The Gunpowder Society

11. "Le Complot"

Father Maven, Haze and HP stood on the curb out in front of their building waiting for the limo to arrive for their pickup.

HP turned to Fr. Maven and asked, "Do you think we should've brought..."

"Yes," Fr. Maven answered bluntly, keeping his eyes on the city traffic in an attempt to find peace in being distracted.  He didn't want to ponder the wisdom of decisions that wouldn't be changing.  What consumed him now was the plot.

Fr. Maven knew that if he was to meet Cicero it meant that the plot that was afoot was extremely ominous.  The Society had been faced with numerous plots, conspiracies and attacks, but those who had filled the post of selected continental schoolmasters had broken their anonymity but once.  That event happened before all but Fr. Augustine's time, and if the current plot was in the same league as the old, then anonymity might no longer be a virtue.

"Here they are," Haze said snapping Maven out of his preoccupation.

The familiar limousine pulled up curb-side, and the passenger side window lowered a bit, "You guys are late.  Get in," and the windows rolled up.

"We're fucking late?" HP exclaimed as he turned to Haze, who just shrugged indifferently, and then to Father.

"Y'know, it just helps to go with the flow with these guys," Maven suggested as he opened the rear passenger door.  They got into the rear of the vehicle, and sped off towards John Fitzgerald Kennedy International Airport. 

They made it through security and onto the plane quickly.  During the eight hour flight Haze read, HP had a couple drinks and then slept, and Maven continued to think of the plot.  It was overwhelming to think so long and hard about something he knew so little about.

When they exited the plane and made it to luggage claim HP asked, "So where are we going and how do we get there?"

"Here we are," Fr. Maven somewhat responded as he picked up his bag and began walking towards the closest entrance.

"Wait, what?" HP said as he grabbed his bag and kept up.  As they got to the automatic doors of the airport entrance HP saw them, "How the fuck?"

"Don't ask," Maven replied.

Through the pair of entrance sliding doors could be seen their two limo drivers; one standing outside of a limo holding a handwritten sign that said: Fr. Maven, and the second in the limo at the wheel.  As the driver realized that the party had found him he dropped his sign into a nearby garbage can and got into the limo.

"So much for taking our luggage," HP grumbled.

"We should feel lucky he had a handwritten sign," Father suggested.

The three got into the limo.  HP and Haze turned to Fr. Maven expectantly.  Father returned a blank look for a moment, and then, "Oh!  I actually don't know where to go.   Let me..." Father reached into his pocket for the cell phone he thought he had, froze, and then looked up at HP and Haze with a panicked wide-eyed look of fear.

"You don't have it, huh?" HP asked presumptively.  Fr. Maven just exhaled through pursed lips.  HP chuckled.

The limo started moving.  The three looked towards the front of the vehicle to see where it was headed and realized they had no idea where they were anyway.  Fr. Maven sat back, looked at his two companions and shrugged in a helpless manor.

"They're taking us to Cicero," Haze informed matter-of-factly.

HP and Father looked at each other and then decided to give it over to the drivers in hopes Haze knew what he was talking about.