Psychological Damage (Gray Spear Society) Read online

  She nodded slowly. "Yes, sir. I'll try to adapt."

  "Try very hard." He turned abruptly and walked off. "Aaron and Ethel, if you have a moment, I'd like a word with you."

  Aaron and Ethel followed the legate to a quiet corner of the room.

  "What is it, sir?" Ethel said.

  He shook his head. "Please don't call me sir. Technically, I work for you now, ma'am. My name is Charles."

  "Charles?" She furrowed her brow. "That doesn't feel right."

  "It feels even stranger to me." He looked around, obviously making sure nobody could overhear. "I intend to run my team as an independent entity. We will travel to random destinations and depend on nobody. Between Carlos, Yvonne, Atalanta, and myself, I think we can handle almost anything."

  "I would hope so, s... Charles. That is an extremely talented group."

  "However—" He leaned forward slightly. "—there will be times when we need help. This is the secret reason I appointed you as legate. I trust you implicitly. If we're in trouble, I'll call you first and expect immediate support. The vast resources of the Gray Spear Society are now at your disposal. You can protect Wesley if my team fails."

  "I understand," Ethel said. "I appreciate the vote of confidence."

  "Don't underestimate this obligation, and don't tell anybody else. It's safest if our relationship remains confidential." Charles turned to Aaron. "If I'm plan A, and Ethel is plan B, then you're plan C. Do you understand? If I call you, it's because I'm desperate. Drop everything and help me."

  "Yes, sir," Aaron said. "I won't hesitate."

  "Good man." Charles patted him on the shoulder. "Unfortunately, you're in a lot of trouble."

  Aaron's heart skipped a beat. "How, sir?"

  "A Spears cell is supposed to have ten members, but yours only has seven. These days two technology specialists are typical, and you have zero. Instead of four legionnaires, you have three, and they are problematic. Smythe is a half-trained rookie. Norbert is an unproven recruit. Marina is... a complicated situation. Finally, the man at the helm of this leaky vessel will be learning his job on the fly."

  "Ah." Aaron grimaced.

  "But it gets worse," Charles said. "While you're rebuilding your team, you'll also be rebuilding your headquarters. That's an enormous project by itself, which will take years to complete. Meanwhile, the enemies of God won't rest for your sake. If they sense weakness in Chicago, they will strike at Chicago. You have to maintain operational effectiveness, but I honestly don't know how you'll do it."

  Aaron had a sick feeling. "You're right, sir. I am in a lot of trouble."

  Ethel chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "Calm down. You'll get through it. Of course you can call me anytime if you need advice or emergency assistance. Chicago is my home town. I won't let it fall apart."

  He looked across the room at Marina, Norbert, Smythe, Jack, Kamal, and Nancy. They had gathered together and were speaking softly to each other. The anxiety on their faces was plain to see. Norbert in particular looked completely bewildered. My team, Aaron thought, with all its considerable strengths and weaknesses.

  "I think we'll be OK," he said. "We're the Gray Spear Society after all. We always win."

  Ethel nodded. "Write that down on a piece of paper and keep it in your pocket. You'll need to remind yourself later. Your life is about to get a lot more interesting."

  THE END

  Table of Contents

  Title

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six