Life as a New Hire Ch. 36

Rachel would want to check out Hana's room before I got there -- if I got there. I called Odette.

"Hey Babe," Odette beamed excitement my way. She was in Rome and we had a guaranteed 24 hour layover. For a girl who thought her great adventure in life was going to end up being a high school trip to Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell, she was in Nirvana.

"Hey to you too, Odette. I need a favor," I began.

"Sure," she chirped.

"In five minutes from...right now make sure Sakuniyas comes to see me and Hana in the restaurant by herself," I requested. Odette hesitated, taking in her knowledge of 'Cáel-speak'.

"No problemo Jeffe," she answered. She knew I was in some undefined trouble. We both knew that her body language would convey that unease to Saku, which was what I needed. See, I had a plan. I tapped Chaz, slowing him and thus allowing Virginia to bunch up with us.

"Do either one of you remember the movie 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows'?" I posed.

Chaz looked past me to Virginia. They didn't get the reference.

"The scene where Moriarty kills Irene Adler?" I prodded them. The lights came on. I wanted to jump for joy, except that would have ruined the poker faces those two had in place.

"Options?" Chaz mused.

"I go into the hotel's restaurant alone. You and Virginia make sure that we can exit the lobby if things go bad. Saku is on her way to see me and Hana. Let her pass unhindered and uninformed. She's my exit plan," I informed them.

"What is the plan exactly?" Virginia inquired.

"My grandfather is in this hotel. I can't tell you exactly where, but he's here. The second I enter the restaurant, warn Rachel," I added. "She'll want me to leave the hotel and that doesn't do us any good strategically. Got it?"

"I'm calling Rachel, so you had better get to it," Virginia warned me. Off I went.

I walked into the very nice restaurant. It was a post-WW II set up, more open and airy than the turn of the Twentieth Century stuff that you normally found downtown, or so I'd been told. Everything was normal, which is to say there was the polite façade of people in public with the chaotic emotional subtext to the prerequisite number of couples and family units.

I would have wondered if I was becoming more bonkers had I not spotted Libra, and Hana's personal assistant, Ms. Meacham, already seated at a separate dual-seat table. Three table's away sat Hana at a large, eight person rectangular setting. Libra and Ms. Meacham were close enough to be of use if summoned, yet not so close that they could easily eavesdrop.

The 'I'm not bonkers' part? Hana was sitting in the southern-most placed chair. Across from her was Grandpa. They were chatting amiably. I had one day of spy craft training...and tons of Alal. I picked up a nice shiny, empty glass from the first table I came across. The three-person group wasn't using it. I held it before me, between chest and shoulder level, pretending to be studying the objects gently curves. I wasn't.

Alal spotted me first, motioned to Hana to look my way, then stood. Hana stood as well. There was no calling out a greeting in a place this fancy. I smiled at them both. My left hand migrated to the butt of the pistol in my right shoulder holster. I was looking at the reflections in the glass, seeing how people reacted. I got my answer. I wasn't bonkers.

I'd only seen three of the ten people whose images I could capture in the glass's pale reflection react by placing their hands into laps, under the tables, or into purses. Considering there were roughly 50 patrons and twenty-some staff, those were bad odds. As I pulled my left hand back to my side, I caught a glimpse of a person in front of me reacting similarly. Woot! Four out of eleven. Worse odds.

"Hello, Cáel," Hana greeted me. She kissed my cheek. I kissed her lips. "Ah," she gave me a warm smile, "I didn't know you had a grandfather. He heard I was coming to Rome and wanted to meet me. We've had quite a family chat."

"Hello Grandfather," I nodded to my supposed Patriarch.

I also threw my glass at person number four -- who caught it. Sweet!

"I am proud of you, Cáel," Alal gave me a congratulatory nod. "For that and for Ajax. You've continually exceeded my expectations. We really are much more alike than you imagine."

"Ajax?" Hana turned, worried.

"Hana, this man is my Grandfather. He is the enemy of every child's smile. Evil is too confined a word to describe him. Suffice it to say," I looked to Alal, "he murdered forty-six women and girls as prelude to my own 'Twelfth Year' trial." I was referencing the Amazon rite of passage. Alal knew what I meant and the bastard approved of the comparison.

"You were responsible for what happened to Cáel and his people in Romania?" Hana turned on Grandpa, first uncertain, then furious.

"Cáel is a bit past the pat on the head and requests to repeat the lesson phase of his life, Hana," Grandpa sat back down. "I need to know if I can have confidence in him in the future and I don't have time for the normal pleasantries."

"Cáel? Please help me make sense of this," Hana put her hand around my waist to the small of my back. She could feel the .32 resting there. She was also letting Alal know that she wasn't going to break it off with me because of his intimidations.

"Wow...where to start? He had my Father murdered," I looked into her eyes. "I haven't figured out what he did to my Mother," I continued. I wasn't sure whose side Mom was on, so I didn't want to let the cat out of the bag concerning her still being alive. "He had my aunts, his daughters, kill my uncle, his son, to get inside my head, both physically and emotionally. What he physically did to my head isn't something I can explain in any scientifically acceptable way.

"A needle was shot between the left and right side of my brain lobes, then it set off an electronic storm that pretty much ensures that I can never sleep again. I'm not sure why he did this, but I know why he's here right now," I looked into those twins of my own emerald eyes. "He is reminding me that if I make a run for it -- which would be my best chance for survival -- he will kill the people I care for. He's that kind of guy."

"You are that kind of guy, too," Grandfather toasted me with some wine. He waited until Hana and I reciprocated the gesture. "Wait and see."

"That's a lie," I countered. "Grandfather, I don't know what you are doing, but making me into a 'mini-version' of you isn't it. Right now, you are into head games for reasons I'm not going to speculate about."

"He would kill Father and my daughter? The others?" Hana tipped my chin so that I was looking at her again.

"Remember our last time together in New York? The other person's memories? Those are his; and I can't begin to go into the science fiction that was behind that," I tried to explain.

"I know of almost all of Grandfather's atrocities and I don't have any doubt he'd kill anyone and everyone he felt was necessary in order to achieve his ends," I said. "Had I known he existed when I graduated, I would have vanished off the face of the Earth to avoid him."

"Why?" Hana squeezed me.

"Why?" Grandfather grinned. "Cáel doesn't want to be like me. He believes in humanity and that's a failing I don't want him to carry into his future." Hana looked at Alal and I could feel the heat of her anger penetrating me. "Oh, I'll kill Cáel if I have to, but I'd rather have him at my side. If not...I have other plans in the works."

"Cáel, can you kill him?" Hana wasn't beating around the bush or beating a morality drum for that matter. Her family was on the line and she was Jormo's daughter in spirit.

"Not yet," I responded. "But I have plan #1 and #2 in the works."

"See, you are becoming like me," Alal chuckled.

"How about this?" I raised my glass. We hadn't finished toasting yet. "Here is for getting what we think the person to our left thinks we deserve."

"Here, here," the other two chorused. Hana glared at Alal.

"Little girl, I'm not afraid of you," Grandpa snorted. "You believe in some level of accountability, that consideration for others makes both of you better and that civilization has advanced in your lifetime. You are wrong on all counts. If you don't expand your horizons, I'm going to start thinking that you are a detriment to my plans for Cáel," he revealed to her in such a kindly manner that it was hard to realize it was a death threat.

Hana looked at me for some sort of anchor in Alal's storm.

"Hana, let's sit," I moved to hold her chair. Hana sat down reluctantly. "Some, if not all, of the people around us work for him -- like the woman who caught the glass in mid-air then failed to call for anyone to have me removed."

"I noticed that," Hana nodded.

"I'm glad that's settled. Let's talk about you two," Grandpa stayed friendly on the outside. "Wedding? Children? Do you plan to settle down, or jet set?"

"What makes you think we will tell you a damn thing about our personal lives?" Hana spat.

Alal didn't get angry, though he did shoot me a look. Someone was early, but she hardly felt obliged to obey me in anyway. I saw Grandfather's eyes flash over my shoulder then back to me. He stood back up. Hana and I felt obliged to do the same. Sakuniyas had stopped in mid-stride toward our table.

[Assyrian] "White hair," Saku studied Alal.

[Assyrian] "Black Cloud," he addressed her while studying me. Saku strode across the restaurant like the Warrior Queen she had been. She and Grandfather embraced, first with a comradely forearm clasp then in a hug. They patted each other's backs.

"You did not tell me he was here," Sakuniyas swiveled to glare at me.

"I told you to come in five minutes," I countered. "We can both be disappointed in the other."

"Fine," she allowed. "Why are we here?"

"Cáel is playing one of my games," Alal gazed at me. "He is reminding me that he is close to you."

"Bbbbeeep!" I laughed. "Wrong."

"I've only known him a few days, Mr. O'Shea (grandpa's current last name), yet I know that isn't how your grandson's mind works," Hana had her own rush of revenge.

"Cáel Wakko Ishara is not like that," Saku said. "He retains his youthful exuberance, it is yet to be burned away in the crucible of battle and death. He is also loyal and compassionate."

"I trust him with my life," she added. "Cáel isn't like you, or I. He leads with his heart. He also inspires the warriors about him like few people I've ever met. In that, I see your spirit." Alal nodded.

"I agree," Grandpa stated. "Did you see him kill Ajax?"

"No," Saku shook her head. We all sat down. "The area was shrouded in smoke. By the time I saw him again, Rachel and one of the Romanians named Menner were beside Cáel and Ajax was dead."

"Are you going to tell me," Alal grinned at me, "or do I need to talk to Master Corporal Menner about what he saw?"

"No," I snorted while shaking my head. "Empty threat."

"Touché," Alal allowed.

"Who is Master Corporal Menner?" Hana tapped my elbow.

"He was the Romanian Mountain Trooper who shot the thermobaric grenade over my head," I informed her. "Like everyone else, he didn't see Ajax die. Since Grandfather most likely could access the Romanian Land Forces records, he already knows that," I continued. "In this Nyilas-O'Shea psychopathic family drama, all this maneuvering counts as joking around."

"This behavior will be restrained around the Sulkanen side of the family," Hana demanded.

"We will do our best," Alal replied smoothly. I couldn't tell if he was mocking her, joking, or serious. A waiter arrived. I had no doubt Alal had signaled him somehow.

"Cáel, do you imagine it is safe to eat, or drink anything here?" Hana asked before either one of us ordered. The waiter looked offended.

[Italian] "I assure you, Miss, the food here is top notch," the waiter responded.

"Excuse me?" Hana looked at him. "I don't speak Italian."

"I don't think any of us do," I jokingly lied.

"Ah, I was assuring the lady that the food here is fine," he gave us a confident smile.

"May I recommended the [Italian] 'you have the brain of a donkey'," he pointed out a line on the menu.

[Italian] "That wasn't very bright," I looked up at him. "A real waiter at a place like this would be used to dealing with tourists and would never be that rude." The man's submissive posture changed to one of alpha aggressive. I continued, [Italian] "I swear to God, if you come back to the main floor after submitting our orders, I will shoot you. And then we can all see who is part of this charade and who is for real," I grinned.

[Italian] "It is okay," Alal waved him off. "No one will be shooting anyone."

"No!" I heard Odette shout from the entrance to the eatery. She was running at us. To their credit, none of the players overreacted. She came rushing over to me. "Hey Cáel, I wanted to see if everything was okay." I suspected she'd slipped past Virginia. Chaz would have cold-cocked her. At their table, Libra was clearly worried about Odette and the trouble she heralded.

Ms. Meacham was looking at Hana for direction. Hana motioned for her PA to keep her seat. Meacham relayed those orders to Libra. Libra wasn't the kind of person who was used to taking orders, especially from someone she considered her social inferior. Still, Libra remained seated.

"Hey Odette," I smiled as I stood to greet her. "What would have you done if I was in trouble?"

Her response is one of the many reasons I liked her.

"I would have invoked my totem animal, the Platypus, and poisoned people with my heel spikes," she seemed unflappable.

"Hello Odette," Granddad spoke without rising, and using her first name, while having never met her before.

"Oh, hey," Odette flashed him a naïve grin. "You must be the Necromancer of Dol Guldur."

"Huh?" Alal was confused by the reference.

"Sure, you are the spirit of the greatest Evil Middle Earth has ever seen, Pamela is Gandalf and Cáel is Thorin Oakenshield, out to ruin all your plans," she snickered...at Grand Dad.

"You -- I like," Alal laughed. Thank God.

"Odette, does that make you Bilbo Baggins?" I teased her, even as I pulled out a chair for her.

"Damn Skippy," she giggled. "We are way past gender-bending on this quest."

"What does that make Sakuniyas?" Alal requested.

"Aragorn, the Uncrowned King...Queen in her case," Odette happily informed the table.

"You've read the 'Hobbit' and 'Lord of the Rings'?" Hana regarded Alal skeptically.

"Yes Hana," he nodded. "As Cáel is learning, when you no longer have the need for sleep, you can accomplish all kinds of esoteric things."

"You never sleep?" Hana got my attention.

"I can fall into a trance-like state, yet even then I can do light tasks," I told her.

"Neat," Odette bumped me. "More time for sex." Hana sighed and lowered her head while Odette forged ahead. "So, what have I missed?"

"Cáel's Grandfather telling me that he sent Ajax to kill Cáel in Romania," Hana retained her focus. "That was nearly one hundred and fifty dead and over a hundred wounded."

"Including Charlotte," Odette moped. "I didn't get to know her very well, but she adored Cáel and Rachel says she had a 'good death', though I'm not sure what that means."

Yeah, my people had conversations and relationships out of my view. I hadn't considered how Charlotte's passing and Vincent nearly dying would have affected Odette, or how other members of the team would have taken care of her for me.

"It means she didn't have to die of sickness, or noting that her time in the Host had passed, child," Saku replied. "No one expects you to understand. You have lived a life sheltered in crude deceptions of peace and mind-numbing banality, devoid of true purpose," she told Odette.

"You are wrong," Odette verbally sparred. "I do know that Cáel and the others are risking their lives and are making sacrifices to protect people like me. Because of that, I can't let your side win."

"I could resolve that by slitting your throat," Saku reminded her.

"You wouldn't do that," Odette shook her head mirthfully. "Cáel would never forgive you and you don't want to cross him."

"I don't?" Sakuniyas scoffed.

"No," my fuck-buddy was fearless. "You may be a horrible person, but you admire him. As far as I can tell, that puts him in an exclusive club of two. That's why you are Aragorn, not Boromir."

"So you think she would spare you out of a sense of obligation to Cáel?" Alal inquired.

"Obligation? Oh God no," Odette laughed. "Despite what she says, she has no conception of what honor is. Without honor, obligations and promises mean nothing."

"Child," Saku seethed.

"Odette," both Hana and I warned her.

"No, you don't Sakuniyas," Odette stuck to her guns. "You know nothing of forgiveness or giving until it hurts. Honor isn't about words, Sakuniyas, it is about being trusted and delivering on that trust. Who trusts you?"

"If you trust Cáel, you are a fool," Saku growled.

"Ajax is dead, just like Cáel promised. He led you into battle, you followed him and he won. Would you have confronted Ajax without him?" Odette foolishly made her case.

"I thought Cáel was going to die," Saku corrected her. "I said as much."

"Yet you followed him into battle anyway," Odette snickered. "What did you plan to do if Ajax killed Cáel? Were you planning to die too?"

"I was planning to retrieve his body so it couldn't be despoiled," Saku stated.

"Oh...I hadn't thought of that," Odette confessed.

"It was a normal practice in battle in the time which Sakuniyas comes from," I told her.

"Funny how the conversation has come back to how you killed Ajax," Alal studied me.

"Wait, you don't know?" Odette gasped.

"You do?" Grandpa turned his gaze on her.

"They don't know?" Odette eyes shone brightly when she looked at me.

"Nope. Do you?" I asked her.

"Sure. It was obvious," Odette giggled. "It isn't like you are a complicated guy."

"Care to share?" Alal requested of Odette.

"With you?" Odette blinked. "NO. You are the bad guy in this script. You deserve payback for every nasty thing you've ever done...because you've forgotten that every person deserves respect until they prove they are unworthy of it."

"I will work on that," Alal nodded.

That was that. We ate, made some small talk and parted ways cautiously. Okay, first we gathered up Libra and Ms. Meacham, then the six of us retreated cautiously. We exchanged nervous words to cover up our post-stress jitters ... except for Saku, who kept her thoughts to herself. Chaz and Virginia joined with us seamlessly.

(All those Tomorrows)

"Do you think you can turn me against Alal?" Saku said as she put a hand around my left upper arm and stopped me from exiting the hallway into the room I was hopefully going to be sharing with Hana. Hana had already gone in.

"No," I shook my head. "I'm trying to turn Alal against you." That caused her to take a mental step back.

"What do you mean?" she glared. "We are not lovers. We never have been."

"You are lying to the wrong man," I snorted. She snarled then lashed out. I deflected her first fist, the second and the knee to my hip that followed it. We parried my right with her left, left to right then we bumped legs again. Chaz had put a restraining hand on Virginia's shoulder.

In the third exchange, I managed to shove her across the hall, giving me some space.

"He risked your life in the same way he risked mine," I snarled. "You haven't recovered from the beating you took, keeping my promise to the Romanians. Without a doubt, he's going to keep tossing these little lessons my way until everyone I care for is dead. That includes you."

"You belong at your Grandfather's side, Cáel," Saku glared. "He is your family. Don't..."

"Don't make the same mistake you did by turning your back on your family?" I completed.