Jaye's Muses (theothermuses) wrote in immortalstories, @ 2018-01-09 10:59:00 |
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Entry tags: | the new hire |
The New Hire
Setting: 2031...~2 years after Danika's kidnapping
“I know this kid you might be interested in.” Terry Sheridan explained. Andy MacDonald had put word out on certain areas of the dark web for someone with the potential to take over from him now that he was approaching sixty. He hadn’t advertised who the employer was, but for someone who had been around as long as Sheridan, it wasn’t difficult to connect the dots. “Of course, I’d put my name forward, but I can just imagine Hsu’s expression.”
“You don’t change, do you, Sheridan?” In fact, Sheridan would be an excellent choice in one respect, he was essentially immortal thanks to that incident with Pandora’s Box decades ago, but in all other aspects, he’d never work with Hsu. After all this time, he was still completely untrustworthy, even if they had used him on a job or two when his skill set was required. The Scot was good and Andy had always liked him; he just always had to find the most profitable angle for himself which was the problem. “So this kid, is he a protege of yours?”
Terry chuckled. “No, we’ve done a couple of jobs together but to my disappointment he has integrity. His name’s Theo Garnon, and he’s a former lieutenant in the British Army -- yeah, yeah, I know, but he’s not like most officers. Resigned his commission and took up the merc life for excitement as well as the cash."
“Okay, but I’m not hearing what puts him above any other merc.”
“Like I said, he has integrity. He’s smart and a quick learner. Kind of reminds me of you, MacDonald, when you were young. A little more charming, though.” Andy scowled as Terry continued with a grin. “There’s one more thing, something that could make a difference. He’s Immortal. Hsu’s kind. Our last job hit a few problems, and Theo was killed. Almost scared the shite out of me when he popped back up.”
It was something he and Hsu had discussed, and it didn’t surprise him that the idea had occurred to Sheridan as well. Andy was no longer in his prime, and had gone into semi-retirement for a while, just lending his expertise in maintaining and updating Hsu’s security systems. Then Danika was kidnapped and Lars killed. And it had hit them hard, pulling him out of what retirement he was enjoying. Now Marcus was retiring too. Optimally, they needed someone who could be a consistent presence while others came and went. Everything else could be learned, loyalty and longevity could not. A newly minted Immortal could also be a plus, rather than an older one whose own ego and grudges could get in the way. Stelios, for example, was considered briefly. Smart, strong, and one of the greatest warriors in history, but the Spartan easily considered himself a peer, at the very least, to Hsu and would not settle for taking orders from him. Yes, a new Immortal could work. “Send me his details, and I’ll take it from there.”
Terry tapped something on his phone. “You should be getting it. There is a finder’s fee, isn’t there?” He grinned, but there was no mistake he was serious.
“You’ll get compensated if he works out.” It was always good to keep Terry Sheridan onside, but Hsu wasn’t going to pay him anything before they’d even assessed the guy. Andy saw his shrug knowing they had a deal. He knew how Hsu’s organization worked just as they knew him.
***
Despite the fact that Sheridan kept calling him kid, Theo Garnon was nearly thirty. He wasn’t exactly tall, barely five-ten, but Andy wasn’t much taller. He had an attitude too, cocky and confident in his skills, but smart enough not to over-estimate himself. His military record was exemplary. Sandhurst, then a posting in the Royal Artillery Corps with the Royal Lancers before resigning his commission and setting out for a life of adventure and profit as a mercenary. During the first interview, Andy had learned that Theo had really wanted to be posted with the SAS or Commandos and had grown disillusioned when he hadn’t. He also respected that Theo showed some hesitancy about accepting any potential position despite the very generous salary he would receive because monitoring security systems didn’t sound exciting enough.
At the second interview at one of Hsu’s properties just outside of London, Andy put him through more rigorous questioning, posing various scenarios, many of which he had encountered over the years, such as protecting the family, planning and coordinating attacks on hostiles, and how to deal with said hostiles, all so he could get a feel for the man’s instincts and personal boundaries. And they were good. Then there was the other ability he possessed. Andy had deliberately not brought it up at their first meeting, and Theo hadn’t mentioned it. Now he was curious as to why not.
“There was one more thing Sheridan mentioned.” Andy sat across from him, in a room decorated as a comfortable office. Everything, even the first interview, had been recorded for Hsu, but he was present in another room. The boss had already confirmed that he was immortal. “Want to tell me about your last mission with him?”
“Somehow, I don’t think you want to hear details of the whole job, just the end of it, right?”
“Right. If you don’t mind.” Andy gave a thin smile.
Theo cut straight to the point. “The job went balls up.” Andy nodded. He wouldn’t be surprised if Sheridan had something to do with that. “The bad guys got the drop on us, and I took two out before I got hit. Next thing I knew, I woke up. Terry had pulled me clear, and there was no sign of any wound on me. He said I was immortal...didn’t believe him at first, who would? But then later, I tested it, cut my hand. And it healed up as I watched.” Theo looked at his palm, rubbing a finger over the place he’d cut. “Pretty freaky. I’m guessing you’re not?”
He might still be fit, and fitter than most men his age, but certain signs of aging were catching up with Andy. Skin not quite so elastic, wrinkles, and the hair loss, which unfortunately began decades ago. “No, not so I’ve noticed.” There had been moments of envy over the years that Hsu and so many of the people closest to him would never age, sure. But he’d also witnessed so many instances of where he would not want to swap with them for the world. Immortality was not always as good as one would think.
“So, it’s your boss? Terry mentioned an Evan Kasparov. Said I needed to learn about what I am.” All of a sudden, Theo slightly swayed in his chair. He brought his hand up to his head. Growing up his mum had always complained of migraines, and for several moments, he understood how she must have felt. He looked up as a tall, physically imposing man stepped into the office. He was well dressed, the suit an expensive one and certainly not off the rack. He met the man’s pale, blue eyes and instinctively knew that he was the source of that pain.
“Evan Kasparov, aka Caspian, one of the oldest Immortals and a personal friend of mine.” The man had an accent, but Theo couldn’t quite pin it down. Slightly Germanic, slightly Slavic, and slightly...something else. “What you’re feeling we call the buzz. It alerts us when another Immortal is near. The first time feeling it is always the worse. And the older an Immortal is, the stronger it is.”
Not that he had any frame of reference, but judging by how he felt this man must be fucking ancient. “And who are you?”
“Dietrich Hahn.” Hsu sat next to Andy. Now the pain from the buzz was subsiding, Theo took a longer look. Dark hair was neatly cut, the longer ends threatening to curl. His beard was neatly trimmed, and he couldn’t miss the gold from the man’s rings to his cufflinks. But despite all that, it was his blue, piercing eyes that were his most striking feature. Theo doubted much got past him. “How much did Sheridan tell you?”
“Not much. He wasn’t that surprised, so when he said I was an Immortal, I got the impression I wasn’t the first he’d known. He did say I would need one of you to ‘show me the ropes’ as he put it. That’s when he suggested Kasparov and then you. All he did tell me was that I can only die if my head gets cut off?” He looked at both men for confirmation. It had seemed kind of random, after all how often did people get beheaded?
Before he answered, Hsu nodded briefly to Andy, who stood, taking his tablet with him. “I’ll catch up with you after, and see what you can do on the range.”
After he left, Hsu regarded him closely, and in the silence Theo asked. “I thought he knew about Immortals? Is it some kind of secret?”
“He does, and while most mortals don’t know about us, there are some that do, and I’ll get to that later, but MacDonald knows more about us than just about anyone. However, this conversation doesn’t involve him.” Hsu leaned forward and loosened his tie and unbuttoned his top button. “It’s why Sheridan didn’t give you much information. It’s not their place to tell. But he was right. We can only die, permanently that is, if we lose our heads.” He paused, reluctant to bring up the Game, but he had to.
“That’s fucked!” Theo shook his head as he tried to wrap it around everything Hsu had just told him about the Game, the Prize, and Quickenings. “So, if you don’t believe in this Game, you don’t take part? Or do you just walk around carrying swords, just in case.”
Hsu shrugged, but he was unusually patient. “Some fully withdraw, usually to holy ground. Some, like me, will fight when challenged, but I’m not that often. It benefits many Immortals to not mess with me.”
Theo laughed, but it quickly disappeared when he noticed Hsu’s blank, serious...some would say scary expression. “You’re that much of a badarse?”
“Yes, but that’s not how.” Just from his tone, he could sense that Hsu was not bragging. “I’m a banker. I hold the long-term accounts of scores of Immortals. If they or an associate of theirs take my head, all their assets are frozen. In most cases we are talking millions at least. That security extends to my family, and will to you if you join my organization. It doesn’t guarantee a challenge won’t happen, but it provides enough that my focus can be elsewhere. And I left my sword in the other room.”
Was he joking? Theo just couldn’t be sure. He didn’t look like the joking type, but then again? The man must be a pro at poker. “I can see how that’s good insurance. Your family, are they immortal too?” He realized what else could be possible. “Does that mean mine are as well?”
Hsu shook his head. “My family is unique.” He went on to describe how Immortals were foundlings and usually lived fairly isolated from others of their kind due to the Game. “The woman who adopted me just happened to be an Immortal, not that I knew for a long time.” He sighed, and there was an air of reluctance about him, but he did continue. “I also have a daughter and son, twins. It’s a long story, but for now, all you need to know is through experiments that I never asked for, they are my biological children. The only time that’s happened.”
“So you’re saying I’m adopted? That can’t be right. My parents are my parents.” Theo was grasping at straws, but they would have told him if he was adopted. Didn’t they always tell him how he had his dad’s nose and mum’s eyes? But he suspected what he was hearing was the truth. It was something he would have to confront his parents about as Hsu offered no reassurances against his protests. “Okay, I’ll deal with that later. So, your kids are they still little kids, or what?” If so, he wasn’t sure he could run security detail, or babysit, a couple of toddlers, or worse, tweens.
Was that a smirk? It was gone too quickly for Theo to really tell as Hsu answered him. “No, they’re almost twenty-five, and yes, they still need protection. My daughter was kidnapped a couple of years ago by an old enemy of mine, so that insurance I spoke of earlier didn’t work out. But they both can handle themselves, with a variety of weapons and self-defence. Having security allows them to pursue their own interests and businesses. It’s a reason why I pick bodyguards who get along with them to lead their teams.” There was that kind of smirk again. “Both of my children are more likely to work with them than antagonise them that way.”
The fact that Hsu never referred to his children by name, led Theo to realize that there was probably a lot he wouldn’t find out about Hsu’s family or businesses until he was hired. If he was offered, and if he accepted. “I can see how that works. I work better when I get along with people too.” That was met with a look that was completely unreadable, and he wasn’t sure if Hsu didn’t understand what he meant or didn’t care. He moved on. “Terry sort of told me that you would teach me all about being Immortal? I guess, the sword fighting and that?”
“That will be part of the deal. You’ll learn everything Andy has to teach you about my security, and you’ll be taught how to survive as an Immortal. The one thing I don’t want to happen after going through all this to hire you is that you lose your head on your first challenge. A waste of both our time.” Was that a joke? Theo honestly couldn’t tell with it said in such a serious, deadpan manner. “I won’t be your teacher, per se. You’ll learn from a number of experienced warriors, so you’ll learn many fighting styles. And the finer points of immortality you’ll discover as you go along.” Hsu stood and adjusted his tie again. “Now, MacDonald is going to assess the combat skills you have right now, and if you pass his exacting standards, we’ll talk some more.”