Chapter 24
Falcon grips the steering wheel as if he's going 80 miles an hour, on an icy road, with squirrels flying at the windshield. It's like he's trying to focus on anything than bailing us out. We didn't even do anything wrong. Someday, he'll look back on this and laugh… or not. Knowing Falcon, probably the not.
Of course, Donnie has to get the ball rolling and ask, "So… how did you know we were in the cooler?"
Falcon grips the steering wheel even harder, and sighs, "It was simple. All I did was follow the trail of chaos. And genuinely peeved towns-people. What were you idiots thinking?"
"You know what? We were attacked by a genuinely physcho Enigma chick. Thanks for asking about our side of the story," I retort.
"Crap, not again! I can't send you anywhere, 'Sid, without someone going after you. What are you, a fan favorite or something?" He takes a deep breath. "Are the papers safe?"
Our faces go paste white.
Donnie squeaks out, "Well… we kind of… sort of… lost a few." He looks like he may wet himself. I guess that means two of us.
Falcon slams on the breaks, throwing us forward until the lap belts save us from flying into the glass. "You WHAT now?" he growls.
Donnie cringes back into the seat. "Sorry, the bag kind of caught on something, it went 'boom!', and the papers went flying everywhere. Just be happy we got most of them. She could've stolen the all of them." Donnie lifts up the pile he had hidden under his shirt. I can hardly believe we smuggled those things in and out of there. There's some really tight security nowadays, right?
"Grateful nothing! How many are gone?" Falcon snatches the pile of papers right out of Donnie's hands and starts leafing through them. "Eighteen's missing… So are fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, and nineteen. Five in all. Thank God the Formula is still here. Unfortunately, she got away with the half the coordinates to Dealer facilities."
"Umm… on the bright side, I managed to cut her a little with my knife," I pull it out from under my jacket. Geez, that was really stupid, not patting us down for weapons. Maybe he's new on the job. No. He was too old. Alright, it was a slip-up, it happens, but seriously! Stupid, really.
Falcon nods solemnly. I guess that didn't cheer him up much.
He hits the gas, and soon we're back to the Dealer Quarters. Falcon calls an emergency meeting. Donnie and I spend all of ten minutes explaining before there's a murmur of panic spread around like a thick layer of margarine. I hate margarine.
"We've gotta go after 'em!" Elsie explodes.
Sebastian and I mumble our agreements. Naomi nods quickly.
Gordon shakes his head, "That would be a foolish mistake. We must travel to Head Quarters to devise the most accurate plan," he looks back and forth, scanning all of us. "Or, at least, you young ones must go. I am aging, and I fear, am not as capable as in the past."
Greta says, almost forcefully, which is very weird for Greta, "Go and contact Head Quarters. And everyone else, go and pack provisions. It will be a long journey, and you'll need supplies."
Gordon says quietly, "Don't fret. We will handle everything here. We are not so old and incapable that we cannot handle a few Dealings."
Falcon turns to the rest of us and says, "Get packing, then get some sleep." He stares at the already-setting sun, hues of red and orange and pink painting a huge, muddled picture across the sky. He rubs his eyes, already seeing our nightmare unfolding. "We leave at dawn."