June 21: Wataridori
Sitting in a nondescript conference room on the third floor of the Canterlot Federal Building, Shining Armor tugged at his collar. Like everyone else in the room, he was required to dress in a suit and tie, typical wear for the FBI, which he was now temporarily tied to. It was a Saturday afternoon, and while he was no stranger to working on weekends, he didn’t think that the Feds tended to do that; they always seemed to be a 9-to-5 operation. The week had sure given him cause to think of it, given the sheer amount of paperwork and questions he had to fill out. It likely was due to the Feds’ traditional distrust of local law enforcement, he guessed, but he hoped that the field officers he’d be working with would at least be a little more professional than the desk jockeys he’d been dealing with the past seven days.
As he looked around at some of the other people in the room, he noticed several from other police departments in the county, as well as a few deputies from the ECSD. One of the former he knew personally: Jackrabbit, a foulmouthed idiot from the Mountainside City PD who thought he was God’s gift to women, as least as much as he’d told anyone when the two were both in the same class at the Police Academy. The latter, however, brought him a smile as Sandalwood walked into the door, saw him and headed his way.
Good thing that she’s been dragged into this; I could use some sanity, he thought as he waved to her, shortly thereafter feeling Melati tapping him on the shoulder.
“Wow, flirting with people already, Shining,” the woman teased. “Wonder what Cadance’s going to say.”
“Hey, if you’re breaking up with her, can I have her digits?” Cuff ‘Em added.
“Hey, Sandy and I are just friends,” Shining grumbled as Sandalwood approached. “Tell them, wouldja?”
Unfortunately for him, the woman was fast on the jokes. Sitting down in an empty seat next to him, she gave him a doe-eyed look and said, “Now, honey, you promised that I wouldn’t be the other woman, right?” She then kissed him on the cheek, near the lips and as his eyes widened, she laughed. Turning to the others, she said, “Seriously, Cady and I are best friends, so I mess with Shiny all the time.” She offered her hand. “Deputy Sandalwood, ECSD.”
She, Melati and Cuff briefly shook hands before a voice called into the room, “Okay, have a seat, we’re going to get started!” A woman walked into the room, deep blue hair and turquoise eyes, and Shining noted she bore a passing resemblance to Cadance’s aunt and his mother’s friend Luna. “Okay, thanks for coming and thanks for putting up with all the paperwork this week. That being said, we’re getting the briefing started, and everything you hear from this point forward is now classified Special Compartmented Information – the highest classification we have at our disposal. For those of you keeping score, that’s above Top Secret.”
“Hey,” one of the police spoke up, “I don’t know about the others, but I don’t have a military clearance.”
The woman grinned. “Yes you all do; that’s what you were filling out this week – SSBI paperwork for the nice drones at OPM…and if any of you didn’t pass, you wouldn’t be here. I’m Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Hardline, and I’m the person you’ll be reporting to on a day to day basis. My boss, who you’ll also get to meet, will be here shortly. Anyway, welcome to a huge pile of shit that you can blame the government next door about, metaphorically speaking, and now it’s become our fucking mess as well.” She started to pass out folders for everyone in the room.
“How bad are we talking, Agent Hardline?” another person spoke up.
“Ever heard of SEAL Team Six or Delta Force?” a new voice spoke as a man walked in, his whiskey-soaked voice sounding much like the actor Lightfoot. Shining Armor’s eyes immediately started to take in the measure of the man as he moved next to Agent Hardline. With the easy stride of someone who’d seen many a decade in law enforcement, his hard silvery eyes, graying blond hair and thick mustache complimented his duster and Stetson. Had it not been for the fact that he was in an FBI office, Shining full expected the man to be wearing a US Marshals or Texas Rangers badge instead. “We’re talking just as dangerous, with an added streak: they specialize in causing huge amounts of collateral damage wherever they go, on purpose, to draw attention from their activities – hard to look for stolen data when the whole building is falling down around your ears.”
Hardline looked at the man. “Uh, boss, you may want to introduce yourself.”
He grinned. “Ah, yes. I’m Shining Badge, Special Agent-in-Charge of this little coffee klatch. I’ve had forty years in law enforcement, and quite frankly, I’ve never seen a bag of cats like this before.”
Sandalwood raised her hand. “Agent Badge, I’m former Navy – I know some SEALs. And you’re saying the Canadians have something on par with DEVGRU or 1st SOF-D?” she asked, using both groups’ formal designations to prove her point. “Yeah, I know the Canucks have IRTF and Arrowhead, but seriously?”
In response, Badge nodded to Hardline and she reached in her pocket, pulling out a small remote and hitting a button on it. On cue, the lights dimmed, a screen lowered, and a projector at the back of the room activated, throwing images on to the screen. “This information comes directly to us from the CIA, NSA and the RCMP, the latter of which was very reluctant to give it to us,” Hardline began. The screen showed the same emblem that Shining had seen at his morning CPD briefing last week. “They’re officially called the Strategic Intervention, Reconnaissance and Execution Network, or, more colorfully, the SIRENs. The group is composed entirely of females, and if the RCMP’s info is correct, they’re very much like the historical Spartans – or the mythical Amazons, for a better analogy – meaning that these women have been quite literally trained since childhood to be nothing but weapons of war.”
A hand at the back was raised. “Okay, excuse me while I raise the bullshit flag, but Canadians? Really? Excuse the term, but this sounds like some kind of cliché bullshit from some weird technothriller.”
In turn, Badge stared at the man and in a soft voice replied, “Yeah, tell that to the people in Dubai and Venice – I’m sure you all watch the news at some point or another, right? Let’s add the Basilique Saint-Tugdual de Tréguier from three months ago and several other places that have been blamed on ISIS or other extremist organizations, shall we?” Badge walked right up to the man and leaned forward; the jovial smile on his face seemed all the more menacing for it. “But, you know, let’s just chalk it up to stereotypes and the belief that the Canadians would never do anything like this, never mind the fact that they’re just as human as we are, they’re a nation just like us, and nations tend to do things that they’re not often proud of.” He glared at the man and said in a soft voice, “But hey, just keep on thinking the way you do. I’ll tell your next of kin that when you die from a sniper bullet or something that the SIRENs might unload on you. Maybe even at point-blank range.”
As the man blanched, Badge pulled back and addressed the whole room. “Let’s get this clear: the Mounties want us to arrest them, because otherwise we’ll have Les SCARS in town, and then we’ll have a war on our hands. Since that tends to break things and hurt people, I’d rather avoid that, wouldn’t you?”
“Les SCARS?” another officer asked.
“The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the CIA’s counterpart,” Hardline answered. “Their nickname comes from the French version of the name, the Service Canadien du Renseignement de Sécurité, or SCRS. They have a wetworks group that’s been specifically ordered to hunt down the SIRENs, and they’ve been augmented by other CANSOF forces. There have been a few firefights between the two groups in several parts of the world. The SIRENs have held their own so far, but Les SCARS have more people and…well, the SIRENs are getting desperate, which is why we think they’re looking to bolthole in a familiar location without attracting attention.”
“Familiar location?”
“Hey, what’s the difference between the US and Canada, besides a border and a different secondary language – Spanish vice French, in case you weren’t paying attention,” Badge answered. “On a more serious, note, though, we have fifty-seven known locations, from the Marianas to Maine, where someone fitting the description of a known SIREN operative has been spotted. The Bureau is stretched to the limit, which is why we’ve asked for assistance from local law enforcement agencies. But let’s make something clear: due to the urgency of this situation, you are all now considered deputized Federal agents. You’ll get your usual salary, plus a little something we’re throwing in for danger pay. But until you are detached back to your parent agencies, you are not to deal with anyone from said organizations. As of now, you are all Bureau, and this case is your only priority.” He looked at the clock and said, “Now, I’ve got a briefing with the regional director on this situation, and as soon as that’s done, I’ll come back with updates. In the meanwhile, Hardy here will brief you all on the background of the group and why they slipped their chain.” With that, Agent Badge stepped out of the room.
“Okay,” Hardline said, changing to the next slide, “let’s get started. The SIRENs are currently commanded by this woman: Cantata Blast, Age 41, formerly a captain in the Royal Canadian Navy. The group’s second in command is this woman, Rhapsody Blue, Age 39, a former RCN commander. The rest of the SIRENs’ operation chain goes as follows: third in command and operations officer, Violin Elegy, Age 39, former RCN lieutenant commander; logistics officer….”
In a recently-rented building in Sunnytown, three women stood looking at one another. “I have some misgivings about this,” Madrigal said to her fellow SIRENs. “I…I hope they don’t succeed. I hope they give up.”
“Maddie, I have to agree,” Vesper pointed out. “I raised Aria as my petite sœur, and I love her just as much as if she was my real flesh-and-blood sister, just like Mezzo. If I had my way, I would beg her to run away and never come back to the Sisterhood.”
Sitting next to them, Intermezzo agreed. “I know how you both feel. But it was just as difficult when our grandes sœurs raised us. Hell, sometimes it felt like Harpsichord was my mother and not just my grande sœur. But that’s the way the Sisterhood rolls, girls: we’re active until we’re fifty, then we move to the support group.” Intermezzo pointed at the three girls talking amongst themselves on the other side of the room. “Someday, they’ll become grandes sœurs and take trainees of their own, and by then we’ll become too old and retire to the support group. But the Sisterhood has to survive, if only to avenge our uncle’s death.”
“Until the death,” Vesper agreed, clenching a fist.
“Until the death,” Madrigal agreed, nodding her head.
Away from the three older women, Adagio Dazzle hugged her biological sisters. “I’ve missed you two!” she said, embracing Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk. “I brought you guys back some presents from Dubai!” The eldest of the triplets reached in her bag, pulling out the Black Star pistol. “Ari, I know you’ve wanted this one for your collection….”
Aria grinned as she took the gift. “You’re the best sister ever, Dagi!” she commented, hugging her sis.
“Oh, and Soni, here’s a vintage PHP I snagged from one of them. There’s a little blood gunking up the works, so you’ll have to clean it.”
“That’s okay,” Sonata said with a smile, taking the pistol and inspecting it. “It’s the thought that counts, sis. So how was Dubai?”
The three girls chatted amicably amongst each other for several minutes, until Intermezzo bellowed, “Okay, let’s get this show on the road! Front and center you three, doubletime!” Like lightning, the younger trio immediately moved to stand in front of the three women, immediately coming to attention. “Okay, you’re on the clock now, understood?”
“YES, MA’AM!” the three shouted as one.
“Parade rest!” Intermezzo barked, and the girls shifted automatically. With a proud smile on her face, the woman continued. “This is your final assignment. Once you pass, you will be promoted past Ordinary Seaman and promoted to Able Seaman. Seaman Dazzle, as the fireteam leader, you will be promoted to Leading Seaman, is that understood?”
“YES, MA’AM!” the teenage trio shouted again.
“At ease,” Vesper spoke, handing each a packet as each girl moved into a more comfortable stance. “These are your order assignments. You are to memorize your duties and carry them out to the best of your abilities. You will be given no guidance, you will not carry weapons at any time unless directed, and you are to make yourselves look as un-regulation as possible, like Seaman Dusk here.” It was at this time that both Adagio and Aria looked at their youngest sister, noticing that Sonata’s hair was longer than allowed, and in a very unregulation ponytail.
“Any questions?” Vesper asked as each girl looked into the packets given them.
“Yes, Lieutenant,” Adagio began. “What’s with the civilian look?” Before she could ask anything else, she then heard a gasp to her right, turning to see a wide-eyed look on Aria’s face.
“This is….” Forgetting her military bearing for a second, she asked, “This looks like a million bucks! What the fuck, Vesper?” A second later, she caught herself and said, “Sorry, Lt. Blue, ma’am.”
It was Madrigal that answered. “Okay, off the record. That’s ten thousand in American dollars, girls, and each of you have them, not just you, Ari. The ten thousand is for you all to buy civilian clothes to your liking, and whatever you need to pretend to be an average American girl.”
It was Sonata that asked the question. “Why?”
Intermezzo spoke. “We’ve raised you three as our petite sœurs, and we love you three very much, not just as your trainers, but as sisters. But sooner or later you have to grow up, and oftentimes that means that you might just find out that you’re not cut out for the life of the Sisterhood. In our case, there were four of us biological sisters: me; my twin, Vesper; and our older twin sisters Rhapsody and Opera. Rhapi succeeded at her mission and worked her way up to XO. But Oppie…it was during an operation in New Zealand that she decided the life wasn’t for her. She left the Sisterhood; she’s now a teacher in Auckland, where she’s happy. We go visit her whenever we can, because she’s family, and she’s always willing to help out the Sisterhood whenever she can, but…she’s an outsider, and we only go to her when there’s no other choice. And now that Oppie’s got a husband and children of her own? We see her even less, both because we can’t risk ourselves and we can’t risk them.”
Madrigal nodded. “I have an older biological sister as well, Frottola, and on her final training mission, she fell in love with a guy in New York, married him and left the Sisterhood. We…don’t speak anymore. She never forgave me for staying with the Sisterhood, and while I miss her, I have a mission to fulfill.”
Vesper then interjected, “Look, we’re not trying to convince you to quit, though because we love you three, we’d honestly be happy if you did – no grande sœur ever wants to see her petite sœur die. This mission, just like we had, and just like your own petite sœurs will have one day, is your choice to stay or leave. If you choose to leave at any time…we’ll cut you loose and give you a new identity and a couple of million to settle yourself anywhere you want. But if you stay…you’ll help us avenge Uncle Poutine and what Les Scars did to him.”
The three sisters looked at each other, with both Aria and Sonata nodding at their older sister. Flashing them a smile, Adagio turned to the three grande sœurs, she said as her eyes glistened with wetness, “We loved him too, you know. I remember when he took time from his duties to read us bedtime stories. He told us that we could move on beyond what we were found as, and he helped us to do so.”
Aria wiped a tear from her eye. “He gave us our names, from those old Motown singers that he loved.”
Sonata’s tears flowed freely. “He gave us everything – and the government took his life, because he wanted us free.” Her eyes then narrowed with rage as she said, “And I want revenge for that.” Aria nodded, putting her hand on Sonata’s shoulder.
Adagio gave her cocky grin, and said, “So, not only are we in…but I’ll put the bullets right where they need to go, in cold blood if need be.”
Intermezzo nodded. “You three can leave at any time during the operation. All you have to do is come here. As it is, we’ll report here once a week for updates. I’ll be operating out of Horseshoe Bay, where our contact will be giving us resupplies; Vesper will be working at a nearby medical clinic in case we need medical treatment. You three will be living in a house with Maddie, and you will report to her for day-to-day business, got that?”
“How long’s the op?” Adagio asked.
“Until the job’s done, Dagi. Until the job’s done.”
Feeling distinctly uncomfortable, Celestia stepped onto the treadmill, trying to discern the machine for the first time in her life. The last time she’d ever worked out was PE class back in high school and now, here she was, the owner of a shiny new monthly membership at BodyFit Fantastique: Canterlot’s #1 Place for Fit Folks!...or so said the TV ads. But right now, as she looked at the complex machine in front of her, two things became very clear: one, that she should’ve brought a pair of headphones; and two, maybe she should’ve sprung for the extra fee that would’ve landed her a few sessions with a fitness trai—
“Tia?” The confused woman turned her head to see a friend walking up, dark skin and blue-green eyes nearly buried in teal-and-violet tresses nearly as long as Celestia’s own. “Heya, didn’t know you worked out here.”
Celestia smiled. “Actually, first time. And is that a new hairdo I see, Chrys?”
The newcomer smiled, nodding. “Yeah. Sombra always thought I should add a little touch of color to my hair, so I had it done by the salon the other day. You like?”
“Looks good,” Celestia said with approval. “So…since you’re an expert at this, wanna help out a first timer?”
Celestia’s counterpart grinned. “Luckily for you I do treadmill and cardio on weekends instead of swimming. Sure, I’ll get you set up – but, you’ll have to get a swimsuit to join me on weekdays; it’s the best way to get an all-in workout.”
“You got it,” the pastel-haired woman said as her friend started to explain how the treadmill worked. A few minutes more, and both women were jogging and between breaths chatting along about various things that encompassed their friendship.
Nearby, two women walked upstairs from the basement swimming pool, both still damp from their workout. “God, I swear I’m getting old,” Velvet mourned. “What I wouldn’t do to have your genes, Lu.”
“Maybe,” Luna replied. “But you have something I’ve always wanted: a husband, a family, a normal life. Look at me, Vel! I’m fifty-two, I don’t even look like I’m thirty and in a few years, my niece is going to look older than me! My boyfriend’s less than half my age, and his mother freaks that she’s younger than me.” She groaned. “Sometimes, I think my family’s cursed – yes, we age very gracefully, probably unnaturally so, but it means little when you’re missing out on life.”
“Yeah,” Velvet agreed with a wistful smile. “No offense, but I wouldn’t give up my husband and my family for the world.”
“Even Sunset?”
The matron nodded. “Even Sunny. I love that girl, and I know she loves me. I’m her mother now, and I’m happy to have her as my ch—” Velvet’s words immediately cut off, to be replaced by her pointing towards the treadmills. “Wait – is that Tia?”
Luna blinked. “Wait…no, that can’t be my sister. She believes she’s above such petty things as working out to keep fit. But that’s….” Luna looked at her friend. “C’mon, think we need some answers – and if it’s her, I get to fuck with my sister again.”
“You never stop, do you?”
“I don’t recall you ever giving your sister Glitter an easy time,” Luna reminded her.
Velvet groaned. “Point.”
As the two approached, they could hear the other woman say, “Yeah. Especially since Orion’s Belt is supposed to be pretty clear tonight. I think it’d be perfect to….” The woman was then treated to the painful yet funny look of two women approaching, waving at Celestia, who then gasped, lost her footing, tripped forward, slammed her head against the treadmill panel, and then slid off into a crumpled heap at the end of the roller.
Velvet looked at Luna. “This is your fault.”
The early morning snow fell down the streets of Sydney, Australia, as two women walked through the Kings Cross district. While there were few people out at this time of day, those who walked past the pair heard nothing but a pair of sheilas breezily chatting about having a bite at a new recommended restaurant. The duo continued to move down Victoria Street, until the finally came across a non-descript building, the restaurant at its bottom floor bustling with the movement of a winter morning.
“This is the place,” the first woman said, dumping her Australian accent and pulling back her hood, revealing a fair face, orange, yellow and red hair and red eyes.
The second one also removed her hood, her alice-blue hair and green eyes showing disgust as she watched a couple of people walk across the street, shivering from the cold. “Ugh. Remember when we had cold-weather training when we were twelve, Canta?”
“Rhapi, I already know what you’re thinking…and no, not everyone has to spend a week in the nude fighting against the elements for survival above the Arctic Circle. They’re probably civvies, or at most RAN, since the local base is nearby. But they’re not like us – and they never will be.”
As they walked into the restaurant, a woman in her forties walked forward, a smile on her face. “Welcome to the Musket and Seal! What can I get you lovely ladies?”
“A table in the back, if you don’t mind,” the first one said. “Tired of seeing all this bloody snow.”
The second one piped up, “Do you have French toast?”
“Aye, that we do, luv,” the woman said, grabbing two menus. “Follow me, if ya would.” With that, the two women followed the first to the back of the restaurant…and then back through the backside, where the staff was cooking; all were female. They all looked up at the two women briefly then turned away just as quickly, as if in deference. Finally, the maître d’ looked at the two, pointing to a small staircase upstairs. “Go ahead – the bastard’s right up there, Cantata.”
Cantata Blast, the leader of the SIRENs, looked at the maître d’. “Oh, so he hasn’t been behaving himself?”
The woman rolled her eyes. “A member of my detachment has had to…entertain him for the past two days he’s waiting. That’s tough enough, but the damn jack told me he turned me down because ‘I’m plump’ he says!” She picked up a butcher knife. “And this guy’s our ticket?”
“I believe so,” Cantata replied.
At her side, Rhapsody Blue, the SIRENs XO, grinned. “Well…he’s not wrong, Symphonica. You are putting on a few.”
Symphonica shrugged. “You birds try runnin’ a restaurant sometime and see how thin ya stay,” she said with a chuckle. “Anyway, he should be up there, and if Piano’s with him, tell her to put on some strip and get down here. Lunch rush starts in three hours and time waits for no man. You ladies eat yet?”
Cantata shook her head. “Surprise us,” she said, as she and Rhapsody went up.
As the pair ascended the stairs, Rhapsody looked at Cantata. “She looks happy.”
“She’s not – you weren’t paying enough attention. She didn’t want to give up the CO slot, but her injuries forced her into early retirement.” Cantata sighed. “She was good – really good, and I enjoyed being OPS underneath her. But she got careless, that guy in Colombia shot her in the chest, and now that bullet’s too close to operate on. She knows she’s on borrowed time, and when it goes, so does she, and then one of the girls here will have to take command of this detachment, or we’ll have to have someone retire early.”
“You are a bitch, you know that, Canta?” Rhapsody snarled. “She’s a SIREN just like us, and she’s supportive of the mission – but you’re dismissing her like she’s unimportant!”
Cantata turned and stared at her second in command coldly. “There are 120 of us active personnel left, and maybe 350 reservists who we can call up. Those reservists run the roughly fifty spots we can run to safely in case everything goes to hell. We are at war, Commander, and I will expend everyone, myself included, to win this war, put down Les SCARS, and make sure they pay for what they did to us, got that? That means everyone’s expendable, and if I had to personally put a bullet between your eyes in order to win this war, I would – and don’t deny you wouldn’t do the same to me!”
The two scowled at each other before Rhapsody sighed. “My two sisters – my biological sisters – are on a final mission training our last three trainees for a while. If I could, I would insist they, the trainees, and Madrigal Storm, who’s with them, never come back. Maybe that makes me a shit XO, but I care about lives more than justice, Canta!”
“No, it doesn’t make you a shit XO,” Cantata replied. “It makes you human – something I can’t afford the luxury of being anymore.” The two arrived at the top of the steps, and with that, opened the door.
The upstairs apartment was everything the art deco-inspired restaurant downstairs wasn’t: spartan, minimalist, and, with the exception of the stereotypical I LOVE ME wall every military veteran had, bare of adornment.
Seated on a loveseat, his shirt open like he was some sort of trashy romance novel hero come alive, was their contact. He was being fed grapes by a dark-skinned girl with silvery hair and gray eyes wearing nothing at all and flirting with him as though the fate of reality depended on it.
“Master Seaman Piano Bliss, attention!” Cantata barked. As if flipping a switch, the girl leapt from her position to attention; the fact that she was completely undressed was of no matter. Looking at the girl, Cantata snarled, “Get dressed and report back to station.”
Piano saluted, saying, “Yes, ma’am,” and Rhapsody noted that it would’ve looked much more professional had the girl been clothed. She paused briefly to give a kiss to the man, then walked out of the room as if nothing was going on.
The man scowled at Cantata. “You shouldn’t have sent her away; I like her. She’ll make a fine concubine for me.”
“Shut up, Right,” Cantata snarled.
“That’s ‘Your Imperial Majesty, Crown Prince Divine Right’ to you,” the man snarled, brushing purple hair out of yellow eyes.
“No, that’s ‘shut up, you idiot,” Cantata told Right. “You might be a prince, but you’re still a moron. A moron who pays a lot and is worth working for, but still an idiot.”
Rhapsody blinked. Looking at her friend and commander, she asked, “He’s a prince?”
Cantata sighed. In a weary, blasé voice, she droned, “Commander Rhapsody Blue, formerly of the Royal Canadian Navy, may I have the honor of introducing you to Prince Divine Bourbon Canino Corsique Droit Divin Right, Prince of the House of Bonaparte and fifth in line to the Imperial Throne of France.” And then with a malicious smile, she added, “In pretense, of course.”
Right barely bristled at the veiled insult, then gave her the smile a snake would his lunch and added, “Fourth in line now, thanks to your timely assassinations.”
“Whatever.” She reached in her coat, producing a wrapped object. “Here, recovered from the Venetian Basilica: the Dagger of Dreams. As for the sheets containing the Song of Summoning, they are en route from Dubai. Given how fragile they are, we’re taking our time getting them here, as well as transcribing them in the event the original sheets are lo—”
Right banged a fist on the table. “The sheets will arrive intact, or else,” he snarled. “The song is nothing, means nothing, can do nothing! It is all about the sheets – the song must be read from the sheets! The damn song could be ‘Happy Birthday’ and it wouldn’t matter as long as the words are sung from those sheets!” He looked at them both and added, “The sheets, like the dagger, the lance, and my book, are not of this world. Long ago, the wizard Merlin—”
Rhapsody laughed. “Merlin? Really? You’ve go—”
She was immediately cut off by Cantata. “Let him finish, Commander,” she said in a tone that brooked no argument.
“Thank you,” Right replied. “Anyway, long ago, Merlin, the master wizard of Britain was said to have met his counterpart from another realm. Together, they defeated a demon that had somehow tunneled from this other realm. Unfortunately for them, the method that the demon used was cast to the four winds, and in time had been forgotten by the world…until I had the opportunity to obtain a grimoire from my ancestor.”
“I wasn’t aware Napoleon was into the occult,” Cantata inquired. “I studied some of his tactics and profiles.”
Right laughed. “I’m not talking about that fool; while his reach for power was admirable, he was a strutting peacock who was too blinded by his own majesty to see his own impending demise. No, I’m talking about my true ancestor of note: Baldassare di Cavalcanti, the infamous alchemist. But he was more than that, and his loss will be my gain.” A second later, he said with a grin, “And yours as well, if you continue to play your cards correctly.”
“We’re all ears,” was Cantata’s reply.
Divine Right reached into one of the pockets of his pants, pulling out a flash drive. “These are the three sites that I’ve recently purchased. I have construction crews preparing all three locations and your job will be to oversee them. Of course, once they’re done….” He gave a grim smile. “I don’t think I need to tell you what to do next.”
“No.” Rhapsody’s statement was firm. “I don’t know or care who you think you are, but that’s a line the SIRENs do not cross. We are not the bad guys, and we won’t become them just to please you on your say so, got that?”
Cantata, however, to Rhapsody’s shock, took the drive and said, “Painless or no go.”
“The consecration requires the blood of the innocen—”
“And we can solve that by raiding a couple of blood banks,” the officer said smoothly. “That’s what you want, not people suddenly wondering where their loved ones disappeared all of a sudden.”
“You’re correct,” Right replied, sighing as Piano returned, carrying two plates. “Oh, and I want her,” he said, pointing to Piano. “She…amuses me.”
Without skipping a beat, she asked, “Seaman Bliss, how old are you?”
“Seventeen, ma’am.”
Cantata thought about it for a second. “Okay, you’re now assigned as his charge d’ affairs. Your duty is to keep him out of trouble, understood?”
Piano saluted. “Aye aye, ma’am!”
Right put his arm around the girl. “Well, we’ll be off, Captain Blast. Enjoy your breakfast here; it’s quite good and if it wasn’t for the fact that your little group owns it, I would consider purchasing it myself.”
“Enjoy,” she said as Piano and Right walked down the stairs like two lovebirds.
As the SIREN commander dug into her food, her second-in-command stood there, aghast. “Canta, what the fuck is going on? Wizards? Demons? Handing over one of our junior troops – one who isn’t even legal yet – to a man over twice her age?”
A smile coming to her face, Cantata said, “You know, he’s right – this food is damn good. Maybe if we had it back at base, we wouldn’t have rebelled.”
“Canta….”
“Okay, okay, relax. No, I don’t believe for a damn moment this guy is legit. He’s talking demons, magic, shit that doesn’t exist – I looked up this ‘Baldassare di Cavalcanti’, and aside from being a man who murdered his wife and was thrown out of his bishopric, and claimed he got magic powers from talking to a black unicorn in a mirror, he was someone the Church got lazy about handling for a few decades too long. So, no, the man was nuts and Divine Right is no better. But what he has is a fuckton of money, and we pretty much have open access to that bank account. We need weapons, upgrades, the works if every SIREN who can carry a gun is going to take down Les Scars. And that means we have to play a little dirty for a change….” She sighed. “And no, I’m not happy about it.”
“But Seaman Bliss—”
“Is underage per Canadian law, yeah. But remember: our regulations specified certain laws don’t apply to us – and that was one of them. Do you know what I did for my final test? I had to assassinate a man in Thailand who was into little girls. That means that at the tender age of thirteen, I had to do it – and I mean both ways.” She shook her head. “In a perfect world, I wouldn’t order Seaman Bliss to do what she’s doing – though she seems smitten with him, age notwithstanding. No, in a perfect world…a girl like Piano Bliss would never know that the SIRENs exist, because they wouldn’t.”
“So what now?”
“We look at the info, stage our forces, and have them raid local blood banks, then give them a little extra as well as a scare not to talk once the job’s done. Then, we continue as always. We have a mission to complete and a foe to defeat and no SIREN will rest until the job’s accomplished…or to the death.”
“To the death,” Rhapsody agreed.
“Here, take this.” Velvet handed Celestia an ice pack and a bottle of water. “You going to be okay?” The three had moved to the juice bar, where there were seats for Celestia to recover while she nursed both her injuries and her humiliation.
“No, I’ve got a huge bruise that’s probably going to develop into a black eye, and I’m probably going to be the laughing stock of this gym.”
“Sorry, sis,” Luna said, contriteness in her voice. “Had I known you were unprepared, I would’ve….” She facepalmed. “Sorry.”
“No, it’s my fault. I tried to hide from you both what I should’ve told you, because I didn’t want to make a spectacle of it…and instead, I ended up doing that anyway.” She groaned. “Can we get out of here? And what happened to Chrys?”
“She had to go, some emergency where she works,” Luna replied. “She says sorry and that she’ll call you later to see how you’re doing.”
“Thanks.” Celestia sat there for a few minutes before asking, “It’s…it’s not too late for me, is it?”
“Too late for what?” Velvet asked.
“Too late to find happiness?” the pastel-haired beauty said in a small, girlish voice that sounded all too fragile and worried.
Velvet leaned forward. “You mean it?”
Luna, for her part, smirked. “Knew I was right.”
The look in Celestia’s eyes was one of someone completely lost as she said, “I met someone; he works over at the Blanks. He’s….” A soft smile came onto the woman’s face as she turned to face her companions. “He’s perfect. Strong, handsome, kind….”
“Sounds like someone a little smitten,” Velvet replied. Celestia blushed and both Velvet and Luna giggled in response. “No, Tia, I’m happy for you. I’ve always wanted you and Luna to find guys of your own—”
“If only so you don’t keep flashing Night,” Luna cracked.
“Luna,” Celestia said in a tired voice, sighing. “Seriously, you can drop that joke, okay?”
“Tia?” A new voice came in and the trio turned to find a man standing there, looking at the prone woman. “What happened to you?”
“Sable?” She turned away, aghast. “I….”
“Who hurt you?” His voice was cold and angry, and both Velvet and Luna flinched in shock at the sudden change in his voice. He bent down at her side, reaching out to turn her face back to him. “If anyone hit you I swear I’m going to—”
“No! Nobody hit me, Sable,” she stammered, blushing from both his touch and his concern. “I slipped on the treadmill and faceplanted on the control panel. I feel like an idiot as is, please don’t make it worse.”
He turned to the two women there. “Is this true?” Unable to say nothing, they merely nodded. When that happened, he relaxed and offered her his hand. “C’mon, let’s get you out of here.” She took his hand and he pulled her up with muscles that the other two women couldn’t help but take notice of. “I was going to do some time weightlifting today…but my girl’s more important, if you ask me.”
“Your…girl?” Celestia said breathlessly.
“Unless there’s something wrong with that?” he asked, his voice containing curiosity.
In response, she leaned up against him, sighing. “Take me home?”
“How about I take you to my place, take care of that shiner, and make us dinner? Got a new recipe that I’m dying to try out. We can come get your car later.”
“I’m all yours,” she smiled. Turning back to Luna and Velvet, she fished out her locker key and tossing it in their direction asked, “Luna, can you put my stuff in my car? We’ll be by your place later. Bye!”
As Celestia and Sable left, Luna waited a few more minutes before wiping a bit of drool that she hadn’t realized came from her mouth. “I…wow,” was all she could say.
“Yeah, tell me about it. Something tells me I need to get my hubby here so I can get him to look like that hunk of man meat.”
“You do realize this conversation doesn’t pass the Mo Movie Measure, right?”
“Lu, this is real life, not some damn test,” Velvet replied, “and right now, I’m pretty sure what just happened was very real.”
Luna watched as, in the distance, the man helped her sister into the car, but not before getting a kiss on the cheek from her. There was no doubt that they were an item. “No kidding,” she sighed as the car pulled away and drove off.
“Hey, honey,” Cadance said as Shining walked through the door to their apartment. “You look beat.”
“I am. And it’s the kind of ‘I am’ that I can’t tell you about,” he groaned, pulling off his tie and slipping off his jacket. “The most that I can say is that until further notice, I’m working for the FBI, and that this is probably a case that I can’t talk to you about at all.” He plopped down on the couch and leaned back, rubbing his forehead. “This is probably worse than the whole thing with Sweet Pea back from December.”
“That bad?” she asked, sitting down next to him.
“Yeah. Involves a group of girls this time, and…yeah. Let’s just say it’s bad,” he groaned.
“Well, I’ve got enchiladas in the oven, and no plans tonight except spending them with you,” she said, snuggling closer to him as he put her arm around her. “So, do you get a Fibbie badge?”
“Yeah, had to turn my CPD badge into the locker for the moment. They wanted me to turn in my service pistol as well until I told them that I carry my own. Had to get that approved.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his newly-issued FBI ID and badge. “Apparently this isn’t normal procedure, but we got the lecture that this isn’t a normal case.”
Taking the badge in hand, Cadance looked at him, her lilac eyes looking into his blue ones. “Please tell me you’ll be okay on this one.”
“Cady, I—”
“No, hon. I know you – have known you for years. I know every little thing about you, and as a lawyer, it’s my job to basically notice a person’s tells. Right now, you’re wrestling with telling me something you’re not supposed to, and you’re worried how I’m going to take it.”
“That obvious?”
“Not to the average person, no,” she admitted, “but I had a very good professor at law school who covered all that.”
“Okay.” He looked at her as though she was the most priceless thing in his life, before leaning forward and kissing her. He didn’t know it, but that simple act of love set her into a panic mode that she had to fight to keep off her face. “The fact is that everyone in my team – me, Mel, Cuff, and Sandy—”
“Sandy’s involved in this too?” she gasped, concerned that both her husband and her best friend were both involved in the mess.
“Yeah. Anyways, we’re supposed to wear body armor whenever we’re on duty, and in at least Cuff’s case, he’s gotta get a gun with better stopping power.”
Cadance, long familiar with her husband’s knowledge of guns – he’d even taught her how to fire them in the event of an emergency – blanched, followed by her hands going to her face in shock. “Shiny…no….”
He nodded. “We’re facing something bigger than I’ve ever dealt with, and it’s going to be nasty. This is something that’s LA or New York ‘big’.”
She wrapped her arms around him before she even realized she’d done so. “Please be careful, and tell the others, as well.” She then said, sotto voce, “I don’t know what I would do if I lost you, Shiny.”
“You won’t,” he said, kissing her. “You won’t, I promise.”
“How are you feeling?” Sable asked Celestia as she lay on his couch.
“I think I’ll be swimming from now on,” she groaned, sitting up. “And maybe I should have you sock me in the other eye so I match.” As a result of that, he snickered. “Something wrong?”
“Just making me think of something from my past.” She moved slightly so that he could sit down and he began. “When I was about fifteen or so, I had my first girlfriend, flighty thing by the name of DoubleStar. Dub was a bit of a tomboy, and could easily keep up with me whenever I went hunting or fishing. Anyway, one weekend she went hunting with me and insisted on using the shotgun, though she never used one before. I thought that she’d practiced with one, so I let her. We went after this buck – pretty big one, eight-pointer – and she fired…and the gun bucked, the butt hitting her square across the face. Ended up with double black eyes and ended up with the nickname ‘Raccoon’, which she hated at first, but eventually embraced.”
“So what happened?”
“I joined the military while she joined Peace Corps, she met a guy there, and got married three years later. We still keep in touch, though…well, you get the idea.” He smiled. “But my point is that if you think I’m deterred by a black eye, well…Dub and I were a couple despite those coon eyes of hers, and she learned to have fun with it. Your situation’s different…but I’m not going away.”
“Even if I’m in the AARP age range?” she teased.
“Told you: I always had a thing for older women,” he said with a laugh. “Dub was six months older than me, so…hey, what’s a decade or two?”
“Well, let’s find out,” she said, leaning up to kiss him, which he joined in.
“This…is weird.” Aria held up a halter top. “No way am I going to wear this.”
“It looks good on you, sis,” Sonata suggested. She’d already picked out a hoodie for herself, as well as some skirts and other normal clothing.
“Well, yeah, this is easy for you – you’re the team’s forward scout, so you’re supposed to look like you blend in. I think I’m going to go help Dagi – I think she just wandered over to the boys section.”
“Good idea; Maddie can help me,” Aria replied.
Taking the hint, Madrigal said to the middle triplet, “This isn’t as hard as it seems, Ari. Just grab what looks good on you and doesn’t look like it’ll give anything away.” She looked critically at Aria’s violet and turquoise hair. “Look, I know you prefer your hair in a bun, but…what about twin pigtails?”
Aria looked at her. “Pigtails? Really, Maddie?”
The older woman nodded. “Yes, pigtails. Trust me, I saw the look in a teen magazine I got for Soni and it had some pretty good styles. Tell you what: why don’t I help you with finding some stuff, okay?”
“Would you?” Aria asked.
“Of course.”
Meanwhile, Sonata walked over to Adagio, who seemed to be looking more in the men’s section. “Uh, Dagi? Women’s section over here.”
“Yeah, but I think I like the guys’ stuff better.”
“Honestly, I agree…but we’re supposed to be girly girl for this op.”
“True, I suppose.” The pair walked back towards the women’s section before Adagio asked, “Soni…do you ever think about our parents?”
“I try not to, sis,” Sonata admitted. “Remember what Uncle Poutine said: we were found in a tenement in Eastside Vancouver, with our dead parents and lucky that we were still alive, since they were dead for close to a week. Personally, I think we’re better off now than we were before.”
Adagio nodded; she’d read the dossier that their guardian had given the three when they turned thirteen and started formal military training: that the three were found by the bodies of their dead junkie parents, who had likely been illegal Chinese immigrants. That the three were emaciated and appeared to be only a few months old; their “birthdate” was in fact the day they were taken in by the Ministry of Child and Family Development’s Vancouver Office. That their “birth order” had been literally decided not on actual order, as that was unknown, but on which one was picked up by the MCFD agents in order: Adagio, Aria, and Sonata. That their names had been given by the SIREN recruiter who had been secretly embedded within the MCFD office, and had immediately had “a relative” come down to pick them up – their “uncle”, who had assigned the names the moment he’d heard about the triplets. That their guardian had given them names based on his favorite girl group. Shortly after reading that information, the three teens went to the potter’s field where their parents had been buried. They laid three single roses in Canada’s colors at the gravesite and hadn’t been back since.
“Haven’t you thought of what life would be like if we were…normal?” Adagio asked. She looked at her “youngest” sister; for all anyone knew, maybe it was Sonata that had been born first, but it would be a mystery that no one would ever know the answer to.
“Dagi, you’re my sister. I’m assuming you love me and Ari, right?”
“Of course, Sisterhood or no. Why do you have to ask?”
Sonata smiled. “Because this is normal. Might not be other people’s idea of normal, but this is normal for me: you, me, Ari, our grandes sœurs, and whatever missions we’re assigned. You’re the oldest and you’re our fireteam leader.”
“Yeah, this is normal for us, I guess,” but as Adagio looked across the store at two teenagers in the baby section, one with flowing red-and-yellow hair and the other with bobbed lime-and-fuchsia hair, she said to her sister, “But sometimes I wonder what’s normal for everyone else.”
“Thanks for coming with me shopping for baby stuff, Sunny,” Blossomforth said, trying not to waddle. “I’m nervous about….”
“Hey, I promised I’d be there for you, right?” Sunset replied, taking a snapshot of a bassinet. “How’s birthing classes going?”
“Ugh. They call it the Russian method, and I can see why – my ancestors had to have been hardy to deal with that kind of crap.”
“I didn’t know you were Russian.”
“Well, I’m not; my great-great grandparents were, though; moved here after the Soviets took over way back when. What about you?”
“I don’t know,” the flamehaired teen replied. “That’s the problem with being a runaway orphan…my past is a big blank.” Sunset made a note to someday look up the birth records of her human equivalent; there had to be something that she could use for her own needs, and even though her life was her own now, she was, biologically speaking, her Earthly counterpart’s twin.
“That’s a shame. Do you know what Flash was?”
“Dutch family, I think; he mentioned it once when I was over his place. He’s still not speaking to you?” Blossomforth turned away, and Sunset put her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Sorry.”
“No, I told you that you were right already,” she said softly. “It’s just…this is his child that I’m carrying and that I’ll be giving birth to in fall. You’d think that he’d care somehow, or that his parents would.”
“I really didn’t know his parents well,” Sunset informed Blossomforth, “so I can’t tell you what they’re likely thinking. All I can say is that I’m here for you, Blossom, you and your child.”
The younger girl smiled. “You know, don’t take this the wrong way, Sunny, but I swear, if you were a guy, I’d probably want you as a boyfriend?”
Sunset laughed. “Blossom, I have enough problems in my life without contemplating Rule 63, thankyouverymuch!”
“But seriously, thanks, Sunny. This isn’t easy for me, being a single mom, and though my parents have adjusted, it’s good to know that I have some friends who won’t abandon me.”
“Nobody has, Blossom. Nobody has. Honestly, I’m just glad that Mr. and Mrs. Cake let us go on a workday to do some baby shopping for you.”
“Oh, they probably knew I needed a hand and that it was easier for you to help than Pinkie,” Blossom said with a secretive smile on her face.
Seated in the Sugarcube Corner Café, six teens – with a seventh poking in occasionally when not handling waitress duties – talked, and from the way they acted, it seemed as though it was both clandestine and the most important thing in the world, and given the attitude of all of them, maybe it was.
“Girls,” Twilight said to her friends and her cousin Octavia, “I need your help.”
“Help?” Rarity asked. “Of course, Twilight dear, but whatever for?”
“Well, it’s to plan Sunny’s birthday,” Twilight answered, then quickly saying to Pinkie before she could interject, “Yes, Pinkie, you’re planning too, but I want this to come from all of us.”
“Of course, Wiley Twily!” the party-planning teen chirped. “I can’t plan all the parties, you know. Just most.”
Okay, and with this chapter, this completes all seven days in sunny June. We're done, folks. Go home. 
Oh, but if I ended it, you'd miss Sunny's birthday, right? Should I continue?
PHP in this case doesn't refer to web coding, but the PHP (MV), a Croatian pistol.
And lastly, the Mo Movie Measure's better known as the Bechdel Test.
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Feels incredibly redundant.
Also, onto the extended theories!
Sable is "Poutine" - he faked his death. Alternatively he could have been the killer of "Poutine". That works.
The guys at the end of Chapter 1 and during the museum scene are Les Scars. I think, anyway.
The diva scene is yet to have been fully established but will be done so soon.
Sunset is going to have one hell of a birthday (I still totally think that that's when SIREN is gonna attack—by the way, thanks so much for establishing the naming. Makes the theoryisms easier.)
5642219
The tautology is intentional; it mimics natural speech.
5642227 Ah, okay. (I had to Google "tautology", lol.)
YES! PLZ CONTINUE! >>_<<
i just started reading this series recently i dont want it to end so soon....
CONTINUE
Okay first off, if you end it here I think there would likely be an angry mob at your door in a few weeks ready to play out a version of Missery till the story was 'finished.' I'm sure you have a few readers who are good at tracing IP's from uploads
Now on with the rest of the comments.
wow. I think I'm still waiting for a couple breakers in my brain to reset.
Welp now there's an interesting developement. Interesting so not only the SIRENs, but also the sirens. This should be interesting.
Luna's troll skill just skipped a few levels, she is now a trolling genius all she had to do was show up and bam!
... wasn't there a Daring Do book with the title of "The Razor of Dreams?"
.....?!?!!?...... Merlin and Starswirl vs. Sombra?? I think my brain crashed on that paragraph and I was stuck reading it over and over for a few minutes during the reboot. That was unexpected and totally covered in awesome-sauce.
ahhhh and there it is, the connection I was waiting for. Not as I saw it completely but there it is. This is a very interesting way of doing it, now I'm even more interested in how things go from here.
I see no way at all that will come back to haunt the speaker later. Likely the form of a dark unicorn, a raging unicorn and / or several raging unicorns and an alicorn or two.
In ending, WHY OH WHY CAN I ONLY LIKE A STORY ONCE??????
5642366
...except I'm not at my house right now.
5642374 oh well then sucks for whoever or where ever you are now then if that came to pass
I like these Sirens better!
Seriously, they should hire you for the third EQ Girls movie. The first two... Better left unsaid.
YE HIGHER POWERS! THE FEELS!
SPEAK TO ME TIA! SPEAK TO ME!
I see... I see the light...
DON'T GO TO THE LIGHT! DON'T GO!
TRIANGULATION IS TRIANGULTAION!
Fuck you... I cried. What is the deal with you making me CRY!?
Don't worry, you'll find someone!
THE DESU SHALL RISE!
Like that's any better, Pinkie.
WHY!?
Also, to sum up the Sirens...
And to sum up Celestia's situation...
ANWAYS PLEASE!
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Riiiiiiight. Hon, if you think for one split Equestrian second that I...or any of your faithful readers...believe that, then, to borrow a couple of old sayings, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn that I can sell you real cheap.
Or some Missouri beach-front property. Take your pick.
You really have to ask?
And on another note:
Okay, the sheets (of some kind of paper (parchment?), I'm assuming), the book (whatever it is) and the dagger I have no clue about, but where that spear is concerned, would he be talking about the "Spear of Destiny", which was/is supposed to be the one that pierced the side of Jesus duing His Crucifixtion?
The last I'd heard of the real thing, it was in a museum in Austria somewhere. Would the one in this story be based on that one?
Still, I'm thinking that they might all be from Equestria. Right?
Or wrong?
Two words for this: Uh- oh.
Oh, girl, if you only knew just how very wrong that you are about that.........
First, two options I see happening with regards with Human!Sunset: She's most likely dead, along with her parents . Or she's in a coma in some random hospital (could also have just woken up without her memories in this scenario). Other possibilities of Human!Sunsets' fate are still there, just not as prevalent these two possibilities.
Second, Pony!Sunsets' Birthday is going to be one that no one will ever forget.
5642451
"And it's some weird horse version of me...."
5642460
Well, geologically-speaking, if there's a lake or a river (like the Missouri river, for example) in the state, then there is a shoreline. And if there's a shoreline, there's a beach.
5642451
Why should I continue, you ask?
5642642
Yeah, we've had the seven days, do these people want seven more or something?
5642650
Yeah, but then Fourteen Days in Sunny June completely ruins the Jamiroquai references in Book II.
5642674
Should we wait for next June, then?
5642683
You know, taking time off from the story until June is plausible; people have been asking me to get back to AAG and HSW....
Please continue. I want to see this to the end.
5642642 Well, that's true.
I think all it means, though, is that, with Missouri being in the middle of the country (more or less), you don't generally associate beaches with it, like you would with a state like, say, Florida or California; etc.
That's basically all I meant by that.
Maybe I just should've stuck with the bridge thing.
5642722
Well, actually, that one's not entirely right, either. The town of Brooklyn in Australia (a suburb of Melbourne) sold its bridge to McQuarry group a few years back for conversion into a toll bridge, IIRC. I'll have to look that one up, but I'm sure that's the right one. Even still, there's a lot of places named Brooklyn, so....
5642642 Logically I know you're not going to stop here.
But emotionally I am panicking! STOP IT!
5642750
so...you want me to stop writing then?
i1.kym-cdn.com/profiles/icons/big/000/061/135/130821196638.png
5642619 ... One of those trips, Tia? Honestly, you've been having that vision ever since we beat up Discord's gang way back then and you got hit in the head.
5642759
Indeed he is.
Do you dare disobey the god of physics?
5642786
Well, if he wants me to stop writing....
this clown is going to try and open the portal but he has now idea what he's doing and can plac both worlds at risk
well a tia got some action.
now just some double twilight car chase and I'm good
5642744 Oh, fer the love of Celestia........
I was actually refering to Brooklyn, New York, in the USA, hon.
And the last time I looked, their bridge was still planted firmly where its been for the past hundred years, or so.
Although it has been "sold" to different people over the years. To the point that it's something of a joke over here in the US when it comes to being conned into something ridiculous.
I basically just meant that if you thought we believed that you were going to stop writing, you had another think coming.
5642843
You do know you're talking to a man who served in the U.S. Navy, right?
5642843
5642898
5642759 ...
I will slap you. Don't think I won't.
cdn.meme.am/instances/28481099.jpg
5642898
5643239
The question now is how hard will his wife slap you in return because you infringed on her right to slap him.
5643485 He's married?
5643519
Do you want Shinzakura to keep writing this story?
5643524 Yes.
So the Canadians were running a program like the movie Hanna, only for it to become politically inconvenient and targeted for cleaning up. Good to know!
I am home.
Loved the Lampshade you threw into the FBI briefing.
Awesome chapter is awesome.
Why do I have the feeling that Divine Right pitted the Scars and the Sisterhood against each other to further his own goals?
5643752 You've read technothrillers?
Remember when I said I don't like villains who arnt really evil? This is why, now if the sirens dont get a happy ending Im not gonna be able to finish this story. (Please note, Im not criticizing the story just making conversation) And YES please continue, or at least point us in the direction of the guy writing the continuation.
5644501 I… don't know what you mean by that. Nor how it relates.
5644811 That's the point. In techno-thrillers, there's usually one person/organization playing opposing factions off each other in order to achieve a specific end-goal.
Also, does "Symphony Maelstrom" sound like a Siren name?
*Bouncing around like Pinkie Pie with a major case of sugar high* Yay you updated you updated and now we know more about the SIREN group who up too this point had been nameless but please continue I really really really love this story.
It's snowing in Sydney? That's like having snow in San Francisco (i.e. it doesn't happen, you'd need to drive a few hours into the mountains to get some)
Sorry it's been really bugging me since I read that part
5646961
Actually, I've been to Sydney a couple of times, both times in the winter, and unless my eyes were deceiving me, it was snowing.
Then again, it was really f
ing cold in Hobart, but I was too lazy to really recall details for there.
Did I just heavily misread something or are the Goa'uld from Stargate SG-1 now involved?
Okay, finally have a moment of free time so I can read this. It's cool seeing how the scenes you showed me go with the rest of the story, though I'm sure there's still one we have yet to see. Y'know, the one with the big reveal?
It also just occurred to me that since you're using Shining Badge as the head FBI agent, it would have been interesting if you used Golden Rule as the assistant agent in charge, but oh well...