Frenzy & Torch

Chapter 26: Cold War Gone Lukewarm

On a world comprised mostly of islands, the group of vessels the gang infiltrated crashed a few miles down the road from a large city and a chain of coastal homes. A man in a stained t-shirt riding on a hover scooter was sipping a margarita when he saw the spectacle unfold. He saw the vessels crash and explode into fireballs first, then a few moments after, the shockwave and sound hit him; his eardrums nearly ruptured. He was blown off his scooter. He stood up and processed what was happening, felt the heat all the way from where he was. "Holy shit!"

Annabelle appeared right in front of him, coming to a total stop after flying at hypersonic speed. She had blood on her uniform and soot on her face. "Hi!" she said with shimmering eyes and a smile that contrasted with her hellish appearance.

Stained T-shirt fell on his ass once again. He curled into a ball, closed his eyes, and screamed. "I'll give you anything you want, don't hurt me!"

"Sir, I'm not going to hurt you! We were referred to you by the captain of that vessel back there— "

A severed head with a permanently surprised expression landed between them. It rolled a few more feet and touched the tip of the man's sneaker.

"My God, is that Talia?" he asked.

"Oh, that was his name? He kept calling himself Mister Tee, emphasis on the two e's."

"That sounds like him ... or sounded," he said, still comprehending that the man's head was right in front of him. "So, where are your friends?"

"They, um, borrowed a ship and are transporting a bunch of people we rescued as we speak."

"Rescued from Talia?"

"Yes, he was kidnapping poor and middle-class people and butchering them so they could be packed in food rations. We couldn't let that stand. They'll be here soon enough, we figured transporting the people we liberated wasn't worth a jump."

"A jump?"

Annabelle realized she gave away too much information. "Never mind that, you'll hear about it eventually."

"Alright ... listen, what're you here for? What did Talia tell you about me?"

"He said you rent safe houses to CIA agents and outlaws alike. Is that one of them right there?" she looked over his shoulder at the mint-colored, two-story beach house.

"Yeah, that's one of them. You and your friends wanna stay here?"

"Yes, please, for the time being. How much will it cost?"

The man was about to tell her his default price before he remembered the Fort Drumstick incident. "Usually I charge four hundred a week, but you killed somebody at Fort Drumstick who kept taking lunch money from me when I was in school. I can work down the price for you as a gratitude."

Annabelle winced at the word "kill." "Is that so? Small galaxy, huh?"

Greasy T-shirt relaxed and let out a laugh. "Fuck yeah it is, especially with you and your wrecking crew." He turned and walked toward the house, followed by the sorceress. "You know what they call you on the news? 'The Infamous Five.' "

"Interesting name, wonder how they came up with that one .... "

Annabelle was briefly shown around the house. The walls were a light shade of crème. The first floor was composed of a modest-sized living room, a kitchen with a tile floor. The stairs led to the second floor where the three bedrooms were. After the tour, she texted the address to the rest of the gang, washed her face and uniform, then went to one of the rooms to take a nap. She didn't realize how tired she was until she laid in the end to rest her feet. She dozed off while watching a movie on her phone and quickly fell into a deep slumber.