Frack You: Rise of the Discordant, #5

Chapter 1

Battle Plans

EVER SINCE I FIRST stepped foot in Blackbird more than seventy years ago, I’ve known that this day would come. The hopeful optimism the town had been founded on never stood a chance against the crushing reality that would come to shape the twentieth century. The economic and environmental issues that would plague Blackbird were nothing I hadn’t seen before and it was only a matter of time before the façade of calm would crumble. If anything, it was more of a testament to our tenacity that we survived into the new millennium. The end had been coming for a long time.

And yet, as the hordes of Discordant flooded into town, I was just as unprepared as I would have been had they taken us by surprise. Certainly, their timing was inconvenient as we were all mentally exhausted and in need of a good night’s rest. We certainly weren’t going to get any now and it didn’t help that the crushing weight of their chaotic emotions was quickly turning my gray matter into soup. Even with my receptors in as close to the off position as I was allowed, the mental turmoil took its physical toll on me and I collapsed.

Luckily, I actually had been prepared for such an event, somewhat. I reached into my shirt and pulled out a small vial on a chain that I’d taken to wearing soon after I realized this day would come. Carefully, as not to spill the precious liquid inside, I removed the stopper and dabbed a single drop on each temple. Instantly, the cacophony muted to reasonable levels and I could stand without feeling seasick. I went over to where Nai was curled in on herself and dabbed the shielding potion on her temples as well.

Eurgh! Thanks, Seth, she said, swallowing back the urge to be sick. Eventually, the color returned to her face and I helped her to her feet. As soon as the waves of nausea passed, her expression hardened and I recognized the ambitious glint in her eyes. So, are we going after these bastards now or what?

Not so fast, Desmond said with far more calm than I would have thought possible, given the situation. The portal was open. Thousands of Discordant were pouring into Blackbird by the minute and I didn’t have to see or even sense them to know that a large number were werewolves. We need a plan of action.

Are you kidding me?

Nai’s frustration was expected, but in this instance, I couldn’t say that it was necessarily out of line. In fact, she wasn’t even the only one in attendance staring at Desmond as if he’d grown another head. Every second of inaction meant more Discordant descending on a defenseless Blackbird, lowering our odds of preventing the town’s ultimate demise. But at the same time, I understood the need for a plan and was grateful for Desmond’s level head.

As it stands, we are unequipped to close the portal that has opened, he said, raising his voice so that all of the mystics could hear him. I personally believe that the reason for this is our own communal stumbling block regarding the numerological superstitions that have been allowed to manifest. As such, our main concern must be to vanquish the Discordant, which threaten the lives of our citizens. And for that, we need organization.

Those are some long odds, Eller muttered absently. While his comment seemed offhand, the faraway look in his eye told me he was calculating as he spoke.

Not necessarily, Louise countered, consulting her phone. There are spells that can cast a wide enough net to incapacitate large quantities of Discordant before they can act. At least it’s late enough that most folks will be home and in bed. We have that in our favor.

True, but keep in mind that in two hours, all of the bars will be letting out and we’re going to be knee-deep in inebriated souls. Besides, I reminded her, you are one witch short right at the moment.

No, I’m here.

All heads swiveled and a collective gasp went up as Donna emerged from the house. Despite the ordeal she’d gone through and the now well-known fact that she’d had little to no restful sleep for some time now, Donna actually looked more refreshed than I think I’d ever seen her.

You sure? I asked, taking into consideration that the bright eyed and bushy tailed façade may be nothing more than a thin disguise.

Yeah, I’m good, she assured me with a tight smile. When I laid down, I realized I was too amped to sleep and when the quake hit, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to rest. To tell you the truth, without Clyde in my head, I feel great. So what’s this about casting a spell? she asked, turning to Louise.

Now hang on, Desmond said, holding up his hand. We don’t even know what we’re up against and we are not going to lead off with a blind attack. That’s exactly what they want. A similarly unplanned attack at the beginning of the Battle of New York is what set in motion the events of the Second World War.

Desmond’s restraint was downright impressive at this point. Given the immeasurable number of werewolves that were at that moment pouring into town, I had no doubt that he was suppressing a nearly uncontrollable urge to hunt. Then again, perhaps his restraint had less to do with the wolves themselves and more to do with the fact that they were no longer the sole target of his regrets. 

As quickly as the dark and irrational insecurities bubbled to the surface, I stomped them down again. The opening gambit for the end of the world was not the proper time to be worrying about the complexities of our interconnected souls. Besides, it wasn’t as if Desmond was doing anything other than echoing my own thoughts of caution. We needed to tread lightly. Allowing Chaos a foothold in Blackbird would be devastating to the world at large and already there was enough instability in enough key regions that this could quickly conflagrate into war on a global scale.

If that were to happen, Blackbird would be lost. Instead of sending reinforcements to keep the problem contained, I’d learned in an earlier meeting with the Creator that agents were being sent to the larger population centers in anticipation of what will happen once Blackbird falls. This did not surprise me. It certainly didn’t comfort me, but it was business as usual for Order. No one noticed the complete annihilation of several small and seemingly insignificant towns just before the Battle of New York either. Well, no one, that is, aside from the residents and the unfortunate agents who had been assigned to defend the territories.

As disheartening as it was to know we were on our own for what seemed to be a no win situation, I could not find fault with Order for showing caution. Sending too many agents into a small population center had historically proven to be a logistical nightmare. Centralia had proven in my lifetime that one wrong move by an agent of Order could be just as, if not more, disastrous than allowing the Discordant to overtake an unstable area. No, for the time being, we were on our own. The odds were stacked against us and I’m sure that no one in Administration expected our survival, but I, for one, wasn’t ready to roll over and let fate run its course.

But there was no sense in dwelling on that which I did not control, so I pulled myself out of my own head and focused all of my attention on the situation at hand. Myrna’s kitchen was in the process of being transformed into a war room. A map of the area had been laid out on the table and Eller appeared to be using bingo chips to mark the various locations where planned attacks would be most effective. 

The mill itself is destabilized, so there would be no point in trying to get close, he said, marking off a large swath of the south side with a marker. Our highest population centers are going to be downtown, the waterfront, and the university area. We’ll need to protect those.

Agreed, Donna said with a nod. But protection is only going to go so far. We need to close that portal.

We don’t have the fire power, Desmond reminded her.

I’m not so sure about that. Betty joined the group around the table and picked up one of the markers. May I? she asked Eller, who moved back with a nod. We have three points of destabilization currently surrounding the mill. As we all now know, the shady mill owners had dug a series of tunnels to take polluted water away from Blackbird. Most have caved in, but the one directly to the south is still open. To the east, we have the reservoir and the dam holding back most of what used to be the river. To the west we have all of the damaged area where fracking is happening. Now, I don’t want to flood the town or poison the water supply, but I’m thinking if we hit these areas with enough force, we can cave in the mill fissure long enough to come up with a spell strong enough to close the portal for good.

She turned to Eller, who had been scribbling in a notebook as she spoke.

It won’t be easy, but it ain’t impossible, he said with a shrug.

Yeah, except I gots a bad feelin’ about what would happen if we tried.

Bogie wedged his way into the circle around the table and picked up the bag of bingo chips. First of alls, this is us, he said, counting out eleven red chips. And this is them. He dumped the entire bag of blue and green chips on the table.

Yes, we’re outnumbered, Desmond said with a long sigh and an impatient look. Your point?

My point is there ain’t no way we is gonna get in place to do enough damage to collapse that portal without letting about a gazillion spooks in to do what they do best, meanin’ we might as well do nothin’ ‘cuz people is gonna be slaughtered. Furthermore, if Ajhe truly is the one behind this, it wouldn’t surprise me if that weren’t part of his plan right from the get go.

Despite his roundabout logic and complete disregard for sentence structure, I had to admit that Bogie had a point. Our primary concern was for the citizens of Blackbird, but securing the safety of the citizens wasn’t going to be an easy matter and I said so.

There is something we might could try, Harry said with a cautious glance at the witches. That is, if you’re up to it, he added, speaking directly to Donna.

You mean... her eyes went wide as she pulled a fragile and positively ancient book out of her pocket. The guardians at the gates... of course! But we need four... She looked back at Harry who nodded.

We need to get to the highest points in Blackbird, he said, causing all three witches to look at him as if he’d just announced he was converting to Wicca, but Harry waved them off. Now don’t go presuming anything. I had to at least take a gander at the blasted thing seeing as I found it in the church flower bed. Now, St. Anthony’s hill and the Lou Zephyr should do just fine. Someone can stay up here and I’m guessing we can use the hill just outside campus for the western gate.

Harry, you can’t send one of the witches to the Zephyr, I protested, but Donna cut me off.

It’s fine, I can get up there no problem, Seth.

"I know you can get up there, I said, trying not to sound too much like a concerned parent, even if that was exactly what I felt like. But you and I both know you’re weakened when you’re that far from the earth."

I’ll be connected to the others, she assured me. Besides, I’ve been practicing storing power in a talisman and I think I can bring what I need with me.

I didn’t like it, but I knew better than to argue with Donna. Besides, she really was the only one who had the means and fearlessness to get to the top of the condemned building. Well, technically Desmond and Nai could port to the top, but I doubted either of them would be useful in performing the spell.

I can go out to campus hill, Betty said with a questioning look at Louise. Of all the witches, she was the most likely to kick up a fuss over cooperating with Harry. From the sour look she wore, I was expecting a protest, but she surprised me by nodding silently and heading outside with the rest to find the best place to set up. 

We still need to go after the Discordant that got through, Nai said with a pointed look at Desmond. With all the witches out of commission, you’re going to need all the help you can get.

I know, he said with a sigh. I don’t suppose I can ask you to banish pixies?

When there are werewolves running around killing people? Yeah, that’s helpful.

That’s what I thought.

Hang on a minute! If everyone’s going to be lost, I can’t save them all myself! Jem protested, but his sister just shrugged as she slipped away.

You won’t be alone, Myrna said, surprising me as she looked up from her glass. What? I’ve got a few protective potions lying around here somewhere that should still be fresh.

It’s not that. I don’t think any of us would dare suggest you can’t protect yourself, I said with a disarming smile. It’s just... I trailed off. There was no way to explain to Myrna that my surprise wasn’t because I didn’t think she was up to the task, but rather that I had every faith she would do a wonderful job based on the fact that she descended from a long line of mystics who went on to be Guardians, including Blackbird’s last Guardian. 

Well, she huffed, misinterpreting my hesitation. It should come as no surprise to anyone that I am not above using my advanced age to guilt people into listening to me.

Then the matter is settled, Desmond said with a wink and a smile for the psychic before turning to Eller. Can we count on you to keep up the entrapment snares?

I got a good many in place already, Eller said with a nod. But if everyone keeps me abreast on where they are, I can also maintain projections as to what our next move should be.

Oh, so you’re just nominating yourself in charge? Louise asked in a huff as she came back into the kitchen.

I’m the strategist, Eller stated, but in response to the death glare Louise threw in his direction, quickly added, That is, I’m the strategist who isn’t needed to do some other hocus pocus at the moment. 

Whelp, that just leaves us, Seth, and I think we know where we has to go.

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