Part 14 (1/2)

Come to think of it, the Norse were the toughest of all to organize due to their pride and traditions. The truth of the matter was that they were more than capable of handling their own issues without me or my over zealous plans. It was due to their self sufficient nature that I chose to follow one of their leaders to the New World. It was as brutal as it was beautiful. The native people were humble yet capable and lived in harmony with the land. It took a few hundred years to work my way south through the wild and yet untamed land. This is when I met the Choctaw and learned their ways. It would be another century before I encountered my first wraith and my subsequent meeting with Hustahli.

By the time I dropped Gregory at his office he was understandably dazed, trying to comprehend the totality of what he had learned. He was handling the information better than most who had learned only a fraction of what he now knew. Without Gregory in the car the trip home was considerably shorter as well as a lot quieter! My fingers kept fidgeting with the evidence bag as I walked to my apartment. Absently waving at the doorman as he opened the door for me my mind wandered through the days events. I punched the elevator b.u.t.ton and waited for the doors to slid open, allowing me to step inside for the privacy I desired. Taking the evidence bag out of my jacket pocket I held it up to the light to inspect it properly. Pete had hit the nail on the head! This was a metacarpal bone which had been removed presumably from one of my family members. The silver coating seemed to be made of the same nanites and were still trying to preserve what was left of their owner.

Pa.s.sing through the front door of my apartment a few moments later I headed for my bedroom placing the evidence bag on the dresser. A shower was definitely in order after the day I had. All I could hope was that dead wraith actually washed off. It took me much longer than normal to feel even remotely clean. I just couldn't seem to wash the ickiness off me with any certainty! My stomach was growling and I knew it was time to get out of the shower, no matter what my feelings were about my current state of hygiene. Grabbing a clean pair of jeans and a ts.h.i.+rt I dressed on the way to the kitchen to find something to eat. I always kept a fully stocked pantry but my refrigerator was a different story entirely. All I could find were boring cold cuts. Before I had a chance to take a bite of anything the front door rattled with a soft knock, which surprised me. I wasn't exactly expecting guests. It wasn't as if stranger things hadn't happened today and having an unannounced visitor was hardly out of the ordinary.

The tile floor was cold on my bare feet as I made my way across the room. Opening the door I was stunned to find Mir standing there.

”What the h.e.l.l?” Looking around the hall to ensure he wasn't seen I quickly ushered him inside. ”Did anyone see you?”

”I should think not.” Mir's face was colored with mirth. ”Unless you know someone else in the royal family.”

Understanding flooded through me. Only those who were born with the implants in their optic nerves could see him. ”Oh yeah, my bad. So what's with the door routine?”

”Thought it might be a better idea than just popping in on you unannounced.” He casually strolled across the room taking a seat at the bar. ”In time you will be able to sense my presence or even summon me when needed but for now those particular functions are still offline.”

Returning to my sandwich I layered it with more meat than bread, which was the way a sandwich should be in my opinion. ”Seems you've been quickly updating my system. Some of the recent upgrades have been extremely helpful.”

”Like being able to kill a wraith?” Mir longingly eyed my food. ”You should be careful not to overextend yourself.”

Choking down my food I found myself slightly annoyed with Mir. ”Like I had a lot of choices at the time!”

”True enough.” He leaned back in his chair as he lost himself in thought. ”Your new abilities will need exercising. Think of it as training for a marathon. The more you use them the less they will tax your system.”

”I will keep that in mind when this is all over and no one is trying to kill me.” I grabbed the rest of my food and made my way around the counter to take a seat at the end of the bar. ”Seriously though, thanks for the help.”

”It's what I'm here for.” He stood and stretched as he walked around the room running his hand along the couch and walls as if he were still desperately trying to feel something for the first time in G.o.d knew how long. ”The nanites are repairing your power reserves so you can maintain your stamina longer.”

”How does all this work?”

”As time goes on you will find new abilities at your disposal, but they will all need to be honed to be of any use.” Mir turned and sat on the couch as he looked at me curiously. ”It will take a lot of hard work but I am sure you're up for the task.”

Returning to the kitchen to make myself another sandwich I suddenly knew how Gregory felt earlier as my mind swam in the possibilities. ”Glad to know at least one of us thinks I am. It's a lot to take in.”

After was.h.i.+ng the dishes I joined Mir in the living room and relaxed in one of the recliners. We quickly fell into a deep discussion about my abilities and how they worked. It was due to the *Organic Dynamic Intelligence Nexus' or O.D.I.N., which were a series of crystalline substances both liquid and otherwise distributed through my body to keep me whole. In time I would be able to use facial recognition in conjunction with unrestricted access to all online information. Tracking software, for lack of a better term, was being upgraded to allow me to see in several different light spectrums. The nearest point of reference I had for most of the virtual overlay of continuous information was *Project Gla.s.s' by Google, except on steroids.

Mir flooded my mind with a virtual show and tell of many of the less combat oriented features causing my mind's eye to blur. I was dizzied by the sheer amount of information. He quickly dialed it back several notches allowing me to breath. Gaining a deeper understanding of how I worked was deeply gratifying after being in the dark for so long. The liquid crystals throughout my body acted not only as a black box to store information but could also transmit and sort it as well. Many of the lower functions were coming back online giving me full access to everything that had ever been put into cybers.p.a.ce. Walking onto the balcony I looked out at the city with a virtual overlay of information constantly streaming through my cortex.

At first it made me nauseous as I became somewhat woozy, but true to his word it didn't take long for me to adapt to the new stimulus. When I focused on the church across the street it's entire history was available for my review and stored for later retrieval. Giving thought to going to the nearest restaurant a virtual map came to mind allowing for traffic conditions as well as several local reviews. While these were fun and interesting features, the floor plans that were made accessible to me were invaluable and could make for several tactical advantages. Looking down I caught sight of my doorman, Jack who stood outside. His entire file popped into my mind, and I quickly learned more about the man than I had ever wished too. Even his internet searches came to me along with many other personal details that were not in his official file. It was disconcerting and I made a mental note to filter only the pertinent information for future occurrences.

I also learned that my s.h.i.+elds were actually generated by the latent energy contained within all things which created a solid barrier around me, allowing only the non poisonous ga.s.ses to pa.s.s through when activated. They could be adapted to create a fire s.h.i.+eld as they had earlier into some other element such as electricity, stone or even water. They were limited only by my imagination and energy reserves. Several of these features were out of reach at the moment due to the ongoing repairs but they would be online at some point. In the future I would be able to absorb the latent energy from my surroundings instead of depending upon my personal stores which were currently dangerously low after so many years of use. It was lucky that I hadn't overextended myself and died from my own ignorance.

The telekinetic abilities I recently inherited worked by displacing the energy surrounding the object in question. It was all very fascinating while incredibly complicated. There were so many things I didn't quite grasp the concept of, but overall I got the picture. In the years ahead new abilities would turn themselves on as my higher functions were reset. Mir wasn't sure how long it would take or if they would ever return to one hundred percent but it was a start. Just before the end of the evening I asked about my daughter and the possibility of being born with these abilities. It was a question he too was curious about since there had never been a record of me being able to procreate. He a.s.sured me he would look into the matter once he was sure that the repairs I needed were well underway. His goal was to get me up and running at peak performance as soon as possible. My main objective was to make it through the next few days with all my appendages intact while maintaining a pulse. Sleep came easy for the first time in weeks even if my dreams were full of dark, unspeakable things.

Chapter 20.

December 2nd A low dark voice echoed through my mind calling for me, tugging at my soul as it cried out for me to obey its summons. Sitting atop of the throne Hlidskialf within the walls of Valaskjalf I looked around the room in the vain hope of catching a glimpse of Jormungandr and its unseen masters. Valaskjalf was the most advanced holographic observation post in all of the kingdom. From where I sat I could see in perfect clarity in every direction. When looking at deep s.p.a.ce it was a bit disconcerting. Even now to see the vastness of s.p.a.ce in every direction was overwhelming.

Lightning crashed all around me as the giant wyrm swam through s.p.a.ce, destroying all within its path. Its heavily armored body protected it from the a.s.sault by our fleet lead by my grandfather, the Allfather. They were our last defense against the beast and the darkborn, L. O. K. I. (Logic, Oriented, Kinetic, Initiative). The wyrm would soon be upon our homeworld and we would meet the same fate as the others, to be devoured in the great maw of the beast. We knew it was a battle that could not be won yet we fought them to a standstill several times over the years. Inevitably they would break through our defenses to continue their death march. Through our science we had found an escape to a place that we were confident couldn't be found. The Allfather covered our desperate evacuation as the last of the Empire's population fled to our one last hope for salvation.

Due to the perceived sins that my father and the Allfather had birthed the empire in blood they now refused to lead, forcing me to reign in their stead. Looking out at the world I knew it was well past time to leave. Valaskjalf shook violently as the war was finally brought to our doorstep and in the end my home would be nothing more than dust scattered throughout the universe with no one left to tell our story. Lowering my chair the hologram vanished as I touched the floor below.

Quickening my step as I felt the earth move below me from the attack, I hurried through the corridors. All the while the same dark voice called out to me to stop running and give myself over to the nothingness that awaited me after death. Hearing a woman's voice calling out from the one of the confinement cells where we kept prisoners awaiting sentencing I stopped to see who could have been left behind. I found Gullveig beating against the door begging to be freed. A part of me wanted to leave her but I couldn't risk her living long enough to give the Darkborn information of our whereabouts.

Punching the code on the keypad to her cell, the door slid open. Her face contorted in rage as she realized that I was her savior and . ”You can come with me or I can put a hole in your head now, your choice.”

Her lip twitched as she considered her options before she spoke. ”We will pick up our business after our current crisis is avoided.”

”If we have that type of luxury you can bet on it, but until then do we have a truce?”

She silently glared at me, which I took as confirmation. It was the best I was going to get from the ancient crone. Running for the hanger at full speed I took note that no matter what she looked liked she could move when the occasion called for it. The dark voice echoed through the corridors as it called me back to the place of my birth demanding that I stand and face my impending doom.

I awoke, gasping for breath and covered in sweat. I sat up and swung my legs off the bed, hanging my head as I tried to control my breathing. Sweat continued to pour off me as I trembled with fear. Standing slowly I made my way to the shower. The hot water helped wash away the effects of the dream. Once I felt in control I got out of the shower and dressed for the day. Looking out my window I could see that the night still reigned supreme throughout the land as it was only three in the morning. I grabbed a quick bite, then I headed for the office. The sky was clear and the stars shone brightly as the moon hung low in the sky. There was a chill in the air as the wind wrapped itself around me, making me pull my jacket tighter as I s.h.i.+vered.

Pa.s.sing through the bra.s.s doors of my office I caught sight of Justine at her desk. It struck me as odd that she was always at her desk no matter when I came in. ”Do you ever get a day off?”

”Of course I do.” She was clearly enjoying herself. ”When you're off, I'm off.”

”Taunting your boss is hardly a way to get a raise.” Her mirth was infectious. She was one of the only employees I had that joked with me. ”So you seem to think that not having me here is some type of treat?”

She looked up at me questioningly as she was clearly confused. ”Not at all, I mean when you're not in the office I have a day off, literally.”

Okay what the h.e.l.l was that supposed to mean? The girl is always at work when I'm here but she can't be serious. Thinking about it though I couldn't remember a time since she started working here that she wasn't at her desk to greet me.”I'm sorry? Please explain your last statement.”

”They don't tell you much about the day to day operations do they?” Justine leaned back in her chair as she made herself comfortable. She had that look that she was about to tell the slow kids parents that their child wasn't doing very well. ”And by *they' I mean Kira.”

”Perhaps you should enlighten me.” Great! Kira was involved in this c.r.a.p somehow. This was going to be painful, mostly for me from the looks of things.

”Well, hypothetically speaking,” She laughed as if at some private joke. ”Oh to h.e.l.l with it! I live in a small one room efficiency directly under your office.” She waved in the general direction of a room. ”Kira doubled my salary to make sure I was always available whenever you came in.”

That made my head hurt. Why in G.o.ds name would she have to do that?”I'm sorry, but I don't grasp the concept as to why on earth would she do that?” My daughter must have lost her mind making this poor girl be here all hours of the day and night.

Justine leaned forward placing her elbows on the counter as the mirth left her face. ”You don't have a clue do you?”

”Obviously not.” This had officially hit the highly uncomfortable mark and was more than a little painful if not downright embarra.s.sing. I started to develope the nasty little feeling that you sometimes get in the pit of your stomach.

”Wow, ahh, d.a.m.n.” Sitting back in her chair she crossed her arms as she grimaced. ”I don't know where to start.” She stood and paced in her little cubby until she found the words that she was looking for. ”While I don't mind your personality, others might find you abrasive and I have even heard the term ill tempered tossed around a few times.”

What she said wasn't exactly hard to believe but it still didn't explain things. ”Okay so who isn't?”

Justine flashed me one of her trademark smiles as she took her seat. ”Well, I think you're charming and that's why Kira has me here. I seem to be immune to your idiosyncrasies while other people want to shoot themselves in the head after a week of dealing with you.”

Wow she really knows how to pull her punches. This was now past emotionally painful and now we were in uncharted territory. ”I had no idea I was that bad.” The entire concept of it all made my head hurt. ”I realized that we've had several people in this position over the years, but I a.s.sumed that they had moved on to other divisions.”