Chapter 58:
Rescue
Daniel:
I can’t believe that what started off as a couple of sips, to steel my nerves that we were in a death trap, ended up with me roaring drunk. I can’t look Constantine in the eyes. The thought that he saw me, behaving like someone half my age, is simply shameful.
“Daniel, I am not mad at you,” Constantine says, for the third time. I didn’t answer him the other two times, either. I am too busy staring out of the window, and trying to figure out when someone is going to come.
“Oh, for crying out loud. Look your lover in the face, boy!” Rodger snaps. I glare at him. This is all his fault. He wanted to do extreme driving, and he wanted to get drunk. While I...
I am a forty-year-old adult human, who should have known better.
There is a challenge in Rodger’s eyes. No matter how familiar he is with me, I have to remember that he is the top dog in the entire Ursula Solar System. If the rumors about his mandate being something that will repeat are true, then he might hold his post for another five years. I can’t make an enemy out of him.
“Sorry,” I mumble, and then turn towards Constantine. “I am really sorry, Tine.”
“You were fun,” Constantine tells me, and I blink. “Yes, I was ready to pull out my curls one by one, but you had your fun moments. I am glad that you bottled an orange potion, even though you were drunk.”
Constantine gives me an encouraging look, which I return with a smile.
“About that...” I begin, when Rodger points at the rearview mirror.
“Finally, I thought that no one was coming,” I see it too. A big van, coming our way. The pillars that we used for the Brain Scrambler lower, and the van pulls up next to us. Its side door opens, and there is something like a corridor connecting to Constantine’s and my own door. “Well, Dany, go on. Open the door, and get out of here.”
I wonder why Rodger ended up so snappy, now that he is sober. I mean, we played to his tune, did we not?
What if that is precisely the problem? Just how many people play to his tune every day?
“Rod?” I ask, and Constantine’s breath hitches.
“Yes, boy?” Rodger asks. His tone is a bit more mellow, than it was, when he asked me to get out of the car.
“I meant it. When I asked you to be my best man,” I tell him, and begin to crawl through the tube-like corridor. From behind, I hear a chuckle.
Something tells me that the burned bridge between us is beginning to mend. Which is great. Rodger is the type of fun grandpa, that every kid wants to have. Not that I am a kid, or that I was unhappy with the two grandfathers I did have...
When we are all inside the van, the doors close, and seal shut. I see that our entire security team is in the back with us. Frederik is sitting in Ray’s lap, while Ferenc is leaning on Robin. Huh, those two work fast.
“Care to explain how a simple mission ended up with you three nearly dying?” Ferenc all but growls. He is not bothering to make his eyes the same shade as his brothers. Good on him. Their twin act was beginning to give me demonic vibes.
“It was all my fault,” Rodger says with a shit eating grin. “Get the camera from the car, and you will see a state-of-the-art Brain Scrambler.”
“I will not comment on that,” Ferenc says, as he glares at Rodger. “I just want the three of you to know, that the next time it happens, we will leave you to die.”
“No, you won’t,” Rodger says, and pulls out a badge.
“If your call gets picked up by Ferenc, you are all dead,” Robin says, showing that no amount of rank pulling is going to soften him up. “Seeing as Constantine and Daniel didn’t tell you why they paid you a visit, I think I will.”
“Boys, how good do you think this van will do as a Brain Scrambler?” Rodger asks, and I groan.
“Rod, listen. We can have fun later, but you have to focus now,” I get strange looks from the security team. Constantine got used to me speaking so casually with the man. He doesn’t comment.
Rodger turns towards Robin, and folds his arms over his chest.
“Go on, panty pooper,” Rodger says. I blush at him using that silly idiom I came up with. Something tells me that he is not going to let it die, anytime soon.
Robin shakes his head at that.
“I won’t even ask. Mister Prime Minister, we need your help. We must lure the emotion potion thief to a secure location, so we can put an end to his thieving. For us to do so, we need enough emotion potions, to slow him down. Basically, we need you to organize an event, during which we can bottle the emotions of the tourists,” Robin says.
“Wait, do you mean Tony?” Rodger asks. Robin blinks at him.
“The thief told you, his name?” The police officer asks. I decide to butt in because Rodger just gives a devious smirk, and refuses to clarify.
“Antony is Constantine’s great-something-grandfather. He bottled Rodger and mine emotions, while we were... drunk,” I admit. Frederik rises an eyebrow at me.
“Do you see with who I work?” The red-haired elf asks Ray. The brunette chuckles at that.
“Come now, Fred. You have done worse, than to give your emotions to a suspect. Remember that one time, before we started dating, when you slept with a burglar?” Ray asks. Frederik gives Rodger a calculating look.
“This stays between us,” he says. Rodger nods.
“If you’d like, tell the media about what happened today. I can play it off, as if it was my plan to catch the thief. It will be great PR,” Rodger pats himself on the chest, as if he has just come up with the best idea in the world.
I give him a long look.
“The people who vote for you are mostly the young adults, aren’t they?” I ask him. He grins proudly at me.
“And the fun-loving Naga and what have you!” I can’t help it, his smile is so infectious, that I have to return it.
Chapter 58:
Rescue
Daniel:
I can’t believe that what started off as a couple of sips, to steel my nerves that we were in a death trap, ended up with me roaring drunk. I can’t look Constantine in the eyes. The thought that he saw me, behaving like someone half my age, is simply shameful.
“Daniel, I am not mad at you,” Constantine says, for the third time. I didn’t answer him the other two times, either. I am too busy staring out of the window, and trying to figure out when someone is going to come.
“Oh, for crying out loud. Look your lover in the face, boy!” Rodger snaps. I glare at him. This is all his fault. He wanted to do extreme driving, and he wanted to get drunk. While I...
I am a forty-year-old adult human, who should have known better.
There is a challenge in Rodger’s eyes. No matter how familiar he is with me, I have to remember that he is the top dog in the entire Ursula Solar System. If the rumors about his mandate being something that will repeat are true, then he might hold his post for another five years. I can’t make an enemy out of him.
“Sorry,” I mumble, and then turn towards Constantine. “I am really sorry, Tine.”
“You were fun,” Constantine tells me, and I blink. “Yes, I was ready to pull out my curls one by one, but you had your fun moments. I am glad that you bottled an orange potion, even though you were drunk.”
Constantine gives me an encouraging look, which I return with a smile.
“About that...” I begin, when Rodger points at the rearview mirror.
“Finally, I thought that no one was coming,” I see it too. A big van, coming our way. The pillars that we used for the Brain Scrambler lower, and the van pulls up next to us. Its side door opens, and there is something like a corridor connecting to Constantine’s and my own door. “Well, Dany, go on. Open the door, and get out of here.”
I wonder why Rodger ended up so snappy, now that he is sober. I mean, we played to his tune, did we not?
What if that is precisely the problem? Just how many people play to his tune every day?
“Rod?” I ask, and Constantine’s breath hitches.
“Yes, boy?” Rodger asks. His tone is a bit more mellow, than it was, when he asked me to get out of the car.
“I meant it. When I asked you to be my best man,” I tell him, and begin to crawl through the tube-like corridor. From behind, I hear a chuckle.
Something tells me that the burned bridge between us is beginning to mend. Which is great. Rodger is the type of fun grandpa, that every kid wants to have. Not that I am a kid, or that I was unhappy with the two grandfathers I did have...
When we are all inside the van, the doors close, and seal shut. I see that our entire security team is in the back with us. Frederik is sitting in Ray’s lap, while Ferenc is leaning on Robin. Huh, those two work fast.
“Care to explain how a simple mission ended up with you three nearly dying?” Ferenc all but growls. He is not bothering to make his eyes the same shade as his brothers. Good on him. Their twin act was beginning to give me demonic vibes.
“It was all my fault,” Rodger says with a shit eating grin. “Get the camera from the car, and you will see a state-of-the-art Brain Scrambler.”
“I will not comment on that,” Ferenc says, as he glares at Rodger. “I just want the three of you to know, that the next time it happens, we will leave you to die.”
“No, you won’t,” Rodger says, and pulls out a badge.
“If your call gets picked up by Ferenc, you are all dead,” Robin says, showing that no amount of rank pulling is going to soften him up. “Seeing as Constantine and Daniel didn’t tell you why they paid you a visit, I think I will.”
“Boys, how good do you think this van will do as a Brain Scrambler?” Rodger asks, and I groan.
“Rod, listen. We can have fun later, but you have to focus now,” I get strange looks from the security team. Constantine got used to me speaking so casually with the man. He doesn’t comment.
Rodger turns towards Robin, and folds his arms over his chest.
“Go on, panty pooper,” Rodger says. I blush at him using that silly idiom I came up with. Something tells me that he is not going to let it die, anytime soon.
Robin shakes his head at that.
“I won’t even ask. Mister Prime Minister, we need your help. We must lure the emotion potion thief to a secure location, so we can put an end to his thieving. For us to do so, we need enough emotion potions, to slow him down. Basically, we need you to organize an event, during which we can bottle the emotions of the tourists,” Robin says.
“Wait, do you mean Tony?” Rodger asks. Robin blinks at him.
“The thief told you, his name?” The police officer asks. I decide to butt in because Rodger just gives a devious smirk, and refuses to clarify.
“Antony is Constantine’s great-something-grandfather. He bottled Rodger and mine emotions, while we were... drunk,” I admit. Frederik rises an eyebrow at me.
“Do you see with who I work?” The red-haired elf asks Ray. The brunette chuckles at that.
“Come now, Fred. You have done worse, than to give your emotions to a suspect. Remember that one time, before we started dating, when you slept with a burglar?” Ray asks. Frederik gives Rodger a calculating look.
“This stays between us,” he says. Rodger nods.
“If you’d like, tell the media about what happened today. I can play it off, as if it was my plan to catch the thief. It will be great PR,” Rodger pats himself on the chest, as if he has just come up with the best idea in the world.
I give him a long look.
“The people who vote for you are mostly the young adults, aren’t they?” I ask him. He grins proudly at me.
“And the fun-loving Naga and what have you!” I can’t help it, his smile is so infectious, that I have to return it.
