"The lady oughta get there first," Rider said, making the guys laugh.
"She's built like a missile with cockpit interior," Carlos said, mesmerized, leaning in farther to read the small print as J.L. continued to enhance the images. "V8, seven-hundred-fifty horsepower, zero to sixty in two-point-eight seconds." He looked up at Shabazz. "No airbags. Once you're in her, you're totally committed. You can't second-guess - it's 'til death do you part."
The male contingent in the room fell back against whatever available surface in utter appreciation.
"A death machine, dude. They gotta fill her tank up with pure testosterone blend - whew!
Just like a Harley." Rider pulled out a chew stick. "After hearing that, I want a cigarette." They all laughed, and everybody shook their heads.
"Yeah, but the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 ain't no punk, either," J.L. said. "That's all you, 'Bazz. Bet your tactical class one charge could hold that boy to the highway at a hundred fifty miles an hour while changing gears ... scissor doors."
"Oh, yeah, that's me, brother - manual shift, hey." Shabazz smiled and rolled the toothpick in his mouth.
"Okay, okay, we give," Marlene said, holding up her hands. "Yeah, all right. It's been a long time since we've had a real compound for an extended period of time, much less a garage. Fine. Buy the toys."
A collective whoop filled the air as high fives and fist pounds got exchanged. Marlene couldn't help laughing. "I don't know why y'all are acting like what I said meant a thing - you were on a mission and gonna get this stuff any ole way."
"But, Mar, it's been a really long time since we could funk out the whole compound with state of the art, you know. My creative energy is dying, Mom, it has been cramped," J.L. said, his tone wistful.
"J.L., if we turn you loose on the house, we're gonna need a floor plan for every button and whatnot you install in the rooms," Marjorie said. "I don't want to accidentally detonate my shower, or start a code-blue evacuation sequence that levels the house."
"You know what..." J.L. said, his gaze becoming distant. "That is genius, Marj. I never had a melt-down, blow the joint, code-embedded - "
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa whoa!" Rider said, laughing. "Take us slow, and by degrees, J.L."
"I feel where he's coming from, though," Jose said, supporting J.L. with a handshake.
"Like, I was trying to get us back to touring, and nobody was feeling the music." Carlos looked at Jose for a moment, remembering to bring that to the forefront of the discussion. The night before everything had been so murky, clouded by the condition he and Damali had been in, then it was time to pull it together and do the run for Dan, as promised.
"We took it to Neteru Council, and the man is on-point," Carlos said, pounding Jose's fist. Carlos held the group in thrall, explaining only the necessary elements of getting the worldwide Guardians to know how to track them, and made the point that, since their cover was already long blown with the darkside, that wasn't a concern Prayer barriers and evasive tactics would have to keep the heat off of them in the future.
"What about those madcap scientists that snagged us before?" Shabazz said, looking at Marlene with concern.
"They're still out there, just like every other human helper to the vamp empire. But those are rogues, and we still have the squads that helped us in Tibet. Both Neteru Councils are gonna try to give us Light support and cover, keeping whatever domicile we settle into covered. Just like to buy all this fancy equipment, we'll have to run it through several layers of holding companies with the Covenant cleaning up the trail, so we can stay on the down low."
Carlos pushed off the wall he'd been temporarily leaning against. "The only thing that concerns me about the World Peace tour is the fact that every time we move, we're vulnerable to a new, hostile environment. But if you guys wanna tour while the new compound is being built, then I'm down for whatever."
* * *
Dan was right in the middle of explaining how they might be able to get some of their old endorsements back, after J.L. had discussed the types of security they'd need at various stadiums around the world, when Damali walked out of the bedroom. Everybody looked at her and fell quiet. Carlos studied her closely. He knew his wife. She had victory fire in her eyes.
"Hey, y'all... what'd I miss?"
No one answered.
"What did we miss?" Carlos asked, folding his arms over his chest. She began walking in an excited circle, talking with her hands. "It was crazy! Ohmigod!
Sit back and lemme tell you what went down."
* * *
"does this mean we should still buy the property Mar lene was talking about?" Dan said
quietly, the first to speak when Damali was done. "Or should we just update wills and wait for the response to this latest adventure?"
"Danny boy, you're beginning to sound like me," Rider said, dragging his ringers through his hair. "You see why I used to smoke."
"But at least now we know what was in that spell... and what we have to do to keep our bonds strong," Marlene said. "What if that mess had gotten into our household?" She rubbed her palms down her strain-weary face. "The Queens are awesome, and that was the best slingshot, spell-reversal-by-prayer move I've ever seen in my life. Damn, sistah - well done!"