On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Five Hundred And Thirty-Seven

After an extremely enjoyable and relaxing flight, where for once I had the opportunity to take things easy, pampered by the stewardesses in the first-class section of the plane, we touched down at Dulles International Airport. The flight had been peaceful for me, with Adelheid idly watching some TV on the in-flight set, while also listening to some German to English and German to Japanese vocab lessons on her phone.

Christina had been largely silent as well, her expression rather vacant and troubled, growing ever more tense as we crept closer to our destination. Perhaps it was thoughts of the technical treason she had committed against the United States by stealing the Vermillion List data and handing it over to a foreign power, or it was her prior worries, I wasn’t certain.

Our last passengers had spent the trip taking advantage of the first-class service, Aliyah and Treyvon finding common ground with Titan, the three of them enjoying complimentary booze and meals, though fortunately none of them had taken it to excess and become drunk. It was amusing hearing Aliyah be so happy about flying first-class, obviously when they were on Black Wolf Company business they kept costs low, this sort of extravagance isn’t usual for them. Or for me, honestly…

The cost of the tickets was scandalous, really, and my old, frugal self from five months ago protested internally, but Hinata and Kira-san both pointed out that I had a certain level of status to maintain now, and being cheap was detrimental to the image we wished to project. Though I’m also sure Hinata just wants me to enjoy the finer things in life as well…

As we had the day of settling business and Healing, causing what was supposed to be a quick in-and-out trip, to attend Miss Lindiwe’s recovery gala, make a few connections, then nip across the border to Botswana and retrieve the Seeds, to become a major drain on our time, it was now early Monday morning local Eastern Standard Time, and in Japan it was nearing midnight.

Fortunately, I was always in mental contact with Eri, and of course I had my phone too, so I had been kept abreast of matters back in Japan. Reaction to the concert and the various revelations had been positive, and the Ministry for Spiritual Matters was having to field so many calls for interviews and questions by concerned citizens that apparently the Minister, Morita Yuna-san, was having a rather stressful time of it, and was considering hiring a separate PR and enquiries section, according to a rather amused yet exasperated Haru.

I don’t like being away from home long, especially with the Pilgrimage due to start on Friday, then Shaeula’s birthday on the Saturday. I did worry about the overlap, but Shaeula assured me so long as I made time for her in-between the shrines we visited, she’d be content… I really need to remember her birthday gifts, just like I did for Daiyu… damn, even with a Material and an Astral body, I’m constantly short on time…

The one plus in all this was that Shiro was keeping the buffs running and we were raking in ether. It was a lesser amount, as without me there we couldn’t risk Shiro’s Berserk Blessing, but it was still far above what I imagined anyone who wasn’t supported by a host of Vassals could manage.

As we taxied in towards the terminal, I glanced out the window. The skies were grey, and a few faint flakes of snow were falling. It was a rather dull morning, but what caught my eye was that there seemed to be rather a lot of military personnel about, unusual for a civilian airport. Coincidence? I hardly think so.

Grabbing my bag, I quickly rounded up my party, and as expected, the others that had noticed the unusual scenes were Trey and Aliyah, their mercenary instincts keen as ever, and Adelheid, who was naturally wary.

“Thank you for flying with us. We hope you come again!” The attractive stewardesses and handsome stewards ushered us off the plane, and as we descended, ahead of the crowd of course, the privilege of being in first-class, even the slower Christina had noticed the situation, her face going pale.

Inside the terminal, ordinary passengers were being kept back by armed US soldiers, as well as federal agents in crisp black suits paired with white shirts, both male and female. I heard mutterings from the crowd that perhaps a celebrity was coming, and when some tried to raise their phones ready to take pictures and shoot videos, they were quickly and politely disabused of that notion by the black-clad agents.

“I’m a little worried. Adam… he’s a pragmatist, but… he’s ruthless.” Christina clutched my arm to her ample chest. I didn’t resist, as she did genuinely seem frightened, and while I had no doubt that many of her test subjects experienced greater and more horrific fear under her experiments, even so, it didn’t sit right with me tossing her aside right now. Besides, there’s still her little ruse. I’ll disavow being her boyfriend when I meet the Director, but until then…

“It’ll be fine. I’m not letting you die until you’ve genuinely made amends for all the suffering you’ve caused.” I assured her. It’s the same as Nie Ling. It never brings back the dead, but… at least it can help the living.

“That’s… is that saying you want to spend the rest of my life with me?” Christina managed to tease, though it was clearly an effort, so I casually flicked her forehead with my free hand.

“Don’t be an idiot. Is this the time for flirting? I’m just going to work you to death until you’ve done enough good to outweigh the bad. You’ve heard us mention it, remember? The Scales Of Judgement? Until your heart weighs less than that feather, you’ve not got my permission to die!”

“How cold… but I don’t hate it.” Her breath was coming faster, her face red, and she squirmed, which was troubling for me, as it pushed my arm against her heaving chest. Behind me, Aliyah rolled her eyes, clearly irritated, but despite that, she was carefully watching all the threats around us, gauging the exits, as was Treyvon.

“Enough.” I flicked her forehead again, but was regretting my habit, as it was clearly having the opposite effect on the strangely masochistic scientist.

It seemed some in the audience had recognised me, as I could hear my name, and Britain and Korea being mentioned. I also heard some people asking if Christina was one of my women, as she was clinging to me, and I was grateful the woman in question couldn’t pick that noise out of the buzz of the crowd, else I’d never hear the end of it, and it’d only embolden her.

“This way, if you’d please.” One agent stepped up, and a path was cleared through the terminal, the ordinary passengers being held back. I glanced at my companions, who, other than Christina, all nodded or shrugged, signalling agreement. Following them to passport control and immigration, our documents were briefly checked, though Adelheid’s seemed to surprise the officer a little, but in short order we were outside, in a cordoned off area, filled with more soldiers and agents, as well as a number of black Humvee-style trucks with tinted windows, and a woman, who when Christina saw her, she went tense, her grip on my arm buried in her chest almost painful.

The woman was wearing a black suit with a long skirt and stockings, her white shirt paired with an elegant bolo tie set with a large black onyx. With her dark hair pulled up into a tight bun, she certainly looked different to the agents around us, despite the similar dress code. Her face was pretty, if rather cold, and her eyes were a rich brown colour, matching her dark skin, but those too seemed a little chilly, as if she was wary or angry. “Welcome, Mr Akio Oshiro, and companions, to the United States of America. I am Viola, Undersecretary to the NSA Paranormal Branch. I’ll keep things brief.” She gestured to one of the waiting black vehicles. “Miss Bakker, Director White is eager to see you now that you’ve returned. Most eager, in fact. He has a great deal to talk with you about. After all, your leave was rather unexpected, and unauthorised.”

Christina swallowed, forcing a smile, her face now white as a sheet. For a woman that didn’t flinch when it came to injuring herself during her experiments, to see her so wary now… Adam White must be a dangerous man. No, I already know that, considering what he’s ordered.

Tightening her already vice-like grip on my arm, Christina cast a pleading glance at me, and I bit down a sigh. “Christina is very tired from the events of South Africa and our long flight. I was hoping to take her to our hotel, for a few hours of rest. I’m due to meet with the Director this afternoon, so Christina can accompany me then. Loathe as I am to keep her from her work, I do hope the Director can be understanding, considering… our relationship.”

Viola narrowed her eyes which were like glittering precious topaz, hard and cold. “I would have imagined that travelling as you did, there would have been ample time to rest on the plane…”

Christina managed a nervous titter. “You know how it is, Viola. Or maybe you don’t? After all, you’re still single, aren’t you? Too wedded to the job…” Another nervous bout of laughter followed, and sweat was beading on her forehead and cheeks, despite the end of autumn chill in the air, flakes of snow landing on our heads and melting. “…who am I to talk? You know my love for my experiments. But… sometimes you just need to find a good man. Or a woman, if that’s what you’re into, Viola. I’m not one to judge.”

Those words made Viola purse her lips sourly, and I was sure I could hear her teeth grinding, but her face remained impassive, though she was looking at me as if I was filth. I’m not the masochist here, I’m not enjoying being looked at with disdain!

“I see.” she managed in the end. “It’s quite the imposition, but… Director White did instruct me to be as accommodating as is reasonable. Do be sure to get some rest then, Miss Bakker. If you are too tired to adequately explain your behaviour to the Director, there will be… consequences.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Oh, I get that, I do.” Christina nodded. “I wouldn’t want to cause Adam more trouble.” Again, more strained laughter. Both sides knew the other was lying, I imagined. “Trust me, no more fooling around.” Hey, I’ve not touched you, woman! You’re wrecking my reputation!

The annoying thing was a lot of the agents and soldiers guarding the area seemed envious or impressed. Objectively, Christina was a beauty, after all, and she’d made an effort to look far less like a nerdy slob than usual. “Don’t worry. I take my meeting with Director White very seriously. After all, ever since London, we’ve had such productive conversations.” I got in on the subtext as well, and that made Miss Viola blink, forgetting her disdain for a moment.

“Good. I hardly speak for the Director, I wouldn’t be so bold, but I do know he is eager to… set matters straight and clear some misconceptions. I’ll leave you to the tender care of Miss Bakker then, and we will send you to your hotel, and also collect you at the appointed time, if there are no objections? Leaving your safety to chance… quite unacceptable. Why, even the President is eager for tomorrow’s event.”

“That’s fine.” I agreed. Hinata had made sure to drill into me I needed to constantly assert my importance, so as to not lose the upper hand in negotiations. To that end, we were staying in one of the more exclusive hotels in Washington DC.

“In that case…” Miss Viola glanced over at Titan. “I trust you aren’t too tired to come back for a debriefing, and that you’ve not been having fun with Mr Oshiro here?” Her tone was quiet, but I could hear the irritation.

“Nah woman, I be fine.” The big man shrugged, the fabric of his suit straining. “I can come in and tell the boss what I know, ya.” He turned to us, especially the worried Christina. “Obviously, I be only your keeper, Miss. I’ll let ya tell the Director all the details, wouldn’t want to get it all wrong and make a fool of myself, and cause trouble, ya know?”

Christina’s complexion regained a little colour. “Yes, I’ll be sure to give Adam the full story. Just… well, you don’t need me to tell you, do you Titan? There’s no point speculating on what we don’t understand. We’re here for empirical evidence, for certainties, aren’t we?”

Titan waved a hand, showing he understood, and an agent opened the door for him, and he entered the vehicle. Viola glanced at Trey and Aliyah, pursing her lips again momentarily, before nodding to us. “In that case… if you would…” She gestured to another of the blacked-out trucks, and as the door was opened, I helped Christina in, followed by Adelheid. I was going to sit next to her, but Christina squirmed around until in the end I was sandwiched between the two women, though Adelheid was keeping her distance, blue eyes cold. That’s our little Tanya…

Trey and Aliyah took up seats in the rear, and soon we were off. Christina breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could say anything, I nodded meaningfully at the driver, and she made a ‘zipping’ gesture over her mouth, which froze me for a moment, leaving me blinking, surprised. Shit, that was almost cute. No, I’ll not be fooled. When she’s quiet and not panting like a pervert she’s attractive, but her personality is garbage.

As the vehicle, which on the inside was rather plush, yet sturdily built, the frame and glass likely both bulletproof, I let my gaze wander outside, to the gentle snowfall as it started to dye the world white…

***

“You didn’t have to get us separate rooms, you know.” Aliyah grumbled. She had tossed her duffle bag into her own room, before coming back to mine. For a woman, she certainly travels light. Is that the mercenary way?

“Trey and me, we’re used to bunking down together. Not like it’s anything weird.” She paused, a smirk suddenly on her face. “Not like it’d be with you and your cutie of a sister. I’d definitely be worried if you shared a room with her.”

“Yeah, very funny. Never heard that one before.” I snorted, unamused. “Don’t worry about it, just enjoy the luxury. Who knows, you might be grateful if you find a cute girl to romance while on the trip.”

“That’d certainly be something to see.” Trey also returned, having dropped off his luggage. He had changed to a winter coat, though he was still wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt underneath, showing off his muscles despite the wintry chill outside. “Shit sis, even if we shared a room and you found someone for a one-night stand, I’d be the gentleman and find somewhere else to sleep.”

“You, a gentleman? Shit Trey, if you were, maybe you’d have more luck. Anyway…” Aliyah looked around my room, which was an expensive and expansive one, but not a suite this time, as I would be staying in it alone. Or at least, that was the plan, anyway.

“…I thought our crazy mad scientist lived somewhere near here, or at least had somewhere to stay. So what gives?”

Christina had sat herself in one corner of my room, clutching her luggage, and seemed to have no intention of leaving. “I’m not going anywhere! Oh no, little Miss Christina is staying right here, where it’s safe! If I go home, then Adam will send a black bag team after me for sure. I’ll be dragged off somewhere and all my secrets will be extracted! And then… poof!” She made a gun gesture with her fingers, pointing it to her head. “Unmarked grave, nobody but Akio to mourn poor Christina.”

“Not so sure he’d mourn you, you annoying bitch.” Aliyah grumbled, crossing her arms menacingly. Like Trey, she was wearing a winter coat over her shirt and jeans. “Maybe he’d be glad to be rid of you? But… think about it. There’s only one bed in here, even if it’s a big one. And one bathroom, with…” Aliyah gestured, and indeed, it was a luxurious bathroom, but it was walled with slightly frosted glass, which wouldn’t conceal much of anything.

“I don’t mind.” Christina shrugged. “Honestly, if he wants to see…” She reached for the hem of her jumper, tugging it up, revealing her belly, and showed no indication of stopping before Aliyah rushed over and grabbed her wrist.

“Damn flasher. You may have the goods, but if you show them off casually, nobody’s going to value you. Fuck me, can’t believe I’m lecturing a madwoman on modesty. Even your crazy psycho maid isn’t this bad.” she growled at me.

“Look…” I tried being reasonable, addressing the clearly rattled Christina. “If you don’t want to go home because you’re genuinely worried, we can work something out. I’ve not gone to all this trouble and suffered all this stress just to have you disposed of now. Although, I thought Adam White wasn’t prepared to go against me, and that should at least buy you a little safety? That’s why we went through the whole girlfriend charade, isn’t it? But that aside… think long term. I’m only here for a couple of days, thanks to the South African situation overstaying its welcome. When I’m gone… won’t you be staying behind? You’re American, and a patriot, after all, as you keep telling me.”

Christina bit her lip, flustered. She certainly seems less self-assured recently, so I’ve noticed. “I am. But… I’m a scientist, the one thing that separates a scientist from a fool is the fact that we have to accept the truth, even if it’s unpalatable, or hateful, or makes everything we believe wrong.”

Aliyah had released her, and was looking on, eyes narrowed. Seeing me glancing at her, she shrugged, as if to say ‘might as well let her speak her mind.’

“Even in the brief time I’ve spent in Japan… I’ve already learned more than in weeks, months of prior research. Yes, it seems unlikely you are the only one with the talents you have, science tends to abhor things that are unique, just as the universe is said to be largely homogeneous, the laws of physics the same everywhere. But then… can I really be sure? If I’m ever going to reach the true heart of these mysteries… and allow us to harness these powers, just as humans mastered fire, steam, electricity, information…” Her eyes were bright and feverish, her face flushed, a quite different lewd look to when she was harassing me. “…why should we be at the mercy of the whims of the Gods? I’m not a believer, but I understand why it was forbidden knowledge that got them cast out of Eden in the Bible. Because what separates man from ape, God from man? It’s simply knowledge and the use of it.”

“She’s not wrong.” Trey agreed. Meanwhile. Adelheid had changed into a warm fur duffle coat, which made her look younger, but also more adorable. She was now sitting quietly in one corner of the room, not paying attention, though she was shooting looks of disdain at the red-faced and panting Christina. Yeah, she doesn’t need to understand her to know she’s being weird…

“If an orangutang knew how to use guns and knives, they’d be a match for any two or three Special Forces soldiers. Greater strength, speed, reach… but since they don’t, if I was in an armed fight with a group of them, I’d be the winner.” Trey continued.

“Exactly!” Christina agreed. “But that’s not all. Can we trust borrowed power? No, just as knowledge imparted isn’t every truly understood. Adam’s obsessed with the idea that people like you are a way to supplant humanity, or destroy us, some wicked trojan horse for these so-called Gods. I don’t know if that’s true, or if it even matters… because we’ll seize knowledge and integrate it into our own science, and make better use of it than they ever could! Don’t you see?” Christina’s bright blue eyes were feverish, yet brilliant to behold.

“You made me able to see the wonders of this Boundary. You can steal and transplant, even manipulate these so-called Divine miracles you call Favours! Your Eye… I don’t entirely trust it, but I can’t disregard it when it’s so often correct! Rigorous testing is needed, if it was me before…” She suddenly shuddered, calming down as if doused in cold water. “…I’d have stopped at nothing to do so. I’d have broken you, probably. Even to cutting out your eye and seeing if we could transplant it.”

“Already tried that, I’m afraid.” I chuckled, embarrassed. “It requires a little extra.”

“See?” Christina shuddered again, her look ecstatic. “We do think the same way. Only… you understand the human cost, I think. I… well, isn’t it unreasonable for me to consider others, when I’m perfectly happy to risk myself?”

“Not really, no. But… it does make it a little understandable. Also, no, I most certainly do not think like you do. All my cruel training and experiments are done with informed consent and maximum safety measures.” I disagreed.

“And so shall mine be from now on! But in case I backslide… I need you to watch over me.” She grinned triumphantly, hands on hips, as if making a point. “Your dealings with Princess Eleanor and Britain, now with South Korea, and even South Africa… if you treat the United States as fairly, I can still do my patriotic duty. Besides… I’m not going to lie to myself. I never do. I’ve fallen in love with you! And I don’t want to die before I’ve tasted more of these… of these emotions.” She licked her lips. “I think of all the wonderful experiments we can do together, mysteries we can uncover, and my chest feels hot, tight, and my body leaks. After all these years of me deriding my fellow researchers as idiots and merely slaves to their hormones, being distracted by love… I find myself in their position. Perhaps this is my just desserts. Because… you hate me, don’t you?”

“Pretty much.” I agreed honestly. “You’re not exactly loveable.”

“That hurts. It makes me feel hot, your disregard, but… it also hurts. Damnit.” Actual tears formed at the corner of her eyes. “I hate this. I love it too, but mostly I hate, hate, hate it! I did think there were only three absolutes in this world. That time only marches forwards, entropy always tends towards increasing, and that the future was unwritten and unknowable. I was wrong on the second two, it seems. Energy and order from nothing, I’ve seen it, and you can glimpse the future, yes?”

“Shadows of it, certainly. I wouldn’t say it’s already written, just… probabilities.”

“In that case… if I could just travel back in time, stop myself from doing such deeds, tell myself if just I waited I’d find someone who could help me unlock all the answers, and also make me feel like what I suppose a person is supposed to feel like…”

“Well, you can’t. One thing I’m sure of is, time does only flow in one direction.” I shook my head sadly. “Otherwise, wouldn’t the universe simply just collapse into chaos, everything in permanent flux? After all, if time travel is possible, then there should be an infinite length of time for infinite people to travel back to every point in time infinitely.”

“Oh yes, quite right, the impossibility of absence paradox. I like that one. Though it’s unfalsifiable, so not truly scientific.” Christina nodded, understanding my point. “Anyway, I’m not good with this… with any of this. I asked Haru Suzuki to share their pain with me, thinking that I wasn’t scared of pain and injury, that you were overreacting… but… feeling myself be someone else, that was the most horrific thing of all. I am me. Christina Bakker. Scientist. Researcher. Seeker of truth. Woman. That last, I never cared about until now. I try. I… it’s an impossible task, to make amends, isn’t it? Because unlike science, people are unique. You just can’t swap one out for another. You’re unique too, Akio. So… it has to be you.”

“Well fuck me, Trey.” Aliyah turned to her brother, exasperated. “I never thought it possible, but the mad bitch actually has me feeling slightly sorry for her.”

“Don’t worry sis, it’ll pass.” He joked, before frowning, looking at me. “Look, I’m Private Military. I’ve fought in wars, conflict zones all over the world. I’ve done bodyguarding, extractions, sabotage, straight up firefights… I’ve killed a fair few people, you know? And maybe you’d be one of them. Not by my hands, but… if we’d have caught you, Christina here would have dissected you for sure.”

She nodded at that slowly, listening to his points with bitter interest.

“Do I think I’m a good man? Hell no. Killing is killing. And maybe not everyone I’ve killed was a bad person. But they were an enemy. Only thing is… we draw a line, right Aliyah?”

“No shit.” As Aliyah spoke, I realised Adelheid was listening too, it seemed like she was using her phone’s translation app and an earbud. Since English to German was way more intelligible than Japanese to German, I assumed she would be getting most of the general idea.

“We don’t kill kids. Not even crazy child soldiers who have done terrible things. I mean, until you’ve seen them hit an isolated village, kill the men, torture them sometimes, then… well, this ain’t polite company to talk about what they do with women, even young girls…” She nodded at Adelheid, who scowled, clearly understanding. “Maybe that’s evil in itself. It’s probably kinder to put a bullet in some fucked up kid’s head before he tortures a load of girls, even if he was made that way by others. We’ve blood on our hands from doing, and not doing. Some fucks would tell you that not doing ain’t your responsibility…”

“…but that’s crap.” Trey took over again. “Now, I’m not saying that just because you can cure cancer or heal life-threatening injuries, you have to spend your whole life helping those in need. After all, you’re not Mother Theresa, man. Hell, even Mother Theresa ate, drank, read and spent time to herself. But… there are those that’ll blame you for not helping them.”

I nodded, remembering the father of that adorable, mature little girl Ami, who I had healed during the time Hinata gathered Shinohara-san and the others, for some pre-emptive PR work I hoped would never be needed. He had felt simmering resentment, even though he knew it wasn’t fair, wasn’t my fault. It was simply human nature.

“Basically, I’m saying, there ain’t none of us who is a saint, even saints probably have skeletons in their closets.” Aliyah finished. “You’d never make the choice that Nie Ling woman did, you’d rather die than kill innocents, yeah? But… what if it was for those you loved?”

I had considered this before as well. I’d like to think I’d never resort to such, knowing that Eri and the others would hate me if I committed such sins for their sakes, but… when Shiro was dying from breaking Sancus’ chains… I threatened Tan with finding her Pantheon and laying it to waste, which would obviously entail massacres of those who were underserving of death, and I meant it at the time. “Yeah…” I nodded slowly. “I see your point. Not that it excuses what Christina did, and she’ll have to carry that hatred all her life, but…” I took a deep breath.

“I can’t give you what you want. You honestly don’t deserve my love. But… just like I’ve given Nie Ling a chance to make amends, you can have your shot. It may not seem fair, it may not be right, it’s favouritism, probably just because you’re a woman, and you’re attractive…”

“I know you think I’m gorgeous…” she managed to joke, though her face was pale, blue eyes serious.

“…but everyone’s got their own lines they won’t cross. Just like you pair and kids. Even if they are on the wrong path, you can’t justify it to yourselves.”

“Kids, innocent women. Though fuck men. In Trey’s case, literally.” Aliyah smirked. “Seriously… the world ain’t fair, and it ain’t equal. I don’t agree with everything you do, Akio, but… I like that you’re trying to be as fair as your conscience will let you be. And fuck me, if you want to offer second chances to women more than men, well, that just makes you human, and I don’t disagree. After all, women are far more likable.”

“So, yeah.” I agreed with Aliyah to an extent. It’s not like I don’t believe in second chances for everyone, assuming there’s certain lines they haven’t crossed, but… it stings my heart more to see a woman grieving. My sis would laugh, calling me a virgin loser… oh wait, she can’t anymore. “If it makes you feel safe, you can stay here.” I told Christina. “But I’m not suddenly going to fall for you. Conversely, I’m not going to show you special treatment either, so you’ll just have to accept this is my room. My problem is, I know what you’ve done and why. Others… others have likely done worse, but…”

Hyacinth. In the long years before she was captured and put in the box and found her way to us, what terrible deeds did she do in her madness? Like the child soldiers, she was made that way, but the dead and hurt still grieve the same. But… to me, Hyacinth deserves my love and forgiveness. Hypocrisy, but… yeah, Aliyah and Trey are right. I’m not claiming to be perfect. I just want a world where there’s as much happiness as possible for as many as possible, but… happiness for those I want to protect counts far more than the joy of others. Otherwise… how can I truly say I love them?

“I understand.” Christina bowed her head. “And… that’s actually something rather novel for me. Of course…” her pale face flushed with colour, though it seemed forced. “…I don’t believe you can resist me forever. I asked Scryer for some tips, so… look forward to that! Yes, I think logically that Adam won’t be reckless, but then I feel he could act anyway. If he sees through our ruse, works out that you actually wouldn’t go so far for me as he thinks, or if he decides that making an example of me is worth risking your enmity. Now I’m back… things I was so certain would be fine before now seem terribly… nebulous. I hate it when I can’t calculate the numbers, follow the logic. But now… I think I understand the irrationality of people far better. Whether that will be good for me, or bad for me… I don’t regret it.” Her smile seemed genuine for once, lacking her usual sly nature. “I really don’t want to die, leave my work undone. If… if I have to die in the end to make amends, I can live with that, but at least let me feel what it is to be a normal woman first.” Oh no, there her perversions are. Way to spoil a genuine moment. But then, it seems she wouldn’t be Christina Bakker is she was capable of following social norms,

“So yes, I don’t feel it’s safe to return to my apartment, I have to stay here. It’s not logical, but it’s a gut feeling. Something I’d have laughed at before. Anyway… I’m kind of hoping we can work something out with Adam… have me seconded out to you in Japan, as some sort of reconciliation package. Maybe throw in a few bits of harmless information as a bribe? I know you probably don’t want to work with us here in America after everything we’ve done, but… honestly, we didn’t do it to be evil. We believed in the work. That surely counts for something?”

“A little.” I agreed. “Anyway, that ran long.” I sighed. “So, Aliyah, Trey, I’ll see you later this evening?”

“Yeah. I ain’t missing Buck plying me with free booze.” Aliyah agreed. “But before that…” she glanced at her brother, who explained.

“It’s been too long, so we’re meeting up with a few of the heads of some other PMC’s that are in the area. Got to reestablish our credentials, if we’re going to ever do any missions again like you planned. Besides… get the bastards drunk, and they have loose lips. We can’t share any mission info, but… we keep our ears to the ground. They’ll know a lot of rumours and mysterious happenings going down around the US and wider world.”

“Yeah, because a merc who ain’t curious is soon a dead merc. Oh sorry, contractor.” Aliyah corrected, ribbing her brother.

“Sounds good. If we run into any problems, I’ll let you know.” I promised. “Although…” I glanced at Trey, back at Aliyah, then at Trey again, and he guffawed, amused.

“Yeah, I know my sister gets a bit crazy when she’s drunk, but… she says that since you can purge her system of the booze any time you want, it’s on you if she acts up…”

“Shit, Trey!” she cursed, thumping his shoulder firmly with one fist. “I never said it like that. It’s just… fuck. This is a mission, I get it, but also a holiday. We’re back in the US of A, at least for a couple of days. I’ll be damned if I ain’t enjoying myself while I’m here. You owe me that much, right?”

With a smile I nodded. I guess so. I guess so…

 

***

“Nice place.” I whistled. The NSA headquarters was an impressive-looking series of massive, rectangular buildings, every inch of the sides covered in windows, which were reflecting the faint rays of the sun trying to break through the snowy clouds.

After Aliyah and Trey had left, Christina, who was exhausted mentally from thinking about thoughts and emotions she was clearly unsuited to, claimed one side of the large bed for her own, though she did clumsily try and insinuate… no, insinuate made it sound subtle… she said outright I could come over and ravage her if I wanted. As if to prove a point, she started to change right there, and with a grimace, I made good on my threat not to care. I didn’t ogle her, but I made no effort to look away, figuring she’d break first and get embarrassed.

Remembering gives me a headache. She broke first, all right. But only into a red, quivering mess. Her masochistic tendencies are rather annoying.

Adelheid had enough in the end, unable to bear watching the tragic romantic comedy of an idiotic woman who barely understood emotions trying to seduce a guy who had no liking for her. She also took issue to Christina’s clothing and makeup, and with a quick phone call to hotel reception, they had a rather fetching suit delivered from an upmarket tailor. It was off-the-shelf, of course, but still excellent. The only issue was that Christina insisted on pairing it with a lab coat, so we had one of those delivered as well, which was certainly a challenge that the hotel rose to. Yeah, costs a fortune, but the service is godly.

“It certainly is. Though the Paranormal Branch is having to compete for space.” Christina puffed out her chest proudly, not forgetting to slam it into my side, trying to entice me. She then grimaced as Adelheid whacked her head, and not for the first time, before cursing in broken English.

“No. bad, no mess up shirt, shitty woman!”

“I’m not. A few wrinkles won’t…” Christina began, but Adelheid clouted her again, even though she didn’t understand, she guessed Christina was talking nonsense.

“No! Shit. Scheiße! Be good! No touch face!” She slapped Christina’s hand, also not for the first time. Surprisingly enough… No, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. Adelheid is nowhere near as young as she looks, and she’s lived a hard life, largely independent …Adelheid was good with makeup, so she had helped Christina touch herself up, and also carefully washed and combed her hair, before styling it into a rather fashionable braid. That was another fun time. Considering Christina was running around the room naked. Honestly, it’s a good thing father wasn’t about, or he would make me take responsibility. No thanks!

“Fine, fine! I won’t!” Christina exclaimed, nursing a sore hand, as our little Tanya packed quite the punch in her small frame. “Anyway, where was I? Oh yes…” As the vehicle that had been sent to pick us up passed the security checkpoint, the driver showing his ID and going through retinal and fingerprinting scans, which for some reason made Christina flush, she continued her explanation.

“…anyway, Adam’s budget is increasing day-by-day. Honestly, he’s got you to thank for part of that. The President is… quite an unusual character.” Christina said without a hint of irony. “He barely paid attention to the outbreak of Chosen…” Christina was being very careful not to use dehumanising language for us anymore, and I had to applaud her efforts. “…although Adam and the other bigwigs like Chris and Gina did try and downplay matters. But your debut on the London stage shattered that. You’re in for a treat tomorrow, meeting him.” She snickered, amused. “Anyway, our budget is on the up, but not everyone in the NSA likes that.”

The vehicle parked, and several suit-clad staff opened the doors. I helped Adelheid, out, and Christina stared at me expectantly only for me to ignore her. She let out a little moan, her legs twitching, before she shuffled out after us. “So cold! Colder than the weather.” she tittered, red faced from more than the chilly air. “But I’m patient. No, that’s a lie. Nobody would believe little Miss Christina has any control. Anyway, I do so like a challenge.”

She then took a deep breath, producing her own ID card, and swiping it. She seemed surprised when the light turned green, and she then used her fingers and eye to further turn two more lights green, and then the door slid open. The escorts took us to a lift, where again Christina repeated her swiping and scanning, and soon we were on the top floor of the building, waiting in front of a set of double doors.

“Nervous?” I asked Christina, who nodded stiffly, her teasing manner now suppressed.

“I’ll say. Adam… look, I’m not joking. I may have an IQ of one hundred and ninety-one… no, it should be higher now, considering your Chirurgery boosts my Intellect, no?” At my gaze, she coughed. “Sorry. Sadly my EQ is inversely proportional to my IQ. Or at least… it was. I think Haru broke something inside me. It… doesn’t feel all that good, honestly. But that was my own stupidity in action, and… it’s far too late for regrets.” Realising she was still babbling, she cleared her throat.

“I made a mistake, not thinking things through. If I’d have just run off, he’d be mad, and might still try to scapegoat me. I realise now, I was the sacrificial lamb in London. I think he was hoping you’d harm me, so he could use that against you to balance some of our own crimes. But I went further. So… I’m certain if you don’t step up to protect me, I’m going to be buried in an unmarked grave after some liberal interrogation and drugging to find out everything I know and you know. And… like I said, I don’t want to die, not yet. Not with my life’s work, and my love life unfinished!”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to lie to him, but… girlfriend or not, I’ve made you my responsibility.” I promised. With that, the doors swung open, revealing an impressive office, though oddly, one corner held some cabinets full of small, painted figures and larger tanks and other ordinance. Hey, is that… Warhammer, right? My mom was more a Dungeons and Dragons girl when she was young, but she mentioned them a few times… usually about how she’d never have been able to afford an army as a kid…

A table was also set up, covered in what looked like miniature scenery. I then took in the rest of the room. Titan was there, standing stiffly, while the woman we had met earlier, Viola, was seated at one desk, working on her computer, while behind the larger, central desk… We meet at last.

Director Adam White rose from his chair. He seemed larger in person, with sandy-brown hair and hazel eyes. His suit was clearly an expensive one, a match for any I’d seen Fujiwara-san or Kira-san wear, and his aura of commanding confidence could almost be felt, he was clearly so used to being obeyed. Christina shrank in beside me, clutching my arm tightly, fingers white, while Adelheid merely glanced around, disinterested.

“If it isn’t the thorn in my side, and my runaway scientist. Or should that be hacker?” He raised one eyebrow, clearly annoyed. “As for you…” he glanced at Adelheid. “Adelheid Richter. We didn’t have much information on you at the time, but… oh, where are my manners.” He gestured to a series of seats set up in the centre of the room. “Please, make yourselves comfortable. Viola, some coffee for our guests. Oh, or… would you prefer tea, being Japanese?”

I shrugged. “Coffee is fine.” Adelheid and Christina agreed as well, so, showing the confidence Hinata had taught me to exude, even if my League was currently leashed to a low ebb, I strode over to the seats confidently, tossing Christina down onto one, while Adelheid perched on another. All right then. It’s time to face the man that tried to abduct me, who would have killed innocents to get to me… who I cannot agree with his methods, no matter what. But that I still have to deal with, if I want access to Egil Andersen’s body…

Wishing that Hinata, Shaeula or even Tan was here with me to help with negotiations, I gathered all my focus. Here we go then. First move is yours, it seems, Adam…