Politics of Blood (Gray Spear Society Book 8) (2 page)

She was tall for a woman and athletic enough to intimidate many men. Her skin had the color and buttery smoothness of fine chocolate. Wavy, black hair was braided to form a long ponytail. The dark color of her skin extended slightly into the air around her. The effect hinted at her frightening gift.

"That was just a short, informal encounter," Aaron said. "I have a feeling this visit will be more significant. You may spend a lot of time together. You'll really have to watch that famous temper of yours. If you bark at the legate, you'll be lucky to survive."

"I'm sure the legate and I will get along fine, sir," Tawni said. "We're the same kind of people."

He gave her a wary look.

"I've just heard rumors about her," Sheryl said. "Scary rumors."

She was a couple of inches shorter than Tawni and had a lighter build. Sheryl's skin was milky white. A mane of gorgeous, brown hair and an exquisite face gave her the look of a fashion model. Despite a couple of months of training, she was still too thin and boney in Aaron's opinion. Physical toughness was an essential part of being a
legionnaire
.

"The truth is even scarier," he said. "The most important thing is to always be very respectful. When she gives an order, obey it immediately. When she asks a question, answer it. Otherwise, keep your mouths shut. She doesn't want to hear small talk or jokes. She isn't friendly or patient. If you think I'm a cold-blooded asshole with overly violent tendencies, you haven't met the master."

"Her gift is speed. Right?"

Aaron nodded. "She can outrun a race horse and has the reflexes of a machine. In her eyes, the world moves in slow motion. Perry, you're in particular danger." Aaron faced the computer expert. "You're the low man around here. She will not tolerate the least bit of nonsense from you."

"Yes, sir," Perry said. "I'll always try to be in a different room. How powerful is she?"

"The
legatus legionis
of North America commands the entire continent. Nobody is beyond her reach. The laws of men are irrelevant to her. The only person she answers to is God, and I believe He is pleased with her job performance."

There was a brief silence.

"Oh," Aaron said, "one other thing. She has a new bodyguard who calls himself Boreas. His gift has something to do with cold. I don't know much about him except he must be extremely dangerous."

"Why do you think that, sir?" Sheryl said.

"There are only seven legates in the world, and each has just one personal bodyguard. Getting that assignment is the highest honor for a warrior in the Society. Only the deadliest and most experienced fighters need apply. If the legate picked Boreas, it means he's a special kind of killer. Now, change your clothes and get cleaned up. The legate will be here in a few minutes, and you want to make a good impression. Wait for us in the conference room."

Tawni, Sheryl, and Perry hurried off.

Aaron didn't need to change. He was already wearing his formal gray robes of office. The clothing was comfortable enough for everyday use, and he enjoyed the feel of the plush fabric. It also reminded his team who was in charge in case there was any doubt.

He decided to wait in the security booth for Ethel's arrival. He took the long walk through headquarters, passing the computer room, the medical lab, the kitchen, and the armory. He knocked on the reinforced steel door of the security booth which had no handle on the outside. It opened.

"Good morning, sir," Norbert said.

"The legate is coming," Aaron said.

"I know. I overheard the conversation in your office through the surveillance system."

Norbert had started in the Gray Spear Society as a big, beefy man. A year and a half of intense training had turned him into an intimidating physical freak. In terms of brute strength, he was even stronger than Aaron these days, although he still wasn't as skilled. A puffy face and curly brown hair softened Norbert's appearance. A big forehead made him look very intelligent.

Aaron walked into the booth. A long control console ran along the wall underneath the viewing window. Video displays were hung everywhere else.

Every time he entered this room, he was reminded of Jack's betrayal and death. Aaron still hadn't found a new security chief. He wanted to be absolutely certain he was making the right choice, so he wasn't rushing the process. The rest of the team had taken turns in the booth for the last three months. Bethany and Leanna were the only exceptions to that rule. The twins had more important things to do than sit in a dark room for eight hours.

"Do you have any idea why she's here?" Norbert said.

Aaron shook his head. "All I know is Wesley told her to come."

Norbert grimaced. "That's not good."

"Correct."

"Where is Wesley these days?"

"I think he's still in Washington, DC," Aaron said, "but I don't really know. His travel plans are none of my business."

"The last time he was in Chicago, he told me I'll be his guardian angel one day."

"If the Voice of Truth said that, it must be true, but don't get distracted. Wesley's prophesies tend to be more annoying than helpful. I hope he doesn't come back to Chicago. He's a nice kid, but I don't need that kind of stress and chaos in my life right now. Having the legate here will be bad enough. And let's not forget about the Democratic Circus, er, Convention coming to town." Aaron made a sour face.

He sat in a chair and watched the security system while he waited. The huge console was divided into four sections. The first controlled the surveillance system outside the Rosemont Tower Hotel. The second was for the public rooms within the hotel. The third section controlled the surveillance within headquarters and other secret areas. Aaron believed in having eyes everywhere. The last section was for the weapons systems. The hotel was actually a heavily armed fortress in disguise, capable of fighting off a small army. He hoped those weapons would never be needed.

Several minutes later, Aaron saw Ethel walk into the hotel lobby on one of the high resolution surveillance displays. She had the exceptionally lean body of a marathon runner. The bones in her face stood out prominently. Her skin was as black as Tawni's, but Ethel's tightly curled hair was pure white. She wore a gray business suit made of glossy material. She was pulling a suitcase, a disconcerting sign that she intended to stay for a while.

Her huge companion had to be Boreas. Ethel looked like a little girl next to this beast of a man. He had a short, gray beard and gray hair, and his rough skin was heavily creased. Aaron wondered about his age. Ethel wouldn't pick an old man to be her personal bodyguard. There had to be an interesting story there. Boreas was dragging two oversized suitcases.

Smythe was with them. He led the legate and her bodyguard to the conference room that served as the secret entrance to headquarters. Aaron watched them go through the entry process.

When the group boarded the secret elevator, he checked the security scanners. The elevators were equipped with non-intrusive sensors that could detect the smallest concealed weapons or bugs. The displays showed that Ethel and Boreas were carrying a small arsenal under their clothes. Her legendary, silver-plated machetes were strapped to her back under her jacket. Aaron had seen her cut the wings off of flies in the air with those blades, and the heads off of men.

A moment later, the elevator doors opened. Ethel, Boreas, and Smythe stepped into the white entry chamber. Aaron observed them carefully through the thick glass separating the security booth from the chamber. He had to be sure of their identities before he allowed them into his headquarters. It was impossible to be too careful, and the legate understood that.

"Hello, ma'am," he said. "It's good to see you again. I just wish I knew why you're here."

Ethel nodded. "I'm happy to see you, too. I really must make an effort to visit Chicago for pleasure instead of business. Whenever we get together these days, it's always a crisis. Good morning, Norbert."

Her eyes were her most intimidating feature. The pupils were very large and black. They were holes leading to a dark dimension where no life existed.

Norbert nodded. "Good morning to you, ma'am. Is the weather nice outside?"

"It's a perfect autumn day. I don't believe any of you met my bodyguard. This is Boreas."

Boreas nodded slightly. Up close, his skin looked like old leather. Body armor under his jacket added bulk to an already bulky chest. The whites of his eyes had an odd bluish tint that certainly wasn't natural.

"Glad to meet you," Aaron said. "Ma'am, did you manage to make contact with Wesley?"

"I left a message," Ethel said. "I'm sure he'll call me back soon. He's pretty good about that. In the meantime, I'd like to meet the newest members of your team."

"Of course. They're waiting for you."

He pressed a button that unlocked the door in the entry chamber. Smythe held it open for Ethel and Boreas.

Aaron left the security booth to join them.

The group walked down the hallway to the conference room. A huge, oak table dominated the room, and it was big enough to seat the entire team plus a few guests. Engravings of swords and shields ran along the edge. Shelves on the back wall held the
tabella
, the secret historical records of the Gray Spear Society. There were three hundred leather-bound volumes, and each described five years of missions.

Tawni, Sheryl, and Perry were waiting. They jumped to their feet immediately when Ethel entered.

She smiled politely. "Tawni, it's nice to see you again. I heard you received a gift."

"Yes, ma'am," Tawni said.

She waved her hand and left a trail of darkness behind. It looked like greasy black smoke but it dissipated quickly. She playfully wrote the word "legate" in the air with her finger. The letters stuck for a few seconds before evaporating.

"Is it a weapon?"

"A deadly one, ma'am. I can put the darkness into people. It's like a poison, and it's very painful. The range is limited though. I have to touch my target or be just a few inches away."

"Excellent," Ethel said. "It's unusual for such an inexperienced
legionnaire
to get a gift. You must have enormous potential in God's eyes."

Tawni smiled. "Thank you, ma'am. I think Aaron was the first person to see that potential. He's like a father to me."

"That's nice." Ethel faced Sheryl. "And you must be the famous magician. I'm curious to see some of your magic tricks."

Sheryl bowed slightly. "I'll be honored to perform for you, ma'am."

"You look thin and weak to me."

"I've been working out every day," Sheryl said nervously. "Aaron is a slave driver when it comes to training."

"Keep at it," Ethel said. "
Legionnaires
have to be tough enough to battle God's enemies. Being a woman is certainly no excuse."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you must be the apprentice hacker." Ethel looked at Perry. "I don't recall your name."

"It's Perry, ma'am."

She furrowed her brow. "This is probably the only cell in the world with three computer experts. I allowed it only because of the special circumstances."

"I really appreciate the opportunity, ma'am," Perry said eagerly. "Aaron pulled me out of prison and gave me a great new life. I love it here. It's like Heaven."

"Don't get too comfortable. After the twins finish their project, I may move you to another team that needs you more. Computer skills are in demand throughout my division."

"As long as I'm a member of the Society, I'll be happy."

"Speaking of Bethany and Leanna, I want to see what they've become. The last time I saw them, they were still human."

Aaron gestured towards the door. "Follow me, ma'am."

He led Ethel and Boreas across headquarters to the computer room. Aaron fought the urge to cover his ears when he went inside. The fan noise from a thousand computers was deafening, and a giant air-conditioning system added to the din. The servers were stacked floor to ceiling in tall racks. There was a constant ventilation breeze. Space was so tight, Aaron had to walk sideways to reach the twins.

He found Bethany and Leanna seated in their workstations. They had many monitors but no keyboards or mice. The girls' brains had built-in wireless capability. They communicated with their machines without the need for mechanical interfaces.

Bethany faced Aaron as he approached. Crystalline, black eyeballs always grabbed his attention first. They were made of a translucent material with gleaming internal structures. She lacked pupils, but her vision was excellent regardless. Instead of skin, smoky, gray metal covered her head. The covering was hard and smooth but had enough flexibility to allow simple expressions.

Bethany's head, neck, and spine were synthetic, but the rest of her body was still human. Her natural skin was a very light brown that made her look deeply tanned. As always, she wore a plain white shirt and a pleated, red skirt. Her wardrobe hadn't varied for as long as Aaron had known her.

Leanna was almost perfectly identical to her sister. The only obvious difference was that Bethany wore a diamond necklace with a giant pendant. It was the last remnant of their former lives as Arabian princesses. So much had changed since then.

"Stand up," Aaron said. "The legate is here."

The twins got out of their chairs. When they stood together, their bodies and postures created a perfect mirror image.

"Amazing," Ethel said. "So alien, but still so beautiful. You are truly divine creatures."

"Thank you, ma'am," Bethany said.

Her voice was constructed from pure tones, clicks, and whistles. Her mouth moved when she talked, but Aaron believed that was just for show. She lacked real vocal chords. Leanna rarely talked at all these days.

"How is the project going?" Ethel said.

"Well. We just completed our theoretical analysis and achieved promising results. We understand the mathematics of what we must do. God checked the equations and supports our general approach."

"Can you give me an idea of what's going to happen?"