The Heist

The street outside the Celtic base was empty. Quinn had transformed into a comfortable sedan, but nothing that resembled luxury so as to avoid drawing attention. Maitho had his eyes vigilant for any signs of the draugr. Since he didn't see any of them outside, there was a high probability that they were still inside the building. There was no way Brigid would not make full use of their abilities to guard the base.

A single car passed them by, instinctively causing both Maitho and Epona to duck beneath Quinn's windows. The sun had passed the midway point in the sky a few hours ago. It was the time of the day when the light began to slowly filter out of the world.

Epona had preferred the cover of darkness to help them in their mission. It was a sound suggestion. He had agreed to Epona's idea, but noted that it would be better if they could scout the area in advance. There was no telling what awaited them, so it would help if they had eyes on the Celtic base before they entered the building.

A few hours ago, they were still in the alleyway Quinn had parked for the night. Maitho spoke about his plan. When he finished, Epona spoke. "Ye want tae steal some weapons from the basement?" She was leaning on Quinn with her arms crossed. The day wasn't particularly hot and a light breeze blew her hair into her face.

"We can't break into a maximum security prison with just our powers alone," said Maitho. "We need to be better prepared. We need armor. Maybe a few flash or smoke grenades. Masks. Spray paint. We need to take whatever we feel could help us. You base has an entire wall of things we can use."

Epona forced a breath through her nose, frustration visibly etched on her face. "Why no make a plan first? Let's figure oot hou we can break intae the prison an then decide whit we neit for the task."

Maitho shook his head. "I have eleven days. We don't know what the prison looks like. But we do know what your base looks like. That's an advantage we need to use, before Brigid raises her defenses even more. Besides, this isn't just about breaking into the prison. I know that we cannot face anyone without being properly armed to defend ourselves."

Maitho wondered if he would think differently if it was the beginning of the month, when he had more time. He more than likely wouldn't. For one, he knew that the longer they waited, the more time they would be giving their opponents to make a move. Brigid might find a way to reach out to Morrigan. She would aim to seek as many allies as possible. In order to prevent her from strengthening her forces, Maitho needed to use the element of speed and hope that it somehow brought surprise to tag along with it.

"Something you should know, my dearies," said Quinn. "Brigid might have prepared herself. The barrier around the base might prevent Maitho from entering."

That would severely limit Maitho's progress. He could perhaps imagine one way to enter the building and that involved entering the parking lot with Quinn. Then again, that would be the most obvious choice. There was no way the Celtic team wouldn't be prepared for such an arrival.

The narrow alley that Quinn had chosen to hide for the night was dotted with mechanical parts from machines Maitho couldn't guess and numerous random items. There was a shoe missing its leather partner, an empty plastic bottle, candy wrappers and other objects that spoke of various folks passing through the alley. Maitho kicked a metal pipe that had rust covering its body like a second skin. The object bounced off a nearby wall, leaving behind a small mark.

"Bevan's no gaun'ae forgive ye if ye do this." said Epona. She wasn't making any accusations. Rather, she was merely pointing out a fact for consideration.

It was Bevan who had given Maitho the opportunity to meet the Celtic team. The man's insistence to form a group and fight a common threat was probably why Quinn and Epona were in the alley with Maitho at that moment. It felt unfair that Maitho was paying back the kindness offered to him by breaking into the Celtic team's base. Yet he saw no other way to gain a fighting chance. They were all well beyond the possibilities of amiable conversations.

The mark on the wall grabbed Maitho's attention again. He tried to ignore it, but curiosity won him over.

"If you are planning to do this, my dear," said Quinn, "then know that your biggest obstacle is the elevator. Among us, only Epona can access it. Well, I can too perhaps but I'm not the one with hands."

Quinn was right. Which only meant that Epona would have to go into the building alone. What was so interesting about the mark on the wall? Maitho couldn't stop staring at it. Something about the fact that the metal struck a surface and left behind an indicator of its damage compelled him to ponder about his current predicament.

It all came in an instant. Images flashed into his mind one after the other. He could hardly grasp their meaning until he had to will his thoughts to slow down. Then things started to make more sense.

"Quinn, can you change into any vehicle?" said Maitho. He already knew what the answer would be, but he still wanted to hear the car confirming it.

"I can," came the satisfying response.

That's when things began to click in Maitho's head. It wasn't the entire puzzle. But there were enough pieces to provide an understandable picture.

"Then I think I know what to do."

Maitho blinked his eyes to escape from the memory. He was back in the present. From where Quinn was parked, he could see the Celtic team's base. He sat back in his seat and drummed his fingers on the dashboard of the car.

Taking out his phone, Maitho checked the locator app. He saw the yellow blip exactly where it had been an hour ago. It's location marked exactly where the Celtic base was.

"How did you manage to do that?" said Quinn.

Maitho knew what he was referring to. "When I had Bevan's phone, I installed the tracking app. I originally intended to use it to track Brigid's location." He sighed. "But you know how that went."

"Well, at least ye get tae use it now," said Epona.

"I hope that is the case," said Maitho. "I hope they haven't discovered what I did. Because that would mean that they might be waiting for us inside."

For the next half hour, there was little movement, both from the blip on the phone and from the occupants of the vehicle. Maitho kept his eyes focused on the base while Epona closed her eyes for a nap. No one seemed to enter the base, which was a good sign. After all, it meant that Brigid hadn't contacted anyone from outside. Although it made Maitho wonder why she hadn't. After all, wouldn't it be much easier to have someone come to their base rather than go out to a meeting?

Eventually, a gray sedan exited the parking lot. Maitho didn't receive a clear view of the people inside, but he couldn't mistake the silhouette of the driver. Especially the mop of curly hair he had grown accustomed to seeing during the past day.

The car turned away from them and drove off, leaving behind a sense of stillness that made Maitho hold his breath.

"Wait a little longer, my dear?" said Quinn, his voice soft so as not to wake Epona.

Maitho nodded with a "mmhmm", knowing that his reaction would be noticed by the car. They waited for another five minutes to make sure that no one was returning. Maitho gently shook Epona's shoulders, jolting her awake. She rubbed her eyes to wake herself up. Then she reached into the backseat to lift the crossbow lying there. She placed the weapon on her lap.

Quinn began to make his way towards the Celtic base.

Epona was in the driver's seat and had lowered the visor. It wouldn't block her entirely, but it would at least prevent someone from recognizing her from a casual glance. Maitho followed her example, hoping that it was enough to hide his face. Definitely not, but it didn't hurt to take extra precautions.

The ride lasted for no more than a minute, as Quinn was driving within what would be called normal speed limits in the area. He wasn't too slow, but neither was he too fast to raise eyebrows. Just another car headed somewhere. "It's time," he said.

Maitho was about to strap the seatbelts when they slid across his chest on their own. A familiar click told him that he was secure in his seat. "Thank you," said Maitho.

"You're welcome," came the response from Quinn. "Are you both ready?"

There was a brief pause. Maitho knew that once they proceed with their plan, then there is no turning back. Whatever resistance they might encounter, even from former friends, was something they will have to face. The inevitability of everything crashing around him made Maitho feel like he was facing an incoming storm. He could either choose to outrun it or he could do what he was about to do at that moment. Face it with his eyes on the goal.

He shared a look with Epona before speaking to Quinn. "Let's do it."

The back tires of the car began to screech as Quinn revved his engines. In the side mirror, Maitho saw the spinning rubber form smoke through friction. An instant later, the car shot forward, keeping the front doors of the Celtic base in its path. The front wheels lifted into the air, followed by the rear ones. Quinn had jumped, his aim intended to form an arc that would allow him to crash into the building. For a moment, Maitho thought that he would collide with the force field that surrounded the base.

It did not happen.

When Quinn reached the apex of his arc and was in the process of angling downwards, he began to transform. Maitho saw the center gear stick retract downwards into the car. His and Epona's seats merged into one. The roof began to move away from him, making the interior bigger.

Quinn had transformed from a simple car into a bulldozer. He had made the transformation at the last minute so that he could use the momentum created by his car form to keep his velocity as steady as possible.

Maitho grabbed a handle that had appeared next to him.

"Hang on, you two," Quinn's voice boomed.

He crashed into the entrance, ripping the door from its hinges. Some of the bordering bricks were shot from their spots. Dust puffed out. Sand splattered on the side window. Quinn had, quite literally, managed to break through the main doors. He was heading straight for the main elevators at the end of the wide lobby.

More importantly, the space wasn't empty.

The presence of draugr greeted Maitho. They were clustered close together, allowing for a large number of them to crowd into the lobby. Quinn simply ran through the undead standing in his way to the elevators, causing them to explode into smoke in quick succession. When he was nearing the far wall, he spun around, turning more of the draugr into smoke. He came to a stop mere inches from the elevator.

Maitho disembarked the heavy machinery, closing the door behind him. Epona had done the same on her end and made her way to the elevators. She held her palm to the call button. A humming sound indicated that the cabin was on its way to them. They didn't have to wait long. It might have been because the last people to use the elevator were Brigid and Bevan, and they had exited it in the parking lot. The doors opened. Quinn began to shrink in size until he had transformed into a bike.

Maitho allowed Epona to enter. He followed her into the cabin and the two of them pressed against the wall on either side. Quinn backed into the space that was created. He had altered his size enough to fit inside the cabin.

As soon as he was inside, Epona spoke the command for the elevator to close its doors, just before a draugr could make its way inside.

The elevator began to move. The first part of their plan had proceeded without much problems.

But the first part was the easiest. The real challenge was getting in, finding what they want, and getting out without facing too much opposition.

Or running into someone.