Chapter 3: Chapter 3: A Promotion

  Robert’s Apartment actually belongs to him. No, it would be best to say that it is something he inherited from his grandparents. Two large rooms with the bedroom having a double bed. A living room with an open kitchen and small bathroom where one can take a shower or take care of business.

Living room has a balcony that has a view of the Mediterranean Sea. With a lawn chair and a small table. Robert has two vices. Hard to believe that a young adult in his twenties is already this overworked. Addicted to booze, cigarettes, and watching television.

A reasonable-sized apartment for a single man. He’s quite living okay. Better than he did in his past life. Robert looks around and crashes on the couch. He turns on the television.  He haven’t seen CRT television for a while.

Shows here are imported from America.  The Television shows  are full of comedies and sitcoms. Some of the faces he remembers. The rest of the actors are a blur to him. The rest of the channels are local shows he didn’t really care about. Though he found a documentary channel that suits his taste.

There are similarities. He even found a music television showing music videos.  He found a channel playing the cat and mouse cartoon he used to watch on a pirate streaming site for fun.

“Come on now Tom, you have to stand up to yourself. Don’t let that cunt Jerry do you like this. Why do you never win even in an alternate world?”

Robert watches the show with grievance. His entire being focused on the show. He kept on watching the show until his stomach made a gurgling sound. He looks at the compact fridge. Only a few sausages that are in the freezer. The rest’s water. No booze. No snacks at all.

He turns off the television. Lock his apartment. Went downstairs, took a right and found an outdoor cantina on the waterfront. He searches his wallet. Dusty and empty. He orders one Saumon à l'oseille. A salmon filet with sorrel in a creamy fish sauce.

As he eats the food, he realizes how little there is to eat. He looks around. Takes a look at the Mediterranean Sea before placing his eyes on the stain he left on the plate. The waitress places a cup of water on the table.

“I got my vacation… at least.”

He leans lazily on the seat while watching people pass by. Time passes. His phone rings. He reaches out to it and answers it.

“Hello.”

“This is Saint Lucius’s Branch. Am I speaking to Mr. Oswald?”

“Yup.”

“Good. Please go to Newman Street, and enter the designated building. Please bring your ID, badge, and the letter you received from the Commission. We will reissue you a new one.”

“Can I take my time?”

“Please be punctual.”

“Got it.”

Robert ends the call. He leans on the table groaning. He searches his wallet and finds only a hundred euros. He left the cantina. Found a cab, told him to take him to Newman Street. He got dropped off next to the bus stop.

He searches his memories for the building. 

Robert finds the business building on the corner of the street. He walks up to the receptionist and takes his ID, badge, and letter out.

The receptionist inspects them before allowing him in. He’s just going by the memories. He found the entrance and entered the code to enter the underground complex.

The complex is full of uniformed personnel. The rest are the soldiers, associates, and the rest are Enforcers who are going after some task set for them.

Robert heads to the office to get himself promoted. As walks there someone recognizes him.

“Man, you really got out of that alive shit, Robert.”

The man greeting him is someone who he recognizes. Roger Falcone. An Enforcer working for CASE for five years already. There aren't a lot of Enforcers that are active. Most of them get shot or thrown into a situation where they have little chance of surviving.

Supernatural Anomalies are not so common.  But most of the time they have to deal with Cultists or Psychopaths that have been addicted to the Call of the void. Then there are the usual Spawns that are made from whatever mistake they made playing with the Occult that needed people from the Commission to handle.

“Uh, you alright there Robert?”

“Kinda.”

“Saw that mess. Gee, you got balls on you. How the fuck did you survive that mess?”

“Patience. And shooting everyone on sight.”

“Hmm, got a new look on you. Heard you’re high grade now. Grats’ about your promotion bud.”

“Going somewhere?”

“Algeria. Boss told me that I should go to a village called Daïat Labguer. Hamlet or something.”

“Taking a plane?”

“Yup. I still have a Business in Rome so I’ll go there.”

“Sounds busy.”

“Only a few of us and our multinational organization don't have much of a strength after most of us got killed years ago.”

“Must be tough.”

“Salary’s good. We get to travel, but most of the time. But International folks like me are a rare breed.”

Roger Falcone’s the one who recruited Robert. Introduced him to this hell. Robert pockets his hands.

“Good luck on your trip.”

“Sure. Sure. Congrats again.”

Robert watches him leave before finding his way to the office. The bored guy that is on his desk scrutinizes him. He’s one of the Agents of the Commission, a superior that they follows orders from.

“Nice work with the cult problem. You have every Cleaner hate you right now for how big of a mess they need to clean up. You know how big the sewer system of this City is right? It’s a good thing that our host country is so forgiving.”

“Do I get a bonus? I’d like it in kuna or euros please.”

“Aren’t you greedy?”

“Euros then?”

“You’ll get 5k for the good work and a bonus for surviving. That should pay the bills and get you something.  Did you hand over your badge and ID?”

Robert takes out his ID and badge.

“Get your new ones on your way out. You already know most of the basics. You'll be a high grade Enforcer from now. That means you’ll take care of paperwork and work on cases independently. Only people you’ll answer are me and Colonel Skylar Sinclair.”

On his desk is his full name. Lieutenant Richardson Clarke. One of the Agents, a full-blooded mage that received full education as a Mage. According to what Roberts knows, he is from a lineage that fought with true magic, killed demons, hunted old dragons, and fought demons.

That power’s been diluted through the years. But he can feel something off with the way he is looking at him.

“We also have another side task for you.”

“Already?”

“Unfortunately you cannot rest easily. But don’t worry, I’m sure that this one doesn’t need much. It’s on paper only. You’ll be assisting a  Wunderkind.”

“A what?”

A boyish person enters the room. One look at the person and Robert can tell from that self-conceited look of how much confidence he has a as a person. The type that Robert doesn't want to spend time with.

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“Meet Simone Wyllt. Simone needs people to be checked once in a while. Still lacking in magical abilities, but Simone’s the most pure-blooded out of all of us.”

“Oh, such a prodigy.”

Simone looks him up and down.

“He doesn’t look much.”

Simone points at Robert.

“Mr. Oswald here has proven himself capable. His records are quite lacking, but his recent case alone suggests that he is the right person to sometimes look out for you. He’ll be assisting you in any of your concerns. If you need it."

“Do you really think I need help, Mr. Clarke?”

“Not really. But it’ll be useful if you do. He’ll assist you if you need it.”

Robert looks at Simone and pockets his hands. He looks back to the Lieutenant.

“Is this all?”

Simone looks at him. He might be expecting more fanfare at meeting a Wunderkind or a Mage. It should be a happy occasion. But to Robert it sounds like a pain in the ass.

He doesn't think that they’ll introduce someone like this unless it’s really important. Whatever this Simone will accomplish sounds like a trouble to him. Then again, this is nothing more than acquaintance.

“That is all. Please check on Simone while you’ll still have the chance. Simone has a habit of overworking.”

“Got it Boss.”

Robert takes one look at Simone before sauntering out of the office. He went to the armory to retrieve his weapons and equips his holster with two semi-autos with six magazines hanging on it.

He takes his time on the shooting range to get used to his new pistols. After spending time in the range he went to the cafeteria where he ate. Two hours after hanging around, getting acquainted with his new workplace. Robert starts working on gaining information.

Java was released last year. There’s already a google search engine. Not a lot of it yet but it’ll do. He has taken a look at the map of the world. He took notes of the changes in the world map and made a mental note. The one thing that stands out the most to him is how the Mediterranean is spilling into the Black Sea.

Most of the programming languages he knows are still around. Having his own cubicle, Robert looks at his flip-phone before concluding sincerely.

“Looks like nothing much has changed even coming here, huh. Still overworked like a big fool.”

Robert leans on his desk and looks at the paperwork. He got his own radio and the company’s courier delivered his new ID and badge for him to use.

 

***

“Good. Now will you stop asking me about the ritual?”

“That’s a lot of body count for a new Enforcer.”

“Do you see why I’m asking Enforcer Oswald to check on you?”

“I do. I was half-expecting that you’d make him my guardian.”

“You have the grace of Emrys. If we didn’t think you have the potential then we wouldn’t have invited you in the first place. You have finished your studies. That’s good. But you are not fully-fledged. Truthfully, if it wasn’t for that blood. I’d rather have you start from the bottom.”

Simone’s arms folded. Simone checks the report of the incident before tossing it back on the desk.

“So what am I supposed to do then?”

“I’ll train you sometimes. If there is a job that needs to be done. You’ll be supporting them. Simone, mages like us are a dying breed. An automatic weapon can wither our defenses and shred us like papers. The only difference is that we can use our own energy as weapons. We can attack and defend without needing a gun. There are a lot of rogues who are using their abilities for different purposes. So it does not make us special.  But you came here because you felt that obligation. You know how dangerous untamed magic is.”

“You look tired, sir.”

“Anomalies one after another. And now dealing with cultists. We are about to enter the 21st Century. How many more years will us mages exist?”

“As long as they exist. We have to exist, sir.”

Lieutenant Richardson nods his head.

“You have potential. All of us know that. But you must understand that the Commission has been active as of late. Grow into becoming a powerful agent, Simone Wyllt. We need more Agents in this troubled world that we can depend on.”

“I will, sir.”

“Good. Miss Sinclair will contact you after this. If we are lucky, the one behind the incident will not cause problems in Algeria.”

“Do you expect problems, sir?”

“Maybe.”

The Lieutenant slides a piece of paper on the table.

“These are our contacts. You can call Enforcer Oswald if you need assistance. All the contacts are in here.”

Simone takes the paper. Simone groans at one of the names listed.

“Miss Hela Dupont as well?”

“Do you have problems with her?”

“I was told she was dangerous.”

“Not always. She’ll be in touch.”

“Where is she?”

“Germany. She’s taking care of the artifacts that we’ve recovered. We’ve found some of the pieces that the National Socialist Movement gathered. She’ll be moving to Austria before coming here. ”

“I see. She’s quite busy.”

Simone visibly relaxes.

“You don’t like her?”

“She’s… eerie.”

“Her family has a history of being intimidating. You can learn from her, boy. Do not let fear control you. You can learn a lot from her experiences in the field, Simone. ”

“I won’t. That will be all, sir.”

“You may go, Simone.”

Simone leaves the office. 

Lieutenant Richardson takes the dossier and puts it back to his filing cabinet. He turns to his computer, changes the entry for Robert Oswald and approves his promotion as high-grade Enforcer of the Commission.

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