When the councilor left the room, Enzo allowed his body to slump a little. This was draining. He had spent the entire day speaking with over two dozen members from both houses of the Federal Assembly. These small, near-sighted men wanted small things for their support: money, land, positions. Most, Enzo was happy to offer, though he had to be careful about how much he conceded.
Once Quasiform was in play, these small materialistic desires would be worthless. However, he needed their support first, and he certainly could not offer them all the same thing. If they were ever to compare notes, his takeover of Russia would fall over like a house of cards. If one got the scent of what another was offered, it could throw the entire negotiations into disarray. In truth, it didn’t matter what any of these fools received in the end. So, as painful as it was for him, he would have to play these silly games. For now.
“Is there anyone else?”
Azumi looked down at her notes. “You had three cancellations. Tachkin from illness, but Polanski and Maximov abruptly at the last minute. I think Vinnick may have gotten to them first. I will check my sources and confirm.”
Enzo nodded. He picked a pear up off the table and bit into it. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast and his finely-tuned body wasn’t happy. He had been neglecting it as of late, something he would have to rectify. He wished he could focus his time on real battles instead of these games. It was his duty as a vessel to maintain it for his Holy One.
One battle won in these halls is worth ten on the field.
Enzo gritted his teeth. That much was true, as much as he detested the fact. Once he established control over the world, he intended to end all political bickering, not that it would happen for much longer. Quasiform was at hand and would usher the end and the beginning of everything.
“All right, then,” he said, “I want a fresh report on my desk by tonight with new trajectories. Put Polanski and Maximov on the list for blackmail or extermination. Verify first. With Tachkin, send him a request to reschedule. If he refuses, put him on the list as well. Let’s get out of this cesspool.”
Enzo left the room with his honor guard in tow. A full twenty of his Hatchery siblings – all vessels – spread out before him as he walked down the hallways of the Federal Assembly building. The usually crowded corridors were deserted. Everyone in the building, from the Chairman to the janitor, knew who he was and stayed out of his way.
As his group turned the corner, they were met by another group coming from the other end of the hall. A group of suited men, Epsilons by the look of them, surrounded an old frail man in a wheelchair. Azumi tensed and jumped in front of him, gun drawn out. The rest of his siblings closed ranks.
Enzo took a quick inventory. Approximately forty Epsilons to his twenty-one Hatchery-trained vessels. He held the advantage. No matter how well-trained Epsilons were, they were no match for vessels from the Hatchery. The narrow hallway would prevent Vinnick from utilizing his superior numbers as well.
He was waiting for you. Do not fight on your opponent’s chosen field.
“Fuck Sun Tzu. I can end this bastard now.”
Vinnick has obviously come to you. He would not accompany an ambush. Also, look at who is standing next to him. This is not a battle worth waging. Show him who is in control.
Enzo put a hand on Azumi’s shoulder and gently nudged her aside. He took two steps forward and spoke in a loud voice. “You wish to talk now, old man? Now is your last chance.”
The Epsilons standing in front of Vinnick parted, and one of the Epsilons – no, Sergii, Vinnick’s adopted son and heir to his fortune – wheeled the man forward. Sergii was an Adonis Vessel from a previous generation and had spent the past twenty years waiting for the old man to die. He wondered about the Adonis’s loyalty. If he was truly a Genjix, he would slit Vinnick’s throat at this very moment. Sergii came to the middle of the hall, dividing the two groups, then he walked back to the group of tense Epsilons alone. Vinnick sat in the middle of the hallway waiting for Enzo to meet him halfway.
Enzo considered forcing the old man to come to him, but decided against it. After all, he could still show that he was the more magnanimous one in this conflict. Enzo walked forward until the two of them were face to face.
“You’ve aged some, boy,” were Vinnick’s first word.
“You’re one to talk, brother,” he replied.
Vinnick cackled. “When you get to be my age, you can say whatever you want.” He motioned to his left.
Enzo looked and saw an open door leading to a courtyard. Obviously, this entire thing had been set up by Vinnick, just like the assassination attempt at the church. First things first, Enzo reached out and touched Vinnick’s hand.
Flua is there.
Enzo drew his pistol, ignoring the tense movements of Vinnick’s men down the hall, and jammed it into the base of the old man’s neck. “Now I’m ready to talk.”
Vinnick chuckled. “Do you think threatening someone my age with death actually means anything? Put the gun away. You’re not going to need it. Why don’t we take a stroll through the courtyard?”
Calculated. He wants you to know that he does not care about his welfare. He wants you to turn down this opportunity to talk. He is playing for sympathies from the rest of the Council.
“He tried to kill me the last time!”
You had set draconian terms previously. I warned you not to push your demands too far. The others on the Council took note.
And now he was pushing the old man into the courtyard, an area of his choosing. What would others think of this photo op? It would show Enzo serving Vinnick. Enzo squeezed the handles of the wheelchair tightly; his knuckles drained of blood. Again, outmaneuvered. Well, the trap has been sprung, and now he couldn’t back out. Doing so would paint him afraid and insecure with his position. He had survived one of Vinnick’s traps; he could survive another.
Enzo nodded to Azumi and wheeled Vinnick into the outdoor area. No doubt Vinnick had snipers at some of the windows. By now, Palos was having his people sweep the rooms. They entered a garden that had two cobbled paths intersecting in the middle. At the center of the courtyard was another small round table with one chair. There were settings for two and a steaming pot of tea welcoming them.
Tea; of course there would be tea. Enzo pushed Vinnick to one end and sat down at the opposite end. He reached out and picked up the teapot, first serving Vinnick a cupful and then pouring his own. Then he waited. The two sat in silence, neither moving as their stares became a contest of will. Ten minutes passed with neither taking any initiative.
Finally, Enzo gestured. “Your tea is getting cold, brother.”
Vinnick smirked, picked up his cup with shaking hands, and took a sip. He placed the cup hard on the table, making a loud cracking sound and sloshing some of the liquid out. “There you go. Happy?”
Enzo smiled and took a sip. “I was just respecting my elders.”
“I’ve seen firsthand how you’ve shown respect over the past ten years, boy. If you had only followed the natural order within the Council, things might have ended differently. Instead, you barged in like a bull and tried to run everyone over. So let’s get down to business. What do you really want?”
“You’ve had a long and illustrious reign on the Council. You’ve served the Holy Ones well. Mostly. Why don’t you retire to a nice villa in Nice or Belize? Call it a career.”