Page 47 of Fatality on the Field

“You took far too long,” she hisses, and for a second, I think she means me specifically, but then she glances at Morgana and Channing.

Probably not a good introduction to the Dean, but it’s not my ass on the line.

We step into the office, and it looks like someone shook the snow globe of Iggy’s life, and everything blanketed the room. There are books all over the floor, half-open files piled in great drifts on the desk, and a big glass beaker that’s melted into a glossy black pancake on a silver tray near the window. Iggy’s at the far end of the office, his back to us, with one hand white-knuckling a cell phone and the other raking through his hair as he paces. The only thing holding the chaos together is the smell of magic—strong, sharp, and very recent.

Kimiko slams the doors behind us and whirls on Morgana, speaking in a clipped, surgical rhythm. “A crate came in this afternoon with no label, just a return address that’s fake. I wouldn’t have noticed it amongst the other deliveries, except the thing was warded. I can handle most containment spells, but this one was almost… organic? I called Iggy because he’s the best with this kind of thing, even if he is a mean son of a bitch.”

Iggy rounds on us, glaring at Kimiko. “Three students are in the ER. Three. That’s because the graduate assistants opened the crate when Kimmi wasn’t looking. I don’t know what’s in the air there, but they all went down in under five minutes. The hospital’s calling every ten minutes asking if we have any idea how to treat it.” He jabs the phone in the air as if he wants to throw it through the wall. “I don’t know how the fuck they got it open, nor does she, and she hasn’t been able to identify the flora yet.”

Morgana goes rigid, her eyes flashing with her supe sides. “No one called me until now?” She fixes Iggy with a stare that would unnerve a basilisk. “Three students get poisoned, and you didn’t tell the Dean until they were already at the hospital?!”

“We didn’t know it was a threat until they were already exposed,” Kimiko says, stepping slightly between them. “Hazmat protocol is to contact the department head that is most relevant first to resolve the issue. Ignatius contacted you as soon as he knew we could not resolve it on our own. That is exactly how the situation is supposed to unfold per policy.”

I’d guess Magnus instituted that stupid ass policy to cover his ass.

Channing sighs and flips open her tablet, her fingers a blur over the surface. “Give me the details. All of them, Kimiko. I’ll start a paper trail in case we have to go public.”

Iggy grabs a chair and slams into it, his hands shaking a little. He tries to talk, then just laughs—a short, ugly sound. “Kimmi can’t even classify the plants. I have very little evidence to examine regarding the damn wards. We’re so screwed.” He spreads his hands, looking at Kimiko. “This is definitely going to get to the council.”

Kimiko nods, her voice low as she adds, “I’ve never seen anything like it. The spores are motile, and I’m pretty sure one tried to burrow into the stainless steel dissecting tray. If we hadn’t been wearing shields when we found them⁠—”

“Are the students awake?” I ask, because nobody else seems to be touching the practical side.

Iggy nods. “Barely. Zuszanna’s with them now, keeping us and the hospital in the loop as we research. They’re stable, but every half hour their symptoms change. First it was fever and chills, then muscle spasms, and then their veins started turning silver.” He looks at Morgana. “We need to ID the plant, and fast, or someone’s going to die.”

For a second, nobody talks. Then Morgana draws herself up to her full, terrifying height, and when she speaks, it’s in a tone that would make a riot cop stand at attention. “Kimiko, how bad is the contamination? Is the greenhouse contained, or do we need to lock down the building?”

“It’s isolated. We did a full purge and killed the HVAC for that room. Nobody outside those students was exposed.” Kimiko’s hands are steady, her voice icy. “But these plants aren’t from anywhere local. They’re not even from the surface world. Whoever sent it knew exactly what they were doing, and what would happen if someone opened the crate.”

“We’ll need to notify the other schools. If this is a deliberate attack, there could be similar crates sent to every major research institution. I’ll coordinate with the other assistants.” Channing glances at Morgana. “Permission to escalate this?”

“Don’t wait for the board. If they call, tell them it’s a biological incident, and it has been contained.” My mate’s eyes cut to me. “Slade, can you call Jackson to see if there’s an otherworldly botanist or super powerful healer or anything we can get here as fast as possible? He’s the best resource we have for that kind of shit right now.”

I nod, already pulling out my phone.

Iggy, who’s been quiet, starts to say something, and then just slumps. “I wish I could have gotten over there to examine the crate before students got to it, but I was in meetings about⁠—”

Morgana cuts him off, looking annoyed. “For the stupid bowl game, right? That’s all any of us are focused on right now, and it seems awfully convenient that this is happening as some sort of biological warfare box was shipped to the school.”

Iggy nods, looking sheepish before he snaps back into academic mode. “If we can get a sample to the lab, maybe we can identify which realm it’s from? Kimmi, do you feel like it’s safe to go into the greenhouse and swipe a sample?”

Kimiko’s already tapping out a message on her phone. “I’ll go myself. These are my people, and I refuse to let them be harmed or killed by an attack on my greenhouse.”

I’m not sure the attack was about her greenhouse at all, but she doesn’t need to know everything that’s happening, even if she’s the one risking her neck.

Morgana glances at Channing, who’s calling the next contact on her list.

I raise my phone and ask, “Can I get a direct line to Jackson?”

Channing doesn’t look up, just flicks something from her screen that pops up on mine immediately. “Try the office first, then the cell.”

Jackson picks up the office line on the second ring, and I walk to the window for privacy. “Hey. It’s Slade. We need an expert in other-realm botany or some kind of super healer at the college. A mystery crate got opened and a bunch of students are down. Morgana said I should call you to see if you knew anyone who could get here quickly so we don’t lose them…”

There’s a moment of silence, then Jackson says, “I’ll call in a favor for the healer. I’m uncertain about the otherworldly plants stuff, but I’ll get my team on it and have them find out who might be available. It should take about an hour, maybe an hour and a half, depending on what’s going on in my guy’s life.”

“Okay. I’ll tell her. The kids are at the City Hospital, and the crate is locked down in the greenhouse at State University.”

“Don’t let anyone else touch that crate or even go near it, Slade. No one needs to be a hero until we know what the hell it is.” The lawyer pauses for a moment and says, “Seriously. This is probably an extension of the previous two issues, and it’s not something anyone in your crowd or on staff should mess with.”