Ch 18: Seduced by the Dark Side
She was a little jittery as the group assembled outside the plane and began to divvy up into teams to complete the listed tasks. The other members of the team began to disperse and soon there were only 5 of them left.
Rory expected that she would be in Logan's group so she was taken aback when Stephanie grabbed her arm and announced that she; Rory and Finn were assigned to #10 and # 12. Rory glanced at the list that she could still see over Logan's shoulder and read half to herself
10. Provide photographic proof that a team member danced in a cage at a gay club. 85 points
12. A team member must wear something from the International Male catalogue. 10 points. Bonus points for puffy sleeves or mesh fabric 15 bonus points for doing #10 and 12 together
Finn gave her a wink and a jaunty smile as Stephanie began to pull her towards one of several cabs that were parked next to the plane. "Come on Woodward, if you are going to get the full experience you have to get into the spirit of things, no fair sticking with Logan as your babysitter all night."
Stephanie gave her an evil grin as she jumped into the cab. "Now princess if you are serious about seeing the real Life and Death Brigade in action then wave goodbye to lover boy and let's hit the road."
Rory considered the provocation for all of about 20 seconds before she cast a bemused glance back at Logan and gave him a half wave. In an instant she was pushed into the cab and sandwiched between Stephanie and Finn. Finn poked his head back out and yelled to Logan "Don't worry, we'll take good care of her. See you at the rendezvous point at 5 am."
Logan gave Colin a questioning look and sighed when all he got was a shrug. He scratched the back of his head in thought. "She said she wanted to get her hands dirty but this is more like throwing her in the mud pit, a night with those two will definitely be a trial by fire. Didn't we make a rule last year about Finn and Stephanie being on the same team?"
Colin chuckled. "If we didn't then we should have. Hindsight is 20/20 I guess. I'll make a mental note for next year's rule book. I just hope that leveler heads prevail and we don't have to break them all out of jail...you do remember what happened last year right and she is out numbered two to one?"
Logan put his head in his hands momentarily "Why do I get the feeling that we have just thrown the innocent lamb into a pit of wolves."
Colin put a comforting hand on Logan's shoulder and said "Look at it this way, if she is still speaking to you by the end of the night then maybe she's a keeper, if not, well I hear it's nice at the South Pole this time of year."
Logan rolled his eyes at his long time pal "I just hope that her bite is as bad as her bark otherwise she doesn't stand a chance with Tweedle dee and Tweedle dum. You weren't in on this little ruse were you?"
Colin blinked at him with guileless eyes and gestured to his chest.
"Great, I'm surrounded by comedian.s Well, I guess what's done is done so let's get a move on, so many things to steal and so little time."
Rory felt like one of those cartoon characters with the exaggerated terror filled eyes bugging out of her head as they darted from Stephanie to Finn and back. Logan had looked surprised at the turn of events which didn't bode well and she couldn't help the niggling suspicion that there was some ulterior motive to this little outpouring of camraderie. She could smell a set up. Although these two hardly seemed the vindictive type one couldn't always tell with the frivolous demeanor. She had the uneasy feeling that she had just fallen into some sort of trap that was deceiving in its simplicity. What did they want from her?
She tested the waters. "So, um, where do we start?"
Stephanie laughed, a delightfully wicked sound, "Oh, don't you worry reporter girl we have a plan. You are just along for the ride on this one, and to record it for posterity." She pulled a tiny camera phone out of her shoulder bag and handed it to Rory. Then she turned to Finn. "Our illustrious friend here is the star of this particular show and he guards his limelight quite jealously."
Finn twirled his hands in front of him and gave a mock bow. "Finn the Magnificent at your service. Just don't get between me and the spotlight and you'll be safe."
Stephanie just snickered at his lunacy; this was clearly an old routine with the two of them. Rory felt like she was stuck in a cab with Groucho and Harpo but she still hadn't figured out their motivefor including her as their third wheel. Then Stephanie zeroed in on her. "So, what are you doing here?"
No need for suspense; Stephanie wasn't one to mince words. Rory's eyes shot to Finn but it was clear that he wouldn't be rescuing her when he gave her a friendly but unhelpful smile. She wasn't sure what Stephanie was after but she decided she would play dumb until she had a better idea. "You grabbed my arm and pulled me into the cab with you."
"Ha, ha very funny but it won't do you any good to be deliberately obtuse, I can be very stubborn once I get an idea in my head."
Finn nodded in tacit agreement "She's like a terrier with a bone"
Stephanie gave him a withering look "If you aren't going to help then keep your random comments to yourself, this is an important question." She turned back to Rory "So, I repeat, why are you here?
Rory opened her mouth to speak "I'm writing..." She was cut off by a wave of Stephanie's hand "blah, blah, blah, don't try to dodge the question with all that nonsense about writing an article. I want to know what you are really doing here.'
Rory blinked and said the first thing that came to her mind "Logan invited me."
Stephanie pointed a victorious finger in Rory's face as if she had just won an argument and Rory wondered what part of the conversation she had missed that would have made this line of inquiry logical. "Ah hah, now we are getting somewhere. Logan invited you...now that is the bit of this whole scenario that I find curious. How would you explain that exactly?"
Rory was starting to get annoyed so she slowly answered with a look on her face that implied that she was concerned that Stephanie might be one card short of a full deck. "He invited me so I could write a sequel to my article."
Stephanie looked unconvinced "You are telling me that Logan invited you to not one but two LDB events purely out of the goodness of his heart? " Now she turned her attention to Finn "Finn how long have you known Logan?"
Finn considered with a finger on his chin "I think that I once tried to bury him in my sandbox when we were 3 that is the earliest memory that I can recall, he definitely deserved it though, he was flirting with my nanny."
"Well illustrated, in the years that you have consorted with Logan have you ever known him to do ANYTHING purely out of the good of his heart that did not is some way dovetail with one of his devious schemes."
"Well, no, Oh, wait there was that one time that he saved that girl from thieves in Guatemala.... no wait, he ended up in bed with that one. I guess that sort of cancels out the good deed. There was another situation in Bora bora... "
Stephanie held up a hand to stop the rambling and looked pointedly at Rory "You are smart so I am sure you get my point. Lets assume for the moment that I am right about Logan's selfish ways and move on. If we presume that Logan is inherently selfish creature who does nothing that is not to his own benefit, then it leads me right back to my question. Why did he invite you?"
Rory had been purposely avoiding the analysis of exactly this question, she wasn't sure that she wanted to know the answer. Clearly Stephanie didn't have any such qualms and she had a look on her face that suggested that she was prepared to out wait her no matter how long it took. Rory wondered how long one could stay in a New York cab without getting tossed out on one's ear. She gave in an answered. "Guilt?" it came out a question.
"Guilt isn't usually an emotion that is part of Logan's vocabulary." She stopped short as if mulling over a new idea "Oh, wait, you're referring to the little altercation with the bartender?"
Rory was surprised " You know about Marty?"
"Come on reporter girl, give me a little credit, I may seem like a space cadet sometimes, particularly when I have had a few glasses of champagne but there isn't much that goes on in our incestuous little circle that we don't all hear about sooner or later. I usually make it my business to know sooner. Besides this story was just too good to miss. Our diplomatic, smooth talking Logan trying to punch some working class stiff in a bar over a girl was practically the front page of the newsletter, it's all just too mysterious. When I found out the girl was you the intrigue deepened. No insult intended but you aren't usually Logan's type, which begs the question. What exactly is your relationship with Logan? And don't tell me that you are just friends because no girl in her right mind is just friends with Logan Huntzberger, not only does his daddy own most the newspapers on the Eastern seaboard but he is a hotty with charm to spare, there is no way to quibble with that."
Rory protested "We aren't friends " she had made sure that was crystal clear from day one " We are..." she searched for a word to explain her strange relationship with Logan "Colleagues."
Finn just snorted and Stephanie's look could only be interpreted as blatant disbelief. She was insulted by their implication and felt her defensiveness rising as she shot back before she considered her words. "It may come as a surprise to you but not everyone outside your insulated little fantasy world thinks that life revolves around money and charm. Maybe I am just immune to the whole heir apparent to the throne of conceit act. In case my point isn't clear just let me assure you that you have no need to worry your pretty little head, I have no intention of cutting in the line to get to Logan. I don't have any plans for this little outing other than to pry another story out of this situation. You don't have to worry about your precious de facto King because not only am I not desperate enough to want to subject myself to his particular brand of irritation but frankly I find the whole lot of you arrogant and a little too self centered for my taste. "
She could feel herself getting angrier as she caught a glimpse of Finn's smirking face out of the corner of her eye. She whirled on him. "You shouldn't be laughing you are just one of his stooges after all, a mindless member of his little band of merry men. From Marty's version of the story you and Colin were just happily standing by, like the Romans at the Coliseum, just waiting to watch a little vicarious death and destruction for your own amusement. Don't you ever get tired of assuming that the rest of the world is just full of people waiting to be your little play things? Well, I for one am sick of your arrogance and caprice."
Feeling herself being taken over by her mother's brand of outspoken outrage she suddenly clamped her mouth shut. As she looked straight ahead she reconsidered the wisdom of her little outburst, sitting in a cab in the middle of New York City with two virtual strangers at one in the morning wasn't really the most opportune time to lose her cool.
After a moment's consideration Finn turned to Stephanie and they clasped hands and shook as if congratulating themselves on a job well done. "Now I get it... I couldn't fathom what it was that got our little Logan so hot and bothered about her but now I get it. Underneath that good girl facade I think we've got a firebrand just waiting to break free and when she does may the faint of heart beware." Rory decided it was best to just ignore them both since they had obviously long ago left the land of reason.
Stephanie rubbed her hands together now and gave Finn a meaningful look; "Finney I think we might just have found our contender, this girl is going to give Logan a run for his money. "
Rory sighed and gave up on ignoring them; they had clearly made an art form of being obnoxious. "You do realize that I am sitting right here and I can hear you."
Stephanie turned back to her after another short pause she extended her hand. "You passed the test. Welcome to our little world Woodward. Now let me explain a few of the rules of our little kingdom. It's kind of like that Survivor show, only without that annoying Jeff guy to narrate. The rules are simple, know who your friends are but importantly always know your enemies. Finn and I are your new allies in this little game."
Rory glanced from a grinning Stephanie to a nodding Finn with a look on her face that suggested that they had each grown a new head. Then she tried to make some rational sense out of the strange conversation. She had definitely fallen down the rabbit hole on this one, maybe she was delirious from lack of sleep and she was just hallucinating the whole thing. She closed her eyes and shook her head to clear it, unfortunately when she opened them again there were two pairs of devious eyes looking at her expectantly...she sighed, that would have been too easy.
"Let me see if I can summarize what you are saying. By ranting at you I have passed some sort of test and now you are prepared to be my allies in some imaginary battle against Logan the leader of your little collective."
She looked at the two misfits who both nodded solemnly as if nothing she had said were out of the ordinary. Finn corrected her in a scholarly voice "I wouldn't say battle so much as contest."
"Isn't there something wrong with this little scenario?" Stephanie cocked her head to one side "Such as?"
Rory sputtered at a loss as to how to converse with two obviously slightly deranged eccentrics. "Isn't Logan your FRIEND?"
Finn blew her off with a nonchalant wave of the hand "Of course he is, this has nothing to do with friendship."
Rory just looked at him thoroughly confused by this nonsensical statement, a strange culture indeed, she hadn't been far off her mark with that comment.
Stephanie continued in a tone that you would use for a very small child or someone who you suspect to be just a little slow in the head "Don't get us wrong, Logan is our friend and he is a great guy but he has this annoying habit of coming out of every scrape unscathed. We have been waiting a long time to see him up against a worthy adversary."
Rory was incredulous "So you are planning a human version of a cock fight and I am the sacrificial chicken?"
Stephanie hooted with laughter and Finn grabbed her hand now with a wicked grin "Even the mighty must fall and the tickets will go to the highest bidders for a front row seat to see the inestimable and untouchable Logan Huntzberger knocked on his ass by love."
Rory paled noticeably at the mention of the L word. "Who said anything about love? I don't even like him." She protested perhaps a tad bit too quickly.
Stephanie looked her in eye for a second "I think you actually believe that, don't worry though we'll fix that.'
"Have you been taking drugs or have you just taken a vacation to the happy land of temporary insanity?"
Finn smiled "In my case I like to consider it a permanent place of residence. I have dual citizenship"
Rory didn't even respond to that quip, she was at her wits end with these lunatics. 'What makes you think that I would even agree to go along with this little coup d'état that you have planned?"
Stephanie clucked her tongue in a regretful manner and eyed Rory with an air of sympathy "My dear, I don't think that you understand the particulars of the situation. You are already too deep in this particular pit to extricate yourself without a game plan; we are just offering to throw you a rope. However, as you aptly point out a team is only as strong as its weakest link so we are going to have to insist that you swear your fealty to the assemblage."
"Boy, Brutus and Cassius had nothing on you two. Do the words 'et tu, Brute?' mean anything to you?"
Finn gave her a look of mock seriousness "There is nothing either good or bad, But thinking makes it so."
" Okay, okay, I give up, there is no use reasoning with the insane and you two clearly fit that definition." She threw her hands up in surrender and shook her head in dismay as Finn and Stephanie began plotting their little revolution. She was beginning to think that she was in way over her head with these two conspirators.
"With friends like you who needs enemies?" She muttered as they chortled at some new plan they had hatched.
Stephanie just gave her a conspiratorial wink and grabbed her arm as the cab pulled to a stop on a brightly lit street that was lined by bars and clubs. "Don't worry kid, stick with us and you will come out a winner."
When the cab sped away and left them standing on the sidewalk Rory took in their surroundings with a rapidly accelerating heart, a pounding beat spilled out onto the street and flashing neon periodically dispersed what little dark had managed to creep in. She gazed up at a sign that said CHEETAH in green neon and felt a shiver of apprehension, Stephanie was busily pulling things out of her purse and when she came up with a leopard print boa Rory knew she was in trouble. What the hell had she gotten herself into? Finn stood staring up at the sign in front of them with a bemused smile on his face. "This should be fun." He said with a laugh.
Rory was fairly certain that her definition of fun diverged rather drastically from Finn's.
Stephanie looped the boa around her neck and grabbed her arm again. "Make sure you've got the camera ready, you won't want to miss this. Lets get this show on the road."
She unconsciously backed up a step as the doors opened and she saw a brief glimpse of the wild scene inside but Stephanie's hand on her arm stopped her backwards motion. She pulled her towards the entrance "Where are we going?" she knew her voice was beginning to show signs of panic.
Stephanie didn't even pause as she dragged her towards the door club "Come on Pollyanna, your education has just begun. Just follow our lead, Finn and I are old pros at this little dance."
When Stephanie thrust a fake id into her hand with her face on it Rory swallowed a lump of fear and felt very certain that she was about to be scarred for life.
