Chicago Calls

[lady_elaine]

Word had come through the Ordo, and so Elaine found herself in Chicago again. She didn't particularly like coming here. California was warm, even this time of year, and wasn't full of things trying to kill her. Everytime she came to Chicago, though, she barely escaped with her life. Even that one time Harry didn't know about, while he was... was.

She didn't like thinking about that, either.

She probably wouldn't be here at all if Karrin Murphy hadn't been involved. The last time she'd heard from Murphy, it was about a funeral. And knowing all the stupid things Harry got himself involved in, there was a chance it could be the same thing. She brought a nice dress, just in case, and hoped for the best. She hadn't been able to feel Harry, really, since the time he died.

Her train--about the most advanced form of transportation she could take without endangering the lives of everyone on board--whistled as it came to a stop. She hadn't even sprung for a passenger train, instead paying for space on a freight. Amtraks were still too new. Murphy had known where to pick her up, though, so it shouldn't be too long until the other woman appeared. Just enough time to pull herself together, and look like she'd only been shaking from the rough trip--not with concern.

Comments

[chicagocop]

Murphy was only a couple minutes late; it had taken her a while to get used to the car she'd needed to get for the purpose of transporting another wizard.

At least it wasn't a blue VW. Her cousin Brendan's second kid had just gotten his learner's permit, and Brendan didn't think twice about loaning the red Bug out "to make sure everything's okay."

She really hoped everything would be okay.

She spotted Elaine--tall, beautiful, talented, probably would still be all three things when Murphy was tucked away in the family plot. Just like Harry.

Murphy ran a hand over her short blonde hair, then waved.

[lady_elaine]

Oh don't be ridiculous, Murphy. There's no way Harry's going to outlive you.

Elaine waves in return, and bends down to pick up her luggage. For not being 'girly' at all, she brought a lot of things with her. A suitcase, a backpack and a duffel bag. She has a half-dozen copper bangles on one wrist, and a belt chain wrapped around her waist. Her flannel shirt--one of Harry's from back then--hangs open, and she's wearing a t-shirt beneath that says, "Don't make me get my flying monkeys."

[chicagocop]

The t-shirt gets the first Karrin Murphy smile since ... when? She can't remember. It feels strange to smile.

She pops the hood of the Beetle and gestures. "Should be enough room," she says. "But there's always the back seat for anything you want to keep handy on the way over."

[lady_elaine]

"Thanks." Her bangles jingle a little as she lifts the suitcase into the backseat with a lurch, and drops the backpack down beside it. Clearly nothing fragile there, at least. Her duffel bag goes in the back seat, though. Never know when she'll need what it carries.

"So, what's going on? Your message was cryptic, to say the least."

[chicagocop]

Karrin slides in behind the wheel. German engineering, in a size that doesn't make her feel like a dwarf.

Her hands tighten on the wheel as she hears a baritone drawl in her imagination: C'mon, Murphy, a dwarf? They're even shorter than you.

She swallows. "It's Harry," she says. Not much less cryptic than her earlier message. "He's been taken. Somewhere, by something. I don't know what. I'm hoping you'll know."

[lady_elaine]

There's a sharp rise in her hearbeat when Murphy starts to speak, all but audible in the car. The swallowing noise, though, could probably be heard three cars over.

"Well then. I'm glad I brought what I did. Why don't you fill me in from the beginning while we find somewhere for me to work?"

[chicagocop]

Murphy busies herself getting the car started--been a while since she drove a stick, too--then navigates her way through the freight yard. "My house first," she says. "It's the only place I trust with something like this. The locals have been helping with security." Security is so much more comfortable than wards. Even after all this time.

As they make their way through the streets of Chicago, Murphy fills her in, starting with a quick recap of the demon thing that apparently hailed from the Bog of Eternal Stench, and where they'd gotten bagels from for the post-battle breakfast, and how Harry had barely gotten anything down before the light appeared. "I threw the bag in after him," she concludes as they reach her block. "But other than that, he's got nothing but the clothes on his back."

[lady_elaine]

Elaine begins to rummage around in her duffel bag as Murphy fills her in. So a demon attacks, and then some blue ball of light appears to whisk Harry away. Could be a scrying orb, but the list of who has the power to turn a scrying spell into a transportation spell is a very, very short one. Scrying orbs are hard enough, and unnecessary, given how high-profile Harry tends to be.

She's also noticed from Murphy's pitch and quick way of speaking that there's some other things going on. She's rambling in a way that suggests panic, almost. She's most concerned that he hasn't eaten anything. There's more there to figure out than in the rest of the story.

Elaine gently lays a hand on Murphy's shoulder. "There aren't very many who can do what you've described, at least that I know of. My list of known monsters is much shorter, admittedly. But I think I have an idea of how to begin. We'll find him." There's emphasis on the we'll.

[chicagocop]

Dimly Murphy is aware that her hands are aching. She's had them clenched on the wheel the whole way to her house. Finger by finger, she loosens her grip as they pull up in front of her house. "Something else," she says. "That light was drifting towards me at first. Then towards Dresden, then back at me. Like it was playing eeny meeny miny mo."

[lady_elaine]

"Hmm." She offers nothing else but that frustrating noise, genuinely unsure what that could mean. It almost sounds like it was sizing them up. Could it be something that needed help? That changes the list pretty drastically.

"I have some ideas. With a few minutes, I can whip up a simple locator spell. If he's anywhere in this plane, I'll be able to find him." Unless something else steps in to stop me. Better not to say that part out loud, though. Keep hope alive, and all that.

[chicagocop]

Murphy grunts. And then I can kick his ass for being an idiot. Again. Or something.

She gets out of the aging red Beetle and heads to her front door. Her house is small, and it's seen many generations of Murphys over the decades.

Getting in takes more than just unlocking the deadbolt, as Elaine will feel as she approaches the perimeter. The threshold is buttressed with the weight of history, family love and family fighting amongst themselves (but always together against the rest of the world); and on top of all that, the best protection the locals could provide.

The house is small, and old, but it's a bunker.

Karrin leads Elaine to the kitchen. "Here." She gestures at the sink. "Dresden was standing over here when it happened." Getting bagel crumbs and lox flakes on my floor.

[lady_elaine]

Elaine sets her bag down on the counter and takes a seat. She hates doing this, but if it will help, well. Not much choice.

She furrows her brow, and feels the tingle that comes when her Sight is opened before opening her eyes.

When she opens them, she feels blinded (metaphorically speaking). The house practically radiates. Wards all over the property shine brightly, and the whole house burns with a kind of holy fire. It's become a beacon, and Karrin Murphy holds its core. She has wings made of white fire, with a burning halo above her head. A sword rests in her hand, and a red string wraps from of her fingers to a spot in mid-air. The spot there is covered in ice, holding fast against the holy light. There's a ring of frost on the floor, and ribbons of faerie are sprinkled around. She can even smell Mab's perfume.

From further in the house, she can clearly see two nails, dyed red with blood, and it hurts her to view them. Each nail is surrounded with holy power, pure and clean even while covered in blood so black that she's sure it's from the Devil himself.

There's also faint lines in the air, remnants of power. Not Power, but almost like electrical power. Like whatever came through was powered via a machine. The trail isn't magical at all, but she can trace it's path.

When she closes her Sight, she finally realizes that her fingers hurt. She's gripped the countertop she's sitting at so intensely that her fingers are white.

[chicagocop]

"Elaine?" Murphy repeats the name until she's sure the other woman has heard her. "What did you see?" It's the same tone she's used on thousands of witnesses over the years. Encouraging. Opening a space for whatever recollections can be shared.

[lady_elaine]

"The good news is that whatever took him wasn't magical. If anyone in our world would have done it, they'd never use mundane means. The bad news is that I can't think of anything with the technological capacity to do that. It's like he got abducted by the Enterprise."

She and Dresden used to war over Star Wars versus Star Trek, and she can't help but smile a little as she remembers those days.

"If he's in this reality, I can still find him. I brought some basic supplies, but it should be enough."

She's avoiding looking Murphy anywhere near the eyes, at this point. After what she just saw, she has no desire to swap a Soulgaze.

[chicagocop]

Blink.

Blink.

"Are you telling me," says Murphy, very carefully, "that somebody just beamed him up? That little green men swooped him away for--for anal probing and a breeding program?"

[lady_elaine]

"Probably not. Evidence from most sightings actually paints alien invaders as grey."

So she's a nerd.

"What's most surprising is that I'm actually surprised. It feels a bit like a logical next step for Harry, truth be told."

[chicagocop]

If he's up there cavorting with a green woman in a tinfoil bikini, I'll--

Breathe. Center. Breathe.

"Logical. Right." The throbbing behind her right eye begins to fade. "So, let's see where he's got to."

Don't think about alien love planets.

[lady_elaine]

Elaine nods, and starts pulling some items out of the duffel bag. A bundle of twigs, and some candles. A stick of incense and a lotus-shaped censer. She places the stick in the censer and begins to arrange the sticks and candles around her. When she finally finishes, she sits down inside the makeshift circle and pours her will into it.

Murphy can probably hear the sound, like a ziploc bag getting sealed up, and her hair and skin might rise a little. It's like a room full of machinery that's been flooded. The room tingles with electricity.

She says a few words in Egyptian, and lights the incense. With her hands around the base of the censer forming another circle (3 in all now), she continues chanting for a few moments. The smoke fills the area she's sitting in, but does not disperse past the sticks.

Finally, she moves her hands away from the censer, through the sticks and breaks the circle. The smoke begins to move now, and slowly winds its way to the area where Dresden appears. It coils around itself there, gathering in the last space Harry Dresden occupied.

[chicagocop]

Murphy breathes slowly and carefully, not wanting to disturb anything.

Where are you, Dresden?

[lady_elaine]

Something's wrong. There's no reason the spell shouldn't be working. She didn't feel any resistance to her magic, so no one has stepped in to block her scrying. But the smoke is just gathering there.

Which means, unless something is strong enough to block her without her even noticing, Harry isn't even in this reality.

Time to try the next place. "Stand back, one moment. He isn't on this plane of existence, but there's a few other places I can check. How much has he told you about the Nevernever?"

[chicagocop]

"I've been there," Murphy says shortly. She doesn't like to think about what happened after that visit.

She'd do it again, because it needed to be done, and it was the right thing to do. But it still hurts.

[lady_elaine]

"I'm going to open up a doorway. If he's there, the spell will still work. I tried to make it as broad as possible."

And with a little push, the air in Murphy's apartment folds into itself, leaving behind a neat little window. Unfortunately, the smoke doesn't flow into it.

[chicagocop]

That doesn't look like a positive result. Or even a useful one.

Murphy's voice is very calm. "Does that mean he's dead?"

[lady_elaine]

That, at least, she has an answer for. Both positive and useful, even.

"No. If he were dead, the smoke would have just dispersed altogether. It's following his trail to the last point detectable--for all intents and purposes the spell is treating him as if he's still standing right there. There's a link there, we just have to find the right way of opening it."

[chicagocop]

Good. If he's not dead, that means she can make him explain it when he gets back.

"What's the range like? Is it possible he's in another galaxy far far away?"

By Grabthar's Hammer....

[lady_elaine]

"It relies on the wind, so it can't go outside of Earth's atmosphere. But then, it might not need to. I need something that connects to him."

She racks her brain. She's wearing his shirt, but Elaine's had it for so long that it's not going to be a powerful enough anchor. There's their matching pentacle necklaces, but they're not linked the way they would need to be. Maybe Murphy has something that would... Wait. Has something? No, she IS something.

"We can get him back. I have an idea." And then Elaine starts rebuilding a circle.

[chicagocop]

We can get him back.

Could it really be that easy? Could Elaine pull it off?

Murphy hopes so. It'll be worth it to see that look on his face when somebody pulls his chestnuts out of the fire.

[lady_elaine]

She needs a stronger circle this time. She goes into her duffel bag and grabs several rocks. She arranges them with the sticks, drawing on faerie magic taught to her by Aurora. As she places them, she directs Murphy to stand in the middle, and Elaine builds the circle around them.

"I have the spot where he left, and he's reading as still there. So, I'm going to use that to reverse what happened. Since he still exists in that spot, I just have to make him more solid. But I'm going to need your help."

She finishes the circle, and grabs a piece of rope. "I can keep the door open, but it's not that simple. We'll need to latch on to him and pull. I can connect this rope to you, and you'll become a literal anchor. We'll snatch up the last living thing to pass through whatever opened there--in this case, Harry."

She wraps the rope around Murphy's hand twice, and instructs the woman to hold it tight. No need to talk about the significance of the rope, how it acts as a simulacra for the red string she saw. Telling someone how love binds them together has been, in her experience, a way to tell them apart. Sure it's romantic, but no one really wants Fate involved in their love life.

[chicagocop]

Well, she's been called a ball and chain before, back when she was married, but never an anchor.

She's not entirely sure what's required, but she braces her feet and prepares to go wizard-fishing.

[lady_elaine]

Has Murphy been inside a wizard's magic circle before? If not, she's certainly for something.

As Elaine's will flows into the sticks and stones, the air practically buzzes. It causes her own hair to lift, just a little, like she rubbed it against an inflated balloon.

Elaine begins to chant, and wind starts to blow in Murphy's apartment. Doors and windows open to let it in, and it comes together to form another circle, this one right around the spot Dresden vanished.

Elaine has to close her eyes to keep her focus, and the wind starts to howl. Nothing flies off a shelf--it's a remarkably clean spell--but the wind is definitely getting stronger. It's like a miniature hurricane, contained in Murphy's kitchen.

And then, with an Egyptian word to seal it, the howling gets higher pitched. The rope around Murphy snaps up, as if captured by the wind, and the other end locks right onto the mini-cane's eye. The wind begins to pry the air open, and the rope slips right into the opening.

And then Murphy feels a weight against her. Dead weight, like an unconscious man almost 7 feet tall, pulling her down.

[chicagocop]

Here we go.

It's heavy, but she's carried heavy things before. Automatically her body reacts to the strain, preparing to brace--

This would be easier if you weren't an oversized pain in the ass, Dresden.

[lady_elaine]

Elaine continues to murmer her chants, and the wind persists. It's draining a lot from her, but she's using her energy the best she can. The wind is doing almost all the work for her, she's just got to keep feeding it. See, Dresden? This is how you do magic. I haven't even burned the place down.

The weight Murphy pulls gets heavier, like it's trying to pull her in. Her feet even slide about an inch, but she also feels herself getting some leverage. About six inches of the rope slide further back into their world.

[chicagocop]

She can do this. She can do this.

There is no question of failure. It's all a matter of leverage. Just like fighting the Einherjar--

You're coming home, Dresden.

[lady_elaine]

Elaine is sweating. Murphy's hands are starting to burn from the rope, but more still comes out. Whatever they're doing, it's working. The wind howls, and the rope is pulled taut. There's no more slack to pull. Through the window, a shape begins to appear.

[chicagocop]

I've got you. I've got you. I've gotyougotyougotyou--

She can't spare the energy to focus on that shape in the window. Her world has narrowed down to the rope in her hands and her feet on the floor.

Gotyou. Gotyou. Gotyou. Gotyou.

[lady_elaine]

Elaine's chanting is just shy of a scream now. She struggles to be heard over the howling of the wind, but the spell holds. The window stays open, the wind tearing at the walls separating the worlds, and with a great heave, Murphy yanks back and the form of Harry Dresden comes flying through.

The spell collapses at that moment, and Elaine tumbles to the floor. The last thing she sees as she slips into unconsciousness is Harry's smiling face. Perfectly round, with two black dots for eyes, and a wide smile that reaches almost to his ears.

When did he get a "Thank you!" tattoo, though?

And then she's out.

[chicagocop]

The rope goes slack in Murphy's bleeding hands as she stares at what has come through the window.

It's a paper bag.

No, it's the paper bag. The one she threw in after him. Now crumpled, half-torn, and empty.

She hopes that means he got breakfast, wherever he is.