Chapter Five
“Someone get a dustpan,” Ben hollered.
Lucy rushed out of the room, while Ben ran for the kid—or, at least, what remained of him. Dani had gone to her knees, grabbing up the clumps of sand that had been Jared moments before. She scooped handfuls aside as if she might uncover a tinier version of the boy buried beneath the piles.
Ben grabbed her wrist before she could scatter the piles more. “Hey now, princess, let’s hold off on playin’ in the sandbox.”
She tried to pull free, one hand still digging around. “But he’s sand!”
“Yuppers. And if that stuff is his body, you really want to be tossing it around willy-nilly? What if he comes back together with an arm sticking out of his noggin’ ’cause you mussed things up too much?”
She jerked her hands back and stared at the piles of grit. “$&%#, didn’t think of that.”
“Probly shouldn’t sneeze none, I reckon.”
A swirl of dust spun up from the piles, accompanied by Jared’s voice. “I’m still here.”
Dani reached out again, but stopped herself. “Jared. Oh, thank Purity. What happened?”
“Don’t know,” he said. “I was fire and water, earlier. Then earth. Now … dust?”
Ben frowned. “Woulda figured you puffin’ into air, if we was goin’ with an elemental rundown. Don’t suppose you can pull yourself together?”
The sand shifted, hollows forming the appearance of eyes and a mouth. “I don’t think so. Just talking is hard.”
Lucy returned with a hand broom, dustpan, and bucket. Dani took these and began sweeping Jared into the pan and dumping the sand into the bucket, down to the last grain. The three of them gathered around as Jared’s face formed on the surface of the contained pile.
“Am I in trouble?”
Ben patted the bucket. “Naw, kiddo. You ain’t done nothin’ wrong.”
A chime sounded, and Francis’ voice emanated from everywhere at once.
“Company-wide alert: We have reports coming in of a sudden desert appearing in a downtown park.”
“Sudden desert?” asked Dani, eyes wide. “Like, what? It dropped out of the sky or something?”
Ben chuckled. “If it did, that’s sure gonna make some weather reporters start lookin’ for new jobs.”
Lucy hushed them both as Francis continued.
“Please notify your superiors if you observe any oddities regarding dust, sand, or other uncharacteristic elemental manifestations.”
The three of them stared at each other, and then down into the bucket.
“I’m in trouble, aren’t I?” asked Jared.
“Did you make a desert in the middle of Denver?” asked Dani.
“No.” The sand rippled. “At least, I don’t think so.”
Ben picked up the bucket and handed it off to Lucy, who held it out as far from herself as possible. He unclipped his radio and pressed the speaker button. “Francis, we got ourselves a funny little co-inky-dink here with Jared. Howsabout a conference call?”
With a flash of light, one wall turned into a viewscreen, revealing Francis at his desk in the Chairman’s office. Another man stood off to the side, almost out of sight. Ben recognized the chimney sweep he’d passed by earlier. The guy nodded to Francis and edged out of sight a moment later.
Francis fixed on the bucket Lucy held. “Is that …”
Ben nodded. “The kiddo’s been poppin’ all random-like into elemental bodies. Right before you made that announcement, he turned into his own personal sand dune.”
“I see. I assume these transformations haven’t been voluntary?”
“Don’t look it. Was thinkin’ it was more of his jumpin’ and jivin’ powers, but this last little trick seemed a might bit too on the nose. What’s it lookin’ like from up in your ivory tower?”
The Chairman clasped his hands atop his desk. “I’ve just received a rather disturbing report from a maids team. Apparently a sizable portion of Cheesman Park—including most of the Denver Botanic Gardens—transformed into a desert mere minutes ago. The maids were heading to clean some houses in the area and witnessed the desert consuming almost a quarter of the park right before their eyes.”
“Desert?” Dani asked. “Like sand and cactus and cow skulls?”
“No cacti or skulls. Merely several square blocks of rolling sand dunes where there used to be trees, sidewalks, and grass. The initial elemental probing suggests the change goes all the way down to the bedrock. Any structures in the area, such as waste bins, benches, or the like appear to have vanished as well.”
“Anyone hurt when it happened?” Lucy asked.
“Too early to tell,” Francis said. “We’ll keep scanning for missing persons notices or bodies turning up—animal, human, or otherwise. In the meantime, I’d like Janitor Dani to visit the site and see what she can sense. Janitor Lucy, please accompany her. While we had a glassway connected to the Botanic Gardens visitor’s center, it appears to be inactive or destroyed. Driving will be most expedient.”
“Me?” Dani looked taken aback.
Francis nodded. “Your connection with the elements might let you probe deeper into the environment there. You could give us better insight into the cause of transformation. I’ll alert the Cleaners on-site to expect you.”
Ben considered a request to go along, eager to get on a job of any sort—plus use it as an excuse to slip out of HQ and avoid further dousings for a bit. But what could he offer here?
Mebbe I could bring a big ol’ broom along and start sweepin’ up the place? Naw. Let the princess have her fun before she’s gotta play spin-the-bottle with Scum.
Dani saluted. “Can do, sir. I also have a request to make for time off tomorrow afternoon. Remember the deal I made with Sydney back before you became Chairman?”
A voice murmured off to the side of the magically projected scene. Francis frowned that way before refocusing on her.
“Ah. The date. I assume this relates to your mention of him earlier?”
“Yeah. That.”
“Excellent.” Francis picked up a golden pen and began jotting notes on a blank form. “I will form a scrub-team and gather several Ascendants who should be able to neutralize him once you lure him into the open.”
“Um … actually …” Dani cringed. “I promised him no Cleaners would get involved.”
The Chairman blinked and paused his writing. “You actually intend to go through this as a romantic evening?”
“I don’t want any romance,” Dani said, “but I can’t go in like an undercover agent. This has to be on the up-and-up, otherwise all bets are off.”
“I’ve hardly known any Scum to be on the, as you say, up-and-up. Most likely he’s trying to take advantage of your prior desperate offer to bring you in harm’s way.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sir, I’m not desperate. It’s not like I’m going around throwing myself at just anyone.”
Ben chuckled. “I’s thinkin’ he means whatcha did to save Jared. Offerin’ yourself like a lil’ lambie in exchange for his life.” He scratched his stubbly chin. “Huh. Got a ring to it. Little Lambie Dani. Mebbe I oughta start composin’ sonnets.”
Dani’s gaze snapped his way, eyes flared, and he almost imagined a tiny flame flickering in the depths of them. Her low voice simmered. “Look, gramps, you should count yourself lucky I let you call me princess, still. You try adding other cutesy bits to that list, and so help me, I will tear off your arm and beat you with it.” She blinked and looked abashed. “Sorry. A little on edge with the whole situation.”
Ben held his hand up. “S’ok. Everyone gets them first-date jitterbugs. I know I did when Karen finally said yes to a night out on the town.”
“It was hardly a night on the town,” said Lucy. “You took her to an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet.”
“Yuppers.” Ben grinned. “Who’da guessed she had an appetite for Rocky Mountain oysters? That’s when I knew it was love.”
Lucy just sighed and shook her head, but Dani cracked a smile.
Still, Ben studied her closely for a few seconds. Ever since a servant of Corruption had infected the Cleaners with an emotional virus—a magical construct capable of bypassing their protection against diseases and other foul infections—he’d been keeping an eye out for any odd behavior that might suggest its return. The original virus had triggered spiraling bouts of rage and despair, leading Cleaners into murderous frenzies or near-catatonic hopelessness. While the Board assured them measures had been set in place to prevent the repeat of such an event, occasional emotional aftershocks still flared up among the employees. Was this one of them? Could Dani be feeling a little too loosey-goosey where Sydney was concerned? Being emotionally vulnerable without even realizing it?
Mebbe I’s overthinkin’ the situation. We all took a beatin’ with that not-so-warm-and-fuzzy muckery. Hard to trust our thinkin’ when we can’t even trust how we feel. Bein’ human sure is a lousy deal, sometimes.
“Chairman,” continued Dani, “I don’t think I’m in any danger here. Sydney has never really tried to hurt me before.”
“’Cept when he threatened to turn you to dust the first time you met,” Ben said.
“He was bluffing to keep you from killing him,” Dani said.
“Or when he had those Urmoch ambush us in the Sewers?”
“They just knocked us out.”
“Or howsabout the time he tossed you to that fire cult so’s you could become their goddess?”
“I’m not sure he realized how far they’d go,” she said. “Don’t you see? He’s never done anything to me directly. He’s always had others handling the physical interaction. It’s like he didn’t want to risk actually having to use his powers on me.”
Lucy huffed. “Purity help me, you’re disturbingly good at rationalizing.”
“All those events remain points of concern for both myself and the Board,” said Francis. “Sydney is well aware of your powers and what a terrible weapon you could be if turned to Corruption.”
Dani lifted her chin. “But, sir, what if I could convince him to return to Purity?”
“It is far easier to Corrupt than to Purify. The instances of Scum joining our side are extremely rare.”
“But it’s possible?” Dani looked to Ben. “What about you? You got majorly Corrupted with the Ravishing and were cured.”
He grimaced, never enjoying reminders of the horrible infection that had weakened his powers, rapidly aged him, and isolated him from his fellow Cleaners for years. “That weren’t my choice, first off. We still ain’t got no clue what rightly caused it. Sydney chose to become Entropy’s errand boy. And second, remember what it took to save me.” He nodded at his rolled-up sleeve and then to Jared. “Not resentin’ the kiddo suckin’ away my powers and whatnot, but whatcha think it’s gonna take to get Sydney to repent of his sinful ways? Some sweet talkin’? A few cuddles? You gonna smooch the badness right outta him?”
She made a face. “$%#^, no. It’s not like I want to seduce him. That’s just gross.” She pulled out a tiny bottle of sani-gel and poured some into a hand. “But if he sees I can be trusted, maybe that’d let me discover more of what drives him. Understand him and figure out ways to bring him back to us.”
Ben frowned. “Why’re you so dead-set on bettin’ he’s still got a good side to save?”
“Because I’ve actually talked to him,” said Dani. “I’ve seen him scared; seen him helpless. Underneath all the power he’s got, he’s still a person. And on top of all that, he’s Destin’s brother.”
Ben twitched at her naming the former Chairman, who’d betrayed the Cleaners by having an affair with a member of the Corrupt Pantheon itself—a disgusting dalliance resulting in Jared’s hybrid nature. Ben had known the man for years and never suspected him of being rotten, which was partly what kept him second-guessing everyone and everything. One reason he wanted his powers back so badly was because it’d let him detect both Pure and Corrupt energies in others, let him sniff out the baddies instead of having to wait for them to be revealed. Give him a little more certainty that all was well.
’Course, that didn’t help none with Destin. If I couldn’t spot that kind of Corruption when it was so up-close and personal, would I do any better once I got back in action?
“What about Destin?” Ben asked, trying to keep his doubts and worries concealed.
Dani held her hands up parallel to each other. “What if he was the reason Sydney went bad in the first place? Destin ran nationwide Cleaners operations and worked alongside the Board, all while hiding his Corrupt dealings for who-knows-how-long. What if he engineered Sydney’s fall to use him as a distraction while he kept on with his own dirty business?”
“Girlie,” said Lucy, “you’re reaching so far right now, you’re going to tear something important.”
“Actually,” the Chairman frowned, “it is an intriguing theory, and one I’ve previously considered—though from a different angle. The Board and I have discussed whether Destin and Sydney might have been coordinating their efforts to some degree.”
“Any proof either way?” asked Lucy.
“Unfortunately, no. Destin’s files on his own brother proved surprisingly sparse. There’s nothing that would immediately link the two. It might bear further investigation, though.”
“Lookit, I’m all for figurin’ out just what’s been swept under the rug,” said Ben, “but if we start tossin’ around too many Cleaner conspiracy theories, eventually I’m gonna start wonderin’ if even Carl here is plottin’ against me.”
Carl bubbled in his bottle: We are forever partners.
Dani shot the water elemental an odd look. “I’m not saying he’s innocent,” she said. “I’m just saying maybe he’s not as bad as everyone thinks. That he might even be a victim to a degree. And, Ben, you and I should know more than anyone else what it’s like to be hunted down for all the wrong reasons. Destin was involved then, too.”
Ben glowered down at her, trying to not be swayed by her arguments. Sydney had killed Cleaners, yes. That couldn’t be denied. But what if she was right, and Destin had a hand in his brother’s fate, as much as he’d twisted company resources to try and eliminate Ben and Dani during her employee orientation? What if Sydney could be salvaged if the Cleaners did something other than attack him on sight? After all, Ben hadn’t shied from fighting alongside the entropy mage when their goals aligned—though, admittedly, with plenty of assurances in place that he wouldn’t betray them.
Francis remained as hard-faced as ever. “While I admire your attempt to defend his soul, if you intend to meet up with Sydney, it will be with Cleaners waiting to scrub him out—or not at all.”
Dani’s shoulders sagged. “But, sir—”
Trying to shake off his uncertainty, Ben forced himself to a quick decision and came up beside her. “Tell you what, princess. You go do your Catalyst voodoo-whatsit at the park and I’ll talk at the Chairman and get him to give you a chance.”
“Will you really?” Francis asked.
Dani looked to Ben. “You’re sure?”
“Sure-for-shootin’.” He winked at her. “Go make sure we don’t get no more sand sneak attacks.”
She hugged him, but then backed off quick and gave Francis an embarrassed look. Lucy came over and handed Ben the bucket handle.
“Looks like you get to babysit Bucket Boy,” she said.
He raised Jared’s container. “Here’s to the adventures of Bucket Boy and Mop Man.”
The women snorted in unison before leaving for the job. Once they’d gone, Ben peeked down at the sand, which continued to shift and swirl.
“You lemme know if you feel like your body’s comin’ back together,” he said. “That way, we can pour you out before you wind up with your head stuck in a bucket.”
Jared’s dusty face appeared briefly. “Okay, Ben.”
Francis flipped through a folder he’d drawn from a desk drawer. “If memory serves, didn’t the boy once take control of and communicate via a dust devil, back when we first recruited Janitor Dani?”
“The kiddo ain’t to blame, here,” said Ben. “If anythin’, my gut’s tellin’ me he’s nothing more than a victim of circumcision.”
“Circumstance.” Francis pointed with his golden pen. “And your gut also once told you to eat a whole gallon of the cafeteria’s chili.”
“It can be right about more than one thing at once. That chili was delish. Just ’cause you had to take me to Maintenance after don’t mean I didn’t enjoy every bite.” Ben set Jared’s bucket down to cross his arms, then realized he had only half-accomplished his desired goal. “Now lookee here, Francis, I’m one of them consultants now, right? Only one the Cleaners got, too. So you gots to be respectin’ my input on this here situationalism.”
“Actually, most consultants are overpaid to deliver opinions and programs the company never actually implements,” the Chairman said.
“Good thing you’s knowin’ better, ’cause I got a couple’a reasons you oughta stow the shotgun and let Dani stay out past curfew.”
“Let’s hear them, then. This should be … intriguing.”
Ben squinted, figuring Francis had swapped in that last word at the last second, instead of, say, “amusing,” “ridiculous,” or “stupidly crazy.”
“Dani ain’t goin’ at it alone,” he said. “I’m taggin’ along as a chaperone, see? Since I ain’t got my powers, Sydney won’t have no clue I’m there, and I can step in if he starts goin’ all octopus-hands.”
“That’s hardly the worst-case scenario I envision. And, unfortunately, sending you in fails to comfort me. Part of my job is to help protect company assets whenever possible. Putting both of you in the path of a known killer without taking the chance to eliminate him would be foolhardy.”
“It’s not a mission. It’s personal between them two.”
“Anything involving Scum or any manner of Corruption involves the Cleaners. Which makes this a corporate matter.”
Ben squared up and prepared to pull out his final trump cards. Princess, you’re never gonna know how much I bent over backward to get you a date. Better be worth it. You better be right.
“’Cause you trust me.” As Francis opened his mouth to reply, Ben added, “And you owe me.”
The Chairman sat back, looking warily amused. “I’ve already showed you considerable leniency by bringing you on as a consultant rather than delivering a severance package after you lost your powers. And I uncovered everything we know about the situation surrounding your wife’s death. What more could I possibly—”
“New York City,” said Ben. “Halloween Parade. The gal in the sexy plumber costume. I gotta keep goin’? You let this happen, and I forget that ever did.”
Francis went quite still. After a minute, he flipped the folder closed and tucked it away.
“Very well. I won’t interfere with Janitor Dani’s evening. However, I would recommend keeping your radio with you in case you need to call in reinforcements. I doubt you would’ve been able to face down the entropy mage on your own even with your powers.”
“Gotta love a boss who gives great motivational speeches.” Ben tapped the wall. “You might needs to try a more positive thinkin’ management approach, mebbe?”
Francis cocked an eyebrow. “The Federal Correction Institute in Englewood. Your second shift there. Must I continue?”
Ben went still, before slowly lowering his hand. “You ever thinkin’ we knows a might bit too much about each other?”
“Every single day.”
The wall went blank.
Ben dug into his pocket and pulled out his book. He flipped it open one-handed and scanned a section. Nodding to himself, he scowled at the wall and mumbled, “Malmsey-nosed haggard.” He paused, then shrugged. “Eh. Not bad. Gotta look up what ‘malmsey’ means, though. Sheesh. Who knew swearin’ proper made a fella do so much learnin’?”
The bucket by his feet trembled as Jared spoke.“Ben? I know what plumbers are, but what is sexy?”
“Hoo boy.” Ben tucked the book away and ran his hand through his shaggy hair. “Kiddo, there are some things you’re just gonna have to wait to learn until you’re older.”
“How old?”
“You’ll know when you get there.”
“Oh.” The sand shifted, hissing against itself. “Ben?”
He sighed. “Yeah?”
“Were you and Francis telling each other funny stories? They sounded funny, but I couldn’t understand.”
“Sorta. But they ain’t quite the sort I can tell you. Kinda secret stories.”
“Do you know any funny stories you can tell me?”
“Oh, I dunno. Can’t rightly think of anythin’ here and—”
Carl swirled loudly: Your bachelor party.
Ben scowled down at the spray bottle. “Now don’t you go gettin’ started!”