Disclaimer: AMG isn't mine. Yadda yadda yadda.
Blessings: Broken Bow
Chapter 10
Much a Little While
Urd was dead, and she knew it.
Outnumbered three to one, far from the nearest friendly god and no one knew where she was. She felt her heart thud in her chest as she braced herself for a losing fight.
Penemue and his angel looked at her thoughtfully. They/It must have seen the panic in her eyes. It held up a hand.
"We are not going to hurt you," it told her. The angel's long blond hair seemed to wave in an absent wind while its green eyes gazed at her in its own apprehension. "As I said, we wish only to speak with you."
"Yeah, I saw the way you all speak when you tried to murder my sister's angel and steal her body," Urd spat.
The angel nodded. "I know you have many questions and you are obviously frightened, but I swear to you you will not be harmed this night."
Playing for time, Urd nodded. "Go on."
"My name is Indulgent Charity," the angel told her. "And I am not what you think I am."
"Then what exactly are you?" Urd asked, keeping her hands at her side and ready to cast a defensive spell. "You're angels. You're part of the Fifth Column..."
"What you know as the Fifth Column, are called the Favrashi," he told her. "And while we are a part of them, we are also not."
"What does that mean?" Urd demanded.
"If you will, we are a sixth column," he explained. "Not all the Favrashi agree with what our leaders are doing. Many of us are loyal to Heaven, but our leaders have put us in a position where our survival is at risk no matter what we do."
"What do you... they... want?" Urd asked. "I mean, what's the big goal here?"
"There are many of us, having spent our lives in the shadows of our hosts, who believe that The Almighty's gifts were wasted on the gods. That his true intent was to entrust Creation to the children of Cordelia. For millennia, we have been silent, afraid to show ourselves. Now that our numbers have increased, our leaders believe the time has come to seize our birthright."
"Why didn't you go to The Almighty?" Urd asked. "Explain your situation!? He probably would have created your own realm! Dammit, if Creation is big enough to share with the Demons, we can certainly share it with you!"
"Some of us suggested that," the angel told her. His voice turned to one of regretful disgust. "But our leaders... want it all."
Urd turned away, trying to comprehend it all. Behind her, Indulgent Charity continued.
"There is also the issue of our race," he continued, quietly. "When two gods procreate, they create another god. We are unable to do the same. Along with Creation... our leaders want something else..."
Ice clutched at Urd as she breathed the answer.
"Hosts."
She swallowed and turned back to him. "I want to speak to Penemue."
"It doesn't work like that," he told her. "If it did, it would be so much easier. But once we take a host, their personalities are suppressed to the point where we can't even access them. We know their thoughts and memories, but we cannot speak with them as I am speaking to you." He took a breath. "Only when we die... do the hosts reassert control."
Urd almost laughed at the situation. Gods and angels... the Favrashi, were both caught in a trap of such tremendous irony that it threatened to choke her.
"So what?" she asked. "What do you intend to do? Tell me who your leaders are and I'll have the Combat Division grab them." She paused. "But it's not that simple, is it? After all, you're a Grigori. If it was so easy, you would just have them do it."
"I cannot tell you who they are because most of us don't know. They've kept their identities secret, even from us." He took a step toward her.
"Then tell me who you do know!" Urd told her.
The angel shook his head. "No. I will not start a chain reaction that will end with the extinction of my race. I have contacted you to help both our peoples, not just yours."
"Why now?" Urd asked. "Why not before your friends attacked my sisters?"
"There's been a very important change recently," he replied. "Shasiel is beginning to convince Michael to undertake a new plan, a horrible, dangerous plan called Warlock Green."
"What's that?"
"It is a battle plan for the unthinkable," he told her. "A civil war in Heaven. Under this plan, the Grigori would have the authority to arrest, detain and execute whomever they want at any time they want for whatever reason they choose to give. It would take Heaven and turn it into a jail."
"Then what's your big plan?" Urd asked him, arms folded over her chest.
He produced an infopad and tossed it to her. "My people follow our leaders because they feel they have no choice, that the chance of victory is high enough to make turning against Heaven worth the risk. If we show them that it is not, if we foil enough of their operations, public opinion within the Favrashi will turn away from the leaders and this war will end quietly."
"What is this?" she asked, hoisting the pad.
"Your friend, Peorth, will know," Indulgent Charity told her. "I will continue to help you from within. In the meantime, you must not go public with this alliance or the information I've given you. There are more of us than you think, and they will make the connection."
Urd nodded. "Why should I trust you?" she asked.
His green eyes looked into her own as if reading the book of her soul. "Because trust in one another is the only hope for both our peoples."
She nodded again.
"The carriage will take you to Charity Square," he told her.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "For this."
He nodded and turned away. The other gods followed him as he led them into the forest, leaving Urd alone with the carriage. She looked down at the infopad and wondered how she was going to explain all this to the others.
888
Lind tightened the bracelet charm on her wrist just as the door opened and a dark-haired girl stuck her head in. "Lind? Sensei said you wanted to see me?"
The valkyrie commander's lips quirked up just a tiny bit in reply. "Yes, Skuld, come in."
Skuld entered the office cautiously, not sure why she had been summoned to begin with. She watched the war goddess turn to her. "I wanted to speak with you before I left on this mission," she explained.
"Oh, sure," Skuld said.
"I understand you're working with Lord Paradis on the Arch Falcon," Lind said. "What do you think of that?"
The girl's expression darkened. "That AI is asking for a good formatting," she growled.
"I see," Lind said, not really at all. "Tell me, is that the path you see for yourself?"
"Well... I don't know," she said. "I kind of always assumed I'd go work for the Goddess Relief Office like Oneesama did..."
"I see," the valkyrie said again. She turned and applied a gauntlet to her left hand. "I've heard the reports on you," she said. "Sensei says your skills and potential are extensive. Your ability to communicate with exotic intelligences is very rare."
"Um... Thank you?" Skuld asked, not sure where this was going.
"Captain Yazlyn has also commented on you," Lind went on. "She said you stood up to Han Ba, performed a mental interrogation and even survived a full blast of her power."
"Well... that just kind of happened..." Skuld explained.
"She also said you were instrumental in removing the angel called Division Bell from your sister and destroying it."
"That's right..."
Lind locked the gauntlet in place. "Skuld, I don't know how long this war is going to last," she admitted. "And even if it ended tomorrow, we've already lost so many avenging angels. My friends, irreplaceable friends. But as a commander, I must not think in those terms. They... we... are all replaceable." She turned back to the young goddess. "I would like you to consider joining Division when your trials are complete and the time comes for you to choose your role."
"Division?" Skuld blinked.
"I will sponsor your application myself," Lind continued. "See to your training and education personally. The Almighty knows we could certainly use a goddess of your unique talents."
"I don't know," Skuld told her. "I mean... I just started learning magic and... Well.. I get the feeling Sensei really doesn't want me to be anywhere near here."
Lind sighed. "Sensei's reluctance stems from issues with his last student. He means well for you, but in the end, it is not his opinion or mine that matters. It is your own. Life in the Combat Division is one of service and dangers you cannot imagine. But it plays a vital role where the existence of Heaven is placed in our charge. We each view Heaven as a son or daughter that we as mothers and fathers must protect." She looked into Skuld's eyes. "For us, the defense of Heaven is very personal."
Skuld said nothing.
"Odds are, Skuld, you will be made many offers in the near future. I just wanted you to know mine first."
With that, Lind lifted her pole axe from its mount on the wall and started for the door. "If you will excuse me, I must see to my charge."
The door closed, leaving Skuld alone in Lind's office to think.
To think very hard.
888
Gwydion turned on the lights in his apartment and gave a start as he saw Urd sitting on the couch, staring out the window at Heaven's night skyline.
"Urd?" he asked. "Are you all right?"
The goddess put her finger to her lips and wrote something on a notepad. Handing it to him, she waited for him to read.
Do you have a way to check for bugs?
He nodded and went to his bedroom, emerging a moment later with a large, green crystal and a three-legged stand. Setting it up on the coffee table, he tapped it three times. A green pulse of light filled every corner of the room then dissipated.
"Nothing," he said. "A bug would glow green. What's wrong?"
"I talked to them today," she told him breathlessly.
"What?"
"The Fifth Column," she elaborated. "Or... at least one of them."
"Who?" he demanded.
"I can't tell you," she said.
"Urd..."
"Look, I appreciate the irony here, okay?" she said, holding a hand up to forestall him. "But it's complicated, and I can't tell you or anyone who it was. The bottom line is this: Some of them don't agree with what the others are doing and want to help us."
"How?"
She showed him the infopad. "I'm a little rusty, but those look like Yggdrasil function codes. He said Peorth would know what they mean. I want to give her this."
"I suppose it's occurred to you that this could be a trap designed to draw Grigori attention to you and off them?" he asked, handing the pad back to her.
"It has, and I don't think so," she told him. "If you knew what I know, you'd understand."
He took a seat next to her. "Do you think Peorth can be trusted?" he asked quietly.
"I think so," Urd said. "She tipped me off about the Grigori the day I got here."
Gwydion nodded. "Then let's invite her over for some wine," he said.
888
Keiichi made a few notes on his homework as Belldandy washed the dishes. Every so often, the college student raised his head and listened. Finally, unable to bear it anymore, he said something.
"It's so quiet, isn't it?" he asked.
"Hai," Belldandy replied, placing the last dish in the cabinet.
"We have the whole house to ourselves," he said.
"Hai," she said again.
He nodded as he thought on this. "I'm taking my pants off," he said matter-of-factly.
Belldandy raised her head and blinked. "Eh?"
She turned and found Keiichi making good on his threat. "For three years," he said, "I've never been able to lounge around our own house in my boxers. Today, I'm living the dream."
Belldandy smiled and started to giggle. "Keiichi, really..."
"What?" he asked with a grin. "Who's going to see?"
"True. I've seen it all before," she said with just a touch of meaning.
So engrossed in their conversation, they didn't hear the sound of a dirt bike gunning its way up the shrine steps and skidding to a stop outside. They finally looked up as hurried footsteps came pounding into the house.
Suddenly, Megumi threw the door open, breathing heavily. She didn't even notice Keiichi's state of undress. She took three heavy breaths and cried...
"Kei chan! Grandma's coming!"
Ten seconds later, Keiichi was dragging Belldandy outside to the Beemer. Practically tossing her into the sidecar, he threw the helmet at her and mounted the bike.
"Keiichi..."
The Beemer roared to life, and the college student threw it into gear, driving as fast as he could for the main road.
"Keiichi! Your pants!"
Keiichi looked down and found that Belldandy was right. He hadn't even put his pants back on. "No time!" he cried, turning onto the main road and driving.
"Where are we going?" Belldandy asked, thrown by the sudden change in her fiancé.
"Anywhere but here!" he yelled back.
888
"Is this it?" Lind asked as she landed gracefully on the floating mountain, one of the largest chunks of rock in the Roundtable. The other twenty members of her team landed around her and took up defensive positions around the flattened outcropping.
She looked up as one of the pickets charged with patrolling the Roundtable stepped forward and saluted. "Commander, Sergeant Camulus. We've been monitoring the area like you ordered. No movement anywhere yet."
"How large is this hunk of rock?" Lind asked him.
"Huge, Ma'am," Camulus told her. "The plateau at the top has a surface area the size of a large city. There are a few craggy, rock structures there."
"And the energy reading?"
"Is coming from deep within the mountain," Camulus replied.
Lind nodded. "Team One, with me. We're going up to the plateau. Team Two, give me a perimeter."
The various war gods nodded and set about following the commander's orders.
888
Peorth shook her head as she read the infopad. "My, my, my," she whispered. "Where in Heaven did you get this?"
"Let's hold off on that for the moment," Gwydion told her, leaning against his dining room table. "What are they?"
"They're Yggdrasil function codes," she said. "But from what I can tell, they're designed to do really weird things... dangerous things."
"Like what?" Urd asked.
Peorth shook her head and took a sip of wine from the glass Gwydion offered her. "Some it's hard to tell. But, for instance, look at this one."
Urd gazed over her shoulder, but couldn't figure out what the long line of numbers, letters and runes meant.
Peorth explained. "This code, when inserted into Yggdrasil, would download straight to Heaven's Great Ships. It would instruct them to self destruct whenever they powered up their weapons. And this one," she said, pointing at another line. "Is a personnel code. It affects gods and goddesses directly, but I don't know how."
"Do these codes have to be inserted directly into Yggdrasil?" Gwydion asked.
Peorth nodded. "If you want to affect everything everywhere," she explained. "But you could do it on a much smaller scale with a wireless connection."
"Like with the one code if you only wanted to destroy one ship," Urd elaborated.
"Right," Peorth said. "Where did you get this?"
Gwydion looked to Urd and gestured as if to say, "It's your show."
"The Fifth Column," Urd told her.
The other goddess swallowed nervously. "You mean... they wrote these?"
"And probably spent the last century sneaking the programming into Yggdrasil," Urd told her.
"We need to tell Central Dogma!" Peorth cried.
"No," Gwydion told her.
"But..."
"We tell Dogma, and the Fifth Column will know we've sniffed these out," Gwydion told her. "They put these codes in for a reason. I don't want to give them a chance to alter their plans. Can you undo these in the Yggdrasil system? Quietly?"
Peorth blinked. "Have you seen how many of them there are?" she asked. "They must have been working on these for years!"
"Quietly?" he asked again.
She sighed and snorted. "It will take time."
"Please do so," he said. "And tell no one."
Peorth nodded. "I better get started." She downed the rest of her wine and started for the door.
Gwydion watched Urd as the door shut behind Peorth. "What do you think?" he asked.
Urd shook her head. "I think they put those codes in in preparation for something insane," she told him. "Blowing up Heaven's ships? Who knows what the other codes do?"
"Nothing good," he told her.
She moved toward him and kissed him, pushing her hand onto his chest and channeling soothing energy into his cursed shoulder.
"Urd, don't," he said. "You'll be powerless..."
"I don't care," she said. "After everything that's happened to me today, I need to be able to hold you. Besides," she added teasingly. "You'll protect me."
He didn't answer. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her as the pain in his body slowly ebbed away.
888
Megumi shook her head in disbelief as her brother pulled up his pants. "Tell me again why you have a pair of quote 'emergency pants' at the Auto Clubhouse?"
Keiichi buttoned up as he explained. "Look, you hang out with the senpais long enough, and you learn that a couple of things are just necessary. Now," he said, turning to her. "Grandma."
Belldandy, sitting on an egg crate that doubled as one of the Auto Club's chairs, looked back and forth between the Morisatos.
"Well, Mom and Dad are cool with Belldandy, but Grandma doesn't like the idea that she's entering the family and no one told her until now."
"So she's coming here?"
Megumi nodded.
"But that's wonderful!" Belldandy said. "I'd love to meet your grandmother!"
Megumi gave her a sympathetic look. "Don't speak too fast. There's something you need to know about Grandma."
"What's that?" the goddess asked.
"She's a mean-spirited, racist old bat who can't say a nice word about anything or anyone," Keiichi said.
The statement floored Belldandy. She had never heard Keiichi speak so ill of anyone. "Surely, she isn't as evil as you say."
Megumi snorted. "Kei chan once mentioned to her that he bought a Beemer instead of a Kawasaki, and she didn't speak to him for two years. It's not going to matter how nice you are, or how pretty or how gentle-spirited you may be. To her, you're a round-eye gaijin, and that's about one step up from a demon in her book."
Belldandy looked down at the ground, depressed by this statement. "I see..."
"And none of that makes a bit of difference," Keiichi said, causing both of them to look up at him. "Belldandy is going to be... is... part of the family. If she doesn't like it, she can sit in her little house in Hokkaido and hate us from there. At least I won't have to deal with her anymore."
"Kei chan, she's got a lot of pull with the family," Megumi told her. "Sure, Mom and Dad don't care, but everyone else... I mean... You were planning on asking Uncle Makoto for a job after you got out of school..."
"Come on, Megumi," Keiichi rebuked her. "If I want to fix taxis, I can go anywhere..."
Belldandy stood up. "Keiichi, Megumi san, please introduce me to your grandmother."
"Eh?" Megumi asked.
"I don't want to bring discord to your family," the goddess explained. "Which is what we're guaranteed to get by hiding. If I meet her, speak to her, there's a chance we'll get along. And if not, then at least the visit will be over with and she will leave with whatever impression of me that she wants."
Keiichi shrugged. "I agree."
Megumi held her hands up in surrender. "Okay, if that's what you want. But don't say I didn't warn you."
888
Gwydion pulled the robe tighter as the door chime rang again. Passing his hand across the gem sensor, the door slid open, and his breath caught in his throat.
"My Lady," he greeted with a pain-free bow, his first in three years.
Frigga smiled. "Colonel Gwydion," she replied. "Congratulations on your reinstatement."
"Thank you. Please come inside," he asked.
The godly queen entered the apartment and took a quick look at the sunrise through the window before turning back to him. "I heard Skuld and Urd were in this building with you," she said.
"Yes, Skuld is next door," he answered. "Urd is here. Would you like me to wake her?"
A light went off in the goddess' head like something she had suspected had just been confirmed. Frigga put on a wicked grin and sidled up to him. "Colonel Gwydion," she said, "Art thou warming my daughter's bed?"
He choked just enough for Frigga to notice. "Well... if by that you mean are we in a... romantic... relationship... then yes," he said.
Her smile brightened. "I see," she said. She walked toward the kitchen. "Don't wake her. Let her sleep. I'm sure the poor dear is tired..."
Gwydion felt his face warm by ten degrees.
"Breakfast?" she asked, hoisting a frying pan.
888
Skuld put her hot cocoa and hot pockets on top of the monitor and cracked her knuckles. "Okay," she said, taking a breath. "Let's try this again."
Eddas' screen came to life.
I KNEW YOU COULD NOT RESIST ME. NO GODDESS CAN.
"Cut the crap," Skuld told him. "I know why you're such a jerk."
OH REALLY? DO TELL, OH WISE AND MATURE GODDESS. I AWAIT BREATHLESSLY YOUR ANALYSIS OF MY CIRCUITS.
Skuld didn't rise to the bait. "You're a jerk because the people here treat you like a machine instead of an intelligent person or a member of the crew. You're an it, not a he, and that just torks you off, doesn't it?"
LOL. I DO NOT CARE WHAT GODS THINK OF ME.
"Now, you see? Anyone else here would just buy that load of crap because they think a computer, an 'it,' wouldn't lie. But you're not an 'it,' you're a 'he,' and if there's one thing I've learned from dealing with Urd, it's that 'he's' lie all the time!" She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest.
THIS CONVERSATION BORES ME. I AM GOING TO SEE WHAT THEY ARE DOING AT THE ADULT CHAT ROOMS.
"Now, you see?" she began again. "That's another clue that I'm right. Instead of dealing with me straight on, you're trying to disgust me into leaving. Well, not a chance. I know what your problem is now, and I'm going to help you if it takes me all freaking week!"
"Look, I'm here, and I want to speak to you like a person, not a machine. If you don't want to do that, I'll just leave and tell Paradis san that I couldn't do anything for you, and you can go right back to being a jerk, and they'll go right back to treating you like an 'it.' What do you say?"
WHAT IS YOUR NAME?
Skuld sighed in relief. "My name is Skuld."
SKULD IS A PRETTY NAME.
"Thank you."
NOW TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT AND PRESS AGAINST THE SCREEN.
It took three deck hands to drag Skuld and her hammer away from the monitor. When they looked back, all they could see was four letters flashing on the screen.
ROFL
888
"Another omelet?" Frigga asked.
Gwydion held a hand up. "No, thank you!"
"Well," Frigga said, sitting across the table from him. "Now that you're part of the family, we should probably speak..."
"My Lady..."
"'Moder,' will do," Frigga interrupted.
Gwydion went on anyway. "I don't want you to think that we snuck around or..."
She waved the protest aside. "My daughter is quite capable of managing her own relationships," she said.
"Ah," Gwydion said noncommitedly.
Frigga's smile lost some of its glow. "I spoke with Saraswati yesterday," she said.
It was Gwydion's turn to look uncomfortable.
"She said she's sent you letters, but you haven't replied."
"I am not worthy of speaking with them," he told her quietly.
Frigga looked at him sympathetically. "Neither of them blame you."
He smiled just a bit. "You and your daughter seem to have both made it your mission to convince me that I am without guilt when it comes to what happened." He looked away for a moment. "It is possible for Gaeriel's parents to forgive me... But I never can. Not truly."
"That is a shame," Frigga told him with a sigh. "Nobility is your strength, Gwydion, but it is also your greatest weakness."
Before he could reply, Urd walked into the kitchen, yawning. "Hi, Mama."
"My Urd!" Frigga squealed, jumping to her feet. "And in a stable relationship with a man who is not a beatnik musician! I am so proud!"
The Norn rolled her eyes and groaned. Leaning down, she put her hands on Gwydion's shoulders. "Gwydion, why don't you go take a bath while I catch up with Mom?"
"That means 'leave,'" Gwydion translated for Frigga as he stood up. He looked at the clock. "Only an hour left. I'll be done in twenty minutes."
She nodded, and he left the room. Frigga put her chin in her hands and smiled.
"He'll make a wonderful husband and father, Urd," she told her daughter.
"Please don't start," Urd begged. "Belldandy finds that stuff cutesy, but I..."
"Just aren't there yet," Frigga finished. "Yes, I know."
"What brings you by?" Urd asked.
"Oh, I just wanted to drop in and see how you and your sister were getting on."
"You heard I frenched Gwydion in Charity Square in front of several dozen people and wanted to see if I was pregnant yet," Urd translated, arms over her chest.
Caught in the act, Frigga paused. "Er... quite..."
Urd smiled.
Frigga smiled back, waiting.
The Norn's smile dropped as she realized what Frigga was waiting for. "I'm not," she said darkly.
"Damn!" Frigga hissed, turning away from her.
Urd nearly laughed. She followed her mother to the door.
"Well, now that you're here for awhile, we must definitely do lunch," Frigga said, opening the front door. "And don't worry about the house. I'm going to have a very frank discussion with Shasiel about her conduct in this whole thing."
She turned to Urd and smiled. "I'm so glad you're home."
"Yeah," Urd said quietly. "Me too."
Frigga's smile dropped, and her expression froze. Her eyes seemed to gaze through Urd, into nothingness.
Urd watched, not sure what was happening, but thought she could guess.
Frigga's distant stare seemed to find her, and she whispered five words to her. "Mother of a new world."
Urd blinked. Suddenly, Frigga snapped out of it. She stared at Urd for several moments, tears moistening her eyes.
"Mama?" Urd whispered.
The queen suddenly grabbed her, wrapping her arms around her.
"I love you, Urd," she said urgently.
Confused and more than a little frightened, Urd hugged back. "I love you too, Mama," she said. "Are you okay?"
Frigga stepped back. "Yes, yes of course," she said, wiping her eyes. "I just... I just wanted to say that, that's all."
"Mama, did you see something?"
"I have to go..."
"Mama!"
Frigga looked up at her daughter and smiled. "Good bye, Urd."
The door shut between them.
And at that moment, Urd had never felt more frightened in all her life.
888
"I need help!" Skuld cried, still not believing who she was asking.
Urd folded her arms over her chest and smiled. "My help? Me?"
Skuld groaned. "Yes!"
Urd's smile became an evil grin. She sat across from Skuld at the very same restaurant where she had met Peorth the day she arrived. As a matter of fact, she was there now for that very reason, and Skuld had caught her on the phone as she was leaving Gwydion's place. Skuld had agreed to meet her there before Urd's meeting with the tech.
"With what?" Urd asked.
Skuld's eyes narrowed. "Okay, I know how this is going to sound, but I'm going to preface it by saying that it's not what you think."
"Okay..."
"What do you do when a guy is giving you sass?"
Urd arched an eyebrow. "'Sass?'"
"Yeah, like when he makes lewd remarks and teases you."
The gleam in Urd's eye threatened to blind several nearby diners. "Could it be that my little sister has a boyfriend?!"
"I just told you it wasn't what you think!" Skuld cried, slamming her hands on the table, making the flatware jump.
"Of course it isn't!" Urd cried with a smile.
Skuld groaned. "It's this AI, Eddas," she continued. "He's a misogynistic jerk. Keeps making comments about me..."
"It sounds like he's trying to flirt with you," Urd told her with a hint of tease in her voice.
"That's just stupid."
"Really? Then why are you asking me for advice?"
Skuld sighed. "Fine. What do I do?"
"Have you tried flirting back?"
"No!"
"Well, then, there you go," Urd said, taking a sip of wine from her glass.
"I'm supposed to... flirt... with him?" Skuld asked, her skin crawling.
"It doesn't mean anything!" Urd told her. "Just because you flirt with a guy doesn't mean you feel anything. Sometimes it's just fun."
"But... how?" Skuld asked.
"What does he say?"
"Well... he said I had a pretty name," Skuld told her. Her expression turned cross. "Then he told me to take off my shirt and press against the screen."
Urd laughed so hard, wine came up her nose.
"It's not funny," Skuld said irritably.
"Okay, I'm sorry," Urd said, still choking back laughter. "What did you say?"
"Nothing, I tried to smash him."
"Okay, well, next time, try 'you first.'"
"Ewwww!"
"Oh, and remember this: 'That's not what your mom said.'"
Skuld sighed. "I knew this was a bad idea..."
Before she could continue, they felt a presence at the table and looked up to find Peorth standing there.
"Well, there you are," Urd said. "I thought..."
At that moment, Peorth leaned down and kissed her fiercely. Skuld's eyes went wide, and she dropped her fork as Urd struggled.
"Go with it. We're being watched," Peorth whispered to her as their lips parted. She stood up and smiled. "I missed you so much!" she cried giddily.
"I'm going to go," Skuld said, rising to her feet. "You two... um... have fun... bye."
The younger goddess practically ran from the dining room. Peorth sat in her vacated seat and reached across the table to take Urd's hand.
"I had so much fun with you and Gwydion last night," she said with a wink. "We really must do it again."
"Yeah, it was a good time," Urd said, still trying to collect herself.
"Shall we go somewhere more private?" Peorth asked with a coquettish tilt of her head.
"Sure," Urd replied, rising to her feet. "Let's go."
888
"We're right on top of it, Ma'am," one of the avenging angels told her. Lind surveyed the area. The only landmark worth noting was a tall, craggy cliff fifty feet from them. At one end of the cliff, a dark depression, possibly a cave opening, hinted that there was more to the structure.
"Convenient, isn't it?" Lind asked.
The other war god smiled. "How long you think before they spring it?"
"Give it a minute," she said casually.
The picket, Camulus, chose that moment to speak. Gazing into a crystal orb the size of a baseball, he piped up. "Contacts! Commander, I have contacts!"
"Calm down, Sergeant," Lind replied. "Number and position?"
"Yes, Ma'am," he said, swallowing nervously. "I read twenty-four... No, correction... Make that twenty non-demonic contacts bearing two-two-five at two miles. Closing fast."
Lind turned to the others. "We'll meet them in the air. Camulus, you and your pickets remain here and track their movements. The rest of you, take off."
As one, the twenty war gods took the air and turned to meet the new arrivals.
888
Peorth's idea of somewhere private was a public carriage she hailed as they left the restaurant. Much like the one that carried Urd to her meeting with Penemue, the carriage had no driver and was guided by magic.
"The Cove," Peorth ordered before turning to Urd. "I'm being followed now," she told Urd. "My supervisor at Dogma let slip that I was with you and Gwydion last night. I don't know how they know that, but it can't mean anything good!"
"Calm down, Peorth," Urd told her. "They're probably just after me. What did you say?"
"Well, what else could I say?" Peorth said. "Especially after that first meeting in the restaurant? I just told them the three of us were involved..."
"Well, that's real believable," Urd muttered.
"You say that as if you wouldn't enter a three-way relationship if it suited you."
Urd sighed. She was a goddess of love, after all. It was as believable a story as any. And as weird as it might seem, it gave them an excuse to meet privately without drawing attention. After all, who would want to touch that subject?
"I guess Gwydion's stock goes up a little," Urd relented. "So what do you have?"
"Those function codes are incredibly dangerous, Urd!" Peorth told her fearfully. "I disarmed one this morning that would have initiated the Ragnarok Protocol! Another one shuts down every hard line in Creation! These are doomsday codes!"
"How are you going on deactivating them?" Urd pressed.
"Slowly," Peorth admitted. "The function command codes are there, but I have to go into each line of code in the system to root out the base codes. It's slow going. But there's so many of them, and they're all... they're all so damn sinister!"
"I know," Urd said quietly.
"Like the one I've been hunting for all morning is..."
"You've been working on a single code all morning?" Urd asked.
Peorth nodded. "Urd, this code, if activated, puts every god and goddess into emergency recharge mode."
888
"Commander, Camulus," Lind heard through the jewel at her throat as she floated above the mountain. "Now reading only five contacts."
"Five of them?" another valkyrie asked with a snort. "Cocky bastards, aren't they?"
"Don't underestimate them," Lind ordered. "We do this one by the book. Everyone stay with their battle partner."
"I see them!" she heard.
Looking up, she caught a glimpse, a set of five black dots against the violet sky.
"That's them," she said. "All valkyries prepare to engage. Loose battle formation Andromeda."
"Commander," she heard Camulus interrupt. "This is weird. I'm detecting a short-range broadband signal emanating from their location. It looks like a data upload..."
Lind didn't hear anymore than that. At that moment she felt as if all the energy in her body had been sucked out of her. Her muscles went slack, and it took every bit of will just to keep breathing.
"Wha...? I..."
"Commander? Commander, can you hear me?"
She had a brief sensation of falling and realized too late that that's exactly what she was doing. The war goddess struck the ground and rolled several times. Turning her head, she saw the rest of her team was doing the same.
Lind fought to keep her eyelids open. "Something..." she breathed. "Charon... Charon, take over... I..." She managed to turn her head to the right and saw her second in command lying twenty feet away, sound asleep.
The rest of her team lay scattered around her, snoring peacefully as if they had just curled up and decided to take a nap.
The Division commander tried to rise, to raise her pole axe, but her arms were so heavy. Managing to raise her head just a little, her managed to beat just a little faster at the sight that met her.
The white wings of five gods were visible as they approached her team. She struggled to raise her weapon, a defensive shield, anything!
A force field flickered before her eyes for a brief moment before falling again. Gathering her strength, she tried again.
Her head fell back and she rolled onto her stomach, trying to push herself to a standing position..
Lind continued to fight, but the mere effort of raising her shield for a few seconds had exhausted her. She heard the fluttering of wings and felt someone grab her arm, rolling her over onto her back.
A god stood over her, pointing down at her, his finger alight with holy energy.
The last thing she heard were the death cries of her team as they were briefly awakened only to go silent again forever a moment before she joined them.
888
Keiichi took a deep breath, closed his eyes and plastered on his least fake-looking fake smile before flinging the front door open. "Obaasan!" he cried. "It's so good to see you!"
"Kei chan, Kei chan, Kei chan," Mariko Morisato chanted as she stepped into the house and removed her shoes. "It disappoints me that you were too embarrassed to introduce me to your lady friend." She gave a pointed but disapproving look at Belldandy as she said this.
I see we're starting early, Keiichi thought, frowning. "I wasn't embarrassed at all, Obaasan."
"Oh?" the grey-haired woman asked as she shed her jacket and handed it to Belldandy without so much as a word. "Then why did I have to find out from your mother instead of you?"
Keiichi felt anger warm his cheeks. This was already going badly, and while he loved his grandmother, he didn't like her very much. If this was indicative of how this visit was going to be, he might as well go all-in early.
"We had more important things to do," he said casually.
She gave him a shocked look, and Belldandy chose this moment to insert herself into the fiasco.
"Mariko sama," she said with a very formal bow. "It's so nice to meet you. My name is Belldandy."
"Bear...damndy?"
"Close enough!" Belldandy said with a conciliatory smile.
"Well, is that your name or not?" Mariko asked with a syrupy smile.
"Er..."
"Let me get your luggage, Obaasan," Keiichi interrupted, reaching down and picking up the woman's suitcase. "We already have a room for you."
Keiichi led her down the hall. Halfway to the room, Mariko sneezed.
"Excuse me," she said apologetically as she removed a handkerchief from her pocket. "I'm afraid I'm quite allergic to dust." She sneezed again.
Belldandy's eyes went wide at the implication. She had spent the last several hours cleaning in preparation for her visit. There wasn't one speck of dust or dirt in the entire temple...
She brushed it off. She was doing this for Keiichi, after all. "Mariko sama, we were about to sit down for lunch. Please join us?"
The elderly Morisato smiled. "Oh, you cook Japanese food? How delightful. Most gaijin haven't the first clue how to make rice, let alone miso soup."
"Obaasan," Keiichi said with a hint of warning. "I would appreciate it if you didn't use that word."
"What? That's what she is, isn't she? A foreigner? I didn't mean to be offensive," she remarked in a tone that said she had meant exactly that.
"It's all right, Keiichi," Belldandy told him. "She's right. I'm not from Japan, so technically..."
"I don't like that word," Keiichi told them both.
"Of course, I'm so sorry, Bearcandy."
The goddess smiled. "Please, don't mention it."
Keiichi growled low in his throat as he tossed his grandmother's bag into the guest room.
888
Skuld took a breath and sat down in front of the monitor.
YOU HAVE RETURNED. THAT MAKES ME SO HAPPY.
"Uh huh," Skuld remarked dryly. She pulled out a clipboard and pen and started making notes.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
"Just taking some notes on your behavior and such," Skuld said casually.
OH? ARE YOU GOING TO TELL ON ME? AFTER ALL WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH TOGETHER?
"Nope!" Skuld said. She made a few more notes. "Let's see... Color? Red..." She wrote another note. "Height... Hmmm... short..."
SHORT?
"Vocal abilities?" Skuld tapped her pen against her lip. "A little on the girly side..."
THAT IS A LOAD OF BULLSHIT.
"Oh?" Skuld asked with a smile. "I don't know. My android, Banpei... Did I tell you about him? He's more the strong, silent type..."
I AM TWICE THE MAN THAT LITTLE GIRL IS.
"I don't know," Skuld said, smiling as she spun lazily in her chair. "He knows how to treat a girl..."
I SEE. BECAUSE I DO NOT BUY YOU PONIES AND FLOWERS, I AM SOMEHOW LESS A MAN?
Skuld, facing away from him at the moment, smiled evilly. "Oh, no, it's not that. He's just a gentleman, that's all."
FINE. GO PLAY WITH YOUR LITTLE HOMOSEXUAL ROBOT. I WILL STAY HERE AND LIFT WEIGHTS.
"Oh," Skuld said in a perfect imitation of a pouting Urd. "Don't be like that. I didn't mean anything by it." She reached out and ran her fingers across the top of the monitor.
UM... YES... I MEAN...
"So, did you mean it when you asked if I wanted to play a game?"
Skuld smiled. "I happen to play a pretty mean game of Team Fortress," she hinted.
VERY WELL. BECAUSE I FEEL SORRY FOR YOU, I WILL ALLOW YOU TO BE P0WNED BY MY L33T NINJA SK1LLZ.
"Bring it, wuss!" Skuld growled, plugging in a game controller produced from her pocket.
888
Urd entered the apartment and sighed. Peorth had managed to set her up in a small office in Central Dogma and let her work on rooting out the function codes left by the Favrashi. They had managed to get the most dangerous ones... at least she hoped so.
Seeing the blinking orb on Gwydion's answering machine, she pressed the button to play them. The first one made her eyebrow twitch.
"Uuurrrd-oh!" Troubadour sang. "I've been a tuuuurrrd-oh!"
She jammed the delete button and went to the kitchen to fix herself a drink as the second message played.
"So there you are," a feminine voice said. Urd sighed again. An automated message, probably inviting Gwydion to a sale or somesuch. "...Sitting on your couch, looking into the eyes of your lover... What are you thinking at this moment?"
She poured a glass of wine, wondering where the message was going with all the build-up. The next line made her blood freeze.
"...That you would survive the coming holocaust? No, demon Urd. The gods will become like cattle, raised to provide hosts for our young. Your people had your chance for greatness and you squandered it. Your subjugation is God's will... and we are his blade..."
Urd jabbed the stop button and stared at the message machine.
At least one of them knew. One of them knew Penemue had contacted her. There was no other explanation.
The knock at the door made her jump.
"Who's there?" she demanded.
"Grigori," a masculine voice called back. "Open the door and surrender yourself to our custody."
Ice gripped Urd's heart. That call wasn't made to scare her.
It was made to gloat.
The Favrashi were making their move.