Sorceress, Interrupted - By A. J. Menden Page 0,56
one ever said us tech types were creative when it came to aliases.”
“I noticed—Virus,” I teased.
“You’re one to talk—Fantazia.” But his eyes twinkled.
“If we find his location, we can put a stop to his spell,” Wesley said, deftly ignoring the strange flirtation going on under his nose.
I looked at him. “Only this new spell, right? There’s no way of undoing the damage that’s been caused so far.”
“She’s right,” Cyrus said. “There’s no way of restoring the magic that’s been stolen.”
“No. But the will, the life energy that was taken from people—that was taken through magical means and can be restored to its proper owners,” Wesley replied.
I glanced at him. “Only if we put a stop to the caster. Permanently. Even if we capture him. You’re endorsing that we kill this person, no matter the outcome?”
He met my gaze. I shivered, though his expression was perfectly bland. “If it’ll put a stop to the plan to bring back the Dragon, yes.”
I couldn’t hide my disbelief. “You, who lead the most righteous hero team in the country, one that definitely lives by the ‘Thou shalt not kill’ line? You want to kill at all costs?”
Wesley sighed. “I should have killed the Dragon when I had the chance. I chose benevolence, and look where that’s gotten us.”
I don’t know how benevolent it is to lock someone away in the DarkLands, a place that would gave Dante’s depiction of Hell a run for its money, but I didn’t say anything. Nor did I mention the fact that I didn’t like what was lurking behind my father’s eyes.
“Why don’t we worry about finding Hacker first?” Cyrus interrupted. “Then we can debate the ethics of killing him.”
“Who’s debating?” I said grimly. “I was just a little surprised.”
Cyrus nodded. “So, I’m not sure, but I think what Chad found is an early version of the transmission Hacker sent—the ‘virus,’ if you will. If it’s pure enough, I can try to trace it back to its source.”
“You can’t do that with what was broadcast today?”
Cyrus shook his head. “Blocked.”
“Of course.” I sighed. “What about just finding the Dragon’s cultists? Can’t we go grab a few, bust some heads?”
Wesley looked displeased. “We could grab some low-level slobs who won’t know anything, but I doubt we’ll get anyone valuable. They move their central location often enough to stay hidden from us. They’ve definitely moved after this. They’ll expect us to be looking for them.”
“I love a good dead end.”
Paul rushed up. Addressing Wesley, he said, “We’re going to have to go out there. Toby and Lainey need us. A group of villains are teaming up, taking advantage of the panic. I happen to know Doctor Chaos and Assault-R are already wreaking havoc in Covo City.”
“So we’re getting little time to deal with the Dragon cult. It’s a little tough when crisis after crisis keeps piling up. I suppose that’s the idea.” Wesley sighed and handed Emily to me. “Stay here and take care of her. Remember, she’s their ultimate goal. There’s always a chance they’ll come for her.”
“No one’s ever going to forget that, least of all me,” I said.
Mindy sighed. “I’ll be battle coordinator. As always.”
“You want me out there?” Cyrus asked.
“No. Stay here and see what you can do about tracking down either Hacker or the Dragon cult,” Wesley said. “You’re our best chance.”
“But keep a communicator on just in case,” Paul commanded; then he and Wesley headed out.
“This is such a mess,” Mindy said. Toby’s cell phone rang, and she snatched it up. “Forrest! What did you find out?” She motioned to the monitors and looked at Cyrus, who nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. She walked out into the hallway, talking on the phone.
I glanced at Cyrus. “I have a feeling this is only the beginning.”
He winked. “Admit it—you love it. The danger of being associated with a group of heroes is that we get sucked into all of their crazy misadventures.”
Didn’t I know it.
“Never thought I’d live to see the day I allowed myself to get so tangled up in this crap.” I shook my head. “See what happens when you do someone a favor and let them crash at your place?”
He laughed. “Hey, I was kidnapped by the EHJ so I couldn’t tell where they were hiding out, remember?”
“I think they prefer the term ‘detained.’ ” I turned my attention to Emily. “Honey, why don’t you go play in your room for a few minutes while I talk to Cyrus? Then I’ll be right