Apocalypse Redux

Chapter 132: Halloween

“Mom, I won’t let them keep the swords when they go to school. They can have them to show off outside, but I won’t let them bring actual weapons to school.” Isaac laughed, reassuring his mother once again. He’d returned a couple of days before October 31st, bringing with him a pair of fancy medieval-looking outfits for his sisters which he’d ordered before his departure.

Of course, they’d wanted to wear the half formal outfit, half gambeson suits of armor on Halloween. And the swords he’d also gotten them to teach them with absolutely had to be brought along as well. In fact, he’d gotten them a trio of blades each, a dagger, training blade and actual sword, but given that they weren’t going to be keeping the weapons today, he’d decided to let them run around with the actual sharp weapons. Of course, his mother had immediately taken askance to this, hence, the current argument.

“Ok, but they’re not allowed to play around with them on the way, no ‘playfully threatening’, nothing like that.” His mother insisted.

“I wouldn’t let them.” Isaac assured her “Blade safety is very important to me, and I’ve made sure they realize that.”

In fact, he’d included his [Blades] [Skill] in his [Bloodline], so they were already damn good with those swords, but the act of teaching them had actually gained them said [Skill] while the [Bloodline] boosted its advancement to an insane degree. Or rather, it would have, if they’d had the [System] unlocked. Isaac judged their current proficiency to be around Level 14 already.

But what he really needed to train them and others was his new [Class’] other central [Skill], [Legacy of a True Warrior]. And that was just the beginning of what he wanted to get. But it would take so damn long to get. Even getting the second central [Skill] would take ten more Levels.

Hildebrand’s Heir

Central Skills (double cost)

Legacy of a True Warrior

Armory of Ancient Times

Skills

Burden of Power

Legendary Blow

Fully Geared

Knightly Leader

Grizzled Visage

Valiant Charge

Expert’s Insight

Analyze Person

Empowered Endurance

Continent Strider

…

General Skills

Aura of the Old Warhorse

But that was an issue for later. For now, it was time to walk his sisters to school.

Of course, Isaac was in costume as well. He’d used [Hundred Faces] to spin the hair that had regrown since the battle in Korea into a pair of cat ears, then used some makeup to draw a black button nose and some whiskers on his face. It was, in essence, an incredibly basic costume yet done in a way that almost no one would have been able to replicate.

“So, are you two ready yet?” he called upstairs.

In lieu of a reply, a pair of tiny adventurers came tromping down to the first floor, looking like someone stole the outfits of a [Rouge] and [Bard], then spliced them together in a coherent and beautiful outfit.

“You two look so good!” his mother praised the two in that special tone only parents can pull off without sounding condescending.

The twins preened like a pair of peacocks in their armor/costumes, then rapidly shifted to embarrassment and ran outside with Isaac following after them.

“So, when are you going to fight another demon? They say you were awesome!” Tanja chirped, bouncing up and down next him in excitement as she anticipated getting to hear a war story.

… goddamned kids. Isaac simultaneously sighed and swore internally. The twins were kids, who hadn’t been exposed to the worst parts of the world, the darkness that permeated it, but they’d also grown up on a steady diet of Harry Potter, superhero movies and epic Fantasy. Saving a city still sounded like ‘fun’ to them, like something incredible and worth striving for, not a horrible, desperate struggle against overwhelming force as your friends and comrades died, with you unable to so much as shed a single tear in grief for fear of losing focus and a short while later, your life.

“Never, if I can help it.” Isaac told her “You know fighting … isn’t fun, right? Not when it’s serious?”

“We know.” Viktoria replied with a long suffering ‘we know’ tone that sounded almost petulant. He’d told them this before, but there were certain things one couldn’t truly internalize from merely being told about. No, the true cost of war was something that, sadly, needed to be felt to be understood.

Maybe he could try to get them to understand by pressing the issue, explaining precisely what had happened to him, how people’s entrails had slopped out of their bodies as the monster tore their stomachs open, the horror in their eyes as they died … but was that really something one should be telling a pair of six-year-olds?

The answer was, of course, a hard no. They behaved themselves, no one had gotten hurt by their newfound strength, not even by accident, and that was what was really important. They didn’t run off to fight monster, which was more important than them truly internalizing the potential consequences of combat.

“And if you don’t want to fight, you can always play a cute kitty.” Tanja told him, and suddenly, she was sitting on his shoulder and trying to ruffle his hair, which popped back into place the second she was no longer holding it down. He’d seen her jump, of course, but chosen to not stop her. She didn’t do that with more fragile, meaning normal, people, and that mattered a lot more than trying to save his already nigh-invulnerable hairdo.

They continued to walk towards the school like that, with Isaac answering the occasional question while the twins showed off some of their tricks. The pair had managed to figure out what fences and buildings were sturdy enough to be used like a jungle gym, so that was what they did, clambering over everything like a pair of monkeys.

Isaac just watched them with a wry yet proud smile on his face.

They reached the school soon enough, finding a large cluster of costumed people. Children in costumes ranging from ‘wearing dad’s clothes’ to intricate makeup that looked almost professional were being escorted by parents who mostly wore normal stuff. Of the adults, Isaac had the most elaborate costume. Well, unless you counted the woman in the police uniform, but Isaac recognized her as being an actual police officer from the nearby precinct. Most likely, she’d just put her uniform on ahead of time, or maybe she always dropped off her kid in uniform.

Isaac himself got a few inquisitive looks for his costume, but that was the full extent of responses.

“And now, the swords please.” Isaac asked, holding out his hand.

His twins responded with semi-annoyed eyerolls, but unbuckled the sheaths and handed them over. He simply cradled them under his arm, choosing to not store them as that would have drawn a lot of attention. Fancy costumes were just that, costumes. Magic powers, on the other hand …

Of course, the policewoman had noticed him instantly and given him an ‘I see you’ look. Not unfriendly, but appreciative. Of course, she recognized him, he’d trained her briefly a while ago and there was no way in hell he wasn’t at the very tippy-top of the local threat briefing. Not because anyone thought he was actually going to do something bad, but simply due to the fact that his power represented a danger in and of itself.

Besides the acknowledgement, there was nothing else that needed to be said. Hell, the acknowledgement itself wasn’t necessary either, but nice.

He waved his sisters goodbye, then turned and walked away while sweeping the building with his [Aura] to check for potential dangers. Faulty wiring, broken fire suppression systems, improperly stored chemicals, etc. He’d checked the last time he’d been here, but could it really hurt to check, could it?

And yes, to no one’s great surprise, the school was in no immediate danger of spontaneously combusting.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said of the people within. Isaac had long since gotten in the habit of scanning each and every person he saw, using [Hunter’s Gaze] to get a rough gage on everyone. After all, you never knew when you’d spot a [Serial Killer], or even a [Pickup Artist] whose [Skills] got a little to close to mind control for comfort. In general, he might just find the kind of person he’d prefer to take off the streets and be able to stop a tragedy before it happened.

The thing that tripped him off wasn’t a [Class] that was a raging red flag. It was a [Teacher]. But not a normal [Teacher]. At first glance, it just felt a little odd, strange, different from the others. That small issue was enough to make him zero in on the woman and take a closer look, and the [Teacher] became a thing that fell solidly into the uncanny valley, something still similar enough to what it was emulating so one could recognize it, yet different in that it looked ever so subtly wrong.

In other words, a false Status. And not just a simple [Skill] that could fuck with [Inspect], but a [Class] based around the idea of assuming another identity. A [Spy]. And given that this was no private institute in Berlin being patronized by the children of politicians and ambassadors, it was abundantly clear why someone would want a spy here. Fuck!

But rather than charging in there, beating the [Spy] unconscious and dragging her to the nearest police precinct, Isaac snapped off a quick text to Bailey to tell him he’d be late, then called Habicht. The police officer might be associated with tactical operations, rather than intelligence gathering, but he’d definitely know a better way to deal with this than immediate violence. Also, given how entangled everything was in the Bundes Argentur für das Übernatürliche, the BAU, he’d likely also know a few intelligence officers he could put Isaac through to.

“Good morning Mr. Thoma.” Habicht picked up after the second ring “Is the world on fire?”

… wasn’t that a lovely reputation to have?

“Not yet.” Isaac responded through gritted teeth, hearing a sharp intake of breath from the other end of the line “I just noticed a [Spy] at my sisters’ school and I’m trying to decide on what to do. What’s the protocol for that?”

The fact that violence was still on the table was merely implied.

“Actually, there’s someone who knows how to deal with a situation like that whose office is within earshot of mine and he’s coming over here right now. I hope this can get resolved … cleanly.”

There was a little bit of rustling on the other end of the line, followed by a tense voice immediately snapping of what sounded suspiciously like orders.

“Do not do anything down there, you hear me? Look, I realize that that must have been shocking, but …”

“But nothing. This is a normal school, the only even remotely interesting thing about it is that my sisters go to it. And now I’ve found a spy here, with the right [Class] and all. Now, from where I’m standing, that would mean they’re there for my sisters in some way, right? Maybe they just want to make sure they’re in a position to overhear anything my sisters say about me, or maybe there’s a more sinister side to this. Either way, something is going to happen here.”

There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the line.

“Ok, I’m going to stop you right there, Mr. Thoma. We’re aware of Mrs. Miller, and have been for quite some time. She’s one of ours. We put her there to keep an eye on things, to prevent the exact kind of situation you’re worried about.” The man explained.

“Oh really?” Isaac said “And Germany intelligence agencies have never done anything questionable?”

“Of course we have.”

Isaac blinked in surprise at that response, but managed to control himself enough to not say something stupid.

“Is that so?”

“Look, you’re an intelligent man and I’m not going to insult you by pretending otherwise. However, Mrs. Miller was put there with the express purpose of keeping an eye on things to make sure nothing happens to your sisters.”

“You do realize that I could take that both as reassurance and a threat, right?” Isaac replied in an enforced calm tone.

“Let’s speak bluntly, then. Mr. Thoma, you’ve been an incredible asset to this country so far, but it doesn’t take a genius to realize that you’d make a terrible enemy. I have no intention of picking a fight, or loosing access to your experience and expertise. And if someone else decides to pick a fight, your anger might not be directed at us, but still I doubt that would end well.

“So we’re making sure nothing bad happens to your family, and that no one is sniffing around them, just as we do with all the other people of comparable power. All of this is pure self interest. As you yourself often say ‘I’m saving the world, but don’t worry, it’s purely selfish, I gotta live here to’.”

Isaac grimaced “So that’s how it is? We’re both intelligent people, so when I make my next statement, I know you get my drift. I care about my family very much, and I’d be willing to do everything to keep them safe. If I can’t save them, I’ll make sure that nothing that harms them can be turned into a profit, spun in such a way that benefits the perpetrator, whatever happens to them will be paid back a hundredfold because no one will ever touch them if they know all they’ll reap is calamity.”

He dropped the low, threatening voice as he continued “As the old saying goes, ‘he who sows wind will harvest a storm. Is that clear?”

With admirable calmness, the spy replied “Crystal.”

“And one more thing: I’d like to talk to ‘Mrs. Miller’. There’s a break in one and a half hours, right? Tell her to meet me in the small forest just outside the school.”

“I can arrange that. And I hope that our future interactions will be … less tense. I’ll give the phone back to Polizeimeister Habicht now.”

There was another set of rustling, and then Habicht was back on the other end of the line.

“So, what was that about? I’ve never seen that jackass so nervous?”

“You couldn’t overhear?” Isaac asked.

“Sensory dampening field.” Habicht replied.

“So, this guy, what’s his name and position?”

“Johnathan Schmidt, the BAU’s spymaster. From context, I’m guessing he’s the one who sent the spy?”

“Yep. Says it’s for their protection, which makes some degree of sense, but I still don’t like it. At least now I know who to blame if something happens. Thank you for your help.” Isaac hung up.

On one hand, there’d always been that worry in the back of his mind, just how exposed his family was and what might happen to them while he wasn’t there. He’d always known that his only recourse was to take such terrible vengeance that hurting them would simply not be worth it, that anyone who tried would find their lives in ashes before they died in agony so no other person may make such an attempt. Therefore, having someone else working on keeping them safe was an incredible relief.

On the other … someone was watching his family. And that was creepy as fuck.

Isaac ended up walking in circles around the school, using [Sneak] to fade from people’s attention as he did so. Otherwise, a man hanging around a school meant for five to ten-year-olds … not a good look. He could have talked himself out of that, especially with his connection to the cops, but that didn’t mean he wanted to risk it.

And then, the second period ended and the children streamed out of the building and into the schoolyard to play. Isaac chuckled as he watched his siblings play tag though in this case, everyone else was ‘it’, a huge crowd chasing the blonde whirlwinds. It was cute, especially as he could tell they were holding back and letting themselves getting caught.

But there was a person leaving the schoolyard as well, draped in stealth [Skills], but still perfectly visible to Isaac’s senses.

Miller was around Level 30 or above, with a mid-range [Aura] that helped her blend in or disappear from view as she wanted to, helping her blend in as anything she wanted.

She entered the small copes of trees, looking around, failing to spot Isaac until he let himself grow visible behind her.

“Good morning Mrs. Miller.” He said, and she barely managed to avoid jumping in fright. She might be a spy, with a few years of work under her belt and all the right training, but she’d also just gotten a call from what sounded like a person who was a few steps above her direct superior and told to meet a terrifyingly powerful person in an isolated locale. And not just that, but said person had been able to hide from her. She might hide it well, but she was scared.

“Good morning Mr. Thoma.” She replied cautiously.

“So, you’re here to keep an eye on my sisters?” he asked.

“Yes.” She nodded.

“What are your orders?” he asked, his [Aura] tightening around her, able to notice even the slightest hint of deception.

“To watch your sisters, look into anyone who hung around and looked suspicious, and make sure nothing happens to them.”

She seemed sincere, but as a [Spy], there was a fair chance that she had a [Skill] to fake that. But short of completely blowing his top, there was very little Isaac could do about this situation, so he responded calmly.

“I suppose that’s a good thing. But let me tell you the same thing I told your boss: I couldn’t do much about you if you had bad intentions here and now, but after something goes wrong … well, I suppose I’ll leave that up to the imagination.”

Isaac grinned darkly and cocked his head to the side.

“But that’s not anything you or your colleagues have to worry about right?”

She nodded uneasily.

“So we understand each other, good.” Isaac pulled an Aspect of the Poltergeist out of his storage space and tossed it to her “Catch.”

Even off kilter as she currently was, Miller was a very high Level human and managed to snatch the glowing orb out of the air with casual ease.

“You’ve already got an Aspect of the Specter, I think that’ll give you a nice upgrade.” Isaac flashed her a grin. He’d now let her, and by extension, her superiors know that none of their obfuscations worked against him, but he was willing to play ball and could be generous.

“I’m gonna go to work now, and I think you should to. And let’s try to avoid having meet again, shall we?”

And with that, Isaac teleported as far as [Phantom Step] could take him, engaging his [Stealth] [Skills] simultaneously, so when he emerged out of her line of sight, there was nothing to indicate he was still in the area. To her, it would have looked like he’d teleported a hell of a lot further.

His insides were still in turmoil by the time he reached the university, but he decided he’d work through that on his own time. He had work to do.