Chapter 648

Well.

There was no chance any of those people were still alive.

At this point, Evenson suspected they were lucky if enough of them remained to make a decent handful of ashes.

After discussing the incident at length, however, Evenson and the Eredar twins came to the same conclusion.

This might have been a misunderstanding.

Or, more accurately, an accident.

One of those accidents where figuring out who was actually at fault was going to be a nightmare.

Everyone already knew the building was protected by an extensive magical defense system. The structure itself had been reinforced, naturally, but that was only the beginning. The building was riddled with dimensional anchors, layered with spatial seals, and equipped with several areas capable of being instantly shifted into pocket dimensions.

Then there were the more than two hundred monsters the Eredar twins had casually released throughout the place.

A defense system that enormous required an equally enormous supply of magical energy.

Where did that energy come from?

The twins themselves?

Obviously not.

If there was a perfectly good source of free magic sitting right beneath their feet, why waste their own power?

New York was one of Earth’s three major magical nexuses. Vast quantities of magical energy constantly surged through the planet’s ley lines beneath the city, making it an ideal source for powering a defensive network.

Kamar-Taj’s New York Sanctum had gotten there first and occupied the best location on the ley line.

That didn’t matter.

The twins had a solution.

A magical energy-gathering array.

One properly designed array could accomplish what several conventional arrays couldn’t. By subtly altering the flow of the ley lines, the twins could redirect more of the available magical energy toward their own building.

It was an extremely sophisticated form of magical power theft.

At first, it worked beautifully.

The Eredar twins had plenty of power, and their defenses ran at full capacity.

The New York Sanctum, meanwhile, began experiencing something very similar to a brownout.

Eventually, the Ancient One personally came to discuss the problem with the twins.

Unfortunately, anyone familiar with the Eredar twins knew exactly how that conversation was going to go.

The New York magical nexus wasn’t something the Ancient One had created.

Why should she be the only one allowed to use it?

Yes, the twins were siphoning off magical energy.

So what?

Had the Sanctum paid for the electricity?

If they wanted to argue about it, the twins were perfectly prepared to bring out the Constitution, call their lawyers, and determine whether stealing magic could legally be classified as theft.

The Ancient One’s response had been considerably simpler.

She wasn’t telling them they couldn’t use the ley line.

She was telling them to stop cutting the Sanctum’s power cables.

Sharing was fine.

Taking the entire pot wasn’t.

The Ancient One had apparently gone so far as to complain about the condition of her disciples.

To keep the Sanctum functioning, they’d stopped using some of its auxiliary enchantments. Apparently, they’d reached the point where they couldn’t even turn on their cooling spells during the summer.

When the Ancient One had stepped through a portal into the Sanctum, she’d briefly wondered whether the place had been converted into a bathhouse.

Eventually, the twins had relented.

They were generous like that.

Since the Ancient One had personally come to speak with them, they couldn’t exactly refuse her request.

They adjusted the energy-gathering array.

From then on, both sides would share the ley line.

Everyone would benefit.

Naturally, there was an unspoken part to the agreement.

You’re lucky we can’t kill you.

You’re lucky we can’t beat you.

Neither side had any desire to test that particular boundary.

So, with smiles and diplomatic pleasantries, the leaders of Earth’s Eredar Warlock community and Kamar-Taj’s magical order reached an agreement.

A new era of harmonious cooperation had begun.

Everyone was happy.

Mostly.

The problem was that even after the twins adjusted the array, the disturbance they’d already caused to the ley lines couldn’t simply be undone.

From the moment the magical array had first been completed, the New York Sanctum and the twins’ building had developed a peculiar spatial overlap.

Which meant that anyone who didn’t know what they were doing and attempted to teleport directly to the New York Sanctum had a very real chance of ending up inside the twins’ building instead.

"This is bad."

Evenson scratched his head.

"Siphoning magical power was one thing. Now we’ve accidentally started killing people."

He looked increasingly troubled.

"Fifty people came here. More than twenty of them died inside the building without leaving so much as a corpse. Knowing the Ancient One, she’s not going to let that go."

"Why worry?"

The twins were completely unconcerned.

"At worst, we’ll have another argument with her. Neither side can really do anything to the other."

Evenson rolled his eyes.

"Of course you aren’t worried. What about me?"

He pointed at himself.

"Never mind the rest. Claire is one of her people. If things get too ugly between the two sides, how exactly am I supposed to deal with that?"

He imagined the possibilities.

What if the Ancient One decided to make an example of Claire and confined her to Kamar-Taj?

What if she simply refused to let Claire come see him?

Was Evenson supposed to storm Kamar-Taj and drag his girlfriend out?

The whole idea of fighting one’s way into a future in-law’s house to steal back one’s wife sounded romantic in stories.

In reality, it was an excellent way to make everyone’s life miserable.

Claire’s relationship with her family wouldn’t disappear just because Evenson had a problem with them.

And if she stood on her family’s side and encouraged him to fight them?

What kind of idiot would marry that woman?

Evenson was still wrestling with the problem when Oleses shrugged.

"It’s not entirely our fault."

She folded her arms.

"Normally, when a mage miscalculates their teleportation coordinates, the building’s defensive enchantments simply repel them. The teleportation fails."

She gestured toward the ruined bathroom.

"These people were different."

"I checked the magical system’s records afterward. They attempted to teleport here multiple times. The defenses threw them back every single time."

Oleses looked almost incredulous.

"They were practically getting their faces smashed in, yet instead of realizing they’d entered the wrong coordinates and recalibrating, they started searching for a weakness in our defenses."

She spread her hands.

"They finally found one and charged straight through."

"They got their heads smashed to pieces."

A pause.

"How exactly is that our fault?"

Evenson frowned.

Something wasn’t right.

The changes to New York’s ley lines meant that careless teleportation could result in exactly this kind of accident. The Ancient One should have warned Kamar-Taj about the problem.

Even the most stubborn mage should have figured out something was wrong after being rejected by the defenses twice.

So why had these people kept trying?

Were they not actually Kamar-Taj disciples?

Perhaps they were some kind of independent students.

Did Kamar-Taj even have something like that?

And if they did, surely those people would have received the same warning.

Unless...

They were former students who’d been expelled.

That was possible.

Expelled disciples probably wouldn’t receive internal warnings.

But did Kamar-Taj actually have any renegades?

Evenson groaned.

This was what happened when a man had been too cheap to see the movies properly in his previous life.

Ryan Mercer had always been a dedicated gamer, but when it came to movies, he’d insisted on waiting for the downloadable version.

Then he’d gotten picky.

No low-resolution copies.

No questionable recordings.

Only the good stuff.

And somehow he’d managed not to see the movie at all.

Even if he’d watched it, he probably wouldn’t remember every detail years later.

Still, there was a difference between having a hazy memory and knowing almost nothing about Kamar-Taj beyond what he’d picked up from trailers.

Evenson rubbed his temples.

His brain hurt.

Then the office doorbell rang.

"Moira. Mission complete. I’m here to give my report."

Evenson sighed.

"Come in."

Whatever was going on with the teleportation incident could wait.

He wasn’t getting anywhere by thinking about it right now.

The door didn’t open immediately.

There was a brief pause.

Then the handle slowly turned.

Moira entered carefully.

She wasn’t being timid.

She was being sensible.

She knew enough about the relationship between the three people who ran the company to understand what a locked office at this hour might imply.

It was better to give them a few seconds.

The last thing she needed was to walk in at the wrong moment and see something she definitely wasn’t supposed to see.

Fortunately, when she entered, Evenson and the Eredar twins were sitting across from each other fully dressed.

No suspicious atmosphere.

No awkward situation.

Nothing.

Moira quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Her decision to wait outside had clearly been the correct one.

A little preparation time had done wonders.

"What happened?" Evenson asked, his attention only half on her.

"Kilgrave has been dealt with."

Moira nodded.

"His body is downstairs."

She paused.

"If you’d like to inspect it, I’ll need a little time to clean and stitch him up first. Otherwise, the sight may be unpleasant."

"Eh. Don’t bother."

Evenson waved the idea away.

There were only so many ways a dead person could look.

As a Warlock, he’d certainly seen worse.

But there was an important distinction between not being afraid of something and wanting to look at it.

You could be completely unafraid of a pile of garbage and still have no desire to stick your face into it and take a deep breath.

Moira relaxed once she realized he wasn’t going to inspect the corpse.

She’d been worried he might recognize Kilgrave as the man who had been shot near him that day, especially given how close the bullet had come to Evenson.

"Otherwise, the mission was completed according to your instructions."

Moira continued.

"Jessica Jones and Luke Cage have also agreed to become our informants."

"Good."

That was useful.

The street-level superhuman community was a small world.

Having people inside it would give Blackwatch a valuable source of information.

"How did 76’s testing go?"

Evenson asked.

"All abilities performed within expectations."

Moira hesitated.

"However, his psychological evaluation was less satisfactory."

Evenson’s expression sharpened.

"When he enters combat mode, the microcomputer controlling him allows him to execute orders with absolute coldness and efficiency. Under my orders, he subjected Kilgrave to severe torture."

"But once he exited combat mode, his thinking changed."

Moira frowned.

"When I told him that I intended to continue experimenting on Kilgrave, he killed him instead."

Evenson leaned back.

"Did those two mental states directly contradict each other?"

He didn’t particularly care whether Kilgrave’s death had been painless.

What concerned him was Soldier: 76’s psychological stability.

If the man believed everything he did in combat mode was completely justified, only to question himself immediately afterward, that kind of contradiction could eventually tear him apart.

"Not severely."

Moira shook her head.

"Though the nature of this particular subject may have influenced the result."

On the way back, she’d asked 76 how he’d felt about what he’d done to Kilgrave.

His answer had been simple.

Considering the man’s crimes, he had no regrets.

He believed Kilgrave deserved it.

"Still..."

Moira hesitated.

"This may be overstepping, but I wouldn’t recommend recruiting him into Blackwatch."

Evenson looked at her.

"No matter how ruthless that computer can make him in combat, his underlying nature is still that of a good man."

She folded her arms.

"He may not be able to adapt to our missions. Worse, he could become an obstacle."

"My opinion is almost the exact opposite."

Evenson smiled.

"He’s a good man."

He leaned back.

"And that’s exactly what Blackwatch needs."

Moira’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"You want him to be our conscience?"

Her thoughts raced.

Blackwatch operated in secrecy and rarely faced interference from other departments. Perhaps Evenson wanted someone with strong principles inside the organization to keep them from crossing certain lines.

A safeguard.

A moral anchor.

"No."

Evenson immediately shook his head.

"You don’t need a conscience."

He smiled faintly.

"Besides, if the boss doesn’t have one, how could his employees possibly be expected to?"

Moira blinked.

Evenson continued.

"I simply think someone like him is perfect for appearances."

"Let him operate in the light."

He gestured casually.

"He can give Blackwatch a respectable public image. As long as everyone sees that bright, heroic face standing in front of the organization, you’ll have a lot more freedom to operate in the shadows."

Moira’s lips curled into a small smile.

A shadow moving beneath the protection of the light.

The arrangement suited her perfectly.

With that shield around them, Blackwatch would have far fewer constraints.

Boom.

A dull impact suddenly rolled through the building.

It sounded distant.

Very distant.

Evenson looked toward the window.

The water in his glass trembled, tiny ripples spreading across the surface.

"An earthquake?"

He tilted his head.

That wasn’t particularly concerning.

Even if half of New York collapsed, this building wasn’t going anywhere.

Neither was his little shop.

Then Evenson looked through the glass wall of the top-floor office.

The distant sky was glowing red.

Something was burning.

No.

That wasn’t a fire.

That was an explosion.

"Around that direction..."

Evenson calculated the distance and direction.

"That’s Hell’s Kitchen."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Whatever happened, it was pretty damn big."

"Hmm."

Evenson thought for a moment.

Then he looked at Moira.

"Call 47."

He nodded toward the phone.

"Ask him what happened over there."