Black Mirror

Chapter 16 - Mad About You

***FIONNA***

So it's true.

Light scrivs can use their powers to taze you.

And no wonder Kensi wouldn't test it out on me when I begged her to do so. If Alex's face from being on the receiving end of this is anything to go by, it's absolute agony. Well, that and the way he falls, limp even when all his muscles are too seized up with excess voltage to move. Next thing we know, he's got ugly scrapes all over the right side of his face.

Gabe and I are the first to run out into the woods, following the comet-like trail left behind by that scriv's light Taser. Its source is perched on an outcropping, not even bothering to camouflage himself. He's wearing a lightweight armored wingsuit just like the one I've got on. Wait, I thought I had the one and only prototype. Or am I just assuming?

Whoever he is - I think he's a guy based on the shape of his body, but I can't see his face because he's masked like an Imperial Deathtrooper - he's a demon like me and Gabe, I bet. Which makes me wonder - how does he have light owers? And why the sudden explosion of people in the Second with dual powers? Harris, Dana Jackson's scriv...and this guy, who sees us coming and removes his mask.

Yes, he's a dude. Actually a cute one, too, with red hair en brosse, as the French would say. "Oh, I'm sorry," he says in an inappropriately cheerful voice. "Was that your friend? I didn't mean to hit him-"

He falls silent as Gabe roughly hoists him to his feet. "That was my brother."

"Even worse, then." Deathtrooper hangs his head. "Look, obviously your brother wasn't the target-"

I sneeze. For real. It's not the most conventional way to interrupt a guy, but I'll take it, because it shuts our new friend up quickly. "Why the hell were you targeting anyone to begin with?"

"Not just anyone. Ariel Mazouz."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Gabe mimes a motormouth with his hand. "We get it, he's the FBI's Most Wanted-"

"No, we're the TAD." Gabe and I both look at our friend blankly, and he pulls a leather wallet off his belt, revealing standard law-enforcement type badge. "Agent Simon Penner, Temporal Activity Division."

"TAD," I repeat, emphasizing each letter.

"Is that why Russell said 'tadpole business?'" Gabe asks.

Penner winces. "Russell's little joke. Honestly, if not for his parents being in charge of our organization once upon a time, he wouldn't be allowed to do half the shit he does." He looks down at the cave entrance below, where everyone, in our absence, is busy arguing - and, in Alex's case, getting a hand from Kelly as she helps him to his feet. He's not looking so steady, though. "At least today, we can start putting a stop to Russell doing that shit with such impunity."

"Hey, I don't much like the guy either," Gabe says sharply, "but if you're gonna count us guilty by association-"

"Without him, Holly would've won the war." I want to appeal to Penner's good nature - he's got to have one, right? "Would you rather be working for that fascist?"

"I wouldn't anyway," Penner counters. "Remember, he wanted to marginalize us Primers. Uh, you two are Primers too, right?"

"Explain then why you have a scriv power when you're a demon."

"How'd you know?"

I extend my wings, feeling my street clothes loosen while the wings expand the fabric just a bit. "You're not even hiding your full armor."

Penner's own wings flutter. "Did Harlan give you that too?"

"Seems he made more of these things than I thought." Note to self: have a word with Harlan later about whom he wants to do business with. Unless Russell beats me to it, which I bet he will. "But that's not important. You-"