Chaos Calling, page 17
After a moment, Margo nods. “Kiss me.”
And he does, until the security guard taps on their window. He holds a pad of parking tickets up in warning.
Regret follows Jason into the terminal like the smell of Margo’s orchid perfume. I should have told her. What if something happens and I can’t get back for a while? He shakes his head. I’m starting to think like Anna. It’ll be fine.
With Pearson Airport still closed in Toronto and the news full of uncertainty, the terminal is emptier than Jason’s ever seen it. There’s no line at the check-in counter for domestic flights, but there’s a small queue at the security gate. I guess I’ll make my flight after all.
Snippets of Cantonese surround him as Jason joins the line. After concentrating for a moment on the conversations, he decides there’s an international flight leaving for Hong Kong. A glance at the departures board confirms his guess, but he feels no sense of satisfaction.
You’re embarrassing yourself, his mother used to say whenever he tried to puzzle his way through a sign or menu during their Chinatown lunches when he was an undergrad. I wasted so much money on those Saturday classes. I should send you the bill. He’d taken a few language courses as electives at the University of British Columbia, but neither he nor Anna learned to speak Cantonese to Chun-Mei’s satisfaction.
What would Mom think of this mess? Jason wonders, tugging his carry-on behind him. She’d want me to go home for Anna, no question. Would she want me to tell Margo? He considers his parents’ relationship—in which his father contentedly departed for the sanctity of his research lab and learned only the details that his mother chose to share about the twins’ day-to-day life at home—and sighs.
Ahead of him, a woman with a large-brimmed floppy hat and designer sunglasses turns to adjust a tag on her equally expensive luggage. She meets his eyes. Something in Jason’s face seems to give her pause because she smiles brightly and reaches out to pat his arm. “Don’t worry, honey,” she tells him in Cantonese. “The flight will be fine. You going home, too?”
“Yes,” Jason answers with his terrible accent, wishing his mother would be at the airport to greet him with a smile as warm as this stranger’s. “Guess I am.”
Chapter 18
Anna — Discovery
Toronto, ON: Wednesday, August 20
Anna gets onto the eastbound subway car at Keele Station. She slept terribly. Her injured leg is killing her, but she forces determination into her step. This morning, I’m going to find Walter Delal a new office, she tells herself as she eases her way onto a seat. Yesterday, between making lunch for the kids and talking to Dave and Malcolm, she’d managed to rebook all three office tours. He’s going to love one of those spaces. I’m going to close my first deal in a year.
The affirmation feels hollow in the alarmingly empty subway car. Normally, by the time rush-hour trains reach her stop, they’re jam-packed with commuters, parents schlepping kids to day camp, and teens working summer jobs. Six people? That’s it?
There’s a Metro newspaper folded on the seat beside her. Anna picks it up, skimming headlines. The centre spread is an aerial collage of the 400-series highways around Toronto, absolutely blocked with cars. Everyone with a cottage or vacation home is leaving the city. The streets closest to the SkyDome are still closed.
Crews are continuing to assess the surrounding buildings while identifying the bodies being unearthed in the rubble, she reads. Chief of Police Henry Montcalm refused to speculate on whether the attack was a one-off occurrence or a serious threat.
Anna bites her lower lip. Smart man not to take a public bet like that.
“He’s pretty decent at politics,” Dave agrees, taking the seat beside hers. “Lots of practice.”
Anna blinks. Outside the train’s windows, Ossington Station is disappearing in a blur of crimson and gray tiles. “Where’d you come from? Weren’t we supposed to meet on the platform?”
“Would you believe me if I said you’re an extremely loud thinker?” he asks and laughs when she smacks his arm. “How are you? How’s Malcolm?”
“Fine,” she says and then frowns. “Pretty tense, actually.”
“Mmm,” Dave says, one eyebrow raised. “Based on early data, I’d say getting called up to save the world seems to do that to a person.” He extends an arm, considering its lean muscle. Tall enough to play pro basketball, Dave moves with an easy grace that Anna’s always envied. “Do you think this whole tarkan thing is going to make Malcolm super jacked? Maybe I should become one, too. How does it work? I drop to my knees and pledge my undying—”
Anna shushes him, her eyes flicking around the car. “Don’t talk so loud.”
No one’s listening, Annie, says Dave, his eyes shining with mirth as his voice fills her head like she’s wearing invisible earphones. I’d know. He jerks his chin at the empty seats and says aloud, “People aren’t going downtown unless they have to. If they can, they’ll work from home.”
Anna rubs her neck, thinking of the bills. “I wouldn’t go either if we didn’t need the money.”
Gentleness sweeps over Dave’s face. “If things are tight, I can—”
“No.”
After his wild success with Rune, it seemed to Anna that she and Malcolm were the only friends from Dave’s Toronto circle who hadn’t found excuses to ask him for handouts or donations to their pet causes. He’d still showered their kids with presents and taken their families on a perfect vacation to St. Lucia while Chun-Mei was healthy enough to travel.
“I’m finding Walter a space for his venture firm today. We’ll be fine.”
“Sure,” Dave says, wearing the half grin that means he thinks she’s being ridiculous. He turns his head, surveying the car. “Did you check Facebook? The clubs were packed last night!”
“The people I know are too busy changing diapers to go clubbing,” Anna says, “even if the world’s ending.” She smiles, feeling herself surrendering to Dave’s ever-present need to cheer her up. “Don’t you find this whole thing weird? Xhen used to be our biggest secret. Telling Malcolm was so strange. I can’t imagine talking to my dad about it. How did Sarita take it?”
“Not well,” Dave answers. “She was crying in the kitchen this morning. Keeps saying she ‘did not raise me to die in a monster war.’” He shrugs. “We’re lucky Dad’s at work. There’s no way she would have kept it quiet.” He exhales, his fingers twitching as though he wants a cigarette.
Anna eyes his hand, remembering all the times that Dave’s dad nearly caught them neck-deep in mischief. “How do you think he’ll take it?”
“I’ll get bluster for the first half hour,” Dave says, and shrugs. “Has to be done. Ping me after you’re finished with Walter. We’ll find Malcolm, and Dad and I can talk while you two give your statements or whatever. Then we’ll go pick up Jay.”
“Assuming the police let us go.” Anna rolls her shoulders to release the tension gathering there. “It was good of Sarita to take the kids for us today. Thanks for that.”
“Oh, you owe me big time.” Her brother in all but blood gives her a wicked smile. “Mum’s going to get on my ass about grandchildren again.”
Anna snickers. Movement draws her eye as another passenger enters clutching a Toronto Sun newspaper. Her amusement dies. On its cover is a grainy photo of her in front of the SkyDome. who is she? the headline screams. Anna swallows. When she left the house that morning, Nancy Coleman had peered out at her through her living room window. It’s starting to feel like there’s a giant i killed the monsters: ask me how! sign floating over her head.
Dave follows her gaze. “That could be anyone,” he murmurs. “No one’s going to know it’s you.”
I hope you’re right. She glances at Dave, but he’s silent. Since her garage conversation with Malcolm, Dave doesn’t seem to hear the thoughts she wishes to keep private. Her internal weathervane with Malcolm is equally silent, perhaps because of the physical distance between them, or perhaps because he’s distracted with work. Either way, she misses his presence.
Anna lets Dave help her up as they change trains at St. George Station. The absence of riders is even more obvious on Line 1, which normally funnels suburban commuters into Toronto by the thousands. Relax, Anna tells herself. I’m going to show Walter the spaces, get him excited, and close the deal. I’ve done this hundreds of times. Take a cue from Dave. Be cool.
They ride two stops to Queen’s Park and surface into the early-morning humidity. Immediately, Anna spots Walter Delal talking on his phone as he paces the wide sidewalk outside the MaRS Discovery District, the city’s biggest entrepreneurship hub.
“Good morning,” he calls, ending his conversation to stride toward them. He’s dressed in a spotless linen suit. His matching silver cuff links and tie pin, adorned with enameled tiger heads, glitter in the sunlight against the deep blue of his shirt and the brilliant yellow of his tie. He sweeps his thick mane of silver-streaked hair back from his forehead before he wraps Dave in a back-slapping hug. “You’re looking well, Dave. I hear you owe Halina Mendes some paperwork.”
“Oh yeah?” Dave says, smiling, but there’s a flinty light in his eyes. “You two still talk often?”
“No, not very often,” Walter says easily. He turns to Anna and takes her hand, covering it with both of his. “And how are you, my dear?” He frowns. “You’re limping. What happened?”
“Oh, I had a little accident in my garage. No big deal.” Faced with his immaculate attire, Anna feels distinctly sweaty in her damp blouse and creased khakis. “Were you able to get to your sister’s home the other night?”
“Barely,” Walter says, turning to look south down University Avenue. Following his gaze, she spots crowd-control barricades in the distance blocking the street. “An awful night, I’m afraid.”
A memory surges, and for a moment, she’s standing over the skyworm, swinging her xhen axe at its head. Dave puts a hand on her shoulder, but it doesn’t help. Breathe, Anna tells herself. Just breathe. Close the deal, talk to the police, and get Jason. We’ll be ready when they come.
Walter sighs and turns to her, smiling. “We can’t let fear govern us, can we?”
“No,” Anna says, aware of Dave’s presence yet unsure how to draw him into the conversation. Focus on the client. “Do you still want office space in this area?”
“Wiser men than I have argued that the key to business is keeping your head when everyone else is losing theirs,” Walter answers. “And we must move. We’re bursting at the seams.”
“I need to walk,” Dave says. “You two have fun. Good to see you, Walt.” He catches Anna’s eye as the men shake hands. Text if you need me. I don’t know how close I have to be to hear you.
“All right,” Anna says as Dave heads toward the intersection and the University of Toronto campus on the northwest side. She forces a smile as she turns to Walter. “Just us.”
Walter sighs. “I shouldn’t have mentioned Halina.”
“He’ll get over it,” Anna says, checking her notebook as she steers Walter toward the building. “I have three office spaces to show you on University Avenue, but I think MaRS is the best fit.”
“And the Ontario government’s across the street.” Walter’s smile turns bemused. He gestures to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario building on the other side of College Street. “Didn’t Dave tell you? I’m raising another venture fund. I want the province to co-invest.”
Anna’s smile falters. It’s the sort of detail she prides herself on knowing about her clients. I’m here. That’s a win. “See and be seen,” she agrees, trying to shake off her unease. “Let’s find the facility manager, shall we?”
Inside, the building’s four-story lobby is deathly quiet. Glass ceilings and steel catwalks vault overhead, mixing the city’s craze for internationalist architecture with the original brick walls of the old Toronto General Hospital building. Anna scans the long atrium, which runs at varying heights for the entire block, and can’t spot a single person. The contrast to her previous visits—when hearing Dave speak or attending networking events—is so stark that her skin crawls.
The world has changed, whispers a small voice inside her. I can’t pretend otherwise.
Three hours is all I need, she tells herself, focusing on Walter as they find the manager and head for the elevators. They tour half a dozen available suites in the west tower, discussing how each space might be customized to meet Walter’s needs. As they walk, Anna finds herself glancing at the wide expanse of sky outside the tower’s floor-to-ceiling windows. As if on cue, her kidneys twinge. Muscle tension. Ignore it.
For their last stop, the facility manager brings them to a suite on the fourth floor. “I think you’ll like how they’ve used the space,” she says as they enter a stadium-sized boardroom. Plaques bearing an assortment of corporate logos line its walls like animal heads in a hunting den.
“Start-up incubator,” Walter murmurs with appreciation. He straightens his already-straight spine, eyes glowing as though pleased by how his own portfolio of companies compares to this one. “Yes, this is exactly the kind of space I need.”
“I knew you’d say that,” Anna lies. If he loves it, maybe we can skip the other locations. The manager leads Walter along corridors of white-on-white cubicles punctuated with lime green. Anna’s leg continues to ache, but she follows, feeling giddy. I can close this deal right now.
Movement flutters in the corner of her eye. Immediately, her back begins to burn. Anna’s eyes fly to the window. Kalos is there, beyond the glass wall. He beckons to her.
Not now! she shouts, as duty, old and new, pulls her head in two directions like the opposing poles of a magnet. Another twenty minutes and I’ll have it! But her teacher’s face is implacable.
“Excuse me a moment,” she murmurs to Walter. Instead of answering the siren call of xhen, Anna enters the cubical nearest the southwest corner window. She yanks the sunshade up.
Outside, Kalos waits on a large, flat, rail-less balcony. They come. Past him, University Avenue’s row of hospitals and the CN Tower shimmer in the rising August heat. Join me here.
“I can’t,” Anna whispers. Giddy and sickened, she reaches for her phone. “They’ll see!” Dave. Malcolm. I have to text them!
Your secrecy is at its end, child. Be inside that building when the skyworms attack and everyone with you is dead.
“Can I help you?” asks an unfamiliar voice.
Fumbling with her phone, Anna glances over her shoulder. She locks eyes with an irritated-looking blonde woman in a white blazer, blue T-shirt, and dark jeans. “Just a sec.” Anna opens her messaging app. “I need to send a text.” Dave, Dave, Dave.
“From my office?” The blonde lifts an eyebrow and steps closer, using her considerable height to loom over Anna as her smile thins.
Anna taps wildly at her keyboard. None of the words on the screen make any sense. Fucking autocorrect. Dave!
What? What’s happening?
Anna’s so shocked to hear his voice that she drops her phone. They’re coming! She scrambles under the desk to retrieve her device, wincing at the pain in her leg as she scurries out of the blonde’s proximity. MaRS building. Kalos is here. I’ll be on one of the lower roofs. Southwest corner. Tell Malcolm.
You got it.
Don’t be so excited, she admonishes. This is serious, Dave!
Perfectly serious. His gleeful smile is plain in his mental voice. It’s my city, too, Anna. You don’t get to be the only one who smashes monsters.
Walter’s looking at her strangely as she climbs to her feet, phone in hand. “Are you all right, Anna?” he asks. “You seem . . . distressed.”
“Hold this for me.” Anna shoves her phone into her purse and pushes the bag into his hands. “You need to get everyone out of the building.”
His wide brown eyes blink. “Pardon me?”
“The skyworms are attacking the city—all the towers, probably all of University Avenue. Get everyone out. Call 9-1-1.”
“Skyworms?” Walter echoes. “You mean those . . . Anna, you’re not making any sense.” He tries to give back her purse. “Shall I fetch you a glass of water?”
“Listen!” Anna drops her voice to a hiss, pulling Walter closer. The blonde regards them with curiosity. “The creatures that attacked the city are called skyworms. I killed three at the SkyDome. They will attack again in a matter of minutes. Get moving. Now.”
“Anna . . .” Walter begins. “I think you need to lie down—”
“No arguments,” Anna snaps. “You’re wasting time.” She pushes past the blonde, casting about for a heavy object, and settles with satisfaction on the woman’s office chair. It’s heavier than she expects, so she jerks it toward the large expanse of windows.
“Hey!” the woman protests. Bracing herself against the pain in her leg, Anna hefts the chair and slams it against the glass. It rebounds with a crash, doing no damage.
“What the hell, lady!” The blonde rushes her, pulling the chair away. Heads rise above the low cubical walls. Walter and the facility manager continue to stand there, doing nothing, as the blonde shoves her chair back under her desk. The woman rounds on Anna, fury blazing in her blue eyes, and raises her voice. “Someone call security before this woman destroys our office!”
Anna’s eyes flick between the confused faces. Useless! She spots a fire alarm over Walter’s shoulder and pulls the switch, imploring him one last time. “You’re in charge, Walter. Get them out!” She raises her voice over the blaring alarm, meeting the blonde’s eyes. “Everyone out!”
Now, child.
“I know!” Anna grasps xhen. Waves of energy rise through her skin and her white blouse, their ocean blue startling under the fluorescent lights.
Walter drops her purse.
A terrible roar shakes the building, lighting Anna’s spine with a now-familiar ache. Glass implodes along the tower’s south and west walls. Anna casts xhen in a wide, shallow arc, protecting as many people as she can. Despite her frantic efforts, screams fill the air. She doesn’t turn to see if Walter is hit. She can’t. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Hurry, Dave!
