From the Darkness

Chapter 3

Gavriel walks through the doors of a high-rise office building in the center of downtown Seattle. Though any normal human would simply see it as a normal office building, it is actually one of many Headquarters buildings for the Royal Gaurd that are scattered across the world. This particular office wasn't actually here until after Raelynn's birth, and its sole purpose is to keep an eye on her. Gavriel can't help but wonder what will happen to it once he has completed his mission.

Through the doors is a front desk.The ladies seated behind it are the buildings first security. When the humans come in looking to hire security guards, the building covered as a security office, they would get enough information to run through their system. If the system tells them that the person is a human, they are told that the company will get in touch with them on a later date. If they are a vampire, they are allowed into the building's offices.This system is much more secure than any 'secret password' ever could be.

When Gavriel sees a woman whom he recognized behind the desk, he gives her a wave, knowing she won't need his identity. He heads straight to the elevators on the other side of the small lobby. He presses the button to call the elevator and isn't surprised when the doors open nearly immediately. Walking into the small cabin, he presses the button for the top floor and leans himself against the back wall.

He listens to the little bell ding as he passes each floor, counting in his head until he reaches 15, the top and most important floor in the building, his boss's office. The office takes up most of the space on the floor, so when the doors of the elevator open and he steps out, all that is outside is a short hallway leading to a door. In a few short strides, Gavriel is at the door. He takes a deep breath, preparing himself for a heavy scolding or even worse. It's hardly ever a good thing when Damien summons you to his office. Most simple messages are carried out through telepathy.

He raises his hand to the door and knocks sharply three times before entering.

"Sir, you wanted to see me," he says with a questioning tone.

"Gavriel, yes. Have a seat, we need to talk about an event that occurred recently," Damien replies, motioning to the chair in front of his large wooden desk.

Gavriel takes a seat, bouncing slightly on the cushion.

"Is there a problem sir?" he asks.

His boss lifts his gaze from the paper on his desk and sits forward in his chair, anger and disappointment clouding his eyes.

"I shouldn't need to remind you how important this mission is, and how dire it is that it isn't compromised, yet here we are. Would you like to explain yourself?" he says.

Gavriel meets the harsh gaze of his boss, searching for answers in it, but finds nothing. "I'm not sure I understand sir. What have I done wrong?"

"The mugging yesterday, Gavriel, that's what you did wrong. You interfered and Raelynn saw you!"

"Sir, I was just trying to do the right thing, how was I supposed to know that Raelynn would be there!" Gavriel answers.

"That's just it, you didn't know, so you shouldn't have taken the risk. We don't have any room for error here, we need to be extremely cautious," Damien chides.

"Sir, that's why I did it. What if the mugger went after Raelynn next? I mean Raelynn was right there, what if she had tried to interfere and got hurt?"

Damien leans back in his chair and runs his hand through his graying hair.

"You know I'm one of the best in the Guard," he continues, "everything I do is for the sake of the mission. There isn't a moment where I am not thinking about it."

"Your skill was the only factor that convinced the Council that you were the match for the mission, I don't doubt your abilities. However, as much as I hate to say this, it would only take a minor mistake for them to replace you," Damien says.

"Why would that be so awful?" he asks, "What is so special about me that makes me so necessary for this mission? Wouldn't the council keep me on it if I really was so important?" Confusion floods his face as he starts to think about it some more.

He had always been told to simply trust his boss and had learned not to overthink the choices the Council made. The choices they made were always the right ones, and they seemed to always have their reasons for deciding as they did. However, Damien was sending signals that went against this way of thinking.

The man's face darkens and he stands up as soon as Gavriel finishes his question. He walks to the window behind his desk where he paces its length a few times as if he was contemplating something. After a few laps, he finally stops. "You have to promise that anything that is said from this point on will not be repeated. I trust you, and I need you to trust me. Is that a problem?"

"No, sir, of course not," Gavriel replies, suspicion filtering into his tone.

"Good. Now, you must realize that there is more going on behind the scenes of this mission, things not even the Council knows about. Those details I can not tell you. However, you are necessary for that part of the mission, and, since the Council doesn't know about it, they would not know to keep you on."

Gavriel's face fills with confusion. He simply sits there, looking at his boss, processing everything he was told. Finally, he speaks, "But sir, how could the Council not know about it. Isn't that their job?"

The man pauses for a second, deciding how to reply and choosing what information was safe to share. "All I can say is that parts of the council have been compromised. They have become partial to certain sides. This mission is going to change that. You can go now, there's nothing more to discuss. I will be in touch with you soon, and remember, always air on the side of caution on this mission. It is so much more important than you realize."

Gavriel stands up and nods his head in understanding. He turns from his boss and makes his way out of his office, following his earlier path until he reaches the sidewalk on the other side of the buildings front door, sighing with relief that the meeting had gone better than it could have.

***

This is the first half of the chapter. The second half will be added later.