Cinder gave an audible sigh and hung up.
My spirits were rising. Once I was done with the detonators, I only needed to disable the alarms and I’d be able to pick up November and get out. There were still some protective wards on November’s core that I hadn’t had time to decipher, but I’d already confirmed that they wouldn’t stop me carrying it away physically, and once I was safely back at the Hollow I could take them apart at my leisure. As I worked through the futures with the fateweaver, I saw the first tamper switch dim and fail. I changed focus to the second.
As I did, a flicker on my precognition caught my attention and I frowned. My attention was on the short-term futures, and all of a sudden a bunch of them were terminating in explosions.
I tried altering my actions. No effect. No, wait—now all of the futures were terminating in explosions. November? Did I just trigger something?
I don’t believe so.
The futures had settled: the bomb was going to go off really soon. I searched for an answer, trying to stay calm. Nothing I did seemed to make a difference. But if nothing I did was making a difference, then that must mean that the source was from someone else. I changed my focus, looking at what was going to happen just before the explosion, and saw the flash of a gateway and—
Oh, SHIT.
I had less than a minute. Frantically I threw my energies through the fateweaver at the second switch. As I did I hit Cinder’s number. It rang. Rang again. Rang again. Come on, come on—!
Click. “Verus, I don’t have time for this shit,” Cinder said. “There are six cops about to—”
“Deleo is here,” I interrupted. “You want to catch her, get up here now.” I hung up.
Thirty seconds. I was feeding the future where the switch failed, pouring energy into it. Sixty percent, seventy, eighty, ninety, ninety-five, ninety-six, ninety-seven . . .
It stuck at ninety-seven. There was a slight possibility of a short circuit that I couldn’t seem to shake. Three percent chance of killing myself. Could I risk it?
Five seconds. I put a surge of power into the fateweaver, giving it everything I had. The short-circuit future wavered and vanished.
My hands shot out and I pulled both detonators from the C-4, like sticks coming free from particularly stubborn clay. Just as I did, the air on the far side of the room darkened and a gate appeared in front of the tinted windows. One of the detonators was far enough out and the ward didn’t trigger, but the other did, and I swore I saw the flash of an electric spark as the explosive missed going off by less than a second.
Rachel stepped through the gateway and turned towards me with a look of death on her face.
chapter 7
All the alarms I’d so carefully avoided went off at once. Red lights flashed, magical and electrical warnings went flying out, and Rachel sent a disintegration beam at my chest.
I dropped, the ray passing overhead and taking out a chunk of wall. The table with the housing hid me briefly and I heard Rachel’s footfalls as she closed in. She’d have me in sight in seconds.
When you can’t run, attack. I came up in a lunge, my knife searching for her heart. Rachel’s shield flared and the blade glanced off. She tried another disintegrate spell, but I was inside her range and knocked her arm away; the beam went high, destroying a patch of ceiling.
Mr. Verus! November sounded panicky. The alarms—
I know! I snarled. I drove Rachel back, kicks and slashes keeping her briefly off balance, but I couldn’t get through her shield. Rachel recovered and cast some spell I’d never seen. A sea-green whip of darkly glowing light formed at her hand and I threw myself backward; the snaking whip caught my knife and a table leg, cutting both in half. The table went down with a crash, sending computer banks tumbling to the floor, and I dived behind it, rolling out of sight.
Rachel’s footsteps started up again as she continued her approach. I looked from side to side, my thoughts racing. The toolbox didn’t hold anything that could break Rachel’s shield. My dispel focus could, but trying to use that against someone as fast as Rachel was suicide. There was the computer case holding November’s core, with the blocks of plastic explosive, one detonator that was triggered . . .
. . . and one that wasn’t. I grabbed one of the blocks of C-4, shoved in the detonator, then stood and threw it in a single motion.
Rachel saw the block coming and strengthened her shield. The ward on the detonator registered the magical energy of the spell and triggered instantly.
Light and sound hammered me with a roar. I’d seen what was coming and dived for cover, but in the confined space of the data centre the explosion was horrendous. The shock wave battered my body and sent every piece of furniture in the room flying. A table crashed down on top of me, then all of a sudden everything was silent but for the ringing in my ears.
Somehow I managed to get to my feet. Daylight was streaming in: the windows along the far side of the room had blown out. The room was filled with smoke, and I coughed as I kicked aside the table and staggered over to November’s housing. The housing was scrap, but in the fraction of a second I’d had to spare, I’d managed to nudge the explosion in the direction I’d wanted, and November’s core had survived largely undamaged. That was extremely unnerving, November said. Mr. Verus? Are you still there?
Yes. I’d lost track of my toolbox, but not the backpack. I started to pull cables out of November’s case.
I thought you were going to kill me.
I said I’d get you out, didn’t I? Now shut up and let me concentrate.
One of the cables was refusing to come free. I kept yanking at it for a good five seconds before I registered that it was held in by screws. I spun them loose, still dazed from the explosion. I’d lost track of Rachel, but I knew she’d be back.
The last screw came out. I heaved up November’s case; my left hand slipped but the right held steady and I got it into the backpack. I shrugged on the straps as I stood up and started feeling my way towards the exit.
Mr. Verus? November said. I know you said not to bother you, but we may have a problem.
I’d already sensed it. Gate magic was being used outside the data centre, both the steady signature of a gate and the briefer flashes of the more specialised teleportation spell that I’d only ever seen used by space mages. I’d made it back into the main corridor, but I knew that as soon as I stepped out onto the roof, it was going to start a fight. I slumped against the wall, my legs still shaky. Starbreeze? I asked, reaching out through the dreamstone. I could really use a lift right about now.
Come watch the fire man, Starbreeze said brightly.
Maybe later. I really need to get out of here.
I’m busy.
Starbreeze!
No answer. I looked ahead to see what would happen if I opened the front door.
There were four people out on the rooftop, and all of them were looking straight at where I’d appear. One I’d seen before. He was short and slight, with English looks, and was dressed like a civil servant who’d just stepped out of the office. His name was Barrayar, and he was Levistus’s personal assistant and troubleshooter. I’d never fought him, but I knew he was more dangerous than he looked.