The Gunpowder Society

3. "The Spark"

As the limo that carried Fr. Maven, Haze, Hell-Proof, Peter and Margaret pulled up to their next stop the group looked out the window in collective silence.  Their destination was a residential home on the north end of the county in what otherwise would have been a peaceful and picturesque suburbia.  The setting had everything necessary of a suburban block with finely kept lawns marking the front of every house, picket fences of cosmetics value, as well as each having a creative and unique mailbox with the post delivered by foot.  A couple days ago this must have resembled Pleasantville.  However, just yesterday the neighborhood had been fiercely throttled. 

Strewn amongst each and every well-cut lawn was debris of different shapes, sizes and substance.  A couple of homes had their biggest windows broken, as did a few parked cars.  There was a portable basketball hoop that lay tipped over against a flag pole in a neighbor’s front yard.  Several driveways had tire marks indicating those who must have fled in their vehicles in haste.  

The house the limo pulled up directly in front of was different than the rest.  It had been damaged as were the others, but in a different way.  Its windows were all broken, but as opposed to being broken in they were all broken out.  It also had debris in the front yard, but the size was large chunks.  Additionally, the front door of the home was attached and secured by what looked to be duct tape, to what was a door frame at one time.  If an investigator were charged with identifying where an explosion originated his work would have been done in a single glance.  

Fr. Maven looked around the neighborhood and recalled the Big Bang as every bit of debris had obviously originated from, and of, the house he was now to enter.  He took everything in and thought for a moment, “Peter, you and your sister will stay in the limo while Haze, HP (he pointed to Hell-Proof) and I speak with the residents of this home.”

Peter nodded in affirmation, as he lightly bounced the sleeping Margaret, “Is it safe in there?”

Fr. Maven looked out the window again, “I’m not quite sure.  I will instruct my driver to take you and your sister from here if anything suspicious happens or if he doesn’t hear from me in short time.”

Peter stopped bouncing his sister and looked at Fr. Maven with a stern unsatisfactory expression.

“Under no circumstances are you to exit the limo,” Fr. Maven said not taking his eyes off the house but sensing Peter’s stare.  He turned and looked at the boy very hard, “No circumstance what-so-ever lad.  Am I understood?”

“Yes father,” Peter answered seeing that the priest was both able to read him, and most serious.

Fr. Maven turned and looked at Haze who nodded in response and at the ready.  Fr. Maven then turned to Hell-Proof, who just responded by baring all his teeth in a brief sarcastic smile before returning to the emotionless smolder.  He opened the door, and held it until Fr. Maven and Haze exited.  HP looked through the doorway at Peter, nodded again reinforcing the order for the child to stay put, and then shut it.

Fr. Maven walked up to the front of the limo.  The driver side window lowered, and Fr. Maven spoke, “I am leaving the children behind.  The details I’ve been given only specify that the pupil is a woman who has just discovered she has gifts.  I suspect,” he looked at the surroundings, “that she doesn’t know how to use the gifts or even what she has been given.”  The driver, a man with a shaved head whose face was mostly shadowed, nodded once in agreement, but remained silent and forward-facing.  Fr. Maven continued, “I told the boy that he is not allowed to leave the vehicle under any circumstances.” The driver took his hand and slammed it down on his door lock, and the rest of the doors locked in turn.  “If anything worrisome happens, or we don’t come out in the next 30 minutes, leave immediately and drive back to the school.  And you,” Fr. Maven bent down and looked at a man sitting in the shotgun seat who very much resembled his partner in features as well as in shadow, “send signal, and then come in and retrieve us.”  Both men nodded in unison.  “Don’t come in like a wrecking ball.  Based on what I see here that won’t be of any use.  Silence, reconnaissance, and surprise are the only way to win this fight and retrieve us I suspect.”  Both men nodded once again.  Fr. Maven turned away and the window was rolled up.