“Yep!” Anna sounded a little too exuberant for her own good. “The Xiopothans dropped them from a plane to wipe out the Krechen population. We stole some DNA before the infestation ended, one thing led to another, and…you’ve seen the rest.”
Shiro Campus Motel 3.14 - 3rd Floor
Room 314 - NPA Command Center
“…damnit, Jim, did you replace the batteries on Matt’s panic button?” Turning in his chair, the NPA technician stared accusingly at his partner, one of the regular field agents.
“Um, yea.” The man replied. After a moment under the withering stare, his story quickly changed, however. “At least I think I did. Why?”
At once, the room came alive, as the rest of those there began viciously attacking the often forgetful agent. “Goddamnit, Jim,…”
“…many times have…”
“…to replace those batteries in the field one more time I’m going to kick your ass.” Paula stated. She looked at the technician. “Is it not responding?”
“Its no longer transmitting whatsoever. Nothing. Nothing at all.” He pointed at the screen. “So unless we’re being jammed, the batteries are dead.”
“We’re not being jammed.” Tom stated, from where he was fiddling with equipment across the room. “I can still clearly see the feeds from the rest of the cameras in the building.”
Jim sighed. “Sorry?”
Rising, Paula grabbed a battery pact, and made her way to the door. “I’ll head up to his room and wait for him there. As soon as he returns, I’ll be sure to replace it.”
“Good.” Tom stated. “In the mean time, have our four people put on security uniforms, and take up positions at the exits. Have them search anyone suspicious…they can explain it as a drug sting operation.”
“Will do.”
“Wow.” Matt stated, glancing at the bag the creature had disappeared into. “Those things really did a lot of damage.” He didn’t bother mentioning that nearly a dozen medical professionals dispatched from FPS, alongside the main humanitarian aid force, hadn’t ever returned. She probably already knew. “How’d you get it to think your its queen?”
“Well…” Anna somehow managed to look embarrassed without bluffing. “The short story is conditioning. If you want the long story…” She got up and went over to the tiny book row on her desk, which contained only two books: A Mended Heart Bible and an ominously-sized leather-bound text. She picked up the latter, whose cover read
— Begin quote from ____
The Open Mind: Conversations on spirit, mind and matter
Twelfth Edition
Rachel Penteleimon
Amascut Sadi
— End quote
Anna handed the book to Matt with all the dignity of a changing of the guard. “Remember when I said I’m not at all psychic? As it turns out, neither are they, and that protects me from them. The explanation’s all in here, if you don’t mind a little light reading.”
Taking the offered book (which required some effort), Matt smiled, and nodded. “Light reading, right.” He laughed. Opening the book to a random page, he began reading about halfway through, trying to seem interested.
— Begin quote from ____
“Our cultures have had many words for this dichotomy. Yin and yang, light and dark. They were not far from the truth. Reality is matter and void, life and oblivion, good and evil.”
“But the three are distinct.”
— End quote
Raising an eyebrow, Terrus opened his mouth to speak, but then just shook his head, and closed the book. “Looks interesting. I’ll have to read it soon.” He stated, this time truthfully believing what he was saying.
He motioned to the bag. “If you’d like, you can bring him back out. I know you like him and he must hate it in there…I really don’t mind.” It was a flat out lie, Matt was absolutely dead scared of the creature now, but he was willing to live with it being out if it meant Anna’s being happy.
That thing was ugly. And despite Annas words, it seemed incredibly dangerous. For the first time in his life, hadnt it been for Arians words, Jordan thought the Grand Duke could have well been right, saying the Kandarinese were a potential danger. But considering his own personal history, he decided he wouldnt have rushed to such a judgment without giving the little girl a second chance. If and when her little majesty would have lowered herself speaking to him again, of course.
Grinning, the Rezielan looked around. With Anna and her little monster running away, the Shiroettes astonishment had been quickly replaced by more mundane conversations. Aside one, who looked just as lonely as him. A freshman, probably. Grabbing two cokes from the fridge without even caring to wonder if such drinks were really at their disposal he moved near László and offered him,one of them.
«Its nice to see there is someone who does not yet know everyone else» he smiled «However nice to meet you. Im Jordan, from Solanthus. Uhm the Grand Duchy of Reziel. Solanthus is the city I do live in»
Sha’la seemed rather annoyed that everyone seemed to be ignoring her. And the sight of Anna suddenly vacating the room left little doubt that everyone was doing so. Annoyed, Sha’la walked back out to the other Dannistrians.
“Looks like we have to get our kicks elsewhere,” she said to them.
“No need to get all angry just because you aren’t the centre of attention,” said Nee’la.
“Heh…” Sha’la sneered, “I’m going to find Anna. That funny creature of her’s looked cool.”
“I didn’t get much of a look on it, but I’ll pass,” Nee’la said.
“It looked like some horror out of one of my animes,” Kah’lad stated flatly.
“It looked like something out of one of my nightmares,” Nah’diir admitted.
“It looked like some cross between a dragon, lizzard and an armadillo to me,” Li said.
“Armadillo?” Sha’la looked puzzled.
“Yeah. From a distance, it looked like it had several plates of armour.”
“I don’t care what it was! I don’t want anything to do with it…!” Sah’mahn’th quipped. She was looking paler than usual.
“Calm down dear, it didn’t go anywhere near you!” Sha’la said in a mocking tone, “I’m going to see where Anna went.”
“I DON’T CARE!” Sah’mahn’th shouted, “I don’t want that thing anywhere near me and that’s that!”
“OK OK. I get it!” Sha’la gave up trying to convince Sah’mahn’th of the creature’s “cool” factor.
Sha’la proceded to walk down the hall to where she thought Anna went to. Nee’la sighed and followed, if only to keep Sha’la out of trouble. Sah’mahn’th simply stood there shivering while Kah’lad, Li and Nah’diir tried to calm her down.
Sha’la found Anna with Matt while seemingly speaking about the creature. Sha’la smiled and waved to them.
“Hey-ho peeps. Whasup?” she asked as she approached.
László turned to Jordan.
“-Well, hello, nice to meet you. My name is Stark László, that’s a german name, not english. I’m from Lazlowgrad, Lazlowia. We have probably the smallest country in the east pacific, so we have a slight inferiority complex.”
Drinking his Coek, Jordan chuckled quietly.
«Dont worry, László as Ive told, Im from Solanthus. Till one year ago or so, before the Iremians arrival, we were a city-state or something like that therefore you do not need to have any inferiority complex. Uhm at least not towards me, I mean. So are you new, round here?»
“-Yes, I’m new. My father sent me here, becouse he thinks that it will improve the relations of Lazlowia with the other countries. Especially, that the two boys in my room don’t know that there is such country. Imperialists never change. I bet in your former school they said that we are an oppressive kommunist country who wants world domination. And what brings you here?”
«Ill have to be honest, László. In my former school they didnt say anything at all about your country which I suppose is exactly what youre trying to say. About me uhm daddy has sent me here hoping this elite-school will erase my familys-black-sheep attitude. Something Ill do my best to avoid, of course!» winked Jordan, finishing his Coek.
«However hey! Have you see that armored worm of Annas? I wonder where the hell it comes from even if when you talk about Kandarin you cannot be surprised of anything, can you?»
“-I don’t know, but it is a very ugly creature, I can tell you. At leats we don’t have such things back home. It looks quite dangeorus.”
«Oh sure as hell, my friend. I just hope she will really be able to control it. If not well I hope Annas room is on the other side of the dorm» chuckled Jordan.
“Hi, Sha’la!” Anna waved. “You need to knock. I’m sorry, I didn’t give you any opportunity to do so.” She went to the door, shut and locked it. “Try it now.”
“Anyway…” Turning to Matt, Anna unzipped the bag and slowly drew out her pet, which quickly resumed its old place on her shoulder. “This…this really isn’t going over well. I need a better strategy. And I need a name for this little guy. Got any ideas?”
Sha’la stood outside somewhat puzzled. She proceded to knock on the door.
“Say Anna, I don’t know what kind of fuss your pet of yours caused, but I’m OK with seeing it,” she called out through the door.
“She might be nervous about showing it around,” Nee’la warned, “Besides she might not be wanting to show it now considering what happened there ealier.”
“Heh,” Sha’la seemed unfazed. She continued to stand outside and wait.
Anna pried open the door an inch, peering out with one eye. “Are you sure?” Sha’la nodded. “Very well.” Anna opened the door, pried her pet off her shoulder and handed it to Sha’la. “Here.”
“Oh wow. Cool!” Sha’la held up the pet to Nee’la gingerly. The creature hissed and snarled for a bit, revealing it’s sharp claws and teeth.
“Err…I think I’ll pass going near that. I’m starting to believe Sah’mahn’th may be right about it.”
“Hmmph. Just because you don’t like scary looking creatures. I think they are cool,” Sha’la said. The creature proceded to show it’s dislike of being away from Anna by taking several swipes at Sha’la.
“Whoa. OK buddy! I get it! You want back to your mother or something!” Sha’la said as she handed it back to Anna. The creature sat back on her shoulder and proceded to take a defensive posture and hiss angrily at Sha’la.
“Er…OK…same to you too. So what is it and where did you get it?” Sha’la asked intently.
“More importantly, is it dangerous and will it get us killed by the FPS military?” Nee’la chimed in, now a few steps back behind Sha’la.
“The FPS Military?” Sha’la seemed confused.
“If the FPSians deem it to be dangerous, they might decide to eliminate it and anyone who has been in contact with it. I know that’s what they would do back home.”
“What are they going to do, bombard us with animal importation forms?” Sha’la answered sarcastically.
Liberty City downtown
In the meanwhile
Few persons knew there was a Subsection 12.6, in the FPSians Federal Bureau of Oversight. That wasnt strange at all. The national bureaucratic apparatus was so huge each Ministry had thousands of employees, so it wasnt rare at all to see people ignoring half (or even more) of the pyramidal structure of the office they worked for. Among the few who knew, even fewer were really aware of what said Subsection did. Among those fewer, employees of S12.6 were known as loophole-busters. And that was what they actually did, 24 hours a day. They looked for inconsistencies. Contradictions. Small flaws which could have allowed someone to use the system against itself. In a word, they were paid to prevent anyone to legally defeat the bureaucracy on its own ground. To avoid people using the impressive amounts of rules and commas and periods and paragraphs against the whole structure. They were the last line of defense and they had been defeated. Thats why a Subsection 12.6 (b) had been created. To avoid such things to happen again. To avoid another Mark Aubrey to come out of the swamp of the FPSian Barristers Association.
«Huh, I wonder what that was all about» Nöêl thought aloud. Just then, she remembered something. «You know, I’ve got to go to the bank to make sure a check cleared from my summer job. Would you like to come with me to the main branch in Downtown Garneldo and go for coffee afterwards?» she asked.
“M… Me?” Stuttered Hiro a little too loudly. Downtown Garneldo? Where’s that…?
“Don’t be rude to Sha’la.” Anna admonished the pet, clasping its neck in a tut-tutting gesture. “No matter how rude she is to you.” She let go and let it settle back into its perch.
“I don’t think it understands English really well. It seems to like it when I talk to it like this-” Anna made a hissing, clicking noise somewhat like the noises the creature had made- "But doing it’s not exactly larynx-friendly. Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about getting ‘eliminated’. She gave an evil grin, but decided against providing any more details. “Just…don’t worry about it.”
Seeing looks of puzzlement from Sha’la and Nee’la, Anna perked up immediately. “So, who’s this Sah’mahn’th?”