"Sorry I'm late," said Caspian. In truth, he had arrived precisely when he had intended to arrive, but he couldn't exactly say that to Jessamine. He had to consider her emotional state, after all, and choose the best strategy for the situation.
She recently lost one of her closest allies… even if she was being controlled by Elsie, it was still her hand that held the knife.
Though she's got a strong mind, that ultimately led her to try to seduce me in order to get revenge.
And now—it must seem to her that the Blackstones have taken her precious Societie from her, as well. She surely suspects that the spy ring is under Elsie's control.
That will make the ultimate revelation of my identity all the more potent.
At that moment—her mind will break.
Caspian struggled to suppress a malicious grin as his future plans swirled through his mind, yet forced himself to do so in order to prevent suspicion from growing within Jessamine.
"Where have you been?" hissed Jessamine, while Laura bowed respectfully to her master. "Everyone's dead—the Societie's leadership, Hope—"
"I know."
"Then what took you so long?"
"I'm sorry," he said. The other members of Research Group Theta hung their heads in shame upon realizing the catastrophic losses the Societie had suffered, but they silently agreed that Caspian's decision to arm themselves and prepare for the battle ahead was correct. "I didn't expect the enemy to be so formidable. If I had, maybe then…."
Caspian lied with such fluency that sometimes he even surprised himself.
But this was not a time for comfort.
Natasha shuddered upon seeing the psychic activity beginning in Caspian's mind, dreading what Caspian might have in store for the Societie Chairwoman.
He knew that the darkness within Jessamine was on the verge of overwhelming her: all he had to do was give her one final push.
Jessamine's eyes were downcast while she did her best to process the loss of the entire Executive Board, so she didn't notice the world around her fade into obscurity; Caspian had isolated her consciousness within a mental space designed for manipulation.
"I know the deep desires of your heart," he said, taking her hands and meeting her gaze. "You keep half of yourself in chains, afraid of who you might become if you let yourself be free—afraid of how others might judge you, criticize you, shame you."
His eyes were hypnotizing; Jessamine found that she could not look away, and something within her cried out in agreement with Caspian's words.
"It's okay," he said, his words uncharacteristically dripping with honey. "Let go of your inhibitions. These people deserve nothing better. Take your revenge."
Jessamine felt her gaze being directed downward, where she noticed the body of the student infiltrator she had defeated a couple minutes earlier; he was conscious, remarkably, and watching the scene before him in horror.
"Take it," said Caspian, and she looked back to see him holding a vest not unlike the one Hope had been using.
This vest, too, was bloodied.
Two daggers and matching gloves hovered in the air behind Caspian.
Subconsciously, Jessamine began reaching for the tools—reaching for the power she wanted, the power to execute her vengeance against the Blackstone family.
When her consciousness reasserted itself, the vest was bound tightly around her chest, digging into her skin and making every breath painful.
"Let go," Caspian commanded, and a spike of fear erupted in Jessamine's heart at the similarity to Elisabeth's magic.
But, she had no choice.
She did as she was told.
Jessamine looked back down at the pitiful creature at her feet, who was trying in vain to crawl away, and knelt down beside him. He recoiled in fear when he saw the smile begin to form.
She lifted her hand: she was still holding his eye, the one she had plucked from his skull like a berry from a bush. Aside from the blood and the dangling optic nerve, it was relatively intact.
Jessamine licked the necrotic organ seductively, sending a shiver down the poor boy's spine.
She opened her mouth and placed it between her teeth, iris facing outward: he met his own eye's gaze as she bit into the soft, fluid-filled tissue. He was paralyzed, transfixed by fear as the juice squirted across his face.
Jessamine reached forward and plucked something from his face, dangling it in front of his working eye for a split second before grasping his shirt collar. In a single, swift move, she pivoted and threw him over her shoulder.
Only then did he realize what it was: the pin of a grenade.
As she watched his receding form, the darkness withdrew from her eyes, revealing the world around her—she had thrown him towards the enemy, though it looked as if he was about to hit a piece of electrical equipment.
But then he vanished.
A few seconds later, an explosion rocked the area near the enemy force; Jessamine glanced at Caspian, whose dark smile confirmed her suspicions.
She snapped her fingers, and the pair of teleporting daggers appeared in her hands.
Caspian looked in her eyes, and was satisfied with what he saw.
"Go," he said. "Take your revenge."
Jessamine smiled: the sight of it struck deadly fear into Lance and Gwen, the only people present who were still unaware of Caspian's true nature.
Then, in a flash, she disappeared.
***
"I've been able to confirm the identity of our enemy, Father," the girl said over the phone. "It's as we suspected. The Coalition of Sovereign States of America has abandoned us, and is moving to eliminate the Kingdom of Britannia from the shadows."
"Excellent work, Elsie," said Richard Blackstone. "Have you been able to usurp control of the enemy operatives on our soil?"
"It seems we've been lucky on that front," she replied. "They used a shell corporation, S2 Magus Technology Holdings, as a front for their illicit activities, but the bulk of their satellite cells are composed of turncoat Britannians. After I broadcast my 'hostile takeover' of S2 to their offices, they were quick to acquiesce to my leadership."
"You make your father proud."
"You honor me."
"We'll have to get rid of them, of course. Can't trust them. But I'd like to use this opportunity to let Caspian have some fun…"
"Might I suggest Capture-the-Flag?"
Richard smiled, though Elisabeth could only hear the slightest hint of such over the phone.
"I think that's a wonderful idea. And if Caspian plays his cards right, he could gain quite a bit of influence from a game like that. Was that your intention, Elsie? To recommend a pastime which Caspian could exploit to his advantage?"
"It's not as if the Kingdom has time to waste on a succession dispute," Elisabeth replied. "While we dawdle, the Coalition moves to eliminate us and steal our magical advantage. If they succeed—there will be a third global war."
"There'll be a war anyway," said Richard. "Why should we expose ourselves unnecessarily?"
"Because such a war is the best opportunity we'll ever have. By the time the last World War ended, the House of Blackstone had risen exponentially to become a global financial superpower. And though we've certainly increased our standing since then, I believe we should do our best to prepare for another such opportunity to arrive."
"And what are your brother's thoughts on this subject?"
"He and I are in agreement, though, perhaps, he may grow bored of our plots if the war takes too long to arrive."
"You think he does not care about improving the House of Blackstone?"
"I think he only cares about himself, and there's no way to change that," Elisabeth stated. "I've tried multiple tactics, to no avail."
Richard was silent for a minute before speaking.
"Would the di Cadenza girl be able to change his mind?"
"I'm not sure," Elisabeth hesitantly replied. "I know Caspian has something in mind for her, but far be it from me to know his every intent. That man is a mystery."
A small Hmmm of understanding was heard over the line.
"Well, I'll start planning the Capture-the-Flag event, and I suppose we can resume this discussion later. Thank you for the update, my dear Elsie."
"It's my pleasure, Father. Take care."
Elisabeth turned and surveyed her handiwork. The London office of S2 Magus Technology Holdings, Inc., had been placed under lockdown as soon as she began her assault, but that hadn't stopped her at all.
Rather, it had emboldened her, as she knew there were no longer any safe spots within the building.
She stood over Mattew Gödel, who was now soaked in his subordinates' blood and excreta and quivering on the floor. Some of the things he had seen the Blackstone girl do were simply too much for the seasoned American intelligence officer; a day had come which he had never expected, a day in which he lost his nerve.
Elisabeth decided to take her time dismantling the man, knowing that she'd get little entertainment from her upcoming battle with Caspian. If she wanted to win, she'd have to go all-out without any limits, which was always exhausting for her.
She resumed her assault on Gödel with a sadistic smile.
***
Caspian turned back to his Research Group.
"Sorry, guys, but I don't think we're going to be needed. Ms. di Cadenza seems to have this covered."
"You sure, Caz?" asked Lance. "I mean, we came all this way, and we only got to fight once—no offense, but I'm itching for a real battle!"
"I understand, truly, I do," said Caspian, "but—Hope—the Societie… I don't want to lose anyone else. Jessamine and I can handle this."
He shot a glance at Natasha, who instantly understood.
"I agree," she said. "I haven't had much time to train with these tools, and unlike the two of you, I'm not ex-military. To be frank…"
The other two looked at her quizzically, not having seen much vulnerability from the mysterious psychic prior to this moment.
"…I'm scared," she muttered, making it look as if she was telling the truth. She gave Caspian a side-eye, as if to say, "Was that good enough?"
[Good girl,] came the reply, as intrusive as she remembered. The forced entrance into her mind caused her to wince in pain.
At least that'll help sell the illusion of fear, she thought.
"Alright, alright, I get it," said Lance. "We'll head upstairs and do damage control. Sound good?"
"Thank you," said Caspian with a nod. "This means a lot to me."
It meant nothing to him.
He turned to Laura, who had been standing silently in the background, awaiting orders from her employer.
"Laura, go with them and make sure they don't run into trouble. And take care of Ms. Angeloff, since she's still unfamiliar with our equipment."
She nodded.
"Why do I feel like he's treating us as children?" he heard Gwen ask as the group departed, only for her to be shut down by Natasha.
Looks like she was a good choice after all, he thought.
Caspian turned back towards the direction Jessamine took when she departed; the sound of gunfire had ceased minutes ago, and not only the occasional dull thud resonated throughout the Academy sub-basement.
The sound of bodies hitting the floor.
They haven't begun firing: she hasn't been caught.
Guess I should go see how she's doing.
Jessamine wasn't startled when Caspian appeared next to her. Something had changed when she accepted the daggers, when she let her darker urges take over—she had a heightened awareness of Caspian, his movements and his power. It was familiar to her, like how the desert wind is a familiar guide to the nomads.
There was, of course, a reason for this: Caspian had used his Third Eye to delicately reconfigure Jessamine's shade, giving her a subtle Third Eye of her own. He wanted to see if it was possible to give his power to others, something he hadn't considered but which he thought may prove vital in the future—he wouldn't give Jessamine his full ability, though, because she would become a dangerous foe whenever Caspian's identity was revealed.
Jessamine had been in the midst of exacting her revenge, and was currently holding a man's limp body upright next to the mangled corpse of Hope Masterson.
It appeared, from the state of Hope's body, that her end had been quick: a shot to the head, just as Laura described. Hope probably hadn't noticed her shield go down, she probably didn't feel any pain at all.
It also appeared that some of the enemy soldiers had been messing around.
Caspian could tell the man Jessamine was holding was still alive, by a technical definition, though his shoulderblades had been severed from his collarbone and the tendons in his calves had been slashed. He wasn't making any noise, so perhaps his vocal chords had been damaged, as well.
Very efficient.
That must be how she took them out so quickly—
She used Reposition to immobilize and silence the seven remaining enemies before they even had a chance to retaliate.
Not only that, she took extra care to preserve their lives.
As Caspian was recognizing Jessamine's restraint, she used one of the daggers to violently slit the man's throat from side to side. His blood poured over Hope's corpse, and Jessamine stabbed at his neck a few more times to completely sever it from his trunk.
She turned to look at Caspian and, while maintaining uncharacteristically-sultry eye contact, lifted the man's dome above her head and opened her mouth to receive some of the sanguine flow. Only when the supply ran dry did she throw the head down onto Hope's corpse, perhaps as a grotesque repayment of death, whilst licking her lips.
"That was the last one," she said, her voice firm and uncompromising. "Time to crack open the Vault."
Caspian couldn't be more pleased. His handiwork had paid off: he had been able to perfect his psychic manipulation, received confirmation of Jessamine's dark nature, and was about to rescue the King of Britannia and read the Ravensleigh Grimoire.
Everything's turning up daisies.
The pair walked through the field of corpses, unmoved by the inhuman displays of brutality that surrounded them, to the objective of their mission.
Behind this door lay Caspian's sole motivation in life.
Behind this door lay Jessamine's redemption, and the prize earned through the sacrifice of dozens of subordinates.
Behind this door lay some of the greatest secrets ever discovered by mankind.
Behind this door—