Page 86 of Junk Magic

“The ones on your answering machine? I called your house three times, then tried your cell. Do you ever bother to check—”

“I was away for part of the afternoon, and out of range for the rest—”

“Typical! What if there’d been an emergency? What if—”

“You mean, there wasn’t an emergency?”

“What? No—”

“Then why did you call me six times?”

“Because I heard through the grapevine that you ingested the same dose as that boy Colin, yet you didn’t turn—”

Great.

Fucking great.

“—and naturally, I want you to come in so that we can test your blood—”

“Sedgewick already has my blood.”

“Yes, but he isn’t sharing!” The outrage was palpable. “I’ve tried reasoning with him, but you know how he is—”

Unfortunately.

“—and he won’t spare a drop. Even said he didn’t have it anymore, that the director made him throw it out! As if I’d be stupid enough to believe that—”

“Then just use whatever they drained out of Colin,” I said irritably, because I knew they had. “Sedgewick probably did the autopsy by now—”

“That won't help. The boy turned. Or Changed, or whatever the proper word is. You didn’t. So, I need your blood. It might allow us to develop an antidote to this new street drug that seems to be making its way around. Something we could put in a dart or—”

“I don’t think a dart is going to help,” I said dryly.

“Well, it couldn’t hurt, mage! And nobody else seems to be working on this, maybe because they couldn’t find you, either. You do realize we are in the midst of a war? If you are going to be gallivanting about the countryside, the least you could do—”

“How would you like to see a Relic attack up close?” I said, before he went on another tirade. “A fresh one?”

There was sudden silence on the other end of the phone.

“It happened this afternoon, possibly as little as six or seven hours ago,” I added. “The Relics themselves are gone, but they probably left all kinds of interesting—”

“Where?” It was clipped, but I had his attention, at least.

“You have to come now, and alone. And you have to wait at the entrance and call for me to come get you. And this is off the books—like off-off, you understand?”

“I understand that I need an address.”

“And I need your word that I’m not going to get burned for this. And that you understood and will obey what I just told you. No one knows about this or gets anything you find unless I give the okay. I need that made very clear.”

“That’s not procedure, as you know perfectly well—”

“Hargroves gave me jurisdiction on these matters. This is my investigation, and I’m offering you a spot on my team. But I can rescind it if—”

“All right, all right!”

“Also, don’t tell anyone you’re from the Corps when you get here and don’t wear your uniform—”

“I never wear a uniform.” He sounded vaguely offended. And I had a sudden, vivid recollection of a pair of fuzzy pink slippers peeking out from under his trousers and lab coat.

---