I felt a welcome flood of warmth as I stepped into the bar, making a futile attempt to wring some of the water from my hair as I did. It was too cold out to be walking around, soaked to the skin, but I hadn’t thought to bring an umbrella when I left my apartment, many hours ago. I was mostly numb to the cold and the damp by now, I hadn’t even really needed to call a cab to get here, I could have just kept walking, but I’d needed an excuse to use the payphone. As it was, the cabbie had almost refused to let me in, to avoid ruining his seats, but I think the guy felt sorry for me. I suspected I resembled a drowned rat, but I hadn’t checked. I didn’t really need to know for sure. What I did need was a hot shower, but that would have to wait, for a time. In lieu of that, I rubbed my hands together, trying to encourage feeling to return to my fingers. I didn’t really help. I sat down on a stool at the bar and waited for the bartender to approach. He raised his eyebrows as he looked me over,
“Rough day?”
He had no idea.
“Just got caught in the rain on my way home, looking for something to warm me up before I continue on my way,” I chuckled.
He nodded his understanding, and I ordered a beer. He placed it on the bar and walked off to interact with customers that probably looked like better tippers. I didn’t mind, I preferred to be alone with my thoughts. I sipped my beer and studied the mirror behind the bar. It confirmed two things; one, I did look as bad as I had imagined, and two, a pair of men had just entered and taken a seat in a booth at the back. They tried to pretend like they were studying the menu, but it was pretty apparent that they were watching me. Even if they had been more subtle, it wouldn’t have made a difference, because they had already been following me for hours at this point. They were, in fact, the second pair, having switched sometime in the afternoon with the ones that had trailed me from my apartment this morning. I had been careful to pretend I hadn’t noticed any of them, but they weren’t making it easy. They were laughably bad at this. I could probably have shaken them, but that wasn’t my goal, at this point. In fact, quite the opposite. I needed to make sure they didn’t think I was trying to hide anything from them. I drank slowly, a puddle gradually forming under me as my sodden clothing steadily dripped onto the tile. Finally, I caught the bartender’s eye again,
“You have a bathroom?” I raised my voice to make sure I was heard over the din of the TVs, tuned in to various sporting events.
He grunted and jerked his head to the left. I nodded and rose, following his vague instructions to a hallway in the back. At the end of the hall, there were two doors, one to the men’s room and one to the women’s. To the right was a door marked ‘Employees Only’. Good, that was what I was looking for. I lingered in the hall for a moment, to confirm that my shadows were not going to follow me. Fortunately, they didn’t bother, probably because there was no exit from here. They knew I would be back soon enough, so they could wait for me in the bar. Following me into the Ladies’ Room wouldn’t have been very discreet, after all. I stifled a chuckle and pushed my way through the ‘Employees Only’ door. A set of stairs led down into a small cellar that was being used for storage, with cases of beer and kegs arranged along the walls. As I closed the door behind me, three people emerged from behind the pallets, into the light of the single bulb swinging from the ceiling. Gail and Liz, I had been expecting, but Mark Vasquez was a surprise.
“I was worried you might not be able to find the place,” Liz kept her voice low.
“That part wasn’t difficult, your directions were very clear,” I flipped an empty crate and sat. “But I had to be careful not to lose my tail.”
“You are being followed?” Mark asked.
“Yup. But we can get into that in a minute. First, I am curious what brings you here, Mark? I thought you were still running things over in Europe?”
“I am just back for a week or two, to attend some meetings with the brass. We were actually in the middle of one when Gail got your phone call and walked out. She left some very important people very irritated back there.”
“But not you?” I asked.
“When I followed her out, she asked me to tag along for a ‘last-minute meeting’. Though she didn’t say who we were coming to see,” he glanced back at Gail briefly, the hesitation apparent on his face.
Gail sighed and stepped forward, studying my face in the dim light.
“You were pretty cagey on the phone, so I decided it would be prudent to have some backup. I trust Mark and figure you do, too.”
I nodded. I did, at least as much as I trusted anyone, right now. Gail continued.
“Look, Rayna, I came here, and waited in this cellar for over an hour at a very inconvenient time because you said this was an emergency, and I believed you. But… well, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but you look like shit. Are you drunk right now?”
“I fucking wish,” I snorted a bitter laugh. “But no, I am not. Just cold and wet and brutally hungover. And I wouldn’t be interrupting your very important meetings if any of you were actually doing your damn jobs.”
There was a brief moment of startled silence; that had come out harsher than I had intended. I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“I am sorry. I shouldn’t have said that, this isn’t your fault. It’s just been… a difficult day. And truthfully, I do sort of think you should have caught wind of this before they started openly recruiting. Of course, maybe you did, but in that case, I am still pissed that you didn’t warn me, at least about Tom.”
“What are you talking about, Ray?” Gail frowned, studying my face. “You aren’t making any sense.”
I had hoped I wasn’t, making sense was not, currently, the goal. Instead, I studied the three faces, watching me with a mixture of concern and confusion. It didn’t seem feigned. They all, truly, seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. It wasn’t that I didn’t I trust them, but I also would have trusted Tom, before this morning… I sighed. I still had no definitive proof, but I would have to take the chance. I couldn’t handle this alone.
“What does Tom have to do with this, Ray?” Mark pressed.
I took a deep breath,
“He came to see me this morning. Apparently, he is recruiting people who can help with a special new project,” I paused for a moment. “Exterminating the ubarae.”
I studied their faces as I casually dropped that bit of information. I watched the shock, outrage and confusion play across their features. As far as I could tell, none of them had known about this beforehand. Gail recovered first,
“While it is disappointing to hear that Tom has lost his mind, I doubt it is anything but talk. We can take him in, interrogate him, get this sorted out. Why all the cloak and dagger, for one man’s delusions?”
“I understand why you believe that. I wish it was true, myself. But I was there, I looked him in the eyes. He wasn’t lying to me, and he didn’t seem deluded. He believes that this is going to happen, and he believes that they have a plan to make it a reality, though he wouldn’t tell me what it was. He also claims to be just a part of a much larger group, and I don’t think he is lying about that either, because strangers have been following me all day, ever since he left. Two tailed me from my apartment, and around midafternoon they swapped with two others, who are out there in the bar, right now, waiting for me.”
“Why would Tom have you followed?” Mark asked.
“Well, I screwed up a bit. I refused his offer and kicked him out. I think he now regrets saying as much as he did, and he is presumably concerned that I might do what I am doing right now. Which is why I can’t stay too long, because they are eventually going to wonder what I am doing in the bathroom. Fortunately, I also don’t know that much, so it will only take a minute to fill you in. Don’t interrupt until I am done.”
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
I quickly detailed everything that had happened with Tom earlier that day. When I finished, there was silence.
“I must admit, that does sound… concerning,” Gail finally spoke up. “I am still hoping that this is just big talk from someone that has been through a traumatic time, lately. But if you really are being followed, that isn’t a good sign. We will get you someplace safe, for now, an bring Tom in for interrogation. We will find out what he knows, then figure out how we handle the rest.”
“Do you really think that will work?” I asked. “Do you think he will say anything, admit anything? He has been trained for this, just like we were.”
“I know,” she frowned, stepping towards the door. “Either way, we need to get you back to headquarters. Come with me, and if you have a better plan, we can talk about it there.”
“Sorry, Gail,” I shrugged apologetically. “I can’t go with you right now.”
“If this is about you being retired, I swear…”
“Not exactly. In fact, kind of the opposite. I got a job offer this morning that I am planning to accept.”
Gail stared at me for a long moment, eyes narrowing,
“You have to be kidding.”
“Nope. Someone needs to do it. Tom didn’t tell me enough. You need to know how many people he really has, who they are, what their plan is. If I had been thinking straight, I would have gone along with him at the time, but this is still salvageable. He believes he can win me over. It isn’t surprising, fanatics always think everyone feels the same as they do, deep down. As long as he doesn’t suspect that I have told anyone about his… proposal, he will keep trying to convince me, I am sure of it. And next time, I will let him.”
“That is a genuinely terrible idea, Ray,” Mark interjected. “Literally the only thing you know about this group is that they are ready and willing to kill an absurd amount of people. If it is true, and they were to find out what you’ve done, or why you are really there, they will kill you, too. And even if you manage to infiltrate their ranks, how exactly are you planning to get word to anyone, without them knowing? You have no idea how closely they will be watching you.”
“I’ll figure something out,” I shrugged.
“No,” Gail shook her head. “Frankly, you are in no condition to be doing anything like this. It’s too dangerous, and I will not authorize it.”
“I appreciate your concern, but fortunately, I don’t work for you, Gail,” I smirked. “Look, you can try to stop me, I guess. You can arrest Tom, or spread word about what I have done, but if you do they really will kill me. So, up to you, I guess.”
“What if I just arrest you, right here and now?” she asked.
“You could try.”
Gail sucked a deep breath in through her nose, rubbing her temple with one hand.
“Why are you doing this? Why not let us handle it through the proper channels? You don’t have to get involved.”
“I have put a lot of thought into that, today, and I decided that I already am involved. Tom came to me. So, I am ideally placed to find out exactly what is happening here. I can’t just walk away. Who knows if you could find somebody else that they’d open up to? Besides, Tom is, or was, my friend. I still have some hope that he, at least, can be made to see reason. I have to try.”
Gail threw her hands up in exasperation.
“I suppose I can’t easily stop you, but please rethink this, Ray. Tom is an adult who made his own choices. You don’t need to do this for him, or for us. You can come to me, any time, and I will get you into protection while we figure this out.”
“I understand, thanks Gail. Now, I should get back out there, before they come looking for me. I will try to get in touch when I have more information. In the meantime, be careful who you tell about this and try to keep my name out of any conversations you do have. There is no way of telling who is involved.”
They exchanged glances and nodded.
“Ok, now I am going to go back out there and finish my drink, then call a cab home. Wait here until I am gone, at least another hour, we can’t risk anyone seeing you leave,” I turned to Liz. “Speaking of which, you talked to Oliver?”
“Yeah. He wanted to come, but since this was covert, I told him to leave it to me.”
“Probably for the best.”
Liz nodded,
“I will fill him in when I get back, and we can start making plans to protect our people. Quietly, of course. He is also going to send some guys by your apartment, to retrieve Simon, as you requested.”
“Thanks, Liz.”
“Simon isn’t going to be happy with your plan, though, I can tell you that.”
“No, he probably wouldn’t be. Which is why I am not going to tell him. As far as he is concerned, we just can’t see each other for a while, since I am being surveilled. He doesn’t need to know the rest.”
“You think he is going to buy that?”
“He will, at least long enough that it won’t matter. Just… watch out for him while I am gone, will you?”
“Yeah, we’ll keep an eye on him, don’t worry.”
“Well, I guess that takes care of everything,” I rose, brushing off my hands, and headed for the door. “Good luck. I will send word if I can, but don’t drop by to see me for a while. It wouldn’t do to have them wondering what I am saying to you.”
By the time I arrived back at my apartment, I was no longer dripping wet, but me shoes still squished uncomfortably as I walked in the door. I dropped my keys on the table and stripped off my soggy socks and shoes before heading to the kitchen to dry swallow a few aspirin. My head was killing me. As I replaced the bottle in the cabinet, I heard the sound of a throat clearing behind me. I turned to see Simon standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. There were two incubi standing behind him, wearing sheepish expressions and uniforms for ‘Garnet Hills Dry Cleaning’. They were pushing a large bin filled with laundry.
“What are you still doing here?” I asked.
“He, uh, he wouldn’t leave until he could talk to you,” the first incubus replied.
“Damn right,” Simon frowned. “Where have you been? You left hours ago! I was beginning to think you weren’t coming back.”
“I told you, I needed to clear my head,” I shrugged. “Just sobering up took a while, and then I had to find a payphone. Do you have any idea how hard that is to do, these days?”
“Why did you need to find a payphone?”
“Well, I had a couple of calls I wanted to make, and my phone is still dead,” not that I would have used it, even if it wasn’t. I couldn’t be sure whether or not Tom’s people had the ability to check my call logs.
I stripped off my jacket and sweatshirt and popped some bread into the toaster. I turned to the two dry cleaners,
“Just give us a few minutes, ok guys? Wait by the front door and I will send him right out.”
“Not until you explain what happened, and what the plan is,” Simon insisted as they left.
“Well, as for the plan, I am going to eat a snack and then take a shower,” I replied. “I am hungry and cold. After that, I am going to bed, because I have barely slept a few hours in the last 2 days.”
“That isn’t what I meant, and you know it. What are we going to do, Ray?”
I sighed.
“Look, I met with Gail, Liz, and Mark tonight. I told them everything I know. They are going to take over from here. I even arranged with Oliver to send these guys to sneak you out of here unnoticed.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, surely no one is watching this place, after all this time.”
“Oh, no, they absolutely are,” I corrected. “People have been following me the entire day. I didn’t recognize any of them, so Tom clearly has accomplices, how many, I don’t know, but either way he wasn’t exaggerating as much as I had hoped. I suspect he knows that he told me too much, and he will make sure someone is watching me, until he is satisfied that I won’t rat him out.”
“Didn’t you already do that?”
“Yes, but he doesn’t need to know about it,” I replied.
I dropped my toast onto a plate and spread a thick layer of peanut butter on top.
“I don’t like this, Ray. If Tom, or whoever he is working for, determines that you aren’t on their side, you could be in a lot of danger.”
“Look, don’t worry about me. I have already passed the baton to the people in charge, I am officially staying out of it. Eventually, Tom will forget about me and move on, once he realizes that I won’t be of any help to him. Until then, I just need to lay low and make sure no one thinks I am going to be a threat, either.”
Simon nodded slowly.
“Alright. I guess that makes sense. What can I do?”
“I just need you to do one thing: leave with the people Oliver sent. Right now.”
“I am not leaving until I know you are safe.”
“Don’t be stupid, Simon. They will kill both of us, if they find you here. You are only putting me at risk by staying. You get that, right?”
I took a bite of my toast.
“Won’t it seem suspicious if I suddenly start avoiding you? I have been here most days, lately.”
“Nah. Your girlfriend and her roommate just went through a traumatic experience. You are going to be spending all your time with them, for the next little while, making sure they are ok. Liz will let you know when it is safe to see me again, alright?”
He still hesitated.
“Besides, you promised to leave me alone for a week if I did you one favor. I need you to keep your word, Simon,” I licked peanut butter from my lips.
“Fine,” he sighed at last. “If that is really what you want, I will go. But if you need anything…”
“Thanks, Simon. I’ll be alright.”
He headed towards the front door, but paused and turned back at the threshold,
“You really aren’t going to get involved in this?”
“Of course not, I’m retired, remember?” I mumbled around a mouthful of peanut butter.
He nodded and finally relented. I followed him out to the door, watching as he climbed into the laundry bin and was covered with clothing. The two ubarae nodded to me and touched their caps, then headed out into the hall. I shut the door behind them and listened to the squeaking of the bin wheels fade as they headed down the hall.
“See,” I muttered softly. “I told you I could lie to you.”
Then I popped the last bite of toast into my mouth and headed for bed. I was exhausted.