02-07-2019, 05:16 PM
Never did Nik anticipate a day when he would kneel before anyone. Once the moment came, he felt quite like Cary Grant and the motions were smooth, the tone genuine. He really wouldn’t mind marriage with Evelyn; although the notion of eternal monogamy was a little concerning. Until now, such interludes were short-lived and unentangled with romantic notions.
The helicopter carried Evelyn on to the airport. She would arrive on time, land on the tarmac near the jet, and walk to her plane in full view of everyone to see. She was too humble to appreciate the moment, but Nikolai was amused on her behalf. The Secretary of State hated him. How much Nikolai yearned to listen to the conversation soon to take place in the Oval office.
As for him, he returned to the Kremlin in the back of an unmarked limonene. While obvious that the fortified vehicle carried someone important, it was unclear who. Nikolai worked during the journey. First, connecting with the man soon to become his arm in the western hemisphere. Zacarias Amengual, while technically a criminal, was not that different from the other titans of industry that made up the CCD’s executive leadership. For now, the man operated in a world where laws were against him, but when the world shifted to the Ascendancy’s image, he would transform from criminal to dignitary. Of course, Amengual would not gain the notoriety he craved until the laws were rewritten upon incorporation of the Americas into the Custody. Therefore, Amengual had as much a stake in the movement of nations as Nikolai, symbolically anyway.
Naturally, thoughts of Evelyn crept to mind. A sweet, naïve flower she was, but for all her righteous ideals, she was probably more loyal to him than almost everyone in the Kremlin. A significant thought given how vetted each and every person was: from cleaning crews to Consuls to military officers. They would all die for him, he was certain, but Evelyn would do more. She would sell her soul to a cause she believed in. For now, she believed in him. The thread of her soul was twined in his fingers, maybe even twined with his own, but Nikolai could not trust that she wouldn’t be swayed otherwise once Stateside. The ring she carried bound her to him. A reminder of the price paid for her soul in the name of love. Perhaps they would marry eventually. Until then, she had as much of a reason to see their cause through as Amengual.
Finally, it was communicated that contact with Regus was successful. The invitation accepted. The man lived after all. The Ijiraq suggested as much, but Nik held slim hope that the title was inherited to another. The man glimpsed through the firefight of their basement battle was imprinted into memory despite the brevity of their previous face to face. Endless battles. From everything he learned about Apollyon, the most powerful of the gods reborn, a mantle he carried proudly every day since Garrett Rahvid’s accusation the night Nik acquired his scars, he should have known that an equal would attempt to rise and defeat him. An opposite to himself, but Regus was no equal. While cunning and powerful in his mortal way, Regus was the sort of enemy to respect, which was why he was all the ready to speak with him directly.
The helicopter carried Evelyn on to the airport. She would arrive on time, land on the tarmac near the jet, and walk to her plane in full view of everyone to see. She was too humble to appreciate the moment, but Nikolai was amused on her behalf. The Secretary of State hated him. How much Nikolai yearned to listen to the conversation soon to take place in the Oval office.
As for him, he returned to the Kremlin in the back of an unmarked limonene. While obvious that the fortified vehicle carried someone important, it was unclear who. Nikolai worked during the journey. First, connecting with the man soon to become his arm in the western hemisphere. Zacarias Amengual, while technically a criminal, was not that different from the other titans of industry that made up the CCD’s executive leadership. For now, the man operated in a world where laws were against him, but when the world shifted to the Ascendancy’s image, he would transform from criminal to dignitary. Of course, Amengual would not gain the notoriety he craved until the laws were rewritten upon incorporation of the Americas into the Custody. Therefore, Amengual had as much a stake in the movement of nations as Nikolai, symbolically anyway.
Naturally, thoughts of Evelyn crept to mind. A sweet, naïve flower she was, but for all her righteous ideals, she was probably more loyal to him than almost everyone in the Kremlin. A significant thought given how vetted each and every person was: from cleaning crews to Consuls to military officers. They would all die for him, he was certain, but Evelyn would do more. She would sell her soul to a cause she believed in. For now, she believed in him. The thread of her soul was twined in his fingers, maybe even twined with his own, but Nikolai could not trust that she wouldn’t be swayed otherwise once Stateside. The ring she carried bound her to him. A reminder of the price paid for her soul in the name of love. Perhaps they would marry eventually. Until then, she had as much of a reason to see their cause through as Amengual.
Finally, it was communicated that contact with Regus was successful. The invitation accepted. The man lived after all. The Ijiraq suggested as much, but Nik held slim hope that the title was inherited to another. The man glimpsed through the firefight of their basement battle was imprinted into memory despite the brevity of their previous face to face. Endless battles. From everything he learned about Apollyon, the most powerful of the gods reborn, a mantle he carried proudly every day since Garrett Rahvid’s accusation the night Nik acquired his scars, he should have known that an equal would attempt to rise and defeat him. An opposite to himself, but Regus was no equal. While cunning and powerful in his mortal way, Regus was the sort of enemy to respect, which was why he was all the ready to speak with him directly.