New York's Finest
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| (God of the Ennead: Isis by Desert-Of-Seth) |
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Rafael was like a god amongst men in most powerful law firm on wall street. He had many names, names which were twisted and turned by the elite of New York's financial district. But their was one name, unknown to the masses that gave him such prowess in and out of court.
Unbeknownst to Rafael, there was a woman by the name of Isabelle. A powerhouse in her own right, who worked as a paralegal in the same firm. Isabelle, far too smart to be just a paralegal, yearned to play with the big boys and become a senior partner much like Rafael. She wanted to have the power that Rafael had in the courtroom. Somehow he had a 100% win rate through his years at the firm and everyone knew it had something to do with the secret nickname he had garnered. A nickname that had never once been spoken.
Everyday Rafael walked through the courthouse with throws of interns, associates and judges alike who believed in his gospel of law that followed his footsteps. In every case, he would stand and argue and win. But Rafael was not getting any smarter and with every case the 100% win statistic was harder to uphold. Yet in his rush to run from case to case, he dropped a slip of paper from his files.
With Isabelle following his every move, hiding amongst the crowd of "believers", she snatched the piece of paper from the ground. Quickly, scanning the contents of the document, she slowly smirked realizing her chance had come. Slipping inside the Honorable judge Oswald D. Iris' chambers, Isabelle presented the paper knowing she had turned a simple piece of paper into a stinging serpent.
On the following Friday in the New York Supreme Courthouse, Rafael walked the same path with the same interns, associates and judges. He walked with purpose and pride up until Judge Iris kindly handed him a booklet of papers, only to walk away right after. Disbarment papers. Those words struck a chord, a great chill to the bones of Rafael, one so hard he fainted upon reading the first page.
The interns and associates and judges all gathered around their golden star. Asking for an ambulance to be called and for Rafael to respond to their panicked voices.
Rafael, shaken with panic and dread, became unable to speak and only started to hyperventilate as a panic attack started to set in. Going through his breathing techniques, he began to calm down realizing what he needed to do.
"Judges, my loyal associates and interns, please come closer so I do not have to shout so loud. I am afraid I have been served with disbarment papers the symbol of death to any great lawyer's dream. I am not surprised by these papers, for I have kept within my skills a nickname that comes with a reputation that can shake any opponent. A nickname I have held so close to my heart that only I truly know its origins; origins that now betray me as being the cause of my pending disbarment. Please if any of you know of a way to get me out of this, speak now!"
All of his fans of legal minds started speaking at various volumes, trying to come up with a counterargument to the disbarment of their cherished lawyer. Through the crowd of people, Isabelle weaved her way into the inner circle coming up beside Rafael.
"Rafael, take deep breaths and let me know what's wrong? I am sure if you just let that nickname that is haunting you so much out, you'll feel much better," said Isabelle.
"You don't understand, I am the best at my job because of that name. People cannot beat me because I have that power of a simple name," a worried Rafael spoke.
Isabelle, still desperate for power with no actual worry for Rafael's sanity, continued to urge him to tell her the powerful but secret name. Finally after much coaxing, Rafael leaned closer to Isabelle and whispered in her ear.
"Ransom. That's the name that holds so much power. I know every secret of every judge, lawyer, clerk and legal aide in New York. Secrets are a currency unlike any other in this town. Once you know a few, you can leverage them as Ransom. That's where the power comes from, its just a nickname but it tells the loser all he needs to know." said Rafael, finally losing the weight of his secret and calming down fully.
"Well that was all I needed to know," Isabelle said while smirking, "you see, Rafael, now I can use that information as I please and we both know you won't be the reigning lawyer at our firm anymore."
With that Isabelle rose from the ground, leaving Rafael to sputter with confusion as he stared at his disbarment papers with no hope for his 100% win rate keeping its claim.
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This retelling is based of off Egyptian Myth and Legend's The Secret Name of Ra by Donald Mackenzie (1907).
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Author's Note:
For this retelling of "The Secret Name of Ra", I decided to mix the story with a show I have been re-watching lately, Suits. The original story of the god and goddess, Ra and Isis respectively, is one of cunning tricks and a strive for power; its a theme that also occurs in the show Suits. With Suits being a show about high pressure cases and war-like grounds concerning lawyers in New York, I thought it would blend well with the goddess Isis' lust for Ra's divine power. The original plot line of "The Secret Name of Ra" is almost fully preserved throughout my rendition, with the some of smaller changes being the setting and the more modern names. But my biggest change was the ending going from a peaceful one with Ra gaining full health again to my version with Rafael still gaining full health but losing to Isabelle (Isis in the original). As I was writing I just felt like a bittersweet ending with my more villain-esque version of Isis winning instead. Hope the story was enjoyable and my author's note explained any differences between the original and my version!
