Chapter 96 (1/2)
The phone rang, click, and a voice answered.
”Good morning, Mr. Newman.” Anastasia's voice was amused, and that sent a chill down Dan's spine.
”Mrs. Summers,” Dan acknowledged, his mouth suddenly dry. He took a moment to collect himself, breathing in deep. ”I've got a proposition for you.”
”How enticing,” the older woman replied with bland enthusiasm. ”I have a few questions for you, myself.”
”Do you?” His voice was even; a point of pride.
”Yes. I heard something worrying this morning, from a friend of mine in the FBI.” Anastasia made no effort at playing coy. ”Apparently, the Austin field office received a package filled with a few awfully familiar documents.”
Well she didn't sound angry, not that that meant anything. The woman probably could've lied to a choir of angels without batting an eye. The fact that she'd cottoned on to Dan's stunt so quickly was alarming, but not unexpected. All that was left was to play out his plan, and hope for the best.
”And some unfamiliar, I expect,” Dan said.
”Quite. And while I'm so very curious about those, Mr. Newman, there was one other issue that caught my attention.”
Dan wracked his mind for what that might be. ”Was there?”
”There was. You see, in any government building that was built before 1980, there is a certain regulation that the maintenance crews are forced to follow. Specifically, the care and upkeep of a cosmic radiation detector.” She paused, and Dan's breath hitched. ”These were a little before your time, so allow me to explain. There is commonly believed to be a certain threshold of exposure required for a Natural to incarnate. Most sensors constantly monitor the area around themselves, and ring if cosmic energy levels reach about a fiftieth of that threshold.” Dan could hear the smile behind her words as she continued, ”The Austin sensor is an older model; it has multiple tones for varying levels of radiation, but starts at the minimum expected threshold.”
Dan felt lightheaded as his mind made frantic connections between her words and his actions.
”Yesterday morning, shortly after a suspiciously dressed man drifted past the Austin field office,” Anastasia reported, ”their sensor registered ten times the amount of cosmic radiation necessary for an incarnation of a mundane human. Upon closer examination, they discovered that the source was a manila envelope that had miraculously appeared in the mail room.
”Friends of mine, allies, people who I trust, have been asking for my assistance in investigating this individual. They thought I might have heard something about him, seeing as my grudge with the People is hardly a secret. Surely, this person would have tried approaching me first? Or so the thinking goes.”
Anastasia Summers did not do subtle.
Dan opened his mouth, and a thousand different responses flashed across the tip of his tongue. Anxiety filled him, thoughts of Connor, their spar, what he might have unintentionally done. He'd held those documents! And Freya, she might've been exposed as well. She'd spent most of her time pouring over Anastasia' phone, but Dan had kept the damn thing in t-space for a time. How much exposure did it take?
His heart pounded, his vision tilted; he was on the verge of a panic attack so he shifted. The world cracked, and split at the seams. The cold embrace of the Gap wrapped around him, and darkness spiraled out from where his living room had been. False stars glittered in the distance, and Dan floated, emotionlessly, in an empty void. It was like dousing himself in freezing water. Everything came to a stop and he breathed.
Options. Consequences. What were they?
Whatever had happened with Connor was in the past. It was out of Dan's control, now. He could only learn from his mistakes, from this new knowledge. He'd need to be careful when using his power; he couldn't just treat it like a bag of holding anymore. Not, at least, around mundane humans. Dosing random strangers with radiation seemed rude no matter what dimension he was in.
The plan, however, remained the same. He had access to something that Anastasia, in theory, desperately wanted. He would trade it for something resembling a truce between the two of them, a secure identity, and a promise of her staying the hell out of his life. Simple enough.
This newest revelation would throw a wrench into things, but he'd just work around it. He was fine. His mind was steady. All was well.
The world slid back into existence, and Dan caught his phone before it could fall. He placed against his ear, and spoke.
”Maybe he thought he was making a point,” Dan offered. ”Maybe he'd had a bad experience with you in the past, and wanted to redefine the relationship between the two of you.”
”You found where Strauss hid his files,” Anastasia stated, dropping all pretense.
It took Dan a moment to remember who Strauss was. Morgan Strauss, formerly known as Captain Quantum. The dead man who had once lived in his house. A People sympathizer, one of their agents. Possibly something more.
”Seems reasonable,” he confirmed.
”You'll be handing those over to me.” Her voice was iron.
Dan did not waver. It took the entirety of his courage, but he didn't.
”In exchange for what?” he asked.
The older woman responded instantly, ”In exchange for me keeping your identity to myself. Not only your... particular origins, but the fact that you were the one who dropped that contaminated envelope of evidence off in the middle of an FBI office.”