Selene stretched, feeling the muscles of her back pop as she moved.
"Oooh, that hurt," she twisted to one side, then the other. Too many hours sitting at John's desk doing video consultations had played havoc with her spine. And she still had her card readings to finish. Luckily those didn't require any face to face time.
Needing to move she gathered up her cards and her tablet then went for a wander. The villa was surprisingly quiet, although she could hear the faint notes of the piano and followed them to the lounge. Virgil and John were the only ones there.
V was tinkling on the ivories, playing a soft little tune, while John was quietly reading. She wandered past the piano, stopping to give Virgil a little shoulder squeeze in greeting, not wanting to interrupt him too much, then continued to the seating area.
She looked from her spaceman, to the couch, to the floor and back again. Sure, she could sit on the floor at the table, but then she'd be far away from John again, and that wasn't part of the plan, he was definitely the better option.
Not giving him any choice in the matter she nudged his book out of the way and flopped down, lying on her belly across his lap. John, fairly used to her antics by now, simply lifted his arms, waited until she got comfortable and lowered them again, resting his book on her backside.
Holding herself up on her elbows she shuffled the cards and started her first spread, setting her tablet to voice typing as she got to work.
"Distant Past, four of cups, element of water signifying a very emotional time in your past which has had a major effect on your life now. It's the card of missed opportunities, boredom and reevaluation-" she paused when John shifted to get comfortable, his hand coming to rest on her left butt cheek after he turned the page of his book. Smiling to herself she continued with her reading.
"Present, Queen of Swords, an older woman will step into your life and protect you when you need it most."
She finished the reading, quietly adding more details and explanations, checked that the tablet had recorded and translated it all properly then gathered up the cards to shuffle them again, laying out another spread.
She was half way through the cards, murmuring quietly into her tablet when the peace was ruined by Gordon clattering into the room.
"What's shakin' bacon?"
He stopped dead, face creased in confusion. "Sel?"
"Hmm?" she turned away from her cards to face the aquanaut. "Sup?"
"Does he even realise he's doing that?" amusement tinged his words as he nodded towards John.
She lifted her head to glance over her shoulder at her love, smiling indulgently. "Nope."
Virgil looked over at them, his fingers never ceasing their dancing on the piano keys. He smiled, spotting what had made Gordon laugh.
"John?"
Nothing. Not even a flicker.
"John?" Gordon tried again.
Nope, still nothing.
"John?" Virgil tried for him.
"Yeah?" He didn't look up from his book.
"Hey, how comes he answered you?"
"I've learnt to tune you out with years of practice."
"Mean."
"Did you want something or were you just interrupting for the sake of it?"
"No, it's fine."
Selene sniggered as Gordon settled on the couch opposite to wait.
Everyone drifted back to their activities, Selene softly reciting, Virgil continued to play although his focus was back on his sheet music and John returned his attention to his book while Gordon checked his social media accounts.
Peacefulness reigned for no more than ten minutes before Alan shattered it by bounding into the room with his usual inexhaustible energy.
He too stopped in front of the couch, but he was even less subtle than Gordon if such a thing was even possible.
"John, why are you doing that?"
John's epic sigh was the stuff of legends.
"Doing what? Reading quietly like a normal person?"
"No, stroking Selene's butt in the lounge."
Virgil and Gordon couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
"What are you talking about? I'm not-" he interrupted himself as he frowned, looking down at his hand which had been absently petting her behind. His frown morphed into a glare as he immediately stopped, breaking contact. "Where did the cat go?"
"He's been with me for the past two hours."
"Really?" John frowned.
Alan turned, revealing Armstrong happily curled up in his hood like it was a hammock.
Selene took pity on John, heaving herself upright and settling beside him. "Hardly his fault that my butt is so amazing."
"No, my butt is amazing, yours is just OK," Kayo grinned as she appeared in the doorway. "Are you busy, witch?"
Selene glanced at her cards, ignoring the insult to her behind. "I've got a couple of things to do, but not really, why?"
"Fancy a road trip? I need your help."
"What with?" John was instantly suspicious, his previous predicament forgotten. He wasn't aware of Kayo having anything that she needed help with, which put him on edge. He was usually aware of everything that went on with International Rescue and its operatives, sometimes too aware, he shuddered inwardly at the memories of a few things he'd seen and heard that he'd rather forget but seemed to have etched themselves onto his brain.
"Things are quiet and I saw that some of my old university friends are having a reunion. Since everyone is always saying that I don't have time for socialising I thought I'd make time. Unfortunately updating my wardrobe is another thing I haven't had time for, so I thought I'd enlist a little help. I'd ask Penelope but we have very different tastes in clothing, although I'm sure Selene could lend me something, and come with me to the reunion tonight?"
Selene was struck dumb for a moment, of all the things she had expected to hear from Kayo, this was not one of them. But she pulled herself together quickly.
"Yeah, I'd love to come, let me just sort a couple of things first, OK?"
Kayo shrugged. "Sure, just don't take too long."
Selene snapped a picture of the tarot spread for future reference and checked her list of jobs to do for the next few days, seeing what she could put off.
John lent over to glance at her tablet, checking her list. "Anything I can help with?"
She frowned, thinking about it. "Not really, I've nearly finished this reading and it's not due for a few days anyway, and other than that the only things left to do are natal charts, I've been putting them off as it always takes me forever to plot each bloody thing."
He squinted at the charts she had partially plotted. "Looks easy enough, just plotting the location of specific stars and planets on specific dates at a certain time, right?"
She made a face. "Pretty much, I mean there's interpretation of it after, but yeah."
He slid her tablet out of her hands. "Then leave them to me, what will take you hours will probably take me minutes."
She stared at him for a second, then patted her heart in gratitude. "You get better every day. I have no idea why I didn't think of making you do them before, but thank you."
"You good to go now?" Kayo was never one for patience.
"Yep, let me just grab my bag and coat, then I'm all yours," she was already halfway out the door heading for the bedrooms.
"You had better look after her tonight, I've heard the stories of your college drinking and seen the pictures to back it up," John warned Kayo.
Kayo snorted. "This is the woman that somehow accidentally went out drinking with Scott and not only survived, but made it a regular thing, if anything it'll be me that needs the help. Don't worry, it won't be a heavy night, I just need some back up, those women are more ruthless than I am."
"Is such a thing possible?" Alan asked, sitting carefully to avoid squashing Armstrong.
"Maybe I need to come along too, you know, to keep the ladies entertained," Gordon offered. "Purely to be helpful, obviously."
"Obviously," Kayo rolled her eyes. "Thanks, but no thanks, we've got this, plus it's ladies only."
Selene trotted back into the lounge carrying her massive handbag that she refused to leave home without. "OK, I'm ready, let's go."
Kayo led the way to the concealed hanger entrance, touching her hand to the camouflaged panel, standing back as the wall slid aside.
"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?"
"Shit! Yes, I'm sorry," Selene ran back to the sunken seating, diverting past John to Alan. "Bye Armie!" she fondled the cats soft head, ignoring the sniggering of John's assembled brothers.
"At least we know who the important one is now," John huffed.
"I'm joking, I'm joking!" she bent over to kiss him. "Bye gorgeous." She pecked a kiss to his lips, aware of the audience they had but for once John didn't seem to mind. His arms banded around her waist, tugging her down onto his lap.
"Goodbye, have a good time, but behave. And no bringing home any more strays."
"It was one time, John, get over it," Virgil groaned. "It's not like we've made a habit of it and the island is overrun with animals."
"Still, behave," John kissed her softly, a little deeper and a little longer than was strictly PG.
Kayo coughed impatiently. "Are you two done?"
Selene smiled against his lips, breaking the kiss, though she pecked another there just because, then extracted herself from his arms.
"Yep, done."
The two women vanished, the wall closing silently behind them.
"Show off," Gordon grumbled.
John just grinned and stood up, picked up his book and Selene's tablet. "I'm heading to the office."
"Seriously, the second she leaves?"
"Yep, I'm going to get to work on her charts and catch up on some jobs she banned me from doing for another few days."
"She'll kill you if she finds out," Virgil warned, but amusement tinged his words.
"The key word being 'if'," John confirmed. "I'll be back before she is, I'll see you soon."
"So what kind of place is it? Does it have a dress code?" Selene was busily flicking through her wardrobe trying to find anything that she thought might be suitable for Kayo to borrow. Kayo, for her part was stretched out on Selene's bed reading something on her comm. "Are you paying attention, Kay?"
"Huh? Oh, no, actually I wasn't."
"Well, at least you're honest," Selene sighed. "I asked what kind of place we are going to?"
Kayo sat up, all trace of relaxation gone.
"Can I level with you?"
Selene frowned. "Sure."
"I need complete discretion from you, you can't even tell John, OK?"
"That doesn't sound good."
"Just answer me, can I trust you, yes or no?"
Selene liked Kayo, even if they didn't get to spend that much time together and weren't that close, and if she needed to confide in her about something or wanted Selene to keep a secret, then of course, she would.
"Yes, I won't breathe a word about whatever it is."
Kayo studied her for a second and then nodded, obviously satisfied.
"There is no reunion drinks."
Selene blinked, but then thought about it a little more. She hadn't stopped to think that Kayo didn't really seem the type to go out bar hopping with a bunch of women.
"OK, so what are we doing instead?"
"I need your help."
"Obviously. I'll help with anything if I can, but I really don't know how I'll be of much use." What the hell could Kayo need her help with? There was nothing that woman couldn't handle on her own, in fact she generally preferred going all lone ranger.
"I need you to use your gifts. You said you're basically a lie detector, right?"
"Well, I wouldn't say a lie detector but I know when people are hiding something and not being entirely truthful."
"Good enough. Take a look at this," Kayo moved over to make room on the bed and Selene sat down. Kayo's comm began to flash up images with each touch of her finger.
"This is Florin Reiter, a Romanian businessman whose company has been at the forefront of renewable energy for the last eight years."
Selene studied the face but having never really been one to pay much attention to the news she didn't recognise him, although his name sounded familiar.
"You're gonna need to give me more than that to go on."
"His company has been working for the past twenty years on revolutionary new ways of creating energy, they have two branches, one which collects and recycles 90% of all non biodegradable trash left over in mines and trash piles. He created a chamber which can incinerate almost anything down to less than 10% of its previous mass. The heat generated powers a specially designed steam chamber which creates electricity. They also have a uniquely designed composter which speeds the process of turning biodegradable produce -green and brown materials-into fertilisers and the resulting gases are collected and stored to be used as fuel."
"I know that the RNA -renewable energy association- sponsored and invested in a number of projects over the last thirty years to help with the fight against climate change, was he one of them?"
"Yes, he and his business partner were recipients of one of their grants. That's what got the company off the ground. The Hood was his partner, although when he was forced to disappear, wanted by the GDF, Reiter took full control of the company and has seemed to have zero contact with my uncle since. He's followed every law to the letter as far as we know."
"So what's the problem if he's stayed legitimate?"
"There have been rumours trickling in over the last year that his operation might not be as squeaky clean as he would like us to believe. An area of the Black Sea has become polluted, and its source has been partially traced to the Danube River. Reiter just so happens to have one of his power plants in Bucharest, near the edge of the Danube Delta. Further down river has been showing signs of pollution too."
"Ah, so what's our job?"
"To find out what he knows about it, if it's an accident or wilful negligence on his part, and if he's in any way still connected to my Uncle."
"How can I help with that? Do you need me to watch him while you question him and see what I can pick up?"
Kayo grinned evilly. "No, I need you to do the questioning."
Selene backed up, shaking her head. "Nope. Nope. Nope. Not gonna happen, I'm not the secret agent type, I don't question people."
Kayo locked eyes with her, her tone firm. "You can and you will. I've watched you interacting with everyone on the island, I've seen you get more information out of them in half an hour than they have shared in months. You connect with people, look at what you've done to John."
"But John's special, I love him, I love all you guys, I don't know if I can connect to someone that's potentially working with International Rescue's greatest enemy."
"Selene, he's your enemy too. It's not a case of us and you, you're part of the family as much as I am. And I know that, like me, you'll want to do everything you can to keep our family safe."
Selene was quiet for a few moments, letting the other woman's words sink in. "I know I am and you know I'd do anything I could to help."
"Then you can do this, I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think you'd be up to it."
Selene nodded. "I'll do it, just tell me what and how."
"One thing to remember is that Reiter is the most superstitious person you'll ever meet.This is why I asked you along. He believes in everything and he has been known to consult psychics before making big decisions. Play up to that."
A light bulb went off in her head.
"That's where I know his name from. He's requested my services a number of times over the years but I've never accepted him, as I usually only work with those who have been recommended."
"Perfect, that's even better! Just go in there, subtly draw his attention to you and then introduce yourself, do your witchy thing and direct the conversation as much as possible to get him to open up to you. And if all else fails, flirt your ass off, keep those puppies," Kayo gestured towards Selene's chest,"on display and dazzle him with your charms."
Selene tugged at her top pulling it up a little higher to protect the twins. "John is not going to be happy about this, you know that right? I don't like lying to him, we should have asked him."
"You didn't lie to him, I did. I didn't tell John because he'd be worrying and not want you to get involved. This isn't about getting his permission, this is about you doing the job with me."
Selene's hand shook slightly as she checked her smaller bag for the third time, making sure she had everything she might need. "Why did I agree to this again?"
"Selene, get it together. You want to be part of International Rescue, you help out with your special skills, that's how this works, we're a team and I need you right now."
Selene took a deep breath and nodded.
"You good?"
She nodded again.
"OK, let's do this. You go in first, I'll follow about a minute behind. Remember the plan?"
"Yep, I got it."
"Good. But, before we go in, you might want to lose that, " Kayo nodded at her ring.
"No way. Neglecting to tell everyone what we're up to is one thing, but I'm not dumping my fiancà too."
"He has to think you're available. He's a flirt, but he apparently has morals."
"Morals you don't?" Selene couldn't help the tone that laced her words.
"Morals don't get the job done, and we need to do this. It's not like you're doing anything wrong."
Selene glared the whole time she took her ring off and moved it to her right hand, refusing to hide it completely, her raised eyebrow daring Kayo to argue with her.
"And you're sure that this won't damage my reputation in any way?"
"I promise. As it stands our secrecy is still holding, no one knows that you're with John, or that you have any involvement with us at all and we'd like to keep it that way for now. Just get him where he needs to be - somewhere away from prying eyes- and I'll do the rest."
"Alright, we got this."
The two women high fived.
It was colder in Chicago than it had been in London, and definitely colder than the Island, not that that wasn't hard since it was down right tropical at least 95% of the time, and Selene cuddled deeper into her shawl. She hardly ever wore her more bohemian style of clothing unless she was working for someone who liked her to look the part and this guy seemed just the type. Any other time she was in a bar she would have worn something a little more casual, but Kayo had insisted that she needed to play the part of the gypsy fortune-teller, so here she was looking like a hippy wood nymph, trailing scarves and jangling as she walked from the many pendants and bracelets she had piled on, her comm hanging neatly in the middle.
The receptionist gave her a strange look when he saw her odd clothing choice and lack of luggage but with no reason to not allow her entry, he waved her through and let her pass.
The inside of the hotel bar was like a throwback to the 1920s era mafia movie, all suited and booted busboys and waitresses in their flapper dresses, sporting short bobbed wigs. Selene felt like she'd stepped back in time, and very much like an accidental time traveller from a movie, she was standing out like a sore thumb.
"Can I get you anything?" the bartender asked.
Selene thought about it, she really needed to keep a clear head if she was to go through with this and have any chance of making it a success.
"I'll just have a coke if I can, thank you."
The bartender shook her head. "Sorry, it's a house rule that you have to order a real drink even if you don't drink it."
"Oh, OK, can I just have a tequila sunrise then, please? I'm meeting a friend so is it OK if I find a table and wait for her?"
"Sure, doll," the response was automatic and probably much rehearsed as she set about mixing Selene's drink. The concoction was poured into a glass with a dramatic flourish and topped with a red swirl of grenadine and some cherries.
"Perfect, thank you."
The bartender nodded and took off to help another patron, leaving Selene alone. Time to get to work.
Selene made a show of sipping her drink, checking her phone and looking all around the bar, making it very obvious that she was waiting for someone. She spotted Kayo at the other end of the bar but didn't acknowledge her, her eyes barely flickering over her, dismissing her as unimportant, although she did note the subtle head tilt to the left that her friend made.
Selene checked her phone again, then did another sweep of the room, this time her eyes landed on their target, off to the left in a corner booth, exactly where Kayo had indicated.
Selene gathered up her bag and drink and casually moved from the bar to a table closer to their mark, making sure that she wandered past Reiter, her weirdness on full display. She settled down and once she was sure he was paying attention she took her cards out of her bag and began to lay out a spread.
She risked a glance at Kayo, who pointed briefly at the ceiling, a blink and you'd miss it, subtle gesture that indicated she was supposed to bring it up a notch.
Be more dramatic, she could do that.
Selene closed her eyes, humming softly as if she were channelling something or someone, mumbling to herself under her breath just for show as she reached out with her gifts, focusing on Reiter. Her senses would tell her all she needed to know when the time came.
She got her first feel of his energy and made a face. Ewww, how could someone feel slimy without you even touching them? Something she could only describe as greasy desperation hung around him, his aura pushing her away with his attitude. This was someone she would definitely avoid if he tried to chat her up in a bar and now here she was actively trying to get his attention. Yuck.
It didn't take long for him to notice her and she waited less than five minutes for Reiter to send a message via a waitress with the invitation to join him for a drink.
She took her time in packing up her cards and finishing her drink, checking her phone again under the pretence of still waiting for her friend before making her way over.
She chose her own seat and sat down as gracefully as she could, playing the delicate fairy persona as much as possible.
"Thank you for gracing me with your presence," he smiled, offering his hand. "I am Florin, and you are?"
"Selene Tempest," she answered softly as she placed her hand in his, managing to suppress a shudder of revulsion as he lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a slobbery kiss to her skin. He looked at her over her hand in what she assumed he thought was a seductive way but his overly large eyes bulged out like a toad's, the image only made worse by his round bowl cut, dry skin and squat appearance. He let go of her hand and she only just resisted the urge to wipe the residue on her skirt.
"Selene Tempest the psychic?"
"You've heard of me?" Selene smiled lightly, channelling her inner hippy, keeping her tone misty and ethereal, a breathy voice with a soft, tinkling giggle that was nothing like her usual loud, infectious laughter.
"Of course, you come highly recommended, I confess that I've tried numerous times to secure an appointment with you."
"Oh poo," Selene pouted delicately, drawing attention to her fuller bottom lip which she licked lightly before she spoke. "I had no idea, I'm so very sorry, I do get so awfully busy and my appointments fill so quickly. If I had known that such a gentleman as yourself wanted me, why I would have made a special effort to accommodate your needs." Hating every second of this but knowing it was for a good reason, she propped her elbows on the table top and lent forwards, giving him a good view of her chest.
"Well," he cleared his throat, eyes never leaving her cleavage, "do you happen to have a little time now? I'll make it worth your while."
Selene made a fuss of checking her phone again. "I was supposed to be meeting a friend, but she seems to have been held up, so I'm sure I can spare a little time."
"Excellent," he clapped his hands like an excited child, obviously used to getting his own way.
Selene held out her hand. "Give me your hand."
Florin dropped his hand into hers, his fingers gripping tight.
"Such strong hands, to match your strong personality, I can tell," Selene extracted her hand and turned his over to display his palm.
"Your lifeline here," she traced it with the tip of her finger, "is well defined, I see that you will live a long life in much comfort. No children as yet," she turned his hand to examine the side near his pinky finger. His fingers resembled sausages, fat little digits that looked like they might burst out of their skin any second.
"Your marriage line shows three, you are a ladies man," she smiled suggestively. "But your heart belongs to your work."
"Yes, that's right," he nodded eagerly. "What else do you see?"
Selene closed her eyes, holding his hand between both of hers, wishing she was wearing gloves. Up close the oily feel of his aura, one that told of secrets and deception, was even stronger and she disliked him immensely. Kayo had been right to investigate him.
"I seeâ I see you surrounded by the things people throw away, the things no longer wanted or needed. You make them useful again. I see the image of a big building, with many workers inside, and trucks going through the gates."
"Yes, my plant, what about it?"
"You are very successful," she whispered, looking around as if it were some kind of secret. "And clever. You know your own mind and you have the knowledge and drive to turn your visions into reality."
He preened, trying for modesty but not doing a good job of it. Selene resisted rolling her eyes at the bullshit falling effortlessly from her lips, maybe she was better at this spy thing than she had thought.
Her eyes slid briefly to Kayo, one eyebrow lifting slightly in question? Should she continue? Should she push a little? Was Kayo getting all of it from her comm?
Kayo nodded just once as if she were simply tossing her hair back over her shoulder. Selene had forced her to release it from its perpetual ponytail and had dressed her in tight jeans that hung low on her slender hips, along with a slinky, semi-sheer blouse in a deep red that perfectly complimented her complexion. The look was far removed from her usual style of practical and casual dress, but still suited her.
Keep going, she could do that. Selene ran with it, gasping in shock, gripping his hand tightly before shoving it dramatically away from her.
"Iâ oh! Oh!"
"What? What's wrong?"
"I see much trouble in your past," Selene ducked her head into her hands, unable to look at him in case she giggled.
"Yes," he confirmed hesitantly. "Yes I understand that."
"This trouble was not all of your own making."
"No, it wasn't."
"I see a man who was not who he claimed to be. He was not the friend many though he was, a man of many faces, many personas which he shows to the world."
Florin gestured for her to continue.
"This man, he is a very bad man, one that has done many cruel things to many people. You no longer associate with this man?" It was a question, not a statement.
"Noâ I mean, no! Of course not."
Selene squinted at him through her lashes, her head bowed, hair hanging down to obscure her face. Just as she had suspected, his aura was pulled tight to his body, a sure sign he was lying. Under the cover of the table she gave Kayo a thumbs down.
"Florin, my dear," she touched his hand tenderly, creating a connection, pushing her will towards him, urging him to believe her. "I worry for you, I forsee problems in the future if you continue on this path."
Reiter clutched at her hand, almost cutting off the circulation. "What can I do? Can you see? Tell me!"
Selene shook her head. "I'm sorry, I cannot see. This," she waved her arm airily, "it is too noisy, too many people, I simply cannot go deep enough in such circumstances. Perhapsâ "she smiled sweetly, innocently," perhaps we could go somewhere a little more private?"
"Oh, of course, yes, I have a room here if that will be sufficient?"
"Perfectly," Selene nodded and rose gracefully to her feet, allow him to place his hand on the small of her back and guide her through the tables towards the door. As they reached the stairs he stepped aside to let her pass, although he neglected to remove his hand, allowing his palm to drift down to caress her backside. She clenched her hands around her bag, just barely holding on to her cool, wanting so badly to spin round and punch him.
Of course he had the best room they had to offer, one with its own balcony that looked out over the city. It wasn't what she would call tastefully decorated, lots of lavish golds and ruffles on stuff that should not have ruffles, but it had a lounge area that she was very pleased to see - the idea of sitting on a bed with him was not appealing- and a fully stocked wet bar.
"Would you care for another drink?"
"Oh, no, thank you, I really shouldn't have had the one I did earlier if I'm working, but then I wasn't aware that I would be, so I'm sure I can be forgiven, can't I, darling?" she was getting really sick of the breathy, mystical fairy voice she was putting on, it was hurting her throat and she sounded like she should be on the end of a phone charging 2.99 a minute.
"If you're sure?"
"I'm sure," no way was she going to accept a drink from a stranger they were investigating, she was crazy but not that crazy. "Now, I need complete silence from you while I commune with the spirits and reach a light trance state, once I address you, you may answer questions with a yes or no only so as not to confuse the spirits. You understand?"
"Yes, yes of course, I must say that I'm simply delighted I bumped into you tonight, it must have been fate, yes?"
"I'm very sure that fate had a hand in it somewhere. Now, if you'll sit there," Selene pointed to the couch, "and close your eyes, I'll begin. I work with movement to achieve trance so I won't be still. I'll also need a candle, this one here will do nicely." She lit the candle on the table with the lighter that had been left there. "And I shall need you to open the doors if possible, I need fresh air to circulate."
Florin hurried to the balcony and unlocked the doors, caring nothing for security, them being eight floors up, and returned to take his place on the couch.
Selene slipped off her shoes and began to move, humming a ridiculous little tune. As soon as she started to hum and sway he closed his eyes, cooperating fully with her requests. Honestly if he hadn't been a bad guy she'd have thought he was the best client ever.
She was totally bullshitting, she didn't need to move, she didn't need to enter anything like a trance state, and she definitely didn't need to dance in a little circle like she was prancing around a fairy ring, waving her arms slowly like a demented windmill but it all added to the effect.
She kept up her humming, chanting, ooming routine as she checked her comm for messages from Kayo under the pretence of using it to better connect with the spirit world, just in case Florin was sneaking a peek.
She kept up her wishy washy waving wailing dance for another few minutes then dramatically dropped, landing on the floor in a cross legged meditation pose. Skills, that's what that was, mad skills.
"We have come," she purposely slowed her voice and pitched it lower, sounding to her ears like she was half asleep, but it seemed to work for Florin.
"Hello," Florin greeted, immediately breaking the only a yes or no rule she had imposed.
"You have questions, we know this."
"Yes. "
"We are not here to answer, but to tell. We have come with a warning."
"Oh?"
"You are on a destructive path."
She heard his sharp intake of breath and continued.
"You hurt the earth, you hurt the sea, you hurt the air."
She risked a peek at him and saw him visibly shaking, eyes squeezed tightly closed.
"You have traded her health for your own personal wealth," hey, she was a poet and didn't know it. "You are guilty. You are guilty. Answer us!" wow, talking in the third person was weird as fuck.
"Yes."
Selene caught sight of movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to watch Kayo land silently on the balcony with the grace of a jungle cat. Kayo raised a hand, making an 'OK' sign. Selene nodded, pressing her finger to her lips, then beckoned her closer.
"You are guilty, will you repent?"
"Yes, yes, I will repent."
Kayo slunk further into the room.
"The man!" Selene yelled, making him jump and quake in his seat. She stifled a giggle when Kayo dissolved into silent laughter. Selene had to take a deep breath before continuing.
"The evil man of masks, he is no longer in your past but in your present and future."
"Yes."
Kayo nodded, holding up her comm to show she was recording it.
"I see a hood, a hood that obscures his face."
"Yes."
"I see retribution coming, you must face it."
"No! No it wasn't my fault!"
"Retribution and vengeance will come with the force of a Valkyrie from Valhalla!" Selene shrugged when Kayo raised an eyebrow at her, it was all she could think of. Kayo looked very much like a vengeful fury standing tall and upright, ready for battle, an air of danger around her.
"It's coming!" Selene raised her arms, waving her them dramatically in her best oogie boogie fashion.
"No!"
"You cannot stop it!"
"I must! Tell me how!" Florin's eyes snapped open, recoiling as he saw Kayo standing in the shadows.
Selene dropped her arms. "She's here."
She shook her head as if coming out of her trance and gave what she thought was a very convincing act of shock and horror.
"What are you?" Selene whispered, mostly because her throat now hurt after her trace voice but also because it sounded scared.
"This does not concern you, you may leave."
Selene scrambled to gather her, shoes, bag and scarves which she had shed during her trance dance, edging towards the door.
"Florin," she hissed. "Whatever she says, whatever she asks, answer her, for she is not of this world, that much I can tell." She slammed the door behind her, fast walking down the hall to the elevator, holding her breath so she wouldn't laugh until the doors closed on her. Then she let go, sagging against the wall as she giggled madly, a mixture of relief that it was over and shock that she had actually pulled it off.
She just about pulled herself together enough by the time the lift doors opened to put her shoes back on and leave the hotel, heading out to wait for Kayo at the small cafe they had picked out.
She was nursing her second latte and about to start munching her way through a grilled cheese when Kayo sailed through the door.
Selene slid her espresso across the table ready for when she sat down.
"Thanks," Kayo knocked it back in one gulp, making Selene shudder in horror. It didn't matter how many times she saw her do it her own taste buds always rebelled at the imagined bitterness.
"Did he talk?"
"Sang like a canary."
"Still got all his limbs?" Selene offered her half her grilled cheese.
"Yep, and a nice new permanent room, free of charge, courtesy of the GDF."
"Nice!" They high fived their grilled cheese, tapping the crusts together.
"We actually made a pretty good team," Kayo mused as she took a bite.
"No need to sound so surprised about it," Selene smiled to show she was joking.
"I'm not surprised that you pulled it off, I wouldn't have brought you along if I had any doubts, I'm just surprised at how much fun it was."
Selene snorted. "Yeah, that's gonna be my new party piece, channelling the great beyond." She sipped her drink. "You do realise we will have to tell the others what we were up to, don't you?"
Kayo sighed. "Yeah, but I'll let you handle John."
"Thanks, so kind of you."
"Come on," Kayo stuffed the last of the sandwich into her mouth. "Let's head back to your place and spend the night there."
"Kayo Kyrano, are you seriously putting off going home?"
"Not that I'll ever admit."
"What is that noise!" Selene covered her ears as she and Kayo walked into the lounge. An electronic voice was screaming an SOS through the speakers of the entire house.
"Braman," Scott yawned from his spot on the couch. His head was in his hands and he was massaging his temples like he was trying to rub straight through his skull to his brain.
Selene moved to stand behind him, pushing his hands out of the way as she took over, summoning up a little healing energy as she massaged his scalp.
"Who's braman?"
"A robot Brains built years ago, pre MAX. "
"I can filter out his distress call," John's voice floated up from the kitchen, but it had the slightly tinny tone of his hologram.
"Should I assume he didn't make it home last night either?"
"No, we had a rescue just after you two left, thankfully Braman was the only casualty," Scott sighed as her healing kicked in and his pounding headache eased a little. She moved her hands down to his shoulders, kneading the tight muscles.
Gordon rushed into the lounge, heading straight to his fish tank where his hanger entrance was concealed.
"He's going to get him," Virgil announced as he sloped in from the kitchen, followed by Brains, thumping down into one of the bucket chairs that would take Alan to Three.
"How long has he been calling out?"
"All night," Scott groaned. "Hence the headache."
"You gotta try to reduce your stress levels," she insisted as she dug her thumbs into the base of his neck, feeling him relax as he let out a small moan.
"Marry me?"
"I'll think about it."
"I heard that!"
"Of course you did," Selene blew a kiss at John's hologram as his portrait lit up. "And don't think you're getting away with not coming back down soon, you owe me two days."
"And don't you think you're getting away without explaining why your comm said you went from London to Chicago and back again when the reunion was in Glasgow.
Kayo's comm beeped and she took off towards the hangers without another word.
"Did she just fake that?" Selene asked John.
"Don't try to change the subject-"
Gordon's portrait lit up as he voice filled the room. "I've found some of the Calypso's wreckage."
"We'll talk about this later," John warned her as he logged off to help Gordon.
"Still time to marry me instead."
"I'll let you know after he's done yelling at me."
