Power Microcosm

Chapter 32

  Jane immediately walks over to the man and socks him in the face before he has the chance to near Azrael anymore. The man's head jerks back and he groans out in pain.

   I'm shocked for a second, before running around to the desk and putting myself between Azrael and this man.

  "What are you doing here?" asks Jane to the man after he takes a pained step back and puts a hand to the bruise on his cheek.

  "You punched me?!" asks the man angrily, his hair messy.

  "You want another one?" asks Jane threateningly before taking a deadly step forward.

  "No!" says the man as he raises his other hand and backs up more.

  "What are you doing here?" asks Azrael as he tries to step around me and the desk to near the man, but I put both hands on his shoulders and put him back where he was.

   I may not know how to punch like Jane, but if I can keep Azrael safe with me standing in the way of danger, that's going to happen. In order to do that, I need to keep him in a position where I will block danger. That means, not moving.

  Azrael looks up at me and gives me a confused look, to which I say, "Stay there."

  Azrael looks for a moment at me, then nods and then stops trying to move around his desk. I see his hand slip under his desk for a moment, but don't take it for anything.

  "How did you get in here?" asks Azrael to the man who seems to have noticed that I had my hands on Azrael, but his anger reasserts itself and then directs itself at Azrael.

"I have names I can use," says the man, touching where he got punched lightly, then wincing.

  "I only know you as Cale," says Azrael, "what name did you use?"

  "Maybe a name you know, maybe you hold close," he replies, Cale, I know him now as.

  "Regardless," says Azrael, "you will show yourself out, or security will do so."

  "I have things to say," says Cale, "things your ears will suffer without hearing."

  "Such as what?" asks Azrael, tilting his head.

    Azrael doesn't raise his voice, but he doesn't talk scared either. His voice is calm, and is not disturbed. It's almost as if his attitude is that when dealing with another business endeavor, and he remains as he usually is when doing those; serious, professional, and smart.

  "I'm here to tell you, that this is your last chance of giving my Collection what we want," says Cale, "and if you don't, all your activities in it will be unleashed."

  "I have no activities with you," says Azrael, "you have no weapon against me."

  "That's what you say," says Cale, and he grins in a way that I wish Jane would punch him again, "but the Collection is more than capable of creating... sources of your collusion."

  "You think you can frame me?" asks Azrael, raising an eyebrow.

  "I know I can," replies Cale.

  Azrael looks at Cale for a few moments, just staring at him with his calm expression. I'm scared that maybe he's starting to bend inside, and am about to say something when Azrael smiles.

  "Wait a moment, please," he says, and turns to his computer, where he begins to type things in and pull up certain tabs and windows.

  I look over at Jane, and she's just as confused. But she keeps a mighty stance and Cale can't move an inch without a fist faster than the wind grazing harshly on his skin.