Chapter 2
Ringer laid his tablet down on top of his desk and rubbed his eyes. He was tired. Everyone at Psi-Mechs, Inc. was. Six months had passed since the battle in New York, and their new Alaskan headquarters was fully up and running. Hank continued to make advancements in their gear that were decades or more ahead of what the rest of the world had at its disposal. More mercs had been hired to replace Joe and his team. Monsters were coming out of the woodwork all over the globe at a pace they were struggling to keep up with. And he had gotten promoted. Maybe that was the real nightmare. A promotion was the last thing he wanted. He’d been content as the soldier Frank had recruited him to be. But now he and Tonya had stepped into Frank’s role after the portly little locator had been killed by Mavet’s vampires. It was a big role to fill, and Ringer missed Frank sorely. The man had been his mentor in many ways, having recruited him to join Psi-Mechs, Inc. The war with the vampires hadn’t given them long to get to know each other, but the two of them had become fast friends. Ringer knew he wasn’t the only one who missed Frank, who, as its locator, had been such a key part of Psi-Mechs, Inc. Frank’s ability to detect others with psionic powers and supernatural disturbances around the world had been priceless. He and Tonya had no such gift to lead them in their search for Frank’s replacement and other gifted people to add to their numbers, and they desperately needed all the help they could get. Between his detective skills and Tonya’s telepathy, they’d managed to come up with a few leads, but they lacked the speed and precision of Frank’s power. All Frank had needed to do was reach out with his mind, and he’d had an instant idea of where a gifted person was and their power level.
A knock rang out on his office door.
“Come in!” Ringer called, happy to have an escape from his work.
The door opened, and Katherine Grimm let herself in. Ringer’s eyes widened at the sight of her. He hadn’t been expecting a visit from the boss. Katherine’s brown hair was tied back in tight ponytail, and dark shades covered the glow of her eyes. Her lips were a bright red, in sharp contrast to her sickly-pale skin. From the way she tilted her head, Ringer assumed she was staring at him.
“I hope I’m not intruding,” Katherine told him, sliding into the chair in front of his desk. “I wanted to stop by and see how things were coming along in your search for others with powers.”
“We’ve came up with a few leads.” Ringer shrugged. “It’s slow going for us without Frank.”
Katherine’s expression was sad as she said, “We all miss him, Ringer.”
“Yeah, but you don’t have his job to do, too.”
“I have faith in you and Tonya, or I’d never have given it to the two of you,” Katherine told him. “Who would have thought your background as a police detective would come in so handy?”
Ringer leaned forward in his chair. “I sure never thought I’d be using those skills again. When I joined up, I figured I’d just be another solider in the war.”
“You were never meant to be just another solider, Ringer.”
“No, I was meant to be a weapon,” Ringer said. “Your weapon against the thing that turned you into what you are.”
“I suppose that’s one manner of looking at things,” Katherine agreed, “but you’re family now, like everyone else that’s a part of Psi-Mechs, Inc.”
“Sharpton doesn’t seem to feel that way,” Ringer said with a laugh.
“Sharpton is an anomaly, Ringer. I can promise you that,” Katherine said, “but a much needed one. With Addy gone…”
“He’s the most powerful telepath we have left,” Ringer finished, “at least for now.”
“Don’t delude yourself,” Katherine cautioned him. “Tonya is becoming more skilled, Ringer, I’ll give you that, but she’ll never match Sharpton’s level of pure power, any more than Hank will ever be able to build a Psi-mech that can go one-on-one with someone like you.”
“I think you’re selling Hank short.” Ringer shook his head. “I wouldn’t underestimate what that guy can come up with. Those new Mark VIII suits…”
“And the Mark IX ones too,” Katherine agreed, “though their uses are more…limited.”
“I sure wouldn’t want to fight one!” Ringer laughed.
“But you could, and you’d win, too,” Katherine replied.
“Look.” Ringer paused. “I think we’re getting a little lost here. What did you come to see me about?”
“Ringer, I need more psionicists,” Katherine told him. “It’s as simple as that. We’re at war, and we took some heavy losses. Like I said, I gave this job to you and Tonya because you were the best suited to it. I still believe that, but I need to see some results. It’s only a matter of time until Mavet makes another move against us.”
“Right. I get it,” Ringer said. “Tonya and I will get moving on our best lead straightaway.”
“Good.” Katherine smiled. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”
Katherine got up from the chair in front of his desk and started for the door.
“Katherine,” Ringer called after her.
She paused, turning back toward him.
“We won’t let you down,” Ringer promised.
Katherine gave him a sharp nod, and then vanished into the corridor outside his office, leaving his door open behind her.
When she was gone, Ringer sighed. He and Tonya had been putting off heading into the field. Combat ops they were both fine with, but recruitment was something else. Ringer could only hope they were ready for it.
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