To Save the Worlds
By Monica Rose
Have you ever considered that there is a fine line between Yes and No, Black and White? When you are cold, how low can you raise the temperature before warm becomes hot? Major Micheal Davis is going to discover that you cannot have one without other.
Chapter 1
Davis inhaled slightly, sampling the smell of dust under his nose. Afghan dirt smelled just like the dirt in California, half a world away. With a little imagination, he could see himself in the California hills, rockhounding for gemstones. He blinked the pleasant thoughts away and returned to the mission.
He raised his head just enough to see through the binoculars he had focused on the center of the village. He and the rest of his team had been scattered around the settlement since before sunrise and had not seen anything unusual. They were dug into the rocks and brush around him and were well prepared to last thru the day's heat. It was a standard Search and Destroy mission, intended to confirm the presence of insurgent leaders who had been reported to be hiding among the villagers. If he deemed it possible, Davis would either try to take out their targets or order an attack from a distance.
The village wasn't large. There was a cluster of hut-like residential buildings lower on the hill, enough for maybe a hundred people to live. There were some larger buildings separated out from the village proper, apparently for livestock or for public functions. What made the place unusual were the vehicle tracks in and around the village. Davis could see through his binoculars that tracks led up to several of the larger buildings which would be barns. Right now, they were garages for insurgent trucks.
Movement around the buildings drew his attention. A small group of men was walking across the square toward one of the garages. Davis quickly zeroed in on each face and compared it to his memory of the men they were looking for. Two of them were the leaders of terrorist cells in this zone.
"Jones, can you confirm my sighting?" Jones was perched further up the hill behind him and had the same view Davis did. The other three members of the team were spread out in a shallow arc on the hillside with Michael.
One by one, each of the Special Ops team quietly offered their confirmation that they had sighted the men they had been sent to find. Davis slowly moved his hand to his radio and changed frequencies.
"Hunter Team One to Command," he said. His voice could not have been heard even three feet from the hollow he was hidden in. Communications was kept short and to a minimum to prevent the possibility of detection.
"Go, Team One," the lieutenant back at base acknowledged.
"Targets located. Moving into large building on east side of square. "
"Acknowledged, Hunter Team. Standby." That was the extent of the contact between the Special Ops team and their command post back at base. Command already knew what the area looked like. Davis settled down to await further instructions. Depending upon the situation, they might be instructed to eliminate the terrorists or to just identify the other men around them. This added intelligence could be used to find more insurgent cells.
If Command determined that their targets should be eliminated, Jones would be the one to take the shots. The rest of the team would provide fire to take out the fighters that were sure to be present. As Davis waited for instructions, he saw at least a dozen children go running from the surrounding structures to their target building.
He keyed his throat microphone again and said, "Hunter Team One to Command! Be advised that the targets are using a school for their operations. They are using children in the school as shields!" This was not an uncommon practice by the insurgents as they reasoned that the American forces would not risk hurting civilians. It meant that his team would take a more surgical approach to eliminating their targets.
"Acknowledged." The response was as brief and expressionless as if Davis had told him that the sun was coming up.
He knew that it would require little time for the commander in charge of the mission to determine that the Seal team would need to go ahead with the frontal assault that had been planned out. Instead of the order he was expecting, Davis heard the low-throated snarl of an incoming missile as it came over the ridge of the hill, taking a direct line for the school.
The team watched in horror as the smart missiles fanned out to strike the school and the surrounding buildings. The entire village disappeared in a blast of dust and flames as the Hellfire payloads exploded. Even at their observation point, the heat of the flames could be felt. As the village was being destroyed, a blast from behind them caused them to stumble forward as an errant missile struck near the equipment they had been about to recover.
The four team members quickly moved up to where Jones waited, no longer needing to be concerned about being seen. A quick look at their equipment cache showed that the whole area was totally involved in flames. Being able to move more freely, they jogged across the hills to a point a few miles from the village they had just seen destroyed. Running along the base of the hills exposed them to the risk of a mine field or a sniper nest set up to watch for travel on the roads. If they moved along the tops of the hills, their silhouettes called attention to their presence. Staying below the crest in the midpoints of the hills and working with their camouflage made them almost invisible.
When they reached the point where they needed to cross over the hill, they stayed low and then ran down the hill to their rendezvous point. In response to a quick message that Davis had sent out earlier, a transport Osprey came roaring up the valley and touched down near them. The men were loaded and gone in less than thirty seconds.
Shocked by the vicious destruction they had witnessed, they did not talk to the flight crew or each other. The two-hour flight passed in silence, while Davis mentally composed the report he would be submitting on their Op. All five men would be filing reports when they returned. He had seen civilians killed in the past, even children. But not this way. This operation was to have been a surgical strike and only the men they were looking for should have died. An entire town had been destroyed instead.
The team knew something was wrong when their helicopter was met by a squad of military police. The weapons the MP's held were at the ready.
"Major Michael Davis," the squad leader began. "You and your team will come with us."
They found themselves disarmed and marched at gunpoint to confinement. The MP's refused to answer questions. While they were not in jail cells, each man found himself under lock and key in quarters that would normally be assigned to an officer. Michael was able to get cleaned up before he was visited by an Army lawyer. It was quickly explained to him that he was being charged with dereliction of duty and ordering the missile attack on the village in violation of his mission orders.
* * * * *
Charisse turned into the alley and ran, hoping that she would be able to get out and away from the gang behind her. She had been walking home alone from the youth center for weeks now and had not been in any danger. The teenagers behind her must have seen that she was alone and had moved in around her within a block after she left for home. There was no way to get back to safety, so she had to hope that she could find an open store or building she could take refuge in.
There was a fence across the alley ahead of her, making it into a T-intersection. Both sides were dead ends that held dumpsters behind fences as well. Charisse looked wide-eyed at the ten-foot fence before her seeing freedom ahead and then at the eight-foot fences on either side of her. The howls of the gang chasing her sounded close and she was sure that they would catch her before she could get down the other side of the tall fence. If she went to the side, she would be out of sight and she might be able to hide before they got there.
These observations were made in a split second and she turned to the right and hit the shorter fence with a jump that put her halfway up. Spurred by fear, she was over the gate and down far enough to drop to the ground safely. The service door to the building was locked when she tried it and she only had moments to run to the dumpster and squeeze into the space behind it.
She heard the slapping sounds of sneakers and the sounds of boots coming down the alley outside that stopped when they reached the fences. Then she heard the sound of more running feet that were different.
"She didn't come out this way! She must still be in there!"
Charisse was horrified to realize that the alley had been a trap. She had been herded to this point. Even if she had been able to get over the high fence, they had been waiting for her on the other side. She could hear the group of boys or men outside split up and rattle the gates on both sides. Then the sound of climbing absolutely terrified her.
She kept her head down and body pulled into the little space as much as she could. She could not bring herself to look up when the scuffling of boots came right beside.
"Stand up or I'll yank you out of there," the man's voice said.
All Charisse could do was lever herself out and stand before him. Only then did she look up into his face. She saw a young man, probably only eighteen years old. He had a slight Oriental appearance, but that was ruined by the line of his nose that had not appeared to heal properly after being broken. The security light above them put most of his face into shadow so that she could not see the top part of his face clearly.
"You led us on a good chase." His voice was smooth and did not carry any anger or viciousness. He spoke as if he were ordering a drink from a waitress.
"Please," Charisse said. Her voice was barely a whisper, caused by fear and breathiness from her running. "Don't hurt me. I was only helping the kids at the youth center."
"I know," the man said to her. "It's nothing personal." As he said that, he took a step forward and his arm drove the knife into her heart. She was unable to even speak as her eyes dimmed. She did not see the look of distaste for what he had just done on the man's face as he said again, "It's nothing personal." Charisse never even heard him repeat himself.
* * * * *
Halfway around the world, Thomas Brady was preparing to begin his day. He pulled his Peugeot hybrid into its parking space in the garage and made sure it was secure before heading down to the exit. The day's schedule was not very pressing as he was only working with a pair of corporations exploring the possibility of a merger and he had been consulted as an impartial advisor. His evening would be devoted to working with a group of wheelchair-bound kids to improve their basketball game.
The scrape of a shoe behind him said that he had company heading out of the garage. That was not unusual as he was not the only one in London to beat the congestion by going into work early. As a result, many people would park outside of the city proper and walk to a Tube station. Earlier was always better.
Suddenly, the steps were right behind him. Before he could turn around, Thomas felt a ham-sized hand clamp over his mouth and pull him backward. Being off balance, all Thomas could do was fight to remain upright and claw at the hand cutting off his air. Then a blade lanced through his back and into his chest. He struggled against his captor, but quickly lost his strength. Once he was sure that Thomas was dead, his assailant dropped the body and walked back up into the parking garage.
* * * * *
The goddess Nyx stood looking out of the skyscraper's window, admiring the sight of the city and sea below. Osaka was an old city as far as age went, but it had the distinction of being able to provide any service or vice for money. She and her sister, Erebus, had used those vices to corrupt many of the people who were now cooperating with them. While those people had the money and authority to indulge anyway, most were susceptible to blackmail. Those people found it easier to do the small favors that were requested of them than to endure the public shame that they were threatened with.
She and Erebus had never had followers as such. That meant that they had no avatars to draw upon or prayers giving them power. If they wished to affect the human realm, they had to take human form and use what powers they had directly. Under better circumstances, they could have given an avatar the ability to do their work. They had their victims doing those tasks instead.
There was a knock at the door and it opened briefly to admit a thin, middle-aged man. He stood just inside the room for a moment before saying, "Madam Nyx? We have eliminated the girl in Los Angeles and the man in London. There are only a few more before your plans can move forward." His voice was as thin as his body and it oozed of obsequiousness.
He was thrown back against the teak wood door by the eighteen-inch sword hurled by Nyx from across the room. The impaling blade passed through the right side of his chest and embedded itself in the wood.
"Fool!" Nyx spat as she stomped across the room. "You were told to capture those people and transport them here so that they could be eliminated by ritual. You have given away our plans because of your stupidity!" She tore the sword out of the door and the man's body, letting him fall to floor once he had nothing to support him. Nyx stalked from the room, not looking to see if her underling was still living or not.
* * * * *
L sat completely still at the desk, hands steepled before him and a pensive expression on his face. His eyes were closed, as if he were in meditation. Anyone looking at him would notice his strong features and then immediately forget that they had looked at him. The office was not necessary at the moment as no one would be walking in from the street, but even a god needed a place of solitude and all of the deities in his charge knew not to disturb him when he was here.
There was no sound as a white-robed figure appeared inside the room's door. Still, L sensed the presence of his non-mortal visitor and he opened his eyes to focus on the slender being across the room. The robe that he or she wore was simple and seemed to be wrapped or draped around the body. The slight golden glow that emanated from them made it obvious that L's visitor was not of earth.
L studied the entity that he knew to be an angel for a moment. This was not the first time he had hosted a messenger from his own creator and he had no problem with their presence. It had been his experience that angels all seemed to resemble each other. The best way to describe the features was to say that they were bland.
"Greetings, L," it said. Even the voice made it impossible to say male or female. He was not sure that angels even had sexes. He had never been told a name and it really did not matter to him.
"Hello," he replied, dipping his head in acknowledgment. "How can I help you?" He did not mean help the angel itself, but entity the angel represented.
"There is activity in the world that is endangering the balance," the angel said. "Avatars are being killed before they can be replaced. If the balance is not maintained, this world and all of its associated worlds will be destroyed."
"What is it that I can do?" L asked. He was not averse to taking action in the world and had done so in the past, but he always knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish.
"Some of the deities in your realm are directly affected by this. Protect them and their avatars and the crisis will resolve itself. I have the knowledge that you will need." The angel held its hand out upraised toward L. He nodded and stepped forward to lay his hand against the angel's. The contact between them immediately allowed the spiritual being to transfer all its knowledge of the crisis to L, saving a great deal of time and eliminating any miscommunication.
When it was over, L removed his hand and said, "I see. I will begin preparations immediately." Having fulfilled its mission, the angel nodded in understanding and faded from sight.
L crossed the office in two steps to reach the door to the hallway. As he opened the door, the small man in the chair across the hall came to his feet quickly and hurried over to his boss.
"Mr. Luk," L said. "The Balance is in danger. We need to have a tenant meeting." He strode down the corridor toward a single door that appeared in the white marble wall, not checking to see if Luk was behind him. The small man was almost running to keep up with his boss and skidded to a stop as they both reached the door.
L opened the door and pushed it in. The space beyond did not open into a room or corridor, but a space filled with grayness that was not fog. There was the impression of vastness and gigantic, human shaped figures moved about in the distance. The door closed behind Luk as they walked into grayness.
* * * * *
The destruction of the village quickly became public knowledge across the world and a rallying call to remove foreign troops from the region. Both the American and Afghan governments opened inquiries into the incident and Major Davis found himself the focus of those inquiries. The rest of his team had been allowed to remain anonymous. In true political fashion, Davis was labeled as being responsible for allowing the attack to take place and he was thrown to the wolves. Court martial proceedings were quickly initiated.
The trial itself only lasted a week. But the media circus surrounding the investigations were drawn out for weeks. In the time between their return and the court martial, the rest of Davis's team had been discharged and shipped back to the States, making them unavailable to testify at Michael's court-martial. The prosecution produced statements taken from his men that were damning for Davis. They stated that they had not heard Major Davis's message about the presence of civilians near the insurgents, which was true. They had not been on his communication channel.
His defense that he had made his report was not provable as there was no record that he had made a call of that nature. His legal counsel was lackluster, even though the lieutenant colonel assured him that he was doing everything that he could. The soldier the prosecution put on the stand who was to have taken his message denied that Davis had made any call to that effect. The official recordings of the patrol's communications had mysteriously gone missing and no issue was raised about it.
The prosecution presented evidence that Davis's mission was to verify the presence of the insurgents so that they could be destroyed by the missile attack. If civilians had been present, he was not to have authorized the attack.
The charges were incomprehensible to Michael and he could not believe how he was being treated by his leadership. As time went on, he almost found himself believing in his guilt. He had been accused so many times of ordering the massacre that he found himself almost believing it. Had he misunderstood or misread his orders? Had he only thought that he had reported those children in the danger zone? He was glad that Jessica, his ex-wife, was no longer around to go through with this. The stress of military deployments had torn their marriage apart, but they had still cared deeply for each other. She had died in a traffic accident over two years before. Going through this with him would have been awful. Without any support to depend upon, Davis was an emotional wreck and was starting to spiral into depression and self-loathing.
The outcome of the court-martial proceedings was surprisingly lenient. He was stripped of his rank and discharged from the Army. No other punishment was deemed necessary. He was transported out of the area to Germany where he found himself turned into a civilian. He would have to find his own way home from there.
Once in Germany, he took commercial flights back to the States. Even though he had booked an economy seat, Michael had found himself upgraded to first class on the flight out of London to New York by an agent who respected him for his military service. Michael was glad that the Army had not publicized his picture. His name had only been used often. Mercifully, his picture had not been used so his face was not widely known but that would probably change after the results of the inquiries and his court martial were made public. He would not be able to go out in public after that.
The flight itself was fairly smooth, but Michael was unable to fall asleep without help. He knew that he could not drink enough of the complimentary alcohol to deaden his mind, so he had to resort to other means. As much as he hated taking drugs, he resorted to washing a sleeping pill down with some water and then managed to doze off. Once he hit REM sleep, the dream he had been enduring for weeks started once again.
He was walking along a gravel road, lined with scrub pine trees. Michael recognized this road. It had been
his second mission in-country and it had gone very wrong. The road curved about a mile ahead and passed
behind a large stand of trees. There was an IED in the road and a band of teen-aged rebels hiding in the trees.
He had been the only one to live through the ambush and he had spent two months in the hospital because of
the wounds he had received.
He was the rear guard in the patrol, thus being the last one in formation, as luck would have it meant he was out
of the kill zone. The other members of the squad were spread out ahead of him. As much as he tried, he was
unable to stop moving or call out to them. He couldn't even look around, but he sensed a dark fog behind him.
The bomb in the middle of the road exploded and the automatic gunfire broke out.
Being in the rear of the formation, Michael was out of the kill zone the insurgents had established. He worked
himself into the trees to attempt flanking the attackers. He reached a point where he saw a group of youths,
barely into their teens, firing upon his comrades. He attacked from the trees, firing from the hip. He killed most
of the insurgents before a machine burst stitched across his body and things went black…
Michael jerked awake, his clothes sodden with cold sweat and his heart pounding. He looked around at his fellow passengers to see if he had said anything in his sleep, but everything appeared normal. He knew that he was dealing with the guilt and self-hate that had come back to him. He had been the one to kill the last of those rebels. Knowing that it was kill or be killed was of little comfort when you were shooting at a man barely old enough to shave.
* * * * *
Being in first class, Michael was one of the first to exit the plane. He was sure that the image people saw when they looked at him was not too favorable. With the poor quality of sleep he had been getting over the past weeks and the condition of his clothing, he probably looked more like a bum than anything else. The shortness of his hair was the only sign that he might be a member of a branch of the military.
He strode though the concourse, intent upon just getting out of the airport. He barely paid attention to his surroundings, going around obstacles on autopilot. His thoughts were intent upon the massacre he had witnessed and his treatment by his leadership. He'd been blamed for authorizing an action that had killed scores of people and he was sure that he had understood his orders. But had he misunderstood them? Was he responsible for the heinous crime he had been accused of? The doubt that arose lead to self-loathing. The expression on his face was enough to discourage any panhandler or leaflet litterer.
He passed the security checkpoint exit and headed out to find transportation into the city. He did not want to be near people and intended to avoid the bus system like the plague. He breathed a brief sigh of relief that there was no wait at the taxi stand and he headed over. The cabs were stopped back from the loading zone and the lead car prepared to pull up. As it began to pull forward, it immediately braked to a sudden stop as it was cut-off by a taxi that roared around the line of cars and pulled up in front of him. The driver of the other taxi leaned on his horn and leaned out his window, yelling profanities at the driver in front of him.
The driver of the cab that had jumped the line hopped out, ignoring the angry yells coming from behind him. He came around to put Davis's duffel bag in the trunk. He was swarthy in appearance, apparently middle Eastern. He opened the rear door for him and said, "Here you are, sir." His voice sounded vaguely Turkish to Davis. He ignored the drama involving the cabs and just nodded his thanks to the driver as he climbed in.
"Where to, sir?" The driver asked. The taxi license listed the driver's name as just Kemel. The picture looked identical to his driver, which surprised Davis. In his experience, the pictures were hard to make out and always seemed to be a couple of years out of date. Things must have changed some in New York.
"Somewhere near downtown please, the Greenwich Village area. I might as well enjoy my night in a ritzy hotel." He planned on spending his only night in town in one of those hotels. He had no idea what he was going to do after that, he had no plans made. If he woke up in the morning, he might visit his parent's home town.
"Yes, sir. You have an address?" Kemel's dialect seemed to get easier to understand as he drove.
"Not really. I'm just going to be there for the night." Michael leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. He noted that the back of the cab was surprisingly clean and there was none of the cracked upholstery and unpleasant odor he remembered from his last visit home.
"Greenwich Village can be pretty expensive this time of year, sir." Kemel responded. "Are you sure that you want to go there?"
"Money really isn't a problem, Kemel. I can afford a good hotel," Davis replied. "I think that a luxury hotel is good place to be tonight."
"Yes, sir," replied Kemel. "We will be there in approximately an hour. There is construction on the 678."
Michael found himself suddenly very drowsy, as if he had been drinking too much. As much as he did not want to experience another dream that might trigger another bout of PTSD, he could not keep his eyes open. He settled back and closed his eyes. "That's fine. I think that I need to take a bit of nap." He yawned uncontrollably and closed his eyes. He was fast asleep almost before the cab pulled away from the curb.
* * * * *
Kemel looked back at Davis in the mirror and smiled. His passenger would be asleep until he was allowed to awaken. They made good time on the 678 and were in Greenwich in less in half the time he had quoted to Davis. However, he continued on past Greenwich itself into a neighborhood several blocks removed from the Village itself. He pulled into a small square bounded on one side by a picturesque park. He pulled up to the building opposite the park where a large, dark-skinned man waited at the curb.
"Is this the one, Kemel?" the man asked, looking through the passenger window.
"Hi, Horace," he answered as he came around to open the trunk. "Yes, I believe so. Mr. L told me that the one we were expecting would be coming in today. He fit the general description, so I grabbed him and brought him over. The others are standing by in case someone else comes in that might be the guy. I put him to sleep to make it easier to handle him." Kemel got Davis's luggage while Horace took Davis out of the cab.
While he was not a small man, Michael looked like a child as Horace picked him up and carried him like a child into the six-story brownstone. While it was not a physically imposing structure, it positively towered over the rest of the one and two-story businesses on the square. Carved into the stone above the entrance was the name of the building "D--ty Arms", the aged stone had crumbled somewhat to obscure the letters in the name. Crouching over the edge of the building and appearing to survey the sidewalk below were four large gargoyles. The sculptor had obviously taken his job seriously because none of the stone figures bore a resemblance to each other, considering that he could have taken the easy way and created four identical concrete guardians. No one in the area took notice of them as they appeared to crane their necks to watch Horace carry Davis into the building.
Standing in the middle of the foyer, was a tall thin gentleman with his hands clasped behind his back. His olive-colored skin made his close-cropped white hair stand out somewhat. The white suit that he wore was neatly pressed, the creases in his trousers looking so sharp they might slice bread. His bearing was rigid, almost military in nature, but he relaxed somewhat as he examined Horace's burden.
He stepped over to where Horace stood with Davis in his arms. At the moment, Michael did not look like the hardened soldier that he was. L beheld a well-built man in his early thirties with a close-cropped military haircut. The face was weather-beaten, obviously having been in the sun for long stretches. What belied his tough-as-nails appearance was the complete relaxation in his face. Obviously, Kemel's sleep spell had been enough to allow Michael to get past the stress he had been experiencing over the past weeks.
"Yes, he is the one we are expecting Horace," he said with a slight smile. "Please pass the message on to Kemel and the others that they no longer need to keep watch. Our next guest will not be coming to the city until the day after tomorrow. Hopefully, we will not need to watch for her. Please place Mr. Davis in one of the comfortable chairs over there and we will see about helping him get checked in." He waved to the waiting area off to one side of the foyer.
"Yes sir, Mr. L," answered Horace, with a nod and Horace settled Davis into a chair. Michael never even stirred. Horace headed back to the street to give Kemel his instructions.
L turned to the little man who was standing to one side, awaiting instructions. "Luk, please make sure that Mr. Davis's room is ready. I believe that we will use the sixth-floor apartment."
Luk bobbed his head and said, "Yes sir. Should I make the usual changes?"
L shook his head and answered, "No. We will make them tonight, after the meeting and he has agreed. We cannot do anything for him until then."
Luk bobbed his head again and scurried away. He returned a few minutes later and said, "Sir, his room is ready."
"Thank you, Luk. Good work," L nodded his approval. "I believe that we can allow Mr. Davis to wake up and check in now." He stepped over to be in front of Davis.
"Mr. Davis," he called. He spoke again, raising his voice. "Mr. Davis!" This time Davis stirred and began to return to the waking world. "Mr. Davis! Please wake up!" L patted Michael's cheeks with a bit of force to get through the sleepiness that had been imposed upon the man.
This time, Davis opened his eyes and began to become aware of his surroundings. It only took moments for him to be fully awake and he jump to his feet. "Where am I? Where's the cab?" He was more than a little concerned about his disorientation because situational awareness was drilled into every soldier.
"The cab driver was unable to wake you up and he had us move you here to the lobby before he left," Mr. L answered. "He told us that you were looking for a hotel room for a couple of days and he dropped you off here."
"What hotel is this?" asked Davis, looking around.
"This is the Deity Arms. My name is Logan and I am the manager," replied Mr. L. "We have prepared a room for you. How long will you be staying?" Logan stood back and gestured to the reception desk where Horace now sat.
Davis did not move from his place by the armchair and said, "I'm sorry Mr. Logan. I asked the cab driver to take me to a hotel in Greenwich Village, I'm afraid that I am not familiar with your establishment."
"I don't know what to tell you, Mr. Davis," replied Logan. "I'm sure that the cab driver had a good reason to leave you with us and we have gone to the trouble of preparing a room."
After the treatment he had endured at the hands of his own superiors, Michael wanted to be in control of what was happening to him. "I'm sorry Mr. Logan. I would feel better staying at a larger hotel for the night. Would you mind calling a cab so that I can move over there?" He looked around to see his bag beside him.
"Certainly, sir. However, it is late in the day. As a rule, taxi cabs do not come to this neighborhood to pick up fares in the evening. Might I suggest that you stop here for the night and move in the morning?"
"Thank you, but your establishment appears to be smaller than the large chains and I would really prefer to not involve you in my affairs. I mean no offense to you or your hotel." Davis bowed to Logan in respect.
"Thank you, sir. I do understand," Logan said as he also bowed slightly. After everything the man endured in the past weeks, the fact that he was still capable of being respectful and this raised Logan's estimation of his guest. "Please do not be put off by the apparent size of our hotel. We are a large institution and we should be able to provide you with anything you might need."
He stepped back a bit and waved toward the check-in desk.
"Please…Avail yourself of our hospitality for this evening and we will assist you in moving to any hotel you might desire in the morning."
Realizing that he was stuck for the night, Michael's resistance collapsed. "Very well. Thank you." Davis gave another slight bow.
L smiled slightly and said, "Please come over to the desk and we will get you signed into your room. As it is getting late in the evening, you may want to consider ordering from room service so that you do not need to leave the building."
They moved to the reception desk where they went through the formality of having Davis sign into a room and to give him a room key. Around them, the main floor of the hotel appeared to be rather spacious, but somewhat spartan. The ceiling was high, giving it an airy atmosphere. There was a single door in the wall opposite to the reception desk, quite probably the hotel manager's office. A standard elevator door was also on that wall. There was a small area at the front of the area for armchairs and benches near the entrance from the street. The fourth wall that was opposite to the entrance was a blank wall, covered with frescoed art depicting what appeared to be ancient buildings.
Luk picked up Michael's bags and led the way over to the elevator. Michael noticed absently that there was only a single elevator to service all the floors. Strange. How many floors were there? Judging by the panel, there were six floors in the building.
Luk made no conversation as they rode up. The elevator appeared to open directly into the room, which also seemed strange to Michael. "Mr. Luk," he said respectfully. "Aren't there more rooms on this floor?"
Luk bowed slightly and said, "This is one of our finest rooms, sir. Mr. Logan wanted to make up for the inconvenience you were being put to. This suite takes up the entire floor. Only the rooms on the seventh floor are better." Luk stopped himself at that point when he realized that he had something wrong, but Davis did not appear to pick up on his slip.
Michael returned the bow. There was something about the man that called for decorum and respect.
"Thank you very much. Would it be possible to be called first thing in the morning?" Davis did not plan on being around come morning, but the wakeup call would put events in motion.
"Of course, sir. Will you be making use of room service this evening? The kitchen is not yet closed."
"No thank you, Mr. Luk," Davis answered. "I believe that I will just turn in. Thank you for your help." He held out a large denomination bill to Luk as a tip, which Luk refused, saying that employees were not allowed to take tips. After all, Luk thought, what would he do with money?
* * * * *
Once Luk had left and he was alone, Davis took stock of his room. Discovering that he had rented the entire floor of a hotel was a shock. Out of habit, he made a brief tour to familiarize himself with the layout as his training always had him looking for an escape route. While having a single bedroom, the apartment consisted of a large sitting room with floor-to-ceiling windows, an eat-in kitchen, and a stocked wet bar. The kitchen was fully supplied with pots, pans, plates and utensils, while the bedroom itself was so large that it put him in the mind of a two-car garage. It was more like an apartment than a hotel room.
He took a glass from the kitchen and a bottle from the bar and returned to sit before the large panoramic window. He found his view framed by the carved stone gargoyles that were placed on either side of the window. It put him in the mind of a medieval castle. He settled into one of the armchairs and poured a glass of whiskey and raised it in silent toast to the ghosts that haunted him. That drink was followed by another and yet another until he was numb.
Completely invisible to Davis and unable to be heard, L and Luk stood in the room, studying him.
"I like him," Luk volunteered. He very seldom spoke to Logan except in response to a question or to request instructions and he never began a conversation. "He is an honorable man and a good soldier. The kind of man that would have worshipped me." His voice was slightly wistful as he remembered when he had been an honored war god so many centuries ago.
"Yes. He is a good man," Logan answered. "He thought that he was carrying out an honorable task. It is not his fault that he was misled or that so many died. He carries the responsibility for their deaths when he does not need to. He is the kind of man our friends need and will be proud to associate themselves with."
* * * * *
Michael sat before the large windows and watched the daylight fade and the city lights flare up. Even at six floors, the hotel was still the tallest building in the area, giving him an excellent view and the large windows improved upon it. As he contemplated the sterile beauty of the scene, he would fill the glass and sip the smoky alcohol.
His mind hashed and re-hashed the events surrounding the massacre he had somehow been blamed for and the anger and self-loathing came rushing back. It had been a Black operation, meaning that only the commander, the support team, and the team in the field would know about it. He had been in a few of these Ops before, where a field commander was bucking for promotion and wanted to prove he was worthy of a colonel's wings or a general's star. If the Op succeeded, they could claim the credit or deny all knowledge if things went wrong. Success depended upon choosing the right operational intelligence and field team. Only one Op had ever gone bad for him and Davis had been able to prove that the colonel in charge had sent them across the border against higher orders. Could that have been why his own leadership had treated him this way? He lost track of time as he ultimately emptied the bottle and fell into an alcohol-fueled slumber.
He found himself moving in the dark with the rest of his team, making their way silently to the positions they had
identified with drones. The presence of the team was necessary to make the final identification of their targets
as the presence of the drones in this area would be noticed.
Peters dropped off at the top of the hill to settle himself into his blind. Anders, Maxwell, and Olsen spread out to
their positions across the hill. Davis had selected a spot approximately three hundred yards from the village.
They were well hidden before the sun rose and could make them visible.
Davis found himself reliving the entire massacre again. He really had tried to prevent the deaths of everyone
in the village. The graphic images of the destroyed buildings and of the dead played before his eyes.
The grief he felt at witnessing something so heinous overwhelmed him yet again. It only reinforced his feeling that he must somehow atone for all those deaths with his own.
* * * * *
Michael snapped awake, his senses on high alert. Something had awakened him. He was in a combat crouch before he saw L and Luk standing beside him.
Before he could speak, L said, "Please be calm, Major Davis. You are quite safe here."
Davis straightened and looked back at the hotelier. "What do you want?" His tone was decidedly hostile, but then it was bad manners to enter someone's bedroom and more than a little creepy.
L smiled disarmingly. He was quite accustomed to the brusque manners of mortals. Davis was also entitled to be annoyed at the perceived trespass, in addition to having to deal with his PTSD. They did not want a docile pushover for what they had in mind and Davis only continued to demonstrate his fitness.
"I have some friends who would very much like to speak with you. I'm afraid that now is the only time that is feasible."
Michael could only look at L with a questioning expression. Before he could voice his opinion of how stupid the request sounded, L held up his hand to forestall him.
"Major Michael Davis, I promise you that you will be interested in what we have to say. It will be beneficial to us all."
Davis cocked his head at L. He knew that the whole incident had started as a minor news item and that was the only time his rank had been mentioned. The massacre of the one village had ignited a firestorm over whether the US military should continue the fighting in the Middle East or if everyone should be withdrawn.
L waved his hand to the door. "Please join us. I promise that everything will be explained."
"I'll need to change my clothes first," Michael said. He looked over to where he had dropped his clothes and came to a dead stop when he looked back at the bed. To see himself lying face up and apparently asleep.
Anticipating his thoughts, L said, "No. You are not dead, even though you have contemplated it in the past. We are in a place where dreams exist on a different level."
As L was explaining, Michael looked away from the bed and down at himself to see that he was dressed in his full-dress uniform. He had not worn these clothes since Donaldson's funeral a year before. His dress-blues had been left behind in Afghanistan when he had been discharged. He could only assume that he must see himself as wearing his uniform in his dream. Instead of letting his appearance unnerve him, he just accepted it and shrugged.
"I don't know if this is your dream or mine, Mr. Logan," Michael said. "I guess that I am at your mercy."
"Please follow me," L said. "There is a great deal to be done." He left the room without looking back. Luk stepped to Davis's side and gestured that they should follow. They caught up with L at the elevator. The door opened as they approached and they filed in. Michael found himself standing between Luk and L. The elevator car did not seem to move after the door closed and then reopened almost immediately.
Outside the door, Michael saw greyness. But it was not caused by mist or fog, but instead seemed to emanate or bleed from the air itself. There seemed to be light of some form up above somewhere, but the exact source was impossible to pin down. There was the impression of a extremely high ceiling of a room and, at the same time, the absence of anything but sky overhead. In both the far distance of the place and close up, there seemed to be people moving about. Their forms were indistinct and Michael thought that the place must be playing with his sense of proportion or perspective as the forms seemed to be very large.
Michael found himself being left behind as L and Luk walked into the vastness and he hurried to catch up. It could have been an airplane hangar or a mountain valley as he could not get a sense of size. They walked for several minutes before the ground resolved itself into well-groomed grass that ended in white stone steps leading up to a dais or stage-like formation.
As he reached the top step, he saw that they stood at the focus of a large amphitheater. There appeared to be thousands of seats for an audience. The greyness that had been so pervasive when they had entered had receded outside of the amphitheater. Underfoot was green grass as cool and fresh as any Michael had ever had a chance to enjoy, that gave off the smell of freshly cut grass. Confusingly, there was a blue sky and sunshine directly overhead.
The seats were rapidly filling with men and women who wore wildly varying forms of apparel. Some wore elegant clothes while others were clad in robes or animal furs. The clothes that they wore barely registered, however. What drew Michael's attention was the fact that the people who were taking seats were human sized and human shaped. However, he watched as these people approached the amphitheater from the sides and back as giants. They rapidly shrank down to match human scale as they moved into the arena and took seats.
He turned to L for a possible explanation, but he was only waved to a seat on a bench beside L. Luk took up a standing position behind L. As he turned to L with a question forming on his lips, L held up his hand and said, "Explanations are forthcoming, Mr. Davis. You will have a chance to ask questions. Please make sure that they are good ones."
The audience was very well behaved and was completely silent. There was a sense of attention and expectation when L stood and walked to the center of the dais.
"My friends," he began, his voice easily carrying in the silence. "I have been your host and your guardian for a very long time. As I told you before, the Balance is threatened and I have undertaken to find a champion for you. That is the extent of what I can do, however. You must explain to him your need and ask him for his assistance."
Michael immediately understood that L could only be referring to him, but he had no idea what was meant beyond that. Before he could stand and voice any questions, a man and woman stood up from opposite sides of the audience and walked to the dais.
They appeared to be perfect specimens of humanity in every way. If he had seen the woman on the street, he would have followed after her and done everything he could to meet her and know her. The smile she gave Michael was casual and friendly smile that was both welcoming and calming. She wore a light-blue toga that reached almost to her knees. Her golden hair was pulled together in back so that it fell down the center of her back, exposing an oval-shaped face. Her eyes seemed to alternate between a deep blue and some shade of lavender.
The man was someone who would put you on your guard the minute you saw him for some unknowable reason. When Michael's gaze met the newcomer's dark eyes, he immediately felt as if he were under attack. His appearance seemed to change subtly if you were not paying attention. One moment, he looked like some sort of strong man and the next he was a normal, well-built guy. His expression did not change though. He gave off the impression of a very self-assured person who was always in control. He had an open kind of face, a sharp nose, and a square chin. His bearing said that he was not someone to get into a fight with. At the same time, Michael felt a kind of kinship with him.
The three of them stood there for several moments studying each other. Though neither of the newcomers looked as if they were dressed formally, Michael was glad that he was in his dress uniform.
He waited for another moment and finally broke the silence, "Who are you people?" He had seen some strange things already and it was becoming difficult to believe that they were coming from his subconscious. If this was somehow real, he wanted some answers.
The woman spoke first, her voice rich and cultured with no trace of an accent, "You're right. I think that introductions will make things go faster. Major Davis, we have had many names. You may call me Peace and he is War." She inclined her head toward the man next to her. Michael almost got the impression that acknowledging the man's presence required an effort on her part. The man bowed at the waist in a courtly manner.
Michael was at a complete loss for words. Things had been happening to him that he had no control over for quite some time. Most of those events seemed to be beyond explanation. All he could do was nod in acknowledgment as he was introduced.
Peace smiled as she said, " Major Davis, I can see that you are confused. Let us sit down together to allow us to explain what is going on. I promise that things will make sense."
War gestured to one side on the dais where a table and chairs had appeared. The seats in the audience section of the amphitheater were now completely full with silent observers.
After they were seated, War leaned forward on the table and looked at Michael intently. "I believe that you might be the one we need, Major." His voice was deep and conveyed a sense of confidence and welcome. Davis really did not feel comforted though.
Peace frowned at War for a moment, annoyed that he was just contributing to the confusion, and then she looked at Michael again.
" Major, much of what I am going to tell you will sound impossible and I just ask you to bear with us." At Michael's nod of agreement, she continued. "First, this gentleman and I are gods." She indicated War. "Not gods with a big G, though. We are the embodiment of Peace and War in the world. Our friends," she indicated the mass of people around them, "are just like us."
"What would gods want with someone like me?" Michael asked.
"There is something called the Balance in the universe, Major," War said.
"You mean the balance between Good and Evil?" Michael could understand that.
"Yes, something like that," Peace nodded in acknowledgement. "But there is a balance in all things. Light and Dark, Good and Evil, War and Peace. The balance between War and myself is in danger of being upset. Both sides of the Balance are necessary in the lives of people in the world. If peace becomes ascendant, cultures will stop growing and developing. They will ultimately die out. If War becomes prevalent, it would ultimately result in the destruction of the world."
Michael nodded, but did not really understand. "The world appears to be fairly stable, at least according to your description of what it should be."
War spoke up. "That is true, Major. But not in actuality. Someone is killing the avatars of Peace and is working to reduce her influence in the world. If Peace is removed from the world, I will exist unchecked. While it might seem like something I would relish, we need each other to survive."
"Can't you just stop the fighting around the world?" Michael asked War, frowning.
"It does not work that way," Peace said. "We exist because people believe that we exist. Our influence on the world is always there, but it is strongest with and around our avatars. Some of us might only have a single avatar in the world, partly because of the level of belief and confidence in us. As our avatars work in the world, we gain additional adherents and avatars.
"At a certain point, avatars become unnecessary as attitudes and opinions of people are following our path already. Right now, the worlds are angry places and War does not have an incarnation on any world. Because of that, I have or had, many incarnations walking the worlds, trying to balance out the violence that exists everywhere."
Peace stopped and closed her eyes with a grimace. War took up the narrative again.
"Someone is killing the avatars of Peace, Major. If her final incarnation is killed here on Earth, the power of War will become too great to resist and it will precipitate the end of existence. The end of existence across all worlds."
Michael just sat and looked at the god of War across the table from him. The end of the world was something that he had faced every time he and his team went out on a mission, but it was just the end for him. He had fought to prevent the end of everything for his entire life.
"But why do you need me?" He looked between Peace and War.
Peace leaned forward. "Protect my last avatar until the cause of this instability can be stopped, Michael."
Michael sat back from the table in confusion. "Why can't you defend them? I mean, you're gods." He looked back and forth between them. "Aren't you?"
War shook his head. "We no longer take a direct hand in our interactions with the world, at least with the exception of avatars. Those of us here only work to influence people now. There are very few of us with the power to interact with the world and to directly affect it." War glanced at L as he said this.
Michael turned to Peace and asked, "But can't you just get another avatar if the last one is killed?"
She nodded in response. "Yes, but bonding with an avatar takes time. While there are many people who believe in and support peace, it takes time for an avatar to gain the ability to have a close relationship with us. Almost all avatars are completely unaware that they are, in fact, an avatar for one of us.
"However, Harmony knows something is going on, even though she does not know she is my avatar. When she speaks to groups of people, they listen to her and lose their desire to argue and fight. That is why she has become one of the chief negotiators for the United Nations on their peace missions. If she is lost to the world, it would be quite some time before another person could replace her."
"Time that would be lost to the violent natures in people," War said. "The worlds might not recover from it this time."
Michael frowned in confusion. "You keep saying worlds. Why?"
War smiled indulgently. "You only see your own level of creation. There are actually many levels of existence. They also balance each other. If your world destroys itself, it would be like tipping the first domino in a long line. All of creation would end."
L stood up at the end of the table to take the lead in the conversation.
"I have been informed that our problems are being caused by the gods Nyx and Erebus," he said to the group. "They have long hated how creation favored order and light. Their intent is to cause everything to collapse and return it to the darkness and chaos that they prefer."
"Can't you stop them?" Michael asked.
"No, we cannot," L replied. "They have never had many adherents and they have never been able to invest an avatar. As a result, they have manifested themselves as humans in your world to be able to affect events. They are currently beyond our ability to control."
"My avatar must continue her work as much as she can so that peace has a chance to work in the world," Peace said. "But her life is in danger. My existence as a god is in danger as well."
Michael frowned. "I don't understand."
"If my avatar is killed ritually, I will be unable to find another true avatar for almost a generation of human existence. If she dies any other way, I must still find another human who is compatible as an avatar even though that would require less time. The existence of creation will still be in danger during that time."
Michael sat, digesting the information his hosts had thrown at him. Realistically, this all sounded like some sort of fantasy. Considering he had looked down at his own body at one point, this had to be a dream. Everything seemed more real than any dream he had before though.
"Major Davis," L said, rejoining the conversation. "I know the circumstances surrounding your last mission. The fact that the terrorist stronghold you reconnoitered was a children's school was concealed from you. It was always intended that the village would be destroyed. You and your team were also intended to die in that attack. Your superiors wanted you to believe that the deaths of those children were somehow your responsibility."
"I'm not guilty?" Davis's relief was almost overwhelming. He had been sure that he was not to blame, but even he had begun to have doubts. The realization that he and his team had been manipulated and used in such a way was a shock and disappointing. He expected better from the people who had been his commanders.
"No, you are not. You were made into a scapegoat for political and monetary reasons. Your superiors knew full well the truth. They allowed themselves to be corrupted and led to believe that removing the United States from the area would allow them to share in the mineral riches of the region."
Michael felt a great relief at that news. He had killed people as part of his duty as a soldier, but to know that he was not guilty of killing an entire village of people who did not deserve it was a load off his shoulders.
He smiled happily at Peace. "So, you need me to act in your place. As another avatar. I have to point out that I am a soldier." She returned his gaze, shaking her head no.
"No, we need you to be _my_ avatar," War said. "We want you to be the guardian of the last avatar of Peace."
He nodded his head and said, "I can do that. I guess that I'm your man."
War smirked as the scene before Michael began to fade into grey. "Not exactly, Major. But you'll do."
To Save the Worlds
Chapter 2
The sun was shining through a gap in the drapes, casting plenty of light. Michael found himself squinting as he woke. The bed was comfortable, probably the best he had slept in for quite some time. He lay still for a bit, just enjoying the feel of the bed and the scent of fresh linen. These were things that he had not had a chance to experience in quite some time.
His view of the room was obstructed somewhat by how the bedcovers were gathered over him. He attempted to move them out of the way, but he quickly realized that the blanket was not bunched up but was just resting on his body. To his utter astonishment, he found that the body parts in the way were two lumps of wiggly flesh where his rock-hard pecs should have been. He gasped as he realized that he appeared to have grown a pair of female breasts. When he rolled over to the side of the bed, the shifting of his chest and the pulling of his hair confirmed that assessment.
As he grasped his new breasts an electric feeling of shock went through him even as he refused to accept the evidence before him. He was sure that he must not be fully awake or that he was hallucinating. He practically threw himself out of bed. Looking down at himself, a pair of generous breasts tented out a shorty nightgown that revealed shapely legs below. Light colored hair curtained around both sides of his face as he looked down.
This had to be a continuation of the dream he had been having last night, but it was not like any dream he had before. Had he been drugged somehow? And was it still affecting him? He didn't feel as if his thoughts were clouded or running slow. It felt like he was thinking as clearly as he ever had.
As he looked around, he saw the sweats he had worn earlier tossed into an armchair against one wall. What really caused a chill to go down his back was a dress uniform hung neatly in the open closet. This definitely had to be a dream as he had left all of his uniforms behind in Afghanistan. A closer look told him that the uniform was a blouse, jacket, and skirt, complete with ribbons and decorations, some that he had never earned.
He found it odd that he would be dreaming of being a woman, but not upset about it. It must be somehow due to all the stress he had been dealing with over the past few months. He must be trying to escape it in some way. Still, everything was especially clear with none of the vagueness he was accustomed to in dreams. This was more vivid than the nightmares that had been plaguing him.
The bedroom looked the same as it had the night before, but the bags he had brought in were nowhere in sight. As he looked around the room, he noticed a large white envelope leaning against the lamp on the bedside table. He had not seen it in the flurry of jumping out of bed and his brief self-examination.
A name was written on the outside of the envelope. He seemed to recall hearing somewhere that people usually could not read any kind of writing in dreams. He frowned as he could plainly see that the envelope was addressed to Alexa Concordia Davis.
As he read the name, things seemed to somehow shift around in his head. It could only be likened to clicks and thumps as things reorganized themselves in his mind. It was barely perceptible to him that he found himself changing his mindset from male to female. He did notice that his initial panic at discovering his transformation faded and that he was much more comfortable in his new situation.
It was Alexa instead of Michael who opened the envelope to find a current driver's license from New York state with Alexa's name on it. The small picture showed a pretty, ash-blonde woman. The birthdate showed that she was just in her late twenties, about ten years younger than Michael had been. Looking over the other documents revealed a diplomatic passport with a similar picture, a birth certificate in her name that matched the birthdate on her license, and a valid military ID card. She was still an officer in this dream and, apparently, still in the good graces of the Army. It was somewhat gratifying to see that she was still held the rank of Major.
It was interesting to her that she now had memories of being Michael Davis, Special Forces commander and discharged from the service with a general discharge, and also of being Alexa Davis, a combat fitness instructor at West Point. She would have explored the dichotomy, but a familiar sensation called her attention back to her physical needs and she hurried into the bathroom to empty her bladder. As she sat automatically, she reflected that she should be freaking out at peeing as a girl, but it seemed normal to her. Once she was finished on the commode, she removed the nightgown to study herself.
The mirror showed an attractive blonde woman that matched the picture on the license, with hair down past her shoulders, braided for the most part to expose a heart-shaped face. Michael's formerly brown eyes were now a vibrant dark blue that almost had a glow to them. She appeared to be about five feet nine inches; a few inches shorter than Michael's six feet. Michael had been fairly well-built, though his muscle tone had started to slip with his age and she appeared to be in good physical shape.
Her shoulders were no longer as broad as they had been, but she was well toned and had just the right amount of fat to give her some very feminine curves. Looking at her assets in the mirror, they were not nearly as large as they seemed to be when she looked down at them. Holding a breast in each hand, she found them to be firm, with little sag but they had some weight in her hands. She squeezed slightly and found them firm, but soft at the same time. It was strange to have memories of Michael being with a woman and fondling her breasts and to also be holding a pair of her own now. But squeezing her breasts evoked no erotic thoughts that would normally go through a man's head.
She continued to look at herself, turning from side to side to get a better idea of who she was now. So, he was dreaming that he was now a woman. While the change was a bit confusing, there was really nothing wrong with it. He had no close family left alive to explain things to and no girlfriend who would go to pieces about it.
Michael found himself approaching this new wrinkle like any mission he had ever been on. Instead of becoming upset about conditions he had no control over, it was best to accept those things you cannot control and go forward with it. That was the best way to survive things. That meant that he was no longer Michael Davis, the guy, but that she was Alexa Davis, the lady. Things would snap back to normal when he woke up.
Her self-study was interrupted by the ringing of the phone beside the bed. She answered by the third ring.
“Hello,” her voice was richly throaty and mellow.
L’s measured tones came through, as if he were standing before her. “Good morning, Miss Davis. You have no doubt noticed some changes. Would you please join me for breakfast after you have prepared yourself for the day? I would like to brief you on your mission.”
"Mr. Logan, I'm not sure what is going on," she told dream-Logan. "I'm having some problems at the moment!"
"Major Davis," L said. "I assure you that you are wide awake and that you are completely sane. Please come down to the café and I will explain what you need to know." There seemed to be a bit of an undertone of amusement in his voice.
“Very well,” she replied. All she could do was allow this to run to the end. “I’ll be ready as soon as I can.”
“Excellent,” he replied. “I’ll have Luk call for you.” The line clicked as he hung up.
She put the phone back on the cradle and looked around. She found her luggage in the closet, below a full complement of skirts, tops, and dresses. The drawers of the bureau were filled with panties, bras, and hosiery. All different colors and styles. She even found a set of BDU's in what she knew was her size. She considered wearing them, but it just did not seem right to do so.
While she had a wide variety to choose from, she opted for more utilitarian undergarments to start the day with, choosing a plain white bra and panty set. For all her acceptance of her new state, Alexa feared the time that she might have opportunities to model some of the racier items she saw in the bureau.
She examined her hair in the mirror and determined that it did not require a shampoo treatment as yet. That made sense in a dream. She pinned up her braid, the knowledge of how to get her hair into that shape making itself known as she needed it. There was probably an entire library of information on how to be a lady stored away in her head. She would have to see what all was in there.
In the shower, she soaped herself and rinsed as she always had when she had been Michael. Yes, certain parts of her body were more sensitive and hinted at being more responsive as well. Now was not the time for exploration though, but the possibility of doing so was appealing. Hopefully, not later than tonight. But she needed to meet with Mr. Logan to find out what was going on.
Michael had been quite happy to be a man and liked the strength and authority that went with it. He had enjoyed more than a few evenings with members of the opposite sex and he knew that they had enjoyed being with him. Now that he was a woman, he still felt quite natural. The big change was that he would be the hunted rather than the hunter. As a woman, he would not be easily caught.
Intellectually, she knew that she did not have the same body strength as a man and would not be accorded the same kind of deference that a man received. But she could deal with that. His training and experience as a soldier had taught him to Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome and she would apply that philosophy to this situation as well.
Looking at her wardrobe, nothing presented itself in her mind to guide her as to what would look proper for the day. She opted for a pair of nude, stay-up stockings, a sun-yellow blouse and a royal blue skirt that matched her eyes perfectly. Based upon the amount of blue in her wardrobe, it was probably her favorite color. Her complexion was completely clear and flawless. The old scar that had marked Michael's right cheekbone from a piece of shrapnel was gone as if it had never existed. Surprisingly, when she didn’t think about it, she knew how and what she needed for appropriate daytime makeup and she only used some mascara and a minimum of blush. A coat of a light-colored lipstick capped it off.
After letting her hair out of the braid, she used the brushes she found in the bathroom to smooth it to a glossy finish. There seemed to be streaks of lighter blond interspersed with the dark so that her hair almost seemed to sparkle as the light struck it. The braid had given her mane a bit of a wave, which only accentuated the attractiveness of the girl that looked back from the mirror. She found herself feeling a bit of pride in her appearance, which disturbed the Michael side of her a bit. As an Army officer, he had always taken pride in how he looked, but this was different somehow. She knew that her hair was long enough to be out of regulation and she would need to put it up in braids again if she were to be in uniform. But the longer hair would also be good camouflage to hide her identity if someone were looking for a military person.
There was a knock on the door as she was pulling on the two-inch heels that she found in the closet. She automatically picked up the handbag that had been set on the table in her room and went to open the entry door to the suite.
Luk stood waiting for her outside, dressed in a dark grey business suit. He bowed slightly to her and said, "Good morning, Major Davis. May I escort you to your meeting?" He was very formal in his bearing and it was obvious that he was trying to show her a great deal of respect.
"Thank you, Mr. Luk," she replied. As she looked at him, Alexa did not see a man who was barely five feet tall and was almost as wide. For some reason, she saw an image superimposed over him of a seven-foot-tall bear of a man, carrying a battle axe. The memories of her dream meeting of the night before came back to her and she decided to go with the weird feeling she had.
"Mr. Luk? May I ask you a strange question?" At his nod, she continued. "I know this might sound strange, but are you a war god?"
The small man smiled at her a bit sadly and answered, "I was once, ma'am. The villagers who worshipped me were successful in many battles. But they lost faith in me when they lost a few times and found themselves dispersed at the end. There must be someone out there who remembers me, but my essence would have passed on into memory without L's help."
For some reason, Alexa, as a warrior herself, could see into Luk's heart and mind and knew that he had done what he could for his worshippers. Apparently, a god can only do so much for his people, then they need to do the rest. He must have been a good and powerful war god for them.
She stopped as they were walking to the elevator and turned to Luk. Scarily, her first impulse was to curtsey. Fighting that, she bowed deeply to him and said, "I am honored to meet you sir. I can see that you did what you could for your people."
Luk was taken aback at the respect she was paying him and there were tears at the corners of his eyes as he returned her bow. "Thank you again, ma'am. I did try. It is you who honor me by agreeing to be our avatar."
They stepped into the elevator and she looked at Luk. "Yeah, about that,” she said dryly. “I would have thought that the avatar for war would traditionally be a man."
Luk nodded in understanding and smiled at her. "Yes, I understand. L will explain everything to you. I know that there is a good reason for your current form."
"I hope so," she responded. "I would like to find out if I get my jock strap back when this dream is over." That joke got a broad smile from Luk.
The elevator stopped at the first floor and opened into the brightly lit lobby. The other side of the lobby no longer ended with the blank wall that had been there yesterday. It now opened into a large dining area and a collection of tables. Logan sat at a large round table near the center of the room. Looking around the restaurant, Michael saw that they were either the first customers of the day or maybe only customers of the day.
She followed Luk to Logan's table and her host stood to welcome her. Luk moved to hold the chair for the newly minted woman as she took her seat. She automatically swept her dress under her to avoid creases. Logan watched her behavior with a slight smile that went unnoticed by Alexa. She smiled her thanks at Luk for his help and nodded again. Her act of respect was not lost on her host.
"Mr. Luk," Logan began. "I had not thought to include you in this morning's conference, but I believe that Major Davis wouldn't mind having you join us. Please take a seat." He indicated the third chair at the table. The one that had not been there when they had approached the table.
"Thank you, sir, ma'am," Luk said, bowing his head to his boss and to Alexa.
L turned to Alexa and said, "Good morning, Major Davis. I hope that you slept well."
She smiled at Logan. "Yes, I did. But I am obviously still dreaming." She cupped her breasts with both hands and said, "I will admit that I always found a woman's breasts attractive, but I never realized that I had a subconscious desire for a pair of my own."
L smiled slightly at her. Even though he was obviously amused at her statement, there was no condescension in his voice as he asked, "Why do you say that?"
Alexa looked at him for a moment and then waved her hand to indicate their surroundings. "I dreamt of going into a room in the hotel that was actually larger than the entire square outside and met a bunch of people who said they were god. They asked me to do something strange and then I find myself in my hotel room as a thirty-something cute girl. To top it off, I am then invited to breakfast in a restaurant that was not here last night when I checked in."
Her voice had risen has she made each point and she was doing her best to rein in her emotions. Bad manners, even in a dream, was something that she did not believe in.
L smiled at her. It was not mocking or indulgent, it was a smile of someone who knew a secret, intended to share that secret with you, and meant you no harm.
"Please, relax and have some breakfast. Since you skipped dinner, you must be starving. I will explain everything you need to know and put your mind at ease."
A breakfast cart now sat beside Alexa's seat and she served herself while L began his orientation. She noted that neither of her hosts were eating, they did not even have a coffee cup on the table before them.
"First, and foremost, I assure you that you are completely awake and not dreaming. Last night, you drank yourself into oblivion with the vague desire of not waking in the morning. We waited until you were dreaming before we asked you to join us. After all, a mortal does not easily walk into a conclave of gods."
He gestured to indicate their surroundings.
"This is a very special hotel. All of the many deities that have been worshipped throughout history have come through my doors at one time or another. When you said that you dreamt that they told you they were god, that was not accurate. They are gods who no longer have the importance and power that they once had. Many of them could be thought of as retirees as they are only remembered as myths and legends."
Alexa took a sip of juice and looked at Logan with an indulgent smile. "Excuse me, Mr. Logan. Are you saying that I am dreaming of a retirement home for old gods?"
L smiled at her unintended joke. "Yes. In a sense, that is true. I would like to correct a couple of things. To the outside world, I go by the name Logan, but here I am known simply as L. I know that this all seems like fantasy to you, but I assure you that you are completely awake and you are now completely a woman named Alexa Concordia Davis, avatar to the god of War. As another point, I know that you consider your breasts to be large, but they are not. They are proportional to the rest of your body." He smiled a bit more as he pointed out that Alexa's endowments were not out of the ordinary.
"As you have noted, Luk was, or is, a war god," L continued.
Alexa nodded cautiously in agreement. As Michael, she had never had a dream like this before and they had never been this vivid. If she accepted that this was reality and not a dream, it meant that what L was saying to her was real as well. One of the first things a soldier learned was to let the briefing unfold as the leader wished and save questions for when it was your turn. Besides, it was not wise to annoy someone who could change your body, if not your entire life.
She frowned at him. "If I am an avatar to the god of War, what's with this body? Shouldn't I be a guy and covered with muscles? I would think that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be preferable to Shirley Temple."
L nodded to her. "I will admit that your current form was strongly influenced by Peace. You have her to thank for your looks and shapely form. I believe that War insisted that you at least be a Valkyrie. As far as a woman goes, gods and avatars are not produced from a template. They come in all sizes and shapes. Basically, you cannot judge a book by its cover."
He continued, saying, "There are many gods of war, peace, good, and evil. Any emotion, desire, or belief that humans have had through the centuries has found its way into manifesting itself as a deity in some form. The term god or deity only means that they have more ability and knowledge than the average mortal. There is still something greater than us and I have been tasked to find a champion to save us all."
Alexa argued back at L's statement. "What do you mean save? You have far more power than someone like me will ever have. I bet that I can't even lift my old backpack now and I certainly can't fight with it on my back."
"Deities are not immortal. They have the choice of remaining in this realm and continuing their existence. Those who choose to go into the mortal world must take a corporeal form. They might still have some of their abilities, but they also risk their lives like any mortal. Gods with avatars are tied closely to their avatar's lives and run risks as well. There is a movement afoot in the mortal world to eliminate the god of peace so that war will become ascendant by default."
L leaned forward to look Alexa in the eye and said, "If one world destroys itself in this way, all other worlds will die as well."
Alexa blinked for a moment, trying to marshal her thoughts. There were many questions to be asked and many topics as well. But L's statement of worlds stood out to her.
"What do you mean worlds?"
"Many worlds exist in conjunction with the one you are familiar with. You would term them parallel words."
"Then how would all worlds die if something happens here? Wouldn't there still be worlds where the disaster did not happen?"
L nodded. "That would be true when only mortals are involved. I'm afraid that the death of a god or their absence transcends all worlds. You have accepted the task of defending the avatar of Peace. As an avatar of War."
"Okay," Alexa said. "I can understand that the god of War would not want everything to end and he has just as much to lose as Peace does. But why am I a woman?" She also wanted to ask why she was comfortable with being transformed from Michael into Alexa, but she would bring it up later.
L smiled at her. "A god is neither a man or a woman, it all depends upon how they are perceived by mortals. There have even been some that were all tentacles, but they have not been seen for a while. The reason you are Alexa Concordia Davis is because you will be safeguarding Harmony Moon. Michael Davis would not be able to escort Harmony everywhere, so you became Alexa to remove barriers.
"Your name quite literally means Guardian of Peace."
L produced a folder that he slid over to her. "This is the information that has been compiled about Harmony," he said. While Alexa glanced through the pages, she listed as L explained that Harmony was the chief negotiator for the U.N. and was highly successful at resolving disputes. This was not surprising as she was the current avatar of Peace. Harmony was not aware of what she was as it might affect how well she did her job. Her bond with Peace was so great that she had manifested aspects of Peace in the world around her.
Alexa stopped at the various photographs of the woman that had to be Harmony Moon. She held one of them up to show L.
"I've seen her! I met her a year or so ago," she said, a bit excited. As Michael, he had only met her briefly and had only exchanged a hello. But there had been something about her that had entranced him at the time and had been in his thoughts for quite a while after that.
"Yes, I am ware of that, Major," L replied. The connection Michael and Harmony had experienced was one of the reasons Michael had been desired for this mission. "At this time, Harmony and her security team are preparing to return to New York from a summit meeting between several sub-Saharan Africa nations. She has secured a cease fire between them all with promises of aid from the more developed nations. The goal is to restore the farming districts and help the region work toward becoming self-sustaining again. She is traveling with a large security team that has already stopped one attack on her.
"You will act as her bodyguard within the larger group. The large amount of protection is necessary until our agents are able to find and neutralize Nyx and Erebus. When we are finished here, War has asked that you meet with him. Use the elevator to go to the seventh floor and it will open to where you are supposed to be."
Alexa frowned and said, "But there are only six floors to this hotel. I know that I only saw six floors on the elevator panel just now."
L smiled. "When it is necessary, there are many floors available in the elevator. Welcome to Deity Arms, Major Davis."
With that, L rose and excused himself with a bow to her. As he strode out of the small restaurant, Luk scrambled to take his leave of Alexa and he hurried after his boss.
Alexa watched L walk away and wondered what he was the god of. He struck her as confident in himself, but she did not get a feeling that he was a war god like Luk was and he did not give off a vibe that she had sensed in Peace the night before. No, he was another kind of god altogether.
She shrugged the question off, she had enough on her mind right now. Sitting back in her chair with her juice, she took time to think. First, it was apparent that this was not a dream but reality, regardless as to how unbelievable it was. She was a woman and feeling fairly comfortable about it, which was confusing all by itself. Next, she was supposed to be the human representative of the god of War. That is what an avatar was, right? Finally, she had agreed to be the bodyguard for the avatar of Peace. Simple, right? She shrugged and thought, ‘as they say in the teams, if it was easy anyone could do it.’
She finished off the juice and pushed the remnants of breakfast away. It was time to keep her appointment with the god of War. She smiled and nodded her thanks to the young woman she saw waiting in the back of the restaurant. Was she a god as well or an avatar? It did not really matter. Respect should still be paid.
The elevator door opened immediately when she pressed the call button to reveal War leaning against the back of the car with his arms folded. Alexa found it strange that the embodiment of warfare, death, and destruction was looking dapper in a business suit. His dark eyes again put Alexa on guard, there was a sense of power in them. It was not directed at her, rather it was just part of him.
"Finally," he said. "I was about to come after you if you didn't hurry up." While his statement was sarcastic in nature, she did not get a sense that he was being an ass, it seemed more like an attempt at humor. The smile that appeared confirmed that. Once she stepped in, he reached to the panel and pressed the seventh floor.
"This is an interesting elevator," Alexa observed. "Does it only go up and down?" She returned his smile with her own.
"Yes," War responded, with a smile, showing that he got the joke. "Who needs a Willy Wonka elevator? This one will take us where we need to go."
The door opened almost as quickly as it had closed to reveal a large room that was part conference room and part workout room.
"Please sit down, Major," War said. "L wanted to give you the basic orientation of your transformation, but I asked him to allow me to finish briefing you on your mission." He had a lop-sided smile on his face as he continued, "After all, L has never had an avatar. He won't know some things as well as some of the rest of us."
Alexa took a seat, thinking that the god's attitude was rather disrespectful toward L. From what she had gathered, everyone was here through the courtesy of L. If he had the ability to provide a home for deities who could claim to have powers, just how powerful was he? She wished that she knew more about Greek mythology.
He studied her face for a moment and said, "Harmony Moon is in the process of finishing her current assignment and will be returning to New York after that. Your mission will be to act as her bodyguard until Nyx and Erebus have been neutralized."
"Do you know how long that will take?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No, I don't. L is unable to track them, except by their activities. When Harmony arrives, you and she will stay here in the hotel while she is in New York. There is no place safer. Do you have any particular questions?"
"Yes, about that," Alexa started. "L said that I was made into a woman to protect Harmony. When this is over, will I change back into Michael? Being a woman is not something I'm very comfortable with." She omitted the fact that she had found much of what she had done so far this morning to be second nature.
War looked thoughtful for a moment. "There is no reason why that cannot happen. Let me explain a bit about your situation or condition.
"First, you were given the knowledge you need as a woman by Freya. She is another resident here and is very knowledgeable about all things woman. You will feel better as time goes on.
"As for being my avatar, it can take a long time for a god to bond with an avatar. There are many people attuned to gods like Peace and myself. As a warrior, you were closer to me than the average mortal. We endeavor to have these connections so that we are always part of the world. The Chaos goddesses have worked to eliminate everyone who could easily become the next avatar of Peace if Harmony were to be killed. That is why Peace will be unable to bond with another avatar immediately and the worlds will be plunged into conflict. She will have to wait for someone whose personal philosophy is close to matching her aspects.
"A god does not just choose an avatar. Rather, an avatar makes themselves ready for a god. A person is not normally aware of that bond as it can affect how they behave and interact with others. This can affect how the god might affect the world through them. Your case is different though. When you agreed to become my avatar, I was able to bond with you immediately because you were aware of what I am. I then impressed the lifeforce of a Valkyrie upon you. You currently have twice the normal lifeforce of a mortal as a result.
"Because you are my avatar, you will have access to some of my abilities or attributes. I have prevented the more belligerent aspects of my personality from showing through in you. I do not believe that having the people around wanting to start fights all the time would be beneficial to your mission. You have physical abilities and improved healing as well as some esoteric abilities that are usually attributed to me. The main reason you were chosen for this task was that you were already a good tactician and you are an expert at hand-to-hand combat. Those skills will be somewhat enhanced. Unfortunately, I will not have time to educate you in what you might be able to do. You will have to learn as you go.”
Alexa frowned in confusion. "Why is War providing a bodyguard for Peace? That does not make a lot of sense to me."
"I think that you have the wrong idea about War and Peace," War said with a serious look. "Most people do."
He leaned against the desk, folding his arms before him. "In its simplest forms, war is nothing but conflict. In actuality, I am the god of Conflict. Over the centuries, conflict has come to symbolize death and destruction of all forms. The same kind of thing has happened to Peace. When things started out, peace meant tranquility. It now symbolizes the opposite of War. But people have failed to realize that war and peace, conflict and tranquility are inter-related and that they are both necessary.
"If only tranquility existed, people would not advance and civilization would stagnate. The world would be filled with a few hundred thousand shepherds and farmers. By the same token, if there was only conflict, there would be a handful of city-states constantly fighting with each other and always minutes from annihilation.
"War and Peace act as natural limits on each other. By allowing conflict during periods of peace, humanity grows, both in technical and in moral aspects. Every major advance has come about as a response to conflict in some form. It is the moral side of people that ultimately reins in conflict."
"It sounds to me like you are justifying your own existence," Alexa replied with a shake of her head.
"Not at all," he replied. "I exist because of conflict. I do not create it. Peace and I are two sides of the same coin. Neither can truly exist without the other. Conflict comes in many forms. Game play is a prime example. You get satisfaction at winning a game at the expense of the other player. If the competition remains civil and controlled, tranquility remains in some form. But when that competition becomes violent or is to the detriment of someone, things become corrupted and more intense.
"That is why I am sending my champion to safeguard the champion of Peace. It is as much to my benefit as hers. Who better to defend Peace and her avatar than a warrior. You have access to some of my power. You have a connection to me that you can draw upon in an emergency. My 'powers' come from the people in the world. The more believers or adherents I have, the stronger I am. By extension, you will also be powerful." He gestured to the workout area and said, "I would suggest that you make use of the equipment in here to get used to your new body."
Alexa was heartened to know that she would be able to return to being Michael when this was over. From what she understood from L, Nyx and Erebus had become mortals. She could only hope that they would make their move soon. She would have to wait and see. She wanted the butterfly tattoo on her shoulder to morph back into Michael's skull-and-dagger.
War bid her a good day and left her to check out the room. She found workout clothes that fit her in a small locker room in the back. The weight resistance equipment seemed designed for someone with extraordinary strength and she found herself able to handle a great deal more than she had as Michael. Her endurance on the treadmill was surprising as well. She found herself able to run at a sustained pace for quite some time. It appeared that she would be able to carry that backpack after all.
She tried her hand at some floor gymnastics, something that Michael never had the skill for. After a few attempts to come to grips with her coordination, she was soon leaping and somersaulting across the floor like an Olympian competitor. As an experiment, she ran across the room and partway up the wall in some Parkour moves she had seen once. Her feminine form was much more flexible and nimbler than when she had been a man.
* * * * *
The captain in charge of Harmony's security detail knocked sharply on her hotel room door. Impatient as he was, decorum kept him from immediately bursting in on her. Time was becoming a precious item, but things had not reached the point where respect and propriety needed to be dispensed with.
The door opened in just a minute or so, to show the woman they were guarding. Harmony was an attractive woman, whose very presence seemed to draw attention. When people were around her, they seemed to automatically go quiet and look at her.
Even though he was accustomed to the affect she seemed to have upon him, Jackson had to make a conscious effort to keep his focus.
"Yes, Captain Wilson?" Her green eyes seemed to bore into his.
"Ma'am, we have a problem that needs to be addressed immediately." He cut right to the point, dispensing with any pleasantries. Their current mission had come to an end and they were only waiting to fly out on the military transport that was due to arrive the next day.
Harmony nodded in acknowledgement. Security always seemed to be a problem when she was traveling and she was always hearing about some issue. She opened her door to allow the officer into the room. Some things did not need to be discussed in the hallway.
"What seems to be the problem?" She knew that the captain would not bother her with anything trivial, but she was also becoming a bit tired of hearing about constant threats that never seemed to materialize.
"Ma'am, I've been made aware of a credible threat to you personally. I believe that it is serious enough that we need to take steps to get away from here as soon as possible."
Harmony had experienced security alerts of this type before, but this was the first time since her protection detail had been changed. She kept herself from rolling her eyes in annoyance as she said in a patient voice, "We've had these threats before, Captain. They have never turned out to be anything real."
"Yes, ma'am. I've read the reports from my predecessor," he answered. "The information I have received indicates that this is a serious threat and that it may very well intensify before help can reach us. You are the target here and I want to get you away from here before it might be impossible."
Harmony sat down in one of the easy chairs in the room. "Do you have a plan?"
"I've already spoken with one of the tour groups that is preparing to leave for England. After hearing the situation, the director has agreed to quietly fold you into the group right before they take off. The story will be that you were separated from your original group and they are picking you up. Once you are safely away, I will let it be known that you are gone and that should defuse things."
She mulled it over for a bit before nodding. "I understand. If I were gone, there would be no collateral injuries or damages. How much time do I have?"
It turned out that she had very little time and Harmony was packed and had joined the tour group that was in the process of boarding their bus to the airport in less than an hour.
Wilson followed the tour bus in one of the diplomatic vehicles and waited at the airport until he saw Harmony's plane leave the airport and disappear into the distance. Their own plane had finally arrived and was not due to leave for a few hours, so he had Harmony's remaining luggage and official documents packed. The security team made their way to the airport and made sure that they were quite visible. They wanted to make it obvious that Harmony was no longer with them in order to defuse the security threat. When the time came, they moved to their plane and boarded. The captain had explained to the rest what he had done and why. It made sense to his team and they were satisfied that Harmony was safe.
When their turn for takeoff came, the cargo jet thundered down the runway and left the ground. As the plane began its steep climb, a jet trail was visible as a small missile rose to meet it. The resulting fireball engulfed the entire plane and debris rained down over a huge area beyond the airport.
* * * * *
When Alexa finished her workout, it was late afternoon. While the clothes she wore were soaking wet from her exertions, she barely felt the fatigue that she would have as Michael. The muscles in her arms and legs tingled more than they complained about the exercise she had put them through. After using the shower facilities and the soaps that had been thoughtfully left for her, she changed back into her street clothes. Even though she had worn them for just a short time, Alexa wanted to go back to her room and change into clean clothes. That was new, she thought.
Before going back to her room though, she decided to check on her options for lunch and dinner. The elevator took her back to the lobby. Stepping out, she saw that the restaurant she had eaten in that morning was gone again, replaced by the blank wall with a single door set in the middle of it.
A large man stood behind the reception desk. He smiled pleasantly at her as she walked up. "Good afternoon, Major Davis. How can I help you?"
Alexa looked at the gold name badge on his chest to see that his name was Horace.
"Good afternoon, Horace," she said, returning his smile. She gestured to the wall where the restaurant belonged and said, "What happened to the restaurant? That wall wasn't there this morning."
Horace smiled at her indulgently. "This is Deity Arms, ma'am. The restaurant will be there when it is needed. Mr. L does not maintain things that are not constantly necessary." He looked down at the desk before him to read a note. Looking back at her he said, "Mr. L would like to see you in his office."
Alexa got the sense that Horace's statement did not convey 'if you don't mind' or 'when you have a moment'. The expectation was that L expected her to come to him NOW.
She nodded her understanding. "Thank you, Horace," she said politely. "I will go see him right away." Going to the only other door on this side of the lobby that had to be the office, she raised her hand to knock. Before she could actually touch the door, it opened quietly to reveal L sitting at a desk.
The room was rather large, made even more so by the fact that the only furniture it held was the desk L sat at and two office chairs. There were no potted plants, credenzas, or pictures to make the place look like an office. It was a stark room with off-white walls. It could have been an interrogation room for any number of government departments.
"Major, please come in," L said. He did stand politely and indicated a chair in front of the desk as she stepped into the office. He waited until she had taken her seat before he sat back down. He steepled his hands before him and said, "There has been a serious change to our overall situation.
"While they were still in South Africa, Harmony Moon’s security detail became aware of a potential attack. They made the decision to separate from her and hide her with a tour group that was preparing to leave ahead of them. The only way they could do that was to send her alone."
L paused for a moment and continued, "The plane she was on departed a few hours before the plane she was supposed to have been on. The plane carrying her security team was shot down with a missile as it was taking off."
L continued to speak, saying something about the need to send Alexa to London as soon as possible to meet up with Harmony, but Alexa really was not listening. Her thoughts were caught up with the fact that an entire squad of soldiers had knowingly put themselves into a situation they had no control over and were prepared to sacrifice their lives to safeguard their charge.
As Michael, she and her team had gone on missions many times where they risked their lives to stop attacks, a saboteur, or to gather information. But she had always felt as if she had some form of control in those situations and always felt confident of surviving. These men and women knew that there was a possibility that they would die. They deserved to be honored for their dedication and sacrifice.
L watched Alexa closely as he spoke. He could see that the news he had just broken had affected Alexa deeply. Many mortals would merely take note of the facts and move on, but it was good to see that the person they had chosen still had a heart.
Alexa raised her hand slightly to get L's attention.
"Excuse me, Mr. L."
"Yes, Major Davis?" L stopped and looked at Alexa. The hoped-for evolution of the young warrior before him appeared to be at hand from a simple soldier into a person that would stand head-and-shoulders above men. He wished that the circumstances were not so dire though.
Alexa faltered as she tried to communicate.
"I really cannot think about a plane flight right now." She blinked back tears at the thought that she was stepping into the shoes of people who willingly died to protect so many people. "An entire team of men and women have given their lives today to protect Harmony. I would like to pay my respect to them in some way."
"Of course," L nodded in acknowledgement. "Would you like to return to your room to change first? I will arrange a small service while you are gone." He rose from his seat and came around the desk to offer his hand to her. L escorted her to the elevator and turned away as the doors closed.
Alexa exited the elevator at her room and went to her closet, trying to think about what she should wear. A guy might have just changed into comfortable jeans or slacks, but her Alexa-mind was telling her that it was now more complicated than that. She needed fresh clothes from the skin out. And they needed to be color-coordinated. Then she realized that her decision was quite easy.
* * * * *
The elevator door opened to the lobby and Alexa stepped out. She looked smart in her class A's and found that she was able to deal with the higher heel of her shoes with no problem at all. Once she had arrived upon wearing the dress uniform, choosing plain white undergarments was easy. Fastening her bra was still a challenge and she didn't care what L said, her breasts just seemed too big.
L was waiting for her, almost as if he had not moved from the spot when he had sent her to change her clothes over an hour ago. He smiled at her as he stepped forward to offer his arm. Seeing that she was to be escorted, she slipped her arm into his elbow.
The blank wall at the back of the hotel lobby was gone again and had been replaced by an entry into a spacious room that seemed to be part auditorium and part pub. The room seemed to be filled with men and women, similar to how the outdoor amphitheater had been the previous day or night. Alexa was sure that the human race had not invented so many deities dedicated to warfare, so this might be all of the gods in residence here.
There were costumes of all varieties, from heavy furs to suits of armor, from leather scales down to brief togas. But Alexa knew that these were not costumes, but uniforms of the deities that were present. Idly, she wondered how many pantheons of gods were represented here. The silence was absolute as L escorted Alexa to a raised table along one wall. There were already drinks before the room's occupants, but no one had lifted a glass as yet and all eyes were on Alexa. Knowing that she was the only mortal present was partly flattering and mostly intimidating.
L leaned over to speak into Alexa's ear. "As our champion and an avatar currently present, you have the honor and privilege of offering the first toast."
Alexa looked at L with wide eyes. She had delivered the eulogy at wakes in the past, but Michael had been a close friend of those people. It saddened her to realize that the soldiers who had died would be remembered only by their families, all of their comrades had died with them.
A shot glass of Irish whiskey, her preferred drink, was before her as she turned to face the waiting multitude. Raising the glass to look around the room, she gave a toast that she had recited too often in the past, "We knew them as comrades, we'll remember them, and they will not be forgotten. To our fallen comrades. May their sacrifice and gift to us not be in vain." Her memorial was echoed back to her as well as others that the gathered gods preferred were spoken. A tear ran down her cheek as Alexa hoped that she would be able to live up to the memory of those people.
Turning to L she said, "Mr. L, I am a soldier. I know about espionage, infiltration, and destruction. Why do you need me? Why don't you just stop all of this from happening?"
Again, L nodded to her. "We have removed ourselves from the mortal realm. We cannot become involved in that way, only in the lives of mortals who give us leave to do so. Because Nyx and Erebus manifested their existence as mortals, they have removed themselves from our reach. That means that we must work with and through others."
"I will do my best," Alexa said solemnly.
To Save the Worlds
by Monica Rose
Chapter 3
There were a couple of additional salutes to the lost soldiers before Alexa was able to break away. Losing a teammate had always been difficult for Michael and it affected Alexa just as hard. She was essentially on the outside looking into a mission that had gone very wrong.
Mission planning to reduce, if not avoid, casualties had been something Michael excelled at. He insisted that all members of his squad follow the plan unless it became absolutely necessary to deviate. That let everyone know where each member of the team would be and what they would be doing.
Having paid her respects, Alexa returned to her room to change clothes again. She had not realized that women changed clothes so often. She found the door to her room open and Luk was in the process of closing up one of her suitcases.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," he said as he turned and bowed to her. "L instructed me to pack for you." The small god had an embarrassed expression when she looked into her bureau and saw that he had not packed the contents. She appreciated that he had chosen to respect her privacy and suppressed her amusement at the thought that Luk was like a typical guy to not to want to touch her unmentionables. Even though she herself really had not had time to get used to having lady unmentionables.
"Thank you, Mr. Luk," she said with a smile. Alexa already understood how an instruction from L was an order that was to be obeyed without question. She gently pushed Luk out of her bedroom and quickly changed into comfortable clothes that she knew she would be in for most of the coming day. She then packed a suitcase with the contents of her bureau drawers, leaving the more exotic items of her wardrobe behind, and another small case to hold her toiletries. She found herself adding some items that would never have found their way into Michael's shaving kit. She was definitely not looking forward to that-time-of-the-month, even though she could bring up the knowledge of what she could expect and how to deal with it. She thanked L or Peace for that.
Luk moved her luggage into the elevator and they went down to the lobby. L was waiting for her and handed her a briefcase, telling her that it contained plane tickets, mission briefing reports, and military documentation that she would need while she was in London. A brief look also revealed a large bundle of banknotes, with a credit card clipped to the outside.
"You should have an adequate supply of cash for what you might need to do," L said. "The credit card is anonymous and will be safe for you to use as well. You will find documents that will give you entry to the American military bases in Europe and your passport will get you past customs agents without a problem. You will be met in London."
L stopped, but Alexa could tell that he was not done speaking. She stood waiting instead of turning toward the door. He continued gravely, "Be careful, Alexa. Nyx and Erebus do not have a great number of adherents, but they have corrupted many people strictly through the promise of money or power. Trust your instincts to protect you both."
She nodded solemnly in acknowledgement before she turned away and left the hotel. Outside, Luk and Kamel were just finishing the process of putting her bags into the cab. She smiled at Luk in passing and stepped into the cab as Kamel held the door for her.
There was no conversation this time between Kamel and Alexa during the entire trip to the airport. She passed the time reviewing her plane tickets and passport. Once they reached the airport, Kamel pulled up at the curb in order to unload her bags. Once he was finished and had turned them over to the curbside check-in desk, Kamel bowed slightly to Alexa and said, "Good luck and good hunting, my dear."
Alexa returned his slight bow and responded, "Thank you, sir. I hope to see you again soon." Then Kamel was gone and she turned to the building.
* * * * *
She made her way to the airline counter and checked herself in for her flight. She found that her diplomatic passport also allowed her to bypass the security checkpoint and she headed into the labyrinth of corridors to find her departure gate.
She sensed that she was attracting attention as she walked through the concourse. The unwanted stares she received from male travelers creeped her out at first and Alexa was very aware of the fact that this was the first time she had been out in public since her transformation. The sway of her hips and the slight bounce of her breasts was completely new to her but felt natural as well. She had enjoyed looking at herself in the mirror after her shower earlier and she knew that she was attractive. She got used to it all quickly enough, knowing that she would not see these people again.
Arriving at the departure gate for her flight, she found the waiting area segregated so that the first-class passengers had a separate lounge to wait in. That meant that she would not be boarding with the passengers further back in the plane. She already knew she belonged in the first-class lounge, but she had to show her boarding pass to an employee who was acting as a gate guard for this section. Out of habit, she scanned the lounge, noting that she was briefly the center of attention again.
Having no place to set her carry-on items, she took over two seats off to the side, laying her garment bag over the seat beside her. She opened her purse to double-check what she was carrying with her. There were the feminine items that had made her pause earlier. In addition to her phone and passport, she saw her various makeup supplies that Luk must have grabbed from the top of her dressing table at some point.
Alexa was interrupted from her inventory by a deep voice asking, "Is this seat taken?"
She looked up to see a dark-haired young man looking down at her with a smile spread across his face. She was immediately on guard as she knew he had been sitting on the other side of the lounge when she walked in. There was also an excess of empty seats, so he had no need to sit right next to her. The man's expression seemed to say that she was expected to be happy to talk to him. The fact that he wanted to sit down beside her could only mean that he wanted to chat her up. Having no good excuse to reject him, she could only shake her head in the negative.
The intruder wasted no time taking his seat and trying to strike up a conversation. "Hi. My name is Mason," he said, half-turning toward her.
The only options available to her were to either take her belongings and retreat or talk to him. She opted to stay where she was and turned toward him a bit. "Hello." She could see being polite, but she did not want to encourage him to continue the conversation.
Mason was obviously experienced with approaching members of the opposite sex because he did not allow Alexa's less than welcoming behavior to put him off.
His tone was playful as he said, "You know, when someone introduces themselves, it's customary to introduce yourself back." Because he was smiling when he said it and he did not sound aggressive about her response, he was able to get away with scolding her and take away her ability to be rude without making herself look bad.
An elderly couple were seated not far away and they were close enough to hear any kind of conversation that might take place. As much as she wanted to shut him down, there was no way for her to get rid of Mason without appearing to be obnoxious. She knew that a woman her age would have experience with this kind of thing, but that knowledge was not popping into her head at the moment. She wished that Peace would have thought to help her with that as well.
Giving into the inevitable and unavoidable, Alexa replied, "My name is Alexa." She looked him directly in the eye as she answered him, her expression open. She was content with letting Mason carry the conversation though. If he wanted to talk to her, he was going to have to work for it.
"Are you stopping in London or will you be going further into Europe?" Mason was obviously willing to rise to the challenge.
She saw no reason to conceal where she was going as it would be obvious anyway.
"Just London. I'm not sure if we will be continuing to the continent or not."
"That's great," he replied. "I have business in London that will keep me there for a few days. Are you familiar with London and the area?"
She shrugged, realizing afterward the effect it had on her bust. She rolled her eyes mentally at how she had a lot to learn about her new body. "I am somewhat. I haven't been there in a few years though."
That was obviously an opening that Mason had been hoping for and he jumped at the chance. "I have to be in London every month or so. I'd be glad to show you around."
It was apparent that she needed to manage Mason's expectations a bit and replied, "I will have to see what my situation is. I'm meeting someone there to help them out. I don't know what kind of availability I might have."
Mason was obviously looking for someone to spend time with and he was hoping to get lucky with her. His next gambit was predictable as he tried to impress her. "I understand. I'm an attorney for Remington. We sell ammunition to the Brits and we're always having to work on permits."
Alexa nodded and just tuned out his chatter as he went on to describe the intricacies and excitement of dealing with import/export laws. She had developed the skill over the years as Michael to absorb a mission briefing while ignoring the personal tidbits that were injected by the brass in front of the room. The idea of spending her entire flight to Europe with this guy yakking in her ear held no appeal, so she needed to find a way to discourage him. A very simple solution occurred to her.
When Mason finally ran out of things to make himself look good, kind of like a peacock impressing a prospective mate, he asked her what she did for a living.
"I work in personal security. I keep my clients safe from people who might want their attention or people who might want to hurt them." It was close enough to the truth without breaking her cover.
She met his surprised look with a deadly serious expression. It was obvious that he did not believe her and he said, "You mean you carry a gun and all?"
"Not usually. A good bodyguard doesn't need to be armed."
"Well, I could still show you and your friend around London."
Alexa smiled at Mason's persistence, but she really wanted to be left alone. "I'll have to see what my fianc wants to do when I meet her."
Telling him that she was engaged should certainly get rid of him and she was right. Once he realized that she was attached and a lesbian, Mason made a lame invitation to be a guide if she was interested later and he found a reason to return to where he had been seated previously.
Alexa noticed the elderly couple looking at her with smiles and she smiled back. She shrugged and told them quietly, "Well, it worked." They had seen how uncomfortable she had been and obviously appreciated how she had gotten rid of the creep.
When her flight was called to begin boarding, she found herself called to the desk to be escorted on to the plane first. Alexa had never flown in the kind of luxury that she was presented with as she was shown to her seat. The seats in the first-class section were split so that there were two seats on each side of the wide aisle that ran between them. She was seated at the back of the section and did not appear to have someone seated beside her. A pretty stewardess greeted her as soon as she was seated and offered her a complimentary drink.
Michael had experienced quite a few benders to decompress from a mission, but it had gotten worse during the courts-martial proceedings. Now, she felt no real desire for anything that strong and declined with a smile, opting for a soda instead. Her dress bag was hung for her at the rear of the cabin and she busied herself reviewing the safety information for the first-class compartment.
Her fellow passengers were ushered to their seats as well. The section was close to being full and she saw that Mason was seated several rows ahead of her. It appeared the two of them were the only ones with open seats beside them. He looked back at her a couple of times as if he were considering asking to sit beside her, but he seemed to change his mind.
In the few minutes before the plane started to move, she took out the folder L had given her. She waited to open it while the flight attendants gave their pre-flight orientation for the passengers. She barely noticed the takeoff once she started reading. Most of the background provided had already been given to her by War, but she read through it anyway. Nyx and Erebus appeared to have been operating for a very long time and had now reached a point in their plan where they were preparing for the final stages of their plot. It was only the zealousness and carelessness of some of their minions that had brought the attention of higher powers.
There was only a single sheet of paper that referenced the chaos deities. There were no pictures, only a brief description of what abilities they might possess as mortals. Their basic ability seemed to be that they could corrupt individuals if they were already inclined in that way. They also appeared to be able to manifest rudimentary weapons as needed. Alexa reflected it was good that they had limitations. If they were able to conjure an automatic weapon of some sort, they would be very difficult to even approach.
Opening the envelope that contained Harmony's dossier, she froze. Harmony Moon was very much like she remembered her from their first meeting. There were several pictures of an attractive woman with jet-black hair, styled so that it fell just short of her shoulders, framing her face and accentuating high cheekbones and a heart-shaped face. Harmony's makeup was minimal, but what she wore made her eyes pop.
The write-up that accompanied the pictures said that Harmony had been part of the United Nations Diplomatic Corps for several years, starting out as just an assistant negotiator in the organization and quickly moving up becoming one of their chief negotiators. Alexa could understand how that could happen as the job was known to be rather high stress. Harmony had participated in several political issues across the globe, all of them successfully.
The last bundle of papers in the envelope was the planned itinerary that she and Alexa would follow. Accommodations had already been arranged for them at one of the military bases near London. She would head there when she met up with whoever was to meet her and make sure that everything was ready for the two of them. The tour group Harmony was in hiding with was due to land at Heathrow sometime after her own arrival, so she would need to scramble to be prepared. Except for a name listed at the bottom of the page with a picture, there was a warning to be very careful of who was trusted. For all Alexa knew, some of Harmony's superiors or co-workers could have been compromised.
One of the last things she had been told was that Harmony had contacted her leadership at the U N where she was and when they were to arrive in London. The tour was making scheduled stops on their way up the African continent and they would probably stay ahead of any possible violence that the cultists might plan. Alexa sat back for a moment. Harmony couldn't know that call would probably have alerted their enemies to Harmony's plans. It meant that she and Alexa would be in danger from the moment Harmony's plane landed.
She packed everything back into the envelope and took out a notebook. She and Harmony would need to remain in hiding until they heard from L. Even if she were not kidnapped to be killed ritually, their enemies might decide that just killing her would be acceptable. It seemed to her that killing Harmony might be enough if the other potential avatars had been eliminated. She had no intention of letting that happen though. She began making a list of what would be necessary to ensure their safety for an extended period. When she was done, she stowed her book away and stretched out with a pillow and blanket to get some sleep, frustrating Mason again who glanced back at her occasionally.
While she found herself able to appreciate his looks, she did not find him desirable in any way. That was not to say that there was nothing appealing about him. He was dark haired and it was easy to tell that it was his own hair. He had a strong jaw and nose that looked like he could have modeled for a museum statue somewhere. She was sure that his eyes were green and his teeth were straight. Alexa was more than a little relieved to know that the guy just did not do anything for her. That enabled her to know a lot about her inner workings. She, like Michael, appreciated ladies. She had suspected something like that from the time she had spent in the airport and doing some people watching. She just had time to really analyze her thoughts and feelings now. It also explained why the pictures of Harmony affected her the way they did.
* * * * *
She woke as the plane began its approach into Britain, glad that her sleep had again not been interrupted by her recurring nightmare. Even before she opened her eyes, she sensed a tension among the other dozen occupants in the first-class compartment. While no one was speaking, it was apparent that there was anger in the air. The flight attendant made her passage through the cabin, ordering each passenger to fasten their seat belts. The expression on her face said that she only needed an excuse to physically attack someone, though she immediately changed when she approached Alexa, asking her pleasantly to prepare for landing.
The dynamic around Alexa was totally confusing, until she realized that this was what War had warned her about. Just as Harmony radiated a feeling of friendship and cooperation to those around her, Alexa was doing the exact opposite. This meant that she would need to be careful of how long she spent in the presence of others, assuming that there was some sort of saturation period before everyone around her wanted to riot. While he had never been much of a social person, it was a bit depressing to know that isolation might be wise. She could only hope that this effect would go away when she returned to being Michael.
She was relieved to hear the pilot announce that they should prepare for landing and the plane began the process of landing. Once on the ground, she allowed the other first-class passengers to leave before she left her seat. Hopefully, their feelings of aggression would dissipate when they were no longer in her presence. She debated on changing into her Army-issued uniform and decided to continue in her business attire. It would draw less attention that way.
She thanked the flight attendant as she left the plane ahead of the rest of the passengers and went looking for the baggage claim. After that, it would be working through customs. It turned out that going through customs was not a problem at all because of the diplomatic status conferred upon her by her passport. Most of her time was spent in line behind her fellow passengers. Even with the diplomatic passport she still had to go through the formalities of immigration.
On the other side of the customs section was an Air Force captain waiting for her with a placard showing her name. Recognizing him from the picture in her briefcase, she walked up to him with a smile and showed him her identification. The description that went with the picture explained that he was a staff officer at the base. She thought that might come in handy for anything she might need while she and Harmony were on the base. He was a fairly young man, looking to be twenty-something. Which was unusual for someone of his rank. He was about her own height, which made him just average height for a man. He wasn't too bad looking though. Compared to the guy who had tried to chat her up in New York, she thought that he was pretty good-looking.
"How long will it take us to get to the base, Captain Stoddard?"
"Only half an hour, ma'am. According to the instructions Mr. Logan sent to me, you needed quarters on the base, but somewhat segregated from everyone else. Because of the drawdowns that are taking place, we have a number of houses that have been emptied out. I reserved one of the houses for you until such time as you leave. I need to tell you that no one will know that you are there though."
He gave Alexa the impression that he was eager to please, belying her experience as an officer and she had not seen many officers behave in this way. The reason became apparent once they were underway.
"How do you know Mr. Logan?" Alexa asked. To meet someone halfway around the world who knew of the elder god was a surprise to say the least. That didn't mean that Stoddard knew what L was though.
"I was a runner for a bookie when I was in my teens back in New York. I was sent to collect from someone who had lost a really big bet. I made the mistake of not counting the money when it was given to me, I can't remember why, but it came up a couple of thousand short when I dropped it off. I was already out the door when I realized that they had sent a couple of guys after me. I knew that I was in major trouble and I ran.
"I happened to run into the hotel that Mr. Logan was in charge of to hide. I was in the bathroom hiding when the two thugs they sent after me came in from the street. I guess they weren't very bright because they started yelling and throwing things around while they demanded that they turn me out to them.
"I came out of hiding because I did not want anyone hurt on my account, but I did not see anything wrong when I stepped out. Nothing was broken or out of place. I was sure that I had heard breaking glass and the sounds of things being thrown though. Instead, there was this man standing in the middle of the lobby with two little girls sitting in front of him, looking very scared.
"He looked at me as if he could see right through me and told me that he knew that being willing to turn myself over to the men who had been chasing me was a very brave thing to do. He said that I did not need to worry about that anymore and he asked me to take the two children along to an adoption agency that he knew of. He told me that I would remember him when it was necessary.
"When he called me yesterday, I remembered everything that had happened. It was hard to believe at first."
Alexa smiled wryly at him and said, "I can understand that." She reflected on the fact that she had been a man only a couple of days ago. Who would believe that? The impression L had made upon Stoddard explained his current behavior.
Stoddard was very quiet for a few moments before he continued, "I know that this will sound crazy, but before I met Mr. Logan, I was a girl. I walked out of that hotel as a teenaged boy and never gave it a second thought. I had not even thought about Mr. Logan until I received the phone call yesterday."
She wasn't surprised that others had experienced something like she had. Obviously, L's influence in the world was more than she had thought.
"Captain," she said, "I have seen some strange things in my life. I believe you." Then she changed the subject. "Tell me about the quarters you have for us."
"There are very few residents still in the section of the base where you will be, but none nearby. Everyone is being moved out so that the base can mothball that area, but you will be able to hide there for a few weeks. I have had field rations and bedding delivered and I have put the house on a list as needing to have personal property shipped. That will keep anyone out of there and security patrols will make sure that no one is moving around in there."
"How did you go about blocking the house and getting the supplies in there?"
"I put through the appropriate forms to change the status of the house and a couple of airmen moved the rations into the house. The house is shown as having personal property to be shipped to the next base."
Alexa frowned. That meant that there were individuals other than the captain who were aware that Stoddard had something to do with the location intended to be her safe house. If she had been seen leaving the airport with Stoddard, the cultists she was trying to hide from would make short work of finding herself and Harmony. She had to assume that they were as aware of her as they were aware of Harmony Moon. Possibly even more so because she was a knowledgeable avatar with a closer connection to a god than Harmony. She would need to take steps to protect their safety.
Lost in thought, she paid only a mild interest to the passing landscape. They soon arrived at the base and were waved through the gate by the guard. The guard did not even check that she was authorized to be on the base, which concerned Alexa. It meant that the security she was depending upon might not be as good as she expected.
As they drove through the sprawling base, she said, "Captain, I will need to return to the airport to pick up a member of a United Nations delegation. Could you drop me off and come back in a few hours?"
"Yes, ma'am," the captain replied. He had kept his eyes on the road the entire trip, not being distracted by her appearance. Alexa mused silently that Captain Stoddard was either the consummate gentleman or he really had been born as a girl. Probably both.
They drove for several more minutes, navigating typical residential streets. She could see that there were entire sections of empty buildings. They finally pulled into the driveway of a well-kept ranch-style house and parked under a carport roof.
"This whole area has been vacated, ma'am," Stoddard said as he climbed out of the car. "They have not fenced this section of the base off as yet, but they will get around to it eventually. Security patrols come through here every couple of hours, so you should be okay if you do not show any lights or let yourself be seen."
Alexa had been surreptitiously scanning the surrounding buildings, determining her next step. She saw a couple of possibilities that she could relocate to after Stoddard was gone.
"I assume that everything we need is inside?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am. You should have enough for several days, but I can arrange for more when you need it."
Stoddard led her into the kitchen of the house and pointed out the boxes stacked along one wall. He left a few minutes later, promising to be back in a few hours to help her make the pickup at the airport.
Alexa waited long enough for the captain to pull out of the driveway and to have left the area before she moved into action. She had seen a dormitory style building across a field that would provide them with high ground.
Her added strength helped her move everything from the house and into the taller building in just a few minutes. She had been prepared to force an outer door and was happy to find that everything had been left unlocked. Once inside, she scouted the apartments on the top floor to find a spot that could be their base of operations for the foreseeable future. She wanted to make sure that they could see what was around the building and still have a defensible position. Their supplies were quickly moved from the entrance, the effort barely a strain on her.
Satisfied that they would be moderately comfortable with some of the abandoned property left by the previous occupants, Alexa took advantage of the active utilities to shower and get her hair washed. She had found towels in her luggage and gave a silent thank-you to Luk's thoughtfulness. She dressed in casual clothes again to maintain her anonymity as much as she could.
She returned to the house to be picked up by Stoddard. The wait gave her a chance to really think about the whole situation. After the missile attack on the village and the horrific images of the people who had died were shown around the world, Michael had found himself almost starting to believe that he had somehow given a green light to the massacre. The grief he felt had driven him to the brink of ending his own life as if that would somehow atone for his crimes.
A narrative in the papers she had been given explained much of what happened in Afghanistan. Michael's team had been intended to be killed in the missile attack. The plan was to inflame tensions against the presence of foreign military members and his team would not be around to say that they had not ordered the attack. When they had all survived, the plan had been changed to blame Michael. By causing his suicide, he could still be blamed. He had been a stronger individual than had been anticipated and he had foiled Nyx and Erebus' plans. Then events had been contrived by L to lead him directly to Deity Arms and to his current situation. In the face of these revelations, how could he have refused to be the protector for anyone? For L, it must have been a foregone conclusion that Michael would agree to their request. It made her feel like she was a puppet and that other people were pulling the strings.
Her expression tightened in anger at the thought that the attack on that village had been directed at her as well. While the gods in Deity Arms might have known that something like it would happen, they could not be expected to stop all of the horrors in the world, that was something that was the responsibility of the men and women living in the world to do.
She opened the folder she had been given in New York to look at things one more time. Harmony Moon had been successful at negotiating treaties and cease fires across the world. Sadly, those agreements did not always hold for more than a few months. Alexa suspected that these failures were not due to any shortcoming on Harmony's part, but due to the interference of Nyx and Erebus. It was apparent that the two goddesses had been active in the world for a long time, trying to destroy it.
Her reverie was disturbed by the sound of Stoddard's car as he pulled into the carport. She verified that it was Stoddard in the car before she stepped out of the house. As she was now in uniform, they exchanged salutes before she got into the car.
Stoddard was now driving an official looking car with diplomatic plates. When they arrived by the passenger pickup area, he parked in a space marked for official use only.
Before she left the car, Alexa took out a pair of ceramic batons from her purse and slid them up her sleeves. She saw Stoddard watching her and said, "These are a better alternative to a gun or a knife. You can incapacitate an opponent with a single strike and no one will know that you have done anything. There is no collateral damage either." She smiled. "They can be taken through airport security without a problem too."
Stoddard nodded in acknowledgement. "I'll have to look into that training. It sounds like it might come in handy."
Leaving with the car, she walked into the waiting area, finding the place crowded with a combination of disembarking passengers and people waiting to pick them up.
Alexa stopped just inside the entrance to the area and scanned the area. It was essentially the airport baggage claim with carousels leading down the concourse. There was a single set of doors between the baggage claim area and the customs security area. Two guards stood at the door to prevent entry from outside as well as to keep incoming passengers from leaving before they had dealt with customs agents. Access to baggage claim was virtually unrestricted, with the doors to outside transportation opposite the baggage claim area. White the guards were armed, they would not leave their posts unless there was an emergency, so she discounted them.
Her military experience helped her to identify those in the area that would merit attention. The majority of the crowd was obviously waiting for someone, some patiently and some displaying varying levels of annoyance at the wait. There were a few groups that stood out to her. There was a couple off to one side who appeared to be husband and wife, but she pegged them as police by the way they studied everyone in the same manner she was. They would be the ones to act first to any violence. There were three pairs of men who seemed to be focused upon the exit doors from the secure customs area. Their posture and the tension in their bodies suggested that these were the ones she could expect trouble from.
She positioned herself close to the customs exit doors so that she could reach Harmony well before her problem people could act. She was happy to see that they only glanced at her on occasion, another sign that they were not just waiting for friends. Anyone else would have been looking at her much more closely. She noted that she was even attracting looks from women around her.
The glass walls and doors for the secure area were frosted to keep anyone from seeing in. But even though she could not see Harmony, something caused her to come to a state of readiness. It was not too much longer before Harmony pushed the door open and stepped into the public area, carrying a single bag. Alexa hardly let her through the door before she was in front of Harmony and stopping her in place.
Alexa found herself enthralled by Harmony's gaze for a moment as their eyes met. Harmony seemed to respond the same way. She quickly brought herself back to the moment though.
"Harmony Moon, I am Major Alexa Davis. I've been assigned to be your protection and we need to move quickly." She paused long enough to see Harmony nod her agreement and continued, "There are men here who mean to kidnap or kill you. We need to get you out of here and to the car. Please stay close to me. Do you understand?"
Even after having just told her that they needed to move quickly, Harmony seemed to be frozen to the spot. The moment was broken when someone following Harmony asked to get by. Alexa felt awkward for a moment, like a teenager facing their crush for the first time and smiled uncertainly at Harmony.
She put her hand on Harmony's elbow to both pull her along and to guide her. Moving through the individuals either sitting on the benches or milling around, she could see that two of the three groups of thugs she had identified were moving to intercept them before they reached the doors. They found themselves stopped by the four men with the other pair blocking them from retreating back into the press of people. This actually worked in Alexa's favor as most people would not see what was going to happen.
Alexa pushed Harmony out to arm's length to put some distance between them. As she did so, the batons that she had slid up her sleeves came down into her hands. To those who were able to see the confrontation, it looked similar to a ballet movement. Almost faster than the eye could follow, Alexa stepped up to the four rather large men and struck each one multiple times.
Most males instinctively move to protect their privates in a confrontation. Alexa dropped to one knee and delivered strikes to kneecaps and shins followed rapidly by blows to the forearms, anywhere muscle was thin along the bone. Even the toughest attacker would succumb to a broken kneecap or shin bone. Two of the four were disabled almost immediately and the other two quickly followed. In the space of seconds, the four of them were on the floor with broken bones or were unconscious. The ones still conscious were screaming in pain and already drawing attention from the crowd and the police in the area.
Not bothering to give her handiwork a second glance, Alexa pulled Harmony along again and they quick stepped to the door. The remaining two thugs stepped around their injured cohorts and hurried after the women. Once outside, Alexa waved at Stoddard and they hurried to where he pulled up. Alexa pushed Harmony into the back seat, practically throwing her bag on top of her, and climbed in after her as the car pulled away from the curb and cut into traffic.
The erstwhile kidnappers who could still move ran out of the building and saw their tail lights disappearing. They ran along the road to where cars were parked for the purpose of waiting for arriving passengers. Climbing into the first car as it started moving, the car behind it also began following. They were gone long before police officers ran out of the exit to look for them.
* * * * *
Stoddard drove like a race car driver for several minutes, weaving through traffic as best that he could. Not knowing whether they were being pursued or what car might be chasing them, the best plan of action was to put as much distance between themselves and the airport as quickly as possible. It was a good plan as his changing lanes and cutting off other cars served to slow traffic behind them to a point where the cars chasing them were unable to get any closer to them. The best that could be done was to get a description of the car they were chasing and the license plate number.
Alexa had been watching the traffic behind them through the back window of the car and had spotted the cars she suspected were chasing them. She could see that they were unable to gain on them at the moment, but that could change once they left the local streets and were on highways and expressways. Looking forward, she could see that a traffic signal was about to change.
"Captain, get through that traffic light!", she ordered. "If you can do that, everyone behind us will be held up long enough for us to disappear."
"Yes, ma'am," he responded.
He accelerated and proceeded to go around the bus ahead of them, cutting off the car in the lane beside them and winning a blast of their horn. If a traffic officer had been present to see how Stoddard had been driving, his motor vehicle privileges would have been suspended and his superiors probably would have shipped him home. Fortunately for them, there was no one to stop them and they roared through the intersection just as the signal changed over to red. Behind them, the rest of the vehicles they had been sharing the road with dutifully halted at the light. The cars that had been chasing them were hopelessly boxed in.
Slowing only for corners and curves, Stoddard got them onto the motorway that would take them back to the base. At Alexa's suggestion, they exited almost immediately and they followed the trunk road back toward the airport. There was enough traffic on the motorway that would keep their pursuers from realizing that they were not actually in front of them.
Driving at a more sedate speed, they returned to the airport and Stoddard pulled into a long-term parking lot. Once they were stopped, Alexa collapsed in relief for a moment. They could be sure that they would not be found now.
The quiet moment was brief however as Harmony rounded on Alexa. "Who are you and what is going on?"
Alexa took a moment to study her before replying, "I told you who I am and that I am your security detail."
Harmony waved her explanation away and said, "Yes, I know that. I was given your name and description when I called my offices on our stopover in Egypt. I want to know where my original security detail is and why we are driving through the streets of London as if we were in a rally race."
Alexa met Harmony's gaze, a grim expression on her face. Looking her in the eye again gave her the same funny feeling up her back and in her belly, but she ignored it.
"I'm afraid that the security detail you were travelling with in Africa died when their plane was shot down during takeoff. I'm sorry." Alexa knew that the expression of sympathy meant little to the other woman, it certainly did not make her feel better at those times when she had been told that one of her men had not survived a mission.
Harmony could only look at Alexa, absorbing what she had just been told. She had been told that there was a serious threat to her life and that the only way to protect her was to send her off by herself, but that knowledge had been on an intellectual level. Now she was being confronted with the reality of the situation.
Alexa continued to speak, more to fill the silence than anything else. "They knew that there was a threat of some sort to your life and that is why they put you into that tour group. They did not know the particulars of the threat though."
"Did anyone claim responsibility?" Harmony asked. Many times, rebels claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack for the sheer intention of making their opponents aware of how much they were hated.
"No one has stepped forward as yet," Alexa replied. "In this case, we really do not expect anyone to do so. We believe that it was an attack directed at you specifically by some sort of death cult."
Harmony shook her head in disbelief. "That doesn't make sense! I'm just a negotiator for the United Nations."
"They must feel that you and your work are some kind of threat to them." Alexa told her. "When the report came in that the plane was shot down, I was put on the next plane to make sure I was here when you arrived. I think that your phone call alerted the cultists to the fact that you were alive and where to find you."
Harmony took a deep breath as she absorbed the news.
"You think that these people tonight are the ones who are after me?"
"Yes," Alexa replied. "I've been instructed to get you to a safe house and to protect you until they have been stopped. I've been told that actions to neutralize them are being taken."
She looked between Stoddard and Harmony. "We can hope that we decoyed them by what we just did, but they could double-back at any time. We need to get out of sight and back to the base. We're still close to the airport, so we should be able to find a car rental agency."
They crossed the parking lot, taking advantage of larger vehicles in the lot to screen them from view as much as possible. Luck was with them as their would-be kidnappers did not drive by on the streets around them, whether because they had not realized the ruse or their search had not brought them back to this area as yet.
As Alexa had hoped, they found a rental office and started the process of renting a car. While the clerk was resistant to leasing a vehicle to a member of the military and someone who was not a citizen of the country, a smile and a request from Harmony seemed to smooth the way. Alexa noted that Harmony was aware of the affect she had on the man, but she said nothing.
In the end, Stoddard was able to rent a car and they were soon back at the base. They saw no suspicious vehicles along the way. There was a brief stop at the gate as the car did not have the decals required to be waved in, but Stoddard's identification satisfied the guard. Alexa again noticed the poor security, as the guard waved them through after only looking at the captain.
They were at the safe house in just a few minutes and Stoddard dropped them off at the door. Alexa diverted him from escorting them inside by suggesting that he needed to get out of the area. She thanked him for his assistance during the evening and led Harmony into the house, explaining that they were in a section of the base that was being shut down, so they needed to keep their presence secret.
To Save the Worlds
Chapter 4
Alexa kept the lights off in the kitchen and there was just enough light outside to see by. She sat Harmony down on a stool while she made a quick patrol of the house. Harmony watched as she moved around the house, her expression still, not sullen or vacant, just observing. Once she had satisfied herself that the house was still secure, Alexa returned to the kitchen.
Crouching before Harmony, she asked, “Hey! Are you going to be okay?”
Harmony focused on her and replied, “Yes, I’m fine. I’m just coming to terms with the fact that they’re gone. Even though I hadn’t known them for very long, I considered some of them my friends.”
Alexa nodded in sympathy. She put a hand on Harmony's knee in a sign of compassion.
"It's hard to lose people you care about. It never gets easy."
"I've seen people dead or dying before. It's hurt every time, but this is the first time it's ever hit so close to me. I just feel kind of hollow."
Alexa had had to counsel troops in the past when a fellow soldier had been wounded or killed in a battle. It was never an easy task. That had been as Michael though and he had sat with them talking before sending ones more affected by their loss to the chaplain or doctor.
As Alexa, she had never seen heavy combat. She tried to draw on what she could of her combined history to try to console Harmony. All she could say was, "I know that it hurts. It might never go away, but it will get better. All I know is that none of the people I have lost would want me to stop living because they have. The best thing that you can do for them is to remember them and what they lived for. Celebrate the fact that they lived."
Her words made Harmony look at her more closely.
"Thank you. I've never heard it put quite that way before." Her eyes brimmed with tears and she fell into Alexa's arms as her control broke. They held each other for several minutes, Alexa’s embrace as tight as Harmony's. Neither seemed to want to let go, but Alexa finally pushed herself back from Harmony.
"We can't stay here tonight. Too many people might know how to find us, so we need to move."
Harmony nodded in understanding as Alexa rose and moved into the living room to peek through the curtains. She came back saying, “I could see the security patrol through the kitchen window and I was checking to make sure that they were gone. We should be good for a couple of hours, so we should go now.”
“Where are we going?” Harmony asked as she tried to wipe the tears from her face.
“I have us set up in the barracks across the field. It’s close enough to this house that we can meet the captain when we need to, but far enough away to keep anyone who is looking for us from finding us easily.”
Moving to the door, Alexa satisfied herself that the light reflected from the clouds was enough to light their way across the field without being seen from a distance. She took Harmony’s hand and led her out. They stayed low and moved quickly over to the taller building. They were soon in the room Alexa had selected as their hideout. The place was actually more like a dormitory than a stereotypical barracks with shared bathrooms between pairs of rooms. The pause in action allowed Harmony to rest on a piece of furniture in a corner.
“I would imagine that you would like to freshen up some after the past couple of days you’ve had,” Alexa said.
Harmony answered her with a nod and a weak smile. Alexa returned her smile and held out a towel from the few Luk had packed for them.
She went on to explain, “We still have power and the hot water appears to be working. I’ll close up the curtains while you take a shower. We should still keep lights to a minimum though.”
Harmony nodded and headed into the bathroom. When Alexa finished closing the blackout curtains and turning on a small light, she saw that the other girl had forgotten the towel she had been given. Harmony was already in the shower when Alexa opened the door to put the towel inside. She could see the outline of her body through the shower curtain and Alexa left quickly, respecting her privacy. She might be physically a woman now but she was still holding onto Michael’s male mindset. It was painfully obvious to her that she was still into women.
She moved back to their sleeping area and found herself contemplating their situation. In the space of a week, she or rather he had been thrown out of the Army as some sort of monster, been turned into a girl, and was sitting around with a girl she thought was pretty damned attractive. Then there was the untold number of people who wanted to kill that girl. She just hoped that she was equal to the task of keeping harmony alive. She wondered what would happen to them both when this particular adventure was over. Would she be interested in Michael? She hoped so.
In the bathroom, Harmony was doing some thinking of her own. She had been on the run for the past few days, staying ahead of the people who wanted her dead. Did she dare trust Alexa? True, her boss in her department had given her Alexa’s description and said that she could be trusted, but she wasn’t sure of anything right now. Alexa’s demonstration of martial arts at the airport could have been staged. But against those doubts was the feelings she got when she was close to Alexa or looking into her eyes. It was the same sensation she had felt when she had met that Army officer last year. So yes, she was willing to trust Alexa. It didn’t hurt that Alexa was beautiful and friendly. She would have to get to know her better.
The opening of the bathroom door signaled that Harmony had completed her cleanup. Turning to look, Alexa saw Harmony coming into the room in only panties and a bra. Her breath caught for a moment and she felt her heart hammering. She tore her eyes away before her arousal progressed any further. Harmony couldn’t know the affect she was having on her. But then Harmony only saw her as another woman.
"Feel better?" Alexa asked, just for something to say.
"A little," Harmony replied. "I don't have much in the way of clothes to change into, at least in terms of outer clothes. But it feels good to be in something clean."
"That shouldn't be a problem," Alexa said. "Our bosses back in New York must have known that you would need something, so a whole section of my luggage turns out to be clothing for you." When she thought about it, she could see that it was logical that Harmony would not have been able to carry much with her when she switched from her official transport over to the tour group.
While Harmony busied herself with finding clothes to change into, Alexa moved over to the cases of rations. Anything to keep her mind off the scantily clad woman behind her. Just the sight of her bending over and kneeling was enough to totally distract her. She took her time before grabbing a couple of packages and turning back around. Mercifully, Harmony was now dressed.
“Are you hungry?” She held out one of the MRE’s. "Stoddard left us cases of rations, so we have a good selection of food to eat. It’s not as good as mother makes, but we’ll have to deal with it until this is over. Then we can go to a sit-down restaurant for real food."
Harmony took the package from her and they settled down to eat. "I'll look forward to that. There are some places here in London that I would love to show you." Harmony looked at Alexa for a moment before blushing and looking away.
Alexa smiled back and said, "I'm hoping that everything will be resolved fairly quickly, but I'm not involved with that side of things. My job is to keep you safe and away from whoever is out to get you." Her heart skipped a beat at Harmony's comment.
"Most of the rooms on this floor have curtains that will block the light, but not all of them. I think that you noticed that the bathroom is an interior room, so we don't have to worry about anyone seeing us. We only need to be concerned about any noise that we cause."
Harmony nodded her understanding. "Other than playing our stereo really loud, the only noise we will be making is walking across the floor and sounds that the plumbing might make. We should be able to manage that."
"That's true," agreed Alexa. "We have to be prepared for the fact that we might still be tracked down. I don't believe that we need to be concerned tonight, but all bets are off after that. We should plan on moving in the morning."
Harmony yawned while she tried to yawn at the same time. "I'm sorry. I've been on the go for a full day and I'm afraid I've hit the wall. If we are okay for tonight, can we worry about next steps after a night's sleep?"
Alexa smiled. "You're right. We can think better tomorrow." She needed sleep herself.
She went to their luggage and extracted a pair of plain night shirts, holding one out to Harmony.
“I don’t know if you want this, but it’s better than sleeping in street clothes.”
“Thank you,” Harmony said as she took the night gown. “I’ve noticed that your luggage holds a lot of clothes. How is that possible?”
Alexa blinked at the question. She hadn’t given it much thought but Harmony’s observation made her realize that something was off.
"You’re right. These suitcases were given to me in New York and I was just taking things for granted.” It bothered her a bit that she had not noticed the unusual capacity of the luggage. “I don’t think that any of them are related to Mary Poppins though,” said trying to distract Harmony from pursuing the facts. She briefly considered that Mary Poppins could have been inspired by the denizens of L’s hotel.
Harmony shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter right now. I’m a little too tired to care about it right now.” She gestured to the sleeping bags and padded mats. “Which one is mine?”
Alexa pointed to the left side saying, “I’ll take this one, it’s closer to the door.” If anything was going to happen, they would have to go through her first.
The two of them stretched out for sleep, leaving the small light glowing in the corner. Alexa lay on her back, unable to relax immediately. The weight of her breasts was barely a distraction now. She reviewed a list of the things that needed to be done. Finding a new hideout as at the top, but how to find one quickly escaped her. Seeking shelter at the American Embassy was problematic. They would be trapped in a location with a single way in or out. She also did not know if embassy security could be trusted. Transportation would be relatively easy as she could appropriate a vehicle from the motor pool on the base. She did not want to ask Stoddard for help as it would weaken their security. She had the cell phone she had found in her purse. Maybe she could reach out to Luk or L for their assistance. Once she had settled the issues in her mind, she was able to sleep.
* * * * *
She woke at some point in the morning. The room was still dark because of the curtains, but she felt completely rested so she knew she had gotten a full night's sleep. It had been another good night because she had not been visited by the nightmares.
She opened her eyes to see Harmony sitting cross-legged on her sleeping bag, looking down at her.
"Good morning," Alexa said.
"Good morning," Harmony replied. Then she asked, "Who are you?"
"What do you mean?" Harmony's impromptu interrogation was completely unexpected. "I told you I was your security."
"That's true. I was told to expect you when I called my superiors. That is why I went with you at the airport." She waved that statement away as if it were irrelevant. "I'm talking about the fact that we have met before, I'm sure of it."
Alexa lay quietly, just looking at her.
"You and I met for the first time yesterday, Ms. Moon," Alexa stated.
"That might be true, but it doesn’t feel right to me," Harmony said in frustration in her voice. "I met a Special Forces soldier some time ago. You obviously are not him but, if I close my eyes, it feels like he is right here. I've never had this kind of experience before and I want to know what is going on."
Alexa studied the other woman, her mind racing while she considered multiple options. There were only three real possibilities here. One, she could deny everything and claim that it was some kind of coincidence. Two, admit that Harmony was right and explain everything. Or three, she could try for some kind of middle road without revealing the truth.
The silence grew longer as she reviewed everything she had been told by L, War, and Peace. They had said that the knowledge that a person was an avatar could affect how they functioned as an avatar. But they had not forbidden her from revealing the truth. It just depended upon whether Harmony would actually believe it.
While she was obviously impatient, Harmony could see that Alexa was thinking and not refusing outright to answer her. Alexa broke the tableau by nodding.
"You're right. There are things going on that you might find hard to believe. Let me go take care of business and I will tell you everything while we eat."
Harmony acknowledged her offer with a nod and a sympathetic smile.
Once they had settled down with their breakfast, Alexa debated on how to start the conversation. She had actually thought about this exact conversation over the past couple of days and had come up with various approaches. She finally elected to just plunge in.
"You're right. It's true that we have met before."
Harmony's eyes narrowed at her admission. While she knew something was going on, the explanation better be good.
"I know that this is starting out sounding strange. I wouldn't believe it if I weren't living it. Are you familiar with the massacre that took place in Afghanistan a few months ago?" At Harmony's nod, she continued, "Up until a few days ago, I was the officer accused of authorizing that attack."
She stopped at that point to let her statement sink in and to wait for Harmony's reaction.
Harmony double blinked as the implications of what Alexa had just said registered.
"I remember the pictures of that officer and I just realized that he was the one I met in Geneva. I had the same feeling from him that I have been getting from you."
"Yes," Alexa replied with a nod. "That is where things start to sound really strange."
She proceeded to tell her about how she had found herself at Deity Arms and that she had awakened in the company of gods. How she had agreed to become associated with the god of war and was tasked with acting as Harmony's bodyguard. She carefully avoided revealing any connection between Harmony and Peace.
But Harmony was sharp enough to know that there was more to her story.
"That doesn't explain why I am so important to require a bodyguard to be assigned to me by a bunch of gods. I'm just a negotiator for the United Nations. There are plenty of others who can take my place."
Alexa had to finally give in and tell everything, regardless of any preference that Peace might have been expressed.
"I did tell you that the god of war asked me to be his avatar?" she began. "The reason you are so important is that you are the avatar of peace." She went on to explain why Harmony was so important.
"You mean that the existence of the entire universe depends upon whether I live or die?" Harmony's voice was decidedly shrill at this point.
"That is largely correct," Alexa confirmed. "If they manage to kill you in a certain way, Peace could be prevented from successfully bonding with a new avatar for a long time. Even if they were to shoot you or stab you, it would take some time before a new avatar could be found. They appear to have been going around killing potential avatars for quite some time.
"If Peace cannot operate in the world, War will have no counter balance and there is a very real chance that the world could destroy itself. They say that the influence of gods crosses over all worlds, so those worlds might all go the same way." She grinned a bit manically at Harmony as she said, "You and I are all that can prevent the end of the world."
"That doesn't make sense!" Harmony exclaimed. "I can't be an avatar as you call it."
"Ask yourself about how successful you have been in your career.”
Harmony looked deflated somewhat as she said, “So being an avatar as you call it is why I do what I do?”
Alexa leaned forward and took her hand.
“No,” she said earnestly. “Being an avatar just makes you better at what you already what to do.”
Harmony’s eyes narrowed as she looked closer at Alexa.
“Does that mean that you liked death and destruction in order to be the avatar of War? What does it mean that you are an avatar? Do you start wars or make them worse?”
Alexa grinned at her barbs instead of being offended by them.
She shook her head. “I’m pretty sure that I am a special case. I was a combat soldier before I was transformed. I know that I have some of the attributes that make me a good candidate to be an avatar of War, but the god of war is not necessarily about violence. For some reason, the people who are looking for you wanted to eliminate me rather than have me available as an avatar.
“Instead of being the unconscious avatar of War, I was asked to assume that role.”
Harmony continued to look at her with some suspicion.
“So, you have an affinity for war just like I have an affinity for peace?” She said affinity as if the word were bracketed with quotes. Sill communicating her skepticism.
Alexa shrugged. “I was a good leader and tactician. I was in line for higher training because of that. But being a soldier does not equal destruction. I believe that there are ways to get things done in combat that do not automatically require death and destruction.” She threw in her own air quotes at that.
“Then why were you selected to be an avatar and my bodyguard?”
Alexa looked uncomfortable at being directly confronted about why she was there. She had given those reasons some thought herself.
“I think that I was chosen because I had an affinity for war and because I had an affinity for you.” She blushed as she made that admission and met Harmony’s eyes for a moment before looking away.
For her part, Harmony’s face was as red as Alexa’s and there was no sign that she was outraged at the admission.
“So that is what that is,” she said with wonder in her voice. “I felt something when we met each other last year and it was the same when we met again at the airport. Do you know what I’m talking about?”
Alexa nodded. She still remembered how she felt when Michael and Harmony had come face to face. It had hit her the same when they met at the airport. She just knew that she liked it.
“So, War is guarding Peace,” Harmony stated with a grin. “It seems to me a bit like the fox guarding the henhouse.”
“I wouldn’t call it that, “Alexa replied. “My task is to protect you. If something were to happen to you, I really do not want to be the instrument that destroys the world. Losing you would hurt too much.”
Harmony’s humor faded in the face of Alexa’s dead seriousness.
“It’s really hard to believe what you are saying, but I can see that you do. I’ll admit that I’ve seen enough things that I cannot explain that I’m willing to follow your lead. If for no other reason than someone wants to kill us. What’s the plan for today?”
“As much as I would like to be able to hide out here, I don’t think that we can stay,” Alexa said. “Stoddard was driving a staff car from the base and I have no doubt that they have figured out that we did not come back to the base in that car. So they will either be searching for that car or they have already found it. Either way, I would like to be gone before they find us here.
“My problem is that I don’t have another place for us to go. I’m going to reach out to New York to see if they can offer us some help. I don’t want to bother Stoddard again so that we don’t have to worry about being tracked through him.”
Harmony nodded as she listened.
“What time is it?” Alexa asked.
“It’s still early. The sun is just coming up.”
Alexa went to the camp light in the corner and turned it off. In the darkness, she peeked through an edge before she opened the curtains all the way.
“The road is clear for now,” she said. “We need to have these blackouts open before anyone notices that there is one apartment that has the curtains drawn and none of the others do.”
“That makes sense. We just have to stay away from the windows then. Is it too early for your call to New York now?”
Alexa was looking out the window
We may be in trouble sooner than I thought,” she said, her voice tense. “
“Why? What’s wrong?” Harmony started to go to the window, but Alexa held her hand up to warn her back.
“I think that our security has been broken,” Alexa replied, her eyes still on the safe house. “I was afraid that someone would start looking for us here and I was right. A couple of security people just pulled up at the house. I can guess how it happened so fast though.
“All they had to do was find out who was driving a staff car last night and start checking on them. Then it would be easy to look into their activities. At least that is what I would do. I just did not expect them to have infiltrated the base so soon.”
Harmony edged up next to Alexa to see what was going on. The soldiers Alexa was talking about were looking around the houses across the field and checking locked doors.
“I can’t believe that so many soldiers would be willing to do this kind of thing,” she said.
“I doubt that the line people are involved,” Alexa said. “Nyx and Erebus are known to corrupt people by appealing to their pride and greed. It’s easier to go after people in charge in order to reach their goals. The leaders will then direct their lower ranking people.”
“What do we do now?” Harmony asked.
Alexa shrugged. “They won’t find anything with the house Stoddard set up for us. Someone might think about those supplies though. I don’t think there will be any searches as yet, but I would expect that they would increase patrols. That will make it harder to get out of here. I’ll call Stoddard first instead. He might be able to pick us up and get us out of here before someone sees us.”
She took out her phone and hit Stoddard’s speed dial entry. The number rang a few times before the voicemail system picked upon. She disconnected before the welcome message finished playing.
“That’s not good,” she said, frowning. “I expected that he would have answered. Considering how important things are.” She was sure that he would have answered the phone and never let it go to voicemail. “He might call us, but I think that we need to plan on getting out of here on our own.”
Harmony nodded. She had experienced some tight situations in her career and it was always better to play it safe.
“I already have a bug-out bag.” She pointed to pieces of luggage she had arrived with. “I might swap out some of the clothes I came with for some of what you had for me.”
Alexa moved to the bags she had brought with her and took out a smaller bag. “It looks like I was prepared too. I discovered this when I got here yesterday.” She hefted the bag with a grin. “We can try to walk away from here and make our way to the base motor pool. We’ll help ourselves to a car and head into London.”
Considering that they had not dressed yet, Alexa decided that wearing her dress uniform would be a good idea, she would change out of it as soon as she could. She looked Harmony over and said, “We’re fairly close to the same size, so I think that you could wear my fatigues. Just make sure to have a change of clothes handy so that we can become civilians quickly.”
They were dressed quickly, wearing running shoes instead of the dress shoes or boots their uniforms called for. Alexa gave a regretful look at the clothing and supplies they were leaving behind. She hadn’t had a chance to wear most of her clothes, but it couldn’t be helped. She shrugged it off. They needed to travel light and none of it was vital to their survival. They grabbed their bags and left.
As they came to the end stairwell, Alexa looked out the windows before they were fully onto the landing. Her arm shot out to keep Harmony from going further as she swore.
“We need to go back!” she hissed.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
Alexa gestured to the windows where they both saw barricades across streets and security teams moving about.
“They either know or think that we’re in the area. If we try to leave now, we would be stopped before we got ten feet from the building.”
They moved back into their impromptu hideout.
“Some avatar of War I turned out to be,” Alexa said. “I’ve let us get trapped with no way out.”
“Don’t say that!” Harmony said as she grabbed Alexa’s arms and looked her in the eyes. “You saved me from those thugs at the airport and took them out without even breathing hard. You figured out how to get us back here safely. You knew that the house would not be a safe place to be and you were right. I wouldn’t have thought they would track us down so fast.
“They haven’t found us yet, so we still have a chance. I have faith in you.”
She shook Alexa’s arms as she declared her trust.
Alexa found herself captivated by Harmony’s gaze again and managed to get control again.
“One of things that I did when I got here was to make sure all of the exterior doors were locked,” Alexa said. “That will keep them from knowing we are here. They will have to get the keys for the buildings they are going to search and that will slow them down a bit.
“This apartment is obviously our base and there is no way we can hide the fact that we’ve been here. I think that hiding in one of the other apartments will be a way of confusing them and maybe get them thinking that we left before they put up their roadblocks. Does that make sense to you?
“Yes, but where can we hide in the rooms?” Harmony looked around. Most rooms had very little furniture left behind, meaning there was nothing to hide under or behind.
Alexa smiled and pointed upward. “These rooms all have suspended ceilings, so we can climb into the supports and put the ceiling tiles back. As long as we stay quiet, they won’t know we’re here.”
“When do we need to get up there?”
“Let’s finish eating and we’ll check the ceilings. We’ll put our bug-out bags up there with us.”
Once they were done, they changed into clothing that would allow them to move easily. Without knowing how much time they had to work with, Alexa determined that they needed to go into hiding immediately.
They chose the apartment across from their current hideout so that they could hear what was going on. They opened the ceiling up a bit so that they could work and used straps Alexa found in the equipment Stoddard had left them to make harnesses to lie in. They agreed that they would be somewhat comfortable as they waited for their opponents to leave.
Their bug-out bags were secured close to hand and then Alexa helped Harmony to climb up into her harness. Before Alexa pulled back to put most of ceiling tiles into place, Harmony took the opportunity to give her a quick kiss. At Alexa’s look of pleasant surprise, Harmony said with a grin, “For luck.”
Alexa returned the grin and said, “Thank you. I loved that movie when I was a kid.” She climbed down and moved the ladder out of the room. When she returned, she was able to jump straight up into the ceiling supports. Her new agility allowed her to lever herself into her own harness. Then she carefully laid the remaining ceiling tiles into place and plunged them into darkness.
* * * * *
L’s office door stood open as Luk escorted the deities of Peace and War. The elder god sat behind his desk and acknowledged their entrance with a brief nod. Luk took up his station to one side of L while the other two seated themselves before the desk.
The room was still as stark as ever with only the desk and chairs. The whiteness of everything contributed to the cold feeling that would have been alleviated with the addition of a potted plant or some office furniture with color. Only Luk would have appreciated that kind of change as he had more contact with the mortals that happened to find their way into their sanctuary. That gave him an outlook on things that was unique among the gods.
“Do you have news?” Peace asked.
L nodded and replied, “Yes. Major Davis met Harmony as planned and they returned to the military base. She changed their hiding place as soon as she arrived, which kept them from being found. Unfortunately, they are currently trapped where they are.”
“And there is nothing we can do to help them?” War asked. It was a pointless question that they all knew the answer to, but it had to be asked.
L was expressionless as he said, “We can take no action that will remove them from their current situation. My representative there has also been compromised for the moment.”
“Then we are lost,” Peace stated. Her voice conveyed no sense of fear or resignation. It was more a statement of fact.
L smiled at them. “As our mortals say, It’s not over until it’s over. Your avatars have not been captured as yet. All we can do is wait and have trust that Major Davis will love up to the task we have given her.”
His calmness did nothing to reassure the other two. All they could do was settle back and wait as he advised.
To Save the Worlds
Chapter 5
Being on the top floor, the girders supporting the roof left a space higher than the rooms on the floors below. As a result, the ceiling that was suspended from the girders was almost two feet below them. Blankets laid over the straps they had strung to make hammocks allowed them to create a rather cozy hideout. The battery-operated lantern hung before them changed what would have been an oppressive cave-like atmosphere into something approaching a sleep-over.
While they waited for sounds that would signal that searchers had entered the building, they lay quietly for a while. But nature abhors a vacuum and the analogy holds true for individuals who are drawn to each other.
“Do you think that we can get away with this?” Harmony asked, keeping her voice just above a whisper.
“I don’t know. But this is the best way we can go about hiding from them since we cannot leave the building. All we can do is hope. I just wish I had moved us out of here last night.” Some unconscious feeling had inspired her to hide them in the ceiling. It had been the same feeling she had experienced the previous evening that had instructed Stoddard to change cars after leaving the airport. It would have been nice if the spidey-sense was more consistent. They could have used some kind of warning last night.
“We haven’t had much of a chance to plan or even think ahead about our situation. I sympathize with you about being trapped though. I’d rather be home in Iowa than dealing with this.”
“You’re from Iowa? I grew up in Minnesota, but that was a long time ago and a long way from here.”
“We’re practically neighbors,” Harmony said excitedly. She started asking Alexa questions about her home town and what it had been like growing up. Most of her answers were drawn from her memories of Michael, but she had to rely upon Alexa’s as well.
Eventually, fatigue caught up with them.
“Let’s get some sleep,” Alexa suggested. “I think that we will hear them coming, so we shouldn’t need to take turns sleeping.” Harmony nodded in agreement and they both put their heads down.
Walking. Always walking. Everywhere she looked, she saw ashes and death. Even the air itself was completely
still. Any fires that had burned had long ago used up their fuel. The only smell in the air was of soot and dirt.
What structures still existed were burned out skeletons of their former glory. Nothing stood intact for as far as
she could see. Typical of the destruction wrought by man’s most powerful weapons. How could things have
come to this end?
The scene blurred for a moment and she found herself looking at a different scene. She stood in a long, high
room. A meeting room or a formal dining room. Harmony was at the other end, bound and gagged in a chair.
Her expression was one of fear and worry. Then Harmony’s eyes widened in horror as a long knife or spear flew
into sight and impaled her chest with an audible impact.
Having had so many nightmares over the years, Alexa knew it was a dream, but watching Harmony die sent an electric shock through her and she jerked awake. "I hate nightmares," she grumbled.
Harmony lay beside her, coming awake because of Alexa’s sudden movements. "I know what you mean. Mine always seem to be about some kind of failure in negotiation. It always hurts."
They were interrupted by the sounds of people on the floor below. This must be what had somehow filtered into her dream. The intruders must have been in the building for quite a while to have reached the second floor. Would they be dealing with the thugs like the ones she had dealt with at the airport or would they be soldiers from the base? She was only concerned about whether they would be facing guns or not. Hand-to-hand combat in the confined spaces of the rooms in the barracks would give her a decided advantage, but projectile weapons would mean that people could attack from a distance.
The more Alexa considered the situation they might be facing, she realized that the people searching for them wanted, no needed, them alive. That meant that the most they would be facing would be bladed weapons of some sort. She needed to stay between Harmony and their attackers.
Her biggest fear was that someone would get past her and hurt Harmony. That possibility worried her more than anything. Having finally met Harmony and spent time talking with her, any injury to her would hurt her more than it did Harmony.
At some point, Harmony changed position so that she was looking back at Alexa. Quietly, she said, “I know that it sounds silly, but I could feel you looking at me.”
Alexa returned her smile and replied, “Well, I wasn’t looking hard enough to set your hair on fire.”
“I really could tell that you were looking at me, Alexa,” Harmony said. “I don’t know why or how.”
“I know what you mean. It’s kind of a nice feeling though.”
Their tentative conversation was interrupted by the sounds of doors being slammed open further down the hallway. Then there was the closer sound of the stairwell at their end of hallway.
“Nothing like advertising your presence,” Alexa muttered. There was no immediate danger of being heard as the door to the apartment was still closed.
Harmony just snorted a brief laugh in response.
It was only a matter of minutes before the hallway door was slammed open below them and there was the sound of a couple of men entering the room. Their search only took moments to see that the room was empty. There was some indistinct talk between them that Alexa could not make out, even though they were right above them. Then they were gone again, closing the door as they went. The sound of opening doors continued on down the corridor.
Eventually, sounds of doors being forced open faded away as the intruders left the floor. They both listened, barely breathing, for any sign that someone was in the room or in the hall outside. After several minutes of waiting, Alexa decided that it was safe to move about and begin planning their next step.
Out of an abundance of caution, Alexa carefully removed the ceiling tile below her.
“Stay here while I have a look around, “she whispered. Using the increased agility that War had gifted her, she levered herself out of the harness and dropped quietly to the floor.
The room was as empty as when the two of them had gone into the ceiling. She listened at the corridor door and at the door to the lavatory. She could hear nothing. Carefully opening the lavatory door, she saw nothing out of the ordinary.
In the ceiling, Harmony had shifted her position so that she could see what Alexa was doing. Alexa waved up at her to stay where she was and that everything was okay.
Moving to the door to the hallway, she listened intently for any activity outside. While she could hear nothing, it seemed too quiet. The sixth sense she had felt at the airport had helped her to identify her opponents was growing stronger now. Regardless of the silence outside, she knew that there were at least four men outside. By somehow stretching her senses, she knew that they were essentially surrounded.
She stood back to think. They were faced with the situation where their pursuers were sure that they were somewhere in the building. The odds were that there were people present on the other floors, waiting to see if it was true. She only had two choices. One was to return to the rafters and hope to wait them out. The other option was to confront those individuals outside the door and hope that they were spread out enough to allow them to escape. Whether they stayed in hiding or made the first move, they were going to have to fight their way out.
She had not really thought through the whole situation she and Harmony were in, this was shaping up to be an utter fiasco. Why the blazes had L sent a single person to act as Harmony’s protection and one who was really not ready for it? The longer she stood there, the more negative thoughts ran through her mind. Maybe she should have just escorted Harmony to the first flight out of Heathrow and on to America instead of staying in Britain. If she had done that, would their plane have been shot down on takeoff? Just like in Africa? Did she have the ability to escape from the trap they now found themselves in?
Alexa almost seemed paralyzed below her, which began to concern Harmony. She hissed at Alexa, trying to keep from making too much noise, but there was no response. She tapped lightly on one of the ceiling tiles, causing Alexa to look for where the noise came from. Unfortunately, that little bit of noise seemed to be enough to alert the men who must have been stationed right outside of the room.
The hallway door almost exploded inward and three men came crashing into the room. More figures could be seen outside but they could not get at her because of the doorway. Alexa found herself too busy to think about what-ifs and maybes. The doorway and the battle that immediately ensued was enough of a bottleneck to save her from fighting all of them at once.
The three in the room may have had the element of surprise, but it did them no good because they faced an experienced soldier who was quite competent at hand-to-hand combat. Her combat batons were in her hands and the leading man went down with a blow to the head while the man behind him suffered a fractured arm and leg, leaving him screaming in pain. The bodies slowed down the entry of the rest and Alexa had enough time to reset her position and take out the third man with blows to the collar bones on both sides of his body, incapacitating him as well.
All three of them had been armed with either clubs or batons of their own, telling Alexa in her combat-heightened state of mind that she had little to worry about from guns. She pushed past the three men who had become non-combatants to take the battle out to the corridor. She found herself facing four more thugs, not soldiers, who had arranged themselves on either side of the door. Instead of allowing them to attack her from both sides, she charged one pair, fighting as if she had taken lessons from a master martial artist. In Alexa’s state, she could have given lessons to that master.
She quickly found herself facing a single man and she was out of position such that he was between her and the apartment she had come charging out of. To her consternation, this man had learned from the mistakes his comrades had made and did not charge at her. Instead, he drew a gun from a shoulder holster and took aim at her.
She froze. The end of the gun’s barrel looked impossibly large. She already knew that the apartment doors near her were too far away to reach without getting a bullet in the back. The thug sneered at her as he took aim. As Alexa prepared to throw one of her batons at him to interrupt his aim, Harmony appeared behind him. She swung a club taken from one of the first combatants to go down, laying him out with a single strike to the head. The gun barked regardless and her shoulder went numb with the impact of the bullet.
Alexa fell back to the floor at the shock caused by the passage of the slug. The sharp smell of gun smoke filled the hallway. She lay still for a moment, surprised that she was still conscious and breathing. She was quite familiar with the damage a bullet could do at the distance she had been from the gun.
As she reached over to check the damage, Harmony was there gently touching her side as tears streamed down her face. “Please don’t die,’ she begged.
“I won’t,” Alexa responded shakily. Her hand found the point of entry and came away slick with blood. Despite reassuring Harmony that she would be okay, she did not feel like it. A quick self-assessment told her that she was still in better shape than she thought she should be. Instead of going into shock, she was alert and focused.
She looked up at Harmony and said, “We need to get out of this hallway. That gunshot will have people running up here in no time.” As she gathered her batons from the floor, doors all along the corridor opened and armed men stood ready to attack. A tall, athletic-looking blonde woman pushed men out of the way before they realized she was there and the rest crowded out of her path. She was beautiful, but her eyes gave the impression of being as cold as ice. Her bearing made it obvious that they faced one of the goddesses of Chaos.
“Hello, Major,” she sneered. “I was sure that you had not gone far, so we decided to wait for you to show yourselves.”
“Which one are you?” Alexa asked. She made no move as Harmony had been grabbed by the men who had appeared. The most she did was sit up a bit straighter, while she made sure her weapons remained out of sight. All she could do was bide her time and look for a chance to fight back.
“I am the goddess Erebus,” the cold blonde replied haughtily. “We are going to bring about a new world.” Her arms spread wide as she indicated their plans.
“You’re no goddess. You are as mortal as the rest of us,” Alexa said. “You just have some cute magic tricks to impress people. All you are going to do is bring about the deaths of millions of people.” It was fool hardy to bait Erebus, but she and Harmony had little to lose. Getting people angry meant that they might make mistakes she could take advantage of though.
Erebus narrowed her eyes as Alexa’s gibe hit home.
“True,” she said. “We are not powerful in this form, but that will change as our divinity is restored. Then we will mold the universe to our desires.” The men standing around them exhibited no concern about what Erebus was saying. They obviously had no idea of what Nyx and Erebus had planned. They were only content to do what they were told to do and be paid for it.
“So, what happens now?” Alexa asked. Hopefully, she would be locked up with a smaller number of guards than she faced right now and take them out. Then things would get interesting.
“You are going nowhere, my dear. Your friend is coming with me for a little ceremony my sister and I have planned,” she smiled coldly down at Alexa. Then she turned to the men holding Harmony and said, “Take her outside.” About a dozen men took Harmony out in a group. Only a couple actually held her between them, but the rest of them were around them and Harmony had no hope of breaking free and escaping.
Once Harmony and her guards were gone, Erebus nudged the man Harmony had knocked out back from the center of the corridor and looked over at another of her minions and said, “Kill them.” She turned away and did not look back. Most of the men followed her out the door, leaving half a dozen to deal with Alexa.
Once Erebus and her team was out of sight, Alexa shifted to get to her feet. Six men stood no chance against her. Before she could make her move, they turned as a group to her. Blows rained down on her head and body. As her sight faded to black, shots rang out and then she knew nothing.
* * * * *
Pain. The throbbing across her head overrode any coherent thought she could form. All she could do was lie still and keep from moving. That kept the pain from getting worse. When a pair of hands rolled her onto her back, all she could do was arch her back in a soundless scream of pain. Now her entire body hurt. Her head felt like it had been beaten from every direction and where she had been shot burned dully.
She did not want to open her eyes when the hands started patting her face and then becoming increasingly sharper slaps.
“Come on, Major! I don’t have much time!” a man said. The voice sounded like Stoddard, but it was hoarse and had a liquid quality to it.
Hands on her head intensified the pain for a few moments before the throbbing started to recede. A hand moved to her shoulder and the dead feeling there lessened as well. After a few moments, she was able to blink her eyes open somewhat to see Stoddard leaning over her. His appearance was no better than how she herself must look. His entire face was a mass of bruised flesh and dried blood. He could only open one eye because the other was swollen so badly.
“Stoddard! You don’t look too good,” Alexa mumbled. Her strength was returning slowly, but she could barely move.
“I’m not, Major,” Stoddard replied. “I don’t have much time left, so please listen.” He waited a moment to make sure that she was actually paying attention before he continued. “I’m operating on borrowed time. Erebus and her men grabbed me this morning and beat everything out of me. They left me here for dead when they took Harmony Moon away.”
That got Alexa’s attention as he reawakened the memories of the past day. She tried to get to a better sitting position, but sank back down when she found that she did not have enough strength for that yet. Looking past Stoddard, she saw bodies lining the corridor all the way to the exit. It appeared that Erebus had ordered the elimination of the men that had been incapacitated rather than help them away.
Her eyes snapped back to Stoddard. “What’s happened?” she asked urgently.
“They either killed everyone outright or they left them for dead. You are the only one they left alive.” Stoddard dropped back from his position over her to fall against the wall. “Major, I’m dying and I need to tell you things.”
He had Alexa’s undivided attention again. She had experience with the dead and dying. But she had never been confronted with cold-blooded murder before.
Stoddard paused to gather himself before speaking. “Erebus and her men thought that I was dead. If they had known that I was still alive, I would probably gotten a bullet myself. As it is, I was very close to being gone when L reached out to me. He was able to give me enough life to get down the hall to you and speak.”
Alexa looked closely at him and could see that Stoddard was looking very pale. “What did he say?” she asked.
“He says that Nyx and Erebus are here on the base and they have only just reached the location where they plan on killing Harmony. The ritual that I heard Erebus talking about is not necessary to their plans, so you do not have much time. L says that you will be unable to control yourself if they execute Harmony Moon. You need to embrace being War’s avatar before you do not have Harmony’s influence to help you.”
His voice had gotten weaker as he spoke and he almost looked like he was deflating. Alexa had been regaining her strength at the same time. Seeing him weaken and approach death left her feeling helpless and angry with herself. If she had thought ahead, she might have been able to prevent at least this tragedy.
She got to her feet, breathing heavily with tears in her eyes. Looking down at a soldier who had offered his life while helping her and remembering the security team who had been protecting Harmony distressed her even more. They were all military professionals who did not know why they were fighting or defending. They only knew that they were doing what had to be done. Frustration at the whole situation and the waste of lives strengthened her resolve, leaving her trembling in anger.
As Michael, he had fought battles and had killed more than a few of his enemies. But he had always made sure that combat and death were necessary. He treated his teams as people and with respect. That was why he had been liked and considered an officer people wanted to be assigned to serve.
Alexa literally saw red as she contemplated what the world would be like if Nyx and Erebus succeeded with their plans. The thought that she would be responsible for uncountable atrocities was horrifying. She straightened with resolve as she knew that there was only one way to prevent these things from happening. She looked down at Stoddard who was gasping out his final breaths. A sense of power spread through her.
Charged with purpose, she reached down to take Stoddard by the shoulder. Her voice was strong and loud as she said, “You are a soldier. I accept you from L and you are mine.” As she spoke, life flowed into the captain to push back the death that sought to claim him. His breathing grew deeper and his color darkened. Within moments, he was blinking his eyes and looking around.
He got to his feet and nodded his head to Alexa. “Thank you, ma’am. They have taken over the armory on the west side of the base. From what L told me, they will not have been there very long.”
Alexa’s hold over the power within her continued to grow as she became the avatar she had agreed to be instead of just playing at it. She nodded at the news and said, “The base will have gone on lockdown by now. This building will be one of the places they come to first because of the gunfire. Leave the base if you can. Hide if you must. You will be contacted when this is over.”
“Yes, ma’am. But won’t you need help?”
“No,” she replied firmly. Her eyes seemed to be fixed on something in the distance. “This will either be settled quickly and happily or not all. Either way, you cannot help me with what I must do.” The tone of her voice was devoid of emotion but conveyed a coldness that scared Stoddard to even hear it. She looked down at him for a moment and smiled. The stern look on her face just moments ago made the smile unexpected and somewhat out of place. Then she was gone.
War itself walked the earth again.
* * * * *
Conflict. In opening herself to the powers of War, she had also become sensitive to every instance of discord on the planet. The conversation she and War had had concerning the difference between War and Peace came back to her and she could see the truth in what he had told her. The intensity of argument or disagreement communicated itself as a form of force or disturbance in the world, so she found that she could filter out low-level disputes. Once she did that, it was easy to identify where her targets were. Distance meant nothing to her. She was wherever conflict existed, so it only required that she focus her awareness where she wanted to be.
What seemed like a single step from the barracks corridor delivered her onto an open field of what could only be the armory. It was a hulking building half buried in the soil of the field. A high fence surrounded the area and a variety of jeeps and trucks were arrayed in front. Soldiers crouched behind the vehicles as automatic gunfire passed overhead.
A brief sensation that began as a tightening in her middle that then spread over her body replaced the bloodied and torn clothing with well worn fatigues. Her disheveled hair formed itself into a long shining braid that coiled onto her shoulder.
The main doors to the armory stood open where a pair of large trucks were stopped. There were gunmen concealed behind the trucks who were firing an almost constant spray of bullets at the men outside. The air was filled with the deafening sound of gunfire and the acrid smell of gunpowder. Alexa found the scene intoxicating, which was alarming. If she allowed Harmony to die, this was what she had to look forward to for the rest of her life.
She was quite some distance behind the line of men facing away from her, with some of the bullets being fired at them whizzing past her. One bullet struck her shoulder but it stopped as it made impact. She barely felt it.
She could see that there were a few men who had been hit and lay off to one side, at least one of them was obviously beyond help. Medical assistance had not arrived as yet, though she could hear sirens in the distance. From the sound of it, more than just paramedics were on the way. Alexa suspected that the field would be filled with even more security, firemen, and medical personnel than the field could hold.
She walked over to where the wounded men lay and knelt between them. Each had been hit multiple times and it was a marvel that they were still living. She placed a hand on each of them and closed her eyes for a moment. The power within her flowed again and she opened her eyes to watch them heal. Bullet slugs rolled off their bodies as they were pushed out of closing wounds. Neither returned to full health, but they were no longer in danger of dying.
She looked to the man she could not help and tears filled her eyes. She was fully capable of taking a life when it was necessary, but any loss of life saddened. Being War's avatar did not mean that she could not mourn the suffering of others or treasure their lives.
"Thank you for whatever you did, ma'am," one of the wounded men said.
Alexa glanced down for a moment and allowed a slight smile to cross her face. "You're welcome, soldier. You won't be fit to return to duty for a while, but you aren't going to die."
"You should keep your head down, ma'am," he said. "They are shooting at anything that moves. When I got hit, they kept shooting at me. I'm lucky that they didn't hit me more than they did."
Her expression darkened. Combat meant that people died, but killing was just blood sport. She looked back down at them and said, "This battle is about to end. Rest and recover." They watched as she turned away to walk toward the men taking cover behind their vehicles.
She was torn between the need to break down and cry and a desire to scream in rage and frustration at the men defending Nyx and Erebus. Her head snapped up, her expression determined. At the same time, she surrounded herself with a shield. The gunmen could shoot at her all they wanted and they would not be able to reach her. There were benefits of acting for War.
The two groups exchanging gunfire were focused upon each other, so they only noticed her when she crossed between two trucks and onto the killing field. Her senses told her that Harmony was inside the bunker and that she was still alive and healthy. She could tell that either Nyx or Erebus were in there as well. She didn't know where the other one was, but she was sure that she couldn't be far off. Logic said that Harmony's well-being was directly related to her own ability to control the anger and desire to destroy that accompanied the power that came from War. That anger reinforced her shield as multiple gunmen concentrated their firing upon her.
As she became visible to more of the base personnel, their firing upon the men in the armory died away. That did nothing to abate the assault upon her. As bullets impacted her shield, there was a flash of light. It made her look like the center of a fireworks display. Instead of ricocheting away, the slugs halted in mid-air and dropped to the ground.
It only took moments for her to walk between the opposing lines, even though it was a respectable distance. Her path was littered with the slugs that had been fired at her. As she reached the trucks blocking the doors into the armory, the gunfire died away as they could no longer see her to shoot at.
To Save the Worlds
by Monica Rose, Qmodo
Chapter 6
The entrance to the garage was blocked by armored trucks, obviously the work of the invaders who were firing viciously upon the base security personnel. The gap between the trucks and where security crouched behind their vehicles was only a hundred feet, but seeing the other side was difficult. The air was blue with powder smoke and the acrid smell bit her nose and throat.
The setting was somehow exhilarating to her. She had not seen this kind of combat since she was Michael in Afghanistan. There was bloodlust all around her. She could feel how much everyone wanted to destroy their opponents. It would be so easy to feed those emotions and let them all loose in a berserker's rage.
As her own desire for death and destruction threatened to spiral out of control, a calmer part of her mind seemed to speak to her. This was not what she was there for. Someone she cared for was in that building and she needed Alexa's help. The realization that she was in danger of losing control sobered her. Pausing to take some deep breaths, she centered herself and prepared to finish her mission.
The invaders of the armory concentrated their firing at her almost exclusively when she stepped onto the field. The invisible barrier she had surrounded herself with kept bullets from reaching her, but it did nothing for the noise from the automatic weapons. The gunfire petered out as she passed out of view of the gunmen. Those who were foolish enough to expose themselves to shoot at her were fired upon by the soldiers from the base.
When it became apparent that the intruders were more intent upon stopping Alexa than shooting at them, the soldiers from the base security set out to follow her. There had been shouts of 'Get down!' and 'Get back!' when she had first stepped out, but that had stopped when they saw that she was somehow impervious to the bullets being fired at her.
She passed between the two trucks, followed by several soldiers. The remainder of her impromptu force flowed around the ends of the trucks. A large group of men confronted her as she stepped into the open, all of them armed. Because she was a single target, only the leading three or four men were actually able to shoot at her.
Taking a moment to look at her attackers, she saw that they had a manic expression on their faces as they tried to kill her. The battle dynamics changed as the men behind her made their presence known, showing no compunction in firing into the crowd in front of them. At the same time, the rest of the force attacked from behind. In the end, Alexa's shield stopped perhaps a dozen bullets. She had not used her batons even once.
From everything Alexa had seen, the intruders were crazed killers, regardless of who they might have been before. She did not attempt to stop the soldiers who had attached themselves to her from shooting them.
She scanned the small battlefield they had walked into and saw that the only dead were the intruders. Her men had managed to take them almost by surprise and had not suffered anything more than slashes or other non-fatal injuries. She noted absently that Nyx and Erebus had recruited only men. Either they were as sexist as most military leaders or they had not found women susceptible to their manner of corruption. The only woman she saw was Erebus herself. The goddess appeared to have suffered two or three gunshots early in the conflict. Her body lay at the back of the garage area and Alexa walked over to check. It was obvious that Erebus was no longer among the living. Apparently, she had truly been as mortal as anyone else.
Alexa was relieved that Harmony was not present, but Alexa had already been certain of that. If Harmony had been hurt or killed, she would have known it immediately.
The garage was a typical loading dock area. There were a couple of trucks parked to one side in addition to the larger vehicles that blocked the entrance. There were doors at the back that flanked a large entry door that would accommodate racks or carts of equipment. She focused on the large fire door that was built for people instead. That was sure to lead to where Harmony was. Ignoring everything else, she set off at a determined pace toward that door, followed by calls of 'Wait!' or 'Stop!'. She paid no attention to the group of men who formed up behind her.
Shotgun blasts greeted her as she threw open the door. Four large men stood in the corridor, obviously left as the next line of defense by Nyx. They were not wearing uniforms, so they must be part of the cadre Nyx and Erebus had recruited. The two who had fired at her were moving out of the way of the others so that they could take their turn. They never had a chance though as she launched herself forward into the group. They barely had time to register that their target had not fallen but was attacking instead. Her batons made short work of them all as she danced among the four. Short strokes, driven by her enhanced strength left them unconscious on the floor and with broken limbs. While they might merit capital punishment, she had determined that the Avatar of War would not leave a trail of blood and death until such time that she could not help it.
She strode down the corridor, ignoring blast doors on either side with their locks and seals still intact. Behind her, an entire squad of men followed her, almost like an honor guard. More soldiers filtered in from the garage to help secure the building. No one was trying to stop her. They weren't even sure if they could be of assistance but they didn't want to abandon her.
At some point, Alexa reached a section of the corridor where it widened out for another door. Instead of its being a blast door, it obviously lead into some sort of conference room with the requisite tables and chairs. She stood before the doors, listening to her inner sense. She knew that Nyx was in there as well as Harmony.
She turned to the men who had bunched up behind her. "Stay out here," she said, her command reinforced by the power of War. The soldiers acknowledged her order with a silent nod.
The doors opened outward and she pulled them both open. Being designed to close slowly after opening, they did not touch her as she stepped through. As she entered, she swung her combat batons up to block the sword that Nyx swung at her. She was glad that her weapons were reinforced because the sword bade stopped dead upon impact. Even with the strength that being an avatar endowed her with, the impact was enough to numb her hands with the vibrations. Still, she forced the sword down and to the floor in a single fluid motion. The sword still had enough energy in it that the point of the blade buried itself more than an inch into the concrete.
Alexa finished entering the room and was able to see Harmony to one side of the room, tied securely to a chair and lit by a spotlight.
She faced Nyx as the woman raised her sword again. "Hello, Nyx. I can't say I'm surprised that you would try to ambush me." Nyx stood a few inches taller, which put Alexa at a disadvantage with Nyx's longer reach and the length of her sword. She wasn't overly concerned about this though. Her greater speed and dexterity would let her use the batons to block any sword strike. Her increased strength was an added plus.
"You little bitch!" Nyx snarled. "You have been a pain in my ass since I got here. Don't you realize what we are trying to do? When we are finished, you will be the most powerful person on the planet!" The woman was practically spitting as she spoke.
Alexa smiled thinly as she tried to circle the goddess. The soldiers who had been following her stayed grouped in the corridor. The ones in the lead had seen Nyx waving her sword around and wisely followed Alexa's instruction to remain in the corridor, keeping everyone back. Enough of them had seen things they did not understand, but they knew that spraying bullets around would not help. It might even result in greater danger to themselves or the base. The doors were allowed to swing closed so that Nyx would not be able to harm anyone in the corridor.
"Give me a clue," Alexa said. "What should I be thanking you for?" The missile that was supposed to kill me in Afghanistan? Or is it for the beating I got in the barracks? I have no doubt that your thugs at the airport would have been just as happy to leave me dead when they tried to grab Harmony.
"You and your sister have left a trail of death across the world and I'm certainly not going to thank you for that. I don't know how long you have been at this, but I intend to stop it."
The conference room was large, with a high ceiling. It had apparently been converted from one of the munitions storage rooms. The contents of the conference room had been piled to one side of the room, leaving a plenty of space to move around in. Alexa could see that Nyx would be able to attack with downward strikes of her sword which would be hard to defend against with just her batons.
Nyx had positioned herself between Alexa and Harmony, obviously aware that she would lose any leverage over Alexa if she allowed the two women to reach each other. Alexa's greatest fear was that Nyx would decide to kill Harmony out of hand. The only way to prevent that was to keep the woman focused upon her.
She held her batons before her in a combat ready stance. They weren't as intimidating as the sword Nyx brandished, but she had already demonstrated that she could use them to block the sword. As she attempted to move around Nyx, it forced the goddess to move forward to keep Alexa back. She saw Nyx glance at the door a couple of times while the two of them engaged in their dance. Nyx was obviously waiting for her sister to arrive and change the dynamics of the fight.
Alexa attempted to distract her by talking while trying to circle around. "Do you really plan to destroy the world?" she asked. "What will that accomplish?"
"We are going to return the cosmos back to what it was on the eve of creation. Chaos and disorder existed before anything else and we will have it again! We will guide the formation of the worlds." Nyx had a half-crazed expression as she declared their plans. She had obviously glossed over the fact that destroying all worlds also meant that they would have no believers and that they would also cease to exist. It would be up to the Creator to start things over at that point.
While Nyx had been taking looks toward the door, Alexa had been glancing over at Harmony. She looked okay, just tied very tightly in the chair, the gag in her mouth just as tight. It was obvious she was very uncomfortable, if not in pain. Nyx and Erebus would not have been concerned about her comfort. Alexa wracked her brain trying to think of a way to stop Nyx and save the woman she already cared for.
The world seemed to slow down as she considered plans and possibilities. In raw terms, this was nothing more than a knife fight and she was using a club. But her odds were far better than if Nyx were using a gun. Alexa could see that Nyx had no place on her body to conceal that kind of weapon. The downside of this fight was that Nyx was using a knife that was almost four feet long and she held it like a pro. But Alexa was just as capable with her batons as Nyx was with her sword.
Once she had reduced things to a simpler form, a plan of action came to her. But she needed to act before Nyx realized that her sister was not coming.
She moved forward, feinting with one hand. Once she was inside Nyx's ability to swing her sword, the advantage of the longer weapon was removed. This reduced Nyx to only using the sword to slash, which Alexa was able to bat away.
Nyx realized that she was at a disadvantage almost immediately and fell back a step or two, Alexa advancing to make sure that she stayed too close for Nyx to use the sword. As she did so, the long sword Nyx held morphed into a much shorter blade. It was still longer than a regular knife, but it was not the sword she had been swinging around. Then, a second blade appeared in her other hand.
Nyx sneered at her and said, "I think that this will even things up now. You have two weapons and I have two."
Still on guard, Alexa smiled thinly and said, "That's true. But I know how to use mine. Do you?"
Her jibe had the desired result as Nyx lunged at her, swinging at her with one blade and trying to stab her with the other. Alexa handled the attack with ease as she had mastered this kind of combat long ago, both as Michael and as Alexa. As long as she remained ready to attack, Nyx could not direct any kind of attack at Harmony. But Alexa needed to get Harmony to safety. The blade Nyx swung at her was deflected away and she sidestepped the stabbing thrust.
As a result, Nyx stumbled past her because Alexa was not there to absorb the momentum of her attack and Alexa found herself between the fallen goddess and Harmony. She smiled in satisfaction at the move and began backing to where Harmony was seated.
Nyx whirled, still holding her knives. Seeing that she had been feinted out of position, she snarled in fury. "Bitch! She is still going to die. One way or another!"
Nyx threw one of her knives, almost seeming to just flick her wrist, and it flew from her hand at Harmony. Alexa leaped forward at the blade as it went past and grabbed the handle. She used the knife's momentum and her own to deflect the knife's path and to then land almost beside Harmony. She smiled triumphantly at stopping the attack, but her smile was wiped away abruptly as she was staggered back by the impact of Nyx's second knife slamming into her belly.
She knew that the damage was serious, but not fatal. She had already learned that being an avatar would help her heal rapidly from her injuries. But she was incapacitated long enough that was unable to prevent Nyx from stepping up and driving a newly formed sword blade into Harmony's abdomen. Harmony screamed into the gag in her mouth, the pain and fear she felt still coming through.
Nyx turned to Alexa and smiled in triumph. "I told you. We win and you will be the most powerful person in the world. And you will destroy the world for us."
Alexa looked up at Nyx, her face a mix of despair and hate. "That might be, but you and your sister won't see it." She pulled the knife out of her belly and blood reddening her clothes. "Your sister is laying outside in the garage and you…" Alexa drove the knife up into Nyx's midriff. The goddess's expression was a mask of pain and shock and Alexa continued, "…are just as dead."
She did not watch Nyx's body collapse as she fell to her knees beside Harmony. She pulled the sword out of Harmony using it to cut away the ropes holding her prisoner before dropping it to the floor. She removed the gag from her mouth and Alexa pulled her close, completely ignoring the additional blood. She knew that Harmony would not enjoy the same advantages of healing that she had been given. She laid Harmony out on the floor in order to get access to her wound. It wasn't a very large cut, but it was bleeding freely pulsing in time with her heartbeat. Alexa tried to hold the wound closed, but she could feel how bad the internal damage was.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Her tears blurred her vision. "I tried to save you. I love you."
Harmony gasped, blood soaking through her front. "I love you too. I wanted to be with you too." She lifted a shaky hand to brush some of Alexa's hair away from the side of her head. "You need to get your ears pierced." Then her hand dropped to her side.
Alexa drew a deep breath and choked out a sob that communicated her pain and loss. She hugged Harmony's body to her, not wanting to accept her loss. She had lost teammates before and had been with some of them when they passed, but she had never felt it this deeply. She knew that Harmony would quickly go limp and start to cool, but she refused to accept it. She cursed at herself for the fumbled planning and protection she had provided.
Giving in to reality, she laid Harmony's body down on the concrete floor and arranged her hands to conceal the wound that had killed her. With the loss of Harmony, it felt like she had lost a part of herself that she did not even know she had. As she cried, she felt that she could understand what poets meant about heartbreak because it felt like she was being torn in two.
Her eyes fell on the sword that had killed the woman she loved. In that moment, that sword became the focus of everything that had gone wrong with her mission and the mistakes she had made. With a scream, she grabbed up the sword and drove it almost halfway into the concrete. A single sidewise pull snapped the blade off at the floor.
The soldiers who had begun entering the room pulled up short at Alexa's painful shriek. They looked at each other, not sure how to react or what to say to her. Most of them had seen her outside and literally ignored bullets being fired at her. Then she had swept through men like a farmer with a scythe to reach the demon woman that had taken over the building. All they could do now was watch helplessly as Alexa sat on the floor sobbing.
Eventually, she had cried herself out and one of the men deemed it okay to approach her. "Ma'am? We will move the bodies to a holding room near the garage. I promise that we will treat your friend as if she is one of our own. If you have any special instructions for us, we will follow them."
Alexa nodded. She looked up at the soldier. "Thank you. This was Harmony Moon. She was the lead negotiator for U. N. peace missions. We should return her body to New York. I will escort her back."
Emotionally and physically spent, her attention was focused solely upon the soldier standing beside her. She saw nothing else, so it was a major shock to her when a hand brushed the hair away from the side of Alexa's face. A soft voice said, "We definitely need to get your ears pierced."
Alexa's head snapped up to look into Harmony's blue eyes. As she took in Harmony sitting before her with her legs curled under, her shock turned into a smile that almost literally lit her face with joy.
"I was sure that Nyx had killed you!" Alexa said, her smile almost making it hard to speak.
"I don't know," Harmony replied. "Maybe she did and I got over it. Is that her?" She gestured to Nyx's body. "I heard you say that Erebus was killed, so does that mean that this is over?"
Alexa did not answer her. She just swept Harmony into a tight hug and began to cry again. Harmony joined her, both were smiling like mad men. The men who had entered the room to remove Nyx and Harmony's bodies elected to return to the corridor until the two women were ready to leave.
"I need some new clothes," Harmony said. "These are pretty much a lost cause." She gestured to her blood-soaked clothes. She held her blouse closed with one hand.
"We should be able to take care of that," Alexa replied with a smile. "If security has not started the cleanup at those barracks, we can retrieve our bags. But I don't think I want to be there for any longer than that." She gave a brief summary of what had happened after Harmony had been taken away.
They got to their feet and made their way out of the building, nodding to the soldiers that they passed. Once out to the loading docks, they saw the men Alexa had incapacitated being secured for transport. There were multiple lines of shrouded bodies laid out across the floor of the garage area, the casualties of the occupation of the armory.
Alexa sought out the officer in charge of investigating the whole incident. She didn't envy the man even a little bit. He actually deserved her sympathy. He had multiple crime scenes to deal with, security breaches to investigate, and the various links to others across the world. While his career would benefit from this work, he and many others would be working on this case for a very long time.
She and Harmony were striking figures among all of the security and medical staff that were rushing about as their clothes gave the appearance that they had been bathed in blood. No one tried to stop them as they walked through the pandemonium. They had to wait a few minutes as various soldiers reported to him and got direction from him. Once he was available, Alexa briefed him on what had happened in the conference room, even though she knew that runners had preceded them. She kept him from asking questions about their clothes by explaining that there was another crime scene on the base that he might not be aware of as yet and she promised to report it to base security as soon as she returned there.
Before he had a chance to stop them, she and Harmony walked away and into a small equipment room. The moment that she was sure they were out of sight, Alexa turned to Harmony and put an arm around her. Drawing upon War's ability to home in on locations of conflict, she searched for where conflict had been recently and was able to identify the barracks they had been living in. It only took a thought for Alexa to transport the two of them to where their luggage was.
"That's an entertaining way to get around," Harmony said. "You didn't tell me that you could do that."
Alexa's smile was sheepish. "I didn't know I could until just after they took you away from me."
"Is it part of being an avatar?" That would mean I can do it too!" Harmony's eyes were wide with excitement.
Alexa expected that L would not want mortals exercising god-like powers on a regular basis.
"I think that I’m a special case actually. War gave me some of his abilities so that I could protect you properly. But I did not know what I could do until I fully accepted being War's avatar. If I had actually gotten my head out of my butt, we could have avoided all of this and you would not have been killed."
Harmony shrugged and sat down on the boxes of supplies that had remained in the room. "Maybe," she replied. "But I've found that things often happen for a reason. After all, if we had been able to escape earlier, they would still be chasing us. I'll admit that I could have done without being stabbed through the heart with a sword, but I really don't remember much of that. There was some pain and I remember talking to you for a moment. Then I woke up."
"That's probably a good thing," Alexa said, nodding in acknowledgement. She looked around. "We should take care of our stuff here before we call base security. They might already be on the way here anyway. I would imagine that the entire base is on a major alert right now. We'll have to come up with a good story for them."
They both skinned out of their bloody garments. As Harmony removed her blouse, Alexa stared at the exposed skin on her chest.
"The spot where Nyx stabbed you isn't even there!" she exclaimed. "The only way you would know that you had been hurt is from all of the blood on your clothes."
Harmony brushed the spot where the sword had entered her chest.
"I can't say that I'm surprised. Considering what we have been through in the past few days. Not having a cut or scar on our bodies is just another thing. You're doing pretty good for yourself, considering that you took a knife to your gut." She grinned at Alexa.
Alexa blinked in surprise. In all of her concern for Harmony, she had forgotten that she had suffered her own injuries during her fight with Nyx. She finished removing her own top and looked at her middle. Sure enough, the skin was completely unmarked. She looked up at Harmony, her amazed look morphing into a grin to match Harmony's.
"Let's get cleaned up before we get invaded by everyone who is not at the armory."
Dropping the remainder of their clothing, they scrambled to the shower. They took turns washing the other's hair, back, and fronts. Washing was interrupted at times by hugs, caresses, and kisses. When they started to get pruny, they agreed that they needed to remember where they were and to get moving again.
The apartment itself was clean, even though bags had been searched and the contents left half-strewn on the floor. The mess did not prevent them from quickly finding towels and clothes. They dressed quickly and hurriedly stuffed clothing and documents that they needed into bags. The documentation might help them deal with the military in the long run. Alexa fully expected that they would find themselves in custody for a number of hours.
When they were ready, they stepped into the corridor to leave. Even though it had been a handful of hours since they were attacked, the area smelled like a slaughter house. Bodies littered the floor. Even knowing that these men had been supporting Nyx and Erebus and had demonstrated their willingness to engage in violence, the loss of life was saddening.
"On the bright side," Alexa said, 'the world should be more stable with Nyx and Erebus gone."
Harmony nodded grimly. "Maybe my job will get easier too."
Going down to the parking lot of the barracks, it was easy to flag down soldiers in a passing jeep. When Alexa informed them of the situation inside and that they needed to notify the colonel at the armory, their status as anonymous civilians in the wrong place was upgraded to quasi-prisoner.
They were treated politely enough and guns were never pointed directly at them. Alexa had the impression that their guards were partly afraid of them and partly wanting to be friends. She suspected that it was due to the aura she was still projecting as War.
They allowed themselves to be escorted to the base security offices where they were placed in a conference room.
"At least we aren't locked in cells," Harmony said with a half-smile.
"That's true," Alexa agreed. "The good thing is that we now have the time to relax. Anyone who was employed by Nyx and Erebus or worshipped them in some way are pretty much harmless now. But we need to be on the watch for any potential dangers to us."
They sat in the conference room for hours. Decent food was provided when they were hungry and they were escorted to the facilities as necessary, but they had nothing to pass the time except to talk. The two women found it to be a perfect opportunity to learn even more about each other.
At long last, the colonel in charge of security appeared.
"Ladies," he began politely. "I really don't know if you are the reason or the cause of this disasters. To tell the truth, it doesn't really matter. After we reviewed your documents and reported it up the line, I was ordered to extend all courtesies and to facilitate your return to Washington. You don't look like you are involved with counterespionage, but that is what it sounds like." He looked expectantly at them for a moment before seeing that no kind of confirmation was forthcoming.
"Now, I am currently in command of the base and the general who would be standing here would be more likely to try to hold on to you. For no other reason than because he could. Since he is still on a plane back from the U. S. and I have not received orders to the contrary, I am going to get you out of here." His expression when he referred to the general communicated his general feelings about the man.
He looked directly at Alexa as he said, "From the reports I have seen so far, you were instrumental in neutralizing the terrorists who took over the armory and prevented them from gaining access to any serious weapons. I was to personally thank you for that. I think you should know that the bodies of both women disappeared from the armory and I can't explain how or why."
Wide-eyed, Alexa and Harmony exchanged looks. The disappearance of their bodies could mean almost anything.
Alexa looked the colonel in the eye and said, "There is a great deal that I am not permitted to share with you, Colonel. I know for a fact that those two women were mortal and they are dead. I don't know why their bodies are gone, but I'm sure that we do not need to worry about it for now. I will make sure that my superiors are aware of what has happened." Some of Alexa's command voice came through in her speech and the colonel could only nod in agreement. She hoped that what she had told the officer was true. She also knew that her statements only reinforced his suspicions of who they might be.
In less than an hour, the ladies were escorted to the airport and put aboard a chartered flight back to the United States. Even though they were the only passengers, the flight still boasted a pair of flight attendants who treated them like royalty. After enjoying a meal that was no longer found on commercial flights, the two of them spent the rest of the flight asleep in each other's arms.
* * * * *
Instead of Washington, they discovered that their flight had been directed to New York instead. Alexa was not concerned as she already had experience with Stoddard and how he had essentially been a sleeper agent for L. It wouldn't surprise her to find that the pilots were not beholding to L as well.
They were met at the hangar by Kemel. Instead of the yellow taxicab Alexa had last seen him in, he was driving a limousine instead.
"Hello, Kemel," Alexa said. "It's good to see you again."
Harmony looked at her with a confused frown.
Alexa smiled at her and said, "Kemel drove me to the airport when I came to meet you in Britain. Of course, he was driving a cab then."
Kemel nodded respectfully to both women. "I have several vehicles at my disposal. It just depends upon the particular occasion." Alexa noted how his expression changed slightly when he said vehicles, but it seemed that Harmony missed it. There was probably more to Kemel than was apparent, but she was not going to pursue it now.
They were ushered to the car and relaxed while Kemel navigated traffic. Eventually, arrived in the square that was overlooked by the hotel.
Pulling over to the curb, Kemel said, "We're here, ladies."
"Thank you, Kemel. Please have a good day," Alexa said as she turned to leave the car. Before she could open the door, it was opened by Horace who held his hand out to assist them out of the vehicle.
As Harmony prepared to leave, she added her thanks, "Thank you, Kemel. It was nice to have met you."
Kemel turned in his seat to look at her. "The pleasure was all mine, ma'am. Thank you for what you have done."
The limousine pulled away after Horace finished taking their bags from the trunk. He handled the cart he was using easily and gestured that the ladies should follow him.
He held the door for them and Alexa favored him with a smile as she passed into the lobby. L and Luk stood in the lobby waiting for her. They both gave her a brief welcoming bow as they entered.
Alexa responded with a deep bow. She had learned a great deal about them and herself over the past week. Her world was certainly much more than she knew. In fact, the universe was larger than she could even imagine and she and Harmony were important parts of it.
"Ladies," L said, "your room is ready for you. We would like to speak to you both before you retire first."
"Yes, of course," Alexa responded.
L gestured to the back of the lobby where the wall dissolved into an opening filled with haze.
"Wasn't there a restaurant back there before?" Alexa asked. She really was not surprised at the change. After what she had experienced, having the building change itself on the whim of its proprietor was a minor thing.
"We don't need the restaurant right now," L said. "But we do have a meeting to go to." L escorted the two of them back to the apparent portal, Luk slightly behind him. They stepped into the haze, Harmony hesitating slightly but encouraged to continue by Alexa's grasp on her hand.
They found themselves in the outdoor amphitheater that Alexa recognized from her first meeting with Peace and War. Once again, the seats along the hillside were filled with gods wearing a wide variety of clothing.
Peace and War stood waiting on the dais. Both wore satisfied smiles. They nodded their thanks to L before turning to Alexa and Harmony.
Peace stepped forward to Harmony. Harmony looked both confused and very happy as Peace embraced her in welcome. "Welcome my avatar. It is good to be able to meet you." Harmony could only smile and nod her head in acknowledgement.
At the same time, War stood before Alexa and held out his hand. As Alexa took his hand in hers, he said, "Good job. It took you longer than I expected to step into your role, but you did good." Alexa's smile was broad as she nodded her thanks.
"Thank you, Guardian," Peace said as she strode over to Alexa. "Harmony Moon recovered quickly because you shared your own life force with her. It was a great sacrifice you made."
"Well, I did have an extra helping of life, ma'am," she replied, giving War a long look. He looked away after meeting her gaze for a moment, but he smiled at her before he did so. "I've come the care a great deal for Harmony, ma'am. I did not realize what was happening at the time. "
War was solemn, a stark difference from the cocky attitude Alexa had seen on her first day. "I don't believe that you understand, Alexa," he said. "You gave her some of your own life force to bring her back to life when she died, even though you were gifted with more than normal."
Alexa frowned. That had to be the tearing sensation she felt when she had held Harmony when Nyx had stabbed her. It had been barely noticeable in her grief. Then she had been so relieved when she realized that Harmony had not died after all. But, if Harmony had died, had she brought her back as they said?
L stepped up beside the other two gods. He looked appraisingly at Alexa, almost as if he could see through her.
"You have done well, Alexa," he said. "Your actions have ensured the safety of us all and the stability of the worlds we all live in. We owe you a great deal." His statement seemed to hang in the air as he finished.
It took her a moment to realize that everything seemed to have stopped again. The only ones apparently still active were herself and L. He stood there studying her, as if waiting on some action from her.
She stood still, thinking. She had returned here to make sure that she was no longer required by War and Peace. Surely things were going to be okay because Nyx and Erebus were gone. That meant that her presence as Alexa was no longer necessary and she could return to being Michael. Was that what she wanted though? If Michael became real again, he would be considered to be some sort of war criminal. That was a minor issue when compared with the fact that the time spent with Harmony would probably be lost. It meant that he would need to win Harmony over from the beginning. Knowing what she knew now, she was not confident that Michael could do that.
"What happens next," she asked L.
"We will return you to being Michael Davis and you can resume your life," he answered.
This was what she had guessed would happen. "Does it have to happen like that? Couldn't I stay like this?"
L smiled at her, actually looking at her. "We are at a point in time where we can do anything we want," he said gravely. "You can remain as Alexa Concordia Davis forever. However, it is necessary that you are no longer the avatar of War."
Alexa nodded her understanding, her head shaking a bit too vigorously. Becoming a normal mortal was not as great a disappointment as the L seemed to think. Harmony cared for her as Alexa. She did not think that Harmony would accept Michael in the same way as she had Alexa.
"I can live with that," she said happily.
As she stated her agreement, she found her vision dimming. The last thing she saw was War stepping forward to catch her as she passed out. She did not see Peace acting to do the same for Harmony.
* * * * *
Epilogue
The two children slammed the screen door open as they ran into the backyard. The fenced yard was huge, with a swing set off to one side. The rest of the yard was completely open for whatever games the children might decide to play.
The two blonde women followed the kids through the door and set their lemonades on the patio table. They took seats under the umbrella so that they did not need to worry about getting sunburnt too quickly. They watched their son and daughter chase each other around the yard. When one caught the other, they would suddenly change direction and the one being chased would become the chaser.
The children were a study in contrasts. The boy was sturdily built, with black hair and dark eyes. His features hinted at having an olive complexion. The girl was just as well built, with golden blonde hair and green eyes. She was as fair skinned as her brother was swarthy.
While Alexa and Harmony watched their children play, they were themselves watched by the two invisible people on the hill beside them. The slightly glowing being beside L wore a simple white robe. It was impossible to tell if the angel was male or female as the features and build were entirely androgynous.
"You did well," it said to L. Even the voice made it impossible to say male or female.
"I did nothing. Alexa saved everything by stopping the renegades. She deserves her reward." L looked at Alexa with a bit of pride. All he had done was choose a likely candidate to fulfill the task. She had chosen her own path.
"The children of War and Peace should have interesting lives," the angel observed. "If there are ever any tests of the children, it will be difficult to explain how Harmony Moon and Alexa Davis are the parents of those two children."
"We will watch out for the children and their parents. Alexa and Harmony will remember nothing about us or having been avatars," L stated. "They will have happy lives and will be good parents. HE has nothing to worry about. Please thank HIM for everything we needed help with."
The angel turned to face L and placed both hands on his shoulders. "Tell HIM yourself, L. HE listens to your prayers too."
The two of them faded away to go about their own pursuits while Alexa and Harmony continued to watch their children chase each other.