"I want you to put on your Star of David that you were bar mitzvahed with, go to the synagogue, and I want you to stay away from there at night - they've had a few police-related incidents."
"That's it? No problemo! But ... uh ... why the - "
"You know how spiritual our crew is over here, and I'm sure by now you know our way of making deals ... some things, are uh - "
"You don't have to explain, Damali. I know you guys anoint everything and anything. Guess you wanna be sure I won't end up a turncoat. Hell, for this deal, Marlene and Big Mike can splash me with holy water any day."
"We might need to when he comes back," Mike whispered, ignoring Damali's stern glance.
"What was that?" Dan asked, still chuckling, and sounding overjoyed that he had the group's support.
"Nothing," Damali sighed. "Bye, Dan. You're good people. Stay that way. I'll get back in a day or two after I run this by the team."
She hung up the telephone and the group erupted at once.
"What, are you crazy?" Rider hollered, toppling his stool as he leapt from it.
"Too much of a risk!" Shabazz boomed, walking in a circle around her.
"I won't allow it," Marlene said.
"She's lost her mind," Jose said. "Gone completely loco."
"Go into the belly of the beast - are you insane?" J.L. pushed back in his chair and unfolded then refolded his arms over his chest.
"Are you all finished?" Damali sat down on a high stool and looked at the map.
A collective, angry "No!" returned to her.
"It gets us inside during the concert," she said in a controlled voice. "It allows us to possibly get close to figuring out what's going on."
"No," Marlene cut in. Her expression was so tense that Mar-lene's complexion had practically gone ashen. "Do you know the date of the concert?"
"It doesn't matter, Mar, we were already going to do a gig at Carlos's - "
"It does matter!" Marlene was breathing hard as she rushed to Damali and grabbed her arm. "The damned concert is on your birthday!"
"What does that - "
"If not now, when, Mar?" Shabazz stopped Damali's rebuttal with a deadly glare aimed at Marlene.
Marlene dropped her hold on Damali's arm and walked away. "Not now."
"Why not?!" Shabazz was on Marlene in a flash, and the two squared off. Everyone seemed to hold their breaths.
"Because the choice is hers! You know that is the law. The Neteru must choose, and must fight that first battle alone, so it resides within her to know how to have the ultimate gift of discernment. If she doesn't learn the lesson well, she'll be at risk for second-guessing her own judgment for the rest of her life! She makes that choice. Not me, not you. Got it? And I'm in charge of such highly volatile lessons - it's a woman thing, and you just wouldn't understand, brother."
Shabazz dropped Marlene's arm, and he grudgingly walked away from her and went back to looking at the map.
"If the choice to find the lair is mine, then I can't think of a better birthday present - to end all of this," Damali said in a sarcastic tone designed to bait Marlene.
Shabazz cast a glare at Marlene that was so intense, Marlene looked away.
"She's a baby, and doesn't even know what she's dealing with." Shabazz began looking at weapons choices, and shoved a pile of stakes off of the table. "We need more than this. J.L., Jose, this shit is pitiful. Make her something she can go down swinging with - with some pride as a Warrior of Light. Fuck this!"
Marlene nodded but didn't speak. Damali peered at Shabazz, awed at the way Marlene hadn't flinched when he, of all people, lost his cool and used the big "F" word that Mar hated so much. Okaaaay.
"Look, you guys, I'm grown - and while I may be just coming into my own as a Neteru, so to speak, I want this done with, finished once and for all, for everybody's sake. I want to help Carlos. Don't ask me why, but he doesn't deserve to get eaten ... and I don't know where he is right now. I want to keep Dan safe, but he - "