Note While all my stories in the Shard of Darkness use characters from White Wolfs World of Darkness and Exalted Lines, this work additionally uses some characters from the television series Boston Legal. They are not mine. I make no profit from their use. They are the property of 20th Century Fox and David E. Kelley.
The Law Firm of Campeggio, Schmit and Lewiston
Washington D.C. Office
Monday, February 27, 2012
It was early in the morning, yet, already, the building was active. The office was located in the very heart of Washington. It only a few doors away from the White House and the Eisenhower Executive building. The Embassy of the Republic of Palau was across the street. Below his window, Edmond Campeggio saw that Pennsylvania Avenue was already crowded. He made a note to tell his assistant to summon his driver a few minutes early as his business took him to the far end of the famous street.
Today, he spoke not before a judge or panel of the judiciary, but before something far more important. Today he would speak before a joint session of the United States Congress. The legislative branch was making an effort to do something that was often attempted, but rarely done, in the early twenty-first century: bring the law up to date with the times. Rather than squabbling over arcane rulings or campaign regulations, however, today the august body would begin to debate the drafting of laws covering the Manifested.
He had, of course, stayed the night as he often did when working on major cases. He knew he'd have a busy day. He had slept on a cot. He showered and shaved in a small private bathroom annex that he kept for such situations. It would not do to go the the Capitol Building looking like an overworked legal aid assistant. Appearances, Campeggio knew, counted for much in this town and Edmond Campeggio always prided himself on his appearance.
Campeggio turned to regard the other gathered named partners; both of whom were in attendance. Shirley Schmidt and Paul Lewiston had arrived at this early hour to show their support. Alan Shore and Jerry Espenson completed the inner circle Campeggio had crafted. Together, these five people planned the firm's most important actions, with occasional advice from a friend who was not in attendance. Campeggio looked up, noting his conspicuous absence.
"Where's Denny?" He asked.
"Oh, he's already out there. He's checking in with the power players on Capitol Hill," Alan said cheerfully.
"Committee chairs?" Shirley asked.
Alan snorted. "Come now, Shirley, hardly. He's with the richest lobbyists."
"Denny has made politics his passion since he decided not to return to the courtroom. We can trust him to know who best to butter up," Campeggio said, recognizing Shirley's frown.
"Shouldn't we go back over the briefing I made you? Remember, most of the rules of Congress are not written. They're established by tradition that's so strong they might as well work like laws, however, in some ways, there is less room for wriggle. You'll have to be mindful of attempts to derail your points when your being questioned," Jerry said nervously.
"Relax, Jerry. We'll go over the 'Cliff Notes' you made of congressional etiquette after I eat," Campeggio said soothingly. He hadn't seen Jerry this nervous in months.
"The Senate knows there is deep dissatisfaction with things as they stand. The original problems were blamed on the outgoing administration in 2008. Our current president has vocally supported their cause, but done little of substance to aid them. Burdensome regulations have been piling on them. The Manifested themselves are different and powerful. That makes them objects of fear. Elected officials want to appear to be assuaging the average voters fears, so they take groundless action," Shirley said.
"I'm more concerned with the turn in public opinion. Everyone was on their side when they were outcasts, hunted by the government. Four years is a bit quick for such a change without someone driving it," Alan said.
"What bothers me is how smooth things have been going so far. Nothing illegal or devious has been pulled since the class action win. It can only be the calm before the storm. You're bound to encounter some sort of trickery, and it's likely dirty, Ed. You'd better watch yourself," Paul said, counseling the younger man.
Shirley took a call while Campeggio mulled over Paul's words. A knock at the door broke the tension. A staffer entered with Campeggio's breakfast. He nodded politely and thanked the man as he exited before moving to the table where the food had been left.
"I agree with you, Paul. It's been too quiet for the last few months and that spells trouble. The opponents of Manifested freedom have never been this quiet. Their puppets are usually on every talk show or news program that will take them. I think you're right. They're up to something," Campeggio said while sitting down and taking a look under his covered dishes.
"I wish you'd stop making all of this sound like a grand conspiracy. Our 'adversaries' are the natural fear and predaceous inclinations common to all small minded and petty people," Shirley said as she put down the phone.
Campeggio gave her a shrug. He had no wish to reopen an old argument they had both agreed to table for the time being. He had made his feelings well known: he thought the normally worldly Shirley was being naive. She, conversely, had made it plain her opinion that paranoia had begun to take hold of his senses.
"This French toast looks far too good to let get cold," Campeggio said diplomatically, changing the subject.
"I suppose you'd better eat. The front desk said Kai and Terra Silbern are here and are on their way up. I'll go check on them while you eat," Shirley said as she stepped out.
"I'll go check the motor pool and our junior partners," Paul said, following Shirley out of the room.
"I'm going to see if security found anything worrying," Jerry said, still agitated. Campeggio thought he heard a nervous 'pop' escape Jerry's lips as he left the room.
"And I'm going to steal a piece of bacon then quickly retreat," Alan said with a mischievous smile as he stole a piece of bacon and left the room as well.
Campeggio gave him a withering stare as he left. He despised anyone disturbing his food. A fact Alan had discovered and often used to aggravate his normally unflappable boss. Everyone at the firm knew Campeggio's proclivity. Meals were his sanctuary. He did not allow business or distressing matters to be discussed while he ate. Trivial conversation and light personal matters were the only topics he would entertain.
Campeggio, having no one to share trivialities with, he thought about his own personal life. His mother, a professional dancer, had traveled to Italy the day before to attend a workshop. She had been excited at the luminaries of dance who would attend. Glancing at the time, he wondered how her flight had gone.
He set down his now drained long stem glass of orange juice. Something caught his eye. He noticed a distorted, but obviously humanoid, shape behind him reflected in the crystal of the glass. As he had been the subject of a kidnapping attempt in the past, he wasted no time with panic. Determined to catch whoever it was off guard, he grasped the matching pitcher of juice and whirled, tossing the expensive crystal at his opponent's head.
The figure was wearing a high tech, sci-fi looking metallic armor. There was an odd chromatic sheen to the metal. The foe wasted no time deflecting the pitcher, but it did cover the mirror tinted visor with an arm to ward off the sticky juice.
Campeggio dove for his desk and the firearm contained within. His opponent moved shockingly fast. The young lawyer felt the bite of a needle in his neck as his foe's other hand snatched his hair. His heart gave have a thunderous hammer in his chest as time seemed to stop.
He felt a rising pressure all around him. It was as if a wind was howling in his ears next to his racing heart. He thought for certain he was dying. Rather than sinking into darkness, however, Edmond Campeggio's world exploded with light. Purple tinged with blues along with silver and gold light streaked out from his form. The light coalesced into a blue-ish indigo dragon with silver claws and teeth. Its eyes seemed to shine with the brilliance of the sun. It opened its mouth with a silent roar. Visible within its gullet was the glow of the the moon's glimmering light, the beast swam in a starry sky.
Campeggio's hand rapidly struck upwards pushing the armored assassin's hand up. The wrist mounted needle came out of Campeggio's neck with it. The assassin quickly recovered from this surprise. The assassin kneed Campeggio in back. Rage helped block the pain. Unable to escape the grip on his hair, Campeggio twisted and attempted to grab his opponent's arm. With a quick sweep of the leg, Campeggio fell back to the floor. His foe didn't fight the momentum. The assassin landed hard on Campeggio's stomach. It hit so hard that Campeggio lost his grip on his opponent and his hands fell away. The assassin, in the scuffle, released his grip on Campeggio's hair. It readied its injection needle. It had been clogged by its unexpectedly rapid exit from its target. Clearing the internal jam with a short jet of liquid out the needle, the assassin gripped Campeggio again, shoving the young lawyers neck back. The needle rapidly descended for the neck.
Desperation flooded Campeggio. He was no grappler. One thought raced through his mind: If I only had a weapon!
His internal prayer was answered. The light around him made manifest his internal need. The light from his own aura coalesced into a large pistol, which despite looking to be made of light, felt very solid and real.
Campeggio lifted his arm and pointed this miraculous weapon directly to the visor of his armored foe. With a gold explosion, the armored assassin fell back. Campeggio scrambled to his feet. Hastily catching his breath, he saw his foe was not defeated. As the assassin rose, Campeggio unloaded round after round into his foe. Each blast was punctuated by a roaring explosion. The bullets, which were made of the same solid light as the weapon, were followed by faint contrails of energy. Only one missed its target. The shot dramatically blew out the window behind the assassin. The icy wind from the Washington winter poured into the room.
With a speed that was super human, the assassin closed in to grab Campeggio again. Campeggio threw himself to the side. His quick mind noticed his initial attack had cracked the visor on one side, turning it into a spiderweb of barely connected fragments, a few of which were missing. He could see through one of the missing fragments to make out a very human eye. As the assassin turned to pursue, Campeggio cleared his mind and fired a carefully aimed shot into the center of the weakness.
The visor splintered and the assassin's head snapped back. It fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Campeggio closed and fired two more rounds into his attacker's skull. He stood, completely rigid. His mind trying to catch up with the action that had taken place and with the sudden change that had come over him.
The door exploded open with a bang. The gigantic form of Kai stormed into the room. Well over seven feet tall, massively muscled and almost impossibly wide at the shoulder, Kai exuded an aura of calm despite the chaos around him. He wore a suit cut in the European style. Despite being custom made by expert tailors, Kai's muscular bulk made him look somewhat awkward in such clothes. His now very long white hair was bound in a simple ponytail. Had his suit been less expensive, he would have looked like the hired muscle for a mobster. He gave the room a quick, yet thorough check as he approached Campeggio and the limp form of his opponent. He eyed the aura of light that enveloped the lawyer warily.
"Terra! We need you!" Kai bellowed, his deep voice cutting through Campeggio's internal fog.
Terra heeded the call. She was pregnant again, however, the prominent swell of her belly did nothing to impede her reflexes. She was dressed in a tasteful skirt that was cut for her generous curves. Her long, curly brown hair was swept into a high ponytail and held in place with a few golden adornments that complimented the natural tropical flowers that grew in her hair. She dashed into the room, her eyes widening at the display within. Rushing over, she knelt down, her eyes squinting from the bright aura. "Edmond! Are you hurt?"
"Bruised, strained, and there's a laceration in my neck where it shot me with a hypodermic needle-like weapon. I'm hyper stimulated. My heart is hammering and my mind's racing. I can't seem to calm down. I'm having strange sensations...memories...not my own, either that or hallucinations. They're all over the place: battles, wars, peace and trade negotiations, inhuman creatures, fantastic impossible places…." Campeggio said, his voice came rapid and hyperactive pace. His eyes roamed the room in panic.
Terra looked down at the drops of fluid where the thing on the floor had expressed some of its payload. She ran her hand across the carpet and a few dark green sparks of energy emanated from her fingertips. "Some form of artificial adrenaline, I think. I can purge its effects."
"Yes, please. I need to be able to focus," Campeggio said, his voice still elevated and rapid. He felt Terra's soft hands on his face as they traveled down to the wound on his neck. He could smell the pleasing aroma that cloaked the beautiful woman. She always had a sensual air about her, and this close it was almost overpowering. He felt his heart begin to slow as she tended to his wounds. Terra's bright green aura pulsed as she purged the toxins from Campeggio's body. Turning, he looked at the door where Shirley, Paul, Alan and Jerry were starring in a state of mixed shock, horror and wonder.
"Come in. Close the door," Campeggio told them.
Paul spoke first. "This isn't like any recorded Manifestation. Are you sure this is safe, Ed?"
"Exaltation," Campeggio said simply.
Paul blinked. "What?"
"Our state is called Exaltation. Mine is Solar Exaltation, Eclipse Caste. There are four others: Dawn, Zenith, Twilight and Night. The Elemental Exalted, the Dragon Blooded, come in five aspects: Earth, Wood, Fire, Water, and Air. The Lunar Exalted come in..."
"Hold still!" Terra ordered firmly, cutting him off. "I need you to relax and breathe." She took a flashlight from her bag and was examining his pupils.
Campeggio nodded. His breathing became more regular, and his eyes relaxed.
Alan Shore spoke up. "We have an emergency to deal with. We have to make a plan to keep this quiet."
"Why keep it quiet?" Paul asked.
"Oh, I'm sure the spokesman and lawyer for the Manifested suddenly a wash with a never before seen form of manifestation or exaltation or whatever you call it won't be at all prejudicial or panic inducing," Alan quipped.
"There were shots fired in here! This isn't the Boston Office where everyone would assume it's Denny! The police will be here! I'm sure they were called," Shirley said.
"This," Terra said, gesturing to the whirl of power around Campeggio, "will likely take fifteen to twenty minutes to subside if it is like our own auras. Can you stall the police for that long?"
"We must. Paul go stall them. Jerry help him. Find any means. Do not let them up here. We have to make up a cover story," Campeggio said.
Both took off. Terra continued to tend to Campeggio's injuries. "Should I heal these or leave them?"
"Leave them. We'll admit to an attack. It will be easier and make us more sympathetic," Campeggio said
Shirley tipped her head towards Campeggio's intruder. "What about the body?"
"What about it? He might be odd looking, but he did attack me. He's evidence," Campeggio said
"You seemed to not have noticed, but while Terra was working on you the gun made of light vanished. That is going to be sort of hard to explain away," Alan noted.
"You have another problem. This man is deflating," Kai said.
Shirley whirled around. "Deflating?"
"Like a balloon," Kai said curiously. He looked almost amused.
Terra ceased her treatment of Campeggio and began examining the being on the floor. She looked up puzzled. "The armor is contracting. It seems to be consuming the occupant's body. I'm also not sure 'occupant' is the right term. This armor seems to be fused or integrated into him."
Edmond tapped the jewel in the middle of the creature's forehead-helm. "This is placed like my own caste mark. It glows with light as well. Could he be some sort of artificial exalted? If so, perhaps another can wield its power. I'm fairly sure the odd memories are from other holders of my exaltation."
"If you die your power seeks a new host?" Kai asked.
"I believe so, yes. I don't think yours does. I seem to recall the Dragon Blooded have families and clans. I suppose recall is the correct word. It's all a whirl in my mind," Campeggio said in a surprisingly calm manner.
"That matches with what we have theorized. Summer Rain was born with similar marking to a fire Manifested, we assumed she might one day Manifest," Terra said in a distracted, matter-of-fact tone as she read Campeggio's vital signs.
"You mean there have been manifested, er exalted before?" Kai asked.
"Yes...well, I'm not sure," Campeggio admitted. "Like I said, it's all a blur right now."
Meanwhile, the process of the mechanical assassin's self consumption was speeding up. When it reached the size of a hockey puck, it stopped. The only trace of the being was a small disk. It was made of a strange metal with a rainbow sheen that occasionally refracted across its surface with a glowing oval jewel in the middle.
"Well, you don't see that every day," Alan said jovially.
"No, not every day," Kai said, unimpressed.
Shirley eyed them both. Her eyes seemed to question their sanity. "What story do we use now?" She asked to no one in particular.
"The assassin went out the window after attacking. We didn't see what happened after that. We have no idea what happened after that. He was gone when you came in and I was too disoriented to check," Campeggio said.
Terra picked up the small disk with a cloth and searched through her bag for a large enough container to hold the device. Shirley stepped closer, reaching out to help hold the bag open. When Shirley came close filaments shot out of the seemingly solid puck of metal and flexed like the legs of spider. They snapped in Shirley's direction, reaching out for her.
Shirley recoiled in shock. "What is it doing!?"
Terra pulled the now spider legged disc back. She held it tightly, shocked at its sudden activity. Removed from Shirley's presence the legs stopped their furious grasping.
"It didn't react that way to Kai, Edmond or myself," Terra noted.
"Maybe it needs a new host and doesn't find any of you too appealing as you already have some sort of power. You know, looking for an easy target and all that so it might continue its mission," Alan said, speculating.
"We could test that theory. Just have Mr. Shore step closer," Kai said, smirking.
"I, for one, am not fond of that idea," Alan said cooly.
"Let's see if it works. Terra can get a good grip on it. You'll be fine, Alan, and if it doesn't work, maybe you'll gain fantastic cosmic power or something," Campeggio said brightly.
"This is a horrible idea. I better be getting hazard pay for this," Alan said, reluctantly stepping forward.
This time, the device not only tried to grab at Alan, it stabbed Terra in the wrist as it scrambled to get free. Terra gritted her teeth and grabed the disk with her other hand, quickly retreating from Alan's presence.
"Are you alright?" Kai asked, his huge form storming over to Terra's side in a protective gesture. He glared at the small disk in her hand.
"It's just a small cut. Give me that case in my bag so I can get this thing stowed away and tend to this cut," Terra said, giving Kai and order.
Kai grabbed the requested case. "This is made of Elemental Jade. It should stand up to whatever that damn hockey puck tosses at it," he said as he clenched the device in his iron grip. He placed it in the case while Terra flushed her wound and focused her healing power into it.
Shirley checked her phone. "Paul says they're having a hard time down there keeping the police out. They need a distraction."
Kai looked up from watching Terra treat her cut. "If you are fine, my love, I will go distract the police."
"Don't get in too much trouble." Terra said, doubt creeping into her voice.
"I will not kill anyone, if you are worried about that. Just some property damage. Nothing Campeggio cannot afford to replace," Kai said with a smile.
"Good. We only need five to ten more minutes," Terra said, eyeing the light coming from Campeggio's aura.