Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Time for a Snippet! Here is #04 from Special Agent in Charge




<Unedited>



The badge still lay in my left hand. I blinked at it for a moment and pulled out my other badge, I kept it in a side pocket. Cat introduced me to cargo pants and now I wore them everywhere.  Two badges each complete with my information. One said I was an Agent the other a Special Agent. Advancement in the blink of a eye. Grandmother would say it was a trick or a trap. I had to wonder about it being either. The Witches Council had been trying for years to get closer to the human authorities. This I knew to be fact. Where Grandmother got her information was a mystery to me but she was always correct. Had all the work I did for the past four years been a sham? Did I get the promotion to further the Council’s agenda?

I raised my hand to my mouth and chewed on my knuckle. Grams says it’s a bad habit but it helps me think. What to do? On one hand it would boost my career in the FBI. But on the other I might be expected to return the favor to the Council. A pawn I would not become. That much was completely clear to me.

There was a faint knock on the door and Director Mills returned to her office. “Do you have any questions for me Agatha?”

I didn’t sense any bugs but I knew from experience that they could be anywhere. Concentrating for a moment I snapped my fingers and a shield appeared around the two of us. Most humans wouldn’t have seen or heard a thing but Mills did. Interesting.

“Is there a problem Agatha?” Director Mills glanced upward and to the side.

“I’m not sure. Is there some sort of motive behind this?” I held up the new badge and credentials. “Is the Witches Council involved?”

“I assume this is some sort of shield?” I nodded to her.

“As far as I know my office isn’t bugged but it might be. Before asking you here I did check with all of my sources. The offer is real. As to what influence the Council has on Washington? Your guess might be better than mine. Jack really is taking a leave of absence.”

I snapped again and the shield disappeared. “Sorry. I needed to be sure.”

“I understand Agatha. Do you want the job?”

“Do I have a choice?” I looked her in the eye.

“Not really no. Take it or leave it and the FBI. Not my idea by-the-way. They want complete loyalty in this.”

Still looking her in the eye I tossed a badge and credentials up on the desk. She barely glanced at them. “You won’t be sorry. I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep Madelaine.” The Director inclined her head to me. This promotion almost made us equals. Almost.

“Your team is almost all here. The second Magical Crimes Unit is being driven over from Iowa by the the head of your Technical team.”

“Why Iowa?” I tried to remember if we had a large FBI presence there.

“It’s where the RV plant is. This particular truck was built specifically for your unit.”

The timing was suspicious. “Was this the plan the whole time? I graduate then run this… unit?”

“No. Jack was supposed to be still in charge. We were going to have two teams. You and Jack would run the Division together. Or that is what I was told. This just moves up the agenda a bit and centralizes the team. I won’t introduce the others until they all get here. Do I have to mention the Jackalopes or do you already know?”

I blushed just a bit. “I sort of saw a couple out on the West Virginia, Kentucky border. I thought I was seeing things but did a little research.”

“Right. Fish and Game is keeping a lid on most of the spottings but they have spread across five states and counting. We aren’t sure how. Needless to say the Parks Department is not amused and are about to label them an invasive species and declare open season on them. Do you have any way of controlling them yourself?”

My blush deepened in color. “Uh, no? They were created by Magick so that makes them almost impervious to it. I’m afraid if I do anything more they could end up like Fergus or worse.”

“That’s what I thought. I’ll inform Fish and Game. They won’t be happy about it all. Your name has been excised from the record but expect some repercussions.” She held up her hands. “I am aware that it wasn’t your fault and that the Witches Council trainer is at fault.”

I rubbed my forehead feeling the headache coming in full force. “Am I in immediate trouble?”

“Not from me. The rest? We need you too badly to just throw away an asset. Don’t worry too much about it. The Hunt is scheduled for next week. We have them bi-monthly now. The thought of hunting while in school is actually attracting Were’s here.”

“At least that’s something. Has there been any trouble at my lab?”

“There has. I will let you take care of it Special Agent Blackmore. There is four or five counter intelligence agents trapped at the moment. Don’t hurt them please. I have spoken to the General about them but he is pretending they don’t exist. So just set them loose and forget they exist. Less trouble from upstairs that way. OK?”

“Politics?” I stared at her.

“Pretty much. No doesn’t mean no to some people. Watch yourself Agatha. Come back in the morning around ten. I should have the rest of your new team rounded up by then. Congratulations again, Agatha.” Director Mills gave me a big hug and saw me to the door.

“…I shook my horn at him and he froze sold right in front of me! Dragons are Unicorns natural enemies don’t you know. Nothing can stand up to the horn!” My Unicorn was prancing across the top of one of the Bs desks. He shook his head and horn as he talked.

I stopped and watched as he let the girls fawn all over him. Unicorns. Stepping closer I grabbed him and stuck him in my pocket. “Hey! What’s the big…mmmmph.”

“Sorry about that ladies. He’s a ham disguised as a Unicorn.”

9 comments:

  1. 😍 I love this book and I haven't even started it!

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  2. Great stuff. Does Agatha have a grimoire or does she have everything memorized?

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  3. Can't wait for it I want the book now but one thing I think you have a mistake where Agatha promises the director she won't be sorry and the director responds by calling her Madeline

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    1. By the way do we have an eta yet

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    2. I read that as the director saying Agatha won't be sorry for taking the job. I didn't see it the other way since it didn't seem like something Agatha would say as she wasn't exactly asking for the job.

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    3. Ahhh having re read it a couple times I think I agree I just got confused with the flow of the conversation I was thinking it was director mills speaking but looking again I realise it's Agatha speaking to the director

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  4. Thanks. I post these Unedited so I think The Ds my Developmental Editors, may have caught it already. I'll check anyway. as for an ETA? Well I'm at the halfway point today. So figure the last week of the month. I told Michael Anderle yesterday I would be starting Alpha Class book 2 then. I'm not a big fan of two books at once. Speaking of Alpha class. There is potential for that series to have 30 books. Not saying i'm writing that many but I might. Each separate "Class" has the potential for 3 books and there are 6 classes. Lots to do this year.

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  5. Fantastic can't wait for it to come out

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