Chapter 9: Ally

"I have some good news and some bad news," Laura explained to the rest of her team after hanging up the phone. After their conversation with Sharon, the band of renegades had decided to start making their way back west. Because they were aware they had been spotted at the airport upon landing in South Carolina, they determined it would be best to rent a car. After much negotiation, they agreed to head to Arizona. While it would make the most sense to hang out in Peru until Giovani reappeared, since that is where he was last seen, they knew LIGHTS had far reaching fingers and likely had their eyes all over the region since they were also searching for the same suspect. They had been successful at laying low near Tucson, and they knew Cadence was also in the area, so they decided to head that way. However, they had determined to take their time, meeting with other Hunters along the way whom they thought might be beneficial in weaving their web of deception.

"What did your uncle say?" Cowboy Sam asked in his low, gravelly voice, not taking his eyes off of the highway. Laura sat beside him in the passenger seat, Finn and Camilla in the back.

Laura took a deep breath and tossed her shoulder length dirty blond hair around a bit before answering. "He said the order was ready. I gave him the address to ship it to, though I'm a little concerned about customs, what with the contents." She paused to see if Sam could offer any alleviation to her fears, but he only nodded in acknowledgement. "But he also said he got a phone call from LIGHTS this morning."

"What?" Finn chimed in, a look of disgust on his ruggedly handsome face. He was known as The Hippy because he had Transformed in the 1960s and his wardrobe never departed from that decade. Even now, he wore bell bottoms and button down shirt with odd earth-tone shading and patterns. Though he did occasionally wash his shaggy, sandy blond hair he allowed it to flow naturally, framing his otherwise appealing face. But he had a temper, and his fuse was always very close to the surface.

Laura glanced back over her shoulder at him. Even though she'd been traveling with this party for several months now, she still hadn't gotten used to Finn's intensity. "He said someone named Christian--I think I met him while I was there--called asking about the titanium amalgam bullets."

"Well, that's just great!" Finn exclaimed, slamming his hands into the back of Sam's seat. Sam glared at him in the rearview mirror, a warning that he better calm down. "How the hell did they figure out your source?" he continued, only slightly heeding the cowboy's glare.

"I'm not sure," Laura admitted. "But Aaron always seems to know everything," she reminded them.

"Always a step ahead," Sam growled.

There was a moment of silence as they all considered the implications before Camilla, usually silent and introspective, finally spoke up. "So what are we going to do now?"

Her question was met with a question. "Did your uncle give 'em any info?" Sam asked, glancing at Laura sideways as he continued to steer the vehicle.

"No," she replied emphatically. "He said he told them he had no idea what they were talking about. Of course, Christian continued to push, and I guess he finally admitted that he had heard of another company exploring the possibility of an amalgam bullet, but that he had nothing to do with it, and he hadn't spoken to me in years. He said he thought they bought it."

Sam was shaking his head. "They won't buy it. They'll do whatever they can to trace that shipment."

Laura was a bit offended. "He said he thought Christian believed him," she insisted.

"Maybe," Sam conceded. "But the second he presents that information to his boss, he'll shoot holes right through it. It's one thing to trick some knucklehead lackey sent to make a phone call. It's somethin' else to pull one over on Aaron."

"Damn!" Finn exclaimed, taking his frustration out on Sam's seat again.

"Boy, you best stop hitting my seat," the cowboy warned with another sharp look in the mirror.

There was another pause of consideration and then, again, it was Camilla who broke the silence. "All right, so hopefully they don't intercept the shipment, and we get what we are waiting for. But let's say they do get their hands on them, what does that really mean? Not too much, honestly."

"What?" Finn shouted. "It ruins everything."

"No, it really doesn't," Camilla insisted, her willingness to stand up to Finn unusual but a bit exhilarating. "If we decide to move forward with the plan we've been discussing, we can carry out much of it without those bullets. And Laura still has enough ammunition for us to accomplish what we need to. Sure, it would make it easier, but it isn't mandatory. We can get by."

"I don't want to just get by," Finn asserted. "I don't want to take a knife to a shootout."

"Camilla has a point," Sam agreed, over the din of Finn's protest. "Besides, it's not like we are anywhere ready to pull this off yet anyhow. Let's just get back to Arizona, see what info Sharon and the rest of these turncoats can get for us, and see what happens. If we get that shipment, we can figure out how to proceed. If not, we can bide our time a bit longer. Time is our ally now."

"Well, we need another ally," Laura reminded him. "And I will start working on that just as soon as we get settled."

"I don't like it," Finn exclaimed, crossing his arms. "I don't think your ally is going to be a help at all, and I think that going in anything less than fully cocked is a huge mistake."

Sam's even tone was just a bit louder than normal. "Let's just simmer down," he interjected. "We'll let Laura try, see how it goes and proceed from there. I'm tellin' you boy, time is our friend. Time heals wounds--at least for the type of people we're pursuing."

"Hasn't done jack shit for me," Finn mumbled.

"That's because you're not the forgiving type," Camilla reminded him. "But Cadence and Aaron are."

"And that's why we will use that to our advantage," Laura smiled.