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Chapter -2- Ham & Eggs Fire

Sunday, October 31, 2049 - 12:05am San Francisco, California ...

"Hey, get up _ . _ " The voice was familiar.

Reno opened his eyes. A light from the ceiling of the storage shelter caused him to squint. He sat up.

Karla Loupe stood by the sofa, arms folded. "You didn't think I was going to take 'no' for an answer did you?"

"Predictable," he murmured in a groggy voice.

She smiled. "Sorry it took me so long to find a way over here. Anyway, I saw your enormous hole in the wall out there. Nice job."

Reno rubbed his face. "What time is it?"

"Midnight."

Reno smiled somewhat. "Happy Birthday."

Karla's smile brightened. "Thanks, babe. Happy Halloween." She sat down on the sofa next to him. "Comfy, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Smells like you."

Karla bit her lower lip with a silly sort of smile and glanced away. "Is that why you slept on my sofa instead of a bed upstairs?"

"Well, that and it's probably safer to my health down here."

She reached into her purse and withdrew a handheld device. She pointed one end towards the sofa. The little device chirped once and grew silent. "Looks like the radiation is practically non-existent here, too. I don't get it."

"What?"

Karla put the little device back into her handbag. "San Francisco should be uninhabitable. Don't get me wrong - downtown is a mess. I wouldn't go there if I were you. But Pacific Heights is unbelievably radiation free. This house, the community - it's almost like ... I mean, it's as if the bomb never hit."

"What does that mean? Is it because the wind direction?"

Karla looked Reno over and grinned at him. "Maybe your brother was here. The only thing that caused a spike on my little device was your hole in the concrete wall. When I get a hold of Evan, I'll have him repair it until the family can get a legitimate construction crew willing to come to this area."

Reno stood up and stretched. "Why would there be radiation around the hole in the parking garage wall?"

"Did you use electricity to melt the concrete?" Karla paused and then corrected herself. "Concrete doesn't melt, by the way. It turns to molten crap. But - you did that, right?"

"Yeah."

"Uh-huh. So how'd you do it?"

"Plasma?"

Karla laughed. "Right on, baby boy. So that's, like, what - nine or ten thousand Kelvin?" She reached over and gave him a playful shove. "Don't look at me like that, Top Cop. I love the History Channel, I like the Science Channel, and I like the Discover Channel."

"What's plasma have to do with radiation?"

Karla fluffed his hair with her left hand, so as not to hit him in the face with the large purse hanging from her right arm. "That much heat will create a lot of thermal radiation."

"Damn. I didn't realize..."

She grinned again. "It wasn't much, but it's the only thing in this house that even got a reading on my little scanner thing."

"Is that a Geiger Counter?"

"Something like that, Reno." She pulled the device back out of the handbag and showed it to him. "This little do-jiggy is the latest handheld model. This house and the surrounding neighborhood, according to the sensor, are both absolutely clean."

"That's ... weird."

She shrugged. "The only thing that set it off was your hole in the wall. Nice going."

"So, I seriously created radiation? And you were able to get a reading on it, or whatever, a half-day later? That's weird."

"Yeah, thermal radiation. Whatever you did, you created some sort of residue and my device ... holy shit."

"What?"

"I just realized something." Karla reached up and fluffed his hair again. "You and your brother can both make radiation. I mean, to some degree, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Both of our powers can create heat and energy. I never thought of it that way - they're kind of related to some degree."

"Can't he absorb radiation, too?" She tucked a lock of blond behind her ear. "And can't he change the lifespan of radioactive materials? I mean, he can make it so that radioactive objects lose their energy and become inert, right?"

"Yeah. Remember when you met him at the power plant in Maryland? He later told me he was there because he could change the properties of the radioactive rods. He absorbs it and then he dispels the energy in a way that's harmless."

Karla smirked.

"What?"

"And it just so happens that his wife's house, and the surrounding area, is safe from radiation? Put the facts together, Top Cop."

Reno nodded. "I already came to the conclusion he was here."

"Oh. Really? Without a way to measure radiation?"

Reno smiled at her puzzled expression. "No, I just said that because no cop likes it when someone else beats them to the punch. At least not when it involves how to do our job." He offered a wry grin. "You're quick, girl. I'll give you that."

"It's okay. I'm humble in my old age. We can pretend you thought of it. I won't tell anyone." She leaned back on the sofa, put her feet up on some furniture, and sighed. "You checked the bunker and couldn't find anybody?"

"I wouldn't call it a bunker. It's more of a big basement. And how old are you? Like, a hundred 'n fifty or something, right?"

Karla smirked again. Her expression melted into a sly smile. "Clever. No, you know I'm four hundred and fifty years old today. And the bunker is under the basement. I've known the Parker family for a long time."

"Since 1999, right?"

"That's when I met Sinopa for the first time. I pulled a job with Jonathan Parker and Aris Sokolov a few years prior. The Esoteric Council paired the three of us for Conner's heist."

"Conner?"

"Jon's middle name. It's what I called him. I did it because, at the time, he didn't like the name. Then he grew to like it. After that, I started calling him 'JCP,' like 'JC Penny,' because I liked giving the guy a hard time. He was too stern for his own good." Karla tilted her head, seeing Reno's expression. She rolled her eyes and bluntly said, "Young Conner is named after his great grandfather."

"Well I knew that. I didn't know what point you were trying to make." Reno frowned, not wanting to sound rude. "So what's all that stuff have to do with a bunker?"

"I was here when they were digging out the foundation beneath the mansion. JC was married - he and Sinopa were talking about trying to have kids. He wanted a place for his family to be safe in the event of an emergency. Thus I know exactly where it's at."

"Seriously? I searched this whole..."

"You wouldn't have found it. It's too clever." She stood up, took Reno's hand, and teleported them clear across the basement.

They appeared on a platform where the basement steps split in three directions. Half the staircase went up to a blast door leading to the mansion.

To their left and right, the steps forked. One side headed towards the parking garage, and the other direction lead to the training facility and self-storage area.

Karla gestured to the staircase leading up to the blast door. "Here it is."

"What?"

"This platform, babe. Watch." Karla held her hands towards the staircase. Her palms incandesced.

A pink glyph formed on her palm. Another appeared on each of her wrists. More glyphs formed further up, near her elbow. Her biceps incandesced, followed by her shoulders, and her collarbone.

Reno stole a glance at the way the marks pulsed, slightly muted beneath the skin.

Finally, she slumped and dropped her hands. "I should have been able to overpower the hydraulics that lift the staircase. They must have upgraded to a newer system so it can't be forced."

"Are you sure it's under the stairs? We're talking about something you saw over fifty years ago."

Karla smirked at Reno. "If it was just regular basement steps, I would have ripped the damn things up just now. No, the whole thing is a hatch door."

"So even with your powers, you can't get in? Should I try using electricity to...?"

"Nope." Karla put her arm around his waist and smiled. "You really stayed on the sofa because it smells like me, huh?"

"Yeah, I just ... yeah."

Her smile broadened. "That's sweet, babe." They vanished.

Reno and Karla appeared beneath the hatch.

He glanced behind himself at the underside of the hatch shaped like stairs. On either side of the hatch, there were two enormous metal hydraulic cylinders.

Karla approached one of the large polished cylinders and put her hand against it. "Damn. They were skinny little things back in the 90's. Talk about an upgrade."

"Well, let's see if they're here."

"Maybe they went back into the mirror portal after the blast."

Reno frowned. "You said Vincent came here."

"I meant it's likely," she corrected. "Maybe he came after the blast because he was worried about his mother-in-law, Reno. If he didn't find them, he would have left." Karla saw the look of disappointment on Reno's face. She reached down and slapped him on his rump. "Maybe he's still here. Chin up, buttercup."

They walked through the bunker. A large eight-sided mirror hung on a wall. Reno called out, "Anyone in here?"

"Back here," came a reply.

"That sounded like Sinopa," Karla said.

"Yeah, it sure did." Reno turned left, walking into another room. It had beds in cubbies built into the wall. There were privacy curtains, half-open, hanging from rods over the beds.

Reno and Karla made their way through a small rectangular room into another. The next room resembled a library, with books on shelves. At first glance, all the titles appeared to be fiction.

Karla ran her fingers across the spines. "Not like Natalia's house, where everything is for learning."

"What?"

She gestured to the books. "These are for passing time. They're all classic fiction pieces." She glanced at the titles in passing. "Creighton was great. Never could get into Clancy, though. I felt like he was trying to make his readers memorize weapons by their model numbers. I couldn't get into his stuff."

Reno shrugged. "I love Tom Clancy."

"You read?"

"The first time I played Rainbow Six on the Playstation 5, it was so good that I wanted to read the book. Tom Clancy was my gateway out of comics and into novels."

"Really? I never read that one." She grinned, adding, "That book came out when you were just a kid."

"So? I loved it. The Russian bad guy had a change of heart and I like redemption stories."

"Bad guy," she said with a chuckle. "We readers call them 'antagonists,' Reno."

"Yeah, whatever. I'm a cop. Popov was a 'bad guy,' Karla. That was my first novel when I was younger. I thought it was a really great..." Reno looked up, trailing off.

He saw Sinopa Guillot through the doorframe to another section of the bunker.

The next room was a meditation area. It had mats on the floor, candles on stands, and industrial ventilation grating on the ceiling.

Sinopa sat on one of the mats, alone, with her eyes shut. "Reno-san. You've only just missed Vincent. They left two days ago. Karla, I assume you are responsible for finding me?"

Reno peeked his head through an adjacent door, looking at the size of a bathroom. He froze, hearing his brother's name. He stepped back from the bathroom and looked Sinopa over. "Who was with him? Kalen? Natalia? Laura?"

Karla offered Reno a puzzled look.

He told her, "Karla, she just said 'they left two days ago.' So," he turned his attention back to Sinopa, "Where did he go and who is he with? Is he okay?"

"He's quite well, Reno-san. Vincent saved lives. You would be proud of your brother. He was with Nichole Parker. Albeit her doppelganger, a creation made in a lab by Dr. Falcon. They have formed a relationship."

"Wait, what? Why would he do that?" Reno blinked. "Wait, did something happen to Fox and Topaz?"

Sinopa smiled, seeing Reno's concern for her children. "No, Reno. It was nothing of the sort." The redheaded European-looking woman adjusted the lay of her Japanese kimono. "It was my daughter's idea to gain Nichole's trust by creating a relationship. I know how awkward it must be for you to hear of it. I'm sorry."

"No, no I ... that's not my fiancée. If that chick can be tamed, fine by me. I'd rather her be on our side. She was a nasty wildcard when fighting for Falcon."

Karla murmured softly. "At least Vincent has good taste in women, Reno. I know you loved her."

He grimaced from the awkward topic. "Yeah, something like that. Anyhow, why did they leave?"

Sinopa stood up and smoothed her kimono. "She was blinded by the flash of the detonation." Sinopa bowed to Karla, and then Reno. "Nichole's eyes didn't come back. She was supposed to heal. But, ever since the day of the detonation, she lost her ability to regenerate damaged tissue."

Reno frowned. "So, what, my brother took her to Falcon? He thinks that piece of crap will fix her?"

"They discussed it," said Sinopa. "I made sure they had traveling money. They're taking a train east. Initially, they wanted Falcon to assume they died in the blast. Now Vincent wants to return; he wants to help Nichole. He also wants to see his wife and husband."

Reno sighed. "Yet he's having a thing with Evil Nichole?"

Sinopa arched her brows somewhat. "She isn't evil. She was childish, but she's staring to grow up. She's misunderstood. I've lived with her for four weeks, Reno. She genuinely feels ashamed for attacking people in the past. She assured me she spared my children."

"I mean, it will be awkward if she feels territorial over Vincent. It will be a fight waiting to happen. How's she going to react when she finds out it was Topaz's idea to have Vincent use her emotions to gain her trust?"

"Yeah, Reno's right." Karla agreed. "We human women can be caddy, Red."

Sinopa approached Reno and Karla. "Vincent told her everything before their first kiss. He has been honest with her from the start."

Reno frowned. "I just feel like ... taking Nichole back to Falcon is a mistake. She's a weapon; she needs to be training with the rest of us. We could use her to take Falcon down."

Sinopa frowned. "She felt severely limited without her eyes or her healing." Sinopa placed her hands on Reno's shoulders. "Think of it as having more than one inside-person, now."

"I hope so." Reno stepped into Sinopa's embrace. "I'm glad you're okay."

Sinopa turned to Karla and hugged her.

The succubus, shorter than Sinopa, slipped her arms around the kitsune's waist. "Hey, Foxy. How've you been?"

"Well, and yourself?"

"I was ... I've been emotional for the last four weeks."

Sinopa looked Karla over and smiled. "Is it after midnight yet?"

"Yeah, it's almost twelve-thirty."

Sinopa held a hand to Reno, "Wait here, Reno-san." She took Karla by the elbow and walked her out of the small meditation room. "I have a birthday gift for you."

Reno turned around, watching them go. His eyes landed on the four plush red-furred tails behind Sinopa. His eyes lifted, able to see the backside of two fox ears atop of the kitsune's head.

Reno folded his arms and peered into the bathroom again, curious how big a bunker bathroom could be. The generous bathroom had a shower stall, a soaking tub large enough for two people, and marble counters. The sink was fancy, too.

He shook his head. "Rich people." A wry grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. A hot shower seemed like a good idea, and the stall was inviting. He stepped in and opened the frosted glass door.

There were two showerheads on either side in the stall. "That looks awesome."

Karla's voice, from elsewhere in the bunker, sounded excited.

Reno stepped out of the bathroom, which was larger than the meditation room. He made his way through the low-ceiling bunker, and found Karla and Sinopa in another bedroom.

The succubus turned around, cradling a tiny fox in her arms. "Look! Kuda's okay!" Happy tears glistened in her eyes.

Reno tensed his gut so as not to cry for her. He nodded with a masculine expression. "I'm glad you found him."

Karla buried her face against the tiny animal's soft back.

Reno licked his lips, wondering why was he nearly crying. Was he happy to see her happy? He drew in a deep breath through his nose and said, "You got your sidekick back."

Sinopa placed her palm on Karla's shoulder and turned to Reno. "Other than Tamamo, Karla is the only one who has Kuda completely trained. I'm not sure how she managed it. Whatever chemistry that Karla and Kuda have, it goes beyond treats."

Karla cradled the ferret-sized fox in her arms, resting her chin on the little fox's back. "I thought the worst. I figured if Falcon was behind the bomb, he would have detonated it right over the mansion. I thought that you, Kalen, Kuda, and Laura were vaporized. I was so pissed off."

"Why come if you thought we all died?" Sinopa asked.

Reno rubbed his face and disguised the gesture by pushing his hands up through his hair. "I came to find the mirror. We were afraid it would fall into the wrong hands."

"The Yata Mirror is safe," Sinopa told them. "I'm sure you saw it hanging on the wall on your way in."

"That thing has changed hands so many times in the last fifty years, I swear."

Sinopa nodded. "I'm told it was damaged in the Kincade manor. I'm also told Evan repaired it. I've been meaning to speak to him."

"So where is Laura?" asked Reno. "She's still a normal person, right? I mean she's ... human still?"

"Hai, Reno. Laura is accompanying Vincent and Nichole to ensure they arrive safely in Virginia Beach. However, Laura Báthory does not wish to see Aris Falcon. Instead, she plans to meet with Kalen and Natalia after she leaves Virginia."

Karla tilted her head. "So ... Kalen and Natalia - where are they?"

"Natalia was moved from the mansion before the blast. I wanted her to be safe. Kalen left to revive her. He was not here at the time of the detonation."

"Wait ... has he - I mean, have you heard from them?" Karla frowned. "I just ... Carmen will want to know."

"Kalen left before the detonation. I have not heard from them. I am cut off from the rest of the world. Laura will find them if they are still alive."

Reno blinked. "It's just you and Kuda?"

Sinopa nodded. "I have more than enough food to last."

Karla looked away so they wouldn't see her tears of worry over Kalen. "Your son-in-law made the house, hell the whole community radiation free. I don't know what he did, but it's not even in the wind. You can go upstairs."

The kitsune nodded in understanding. "The generator only powers the bunker and the EMP protection grid surrounding the car garage."

"Can demigods even die from cancer or radiation sickness?"

"Let's not find out, Karla." Sinopa turned to Reno. "You will find your car in the garage. I am afraid the Golden Gate Bridge is closed in both directions. Also, the Bay Bridge has been destroyed. You'll have to head south towards San Jose. Expect some measure of resistance."

Karla grinned. "No, it's not bad. People are confused about the radiation levels in San Francisco. Survey teams have been coming here for weeks."

Sinopa rubbed her chin and smiled. "Mm. During his stay, Vincent was leaving the bunker for hours at a time every few days. He said he went on walks to clear his head, and had been doing so since shortly after the bomb went off. Do you suppose he was trying to save the city?"

Karla shrugged. "It makes sense to me. I made it as far as the tenderloin district, today, before my handheld device started showing serious issues. Downtown is just ... gone. There are a few buildings, but most of it collapsed."

The kitsune frowned. "But ... Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not flattened after such weapons were used."

Karla gently hugged Sinopa. "The blast weakened a lot of things. The fires did the rest. They burned for over a week, uninterrupted. There was nothing to stop them."

Sinopa swallowed. "That is truly awful."

"Yeah. I've been to Pripyat and Chernobyl in 2012. And there are guided tours near Fukushima, now. Those happened a long time ago. If it makes you feel any better, I'd say most of San Francisco is at those levels, after only a single month. If ground zero is covered up in concrete, they could start doing tours in no time, and..."

"Karla!"

Karla grew silent and frowned. "Sorry. Just trying to be an optimist."

The kitsune closed her eyes and sighed. "I made a home in this city with Jonathan and my children. For such a thing to happen, regardless of Vincent's help, I am very upset. How many died?"

Reno cut back in. "They estimate about nine thousand people were killed in the initial blast. Twelve thousand are dead, counting radiation sickness and other aftermath effects. Not many died in the fires. Nobody was left by that point. This whole mess has America coming together."

Sinopa nodded.

Karla said, "Canada and Mexico have sent relief aid. Mexico, Red. Japan, France, England - there are a bunch of people coming to help, and..."

"Karla, please. I am in mourning. The intent behind your exuberance is appreciated, but, at this time, please ... it is not welcome."

Karla sighed. She ran her fingers over Kuda's neck, trailing her nails up to the little fox's ears. "Sorry, Red. I ... sorry."

"Sinopa, we thought you were dead," Reno said in a gentle voice. "Karla just got here and we found out you're alive. She found out everyone is alive, after crying for an entire month."

Sinopa frowned, embarrassed by her outburst.

Reno discretely tilted his head towards Karla.

Sinopa nodded in understand. The kitsune approached Karla and gently hugged her, careful not to squish Kuda between their bodies. "Please pardon my lack of empathy. I did not consider the emotional turmoil you've experienced while I was in hiding."

Karla hugged her back with one arm, using the other to cradle the small fox to her chest. "It's fine. We're good, Red. I'd rather you be alive and yelling at me for silly things. It's better than the alternative."

"Hai. You are a strong woman, Karla-chan."

Karla grinned a bit. "I've seen it all, momma-fox. Ecclesiastical kangaroo courts, civil wars between humans, civil wars between supernaturals, two full-scale World Wars, worldwide earthquakes and floods, mothering two children, mourning my children, losing my husband, fighting psychotic creatures in the heavens; I'd be a basket case if I didn't have three hundred years of emotional fortitude training to start out." Karla's thoughts turned to Chance but she didn't say anything.

No one spoke. Reno and Sinopa appeared unsure how to reply to Karla's long-winded rambling.

The succubus shrugged and smiled somewhat. "What I'm trying to say is ... I'm just happy all my friends are alive. When something good happens, I take what I can get and appreciate the hell out of it."

Sinopa nodded and lowered her gaze. "Understood, Karla-san. I wish things could be different. Such a weapon was used on Japan twice. It was heartbreaking. And then for fires to burn for days? It's beyond belief."

Karla and Reno looked at one another. Karla moved adjacent to Sinopa and said, "Actually, they're calling it 'Ham and Eggs Junior,' hon. Like, you know, like the earthquake fire in 1906."

"Excuse me?" Sinopa tilted her head. "I do not understand. Someone caused the fire making breakfast? I thought the city was evacuated?"

"Okay, yeah, most of the tri-city area is evacuated from radiation worries. But not everyone left," said Karla. "The nuke did a lot of damage initially. Gas lines ruptured, all that stuff. It's so empty, you can see the Palace of Fine Arts from your bedroom window. Nothing is in the way. But the Ham and Eggs fire started in The Castro and moved southeast. It's all gone."

"Gone? What's gone? Be concise, please, Karla."

"From Portola to Bayview. It's all flat black hills. If you stand at the window and stare at it hard enough, everything sort of fades."

Reno spoke in a soft voice. "That's called Troxler's fading effect."

Karla offered a wan smile. "See, Top Cop? You have smart moments."

"Smart ass."

Sinopa nodded for them to follow her. She headed for the exit hatch. "What is left of San Francisco?"

Karla fell into step behind Sinopa. "The Haight made out remarkably well. All the way up to Pacific Heights was fire-free. There are a few buildings on the water in Russian Hill. But not much. Everything west of Twin Peaks is fine. The fires started to die out south of Visitacion Valley."

"It didn't go as far south as the airport?"

"No." Karla frowned. "But, you remember Historic Candlestick Park? That's gone. It's just a huge slab of concrete and a lumpy mess. I used to be able to see it from my condo in San Leandro. There's nothing left. It's just miles of scorched hillsides."

Sinopa opened the hatch and lead them upstairs. She opened the blast doors for the mansion and went to a hidden electric panel behind a wall in the kitchen.

Generators, down in the car garage, provided power to most of the mansion. Some appliances remained dead from the EMP.

Most of the breakers were tripped in the fusebox. Sinopa switched them on, allowing a handful of appliances to hum to life, including the refrigerator. She opened it, cringed, and closed it again. The kitsune muttered a string of bitter statements in Japanese.

"Yeah, yucky huh?"

"Hai, Karla." Sinopa sighed. She used her hands and gently separated Reno and Karla. "Excuse me." She left the kitchen and headed upstairs.

Karla and Reno frowned at one another. They headed after Sinopa, but stayed back to give her some space.

Karla grimaced. "You think she's going to the top floor?"

"Wouldn't you?"

"Yeah. I'd want to see the mess for myself. But it's just pouring salt into the wounds." Karla sighed. "When I got to town, the first place I went was my old condo. San Leandro was evacuated. Alameda has completely taken over the whole area."

"What? The Navy?"

"Yeah. Apparently, after the bomb went off, everything from Oakland to Fremont was evacuated. Oakland International is locked down. It's being used for huge Navy cargo planes to take off. Alameda is locked down. So, you know me, I went to my old condo. I still own the property. I paid it off fifty years ago. It's mine."

"Karla ... I haven't seen all that stuff. I came through the mirror and I haven't seen anything outside of Pacific Heights."

"It's bad, Top Cop. Real bad. Most of the radiation cloud settled in Berkeley and Richmond. Ever been to Wildcat Canyon? The whole park is a field hospital. It's mostly abandoned tents. The whole area north of Oakland is a disaster zone. The exclusion zone covers Napa and Concord."

"What's it look like from the sky?" Reno asked as they headed up the steps from the second floor to the third. "What's left in this area?"

"San Jose is okay. Sacramento is okay. God apparently sought fit to spare Sausalito, too. Daly City is a military checkpoint, now. Same goes for Millbrae."

"Well, I guess San Jose gets to be the third biggest city again." Reno held a hand up. "I know, I know, that was rude. Sorry. I don't know how to act. I've never seen this sort of thing happen before."

Karla came off the last step and quietly made her way up the carpeted hallway. She spoke to Reno in a soft voice, just above a whisper. "This is nothing, babe. The quake in 2025 drown millions. You saw New York. Boston flooded, Philadelphia and Camden flooded, Baltimore flooded, Savannah flooded; Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale and Miami ... all gone in an instant."

"Jesus Christ, how many is that?"

"The floods displaced over thirty-five percent of the country's total population, Reno. The closest guesstimate suggests somewhere between twenty-five and fifty million confirmed dead. Millions more are still missing, now assumed dead because they were never found."

"I saw New York yesterday. I can't even imagine what you saw."

"I saw thousands and thousands of bodies floating in the Intracoastal Waterway canals. What was left of them, since the ground bunched up in ripples after that earthquake, which lasted for days-and-days-and-days."

"Jesus."

"Yeah," she whispered. "I'm upset about San Francisco. I called it home for a long time. I watched it build up. But I also lived in Washington DC for a while. There's not much left there. I don't have anymore tears to cry, Reno."

They stood side-by-side in a doorway, watching Sinopa in front of a dark window, facing the downtown area.

Karla licked her lips and said, "Sinopa, don't torture yourself. It's the middle of the night. You wouldn't see much at this hour anyhow. Why not come downstairs and get some rest?"

"I was on Japan time. I haven't seen the sky in a month, Karla. I woke up at 3pm; it was 8 in the morning in Japan." Sinopa turned away from the dark window and folded her arms. "It's been a month - I have not seen the news. Who is to blame for this weapon? Surely the country denies the existence of Aris Falcon's hidden city."

"The Navy is investigating a terrorist they said was involved in stealing the weapon from the Navy. But their spokesperson said the surveillance footage of this guy proves that he's a white guy. Nobody knows his identity."

Sinopa frowned. "With DMV records and Interpol help, they should have figured out this man's identity by now."

"I don't think he was human, or they would have," Reno said.

Sinopa frowned again. "Then our first order of business is to break into the Navy base and copy the surveillance footage. Conner will be able to help. He is quite good with computers. Wilfred and Steven need information that will help us find those responsible."

Karla frowned. "No offense to your grandson, Red, but the last time he and I worked together ... it wasn't pretty. We argued a lot, and then Joe Pendleton detonated the supports, and a building fell on us. He's fifteen, he can't even drive yet."

"The driving is a technicality," Reno said. "He's sixteen. He spent half-a-year out on the island. Raul kept time from moving forward. I gave him driving lessons and we scuttled around out there in an electric car. I showed him how to parallel park, too. I am his uncle and all."

Karla sighed. "He's still too young to break into a military installation."

Sinopa folded her arms. "But you are not, Karla. And you can stay vigilant this time, and protect him from being shot at."

"There has to be someone else, like Wilfred or Steven..."

"If we could have Fox help, we would. But that is not an option. Like his father, Conner's secondary ability allows him to interact with computer devices. We will need him."

Karla stepped into the bedroom and sat down on the bed, next to Sinopa and the window. "James Parker would be a better team player. His stepdad is the Director of USPRI. They're part of DHS. There are legal ways of going about this."

"Hai," Sinopa said with a nod. "You are most correct, Karla. However, you are overlooking one glaring fact."

Karla glanced over at Reno, still in the doorway, and smiled. "See that, Reno? Without Tamamo resetting Sinopa's memories since 2023, Sinopa has a near-flawless California dialect, now!"

"Karla, don't patronize her."

Karla sighed and looked back at Sinopa. "Okay, what is it I'm forgetting?"

Sinopa motioned for Karla to stand. "Do not sit there." She moved around to the other side of the bed. "Vincent and Nichole had sex there. I've not had a chance to launder the bed clothes."

Karla shrugged. "I'm a sex demon, Red. Big deal. So you were about to tell me what I have to partner up with Conner and break into a highly secured Navy base less than a full month after a stolen Navy nuke was used to destroy an adjacent city."

Sinopa frowned and dropped onto the end of the mattress, further away from Karla. "It would take too long for Gregory Watson to be useful."

Reno folded his arms, leaning against the doorframe. "She's right, Karla. Interagency cooperation is rife with red tape, redacting, and drama."

Karla guided Kuda into her handbag and dropped onto her back hard, causing her hair to fan out around her head in the middle of the mattress. "God! Okay, so how many agencies do you think will be on the base, besides the Navy?"

Reno rubbed his chin. "FBI will be in town because they're investigating an incident on American soil. The CIA will be involved because we don't yet know if the attackers are international, or if they're operating with international intelligence and funding. Homeland Security will be local. National Security Agency will be here, obviously. The NTSB would be involved, because we don't know how the bad guys are traveling, if they got away, or if they've got another weapon in play. The ATF, maybe, because they deal with explosives and bombings. I'm really reaching at this point. You've got National Guard in the area, you've got the Coast Guard in the area, you've got the Naval Criminal Investigation Services, because this deals with a stolen Navy warhead being used. You've got the Nuclear Regulatory Commission working for the Inspector General, the Environmental Protection Agency who will want to be pointing fingers and working on a way to contain the radiation downtown. Uh, let's see, did I forget anyone?"

Karla and Sinopa exchanged glances.

Reno rubbed his chin. "And maybe the Federal Reserve police will be here, trying to transport salvageable money out of the city. If they haven't, already. Hell, I don't know. At this point, I'm trying to name as many alphabet soup companies as I can, just to give you two a moment to calm down." He paused, smiled, and added, "Maybe Interpol, too?"

Karla afforded Reno with a smile. "Thanks for breaking the tension. You've been hanging around me for way too long."

Reno grinned. "On a serious, note, though, some of those groups will be staying in Alameda during this investigation. The biggest being NCIS, the FBI, and the groups dealing with United States security. Not to mention all those armed members of the Navy."

Karla shifted her eyes back to the ceiling, lying flat on the side of the mattress. "Conner isn't mature enough to handle this. Can't we just have Conner and Rachel Razin work together and hack in to get the information?"

Sinopa folded her hands. "Perhaps I was hasty. Do either of you have a satellite phone?"

"No," Reno said.

"Me either." Karla reached into her handbag, sliding her hand beneath Kuda's warm body. She pulled her cellphone out and sighed. "No signal."

Sinopa nodded. "Our first priority is to take the Yata no Kagami and hide it safely away until such a time that Natalia Kincade can protect it again."

Karla arched her brows, cutting her gaze over at Sinopa, sitting to the right, at the edge of the mattress. "So who gets that job? Do we hide it on the Parker Family's illustrious island?"

"Karla, my grandson's bragging to the Pendleton family was foolish. To be safe, it is best we do not take it there. Instead, we should hide it somewhere in plain sight."

Karla sat up on her right elbow, looking at Sinopa for a moment. A devious smile crept across her face. "Nice."

"What?" Reno asked. "Where?"

Karla looked over at Reno and said, "She's going to take it back to Japan."

"Hai, you know me better than I realize, Karla. That is my plan. I will take it to the Ise Grand Shrine. They still claim it is in their possession. I will take Tamamo with me; she will undoubtedly wish to visit her friend, Dr. Usagi."

"What do you want us to do?" asked Reno.

Sinopa stood up from the foot of the bed and said, "Find Conner. Ask James if Rachel is still in Japan with Usagi. Help James find his stepfather."

"God, you want to get Watson involved?"

"Hai, Karla. He has resources we will need. He may stay hidden, but we will need his help, regardless."

"Great, fine, so we find Watson, and we run some errands for that douchebag, then what?"

"It is likely, yes. He may have files and information we will need to help Steven and Wilfred become more useful."

Karla rolled her hand at the wrist. "Yeah, yeah, then what comes next?"

"You and Conner return to San Francisco. I know you prefer Reno's assistance, but the less people the better."

"I could use the extra firepower, Sinopa. We may have to go on offense if we're spotted. And if these files are that important, we can't abort just because we get spotted."

"Mm. Perhaps I can speak to Tamamo about aiding you on your mission. Once you find the security footage you will forward the footage to me. Tamamo and I will determine if we recognize the person behind the attack. If they are a deity, we will determine the best course of action from that point."

"If I have to hear that boy whine one more time about his teeth being messed up from when Pendleton dropped the building on our heads..." Karla shook her head. "Seriously. He needs to get his ass to a dentist."

"Karla, this is far more serious than I can put into words."

"What's the big deal?" Karla arched her brows. "Let's face it, whoever did it wants the attention. We'll know sooner or later. Is there something else you want from that Navy base?"

Sinopa looked away with a frown. "Cybil Powalski is not the only one to see glimpses of the possible future. That is all you need to know for now. The sooner you and Conner infiltrate the base, the better."

"I'd feel way more comfortable doing this with Reno's brother protecting us from the radical rads. Vincent's out there somewhere. We could really use him."

Sinopa closed her eyes, bottling her frustration. "We do not know where he is, Karla. Focus. You and Conner at Alameda."

"God, fine, whatever - I'll take Conner on a roadtrip and we'll do whatever it takes to get whatever you need. Okay?"

"Arigato, Karla. Remember, the sooner the better."

"Yeah, yeah."

Reno pressed his hands together, stretching his fingers. A few of his knuckles popped softly. "I wonder what Vincent is doing with Nichole right now."

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Next chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/835533