Chapter Thirteen

The car finally stopped in front of a plain brick two-story building. She paid the driver and carried her luggage to the door. It was tall and made of steel with an aged patina.

“Why is everyone walking by like they don’t notice we’re here?”

It was odd and creepy.

“There’s a ward on HQ that causes all things to ignore the building unless they’re looking for it. Discourages trouble.” The steel door opened inward and she walked inside.

Following, I felt a bit of drag when I crossed the threshold. “What the…?”

“Security check. Without that ring you’re wearing, you’d be denied entry.” Her eyes flicked down to the alpha/omega ring on my right hand.

The one Thirteen gave me.

“A spell that checks for a ring?”

Inside, it looked like just another office building, the old type with opaque glass in all the wooden doors like you’d see in a vintage PI movie.

“A ward. It looks for the design of the ring, specifically. Come.” Amelia continued down the long hallway to the back of the building, her shoes clicking on the tile.

“Um, you passed the stairs…”

Where was she going?

She went to the left of the T-junction and pressed on one of the wood panels. It slid away to reveal a security access keypad. She typed in a code and the wall revealed an elevator.

How very Spy Central of them. “Is there a basement here like in New York?”

A hint of a smirk graced her lips. “In a fashion.”

We stepped in the elevator. The buttons were marked “G”, “B1”, and “B2”. Amelia pressed B1. “Identification,” a computer voice said.

“Amelia Thornhill.”

“Access Granted.” The elevator moved.

We dropped down one floor.

The doors opened on a major office complex. Wow…

People walking, talking, going in and out of rooms…the hall was wide open with long wooden tables down the center and doors on either side. Unlike the New York school underground, this facility was fully furnished with carpeting and wall treatments. At the other end of the space were more corridors, people going left or right.

Most of them were dressed like Amelia, in conservative business attire.

Two agents were talking to a man in a lab coat. One of the agents turned in profile. A familiar face. I ran and hugged Thirteen before I could think better of it.

“Ooof. Hi, kid.” He awkwardly patted my back.

And I let go. “Sorry. I’m just glad you’re here.” My face had to be so pink.

He smiled that California grin. “Welcome to Sacra Aedes.” Baby blues sparkling.

“Huh?” Had he gotten more handsome in a year?

“Sanctuary. Heard you had quite the ordeal.”

Of course she told him.

“I failed. I was terrified.”

He put a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, no one died. You didn’t fail. You just need more training.”

“Will you be my Mr. Miyagi again?” Please?

He shook his head. “Not this time, Seven. I’ve gotta be somewhere.”

“Oh.” Bummer. I could really use a friendly face. “Good luck. And keep in touch.”

“Yeah. This is Three.”

Thirteen’s companion was a tall black man that looked closer to thirty. “So you’re the pain in Thornhill’s side,” he said in a deep voice.

I blushed. “Hi.”

Amelia took my arm. “Seven, I want you to meet the Director now.” She nodded to the agents and led me further into the complex.

I waved goodbye.

We entered a chemistry lab. Several scientists in lab coats were at work with beakers or computers. “Sir, excuse the interruption.”

An older gentleman turned around. He was bald on top, white-haired, and dressed in a three-piece suit. Only two or three inches taller than me.

“Amelia. Good to have you back at HQ. This must be Seven.”

“Della Garvison, sir,” I said, and offered my hand.

He frowned at me, and didn’t shake it. “Indeed. You’re finally committed to being trained properly, Seven?”

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“Yes, sir. I’ve done what I felt was right, but my hometown is safer now without me.”

He grunted. “Amelia, show her to her room, then begin exercises immediately. Too much time has already been wasted.” Then turned his back on us and went back to talking to the scientist. And I thought my guide could be prickly…

I followed her down more turns until the hall opened into a common room with sofas. She talked to the clerk at a nearby desk and came back with a key and a card. “This will be your home until training is complete, and your room will be waiting for you between missions.” She turned the key in the lock for door “7”. “This is your meal card. You are allowed three squares a day. Use your card four times, and the next day only gets two.”

I wasn’t expecting a suite. There was a kitchenette consisting of a microwave, sink, and mini-fridge, and a private bathroom. No TV, though.

“We expect you to keep the room tidy. Cleaning supplies are in a cupboard. Laundry facilities are down the hall. Change into work-out clothes and be out in the common room in five minutes.”

She left, closing the door.

“Yes, ma’am.” I set my luggage on the bed, rotated my shoulder, and unzipped the bag.

A small city under London…who would imagine?

A lot of the people we’d passed were English, but a lot weren’t, too. It really was an international operation. I wondered what was on B2.

Dressed in stretchy pants and a t-shirt, I tucked my key into my sock and met Amelia. “What’s first, Coach?”

She sighed, not amused by my joviality, and started walking.

We soon entered a gym.

The Agency had a full sports facility down here with machines and weights. “You will resume your cardio schedule from last summer. I can trust you to self-motivate while I retrieve your schedule?”

Shed-ule still cracked me up inside. English people talked funny.

“Yes, ma’am.” I headed for the elliptical.

Guess I was kinda soft. Since last summer, I’d let P.E. be my exercise except for my sweeps around town. I occasionally went through katas when I wanted to clear my mind and was sure to be left alone. Mama would have too many questions about me practicing martial arts out of the blue.

Without Thirteen kicking my butt, I went through a light routine while I waited.

Amelia walked back in carrying a file. “Prepare to devote your mind, body, and soul, Seven. Since you are still finishing school, you will have to work that much harder to keep up with the others. You will eat, sleep, and breathe training of one sort or another. Are you sure this is your choice?”

“I can’t really stay at home, can I?”

“No.” She took off her glasses and for a moment, she wasn’t my boss. “I do understand what you’ve had to give up, Della. I know this isn’t the life you envisioned, but our calling is worth it. And you’re not alone.” I nodded, a lump in my throat. Maybe I did have a friend here, after all. That said, she got back to business. “Report to Medical first thing in the morning.”

“What for?”

“Your physical. It’s all very routine. We need a baseline for treating you in the future.”

“Oh. Yay.”

Considering the time of our arrival, supper was next. She took me to a mess hall that was much nicer than the dining room in New York.

The chicken had been roasted with herbs.

Then she sent me to bed.

Once again, sleeping in a strange room—well, attempting to. Between the time difference and homesickness, I didn’t get much rest. But at least I had my own pillow this time.

Medical turned out to be a mini-hospital.

Passing an operating room made me uneasy…nothing was going on past the window in the door, but the fact they had one here was a big deal. How bad an injury or illness could they handle? How often was it needed?

I handed my ID to a nurse at a desk. She ran it through a scanner. “Ah, Seven. The doctor will see you in Room Two down there. Please disrobe and put on the gown hanging on the back of the door.”

“Undress?”

One eyebrow arched. “You’ve been to a doctor before, haven’t you?”

“Yes, but—”

“This isn’t a request, Recruit.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I took the clipboard she handed me and went to the exam room. A family history form and pen were on the board.

I stripped down to my bra and undies, put on the gown, and hopped up to sit on the table and fill out the form while I waited, hoping it’d be a female doc. There was a knock on the door a few minutes later and a woman in her fifties walked in.

“Welcome to Sanctuary, Seven. I’m Dr. Lehigh. Let’s get started, hmm?” She took my blood pressure and pulse rate, then stuck the stethoscope on my back to listen to me breathe.

“Cold!”

“Sorry. They’re always like that. Do you have any allergies you know of?”

“No…”

“Outstanding injuries or ailments?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Hold your breath, please. And, exhale. Good.” She put the stethoscope in her coat pocket and pulled out a tiny hammer. “I’m going to check your reflexes.” She knocked on my knees, then examined all my joints. “Hop down and stand up straight, please.”

I did. “What’s this for?”

“Checking the alignment of your spine.” Her fingers trailed down my vertebrae. “Good.” We continued through the usual eyes and ears check and she asked about my typical diet. Then, she went to a drawer and pulled out a needle and vial. “I’m going to take a blood sample. Sit down again, please.”

I didn’t like needles. My veins should stay hole-free, thank you very much. When she aligned the needle with my left arm, I turned my head away. It hurt less if you didn’t look. The vial filled, the needle was extracted, and she taped a cotton ball to my arm.

“Only a few more questions, and then we’ll go to X-Ray. Have you ever been sexually active?”

“No!”

“Don’t be afraid to be honest, Seven. I’m bound to confidentiality like any other doctor. Have you engaged in any kind of sexual activity before?”

“No. Haven’t touched or been touched. What does that have to do with killing monsters?”

“This is about your health record. Teenagers aren’t known for taking the best precautions. I’m not here to judge you. Alright?”

I folded my arms around me. “Just don’t like the implication.”

She wrote more notes on her chart. “Have you had a pelvic exam before?”

“You’re not going to do that here, are you? Because I do not give my permission.”

She sighed. “Under the circumstances, it isn’t strictly necessary. Do you have any problems with your cycle? Pain, nausea, etcetera?”

“No.”

“When was the onset of your last period?” I told her. This was so embarrassing. I didn’t talk about my monthly with my mother, let alone a stranger. “I’m going to give you a prescription of birth control pills—”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s standard procedure with our female operatives. Demons have a very acute sense of smell in most cases, Seven. The hormones will make you skip your period and keep you safer out in the field. There are possible side effects, of course, like with any medication, but—”

“You want me to artificially stop my cycle indefinitely? How is that healthy?”

“This particular drug is a low-dose hormone. You shouldn’t feel any different except in gaining freedom from your period.”

“But—”

“Seven, you won’t be allowed in the field if you don’t comply. The scent of blood is a danger to you and your team. You can ask the female agents, but none of them has had a complication.” She handed me a small box. “You’ll take one of these every day. When you’re about to run out, come see me.”

“I have to think about it.”

She sighed. “Noted. Come, let’s finish your tests.”

I followed her out of the room. The floor was cold to my bare feet, but at least the gown wasn’t the completely backless variety.

A couple hours later, I empathized with lab rats.

After the x-ray and a lung capacity test, she had me dress and put me through a stress test on a treadmill, seeing what my heart did under load. I was then sent to an optometrist to check my vision, and another tech who tested the acuity of my hearing. The doc took a sample of my hair, too, before I was done.

I wasn’t allowed breakfast before going to Medical, so by the time they let me go, I was exhausted and famished. Found the chow hall again and thank God it wasn’t limited to plain chicken breasts and vegetables.