I opened it to dig out the extra battery and live feed. Too much of a giveaway. The detail work and hidden lens were good as they were, much better than anything my hands can do. I can put just about any gun or an engine back together, but I can’t put tiny holes in the front of a plastic radio without making a hash of it.
Don’t worry about the camera being seen. It’s not for any wizards or whatchits. One of my crew has been acting funny. Whole reason you’re supposed to operate in larger groups. More eyes. He’s still got his senses, but he’s dodging the cameras he knows about. Might be drugs, might be witchery. Might be he’s a clever something else who took his memories along with his face.
I’d leave it like it is and keep an eye on him, but my ex dropped the kids off (here of all places!) and I saw the man talking with them. It’s enough to concern, if he’s unsafe. We’ve got a new recruit, about your age, and you know I like to be careful with the trainees. Too easy for bad influence to take hold as they mature. I’m not specifically naming your sister here. Not specifically.
The kids are fine. Thanks for asking. Long winter’s getting to them. They only get a few hours of daylight that isn’t seeing them stuck inside a classroom. I do what I have to, and they do their thing. Keep me motivated, pop into my mind when it’s down to the wire and I need to dig up a bit more something to push through.
The quartet in ‘Magog picked up all the C4 we had to dole out before I could get your bid in. Supplies are running low, with the last source we had getting arrested. I know you said Eva was messing around with your grenades, and I know Mac taught you how to rig a daisy chain pin pull. I stuck a belt of pineapples in your shipment. I can’t imagine it’s unwanted.
Rocket? I have serious reservations about giving you that RPG launcher, boy. Either you’re using it, and I don’t think you’re equipped for it, or your sister is using it, and we’re talking a slew of other problems.
Consider asking for help instead. Offer still stands. I trust your sensibility, Andy boy. If you think you need seven (now eight) good witch hunters to cut down the riff raff, you know we’re good for it. We’re all in this together, Andy boy. You two, me and my guys, the Magog nuts, the Montreal organization.
If you say no, then I’ll accept that. I’ll trust your sensibility a little less, but I’ll accept that.
You know those files that Mac always had us fill out? Wouldn’t mind seeing your best attempt at one. I’m particularly interested in just how much danger you think you’re in. A big part of the reason we interact is to share knowledge. If you or Eva get yourselves into trouble, the rest of us need the details to walk into that situation with our eyes open.
-Samaniego.
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Notebook 27:
Note: Andy’s personal notes
The diary section. Having sat here trying to figure out what I should do, I can’t help but see the open book and know I really should. If anyone picks up the top book off the stack of volumes, I’ll say here what I said before. I was never good at this. Eva’s better at it than I am, which is weird, since I’m the book guy. She tape records it, but she still does the personal diary bits pretty consistently.
I’m writing stream of consciousness because if I stop, I won’t get going again. That’s the big problem with me.
When we got our training and they gave us all the tools we need to do this, they kept going on about how important the diaries are. They made us read some too.
I think my problem is that I think too much. Most of us who start this when we’re kids, we don’t live long enough to leave anyone behind. Humans have an instinctive desire to leave a legacy. I don’t like myself enough to want to leave anything of myself behind.
The tone of things is changing. Everyone’s excited, Eva included, and all I can think about is what comes next.
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Notebook 27:
Note: After Action Report (Andy & Eva)
Job commissioned by council.
Incident was raised by Joanna Duchamp, the younger, corroborated by other members of the younger council – informal group of practitioners consisting of Behaims, Duchamps, Maggie Holt and possibly padraic.
Grade schoolers in Joanna’s classroom reported a shallow puddle in the woods east of school. Stones and branches that were dropped into the puddle disappeared, leaving no trace, only muddy clouds. Children were joking about pushing each other in, or threatening to throw the boots or hats of others into the muddle.
Joanna was unable to show us the way. My suspicion is that the puddle noted her approach. Contacted young neighbor and got directions. Eva and I went to look.
The puddle was a manifestation of a frog spirit. We rigged a treated wire snare for a countermeasure, and Eva stood by with a weapon. We disrupted the manifestation to raise the frog spirit, and killed it with a treated wire snare.
Frogs should be hibernating for the winter. It concerns me that a frog spirit would be active at this time of year.
Our resources aren’t fleshed out enough to identify it in more detail or look up why. I received mail from Samaniego two days ago, and I’ve been meaning to respond. Tomorrow. Am tired after two long hikes past the school in one day.
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Notebook 27:
Note: Archiving paper letter, sent.
Mr. Samaniego,
I’ve attached backups of all my files. See .crypt 1 through 26 and ’27incomplete’. You’ll need a program to open them. I included a notepad document with some directions on how to get that program. I wanted to protect all exchanges – to access pages where you and I exchanged correspondence, you or I would have to supply the password. The same goes for my conversations with Creevey.
Your offer for help is appreciated and accepted. I would still ask you to please steer clear of Jacob’s Bell. My need for help takes another form. If your trainee is still there, I would very much appreciate if you could have her set up something online for sharing information. A slow but steady stream of guests have been arriving over the past week, and I can’t keep up, going at the rate I have been. Eva’s fine, Eva runs on instinct, but I need to research what we’re up against, so I at least know what to steer her away from.
Please see pages 120, 122 and 150 in volume twenty six and pages 45 and 60 in volume twenty-seven. Also, I described a series of creatures on page 71 of volume twenty-seven.
Help with identification would go a long way.
Eva and I would very much like to have our rocket launcher. I talked about it with her, in the sense of the general situation, and she agreed. No jokes, no apparent manipulation. I think she realizes that things are getting more dangerous, and recognizes the need for more firepower.
If Eva and I are on the same page about something, that’s indication enough.
-Andy
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Notebook 27:
Note: Archiving paper letter, received.