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I went to work the next morning eager to learn what Roger’s critical decision would be. I didn’t see him around when I arrived, so I got busy transcribing more of the book. The author was beyond the part where he laid the groundwork and was getting into implementation. He’d used the spell from earlier in the book to enter the offices of people he wanted to take down, pulling off coups from within. I shuddered at the account. It seemed like he’d been developing his spells when he wrote the first parts, but didn’t use them until later. Maybe Roger should have waited until he had the whole book before he took action, I thought, but I figured that was up to him. He certainly didn’t ask for my advice.
I took those sheets to him at lunchtime and found that he still had that manic gleam in his eyes. He glanced at what I’d brought him and beamed so broadly they’d have to tell him to tone it down for a toothpaste ad. “This is it!” he said. “It’s what I’m supposed to do today!”
It was another one of those moments when I expected to see a bolt of lightning and hear a clap of thunder. I unconsciously took a step away from him, but he was so caught up in his excitement that he didn’t seem to notice.
He jumped out of his seat. “Come on, Katie, let’s go. We have people to visit.”
Visit? So he wasn’t going to just poof into places and take them down? I barely kept up with him as he hustled down the hallway, his phone to his ear. “I think we’ll drop in on some of your old friends,” he said once we were in the elevator. “You should enjoy this, coming back in a position of power after the way they treated you.”
“Yeah, that’ll be awesome,” I said, trying to sound enthusiastic rather than terrified. There was no way I could think of to warn MSI. I couldn’t call them. Maybe Minerva had let Merlin know what she’d seen the night before and they’d be on guard for a potentially pivotal day.
Roger didn’t seem to notice my unease. He was too caught up in visions of grandeur, possibly mentally writing the threatening speech he planned to give Merlin. Meanwhile, I was fretting about how many people knew I was undercover. It could blow everything if someone said the wrong thing at the wrong time. But then it would also be difficult for me to repair trust if someone who wasn’t in on it saw me with Roger. I wasn’t sure why he was bringing me with him, unless he really thought that he was doing me a favor by letting me confront my former employer.
The trip didn’t take very long, so perhaps Roger was so eager that he’d told the driver he didn’t need to make laps to throw me off. I’d almost have said it might have be
en walking distance, though it was hard to judge in all the stopping and starting that came with driving in Manhattan.
I certainly wasn’t mentally or emotionally prepared when we came to a final stop and the driver opened the door for us. It felt weird to enter the MSI building like this, not as an employee, but as a potential enemy.
Sam was at his usual post on the awning overlooking the front entrance. He didn’t acknowledge me, which made me wonder if he was visible to Roger. That question was answered when he followed us inside, gliding silently, and Roger didn’t turn around or otherwise react.
Seeing the vast, cathedral-like lobby brought tears to my eyes. I’d really missed this place, and I couldn’t wait to come back for good. I just had to finish this one little assignment, foil an evil scheme, and take down the magical mafia. Piece of cake.
The security guard in the lobby came across as being more like an old-fashioned butler, but I knew he had great power at his disposal. Roger swept right past him to the main stairs. “Excuse me,” the guard called out, but Roger ignored him—until he ran smack into an invisible force at the first landing and nearly fell down the stairs. I didn’t realize it at first because the barrier hadn’t stopped me. I only turned and looked back when I heard the swearing.
“Now, who are you, who are you here to see, and upon what business?” the guard asked.
“I’m no one you want to trifle with, old man,” Roger said, his voice an icy snarl.
“And you’re here to see…?” the guard continued, totally unruffled.
“Merlin. I’m here to see Merlin.”
“Just one moment, and I’ll let him know you’re here.” He pushed some buttons on his console, then said, “A person not to be trifled with is here to see Merlin.” A pause, then, “Yes, I’ll send him right up.” He smiled at Roger. “Up at the top floor. He’s expecting you.”
His mild politeness enraged Roger even more. I thought for a moment that he might do something to the guard, and Sam must have agreed, for he swooped down to rest on the guard’s desk, ready to add his own firepower to the guard’s defenses. Fortunately, Roger got his rage under control and refocused himself, whirling about to storm up the stairs, brushing past me on the landing.
Sam took flight again, following us all the way up to Merlin’s office. Trix had apparently been warned, for she was playing it as cool as the guard had. “Right in there. He’s expecting you,” she said, though I thought her voice shook a little. She glanced at me, as if for reassurance, but I didn’t dare respond. I got the feeling that Roger barely remembered my existence at the moment, but we were too close to success to risk it all on the wrong expression at the wrong time, so I kept my face steely and closed.
The last person I expected to see in Merlin’s office was Owen. Did he just happen to already be there, or had he rushed in when the guard called from downstairs? I didn’t even let myself look at him because I didn’t think I could do so without giving myself away. At least if I avoided looking at him entirely, Roger might read that as post-breakup iciness.
Merlin stood from behind his desk and greeted Roger with a smile. “Well, hello there. To what do we owe the pleasure?”
Roger was really taken aback. Nothing ruins a good bluster like a refusal to be combative. “We need to talk,” he said.
Merlin gestured toward a chair. “Please, have a seat. Can I get you some tea?”
Frowning in confusion, Roger sat. Then he blinked, as though just realizing that he’d followed Merlin’s command. “Um, no thanks,” he said.
“Miss Chandler, it’s good to see that you found another position,” Merlin said, resuming his seat.
I sat next to Roger. “It was good to find someone who valued my talents,” I said, remembering that I was playing the role of disgruntled former employee. “If I’d known you weren’t the only game in town for immunes, I’d have jumped ship a long time ago.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Merlin said smoothly. Switching gears, he turned to Roger and added, “May I introduce my colleague, Owen Palmer? He’s our theoretical magic genius in research and development. We were just discussing an old spell he’s analyzing.”
Owen started to rise from his chair. “If you’d like me to leave…”
“No, I’m glad you’re here,” Roger said. He’d regained some of his equilibrium and was back with his usual cool sense of control.
