[373] 4.94 Going Home I
With Seraphina, my sister, now having passed, and Renault, the madman behind this entire operation, currently checking into an eternity in hell, my role in this fight is over. Completely exhausted and struggling even to keep conscious, I collapse on the ground beside the mechanical corpse of my twin sister and throw my hands to the side, gazing up at the sky. The battle still rages on all around, but my role is over.
Chloe walks over to me and sits beside me, taking my hand in hers and moving it to her lap, where she begins tracing her finger along the back of my hand.
“Are you okay?” she asks after a second.
“I don’t know. Physically, I’m so exhausted I think I’m about to sleep right now. Mentally and emotionally, I’m not even in the right state of mind to start to process what just happened. As far as imminent danger, I hope you’re still up for being my bodyguard for another… fifty-seven minutes or so–” I trail off during that last part, looking at my [Status] window to verify.
“Yeah. I can–”
Chloe’s words are cut off by Nicholas, echoing in our minds through the [Mental Link]. “Miss Mortensen, Miss Jacobs. Is everything alright?”
“Yes, Sir,” Chloe says. “We’ve just defeated Renault, with the kill confirmation notification. The other Seraphina has… been released from her imprisonment. All threats on our end have been neutralized, but neither of us is in any shape to continue the battle.”
“Good work, both of you. You’e both earned your rest. Please hold your position, but keep an eye out for lingering and stray effects. I will be coming at once.”
Hank heads over to a nearby pile of rubble and hides within the shadows there. I know that his armor provides some resistance to his condition, but all this daylight can’t be good, and with his earlier injuries, he must be approaching his limit as far as how much light toxicity he can sustain. That just leaves Clara, who stands over the two of us with an unreadable expression.
“So what are you going to do now?” Chloe asks. “Going to take advantage of our weakened state to try to arrest us for not acting like good little peons and groveling before your badge?
“I won’t lie to you.” Clara crosses her arms. “A part of me still wants to do so. The two of you are menaces, loose cannons, and the sorts of variables that create chaos in the world. Call it detective’s intuition, but I suspect the world is going to be a more turbulent place with the two of you in it. Were I of the mind to do so, I could certainly justify to myself the need to neutralize the two of you, personally. There’s more than a few laws on the books that would give me all the legal justification I’d need.
“And yet, I can’t deny that your actions saved all our lives this morning… last night.” She sighs. “I don’t like dealing with extra variables. It goes against everything I am, it goes against my class, it goes against my training, both in the classroom and the field.
“You know what being a detective is all about?” She pauses her monologue, and though Chloe ponders for a moment, I’m too tired to do much more than let her words go in one ear and then come out the other. “Eliminating variables. Once every impossibility is eliminated, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Sherlock Holmes, though it might be a slight paraphrase.”
“So, am I going to have to make you regret that decision?” Chloe asks. “Sera might be tired, but–”
“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see what the future holds. Besides, there are more than a few people out here stronger than I am, and I suspect that if I try something, even now, I won’t be leaving the city outside of a body bag.”
“Indeed,” Nicholas says, in person this time, dressed in his full combat fatigues. “Trust me, Agent Bennett. It’s easier and better this way.”
“How can you be so confident?” Clara scowls.
“The battlefield is always chaotic, but it has tides. Changes in morale that can defeat an army as quickly as a plague or a WMD. I’ve received word from my contacts: Legion forces are surrendering en masse— not just here, but partisans throughout the country. Without their leader and second, they have no figure to rally around.”
“That doesn’t mean the danger has passed, though,” Chloe says. “There’s still a lot of anger and resentment toward the old world, the old institutions; Sera is proof enough of that. Some of those people will be angry enough to try something…” Chloe trails off, not wanting to think about the implications of that statement.
“What are you going to do about it?” Nicholas asks. “I know you aren’t the type to turn a blind eye to suffering, but I also know that these past few weeks have been hard on both of you. Harder than I suspect for nearly anyone else.”
I relay my thoughts to Chloe, who recites them on my behalf. “We’ll remain here for a day or so, to make sure everything is safe and secure. But then, I think we’ll all be heading home. We… I think all of us need some family time, and time to just rest and recover.”
“I’m guessing this will be the last we’ll see from you two for a while?” Nicholas continues.
“If needs must,” Chloe says. “But I’m hoping that they’ll not be needed for a very long time.”
Another three days pass. Despite our hope to get out of Washington and back to our own home as soon as possible, one thing, then another, always showed up to delay our departure. Straggling Legion forces, the request to lend our powers to assist with the rebuilding. Most of all, that compassionate heart of Chloe’s that does not allow her to simply look the other way whenever there are injured and sick in need of her aid.
But on Monday morning, once everything has been stabilized and there’s no more dire need for us to remain, we make our way to Nicholas’ office to be formally relieved of our duties, hopefully for at least a few months. His office is far smaller and less decorated than the one he has back home, with a small desk and a computer and phone system. Rank or not, there’s a massive influx of people moving in and out of the major military bases in the region, and that must’ve been all that could have been spared on such short notice. He doesn’t seem to mind too much, although he is a bit cramped up in his chair.
“Miss Mortensen, Miss Jacobs,” he says. “It has once again been an honor and a privilege to fight alongside the two of you.”
“Thank you,” I say. “I know there are things you can’t say— politically sensitive matters and negotiations still in progress– but can you tell us anything about the current state of things? As well as what’s going to happen in the future?”
“I’m going to start by being honest with you both, as I feel you deserve that much. It would be a big help if the two of you would lend your voice to matters of reconstruction.”
Chloe protests. “But we’re not politically savvy, we don’t have any experience in politics or diplomacy. At the end of the day, we’re two teenage girls who ought not to be deciding any matters of such importance.”
“In ordinary times, I would agree with you. But these are not ordinary times we find ourselves in, and what both of you can lend to the meeting is legitimacy. The fact is, whether you like it or not, two are almost certainly the preeminent military power in this country, now that Renault and that other Seraphina have been defeated. There may be a few others out there who haven’t made their presence known to us, but with the armed forces monitoring most known dungeons and Towers, I do not believe that likely.”
“So, you want us to enforce whatever terms you all agree upon?” Chloe says. “Be the big stick that you and the others carry around when someone gets ideas?”
Chloe and I barely need to look at each other to be on each other’s wavelengths perfectly. “Absolutely not,” we say in unison.
“I didn’t think you’d be interested.” He pauses for a moment. “Regarding the country’s situation, most Legion forces have either been defeated or have surrendered with Renault’s defeat, just as we suspected they would. Seeing his true self as a monster bent on power and conquest, rather than a bereaved man desperate to create change, also broke Legion morale.”
“I think both were true in the end,” I say. Chloe nods in agreement. “Grief and anger can make even the best of us into monsters. That’s part of the reason I want to step away for a good while. Because the allure of power and rule is tempting, especially for someone like me who’s come from so little.”
“Well said,” Nicholas says. “If there’s something urgent or desperate, I’ll let you know. Otherwise, I suspect our next meeting won’t be for months, if not years.”
“Are you staying here?’
“My actions and leadership these past few days have led to my fast-tracked for promotion to brigadier general, Possibly major general. A promotion, I have been told in no uncertain terms, that I am both requested and ordered to accept.”
“Well, congratulations,” Chloe says.
“Thank you. Unfortunately, as far as our alliance is concerned, barring unforeseen circumstances, I will no longer be around to offer assignments. Colonel Wilson will remain in charge, with Captain Morris being promoted to Major and assuming my position as executive officer.”
“So, we’re going to be working with her?” Chloe asks.
“That was one of the reasons I requested she be made my replacement. I do not think anyone else would be better qualified to liaise with you.”
“Seems a little quick to have all these promotions coming up.” I say. “I thought there were supposed to be age and seniority and time-in-rank requirements.”
“As I’ve said many times before, we cannot rely on pre-System doctrines to fight battles in a post-System world. Particularly now that we’ve returned to the age of officers chosen for their physical strength and tactical acumen, leading battles from the vanguard, rather than behind a desk five thousand miles away from the front lines.”
I have to assume that’s part of the reason why he’s being promoted so suddenly as well. Not many senior officers, especially those with decades of experience in an institution stubbornly resistant to change, are going to have the flexibility to make those sorts of sweeping changes. Hopefully that means that the next battles will be fought by others, who can gain their own Experience and work toward their own futures. Even now, I still believe that’s the best path forward for everyone.
It can’t be forever; we still have our own tasks to complete, and the battle with the System looms large over my existence, as it has all my life. But for a time, we can return to civilian life and just rest. I look forward to that very much.
Before I can leave the future-general’s office, he calls out to me one more time.
“Miss Mortensen, Miss Jacobs. I know that such words carry little meaning to the two of you, but I want to say that you have both performed admirably, above and beyond the call of duty. Despite Miss Mortensen’s stance, the United States owes each of you an enormous debt of gratitude, and I will be formally recommending each of you to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for your acts of valor and bravery. Not just for today, but against the City Slayers, against the Antoid Hordes… And many, many other displays of intrepid gallantry as well. I cannot force you to accept, but I hope you will consider it, and I want you to know that you have earned this honor beyond all doubt, at least in my mind.”
I turn to Chloe. She answers for me. “We’ll consider it.”
“Very well. I shall detain you no longer. And, please understand that I mean this with all due respect when I say that I sincerely hope that we shall not see each other for a very long time.”
I smile. “Yes. Let us hope that’s the case.”