The Order of the Mortal Knights.
By Javier Delgado aka Elnauhual
Fan fiction, inspired by "Oh My Goddess" by Kosuke Fujishima.
Chapter XXXVII
Conspiracy Theory and Practice
Keiichi looked at the starry sky. Once he had read that when you looked at the stars, it could be that in one of them there was someone looking at your direction wondering if there was someone in that lonely star, but now he had learned that throughout the vast expanse of the universe there was no one else, he shivered at feeling of the immense solitude of the cosmos. In all the universe there were only humans as a thinking species, but that loneliness dissipated quickly when a warm hand took his, that contact brought joyousness to his hearth. He knew that while he lived, the existence of his beloved goddess would fill his heart.
The meeting lasted for hours and almost without realizing Keiichi had taken the role of mediator and interpreter between gods, demons and mortals, as if all his previous experience of living with three goddesses (and one of them half demon) would have been a rehearsal for this. Keiichi now realized that without his intervention the meeting could have been a disaster, for that was the difference in thinking between the inhabitants of the three universes, but in the end it had turned out better than he had expected. Now he had only few minutes more before Belldandy had to return her universe, so both had sought a brief moment of intimacy of the temple garden. Keiichi still had to digest what Belldandy had told about him.
Keiichi felt confused, now that he knew that his life had been planned he should have been furious, yet it also meant something else, his encounter with Belldandy was part of a greater plan and somehow their love had been predestined, he was grateful for that, because regardless of the consequences for the future, knowing Belldandy have given real meaning to his life.
Now Keiichi took Belldandy´s delicate hands and pressed them against his chest, he needed that warmth, Belldandy had revealed to him that he was destined to occupy an important position in the fate of the three races, but if he accept it that meant he got nearer to the prophetic nightmares that tormented his beloved goddess. He sensed the fear in his heart, yet that fear would not make him change his ideas. If his destination was to die torn apart he accepted it because his life could help to preserve the lives of millions of beings in three universes. Belldandy did not need words nor telepathy to know Keiichi´s thoughts.
- Keiichi San. You've already decided. - Belldandy whispered with quavering voice- You will go ahead despite everything.
- The things you told me confirms what I already suspected. All that is happening now is the reason I exist. My life has been manipulated even before I existed. My parents, my grandparents, my ancestors were selected to meet and eventually merge their genes to produce a special human being, a human being able to interact and understand the gods and demons as well as being capable of doing magic and all this in order help a special goddess to protect her home. Even if I do not agree with the inhumane way the ADX software manipulated our lives, it can understand that it gave me a destiny I cannot refuse because so much is at stake. After all, what is the life of a single ephemeral mortal against the eternal lives of millions of gods, demons and even mortals?
Illuminated only by the dim light of the stars, Keiichi could only perceive Belldandy´s silhouette, but that did prevent him of knowing that the goddess's face was full of tears. He extended his hand to touch the goddess face and shuddered, he felt the aura of magic that have the tears of a goddess and that aura filled him with comfort. He gently took one of her tears with his fingers and saw it shining, he could felt through it the feelings of her goddess, it was a deep sadness for what could happen, but he could also feel she was proud of him for the decision he had taken. He closed his hand as if he could imprison the magic of that tear; it was like a form of communion between those two beings, then the beautiful goddess said:
- I think one of the reasons why I am in love with is because you always put the lives of others above your own. It does no matter that I'm willing to give my life or my world to save yours; I know it's a sacrifice that you would reject immediately without even think about it. I have realize that my obsession trying to protect you turned me blind to the dangers that threaten our worlds. Keiichi, you also have given meaning to my life and have taught me what is right. - The goddess gently pressed the hands of the mortal - Keiichi, I confess that now I know fear, something I have never felt before. Like all gods I always thought my powers and my skills could solve all our problems and our eternal life meant that the future had no surprises... But now I can see my own limitations and I know I might not be able to protect you. Keiichi, please promise you will do everything to preserve your life, and remember my life is also in your hand because I could not live without you.
Keiichi was speechless so he just touched the lovely face of the goddess to wipe her tears, and then he moved closer to her, both had decided to give their own life for the other and also both knew they had a duty beyond themselves. Their lips met in a long goodbye kiss and then Belldandy faded slowly away. Keiichi knew she had been on earth longer than might be safe. He felt the brief impact of magic, and knew that Belldandy was now inside the temple opening the portal that would take her back to her universe. He did not know how long would be before they would see or even communicate again.
Keiichi took a deep breath, the cold air announced that soon would be winter, yet he knew that the chill he felt hasn't anything to do with the cold, Keiichi did not knew, but with the decisions he had taken he had crossed the critical line that turned a boy into a man.
-xx-
The place was the richly furnished office for some very high-level executive. A flashy desktop of fine and richly carved wood dominated the place, it was almost like a throne, and behind the desk there was a rack of dark mahogany where there were exhibited several antiques made of gold and silver that seemed of great value, although had little beauty on them, at the wall there were pictures of high priced artists. The place also had a section with soft chairs and a small bar, but there was no doubt it was an office; a large screen on the desktop, multiple phones and a safety deposit box indicated it was a workplace, but also it was a place to show power. At that time the place was empty and quiet, but the stillness was broken by the faint sound of the latch of the door opening very slowly. The door opened and a watchful eye spied the place, and then satisfied the door burst open. A young woman entered and immediately she closed the door. She was dressed in what looked like the office uniform of some large corporation, her golden hair and fair complexion suggested someone from the Nordic countries, in the hand she still had the lock picks with which she had used to open the door. Her fair face was even paler because of fear and her hands visibly trembled.
She looked around and then walked to the desk, trying to make as little noise she could, she examined it carefully. The security reports she had read said there were no cameras in the place since its occupant's privacy was very important for the company, but there could be some other kind of sensors.
Finally she got to the desktop´s overstuffed chair and sat, relieved she had not triggered any alarm. The computer screen awoke as she touched the keyboard, she wrote a password and the system rewarded her offering a large information menu. Her face recovered some color as she felt relieved that the stolen password worked. She had tried to use other terminals in different parts of the building, but the powerful network firewall was set to allow full access only from that particular machine. She knew she it has been very risky, but the ego of the owner of that office was the only weakness she had found. The young girl showed to be in his element as her fingers flew across the keyboard and slowly regained her confidence, one could tell she knew what he wanted, and soon found the information she was looking for. First she found a report for some strange movements by the security company hired by the company; she also found some diverse materials delivered to parts of the building that were not supposed to be in use. On the other hand she found a memorandum giving security access to several people that were outside the company ... there was anything that could had drawn attention, unless you know beforehand what you wanted.
Suddenly she froze, she believed heard a noise but it turn to be a just false alarm, still it was not reassuring. She took her hand bag and looked inside. In her nervousness she could not find what she needed and started to throw the purse contents on the desktop, eventually she located an USB memory and inserted it into the computer port and started to download all the information she had located, there was no time examine it here. Meanwhile she constantly ran a nervous look to the scattered contents of her bag, especially to a flat object wrapped in cloth. Once the information began to be copied to the memory, she began to return all items to her bag. Suddenly she heard voices and froze again, a chill run through her back, this was not another false alarm, there were voices behind the office´s door, a man and a woman were arguing.
Her face paled but struggled overcome her fear, she quickly pulled the USB memory from the computer´s port and put it in her bag then turned off the monitor. Hastily she collected the remaining scattered objects, throwing everything into the bag, but stopped when she took the cloth-wrapped object. She hesitated, at that moment the door began to open, but suddenly close again as the voices grew louder and continued arguing.
She doubted no more, the young woman unwrapped the object. It was an old wooden medallion carved with ancient runes, it looked battered and ancient, and it had a large crack that almost split it in two halves. With trembling hands she took the medallion and whispered...
- Please ... work! ... Just this time, work once more ..!.- Then she began an invocation.
- Ok fyr gefþu oss Synther pray vér sem er fyr gefom theim oss vith hafa misgert!, Ok fyr gefþu oss Synther pray vér sem er fyr gefom theim oss vith hafa misgert!, Ok fyr gefþu oss Synther pray, sem er fyr vér gefom theim oss vith hafa ...
The Medallion seemed to wake up and emitted a irregular glow as if it were struggling to work, she felled into a trance, the glow grew, emitted a flash and the girl disappeared, yet in the soft chair there was a depression, as if someone were still there, then it leveled, in the soft carpet of the office some footprints appeared as if someone was walking on their way to a corner of the office...
At that moment the door opened completely. He was the man with the elegant suit that had participated in Shugahara interrogation, accompanied by the woman who had pretended to be a doctor. She no longer had a white coat but an elegant tailored suit that showed off her sexy, slender figure. The woman spoke with vehemence.
- Again, let me take care of him, sooner or later he will talk.
- You had your chance and I already gave you too much time, the man was much more resilient than we had planned, yet it seems it will be unnecessary, he offered to give us all we want...
- What if he is just lying to avoid further torture ... I'll can make us sure he is telling the truth.
- The professor looks like a very intelligent person and knows that our threats are not in vain, He is certainly going to cooperate, and he has no appearance of wanting to be a hero. Once we have the information I promise you'll have him to torture every way you want...
- Despite you promise not to do it? - The woman smiled challenging him.
- Ha ha ha! The poor guy must be another dreamer who still trusts people. It will be fun to see his disappointment when he realizes that his life is already decided. But why you have so much interest in questioning him?
In response the woman took her purse and produced Shugahara small metal box, she opened to show its contents.
- I did some analysis of the substances here; they are identical to some potions I tried to recreate from the fragments of Urth´s book we have obtained, but with an important difference. All these work! I had only succeeded with some of the potions and even then, some have already stopped working and I cannot find the reason. It seems this man has discovered the secret behind those potions. Yes, Urth´s book must have great secrets, but they are useless if we can´t make them work.
- So you think that we may get to work all the magic from the book? from the few potions you manage to get work we got a lot of power - The man asked excitedly- I always thought there was more fantasy than reality in the old legends, but if all that magic works we could take over the world without having to use indirect methods.
- I'm almost sure of that, for long I had suspected that the writings the professor published on Nordic magic and the medallions were very close to the truth, sooner or later we would have brought here for questioning.
Apparently I was right; I just made some research and found this man has sold to pharmaceutical labs some substances that are regarded as extraordinary. I think they are magical and were taken from some unknown parts of Urth book. That man managed to modify them into industrial production. That stupid man seems unaware of the power he could get from them I have to pry apart his secrets, we would become even more powerful than we ever dreamed.
The woman's face was contorted in a grimace of ambition that made her beauty fade away; the man smiled at it and put it the laptop on his desk.
- That man says here is the complete manuscript of Urth´s book with a translation; I am convinced that he is telling the truth. He promised to give us the password, but I will not wait, I will call a technician to make a copy of the hard drive and extract the information, I do not want to risk losing it... I'm excited to think that Urth´s book finally will be in our hands after all these years. All those women we kidnapped gave us only fragments despite all the torture we applied them, and yet despite being only fragments, those formulas got so much power. But can be patient, we have been working on this for decades, a few hours is nothing, I have called the inner circle of the brotherhood and we will meet tonight, together we will decide on our destiny...
She made a gesture of disgust:
- I cannot understand why you have to call those pompous, self-important guys you call partners. Just you and I could...
The man laugh and wordlessly took the woman by the waist, gave her a voluptuous wild kiss, but when the woman began to respond he suddenly pulled away from her and threw her against a chair with unusual violence, the women cried with pain at the impact and the man said with contemptuous voice.
- Witch, you should not forget your place, those pompous old men gave you everything you have. We hired you to work on those potions, and in return you got power, wealth, and we've even allowed you to use some magic to your advantage, but do not kid yourself, what we have done together would not change your position at all. Your life and your body belong to us.
The man turned around, completely ignoring the woman, he checked his suit until it was impeccable, straightened his tie and examined his carefully manicured hands, then looked briefly and derogatory to then woman, she had not dared to move from where she had fallen , her head was down in submission, the man then spoke as if nothing had happened.
- Do not be late to the meeting or you may regret it. - Then he crossed left the office completely ignoring the woman.
As the door closed the woman changed her expression of fear to hate, slowly she rose from the floor and went to the small bar, she took a glass and a generous served some liquor. She tasted a few sips then walked over to a mirror on a wall. She put the glass on a table and pulled out of from her purse a makeup case, but seeing her face in the mirror she made a grimace of disgust, there were wrinkles around her eyes that were not there a few hours ago, she lifted her hand to touch them but then noticed it was trembling. She uttered a furious curse then began looking for something at the bottom of her purse, finally she produced a small silver flask, she shake it and noticed that there was little left of its content, she cursed again and whispered angrily:
- Those fine men could have give me some more potion, but soon I would find how to make as much as I want.
She took a dropper from her purse, opened the bottle and pulled a few drops into her mouth. The woman then took a deep breath, it was almost a sexual pleasure that shook her body, then she looked at her hands, the tremor was gone, she looked in the mirror and watched as her face got several years younger. After carefully examine it she smiled and then proceeded to put some make up, when she was satisfied with the reflection in the mirror she put everything in her bag and left the office with cheerful steps.
Just as she came out, a noise was heard in one corner, the invisible girl suddenly appeared and fell to the floor completely exhausted. Her face showed the effort she had been doing to keep active the spell that gave her invisibility, the damaged medallion made the effort greater. The girl was panting from exhaustion and took some minutes before she could catch her breath, then with great effort she got up, looked toward the door and whispered with hate...
- So it really was you who killed my sisters!. You used the secrets you tore from us to extend your life and get a few crumbs of power. And now you have a new victim. I promise it will be the last.
She fought to calm down and then she began to arrange her hair and disheveled clothes, cautiously approached the door where there was a peephole that allowed to see outside, she made sure no one was outside, she was about to leave when she saw the laptop on the table and remembered the man's words, she hesitated then took a decision ... She took the USB memory from her bag, placed it in the laptop and then boot the laptop from it using her own programs. In that memory she had several salvage routines and soon she got into the machine, Shugahara was used to share all his knowledge, so he had minimal security. She began examining the files, they were carefully organized, soon found a directory simply labeled "Urth", she entered and opened one of the files ... her pulse rushed, it was a digital reconstruction of an ancient manuscript, she recognized the writing and the language, since she was a children she had been trained to read it. Avidly she began to read, there were instructions for a magic potion, one she had never seen before. Then it was true! that must be the original of Urth´s notebook, the one that according the legends from the sisterhood had been hid because it was too dangerous. The stories said it had been hidden in a library and never seen again, her sisters had been looking for it for centuries. The man had said that his prisoner had the book and a translation. Who could it be? Form the conversation she heard, it seemed he was an academic.
As she think about it she felt a brief panic attack. It was rumored that the manuscript had great knowledge... if it fell into the hands of those people they could get unlimited powers, legend said those powers could rival that of the gods.
With trembling hands she began to copy the files into her USB memory, but they were too big and she had little time. The Urth´s book was within her reach and perhaps she could not take it ... time seemed to pass very slowly until the memory was nearly full, she interrupted the copy, then located among her utilities a program to erase disk at a low level... she hesitated, there was some info left, but she had no more space... and there was no way to keep it, she sighted and pressed the Enter key ... The small program began to overwrite the disk again and again with a long series of zeros and ones, completely erasing the hard disk information ... but she could not afford that info would be fall on the wrong hands, at least she had recovered some of it. As the program continued its job she closed the laptop and with trembling hands took the USB memory and hid it on her body, then she hurried out of the office.
She walked down to a hallway, she paused and looked at a security camera, she had the luxury of smiling at it, still had a few minutes before it would be activated again. She had hacked into the administration account and had manage get a maintenance crew take down the cameras while servicing the security system, at the same time she had managed to assign the guards to another part of the building. No one had suspected anything and she was sure that if anyone found something, they would rather hide that mistake instead of losing their jobs. She moved safely into another hallway and even had the luxury of salute the guards that were returning to the post she had sent them, finally she arrived to a desk with a computer, and she sat down and began to write hastily. A middle-aged woman approached her and spoke acridly.
- You spent too much time in the toilet, you must go to the doctor, you have only been here a few days and I cannot afford that you waste time just for a stomach problem.
The girl bowed her head meekly and said:
- I beg your pardon; this will not happen again, you do not know how much I need this job, for me it is almost a matter of life or death. Please, do not worry, I already feel much better, please do not report me.
The woman smiled, she enjoyed so much the power she had over the employees and the supplicant attitude of the young woman flattered her...
- I hope so, but in exchange I have some extra work for you, you should thank me for it. I just got word that tonight there will be a special meeting of directors and I do not have extra staff, for some reason many of my people was sent out to take training courses on this day. If you cover this for me I will ignore your problems. You only will have to serve coffee and snacks to the board directors; I have been forbidden to call someone outside the company so you will have to do
The young woman had to make a great efforts to suppress an exclamation of surprise ... she just said humbly.
- I appreciate the opportunity, I will do it gladly.
The woman turned around and was ready to go away... but stopped; she hesitated, then turned to see her, and commented:
- I forgot your name ... I never paid attention to the rookies, usually it´s not worth...
- Gyrid - She girl spoke humbly and the woman raised her eyebrows, it was not a common name so she did not like it, the girl spoke again- my name is Gyrid Admundsen.
- It's okay. "Giri ", I'll let you know when the time comes...
The girl tried to protest the way she said her name but she simply turned around and ignored her, she sighted and returned to her work, yet from time to time nervously she touched her blouse to get sure the USB memory still was there. She could not stop being nervous, it was bad enough she had used her real name since an early attempt to enter there with a fake identity had been easily busted, now that she got something so valuable she felt she had to get out of there as soon as possible, still an unexpected meeting of the board was something very unusual, and the opportunity to get near them and identify them was not something she could ignore, even at the cost of risking her life...
She jumped when a voice spoke behind her: - One thing more- it was the woman that had returned hurriedly- I forgot to tell that on previous occasion some young people that had done similar task have not returned to their post, it seems that if the board likes their work they are transferred to better positions in some other of our offices, so work well and maybe you will get lucky not to return here...
The woman walked away as suddenly as she had appeared, she never saw the mortal pallor on Gyrid´s face.
-xx-
Vincenzo D'Angelo was dozing sitting before his desk. Lying on his cushioned executive chair with his feet on the desk, he did not offer a very dignified sight, but that was one of the perks of being your own boss. His face showed exhaustion, but also showed the placid satisfaction for a job well done.
Before any other news agency he had revealed to the public unknown details of the case along with an intriguing story that promised to be one of biggest news of the decade. The mysterious disappearance of Dr Shugahara had only increased public interest. Luckily he had discovered that in his own small academic circle the professor was something as a celebrity and his colleagues were willing to share a number of accolades and interesting anecdotes, some of them seemed material suitable for an adventure novel since they included potions, exotic places, primitive tribes, dealing with shamans, healers and a also a small fortune obtained by the development of some extraordinary medicines. His interest was renewed after he learned that one of the medicines that the professor had developed had help save his daughter life from a rare form of cancer. Now he had a sincere intention to turn the ethnobotanist into a celebrity, he never doubted that was a good thing...
His sleep suddenly was interrupted by a distant voice calling him, at first he could not understand anything, and exhaustion prevented him to think. The familiar voice kept talking and finally he recognized that it was his secretary ... He was so exhausted that it took what seemed forever to react.
- Signore Vincenzo, signore Vincenzo, you have an important call, please wake up...
The voice repeated so many times, he dreamed it was an echo, but finally he woke up. Vincenzo finally open his eyes and realizing where he was, he snarled...
- I gave you orders to let me sleep unless it was the end of the world...
His secretary winced to hear that and said:
- You have a call from Dr. Edoardo Amaldi, he is the CERN director and he insists that it is vital he talks to you ... he said something about the fate of humanity...
- The CERN? You mean the scientific installation in Switzerland? The one that it was feared could produce a black hole? Are you sure? ... Did you confirm it?
- Yes, I checked it; He insisted that it was very urgent to talk to you...
The words of his secretary dispelled any sleep he had ... after all he had not been serious about the end of the world...
- Did he say anything else? - He wondered, his journalist curiosity was much better than coffee to wake him.
The girl hesitated before speaking, and then added:
- He said it was very important for him to meet you, therefore he would send someone for you and you should be prepared.
-What? Ready for what? I'm not going to Geneva right now...
Vincenzo could not finish speaking ... at that moment he began to doubt he was awake.
-xx-
Hild was sitting on her throne, around her she had deployed several information screens she read avidly, such was her interest that she had forgotten to keep her careful pose she always used as a shield. Along with her were Walharen and Marler who could not believe what they saw. Hild then leaned against her throne back and surprised voice she asked:
- Walharen, do you think this is really possible? Would a process running in Yggdrasil or Nieghood be able to do that?
The demon replied so excitedly, he forgot to add "sama"
- Hild, I have long suspected that the ADX process was special, but was never able to find information about it - the young demon opened a control console to Nieghood and began to examine the running processes, after a few minutes of fruitless searching said - indeed it's no longer in the system. There is not a trace of it, not just the process but also it has been eliminated from the backups and all libraries...
Marler wondered...
- Is it really possible that this process had the ability to manipulate us as Belldandy says? Have we been really puppets from Heaven?
Walharen added.
- I found that process many years ago because it was having access to very sophisticated systems capable control the structure of space/time. I could never find what it was doing and my former boss did not allowed me to spend more time on the research, but I remember it was using very substantial resources. So my answer is yes, I think I had that capability, but also I believe that heaven does not have control over the software.
Marler asked:
- I cannot understand, if that software was designed to protect Heaven, why was in Nieghood and why it did not destroyed us?
- That I can answer - A deep voice interrupted them, Hild showed irritation in her face and said.
- Wotan, you know you should not make wait to the great Daimakaicho, in other times I would have made you enjoy the hospitality of my dungeon for your tardiness, but at this moment I need an expert in the ancient ages and few of them had the common sense to survive.
The old demon bowed his head in respect, but added with unusual familiarity.
- Hild Sama, I wish you would call me more often and not just because you need me. There was a time when we did not need any excuse to meet. - To the surprise of Marler and Walharen, instead of fury Hild´s face softened.
- You're talking about ancient times, those are just memories that should remain like that, just memories, but I know I can trust you, even if you do not always agree with my actions. Right now I need your knowledge and your loyalty and I know I can count of both. – Then Hild smiled in a teasing way- Although I confess I've always wondered about something.
- Milady Hild, what you want to ask? - In the eyes of the old god appeared a sparkle of the fires of youth.
- You could have taken my place, you have convinced everyone that you're just an old sage with a love for old stories and songs but I remember a time when your powers exceeded mine and I sure they have not diminished.
- The old demon stood against Hild, put one knee on the ground and bowed his head, then said.
- I never had a desire for power, however you had the gift to be a leader and lead our people. I have not always agreed with the way you did it or your goals, yet I think at the end you have showed me most of the time you were right. That is why I chose not to draw attention to me in order to protect you when necessary, for that task the image of a harmless sage lover of old songs is the best.
The body of the demon briefly shone and his image changed, for a brief moment he was no longer an old bearded, broad abdomen god, but a powerful demon with a lofty and serene look. Hild smiled and parted her lips almost imperceptibly; she licked them with her tongue in a telling gesture.
- It's a shame- She said- maybe one day we should recall those memories, but now I have yet another question for you. Did you ever resent Urd´s existence?
The demon recovered his image of an old and harmless sage, then answered
- On the contrary, it's your daughter, I only I wished you had trust her under my protection rather than send her away to Heaven. That's the only thing I resent, but now it's my turn to ask...
Hild briefly hardened her face, but then answered.
- Just one question ... for the sake of old times.
Wotan smiled and said with a big smile: - Will you let these young demons to live? There was a time when you would have not tolerated that someone else knew about our past.
Marler and Walharen paled and looked at Hild without daring to say anything ... suddenly they remembered they had been talking to Hild as if she were their equal. Hild started laughing ... which only increased the pallor of the demons.
- Yes, I will let them live. I have begun to appreciate how valuable is to have people around you that you can trust without having to inspire terror to make them obey. That's something we always dissented, but finally I understood. These two young demons are now very valuable to me, I owe them my life, and there are other demons on which I have learned to trust.
Marler and Walharen breathed easier, the felt confused by Hild´s testimony. Wotan looked at her and said with satisfaction.
- Hild, you've really have changed! I'm happy for you. - then he added - that past can still come back, but for the present moment I´ve heard there are more pressing matters. I suspect it from the little information you gave me, so I started searching the oldest records of our people, but since Nieghood is infected I had to use slower methods to retrieve that information. Fortunately its information not registered in the system. Now about the question this demoness asked. Gods and demons need each other! Our worlds are in balance, and although the balance can be slightly altered to one side or the other, it should never break or our universes may be destroyed. Despite our mutual hatred we are connected on many levels, we have a common past that we should not deny or hide...
Hild raised her hand to silence him.
- You've already said too much, that's a past that the gods also have carefully erased from their memory.
- However, if we ignore it we will be in greater danger. Do not forget it. And now these demons - He pointed to Marler and Walharen- need to know everything that is happening here.
During the following hours Hild, Wotan, Marler and Walharen discovered many things about their ancient past and something happened that had never happened in Hell. Nobody remembered add the suffix Sama to Hild´s name.
-xx-
Vincenzo rubbed his eyes and shook his head, for a moment he thought he was still asleep, in the middle of the office was materializing the figure of a beautiful woman dressed in some kind of uniform and wielding a strange stylized ax. Vincenzo gulped at the sight, she possessed a superhuman beauty and had majestic air. He had never been particularly religious, but he could not help thinking that there was something godlike on her appearance. As this apparition became completely solid, the woman turned around to look at him and spoke with a majestic voice.
- You must be Vincenzo D'Angelo, the owner and director of Global News Network. You have an important meeting to attend, please come with me.
The godlike woman walked toward Vincenzo, he was so startled that they tried to sit up in hurriedly but lost his balance falling from his seat. Before he could react, the woman caught him with superhuman speed and strength, she lifted him like a baby and put him on his feet, and then she added with unusual kindness.
- Do not worry, we will not take too much of your time - she turned to face his secretary - you do need to worry about anything, soon I will return your boss. - Then she added with a commanding voice that brooked no protest - You should not talk to anyone about this!
The secretary saw a bluish glow enveloping Vincenzo and the godlike woman, then they disappeared ... Stunned, she retraced her steps to the door and with a trembling hand she closed the office. Maybe it was time to take the day off ... apparently she had been working too much...
-xx-
Doctor Shugahara Kenji was slowly chewing a piece of bread as he walked through his prison. At least he could not complain about the conditions, the food was pretty decent although it seemed to come from a fast food cafe, the room was well vented, and he had clean clothes and a bed. He had lived in conditions worse than that, so as he chewed some more bread his brain was busy trying to make sense of all he knew.
Again he walked and took another turn around the room; he felt the need to exercise. Magic had healed his wounds, but still he felt numb, possibly that was a residual effect of the drugs he had received.
He tried to reach to a conclusion but had very little information. Those people knew about the magic from fragments of Urd´s notebook, but what puzzled him was that they accepted it so easily. For him it had taken many years of research before accepting it was real magic, and to realize those potions had a common origin, even so he had never published about that because it seemed so incredible, yet these people accepted it as a matter of fact and even reclaimed as if it were theirs. Could they be the survivors of the sisterhood created by Urd? The thought caused a shiver, if that were true they had lost completely their mission He had found someone had been altering the history of mankind, could they really be the same people? Shugahara stopped abruptly. Urd´s sisterhood had been created to help people, and many of the interventions that he had detected in the history had been for the better, however those who had kidnapped him seemed to be people ambitious of power with no respect for human life... He refused to believe they were the same organization created by Urd.
At that moment he stooped completely, and idea was forming on his head, what would happen if these ambitious people could get all the secrets form Urd´s book? He had offered them to hand over the manuscript, he had believed it was some sort of misunderstanding, he also had believed that without the ingredients that he had managed to restore most of the book would be useless since few knew about the purpose of those ingredients, that is why he did not cared about it being published among academic circles, who would be more interesting in the writing and the old legends. But ... if they could figure out how to get the original ingredients, the plants growing in the botanic garden at Chiba, or if they found out about the next level of information hidden behind those runes that contained the secrets about heaven... That information was on the computer at his apartment, he had never cared much about security so any dedicated expert could get it easily. The idea caused him chills: A group of people without any qualms could discover secrets that belonged to the gods? He knew some of Urd´s potions were able to affect the gods ... that was a power that no mortal should get.
Shugahara began to feel a cold sweat and felt on the verge of a panic attack. He had survived a torture session, but he was sure he would not resist another session with less benign methods.
He needed to get help, but how? He knew the room was guarded, and there was no sense trying to escape without knowing where he was or what was this place, he would immediately be caught, also he needed to found his laptop and destroyed it. He had been a fool for carrying so much information. Then he had a revelation ... he approached the bed and sat down slowly. He had to think about the worst case scenario. They were unaware that there was a second level of information in Urd´s manuscript and that information was only in his personal computer, fortunately none of that was on his laptop, probably by now his friend would be aware about his kidnapping, surely Galileo would be checking his home computer, he could protect it against any intruder. As for the secret potions Urd, he had never published anything about the isomer he had found; he knew nobody would believe it was part of a magic potion. So it was imperative they could not get anything from him Keiichi, the primates, the people at CERN and everyone else could continue without him, but his existence in the hands of these people could endanger mankind ... His own existence could be a danger for humanity! ... The logical conclusion seemed inevitable and he accepts it, somehow this allowed him to regain tranquility...
Then he began to examine the room carefully. The human being is a very fragile creature and there are many ways to terminate its existence.
-xx-
Hild was alone meditating on her throne. The meeting was very productive, and now she could divert her attention to another issue that bothered her. She put her fingers on her forehead and muttered a mnemonic spell. Opposite in front of her a figure materialized, it was Keiichi, but it was only a still holograph projection ... she made a slight gesture and the figure spoke:
"- Hild-sama, I have not heard from Urd, it´s very important to talk to her, I have grave news for her." - Then the figure froze,
Hild raised an eyebrow, approached the figure and muttered - "Keiichi, what did you were about to tell ..." - She held out her hand and touched the face of the still figure ... her magic was so powerful and she could extract the thoughts from that recording ... then she exclaimed - so that it was!. In another time you would have done well to fear me, but I still have a contract with that man and I hate being in debt - Hild sighed resignedly - anyway there is no way I can retain Urd much longer. - Then she laugh amused - I think Urd may be useful in the earth, and she would be grateful if I send her back to rescue that mortal. Urd, you're lucky to have me as a mother...
-xx-
The man in the fancy suit walked into his office with a look of annoyance, an alarm had sounded on his cell phone, she took it and with a quick gesture he turned off the sound and muttered:
- Mhh, s visitor in my office? Let's see who our intruder is.
He sat at his desk, put his hand on a corner of his desk and a light scanned it, and then a mechanical voice was heard.
- Identification accepted, good morning Mr. Cromwell.
A panel shifted on his desk and several screens appeared. It was a security system showing various views of his office.
He operated the system and soon found the event that activated the alarm. Carefully he observed the actions of the girl as she walked to his computer system.
- Interesting - he was more curious than annoyed - what do you want here? You do not seem to be looking for trade secrets. - He froze the image, and then amplified the hi-res image to get a clear picture of the girl. The hidden HD cameras had done their job well.
The man sent the image to his main computer, and there he began a search for the face. The system reported that the search was performing into the information networks of a dozen countries: Public databases, databases of the police, and even databases of the intelligence services of countries that were mutually enemies. That simple search showed that the man had at his fingertips access to secret information of very high level, but he was using is as if it were an everyday thing...
It didn´t took much time before in one of the databases located something...
- Gyrid? He commented slightly surprised- Data analyst, with some minor infractions for illegally accessing private networks, without permanent address... and she is working... Right here! - He continued reading other reports as they began to appear, after a few minutes he began to laugh.
- You did not even try to use a false identity. I thought we had done with all of you. - He touched the face on the screen - Still you're attractive, I think we can have so much fun with you.
He took the phone and dialed:
- Do you have a new employee named Gyrid ... Yes? -He listened carefully to the voice on the phone and said - She will serve coffee and snacks at the meeting? Excellent!- He was very amused- By the way, I just read her curriculum and I think she is appropriate for a very special job I have in mind, do not be surprised if he does not return to work, I have a better use for her.
He hung up, then dialed another number and spoke:
- I need you to modify your preparations ... you'll have to two "patients" to be treated...
Satisfied he pressed a button, the panel on his desktop closed. He did not see the end of the recording, meanwhile, without his knowledge; the small program in Shugahara laptop continued its job.
-xx-
Vincenzo look into Dr. Edoardo Amaldi eyes and blinked, then shook his head sharply as if trying to wake up. He looked around looking for a seat, but desk and chairs were clogged with books and scientific publications ... Dr Amaldi offered an apologetic smile and quickly grabbed some books from a chair and placed then on the floor so Vincenzo could sit ... Vincenzo said nothing, just went and slumped on the chair, he stayed silently as he tried to figure out what was going on and then spoke slowly.
- Let me see if I got it right... you are in contact with gods and demons and plan to disclose their existence to the world, but in order to do it, you are asking me to stop posting one of the best news I've had in years because in this moment humanity is not yet ready?
Dr Amaldi smiled beatifically, he was well aware that all this sounded ridiculous, yet he knew I had the evidence on their side, it was just a matter of disclose it... slowly.
Meanwhile Vincenzo looked at him carefully, then examined the office where he was ... it was not what he had expected from the office of the CERN´s director... but definitely the man in front of him really looked like Dr Amaldi, he had interviewed him in one occasion, it was at the time many believed the CERN could cause a black hole. He was the same man and did not look like a lunatic.
- And she - he pointed to the beautiful woman in uniform- is a goddess, a Valkyrie who tele-transported me from my office in Milan - he pointed around him - to Switzerland, to the most advanced scientific facility in the world...
Amaldi just laugh ... while his cluttered office was famous joke for his disorder between scientists, apparently its fame had not reached to the editor of Global News...
- I guess you expected my office would be filled with scientific gadgets, but do not worry, I promise a VIP tour of our facility to convince that we are really at CERN, and indeed this young woman is a goddess. I have some videos that your correspondent in the town kidnapped by terrorists did NOT send to you...
- Have you spoken with Giorgio Vaglia - exclaimed in surprise- it´s outrageous that you have interfered with his work; his material belongs to me...
- Yes indeed, and eventually, we will return it ... but not now. Let me show you why.
Dr Amaldi turned his computer monitor towards Vincenzo, and began to play a video sequence. It was the section when Ghadril, pretending to be Jenny Rosenthal had fired an explosion in the desert. A few minutes later a stunned Vincenzo looked at Dr Amaldi. Without a word, the scientist opened his desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of liquor ... a new bottle of liquor... He opened it and handed it to Vincenzo as he explained:
- As you can see this woman here caused an explosion that ranked on the kiloton scale using her powers. I know it sounds incredible, I also doubt the whole story at first, but given the evidence available I had to accept it. Gods and demons have had been in contact with our world for longer than humanity has to existed, but they are not really the same beings from of our mythologies, but advanced beings, beings so advance and powerful that can be called "gods."As scientists we are committed to never hide the truth, so we plan to educate mankind to accept it. At least that was our original idea, but a few hours ago we just found something even more amazing. The worlds of gods and demons are in danger and so ours. Perhaps humans have a role to play in this, eventually the world must know all that, it is now more urgent that the people knows the truth, but the problem persists. If we simply publish it is very likely that our society will collapse in panic. Most people are not prepared to accept it. But that is why I called you, I know your work, I know you are an honest and capable person, and it´s very possible that you could have discovered more than we would like about this and publish it without realizing the consequences. That's why we want to have you on our side...
Vincenzo felt his legs trembling ... what if all that were true? ... He looked at the offered bottle and grabbed ... he took several sips and then asked...
- What would happen if I agree to suspend my investigation and do not post what I have discovered...? What I will get in return?
Dr Amaldi smiled; he had managed to pique the curiosity of man.
- A few hours ago an alliance between humans, demons and gods took place, this will be the most important event in the history of mankind ... and we have realized that someone has to document everything that is happening. You are a journalist who has always been fair and just, we believe that you are the right person to do it. Of course there is the small benefit that your name will be in the History. You will not be just a witness, you will he helping to make history with capital H, not just writing about it. I'm still not completely convinced, but some best minds I think it really is possible for humanity to learn to see the world differently and accept what is happening.
Vincenzo was petrified ... then took a long sip from the bottle before handing it back to Dr Amaldi, then slowly added...
- Please, take no offense, there no way I could refuse an offer like that ... but I think I would like a little more evidence than just your words.
- Of course I understand, I had a hard time myself with all this, so I think the best way is start from the beginning and know the young man who started it all. His name is Keiichi Morisato and he is living in Japan, you should interview him and hear his story...
- Japan? I'm not going to Japan...
Before he could finished his sentence Ghadril steeped behind him and gently touched his shoulder. A glow surrounded their bodies and they disappeared.
Dr Amaldi was left staring at the empty seat; he took the bottle and saluted the empty seat:
- Cheers my friend, welcome to the club, may you live in interesting times.
He took a long drink from the bottle, then got up and left his office, there were still many problems to solve but at least this was one which would not have to worry.
-xx-
Gyrid was in the kitchen of the employee's dining room. At that time her job was to oversee that the sandwiches, coffee and other supplies were ready for the evening meeting. The pallor on her face should was so obvious that one of the staff approached her and said.
- Do you feel fine? Maybe you should ask someone else to do this job, I think you should go to the doctor, I heard you were sick.
- It´s Okay, I just need some rest, I've been sick, but this is an excellent opportunity to get promoted.
The employee looked at her with concern...
- I would not be happy for this. We are told that some of the young people who have done this are promoted, but we have never seen them again. - He looked around then approached her and whispered to Gyrid - One of them was my friend, we never heard of her again. Her family threatened to denounce, but then they received a lot of money, and a person who said he was the government, he told them that for their safety they should not insist. Please do not go there.
Gyrid looked at the young employee; she saw the fear in his face and whispered.
-Then they did not report her as missing?
- To whom? These people are connected to many government agencies. I´ve seen other strange things here, but I do not want to get involved.
- Strange things? What kind of things?
The young man looked around, he tried to get away, but Gyrid took him by the hand and told him with anguished in her face...
- Please do not go, tell me about those things.
He paused and saw her anxious face, he was unwilling to speak yet he could not ignore her plea.
- I ... I should not talk about this, it could be dangerous... please do not tell anyone, we have been sending food to basement 5, we had been told that section was unfinished and that it was dangerous to be there, yet... They ordered me to prepare food and delivered to a secure room there, I saw a person who appears to be a prisoner. This is not the first time, about a year ago a woman was there, we sent food for a week, one day when I was going to delivered the food I have heard terrible screams of pain and then nothing... They threatened me not to say anything. I never want to hear that again, I'm afraid to go back down.
Gyrid bit her lips, she was not a spy, she was just a young girl who had wished to learn to heal and help people. All this was beyond her, yet... she thought about the employee´s words, about a year ago her teacher in the sisterhood had disappeared ... Could it be her? And now a man was a prisoner there.
- Do you know who this man is?
- I heard a guard mention his name, but I did not get it, it's Japanese, something like "sugar cane ..."
-Sugar cane? - Her hearth missed a beat then she asked with anguish- Could that be Professor Shugahara Kenji? - She knew about him, it was a scholar that had written about the medallion and ancient magic? The sisterhood had an eye on him; he seemed to know too much. She insisted- could that name be "Shugahara Kenji"?
- Yes, yes, that was the name - Gyrid felt about to faint, the man asked her - Are you okay? do you know him?
- I'm sorry, let me sit down, I feel weak, I do not know him personally, but I've read all his books. It is a professor from... - Gyrid stooped, a resolution was forming in her mind, then took a decision - Please, next time they ask to send food ... I'll go instead. I need to see that man.
- No, that would be dangerous ... still I do not want to go. And if they found out...
- Just tell them you were busy, and I had been already been assigned to deliver food to those people ... please is very important.
The young employee shook with indecision, and then nodded slowly.
-xx-
Belldandy was sitting beside a bed elegantly decorated. There lay Skuld; she seemed asleep on a restful sleep. Belldandy was holding her hand while she gently stroked her face and spoke.
- Excuse me dear sister for not being here before, soon you will be well and there is no danger here. You just need to rest.
A god with the marks of the healers approached her slowly with a reverential fear, knowing he was before the most powerful being of his universe, a being who was said had acted ruthlessly against those infected... yet at that time she seemed to be the sweetest of the goddesses. Could be possible that at any moment she would be transformed into the pitilessly being he had heard?
Belldandy felt his presence and his fear. She sighed with resignation and asked
- Why I have not been reported earlier about her?
The god visibly trembled and answered:
- When my team found her unconscious with the report she had attacked a Valkyrie, I tough that if the word that the sister of Kamisama was infected got out, that would cause panic, so I decided not to report it, I tried to contact you, unfortunately seems that with my rank level my message never got to you, I never received any confirmation messages.
Belldandy nodded, the healer god was right. He had done well not to make public Skuld status and the bureaucrats around her certainly would not consider the messages of a common healer out of importance.
- When I finally examine her I discovered it was not the madness - the god touched a symbol on the head of the bed and complex chart appeared. - I discovered that she was attacked and possessed by an entity. Fortunately there is no permanent damaged yet there are deep scars that would take time to heal, especially now that we have only limited access to Yggdrasil. When I discovered the identity of the attacker, I decided to stop using official channels. I was shock to discover that it had been Chancellor Tyr and that he is...
Belldandy interrupted him with a gesture:
-...he was our father and he has been dead for a long time... I understand. - The god was trembling by her answer, so Belldandy smiled at him and soon his fears disappeared, then she added- I thank you, you've done well, but I must confess that I am surprised for your initiative, especially with an issue of such great consequences. When Othala contacted me saying that Skuld was in your quarters it took me by surprise.
The healer smiled nervously and with sad voice said...
- My superiors had told the same, that I took too many initiatives and that I should think less and concentrate instead on my work but I cannot help it. I could not stop doing something, so I turned to Othala looking for some advice. She's an old friend of my family and she advised my not make this public, with her status as Valkyrie she convince my superiors to take the out of the house of healing and bring her to my home. That would allow keeping the word from spreading. Usually it would have been impossible, but since there are so many to heal they were happy to take Kamisama´s sister out of their hands and put her under Othala´s care.
After that Othala offered to inform to you, Belldandy-sama
As the god spoke, Belldandy closed her eyes for a moment and mentally entered the database looking for information about this young god. It contained numerous reports and sanctions for not following procedures and the established ways of thinking, he had a record for questioning authority and traditions, so despite being bright he had been denied several promotions to higher positions. Belldandy thought for a moment. Living among mortals had allowed her to see her own society from another point of view. Her world had regarded itself as perfect and rejected any form of change; they had become a stagnant society. Then she looked at the graphics floating on Skuld. The young god had done an excellent job, the young goddess was out of any danger, but still not fully restored.
- Your treatment had been adequate; unfortunately you had no access to the adequate resources
The goddess touched the girl's hand and began to sing a healing spell. Her body emitted a soft golden glow under her powers as Kamisama flowed with all its healing power. Belldandy entered into the mind of the girl and began to repair the damaged memories; also she corrected and even added some others to avoid inconsistencies. Belldandy could not help but realize that this time she felt less scruples that she did the same to Myr, after all, she only wished Skuld for the best. It took only a minute, soon on Skuld face appeared a little smile...
The young healer watched with awe the healing power of a greater god, in a couple of minutes she had achieved something he would have taken many weeks even with adequate resources. When goddess finished her chant, he touched the controls in the bed and found the little goddess was in perfect condition, just a few more hours sleep and she would wake up perfectly fine, but now he was afraid. The goddess had made changes in the mind of the young woman that could be considered questionable. Belldandy felt his concern and try to reassure him.
- You have acted well, I need people like you. Your initiative is much needed to fight the madness, I have seen the work of our sages and they only seek solutions in the past, they do not try to think by themselves.
Belldandy stood up and touch the god in his forehead ... his old marks disappeared and new appeared, reflecting its new position, and his new powers.
- Whit this you will not have problems to contact me. But you'll also have new responsibilities.
The god is touched his new marks ... and opened his mouth in surprise; Belldandy had elevated him to the level of the high council of healers.
- My Goddess, this is too much, I do not deserve something...
Belldandy smiled.
- True, you still do not deserve it but I know you will, along your new duties you will be responsible for leading the research to fight the madness
- But I do not know anything about it and the high council healers said it imposs ...
Belldandy silenced him with a gesture, she extended her hand and materialized a data crystal, and she floated
it so the young god could take it.
- The High Council of healers ignored this report sent from Hell where they developed a cure. But even if they read it, I am sure they will not use it because they used Hell´s magic, so I need you to study and develop our own cure, based on Heavens magic. Only then, gods will accept it. I have read about your capabilities and I know that you are able to go against the traditions in order to found a solution, I am sure you can make it. You will have all the resources you need, also you should contact directly the wise men of Hell for any information you may need, for that I have included in your appointment the necessary security access codes. You must contact directly with Wotan, also should there are some mortals sages you should contact; they helped hell to develop the cure.
The received each statement with incredulity, yet when Belldandy finished he put one knee on the ground and said.
- My goddess, I will work hard to achieve your wishes- yet he could not help muttering to himself - to contact Hell´s sages? So many things are said about them, they are treacherous and we should never believe what they say. It could it be a trap. And I do not think that those poor mortals could be of any use to us...
Belldandy interrupted him with an impatient gesture.
- You will have to trust them, I order you to share with them anything you discover. The cure they developed is very slow and if you can find a way to speed it up you must help them. That was the deal I made with Hild.
The god paled and muttered:
- A deal with Hild? The most treacherous of all beings...
Belldandy sighted and ignored his words, she continued her instructions
- Only one thing, when Skuld wakes, you must send her to the mortal world. Tell her she must return to the temple and I will contact her later. I think she will be safer there. - The young healer tried to protest, the mortal world a safer place?. He stared at Belldandy... then realized who she was so he bowed his head in obedience, Belldandy added - I will look forward to your reports about the cure.
The goddess then disappeared, she could not see the young healer trembling with fear, he muttered to himself - To have contact with demons? To use a cure developed in Hell? , something is not right. The old Kamisama would have never allowed it. She... she is… she is not right…
-xx-
Dr Shugahara was sitting still on the cot, he seemed to be in a fatalistic attitude, but he was just trying to hide his hand from camera view. He held a small metal plate that had managed to extract from the bed, and now he was sharpening it against the cot frame. Back and forth, back and forth, with each rubbing the small metal piece acquired a sharper edge. Shugahara paused to feel the edge, it was almost ready. The small shard of metal would be easily concealed in the palm of his hand, soon it´s cutting edge would be sufficient to cut the jugular artery and end his life in a matter of seconds. He would wait until the last moment, but to have control over his own life made him feel better.
-xx-
Keiichi was sitting in temple´s garden. These days he had really begun to appreciate the place, the magic of the Valkyries still could be felt, it was surprising that a place built by warrior goddesses could bring so much peace.
He took a sip of tea, after many tests he had been able to reproduce one Belldandy´s blends and thus he could feel her presence. The young man had a lot to think about, the interview with Vincenzo had been more painless than he had imagined, and moreover, he could even say it had been pleasant. The man was a professional and with a dozen of right questions he had made him to speak so openly that now he was surprised by his own answers. Could that be a special skill, a skill engineered like his own skill? But more important, those questions had led him to think about the future. Until now it had been almost swept by Shugahara exuberant energy, but now that he had disappeared he had to face the possibility that he had to take the initiative. His thoughts were interrupted by a voice.
- Keiichi- San, May I sit here?
- Please join with me Sentaro Kun, how was your interview? Who will be his next victim?
- I think he was about to interview Miss Jenny, so far all his attempts with Ghadril have been unsuccessful.
Keiichi laughed at the image of Ghadril in a newspaper interview.
- I bet that eventually he will convince even Ghadril, this man is very persuasive- at that moment Keiichi realized that Sentaro had not come to speak about the journalist. He moved his nervous hands and dodged his gaze, Keiichi had no need not ask the reason: - Do you miss Skuld? I must confess that in spite of all, this place is too quiet without her, Belldandy did not say anything about when she will return, but I'm sure everything is fine. Currently it´s still difficult to have contact with heaven, but Belldandy told me Skuld did a great job in helping to restore the Yggdrasil, and her work will end soon. I have a feeling that soon she will be back.
The boy's face lit up, but still he was not able to speak.
- I ... when she... she returns ... Skuld ... I would not ... if you could ... a tip...
Keiichi could not help laughing, Belldandy had caused the same effect on him and only time and Belldandy understanding had allowed him to go further, maybe he could help the process a bit less difficult for Sentaro.
- Come, sit with me, we have many things to talk about, but something I can tell you in advance, when Skuld returns ... you will have barely no control on what happens, and that has nothing to do with her being a goddess.
-xx-
Shugahara hear voices and hid the metal shard in the palm of his hand. He heard the familiar sound of the cart where they brought the food, but apparently something was wrong this time. There was a brief but heated argument, and after a couple of minutes, in which apparently the guard was speaking at his radio, the door of the room opened.
Shugahara could not help an exclamation of surprise. Instead of the usual man this time was there was a young girl. She was tall and slender, but what impressed him most was her fair skin that for some reason made him think about the Nordic lands. She seemed very scared, but when he meet her gaze he felt she want to say something. Her look had that expression when you meet a person, but was not sure of his identity. The guard spoke sharply, impatient for her hesitation and ordered her to serve the food hasty. Dr Shugahara smiled; again noting that they did not include cutlery, or even a plastic spoon, the entire meal came in soft disposable dishes. He would have to eat with his hands again. Apparently they suspected he could try to do something ... his smile froze at the thought that maybe they already had a previous experience with any of their previous prisoners.
The young girl put the food on the table next to the cot, and then the guard ordered her to retreat to the wall. Like the previous times, the guard would watch him all the time as he eat and then withdraw the remaining dishes, he would be allow only to kept some bread. Shugahara gave a resigned sigh, he sat down and proceeded to eat, meanwhile took the opportunity to examine the young woman behind the guard, he felt there was something strange. Then he noticed that the girl, so as not to alert the guard, slowly was pulling out something from her blouse, it wrapped in cloth and silently she opened it to reveal its contents. Shugahara heart jumped ... It was the medallion from Urd´s sisterhood!
He could barely suppress a scream, he looked young and nodded trying the guard would not notice, and then had an idea, he clasped his hands brushing imaginary crumbs from his shirt and stroke in the air a symbol, it was "Uruz" the ancient rune representing the name of Urd. The girls eyes widened and she nodded. Shugahara felt he was recovering; maybe he could use the medallion as a shield while using it to ask for help.
At that moment, with a crash the door burst open, the man with the elegant suit burst into the room and violently grabbed the girl from the hair screaming.
- Where is my information you stole!
Shugahara felt his blood boil at the violence of man and tried to stop him, but the guard hit him in the stomach, he collapsed on the floor breathless and the guard immobilized him with a martial arts movement, he tried to break free but it was useless, he had to watch the scene powerless.
The girl squirmed trying to break free but in response the man threw a savage blow to her head and she remained dazed moaning in pain, without releasing her the man began to examine her body looking for something until he felt something in her chest, he shout a wild exclamation and with a jerk he tore her blouse, the little USB memory fell to the floor. The man threw her side and picked the memory.
As soon as he had the memory in his hands he regained serenity, with care he straightened his suit and his hair, and then contemptuously he looked at the girl lying in the floor crying in pain.
- Looks like you've saved me the trouble of removing the information from the computer. I already know how to thank you for this ... it´s been a long time since we had someone from the sisterhood in our hands, you will receive a very special treatment.
He gave an unpleasant laugh, then ordered to the guard to free Shugahara then retired as suddenly as he had entered, leaving behind the guard.
As soon Shugahara was set up free, he made a great effort to get up, he was still stunned by the blow on his stomach, stumbling he approached to the girl still trembling in fear. He took off his jacket and gently covered her. The girl reacted slowly, her eyes were flooded with tears, then at meeting Shugahara eyes she got up and embraced him as if seeking protection. Shugahara was startled, but then noticed something; she still had the cloth covering the medallion on her hand... He looked at the surveillance camera and then turned his body to hide the cloth out of sight, he gently sought the girl´s hand and took the medallion, she released it without protest... then he noticed with surprise that it was not his medallion, it was heavily scratched and also was broken, discouragement invaded him, possibly it did not had any magic left and it would not be of help to escape from there. But where could have gotten it that girl? Could be she really one from Urd´s sisterhood?
The girl stopped sobbing and looked into his eyes, her lips trembled, it seemed she tried to say something difficult; she bit her lip and finally whispered with desperate tone on her voice:
- Please do not let them torture me; I have secrets they should not know. I rather die than be tortured...
His words took Shugahara by surprise, he tried to think of something, the medallion was broken and he knew I might not hold any magic. He felt anger against those who had imprisoned them and gripped the medallion, and then he felt something, a faint trace of magic! Perhaps he could not use it to generate a protective shield as he had done with the terrorists, but he could use it to send a message, although he might not know if it reached its destination. He closed his other hand, which had the sharp piece metal and shuddered at the feel.
In one hand he held hope of life; on the other hand he had the certainty that could save them from torture. His logical mind told him he should choose certainty, but now he wondered if he would be able to take a life not his own...
In his hands he had the power of life and death. Which path should he take?
-xx-
End of Chapter XXXVI