Hiroshi pulled his blade away and Potter quickly yanked the headset off. He seemed genuinely distraught over the damage that had been done to Merlin.
“Professor,” Hiroshi said, “please tend to your mouse later. For now, tell us more about your intriguing device.”
“Well, as I said when you offered to fund my experiments, it’s only good for small-brained creatures at present. I haven’t found a way to augment the brainwaves to the point where they can impact other humans.”
“But if you had a power source that was powerful enough, it would work, wouldn’t it?” Hiroshi prompted.
“Theoretically.”
The Japanese man flashed his most handsome smile at Pandora. “Madame, would you consent to testing this device? If my suspicions are correct, you could be the answer to all our dreams.”
Pandora regarded the ETD with suspicion but she agreed to let the old man place the headset on her.
“You house the spirits of the primal forces of nature,” Hiroshi said. “If anyone could channel that force and power this machine, it’s you. And if you can control the emotional states of others, you could drive them mad, turn them into violent slaves or even cause them to love you with all their hearts. We’d be able to walk right to the White House’s front door and take what we wanted without even spilling a drop of blood. Unless, of course, that’s what you wanted.” Hiroshi laughed at his joke and Craig joined in, eager to maintain appearances.
At a command from Hiroshi, Potter stepped into the hall and returned with a slender man named Hutch. One of the many hired guns in Hiroshi’s employ, Hutch was known for being brave but rather stupid.
“What can I do for ya, boss?”
Pandora didn’t give Hiroshi a chance to respond. She summoned up the dark power of Wrath, projecting it with her mind towards Hutch. The effect was immediate. The slender man went into a terrible frenzy, foaming at the mouth and clenching his hands into fists. He began lashing out at everything within range, smashing the walls with all his might and even attacking Hiroshi, who sent him to his knees with a blow from the hilt of his sword.
“That’s enough, Pandora,” Hiroshi said. When Hutch whirled about, trying to bite at the Japanese man’s leg, Hiroshi ended the matter by stabbing him in the side of the head. As the corpse hit the floor, Hiroshi muttered, “He got blood on my suit.”
Pandora smiled. “Are you not afraid, Mr. Tamaki? I could destroy you right now.”
Hiroshi looked up suddenly but there was no fear in his gaze. “You could have killed me any time you wished. I have no doubt about that. You don’t need a machine for that.”
Pandora removed the headset and tossed it to Potter, who caught it with alarm. “You amuse me, Hiroshi, despite your many failings. I will help you do this thing. I will make you Emperor. But from that day forward, you will help me learn about this world and you will help me save humanity from the curse I have laid upon it.”
“Agreed.” Hiroshi clapped his hands together. “You and I. Emperor and Empress!”
Craig cleared his throat. “What about Gravedigger? Pandora says they know we’re here.”
“Then we’ll leave here,” Hiroshi said with a shrug. “Now that we have Pandora and the ETD, we are finished with Sovereign. We leave in the morning!”
Chapter VII: All Hail The New King
Charity woke shortly after dawn, exercised for nearly half an hour and then took a brisk shower. By the time she headed downstairs, the rest of her team was in the dining room, enjoying orange juice and breakfast.
The tightness in her belly from the gunshot wound had faded already and she found herself grateful for the increased metabolism that The Voice had blessed her with. It had the side effect of making her hungrier than before, though she had to admit that after a lifetime of living hand-to-mouth, she might simply be enjoying ready access to food.
As she took her seat at the head of the table, she greeted her friends with a smile. Someone had been kind enough to make her a plate consisting of eggs, sausage and buttered toast. “Thanks for letting me have a few hours to unwind. I’m ready to resume the chase now. Who wants to go first?”
Mortimer set down the scone he’d been eating and placed his palms down upon the tabletop. “I watched them until about half an hour ago, when I left a stoolie by the name of Bright Eyes Johnson at the hotel. I paid him a good salary to let me know the second they start to move. They were up until around four o’clock this morning so I’d imagine they’re catching some shuteye before moving out.”
“You think Tamaki knows that I’m still alive?”
“That’s confirmed,” Mitchell said, speaking up before Mortimer got the chance. “Our sources at the morgue say there was a man who came by last night asking about you. When he was told that you were still alive, the man left in a hurry.”
“What about Pandora?”
This time it was Cedric’s turn to answer. Charity noticed that the normally boisterous businessman looked a bit deflated this morning. “The woman whose body she’s inside of is named Sandra Locke. Small-time hustler with a knack for winning the hearts of influential men, she’s been associated with Hiroshi Tamaki and Quick Dan Nunn for awhile now.” Gesturing to Mortimer, Cedric added, “And we know where she is.”
Mortimer nodded his thanks and picked up the narrative. “Around 3:30 am, Tamaki sent down an order for drinks. I slipped the guy a five who was taking them up to let me know if he saw a woman matching Locke’s description. He did.”
“But none of you saw her enter the hotel?” The question was directed at all of them but Charity looked at Li as she asked it.
The young Chinese-American shrugged her slender shoulders. “She had to have come through a service entrance unless she scuttled up the building like a spider.”
“Mortimer, do you think that Bright Eyes is going to be able to spot them when they move out? If Li and Cedric — who are pretty damned capable — didn’t see Pandora, what makes you think this stoolie will?”
“For one thing, that was one woman, one very experienced woman. When they leave today, they’ll be moving an entire operation. We’re talking at least 14–16 men, plus their luggage and equipment. Bright Eyes got that nickname because he doesn’t miss a thing. He’ll see them.”
“Okay. I trust you.” Charity plucked up her knife and fork, digging in to her sausage. “After breakfast, we head out.”
UNFORTUNATELY FOR GRAVEDIGGER, things were already in motion that would render that timetable moot.
Bright Eyes was a thin man with pockmarked cheeks that were well known in the underworld. His tendency to loudly chew gum only further added to his notoriety. While it was true that he scarcely missed anything with that roving gaze of his, his role as an informant for the police had not won him any friends amongst the criminal class. In fact, many of them were eager to make him pay.
When one of Tamaki’s gang recognized Bright Eyes and mentioned his presence to his employer, the Japanese crime lord put two and two together: they were being watched.
For a moment, Hiroshi had considered taking Bright Eyes as a captive. He would have had the man tortured and left for Gravedigger to find as a warning but there were perils to such an action and he had no desire to tempt fate any further.
Instead, he left the hotel via a staff exit, taking Pandora, Dr. Craig and Prof. Potter with him. Their belongings would be shipped out later, though the ETD was valuable enough that Hiroshi carried it himself. To cover the flight of the others, along with all of the bags and equipment, his men were given strict instructions to sound the fire alarm approximately twenty minutes after Hiroshi had gone.