[16th January 2009]

[Off the Quays, Dublin]

I suspect that if people were asked to think of a wizard's sanctum they likely wouldn't think of the entrance being a rather nondescript side-door entrance of an old building, with an accountant's and solicitor's office on the floors below. But then again the place had been got on the cheap really thanks to repossession a few years ago and its location served for both mine and my employers purposes. It was still a property of the Revenue Commissioners but mine in de-facto terms as a living-space/safe-house since I was officially an employee of the Department since O'Mahon's promotion.

I was within walking distance of the both the Government Offices on Kildare Street and easy access to various sources of public transport when not on official travel. My home away from home these past few months I mused as I unlocked the outer door and then clicked in my ID card and code for the security door beyond. While I'd plastered the place with wards since I'd arrived here why not go for the benefit of standard security as well I figured?

At the very least I figured anyone attempting access would see the normal security and steelwork and not notice the actual ones beneath the surface. It'd been a useful practical relearning of my higher ritual skills and abjuration workings anyway, and let me work towards making this place feel like a proper home and sanctum despite it not being a proper tower and workshop. Still I liked the place, it'd been former office space and that meant a large amount of space for my best attempts at work and ritual rooms alongside a bedroom and the kitchen/living room area.

All a bit sparse at the moment I admitted as I passed through and deposited the backpack of files and tools on the desk in the 'work' room and began to take off the armour for now to place on the stand. My uniform of sorts as I liked to think of it as it went up on the stand and I stretched in my polymorphed form; so many aliases but the John Fortune one was the day-to-day one after all. Other than a handful of meetings, two really if I recalled correctly, at the start I don't think I'd actually gone around Dublin as my true myself. Everyone here knew me as the Anglicised version of Sean; here I was John Fortune who worked in the tax office on work experience. At least I'd kept the ages and backgrounds similar enough that omission and misdirection of partial truths was easy enough.

I flicked on the television on as I re-entered the living room, and pressed it to RTE and the evening news popped on as I pulled out the meat I'd bought from the butchers nearby and started to cut up into strips for a stir-fry. It'd been a long day, and I'd never been a morning person either, and only managing to get a sandwich before a whole round of meetings and reports to my official bosses. It seems once you start giving outlines of magical behaviour and events, then guidelines were issued based on those and when that happened then people started reporting back on this guidelines.

Which sadly then led to me, the official go-to-guy for magic and related, having to spend several hours going through various reports that might require further investigation. Or...well, in creating a paper trail for the sudden upsurge in 'miraculously healed' children and near death adults in the past few weeks. Seems that small stock of healing potions I'd created over the Christmas had been exhausted almost as soon as I'd created them despite my own visits to three hospitals in the past few weeks.

"...ith a hundred jobs being created in Blanchardstown in the next six months. Enterprise Minister Mary Trimble has stated that is a further indication of the success of the Government's and Enterprise Ireland's plans to attact more Foreign Direct Investment into the country. Both the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and LexCorp have released statements looking forward to building a profitable, and long term, business in the area.."

I glanced up a moment as the young red haired woman smiled her way through her report. Personally I preferred the regular blonde middle age one, more professional and less...chirpy...in her delivery I found, but seemed she was out sick. Funny thing I found as I went back to my cooking was that I was quite happy to hear LexCorp was moving into the area. Yes Lex Luthor was most likely a super-villain, unproven still, but he was a damn good businessman and LexCorp ran both an excellent youth training program and community development plans where it setup.

Most likely as some means to appear the benevolent business mogul I expect, but that was perfectly fine by me as long as it benefitted the country and he didn't wreck stuff in some stupid scheme. Really the only negative was I'd have to help play security when the bald bastard visited the country to open the plant in a few months. Ugh. At least I'd been warned in advance I suppose. Not that the dude needed it I expected. Probably had a mecha-suit somewhere, force shield, or something like that against attackers. Wasn't in any of the reports sadly, all I got was the basics plus he seems to have Mercy Graves in this reality as a bodyguard.

"...moving unto the United Kingdom as the London Metropolitan Police have reported they are investigating a string of deaths in the past few..."

I focused on my cooking and tuned out the television to just half listening as I put on the rice. Well that and have my mind wander to what do about the enchantments on the gear; more specifically the variants of bags of holding I wanted into the gear. Someday I'd be able to store the Remington Model 870 Shotgun in them and just pull them out at need...no, no, even better yet and Anti-Tank weapon!

"...three individuals have been arrested by Gardai in Cork after the failed attempt last week to rob the Post Office in..."

Or at least once the boys in the Curragh got around to training me on them. Because I couldn't exactly carry around the weapons on me without getting such spells working; it'd be a damned sight easier if I could just bring the whole armoury with me in magical Hammerspace to use when needed. Ah that'd be fun...useful, I mean useful!

"...and in International News an attempt to rob Star Labs in Metropolis was stopped by..."

I watched as image of the blue and red clad form of Superman appeared briefly on the screen as some body armour clad police dragged the failed armed criminals off towards a wagon...Oh and was the Lois Lane?..as the Supes gave some glib quote about crime not paying or something. Honestly I'd be inclined to comment on "Why do these idiots keep trying shit like this in my town? Cuz, I'm like...ya know...bulletproof and can fly and have heat vision and you've got cheap-ass assault rifles. Don't you know this is a bad idea? Please stop wasting my time!" if I were him.

Yet somehow there was always a steady seeming stream of these idiots of late going after frankling stupid targets like Star Labs, Wayne Industries and the like. This was the third or fourth story I'd heard. Not LexCorp though...which would likely get you killed; either by the defences or a vengeful 'legitimate businessman' Lex Luthor. Generally robbing, or more accurately trying to rob, super-villains when you were a nobody was usually a very bad idea in this world. I sat down and started to eat as the weather came on. Great rain for the rest of the week. Fantastic. All...

Theremaybetroubleahead...

The phone rang suddenly, and I pulled it out of my pocket and...

'Crap' was the first thought that entered my mind even before I say the name flashing up angrily on the screen as the ringtone repeated. I scowled as I brought it up to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey lad, good...right wee bit of problem mate an' might need your 'elp!"

'Oh shite...what now...' was all that I could think as my mouth worked "Gods above...what the fuck have you done now John?"

"Ah, well, ah, got a bit a problem ere' and kinda, probably need yourself as I said..."

I'm sure I was scowling deeply and angrily as I gripped the mobile tightly in my hand "Yeah, and why haven't you annoyed your mate Brendan about this? Cuz it'll take alot more than 'You need help' to get my bosses to let me hop across the water to whatever mess you've got yourself involved in"

"Ah, well, Brendan's a little miffed at me and Kit hookin' up still, what with shaggin' his ex bird an all that, and it's a real big problem that I need help with.."

"John this is my encrypted emergency line for...ya know...emergencies, so what the fuck is the problem and I'll go call me Bosses right now and see what I can do about it" I replied hoping to get an answer. Most likely this was a serious, possibly horrifying, problem if he'd decided to ring the teenage me about it. So he'd either fucked up really badly or he was backed into a corner on whatever it was and had a need of specific skills. Like mine for instance. I really hoped it wasn't body disposal duties again. That hadn't gone over too well in the last debriefing...at first anyway.

"It's a really big problem lad..."

"John..."

A pause and soft muttering or swearing before a mutter whisper "...one of the Royal Family is kinda, maybe, possessed by ah demon and is killing people"

'What?' came out as "Da fuck?"

More annoyed in tone came back "Demon Prince and Tory Satanists, kinda need to talk to some corpses and..."

I set down the beef stir-fry and started rubbing at the sudden pain in my head.

Oh...this was just going to go down so bloody well on the next call I'd be making...

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