"His power and evils are enough, but I believe he wished me to be certain. Did he seem a normal man when he attacked you?"
"As normal as a terrorist ever is," Cortin said.
"That was not so in my case. His general body temperature was quite high, well beyond a human's survival limits. His genitals, however, were extremely cold—the classic description, as you know."
"Yes." That had to be hypnotism or drugs, Cortin thought, but beliefs were hard for mere facts to alter; she wouldn't argue pointlessly with someone who promised to be extremely good for the team. "Even with that, you're willing to help hunt him?"
"We are all called to fight evil," Chang said calmly. "My call was simply more unmistakable than many. Yes, I am willing."
She couldn't ask for more than that, Cortin decided. Excellent medical qualifications, an "Expert" small-arms rating, plenty of courage—and she sounded almost as devout as Mike. Cortin thought it odd that she'd be concerned about devotion when she wasn't particularly devout herself, but the fact remained: talking to Piety had made it clear that it should be one of her considerations. "One stipulation, and you're in," she said. "I don't want any auxiliaries on Team Azrael; you'll have to trade that habit for a uniform. There's no proof you're technically qualified for Special Ops, but since you've gotten a waiver, that's no problem."
"As this branch of Enforcement now has priests, there is no reason it should not also have a nun. I will make the trade."
"Good! Let me get my second and another witness, and I'll swear you in."
Cortin was a little surprised that no one questioned her power to administer a commissioning oath without prior authorization, but she'd apparently been right in her guess that it was one of her rights as a Strike Team leader; after all, it was neither treason nor regicide, and it was in the interest of eliminating the terrorists. As a side effect, one she hoped might reduce press attention to herself, it made her no longer the only female Enforcement officer.
When the ceremony was over and Chang had accepted Odeon's offer to help her get her ID and uniforms later, that afternoon—"Anything to get away from stacks of personnel records," he admitted cheerfully—he and the other witness left the two women alone. Cortin studied the nun for a moment before speaking again.