie exclaimed. "Apologize to Cyrus and thank him for his hospitality!" Suzie took another sip of cocoa and flipped Jamie the bird. "Suzie! I'm sorry Cyrus, she's just..."

Cyrus held up a hand and said, "Forget about it, dude. I know she loves me and daydreams of growing up to become my wife, someday. Admit it, kid! You've got a notebook full of your signatures as Mrs. Cyrus Pine."

"Ugh," Suzie grunted and stuck her tongue out. "Gross!" Cyrus laughed. "I need to use the bathroom!"

"It's the white door in the hallway," Cyrus said and pointed towards it. Suzie got up and left the room. The boys watched her go and listened for the sound of the door. "Dude, what's going on?"

"I convinced her I sent mom and dad on a super cheap, last minute vacation somewhere," Jamie whispered. "She isn't very interested in the particulars. I'm going to need you to dig up any info you can on my parents' kidnapping. Even the smallest details would mean the world to me. I'll pay you triple-"

"Dude," Cyrus said, offended. "There's no charge for this."

Jamie blinked back tears. "Thank you, Cyrus. Hire someone to do a forensics' sweep of the place. There are four other places that have been hit at the same time."

"Let me guess," Cyrus said. "The parents of your porn star girlfriends have also been taken?"

Jamie nodded. "You know the addresses," he asked. Cyrus nodded. "We'll need a full forensic sweep of all five places. I'm footing the bills. Also, I want you to spread the word that I'm offering a huge bounty on all info that pans out."

"You got it, dude," Cyrus said. The sound of flushing was heard and the boys sat back in their chairs and relaxed. Soon, Jamie took his leave of Cyrus and led Suzie to the car he had borrowed without permission. He waved goodbye to Cyrus. "I'll get you that info, dude!"

Jamie drove Suzie back to his childhood home. He grunted to himself as he realized he no longer considered it his own home. His home was Bastion. At their parents' house, he had Suzie pack her belongings for a long stay with him and had to use his magic on her again to get her to actually pack, instead of asking endless questions about where she was going and where exactly had their folks gone to. He still hadn't decided what to do. While she packed upstairs, he completed a sweep of the house. He found nothing of use. His girls came over to the house and reported a complete lack of evidence at all the other homes. The only thing that was amiss in any of the houses was the fried cameras. Even the Worth house's cameras were toasted, which meant that it was probably not Section, or the Johanssons. They'd know no one lived there anymore. Then Jamie caught himself and realized they could have fried those cameras too, just to cover up their tracks. He groaned out loud and held his hand up to his forehead. His temples were throbbing in pain.

Suzie announced she was all packed and ready to go as soon as someone carried her bags for her. Jamie smiled at her as she regarded the gaggle of hot girls in their house with suspicion. She pointed at Helena and asked, "What are you doing here?"

In lieu of an answer, Jamie used his magic to make her fall asleep and picked her up and carried her to the car. The girls followed them out, carrying her luggage. They locked the place up and left it as empty as they found it. They drove back to the field where they landed; Jamie and Suzie in one stolen car; Nova, Helena, Sonya, Rose and Sandra in the other. As soon as they turned on to the street that led to the field, they saw a fire department truck ahead of them. There were people walking around the street and they parked the cars well away from the action.

Jamie carried Suzie in his arms and followed Nova as it carried the luggage and navigated a clear path around the impromptu gathering. Jamie overheard people talking excitedly about what had happened there earlier that night. The people were focused on the big scorch mark in the field. Some were talking about the awful, loud noise they had heard. Theories were being put forth that a meteorite had burst over the field. No one noticed the jet, parked about a hundred yards away from them. Nova opened the door and everyone climbed onboard. They stowed away the luggage and strapped themselves in. The gynoid ran through the magically accelerated startup sequence and the plane came to life in just a few minutes' time.

When the engines started making noise, people began to see through the obscuration wards of the plane and noticed it was there. The plane turned around and started to accelerate down the field, its huge tires cushioning the irregularities of the ground. People ran back out to the street, fearful of the sudden appearance of the moving airplane. The jet's engines tilted part of the way down, and it slowly detached itself from the ground and began to gain altitude and speed. In a minute, it was going fast enough for the engines to resume their normal configuration and fly on the lift produced by the wings. Nova checked, via external cameras, and saw that the fire brigade was moving in to extinguish the flames they left behind. The gynoid turned the plane east, per Jamie's orders. All the passengers sat silently staring out the windows at the pitch black night. Suzie was the only one that slept.

Jamie tried to sort out the events of the night in his head. As he sat there, sleepy and yet awake, the adrenaline let up and he found himself in full command of his faculties. He reviewed the situation as thoroughly as he could and came to the conclusion that he had but one option if he was to find their parents. He had to use Suzie as bait. He asked himself if he could do that. If he could deliberately put her in harm's way. He decided the answer was yes. Suzie's days were numbered anyways.

Section files contained many instances in which the Syndicate exacted bloody vengeance on informants and slaughtered their entire families. One informant enjoyed government protection for twelve years before they found him and butchered his whole family, ending with him. Sooner or later, these sick fucks would find Suzie and get on with their revenge against him. Jamie resolved to exterminate them all from the face of this Earth, much, much sooner than that.

He managed to get a few minutes' sleep before they touched down. They got their cars and drove to Bastion. They unpacked and stowed their vampire hunting provisions before Jamie outlined the broad strokes of his plan. All the girls grumbled about putting Suzie in harm's way, but Helena was the most vocal. "Jamie," she said, "you can't use her as bait! We'll find another way! There has got to be something we haven't tried yet!"

"Like what," Jamie demanded.

Helena faltered, for a bit, and then spread her arms wide and said, "I don't know! Maybe Cyrus' people find something!" Jamie snorted in derision. Helena's lips tightened unhappily and then she smiled. "Mara! She said she's a witch doctor! Maybe she can find them!"