By the time the fifth ring was heard from the speakers of Epona’s phone, Quinn was already making his way up the ramp. The car almost jumped over the sidewalk and onto the road, but it expertly skidded to face the lane. There was little loss of speed. Just Quinn’s brilliant skills ready to guide the four passengers towards their destination.
“Hang tight everyone,” said Quinn. “I’m an eleven-year-old car now and I will be moving like an eleven-year-old car.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t go faster,” said Brigid.
“I can. At eleven-year-old car speeds.”
Epona finally pressed the answer button and Raiden’s jovial voice burst out. “Finally, I thought I was going to get bored enough to start destroying Maitho’s apartment. Am I on speakers?”
“Get to the point,” said Brigid, cutting off Maitho before he could protest about his apartment.
“I will. I just don’t hear Maitho’s voice.”
“Water the plant, if you are at my place,” said Maitho, interrupting Brigid before she could respond. She frowned.
“Password confirmed,” said Raiden, followed by a laugh. “You know the way to your place. Meet me there.”
Maitho shook his head. He knew Raiden won’t be able to see his reaction, but it was involuntary. “No can do. Let’s—”
“I wasn’t asking, my friend.” Raiden cut the call. Epona tried calling back, but was only met with a busy tone.
“I need directions,” said Quinn. Instantly, things began to shift on the center console of the car. The radio display, buttons and switches began to moving away from the center point of the console, as though something was pushing them away. In the space that they left behind, a small black rectangular patch began to spread outwards. The patch eventually covered the width of the console.
It was a screen. When it came to life, Maitho spotted a navigation system, filled with lines, blocks, and numbers. He recognized the big arrow in the center of the screen as Quinn. Lines extended in all directions, turning the screen into a series of uneven grids.
“Where’s your apartment located?” asked Quinn. Maitho answered.
A green line blinked into existence on the screen. It extended from the arrow and all the way to the left side of the screen. That was the route they will be taking. Or Quinn will be taking, to be more precise.
“ETA twenty-five minutes everyone.” Quinn exited onto a highway, carefully maneuvering between other vehicles. “If you spot anything on the map that could give us an advantage, then let us know.”
“Like a public space or an usually empty street?” said Maitho.
“Anything.”
“We need a plan of action,” said Brigid. “Let’s consider this a trap, despite Raiden’s message.” No one argued against the point and she continued. “What could give us an advantage in your area?” She looked directly at Maitho.
Despite everything, he was impressed that she was able to put aside their differences for the time being. It seemed like the most logical decision to make, but he was nonetheless glad she made it. If she was willing to start a genuine conversation, then he was happy to share. “It’s just a collection of residential buildings. There is a large hypermarket nearby though.”
“We can’t involve the public, Maitho. I thought you knew better.” And there was the biting remark. At least the peace lasted a little while longer this time.
“I was talking about the car park. It’s perfect for Quinn.”
“Why can’t I wait near the building?” said Quinn, shifting into another lane.
“Raiden shouldn’t be able to recognize you,” said Maitho.
“He has not seen this form of mine.”
Maitho shook his head. “But he knows you can transform. He has to if he has been with you guys for so long.”
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The atmosphere inside the car transformed. Two of the Celtic team members shifted in their seats. The remaining—Brigid—gave a look that held a warning. Maitho ignored her.
“I can drive around the building,” said Quinn.
“Again, it’s just risky. You can drop us—" he stopped and corrected himself. "You can drop them a block away from my building.” Maitho realized that he wouldn't be part of the team’s excursion, according to Brigid. He had no idea how Raiden would react to that.
Seems like Brigid had the answer. “Us. You’re coming along too.”
Even Epona was surprised by the decision. Maitho wondered what made her change her mind. She had never done that before.
Bevan, on the other hand, did not hesitate to reveal his. But his expression changed instantly. “Are you hiding Quinn so that Raiden thinks that we didn’t bring him along? That is not going to work.”
“I know that,” said Maitho, a small smile playing on his lips. “Which is why we are going to take a cab.”
“Why a ca—” Bevan stopped. His eyes widened. His mouth slowly opened, like a slow moving garage door. Eventually, he broke into a grin. “Oh that is good.”
“You’re going to convince him that Quinn transformed into a cab?” said Brigid.
Maitho nodded. “And pay the cab driver to circle around the block a few times.”
“That’s.” Brigid’s eyebrows rose, but it faded in an instant. “Possible, I suppose.” She might have been trying to say ‘impressive’, but Maitho wasn’t certain. He didn’t care either way.
“We cuid ask Quinn tae drop us aff at th' hypermarket,” said Epona, shrugging as though she wasn’t offering an idea but simply talking about the weather. “Easy tae find cabs thare. Plus Quinn’s practically at his destination.”
“We won’t be able to carry our weapons,” said Bevan.
Brigid shook her head. “Doesn't matter. Raiden won’t endanger innocent lives, from what we know so far.” She pulled out a revolver and handed it to Epona. “I have one as well. But this is just for defense.”
Maitho wondered why Bevan was not offered a weapon. Then his memory sent him a reminder of the previous night. That was when Bevan had lifted an entire dumpster and flung it across the alleyway like it was just a football. With that strength, he wouldn’t need a weapon. Perhaps the team had practiced this scenario many times in the past. Maybe Bevan was like the bulldozer of the team, lifting and throwing objects when required.
Or was there another reason?
A thought entered Maitho’s consciousness. What if Bevan was not just strong, but durable as well? Maybe his skin was resistant to physical damage, even from a fast-moving projectile. But in that case, why would the team need three bulletproof vests? That defeated the purpose.
While he was on the subject of the vest, he also began to wonder about the weapons. Brigid had added a handgun to each of the vests. Why was she carrying revolvers when they already had weapons?
Maitho dropped the train of thoughts. It wasn’t relevant at that point. They had a common goal now. He looked at the digital map. The time on the screen showed 19 minutes remaining until they reached their destination.
Within a few minutes, the view outside the car transformed into landmarks that Maitho was familiar with. He couldn’t recognize many of the businesses and structures, but he did spot a few recognizable features. They were close to his area.
The arrow in the screen was stuck in one position; pointing up. The map itself rotated around as the car changed directions. He spotted a few names on the screen—of streets and structures—that he recognized. But it wasn’t enough to help him map the route in his head. He realized just how much he spent his time indoors. Maybe he needed to take a walk outside sometime.
“How many ways can someone enter your building?” said Brigid, breaking the silence. Her face was a mark of intense focus. She was biting her lower lip, eyes zeroed in on the back of the driver’s seat, but not really paying attention to it.
“The main entrance, the back exit and one door connected to the garbage disposal.” said Maitho without taking too long to think about it.
“How about the roof? Can someone jump over to the top of your building from any of the buildings next to you?”
That question was certainly odd. “The gap isn’t narrow enough to make a jump. If someone did, their trajectory would take them to the fire escape of the opposite building.”
“How wide is the gap?”
Maitho considered the question for a moment. “About 20 feet.”
Bevan looked at Brigid and gave a nod.
Noticing the exchange, Maitho couldn’t help himself. “You’re going to jump?” The question was for Bevan.
The red-haired man nodded. “Don’t worry. I can manage.”
Knowing the man’s strength, Maitho knew that it was actually possible. “I don’t doubt that.”
“Give us a call when you are ready,” said Brigid. She was looking at Bevan.
Hearing her response, the man began patting his pockets in a state of near panic. He looked at his leader with wide eyes. “I think I must have left my phone back at base.”
“Only one way to find out,” said Brigid and took out her own smartphone.
Maitho watched in silent trepidation. After all, he was carrying Bevan’s phone at that moment. All it took was for one ring to not just ruin his plan, but bring the entire Celtic’s team suspicions on him.
Brigid dialed a number and brought the smartphone to her ear.