We Have Ways of Making You Think

Janet and Kaze approach the hangar as stealthily as possible. It helps that there aren’t any lights outside, except the red lights of the airship mooring tower behind the hangar. And those are just lights meant to be seen, not to light up the ground.

They easily find a part of the wall to Fade through. Unfortunately, the inside is cluttered with engines, wheels, machinery, and an aeroplane – a three-engine Ford, capable of intercontinental trips with a crew of ten.

Janet and Kaze work their way around the clutter, staying low and in the shadows. That’s not easy, because the lighting is from arc lights mounted high on the arc of the hangar’s roof. But around the edges of the great open space, there are some shadows.

Four men are standing in a loose square around a metal workbench. Massive curved mounts on either side would be able to hold an aero-engine, but right now the only things on the table are an assortment of sharp tools and Ronald Richter.

Hitomi is bent over Richter, deftly wielding a paintbrush and bottle of smoking demon ink. He is inscribing a complicated design on Richter’s forehead, which is held in place with a vise.

Hitomi gestures to a young fellow nearby. The guy is not dressed in karate pants like the Iron Guards, but rather in the blazer, tie and slacks of an expensive private school.

The young fellow touches Richter’s chest and head, curling his fingers in the manner of a Healer. Richter awakens, thrashes, but can’t escape.

“Good,” says Hitomi. “Enough. Mr. Richter, you are dying entirely too often for my purposes. We may have to bind your soul to your flesh more permanently, if you cannot hang onto life without assistance.”

“The Grimnoir will stop you,” Richter pants. “Operating in the USA with Iron Guards … Shadow Guards … Hell, the BI and the Army will rub you out once they tumble to what’s cooking.”

“The Grimnoir are dead,” Hitomi replies flatly. “Or do you mean the Knights of New York and San Francisco? The New York Knights are doomed from the moment I planted a traitor in their midst, and as for San Francisco … well, yes, I admit they would be resourceful adversaries if they learned of my activities. But your Grimnoir rings were not as helpful as you imagined, were they?”

Hitomi holds up his left hand, on which Richter’s ring glitters.

“I will be gone before San Francisco, or your ramshackle government, can interfere,” Hitomi continues. “And you … no, I correct myself. You may well be here to see what ensues. Because if I have to bind you with the Lazarus power, it will be very difficult to destroy your consciousness afterward. You might survive to see what it is to be ruled by a human being rather than a slug from the stars.”

“You may find that not so unpleasant as you now imagine,” Hitomi says, “but it does involve being trapped in living death. I do not share the late Chairman’s repugnance for such methods, but you have been an honorable opponent. I would end your life quickly and cleanly, if I can.”

“And so, let us continue …”

He throws a switch to activate a generator under the table. A wooden handle wrapped with cable terminates in frayed copper wires, which spark.

“Where have the Grimnoir detected the Power over magnetism? How are you sure it is not merely a very advanced Crackler?”

“Get … lost,” Richter gasps, and spits at him.

“There is a level of disrespect I will not tolerate!” Hitomi says. “But you must have your show of defiance, since you can do nothing else. All I have to do is apply this current …”

He does, brushing the wire against Richter’s bare foot. Richter bellows in pain.

“And then your will is sufficiently weakened that my Reader power can extract the answer from your mind. We Japanese are not as soft as you Americans. I can easily ignore your pain, as I have learned in childhood to ignore my own …”

He looks up into the arc lights, suddenly alert.

“Shingai-sha!” he barks. “Ni, josei, in’nei – Gorima-nawaru!”

Janet catches the last word as “Grimnoir” with a Japanese accent.

Kaze, however, understands fully.

“Trespassers! Two, female, Fades – Grimnoir!”

And he points directly at where Janet and Kaze are crouching, under the wing of the plane.

(There are five men standing around Hitomi. The Mover, Rock the Massive, the Torch, and the Heavy from the fight in Arkansas, and the young man who is clearly a Healer. Rock moves in front of Hitomi, the Healer moves behind him, and the other three move toward the plane, spreading out so that Janet and Kaze will not be able to see all three of them. The next few seconds will be critical.)