All that he'd heard and seen in the past seven hours came easy to his fingertips as he entered the data. He'd disconnected the holographic imager and settled down in front of his ibook's screen. Using the power of the Chicken Ranch's system, he had plugged into the web with VR using his gloves and Oakleys. His virtual icon called up and transferred information. Most of it pertained to everything he'd learned about Nicholas Calen and Maria Portia.

     The virtual room he stood in was one of thousands within the virtual world of the VA database. Gray walls filled with rows and rows of hard drives surrounded his workstation. Two other Adepts had joined him minutes before, aiding in uploading the message.

     As he uploaded into the VA network he was careful to enter poignant meta-tags to alert anyone surfing or searching for the incident at the 57 club. Even a simple google could pull up a civilian/sleeper file he'd created, and give the interested party a non-traceable account to send their experiences too. Of course, any Technocrat could spot the mole within the web easy, but from whom it came from or where it originated, they would have a tough time finding out.

     They would also have an even rougher time taking out the questionnaire. Mac arranged the program so that for every survey stream deleted, six more generated themselves and set to work. Either way, it would get him information - if there were any to have.

     But Mac couldn't shake the feeling that the only mages alive that saw what really happened were the ones here, at the Chicken Ranch. And he suspected that those that died might have seen the truth.

     A weapon, capable of obliterating - erasing - a mage's existence. He shivered as his thoughts lingered on that frightening knowledge. And so to help in understanding what the mechanics of such a thing required, he put out another inquiry on the VA network, asking for anyone with knowledge of such a weapon's existence to contact him at one of his many email addresses.

     Something abruptly crackled around his icon. Mac looked up and around his virtual world. Colors rippled and waves as several bright and forked tongues of lightening ripped through the room. Mac pulled away from the Virtual computer as the lightening licked at his hand.

     He wasn't fast enough.

     With a yell, he fell backward in real life and yanked the Oakleys from his face. His fingers burned and he wrenched the gloves off of his hands. "Sonova...."

     Pain like ice in his mind came swiftly, either as a direct result of his abrupt disconnection or the attacking lightening. Mac didn't know which. Awareness of the room in the bottom of the Chicken Ranch came slowly as he moved, realizing he lay on his left side.

     "Are you all right?"

     Mac shook his head and blinked quickly. The pain throbbed again as it traveled to the center of his brain and settled there. Oh not another headache..

     Strong hands lifted him beneath his arms and Mac helped himself rise to a standing position. He put his hands to his forehead, his hair filtering through his splayed fingers. He squeezed his eyes shut as the pain twisted about in his head.

     "I guess not, huh?"

     The voice was Mark's. "No...I'm fine. Just...what the hell happened?"

     "Well, there was a noise, kinda like something between a zap and an explosion. You yelled out and fell out of your chair."

     Opening an eye, Mac looked at Mark. "Between a zap and an explosion?"

     "Yeah," he turned away from Mac to look where the Engineers and Arden were. "Arden, would you.... hey...weren't there two of them before?"

     Huh?

     Mac blinked his eyes several times to clear the smoke and looked in the same direction.

     Only one Technocrat remained on the couch. Calen appeared dazed and...smoking?

     Arden stood in front of him, her legs spread apart, Oz's gun held in both of her hands, its barrel trained on the Technocrat's head. "What the hell did you just do?"

     "Easy, girl. Easy." Mark moved around the couches to stand behind the obviously shaken Verbena. He looked past her to Calen. "You will not be doing that again."

     "Doing what?" Mac moved sluggishly to where the three were. Kyle had awoken and stood nearby, his dark expression confused. With a groan, Mac sat down on the sofa to Calen's right.

     Arden moved her right hand behind her and with expert ease, pulled a cell phone from Mark's jacket pocket. She thumbed a few numbers, but kept the gun expertly trained on the remaining Technocrat.

     A pause. "Sister. I must speak with the calling one."

     Another pause. Mac rubbed his temples. The pain didn't appear to be dissipating. Who was she calling?

     "Paul, our friend escaped. Or at least, one half of him."

     Oh, the Dream Speaker.

     "No, the female is gone."

     Mark reached around Arden's front. "Give me the phone."

     Mac arched his eyebrows.

     Arden didn't object but pushed him away from her, the gun still trained on Calen, whose clothes were indeed smoking. Wow...not a scratch. Maybe a singed eyebrow. But his clothes are impeccable.

     Mark spoke to Paul on the hone. "So he was like weaving the tapestry and pushed her through. But it backfired on him because the tapestry closed."

     "That is so totally not what he just did," Johnny said from the food table. Mac twisted from the waist up to look behind him. He hadn't realized Johnny was still in the room.

     "Yes it was," Mark insisted, then directed his attention to the phone. In a few minutes he asked. "Can anyone tell if that was Correspondence?"

     "I can," Mac said and his voice sounded tired in his ears. "It wasn't. Not the way it affected my computer. Shot me right out of the web."

     Mark relayed Mac's answer, then, "Yeah, he's still got them but they're still not working." He looked to Mac for confirmation of what he was saying. Mac nodded. He knew Paul had asked about the Technocrat's weapon.

     Several more minutes passed before Mark's eyes widened and he said. "Letting him go? Who said anything about letting him go?"

     Kyle shook his head.. "Let him go?"

     Mark spoke to Paul. "I don't think..." he paused, then frowned. "Rehabilitate him?"

     "Excuse me?" Arden said. "I thought we were suppose to watch him."

     Mac considered letting him walk into the desert. No food or water. No toys. Nothing but his clothes, and though he enjoyed entertaining the thought that the 'crout would pass from this world in the heat and the birds would pick his bones. He knew inside from past experience that Calen's people would find him before he expired, and that he would be returned.

     Why do I feel sorry for this guy? Mac shivered.

     "Is he saying to offer him help?" Arden glanced at Mark, her eyebrows furrowed.

     Mark relayed the question. "Only if he asks for it."

     Arden shook her head. "Give me the phone." She turned, the gun's aim going wild. Kyle ducked down behind the couch and even Mac found himself leaning out of her line fire. She opened her mouth, then closed it. With a long sigh, she nodded and hung up. "Unless we have some way to continue containment of techno-boy, then we really have no other choice but to let him go. His toys will be back online soon."

     "Go?" Mac shakes his head. "You can't be serious." And yet he knew the Verbena was right. Unless they planned on killing him...

     "Tell me, Adept," Arden said. "Do you detect anything?"

     "As in?"

     "His gadgets. Does he have any that are working now?"

     "No," Mac shook his head. "They're all out." He checked his watch, remembering Oz's remark on the EMP's length. "It's gonna be another hour or so before he can use them." But it doesn't explain how he just made Maria disappear without Correspondence.

     The phone rang. Arden answered it, the gun coming around to stare Calen in the face. She nodded. "I'm not," then she looked at Kyle and Mac. "You guys feel any danger from this nimrod?"

     Mac and Kyle shook their heads.

     She told Paul everything was fine and that they'd all meet up with him at the book signing tomorrow. After she hung up, she tossed the phone back to Mark. "Paul suggested we find out from techno-boy where he sent Maria. He feels it's important - because if she's gone back to her superiors and tells about this place, we might have more company sooner than expected."

     Again Mac had to agree with the Dream Speaker's logic. It was a fear that'd been gnawing on him since they'd brought the Technocrats here. Only with both here, I thought we'd have more time. Now I'm not so sure.

     Mac nodded. "I say do your worst." And let me get this headache under control.

Calen made a noise that could only be described as something between a laugh and a chortle and tossed his useless glasses on the coffee table. Instantly they flew into Arden's empty hand. She smiled at Calen as she broke them in two within her fist.

     Okay, time to get the gun back from the witch. Mac stood and moved around the coffee table to the Verbena. He gave her a questioning look and held out his hand at the gun. She shrugged and handed it back to him, then opened her other hand and let the shattered pieces of the shades fall to the floor.

     Calen folded his arms over his chest and returned her glare.

     As he sat back down, checking to make sure he put the safety back on the gun, Mac felt an odd change in the air - something akin to electricity sparking. Kinda like the way the sky feels right before a storm.

     The Technocrat stiffened just a bit, and Mac looked from him to the Verbena. He saw/felt the static again. She was using Mind. The two of them were going to attempt to force Calen to speak.

     "Where did you send her?" Mark asked as he sat on the coffee table in front of Arden.

     "Home."

     "And home is where?"

     Calen frowned and closed his eyes.

     Arden made a face. "He's reciting these...equations in his head."

     Mac held the gun in his lap. "He's probably been conditioned to sense you if you use magic on him, so I'm not surprised he's trying to route you out."

     "Oh, I'm not going to be shut out that easy."

     Mark spoke up. "So what was the point of sending her away?"

     "To get her home."

     Arden smiled. "So she can come back?"

     Calen didn't answer immediately. Mac wondered if it was because he was resisting or if he just doesn't know. But there is something else - something in the way his entire presences softens when he speaks of Maria. Is he in love with her? Do Technocrats feel love?

     "He's resisting. Let me help," Mark tilted his head toward his right shoulder.

     Mac watched in fascinated awe. As a Virtual Adept, his magic came in rotes, and sometimes in unconscious ways, like when he needed a tool and one appeared nearby. His manipulation of security and ability to 'see' problems within a network was second to none within his own group - honed due to his paranoia of his father. But this...this was what he'd always believed magic would be. Something mysterious, not typed in with FORTRAN glyphs dumped on a Darwin shell.

     There were no colors; no displays of light, just the subtle static in the air that made the hairs on Mac's arms stand on end. He even believes he smelled singed hair in the air - but that could be those parts of Calen that were still smoking.

     "Answer me...do you think she'll come back."

     "Maybe."

     Silence.

     Mark turned to Arden. Mac believed these two had worked together often. "Come on Arden - ask some questions too."

     "I think I should just stop his heart."

     Mark's reaction is the same as Mac's. "Arden.... no!" they said in unison.

     Calen's answers all but disappeared and Arden insisted the Technocrat's just continued reciting techno-goop in his head. Nothing much else there. Arden leaned back on the couch. "Just let me stop it for one minute..."

     Mark gave her a warning look as he stood and went back to the food table.

     The stomping sounds of someone descending the stairs brought Mac's attention to the room's entrance as Johnny Meyers stepped back in. He stopped in front of the center U, then pointed at Calen and looked at Mac with a puzzled expression. "Weren't there two of them?"

     "Yes," Arden and Mark answered together as Mac nodded. The headache's finally subsided, but a dull ache remains. I should invest in aspirin. "Don't ask," Mac said. "We've tried. Or rather, they've tried to find out what he did with her."

     Johnny lowered his head but kept his gaze locked with Mac's. "Did with her?"

     "He managed to push his friend...somewhere." Mark said offhandedly and began a cursory look at the food.

     "Get me another drink while you're over there," Arden called out.

     "I live to serve," Marks said.

     "Quantum field" Calen said. He looked at Mac, his eyes hard but no longer angry.

     "What?" Mac asked.

     "Quantum field."

     Oh. So that's he did that. Mac pursed his lips. But with what? What did he use to generate the field?

     "So what are you going to do with your equipment still non-operational? " Mark asked as he came around to the couches with a drink for Arden.

     Arden sniffed the drink. "What is this?"

     "Do?" Calen asked.

     "It's carrot juice, dear. You need to stop the alcohol." He looked at Calen. "Since you're free to go."

     Calen's expression finally changed from stoic to something...less stoic. "I'm free to go?"

     "I don't like that idea." Mac said. "We should at least take his electronics."

     "They're probably bugged," Johnny said sitting beside him.

     But Mac kept his gun trained on the Technocrat as he stood.

     "I need a taxi." Calen said.

     Johnny shrugged. "1-800-TAXI." He nodded to the stairs. "Just head up and tell the receptionist you need one. There's a whole line of them waiting outside. They'll think you're just one of the many satisfied customers."

     Calen stood so abruptly Arden nearly dropped her drink. Mac brought the gun up and pointed it at the Technocrat's chest. Calen became a statue. "Just leave if that's what you intend to do."

     There was no question the Techno-boy wanted out. He moved slowly around the coffee table on Mac's side, evidently deciding passing by the Adept was much more healthy than by the Verbena and Chorister. His gaze never left the barrel of the gun. Mac stood slowly as Calen moved backwards to the stairs door, then disappeared through it.

     Mac lowered the gun. He wanted to shoot Calen. He thought of Maouri and wanted to shoot him.

     It would be so easy to become what his father stood for.

     So easy.

     "I think we should call Sarah." Mark says

     Arden sipped her carrot juice and made a face. "What for?"

     "To let her know he just walked outside."

     "And she'll do what?"

     "I don't know...maybe something we haven't thought about."

     But Arden's wasn't having any of it. "Apparently not. And besides, what's the point? Paul is already apathetic about the whole thing." She stands and looks around. "Why are we still here? I think we should just go home."

     "I'm calling Sarah anyway." Mark does.

     Arden looked at the ceiling in exasperation. She cocked her head to her right shoulder and looked at Mac. "You?"

     "Me?"

     "What're you doing?"

     Mac sighed and tucked the gun behind the belt of his slacks. "I'm going to get coffee." He gave her a smile and stiffly climbed the stairs to the main room. He really needed to find a bathroom and asked the first person he met where he could find one.

     After splashing water on his face, Mac looked at again at the reflection of himself. The dark circles beneath his eyes were back, and the dark shirt he wore only emphasized his pale complexion. My biggest question so far is: What do I do now? I mean, the Technocrat is gone, probably reporting to his supervisors. Which means this place is now in grave danger, and yet Aurora doesn't seem to care. Paul and Susan are gone. Arden and Mark are probably on their way out.

     Do I go back to the hotel? Mac pulled a towel from the rack on his right and dried his face. He needed to stick near his computer in case any of his posts were answered. And to do that, he'd need a secure link.

     And this is the only one I know. Unless the hotel has something that can accommodate me.

     With a last look at himself, the Adept moved from the bathroom in time to see Arden and Mark file past. Mark paused as Mac closed the bathroom door. "You need a place to stay?" the Chorister asked. "You can always come to my place."

     "No, I thank you though. Are the two of you still planning on meeting up at the book signing tomorrow?"

     Mark nodded. "I'll be there - and if I have to drag Herself there kicking and screaming, she'll be there too."

     Mac looked at the floor and smiled. He saw Mark's extended hand and shook it. "See you tomorrow."

     "In God's hands all is done." The Chorister gave a curt nod and followed his friend the Witch from the room.

     Weird.

     Still without coffee, Mac descended the stairs. Kyle sat on the couch watching the replay of the night's massacre at the 57 club. The Hollow One had remained eerily quiet during much of the evening. Johnny sat in front of Mac's computer.

     "Hey, where are you headed now?" the singer asked as Mac neared.

     He shrugged. "I guess back to the hotel. I need a secure link, and I'm not really sure this place is where I should stay." He pursed his lips. "You realize the Technocrats will know of this place the moment they interrogate Calen."

     Johnny nodded. "Aurora's already got the cleaning crew ready, as soon as we leave." He glanced at the computer screen. "I know of a place that has a secure link. Want to come with me?"

     "You do?" Mac narrowed his eyes. He didn't know this man - had never heard of him or his music. But there was something odd about him - something that touched just on the edges of what Mac had come to call his magic's conscience. That part of him that worked without the computers and the rotes.

     He needed to stay connected, and if Johnny did know of a place... "Okay...where is it?"

     "I'll have to show you. A friend of mine - or an acquaintance. He's secure, and -" Johnny gave Mac a smile. "I think the two of you will get along just famously."

     That statement didn't help Mac's confidence. Already he'd been thrown together with a Dream Speaker that didn't like or trust him, a Chorister and a Witch, whose odd relationship would frighten even the most conventional unconventional. A Hollow One whose silence at times was mysterious and ominous. And then there were the Technocrats...

     Interesting that his thoughts returned to Nicholas Calen. Other than knowing his brothers and father, Mac had very little real contact with the enemy. He had no face for it. No real emotion attached to it.

     Them.

     Calen.

     And now it seemed that even within the Technocracy there was a human side. And a place for human error. The technocrat had not known of the Techno Ops' intent to Obliterate. He had only done his job, and Calen's confusion had not escaped Mac.

     No. Not at all. Which means, he could either be a good ally...

     ...or a dreaded foe.

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