by Power, P. S.
Rather than snap again, there was just a tired nod, as the phone rang. Looking at it, she sighed.
"Fucking hell." Holding up a single finger, she set her face into a professional smile and spoke almost as if she were feeling totally fine. "United Were Coalition at Underwood, Ambassador Whit speaking, what's your emergency?" After a few seconds, she looked at Zack and made little talking mouth gestures with her hand on the shadow level.
They want to know if they have to report to duty for the war. The cat woman inside of her spoke perfect English, like they all did. It's the hardest part of all of this. Half our people are on call for duty at any time, and we might be put into the field at any moment, but we also have lives. Knowing ahead of time would really help, but everyone knows that it's always a crap shoot.
Then she looked up at him, and stretched a bit, sinuously.
"I don't know, let me ask?" She pretended to cover the hand piece but knew that the wolf on the line would hear them anyway. "Zack, if this goes to war, are you going to kill all the Demons for us?"
That took some thought, and the man on the other end growled a bit, stopping when Zack spoke.
"I... Honestly, I don't know if I can get them all. I can keep a lot of them from going places and make attacking deliveries harder. That leaves every other method of warfare, but that one could be taken from them." Like it or not, he was only one person. They were many. Kind of smart too, in an evil way.
Making a considering face, Nessa spoke into the white phone, an old fashioned one that had a cord, in case the power went out.
"There you go, from Hartley himself. I can't get you any fresher news than that." Taking a beat, she nodded. "You know the drill as well as anyone. The big heads make the disastrous plans and it is but for us fools to follow orders. Stay ready. It's all we can do."
There was a minute's worth of speech and finally she laughed, it even sounded genuine.
"Good. I'll let him know that. Bye." She grinned as she hung up. "He wanted me to tell you that his daughter wants a signed I heart Hartley shirt for her birthday. She's seven in two months."
"That... sounds weird. I mean, I could see wanting Ronald or Mickey, but that sounds boring, doesn't it? A Hartley shirt? I guess we could try to find something. You know, we need one of those mall shirt printing places here too." That would have to go on the list of things to get for the Mall. After they had the basket store up and running for a while first.
Nessa didn't even smile at the idea.
"They sell them all over. I heart Hartley. I've even seen regular Humans wearing them in places. Now, you spoke of a shower. Do you think I'd have to screw them all for the use of their shower over there?"
Zack set his face, but shook his head no.
"I'm sure that they'd let you use it. Probably whenever you wanted, if you asked. They even have extra toothbrushes if you didn't pack one. Though if you go when Kate does, I bet Patty won't even ask about it." It was all true, but he didn't really know where Nessa was going with the whole thing. Or why.
She stretched again, and nodded.
"Good. Send Kaitlyn here when she gets the chance and I'll fill her in on the plan then. Japanese cartoons aside, cat women aren't really all that over-sexed. I prefer men as a rule and really only once every few months. I'm married, so that's about all I'll need that way. My husband's only average looking, but I hear he's decent in bed? All the Succubi keep going on about it anyway. We'll see."
Then she waved him away like that made sense. Zack went. Her Shadow had agreed with what she'd said after all. She was also teasing, but not lying about it.
Then hitting the same kind of tile brick as in Nessa's office, Zack went to eat, and more importantly find Merri. Who still had some clothes there and could, and had, gotten to use the baths in the back.
He tried to eat quickly, just in case something came up. It did, in the form of Beatrice the Demon coming out to see if she'd be allowed to make up a plate of food herself without being stabbed or shot. There seemed to be a little grumbling, so he called her over after she got her plate of food and invited her to sit down.
“How's everything going?” He spoke loudly enough so that everyone could hear.
“Oh, about as well as could be expected. Word has it the talks are going nowhere. Our side won't back down, because we haven't done anything wrong and everyone else says they don't believe us. Unless one side or the other is willing to budge at least a little, I think that we'll have war. A real war, not some rogue group trying to pick off Nexus locations for some reason.” She ate quietly for a moment, and so did Zack.
The tables all had glass tops, and were kept clean, even with all of the distractions. The metal frames were white, and the few plants that were around were all plastic, but high quality so it was hard to tell. Moving his chair a little, it moved without much sound, having rubber stoppers on the bottom of the legs.
He thought about the situation for a moment. The Demons claimed to be innocent of wrong doing, at least as an organization. No one else felt they could trust them, and since Demons were clearly involved, the whole group got blamed.
None of that seemed like anything he could change.
What if, though, they could do something that at least would address the real issue, the attacks and the Demons involved, without laying the whole thing at the feet of all Demons. Could they get everyone to step back long enough to give something like that a chance, he wondered?
“Beatrice. What's the Demon position on the people, your kind of people, behind and involved in these attacks?” He leaned in, waiting for her answer.
“I'm not sure I take your meaning? We don't like them. They're in line for our severest punishments if they can be caught. Which is caging. Prison basically.” She looked at her plate as if considering something.
“We don't have rules that address the killing of Demons, you know. We're so hard to kill that it really hasn't happened historically speaking. So, no rules against it, it just has never been used as a punishment for my kind.”
Nodding he didn't speak for a while.
“If we killed the Demons participating in these attacks, your people wouldn't be outraged? They wouldn't be bothered too much by it?” He tried to lead her to the point he wanted to make carefully, if obviously.
“No, I don't imagine it would be an issue at all. We'd offer them up right now if we knew who they were.”
Would they really, he wondered? If they helped to find them and allowed them to be executed, would that be good enough to avert war?
He suggested it to her, then asked the others who were listening to them if they thought their people would go along with a plan like that. No sanctions for the Demons, in return for their help, their real help, with no tricks or loopholes, in capturing the Demons and others behind these attacks.
“It's easy to blame the Demons, but not all of the other creatures involved were forced into some deal or bargain, some seemed to just like the plan. We haven't been blaming every Vampire or Were-dragon for this, right? Maybe we should see if the Demons want to join us first, before going to war? It's a leap of faith, but I don't see that we actually lose more by trying than we do by simply killing everyone.” He waited, hoping people would at least have something constructive to say.
Nobody said much of anything. Instead they left in small groups, talking to one another.
Beatrice got up, taking her plate with her, and walked away without saying anything more herself.
That bad of an idea? He had to wonder what they all saw that he missed. Then again, they clearly didn't get the concept of brain storming. They could have thrown out a few better ideas if they didn't like it, or modifications that would make it more plausible.
He finished eating, feeling a little down, and decided to go see if Patty and Val needed anything. He knew they should need some more energy about now, before things got difficult for them.
Zack entered the clothing shop to find it quiet, everyone sitting in the back. K
aitlyn had new clothes and Nessa used the shower, even though he hadn't gotten her permission himself. He hadn't thought anyone would have a problem with it. Given who they were, they'd probably volunteered to wash her back for her.
Patty talked on the phone, mainly listening to someone. He motioned to Val and took her out into the store.
“Hungry?” He asked. She nodded and unbuttoned her shirt, so that he could reach a hand through it and place his palm on her stomach. He breathed deeply, increasing his energy flow as much as possible, she did her part by stiffening and starting to shake within three minutes. Meaning she hadn't been that far down in energy. He kept going until she pulled his hand away, leaning into him and kissing him softly.
Sarah came out next, with similar results.
He normally didn't keep going with Norris, being a guy right now, but given that they probably hadn't had any sex for days, a big deal for them, he decided to try and get over his prejudice and just kept going this time. Norris nearly passed out, not expecting what would happen.
“Wow. Now I get what they've all been going on about. I can see why they're all getting addicted to you.”
Zack wanted to be shocked by this news, but it had been too obvious, all of the Alede that he passed energy too were clearly becoming dependent on him for it. Not a huge deal, as long as he remained around. If he had to be gone for a while, they'd probably suffer until they readjusted.
Kaitlyn came out, trying for another session too. He did it, but stopped when she started to shake. Instead of continuing he just gave her a hug for a while, until her mom came out. The contact seemed to be enough, because she didn't complain about not getting the full experience.
Patty nearly pulled the buttons off of her shirt trying to get it open fast enough. He did do the whole thing with her, letting her decide when she'd enough. Her body quivering after about five minutes, she backed away, breaking contact.
When she could speak again, she told him that a new motion had come to the floor at the summit. The details weren't in yet, but it sounded like a real breakthrough might be coming. He hurried back to Candles and More, Where David and Nikki both talked on the phone.
David held his out and said, “Eloise?”
Taking it, he raised it to his ear.
“Zack! Good, can you come here now? We need your input on some issues. We could use your help as soon as you can get here.” He asked for a moment, put down the phone, looked through the line and saw an empty room.
When he walked through, the guards said hi, very casually, since he'd seen them a lot, hundreds of times now, and led him to the main chamber where everyone sat at large desks, nearly a hundred of them in the room. By their sides translators stood, speaking to those that needed it.
He recognized the being that stood at the front, since he'd tried to brain him with a chair earlier in the week, he looked a little less pale now though, a slight pink color to his scaly lizard like flesh. Seeing Zack, he pointed a finger at him, saying something. He realized from the man's Shadow that he wanted Zack to come forward to answer questions and that he thought it would be a good thing.
He moved forward, hoping that the others wanted to hear from him too, or that at least someone would stop him from going to the front if he wasn't supposed to.
The lizard like being stepped down from the tiny stage he stood on and motioned for Zack to climb up. The instant he did, a translator freed him or herself from the side of the room and walked over to him, standing behind him, but near his elbow.
Then the questions came.
They came from slightly different angles, but boiled down to the same few things. Did he think the Demons could be trusted. No. Not past what they thought best for themselves.
Could the Demons help hunt and capture their own criminals. Unknown, as far as he knew. They indicated they could though, he told the beings in front of him. They weren't all in chairs, since some didn't use things like that, but about forty percent were. Some laid on raised platforms in the rear and others stood for the entire thing.
Could he really kill Demons? Forever?
Yes, he told them. He not only could do it, he had, many times now.
Finally, one being, a small looking man, who seemed as ancient as any he had ever met, stood and asked him a question no one else had yet. The translator took a moment before stating the question, as if making certain he had the meaning absolutely correct.
“If the Demons agree and help capture these criminals, with the support and aid of the Joined Communities, if presented with captives, would you be willing to kill them.” Standing there, he thought through this and understood what the man meant.
It was one thing to kill a combatant on the battle field, knowing that to not do so would mean the possible death of others, perhaps many others. Another thing all together to kill a bound and helpless being, that you didn't see commit a crime yourself. There would always be some uncertainty. Some chance that you killed an innocent.
He didn't have to think long though. Even if he made mistakes, the biggest error would be to let these people keep attacking, only responding after the first blow landed. He steeled himself internally, looked directly at the wizened man in the back, in his loose trousers and funny pointed hat, and nodded slightly.
“Yes.”
Chapter eleven
Through the next week, very little changed as far as Zack could tell. The summit argued, which seemed to be its real and not so secret purpose, or so it seemed. Every morning people called asking when they could take their vacations, and each day seemed just a little longer than the last. Troy spent every day of the week working for Claire answering phones and running errands, instead of going in to work. When the manager complained to Keane, Claire answered by simply closing the club down until the shifts could be covered. This came down with an order to fire the man if he hassled Troy over being gone. That seemed a little heavy handed to Zack, but no one really thought it would be a problem. His Vampire was just stressed at the moment.
People did, if not welcome, at least tolerate the Demons eating with them, so Zack didn't have to take them each meal anymore. Beatrice started coming by Candles and More at least once per day to check in with him, and trade information, neither one of them ever adding too much at any given time, the information coming in as a slow trickle, one tiny piece slowly followed by the next.
Agnes Miller however really stepped up. Zack insisted she be paid for her work, even if he paid her himself. Lisa agreed, and insisted that the Embassy cover it. At night, David came back, doing better each time, as Zack prodded and poked his inner beast into learning a bit more about patience. It made more work for both of them, but as long as it helped Claire in the long run, he had no major problem doing it. If nothing else it broke up the monotony of talking on the phone to people that really didn't need to be calling for the most part.
Claire didn't leave her store, except to visit him a few times per day.
“There's so much to do. Most of it utterly wasted time.” She told him at one point, frustrated with the lack of progress coming from her leadership, and also frustrated by people calling her to make demands on her time, Luthor's actions or Zack's labor.
Something Wonderful came together quickly, the interior finished by the fifth day of work, and product being assembled each day after that. Kaitlin escaped from the political mess often to go and supervise the construction of baskets. Each showing a high level of attention to detail. If anyone noticed that she still looked sixteen or so, no one mentioned it to Zack.
Through all of this, Zack felt a growing increase in his desire to have sex. Even though he worked to control both his mind and body constantly. At the same time, his life, which had been filled with women and available relief changed. So that he had Libby, and her only about an hour per day. There really did seem to be too much to do, and as Claire had mentioned, most of it just a waste of time.
After ten days, a decision finally came down and Zack found himself recalle
d to the summit to do more than bring food or exchange the translators at shift change. That was the promise they used to get him there at any rate. It wasn't really certain, as far as he could tell. Too many Shadows came to speak to him about things for him to track. Even ones that he didn't know, or had only met a few times while doing transfers.
When he arrived, a man in a suit who looked a little bit familiar, handed him a bound copy of the current treaty. Some eight hundred pages. He sat and read it, using as much focus as he dared in a place so potentially dangerous. It took him eight hours to get through it all, because even as focused as he was, some of the language was filled with tricks and multiple intentions. When he finished a rather fit and hard tall blond woman, a Were of some kind, escorted him directly up to the raised dais.
Maintaining his focus, he prepared for questions, as if a test would be forthcoming.
Instead of that, he found himself being asked to give a speech, about this momentous treaty, the like of which no one has ever seen. This came from Clyde, who he decided to dislike a little. Not forever, since he was a good person, but just for a bit. Everyone there seemed exhausted though, so it would be best for him not to take being put on the spot like that too personally.
Zack locked down the sudden surge of panic within him, and didn't even move for a few seconds, until it was taken care of. Public speaking had never been something he'd done. Even in his day to day life he seldom spoke to more than five people at a time. Relaxing he focused his entire being into this moment, his brain working hard, scrambling for ideas as to what he should say.
Finally, after about a full minute of silence, with people of a dozen or more types staring directly at him, he spoke.
“We stand on the cusp. In this moment, we either enter a new age of cooperation and friendship between us all, or we find that everything we thought was real, everything we thought we understood, means nothing. This is a good start, this new treaty, a good first step. But only a first step. Without cooperation, trust and faith in our fellows, it will turn out to simply be another piece of paper.