The Phoenix Project by Kris Powers Page A

understand,” Nadine
replied.
         “Good. I will end
transmission. Be as a bird on my shoulder.”
         Nadine’s consciousness
followed Catherine’s. She saw the old, black cloaked woman wind her way through
ancient corridors hidden within the Headquarters of the Coalition.

 
 
 
         General Harcourt Nadir was an
incredibly meticulous person. That attention to detail had provided him the way
into his superior’s heart. Though a little pretentious, he did make an
excellent diplomat. He sat now, straightening his curly ginger hair, which
never obeyed the correction.
         His office was a large, well
lit, and airy affair. It had a nearly tropical flavour out of place for the
country it was situated in. Harcourt, or “Law” as he was informally known,
knew he was on the list. It was the only list that mattered in the Coalition.
He was finally on his way to becoming part of an inner group of senior officers
that made the real decisions. Law reclined in his chair and closed his eyes
with a satisfied smile on his face. As he relaxed, a small recess parted silently
in the adjacent room he had converted into a private bar and lounge.
         A silver haired hag exited
from the recess and took small steps into the interior office.
         Law opened his eyes to a withered,
old witch staring at him.
         “What?”
         Nadine, in her alcove at MERA,
gasped at the look of terror on his face. Law stared at this knot of an old
woman who regarded him with a horrifying grin.
         Before he could say anything
more, he began to feel a tightening in his chest. He gasped and began to
hyperventilate. Law could feel something in his chest contracting in
excruciating pain.
         Law tried to scream, but found
that he couldn’t; something was stopping him. He convulsed in his seat, a
contorted look of agony was on his face.
         Nadine began to cry in pain. A
first tear started from her left, nearly white, eye and streamed soon after.
         “Goodbye, Law,” Catherine
said, emphasizing his nickname. Harcourt felt an excruciating squish as his
left ventricle was crushed. His vision faded to black and his body slumped in his
chair.
         Nadine passed out.
         “Now you know,” she heard an
old voice say as her consciousness faded.

 
 
 
         Maria couldn’t remember the
last time she was this irritated. A throbbing headache stretched from her
temples to the back of her head. She kept trying to massage it out but the damn
thing was persistent. She opened her eyes to the sight of her office aboard the
First Space Station.
         The last nineteen hours had
featured press appearance after appearance after appearance. Even with a good
night’s sleep, she still found the need for another cup of coffee.
         Her duties for the press were
finally completed. Any relevant information was being broadcast by the INN now. The pretty little
International News anchor could lob the manure to keep the public happy. Maria
was about to get up from her seat for another cup of creamy coffee when her
earpiece beeped and startled her from her reverie.
         “Ma’am?” a male voice asked.
         “Yes, Lieutenant,” she
responded, massaging her left temple.
         “Ma’am, Admiral Nelson is here
to see you.”
         “Nelson? Send him in.”
         Fleet Admiral Nelson came
through the doors of her office with a broad grin on his face until he saw her
fatigue. His smile was wrenched into a frown as he became concerned with her
appearance. He waved her salute away.
         “I know this had been hard on
you. Media relations have never been your strong suit,” Nelson said as he took
a seat.
         “You hit the nail on the head,
Admiral,” she said, sitting down with her latest cup of coffee. She’d be wired
in an hour but at this point, who cared?
         “You know that Horizon has
been shelved now that the evacuation is