[Sticks]

Episode II –Echoes of the past

How well do you know someone? How well do you know yourself? It is said that we can only ever know a person when we have walked a mile in their shoes, but is that right?

We think we know our friends well, or even our relatives, but sometimes they can surprise or disappoint us. Sometimes they can ride to our rescue or stab us in the back. Do we truly know?

A father considers his daughter a waster, only to find that she has supplanted him, as Celeste, the daughter of the Spirit of Death has done.

Some divulge precious secrets to our foes, as someone has done concerning the treachery of Paddy McGurty, who had betrayed an expeditionary force to the former cult of the Magnus Timor, thereby undermining the position of Kathryn Cooper the chairman of the executive oversight committee of Inter Dimensional Entity Control.

Sometimes also we can be wrong about the things we know about ourselves for certain, like one twin sister believes she is the one to watch out for her twin sister, and one entity believes she and her sisters are permanently exiled to Earth by a tyrant she has only just learned is dead.

This entity has now appealed for help from a US marine colonel, the former UK director of Inter Dimensional Entity control. However as they are leaving a church building in the North East of England where he has delivered a eulogy to a fallen comrade, they are unaware that an assassin has been sent to kill Colonel Samuel Peters…

+ + + +

Outside a church building in North East England

Colonel Samson closed his cell phone to put it in his pocket, “The taxi is on it’s way” he told the apparent teenage girl next to him.

Suddenly the girl seemed strangely distracted, ”Must be the cold” Samson thought, especially as he had had to insist she wear his coat as she was only wearing a thin dress and was in bare feet.

#

The sniper, had got his aim on the colonel’s head from his sniper’s nest in the building across the road from the church. Whoever his target was, he did not care, he was a former Soviet soldier from the Ukraine, now a hired hit man. He put his finger onto the trigger of his KSVK 12.9mm rifle.

The assassin was now totally focussed and totally oblivious to Celeste, the daughter of the Spirit of Death standing next to him. Even if he did look her way, he would never see her, as she had the ability to turn invisible to humans, just like her father. All he had to do was wait for that precise moment when the wind was right, just to make sure his bullet would find it’s mark.

Celeste looked down at the assassin, “What are you waiting for” she muttered under her breath, “I want to collect the soul of that miserable little mortal, the boss wants him dead”

Then Celeste looked across the street at the colonel, and noticed the teenager next to her. Suddenly her eyes burned with anger, “what is she doing here?” Celeste whispered through her clenched teeth.

#

“She’s here sir” the teenager told Samuel
“Who?” Samuel asked with a slight hint of irritation
“Celeste sir” the teenager explained, “The daughter of the Spirit of Death sir, I feel her presence nearby”

Suddenly Samuel had a bad feeling and started scanning the buildings and the horizon, then he spotted a house where the curtains were not drawn and the lights were not on, which was not how the houses on either side were. Some had curtains drawn or at least a light on. The milk bottles on the step indicated that they were not away. Then Samuel glanced at a top window, opened just a small fraction.

Samuel suddenly grabbed at the teenager and flung himself and her to the ground behind a parked car. At that point a bullet impacted on the wall of the church building, just where his head had been.

#

The assassin could not believe that his quarry had spotted him, and hated the fact that he had just ruined his one shot one kill record over his last ten contracts. It would be harder to take him out here, now he was aware of his presence. The assassin started to remove the magazine from the rifle.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING” Celeste screamed at the assassin, “SHOOT THEM”

The assassin could not hear her, as Celeste was still invisible and hidden from his conscious perception, but against his normal procedure, he found himself putting back the magazine and cocking the gun to put another bullet in the chamber. This man had to die, here and now, not at a more convenient time, as he would normally do.

He lined up at the car and then to the direction where his quarry was going when he and the girl had gone down, just in case he was going to crawl along the ground in that direction.

He fired again, and then reloaded.

#

Samuel heard the sound of the other bullet as it hit the car door on the other side and made its way to the wall just inches from his and the teenager’s head.
“If it were not for our exile” the teenager whined, “I could have teleported us away from here”

Samuel opened up his mobile phone and thumbed nine, nine, nine, he could not count on someone else reporting in a gun shot.

BANG

Another bullet came through the car on the other side, it was clear this gunman was using a heavy calibre rifle with some kind of armour piercing round.

If only he were allowed to carry his side arm, but with the removal of the IDEC to Washington, his licence to carry firearms in the UK had been revoked, but even with a side arm, it would be no match against a sniper firing from that location.

Samuel looked at the pathway back into the church building. To get there, they would be exposed, plus if the gunman had an accomplice, they would be sitting ducks

“Which service please” came a voice on the mobile phone.

BANG
Another round through the car

“Police” Yelled Samuel into the phone, before it was unexpectedly cut off.

Samuel noticed that the teenager was looking in horror up at someone near where his feet were, but he was unable to see who.

“What are you doing Celeste?” she cowered, then “No I can’t leave him, Please Celeste, I need him”

BANG

A bullet whistled just over the colonel and the teenager

“We’ve got to go” Samuel said to the teenager, who was obviously transfixed at some invisible creature.

Samuel pulled the teenager to her feet and started running long the pavement.

Suddenly he yanked her as he unexpectedly pulled her over the low wall of the church yard.

BANG

A bullet sailed past where they would have been if he had not suddenly changed course.

“He’s coming for us” The teenager whimpered, “She has sent him after us”
“WHO?” Samuel asked her
“Celeste has” the teenager tearfully explained, “She’s gone back to send him out to kill us”

“RUN” Samuel shouted, and pulled her back over the wall. If the sniper was coming out to hunt for them, then they had a few seconds window to get down the street, and nearer more hard cover, before he emerged from the building.

If only he had his side arm!

They made it along only fifty yards, when Samuel pulled the terrified teenager into the road, trying to make a zig zag pattern.

BANG!

A car’s back window shattered as a round hit it,

That was close!

At that point Samuel noticed the gunman walking along the road with his rifle. The gunman aimed.

Samuel again yanked the teenager, this time back the way they had come, and the bullet sailed past them, through the windscreen of a coming car, into the innocent driver.

The car went out of control, and gunman was almost transfixed at the oncoming car, but got out of the way, just in time, as the car crashed into a parked car next to him.

Samuel then saw an oncoming police car, an armed response vehicle.

Even for the Brits, that was quick! They must have been in the area by chance Samuel thought Evidently the sound of the gunshots had drawn the police anyway

Samuel, pulled the teenager to the side of the road to take cover by another parked car, while the armed response vehicle screeched to a stop, and an armed officer got out and yelled “ARMED POLICE”

The assassin lifted up his gun to take aim

BANG

It was over, as the armed officer was the first to let a round off

#

“S**t” Celeste screeched as she saw the assassin fall, and she was forced to eject his soul from his body, just after she had dealt with the innocent driver. This was not a good start. She would have to tell the boss, his assassin had failed. If only her boss had allowed her to do the job. That would have to be what she would tell him. That and the interference from one of those exiles.

+ + +

Heuston Railway Station
Dublin

It was getting quite dark as the train pulled into the railway station. Caer and Fidelity had got their identical travel cases and were waiting at the door of the train as it pulled into the platform.

From their position, Johnny Adair and Steve Swales had to use the door at the other end of the carriage.

Johnny took out his mobile phone, called one of his associates on speed dial and in his broad Belfast accent said, “The one wearing the pink scarf. From what we have overheard they will be meeting someone outside the station”

Caer had been feeling warm in the carriage so had stuffed her green scarf into her carrier bag. Fidelity’s pink scarf was hanging from her coat.

Fidelity got off of the train first, followed by Caer.

As the two twins headed for the ticket barrier, Fidelity’s scarf fell from her coat, without her realising it. Without thinking, Caer swooped and picked it up and held it in her hand.

They passed through the station and headed for the usual pick up point just outside the front entrance.

As usual, their “Uncle Gerard” as they had to call him was not yet there, which seemed galling as it was him who insisted they visit him, or he as their closest biological relative would institute court action to revoke their adoption by the O’Dochertys.

“He must be late Caer” Fidelity said out loud
“Again” moaned Caer, “He makes us come here, so is it too much to ask for him to be on time”
“Please don’t go on Caer” Fidelity whined, “I don’t want to make any more trouble. Every time I come here I get scared that they won’t let us go home”

There was no response from her sister

“Caer?” Fidelity asked, and then turned around to see her sister’s case on the floor and Caer not in sight.

“CAER” Fidelity screamed, and then she looked up to see the door slam on a red van with her sister inside being held by two hooded men.
“CAER” She screamed again, as she banged on the door and tried to grab for the handle, but they were too quick, and the van sped off, almost crashing as it passed between the traffic light and a bollard and headed off into the twilight.

Fidelity tried to run after them, but it was no use, they were gone.

Then she noticed her “Uncle Gerard” approaching, so she ran up to him and grabbed him in sheer panic

Gerard was shocked by this sudden greeting, but then he could sense something was wrong. “Fidelity” Gerard said with surprise, then he asked, “Where’s your sister?”

+ + +

A lava tube entrance
Inter Dimensional World 02
(According to the IDEC cataloguing convention)

Timothy Zachary peered outside the lava tube, “We just made it here in time” he uttered as he pointed to some creature Jenny Green had never seen before. Timothy had called it a mudpod

The creature was screaming in agony as it had got caught out in the open, as deadly rays from the red giant star that seemed to be permanently in the same position in the sky burned it alive.

Within seconds, the creature was dead.

Mark came up and gave Jenny a large hug and tried to make sure her head was buried in his chest, but Jenny just looked into Mark’s eyes. “I’m ok Mark” she whispered, “I’ve seen worse”

The Spirit of lust stood in silence.

“We need to head in further out of the way” Timothy said to the group and pushed passed Mark and Jenny and headed deeper into the lava tube system.

Jenny found that the environment was getting quite warm, compared to the chilling air of the Mystical Realms. She undid her jacket and followed Timothy walking hand in hand with Mark, suspiciously eyeing the Spirit of Lust.

After about 10 minutes walking, they came to where Timothy had made his home on this wretched world. There was a small fire, but it was more for light than heat, as there was plenty of heat from the surrounding rock, most likely due to some low level volcanic action.

Timothy sat down on a mat made out of what; Jenny did not want to think about.

“We should be safe here for the duration of that storm” Timothy told Mark and Jenny.

“You knew that was coming” Mark replied, “So why save us?”
“Yup” Timothy answered, “As soon as I met up with you I spotted how the Stinger Fans were starting to get ready for that storm. They are the only species here that can detect it and can survive in the open what that star throws out. And as for leaving you to fry out there, like I said I need you and you need me if we are to have any chance of getting back to Earth or the Mystical Realms”
“How?” Jenny asked angrily, she could never forgive or forget how he had got a doppelganger assassin to attack and sexually assault her

Timothy looked up at Jenny, “Miss Green, I’m sorry you got hurt, but that was then and this is now”
“So that makes it ok” Jenny Screamed, She so much wanted to put an arrow through this man’s neck, but with the Spirit of Lust around she did not dare. “I was violated” she screamed at him.

Mark held Jenny in his arms as she dissolved into tears born out of anger.

Mark looked at Timothy with anger and also eyed the major spirit of vice as she stood silently by against the wall of the lava tube. “I can’t see how we can help you, even if Earth has not been destroyed by the Magnus Timor”

Timothy reached for a device that Mark recognised from all those months ago, the artificial wormhole generator. But it was different somehow, it had been wired into Timothy’s Apple Iphone, the one he had insisted on photographing Jenny with, when all she was wearing was a short skirt and absolutely nothing else all those months ago. Next to it was some kind of PDA.
“When you came through to this world” Timothy began, “I was able to get a fix on where you came from. All I need to do is program the reciprocal co-ordinates and open another wormhole and we land where you came from”

“Assuming it still exists” Jenny interrupted, through her tears of anger
“Come on Miss Green” Timothy smiled at her, “Where is your faith in the Colonel? I mean if he can stop me, I bet he could have stopped this Magnus Timor guy?”
“It sounds like you have everything you need” Mark said with contempt, “what do you need with us”

Timothy looked down and sighed

“Tell him” The Spirit of Lust instructed him.
To Jenny it seemed like Timothy was looking daggers at the major spirit of vice, then Timothy looked up at them, “I do not have enough power to open up the wormhole back to either Earth or the Mystical Realms”
“I still don’t see how we fit in?” Mark persisted
“The Spirit of Lust and I are assuming you still carry those amulets of empathic blocking” Timothy replied, “You know, the ones that look like discs of sandstone” he then added
“What good will they do” Mark asked
“They can be used to power one wormhole for us all to get back” Timothy explained

Jenny looked up at Mark; there was no way she wanted to help this pair leave this place. As far as she was concerned, she wanted the pair of them to rot on this forsaken world, but Timothy was right, they both had the amulets on them; it was standard kit for the IDEC special operations team.

“I want to discuss this with Mark” Jenny then said bluntly, and then added, “Alone”

+ + +

An undisclosed location
Washington DC
United States of America

Mr Vee knocked on the office door.

To the rest of the world, this was just the back office of a local taxi company

The door was opened and Mr Vee walked in to the smoke filled room where other associates of his were gathered and closed the door
“Mr Vee” said one of the men from his seat at a small coffee table, “What brings you here?” he asked as he lit up another cigarette

“I want to know why you kept me out of the loop” Mr Vee asked with a touch of anger in his voice.

“We were going to ask you the exact same question” said another man standing at the window.
“What do you mean?” Mr Vee challenged, “I have been very forthcoming in sharing information about the activities of Miss Cooper and the IDEC, including the details of that leprechaun traitor”

“Then why did you slip that information to the senator?” asked the man at the coffee table
“I didn’t” Mr Vee replied, “Like we agreed I was keeping on to that ace in the hole”

Yet another man standing by the office desk spoke up, “We hear you covered for Miss Cooper, we assumed you were trying to make her beholden to us”

Mr Vee pulled out a carton of orange juice from his coat pocket, removed the straw from the side of the carton and pushed it through the hole at the top so he could drink from it.

“Mr Vee” the man at the office desk spoke up as Mr Vee seemed to ignore him

“I was caught unawares” Mr Vee responded, as he sucked on his straw

“But she is not one of us” the man at the window protested, “She actually agrees we should deal with these IDE’s”

“I did what I did” Mr Vee said slowly and deliberately, “Because I thought one of you had been speaking out of turn and setting me up”
“What do you mean setting you up?” the man at the window asked

“Simple gentlemen” Mr Vee explained, “I was acting as Miss Cooper’s deputy and I was also called before the committee. When the senator revealed the information we were keeping under wraps, I had to assume that this was to get my head as well as hers”
“And why would we do that?” challenged the man at the desk
“You tell me” Mr Vee responded
“Some of us were, concerned” said yet another man who had been in the corner of the room, “That for personal reasons you may have gone native, maybe that was why”
Mr Vee looked at him with cold staring eyes, “If you are referring to Sue-Lim Wang, she was recruited when we ran the IDEC through Mr Blue. I’m not even sure she knows who I am, but if the IDEC were shut down tomorrow, I have friends who could get her into GCHQ back in England, so why should I go native? I have no need”

The man at the coffee table stubbed his barely puffed cigarette out and stood up and got between Mr Vee and the man at the desk. “Look” he said, “We know of your devotion to the cause, and it was a smart move to get your daughter into the IDEC, but we did not tell the senator either and we are just as angry that our leverage with Miss Cooper has been compromised”

“So” Mr Vee uttered as he crushed his now empty carton and dropped it into the waste paper basket, “It seems that there is a third part with their own agenda”

The sound of a blackberry indicating the arrival of an email broke the uneasy silence. It was owned by the man by the window. Without apologising he took it out and looked at it. “It seems, according to our insider at the NSA the call to the senator came from London, England”

“Well” Mr Vee replied, “To England we must go”

+ + +

A Police Station in North East England

Colonel Samuel Peters looked across the table at the police officer across the desk in the interview room.

The police officer sighed, “Is there anything you can tell us Mr Peters that is not as you say classified and a matter of national security?”
“Not that I can think of” Samuel replied
“I was on the line to my friend in London” the police officer replied
Samuel interrupted, “Oh yes how is detective chief inspector Stewart Hayes?”
“Not happy” the officer replied, “Not happy at all”
“Tell him to get over it” Samuel said slowly and deliberately
“Get over it” the police officer said with incredulity, “The biggest terrorist bomb in London since the end of the IRA cease fire and the seven – seven bombings, and being ordered to stand down while American troops removed vital forensic evidence?”
“Yes get over it” Samuel insisted, “We all have our orders, and I lost a lot of good friends in that explosion, we were doing highly classified work there which he and his team were not cleared for, plus we found the dirt-bags behind that and dealt with them”

The officer sighed again, “Ok Mr Peters” he began again, “Getting back to what happened this afternoon. We have an elderly grandmother who was murdered so her home could be used by an assassin from overseas. We have a dead father of three, gunned down in his own car, and let’s not forget the assassin”

“Officer” Samuel began in a more determined tone, “I am sorry about the two dead civilians. I do not know why I was targeted for assassination. I have an idea, but that relates to what we did at our former place in London and so is still classified”

“That’s cold comfort for three young children you just lost their father and his widow” insisted the officer.

“I’m sorry officer, but that is the way it is” Samuel persisted, “We can arrange some form of financial settlement but I know that will not bring him back. I deal with things I could never tell my own wife and child, if they were still alive. I lost them to a driver who thought he could drive with a bottle of bourbon in him, so don’t lecture me about losing a loved one, I know all about it. I was recently on a classified mission and I lost a lot of people, one of which, this afternoon their family held their memorial service for, and I was invited to do the eulogy as her CO” Samuel added angrily

“I’m sorry sir” the police officer apologised, “We know what it is like to loose one of our own too”

“Are we done yet?” Samuel asked
“One more thing” the police officer asked, “Who is that young woman you were with?”
“She came to me for help at the end of the service” Samuel replied, “That was the first time I have ever seen her”
“She said she came to you because her sister has been abducted, Why would that be?, why not come to us?”
“I’m sorry officer but that is classified as well” Samuel replied
“A simple abduction?” the officer queried
“The nature of what they do has to be considered a state secret and it’s possibly related to their work”
“So you are telling me a young scantily dressed teenage woman is involved with something connected with national security” the officer replied with more incredulity
“At least her elder sisters are, and that’s me saying too much already” Samuel answered with a hint of irritation, “Can we go now?”

The officer looked at one of the other officers in the room and then looked back at Samuel, “We have an abduction case here and you are doing the same as what you did in London, taking over?”
“Why not say, I’m taking the case over for you to help ease your work load” Samuel offered
“That’s very generous of you” the officer remarked, “But it still doesn’t smell right”
“Then as I told your friend in London” Samuel began, “Get over it”

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and a junior officer opened the door, “Sorry sir, but we have an important call from Ireland for Colonel Peters”

I guess we’re done after all” Samuel replied and stood up to go.
“You can’t walk over us like you did in London” the interviewing officer said with annoyance.
“File a complaint like everyone else and get in line” Samuel remarked and left the interview room”

+ + +

London – Over Looking the River Thames

The businessman sat in his chair by the window as he spoke on the phone while gazing out at the boats on the River Thames. The city at night had a unique beauty so he thought.

He heard the quiet sound of an inter dimensional entity, as he called them, materialise by his office door.
“Just get it done” he told the person on the other end of the phone, then hung the phone up and without turning around, skilfully placed the handset on its charger.

“Celeste, Most people knock” the businessman chided

“Sorry sir” Celeste replied, “I thought” she tried to continue
“I heard” The business man interrupted.
“It would have worked if that b***h hadn’t stuck her oar in” Celeste replied angrily, then added, “She must have told him what we were up to”

The businessman turned his chair round to face Celeste, “Tell me something, why were you there anyway?” he asked her
Celeste seemed confused by the question, “To collect the colonel’s soul as soon has he had been shot, that’s what I do” then she added “duh”

The businessman shook his head, “I mean why show up before the trigger was pulled? You have the ability to appear at any moment in time and space just like your father the Spirit of Death”
“I wanted to make sure the job was done” Celeste replied, “I mean after the assassin missed with his first shot, he wanted to quit, so I got him to keep going”
“Until he himself was needlessly killed by a police marksman” the businessman cut in.
“Well...” Celeste tried to continue, but the businessman would not let her finish
“Celeste” he interrupted, “You must learn to trust the other people I hire. Your intervention too soon meant he was unable to carry out his job, and I ended up loosing a valuable contractor who has never let me down in the past”
“But...”
“You must also learn patience Celeste, Rome was not built in a day. You could have just appeared as soon as he had pulled the trigger, and by then it would have been too late, she would not have detected your presence in time”

Celeste looked own at the carpet and was quiet for a moment. He had a point. That other entity would not have been able to do anything if she had not been with the assassin, Celeste looked up and asked, “But with all due respect sir, why did you need to hire him anyway, it’s not like I haven’t killed for you before”

“Celeste, when you did that little job in your world, that was fine, I have no complaints, but when you dispatched the former head of the IDEC, that troublesome Mr Sanderson in the US it could have, to put it bluntly, threatened everything I have been working for”
“But sir, they were going to expose you” Celeste protested
“I realise that, and I except that sometimes you as the Americans put it, have to step up to the plate, for which I was exceedingly grateful to you” the businessman replied and then got up and walked towards Celeste.

Celeste just stood there looking at this man in awe and a little terror. After all if this man a mere human, now with immortality could entrap her father, what could he do to her?

“I’m sorry sir” she said quietly, “I do realise the effort you had to put in here on Earth to save me from the cage of holding for taking Mr Sanderson before his time”

The businessman put his hand on Celeste’s shoulder

Celeste thought for a moment, “Maybe there is something I can do for you to make it up to you sir? Give you something you might want” she offered, at that she closed her eyes and concentrated.

Celeste’s clothes started to turn transparent as she got them to dissolve into nothingness. Most men she knew of bragged about doing one thing in particular, and as she was a female and appeared to have messed up again, maybe she could appease her boss and make amends by letting him do that one thing to her that she believed that all men wanted. Then her clothes were all gone and she was standing there completely naked and fully visible to anyone who would care to look in upon the two of them, he arms by her side, not covering herself in any way. “I am all yours sir, you may take me now if you want” she told him, “What ever you want to do with me, I will do willingly”

“I don’t doubt it and I appreciate the offer Celeste, but as an employer I really could not sanction the sexual harassment of one of my employees from anyone” and then with a sarcastic tone, “after all Celeste it is against the law here” the businessman replied, looking at her in the eyes, somehow managing to avoid looking at her naked body. Then he went to the coat stand, removed an overcoat and gently put it over her shoulders and wrapped it around Celeste’s body.

“I’m sorry sir, I really thought” Celeste began as she held the coat closed around her body

“That’s ok” the businessman reassured her, “it’s kind of flattering to have a young woman offer to share their body with me for my sexual gratification, but there is a time and a place for everything”
“You name the time and place sir and I will be yours, I promise” Celeste insisted then added, “And I promise not to sue for sexual harassment sir”.
“Some other time perhaps” the businessman smiled, and then returned to his desk and turned back to look at her, “It seems the good colonel is headed over to Ireland tonight, and maybe we can salvage the situation”
“Yes sir” Celeste replied, “I won’t screw up again sir, but what about her, the one who ratted on me to the colonel”

“I agree, that could be a problem,” the Businessman replied, “But leave that one to me; I have a few connections with former members of the IDEC who may be able to assist us there”

Then the businessman pressed the switch on his intercom, “Janine, I believe the Canary Warf Metro Tesco’s is still open until midnight”
“Yes sir” came back the secretary’s voice
“Can you take Adrian with you and the company credit card and get a complete change of clothes for that young woman I introduced you to this afternoon, themed on the colour black, including a new black leather jacket if possible and shoes, not high heels”
“You mean the new intern?” the secretary asked
“She’s the very one Janine, you’re good at guessing sizes of people” the businessman told his secretary.
“But that’s only a Metro store sir” the Secretary told him, then adding, “If you need clothes the next nearest one is in South Tottenham on High Road”
“Very good Janine, go to that one then” the businessman replied before signing off from the intercom

“Janine’s quite a gem” the businessman told Celeste
“That’s very generous sir, but I can turn invisible” Celeste told him, “If need be I don’t need to wear clothes to serve you, and it will remind me of my humiliation in failing you today sir, I will do my job naked” she added looking down again at the carpet. Then she realised she had tears streaming down her face. It was true, she had let down the one person who had been more a father to her than her real father had done.
“I don’t deserve them sir” she then said after a few seconds thought.

“Celeste, Celeste” the business man tut tuted and shook his head, “I would never make one of my employees work like that, and I am certain you will learn from this. Plus, harbingers of death, needs to be clad in black, it’s a kind of image thing Celeste”
“Yes sir” Celeste responded

Then the businessman stood up and once more approached Celeste. He took from his pocket a remote device and with it closed all the blinds on the windows in the office overlooking the river.

Celeste looked up at him as he approached her while she held the coat around her body. She guessed, because he had closed the blinds, that this was now the time and place for him to have sex with her, or whatever he wanted her to do, and so she let go of the parts of the overcoat she had been holding with her hands and let it fall to the floor, and looked up into his eyes and mentally prepared herself for granting him what ever sexual favours he demanded of her.

To her surprise he just picked up the overcoat, opened it up and held it behind her so she could slip it on properly.
“I know we are alone together” he said quietly, “but I still feel it would be wrong of me to take advantage of you like this Celeste”
“Yes Sir” she whispered, then added, “I’m sorry I let you down sir”

“Your young, idealistic and eager to please like I was when I was your apparent age and these things happen” the businessman replied, “Stick with me and you will be an entity to be reckoned with. Now do that coat up, just in case someone drops by” he added and handed her a paper handkerchief to wipe her face

“Yes sir” Celeste replied as she buttoned up her coat and dried her eyes.

The man then went to the fridge in his office and opened it, “After this afternoon I got Janine to get in some Red Bull” he told her, “Would you like some?” he asked smiling at her

Celeste gave a weak but sad smile and approached the man, “yes sir” she replied quietly, “Red bull is something you humans do really well”

* * *

An undisclosed location
Washington DC
United States of America

[img=600x400]http://www.solarnavigator.net/geography/geography_images/Washington_DC_Monument_White_House.jpg[/img]

Kathryn as she sat at her desk was not happy to put it mildly

Someone had talked about the treachery of Paddy McGurty, the leprechaun from G2 and there were very few people who knew.

But there was one individual that Kathryn knew of, and their track record when they were in civilian life did not inspire confidence in their loyalty to an inter agency body like the IDEC.

Kathryn pressed the button on her intercom, “Get me Charlene Henshaw now” she yelled into the intercom

“Mam” came a female voice, “Charlene is on her day off today”
“Sophie, what part of the word now did you not understand” Kathryn replied
“I’ll try her mobile number” came back Sophie’s voice.
“Yes you do that, and while you are at it, see if you can raise Colonel Samuel Peters, I believe he is still in England, I need to confirm which flight he is on back to DC”

“Mam” came back Sophie’s voice, “the colonel left a message, that his trip back to DC has had to be delayed”
“That’s not acceptable” Kathryn replied, “The senate committee wants to see him tomorrow without fail. Did he say why?”

“Not really Mam” Sophie answered, “he just said that something had come up and he was just about to catch a flight to Ireland.”
“Ireland?” Kathryn questioned
“Yes Mam”
“Well after you have got hold of Miss Henshaw, get me line to G2 Special section” Kathryn ordered

+ + +

An abandoned Warehouse
Outskirts of Dublin

“How could you be so stupid and get the wrong b***dy twin” Johnny Adair yelled at Gerry his associate as he walked away from Caer who was bound out and blindfolded and lying on the floor, “She is of no use at all” he added
“Cone on she was carrying the pink scarf like you told me Johnny” Gerry countered just as loudly
“I said wearing the pink scarf, not carrying it” Johnny shouted back, “The boss is going to be livid” he added

Caer was terrified, in the van when they grabbed her they kept calling her by her sister’s name, Fidelity, but they would not believe her until now, but what did they want with her sister and what were they going to do with her?

“So what do we do with her?” Gerry answered back, “We can’t just let her go can we, and they will bound to have got those leprechauns guarding the other twin now, or at least a human police guard”

“Maybe we could just ask a ransom for her” suggested another man on a stool, “I know it’s not going to get us anything from the boss, but at least we might be able to get weapons”

“And where from” Johnny shouted at him, “Ever since we were sold out by the British government and even our own leadership started putting weapons beyond use, it has been hard to get handguns let alone the heavy weapons we need to do the job. And also you do not double cross the boss and get away with it”

“Please” whimpered Caer, “My uncle will pay what ever you want”

Steve Swales walked up to where she was lying on the ground and struck her across the side of her face with the full force of the back of his hand, “Shut up you stinking half breed IDE” he yelled at her, then he looked up at Johnny, “I’m inclined to put a bullet in this one here and now, and then he pulled out his nine millimetre automatic and pulled the safety catch off and pointed it at the now sobbing Caer’s head.

“Come on” he said to the others, “I vote we kill this one now and get what ever it takes and get the other one. This one is expendable”

“And what of the boss’s apparent reluctance to increase the body count?” Johnny responded, “If you want your own little goody bag like he has promised our lot, we don’t need to go crossing him just yet”

“But I’m human now” Caer sobbed

Steve bent down and in a cruel voice growled, “Funny, I don’t believe you” and then walked away and stopped. He looked at the ground and grinned. “Do you guys still have that live streaming webcam set up?” he asked

+ + +

An undisclosed location
Washington DC
United States of America

[img=600x400]http://www.solarnavigator.net/geography/geography_images/Washington_DC_Monument_White_House.jpg[/img]

Charlene entered Kathryn’s office, she had had to leave Sue-Lim Wang as she was trying on yet another wedding outfit, and was perplexed as to why she had to come in so fast.

Kathryn was at her desk as she entered, but instead of inviting her to sit, she let her stand for a moment before standing up her self

“Miss Henshaw” Kathryn began in a stern tone

Charlene felt worried by this tone of voice, it sounded serious.

“I know that in your youth, in the UK you demonstrated against American military involvements and against the war in Iraq, both of them, but I thought once you had joined us that you had left that behind”

“I did” Charlene insisted, still confused, “Ever since the day that leprechaun teleported me away from CERN. This has been a dream come true for me, working with parallel universes, proving that M-Theory is right, even though I will never be able to publish a paper on it”

“Then why did you tell the senator about Paddy McGurty” Kathryn persisted, “What were you thinking” she added

“What are you talking about?” Charlene asked
“You know very well what I’m talking about” Kathryn replied, “The senator heard this morning about a leprechaun betraying the expeditionary force we sent to IDW01 to try and liberate that city, he could only have heard about it from you”

“But Madame Chairman” Charlene insisted, “The only person I spoke about what I saw was to Sue-Lim this morning at their place, and Sue-Lim has been with me all morning and we never called anyone”
“So are you accusing Mr Smith?” Kathryn asked
“No!” Charlene retorted, “He wasn’t even there when I mentioned it”

Kathryn stopped and for a moment Charlene noticed her face go white

“Where did you say you told her?” Kathryn asked quietly
“At Sue-Lim and Pete’s apartment at the Quantico base” Charlene replied with a puzzled look
“Then it looks like I will need to speak to Pete after all” Kathryn replied
“But why?” Charlene asked, “I told you he never heard anything as far as I am aware”
Kathryn walked up to Charlene “I need him for one of his other skills” Kathryn whispered into Charlene’s ear, “And being a Brit, he is the only one I can trust”

+ + +

Deep inside a lava tube
Inter Dimensional World 02
(According to the IDEC cataloguing convention)

Jenny and Mark came walking back hand in hand to where Timothy and the Spirit of Lust were sitting

“Maybe you can come back” Jenny told Timothy, and then with more venom “but she stays here to rot”

“What have I done to you child?” The Spirit of Lust asked, “Apart from disrobe you for the lusts of my associate”
“Not only did you kill the mother of a friend and colleague of mine and, but you also killed the father of a friend of mine, who was just a young child” Jenny screamed back

The Spirit of lust looked puzzled, “I was not aware my brother had any human or half human children”

“What?” Jenny screeched, “You killed the Spirit of Friendship, the father of Rebecca Sands, who used to be the Spirit of Kindness”

Mark then chipped in, “We had witnesses that you killed him”

The Spirit of Lust shook her head, “I know not what you have heard, but I most certainly did not kill that wimp, he was not worth my effort”

“But like the Spirit of True Love, we were told you were jealous that he was another spirit who vied for the affections of the human heart” Mark ventured

“No” Insisted the Spirit of Lust, “It seems like someone has been killing in my name, I never touched him, I had no need, as I could easily hijack his friendships, in fact he made my job easier, the poor deluded sap that he was”

“But” Timothy asked, “Lusty Babe, if you didn’t kill him, who did?”

+ + +

Offices of G2 Special Section
Dublin – at night

Captain Gregory O’Doyle sat at his desk shaking his head in disbelief, why would anyone want a former minor spirit of virtue, they had no powers any more and were just as human now has he was. At least Fidelity’s adopted parents had had the sense to phone them straight away. The police were treating this as a straight forward kidnapping for ransom from the O’Conner family, the family of Caer’s and Fidelity’s biological father. Secretly he hoped it was just that, but that sort of thing was supposed to go on north of the border in places like Belfast, not Dublin.

Fidelity was downstairs in a waiting room with Shamus McTuckle, and very shell shocked

[img=200x300]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Leprechaun_ill_artlibre_jnl.png[/img]

Fidelity was totally distraught, since Caer was supposed to be the dominant twin and the one looking out for her.

A phone rang on his desk

“O’Doyle” he said as he answered it

“I’m sending Fidelity and Colonel Peters up” came a voice over the telephone
“Why?” Gregory asked, “I could come down, this is the first time I will have met the Colonel in person”
“The kidnappers have made a demand sir, and they want you and Fidelity on the webcam feed from your office” the person on the phone replied, “I’m emailing you the link sir”

Gregory opened up his email program and found the email and opened it.

There was a knock on the door

“Come in!” Gregory yelled and in walked a very distraught Fidelity O’Docherty accompanied by Colonel Samuel Peters.

“Let’s get on with this and see what these dirt bags want” Samuel said curtly before Gregory could greet him, he was obviously in a bad mood.

Gregory and Fidelity huddled in front of the web cam, while the colonel watched out of sight of the webcam. Gregory clicked on the link, and the browser opened at a page with a streaming broadcast.

On the screen was a man in a ski mask
“So glad you could join us” he said in a distinctive Belfast accent, “Let me show you something” he said and then pointed the webcam at Caer

Caer was standing on a large block of ice. Around her neck was a noose, with the rope attached to the ceiling. The rope was barley slack.

“If you observe” the Belfast man went on, “When the ice melts, this IDE half breed will hang by her precious little neck until dead, unless you do exactly what we say”

“What do you want?” Gregory asked.

“Fidelity O’Docherty left at Phoenix Park, hands tied behind her back, blindfolded and her legs bound”

“You B*****d” Gregory muttered under his breath

“Now, Now” Said the man in the ski mask, “any more language and I might allow my associate to put a heater near that block of ice, once we get Fidelity, we will release Caer, the choice is yours”

Then the transmission stopped

“I don’t suppose we traced that?” Gregory asked,
“I asked that downstairs” The colonel replied, “Those dirt bags knew exactly how to cover their tracks, and from the sound of it, they were using a technology that was developed a while back at the IDEC, so I suspect they have teamed up with some former members who did not like our change in policy two years back”

All Fidelity could do was mouth “No” over and over again, shake her head and cry

To be continued