This is the Sixth Part of Maggie’s Point of View of the latest scheme from Luna and Maggie.
If you’re trying to keep track, the first part was Newfound Depths by Luna,
The Second was Unusual Depths by Maggie.
The Third was Newfound Desires by Luna.
The Fourth was Unusual Desires by Maggie.
The fifth was Newfound Strength by Luna.
The sixth was Unusual Strength by Maggie.
The seventh was Newfound Determination by Luna.
The eighth was Unusual Determination by Maggie.
The ninth was Newfound Dangers by Luna.
The tenth was Unusual Dangers by Maggie.
The eleventh was Newfound Realities by Luna.
Now comes Unusual Realities from this corner…notice a theme? LOL.
Oh for anyone that is trying to catch up late in the game,
all of the chapters can be found in the files section in the folder “Newfound
and Unusual Series.”
Disclaimer: Laurell K. Hamilton and the Berkley Publishing Group do not authorize this author. All characters that you recognize belong to Laurell K. Hamilton except for the ones created by the people in this group. This is solely for entertainment purposes.
Rating: PG-13 to be safe for some language
Author’s Note: Please do not try any of the mixing experiments I mentioned. In general mixing strong acids and bases is a VERY bad idea….so is the dry ice in the sink…you put enough of it in there with water, the smoke does look cool until you crack the sink basin…..many a lab tech has learned this the hard way when bored at work. Trust me.
Thanks: To Luna for being an awesome beta, great friend, and always encouraging me to write. *hugs* Also thanks to anyone out there that takes the time to read my humble efforts. I appreciate it!
I hope you’re all enjoying reading this as much as we are writing it.
Hugs!
Maggie
I could feel the energy dancing along my skin as I paced inside my temporary room for the signal to move. It had been a busy early morning.
After Noah brought my clothes back, I had taken a long bath then took the time to French braid my blonde tresses back away from my face. I had gotten Cherry to help with the bits I couldn’t reach well on my own so it looked halfway decent. I think I had her and Caleb convinced that I was getting used to the idea of being confined to my room here. At least they hadn’t raised a fuss about me getting dressed, though I had hidden my shoes under the bed until they left. I couldn’t explain those away as being more comfortable for me to lounge in than going barefoot.
Caleb, to my surprise, had brought in my breakfast. I thought Jason usually had breakfast duty for “guests” since he was here more. Apparently, he didn’t want the pleasure of my company. I suppose I couldn’t blame him since the last time he saw me, I threw him into a wall.
Shaking my head, I went back to the problem at hand, waiting for the signal from Noah. Either he was taking way too damned long to deactivate the security monitors we needed or else I was just stir crazy from being here too long. Sighing, I realized it was probably a bit of both. I wanted to reach out to Noah and ask him what the hold up was, but that was too risky. If Jean Claude hadn’t retired for the day yet, he might sense the power surge.
Biting my lip, I wondered if the vampires had been tucked in for the day. What time was it and why hadn’t I paid more attention before to what time of day activity in the lair slowed down? I supposed that was my punishment for always being holed up in the lab or buried in a book or research paper. I never noticed what went on around me if it wasn’t part of an experiment.
‘Well you had other priorities then but now is a good time to change that habit Angel. Get ready to move. Your security camera is off.’ Noah’s voice in my head surprised me. I hadn’t even realized he was monitoring my thoughts. Focusing on the job at hand, I ran over to the bed and pulled my shoes out, slipping them on and quickly tying them up. It would be beyond embarrassing to have my escape attempt foiled by a loose shoelace.
Grabbing the lab coat I had hidden in the dresser, I quickly pulled it on over my clothes. With luck, anyone who saw me wandering the halls would assume that JC had given me permission to go back to work. At the least, it would hopefully confuse them long enough to buy me a few extra seconds to run. I was taking all the help I could get at this point, hence why my ex-lover was currently my co-conspirator. He should have been treated to the rare display of my anger for his role in my predicament. Then again, there was always later to mete out punishment to the deserving.
Dressed and ready, all I had to do now was wait for Noah to tell me the hall was clear. He was going to make sure I got safely out of my room then head off on his own rescue mission, the tape of my ritual. He wouldn’t tell me where it was stored.
I think he was afraid I would want to help him and grab it myself on my way out. At this point, I wasn’t so sure he was wrong in that assumption. The only person I really still trusted at this point was in Ireland and I didn’t want to pull him into this mess if I could help it. Lija was my heart and soul. If things went wrong, I needed to know he was at least safe with his Master. That he would go on for both of us.
Leaning against the door, I could feel my power rising as the shields I kept in place to keep out stray spirits slowly came down. A bit afraid that the Arianna, the goddess who sometimes liked to play puppet master, might make an appearance, I took a deep calming breath. Whether Luna’s spell had made me more powerful or not, I still wanted the energy boost I got from being a Gateway between realities.
I felt like a runner waiting for the starting shot of a big race. The power danced along my skin leaving goose bumps in its wake. I knew what I had to do. I was ready to do it. I was just waiting for a ‘go.’ If I’d had an engine I would have revved it just to release some of the tension. My hand hovered over the security keypad awaiting my cue. I was set to try to short circuit the lock with a jolt of power. If that didn’t work, Noah would hit the emergency lock release from the security room. I was hoping he wouldn’t have to do that though. The less evidence that he helped, the better off he would be in the end.
Noah’s voice was suddenly in my head again. ‘Okay Doll, the coast is clear. Give it a try.’ I nodded then realized he couldn’t see me. I took a deep breath, and focused all my energy on my right hand, still hovering over the keypad. There was a spark as a sphere of energy left my hand, hitting the pad. I heard a quiet click as the door unlocked. Damn, how did I do that?
The not so patient voice in my head said, ‘Figure it out later! You got the door open so get moving! Stay alert. Think of the whole lair as a big science project or something. That should keep you in analyze mode. Oh and trust your instincts. If Luna did something to give you enhanced senses, for once use them.’
‘Thanks a lot Superman!’ I risked shooting back even as I felt him shutting himself off from me so he could focus on his own task. I couldn’t blame him. It was the plan we agreed to after all. I slipped out the door into the hallway, looking quickly both ways before heading toward the path to the back door.
It was so quiet down here it was creepy. I never realized how much effort Jean Claude put into sound proofing this place. As I moved down the hallway, I did catch a stray laugh from Cherry from somewhere in the far distance. I thought she was in the kitchen. At least the smell of food was coming from the same direction. Reminding myself that time was short, I quietly kept moving toward the door. I was in the hallway near my lab when there was an obscenely loud creak that sounded like the back door opening.
I heard Richard’s raised voice saying something about Jason then Micah’s response. “I know he’s your wolf but if Luna is the reason for whatever is going on with Maggie, that means Pard is involved too. I would like to be present when you question her, unless you’d rather let Anita in on this?” I was pretty sure that was Richard’s low growl I heard in response but I was panicking by that point. We had unexpected company and they were looking for me. I ducked into my lab quickly resetting the lock behind me. I watched Micah and Richard walk by on the hallway monitors Noah had set up in the lab to let me to know when I had visitors.
Damn, they were heading straight for my room. If they found it open and me gone, it wouldn’t take long for an alarm to sound. What was I going to do now? I could run for the door, but if they heard me, they would probably catch me. I might be faster than your average human now but they were alphas and experienced.
I needed a distraction to buy me some time. Looking around the lab, I didn’t think there was anything in here that would help. Looking around, I smiled as my gaze fell on the cabinet where I kept all my chemicals. Perhaps I should rethink my previous assessment.
At the far end of the room, I found one of the air vents that a few mischievous teens once used to invade my lab. Pulling a chair over, I climbed up and made sure the vent still opened and was big enough for me to crawl through. I just hoped my sense of direction was good once I was inside.
I jumped down and ran into my office. I pulled the blinds down so you couldn’t see inside the office from the lab. Then I pulled my lab coat off and left it in there. Hopefully I had been wearing the coat long enough that some of my scent would linger.
Moving quickly over to the cabinet, I hoped that I still had time as I quickly grabbed the desired chemicals and then a few beakers. We’d see how I well I remembered my basics of acids and bases from the chemistry magic shows I did in college... A handful of sodium hydroxide pellets here…. Some hydrochloric acid there… ooh some dish soap in the bottom of a few cylinders with hydrogen peroxide for it to react to…. Lots of foamy fun was sure to follow.
I set up a couple beakers with some dry ice in the sink with a feeder beaker that I started running water in. It wouldn’t really hurt anything but it might take them a while to figure it out the smoke coming from the sink was just dry ice reacting to water. I set one last beaker under the smoke detector by the door with water. I turned on the radio in my office then locked that door so it would appear occupied. Running over to that last beaker, I threw a bunch of anhydrous magnesium chloride into the water. It immediately reacted, a large plume of smoke rising from the water as it sizzled.
As I jumped into the air vent and pulled the grating closed behind me I could hear the alarm going off. I didn’t have the luxury to stick around to see if it worked; I had to trust my diversion was successful and keep moving.
The vent was small and smooth making it difficult to move. Somehow I managed. There were odors coming from side vents that were strangely intriguing. I stopped suddenly unsure which way I was headed. I had detoured to follow the scent of food at some point but which way had I turned? My heart racing, I took a deep breath. The scents became even more intense, difficult to ignore. Muffled yells that sounded like they were coming from the lab only added to my confusion.
I needed to find a way out. Stopping, I closed my eyes and focused on re-raising those shields that controlled my connection to Luna and Noah. Perhaps if I didn’t have as strong a link to the pard, my own inherent abilities would be able to overcome the distraction of my hyper-senses. Finding my center, I realized I wasn’t as far off course as I feared. With my senses toned down, I could reach out and feel the energy of every living creature in the lair. There was no death energy so I could at least breath a little easier that Jean Claude hadn’t been woken by my antics.
I turned to the right and headed down a long shaft toward what I was increasingly certain was near the parking lot door to the lair. Coming to an exit duct, I mentally the scanned the area for company. Sensing none, I carefully removed the grate and pulled it sideways into the vent so its absence wouldn’t be as conspicuous. My headed peaked out of the passage to double check my landing zone before I carefully turned around so I could drop down to the floor feet first.
Brushing musty smelling dust off my clothes, I listened for movement in the corridor. My little surprises in the lab appeared to have created enough confusion to draw the crowd down to that wing of the lair. I quietly moved to the door and pulled it open.
Running out into the parking lot, the bright sun momentarily blinded me. Squinting, I grabbed the sunglasses Noah had left me out of the front pouch of my hooded sweatshirt. It was then I saw him. Shit! Not again. Trying to tell myself not to panic, I headed across the parking lot as I waved a greeting to Jason. Smiling as innocently as I could, I started, “Hey Jason. I’m sprung. Wanna go for a stroll?”
At his disbelieving look, I sighed, “Guess not but I am free to go. Micah and Richard are inside now. You might want to find out what your Ulfric needs, huh? I’ll wait here and enjoy the sunshine.”
I think he still was uncertain whether to believe me but was confused because he couldn’t smell a lie. I hadn’t lied after all. I was free to go. I had escaped and was therefore free. I never said that anyone TOLD me I could go. Apparently deciding that I couldn’t have possibly have gotten past both Richard and Micah without permission he headed inside though he stopped to look at me and shake his head before he went in.
As soon as I heard the door close, I ran for Noah’s truck. Thank the fates it was unlocked. I didn’t want to press my luck trying to open two locks in one day. Climbing into the truck, I relaxed. It smelled like Noah, familiar. Looking around, I realized my ex was nowhere to be seen though. Now what?
I tried to reach out to him telepathically was able to get a glimpse of the inside of my lab before he said ‘glove compartment’ and shut me out. Why did I think I wasn’t going to like what I found in the glove compartment? Opening it up, I found his keys and a note. “Get the hell out of here. I’ll explain later.”
Grabbing the keys, I slid over to the drivers seat and started up the engine. I raced out of the parking lot watching the back door of the lair as I went to make sure I didn’t have company. As I took one more look at the shrinking entrance to the lair in my rearview mirror, I sent one last thought. ‘Damn right you’ll explain Superman. You can bet on it.’