Chapter 8
"They're over there!"
All four of them snapped their heads to the elevator where Napoleon was pointing directly at them flanked by Capone and Ivan. Behind them their goons all flooded from the lift and the gang charged their way. Anna and Billy took off after Larry and Amelia who had also started sprinting. They headed straight for the stairs and rushed up the flights as fast as their feet could move.
"Streltsy. Run!" Anna heard Ivan command his troops.
"Gentlemen!" Amelia shouted with a touch of glee as they ran into the Tuskegee Airmen again. "Could you buy us some time please?"
They nodded to their idol as the group of four passed them. When they reached the top, they circled the perimeter of the second floor above until Amelia stopped cold. "It'll have to do."
Confused, Anna looked where she was staring and her eyes widened when she noticed which plane Amelia had chosen.
"No!" Larry protested, his mind at the same place Anna's was, "That's the first plane ever made!"
"Come Streltsy make your feet move!"
"It's made out of balsa wood and paper." Larry criticized.
"It's made out of spruce and canvas and good old fashioned American ingenuity." Amelia defended it proudly as she climbed on. Then she turned and noticed all three of them had stopped at the rail and were looking at her very uncertain, "Are you coming or what?"
The shouting of their pursuers grew louder as Larry climbed aboard with the tablet. Amelia laid on her belly and Larry followed her example. Anna's stomach was doing flips because she was really unsure about if this thing could hold all of them as well as Amelia seemed to believe.
Then the shouting doubled and Anna looked to see the Tuskegee Airmen brawling with Kahmunrah's hired help. But the airmen were outnumbered, they'd only buy them time, they wouldn't be able to drive them back. Anna climbed carefully onto the rail as some of the Streltsy got through and continued up the stairs. Then a flicker of movement in her peripheral vision caught her eye and she turned just in time to see Billy rush off toward the fight. She should have known they wouldn't be able to keep Billy from the action for long, and after running and hiding all night it was only a matter of time before this happened.
"Billy!" Anna shouted after him but he either didn't hear her or ignored her. He drew his gun in the blink of an eye and started firing at the men who'd gotten through. His shots bounced off their helmets, but perfect headshots they were nonetheless. The echo from the bullets against the metal made the Streltsy grab their heads from the ringing and they stumbled back – right over the rail and fell onto the first floor knocking down displays and breaking glass cases as they landed hard.
But from lower on the stairs Capone had caught sight of Billy and aimed his gun at the Kid. Anna reached him in time to grab him by the arm and pull him away from the stairs, continuing forward toward an enclosed hall where they'd have more cover. The sound of Capone's automatic gun firing and the bullets ricocheting off space probes hanging from the ceiling made her give a small scream as she ran. Billy suddenly let out a groan before he started limping. Anna readjusted her arm to help support his weight more as they ran into the hall with missiles and rockets lining the walls.
She saw a sign for the Einstein Planetarium and helped Billy limp through the door.
Inside was dark and had rows of seats like a movie theater. She hurried as quick as she could past the first twenty or so rows before choosing one to scoot into and crouch below to hide. Billy sat and bent his legs in front of him as he caught his breath and started pulling cartridges from his belt and began reloading his pistol. As Anna settled down beside him she noticed there was a bullet hole in his pants, his thigh to be exact. She pushed her hair out of her eyes trying to get a better look. She'd lost the holder she'd tied her hair up with when they'd been running so now it fell in a tangled mess.
Billy snapped the chamber of his gun back into place. With his pistol reloaded all they could do now was catch their breath and wait. It made Anna feel like a sitting duck and put a rock in the pit of her stomach.
Sure enough a minute or two later and the doors were punched open, making a loud slamming sound that caused Anna to flinch. Billy scooted closer to her as the group rushed inside and looked around for them.
"You sure you saw them come in here?" Capone asked.
"Oui." Napoleon responded before shouting orders to his men in French.
The sound of footsteps moving carefully about filled the air, along with the slight clanging of the Streltsy's metal armor as they moved. Anna's heart was pounding again and Billy wrapped his left arm around her and pulled her close. She used her hand to cover her nose and mouth to try and muffle the sound of her breathing as she rested her head against his chest. After a very long dragged out minute she couldn't take the anticipation or the waiting anymore. She craned her head upward and saw the red puff of one of the French troop's hats. He was just two rows behind them. Anna didn't move a muscle and neither did Billy, if she didn't know any better, she'd think sunrise had come and Billy had become a statue again he was so still.
Then the bayonet of the man's gun slid between the seats, not the slit beside Billy's head, but the next one over. Tears stung Anna's eyes and she bit her lip hard knowing she wasn't a quiet crier. As if the current situation wasn't scary enough her mind decided to drift into everything she'd ever read on Napoleon, Al Capone and Ivan the Terrible.
Ivan was known to be paranoid and mentally unstable, a result of most of his reign taking place during wartime. His skeleton even showed signs of mercury poisoning, which didn't improve things at all. After St. Basil's Cathedral was completed Ivan was so pleased he had gouged out the eyes of the architect so he could 'never design something so beautiful for anyone else', he'd killed his own son in a fit of rage and beat his daughter-in-law until she miscarried because he hadn't liked what she'd been wearing. And of course there was the Massacre of Novgorod where Ivan had up to 27,000 people executed brutally.
Napoleon had reinstated slavery in France, allowed his soldiers to kill masses of people in gruesome ways, and kidnapped a potential heir to the French throne and had him executed. It is also debated that Napoleon was the first one to kill people in masses by using gas chambers and sulfur dioxide.
Al Capone was of course the mobster mafia boss with a horrible temper who would eventually get the nickname 'Scarface'. He'd ordered the Valentine's Day massacre, which was small when you took into account he'd ordered over 200 murders in his time as a crime boss and became the first public enemy no.1.
The idea of being trapped in a room with any one of those men was scary enough, but all three who were also working for a homicidal Pharaoh desperate for revenge and world domination nearly gave her a heart attack.
By some luck the bayonet slid back and the French man turned and continued down the aisle. Billy shifted ever so slightly, keeping his eyes on their nearest threat. With his Thunderer still in his right hand he slid it through the slit between the seats by his head. His thumb moved to the hammer and pulled it slowly back so it didn't make a sound. Anna wasn't sure what his plan was, shooting one of them when there were another dozen or more around seemed mad. But then again Billy did have more experience with being in situations where he was outnumbered and somehow managed to escape unharmed every time. With no better idea she left him to his devices, even though they terrified her.
His finger moved to the trigger.
"Hey!"
They froze.
"There's another door to this joint!" Capone shouted, "You sure they didn't amscray? Go in one door then out the other just to give us the slip?"
"I told you what I saw!" Napoleon shouted back returning from the other side of the planetarium to argue with Capone.
"How do you see anything? You can't even see over a desk!" Capone shouted back.
"You are wasting time." Ivan called joining the other two, "We should be going after the man with the tablet."
"Why?" Capone asked, "It's useless without the combination."
"Kahmunrah said to –"
"Blah, blah blah, Kahmunrah said. Kuhmunrah just needs the combination, so why are we wasting time chasing his enemies? Let's just get the damn combination ourselves." Capone whistled, "Boys! We're outta here! Let's go see what the folks here know about our friend Daley."
"What about the other two?" Napoleon asked.
"Didn't ya hear me short stuff? They split! Probably met up with the two in the plane. Now we're stuck playing catch up. Let's go!"
Feet hustled to the doors and Ivan called, "Streltsy, we go."
Once the planetarium fell silent Billy and Anna waited a moment longer to make sure they weren't being played.
When no sound came from any corner of the planetarium Anna took her hand from her face and curled into Billy. His arm tightened around her and he carded his fingers through her hair.
"That was so scary." She muttered into his neck as he put his gun away and used his free hand to rub her back, the other still running through her hair soothingly.
"You're okay. We're okay, just take deep breaths."
She tried, but they all came out shaky.
"Deeper." He told her and she inhaled, held it for a moment, then exhaled. She continued the pattern until the panic subsided as the adrenaline ran out of her bloodstream. Then she remembered.
"You're shot." She said pulling away from him and turned to his leg.
"Not the first time." He smiled.
"Does it hurt?"
"Not much. More uncomfortable then anything else." He chuckled, "This leg must be a magnet for bullets."
She took her navy infinity scarf from around her neck and tore it. Then she began wrapping it around his leg. There was an exit wound and no blood but not knowing what Billy was made of she didn't want to risk him falling apart. With Larry and Amelia somewhere in the sky right now he was all she had. She tied the scarf securely then tucked the knot under the wrap so it couldn't get caught on anything.
She could feel him staring at her as she worked and when she looked up a blush took over her face when their eyes met. They were also seated incredibly close making the moment uncomfortably intimate – at least for her, innate shyness and all. That wasn't a problem Billy had to deal with, which she was a bit envious of.
Thankfully at that moment something flashed above them and they both looked up as the Planetarium, now alive, showcased stars, comets and of course the planets.
It was so much more extraordinary then the stars they'd been gazing at outside. Above them in the dark mix of indigo and navy were round cyan orbs spinning like far off planets while a sheet of tiny white stars dotted the entire ceiling over their heads like someone had spilled glitter. An orange spiral appeared, moving slowly like it was suspended in water as the galaxy orbited along its path. A comet shot from one end of the room to the other as the stars fell lower and began to dance though the air, peeling themselves away from the dome. Some of them were close enough that if they stood Anna could reach out and touch them.
Some of the stars stitched themselves together and formed images, which finally let Anna identify them herself, now that they were more than barely visible squiggles. A bull with horns stampeded across the sky: Taurus. Two figures holding hands turned and watched the show moving along so they wouldn't be in the way of the others racing around the room: Gemini. A ram sprinted around the pair of twins: Ares. And a bear lumbered slowly about: Ursa Major.
"I've never seen so many stars at once." Anna whispered. Outside easily only had a third or less of the little celestial bodies visible to the naked eye.
"I have." Billy replied with a shrug, "When you're out on the trail with nothin' else around you each one of 'em seems to shine brighter."
Anna turned and watched Billy. He was looking up at the sky mesmerized as Leo the Lion ran by. How much of his life was he forced to spend on the run? She wondered. All because he wanted justice for his friend's murder. She looked down at his hand, having the strange urge to reach out and hold it. But something inside her chest stopped her – the wall. Everyone had a wall inside them, some thinner than others, that kept people at bay until they became trustworthy. Anna's wall had always kept lots of people at bay, especially in school where she'd mainly hung out with the 'quiet kids'. She knew her shyness was off-putting to some people, while to others it made her seem unapproachable, like she didn't want to be bothered with them. It wasn't the people so much as it was social situations and conversation. She wasn't good at it, so naturally she shied away from it, and the potentially embarrassing result of flubbing it up.
Tonight though, because of the extreme circumstances, her mind had almost been able to push past her shyness in lieu of running for her life, figuring out an ancient tablet, and trying to save her friends. But now it was back and reminding her that it was still very much a part of her. And it was keeping her from being brave enough to reach out and take Billy's hand.
Her skin tingled as it remembered the flesh memory of Billy's hand in hers earlier. Out of embarrassment she'd ripped it away quickly but looking back he'd only pointed out their joined hands, he hadn't seemed interested in untangling them.
And what was so wrong about that? It was just hand holding. Physical closeness had always made her uncomfortable, though that didn't stop her from yearning for the good feelings she knew she'd have once she'd get over that. The initial awkwardness, the unsureness of it. Once that faded what if she liked it? What if it was as nice as books said it was? If she didn't want to be alone forever she'd have to conquer this fear eventually, why not try with someone who she'd only see for one night? Then if she screwed up no one would ever have to know her embarrassment.
Billy felt her eyes on him and turned, their eyes locked again but this time Anna did her best to fight the urge to blush and look away. How were his eyes still so blue even in the dark?
Then he smiled at her, "So what's the plan boss?"
At that she did have to look down at her lap, trying to hide the giddy grin that took over her face for reasons she didn't completely understand. Once she broke the hold the grin had on her she looked up at the doors.
"We need to find a way back downstairs. Whether we run or if we try to stop them."
"Changing your tune." he noted and she looked back at him and his smile, "All you've been doin' is running from them since we met. Didn't know if you had any fight in you. Except for smashing that food box."
"They're going to try and get the combination." She explained her change in demeanor, "If they do and not Larry, Kahmunrah might not give Jed back."
His smile widened, "You are a loyal friend."
"I don't leave people behind." She smirked.
He nodded, "So how do we get downstairs? If they're still in the building and we go down the way we came up they'll spot us."
She bit her lip and thought. There had to be more than one staircase in a place this size. But was there a map she could check nearby? Maybe in the hall? Staircases had to be visually marked by fire code right?
As she wracked her brain Billy reached out and his thumb grazed her bottom lip. Her top teeth let it go and he smiled looking pleased.
Anna cleared her throat, "Let's go."
Getting up they left the planetarium behind and slowly and quietly made their way back into the hall. Instead of turning left for the main staircase Anna veered right.
"Listen up!" she heard Capone's voice echo through the open building. "Had some visitors tonight here did ya? Now I want to know who they talked to and what anyone here told them!"
There was the sound of some scuffle and Anna assumed Capone was having his boys slap around a few people to try and get information. Hopefully the Einstein's were small enough that they'd found a place to hide.
Meanwhile, her eyes scanned the walls, looking past posters and plaques of information trying to find a staircase sign. There was an elevator but that wouldn't help them – the mechanical whirring they made would draw Capone, Napoleon and Ivan's attention. But next to it was an escalator, and it was off. She turned to where Billy was peering over a display case keeping an eye on their backs. She waved him over and pulling his gun from his holster he followed her, keeping low so the metal side of the escalator covered them as they crept back downstairs.
The escalator led to inside the museum store which gave them plenty to hide behind while they scoped out what the others were up to. The gangsters had gathered everyone by the information desk where the Einstein's were, but the little bobble heads were nowhere in sight. The circle of hostages was contained in thirds, one third Napoleon and his troops, another third Ivan and his Streltsy and one third Capone's mobsters. The Tuskegee Airmen were already forced to their knees with guns aimed at their heads – no doubt for the part they played in helping Amelia. But it looked like Capone wanted to humiliate them more then kill them. They were off to the side of the circle while the mob king strutted about the center.
"Who's next huh?" he asked before shoving a pilot back by his shoulders, "You talk to 'em? How 'bout you?"
Anna scurried across the toy aisle trying to get a better view and come up with a 'step 2' for her plan. She didn't want Capone getting the combination, and if the pilots all fought back she believed they'd have enough people to win a fight. The problem was that they were outgunned. But with the right motivation they might be willing to take some risks.
Billy slid in behind her.
"You did well leading the Regulators in the war. Got any ideas?" she whispered.
"I didn't take over the Regulators until after the McSween fire." He smirked, "We got out of a few sticky spots but never taken hostage."
She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Okay, well maybe if we –"
Then Billy shifted his weight and knocked a toy behind them. Instantly it began to light up and make sounds. Their heads both snapped to the toy before turning to the welcome center.
They hadn't been the only ones to hear the toy go off.
"Run!" Anna shouted as she and Billy dove out of the store and took off.
"Hey!" Capone shouted just before a spray of bullets headed for them.
There was a plane on display in the center of the hall that they took cover behind causing a ping, ping, ping as the bullets ricocheted. Billy peeked over the side and began returning fire. He sent two shots towards the two mobsters shooting at them. One hit a man right in the center of the forehead while the other one got a goon's hand making him drop his gun.
"Go!" Billy shouted turning to her and they sprinted. Anna saw a sign for flight simulators and made a hard turn in that direction. She jumped over the ropes that made up the line for visitors and headed for the only simulator with an open door.
"Over here!" she called to Billy slowing down before she crashed into the large metal contraption. She climbed inside, hoping the simulator wasn't alive – she'd tried it on her school's trip, the intense nausea afterward had not been worth it – and Billy followed after her pulling the door shut. Anna sat in the seat furthest back, though she was sitting sideways and not forward. Billy was in a similar position, his back between her legs, resting his weight on one elbow as he took his gun, reloaded, and aimed it at the door.
"What's the plan boss?" she parroted his words from earlier.
He gave a brief chuckle between catching his breath, "The second they open that door, I'm putting a bullet in every head that tries to come through."
She nodded having no better idea. Looking at Billy's cartridge belt he was still well stocked enough to take out all of Capone's, Ivan's and Napoleon's men. The Streltsy's helmets might pose a challenge, but with Billy's perfect aim she figured he'd have no trouble getting a bullet through the slits for their eyes.
Both of them stayed silent, trying to listen to what was going on outside. There were footsteps but there was no way to tell where they were in the room. Whoever had followed them didn't speak which worried Anna a great deal. There was a squeak of metal that echoed inside their pod and Billy pulled back the hammer of his pistol with his thumb and steadied his aim.
Then Anna fell back as the door behind her was pulled open and she was grabbed from behind and dragged out. Billy, who had been leaning back on her, fell backwards too and by the time he'd rolled and tried to take aim a grey hand slapped itself on his gun and pointed the barrel to the floor.
"I don't think so." Capone said keeping the gun aimed low as he grabbed the back of Billy's collar and pulled him out too.
"Give me that." He sneered, pulling the weapon from Billy's hand as his boys restrained the Kid. Only one man was needed to hold Anna, one arm wrapped around her and his gun pointed at her head.
Capone looked between the two of them with a smile. "Glad you twos could join us."
Then he tilted his head and left for the main atrium. His men followed behind pulling Anna and Billy along. As they joined the others Napoleon had a smug grin on his face as Ivan kept watch of the other hostages with his Streltsy.
They passed the body Billy had dropped and Capone stopped and clicked his tongue. "Johnny was my partner when we'd play cards."
He turned to Billy and hit him in the gut with the butt of his rifle. Even though Anna knew she didn't have to worry about Billy breaking his ribs or any internal bleeding the hit still looked like it hurt as he hunched over and had the wind knocked out of him. Then Capone moved on and they were pushed along until they were among all the pilots and NASA crew. The Tuskegee Airmen were now back on their feet, now that Capone had new entertainment. He stood in the center of the group once more looking to Billy and Anna.
"It's been a good night boys." He said as he fixed the cuffs of his suit sleeves. "We got two of our troublemakers, and we're about to get ourselves a combination."
He strutted back over to Billy and chuckled, "Kahmunrah's gonna want to deal with you himself, traitor." Billy only stared him down, not an ounce of fear in his face.
"I was never one for gangs. I'm for just Billy all the time." His expression was stony but his eyes were like blue fire.
Capone chuckled again. "Too stupid to be scared aren't ya?" he asked before patting the side of Billy's face and making him try to step back away from the gesture as he craned his neck away from Capone.
Then the mobster approached Anna, he gave her a long look clearly trying to figure out if she was worth an interrogation. Then he reached out and grabbed a lock of her hair and started spinning it around his finger. He eyed the strands as he spun them around and around leisurely. Then his calm face turned into a sneer and he looked up at her just as he yanked her hair, pulling her forward. There was the sound of someone being restrained behind her and she figured it was Billy.
Capone pulled her into the center of the circle of the crowd of hostages. His hand wove deeper in her hair, cupping her skull as he held her close and at an uncomfortable angle.
"Who did Larry Daley talk to here?" Capone demanded, "Why'd he need to come to the Air and Space?"
Anna stayed silent, though she wasn't brave enough to keep the fear off her face. If she broke and gave up what she knew to Capone it could cost Jed his life. Not to mention Larry and Amelia's.
"Shy all of a sudden huh?" Capone asked craning his head to look at her though she kept her eyes on the floor. He stared at her again before one edge of his mouth lifted like he got an idea. He looked over her head in Billy's direction and dropped his voice in her ear, "Yous was nestled up all cozy-like in that pod back there weren't 'cha?"
Then he looked away from her and to one of his boys.
"Mugsy! Flip a coin!" he ordered before he continued, "One of yous is going to sing – the other one is going to grit your teeth through the pain. Heads it's you, tails it's him."
There was a small cling as the coin was flipped and Mugsy called, "Tails."
Capone turned to Billy and laughed, "Your luck's running out Kid." Then he called over his shoulder to Ivan, "Fancy pants."
"Streltsy." Ivan called then commanded something in Russian. Anna fought Capone's grip but he raised his gun to her temple. Billy struggled against the men holding him as one of the Streltsy pulled out a blade.
"Stop! Stop!"
Everyone froze and turned to the help desk. A little Einstein was coming out of hiding with his tiny hands up in the air. The other Einstein's crept out too as the one in the purple sweater hung his bobble head in shame. "We spoke to Larry Daley."
Capone grinned and shoved Anna back towards his men. She stumbled and none of them tried to help steady her, even to restrain her. She turned to Billy and he shook his head. Capone walked toward the Einstein and Anna cringed.