Novels2Search

Special Counsel

Rubbing his temples as he sat in the car, Bradly quickly went over what he had just agreed to. How could he have been so stupid? If she did anything, it could ruin everything he had worked for.

*You could restore the veil.*

The thought crept up in his mind before he realized it, but he quickly dismissed it. The veil had been a crude attempt to ensure mythics had a chance to repopulate. It had done it's job. There was no benefit to casting it again, as he would just have to deal with the aftermath in a couple hundred years anyways. Besides, he had no power yet. Imagine all the damage that would occur before it came back.

No, instead, he needed to convince everyone in the counsel that keeping the mythics around was not just possible, but a good idea for humans. Had one of them changed, it would have been a simple task, but as it stood, he wasn't even sure if any of them would. 2.6 billion potential mythics, and yet he was fairly sure not a single one was in that room. Compound on that the fact that he made himself look like a fool by suggesting that he would predict the next change, only to have nothing happen for a full week. With only 17 confirmed changes so far, most in those first 2 days, he didn't have a strong base to work with.

"We're here sir."

He stepped out of the car, quickly checked his hair, and made his way into the lobby.

The center of the high skylight had been recently re-painted an emerald green. An odd change from the dark blue that marked most of the UN's work. He presented his badge for the security officer, gave her a nod, and made his way into the large meeting room. Only a handful of the nearly 700 chairs were filled. He made his way to the front and sat down.

"Glad to see you could make it, Mr Anderson"

He couldn't make out who was speaking. Probably someone near the back. Odd.

"I understand you've let one of your pets loose on New York?"

"She is not my pet." His temper began to flair. It wasn't that he had some paternal care for her, quite the contrary. No, he just worried that if something happened to her, his life's work would come crashing down. As much as she annoyed him, his success was pinned on her.

"Actions speak louder than words Mr. Anderson. Or are you suggesting she's something else?"

"No," he stammered. A breath to collect himself, and he continued. "I just tend to be careful with how my assets are handled." Bradly was still searching for the source of the voice.

"I see."

Another man spoke, this one was easier to spot. He made himself clear, and stood with authority. Probably a general or something. "And yet your suggesting that we need to treat it like a human? Which is it Anderson, an asset or a human?"

More irritation. The mythics were not human, but that didn't mean they were something less.

"Their neither. But that doesn't change the point. I still feel they should be granted the same rights."

"I see, sticking to the talking points. Tell me, if we were to grant this, what stops them from abusing their new found freedom." He bristled at the comment. New found? Had they already dismissed the fact that they were human? He decided to try a different angle.

"What stops you from abusing it?"

One of the men near the front row grinned. "Risk." It was the first man. His deep voice cut throught the room. How had he missed him? "The way I see it, the only reason society works as well as it does is because, in the end, we all have the same risks. And, as humans, we like living. So anything that might be too risky tends to be filed away."

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"They have the same risks." Bradly pointed.

"Do they?" The man's eyebrow raised. "Would you really argue that a dragon has the same risks as a human? I don't imagine a gun would be nearly as effective on scales as it would on flesh, do you?"

"You'd be surprised. Besides, even so, body armor exists. What stops someone from just wearing that and going on a rampage?"

The other man stayed silent. The smile didn't drop, which made it difficult for Bradly to judge if he had won the argument, or if he was being tested.

"Armor is only so effective. Get enough people together, and anyone would be in danger."

"Then would that not apply to dragons as well?"

"Maybe." A crack in the smile. Now we were getting somewhere. "We have yet to see."

"Perhaps," a woman interjected. Bradly immediately spotted her on the 4th row. She felt aloof, likely worked as a CEO of some large multinational. "We shouldn't be considering what the individuals would do, and focus on the whole. If what Anderson says is true, these creatures won't outnumber us, but would still be formidable. And supposedly they still retain some memory of being humans. If this is true, I would be surprised if they were already trying to return to some kind of normal life."

Another spark of hope lifted in his chest. If he could keep the conversation on the mythics' humanity, Nora's trip today could become powerful evidence.

"Even so, this is all still hear-say. I'd like to see some evidence." Damn, he was already on top of that.

"Agreed. At no point has Anderson provided any proof of his claims."

"Does the half-dragon herself not count?" The brief appearance from the previous day was less than he had hoped for. Her shyness left her speechless in-front of the counsel.

"Count for what? That he's experimented like some mad doctor? The thing didn't speak. It didn't show any emotion. Hell, it barely followed his instruction. If that is what these... mythics are, I sure wouldn't want them wandering the streets." The way he drew out the work mythics cut at Bradly.

"No emotion?! She looked terrified!" At least she was still on his side.

"Any animal can be afraid."

"What? Were you asleep yesterday?" One of the men in the back stood up, waving a sheef of papers around. "We've got proof that she was human, right here!"

"I don't see how those prove anything."

"Then are you suggesting that these records are wrong?" The man patted the papers as he waved them around. "Because if so, we have a much bigger problem on our hands!"

"Bigger than a global threat from magic creatures?"

"Yes!"

The room fell silent. The message clear. Either she was human, or there would be far worse things to deal with. Bradly made a note to not mess with that man. He clearly commanded the room.

After a moment, Bradly spoke again. "Then I assume we are on the same page."

More silence.

"I guess so. We'll call for a full vote tomorrow. Thank you for your time."

It wasn't what he was looking for, but it would be enough for now. Time to make sure Nora's day was going perfectly. For his sake.