Maitho had numerous weapons pointed at him in the last twenty-four hours. More than in the remaining one year, eleven months, and thirty days of his life as a Guardian. It did not please him. Something told him that the situation would worsen in the coming days. Or weeks. Maybe even months. Hopefully not years. He wasn't eager to spend a good chunk of his life in his current life-threatening predicament.
His life before he became a Guardian was another story. There were plenty of close encounters with deadly objects. Perhaps that was what happens when your elder sibling approaches loan sharks for help. Maitho pushed the thought away before it could lead him into dangerous territories.
"How did you contact him?" said Brigid. Her voice thick with the urge to inflict violence. The weapon in her hand was steady, her forefinger pressed against the trigger. It looked like the finger wanted nothing better than to pull back. Just a little more pressure, and the world goes dark forever.
Brigid's words swirled in Maitho's head. It was like sampling wine, swishing and moving the liquid around until it's flavors could be understood. The words swished and zipped across his mind for just a few seconds. And then their meaning hit him.
"Hold on. This is your problem. I hadn't met him up until now," said Maitho, defiance flaring up in his eyes. He realized that it did not matter if death graced him today. It almost seemed like a blessing. No more counting days till his next vision, or trying to save a life before it blinks out of existence, or Jonathan Gray and godlike and everything else about this life. He just hoped that if the bullet passed through his head, it would be painless
Epona moved closer to Maitho, but this time, he was ready. Her fist flew through the air quickly, like a boxer delivering a quick jab. Instead of connecting to the face, it met a hand that stopped it in its tracks. Maitho gripped Epona's hand tight enough to hold the hand in place, but not tight enough to hurt the woman. He waved the hand away, focusing his attention on the short-haired godlike.
"Do not drag me into this. I am not responsible for your mistake," said Maitho.
"Except this is not our mistake is it?" said Brigid, a challenge rising in her voice.
They were trying hard to pin the blame on him, and Maitho knew they were wrong. But that was the problem. Only he knew that they were wrong. There was no way to drive home the point in the women. Not while they were brimming with furious violence.
His mind began conjuring the conversations within the past day. He sifted through the noise, forcing his mind to filter away all words and phrases, except those that included the name Raiden.
The first mention of the name of the godlike of Thor was made by Bevan, but the Scot had delivered barely any information to be considered important.
Speaking of Bevan, the man seemed transfixed by the image on the monitor. He was breathing hard, as though there wasn't enough oxygen in the room. He's hyperventilating, Maitho thought.
He brought his thoughts back to his problem. The next time he had heard of Raiden was earlier in the morning.
"Wait," said Maitho, a sense of revelation overwhelming him. "I mentioned how suspicious it was that Raiden appeared so soon after your encounter with Jonathan Cray. You hinted that it could have been deliberate."
Brigid frowned slightly. She masked her expression immediately, but it revealed itself long enough for Maitho to take note. He pressed his advantage. "You said that you put a tracker in his car and that you knew where he lived. Yet you did nothing."
"Don ye dare mak' us leek lik' idiots ye bawbag," said Epona, her voice rising.
Her words seemed to have some empowering influence on Brigid, who looked at Maitho with renewed focus. I have lost my advantage, he thought.
Only one option remained. Maitho turned his attention towards Epona. "You put the tracker in his vehicle. But did you actually visit his house?"
She wanted to say something, maybe retort with a snarky comment. Maitho realized that Epona did not like being deprived of the last word – or action – in an argument. Or perhaps she did not like being wrong. For all the faults depicted by her, he realized that he understood her position. He was, after all, avoiding standing in the losing corner of this verbal bout.
"How do you know Raiden hadn't planned something similar to what you did?" said Maitho, taking the opportunity to fire another point. He hoped this one had a bigger impact than the last one.
"We ur nae amateurs lik' ye. We checked fur trackers."
"I didn't say you were amateurs. I'm saying that trackers are not the only way to follow you."
"Whin ah say trackers ye ignorant fuck, ah mean both electronic 'n' human. Na one follaed us "
The frustration dwelling inside Maitho wanted to break free. It was not comfortable being held prisoner. But he restrained his emotions, looking to logical thought for support. "Despite your best attempts, there is a chance that he managed to keep his eyes on you. Though it looks like he is not aware that you are inside this building. He is still standing outside looking at the buildings, as though he wants to find you."
The women looked up at the monitors. Whether it was the women's reaction or the words that Maitho spoke, Bevan was able to pull himself out of this daze. "We need to prepare. Our enemy is right there, not here in this room."
Brigid turned to him faster than he could wince at her reaction. "And what if he is our enemy?" Her finger was pointed straight at Maitho.
"What if you guys want him to be your enemy?"
Silence.
It was as though the volume was dialed down. Even the screen flickered noiselessly in the background. Brigid looked like her anger was fading with each passing second, like a balloon slowly deflating. Epona wasn't letting go of her anger, but it seems she was directing it towards the doorway as she absentmindedly looked at it, as though she was about to blame it for all their problems.
Maitho looked at the monitor. He saw the godlike of Thor still standing outside. The man was speaking into a smartphone. A laugh highlighted his face, as though he was talking to an old friend. Nothing about his actions or demeanor seemed threatening. Any passerby might look at him and guess he could be a spoiled son of someone with a massive bank balance. Plus, he was exceptionally good-looking. Even through the black-and-white monitors, Raiden looked like he could be on the cover of a men's fashion magazine.
Despite their situation, Maitho found it odd that Raiden wasn't making any attempts to hide. Rather, it looked like he wanted to be found, as though he was expecting the Scottish godlikes to walk up to him.
Epona walked up to the weapon's compartment and picked up the assault rifle. She pulled out the magazine, noticed a single bullet partially poking out from the top – a sign that the magazine was fully loaded – and stuck the magazine back to the weapon. She pulled the charging handle, loading one bullet into the chamber. "Am gaun to th' roof."
She didn't make a move. Her automatic reaction was to provide a suggestion and wait for Brigid to confirm.
The leader of the team turned to the monitors. She squinted, as though she was examining something. When she was done, her eyes relaxed and she seemed to think for a moment. "No," she said. "Head down to the fifth floor and use room number nine. Aim through the window that is always left open and use the curtains for cover."
"If th' curtains shift, he wull know wher ah am," said Epona.
"No he won't. The is no strong wind outside. The leaves are almost still."
She was looking at the movement of the leaves in the monitors, Maitho thought. She is good.
He looked at Bevan, hoping to grab his attention. When the Scottish godlike returned his look, Maitho turned his attention away. He simply wanted Bevan to be aware that he was still in the room. A plan was forming in his mind, but he could only put it into action when the right opportunity presented itself.
"Whit urr ye aff to do?" said Epona.
"I'm going to go meet him."
It was obvious the two members of the team were not eager about their leader's plan. Epona was the first to voice her concern.
"An' why wid ye dae that?"
Brigid looked at her teammate. "This is our home. If we leave this place, then we don't have anywhere else to go. And I am not going to let us run for the rest of our lives. I am not going to lose another member of the team." She focused on Maitho, her features softening for just a brief moment.
"Let's git rid o' this trash." Epona pointed her weapon at Maitho. Her intentions were clear and she was hoping no one would stop her.
"Wait," said Brigid, disappointing her teammate twice in the last day. She unhooked the shotgun from the compartment and moved the forestock back and forth, reloading the weapon. The click-clack of the weapon sounded threateningly loud in the room, making its purpose known. She handed the weapon to Bevan, who looked at his leader in surprise.
"We don't kill innocents Brigid."
"We are not going to kill him," she said, throwing a gaze at Bevan that meant that her word is final. "But we are only going to keep him alive until we find out what Raiden's after. And besides, he is not innocent."
Bevan grabbed the weapon with a sense of resignation, throwing one last response, not as an act of defiance, but to explain his position. "He is until he is proven guilty."
There was pride in Brigid's eyes. Despite everything, she loved her teammate. And Maitho understood why. Bevan had a good heart. He didn't see people's faces. He bore witness to their souls. There was something cruel about seeing someone like him trapped in a situation where his life was on the line. It was as though the world only recognized the powers of the cruel and discarded the generosities of the kind. If the gods were indeed responsible for thrusting Bevan into a fate such as the one the godlikes seemed to share, then the gods were truly not the benevolent forces that many people thought them to be.
"Then you watch him," said Brigid, clearly affected by her teammate's views, but not willing to show it. "But if I give you the order, then you pull the trigger. No questions asked. Our team comes first Bevan."
The Scot looked like he was about to protest, but he restrained himself. Perhaps he thought that at least he didn't have to watch Maitho die. For now. He might get another chance to convince his team about the prudence of letting the African godlike live.
Brigid gave a curt nod to Epona, who exited the room quickly. The leader then gave one final look of concern to Bevan before warning Maitho. "If you so much as hurt him, I will rain down a world of pain on you. No matter where you go, I will find you."
Maitho didn't so much as flinch. But he wasn't going to retaliate. He had a far more important message to say. "Only the ruthless hurt the gentle without a reason. Bevan is is probably the gentlest I have met in a long time. And I am not ruthless."
The response seemed to surprise both the Scots. A smile was slowly forming on Bevan's face, as though he was a student who was offered exceptional praise by his mentor. Brigid simply pursed her lips for a moment before leaving the room, throwing one last look at her teammate.
Maitho looked at the row of monitors. In one section of a screen, he saw Epona walking down a hallway with the rifle casually placed on her shoulder. She had reached the fifth floor.
"Thanks for that," a meek voice spoke up behind him.
Maitho turned around with a smile. "You are good friend Bevan."
The Scot was smirking like he had come first in the world's longest marathon. " That was pretty close for comfort."
"I have had worse."
"Oh come on. You don't have to show off to a friend."
Maitho pretended to think, as though he was trying to solve a complex problem in his head. "Was that what I said?"
Bevan laughed. "Oh yes. F-r-i-e-n-d. I heard it clearly."
"Are you sure there was an "r" in there? I could have said fiend."
"Oh I am sure. I never forget a compliment."
Maitho couldn't help but smiling. In his head, his plan began to take form. Grab the handgun, point it at Bevan, and make a dash for it. The monitor that was shot had cut off any view of the building stairway and the alleyway beside it. He could cut through the flight of stairs and use the alley to escape. No one would have any record of his escape on camera. They might see part of his escape, especially when he was moving across the apartment and the hallway outside. But he would remain invisible for the most part. There was no point in trying to convince the team of his innocence. He will solve the problem on his own. Besides, it seemed like he was not going to get their trust, except for Bevan's.
Instead, he sighed, counting backward from five. "I was about to take that handgun, point it at you and make my escape. But you don't deserve that Bevan."
Maitho sat down on the chair and resigned to his fate. He wasn't going to betray a good person's trust to get his way.
For some reason, Bevan did not stop smiling. Instead, his expression seemed to metamorphose into joy. "I know. That's why you wanted me in the room right?'
Maitho looked up in surprise.
"You see. That's why I wanted to be here in the room. I was going to let you escape Maitho."
ns 15.158.61.16da2
