Mac shook his head. If only I'd learned to do this when I was twelve. Might have saved my mother a lot of grief.

     Syd followed him down the stairs and ran into the back to where Mac assumed the kitchen was. In seconds the kid was back with a silver travel-mug. "Mom made this for you. Thought it might help you get the day kick-started."

     Ah...coffee... He gave Syd a wide grin and took the mug gratefully. The coffee had just the right amount of cream and sugar, and if his taste buds weren't toying with him, the cream was real cream, not the non-dairy stuff. "Oh Syd, please, thank your mother for me."

     "Oh, she'll be thrilled. You really charmed her this morning."

     Mac had just taken another sip of coffee when Syd spoke. He held the travel mug out and chocked, barely avoiding spewing the creamy concoction all over their foyer floor. "W-what? I never even saw your mother this morning."

     "She saw you sleeping - thought you reminded her of a famous actor. I told her you were my new guidance counselor and you had been helping me on in English Lit."

     Mac nodded slowly. "Guidance counselor..." He shook his head. "Great."

     Syd grinned. "So she'll probably be wanting me to bring you home for dinner sometime."

     Mac winced.

     "Oh, but hey," Syd reached into his Star Wars pajama pockets and pulled out a small stack Smart Cards. "Here...I downloaded several more of the small bugs, some are coded and some aren't. Just load'em and then tap twice. Only you will be able to see them. The patterns are for Adept eyes only."

     He hefted the stack of what would amount to 'spells' to any other mage in his hand and smiled. "You got the security cracks on here as well?"

     "Yep. Luxor through Tropicana. Even got the Excalibur alarm codes."

     Syd's grin was just a bit too wide for his face, which told Mac there was another story behind the Excaliber codes; something he'd obviously slept through. "Syd...you didn't use that one already did you?"

     "Catch the news. It was a great. Locked all the doors and wiped the key-codes."

     Oy...

     The kid continued, oblivious to Mac's consternation. "Oh, and I found those floorplans and even uploaded the regular background access tunnels for the Luxor. The smarts are for your Treo, and I burned everything total to the DVDs in your case."

     Feeling like a kid in a candy store, Mac reached out and took Syd's hand in a solid handshake. "I don't know how I can thank you."

     "Just keep me posted. Upload to me on what's happening, and I'll contact Trent for you. And watch the Technocrat," Syd's usually light face darkened. "Mac, he might seem vulnerable at times - and you're going to feel an affinity simply because of your Technocratic backgrounds, but do not trust him. He's conditioned. He's one of them."

     Wise words, and their meaning was already clear in Mac's head. Yet the soldier's private journals continued to play out in his head. Nicholas Calen was more than just a low ranking Technocrat.

     He was an oddity.

     A deviant in his own right. And whether the blond soldier would ever admit it - Mac could only shrug. "If I need a secure link again...?"

     "Don't you worry. You need me..." he winked. "I'll know it."

     Mac took the taxi back to his hotel. The red-headed Adept at the counter assigned him another room, quickly mentioning a presence detected inside his room earlier in the morning. The new room contained clothes as well. He showered and shaved, then dressed in a white shirt, khaki slacks and sport coat. After checking the time and the charge on his electronics, he found a nice restaurant in the hotel to eat some breakfast.

     He sat in the farthest corner, facing the doors. His Oakleys rested beside him, but there were no interruptions.

     The Luxor was like nothing Mac had ever experienced. The entire complex looked like an Egyptian lover's nightmare. It's centerpiece was a pyramid - much like the one in Memphis - only much larger. He stood like a tourist outside the hotel casino where the taxi dropped him off. Billboards advertising Paul's book signing lined the walkway, and from the number of people stepping around him, the book clutched in their hands, it was a popular one.

     Might have to download it for later.

     He followed the signs leading to the right in the hotel's grand entrance. A line of people had already formed and the signing wasn't for half an hour. Mac pulled his Oakleys from his jacket pocket and put them on. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Treo - the pattern Rote ready - and taped the application icon.

     The scene behind his lenses changed instantly. The scene darkened as the information scrolling across the bottom brightened into whites, yellows and reds. The white meant normal, all systems operational. Meaning Sleepers. The Yellow signaled Awakened, and the red signaled the detection of Technocratic movement.

     No red flags. Yet.

     Nice...Syd, I owe you on this one. I don't think I could have written this program without you. With a smile to himself, he approached the door, passing the milling line of people.

     As he approached, a tall, distinguished looking man came toward him. He offered Mac his hand and flashed a straight, white smile. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. McGyver."

     Mac returned the handshake. The shades told Mac he was Awakened, nothing more. Removing the shades he folded them and tucked them into his jacket pocket. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage."

     "Skip McQueen. I have some things to discuss with you," he touched Mac's arm and gave a gentle nudge. Mac complied and the two walked several feet away from the book signing entrance. "Mr. McGyver..."

     "Call me Mac."

     "Mac..." Skip rubbed his chin. "I'm to inform you of some disturbing occurrences that happened during the early hours of the morning."

     "Disturbing occurrences?" Mac raised an eyebrow. "You mean other than the obliteration at the 57 Club?"

     "We're aware of the reality of that situation." He shook his head, his voice dropping as he spoke. "We've received word that three of the mages that were directed out of the club with you and later taken to the Chicken Ranch....are missing."

     "Missing?" Mac glanced at the lengthening line. "Is Paul one of them?"

     "No, Mr. Ortega is here. I briefed him earlier."

     "Who is missing?"

     "Mark Devins, Arden Vervain and Kyle." Skip pursed his lips. "The Technocrat that accompanied you is also missing, though we believe he was taken by his own people."

     "Do you have any clue as to who took them?"

     "It appears to be Technocracy. We've had the mage's homes checked for possible clues. Other than a rather innocuous pile of goo in Miss Vervain's gardens, there was very little left."

     "Goo?"

     Skip shook his head. "Verbena. I never ask. Apparently they attempted to kidnap two of my people, Oz and Zydeco, but failed."

     A smile crossed Mac's lips. Kidnap those two? I'd like to have seen them fail at that. "There wasn't any attempt against me." Maybe I'm not high profile enough.

     "They didn't know where you or Mr. Ortega were last night. I also have the impression they don't know you're here, or who you are. Which for the both of you, could be good or could be bad."

     "So you suspect whomever they are, they might attempt coming after Paul?"

     "Yes we do. So, what I had in mind was..."

     Mac put up a hand. "I can help with security."

     Skip narrowed his eyes. He looked down at the laptop case. "Well..."

     "I can spot a Technocrat or Ops faster than any of your people." He thought about the Rotes in his case and work that went into each of them. He smiled. "Trust me."

     Mac and Oz greated one another like old friends. Zydeco gave him a nod. The two were dressed in subdued black shirts and slacks. He spotted the gun holsters beneath their jackets and thought of the gun he still had tucked into his pants.

     "Keep it," Oz said when he tried to return it. "You might need it. But let me get you a holster."

     "So what can we do for you?" Zydeco asked.

     "Johnny took me to a friend of his last night. I think I can be of some help in looking out for any...Technocratic activity, during the booksigning."

     A slow smile broke Zydeco's cool demeanor. "Syd."

     When Mac nodded, Oz gave a small chortle. "Then lets go and get you hooked up."

     They went through a small side door to a room that adjoined the ballroom for the booksigning. Several other men in gray suits watched rows of monitors that gave a panoramic view of the room. Mac spotted Ortega seated toward the back behind a skirted table. His assistant Susan was beside him and they were in deep conversation.

     "Think you can do anything for this rig?" Oz asked.

     "No problem." Mac removed his laptop case and set it on the nearest table beside a monitor. "Gentlemen, if you'll allow me..."

     Fifteen minutes later, Mac had his ibook integrated into the security system's central core. He loaded up three of the surfing Rotes Syd had given him, their job being to search out and find any crawling Techno Ops spies perhaps planted within the hotel's security system.

     "He's in the mainframe," a young man said to his left.

     "Leave him alone, Lefler," Zydeco said. "Mac, we got less than ten minutes before the doors open. What you got?"

     Rummaging in his case he pulled out two earbuds. "These are two of Syd's specials. Put these in and you'll be in constant untapped communication with me. And these," he reached into his case again and pulled out two Treo 180 models, "are of my design. A few extras I got from Syd." He pulled two of what he and Syd had dubbed the Pattern Rotes and popped their smart cards into the small PDAs. He handed them to Oz and Zydeco. "Now, these units will show you what I'll be seeing. I've fed in a few applications to the main CPU that will feed through to the monitors. They'll detect any obvious, unknown or unchecked patterns that flag. Is there a mic down there with Paul?"

     Zydeco nodded. "Yeah. Left switch."

     Mac sat down at the chair before his ibook which now gave small windows of each of the monitors - in essence - he could see everything on his one LCD screen. He flipped the switch.

     "...still think we need better secuirty than what Mr. McQueen can give us. I could always use a little of my-"

     "No," Paul's voice interrupted her. "Just stay calm and let them do their job. I have the sense we're not alone. Our...Adept friend...is nearby."

     Mac raised his eyebrows. "How'd he know that I...?"

     Oz shook his head. "Maybe a ghost told him."

     Mac pursed his lips. Dream Speakers. "Is this two way?"

     Zydeco shook her head.

     Mac sighed. "Oh well. Okay, if you two will position yourselves in the best places so that you can get a view of people coming and going, I can keep a sharp eye out here toward anything that might raise a red flag and show up as Technocratic activity. That means anywhere within a six mile radius of this building. All thanks to Syd. You two will be able to hear and see what I hear and see. You call me if you need anything clarified, or you need me to check someone out."

     "We can't do that with these?"

     "No, these Treos don't have the proper modems or signal receivers. Now," he looked up at each of them. "Anything else you think I should do? I've tapped into the hotel's security network, so if something happens, I can shut the entire place down from here."

     Zydeco nodded. "Impressive Adept. We'll be call'n yah." She motioned for Oz to follow her.

     The big man leaned in before he left. "Stay alert. I'd hate for the two of you to be added to the nabber list."

     "I heard you gave them a good fight."

     Oz's smile revealed bright, white straight teeth. "Oh, they won't be pulling no more funny business with us."

     "Were they Technocracy, Oz?"

     The expression on the man's face worried Mac.

     "Adept...I don't know. I couldn't give a straight answer on that. They gave as good as they took. And they were..." he shrugged. "They were strong Mac. Un-phazed." With that, Oz departed after Zydeco.

     Great. Mac rubbed his face. Obliterator weapons and super Techno-ops. Could my life just get anymore complicated?

     The signing went smoothly. Mac watched and listened to the gushing fans as they strolled by, asking Paul to sign this and sign that. He received a great chuckle when one of the fans asked him to autograph her cheek.

     Which cheek?

     "Man...this bites." Oz's voice came over the ear-bud.

     "Shhh..." Zydeco said. "Head's up. Look there."

     Mac sat forward and looked at this screen. There, in the upper right box, someone - or something - burned brightly. His pattern flickered several colors, never displaying the same variations twice. "What the..."

     "...hell is that?" Oz finished.

     "I don't know.." Mac ran his fingers over his keyboard. He zero'd in on the individual and ran an identifier. But nothing came up on his screen. "I can't get an ID."

     "Do we pick 'em up?" Oz asked.

     "Negative," Zydeco said. "Let's see what he's up too. There's only one pattern, so I doubt he's going to grab Paul right here among all these people."

     Mac hoped she was right.

     All eyes watched the flaming man as he the lined moved. When he stood before Paul and Susan, Mac turned up the volume on his ear-bud and hit the record switch.

     Looking at the screen, the man looked to be about mid-twenties, dressed in a pristine white suit. His hair gleamed a dirty-blond in the ball room's lights and he carried himself straight and tall.

     "It is good to finally meet you Mr. Ortega." The man's voice was rich and melodic.

     "Sir." There was a shuffling of papers and Mac zoomed in camera three on the two. The man gave Paul an envelope which he then gave to Susan unopened. Paul opened the man's copy of his book. "How would you like it signed?"

     "Mr. Ortega, my name is Number Seven. I think it would be best for both our interests if you and I could meet immediately after this event. The note will give you the time and place. "

     Paul's voice was stern. "Meeting? Relating to what?"

     "The abduction of your friends from the 57 Club." The stranger tipped his hat. "I will see you then." He took his book, unsigned, and moved through the door.

     "What...the hell...was that?" Oz said.

     "I'm on him," Zydeco said.

     "Keep your attention focused," Mac warned. He hacked into the hotel's floor cameras as well as outside drive and sidewalk access. The boxes on his laptop flashed from camera to camera. "I can't find him anywhere. Zydeco?"

     His earbud gave back static, then "I've lost him. He just vanished."

     Mac started to reply when the door to the room opened. In walked the very same man. The other suits in the room stood, and Mac heard the clicking noise of guns as the others armed themselves. The stranger raised his right hand.

     The others in the room froze.

     Mac stood, his own hand on his gun.

     "Please, Mr. McGyver. I'm not here for violence." He reached inside his pocket and pulled out an envelope similar to the one given to Paul. Mac hesitated for only a second before taking it. He glance back the frozen security men. "Please, they are fine. Unharmed. My name is Number Seven. I feel it is vital that we meet after this event and discuss issues relevant to both our causes. Please read the envelope and follow the instructions." He nodded and left the room.

     Almost immediately the security people unfroze and stopped, asking where the intruder had gone.

     But Mac only stared at the envelope in his hand and tucked it into his jacket pocket.

     "Mac?" Zydeco was in his ear.

     "Yeah..?"

     "You okay?"

     "Yeah...let's get this thing over with."

     Oz's voice said, "Okay then let's keep our eyes open. That was only a diversion. There's bound to be more to come."

     But nothing did. Other than the usual overtly religious leader protesting Paul's new age philosophy. The security people took care of them, hearding them out of the ball room and outside.

     When it was over, Paul and Susan were brought into the security room with Mac. Paul nodded to Mac but said nothing. Which was fine. Mac wasn't in the mood to talk. He opened up his letter.

     "There's a limo out front...for us." He looked at Paul who had just opened up his own.

     "I see," Paul gave a deep sigh. He looked at Susan.

     Zydeco and Oz arrived in the room. "You guys okay?" He looked at Paul and Susan.

     Mac turned and began packing up his things. "We have to go."

     Zydeco shook her head. "Go where?"

     Paul looked at each of them. "To them."

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