by P. S. Power
“But, where? Does she double up with Hilda or something, we only have so much room...” The young assistant bar manager looked baffled. A bit skeptical too, like it might just be a trick.
Nikki looked uncomfortable and finally spoke, almost as if the words were drawn out of her by force.
“I've... been staying in your room. The new bed that appeared in your room? I got it for you. It has a chamber underneath it that I sleep in during the day. It locks from the inside. It's not bad, really. I mean, I'm still dead during the day, so your tossing and turning, or... whatever, you do up there, doesn't bother me at all.”
"Oh? That's... Fine, really. I haven't noticed you at all, so complaining about it now would be kind of dorky. You could have just asked though. I'm good with having a girl as a roommate." The funny thing there was that he was serious and it showed, both inside and out.
Nikki didn't know if she had to leave now or what to do, she asked Claire, but Troy cut in saying, “It's no big thing. I mean, if you want to keep sleeping there. After all, how many guys have a girl they can take out, party all night with, then put her in a box under his bed all day without ending up on 'Americas Most Wanted? Well, one not made of plastic at least. But people look at you funny if you take a rubber doll to a party.”
Nikki appeared suddenly at his side, sitting next to him. She turned and poked a finger into his chest. “I go into the box myself buster!” She broke out laughing seconds later, though, and hugged him.
Zack noticed that, most of the time, when Claire hugged him, her Shadow self seemed happy and content. Nikki's Shadow had responded to her hugging Troy with, Mmmm, I wonder if I can have some of his blood now...
It was eerily matched by Troy thinking the same thing about her and sex.
Things went on like that for a while, but everyone got along, and no one seemed put out when he yawned and stood up, stretching a bit to show how sleepy he was.
"Sorry all, I need to get some sleep. I have a big day tomorrow." He just meant work, but everyone else laughed a little at him. Except Merri, who nodded, and Val, who seemed to think it was a good sign that he was actually trying now.
They got Zack into bed before midnight, with Claire cuddling in next to him while he fell asleep. It was nice, if a little chilly.
The next day he got ready for work, only to find that there were no transports scheduled for the whole day, because of the meeting in Lesser Shia. Not wanting to seem stupid, he remained quiet. The meeting had slipped his mind completely.
“Everyone going should be here by nine-thirty. I told everyone that wanted to go they'd lose their place if they didn't show up on time.” Lisa seemed almost happy today, he noticed.
The first one through the door, at just slightly after nine surprised him a little. Ghurian, the Djinn, walked in, followed by a slightly butch looking woman that stood about the same height. A little under six foot. Her face looked stern, though not mean, just wary. Her skin was a dark tan, flawless almost to the point of being slightly unreal looking. Zack couldn't place her age, by looks the woman was possibly a well-kept twenty-five?
Since she had the same nimbus of fire around her, or rather since she seemed to actually be the focused Shadow, leaving her true form hidden, meaning Djinn, she probably had a few more years than that, as he understood Djinn to be amongst the longest lived of creatures here Underwood.
“Mr. Hartley! So good to see you again! Today may turn out to be a momentous occasion indeed. I'm hoping to set up an import route to this location, a kind of miniature Lesser Shia, perhaps gaining a larger store front or opening another store all together, if the treaty can be bent that far. Of course, no such deal could take place without you...”
Standing next to Ghurian, the female Djinn stared at Zack. Her gaze didn't waver at all while he replied to Ghurian. There was none of the normal looking left or right that people were expected to do. It seemed a bit psychopathic, but he tried not to think of it that way, not knowing her yet.
“I... hadn't thought of that, actually. I know a lot of people want to go there to shop, I just hadn't considered bringing the shopping here. A lot of people can't afford to go there though. Maybe if we set something up like that, more people could get things they need or want. I know it's not the full experience, but I like the idea.”
Ghurian clapped him on the shoulder and complimented his good heart, thinking of those that can't afford such luxury travel.
The woman continued to stare. There was no malice in it, as far as Zack could tell, or special interest. It seemed like she merely gathered data for some reason.
The door opened again, very softly. Vaun, the old Vampire and Claire walked in. Claire still wearing her work apron. Moving to Zack she kissed him on the cheek by way of saying hello while Vaun grasped his hand and shook it. The hand seemed hard and cold to his touch. Like something half made of stone might.
“Mr. Hartley, it's been too long! May I ask who your friends are?”
He introduced Ghurian as the manager of the Import store, then got stuck. He didn't actually know what position he held to the Djinn, or if they had an organization at all that he'd recognize. He also didn't know the woman's name or if he should address an introduction to her at all. He knew their rules were vaguely Middle Eastern, but what that really meant he had no clue.
Ghurian didn't even hesitate to fill that in for them though, picking up the problem immediately.
“This is Yasmine. She's come to aid in the dealings of the day. Bringing a shrewd mind for business as well as other attributes that make her potentially useful to us today. She's also one of Mr. Hartley's wives as per the agreement the local community has come up with.” He turned to Zack.
“I don't believe you two have met yet? Perhaps today will allow some small chance for you two to become acquainted?”
Yasmine nodded once at him, not smiling, but not frowning either.
Then they all, except Claire, walked to the back, where Lisa waited for them.
Claire smiled at him and took hold of his hand. “And you probably thought today would be boring,” she whispered, then left having delivered Vaun to the needed Vampire protocol standards.
Next came a woman, who looked about sixty, and slightly bulky, though a lot of it looked like muscle. She had shoulder length steel gray hair and a Shadow that showed she could transform into a part wolf, part Human form. She gave her name as Brin Patterson, a bit gruffly, and asked for Lisa Penbroke. When he delivered her to Lisa, she dismissed him completely, not giving him a second glance. So he went back up front to see if anyone else would be coming.
Hilda and Lars came in only a bit later, dressed very nicely, though both wore sneakers instead of dress shoes. He looked at them questioningly.
“Body guards. In case anyone tries to poison your water or something, you know. Plus it will help you look important. Not that you need a show to do that.” The large woman hugged him, while Lars, laughing said, “Hey, we are on duty.”
Lisa locked the front door. Since this could be a pretty big deal, she'd gotten permission to shut the store for the day. The other stores had to agree to it, or else it would be a breach of the treaty. Each group was required to keep their storefront open a certain amount of time each day, so that others could reach someone in their organizations or group at need. Everyone agreed without comment. Including Devon at the fine menswear store.
When they all reached the back room, Lisa outlined the order they would go through in and what should happen on the other side.
“Hilda and Lars will go through first, to provide security, then Ghurian, Vaun, Brin, Yasmine and then myself. We're supposed to be met by a representative of their government, Hathe. Plus their trade administrator – whose name is Preter Jess – and the head of their housing concerns, uh, that's roughly hotels and lodging guild as far as I can tell. I don't have a name on that one yet. Then we'll be escorted to a conference room just off of the Nexus point we come through. Does anyone have any questions?”
The slightly gruff woman who'd introduced herself as Brin Patterson, looked around and asked when Mr. Hartley would be joining them. After all they wouldn't be going anywhere without this legend, now would they. She continued without giving anyone a chance to answer.
“I mean, here we have a group of very important people, as important as presidents or even kings of some lands, if I don't mistake who makes up this company and yet here we are, waiting for some being that we don't even understand to deign to ferry us to our destination. Okay, I agree, his talent is impressive, but should we be kept cooling our heels at his pleasure? It's not like he's working, obviously, as the portal sits here unused...” Her tone had an odd air to it, haughty as if trying to dismiss Zack in the eyes of everyone else with a mix of manipulation and disdain.
Zack couldn't for the life of him understand her motives, which, even according to her own Shadow, were designed simply to cast doubt on 'Mr. Hartley', even though she herself knew that they didn't have another good option. She seemed to desire to tear down everyone around her, in an attempt to make herself seem bigger, or at least do so to Zack.
Everyone stood, not shocked, but bemused. Lars chuckled, a deep base rumble that caused the older woman to glare at him with a beast-like flash of rage, quickly suppressed.
Zack decided that the humor of this situation wasn't worth the potential fallout. He almost suggested that they go now, then remembered that Lisa had this timed down to the minute, carefully choreographed for greatest effect. The Djinn both stared at Patterson, amazed that she hadn't gotten more information on Zack before coming. Vaun's Shadow laughed, though his outer self remained politely interested and showed no hint of amusement. That was probably why he'd managed to live as long as he had in a group of people that accepted murder over even small slights as being normal.
Hilda could understand it. Zack looked young and small. A person coming upon him unknowing wouldn't assume that this one held the power he did. Internally Zack nodded. That made sense.
“I think I see the situation, you're expecting a 'Mr. Hartley' and no one told you that I'm really more of a 'Zack'. Understandable. But I've been here since nine, honest. I wouldn't let such people as yourselves wait on me unless it was absolutely needed.” He raised his right hand, palm up, showing how harmless and sincere he was. Every word repeated with force on the Shadow level, adding honesty to the statement. It couldn't hurt to try and avoid more misunderstandings.
Brin looked at him. It seemed to take about ten full seconds for her to process what had just been said. When it clicked, her mouth worked like a fish. Thirty seconds passed before she spoke.
“I thought you were simply Ms. Penbroke's assistant. The person that watched the store front, or something....” Her shoulders slumped as the words tapered off, realizing that accusing him of being a store clerk may not have been the best way to make friends. For all of her earlier attempts to undermine him, she knew that she, that her community, needed him. Without him, this deal didn't happen. If her group got thrown out now, because she messed up... Well, the leadership would kill her. Possibly literally. On the deeper level her beast howled and stammered trying to find a subtle way out of this, when her nature said to fight, or run.
“Oh! Well, yes, I watch the store, too. So it's only natural you'd think that. Please don't hold the current state of it against me though, I haven't had a lot of time to work on it lately. I really need to get a good Christmas display in the window for instance. I mean, Candle Store! Christmas is one of the big sales seasons for candles...” Zack hoped that by pretending her little faux pas didn't matter, it could simply be let go.
Lisa chimed in, seeing the objective he'd set. “That's a good idea, a Christmas display. It adds to legitimacy of the public face. Well, we should line up in order to go. Zack will walk all the way through and back each time. I think it will look better.”
As an aside to the older woman she added that he could also stand in the line and pass people through quite quickly. Last week, she related, he'd passed thirty people through in less than a minute, coming back only enough to grab the next one and carry them through, letting them walk on, instantly getting the next one.
“Really?” Military mind spinning, suddenly imagining what such transportation abilities could be worth in a combat situation. Her inner self trying to feel out Zack as to his willingness to do such things.
Lined up, they moved through the Nexus point quickly, Zack pausing to string out the line so that one person came through every ten seconds or so.
The officials were introduced carefully by the translators that stood beside them, small people – or at least Zack assumed they were people – whose faces were covered with veils, a turban like headdress on each. All of them a bright and uniformed blue from head to toe. Their garb looked a bit more like a ninja's than anything else in his experience, color aside.
When they spoke to them, they used English, clear and unaccented. One came and stood by him, bowed deeply, but did not speak. Instead they simply waited.
Hathe, the government representative, who seemed to be highly placed, though his title kept eluding not just him, but everyone else in their group as well, bowed to each in turn, stopping when he faced Zack and holding his bow for nearly as long as the translator had. Far longer than he had bowed to the others.
“I am honored to be in your presence. Please come with us to the chamber of business.” The official spoke in his own strange language and the translator next to him relayed his words without hesitation.
In a room down the hallway that didn't look special from the outside, they found a large conference room. A large white table with a thick top that looked almost like it had been poured into place. The chairs around it matched. When he moved his out to sit on it, it had hardly any weight to it, perhaps three ounces. It seemed soft, yet held his weight easily without bending or drooping.
Hathe began quickly, presenting them with a proposal that would, he promised, enrich them all while also aiding those in need. He looked at Zack particularly closely when he said the last part. With this plan, working only two days a week, for seven hours total, it would be possible to open up a half dozen routes that the Demons had cut off over the last thousand years, isolating them from the other portions of the world almost completely.
Some of these places had rare resources or crafts that didn't exist elsewhere, making it extremely beneficial to resume trade and communication. While the actual flow of people and goods may be slow to start with, even minor trade would be helpful and bring in new materials that would almost certainly revolutionize several industries for the better.
A list of possible benefits followed. Minerals, goods and services, as well as high end travel to legendary cities and countryside locations.
He didn't recognize most of the names, except two, one something he read in a book once, Hyperborea. The other he recognized from more recent contact with the term, the lands of the Alfric.
Seeing no huge downside, he started to tentatively agree.
Then the door exploded inward and four armed men entered, shooting.
Chapter twenty-seven
He hit the floor and rolled, like Master Dan had shown him how to do a few weeks before. Tucking his chin and curving his back so that he kept rolling, coming back to his feet. He heard nothing except a loud ringing, so ignored it. On his feet he tried something he'd only done in practice before, extending his Shadow forward in a smooth line, through the front gunman, bringing the energy back to him powerfully, through the stone of the floor, causing the man's own muscles to spasm and throw him backward as if electrified.
He knew that this wouldn't stop the man permanently, but it could buy some time. Zack targeted the next man doing the same thing, then the next. They came back quickly, but didn't manage to get a good shot off while he did it.
Hilda came at one of them from the side, hitting him with complex movements that would have looked at home in a martial arts movie, but without
the kicks. That gunman fell and didn't get back up. Before she could get to the next, his head exploded.
Vaun stood there suddenly, as if just appearing in space, his fist extended outward through where the man's head had just been.
Using the same technique as before, empty force the Masters had called it, Zack pinned the last two to the wall alternating from one, then the other before they could recover from being unbalanced and pushing themselves backward. Lars grabbed the gun from one of them, stripping it away swiftly and taking part of the hand that held it with it. That attacker screamed in pain.
The last gunman simply threw down his weapon, as if it had turned into something else. His Shadow responded that way at least. He turned to find Lisa pointing at the man, who began vomiting, making horrible retching noises, doubled over and stopped trying to fight or run away.
Everyone else seemed to be all right, though Zack had blood on him in several places. His ears hadn't stopped ringing yet, either. He looked through the hole in the wall where a door had been and in the smoke he thought he caught a glimpse of something. For some reason he moved, toward the slightly smoking ruin that had once been a rather nice wall. Seconds ago.
A man ran away, fast, but not like a Vampire. He seemed familiar to Zack. The set of the jaw when he turned his head, his gait... something. He tried to follow the man, though his right leg didn't want to work right. He shut out the pain as he'd learned to shut out anything his mind didn't need at the moment and kept following. He projected his qi forward as Dan had taught him, letting him run faster than he could otherwise.
Vaun caught up to him easily, so he pointed at the man ahead and yelled, “Stop him!”
Not stopping to ask questions Vaun raced to the man faster than could be tracked by the Human eye and whipped him around. The man struggled out of the Vampire's grasp and went directly through a door that had another node behind it.
