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#11
APR 09 |
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Guild War, Part Two:
“Retaliation”
Remy and Jacques hurried into the brownstone. As they entered, Remy took time to note the heavy guards on the main doors. Jean-Luc LeBeau strode forward from the main room. “Excellent work, Remy,” Jean-Luc said as the heavy locks on the doors clunked shut.
“We have trouble, Pere,” Jacques said, stepping forward in front of Remy. “I feel that the Assassins are up to something.”
“I know they are,” Emil Lapin said, stepping out of the shadows. “I managed to finally get the information I needed from the NOPD’s computers. A detective’s personal diary shows that the Assassins have declared war on us.”
“Why haven’t dey attacked?” Jean-Luc asked.
“The police negotiated a five hour delay until the full start of hostilities.”
“De tanker,” Jean-Luc whispered.
“Exactly,” Emil said. “They were allowing enough time to clear civilians out of the way.”
“How long until hostilities begin?” Jacques demanded.
Miles away, Bella Donna Boudreaux smiled as she raised a glass of red wine to her lips. “Now,” she whispered
The Thieves whirled around as thudding started to sound on the outer doors. Remy backed up, trying to protect his father and brother as best he could.
“We got to get out of here!” Remy yelled as the Thieves fought to keep the doors closed.
“Yo’ right,” Jean-Luc said. “Dere’s too many of dem! Secure dose doors den get to de catacombs!” Thieves immediately began barricading the doors with anything they could.
“Not you two,” Remy said to his brother and father. “You’re too important. Le’s get you outta here.” He quickly herded his family into the tunnels that crisscrossed the city beneath the mansion.
Two police were guarding a street as a familiar-looking man walked up. “Hi, fellas,” he said.
The police glanced at each other. “Aren’t you-” the first one started.
The man smiled and nodded. “Yeah.”
“I can’t believe it!” the partner said. “I was a charter member of the MMMS!”
“Really?” the man asked. “It’s great to meet you.” After a few minutes of quick greetings, the man raised his hand. “I don’t guess there’s any way you could let me through for just a few minutes, could you guys? I’d really like to get down into the Quarter and get some pictures. Who knows, maybe I’d get inspired.”
“Sorry, sir,” the first guard said. “There’s been a chemical spill. We can’t let anyone in.”
“He’s right,” the partner agreed. “`Sides, there’s not much inspiring down there. Unless you wanted to create a superhero that’s also a stripper.” The three men laughed.
“Well, I had to try,” the man said. “Excelsior, true believers!” He waved and walked back the way he’d come.
Once he was out of sight, Courier resumed his normal form. He frowned as his cell phone rang. “Yes?” he asked.
“Did it work?” Fontanelle asked.
“No it did not. I feel like I’m impersonating my grandfather or something and it doesn’t do any good. Any more bright ideas?”
There was silence on the other end for a moment. “Get back to the room and we’ll think of something else.” Jacob frowned as he snapped his phone shut. He disliked this more and more as time went by.
Upon hearing the outer doors collapse, the thief known as Tome ran for his library. He quickly locked and barricaded the doors. He then began to quickly move all the books of the Thieves’ history into safer hiding places.
“Come on!” Remy yelled. He pushed Jacques and Jean-Luc ahead of him as they ran deeper into the catacombs beneath the city’s streets. “Keep movin’!” Remy ordered as he turned. The sound of the approaching Assassins was only getting louder. “Sloppy,” he said with a smirk as he pulled two cards out of his pocket. A moment of concentration and they were glowing with the familiar pink energy. He threw them at the ceiling and ran. Behind him, the charged cards struck the ceiling and exploded. An entire section of the tunnels collapsed behind him.
The Assassins fighting their way into the Thieves’ brownstone turned in amazement as Gris Gris and Bella Donna approached. “Report,” she ordered.
The head Assassin approached. “We are gaining entry,” he said. “It is slow going, but we are beginning to secure the building.”
“Unacceptable,” Bella Donna said. “They will have time to flee. Gris Gris?” In response, Gris Gris pulled a small remote control from a pocket and pressed a button. A bomb hidden outside the Thieves’ brownstone detonated, showering the area with debris.
“There is your entrance,” Bella Donna said.
“Yes, ma’am,” the Assassin replied. In seconds, the Assassins were swarming through the hole and into the brownstone.
Bella Donna smirked at Gris Gris as they entered the building after the Assassin horde.
“Move it!” a Thief yelled as Emil Lapin frantically worked to purge his computers of all secure data. Emil’s head jerked up as the Thief yelled and fell to the ground. An Assassin peeked around the corner and threw a knife as Emil dove for his escape hatch. The blade dug deep into his shoulder as he fell into the hatch and quickly closed it. Emil gritted his teeth and pulled the knife free, then quickly bandaged the wound. He slowly began making his way down the escape passageway.
“So this is his bedroom,” Bella Donna said as she stood in Remy and Jacques’s room.
“Are you sure?” Gris Gris asked.
Bella Donna shot him a look before replying. “Of course I am. We were married. I know his scent. I know everything about him.” As she spoke, her hand was unconsciously stroking his pillow. She picked it up, placed it over her face, and inhaled deeply. “This is where he sleeps,” she mused.
Behind her, Gris Gris discreetly cleared his throat. “Ma’am?” he asked.
Bella Donna’s eyes snapped into focus. “Of course,” she said, dropping the pillow. “Follow me.” They walked out of the room, leaving the pillow, and a lone teardrop lying on it, behind.
New Son sat on a throne in his Crystal Cathedral. The shadowtechs had rigged a monitor device that enabled him to watch the action occurring inside the Thieves’s home.
“Excellent,” he said to no one. “The pieces are all on the board and racing towards the endgame exactly as I planned.” He smiled, took a sip of wine, and continued to watch.
Remy turned. The Assassins were getting closer. Despite his little trick with the tunnel, they were growing closer. “Keep going,” he told Jean-Luc. “I’ll slow `em down a little bit and den I’ll catch up.”
“Be careful, Remy,” Jean-Luc said, concern in his eyes. He took Jacques by the arm and pulled him down the tunnel. Remy just smiled and prepared.
The Assassins arrived in the intersection and looked around. Suddenly, Remy dropped from the ceiling. He landed and snapped out his bo staff in a fluid motion, and then exploded into attacks. As his staff cracked into Assassins’ jaws, he kept pulling small gravel from the floor of the tunnel and throwing it. The slight charges in the gravel were pushing his attackers back.
Finally there were too many. A large hand slammed into the back of Remy’s neck and he fell to the floor unconscious.
“Excellent,” Bella Donna said. Gris Gris silently picked up Remy and threw him over his shoulder. Bella Donna and Gris Gris proceeded down the tunnel behind their Assassins.
Jean-Luc quickly keyed a code into a steel door - one anachronism among many in this building. “Inside,” he ordered.
Jacques hesitated, looking back the way they had come. “What about Remy?” he asked.
“He’ll be fine,” Jean-Luc said as he pushed his son inside the old fallout shelter. “He’s tough and he knows de code.” Still, Jean-Luc couldn’t help looking back worriedly as the door hissed shut.
Remy’s eyes fluttered open and he looked around. He appeared to be lying in a field of flowers. Something warm was on his chest. He looked down and discovered an arm. Following it back to its source, he discovered the arm was attached to a sleeping Rogue. Remy’s eyes widened slightly as he saw that she was naked. Of course, that only made sense, considering he was in the same state. He laid his head back down, determined to enjoy this peaceful moment.
The peace was shattered as someone started clapping. He looked up and saw Fontanelle sitting there, clapping. “Excellent work,” she said. “Is the stamina part of your mutant powers?”
Remy looked around, trying to find something to cover his genitals with. Unfortunately, since everything handy seemed to be attached to Rogue, nothing seemed appropriate. Finally Remy just decided to bite the bullet and stood. Fontanelle’s eyes were wide as she took him in. Remy took a deep breath before speaking. “Well, go ahead, Fonty,” he said. “I can tell you got somet’in you’re proud of, so go ahead and let’s hear it.”
“Me?” Fontanelle said with an innocent look. “I’m just glad that nobody’s going to be checking out my dreams tonight. I believe I know what I’ll be dreaming about.”
“T’anks for royally skeevin’ me out,” Remy said. He half-moved to cover himself with his hands, but decided not to give her the satisfaction of seeing him flinch. “I assume you’ve got some sorta business, or are you just feelin’ snoopy?”
Fontanelle snapped her fingers. The field vanished and they were sitting in an office - one of Fontanelle’s preferred environments. She was standing in front of the desk, while Remy was seated in front of her. Remy glanced down and noticed that he was dressed but still lacking a shirt. He just decided to deal with it.
“New Son sent Gavin and me to see what was going on down here,” she explained. She remained silent as Remy quickly filled her in. “Great,” she said. “So the Assassins are making a move on the Thieves.”
“Dat’s about de size of it,” Remy said. He screwed his eyes shut as he realized what an opening he’d just given her. However, to her credit, Fontanelle did let a smile cross her face, she didn’t comment on it. “You said New Son had sent you and Jake down here. Why?” Remy asked. “What’s he care if a bunch of New Orleans rogues start bumpin’ each other off?”
Fontanelle crossed her arms and leaned back against her desk. “A very good question,” she said. “And one that I don’t have an answer for yet. All that I can tell is that he is intensely focused on you. I doubt that he cares anything about anyone else in either Guild. More than that, well…” Fontanelle let her voice trail away.
Remy jumped to his feet and started pacing. “What is it wit’ me?” he muttered. “What’s he really up to?” Fontanelle laid a hand on Remy’s shoulder. He turned, expecting another crude come-on, but looked into a face that was filled with genuine concern.
“Remy,” she said, “I wish I could help you. But our time is nearly up. Just be careful.” As Remy watched, the world began to swirl away.
Remy’s eyes fluttered open and he looked around. He was inside the hidden fallout shelter beneath the Thieves’ brownstone. Bella Donna stood in the center of the room with Gris Gris immediately behind her. Assassins held Jean-Luc and Jacques firmly.
“And so,” Bella Donna was saying, “once we cut off the head of this snake, this Guild will be exterminated for all time.” Two Assassins pushed Jean-Luc down onto a chair and Bella Donna raised a knife to his throat.
“No,” Remy croaked. “You can’t do dis, Belle.”
Bella Donna smiled. “So nice of you to join us, Remy. I’d hate to think that you had missed the end of your Guild.”
“Not dat easy,” Remy said as an answer crystallized in his mind. “I claim de Right of Challenge.”
The Assassins holding Jean-Luc froze. “Denied,” Bella Donna said. She began to move her knife again only to have Gris Gris wrench it from her grasp.
“It is his right,” Gris Gris said. “You must honor it.”
“Very well, then,” Bella Donna said. “I accept your challenge.” A sick smile crossed her lips. “It shall be you and me. To the death.”
Far away, New Son simply sipped his wine and smiled.
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To Be Continued...
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