Part 50 (1/2)
”Hey!” the cop yelled. ”What the h.e.l.l are you doing?”
”Sorry,” Aaron replied.
He sat in the driver's seat of the car, which was still running. He merged into the flow of traffic and continued east towards the lake.
”That was slick,” Lucifer said. ”Now will you tell me who you are?”
”No.”
”That's not fair. I did my part. I gave up peacefully. You owe me.”
”I kept you out of jail, didn't I?” Aaron said. ”And you're still alive. That's as much as I promised, and much more than you deserve. Now be quiet. I have to call my boss.”
He took out his phone and dialed Ethel.
She answered, ”Yes?”
”I captured the enemy, ma'am,” Aaron said. ”I'm dressed as a cop and driving a police car. He's handcuffed in the back seat.”
”Excellent work. I knew I could count on you.”
”Thanks.” He grinned. A compliment from Ethel was a special treat.
”Take the prisoner to headquarters,” she said.
”Why?” The order came as a shock.
”Smythe is trying to find a cure for the poison. He could use a live test subject to experiment on, and your man is exactly what the doctor ordered.”
”I see, ma'am,” Aaron said. ”I'm guessing the subject won't survive the experiment.”
”He will be dissected afterwards.”
”Yuck. Speaking of poison, did you destroy the beer, yet?”
”Marina and I are working on it,” she said. ”We'll see you at headquarters later. Bye.”
He put away his phone.
”What were you talking about?” Lucifer said. ”Some kind of experiment?”
”It's good news,” Aaron said. ”My boss wants you to join the team. In fact she already has a job for you. We're going straight to headquarters, where you're going to help us find a cure for the poison.”
”I am?”
”You're perfectly qualified.”
”How?” Lucifer said.
”You're expendable.”
Lucifer was silent for a long moment. ”I'm still going to die, aren't I?”
”Yes,” Aaron said.
”Why?”
”The universe is a finely tuned machine. All the parts have to function, and you, my friend, are broken beyond repair. We have to take you out.”
”I can change,” Lucifer said. ”Give me a chance!”
Aaron sighed. ”Just relax. Look at the beautiful clouds at sunset. Admire G.o.d's creation for the last time.”
Chapter Twenty-nine.
Marina and Ethel stood at the edge of the crowd of beer drinkers. The disappearance of the Eternals had not stopped the party at all. Instead, some other men had taken over the vital duty of dispensing free beer. The redness of their cheeks and the sloppiness of their work indicated they had taken plenty for themselves as a reward for their n.o.ble service.
Marina was still coming down from the adrenalin rush of her fight. She felt a little sleepy as a result. She wanted more action, but that seemed unlikely to happen. The main part of the mission was done, and now they were in the dull and dreary cleanup phase. She hated this part.
”We have to clear these people out, ma'am.”
Ethel nodded. ”What do you suggest?”
”I have tear gas.”
”That's a little extreme. Smoke grenades will suffice.”
”Yes, ma'am,” Marina said.
They found a secluded spot upwind of the party. Both women took smoke grenades from under their coats, unscrewed the caps, and tossed the canisters onto the gra.s.s. They backed off quickly.
A cloud of greasy, black smoke filled the air. The party evaporated, the men and women fleeing as fast as their wobbly legs would carry them.
When the smoke cleared, Marina was looking at a pile of over a hundred beer kegs. Many of them were still full.
”That was easy,” she said. ”Now we just have to destroy the beer. I have a stick of C4.”
”No,” Ethel said. ”The explosion would blow hot shrapnel all over the neighborhood. I'll call the manager of the Mooseland brewery. What was his name? Gitelman? I'll have him send a truck and some men to collect the beer.”
”That could take an hour or two in this traffic. In the meantime, we'll have to stand guard and keep people away, somehow. And what if the police show up, ma'am?”
Ethel looked up and Marina followed her gaze. A dark rain cloud was forming directly over the pile of kegs. It swelled rapidly as Marina watched, and white electric sparks crackled in the interior. The formation was obviously unnatural.
”Is that what I think it is?”