Storm Winds Brewing
#86 of The Moonrise Chronicles
Billy drove to the airport and after an extended hassle with the security team, was escorted to the airplane that had flown in from Italy. There was a delay as papers were checked and double checked. Billy railed at the delay, but knew better than to try to rush it along. These federal guys could get ugly if they thought you were trying to pull something over on them. And right now, he was trying to pull something over on them. Well, the pope was. Billy was just the getaway driver. In the end and after many dirty looks, the old bearded man in a monk's robe was escorted to the Rover. A box of moderate size was packed in the back. Billy could speak nothing more than English, but the man put his hand on his arm and a thought came across. "Thank you." "No; thank you! We need all the help we can get, or I think we do. No one seems to be saying much about this fella other than that he is a bad ass." Leo grinned a little. "Bad - Ass?" "Sorry. Ummmmm; maybe you might say nasty, or formidable?" "One is a matter of attitude, the other one of ability. If he is indeed a bad-ass, then this may prove to be as challenging as I dread it will be." "You've got that right." "Perhaps more than you can know. Shall we go see the girl now? From what she has told me, she is the key to all this." "Sure thing pops!" "Pops?" was the confused mental reply. Billy let out a laugh and slapped the master on the back. "Yep! You're plenty old enough to be Methuselah's father!" When Billy got to the house Maggie came out and gave the master a hug. "Sorry to drag you into this Leo, but I think we need to have a show of force." "It is most likely a true enough observation. Can you tell me any more about this person against whom we are preparing to battle?" "I'll leave that up to my mom. She's the one who screwed him, so if anyone will know his secrets, it'll be her." She turned to Billy. "Can you show him into the house and then come back outside?" He gave her a questioning look. "Sure little one, but why?" "Because I have a favor to ask you, and I don't want to do it in front of anyone else." He shrugged, hefted the wooden box out of the back and carried it up to the house. He was inside for a few minutes, likely making the introductions. Maggie felt she should be in there, but she had more important things to consider. When he came back out, he was eyeing her warily. "Tell me you aren't going to have me do something I'll regret." "What you do with your own emotions is your own problem Billy. I have a list of things I want you to get for me. I don't care how you get them, but you have to get them before you leave Pittsburg." He looked down the short list and brief instructions. "This doesn't make any sense to me. Well this one maybe," he said, pointing to a strange item. "But what are you up to?" "Don't ask." "I just did." "Billy, you're going to have to trust me on this." "Forget it. Either you tell me, or I'm not getting this stuff. I'm not the brightest bulb in the pack, but I'm not stupid either. If I understand what you want it for, then I'll feel better about helping." Her eyes glowed red, then dimmed. "If I tell you, you have to promise me you'll not interfere." He paused before answering. "I promise." "Let's sit in the Rover. I don't want anyone to overhear us." It was only a short while later that they climbed out. "I don't like it. Are you sure there isn't another way?" "I don't see one. So you keep that trap of yours shut. It may not come down to this, but if it does, you stay out of it, you hear?" "I hear ya. I don't like it, but I did promise." He turned to go into the house but she didn't budge. "Are you coming?" "No. I told you why I needed that stuff, but not my whole plan. That wasn't part of the deal." With that, she turned and ran off through the neighboring yards and was soon out of sight. Billy suddenly felt sick. How was he going to explain her disappearance? He knew where she was headed, more or less, but to tell her kin; now that was going to get him into a lot of trouble. It looked like it was going to be time to break the news and then head out on a shopping trip. His news was met with a mixed reaction. Leo seemed nonplussed by it, whereas her mother and grandmother went into hysterics. Billy sat in the middle as a storm raged around him. He caught only bits and pieces, because that damn old fella was speaking in some language he didn't recognize, and the other two would revert to Russian, and then those other two Russians joined in until he had enough. He slipped out the back, into the Rover and went looking for the stuff on Maggie's list. He wasn't sure what she really had up her sleeve, but it wasn't likely to be good. The first item was easy enough, and he got the biggest one he could find. The third item was not too hard either, though he got looks from the store owner when he cleaned them out. The fourth item wasn't difficult either, and with someone of Billy's looks, wasn't seen as weird. But the second one on the list, now that proved difficult. He got directed around to a few wholesale houses before he found one with sufficient quantities. He got some glares, but since it was hardly something that was on the Homeland Security watch list, he was given as much as he wanted. He didn't know how much she might want, so he bought a lot of it. When he returned, there was another car in front of the house. He recognized his parent's vehicle immediately. He burst in and gave a shout. "Hey, are you guys joining the party too?" Verona gave him a sour look. "This isn't a party dear cousin; it's a battle for our lives." "Oh don't go getting all sad faced on me. I've been in scraps my whole life. This one will be no different." "Says you. Edward is gone, and now I hear Maggie is gone, and then you left. Where did you go?" He nearly stumbled over his words. "I went to get some air. I hate it when folks fight." She didn't know if she believed him or not. But that fact was, he would rather fight the demons of hell than listen to people argue. Besides, he came back which meant something. She turned her attention to the master. "If Edward left without this equipment you brought, then what was the point in having you fly it across the ocean?" "I am unclear on that. He knows the limitations of it, so I could only assume that he intended it for someone else. I have seen his bad side, and it's not something you wish to be on. The suit would only hinder him." Again, Billy was left out of the conversation. Even if he had a ring, it wouldn't work for him. He held up his hand, his own silver rings glittering in the light. "What are we all talking about here?" Verona turned to him. "Leonard has brought some sort of armor from back in his day across the ocean to help us out. But since Edward ran off, and Maggie ran off, who is supposed to wear it?"
"Armor? Cool! Can I see it?" Leo understood him, even if he could not be understood in return. He asked for a crowbar, and Billy got a tire iron from the Rover. The lid was pried off revealing the shining cuirass that had lastly been worn by Cardinal Medici. Billy pulled it out, unharmed by the alloy, and let loose a low whistle. "Now this is a museum piece! You were going to have Edward wear this thing?" Verona was frowning. "I think that was the idea, but who knows? Both of them are gone, and we're just sitting here twiddling our thumbs. This sucks!" Billy held it up to his chest. "It's too small for me. You guys can change and squeeze into tight places, but not me. I'm just big and dumb." "You're not dumb son. I wish you wouldn't say that." Billy grinned. "I know pops, but it helps if I let people think that." Leonardo was looking over the others. In the few hours that Billy had been gone, he had gotten acquainted with the family as best as he was able. He had no clear knowledge of the tsars, only that which he had gleaned from that wonderful inter-net thing the girl had shown him. What a wonderful way of sharing information, even if a lot of it was incorrect. "I have a recommendation. There is only one suit, and therefore only one person can wear it. Since this Billy here cannot wear it, which would be ideal, than another of you must, unless you chose to leave it here. But I think I know his mind, and I think I know who must make use of it." His eyes fell upon just one of them. "Me?" "Yes, you. Think it over and tell me that it doesn't make sense." They did think it over, in all its implications. And so it was decided. That proved to be only one problem solved. Edward had no phone with him, and while Maggie had hers and his on her person, they all knew she would have reverted to her feral form to gain the best speed. One could barely imagine a wolf running through the brush carry a small purse in its mouth. But that was exactly what she was doing. She still wasn't sure where Edward was going, but she knew a vague idea of what he had planned. She loved him, but at the moment that emotion was inverted. She was never going to be able to love a man who didn't include her in his plans. They were to be a couple, which meant they did things together. His arrogance, no matter how well meaning, was going to be their undoing. This upcoming moment was going to be the ultimate test of their relationship. She slammed on the brakes. Maybe that was what he had seen; the true final outcome of this inevitable meeting. She stood there, catching her breath before continuing. She had failed to see the greater scheme and maybe he had. Her eyes narrowed. Maybe her plan had already been seen. In that case, it meant that she was on the right track. Well, hopefully she was. Until this mess was ended, she had no idea if what she saw as being the only outcome was truly the right thing to do. Once she put it into effect, there was no turning back. It was something just as stupid as he would do, and in fact, was maybe just as stupid as what he was trying to do right now. Only time would tell. In the meantime, she had a rendezvous with some old friends. She didn't know if they could help, but their presence couldn't hurt. A few hours away another car was still travelling towards Pittsburgh. The occupants fretted and argued the entire way. From yet another direction, heading for the same destination was one more car, occupied by too very worried people. Hiding out had helped them to survive this long, but it looked like the time for the shadows was over. There was going to be a gathering like none this continent had ever seen, not since the eighteen hundreds, and that particular one had never been witnessed, so its result had never been documented. If the world was lucky, the same would happen with this one. If not, the eyes of the world would be on this little corner of the globe. Edward got off the bus and slipping out of sight, stripped, rolled in the miasma around a dumpster and loped off. A good tracker might follow him, but he doubted it would ever be the case. They had to know where he was to begin with, and he left no discernible trail in riding the bus. From now until he got to his destination, he should be home free. Leeds was waiting. He knew that this new interloper was coming his way, but not to what end. He would wait, and when this newcomer arrived, he would see what his intentions were. He was not above talking. You never knew what you might learn from the unwary traveler. But if this man; this silly, optimistic troglodyte thought to keep him from his daughter, then he had a nasty surprise coming. Maggie was just entering her prime now, and she was therefore in need of being with her kind, not these sniveling, earth-sniffing furballs. They were no better than the regular humans; in his eyes anyway. He conversed with his kin and devised a plan should the words of this fellow fall on deaf ears. Even if he did approve of the words, he found he would not likely approve of their source, and as such, this man needed to die. It wasn't personal. It was merely an effort to survive in a world overrun with lowlife, disgusting apparitions of life. His kin had managed to live unmolested for centuries, only occasionally exposing themselves to discovery. Most of those had finally lost their minds and had been hunted down and killed. Secrecy was the most important part of their existence.