Chapter 97: B3 — 39. A Stressful Position

AuthorSME

News:  I'm in the process of writing the 2nd draft of TO; I'm trying to do a chapter a day on Monday-Thursday (not ATM days), and Saturday if I can swing it.  Link to them here:

The Oscillation 2nd Draft (Explicit)

The Oscillation 2nd Draft (Clean)

POV:  Rachel Sung Park (Our scheming girl has been doing her thing but has someone challenged her at her own game?!)

Recap:  Rachel called her parents, and the outcome was ... a bit tenser than Rachel would have liked.  Her mother had gotten very protective of her since the week of lockdown under Martial Law when she didn't know if her daughter was dead or alive, bringing back the trauma of her little niece that died in her car.

They talked a bit about guys and Bree's proposal, and Scarlet made it clear that Rachel was the best thing that happened to her; she's like the big sister she never had that's always looking out for her.

Things are looking up between our Reaper and Hare!

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Rachel stepped into David’s temporary office; the DDA would be getting their own building based in Miami soon enough, which David would be operating from, covering the southeastern part of the United States.

She quickly took in the room, already aware that David’s secretary had returned home for the night.  His door was left open, welcoming her inside; she entered without hesitation, and her guards followed, stopping at the entrance.

David was leaning back in his chair, eyes closed with his hands across his lap.  Hearing her walk in, he released a controlled breath of air before opening his brown eyes to address her.  “Rachel, I suppose you heard my call with Florida’s Law Enforcement Commissioner, Brady Golicer?”

“No, actually,” Rachel replied, taking a seat in front of David’s desk.  “I’ve been a bit busy focusing on other things.”

“Hmh,” David’s focus moved to his agents.  “You two can step back into the waiting room.”

They both nodded before retreating, shutting the door behind them.

“Alright, then,” David yawned, working around his jaw while blinking his eyes.  “He’s trying to coordinate with us about this terrorist incident, and he had some questions about you.  I told him I’d get in touch after speaking with you; he needs to prepare a public statement, and Assistant Director Kelley and I need to consult about our own public response.  So, lay it out for me.”  He groaned, running his hands through his black hair.

Rachel kept her cool demeanor, but she heard her parents arriving near the building’s front, and Maëlle was dragging Scarlet down a hall to wake up Anthony.

“First, you talked to Tom about my parents?”

“Yes, they can take over one of the spare offices we have for a few days if needed.  General Dallas also stated the possibility of it becoming a National Security issue for the Pentagon to handle, foreign affairs, not internal.  I know enough from Bree’s report.”

“Thank you, and I’ll get to that.”  Rachel paused, collecting her thoughts.  “I suppose the best place to start would be the call I received from a friend.  She was in a little money trouble and ended up in the crosshairs of a gangster while looking for work, or at least that’s what we knew at the time.  I told her to find Maria’s friends and that they’d keep her safe—it was daylight at the time.

“I thought it was relatively small-time stuff, and nothing like Terrell’s group; to be fair, they weren’t anything close to that operation.  My friend made it to safety, and when night came, we went to check it out.”

David didn’t interrupt, features neutral as he listened, and Rachel wasn’t sure if it was because of his sleep loss, but he was surprisingly hard to read.  She explained when she thought she’d been manipulated, what had happened in the café, and the events leading up to standing in front of him, including the exchange with Relica.

When she finished, David closed his eyes, resting comfortably in his chair as he thought; through his muscle movements, he was more thoughtful than angry.  After less than a minute of silence, his vision opened.

“Hmm … so, you didn’t mention anything to that News Anchor about the FBI being involved in the operation or add it to the police report?”

“I didn’t,” she confirmed.

“There’s no record of us being involved with the case other than my call to the police captain, and that was only a statement that you contacted me for a special assignment.  By all intents and purposes, it looks like you just stumbled on the scene like you said.”

Rachel folded her arms under her chest, and crossed her legs.  “I do expect there to be an internal investigation involving the methods I used, and I have the number of that News Anchor; I could slip her more information about Relica, which would give me cover with my actions.  I’m sure she’s already heard the news of Relica and our encounter.”

David nodded, glaring down at his table.  “I haven’t been able to check on the condition those men are in, but I’m sure it’s not pretty by the way you explained it.  There could be backlash thrown your way, but you’re confident that women will spin it in a positive light?”

“For ratings?  Absolutely,” Rachel shrugged.  “Everyone loves a good just desserts rage-bait article.”

“I’ve heard of the network,” David mumbled.  “I don’t watch it myself … too biased, but they do have a decent audience.  They do make up a lot of things, retracting them later to not deal with the legal fallout on their site, where people rarely look, perpetuating the false narrative on their show.  Yeah … it’s not a bad person to have in your corner, and there are a few news stations that piggyback off some of their content.  The real issue I’m seeing is the cause, though…”

Rachel cleared her throat, jumping into the conversation.  “I’ve handled it.”

“Handled it, how?”  David asked, picking between his teeth as his eyes narrowed.

“I now have a reactive ability that will make me resistant to mental effects.”

David released a low growl.  “If only it were that easy for everyone.  Okay,” he scratched behind his ear, yawning again.  “So, you’ll handle the incident without getting the DDA or FBI involved?”

An innocent smile touched Rachel’s lips.  “No problem.  I got into the mess, and I can fight my way out.  I’ll just make it seem as if Bree and Serah were there to escort me.  When they wake up, I’ll warn them about people looking for their testimony.  They don’t need to lie, either; they were there to escort me back to the FBI headquarters.  By the way, I heard our Psyche evaluation will be coming up soon.”

“General Dallas?”

“Yes, and he told me about the new Mythickin and Legendkin on their way; they should arrive in the next several hours, right?”

David groaned a long sigh while resting his head against the back of his chair.  “General Dallas has grown pretty fond of you, it seems.  Whatever you did for him must have been big.”

“It was an experience,” Rachel chuckled.  “He wants me to try and recruit them to join my group as Military Contractors.”

“Well—alright, then.  All I can say at this time is that they’ll be here a little past noon, long after you’ve fallen asleep, I assume.”

Rachel sighed.  “Sadly, true.  Tom told me a bit about why they’re being transported from the West Coast to the East, but nothing detailed…”

“That’s not any of my concern, right now,” David interjected, rubbing his left temple.  “Back to the matter at hand; you thought you’d scare some gangsters to stop them from pestering your friend, and found out they were bigger fish than you thought, hooked up with the police, and played your way inside to make a move to save the girls.”

He shifted his weight, leaning against his chair’s left arm while resting his head against his fingers.  “Sometime before you entered, Relica used this Provoke spell to make you more violent, and you tore through the human and Demi traffickers.  Pondered why the heat in your chest wasn’t going away, and after a bit of guesswork, found out you were not yourself, then discovered Relica.  Sound correct?”

“I wouldn’t really call them big fish at all, but in general, yes, that’s correct,” Rachel replied, ears twitching as her parents entered the building.

Their voices filled with mild interest as they talked about the aesthetic of the place, escorted by the MPs that were to stay with them until she got there.

Anthony was quickly getting ready, already awoken by a hyper-active Maëlle, leading an embarrassed Scarlet along with light conversation.  The Succubus’ DDA escort, Saeki, leaned against the wall, seemingly exhausted trying to keep up with the woman.

Could Maëlle be doing something that’s draining her physical stamina, or is she just naturally tired?  If only Maria were here … I need to call her.

David nodded, focus moving to a stack of folders that were neatly stacked on his desk; there was a closed tablet PC beside the files.  He sniffed loudly before returning eye-contact.  “You confronted Relica, and then she told you about the Cuban incident … I don’t like something so chaotic happening just ninety miles off our shores, and we have a lot of Cuban immigrants that still have family over there.  It’s bound to cause an uproar once it’s discovered.”

“Tom’s on it,” Rachel reassured.

“Right…”  David popped his tongue a few times.  “So, tell me what you think the best option is to stop all this manipulation magic that’s going around?  To be honest, I’m way out of my depth.”   He breathed through his teeth.  “I’m getting a lot of questions from a lot of people … not all government.

“How do we protect our citizens?  People throwing fireballs, we know how to respond to that, but mind games,” his tongue pressed against his lips while shaking his head, “yeah, it’s new territory.”

Rachel’s glowing red irises fell to her lap, and she responded carefully.  “I won’t say I haven’t given it some thought, and I can only imagine how people feel, hearing about the Seattle incident, knowing they might be turned into mindless slaves to harm people—maybe their families.

“Honestly, I don’t see any good solutions.  The government can employ all detection-type Demi, which could provide a monitoring system, but a preventative system … I have no clue.  Not every Demi is so noticeable.  Beastkin, Faekin, Aberrantkin, Mythic, and maybe even some Legendkin can be quickly spotted, but it’s the Champion-type of Demi that will likely be the most dangerous.

“They look no different than humans, making it impossible to catalog them properly if they go under the radar, and how would anyone know if they’ve already been processed when seeing them use a power?  Give it a few days after releasing some kind of documentation, and there will be counterfeits.”

Her vision rose to meet David’s thoughtful stare as he followed her rationale.  “Not only that but having our information in a broad databank is also extremely risky.  Tom had our data behind fairly extensive safety measures; he had to give explicit consent for someone to get it, but still, Relica got it and now has enough information to plan a decent strategy against us.

“I don’t see the DDA being able to safeguard a databank containing hundreds of thousands of Demi’s personal info safe while society learns to handle the new changes this will bring.  At the same time,” she sighed, pulling back her hair, “I understand why a list would be necessary.  I’m sure there will be vigilantes like Carter, who’s still out there and has a vendetta against Scarlet and now me.”

She shook her head again.  “No, I don’t see many good options at all.  A charter will be necessary for a ton of legal concerns, I’m sure, but you won’t be able to list every Champion.  Demi will fall through the cracks, but it’s needed for possible Demi crimes, which is now a thing that the public will want monitored.”

David didn’t respond as she stopped, pondering the many other implications this would bring, and after a time, sighed.  “Yeah, and we need to enforce whatever laws Congress enacts, but they’ll ask for my council in the next few days.  As an Assistant Director of DDA … I need answers.  Thanks for giving me some talking points.  Anything else?”

“Kids,” Rachel promptly muttered, vision returning to her lap.  “Teens … my cousin is going through a rough time at the moment, and he’s got nowhere to throw his rage.  Ah, there’s a passive ability that Beastkin have, Feral Instinct, and I’m sure Aberrantkin and Faekin have similar types of passives.”

“What does it do?”  David asked with a furrowed brow.  “I’ve talked with Kyle, Maëlle, and Anthony about their understanding of this … system—but there’s still so much left to explore.”

Rachel folded her fingers together, keeping them held loosely in her lap.  “I know it must be frustrating; it is for me.  I have explored it with what free time I’ve had, but I still think I’ve only scratched the surface.  It’s complicated … extremely complicated.  What do I know, though?

“I know that we’ve changed; I am not the same person I was before The Oscillation.  However—I’m not that different.”

David seemed to be getting a bit more alert as they continued the conversation.  “Explain.”

“I’ll start by saying I haven’t the foggiest idea about how this happened; The Oscillation itself is a complete mystery.”  She stated, leaving out her theories about Scarlet and The Reaper of Blood being somehow involved.

“How it affects us on a personal level, though?  It appears that this system responds to our desires, but there is a limit.  We must grow through gaining experience, which seems simple enough … although, I suspect it’s far more intricate than we’ve discovered.  If I want to jump higher, then what points I’ve gained will be added automatically to best support that desire.”

“That’s … too broad,” David mumbled.  “You’re saying people can gain new powers on the spot?”  He groaned, running his hands down his face.  “Managing this is going to be a nightmare.”

Rachel giggled.  “Thinking about quitting so soon?”

“Maybe,” David grunted with a serious tone, shaking his head with a frustrated sigh.  “I’m supposed to be briefed on some Top Secret event tomorrow, and I don’t know if I can handle much more.”

“Oof,” Rachel winced.  “If it’s what I’m thinking … it’s going to be hard to swallow, and you’ll be overseeing it here in the southeast.”

“Great…”

“No, really,” Rachel urged.  “I’m telling you to be prepared for something that you will probably need to sit down for.  That kind of responsibility is—not something I’d want,” she slowly stated, “but—I’m more than willing to help you with.  Just keep that in mind.”  She smiled.  “Talk to Tom after, and then, you’ll be able to ask me questions; I’m sure he’ll be there to debrief you.”

David sucked on his lower lip, clearly feeling the stress of all the responsibilities falling upon his shoulders.  “Director Freeh warned me it would be hard to swallow.  Thanks for offering, Rachel.”

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He frowned, settling back in his chair while squaring his shoulders, the weak lapse in his professional character fading.  “That being said, General Dallas managed to make a few calls, and it appears you’ll be getting your wish.  Doctor Richard Raynott will be here,” he glanced at the digital clock on his wall, showing three forty-eight A.M, “tonight, around seven P.M. to conduct your first psyche session with Doctors Julia Jarsdel and Rebecca Bryant as his council.”

Rachel restrained a smile.  Julia as psyche council?  No, she just convinced Richard to take her along to see us again.  Scarlet will freak out when she sees her; I should leave it as a surprise.  Although, it’s probably because of her blood.  She mused, remembering how much Scarlet enjoyed the way the peppy animal genomics and bioinformatics expert’s blood made her feel.

“I look forward to it,” Rachel replied, but her cheer fell slightly as a thought occurred to her.  “Our first session?  So, there will be multiple?”

“Yes, until the doctors have stated otherwise,” David shrugged.

That could be a problem … Richard is sharp, and I don’t know how much I can really hide from him if we had to continue until he was satisfied.  It was a gamble; at least he won’t be biased against Mythickin, but he will be hard to dodge.

“I see,” she mumbled, shifting gears, “and will that include Maria and Fiona’s sessions as well as the new Mythickin and Legendkin?”

David folded his arms across his chest, clearly a little concerned about something.  “Maybe … I’m told Fiona will be returning to Florida in two days with her family, and Maria will be here tomorrow.  The other Mythickin and Legendkin will be evaluated, yes.”

His heartbeat increased when talking about the new arrivals.  I suppose it isn’t strange he’d want Mythickin and Legendkin he can trust around; he seems to think there might be trouble with them.

Her tail twitched with anticipation, but she managed to keep her ears still.  “Is there anything you’d like us to do about the new Mythickin and Legendkin?”  Rachel asked with an innocent smile.

David’s eyes narrowed, brown eyes lifting to her ears, and he rubbed his nose.  “I’m guessing you’ve heard enough about them, and I can assume you’ve been analyzing every movement I’ve made.”

“Can you stop yourself from hearing?  Imagine being in a crowded room with thousands of voices, and it’s hard not to catch a few phrases here and there that pique one’s interest.”  Rachel laughed.

A yawn escaped David’s mouth part way through her statement.  “So—yeah, they’ve had an incident that I don’t want to repeat here in Miami.  They may not have started the fight, thankfully we’re not getting that party,” he muttered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, “but they’re more than willing to punch back—hard.”

Please, don’t get me even more excited!  Rachel thought, restraining the emotions she showed.  “Ah, I think we skipped over one of the questions you had earlier.  Feral Instinct, I think Beastkin need a way to release their aggression.  It could be MMA, sparring, or any other form of physical sport.  Make it something that people will enjoy with a competition of sorts, and I’m sure it will be a hit.”

“Is this also a personal request?”  David asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“Yes,” she grinned.  “It can be controlled, and there can be people there in case things get out of hand, but I think you’ll find Beastkin committing a lot more crimes unless you give them a way to relieve the tension in their chests.  It’s not something they can help.”

“I’ll bring it up,” he mumbled.  “Right, well, I think the last point of interest is Relica.”  He absently tapped the desk with his right index finger, pondering the idea.  “General Dallas says you don’t think we should make her known to the public.”

Rachel shook her head, cheer dampening as Relica’s image popped into her mind.  “No, she’s a careful planner, and wanted to be seen in public for some reason.  It could be for reputation, her ego, or any number of things, but she wants to be in the limelight for some reason, and I suggest we don’t give it to her.”

“Decent enough reason,” David replied.  “How do we catch her?”

“At this time—you don’t,” Rachel sighed, “and I’d be the first to tell you we need to lock her down—or kill her … well, behind Scarlet.”  She tilted her head for a second.

David pressed his hands behind his stiff back, trying to ease tension.  “What should we do then, let her roam free?”

Rachel’s ears twitched with irritation.  “Relica is by far the most dangerous Demi we’ve seen, and I’d rate her higher than the Seattle Vampire, even if she hasn’t killed as many people; although, it’s not fair because we never met him.”

“Really?”  David leaned forward.  “There are some dangerous Demi that have come out of this; what would you say if we put her on the DDA most wanted list?  We wouldn’t be broadcasting it to the public, but every law enforcement agency would be on the lookout for her, and there would be bounty hunters looking for a prize.”

“Mmh, I don’t know,” Rachel whispered, glancing down.  “It might get picked up by the news and blow up, but it’s a lot better than actively inciting the news to spread.  It’s your decision in the end, but just be aware that she’s trying to gain something out of this.”

“Noted,” David replied, pulling over the stack of files before pausing.  “Alright, what about Scarlet’s mother?  Relica mentioned her, and Agent Bailey said just her name made Scarlet panic.  I’ve read the report; I understand why she’d be upset, but why the connection between Scarlet’s mother and Relica?”

Shit … he does pay attention to details.

Rachel looked down, presenting a thoughtful expression to give her time to think, and after a moment, her lips fell into a frown.  “You’re right; it’s not something I wanted to discuss because I’m still working it out myself.  We found out Scarlet’s mom had escaped shortly before coming here the first time, and it was more than a bit disturbing to discover Relica and her are working together.

“They obviously have some kind of plan, but that gets into the National Security area of things with events outside the country.”

“Partially correct,” David slowly stated.  “She’s still on U.S. soil, as far as we know, which means I need to add her to Relica’s records and update Scarlet’s mother’s criminal record.  What can you tell me about their relationship?”

“I can’t,” Rachel replied while shaking her head with an irritated sigh.  “We didn’t know Relica and Adele were working together until today, and it appears as if Adele is the one doing a lot of the planning, which is something I didn’t expect.”

David hummed softly.  “Yes, as you painted Relica’s personality, she’s normally the one that likes to be in charge of a situation, yet she seemed thrilled to be working with Adele.”

Rachel scratched her white left eyebrow, glancing right.  “Yeah, I just know that whatever they’re planning, it’s not in our best interest.”

Silence followed as David digested her response, and after a moment, he nodded.  “I’ve got a few more decisions to make before I get some sleep.”

“Here, in the office?”  Rachel’s tone picked up, noting the couch on the left side of the large space.

“Yeah, until—this mess slows down,” he said between a yawn.  “Anyways, I suppose you’ll be speaking with Anthony and going out with Maëlle?”

“That’s the plan; although, I’m hesitant about it,” Rachel replied.  “I’m not that comfortable around Maëlle or Kyle yet.  They’re Manipulation-type Demi, which makes me hesitate.”

“I’m with you there,” David mumbled.  “We’ve put out the word that we’re looking to hire Demi that can sense Status Effects.  Can Scarlet or you help with the selection process tomorrow for our first candidates?  One of you must have a status ability, right?”

“Eh,” Rachel sat back, pondering the proposal.  We are gaining a lot of points with David with what’s happening, and babysitting Maëlle and Kyle will also take a load off his shoulders.  The more he owes us, the better.  “Sure, we can take the time to help ease some of the stress off your shoulders.”

Rachel smiled, getting to her feet, she let her ears soften slightly, falling forward.  “Oh, and I’ve heard some talk about handlers?  Could you assign Bree and Serah to that position for us?”

David rubbed under his nose, thinking about her request.  “Agents Bailey and Hughes … they’re Junior members, even counting FBI standards.  Normally, they’d be too young to fulfill such an assignment, but—they do seem to work well with your group.  I’ll take it as a trial phase for them.”

Rachel beamed.  “Thanks for giving them a shot; Scarlet really likes them, and Bree even got engaged tonight.”

“Oh?”  He popped his tongue, eyebrows lifting as he stared at the wall.  “First I’ve heard of that,” he whispered.  “Huh—okay, glad you told me.”  Eyes widening for a moment, he smacked his lips.  “Well, I’ve got a lot of work to do; I’ll see you later tonight.”

Rachel promptly left, closing the door behind her.  She waved at her escort as they got up, following her out of the office.

“Where are we going?”  One asked.

“To see my family,” Rachel chimed, turning to face them as she walked; she was doing her best to restrain the agitation that twisted her stomach as her ears caught Maëlle’s actions.  “They’ll be staying here for a few days.  Oh, umm—you wouldn’t happen to know where a spare room is that they can use?  Something big enough for a few air mattresses and close to a bathroom?”

“That’s—pretty specific,” the brown-haired man muttered.  “We’d have to talk to some of the floor managers.”

“It’s fine; anything will do for now, then,” she said, her pace increasing as she turned.

She could hear Anthony with Duncan, his handler, walking briskly down the halls while looking for her; Maëlle had pointed him to the front, right where her family was waiting.

That wasn’t a mistake.  She seethed.  Maëlle’s just like Relica, planning everything to a T, but she seems so much more natural at it!  She’s doing this on the fly; it’s like Maëlle doesn’t even try.  She’s always in the right spot to cause the most drama.

The Succubus was casually on her way to the nearest club, walking out of the building while dragging and teasing Scarlet for sport; however, she was actually revealing some of her simple tricks to Scarlet as they walked as if flaunting it.

There was no doubt in Rachel’s mind, she wanted both Scarlet and her to know how she manipulated people without releasing her hormones, and it didn’t bother her in the least.

She knows I’m listening … Maëlle was definitely a provocateur before The Oscillation.  She’s too much of a natural at it, and the change only enhanced and brought out some of those parts in her personality.  How did she even know these random people are my parents?

Did she infer it off Scarlet’s reaction when she mentioned the new group of people?  Did I miss something?  Is this a challenge?  Is she trying to tell me that she can get under my skin?  It’s not an if … she has.  Anthony’s just around the corner!  Why like this?  I’m not even there to buffer anything!

Her heart stopped, and she had to force herself from sprinting as her mother got her first glimpse of Anthony.  “Oh, Gwon!”  She whispered, elbowing her father.  “That’s gotta be him; he’s so handsome, and look at that hair!  His muscles, too … mmh, let’s go say hi!”

“Chan-hee,” her dad muttered, glancing around at the MPs that stiffened as Anthony turned the corner.  “We should wait for … Chan-hee…”

Her mother almost flew toward the shocked Legendkin.  “You must be Anthony!”

Rachel bit her lower lip, tasting her mint-like blood as Anthony glanced between her family members and the Military Police, moving forward in case there was trouble.  “Umm—yeah, eh—who are you?”

The broad, enthusiastic grin she knew was on her mother’s face must have made Anthony step back.  “My name’s Chan-hee—oh, umm, sorry,” she chuckled, stepping forward to follow his retreat.  “My American name is Molly; I’m Rachel’s mom!”

Dammit!  Tail and ears twitching with agitation, her cheeks flushed.  Both agents' muscles tensed as she broke into a run; Maëlle’s plotted event continued like a horrifying nightmare.  Mom, stop!

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