Monday, February 8, 2010
Cuckoo
3:44 PM | Posted by
Warwriter Widow
Grim stopped short at the entrance to the training room. Eule sat in the center, a bag of sand suspended in the air in front of him. Eule looked like he was struggling, and Grim realized that he was using telekinesis.
“Mark,” he called.
The bag dropped with a thud, and Eule turned to the door. “Hey, Mark,” Grim said.
Eule turned back to the bag. Grim climbed over the ropes and sat down across from him. “How do you feel?”
Eule wouldn’t look at him.
“So, did you see my copy?”
“Yeah.”
“Was he just as handsome as me?” Grim smiled.
Eule focused on him. “He wasn’t black. He was blond. And he didn’t have wings.”
“What did you tell him about me?”
“Nothing.” He clammed up.
“Eule, listen.”
Eule now looked at Grim’s shoulder.
“Eule. You have people here who care about you. Kalius cares a lot about you. We wouldn’t have done what we did to get you out.”
“So I owe you?”
“No. But we don’t leave our friends behind. You don’t work for us anymore, Eule, you’re part of the family.”
“I would have been…”
“What? His lover? Until he’s done with you and finds more pleasant eye candy to feast upon? You going to be his puppy? Used?”
Eule stood up, seething with anger. “You don’t know!”
“Oh, I do know,” Grim said, looking at him steadily. “Because I know what this Kalius is fully capable of.”
Eule stopped.
“How deep did you go into his mind, Eule?”
“Just memories.”
“Did you see the rage, just barely kept in check? Did you see what kept the rage down?”
“No, I didn’t—“
“Love. Compassion. Tell me, did you see that in their Kalius’ mind?”
“I didn’t—“
“At all?”
Eule cast his mind back, to what the General had thought, and felt. There was no compassion, just hot and heavy lust. Eule had been caught up in it, and misunderstood. The Pooka was right – there was a difference between love and lust. He did know it in his head, but the General had stung his heart.
Grim waited, watching Eule, who showed no emotion on his face. Finally, Eule sighed. He looked at Grim. “Maybe…maybe if somebody shows him love…”
“I see where you’re going, Eule, and trust me, I went down the same path.” Grim got up. “What if he doesn’t change? You’ll be the one who gets hurt. Maybe even killed.”
Eule raised his head. “I’ll take that chance.”
“Is he worth it?”
“Everyone has some good in them, Grim. Even the insane – there’s good in them, I’ve seen it. You have to dust it off and show it to them.”
“Trust me, I know what you mean—“
“Don’t you think I can do it?”
“No,” Grim said calmly. “I don’t. You don’t know Kal’s like—“
Eule slipped into Grim’s mind and suggested gently that he wasn’t there. Eule seemed to then disappear from Grim’s sight.
“Dammit!” Grim ran to the main switch to shut the teleporters down, when he returned to the training room from that, he saw the remnants of an Oroborous portal close up.
Eule brushed back his hair and locked away his mind. All he knew now about Safe Havens was what was in their public file. Nothing about Raina’s cat, or Jack’s connection to her, or Stefan and Grim and Kalius, or even Oblique or Morgan. They would have to use some severe battering rams to get at that information. He would still be alive and functional afterward, but he would have a headache for a few days akin to a horrible migraine.
Eule had a plan in mind, and he knew that as long as he kept on that plan and didn’t get carried away, he could do it. He covered it in layers upon layers of thought, excuses, reasons, and then satisfied that the thought of “I wish to serve the General” seemed to fill his mind, he walked into the Mind’s Eye Enterprises building.
He shuddered, as if a sudden cold breeze caressed him as he walked in. He looked around, suddenly feeling very out of place. He took a breath from his training to calm his mind and walked directly to the front desk.
“May I help you?” asked the lady kindly.
“I am here to see General Kalius.”
The guards moved from their spot as the woman said gently, “I’m afraid you have the wrong place. There is no General Kalius here.”
Stay where you are, Eule suggested after going into the guards’ minds. One resisted, so he pushed the issue. When Eule had mentioned Kalius one of the guards pressed a button by the door. The elevator opened and some more security showed up.
Eule stood up straight and thought at them all, STAY.
They stopped where they were.
Eule turned his mind to the woman and meant to tell her to find General Kalius but he was met with a block of resistance. He quickly scanned her mind to see if she was offensive at all, but she wasn’t – just totally mind-blocked. It would probably hurt her to push his way through.
“I’ll wait,” he said. The guards moved again, slightly confused. Eule picked up a magazine, and sat calmly on the couch. If anyone picked up his thoughts, they would be for the General and whatever he was reading, and it wouldn’t look like he was hiding anything.
He waited.
“Mark,” he called.
The bag dropped with a thud, and Eule turned to the door. “Hey, Mark,” Grim said.
Eule turned back to the bag. Grim climbed over the ropes and sat down across from him. “How do you feel?”
Eule wouldn’t look at him.
“So, did you see my copy?”
“Yeah.”
“Was he just as handsome as me?” Grim smiled.
Eule focused on him. “He wasn’t black. He was blond. And he didn’t have wings.”
“What did you tell him about me?”
“Nothing.” He clammed up.
“Eule, listen.”
Eule now looked at Grim’s shoulder.
“Eule. You have people here who care about you. Kalius cares a lot about you. We wouldn’t have done what we did to get you out.”
“So I owe you?”
“No. But we don’t leave our friends behind. You don’t work for us anymore, Eule, you’re part of the family.”
“I would have been…”
“What? His lover? Until he’s done with you and finds more pleasant eye candy to feast upon? You going to be his puppy? Used?”
Eule stood up, seething with anger. “You don’t know!”
“Oh, I do know,” Grim said, looking at him steadily. “Because I know what this Kalius is fully capable of.”
Eule stopped.
“How deep did you go into his mind, Eule?”
“Just memories.”
“Did you see the rage, just barely kept in check? Did you see what kept the rage down?”
“No, I didn’t—“
“Love. Compassion. Tell me, did you see that in their Kalius’ mind?”
“I didn’t—“
“At all?”
Eule cast his mind back, to what the General had thought, and felt. There was no compassion, just hot and heavy lust. Eule had been caught up in it, and misunderstood. The Pooka was right – there was a difference between love and lust. He did know it in his head, but the General had stung his heart.
Grim waited, watching Eule, who showed no emotion on his face. Finally, Eule sighed. He looked at Grim. “Maybe…maybe if somebody shows him love…”
“I see where you’re going, Eule, and trust me, I went down the same path.” Grim got up. “What if he doesn’t change? You’ll be the one who gets hurt. Maybe even killed.”
Eule raised his head. “I’ll take that chance.”
“Is he worth it?”
“Everyone has some good in them, Grim. Even the insane – there’s good in them, I’ve seen it. You have to dust it off and show it to them.”
“Trust me, I know what you mean—“
“Don’t you think I can do it?”
“No,” Grim said calmly. “I don’t. You don’t know Kal’s like—“
Eule slipped into Grim’s mind and suggested gently that he wasn’t there. Eule seemed to then disappear from Grim’s sight.
“Dammit!” Grim ran to the main switch to shut the teleporters down, when he returned to the training room from that, he saw the remnants of an Oroborous portal close up.
Eule brushed back his hair and locked away his mind. All he knew now about Safe Havens was what was in their public file. Nothing about Raina’s cat, or Jack’s connection to her, or Stefan and Grim and Kalius, or even Oblique or Morgan. They would have to use some severe battering rams to get at that information. He would still be alive and functional afterward, but he would have a headache for a few days akin to a horrible migraine.
Eule had a plan in mind, and he knew that as long as he kept on that plan and didn’t get carried away, he could do it. He covered it in layers upon layers of thought, excuses, reasons, and then satisfied that the thought of “I wish to serve the General” seemed to fill his mind, he walked into the Mind’s Eye Enterprises building.
He shuddered, as if a sudden cold breeze caressed him as he walked in. He looked around, suddenly feeling very out of place. He took a breath from his training to calm his mind and walked directly to the front desk.
“May I help you?” asked the lady kindly.
“I am here to see General Kalius.”
The guards moved from their spot as the woman said gently, “I’m afraid you have the wrong place. There is no General Kalius here.”
Stay where you are, Eule suggested after going into the guards’ minds. One resisted, so he pushed the issue. When Eule had mentioned Kalius one of the guards pressed a button by the door. The elevator opened and some more security showed up.
Eule stood up straight and thought at them all, STAY.
They stopped where they were.
Eule turned his mind to the woman and meant to tell her to find General Kalius but he was met with a block of resistance. He quickly scanned her mind to see if she was offensive at all, but she wasn’t – just totally mind-blocked. It would probably hurt her to push his way through.
“I’ll wait,” he said. The guards moved again, slightly confused. Eule picked up a magazine, and sat calmly on the couch. If anyone picked up his thoughts, they would be for the General and whatever he was reading, and it wouldn’t look like he was hiding anything.
He waited.
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