The entire team looked at him hang-jawed.
"Our music is dying, yo," Jose said, not the least bit fazed by the group's reaction. "We need to be able to move around after we get situated to get our message out and let the dark-side know we ain't scared of them, ain't hiding."
"The youngblood's got a point," Rider said. "Our primary mission is to go root this bullshit out. I'm with Jose. I say we get a good base camp established, one where there's an iron
clad haven for us to return to at all times, or if we need to bring somebody in for safety reasons." He glanced at Heather and then back at the group. "Whoever has to stay home, can man the communications gear and keep us in touch with the Covenant, or coordinate logistics. Then we hit the road and do our thing."
"Keep moving and keep the pressure on while they're weak," Jose said, lifting his chin toward Rider.
"The music gives us energy, keeps us in touch with the Divine," Shabazz agreed, his gaze roving the group. "It also energizes populations who've lost hope, and we can drop some protection anointment on folks in the audiences like Mar used to do in the old days when she poured liba tions."
"I can definitely do that," Marlene offered. "And with all the juice on this team, now ... puhlease, we could blanket stadiums of people."
"Good," Dan said quickly. "I'll see what I can start to arrange - a World Peace Tour, guys? Tell me the promo and PR angle, and I'm on it."
"Sounds good to me," Shabazz said, standing and stretch ing. "We are gonna have to start earning some cold cash to refill the deficit spending going on." He looked at the group. "We've been gone, what, two years - and have been lucky. So, I don't give a shit if it's the last days and the Armaged don, that bull ain't gonna go down in one day. It won't be one battle, but a series of battles in a long, protracted war. That's why we hunker down, get ready for the long haul." He strolled over to Marlene, who had yet to make tea,
and pulled her near. He nuzzled her neck and made her blush.
"We take life one day at a time, do our job ... work hard, play hard, you feel me?"
" 'Bazz, stop," Marlene said quietly. "I feel you. You had the same vision I did, baby?" He chuckled in her ear. "Yeah."
"I don't know about y'all, but I'm hungry," Mike said. "Throw me that room-service menu, D."
"You're hungry again?" Inez said, shaking her head. "Dang."
"It ain't your cooking," Mike said with his nose in the menu once Damali had tossed it to him. "Don't stick to your ribs. That's why we gotta get that new joint soon."
"Y'all, can I design the kitchen?" Inez asked, her eyes darting around the room. A group "Yes!" rang out, much to her delight.
"Hey, throw me that menu when you're done," Jose said, glancing at Juanita.
"Me, too, man," J.L. said, joining the developing food fest.
"Can we get a place that has a pool?" Juanita asked, her gaze going to Jose first, and then the group.
"Baby ... if you want water on the premises," Jose said seductively, "I'll make sure there's one in the room."
She blushed and looked away as four Guardian brothers literally got up from where they were seated to cross the room and pound Jose's fist.
"We'll get the property already built, then go in, modular fashion, and retrofit it to whatever you want, ladies. So start thinking colors, what type of furniture - "
"And once you get a clear picture in your heads, I can save you a lot of time and burn it in as a special delivery," Carlos said without turning. "Place your orders."
"Much obliged," Rider hollered across the room to Car los, seeming oblivious like the others to Carlos's darkening mood. "Throw me that menu when you're done." Marlene caught Damali's eye. Can we go into the bed room and have a session, you and me, for a minute? she asked in a mental whisper.
Damali nodded and stood. "Y'all get something to eat. Me and Mar are going to the back where it's quiet to see if we can get a bead on a first location." There was no objection as Marlene and Damali slipped away from the group. Marlene quietly closed the bedroom door behind Damali, as Damali crossed the room and sat down, hugging herself.
"Okay, what happened?" Marlene leaned on the closed door, and then moved in to prop her behind against the bu reau.
"Nothing happened," Damali said quietly, staring at the floor. "We did the shower, and the white bath, and we talked, and I held him until we went to sleep. My husband is really freaked out."
"That process was just placebo," Marlene said in a sad tone. "Oh, baby ..." Damali's attention snapped up to stare at Marlene. "What do you mean placebo! We've all done that routine a hundred times, if once, coming out of demon battles where some
body got nicked. It's standard operating - "
"Not last night," Marlene said with a weary sigh. "Yeah, we do the baths - but after you hit every guy with the Ca duceus, that's like nuking any demon buggies that could have latched on. Those guys were clean as a whistle when they left the suite last night, D. The baths were old tradi tional methods, good in a clinch if we didn't have the healing staff at