Chapter 8: Official Business: Part One
“So, you didn’t mean to start a small riot, but it happened anyway. Is that what you’re telling me?”
It was taking a considerable amount of Hadriel’s willpower to keep her irritation in check. After the sorry mess at the park had been brought into some semblance of order, she, her charge, and their divine companions had all been brought to the police station they had been looking for. Unfortunately, it was not for the purpose they had intended. To her irritation they were being treated as though the mortal’s irrational behaviour had been their responsibility.
At least the mortal tasked with their interview was a respectable example of his kind. As they had walked in Hadriel had felt far too many gazes lingering on her form, gazes tainted by lust and envy. Even so, the red-winged angel was not so delicate as as to be disturbed by the unpleasant experience. Still, in a way she was grateful for the goddesses overshadowing her as far as beauty went as they had drawn even more of the unwanted attention.
Hadriel was aware that by their very nature mortals were vulnerable to their base animal urges tied to the needs of their bodies. She knew that the amorous attention directed to her was merely a part of their drive to ensure their species would continue after their short-lived existence ended. However, she also knew that some of the looks directed at her were not simply driven by a desire for a mate or a progeny. She had felt the malice and cruelty behind some of the looks directed at her. A warrior as skilled as she could sense and read killing intent as easily as a sailor could read the waves. She could feel the desire within many of those gazes, a wish to see her debased, humiliated, brought low and sullied. Entering this room and escaping those tainted eyes had been a relief.
The man that had met them had been more elderly than she had been expecting. Ageing was something she knew of intellectually, but not something she had much experience with. As angels grew older, they did not wither or degrade, instead, they only grew stronger, more potent, just as was true for many other powerful beings. Death by combat was something she was familiar with, this slow descent towards a final end, what they called againg, not so much.
The man was short, overweight, and balding. Wrinkles edged his face and there was a slight sense of fragility to his skin. Still, there was a fierce light in his eyes, and the way he looked at them all, even the goddesses, without being swayed spoke to a strong will. Yes, the flesh might be ageing, but the mind and soul would seem to be worthy of note.
It was a shame he seemed to be annoyed with them.
“Yes, officer,” Joan nodded, maintaining her calm with admirable control. “We made no moves to incite any sort of violence, matters simply developed faster than we were able to react to.”
“Really?” The policeman made no effort to hide the scepticism in his voice as he glanced down at a sheet of paper on the table before him. “Because I have the written testimony of more than a dozen people who are all claiming that you influenced them to act out like they did. A couple of them are even planning to sue you for, and I’m quoting here, ‘using mind control to force them to break the law’.”
“WHAT?!”
The outraged question came from Adam, who had reversed and straddled a chair to the side. Until now he had been quiet, preferring to let Joan and Athena handle the talking, but this seemed to be too much for him.
“Yeah,” the mortal law enforcer replied. “One of them was a guy that ended up knocking someone unconscious, he’s saying that’s the fault of you guys, that he’d never do that on his own. Then there’s that one that tried to strip down. Apparently, he’s also blaming you guys. Both of them have been asking for their lawyers. There’re also some of the women wanting to file charges against you, saying that whatever you did to them is level with trying to slip them a date rape drug. Things’re still up in the air since there’s no physical evidence or anything like that, but then everything goes back to magic and just how the law’s meant to treat it. You’re lucky there since nothing’s been decided yet, you can’t be charged with anything yet. Still, I bet they can make your life miserable in court if they really want to though.”
Adam seemed to just . . . slump at that, as though he had a sudden burden upon his shoulders.
“Surely these spurious fausse charges cannot be taken seriously,” Joan protested. “I can assure you that no member of our group used any sort of magic upon the people present. Their reaction was simply a natural result of . . . being witness to the beauty of genuine divine beings. I believe it can be said without modesty that my companions are all fine examples of such, to say the least. What happened was regrettable but in no way a deliberate action upon our part.”
“Yeah,” her charge agreed, pushing himself up straight. “If some Hollywood star had some trouble because some fans got too excited, you wouldn’t be blaming them for it, right?”
“Maybe,” The officer allowed. “But stars like that don’t just turn up at a park unannounced and let everyone see them. Things’re planned, precautions are taken, precisely so that things like this don’t happen.”
“We had no ill intentions.” Joan once more affirmed.
“Maybe, but that doesn’t change the fact that you kicked off this whole mess. What did you think was going to happen?”
“I admit, we underestimated the effects of our presence upon the mortals, but I hardly believe this can be held against us,” Athena spoke up, her voice crisp and confident. “I have attended a number of events while serving in my father’s enterprises, and such chaos has not broken out before.”
“Indeed? What about that idiot who tried to ambush you outside your main offices with that bouquet of roses, the one who tried to rush through the place's security and ended up having to be tased because he wouldn’t give up? You’re saying he wasn’t affected by your looks?”
Hadriel noted that Adam winced at that. He did his best to hide it, but she caught it nonetheless. For her part Athena remained unruffled, her poise utterly undisturbed.
“If you have followed that event then you will be aware that subsequent enquiries into the background of that fool proved that he had a history of mental instability. Exposure to myself simply exacerbated an existing condition and gave him a new focus for his delusions.”
“Are you suggesting that everyone who rioted today is suffering from mental problems?”
There was a definite edge to the question. This mortal might be weak enough that any of them could have broken his bones like dried twigs, but he wasn’t submitting to them even an inch.
“Do not put words in my mouth,” The Greek goddess replied, her voice still as calm as a lake in midsummer. “You are an experienced law officer; you are well aware that in a situation such as that, all that is required is for one fool to take the wrong action. All that is needed is for one mortal to lose control, to push or hit one other person. That is all that is required to turn a crowd into a mob.”
There was a moment of silence as the goddess and the mortal stared at each other, and then the policeman leaned back in his chair.
“Very well, let me put my cards on the table,” His tone sounded tired now, even though there was still the same steel Hadriel had heard in it before. “I damned well know that there’s no way I can charge you for anything. Other cops around the world have tried to arrest gods and angels before, and I know how well it’s gone for them. Everyone in this station knows that we could hit you with everything we’ve got and the most we can do is annoy you, and probably end up dead as a result.”
He sat back up, his back straightening and his hands were now flat on the table.
“Why are you here, in this city? I’m not going to ask who you are; I really don’t want to deal with the headache of knowing names and legends. Just tell me why you’re here, and how we can get you out as soon as we can.”
Well, if nothing else Hadriel had to admire the utterly blunt honesty with which they were being addressed. This mortal was practical and to the point. He obviously wanted to deal with matters as quickly as possible.
“We are here to help.”
Joan spoke with every bit of the forthrightness that should be expected of a soul the Almighty deemed worthy of note, but in response, the officer simply directed a flat look at her.
“You’ve got a funny way of doing it.”
“We have established that such . . . disorder was not our intention,” The reborn saint’s voice grew slightly colder as she met the look with a steely one of her own. “I have received a prophétie from an angel. We were given a time and a place where we could help, where we would be needed. We have come to this city following that prédiction. We intend no harm to this city or any within it, we merely seek to lend aid where we can , or prevent the rise of some danger.”
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There was a pause, then the policeman heaved a sigh that seemed to contain the weight of ages within it.
“You know, life was so much simpler this time last year. If someone had someone saying that they’d been talking to an angel then my options would have been simple. I’d have checked that they weren’t drunk, high, off their meds or ill. Yeah, it could get messy, but at least I knew where I stood. Now . . . now it’s not like I can say you’re crazy, not with an angel standing right behind you!”
That last part was spoken as he waved one hand at Hadriel. Then he closed his eyes and massaged his forehead before scanning his eyes over the small group.
“So, you want to help? What are you going to do? Is there is some sort of imminent danger?”
“Sadly, we know little,” Joan admitted. “The directions we were granted simply gave us a time and a place. We were seeking to contact the local police forces when we arrived. It was our hope that we could help one another ensure the safety of the citizens. We did not anticipate such an . . . extreme reaction to asking for directions.”
“Okay, let’s start with that,” The police officer leaned forward. “Where and when do you have to be?”
“At one of the main docks, and it shall be tonight, at three o’clock in the morning.”
The officer nodded slowly in response, his eyes losing focus as his attention momentarily turned inwards.
“That could work to our advantage. Most of the docks have been seeing reduced traffic due to the disturbances in the Channel, and at night it’s even quieter. If we’re lucky then there shouldn’t be anyone about that can’t quickly be evacuated.”
“Do you know of a suitable middle point where we can wait for signs of where we would be needed?” Athena asked.
Hadriel watched as the conversation continued, pleased that it no longer appeared as though the local authorities would impede their mission. She had no interest in listening to the minor details being resolved. Instead, she turned her attention to her charge.
Adam seemed relieved that matters had been resolved without conflict, but she also noted a nervous tension to him that had not been there when they left the farmhouse. Fear, another mortal emotion she had minimal experience with herself. As an angel, she had faced foes that could slay her, but the crimson-winged divine soldier felt no trepidation when she did. Certainly, there had been some concern, but that was only that her death would mean an end to the service and loyalty she could render to her creator. The manner in which mortals were concerned for their lives made little sense to her.
This fear of Adam’s seemed to be of a somewhat different variety. Perhaps a fear of failure, rather than of death. This was something she could understand slightly more, even if it was still foreign to her. Failing her creator, was a thought that made her heart go cold.
Seeing it in him, the demigod she had been assigned to aid and protect, she was once again reminded of just how mortal he still was.
Well, perhaps whatever was coming would allow her to finally see whatever quality he possessed that made him so valuable in the eyes of fate. In fact . . . her eyes drifted from Adam to the two goddesses. Perhaps this would be an opportunity to see the mettle of her new companions as well.
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For the first time in days, I finally had some time to myself. Whatever was going to happen wouldn’t be going down until late at night, and it was only mid-afternoon.
Sure, I had some nerves to deal with, since tonight looked like it was going to be . . . interesting, but I finally had some spare time to try and distract myself. Honestly, I mainly wanted to hit the shops! I still had my wallet, and I had the credit cards Athena had given me. I was rich! Rich! RICH! A part of me just wanted to go on a crazy shopping spree to take my mind off things.
Of course, I did have some problems. Expensive clothes? Most I couldn’t wear because of my wings. Gadgets, a new laptop, a games console, that kind of thing? Where was I going to carry them? It wasn’t like my pouch of holding had unlimited capacity. A fancy sports car? Same as the clothes, I couldn’t even get in one because of my wings. Yeah, going crazy with my money might have been fun, but the practical part of my brain kept on getting in the way.
Then there was also the whole ‘looking good enough to mess with people’s heads’ thing I had going on. Thinking back to the park I couldn’t help but feel a shudder run down my spine. True, I doubted there was a straight guy in the world who hadn’t at least once daydreamed about being chased by a horde of infatuated women, but the reality wasn’t nearly as fun. It made me leery of going out before I got a better handle on it. Maybe I should ask Athena if she had any tips, she had been in a highly public role in her company after all.
For a moment I just wanted to go home, to my real home, the house I shared with my friends. I wanted to crash on my bed, read some classic pulp sci-fi novel, browse on the internet, just normal stuff. It had been weeks since I last checked out the Divine Versus forum, there’d be lots to catch up on. Hell, I was even out of date on what was going on in the world in general. China could have invaded Russia, kicking off the much-feared war, and I’d be completely clueless.
Actually . . . that was something I could do from here, at least I hoped so.
Glancing around I took in what the others were doing. Joan was still talking with the officer she’d been talking to before, though now their discussion seemed to be a bit more informal. Athena had produced some high-end cell phone and was having a conversation with someone on the other end. I heard something about ‘product management’ and ‘resource cost allocation’ and guessed she was touching base with her pantheon’s corporation. Hadriel was just leaning against a wall, watching me. As always, she was utterly unconcerned with the fact that she looked like she’d just stepped out of a swimsuit modelling magazine, though I noticed several people slowing down as they walked past the window that looked into the office, we were in. As for Kali . . .
The Hindu goddess had kicked her feet up on a desk, leaned her back almost to the point of tipping over, and seemed to be peacefully taking a nap. Honestly, the way she could ignore the subtle tension to nap or the way she effortlessly kept her balance while asleep, I wasn’t sure which impressed me more.
“I’m just going to try something.”
I wasn’t really talking to anyone, and I think the only one who actually noticed I’d said anything was Hadriel. Still, I didn’t wait to find out how she’d respond, instead, I folded my wings in as tightly as I could and slipped out of the room. As soon as I was in the corridor beyond the window, I went up to the first person to walk by. hoping I wasn’t making a stupid mistake I offered a polite smile and asked:
“Hi, do you know if there’s a spare computer I could borrow for a few minutes? There’re some things I’ve got to check, and I haven’t had access to the net for weeks.”
The person I was asking was a woman who looked to be in her late thirties and had a no-nonsense air about her. She was smartly dressed, a bit overweight, and was carrying a large pile of files. She could have been anyone from a detective going over info to a filing clerk taking away used documents. All in all, she looked like she belonged here.
So, seeing her gawk and then blush didn’t really feel right. It didn’t fit. Lucky for me it looked as though she was made of sterner stuff than the people in the park because I could visibly see the moment she shrugged off whatever effect my looks had on her.
“A . . . a computer? Yes, I think we’ve got one again.”
Once again, I was fascinated by this new ability I had with languages. Yeah, I could already speak some, enough to get by as a tourist. Now, I just understood it, all the little things behind the words, the meanings, the way certain words together could mean something more than the sum of the parts, things I should only get after years of speaking it. and as for talking, that just came naturally. I thought about what I wanted in English, but as I went to speak it, it just became French, perfectly. It was what I meant to say, not the literal translation from English.
My thoughts of this odd ability were quickly dismissed as the woman I’d been speaking to waved me over to a room a couple of doors down from where I’d been. Inside was a fairly large office, though the lack of any personal touches and a thin film of dust on some spots made me think it hadn’t been used for a while. There were three desks, but only one had a computer on it. The woman I’d followed switched it on, typed in a couple of passwords and then turned to me.
“Okay. I’ve put it in visitor mode, so you can use it to browse the net, but not access any internal file. Just so you know, this thing keeps a history which will be reviewed, so be careful where you go.”
That . . . was surprisingly easy. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting, but it hadn’t been for the first person I asked to simply agree and give me what I wanted. It must have shown on my face because she looked at me and offered a small smile, one a bit more at ease than the slightly awed and stunned look she’d had before.
“Look, you’ve got angel wings, you’ve got an angel following you around, you’ve got Jeanne d’Arc herself helping you. I think it’s okay to trust you with just about anything you want.”
Right, that made a bit more sense. Not wanting to push my luck I nodded and made my way to the computer. Once again, I had to swing the chair around so I was straddling it, because of my wings, but after a bit, I was steady, if not comfortable. I noticed that the door was still ajar and that Hadriel had set herself outside it like a guard, but I ignored it in favour of finally having access to the internet.
And then I froze in place as choice paralysis gripped me.
My first impulse was to log into my private mail and see what messages were waiting for me. I desperately wanted to contact my parents and my friends and let them know I was doing okay. Hell, I was doing better than okay! I’d been able to handle the weeks I’d been out of touch by focusing on what was in front of me, my training, my magic, my new wings. That had been easy, that had been straightforward. Dealing with my worries . . . not so much. Hell, even the mess with Etienne and the goddesses had been easier to deal with than the worries and doubts eating at me.
The problem was, could I afford to give in to personal wishes?
We’d come here because Joan had gotten info that something important was going to go down tonight. If that was the case, then shouldn’t I be doing my best to get ready? Wouldn’t it be better to know what was going on in the world, in case whatever we’d be involved with was related? What if I needed to know something, but I didn’t learn it because I dealing with personal stuff?
Nevermind, I didn’t have endless time, but I did have a few hours at least. Sure, it might be less than I thought if the others wanted to leave early to get set up ahead of time, but I should still have a good chunk to work with. Doing one didn’t mean I couldn’t do the other.
The first order of business was finding out what was going on in the world. Getting myself up to speed on anything that might end up dragging me in was the more immediate worry. I’d still devote time to friends and family, but only after I dealt with forearming myself with info.
It didn’t take me long to get onto Divine Versus and navigate my way to the page I was looking for.
The way the page was set up was fairly simple, people just posted the threads they wanted, and the list was set up chronologically. You could filter the list, choose to leave out threads that were too short, focus on the long-running ones, search for specific topics, and all sorts of things. My account had my preferences already saved and I wasn’t interested in messing with them at the moment. I wanted stuff that was important enough to be big news and that had been verified by at least five of the sites’ Moderators, no wild speculations or hoaxes if I could avoid them. I wasn’t interested in conspiracy theories, fan fiction, debates or minor interest threads, I wanted the good stuff.