A PALE HORSE

Peter was relieved to know where Sam had disappeared to, but he was also concerned about the figure he saw melting into the shadows. Could that have been one of the grunch at Abe’s hangar, or was it his imagination playing tricks on him? Peter wasn’t sure if he really saw anything. It had been a very trying day after all, and Peter just wanted to go home. As it was, he wasn’t sure he would ever sleep again. Those things they had encountered, although real enough, were straight out of his worst childhood nightmares. Well, the ones that didn’t involve snakes, anyway, he thought. Peter was sweating, but it wasn’t because of the New Orleans heat. October nights in the bayou were typically mild if not colder, so the temperature wasn’t the issue tonight. He figured that the shock of their recent escapade was finally catching up with him, and his overactive imagination was beating up his poor, defenseless psyche. Of course, Peter reasoned, if I tell anyone other than Dr. Jo about tonight, they will think I’m a lunatic. He thought back to a man that he had met as a child, Jera Piquane, who used to troll up and down Royal Street and talk to himself, and, on occasion, yell at passersby. One particular day stuck out to him: he had been with his nanny, and it was a brutally hot day in late August. She had offered to buy him a Nehi before they caught the cab for home. She had rushed out to buy a book for her required reading before school got back in, and he had to tag along. On these trips that were on the down low and not sanctioned by his parents, he always received a treat for not snitching. They had stopped at Royal Pharmacy and gotten their drinks. Peter hadn’t remembered seeing the man on the way in, but he sure remembered him on their way out. Jera had a reputation as a couyon, a Creole fool, and mostly he was just ignored by the people in the Quarter. His preferred subject for his tirades was always the government or some conspiracy, and, like most crazy people, he was loud and intense. Peter had just inserted the straw into his grape soda and pushed the door open, when he was greeted by Jera and his rantings.

“Dey come, cher! Dat gronch one mean sumbitch! Eyes like blood and dey skin like a ghost! Listen your momma, cher!” The man had looked frantic and ecstatic all at once, which is to say, quite insane. Peter remembered the wild-eyed man had scared him, both with his erratic behavior and his words. Peter had never been one for superstition, and he knew better than to fear the boogeyman, but Jera had certainly believed what he spoke, and that sort of sincerity is unsettling. He brought himself back to the present and peered out the window. Nothing out there now, he thought. He turned back toward the front of the truck, and when he looked over, he found both Joshua and Abe staring at him from across the seat. “What?” he asked.

Abe just shook his head and looked at Joshua, “So, you said that you had questions for us? Now’s as good a time as any to ask them.”

Joshua cleared his throat and said, “Well, we aren’t getting any younger, and the events of tonight deserve some explanation. I’ll make you both a deal; you tell me what you know, and I’ll return the favor,” he bargained.

“Fair enough”, said Abe, and Peter nodded his head in agreement. Joshua reached into his sport jacket, pulled out a pack of Camels, plucked one from the gold foiled box, lit it, took a hefty drag and blew the smoke long and slow out of the passenger window.

“Mind if I smoke, Abe?”

Abe glanced at the man sidelong and just replied, “Aren’t you already? Yeah, that’s fine… keep the window down.”

Joshua chuckled and flicked his ash out the window, and began, “Well, maybe I should start by explaining who I am and who I’m with,” he told them.

“I thought you were with the FBI?” Abe said warily, surprised that what he assumed may not be the case. He panicked. “You’d better start explaining, man. I left my niece with your people...” Abe was now glaring at Joshua. Peter sat, content to wait on the large agent’s explanation.

“Okay Abe, settle down. Your niece is perfectly fine and in very capable FBI hands,” he told them. “I’m talking about another organization entirely. This one is led by a mutual friend of ours,” he explained pointedly.

“Michael,” Peter said. Abe’s gaze went from Joshua to Peter and back to the road in front of them. “That’s right, only he’s Chief Special Agent Michaels at the bureau. Longtime commander, exemplary agent, squeaky clean record- allows him, and us, to do a lot, and get a lot of help. The other organization that I am with is the one that Michael told you about earlier. He left you guys in the truck at the hangar and dispatched us right away. It was a hasty mobilization, and we didn’t have all the X’s and O’s worked out. Michael wasn’t expecting the grunch out there or he would have sent the Guardians along with us, I’m sure of that.”

Peter sat up and asked in an excited voice, “Guardians?”

Joshua looked over at Peter and with a tired smile said, “Yeah, sorry. Guardians as in guardian angels. I don’t see them except on very special, very specific missions- mostly when we are fighting something otherworldly, like vampires, the occasional werewolf, those sorts of creatures. Did you know that vampires love candy? And that werewolves can’t stand on two legs in lycine form?” Joshua and Peter looked at each other in a shared geek-out moment, and Joshua continued, “Then sometimes, like tonight, we get the obscure regional creatures that most people have never heard about. Or worse, have heard about and dismiss completely.” Joshua had continued to watch Peter’s face and Peter could feel his inner geek bouncing up and down in the seat with the thought that the creatures he had only read about and built in his workshop were actually real.

“So, these guardians- what exactly do they look like?” Abe asked, just as curious as Peter. The two of them looked at Joshua who stared at the traffic zipping by them on the highway.

“They are indescribable, really, and, just between you and me, if they weren’t on my side, I’d rather see a thousand vampires or werewolves or grunch… they are truly terrible,” Joshua said to Peter’s disappointment, “but I will give it a shot,” Joshua said gamely. “The reason I said they are indescribable is because, like humans, they vary in appearance. They can be short or tall depending on the situation. They can be menacing, terrifying, protective, attractive, innocuous, even invisible. Every single one that I have met has a wicked sense of humor. I truly think that they have fun at their jobs and sometimes, when faced with large numbers, they hold contests among themselves to see who can destroy the most enemy combatants.” Peter was watching Joshua as he spoke of the Guardians.

He’s totally got angel envy! he thought.

“I think that one of my men experienced something similar tonight,” Joshua finished.

“How so?” asked Abe.

“Your guy, Sam- we know who he is, obviously, and I believe he went angel tonight on those grunch. He’s probably still pretty pissed off, but he won’t remember,” Joshua told him. “Sam has only shown his angel a handful of times that I’ve heard of, mostly when he is really angry, and he never remembers it. He doesn’t know who he is… part of the curse, I guess,” Joshua told them. Peter couldn’t resist a peek in the back of the truck. Sam was still there under the tarp.

Hell of a curse, Peter thought. Poor guy! Again, Peter found himself wondering about Sam- if he didn’t remember who he was or, more importantly, WHAT he was, what had his life been like for all of the years he had been on the Earth? Why had Sam disappeared back at the hangar?

“So, when he ‘angels out’ as you call it, what happens afterwards? If it’s holy amnesia, how has he been on the Earth so long and not figured it out?” Peter was perplexed and looking for answers.

“Question for Michael, I’m afraid, Peter. I just don’t know the answer.” Peter tried to reason it out, and he supposed that maybe there was some sort of reset that Sam went through. He didn’t strike Peter as a man that got attached to anyone, so there would be no family or friends that would be around to tell him, and he was outliving anyone he may know besides. It was something he would definitely ask Michael.

“Hey,” Abe said, checking his phone, “we are supposed to fly to Russia in a few hours.” Peter was pulled out of his thoughts by Abe’s announcement to Joshua and found that they had made it back to the Quarter. “We really need some sleep, Peter, but we also need to talk about next steps. Do you think Momma Rose is awake? I’m kind of hungry.” Joshua got a funny look on his face at the mention of Rose, and Peter had noticed.

“Something wrong, Joshua?” Peter asked.

“Nah, just thinking about what I’m going to tell O’Brien later.”

Peter turned back to Abe, who had brought the truck to a stop in the same parking garage, blocks from the bistro. “Momma Rose has always been awake when I come home late, it doesn’t really matter what time it is. She always waits up,” Peter told them with a grin. “We really don’t have a lot of time, so let’s go.” Peter opened the door to the old truck and he and Joshua piled out one side as Abe got out on the other side. He ushered Abe and Joshua forward while he tapped lightly on the bed of the truck to signal Sam to slink out of the back and into the shadows. Peter than turned and jogged forward to catch up with the other two, both questioning him with a look.

He patted his pocket when he reached them and said, “I thought I dropped my wallet in your truck. Turns out I just moved it to a different pocket. Let’s get going!” He grinned and they both shook their heads and continued to walk to the quarter to where coffee, beignets, and friendly faces awaited. The bistro was lit, and the little wrought iron tables that had been painted a pristine white shone from the light that poured out of the spotless windows. Momma Rose was a stickler for a clean place and always had either a broom or a cleaning cloth of some kind in her hand. Peter saw that tonight was no exception. She was busily wiping down her already immaculate counter as the trio walked in. She looked up as the bell over the door announced their presence.

“Peter!” she exclaimed, “Thank the Master you are okay!” Peter was stunned when Momma Rose dropped her cleaning cloth in a heap on the counter and rushed to give him a hug. It was then that she finally noticed the stranger in their midst. Peter turned to introduce their friend, but was preempted by the tall agent.

“Rose…” was all Joshua said. Peter noticed that Momma Rose was strangely silent and very still. He saw her expression change briefly, and thought she looked a little sad. As quickly as it had appeared, she marshalled control over her features and managed to draw herself a smile again.

“Joshua, nice to see you. How have you been? Where have you been keeping yourself?” she said carefully.

“Here and there, hither and yon, Rose. You know me.” Peter watched Joshua open and close his mouth a few times like he was going to say something further, but in the end, he turned to Peter and asked him, “So, where do you want to talk? We need to discuss what happened this evening. And plan.”

Peter saw Momma Rose take a deep breath as she said, “I will go get some coffee and food from the kitchen. If you wish to speak in private you can follow me to the kitchen.” She turned and left without checking to see if they followed.

Peter turned to Joshua and said, “I don’t know the story between you two, but I have to think she meant that for you.”

“Given our history, you’re probably right. If you will excuse me.” Joshua eyed Peter and looked at Abe to judge his reaction. Abe just shook his head and flicked his eyes back to Peter.

“What did happen between you two? Are you friends?” Joshua gave Peter a negative expression. “MORE than friends?” Peter asked, not wanting to know the answer.

“Peter, don’t wear me out on this. I know you are family, so let’s get that out of the way. It’s complicated, and it’s between us. Between. Us.”, Joshua emphasized the two words, and Peter responded with an understanding look. Joshua waited another moment for Peter to process this and asked, “Now, how about we go talk about the bad guys?” Peter hesitated a moment and looked over at Abe who had been silent throughout the whole exchange. Abe once again made no comment other than a slight shake of his head. Peter figured he was indicating to pick your battles and this one was not pressing. Peter turned and strode off in the direction of the kitchen, leaving the other two to follow. Peter walked into the back room and was hit with a sense of déjà vu. He shook off the feeling, knowing that just hours earlier he, Momma Rose, Abe, and Michael were all huddled around the same table. Joshua commandeered a seat across from Peter and Abe. Peter thought this was an ingrained habit on the part of an officer, and he got the distinct impression that this was going to be more interrogation and less friendly chat. It would be his second debrief today, and he was tired. Momma Rose came in the room and handed out cups of coffee. She placed a plate of cheese, fresh fruit, and bread on the table between them, then handed Abe and Peter a plate and placed the third on the table without looking in Joshua’s direction. She turned abruptly and left the room. Peter raised an eyebrow at Abe as Joshua heaved a heavy sigh and picked up the plate from the edge of the table. The three men helped themselves to the food and, as they sipped their coffee, Joshua turned to Peter and said, “So why don’t you tell me what happened tonight?”

Peter gulped a bit of coffee, swallowed, and said, “I was just tagging along, honestly. Abe?” He deferred to the old officer, and Abe began.

“It was like this,” Abe said sipping on his coffee. “Sam landed with a questionable shipment, again… I think you know what I mean.”

Abe looked meaningfully at Joshua and he nodded, “Yeah, I get it. This for Avatov again?”

“Bingo! Anyway, Peter has business with Sam and me moving some of his cargo, so we meet up. He was there when Sam told me about the kids. Peter offered to let us borrow his gear, but only he knows how to control it, so he became part of the op. Sam and I should have been alone, but the plans changed.” Abe grumped.

“Hey!” Peter said getting ready to bite into his sandwich again, instead slowly putting it back on the plate. “You know that if you hadn’t taken me along you would have gotten your ass handed to you, courtesy of those little white freaks!” Peter told him. “Besides that,” he said, “there wouldn’t have been enough time to teach you all the controls.” He turned back to the agent, “We only found out about the kids a couple hours before… not enough time to uncrate and prepare the suits that were shipping, so we used my prototype.” Peter picked his sandwich back up and took a big bite.

“I’m not saying you weren’t welcome, Peter! You did a great job!” Abe said, and he meant it. “I just didn’t want to have to involve anyone else in those kinds of dealings. Those men are some ruthless types. They won’t hesitate to put a bullet in anyone who gets in their way.” Peter seemed mollified, and Joshua took the opportunity to jump into the conversation.

“He’s right, Peter,” the agent said, then sat back, looking at them both. “Listen, you two. We were able to identify at least two of the suspects in the truck, unfortunately, the third was too much in the shadows to see who he was.”

Peter earnestly offered, “I’m sure I got everyone that was there. Want me to see?”

“You’re joking! Really? I thought your video fizzled out?” The agent seemed genuinely stunned. Peter sat back in his seat, spread his arms in a wide shrug and said, “The unit is designed to record every moment from power up until you deactivate it. The OUC malfunctioned, sure, but the visor should have recorded some stills. I know that I looked at the cab of the truck a few times and remember seeing our mystery man as he leaned out the window. Guarantee you I’ve got him,” Peter told him confidently.

“Even with no light? It was very dark and the lights from the truck were on the suit, I doubt that the suit would have been able to get a clear image,” Joshua told him.

“The suit is auto-aware, Joshua.” Peter paused for effect. “The cameras will adjust based on light or lack of it. What I mean is, the suit will modify the light in order to see what it is focused on. I should have a clear picture of whoever was in that truck regardless of whether or not there was light shining on the suit,” Peter said excitedly.

“Wow, kid! I’m impressed! When do you think we could get a copy of that?” Joshua asked him.

“How about now? I have the SD card in my pocket. When we go upstairs we can plug it into my computer and I’ll send it to you,” Peter said, leaning forward in his seat. He rested his elbows on his knees, folded his fingers into steeple and used his paired index fingers to prop up his chin as he spoke. “As far as what else happened tonight, the creepiest part was the mystery guy seemed to have a connection with the grunch. They responded to his whistle. I mean, how does something like that even happen?” Peter sat back in the chair, rubbed his weary eyes, and muttered. “Dude must have made a deal with the devil.”

Joshua lost the grin from his face and said, “You aren’t entirely wrong. The grunch are not human. They are also not known to be in the company of humans, ever. They are solitary with one exception.” Joshua stood to address the two men gravely, leaning his hands on the back of the wrought iron chair. “The grunch have been known to become thralls for vampires… something about a vampire being able to communicate telepathically with them and make them understand. Maybe our mystery man is a vampire?” Joshua opined, sitting back down.

Abe looked concerned. “All those children are at my hangar. Do you think they will be okay? I mean, can’t vampires turn into bats and stuff?”

“No, that’s just something that Hollywood made up… they don’t glitter, either. That’s just stupid.” Joshua sat back in his seat, the hours catching up with him. He was tired as well, but they had to press on. He continued, “They do have a thirst for blood and are unbelievably strong, though. They also move incredibly fast, which is why we typically leave them to the Guardians. I will report this back to Michael. I’m sure that he will send the others to watch out for everyone at your place. I will handle all the paperwork, and the local authorities, so don’t worry about that. What’s your next move?” The agent leaned back, addressing Abe and Peter. “Russia?”

“Yeah, catching a plane in the morning. Well, in a few hours,” Peter said, looking at his watch. “I need to get some sleep.” He yawned and stood up to leave. “I need to let Momma Rose know that I will be leaving, well… today. Here are the keys to my house, just go out the door and you will see a set of stairs that leads to my door. I’ll be up in a few minutes.” Peter told them, handing the keys to Abe and shouting for Momma Rose. Abe and Joshua went out the side door toward the stairs Peter had indicated and ascended to his house. Peter watched from one of the side windows as they opened the door and walked inside. He started when the front door chimed a new arrival. Sam walked through the door as Momma Rose came out of the kitchen.

She smiled at Sam who had sat at a nearby table and said to Peter, “Why are you shouting for me? You knew I was in the kitchen.” she admonished.

“Yes, I knew. Sorry…” he bent and kissed her cheek. “I wanted the others to leave and needed an excuse to stay behind.” He cocked his head in Sam’s direction and Momma Rose nodded in response. “Oh, by the way, I will be flying to Russia in the morning- I mean, in a couple of hours. Do you think I could take some food with me, please?” he asked her, giving her puppy dog eyes.

“Mon chou, you constantly are prevailing on my bonne nateur (better nature), but, yes, I will make certain you have something for the trip. You know I will do anything for you. You must sleep while the pilots fly, or you will be no good to anyone, no?” she said with concern. Peter ignored her.

“I should only be gone a couple of days. If it’s longer, I’ll call you. I’ll bring my keys by when I leave.” He gave her another kiss on the cheek and turned to Sam.

“Where’d you get to tonight? You kind of had us worried when you disappeared.”He sat down across from the larger man and asked, “Do you need a place to put up for the night?”

“I can’t have my face known to the feds.” Sam said, “That kind of thing could get you killed by the people I work for.”

“Who do you work for, Sam?” Peter asked him.

“Nobody you need to ever be concerned with, kid,” Sam said, “And as far as your previous question is concerned, do you think I could stay with Momma Rose? I mean, do you think she will let me crash in the restaurant tonight?” He hurried on after he caught Peter’s look.

Peter grinned and said, “Momma Rose is used to taking in strays of all kinds. She has a cot in the back room for the ones that she thinks are too drunk to get home at night. I didn’t see anyone in the back room, so I guess you could use it,” Peter told him. “You need to get some rest, though. I’m trusting you to get me to Russia in one piece, and I don’t know how to fly.”

Sam grinned at Peter and said, ”It’s a good thing that I don’t require much sleep then, isn’t it?” Peter led the way to the back room where Momma Rose let the occasional inebriated patron crash for the night. Usually they woke up and didn’t know where they were or how they ended up there, but Momma Rose always made them feel at home and never had a bad word to say about any of them.

“Feel free to make yourself at home, but I should warn you, don’t go into the kitchen. Momma Rose is very protective of her kitchen.” He said.

“Duly noted…” Sam said, “Don’t go into the kitchen.”

“I’ll meet you here in the morning. I’ll try to sneak out without the others waking. With any luck, we will be in the air before they notice I’m gone.” Peter told him. “By the way, Joshua said that one of his agents saw a golden warrior with a giant sword in the woods tonight. Can you believe that?” Peter laughed slightly, shaking his head. “Did you see anything like that while you were out there?” Peter asked him. He watched Sam for a hint of recognition or even acknowledgment that such a thing could have occurred, and that he knew how and why. Nothing. Sam was not giving anything away, and Peter was almost certain that he really believed he didn’t know about it.

“No, I don’t remember seeing a glowing warrior with wings and a giant sword tonight.”

Peter studied him closely before saying, “No worries, it was a silly thing anyway. Hope you can rest for a few hours. I’ll be back here at five to get you.” With that Peter left Sam in the little back room and made his way to the side door Abe and Joshua left through earlier. Sam watched Peter leave and thought about the question that had been burning through his brain all evening.

What had happened out in the woods earlier? He had tried to work through the details on the ride over in the back of the truck. I remember… I was running with one... Sarah... The grunch had come at him from out of the shadows of a cypress hammock. He remembered getting knocked down by one of the grunch. Sarah peeled off from me… I looked up and saw one of the grunch tailing her and gaining . He remembered a burning anger welling up inside him, consuming him. And then, just... images… feelings. Sensations. Strength and brightness and heat. Overwhelming wrath. Wind, fast and biting. The sounds of the forest whirling. The anguished cries of so many unholy beasts. The beating of great wings. He didn’t know why, but he felt that this had happened to him before, but he knew it had. It was exciting and frustrating all at the same time. It was like having a memory that you can’t quite remember, you know you have done or tried something before but you just can’t remember all the details. The only thing that Sam knew for certain was that this had happened to him before and… It felt right. Peter walked up the stairs, turned the knob, flicked on the switch for the outside light and closed his door. Closing the door on Governor Nicholls Street. Closing the door on this weird and exhausting and frightening day. Peter walked through his darkened house and thought about the conversation minutes earlier. Peter thought for a moment recalling all the details of their exchange.

I don’t remember seeing a glowing warrior with wings and a giant sword tonight. Those were Sam’s exact words, and they gave him hope. Peter had never mentioned anything about the warrior having wings.