Judgement (The Twelve) (21 page)

“What the f…”

Chris smiled, “Metal fatigue. Don’t see that every day. Good job you weren’t driving it at the time.”

The young copper spun around, “Jesus Harry what the hell…”

The older copper ran to his car, “Metal fatigue! It’s only four weeks old. God the Sergeant will kill me!”

Both coppers ignored Chris now as he helped the woman pack away her sleeping bag, “Best be getting on your way. Head down the Soho, better pitches there.”

The woman still had
n’t
spoken a word, just jerked her head in thanks and with her dog in tow, scurried off.

Chris and Patch entered the In Between just as the young copper turned back, “
That wheels been bloody ripped off!
I want a word with...
w
here the hell did he go?”

Bulls Eye was laughing his head off as was Rage, who grinned at Chris, “Nasty men, no manners. Taught them a lesson me thinks.”

Walking on until they arrived at the underground,
Chris
and Patch re-appeared and descended the steps.

“Sorry I gave away some of Anvils cash.” Chris said to Patch as they bought train tickets
.

She
dismissed it,
“He’s been around a very long time
. Anvil’s h
ad the time to create a vast fortune. It’s our war chest.
You wouldn’t believe how much we have.”

She fingered some coins she got in change,
“Funny how this stuff keeps changing, I used to like the old big white bank notes
and thrupenny bits
but then again I prefer this way of travelling to the horse drawn carriage
s and I absolutely hated travelling by sailing ship or airship
. Took ages and
was travel sick on them all
.
”

Chris had to force himself to remember how old she was. She’s seen both world wars and plenty more besides that. He listened as she carried on talking absently about, life down through the ages. He was amazed with the things she had seen and experienced.

A thought struck him, “You said
Anvil
has a fortune. So just how much is
he worth
? “

Patch thought about it, “Oh I suppose somewhere in the region of
three
hundred.”

It was an anti-climax, “Oh is that all?”

Patch smiled, “
Three
hundred
billion
you idiot!”

“Three hundred…but!”

Patch playfully punched his arm, “Chris, Anvils thousands of years old. He leant capital in return for stock when that fizzy black drink you love started up. He leant money to start up a certain fast food chain I love. He helped with the developing costs for penicillin and a dozen other world wide major drug companies. He put cash into Henry Ford when he wanted to start up an assembly line building model T’s. He owns sugar, coffee and tea plantations. Hell he even owns major shares in half a dozen oil fields. Chris Anvil’s got a hand in everything that makes money, everything that’s legal. No drugs, gambling, prostitution or extortion. Capone once tried to get him on his books.
He s
ent some heavies around with orders to break his legs if he said no.
”

Chris was staring back with his mouth wide open, “Capone as in Al Capone! What happened?”

Patch grinned, “Well Anvil never got his legs broke. The heavies disappeared and a short time later, the Feds received anonymous information about where to find Capone’s book keeping ledgers and Capone ended up in Prison.”

Chris was gob smacked, was there nothing about Anvil that didn’t amaze him!

Chris kept quiet until they reached Oxford Street and found the nearest McDonalds. T
he breakfast took his mind off things. For twenty minutes he acted and behaved like a normal teenage boy. Even Patch seemed to settle into the role. They talked about mundane things that teenagers talk about and laughed at each others rude jokes. Chris enjoyed talking to the staff and thanked the cleaner as he mopped the floor around there table.
He excused himself to Patch, telling her he’d be back in a second after seeing to Rage and Bulls Eye. When he placed the shipping order for them both, the staff stared back at him as he carried three huge bags of food outside. He walked around the corner into a side alley, glancing around to make sure no one was looking at him, he held out the bags, which instantly disappeared into the In Between place. Walking back inside,
Chris asked Patch if she’d like
another coke, belching once, she laughed and nodded. Chris made his way through the crowd to stand in line. It felt good to be amongst ‘normal’ people again. If only they knew!

He was concentrating on carrying the two large cokes that he didn’t see the person blocking his view.

“Excuse me.” He said
and tried to side step around the person, looking up from the floor.

It was Edge, dressed in ‘
civilian’
clothing like Chris and Patch, “Nice to see you again
.
Chris isn’t it?”

Chris was rooted to the spot, even dressed normally, Edge smelt of body Odour, a fact not lost on those that gave him a wide birth.

Then for some strange reason that Chris couldn’t understand, he offered him his coke, “Fancy a drink?”

Edge was taken aback, that much was obvious. After a moments hesitation he shrugged and took the offered drink, “Thank you.” The words seemed hard and alien to him.

Chris tried something else, “Join us?”

Edge just nodded and followed Chris over to his table. Patch looked up as he arrived, “About time I…”

Her words trailed off when she saw who was with Chris
. S
tartled she made to rise.

Edge showed her his drink, “Chris brought me a coke.”

Patch slumped back into her chair with a
look
of surprise
clearly showing
on her face.
Chris could see the tension between them. So he did the unexpected and slid across his bench seat and offered Edge the one next to him and passed the other Coke to Patch.

Patch took a drink of her coke
without noticing and just stared at Edge
,
as he slide in next to Chris and took a long slurp from his drink, “Boy that tastes good
! F
orgot what it was like. Do you know this was first given in American Apothecaries in a little shot glass, as a remedy for stomach upsets? No, well I think that’s the last time I actually tasted it.”  He took another slurp, “The older version tasted better, but this isn’t bad.”

Patch w
as
glancing this way and that. Edge noticed and smiled, “Don’t worry I
’m
on my own.”

Chris remembered something and spoke
up
urgently, “Rage, Bulls Eye don’t do anything.”

Edge smiled, “Its okay
,
I’ve got Claws
,
Leach
and a dozen Shades keeping Rage company outside.
Shadow
’s in here somewhere with Bulls Eye
with orders to start killing humans if they try anything.”

Chris checked around, focusing hard, finely he saw the faint outline of  Bulls Eye with guns drawn standing near there table facing
Shadow
. Rage st
ood directly outside the window, facing down The Dark.

Chris nodded, “So I see.” He looked directly at Bulls Eye, “
Bulls Eye g
o outside please and calm Rage down. There’s
nothing going
to happen in here.”

Patch and Edge both stared at Chris in amazement, “You can see INTO the In Between?” Edge asked in awe.

Chris kept his face straight, “Can’t you?”

Patch
put her drink to one side, “
I thought you said you’re on your own?”

Edge took a pull on his coke, “Poetic licence. I meant I’m in the real time on my own.
Anyhow, how do you know nothings going to happen?”

Chris turned sideways to face him, “You’re not here to fight.
Besides I can see Shadow is still injured. I don’t think he wants to cross paths with me so soon. “

Chris smiled, “Besides I bought you a coke and you accepted. Be rude to start fighting.
So what do you want?”

Ed
g
e raised an eyebrow
, “Very observant of you.
Shadow is seething with anger by the way, you hurt him and he doesn’t like that but you’re right he’s too week to start a fight with you. I on the other hand am different.”

Edge took a long pull of his drink, “
I did come here to kill you and return everything to the status quoi but for some unknown reason decided
to talk instead.
You’re not scared of me are you?”

Chris noticed
amazement
in the question, “
No
”
he replied in all honesty.
“
I feel….sorry for you.”

Edge sneered, “Sorry!”

Chris’s voice took on that deeper note as he replied, “Blood of blood should not fight each other.”

Edges face went white with anger, “You know?”

“I am Judgement.” Chris replied still in that deep voice.

Edge tried to regain his calm
,”
So I’m speaking to Judgement am I?  Let me tell you something,
I’ve led The Dark for thousands of years and now because of you, I’ve got to recruit The Chosen One and he or she will take over. Have you any idea how that feels?”

Edge stood up from the table, “Tell
Anvil
that if he kills you in the next twenty four hours. I won’t recruit the Chosen One
and things can remain the same.
”

Chris shrugged, “You must do what you must do. That is the order of things.”

Edge started to move towards the door, “Tell
Anvil
.”

Patch realised she had been holding her breath, “Bloody hell! What was that all about?”