The Gateway

15. Impression

When she walked inside, Miranda noticed that the High Court wasn't nearly as elaborate as she thought it would be. It was nothing like she thought it would be. She stopped just inside the door, and let her eyes wander around. She didn't want to go in blind. She wanted to know if there was something she needed to watch out for or maneuver around. She noticed the four men she had seen statues of, when she and David first arrived, were sitting at a table in front of her. To the left, was a long corridor, bathed in darkness, that seemed to go on forever. To the right, was a target, in the shape of a human. She assumed that was what she was going to be shooting at. The walls were jade, just like the exterior corridors. She twisted her hands, as she began to get more and more nervous.

"Come in, my dear," one of the gentlemen at the table said. "Don't be shy. We are very anxious to meet you." He smiled warmly. "I'm James." He pointed to each of the others, as he introduced them. "This is Clark, Steven, and Vladimir."

Miranda gave a little bow to each of them. It was a last-minute decision she hoped would impress them. David had told her to treat them with respect like she would her president, but she decided it would be better to treat them like royalty instead. Maybe that would get her more brownie points. "Hello. I'm Miranda Wolfe."

"Yes," Vladimir said. "David informed us of your name, and the reason you have come before us today." He clasped his hands together in front of him, his beady eyes burning into hers. "You seek a license to carry a Necroblaster, do you not?"

"Yes," she answered softly. "I do."

"May I ask why?"

Miranda cleared her throat, so she could talk louder and more plain. It was unusually dry. "Of course. Um...I want to be able to help David with Quasar. I want to help him get him off the streets of Earth, to help stop him from wiping my entire species off the planet. David told me that the only way to wound or kill Quasar would be three shots from a Necroblaster."

The members of the High Order all looked at each other simultaneously.

"Agent Kane told us of your encounter with him," Steven commented. "I think it is noble that you want to help him. Does the danger surrounding his mission not scare you?"

She thought for a moment. "It doesn't scare me, no. Not as much as being wiped from the Earth by fire. It does unnerve me a little bit though. Quasar is unlike anything I've ever seen or heard of."

"We can't issue a license for these guns to just anyone," Clark spoke up. His voice was haughty. Just the sound of it, made Miranda want to cringe. "What makes you think you're worthy?"

She swallowed hard. What made him think that she wasn't? She wanted to give him a good answer, but her brain froze the moment he asked the question. She didn't know she was going to be quizzed. She thought that she could just come in, shoot, they would see how good she was, and give her license, then that would be it. This was like taking a validation exam.

"I know how to handle a gun," Miranda began. "I carry a weapon of my own on Earth, that I have a license for. I'm a good shot."

"Yes, but you're not a cop."

"Does that matter?" James challenged him. "Whether she's a cop or not? Most of our agents aren't cops when we issue their weapons either. We train them."

"Yes, but we won't be training her, will we?" Clark argued.

"We could."

"There isn't time," Vladimir spoke up. "Quasar will have already killed the human race before we can train her properly."