Chapter 7: Do you know where my passport is?
Robert slammed the door closed behind him. He hated shopping, and shopping in London always made him grumpy.
He marched into his kitchen and dropped his bags onto the kitchen worktop.
'Robert?' Anna's voice asked.
'No, it's bloody Father Christmas! Who did you think it was?' he shouted.
'Just checking.' Anna's voice mumbled.
Robert finished slamming his food shopping into the appropriate cupboards and poured himself a cup of tea. After the ceremonial first gulp and relieved sigh he marched into the living room, from where Anna's incorporeal voice had come.
'Sweet Jesus, what happened to you two?' Robert asked the two. Anna was lying flat out, face down on the settee with an ice pack on the bottom of her back. Tom was slouched in an armchair with a frozen pack of peas on top of his head. There was a packet of aspirin and paracetamol between them.
'Goblin.' Anna muttered into the settee.
'Ghost,' Thomas mumbled whilst looking at the television, 'followed by London commuters.'
'Now that you can have some sympathy for.' Robert smiled. Thomas pointed to the television that was halfway through "Loose Women". Colleen Nolan was talking about something that made her angry to a panel of other women Tom didn't recognise.
'Robert, make them go away.' Tom said, his hand waving uselessly at the remote two feet away on the floor.
Robert walked to the television and turned it off. 'So what happened?'
'One crazy Redcap: dead. Two Londoners: saved. Shuriken: hell yeah.' With her head still in the cushions, Anna held the shuriken belt to her side. Robert took it and pulled one of the stars from its place.
'Cheung's work.' He said. 'I've been trying to get him to show me how he works silver like that for nearly fifteen years.' Robert dropped the shuriken on the floor by Anna's head. "And what happened to you?"
'Commuters.' Tom mumbled.
'Before the commuters.' Robert asked.
'Ghost: much easier to deal with; you can't banish a commuter.'
'Iron works on them though.' Anna's muffled voice contributed. Robert barked out a laugh.
'Murdered girl's bones hidden in a sarcophagus at the museum. It was one of the more rushed banishings I've ever worked.' Tom held up the hand that was resting on the frozen peas to emphasise. Robert took his hand by the wrist to look at the burnt skin on his palm.
'Looks sore.' He said, then poked Tom's palm with his finger. Tom yelped, snatching his hand back from Robert. 'But it'll heal fine. Suppose that's something about using salt in the banishing, reduces the risk of infection.'
'I'm sure that's exactly what they had in mind when then they made the ritual.' Tom mumbled, resting his hand on top of the peas again. 'Ghost girl did interrupt any research we had planned. Charlotte's going to be busy with the police for awhile.'
'That's a shame, I'd have liked to have had some answers.' Robert replied. He sat him self down on a chair near Tom and took another gulp of tea.
A series of muffled noises came from where Anna was laying on the settee.
'What?' Robert shouted at her.
Anna lifted her head up from the cushions, 'I said: I take it you haven't had any calls then.' She finished the sentence with an 'oof' and let her head fall into the sofa.
'No, no I haven't.' Robert said quietly. 'I wouldn't mind the waiting so much if we just knew some more details.'
Anna mumbled something into the sofa and Tom just stared at the blank television screen.
'What the hell are you two poofs playing at? If a ghost and a goblin have got you acting like you're half dead, you need to toughen up! Lilith is strolling the globe, Hell is coming to play and they ain't going to call time because you babies need to catch your breath.' Robert shouted at them both from his chair. His mug of tea was shaking in his hand.
Anna sighed, 'We know, Robert.'
'We were just hoping though,' Tom mumbled 'that if you felt sorry for us, you'd cook dinner.'
Robert spun to look at Anna who had looked up from the settee to Robert with a big cheesy grin. He looked back at Tom, who gave him a sly wink.
'Ya bloody beggars.' Robert mumbled. 'Unbelievable, that's what you are.' he stood up and walked out of the room to the kitchen. 'I cooked this morning, been shopping through damn rush hour…'
Tom and Anna couldn't hear the rest of Robert's angry grumble, but when they heard the first pan hit the stove they grinned and high-fived.
Tom jumped up and turned the television back on. The news came on, showing down town London alive with reporters and police.
The female reporter announced that the 'suspect who earlier kidnapped two people is still at large. He is believed to have escaped from a local asylum, although the police are still investigating.'
'Was that your goblin?' Tom asked. Anna pulled herself up right, pulling the icepack up with her so she was leant back against it.
'Yeah, that guy in the back that looks like he's going to be sick was the kidnap guy; probably taking all the credit, git.' Anna stuck a singular finger up at the television screen.
The phone rang, but was quickly picked up in the kitchen by Robert.
'So, this Lilith.' Anna started, 'She's, pretty big and bad.'
Tom sat down, twisted in his chair so he could look at Anna properly. 'As far as these things go, yeah, she's the big and the bad. Tom pulled a plastic bag out from underneath his chair and threw Anna a can of beer from it and took one for him.
'There are bigger demons, but you'd be talking super bad then.' Tom said
'McLovin style Superbad?' Anna asked in a hopeful voice.
'No. There is definitely no Demon McLovin.' Tom said with a smile and shake of the head.
'Didn't think so.' Anna sighed, 'Do you think we can do it?'
'Lilith is a big bad, but she's still a demon.' Tom said with a reassuring smile. 'No demon that anyone is aware of can manifest on Earth.'
'So,' Anna interrupted, 'she's still got to wear some poor bastard as a meat suit.' Tom nodded with a smile.
'And all the problems that come with it. She'll be vulnerable to Devil's Traps, with enough power she could be exorcised.' Tom said.
'And the rest: shooting, burning, falling, slicing.' Anna listed with enthusiasm. 'Okay, I'm feeling a little better about this.'
Tom laughed, 'Good! Anna, this is going to be hard, the hardest thing we've done, but it's possible.'
The smile fell off Anna's face. 'You know I don't like them, I don't trust them, but we're going to need help on this. I don't just mean of the financial kind either.'
Tom sighed. Cracking his knuckles he looked at the television.
'I've already thought about it.' Tom said.
'I don't understand why you don't like them. They scare the crap out of me sure, but I don't get them. They pay us to hunt; you know how other Hunters live. Not only do we not have to delve into the glamorous world of credit fraud, gambling, and you know, that other one.'
'Investment?' Tom asked with a smile.
Anna nodded dismissively, 'Yeah, that one. Not only do we not need that, but we get paid damn well! They turn up some good ritual stuff for you and they pretty much leave us to it.' Anna tried to gage Tom's expression, but his face was set and didn't flinch.
'They're an old group, and this could be the time when they could help us the most. Tom?'
'Hey, I get it.' Tom said, with a reassuring smile, but a sag in his shoulders and sad eyes. 'They give us stuff and keep clear, and it's all good: what's not to like?' Tom paused for a second or two before he carried on.
'The Masons, they are old, older than I think most realise. What they've passed on to me, the Blessings, banishings, all that has been useful and at times, simply brilliant. But their interest in us has never been explained. They know more than they're telling, Anna and what it is that they're hiding, well, that scares the crap out of me.'
'I get that,' Anna said, 'but this isn't Surprise Surprise: the screen isn't going to slide back with the worst possibility being an overweight heifer with bad teeth. We need to know what's behind the screen Tom, we need to know how to beat it.'
Robert walked into the room with the phone in his hand.
'That was a mate calling from Italy. He's tracked the last location in Italy to the Pisa airport, where it left the country.' He sighed.
'Where'd it go?' Anna asked excitedly.
'America. Last location has it in a chartered airline bound for San Francisco International Airport.'
'Robert, we've got it. Why the grumpy face?' Anna asked.
'America is the hotspot. I'd guessed that's where it was going, but I was hoping I'd be wrong.' Robert slumped into his chair again.
'Most of the seals breaking have been in America. It's also where Lilith is spending most of her time. It's just bringing it home that this is the real deal.' He said.
'Don't worry Robert, we'll get it back, no seals will be broken, and we'll be fine.' Tom said, passing Robert a beer.
'I know, I know.' He breathed, 'You'll have to leave tomorrow. If you get an early flight, you'll only be a couple of hours behind it.'
'On it.' Anna said. She jumped off the settee and up the stairs to the computer to arrange flights.
'We need to plan how you're going to track it down once you get there.' Robert continued.
'Anna?' Tom shouted, 'We're gonna need a car too!' Robert nodded, at Tom.
'That'll be helpful.' He said. Robert put his head in his hands and rubbed his temples. He looked up at Tom, 'This is going to be a long night.'
'I'll say. Do you know where my passport is by any chance?' Tom asked with a pondering expression.
The rest of the evening was spent planning: planning how to find the stone, planning how to destroy it, planning safe houses, planning how to get weapons, planning various alternate identities etcetera.
Robert had called Cheung and explained the situation to him. Cheung agreed that the urgency was great; he would work on Anna's sword immediately and send it as soon as he was finished.
It wasn't long before the clock struck midnight.
'Robert, our flight leaves in nine hours, and we still need to sleep.' Tom said.
'Yeah, I'd hate to miss the end of the world because we'd slept in.' Anna said.
They stood up and bid Robert a goodnight, then trundled up to sleep. Robert looked at the plans and notes on the table. With a shake of his head, he sighed and pulled himself up from the table and fell asleep on the settee.
The next morning seemed far too soon for them both. With bleary eyes they packed the few belongings they had and were sat around the table again, coffee in hand. Even Anna, whose early morning cheerfulness was infamous wasn't so 'full of the joys of spring'. It was 5am and the sun hadn't risen properly yet.
Robert took a deep breath, and mid yawn, there was a knock at the door.
The three of them looked at each other, Robert seemed to have frozen mid yawn: his hand half way to his mouth. Robert pointed at Anna's katana, neatly packaged and delivered two hours previously. The only visitor any of them had been expecting.
Anna and Tom walked straight to the front door, Anna had her sword in hand, Tom his hand gun. Robert emerged from the kitchen with a sawn-off shot gun. He made a few gestures to Anna and Tom, who quickly moved in the directions he'd pointed, Anna seamlessly blended into the shadows of the early morning. Tom hid behind a door.
Robert held the shotgun behind the door, and carefully opened it. From where they were stood, Anna and Tom could not see who it was, but could hear her business like tone, clear and sharp.
'You must be Robert. I have to say it's a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Davina, I represent an interested party and am here to talk to Anna and Tom.'
'Is that so?' Robert asked, he opened the door just a little and flicked the shot gun up so it was level with her chest.
'Would you mind explain how you found me?' he asked, sounding quite civil.
The lady called Davina didn't manage to produce any coherent sounds, just 'but' and 'I' for a few seconds before Anna and Tom came into view.
'Robert, would you mind asking Davina to come in, it's a very cold morning.' Tom said calmly. Robert grunted at Davina and then walked away, disappearing into the kitchen.
Anna closed the door behind Davina as she carefully stepped into the house. Once Robert had disappeared from view she pushed her shoulders back and looked at Anna and Tom with a renewed sense of purpose.
'Well, that was bracing.' She said. Davina was shorter than Anna by a few inches, her hair fell just to her shoulders and was dark brown and naturally straight. She was dressed in smart black trousers and a dark purple shirt; her eyes were a brilliant shade of green.
'He can be like that sometimes.' Tom said.
'Most of the time,' Anna added, 'it's very nice to meet you Davina.' Davina seemed to relax a little and smiled at Anna.
'The Masons send their greetings. To answer Robert's questions, I'm afraid I don't know. I'm just a messenger.'
'It's okay, I'm not surprised that the Masons know about this.' Tom said. 'I don't mean to be rude, but we need to be leaving soon. What was it that you've been sent for?'
'It's come to our attention that you're heading to the U.S. and we thought we could be of help.' Davina said, 'you have equipment that is not going to make it through customs: swords, guns and the like. We can help transport these. We've also arranged for a car, hotel and this, Tom, is for you.' Davina handed him an A4 sized sealed envelope.
'It's something that our researchers have been working on. Their not sure exactly what it is, but the flight to California is quite long, and we thought you mind need something to keep you entertained.'
Tom took the envelope; the look of intrigue was obvious to any who could see him.
'We contacted the airlines to confirm your booking.' Davina said, 'I hope you don't mind, but we upgraded it.' Davina passed the first class tickets to Anna.
'Oh no, we don't mind at all.' Anna all but snatched the tickets from Davina's hand. 'There will be two soldiers at Heathrow by the check in desk. Take them one bag with all of your items that may cause problems at customs. It will be included in an armed transport to The States and will arrive at San Francisco airport two hours after you.
'Genius! Thank you so much.' Anna shouted.
Davina smiled, 'I'm glad you're happy. After the reception, I was a bit worried about telling you we'd made arrangements without asking you.'
'Davina,' Anna laughed, 'any time you want to buy me a first class ticket to, well, anywhere, feel free.'
'These are appreciated Davina, please pass that along.' Tom said stoically. The envelope was now in his pocket, unopened.
Robert emerged from the kitchen. 'Well, as much as I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth, what is it that you want?' Robert glared at the young woman who was stood in his porch way.
Davina braced her shoulders again and mustered a steely glare. 'We are aware of how serious this situation is, and want Tom and Anna to arrive ready and properly prepared. I am sorry Robert if this doesn't meet with your approval.' Robert raised a single eyebrow at the dark haired woman.
'You realise how serious this is do you?' he asked.
Anna caught Tom's eye, which clearly conveyed the words 'uh oh' perfectly.
'Listen folks.' Anna said louder than she had meant to. Tom moved quickly into the living room. 'Tom and I need to be going, so Davina, thank you so much for the tickets. Robert, you're a legend, as always. Thank you so much for the food.'
'And the information.' Tom added as he returned with three bags in tow. 'We wouldn't know what we're doing or where we're going without you.'
'But with that, I think we should be going. You know, what with the apocalypse prevention and all that.' Anna laughed overly jovially. Anna put her hands on Davina's shoulders to manoeuvre her out the door with them.
'I'm sure you'll have a lovely flight.' Davina put an emphasis on 'sure' and winked at Tom. 'But I need to talk to Robert before I leave.' She sounded incredibly unenthusiastic about it.
'You and I have got nothing we need to talk about.' The note in Robert's voice was particularly final.
'Robert, please?' Anna asked with puppy dog eyes. It took a second, but Robert sagged and nodded.
'Fine, but don't expect to be allowed to meddle with my affairs woman.' He stabbed the air between them with a pointed finger.
'Ah, you're a gem Rob.' Anna said and hugged him. 'We'll behave ourselves, Scout's honour'. She laughed.
'Look after yourself while we're gone.' Tom said, shaking Robert by the hand.
'Ha! You're off to fight a demon and I'm left here watering the plants. I wish I were going with you.' He mumbled.
'You could.' Davina said, looking at Tom and Anna for their response.
'There are a lot of things here that are unfinished, and a lot of Hunters I'm still doing favours for. No, but if you need me, you call me, got it?' He jabbed with a pointed finger again at Tom and Anna.
'You got it.' Anna smiled.
Anna took her bag off Tom and through it over her shoulder. With the two other bags, Tom followed Anna out the door and got into the car. With several loud beeps that undoubtedly woke the neighbours, Anna sped off towards the main road, speed limits being things that happened to other people.
Davina closed the door behind them.
'Don't expect any honeyed words from me Mason.' Robert said from behind her. 'What is it you want?'
'I was hoping we could be friends, Robert.' Davina said. She looked at him over her shoulder. Her bright green eyes were gone; nothing but darkness in their place. Robert had time to notice the knife she held in her hand before it disappeared into his left side up to her hand.
'But I guess this will have to do.' She grunted as she pulled the knife across his abdomen.
Robert fell to his knees; he held his entrails in his hands as they spilt to the floor.
He was lying on the floor, although he didn't remember falling.
He gasped, and then was gone.
