CROSS ROADS
Part 17
Lenox, Barrington, and Mulder took Mulder's rental and headed for Sunnydale High. As Mulder drove, Barrington used his head-set to make contact with Fronk. He outlined for Fronk what they had suspected Abhar Jhamel was up to and Fronk confirmed it when he told him what he had found.
"I found the mother lode, baby," Fronk began, "and I mean it's a beauty. Using the link that began at Willow's computer and the other links that were tapped into by the foul accursed villains, I followed them all to one source. It led me to their hard drive where I was able to tap into, break into their files, and back my way out again...leaving behind one nasty little bug that will permanently shut them down as soon as one of them accesses it."
Barrington nodded his head. "Well, that's great. What did you find?"
"The device that they're planning on using...Well, it has a special design. It's like a mole, once activated that is. It burrows itself deep into the ground and then it explodes. The explosion, of course, can be set to go off at any time that the time is set for."
"So he'll set the device, drop it, and then...what?" Barrington frowned. "He's a terrorist. I don't believe he means to run." He thought for a moment. "Crazy Man, we're on our way to your location. I have a plan." He glanced back at Lenox who was sitting in the back seat.
Mulder floored the accelerator.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Abhar Jhamel and six other terrorists arrived in a van. They parked the van in the most vacant part of the parking lot and for a short time, they simply remained in the van. Jhamel and his driver looked out through the windshield as they watched the Sunnydale High, anticipating their mission.
As the sun was setting and it became dark, Jhamel decided that the time was right.
He climbed out of the van first.
He stood in front of the van as the others climbed out and moved toward him. The driver stopped to stand beside him as the remaining five walked to the end of the parking lot. The five men stopped beside a sewer drain, and in no time at all, they had removed the cover. One by one, they disappeared into the hole. When the last one entered, he closed the cover back into place.
Then there was silence.
Jhamel and his driver stood there in the silence for another moment. Jhamel himself carried no weapon other than his nuclear device. The Mole had the orb inserted within and all he had to do was set the timer.
He smiled.
The driver looked at him expectantly.
"Come," Jhamel said with pride. "Tonight we will become hero's, and America will suffer horribly."
Together they began to walk toward the school.
HEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIR
Sunnydale Mall was crowded. The place was packed full of shoppers of every age group. Most of the shoppers had the same thought in mind and that was to simply spend, buy, want, take...more, more, more. They earned their money for the most part, and now it was time to splurge a little. Maybe they were buying for a friend, a relative, a parent, or a spouse, or maybe they were spending a little money on themselves.
It didn't really matter.
Julius found the whole thing repulsive.
Americans and their pleasures.
Then he corrected himself...Humans and their pleasures on the frivolous things in life.
Rueben Julius himself was a sight to see walking through the Mall with his bulging muscles in his arms, chest, and neck, and his new distorted face...that of a demon. Walking around him, but a pace or two behind, were four other vampires with their true faces revealed. They were all smiling happily and they were very eager to please their new Master. They wanted to please the Heir.
"Would you like a snack, Master?" one of them asked, rubbing his hands in anticipation of pleasing the Heir.
Julius stopped walking, turned and looked at the fool. "Why, yes! I do want to 'smack'!" With the back of his hand, he slapped the eager vampire and there was a loud resounding smack as the lackey fell against the wall.
The other three vamps laughed with the Heir.
The fallen vamp got back up to his feet sheepishly and he noticed that they were drawing stares, but still no one approached them. He slowly approached the Heir, rubbing his face. He grinned like an idiot. "Please...Master...I only meant to offer you food! Look around! They are ripe for the taking."
People who were in close proximity to them looked at them with curiosity, revulsion, and fear. But the fear was misplaced, and Julius knew it.
"They are all fools," he said. "And that will be their curse. They want to believe that we do not exist, so therefore, they make up other excuses to explain us." He pointed. "Look at them. They think we are sick! Well, we shall let them think that for the time being and we shall snack later." He looked at his followers and smiled. "Besides...I really did come here tonight to go shopping!"
They headed for a store called Henson's Pets & Things.
As they entered, several customers left in a hurry because they were afraid that they might catch something. Julius ignored them. They were unimportant to his plans. At least for the moment. He walked up to the counter and placed his palms flat onto the surface. He looked down at the store clerk and smiled, showing his fangs.
"You must be Henson," Julius said.
Henson swallowed a nervous lump in his throat. "That would b-be me." He looked at Julius and the four other patrons now in his store. "Uh...costume party somewhere, fellas?"
Julius nodded. "Yes."
"Uh...what...what can I do for you here?"
Julius leaned toward him. "I want the best leash and the most secure collar you have to offer." He waved a finger. "Only the best, now."
Henson grinned. "Oh...Well...Sir, I must say that you have come to the right place. I am your 'Collar Man', sir. That's what I am. I know all about collars and leashes. Have a dog myself, you know. Yes, siree. A Great Dane, but, his name is Garfield."
Julius smiled. "Garfield. Very clever of you, Henson. You named your Great Dane after a comic strip cat!" He laughed. "And you are a pet owner as well. Then you really do understand my needs."
Henson didn't know his life was in jeopardy. All he knew was that he was going to make a sale. He nodded his head and shrugged. "Aw, well, that's why I'm in the business, you know. I know pets and I know people who have pets. You, sir, I knew right away was a dog person."
"Actually, my pet isn't actually a dog...but she is still my pet and I must take the proper care for her."
"That is true. That is so true. Now, this all depends on what kind of collar and leash you are in the market to purchase. It has to be just right and it has to go with your charming personality." He paused in thought. "There are chain leashes, but I have the feeling that your pet is small, so this wouldn't do. The chain can have a tendency to pinch you and your dog, so I would say that we should rule out the chain. Now how about a nice leather leash? This could be just right for you. It really is the in thing among dog owners these days, especially because it comes in so many different colors. Now for the collar, how about a collar with studs? Doberman Pincer owners love those. Or how about a collar with locks?"
Julius looked at him with a gleam in his eyes. It was rather a mad kind of gleam. "There are such collars?"
"Oh, yes! Of course. It's a new design. It fits completely around your dog's throat without constricting her air supply. It has a tiny padlock on it. It was designed mostly for the women folk who worry about someone dog- napping their little Fifi." He shrugged. "You know, it's really just a cute little gimmick."
"How strong is this tiny little padlock?"
"Oh, it's real strong. Unbreakable. The leash even comes with it." He looked around the counter behind him and found what he was looking for. "Well, in fact, here's one right here, sir. It costs fifty bucks, but it's well worth it." He smiled, thinking to himself that this was going to be an easy sale. "Will that be cash, check, or credit card?" He looked at Julius expectantly.
Julius smiled at his followers as he took the leash. "I have to make a small withdrawal from my bank." He looked at Henson, his friendly smile erased from his face.
Henson was beginning to get a very bad feeling about his new customers. "Uh...you don't have any checks?" He shrugged. "It will only take a moment to run a credit check on it. Really, company policy demands that we do basic security checks, but if you have an account and your credit is good, it's relatively harmless."
The Heir shook his head. "I don't deal with checks. I deal strictly with blood withdrawals only."
"B-blood...withdrawals?"
Julius began to walk away. As he did, two of his minions pounced on Henson and dragged him to the floor behind the counter. He didn't even have time to scream as they sank their teethe into him.
Julius and the other two minions walked out into the corridor and headed for the exit. "Send others here to feed and frolic," he ordered them. "Word will reach the Slayer and she will have to come running in to save them. Then meet me at the hospital."
"More withdrawals, Master?" one of them asked eagerly.
Julius slapped him. "No, imbecile! I am going to retrieve my pet!" He paused in thought for a moment. "Oh, dear...I do hope she's had all of her shots."
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TO BE CONTINUED...
Part 17
Lenox, Barrington, and Mulder took Mulder's rental and headed for Sunnydale High. As Mulder drove, Barrington used his head-set to make contact with Fronk. He outlined for Fronk what they had suspected Abhar Jhamel was up to and Fronk confirmed it when he told him what he had found.
"I found the mother lode, baby," Fronk began, "and I mean it's a beauty. Using the link that began at Willow's computer and the other links that were tapped into by the foul accursed villains, I followed them all to one source. It led me to their hard drive where I was able to tap into, break into their files, and back my way out again...leaving behind one nasty little bug that will permanently shut them down as soon as one of them accesses it."
Barrington nodded his head. "Well, that's great. What did you find?"
"The device that they're planning on using...Well, it has a special design. It's like a mole, once activated that is. It burrows itself deep into the ground and then it explodes. The explosion, of course, can be set to go off at any time that the time is set for."
"So he'll set the device, drop it, and then...what?" Barrington frowned. "He's a terrorist. I don't believe he means to run." He thought for a moment. "Crazy Man, we're on our way to your location. I have a plan." He glanced back at Lenox who was sitting in the back seat.
Mulder floored the accelerator.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Abhar Jhamel and six other terrorists arrived in a van. They parked the van in the most vacant part of the parking lot and for a short time, they simply remained in the van. Jhamel and his driver looked out through the windshield as they watched the Sunnydale High, anticipating their mission.
As the sun was setting and it became dark, Jhamel decided that the time was right.
He climbed out of the van first.
He stood in front of the van as the others climbed out and moved toward him. The driver stopped to stand beside him as the remaining five walked to the end of the parking lot. The five men stopped beside a sewer drain, and in no time at all, they had removed the cover. One by one, they disappeared into the hole. When the last one entered, he closed the cover back into place.
Then there was silence.
Jhamel and his driver stood there in the silence for another moment. Jhamel himself carried no weapon other than his nuclear device. The Mole had the orb inserted within and all he had to do was set the timer.
He smiled.
The driver looked at him expectantly.
"Come," Jhamel said with pride. "Tonight we will become hero's, and America will suffer horribly."
Together they began to walk toward the school.
HEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIRHEIR
Sunnydale Mall was crowded. The place was packed full of shoppers of every age group. Most of the shoppers had the same thought in mind and that was to simply spend, buy, want, take...more, more, more. They earned their money for the most part, and now it was time to splurge a little. Maybe they were buying for a friend, a relative, a parent, or a spouse, or maybe they were spending a little money on themselves.
It didn't really matter.
Julius found the whole thing repulsive.
Americans and their pleasures.
Then he corrected himself...Humans and their pleasures on the frivolous things in life.
Rueben Julius himself was a sight to see walking through the Mall with his bulging muscles in his arms, chest, and neck, and his new distorted face...that of a demon. Walking around him, but a pace or two behind, were four other vampires with their true faces revealed. They were all smiling happily and they were very eager to please their new Master. They wanted to please the Heir.
"Would you like a snack, Master?" one of them asked, rubbing his hands in anticipation of pleasing the Heir.
Julius stopped walking, turned and looked at the fool. "Why, yes! I do want to 'smack'!" With the back of his hand, he slapped the eager vampire and there was a loud resounding smack as the lackey fell against the wall.
The other three vamps laughed with the Heir.
The fallen vamp got back up to his feet sheepishly and he noticed that they were drawing stares, but still no one approached them. He slowly approached the Heir, rubbing his face. He grinned like an idiot. "Please...Master...I only meant to offer you food! Look around! They are ripe for the taking."
People who were in close proximity to them looked at them with curiosity, revulsion, and fear. But the fear was misplaced, and Julius knew it.
"They are all fools," he said. "And that will be their curse. They want to believe that we do not exist, so therefore, they make up other excuses to explain us." He pointed. "Look at them. They think we are sick! Well, we shall let them think that for the time being and we shall snack later." He looked at his followers and smiled. "Besides...I really did come here tonight to go shopping!"
They headed for a store called Henson's Pets & Things.
As they entered, several customers left in a hurry because they were afraid that they might catch something. Julius ignored them. They were unimportant to his plans. At least for the moment. He walked up to the counter and placed his palms flat onto the surface. He looked down at the store clerk and smiled, showing his fangs.
"You must be Henson," Julius said.
Henson swallowed a nervous lump in his throat. "That would b-be me." He looked at Julius and the four other patrons now in his store. "Uh...costume party somewhere, fellas?"
Julius nodded. "Yes."
"Uh...what...what can I do for you here?"
Julius leaned toward him. "I want the best leash and the most secure collar you have to offer." He waved a finger. "Only the best, now."
Henson grinned. "Oh...Well...Sir, I must say that you have come to the right place. I am your 'Collar Man', sir. That's what I am. I know all about collars and leashes. Have a dog myself, you know. Yes, siree. A Great Dane, but, his name is Garfield."
Julius smiled. "Garfield. Very clever of you, Henson. You named your Great Dane after a comic strip cat!" He laughed. "And you are a pet owner as well. Then you really do understand my needs."
Henson didn't know his life was in jeopardy. All he knew was that he was going to make a sale. He nodded his head and shrugged. "Aw, well, that's why I'm in the business, you know. I know pets and I know people who have pets. You, sir, I knew right away was a dog person."
"Actually, my pet isn't actually a dog...but she is still my pet and I must take the proper care for her."
"That is true. That is so true. Now, this all depends on what kind of collar and leash you are in the market to purchase. It has to be just right and it has to go with your charming personality." He paused in thought. "There are chain leashes, but I have the feeling that your pet is small, so this wouldn't do. The chain can have a tendency to pinch you and your dog, so I would say that we should rule out the chain. Now how about a nice leather leash? This could be just right for you. It really is the in thing among dog owners these days, especially because it comes in so many different colors. Now for the collar, how about a collar with studs? Doberman Pincer owners love those. Or how about a collar with locks?"
Julius looked at him with a gleam in his eyes. It was rather a mad kind of gleam. "There are such collars?"
"Oh, yes! Of course. It's a new design. It fits completely around your dog's throat without constricting her air supply. It has a tiny padlock on it. It was designed mostly for the women folk who worry about someone dog- napping their little Fifi." He shrugged. "You know, it's really just a cute little gimmick."
"How strong is this tiny little padlock?"
"Oh, it's real strong. Unbreakable. The leash even comes with it." He looked around the counter behind him and found what he was looking for. "Well, in fact, here's one right here, sir. It costs fifty bucks, but it's well worth it." He smiled, thinking to himself that this was going to be an easy sale. "Will that be cash, check, or credit card?" He looked at Julius expectantly.
Julius smiled at his followers as he took the leash. "I have to make a small withdrawal from my bank." He looked at Henson, his friendly smile erased from his face.
Henson was beginning to get a very bad feeling about his new customers. "Uh...you don't have any checks?" He shrugged. "It will only take a moment to run a credit check on it. Really, company policy demands that we do basic security checks, but if you have an account and your credit is good, it's relatively harmless."
The Heir shook his head. "I don't deal with checks. I deal strictly with blood withdrawals only."
"B-blood...withdrawals?"
Julius began to walk away. As he did, two of his minions pounced on Henson and dragged him to the floor behind the counter. He didn't even have time to scream as they sank their teethe into him.
Julius and the other two minions walked out into the corridor and headed for the exit. "Send others here to feed and frolic," he ordered them. "Word will reach the Slayer and she will have to come running in to save them. Then meet me at the hospital."
"More withdrawals, Master?" one of them asked eagerly.
Julius slapped him. "No, imbecile! I am going to retrieve my pet!" He paused in thought for a moment. "Oh, dear...I do hope she's had all of her shots."
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TO BE CONTINUED...