Six Hundred And Ninety-Seven
“Alright, I can see there’s a story here.” Since Mrs Sørensen was here with Adam, there was clearly more to speak of. “Want me to get you a drink? Then I’ll listen…” I paused, a slightly mocking smile creeping onto my face. “…assuming you trust me to sit with you, Adam, considering I’m a Daemon-possessed idiot and a deadly danger to Earth and humanity?”
He didn’t rise to the bait, merely flipping one hand wearily. “I’ll take a coffee, black.”
“This is a pub…” I chuckled. “Mom would be horrified if you didn’t have something alcoholic.”
“Beer then, American if they have it. But I want a coffee too.” Adam insisted.
“Cut him some slack. He’s living off the stuff.” Mrs Sørensen chuckled. She was quite an attractive woman, with her heart-shaped face framing greenish-brown eyes, curly blonde hair down to her shoulders, and a petite, graceful figure. In fact, she’d grown prettier since I’d last seen her, likely an increase in Charm by two or three points. Of course… my expanded vision took in her wedding ring, and I had no interest in being a homewrecker, that was one thing David and I could definitely agree on. Besides, she’s a beauty sure, but it’s not like I don’t have a dozen of those at home, and better too. As the President might say, I have all the best fiancées, the most beautiful, everyone says so.
Why thanks, bro. My sis showed amusement with her thoughts. Slipping out, huh? Don’t worry, we’re always keeping track of you. But yeah, don’t be going after married women, please bro!
I had no intentions of doing so. I didn’t even know she’d be here. Anyway… I hope it won’t take too long here…
Yeah, hurry back. I’ve been dragged off by the Queen. She’s a very nice old lady, but oddly intimidating, you know! Come save me as soon as you can!
Sure, sure! I couldn’t help but chuckle internally at the image of my boisterous, energetic sister being oppressed by the Queen, who looked like the quintessential British little old lady.
“If you’re buying then, I’ll have a glass of white wine.” Mrs Sørensen asked, and I quickly went to the bar and then came back with drinks.
“Coffee and beer for you. Beer for me, and a glass of wine for Mrs Sørensen.”
“How formal. Call me Carrie. But remember, I’m a married woman.” She flourished her wedding ring, and I chuckled as I sat down.
“Don’t worry, I’ve my hands full already. I think I spent nearly three hours dancing with women one after another without a break.”
“What a terrible sacrifice.” she showed no sympathy, lifting up the glass and taking a sip of her wine. “Anyway, I expect you’re wondering why I’m here, yes?”
“The how is more interesting.” Adam grumbled, after gulping at his coffee. “I can hardly believe the foolishness of some people.”
“That’s rather rude.” Carrie complained, though she was smiling. “How often do the innocent have to think of travel restrictions and watch lists?”
“Innocent? A loaded term.” Adam shook his head. “None of you are innocent. No more than a person carrying a briefcase full of explosives would be. But why you expected to travel freely, I have no idea. Every one of you who has come to our attention, and those peripherally involved, are on a Selectee list for enhanced scrutiny. And key… Chosen… I suppose you’d call them…” Adam seemed bitterly defeated at the term. “…are on the No-Fly list. We can’t let you roam free. Or desert us.”
“That’s quite the dichotomy.” I couldn’t resist a dig at Adam. “You want us gone, but you know you can’t get rid of us. Must be hard…”
“Yes. It is.” Adam didn’t lie. “But you know my reasoning. Perhaps more than ever now. But that aside…” He gulped down his coffee, before taking a much more modest sip of his beer. “…our Nordic Chosen here, as you’d termed her, was travelling to Britain. Obviously, she was blocked at the airport, but a call from me…”
“Yes. I had to change my travel plans, but we got here in the end.” Carrie agreed.
“And just why are you here? Did you bring your family?” I asked, and she shrugged.
“That’s an easy one to answer, Akio. I was called here.”
Called? By whom? Wait…
Inside the Wisdom World, my suspicions were soon confirmed.
“Actually, it’s rather easy to reach out now, using the Runes, with you as a broadcasting tower, Akio.” Rose explained. “It’s… something we’d never considered. But now is the time. The survivors will gather. Look forward to it.” Her smaller version smiled impishly.
“She heard the song of Divine Bragi, to come hence.” Mini Helmwige agreed. “I do hope you can keep her safe, and she thus aid you in turn.”
“Mine too.” Changeable Schwertliete, her eyes cool as a becalmed ocean, added. “Though he believes he is strong enough alone, and he has done well… it is time to establish who shall lead, and who follow. So many have perished…”
“Yes, do take care of mine as well. Though best make a good first impression, they won’t take any cheek or nonsense.” Rose giggled.
“Regardless, the Seeds that are lost must be reclaimed.” Lin added. “Though we know you are planning to do so. Then, laying the fallen to rest with honour…”
It was true. I still had the body of Egil Andersen, to be returned to his family. Sadly, some were surely lost, but we still had plans to honour their memories and compensate the families of the fallen, once we worked out who they all were, a task made more difficult by the loss of Yasaka Yoshio-san’s Book, though since we’d looked at the Seeds before, it wasn’t impossible, coupled with the Oracle Engine, we could still find out via his fragmentary Skill.
“More importantly… the call will come again soon to us, the older sisters say. Our task to disperse Divine Favours to a new world…” Gerhilde frowned, her crimson eyes narrowing as she gazed on Rose and Lin. “…you cause us some difficulties, you pair.”
“Forgive me. It was not my intention, but… I cannot in good conscience carry down further Favours. It feels… wrong, somehow.” Lin shook her head, fiery locks cascading over her shoulders, her golden eyes apologetic.
“It’s like Choosing the Slain. It’s not strictly intimate, but those rare Valkyries who marry do not perform the duties any longer.” Rose added.
“I see.” Mini Shaeula, who’d been listening with part of her mind, pursed her tiny lips. “It is very much like how I have no wish to perform Chirurgery upon males, despite it not being particularly intimate. But then, I have no wish to even hold a male’s hand, other than Akio’s, or perhaps his close family also. Hence I did not dance much, but merely enjoyed the fine alcohol.”
“Yes.” Lin agreed. “But we still have duties we cannot shirk, not yet. Luckily our sisters will take up the slack, but…”
“We wonder…” Gerhilde, as eldest of the nine, spoke for them. “…can we use your Path to replicate what Rose’s Connection with you here does? If so… then we might have a chance to prevent more needless loss, and claim another world…”
I see…
As that mental conversation continued within me, the main point I gathered was that all of the surviving Chosen of the nine were gathering. It made sense, Constantine and his sister had made contact with Dorte Andreassen and were bringing her to Britain, though they were remarkably evasive about specific details. So with half of us here, it made sense to take advantage of the opportunity… as for reclaiming the remaining Seeds, fortunately we’d pinpointed them before, at least roughly, so Trevon, Aliyah and the others from Fenrir, in addition to securing a network of Ring Gates worldwide, were to go treasure-hunting, acting as my eyes and hands abroad while I was busy. Though Bethany and Zachary were due to fly out with them in the early hours of the morning, that won’t be happening now…
“In that case, welcome, I suppose. Where are you staying?”
“Don’t tell him that.” Even now, Adam was on guard. “It’s best nobody knows.”
“Paranoid much, Adam?” I grimaced, exasperated by his stance. “Worried I’ll abduct her in the night? I’ll be honest… if I wanted to kill you both now or worse, do you think you could stop me?” My tone was even, but I felt the temperature drop, as Adam and Carrie met my hard gaze. “You must have judged that either I’m trustworthy, or that you have no choice.”
“Choices. What a mess…” Adam conceded the point. “I have to trust you, of all people, aren’t compromised, else it’s beyond a mere disaster.”
“The President, yes.” I put up a barrier of near-invisible wind for security. Carrie felt the flow of elemental energies, while Adam quickly picked up the change in sound echoes, as our words were oddly muffled without the reflections coming back off the surrounding surfaces. Seeing that, I waved a hand dismissively.
“Don’t worry, just a precaution. A thin layer of vacuum swallows up sound. And this pub is quiet enough after the festivities last night for New Year, that nobody should notice.” I smiled meaningfully. “Anyway, you look like shit, Adam. Have you even slept?”
“I managed a few hours on the flight…” he grumbled bitterly. “You know, for someone with so many girlfriends, your conversational skills could use some work.”
“If you count tossing and turning and mumbling in your sleep, waking up sweating every few minutes as ‘managing a few hours’, then sure he did.” Carrie added, earning a glower from Adam. “He wasn’t the best company on the flight.”
“Nor on the telephone.” I remembered dancing with Bethany. “I did what you asked though. Bethany and Zachary are staying with us for the time being. No seduction or forcefulness required. That was an odd thing to suggest and just annoyed me. I’d wondered if there were ulterior motives behind that request, but looking at you now… you’re a wreck. I know you don’t trust me, or any of us, but… want me to at least restore your energy? I promise it won’t cost you your soul.”
“My message told me to trust him and follow his lead.” Carrie added. “Though I’ll be keeping a wary distance. Your reputation is a little troubling.” She pointed to the TV on in the bar, though we couldn’t hear it due to my sound-blocking. “Another engagement, another Princess. More to the point…” She giggled suddenly, as fascinated by the subject as Americans often were. “Did I need to curtsy, or address you as Sir?”
“Sir is for Knights. But no, don’t call me Duke either.” I complained, still not used to it. “As for Ellie… we just grew closer over time and through shared hardships. I didn’t exactly pursue her, nor her me, it was… an oddly comfortable coming together. So relax, I’m not after you.” I repeated my earlier denials. “You really do value yourself highly.”
“Of course I do.” Carrie agreed, sipping at her wine. “I’m very talented. And my singing could charm the birds themselves now.”
“Modest too.” I added, and she shrugged.
“No more than you are. What’s the point of false modesty? Adam, you can’t make clear-headed decisions in that state. Why not take a helping hand? If he was going to do something to you, he doesn’t exactly need your permission.” She narrowed her greenish-brown eyes knowingly. “Do you?”
“You’re right.” I nodded. “Chirurgery and the like works better with contact, but I’m good enough to do it from here. I doubt I can replicate what’s been done to the President, though, without further study, or a good teacher. I don’t even know what it does, only that his brain isn’t right, like you’ve said. His bodyguards too. I don’t believe in coincidences, not anymore.”
“Fine then.” Adam gave up, defeated. “I won’t say there’s no ulterior motive at all. Bethany is a pretty young woman, isn’t she? It would make my life easier… huh…” He suddenly felt my aether flooding him, washing away his exhaustion, clearing his mind, and as a favour, I polished out some of his old injuries he must have picked up in his service days, old scars and bad joints repaired.
“That feels odd.” he grumbled. “But not unwelcome. But don’t think I’m easy to deceive. Nobody would fall for the wiles of the wicked if they weren’t sweet and tempting. Anyway, Bethany, yes. If you did fall for her, we’d have some leverage. More likely than Christina, I suppose. How is she by the way?” Adam didn’t thank me, not that I expected him to, but now his hands had stopped trembling and his eyes had sharpened, he was back to his old ways. “I won’t say she’s got anything even remotely resembling charm or a pleasant personality, but I’m not going to discount her beauty. And for some reason she’s fallen for you. It must be hard to resist…”
“Not as hard as you’d think.” I shook my head. Though honestly, I’ve got to keep her away from Miyu and Michiru, I don’t want either side to pick up bad habits from the other, or worse, combine them into some nightmarish offensive even I can’t resist… “But I have to admit, she’s changing day by day. Whether she can be forgiven for all the horrific experiments she performed gleefully without shame or remorse is another question. I don’t see why you’re so fixated on getting me to hook up with Americans…”
“You do see. We know more about you than you’d imagine. Not that you’ve hidden much. Your weakness is love. You say your match with Princess Eleanor is down to that, and I hardly have the right to say you’re wrong…” Adam was all business now, beer forgotten. “…but your incentive and desire to protect her home has intensified, hasn’t it? Is it so wrong to wish the same?”
“Not really. But why do you want my help? I’d have thought you’d have me as your number one suspect. After all, I did perform Chirurgery on the President, and it wasn’t that long ago.”
“I daresay I’d have liked it better if you remained that modest freelancer you were before all this. We’ve checked out some of your work. Competent, decent even. But not brilliant. You’ve grown sharper. Yes, at first I certainly did suspect you, but what do you have to gain? I couldn’t work that out. There are only losses for you. If in doubt, follow who benefits.”
“True. Now you’ve stopped your more aberrant practices, like foolishly wasting Chosen, and worse, messing with other countries…” I narrowed my focus and could see the telltale micro-expressions which indicated guilt. “…largely then, I guess…”
“There were some operations continuing, mostly intelligence gathering. Others were too late to change course on. But yes, my department has an entirely different focus now.” He drew in a sharp, melancholic breath. “My department… it won’t be mine for much longer.”
“Yes, the President said you weren’t returning his calls, and he wanted to fire you.”
“Of course. I’m taking no risks. We can’t be sure how it spreads. Though if it’s vocally based, I doubt very much it can work over a digitised voice, but then, despite everything, our knowledge of this aether is scant. Most of it comes from Christina’s prior work…”
“I don’t think it’s communicable.” I suggested, finishing my beer. I dropped the barrier, and got us more drinks, before replacing it. “There were no mediums I could see. Not aether, adherence, or elements. Nothing deeper, either. It looked like… a physical modification. Almost like… a Material form of Chirurgery, not on a spiritual level. Do you know what it would do? I didn’t have much time or opportunity to consult with specialists.”
“Impaired judgement, and a reduced pleasure response due to overexposure, requiring higher and higher stimulation to trigger it, though conversely, when such a response would be triggered, it would be a significant high.” Adam shook his head. “The files I got from Chris showed the potential. It would be worse than drug addiction, because… it’s constant, and potentially escalating. Though it should quickly be fatal, yet it doesn’t seem to be. At least we’ve not noticed any high-profile fatalities or unexplained deaths amongst those we’ve unearthed.”
“In the President’s case, I’m wondering if my own Chirurgery is protecting him a bit?” I mused. “Higher stats should help with negative biological effects.”
“I’m hardly an expert… but I do know about sounds and music.” Carrie idly plinked her glass with one fingernail as she spoke. “There would definitely have to be direct contact with the sound, as Akio here says.”
It’s like your old befuddling winds, Shaeula. I wasn’t going to tell Adam about them, considering his paranoia, but the principle was the same.
Indeed. The winds could be defeated by dodging, though wind is swift. Your vacuum is a surer defence, rendering them useless.
“Yes. Christina could probably tell you this, but while aether and the like seems magical and indeed is, there are certainly underlying principles. If the sound carrying the energies doesn’t touch, it won’t take effect. Honestly, light is probably a better medium to spread something like that. But again, you’d need the Skill for it…” Like Haru’s Mind-Sharing Light. But again, it doesn’t seem like that’s the case here…
“I see.” Adam fell silent, considering. While he did, I talked to Carrie a little.
“So, is it just you visiting?”
“Yes. Though my husband was quite interested in coming, he’s used to me being away from home for gigs. I didn’t want to put him in danger. After all, this summons could have been risky. It still might be.”
“I can’t rule it out, but we Chosen from the World Tree have to watch out for each other.”
“Oh, and who put you in charge?” Carrie giggled charmingly. “You’ve certainly made a name for yourself, but I’ve done alright too, believe it nor not.”
“Have no fear. When you are all gathered, we will set matters on their proper course.” Lin promised, and Run piped up, clearly eager to pull a prank.
“Don’t tell them about us. We’ll surprise them! It’ll be great!”
“Yes, anyone who has survived has. I’d be interested in exploring your abilities, we’ve got a couple of similar talents, maybe sharing some pointers might benefit both parties?” Miyu’s Dances, and then there’s Keiko-chan’s new Favour…
“I’m glad you two are so relaxed.” Adam grumbled, having considered what I had said earlier. “The President of the United States and a growing number of senior Senators, Congressmen, military figures, agents… fuck.” He swore suddenly, clenching his fist, eyes wide. “Wait a minute. You’re saying you don’t think it’s spreading via mysterious means?”
I nodded. “If it is, then at least the President isn’t a carrier, nor his guards. I can be certain enough about that.”
“Fuck.” He cursed again. “The damn numbers don’t add up then. If they all have to be gathered around a central carrier, it’s spreading too fast. By now, even Chris and Gina…” Adam brought his fist down in anger, only our wind barrier, and indeed some wind energy which I used to stop our drinks spilling, keeping the commotion from attracting attention.
“Mind your language, please.” Carrie asked primly. “I may sing country, but I keep it clean.”
“I apologise. I was momentarily taken aback. But…” he looked at me earnestly. “…I hate this. I hate this so much. Everything’s gone to hell since you all accepted these cursed gifts. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
“I don’t agree.” I shook my head in denial. “It’s all about who uses it. Power has no sin, guns don’t kill people, other people do, am I right? Though I suppose some abilities are very hard to see a worthy use for. Besides…” I fixed him with my steely stare. “You’re one to talk about corruption. With your political and scientific power, you’ve committed evils that haven’t been seen since the Second World War.”
“Yes, but I’m fully willing to be judged for that in the end. I never expected to ride this out. And much as I loathe her, Christina was the same. She just hated the idea of dying before she made the breakthroughs she sought and understood everything about this chaos. Afterwards… well, what would she have to live for? Though now…”
“Don’t say it. Please.” I shook my head, irritated.
“I won’t then. But you claimed that madwoman, so her actions from now on are your responsibility, as before they were mine.”
“What about your family, Adam?” Carrie glanced at his wedding ring. “Won’t they be in trouble?”
“I’m not a fool. Just like Chris loves his wife and kids, I love mine. They’re taking an extended vacation in the safest place they can. Not even I know precisely where. And each time they contact me, it’ll be via very secure methods, hopefully untraceable. I’m prepared to sacrifice, but… they are innocent.”
“As were many of the Chosen you abducted and tortured. They have families too.” I countered, and he shrugged.
“Yes, but we are all hypocrites at the end of the day. You are no better. But in a way, your hypocrisy is reassuring. It makes you, ever-so-slightly, trustworthy.”
“Thanks.” I grumbled dryly.
“I assure you, I feel like choking saying it. But… I’m glad you’re looking after Bethany and Zachary. Chris doesn’t want his kids involved in this mess, but they are. And I wasn’t lying when I said he’d rather you took charge of Bethany rather than letting her come home and end up tainted by whatever’s going on. It’s that bad. It’s like anyone can turn a glass of water into a cold fusion device. Oh yes, the foolish and naïve would prattle on about energy breakthroughs and the end of poverty, but then you’d have any person with a mental illness, or a kid with a grudge, or a suicidal jackass, able to create a bomb that can wipe out a city. The world’s going to end, there’s no question about that now. I’m not much of a religious man, I’ve seen too much in my time, done too much, but it seems like the end of the world is coming. Even so, while I still have strength, I’ll fight for humanity and the United States against this foreign invasion.”
“I disagree. After all, other worlds have been through this and have survived it and prospered.”
“You don’t even truly believe your own words. Another reason I extend you a little trust is you’re a terrible liar, Akio.” Adam crossed his arms.
“I believe it enough. Worlds do survive. I’ve proof of that.”
“This Goddess, yes?” Adam snorted, nodding at the TV. At that, Carrie leaned forward, her expression questioning.
“I’m curious. We watched it on the TV. She’s not Norse, is she? Buddhist, from what the internet says. Though I still don’t understand how we have these myths and legends…”
“It’s… complicated. But yes, I have it on good authority worlds can survive this.” I kept the Valkyries within Wisdom World hidden, not wanting to spoil Run’s fun. “So, what’s your worry?” I brought the conversation back to whatever had shocked and appalled Adam earlier.
He stared at me for a moment, before leaking a bitter sigh. “It’s a matter of timing. We naturally assumed it had to be spreading, both because those in closed-door meetings seemed to be affected, and also… because the numbers are escalating quickly, by my calculations. Of course, getting hard evidence is nearly impossible, I’m still working from… profiling. But even though I was heading up Project Star Mirror, that’s still part of the NSA, and I am the Director. And spying on our own, especially those in power, comes with the job. If it’s not contagious, then… there has to be more than one source!”
I see. Leaning back in my chair, I contemplated that. “I’d be very curious as to your findings, but I doubt you’d be willing to share…”
“Christina can access our data servers remotely, with the proper keys. Which I, of course, possess.” He shocked me with his proclamation.
"Why so surprised?" his tone was hard. “She's already gone too far and copied the Vermillion List and passed it over to you. That was clearly treason against the United States, violating the Espionage Act, amongst other criminal behaviour. I should have had her black-bagged and tossed into Tokyo Bay. But I won’t. And you know why. Much as I loathe her, she’s invaluable in these situations. And I doubt any brain modifications would work on her. Besides, I want you to owe me a favour.”
“You think Christina’s valuable enough for that?” Sadly, she is, though Eri or Ginneka could probably master Donating too. But I wouldn’t put them, especially Eri, through that. I feel bad enough making Christina do it, but she’s right. It’s her way of making amends, no matter how little it will bring solace to her victims. But much as I hate myself for saying this, I understand her…
“I know she is. Because you’re soft-hearted, especially to women. It’s not a bad trait, but you could do with being ruthless. I don’t let sentiment rule me…” Adam smirked, believing he had the upper hand, despite him coming here begging for help. Though it might not go the way he thinks, right?
“That’s a lie, and you know it.” Carrie sighed. “Otherwise your family wouldn’t be on their ‘long holiday’. I don’t think I should be listening to any of this, my life is complicated enough as it is…”
“Adam’s not wrong though.” I agreed with him. “Oh, not about being ruthless, I can be when pushed to it, but that family is what matters. Heroes who can’t even protect those they love… I call them worthless. And even if he saves the United States, if his family aren’t alive to see it, what’s the use?”
“Honour. Duty. Pride.” Adam managed, but I shot him an unimpressed glare.
“What’s honourable about letting those you love suffer? Duty is to those we cherish, and pride… who can take pride in letting those dear to us die? I’m not dismissing your ideals, your love for your country, your duty. But I am telling you that when I’m in charge, things will be very different.”
“How bold. Your ambitions are deeper than our profile on you indicates. Not satisfied with being a Prince of both Britain and Japan?” Adam asked, a touch of scorn in his voice, and I shook my head.
“No. If we want our world to be one of those that survives and flourishes, then we need an Astral Emperor. And who else could it be than me?”
“Discounting our fellows then?” Carrie asked, and I shook my head.
“Not exactly. But I think you’ll all agree with me soon enough.” When the Valkyries who chose you appear, even if only as Rose’s projections…
“So, tell me what you want from me then, Adam?” I was finally tired of talking around the problem. “And I’m not assassinating your President. Well, unless he continues to try and get closer to the girls. He’s quite the old lecher.”
“He is.” Adam gave his first genuine laugh since I’d arrived. “I tried so hard to keep him out of the loop on this new paradigm, but you and that damn Church of True Revelation had to go spoil it with that ostentatious mess in here in London. What a shame. But conversely, he’s still acting normally, as far as our standard surveillance could tell.” He reached down to his belt and unbuckled it. Placing the American flag buckle on the table, he pushed it over to me. My Eyes flashed amber for a second, and I saw the trick.
“It’s designed to hide a memory card, isn’t it?” I carefully unclicked it, and a small object fell out. “It’s my lucky day. First the Pope gave me a DVD, now this. So what should I do with it?”
“Christina will know. But I want your word…” he paused. “And before you quip in that annoying way of yours that I might already be compromised by you, I know that’s a risk, but I’m hardly unprepared and unprotected.”
He’s right. Haru chimed in. She’d been listening silently, and after her experiments with Chiaki-chan and Chiasa-chan, where she’d discovered that while she was linked to them, she could use her Telepathy through them, she’d tagged along in my mind and had been scanning Adam cautiously. It’s actually very clever. He’s giving me a headache, actually. He’s constantly checking his mental state via clever self-tests and number games. I’m going to get drunk to clear my mind after this. Anyway, he’s not lying, or at least he believes everything he’s telling you.
Even about Christina?
Yes. He believes she can help, and… poor you… she joked. …he’s certain that Christina will win you over eventually. She’ll experiment and iterate and change herself, body and mind, until she finds a winning result. Oh, and it was him who suggested poor Bethany should help her be sexier and more charming. He does think you and Bethany would make a good couple too… I’m jealous.
No need to be. Christina’s… Christina. And Bethany’s nice, but she just wants to go back to her own life. Though I’m afraid unless she’s willing to give up her Favour, that’s unlikely to either succeed, or be safe…
Maybe so. Anyway, what do you think is going on?
It’s a Favour or Skill doing the brain manipulation. I could do it via Ether Healing, I reckon, if properly trained, and replicate it, but it’s delicate work. And doing it over and over would be draining. I have my suspicions, but I don’t know how it could work…
You don’t mean…?
Yeah. It’s the simplest explanation, even if it seems unlikely. The straightforward solution is usually the correct one.
“I see. In that case… I have some ideas of how these dopamine surges could be controlled. While there are no lingering aetheric energies affecting the President, one solution could be that the brain has been modified to respond to a pulse of aether. That might show up in the Chakra network too, but I’d have to look a lot closer, and there are always variations, nobody’s network is exactly identical to someone else’s, as we are all different. I suppose it could also respond to a drug, or even some ordinarily harmless chemical or additive.”
“But then you’d run the risk of the victims finding that by accident. That wouldn’t be good for their controllers. There has to be a controller.” Adam mused. “It was the first thing I considered when I saw the medical records Chris got hold of. Though I must say…” Adam had finished his beer, and his eyes were glimmering with renewed purpose. “…I’m relieved that you seem to have seen the same sort of changes as the files show. It means that at least then, Chris wasn’t compromised. I told him to get out of Washington, but he’s stubborn. Like his kids.”
“So, once more this brings me back to the question of what do you want from me?” I pressed.
“Simple. It benefits nobody, and certainly not you, if the United States falls into chaos. You were the one complaining we’d wasted so many precious Chosen. But more importantly… don’t you want to put a stop to it before the threat spreads? It’s undoubtedly not going to remain localised. And if they have access to our President, they can use him to meet with other high-profile worldwide figures.”
“Fine. I agree we have some mutual interests here. I should be able to set up a meeting with some… specialists… tomorrow. I suppose I’d best bring Christina over too.” I’m hoping she can manage to donate a pair of Eyes or two as well. If we can get help from uncle Daimon again it should work out…
“Excellent. I shall keep a low profile. Also, I destroyed my old phone, just to be safe, after calling you. Here’s my new number. Though I’ll be using burners. I’ll text this passcode so you know it’s me.” He showed me a string of alphanumeric characters.
“Fine then. But how do I get in touch with you if I need to?” I asked, and he frowned.
“Christina can handle that. Using what’s on the memory card.”
“All right then.” I stood. “I should be getting back. I slipped out of the Palace, after all.”
“And no doubt you can sneak back in. The perfect assassin…” Adam sighed.
“If I wanted to assassinate someone, I wouldn’t need those tricks. Oh, we should exchange numbers. And no, I’m not hitting on you, Carrie.” I headed off that joke, and she chuckled.
“My husband would be quite jealous, if he knew I was in a bar with two handsome gentlemen.” She had quite the wicked sense of humour, it seemed. “Give me a call when everyone is gathered.”
“I will do.” All six of us. This should be… interesting.
Oh, it will be. Rose agreed. Those I chose are doing wonderful work. Of course, they can hardly compare to you, but you’ll still be impressed.
I bet I will be…
Armed with some new information, most of it scooped from Adam’s mind by Haru, I slipped into the toilets, dismissing my Material body and entering the Boundary. It hasn’t cleared up much of the mystery, but now… now we’ve got something to work with. And no doubt our mad scientist will be ecstatic to find out what’s on this memory card…