I Dream of Eroica
Sorry it took me a few days to get this second installment written. More to come!
"I need some coffee," the Major muttered, not looking up from his desk. He said it aloud from habit, even though his alphabet had gone home long ago; none of them were there to mix some Nescafé and hurry to press it into his hand.
Which was why the Major jumped, spilling some of the hot liquid onto the mound of papers on his desk, when a brimful cup floated into his hand.
"Eroica, don't do that without warning me!" he complained, taking a gulp of the coffee before mopping up the spill with his handkerchief.
Eroica materialized leaning over the Major solicitously. Tonight's outfit was the usual half-vest and filmy pants, turquoise this time, leaving his chest scandalously bare and providing only token covering for his legs. "Master, it is nearly ten o'clock! Cannot your alphabet do this for you?"
"No." Klaus put a fresh cigarette in his mouth. His genie folded his arms and bobbed his head and the cigarette ignited as Klaus was reaching for his lighter. Klaus coughed once as the unexpected smoke went down the wrong way, but adapted quickly. "I'm the only one who has contacts at this level."
"But it is so late! Let me at least get you some dinner."
"No!" The last time Klaus had allowed this, Eroica had conjured an elaborate gourmet feast that could easily have hardened the arteries of the entire alphabet, right there in his spartan office. "I had A bring me sandwiches before I sent him home."
"Sandwiches? When I could give you-"
"I'm not hungry," Klaus interrupted firmly.
"But you are tired, Master," the genie cooed, extending a hand to smooth Klaus's hair back from his forehead. The Major grumpily batted his hand away. "You need your rest!"
"No, I need this Soviet code machine. The mole who was going to get it for us was transferred. I was thinking about blackmailing this man," the Major thumped a dossier, "but I'm suspicious; I think his alleged drug problem is a ruse to make us think we can blackmail him."
"What is this 'code machine'?" the genie asked.
"It…." The Major started to rub his eyes, but quickly stopped; showing any sign of fatigue or discomfort in front of his genie was sure to result in excessive concern. He sat up straight. "It looks like a typewriter, but they use it to create coded messages. If we had one, we could decipher their code and read their messages."
Eroica put his hands on his hips. "You are wasting me! Any mortal man could make you Nescafé. Why did you not ask me for this?" He held his arms out and bobbed his head, and a code machine appeared in his grasp.
The Major stared at it, feeling as if the breath had been knocked out of him. As Eroica placed it on his desk, Klaus struggled with himself. He didn't want to depend on Eroica's magic to do his job for him, and yet, what this machine could mean for NATO….
Looking smug, the genie moved behind him and started massaging his shoulders. "Now you will come home, won't you, Master? You must be exhausted."
The Major shrugged off the soothing hands. "Eroica, I don't think…."
The door opened and the Chief strolled in with a couple of folders. "Major, I just received word that - You got it!" He stared at the code machine, thunderstruck.
So much for ordering Eroica to send the contraption back.
"How did you do it so quickly?" the Chief asked, patting the machine as if to make certain it was real.
"Well, ehm…." Klaus was of course a trained liar, but he could have used a minute to think. Half a minute. Ten seconds.
"I stole it for him," Eroica's voice said behind him.
Horrified, Klaus whipped his head around. The genie knew he was supposed to disappear if someone else came in! Klaus would never be able to explain why he had a shamelessly beautiful man wearing a harem outfit in his office after hours.
But Eroica was now wearing a skintight burglary catsuit, with no jewelry at all. Even his hair was now clipped short.
"You might say that sort of work is my specialty," Eroica went on with a slight smile.
"I had no idea you had that sort of contacts, Eberbach," the Chief said. To Klaus's further irritation, he sounded impressed rather than disapproving.
"Part of the job." Klaus tried to sound as if hiring professional thieves was a routine part of his life. "I'll take this to Cryptography."
"You should lock it in the inner office. Just a minute and I'll get you the key."
"No need," Eroica offered sweetly. "I can pick the lock for him."
The Chief blinked. "Oh, of course. Can we count on your services again, Mr…."
"He owed me one favor," the Major cut in before Eroica could get himself on the NATO payroll. That was all he needed. "But we'll see what we can work out." He shot Eroica a significant look to keep him quiet. He'd better get him out of the Chief's presence, too, and fast. He stood and picked up the code machine. "Come with me and we'll see what you can do with that lock."
When they were out of the Chief's range, Klaus hissed, "What are you doing in that ridiculous outfit?"
"You told me to wear modern clothes if other mortals ever saw me."
"Yes, but not that obscene tight…." Words failed him.
Eroica preened. "I thought it was rather becoming. Except for the dreary haircuts men today wear. Two thousand years ago, men had far more style." He bobbed his head, not breaking his stride, and the long golden curls were back.
Klaus shifted his grip on the code machine to open the door to the Cryptography office. "Why didn't you conjure up a suit instead?"
Now Eroica looked genuinely puzzled. "Is this not what thieves wear in the modern world?"
"You saw a thief wearing an outfit like that on television."
"Why, yes, Master!"
"I never should have shown you how the idiot box works."
"Oh, but it is more fun than a flying carpet!" He folded his arms and bobbed his head, and the inner door unlocked itself and opened. The Major stowed the code machine and then locked the room back up. "Now will you come home and go to bed, Master?"
"Yes. And you will get into your bottle," he added sharply.
"Master!" the genie protested, but in this matter, as always, his master stood firm.
"In the bottle," he repeated firmly.
"Yes, Master," Eroica answered with resignation, and turned to a puff of turquoise smoke.
Mortals could be so unreasonable.
"I need some coffee," the Major muttered, not looking up from his desk. He said it aloud from habit, even though his alphabet had gone home long ago; none of them were there to mix some Nescafé and hurry to press it into his hand.
Which was why the Major jumped, spilling some of the hot liquid onto the mound of papers on his desk, when a brimful cup floated into his hand.
"Eroica, don't do that without warning me!" he complained, taking a gulp of the coffee before mopping up the spill with his handkerchief.
Eroica materialized leaning over the Major solicitously. Tonight's outfit was the usual half-vest and filmy pants, turquoise this time, leaving his chest scandalously bare and providing only token covering for his legs. "Master, it is nearly ten o'clock! Cannot your alphabet do this for you?"
"No." Klaus put a fresh cigarette in his mouth. His genie folded his arms and bobbed his head and the cigarette ignited as Klaus was reaching for his lighter. Klaus coughed once as the unexpected smoke went down the wrong way, but adapted quickly. "I'm the only one who has contacts at this level."
"But it is so late! Let me at least get you some dinner."
"No!" The last time Klaus had allowed this, Eroica had conjured an elaborate gourmet feast that could easily have hardened the arteries of the entire alphabet, right there in his spartan office. "I had A bring me sandwiches before I sent him home."
"Sandwiches? When I could give you-"
"I'm not hungry," Klaus interrupted firmly.
"But you are tired, Master," the genie cooed, extending a hand to smooth Klaus's hair back from his forehead. The Major grumpily batted his hand away. "You need your rest!"
"No, I need this Soviet code machine. The mole who was going to get it for us was transferred. I was thinking about blackmailing this man," the Major thumped a dossier, "but I'm suspicious; I think his alleged drug problem is a ruse to make us think we can blackmail him."
"What is this 'code machine'?" the genie asked.
"It…." The Major started to rub his eyes, but quickly stopped; showing any sign of fatigue or discomfort in front of his genie was sure to result in excessive concern. He sat up straight. "It looks like a typewriter, but they use it to create coded messages. If we had one, we could decipher their code and read their messages."
Eroica put his hands on his hips. "You are wasting me! Any mortal man could make you Nescafé. Why did you not ask me for this?" He held his arms out and bobbed his head, and a code machine appeared in his grasp.
The Major stared at it, feeling as if the breath had been knocked out of him. As Eroica placed it on his desk, Klaus struggled with himself. He didn't want to depend on Eroica's magic to do his job for him, and yet, what this machine could mean for NATO….
Looking smug, the genie moved behind him and started massaging his shoulders. "Now you will come home, won't you, Master? You must be exhausted."
The Major shrugged off the soothing hands. "Eroica, I don't think…."
The door opened and the Chief strolled in with a couple of folders. "Major, I just received word that - You got it!" He stared at the code machine, thunderstruck.
So much for ordering Eroica to send the contraption back.
"How did you do it so quickly?" the Chief asked, patting the machine as if to make certain it was real.
"Well, ehm…." Klaus was of course a trained liar, but he could have used a minute to think. Half a minute. Ten seconds.
"I stole it for him," Eroica's voice said behind him.
Horrified, Klaus whipped his head around. The genie knew he was supposed to disappear if someone else came in! Klaus would never be able to explain why he had a shamelessly beautiful man wearing a harem outfit in his office after hours.
But Eroica was now wearing a skintight burglary catsuit, with no jewelry at all. Even his hair was now clipped short.
"You might say that sort of work is my specialty," Eroica went on with a slight smile.
"I had no idea you had that sort of contacts, Eberbach," the Chief said. To Klaus's further irritation, he sounded impressed rather than disapproving.
"Part of the job." Klaus tried to sound as if hiring professional thieves was a routine part of his life. "I'll take this to Cryptography."
"You should lock it in the inner office. Just a minute and I'll get you the key."
"No need," Eroica offered sweetly. "I can pick the lock for him."
The Chief blinked. "Oh, of course. Can we count on your services again, Mr…."
"He owed me one favor," the Major cut in before Eroica could get himself on the NATO payroll. That was all he needed. "But we'll see what we can work out." He shot Eroica a significant look to keep him quiet. He'd better get him out of the Chief's presence, too, and fast. He stood and picked up the code machine. "Come with me and we'll see what you can do with that lock."
When they were out of the Chief's range, Klaus hissed, "What are you doing in that ridiculous outfit?"
"You told me to wear modern clothes if other mortals ever saw me."
"Yes, but not that obscene tight…." Words failed him.
Eroica preened. "I thought it was rather becoming. Except for the dreary haircuts men today wear. Two thousand years ago, men had far more style." He bobbed his head, not breaking his stride, and the long golden curls were back.
Klaus shifted his grip on the code machine to open the door to the Cryptography office. "Why didn't you conjure up a suit instead?"
Now Eroica looked genuinely puzzled. "Is this not what thieves wear in the modern world?"
"You saw a thief wearing an outfit like that on television."
"Why, yes, Master!"
"I never should have shown you how the idiot box works."
"Oh, but it is more fun than a flying carpet!" He folded his arms and bobbed his head, and the inner door unlocked itself and opened. The Major stowed the code machine and then locked the room back up. "Now will you come home and go to bed, Master?"
"Yes. And you will get into your bottle," he added sharply.
"Master!" the genie protested, but in this matter, as always, his master stood firm.
"In the bottle," he repeated firmly.
"Yes, Master," Eroica answered with resignation, and turned to a puff of turquoise smoke.
Mortals could be so unreasonable.