Goetia's Ominous Silence
After Amon's encounter with Goetia and its demons, they showed no unusual activity, making their first meeting seem almost anticlimactic. Amon's group remained wary despite their puzzlement. Several months passed since that encounter between Amon and Goetia.
During that time, Amon and Sonia pressed on with their tasks. They fended off attacks from Nebil Pharmaceuticals while securing witnesses to strike at Miller Pharmaceuticals from behind—a relentless routine.
"Looks like we've gathered almost all the witnesses now."
Amon muttered as he watched the plane carrying the 114th witness depart for America. In truth, they'd secured more than enough after hitting the century mark. They were just padding it out to 120 for any "unfortunate" mishaps.
Amon reported the 114th witness's dispatch to Kashi.
"Sent the witness."
"Good work this time too."
Sitting in the American office, Kashi spoke to Amon in France.
"The essence business in Europe is on track now, and the forge is solid enough. We can file the lawsuit anytime without issues."
In a world where corporations lord over the law, lawsuits aren't just battles of words and statutes. Bullets, sabotage, evidence tampering, assassinations—even terrorism—are fair game.
To sue a foreign megacorp, you need a sturdy local branch to protect witnesses and evidence. That was why Kashi's company had acquired the forge. Neutrality was the sturdiest shield of all.
Of course, powerless neutrality was just empty noise. But the forge's ties to various European firms made it ironclad. And with the essence business, it had become indispensable—their neutrality was now unbreakable.
"Lawsuit prep going smoothly?"
"Prep's done already. Just need to set a date."
Kashi and her company had long finished preparing to sue Miller. They'd timed it for after Miller's victory in the cold war with Nebil—striking when their guard was down in triumph. They'd fiddle with both companies' stocks a bit too.
In the end, Kashi's firm would profit from the cold war's fallout. Sure, they might get fingered as underhanded, but...
'Miller and Nebil are both the same scum.'
Kashi brushed it off like that. It all started when Miller tried human experiments on Amon, figuring Kashi wouldn't hold a grudge over "just" one merc. Too bad—she hadn't forgotten a thing.
She'd planned to hit both from the start.
"Got word from Miller yesterday—they think they're about to win the cold war. Once it's over, head straight back to America."
The demons' quiet worried her, but reorganization came first. Dealing with Nebil and Miller, then tracking Goetia—plenty of time.
Amon, Sonia, and Kashi discussed future plans a bit more before hanging up.
"Heading back soon. Buy me something tasty when I get there."
"Just come back with all your limbs attached."
This was a week before the Miller-Nebil cold war's end.
* A week later, the cold war between the two pharma giants ended abruptly.
Miller had the upper hand, and with Nebil already sensing defeat, they forfeited the moment an excuse appeared.
The unannounced end forced Amon and Sonia to hastily prepare to leave Europe.
"Nebil forfeited to sort out their internal chaos."
Packing in the hotel, Amon explained the situation. Nebil was in turmoil over succession—no bandwidth for the cold war.
The patent dispute ended with Miller's victory.
"Miller will dominate the cosmetic surgery market for a while."
Sonia paused packing and asked,
"But was a single drug monopoly worth a cold war?"
"Absolutely. This market can't be split."
Behind it all: a fat regulator. Not just weight loss, but targeted sculpting—enlarge breasts or glutes, slim the waist on command.
Amon recalled a past-life firm that became a Big 3 pharma giant on mere diet pills. Imagine full control over fat.
"No matter how much the cold war eats into profits, this recovers it all—and more."
World's top biopharma? No exaggeration.
Sonia, unaware of the drug till now, nodded at "fat regulator."
"Makes sense."
"Didn't Kashi tell you?"
"I just knew it was a new drug."
"Guess not."
"Oh, but any side effects on that fat regulator?"
Sonia perked up, resuming packing as she peppered questions.
"Trials found some—dizziness, fatigue..."
Amon replied, stuffing clothes into his suitcase. They packed swiftly, checked out in record time.
They were fleeing Europe ahead of the Miller lawsuit.
"We'll be back in Europe soon enough, but first, we gotta lull Miller into complacency."
Per Kashi's instructions, Amon and Sonia moved fast. Timing mattered in lawsuits. Lingering post-cold war would tip Miller off. Pull them out, let Miller relax—then strike. Kashi, expert in suits and investments, knew this cold.
"So hurry back. Stay by my side till we return to Europe."
Just a spoonful of selfish longing after months apart.
Amon and Sonia headed straight to the airport for Kashi's arranged flight. Even waiting, they chatted about the fat regulator.
Amon tickled her side. "You don't need it. This is perfect."
"Hey, that tickles!"
An elderly couple on the opposite bench watched the bickering pair fondly. Conversation flowed naturally.
"How'd you two meet?"
"First met my wife at a café..."
As it turned to marital wisdom, the old man tsked at the news, pointing.
"Tch. Sticking with corps like a fool—look what happens. Money ain't everything."
"Obvious. Whistleblower. They don't seal lips like that just once or twice."
His age made conspiracy talk ring true—surviving this world was proof enough.
He warned Amon: "Remember: stay clear of corps if you wanna live long."
"Dear! What're you saying? Sorry, young man. This old coot suffered in corp wars back in the day."
"...No, thank you for the advice."
The couple left as their flight arrived. Amon met Sonia's eyes. She nodded, erecting a sound barrier.
Amon called Kashi, hand over mouth against lip-reading, reporting.
"Miller's got a new virus outbreak. Think it's that?"
Amon recalled Miller's original plan: win Nebil with virus and vaccine dumps. Kashi had helped scrap it, but risk lingered. They'd been dispatched partly to monitor.
He hoped he was wrong, awaiting her reply.
Unfortunately, Amon's hunches rarely missed.
"Miller called me too. It's theirs."
"What? They admit making it?"
"Leaked, they say. Hit researchers and some execs."
"Vaccine?"
"Gotta preempt. Useless post-infection."
"Antidote?"
"Lab director fled to Nebil with antidote and data."
"My God... So this is..."
"Nebil's doing."
Amon rubbed his forehead. Things were going smoothly—then this counterstrike.
"Miller's in panic mode."
Nebil spread it, Miller made it—plus vaccine and antidote. All evidence pointed to Miller. They couldn't cry foul without admitting creation, inviting backlash.
Containment and PR control had them swamped.
"Told 'em to spill everything—they did. Real desperate."
Not naive enough to think Miller trusted her firm. Desperation made them beg.
"Help with anything—whatever it takes."
"What do we do?"
"Cancel the flight, stand by. My gut says Nebil ain't done."
"Got it."
Amon and Sonia canceled and holed up in the hotel as instructed.
Next day, Kashi dropped a bombshell.
"Nebil tried assassinating Miller's CEO. Miller's suppressing news, but stocks tanked."
"What?"
Amon doubted his ears. What the hell was happening?
Attempted, so failed—but still catastrophic.
Amon puzzled Nebil's intent. 'Miller's stretched thin with the virus, and after I took out their security chief, new guy's softer?'
But no gain, just handing Miller justification. Irrational for a megacorp. No emotion either—just baffling.
"Heard right. Nebil's lost it."
"No way..."
Speechless. Motive? Unfathomable.
"They're declaring war."
"Looks that way."
Nebil wanted war. Not covert cold war—real war of explosions and screams. They craved Western Europe in flames.
But why?
"Over patents?"
"Nah."
"Sunk costs?"
"Doesn't add up financially."
"CEO's death?"
"Not family-run. No vendetta vibe. Megacorps don't move on sentiment."
"Then what's the goal?"
"I'll explain in person."
"???"
Call ended. Amon stared blankly at his phone—then a knock.
"Amon, it's me."
"Kashi?"
He opened the door in shock. Not just Kashi— the whole crew.
"Why are you all here...?"
"Beats us."
Hen, the androgynous mage, shrugged.
"Kashi said come, so we did."
"What about the company?"
"Dunno?"
Hen eyed Kashi too. Under their gazes, she shrugged nonchalantly.
"It's my company. Problem?"
"Then you really shouldn't come."
"Nah. Especially then."
Kashi smiled.
"No use pretending. If war really breaks out, you planned to stay in Europe, right?"
Amon and Sonia couldn't deny. If it escalated, they'd stay—for responsibility, and bonds formed in France. They'd fight to protect them.
Nosy? Maybe. But...
"Told you—my company's always got your back."
At least not Kashi. Natural for one who'd benefited from that nosiness.
Amon smiled unwittingly.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
* Kashi's surprise arrival reformed the expedition—now dubbed "Amon Expedition" at her insistence.
"Amon's situation this time, so Amon Expedition."
Chief of staff Kashi summarized.
"Nebil wants war now."
Why? Before explaining, a bombshell.
"Truth is, I haven't used precog since your first raid."
Kashi confessed deceiving them. She'd sensed another precog in Europe—Goetia's demons—and blocked her own to play mind games, using Amon as joker.
She'd let them think they followed visions, when really they chose.
Sonia flinched at "deception" but stayed silent—wrong moment.
Kashi nodded apology, continued.
"As you know, Goetia's demons back Nebil. Those 'prophets' I mentioned? The demons."
She'd outplayed them, joker in hand. Their Nebil scheme failed—this was their death throes.
"Ditching subtlety means admitting defeat."
"How's that war?"
"Abandoning Nebil to flee. Burn evidence in war's flames."
Intel agencies' playbook—Middle East, South America pullouts under war smokescreens.
"So what's our move?"
Kashi opened her case with a shing—familiar spear floated out.
Pointing at Amon:
"Time to play the joker card."