Paris, a few hours later…
“Guys, it’s time to go!” I say to my friend. We are sitting “al fresco” outside a cafeteria in the “rive gauche”, drinking coffee and “jue de pomplemusse” and eating various kind of croissant.
For me, it’s like being reborn, after all the months captive in the EPS headquarter. Still, we are all aware that this country, like most on every continent, it’s not safe for metahumans. And the joy of this warm day of late summer is spoiled by the constant attention paid every time a “flick”, a guard, appears across the street.
“Where’ s your meeting place, Ed?” asks Chance.
“Ile de la Cite” I respond, looking at the little piece of paper Jackie gave me days ago. “Rue de dauphin, etc etc, at eleven a.m.”.
“It’s not very far” says Quantos.
“Yes, I know” I say, getting up.
I go inside to pay, and for a moment the face of one of the customers, that I see reflected in a mirror hanging near the ceiling, seems known. Then the man turn away, and I can’t say if he’s really someone I know.
Bah.
The walk is short, down toward the Seine, across the bridge, and then into a short little street.
“It’s this”, I say looking at the number.
“OK. Phone me when you are finished, we’ll stroll not far from here, in the meantime” suggest Chance.
“No, Kristofer, come in. The invitation was also for Turner, I believe it wouldn’t be a problem if you all come. Come on!”
Quantos seems perplexed, and Chance too. Shirley and Mick, on the other hand, seems very curious.
I press the bell. The door open, and behind me, all of my four friends enter.
A metallic sound comes from the dark of the corridor.
It’s… a robot! A short humanoid robot, not taller than a meter, dressed up like a butler. With a “clang,”, his mandible opens: “MadMOIsellE, MeSSIeurS, Please FolloW mE”.
Obviously English is not his language.
I follow the robot. Behind me, I heard Quantos and Chance exchanging ideas.
“Have you noticed the technology?”
“I noticed especially the decorations. Seems a sixteen century robot, if such a thing would have ever existed”.
“My though exactly” confirms Chance.
The little robot opens a massive oak wood door, get in and stop right near it.
We enter. There is a man, not very tall, standing near a window. He’s very robust, muscular under his black suit. Totally bald, his head his large, and his neck is massive, like the neck of a bull.
He turns. His face is very strange. He has large bony eyebrows, that shadows his eyes, and has no chin at all. It’s not possible to see his eyes. Only a flashing reflection come out of that darkness, very seldom.
Quantos and Chance keeps talking scientific.
“My God, Kris. Do you think what I am thinking?”
“A living Neandertal, Henry! If it is possible such a thing”.
“Welcome to Paris, lady and gentlemen. I hope you enjoyed the city so far”. He point us a large chair.
Before any of us can object that we are five and the chair is only one, the robot brings four more, one after the other. And we take seat.
The strange man sits behind his desk.
“Well?” I ask.
“I asked you to come because I have a proposal for you, Edulcore Cicciotto”.
“And that is?”
“I would ask you to join my organization”
I distinctly hear Mick gulping.
“What kind of organization is your, sir?” I politely ask.
The man smile. “You want the short or the long story?” he ask.
Mhhh. Where I have gotten into? “The short one, sir, thank you.”
He looks at me, and then to each one of my friends.
“First of all, I want to point out that you, Edulcore, and the MBL have crossed path with it more than one time.” He presses a button, and from the door arrive three tall women, one in a leather complete, one in red boots and one in a complex armour, reminiscent of an ancient Greek one.
When they turn, standing behind the old man, our jaws drop. One is Crusher, one is Jackie, and from the exclamations of Mick and Shirley, the third is Sonja, the “dead” member of the MBL.
She smiles to the couple, and winks.
“You have met, at one time or the other, my precious employee. Crasher, Ameristar and Nadia.
They work for my organization, along many other agents.”
“Yeah, OK, but what do they do? And, pardon me, what do you want from me?”
“I am sorry, but I can’t reveal the purpose of this organization right now. Only member of the organization can know it. You know these three woman, they have worked alongside you, you know their goal are the same of you. Join us, and your wishes will be fulfilled.”
“My wishes? What do you offer me? Don’t say it’s a mountain of euros, because I have recently become rich. VERY rich. ”
The man smile. “I know. Jackie, or I should say Ameristar, was with you. No, it’s not money that I offer. I offer you help to fulfil your dreams. I can help you to set up the Revolution you failed to start in Chicago. I offer you to regain your true powers. I offer you to have finally your son”.
A whirlwind of contrasting emotions explodes in my brain. Is this an offer that only a fool would reject. Crasher and Nadia succeeded into getting inside the EPS unnoticed. Jackie proved to be an unstoppable force. Crasher, in Chicago, had many helicopters at his disposal, and all of them have Gaia Units, and who knows what kind of advanced tech. Yet…
“Sir, your offer his undeniably impossible to decline. But I have been through a lot, in the last few months. I have been through Hell. I have learned that a Revolution is not the answer for the situation affecting metahumans on most of the world. I have found that too much power is a burden much more than a blessing, and lot of power means lot of pain. And finally, I have discovered that only the help of friends will get me to my son. Only the strong will that comes with friendship can be stronger that Walker’s diabolical mind. So, I am sorry, sir, but I have to reject your offer. I have just found my friend, I don’t want to turn my back to them a second time.”
I stand up, and turn. My friends are all smiling, they stand up too.
But when we are all outside the room, the old man speaks.
“Cicciotto, I have another offer to make”:
I come back. “Sir, don’t you understand? There is nothing you could…”
He interrupt me with a movement of the hand. “Cicciotto, join us, and I will reveal you your past”.
My past. The mystery surrounding the double death of my father. His green blood. His being captive at area 51. The demon claiming of being my uncle.
“What do you know? Talk!”
“Join us, and I will reveal it to you” says the old man, going near the door and closing it. I am alone, with him and the girls. My friends are now in the other room.
I shake my head, thorn between them and the revelation of so many mystery. “Tell me at last what this is about…”
The old man looks at me deeply in the eyes, although I can’t see his. “Ok. The short story. There are two secret societies that struggles to conquer the world. They have control over elections, run multinationals, own entire countries. One has an advance technology at his disposition, things like the Gaia Unit or the Giorgio you fought three times during your run. The other is a circle of sorcerers, your friends have fought one of them, Auguste Bull, also known as Aurochs.
The two societies across the centuries have many time nearly fulfilled their goals. When the Earth is more science oriented, like in Ancient Greek, Reinassance, Enlightment age, or today, is the first society to prevail, the Hoods. When, on the contrary, are the other, the Capes, to have the winning run, the Earth slides toward magic, like at time of ancient Egypt, like Medieval time, or Baroque.
My part, in this, is to make sure neither society have an all out victory. I work for the humankind, to preserve his freedom”.
I am speechless.
Well , better to say something. “Uhmmm… and you fight this battle from the time of Ancient Egypt?”
“Well, from some time before… circa 35.000 BC. I am immortal, Cicciotto.”
“I don’t envy you. “
“I fight this battle enlisting the great champions of each era. I employ some aid, like the girls you have met, and use them to find the greatest and powerful heroes that walks the Earth. Gilgamesh, Odysseus, Scipione, Arthur, Charles Magne, they have all worked for me. You could be the next.”
I smile, and then the smile became laughs. “Sir, I think you have mistook me for someone other. I am not such a great hero. Not at all.”
This man is clearly mad. Leaving my friend for this loon would be the stupidest thing to do.
I leave, but his words about the greatest heroes of each age makes me think.
I go near Chance, and talk to him. He give me a little thing.
I come back to the old man.
“Sir, you said you enlist the greatest heroes the Earth has to offer, right? I believe you don’t hire them on a permanent basis.”
“Obviously not. Only when need arise, when there are important mission to perform.”
“Perfect. I have what you need”. I lend him a piece of paper.
It’s the MBL Consulting business card.
The greatest heroes of world.
