Five Hundred And Thirty-Nine

    “It’s good to meet you in person.” A woman, who was probably in her late fifties or so, a stern expression on her face, with dusky skin and dark eyes, coupled with her tight head of black hair, offered me a handshake. I took it, and her grip was still firm. She struck me as a woman who was all business, her pale blue skirt suit clearly expensive, yet also tastefully understated. Yes, I shouldn’t underestimate her.

    “I’m Gina Haskell, the current Director of the CIA. A pleasure.”

    As she stepped back, the other guest in the room, another man, of a similar age to Gina, yet still rather handsome, his black hair fading to silver a little at his temples, his greenish-blue eyes filled with intelligence yet also wariness, took her place, also going for a handshake. His black suit was more ostentatious, and he wore a large ‘stars and stripes’ pin badge on his lapel. “I’m Christopher Wright. FBI Director. You already know Adam, it seems.” He cast his gaze over my companions as he released my hand, seeming a little confused by Adelheid, a faint frown on his lips, before his gaze hardened with hostility as he beheld Christina.

    Seeing that, she giggled. “You shouldn’t be staring at me like that Chris, what will your wife think?”

    “I’m not... I...” he began, before realising he was being mocked. “Watch your mouth. I had hoped you’d killed yourself with your experiments.”

    “So harsh, so cold, Chris! I don’t care for it from you, though!” Christina eyed me, as if to see if I was jealous, which made me sigh internally. Seeing that, and perhaps mistaking it for some more positive emotions, Christina flushed, sitting down in a chair that would be next to mine, dragging it closer, so that I’d be pressed close to her. “How’s the kids?”

    At that, Christoper growled, taking a step forwards, fists clenched. Gina called for him to stop, while Adam watched on, impassive, taking his own seat.

    “You stay away from them! If you ever go near them, so help me God, I swear I’ll...” Christopher rumbled, incensed.

    “Oh, relax, Chris. You don’t want your hair to start receding, instead of just going grey.” Christina tittered. “I’m a changed woman, you know!”

    “Yes, calm down, Christopher.” Gina agreed, gripping his arm. “You can’t let her rile you up. Your children are safe...”

    Seeing my confusion, Christina explained. “Chris here, his son and daughter are both Chosen. I had thought that the odds of that were astronomical, but from statistical analysis, and your own experiences, I can see that Favour distribution is actually far from random. Family pairings are surprisingly common.”

    That surprised me. “In that case, why were you fumbling in the dark so much? If children of important governmental figures are Chosen, just ask them.”

    Before Christopher could answer, Christina helpfully exposited. “Chris is overprotective, and he’s tried to keep his kids out of all this, but Adam sniffed them out. I can’t help but think it foolish, Bethany and Zachary should be honing their powers, learning new strengths...”

    “You bitch, you just want to torture them, like...”

    At Adam’s loud, fake coughing, and Gina’s tight grasp, Christopher realised he had gone too far. Adelheid couldn’t understand, but wasn’t worried, knowing the people here couldn’t harm us, and Christina...

    “Oh, you misunderstand me. I’d be hurt... except, well, I’ve certainly made some mistakes. But I’ve turned over a new leaf!” she declared, leaning into me. “Now it’s all about consent, and self-experimentation! I’ll make amends that way, and also show off my good side to Akio!”

    “Yes, sit down, and we calm talk calmly.” Gina persuaded Christopher, and when everyone was seated, I introduced myself.

    “I agree. Anyway, I’m Akio Moonstone Oshiro, in the Western order. You can call me Akio, I don’t stand on honorifics. It’s... good to meet you?”

    “Why is that a question?” Gina asked, intense. “Oh, I imagine you have little fondness for us, or especially for Adam, considering your past, Akio. And since you’ve spent time with him, he’s likely annoyed you further. But we all need to set aside our discontent, as reasonable adults, and come to some sort of mutually beneficial accord. Although...” She nodded at Christopher, who took a deep breath, visibly calming himself, and he finished for her.

    “...this is just an informal discussion and sharing of ideas, trying to... brush over... some past problems. We don’t have the authority or inclination to make decisions without oversight from Congress and... the President.”

    Adam snorted at that, and while I wasn’t particularly interested in foreign politics, everyone had heard stories of the current President, but I wouldn’t judge from hearsay, since apparently I was meeting him tomorrow, alongside other important people. “Oh, but I’m certain you can make one concession.”

    “And what would that be?” Gina asked, leaning forwards intently. Beside her, Adam was grinning sourly, knowing what I wanted.

    “Christina Bakker is going to be seconded to work under me in Japan. I owe her that much.”

    At my words, Christina flushed red, and it wasn’t just me who noticed a little drool leaking from the corner of her mouth. What is she, a damn dog? Adelheid was equally disgusted, sliding her small frame across her chair to get as much distance from the woman she viewed as crazy as possible. I suppose she’ll... express her feelings in a more normal way in time? Maybe?

    “Oh?” Gina asked. “Much as her personality leaves a lot to be desired, and Christopher would be happy to be rid of her, Christina Bakker still is a ranking employee of DARPA, seconded under Adam, and not someone who can easily be released. After all... she knows rather a lot of classified information.”

    Christina paled at that, and Adam sneered. I decided to make my point. “Yes, she does I’m sure. Though we all know that a lot of that information has been extracted through means that would turn the international community against you. But that’s irrelevant. I’m sure you’re aware how knowledgeable I am. I have access to sources of information you most certainly don’t, judging by your actions. Anything Christina could tell me...” I fixed Adam with a steely grey gaze, and he got my point, arching an eyebrow sardonically. “...isn’t going to be something I couldn’t discover for myself. And besides, while matters are clean between Japan and America...” My tone showed what I thought of that. “...I still think America should show some sincerity. And what do you lose? From Director Christopher’s reaction, it seems you understand that Christina is dangerous, hard to handle.”

    “Nonsense, in your hands I’ll be as easy to handle as a kitten!” she retorted, but at a firm glare from Gina she shut her mouth.

    “I certainly agree she’s reckless, but her work provides results.” Gina allowed. “Besides, why her? Though...” Gina narrowed her eyes. “...her attitude seems rather... unusual. You seem somewhat... animated.”

    “I am, I am.” Christina agreed. “And I believe my breakthroughs will be greater than ever. Logic alone is insufficient!”

    “But if you leave, then your greater breakthroughs, as you call them, will go to Japan.” Adam pointed out. “We’ve discussed this, Christina. You owe us. You owe me! How can we stand by and let this happen? I agree, I am rather unwilling to confront Akio over you, but unwilling doesn’t mean we won’t.”

    “That’s right.” Gina agreed. “No more than you’d simply allow us to poach one of your allies.”

    “There’s a difference though.” I disagreed. “While Christina’s right, and logic isn’t everything, it’s clearly illogical to make an enemy of me, when you’ve barely managed to smooth things over. Instead, you should be giving me a little face, as the Chinese might say.”

    “But we are the only losers here.” Gina pressed, and Christopher, who clearly hated Christina, looked troubled, though he kept his mouth shut.

    “From how you played our little game, I understand you better.” Adam spoke up. “You tried to minimise your own casualties until I changed the way the game was played, showing there was no limit to my reinforcements. Then, you made sure to defeat the leader, even if it meant your own doom. It tallies with the message our agents brought back after their failure. Yes, everything has a price.” Adam surprised me with his words, turning to Gina and Christopher. “It is a price we’ve been paying, harsh though it is. While I have little sympathy for the criminals and undesirables who awakened these wretched powers like cuckoos in our midst, the brave US patriots who died... even our foreign guests... it was bloody but necessary work.”

    “It wasn’t. Not at all.” I disagreed.

    “Maybe not for you. But not everyone was bequeathed the power you were, the knowledge.” Adam replied, unmoved.

    “But not everyone does. And horrible as it is to say, I do understand Adam’s reasoning to an extent.” Gina broke in. “Everyone in America has the right to bear arms. Constitutionally, these abilities you possess would come under that. But... just as some are handguns or automatic weapons, and can cause great harm in the wrong hands, others are bombs or nuclear weapons. We make a mistake here, and not just dozens, or even hundreds, like in your Kyoto, could die, but tens or hundreds of thousands. Hell, if someone was to have a powerful-enough ability to spread a plague, for example, and it was released in a packed airport, we could be looking at tens, hundreds of millions! Yes, what Adam and the scientist you are defending here has done was too far perhaps, too cruel... but a few hundred lives for the safety of millions. The mathematics of survival are cruel.”

    Gina’s expression was earnest, if with a tinge of self-loathing, and I knew they meant well, even if their methods appalled me, reeking of the sacrifices I hated.

    “Better a hundred innocents perish than a potential disaster goes free.” Adam intoned piously. “We take no pleasure in it.... Well, you don’t, do you, Christina?” he asked, and she shook her head.

    “Even... even before now, when there were ways to test the things we needed to know that didn’t involve harm, I took it. Unfortunately... so much required cruelty. Which is why from now on, Akio and me, we’ll test on each other! No limits, no sorrow. I don’t particularly enjoy pain, although...” She licked her lips, peering at me for a moment, before adjusting her glasses and coughing, cheeks pink. “...never mind. Different sort of pain. “...but, I’m willing, I have full consent and understanding of the meaning of such tests. As do you, don’t you? We’ll get all the answers we’ll need that way. It won’t wash the blood off my hands, but... if my work does prevent a disaster you fear, Adam... then atonement... it’s a good first step, yes?”

    “You? You’d do this?” Christoper asked, astonished. “I find it hard to believe. All you ever understood is numbers, results, never the human cost, or the emotional weight!”

    “Yes. You’re sadly right.” Christina pulled her lab coat around her suit like armour. “I don’t deny it. Unravelling the mystery was everything to me. I had to know. I still do have a deep craving to know. But... that’s not all I want to know.” Her face paled, and her eyes reflected faint horror, and I assumed she was remembering the shared experiences Haru poured into her. “I need... I need to work through everything. So I simulate, assume, and test how I feel. Emotions aren’t science, but... I’m Christina Bakker, and I will not stop until I understand everything about how I feel now. And I’ll do some good!”

    “I’m... shocked.” Christopher said at last. “If I didn’t believe in Director White’s threats of dangerous mind-altering powers before, I would now... but... you’re still you, I can tell. Only your depthless insanity would talk so... strangely about what it means to be human.” He took a deep breath. “I vote you take her away. I think she’s like those M-29’s. She’s powerful, but if we use her, we’ll be caught up in the fallout.”

    “But she knows far too much.” Adam pointed out, and Christopher shrugged.

    “Which is why we’re having this talk, yes? Negotiations. Sure, without the President’s approval, and Congress ratifying matters, there’s a huge amount we can’t agree on, but we can lay some groundwork, and... Christina’s not a prisoner, not yet. If she chooses to leave freely and we don’t detain her... that’s not a matter we need oversight on.”

    “True.” Adam fixed us with a stern glare, and seemed amused when Adelheid’s blue, frosty stare was the one that unnerved him the most. “Christina. You’ve already greatly disappointed me. But I expected some problems. As your boss... I can sign the release papers for an official transfer. Let me see... how about this?” Adam leaned forwards, rubbing his chin, thinking.

    “This Ministry in Japan, how about Christina is seconded there as a foreign liaison? In exchange, we want regular reports. Now, I’m aware you don’t feel like sharing with us, and the Japanese government has its reservations, but... the truth is, America is still Japan’s biggest supporter, and with China making waves, and an undercurrent of religious unrest worldwide... these so-called Church of True Revelation fellows...” His lips curled into a grimace. “...friends need to stick together. Past transgressions are no bar to future cooperation. History tells us that. After all, we were on opposite sides during the Second World War.”

    Gina frowned. “It’s true, this is well within our remit. But nothing in life is free...”

    “True. And while I am here, not causing trouble, because Japan has deemed the abduction of our citizens didn’t happen, politically... I still remember. But...” I nodded at Christina, and they understood.

    “Fine then.” Gina sighed. “Our research is moving in different directions now, anyway, so I’m told. The early fog of ignorance has been driven back somewhat.”

    Christina stifled a giggle, eyes sparkling, having escaped death. She then whispered something so faintly only my ears, and maybe Adelheid’s, could pick it up. “I’m still staying in the hotel tonight! I won’t feel safe until I’m back in Japan!”

    Great, and here I was thinking I could have a peaceful night... oh well, onto more negotiations...

    ***

    “As I live and breathe, Akio! You’re looking mighty fine, and so are you, Aliyah. The poor guys here tonight will be having to swallow their tears, missing out on a beauty like you!” Buck Kelly hollered loudly, as he saw us arrive. The security had been a bit of an issue. Adelheid had changed into a more mature outfit, dark slacks and a turtleneck jumper in a soothing charcoal grey and had changed her hairstyle and makeup to seem older, but she still didn’t seem (and indeed wasn’t) twenty-one. But as invited VIP’s we were ushered in after a brief discussion.

    Indeed, I was in one of my usual suits, but Aliyah was wearing a dress, similar to when I first met her. It was white with gold highlights, and offset her dark skin and hair brilliantly, as well as showed off her ample cleavage and toned, long legs through a deep slit in the side. Not to be outdone, her brother Treyvon was wearing a suit similar to mine, though whereas I was lean, his muscular frame made him rather eye-catching.

    Christina, who after our preliminary negotiations had calmed down, was now also in a dress. We had sourced it from the hotel again, and she wasn’t wearing a lab coat, as I had insisted. The blue dress wasn’t anywhere near as daring as Aliyah’s, leaning more on the elegant side, but coupled with Christina’s ash-blonde hair pulled up into a proper hairstyle, and some light makeup, she looked mature and attractive.

    “You’re always with the ladies when I see you, Akio!” Buck continued, eyeing Christina appreciatively. “And different ones each time too! My Mary will be shocked, and I can hardly wait to see David spit out his drink. Anyway, come in, come in!” Buck himself was wearing a smart pair of jeans, with a white shirt with the top few buttons open, a casual yet stylish look.

    “Fuck me, don’t keep us waiting, Buck. I’ve worked up a hell of a thirst today!” Aliyah complained, and soon we were inside. As we passed the raucous interior of the bar, called Kelly’s Haven, I noticed something, and I wasn’t the only one who did, as Aliyah doubled over laughing, though that was a dangerous pose for her.

    “What the shitting hell is that? Oh my fucking sides... if I rip this dress laughing it’ll be your fault, man!”

    “Oh, you like it?” Buck grinned. Indeed, while we were heading for a private booth at the end of the room, the decoration was... ostentatious. Indeed, the bar down one side of the room had a Fae-like feel, with a mural of a nightscape, huge moon overhead, and small lights like fireflies bobbing, which on closer inspection were little Fae, possibly Sylphs or Pixies. That wasn’t what caught our attention of course. What did, was a larger-than-life metal cutout of Shaeula, holding a bottle of Fae spirits in one hand, her other beckoning invitingly. The barmaids are in yukata as well, though... honestly, some of them are struggling to move. Must have been a rush job...

    “Let nothing bar-bar your way to the wines and spirits from the immortal lands of the Fae.” Trey read, noticing the banner above that bar. “Approved of and supplied by Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan, old friend of Buck Kelly, and fiance?e to the Hero of Britain, Akio Moonstone Oshiro!”

    “Oh God, that’s embarrassing...” I grimaced, though I knew Shaeula would revel in the attention. Glancing at the prices displayed on another signboard, I swallowed nervously. Yeah, that’s the sort of prices the drinks we had in Gangnam cost, sometimes more. Even so... I could see people were paying.

    “It’s nothing shameful.” Buck slapped me gently on the back, grinning as we passed the crowds, and I could see two familiar faces sitting at our booth, the frosted glass which allowed viewing out but not in no bar to my eyesight. One was a glamourous blonde woman, around the same age as Buck, Mrs Mary Kelly, and she was wearing a modest yet expensive pale lemon dress. The second was David Jacobson, tall and lean, slightly dark-skinned, and in a short-sleeved silk shirt in a bright blue, showing off his poker tattoo.

    “Long time no see. Who’d have thought it, huh? That guy I met at that backwater casino in Vegas was such a bigshot. Anyway...” David grinned, lifting up his glass, which held a faintly glowing orange liquid, which looked like Fae Wine. “...cheers, down the hatch!”

    As he took a heartly swig, Mrs Kelly greeted us, paying special attention to Aliyah, Christina and Adelheid, and soon we were seated, a starstruck, yukata-clad waitress bringing us over several bottles of both ordinary, yet expensive, Irish whiskey, and spirits made from the honey from the Mirror Bees. Seeing my look, Buck shrugged.

    “Yeah, I had to rush things when I knew you were going to be in town, but... the first orders have come through. Sure, the supply is nowhere enough to stock all my bars, but... here, we can make the first impression. And it seems to be working. I told you, Akio, you’re my lucky charm!” He slapped me on the back again, and as I took a sip of whiskey, which was warm, mellow and fiery, and then chased it with a swig of the smooth, creamy and punchy Fae alcohol, I nodded, while David was complaining that his bars and restaurants were missing out on such a glorious opportunity...

    As Adelheid took a sip of whiskey, her face frowning at the taste, I slid her a glass of the Fae spirits, and she seemed to like that better, though she was muttering to herself that beer was the only real drink. Aliyah and Trey were digging in with reckless abandon, and Christina...

    “I’m not normally much of a drinker. I find intoxication anathema to rigorous, logical thought, but... it would be terribly boring if I don’t indulge. This is a date, right? Right?”

    “No, it’s just an excuse to unwind.” I shook my head. The negotiations had dragged on for a while. I had intended to ask for access to two Territories, one on each coast of America, but of course there was huge pushback on that, but at least the idea was broached. It won’t happen until we reach Rank four anyway. I intend to move the Ring Gate Hub to a newly secure, high-security site away from Asha’s Tree and the Anchor and route all travel through that. No more carelessness. But when that happens, I want a worldwide network. It’s going to be hard gathering enough Chosen Vassals and others like my sis and Eri to expand it, but... that’s a worry for later...

    “But...” My expression softened. She’s fundamentally broken as a human being, but... I know she’s genuine when it comes to her desire to take on all the risks in terms of experimentation I can’t or won’t. And not the sort of genuine which is merely a perfect fake. “...relax anyway. We could all use a break after the stress of the last few days.”

    Taking another gulp of whiskey, I sighed, letting the background noise of the bar and the TV showing some sort of American sport in our booth wash over me. Tomorrow, I have to meet the President. That’s... going to be a pain. Though... he’s supposedly impulsive, and doesn’t always listen to his advisors, so if I can win him over, maybe I can get some easy concessions? Of course, if I piss him off, that’d be terrible...

    Setting that aside, I resolved to lower my resistance to alcohol for now, and let happy drunkenness wash my worries away...