Unholyverse

~Part 3~

In the morning, they didn't have to wait long. Someone brought more food, and then the assistant appeared.

"The Cardinal will see you now," he said when Bob opened the door. "You will follow me."

"What's all this 'you will' shit?" Bob whispered to Frank as they followed the assistant down endless winding hallways, each one indistinguishable from the last. "It's like we signed all our rights away at the door."

"Bob," Ray murmured, "Remember we talked about how not to be reassuring?"

They turned another corner and then the assistant came to a halt in front of a tall double door, dark wood with handles that looked like gold. He knocked twice, and after a minute there was a soft reply from inside. The assistant opened the door, said something in Italian that Frank didn't understand, and then stood back, sweeping his arm out to the side.

"After you," he said.

They all paused for a second, then Brian marched into the room, the rest of them trailing after him. They found themselves standing in a room unlike any Frank had ever been in before – the high ceiling, the deep red drapes that swept all the way to the floor, the wide, polished desk and the spindle-legged chairs with their plush upholstery – all of it screamed vow of poverty, my ass.

"Mr. Way," said a voice, and they turned to see a man in red robes standing by the bookcases that lined the other side of the room. "My name is Cardinal Pierce."

The Cardinal was tall, and fairly elderly, which Frank was expecting. He was American, though, which Frank was not. He had a narrow, kindly face, and white hair, and he didn't look like he was going to throw them in Vatican prison or anything. He came forward and stretched his hand out to Mikey. When Mikey took it, the Cardinal placed his other hand over the back of Mikey's.

"Thank you for coming," he said. "I know this is a very difficult time for you."

He released Mikey's hand and turned to Brian. "Mr. Schechter," he said, shaking Brian's hand, and then addressing the rest of them in turn. "Mr. Toro. Mr. Bryar. And you," he said finally, turning to Frank, "must be Mr. Iero."

Frank shook the Cardinal's hand when he offered it. "Must I?" he said warily.

The Cardinal smiled a little bit. "Father Way thought a lot of you. All of you," he said, letting go of Frank's hand and turning to include the other guys in his address. "I should very much have liked to meet you under different circumstances."

Frank should very much have liked to know how the fuck he knew what they all looked like, but he just nodded and took a step closer to Mikey.

"Please," said the Cardinal, moving around his desk. "Take a seat. That will be all, Antonio, grazie."

The assistant nodded, and closed the doors.

"I imagine," said the Cardinal once they were all seated, "that you are wondering why I asked you to come."

"You could say that," Brian said dryly.

"Is my brother alive?" Mikey burst out suddenly, leaning forwards in his chair. "Is that why we're here?"

The Cardinal's face fell a little, and he shook his head. "I'm afraid I have no such good news for you," he said sorrowfully. "And I'm sorry that I couldn't say more on the phone."

"You're not on the phone now," Frank said, losing patience. "Start talking."

"Frank," Ray said warningly, but the Cardinal waved his hand.

"Your friend is quite right," he said. "So let me tell you what happened. When my associates arrived at the scene of the events in Chicago-"

"You mean Howard and those guys?" Mikey interrupted.