A storm coming from the East (2)

The taxi stopped in the zone Vera had asked. The driver took his banknote and nodded in a sign of thanks.

He also added a few words in French that did sound a lot like compliments about her beauty, but neither Vera nor Ethan understood enough of the language to understand.

As such, Vera smiled shyly and waved at the driver when he returned to driving.

«You should thank me. I spared twelve euros to the agency.»

«If they suspect you do this, they will stop giving you cash, Vera,» Ethan replied.

«Oh, that wouldn't be nice,» she confirmed. «But they can stop whatever they want after today. Also, cash is needed to buy intel. They don't care about taxes if it's related to our missions.»

«This wasn't as necessary. It was just a taxi; you could use the credit card.»

«Are you threatening to tell on me? Suit yourself.»

She stepped away, already tired from all that nagging. Her handler would help her with everything in his power, but he also knew how to be annoying.

«Where do we go now?» he asked.

«A high place.»

«How much high?»

«The higher, the better. We're going to listen to a message, Ethan. Where do you think we could do it?»

He shook his head, confused about the talk about a message. He spread his arms, uncertain about what to tell her. They were in Paris, after all. A high and spectacular place was famous enough even for someone as uninterested in everything as Vera to know.

«Tour Eiffel?» he tried.

«No. That's made of metal! Are you nuts? We'd be hit by thunder, and it doesn't look so stable to me.»

«Oh,» he sighed.

«Let's meet her at Tour Montparnasse,» Vera said. «It's the second-highest skyscraper in this city, and it's a lone one. We'll have the best view and, plus, it's open to the public.»

«Shouldn't we avoid anything public?» Ethan asked, frowning. She was changing her usual strategies for that last mission, and he was starting to worry.

«The public will disperse soon. Do not worry and follow me,» she said.

«Where?»

«There!»

She pointed at a spot behind him, and Ethan turned. He saw the tall building, lonely and cold, towering over the surroundings. It wasn't so close to where the taxi had dropped them, but they could walk there if they quickened their steps. Oh, but... How much time did they have?

«Wouldn't it be better to meet the creature out of Paris?»

«It's the same,» Vera replied. «It's not like we can stop her. No one can.»

«But we should protect the city from the storm. Millions of inhabitants and tourists could be hurt. It's our mission...»

«Ethan, please... You have no clue what we're facing today. Let me do my job.»

«What would that be, if I may ask?»

«Listen to the message. Not everyone can hear it, so I shall witness and tell you what is it that made the gods send their messenger to us. One so chaotic, at that. Among the others, this one is the noisiest. She brings storms when she flies from the east.»

«What is it?»

«It's Gamayun. A messenger bird.»

«So... How do we capture a Gamayun?»

«It's not a Gamayun. That's her name, Ethan. She's one in the world. And you don't capture her... You might not be able to see it, let alone capture her. Oh, you should go home and let me work. Seriously.»

She marched forward, ignoring him. Ethan shook his head, dejected, and followed her in the old streets. It was a nice quarter, he noticed.

There was also a public garden, with trees, flowers, bushes... He could spot a few walkers with their dogs and even a mother with a toddler.

For once, he wished he could break the rules and tell everyone to go home and wait for the storm to be over. But he couldn't. His role was to protect that world from the creatures of darkness, and that meant he couldn't reveal to anyone about those.

There were more dangers in the shadows than one could count, and knowing it wouldn't bring any joy to an ordinary citizen.

As for Vera... She was one of those creatures herself. She was a Dark Witch, and the agency had used all in their power to tie her to them.

He didn't know the details, but he had ensured she was paid for her hard work. He had also asked for holidays and periods to recuperate from the toughest missions, but the agency had ignored him more often than not. They needed Vera too much to let her go.

He was worried, secretly, about that. It was supposed to be her last mission. But he couldn't imagine the higher-ups giving up on such a powerful person.

He waved off his worries and followed her to the tower.

First, they needed to save Paris. Then, after everything was over, he would have looked more into it. If Vera wanted to go so badly, it was only fair to let her. She had given them ten years of her life. It should have been enough.

«Hey, look at this!» he said, noticing a signboard at the entrance. «There's a restaurant...»

«Yeah,» the woman replied. «Do we have time for a meal? I haven't had breakfast, and I heard that you can eat the best croissants in Paris.»

«Sure,» he chuckled. «But...»

«You will use the credit card,» she said.

She could guess what kind of place it was. Expensive enough not to accept any cash. And she didn't care much to reduce expenses.

«How much could a croissant cost, by the way?» she wondered while pressing the button for the elevator.

She hoped it would be very, very expensive. She was in a bad mood that day. Making the agency waste money on small luxuries was the only way to improve it a little.

And she wasn't going to do that anymore once her contract expired.

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