by P. S. Power
Chapter fourteen
It was, of course, an unmitigated mess. The only saving grace, as the day stretched into morning across the nation was that there was only one bomb in L.A. and nothing else went off at all. He still ended up moving hundreds of people all over the world, and, for some reason, had twenty Alede in his bookstore by nine in the morning. The problem there was that they hadn't all eaten, and just getting them blood from Rebekah wasn't going to work at all. Erin Probest had called up all her friends in the city, so they'd literally run to be gotten out. They hadn't gotten with anyone else, but thankfully, after a fashion, the Vampires had, so there was that. It made them look good, even if the Alede were paying him for L.A.
They were nervous, which meant that all of them, man, woman, boy and girl, were spewing sexual energy out into the air. It was so thick it was cloying. Worse, they didn't have a homeland at all, which meant that going to a relatively safe node was nearly as good as they could manage on short notice. For a bit he was at a loss, to tell the truth. What was he supposed to do with them all? Palma came in, and made food for them, but that, he was certain, wasn't going to really help.
At about ten thankfully, Valerie came in, which got him to open the front of his shop up and chase her down. Foolishly, she didn't try to run, but rather bravely turned to talk to him. He gave her a serious look.
Then Zack waved at his place.
"We have twenty of your people, evacuated from L.A. I should just send them over to your store?"
She sighed, and then nodded.
"That sounds right. How did they get out? I thought that all the planes were grounded?"
"Oh, I was called in by one of them. She's paying for it all. Modeling work? I'm starting an agency, I think, so looking for talent. She'll still get paid, of course. Really, if you have anyone else that's looking for that kind of work, let me know? After you take these away, and feed them." He didn't add in please, since that would have seemed a little desperate.
Val seemed very serious though and leaned in to him, touching him on the arm, lightly. It was actually less flirtatious than she normally was. Desperate and edgy, for once. That was actually refreshing, to tell the truth.
"Is this the Vampires?"
Zack actually had some news on that one, at least, "I don't think so. Really, I'm guessing that it's some kind of Human group right now. Regular old terrorism. I'm having that checked out and will let everyone know what I find. For now... Really, we need to open up the mall, and, I don't know, hold a candlelight vigil for the people attacked, tonight? Something like that. We need flags on all the stores too. I... really, I'll pass the word on that one, since you're going to have your hands full with this lot for a bit."
Then he walked away, calling out to the Alede in his place. Not all of whom left right away. Some were actually reading books and a few sat in the Cafe. The rest scurried away like he had super cooties or something. Though, tellingly enough, Erin stayed, her pretty face almost too good looking for what they'd need.
"I guess I'm your slave now? Master..." She didn't kneel at least, which was good. They were right out in the open, and if she did that, it was both going to be hard for him to deal with, and really hard to tell her no.
"Um, no. That isn't my thing. Slaves. I might be able to get you some modeling work? So, stay ready for that. Part time, no doubt. I want to go into plus sized women, eventually, since the current skinny look is hurting too many girls. For right now, why don't you go and help Valerie, the Alede Ambassador? If you see Kaitlyn, or Kyle, send them over here please? We have a lot to do, and a lot of directions to go in. For instance, we need to get things opened up. I really doubt that we're at risk here, and hiding behind closed doors makes it look like we're scared."
Of course, most people were.
On the good side, some of them addressed that by acting very brave and tough, which was pretty nifty, all things considered. Zack took a deep breath and started at the far end of the Mall, tapping on the front of the Vampire embassy, first. Lenore and Edom were both there, as well as Bey. The rest of the council wasn't, but that made sense. Being in one place would leave them all vulnerable to attack, a single bomb possibly taking them in a few moments. This way only about a quarter of their power base could be taken out.
It was why they weren't at the summit after all, right?
Lenore opened the door, looking around like she was expecting attack.
"Zack? Do you need something to eat, or..."
Bey walked from the back, carrying his distinctive warping of space along with him. For his part, Edom just started making treats, pushing a rather hastily made thing toward him, over the counter, with a long handled red plastic spoon.
Zack took it and then shrugged.
"We need to get things open. I can't prove it yet, but this seems to be a Human action, against their own kind. It's stupid, but not our problem that way. We have an investigation going. The, um, Greater Demons do. So, I'll share that information, if we find anything? We should give away free food. I'll pay for it. Can you put out a sign? Say something about America and standing together. There's a vigil for the fallen later tonight, in the parking lot."
Bey looked at him as if he'd lost it, but Edom started nodding.
"Right. Good plan. I was in the country on nine-eleven, and that really worked then. People will want to get together." It was, clearly, enough for the other two, since Lenore didn't wait for orders to come in, just opening things up, and then, oddly, going to the phone. After dialing, she spoke loudly.
"Vaughn? We need to open things up. Everything. All offices, if possible..." Then she explained what Zack had said and who the information had come from.
He left, going to Mage Embassy, since it was directly across the way. Bob was in the back, answering the phones with his wife, so Zack had to use his front door key. That he still carried it all the time probably meant he was holding on to the past too much, but he'd noticed that they hadn't changed the locks, either. Of course, locks wouldn't stop him, if he was coming in, would they? It was probably a money saving thing then.
They both looked up at him, as if they were going to be eaten at first, but then Evelyn smiled. Her hair had started to grow back and while she looked like a thin teen boy, she was clearly not dying anymore. That was good, since Wu-Li hadn't been certain they'd gotten to her in time.
"Mr. Hartley? Have you come to help out?" Then she answered the phone, "Embassy... no, we don't know. No one..." She looked desperate, and Bob gave him a slightly darker look.
So, while they were on the phones, he spoke anyway. Going over the whole spiel he'd given the Vampires not three minutes before. Then he dialed Jennifer. It was a school day, but he found her at home.
It was her mother that answered, sounding like she was in shock, really.
"Get down to the Candles and More. Bring friends. Um, you know, protection spells for all, and that kind of thing? Get with Bob. Here..." He passed the phone over and left, not telling the man who was on the other end.
After that he went from store to store, finding people ready to fight, but no one actually attacking him, which was nice. The three Kobolds all offered to go and fight the terrorists themselves, which Zack didn't take off the table.
"If I can find them, we might need to go in. Can you all stay ready for that? I'll try to let you know beforehand." He sounded serious, because he simply was. Not that he was in charge of North America.
No, that Greater Demon was Gregor.
Which meant giving him a call as soon as he got near his own store again. The instant the phone picked up and older male voice spoke, sounding gentle and a bit saintly.
"Cleric? This is Zack Hartley?"
"Line Walker. Are you calling in the debt I owe you?"
Zack blinked, and smiled a bit. "That would be poor timing, wouldn't it? No, I was just checking in to see what you might need done? You're in charge of America, and I live here, so, you know, marching orders and all that?" It wasn't how
things normally happened, but he was young and stupid, right? There was a soft hiss from over the phone.
"Thank you, Line Walker. If only all that lived in this land were as dedicated. Do be careful however. Too much of this kind of thing and the others will leave you in charge. For now, I could use some help, sending emissaries to different locations? This seems to be the followers of Radical Islam again. That or my own people making it seem like that. Would you be available to aid in their transportation?"
"Right. I just need their locations and where they need to go. I should also get some people back from the Ettarian Summit." It felt like a lot, but Zack didn't bother worrying about it. In the end he only had to do what he could. "Oh, I, um, have Xenses out looking to find who did this. So there may be some news coming in that way. If we can locate anyone, do you want in on the takedown? We should get with Richard Swerlin too." Because he was part of the official U.S. Government. That made things like that practically his job.
"Xenses? What price does this come at?"
"Information about what The Technician and The Mistress of Souls have planned for him. I already have it, since I called up Darla and told her all about the agreement. I even mentioned that would be what I was doing to all sides. I'm sure that means there will be eighty-seven levels of traps involved and no one showing up, but that isn't my problem. Not at the moment." Not at all.
There was a low sound that he realized after a bit was a creepy priest style chuckle.
"Very well. Please share that with me, if it's allowable, once you have the data? I would, indeed, be available for that clean-up work. Mr. Swerlin as well, you say? He's one of your Vampires, isn't he?"
Zack was about to explain the nuances of the situation, but then shrugged, almost as if without meaning to at all.
"Yes. I'll set that up. I'll see to your list of people."
Which didn't take long at all. Really, as long as he wasn't all that polite about things, he could do the transfers faster than the phone calls. There was a strange situation that arose, at the mall and even the other places he went that day. About half of the people were running around, working frantically and seeming ready to fight or run, and the rest barely caring at all.
The Elth and Hsreth for instance, didn't think much of the distant attacks at all. They spoke to him, but that was only to ask if he wanted food. Which he didn't need. Merry and Conrad listened to him carefully however, and rather cutely marched out of their Chinese food place in the food court, holding large bronze knives.
Conrad explained, looking up at Zack, dressed in his normal cooking outfit, complete with white apron. He looked very tiny, standing there. Perfect though, like his sister. It was almost as if they were simply standing a good ways off, rather than being physically small.
"We will go and fight these beings of terror, at your command. We owe you our lives." He spoke so proudly that Zack knew he'd be offended if he said they weren't needed.
"Good. For now though, we should feed everyone that comes in. Set up a buffet in the middle and let people know that it's free? I'll cover it, so it won't be a loss for anyone." Not that a lot of people were eating yet. People were still too tense. Some did come into the Mall though, since people had collected in the parking lot, to hold signs. Most just said; God Bless America.
It didn't hurt that Edom and Lenore had taken treats out and handed people some flags to wave.
For most of the day, he played delivery boy. It wasn't that big of a deal, but he certainly got to practice his people skills. No one was all that unpleasant though, until Calley came in, along with Catherine, her boss. The Shifter Ambassador.
Zack saw the moment coming, as if in slow motion, with the feline woman moving to the front, her right fist clenched halfway, showing she was predisposed to being aggressive for some reason. Calley was looking down, her face red, and eyes wide behind her thick glasses. It normally would have been fine, dealing with the attitude that was no doubt coming, since, he realized, it was mainly due to fear on the cat woman's part. Fear of losing too much, or, in this case, her assistant being more effective than she was. He got that from her before the lady managed to get ten feet into his book store.
Her face set, she marched over, seeming prepared to harm him, if he didn't give in to her demands.
Unfortunately, or maybe to her benefit, he wasn't having any of it for the time being.
"Hold it Catherine. Don't speak. Just don't do it. If you manage to hold your tongue, and leave me a written list of what you need, and who goes where, I'll let you pay it back with clothing for my employees here, from your shop. If you start trying to attack me, even verbally, I'll kill you where you stand, and suggest Calley replace you. I don't want to be mean, since I actually like you, but so far you have not been making that easy. Pick one, and let me know which it is." He stood looking at her as her mouth worked. She started to speak, and a squeak managed to get free, which sounded both scared and annoyed at the same time, but then she walked to the front desk and started writing on a pad that was kept for phone messages.
Taking a deep breath, he managed to fake a smile for the woman, and did a good enough job of it that Calley at least smiled back.
"Thanks. She's really just terrified that you'll make her do porn with Humans. She isn't really that bigoted and has even dated Human guys before, but she doesn't exactly want it on the web for everyone to see, either. Say, did Jahn and his wife send those funds along, yet? They were supposed to. It might make things awkward today if they haven't. One of the things that's needed is getting him from the summit. We should leave his wife and kids." She looked around and then shrugged, her small shoulders going higher than a human would have managed, nearly to her ears. "I mean that too. Just to protect them. We don't really know who's targeting who yet, so it seems like a good idea. A leader must be seen as brave, but his children don't."
She had a point. It was just one that he wasn't going to concern himself with. Catherine came back with the list, and other than line five, which said, quite clearly, "fuck you, Demon" the rest was doable. Zack pointed at that one and smiled.
"Agreed then. Later tonight?" He was joking, but she blanched, as he showed the thing to Calley. She actually went wide eyed again.
"Um, Catherine, why would you offer that? You should have at least specified positions and all that. Wow. Zack, you don't like it rough, do you?"
It was sort of cute, how innocent she was pretending to be about it all.
"Not really. Don't worry Catherine. I won't break you. Good thinking, coming up with that. It will help us grow closer."
She just looked worried, and started to turn when he laughed.
"I'm kidding. I'd go into how I actually do like it rough or something, but we sort of have an emergency right now, so, you know, implied playful banter... You turn red and manage not to say anything and... I let you off the hook. Only this time. If you offer again I'm taking you up on it. My libido is really kicking into overdrive. If I wasn't so busy I'd be dragging you both off to the back room about now. I mean that, too."
Personally, he was going to blame Mirror Him for that part of things. It was all too new to him and he wasn't used to feeling things that strongly yet. It would work out, he didn't doubt. Eventually.
Still, the list wasn't that bad, and most of it was doable. He didn't know how to find the Shifter's world headquarters, but hopefully Jahn Samson would know.
That and eating was all he had to do for the rest of the day, until seven, when it got dark. Then he and everyone else he could find, took small candles outside and joined nearly a thousand others. It was Bey that got up to speak to them all, since he looked old enough to be listened to.
"Thank you all for coming. Tonight we should share our good wishes and send our best thoughts to those that are in need, after the attacks today. Tomorrow we should all band together and find those that have done this, and ensure they cannot do so a second time. Please join us in a moment of silence." It was simple, but no one s
poke, for nearly five minutes.
Then, almost as if it were planned, people started to sing.
"God bless America..." It wasn't a horrible voice that did it, but still got him to look across the way, since the man that spoke was standing next to Stocky the Bunny Boiler and looked an awful lot like how Zack used to. Enough that they'd still be confused for each other, no doubt.
Xenses, no doubt.
Working his way over, he was a bit shocked by what happened. Not that everyone started to sing, no, that was Human nature. It was that, as he got closer, the fact that Stocky double B... hugged him. Then, without changing outwardly at all, the world started to roil around her a bit. Showing that she'd been something different than he'd thought, from across the way. The pattern was vaguely familiar too.
"Rotted?" he didn't make a big deal out of it, but she smiled.
"Yes. Call me Ann though, since we're friends. This is so wonderful. Xen enlisted my help a few months ago, to keep tabs on your house man, Troy. It was my idea to sleep with him, but I got a twofer there, since Xenses was visiting. He looked so pretty at the time, too." She waved at him, her face a bit blank suddenly. "Not that you're horrid now, but I did like the old look better."
She linked arms with him, which was a little too close for him.
Zack tried to make his voice calm and reasonable anyway.
"So, you didn't kill her? I was worried about that, after what you said to Troy earlier. That thing, trying to take me, it threw me off. It might be a bit outside of the bargain we made, too."
Xenses didn't ask what he was talking about, getting it all already. That was one of the nice things about speaking with Greater Demons, no doubt. They understood what you meant more often than not.
"I'd say that I helped you. True, not in a way that's comfortable, but you're even stronger now, with your two halves merged. Yes, I'm sorry about tricking you into it. On the good side, you won't be taken by anyone too easily, as a slave, which is excellent. Don't go up against that bitch Keeley, if you can help it. Just as a guide, imagine what I did but about fifty times stronger?" There was a look that seemed a bit sinister then, as he scanned the crowd. There were a lot of people, and they hadn't finished the song yet.