Politics of Blood (Gray Spear Society Book 8) (33 page)

"I'm sorry," she said. "That was cruel. Funny, but cruel. You should've seen your face."

Tawni looked at Aaron. The commander had withstood the assault with more dignity. Red spots marked the exposed skin on his arms and face.

She stood up and tried to compose herself. "What is this room for, ma'am?"

All the rubber balls were rolling into the hole in the corner.

"I'll show you," Ethel said. "Stand back."

Aaron and Tawni gave her plenty of room.

Ethel took a few deep breaths and settled herself. She slapped the button.

The balls started flying. Her body bent and twisted at an impossible speed as she avoided getting hit. One instant she was sideways and the next she was upside-down. She contorted into positions that made Tawni cringe. The old lady was a freak.

The exercise ended after about fifteen seconds.

Ethel was panting. "Whew! That really stretches out the joints."

"That was unbelievable, ma'am," Tawni said.

"I'd say slicing a stone with a sword is unbelievable, but I watched you do that tonight. Come on. We'll end the tour with my little office in the sky."

They walked down the hall to a door with an electronic combination lock. There were nine white, plastic buttons in a grid but they weren't labeled.

"Strange lock," Aaron said.

"It's a reaction time lock," Ethel said. "The buttons light up randomly, and you have only fifty milliseconds to hit the right one."

She pressed a button on top marked "START." The buttons below began to flash white. Her finger was a blur as she pressed each one before it went dark. The sequence took only a second but included many buttons. Once again, Tawni was dazzled.

Ethel opened the door.

The group entered a small office with a gray steel desk and a few chairs. Gray file cabinets stood against the wall. All the furniture was bolted down and held with steel straps.

A white skeleton hung from the ceiling on thin cables. The head and body were human, but the arms and fingers were stretched out to form wings. Even though the wings were partially folded, they almost touched the walls on both sides.

Tawni stared in wonder. "Is that a real angel, ma'am?"

"Not quite," Ethel said. "He was the
legatus legionis
in the 1940's and 50's. Those wings were more than just for show. He loved to soar through the night sky like a giant bat. After he died, his successor had the skeleton cleaned and preserved. Since then, he's been the official mascot of the legate's airplane, whichever plane that is at the time. It's our way of keeping him in the sky. It's also a good reminder."

"Of what?"

"That even the mightiest legate is mortal. This angel died in a cave, buried alive."

Tawni grimaced.

She looked around the office, expecting to see more, but the furnishings were minimal. There wasn't even a window.

"This is it, ma'am?" she said.

"You seem disappointed," Ethel said. "My real office is in the Manhattan headquarters. That's where the interesting trophies are kept. This is just a place where I work while I travel. I always have a lot of reading to do. All my commanders are required to write daily reports, and there is other correspondence." She paused. "I'll show you one more thing, darling."

She led Aaron and Tawni through the narrow passages of the airplane and down a ladder. They stepped into a low room that was clearly the original bomb bay. Two enormous bombs were held in clamps over doors on the bottom of the fuselage.

Tawni approached the bombs. They had radiation warning labels and military codes on the casings.

"Ma'am," she said nervously, "are these atomic bombs?"

"Thermonuclear," Ethel said. "Two megaton yield. Some problems require the ultimate solution. Fortunately, no legate has ever exercised this option, but all of us have it available. That's why we fly in bombers."

Tawni's hand was shaking as she touched the bomb.
This is crazy,
she thought.

"I knew you'd be impressed," Ethel said. "Let's go back to our seats. I want to catch up on my reports before we land."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

General Joseph walked into the dimly lit bar and looked around. Only a few patrons were drinking so late on a weekday. Their ruddy faces and stupefied expressions indicated they had been here for a while.

He spotted two people sitting in a back corner where the light was poor.
That must be them,
he thought.

Joseph looked around again to make sure nobody was watching him. He peeked out the door to reconfirm he hadn't been followed. Finally, he walked across the room.

He didn't know the names of the other Corners of Freedom, and he barely knew their faces. They had seen each other only once before at the introductory meeting.

As Joseph approached, he recognized the man and woman as the Second and Third Corners respectively. They were middle-aged but still physically fit. Joseph smiled and sat down.

A slender, young waitress came over. She wore a black dress with a short skirt and black stockings.

In a tired voice, she said, "What can I get for you?"

"Whiskey," Joseph said, "from the top shelf."

The other Corners ordered drinks, and nobody asked for food. This celebration would be brief.

As soon as the waitress was out of sight, Joseph said, "Does anybody have any more information?"

The Third Corner had dense hair the color of steel. A green raincoat was pulled up around her neck. She had the inside contact in the Secret Service.

"The White House is in a full panic," she said. "I confirmed that Bernard Templeton's home was completely destroyed by an explosion. Emergency crews are searching for survivors."

"I just got word that the Joint Chiefs of Staff called an unplanned, mandatory meeting," the Second Corner said. "It's going to be a long night for a lot of people. I expect we'll have to go back to the office tonight and attend a few meetings too."

A hood covered most of his bald head. He wore a brown sweat suit which was two sizes too big.

Joseph nodded. This was all great news.

Nobody spoke for a minute. He was curious about these people, but he knew better than to ask questions. Just sitting with them was dangerous enough.

Finally, the drinks arrived, but they were delivered by a different waitress than before. This one was quite tall and in her early thirties. She was shockingly muscular for a woman. Joseph wondered if she were a professional athlete or even a female bodybuilder. Her long, brown hair was tied back in a ponytail with a gray ribbon.

"What happened to the other waitress?" Joseph said.

"Her shift ended," the new waitress said with a bright smile. There was no joy in her intense, brown eyes.

She handed out the drinks and then placed a large, red candle on the table. With a cigarette lighter, she began to light it.

"What are you doing?" the Second Corner exclaimed.

"It's dark," the waitress said. "I'm giving you a little light."

"Don't!"

The waitress shrugged and walked away. The unlit candle remained on the table.

When it was safe to speak, Joseph raised his glass and said, "To us! The world will never know our names, but our victory tonight will ring through the ages."

Everybody drank.

The Second Corner glanced at the door and said, "That's enough. I'm leaving."

The Third Corner nodded in agreement. Joseph sighed but didn't argue. One by one, they discreetly exited the bar.

When it was his turn, he put some cash on the table. He strolled to the door with an efficient gait. The muscular waitress watched him go with no apparent interest.

Joseph emerged into cool night air. There was no moon tonight, and clouds covered the stars. City lights filled the sky with a dull orange glow.

A slight movement caught his eye. There was an alley across the street, and it contained several garbage cans. He stared in that direction for a long moment. Eventually, he became convinced his paranoia was playing tricks on him. He needed to relax and enjoy the proudest night of his life.

He headed towards his car. He was eager to go home after a long and stressful day. He expected to sleep well.

Chapter Seventeen

President Haley watched through the front windshield as the airplane approached the Montgomery County Airpark. There was just a single runway, and it seemed far too short and too narrow for the big bomber. It was like landing an elephant on a postage stamp. He gripped the arms of his chair anxiously.

The pilot, Tom, didn't seem concerned though. He put the aircraft on the ground with uncanny precision. Reverse thrusters roared. Impressive deceleration threw Haley forward against his seatbelt. The powerful jet stopped with plenty of room to spare.

Tom drove it over to a parking area. There were designated spaces for airplanes, but the B1-B was several times too large for any of them. He parked in an open area on the side.

"You're home," Tom announced.

He and the co-pilot stood up.

They made their way to the hatch. Instead of walking down stairs to the ground, Haley had to use the rope ladder again. Fortunately, the climb down wasn't far, and he didn't mind a little exercise after sitting for so long.

He was the first passenger to reach the ground. A group of three men, two women, and a boy was waiting there. All the adults had phenomenally athletic bodies and were well armed, but Haley was starting to see that as normal. The boy captured his attention most of all.

Haley didn't usually think of males as beautiful, but this child was the definition of the word. His perfect face looked sculpted from pink marble. His straight, brown hair shined like silk. He seemed about ten years-old but was tall enough to be a teenager. The boy's eyes were his most astonishing feature. The irises sparkled like small, blue jewels. Haley had never seen anything like it.

"Hello," the boy said in a voice as pure as a harp. "I'm very happy to see you're still alive."

Haley raised his eyebrows in surprise. It was a strange thing for a kid to say.

Ethel, Aaron, and Tawni climbed down the ladder. They watched the boy with wary expressions, as if he were a dangerous predator. Boreas tossed a couple of suitcases to Aaron before coming down last.

"Everybody is finally here!" The boy wiggled with eagerness. "This is great. I've foreseen this night for so long. Oh, I need to make introductions. I'm Wesley. This is Neal, the commander of Washington. His friends call him Bear."

Wesley pointed at one of the big men. With his long, black hair, shaggy beard, and huge torso, Neal certainly had the appearance of a grizzly bear. Haley had never seen a man with beefier arms.

Wesley continued, "My bodyguards are Charles, Atalanta, Yvonne, and Guthrum."

All four of them were freakish in some way, but perhaps the strangest was Yvonne. She was a short woman with muscles so big they looked like balloons stuffed under her skin. Haley could see the arteries pulsing with blood on her red face. Even her eyes were bloodshot.

"Everybody knows the
legatus legionis
." Wesley pointed at Ethel.

"Wesley!" she barked. "Don't use my title. The President isn't one of us."

Without hesitation, he turned to Haley and said, "Ethel is the supreme commander of the North American division of the Gray Spear Society. There are seven divisions in the world, each commanded by a legate. They report directly to God."

Shocked silence followed. The adults stared at the boy with horrified expressions.

"What is the Gray Spear Society?" Haley said softly.

"It protects the Earth from God's enemies," Wesley said cheerfully. "They're holy warriors, sort of. I'm not really one of them, but they help me a lot. They keep me safe and do the things I need done like saving your life."

"Wesley...," Ethel said in a warning tone.

Haley shook his head. "God's enemies? What are you babbling about?"

Wesley raised his perfect, little hand. "Hold on. Most of you know Aaron, the commander of Chicago. He's amazing. I'm really proud to be his friend. Tawni is one of the new
legionnaires
in Chicago. You got a gift."

Tawni nodded. She waved her hand through the air and left a trail of black smoke behind. Haley was flabbergasted. Then he remembered her ability to cut rocks with her sword and made the connection.

"Cool!" Wesley's eyes lit up. He turned to Boreas. "You must be Ethel's new bodyguard, the freezing cold guy."

Boreas bowed his head slightly. "It's a great honor to finally meet you. They told me you're an enormous pain in the ass, and now I see it's true."

Haley was getting the impression this kid was very special. Even though there was no apparent threat, his bodyguards were clustered around him in a protective formation. Ethel seemed stunned and at a loss for words. The other members of the "Society" stood awkwardly with tense expressions.

"Who are you?" Haley said.

"I'm the Voice of Truth," Wesley said.

"I don't understand."

"Look at my eyes, please."

Haley knelt in front of the boy. His glittering eyes were hypnotically beautiful. The blue color reminded Haley of a clear sky at noon.

A white light washed through his mind. It was like taking a mental bath in warm milk. All at once, he was at peace. Memories from his childhood resurfaced like golden treasures from the past. He remembered his father teaching him how to read, and his mother giving him piano lessons. He stepped out of his body and saw his whole life as a single piece, and he was proud. It was a profoundly spiritual experience.

There were bad memories, too, and Haley couldn't hide from them. Some were silly, like sticking gum in his sister's hair, but other memories were painful. After fighting with his father one night, he had partially blinded the family dog with a slingshot.

The white light faded. Haley discovered tears were streaming down his cheeks.

Wesley winked. "One day, you'll help me fulfill my destiny. I'll need strong, experienced leaders to manage things for me."