He nods vehemently. “Yes, I can see that, sir.”
“Times of peace—they’re fine as long as they don’t last too long.”
“We’ve been at peace far too long, sir. I completely agree.”
“I’d like your help in making a plan,” I say. “My champion tells me that California’s full of sick people.”
General Barerra blinks. “Your champion?”
“She crossed the field to that hangar not long ago,” I say. “I’ll collect her soon, but she’s never to be harmed. You must obey her as you would me.”
He salutes. “Of course, sir.”
“I’m considering ways to start a war that will eliminate most of the weak, sickly humans and make way for a healthier life for those who remain.”
“America’s already at war,” he says. “It’s split right down the middle among its citizens. You’re right when you said society’s sick. They’re practically at one another’s throats already.”
“Tell me more.” I can’t help a pang of pleasure at his words. “Let me know how to fuel this fire and get things started. I haven’t been awake in some time, not since the humans were enslaving others of their own kind.” I can’t help my disgust. “The last war I started ended that grotesque practice and set the land on the path to healing and growth.”
“Are you talking about the Civil War?”
“I agree that a tall, gangly man with a homely appearance was a strange general, but that Abraham Lincoln had a surprising dark streak and understood that health and balance always has a cost.”
He splutters.
“Preliminarily, I’m considering shearing off the infested state of California. It could simply be dumped into the ocean. Then we’ll have to work to create conflict throughout the rest of the United States.”
He has some surprisingly good suggestions, and we talk for a bit, but then he tells me he has quarters for me, if I need to rest, and I realize that while I do not need to rest, Whitney might. I can still feel her bond, but it seems she’s gone a little farther from the conflict than I expected.
When I actually start to move toward the hangar, she’s not there. She’s gone. I was so distracted by the attack and the stupid general that she escaped. She can’t have gone far, but it feels like she’s gone a very long distance indeed.
I return to the military base, and General Barerra attends me immediately. “Sir, what’s wrong?”
“My human’s missing.” I say. “One of your men must have taken her somewhere.”
They argue amongst themselves about it, which bothers me.
“Where is she?” I can at least sense their thoughts and know that none of them know anything. They aren’t lying about having nothing to do with her moving farther from me, sadly. A lying human’s easy to crack, but if they have no knowledge of something, they can’t help me. “Carry on with our plans. The United States is going to war. Whether it’s with neighboring countries or with itself, I don’t much care. If you’re on my side, we’ll win. But first I need to collect my champion.”
I storm out, and I take to the skies, following the sensation of our bond. It doesn’t help that Whitney’s somehow able to block my efforts to read her thoughts. I finally reach the location I felt her, but when I arrive, it’s a small town north of Travis Air Force Base, and Whitney isn’t there.
A tight feeling in my chest makes it almost hard to breathe. Without thinking, I deploy two missiles into the tiny city center. Then I reach out and sense anyone else who survived, and I eliminate them all.
The rush of magic doesn’t help. I still feel ill.
And I know exactly what Whitney would be saying right now. She’d be freaking out on me, even though I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.
I miss her anger. I miss her frustration.
“Whitney Brooks, come back!” I shout as loudly as I possibly can. “Stop hiding!”
But there’s no one to hear me.
So I move again, following the faint pull of her bond, but again, at the next town, she’s still not present. I snuff out the closest life forces in my rage, but then I stop, knowing how upset she’ll be when I find her if she discovers I left a trail of wiped-out cities in my wake.
It happens four more times.
I feel her. I know I’m close. But when I arrive, she’s gone.
