by Gareth Otton
Recognising she had made up her mind by the tone of her voice, Tad knew better than to argue. Shaking off his weariness, he fell in line.
16
Saturday, 26th November 2016
00:31
“What’s she doing here?” Lizzie asked.
Tad didn’t answer, instead leaning against a filing cabinet in the corner of Stella’s office while Lizzie turned to the fourth person in the room.
“You. The cousin. So the whole gang is here.”
“Leon Galanis,” Leon said, offering her his hand and smiling in a way that would make supermodels blush. Lizzie looked at that hand like she wasn’t sure what to do with it.
“So, I’m not here for an exclusive interview with Tad about what happened today?” she asked, shooting another scowl in Tad’s direction. “I should have known. It will be a cold day in hell before Tad Holcroft offers an interview.”
Rolling her eyes, she fussed Growler and Freckles who came over to say hello, their tails wagging with their usual doggy excitement for someone new. For all their intelligence, sometimes they were just like any other dog.
“Take a seat, Lizzie, we need to talk,” Stella said, motioning to the empty chair next to Leon.
“Of course we do,” Lizzie said, dropping into the chair. “I’m not taking down the video.”
“Yes you are, and you’re also not going to release the next one.”
Lizzie snorted and turned to Leon.
“I take it brains doesn’t run in the family, just good looks,” she said, nudging him with her elbow. “Fuck off, Stella. I’m done killing stories just to make your life convenient.”
Stella picked up a pen from her desk and fantasised about using it like a knife. She started clicking the button as she stared at Lizzie and tried to control her temper. Normally control was something she excelled at, but there was something about the reporter that got under her skin.
“Lizzie, this time I’m serious. It’s a—”
“Oh, so the other times you squashed my stories and made me look like an idiot you were just playing? That’s good to know.”
“You know what I mean,” Stella said, the pace of her clicking picking up. “This time its life or death.”
“Of course it is. When isn’t it life or death with you?” She turned to Leon and asked, “What’s your roll in this? The bamboo stick behind me is transport, but what about you? You the muscle? You here to threaten me if I don’t do what queen Stella wants?”
“I’m here for protection,” Leon said, and Lizzie laughed.
“Wow. I must be scarier than I thought if she needs protection from me.”
“I need protection from the people who want to kill me because you ran that story,” Leon corrected, and the smile slid from Lizzie’s face.
“Bullshit. You put him up to saying that, Stella. I’ve stumbled across something big that you don’t want people to know, so you’re making this up to force my hand.”
“He’s serious,” Tad said. Lizzie spun to face him, then jumped out of her chair.
“Nice move putting me here so you can surround me.”
“He’s in danger, Lizzie. And so are you if you don’t issue a retraction.”
Lizzie’s veneer of toughness cracked as Tad’s words landed. Tad wore his emotions on his sleeve, and Stella knew how bad a liar he was. Lizzie may not have Stella’s talent, but she knew the truth when she heard it from Tad.
“So you want me to commit career suicide by not just taking down that video, but telling the world I was wrong? I’ll look like an idiot.”
“Just say you found out additional information that disproved your theories,” Stella suggested, and instantly wished she hadn’t. She was the last person Lizzie wanted to hear from.
“You want me to lie to my audience. I’m not doing it.”
“Lizzie, this is important,” Tad tried, gripping her shoulder to help sell how serious he was. Lizzie shrugged him off and stepped back, looking like a cornered animal. She stared at Tad with a suspicious amount of moisture in her eyes.
“You want me to do this? Make myself look like an idiot?”
“No one will think you’re an idiot,” Tad argued, but Lizzie barked a disbelieving laugh and a tear rolled down her cheek.
“I should have known you’d be against me. She’s been tugging your leash since I’ve known you.”
Stella was clicking her pen so fast Leon was giving her a funny look.
“I’m not siding with anyone. I’m worried about you. You publish that video and there are powerful people who will come for you and Leon. I just want you to be safe.”
Lizzie opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, wanting to argue but unable to. His concern was genuine and any idiot could see that.
“What is it you think you’ve found out?” Stella asked when the silence dragged on.
“I’m not telling you. It’ll just give you time to come up with something to make me look stupid. You’ll have to find out with everyone else tomorrow night.” She glanced at the clock on the wall and added, “Actually, tonight.”
“I want to know so I can set you right,” Stella said.
“Set me right?” Lizzie asked, using air quotes to accentuate what she thought of that statement. “You mean tell me your version of the truth so you shine in the best light.”
“No. I mean, tell you the truth about what you’re missing.”
Lizzie hesitated, staring at Stella like she was speaking an alien language.
“On the record?” she asked.
“Of course not. But when I tell you what I know, you’ll understand why you can’t release that video.”
Lizzie suddenly looked defeated and sank into her chair.
“It sounds like you won’t let me leave until you’ve had your say. You might as well tell me.”
“I want to hear what you have first,” Stella said. She was so focused on Lizzie she didn’t notice Leon reach across the table and jumped when he squeezed her hand, trapping her thumb and stopping her clicking the pen. He wasn’t even looking at her, but staring at Lizzie.
“Me and Stella aren’t like normal people,” he started.
“Leon, what are you doing?”
He ignored her.
“Our people call themselves the Eidolon, though in modern terms you would call us Idols.”
“Idols?” Lizzie asked, glancing at Stella before giving Leon her full attention. “And what is an Idol?”
“An Idol is a god,” he said, grinning charmingly. Lizzie burst out laughing.
“Of course you are. God was the first thing that came to mind.” Turning to Stella she said, “Though devil might be more appropriate where she’s concerned.”
“Wrong religion,” Leon said, laughing like he was on her side. Stella almost snapped the pen before she recognised what he was doing. It was something she had done countless times to get cooperation from someone who wasn’t inclined to give it. Leon was using a friendly persona to lure Lizzie into trusting him.
Stella felt sick, not comfortable with that sort of manipulation these days. Considering the importance of the situation, she forced herself to deal with it.
“You should think of the Greek pantheon.”
“Like Zeus and Hercules, and all that?” Lizzie asked.
“Yes, that’s right. Though Heracles was a demi god. But you get the point.”
He transitioned into explaining what an Idol was, how their powers stemmed from people’s belief and how at one point they ruled the world. Stella could tell Lizzie wasn’t taking him seriously at first, but as he spoke about how the Eidolon limited themselves and formed a council to stop them gaining too much personal power or exposing themselves to normal people, Lizzie’s expression changed. There was nothing like a good conspiracy to capture the interest of a reporter, and there was no bigger conspiracy than a shadowy organisation who secretly ran the world.
“So,” Leon said. “If you expose us, the Eidolon Council wo
n’t be happy. They’ll send people to kill me, Stella, and you.”
“Why me?” she asked.
“Because if you’re not alive, there’s no one to tell your story.”
Lizzie had started to relax, forgetting what she was here for. But with these words her frown returned.
“Leading us full circle to where you want me to commit career suicide,” she said to Stella, breaking free from Leon’s charm and focusing on someone she could hate. “Nice try, but I’m not buying it. Ha. You, a god.”
“You saw what Leon did with the beer barrels and what Stella did to Harry a few months ago,” Tad pointed out.
“So he’s strong, and she abuses her employees. Hardly the proof you need to make me believe you. Frankly, I’m insulted you think so little of me that you’d come up with that pile of crap.”
“You’ve seen more than strength,” Leon pointed out. “You were there when Stella used her Authority the other day.”
“Authority?” Lizzie asked, smiling like this was a joke.
Stella leaned forward, suddenly interested. This was a question she’d meant to ask but never found the opportunity.
Leon glanced at Stella and said, “It’s why they want you dead. Only the strongest of the Eidolon can use Authority.”
“Ooh, sounds interesting,” Lizzie said, still playing this off as a joke. “So come on then, what is it and why is it so bad? I mean, I can think of a thousand different reasons someone might want to kill Stella, but I’m always open to learning more.”
“You remember when everyone was fighting and Stella shouted stop? You remember how everyone stopped and you probably felt the compulsion to stand as still as possible?”
Lizzie’s smile faded and she glanced at Stella.
“No,” she answered, and Stella could hear the lie, though it wasn’t a full lie.
Stella cast her mind back and remembered the crippling weariness that overcame her. She had slept like a baby that night, the first full night sleep she’d had in months. However, she also remembered that the first person to move after she told everyone to stop was Lizzie.
Lizzie’s half lie was because she could remember something strange, but it wasn’t so memorable that she believed something outlandish.
“Sure you did,” Leon said. “It was that same feeling you get when you do something you’re not supposed to as a child and your parents catch you. Everyone has a moment like that, when someone shouts their name and they freeze up, knowing they’re busted.”
“Sure, I’ve felt that,” Lizzie said.
“That is Authority, just on a smaller scale. It’s a way of speaking to the primal part of people’s minds and getting them to understand that you’re the one in charge.”
“So if she can control people’s minds, why are you three having to work so hard to convince me?” she asked.
“It’s not mind control. It works best on people who already recognise that Stella has some authority over them, which makes sense as she is the DT Director. Think of when your parents shouted at you as a child, you forgot everything other than that you’re being told off by someone important. It’s like that but on a larger scale.”
“I was a good girl so I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Lizzie said, trying for humorous but starting to look uncomfortable.
“I can also tell when you’re lying,” Stella pointed out, deciding it best to lay her cards on the table. “And I don’t sleep anymore.”
“What else? You vomit sunshine and fart rainbows?” Lizzie asked. She looked from Stella to Leon and then to Tad before she burst out laughing. “Nice try, but it’s not working.”
“Yes, it is,” Stella said, hearing the lie. “You just don’t want to admit it because you don’t want to miss out on your scoop.”
Lizzie looked startled, then jumped to her feet again.
“I don’t have to listen to this.” Turning to Tad, she said, “Take me home.”
“Lizzie, you need to understand—”
“No, you need to understand. I’m not some scared little kid to be chased away because three big bad wolves bare their teeth and tell me a scary story. I’m not showing faces, I’m not outing anyone, and as I don’t believe your little stories, I’m not going to name these Eidolon people. There’s no reason for anyone to kill me. But people have a right to know there’s more supernatural to the world than what changed last November. So nice try, but fuck you,” she turned to Leon and added, “Fuck you.” Then turned to Tad and said, “And seriously, fuck you. I thought better of you than to sandbag me like this. I thought we were friends.”
“We are friends, that’s why you’re here. I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“Please take me home,” she said. When Tad didn’t respond, she stiffened and looked around incredulously. “Don’t tell me you’re going to keep me here against my will or I will really lose it.”
“You’re in danger,” Tad started, but Stella knew a lost cause when she saw one.
“Take her home. If she wants to keep her head in the sand just so she can get a few thousand likes on a stupid website, then so be it.”
“Try a few million,” Lizzie snapped. Then, enunciating each word slowly, she said, “Take. Me. Home.”
Tad sighed, a pained look on his face like he wanted to keep arguing. However, Stella shot him a look that told him not to push it and Tad finally agreed, offering Lizzie his hand. She hesitated before taking it, not wanting to touch him right now, but finally she placed her hand in his and he told her to jump. The second her feet left the floor, they vanished, making the dogs look up from the corner of the room. Growler’s ears pricked forward, and he sniffed once with his head cocked, then he too vanished.
Stella sighed into the silence.
“Stubborn idiot,” she cursed, rubbing her eyes. She was surprised when Leon laughed. “What?”
“No one is more stubborn than the people in our family. Admit it, the only reason you believed everything we had to tell you was because you could hear the truth with your talent. Why do you think Lizzie would believe us when it’s so against her interests?”
“Because we’re her friends and want what’s best for her.”
“Maybe she’ll realise that, but for now we need to plan what to do when that story goes live.” He hesitated and said, “She had good points. If she leaves out the things we told her today, the council might see her as a conspiracy nut and not a threat.”
“You’re saying she’s not in danger?” Stella asked.
Leon hesitated, then shook his head. “No, the Eidolon council are careful. But if they’re going to come after her, I think it’ll happen today or not at all. They don’t know what she knows and they won’t want to risk it. But if nothing happens before it goes live, then so long as it’s not too bad, she might be okay.”
Stella groaned and sunk deeper into her chair. Why did life have to be so hard? Or more accurately, why did people make life so hard? Whether it was Lizzie being a pain, her team turning against her, or Tad being physically unable to go twenty-four hours without stumbling into some new, monumental disaster, she just couldn’t catch a break.
“So this Authority thing is a problem?” she asked.
“Yeah. Half the Eidolon council can use Authority themselves, but it’s the outer limit of what is acceptable. With the kind of world stage you have, they won’t want to risk people seeing that too often.”
“Why not?”
“You remember how exhausting it was?” Leon asked. “Well, the more people who see you use it, the more they believe you’re someone who can command people with your voice and the stronger you’ll get. Authority is a dangerous tool already. Imagine being able to use it without the limit of getting tired.”
Stella shook her head, adding yet another worry to her list. “Right, don’t use Authority. Got it.”
“It’s probably too late now. I don’t think there’s anything you can do to stop them coming after you. No, wait, there’s one thing.”<
br />
“What’s that?” she asked, not liking where this was going.
“Run. Get out of the spotlight. They won’t like that they can’t find you, but if you’re not causing trouble they have no reason to keep looking.”
“I can’t do that,” Stella answered. “I’m doing this job for a reason. If it doesn’t get done, the consequences are massive. Maybe if the people I worked with were acting rationally and I could trust they would continue my work, then I’d agree to go, but right now I can’t.”
She looked at the space where Tad had been standing and shook her head.
“Besides, Tad won’t give up this fight. Until he’s atoned for his part in the Merging, he’ll never give up. He keeps threatening to run with Jen, but I know him. The guilt would eat him up and he’d come back to do something stupid. I need to be here to help him as much as I can. You should go, though. You don’t have a horse in this race. If you want to get back to Hydra, I’m sure Tad would be happy to help with that.”
“Maybe,” Leon said. “I need to think about it.”
“Don’t take too long. I may need to stay here, but there’s no reason to put yourself in danger.”
“I don’t want to abandon you,” he said, and for the first time all night she smiled as she recognised how genuine he was.
“You won’t be abandoning me. As much as things look stacked against me, I’m still the head of the Dream Team with the backing of the Prime Minister. I get decent press, I have the Dreamwalker with me most of the time, and I’ve done alright looking after myself until now. You don’t need to—”
She was interrupted as Freckles chuffed from his spot in the corner. Stella couldn’t help but laugh.
“And I have Freckles to keep me safe,” she said.
“I don’t know,” Leon said, still unconvinced. He was about to say something else, but there was a pop and Tad was back. Stella waited a for a second pop, signalling the arrival of his own four-legged companion, and frowned when it never came.
“I convinced him to stay with Lizzie,” Tad said, recognising her confusion. “At least until this blows over. I told him that if there’s any sign of danger to grab her and dreamwalk to safety.”
