A/N
A new POV introduced in this chapter; I thought it time we got some outside perspective on the events happening in our fearless heroine's life.
Previously:
Demetri's eyes momentarily widened in surprise before he reigned in his emotions. Internally though, his mind was racing. It was not often they bothered the Wizards, as the magic folk had effective wards and the means to shield themselves and fight back against them. At the worst, they can always teleport away and return with reinforcements. Yes, individually a vampire was more than a match for almost any individual wizard, but they all had the ability to cast deadly fire against them, and they had much larger numbers. Plus, they could approach undetected and invisibly, and they could vanish often before the vampires could get a hand on them.
Demetri then thought of the Wizard Potter himself, of the stories about him, and about their last meeting when he was with the human female in Athens. As his vampire's mind raced through possibilities, the thought occurred to him: would she be a weakness of his? Could he use her against him, as bait for a trap? Demetri thought it likely - the pair seemed close, and she would undoubtedly be a soft target.
Even as all of this raced through his mind, he had one question that burned. "Master - do you want him captured? Or killed?"
Aro's lips slowly spread into a thin smile that held no warmth. "I'd like to see both plans, Demetri. And I'd like to see them by the end of day tomorrow."
Aboard the Helicarrier
After Bella and Harry left their quarters, dressed in fresh SHIELD jumpsuits, they found themselves meandering towards the labs, where they had last seen the rest of the team. On the way there, Bella took a moment to check her cell phone again. She sighed when she saw that, as expected, there was no signal while the Carrier was cloaked: the EM interference from the cloaking mechanism blocked most signals.
And that was just as well. She could just imagine the disasters that might ensue if someone using the Find My iPhone app was able to locate the ten-billion-dollar camouflaged Helicarrier!
Bella bit her lip, knowing that everyone had to be worried about her. Earlier, she noted that on one of the monitors in the mess hall various news channels were tuned in and several had replayed the fighting in Germany. In several of the camera cuts - and there were several different networks who apparently had caught the end of the action - there were a few distant camera shots of her fighting the thralls, but unless someone was really paying attention she wasn't immediately recognizable; but towards the end, when she was being treated by the Medic and had to fight off that last thrall...well, she was front and center for that, and her face was unmistakable and impossible to miss. She expected that - if someone was watching when the footage was played - that her parents, Sophie - and probably a good portion of her friends at school - would have seen it by now.
God only knows what they would think.
After traveling up a few decks, they found most of the team gathered in a small room off the main bridge, all sterile metal walls and tables, watching a video feed of Director Fury speaking with Loki. Standing with them was a man she had not seen since Harry's fight back in New Mexico last year. Thor, with his wild blonde hair and dark breastplate, was just as impressive now as he had been back then.
He didn't look up when they entered, so she and Harry found places in the room and watched the conversation unfolding on the screen between the Director and Loki.
"...how desperate are you, you call on such lost creatures to defend you," Loki was saying.
"How desperate am I?" Nick replied, his voice hard. "You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace but you kill cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate." He paused then, tilting his head."You might not be glad that you did."
Loki wasn't impressed, and narrowed his eyes. "Ooh," he said softly, leaning forward with an intent look. Pausing a moment, he spoke quietly, with a strange taunting intensity, his Asgardian accent sounding much like a posh Englishman might. "It burns you to have come so close...to have the Tesseract, to have power Unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share? And then to be reminded what real power is."
Bella looked over at Natasha, who was staring at the screen with great concentration. Pitching her voice low, she asked, "How long has this been going on?"
Natasha whispered back, her lips tight and her eyes never leaving the screen, as if she was analyzing Loki and looking for a weakness. "Just a few minutes. Now shush."
Properly chastised, Bella's eyes moved back to the screen, watching Loki tease and goad the Director. And then, she swore for just a moment - when Loki looked up at the monitor - that he could see her standing there, that his sudden darkening of his eyes and small smirk was meant to let her know he detected her presence.
Bella shivered, a strange tension running down her spine. She had no idea why Loki was fixating on her, and she didn't like it one bit. Unconsciously, she reached out and took Harry's hand, tightening her grip on it when their fingers interlocked even as Fury walked away with a backhand remark about a magazine.
Everyone took a deep breath, and Bella let her eyes travel over to Thor, who stood tall, his arms crossed on his chest, a frown on his face. He looked over at Harry and Bella, gave a small nod to Harry and fixed her with a small smile before returning to his brooding.
Dr. Banner, who had also been watching Fury talk with Loki, chuckled and rubbed his chin. "He really grows on you, doesn't he."
Steve took a breath and turned to Thor. "Loki is going to drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?"
Still facing the screen, his arms still crossed and his countenance grim, Thor answered. Bella was surprised his voice was so deep, and seemed to reverberate despite his not speaking loudly.
"He has an army, called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard, nor of any known world." He paused, his arms falling to his side as he took a step before stopping, his demeanor somehow resigned. "He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth; in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."
Bella shivered at hearing the grim news from Thor, and a quick glance showed that she was not the only one affected.
"An army," Steve said, looking at Natasha, "from outer space."
As the rest of the group discussed the situation, Bella let her eyes travel again to the monitor which was still showing Loki in the glass cage, staring at the camera with his dark eyes, a small smirk on his face.
And though she was standing with some of the strongest people on the planet, Bella was afraid.
Forks Washington
Charlie Swan hung his gun belt up and kicked his shoes off, shutting the door behind him and letting the stress of the day wash off his shoulders. He raised his eyes, further relaxing when he saw the concerned expression of Sue Clearwater as she moved out of the kitchen and towards the living room.
"Charlie? You doing okay?" Her voice was smooth and soft, further soothing the worried police chief.
Charlie huffed. "Sue, I'm honestly not at all sure." When she handed him a bottle of cold beer, he took it from her and squeezed her hand in thanks before settling himself down in his recliner while Sue sat on the edge of the couch.
Chief Swan let his eyes roam across the small expanse of his living room, barely noticing the details of this well-lived in room. The faded tan carpets, aged to a dark beige, the old wallpaper, blue and grey and peeling at the seams, the faded curtains on the windows...
However, interspersed were pretty wildflowers, of purples and blues and yellows in plain but clean pots, and thick hand-woven quilts covering most of the old couch he'd never parted with. Sue's touches, trying to bring some color and 'life' to the drab room, she'd said.
His eyes finished their journey when they alighted on the fireplace mantle, and the pictures that have long resided there. Starting at the far left, they told the story of a life; a picture of baby Bella in her crib, pink cotton hat and little woolen socks on her feet, her face serene and her brown eyes wide and alert. The next photo, of a five-year-old Bella, with a wide gap in her smiling mouth where she'd lost her front tooth, a Charlie Bown book in her lap. The next photo, a gangly ten-year-old Bella, in shorts and a T-shirt, a small smile on her face as she waved at him behind the camera as she walked towards him off the plane's jetway. He remembered that day perfectly well; he hadn't seen her the summer before as she'd broken her leg for the second time and hadn't made it to Forks. He'd missed her desperately, and almost wished he would have rushed her and held her tight and tell her he loved her, instead of the simple one arm hug he gave her.
The next photo, taken in sunny California, where a 15-year-old Bella sat on a beach blanket, reading a book while Charlie relaxed with the camera. This was the first photo where she resembled the woman she'd one day grow into, her expression more serious, her body less angular.
The final two photos were Bella at her Graduation, taken by Jacob Black, showing Bella and Charlie together, their features similar in coloring and shape. And finally, a photo of Bella standing on the lawn at Georgetown, a wide smile on her face and her hair blowing about her face.
Charlie choked back a sob, trying hard to hold in his emotions; he'd always been quiet, stoic almost, learned from his father at an early age that men were supposed to be 'tough' and steady; 'Cryin' is woman's work, son. Men need to be sturdy as a tree.' His father had first said that to him when he'd hurt his knee as a boy, and it had stayed with him to this day.
But after today...
When Bella had been in that shootout in Washington, he'd felt a bevy of emotions he was unfamiliar with. He had been horrified, of course, that Bella was nearly kidnapped right off the street. As a cop, he knew what maniacs did to women under their control...he shook his head, it didn't bear thinking about. But at the same time, an unbelievable sense of pride had taken root, and not just because of her actions in the face of danger. No, rather it was that he - and not his mother who she had spent most of his formative years with - had such a huge impact on her that she was following his footsteps into law enforcement.
He could not ever remember being more proud of her.
Of course, he had to deal with a lot of flak for Renee, for 'influencing their baby to do something so stupid!' Renee had screamed non-stop at him for almost ten minutes until her husband Phil had ushered her off the phone with a brief 'we'll call you back.' When they did, about an hour later, Renee had calmed, and they had a very frank discussion about their daughter. Finally, Renee believed that Charlie truly had nothing to do with Bella's career choice, that in fact he had no idea she was working in any capacity with a job that required her to carry a gun...well, Renee's ire had shifted to Bella, and she tried to cajole Charlie into helping her convince Bella to give it up.
When Charlie wouldn't oblige, telling Renee quite firmly that Bella's choices were her own, that she was an adult, then Renee was right back at being angry at him again. "I should never have let her live with you!" she screamed before hanging up.
An hour later, another call- apparently Renee had spoken with Bella, and was ranting again. She was particularly livid when Bella told Renee her job was classified, and she couldn't discuss it as Renee 'didn't have clearance.' Renee blamed Charlie for that too: "You always played every goddamn thing close to your chest, Charles Swan! Now you've taught my daughter to do the same!"
And another proverbial slammed receiver reverberating in his ear.
A half-assed apology followed the next day, but Charlie knew that either Phil put her up to it or she feared Bella's reaction to her mom; s ranting, Renee didn't really mean it and would always blame him.
And then today...
It had been a very quiet day, mostly occupied by filling out expense reports. Because of shrinking budgets, the Forks Police Department had been reduced to just eight officers last year, and despite having a couple of clerks 'on loan' from the municipal court and Mayor's office - just upstairs - he had a lot of catching up to do.
It was in the late afternoon when his assistant Delores told him he that he had a personal call, that his day started to unravel.
The memory was imprinted in his brain.
Picking up the phone, he announced himself with his usual gruff manner. "Chief Swan speaking."
Charlie was in no way prepared for what awaited him.
"GODDAMN YOU CHARLIE SWAN! MY BABY IS OVER IN GERMANY GETTING SHOT AT! AGAIN! WHAT DID YOU DO, CHARLIE SWAN!" Renee's voice thundered through the phone, her shrill tone echoing through the area and getting Delores and Mindy - one of the the clerks on loan - to raise their eyebrows.
Shutting his office door, Charlie turned his back to the glass wall separating his office from the rest of the station. He tried to speak, but Renee was still ranting and raving. Finally, he'd had to shout over her. "Renee! I can't understand what you are saying! Calm down and speak to me."
It seemed to work, as she finally stopped shouting; but now, her words were seething, and Charlie wasn't sure which he preferred. "Charlie, I just saw Bella on the news again, one of those 'breaking news' stories on Fox. There was some sort of huge gun battle in Germany...and Bella was right in the middle of it!" Renee was shouting again by the end.
Charlie's breath caught, however, as he internalized what his ex-wife was saying. Bella was in Germany? Why? What was she doing there?
Renee was speaking again, hysteria again in her voice. "She was being treated by an ambulance and then people were screaming, and bullets were flying and and... oh Charlie, I can't reach her! I've been trying for hours!"
With Renee's words slamming into his ears, he soundlessly collapsed into his chair, his skin clammy and cold as the awful possibilities began to sink in.
His hands shook; he needed more information, but his mind was suddenly blank - he didn't know what to ask first.
"Charlie? SAY SOMETHING, GODDAMNIT!"
The rest of the call had been tense, a mix of pleading, screaming, and recriminations. When Charlie finally managed to get Renee off the phone, he was desperate for news. He walked from his office, ignoring the questioning looks of the women and the two officers on duty, and moved to the tv in the corner. He flipped the station from some sort of courtroom reality show to CNN, but to his frustration they were covering a story about the drought in California; and when that ended, they had a roundtable about the schedule of primaries for next year's Presidential race and who would be challenging Barack Obama.
With his frustration mounting, he flipped from station to station, but nowhere did he see anything like the story Renee had screamed about. Despite his mounting anger, he really wasn't surprised - news from overseas generally was not repeated over and over like domestic stuff would be unless it involved US troops on the ground somewhere, or some sensationalist story involving a celebrity. He'd almost reached his breaking point, but then he remembered a channel that his deputy liked to watch, that often featured stories from overseas. He quickly changed to the Guide channel, scanned the list, and finally switched to BBC World News, hoping they had something.
As he waited while the broadcasters discussed more turmoil in Syria, he opened his contacts on his cell phone and called Bella. It took him several tries to scroll to her name, his hand was shaking so much, but when he finally got it right It went straight to her voicemail. When he heard Bella's recorded voice speaking in that quiet, friendly manner he loved, his hands began to shake harder. "Hey there, sorry I couldn't get your call. You know what to do...wait for the beep!"
He took three deep breaths, before pleading with the warbling of the voicemail recording to call him as soon as she could, no matter what the time, that he and her mom were desperately worried about her.
By now, he'd gained the attention of everyone in the station, and they all looked worriedly at their Chief. Charlie was a restrained, stoic individual, and rarely showed this much emotion.
Charlie ignored them all, his eyes glued to the TV screen. He waited desperately for the news while trying to keep his anxiety under control, a mantra of 'please not Bella' on repeat in his head.
For a moment, he thought it ironic that just a short time ago he was feeling so proud of Bella for following his footsteps, for going into law enforcement, even is she was a bit cagey about what exactly she was doing. He had suspected maybe FBI, or forensic work, and he didn't press her when she told him she couldn't tell him exactly what she was working on.
Now, however, those proud thoughts tasted like ash to him. Why couldn't she have gone into teaching, like her mom? Though sin truth, he thought sardonically, he never expected her to be involved in two-gun battles inside of a few weeks! For Christ sake, he'd been in the force for over twenty years and he'd only had to fire his weapon one time!
As another useless news story - this one about floods in India - was dissected by the commentators, his mind was racing, thinking of who he could call that might have some news. Names got ticked off a mental list; he was friends with the Chief in Port Angeles, and though he wouldn't know anything the man did have some connections with the FBI. Another name occurred to him then; his old friend David had worked at the FBI for twenty-five years - and though he was retired now, he might know someone who could get him info on what was going on...
Just then, a change in the music on the TV got his attention, and he looked up just as a BBC banner flashed by: 'Breaking News.' And then, thank God, the picture cut to an overhead shot of a plaza, with the words 'Stuttgart Germany' overlaid on the screen. Charlie became rigid, completely oblivious to Mindy who had walked up to stand next to him, growing more and more concerned at the strange behavior of Chief Swan.
Charlie completely ignored her presence, as he was totally focused on the screen. The announcer was speaking, and Charlie turned the volume up. "...earlier today. Details are still coming in, but at this time all we know is that a group of armed terrorists attacked a gathering at the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart. Casualties are unknown, but early reports indicate at least twenty dead."
Charlie gasped, shaking further as the camera view cut down to street level, panning left and right around a scene of controlled chaos. The blue and red glow of flashing police lights flooded the scene, and crowds of onlookers were being kept back behind barriers and police tape. At least a dozen armed millitia were visible, and then the camera focused on the reporter on-scene, who really just repeated back the same drivel. More camera panning, and then...there she was!
Charlie let out a deep exhale when the camera zoomed in on his Bella sitting on the back step of an ambulance. An EMS worker - or whatever their German equivalent was - tended to her arm. It was a brief shot, just a few seconds really, but Charlie found himself relaxing a bit as the camera cut away and moved slowly across the square.
"Chief? What..."
Mindy's voice was cutoff by Charlies gasp as suddenly, shots rang out from the TV and the camera jerked wildly before swinging sharply to the right, losing focus for a moment before it steadied and pulled back, framing the whole picture.
A man in a suit was firing an automatic weapon into the police line, sending several men sprawling even as the rest dove for cover. And then, unbelievably, he saw a figure race into the scene...it was Bella!
But this was a Bella he'd never seen before; she was dressed in some sort of black combat suit, and moved swiftly and confidently towards the maniac with the gun, like she might reach him before he saw her. Over the next interminable seconds, Charlie watched as Bella raced forward, with no weapon of her own visible, but her course steady and a determined look on her face. His heart clenched tightly in his chest when the gunman spotted her and turned to face her - and he sent a prayer to God for his little girl to be all right, even as the gunman lined up his shot to shoulder level, preparing to open fire again.
The camera pulled back, the entire tableau now in its visual field. From the left, flashes of gunfire from the police firing back at him; and to his horror, the sudden flash and the 'crack crack crack' of automatic weapons fire from the terrorist as he lined up his shots on Bella, kicking up pieces of concrete and asphalt as he zeroed in on his target.
Knowing this was it, he was about to see her die right there on TV...and then, somehow, the bullets seemed to ricochet away from Bella, sparks flying left and right as they seemed to meet some unseen obstruction that somehow blocked them away.
Charlie blinked, not understanding what just happened. His mind had seemed to slow down, poised right on the brink of watching his baby die...he understood this, there was no way she could dodge the bullets, he was going to watch her get shot right in front of his eyes...
But somehow...she wasn't.
The camera swung back to the gunman who kept firing, flashes so bright that the entire screen was washed out white. He knew he was still firing at Bella, and he was praying again - hard - for her to be safe, and was willing the camera with everything he had to just turn fucking back so he could see Bella!
And then, suddenly, something happened to the gunman, who seemed to fly backwards like he'd been hit by a sledgehammer. Charlie hadn't seen anything that might have caused it, but the gunman was now out of sight behind some hedges or benches.
"Turn back, turn back," Charlie said aloud, trying by force of will to see if Bella was all right, desperate for the cameraman to turn to the left!
But it was too late. Police suddenly converged on the gunman, crowding the picture until finally the camera pulled back again and cut over to the anchorwoman.
Charlie wanted to scream in frustration; where was Bella? Was she all right? Even as the anchorwoman spoke over the now much smaller picture in a picture, recounting again that they only had preliminary information, Charlie was looking desperately for signs of his daughter.
Having to endure the next few minutes while the Anchorwoman spoke to her colleagues about what was happening were some of the longest in his life. Finally, the footage switched back 'live' to the scene, the camera again panning around the aftermath while the reporter on site conversed with someone off-camera in German. Charlie didn't understand a single word that was said, which was just as well as his eyes were roving the area looking for any signs of Bella, and praying that one of the many bodies that were covered by sheets were not her.
Seeing this, he could understand why Renee freaked out. He was barely keeping it together.
Charlie silently willed the camera to keep turning, his eyes straining as each blurry shape was scanned for any resemblance to his daughter. Very briefly, in the area he thought she had been, he saw a man there with his back to the camera who looked like he was hugging someone, and for a moment he saw a patch of hair that looked familiar. Could the man be holding Bella? Could that be the boyfriend, Harry, that she'd spoken of?
He prayed it was so.
Over the next few minutes of footage, Charlie kept a close watch, wanting to scream when the camera would continuously pull back to show the useless TV anchor or replay the same footage from the gun battle. Sometimes it would pan to the jerk with the microphone standing on scene and speaking in German to the camera operator.
After ten minutes had passed, he was feeling defeated, as no sign of his daughter had been shown, anywhere. Just as he was about to grab his phone and start calling people, there was - for the briefest moment, just a glimpse, really - of a set of shoulders and long hair that he'd seen a thousand times before; and miraculously, just before the camera cut away, he saw his daughter's face turning and gazing out over the chaotic scene, before disappearing into a large airplane of some sort.
Charlie let out a huge breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and felt an adrenaline crash coming, his hands shaking with the stress.
"Chief?" Mindy asked timidly. "Are you okay?" Mindy's hazel eyes cut over to Delores, who had also come over to watch - along with Deputy Michaels - neither able to understand what was going on.
Charlie shook his head clear and gave them a shaky nod. "Yes, I'm fine now, sorry. Just...it's Bella...," and his voice ended in a whisper. He didn't see the eyes of both women widen as they suddenly realized that, somehow, Charlie's daughter was involved in whatever terrible business had just happened on the screen. They watched as he made his way mechanically back to his office, slumping into his chair, almost blind to the world around him.
Charlie ran his hands over his face, feeling the sweat on his forehead. He'd almost seen his little girl gunned down on TV. The thought ran on a loop around his head. Bella almost died, Bella almost died. Bella...almost...DIED!
Even now, though, he couldn't understand what happened; he'd seen the gunman aim at her, he'd seen the flash from the muzzle as he fired...and he'd seen sparks as if they were somehow redirected.
Had his prayer worked? He remembered praying - probably for the first time in years, not since those dark days when that bastard Cullen left his daughter in the woods, left her for dead. Bella had been destroyed after that bastard left her, and Charlie had prayed - hard and often - for something to help his little girl.
He had prayed again today. He knew he'd never forget that moment. Watching as that maniac pointed his gun at Bella as she bravely tried to stop him, watching as the gun fired and those deadly pieces of metal flew towards the soft skin of his baby...
He could picture it in his head; the spray of bullets hitting her body, the impact throwing her off her feet even as her life's blood exploded out her back, her last breath rattling out of her chest as she gasped for air in ruined lungs...
The image was too terrifying, and too real. He'd seen men shot before, knew what rifles could do to people. Charlie made a fist and bit down on his knuckle, eyes tightly closed as he tried to calm himself from the dread of how close she'd come tonight...
Yet, somehow, someway, she was spared.
It took a good ten minutes for Charlie to finally calm down, as he obliviously sat in his chair. He knew he had to call Renee, tell her that Bella looked to be okay; he owed her that. So even as his sweaty hands lifted his phone to call her, he didn't notice Mindy using her own phone, whispering the latest gossip to her friends about Chief Swan's daughter being involved in a terrorist attack in Germany. And he didn't know that from these first Chinese whispers, the tale would grow until, not even twenty minutes later, Charlie would get calls from concerned citizens, offering condolences or making ridiculous statements. The very first caller, Linda Newton, who Bella had worked for during her senior year, had heard Bella was shot dead by terrorists in an attempt to open Hitler's bunker in Berlin.
The tale would spread, more ridiculous with each telling. And they got more ridiculous as the day wore on; he had to answer each call, as he never knew when Bella might get back to him, but then he finally lost it and angrily slammed the phone down on Toby Mallory, who wanted to know if it was true that Bella led a band of armed ISIS terrorists in a mission to assassinate Germany's prime minister and what was he doing allowing his daughter to associate with such thugs!
That had been enough for Charlie, and after calling Sue and appraising her of the situation and to please screen all calls but answer only for Bella, he left the station in a huff and headed for home.
Laying on his recliner, beer in hand, all this ran through Charlie's mind in a loop. He didn't even notice when Sue had shifted on the couch so she was right alongside his chair, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. Thankful for her comforting presence, Charlie turned damp eyes towards her, his expression haunted and lost as he pondered what-ifs.
The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, before Charlie spoke in a broken whisper. "She's my baby girl, Sue. I can't...," his voice broke here, and he stifled a sob, his emotions all haywire. When he finally gathered himself he started again, staring off into space. "I was so proud of her when I learned she was going into law enforcement, you have no idea. I mean, you remember Bella, how clumsy she was, how quiet and soft!" He shook his head in disbelief; even know he had trouble understanding her transformation from bookworm into...whatever she was now. His sighed, his lips twitching. "I can't even imagine the strength of character she must have to power through all of that, and basically reinvent herself."
His eyes came up then, meeting Sue's. "But this? What I saw tonight? That's not police work, Sue. She...a maniac pointed a machine gun at her, and what did she do? She...she charged the gunman! Without a weapon! Who does that?"
His voice broke again, and Sue moved off the couch until she sat on her knees in front of Charlie, taking his other hand as well, looking up at him, silently acknowledging his need to be strong and not show his true emotions despite the traumas of the day.
"Charlie, I know today must have been horrible." Sue did know; she was remembering her own fears, when Seth and Leah first transformed, when they were out hunting vampires, when she knew each patrol might be their last...
Shaking off the memory, she concentrated on Charlie. "Bella is strong, Charlie. You've got to trust that she knows what she's doing, and that whoever trained her must have faith in her."
Charlie gave her a strained smile, his eyes damp and his hands sweaty. But Sue held them tightly, and they sat, keeping their silent vigil, waiting for the phone to ring.
Volterra Italy
Demetri had spent his time fruitfully, and was on his way to report back to Master Aro; he had several approaches he considered might work in cornering and containing Harry Potter, each one with pro's and cons his Master must consider. He had done his research well, and was confident he knew the identity of Potter's female companion. It had required some computer research - thankfully the Volturi had several members trained in the field of hacking - but these days, with photographs of people everywhere thanks to social media and the dark web, not to mention the easily hackable databases that law enforcement and educational institutions kept, it was much easier than it ever had been before to find people.
He had done his job, and had prepared all the salient facts for review by his Master.
He met Master Aro in his study, the familiar wood paneled walls covered with art from civilizations long extinct. Demetri knew that Aro would occasionally switch some items with those kept in storage or in the vaults, especially prized pieces that had sentimental value. Demetri knew that the Masters had accumulated much treasure over the last three millenia, and since moving into the castle about a thousand years ago the Volturi had dug deeply underground, sometimes as deep as a half mile, creating a labyrinth of tunnels and storage areas and cells for prisoners, as well as the deep vaults that were closely guarded with thick hardened steel that even their nails and teeth could not penetrate. Rumors had it that some of the world's most famous lost treasures could be found there, along with countless pieces of priceless art that Aro had acquired in his long reign as Master.
Aro himself sat at his desk, poring over an old leather covered tome, the pages made of vellum instead of parchment and able to last for thousands of years. Demetri knew the Masters - under Marcus' direction, when he was active and his mate still lived - had long ago transcribed some of their earliest manuscripts onto the vellum to better preserve them. The languages used were all gone from the world now, though, perhaps spoken only by the brothers themselves. These books and other relics in their collection were truly from the ancient past, when the world was smaller and simpler, and they didn't need to hide the way they did today.
Demetri stood quietly as he waited for the Master to acknowledge him, his hands folded in front of his waist. After perhaps a minute, Aro raised his head and nodded to his servant with a smile. "Ah Demetri, you've returned. Good." Aro raised his hand, palm upward, and Demetri stepped forward laying his hand in Aro's firm grip.
As always, Aro lowered his head while using his gift, leaning over their clasped hands as he read Demetri's mind. Demetri felt nothing, of course, and he had long ago learned to let his mind go blank during these intrusions. He truly had nothing to hide from the Masters.
After a short while, Aro released Demetri's hand and leaned back in his chair, his own hands slowly clasping together on the table in front of him.
"Interesting," he finally intoned. He paused for a few moments, his eyes unfocused. Finally, he clicked his teeth. "The girl...this Isabella Swan...you are certain she lived in Forks Washington for two years?"
Demitri nodded. "Yes Master. Anton was able to retrieve her school records once we positively identified her."
"Hmm." Aro's eyes unfocused, and Demetri stood silently, used to waiting on his Master as he contemplated his plans. Even with his own sharp mind, Demetri was unsure how Master Aro kept everything straight, with all the accumulated knowledge, the thoughts of thousands of minds that he had absorbed over his long reign. Finally, though, he looked back up at Demetri, his smile almost predatory. "It's quite interesting how our dear Ms. Swan lived in Forks at the same time we had that problem with the newborns in Seattle." He raised his hand and tapped a single finger against his stone lips. "I also believe our old friend Carlisle and his coven resided in Washington state during or close to the same period."
This was news to Demetri. He certainly knew about the newborn army - he had led the mission with Jane to eradicate them - but he didn't see how Ms. Swan was involved in that. But it did surprise him to find out the Cullen's had also lived there.
Quite a coincidence, Demetri thought.
Aro was speaking again, his voice sharper. "Can you find out exactly where the Cullens resided? I'd like to know if they lived near Forks, and if they perhaps encountered Ms. Swan. And also find out where they are living now? I recall that two of their number had been spotted by one of our teams in New York City not too long ago, but they did not follow them to their home as they had a different assignment." He tapped his lips again, his eyes now staring forward as his voice deepened. "I might need you to fetch the Cullen's before we proceed on our plans for Ms. Swan and Harry Potter."
After a long pause, Aro's cloudy red eyes turned to fix Demetri with a flat stare. "It seems this Isabella Swan might be of interest to me."
A/N - okay, we are in the final arc now. all players are in position, ready for the axe to fall...