Perfect Strangers Read online

  "Well how the hell are we going to get to the bank tomorrow then?"

  "Are you sure you want to go," Jolene asked.

  Sean nodded, "I'm in the dark here, hell, we're all in the dark here. No one really knows what's going on, or if they do, they're not talking. Knowledge is power, right? Well I need to see just what's in there. If it answers just one question, I need to get it."

  Jolene nodded, "Okay, give me some time to think about it. We can talk about it later, and make a plan. While I'm at it, you might as well see if there are any protection from scrying spells in those books you got in your head."

  "There are, they're in a book called 'Hidden Ways.'"

  "Good, go study them."

  "Now?" Sean looked at her surprised.

  Jolene nodded, "Yeah, if you can do that," she motioned to the small wet spot where the ice drop had been, "you can do this."

  Sean sighed and nodded. Jolene was right; it was definitely time to see what he could do.

  Let the Games Begin

  Sean yawned; he was in the back of his mom's car, down on the floor, with a blanket over him. He'd been up until three am, but he'd learned the protection from scrying spell and had been able to cast it. But that wasn't the only thing he'd learned, he'd learned how to cast a spell on himself, and a lot of the meanings of the commands in the language of magic as well as a much better understanding of the syntax. He was starting to see a lot of possibilities for hacking magic now as well.

  When he cast the spell, he'd done it the 'slow' way, by building it step by step in his head, as the books had taught him, watching as each piece fell into place. He'd seen several places where things could be done better, and more streamlined, by using the techniques he'd either learned in college, or he'd taught himself from his gaming. So he'd done them and then had Jolene examine the final product.

  She'd been rather pleased.

  So he got Roxy to teach him a few words in sign language, and then he'd attached the spell to them.

  Then he'd cast it on himself again, as well as Roxy and Jolene as practice. Sean was already starting to get the idea for creating some magical language 'libraries' not unlike the ones many programming languages came with. He figured if he could reduce a lot of the standard spells and standard spell structures to single 'reference' he'd be able to skip over a lot of what was in the books, and just create his own spells on the spot.

  He'd have to create a few simple spell frameworks of course, but looking over the cost of most spells, even with fifty some-odd points, he wasn't going to get more then twenty or so if he did things the traditional way. And while that might be enough for a typical beginner, Sean didn't have the time for that. He needed to rape the rules like a serious D&D rules lawyer; he needed to go full munchkin.

  And he was starting to see some seriously large loopholes that were ripe for abuse using his programming and gaming skills. The only problem was, he was still learning the rules, the basic commands, and how they interacted in the language.

  You can't break the rules, or at least bend the hell out of them, until you knew them after all.

  "Okay, here we go," Roxy said and they pulled out of the gated parking garage for the smaller north tower where Jolene had her apartment. It was early still, six am. Which was why Sean was so tired. But they all agreed that the sooner they set out and got away from downtown, the safer it would be. There were just too many people looking for him downtown, now that it was the last place he'd been spotted.

  So as Sean lay in the back of the car on the floor he played with his spell. It was interesting, because with one of the changes he'd made to it, he could actually feel the spell working. And it was working a lot! There were dozens of people trying to scry him, though their attempts were weak, because they were casting over such a large area.

  The way the spell avoided them was that it simply just didn't allow their attempts to 'ping' him to get a response. It was a lot like a computer network when you got right down to it. Everyone had an identity that was unique to themselves. So when you wanted to scry for someone, you sent out a request for all the identities in a region, like a computer on a network. Then you applied filters to your responses, again not unlike a computer search, only these filters were based on what you knew about your target that was unique to them.

  The scrying spell itself was very costly, because it had to cover a fair amount of territory and sort through a lot of people. Sean could now see why that one guy was driving around in the car: the spell moved with the caster, so a smaller area focus, less energy. Setting up the filters could be costly too, however if you had one or two key aspects to focus on, your filter could be simple, and therefore rather cheap to apply. Then you just weeded through the responses until you found the one that was who you were looking for.

  The easiest way to stop someone from pinging you on a network was of course to get off the network. But Sean didn't see a way to do that here. For that matter, it might not even be possibly to be off the 'network' and still be alive.

  But there was an easier way to deal with it than the spell's method of blocking requests, and a much cheaper way magically as well. All he had to do was stop 'accepting' any such requests.

  Thinking about that, Sean wondered what other aspects of his own self were easily interacted with by outsiders? Either from a distance, or much closer, by touch?

  But did he really need to know all of them? A computer didn't need to know everything that might hit one of its ports to be able to block all of them with a firewall.

  Sean smiled to himself and turned that idea over in his head, a firewall. He could construct a firewall spell that would not allow any contact, any connections, to him at all. He could then add exceptions to it, he was sure, if it turned out there were any connections that he wanted to allow. Just like a firewall on a computer.

  Concentrating on his watch he opened up his classroom and started to look through the 'Hidden Ways' spell book. Sean saw the same basic format of the protection from scrying spell he'd used applied over and over again, on those spells that focused on hiding yourself, or aspects about you, from those trying to view them magically or remotely.

  It could definitely work.

  Feeling himself being shaken, Sean closed the book and exited his classroom.

  "You sleeping back there?" Jolene asked.

  "Sleeping back there, what?" Sean smirked.

  "Sean," Jolene said.

  "Try again!"

  Jolene rolled her eyes to the ceiling and sighed while smiling. "Hon."

  Sean sat up and kissed her, then slid back onto the rear seat. "Better!" he chuckled. "And no, I was actually studying scrying spells and how to hide from them. I think I found a better and cheaper way."

  "Oh? And what would that be?"

  "Firewalls," Sean said with a smirk. "So, what did you want?"

  "We're here," Roxy said, turning the car off.

  "That soon?"

  "We've been driving around for two hours!" Roxy said looking back at him, now that he was sitting up in the seat. "Don't you have any sense of time while you're studying?"

  Sean blushed, "I sorta got caught up in what I was doing. So, um, now what?"

  "Let's go get breakfast over there," Roxy said and pointed at a cafe that was just opening up for the day's business. "Then after we eat, we can go hit the bank."

  Sean nodded as his stomach growled. "Sounds good to me."

  "Do all lycans eat this much?" Jolene asked Roxy.

  "He's still filling out. Haven't you noticed the extra muscle on him?"

  "Actually no," Jolene said looking back at Sean.

  "Well maybe if you weren't forcing me to study so much and gave me some more 'quality time with teacher,' you would?" Sean said with a wink.

  "Yeah, really, Jolene," Roxy laughed, "You need to put your hands on him more."

  Sean was rather surprised to see Jolene blush.

  "I, umm, guess I need to at that," Jolene ducked her head in agreement.r />
  "Come on, let's go eat," Roxy said and getting out of the car nearly dragged them both inside. "You're not the only ones who are hungry!"

  They got to the bank just shortly after it opened.

  "Hi, I need to check my safety deposit box?" Sean said, coming up to one of the tellers.

  "Do you have an account with us?" She asked.

  Sean nodded and gave her his name and account number.

  "That's strange, Mr. Valens. I don't see you listed as having a box,"

  Sean opened his mouth, but Jolene put her hand on his arm.

  "It's a confidential one," Jolene said with a smile. "Could we speak to the bank manager, in private please?"

  The teller just nodded and smiled, "Of course! Please have a seat while I call him."

  "What's that all about?" Sean asked in a whisper as they went over to the seats.

  "Just let me deal with him," Jolene smiled.

  Sean glanced at Roxy, who just shrugged.

  "Sure," he said.

  A few minutes later a man came over an introduced himself as the bank manager and led them to a private office.

  "So, the teller told me you have a safety deposit box with us?" As he indicated the seats in his office.

  "Oh, yes," Jolene said and putting her hand on his arm, she leaned in towards him rather seductively. "I was hoping you could help us?"

  Sean noticed that the man's eyes immediately looked down the top of Jolene's open blouse. Sean almost took a step forward, but Roxy put her hand on Sean's arm, stopping him.

  "But there aren't any boxes in Mr. Valens' name," the manager said slowly.

  "Well, how much would it be to get him one, right now?" Jolene asked, leaning into him a little breathlessly.

  "Oh, for a man with his account balance I could give him one for free, right now."

  "Wait, my..." Sean started, but Roxy shushed him.

  "Then let's do that," Jolene said and guided the man to his chair, and then, as he sat down, she sat right in his lap!

  Sean started to growl and Roxy stepped on his foot.

  "Shut up, Sean!" Roxy growled softly in his hear.

  Sean stilled himself, but he honestly did not like seeing Jolene throwing herself at another man. Part of him understood what she was doing, and part of him was contemplating serious violence as 'his' woman flirted with another man.

  "Okay, Mr. Valens," the manager said, pulling out some forms, "please put your name and home address in here and sign these here, and then we can go get you a key."

  Sean looked at the forms while picking a pen up off the desk. Using his mom's address, as it was the one on his driver's license, he quickly filled out the forms and signed them, handing them back to the manager as he restrained an impulse to do something to the man, as Jolene was getting quite comfortable in his lap.

  The oddest part about it, Sean realized after a moment, was that the man didn't even seem to realize Jolene was there.

  "Good, all this is in order," he said and standing up, he steered them out of his office and into the back of the bank. Jolene stood nearby him the entire time, but wasn't touching him anymore.

  The manager then led them into a vault, which was full of hundreds of small metal drawers, with two key slots on each one. Going to a drawer, he took out a set of keys and gave one of them to Sean, and then led Sean over to one of the rows.

  "Box A-sixty-two put your key in the right side lock."

  Sean did as instructed, and the manager took a second key, that was on his key ring and put it in the lock on the left side.

  "All boxes take two keys to open, as part of our security," he told Sean as he unlocked his side, and Sean unlocked the other, and sliding the box out, he handed it to Sean.

  "You don't need any keys to put the box back in, and there are a couple of small tables just outside the vault, if you want to view the box contents in private," he pointed back towards the entrance.

  Jolene put her hand on the man, who stopped a moment.

  "But the box away, and ask him to show you again," she whispered. "But use the other key this time."

  Sean just nodded and put the box back in the wall, letting it lock back in place and then getting out the key he'd inherited from Sampson he looked at it. There was a small number that he hadn't paid attention to before, 'A-twenty-three'.

  It only took a moment to find the box, and he stuck the key in and unlocked the right side.

  "Could you open it again for me, please?" Sean asked, "I just want to be sure I'm doing it right."

  The bank manager looked at Sean and nodded, "Of course!" He put his key in the left side lock, and unlocked that one as well.

  "Thank you," Sean said and pulled out the box.

  "You're more than welcome, is there anything else I can do for you today?"

  "What's my current cash balance?" Sean asked, wondering again about that earlier remark.

  "Two hundred seventy-three thousand, one hundred forty-three dollars and some-odd cents."

  Sean's eyes got wide and he looked at Jolene who shook her head.

  "Could I take out twenty-five thousand, in cash, please?"

  "Of course, may I inquire as to why?"

  "Lawyer bill, he only takes cash," Sean told him reflexively.

  "Of course, I'll have your money when you're ready to leave."

  Sean nodded and watched him go.

  "I thought you were broke?" Roxy asked, peering at him.

  "It wasn't anything I did!" Jolene told the two of them. "I just made him think he was opening Sean's box, nothing more than that."

  "Sampson's money," Sean told them. "Remember, Roxy? The lawyer said he'd put Sampson's money in my bank account?"

  "I thought you said Sampson was poor?" Roxy replied.

  "Yeah, I did. Maybe we should stop by the lawyer's on the way out of here."

  "Good point, now, what's in the box?"

  "Oh! Right," Sean said and opening the box he looked in it. There were two envelopes, and pulling those out he quickly stuffed them inside his vest. There was also an old Colt 1911, loaded, with an extra magazine, a small but heavy bag of coins that Sean just stuck in his pants pocket, and a blue velvet jewelry box, which Sean put in his other pants pocket.

  "What should I do with the gun?"

  "Take it of course," Roxy grinned.

  Rolling his eyes, Sean stuck it in one of the lower side pockets of his cargo pants, hoping that it wasn't too obvious. Then closing the safe deposit box up, he put it back in the slot.

  "One sec!" Jolene said and stopping him, before he slid it back in. As Sean watched she did a quick spell of some sort, and then using the back of her hand, she slid it in until it locked.

  "What was that?"

  "Getting rid of fingerprints," she smiled. "Just in case."

  Sean shrugged and looked at Roxy who also shrugged.

  "Well, let's get my money, and then let's go talk to my lawyer."

  "Aren't you going to look at any of that stuff?" Jolene asked.

  "Yeah," Roxy said, "after all of this, aren't you curious?"

  "Of course I am!" Sean said, a little nervously. "But I'd rather do it in the car, after we're away from here. If anyone else knows about the bank, I'd rather not be here when they arrive."

  The girls both nodded, and heading out, the manager had a receipt for Sean to sign, and then handed him two banded stacks of hundred dollar bills, and then counted out another fifty.

  "Thanks!" Sean said and they quickly hustled out of the bank and getting into the car, Roxy drove, with Sean in the back again.

  "So, what is everything?" Jolene asked.

  Sean got out the envelopes first, and started to go through them.

  "The first one is Sampson's citizenship papers, naturalization documents, an old green card, birth certificate, what looks like the title to his trailer, the rental agreement, and the titles to his car and his motorcycle.

  "The second one," Sean stopped and sighed. "Well now I know where most of
the money came from. It's his life insurance policy."

  "Oh," Jolene sighed and reached back pat his hand.

  "So, what's in the box?" Roxy asked.

  Pulling the box out, Sean opened it.

  "What is it?" Roxy asked from up front.

  "It's a chain," he said and pulling it out he looked at it, "a necklace," Sean corrected. It was a heavy chain necklace, made of some brownish non-reflective metal with a very complicated clasp. Halfway around from the clasp there was a stone set in it. A tiger's eye.

  "It's heavy chain necklace with a tiger's eye stone in it."

  "What!" Roxy said and pulled over to the side of the street, stopping immediately. "Let me see that!"

  Sean shrugged and passed it forward and watched, curious as Roxy looked it over.

  "I don't believe it!" Roxy said, "I've heard about these, but I've never seen one!"

  "What is it?" Jolene asked.

  "Yeah, what is it, Hon?"

  "It's a lycan necklace. You have to be someone pretty important to get one of these. Most mages and wizards only give them out to their most loyal servants. They're supposed to be very hard to make."

  "That still doesn't tell me what it does, Hon," Sean prodded gently.

  "When you shift, it doesn't. It won't catch on anything and can't be seen easily through the fur."

  "My clothes don't shift either," Sean pointed out.

  "Put it on and shift," Roxy told him, "Trust me, you'll want it."

  "I'd rather not have to worry about my clothes right now," Sean chuckled.

  "That's the point!" Roxy laughed, "You won't have to. They'll resize to fit you! And when you go full lion? They disappear."

  Roxy passed the chain back to Sean and pulled away from the curb.

  "Put it on, Sean," Roxy told him. "It's yours now, and you definitely need it."