Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen
...
"Good evening, Mr. Mayor; how are you?" Josie asked with a bright smile as she opened the door a mere second after the doorbell had rung.
"Well, thanks. Harriet couldn't make it tonight, she's not feeling well."
"Oh, that's a shame. Is she all right?"
"Just a small bug, she should be fine. Ah, Commander, good to see you! How are you? Did you see the golf tournament?"
Steve smiled at the Mayor and led him into the dining room, talking about handicaps and birdies already. Josie sighed, knowing that the Mayor's wife's absence would severely derail her attempts to control the conversation. Will was at Magenta's house so she couldn't even use her son to redirect the conversation.
Serving up their dinner - homemade Mexican enchiladas with homemade guacamole and store-bought sour cream; surely the Mayor couldn't call this bland! - Josie took the plates to the dining room, flying back to the kitchen to take her plate to join the two men.
After ten minutes, Josie wanted to throttle the Mayor just to get him to stop talking. How could she say anything when he wouldn't shut up?!
"Your food's getting cold, dear," Josie prompted mildly, her own food would remain untouched until the Mayor started to eat. She was the perfect hostess, after all.
"Oh, of course, dear," Steve said, taking up a mouthful and chewing, the Mayor hurrying to do the same when he saw the expression Josie levelled at her husband.
Josie relished three seconds of silence before she asked, "Have there been any new developments in Maxville, Mr. Mayor? We haven't heard of any shareholder meetings lately," she added pointedly, smiling.
The Mayor coughed. "Uh. I... that is..." he trailed off, coughing again and his face reddening. He took another bite of food to avoid answering the question while Josie waited impatiently.
Across the table, Steve looked like he was struggling to contain his own coughing. Alarmed at the bright colour that both the Mayor and her husband were turning, Josie cut off a small bite of her enchilada, popping it in her mouth. Heat exploded against her tongue almost instantly, whatever spices she had added to the meat were overpowered by the burning sensation that raced down her throat. Steve had taken his usual giant bite and the Mayor had eaten two sizeable forkfuls of the enchilada as well, so she had no idea what they were feeling.
"I'll be right back with milk."
"Bread too," Steve wheezed, sweat beading and running down his temples.
Josie flew straight for the kitchen, gathering bread and milk, and wondering what on earth had happened. She had followed a no-fail recipe that thousands of people swore by and while she had modified the recipe slightly based on comments about the spice and heat levels, it shouldn't make it burn this much, surely?!
Returning to the dining room, Josie stopped short when she saw the Mayor eating sour cream out of the serving dish while Steve tried to coat his tongue in guacamole.
Pouring the glasses of milk, Josie drank hers down with no small amount of relief. The Mayor practically smacked Steve's hand away to take the bottle of milk for himself, drinking deeply and milk spilling out of his mouth. Steve drank both glasses, shoving more guacamole into his mouth once he was finished.
"I do apologise, Mr. Mayor, I never thought this would be so spicy. How about I get some pizza? I can go to Rome, even; you and Steve can talk about golf while I'm gone," Josie said.
The Mayor nodded briefly, his face contorted in pain and still bright red. Josie was gone before Steve had even finished eating the last spoonful of guacamole.
Josie flew to Rome as fast as super-humanly possible, cursing that damn recipe the whole way. Just wait until she put her feedback on that site!
She used her Jetstream persona to get the pizza in record time and flew back to Maxville, taking no more than twenty minutes total. Most of her time had been spent waiting for the pizza, but she refused to serve undercooked pizza to the Mayor on top of everything else.
She returned home with pizza in hand, only to find the Mayor gone and Steve no longer in the dining room.
"Steve?" Josie called.
"Upstairs, dear. Uh, can you bring the deodorising spray?"
Blanching at the realisation, Josie set the pizza down and headed upstairs to find her husband in the bathroom, looking just as pained as he had twenty minutes ago.
"What on earth happened, Steve? I thought you were going to talk about golf!" Josie asked, covering her nose at the smell.
"We were going to, but the Mayor... he's lactose intolerant."
Josie felt her knees weaken at his words. The enchilada had been covered in cheese - as was the pizza - and he'd eaten a whole tub of full-fat sour cream as well as a bottle of full cream milk.
"I'll have to do a gift basket to apologise."
"Maybe order it, dear. I don't think he'll eat your cooking for a while," Steve said from the bathroom, groaning in pain.
Josie bit back a comment about Steve thinking and left to find the biggest gift basket that could be delivered with priority shipping overnight.
...
Andy stepped through his tai chi set on the roof with Ichiko while Ichigo helped Yuki in the garden.
"Pa?"
"Hmm? You okay?" Andy asked, seeing Ichiko's worried expression.
"Y'know how we have to change our names?"
"Honey said you don't have to."
"Yeah, but you and Ma did. Besides, they're looking for us 'cause we have powers, right?" Ichiko added.
Andy slowed to a stop and looked at his daughter. They hadn't truly discussed what had happened, nor why, and the weight of the consequences of relocating their family and lives would forever be on Andy's shoulders.
"They're looking for us, so they'll know our names. We have to change our names too, no matter what Honey says," Ichiko said certainly.
"Do you want to?" Andy asked, wondering if a seer could be wrong.
Maybe she'd seen this conversation and knew it would happen anyway?
"If it keeps us safe, then yeah. A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet," she added with a grin, making Andy laugh in response.
"All right, Bard. What name were you thinking of?"
"Megatron the Destroyer!" Ichigo called, Yuki hushing him and helping him re-pot a plant.
"Oh, my god. No, shut up, dork face!"
Ichigo poked his tongue out at her and Ichiko rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to her father.
"Do you have a name in mind? I can think of a few, though they probably won't be as good as your brother's suggestion," Andy teased.
Ichiko shook her head. "I was thinking of Rose. You and Ma said you were going to call me that anyway, but then you went with a traditional name instead."
"I want to be called Dragon. Ryuu already got Ryuu," Ichigo muttered.
"Dragon isn't a name. Besides, we're trying not to stand out, remember?" she said, rolling her eyes at her brother.
"Fine. Rosen, then."
"Why that name?" Andy asked.
Ichigo shrugged. "You and Ma love that you named me and Ichiko with similar names; this at least fits the theme. Besides, I can go by Sen to confuse people," he said, grinning.
"You should choose a name that you like, Ichigo, not because of us," Yuki said firmly.
"Didn't have a choice the first time 'round, Ma. 'Sides, I like Rosen. It's individual."
"You're both sure?" Andy asked, looking between his children.
Rose and Sen both nodded firmly, returning to their tai chi and gardening respectively. Andy thought of his wife's words again, knowing that she was right and the kids would adapt faster than they would. They already were, after all.
Finishing their tai chi as the sky darkened overhead, the family decided to return to their apartment for the evening. Opening the front door, Andy was surprised to see a large yellow envelope with a bee sticker on the corner. He opened the unaddressed envelope with some trepidation once Yuki had guided the children to the bathroom to wash up, glancing over her shoulder in concern. Relief filled his chest on seeing four small booklets in the envelope, pulling out their new passports with their names, including Rose and Rosen's names.
Hopefully, I got the right names!
~ Honey
Andy wondered if she had passports for the other names the kids might've chosen, then decided he didn't really want to know.
"Rose Ichiko Baeck, your passport. Rosen Ichigo Baeck, your passport," Andy announced formally and handing them over with a flourish, smiling at their pleased expressions.
Sen snorted a moment later, his shoulders shaking with laughter. "Our initials spell 'rib'," he said, dissolving into a fit of giggles.
"Ooh! Can we have ribs for dinner?" Rose asked as Sen settled down and both children waiting for their answer expectantly.
"The chicken didn't defrost, even though I put it in water, so we might as well order in," Yuki said.
"Awesome. Thanks, Ma!"
"You have to set the table, though. Extra napkins," Yuki added as they ran off to the kitchen.
"Can we afford to be splurging, Yuki?" Andy asked quietly.
"We can tonight. I've applied for three jobs Honey sent me; I'll get one and we'll be okay, Andy."
Andy swallowed hard, wondering if he could put yet another piece of his trust in the seer's hands. She had saved them time and again, surely she could be trusted with this as well?
There was a rapid knock at the door and Andy frowned as he went over, refraining from groaning when he saw George through the peephole. "Good evening, George. What can we do for you?" he asked as he opened the door.
George stormed his way inside without an answer and looked around the apartment suspiciously, cupping his ears. "You can hear it, can't you?"
The kids went quiet at their unexpected guest and silence filled the apartment.
Remembering Honey's words from the housewarming party, Andy hurried to nod. "The laundry machines are loud, aren't they?"
Yuki's eyes widened at his words and she schooled her features before George could notice. "It's loud for us, so it must be so noisy for you, George. You live right above the laundromat, don't you?"
"Well, not quite. But it's still loud! Louder than it is in here, even! See, Mildred, you can hear all that water sloshing around!" George called over his shoulder.
"I don't see how, George. We've never heard them before," Mildred said crossly. "Evening, Cookie, Sandy," she said briefly, glaring at her husband. "I can't hear a thing, George! You're making it up."
A sloshing sound could be heard then and Andy wondered if he was losing his mind. Looking to Yuki, he saw the surprise in her expression and felt relieved in response.
"There it is! You can hear it! See, Mildred; I told you I could hear it!" George said triumphantly.
"Yet you never hear me when I ask you to pick up your socks," Mildred snarked.
George didn't respond, pretending to be intent on listening to the laundry machines.
"Oh, come on, George. I'm tired and I don't want to listen to you going on about the damn machines anymore."
"What are we having for dinner, Mildred?"
"That depends on whether you heard me this morning when I told you to take the chicken out of the freezer," Mildred said, George flushing bright red. "That's what I thought. Goodnight Mookie, Candy!" she said as she determinedly led her husband out of the apartment.
"What the hell was that noise?" Andy asked Yuki once they were gone and the door was closed.
"No idea. Kids, have you finished setting the table? Oh, my - Andy, I think I figured out the noise," Yuki said with a laugh, waving her husband over to the kitchen doorway.
Sen was standing in the kitchen in his boxers, his pants in the water-filled sink. Rose had muffled her laughter with the tea towel and was turning an alarming shade of red.
"Breathe, sweetheart."
Rose tugged the tea towel free, gasping between bouts of laughter. When she settled down a moment later, she grinned over at her parents. "We recorded the noise and added it to their phones. We're going to play it in the middle of the night."
To Yuki's surprise, Andy simply started laughing. She smiled at the sound and then told Sen to take his pants out of the kitchen sink, asking Rose to find the closest restaurant that would deliver ribs to them.
...
Connor headed through the hospital, a box of chocolates in hand. He heard laughter from Lexie's room and stopped short in the doorway when he saw the crowd of people around her bed.
Laughter had to be a good thing, right? No one would laugh if someone had died, Connor told himself firmly.
Knocking on the door, Connor drew the attention of a few nurses and doctors. Recognising him from Alex's trial, Connor was waved over.
"Hi, Connor! Did you bring Victor with you?" Alex asked when he saw him.
Connor shook his head. "He had to work, but he said he'd stop by later this week to visit."
"Awesome. Look what the nurses got for Gran," Alex said, tugging Connor through the small crowd so he could stand by Lexie's bed.
Connor tried not to tense at the press of people around him, at the window at his back leaving him wide open, his view of the doorway blocked by people.
"Oh, Connor, you're here! Give him some room, everyone. Connor hates being confined just as much as Lex," Lexie said firmly, patting his hand.
Connor remembered telling her that he was a POW while she was having her fourth panic attack over Alex's trial, but he hadn't known if she'd heard him. It seemed she had and had known what to do to make him more at ease, too. The crowd broke up slowly, nurses and doctors promising to return, others promising to send photos to others in the hospital, and eventually, it was just the four of them. Lex looked as relieved as Connor felt and he saw the man's white-knuckled grip on Lexie's blanket relax.
Now that he was more aware of his surroundings, rather than the anxiety building in his mind, Connor finally saw what they had all been focused on and giggling about. Lexie grinned at him broadly, proudly sporting a multi-coloured mohawk wig.
Connor laughed, long and loud. "Lexie, my dear, you look amazing."
"Oh, I know. I told you I'd suit a mohawk," Lexie said to her brother and grandson.
"You're never wrong, Lexie," Lex replied with a wry grin, the action not as genuine as it could be.
"Alex, why don't you take Lex and get us some coffee while Lexie and I open the chocolates?" Connor suggested.
Lex realised he was being given an out to collect himself once more and gave a brief nod of thanks. "I want to try that frothy thing you told me about; I've had nothing but black coffee for forty years."
Alex nodded and kissed his Gran's cheek. "We'll be right back; don't eat all of them."
"You know I can't promise that," Lexie called after him, grinning. "Now, what kind of chocolates did you bring me?"
"Do you want to take the mohawk off first?" Connor asked gently.
Lexie sighed and pulled it off carefully. "It's scratchy and painful against a bald head. But I still love it, and I'll be wearing it when they come back."
"Well, I suppose these make more sense," Connor said, pulling out a pair of stockings that Honey had told him to buy. "It will stop the cap from scratching against your head."
"Oh, that's a lovely idea. You open those now before the boys come back and I'll open the chocolate," Lexie added, grinning.
Connor laughed and handed over the large box of chocolates he'd bought along with the stockings; he wondered what the sales clerk had thought of his purchases. Opening the stockings, he stretched the leg hole so it would be more comfortable for Lexie, passing it to her so she could cover her bald head before replacing the wig.
"Oh, that's better. Thank you, Connor."
"You're most welcome, Lexie. Can I take a photo to show to my son?"
"Of course! How is Ryuu? I'm dying to meet him."
Connor smiled. "He's good. I'll bring him along next time."
"See that you do that. I could introduce him to Alex, the poor dear doesn't have nearly enough friends his age."
"I said the same thing about Ry at the start of this year."
"He can be rather serious, but it's just because he's shy. Alex isn't a bad boy," Lexie said firmly.
Connor wondered if he could say the same about Ryuu anymore; did he really know his son the way he once had? He supposed most parents stopped understanding their children at some point - God knew his parents hadn't tried when he was Ryuu's age - but he thought he'd always know whether Ry would be an innately good or bad person, never mind the path he took in life.
"I'll bring Ryuu next time I visit; we'll see how they get on," Connor promised, smiling at Lexie's happy expression.
"Thank you, dearie. Now, choose your chocolate before Lex comes back and steals the rest."
...
"You're not setting me up on a date, are you?"
Connor shook his head at Ryuu's question. "Of course not. I know you'll find someone in your own time. If you want to," he added.
Ry relaxed at his father's words and nodded. "All right. When are you visiting next? I want to see Lexie's mohawk in person," he said, grinning at the photo of Lexie with a brightly coloured mohawk.
"How about Wednesday after you get home from school? We can do yoga when we get home."
"Sounds good, Papa."
...
Ryuu followed Connor through the hospital, trying to keep track of the path they took: blue floor, elevator to yellow level, two rights, left, and another right, elevator to the green floor, right, two lefts, right, and another left.
He stopped abruptly when Connor stopped at a doorway, watching as he knocked on the doorframe and smiled broadly.
"Hi, Lexie. How are you this evening?" Connor asked gently, seeing her drug-glazed eyes.
"Mm? Oh, hello, Connor. You're early," Lexie murmured, fighting to keep her eyes open. "Had another round of treatment today; it's exhausting."
"I brought Ryuu to see you; are you still up for visitors? We can come back tomorrow," Connor offered.
Lexie shook her head gently, the motion difficult when her head felt so heavy. She forced herself to sit up properly, blinking slowly, and trying to focus. "Okay, I'm ready."
"Ryuu, this is Lexie. Lexie, this is my son, Ryuu."
Lexie smiled as Ryuu approached. "Well, aren't you a handsome one? Your photos don't do you justice, dearie."
Ryuu smiled bashfully. "Thank you, ma'am."
"I must be old if you're calling me ma'am," Lexie said, wincing. "Call me Lexie, please. Now, I saved some chocolates. You like the nut ones, right?"
"Yeah, I like nuts," Ryuu said, trying to keep a straight face.
A strangled sound came from the doorway, a loud laugh following soon after. Ryuu looked over to see an older man and a boy about his age standing there. From the bright red expression on the boy's face, Ryuu figured he'd made the strangled noise while the older man had laughed.
"Lex, Alex, nice to see you again. This is my son, Ryuu. Ryuu, this is Lexie's brother, Lex, and her grandson, Alex. He's the one Victor helped in court."
"Right. Nice to meet you both," Ryuu said, offering his gloved hand when they approached.
Lex shook his hand immediately. "Pleasure to meet you; I'm also known as the Plight."
"Oh, nice. You protested for women's rights, yeah?"
"See, I told you people would remember me," Lex said triumphantly to his sister.
Lexie just smiled, her eyes closing.
"Hi, Alex, yeah? Victor told me how you want to be a doctor," Ry said with a smile.
Alex nodded wordlessly and shook Ry's hand. "I have to go," he said, letting go of Ry and leaving the others surprised at his sudden departure.
"Huh, if I knew just leaving social situations was an option, I might not've gone to prison," Lex mused, looking after Alex.
"Did I do something wrong?" Ry asked, looking between the three adults. Well, technically two since Lexie had already fallen asleep.
"I don't think so, son. We should probably head off; visiting hours end soon."
"We'll visit again later in the week, yeah?"
"Yeah, sounds good. Sorry for the short visit, Lex."
"It's all right; Lexie probably won't even remember."
"Are you and Alex all right to get home? We can drop you off, if you'd like?" Connor offered.
"Well, I'd normally take you up on that, but I can't leave without Alex and I don't know when he's coming back or even where he's gone. He's practically got run of the whole hospital and I get lost looking for a vending machine," Lex admitted, grinning.
"We can wait until visiting hours are over."
Ry sat in one of the chairs between Lexie's bed and the window, while both Connor and Lex sat on the seats against the wall with an easy exit to the doorway.
The sound of the heart monitor gave Ry a rhythm to focus his breathing on and he let the conversation from the two men wash over him, glad that neither one asked him to contribute.
Meditating was easy enough, even with the noise from the hospital staff and patients outside the room, and Ry felt his mind slip to a quieter and softer place. Breathing slowly, Ry focused on each inhale and exhale, on the sound in his ears and the feeling in his chest. His heartbeat was a calming rhythm that he could always depend on, and Ry knew the sound like the back of his hand.
"Ryuu, we're heading home now. Good to go?" Connor asked, his voice gentle as he waited for Ry to return to awareness.
Ry licked his lips and nodded. "Yeah, good, Papa." He looked around the room and saw Lex and Alex waiting by the doorway, Lexie still sleeping in her hospital bed and covered in several blankets.
Taking Connor's offered hand, Ry stood up slowly and followed the small group out of the hospital. Connor and Lex continued their conversation while Alex and Ry walked a few paces behind them.
"You okay, Alex?"
"What? Why?"
"'Cause you left as soon as we met; I figured something was wrong," Ry said with a shrug. "If it's 'cause I'm trans - "
"What?! Of course, it's not!"
Ry shrugged. "I don't know that, dude, that's why I asked."
Alex looked away and flexed his hands. "I'm going to be a doctor. I can't afford to be distracted. My friends have already proven they're not my friends and I don't want it to happen again."
"Okay. A bit harsh, considering we literally just met, but I get it," Ry said with a shrug.
"C'mon, kids. We need to get home if we're going to get that yoga session in, Ryuu," Connor prompted.
Ry nodded and hurried across the parking lot, Alex and Lex a few steps behind him.
Lex grinned down at his great-nephew. "You like him, don't ya?"
Alex's cheeks went as bright as the stripe of red in his hair. "No! Shut up."
Lex laughed outright. "You get to do a lot of people watching in prison, Alex, and besides, I can spot a lie a mile off."
Alex crossed his arms over his chest. "No one told me he was cute."
"You two coming?" Ry called from the car, waving.
Lex tried not to laugh at Alex's bright cheeks and pink ears. The poor boy had enough to deal with, he didn't need an old man laughing at his first crush, too. "We'll be right there. These legs don't move as fast as they used to. Not that I moved terribly fast back then, either."
Ry laughed and Alex hated how his heart skipped a beat at the sound. He didn't have time for relationships or crushes or whatever this was. He had to study, he had to become a doctor; this wasn't part of his plan.
...
Ry waved as Lex and Alex went into their apartment. Once they were inside and the light was on, Connor turned his indicator on and headed to their own apartment.
"I don't think Alex likes me very much," Ry admitted.
"Why would you think that?" Connor asked his son in surprise.
"He avoided the fuck outta me and basically ran away when we met? Kinda obvious there, Papa."
"He likes you, Ry. Probably too much, and he doesn't know how to handle it," Connor said.
"Wait, what? He likes me, likes me? You really think so?"
"Yeah. Pretty sure I avoided the first girl I liked and stared at her from a distance wondering why she wouldn't notice me."
Ry snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, that's no excuse. You can still talk to someone, even if you like them."
"It's difficult; not everyone has that kind of courage."
"That's so not the point, Papa. If you like someone and never talk to them, how can you blame them for not noticing you? You're not even trying to be noticed."
Connor conceded with a nod. "I was a teenager and fairly stupid about my emotions, but it's easy to know that in hindsight. At the time, it seemed perfectly reasonable."
"Idiot."
"Hey, don't be cruel."
"Wasn't being cruel, I was being truthful."
"Ouch, extra cruel."
"Extra crispy; need some ice for that burn?" Ry teased.
"I don't get the reference but either way, no. Ice isn't good for burns, cold water is."
Ry snickered. "You're so old, Papa."
"You're just kicking a man while he's down, huh?"
"Yep. You'll live," Ry promised, grinning.
...
Babel smiled at the applicant across from her, trying not to wonder if this person would be the one to make an attempt on the Ambassador's life. It was the second day of interviews with him, though it was the twelfth day of interviews overall. The first truth detector she'd hired at Honey's recommendation had fainted and quit, and the second one was working diligently, her station behind Babel and the Ambassador's own seats. The applicants were sitting on a lone seat across from them, bodyguards and security standing behind them menacingly.
With each applicant over the last twelve days, Babel had briefly considered whether they would attack the Ambassador or representative beside her and had forced herself to push the thought away each time. She knew she needed to be clear-headed, not paranoid, to understand what the applicants weren't saying just as much as what they were saying. She needed to be aware and alert, especially if she was going to survive the rest of the week's interview process.
Glancing to her silent phone, Babs looked away and focused on the applicant with a brief smile. "Why did you apply for the job?"
The response was the same one she'd heard from hundreds of applicants: they wanted to help people and make a difference in the world. It was the first response that came up on Google, too, and not nearly enough of the applicants had had the passion and fire in their eyes that made Babs believe a word they were saying, especially since they didn't go on to say why. If it was said without conviction, then the answer simply felt hollow. The truth detector's notes, provided at the end of each country's applicants, often said the same.
"And the money and fame have nothing to do with it, right?" Babs asked, the applicant's wide-eyed expression at her blunt words almost enough to make her smile.
Ever since Brian Anderson had reported on the UN's decision and multiple job openings as a result, the media had practically been camped in front of the UN Super Headquarters. Security had started guiding applicants through the back of the building while someone distracted the media at the front. The applicants that went to the media anyway were immediately removed from the list of potential candidates. Those that only wanted fame would get nowhere in the UN.
"I... uh... the money is good but I really do want the job; I want to help my people - "
"Why?" Babs asked, curious about the tone she heard when the applicant said 'help'. Their infliction spoke of sacrifice and service, with a tinge of desperation that could be masking passion and conviction.
The applicant gaped again, while beside her, the Ambassador pretended this was part of the plan and interview process. He'd already seen Babel reduce grown adults to tears in the last two days of interviewing and was wondering if he could start placing bets on how many more would survive her interview intact.
If they couldn't handle Babs at her worst, they certainly couldn't handle the UN representatives or any of the external stakeholders they dealt with on a daily basis.
"Uh... I want my people to be represented fairly by the UN; we are represented now as warmongers and people who celebrate death rather than life. Our heroes are few and our villains are many, though the media only shows the villains. We have no say in what happens in our own country and no say in what happens to those with powers. It isn't an infection or a disease that the West has put upon us, it is a gift. I want people - both super and citizen - to remember and to recognise that when I represent them."
There was the conviction she was looking for.
"My village has been torn apart by villains - both citizen and super - and rebuilt by heroes both citizen and super. I want to help my people like they have helped me," the applicant said fiercely.
Babs relaxed her shoulders and smiled. The Ambassador seemed to be reeling at the applicant's firm words that were still being translated by the device in his ear.
"Excellent. Thank you for your time. The process may take another month to finalise, but we will be offering feedback for every interviewee, whether or not you are successful."
The applicant shook their hands, no longer looking quite as nervous.
"Please remember that everything you have heard and seen today is confidential and should remain that way," the Ambassador said, Babs translating for him, the applicant nodding firmly in response.
When security arrived, Babs asked them to lead the applicant through the front entrance. It was often the final test to see what they would say when directly faced with the media.
She wasn't entirely surprised to see the cameras showing the applicant smile and ignore the media's flurry of questions, despite the journalists' bloodlust at finally seeing one of the applicants. The applicant was almost smacked in the head by a microphone, the security guards manhandling the journalists to get out of the applicant's way, and they still didn't say anything as they were guided the few metres to the waiting car.
"I think they're a likely candidate, don't you?" Babs asked the Ambassador.
"I think so. We've still got a few more from... oh, I still can't pronounce this place," the Ambassador groused. "There's another two candidates from that country to interview. They could outdo them. I was expecting more applicants, considering the UN paid for all flights and accommodation."
"That's why we had the pre-screening," Babs said with a grin, sipping at her water and indicating for security to bring the next applicant through.
The applicant sat on the seat across from Babel and the Ambassador, watching as the security guard closed the door. They barely looked at the room around them, reaching into their jacket instead. As they did this, Babel's phone started to blare loudly. She instantly reached for the Ambassador next to her, grabbing and pulling him down just as the gun went off, the bullet embedding solidly behind them. The truth detector slid down the wall, eyes wide and body trembling.
The applicant was rambling as the bodyguard hauled them out of the room, but Babs caught a few words before they were incapacitated.
" - destroyed my country!"
Standing, Babel offered the Ambassador her hand and helped him stand, the man pale and shaking. Calling security, Babs sent for a shock blanket and poured the man some water. He took it with trembling hands, taking three attempts to actually lift the glass before he could drink.
"Are you all right?" Babs asked in concern.
He went to nod but then shook his head. "No, I'm not."
"That's all right. You just drink your water. We'll postpone the rest of the interviews, okay? I'm sure the UN can handle another night's accommodation for the last six people."
"They have another three days anyway," the Ambassador said, as though clinging to that piece of information.
With the Ambassador secured, Babs turned her attention to the truth detector, who was pale and trembling but thankfully, otherwise unharmed. When security returned with a blanket for the Ambassador, he was somewhat calmer already but took it without complaint.
"I think I need a holiday after all this. We'll finish this week of interviews and then I'm taking some well-earned leave," Babs said decisively.
The Ambassador nodded, looking small and frightened in his blanket. "You saved my life," he said, looking to the bullet in the wall.
Babs just nodded.
"Whatever you need, whenever you need it. You just let me know and you'll have it," he promised firmly.
Surprised that he'd promise such a generous - and unspecific - offer in front of witnesses, Babs smiled and held out a hand. "Thank you, Ambassador."
He shook her hand and they both left with the security guards to provide their statements. Seeing that the truth detector's jacket had been torn by the bullet - just avoiding her heart - Babs wasn't entirely surprised to hear the woman hand in her resignation.
...
End of the hundred and thirteenth chapter.
Thanks for reading; I hope you liked it!
