Chapter 8
And how does one gird a lion's loins? Very, very carefully...
Dylan sipped her steaming cup of coffee as she watched the Thin Man
enter the dry cleaning shop. Staking out the shop had been the best
bet, since she was afraid of being spotted at the deserted office
building. Here, she was inconspicuous as she window-shopped; watching
him in the reflection of the department store.
He was puffing on his cigarette, carrying a clothe bag carefully with
two hands; cane dangling from his arm. The sight was as hysterical as
she and the Angels had imagined it; she could see him standing at the
counter, blankly looking on as the man emptied the bag and counted the
shirts. She resisted the urge to turn around to get a glimpse of his
'unmentionables.'
The Thin Man emerged a few seconds later as Dylan calmly said, "Ok,
here he comes." "All right, we'll be waiting, "Natalie responded via
molar mike. It had been all arranged by Max and Bos. Max spread the
word that he had wanted to challenge the Thin Man to a friendly match
and Bos pretended to be the muscle behind him.
The Thin Man had bit and word came back that he wanted to race for a
prize of his choosing. "Hmmm....what will he choose if he wins?" Alex
smirked, holding out both hands like tipping scales. "Dylan naked on
a platter or his Cracker Jack prize?"
Bos had given Max money, which was being used as a deposit to keep
both sides honest. He had even let Max hold the huge stack of money
for a bit, before slapping his hands away from the bag. "I'll hold
it! And trust me, no one's gonna mess with it!"
The plan was, win or lose, the Thin Man would get a tranquilizer dart
at the end of the race. Max would keep him occupied while Alex, who'd
readily volunteered, would take up a sniper position above the
racetrack to shoot him. It was then up to Bos, Natalie and Max to
wrestle him into the van and speed away to the safe house.
Dylan pulled up to the side of the road. She was near an entry point
about three miles from the abandoned office building. It was better
to start here than risk being spotted on the other side. At least, if
she were caught, she could finesse her way out by pretending to be a
lost nature lover.
Grabbing her map and flashlight she headed to the small concrete
access way and started to pick the lock. Turning on her light, she
peered down into the darkness. Well, here goes nothing, she thought.
She was feeling better today, not as nervous or queasy as yesterday.
It was just that bad feeling she couldn't shake from her brain;
cobwebs from the night before. Dreams, disturbing and inexplicable.
She had dreamt of two young men, both quite handsome, with dark hair
and dark eyes. One of them, the older of the two, kept pulling a
rabbit out of a top hat and then, laughing, shoved it back inside.
The other, who looked like his younger brother, kept clapping his
hands and shouting he wanted more.
Dylan shook her head. It was like she was having someone else's weird
dream. She didn't know what else to make of it. But she felt that
the necklace was somehow responsible.
Max revved his cycle, he hadn't been on his bike for months since
being adopted by the Bosleys'. His new mother had been less than
thrilled by the idea of him "gambling with his body, risking life and
limb for some childish kicks!" But his brothers had kindly intervened
on his behalf, promising that for this one time, and one time only,
the race would go on and that Max would be very, very, VERY careful.
The last VERY being emphasized by a hard look from Bos.
And what better way to `retire', Max thought, than to race the Thin
Man in one glorious, no-holds barred race! He wasn't going to listen
to Bos, he was racing to win and the Thin Man wasn't expecting
anything less.
Who wasn't expecting anything, really; much less the planned-for dart
in the back. No, the Thin Man hadn't suspected a thing, but was just
looking forward to a good time with the boy he had watched over for so
long.
The Thin Man watched Max check his bike for a bit, then put on his own
helmet. He had changed the location of the race twice, before
settling on this lonely stretch of industrial complex. Its' empty
buildings and warehouses and endless miles of blacktop were perfect
for the obstacle course that was being set-up. He hadn't wanted to
re-visit the Coal Bowl out of respect for the boy.
The Thin Man double-checked his gear, making sure his cane was
attached securely to his leg; his Glock hidden under his all black
motorcycle suit. His hand momentarily paused at his front pocket to
tap the cigarette case. Need those, he thought absently. Even though
he was out to have some fun, he wanted to make sure that he was
prepared for anything. And he was confident that despite recent
attacks, they were relatively safe here.
He turned his engine on and headed down to the starting line to hand
over his money.
Dylan by this time had reached the spot where the six men had been
killed. It was immaculate, the county having cleaned it up after
collecting what was left as evidence.
She easily traced her steps back to the dead end where she had kissed
him; she paused and touched the necklace. Ok, let's focus, please.
The blueprints had indicated a room nearby, one that she hadn't
noticed before; and Dylan was sure that's where he had gone.
The walls had been built out, creating a fake front that melded
seamlessly into the rest of the corridor. She wondered if he had done
the work himself; it was truly impeccable craftsmanship. Of course,
pretty much everything about him is impeccable. She, of course, would
be less delicate about her approach to the little problem of finding
the doorway to his lair. She circled around. The tunnels appeared to
merge and go off in opposite directions, with one side being blocked
off. How did he get inside? This part wasn't fake; it had the solid
feel of concrete as she slapped it with her palm. Unless- she ran
back to the dead end. Unless, one didn't go through, but up and over.
Duh!
She ran along the tunnel, her flashlight pointed up-getting anxious as
she felt she was closing in.
Max looked over at the Thin Man, who nodded in his direction. The
flag dropped and they were off.
Max quickly took the lead, his front wheel popping up; racing down the
blacktop towards the huge office building. The industrial park had
been built on the side of a hill and many of the smaller, decaying
buildings were scattered around, connected by a series of stairs and
sometimes building-to-building bridges.
For the obstacle course, you had to race around the perimeter of the
park, climb the main stairway that led from the parking lot to the
main campus, jump over the fence onto the warehouse side of the
complex and then: and here was where Max got a little nervous- speed
through the deserted building up the emergency stairs, through the
enclosed bridge out to the other side.
Max was only nervous because this was part of the track that he hadn't
seen. And being unfamiliar with the track left a cold sweat on his
back. He knew he was up for the challenge, but didn't like racing
80mph into something that wasn't familiar. The Coal Bowl was a
difficult track, but it's dangers were at least known before hand.
Alex got her gun and settled behind the concrete coloured blind that
she had set up on the roof. The boys would be returning from where
they started; looking through her sniper scope. They were about to
race up the first staircase and Max had taken the lead, about three
bike lengths ahead of the Thin Man. She panned her scope around the
park, noting the van in the parking lot. "How are we doing?" "We're
ready to go!" Natalie replied, via trusty molar mike.
Dylan crawled into the ventilation tube and slid over the ledge; she
hung from her fingers for a bit, reluctant to let go and fall into
pitch black.
Holding her breath, she let go, letting out a huge sigh
of relief as her body dropped a couple of inches to the floor. Well,
that was painless, she thought as she flashed her light around the room...
And how does one gird a lion's loins? Very, very carefully...
Dylan sipped her steaming cup of coffee as she watched the Thin Man
enter the dry cleaning shop. Staking out the shop had been the best
bet, since she was afraid of being spotted at the deserted office
building. Here, she was inconspicuous as she window-shopped; watching
him in the reflection of the department store.
He was puffing on his cigarette, carrying a clothe bag carefully with
two hands; cane dangling from his arm. The sight was as hysterical as
she and the Angels had imagined it; she could see him standing at the
counter, blankly looking on as the man emptied the bag and counted the
shirts. She resisted the urge to turn around to get a glimpse of his
'unmentionables.'
The Thin Man emerged a few seconds later as Dylan calmly said, "Ok,
here he comes." "All right, we'll be waiting, "Natalie responded via
molar mike. It had been all arranged by Max and Bos. Max spread the
word that he had wanted to challenge the Thin Man to a friendly match
and Bos pretended to be the muscle behind him.
The Thin Man had bit and word came back that he wanted to race for a
prize of his choosing. "Hmmm....what will he choose if he wins?" Alex
smirked, holding out both hands like tipping scales. "Dylan naked on
a platter or his Cracker Jack prize?"
Bos had given Max money, which was being used as a deposit to keep
both sides honest. He had even let Max hold the huge stack of money
for a bit, before slapping his hands away from the bag. "I'll hold
it! And trust me, no one's gonna mess with it!"
The plan was, win or lose, the Thin Man would get a tranquilizer dart
at the end of the race. Max would keep him occupied while Alex, who'd
readily volunteered, would take up a sniper position above the
racetrack to shoot him. It was then up to Bos, Natalie and Max to
wrestle him into the van and speed away to the safe house.
Dylan pulled up to the side of the road. She was near an entry point
about three miles from the abandoned office building. It was better
to start here than risk being spotted on the other side. At least, if
she were caught, she could finesse her way out by pretending to be a
lost nature lover.
Grabbing her map and flashlight she headed to the small concrete
access way and started to pick the lock. Turning on her light, she
peered down into the darkness. Well, here goes nothing, she thought.
She was feeling better today, not as nervous or queasy as yesterday.
It was just that bad feeling she couldn't shake from her brain;
cobwebs from the night before. Dreams, disturbing and inexplicable.
She had dreamt of two young men, both quite handsome, with dark hair
and dark eyes. One of them, the older of the two, kept pulling a
rabbit out of a top hat and then, laughing, shoved it back inside.
The other, who looked like his younger brother, kept clapping his
hands and shouting he wanted more.
Dylan shook her head. It was like she was having someone else's weird
dream. She didn't know what else to make of it. But she felt that
the necklace was somehow responsible.
Max revved his cycle, he hadn't been on his bike for months since
being adopted by the Bosleys'. His new mother had been less than
thrilled by the idea of him "gambling with his body, risking life and
limb for some childish kicks!" But his brothers had kindly intervened
on his behalf, promising that for this one time, and one time only,
the race would go on and that Max would be very, very, VERY careful.
The last VERY being emphasized by a hard look from Bos.
And what better way to `retire', Max thought, than to race the Thin
Man in one glorious, no-holds barred race! He wasn't going to listen
to Bos, he was racing to win and the Thin Man wasn't expecting
anything less.
Who wasn't expecting anything, really; much less the planned-for dart
in the back. No, the Thin Man hadn't suspected a thing, but was just
looking forward to a good time with the boy he had watched over for so
long.
The Thin Man watched Max check his bike for a bit, then put on his own
helmet. He had changed the location of the race twice, before
settling on this lonely stretch of industrial complex. Its' empty
buildings and warehouses and endless miles of blacktop were perfect
for the obstacle course that was being set-up. He hadn't wanted to
re-visit the Coal Bowl out of respect for the boy.
The Thin Man double-checked his gear, making sure his cane was
attached securely to his leg; his Glock hidden under his all black
motorcycle suit. His hand momentarily paused at his front pocket to
tap the cigarette case. Need those, he thought absently. Even though
he was out to have some fun, he wanted to make sure that he was
prepared for anything. And he was confident that despite recent
attacks, they were relatively safe here.
He turned his engine on and headed down to the starting line to hand
over his money.
Dylan by this time had reached the spot where the six men had been
killed. It was immaculate, the county having cleaned it up after
collecting what was left as evidence.
She easily traced her steps back to the dead end where she had kissed
him; she paused and touched the necklace. Ok, let's focus, please.
The blueprints had indicated a room nearby, one that she hadn't
noticed before; and Dylan was sure that's where he had gone.
The walls had been built out, creating a fake front that melded
seamlessly into the rest of the corridor. She wondered if he had done
the work himself; it was truly impeccable craftsmanship. Of course,
pretty much everything about him is impeccable. She, of course, would
be less delicate about her approach to the little problem of finding
the doorway to his lair. She circled around. The tunnels appeared to
merge and go off in opposite directions, with one side being blocked
off. How did he get inside? This part wasn't fake; it had the solid
feel of concrete as she slapped it with her palm. Unless- she ran
back to the dead end. Unless, one didn't go through, but up and over.
Duh!
She ran along the tunnel, her flashlight pointed up-getting anxious as
she felt she was closing in.
Max looked over at the Thin Man, who nodded in his direction. The
flag dropped and they were off.
Max quickly took the lead, his front wheel popping up; racing down the
blacktop towards the huge office building. The industrial park had
been built on the side of a hill and many of the smaller, decaying
buildings were scattered around, connected by a series of stairs and
sometimes building-to-building bridges.
For the obstacle course, you had to race around the perimeter of the
park, climb the main stairway that led from the parking lot to the
main campus, jump over the fence onto the warehouse side of the
complex and then: and here was where Max got a little nervous- speed
through the deserted building up the emergency stairs, through the
enclosed bridge out to the other side.
Max was only nervous because this was part of the track that he hadn't
seen. And being unfamiliar with the track left a cold sweat on his
back. He knew he was up for the challenge, but didn't like racing
80mph into something that wasn't familiar. The Coal Bowl was a
difficult track, but it's dangers were at least known before hand.
Alex got her gun and settled behind the concrete coloured blind that
she had set up on the roof. The boys would be returning from where
they started; looking through her sniper scope. They were about to
race up the first staircase and Max had taken the lead, about three
bike lengths ahead of the Thin Man. She panned her scope around the
park, noting the van in the parking lot. "How are we doing?" "We're
ready to go!" Natalie replied, via trusty molar mike.
Dylan crawled into the ventilation tube and slid over the ledge; she
hung from her fingers for a bit, reluctant to let go and fall into
pitch black.
Holding her breath, she let go, letting out a huge sigh
of relief as her body dropped a couple of inches to the floor. Well,
that was painless, she thought as she flashed her light around the room...