“Anna—”
“Keith, did you come here to tell me what a terrible job I’m doing? To replace me? No, no, you didn’t, because you need a goat you can stake out to shoulder all the blame when the International Committee comes slavering for meat. You think I don’t know that I’m done after this? You’ve got two options, you little prick. Kick me out now or shut your face while I do my last job however I damn well please.”
The young man in the sharp suit looked like he’d been blasted by a gust of wind, while Gladys tiredly clapped from the couch, even letting out a feeble, laughing cheer.
Keith turned a glare on Gladys, who fired an insolent glare right back.
“Go on, little boy,” she told him, getting up from the couch to stand next to Anna. “Try and tell me off. Then go explain to the Steering Committee how their category-three healer heard about their intentions for my good friend Anna and we ran off to join the Fiji branch and live on a beach. I’m pretty confident they’ll take us.”
Keith frowned unhappily.
“You’re right that people are watching, Anna,” he said, “but you and I both know that if anyone can salvage this, it’s you. Yes, if this goes wrong, I can’t shield you. If you manage to get the lid back on the pot, though, this is your way up. Committee membership. A say in all those decisions you keep protesting.”
A lot of the hot air deflated out of Anna.
“Are you blowing smoke up my arse, Keith?”
“Regardless of what you might think, Anna,” Keith said, “there are those of us that believe you can be a valuable voice on the committee. I know you’re having a rough day, but I need a little less conversation and a little more action, please. A seat at the big table is on the line and not every committee member is as accommodating as I am.”
“If you say hysterical woman…” Gladys warned.
“Wouldn’t dream of it. I’m going to take one of the small offices until this thing is sorted. If you need any extra resources, come to me and I’ll clear it. Today, you get anything and everything you need. Just ask and I’ll make it happen.”
Anna looked a little sheepish after blowing up at someone who came to give her exactly what she wanted.
“Thanks, Keith. Sorry I kind of exploded on you.”
“Kind of?” Keith asked with a chuckle. “I get it, Anna. You were proved right about all the wrong things and now you’re the one stuck holding the bag. Now that you’ve blown off some steam, are you ready to get back to work?”
“Yeah,” Anna said. “I’ll get it done. Can you figure out who the hell sent this French operative here?”
“I’ll even figure out why,” Keith said.
“Oh, I know why,” Anna said. “The French caught their outworlder and they wanted the complete set before anyone could confirm what they were.”
“You’re convinced this Asano is an outworlder?”
“Go take a look at the footage Aram took of their fight,” she told him. “Talk to Nigel. He thinks the guy’s fighting is literally out of this world.”
“I’ll do that,” Keith said. “I’ll stop interrupting and let you get back to it. Just remember that some of us do have your back, Anna.”
He left, leaving Anna and Gladys together.
“Am I crazy, or did he quote Elvis in there?” Anna asked.
“Yep,” Gladys said. “I actually slept with Elvis. Young Elvis, too, not pudgy Elvis.”
Anna gave her a sideways look.
“He was rubbish,” Gladys continued. “Now Marlon Brando, that guy knew his business. Turns out he was cheating on Rita Moreno with me, though, and then she went and slept with Elvis. She didn’t like it any more than I did.”
Jason groggily came to in the boot of a moving car. From the rough ride that finally shook him awake, he knew they were on a gravel road. He felt the familiar sensation of a suppression collar, but that didn’t worry him. At this point, he used them on himself for aura training.
Even a powerful version like the one the Builder had crafted he could negate for at least a few crucial moments. Short of a collar designed to suppress gold-rankers, he was confident that he could deal with it. The problem was that once he did, anyone nearby with aura senses would know about it, while he wouldn’t sense who was in the car until he pushed off the suppression.
He didn’t know what condition the silver-ranker was in after their battle. He knew the man had to be in a bad state, but what healing did he have access to? Even if he survived, it should have taken a powerful ally or significant resources to keep him alive. He might not be fully recovered.
Jason, to his surprise, felt physically in top form. Much of Colin’s biomass had been destroyed and would need to slowly recover before restoring Jason’s full regenerative power, which left him wondering why he felt so good. He would need his system interface back before he got answers.
He knew that the best time to act was while they were still on the move, when his enemies had limited resources in place to deal with him. When he made his move, it would need to be definitive. Once he did, his enemies would learn that suppression collars couldn’t truly suppress him. That was not information he was willing to reveal.
He pushed out with his aura, negating the bronze-rank suppression collar with ease. Immediately he sensed three bronze-rank presences in the car, but not the silver-ranker. Given that the silver-ranker had snuck up on Jason before, though, it did not mean he wasn’t present.
With the return of his interface power, a system message popped up.
You have been afflicted with a massive dose of [Carfentanil].
You have resisted [Carfentanil].
[Carfentanil] does not take effect.
You have gained multiple instances of [Resistant].
You have gained multiple instances of [Integrity].
Apparently, his attackers had tried to sedate him before putting the collar on, allowing his Sin Eater power to absorb the affliction. That had given him enough stacks of Integrity to heal him up, explaining his current condition. Even after the collar suppressed the ability that bestowed them, the buff already in place continued to work, restoring Jason to full health.
He sensed the reactions from the auras in the front of the car as they became aware of his own. Shifting himself around, he got some leverage and pressed his legs against the lid of the boot. After only a few seconds, his superhuman strength was enough to force open the lock and the boot popped open. He conjured his cloak as he pushed himself out of the moving vehicle, which allowed him float into a gentle impact on the gravel road.