Life as a New Hire Ch. 28

"Outback? Nah..." he though it over. "I have the utmost confidence in your ability to scare the hell out of person who is utterly at your mercy, so what would be the point?"

"Your daughters?" Delilah redirected us to a more (?) pleasant topic. Vincent pulled out his phone, punched a few buttons then handed it to...me?

"My oldest is Tabitha, she's 21 – she is a senior at Georgetown. Gretchen is 19 and hitch-hiking across the country and Mariyah is 18 and joining the Navy in November."

"Good God!" I exclaimed. "How many guys have you murdered?" They ranged from above average attractive to Yum-yummy!

"None. All my girls know Tae Kwon Do and have qualified with a 9mm at the FBI training course," he proudly informed me. Vincent was in the wrong crowd.

"9's?" Rachel murmured. "I find it to be underpowered in both penetration and armor defeating capabilities. Go with a 10mm, or a .40 S&W." Poor Vince.

"But they are girls," he explained. Blink. Another pause.

"Oh, you were serious about that?" Rachel snorted.

"Vincent, welcome to 'No Man's Land'," I sighed.

"If she," he looked to the quiet Miyako, "is a ninja...then it wasn't amazons, it really is Amazons with a capital 'A'. Damn it. Are you going to try to relieve me of my firearm?"

"Nope. Javiera has vouched for you," I informed him.

"As you might guess, terms like 'your word' carry a great deal of weight in these surroundings. By walking inside Havenstone, you are agreeing to present yourself honestly. If something comes up and you feel the need to back out, let us know and we'll escort you down to the closest FBI office," I advised. "All we ask is that you don't freak out."

"If you had only one word to describe your Father, what would it be?" Vincent turned the tables on me. I hesitated. Dad...one word?

"I..." I started to apologize.

"There is nothing wrong with that, Mr. Nyilas," he approved.

"The children of single parents either use one word like 'strong', or 'brave' when the parent fulfilled only one role. If they cover both roles, one word never suffices," Vincent explained.

"My Dad was nothing like me. He only dated three women in his life and the last one he married," I said.

"He never understood my sexual predilections, but he never criticized me over them either."

"Thankfully, I don't have that problem," Vincent shut down that venue. The discussion petered out after that. This wasn't overly odd since neither Miyako, Delilah nor I had our personal phones. I didn't want to contact Timothy and Odette until I had a better handle on my itinerary.

We parked in the garage, but had to stop by the Security Desk so that our people could get some quick basics on Special Agent Loire. It was my Wilma Draper's shift. She seemed overjoyed to see me too.

"Sister," she addressed me. Oh really now?

"When?" I inquired, already pleased with the revelation.

"I was inducted two mornings ago," she kept grinning.

"Welcome, sister," we clasped arms. "Keep your eyes open and pass the word around. I'm looking for a hundred 'Runners' for a highly dangerous combat command.

It won't be my unit, the leader is an evil, sadistic monster and the odds of survival aren't great."

"This is another path to induction?" Wilma asked. The last time Wilma and I talked, she was polite yet deferential. Now she was comfortably one of the team – Team Ishara – and her words carried the same weight as any other full-blood.

"I can't promise that," I shook my head. "If the survivors succeed in the missions set before them and the Council lifts the death sentence on their leader, then yes, it does."

"I can think of twenty off the bat who will step forward," Wilma's smile grew feral.

"Have them spend every extra minute training," I cautioned. "She has threatened to kill those who fail the audition."

"Ouch...they'll still try," she nodded. "Take care, Wakko Ishara." I had people waiting on me.

I gave the 4-1-1 on Vincent. He was escorted to the range so they could get the basics of his firearms.

It would take him roughly ten minutes. Felicité of the SD and Selena stepped off one of the elevators as we made our way there. Miyako joined them silently and off they went – off premises for a private chat. There was no official alliance between the 9 Clans and the Amazon, so their business was still theirs.

I found it interesting that Felicite's warding behavior switched to Miyako when they departed. I held off on making the 'she's got my baby on board' for the moment. Rachel dismissed her team. I dismissed Rachel with the explanation that I had Wiesława if something went wrong. She gave me a terse nod before joining her ladies.

I had shed my crowd down to myself, Saku, Delilah, Wiesława and Pamela by the time I entered the Executive Services floor. Tuesday was winding down, so the office space was mostly empty. Close to Katrina's office were Arwen and two ladies who had to be Epona House Guard. Things had changed in so many ways. Arwen was cloaking her emotions.

"Fehér mén," one called out, smiling. The other one snorted in amusement. Word about Aya and I had gotten out. I decided to roll with it. 'White Stallion' could be the name House Epona chose to address me by. Arwen didn't share in the relaxing moment.

"Only you," she tried to separate me from my entourage.

"How is Katrina doing?" I asked. Arwen wasn't stupid.

"She is fine and these are her orders," she held her ground.

"Please note that I have heard her orders and am ignoring them," I joked as I stepped around her. I'm not sure what made Arwen think she could withstand Saku.

Without breaking her stride, Sakuniyas's palms slammed into the bottoms of Arwen's ribcage, heaving her up and way. Arwen hit the wall next to Katrina's office door – about 20cm off the ground when she impacted. The two House Guard went 'guns-ready'. Saku had already followed me through the door. Delilah slipped past Arwen and that left Pamela.

"If you three want to chase Shammuramat, Queen of Assyria and a fighter oath-bound to House Ishara into Katrina's office, be my guest," Pamela snorted. Wiesława was behaving by staying outside. They didn't rush past Pamela. "Thought so. Arwen, you get in Cáel's way again, he might stop giving a crap that you are House Epona's apprentice and beat you like the little tramp you are."

"You speak for Ishara now?" Arwen grumbled.

"No," Pamela chuckled. "You didn't use Aya's pet name for him. Why? See, when Cáel gets around to asking himself that question, he's doing to decide that you think Aya is a weakling and a failure.

Before you spout off with your pie-hole about Aya being Epona's problem, know that she is Cáel's daughter in every way that counts. Katrina accepts that, so your opinion does not matter...and if it should someday matter – it still won't matter. Since you know nothing of the bond between a daughter and her father, I'm giving you a cautionary note: tread carefully around Wakko Ishara.

Given the least provocation, he will break you, Katrina be damned," Pamela stated.

"House Epona is far larger than House Ishara. If he wishes a feud, so be it," Arwen snorted.

"Ah yes," Pamela happily mocked her. "That was the level of personal courage I was looking for in you, Arwen. Thank you for living down to my expectations."

Inside, there was a different issue to deal with. Katrina, Elsa, Buffy, Daphne and an Amazon who had a vague familiarity to another, dead Amazon I knew. Elsa rested her ass on the left corner of Katrina's desk. Katrina was in her chair, Daphne and Buffy were on the sofa – standing when I entered, and the stranger was in the closest chair to Elsa.

"Konstantina of House Šauška – Cáel, Head of House Ishara," Katrina made the introductions. She stood up and we clasped arms.

"Nice to meet you," I greeted her in a neutral tone. She did the same. I turned my attention to Buffy and Daphne, clasping arms before folding them into hugs.

Buffy didn't like Konstantina ,which spelled trouble. She was also angry with Katrina, which was really dangerous.

"Okay, what's going on?" I regarded Katrina and Elsa.

"If you recall, Troika Šauška ran our Diplomatic Section," Katrina began.

"Since St. Marie killed her, we have been waiting for a new one to be appointed," she continued. I had the feeling Chief of the Diplomatic Corpse wasn't a huge prestige position in the Host. "St. Marie has appointed you for the post." Fuck.

"You are not the universal choice for the position," Katrina explained. "Others have suggested Konstantina for the position," she clarified.

"House Šauška supports your nomination," Konstantina stressed. I hadn't been 'nominated'.

"And House Epona does NOT," Buffy growled. Two central elements were colliding. First off, St. Marie, the Golden Mare, had given me a job to do. Key word: given. I had no honorable choice in the matter.

"The majority of houses do not support such a young House as Ishara to assume this role during the current crisis," Katrina defended herself. "Cáel is too new to Havenstone." New, old – that was irrelevant. There would be no interview process followed by a Senate/Council confirmation hearing. St. Marie was being honest in that she wanted me to do this job. There was no reason I knew of for her to do otherwise.

The second element was that women are past mistresses of not saying what they mean. They can hurt, confuse, or protect you in oblique ways. It took me a millisecond to piece the girl-politics together. I figured Katrina was playing softball with me so my poor brain wouldn't strain itself. St. Marie was my ally. Katrina was being publically contrary to me; thus when I took the post as she wanted me to do, I wouldn't be seen as being in her corner.

House Šauška pretended to support me so they would look good when I backed down – which I was bound to do if Katrina didn't support me (idiots). I had run off to summer camp instead of standing before the Council. They thought I was irresponsible, which I was, and didn't really care about the Amazon political system, which was wrong – I did care. That was why I sent Buffy in my place.

"How many people are in this department/unit/corps maybe?" I asked Konstantina. She weighed her words carefully and guessed wrong.

"There are only nine of us," she went for making the group sound insignificant. "Troika was the tenth. You would be her replacement."

"Cool," I grinned at Konstantina, "I accept St. Marie's appointment. When can I get a situational briefing?"

"What? You want to do this? Why?" Konstantina stood and took a step my way.

"I'm not going to be a smart Alec, despite your deception," I sighed. "The truth is Troika's group hasn't done shit to safeguard the Host."

"You know nothing of what we have been doing?" Konstantina snapped.

"Nice. I need to meet with a member of the Earth & Sky," I grumbled. "Do it – now!"

"That is not what..." she got out.

"Then you are not doing your jobs," I interrupted.

"Our JOB was to analyze the data provided by Executive Services for patterns concerning Secret Societies and third parties," Konstantina countered.

"You are kidding..." I responded. Silence. "Who initiates diplomatic contact?"

"The High Priestess, or now St. Marie," she replied. Implied was that all of this crisis was my fault.

"But, if they did ask, what would you do?" I kept at her.

"That is why you don't need to be Chief Diplomat of the Host. You don't know what needs to be done," Konstantina gloated.

"Oh...okay...I need six of your people for extended assignments," I said after taking a deep breath.

"I do not believe I can work with you," Konstantina stated.

"Okay. Good-bye," I dismissed her. She looked for help from Elsa and Katrina.

None was forthcoming. "Beat it, Konny. This meeting is only for those with decision-making ability and that has stopped being you." She wasn't a Head of House, thus on the Council. She snatched up her valise and stormed out, barely missing Pamela.

"I'm betting something bad happened in Japan," I began.

"I will need five guardians, Elsa," I regarded the SD Chief.

"We don't have the Security Detail to spare for extended assignments at this time," she replied.

"Chose the best of the remaining security staff then," I responded. "I want to put an Amazon diplomat with the 9 Clans, Illuminati, Earth & Sky, the Ninja and Javiera's taskforce."

"Actually, Katrina, can you get Yasmin back here. Putting her with the Feds would be our best bet to stay ahead of their planning," I asked my mentor, friend and ally.

"Good choice. I'll have her here tomorrow afternoon," Katrina nodded.

"Next order of business; from here on out, the Diplomatic Corps sits in on all military/security meetings," I continued. "We need to know what to ask our partners in this conflict," I demanded.

"No," Elsa countered. "We can't have you bartering Amazon battle plans to other groups whose loyalty will always be suspect."

"If St. Marie says the information remains compartmentalized, then that is so. Otherwise, we are going to be much better off in this fight if we coordinate efforts," I made my case.

Katrina's nod led to Elsa's acceptance as well.

"Buffy, I don't want you to miss a meeting," I smiled at my 'First'."

"What? Where are you going to be?" Buffy worried.

"I need to go to Europe and find any surviving Arinniti heirs," I kept grinning.

"Really?" Elsa grumbled. "You NEED to go? Can't we send someone else?"

"Ah, come on," I pleaded. "I can do this. It's the Old World...Transylvania – full of quaint inns, cheap curio shops and packed youth hostels."

"Packed with young women," Katrina teased me.

"I promise, I'll play it safe this time," I kept begging. Yes – European babes looking for handsome, dark strangers on a secretive mission...note to self: pack extra condoms.

"Safe," Elsa sizzled. "In the middle of a battle, did you really stand on top of an enemy Humvee and drop a napalm grenade in knowing it was packed with men and ammo?"

"Maybe, kinda, well sorta," I evaded, yet still sounded guilty.

"According to preliminary reports, the explosion threw you five meters," she glared.

"Woot! Is that a new Amazon record?" I turned that frown upside down.

"Forty-six days, Bitch," Elsa snarled.

"Hold on," Saku, who had been leaning on the wall next to the door, spoke up. "Is he, or isn't he a member of the Council? If he is, who are you to talk to him this way? Cáel 'Wicklow ... Wacco ... whatever-Wo he is' Ishara acted bravely, if idiotically. Without his actions, the best outcome the Host could have gained was a draw.

At least give him the opportunity to defend his actions," she groused.

"Cáel, do you wish to defend your actions?" Elsa looked to me.

"Nope. I'm good. Hell, I barely remember even being there," I joked.

"You are lying!" Saku yelled at me.

"Oh, my apology. Ladies, this is Sakuniyas. She saved my life...five times this morning." I returned the favor, introducing Katrina, whose office Saku recognized, and Elsa, whose title she wasn't familiar with. There was no 'Security Detail' in her days with the Host. Buffy and Daphne though.

"How can she be your 'First'?" Saku was confused. "Is she a he dressed like a woman?" Buffy got angry while I laughed. See, in Amazon lingo, 'First' implied we were lesbian lovers.

"No. The romantic attachments are real enough. There is no accepted title for a female lover of a male Amazon leader."

"Her?" Sakuniyas pointed at Daphne.

"Buffy doesn't speak our native tongue. I have volunteered to translate for all members of House Ishara. I have sworn oaths to Buffy, Helena – our – House Ishara's Keeper of Records, and Cáel on this matter."

"I don't care how you saw the fight, Cáel. I didn't save your life. I was going to kill those men anyway. At best, you distracted them so that they were easy kills," Saku glared. "I do not know why you run away from glory and honor. It makes no sense to me."

"Saku, I don't care if people think I'm brave, or cowardly. For those who matter, I do the best I can and try to deliver on my promises," I explained.

Clearly the universe felt my life was too explicable – thus the newest arrivals.

"Cáel?" a voice called from the door. It was Tadêfi, the Augur, and Sikia, her guardian.

"Are those two yours as well," Sakuniyas scoffed. Too bad she wasn't talking about the ladies.

"Yeah...yeah, I ah..." I didn't dare say 'afraid so'. "Yes. Boys, girls, or a boy and a girl?"

"Excuse me?" That was Katrina.

"Yes, Cáel," Delilah finally felt safe in speaking. "You've got Miyako knocked up with a baby girl. Let's see what you did this time." I couldn't spare Delilah a dirty look because getting into physical contact with Tadêfi was more important to me.

Sikia raised one of Tadêfi's hands so that when I reached them, her fingers touched my lips. There was a hidden social benefit of being blind and deaf. You can be effortlessly shameless. The Augur's right hand was on my lips so she could 'hear' me with her fingertips. Her left hand snaked around me, coming to rest on my left ass cheek and pulling our bodies together.

"I have missed you inside of me," she purred. Woot! Who was going to kill me first? Buffy, or Elsa.

"How about we go out on a date first?" I suggested. Yes, I was dodging sex because...I had other sex to catch up with. Odette, Libra and Brooke, Buffy, Oneida and ... Dot Ishara save me... Rhada.

Plus...Ulyssa and Nadia (my Sunday Night thing), Marla (who had threatened to come to NYC), and Nicole Lawless, my lawyer. For the moment, I was trying to limit my Amazon exposure.

"I am not sure what you mean, but I willingly place myself in your hands," Tadêfi kept being sexy.

"The Augur will give birth to a daughter. The one next to her will give birth to a son," Saku made her undead prediction. She curled her lip cruelly as she gave the second bit of news.

"The first son to continue the Vranus legacy," I wrapped my free hand around Sikia's waist. "Yakko Ishara will live again with Tadêfi's and Miyako's daughters.

The line of Vranus has been watched over by Dot and it honors her for that line to continue, Sikia," I assured her. After all, the birth of a son was dour news under normal circumstances.

"I would like to meet my sister-mother if possible, Cáel," Tadêfi requested.

"That is a good idea, Tadêfi. She is in need of some comfort and insight," I answered.

Her agreement was given as the phone rang. Katrina got my attention via Pamela. It was Iskender, my friend with the Earth & Sky, and he wanted a meeting in the morning with a hint that it was way more than a welcome back. After he hung up, I found myself waiting for Elsa and Katrina to provide me with the Amazon marital update, but that never came.

The final issue was Sakuniyas' request to raise her own one hundred member fighting force. If anyone had thought she would be put off by being denied full-blooded Amazons, she gave them no sign of disappointment. When we were on the elevator going down, I asked her why.

"Her," she shot Buffy a look.

"Quite frankly, the full-bloods haven't impressed me as much as those born of other mothers. Many of these new women have the look of starving dogs," she added.

"We are not dogs," was Buffy heated rebuttal.

"She means it in a different manner than her words would indicate," I rubbed Buffy's arm.

"I want women who are desperate for blood and glory. I don't want killers. I want butchers. I want warriors schooled in the art of atrocities and every form of barbaric actions ever imagined. I want us renowned for such savagery that foes flee before battle even begins," Saku explained.

"You want psychotically deranged berserkers?" Daphne murmured.

"That is the essence of what I envision – yes," Saku nodded. Delilah looked suitably impressed/scared. I had to wonder how House Anat had lasted as long as it had. Becoming extinct was not even an issue. The last of them had drowned in a lake of enemy blood. Insanely brave until the bitter end.