Chapter 11-330: Dropping Some Bombs (1/2)
Watching the most powerful woman in the world come trotting up on a supernatural flaming skeletal not-a-horse is one of those situations that the Secret Service just had to tighten up their belt buckles and deal with.
The Marines on duty gawked in delight, as this was quite a show, even for Powered.
The dhatun Senior Agent on duty also happened to have the last name of Blakhamar, which amused me to no end.
“Um, Lady Traveler, I’m not at all sure how to ask for your ID,” he said with a perfectly straight face, craning his neck up at me.
“There is nobody who can correctly imitate my Name, Face, or Voice,” I informed him kindly. “I am the Lady Traveler.”
He blinked with everybody else, as they all realized it at the same moment. I matched everything they’d seen of me, and nobody else, even those who were definitely trying online, could do so.
“Right, then. Let me escort you in.” He was a Dragon Warrior, and could trot at a decent clip, despite his thick frame. The Old Steed politely stayed very slow to allow him to do so.
“Nice of you to come here, instead of making them come to you,” he said under his breath.
“Teleporting cuts down on travel time. It’s only a few hours of time,” I replied agreeably to him. “You should be asking the President for some combat time. You and your squad are falling behind, Ohrim.”
He grimaced. “Don’t I know it. Part of the whole duty to country, I guess.” He winked at me, and I smiled slightly as we came up to the side entry.
Unlike the original mansion, the White House in DW was a modern building with a modern layout and defenses. While it kept some of the classical charm, the interior was much more friendly to groups of people.
Some of the antiques from the original White House had been recovered after the DC Shroudzone was cleansed, and were being put into place here and there, or put out to be restored via magic or other means. At the same time, such things were only tokens and casual connections to the past... it was a new world.
It was going to change again when the Shroud went down.
I was ushered inside very politely, Ohrim Blakhamar escorting me all the way. The layout wasn’t that confusing, although it very quickly could be, if what I was observing of the architecture inside was true, and there was a lot of Artifice ready and waiting in these walls to protect the leader of the country.
Never skimp on your own security when you’ve got loyal Powered and an unlimited budget, after all.
The Situation Room was downstairs, but Ohrim took me down a carpeted spiral staircase instead of the elevator, then through some short hallways down there, until arriving at a reinforced, secure door there with a pair of Marines stationed outside of it.
The Marines had heard my Voice above, just like everyone else within a mile, and didn’t bother to do anything stupid, like ask for an ID that I didn’t have. The urukhar on the right knocked once, the door was opened from inside by an adjutant there, and I stepped inside.
Some of the most secularly powerful men in the world rose to greet me, equal parts expectant, wary, and dismissive, the last faltering and failing in the force of my Presence when I glanced over them all.
Yes, generals and admirals, that’s a 38 Charisma, a Noble Rank of 18, +56 to Oratory, +49 to Intimidation, and +47 to Diplomacy. I am very much the real thing, and you are not playing at my level.
I knew who they all were, of course. Visual Files and the resources of Heavenbound Hall saw to that, and I had plenty of Allegiance members tracking them and what they were doing, conveying their attitudes and displaying their fears to their subordinates about me: what I was doing, and how I could make things all go horribly wrong.
They particularly didn’t like the idea of a King, or even worse, a foreign-born halvyri Queen. Unfortunately, the Land didn’t care about them, and there was already jockeying for power going on among the politicians trying to remain relevant in the age that was coming.
Things had to get done, whether they liked them or not, and whether they remained relevant or not.
I noted that the heads of the FBI and the CIA were also here, in addition to the Prime Minister of Canada... and the American Hierophant of the Druidic faith, Pinewhisper, a Blackfoot. The Speaker and the Majority Leader, as well as the Vice President, had also found their ways in here.
“Ladies, gentlemen. A pleasure to meet you all.” Their names glowed and then faded out behind me in series as I met each of their eyes one by one, assuring them that I knew who they were. It also let everyone know exactly who I was looking at at any given time, which would cut through any means of trying to gain my attention. I stayed at this end of the table, as the President had the other end, the Prime Minister and Vice President to his right and left respectively. “Before I begin, do you have any questions for me?”
The President naturally lifted his hand, and his name rose behind me as I turned my eyes on him. “Mr. President?” I asked calmly.
“Is this related to some of the announcements that have been going out on your rocket research?” he asked quickly. “The findings have been... disturbing.”
“Yes. Again, I come before you in Truth, Hope, and Valor.”
Curses rose as men and women gasped. Less than half of the people here were actually Good, and hearing the Words of Creation was a harrowing experience for them.
On my side, the Words indicated that I was deadly serious.