Chapter 1 – Interview

  “Magics can be divided into 2 types: Those internal to the body and those external. Internal magics are commonly found in the more monstrous beings and are typically associated with rapid healing and shape changing. External is generally seen in the more humanoid races and is used in spell casting. While there are likely exceptions, we have yet to conduct any meaningful research into that.” – Paragraph from ‘Introduction to the paranormal’ booklet issued to Federal agents.

  “Thank you for coming in Mr. Rosk. We appreciate your cooperation and patience.” The agent delivered his rehearsed lines with as little inflection as possible. “I am special agent Davison and will be conducting this session on behalf of the FBI’s Paranormal Affairs Division.”

  The man stank. Not in a physical way, Kurt couldn’t even smell him over the very soft sent of deodorant and fabric softener. No, he stank in his very presence, of dejection and broken dreams. The agent was the epitome of corporate drone. There was nothing outstanding about him and it was obvious to everyone except the man in question.

  “Finally settled on a name I see.” Kurt said. He watched the special agent remove his folders, forms, pen, tablet and tape recorder from his briefcase.

  This seemed to get some reaction out of the man who, other than having a rather shiny tie clip, had absolutely nothing identifying him as more than a robot in a suit. “Indeed, the agency is rather proud that they were able to select a name that was…ah, patable, for everyone involved.”

  “Great, so only another decade until we can forgo these in person check ins?” Kurt poked a little harder. If he was going to be forced to come down here, he was going to get some entertainment out of it. After the initial reveal, Kurt had gotten swept up in a bracket of paranormals that required ‘additional oversight’.

  “I am sure the process enhancements will be here soon. From my understanding the subcommittee is almost ready to suggest what format the online questionnaire will take.” Then, as if it made a difference, he leaned forward and whispered. “I hear they want to go with short answer format rather than multiple choice dropdowns.”

  Kurt rolled his eyes. “Fascinating.” He loaded that one word with as much sarcasm as possible. “Can we get a move on? I would like to be done before tomorrow.” It was only one in the afternoon, but it would be a long drive to his new home.

  “Of course. We can start with the identifying questions.” The agent frowned and returned to his original position, looking like he had a steel rod up his ass. “Please remember to answer the questions fully and to the best of your ability.” He then reached over and activated his recording device and tapped a rectangur piece of ste, causing it to glow with runes. The runic circle being a soft white in color.

  For all that the government agencies tried to limit paranormal beings, they sure loved to make use of the magic and magi-tech that they had come up with. As usual, they were rather twofaced in their behavior. It also wasn’t surprising that enchanters were willing to sell to them for exorbitant prices.

  “This is a field of truth and will aid in confirming your answers to questions.” Agent Davison intoned, causing the white rune circle to fsh green for a moment. “Please state your full name.”

  “Kurtis Thalican Rosk.” Kurt said. He had seen these devices before and was well aware of how to trick them. That was one advantage to having grown up with magic and become a somewhat accomplished enchanter. The circle once again fshed green.

  “Age?”

  “32.” Green fsh.

  “You currently reside at 1372 Brook Haven, Apartment B?”

  Kurt sighed; this was the part he was dreading. “No, as of Monday I have a new address.” Green fsh.

  The agent began sifting through his stack of papers, looking for who knows what, but clearly not finding it. “Mr. Rosk, you know you need our approval for long-term changes address, correct?” The question didn’t cause the stone to react, which Kurt took note of.

  “That is incorrect. Under the societal integration amendment to the paranormal identification act, I need to ‘inform’ my ‘local’ field office of the change of address prior to taking up residency in the new address. It is clearly stated in section pertaining to housing, section 3 paragraph 7.” The rune circle fshed green.

  Looking at the green circle, the agent shrugged. “I will be sure to review the practice and the ws.” Green fsh. “Did you provide sufficient notice?”

  “Yeah, I sent the letter st Thursday.” Green fsh.

  “Why did you send it by mail?” Davison asked.

  “Because there isn’t a website, and the phone directory doesn’t have that as an option.” Kurt said, feeling a little smug as he watched the ste fsh green again.

  “Very good.” The agent said, completely unperturbed by the dig at his agency. “Will you please provide me with the new address?” Kurt slid a paper showing the purchase information over and he copied it down. “Moving on, primary identifying factor?

  “Demi Human.” Green Fsh.

  “Mhm. Secondary?”

  “Half Elf.” Green Fsh.

  “Any additional factors?”

  “Nope” Kurt was paying very close attention to the stone. Green fsh.

  “Type of magic?”

  “External.” Green fsh.

  The agent went on to ask several other questions, confirming that Kurt was who and what he cimed. After getting his driver’s license number, he moved on to the actual interview questions. “Have you used any external magics in the past 60 days?”

  “Yes.” Kurt didn’t need to lie about that, it wasn’t illegal, but they wanted to track it regardless. There had been a few politicians that lost their seats after they tried to make some very restrictive bills that were taken apart in court. Still, there was a stigma about ‘paranormal’ people having a lot of the freedoms they do despite having them before and never causing trouble.

  “What was the nature of these magics?” The agent asked, setting aside the forms and pulling out a notepad.

  Kurt had long wondered how to sum up the magic he mostly used. He thought he had come up with a good answer. “Quality of life.” Green fsh.

  Agent Davison looked over to the ste as it fshed green. “Can you please define ‘quality of life’ as a spell type? Perhaps some of the actual spells?”

  Kurt grinned. “It would be silence spells since my old neighbors are loud. Cleaning spells, since I hate doing dishes and washing my car. I think I did do a purification spell at one point because I thought there was mold in my bathroom again.” Green fsh, green fsh, green fsh.

  “Ah, very good.” The man nodded along and took a moment to write in his note pad before attaching that page to the form. “Do you know of anything that the government and its agencies should be aware of?”

  “No.” Green fsh. It wasn’t completely the truth but that’s what they get for asking vague questions and treating him like a second-css citizen.

  Once more looking at his papers, agent Davison’s eyes flickered over some lines before he looked up again. “So how does the half breed thing work with paranormal beings? It seems like humans are the most common half but there are others, right?” His tone suggested casual but his constant gnces to the paper in his hand said otherwise.

  Kurt gave him a ft look. “Do you think I am some sort of geneticist or something?”

  “Well, no but I was just curious. We have heard about some issues over in the Paranormal Affairs Division and just wanted to make sure we were protecting any and all marginalized groups.” Somehow, he managed to put the capital letters in the division name.

  Kurt thought for a while, which seemed like a second to the human across from him. That question seemed a little too on the nose and probing to be random. He also knew that the agency was likely looking to get some more para’s on their payroll and figured those ‘half breeds’ would be easy to recruit. Figuring that the wisest answer was none at all, Kurt didn’t say anything.

  Agent Davison nodded, made a couple notes and turned off the zone of truth. He then set aside his first form and pulled up another. “Have you given any consideration to the FBI’s employment and inclusion initiative? We have a lot to offer, one being that you wouldn’t have to come to these meetings anymore?” He said the st part in a very suggestive tone.

  “No thanks, I don’t care for the idea of ‘the shackle’.” Kurt wanted nothing to do with that bit of tracking technology. It was like an ankle monitor from hell. Worse, it was managed by the government.

  “Mr. Rosk, the bracelet is not a shackle, the agency has no intention of restricting your movements or freedoms in any way.” He actually looked hurt at Kurt’s use of the devices nickname.

  “Would I be able to leave the country?”

  “Well, no...”

  “Could I cross state lines whenever I want?”

  “Ah, if you give notice first.”

  “Would I be required to pay for and maintain the network for the ‘bracelet’s’ tracking feature?”

  “Well, the fee is quite modest and can be broken into monthly installments or deducted straight from payroll if you take a position within the agency.”

  Kurt sighed heavily and swiped his hand down his face. The agent was clearly not getting the picture that Kurt was trying to paint. “No. I don’t want to consider the offer anymore.” He said in a dead pan tone of voice.

  The agent didn’t seem bothered by his refusal and simply slid a paper across the desk to him. “Thank you for coming in today, Mr. Tosk. If you wouldn’t mind filling out this survey and leaving it on the table when you leave. It is, of course, completely voluntary, but will enter you in a drawing for a 5 gift card to Starbucks!” He began to pack his things back in the briefcase.

  “I will pass, thanks.” Kurt didn’t roll his eyes or even ce his words with sarcasm, instead just letting his ft tone carry his disapproval. Something in the tone made the special agent very uncomfortable, judging by his suddenly rapid movements.

  “Ah, yes. Ah… well, thank you again and have a nice day. We will see you at your next appointment on, ahh… the 10th of November.” He hustled out of the meeting room, barely stuffing everything in his briefcase before leaving.

  Kurt stood up and stretched, he had to wait an hour past his appointment just for a 15-minute conversation that could have been had over the phone. Walking out the interview room’s door, he made his way to the elevator bank and called for one. He got lucky, one of the doors opening within a second of him pushing the button, and it was empty.

  He pushed the button for the lobby, he needed to go to the front desk and validate his parking unless he wanted to pay the ridiculous fee for the public parking ramp. He briefly wondered if he should have used the lot attached to the government building but then reconsidered, since it would let them search his car.

  The doors closed and the lift started down but stopped at the very next floor. The door opened to a young woman in a grey suit standing there holding a clip board. She had dark, blond hair in a neat bun and a tanned complexion. She was a fair bit shorter than Kurt, who was just under 6 feet himself but was rather slim in her frame. He couldn’t sense any charms on her person, so assumed she was human. That assumption ended when he caught a whiff of her. Snake and something he hadn’t smelled before.

  “Good afternoon Mr. Rosk.” She said in a very melodic voice as she tilted her head slightly to the side and smiled. “You are just in time for your appointment.”

  “I don’t have any more appointments today.” Kurt said, not moving from the elevator.

  She frowned slightly. “You are Mr. Kurtis Thalican Rosk? Recently of Petosky Michigan?”

  Kurt didn’t like where this was going and reached for the ‘close door’ button on the elevator. “I’m terribly sorry but I simply don’t have time for this.” He said and pressed the button several times, hoping it would close faster.

  “Mr. Rosk, please, that won’t work. This elevator has been temporarily taken out of service. I would implore you to attend your appointment.” She put a lot of inflection on the st word. “It would be in everyone’s best interest if you would hear out my boss on this very lucrative offer.”

  “AHaaaaaahhhh. Fuck, fine I’ll go listen to his pitch, but don’t get bent out of shape if I turn it down.” He groaned and spped his hand against the elevator panel, slightly deforming the steel.

  The strange woman smiled even wider. “That is great news. Agent Jay is waiting for you.” Kurt just stood there, and they stared at each other long enough for the girl to get uncomfortable. “Umm. Mr. Rosk?”

  “Are you going to lead the way or am I supposed to guess where this Jay character is?”

  “Oh! Right this way.” She looked embarrassed for a moment before leading him down the hall.

  This floor seemed to be a mirror of the one above it. It was mostly a long hallway with many doors leading to interview rooms. Kurt knew that there was a reception desk at the far end they were walking to and assumed that there were offices of some sort around the corner that he couldn’t see.

  As they approached the reception area at the end of the hall, Kurt noticed that the desk was empty, and the lights were off in the office and cubicle area. The girl turned and led the way to a brightly lit conference room. When they entered, he could see that it was a corner room, with 2 full walls of gss window looking out over the state capital city, Lansing.

  The room was dominated by a rge, faux wood conference table that had 4 chairs at it despite having room for at least a dozen. Sitting in one of those chairs was a rather handsome man in a dark blue, pinstripe suit. He was leaning back, watching as they entered.

  “Agent Jay, this is Mr. Kurt Rosk.” The girl said with a bow of her head.

  The handsome man didn’t even look her way, keeping his eyes locked on Kurt. “Thank you, Penny.” He then sat forward and gestured to the chair across from him while Penny sat on his left. “Please sit Mr. Rosk. We have much to discuss and little time to do it.”

  “What’s the matter, got a hot date?” Kurt asked in his usual prodding tone.

  The man shrugged. “Kinda. My second wife is making dinner for all of us and was very clear not to be te. Honestly her cooking is pretty amazing so not getting any is punishment enough.”

  Taken aback by the response, Kurt sat heavily in the chair. He hadn’t expected the man to be so frank and to the point. He was beginning to wonder who this guy was when he got another scent in his nose. He could still smell snake from the girl, but now smelled a bit of cold ash and salty sea breeze. The smell instantly clued him in since he had smelled it one time before. Demon and an old one at that.

  “So, as I am sure Penny has told you my name is Agent Jay, and I am here to finalize an employment contract.” The man opened a folder, quickly confirmed its contents and slid it across the table where it stopped in front of Kurt. “Inside you will find the high-level information about the pay and compensation we offer but I am sure you want to hear about the job first.”

  Kurt didn’t touch the folder; he was marginally aware of how some traps could be disguised and hidden in things like these. “Well, get on with it.” He noticed the demon smirked at his rough tone.

  “Very well Mr. Rosk. Can I call you Kurt? Listen, Kurt, regardless of what you currently think right now, you will be joining our company. I guarantee it.” He said the st words with a rather predatory smile.

  “Those are some pretty bold cims from someone that barely knows me.” Kurt was giving him the side eye. “What makes you so confident?”

  Clearing his throat, Jay began to recite from memory. “You are Kurtis Thalican Rosk born in Indianna to Bethany Hannick a human and Alwin Dolistic Rosk, a full elf. You then moved to Michigan and grew up leading a normal life, since your looks favored your mother’s race. Everything was just peachy until you were out with some of your friends and got into a little tussle with a werewolf. Nobody was concerned about the bite since its well known that only humans can be infected with lycanthropy.”

  Kurt tried very hard not to react to the part about the bite. He failed. That was one thing he managed to keep secret from the government for a long time, but it looks like he messed up somewhere. It turns out the virus only needed you to be part human for it to work. That was a lovely surprise a few days ter at his first full moon when he went through an exceptionally painful shift.

  “Please, its fine and I honestly think it’s a benefit.” Jay continued. “After graduating high school, you enlisted in the army. After spending 6 years in, 4 of which was in a ranger battalion, you got out and returned to your home state just in time for the veil to be punctured. From there it has been a long series of unsatisfying jobs and government harassment until, after 5 years of hard work, you managed to save enough for that lovely little cabin up north. Did I miss anything?”

  Penny chose that moment to pile on. “You did skip the part that his mother and father are currently residing in another realm where time isn’t as harsh on humans. He receives regur correspondence from them via a series of prepaid cell phones and proxy servers.”

  “Right, thanks. So, Kurt. Want to get to the interview or do you want to continue the charade of you not wanting to take a job that is pretty much tailor made for you?”

  “And how do you know its tailor made for me?” Kurt asked. He would admit, they knew an awful lot about him but also figured any government agency could find that if they tried hard enough.

  Jay smiled and held his hand out. Penny pced a folder in it and the demon opened it to read in a voice that sounded armingly like Kurt’s. “Ahem, I am quoting here. ‘…Like, I just wish we could do our jobs, ya know? Just let us train and fight without all this stupid, garrison bullshit. For fuck’s sake, we are rangers, just let us deploy and do the job that needs doing instead of having to make sure my personal cyber awareness training is still current and giving me shit about some dirt on my boots.”

  He then turned the page and continued reading. “’… The reason I am not going to reenlist is because of this governments stupid fucking policies that are leading to more people being killed for nothing more than political clout. This organization has fallen from elite soldiers to cowardly politicians that care more about the garrison commander’s feelings than being able to stack bodies… respectfully sergeant.’”

  “Where did you get those?” Kurt asked. The first was a conversation he had with one of his friends while they sat through another PowerPoint lecture about the importance of personal finances. The second was the st words he had with the retention NCO for the battalion before his ptoon sergeant decided his unwillingness to reenlist was ‘toxic’ and ‘not becoming of a ranger’.

  “Never mind where or how, I have many more, if you would like me to read them. But regardless, these are all statements made by you, expressing your distaste with military politics and your desire to actually do some good in the world.” Jay had a glimmer in his eye. “Well, do some good for a price, of course.”

  “Well, that’s true.” Kurt admitted but before he could say more, the man in front of him kept on going.

  “I have to ask, do you have any issues with… ah, how should I put this? Do you have personal issues with half-breeds or unique races of the paranormal?”

  “Umm, no? I wasn’t raised in any of their communities and am a freak myself so it doesn’t really bother me.”

  “Great, perfect. So, let’s get on to the job and what I am sure you will appreciate about it.” Agent Jay said as he pulled out a tablet and set it in front of Kurt. “This will only take a minute.”