The young man cast an appraising look at the boarded-up building, cataloguing important pieces of information as he continued walking. At the corner of the building, he turned and walked towards the back. It was the presence of a variety of charms over the building that had attracted his attention, and he wasn't about to ignore his instincts when they told him that he should investigate further. The charms would repel most people, they only managed to earn his curiosity.
His silver .45 was in his hand as he came around the rear of the abandoned restaurant, and the man on guard quietly raised his hands after carefully dropping a polished stick that looked like it was about nine inches long.
"Why use Normal weapons?" the man queried quietly.
"They fit better." the youth answered. "Why the secrecy here of all places?"
"Could you maybe put your gun away?" the man asked.
He raised an eyebrow, but after several seconds, thrust it back onto his overcoat pocket. "Now spill." he said. "I'm not interested in games here."
"Of course." the man said, picking up his stick. "My name is John Doe, and I don't exist. Promise me that you will not tell anyone of me."
"Your secret is safe." the youth said suspiciously. "for now."
"I work with the American Magic Administration, as a non-existent agent. I was ordered to lock this place down, and destroy anything that might disrupt the Statute."
"What does that have to do with this place? There's something about this location, isn't there?" the youth asked urgently.
"Not so loud." the agent said. "I wasn't allowed to use the strongest charms I knew of, because it could have drawn attention. At the look he received, the agent relented. "There is a Rift here…a gateway between worlds. There are many, many such rifts all over the world, and several of these rifts are responsible for the rumors among the Normal people about things like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. Unicorns, fairies, centaurs, djinns, genies…almost everything you've ever heard of in the Normal's so-called 'fairy tales' are alien to this world. Sure, the generations here today might think they are native, but their ancestors came through rifts similar to the one this restaurant was built on."
"Built on? The SA lost control over one of these rifts you speak of?"
"Yeah." the agent admitted sheepishly.
"So…to make sure I'm absolutely clear on this one, a Normal person managed to get the deeds to this tract of land and build a restaurant over a Rift?"
"Yes." the agent admitted weakly.
"I'll bet that went well." the youth muttered sarcastically.
"They did well for about three weeks, after which…strange things started happening. They called in the TV paranormal shows, and the crews ran out with their tails tucked between their legs…seems they couldn't hack dealing with real monsters." John said, casually conjuring a chair. "Want to have a seat?"
"No, I'm more comfortable in the upright and locked position." the youth returned jokingly. His tone turned serious instantly though as he said "Attempt to Obliviate me and I swear you won't live to regret it. I've been working with experimental magic, and I think I can safely say that my weapons aren't entirely Normal anymore."
"Really?" the agent asked. "What did you do?"
"Well, for starters, my weapon is dwarf-made. I gave the Durgrimst Ingetum a full set of schematics for the twin .45s I carry now, with the stipulation that I get the first two that they made. Orik was willing enough to acquiesce to the request, especially as I had given his clan nearly a metric ton of titanium. Secondly, not that I'm admitting to anything, but I might have found a way to turn spells into bullets, and my magazines might be loaded only with Avada rounds."
"You turned the Killing Curse into bullets?" the agent asked incredulously.
"Yup. Safe to handle, until they're fired that is." The youth seemed to think for a minute, allowing what he had said to sink in. The SA agent realized that, even if the youth hadn't been pointing the gun straight at his throat, he still would have died the moment the projectile hit him.
"I'm going to make a deal." the youth said, moving away from the wall he had been leaning on. "And you are going to accept it."
"Really?" the agent asked, bemused.
"Yup. I'm going to buy this place. The SA will do everything that they can to ensure that the paperwork goes through, properly, in the Normal government as well as in the AMA. I will lockdown the Rift such that travel from one side to the other will be tightly controlled, and nothing…unsavory will be getting through. I will fund the entire project myself, and the SA will be guarding this particular Rift for another six months. Less if things go better than expected, and longer if things go pear-shaped."
"Okay…" the agent said. "And why do you think the SA or the AMA will go with this?"
"Multiple reasons." the youth said, taking off his left glove. "This is the first reason." he pointed to the silvery tattoo on his palm. "Secondly, my doing so will have the net effect of freeing up SA resources, and I'm sure that the AMA will be more than willing to tax me on the profits generated by the profitable running of the place. My final reason is because my name is Ajax, and the AMA owes me a massive favor by managing to get them a share of their people on Atlantis."
"You're Ajax?" the agent asked incredulously. "THE Ajax?"
"Unless I'm experiencing Jack Sparrow Syndrome, yes, I am the real Ajax." the now-grinning youth replied.
"My shift ends in half an hour." the agent said, consulting his watch. "I will report back to my superiors in the SA, which will more than likely go straight to the top of the AMA."
"More than likely." the youth agreed. "I want you to be my contact, so I know who to look for, unless they decide they absolutely must send some famous person. If they say anything about wanting to send some power representative, inform them I don't do bribes. That should thin the pack." He turned to leave the alley when the man said "Wait, where will I find you?"
"Oh, I'm headed back to my quarters on Atlantis. It was sheer curiosity that drove me to investigate this place while Sheppard finishes loosing all his money to Angel." Ajax called over his shoulder. His hands had dropped back into the pockets of his overcoat as he left the alley, and the agent quietly melted back into the shadows.
Four hours later, seven SA agents died battling the latest group of Rift-crosser wannabes, prompting the idea that the deal presented by the youth should go through as quickly as possible. They didn't want to loose more agents because of a simple Rift.
"So what were you doing out and around?" Sheppard asked, accelerating the Jumper. "And why didn't you warn me about Angel's poker skills?"
"Didn't care enough to warn you about the poker menace." Ajax said.
"Hey!" Angel protested. Ajax ignored her.
"And I was investigating some stuff that I really shouldn't talk about openly."
"What sort of stuff?" Sheppard asked.
"Magic stuff, like Rifts between worlds and whatnot." Ajax replied casually. "Earth has had a long an rich tapestry of magical history, running back to and probably before the time of the written record. They have lived in secret among the rest of us, hiding their abilities as best as possible. There's even an American branch of magical government, called the American Magic Administration. I've found them to be relatively fair, though they've shown a tendency to speed the process up if you drop in a little 'extra' money."
"You mean like bribes?" Sheppard asked, concerned.
"Yeah, pretty much. The justice side doesn't take well to bribes, but you can pretty much speed up anything else if you've got enough shiny stuff to give them."
"Shiny stuff?"
"Gold. The magical currency seems to be gold, silver and bronze or copper."
"So back to my original question, what was it you were looking at?"
"You remember the boarded up restaurant? The one that looked like it wasn't a year old?" Ajax asked.
"Kinda, the details are a bit fuzzy though."
"That would be the charms laid over the building. The Secrecy Administration was attempting to keep the building as low-key as possible. The problem started when a Normal person, someone without magic, bought the land and build a restaurant over it. The SA had semi-permanently sealed the Rift, but the building disrupted the magic binding the Rift, and creatures began coming through again. The owners fled and the SA bought the place, and have been keeping it in lockdown ever since."
"Okay, so we've got things coming through intergalactic gateways, and nobody knows about it?" Sheppard asked.
"Relax, the Secrecy people have training equivalent to the Normal Special Forces. These people are the best at the job, but the problem they face is the fact that it's a drain on their resources. Sooner or later, something's going to get missed, and that's why I intend to acquire the place." Ajax said calmly.
"So…you're going to lockdown this Rift thingie?" Sheppard asked. "Why?"
"I've a better question." Angel said at last. "Didn't you say you wanted to stay on Atlantis?"
"Yes, I was going to stay on Atlantis, but after what Aragon said as I was leaving, I think it would be best that I find something extremely productive to do on this planet, otherwise he'll drag me kicking and cursing back to Alagaesia to help him rebuild the Riders."
"I guess that answers that." Sheppard said. At his urging, the Jumper accelerated to it's top speed before slowing at the lights of the city appeared in the San Francisco bay.
It had been a year since the altercation in low orbit with the Wraith, and the repairs on Atlantis were nearing completion.
After dropping Aragon in Alagaesia with a Jumper, Ajax had taken Eragon and Arya on a whirlwind trip around the world, stopping in various important places along the way.
The crew of Voyager were having the most bittersweet time of it, what with being so close to home, and yet so extremely far away. They had been working with the SGC to improve their ships as best as possible, and phase cannons were now stock-standard on most starships.
McKay complained loudly, bitterly, and often about the idiots overrunning the city, proclaiming that there were few people who were even qualified to fix things on Atlantis, namely himself and Dr. Carter. The SGC having operations on Atlantis was stressful for all, though Angel did her best to keep things sorted out. Dr. Wier often found herself wondering how she would have ever managed without the cheerful human-avian hybrid, and the two had taken to having lunch together every weekend with General Landry, so as to coordinate easily at the top of the command chain.
Ajax, when not off-base, was holed up in his room, or in the research room that Dr. Jackson typically worked in, actively avoiding the bustle and bother that had fallen over the city. Eragon was working with Max, training her as he had been trained, just as Saphira trained Tigrus.
With everything that had been going on, then Sheppard had suggested hitting the Strip in Las Vegas, several people had jumped at the chance.
"I'll be in my quarters if anyone asks for me." Ajax announced, as he moved down the staircase. "I'm going to bed."
When Ajax's head hit the pillow, he was out like a light. Amaranth had not been on the same Jumper as Ajax on the way back, and so, when she curled up on his bed in her dragon form, she found herself looking through his memories of the incident with the SA agent rather than sleeping.
Having found what she wanted to know, she decided that she was pleased with how the partner of her heart had dealt with the situation, and allowed herself to drift into slumber.
The sounds of Red Alert rousted Ajax from his dreamless sleep at precisely five in the morning, and Ajax diplomatically muttered a brief string of obscenities at the alarm clock before shutting it off.
"Cranky much?" Amaranth queried, yawning widely.
"No, I'm awake at five in the morning, and have absolutely nothing positive to say when I haven't had my cup of morning wake-up." Ajax groused, heading for the shower.
Ten minutes later, with the smell of strong coffee pervading the room, Ajax was presentable and in a somewhat better mood.
He was washing down the remnants of his breakfast when the door chimed.
"That would probably be someone from the SA or the AMA." Amaranth said, licking her chops.
Ajax wasn't surprised that she knew about the discussion that had taken place behind the abandoned restaurant, and simply said "Come in."
The doors opened to show John Doe straightening his tie, and attempting to look nonchalant.
"So, what happened when you said that I was looking to cash in that favor?" Ajax asked, gesturing towards a chair. He saw the wand out in the agent's hand and said "Relax, everyone here knows about magic, and my quarters are warded against eavesdroppers. For that matter, this room is warded against anything that might cause Amaranth or myself to be harmed."
Doe flicked his wrist, and the wand vanished back into a holster.
"I told my superiors, and it got back to the Vice President." Doe explained.
"The Vice President…as in, of the United States? Next in line for the Presidency should something happen to the President?" Ajax asked, stunned.
"The same." Doe replied. "The VP handles the affairs between the Normal and Magical worlds, and is in fact essentially the President of the Magical world. He doesn't really do much usually, allowing the system to run itself, but sometimes he makes important decisions. This is one of those cases. We've got paperwork that's been expedited, all you have to do is sign here, here, and on this line over here."
Ajax carefully jacked his left eyebrow into a position three quarters of an inch above normal, where it remained as he carefully read the documents.
"Looks like it's all in order." he said, accepting the pen and signing. "Is that it then?"
"Pretty much." Doe said. "Oh, we had recent activity at that location. Lost seven agents, but managed to keep the whole thing a secret." The note of bitterness in his voice told Ajax exactly what the agent thought about the situation.
"Could you give the families my condolences?" Ajax asked. "I guess we really need to get moving then, an active Rift is not something we want or need." Ajax stood up with a sigh, then walked over to a table and pushed a button as Doe looked on with interest. A blue holographic field flickered into existence, and Ajax began moving his hands through the field.
"Can we go through the Rift?" Ajax asked.
"Yes…but the last expedition to do so never returned, and their communications seemed to indicate that they were in trouble. They are officially MIA, though it's more probable that they were KIA."
"Then we should bring their bodies back, if their remains are still there." Ajax said. "At the very minimum, I need to know what's on the other side, and my friends here can help me with that. Ever heard of a MALP?"
At the agent's reply in the negative, Ajax continued. "A MALP is a Normal device used to determine the viability of a world before we actually send people in. It gives us information about the atmosphere, the surroundings, and other useful tactical data. If the atmo is different on their end, and we can't breath their air, but they can breath ours, then we go in with HazMat or EV suits, and lock down the other end. On the other hand, if we can breathe the air on that end, then we can dispense with the EV or HazMat suits and lockdown. Either way, I want that end locked down so that we can screen incoming travel one hundred percent effectively."
The agent had nodded his way through most of what Ajax had said, then stood up. "I'll get a team together, seven of the finest we have."
Ajax nodded thoughtfully at that. "Yeah…tell 'em they need to go straight to the Aveda curse if things go pear-shaped right away."
"That's an Unforgivable!" the agent protested.
Ajax rolled his eyes. "Please don't tell me that you simply can't use the Aveda because it's Unforgivable." he said. He retrieved his wand with a silent summoning charm, then opened the window.
"Aveda Kadavera." he announced, wand pointed out the window. It was followed at once by "Dectus." Ajax turned to the agent, who had been staring out the window in shock. "No problem. Accio Aveda bullet."
A moment later, a green tipped bullet sailed into Ajax's outstretched hand.
"A Reducto would be just as deadly as the Aveda, if aimed correctly. Why isn't that one Unforgivable as well?" Ajax asked rhetorically. "It's because people can shield against it, but can't shield against Aveda, right? Because unsavory people would be willing to use an unstoppable spell to achieve their ends, right?"
At the agent's nod, Ajax said "You need to use deadly force against something that will do the same against you. Showing them who's the better man doesn't work when it shows them who's dead. You need to have the right reasons to use the Aveda. If you use it just because it kills…then maybe that's not good enough. Put your team together, I'll get my friends gathered."
Amaranth launched herself out the open window, and Ajax closed it before leaving the room. In the adjacent room, Ajax slipped on his emerald green overcoat, and checked that his handguns were in proper order before dropping them back into their holsters and grabbing extra magazines. With seven extra magazines in each pockets, Ajax reached up and grabbed a forest green wide brimmed hat, which he pulled low over his head, then grabbed a pair of what looked like sunglasses or safety glasses, which he then put on before touching a silver oval on one side. The part of the frames that went behind the ears began to glow blue, and he made several gestures in thin air before nodding. "Alright, good to go." He snagged a rod off of a shelf, which he tucked into his coat.
"I know how to apparate, and I've made port keys before, but I don't like either form of transport. As a Rider, I could call on the power of the dragon-flame, but I think I prefer taking a Jumper." he said, walking past the agent.
Doe quickly caught up and fell in step with him. "What's a Jumper?"
"It's a flying craft, designed by Merlin's predecessors. Merlin himself was the last administrator of Atlantis, he was the one who ensured that the Zero Point Modules powering the city were at full charge before setting the gate to only accept a wormhole from Earth, then everybody on the city at the time fled back to the Milky Way, running from the Wraith threat."
"Merlin, the one who we look to as the founder of British magic, fled?" Doe asked.
"Yeah." Ajax replied. "I would have too, if in the same situation. It was the only way to save Atlantis."
They entered the Gate Room, and Ajax casually leaned against one of the corners at the base of the staircase.
Seven minutes later, four people walked in, prompting Ajax to straighten up, as walk up the stairs.
The group convened in J8, where Ajax took the helm. The lady dressed in green seemed to radiate power, and Doe discreetly cast a variety of spells, which led him to believe that she was extremely powerful and somehow irrevocably linked to the young man at the helm.
"Don't worry about a thing, Doe." Ajax said. "You can use as much magic as you like, and you will not adversely effect the systems onboard…with the exception of my hard drive. I haven't shielded it properly yet, and it will irritate me if I loose all the data I gather via the frames."
Doe looked at Ajax for a moment, then held up his wand as the Jumper cleared the bay. "Lumos!" Light flared on the tip of his wand, and nothing happened to the airborne craft.
Ajax looked around, looking at the lights. "Great job Doe." he said sarcastically. "You managed to turn off all the lights in this compartment except yours, due to automatic light-level controls. In all seriousness though, you haven't harmed anything."
Doe relaxed considerably, right before Ajax accelerated out of the area at full speed.
All right, this is a new story. Review it or something cool like that.
HP magic and IC magic are two different beasts, so just having control over one brand does not guarantee mastery of the other.