The Redemption of Arania

Moderators: Bookworm, starkruzr, MrFireDragon, PrettyPrincess, Wapsi

User avatar
jwhouk
Posts: 6053
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:58 am
Location: The Valley of the Sun, Arizona
Contact:

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by jwhouk »

---
Ari turned out the light in her bedroom after pulling the shades. Though her window faced toward the golf course, she still got some of the light spillover from the freeway and the airport.

That gave Tsillah the freedom to move about the apartment. She wasn't surprised by the general repair of the building – it had been done by the same people who had finished the Pillsbury Lofts, and done well enough that the rest of the buildings were in the process of receiving similar treatment.

Everything was as it should be; nothing glowing, nothing abnormal for a woman who was supposedly 26 years of age.

Tsillah remembered helping Phix and Neil set up the backgrounds of the three girls – parents were from Cyprus, both were refugees from the Turkish invasion. All three were born within three years of each other, with Arania as the oldest.

Phix had insisted they get that apartment at the Abbott. "Too much delicious irony," was her reasoning. Neil had been the one to suggest giving them a Yugo as a car; they settled on Monica's old Toyota Echo.

She innocently peeked at an envelope that was on the kitchen table; Ari had been subpoenaed to appear in Hennepin County court… for delinquent back rent at the Abbott.

Wonder if Al knows about this, she thought.
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
User avatar
jwhouk
Posts: 6053
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:58 am
Location: The Valley of the Sun, Arizona
Contact:

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by jwhouk »

---
Phix was finishing putting Aeternia to sleep in her crib when a soft clop-clop of hooves sounded at the entrance. Nicodemus had learned months ago not to disrupt the baby's sleep – at risk of maddening her mother.

"One moment, Nicodemus," Phix said softly as she cooed her daughter to sleep. As she approached her first birthday, she was already getting easier to get down for sleep.

Phix padded away and met up with the rabbi outside the nursery, after closing the door quietly.

"You found something?'

"It was only one thing, tucked away in an old copy of a commentary on the Torah – but I think it may explain it for you. Is the Centurion home?"

"I am now," Neil said as he approached the pair. Placing a soft kiss on his beloved, he turned to Nicodemus. "What did you discover?"

"It's not a new thing, mind you – this comes from the days before the Deluge, when paranormal beings were more populous than humans on the earth." He pulled out a small scroll, and unrolled it. "The handwriting is that of Gamaliel; it did not make it into any Tanakh commentaries that appeared later than your time. And for good reason."

The rabbi read from the scroll: "From the dust of angels, the heavenly armies shall emerge with a shout and cry to take vengeance for his people." He rolled the scroll back up.

"Was that from Moses' writings?"

"No. It took me a while to realize – it was Sumerian."

Phix's eyebrows shot up. "Sumerian?"

"It was the last known writings of a pair of cities – ironically, twin cities – that were wiped out shortly thereafter."

"I'm not following," Neil stated.

"Sodom and Gomorrah," Nicodemus stated, "had found the last traces – or, I am presuming, what everyone thought were the last traces of this 'angel dust'. They were wiped out as a result."

"Wait," Phix shook her head. "You mean those two cities were destroyed by radioactive dust?"

"They were only so lucky," Nicodemus stated. "Sodom was destroyed when the dust first contacted air. Gomorrah was destroyed in the ensuing battle between a fallen angel and the 'two beings' who had told Lot to leave and not look back."

"And the residue on Lot's wife was the boron carbonate?"

Nicodemus shrugged.

"I can only guess. What I do know is that your girl has definitely mutated into a full-fledged angel – and not these silly namby-pamby girly types you see on greeting cards. She is very powerful – more powerful than an average human."

"But how did Greg and her manage to survive the leak?" Phix asked.

"The quantity in the container appeared to be insufficient to cause an explosion – and she didn't open the container directly, from that report I saw. That is a drastic difference from what it was alleged – and this is from a rather unreliable source – was present in Sodom."

"How much more?" Neil asked.

"It was listed in the side notes as being a half an omer… a little more than a liter, in today's standards. Of course, the true question is how the Anasazi managed to get a hold of the dust…"
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
FreeFlier
Posts: 2492
Joined: Mon Oct 26, 2015 11:33 pm
Location: Land of the webbed feet

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by FreeFlier »

And the forebodometer is rising . . .

--FreeFlier
User avatar
Dave
Posts: 7584
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 5:58 pm
Location: Mountain View, CA, USA

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by Dave »

FreeFlier wrote:And the forebodometer is rising . . .
One wonders if monoseraphinium "angel dust" shares any of the characteristics of phencyclidine "angel dust"...
Wikipedia wrote:...severe changes in body image, loss of ego boundaries, paranoia, and depersonalization. Hallucinations, euphoria, and suicidal impulses are also reported, as well as occasional aggressive behavior.
If so, it could be Bad.

Changes in body image, check. Depersonalization and loss of ego boundaries... could be (although she already had issues there, for other reasons). Occasional aggressive behavior... again, she had that before, in spades... she was/is a sphynx... no sign yet that it's getting worse.

Anyhow, this bears watching (and I don't mean by the ursamorph twins).
User avatar
jwhouk
Posts: 6053
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:58 am
Location: The Valley of the Sun, Arizona
Contact:

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by jwhouk »

Monoseraphinium =/= PCP (aka "Angel Dust"). Trust me.
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
User avatar
jwhouk
Posts: 6053
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:58 am
Location: The Valley of the Sun, Arizona
Contact:

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by jwhouk »

---

Classic Rewind was blasting out through the speakers of the Mustang as Ari guided it off I-494 and onto the ramp for 24th Avenue South.

I sing this song for the common man
For the people in despair
I bring my song into the world
And I sing it everywhere
The simple truth lies waiting here
For everyone to share
So hold on, and I will take you there
Hold on and I will take you there


Ari pulled her car into the stall at Building 2. She was not looking forward to what she was going to have to do today.

She noticed that the Aston Martin was not in its usual spot in the interior parking area. That probably meant he'd swung over to Tina's for coffee... oh gods, I hope she doesn't say anything...

She carefully got out of the Mustang, grabbing her satchel purse. There was no light on in the offices - thankfully. She quickly made her way over to the mail room - nothing in her box, thankfully - then headed up the main stairs to her office.

Once in her own office, she confirmed that Al was not there yet. He takes his time coming in on Monday mornings, she thought. That'll work in my favor. Putting down her bag, she quietly turned on her workstation and logged in.

How she was going to write this request up, she wasn't sure...
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
User avatar
jwhouk
Posts: 6053
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:58 am
Location: The Valley of the Sun, Arizona
Contact:

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by jwhouk »

---
Al had taken a leisurely drive in to town, taking his customary stop at Tina's for his Kona and cream.

Tina's countenance as she handed him his usual caffeine fix put him suddenly on high alert.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I think Arania might want to talk to you when you get in," she said.

"What about?" Al asked.

"Something... happened to her over the weekend. Greg might be able to fill you in, if you see him. I was a bit... busy... trying to keep things intact."

Al's internal alarm was raising to DEFCON 2.

"What the bloody hell happened?"

"She... remembered."

---

Al found himself unintentionally speeding to get down to the plant - and caught himself. The Aston was well known by the Hennepin County law enforcement officials - by necessity; since having two working machine guns in the bonnet tends to draw attention - and he did not want one of them to pull him over and inquire where the fire might be.

Though, if Tina's words were correct, it might be at his plant.

He'd tried to get through to Greg and Annie, but the two hour time difference meant that they were likely still in bed. He rolled his eyes a moment as he thought about what that meant - but kept his comments to himself.

The Crosstown Highway was a bit crowded as he pulled off I-35W, but that was to be expected for a Monday morning. It gave him a chance to slow down and think about what awaited him.

She knows she used to be a sphinx, he thought. What would that mean?

He shrugged as he decided to snap on satellite radio while stuck waiting to get over to Cedar Avenue.

I've had enough of the falseness
Of a worn out relation
Enough of the jealousy
And the intoleration
I make you laugh
And you make me cry
I believe it's time for me to fly...


Oh, that put me in the proper mood... Al thought as he finally guided himself onto the Cedar Avenue Expressway. Thankfully, it was clear sailing down to the far side of the MOA - and the turn-off for the plant.
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
User avatar
Just Old Al
Posts: 1683
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 4:43 am
Location: Wilderness of Massachusetts
Contact:

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by Just Old Al »

Al pulled up to the main vehicle door at Building 2 and blipped the opener button under the dashboard. The roller door obediently opened, and he pulled the Aston inside and into his slot in the parking bay between the ambulance and the Mustang. Getting out, setting the security system to not blow up if mishandled (an annoying default that he needed to get AHI UK to fix) was a matter of a moment, then he walked around the back of the car toward the new office steps.

As always, he got a chuckle at the license plates on the two cars - the Mustang with WNG WMN and his Aston with Minnesota plates bearing the name GLDNEYE. However, this didn’t distract him for more than a moment from what he expected to find upstairs.

He walked up the stairs, key-carded the office door and entered. The lights were on in his office, but the door closed to Ari’s office. He could hear her moving around, but the closed door was an anomaly he disliked. He’d survived most of his life noticing small things – and this was a disconcerting one.

He doffed his coat and hat, hung them on the wall tree, and sat down to work after priming and starting the coffeemaker. He’d just opened his email when the back door opened, and Ari came out walking toward him.

Remembering the warning Tina had given him, he scanned her body language and was immediately concerned. Rather than her usual confident stride her walk and manner was almost frightened and reluctant. Rather than react to it Al decided to try not noticing – seemed to him that letting her come forward was the best bet.

“Good morning Ari – and how is RE’s Wing Woman today?” His tone and banter was light, but it bounced off Ari and simply dropped to the floor unnoticed.

She stood in front of his desk and Al could now see the rigid control she was holding herself with. There were tear streaks down her cheeks, her nose was red and her eyes matched. She’d obviously been crying – and a fair amount of it too. This filled Al with no end of trepidation – women’s tears were not something he could handle well.

“I need to give you….this, Mr. Richer.” In a trembling hand she held out an envelope. “I don’t want to do this, but I have no choice.”

Instant panic attack behind the desk. Al’s mind ran in circled like a crazed hamster, trying to figure out why she would resign, how much money would fix it, and what in Hades was he going to do without her?

Al took the envelope, folded the flap open and extracted a typed page. He opened it to read:

From: Arania Wardoff
To: Allan Richer
Subject: Salary advance request:

Due to an unforeseen court judgment I find myself having to ask for a salary advance to pay court costs. Due to my short time employed at RE I cannot simply go to a bank for this – which would be my preference.

I require the sum of $5,225.85 to cover the judgment and legal fees…..


Al’s mind spun, simultaneously thoroughly relieved that this was not a resignation letter, concerned that the poor girl had lost a suit and wondering how she hadn’t mentioned anything about this before.

The silence stretched on a millisecond too long as Al read the request, and Ari lost it.

Collapsing into the chair in front of Al’s desk the poor woman bent forward and started to sob uncontrollably. Great tears dripped down from her eyes onto the floor as her shoulders heaved and sobs echoed in the room.

Al went around the desk, and best as he could gave the poor sobbing girl a one-armed hug while crouching down to try and comfort her.

“Ari – Ari – what is this about? I don’t understand – you didn’t mention anything about this.”

It took a minute or two, several tissues and a massive effort at control before Ari could talk.

“It was my…sisters…they defaulted on the rent at the apartment we used to share…I was on the lease. They just skipped…couldn’t care less what happened to me…just skipped…”

The floodgates opened again. Angry at her useless sisters and their behaviour, he waited out the latest storm and then said “Have you got the paperwork?”

She got up, scurried back to her office, and returned with the legalese for the court appearance. Al flipped through it – he was no lawyer but he’d seen enough to understand it – and handed it back to her.

“Okay – I wish you had come to me earlier. There’s nothing we can do with this now – other than pay it.” He walked back around the desk, opened Thunderbird, and began to type an email:

Code: Select all

To : Mort Trantor
CC: Arania Wardoff
From: Al Richer
Subject – Salary advance:

Mort, Wing needs a salary advance – 5250 dollars. Give it to her – have a check couriered here today for it made out to her. Between the two of you work out a repayment plan that will not crimp her budget – let’s be reasonable on this.

I figure this is a good investment – if she owes me money I don’t run the risk of her leaving and having my business fall apart. 

Love to the wife and kids – Al
With this typed he turned the screen around for Ari to read.

“This work for you?”

In answer, the waterworks opened again. Al got up from behind his desk and came forward, hoping to help but feeling rather useless about the whole thing.

Ari, noticing him coming around the desk, propelled herself out of her chair and hugged the old Brit fiercely, sobbing onto his shoulder in mixed relief and release of tension. Al, thoroughly disconcerted, just patted her back and made what he thought were comforting noises.

Suddenly, with a WHOMP and ripping of fabric his hand was thrust away from her back. Where he’d been patting two beautiful white wings appeared, and he could feel claws piercing his shirt where her arms were wrapped around him.

“Oh, dear.” he thought.
Last edited by Just Old Al on Thu Jan 07, 2016 7:06 am, edited 2 times in total.
"The Empire was founded on cups of tea, mate, and if you think I am going to war without one you are sadly mistaken."
User avatar
jwhouk
Posts: 6053
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:58 am
Location: The Valley of the Sun, Arizona
Contact:

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by jwhouk »

---
It took Ari a moment to realize what had happened.

"Oh.. OH! Oh, oh, I am SO SORRY..." She pulled away, retracting her claws.

Her wings, however, were proving a bit harder to hide.

"Uh, uh..." She nervously looked around to make sure she hadn't broken anything. She did, however, see the cup from Mucho Mocha - which, thankfully, had not spilled onto the floor.

"Um, I, uh, guess you talked to Tina this morning."

Al nodded in response. "I take it that this is what happened there this weekend?"

Ari nodded. "Uh - I didn't... do anything to your back, did I?"

Al suddenly felt warmth against his back - and realized that her claws had done more than shred the back of his Oxford shirt. He turned around and heard Ari's gasp in horror.

"OHMIGOD I'M SO SORRY!" She nearly yelled as she saw his torn back from her claws. She scrambled to try to find something to staunch the bleeding, even as Al was leaning hard against his desk.

He couldn't tell what exactly happened next, but right after she reached up to touch him - the sudden pain stopped.

There was another gasp.

"I... what the... How did I..."

Al turned to look at Ari. "How bad was it?" he asked - only to see her looking down at her hands.

"I... don't believe I just did that," she said. "I... oh my..."

His shirt was still in tatters, but he wasn't feeling any of the tell-tale signs of bleeding. He quickly went over to the mirror he had against the back of the door by the coat rack - and saw that his back was, well, pretty much normal.

"Ari," he said quietly, "I think we need to talk to someone about this. And, unfortunately, it's someone who is currently at a place you're not allowed to go..."
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
User avatar
lake_wrangler
Posts: 4300
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2012 8:16 am
Location: Laval, Québec, Canada

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by lake_wrangler »

I am loving every minute of this, and can't wait to see where it is going. With a title like "The Redemption of Arania", I expected her to improve in morale, in attitude, and to become even more useful and appreciated. I don't know if I expected her to be accepted back as a sphinx, but I certainly did not see this angel dust stuff coming. At all. Way to keep us in suspense! :D
User avatar
Just Old Al
Posts: 1683
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 4:43 am
Location: Wilderness of Massachusetts
Contact:

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by Just Old Al »

“On second thought, before you talk to other people you and I need to have a chat. Specifically we need to talk about the accident – and your part in it.”

Ari was a bit taken aback – what could this have to do with the accident? She’d been sick, yes, but since then she’d been fine – better than fine, really, other than this stupid suit thing.

“You and I need to go to the back shop – I need to show you something.”

---------------

They sat in front of the big screen, with the video of the event running. At intervals Al stopped the playback, magnified and spoke of the events taking place

“You came in, and you did everything by the numbers. Very good reactions, other than the supply bottle – and one more thing. He ran the video forward till the figure on the screen reached into the failing containment – and stopped the playback.

With a pipette he pointed at the screen – specifically at the join of glove and sleeve. He then magnified the section – and the failure of the seal at that point with the reveal of unprotected flesh.

“When Greg saw this – he went to the toilet behind you and lost his breakfast. To put not too fine a point on things, that was the first death sentence passed on you. At that point with contact with the sample you should have been dead. Analysis shows some of the spillage hit you – not much but some.”

Al closed the video – Ari was uncomfortable watching it and no question why – and opened the report provided by MIB.

He pointed out the radiation dosages taken by both her and Greg. “Again to put not to fine a point on it, you took enough radiation in there per their estimation to fry a blue whale. The dosage Greg took just getting you out of that USELESS RAT BASTARD SUIT…sorry… getting you out of the rad suit was double what the workers at Fukashima took during the cleanup – he is none too happy about it as you can imagine.”

“I’m so sorry…”

“No, let it go – it won’t kill him – as one ages one’s resistance to radiation goes up – he and I are tough old birds that way. However, the number you see there – 350 Gray dosage – is the second death sentence you got in as many minutes.”

“Greg and I and MIB’s physicists can’t figure out why you’re alive. We’re not complaining, but this makes little to no sense at all.” I begin to suspect however that the contents of that sample may be why – and this is why you need to talk to Phix.”
Last edited by Just Old Al on Thu Jan 07, 2016 7:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
"The Empire was founded on cups of tea, mate, and if you think I am going to war without one you are sadly mistaken."
User avatar
jwhouk
Posts: 6053
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:58 am
Location: The Valley of the Sun, Arizona
Contact:

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by jwhouk »

---
Arania had been slightly traumatized by watching the video of the incident, but she was genuinely surprised when she saw the spillage.

"I... I never felt a thing," she said quietly, even as Al was hanging up the phone.

"Wait, what?"

"I never felt anything. I... I picked up the container, saw a puddle of something on the floor, then just moved it to the next storage container over."

Al frowned. "Puddle?"

He went back over to the screen, and rewound the video to where Ari had pulled the old container out.

There was nothing in the empty container.

Al looked back at the report from MIB. "When they finally found it safe enough to enter the containment area, they stated there was nothing in the old container."

"But there WAS! It was some sort of liquid..."

"Liquid?" Al looked up at the screen, then down at the copy of the report he had brought down from the office. "The whole container was dry. Hell, when they pulled it out of the new containment area to examine it, it was dry as the Gobi Desert."

"It couldn't have evaporated that fast - could it?"

"Maybe it was something else." A voice came from behind them both.

"Hey there," Monica waved. "Phix said I should escort the two of you to a certain island, where we can discuss things."
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
User avatar
GlytchMeister
Posts: 3733
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2013 2:52 pm
Location: Central Illinois
Contact:

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by GlytchMeister »

Please don't break the island. Monica's already gone through three of them... Well, Bud broke the first one, and the volcano erupted of its own volition... But the Urchin Mine incident? That was all on Monica and Jin.
He's mister GlytchMeister, he's mister code
He's mister exploiter, he's mister ones and zeros
They call me GlytchMeister, whatever I touch
Starts to glitch in my clutch!
I'm too much!
FreeFlier
Posts: 2492
Joined: Mon Oct 26, 2015 11:33 pm
Location: Land of the webbed feet

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by FreeFlier »

I think I'd use a different island . . . one a long way from breakables.

--FreeFlier
User avatar
Sgt. Howard
Posts: 3329
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 11:54 pm
Location: Malott, Washington

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by Sgt. Howard »

The threesome arrived at Club U-296 just moments before another threesome- that being Neil, Phix and Nicodemus.
Ari froze instinctively- then resigned herself to her perceived fate. Neil would kill her, Phix would eat her, Nicodemus would bless the bones before they were thrown into the sea.
But the old goat was who approached her first. Sensing her fear, he spoke soothingly-
"Do not fear, my child... do not fear. There is no judgment or condemnation here- we only wish to learn, to understand... and, should it be, to help. Would you be so kind as to show me your wrists?"
Cautiously, Ari extended her arms. Carefully, Nicodemus examined them- he saw no signs of burns or eroded tissue. Then he looked fully into her worried face, searching for other signs of damage. Letting her arms drop, he proceeded to deeply inhale of her scent.
"She is not a sphinx," he spoke at last, "but.. she is not human, either. She suffered no burns from the radiation... or any other damage from what I can tell- tell me child, was there a fluid in the container?"
"Yes... a reddish, silvery stuff... it looked almost like mercury, but the color was wrong,"
"Phoenix blood... I would bet money on it,"
"Nicodemus?" Phix started, "You never gamble,"
"This is no gamble. I would bet money on it," He replied, "the material that was in that container was Monoseraphinium- we are rather in the dark about it to a large degree. We cannot replicate it, we are not sure exactly what it does or how it works, but we have every reason to believe it has done what it was supposed to do with you. I am told you now can sprout wings?"
"Uh... yes,"
"And... your hands become armed? Large claws?"
"...Yes..."
"What color are your wings?"
"White... a brilliant, Titian white," responded Phix, "And she grows canines that can take prey... no offense, Rabbi,"
"None taken- I do not recognize your scent. You are transformed, there can be no doubt on that,"
"Into what, Rabbi? What am I?
"Unless I am greatly mistaken, you are an Angel,"
Rule 17 of the Bombay Golf Course- "You shall play the ball where the monkey drops it,"
I speak fluent Limrick-
the Old Sgt.
User avatar
Sgt. Howard
Posts: 3329
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 11:54 pm
Location: Malott, Washington

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by Sgt. Howard »

"AN ANGEL?!? ...no...no, that can't be right... how can that be, Nicodemus?"
"That is what Monoseraphinium does- it was a means of transforming mortals into angels. Problem was, it is a sentient chemistry, one that considers it's recipient and responds according to it's own will, not that of the experimenters or the recipient. According to the writings we have on it, a good many died from this stuff... what were you doing when the exposure occurred?"
"She was Bloody Well saving a largish portion of Minnesota from a grade 5 nuclear event!!" Al blustered, "Were it not for her actions... I don't even know where to begin,"
Nicodemus digested this little bit of information- "A brave act of mercy, a true demonstration of courage without self concern, to save the many. My child, you proved yourself worthy at the precise moment that you were exposed. THIS was no accident! THIS was no coincidence! THIS was meant to happen!"
Neil stepped forward- Ari feared his approach.
Neil put his hands out to his sides, palms open towards her, "You asked Phix why we didn't kill you... that was in the hopes that you might grow into something beyond what you were. There was some resistance to the idea," here Phix looked away, "but that was the intent and I am glad we did this,"

The tears started to flow... the wings popped out and Ari grabbed up Neil and (watching that her claws did no harm) she held him while she sobbed.
Rule 17 of the Bombay Golf Course- "You shall play the ball where the monkey drops it,"
I speak fluent Limrick-
the Old Sgt.
User avatar
GlytchMeister
Posts: 3733
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2013 2:52 pm
Location: Central Illinois
Contact:

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by GlytchMeister »

Monica looked on from the sidelines. Somebody's gonna have to do something about her wings ripping up her shirts... Maybe Velcro? She shrugged and returned her focus on her coffee.
He's mister GlytchMeister, he's mister code
He's mister exploiter, he's mister ones and zeros
They call me GlytchMeister, whatever I touch
Starts to glitch in my clutch!
I'm too much!
User avatar
jwhouk
Posts: 6053
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:58 am
Location: The Valley of the Sun, Arizona
Contact:

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by jwhouk »

EPILOGUE (Yes, we do know how to write those sometimes)
---
Two Months Later...

"...And that was what we used in the Battle of Pillsbury A-Mill. I don't think either myself or Mr. Howard there have even thought about trying to fire the thing..."

Ari was trying to keep a straight face as Al was showing off the gun display at the plant. The gaggle of teenagers from Gryphon High were eating up the stories - some, of which, Ari suspected were fabrications.

"And that part of the plant over there?" asked an inquisitive Abby.

"That... is the off-limits part of the plant," Al explained quickly. "Our friends at MIB operate that as a storage and analysis lab - when they're not trying to accidentally blow up the Twin Cities, of course..."

"Hey, I had no idea my uncle was coming over for a visit!" Devyn blushed furiously.

"It's okay, kid," Calista whispered in her ear. "Hey, check out the fancy car over there!" Cricket had intended to distract Devyn, but the sudden arrival of a Bentley through the garage doors of the plant brought everyone to attention.

And, a couple of the male members of the group started to drool a bit.

"Oh geez," came a sigh from the back of the group. "Hi, dad."

"Oh, Atsali! Neil! I didn't know today was your field trip!" Buck lied. "How's everything going? They haven't blown up anything yet?"

"No, they haven't," Neil said patiently. "And even if they had, Arania's here to help out with the damage control."

That made Ari blush.

"So - you're the angel, huh?" Cricket asked.

"My, you're an inquisitive one, aren't you?" Ari responded. "Well, in my role as the head of operations of RE, I guess I'm sort of the angel of the plant..."

"Uncle Neil said you were an actual angel, though," Atsali piped up.

Neil had a pained look on his face. "And you weren't supposed to bring that up," he said quietly.

"It's all right, Neil, I've gotten over it - thanks to Nicodemus and Monica."

"Oh WOW, you know the Jaguar Girl?" Mallory got wide eyed at the reference.

"Miss Villarreal?" was all Calista could squeak out - which surprised Devyn.

"She's helped me a lot in the last few months, yes. Oh - and Atsali, thanks for the heads-up on those velcro dress inserts. They do wonders." In a bit of a flourish, a pair of white wings spread out from her back - to a chorus of oohs and aaahs from the class.

"Hey, hey, garage door's open!" Al said quickly as he hit his personal key fob to shut it. "Don't want people who aren't supposed to see things see things..."

"Why, Al, I don't know what you're talking about," she said quickly - and her wings had disappeared just as quickly.

Al just gave her a look. "She keeps the whole place running. That and her ability to use that behemoth gun I showed you earlier are reason enough for me to keep her on."

"The real reason why I stopped over," Buck explained, "was to relay a message - and take over as chaperon for Neil." Neil looked at him quizzically, until Buck whispered something in his ear.

"Oh, well - I guess I have to deal with that, then," he said. "Everyone - Mr. Alexander is going to be your guide over to the Mall of America and the Aquarium. I'll be over there later to get you back to Gryphon."

"Mind if I leave the Bentley here, Al?" Buck asked.

"Yes, but not here in the middle of the shop!" He directed his stepson to the parking bays over to the side of the building. "Right next to the Ambulance."

Buck pulled the Bentley into the spot, and came back to get his charges from Neil.

As they headed out and back over to the bus, Al noticed that Neil had not left.

"What's going on? Something up with Phix?" Al asked as the garage door shut.

"Buck just told me Phix wanted to see me, and would be here momentarily..."

"...Here," Phix said, appearing from behind Al's Aston Martin.

Ari still froze for a moment - mostly out of habit - but recovered quickly. "What's this about?"

"We need to show you something - up in your office..."
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
User avatar
jwhouk
Posts: 6053
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:58 am
Location: The Valley of the Sun, Arizona
Contact:

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by jwhouk »

For some reason, Ari was dreading this little trudge up the stairs, with Al leading the way and her two accusers behind her.

Once they reached her office, she plopped down on the chair behind her desk - and immediately went into her "I'm doomed" mode: head on hands, leaning forward on the desk.

"What now?" she asked quietly.

A couple of chuckles were exchanged before an envelope was slid in front of her.

"This came in the mail for you here," Al said.

The envelope had the return address of Alexander Law Offices LLC.

Oh crap, she thought... Was this from damages from when she nearly tore apart the plant back in February?

She opened the letter.

Code: Select all

Arania Wardoff
c/o Richer Engineering
2717 East 82nd Street
Bloomington, MN

Re: Hennepin County Conciliation Court Case #20160610-1345

Dear Ms. Wardoff,

Our legal staff reviewed your case presented to us on behalf of your employer. 

We placed a counter suit against the named individuals, DREYALI WARDOFF and MORBIDIA WARDOFF, for negligence in notifying you of the debt incurred by them while your name was on the lease. 

As the two parties declined our summons, the court found in your favor in their absence. 

Enclosed please find a cashier's check for $5,000, less legal fees for our office, refunding the money you paid to the complainant...
Ari's eyes grew wide as she read it. "Does... does this mean what I think it means?" As she said that, the check - made out to Ari in the sum listed - slid out of the envelope.

"Yep. You're in the clear," Al explained. "I know that was why you were forced to take that flat over on the old Fort Snelling ruins - because you couldn't get more than a month-to-month lease anywhere else."

She sniffled a bit. "It's a good thing Buck's not here, or he'd get a huge hug."

"I think that may have been the reason why he chose to go chaperoning the Gryphon bunch," Neil stated. "But that's not all. Now, you have a choice."

"A choice?" Phix brought over to her two larger manila envelopes.

"The truth is, the groups who are battling over the rest of the Fort Snelling buildings along the Airport Freeway are at an impasse over their futures," she explained. "That's not a very fitting area for someone of your stature to be living."

"So - we have two options for you," Neil pointed out. "One of them is your old apartment - the one at Abbott. Buck convinced the developer that we would be able to find a tenant if you weren't interested in returning..."

"No," Ari said firmly. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but that place holds too many memories - mostly negative."

"Thought so," Phix said, picking up the one envelope. "However, we have another option for you. It's an industrial loft in the uptown part of Minneapolis. Rent is reasonable; comparable to the Abbott. It has two separate bedrooms and an elevated office space... and a paranormal door."

"What?"

"It was Katherine's old apartment before she and Buck were married," Al explained. "MIB kept the rent up, because of the heavy modifications that were made to the place. Lily was considering moving in with Suzie there, but the place was a bit too... bright... for their liking. Oh - and spacious."

"Spacious?"

"As in, room for my step-niece to fly with her wings out... though she told me she had to keep dodging the overhead beams," Al added.

"It... sounds nice... but how am I going to pay for that on my current salary?"

"Well, funny you should say that," Al replied. "We just got a new contract with MIB - this time, it's not a 'dangerous chemical' repository, but more of an equipment clearinghouse. Things that are used by the agency on a regular basis."

"It makes sense, considering that Richer Engineering is the number one requester of said equipment," Phix said with a grin.

"Hey, I didn't know that bloody feline weighed THAT much," Al pointed out. "Anyways - as a result, they gave us a bit more to work with for our budget. And, as a result, I need someone to take over the logistics - and security - required for that position."

Al's smile grew. "And that would mean, oh, an extra thousand or so a month for you - if, of course, you chose to accept the position?"

Ari shook her head in amazement. "If this is what you all do for someone who's been such a royal screwup, I can only imagine what you do for those you like."

Al braced for a moment. "You're not going to administer one of your angel-hugs again, are you?"

Ari laughed. "No. But I will take the loft. Though how I'm going to get everything over there..."

"That's our department," Phix said. "We have someone working on large-scale transporting that will get your items over there before you even leave work today. And Buck will talk to your current landlords about your lease."

"So - is this my redemption, then?" Ari asked.

"Well, the Library is still off-limits," Neil said. "But - we can get you access so that you can transport to Island U-296 on occasion, for a little getaway from the Minnesota weather."

"Sold. So - where do I sign, here?..."
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
User avatar
GlytchMeister
Posts: 3733
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2013 2:52 pm
Location: Central Illinois
Contact:

Re: The Redemption of Arania

Post by GlytchMeister »

Glytch felt his phone buzz again with yet another email. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at it. Another advanced VORP request. I'm going to have to make a tutorial program for the new VORPer... It is getting way too popular, way too fast for me to keep up with on my own... Maybe I can get some of the minion librarians trained so they can take it off my hands... He chuckled softly to himself. Of course, I'm keeping my admin status.
He's mister GlytchMeister, he's mister code
He's mister exploiter, he's mister ones and zeros
They call me GlytchMeister, whatever I touch
Starts to glitch in my clutch!
I'm too much!
Post Reply