Magistracy-School of Hard Knocks

[csyphrett]

1

Laurence Elbe walked around his almost finished building. Memories drifted to him as he checked

for flaws. Everything had to be just right if he wanted to usher in the new age of Father’s return.

 

The people working in the offices below would be his first meal so he could quickly charge up his

powers to deal with any threats the world’s protectors might pose.

 

His main worry was the Chemist, but he knew there were other magicians out there who could

throw everything off.

 

He had worked too hard to let that happen.

 

He planned to hire somebody to try and kill the Magistracy as a distraction when his plans were

further along.

 

It bothered him that he had lost several encounters with the government School. They didn’t even

have a magician in their employ.

 

He needed to get rid of the Saint. He seemed to be the lynchpin in their success.

 

He had lost the group of Sons he had organized to attack the School’s headquarters. The last one

had tried to kill their leader in his sleep. The attack had been rebuffed and sent the dream killer into

a coma of his own.

 

Laurence was glad to be rid of the man. He had more important things to do than torture the

helpless.

 

It also made it apparent that he would have to assemble a group that could overpower the

government agency before they got too close to learning the truth. At least their headquarters had

been partially destroyed in the attack he had initiated.

 

He would have loved to have killed some of them with their building. That would have taken him

off the hook of Father’s displeasure. He had to make sure the pointer worked if he wanted to keep

his mind intact.

 

Otherwise he would be discarded and one of the other Sons would be placed in charge of bringing

Father back to his realm.

 

He had to make sure everything went off without a hitch.

 

The elevator hummed from somewhere to his right. He looked around. He should be alone on the

floor. Who could it be?

 

He walked down the hall, checking the space set aside for offices that would never be used. He

didn’t see any traces of memory as he passed.

 

The elevator dinged before it slid to a halt. The doors opened. A man dressed in layers of clothing

stepped out in the hall, hands in his pockets. He had a hood pulled low to conceal his face and

what looked like bandages over his features.

 

“This floor is closed to the public.†Laurence didn’t like the lack of trace coming from this

scarecrow figure as it looked around. “You should go back downstairs to floors that are safer.â€

 

“Really?†The bum seemed to smile. It was hard to tell under the swaddling.

 

“Yes.†Laurence didn’t approach the apparition. He found that he was unsettled by the lack of life

he usually perceived in people.

 

“You haven’t done anything you can’t fix yet.†The hooded man looked around the room. “I’m

willing to give you a pass, but this building has to be altered. I can’t let you set it up as a

supernatural antenna. That will attract too much trouble to the city.â€

 

“You’re going to give me a pass?†He reached for the pistol he wore at the base of his spine.

“That’s magnanimous of you.â€

 

“I don’t think you understand.†The bum paused by a pile of tile. “I’m the protector of the universe.

I can’t let you threaten the existence of the world. Back off and I’m willing not to put my foot up

your butt.â€

 

“Too bad.†Laurence pulled the pistol and fired it until it was empty. His target looked down at the

holes in his jacket and hoodie. He shook his hooded head.

 

“I’m bulletproof, idiot.†He waved his hand and the pistol came apart. “I should break every bone

in your body for that.â€

 

Laurence wished he had something more lethal than his ability to read memories.

 

“I’m giving you the warning.†The protector of the universe walked toward the elevator. “Back off

before something bad happens to you.â€

 

He touched the call button. The doors opened silently as if waiting for him. He got in and pressed

the floor button. The elevator hummed to life to shut the doors and descend.

 

Laurence looked at the screws, pieces of metal, rubber squares that used to be his pistol. He looked

around and saw a broom. He got that and a dustpan and swept the remains up. They went into a

trash barrel.

 

He would have to contact one of his brothers and hire him as a guard. He needed someone that was

instantly lethal to anyone who crossed him. This protector of the universe was a new thorn in his

side that would have to be removed while he tried to accomplish the rest of Father’s grand plan.

 

Force might not be enough. He might have to keep the protector busy until Father could bring his

whole power to bear on the problem.

 

He certainly wasn’t going to defy Father by not finishing the pointer. He liked his mind, and having

it the way it was. He wasn’t going to give his master reason to crack it into pieces.

 

Laurence looked around the floor, trying to see some way to turn this mess into something he

could take advantage of before things got out of hand.

 

He watched the traces of memory dance around the space as the workmen put things together to his

exact specifications.

 

Maybe he could arrange a sacrifice to move the schedule forward. Anyone killed in the building

would automatically feed Father and make him stronger.

 

Who could he use for his sacrifices?

 

He decided to try to get rid of the government agency. It would be risky, but if he could sacrifice

them, that would push back any official response. Then he could get ready for anyone else who

might try to interfere.

 

The Chemist was the next major threat to his plans. He had to think of ways to get rid of the

Magistracy next.

 

Laurence decided to initiate his plan, he needed to make a call. He had to lure the School into his

trap with some promise he didn’t plan to keep.

 

Maybe he could promise them information about the school they had exorcized earlier with the help

of the New York police.

 

It was risky. If he lost the building, his plan to rescue Father would be up in smoke. He weighed

the risks as he looked out the windows. He had to do something before the protector of the universe

decided to stop him.

 

The bum had been right about one thing. The building was threat to the existence of humanity. He

planned to show how much of a threat it was before anyone could wreck his destiny.

 

He walked to the elevator bank and pressed the call button. He considered what he was about to do

as he waited. He hoped to succeed. He had failed too much already.

 

The doors opened with a ding. He got on and pressed the button to the lobby. He should use the

office staff in his plans too. Their numbers would provide life energy to power up his trap.

 

He needed to consult with one of his adopted family to set things in motion. Once he threw out the

bait, the School would come. Their leader had a streak of vindictiveness that would demand a

showdown.

 

The rest would follow like dominoes.

 

Then he could move on to getting rid of any other threats to his work.

 

If he lost, he could say goodbye to his mind. Father would take it right out of his skull and do things

to it until it was unrecognizable as human.

 

He stepped out in the lobby. He started for the front doors. The guards waved at him as if they

hadn’t seen a harmless bum a few minutes before him. Maybe they hadn’t.

 

He checked his watch as he stepped out on the sidewalk. His consultant should be in Central Park

somewhere at this point in the night. He started down the street, ignoring the traces of people as he

passed.

 

They would be reduced to nothing when Father regained his rightful place. There wouldn’t be traces

except from those that had been kept as playthings.

 

A bum and a man in a suit from the past watched him as he made his way toward the park.

 

“There’s a man who won’t take a hint.†The man in the suit tapped his cane against the sidewalk.

 

“Until he causes the breach, there’s nothing I can do.†The protector of the universe looked up at

the apex of the building.

 

“We should have made sure Kailorm was exiled beyond even the ability to talk to the Earth.†The

man in the suit turned to make his way down the sidewalk in the opposite direction from Laurence.

 

[csyphrett]

2 Jeff Ashcroft looked at the pictures of a skyscraper on his monitor. He checked the address given

with the picture. New York City ran in a smooth line of type at the bottom of the photo.

 

He checked his current caseload. He had nothing going on in New York at all. Most of his files

were related to criminals that were at large, on trial, or dead. None of the current crop had

connections to New York.

 

He wondered if the picture had something to do with the stone case they were still working on.

Nothing solid had come in on the bush leaguers his team had put down when they attacked the

Office. Watchman had run into a monster school in New York. Maybe that was the connection.

 

He looked around the bullpen. No one else was in evidence. He forwarded the picture to his

counterpart before he shut down his computer. He checked his watch. He might be able to arrange

a flight to the Big Apple if he hurried.

 

His curiosity and gut had declared war and he had decided to go with the curiosity until he knew

more about what was going on.

 

This had to be about the stone case. A picture arriving out of the blue looked like a trap to him. He

wondered what was really involved behind all the hocus pocus. What was the main goal of

everything?

 

If he knew that, he could shoot the brain and move on to the next case.

 

Jeff made a call to Dulles as he headed down to the motor pool. He reserved a seat on a shuttle

heading up to New York. He just had to be at the airport in a couple of hours.

 

He signed out a Charger and drove across town. He didn’t plan to be in the city long so he didn’t

need a bag. He just wanted to scope this building out for himself, and then have someone with more

technical skill go over everything about it.

 

He parked his car in the long term lot and headed for the terminal. He used his badge to get on the

plane without a ticket. He found a seat in third class and settled in. He would need to get a car in

New York if he wanted to reach the address given.

 

Jeff watched the people around him as he waited for the plane to take off. Most of them had the

look of people rushing to do business on too little sleep and too much coffee. He probably fit right

in with them.

 

If things didn’t work out with the building, he would go back to the Office and delete the picture.

Just because something was randomly forwarded, it didn’t make it important.

 

It bothered him that it had been sent to his work mail. That was why he kept thinking it was a trap.

Otherwise, why not send it to someone else that would forward it to the School from a sister

agency?

 

It also meant they were tracking him while he was trying to figure out what was going on. He didn’t

like that at all.

 

He liked to surprise people before he shot them. Since they knew he was coming, he would have

a hard time finding the right target to shoot.

 

What was waiting for him at that building? He doubted cupcakes and soda pop. A sudden death at

the end of a knife on a stick would be about right.

 

Maybe he should have grabbed someone for backup. The Replacement would be great for

something like this. The man in black was an invulnerable flying missile.

 

And he was silent which was what endeared him to Jeff.

 

The plane took with a few minutes of delay. The flight north from Washington was smooth and

without incident. The night sky subtly altered as the landscape changed. The flight landed after

being in a holding pattern for another half an hour. It would refuel and head back to the District

when it had enough passengers.

 

Jeff checked his watch as he headed across the terminal. He could rent a car and head into the

city if he hurried. Then he could look his target over at his leisure.

 

If he couldn’t get a car, he would have to hail a cab and pay for the trip.

 

He didn’t want to do that. He might be able to justify a rental to the bean counters. He definitely

would be waiting forever for reimbursement for a cab ride.

 

He might as well ask for a diamond pinky ring the way they complained about small change.

 

He reached the desk for Hertz. He gave them his badge and signed the paperwork for a car. He

headed out of the airport lot a few minutes later. He joined the rest of the people heading into town.

 

He had some familiarity with the city from other trips into its concrete canyons. He found the

address from the picture after a small amount of searching. He found a place to park and walked

back to look at the front of the edifice.

 

It looked like a face glaring down on him.

 

He decided to walk around the steel and glass tower before he tried to go in. Maybe that would

give him some clue to what was inside.

 

The outside of the building looked ordinary from the ground. He didn’t see any monsters, or

villains, lurking anywhere. Maybe they were lurking inside.

 

He doubted he was wrong about the place. It gave him a bad vibration when he looked at it. It was

the same kind of feeling he got when trouble came calling.

 

He was about to run into something he could shoot. Did he want to go in without backup, or wait

until he had a team assembled? What was the thing to do?

 

Jeff decided that he needed to at least get his team together and get them moving. They might have

to rescue him when he got into trouble.

 

He walked back across the street from the front. It definitely looked like a face to him. He wasn’t

prone to flights of fancy, but he didn’t like glass eyes following his every move. He pulled out his

phone and called Poster Girl.

 

“What’s going on, boss?†She sounded like she was eating something.

 

“Get the team together, get a command center, and get up here to this address.†He gave her the

address. “Get what you can on the building, owners, everything. Let Watchman know what’s going

on.â€

 

“Got it.†She sounded unhappy. “When do we have to be there?â€

 

“Yesterday.†He frowned. “I’m already here. Kiss your date good night, and get to work.â€

 

“All right.†She harumphed in the phone. “I’ll make the calls.â€

 

“I’m going in to look around.†Jeff hung up and put the phone away. He took his tie off and put it

in his jacket pocket. He might need it to strangle someone.

 

He walked back across the street. He tried the door. Of course it was locked to keep riffraff like him

out of the spacious lobby with its marble floor. Not many riffraff could blow a hole in the lock with

a thought gun like he could.

 

He stepped inside, examining the floor a little more carefully. It looked familiar. He put a divot in

the surface with a shot. The floor cracked like a spider web. He pulled out one of the fragments and

put it in his jacket pocket.

 

He didn’t know anything about magic, but maybe that would prevent the stone from doing whatever

it was supposed to do. He doubted it would help.

 

The Saint said the first stone they had encountered was some kind of conduit. Something as big as

the lobby floor would be sending energy from all over the city to somewhere else. He didn’t like

the thought the skyscraper was some kind of antenna.

 

Where was the security? He had put two holes in the building. They should be trying to get rid of

him, or calling the cops.

 

Maybe guards had been told to take the day off.

 

He didn’t like that thought at all. It meant that someone was waiting on him to look around. What

was going to jump out at him?

 

He smiled at himself. He should have waited for the others. It looked like he had rushed to his

death.

 

He planned to shoot his way out if he could. That was his method of operation, and how he liked

to do things.

 

He decided to use the stairs. The shaft would be narrow, but better than using the elevators. Being

trapped in a moving room was a quick way to die.

 

He looked around. He noted the cameras so he expected humans to jump out at any time. Clearing

them out was the first step in flooding the room with something lethal without worrying about

friendlies.

 

He pushed the stairwell door open. Nothing jumped out at him. He started up. Where was his

enemy?

 

He pushed upward, pausing at each landing to listen at the door. Nothing stirred. Shouldn’t

someone be working at his/her desk?

 

The building grew progressively unused and unfinished as he climbed. He felt a stirring going on.

Maybe he was about to see the face of his enemy.

 

He reached a floor still under construction. He stepped out of the stairwell and looked around. It

was a big space with tools and material packed away for use later. He thought he heard a buzzing

on the floor.

 

It reminded him of the first thing in the field. He looked around for buzzing motes. Those things

had been like killer bees.

 

Luckily he had the thing to take care of them.

 

“What have we here?†The voice filled Jeff’s head. He concentrated on trying to find the owner.

“I see why Laurence is scared of you. You have an iron will. It will avail you nothing on my

homeground.â€

 

“I’m here to stop you.†Pointer raised his hand, pointing his finger. “I don’t know what you’re

doing, but it’s over.â€

 

“Bold claim but you’re all alone, and your friends are days away.†The voice grated in his head.

“You’ll be dead long before they’ll arrive. Then I’ll get rid of them one by one.â€

 

Jeff’s phone buzzed. He didn’t take it out of his pocket. He smiled quietly. One of his friends

had sent him word to let him know he was on the way. All he had to do was hold out for a few

minutes.

 

He could do that. Making threats to bad guys was his secondary skill.

 

“You know why your henchman is scared of me. I put holes in bad guys. As soon as I find you,

I will put holes in your noggin too.†Jeff turned in place. He felt a stirring around him. Something

bad was about to happen.

 

“There’s only one being that can stop me.†The voice laughed. “You’re not him. You’re just a rabbit

I plan to chase down and eat to alleviate the minutes to the end of my exile. There’s nothing you

can do about that.â€

 

The voice receded to allow Jeff room to think in his own head.

 

The air stirred around him. A fog drifted around him as he stood in the center of the room. He had

a feeling he was about to see something he didn’t like.

 

Things with too many teeth and claws formed out of the fog. Glowing eyes burned under the

overhead light as they glared at the agent. Something like words accompanied them.

 

Jeff didn’t listen to the background chanting. He raised both hands. Holes appeared in the fog. He

switched to light beams as they closed on him. He switched to sonic pulses as he retreated. That

seemed to give them pause for a moment.

 

His thunder blasted the fog away into smears on the walls. He worked the room, blowing out the

outer windows as he retreated to the staircase.

 

He just had to hang on for the next few minutes.

 

Something stuck its head out of the emergency stairwell. It tried to shout something about killing

kids at him. He put two blasts through its head to clear the door. He looked down the stairs. More

of the monsters stood in each other’s way to climb up and get shot.

 

He blasted away at the monsters in the stairwell and on the floor with him. He couldn’t let them get

close. They would rip him to ribbons.

 

The Replacement burst into the room through one of the opened windows. He punched the nearest

monster with a gloved hand. The thing became a streak of itself across the room.

 

“I think we should get out of here.†Jeff unloaded on more monsters trying to get in his way. “The

Saint is the only one of us who can beat this.â€

 

Replacement knocked one of the monsters out of the way. He grabbed his leader and jumped out

of the window and headed for the street.