The Bloody Week, Part 14
Noon, 14th April 2017, The Lodge
Griffin did a brief poring over the files. Cass asked him "So… What did you find?"
Griffin said "In terms of American events, they've definitely been around since the European settlement. They didn't start the American War of Independence but they took advantage. Same goes for the Civil War. The Great Depression wasn't their doing, nor were the World Wars. 9/11 was definitely
not one of theirs. They had fronts in both towers, why would
they want to blow the place up?" After putting the files back in their cases, Griffin said "I think I know how to distribute the files, Cass. I need contact details for a trustworthy driver with a van and if you know them, the local Dedsec branch and the local branch of ARCADE. We finally have our chance to break the hold!"
Ms. Magus went "First off, I don't know how you found out about ARCADE, but they would want that intel. Abd I have a cousin with a van who knows what I do for a living. Also, Dedsec have a dedicated pick-up point at the Waypoint Café. It works the same way as the Looking Glass in London?"
Griffin said "Yeah, I know what you mean. Is there a specific passphrase I should use?"
Ms. Magus said "With Dedsec, just tell a barista there that I sent you, that'll do it. As for ARCADE, go to the Met Cloisters. At the Information Desk or Ticket Booth, tell whoever's there that you want to see Mr. Dee. They'll hand you a visitor's ID and lead you to ARCADE's New York HQ."
Griffin went "I won't ask how you know that."
Jane approached and said "Mr. Griffin, your clothes are washed, dried and in your room as per your request."
Griffin said "Thank you, Jane." He then turned to Ms. Magus and said "You know how you said I had to be gone today, Cass? I haven't forgotten and I've made arrangements to stay somewhere else for a couple of nights."
Ms. Magus went "Well, it's been an interesting time. I'll be sure to call you if I'm ever in London."
Griffin said "I'd appreciate it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have my gear to pack and a call to make."
After packing his bags, Griffin made a phone call.
He heard a female voice say "Hello?"
"Is this Isabelle Valentine?"
"Speaking. Who is this?"
"Hello, Isabelle. The name's Griffin. Your cousin in Bay Ridge referred you to me. I have a job for you if you're interested, pays ten grand.
Half up front."
"I'm listening."
"I want you to pick me up from her address in Bay Ridge and get me to four different stops. I'll be dropping something off at three of them and you'll be dropping me off at the fourth stop, which is out-of-state. The assignment is
time-sensitive."
"I know her address. How time-sensitive are we talking here?"
"The job begins at once and must be completed
before sunset. This is
non-negotiable."
"Got it. Are any of the packages dangerous?"
"Not physically. They're not bombs or anything that could be mistaken for a weapon if that's what you mean. And you can hold one in each hand without any problems. More than that, you don't need to know."
"Fair enough. So, what are the four stops?"
"The first will be the Waypoint Café in Manhattan. I'll tell you the other three as we go, but the last one is out of state."
"Okay. I'll take the job if and only if you can fend off anyone chasing me during it."
"Done."
"Alright. I'll be there in 30 minutes, three zero. I'll be in a red Ram ProMaster City. I'll call again when I'm outside. Make sure you have everything ready."
"I will. See you later."
"Goodbye."
After hanging up, Griffin set a countdown on his phone for 25 minutes. Enough time to get his stuff in order if he moved quickly. He placed the fileboxes and his luggage in the living room. He then filled two envelopes with $5,000 each. He then left a note for Ms. Magus in the guest room.
When the time came, Griffin heard his phone ring. When he answered, he heard Isabelle.
"It's Isabelle. I'm outside and I just opened the cargo door! Once you've loaded up, go into the cargo hold, sit down and use the van's intercom to signal."
Griffin said "I'll load six fileboxes and my luggage. Keep the motor running!"
It took five minutes to load everything. In the van, Isabelle said "When you're ready, put the envelope containing my payment into the box below the intercom. Just hold the button and say you're ready."
After putting the money in the box, Griffin used the intercom to say "Everything's set here, ready when you are."
As she set off, Isabelle asked "You said the Waypoint Café, right?"
"Yeah. What's the ETA?"
"About half an hour."
"Suits me."
Half an hour later…
On the intercom, Isabelle said "We're at the Waypoint. I'll keep the motor running."
Griffin entered the Waypoint and asked the barista "Ms. Magus sent me here to deliver something to Dedsec."
"What are you delivering?"
"I've got a pair of file boxes here that Dedsec should look at."
"Okay. May I ask who dropped them off?"
"Tell them that Griffin dropped the boxes off."
"Got it."
When Griffin returned to the van, he said "Okay, the first two packages have been delivered. The next objective is Avengers Tower!"
"
What? Are you f**king serious?!"
"
DEADLY serious. I'll handle any flak they give us and don't worry, I've got something that'll convince them to let us leave in peace."
"Okay. Any screw-ups and it's on you!"
"Fair enough."
Twenty minutes later…
Isabelle said "Okay, we're at the Tower. It used to be the MetLife Building before Stark took over. How you're getting the boxes inside is your problem."
Griffin told her "And it's a problem I've solved." He picked up two boxes, exited the van, closed the door, revealed his wings and flew up to the helipad.
Inside the Tower, J.A.R.V.I.S. said "The winged individual known as Griffin is at the helipad and is approaching the door, sir. He is carrying two fileboxes, one in each hand. A sword is concealed in the laptop bag he is wearing."
Iron Man said "Let him in."
Black Widow said "I heard a rumour that he can speak any language. Let's see if there's any truth to that."
Black Widow does a Well-Informed Check on Griffin, getting 28. She knows pretty much everything Griffin's been up to.
When he opened the door, Griffin saw that he was surrounded and examined the people surrounding him. He said "I am Griffin, angel of the Host of Heaven, and I have valuable information for you and AEGIS. I have heard of all of you.
Lord Thor Odinson, Aesir God of Thunder and the
only one of his pantheon known as the ‘Friend of Man’. Iron Man, one of the world’s richest and smartest men.
Black Widow, beautiful and lethal at the same time.
Hawkeye, the master marksman. And
Captain America, an inspiration to us all!"
Thor said "Aye, I heard that the Lamb of the Book had Chosen a new mortal champion recently."
Black Widow said in Russian "<Griffin. You have exactly 30 seconds to explain why you're here uninvited.>"
Griffin put the boxes on the ground then he put his hands up as he said "<My apologies for coming here without invitation, Black Widow. But I come with hard evidence of a vampiric conspiracy that has been running New York in secret for centuries.>"
Black Widow went "<What?!
Impossible!>"
A pause and Stark asked "What did he say?"
Griffin replied "I apologised to her as I apologise to all of you for coming here without invitation. Then I told her that I have hard evidence of a vampiric conspiracy that's been running New York in secret. The evidence in these boxes shows that the conspiracy's been in place since the time of the European settlement."
Iron Man said "No way."
Griffin told him "Yes way! And I'll give you this for free: Robert Moses became a vampire in 1981. I brought him to judgment earlier this week. Check the files in these boxes if you don't believe me!"
Captain America said "Griffin. I actually remember working alongside someone with your codename during the war."
Griffin asked "Did he have a wing pack and a prototype railgun called a Tesla Rifle? He would have mentioned how he used magnets to make the slugs go faster than a bullet."
Captain America said "Yeah, he did. I thought he was a bit
odd, even by wartime standards. How do you know-?"
Griffin told him "Codename Griffin of Q Company was my great-grandfather. I met him during the near-death experience that resulted in me getting my wings and sword. He had a message to give if I should ever meet you, Captain."
Captain America asked "What’s the message?"
Griffin said "The message is as follows: The Eagle and the Lion soar and roar again. End message."
Captain America stuttered as he said "He- He-
He’s telling the truth about who he is! He did speak to the original Griffin! He never told anyone else that particular phrase! And he only gave me that phrase on his deathbed!"
Black Widow said "<He's lying!>"
Griffin said back "Does it sound like I’m lying, Black Widow? I would have thought you at least would have noticed if I was. I have to go, so I just have to say that you're not the only ones who are getting these. Before you say
anything, I need to be sure that
somebody's going to act on the contents! And no, I don't have to tell you who. See you later." Then he walked out.
The Avengers each do an Insight check. Black Widow gets 33. Thor gets 12. Hawkeye gets 27. Iron Man gets 19 and Captain America gets 34! Since Griffin wasn't trying to Deceive or Intimidate them, they all realise that he's not lying. And they could tell he wasn't scared of any of them.
After landing, Griffin knocked on the van's side door. When he entered, Isabelle asked "Are we cool?"
Griffin said "Yeah, we're cool! I kept polite, kept my cool and explained the contents to them. Now, the next stop is the Met Cloisters at Fort Tryon Park. The last boxes go there!"
35 minutes later…
Isabelle said "Okay, we're at the Cloisters. I hope you know what you're doing."
Griffin told her "Something this big, I make sure to have a method of approach."
When Griffin approached the ticket booth, the clerk in charge asked "How can I help you?"
Griffin told him "The name's Griffin. I have some files to show Mr. Dee. Can you lead the way?"
The clerk said "Of course. Take this visitor card and put it on your chest."
The clerk lead Griffin to a hidden basement. The door opened. A really big man put his revolver to Griffin's head and said "So you're this Griffin fella everyone's been talkin' about! I knew a Griffin once."
Griffin said "First, calm yourself, sir. Second, if you mean the bloke with the wingpack and rail gun, he was my great-grandfather. And third, these boxes I'm carrying? Evidence of a vampiric conspiracy that has been running New York since the European settlement. Evidence hard enough to make mortal courts of law acknowledge it. Also, you know what happened at
Dutchman Recycling?"
The large man cocked his revolver and asked "Oh yeah? What do
you know about it?"
Griffin said "There were several people who were corralled down in a hidden basement as a food stock. I'm the reason they got back out alive again, and why they survived the facility being burned down. And I'm the reason why the vampire who ran the facility lost his head
before you got to him. Don't believe me? The fatal blow was caused by a monomolecular edge. The lock for the door was also cut with the same edge."
The large man said "That was you?!"
Griffin told him "Yeah, that was me! The Hellmouth in Central Park? I'm the one who closed it again. And I'll give you this for free: Robert Moses became a vampire in 1981. I brought him to judgment earlier this week. I have other matters to tend to, so if you'll excuse me…" He then walked out of the museum.
When Griffin made it back to the van, Isabelle asked "Where now?"
Griffin told her "Drop me off at the Journal Square station in New Jersey and I'll take my luggage and give you the other five grand."
Isabelle went "Got it. ETA, forty minutes."
Forty minutes later…
Isabelle said "Here we are, Journal Square. Make sure you have everything with you when you leave. Once you close the door, there's no turning back."
Griffin put the second envelope in the box as he said "Pleasure doing business with you."
Twenty minutes later, Griffin was in his room at the nearby Ramada Hotel. He knew not to ask Isabelle to drop him right at the hotel, in case she talked. It was sunset now and all the vampires were going to wake up to a big surprise…