aItas all right, Ivy. Iam just glad they give you guys plastic cups. No, really. I was just getting up anyway. Was there something you wanted?a Ivy looked at her blankly. aOh, yeah. But I forget.a aMaybe youall remember later. Iall be over there.a She indicated the bar, which she walked toward, working her way around a pack of people who had jammed themselves in front of it, reminding her of a herd of cows clumped together in front of the feeding trough.
She leaned on the bar, waiting to get the bartenderas attention, tapping her money card against the plastic-coated wood. It did not surprise her when a softer, older male voice spoke somewhere in the vicinity of her left ear.
aPack animals, arenat we?a it said.
She twisted around and regarded the man who had been staring at her.
aSome of us are,a she said.
aAnd every once in a while you find someone whoas not,a he commented, letting his gaze slide up her long legs, her slim torso, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
aI like your opening line,a she said. aWhatas next?a He laughed, and tossed back the remainder of his drink. aNothing half so impressive. Just a little chatter. My name, then your name. What you like to do, what I like to do. Your job, my job. That sort of thing.a aAnd then?a He took in a slow breath and put his empty gla.s.s down on the bar next to her. aI buy you a drink. Or I offer to.a aSo far so good. Anything elsea"or just more chatter and an exchange of phone numbers.a He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then turned to look around the room. aYou wouldnat know it from in here, but thereas a pretty moon tonight.a aIs there? And does that signify?a aI think it does to you, Jaguar,a he said.
She would be d.a.m.ned if she would let him see her surprised. She smoothed her face, and let her gaze run from the top of his head to his shoes. It was in the vicinity of his belt that she saw the transmitter and the sensor, both army style.
s.h.i.t, she thought. A brat. That was what she and Alex called army. Brats. And he knew her name. She saw no weapon, but he could have something small and interesting palmed. The army did like its toys.
aHow do you know my name?a she asked.
He laughed again. aThat gaggle of gigglers at the other end of the bar. I saw them wave to you, so I went and talked to them. They told me all about their a.s.signment.a He raised a finger and ran it down the side of her cheek. aI like it. Shows style. By the way, my nameas Phil.a aNice to meet you, Phil,a she replied, taking a very small step back. He was cute, but he was also army.
aHow about a walk in the moonlight?a he asked. aIam sure your students wouldnat miss you.a aBut, Phil, you havenat even done the chatter part of the evening, much less the part about buying me a drink,a she said disapprovingly.
aWe could skip it. Or, we could do the chatter under the moon and the drink a little later.a aI donat think Iam interested,a she said, and turned back to the bar.
A hand on her shoulder told her he wasnat taking it well. She shrugged it off, twisted her neck around to face him, and said again, aIam not interested.a As she turned, she could see Glen and another young man she didnat know watching from across the dining area. They seemed fascinated by the interaction, and she wondered if they had bets on what would happen next.
aHey,a the man said, ait was just an idea. I donat intend to push it if it feels that heavy.a aThatas good,a she said, and grabbed the bartender as he soared past her, ordering another Guinness, which he brought to her promptly. When she turned to find her way back to her seat, Phil was blocking her way. Across the bar, Glen nudged his friend and whispered something behind his hand. Great, Jaguar thought. What an example to set. In the corner to their right, she saw Katia staring openly, eyes wide with something that might have been anger. Anger?
No, she thought. Must be misreading that one. Katia never got angry. Then she saw that behind Glen was another man, tall and broad and blond, attending to her and Phil. She ran her eyes down his outfit, and saw the same sensor, the same transmitter at his belt.
And as she saw this, Phil reached over with his left hand and grabbed her by the wrist.
She didnat pull back, but only looked down at his right hand, cupped loosely open, and realized that she had approximately three more seconds to call this one. Did he have a stunner in his hand, and would he take her out of here unconscious, or was it all her paranoia? His grip tightened.
She called it.
Pressing the b.u.t.ton at her wrist, she released the blade into the palm of her own hand and brought it slicing down the inside of his arm. Sleeve and skin parted like water, and he released her with a small cry of surprise rather than pain. It would take a few seconds before the blood appeared and he felt the rending of tissue. She sidestepped around him and would have been out of his way except for a very sodden studenta"not her owna" who stood swaying and leering directly in front of her.
Behind the student, Philas friend had planted himself.
She pushed at the semiconscious young man, who stumbled and knocked against Philas friend. As he fell, he reached out and grasped her shoulder, almost bringing her down, and causing some commotion around her. At this point Glen waxed chivalrous and shouted, aHeya"leggo my teacher,a as he came rumbling across the room like a heavy storm.
Drinks were put in pause between tables and lips while heads turned her way. By this time Glen reached her, pulled back his meaty arm, and swung.
The punch landed.
aWhat the f.u.c.k is this?a someone shouted.
aMind your own f.u.c.king business,a someone else shouted back. Jaguar slipped her position and found a place to stand away from the possibility of entrapment, remembering to take her Guinness with her.
When she could turn and watch, she saw that Phil was down and out, but his friend was still punching, and Glen was punching back. Taquana had jumped his back and was pummeling it soundly, but another young woman she didnat know was trying to pull her down.
aOdd,a Jaguar commented to her brew, aI wonder if she knows Phil.a Checking the young womanas outfit, she saw the standard army belt. She sighed. They were after her.
Taquana seemed to grow tired of being pulled at, and jumped off the manas back to turn on the young woman, ripping with gusto at her blond hair. She came up waving a handful and howling gleefully to her friends, who were trying to make their way across the floor, which had gotten slippery with spilled beer. Selica got there first and rammed the blonde in the back with a head b.u.t.t sufficient to bring her to her knees.
It was then that the pileup began in earnest.
Jaguar took a long draw off her Guinness and considered what she ought to do next.
She saw that most of her studentsa"or the parts of them she could distinguisha"were taking joyous part in the fracas. Peripherally, she saw Steve trying to hustle Katia to the door, and Katia resisting. That figured. She supposed shead get in trouble for this, but right now she was primarily concerned that her students come out relatively unscathed, and who could tell what other weapons might appear in the now bar-wide struggle?
And then she heard the call.
Old friend, running to her.
Her skin tingled as she was pulled into the energy of the chant-shape, its power filling her, taking her over.
Now? she asked. Here?
But what choice did she have?
She relaxed. Breathed in beyond the din of Rank music combined with howls, screams, and hoots, breathed in to the s.p.a.ce where events flowed around her and were not part of her, taking a moment, she welcomed her friend. She let go of herself and let herself be all of who she was.
In the bar everyone simultaneously experienced the distinct impression of a presence not normally a.s.sociated with a bar fight. They heard the growl, saw the flashing eyes, felt the hot breath, the pulsing heart, the body in motion.
In a click of time all fighting ceased in surprise and fear.
aJesus, Mary, and Joseph,a someone whispered reverently.
Then it was gone. Whatever they saw receded into shadow, but the momentum of the fight was lost, and the security people from campus opened the door and looked around.
aOkay,a one said. aWhatas the problem?a Jaguar walked over to him to try to explain.
Planetoid Three, Toronto Replica aWho is it?a Rich Forrest asked sullenly and groggily. He glanced at his bedside clock, noted the time was very latea"or early in the morning, depending how you looked at it.
A voice barked at him on the other end of his line, and he sat up. aYes, sir. Iam listening.a He absorbed the information, processed the questions. aNo, sir. I didnat give any instructions to take her. Of course not, sir. Iam following the agenda.a He listened more. Fools. Idiots. But so was Durk, for putting nonintelligence people in the project at all.
aAll right, sir. I can meet you at 0900. Will he be there, too?a No, of course he wouldnat. He stayed out of it, and took care of his own business.
Rich nodded, agreed again, prepared to sign off. But there was one more thing. He listened more.
aAa"what, sir?a Durk repeated his words.
aNo, sir,a he said definitively. aI have no idea what would cause that. Maybea"nerves?a Durkas voice rambled something to him, but he barely heard it. He was still chewing on the last sentence.
The three people a.s.signed to Jaguar all swore they had been attacked by a great black cat.
9.
aBUT, DR. ADDAMS, YOU CANaT POSSIBLY expect these students to create their own learning in aa" in a bar, can you?a Jaguar regarded Emily coolly. aActually, thatas where they learn most of what they know. About how to be in the world. About how to be. And the legal drinking age in your state is eighteen, isnat it?a aEmily,a Ethan said, aitas quite all right. Really it is. Iave spoken with Jaa"Dr. Addams about University liability in these matters, and she understands the difficulty of our position when trying innovative pedagogies. It wonat happen again, Iam sure.a aNo,a Jaguar said, ait wonat. Theyave learned what I wanted them to learn from the experience, and weall be moving into a new study unit.a aWhat?a Emily asked.
Jaguar shrugged. aWe have other material to cover.a Emily began to look shocked, then turned grim. She stood and smoothed down her skirt, moved toward the door. aI guess I was foolish to expect better from you,a she said. Then, to Ethan, aSee you around seven?a He nodded, smiled. She returned the smile and left. After she was gone, Jaguar tried to suppress her grin, but gave it up when Ethan threw his head back and laughed long and loud.
aJaguar,a he said when head recovered himself, ayou really shouldnat torment her so. What has she ever done to you, after all?a aIam just telling her the truth,a Jaguar insisted.
Ethan wiped at his eyes. aYouare a wicked woman, but I suppose you know that. And in all seriousness, you must not bring your students to bars anymore. Or toa" well, what would be worse? To strip joints, or to cybers.e.x houses. If thereas anything else, I canat think of it offhand, but you get the idea, donat you?a aI believe I do. By the way, do I need to do the honorable thing with Emily and explain that I have no designs on you? Or did you take care of that after I left?a aI wouldnat lie to her, Jaguar,a he said. aI was hoping we could try another dinner. Soon.a She opened her mouth to answer, not sure whether she was about to accept or decline, when a tap on the door interrupted them, and Samitu stuck his head in the door. aGiving boxing lessons, Dr. Addams? Rumor has ita"a aRumor has it sheas a karate expert hidden among us to make bad martial-arts films, Samitu. Is there something you wanted?a Samitu chuckled, and waved a hand. aI just wanted to see if she had any bruises or whatnot.a aNot her. Better check the opponent, though. For signs of life.a He ducked back out, still chuckling, and Jaguar turned her hands palm up. aI suppose Iall never live it down,a she said.
aNever. It is now inscribed in University legend.a And in student legend, too. Theyad shown up at her office en ma.s.se that morning, to work off the lingering adrenaline.
aDid you see Glen?a Jesse kept saying until she listened. aDid you see him? I mean, he just went for the guy, and the guy went down.a aI saw him, Jesse. Glad I did, too.a Glen had flushed from forehead to neck and probably, though she couldnat see, beyond. aThat guy was a real a.s.shole, Dr. A,a he mumbled. She had to agree.
aGlen, h.e.l.l,a Selica had retorted. aDid you see Taquana dancing around with that hunk of hair in her hand? I swear, sheas making a trophy out of it.a Jaguar kept waiting for one of them to talk about the moment when something large and startling had appeared to stop the fight cold. Not one of them said a word. Either it had faded from their memories, or they were embarra.s.sed to mention it. Whichever it was, she was relieved.
aWell,a the dean said, athe important thing is that no one was hurt.a aOf course.a She rose to leave, and as she did so, he held up a finger to halt her. aWaita"are you aware that the rumors of the incident include reports of a very odd phenomenon?a She shook her head. aWhat do you mean?a aI heard from a student that what stopped the fight was the intrusion of a large black panther running in their midst.a Jaguar raised her eyebrows. aI thought serving hallucinogens at bars wasnat legal anymore.a Ethan turned his eyes up to her, and said nothing.
aWho reported that?a she asked.
aSteven,a he said. aAnd Katia.a aDo they always act as your eyes and ears?a she asked.
His face went tight, and then he smoothed it out. aYou know nothing of this,a he said.
Not asking. Telling.
aNothing. Maybe itas just hysteria, and given my nameaa He rubbed a finger up and down his nose thoughtfully. aYes. Of course. But these rumors, once started, are most difficult to quash.a Jaguar moved toward the door of his office, then turned to speak before she left. aIam sure,a she said, ayouall do what you can to take care of it.a aJaguar,a he said. aDinner again?a She smiled. aSoon,a she said, and slipped out the door.
She left Ethanas office and made her way toward the library, where she hoped to serve the dual purpose of hiding and getting some research done. She was continually greeted by faculty who never bothered to raise their heads in her presence before. Shead attracted attention to herself now, and shead have to live with the consequences. As she entered the library, she felt a large hand descend on her shoulder, and instinctively she grasped it hard at the wrist. A deep rumble of laughter was the response. She turned and saw Leonard. She relinquished her hold.
aSorry,a he said. aI should know better than to do thata"especially today. Surviving the aftermath?a aOh, Leonard. Itas good to see your face, at least.a And though she didnat know why, it was. Something comforting about him. Something solid and real, and suddenly she felt starved for that. aIam surviving, but my reputation is shot to h.e.l.l.a He grinned, and stuck his hands in the pockets of his down parka. aThatas good. Now you donat have to worry about it anymore. So you wanna talk about it?a aNot much to say. Rowdy kids. Flying beers.a He let his eyes focus in hers. aI thought you were gonna walk soft. Low profile and so on.a Keep it light, she told herself. He knows more about you than you want him to. More than he should. Donat show him more.
She tried on a grin. aNot my path, I guess. Iam going upstairs to look up a few references.a He gave a quick nod. aIall come along, if you donat mind.a He regarded her solemnly while she thought of different ways she could get rid of him, then gave it up. He came from a family of stubborn people. She knew the look. He was sticking, and she might as well get used to it.
They ascended the stairs and she turned toward the computer bank that carried abstracts and reviews of articles.
aWhatad you need?a Leonard asked.
aFuneral rituals,a she said. She chose a computer and Leonard found a spot at an empty computer next to her and stood leaning against the table as he watched her work.
aDavidson,a she requested. aEtiquette of Empaths.a aThought you were doing funeral rites,a he said as he watched.
aLeonard,a she said, aI donat know what the h.e.l.l Iam doing and thatas the truth.a He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, aI can see this,a he commented.
The t.i.tle appeared on the screen, and she flipped through chapters until she got to the section that she apparently wanted.
aTzok-ol,a Leonard muttered over her shoulder. She ignored him and read.
The theft of empathic gifts remains a danger throughout the time it takes the spirit to pa.s.s entirely from the body. The Mertec name this soul theft, and their funerals guard against it. When a shaman dies, for instance, drumming and singing must continue for twenty-four hours after death.
There is speculation among scientists who study psi capacities that it is possible to transfer empathic gifts from a living empath through the use of esper or telekinetic reading. How this would affect an empath is unknown, though Mertec tradition indicates that the practice is potentially deadly.
aEsper,a Jaguar muttered, staring at the screen, aand telekinesis.a A form of reading. Easy for people with the touching arts. They run their fingers over the right parts, and read it. Stay open if they want to take it in. Her hand moved, and pushed the off b.u.t.ton. She continued to stare at the screen.
aEsper and telekinesis,a Leonard said. aThatas a lot different from chant-shaping.a She twisted around to face him. aWhy do you know so much about me?a she demanded.
He surprised her by laughing in response. aWhat? Did I say something funny?a aNo. Not really. Itas just that if you put a thousand people right here in your place, not one of them would ask that question. Theyad all want to know how I know. Not why.a aI asked the right question,a she said quietly. aWhy do you know so much about me?a He didnat hesitate. aBecause of Katia,a he said. aYouare gonna help her. So Iam told.a She ran her hands roughly through her hair. She knew what that meant. Head had a vision to ask for her help. But she wasnat doing anything blind. Not here. aThat needs explanation.a aYeah,a he said. aI guess it does. You understand I donat have the complete picture, though.a She understood. Shead worked with an Adept for the last six years. aGive me what you can,a she said.
He sighed. aSheas in a tangle. Doesnat want to be what she is. You know what she is, right?a She gave him a neutral look, and he continued. aSheas an empath, and sheas scared. Somebodyas scared her, and I donat know who, because she wonat talk about it.a He stretched his hands out in front of him in a gesture that was familiar to her. Empaths did that when they were trying to remember what their hands had taught them in some encounter.
aWhatas it to you?a she asked. aWhyare you involved?a He blinked at her. aBecause Iam here,a he said.
s.h.i.t, she thought. He expected her to say the same. But she would not get involved, and didnat know that she could trust this man, even though she kept acting like she could.
aIam not in a position to help anyone,a she said coolly. aYou asked why they sent me here, and the truth is I was sent by people who want to punish me. Maybe even get rid of me.a aYeah,a he said. aLike my great-grandfather got put in prison. And youare all p.i.s.sed off about it. Especially at your supervisor, since thereas no secret what you did for him. But youare here now, and you never know where your work is until you get there, do you?a He let that sit in the air for a while, and she figured he knew that he was echoing Mertec philosophy. Keep walking. Your work is wherever you find it. He continued speaking.
aAll kinds of people came to old Leonardas funeral. My grandmother told me about it. She said she didnat know most of them, but they all knew about Leonard Peltier. Some of them said he saved their lives. Said he was an inspiration, because he chose to stay alive, keep doing his work, even in prison. He didnat have to do that, but he did. He kept faith in faithless moments, they said, and that kept them alive. Just sitting in prison, he kept people alive.a Leonard was quiet, and Jaguar let the story settle in.
aNow that youare here, whatare you gonna do?a he asked.
She looked away from him. What would she do? Shead chosen that when she accepted the chant-shape. She would take the ride and hope for the best. Beyond that, she hadnat a clue.
aWhen someone tells me the answer to that,a she said, aIall probably be the second person to know.a Planetoid Three, Toronto Replica Bradas bright young visage on Alexas telecom screen looked amused.
aA brawl, sir. In a bar,a he said. aIave been trying to get you since yesterday. I didnat want to relay the message secondhand.a Alex wiped a hand over his face. Brad thought it imperative to use the telecom for this. The line was easier to secure than e-mail, and he wanted personal delivery on it. Alex understood why.
aGive me the particulars,a he said.
Brad hesitated. aYouare secure?a he asked.
aI am.a aOkay. There were brats involved. I spotted three.a Brats. Their word for army. Three of them. Alex nodded. aWhat else?a Brad looked a little chagrined, an unusual expression for him. It took a lot to knock him off his boat, which had a very even keel. aI didnat stick until the end,a he said carefully, aso I didnat see this, but everyoneas talking about it.a aTalking about what?a aThereas some rumor that a cat came in.a aA cat,a Alex repeated.
aA big cat,a Brad said. aLike, a panther. Some of them think it was a shadow. Others say they felt its breath.a A big cat, his mind repeated to him. In a barroom brawl. With Jaguar. He chewed on this thick piece of meat for a while.
Jaguar in bar brawls with brats. Big cats wandering bars. Big cats wandering his apartment. He tried out a variety of interpretations for these events, and found that only one would fit. He just couldnat believe shead be doing it.
She was chant-shaping. She was walking in her power.
In a bar brawl, for G.o.das sake.
Maybe shead finally gone mad, after all. But he knew that when she appeared most off center, she was actually spinning directly toward some hidden goal. But what goal, and why?
This art, one he did not share with her, was the one that most defied description, and perhaps the most carefully protected by the few people who used it. Those who chant-shaped were calling on their essential being, pulling something from another energy level into this one. It was an energy undiluted, unbounded by s.p.a.ce and time, surfacing from unsounded depths, and curling itself to the contours of matter. To use it required a willingness to give yourself over totally, relinquishing all notions of control, and the strength to bear up under a fierce and unwavering core of energy, direct from the realm of the spirits.
It would feed you. It could eat you. It was Jaguaras art.