2021-05-16 - Sunday
06:00 Sunrise with Resurrection
Jeffrey Gordon had his Starbucks in hand and his iPhone playing Pandora as he walked into his desk at the City morgue. He plopped into the chair that his overnight counterpart James Franco had vacated only minutes before. He and James played this game, they would try to time Jeff's entrance so that he would never see James on his way out. It was a stupid game but ever since James had decided to steal Jeff's girlfriend it worked pretty well for both of them.
James had left a mess on the desk and was still logged into the intake program they used. The damn program would only run on Windows 7 so they had this ancient computer that took forever to update the database and so it took a long time to enter more than one or two records. Judging from the pile of records on the desk, James must have had a busy night.
Looks like a dozen bodies, Jeff thought as he looked at the order. Gunshots, lacerations, trampling (nice!). He pulled out his iPhone and Googled the news. Awesome! A massacre in a nightclub. Sweet, I bet a lot of those bodies were hot babes. Jeff wasn't turned on by dead chicks, but if they weren't too mangled he wasn't above taking a good look.
Wow, 15 injured, and 8 of those in critical condition. Could be busy here over the next few days, no wonder he didn't finish. But he should have logged out at least. Jeff swigged his Starbucks and proceeded to close the records and told the program to save. Knowing it would be a while, he then went down the hall to the vending machine and got a bag of Sun Chips for later and then headed for the cooler.
He opened the door and dropped his Starbucks. There was blood all over the floor and James was there on the table with a horribly stupid expression on his face lying naked with his guts hanging over the side. Two men and one woman stood around him. All three were bloody. The woman looked as if she had been shot in the chest and one of her breasts was hanging out in an odd way that Jeff knew was a ruptured implant. He'd seen that before.
One of the men had four or five holes in his chest and the other man had a gash through his neck that should have been fatal. They looked up in surprise and the woman said, "Grab him, I need to kill one!"
Even as Jeff threw his Chips at the approaching man (What was THAT all about?), the other turned to her and said, "Hey, I need to kill one too, bitch! Who said you got dibs on him?"
Jeff was thinking to himself as the other man pummeled him into unconsciousness that he really wished he hadn't run into James this morning and that he'd lost this round of the game for good.
2021 05 16 19:30 The Curious Case of Logan
2021 05-16 19:30: The Curious Case of Logan
“Damn! Damn! Damn!” Niall threw down the book he’d been perusing and stood abruptly, pushing a hand through his already disheveled hair. He began to pace the small dining alcove, muttering to himself.
Chiedra glanced up from the soup she was adding herbs to at the stove. She smirked at Niall as he paced. “Careful, old man,” she teased, “if you get too worked up, you could have a stroke.”
Niall stopped pacing and sent a wry look at his young friend. “Very helpful, Kiki,” he drawled. “Do you mind?”
“What?” Chiedra asked innocently.
“If you aren’t going to helpful…” Niall said significantly.
“Alright, alright,” Chiedra turned the burner down to leave the soup to simmer and walked over to sit down at the cluttered dining table. “What is it that you’re working on now?”
Niall had invited Chiedra over for dinner when they’d parted ways yesterday morning, but when she’d arrived he’d been deeply involved with one of his projects. He’d looked at her quizzically when he’d opened the door for a few moments, before realization dawned. Immediately he’d begun to make his apologies and excuses, but Chiedra had simply bent down and picked up the two brown bags of groceries she’d brought with her. She had been raised by this man, so she was more than aware of how he could be. Despite his occasional absentmindedness, Niall had been an amazing father figure. He’d always made sure that Chiedra was safe and cared for when she was little, and as she’d matured, she’d taken over the simple domestic duties. She’d cooked many a meal in Niall’s little apartment over the shop. Tonight was nothing new to her. Chiedra had simply carried her groceries into the small kitchen, past the papers and books and pulled out some pans and other accoutrements. Niall had watched in bemusement, shrugged his shoulders and gone back to his project. This was nothing new to him either.
“It’s that boy that was with Balthazar, Logan,” Niall replied.
“What about him?” Chiedra asked, reaching out to pick up one of the books Niall had been studying. She read for a moment. “Mind control?”
Chiedra picked up a sheaf of papers, and thumbed through it. “Possession? Did I miss something Saturday? Was that guy’s head spinning while he spit pea soup? Cuz I would’ve liked to see that.”
Niall shook his head, taking the book away from Chiedra carefully. “This is a very old, very valuable text, KiKi,” he said, placing it gently on the table. “And when I was talking to Logan, I noticed something odd going on. Balthazar is up to something with that boy, and whatever it is, knowing Balthazar, it isn’t something good.”
Chiedra nodded. She was well aware of Niall’s feelings about Balthazar Romano. The other wizard had a pretty shady reputation, honestly, despite how Niall felt about him. Chiedra had heard more than once that Romano was dangerous and not to be trusted. She’d even turned down a few jobs offered by his organization. There was apparently a line she wouldn’t cross, although that line had more to do with upsetting Niall than anything else.
“So, what have you found?” Chiedra asked. Niall had access to a lot of information. Whatever was up with the hottie in Balthazar’s employ, Niall had to have some ideas.
“Not a lot,” Niall replied. He glanced down at the page before him, shaking his head. “There are a few texts which mention ways to control the thoughts or actions of another, but most of what I can find indicates that it would be difficult to do so for a long time or in as complete a way as Balthazar has apparently done to Logan. From what I can tell, this sort of magic requires a lot of energy and power. What I can’t figure out, is why would Balthazar go to all this trouble? What is so special about this boy?”
Chiedra shrugged. “Aside from the fact that he was hot, I didn’t see anything to write Guiness about. But…”
Niall looked up to see a contemplative smile on Chiedra’s face. “What’s going on in that devious mind of yours, little girl?”
“I was just thinking that maybe the best way to find out more about Logan would be to just ask him,” she said.
“Right,” Niall scoffed. “I’ll just catch him outside Balthazar’s building and ask him what makes him so special.”
“Well, maybe not you,” Chiedra grinned. “But if I were to run into him somewhere, and maybe strike up a conversation with him…”
“You know, that might work,” Niall agreed. “You could befriend him, and try to get to know him better. If you don’t find anything about him, you would at least be in a position to keep an eye on him, just in case.”
Chiedra shrugged. “Sure, I could do that. If you’re right, and Balthazar is up to something, then this Logan might be in trouble. I could watch out for him for you. If you want me to, I’ll do it.”
Niall smiled fondly at her. He knew Chiedra would do this for him. He knew there were many things she’d do for him. Kiki was his little girl, had been for years, and he was proud of her. She was smart, strong, and beautiful. She was dangerous too. Niall appreciated all of that. But most of all, no matter what she did or why she did it, Niall loved Chiedra unconditionally. That was why she always did her best to make him happy.
“Thanks, Kiki,” Niall said. “Let’s figure out where you can ‘run’ into him.”
Niall and Chiedra put their heads together and tried to pin down Logan’s habits. Together, over bowls of hot homemade soup, they hammered out a plan.
21:34 "Return to Slainte"
Logan found himself pushing open the doors to the Slainte pub for the 3rd time this week – and what a week it had been. From battling Kaoshian demons at this very spot, to the attack at The Graveyard, the man had seen more action in seven days than most people see in their life. An on top of that, the week had seen an abundance of coincidences. Everyone he had met in the last few days was at the Saturday night bloodbath; the cop, the reporter, the Harpee (he shuttered), Cadee – it was weird, really weird…almost as if the events were planned. I’m being crazy he thought dismissively as he scanned the room for the blonde waitress. Sure he was here to follow up on last week’s meeting with Angus, but his top priority was making sure the girl had gotten out of the Graveyard unharmed.
Sundays were good days at the Slàinte. Not so many cops and the ever present happy-hour yuppies, and more family people and dates. It wasn’t the best of days for tips, but they were easier to handle, and after last night, she needed easy! She slid two orders of the Slàinte special in front of a couple –obviously a first date– and moved back to the bar, stopping at other tables on her way. She was taking another order, when she saw Logan moving towards her. She smiled, and voicelessly greeted him, before writing down what the client was asking in her little pad.
The man breathed a silent sigh of relief. Cadee was clearly A-ok and at work which meant both she and Anne made it out alright. He plopped himself near the bar, waiting until Cadee finally had a second free. “I’m really glad to see you here. I really wanted to call you last night to make sure you and Anne were ok, but realized I don’t have your number”.
“That makes two of us,” Cadee lied. She had seen him, after the whole thing had finished, and she knew he had been hurt, but made it out alive. But well, she was supposed to be hiding behind the bar all the time. She smiled, “maybe we should solve that and exchange numbers?”
“Yeah…you know, in case there is another weird gang shooting that we’re involved in thanks to you ‘jinx-eeness”. The two shared a laugh as they exchanged numbers in each other’s mobiles. “Look, I know you’re pretty busy, and I need to have a word or two with Angus, but I’m not in a rush. Your shift end soon?”
“Actually, not that long,” she said, glancing at her watch. “Maybe 20, 30 minutes.”
“Mind if I stick around?”
“Not at all.”
A grin crept onto the man’s face as he settled on a stool and watched Cadee disappear back into the kitchen.
Suddenly, a booming voice pulled Logan out of his reverie, “Hasn’t been a week yet”. The massive red-haired owner was now standing opposite him on the other side of the bar, glaring at Logan with definite suspicion.
The young man returned the bartender’s cool gaze. There was no doubt Angus likely intimidated most, but Logan was not one to back down. “So do you need more time? I came to check on Cadee after last night but I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone.”
“Did you now…” Angus‘ voice trailed off, his face unreadable behind the massive red beard. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, the burly Scotsman spoke, “Well you can go back at tell your boss I can’t help”.
“Can’t or won’t?” Logan didn’t even know what Balthazar had asked of this man, but he had a hunch Angus was hiding something.
“Just what are you implying?” The tone was icy, bordering on angry.
Logan stole a glance back at the door Cadee had gone through. He could tell the situation was heating up and the last thing he wanted was to make a scene. “Look, I’m not implying anything. But, if you know Mr Romano, which I have a feeling you do, you know he gets what he wants. I just want to save everyone a lot of time and trouble”.
Angus’ face started to turn as crimson as the hair on his head. “I don’t like your tone kid. I said I couldn’t help and it ends there. And, if Balthazar has a problem, you can tell him to come see me in person.”
Logan was a surprised and a bit impressed. He could appreciate the man’s guts if not his questionable judgment. I just hope this doesn’t come back to bite you in the ass big guy.
“You got me boy?”
“Yeah I got you,” Logan conceded, deciding not to press the issue before speaking with Romano. “But if you ever want me to tip, you better not call me ‘boy’ again - you got me? Now how about a beer?”
Angus huffed - what he wouldn’t give to wring the neck of the arrogant young man.
The day had been good, Cadee thought again, happier this time, the bar closed earlier and her shift was shorter. Quickly, she took off her apron and vest and put on a light jacket from her locker, then she looked at herself in the mirror and let her pony tail loose, combing her hair with her fingers in an unsuccessful attempt to put some order to her curls, and finally she applied some gloss, with better results. When she was satisfied with her looks, she returned to the bar.
She knew Logan was still waiting for her, she had seen him talking with Angus when she left to the personnel area, hopefully he would be done by then. She smiled when she saw that he was sitting alone, sipping from a long neck beer, Angus busy on the other end of the long bar.
“I’m ready when you’re ready,” she told him, leaning on the counter next to him.
“Definitely ready,” Logan replied, struggling to get off the stool. His face grimaced as a shot of pain erupted in his leg where he had been stabbed the night before.
“What’s wrong?” Cadee asked concerned, though she already knew the answer. She had seen the zombie stab him, of course she couldn’t let the man know that.
“I banged up my leg during the fight last night.” It wasn’t a lie per say, but Cadee definitely didn’t need to know the extent of the injury - no need to worry her. “I’ll survive though,” he smiled, as they left the bar, “they make’em strong where I’m from”.
Didn’t push the subject. “Good to know. So, where are you from by the way?”
“New York”.
“Oh, you’re a born and bred New Yorker then?”
Logan opened his mouth to answer, but the words never came and his mind clouded over. Huh…what? For a moment, the man couldn’t focus and he completely lost his train of thought. “So nice night, eh?” he said, changing the subject.
Cadee looked at him, puzzled; that was strange. Maybe he wanted to go somewhere and didn’t know how to propose it? That was even stranger, he didn’t seem the shy type. She looked at the night sky, the moon was shining brightly, even if it wasn’t full already –fortunately – and it wasn’t cold. “Yeah,” she finally said, going with the flow, “it’s a great night, much better than yesterday!”
He couldn’t hold back the laugh. “Well, it doesn’t take much to be better than last night. So,” Logan began with a playful grin, “every time I seem to hang out with you I find myself in some sort of trouble. Think I'll manage to get through the night without getting shot or shanked?”
“I don’t know… but it’s worth a try,” she answered, grinning, and fervently hoping they didn’t find any vampires in their way. “I don’t live too far, just a couple of blocks. But I need to get my bike from the back alley. Mind walking both of us home?”
"Well, I'll walk the bike home, you, not so sure," he answered teasingly as the two made their way into the night.
23:45 Newspaper clippings research
Sunday, 23:45
“Tell me, does this look familiar to you?” Cadee asked her roommate, handing her an old newspaper clipping over the sofa where she had been lying.
“What!?” Anna asked, startled, raising her head over the back of the sofa. She had been studying the ‘Shoggot on the roof’ script for hours, and obviously dozed off. She hadn’t even noticed Cadee had returned. A quick look at her watch told her she had been asleep for at least a couple of hours. Damn.
Cadee was at the table, busily rummaging through her albums. Several thick folders laid open on the table, each one containing dozens of different newspaper clippings – all news related to strange or unexplainable events. Some of them were pretty old, since it had been Cadee’s mother’s hobby for years, one that Cadee had continued. Anne knew that those clippings had proved her useful time and again, but never understood the need for albums and albums of dusty old pieces of paper.
“When are you going to scan all that stuff and enter the 21st century?” She asked her friend for the thousandth time, as she took the polyester-film folder.
“Just look at the damn thing, Annie,” Cadee answered, her voice strained. She had been looking for that particular piece of news forever, and was tired as hell.
“Ok, ok,” she acquiesced and looked at the date first; it wasn’t so old after all, just a couple of years.
“Young thugs savage attack on restaurant owner. ‘Magician’ saves the day” was the title. Interested now, Anne started to read. It was the usual recount of drugged teen violence, and her expression got serious as she went on. Ten young teenagers had burst into a restaurant about closing time, causing a nuisance until the owner managed to usher them out. Problem was, two were armed with knives and another picked a road-side railing to hit the owner with it. The gang managed to push the man around, hitting him in the head and even cutting his arm, when one of the restaurant customers got in the middle, somehow appeasing the wild youths just by talking to them.
“It was incredible,” were Mr. Pitorri’s –the restaurant owner– words when interviewed about the events at Cornell Medical Center where he is recovering. “He just talked to them, you know? With a soothing deep voice, and those… druggies just dropped the knives and calmly waited for the police. I’d never seen anything like that in my life, they were like hypnotized or something. I guess Niall is a magician all right. I just need to thank him, free meals forever.”
When asked about the ‘magician’, Mr. Pitorri expressed that Mr. Niall Tiergnan was a patron of the restaurant, and a magician by profession, evidently including hypnotism in his act. Unfortunately, Mr. Tiergnan didn’t want to make a statement.
The teenagers –aged between 12 and 15– were derived to Social Services.
“Look at the pictures,” Cadee prompted next to her ear, startling Anne again. She had been reading over her shoulder, approaching her with that silent cat walk of hers. “The last one, does he look familiar?”
There were four pictures at the end of the article, one of the restaurant’s façade and a couple of Mr. Pitorri, with a bandaged head and arm, lying on a hospital bed. The last one showed the mysterious ‘magician’. The picture’s grain was thick, so Anne guessed it had been taken from a distance, and it showed a man around his thirties, with dark hair and scruffy looks, standing in the threshold of an office and looking at the camera, as if he had caught the paparazzi in the act.
She frowned, the man looked familiar indeed, but she couldn’t place him; she turned to Cadee for help, and the blonde nodded.
“At the party, yesterday. Isn’t he the one who was helping get people out?” Anne slowly nodded as well, and Cadee smiled. “I knew it! I was talking to Logan earlier, about the attack at the party, and it struck me that I’d seen him before. Now look at this!” she said, and handed Anne the heavy Manhattan yellow pages phone book, opened almost at the end.
“Logan, huh?” Anne teased, an impish look in her eyes, but at her friend’s serious look, she added, “all right, but don’t even think I’ll drop the matter.”
Cadee had circled one of the advertisements: “Niall Tiergnan: wizard for hire” The add was short and offered the wizard’s abilities for different issues; it was simple, it was neat, and probably a fake too.
“He’s not a fake, I saw him do magic at the party; real, powerful magic. The man is the real thing.” Cadee replied, and Anne realized she had been thinking aloud.
Anne’s disbelief was understandable, and Cadee wondered what kind of true wizard offered his services to the world like this. But he was real, no doubt about that. She could use a sorcerer at the time and paying him would make things much easier too, she didn’t like owing any favors. And she certainly needed some help, or at least advice.
“So about Logan…” Anne interrupted her thoughts, and Cadee laughed, relaxed now that she had finally solved the mystery of Mr. Tiergnan.
“He came to the bar tonight, and walked me home.” Cadee answered, blushing.
“Cool! I want to hear all the dirty details,” Anne demanded, and slapped the sofa for Cadee to sit. The blonde sighed and sat, preparing herself for an interrogation worthy of the CIA.