Chapter 12 Tuesday 12:15 AM
YuffieK
(Verified Ninja Princess)
Ten minutes after we'd peeled out of the hotel parking lot like 'Them no good Duke Boys', Erwin spoke up. "Stop the car, Lacey. Right here. Gotta take a piss."
"Now? Can't you keep your dick in your pants for five minutes? We're on a bridge for crisakes!"
"That's why it's the best place to do it."
"I'll stop at the next gas station!"
"They're not open this late. You rather I take a leak in here?"
"NO! Fuck! Fine." Lacey pulled over to the side of the road and flicked her hazard lights on. Thankfully there wasn't any other traffic. "Hurry the Hell up you incontinent ass or you can walk home!" she yelled to him as he clambered over the guardrail to the walkway. She then turned to face Taylor in the back seat, which also let her keep an eye on any cars coming up behind them.
"Taylor. Honey. I'm going to assume Friday was a Very Bad Day. You don't have to say nothin', but I am curious as Hell as to how you wound up a hundred and fifty miles north of where you were supposed to be?"
"I got kidnapped..."
"BY WHO?" Lacey roared back. "is that why that hotel was giving me and Erwin the heebee jeebies? Some asshole grabbed you and took you there? I'll go back and string 'em up by their intestines!"
"No, it wasn't anybody there. I got away from them on my own. Sort of. Mister Carpenter and his family were very kind to me. That hotel was a little bit creepy though. Erwin had me do the Stanger Danger Dance. Maybe it was something like those old Hitchcock movies where the family goes on vacation but the place they're staying at is really run by a bunch of wackos. I hope they're okay. Maybe we should call the police?"
"Just did that." Erwin replied as he got back in the car. "It's not our problem anymore."
Toronto, Ontario
A rather statuesque woman rolled over in her bed and groaned as her phone started ringing loudly. She'd been in hated teleconference calls all day coordinating the Guild's disaster response to Albany while Dragon was busy using her remote suits to directly help with the effort.
She frowned at the unknown number. Who the hell would be calling her on her private line at this time of night? "Allô? C'est qui?" <"Hello? Who is it?"> No answer.
"Dammit." she muttered as she hung up. She then blinked as her call log showed there had been a text sent just before from the same number. "If that was some drunken wrong number asking for a ride home, I'm going to be very upset." she grumbled as she opened the message.
Narwhal's blood went cold. She immediately hit the speed-dial for the top number on her contacts list.
"Tess? Are you busy?" Nicole said after Dragon answered.
"Not at the moment, is there something wrong?"
"God, I hope not but I'm not that lucky. Can you check my private phone logs for the last number that called me?"
"Of course. One moment. It seems to be an unregistered burner phone. I can try calling it back."
"Do that and trace it. Right away."
"Does this have something to do with the text they sent you?"
"Almost certainly."
"Okay, The phone currently is on the Alburg-Swanton Bridge in Vermont."
"Can you track where it's been?"
"Referencing the cell phone tower pings. It was turned on just outside Burlington, heading north on Interstate 89 at well above the speed limit. Passed through Swanton, crossed the bridge, then moved south on US Highway 2. It's stationary for seven minutes in North Hero before backtracking."
"How soon can you get a suit to North Hero?"
"I can have one in the area in fifteen minutes. Why?"
"You read the text?"
"Yes. Who's Ed?"
"That's not his name. The only person I know of as 'Ed in High School' told me that if he ever used that he was Elbow Deep in Horse Shit."
"And the Mystery Science Theater 3000 reference?"
"Wrong. Master/Stranger Threat. 3 of them. Kill orders. That HAS to be Heartbreaker."
"I'm taking off now."
A little bit later, Lacey pulled into a parking garage in Burlington, driving around like she was looking for something.
"There we go." she finally said, putting the car in park. She stepped out, ran around the back of the car and grabbed... a green license plate? She then stuck it ('KIK 455') on over the plate of the blue sedan she'd stopped next to somehow, then got back in the car.
"I may have tripped a few traffic cameras getting up here. Cops are usually lazy, but they'll be on the lookout for a blue 4-door sedan with Vermont tags tonight." Lacey explained as they left the garage. "But, a lot of cars in the dark look the same unless you get up close. Some models have distinctive lights and shit but a mid-size sedan looks like any of a half dozen other models except for the color and tags. Now though, if anyone decides to pull us over and ask questions, we're just driving back home after checking in with family out-of-state."
"Wasn't that a fake license plate though?" Taylor asked?
"Yeah, but if there is a prick with a vanity plate like that he deserves to get a few tickets. It's amazing what one can do if you have access to a metal shop and some good magnets..."
As we headed out of town, Lacey, now no longer driving like a maniac called back to Taylor. "All right, you said you were kidnapped, and you obviously managed to get away. Was that summer camp really some kind of cult or something?"
"If I tell you you'll be in danger. The sort that brings people who wouldn't hesitate to kill you. You can't talk about this. EVER. I... Too many people are already gone because of me. I have to stay dead. Disappear."
"Bullshit. I know there's some secrets the government would kill to keep, Erwin's head is probably full of them." The old man cocked his head in silent agreement. "But Taylor, I can't think of anything you might know that's worth..."
"I heard that speech the President gave tonight. It's a lie and I know the truth. I know who Alexandria really is. And she's already tried to murder me because of that."
That brought looks of shock to both of the adults. Lacey then gave Erwin a questioning look before turning her attention back to the road.
"No... That's... Okay, yeah that's a pretty big secret if it's true. But KILLING you over it? That's more like 'Area 51 is real.' or some of the Lovecraftian woowoo Erwin tells suckers to get free drinks out of them at Pat's. And believe me, your mom, Zoe and I knew about some dark shit back in college."
Erwin leaned around to face Taylor, his craggy face grave. "Lassie... what happened?"
Taylor shied her head away in shame and spoke in a pitiful voice. "I did it."
"Did what?" Erwin asked without heat or judgement. Just a statement.
"It... Albany. It's my fault." Taylor gave a tiny nod.
"How?"
"I DON'T KNOW! I mean, I kinda know how, but I've got no clue to make it that big. Behemoth's never done it that big! I don't want to find out how to do it that big."
Lacey and Erwin sat quietly for a moment before Lacey called back. "Then it isn't your fault."
"What?"
"Honey, sometimes the universe just decides to say 'Fuck You' and there's nothing you can do about it. You can't blame yourself for something totally out of your control. And while some people might try to pin blame for whatever it was on you because they're petty or jealous or scared, it doesn't make them right."
Erwin chuckled. "Indeed. Shit happens. Been burned way too often by the Powers That Be myself. I'm still around pissing on their graves though. Did school teach you anything about Oppenheimer?"
"He's the guy who came up with the atom bomb isn't he?"
"One of 'em. Before they tested it, the eggheads all made a bet on how big the gadget would be. One of them didn't play. He joked: 'It'll set the air on fire and kill us all.' Point is even those those guys, who were arguably a lot smarter than you or me, weren't sure what they were doing. So if you didn't know what was going on and just did something instinctive, fight or flight, you can't truly blame yourself, right?"
Taylor sniffled. "I still killed all those people. They told me Dad... I don't want to believe them but, it's true, isn't it?"
Erwin's face turned grim. "Yes. I'm sorry."
Taylro lip began trembling. "Mom... Dad... Emma... Everybody's gone because of me."
Lacey spoke up. "Wait, who told you about Emma? Zoe called me this afternoon. She and Anne are at Boston Medical Center."
When she'd heard Erwin confirm her father's fate the flame of hope in Taylor's heart had guttered. Now though, it flared. "What?"
"Emma's alive."
"Now? Can't you keep your dick in your pants for five minutes? We're on a bridge for crisakes!"
"That's why it's the best place to do it."
"I'll stop at the next gas station!"
"They're not open this late. You rather I take a leak in here?"
"NO! Fuck! Fine." Lacey pulled over to the side of the road and flicked her hazard lights on. Thankfully there wasn't any other traffic. "Hurry the Hell up you incontinent ass or you can walk home!" she yelled to him as he clambered over the guardrail to the walkway. She then turned to face Taylor in the back seat, which also let her keep an eye on any cars coming up behind them.
"Taylor. Honey. I'm going to assume Friday was a Very Bad Day. You don't have to say nothin', but I am curious as Hell as to how you wound up a hundred and fifty miles north of where you were supposed to be?"
"I got kidnapped..."
"BY WHO?" Lacey roared back. "is that why that hotel was giving me and Erwin the heebee jeebies? Some asshole grabbed you and took you there? I'll go back and string 'em up by their intestines!"
"No, it wasn't anybody there. I got away from them on my own. Sort of. Mister Carpenter and his family were very kind to me. That hotel was a little bit creepy though. Erwin had me do the Stanger Danger Dance. Maybe it was something like those old Hitchcock movies where the family goes on vacation but the place they're staying at is really run by a bunch of wackos. I hope they're okay. Maybe we should call the police?"
"Just did that." Erwin replied as he got back in the car. "It's not our problem anymore."
Toronto, Ontario
A rather statuesque woman rolled over in her bed and groaned as her phone started ringing loudly. She'd been in hated teleconference calls all day coordinating the Guild's disaster response to Albany while Dragon was busy using her remote suits to directly help with the effort.
She frowned at the unknown number. Who the hell would be calling her on her private line at this time of night? "Allô? C'est qui?" <"Hello? Who is it?"> No answer.
"Dammit." she muttered as she hung up. She then blinked as her call log showed there had been a text sent just before from the same number. "If that was some drunken wrong number asking for a ride home, I'm going to be very upset." she grumbled as she opened the message.
From: Ed in High School
MST3K
MST3K
Narwhal's blood went cold. She immediately hit the speed-dial for the top number on her contacts list.
"Tess? Are you busy?" Nicole said after Dragon answered.
"Not at the moment, is there something wrong?"
"God, I hope not but I'm not that lucky. Can you check my private phone logs for the last number that called me?"
"Of course. One moment. It seems to be an unregistered burner phone. I can try calling it back."
"Do that and trace it. Right away."
"Does this have something to do with the text they sent you?"
"Almost certainly."
"Okay, The phone currently is on the Alburg-Swanton Bridge in Vermont."
"Can you track where it's been?"
"Referencing the cell phone tower pings. It was turned on just outside Burlington, heading north on Interstate 89 at well above the speed limit. Passed through Swanton, crossed the bridge, then moved south on US Highway 2. It's stationary for seven minutes in North Hero before backtracking."
"How soon can you get a suit to North Hero?"
"I can have one in the area in fifteen minutes. Why?"
"You read the text?"
"Yes. Who's Ed?"
"That's not his name. The only person I know of as 'Ed in High School' told me that if he ever used that he was Elbow Deep in Horse Shit."
"And the Mystery Science Theater 3000 reference?"
"Wrong. Master/Stranger Threat. 3 of them. Kill orders. That HAS to be Heartbreaker."
"I'm taking off now."
A little bit later, Lacey pulled into a parking garage in Burlington, driving around like she was looking for something.
"There we go." she finally said, putting the car in park. She stepped out, ran around the back of the car and grabbed... a green license plate? She then stuck it ('KIK 455') on over the plate of the blue sedan she'd stopped next to somehow, then got back in the car.
"I may have tripped a few traffic cameras getting up here. Cops are usually lazy, but they'll be on the lookout for a blue 4-door sedan with Vermont tags tonight." Lacey explained as they left the garage. "But, a lot of cars in the dark look the same unless you get up close. Some models have distinctive lights and shit but a mid-size sedan looks like any of a half dozen other models except for the color and tags. Now though, if anyone decides to pull us over and ask questions, we're just driving back home after checking in with family out-of-state."
"Wasn't that a fake license plate though?" Taylor asked?
"Yeah, but if there is a prick with a vanity plate like that he deserves to get a few tickets. It's amazing what one can do if you have access to a metal shop and some good magnets..."
As we headed out of town, Lacey, now no longer driving like a maniac called back to Taylor. "All right, you said you were kidnapped, and you obviously managed to get away. Was that summer camp really some kind of cult or something?"
"If I tell you you'll be in danger. The sort that brings people who wouldn't hesitate to kill you. You can't talk about this. EVER. I... Too many people are already gone because of me. I have to stay dead. Disappear."
"Bullshit. I know there's some secrets the government would kill to keep, Erwin's head is probably full of them." The old man cocked his head in silent agreement. "But Taylor, I can't think of anything you might know that's worth..."
"I heard that speech the President gave tonight. It's a lie and I know the truth. I know who Alexandria really is. And she's already tried to murder me because of that."
That brought looks of shock to both of the adults. Lacey then gave Erwin a questioning look before turning her attention back to the road.
"No... That's... Okay, yeah that's a pretty big secret if it's true. But KILLING you over it? That's more like 'Area 51 is real.' or some of the Lovecraftian woowoo Erwin tells suckers to get free drinks out of them at Pat's. And believe me, your mom, Zoe and I knew about some dark shit back in college."
Erwin leaned around to face Taylor, his craggy face grave. "Lassie... what happened?"
Taylor shied her head away in shame and spoke in a pitiful voice. "I did it."
"Did what?" Erwin asked without heat or judgement. Just a statement.
"It... Albany. It's my fault." Taylor gave a tiny nod.
"How?"
"I DON'T KNOW! I mean, I kinda know how, but I've got no clue to make it that big. Behemoth's never done it that big! I don't want to find out how to do it that big."
Lacey and Erwin sat quietly for a moment before Lacey called back. "Then it isn't your fault."
"What?"
"Honey, sometimes the universe just decides to say 'Fuck You' and there's nothing you can do about it. You can't blame yourself for something totally out of your control. And while some people might try to pin blame for whatever it was on you because they're petty or jealous or scared, it doesn't make them right."
Erwin chuckled. "Indeed. Shit happens. Been burned way too often by the Powers That Be myself. I'm still around pissing on their graves though. Did school teach you anything about Oppenheimer?"
"He's the guy who came up with the atom bomb isn't he?"
"One of 'em. Before they tested it, the eggheads all made a bet on how big the gadget would be. One of them didn't play. He joked: 'It'll set the air on fire and kill us all.' Point is even those those guys, who were arguably a lot smarter than you or me, weren't sure what they were doing. So if you didn't know what was going on and just did something instinctive, fight or flight, you can't truly blame yourself, right?"
Taylor sniffled. "I still killed all those people. They told me Dad... I don't want to believe them but, it's true, isn't it?"
Erwin's face turned grim. "Yes. I'm sorry."
Taylro lip began trembling. "Mom... Dad... Emma... Everybody's gone because of me."
Lacey spoke up. "Wait, who told you about Emma? Zoe called me this afternoon. She and Anne are at Boston Medical Center."
When she'd heard Erwin confirm her father's fate the flame of hope in Taylor's heart had guttered. Now though, it flared. "What?"
"Emma's alive."
Ironically, had Alec and Cherie NOT decided to make a break for it when they did, the delay would've allowed Dragon to catch the Vasils. Instead, she found a burning building containing several unidentifiable bodies. (the hotel staff)
Also. I've never EXPLICITLY said in story that Emma was dead. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
Also. I've never EXPLICITLY said in story that Emma was dead. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
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