A Mithral Dragon in Modern Britain
Part 7: As Yet Untitled
Sharanna yawned as she sat in the airport terminal with Artemis on her lap. I can't believe how much long that meeting took, she thought to herself. Of course, I suppose I should have at least told them before I chose to reveal myself to the world. Somehow I don't think Sir Basil's blood pressure was helped by seeing me on CNN. Or the talking cat, she added impishly to herself. Still, it was not classified nor was it something that did not need to be done. If what Pluto told me is true, and it is if she said it, then it was necessary, as she said at the time. It forced the fiends to stand back and think about just how big a mess they wanted to create, in addition to cutting some of the last bonds holding back the magic of this world. I am quite willing to make a huge mess for them if they invade, she added silently. Given that we may very well be on the edge of a new Age, allowing a fiendish invasion is the last thing we need. Now I know why Setsuna was so distracted that day. Sharanna sighed and looked at Artemis. "Artemis, do you honestly think that we could handle it if war came to Britain? A real magical war? Against fiends, against terrible demons and dark sorcery?"
"No. The British couldn't handle it alone. But then, they aren't. They have you, one of the most powerful mages of this age, along with the Senshi and other allies, no doubt. Besides, if Great Britain is plunged into that sort of war, the other countries will back them up. As will the Church and it's little... side-groups, as well as the Knights Templar. Don't look at me like that, Sharanna," he protested as she gave the feline a surprised look. "You know I keep my ears open." Artemis laughed at the look on her face as he continued. "They're not alone, and neither are you. The faeries would defend these islands, and didn't you mention something about Irish mages the other day?" Artemis asked softly.
"Yes, but a few half-trained apprentices are hardly fit for combat duty. And the Church groups would likely class me with the enemy," Sharanna added. "I'm not exactly a Christian either, Artemis." Artemis muffled his laughter as someone walked by.
He was about to say something when the loudspeaker blared to life. "British Airlines Flight 209 now arriving at gate 7, British Airlines Flight 209 now arriving at gate 7." Sharanna nodded.
"Good, they're here. Come on, Artemis, time to meet our roommates." Artemis groaned slightly as he thought about the 'what a cute kitty' comments he would have to endure. Sharanna smiled tolerantly at the cat's actions and picked up the small sign she had made as they made their way over to Customs. "Just think about all the cute little parties we could have," she added, shoving the needle in a little further as she remembered what the young children of the court had done a few times to any of the faerie cats they could get their hands on. She'd been forced to sit through one herself, for that matter, as she had been grabbed while shifted into a cat, and she could understand the cat's frustration. Still, the site of Artemis in a dress had been pretty funny. Artemis nearly howled in dismay as Sharanna smiled innocently and stifled her own laughter. The guard gave the pair a funny look, but decided not to bother them as he thought it over. Shannon held up the sign, which read 'Oxford Students,' for the group clearing customs to see. The first that noticed it was an elegant young woman with aquamarine hair who walked over, carrying her luggage. "Good morning," Shannon greeted her before glancing at Artemis. "Settle down, would you, Artemis?" she commented.
The woman's eyes widened at the comment, but she said nothing on the subject. Instead, she reached out to greet the American. "Hello. I'm Kaiou Michiru, one of the exchange students," said the same in accented English.
At that point Artemis leapt off of Shannon's shoulder and onto Michiru's. "Artemis, there had better be a very good reason you did that," Shannon informed the feline, a scowl on her face.
Artemis mewed a little before Shannon nodded slightly and relented. Michiru raised an eyebrow. "My friend should be along soon. You know, we have another friend back in Japan who has a cat just like this one. What breed is he?" Michiru asked quietly, looking around for Ami and Rachel.
"A rare one, domestic mongrel," Shannon replied, smiling at the dirty look the cat tossed her. Michiru laughed then blinked as the look on Shannon's face changed. "Was there a man with your companion earlier?" Shannon asked softly in Japanese, looking at the blue-haired girl who was coming over to them, a brunette and a dark-haired European in tow.
"No. I think she might have mentioned something, why?" Michiru answered in kind before noticing the language shift. "Why?" she asked as she turned around.
"Because there is one now, and they're talking in German." Shannon frowned slightly. It wasn't personal, it really wasn't, but she didn't like the Germans all that much. It had to do with dealing with the darkest elements of German society at a time when she was still grieving for the loss of her home at the hands of humanity, but she simply wasn't fond of them. They seemed to, in a way, epitomize the worst of humanity come again to haunt her and the good souls she stood in defense of. It was an incorrect assessment, and she knew it, but even dragons – especially dragons - have feelings and perceptions that can be wrong in the face of considerable evidence to the contrary.
"What's wrong?" Michiru asked.
"Nothing, just a bad feeling, that's all," Shannon replied. She sighed and shoved her misgivings to the back of her mind and stepped forward. "Rachel Valentine and Ami Mizuno, I presume?" she asked, holding out her hand.
Rachel nodded. "And you're...?"
"Shannon McCloud, your RA and chauffer for the evening," she answered, allowing the British accent she normally spoke with to bleed through somewhat. Rachel laughed, and then Shannon turned her attention to the man. "Sir, I appreciate your assisting them over here."
"It was not a problem," he replied, his English strong and clear, though not without a Germanic accent. "It was, of course, the least I could do for my daughter and her friend."
Shannon blinked hard before glancing at Rachel, who then surreptitiously pointed at Ami. Shannon glanced between the pair for a few moments before sighing and nodding. "Very well, then, Mister...?" she added.
"Heinkel. Maximillian Heinkel. She takes after her mother, obviously," he added to explain the dragon's confusion.
"Obviously," Shannon agreed dryly. "Well, in any case, we need to get going or my boss is going to have my hide on a wall," she told the girls. "Mister Heinkel, you're welcome to visit your daughter in the morning. My apologies, sir, but we really do need to get going."
The man nodded, increasing her respect for him by a notch. "Of course, of course, Ms. McCloud. I appreciate both your dedication to your duties and that my daughter will apparently be in good hands."
She smiled back. "Good. If you like, however, you can help us carry the luggage to the van," Shannon told him sweetly.
He smiled in response. "It's so nice to be appreciated," Heinkel replied.
"Alright, girls, let's get moving. We've got too little time and far too many miles," she told the others, smiling. "And given that I've been sitting here for an hour waiting for you three, I'm not in the mood to dawdle as I want to go back to bed." There was a chorus of positive responses followed by yawns.
The group walked back to the van Shannon had borrowed from Oxford and climbed after putting their bags up. Shannon started the engine, and they drove back to Oxford, with the girls going to sleep while the dragon drove, listening to a CD of Vivaldi.
Shannon smiled as Ami staggered out of her room the next morning. "Sleep well?" she asked. The look she received in response wasn't polite as Ami moved to the refrigerator and pulled out a Coke to drink.
Ami sighed after drinking a little bit. "I'm exceedingly jet-lagged," she admitted. "And I didn't get that much sleep the night before, for that matter," the blue-haired girl added.
Shannon nodded as she continued reading the morning paper. "And now you're feeling the fatigue," she expanded.
Ami nodded again as she sank into a chair before taking another gulp of the drink. "So, what do you have here for breakfast?" she asked in Japanese, before realizing what she'd done.
Shannon just shrugged. "Depends on what you want. I don't have that much Japanese food here, but I've got cereal, bread, and milk, as well as a few frozen, pre-made things in the fridge," she explained.
Ami stood up, looking a little steadier on her feet than she had before. "I'll take the cereal, I guess," she answered.
"Fine with me," Shannon answered. "Oh, by the way, do you have any idea when Michiru will be up?" Ami shook her head. "Oh well, I guess our little chat will have to wait, then."
"Chat?" Ami asked, curious and concerned at the same time.
"We need to have a discussion about certain things, such as your curfew and a few things about personal safety in light of recent events," Shannon replied evasively.
"Recent events...?" Ami asked, confused.
"You haven't heard?" Shannon asked, raising an eyebrow. Ami shook her head. "There was an attack on the grounds yesterday. The witnesses saw... someone take on and kill some large creature in plate armor and a fire-breathing horse," she added, holding up the newspaper. "No one managed to get a picture of any of the combatants, but the police say they found bullet fragments from a .50-caliber round where the horse fell. And whoever they were, the University is concerned about something like this happening and is reportedly trying to find a way to stop something like that."
Ami nodded, now fully alert despite her fatigue. "What about that dragon? Did she do anything?"
Shannon smiled. "You could say that, yes." Ami gave her a look before Shannon nodded. "Yes, I know something."
Ami sighed. "What, you know who she is?"
"Well, I should think so," Shannon replied. "After all, she's me."
Ami frowned for a moment as she thought that over, then did so again, and then again, and got the same answer each time. "You're the dragon?" she asked doubtfully.
Shannon nodded. "I'll refrain from roaring if it's all the same to you, since your roommate is still asleep."
Ami frowned, giving Shannon a doubtful look. "Fine, prove it."
"If you insist," Shannon replied before grabbing Ami's hand and muttering something under her breath. The world flared silvery-blue for just a moment, and then they were standing on top of one of the towers of a castle, looking out over a lake. "That's Loch Ness. There, see that crest?" she asked, pointing to something on the near shore. Ami nodded, pulling away slightly. "That's Nessie. The mist dragon you saw on the news. Convinced yet?" Ami nodded again, still reeling from the sudden revelation and the teleport.
"Yes, I believe you." A blast of the cold morning wind caught her and she shivered. Sharanna didn't seem affected. "Can we go home now?"
Sharanna finally cracked a smile. "Certainly. We need to talk, anyway." She looked Ami over. "And I prefer such things to be done in comfort. One must maintain some decorum, after all," she added, allowing the British accent she ignored as Shannon to slip back into her speech. Ami smiled as the sense of being everywhere and nowhere at once washed over her again. Then she thought she was going to be sick for a moment.
"Are you okay?" Sharanna asked her. "I suppose you aren't used to teleportation, are you?" Ami shook her head. "I am sorry, but it seemed the fastest method of convincing you I was telling the truth."
Ami smiled weakly. "It worked."
"Good. Now then, we have a looming problem, one I think it best that we be aware of before things go wrong any further." Sharanna sighed and looked out the window over the balcony the trio shared. Ami moved beside her. "There is the distinct and rather disturbing possibility that we will soon be facing the prelude to a demonic invasion of this fair Earth. I know the Senshi have faced down similar things in the past, but we are not in the same position as we were then. It will be just Pluto, Neptune, you, and I, along with local assistance, such as Nessie or the Knights Templar, and we will have to make do."
Ami's eyes widened at the mention of the fabled order. "The Knights Templar? Weren't they destroyed hundreds of years ago?" she asked.
"Publicly, yes, the Knights were destroyed. But privately, they live on and are among the foremost guardians of this world, second only to yourselves with the help from one of their advisors on eldritch occurrences," Sharanna explained with a hint of pride in her voice. "We will also most likely have help from the British government and other sources, but for now, we are on our own until we know more about what has happened. Here, circumspection and caution are the prerequisites of action, Mercury. Pluto and I have been active for over sixty years because we are rarely seen, nor does anyone get enough details to describe us."
"That's... a little different from our usual mode of operations," Ami admitted. "For one thing, the government usually tries to forget we even exist."
Sharanna laughed. "That's a result of not having experienced occultists on the payroll, a minor agreement after World War II about not putting them on the payroll and letting a few 'trustworthy organizations' handle things, and sheer human willingness to ignore the obvious, Ami." Ami frowned at that last part. "Ami, I'm not kidding. Humanity has one of the strongest abilities to ignore the blatantly obvious I have ever encountered, and it is a trait that has been present in some form for millennia. Fear, paranoia, anger, jealousy, mankind is capable of the darkest depths of emotion, but I have seen humans willingly step in front of a bullet to save the life of a friend, surrender their souls into darkness in exchange for an innocent, and countless acts of heroism." She sighed, her mood turning dark. "I suppose my opinion is colored by distrust. I have problems believing in someone until I see proof they are not of a darker nature. I, like any sentient, have my prejudices, and I willingly acknowledge that one of them is an unwillingness to trust humanity in general."
Ami's expression was one of shock, at best. Sharanna sighed. "Humanity once betrayed those who saved it from slavery, repaid mercy, compassion, and selfless sacrifice with treachery, dark sorcery, and violent death. While humanity was aided by things beyond this mortal realm, in the end, the decision was that of Man, not ours. We offered them protection, friendship, and trade. Instead, we received hate, scorn, and assault. I have problems forgetting that, even though I should forgive the sins of the past. And yet, I look around in the world, and what do I see? The same petty hatreds and dark feuds that existed then still have free reign over the human heart. Tell me why I should be willing to grant a measure of absolution to ones such as these? Any person may well earn my friendship, but humanity, as a whole, has much to prove to me before I trust them again," she finally concluded. Ami nodded.
"Do you trust me?" she asked after a space of minutes had passed.
Sharanna smiled softly and nodded. "Your past self more than earned my trust and faith in her on more than one occasion. You yourself have traded your life for that of the Princess in one instance, and risked your life on the behalf of others many times. Yes, I trust you and Michiru. Both of you are willing to die for others in need, and in the cause of good. How can I not have faith in people such as yourselves?"
"An interesting question," Michiru replied softly. "How do we know that we can trust you?"
Sharanna frowned. "I have proven myself in battle and in service to the Queen. Pluto has an implicit belief in me. But, I can understand the question. No, you do not know that you can trust me. No one can truly know the heart of another," she added softly, remembering an old friend... one whose blood had stained a sword in her hands after he had turned from the light. "However, I have stood between innocence and inhuman savagery, in defense of those I would rather see dead. There is no need to question my loyalty to the principles of law and good."
Michiru nodded. Her sense of things told her the dragon spoke the truth, pronounced it with a force that few other beings could bind themselves to.
"Are we agreed, then, that we shall stand together, come what may?" Sharanna asked, posing a question that she already knew the answer to.
The others nodded. "We have to," Ami said finally in the looming silence.
Author's Notes:
Just in case anyone's confused, Shannon McCloud's (fake) background is American, not British, just to throw another layer of confusion to anyone trying to figure out who Sharanna is at Oxford. Remember both the dragon's personality and her usual employers with the British government. Wheels within wheels defines a number of draconic plans and deceptions, not just Sharanna, but from most dragons. The Sir Basil quote is an homage to Tom Clancy.
Sorry about taking so long, this one just hit a truck-load of writer's block. Then getting involved with the Twisted Infinities mod for FreeSpace 2... The list goes on and on.