Instant Connection

39

The Soto Street Vatos' vans quickly swerve through the traffic to get to the funeral home. Johnny glances over to the long metal box. 

Mike, Stella and Paige are racing to the funeral home from Santa Barbara, Mike on the phone with the police, "This is Mike Warren, FBI, requesting backup. I need SWAT, Hazmat, the National goddamn Guard."

Paige and Stella are gripping the top handles of the car as Mike weaves around traffic.

"Where are you now, Agent Warren?" the dispatcher asks.

"I'm on the 101."

"Mike, slow down." Paige tells him.

"Yeah, it feels like a roller coaster back here, man." Stella grips the back of Paige's seat with her other hand for extra support.

"But the most important thing is the Class G chemical weapon that is en route to the Yossarian Funeral Home." He tells the dispatcher.

At the funeral home, Martun gets up out of his seat and walks over to the coffin that holds Tevan. Looking down into the coffin, and silently praying.

The vans continue to weave around cars, numerous horns going off. Johnny looks out the van's back window to see the other van right behind them. His heart rate begins to pick up quickly as he realizes what's going to happen the moment they reach their destination. One of the members looks at him and gives him a little nod that he returns before looking down at the van floor. 

"What's the address?" The dispatcher asks.

"What?" Mike asks.

"The address of the funeral home."

"I don't know. Where's my phone?" Mike asks, releasing one hand from the wheel, and patting around his pants for the missing device. Due to the speed, the car begins to lean to the left, past the yellow line.

"Slow down." Paige tells him again.

Mike jerks the wheel back into the lane.

"Mike!" She snaps, causing Mike to look up and slam on brakes before rear-ending a car.

"Maybe I should drive." Stella suggests.

"Agents, what's the address." the dispatcher draws their attention back.

"Yossarian Funeral Home. You need to Google that and then get your ass to Glendale." Paige answers. She turns to Mike, "You need to slow down before you cause an accident, Mike."

"Next time I'm taking an Uber..." Stella mutters.

"Do you know how many people are going to be at this funeral?" Mike rhetorically asks. "Dozens, hundreds, maybe. All right? Men ,women, and children, choking to death in the pews. If Soto has half a brain on how to use this thing, thousands could die." 

"And we can't help them if you kill us in a wreck first." Stella reminds. 

"Briggs hates the Sarkissians, but we're talking about mass extermination. There is no way." Paige chimes in. 

"There is a Soto Street death squad heading there right now. This is happening, Paige." 

She pulls out her phone, "There's something we don't know." She clicks on a contact and brings the phone to her ear. 

The funeral slowly begins, Martun going up to the podium and begins to speak, "Tevan and I grew up as neighbors. We were raised as brothers. Same interests. Same goals. Same girls."