06-30-2014, 06:34 PM
Michael listened to the conversations that went on around him with a keen ear. The Sigma introduced himself, although he was not sure why. The man seemed to dote on Nikolai, which he supposed was the smart thing to do, particularly being an American.
Next the Chief of Special Operations of the CCD armed forces introduced himself and began asking a barrage of questions about the operation in Jeddah. Michael remained cool and vague. Head of military or no, until Nikolai told him otherwise, he would keep the true nature of the battle a secret.
The proceeding events were met with diffidence. It was almost a relief when the waiter dropped water on the Sigma's pants, causing a slight commotion. Their enthusiastic self-proclaimed waiter Pyotr seemed furious but a word from the Sigma and the man simmered down, returning to his post as Marcus moved to dry himself.
Nikolai had finished speaking to a Mexican ambassador of all things when he turned the subject towards military matters again. Michael was again cautious with his words, giving nothing more than Nikolai himself decided.
Michael wearied of the conversation, he was almost tempted to seize the power just to keep his reactions sharp when a sudden spike of power rose somewhere in the hall. It disappeared with a strange flash and Michael turned with a frozen expression towards Nikolai. They shared a look - he had also noticed, and was not at all pleased - and then nodded.
Ahh, a challenge.
Michael replied by seizing the power. It flowed into him like a molten river of boiling ice and frozen fire. He drew in power almost to his capacity, but not to the point he strained with all his strength to hold on. Compared to the flash of the stranger or the humble moderation of Nikolai, Michael would burn like a bonfire. If anyone intended to sabotage the dinner, he hoped they would be drawn away from the Ascendancy by his own strength. As much as the man galled him, he would stay true to his promise of loyalty.
He remained seated, focusing inward and twelve webs snaked from his presence, stretching the length of the room and beyond. His wards would probe the area and pinpoint any further use of the power. The nets came naturally to him and he had improved beyond all expectations since he had first experimented. The complexity had evolved from detecting movement to the power itself.
He spun the net away from Nikolai so as not to interfere in his work, but found nothing. Was it a mere test? Had Nikolai set him up? Perhaps he already had an army of Ascendants hidden in his empire.
Curiously, his attention was drawn to the Sigma who had returned from the restroom. Convenient timing indeed, but the man elicited no warning signs and he had legitimate reason. Nonetheless, Michael would not leave any stone unturned, and perhaps the Sigma had seen the intruder, he was outside the hall after all, and Michael was not sure where the rest rooms were. He could have walked right past the man.
"Welcome back, Marcus,"
he said in a pleasant tone of winter dew instead of glacial ice. "May I have a moment of your time?"
Edited by Michael Vellas, Jun 30 2014, 06:34 PM.
Next the Chief of Special Operations of the CCD armed forces introduced himself and began asking a barrage of questions about the operation in Jeddah. Michael remained cool and vague. Head of military or no, until Nikolai told him otherwise, he would keep the true nature of the battle a secret.
The proceeding events were met with diffidence. It was almost a relief when the waiter dropped water on the Sigma's pants, causing a slight commotion. Their enthusiastic self-proclaimed waiter Pyotr seemed furious but a word from the Sigma and the man simmered down, returning to his post as Marcus moved to dry himself.
Nikolai had finished speaking to a Mexican ambassador of all things when he turned the subject towards military matters again. Michael was again cautious with his words, giving nothing more than Nikolai himself decided.
Michael wearied of the conversation, he was almost tempted to seize the power just to keep his reactions sharp when a sudden spike of power rose somewhere in the hall. It disappeared with a strange flash and Michael turned with a frozen expression towards Nikolai. They shared a look - he had also noticed, and was not at all pleased - and then nodded.
Ahh, a challenge.
Michael replied by seizing the power. It flowed into him like a molten river of boiling ice and frozen fire. He drew in power almost to his capacity, but not to the point he strained with all his strength to hold on. Compared to the flash of the stranger or the humble moderation of Nikolai, Michael would burn like a bonfire. If anyone intended to sabotage the dinner, he hoped they would be drawn away from the Ascendancy by his own strength. As much as the man galled him, he would stay true to his promise of loyalty.
He remained seated, focusing inward and twelve webs snaked from his presence, stretching the length of the room and beyond. His wards would probe the area and pinpoint any further use of the power. The nets came naturally to him and he had improved beyond all expectations since he had first experimented. The complexity had evolved from detecting movement to the power itself.
He spun the net away from Nikolai so as not to interfere in his work, but found nothing. Was it a mere test? Had Nikolai set him up? Perhaps he already had an army of Ascendants hidden in his empire.
Curiously, his attention was drawn to the Sigma who had returned from the restroom. Convenient timing indeed, but the man elicited no warning signs and he had legitimate reason. Nonetheless, Michael would not leave any stone unturned, and perhaps the Sigma had seen the intruder, he was outside the hall after all, and Michael was not sure where the rest rooms were. He could have walked right past the man.
"Welcome back, Marcus,"
he said in a pleasant tone of winter dew instead of glacial ice. "May I have a moment of your time?"
Edited by Michael Vellas, Jun 30 2014, 06:34 PM.
"She saw a flaring halo around his head, radiant in gold and blue. It shouted of glory and power to come"
"No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it."