House of Ill Repute

November 12th

I woke up late, my body aching. When I checked the time on my phone it was already past the hour for my meeting with the Bishop. With a blasphemous curse that would have sent my superiors into fits, I leaped out of bed and headed to the shower.

To be fair I was washed, dressed and out the door of the hotel room in under twenty minutes. I was wearing a simple blue business suit and low black boots, with a matching black bag. It was tempting to take Theadcutter with me to my appointment as I loved how nervous it made the Bishop. But it would garner unwanted attention to carry it at this time of day.

Threadcutter was the other sword I carried, often referred to as the Norn Blade. In fact it was meant to be the only sword I was destined to bear, but I rejected that tradition. It was a powerful weapon and I could not use it to dispatch the small fry I usually came up against.

I had left it sitting on the dresser in my room. Ferro Mortis was laid next to it, both in their scabbards. I was not worried about someone stealing them from the room. Threadcutter would react badly to anyone but a Norn touching the weapon, usually by cursing them with some random and unexpected turn of events.

Ferro Mortis could be stolen, in theory, but it had its own destiny. If it was fated to be taken from me, there was nothing I could do to stop that. Plus the hotel staff were under strict instructions not to mess with my belongings.

The hotel, the Pan City Superior, was used to having agents of the Governors and other factions take up residence. Most of the residents, some permanent and others like me just temporary, all joked about the place being Spy Central. Happy Hour at the bar was always a hoot and you could hook up with operatives from all over the world if you wanted to.

I made my way down in the clear glass elevator to the lobby. The hotel staff that knew me greeted me cordially and I smiled politely back. I click-clacked my way across the marble flooring to the entrance and asked the doorman to summon me a cab.

In a moment his implant signalled a waiting auto-cab and it rolled silently up to me, only the barest hum audible from its electric motor. The doorman opened the door just ahead of the dumb AI that drove the vehicle and I stepped into the plush interior.

“Where to madam?” asked the genderless voice of the dumb AI. We call them dumb because they are so much less than the big Artificial Intelligences that ran places like the Zone. Not that I would ever call the cab AI anything so rude. I am one of those people that are pleasant to pets and machines yet quite happy to be rude to other humans.

“Please take me to the Consolidated Churches Abbey in the Seventh District” I answered the cab. It acknowledged and we set off across the city.

As the cab drove itself efficiently through the wide and modern streets of Pan City, I watched the people through the windows. All the races and nationalities of the earth were represented here. The people looked happy and content for the most part, going about their daily lives in comfort and safety.

The city had a dark side I knew very well, but on the surface it was a pleasant place to live. If you did not know of the myriad plots and schemes that the masters of the Zone were undertaking it was probably a paradise. Sadly for me I knew what a cesspool of filth Pan City really was.

Given a choice I would rather stay out at Spitfield City, known without affection by its denizens as the Spit. It was still a cesspool, but it was honest about it.

There was only one thing that I actually loved about Pan City. My darling little niece Millie was in care here, looked after by the Sisters of various faiths at the Little Angels Orphanage. Whenever I could I visited her there, spending whatever time I was allowed between missions for the Order.

No-one knew she was my niece. I pulled a lot of strings to get her into a safe place and I wanted to keep her as far as possible from the path I followed. The time I spent with her as Sister Venerae was one of the few happy moments in my life. If anyone dared to threaten that they would face not just my wrath, but the power of Threadcutter.

Millie was a handful, I had to admit. She had all the fire and determination that a child born from the blood of giants could be expected to have. I truly felt sorry for the Sisters that had to deal with her in my absence.

It was the thought of that which put a smile on my face as I arrived at my destination. I was still smiling when I paid for the cab with a tap of my phone and walked into the Abbey.

=====

The Abbey is a conglomeration of buildings that serve a multitude of faiths. At its centre was a multistoried edifice of glass and concrete rising up in tiers like an ancient ziggurat. This contained the administration offices and supporting departments of the majority of religions that were established in the Zone. There were Hindus alongside Jews, Catholics beside Shintoists, Muslims next to Buddhists.

The religions may not get along but in the Zone they had to share their office spaces.

Flanking the Administration tower, referred to by most of us as the Tower of Babel, were the main temples, shrines and churches of the holy orders. Each was considered sacred territory, and was free to operate under its own internal rules like a foreign embassy.

My meeting today was in the Tower, on the thirty second floor dedicated to the Holy Roman Church. The Order of Michael had three offices on this floor, one of which was a plush corner space with views over the financial district of Pan City.

I walked into the office of my superior, Bishop Alfonse Wainwright. His receptionist was a good looking young novice named Jeremy. He greeted me warmly and I smiled back. The kid was pleasant and he made a good coffee so I was happy to share my limited supply of smiles with him. He knocked on our boss’s door and bid me enter.

As I walked into the room I stopped in mid-stride.The Bishop stood from behind his desk as I had entered. On my side of his large wooden desk was a woman, watching me with a half smile on her lips.

“Sister Venerae” said the Bishop, moving towards me, “Allow me to introduce your partner, Miss Penelope Deeds. She will be accompanying you on a new mission”

“Hi Vee” she said and stood up gracefully and came over to stand in front of me. She grasped my unresisting hands in both of hers and kissed me warmly on the cheek.

“Penny?” was all I could manage in reply. I looked from her to the Bishop in confusion.

Penny Deeds. She was a beautiful woman. Shorter than me, maybe five feet eight inches tall without her heels. Her face was narrow and pointed, with dark brown eyes and a wide full lipped smile. Long brown hair spilled down to her waist, held back from her face with a simple white headband. She was dressed in a thigh length white dress that covered her arms, with her hands hidden in black leather gloves and her legs encased in black boots that ended just above her knees.

She was a highly trained and cybernetically Enhanced assassin for the Ordo Excommunicado. An elite branch of the church under direct orders from the Vatican. A terrifying woman to encounter in battle.

And my first and last love.

I had not seen or heard from her in over a year, since our last mission together in Singapore.

“Miss Deeds has been assigned to the Order to help us with a matter of some urgency” Bishop Wainwright said. I think he was well aware of the history between us. I snapped back to where I was and looked at Penny. She was still holding my hands in her gloved ones. I gently released her grip and gave her a brief smile.

“I am glad to see you again” I managed to get out in an even tone. My stomach was leaping about and my heart was hammering. I moved past her and the Bishop and sat down in the other chair facing the desk. At least this way if my legs gave out no one would know.

Penny returned to her own chair and turned to watch me, a curious look on her face. The Bishop went around and seated himself slowly in his leather upholstered chair and faced us both.

Bishop Wainwright was once a fit man but the years had taken its toll on his body. He had a handsome face lined from fifty years of devoted service to the Order. His hair was grey and starting to thin, but he wore it well. He was attired in a simple high collared robe, a plain silver crucifix around his neck on a chain.

He had once been a frontline Paladin of the Order, wielding a Holy blade against the enemies of the Church. These days he ran the offices here in the Zone, itself a hub for much of the activities in Australia and the Asian region. I had a lot of respect for the man, and I liked to think he respected me. My personal choices aside, we were a lot alike.

“I am sorry to have to send you on another mission so soon after the Judgement on Porter” the Bishop said to me. “I know you wanted to spend some time at the orphanage”

“Thank you, sir, but I understand you would only call on me if it was necessary” I responded. “I can make time another day for my care work”. Sorry Millie, you get pushed aside once more by the demands of my life. I suspect the Bishop knew fully the relationship between Millie and myself but chose to overlook it. Much like he overlooked my past relationship with Penny.

I fell silent and looked down at my hands, clenched unknowingly. I had forgotten how much it had hurt me when Penny left the last time.

“What exactly are we here for?” asked Penny, breaking the moment of silence.

“A Warlock is operating in the city” answered the Bishop. “He has not openly broken the Covenant, but a number of people have gone missing in recent weeks. That is not unusual in itself, but two days ago a body came into the central morgue. An agent we have there recognised the marks of a ritual sacrifice”

“For a summoning of a Mare?” I asked. If that was the case the Warlock would draw the full strength of the Order down upon them, if not the entire Church. Of the many Adepts that exist in the world, Warlocks are among the most feared and hated. They can draw immense power from the Dark Side given enough blood sacrifices.

Sacrifices that the Warlocks made sure someone else would provide.

The Bishop nodded. “It would appear so. I need you and Miss Deeds to visit the morgue and examine the body. Determine if it is a sacrifice”

“And then?” asked Penny.

“Find the perpetrator and deal with them” said the Bishop heavily. “You are authorised by the Church to deliver Judgement on your own cognisance.”

So that is why the Order of Michael was being aided by the Ordo Excommunicado. We had authority to kill anyone we deemed necessary to protect the innocents and the faithful. No one would be considered outside of our jurisdiction.

As I said, the Church hated Warlocks. If there was one foolish enough to be here in Pan City, they would not be leaving it alive.

=====

The Bishop had handed over a paper file containing the details of the contact at the morgue. We don’t trust electronic files too much, considering how easily the Artificial Intelligences like Archimedes can break into them. I pocketed the papers and we both gave our goodbyes to the Bishop.

We left the Bishop’s office together with me in the lead. Penny had a travelling suitcase with her and a long black metal case slung over her shoulder. I had a pretty good idea what was in the case.

She told me she had just flown into Pan City that morning and needed to get a room. We were not able to meet the agent until late in the day, once the night shift took over.

“There are plenty of rooms at the Superior” I told her as we walked to the elevators.

“That sounds fine” she agreed. “How about we head there now and I can unload my gear. Then we can go out for a coffee or something”

As the elevator arrived, I stepped into the empty car and turned to face her. She met my gaze and followed me but did not turn around. Penny moved close to me and whispered in my ear. “Or maybe we can find something else to do until this evening?”

I moved aside and pushed the button for the lobby.

“You haven’t changed” I commented coldly.

“Neither have you, Vee” she replied and leaned back against the wall of the elevator car. “I think that is why I like you.”

An auto-cab drove us in silence to the Superior. Penny looked idly at the city as it flashed by the car while I pondered this development. I have never been one for romantic attachments. My life has been one of service and danger since I was barely into my teens.

I was told from my earliest days that I could be called upon to serve as a Norn maiden. This did not make me look forward to a normal life. In fact I went out of my way to avoid any kind of personal connection to others, fearing how my future life could impact on them.

Even my own parents were unsure of how to treat me. Was I destined to be a saviour or a demon? The lives of past Norns were not the happiest of stories. It was a terrible burden to bear and so they kept themselves aloof from me. They shared all of their love with my younger brother, Alexander.

He did not understand why I was such a pariah in our family. Instead of following the lead of the others he was devoted and loving towards me. Alex was the one shining light in a bleak childhood.

At the age of twelve I ran away from home. Alex tried to follow me but I slipped his dogged pursuit. I was determined to reject what my bloodline expected from me and sought another path instead.

The paths I chose lead me at age fourteen to the Order of Michael. My blood gave me the ability to wield magic and so they willingly accepted me. I was trained as a Novitiate in the Order and taught the first of many ways to take a life on the command of another.

Such a life did not make me seek any companionship. I remained alone and grew stronger and more talented as a killer and an Adept.

It was just after my twenty third birthday that the previous Norn Maiden became the Mother. She was a cousin of mine but I had not seen her for many years. As she ascended to her new role, another Maiden was required.

I was the only one of my generation still a maiden and probably the oldest to be chosen. The burden of our bloodline fell to me regardless of what choices I wanted to make. It was my poor brother Alex that sought me out to tell me the news.

He had brought Threadcutter with him. He was of the Jotun bloodline so the blade suffered him to carry it to me without harm. As a male he could not take up the mantle, no matter how much he begged our parents to let him do so. Instead he was given the task of finding me and handing over the legacy.

As a Hunter for the Order and now a Maiden of the Norns I could never allow someone to love me. My very existence was one filled with death and dark magics. I accepted I would remain apart from others and fulfil the duties laid upon me. I was a very depressing person to be around I am sure.

Then I met Penny. She was violent and dangerous and amazingly beautiful. We were paired on some missions and amongst the battles and pain we endured we each found a kindred spirit. I guess it was only the shared experiences that drew us together.

She always warned me that everything we had was just temporary. But I fell in love with her anyway. Penny was a bright flame and I was just a moth drawn into her devouring fire.

“You have been very quiet” observed Penny, still looking out the window. We were nearly at the hotel.

“I have just been thinking about how crap my life is” I said.

“Amen to that, sister” agreed Penny with a smile. That was stupid for so many reasons I had to laugh. Penny smiled even more broadly, showing her perfect white teeth. I made a decision.

“You don’t need to get a room of you own” I told her. “Stay with me”

“Are you sure about that?” Penny answered.

“No, but I want to do it anyway” I said. I reached out and touched her hand. She gripped it back and the past year was forgotten. Time to get burned again in the fire.

=====

I helped Penny carry her suitcase through the hotel lobby. A few of the staff greeted us as we swept past but like the professionals they were no questions were asked.

In the elevator I stabbed the button for my floor and willed the damn thing to ascend as fast as it could. Penny observed my nervous energy with lowered eyes but she made no comment, just a mischievous smile on her face.

When the doors slid open I took her hand and led her at a fast walk to my room. The security key linked to my phone popped the lock as I approached and I dragged Penny inside. No sooner had we shut the door behind us than I dropped her suitcase and kissed her hard on the lips.

We stood like that for a good few minutes. My heart was pounding and I pressed her back against the door, trapping her in my embrace. She wrapped her arms around me and gave me back all the passion I was giving her.

I pulled back at last and looked deep into her eyes. At such intimate proximity it was easy to see the lenses of her artificial eyes. From a distance they looked quite normal, as alive as any flesh and blood ones could be.

“I am still in here” she said to my unspoken thoughts. She knew I worried about her constant enhancements to her body.

“Sorry for the rush. I have really missed you” I told her.

“Well, we have plenty of time right now” she replied. ”I can show you a few new tricks I have learned”.

She pushed me back with unexpected strength onto the bed. Her case dropped off her shoulder and she stepped over to my supine form.

“Be gentle with me” I said and she gave an evil little laugh. We both have such stupid senses of humour.

====

I lay on the bed, satisfied and happy. Penny lay beside me on her chest, showing off the curves of her back down to her pale derriere, just peeking out from the rumpled sheets. My hand traced her forearm as it lay on the pillow next to me.

“More implants?” I asked her as I ran a finger gently down the faint scars.

“I needed to upgrade” she said quietly, her face partially covered by the pillow. “Not all of us have the blood of giants inside to keep us young and strong”. She said it softly but I felt her underlying bitterness.

“It is not the blessing you may think it is” I said to her and touched her gently on the cheek. I am twenty years older than Penny and yet we look the same age. Her youth is maintained by selective surgeries and a cocktail of regenerative drugs. They cost her a lot I knew, moneywise and emotionally.

My physical appearance, at least in terms of aging, had not altered in the time since I took up the mantle of Maiden. I looked like I was in my mid twenties, but I was actually double that age.

“You have new tattoos” Penny said, taking my hand and looking closely at it. The runes and symbols that served as spell foci ran in concentric circles around my palms. She insisted on taking my other hand and examining the left and right palms.

“These ones are different” she observed, pointing to the inner circles of ink.

“Both my hands have a Levitation spell focus on them” I explained “That gives me more control of how I can fall through the air. My left hand has a Shield spell and the right has a Sleep charm”

Penny was fascinated with my ability to wield magic. She always asked a lot of questions, partly I knew because she had to face Adepts in her line of work. But I think she also genuinely wished she was capable of using magic herself.

The simple truth was her genes did not give her that ability. All the training in the world could never let her cast the simplest charm, even one through a spell focus like my tattoos. That in part drove her endless obsession to artificially improve her body.

I have other spell foci tattooed on my body but I didn’t want to talk about magic anymore. I gathered her hands in mine and kissed them gently.

“Thank you for today” I said.

“Day’s not over yet” she replied with another of her wicked grins.