(Scion Pizza Confab - After the Ambush Benefit Concert)
Hitoshi shook his head as he regarded what had been an expensive suit. It wasn't the soot and grime - it was that drifting embers had burned several holes in the fabric just large enough to ruin the jacket. He'd managed to grab a shower and change of clothes before the pizza delivery driver - a young woman - rang the doorbell.
"Three mega pizzas," the driver recited, looking at her smartphone. "One cheese, one pepperoni and sausage, and one pesto chicken with garlic. And a tray of salad. Comes to $55. Cash, debit, or credit?"
Hitoshi pulled out several bills and added a sizeable tip. "Here you go. Thanks for being quick on the delivery this late."
"Beats sitting around the shop schlepping supplies," she said. "Bye!"
The rest of the group began arriving shortly thereafter. Evie first, sipping on a cup of coffee. Lya and the Furies rolled up in the van, still a bit wired and upbeat from the performance. Alex was last, having discarded his smoke-scented jeans in favor of a pair of faded gray Army sweatpants.
Evie got out of the car, sipping at the cup of coffee she'd snagged from a drive-thru stand. It wasn't great, but it was hot, and it had caffeine. Thomas' ghost had ridden over with her, though she imagined that was a social courtesy.
"You can come in, right? You don't need an invitation or anything?" she asked.
Thomas shook his head. "I'm sure there's some kind of magic or purview that can block a ghost, but I don't think we have to ask permission first."
"Oh man that smells good!" Lya moans as she sniffs the pizza. "I brought some beer that I would be totally offended if you all didn't at least try it," she adds as Klepto sets two 12-packs of beer with the words "Brew Free or Die IPA!" on the side of them.
"We had to perform a birthday party for the owner of the brewery's kid just to get those," says Toxic as she opens up one of the 12-packs and starts handing out beers. "So drink up!"
Alex takes a beer and taps bottles with Toxic in salute. "Confusion to our enemies."
"This is good," he says after a long pull on the beer. "Needs some pizza."
"Anyway, with the landlord testifying that the evictions didn't originate with him, we should be able to get them dismissed without too much trouble," he explains.
"Even so, I'll be happier knowing that those who want to move out can now do so," Lya answers as she grabs a bottle and hops over the back to land on the couch. "There's no telling if Lyman and his cronies might try somethingworse next time."
She cracks open the bottle and takes a long drag before leaning back and putting her feet up on the coffee table. "So Evie... what did you want to tell us, eh?"
Evie take a beer and sips as she leans back into the couch, sighing. Despite the coffee, her body is trying extra hard to convince her that it's time for bed. Warm pizza and beer isn't going to help, but there is no way that she's going to turn it down.
"Well, where to start," she says, looking askance at Thomas who is seated in a nearby chair. Why doesn't he fall through?
She puffs out a bit of air and says, "I guess the first thing to tell you is that one of my powers kicked in. It turns out that ...well...I see dead people."
"When I was up on the roof, I had a visitor - Thomas Cardinelli, the officer whose body was found in the Roget Building. I've asked him a little bit about what he was doing when he was killed, but I didn't go too far into anything. I wanted all of us to be able to talk to him. I figure you guys might think of things that wouldn't occur to me."
"And, he agreed. He's here and either Alex or I can relay any answers. I'm pretty positive that Alex can see him, too," she nods towards Alex.
"Firstly, all those names I gave you guys a few days ago? Those were people that Lyman was trying to use, he thinks, to get a someone into government. The idea was to cause World War III and bring down Ragnarok before anyone could do anything about it. It was that bit of information that probably brought Lyman to act directly against Thomas."
Evie pauses and takes another sip of beer, "Oh, I got ahead of myself. Roget Armand and Lyman are the same person. So, if we want to know what he's up to, I think our best bet is still to follow the money. If we know who and what he's buying, we can probably figure out what he's planning."
Here, she frown and shakes her head, "Also, a bit of warning. We all knew that Lyman was slime. We all knew that he doesn't care about people beyond what he can get out of them. But, he's also cruel. I thought Thomas was killed by the blow to the head (delivered by a troll, by the way) but that wasn't so. He was buried alive and Lyman would go down to the basement to gloat over his victory."
"Yes, I can see him," Alex says. "Nice to meet you, Officer Cardinelli. Thomas. I don't know if I've got the same thing going as Evie - I can't say I remember seeing any ghosts, but I saw a Valkyrie when my chopper was shot down years ago. She told me it wasn't my time.
"I saw her again at the Westview, and at the benefit. She's a paramedic. And she said we were fate bound, whatever that means. I asked her out to dinner, and perhaps I can get a better explanation."
"There's a ghost in the chair? That's so cool!" says Lya as she walks over and gingerly waves her hand around the area of the chair to see if she can feel anything. "I guess suffering a gnarly fate like that makes him one of those 'angry spirits with something to settle on Earth, huh?"
She takes a sip of her drink. "Sorry I can't give you a beer, dude... glad you could join the party, though."
Evie tilts her head to listen to Thomas, then says, "Unfinished business. Though he wouldn't mind a little payback, it's not why he's here. He wants to see this through."
"Thomas, what were your gifts?" Alex asked. "Lyman asked me earlier what it would take to kill me, so it sounded like he wasn't sure what worked against you would work against me."
"Brother, if you can take a clobbering from a troll, you have my respect," Thomas answered. "I am ... was ... fairly strong. I don't know if I heal, but I didn't die outright. A mixed blessing, as Roget had me buried alive."
"I wish I knew how to get in touch with Father," Alex frowned. "If he doesn't know what happened to you, he needs to be told."
"I appreciate it. When Father recognized me, he said, 'There are no rules, only consequences,'" Thomas relates. "So Roget can kill any of us if he wants, but killing Lya, for example, might draw different consequences than killing a Son of Tyr."
"And we're not just talking about my fans holding candlelight vigils," Lya jokes before taking a very long drink of beer and sitting back down on the couch next to Orithia.
"I can understand why he approached us, then... I mean what with Alex being a DA and Hitoshi being a big hotel magnet and all. It sounds like he's playing on people's pride... pushing their egos to strive for more power, but secretly he's the one pulling the strings. So yeah... if we could follow the money and see if he's made any donations to political funds, that kind of thing, it might give us a lead to find his latest puppet."
"Also, I was thinking...Thomas, can you tell that we are scions just by looking at us? I don't know if you being a spirit gives you any sort of special powers."
She pauses and chews her bottom lip for a second before continuing her thought, "I was thinking that maybe you could do a little recon for us? I'm sure that Lyman's goons can't see you, but there's always a chance that any scions he's recruited to his side might spot you if you are poking around his home...business...evil lair. But, if you can tell if someone is a scion, it might make it easier for you to avoid detection."
"That is, if you agreed and if we could find out where to point you," she adds.
"It's not as easy as that," Thomas tells you. "I can recognize you as Scionsnow. We're not of this world, and our influence is limited. I think I was able to appear before you, because you've re-opened the case. Our fates are connected somehow.
"Other than that, I seem to be limited to places that were significant to me. The squad room. Family members. Where I died, and that thrice-damned sarcophagus."
"And don't underestimate that bastard. I was ready for an Einjehar, but a troll?"
Hitoshi listens to the conversation, and opens a beer. "Either I will be long dead before you Lya, or I will be avenging you." His voice is soft and contemplative and the words almost an after thought. He couldn't see the man, but that didn't mean Evie's words were untrue. However, he had no clue what to ask, and this perturbed him. The beer just sits in his hand as he stares off into space thinking.
"I'm all for choice C: We're all alive after this and having a hell of a party," Lya replies as she leans against Hitoshi on the couch and smiles.
"So what's the deal with that coffin, anyway? Seems kind of an extravagant way to go... and maybe that's just his thing being a megalomaniac and all... but could it hold some importance to everything? Like... a ritual or something?"
"As I understand it, it kept Father and the other Aesir from learning about my fate for several decades," Thomas tells Evie. "It's possible it's linked to Roget's fate, and I was a sacrifice to delay or redirect it. Only now, it's been unearthed, I've been released, and whatever fate is intended for it will begin to take form again."
"Hmm. That could explain how an eighty year-old investment broker becomes a twenty-something punk," Alex mused. "A rain delay of fifty years, and the game is back on. Only the opposing team has been laying groundwork all that time."
"That's possible. Or he's grown in power and is a demigod," Thomas tells Alex. "If we live long enough, if our legends grow big enough, it can happen to us - well, you - as well."
"What is a troll? I mean, I know all the storybook versions and the D&D types, but...what is a real troll? What's it like? Does it have weaknesses?" Evie asks, just in case Lyman decides to throw one at them.
"Very large, very strong, hits like a Mack truck. Sad to say, I didn't get a good look at the thing before it stove my head in, so I can't tell you if it has any weaknesses," Thomas says. "I remember Roget, of course. And Eleanor Kendall. Don't know where the others were. Kept passing in and out.
"And then I woke in that damned coffin. Knew they'd buried me alive."
Evie nods, though she is a little disappointed that Thomas doesn't know more about trolls. She had hoped that he knew something and this one just caught him off guard but...oh, well.
"Eleanor Kendall...was she a scion, as well? If so, do you know if she's still around?" Evie asks.
"I had compiled a list of names. I was fairly certain everyone on it was either a Scion or connected to Roget in some manner," Thomas says. "Eleanor was the society maven, the person who knew everyone. What I don't know is whether or not the others are like Roget and have reinvented themselves as younger versions."
"But I don't know if she or any of the others are still around. I can't even crack open a phone book."
"So I guess we need to follow the money trails on everybody on the list then?" asks Lya. "That kind of investigation sounds like it's more up your alleys," she adds with a nod to Evie and Alex.
"I'm really curious about that coffin, now. I wonder if it's still there to check out? Even if it ends up not directly involving whatever he's doing to bring about Ragnarok, I wouldn't mind taking a sledgehammer to his back-up plan... you know?"
She takes a sip of her beer and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. "Besides... it might help provide a little closure or something for our ghost."
"It's still at the University," Thomas says quietly. "The professor, Fisk? He's still upset that he can't perform any tests on it, but he and his research assistant have dug into Nordic lore with remarkable enthusiasm. I think the girl understands something big is unfolding, while Fisk is trying to keep it in a neat little box."
Evie looks at Alex and smiles. It takes him a moment.
"Oh, hey, wait a minute, just hold on a second," Alex says. "Even if I can lift it, you're not suggesting we steal the damned thing, are you?"
"I'll bet his research assistant would help us if it meant she got an invite to the party," Lya offers.
"Besides... I'm eager to see what Alex can do too... especially if he takes his shirt off first," she finishes with a wink.
Alex chuckles, but it strikes you that it's a bit of nervous laughter.
"Okay," he says after a moment. "How do we get in, and where do we take it?"
"Maybe we should scope out the university first? Make contact with the assistant and all. If she wants to investigate this thing too, she might give us the opening we need to get it out of there."
"We need something believable, but something she can't check on easily," Alex says. "A reason it needs to be taken from the University as soon as possible. We can't say we're taking it to the crime lab, because we aren't. You don't own any museums, do you, Hitoshi?"
"You could always fund an exhibit in the lobby of one of your big hotels or something," says Lya as she nudges Hitosi in the ribs. "Didn't the Luxor do something like that with an Egyptian theme once?"
Hitoshi jumps a little when Lya nudges him as he was buried deep in thought.
"Huh? Oh, yea. I would have to check with the rest of the board. We may be able to host a small museum exhibit, but it's not my decision alone. Really you'd have better luck just talking to the assistant for some late night access when no one else is there."
He takes a sip of his beer. "Okay, this is some good stuff. What did you say you had to do to get this again? Anyways, I think the Museum is the best bet. A Theft from the Casino would be a major black mark in the news."
"Hide it in plain sight. Park it on a dais, fill it to overflowing with fake gold coins, look, it's a treasure chest!" Alex says. "Maybe we can convince Fisk or his assistant that this was some Hollywood prop from a B-movie, or some goofy cult."
"Heck, this is Vegas. We can just say it was an old casino prop. Someone along the lines had an idea to do a Norse themed casino but the marketing guy shot it down before it ever came to fruition," she taps the side of her can as she thinks.
"Heck, we might even be able to appropriate it it for just that purpose. I mean, tons of casinos are trying to make their places more family friendly... what with the How to Train Your Dragon movies, vikings could be a good theme."
She takes a sip of her beer, "It wouldn't have flown back in Thomas' day, but now..." Evie shrugs.
"Or there's always stage props for a show," Lya adds. "I mean you saw the production that Necromantix brought with them."
"Little kids birthday show," Toxic replies to Hitoshi's question with a shudder as she cracks open another beer. "The horror...the humanity..."
"Okay," says Alex. "Figure out if we're enlisting the assistant, lying to Fisk, or just snatching the thing out of the blue. I imagine that if I can shove a car, a wooden door isn't going to be much of an obstacle."
"Sounds like a plan then," Lya agrees happily. "So... do we draw sticks as to who gets to go check it out?"
Hitoshi fingers the bat winged ring.
"I think you and I should go Lya. You can charm just about anyone, and I like the wacky band idea. We could say we are setting up a new show at the Casino, and I can in fact have that done. If that dosent work, we just tell the assistant the truth, and one of us shows off. Sometimes the truth is the best policy, and hey, it IS to save the world... right?"
"I agree with Hitoshi. You two are the best suited for this, I think. Alex and I have the list of names that Thomas compiled. We can work on those and tracking down what Lyman is doing with his funds," Evie nods in agreement as she reaches over and grabs a piece of pizza.
As she starts to take a bite, she looks over to Thomas and gives him an apologetic smile, "Uhh...I feel kind of bad about eating in front of you. I know you can't eat and probably aren't hungry, anyway, but it feels terribly rude!"
Thomas' ghost smiles. "I hate pizza. I know, I know ... Italian last name, right? The treat for me as a kid was Nonno making pesto."
"The beer, on the other hand ..."
"It wouldn't surprise me if Lyman isn't hiding his money," Alex said. "After all, an eighty-something broker isn't going to leave his funds to himself in a younger form, right? That's Hollywood."
"Oh, I'm sure he's hiding it. But, there's always a trail to follow. How hard it will be to see that trail just depends on how savvy Lyman is," Evie heaves a sigh. "And, he's Loki's kid. I expect him to be extremely savvy."
"Sadly, I know zip about finances. Well, I can balance my checkbook and all that jazz, but I'm not an accountant. I'm not even certain exactly what I would need to look for if I had access to his books," she takes a bite of pizza and chews thoughtfully. "How are you guys with that sort of thing? If I could get the books, can one of us make sense of it or would we need to find someone trustworthy to help us?"
She smiles at Thomas and chuckles, "Well, we'll do our best to get you into Valhalla. Should be plenty of beer (or mead) there! Not sure about pesto, though..."
"That's okay," Thomas' ghost smiles. He taps the side of his head. (And, oddly enough, his finger doesn't pass through his own head.) "Nonno taught me the recipe."
"Lyman's also a blowhard. He made sure we knew it was him behind all of this," Alex says. "And, Evie, I'm a CPA."
"Sounds good to me, Hitoshi. Just give me a call when you're gonna pick me up and I'll do my best to be my charming self," Lya chuckles as Toxic rolls her eyes. "You know, 'Viking Metal' is a thing these days... and hey, if we actually end up doing a show, that means you guys can wear actual battle dress on stage!"
"I'm not wearing a blasted horned helmet," Orithia replies as Phoebe tosses her another beer.
"That's ok, Orithia, I'll braid your hair for you," Phoebe winks.
(Monday Morning - Hitoshi and Lya, The Sarcophagus Job)
Callie Warburton greets Hitoshi and Lya with a smile, though she hasn't quite gotten the desired boost from her morning coffee.
"Um. Good morning," she says. "You're the woman who called from the band? About the sarcophagus?"
"That's right," Lya answered.
"I was hoping for more, actually," Callie frowns. "From the sarcophagus, that is. It had all the hallmarks of a mystery, not only because of the body inside, but the inscription and its makeup. But everything's been a dead end.
"Metallurgical assays have been inconclusive. It's iron and nickel, with traces of gold and ... something else. But that makes it of more interest to the Astronomy Department than Archaeology. Also, the carbon dating shows it's less than a century old, so it's not an artifact or a sign that the Vikings made it this far.
"On top of that, Dr. Fisk is ... irritated that it's just sitting there, taking up one of our larger work spaces. We've had to delay other projects, other digs because of it."
"Oooo... so it's like, made from meteor-stuff?" Lya asks excitedly. "This is just perfect, Hitoshi... it'll go great with our song about the Star Child! We can have a set piece and they can get this thing off their hands... it's a win-win situation!"
She turns back to Callie and twists a curl of her hair in her fingers as she smiles at the assistant. "So... was there, like, any cool writing on it or anything else with the coffin? I'm no archaeologist like yourself, but I find stuff about mythology fascinating... "
"Yes, there was an inscription on the lid, a portion of the Poetic Edda," Callie tells you. "It's a fragment of the Voluspa speaking about the end of the world ...
Brothers will fight and kill each other
Sisters' children will defile kinship.
It is harsh in the world, whoredom rife
An axe age, a sword age
Shields are riven
A wind age, a wolf age
Before the world goes headlong
No man will have mercy on another.
"Although, someday, we'll probably find out it was written about someone having a falling-out with their in-laws," Callie adds. "The inscription is one of the odd things about the sarcophagus. The writing appears to be chiseled, but that's inconsistent with what we know about Nordic metalsmithing. The level of detail throughout almost requires the sarcophagus to have been molded or sculpted, but if you heated this in a forge, you'd destroy the natural appearance of meteoric iron.
"So either there was some technique unknown to this day, or we're looking at a very clever forgery, in which case, it's useless."
"Wicked! Either way it's not much use to you guys taking up space here, right?" Lya winks. "So what do we need to do to take it off your hands?"
"Find something else for Dr. Fisk to obsess over?" Callie winks. "He's upset. He thought this was a significant find, then it turns out to be a crime scene, and now, very likely, a clever forgery."
"I should check with the police first, see if they want to park it in their lab for a week," she says. "Which I doubt. Their crime-scene techs were here on Friday, collecting samples, taking photographs, removing the skeleton. It's not a weapon that needs to be tested, right?"
"The CSI people left a number for me to call, hold on."
She picks up her smartphone and dials the number on the business card ...
Hitoshi walks around the sarcophagus with his hands behind his back.
"Yea, I think this would work out alright for your idea. Even if it is fake, on stage, no one is gonna realize that with all your antics going on."
He smiles at Callie. "I'm sure ma'am that I could make a contribution to the Museum's fund for your area, maybe buy you some new equipment in exchange for the loan of the Sarcophagus."
"Okay, that's great, Detective. Thank you," Callie says, ending the call. "The Police don't think they'll be needing it, so we can let it go, as long as we know where to contact you if that changes."
"I'm sure you've got a card on you, right, Hitoshi?" Lya asks. "Unless you want to catch my show sometime," she winks.
Hitoshi reaches into the breast pocket of his suit. "Of course I do." He says pulling out a card between two fingers. He sets it on the assistants desk. "So, are we able to pick it up tonight, or do we have to come back tomorrow?"
"I can have it boxed up and waiting for you at the loading dock later this afternoon," Callie tells you. "I'll give you a call when it's ready."
Hitoshi smiles. "Most excellent. What would you say the most needed piece of equipment is in your lab? Sadly, I don't know much about the stuff so I have no idea how much it really is."
He phone rings and he frowns, but that frown turns to a raised eyebrow when he sees who is calling.
"Yes Evie?"
He listens as she explains.
"I do indeed know him. If he is on the board then they are one and the same. However, it's not uncommon for major owners of a corporation to back someone in power, but with what we know, I'd be wrong to assume it to be just another political move. unfortunately I can't look into it right now. Lya and I are picking up that kickass stage prop she wanted."
"Awesome, thanks, Callie!" Lya exclaims with a clap of her hands. "If you learn anything cool about this thing I'd love to hear it...and if you ever want to catch our show, let me know and I can arrange something!" She pulls out a promo photo of her and the Furies and signs it "Thanks for the help! Love, Lya" with her phone number underneath before handing it to Callie.
"It's not so much equipment as overall funding," Callie admits. "We can only fund one or two major excavations per year, and that's mostly domestic. It costs too much to transport a team and all their gear."
"I see, and how much does it cost to fund an expedition? " Hitoshi asks still looking around the lab.
"It depends on how long the expedition is, and how many people are working the site. Anything that lowers the overall costs of transport and support - such as a campsite, if it's really remote - would be of benefit," Callie says. "But now you're making me feel like I'm begging for money."
"Not at all. I asked for the facts Ma'am, and that's what you are giving me. Anyways, I think that's all we need for now unless Lya has anything to add." He looks over at Lya.
"Anything Gal?"
"I think we're good here, Hitoshi," Lya replies before turning back to the assistant. "Once again, I can't thank you enough, Callie. If anything weird or mysterious happens with this thing while it's in our care, I'll be sure to let you know! And hey, if you guys ever need funding help, we can always hold a benefit... least I can do for letting us borrow this stuff."