The atmosphere was tense. Two giants of the underworld faced each other in the middle of the room. Everyone's expressions were twisted in anticipation.
What would they do? What would they say? With these questions shown in their eyes, everyone watched intently.
Then, the two giants smiled. Then laughed at the top of their lungs as they hugged each other.
"Mi amigo! It's been far too long," Chakob said.
"Same here, my friend," Mikail replied.
The tension was cut and everyone sighed in relief. Multiple concealed weapons went back to being hidden, and the soft music of the orchestra started playing to make everyone go back to a partying mood.
The two friends headed towards us. From where I was standing, they looked like brothers despite their difference in race.
"So, Mikail, this is my family," Chakob introduced us.
"Wow, Chakob you've been quite busy haven't you?" he chuckled. And then, his eyes went towards me. "This must be the son-in-law I heard much about. The lawman yes?"
He stretched out his hand for a handshake and I accepted it on instinct.
"A pleasure, Sir Mikail," I said with the friendliest smile I could muster.
"Oh, this one's an honest man, Chakob," he said.
"Isn't he?" Chakob laughed.
"Young man, I know that Chakob told you about me and you must have some... preconceptions," he said as he returned my handshake with a firm grip. "But know this: it is the truth that I am grateful for what you and your people do to keep our world safe."
I returned his handshake as firmly as I could. "We do our best, Sir," I replied.
The truth. He spoke a heartfelt truth. In my line of work, I've come across all sorts of criminals. All of them lie, cheat, break, kill, and destroy, for no reason other than it benefitted them. But he was... different. He and Chakob. They still did the same things criminals do, but they did it with their own convictions in mind. No matter the cost, no matter the adversity, they remained true to themselves and did what they had to do to reach their goals.
Of course, as an officer of the law, it was my duty to make sure that they eventually face the consequences for their crimes. But I've been feeling lately that if I spent more time with them, I'd eventually come face to face with evils far greater than they were and I'd have to reckon with my definition of justice.
"So, should we stand in the middle of the floor or shall we mingle a bit?" Mikail said.
"Oh, yes!" Chakob replied excitedly. Then, he turned to us. "You kids go and have fun with people your age. Mikail and I'll greet some old prudes and see how they're doing."
"And there's a lot of them here," Mikail added.
The then two laughed among themselves as they disappeared into the crowd.
"He left..." I said in disbelief. "He really just left with the target. Did he forget that we're on a mission?"
Alejandro put a hand on my shoulder and gave me an encouraging smile.
"You'll get used to it, hermano," he said.
"Mission, shmission," Mateo chimed in. "Shit's boring anyway. I'm gonna go and find me some señoritas to dance with."
And with that, there were only five of us left. What the hell's going on?
Christina tugged on my sleeve and looked up at me with her big blue eyes.
"Don't give up dad," she said.
Oh great. Even Christina's noticed how much I was shitting myself. I turned to Alejandro and Rosemary who were chuckling to themselves.
"You two, stop laughing at my misery and mingle," I said. "Also, keep an eye on those two idiots. The entire place is covered in an antimagic field so until the support team finds a backdoor, we're alone in here."
"Got it Sir," Rosemary replied with a mocking salute.
Alejandro gave me a reassuring nod and the two also mixed in with the crowd.
And then, there was us.
I turned to Maria and Christina. "So... should we mingle too?" I asked.
She chuckled slightly and led me by the arm towards a group of people. Meanwhile, Christina saw an opportunity and climbed on my back and sat on my shoulder.
My heart was shaking as we got closer. What do I say to these people? I was just an SPD officer who, until recently, have been living in a one bedroom apartment and ate like shit. I had no topics to use!
The closer we got, the more my hands sweated and my throat dried up. But, as if to answer my terrified prayers, the front pocket of my tuxedo rustled. And then, the tiny head of Minerva popped out of it. A savior has arrived!
"Minerva!" I exclaimed. "How'd you get in here?"
Minerva yawned before responding.
"Security's garbage," she replied. "I'm here to let you know that Han and the Nerd Team's working on getting eyes and ears in here. Until then, I'm sticking with you to alert them just in case you mess up."
"Wait, since you already hacked through, why not just help them?" I ask.
Minerva scowled at me as if I just said something disgusting.
"If I did your jobs for you, I might as well make copies of my self and run the SPD," she replied. "Now this is a great opportunity so quit being a pussy and talk to people!" Her head then disappeared into my pocket but moments later, she popped back up. "By the way, Han saw everything that's happened through my eyes and he's laughing his ass off in the van as we speak."
And with that, she disappeared back into my pocket. For good this time.
This damn duo...
But she's got a point. This is a rare opportunity. For the first time in years, an SPD officer successfully infiltrated a gathering of high-profile criminals. Just from a glance, I could point out a couple of people in our most wanted list.
Drinking shots at the bar was John, the great pimp of Eastern Europe.
And just up on the stairs was Samson Miller, one of the most prominent international weapons dealer.
These people may not want to talk to Andrew, the SPD officer, but it's worth seeing if they'd talk to Andrew, Chakob's son-in-law.
So, after steeling myself, I nodded to Maria who continued to pull me closer to a group.
"So I was like, really? Your boyfriend gave you that teeny tiny diamond? If he doesn't give you anything larger than 3 Carats, then he doesn't love you, dear," said a dirty blonde woman in the middle of a crowd.
She was a Dryad, judging from the light green tint of her skin and the antlers that adorned her head. Her green dress was decorated with leaves and flowers that gave her the grace of a forest creature. With a crowd of young men and women who intently listened to her, it was obvious that she was the main driver of the conversation.
She continued to talk to her friends until we captured her eyeline. And when she saw us, she squealed.
"Maria!" she exclaimed, ran towards us, dropped off her wine glass on a nearby server's tray, and threw her arms around Maria. "Oh it's been so long, my dear. How've you been?"
Maria gave me a wry smile as she patted her on the back.
The woman's acquaintances whispered amongst each other as they observed their interaction. I sighed in my heart. Just how many times will we be the center of attention tonight?
Eventually, the Dryad let go of Maria and turned to me.
"Oh this must be the husband I've been hearing about," she said as she reached out her hand. "I'm Saige. Saige Normsworth. I don't know if Maria's talked about me, but we're great childhood friends."
Normsworth! As in Normsworth Pharmaceuticals? It's one of the leading empires in the medical industry. In all my years in working with the Anti-Narcotics division, not once did we catch a whiff that they were connected with the Rodriguez Cartel. This information's valuable!
I reached out and guided her hand to my lips. Which was a difficult thing to do with a child on your back.
"Andrew Roberts," I said. "Maria hasn't mentioned you but I'm sure it's only because our life has been a whirlwind as of late."
She raised an eyebrow. "Wow, charming AND poetic," she said. "And he defends you too. I'm really curious as to where you got such a catch."
Maria puffed up her chest and put her hands on her hips as if she just won something.
Saige then eyed the girl on my shoulders and gave her a friendly smile.
"And who's this cute little girl?" she asked.
"I'm Christina," she replied with a wave. "Hello green lady."
"Christina!" I exclaimed.
Saige chuckled amusedly. "Oh don't mind her, she's just a kid," she said. "But would you please call me Big Sister, Christina? It's nicer to hear than 'green lady',"
"Ok, Big Sister," she replied.
And with that, her heart swooned and the other ladies of the group approached us to fuss over her. In an instant, she somehow left my shoulders and latched onto another's and out of thin air, got a bag of cheesepuffs that she ate with bliss.
"What a great family you have, Maria," Saige said with wistful eyes. "I wish I find my prince charming soon too."
"Hah! Prince charming?" a young man with long, red hair approached scoffed as he approached us with swagger.
He had multiple piercings on his face, baggy clothes, a tattoo that said "Bad" on his left cheek, and a gangster-looking posse that followed him around.
He also had a girl beside him who wore a very oversized t-shirt that reached her knees that had a fire and skull design. She had glittering blue blue hair that was decorated with beautiful seashells. And the gills on her neck and her razor sharp rows of teeth showed that she was a Siren.
Saige clicked her tongue and scowled at the newcomer. "Luigi and Mariel," she said with disdain. "What's your disgraced mafioso asses doing here?"
"Bitch, better call me by my real name, 'Mista Dog L' before I pop your head," he replied. "And who you calling prince charming huh? Ain't this guy a cop?"
"A cop's better than you who got caught by one," Saige scoffed. "Did your daddy bail you out again?"
"Hey, you better watch your mouth," Mariel said as she stepped forward looking all intimidating.
Luigi, however, stopped her in her tracks and turned to Maria.
"Our beef's not with her, babe" he said. "Did you really blow me off to marry a narc, Maria?"
"She clearly doesn't have good taste, babe," Mariel added. "I can't believe my brother tried to pick you up on the beach. What do guys even see in you? And you had the nerve to reject him when you were the one sending signals!"
I think I recall the event she was talking about and if my memory still served me, that story didn't end the way she was told...
"She's always been like this, babe. A tease," Luigi continued. "And when she finally started to go straight, she chose a cop! Rumors about your dad must be true. He's gone cuckoo!"
Then as if on cue, his posse laughed hysterically.
"Good one babe!" Mariel shouted in approval.
Maria clenched her fist, but I held her hand to stop her. The last thing we needed was a murder scene.
"And you," he said as he approached me, clearly using his body to intimidate me. "I bet you tricked her huh? Did something nasty to get her to submit."
I just stared at him and pretended to listen. Does he realize that he just contradicted himself with that accusation? Why was I nervous in the beginning? If only I knew that people like him were mixed in this crowd, then I didn't have to be so conscious.
"Well, I'm exposing you, buddy," he still continued. "Imma round up my boys and blah blah blah."
He was about to continue his long speech but his face suddenly stretched and pulled on one side.
I turned towards the direction of the pull and saw Christina with a magnet in her hands. The ladies that surrounded her chuckled as the magnet kept pulling Luigi.
Where'd she get that anyway...?
"Hey, what're you doing you brat!" Luigu shouted as he tried to go against the pull without success.
Well, at least that's what I assumed he said. The strong magnet stretched his face so much that he couldn't speak properly.
Christina continued to hold up the magnet as she reached into a bag of cheese puffs. Then, when she grabbed a handful, she pelted Luigi with them over and over again.
"Hey, wait! Argh!" Luigu protested but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
Meanwhile, the ladies, including Maria and Saige, took out their phones and started filming the spectacle with glee.
Mariel and Luigi's goons were stupefied and just watched their boss get humiliated. This continued for a bit, until Luigi's face twisted in rage.
"ENOUGH!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Then suddenly, his hair burst into flames, his eyes burnt red, and fire shot out of his hands.
Power. That was the first word that zipped through my mind. The antimagic field prevented magic usage by scrambling the mana in the air. The only way to bypass this was to have amazing control, or sheer, raw power. And this guy clearly had the latter.
"Maria! Protect Christina!" I shouted as I bolted for Luigi.
Maria nodded at my instruction and rushed for our daughter.
"YOU DARE HUMILIATE ME?" he shouted as he formed a fireball in his hands. "I'LL BURN ALL OF YOU!"
I groaned inside. I really didn't want to expose myself in enemy territory, but I have to stop this guy from hurting anybody. I reached deep within me. The mana in the air was chaotic; it was as if I was reaching into a box of L*gos and hoping to get the B*tman action figure that Christina liked. But I pushed through. The wind began to form around my fiat. His element was a bad match for mine but I can redirect it somewhere harmless.
However, just as I was about to release my spell, my entire body froze. And not only mine, Luigi's body also froze mid-throw.
What's going on?
Then to answer my question, a voice rang in my peripheral.
"Such unruly men. Would you like to settle this like gentlemen or be spanked by me?"
It was the Gustave the Maitre D! He simply held up his hand in a fist and the two of us were totally under his control.
My eyes went wide. My heart beat a hundred times a minute.
There was only one race that had this power. A race that I only read in books. Gustave was an Elf of Mount Olive!