No Regrets

by Jan Stryvant

  "The gateway control systems are rather complicated," Mahkiyoc supplied, unprompted.

  "I guess so," Sean said with a shrug. "Okay, let's go!" He started up with Roxy on his right and Keairra on his left. When they got to the next floor, it was a hundred-yard-long corridor, with one set of doors to either side halfway down, and an elevator door at the end. Each door opened onto a machine room that probably covered five acres, with a roof about fifty feet above, and thick columns spaced every twenty or thirty feet. Clearing each of the rooms took an hour due to all the equipment and the many nooks.

  The stairs up to the next level were twice as long as they'd expected, and they came to another hallway like the one below, which again yielded two very large machine rooms that took two more hours to clear.

  The third floor up was different. While the hallway was just as long, there were six doors to either side, and the machine rooms they opened onto were each different from the other. They were also much, much smaller, so clearing the entire floor took less than an hour.

  The next floor was living accommodations, then conference rooms. Then they came to the control center on the top floor.

  The control center for the facility they'd found Mahkiyoc in had been large, but this one was the size of a football field, with a window that ran close to a hundred yards along one side that looked down the mountain the blockhouse sat on the very top of. There were consoles and stations all along the window, with two more rows behind that. To the far left side of the room from where they came up was the same selection of comfortable chairs in what was almost a living room type set up, akin to the one at Mahkiyoc's place, only several times larger. To the far right, there was a very large three-dimensional map of what Sean could only guess was the planet.

  "Well, it looks like it's all still working," Roxy said, looking around. "What do you think, Mahkiyoc? Is the gateway equipment still working?"

  Sean watched as Mahkiyoc walked up to the central console and placed a hand on it. He noticed that Rowan, Kalif, and Peg did the same at various consoles, while Cali and the First watched Mahkiyoc like a hawk. Sean found that last bit to be rather curious. Everyone else started to examine the room, eventually finding a seat and settling down into it.

  It was several very long minutes before Mahkiyoc spoke up.

  "Most of the systems do seem to be working, but I cannot find the controls for either locking the gateways or reprogramming the gateway locations. I suspect that either they no longer function, or I do not have the permissions to activate them."

  "You don't have the permissions?" Sean asked, moving up to look at the screen Mahkiyoc was studying. "How can that be?"

  "This was not my assigned research station."

  "Can you get the permissions?"

  "Perhaps. I would have to look at this further. But if the machines no longer function, it may not matter."

  "Is there any way we can find out?"

  "I will have to research this. But there is a positive development."

  "And that would be?"

  "The controls to monitor the gateways are still active. So we can examine each of them if we wish. It will allow me to study the demons during one of their incursion phases. This is something on which I've always speculated, but have never had the ability to gather enough evidence to draw provable conclusions."

  Sean wasn't quite sure if Mahkiyoc was smiling about that or not.

  "Well, see what you can learn about the machines first. This new ability to study the demons won't be going away anytime soon."

  Mahkiyoc nodded. "Of course, Sean. Now if you will excuse me, I would get started."

  Sean nodded. "Knock yourself out." He looked over at Cali, and she glanced towards the stairway, then back at him. He gave her a small nod, and she turned and headed out of the main control room and down the stairs. Following her, Sean noticed the First make a few discrete hand signals to his wives and then follow him as well.

  Cali led them both into a room that Daelyn was waiting in, apparently having claimed it for their use while they were here. Looking around, Sean waited until the door was closed, then cast his privacy spells.

  "So how much of what he said was true?" Sean asked, looking at Cali.

  "He believes the machinery is broken and you can't fix it."

  "Why didn't he say that?"

  The First spoke up, "Because he wants to get his research done, but doesn't want us to leave yet. Right Cali?"

  Cali nodded. "I believe that is the truth. He is very excited about the possibility of more research."

  "So why wouldn't he just tell us?" Sean asked.

  "Because," the First said, "he doesn't want us to leave just yet. He wants us to stay long enough for him to do his research and then take him back home. He's afraid to make the trip back by himself."

  "You really think so?" Sean asked, surprised.

  "He's had this massive subway system to take him to anywhere he wants to go on the entire world, yet he's never used it once, even though it's completely safe and secured. So yes, I think so."

  Cali nodded again in agreement. "He is not a very brave person. I do not think any of them were very brave, if he is any kind of example of his race."

  "What about the bit about not having permission?" Sean asked. "Was that a lie?"

  Cali shook her head. "No, he is most embarrassed about that. I think it bothers his ego that he is restricted. As he is the last of his race, he feels he is therefore the most superior, so nothing should be denied him."

  "Wow, you're getting pretty good at this whole reading emotions thing," Sean said and thought about all she'd told him.

  Cali smiled. "Yes, my Husband. It is a skill I will miss once we have left here."

  Sean smiled and, stepping closer, gave her a hug. Turning to the First, he then asked, "Well, Dad. What do you think?"

  "We need to start thinking about how much longer we want to be here. The next gateway is in three days, according to the schedule you downloaded, then it's two days to the one after that."

  "Well, it's only a few hours to get back to Mahk's bunker, but from there it's at least a two-day trip to either of those gateways, and that'll require us to move quickly."

  "Exactly. So we either leave tomorrow, or in three days at the latest."

  "So you're setting a deadline?"

  The First gave a curt nod. "Yes. At this time, I see no reason for us to stay any longer than that. I'd have us leave now, but the chance exists that this could work. So I want you and everyone else to dig into everything you can and see what turns up. I'm going to put my wives on it as well.

  "Besides, Trevor and Jessie are having problems; they've got a prince on their tails now. I'm not sure it's worth having them stay any longer, but I would like for us all to leave from the same gateway, in case we need them to hold it until we get there."

  "We could always just gate out of here to the mountain," Sean pointed out.

  "That is only for emergencies. If I use that, it will put a serious drain on our powers for at least a day. Also, I'm not sure what effects it might have on Cali."

  "Huh?" Sean said, surprised. He could feel Cali stiffen in his grasp.

  "Peg and Roxy are of us, so they have a piece of lion in them. Cali does not. I don't think that will be an issue, because of what I was able to do with the two marshals, but still, I don't like to take risks with family, Son. Cali is important to all of us; I would be devastated if anything were to happen to her."

  "Yeah," Sean nodded and squeezed her, "we all would be; I love her very much."

  "Well, let's get back to work."

  The First surprised Sean then by giving both of them a hug before leaving to go back upstairs.

  "He still loves me, my Husband," Cali said as she snuggled up against him.

  "Lust love, or love love?" Sean asked a little grumpily.

  Cali laughed. "Love, love. You were the only one who ever supplied the lust, my Husband!"

  Sean smiled and felt better ab
out that. "Good."

  #

  "A State Dinner!" Terri said for what Steve guessed was the hundredth time since they'd been invited. "I can't believe we're going to a State Dinner!"

  "Well, Sean is out of town, so it wasn't like they could invite him," Steve said yet again as they rode in the back of the limousine.

  "Not like he would have come." Tisha laughed. "He still wants nothing to do with politics. Especially not after what happened between him and Germany!"

  "But why us?" Terri asked.

  "Because I'm the only diplomat the lions have, apparently," Steve said with a chuckle.

  "It's because the First trusts you," Tisha said and leaned up against him. "He's very impressed with both your loyalty to Sean and your complete and utter ruthlessness when it comes to getting what you want."

  "I've never even met him!" Steve said, a little surprised.

  "Actually," Tisha grinned and lowered her voice so that only Steve and Terri would hear her, "you've met him many times. You just didn't know it."

  "When?"

  "Up until Sean went to the Onderwereld the first time, the First was living in his head."

  "What?" Steve said, looking shocked.

  "When a human is infected by a lion, if they're judged worthy, a lion will 'move in' with them, to guide them and help them. The First had been waiting years for Sampson to bite Sean. He knew his life would be difficult and wanted him to have the best."

  "So all the time I thought I was talking with Sean, I was talking with your leader?"

  "You were talking with them both," Tisha said with a nod. "But Sean was the one who always talked with you, because you're his friend. He tended to only let the First take over when it was something boring."

  "That's just…weird."

  "It's how we are," Tisha said with a shrug. "However, if anyone should ask you, you can now truthfully say that you've met with our leader, the First, dozens of times, and that he considers you a close ally and a reliable friend."

  "But you just said it was always Sean talking."

  "Ah, but when the First was living in his head, whenever Sean spoke, he was speaking with the First's voice as well. That's how we view it."

  "What about now that he doesn't live in Sean's head anymore?" Terri asked.

  "Considering that Sean now calls the First 'Dad', and the First calls him 'Son', we're all just a little bit afraid to do anything other than keep treating him like we did before," Tisha said with a little laugh.

  "He calls him 'Dad'?" Steve asked.

  "Yup. Sean adopted him, apparently."

  "And you know this…how?" Terri asked.

  "I'm one of the First's daughters as well; I thought I'd told you?"

  "Oh! Right."

  "So of course my mom keeps me filled in on everything. But if you want to meet the First face to face now that he's come back with all the others, we can always set that up if need be. But just understand, he has no desire at all to ever meet any of these people face to face."

  "Oh? Why not?" Steve asked.

  "Because if they don't follow his orders, he might kill them? You have to understand, Dad's a bit of a tyrant. But at least he knows he's a tyrant, which is why he always lets someone else deal with the humans and the mundanes."

  "Well, I did hear Sean say that you all ruled the world once upon a time, so I guess I can understand that," Terri said with a smile, "and seeing as he's our father-in-law, I would like to meet him and your mom one of these days."

  "And I still want to meet my new in-laws as well," Tisha agreed.

  "We're here, Boss!" the driver called out over the intercom from the front.

  "Okay! Everyone look charming," Steve said as the car came to a stop. "And don't forget to smile!"

  Getting out of the back of the limo, Steve led the girls up to the front of the White House, where they were met by an attendant who led them to the dining room.

  "How should they introduce you?" she asked Steve, after looking at the three of them.

  "Steve Bryson, the ambassador for the lions, and his two wives, Terri Bryson and Tisha Bryson."

  The attendant looked a little shocked by that but just nodded and whispered in the ear of the man at the door who was announcing the guests.

  Steve noticed that the man didn't even flinch as he announced it, and he walked into the room with Terri on his right arm and Tisha on his left. He wasn't at all surprised when everyone in the room went quiet and turned to watch as he entered with them. He was here representing the lions, their sole ambassador on the entire planet, and the other governments of the world were slowly starting to realize just how much power they commanded.

  Steve had definitely dressed for the part; he was wearing an extremely expensive, but conservatively cut tuxedo. Terri and Tisha were each wearing dresses made by the top designer in Washington that were best described as 'expensive' and 'revealing'. Both Terri and Tisha were younger than he was, though Tisha looked to be all of eighteen, and Steve was sure tongues would be wagging about that tonight. Terri was just as beautiful as Tisha was, and since she'd become a cheetah, the lean muscle on her slender frame had done nothing but make her even more so, and she wasn't hesitating to show it off, either.

  "Ah, Steven! Terri, Tisha!" the president said, coming over. "It's so great that you could make it tonight! And I had no idea you and Tisha were now married," he said with a warm smile.

  "I just didn't want to scare everyone when they found out she really answers to me," Steve said with a wink.

  "Well, you are our ambassador, Dear. It would look strange if I didn't!" Tisha said with a very eighteen-year-old sounding giggle.

  The president laughed. "You keep acting like that," he said in a soft voice, "and you're going to drive their intelligence advisors crazy."

  "Well, isn't that the point?" Terri said with a smile.

  "It may very well be," the president admitted. "Now, let me introduce you around. All the heads of state from England and Europe are here."

  "How did today's meeting go?"

  "About as good as you would have expected. I'm surprised you didn't show up."

  "We discussed it," Steve told him, "but they agreed with me that it would be best to let everyone work their differences out first, before I showed up."

  "They?" the president prompted.

  "Sean and the head lion. We had what I guess you might call a 'conference call' this morning."

  "But I thought Sean was in the Onderwereld? And no one knows at all where the head lion is."

  Steve smiled. "As long as I have Tisha with me, I can talk with them when I need to. It's that whole 'what one lion knows'…"

  "They all do," the president said with a nod. "You know that drives the NSA folks crazy. They've been trying to tap into your communications for over a year now!"

  "Good luck with that!" Tisha giggled.

  "Now, let's start with the prime minister of England..."

  Steve found the next hour to be incredibly interesting as the president introduced him to the leaders of England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Czechia, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland. Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Slovakia and Hungry all had an important member of their respective governments here as well. Everyone was obviously very concerned about what was going on in Germany, and they were all also very interested in what was going on with the lions—what their plans were, and just exactly who was leading them, as well as being led by them.

  What he enjoyed the most was their reactions to Tisha, who was vamping on the whole eighteen-year-old airhead act. Steve could see it was driving them crazy, because he was sure they'd all been told she was a lioness, and far older than she looked, by their intelligence services.

  He felt a little sorry for Terri, because more than a few of them apparently got confused and started to think she must be the lioness and that their information was wrong. Still, she handled them well, Terri was very good at thinking on her feet and was not
above playing the same sort of shenanigans on people that Steve did.

  About the only person he didn't do more than say hello to was Duncan and his wife from Sapientia. Gerald Perkins and his wife were there as well, and while he hadn't met either of them before, he made a note to call Duncan and ask for a more relaxed meeting sometime later.

  When they finally sat down to dinner, Steve found himself sitting with the president on his left and the president of Poland on his right. Terri and Tisha were sitting across from him, with Terri sitting next to the First Lady, and Tisha sitting next to the Swiss president.

  The table they were sitting at was a very long affair that curved in the shape of a 'U', with folks sitting on either side of it. Steve noticed the presence of several members of the president's cabinet, whom he already knew, so he hadn't been introduced, as well as a couple of high-ranking senators and congressmen. Duncan and Gerald were seated on opposite legs of the 'U', which he guessed made sense.

  "Mister Bryson," the Polish president started off. Steve was surprised that he had very little accent.

  "Please, call me Steve, Mr. President."

  "Steve," the Polish president smiled, "am I correct to understand that you are now a were-animal?"

  Steve nodded as the waiters started to serve dinner. "That would be correct."

  "But you weren't always, were you?"

  "No, but after some discussion and consideration, we all agreed it would be best if I became one."

  "Oh? Why is that?"

  Steve smiled winningly. "Oh, it's quite simple. I'm supposed to represent both the lion and lycan interests here. Would I really be doing such a good job if I wasn't one of them? Would I be able to relate to them and their problems if I didn't have a first-hand understanding? I believe very strongly in what I'm doing; I wouldn't have taken the position if I didn't. So I guess you could say I went 'all in'."

  The Polish president nodded slowly. "I think I see what you're saying. Do you think you made the proper choice? Now that you have become one?"

  "Oh, of course! I've been friends with Sean, who I'm sure you've been briefed about, since we were kids. I've also been friends with the leader of the lions since Sean introduced us."