by SK Benton
"Yes, Abuelito. They even dared to pet Hermes on the nose. It was quite exciting."
"Liliana, have you decided who will care for the sharks when we move to Azul?" asked Clarisa, causing the little girl to gain a mildly sad expression. She was relatively excited about her upcoming move, but knew she would miss her pets tremendously.
"No, I have not yet, Abuelita. I believe a lottery shall be required."
"A lottery? Why so?"
"I have already received requests from eight children in my class. They desire to be my apprentices."
"More like minions, I'd say," coughed Max.
"Oh, how was your training? Did you learn any new valuable skills with which to kill the bad angels?"
"Yeah, sweetie. Your mother and I will be an awesome team," said Max.
Liliana smiled and dug into her meal, content with the knowledge that her parents were progressing, just as she was. However, she chose to not say anything about her noticeably reduced power levels with offensive cantuses. She was a smart girl, and knew if she mentioned anything it was possible they would also put a cap on her non-offensive abilities.
Everyone was preparing to depart the dining room, when newly crowned King Donus entered. Everyone dropped down to a knee, with the lycan saying, "Please, my friends. There is no need to bow."
The entire team stood back up, except for Liliana, who still feared the man a bit.
"Liliana, would you stay and speak with your king for a moment?"
"Yes, my liege. It would be my honor."
Donus winked at Max and Jennie, bringing a smile to the couple as they left.
"Don't be late, Liliana. I'm going to check your math now," said Max.
Once everyone else had departed, Donus took a seat and called the young girl over.
"Liliana, I must trust that you will do something very important."
"But of course, King Donus. How may I be of assistance?"
"You can tell no one that your grandfather, the mage Draagh, has disappeared. We cannot have rumors flying throughout the castle, and then possibly out to the lands of the vampires. They may be emboldened by his absence."
Liliana nodded her small head and smiled. "The secret shall remain with us, my king."
"Very well. Now go to your parents."
Liliana got up and went for the doorway, but Donus called to her before she was gone.
"And Liliana?"
"Yes, sir?"
"I shall miss you, once you have departed these lands for the world of your parents. Still, I am extremely happy for you."
"Oh thank you, King Donus."
"And I am very, very proud to have been your friend."
The little girl shot over to the new king like a blur, and he found himself being hugged by her before she disappeared with a light pop.
###
Max, Jennie and Gabriel stood in Draagh's office, waching as Michael analyzed his infoscreen, looking for any other abnormalities in Azul space.
"Well, we've won, it appears. The Vrol as well as the entire Grigori contingency have been eliminated.
"The why don't we visit President Bierle?" asked Max.
"Good idea, hun!" Jennie had never visited Schweiz before, and looked forward to getting into the new president's head.
###
Max, Jennie and Gabriel stood in front of the Schweiz National Capitol, in Bern, which resembled a typical Swiss building from pre-Exodus Earth. Moments later President Bierle walked down the steps to greet three of the saviors of Azul. He nearly slipped on the snow-covered walk as he approached, but regained his footing.
"Welcome, Captain, Commander and Commodore. It is truly a pleasure to see you again."
Max stepped forward and extended his hand, thinking it was hilarious that Gabriel was maintaining an extinct rank.
"Hello, Mr. President. We just wanted to check up on you, and make sure things were holding together," said Max.
"Thank you, Captain. Please, come inside. We have much to discuss."
Having entered into Bierles' office, the three took seats, with the President wasting no time in getting to the point.
"We have a problem," he said.
"What's that?" asked Jennie.
"The Azulian Civil Liberties Union is already hassling Congress over the removal of the senators on Johnson's Exodus listing. They are saying they did nothing wrong, and were merely included on a list without their knowledge."
"Oh frikin' great! Can't they wait until we've started reconstruction?" asked Max, feeling sick to his stomach. He knew the ACLU. They sometimes got it right, but mostly defended the indefensible, such as murderers and sex criminals. He was certain they would come to Len Johnson's defense too.
"The last thing we need is a bunch of vamps running around the hallowed halls of Congress again," said Jennie.
"There's another issue."
"What’s that, Mr. President?" she asked.
"It seems our inactive vampire friends have been busy at work while in hiding. They are trying to get some normal legislators to introduce a bill in Congress. I fear it shall pass within days."
"What kind of bill?" Max inquired.
Bierle slid his personal console across his desk. The screen showed a document, called the Enhanced Subspecies Act.
"What the…" gasped Jennie.
"No way. How about the condensed version," said Max.
"Captain, it basically will require any and all activated lycans to register with the government."
"Only lycans?" asked Gabriel.
"Correct, Commodore. You see, they say that because lycans turn on the full moon they need to be a known quantity. The politicians have conveniently left out activated vampires, of course. They have the normals terrified that lycans will murder them on the next full moons. It is a purely emotional response."
"Oh, of course," growled Jennie.
"I'm sure they haven't considered the automated lycan cages on Vera," said Max. "Mr. President, you didn't reveal your activated status to anyone, did you?"
"No. Well, only to Sarah Corning, but she is an ally."
"Okay. Well, don't tell anyone else. Do they have a list of activated lycans?"
"They have accumulated one. It lists roughly 2,000 citizens."
"Are we on that list?" asked Jennie.'
"Yes, I'm afraid you are."
"But we aren’t even completely lycan!" she yelled. "We're more! Oh my god! Is our daughter on the list?"
"No. We can be sure of that, as she was not born here." Jorgen Bierle then looked at Jennie and finally noticed her green eyes. "Mrs. Gunnarsson, did you get a gen-mod?"
"No, why?"
"Your eyes. They are different now."
"Yeah, that’s something that happened recently. She's… changed," said Max, wearing a toothy grin.
"Well, it is a complimentary change, but aside from that, I can say that I tried to remove your names from the list. There were simply too many congressional witnesses and there are data backups, so it was impossible."
"And my brother? Admiral Bagatelle?"
"On the list also, I'm afraid."
"Hell, I hope it doesn't affect his command."
"Or mine!" cried Max.
"I'll make sure it does not, Mrs. Gunnarsson. It should not be a crime to be a certain race or subspecies. This bill goes against everything the Constitution stands for. Oh, and even though the nepotism statutes were rescinded, there is no record of you being the younger sister of Admiral Bagatelle, although there wasn't a whole lot I could about the fact that you are married to Captain Gunnarsson."
"Sounds about right," mused Jennie, not really caring either way.
"Mr. President, could you send me a copy of that bill? I'd like to show it to Admiral Bagatelle," said Max.
"Certainly, Captain. Is there any other way I can be of service?"
"No, sir. Just please - feel free to contact me at any time. I'll be here in the blink of an eye."
"I'm sure you will, Captain," B
ierle said with a smile.
Chapter 42 - Real Estate
Six Weeks Later
"It isn't very big, but I'm sure it will be enough for you, your wife and your niece, Mr. Gatto," said Jose Alvarado, a mousy real estate agent who was wearing a crumpled tweed coat, looking less like a real estate agent and more like a personal injury attorney.
"Groovy, it looks super cool," responded Michael, causing the agent to give him a curious glance.
"Love, you sound like a hippy," Clarisa informed her life mate over their private comm.
Michael grinned, while everyone watched Liliana run over to a large tree.
"Grandfa… Tío! I wish to build a tree domicile in this location!" she bellowed.
"Wow, your niece speaks really formal, doesn't she. Where did you guys say you're from?"
"Schweiz. We are from Schweiz, but want to live here for the rest of our lives. Lili, our orphaned niece, is going to attend St. Mary's Academy," said Clarisa, nervously attempting to cover for the young girl's archaic vocabulary.
"Sure. Well, let's go inside I think you'll really like some of the features in this home."
After acting like they really cared what the house looked like they shook hands with the agent, who then hailed an air car and left for his office, intent on writing up an offer on the home. The structure was just a front anyway, as Michael would create a permanent slip portal to the Gunnarsson family property, their true home. Even though the three had managed to stay off any sort of government list of enhanced subspecies, they chose to use the surname Gatto. President Jorgen Bierle had created fake Swiss identities and backgrounds for them so Liliana wouldn't have the stigma of the Gunnarsson name, now fully identified as an active lycan family.
Michael stood out front, watching Liliana climb the lush, expansive tree, while he held Clarisa's hand. As the fetching woman leaned her head onto his shoulder, she noticed an adult male and two children walking up the rural road in their direction. Focusing her enhanced vision, she saw it was Chief Williams, accompanied by his twin grandchildren. Liliana also saw them, and practically flew out of the tree (using a negative gravity cantus to cushion her landing) and streaked toward her two best friends.
"Tommy! Janie! What brings you here?" she squealed.
"Lili, it's what are you doing here, remember? You have to start talking like everyone else on this world," cautioned Janie.
"Oh yeah, right. What's up? How is Buenos Aires? Oh, and hello, Chief Williams. It is pleasing to gaze upon your --"
"Lili, you say it's good to see you," added Tommy.
"It's good to see you, sir. But why have you come?"
"Hello Lili. We just wanted to visit a bit. The kids wouldn't let me spend the rest of my day off in peace, so they dragged me over here."
"Well, Chief Williams, we are best friends, you know," said the newest little angel, putting her hands on her hips.
"Hmm, yes, of course. Lili, would you excuse me? I'd like to speak with your grandparents for a moment."
"Sure! Hey guys, come with me. This tree is great!" said Liliana, as she ran over to her new tree with her two best friends, also active lycans, in tow.
"Hello Chief Williams. I am pleased you are safe," said Michael, getting a cautionary elbow in the ribs by his lovely mate.
"Mike, Clarisa… I lost my job in Buenos Aires."
The gorgeous woman gasped, clasping her hand over her open mouth. "How did that happen?"
"Well, the Civil Liberties Union came in with a court order, saying Chief Robinson had been unfairly terminated. They called it a speciest act, because he had inactive vampire DNA."
"I figured it wouldn't be long before they tried to again turn the system in their favor," said Michael. "Inactive ghouls are devious at best."
"So… what are you going to do?" asked Clarisa.
"I already found another job. In fact, it's here in Córdoba."
"Seriously? That is excellent news, Chief," exclaimed Michael. "What is this new job?"
"Kinda sad, really. The Córdoba police chief was killed when he accidentally ran into an activated vampire nest. He was a normal, so they drained him. I filled the open position. Having Chief of Police of Buenos Aires on my resume, even temporarily, didn't hurt at all."
"Oh no! Are you also on that horrible list of lycans, Chief?"
"Nope. Remember, I was born on Earth. Admiral Bagatelle pulled some strings and got us Sienna identities," the old Haida chief said with a smile.
"And what of the children? Are you to take care of them?" asked Michael.
"As much as I can. I'll need to get a housekeeper, and a --"
"And a nothing, Chief Williams! I'll be more than happy to help," said Clarisa. "Where are Tommy and Janie going to school?"
"Well… that's the nice part."
"St. Mary's? You are to attend the prestigious St. Mary's Academy with me? That is great news!" cheered Liliana.
"It should be fun. Lili. Besides, someone's gonna have to correct your goofy phrasing every now and then," said Janie.
Liliana gave her friend a wry grin. She was just a bit lazy when it came to speaking more like a local, but when the time came she knew she would do just fine.
"We just got back from registering. We got so lucky, with grandpa getting the chief of police job here in town," said Tommy.
"This is so cool," said Liana. "We can make a new Lycan Brigade!"
"Um, Lili, hold on. We're supposed to keep our abilities secret, you know," said Janie.
"Who said anything about going public? It is a secret club! Oh, this will be so exciting," she responded, twiddling her little fingers together while wearing a devious grin.
"Right, but we need to keep a low profile, okay? We managed to stay off that congress list thingy, and Grandpa says we need to keep our mouths shut and act like normals," added Tommy.
"I am perfectly normal," said Liliana, having created a ball of concentrated plasma that she was spinning on her finger like a basketball.
"Oh yeah, sure - totally normal, Lili. Anyway, classes start next week. So is this where you're gonna live?" responded the Alaskan native girl.
Liliana looked over at the tiny home her grandparents intended on buying, and snickered. "No way," she giggled. "We're going to live on the Gunnarsson property, but use this house as a crafty decoy."
"How's that?" asked Tommy.
"Grandfather shall create a cantus that hides all activity from the outside world. To all spectators and electronic sensors it shall appear as an abandoned farm. However, we shall expand the compound even further. Papi even said I could have an underground laboratory!"
"To do what? To experiment on small creatures, probably," Tommy said with a cocky smile.
"I desire to be a scientist, like my father - and a warrior, like my mother. Oh, did you hear I am now immortal?"
"You mean you're gonna live longer than the thousands of years we already have to look forward to?" asked Janie.
"Yes. I shall be with my parents forever. However, they have a long mission in which to undertake."
"What's that?" asked Tommy.
"As Mami is now a Primulus she shall need to retrieve her ghanlo."
"Um, what's that, Lili?" said Janie.
"It is her Primulus thing than enables her to do things like other Prīmulī," she said, causing the twins to gain confused expressions. "They are to depart with utmost haste, as they are on the government list of active lycans, even though they are both very much more. They are to use Papi's ship to find Mami's ghanlo before he is potentially relieved of his command."
"Oh yeah. I heard your parents are on the list. I'm sorry about that," said Janie.
"And Tío G also. It is quite sad, but they have all assured me that things will turn out well."
###
"Wow, this is impressive," said Jake Williams, as he stood out in front of Clarisa's large ranch-style home on the Gunnarsson property. Aside from the dozens of acres of rolling, grassy hills, Michael had augme
nted the structure, and would eventually create a permanent portal between the tiny house they were purchasing and the larger property. "I'm renting a place down the road from the school, so the children will be close. I honestly thought St Mary's would be a boarding school."
"No, it's a day school, and I really feel it's better that way. You need to have constant contact with children if you're going to correctly guide them through their early years," said Clarisa. "That's why I put Max there. The education they'll receive really is excellent."
"Yes, and as the small home is also close to St. Mary's the children will go there after classes and then use the gateway to come here. They shan't want for nothing."
Clarisa rolled her eyes. She knew it was going to be a chore to get Michael to stop talking strangely. "Janice is going to live here also, so we'll both tutor them, and make sure they get top marks. If there's one thing about this family it's that education comes first. Charles and I were both university professors, and Max got his PhD before he was twenty-four years old."
"That's outstanding," said the lycan chief. "But what did he study?"
"Science, of course. But he has spent the past few weeks brushing up on law."
###
"All rise for the honorable Judge Dickinson," pronounced the court bailiff, his voice booming throughout the Hall of the House of Representatives of Nueva Argentina, which was being used as a courtroom for the most important trial ever conducted on Azul or her three moons.
"Please be seated," Angela Dickinson said quietly, as she took her seat. "We are here for the sentencing of Leonard Malcolm Johnson, who was found guilty of treason, terroristic activities, crimes against humanity and genocide by a jury of his peers. Mr. Johnson, do you have anything to say before this court reveals your sentence?"
