Satyr Play 03 Pt. 02

Feeling somewhat reassured, Mick nodded to the woman with a slight smile.

Camila turned to the others waiting by the seating area. "Sigrid, would you collect Henry and carry him up to my office?" The tall blonde nodded as the CEO looked to Mick. "Could some of your people bring the others as well? They're likely to sleep awhile longer."

Roy joined them. "Full disclosure time?" Camila nodded as the young blonde woman left Roy's side to join her.

Camila pulled the blonde into an embrace, pressing her lips to the blonde's temple. "This is Marisa, my daughter," she said in introduction. Then she looked into Marisa's eyes. "Henry saved me, but his energy is so much stronger now that it gave me a bit of a buzz!"

"Did you drain him completely?" Marisa asked.

"Apparently, I didn't, as he was able to heal the burns on the other woman and charged the two Vampires beyond their limit before he wore himself out and collapsed." At Marisa's worried look, Camila touched her arm. "I checked on him before I came inside. He's just sleeping peacefully." The young woman sighed gently and nodded.

Camila moved closer and turned her daughter to face the men who'd just arrived. "What do you see, Marisa?"

The younger woman looked uncomfortable, but she nodded and closed her eyes for a moment. When they opened, Mick saw they were glowing gently. The young woman looked towards the men. She sucked in a sharp breath and closed her eyes once more. She opened them to look at Camila. "The General is radiating fear, and his paths contain a lot of pain and violence. Mr. Dawes is surrounded by bleak, cold, and grim paths. It's impossible to read—" she glanced at Camila then continued, "the tall man, but the Colonel's paths are the most hopeful."

"Are you reading their futures?" Mick asked cautiously.

Marisa smiled and shook her head. "No, I just see potentials. Many, many potentials, so the best I can do is give my impression of the people I read. I have no training, so it's by no means perfect." She paused as she looked at Mick, eyes glowing, then smiled widely as her eyes panned to take in the other Silver People.

"What? What did you see?" Mick asked nervously.

"Nothing! I can't read you or any of the Silver People at all! It's wonderful! Such a load off my mind," Marisa sighed.

Mick was disappointed then gave herself a shake. Not knowing is always a healthier attitude.

"The General is frightened of change, and he's about to get pushed into a world full of it," Camila sighed.

Chapter 39

"So this... Mab is a master level witch, a person with the ability to manipulate magic, a form of energy we cannot currently detect, to manifest changes in the physical world. She's also a psychotic killer who now has access to a very powerful energy source," Crane clarified. "And she just crash-landed her castle into an office tower in Manhattan."

Camila nodded in satisfaction as she rested back against the cushions of the sofa in her office. Chairs had been set up in a circle facing the couch. Cots had been placed against the windows behind her desk so the unconscious could recover in peace with the exception of Henry, who was resting on the sofa with his head on Camila's lap and his feet up on Sigrid's.

After the introductions had been made, everyone else took seats, Camila, Henry, and Sigrid facing General Baines, Colonel Crane, Stephen Dawes, and Huehuecoyotl or Hugh, as he'd introduced himself.

Roy, Mary, and Sam, representing his four, were next to Sigrid while Nuru sat next to Camila with her attendants behind her. Investigator Kashellion was scowling next to the Succubi leader with Marisa on her other side.

Meixiu and Siobhan were sitting with their sleeping guests, keeping an eye on them.

For once, Camila's office was not feeling very spacious, but with the boardroom a burned-out wreck, they couldn't use the larger room.

The Human's facing the sofa had an equal number of Silver and Human soldiers lining the office walls, though only the Human ones carried weapons.

Camila ignored the show of force and continued. "Last September, Mab hosted a party in her castle atop the same office tower. That was the night she kidnapped all those celebrities. You may recall the news story regarding that. Her magic door made those abductions possible."

The General scowled. "She can access any place she wants, bypassing all security measures? She could open a door into the Oval Office and take out our President with no way to stop her?"

Camila looked him in the eye as she shook her head gently. "That would be a rather overdramatic and meaningless gesture. Going after the leaders of countries is counterproductive. No, it's highly unlikely she would do that as it's too small. Her goal is extinction." She shook her head. "Her last weapon was biological. It would have used the green light you see outside as the vector for worldwide distribution. She wants to wipe out the Fae as she believes they betrayed her. Then she'll kill off the rest of us. She especially wants Humanity dead as your actions are befouling the world we live in. This is actually her second attempt to eradicate the Human population that we're aware of."

The General was becoming agitated in his frustration. "If we were to accept your word about how much of a threat Mab is, why couldn't we just fire some missiles at her castle and take her out once and for all!"

Camila gestured to her daughter, who nodded and picked up the story. "Mab's castle was originally resting atop a small stone island in the North Atlantic just off Ireland's shore. It was surrounded by a dome of energy that could easily deflect any class of missiles you could bring to bear against it. A jet fired missiles that managed to strike the island because the energy field was lifted. This made a sea-level gap large enough for the weapons to reach the castle's support. Mab won't fall for the same trick twice. The next energy field won't be a dome. It'll be a ball, entirely surrounding the castle."

"I call bullshit! Energy fields, my ass!" Baines snapped as he rose to his feet, his frustration boiling over.

Marisa stared at him and sighed. She was still exhausted from the battle in the boardroom, but she had some energy left. "I'm not a wielder, but I do have access to a personal field. I'm pretty worn out now, so it's not very strong, but I can give a demonstration if you'd like. You'll just have to imagine a field, thousands if not millions of times stronger."

He gave a stiff nod, and she stood to step back to give herself some open space. She enabled the shield and felt it surround her. It was definitely not up to blocking anything major. A tennis ball would be a threat. "Okay."

General Baines walked towards the young woman and bounced back. He stared at her in surprise as he reached out a hand to discover what had pushed back. When he touched the field, he pulled his hand back as it prickled with electricity. His eyes widened, and he moved behind her to reach for her while she couldn't see him. He encountered the field again. He looked angrily at the others watching him. "You all have this protection?"

"No, but I wish we did," Roy said. "Please understand, even if we did, we couldn't use it in the presence of a Human as it would give us away."

"Yes, the point is, energy fields exist, and Mab's power compares to mine like the sun to a candle," Marisa said as she retook her seat.

With a dissatisfied expression, Baines moved back to his chair as well. There was a knock on the door, and one of the soldiers stationed there let in another of the General's men. He walked over to hand a sheet of paper to the officer, then left quickly. Baines' face showed his growing agitation.

"Don't leave us all in the dark, General. Feel free to share the bad news," Hugh suggested.

Throwing a glare at the man, Baines finally nodded. "I have a report of building debris at ground level at the address you gave us for the office tower. Our man confirms the presence of a five-story stone structure atop the building." He cast a baleful gaze towards Camila, then continued. "Also, the British Royal Air Force is reporting the theft of one of their jet fighters by a US airman who took it out for a joyride while it was loaded with a full complement of missiles. He shot said missiles at a small island off the north-western coast of Ireland, completely destroying said island. Then he returned the jet to the base where he was arrested. The pilot in question was Major Thomas, who'd been in custody just hours earlier in a Canadian holding cell awaiting extradition to the States for stealing a US jet and flying it to the other country." He fixed his eyes on Camila again. "Are you going to tell me this Mab used her magic door to spring the pilot to shoot the island her castle was using as its foundation?"

Camila shook her head. "No. She played no part in that. That had to be Henry. He must have collected the pilot from his prison cell and somehow convinced him to fire on the island. We'll have to ask him when he wakes."

"You said he was incarcerated in the facility in New Jersey!" the General snapped.

"General, please," Crane said to calm the man. "We're trying to get a clear picture of the events, and they're telling us what they know. Let's try to remain calm." He looked to Camila and nodded for her to continue.

"Thank you. Henry was trapped in the containment center, but they drugged him unconscious. When he's in this state, we've discovered he has out of body experiences. Not only does his mind leave his body, but he can interact with the world in ways we've never imagined. Recently, he became able to tap into the energy much the way Mab can, but he's used it to prevent her actions, such as when he blocked her from adding her weaponized biological payload to the green light that fell from the sky. He freed one of the other inmates from the containment facility. We'll have to ask him if he communicated with the pilot and enlisted his aid in disabling Mab's fortress."

"Wake him, ask him now!" Baines insisted.

Roy scowled at the man. "Henry's our best defense against the witch now that he's developed the ability to block her magic. He needs his rest. We need him fresh for what's to come. What we need to do now is create a plan! Mab launched the first attack, but Henry managed to stop her in time. He kept her off balance with the attack on her castle, and she's currently in a vulnerable state, but that won't last for long. We have to be ready to move and move quickly."

"I'm not going to be rushed into a war just on your say so! We have no idea who this Mab is or if she really is as much of a threat as you make her out to be. All I've heard are a lot of fantastic stories and exaggerations, but I've seen no proof."

Camila shared a look with Sigrid and Roy, who ran his hands over his scalp in frustration.

The CEO looked to Colonel Crane and saw a sympathetic expression but knew he couldn't overrule his superior officer. She sighed. "Fair enough. It's true. All we can do is share our experiences. This is the fallout of remaining hidden from you. We're complete strangers, and you have no reason to trust us. So, we can't rely on you to assist us in this mission."

"What mission? There is no mission. You're all remaining in our custody until we can make some sense out of this," the General insisted.

Roy snorted. "We don't have time for you to try to grasp something so far outside your realm of experience. You've no frame of reference. We're facing the extinction of Humanity and Non-Human life. Mab's already taking steps to achieve that goal. We were fortunate Henry was able to stop her when he did." He could see the General's expression close up. "Your inability to comprehend the danger places everyone at risk. We didn't and don't need your assistance, but now you're actively interfering with efforts to save the bloody world!" he snarled.

Sigrid reached out and seized Roy's hand as she could see his agitation was leading to an attack.

The death of Humanity wasn't going to begin here.

-=-

"What's happening?" Eleanor quietly asked as she sat up. She froze as her voice sounded different to her, smoother and a little deeper. She looked at her hands and was startled to see how much paler her skin looked. Her fingers were longer too!

Meixiu knelt down next to the cot she was sitting on and touched her knee. "You went through a transformation from overfeeding on Wild Magic. The same happened to me and to Raymond."

"Raymond!" she gasped and spun to see a white-haired version of her husband resting on the next cot. "Oh my god! He's..." she sighed. It felt odd to be so attracted to a man that looked like her husband but sexier. A pang of strange guilt flashed through her then her rational mind scolded her. This was her husband, and thinking he was sexy was okay!

She reached out to touch his hand. His eyes fluttered open, then turned to her. He smiled when he saw the wonder in her eyes. "Hello, beautiful," he said.

Eleanor smiled at how much sexier his voice was as well. "You're one to talk— Oh!" She suddenly realized they would need to change identities once more as there was no way to explain this change.

Raymond nodded as his mind was following the same path. He glanced over to the gathering. "Are we missing something?"

Meixiu shot an angry look over to the Humans. "The General is being a jerk!"

Mick chuckled as she arrived to overhear Meixiu's assessment. She looked to the two platinum blondes. "How are you two feeling?"

They smiled back at her. "Amazing!" Eleanor gushed.

Raymond nodded at her assessment. "Yes, I feel lighter yet more powerful. I'm not sure what that means yet, but I'm not complaining."

Eleanor saw Camila was up and showing no signs of distress after her operation. She turned her head to look at Minkah. Her shirt and jacket's shoulder were scorched and melted away, but her skin underneath no longer resembled that. It was smooth and unblemished. She turned her head to look at Raymond. "He healed her?" she asked incredulously.

Her husband nodded. "And she bit him savagely while he did, but he didn't stop. When she passed out, he just asked me to heal the punctures. Then I woke up like this."

They all looked over at Henry sleeping peacefully on Camila's lap. They could see she was running her fingers through his hair.

Meixiu sat on the end of Eleanor's cot and looked into the surgeon's eyes. "I do not believe in fate, but powerful witches are playing us all like we are chess pieces. I don't like it."

Eleanor nodded, and Raymond's expression was grim. "We can only do the best we can," he added.

"If we hadn't met, and you hadn't joined me to find Henry, and you hadn't been shot, and Eleanor hadn't asked Henry for help operating on you, he wouldn't have linked to the Global Healing Spell in time to stop Mab from killing off the Fae. The chain of actions leading to this moment frightens me, but I cannot determine who benefits from this. My mind tells me Baba is powerful enough and clever enough to think this through, but she has no love for anyone, so she wouldn't have made an effort to save the Fae."

"Who is Baba?" Mick asked.

Raymond answered. "Baba Yaga. She's possibly the most powerful witch in history. She's a master tactician who plays the long game." He looked to Eleanor wistfully. "We've never met her nor had any involvement in her schemes to date."

Meixiu nodded. "She's deeply involved with events around Henry as she raised him from a child. Recently, though, she's been avoiding him."

The Sergeant frowned. "Shouldn't the General be told about Baba Yaga?"

Meixiu shook her head. "His nerve is already failing him when dealing with one witch. Telling him about another wouldn't help him."

"It sounds like he's falling back on the familiar when confronted with the unknown," Raymond agreed. "Protocols and process, neither of which we can afford."

"AAAAAAAAHHH!!!!"

They jumped as Minkah came out of her slumber with a scream. Everyone turned to look at her as she struggled to her feet, looking around wildly at the unfamiliar room.

Eleanor stood to face her and spoke softly to the panting woman. "It's okay. You're healed. Henry healed you. You're all better now. Take some deep breaths."

Minkah shuddered from the memory of the pain, then focused on the doctor, and confusion showed in her eyes. "Who are you?"

"Oh! I suppose I do look different! I'm Eleanor King, and this is my husband, Raymond. We were there when Henry was rescued. We've been changed by the Wild Magic, as were you," she said calmly.

Minkah shook her head as she didn't feel different. She looked down at herself, and besides feeling so good, she couldn't see the difference.

"Your eyes are both blue now; a deep and stunning blue!" Eleanor sighed with a smile.

Minkah sucked in a shocked gasp. The genetic flaw was gone?

Across the room, Roy stood quickly as he listened to something. Minkah instinctively listened as well and picked up a deep rumble from below, likely street level. Something heavy was approaching.

"We're about to come under attack. General, it looks like your people will get firsthand experience fighting Mab's troops. A platoon of Ogres are running up the street and will soon be at the building's front door," Roy insisted, then looked to Camila. "Sleep time is over for the boy. Wake him." She nodded.

Minkah felt a rush as the thought of combat sent a thrill through her. She was a trained assassin and took great pride in her work. She hadn't had an opportunity to do that work recently. Ogres were a challenge due to their toughness, tenacity, and sheer brute strength.

"I'll help."

Roy looked over at her and nodded.

She was going to war.

-=-

Gordon Crane almost sighed with relief as Roy mentioned they were under attack. He wasn't sure what he was going to do to break through the General's mental paralysis. Now he had something concrete to get them moving in the direction they should be.

"Ogres, what do they look like?" he asked Roy.

"Big, tough as hell, and ugly with tusks in their lower jaw—"

"Giants," Mick said, and eyes turned her way. "We fought two of them at the New Jersey containment center. Seemingly impervious to bullets. Really hard to put down. With both the werewolves and us attacking them, we barely managed to take them out."

"Ogres. The two at the prison were Ogres," Henry said as he groggily sat up. He was glancing at Camila and Sigrid with an embarrassed smile when he realized he'd been sleeping on them.

"How many in a platoon?" Crane asked.

"Roughly twenty," Roy said. "Did you fellas bring anything bigger than those pop guns?" he asked, looking over at the Human soldiers.

"What's required?" Baines asked. Now he was back in familiar territory.

"Fifty caliber or better," Roy replied. "Grenade launchers would be useful. Ogres don't stop until you or they are dead." He looked towards the security camera in the ceiling. "Protocol Z9."

"What was that?" Baines snapped.

"I have a contingency plan in place for repelling such an invading force. I just ordered a squad of my men to collect the high caliber weapons from the armory and to engage the enemy before they reach the building," Roy explained. "Please tell your people to not shoot the Weres carrying the oversized weapons coming up from the basement." The General scowled but sent one of his men out to notify the others.

Henry stood and walked over to hug Roy. The big redhead looked embarrassed. "Henry, this isn't the time— OH!" He stopped talking when he felt the energy flowing into him. Henry pulled back with a red face as he moved to Sigrid, who was standing and grinning with her arms thrown wide. She hugged him and giggled as Henry sent Wild Magic pouring into her as well.