Chương 17: Zeta-Omega-Omega

Regina stood in the middle of the ladies' room, wondering what to do next. This whole mission was flawed from the start. All the intel she had clearly stated that the Fairy, Seraphina, was in physical possession of the baby. The only evidence she had uncovered that corroborated or even suggested there was an ounce of truth to it was the spit up on her shoulder. Even that was easily explained away, considering she had grandchildren. It was days like today she really hated her job.

The people she was now forced to work with had an IQ of 30. Combined. This is insanity, Regina, and you know it. Chasing after a baby. An actual infant, to… execute? When did the world become so depraved? So devoid of empathy? Sympathy? Common sense? You know when. her mind quipped. It was the day that orange ball of sunshine took over. She looked at her fairy persona in the mirror. The saddest part about all this is I actually think I like Seraphina. She's tough, confident, strong and independent.

Not just on paper, but in person as well. I think she and I, given different circumstances, could become great friends. She momentarily morphed back to her true self and laughed. The only thing that did not change was her eyes. She studied the warm brown orbs and sighed. Seraphina would run in the other direction if she saw me like this. These fairies probably had not seen many goblins in their day. Her orange skin and purple spiked hair stared back at her from the mirror.

For a goblin she did not think she looked bad, but from a fairy perspective she would be considered a monster. Beauty standards here were clearly different. She looked over her sleek form in the mirror. She had muscles where they counted and softness where it mattered. She quickly changed back into the fairy persona she chose for her cover. She had no way of knowing what would happen if she were caught wearing her real face. If one of the fairies were caught in Falotopia, they would undoubtedly be executed.

Things were different here, she reminded herself. These people seemed to shy away from violence... The sound of high heels clacking in the hall outside the bathroom cut her off mid-thought. She listened carefully, holding her breath. The sound of heels on the floor drifted away. She sighed in relief. So, what would they do? she wondered. Arrest me? Detain me? She chortled.

"Well, we don't want to find that out right now, do we?" she absently asked her reflection.

"Suppose I need to call this in," she mumbled, dreading the task. She pressed the back of her ear, then flipped her wrist. A screen popped up.

"Yeah, this is Agent Zeta-Omega-Omega, requesting dispatch to Alpha squadron leader Five-One," she said, pausing, waiting for the screen to flash green. Confirmation of a secure channel flashed on the screen.

"Intel is flawed. Child not on site. Fairy not in possession of infant. Repeat, fairy is NOT in possession of child," she said flatly, before pausing.

"Will do further reconnaissance to determine the exact location," she said. She silently watched for confirmation that the message had been successfully transmitted. A check mark appeared on a green screen before fading to black. She flipped her wrist, then tapped the back of her ear to shut the device down.

"Now what?" she mumbled to herself, looking around the bathroom.

"Not going to find any new intel standing in here. Blackwood may be dumb but…" A group of young fairies entered the bathroom. Regina quickly began washing her hands. The fairies walked past Regina as if she wasn't there and continued their conversation, seemingly not caring if they were overheard.

"Did you see what she was wearing?" one young fairy asked, entering the stall.

"I know! Right!?" another fairy responded.

"That was just so last year. And those shoes, could you believe those shoes?"

"What could Artimis possibly see in her? I don't get it. She's not that pretty, she's kind of hefty, and has zero sense of style. I mean what does she bring to the table?" A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. They all burst out laughing.

"Seriously? You know that she is about as easy as a well-greased hinge!" one of them chortled.

"He deserves so much more than her, don't ya think?"

"You mean someone like you?" a fairy called out before laughing.

"Well, yeah, why not me?" she responded, her voice rife with indignation.

"Well, first of all, you don't have a big wig daddy. Secondly, you wouldn't know what to do with a flashlight and a map, even if someone labeled the route."

"How would you know?" the fairy called out from the stall.

"I could be quite… um… proficient."

"Angela, you trip on your own feet going upstairs. Grace and smoothness are not in your area of, shall we say, expertise. I know you know where all the parts are; we learned that in health class, but these things require shall we say… finesse." The gaggle of girls giggled at this. The fairy emerged from the stall, making her way to the sink. She glanced over at Regina, then looked her up and down.

"Are you new here?"

"What gave it away?" Regina asked sarcastically while smiling thinly at the girl.

"Oh, no, nothing like that. I've just never seen you around before."

"I'm not exactly new to the organization," she lied, maintaining her cover.

"I'm sorry, let me introduce myself," Regina said, holding out a hand.

"Regina Tutworthy, OPD, and you are?"

"Late getting back," the girl said before quickly, drying her hands.

"Pleasure to meet you, but if we're late getting back our boss will not be happy." Run, little girl, run. You think you have a demanding boss? My boss wants me to find a baby… to execute, Regina thought.

"I didn't catch your name," Regina said, her voice low with the authority of a high-ranking investigator. The girls scurried out the door without further comment. The fear on their faces caused Regina to chuckle. Are you going to hide out in the bathroom all day or are you going to gather intel? she asked herself. She rolled her eyes.

"Back to work," she mumbled, heading for the bathroom door The moment she opened the door, her stomach began to growl at the smell of food drifting down the corridor. Got to be thorough. Might as well go sit in the cafeteria and see what drops in there. You never know who's gonna let what slip over lunch, she thought, letting her nose lead the way. Her Goblin heightened sense of smell picked up traces of a mishmash of clashing scents. She knew that scent. Simon! She could smell him before she saw him. Damn it.

No lunch for me, I guess, she thought, with bitter disappointment. She had been curious what Fairy cuisine consisted of. She wondered if it tasted as good as it smelled. She sighed and gave her head a shake before abruptly turning back. Her quest for sustenance would have to wait. She could not risk another encounter with him. He may not be the brightest bulb, but if he did just the slightest bit of digging, he would know she was not who she claimed to be. She quickened her pace down the hall.

Once she knew for certain she was out of Simon's line of sight, her demeanor changed. She walked down the hall with purpose, trying door handles. She had to find an open office where she could have privacy. Doesn't anyone leave their door open anymore? she asked herself. The next handle she tried gave way. She opened the door and saw it was a utility closet, but beggars could not be choosers at this point. She quickly ducked inside, peering through the crack in the door to make sure no one was in the corridor.

She slipped fully into the closet and eased the door almost shut; not latched, just enough to stay hidden. She pulled the small device Elios had given her from her pocket. If it made noise when it activated, she needed to be absolutely sure the hallway was empty. She cracked the door open a sliver and glanced out one more time… Still clear. She shut the door the rest of the way and pressed the large red button… Nothing. She shook it, then pressed it again. Only harder.

She shut her eyes, bracing herself for the sensation of falling to hit her. Nothing but the lingering scent of Simon's cologne, a migraine waiting to strike, and deafening silence. Not one shimmer, not one crackle, absolutely freaking nothing.

"Oh, come on!" she grumbled, looking down at the device.

"You are supposed to whisk me outta here you stupid piece of garbage!" She fumbled for a light switch. You have got to be freaking kidding me! she thought, reaching along the wall. The cheapskates don't believe in closets with lights? I need to look at the map so I can get out of here! Her hand felt nothing but the cold flatness of the wall. Becoming increasingly frustrated, she stepped back. She jumped at the unexpected feeling of something lightly touching the top of her head.

It was like the whispers of a lover's touch, gentle, non-threatening. Except of course… when you are in a dark closet, supposedly alone. She raised her arm cautiously, feeling the air. Her fingers wrapped around a lightly weighted string, hanging from the ceiling. She gently tugged on it and the small space lit up. She sighed in relief as she scanned the area. No hidden creepy crawlies or disembodied fingers hanging from the ceiling or on an upper shelf, just a closet. A normal, everyday storage closet.

She began fumbling in her pocket for the map.

"Where is it?" she whispered, before pulling out a neatly folded page. Carefully examining the map, she figured out her precise location. She ran her fingers over the path she needed to take to exit the building and get to the teleport. She stealthily made her way out of the closet, certain this time of which direction she needed to go.