Pursuit of the Zodiacs (15 page)

“If I may…?” The Guide raised his hand. Timius yielded him the floor. “It might be helpful if you knew that our very own Mayor of New York City is somehow associated with a small number of these Zodiacs.”

Irisan asked, “How did you unearth such news?”

The Guide answered, “Somebody, I can’t say who, due to complications regarding our little traitor issue, saw the Gemini entering the Mayor’s office. The person did not see them come out. That person also mentioned that they might have engaged in a fight.”

Timius said, “Infighting? Good. That puts us at an advantage. We’ll pay the Mayor a visit in the morning.”

The Guide responded, “Wait, you can’t just breach the building. The only way you can gain entry is by scheduling an appointment and passing through security. On top of that, you must have a legitimate reason to even see him. Did I mention the security is very tight?”

Nancy arrived early and found Irisan, well-dressed in business attire, waiting to see the Mayor. A security guard escorted her into the waiting room. Three more security stood by the Mayor’s office. Irisan rose up and introduced herself as a Reporter, looking to do a story on the Mayor. “I’m sorry Ma’am, the Mayor’s not here. He has taken a leave of absence. When he comes back, I’ll make sure he knows of your visit. Thank you.”

Irisan replied, somewhat abruptly, with a forced courteous smile. “Okay, well thank you very much for your time.” She grabbed her belongings from the waiting room table. One of the security guards opened the door to escort her out.

Across town, the Mayor scurried through his belongings. His driver patiently waited by his side. “Gather my bags and take them to the limo.”

“Yes, Sir.” His driver carried several bags under his arms.

The Mayor quickened his pace. Nancy called and told him that a mysterious woman claiming to be a Reporter had been in his office waiting for him when she arrived. His Horoscope predicted this. It said he should not waste any time trying to retrieve what he had lost. Surely, that was a reference to the Scroll? And this woman was the “someone” on the opposing side who would pay him a visit, looking for the same item he had lost. They were on to him. He had to leave.

One of his surveillance cameras caught a figure in the building. He didn’t have time to make out who before the camera failed.

The Mayor yelled, “What the Hell? We have a breach!”

The elevated noises of a scuffle outside alerted those inside.

“We have company,” his driver warned. He changed into his true Demonic form.

The Mayor spoke, “No not yet. We don’t know who it is. Don’t blow our cover. Let them enter.”

The intruders breached the downstairs door. In came Timius, Ithiel, and Justus.

The driver walked downstairs to confront them. “What is this?”

Timius ordered, “Where’s the Mayor?”

The Driver said, “You kill our men, break into this house, and now you make demands! Just who the Hell do you think you are!”

Timius replied, “Your men are fine ; unconscious, but fine. Death, on the other hand, is entirely up to you.”

The Mayor came out and moved his driver to one side. He walked down the stairs to his quarters. The Mayor spoke, “It’s all right. Can I help anyone to a beverage before we share words?”

Timius stated, “No, that won’t be necessary. Everyone stand down. I’d like to speak with the Mayor, alone.”

The Mayor said, “So, there’s a sign of decency after all.” With a smile, he motioned Timius to follow him, while the rest sat in the living room area and waited.

Ithiel said, “This is ridiculous. Do we really have to sit here and look at this one?” He pointed to the driver.

Justus answered, “I think we’ve had enough action for today. Let’s just see how much information Timius can get from the Mayor, and we’ll be on our way.”

The driver realized that the trespassers knew nothing of Taurus’s front as the New York City Mayor and expected an easy triumph. However, likewise, the driver had no idea that Archangels occupied the same living room.

The Mayor said, “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, my friend?”

Timius responded, “Let’s get some things clear. No friend of mine harbors Devils. We know what is going on here Mayor. It’s a shame that the people in this city put their trust in such a person as you. You might have a reputation for being an honorable man, but I know you side and take orders from the Devil. Tell me, where are the Zodiacs?”

The Mayor replied, “The Zodiacs? What are you talking about? And by the way, just who the Hell are you?”

Timius answered, “We are The Pursuers, Archangels sent by God to rid the World of this Zodiac threat and anyone aiding the evil behind them. Tell me what I want to hear, and letting you live might spark my interest.”

The Mayor continued, “Seems like you’ve overstayed your welcome. It’s time for you to fuck off!”

Timius retaliated, “What!”

The rest could hear Timius and the Mayor arguing. A smile surfaced on the face of the Mayor’s driver.

Ithiel didn’t like it. “Remove that smirk from your face, or I’ll do it for you.”

The driver replied, ”You three are going to die here.”

Justus responded, “We’ll see about that. Ithiel, go check on Timius, I’ll watch this fool.”

Before Ithiel could make it to the Mayor’s office, Timius came crashing through the door. Ithiel ran to check on his comrade.

The driver said, ”Ha-ha, I’ll take care of you personally.”

The driver changed into his Demon form. It just registered whom The Pursuers had been dealing with. The driver jumped across the table towards his mark. Justus anticipated his attack. He paralyzed the Demon in the air, and cut him in half.

“Timius, are you all right?” Justus inquired as he wiped the Demon’s blood off of his sword. Still motionless in the air, the Demon’s decapitated corpse and blood
fell to the floor upon Justus’s command. They heard loud footsteps of something big and surreal making its way out of the Mayor’s office. They locked eyes with their first Zodiac, Taurus. It was as if they were staring into the eyes of Lucifer himself.

Taurus remarked, “No training could possibly prepare you for a test of this magnitude.”

Before he could engage, he retreated to his office as the police entered the Mayor’s home.

“FREEZE! POLICE!”

The Mayor yelled from behind the broken office door, “Help! Help! The intruders are in my living room!”

Guns drawn, the police ordered The Pursuers to surrender their weapons. Timius, Ithiel, and Justus dropped their arms. Unconscious bodies outside, signs of forced entry inside, a decapitated corpse, and the blood of their victim settled in the rug of the living room floor. The police handcuffed all three Pursuers and confiscated their weapons.

Distraught by the sight, one officer yelled, “Just what the Hell happened in here!”

The Mayor slowly emerged from his office. “Oh, thank God, you guys came right on time. These bastards tried to kill me! Your bravery will be greatly rewarded; and these pricks will be punished to the full extent of the law!”

Irisan watched as each of her comrades entered the backseats of waiting patrol cars. Over a dozen officers posted outside, with more and more arriving at the scene. They parked their squad cars randomly around the front of the building.

“Move along, there’s nothing to see here,” one of the officers said.

Irisan told the Guide to drive as they headed back to the hide out. “May God help us.”

An hour passed and each Pursuer kept their silence in separate interrogation rooms. They caught the Mayor on television furthering his role as a deceiver.

“My driver sacrificed his life protecting your Mayor. He had a family, and his sacrifice will not have been made in vain.” The Mayor pounded the podium for effect.

The reporters investigated the story from all angles and had plenty of questions for the Mayor, most importantly in regards to his “would be” Assassins.

“I don’t know who these thugs were. But I repeat, they will be convicted and punished for what they’ve done and what they failed to do. I would like to announce
that I’m taking a leave of absence for the next couple of days to honor the brave man who has fallen today, and pay homage to his family. Thank you, and God bless this great city.”

The Mayor exited the podium and walked down the stairs through the crowd. This made for a better visual. Bodyguards surrounded him. His new driver opened the door for him. The bodyguards formed a wedge to keep unappreciative reporters away from the moving vehicle, still hungry for more information.

Taurus spoke to the new driver. “Those ungrateful bastards. No answer is good enough, huh?”

The driver looked back at the Mayor through the rearview mirror and nodded. The Mayor pressed a button and the isolation window went up.

As the limo pulled away, the Mayor reached for the phone and called a very close friend of his. “Well, hello Mr. Alexandrov, how are you today?”

Mr. Alexandrov didn’t seem surprised. “I should be asking you that very same question Mr. Mayor. Your unfortunate incident has hit the headlines. Congratulations.”

Taurus answered, “Ahh, yes, and I need the story to be off the front page … and if possible, old news by the time I get back from my vacation. And I need my assassins eradicated. Have your guys on the inside take care of it.”

Mr. Alexandrov said, “Certainly. No problem. Is there any special way you would like them eradicated?”

Taurus answered, “Huh? What do I care? Just make sure they’re gone by the time I come back.”

Mr. Alexandrov said, “Enjoy your vacation.”

Taurus said, “Yeah, well, that’s completely up to you. Do not disappoint me.”

Flashing lights cascaded throughout the limo. “What the Hell is this shit? “Taurus said. “Pull over. Let’s see what this asshole wants.” The driver turned on his blinkers and pulled over. The officer parked a few feet behind. The officer stepped out of his squad car, and an observant Taurus surveyed him. The tall, dark mysterious man cloaked in a police uniform introduced himself. “My name is Jephat, and I have a message from Prince Hareem III, heir to King Asad’s throne. I’ve come with an important message from the Prince himself. He says King Asad has something of importance to you. I’m sure these coordinates will grant you everything you desire.”

He passed the driver a map containing coordinates to the Secret Mountain of the Seven Moons. Taurus said, “Hmm, so that is where these bastards are taking the Scroll. I’ve heard of this damn place, but never thought it existed.”

The Mercenary replied, “Yes, they plan on destroying it in the Water of Ruins.”

Taurus said, “So, your Prince wants us to do his dirty work, so he can inherit the throne ahead of schedule. Nevertheless, the results would’ve remained the same. I’ll make sure these Three Kings rule no more. Go back and tell your Prince, or your future King, ‘Congratulations.’ His betrayal will be met, and he owes me countless favors.”

The Mercenary departed.

The month of May came, Taurus’s season. As a new Moon settled, he became the strongest out of all the Zodiacs until the cusp.

The giant illuminated logo of a Scorpion from the Scorpion Sun Casino in Japan resonated through the night sky. It could be seen for miles ... hard to miss if you’re a new resident here.

“You’ve been counting cards haven’t you?” The casino owner, accompanied by seven big men, approached a man who had just cashed out.

“No, Sir. Just had a lucky night trusting my instincts,” he replied.

The casino owner said, “Hmmm, your instincts must be telling you to drop that suitcase if you want to leave here with your arms and legs still intact. It would be a grave error if you were to even think about entering that car with my money.”

The mysterious man replied, “No, I don’t think so, because my Horoscope this morning informed me that I would enjoy my coin after leaving here.” He walked out of the casino.

The casino owner responded, “We seem to have ourselves a wiseguy here. Let’s show him that I mean business.” They followed him out to his car.

Once outside, he lit his cigar as his men tightened the circle. The high roller placed the suitcase full of money in the passenger side of his car. He took out a silver card with a dragon symbol engraved on the outside and threw it. The card found its mark in the kneecap of one of the casino owner’s security. He collapsed in pain.