<<<12 June 2057, 16:02—Shadows of the Underworld >>>

I am at something of a loss as to how to open this entry; I am still recovering from the shock of all that has happened this past week, and it has played hell with my mental processes.

I suppose I should get the obvious out the way first of all, since it has been foremost on my mind for the better part of the last few days:

Dunkelzahn is dead.

Assassinated on the eve of his Presidential victory. And we were there to see it.

Let me backtrack a bit, because there is more that should be included in this entry even though none of it seems important anymore. At the moment, very little does.

At the end of my last entry, we were poised on the brink of a confrontation with two Mantid spirits, one Wasp spirit (formerly one FBI agent), Anne Penchyk, and a whole cadre of FBI men who looked considerably more bewildered by events than we were.

The fight, as is often the case, did not go as we had expected. The two Mantids did not attack us, but rather went after the Wasp and the FBI agents. Seeing our opportunity, we concentrated our efforts on dispatching the Wasp and protecting the other agents, the latter of whom were dropping like...who were falling fast.

Two more Wasps appeared; between us and the Mantids, we managed to dispatch them as Penchyk urged us into another room. Upon discussing the situation with her, we learned that she and the Mantids represented one group of insect spirits, while the Wasps represented another--the remnants of the Brotherhood, as it turned out. Anne claimed that she was not herself an insect spirit, although I had a difficult time believing that. Thoroughly disgusted by being played for a fool by the bugs once again, I made my exit as quickly as I could, surprising my friends a bit, I think.

Penchyk was as good as her word, though: she had us cleared of all charges. Joe's footage of Cohen changing into a Wasp, which we gave to Wallace as insurance, further assured that we would have no more involvement in the situation. That done, we settled down to watch the election returns.

The others, owing to their Dragon Security credentials as UCAS citizens, were able to vote. Since my alter ego, Eric Williams, is a British national, I wasn't able to do so, but Joe was kind enough to vote twice to make up for it. We assembled at 'Wraith's place (he bought furniture; perhaps there's hope for him yet) to watch the returns, and were elated when Dunkelzahn was at last declared the victor.

We were even more pleased when, barely twenty minutes later, we received a call from Carla Brooks, Dunkelzahn's security chief, requesting Dragon Security's presence at the inaugural ball. We were to assist with the security effort, but everyone knew that was merely a front--we were being rewarded for our efforts on Dunkelzahn's behalf. We immediately made plans to go (after a brief side trip to procure tuxedos for Joe and Ocelot).

The ball was an unforgettable experience. In our guise as undercover security we danced, we mingled, we ate and drank and celebrated. Even 'Wraith managed to loosen up and tango with a beautiful Elf woman (well, Jack McCovney did, anyway. I think 'Wraith does make the distinction). Later, Dunkelzahn himself, in human form, came over to thank us for our efforts. On the night of his greatest victory, he managed to find the time to speak to us. I was looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship between our team and Dunkelzahn's organization.

Then, though, he got an unexpected phone call and had to leave. As security, we remained inside--we'd been retained to watch the party, not the dragon. When the explosion sounded outside, shaking the walls of the Watergate Hotel, everything was thrown into chaos.

I reached the door first, with the aid of my levitation spell lock. 'Wraith followed soon after. The limousine was in pieces, flames towering into the sky. Everywhere people were screaming, trying desperately to figure out what had happened? Where was he? Was he in the car?

Yes. He was in the car. And he was gone. Just like that. Perhaps the most powerful being on the face of the Earth. Dead.

We went through the motions of continuing to be part of the security force (my teammates moreso than I--they spent a great deal of time herding people out of the hotel and trying to maintain order, while I confined most of my attention to the site of the blast until I was ordered out of the area). I returned to the outside shortly thereafter, though, where I and every other magically-active person in the area noticed some sort of strange magical rift forming above the place where the blast had occurred. The thing seemed to be sucking magical energy from the sky; one unfortunate government mage got too close and was drawn into the vortex. At that point the authorities cordoned off the area and sent us all away.

We left Washington in a state of shock after informing Carla Brooks that we were available immediately should she need us for anything. There was no point in our remaining any longer; I think all of us wanted to return to familiar surroundings as quickly as possible.

I do not know what we will do next, nor do I know the future of Dragon Security. Right now, to be fully honest, I don't really care.