The People v. Eleanor Warwick

It almost happens in slow motion.

Eleanor has no idea what she’s going to do when she steps through the door. Even as the police officers drop their coffee and draw their weapons, she still isn’t certain. It isn’t until her eyes meet the frosty brown gaze of Evelyn Grey, that she knows what he has to do, and in a weird kind of way, she’s going to enjoy it.

Pushing both palms forward, a burst of invisible force ripples through the blockade. The equivalent of hurricane force winds shove the officers to the ground.

Grey drops to the street, allowing the wave to roll harmlessly over her. The agent springs to her feet, gun at the ready. She sets her sights on Eleanor as she hops over the banister along the stoop outside her House.

Grey isn’t a great shot. Never has been. Still, she knows she can hit her, but is not confident she can guarantee a non-lethal shot. She lowers her weapon. “Get up!” she shouts. “After her! Go!”

Eleanor dashes down Riverside as the officers scramble to their feet and make for their cruisers. They had redirected traffic and most of the avenue is clear. Eleanor knows the agents will easily overtake her if this remains a foot race. She could lose them if she wants to, but that isn’t the plan.

If she can reach a nearby corner, she’ll likely find more traffic to slow down Grey’s caravan. The cars will be on her before that, though. As the lights and engines near, Eleanor summons a spell.

Her legs move at a speed not naturally possible. The space between her and her pursuers opens as she shoots toward the intersection. The edges of her vision warp and streak. The flesh on her face ripples and shakes. Despite her glasses, air whips around the frames and assaults her eyes. Eleanor squints, trying to stay focused on her destination.

After a seconds-long burst, she slams on the brakes. Momentum is not kind. She stumbles forward and clumsily falls to the pavement.

Grey watches from her vehicle as Warwick becomes a blur and flies down the street at an incredible speed. She narrows her eyes, considering her quarry’s actions.

It’s no surprise the wizard was unable to remain in hiding, but her blatant, aggressive run on her blockade was not what Grey expected. Warwick can get into the House discreetly. She should have been able to leave in a similar fashion.

It’s clear to Grey Warwick wants her to pursue, most likely to draw her and her agents away from the House. As usual, her assessment of her target was on the ball; Warwick is a martyr.

Grey is more than willing to go along with it. Warwick’s the one she wants anyway. The others are irrelevant. Unclipping her radio from her belt, she brings it to her lips. “Raven. Front and center.”

A response follows the crackle of static. “Roger, Alpha. Refueled and in the air.”

“Roger. Team Two, we need support.”

“On our way, Alpha. Locked and loaded.”

Rising to her feet, Eleanor scampers around the corner. Despite her burst, the police are still close behind, their sirens blaring.

Unfortunately, the cross street doesn’t have as much traffic as she hoped. Luckily, Holcomb isn’t far. Waving her hand as she runs toward the intersection, Eleanor tosses trash cans, garbage bags, and whatever other debris she passes into the street.

The clutter won’t stop the vehicles, but it would slow them down just enough to allow her to stay ahead. A pain builds in her side and her breath grows haggard.

The burst of speed was not without a price. Besides the tax on her energies, it also rapidly elevated her heart rate and put a great deal of strain on her legs.

Behind her, she hears the sharp squeals of the cruisers avoiding the obstacles. As she approaches an intersection, Eleanor notes the row of cars stopped at a red light. Running across the crosswalk, she touches the hood of each vehicle as she runs past. Magic flows into the machines, their engines roar and their brakes disengage.

Four cars suddenly lurch out into the intersection. Collisions are unavoidable. The two sets of vehicles strike each other at low speeds. Grey’s driver slams on the brakes to avoid running into the mess.

As drivers exit their cars to shout at each other, the police cruisers attempt to circumnavigate the wreck, but the going is slow. Grey takes up her radio. “Raven! We’re delayed! We need you on-scene now!”

No sooner had she finished the order, than the repeated thumping of the helicopter’s blades thunder loudly. Raven flies overhead, crossing Holcomb and ignites its spotlight. “Roger, Alpha. We have arrived. We’ve got the target. She’s headed east.”

Before Grey can respond, her additional backup cuts in. “Team Two here. We’ll get her, Alpha. We’re northbound on Fletcher. She’s running right into us.”

Eleanor hears the chopper before its light shines down on her. Taking a moment to try to catch her breath, she bends over with her hands on her knees. Before she can resume her pace, red and blue lights appear ahead of her.

Looking back and forth between Grey’s cadre and the newly arrived backup, Eleanor quickly realizes she’s running out of options. Ending up in custody is an acceptable result of her gamble, but she needs to give Penny more time.

Across the street, she notices an apartment building with heavy fire damage. Eleanor remembers reading about the blaze a few days before. Most of the eleven floors are uninhabitable and the building is abandoned. It’s an excellent place to get off the street.

Collecting herself, Eleanor dashes across the road and thrust a palm forward. The double doors swing in violently as she rushes inside.

With the power off and the damage extensive, the building is dark and foreboding. Outside, Grey’s backup comes to a screeching halt and begin to empty their vehicles. Stomping on the charred remains of the apartment complex, Eleanor makes for the stairs and takes them two at a time.

By the time Grey’s SUV pulls up to the building, Team Two has already embarked. Retrieving her radio, she exits the vehicle and looks up at the burned-out structure. “Team Two. Report.”

“We’ve followed the suspect into the building. Tight and dark in here.”

“Make sure your men check their fire. I want her alive.”

“Roger that, Alpha.”

Turning to the rest of her forces, she gestures directions. “Team Two will sweep the building. I want five of you on the ground floor in case Warwick doubles back. The rest of you, find every exit and cover it.” As the agents and officers scramble, Grey returns to her radio. “Raven. Cover the roof.”

“On it, Alpha.”

Switching off his radio, the head of Team Two looks down the sight of his rifle as he slowly walks down the hallway.

The scorched debris on the floor, along with his heavy tactical gear, makes moving quietly very difficult. However, they provide a useful service. Their prey leaves footprints behind in the refuse and embers.

The trail up the staircase was clear and exited at the ninth floor, but since then the prints have become harder to see. He and his four-man team track the wizard as best they can, their flashlights cutting through the shadows. The men walk in tight formation, watching each other’s backs.

Their leader holds a fist in the air, bringing them to a stop. The group listens carefully and barely perceive the sound of wood creaking. “Off to the left,” the leader directs.

“No, sir,” one of his team replies. “It’s coming from behind us.”

“I think it’s coming from above,” another said, aiming his rifle at the ceiling.

Their disagreement halt when a loud scraping brings their gun barrels down the dark hallway. The leader drops to a knee to allow his men to aim over him. The beams of light from their weapons reach out as far as they can but detect nothing.

After a few moments, Team Two relaxes slightly as their leader rises from a crouch. “All right. Let’s keep- .”

Despite their extensive training, the entire team jumps at the sound of a terrifying scream. The bellow echoes down the hallway, bringing the SWAT officers’ rifles back at the ready.

This time, their flashlights find something. The leader’s eyes widen as he beholds the tall, haggard man that rushes toward them.

The figure is muscular and riddled with ugly scars. Ratty gray hair flows from underneath a Viking helmet and comes down to form a bushy beard. The warrior shouts angrily, exposing unhealthy teeth, many of which are missing.

A larger concern for Team Two is the massive battle-axe he carries. As he runs, the man raises the weapon high above his head, prepared to strike down on the officers.

Protocol is to give someone a single chance to drop their weapon before opening fire, but protocol never said anything about giant, crazed Vikings. Without a word, the leader opens fire, and his subordinates immediately follow suit. Bullets tear into the damaged hallway. Pieces of drywall and burnt ember explode, casting debris and dust into the air in bursts.

Still, the giant’s charge continues. As the warrior brings his massive weapon to bear, Team Two’s leader falls backward. However, before the axe cleaves him in two, the giant suddenly disperses into a thin mist.

The leader slowly stands, swiping his hand through the strange dust that had, just seconds earlier, looked like it was trying to kill him.

“Team Two! Status! What’s happening?”

Agent Grey’s voice over the radio startles the leader, but he tries not to show it. “Not sure, Alpha. There’s…something strange going on up here.”

Grey taps a finger on her radio. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think she was nervous Warwick is going to slip away. That’s not something she’s prepared to allow. “Raven.”

“We read you, Alpha.”

“If you get a chance to wing the target, take it.”

The chopper pilot looks over his shoulder at the sniper behind him. The rifleman stands out on the skiff, held secure by a harness. With a thumbs up, the shooter assures his partner of his confidence he can do the job. “We copy that, Alpha. It would be our pleasure.”

Eleanor ducks into the burnt-out apartment as her carefully crafted illusion charges down the hallway. When the bullets start flying, she lowers her head and runs through the rooms of the apartment.

Reaching a dead end, she pushes gently against the wall. Her minimal force plies the damaged barrier.

Taking a few steps back, she focuses her magic and throws her hands forward. The wall erupts into the next apartment.

Quickly hustling through the opening, Eleanor finds herself in a completely devastated room. Nothing but ash remains within the apartment. A large opening in the exterior wall allows the bitter chill in the air to enter.

Eleanor makes her way across the decimated apartment until a bright spotlight bathes the area. The SWAT chopper hovers down to stare into the building. Eleanor has enough time to realize there’s no cover, but not enough to remedy that before her shoulder explodes.

It doesn’t hurt right away. As the impact of the high-powered rifle spins her around, her arm feels numb. However, once she crashes down onto the floor, wounded shoulder first, the pain shoots through her entire body. She stares at the wall as she feels warm wetness on her cheek that she only vaguely recognizes as her own blood.

“Target is down, Alpha.” Raven reports. “I repeat; target is down.”