It was cooler
now, a slight cold front had pushed away the warm air L’lorne had parked over
the region, but this was natural and expected.
If the warm air had remained for too long, Ritch 'arrd would have
noticed it. No matter, she was already
building up a second front that should arrive the next evening.
That didn't
begin to explain Deborah's position, curled up in a ball, her knees up to her
face in a sitting position. She
obviously wanted to cry, to bawl her eyes out, again, but she had simply run
out of tears and she was otherwise exhausted.
It would take much to get her moving again, and L’lorne was considering
some options.
In the
meantime, they waited on top of a building some distance from the Asylum, in
just the right position that L’lorne could easily watch the comings and
goings. Ambulances had surrounded the
area for some time, and most left at low speed, no rush needed for corpses
after all. In any case, she was waiting
for someone more important. A limo
pulled up near the front door and a figure rose up out of it. “Here we go,” she said.
“What?” Deborah said, moving next to L’lorne so she
could watch. The man who had gotten out
of the limo stopped and pulled out a cellphone, responding to a call.
“That's not
him,” L’lorne said. It was a slim hope
that Ritch 'arrd would make an appearance, he wouldn't be flushed out so
easily. Still, she had thought that
maybe he would slip up. No matter. She tried to follow the phone conversation
but found a sequence of blocks and other distractions in her way. “He's probably talking to Ritch 'arrd
now. He'll go inside, assess the
situation then report back. Now he's
probably just giving an initial report.”
“I've seen
him before.”
“You
have?” L’lorne studied the man as he
closed his phone and moved into the Asylum.
She couldn't recall him, which didn't mean much. “Where?”
“In the
paper. Front page. He was next to the funny looking guy.”
The paper
was already being displayed as soon as Deborah spoke. The headlines were rather generic, aside from
the article about the mystery of an exploding military truck a day
earlier. L’lorne wondered how long it
would take Deborah to make the connection to their little encounter at the
farm. The headline, and the picture with
it, however, were the focus. “EDUCATION
MINISTER PURPOSES NEW EDUCATION PLAN.”
Two men in the picture, one was the man who got out of the limo, a
personal assistant to the Minister of Education, one Malcolm Donalds. “Ritch 'arrd.”
“You mean
that funny looking guy is your boyfriend?”
Deborah was looking at the paper as well, probably at the same
picture. “He doesn't look like an
alien.” No, he didn't look like an alien,
he looked completely normal, which of course would drive Deborah's innate
senses nuts. He was too normal looking,
and it stuck out to her, and to L’lorne.
“Yes, it's
him,” she let go of a deep breath, a sigh of victory. “At long last, I've got him, and this time he
isn't getting away.”
Deborah got
up with L’lorne and the two stood looking out towards the Asylum. “What are you going to do when you meet him?”
“I think,” L’lorne said. “I think I'm going to kill him.”
Deborah said nothing for a moment, composing her thoughts probably. “Then I'm going with you.” There was a fire in her eyes as she said it, a fire of anger and hate. L’lorne put her hand on Deborah's shoulder for a moment, then they left the building. L’lorne wouldn't need to find any way to motivate Deborah, she had all the motivation she needed.
---------
There was a
lot of crying and wailing. The stench of
death was obvious, and the buildings were on fire now. Soldiers made their way through the village,
gathering the bodies of the fallen and throwing them into a cart to be moved to
a nearby pit for burial. Nearly all had
been shot in some way, most were warriors, a few were innocent women and
children.
L’lorne
stepped over one body, carefully looking at him for a moment then moving
on. She wasn't alone, as he followed
her closely, observing. “It doesn't look
like your plan worked,” he said without actually sounding like he was scolding
her, an ability that was as natural as breathing, she had learned over the last
few hundred years.
“No, it
didn't.” She looked at a soldier who
passed within feet of her. His pale skin
and slight beard made him look almost not human, but she let the feeling
pass. “They didn't have to kill them
like this though.”
He
responded with a questioning grunt. She
could feel the invisibility field around them shuffle a bit as another soldier
stepped past them, rifle in his hand, checking each building before one of his
subordinates put it to the torch. “So
what now?”
“Perhaps,”
she paused and watched as the next building burned. “Perhaps they need to see what's it like to
have their entire way of life threatened with annihilation.”
“That could
prove interesting, but there isn't much around now that could actually do
that.”
“There
would need to be a series of rather potent technological advances, I suppose,” L’lorne
thought aloud. They continued to walk, making
their way near the burial pit the soldiers had dug. They wrapped bodies in blankets and tossed
them in with little regard beyond that.
“Just not sure where best to start it.”
“Technology
is one thing my dear, but reason to develop and use such technology is just as
important.”
“Reason,
eh?” L’lorne thought for a moment. “How about Russia? I think we could get some good reasons out of
there.
“Possibly,” he said. “But they lack some important elements to
make ensure things go badly. Well, right
now they do.” He furrowed his brow in
thought. “Actually, I think we should
head for the Germanic states. Then
Russia. I've got some ideas we should
try out.”
“I'd love
to hear them,” L’lorne said. As she
spoke, an officer ordered the burial to begin, and dirt was tossed onto the
bodies of the fallen.
---------
Questions
1. What kind of person is Lcorn Llorne? What does she look like (in your mind)?
2. What kind of person is the Deborah Ignigus? What does she look like (in your mind)?
3. Does the setting seem fitting? Would you like to know more?
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