Free God Hammer: A novel of the Demon Accords by John Conroe Page B

And it seems overwhelming, but let’s just chunk it down.  Take it bit by bit.  Keep working here, then let’s move to the medical research floors on four and five.  After that, we could tackle the call center and the business center.  Chet, please order the plans and blueprints for Declan, along with photos of the rooms themselves.  Once we get those, maybe you could pick which tiles or pieces you want?” she asked me.
     
    “That would work.  We’ll make a map of each room, have the techs at each location number and pull each part, and then ship it.  When it goes back, I’ll include instructions on the order of reinstallation,” I said.
     
    “Actually, we’ll have you on a conference call with each center to oversee the installations remotely,” Tanya corrected. 
     
    “Unless Anvil interferes with the communications.  I can’t do anything for satellites it attacks,” I said.
     
    “Satellites?  Damn, I forgot about our comm sats,” Chet said.
     
    From the frown on her face, so had Tanya.  She focused on me with unnerving blue eyes.  Despite myself, I felt nervous under so direct a gaze.
     
    “Declan, please think about those satellites.  Is there anything at all?” she asked.
     
    “I can’t see how to get any runes or wards up there.  I mean, you can only send programming signals, right? So its not like I can make a rune in computer code…” I trailed off, thinking.
     
    “What?  What is it?” she asked.
     
    “He’s got that eureka moment expression,” Chet said. “I think he’s realizing that runes could easily convert to binary.”
     
    “Converting to binary isn’t the issue. They’re just letters. You could run around and paint all these runes on the floors, ceilings, walls, and computers and it would be just archaic-looking graffiti.  It takes a witch to imbue them with power or magic.  I’m just trying to think if digital flows could be magicked.”
     
    “So that would help protect our satellites?” Tanya asked.
     
    “In theory, and I could do the same with all the computer systems, even the remote ones. Possibly get them protected from Anvil tonight .  Need to get some programs written, then convert them to runes, the runes to binary and somehow add magic.”
     
    Is like lightning, ya?   Sorrow suddenly asked.
     
    “Ya,” I said out loud.  Chet and Tanya looked at me, then each other, then me again.
     
    “Sorry, talking with Sorrow.  He had a suggestion,” I said, thinking about how I used magic to direct electricity in general and lightning in particular.
     
    “He?” Chet asked.  “Who is Sorrow?”
     
    “Sorrow is a semi-sentient magical book, a grimoire, that lives inside Declan,” Tanya explained.
     
    “It has a distinctly male voice… with a German accent,” I said.
     
    “Semi-sentient?” Chet asked.
     
    Semi? Sorrow scoffed.
     
    “Hold on, I’m trying to think this through.  Sorrow reminded me that I use magic to direct electricity, sometimes over distance, like when I’m working with lightning,” I said.
     
    “Lightning?” Chet asked.
     
    “There may be parallels, yes?” Tanya asked, eyes alight with speculation.
     
    “Yeah, I think there are.  I’ve got to try some experiments first.  Then I’ll have to write the programs and figure the runes into binary,” I said.
     
    “Wrong.  I don’t know half of what you’re muttering about with talking books and lightning, but I’ll grab some of my interns and we’ll write both the programs and, if you give us the rune alphabet, convert them to binary.  Then you can do the actual programming and do your Sabrina bit,” Chet said.
     
    “Sabrina?” I asked.
     
    “Never mind, you two. Let’s get this going,” Tanya said.  Chet turned and headed into the comp center and toward the programming rooms, where apparently he kept his staff of kid wonders.
     
    “What do you need?” Tanya asked.
     
    “Well, I want to try it on a smaller computer first.  So