Chapter 8. New Wrinkle

By Irene

Tony called my Prince on the radio Jambo had along, it was tied into the ship’s communication system and sat-phone so the command staff on “Tuska” heard the news the same time my Prince did. I knew the nun’s presence changed the battle plans, I just had not figured out how.

After the brief call - my Prince had faith in me so no discussion was needed - Tony and Jambo finished placing the cameras and the radios. The last thing they needed to do was to take some pesticide from where it was stored in the shed. Blue had the keys on him but it was quicker for Tony to do it himself. They threw Blue and the bags of pesticide in the jeep. Tony drove Blue’s truck - it would be noticed if it was left. Both vehicles drove to the shore. They stashed the truck in the woods with the jeep, then split up. Tony and Blue got in a Zodiac and headed for the Tuska, their guest had lots of answers and he needed efficient questioning. Nobody would miss him.

Jambo continued down the shore a few miles in the jeep, taking the poison to where the M-113 and the tank were hidden. The tide was still in so the jeep got wet, but it was okay for the drive. Tomorrow the M-113 would take the poison to the the firing location, where they would spread the poison after doing some test shots with a mortar while the engineering team was at the Aztex site. The pesticide could do it’s work at the mortar location between Tuesday and Sunday night. When the mortars set up and the fireworks started, the mortar crew would not be distracted by spiders.

Tony was originally scheduled to be killed in a public entertainment at Midnight Sunday. In the original plan his wife had some real nasty tortures planned before she pulled out his living heart. She did not know that she was penciled in to be the star of the second act, Doggo had arranged things with the other gang leaders. Blue knew this from drinking with Doggo, who was full of himself and knew Blue a long time. But that plan was scrubbed a couple of weeks ago when Tony was reported dead, the video of him being shot was posted on the Aztex web site. Crow was also assumed to be dead because none of the information Crow had, like meth lab locations, was used against the gang. He had even sent some emails that were disgusting, he claimed he was lucky at whatever he was doing.

Crow’s network of pervs was being rolled up, but most Aztexs would rather shoot a perv than party with them, so there was no chatter on that front.

After some debate, and the insane witch Kiera’s pushing, the Aztex’s went to plan “B” for their big finale: a witch and a nun, what fun.

Once in our hands Blue was prodded to confess. He was a weak man, so getting him to talk was not hard. Parsing facts and fiction, given his state of mind, was a little harder, it all came out jumbled. But eventually the key points emerged.

The public version of the original plan was a “warm up” blood sacrifice Saturday night, using some fool politico from Houston, an ex-gang member, who did not pay up for contracted gang services and betrayed his old gang. As a Judas he was getting special treatment on the warm-up night. Tony plus a surprise female were to headline the show on Sunday night. But when Tony became unavailable, the gang leadership decided they needed to amp things up for Sunday night.

Doggo, the new #2 of the LA Aztexs, carefully shifted the blame for the lost of the Tony as a sacrifice to Tony’s wife. Tony’s wife helped him make his point, her naturally scratchy character was wearing thin with all the leaders she met with open legs. After a vote by the leadership she was left out of the loop. After that any emails and such that talked of the sacrifice mentioned “the Dog’s Sex Bitch.”

Doggo suggested that they grab Sister Mary Ellen (a 60-year old nun who served the poor in the area, she had a predictable schedule and lived alone in 49 territory) for the festivities. She would be easy to take in the short time allowed. Doggo said she had to be taken with her “nun suit” on to get the full effect. In all of this Doggo was repeating what Kiera told him.

When Tony’s wife agreed with the basic concept it was a done deal.

Kiera was Doggo’s secret half-sister and confidant. She was also an multi-drug addict convinced she was a witch (actually an evil Pythoness, a human-dragon-serpent hybrid who could conjure creatures and see the future, a mistress of visions, signs and portents, but she missed what was coming. Maybe that is splitting hairs). She was insanely jealous of Tony’s wife and her power, so she came up with a female double header with both Sister Mary Ellen and Tony’s witch of a wife for a balanced Sunday night (witch before midnight) and Monday morning (Nun after midnight) sacrifice. She said that dual female sacrifices, especially a whore and a virgin, made for better optics for the audience, which was largely male.

Several of the other leaders, both from LA and Texas, held Tony’s wife responsible for his escape, especially given the way the “expert” Texas bodyguards were overcome and damaged, so they concluded she must have helped him. The idea quickly grew support, was decided well before the gathering and the plan passed during the telephone prelim vote the week before as well as the final vote of the ruling committee Friday at the camp. Tony’s wife was present but occupied during that meeting.