Elsa smacked her lips in disgust. "And what if nobody does that?"
"Then, we have to get used to seeing Vlad all over our faces until his tenure in the office of the mayor is over."
Elsa shot him a sharp gaze, an incredulous look on her face. "You can't be serious, Jake. A mayor that is only seen at night? That's laughable."
Jake looked at her from the corners of his eyes. "But he just turned up for an interview during the day today. Come on, Elsa. You of all people know that most buildings today are very well structured to accommodate vampires too. If that's your excuse for why he shouldn't be given a chance, think again."
"And why do I get the feeling that you're supporting him secretly?" Elsa asked, her head thrown backward in confusion.
She watched as his lips curved into a small smile. "There's no need to be overly dramatic. I'm merely stating the fact. You need a stronger argument if you want to make sure that Vlad doesn't get close to the mayor's office."
"Whatever," Elsa said, grimacing her face.
The ballpoint pen in Jake's hand was spinning as he turned it and Jake seemed to be more focused on it than on what Elsa had just said. He seemed passive about the whole thing, a fact that infuriated Elsa the more.
Suddenly, she rose to her feet abruptly and gave Jake a long cold stare. "You know what? This was a mistake. I know just who to call and discuss Vlad's downfall with. Thanks for your time, Jake. And if possible, stop a repeat broadcast of that live interview today."
She turned and began to walk toward the door. She held the handle of the door and began to pull it open but Jake's voice stopped her mid-way.
"Hey, Elsa!" He called on impulse. "Say 'hello' to your sister for me."
*****
At that exact moment in The House of The Federation, a clamor was ongoing amongst the noble members of The Federation. The clamor had ensued from the moment Vlad had announced his decision to run for mayor of the city. And now, a unanimous vote among the members had been taken.
Whilst they awaited the results of the vote which would determine whether or not Vlad Kedderick would be allowed to run for mayor of the city, the more violent members had begun to take the law into their hands, an action which would lead to bloodshed.
The House of The Federation was the highest office in the city where all the species of those who walked the Earth sat together as commoners discussing the common good of the world.
In this Assembly, Vanessa Winthrop represented the human race, a man named Carlo Kennedy represented the werewolves, a robot called Pixie spoke for all the robots and Vlad Kedderick stood as the head of the vampires.
In this house, powerful decisions had been taken that affected everybody and whose impact was felt in the economies of the world.
It was in this same house that the news of Vlad's intention to run for mayor was received with rancor and cries of disapproval from the masses. This was only the beginning of the woes that would befall the city.
*****
Detective Robert Hanson unbuttoned his jacket as he lowered his body onto the seat beside the table. He had just arrived at Capital Hilton and after scanning the vicinity had found no sign of his guest. Not that he could have recognized her anyway.
So, he decided to take his seat for a moment and await his guest's arrival, however long that was going to take. He glanced at his digital wristwatch for the umpteenth time. 12:25 pm. Not bad.
A waitress hovered around him shortly but Detective Hanson ignored him totally, making a show of going through the menu by placing it before him, and covering his face with it.
But the waitress was adamant and soon, his attention was drawn to the questioning look the waiter shot at him.
"Uhm__," Detective Hanson began to stammer. "I'm expecting somebody. I'll call you when I'm ready to order."
"Of course, sire," The sexy redhead waitress responded, with a thick French accent.
She wandered off immediately, much to his relief. Detective Hanson was not sure he was going to be able to take anything, not with the tightening knot in his stomach.
First, he had to answer the many questions in his head of which the highest on the list was why somebody would randomly give him $10,000 just to set up a meeting with him. Whatever this strange woman had to discuss with him, it was very important, for her to make such a great sacrifice for it.
As the minutes of waiting got longer, Detective Hanson felt himself growing more anxious to meet his guest. Every time the doors swung open, he would turn his head slowly just in time to catch who had just walked in.
His hopes would fall slowly as he watched the different folks walk in and pass by his table or through the other way to the people whom they had come to see.
Thirty minutes later, his patience began to grow thin. Maybe it was a prank call after all. But who would make a prank call and send the sum of $10,000 to a man she has never met before? Obviously someone with more than enough cash to play with.
He rammed his fingers rhythmically on the table as he racked his brain searching for answers. The waiter had begun hovering around him again, under the guise of taking orders from the people on the neighboring tables.
This is getting embarrassing, Detective Hanson thought to himself. He reached a decision in his heart quickly and got ready to rise on his feet.
Then suddenly, the strong smell of feminine cologne sifted into the air and found its way to his nostrils. He felt a presence with him at once. And he raised his head slowly until his eyes met the face of the woman who had just joined him on his table.
Her aura reeked of wealth. Detective Hanson began to open his mouth to say a word but the woman beat him to it.
"Hello, Detective," The woman with the familiar voice said.