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Chapter 13
George Sommers finished up another shift and turned the keys over to his relief. “No problems last night, Frank. Everyone made it on time this morning, no absentees from the usual roster. We did get a message that SecDef is going to be paying a visit in four weeks, so you'll need to start planning for that.”
Frank Evans was a baseline human. He sighed at the news. “Lovely. More brass to polish...”
Sommers chuckled. “Could be worse. Could be Thor.”
Evans winced at the idea. “Don't even -joke- about that, Sommers. Last thing we need is -that- lunatic wanting to see the labs.”
“So cheer up! It's not what's going to happen.”
“Whatever. Seeya tomorrow.”
The drive home wasn't usually too bad. California had a reputation for setting the gold standard for horrible traffic, but the worst of it was in Los Angeles. Working the night shift had the advantage of not trying to travel in the same direction as ninety percent of the commuters, as well. From the labs, he took I-580 East to I-205 to I-5 north into Stockton before he turned onto the surface streets to his apartment. He was about a mile from home when it happened.
Three cars ahead, a Toyota SUV ran the red light from the cross street and broadsided a minivan. The side of the van caved in under the impact and both vehicles spun through a quarter turn, blocking the intersection and collecting a Honda Civic to add to the carnage. Sommers was out of his Beetle and sprinting for the intersection almost before the three vehicles had come to rest.
The uniform, even if it wasn't a police uniform, gave him enough authority to take command of the scene. He pointed at a young Hispanic woman just getting out of her car with her phone aimed to take pictures. “You. Call 911.”
“But..”
“NOW!” She squeaked a yes and punched in the combo. Among the other drivers and pedestrians starting to gather was a bear-morph delivery driver just getting out of his truck. “You, you're with me. We need to get everyone away from the van if we can, it's leaking gasoline.”
The bear nodded. “Gotcha.” Long claws hooked into the metal of the van's passenger side door and pulled it open with a tearing screech of abused metal. “There we are. Clear path. You able to move, ma'am?”
The driver was dazed, but nodded. “I think so.” She'd only just started to move when her eyes refocused and she turned suddenly. “Oh my God, my kids!”
The bear took one glance and had to suppress a sudden urge to be sick. “You get yourself out, ma'am. We'll get your kids.” He deliberately interposed himself between her and the sight of the back of the vehicle and the two broken little bodies there.
“But...”
“We'll do it, ma'am. You get yourself clear.”
Sommers and several other bystanders had succeeded in separating the SUV and the van, and the unicorn trotted around to the van's sliding door to check for passengers. He wasn't prepared for what was behind the panel. The older boy, maybe twelve, had an obviously broken arm. He was ignoring it, trying to staunch the blood pouring from his younger sister's chest where the torn metal of the car had ripped it open. He could hear the sirens in the distance, but he knew what he was seeing from his first aid training. She would never live to see them arrive – bleeding was always the quickest to kill, even faster than a stopped heart. “Oh, no. No. NO!!!” He shouted his denial of the tragedy, and his vision blurred. There was a momentary tightness, and then he touched his horn to her broken body, and the power flowed, knitting her back together.
* * * *
Twenty-three miles away, Stardancer dropped her teacup in her lap and turned to face northeast, completely ignoring the hot liquid soaking into her clothes. Halfway across the building, Captain MacDowell jumped as if he'd stuck his fingers in a light socket and turned in the same direction.
* * * *
Sommers backed out of the van at the urging of the paramedics. “We'll take it from here, sir.” He nodded, standing up as he got out of the crumpled wreckage. The two of them gently got the girl out of the van and onto a stretcher, both of them amazed at what they'd just witnessed. “You can -see- how badly she must have been torn up, Jax. Look at her clothes. Hell, look at all the blood she left behind.” He clapped a hand on Sommer's shoulder. “Thank you, whoever you are. You did our job for us this time.”
“I didn't even know I could do that.”
“We're all glad you could. Where did you come from?”
Sommers pointed with his horn. “Just happened to be a few cars behind when it happened. That's my car over there.”
Jax looked back and forth between him and the Volkswagen. “You're kidding, right?”
“No, why would I be kidding?”
“Because there's no way you'd fit in that little car, even if you could drive a car at all with hooves?”
“What are you... talking... about... ?” Sommers' brain finally caught up with the fact that he was standing on all fours and still taller than most everyone but the bear standing beside the ambulance with the mother. And that it was a bit draftier than he was used to. He looked over his shoulder at the full-fledged unicorn body he was now inhabiting. “Oh, boy. How am I going to explain THIS to my boss?”
* * * *
MacDowell burst into Stardancer's outer office just as the red-headed witch charged out of her office.
“I need to see the Director right now---”
“Hold all my calls and reschedule everything. Something big just happened--” She stared at MacDowell. “You felt it, too?”
“Yes ma'am. Some kind of mana pulse, I think, from the northeast.”
Stardancer pointed. “That way?”
“Yes. Towards Stockton and Sacramento. And we both felt the same direction, so it's not likely to be too close.”
“Then come along with me. I just called the Security office to send a couple people along with us, just in case. They're bringing a van around to the front door.”
“I could fly, ma'am.”
“Good idea once we get closer. Have you got a mirror on you?”
The eagle frowned. “A mirror? Not on me. I have an emergency kit in my car that has a little one.”
“Get it. And set up the communication spell on it while we head toward the city. That way we can keep in touch if you go looking for whatever it was. Meet me at the front security desk in five minutes.”
* * * *
The echoes of the disruption were fading, but slowly enough to allow the two of them to track it. The highway did not head straight in the direction they needed to go, and ten minutes on the road was enough to establish that it had been relatively local, since the direction stayed roughly toward Sacramento, swinging toward the north as they followed the eastbound Interstate .
“Take 105 north?” MacDowell nodded agreement. A few minutes later they merged with I-5 northbound. “I'm not sure if it's getting stronger or not. If it's fading as we're getting closer... whoops!”
The eagle grinned. “Yep. We just went past it.” He turned to the driver. “Stop for a second and let me out, then get off at the next exit and head south.”
Stardancer nodded. “It's fading quickly now. Go while it's still there.”
The guard-driver was less than enthusiastic. “The whole reason we're here is to protect you, not for you to go wandering off alone. Sir. Ma'am.”
“Just let him do it. You can't do much to protect him while he's airborne anyway, can you?” The guard sighed and followed his orders. MacDowell took off, arrowing straight for the epicenter while the van made its way to the next exit and followed along the local streets.
* * * *
The accident was only about a quarter mile from the highway in a straight line, and MacDowell followed the fading echoes of the surge far enough to spot it before they faded out completely. <That figures. Either something traumatic triggered a latent ability, or someone with a lot of power was dealing with the aftermath.> He made one pass, and backwinged to land on the top of the bear's delivery truck when he saw the unicorn. His immediate reaction surprised him. “Eldest? Why are you here?” <Wait, what? Why do I recognize him, and what language did I just speak?> That memory surfaced as well when he focused on it. <Right. So how in hell do I know Oglala?> The unicorn and the humans all turned to stare at him, nobody apparently understanding what he'd said. <No, not the Eldest... and how do I even know what he looks like?> He shook his head, and opened the mirror he'd brought. “Stardancer?”
The reflecting surface swirled for a moment and then firmed into the witch's face. “Did you find it?”
“That I did. Traffic accident at 4th and Wilson, and it triggered someone into transforming into a full-up quadruped unicorn. He's standing and talking with a few of the first responders, and they seem to be impressed by him.”
“A unicorn? White?”
“Aye. White, with a very pale blue mane. Thought it was Cerrunos for a moment, but the mane's wrong.”
“No, not with a pale blue mane. The Eldest is a straw blond.”
“Definitely not blond. It's that same just-barely-not-white shade of blue that one night shift security fellow has. You know him? Sommers...?” MacDowell's voice trailed off as he thought about that.
“You don't suppose...”
“He does look familiar, now that I think of it... only one way to find out. I'm going to join the conversation.”
The witch looked at him more sharply a moment later. “Hang on. When did you ever see the Eldest? And for that matter, how do you know his name? It's not exactly a secret, but it's not common knowledge, either.”
“No idea. I have a memory of meeting him sometime or other. It's tied up with being able to speak Oglala, which I -also- never knew I could do until just now.”
“Something to worry about later. For now, go see if it's our off-duty security guard.”
“On it.” He spread his wings and jumped off the truck to land beside the group. “Sommers, is that you?”
The unicorn managed to look embarrassed. “I'm afraid so, Captain. I was a couple cars behind the accident, and was helping with immediate first aid when...” He shrugged. “Don't know how I did it, and I don't know how to change back.”
The bear chuckled. “He's being way too modest, Captain. He took charge of the scene until the paramedics got here, and a good thing he did. I was in the sandbox during the first Gulf War back in '92, and I've seen people bleed out. That little girl would've been dead without him.”
The ambulance crew chief nodded. “For sure. When we got here, we could still see what the original injuries had been, though they were healing at super-speed. Poor kid had a crushed rib cage and her chest cavity was torn open when her side of the van was caved in. By the time we got here, she'd have been gone. Now? If I hadn't seen the tail end of whatever he did, I wouldn't have thought she'd been injured at all.” He grinned. “She woke up when we were loading her into the ambulance, and it was all we could do to keep her from running over to hug him. Called him her knight in shining armor.”
Sommers managed to blush through his fur. “Actually, I think she just called me Shining Armor. Thought I was from that cartoon show, apparently.”
The bear laughed. “My daughter loves that show. You don't look anything like him, Mr. Sommers. Aside from the unicorn thing.”
“That's good to know.” Sommers turned back to the eagle. “What are -you- doing here, sir? Aren't you supposed to be at work?”
“You kind of interrupted us, Sommers. Ms. Stardancer is going to be here in a minute, too. Whatever it was you did, we felt it all the way back at the Labs.”
“You're kidding.”
MacDowell pointed to where the witch and two of the security team were picking their way through the police cordon. “Does that look like I'm kidding? I think you've just been promoted from security guard to research assistant.”
“But I don't even know what happened!”
Stardancer had gotten close enough to overhear that. “Then that'll be the first thing we research. Welcome aboard, Sommers.”
The unicorn sighed. “Fine. Then can one of you with hands pick up what's left of my uniform? My wallet and badge and keys are in there somewhere.”
* * * *
“So why are we doing this again, Jandi?” The gray wolf-morph was helping her set up the mirrors that Bast had helped prepare for the very unofficial tap into Stavros' communications. “If anyone catches us at this, the fecal matter will well and truly impact the rotary air impeller.”
“Ah, but we're doing it as private citizens, using our own personal resources rather than those of the government. Completely separate.” The white wolf grinned back at her mate.
“And even though that's true, it won't stop anyone in the press or the other side of the government from calling for a hoof, both ears and your tail.”
“Bullfighting metaphors, now? I don't even have hooves.”
“Facts haven't stopped them before, dear.”
Lowe grinned. “A very good point. I suppose we could get Shadow to assist...”
“Shadow was prepared to fuss over ensuring an honest election. I doubt she'd approve of the idea that you are two different people as it suits you.”
“We'll take our chances, then. Worst case, we move to the Sahara and wait for a few generations. But even if Stavros is capable of catching the tap, connecting it to me would be tricky – even for me.”
Whitford sighed. “I'm glad one of us is confident.”
“Shush. They're starting. Let's see what these fine folks talk about... and who they might be.” She started taking notes. “New York, Paris, Beijing - as expected. And we have... Singapore, Moscow... hmm. Japan somewhere, this one has some competent computer security people, it's not easy to lock down. And they are all waiting on someone...”
* * * *
Once again, Hassan of Brunei was the last to connect. “My apologies, gentlemen. I just received a report.” He looked at the computer screens. “As several of you predicted, the rebels in Syria were not able to withstand outside pressure in the long run. The nature of that pressure, however, seems to be completely unexpected.”
Telnikov laughed. “Da, my friends. Someone started turning their leaders into swine! One of them was giving speech when it happened, and recording was smuggled out. We are thinking of putting it up on American Youtube. Is hilarious!”
Hassan scowled at the image of the Russian crimelord. “Yes, very funny. But more to the point, how was it accomplished?”
Marubashi smiled. “It seems a trick worthy of a kitsune. And we know they do exist now.”
Stavros shrugged. “There are any number of people with the resources and the inclination to do this. The major governments, a few private entities... it has come to my attention that Circe is among the Immortals, and the Odyssey suggests that it could easily be her work. Greece is close enough to Syria that she might be concerned.”
Hassan frowned. “And if whoever did this decides to expand on his success?”
Telnikov affected shock. “A terrible thing, truly. I would have to give up bacon!” Hassan turned slightly greenish at that idea.
“It would be annoying for most of us, your Highness, but not seriously disabling.” De Revol shook his head. “This is a rather pointed attack. It is a warning to the Muslim world to behave themselves, rather than a threat to global stability in general. Unfortunately, this does not narrow down the candidates. Personally, though? I suspect Haroun had a hand in this. He's been using this same trick on the Muslim rebels in his own realm.”
Jian Chao shrugged. “It could have been either of them, or someone else entirely. The fact that both Haroun and Circe seem to know the technique indicates that there may be others, as well. They may even have taught it to agents of one of the governments.”
De Revol nodded. “Very possible. There was a meeting between representatives of several European powers and Circe a few months back, just before the new border-crossing regulations went into effect.”
Stavros nodded. “One of ours was there, as well. In fact, our government provided the transportation out to Circe's island.”
Telnikov waved a hand. “So we agree, could have been anyone who has cause to dislike ISIL. Long list, that one.”
“Agreed.” Stavros turned to De Revol. “Any progress?”
“We have a genetics team working on it now. They tell me that the DNA we obtained from Reynard shows some very odd markers, which confirms the American findings. The Immortals are different in a fundamental way, and duplicating it will not be an easy matter. This makes it more urgent to obtain the stopgap technique, I think. We should consider ways to... persuade Haroun that it would be in his best interests to share his abilities in this regard....”
* * * *
Lowe watched until the meeting adjourned. “Very interesting. The mole in our longevity research program has at least seen the magical half of the research, then. That narrows the field. And I think we can confirm that the young gentleman who gets queasy at the thought of bacon is a member of the House of Bolkiah. Should be easy enough to identify him now. They aren't sure of who the new Immortals are, though. We'd best keep it that way, don't you think?”
Whitford nodded. 'That would certainly make things easier. We're probably going to need to keep a close eye on him. Of course, after today, we can tap into someone else's computers when they do these conference calls. That way if we're caught, we're only seeing a US citizen because he's consorting with suspicious characters that you -do- have the authority to watch.”
Lowe grinned. “Exactly. And now we're late for work. Let's head to the office...”
George Sommers finished up another shift and turned the keys over to his relief. “No problems last night, Frank. Everyone made it on time this morning, no absentees from the usual roster. We did get a message that SecDef is going to be paying a visit in four weeks, so you'll need to start planning for that.”
Frank Evans was a baseline human. He sighed at the news. “Lovely. More brass to polish...”
Sommers chuckled. “Could be worse. Could be Thor.”
Evans winced at the idea. “Don't even -joke- about that, Sommers. Last thing we need is -that- lunatic wanting to see the labs.”
“So cheer up! It's not what's going to happen.”
“Whatever. Seeya tomorrow.”
The drive home wasn't usually too bad. California had a reputation for setting the gold standard for horrible traffic, but the worst of it was in Los Angeles. Working the night shift had the advantage of not trying to travel in the same direction as ninety percent of the commuters, as well. From the labs, he took I-580 East to I-205 to I-5 north into Stockton before he turned onto the surface streets to his apartment. He was about a mile from home when it happened.
Three cars ahead, a Toyota SUV ran the red light from the cross street and broadsided a minivan. The side of the van caved in under the impact and both vehicles spun through a quarter turn, blocking the intersection and collecting a Honda Civic to add to the carnage. Sommers was out of his Beetle and sprinting for the intersection almost before the three vehicles had come to rest.
The uniform, even if it wasn't a police uniform, gave him enough authority to take command of the scene. He pointed at a young Hispanic woman just getting out of her car with her phone aimed to take pictures. “You. Call 911.”
“But..”
“NOW!” She squeaked a yes and punched in the combo. Among the other drivers and pedestrians starting to gather was a bear-morph delivery driver just getting out of his truck. “You, you're with me. We need to get everyone away from the van if we can, it's leaking gasoline.”
The bear nodded. “Gotcha.” Long claws hooked into the metal of the van's passenger side door and pulled it open with a tearing screech of abused metal. “There we are. Clear path. You able to move, ma'am?”
The driver was dazed, but nodded. “I think so.” She'd only just started to move when her eyes refocused and she turned suddenly. “Oh my God, my kids!”
The bear took one glance and had to suppress a sudden urge to be sick. “You get yourself out, ma'am. We'll get your kids.” He deliberately interposed himself between her and the sight of the back of the vehicle and the two broken little bodies there.
“But...”
“We'll do it, ma'am. You get yourself clear.”
Sommers and several other bystanders had succeeded in separating the SUV and the van, and the unicorn trotted around to the van's sliding door to check for passengers. He wasn't prepared for what was behind the panel. The older boy, maybe twelve, had an obviously broken arm. He was ignoring it, trying to staunch the blood pouring from his younger sister's chest where the torn metal of the car had ripped it open. He could hear the sirens in the distance, but he knew what he was seeing from his first aid training. She would never live to see them arrive – bleeding was always the quickest to kill, even faster than a stopped heart. “Oh, no. No. NO!!!” He shouted his denial of the tragedy, and his vision blurred. There was a momentary tightness, and then he touched his horn to her broken body, and the power flowed, knitting her back together.
* * * *
Twenty-three miles away, Stardancer dropped her teacup in her lap and turned to face northeast, completely ignoring the hot liquid soaking into her clothes. Halfway across the building, Captain MacDowell jumped as if he'd stuck his fingers in a light socket and turned in the same direction.
* * * *
Sommers backed out of the van at the urging of the paramedics. “We'll take it from here, sir.” He nodded, standing up as he got out of the crumpled wreckage. The two of them gently got the girl out of the van and onto a stretcher, both of them amazed at what they'd just witnessed. “You can -see- how badly she must have been torn up, Jax. Look at her clothes. Hell, look at all the blood she left behind.” He clapped a hand on Sommer's shoulder. “Thank you, whoever you are. You did our job for us this time.”
“I didn't even know I could do that.”
“We're all glad you could. Where did you come from?”
Sommers pointed with his horn. “Just happened to be a few cars behind when it happened. That's my car over there.”
Jax looked back and forth between him and the Volkswagen. “You're kidding, right?”
“No, why would I be kidding?”
“Because there's no way you'd fit in that little car, even if you could drive a car at all with hooves?”
“What are you... talking... about... ?” Sommers' brain finally caught up with the fact that he was standing on all fours and still taller than most everyone but the bear standing beside the ambulance with the mother. And that it was a bit draftier than he was used to. He looked over his shoulder at the full-fledged unicorn body he was now inhabiting. “Oh, boy. How am I going to explain THIS to my boss?”
* * * *
MacDowell burst into Stardancer's outer office just as the red-headed witch charged out of her office.
“I need to see the Director right now---”
“Hold all my calls and reschedule everything. Something big just happened--” She stared at MacDowell. “You felt it, too?”
“Yes ma'am. Some kind of mana pulse, I think, from the northeast.”
Stardancer pointed. “That way?”
“Yes. Towards Stockton and Sacramento. And we both felt the same direction, so it's not likely to be too close.”
“Then come along with me. I just called the Security office to send a couple people along with us, just in case. They're bringing a van around to the front door.”
“I could fly, ma'am.”
“Good idea once we get closer. Have you got a mirror on you?”
The eagle frowned. “A mirror? Not on me. I have an emergency kit in my car that has a little one.”
“Get it. And set up the communication spell on it while we head toward the city. That way we can keep in touch if you go looking for whatever it was. Meet me at the front security desk in five minutes.”
* * * *
The echoes of the disruption were fading, but slowly enough to allow the two of them to track it. The highway did not head straight in the direction they needed to go, and ten minutes on the road was enough to establish that it had been relatively local, since the direction stayed roughly toward Sacramento, swinging toward the north as they followed the eastbound Interstate .
“Take 105 north?” MacDowell nodded agreement. A few minutes later they merged with I-5 northbound. “I'm not sure if it's getting stronger or not. If it's fading as we're getting closer... whoops!”
The eagle grinned. “Yep. We just went past it.” He turned to the driver. “Stop for a second and let me out, then get off at the next exit and head south.”
Stardancer nodded. “It's fading quickly now. Go while it's still there.”
The guard-driver was less than enthusiastic. “The whole reason we're here is to protect you, not for you to go wandering off alone. Sir. Ma'am.”
“Just let him do it. You can't do much to protect him while he's airborne anyway, can you?” The guard sighed and followed his orders. MacDowell took off, arrowing straight for the epicenter while the van made its way to the next exit and followed along the local streets.
* * * *
The accident was only about a quarter mile from the highway in a straight line, and MacDowell followed the fading echoes of the surge far enough to spot it before they faded out completely. <That figures. Either something traumatic triggered a latent ability, or someone with a lot of power was dealing with the aftermath.> He made one pass, and backwinged to land on the top of the bear's delivery truck when he saw the unicorn. His immediate reaction surprised him. “Eldest? Why are you here?” <Wait, what? Why do I recognize him, and what language did I just speak?> That memory surfaced as well when he focused on it. <Right. So how in hell do I know Oglala?> The unicorn and the humans all turned to stare at him, nobody apparently understanding what he'd said. <No, not the Eldest... and how do I even know what he looks like?> He shook his head, and opened the mirror he'd brought. “Stardancer?”
The reflecting surface swirled for a moment and then firmed into the witch's face. “Did you find it?”
“That I did. Traffic accident at 4th and Wilson, and it triggered someone into transforming into a full-up quadruped unicorn. He's standing and talking with a few of the first responders, and they seem to be impressed by him.”
“A unicorn? White?”
“Aye. White, with a very pale blue mane. Thought it was Cerrunos for a moment, but the mane's wrong.”
“No, not with a pale blue mane. The Eldest is a straw blond.”
“Definitely not blond. It's that same just-barely-not-white shade of blue that one night shift security fellow has. You know him? Sommers...?” MacDowell's voice trailed off as he thought about that.
“You don't suppose...”
“He does look familiar, now that I think of it... only one way to find out. I'm going to join the conversation.”
The witch looked at him more sharply a moment later. “Hang on. When did you ever see the Eldest? And for that matter, how do you know his name? It's not exactly a secret, but it's not common knowledge, either.”
“No idea. I have a memory of meeting him sometime or other. It's tied up with being able to speak Oglala, which I -also- never knew I could do until just now.”
“Something to worry about later. For now, go see if it's our off-duty security guard.”
“On it.” He spread his wings and jumped off the truck to land beside the group. “Sommers, is that you?”
The unicorn managed to look embarrassed. “I'm afraid so, Captain. I was a couple cars behind the accident, and was helping with immediate first aid when...” He shrugged. “Don't know how I did it, and I don't know how to change back.”
The bear chuckled. “He's being way too modest, Captain. He took charge of the scene until the paramedics got here, and a good thing he did. I was in the sandbox during the first Gulf War back in '92, and I've seen people bleed out. That little girl would've been dead without him.”
The ambulance crew chief nodded. “For sure. When we got here, we could still see what the original injuries had been, though they were healing at super-speed. Poor kid had a crushed rib cage and her chest cavity was torn open when her side of the van was caved in. By the time we got here, she'd have been gone. Now? If I hadn't seen the tail end of whatever he did, I wouldn't have thought she'd been injured at all.” He grinned. “She woke up when we were loading her into the ambulance, and it was all we could do to keep her from running over to hug him. Called him her knight in shining armor.”
Sommers managed to blush through his fur. “Actually, I think she just called me Shining Armor. Thought I was from that cartoon show, apparently.”
The bear laughed. “My daughter loves that show. You don't look anything like him, Mr. Sommers. Aside from the unicorn thing.”
“That's good to know.” Sommers turned back to the eagle. “What are -you- doing here, sir? Aren't you supposed to be at work?”
“You kind of interrupted us, Sommers. Ms. Stardancer is going to be here in a minute, too. Whatever it was you did, we felt it all the way back at the Labs.”
“You're kidding.”
MacDowell pointed to where the witch and two of the security team were picking their way through the police cordon. “Does that look like I'm kidding? I think you've just been promoted from security guard to research assistant.”
“But I don't even know what happened!”
Stardancer had gotten close enough to overhear that. “Then that'll be the first thing we research. Welcome aboard, Sommers.”
The unicorn sighed. “Fine. Then can one of you with hands pick up what's left of my uniform? My wallet and badge and keys are in there somewhere.”
* * * *
“So why are we doing this again, Jandi?” The gray wolf-morph was helping her set up the mirrors that Bast had helped prepare for the very unofficial tap into Stavros' communications. “If anyone catches us at this, the fecal matter will well and truly impact the rotary air impeller.”
“Ah, but we're doing it as private citizens, using our own personal resources rather than those of the government. Completely separate.” The white wolf grinned back at her mate.
“And even though that's true, it won't stop anyone in the press or the other side of the government from calling for a hoof, both ears and your tail.”
“Bullfighting metaphors, now? I don't even have hooves.”
“Facts haven't stopped them before, dear.”
Lowe grinned. “A very good point. I suppose we could get Shadow to assist...”
“Shadow was prepared to fuss over ensuring an honest election. I doubt she'd approve of the idea that you are two different people as it suits you.”
“We'll take our chances, then. Worst case, we move to the Sahara and wait for a few generations. But even if Stavros is capable of catching the tap, connecting it to me would be tricky – even for me.”
Whitford sighed. “I'm glad one of us is confident.”
“Shush. They're starting. Let's see what these fine folks talk about... and who they might be.” She started taking notes. “New York, Paris, Beijing - as expected. And we have... Singapore, Moscow... hmm. Japan somewhere, this one has some competent computer security people, it's not easy to lock down. And they are all waiting on someone...”
* * * *
Once again, Hassan of Brunei was the last to connect. “My apologies, gentlemen. I just received a report.” He looked at the computer screens. “As several of you predicted, the rebels in Syria were not able to withstand outside pressure in the long run. The nature of that pressure, however, seems to be completely unexpected.”
Telnikov laughed. “Da, my friends. Someone started turning their leaders into swine! One of them was giving speech when it happened, and recording was smuggled out. We are thinking of putting it up on American Youtube. Is hilarious!”
Hassan scowled at the image of the Russian crimelord. “Yes, very funny. But more to the point, how was it accomplished?”
Marubashi smiled. “It seems a trick worthy of a kitsune. And we know they do exist now.”
Stavros shrugged. “There are any number of people with the resources and the inclination to do this. The major governments, a few private entities... it has come to my attention that Circe is among the Immortals, and the Odyssey suggests that it could easily be her work. Greece is close enough to Syria that she might be concerned.”
Hassan frowned. “And if whoever did this decides to expand on his success?”
Telnikov affected shock. “A terrible thing, truly. I would have to give up bacon!” Hassan turned slightly greenish at that idea.
“It would be annoying for most of us, your Highness, but not seriously disabling.” De Revol shook his head. “This is a rather pointed attack. It is a warning to the Muslim world to behave themselves, rather than a threat to global stability in general. Unfortunately, this does not narrow down the candidates. Personally, though? I suspect Haroun had a hand in this. He's been using this same trick on the Muslim rebels in his own realm.”
Jian Chao shrugged. “It could have been either of them, or someone else entirely. The fact that both Haroun and Circe seem to know the technique indicates that there may be others, as well. They may even have taught it to agents of one of the governments.”
De Revol nodded. “Very possible. There was a meeting between representatives of several European powers and Circe a few months back, just before the new border-crossing regulations went into effect.”
Stavros nodded. “One of ours was there, as well. In fact, our government provided the transportation out to Circe's island.”
Telnikov waved a hand. “So we agree, could have been anyone who has cause to dislike ISIL. Long list, that one.”
“Agreed.” Stavros turned to De Revol. “Any progress?”
“We have a genetics team working on it now. They tell me that the DNA we obtained from Reynard shows some very odd markers, which confirms the American findings. The Immortals are different in a fundamental way, and duplicating it will not be an easy matter. This makes it more urgent to obtain the stopgap technique, I think. We should consider ways to... persuade Haroun that it would be in his best interests to share his abilities in this regard....”
* * * *
Lowe watched until the meeting adjourned. “Very interesting. The mole in our longevity research program has at least seen the magical half of the research, then. That narrows the field. And I think we can confirm that the young gentleman who gets queasy at the thought of bacon is a member of the House of Bolkiah. Should be easy enough to identify him now. They aren't sure of who the new Immortals are, though. We'd best keep it that way, don't you think?”
Whitford nodded. 'That would certainly make things easier. We're probably going to need to keep a close eye on him. Of course, after today, we can tap into someone else's computers when they do these conference calls. That way if we're caught, we're only seeing a US citizen because he's consorting with suspicious characters that you -do- have the authority to watch.”
Lowe grinned. “Exactly. And now we're late for work. Let's head to the office...”
Category Story / All
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File Size 60.6 kB
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