Chapter thirty four

I grasped the fan in my right hand and concentrated on what I wanted the salt molecules to do and the ultimate outcome I wished for which was to make it as hard and sharp as possible. Normally using my powers to change the basic properties of some material would very quickly earn me a very nasty rebound and a one way ticket to the morgue but that wasn't what I was trying to do. The salt molecules are constantly turning around randomly and anything random is susceptible to my powers and I was able to orient them just right by a very minimal effort. As I concentrated on the fan there was a very sudden and very obvious shift in its appearance. The silvery blue plastic which felt grainy to the touch morphed into a completely smooth silver material that looked like a piece of metal. In its new form the fan was no longer flexible, instead it was entirely rigid and had a good feel to it as I swung it around experimentally. It wasn't any heavier than the original fan so it was still very light but the way it was cutting through the air was very different, in fact it started to make a whistling sound when it was swung above a certain speed.

I found out that it could easily shred plastic, wood , or even metal. How did I find out? Well let's just say I might have gotten a little over excited and started to happily go around the bunker destroying anything in my path. I was in the midst of 'testing' my new fans when I was interrupted by Kazimir who looked a tad bit upset. I guess I had gotten a little too far when I cut off the barrel of one of his AK 47s .

"Alright , enough horseplay. You have a video call with Vladimir in twenty five minutes and you need to get ready for that."

I tried to look as contrite as possible while inside I was jumping with joy and wanted to continue my new favorite hobby, "I'm sorry Kazimir, I'll put these away. Thank you for getting them for me."

"Nice try Sophia, but I'm not your father, that look won't work on me. Hand over the fans before you destroy what is left of my stuff."

* * *

A few minutes later I was all dressed up as Persephone and waiting for the call from Vladimir. I wasn't sure what he wanted to talk about but I had a newfound respect and even a tiny bit of fear for the man. Although I didn't want to continue to associate with the mob it would be rude if I refused to at least talk to him, so there I was waiting for him to call.

When he finally appeared on the screen he was in a different room than where he usually calls me from, which was a room similar to a very fancy parlor with comfortable looking stuffed chairs. But now he was in a room that looked more like a place to hold business meetings. The laptop I gave him was set on a long table surrounded by stiff backed chairs that were probably designed to torture the occupants back in order to keep them alert, only at the head of the table was there a swiveling leather seat that looked like a person could seat on it without needing a chiropractor afterwards and sitting comfortably in that chair was Vladimir. He wasn't facing towards me like I expected but looking at a giant screen behind him.

I shifted my attention towards the screen and I saw a familiar face. It was an older gentleman with a silver streak running through his otherwise black hair. He had piercing green eyes and was clean shaven except for a van dyke that gave him an overall villainous look, his black suit and bright red tie didn't help either. On his lapel was a golden pin with the logo of Fairweather tech on it. Although I have never met the man I immediately recognized the CEO of Fairweather tech and probably my number one enemy, Marcus Fairweather.

"Mr Mikailov what is going on?"

Marcus turned his attention to me and said," Vladimir, aren't you going to introduce me to this beautiful lady?" His thin smile,his oily voice and the slimy look he was giving me made me want to run out of the room and take a shower.

"Of course , this charming young lady is Persephone. She was the one who tipped me off on what I was dealing with and how to deal with the problem. She personally took care of over forty of your compatriots and was probably the only reason I came out on top in our little game. From the horrified and disgusted look on her face I'm assuming that Persephone already knows who you are Marcus."

The look that Marcus was giving me changed, it was still predatory but now instead of peeling off my cloth he was now thinking of peeling off my skin. I felt as if Vladimir had thrown me under the bus, no more like under a freight train. What was his purpose in parading me in front of my greatest enemy? Vladimir seemed to have read my expression because he continued,

"Oh don't look at me like that Persephone, I'm not selling you out. Marcus decided to call a truce and asked to make a deal, a treaty if you will. I wanted someone that had experience with dealing with his kind and the only person I could think of was you. That is why I called you, not to sell you out but to ask for your advice."

"You want my advice on dealing with Atelli, here it is. You don't deal with Atelli unless it is by the edge of a blade or at the tip of your bullet. Well there are several other ways as well but you get the general idea."

Marcus cut into our conversation, "Don't be like that Ms Persephone, I am willing to let bygones be bygones and make a deal that would reduce bloodshed and be beneficial to everybody."

I glared at the smarmy bastard and said , "Why would we make a deal with you? You were defeated and you ran away with your tail tucked between your legs. You have no more cards left to play in Russia and we would be foolish to invite you back into our country."

His smug smile gave me a very ominous feeling, "You are right of course, I no longer have the manpower to challenge the mob for the docks. But I do have one last card to play, an ace up my sleeve if you will. Vladimir where is your son Sergei?"