Chapter 16: A Lot of Important People

Chapter 16: A Lot of Important People

The wave of gremlins finally began to die down. Perhaps hed pulled in all of them within the chitterers radius, and there just werent enough left right now to respond to the summons. How far did the chitter cry reach? Five blocks? Ten?

Regardless, the last of the gremlins had given up on assaulting him. They hung back, sulking, slinking off into the shadows in search of easier prey.

They were suicidally stupid, but eventually a base cunning had taught them to avoid his aura.

James hadnt been touched once, but he felt exhausted. Mancini had radioed in shortly after his departure that theyd circle and wait for his go-ahead to return and collect him, and as James walked across the parking lot he thumbed on the radio.

Mancini, this is Kelly. Cleared for pick up, over.

Kelly, this is Mancini. Location? Over.

Same spot. Parking lot in the back of the warehouse. Im moving onto the street to make it easier.

Kelly, this is Mancini, well be there in a minute, out.

James sat on the curb and lay his skillet beside him. Other than as a source of noise to draw the gremlins out, hed not used it once. Having a wicked aura did that for you, he supposed.

Hed leveled again at the very last. He must have killed - or destroyed, at any rate - several thousand gremlins in the last hour alone. Enough to reach Level 8. With his aura on point, and his Strength and Power up to about the same level, hed opted for another Aeviternum Point.

No harm in being able to revive himself three times in a row.

After all, there were no guarantees that the Nemesis 2s were going to be push-overs.

The hummer came around the corner, Mancini leaning out the window with his rifle at the ready, but the Sergeant relaxed at the sight of James alone on the curb. The car pulled up before him and Serenity jumped out the back, both pistols at the ready.

You look beat, she said. Tired already?

James levered himself upright. A whiskeyll keep me going. Throats dry, is all.

Mancini was on high alert. Lets get moving, people.

They scrambled into the back of the Humvee. Only two people fit up front, with the rest having to sit facing each other in the extended cargo bed. A thick awning was wrapped over the top, but James doubted itd do much to keep gremlins out.

Everybody stared at him expectantly.

So? Huffman leaned forward, practically glaring. You walked the whole way here. How many did you torch? What level you at?

Eight, he said. But that aint all of it. I had a chat with one of their higher ups.

You what now? Huffman sat up stiffly. You talked to one?

Long story. But we -

Hey, Mancini! Huffman scooted up to the window in the back of the cab. Kelly spoke with the enemy!

Great, muttered James. Serenity was staring at him questioningly, obviously wanting to interrogate him alone.

The Humvee stopped and Mancinis face appeared in the window. Kelly, you spoke to a Nemesis?

No. One of their bosses. A Monitor.

You got intel?

James considered, then nodded reluctantly. He could tell where this was going, and he felt worn out. Yeah. I got intel.

Mancini leaned out of view, and James heard him call someone via the radio. Singh started driving again. Nobody spoke as they all tried to listen in, and then Mancini confirmed something and leaned back into view.

Major Hackworth wants to talk to you now. Were heading to the Emergency Management building.

What? Huffman stared at Mancini. Why? This is army intel, we should debrief him first, then everyone else.

Not our ballgame, said Mancini simply. Were not operating on foreign turf. While in the city, we have to play ball, and that means sharing intel with other agencies in real time.

Great, said Serenity, slouching down. What are the odds theyll have good whiskey?

Or even shitty whiskey, said James with a wry smile.

It was starting to feel like a good-luck totem.

They entered the lobby, were processed through security, and after giving up their weapons were met by an exhausted-looking assistant and escorted to the fourth floor to a large meeting room outside of which a gaggle of more exhausted assistants were talking on phones or tapping on tablets.

Everybody stepped aside for their party, and eyes went wide as they seemed to recognize James.

Fucking celebrity sell-out, said Serenity with some of her old humor.

James just shook his head.

Their escort opened the double doors to reveal the biggest room theyd yet seen. The central table ran down its length, an oval large enough to accommodate forty people, every chair taken, and a wall of monitors along one side alive with faces as just as many watched the proceedings virtually from who the fuck knew where.

James made out some familiar faces.

The mayor of NYC, for one, seated at the head of the table with two laptops open before him and three assistants hovering right behind, clearly multitasking even now. A few seats down was Deputy Commissioner Mack, and on the other side was the CIA guy, Iverness. He saw the FEMA lady, whatever her name had been, the NYPD captain - Vischenka? And Major Hackworth, close to the foot of the table.

But there were so many more people, most of them in impressive military uniforms or giving off that air of self-importance and gravitas that came with having so much power and respect given to you on a daily basis.

James tried to swallow as every eye turned to fix him where he stood and felt like a butterfly being pinned to a display case.

Didnt help when he caught sight of Jessica Miles standing against the wall, hair slightly mussed, pencil between her teeth, sending a message on her phone.

The babble of voices stilled, people put away phones, lay down tablets, and the people on the wall monitors turned to focus on the meeting.

Shit.

Mr. Kelly. Mayor Liu stood and gestured at one of the few empty chairs at the end of the table. I wish we could have met earlier. Im Mayor Liu. In this room are some of the most crucial players in our disaster response team. Introducing them all would take too much time, so let me just say that we have And he turned to the monitors as a gray-haired man with stern features sat down at a table, coming into view. The honor of having the US Secretary of Defense taking part. Good evening, sir.

The Secretary of Defense merely gestured, too weary and reluctant to make a speech.

Also in attendance is Mr. Patel, the Deputy National Security Advisor, and General Ruiz from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Polite nods were exchanged.

But I think were all done with formalities and protocol at this point. Major Hackworth has reported that you made contact and spoke with one of the enemy. Is that correct?

One of the assistants stepped forward to pull out a chair for James. Throat clamped shut, he sat and then slowly placed his hands on the table. Big mistake. His hands reflected the life hed lived these past seven years. They were large, callused, the nails rough, the seams of his knuckles ingrained with dirt that even a couple of showers had done nothing to remove.

He quickly put them back on his lap.

Everyone was staring at him. Forty sets of eyes, most skeptical, many curious, others disdainful.

James found Hackworth, who gave him an encouraging nod.

I did, sir, whispered James.

Im sorry, its a big room, said Iverness, the CIA guy. Could I ask you to speak up, Mr. Kelly?

James pitched his voice. I did.

There was a stir, as if people had half expected him to deny this fact.

Excellent, said Mayor Liu. Please. In your own words. Describe this encounter. Leave absolutely nothing out.

James made the mistake of looking around again. Grave men and women stared at him from the monitors, most of them backed by official seals from their departments. The rest of the walls were lined with young people, all of them having momentarily ceased their busy activity and messaging to listen.

You tell em, said Serenity suddenly into the silence, her voice brazen and tight with nerves. You got this, James.

A whole bunch of people looked past him at where Serenity stood by the doors.

What? Her voice was defiant, almost shrill. I gotta ask for permission to speak?

Several people went to respond, but James turned, met Serenitys eyes, and when she gave him a wink he felt a measure of confidence return.

He looked back at the mayor.

All right. From the beginning. Ill tell you this up front, though. I didnt get any good news.