The Commission - 9

by Anthyrax

Chapter 9:  Not your average movie premiere

Los Angeles December 6 dusk

Gavin and Grim stood outside with the crowd of fans outside of the theater in Los Angeles, waiting for the stars to arrive for the movie premier.   The latest installment of the three part movie about a ring and hobbits and elves was tonight, and two of the women on their list would be arriving any time now.

Yesterday, on a whim, Grim had done some research and to his surprise, had determined that someone had come along and caused the counterparts on this world to Sarah, Kim, and Cheryl to disappear, along with a substantial number of relatives and even a couple of co-workers.   The press, still running stories constantly about the Jennifer Love Hewitt, Playboy and Friends abductions, was also reporting similar strange abductions in New York City, Houston, San Francisco, Bakersfield, Baltimore and Fayetteville, North Carolina.    The foreign press and soon after, the US press, also was telling of the strange tale of the disappearance of several small hamlets (the people anyway) in Ireland.   

Grim was convinced that Hans was behind it, but Gavin wondered if it might not be the work of his girls.   The ones he wasn’t supposed to bring.  It would be just like Cheryl or Sarah to be behind something like that.   At some point, he was going to have to scry for them, but it would time and energy to construct a crystal ball, and he had been too busy.

But for now, it was time to concentrate on the task at hand.   Cate Blanchett, the talented and beautiful red headed actress from New Zealand, and Liv Tyler the young and coming star from Los Angeles would be arriving any moment.    He had special instructions concerning them.

On the other side of the red carpet, Cheryl nudged Sarah and they watched Grim and Gavin artfully move forward. 

“Wonder who they are here for?” Cheryl whispered.

“Probably one of the women.  Make sure they don’t get a good look this way, they might see through our disguise and we aren’t supposed to be here you know.” Sarah whispered back.

“Why should that matter?” Cheryl replied.

“It will distract them, and Hans was pretty insistent that we not do that.” Sarah whispered back.

“Ok then.”  And then after a moment, Cheryl went on, “ Hey, how are we going to get Viggo?”

“I don’t know yet, I was hoping you had something in mind” Sarah replied.

“I am working on it.   Your usually the one with the plans you know.”  Cheryl ginned and poked her friend playfully in the ribs.

“Ok, I am working on it too.”  Sarah grinned back.

Inside the lobby of the lushly decorated theater, Special Agent Malone watched the crowd, an earpiece letting her listen in to the radio traffic from her agents, and she waited for something.   The collectors, as she liked to think of them, were probably close at hand.   She knew they were daring in the extreme, and she knew that something was going to happen.    She just wasn’t sure what.

The sound of the fans picked up as the first of the limousines pulled up.   The four actors who played the hobbits where in the first one, and they waved and occasionally stopped to sign autographs as they moved toward the entrance.   Moments later, more limousines pulled up, and with their dates or alone, the various stars arrived and made their way similarly.  

Waiting for the right moment, Gavin stood next to his friend.  ”Ok, I will give you the signal when its time.  Remember, don’t let go of my hand, or you will be in timestop along with everyone else.”

“Right” Grim replied tersely.   Something was bothering him, he had the strangest feeling that someone was watching him.  He scanned the crowd, but he didn’t spot anything.  Well, in a few minutes it wouldn’t matter, he would be long gone.

Gavin was feeling a little troubled as well.   Something in the back of his mind was telling him something bad was getting ready to happen.   A little voice that was never wrong.  But what? 

Grim nudged Gavin, who was looking at Liv Tyler as she approached the end of the carpet.   Just then, Cate Blanchett got out of her limousine and Gavin spotted her.  “Ok, it's time.”

Gavin pulled out a little gold watch, and activated a spell by twisting his ring.   Instantly, all noise stopped, and the thousands of people within a few blocks of the watch froze stock-still in the middle of their lives as time paused around them. 

“Ok, we only have a couple of minutes, we grab them both, run to the edge of the crowd, and teleport out of here.”  Gavin ordered.

Running first to Liv, Grim picked her up by the waist.   She stood motionless, a smile on her face, in the middle of walking into the open door.   Rearranging her a little, Grim picked her up and slung her over his shoulder awkwardly while still hanging on to Gavin's hand.   He noticed the FBI agent he had seen on the news standing just to the side looking out another of the glass doors.   Chuckling, he nodded to Gavin, who grinned when he saw her as well. 

Then they went back to business and moved down the carpet quickly to the next target.   Cate, standing motionlessly as well, caught in the middle of a smile and wave to the crowd, was next.   Grunting a little, Gavin picked her up and slung her over his shoulder.    Staggering a bit, the two men pushed their way through a small gap in the crowd and out onto the street.

 A few moments later, both women gasped in surprise, and the roar of the crowd and the noise of the city could be heard again.   Gavin quickly activated a sleep spell from his ring, and both women slumped, the two men grabbing them to keep them from hitting the ground.   Behind them, suddenly they could hear shouts.

“Ok, its past time to leave I think.” Grim muttered.

“Yep, hold on, we are out of here.”

The two men, holding the sleeping women upright, held onto to each others hands, and a moment later, disappeared.

Special Agent Malone heard the crowd, and blinked as she looked out from the lobby onto the carpet where it seemed like just a blink ago, there had been two movie stars waving at the crowd.   Quickly, she opened the door, her hand inside her coat and she keyed her headset and demanded that her agents look for anything out of the ordinary.

At the same time, Sarah and Cheryl blinked as well.  Something exceptionally magical had just happened.   One minute they could see Gavin and Grim, and the next, not only were they gone, but so were Liv Tyler and Cate Blanchett.   A minute later, someone was screaming for help at the far edge of the crowd by the street, and Cheryl quickly whispered. “Hey, lets get ready, looks like things are about to get weird around here.”

Sarah, startled by the abruptness of the situation, nodded and thought fast.   She made a quick decision and told her friend, “Follow me.”

Stepping under the rope marking the edge of the fan gallery, she stepped out onto the carpet.   Stunned for a moment, Cheryl followed her after hesitating.   The two girls ran for the door into the theater, past startled security guards and movie people, just as the screams at the far edge of the crowd began to grow.

Molly Malone looked at the two women running toward the door.   She recognized them at once.  It was Sarah Hoffman and Cheryl Morrison!   Who were supposed to have disappeared but yet were linked to the disappearances in Houston and elsewhere.    She pulled her gun out of her jacket.

“FREEZE” she shouted, leveling the gun at Sarah and Cheryl, who looked at her with wide eyes.

“Oh shit!” Cheryl cursed, and she pulled out her wand as she dove to the side.
 

Sarah didn’t even curse, she simply tackled a very startled Viggo Mortenson and both of them collapsed in a heap.  

Molly looked at the scene, and frantically tried to decide what to do.   She couldn’t fire, she was bound to hit a civilian if she did, or worse.   

Cheryl decided for her a moment later, as she activated a sleep spell and Molly and about a dozen people behind her suddenly collapsed to the ground, unconscious. 

“Lets get out of here!” she shouted over to Sarah, as some of the crowd were already moving toward them.  The people around them were confused, all they knew is some people had collapsed, except for the few who had seen the gun (and those people were still struggling over what to do next). 

“Right” Sarah replied, and twisting a ring, she and the still befuddled movie actor disappeared a moment later.  

Nearly everyone in the crowd around her gasped, and a few even tried to edge away, and taking advantage of the moment, Cheryl muttered her spell and disappeared as well.

Truckee, California  December 6

It was just after sunset, and it was bitterly cold in the high Sierra mountains.   The little town of Truckee was dark, as everyone with any sense had gone to bed as the first flakes of the expected heavy snowstorm began to fall. 

A few miles away, higher up in Donner Pass, it was even colder, and even darker.  

Suddenly, a bright light appeared a few feet above the ground, a few hundred yards from the rail line and interstate highway.   The light grew brighter and brighter before it suddenly winked out.

A blast of air, like a shockwave, ripped across the area, knocking a heavy truck and trailer combination right off the freeway, its blinded driver still smarting from the bright light that had knocked out his night vision.   The truck was blown into a snow bank, which mercifully for the driver, had been piled up a few hours before by a snow plow, saving him from death. 

Behind him, a state trooper pulled his patrol car over to a stop.   Getting out, he looked around, trying to figure out what the shock wave could have come from.   His ears rang, as the sound, much like a huge clap of thunder, had been a massive surprise.   Shaken from his own near brush with getting blown off the highway, he rubbed his head, still sore from getting slammed against the side of the car during the blast.

And then he saw it.   Something huge was sitting right there.   Turning on the spotlight on the side of his car, he shined toward the huge black shape over at the side of the road.    It was black, huge, and looked a lot like the Luxor in Las Vegas.   And this object was even bigger.  Except it seemed pitch black and his light reflected off the unblemished surface almost like a mirror. 

He stood there, stunned, for several minutes trying to adjust mentally to the reality of what he was seeing until finally the bitter cold and the snow flakes touching his face brought him back to his senses.

Turning around, he reached into his car and got on the radio.   Somebody definitely needed to know about this.  

Los Angeles, a few minutes later

Molly felt someone shaking her, and she came to.   A man she recognized as Sean Astin was asking her if she was all right as he shook her.

”Yes, I am fine. What happened?  How did I get knocked out?”

Looking a little sheepish, the actor replied. “Well, umm, some girl pointed a stick at you, then you and a bunch of people behind you fell down.   By the way, umm, you uh, dropped this.”   Gingerly, he handed over her 9 mm Beretta to her, and her badge.   “Umm, you are really FBI?”  He asked.

“Yes. Thanks.” She answered tersely.   Standing up, she looked around.  A couple of her agents were running up from across the street, while another pair where trying to weave their way through the confused crowd.  

She looked around, and shuddered, as she saw several news people talking rapidly on mikes to their stations or networks, while cameras where everywhere.

“Great! What a fucking mess.”  She cursed.   How the hell was she ever going to explain this?

Morro Bay, also a few minutes later

Sarah and Viggo teleported into the magic circle drawn on the floor of the mansion.   Waiting for them were Kim and Michelle.   As soon as they appeared, Sarah let go of the man, and Michelle fired off a sleep spell, dropping him to the floor. 

“Hiya Sarah,  you know, that was hardly subtle.  You and Cheryl were on national television.” Kim remarked with a wry grin.  Behind her, the television was on, and Cindy was giving them a running commentary.  

“Well, its official.  You made CNN, E! News Daily, and Telemundo at the same time.   You two are stars!”  Cindy announced, chuckling.  

“Very funny, you know it won’t matter after tomorrow.” Sarah remarked sourly, blushing a bit.

“Ok, that’s true.” Kim replied, and grinning at Sarah’s embarrassment, she got to work on Viggo.   Another spell, and he glowed briefly, surrounded by a green light that gradually faded.   Kim tapped his skin experimentally, and was gratified to hear the sound of nails hitting plastic. 

“Ok, he is ready.”   Another quick spell, and he was a doll just like the ones before.

Cheryl teleported in as she worked, and shook her head. 

“That was some plan you know.  We nearly got shot!”  she muttered darkly.

“Ok, I am sorry, but it worked didn’t it?”  Sarah replied, feeling a little defensive.

“Yes, it worked.”  Michelle replied.  “By the way, who took Cate Blanchette and Liv Tyler?  They seemed to have disappeared too.”

“Wes must have.  We saw him and Grim just before the excitement started.”  Cheryl replied, shaking her head.

“Well, you have got to admit it certainly wasn’t your average movie premiere.”  Kim remarked.

“Oh shut up.” Sarah answered as she turned and stuck her tongue at her. 

The girls all laughed.   It certainly had been a night fit for Hollywood.  

Los Angeles Midnight

Molly fumed at her desk.   She turned of the television after watching herself fall again when the red headed girl pointed what could only (in her mind at least) a magic wand at her.  

“Great, and on live television too.”

But the evening hadn’t been a complete disaster.  Although three movie stars had been kidnaped in front of the entire world, she had complete information on two of the culprits. 

The phone rang, and she jumped a bit.  “Hello!” she snarled.

“Hi Molly, its Bill.  Our two girls have been spotted.  They were reported in Morro Bay yesterday.  And better yet, two other women were spotted with them.   Michelle Malone and Kim Peterson.   Our source said that those two are staying at a big house just outside of town.”

“Ok, get hostage rescue, and the helicopters.  We are flying up there right now.” Molly ordered as she hurriedly stood up.   Grabbing her coffee, her coat, and her purse, she hung up the phone and strode quickly out of her office. 

A break at last.   She might just give Bill a great big kiss for this.   Although his wife might not be pleased, since Bill and his wife were almost old enough to be her parents. 

“She will understand.”  Molly thought, and she smiled.   A big smile that lit up her face and so distracted a young agent (she, after all, was pretty damn hot) he tripped over his trash can as she passed by in a rush.  

Albuquerque, New Mexico a few minutes later

Grim and Gavin rode in the taxi from the airport   In the trunk, there was a briefcase with a new pair of dolls, who looked amazingly like Cate Blanchett and Liv Tyler, joining the playmates and actresses they had already snatched.

It had been a long night.  After teleporting to house in Newport Beach, the two men had quickly moved the two sleeping actresses inside.  A few quick spells to transform and shrink them, and then off to the airport.  Only a few hours remained before things starting happening, and it was time to leave.  

Too bad they hadn’t grabbed that beautiful FBI agent, though.   “Well, maybe she will survive.”  Grim thought to himself.

Molly gets her guns...