Doomsday Exam [BUREAU 13 Book Two] by Nick Pollotta Read Free Book Online Page A

replacement mage for Anderson weeks ago, and this seemed a prime opportunity to see the students."
    The conversation paused a moment out of respect for our long gone friend. The handbook says that there are 100 ways to leave the Bureau. Richard Anderson had discovered Option ***101 and actually retired. But then, Richard had always been an amazing fellow.
    "Any wizards ready to graduate?” Jess asked, breaking the silence.
    "Actually, we have four mages,” she replied.
    Everybody perked up at that amazing answer.
    Leaning forward, Mindy took the microphone. “Four? That's wonderful!"
    "Well, two of them are a pair and one is only a Healer, can't do anything but benign magic,” the speaker crackled. “But it is an incredible number of wizards to have at once. Most years we only train four mages total."
    "How far along are they?” Raul called out from the back of the van. As a wizard he had to stay far away from radios and other types of complex machinery, or else they behaved in the most annoying manner.
    There was a crackle of static and Raul retreated further. “Prof. Burton is running them through Hell House this afternoon,” Lapin commented. “Wanna watch?"
    "Does a gargoyle eat its young?” I asked with a chuckle.
    "I'll take that as a yes,” Gil laughed, as the shadow of the F22 moved across our van eclipsing the alien sun.
    After saying goodbye, the F22 Raptor angled off in the direction of the airfield and soon dwindled out of sight.
    "Let's go get our new mage,” I declared, shifting gears.
    "Be nice to get another female,” Mindy said, resting an arm across the beat of my seat. “This group has always been rather man heavy."
    "Any problem with that, my proud beauty?” Raul asked, sliding closer on the couch beside her.
    Smiling sweetly, Mindy batted her eyelashes, made a kissy mouth, snuggled nearer and gave the mage an eloquent elbow to the ribs. Breath came out of him in a whoof.
    "Heavens no,” she purred. “Why ever do you ask?"
    Gasping for air, Raul's answer consisted mostly of a pained expression of how very sorry he was for asking.
    * * * *
    Having spent six weeks of training here a million years ago, I knew the location of the Base Command. Situated on a non-descript sidestreet, BC was a three story brick square with mirrored windows, sans any sort of ornamentation or signs. More security precautions. Unless you knew it was HQ, nobody could have deduced the fact. The place more resembled an insurance office than a high tech computerized command center. But then, don't they always?
    Driving into the parking lot, I took a spot alongside the walkway between a horribly beweaponed motorcycle, and a red shag flying carpet. Eagerly, the team piled out and I locked the doors as they ambled inside the building. We were each curious to see this aspect of the Academy previously denied to us as cadets.
    The foyer was made of cool blue marble and Mrs. Cunningham, the woman at the reception desk, was equally friendly. But she gave good directions, and three turns, two staircases later, my team found that holiest of holies, the Hell House Command Complex. Or as we called it as students, ‘the Principless Office'.
    After a moment of shuffling feet and clearing throats, I knocked on the door and a voice bid us enter. Stepping into its air-conditioned magnificence, a shiver ran through my gut. External, or internal causes? Geez, I felt nervous as a new field agent opening their first grave. An enclosed, elevated walkway extended over an incredible array of computer mainframes that none of us could identify. At the far end of the colonnade was a small dais protected by a dome of clear Armorlite glass. An elaborate control curved around the entire edge of the dais going from doorjamb left to doorjamb right. Six folding chairs were set behind an impressive swivel chair that would have appeared more at home on the bridge of a starship.
    Walking along the colonnade, ringing footsteps heralded our approach, and the