Mae-Ying Allen ~ 3-18-2029 3:22 AM GMT
Niva continues on down the hallway with Mae-Ying in tow. At the far end of the marble corridor, they reach a T-shaped junction with three additional sets of double doors, each of them flanked by the strange guardian statues. Niva turns to the doors on the right and raises her signet ring. The doors open with a soft rush of air. Beyond is some kind of bullpen, a large room filled with a dozen long rows of desks, most of which are empty; only a few are occupied by tired looking men and women.
“Curry! Benny!” Niva calls out as she enters the room.
A few faces turn. Two men stand up: a tall, lanky black man with a prominent nose and a white guy, balding, middling height, slightly round in the gut. Niva meets them in the middle of the room; Mae-Ying stands a few feet behind her, unsure where to look or what to do.
“We’ve got a guest?” the black guy says in an English accent.
“No. This is Mae-Ying Allen,” Niva says.
“Ah.” He steps forward and extends his hand towards Mae-Ying. He also has one of those damned rings. “Darryl Curry. Welcome back.”
“Uh… nice to meet you,” Mae-Ying says, shaking Darryl’s hand, confused.
“Niva, did you give her, like, any explanation whatsoever?” the white guy asks. He’s got an American accent, maybe Philadelphia.
Niva shrugs. “Why bother to explain things to someone who will not listen?”
“Jesus Christ.” He moves forward to shake hands with Mae-Ying as well. “I’m Benny Fowler. Look, I know shit is weird right now, but--”
“She said she would cooperate if we let her make some phone calls,” Niva says.
“Reed isn’t gonna like that,” Darryl says.
"Fine!” Niva turns away. “I don’t care. Let him try to explain things to her!” She storms off towards a side door.
“What the fuck happened to Walsh?” Benny yells after her.
Niva ignores him and slams the door behind her as she leaves. Benny runs a hand over his balding head.
“He was poisoned,” Mae-Ying says, talking around a lump in her throat.
“This is James Walsh we’re talking about?” Darryl asks.
Mae-Ying looks down, nods, tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m his legislative director.”
“Come on,” Benny says. “I’ll get you some coffee.”
“Thanks,” Mae-Ying says.
He leads her into a break room that looks like it would fit in at any corporate center anywhere, with a Formica table, padded folding chairs, and a bunch of modern kitchen appliances--including a coffee maker--none of which are plugged in. Benny picks up the coffee maker, looks inside, sniffs. He looks up at Darryl, who has followed them inside. “Think you could...?”
“Sure.” He pulls something like a battery pack from his belt and plugs the coffee pot into it, then rests a hand on it while Benny busies himself refreshing the pot. When Benny's readied it, it starts percolating.
Mae-Ying frowns. “Why the whole battery pack thing?”
“She didn’t even explain that?” Benny asks.
“I mean, she told me my phone wouldn’t work…” She pulls out a folding chair and sits down.
“No modern technology will, not this close to the Gate, unless someone like Darryl makes it work,” Benny says.
“So Niva can read minds, and you can make kitchen appliances work?” Mae-Ying asks Darryl.
Darryl laughs. "I can make machines run where they shouldn't. That's not a great party trick though, in this day and age, but I can also make them do things they shouldn't."
"See, there's a kind of… force in the universe,” Benny says. “People like us, we can use it to do things normal people can't."
“People like us?” Mae-Ying asks, pointing to Benny, then herself. “Look, I think you guys probably made some kind of mistake.”
“I don’t think so,” Benny says. “Reed says you're one of us. An Investigator. He was shittin' his pants when he figured it out, too, so I'm pretty sure you are."
“Sure. Whatever. Look, do either of you have a phone? I'm just worried about my aide and my interns getting, I don't know, kidnapped or killed.”
Darryl and Benny exchange a look. Benny shrugs.
“Here.” Darryl pulls out an ancient-looking cell phone from his back pocket. “Just don’t tell Reed about it when you talk to him.”
“Right,” Mae-Ying says. “I’ll just, uh--”
“Listen,” Benny cuts in. “The people behind Synesis, they don't like exposure. If there's people who know about them already, yeah, warn them. Don't call anyone who's on the outside though. You're just putting them in danger.”
"Even if I don't tell them what this is about?" Mae-Ying asks, inspecting his face.
“After what happened to Walsh? Yeah. Any loose ends are gonna get cut.”
Mae-Ying takes a breath. “Alright. I guess I only need to make one call.”
She punches in Lydia’s number and puts the phone to her ear. It rings several times. She hears a recording of Lydia's voice: "This is Lydia Snyder. I'm not available right now. Please leave your name and contact information and I’ll respond as soon as possible."
“Hey, Lydia,” Mae-Ying says. “You might want to leave town. Things got really weird. You'll see. I'm sorry, I don't know how much else I can say right now, without… Just get out of town, if you can. And take care of yourself, okay?"
She hangs up and hesitantly hands the phone back to Darryl. Without warning, she starts crying. It’s mortifying, having a meltdown in front of these strange men, but she can’t help it. If she could wrap her mind around any little part of the situation, if there was just one single thing she thought she could control, she’d be able to keep it together. But there’s nothing. Walsh is dead, Lydia could already be gone, and she’s stuck here in this unfamiliar place with these lunatics who insist it takes magical powers just to make a cup of coffee.
Benny brings her the cup of coffee in question and a box of tissues. He sits down across from her at the table. Darryl leans against a counter behind him, looking self-conscious. Mae-Ying takes several shaky breaths, wipes her eyes and nose, and slowly composes herself.
“So, uh, you were there when it happened?” Benny asks.
“Yeah,” Mae-Ying says.
Benny shakes his head. “Jesus Christ, what a fuckup. I told Reed--sorry, that's, uh, that's Xavier Reed, he's our Marshal, which… he's in charge. I told him this was a shitty thing to do. Then it turns out you're a Lawyer and we have to abort, but I guess we didn't manage it fast enough."
"Probably not great to go bad-mouthing the boss in front of the new girl,” Darryl mutters.
"I ain’t bad mouthing him, I’m bad-mouthing Cockburn and Raskoph!” Benny says. “And maybe she doesn't want to be the new girl here! I sure as hell wouldn't."
Darryl sighs and shakes his head.
“What exactly was this mission you had to abort?” Mae-Ying asks.
"We're investigating a sort of… I guess you could say they're an organization like us, but with different morals,” Benny says. “I know we seem kinda shitty right now, but… look, I read your dossier, I know a little about your politics and what you've done. We both do some shady things in the name of the greater good, right? But these other guys do a lot of shady things in the name of ‘why the fuck not’.”
“Okay, sure,” Mae-Ying says. “But what did that have to do with Walsh?”
"There's a corporation called Synesis,” Benny says. “We're pretty sure it's a joint operation between a couple of factions--that's, uh, kinda like the overall term for organizations like ours. Point is, Walsh was getting a lot of money from Synesis. A lot."
“Right,” Mae-Ying says. “I know that much already. There was a reporter who asked me about them; she had one of your rings. She said her name was Knight. Candace Knight.”
“That was Niva,” Benny says. “Real subtle name…”
“Wait. That woman was Niva?”
“It’s something we can do--changing appearances like that,” Benny says. “It’s called Cloaking.”
“Okay…” Mae-Ying holds her forehead. “But why was she asking me about it? I’ve never been involved with any of his finances.”
"To make sure you asked around about it,” Benny says. “Which, let’s face it, you did.”
“That goddamn play again?” Darryl asks.
Benny nods. “You were supposed to get them suspicious. We were hoping we'd flush out some stuff when they offed you."
“Okay, see, here’s the thing,” Mae-Ying says. “You say we both do shady things in the service of the greater good, right? And sure, I’ve blackmailed a few senators here and there. But you kill people!”
Benny grimaces. “I told you, I didn’t think it was a good idea, it’s a shitty workaround so we’re not blatantly violating an old agreement. And we weren’t going to kill you--”
“No, but you were hoping someone else would!”
Niva appears in the doorway. “Reed wants her.”
Mae-Ying pushes her chair out from under the table and stands up. “I have a name, you know.”
“Yes.” Niva looks her up and down. “I know.”
Mae-Ying follows Niva out of the break room, down one side of the bullpen and through another door into a large office. As soon as Niva opens the door, opera music spills out. The office is full of gorgeous antique furniture and artwork. Everything is just so; there are no personal effects, no tchotchkes. A young-looking white man, presumably Xavier Reed, sits behind the massive desk in the center of the room. He has thick, wavy brown hair, chiseled features, and a square jawline. He has his eyes closed and his fingers to his temples. He doesn’t look up as Mae-Ying and Niva enter the room; even after several seconds he keeps sitting like this, concentrating or meditating or… something.
Mae-Ying looks sideways at Niva, who has a flat frown and a long-suffering look in her eyes. Mae-Ying waits for another minute, then clears her throat loudly.
Reed’s eyes open; he looks vaguely irritated. He gestures toward an old phonograph nearby and the opera music cuts off.
"Ah. Miss Allen, I presume?" He rises slowly. "Very pleased to meet you. I'm Marshal Xavier Reed."
"Hi.” Mae-Ying folds her arms. “So. You kidnapped me."
Reed glances at Niva, who sighs through her nose. He looks back at Mae-Ying. "It would be more accurate to say I saved your life, but really, whatever story you find most appropriate..."
"I'm not sure you can call it saving my life after you set me up to be killed," Mae-Ying says.
"You raise a valid, if inconsequential, point.” He gestures to a chair in front of his desk. “Would you like to sit down?"
Mae-Ying grits her teeth, swallowing the urge to spit out a retort, and sits down.
Reed looks over her shoulder at Niva. “Leave us.”
Niva pivots on her heel and opens the door, not quite slamming it behind her.
Reed sits down. "Did you have enough time with Benny for him to explain the general, erm, thrust of things?"
“All I know is that I was set up as a catspaw so that you guys could try to get more information about Synesis. Clearly that didn't work, and now I'm here."
Reed tongues the inside of his cheek and narrows one eye slightly. "No, it didn't work. Allow me to elaborate, then: Synesis, as you're likely aware by this point, is a defense contractor, operating in a number of fields, but most primarily biotechnology."
“Right.”
"We're investigating them for… oh, a number of reasons I won't bore you with,” Reed says. “In any case, it's not entirely uncommon for those who are blessed by Law to become inadvertently entangled in extraordinary affairs. You were so convenient that I ought to have been more suspicious. Fortunately, your true nature was brought to my attention. A cursory inquiry revealed the truth of that supposition to me and I ordered Avraham to bring you in.”
Mae-Ying purses her lips. "Now when you say ‘true nature’..."
"You are what we call an Initiate or, more specifically, a Lawyer,” Reed says. “You have the capacity to channel the force of Divine Law in order to perform miraculous feats.”
Mae-Ying snorts. “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or disturbed.”
"You've seen nothing tonight that would convince you of the supernatural nature of your situation?"
"I mean, Niva made a pretty good guess about what I was thinking..."
"Would it surprise you to know you're in England?"
Mae-Ying shrugs. "Yeah, kinda?"
Reed chuckles. "Now, obviously, how you choose to utilize your talents is up to you--though, if I may, I'd rather strongly recommend you not return to America anytime soon."
"Okay, see, I don't have any abilities!" Mae-Ying says, throwing up her hands.
"Clearly your talents in diplomacy have been overstated,” Reed says with a glare. “There is a process we must undergo, the initiation from whence the term ‘Initiate’ arises. After that, you'll require training, most likely a few years."
"You're really serious about this, aren't you?"
"Miss Allen--”
“Could you stop with the… It’s Doctor Allen. I’m a PhD.”
“Fine, then, Dr. Allen. I'll give you the… how do you people put it? The elevator pitch. The world is on the brink of an apocalypse. There are the mundane threats you're familiar with: catastrophic changes to weather patterns, neo-fascist aggression, new or mutated pathogens… But none of these compare to the threat I believe Synesis poses."
“Why?”
Reed leans forward. "I believe Synesis is using powers they don't understand and can't hope to control in order to create weapons such as the world has never seen."
Mae-Ying looks at him sidelong. "What kind of powers?"
"It will be difficult for you to appreciate without training,” Reed says. “Rest assured that, if my beliefs are born out, the situation is incredibly grave. You resent me for using you, as well you might, but compared to the loss of life that is to come the sacrifice of one woman means nothing."
"It doesn’t seem to me that my death would have actually accomplished anything," Mae-Ying says.
"You've revealed some small things we didn't know before but… in large part, I agree. Our strategy will need to be reevaluated. Fortunately, you won't need to concern yourself with those matters."
"No, I will not."
Reed taps his finger against the edge of his desk. "Do you still believe you've been abducted by a cult?"
“You know, I don’t know. The jury’s still out.”
"Perhaps a bit of good old fashioned revelation will change your mind." He makes a gesture in the air. "I require you, Mr. Fowler."
"What? What do you mean?"
Reed doesn’t reply. After a few moments, the office door opens and Benny steps inside.
"Please take Doctor Allen to the Chamber of Kings," Reed says.
Benny frowns. "Now? She's barely awake! She needs to rest before--"
"That will be all, thank you, Mr. Fowler," Reed says.
Mae-Ying stands up. “What is it you want out of me, anyway?”
"I want you to reach your full potential,” Reed says. “There are perilously few Lawyers available to us. A mere four hundred or so in the whole world, against a relentless tide of mortal hubris and expansion."
Mae-Ying takes a breath, considering.
"Fine,” she says. “Okay. I'll try whatever this thing is."
She walks to the door. Benny follows her, throwing a malign look at Reed over his shoulder. Behind them, the opera music swells.
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