Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X, #1)(162)

Justin stilled. “If I do it, it’ll be going against something else he wants. It’s a contradiction.”

“The plans of a god aren’t for you to understand.”

“That’s the problem, isn’t it?” Justin turned away. “Your water’s on me. See you for your next inspection.”

But as he walked out of the restaurant, he knew what he had to do.





[page]CHAPTER 37





STEPHANOTIS





There were protesters outside Internal Security again when Justin showed up for his afternoon meeting. They shouted about religious freedom, and as security helped him push past, Justin uneasily wondered if the fact that they kept popping up more frequently had anything to do with Geraki’s game.

He reached Cornelia’s reception area on the twentieth floor and found Mae sitting and reading her ego. Her presence lit up the room. A flicker of amusement flashed in her eyes at his unabashed surprise. “You didn’t expect me here, did you?”

“No,” he admitted. “When I didn’t hear much, I figured my superstar pr?torian had gotten her uniform back and was off fighting in an epic battle.”

“I’ve been busy—but I did get the uniform back. There’s just not much reason to wear it while running around with a servitor.”

He hadn’t really thought she’d stay on, and from that cool look on her face, she probably wasn’t thrilled that she had. “Well, congratulations. I’m glad to have you, but I know it’s not as action packed as you’d like.”

She shot him a sidelong look. “Not action packed? Did you somehow miss this last month?”

An intern came to escort them to Cornelia’s office. The girl’s face brightened when she saw Justin. “Hey, I wondered what happened to you when you didn’t call me.”

Justin vaguely remembered a night out with her. “You know how it goes. Just been busy, Flora.”

She looked hurt. “Flavia.”

“Right.” He smiled as winningly as he could. “We’ll have to get together again sometime.” Mae moved past him with no expression.

“Please be seated,” said Cornelia as they stepped into her office. “We have a lot to discuss. And although it must be a disappointment, we actually aren’t here to laud your brilliance and bravery. We need to talk about what really happened with the Pan-Celts.”

“It was outstanding,” piped Francis.

“It was a breach of a dozen policies,” said Cornelia.

Justin leaned back in his chair, projecting more confidence than he felt. “I thought our policy was to dismantle dangerous religions. Seemed like we pulled that off pretty well and solved a national murder mystery.”

“We thrive on order, Justin. You aren’t a vigilante bringing justice to a lawless land. You should’ve notified us first and had an actual military team seize the compound. We’d have a few more suspects to question if you did.” Cornelia had no jurisdiction over military personnel, but it was clear that last remark was a rebuke for Mae’s killing spree.

“Do you know how fast word of a military raid would have spread?” Justin asked. “You’d have no suspects because they would’ve taken off beforehand, along with all the evidence.” As it was, Justin was still puzzled over how Emil and friends had learned they were there. His best guess was that word of a pr?torian’s presence had leaked from border security.

That, or someone betrayed you, mused Magnus.

The tight line of Cornelia’s lips showed her thoughts on that. “That’s still not the reason we’re here.” She held up a reader. “Let’s talk about your report.”

Here it is, Justin thought, though he didn’t even blink under Cornelia’s scrutiny. “It’s very detailed.”

“Indeed it is,” she said in agreement. “Far more detailed than I would like. It’s even worse than your last one. Do you realize what you’ve signed off on? The idea that an ancient Celtic deity is responsible for repairing Cain in patricians through sacrificial magic?”

In his peripheral vision, Justin saw Mae taken aback. She hadn’t believed he’d go through with it. After what had happened in his last report, she’d thought he’d lie about the events in the temple. Maybe he should have, but there was no going back on his gamble now.

“I didn’t say that definitely happened. Just that it couldn’t be ruled out. Maybe it was magic. Maybe it was some geneticist in her service. They were certainly a high-tech group to get those numbers.”

“You weren’t so vague about these alleged supernatural attackers. The people who turn into shadows and have superhuman powers?”

“They weren’t alleged,” he said. “I saw them. Pr?torian Koskinen and Leo Chan did too.”

Cornelia pretended not to hear. “It’s all absurd.”

“It’s the truth!” exclaimed Francis. And for the first time, he didn’t come across as a bedazzled fan. “Cornelia, it’s happening everywhere, and you know it. We can’t pretend it’s not. We need to find it and control it before it controls us.”

And like that, Justin knew his gamble had paid off. Cornelia had always had neutral responses when he’d brought his secret, off-the-record observations to her about mysterious phenomena. She hadn’t accused him of insanity, but she’d certainly never once hinted that there might be something unusual going on in the world. Now her eyes told a different story. We’re not the only ones who know what’s happening, Geraki had said. Your human masters know. So do powerful people you don’t even suspect.