Post by Admin on Aug 8, 2009 11:55:04 GMT -5
Broken Record
Drake:
Drake soared on his widespread wings under the glow of the stars and moonlight. There was hardly a cloud in the sky and the light pollution was not nearly as bad here as it was in Las Vegas. Even with his sharp eyesight, he was surprised by the number of stars he could see.
But he was not here to stargaze. Drake returned his attention to the streets below. They had almost reached their first place to search. Already Drake was skeptical about success. They were in a part of town that was heavily damaged and in disrepair. Judging by some of the buildings that were still largely in tact, this part of town had not been much prettier even before the yeerks had arrived.
<<I am going in,>> Drake said to Fin as he swooped down towards a rubble-filled alleyway. Fin was supposed to act as his guardian angel on this mission. Drake liked Fin, but he still did not know him very well, so was still a bit nervous about depending on him. But this was not a very high-risk mission, and they had not seen many people, so he figure he would be safe regardless.
The feathers sucked back into his body and his body became more massive as he demorphed. As soon as he was fully human once again, he took a deep breath, then started the transformation into his reptilian body. It was pretty gross, but was over with in a couple of minutes. <<Okay, where is this building we are looking for?>>
Suji:
Suji flitted from building to building, over the one-story shops and the other constructions that had crumpled in on themselves for whatever reason. Below she could see Aubrey in her large dog morph. <<Hey, Aubrey, there's some mud in a puddle collecting on the sunken poach a bit further up to your left. Maybe you should roll around in it a bit. Will make you look less like someone's pet.>> At the moment the dog's fur looking clean, almost pristine.
Suji and Aubrey were further north and east of the spot where Drake and Fin had started. <<I'll keep my eye out for Shaun's Pawns.>> She hated the tacky name, but could you really expect more from a pawn shop? <<Though from the yellow-pages it sounded like it's still a few blocks over.>> All the while she kept an eye out for anything that might be a threat to them.
Aubrey:
Aubrey padded along, fluffy tail wagging and curling over her back. The dog's mind was going crazy with all the interesting scents scattered around the area, and Aubrey was having trouble resisting the strong impulse to go off and sniff absolutely everything. She skipped casually around some wreckage, noticing the puddle Suji was talking about. <<Good idea.>>
The dog's mind didn't need any encouraging to do it. Aubrey crouched down low, then twisted herself sideways and fell into the mud puddle. The mud was squishy and cold, seeping through her fur and clinging to her body. <<Oooh that's cold! Yahhh.>> She wiggled onto her back, paws poking into the air and pink tongue lolling happily out from her mouth. The dog's mind was in heaven.
Aubrey squirmed around for a few more moments, then rolled onto her belly and bounced up. The dark gray and white of her coat was now slathered in a dirty shade of mud brown. She shook her body, dirty and mud flinging everywhere. <<Kay, think I might be good.>> Aubrey was trying to keep her mood light, even if they were all being cautious. She fell back into her steady trot, keeping her eyes and ears attentive. It sounded like they were getting nearer to the place. <<Alright.>>
Fin:
Fin flapped through the night, riding every breeze on his leathery wings, singing to see. He had forgotten how good it was to fly at night, cutting through the darkness, everything clear as day to his bat's sense of hearing and vision, but mostly hearing. The landscape below him was constantly being painted in his head by his sound sight as he fired echolocation blasts below him.
He watched Aubrey roll around in the mud and had a strong desire to go down and join her. It looked very fun. Then again it looked fun for a dog. His cat morph surely would not approve.
He picked out Drake among the rest of the echos clouding his head. <<You know Drake you look very tasty. Maybe I should have eaten before I left,>> he said circling the lizard on the ground before diving on it. He snagged the small creature off the ground easily, his claws closing around the scaly form, careful not to pierce it.
He flew towards the building in question, his wings making a whistling noise as he went. <<Please buckle your seatbelts and put your trays in the upright position.>> Fin's thoughtspeak voice was as high and as robotic as he could make it. <<We will be landing in Records & Tracks in two minutes. This is your captain speaking and we have hoped you've had a nice flight. Please fly bat airlines again.>>
Fin skimmed the ground outside the record store and dropped Drake as he did so then he folded a wing, turned and landed, flaring and hissing at the cat he had spotted behind a trash bin. The cat hissed back and crouched down. Fin jumped and flapped his wings which stretched almost a meter easy, and hissed some more. The cat decided the lizard was not worth it and slunk away.
Fin flapped hard, trying to get into the air from the ground and ended up pushing off a trash can when he got high enough to give him the last boost he needed to get into the air. <<You're clear buddy.>>
Drake:
Drake almost had a heart attack when Fin picked him up in his bat morph. Especially since he had just mentioned how tasty Drake looked. He had to struggle to keep his lizard instincts in check as he was carried the short distance to... Records & Tracks.
<<A little warning next time,>> Drake said, half joking as he landed on the sidewalk. He was a bit ticked about the whole incident, but that feeling quickly passed as Fin scared away a cat that he had not even noticed. At least he knew Fin would be able to carry him away from danger if need be.
<<So, what? I just go have a quick look inside?>> He made his way towards the door that was hanging half off of its hinges. There was plenty of space for him to walk into the dark building. He walked over what appeared to be broken glass and charred floorboards as he entered the darkness. <<What a dump.>>
Suji:
Suji laughed quietly through thoughtspeech watching Aubrey. She had the intense urge to run up to the dog (human, of course) and tackle it, roughing up its fur the way big dogs seemed to enjoy. She really missed dogs, in general. At least the big ones--the small, yappy kind just had a way of breaking your concentration and annoying you. Riley had had a dog morph, but in Suji's experiences, he'd had to use it for dire circumstances, and that tainted her view of it.
The night air was cool and crisp, and Suji's wings beat silently as she scouted. Then, coming around a corner, she could see the (worn, faded) sign for 'Shaun's Pawns.' <<Just around this corner up here, Aubrey>> she sent out, finding a place to perch where she could watch the dog coming up. <<I can't see anyone, but there might be a dim light on in there. Tell me what you smell when you get there, that might be the best way of knowing if anyone's home.>>
Fin:
Fin flew in a circle around above the building constantly firing sonar at the ground and keeping his eyes open for threats of all size. <<Aww, warnings are no fun but I suppose I could warn you next time.>> He spotted a bunch of rats on the ground and was trying to figure out if they would be a threat to a lizard when Drake's thoughtspeak broke into his head.
<<But are there records in there? Any Earth, Wind and Fire? Patti Labelle?>> He looked around and saw the dog that was Aubrey in the distance and figured the Suji-owl couldn't be too far from her. <<You guys good?>> He called, checking in.
Already this was much better planned and felt much safer than the two trips he had taken into the city of Vancouver but that didn't mean things couldn't go wrong and Fin had grown very cautious of late.
A shadow passed over the moon and dropped out of the sky. Fin threw his body to the side before he even really thought about it, lurching in the air and losing altitude. He flapped to right himself and looked around widely trying to figure out what aerial thing had tried to attack him but as he heard the laughter he didn't have to ask.
Warnings are no fun Gary. Fin didn't bother looking for the thing. It probably looked like some gruesome cartoon bat and he didn't feel like seeing it but it decided to show up right in front of him anyway. He banked to avoid it and almost ran into a billboard for his trouble. Again came the laughter.
Fin cursed inside his head. His sound sight hadn't seen it which should be all the proof he needed that it wasn't real. <<Drake, you alright man?>> he called down his voice only had a hint of shakiness in it. While he had been playing tag with his imaginary friend he had lost sight of the lizard not to mention things that might pose a threat to the lizard.
As he scanned the ground looking for Drake he firmly ignored the cruel laughter in the back of his head.
Aubrey:
Aubrey's steps got faster after Suji's thought-speak, and she turned the corner. Finally, the old building filled her vision, looming tall and dark above her form. <<Oh-->> Aubrey paused and stiffened, her nose lowered to the ground and feet splayed. <<...Something...?>> It took her a few moments to realize it was the scent of a human. Immediately her fur rose on end, but she couldn't see anybody outside. <<Okay, I smell something. Hold on.>>
Cautiously, she slunk towards the building, sticking as best as she could to the dark shadows. The human smell got thicker the closer she got, as if multiple people had trampled all over the place. From one of the windows came a faint light, glowing from somewhere inside the building. <<Bingo. There's definitely a light going on in here, and I can smell people.>> As she said this, Aubrey squished herself against an nearby dumpster, trying to stay out of view. She was feeling a little nervous now.
<<We're good. I think we've found something. This pawnshop has the smell of people everywhere. And there's a light. What should we do?>> The thought-speech was directed to all three of them now.
Suji:
What should we do? Good question. Well, if there were people smells all over, that at least meant that the place was still open for business, right? It didn't exactly mean that anything had gone wrong. Yet Suji did not like Aubrey's dog morph trying to hide, it made her feel a little antsy, and she ruffled her feathers on her perch across the street.
<<Drake, Fin? Have you guys found anything over there? Because we got people in Shaun's Pawns. Probably Controllers, but it means the place is open for business. Odd hours though.>>
She narrowed her thoughtspeak to Aubrey. <<Don't worry, everything's under control.>> Aubrey wasn't losing it or anything, but Suji kept her voice light and calm, just trying to be reassuring. <<They're all inside, whoever they are. I don't see anyone else coming or anything.>> But Aubrey's dog morph couldn't exactly wander in, even if it was a stray. <<Though... can you hear conversations? Maybe->>
Suji widened the thoughspeech to include them all. <<Hey, you guys, if it's a no-go over there, you up for some spying Drake?>>
Drake:
Drake scurried around for a while, looking for anything that could be used on the record player. Most of the stuff in here looked burnt, broken, bent, or melted. Whatever had gone on in here, he did not want to know about. <<I'm fine, but I think we can check this place off the list,>> he finally said to Fin. <<It does not look like there is anything we are looking for in here. Which is surprising, judging by the name of the place.>>
As he made his way back to the exit he heard the conversation with the other group. What they had found sounded interesting, but he did not comment, since he was not close enough to do anything, anyway. But then he heard Suji.
<<Hey, you guys, if it's a no-go over there, you up for some spying Drake?>>
<<It is a no-go,>> he responded. <<I am up for some spying if I can get a ride over there. It will take me forever if I try to find my way on the ground.>> He did not want to admit it, but he was still a little worried about that cat that Fin had scared off, too.
Fin:
Fin finally spotted the little lizard. He didn't dive right away instead he circled and waited, looking around. He didn't want to get spooked by one of the prince's pranks and mess this up probably in a painful or even fatal way for Drake. But after about a minute of that he realized that if the prince was going to make an appearance it would do it at the worst possible moment and Fin wouldn't be able to see it coming anyway.
Because it isn't real! But it didn't matter if it was "real" or not. It was real enough to him to mess him up so it would be better to take precautions.
Instead of diving on Drake he landed next to him on the ground, looking like and oversized rat with fangs once he was down there. He carefully closed a claw around Drake's lizard and then he worked to get off the ground. It was much harder than it would have been to just pluck him off the ground but it was safer, at least at the moment.
He flew towards the dog that was Aubrey and landed with Drake on a dumpster in the alley she was in. <<One spy coming up. You know in my old faction I was the spy. I should get a bug morph or something to get into these things next time. Good luck Drake.>>
Fin flapped away.
Suji:
Fin dropped Drake off, and Suji was glad for the owl's superior vision. There was no way she'd have seen the lizard in the dark as a human: she wasn't even sure she'd have seen Fin's large bat (a creature that made the owl's brain at least mildly uncomfortable). Silently she dropped from her perch, relocating to where she could see inside on of the main windows. She still couldn't see people, but they light was brighter. Were they in a backroom?
<<Stay close Fin, in case Drake needs a quick pick up.>> Her owl morph might have been able to pick up the lizard, but she trusted the owl's eyes more than the bat's, and she had to keep watch on the street. She landed on a telephone post that looked to be in serious disrepair. <<Might go for you too Aubrey. You okay with this, Drake?>>
Drake:
<<Yeah, I am fine with this.>> That was almost the truth. While he did not mind being the spy, the familiar feeling of butterflies in his stomach was present. However, Drake was used to that feeling, so it should not cause problems.
After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Drake scurried down the dumpster and around to the front. When he made it to the front door, he crawled under the large gap that was underneath it. They probably get some serious drafts in this place, Drake commented to himself. So far everything was going smoothly.
Drake stayed close to the wall as he made his may to the back. He had to resist the urge to eat the cockroaches he met on the way. <<Almost there,>> he reported. The people were indeed in a back room, behind a door that was half closed.
<<I am by the room, and there are definitely people here. Should I go in? I can not really hear anything from where I am. This lizard's hearing is a bit funky and I think they are talking quietly.>> He would leave it up to the others to decide on how much of a risk he should put himself at.
Aubrey:
Crouched against the dumpster, Aubrey was straining to smell or see anything coming from the building. Even though there was the scent of humans everywhere, it didn't seem like there was much activity going on. <<Yeah, I don't see anything either.>> Her ears perked forward, trying to hear any conversation coming from the building.
Then one ear twitched sideways as she heard Fin and Drake land nearby. It was dark, and she couldn't exactly see them very well on the ground. But she had already caught the scent of Fin's bat and Drake's lizard. The dog's mind immediately wanted to investigate the little lizard--maybe even chase, if he ran--but Aubrey pushed the urge away.
<<Be careful, Drake.>> She said, after he had scampered into the pawn shop. Aubrey moved away from the dumpster and nearer to the building. If Drake needed help, she wanted to be close at hand. <<Hmm, well. You're small enough to not be noticed, really. And even if you are noticed, you're a lizard. So, I think you should try.>>
Fin:
Fin found a place to perch so that he would have no more unwanted visits and run into any trees. He wrapped the black leathery wings around him and flared his ears. He closed his eyes completely just concentrating on the sounds he was hearing and the world they were painting in his head. It wasn't as accurate as his sonar was but his ears were about 10 times better than a humans.
He fired off a blast every once in a while and the world was his again before going dark in his ears. He pin pointed the dog that was Aubrey and the lizard that was Drake at least until it disappeared under the door. He even found the Suji owl who looked like dinner to him. Drake had only looked like a snack but Suji could have been a meal. And he was about three times her size currently.
It was really too bad he wasn't a real bat. <<Don't worry I'm close by,>> in response to Suji's suggestion/order to stay close. He knew he was annoyed and on edge and tried to limit it. <<Don't go in Drake, if you can't hear anything from outside then don't bother. We aren't on an official mission and that meeting isn't anything we need to know so we shouldn't be taking any more risks.>>
Suji:
Drake agreed to go in as a lizard, and Suji felt mildly relieved. He didn't have the foolhardy eagerness of someone who didn't understand dangers, and at the same time, he didn't need any coercing. If he'd been uncomfortable with it she might have been able to go roach and investigate herself, but it was better to have more scouts, at least in this situation.
Then Drake asked if he should go in. Aubrey said yes, Fin said no. Fuck, Suji cursed to herself, bitter when she quickly realized that she'd been made into the tie-breaker. <<Fin's right, we're not on an official mission. See if you can climb the wall to hear better, but don't go in. Too risky->>
Something glinted on the street level, and Suji's thoughtspeak immediately dropped off. She'd caught a reflector on the back of a bike as someone was pedaling along. They were dashing quickly, cutting sharply around the nearest corner. <<Aubrey, watch out, drop back!>> The person on the bike (mid-30s, male, Asian) was bee-lining straight for Shaun's Pawns. <<Drake, get somewhere safe, you might be getting some company soon.>>
Drake:
Drake was a bit disappointed that he could not just go in and listen to the conversation, but the majority had spoken. And he did not disagree with them. It was an unnecessary risk, even though it was an extremely minor one.
He was about to try and climb the wall like Suji had suggested, but then her warning entered his head. Someone it coming? Drake rushed to find a hiding spot. He found a seemingly safe place under a counter stacked with... records? Wasn't that a happy coincidence.
He had hardly gotten out of view before the people from the back room came out to the front. They must be expecting whoever was arriving. He could only see their feet, but he could see that there were two of them. One was wearing worn-out cowboy boots and a ripped pair of jeans, the other had on well-shined black dress-shoes and spotless white pants. <<It looks like I might be doing some spying after all.>>
Thack (Suji):
"Sootman! Sootman, you in?! It's me, Thack, man you've got to hear this!" Even Suji could hear that much, though it was hard to determine if Thack was some kind of Yeerk name, or a human nick-name. He didn't mention any numbers though. Thack barged into the front door after tossing his bite to the ground (it looked pretty banged up overall, like that might have been a frequent occurrence). At least he hadn't spotted Aubrey, and Suji hoped that Drake had found a spot to hide. He was a lizard, so it shouldn't be too hard, right?
"Yo Sootman!" Again, shouting loud enough that her owl ears could pick it up. "I got some information what pays back my last debt!"
Aubrey:
<<Right, right.>> They were probably right, it was a better idea that Drake didn't go investigating. He didn't need to put himself in unnecessary risk. But still, what was this place? And who was running it?
Aubrey had been too focused on the pawn shop to hear the approach of the bike. She immediately reversed direction, quickly darting back to the dumpster she had been hiding against previously. Just as soon as she had gotten out of view, the person on the bike sped past. He skidded to a stop at the pawn shop, throwing his bike down.
<<Geez!>> Aubrey said. She was back in the shadow of the dumpster, frozen stiff. She didn't think the guy had seen her. Hopefully it would stay that way.
Drake:
"Yeah, yeah, keep it down. I'm coming."
Drake saw the white pants move towards the door. That must be Sootman, Drake thought to himself. He heard the creak of the pawn shop's door. <<I think the guy with the white pants is in charge,>> Drake relayed to his team.
Sootman:
"Get in here!" Humphrey whispered loudly, yet sternly. "You weren't followed, where you?" He led his new guest in by the register after checking quickly outside to make sure nobody else was there. When he turned around he noticed it was Thack. That annoying little beast? He better have something good if he thinks it will repay what he owes.
"Didn't I tell you never to come here without making arrangements first? You're interrupting another meeting." He gestured to the other man in the room. "Now, what is so important?" Despite his annoyance for Thack and displeasure for making another one of his customers wait, Mr. Sootman was greedily waiting to hear what information he was about to be offered.
Thack (Fin):
Thack pulled out a small vial from his inside pocket and presented it proudly...and with little care. The vial almost slipped from his fingers and he scrambled to catch it. When he had it in hand again he was a little more careful when showing it to Sootman. "Dude, I got this from my buddy Trap. He said it was an antidote or something. Figured your costumers might want it uh?" He turned towards the other man in the room and nodded at him as if they were both sharing a secret at Sootman's expense.
Leon:
Leon smiled warmly and nodded back to Thack even though he was thinking the man was a fool and a braggart. His hands toyed with a small ball as he leaned against a display case of records. His other hand rested nonchalantly on his belt buckle, a large oval brass, plate with a star imprinted on it.
Sootman:
Humphry was not having a good day today. Leon Ramirez was one of his best customers...and most dangerous. And he didn't like to be kept waiting, especially for fools like Thack 657. But an antidote....Now that was interesting. An antidote to what? And was it worth angering Ramirez further by spending time questioning Thack. Probably not.
"Yes, good an antidote." He had to keep his hands from reaching out to take the vial from Thack's witless fingers but if he showed an interest the man would never leave. "Come back in the morning and we'll talk about it. It probably isn't worth much but I may give you a cred for it or so."
Thack looked at Sootman and put the vial back in his pocket. "Whatever dude, I'll just take it to Sal." Sal Monius was Sootman's biggest rival. That was all Thack knew about him. He was hoping mentioning the guy's name might get Sootman interested.
"Fine, take it to Sal, he'll give you less for that worthless little thing than I would. I'm sure the antidote is useless but that is quality glass ware. I'm sure it would come in handy. But you know Sal, he doesn't really deal in that stuff."
Thack looked angry at Sootman's words and then he turned and left, his sneakers squeaking on the floor.
Sootman turned back to Ramirez with a pandering look on his face. "Sorry about the interruption. Where were we?"
Leon:
Ramirez smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. "No worries Sootman," he said, a slight Mexican accent tugging at his voice. "We were just talking prices. My men will need those weapons so let' get this business finished with."
Suji:
Suji could make out three distinct voices, but not the words being exchanged. <<What's going on, Drake?>> She was slightly anxious: that guy had obviously been carrying something he had considered very important. Something he'd been trying to sell? Information for sale? If so: why come to a pawnshop? Then again, why did the shop keep such late hours? Maybe it was more than just some dusty bin of broken trinkets and useless antiques.
Thack:
Thack knew what he was carrying was big. He knew that Sootman would be kicking himself soon enough, if he didn't take Thack up on his offer. But at the same time... he didn't owe Sal the way he owed Sootman. And he knew Sootman would butter up to him well enough once this other guy, whoever he was, was out of the picture. So he turned on his heel at the last moment, and went and sat down in a rickety whicker chair near the door.
Waiting was hard for Thack. That's why he got into so much trouble so easily. But it was also why he had a hand on one of the first antidote prototypes. This would pay back his debt and then some, hell, Sootman would owe him. Thack might be a bit careless, but he wasn't stupid. He knew what this was worth, and he wouldn't be leaving until he had Sootman all but kissing his shoes.
Drake:
Drake heard Suji's question and was trying to figure out how to respond. Without seeing there faces, it was hard to tell exactly what was going on. He would just have to try and explain as best he could.
<<As best I can tell... The main guy here is called Sootman. The guy who just arrived is trying to talk Sootman into taking some sort of antidote off his hands, and the other guy is doing some sort of weapons deal with him. Oh, and they mentioned someone else named Sal, too. I hope that made more sense to you guys that it does to me. I will try to find out more.>> Drake felt a little bad that he was not a top-notch spy, but he was still trying to do as best he could.
Sootman:
Sootman allowed himself half a smile when he noticed Thack sitting down in the chair instead of leaving. I knew he wouldn't go to that junk vendor, Sal. He has a debt to pay with me. Sootman snapped his attention back to the conversation at hand before his mind started to wander too far. Leon wouldn't appreciate him missing any details.
Leon:
So the guy stayed, Leon thought as he noticed Thack sitting down in the chair as well. Sootman must be as good as they say he is. "So you can get two shipments by the fifth? What about the third shipment? We'll need it by the eighth at the latest. You better not disappoint."
"Yes, yes, I never do," Sootman Replied. "Just make sure to have your payment in before then and everything will work out." Leon nodded in agreement then shook the man's hand to seal the deal. Sootman had never failed to follow through on an offer before, and they really needed those weapons. But still, he always felt as if he just got ripped off whenever he visited the man. He just shrugged off the feeling and started heading towards the back door.
Suji:
<<Huh.>> It was all Suji had. Instantly she began processing that information, kicking herself for not being in roach morph down there with him. Not that she didn't trust Drake to relay important information (he seemed more well put-together in the mental department that a lot of the other Animorphs she'd met), but it still made her antsy to not be hearing it first-hand. <<Just... I guess we can wait a while longer, but if you think you're in danger, let us know.>>
But it didn't sound like he was running any immediate risk of exposure. He was a small lizard in a darkened building--a pawn shop no less. Suji was sure there were plenty of places to hide.
Thack:
FINALLY. That guy left. Thack had Sootman's attention, and it felt like he'd been waiting a million years. He stood up, though he didn't immediately rush over to Sootman. Didn't want to seem TOO desperate. Anxious, he was, but with what he was holding, what he knew, he didn't have to be desperate at all not tonight.
Unfortunately, Thack wasn't the best at playing his cards close to his chest. And so he found himself blurting everything out at once.
"You've heard 'bout the virus they're all working on, right? I mean, I mean, no one knows anything for SURE, but this here is proof that they've narrowed it all down to just one, maybe two--but probably one--strain. Superflu, or whatever they end up calling it--highly contagious, though they're gonna be immunizing they hosts soon enough. And I got a vial of the antidote! See, even janitorial work has its perks!"
Aubrey:
Aubrey shifted in the shadows. <<Antidote...? Weird.>> Things had calmed down so Aubrey was sitting now, shoulder leaning against the dumpster and ears perked towards the pawn shop. The dog's sharp hearing could pick up the muffled sound of voices from inside.
Sootman:
Thack was a bad actor. Sootman could smell the man's anxiety and desperation from miles away. So he listened patiently to Thack's babbling, trying not to show his smile. He was pleased. He could tell that Thack thought this antidote was something important, and that might mean what he had was actually very valuable. That meant good things for Sootman. Anything valuable always tickled his fancy.
Keeping up his air of calm disinterest, Sootman extended his open hand. "Let me see it." Thack almost broke the vial shoving it into Sootman's palm. Unhurried, Sootman lifted the vial up close to his glasses to get a better look. He tilted it back and forth, watching the liquid slosh from one side to the other. So far the virus thing had been rumors, as far as Sootman knew. But if what Thack said was true--and this was truly the antidote to the virus--then this was worth a lot. Sootman could almost already see free humans trampling over each other to buy it off his hands. The thought made him giddy.
"Hmmmmm," Sootman said slowly, deliberately. Thack was hanging on his words, watching Sootman anxiously. Sootman lowered the vial, looking down and rolling it between his thick fingers. Thack leaned forward, his shadow falling over the table.
"What's it worth? Would it repay my debt? You know? Yeah?" Thack scratched behind his sweaty head, peering at Sootman in the dim light. "That's Grade A stuff, man. I know you can tell. So what's it worth?"
Sootman paused, trying to think of how he could get this off of Thack with the most profit. He looked up from under his glasses. "Okay. I'll give you something for it. And--" Sootman placed the vial on the table, tapping it lightly with his fingernail. "--I'll consider your debt payment if you can get me more of these. We can figure out a price."
Leon (Fin):
Ramirez walked calmly out of the shop, boot heels clicking on the pavement. He stopped a short distance from the shop under the solitary light of one working streetlamp and took out some tobacco and a rolling paper. He slowly rolled a cigarette as he thought about the meeting that had just taken place.
Sootman had seemed helpful enough though he had been a little rude. But nothing too bad, not enough for Ramirez to take offense and ruin their profitable relationship, no. But Leon did have to wonder what tThack had thought so valuable to interrupt a meeting with him. Everyone in the Dallas underground knew of Ramirez, knew his reputation, and not many would cross him, nor continue to cross him when they realized he was displeased.
The fact that Thack was a fool did not explain why he had disregarded Leon's presence and the danger it put him in so completely. Either he was truly desperate or he had something truly valuable, or both. Both was always possible. And if Thack had something valuable, well then, Ramirez should probably consider leaving him so that he could serve as a good source. But the man had angered him.
Ramirez lit his cigarette and stood under the lamp, the light casting harsh shadows that left his eyes in darkness except for when they were briefly lit up by the lighter. And then they burned. But the flame died and the light in his eyes did as well, the dark irises taking on the stoney quality he was known for.
Ramirez pulled his gun from his waistband and checked to make sure it was loaded even though it was always loaded, and then he calmly waited for Thak to exit the shop...calmly.
Whifts of smoke drifted up from the man's cigarette and tickled Fin's sensitive nose. He laid his large, leathery ears flat against his skull in a show of distaste but didn't move. He didn't want the man below him to see a large tropical bat in the Dallas night. That and he didn't want to get shot. Getting shot would be bad too. And the man below him just had an odd air about him but it was a vibe Fin recognized. Matthias had felt like this, like a killer.
<<Guys maybe we should think about getting out of here soon.>>
Drake:
<<Ok, this is what I got so far. The guy with the cowboy boots just made arrangements to buy three shipments of weapons, and has left now. But I suppose you guys know that since you are outside. And the other guy that entered is trying to sell an antidote to this Sootman guy and it looks like they just made some sort of deal. Just a second. I think they are going to say something important.>>
Thack:
More? Sootman wanted more!? "What the... Do you know what I had to do to get that?" Thack began pacing back and forth nervously. Sootman was supposed to owe him for getting this, not the other way around. How did he always manage to do that. That was it, Thack wasn't going to take it anymore.
"No!" he blurt out suddenly, surprising even himself. "This should be more than enough to cover what I owe and you know it. Now we're settled, and that's that!"
Sootman:
"Listen here you little rat!" Sootman said, shaking his pointer at Thack and walking towards him until he backed into the wall. "You said yourself that there still might be more than one strain of the virus out there. If you brought me the wrong antidote then it's worthless, now isn't it?"
Sootman took a step back and smoothed out his suit, suddenly calm. "Now, if you bring me what I asked then we'll consider your debt like I said. And you would be wise not to forget what you owe. Now scram, before I decide to charge you for an unscheduled meeting."
He watched out of the corner of his eye as Thack scrambled towards the door. He would bring it. Just you wait.
Suji:
<<Agreed,>>Suji intoned after Fin. This was heavy enough information, and while Suji was determined to stick around (even if she had to do it alone) long enough to put as much of it together as possible, there were too many Animorphs here right now. Suji's owl and Drake's lizard were tiny enough to go unnoticed, but Fin and Aubrey were a lot more exposed. Aubrey couldn't fly, but she might be able to pull off being a stray... but what happened if these people didn't exactly give stray dogs the Disney movie treatment? On the other hand Fin could get away faster, but he was an enormous bat and a lot harder to explain away.
Drake fed them more of what was going on, and Suji knew the hairs at the back of her neck would have been raising if she were human. What had they stumbled in on? A weapons deal? The sale of an antidote?
Because if there was an antidote, that meant that there had to be a sickness. And Suji didn't like the sound of that. If this Sootman guy was into selling weapons to that guy down there (Suji did not at all like the look of him, especially not with three other Animorphs that needed to get home safely)... something told her that the antidote wouldn't exactly be on par to a meager flu vaccine.
<<Did they say who made the antidote? Or what it's for?>> They would talk abut it when they got home of course, but she didn't want Drake to have to sit on that information alone, if he had it. Better to entrust it amongst their shared memory. That was the most important information for now, and they could try to pick his head for details later.
Thack:
As Thack was opening the door, he looked back. He wasn't stupid (but he sure wasn't brilliant either). He knew he was getting played. But Sootman scared him, Sootman had powerful friends--or at least the means to hire the services of powerful friends--and Thack was indebted to him. But this was big. He knew it. Still, he couldn't escape the life, could he? Maybe Thack had tied the noose around his own neck, but it was Sootman who had the power to kick the chair from underneath his feet.
"You better remember this, though, Sootman! It's my ass on the line bringin' you that. I'd treat me real nice if I were you."
And with that he practically threw himself out the door, skirting around the figure standing on the porch, and making his way back to his bike.
Leon (Fin):
Ramirez turned and regarded Thack as he left the shop. He was leaning nonchalantly against the porch railing arm's crossed as he watched the stars that could be seen here in the lack of light of the construction zone. Destruction was a better description. Leon's neighborhood had used to be here, before it got razed by the dracon attacks of course.
Smoke drifted past the rim of his hat, the orange glow of the end of the cigarette as he took a drag momentarily lighting up his face revealing a young man of Mexican descent, gray in the stubble of his beard, put there prematuraly by a war and a life that had not been kind to him.
Stress and frown lines were etched into his face and only his eyes redeemed him. They were dark and beautiful, and many women had fallen for them in Leon's short 25 years. They could hold kindness and good humor and lit Leon's whole face up at times, softening everything else that seemed so hard about him.
But Ramirez, unlike most people, could lie with his eyes. Right now they spoke the truth since he had no one to pretend for and the truth was he wasn't a very nice person at all.
And he didn't like Thack.
He walked slowly down the three stairs and over to where Thack was getting on his bike and working on getting the old thing to start. Ramirez was smiling, the expression open and friendly, it even reached his eyes.
Thack:
Thack was pissed. He had really thought he was free, scott free. That antidote was gold.
He wasn't paying complete attention to the shop, too intent on taking out his anger on his bike and only making the process of getting it started longer by doing so. But he had lived in bad times long enough that he wasn't completely dense to danger and looked up at the shadowy from of a man approaching him.
Thack had parked his bike in the alley behind Sootman's shop, under a broken streetlamp, the glass littering the ground around him. There was some light coming from Sootman's shop from the back window. It was yellow and dim but it was enough for him to see by. Enough so that it satisfied the foolish human instinct in him that felt safer in light.
The man stepped out of the shadows, entering the wide beam coming from Sootman's window. He was smiling and Thack remembered that he had seemed friendly enough in the shop but for some reason, meeting him here, in the darkness, Thack didn't feel as safe despite the light, despite the friendly smile.
"Uh, hi. Can I help you?"
Leon:
"Perhaps but I don't think we'll ever find out." Ramirez said, voice full of fake regret and easily pulled the gun from the small of his back, aimed at Thack, and shot him. At the last minute the man had gotten a comical look of surprise and dismay on his face, an expression he would now be stuck with for eternity.
Thack's head snapped back with the force of the shot and he fell backwards off his bike, his body landing on its back in the glass shards and garbage of the alley.
Ramirez walked over and squatted next to the body, examining the neat hole in Thack's forehead though he knew the hole in the back of his head would not be so pretty. In fact there was a nice splashing of bone, brain, blood and (hopefully) yeerk on the wall that had been behind his head. A pool of blood was now forming around his body.
Sure of his death Ramirez decided to take his bike. He pulled the helmet that Thack hadn't gotten on in time to protect the integrety of his skull from the man's dead finger and was about to turn away when he spotted a beautiful dog cowering behind a dumpster.
Leon missed dogs. He hadn't seen a good one in a couple of years though every once and a while a stray would cross his path but those beasts were always flea bitten curs not worth the little meat they carried on their bones. This one looked like it might have potential under all that dirt.
Leon carefully put the helmut on the seat of the motorcycle and stuck his gun back into his waist band. He whistled softly to the dog. He had always wanted a dog.
Aubrey:
<<Yeah, I think I agree-->> Aubrey yelped with surprise when the loud gunshot broke the still air. Suddenly, her sensitive nose burned with the sickening stench of hot blood. <<Oh god. Oh god.>> The smell was too familiar. The dog was attracted, but Aubrey was repulsed. She started backing up against the dumpster, making small whimpering sounds and shifting from one foot to the other. The dog wanted to bolt, but Aubrey was frozen.
Then the man noticed her. Shit. One ear swiveled towards him at the sound of his whistle, and she lowered closer to the ground. Her hackles raised, and a low growl formed at the back of her throat. <<He's seen me.>> Could she run? Would he shoot her too? He probably just thinks I'm a stray. She didn't want to give him reason to think otherwise. Slowly, she began to back away, tail between her legs.
Sootman:
"Yeah, yeah. Sure." Sootman shook his head, watching Thack stumble out of the door. Thack liked to talk tough, but Sootman knew the man backwards and forwards. He picked up the vial, smiling to himself. Sootman would get his way, and he'd carve out a nice little sum for himself when Thack brought him more of these antidotes. The fool was just so easy to manipulate, it was--Sootman jumped and almost dropped the vial.
Outside, the air was ringing with the terrible sound of a gunshot. Sootman looked up, his face squished into expression something akin to 'huh?'. He carefully placed the vial in one of his drawers--making sure it was safe--before heading over to the door of his pawn shop. Thack hadn't properly closed the damn thing--it was old and needed replacing anyways--so all Sootman had to do was nudge it. It swung open slowly, pouring dim light into the back alleyway. It took a few moments for Sootman to figure out what was lying on the ground. It was Thack. Lying in a puddle of blood.
Sootman's expression dropped from confusion to red-faced exasperation. "No! Not my customer! Agh!" He hobbled over towards Thack's body, running chubby hands through his hair. Thack had known where the rest of these antidotes were, Thack was supposed to make Sootman more money. Now he was dead, and Sootman had lost his source. Which meant he had lost some profit. Which was terrible news.
"Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!" Sootman stood over the body, pinching the bridge of his nose to compose himself. He had noticed Ramirez nearby, and now he leveled his gaze on the man. He knew not to mess with Ramirez--everybody knew that, you'd have to be beyond stupid to not know that--but, still! "You could have waited just a little bit longer to do that. Oooh." Sootman chewed on one of his fingernails, peering at Thack's lifeless body for a good, long moment.
"Ahh, well! Waste not, want not." With a grunt, Sootman knelt down, careful to keep clear of the spreading pool of blood. He began rifling through Thack's pockets. After a few seconds, Sootman pulled out a greasy wad of money. He had to swallow a squeal of delight, shoving the money into his own pocket. He continued searching. A paper clip, a pebble, lint, lint, lint, lint, a tissue, a fork. Sootman sat back on his heels, sighing. Well, at least the body and clothing might fetch something on the Black Market.
Suji:
<<Run.>> It was a calculated risk. Ramirez might be good with a gun, but the way he whistled to Aubrey's morph--rather than blasting it on sight--made Suji doubt he'd randomly kill the animal. Even though he'd randomly killed a human just seconds before. besides, the gun was in his waistband. He'd been slow enough drawing it that Thack had had time to look surprised, and even if the accuracy had been good, he hadn't been far from Thack and Thack hadn't been moving. <<Don't go directly back to the Temple. I'll fly your cover home.>>
This mission was over. And the seen of the murder weighed heavily in Suji's gut. This man, whoever he was, had just shot someone that apparently had hold of an antidote. Sure that might be completely inconsequential to them, but stupidly random acts of violence... No time to dwell on that. Better to get everyone back. <<Drake, Fin. Get back to the Temple together, but make sure that Ramirez guy is around the corner before you come into view, Fin.>>
As she rose into the air she saw Ramirez putting on the bike's helmet, and slinging a leg around to straddle it. Thankfully, he was heading south, and they, were not.
<<Be safe guys,>> she called out.
Sootman:
Sootman watched as Ramirez regarded him blankly a last time, and then rode off on Thack's bike. Once Ramirez was out of sight, he dropped the more affable act. Sure he was going to keep the money, and sure that'd been a nice concession prize for this utter failure of a proper nightly transaction, but Sootman was not a fool. You did not get to be as powerful as Sootman did by being an idiot.
An idiot that Ramirez apparently was.
Sootman went back inside, and made several phone calls. The first was to a person he knew that would come and pick up the body, giving him a flat payment and then maybe more if Thack's organs turned out to be healthy (which they probably wouldn't, but there was a shot, wasn't there?). The next call was to the Yeerk Peace Movement contacts he had. Thack hadn't had time to get more of the antidote for obvious reasons, so Sootman just better hope that this was the antidote for the strain of virus that the government was planning to unleash. Even if it wasn't, though, he knew he could still made a pretty penny from it. Not the mountain of gold he'd get otherwise, but...
The Peace Movement would help him manufacture it in bulk, and wouldn't even try to twist his arm about him selling it, either. Because they'd just care that it was getting out somehow. That was how goody-goody types work.
And that settled the profitable parts of the night. Now, though, came the situation that was Ramirez. Sootman seethed inwardly. You did not simply shoot people in front of his business location, much less in the damn lawn. It wasn't done, no matter how much of a badass vigilante you thought you were. Because everyone could be hurt, and Sootman was in the business of knowing how to help those who helped him, and more importantly, hurt those who didn't follow the rules.
The next call went to his weapons guy. The shipment would contain a defective round for every 4 or 5 bullets. The money would come out of Sootman's pockets, yes, but this was about respect. You didn't climb to the top of the black market by being nothing but sniveling and easily pushed around. He would be taken seriously. The defective bullets would either not fire, or blow up in the hands of anyone who tried to fire them.
His last call was to someone he tried not to call much. Not because this person knew the rules--they 110% knew them--but because they were possibly the only more well-connected person in the seedy underground of Dallas than him.
"I need you to take care of a guy. He's riding south of my store, on a bike." Sootman described Ramirez in all the nitty-gritty detail a good buyer and seller was capable of. He named the price.
"As good as done," a female voice answered from the other end of the line.
Drake:
Drake had managed to sneak out of the shop after Sootman left to see what the loud sound was. What was that loud sound, anyway? It sounded like a gunshot. Then Drake felt a little queasy when he realized it probably was.
<<Did Aubrey get away?>> Drake asked as he dropped off the corner of the porch and scurried around the corner. <<I am out of the shop now if anyone was wondering. I will wait for the all clear from you before I go any further, okay Fin?>> Drake knew that nobody would pay attention to a little lizard in the dark, even if anyone was still outside. But Drake did not feel like taking any more chances at the moment. He just wanted to get back to The Temple in one piece.
Fin:
The murder had bothered Fin a bit. I mean it was so pointless. And he was too close too it by far. His sensitive ears were ringing. Not cool.
He didn't drop off the lamp post right away knowing that his shadow passing in front of the light would give him away. He waited until the gangster/cowboy guy had driven away and until Sootman was back inside before dropping off the lamp post and flying towards the side of the house, picking out Drake's small lizard form among the rubble.
He swooped down and plucked the lizard from the ground, only remembering at the last second to warn Drake, <<Drake buddy, I'm about to pick you up.>> He flapped hard to get back in the air and then turned towards the Temple. <<I don't know about you but I don't want to demorph anywhere near that guy, he's too sneaky like.>>
Aida:
Aida had spent some time in New York after the Faction Leader meeting ended, and it was then that she heard of Matthias never returning. Part of her felt guilty, but another part of her was still numb and so felt nothing. Cassie had ordered her to stay, saw the state she was in and decided it the healthiest choice. Now...a short time later she found herself in Dallas.
It had been a long trip to endure alone, but she'd done it, switching between morphs. Fin was in Dallas, or so Cassie had told her, and since Vancouver was not an option she found herself officially moved. The New York faction had been kind enough, but Aida couldn't see herself flourishing there...they were all...so much stronger than she thought herself to be.
Aida shifted uncomfortably in front of the Temple, no one had been around that she could see. Her brown eyes scanned the sky, looking for a sign of some patroller, or anyone. No one yet, so she remained leaning against the building, her arms tucked across her chest.
Suji:
Aubrey wasn't far behind, but Suji had spotted Aida immediately. <<Aubrey, slow down a second. Someone is standing outside of the Temple.>> Suji quickly surveyed her. Skin tight clothing, no shoes, that expression of waiting. Suji had been there. Of course one had to take precautions, but she was already standing outside their hideout.
<<We have a visitor,>> she broadcasted to the other three, hoping that the message reached to Drake and Fin, who had left shortly after she did. <<I'm assuming that her clothing choice means she's either an Animorph, or trying to pass as one. Morphable clothes, no shoes. Was Ray expecting someone?>> They could probably escort her to another building--Aubrey's dog wouldn't be bad at that kind of persuasion. Hold her for three days, though the fact that she was already in front of their home meant that she had to know something. People didn't just hang around in the dead of night in this part of town.
Aubrey:
<<Run.>>
Trying not to think about the smell of blood in the air, Aubrey turned and began running in the opposite direction. With her sensitive hearing she picked up the sound of the motorcycle's engine revving. Her paws hit the dirt and rubble as she ran, padding around garbage left in the streets. She couldn't hear the guy's motorcycle behind her or anything, but she still took the long way back towards the Temple.
Once the Temple got closer she slowed down to a trot, tongue hanging from her mouth and breathing hard. The dog mind's was happy to have been running--throughout this whole affair Aubrey had had a lot of pent up energy. Especially after seeing what had happened in front of the pawn shop.
<<I see her.>> Aubrey was walking now, both eyes and ears warily pointed towards the girl leaning against the Temple. She stopped some distance away from Aida, fluffy tail curled over her back. Aubrey looked the part of a dirty stray, her gray and white coat caked with mud and filth. <<I haven't heard Ray mention anybody coming here.>>
Fin:
Fin was cruising through the night with the small lizard that was Drake in his claws. He had done a couple of patrols as a bat since coming here so he was talking as he went.
<<And that over there is Old Man Firehouse. I call it that because of how it is all slouched over. And over there is Tricky Ricky. I don't know why I decided on Ricky. I think because it rhymes. But don't try flying around there. The way that roof is all broken up makes the wind blow funny and if you're not ready for it you get thrown into that wall,>> he said pointing with his snout. <<And then we have the Lemon Tree. Back in Vancouver we had this tree around our Lodge that smelled like oranges. I don't know why. And that tree reminds me of it but I didn't want to call it Orange Tree two so I went with lemons. It actually doesn't smell like anything really.>>
He swooped low over a roof and dropped down behind it as the Temple came into sight. He'd taken a slightly longer route back because he was a bit easier to spot and follow. Though not really because his dark fur blended into the night very well. Still, best to take precautions.
He was firing sonar at all times and heard the young woman standing in front of the Temple before he saw her. He pulled up and headed towards the church steeple. He didn't want to be seen especially when he was carrying Drake and couldn't make sure the person would never see again if necessary.
He came to a landing in the church steeple and dropped Drake off. <<Hey Drake we got ourselves a visitor down there.>> He was now in Dallas and a southern accent was appropriate. It was taking him longer to pick it up though.
Fin crawled to the ledge of the steeple and fired sonar down at the unknown while he listened to Suji and Aubrey's chatter in his head. Something about her...
The wind dropped to nothing for a moment and his echos came back clearer than ever. He threw himself out of the steeple and began spiraling down towards the young woman. He would have landed on her shoulder but he was a bit big to do that. He landed on the church sign in front of her instead, holding on to the rotting wood with all four claws instead of hanging from it.
Crouched like that he looked like an odd cat. <<Miss me?>>
Aida:
It wasn't long before she spotted them, and Aida took a step forward, glancing upwards at an owl and then at her level there was a dog further off. Animorphs, neither were forms she knew Fin to have, so Aida felt anxiety well up inside her. The shy girl had never been good with introductions, she hoped they wouldn't freak out before she could explain--or better yet demonstrate--that she was one of them.
As she waited for the animals to get closer she was caught off guard by a bat that came zooming towards her. Before fear could set in however something else took over her, relief? No...more like elation. Aida wasn't one for smiling often but a 100-watt grin quickly lit up her face as the bat perched itself before her.
"I did," she replied, still smiling. "Why do you think I'm here?" Aida wished he were human so she could hug him, but she sufficed with stroking the bats head gently before pulling her hand away. "Cassie...thought I'd do well here..." the corner of her mouth turned up again, because it was Fin that would make it better.
The back of her mind still prickled though, as she noted the newcomers, wondering how they would perceive her. Aida absently ran a hand through her hair, making sure the long trip there hadn't made her worse for wear.
Drake:
A visitor? Drake though to himself. What kind of visitor? As soon as Fin dropped him off in the bell tower, Drake began to demorph. He wanted to be able to become whatever he needed and he was almost at the two-hour limit anyway.
When he heard Fin say <<Miss me?>> he relaxed a little, but was still as confused as ever. As soon as he was demorphed, he opened the trap door and started to make his way down to ground level. All he could think was, Who would want to visit us here?
Suji:
Suji saw Fin and Aida's interaction, and that formed the missing link. There had been word that some major stuff had gone down at the faction leader meeting some time back, and even in the refugee camp Luce and Suji had gotten word about the disbandment of the Vancouver faction. Apparently their leader--one of the longest standing of the bunch--had simply turned coat and ran. Suji wasn't someone who believed whatever they heard, especially not when it came to cross-continental news... but stranger things.
<<Nice to meet you,>> Suji said warrnly as she could (which was still fairly decent; but knowing what they had to discuss, she couldn't help but think of the girl's arrival as a distraction), and allowed herself to fly into visible range. It was still darker than an inkwell around this shabby part of town (none of the lights in the block seemed to work, and the ones that did flickered dimly). She proceeded to the belltower. Drake was in the process of demorphing when she got there, but she left him to go down the ladder first. There wasn't a ton of room up here, and demorphing was a process that kind of made for cramping situations.
<<Not to be rude, but we've got a bit of discussion to get to before we forget any of it. You're certainly welcome to sit in on it if you'd like, and we can all get introduced.>> The trap door fell back shut and Suji began to demorph. She climbed down.
Aubrey:
Aubrey's nervousness ebbed away, seeing Fin's reaction to the girl. Ahh, so it was just a new member, apparently. Aubrey shook her body, dust flying into the air from her fur. The darkness of the night made it so that she couldn't really see Aida very well. She ambled over near the girl, a goofy dog grin on her face and her tail wagging. <<Hello, hello, welcome. I'm Aubrey.>>
Veering off away from Aida, Aubrey headed towards one of the doors leading into the Temple. She hadn't mastered the art of morph-walking, so she didn't start demorphing until she was next to the doorway. A few minutes later she was fully human, crouching against the cold concrete in her bare feet. She was exhausted. She had run all the way here, and demorphing had just added onto that. Even more, her whole body was still tensed up from what had happened earlier. She let out a short sigh.
The door opened with a squeak, and Aubrey slipped through into the Temple to wait for the others. She missed the Haunt, it had been cozy and warm. The Temple just felt large, empty, cold. Different.
Drake:
Drake soared on his widespread wings under the glow of the stars and moonlight. There was hardly a cloud in the sky and the light pollution was not nearly as bad here as it was in Las Vegas. Even with his sharp eyesight, he was surprised by the number of stars he could see.
But he was not here to stargaze. Drake returned his attention to the streets below. They had almost reached their first place to search. Already Drake was skeptical about success. They were in a part of town that was heavily damaged and in disrepair. Judging by some of the buildings that were still largely in tact, this part of town had not been much prettier even before the yeerks had arrived.
<<I am going in,>> Drake said to Fin as he swooped down towards a rubble-filled alleyway. Fin was supposed to act as his guardian angel on this mission. Drake liked Fin, but he still did not know him very well, so was still a bit nervous about depending on him. But this was not a very high-risk mission, and they had not seen many people, so he figure he would be safe regardless.
The feathers sucked back into his body and his body became more massive as he demorphed. As soon as he was fully human once again, he took a deep breath, then started the transformation into his reptilian body. It was pretty gross, but was over with in a couple of minutes. <<Okay, where is this building we are looking for?>>
Suji:
Suji flitted from building to building, over the one-story shops and the other constructions that had crumpled in on themselves for whatever reason. Below she could see Aubrey in her large dog morph. <<Hey, Aubrey, there's some mud in a puddle collecting on the sunken poach a bit further up to your left. Maybe you should roll around in it a bit. Will make you look less like someone's pet.>> At the moment the dog's fur looking clean, almost pristine.
Suji and Aubrey were further north and east of the spot where Drake and Fin had started. <<I'll keep my eye out for Shaun's Pawns.>> She hated the tacky name, but could you really expect more from a pawn shop? <<Though from the yellow-pages it sounded like it's still a few blocks over.>> All the while she kept an eye out for anything that might be a threat to them.
Aubrey:
Aubrey padded along, fluffy tail wagging and curling over her back. The dog's mind was going crazy with all the interesting scents scattered around the area, and Aubrey was having trouble resisting the strong impulse to go off and sniff absolutely everything. She skipped casually around some wreckage, noticing the puddle Suji was talking about. <<Good idea.>>
The dog's mind didn't need any encouraging to do it. Aubrey crouched down low, then twisted herself sideways and fell into the mud puddle. The mud was squishy and cold, seeping through her fur and clinging to her body. <<Oooh that's cold! Yahhh.>> She wiggled onto her back, paws poking into the air and pink tongue lolling happily out from her mouth. The dog's mind was in heaven.
Aubrey squirmed around for a few more moments, then rolled onto her belly and bounced up. The dark gray and white of her coat was now slathered in a dirty shade of mud brown. She shook her body, dirty and mud flinging everywhere. <<Kay, think I might be good.>> Aubrey was trying to keep her mood light, even if they were all being cautious. She fell back into her steady trot, keeping her eyes and ears attentive. It sounded like they were getting nearer to the place. <<Alright.>>
Fin:
Fin flapped through the night, riding every breeze on his leathery wings, singing to see. He had forgotten how good it was to fly at night, cutting through the darkness, everything clear as day to his bat's sense of hearing and vision, but mostly hearing. The landscape below him was constantly being painted in his head by his sound sight as he fired echolocation blasts below him.
He watched Aubrey roll around in the mud and had a strong desire to go down and join her. It looked very fun. Then again it looked fun for a dog. His cat morph surely would not approve.
He picked out Drake among the rest of the echos clouding his head. <<You know Drake you look very tasty. Maybe I should have eaten before I left,>> he said circling the lizard on the ground before diving on it. He snagged the small creature off the ground easily, his claws closing around the scaly form, careful not to pierce it.
He flew towards the building in question, his wings making a whistling noise as he went. <<Please buckle your seatbelts and put your trays in the upright position.>> Fin's thoughtspeak voice was as high and as robotic as he could make it. <<We will be landing in Records & Tracks in two minutes. This is your captain speaking and we have hoped you've had a nice flight. Please fly bat airlines again.>>
Fin skimmed the ground outside the record store and dropped Drake as he did so then he folded a wing, turned and landed, flaring and hissing at the cat he had spotted behind a trash bin. The cat hissed back and crouched down. Fin jumped and flapped his wings which stretched almost a meter easy, and hissed some more. The cat decided the lizard was not worth it and slunk away.
Fin flapped hard, trying to get into the air from the ground and ended up pushing off a trash can when he got high enough to give him the last boost he needed to get into the air. <<You're clear buddy.>>
Drake:
Drake almost had a heart attack when Fin picked him up in his bat morph. Especially since he had just mentioned how tasty Drake looked. He had to struggle to keep his lizard instincts in check as he was carried the short distance to... Records & Tracks.
<<A little warning next time,>> Drake said, half joking as he landed on the sidewalk. He was a bit ticked about the whole incident, but that feeling quickly passed as Fin scared away a cat that he had not even noticed. At least he knew Fin would be able to carry him away from danger if need be.
<<So, what? I just go have a quick look inside?>> He made his way towards the door that was hanging half off of its hinges. There was plenty of space for him to walk into the dark building. He walked over what appeared to be broken glass and charred floorboards as he entered the darkness. <<What a dump.>>
Suji:
Suji laughed quietly through thoughtspeech watching Aubrey. She had the intense urge to run up to the dog (human, of course) and tackle it, roughing up its fur the way big dogs seemed to enjoy. She really missed dogs, in general. At least the big ones--the small, yappy kind just had a way of breaking your concentration and annoying you. Riley had had a dog morph, but in Suji's experiences, he'd had to use it for dire circumstances, and that tainted her view of it.
The night air was cool and crisp, and Suji's wings beat silently as she scouted. Then, coming around a corner, she could see the (worn, faded) sign for 'Shaun's Pawns.' <<Just around this corner up here, Aubrey>> she sent out, finding a place to perch where she could watch the dog coming up. <<I can't see anyone, but there might be a dim light on in there. Tell me what you smell when you get there, that might be the best way of knowing if anyone's home.>>
Fin:
Fin flew in a circle around above the building constantly firing sonar at the ground and keeping his eyes open for threats of all size. <<Aww, warnings are no fun but I suppose I could warn you next time.>> He spotted a bunch of rats on the ground and was trying to figure out if they would be a threat to a lizard when Drake's thoughtspeak broke into his head.
<<But are there records in there? Any Earth, Wind and Fire? Patti Labelle?>> He looked around and saw the dog that was Aubrey in the distance and figured the Suji-owl couldn't be too far from her. <<You guys good?>> He called, checking in.
Already this was much better planned and felt much safer than the two trips he had taken into the city of Vancouver but that didn't mean things couldn't go wrong and Fin had grown very cautious of late.
A shadow passed over the moon and dropped out of the sky. Fin threw his body to the side before he even really thought about it, lurching in the air and losing altitude. He flapped to right himself and looked around widely trying to figure out what aerial thing had tried to attack him but as he heard the laughter he didn't have to ask.
Warnings are no fun Gary. Fin didn't bother looking for the thing. It probably looked like some gruesome cartoon bat and he didn't feel like seeing it but it decided to show up right in front of him anyway. He banked to avoid it and almost ran into a billboard for his trouble. Again came the laughter.
Fin cursed inside his head. His sound sight hadn't seen it which should be all the proof he needed that it wasn't real. <<Drake, you alright man?>> he called down his voice only had a hint of shakiness in it. While he had been playing tag with his imaginary friend he had lost sight of the lizard not to mention things that might pose a threat to the lizard.
As he scanned the ground looking for Drake he firmly ignored the cruel laughter in the back of his head.
Aubrey:
Aubrey's steps got faster after Suji's thought-speak, and she turned the corner. Finally, the old building filled her vision, looming tall and dark above her form. <<Oh-->> Aubrey paused and stiffened, her nose lowered to the ground and feet splayed. <<...Something...?>> It took her a few moments to realize it was the scent of a human. Immediately her fur rose on end, but she couldn't see anybody outside. <<Okay, I smell something. Hold on.>>
Cautiously, she slunk towards the building, sticking as best as she could to the dark shadows. The human smell got thicker the closer she got, as if multiple people had trampled all over the place. From one of the windows came a faint light, glowing from somewhere inside the building. <<Bingo. There's definitely a light going on in here, and I can smell people.>> As she said this, Aubrey squished herself against an nearby dumpster, trying to stay out of view. She was feeling a little nervous now.
<<We're good. I think we've found something. This pawnshop has the smell of people everywhere. And there's a light. What should we do?>> The thought-speech was directed to all three of them now.
Suji:
What should we do? Good question. Well, if there were people smells all over, that at least meant that the place was still open for business, right? It didn't exactly mean that anything had gone wrong. Yet Suji did not like Aubrey's dog morph trying to hide, it made her feel a little antsy, and she ruffled her feathers on her perch across the street.
<<Drake, Fin? Have you guys found anything over there? Because we got people in Shaun's Pawns. Probably Controllers, but it means the place is open for business. Odd hours though.>>
She narrowed her thoughtspeak to Aubrey. <<Don't worry, everything's under control.>> Aubrey wasn't losing it or anything, but Suji kept her voice light and calm, just trying to be reassuring. <<They're all inside, whoever they are. I don't see anyone else coming or anything.>> But Aubrey's dog morph couldn't exactly wander in, even if it was a stray. <<Though... can you hear conversations? Maybe->>
Suji widened the thoughspeech to include them all. <<Hey, you guys, if it's a no-go over there, you up for some spying Drake?>>
Drake:
Drake scurried around for a while, looking for anything that could be used on the record player. Most of the stuff in here looked burnt, broken, bent, or melted. Whatever had gone on in here, he did not want to know about. <<I'm fine, but I think we can check this place off the list,>> he finally said to Fin. <<It does not look like there is anything we are looking for in here. Which is surprising, judging by the name of the place.>>
As he made his way back to the exit he heard the conversation with the other group. What they had found sounded interesting, but he did not comment, since he was not close enough to do anything, anyway. But then he heard Suji.
<<Hey, you guys, if it's a no-go over there, you up for some spying Drake?>>
<<It is a no-go,>> he responded. <<I am up for some spying if I can get a ride over there. It will take me forever if I try to find my way on the ground.>> He did not want to admit it, but he was still a little worried about that cat that Fin had scared off, too.
Fin:
Fin finally spotted the little lizard. He didn't dive right away instead he circled and waited, looking around. He didn't want to get spooked by one of the prince's pranks and mess this up probably in a painful or even fatal way for Drake. But after about a minute of that he realized that if the prince was going to make an appearance it would do it at the worst possible moment and Fin wouldn't be able to see it coming anyway.
Because it isn't real! But it didn't matter if it was "real" or not. It was real enough to him to mess him up so it would be better to take precautions.
Instead of diving on Drake he landed next to him on the ground, looking like and oversized rat with fangs once he was down there. He carefully closed a claw around Drake's lizard and then he worked to get off the ground. It was much harder than it would have been to just pluck him off the ground but it was safer, at least at the moment.
He flew towards the dog that was Aubrey and landed with Drake on a dumpster in the alley she was in. <<One spy coming up. You know in my old faction I was the spy. I should get a bug morph or something to get into these things next time. Good luck Drake.>>
Fin flapped away.
Suji:
Fin dropped Drake off, and Suji was glad for the owl's superior vision. There was no way she'd have seen the lizard in the dark as a human: she wasn't even sure she'd have seen Fin's large bat (a creature that made the owl's brain at least mildly uncomfortable). Silently she dropped from her perch, relocating to where she could see inside on of the main windows. She still couldn't see people, but they light was brighter. Were they in a backroom?
<<Stay close Fin, in case Drake needs a quick pick up.>> Her owl morph might have been able to pick up the lizard, but she trusted the owl's eyes more than the bat's, and she had to keep watch on the street. She landed on a telephone post that looked to be in serious disrepair. <<Might go for you too Aubrey. You okay with this, Drake?>>
Drake:
<<Yeah, I am fine with this.>> That was almost the truth. While he did not mind being the spy, the familiar feeling of butterflies in his stomach was present. However, Drake was used to that feeling, so it should not cause problems.
After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Drake scurried down the dumpster and around to the front. When he made it to the front door, he crawled under the large gap that was underneath it. They probably get some serious drafts in this place, Drake commented to himself. So far everything was going smoothly.
Drake stayed close to the wall as he made his may to the back. He had to resist the urge to eat the cockroaches he met on the way. <<Almost there,>> he reported. The people were indeed in a back room, behind a door that was half closed.
<<I am by the room, and there are definitely people here. Should I go in? I can not really hear anything from where I am. This lizard's hearing is a bit funky and I think they are talking quietly.>> He would leave it up to the others to decide on how much of a risk he should put himself at.
Aubrey:
Crouched against the dumpster, Aubrey was straining to smell or see anything coming from the building. Even though there was the scent of humans everywhere, it didn't seem like there was much activity going on. <<Yeah, I don't see anything either.>> Her ears perked forward, trying to hear any conversation coming from the building.
Then one ear twitched sideways as she heard Fin and Drake land nearby. It was dark, and she couldn't exactly see them very well on the ground. But she had already caught the scent of Fin's bat and Drake's lizard. The dog's mind immediately wanted to investigate the little lizard--maybe even chase, if he ran--but Aubrey pushed the urge away.
<<Be careful, Drake.>> She said, after he had scampered into the pawn shop. Aubrey moved away from the dumpster and nearer to the building. If Drake needed help, she wanted to be close at hand. <<Hmm, well. You're small enough to not be noticed, really. And even if you are noticed, you're a lizard. So, I think you should try.>>
Fin:
Fin found a place to perch so that he would have no more unwanted visits and run into any trees. He wrapped the black leathery wings around him and flared his ears. He closed his eyes completely just concentrating on the sounds he was hearing and the world they were painting in his head. It wasn't as accurate as his sonar was but his ears were about 10 times better than a humans.
He fired off a blast every once in a while and the world was his again before going dark in his ears. He pin pointed the dog that was Aubrey and the lizard that was Drake at least until it disappeared under the door. He even found the Suji owl who looked like dinner to him. Drake had only looked like a snack but Suji could have been a meal. And he was about three times her size currently.
It was really too bad he wasn't a real bat. <<Don't worry I'm close by,>> in response to Suji's suggestion/order to stay close. He knew he was annoyed and on edge and tried to limit it. <<Don't go in Drake, if you can't hear anything from outside then don't bother. We aren't on an official mission and that meeting isn't anything we need to know so we shouldn't be taking any more risks.>>
Suji:
Drake agreed to go in as a lizard, and Suji felt mildly relieved. He didn't have the foolhardy eagerness of someone who didn't understand dangers, and at the same time, he didn't need any coercing. If he'd been uncomfortable with it she might have been able to go roach and investigate herself, but it was better to have more scouts, at least in this situation.
Then Drake asked if he should go in. Aubrey said yes, Fin said no. Fuck, Suji cursed to herself, bitter when she quickly realized that she'd been made into the tie-breaker. <<Fin's right, we're not on an official mission. See if you can climb the wall to hear better, but don't go in. Too risky->>
Something glinted on the street level, and Suji's thoughtspeak immediately dropped off. She'd caught a reflector on the back of a bike as someone was pedaling along. They were dashing quickly, cutting sharply around the nearest corner. <<Aubrey, watch out, drop back!>> The person on the bike (mid-30s, male, Asian) was bee-lining straight for Shaun's Pawns. <<Drake, get somewhere safe, you might be getting some company soon.>>
Drake:
Drake was a bit disappointed that he could not just go in and listen to the conversation, but the majority had spoken. And he did not disagree with them. It was an unnecessary risk, even though it was an extremely minor one.
He was about to try and climb the wall like Suji had suggested, but then her warning entered his head. Someone it coming? Drake rushed to find a hiding spot. He found a seemingly safe place under a counter stacked with... records? Wasn't that a happy coincidence.
He had hardly gotten out of view before the people from the back room came out to the front. They must be expecting whoever was arriving. He could only see their feet, but he could see that there were two of them. One was wearing worn-out cowboy boots and a ripped pair of jeans, the other had on well-shined black dress-shoes and spotless white pants. <<It looks like I might be doing some spying after all.>>
Thack (Suji):
"Sootman! Sootman, you in?! It's me, Thack, man you've got to hear this!" Even Suji could hear that much, though it was hard to determine if Thack was some kind of Yeerk name, or a human nick-name. He didn't mention any numbers though. Thack barged into the front door after tossing his bite to the ground (it looked pretty banged up overall, like that might have been a frequent occurrence). At least he hadn't spotted Aubrey, and Suji hoped that Drake had found a spot to hide. He was a lizard, so it shouldn't be too hard, right?
"Yo Sootman!" Again, shouting loud enough that her owl ears could pick it up. "I got some information what pays back my last debt!"
Aubrey:
<<Right, right.>> They were probably right, it was a better idea that Drake didn't go investigating. He didn't need to put himself in unnecessary risk. But still, what was this place? And who was running it?
Aubrey had been too focused on the pawn shop to hear the approach of the bike. She immediately reversed direction, quickly darting back to the dumpster she had been hiding against previously. Just as soon as she had gotten out of view, the person on the bike sped past. He skidded to a stop at the pawn shop, throwing his bike down.
<<Geez!>> Aubrey said. She was back in the shadow of the dumpster, frozen stiff. She didn't think the guy had seen her. Hopefully it would stay that way.
Drake:
"Yeah, yeah, keep it down. I'm coming."
Drake saw the white pants move towards the door. That must be Sootman, Drake thought to himself. He heard the creak of the pawn shop's door. <<I think the guy with the white pants is in charge,>> Drake relayed to his team.
Sootman:
"Get in here!" Humphrey whispered loudly, yet sternly. "You weren't followed, where you?" He led his new guest in by the register after checking quickly outside to make sure nobody else was there. When he turned around he noticed it was Thack. That annoying little beast? He better have something good if he thinks it will repay what he owes.
"Didn't I tell you never to come here without making arrangements first? You're interrupting another meeting." He gestured to the other man in the room. "Now, what is so important?" Despite his annoyance for Thack and displeasure for making another one of his customers wait, Mr. Sootman was greedily waiting to hear what information he was about to be offered.
Thack (Fin):
Thack pulled out a small vial from his inside pocket and presented it proudly...and with little care. The vial almost slipped from his fingers and he scrambled to catch it. When he had it in hand again he was a little more careful when showing it to Sootman. "Dude, I got this from my buddy Trap. He said it was an antidote or something. Figured your costumers might want it uh?" He turned towards the other man in the room and nodded at him as if they were both sharing a secret at Sootman's expense.
Leon:
Leon smiled warmly and nodded back to Thack even though he was thinking the man was a fool and a braggart. His hands toyed with a small ball as he leaned against a display case of records. His other hand rested nonchalantly on his belt buckle, a large oval brass, plate with a star imprinted on it.
Sootman:
Humphry was not having a good day today. Leon Ramirez was one of his best customers...and most dangerous. And he didn't like to be kept waiting, especially for fools like Thack 657. But an antidote....Now that was interesting. An antidote to what? And was it worth angering Ramirez further by spending time questioning Thack. Probably not.
"Yes, good an antidote." He had to keep his hands from reaching out to take the vial from Thack's witless fingers but if he showed an interest the man would never leave. "Come back in the morning and we'll talk about it. It probably isn't worth much but I may give you a cred for it or so."
Thack looked at Sootman and put the vial back in his pocket. "Whatever dude, I'll just take it to Sal." Sal Monius was Sootman's biggest rival. That was all Thack knew about him. He was hoping mentioning the guy's name might get Sootman interested.
"Fine, take it to Sal, he'll give you less for that worthless little thing than I would. I'm sure the antidote is useless but that is quality glass ware. I'm sure it would come in handy. But you know Sal, he doesn't really deal in that stuff."
Thack looked angry at Sootman's words and then he turned and left, his sneakers squeaking on the floor.
Sootman turned back to Ramirez with a pandering look on his face. "Sorry about the interruption. Where were we?"
Leon:
Ramirez smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. "No worries Sootman," he said, a slight Mexican accent tugging at his voice. "We were just talking prices. My men will need those weapons so let' get this business finished with."
Suji:
Suji could make out three distinct voices, but not the words being exchanged. <<What's going on, Drake?>> She was slightly anxious: that guy had obviously been carrying something he had considered very important. Something he'd been trying to sell? Information for sale? If so: why come to a pawnshop? Then again, why did the shop keep such late hours? Maybe it was more than just some dusty bin of broken trinkets and useless antiques.
Thack:
Thack knew what he was carrying was big. He knew that Sootman would be kicking himself soon enough, if he didn't take Thack up on his offer. But at the same time... he didn't owe Sal the way he owed Sootman. And he knew Sootman would butter up to him well enough once this other guy, whoever he was, was out of the picture. So he turned on his heel at the last moment, and went and sat down in a rickety whicker chair near the door.
Waiting was hard for Thack. That's why he got into so much trouble so easily. But it was also why he had a hand on one of the first antidote prototypes. This would pay back his debt and then some, hell, Sootman would owe him. Thack might be a bit careless, but he wasn't stupid. He knew what this was worth, and he wouldn't be leaving until he had Sootman all but kissing his shoes.
Drake:
Drake heard Suji's question and was trying to figure out how to respond. Without seeing there faces, it was hard to tell exactly what was going on. He would just have to try and explain as best he could.
<<As best I can tell... The main guy here is called Sootman. The guy who just arrived is trying to talk Sootman into taking some sort of antidote off his hands, and the other guy is doing some sort of weapons deal with him. Oh, and they mentioned someone else named Sal, too. I hope that made more sense to you guys that it does to me. I will try to find out more.>> Drake felt a little bad that he was not a top-notch spy, but he was still trying to do as best he could.
Sootman:
Sootman allowed himself half a smile when he noticed Thack sitting down in the chair instead of leaving. I knew he wouldn't go to that junk vendor, Sal. He has a debt to pay with me. Sootman snapped his attention back to the conversation at hand before his mind started to wander too far. Leon wouldn't appreciate him missing any details.
Leon:
So the guy stayed, Leon thought as he noticed Thack sitting down in the chair as well. Sootman must be as good as they say he is. "So you can get two shipments by the fifth? What about the third shipment? We'll need it by the eighth at the latest. You better not disappoint."
"Yes, yes, I never do," Sootman Replied. "Just make sure to have your payment in before then and everything will work out." Leon nodded in agreement then shook the man's hand to seal the deal. Sootman had never failed to follow through on an offer before, and they really needed those weapons. But still, he always felt as if he just got ripped off whenever he visited the man. He just shrugged off the feeling and started heading towards the back door.
Suji:
<<Huh.>> It was all Suji had. Instantly she began processing that information, kicking herself for not being in roach morph down there with him. Not that she didn't trust Drake to relay important information (he seemed more well put-together in the mental department that a lot of the other Animorphs she'd met), but it still made her antsy to not be hearing it first-hand. <<Just... I guess we can wait a while longer, but if you think you're in danger, let us know.>>
But it didn't sound like he was running any immediate risk of exposure. He was a small lizard in a darkened building--a pawn shop no less. Suji was sure there were plenty of places to hide.
Thack:
FINALLY. That guy left. Thack had Sootman's attention, and it felt like he'd been waiting a million years. He stood up, though he didn't immediately rush over to Sootman. Didn't want to seem TOO desperate. Anxious, he was, but with what he was holding, what he knew, he didn't have to be desperate at all not tonight.
Unfortunately, Thack wasn't the best at playing his cards close to his chest. And so he found himself blurting everything out at once.
"You've heard 'bout the virus they're all working on, right? I mean, I mean, no one knows anything for SURE, but this here is proof that they've narrowed it all down to just one, maybe two--but probably one--strain. Superflu, or whatever they end up calling it--highly contagious, though they're gonna be immunizing they hosts soon enough. And I got a vial of the antidote! See, even janitorial work has its perks!"
Aubrey:
Aubrey shifted in the shadows. <<Antidote...? Weird.>> Things had calmed down so Aubrey was sitting now, shoulder leaning against the dumpster and ears perked towards the pawn shop. The dog's sharp hearing could pick up the muffled sound of voices from inside.
Sootman:
Thack was a bad actor. Sootman could smell the man's anxiety and desperation from miles away. So he listened patiently to Thack's babbling, trying not to show his smile. He was pleased. He could tell that Thack thought this antidote was something important, and that might mean what he had was actually very valuable. That meant good things for Sootman. Anything valuable always tickled his fancy.
Keeping up his air of calm disinterest, Sootman extended his open hand. "Let me see it." Thack almost broke the vial shoving it into Sootman's palm. Unhurried, Sootman lifted the vial up close to his glasses to get a better look. He tilted it back and forth, watching the liquid slosh from one side to the other. So far the virus thing had been rumors, as far as Sootman knew. But if what Thack said was true--and this was truly the antidote to the virus--then this was worth a lot. Sootman could almost already see free humans trampling over each other to buy it off his hands. The thought made him giddy.
"Hmmmmm," Sootman said slowly, deliberately. Thack was hanging on his words, watching Sootman anxiously. Sootman lowered the vial, looking down and rolling it between his thick fingers. Thack leaned forward, his shadow falling over the table.
"What's it worth? Would it repay my debt? You know? Yeah?" Thack scratched behind his sweaty head, peering at Sootman in the dim light. "That's Grade A stuff, man. I know you can tell. So what's it worth?"
Sootman paused, trying to think of how he could get this off of Thack with the most profit. He looked up from under his glasses. "Okay. I'll give you something for it. And--" Sootman placed the vial on the table, tapping it lightly with his fingernail. "--I'll consider your debt payment if you can get me more of these. We can figure out a price."
Leon (Fin):
Ramirez walked calmly out of the shop, boot heels clicking on the pavement. He stopped a short distance from the shop under the solitary light of one working streetlamp and took out some tobacco and a rolling paper. He slowly rolled a cigarette as he thought about the meeting that had just taken place.
Sootman had seemed helpful enough though he had been a little rude. But nothing too bad, not enough for Ramirez to take offense and ruin their profitable relationship, no. But Leon did have to wonder what tThack had thought so valuable to interrupt a meeting with him. Everyone in the Dallas underground knew of Ramirez, knew his reputation, and not many would cross him, nor continue to cross him when they realized he was displeased.
The fact that Thack was a fool did not explain why he had disregarded Leon's presence and the danger it put him in so completely. Either he was truly desperate or he had something truly valuable, or both. Both was always possible. And if Thack had something valuable, well then, Ramirez should probably consider leaving him so that he could serve as a good source. But the man had angered him.
Ramirez lit his cigarette and stood under the lamp, the light casting harsh shadows that left his eyes in darkness except for when they were briefly lit up by the lighter. And then they burned. But the flame died and the light in his eyes did as well, the dark irises taking on the stoney quality he was known for.
Ramirez pulled his gun from his waistband and checked to make sure it was loaded even though it was always loaded, and then he calmly waited for Thak to exit the shop...calmly.
Whifts of smoke drifted up from the man's cigarette and tickled Fin's sensitive nose. He laid his large, leathery ears flat against his skull in a show of distaste but didn't move. He didn't want the man below him to see a large tropical bat in the Dallas night. That and he didn't want to get shot. Getting shot would be bad too. And the man below him just had an odd air about him but it was a vibe Fin recognized. Matthias had felt like this, like a killer.
<<Guys maybe we should think about getting out of here soon.>>
Drake:
<<Ok, this is what I got so far. The guy with the cowboy boots just made arrangements to buy three shipments of weapons, and has left now. But I suppose you guys know that since you are outside. And the other guy that entered is trying to sell an antidote to this Sootman guy and it looks like they just made some sort of deal. Just a second. I think they are going to say something important.>>
Thack:
More? Sootman wanted more!? "What the... Do you know what I had to do to get that?" Thack began pacing back and forth nervously. Sootman was supposed to owe him for getting this, not the other way around. How did he always manage to do that. That was it, Thack wasn't going to take it anymore.
"No!" he blurt out suddenly, surprising even himself. "This should be more than enough to cover what I owe and you know it. Now we're settled, and that's that!"
Sootman:
"Listen here you little rat!" Sootman said, shaking his pointer at Thack and walking towards him until he backed into the wall. "You said yourself that there still might be more than one strain of the virus out there. If you brought me the wrong antidote then it's worthless, now isn't it?"
Sootman took a step back and smoothed out his suit, suddenly calm. "Now, if you bring me what I asked then we'll consider your debt like I said. And you would be wise not to forget what you owe. Now scram, before I decide to charge you for an unscheduled meeting."
He watched out of the corner of his eye as Thack scrambled towards the door. He would bring it. Just you wait.
Suji:
<<Agreed,>>Suji intoned after Fin. This was heavy enough information, and while Suji was determined to stick around (even if she had to do it alone) long enough to put as much of it together as possible, there were too many Animorphs here right now. Suji's owl and Drake's lizard were tiny enough to go unnoticed, but Fin and Aubrey were a lot more exposed. Aubrey couldn't fly, but she might be able to pull off being a stray... but what happened if these people didn't exactly give stray dogs the Disney movie treatment? On the other hand Fin could get away faster, but he was an enormous bat and a lot harder to explain away.
Drake fed them more of what was going on, and Suji knew the hairs at the back of her neck would have been raising if she were human. What had they stumbled in on? A weapons deal? The sale of an antidote?
Because if there was an antidote, that meant that there had to be a sickness. And Suji didn't like the sound of that. If this Sootman guy was into selling weapons to that guy down there (Suji did not at all like the look of him, especially not with three other Animorphs that needed to get home safely)... something told her that the antidote wouldn't exactly be on par to a meager flu vaccine.
<<Did they say who made the antidote? Or what it's for?>> They would talk abut it when they got home of course, but she didn't want Drake to have to sit on that information alone, if he had it. Better to entrust it amongst their shared memory. That was the most important information for now, and they could try to pick his head for details later.
Thack:
As Thack was opening the door, he looked back. He wasn't stupid (but he sure wasn't brilliant either). He knew he was getting played. But Sootman scared him, Sootman had powerful friends--or at least the means to hire the services of powerful friends--and Thack was indebted to him. But this was big. He knew it. Still, he couldn't escape the life, could he? Maybe Thack had tied the noose around his own neck, but it was Sootman who had the power to kick the chair from underneath his feet.
"You better remember this, though, Sootman! It's my ass on the line bringin' you that. I'd treat me real nice if I were you."
And with that he practically threw himself out the door, skirting around the figure standing on the porch, and making his way back to his bike.
Leon (Fin):
Ramirez turned and regarded Thack as he left the shop. He was leaning nonchalantly against the porch railing arm's crossed as he watched the stars that could be seen here in the lack of light of the construction zone. Destruction was a better description. Leon's neighborhood had used to be here, before it got razed by the dracon attacks of course.
Smoke drifted past the rim of his hat, the orange glow of the end of the cigarette as he took a drag momentarily lighting up his face revealing a young man of Mexican descent, gray in the stubble of his beard, put there prematuraly by a war and a life that had not been kind to him.
Stress and frown lines were etched into his face and only his eyes redeemed him. They were dark and beautiful, and many women had fallen for them in Leon's short 25 years. They could hold kindness and good humor and lit Leon's whole face up at times, softening everything else that seemed so hard about him.
But Ramirez, unlike most people, could lie with his eyes. Right now they spoke the truth since he had no one to pretend for and the truth was he wasn't a very nice person at all.
And he didn't like Thack.
He walked slowly down the three stairs and over to where Thack was getting on his bike and working on getting the old thing to start. Ramirez was smiling, the expression open and friendly, it even reached his eyes.
Thack:
Thack was pissed. He had really thought he was free, scott free. That antidote was gold.
He wasn't paying complete attention to the shop, too intent on taking out his anger on his bike and only making the process of getting it started longer by doing so. But he had lived in bad times long enough that he wasn't completely dense to danger and looked up at the shadowy from of a man approaching him.
Thack had parked his bike in the alley behind Sootman's shop, under a broken streetlamp, the glass littering the ground around him. There was some light coming from Sootman's shop from the back window. It was yellow and dim but it was enough for him to see by. Enough so that it satisfied the foolish human instinct in him that felt safer in light.
The man stepped out of the shadows, entering the wide beam coming from Sootman's window. He was smiling and Thack remembered that he had seemed friendly enough in the shop but for some reason, meeting him here, in the darkness, Thack didn't feel as safe despite the light, despite the friendly smile.
"Uh, hi. Can I help you?"
Leon:
"Perhaps but I don't think we'll ever find out." Ramirez said, voice full of fake regret and easily pulled the gun from the small of his back, aimed at Thack, and shot him. At the last minute the man had gotten a comical look of surprise and dismay on his face, an expression he would now be stuck with for eternity.
Thack's head snapped back with the force of the shot and he fell backwards off his bike, his body landing on its back in the glass shards and garbage of the alley.
Ramirez walked over and squatted next to the body, examining the neat hole in Thack's forehead though he knew the hole in the back of his head would not be so pretty. In fact there was a nice splashing of bone, brain, blood and (hopefully) yeerk on the wall that had been behind his head. A pool of blood was now forming around his body.
Sure of his death Ramirez decided to take his bike. He pulled the helmet that Thack hadn't gotten on in time to protect the integrety of his skull from the man's dead finger and was about to turn away when he spotted a beautiful dog cowering behind a dumpster.
Leon missed dogs. He hadn't seen a good one in a couple of years though every once and a while a stray would cross his path but those beasts were always flea bitten curs not worth the little meat they carried on their bones. This one looked like it might have potential under all that dirt.
Leon carefully put the helmut on the seat of the motorcycle and stuck his gun back into his waist band. He whistled softly to the dog. He had always wanted a dog.
Aubrey:
<<Yeah, I think I agree-->> Aubrey yelped with surprise when the loud gunshot broke the still air. Suddenly, her sensitive nose burned with the sickening stench of hot blood. <<Oh god. Oh god.>> The smell was too familiar. The dog was attracted, but Aubrey was repulsed. She started backing up against the dumpster, making small whimpering sounds and shifting from one foot to the other. The dog wanted to bolt, but Aubrey was frozen.
Then the man noticed her. Shit. One ear swiveled towards him at the sound of his whistle, and she lowered closer to the ground. Her hackles raised, and a low growl formed at the back of her throat. <<He's seen me.>> Could she run? Would he shoot her too? He probably just thinks I'm a stray. She didn't want to give him reason to think otherwise. Slowly, she began to back away, tail between her legs.
Sootman:
"Yeah, yeah. Sure." Sootman shook his head, watching Thack stumble out of the door. Thack liked to talk tough, but Sootman knew the man backwards and forwards. He picked up the vial, smiling to himself. Sootman would get his way, and he'd carve out a nice little sum for himself when Thack brought him more of these antidotes. The fool was just so easy to manipulate, it was--Sootman jumped and almost dropped the vial.
Outside, the air was ringing with the terrible sound of a gunshot. Sootman looked up, his face squished into expression something akin to 'huh?'. He carefully placed the vial in one of his drawers--making sure it was safe--before heading over to the door of his pawn shop. Thack hadn't properly closed the damn thing--it was old and needed replacing anyways--so all Sootman had to do was nudge it. It swung open slowly, pouring dim light into the back alleyway. It took a few moments for Sootman to figure out what was lying on the ground. It was Thack. Lying in a puddle of blood.
Sootman's expression dropped from confusion to red-faced exasperation. "No! Not my customer! Agh!" He hobbled over towards Thack's body, running chubby hands through his hair. Thack had known where the rest of these antidotes were, Thack was supposed to make Sootman more money. Now he was dead, and Sootman had lost his source. Which meant he had lost some profit. Which was terrible news.
"Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!" Sootman stood over the body, pinching the bridge of his nose to compose himself. He had noticed Ramirez nearby, and now he leveled his gaze on the man. He knew not to mess with Ramirez--everybody knew that, you'd have to be beyond stupid to not know that--but, still! "You could have waited just a little bit longer to do that. Oooh." Sootman chewed on one of his fingernails, peering at Thack's lifeless body for a good, long moment.
"Ahh, well! Waste not, want not." With a grunt, Sootman knelt down, careful to keep clear of the spreading pool of blood. He began rifling through Thack's pockets. After a few seconds, Sootman pulled out a greasy wad of money. He had to swallow a squeal of delight, shoving the money into his own pocket. He continued searching. A paper clip, a pebble, lint, lint, lint, lint, a tissue, a fork. Sootman sat back on his heels, sighing. Well, at least the body and clothing might fetch something on the Black Market.
Suji:
<<Run.>> It was a calculated risk. Ramirez might be good with a gun, but the way he whistled to Aubrey's morph--rather than blasting it on sight--made Suji doubt he'd randomly kill the animal. Even though he'd randomly killed a human just seconds before. besides, the gun was in his waistband. He'd been slow enough drawing it that Thack had had time to look surprised, and even if the accuracy had been good, he hadn't been far from Thack and Thack hadn't been moving. <<Don't go directly back to the Temple. I'll fly your cover home.>>
This mission was over. And the seen of the murder weighed heavily in Suji's gut. This man, whoever he was, had just shot someone that apparently had hold of an antidote. Sure that might be completely inconsequential to them, but stupidly random acts of violence... No time to dwell on that. Better to get everyone back. <<Drake, Fin. Get back to the Temple together, but make sure that Ramirez guy is around the corner before you come into view, Fin.>>
As she rose into the air she saw Ramirez putting on the bike's helmet, and slinging a leg around to straddle it. Thankfully, he was heading south, and they, were not.
<<Be safe guys,>> she called out.
Sootman:
Sootman watched as Ramirez regarded him blankly a last time, and then rode off on Thack's bike. Once Ramirez was out of sight, he dropped the more affable act. Sure he was going to keep the money, and sure that'd been a nice concession prize for this utter failure of a proper nightly transaction, but Sootman was not a fool. You did not get to be as powerful as Sootman did by being an idiot.
An idiot that Ramirez apparently was.
Sootman went back inside, and made several phone calls. The first was to a person he knew that would come and pick up the body, giving him a flat payment and then maybe more if Thack's organs turned out to be healthy (which they probably wouldn't, but there was a shot, wasn't there?). The next call was to the Yeerk Peace Movement contacts he had. Thack hadn't had time to get more of the antidote for obvious reasons, so Sootman just better hope that this was the antidote for the strain of virus that the government was planning to unleash. Even if it wasn't, though, he knew he could still made a pretty penny from it. Not the mountain of gold he'd get otherwise, but...
The Peace Movement would help him manufacture it in bulk, and wouldn't even try to twist his arm about him selling it, either. Because they'd just care that it was getting out somehow. That was how goody-goody types work.
And that settled the profitable parts of the night. Now, though, came the situation that was Ramirez. Sootman seethed inwardly. You did not simply shoot people in front of his business location, much less in the damn lawn. It wasn't done, no matter how much of a badass vigilante you thought you were. Because everyone could be hurt, and Sootman was in the business of knowing how to help those who helped him, and more importantly, hurt those who didn't follow the rules.
The next call went to his weapons guy. The shipment would contain a defective round for every 4 or 5 bullets. The money would come out of Sootman's pockets, yes, but this was about respect. You didn't climb to the top of the black market by being nothing but sniveling and easily pushed around. He would be taken seriously. The defective bullets would either not fire, or blow up in the hands of anyone who tried to fire them.
His last call was to someone he tried not to call much. Not because this person knew the rules--they 110% knew them--but because they were possibly the only more well-connected person in the seedy underground of Dallas than him.
"I need you to take care of a guy. He's riding south of my store, on a bike." Sootman described Ramirez in all the nitty-gritty detail a good buyer and seller was capable of. He named the price.
"As good as done," a female voice answered from the other end of the line.
Drake:
Drake had managed to sneak out of the shop after Sootman left to see what the loud sound was. What was that loud sound, anyway? It sounded like a gunshot. Then Drake felt a little queasy when he realized it probably was.
<<Did Aubrey get away?>> Drake asked as he dropped off the corner of the porch and scurried around the corner. <<I am out of the shop now if anyone was wondering. I will wait for the all clear from you before I go any further, okay Fin?>> Drake knew that nobody would pay attention to a little lizard in the dark, even if anyone was still outside. But Drake did not feel like taking any more chances at the moment. He just wanted to get back to The Temple in one piece.
Fin:
The murder had bothered Fin a bit. I mean it was so pointless. And he was too close too it by far. His sensitive ears were ringing. Not cool.
He didn't drop off the lamp post right away knowing that his shadow passing in front of the light would give him away. He waited until the gangster/cowboy guy had driven away and until Sootman was back inside before dropping off the lamp post and flying towards the side of the house, picking out Drake's small lizard form among the rubble.
He swooped down and plucked the lizard from the ground, only remembering at the last second to warn Drake, <<Drake buddy, I'm about to pick you up.>> He flapped hard to get back in the air and then turned towards the Temple. <<I don't know about you but I don't want to demorph anywhere near that guy, he's too sneaky like.>>
Aida:
Aida had spent some time in New York after the Faction Leader meeting ended, and it was then that she heard of Matthias never returning. Part of her felt guilty, but another part of her was still numb and so felt nothing. Cassie had ordered her to stay, saw the state she was in and decided it the healthiest choice. Now...a short time later she found herself in Dallas.
It had been a long trip to endure alone, but she'd done it, switching between morphs. Fin was in Dallas, or so Cassie had told her, and since Vancouver was not an option she found herself officially moved. The New York faction had been kind enough, but Aida couldn't see herself flourishing there...they were all...so much stronger than she thought herself to be.
Aida shifted uncomfortably in front of the Temple, no one had been around that she could see. Her brown eyes scanned the sky, looking for a sign of some patroller, or anyone. No one yet, so she remained leaning against the building, her arms tucked across her chest.
Suji:
Aubrey wasn't far behind, but Suji had spotted Aida immediately. <<Aubrey, slow down a second. Someone is standing outside of the Temple.>> Suji quickly surveyed her. Skin tight clothing, no shoes, that expression of waiting. Suji had been there. Of course one had to take precautions, but she was already standing outside their hideout.
<<We have a visitor,>> she broadcasted to the other three, hoping that the message reached to Drake and Fin, who had left shortly after she did. <<I'm assuming that her clothing choice means she's either an Animorph, or trying to pass as one. Morphable clothes, no shoes. Was Ray expecting someone?>> They could probably escort her to another building--Aubrey's dog wouldn't be bad at that kind of persuasion. Hold her for three days, though the fact that she was already in front of their home meant that she had to know something. People didn't just hang around in the dead of night in this part of town.
Aubrey:
<<Run.>>
Trying not to think about the smell of blood in the air, Aubrey turned and began running in the opposite direction. With her sensitive hearing she picked up the sound of the motorcycle's engine revving. Her paws hit the dirt and rubble as she ran, padding around garbage left in the streets. She couldn't hear the guy's motorcycle behind her or anything, but she still took the long way back towards the Temple.
Once the Temple got closer she slowed down to a trot, tongue hanging from her mouth and breathing hard. The dog mind's was happy to have been running--throughout this whole affair Aubrey had had a lot of pent up energy. Especially after seeing what had happened in front of the pawn shop.
<<I see her.>> Aubrey was walking now, both eyes and ears warily pointed towards the girl leaning against the Temple. She stopped some distance away from Aida, fluffy tail curled over her back. Aubrey looked the part of a dirty stray, her gray and white coat caked with mud and filth. <<I haven't heard Ray mention anybody coming here.>>
Fin:
Fin was cruising through the night with the small lizard that was Drake in his claws. He had done a couple of patrols as a bat since coming here so he was talking as he went.
<<And that over there is Old Man Firehouse. I call it that because of how it is all slouched over. And over there is Tricky Ricky. I don't know why I decided on Ricky. I think because it rhymes. But don't try flying around there. The way that roof is all broken up makes the wind blow funny and if you're not ready for it you get thrown into that wall,>> he said pointing with his snout. <<And then we have the Lemon Tree. Back in Vancouver we had this tree around our Lodge that smelled like oranges. I don't know why. And that tree reminds me of it but I didn't want to call it Orange Tree two so I went with lemons. It actually doesn't smell like anything really.>>
He swooped low over a roof and dropped down behind it as the Temple came into sight. He'd taken a slightly longer route back because he was a bit easier to spot and follow. Though not really because his dark fur blended into the night very well. Still, best to take precautions.
He was firing sonar at all times and heard the young woman standing in front of the Temple before he saw her. He pulled up and headed towards the church steeple. He didn't want to be seen especially when he was carrying Drake and couldn't make sure the person would never see again if necessary.
He came to a landing in the church steeple and dropped Drake off. <<Hey Drake we got ourselves a visitor down there.>> He was now in Dallas and a southern accent was appropriate. It was taking him longer to pick it up though.
Fin crawled to the ledge of the steeple and fired sonar down at the unknown while he listened to Suji and Aubrey's chatter in his head. Something about her...
The wind dropped to nothing for a moment and his echos came back clearer than ever. He threw himself out of the steeple and began spiraling down towards the young woman. He would have landed on her shoulder but he was a bit big to do that. He landed on the church sign in front of her instead, holding on to the rotting wood with all four claws instead of hanging from it.
Crouched like that he looked like an odd cat. <<Miss me?>>
Aida:
It wasn't long before she spotted them, and Aida took a step forward, glancing upwards at an owl and then at her level there was a dog further off. Animorphs, neither were forms she knew Fin to have, so Aida felt anxiety well up inside her. The shy girl had never been good with introductions, she hoped they wouldn't freak out before she could explain--or better yet demonstrate--that she was one of them.
As she waited for the animals to get closer she was caught off guard by a bat that came zooming towards her. Before fear could set in however something else took over her, relief? No...more like elation. Aida wasn't one for smiling often but a 100-watt grin quickly lit up her face as the bat perched itself before her.
"I did," she replied, still smiling. "Why do you think I'm here?" Aida wished he were human so she could hug him, but she sufficed with stroking the bats head gently before pulling her hand away. "Cassie...thought I'd do well here..." the corner of her mouth turned up again, because it was Fin that would make it better.
The back of her mind still prickled though, as she noted the newcomers, wondering how they would perceive her. Aida absently ran a hand through her hair, making sure the long trip there hadn't made her worse for wear.
Drake:
A visitor? Drake though to himself. What kind of visitor? As soon as Fin dropped him off in the bell tower, Drake began to demorph. He wanted to be able to become whatever he needed and he was almost at the two-hour limit anyway.
When he heard Fin say <<Miss me?>> he relaxed a little, but was still as confused as ever. As soon as he was demorphed, he opened the trap door and started to make his way down to ground level. All he could think was, Who would want to visit us here?
Suji:
Suji saw Fin and Aida's interaction, and that formed the missing link. There had been word that some major stuff had gone down at the faction leader meeting some time back, and even in the refugee camp Luce and Suji had gotten word about the disbandment of the Vancouver faction. Apparently their leader--one of the longest standing of the bunch--had simply turned coat and ran. Suji wasn't someone who believed whatever they heard, especially not when it came to cross-continental news... but stranger things.
<<Nice to meet you,>> Suji said warrnly as she could (which was still fairly decent; but knowing what they had to discuss, she couldn't help but think of the girl's arrival as a distraction), and allowed herself to fly into visible range. It was still darker than an inkwell around this shabby part of town (none of the lights in the block seemed to work, and the ones that did flickered dimly). She proceeded to the belltower. Drake was in the process of demorphing when she got there, but she left him to go down the ladder first. There wasn't a ton of room up here, and demorphing was a process that kind of made for cramping situations.
<<Not to be rude, but we've got a bit of discussion to get to before we forget any of it. You're certainly welcome to sit in on it if you'd like, and we can all get introduced.>> The trap door fell back shut and Suji began to demorph. She climbed down.
Aubrey:
Aubrey's nervousness ebbed away, seeing Fin's reaction to the girl. Ahh, so it was just a new member, apparently. Aubrey shook her body, dust flying into the air from her fur. The darkness of the night made it so that she couldn't really see Aida very well. She ambled over near the girl, a goofy dog grin on her face and her tail wagging. <<Hello, hello, welcome. I'm Aubrey.>>
Veering off away from Aida, Aubrey headed towards one of the doors leading into the Temple. She hadn't mastered the art of morph-walking, so she didn't start demorphing until she was next to the doorway. A few minutes later she was fully human, crouching against the cold concrete in her bare feet. She was exhausted. She had run all the way here, and demorphing had just added onto that. Even more, her whole body was still tensed up from what had happened earlier. She let out a short sigh.
The door opened with a squeak, and Aubrey slipped through into the Temple to wait for the others. She missed the Haunt, it had been cozy and warm. The Temple just felt large, empty, cold. Different.