Yesterday's Hero by Jonathan Wood Read Free Book Online Page B

shoulders sag. “Just try not to reveal our existence to anyone else would you?” And then she’s gone.
    A moment later Kayla is heading for the door. It’s the first time I’ve seen her hit full speed all day. There’s nearly a sonic boom.
    And I’d wanted to ask her if she wanted to talk about things. She wouldn’t have, but I think she might have appreciated someone asking.
    Clyde puts his wooden face in his hands. “I did it all wrong,” he says. “With Devon. Didn’t I?”
    Tabitha is looking far too pleased with herself, sitting next to him.
    And honestly the answer is yes, but that’s not going to help here. I instead go for the more vague, “I think Shaw is just tired.”
    “Shagged out?” Tabitha raises an eyebrow.
    And I know Tabitha is abrasive at the best of times. I know the professional thing to do, the thing the team leader would do, is take the higher ground. But instead, I go with, “Oh yeah, because my office romance is totally the one causing issues right now.”
    Clyde clutches his head again.
    So that wasn’t the right thing to say either. It’s mildly concerning that I’m starting to get more comfortable in life-or-death situations than in conversational ones. I’ll need to watch that.
    I grab around for a subject change. Tabitha remains looking stalwartly smug.
    “So,” I try, “Clyde, when did you start being able to commune with security cameras?”
    Tabitha scowls.
    “Oh.” Clyde takes a moment pulling his thoughts together. “I… I’m still not sure about that. But I got my personality onto this mask via a wireless internet connection.”
    The incident replays in my mind. Deep beneath the earth in a Peruvian temple. Kayla actually being fought to a standstill by ancient monks who’d stored their personalities on masks half magical and half electrical. And then Clyde using Tabitha’s laptop’s wireless connection to astrally project. Overwriting one of the monk’s masks, so Kayla could kick his arse and turn the tide of the battle.
    “I imagine I’m basically digital now,” Clyde says. “I mean this mask is all electronics. Magical, Peruvian electronics from the dark ages, but still… But I guess there’s a two-way connection. In and out. I just… It’s weird.” He shrugs, helpless. “There’s a lot to get used to.” He says. “This whole body…”
    For the first time I really think about the trauma Clyde’s been through. Yesterday, his meat body was possessed by an alien. Yesterday I killed him. Yesterday. That’s got to take its toll.
    Yesterday was a really busy day.
    I check my watch. “You should probably clear out,” I say. “Let this whole Devon thing blow over.” Neither Tabitha nor Clyde seem to need any more prompting.
    I sit alone in the conference room for a while and let my head spin. Clyde is wireless. Russians are trying to bomb us. Kayla seems abruptly unable to punch her way out of a paper bag. Not even the world-invading kind. Devon is in the building.
    We saved the world, but I’m no longer entirely sure that we put it back right.
    I’m still chewing on that one when Shaw appears in the doorway with her coat on and a pocketbook over her shoulder.
    “So,” she says, “what do you fancy? Curry or Chinese?”
    I weigh my options. “Which one is less likely to be transformed into a life-threatening monster by rogue wizards?”
    I’m beginning to get concerned about how work is affecting my decision-making process.
    Felicity smiles. “I think I have a good place in mind.”

TEN

    Y ou have to give it to the Mongols. Fabulous at both invading China and takeout food. Kudos to them.
    Shaw takes me to place near work and her apartment where we pick up a steaming feast of noodles, vegetables, and meat. Later, we sit about in her living room surrounded by trapezoidal cardboard boxes and I get to demonstrate my inability to use chopsticks.
    “So, how’d it go with Devon?” I say, giving up on the whole process, and just trying to