Satyr Play 02 Pt. 01

"YES, I'M AWARE!" she yelled, and he looked at her sourly. She sighed. "Sorry. It's been a long night. We got word that the event in China is unsettling the region. Civil disobedience is way up. Even with a military lockdown by the government, the locals are insisting they be allowed to visit the glass man."

Rand stared at Lise-Anne. His mind was racing ahead. "Do you have a description of this glass man?"

The woman watched him carefully. "Our agent said he was transparent, translucent, and colorful like—"

"Marbles," Rand finished. Her eyebrows went up.

"What?" she asked.

He shook his head. "What if what happened in China was the same thing that happened in Kansas? Only here, it happened on a much larger scale."

"They turned to glass?" she said incredulously.

Rand held her gaze. "We overheard one soldier mention guarding marbles, but I didn't connect it. The glass man in China. Is it a statue?"

"No, it moves. Not quickly, but it does move independently," Lise-Anne answered.

"So maybe we assume the people in that small Kansas town were also changed into glass. What will the Humans do? They won't think it's magic as they have no frame of reference. Instead, I think they'll try to contain and study them. Force a scientific framework around it. I don't know whether these new beings will try to escape."

Lise-Anne nodded thoughtfully. "It's in our best interests to support the Army's efforts. Keep this under wraps. That's going to be my recommendation for the Council. We'll bring that to the Congress." Rand nodded.

The two sat quietly contemplating their next moves. Rand was going over what was said in the restaurant the night before. He frowned with a grunt.

"It's the Satyr. Mab was lying."

Lise-Anne lifted her eyes to look at him. She could see he wasn't just letting his frustration drive him. She sighed and nodded as her suspicions were pointing to the same conclusion. "So, what can we do about it?"

"What we can't do is stop the surveillance on him. Just make sure they're aware that the Fae will also be watching for them," Rand suggested.

She also thought they had to continue watching him, so she nodded. "I'll let them know."

"It's probably a long shot, but if they catch the Satyr causing the anomalies, we can deal with the Fae from a position of strength." Rand frowned. "We'll also need a contingency plan in place for his containment should the threat escalate dramatically. Easier to ask forgiveness than to get permission." He held Lise-Anne's eyes as he couldn't risk saying the words out loud, even in the security and privacy of her office. Such words, released to the ether, could manifest some powerful and lingering causalities on their own.

"Short of a final solution which none of us could afford, the best we can ask for is to permanently contain and disable the threat. Fire and forget?" she suggested quietly.

He considered that. "Conditional."

"Term?"

"With the current time frame for the events, no more than three months."

It was Lise-Anne's turn to be surprised. "Really?"

"Three months," he said firmly. "Tracking the trend, I'd be surprised if the contingency didn't activate earlier than that." He took a deep breath as he preferred a face-to-face confrontation personally. "You have someone in mind?"

Lise-Anne nodded with a sly smile, and he held up his hand. Fire and forget. Better if he didn't know the name of the weapon they were about to launch.

They settled in to work out the trigger conditions.

This is where the finesse was required. Lise-Anne was far better suited for this work, but Rand's hands would be just as dirty.

-=-

Finding Detective Harmon wasn't too hard. Mary just went to the bar closest to his precinct. It was almost empty this late in the night, and the few people inside were too far gone to pay attention to anyone else. The bartender barely glanced in her direction since she wasn't approaching the bar.

She found Harmon alone in a booth at the back, nursing a tumbler of scotch. She could tell he'd had a few. She stood next to his table, and bloodshot eyes lifted to look into hers. Something was torturing the man. She wondered how much longer he'd be able to endure it.

He examined her for a moment then lights came on in his eyes. "You were at the crime scene yesterday."

She smiled gently as this proved his observational skills were still intact, at least. "Mary Carsten. I live a few doors down from the home of the deceased."

"You talk like a cop."

She nodded. "Currently suspended."

He looked back to his drink. "So, suspended Officer Carsten, why are you here interrupting me getting my drunk on?"

She slid into the other side of his booth, and he looked at her in surprise. "I overheard you at the scene speaking with the big redhead from VRL," she said, watching him twitch. His eyes locked on hers with a glare.

"I've got nothing to say about that or them!" he growled menacingly.

"Just listen then. Recently, I was involved with the subway gas attack case. I was on the scene and collected a potential suspect. I was to transport him to the station-house, but I'd been affected by the gas too. Instead, I took him to my place, where we had sex." Harmon was looking more embarrassed than angry now. "The gas wore off, and I felt incredibly guilty and embarrassed. The suspect introduced himself to me as Henry Gable." She watched the detective, but he showed no sign of recognition of the name, which made her feel a little better.

"I must have passed out from the gas as my next memory was waking up the next morning with my ex in the bedroom pointing his gun at us. I told him off, and he shot himself in the head. I sent Henry home because... I wasn't thinking straight at the time. Cops from my precinct arrived, and a group of them said I did it. The coroner confirmed it was suicide, but the Captain wouldn't accept that. They brought Henry in for interrogation. The Officer who brought him was a buddy of my ex and attacked me. We all ended up in cells. Henry's lawyer got him out in the morning. The lawyer brought Internal Affairs with them. The station house has been restructured. All new chain of command. A number of us got suspended pending review. I found out later that the lawyer worked for VRL, as did Henry. He's their CIO, though he seems a little young for the position."

She stopped to look at the detective, whose hands were trembling visibly. He wasn't telling her to stop, so she pressed on. It seemed a smart move to omit the changes she'd undergone. There was no way she could explain it even to herself.

"Then you showed up on my street for that murder scene. VRL showed up, too. I decided to follow the redhead—" Harmon jerked slightly. "... back to Manhattan to a neighborhood of brownstones. I was about to follow him when I heard a scream down an alley. I investigated and saw a van bouncing around. In the back was a guy all tied up and something fucking monstrous—"

"NO!" Harmon yelled and slammed his palm on the table. His eyes were wild with fright, and he slid out of the booth to stand up quickly. He jabbed a finger at her. "NO!" Spittle dripped from his lips unnoticed.

She stared at him in shock as he hustled out of the bar, knocking a few chairs over in his haste. There was no sign of the bartender, and the other customers had passed out. She slid out and ran after the detective. She spotted his retreating back up the sidewalk and called out to him. He glanced over his shoulder and walked faster. When she started to follow, he sent a panicked look at her and started to run.

He never saw the bus that hit him.

Mary froze in shock. One second, he was there, and the next, gone. Her legs automatically turned her around, and she walked away at a normal pace. From the impact, she knew the detective was dead. She couldn't be involved in this, or her career as a cop was over. While horrified by what happened, she hadn't pushed him in front of that bus, which had raced for the light. Out of service, the driver was blatantly speeding through the empty streets to get back to the depot.

With no other traffic, she made it back to her motorcycle without being seen. As she rode home, questions circled in her mind. What had Harmon experienced that affected him so badly? What was VRL's involvement? His hands shook when she mentioned the young CIO, but he didn't recognize Henry's name. What did that mean?

She had too many questions.

Henry was going to answer them.

Chapter 26

Saturday morning, Henry sent Sandy a text asking if she had plans for the night. She excitedly responded that they should go out for dinner and dancing. She added the whole gang would be available, and they'd pick a fun club. He realized he had to try dancing at least once, so he agreed to the plan and received several celebratory emoticons from Sandy via text. He assumed that was a good thing.

The next problem was, looking in his closet, Henry realized he had nothing nice enough for clubbing. He remembered how Nate dressed for going out when he first met him in the drug store, and Henry had nothing like that. He wasn't ready to try it with his glamor, so he headed to Manhattan to shop for clothes. While he managed to find a few outfits in the fifth store he tried, he determined that shopping for clothes was one of his least favorite activities.

It made him feel a little grateful to know that one day, he'd be able to integrate any outfit into his glamor. For now, though, he felt a long way off from being able to do that. He still didn't understand how his glamor worked to allow human clothes on his Satyr body, but he pushed the contrary thoughts to the back of his mind and tried to accept it. He'd just have to refrain from switching back to his true form while dressed in real clothes.

He went down to Sandy's at seven-thirty, and Tish opened the door when he knocked. He was captivated by her as she wasn't sporting her usual ponytail but let her long, ebony hair flow over her shoulders and midway down her back. She also wore a modest amount of makeup and a very flattering, tight, dark blue dress that showed off her long, toned legs as it clung to her fit body.

"Good evening, Henry!" she said with a happy smile.

"Good evening, Tish! You look incredibly lovely!" he finished awkwardly, but her smile widened in delight.

"Come in! We're just waiting for Roger," she said sweetly.

Once inside, she took his arm and walked him into the living room. His eyes widened when he saw Dayshia in a tight, glittery gold dress that showcased her ample cleavage for maximum effect. The contrast of the bright dress against her dark skin was eye-catching. From her satisfied smile, he realized that was her intent. "Wow, I'm beginning to feel underdressed. You look amazing, Dayshia!"

"Thank you, Henry. You look very handsome in your outfit," she replied.

"Delicious!" Tish agreed with a mischievous grin. He glanced at her with a nervous smile, which just fueled her enjoyment.

Just then, Sandy walked out her bedroom door while adding some dangly, glittery earrings. Her hair glowed like spun gold and flowed down over her shoulders, which were visible in her off-the-shoulder red dress. Like the others, her dress clung to the curves of her body. Unlike the others, hers stopped just above the knees, not mid-thigh.

"Wow!" was all Henry could manage.

"Thank you! You look great! I love the bold print of that shirt!" Sandy gushed with a happy smile.

"Now I know I'm underdressed," Henry sighed as he took in the three gorgeous women in their party dresses.

"Nonsense! You're dressed perfectly for going dancing!" Sandy insisted, and Dayshia nodded in agreement. Tish looked like she was undressing him with her eyes, and he felt a stirring down below.

"The saleswoman said this combination was perfect for dancing, but she said that about every outfit she brought me. After a while, it just started to sound like she wasn't serious," he said with a frown.

"Did a little shopping today, did you?" Dayshia asked with a smile.

"I didn't think T-shirts would be appropriate for this evening."

"Got that right!" Dayshia nodded.

There was a very loud knock on the door, and Henry jumped, glancing back over his shoulder.

"That's just Roger," Tish said, rolling her eyes as she went to the door to let him in.

Henry smiled at Sandy as they waited.

"I'm here! The party can begin!" Roger loudly announced as he barged into the living room.

Henry smiled at him as the man ran his eyes up and down his body.

"Damn! I have that same outfit at home, and now it's gonna look like shit on me!" Roger complained with a frown.

Henry's face fell, but Tish came to his rescue.

"Man up, Roger!"

"Bite me, beanpole!"

"You mean damn sexy beanpole, twerp!"

"Are we going to trade insults, or are we going out to dinner?" Sandy asked, staring at Roger. The man threw his hands in the air in surrender.

Sandy had ordered a couple of taxis, so they all went downstairs. Roger tugged Henry to join him in the second car, making the ladies pout. Sandy pointed to her eyes, then Roger's, to warn him to behave.

Roger gave the driver an address in Manhattan, and they were on their way. Then he turned to look at Henry.

"Henry... may I call you Henry?" Roger started.

Henry smiled at him. "Sure. It's my name, so feel free."

"What are your intentions towards Sandy?" the man asked bluntly.

Henry couldn't stop the snort of amusement. Then he saw Roger was waiting for an answer.

"Oh! You're serious?!?" Henry said in surprise, but Roger said nothing.

Henry thought about it for a moment. "I want to be friends with Sandy. I've mentioned that I didn't have friends growing up, so this is truly special."

"What if she wants more than friendship? What if she's envisioning a white picket fence around a charming little bungalow in the suburbs with 2.1 children playing in the yard?" Roger pushed.

Henry smiled sadly at Roger. "That sounds really nice, but I don't believe that will happen for me, especially children. I don't believe I'll be able to have them."

"Don't you think she deserves to know that?!?" Roger exclaimed testily.

Henry blinked at the man, who seemed genuinely upset. "Uh, she hasn't even asked me to be her boyfriend! Why would having children come up in conversation? If it ever does, I certainly won't lie to her. I'd never intentionally hurt Sandy. Or Dayshia or Tish. You're not worried about them, too?"

Roger looked defensive. "Sandy's an innocent. The others need no protection."

Henry smiled. "And you're her big brother?"

The man said nothing, but his defensive look remained firmly in place.

"I can assure you that I'll do my absolute best not to hurt her, but they're just words. I'll let my actions speak for me," Henry said with a gentle smile.

Roger took a deep breath as he held Henry's eyes. "I'll be watching." Henry nodded, and Roger continued. "I'm still upset you look better in that shirt than me."

Henry chuckled and shrugged. Roger looked away, but Henry thought he caught a little smile at the corner of the man's mouth.

They rode on in silence, and Roger looked at him when they arrived. "Pay the man." With that, he hopped out of the cab. Henry dug his wallet out and paid the fare before joining the group on the sidewalk.

"You cheapskate!"

Henry looked at Tish in surprise as she punched Roger's arm.

"OW!" the tall man yelped as he stepped away from the angry woman.

"What's going on?" Henry asked.

Tish looked at him. "Your first time out with us, and he made you pay for the taxi, didn't he!"

"Uh, that's okay," Henry mumbled, looking toward Roger.

"See! He doesn't mind! Besides, he's loaded compared to me!" Roger asserted.

"He's a lot of good things compared to you!" Dayshia growled as she held the intern's eye.

"Hey, why don't we put this aside and go inside for dinner?" Henry suggested with a hopeful smile.

Sandy looped her arm around Henry's and lifted her nose to Roger. "Someone knows how to behave like a gentleman." She moved forward, and Henry had no choice but to go with her. Dayshia and Tish followed, leaving Roger to catch up.

When they got inside, Henry looked around with interest as the decor was very modern yet intimate. The subdued lighting gave privacy to the numerous round booths in various sizes. The owners designed the place for groups of four to six. Any larger and the tables became too wide to be functional or to hear across. Plush leather bench seats ringed the tables. Decorating the restaurant and adding mood lighting were a multitude of brilliantly colored glass sculptures in interesting shapes, all lit from underneath to make them glow.

Once they settled into their booth, Henry looked to the others. "Have you eaten here before?"

They shook their heads, and Tish, seated to his left, patted his hand. "I've read some very good reviews."

The waiter arrived and asked for their drink orders.

"Long Island ice tea?" Tish asked, looking at Henry with a wicked smile.

"No, not this time. I promised myself I'd refrain from drinking," he insisted earnestly. "When we go to the dance club, I'll order one just to calm my nerves about making a fool of myself dancing," he explained.

"You'll be fine!" Tish said with a happy smile.

He ordered water with lemon, and the others chose their favorite mixed drinks.

Henry decided he would eat light as dancing on a nervous stomach would be difficult enough without feeling bloated. The stir-fry bowls sounded yummy, so he ordered one when the waiter returned to collect their orders. Sandy and Tish followed in his footsteps and ordered the same.

Once they were alone, Roger immediately leapt into his latest conspiracy tale. He told them the Chinese government was holding everyone in a remote village hostage to protect the secret that they had an alien cornered on a mountaintop nearby.

"Where the hell do you hear these stories?" Dayshia exclaimed.

"It's on the dark web. That's not all the weird stuff going on," Roger insisted.

"None of these stories can be verified. It's just wild fantasy! You're talking about a village in rural China. Who will send a news crew to that location to validate the story?" Dayshia challenged him.

"Fine, that location might be a little difficult to get to, but what about that small town in Kansas the US military has mysteriously quarantined? Poison gas? Radioactivity? I call bullshit, and I'm not the only one!" Roger insisted.

"So what, you'd have someone break into the town based on what? The suspicion that the danger isn't real? Why would they go to this much effort if there was no threat to life or our society?" Tish asked.

Roger gaped at her. "You would be okay with someone hiding the truth of extraterrestrial life from you?"

Henry was enjoying the spirited back and forth. He decided to join in. "Here's a question for you, Roger. What do you think would happen to society if we suddenly received absolute proof of life out there? We've barely evolved past our poop-throwing monkey origins. Would it be fair to say there would be an upheaval of the established order?"

Roger grinned. "I certainly hope so!"

"And there you have it. Roger is an anarchist," Tish sighed. The man shrugged.

"You understand there is a better than even chance that the initial response to that news will be intensely negative and reactionary," Henry suggested.

Roger nodded. "Society needs a reboot."

Henry leaned back and pondered the serious expression on Roger's face. He didn't doubt that Roger believed it, even welcomed it. Glancing at Sandy, he wondered if Roger understood how much this contradicted his previous protective statements for the woman.

"This is why no one votes for you to head up anything at work," Dayshia sighed.