(Author's Note: I would like to thank my friend Allan for providing the inspiration for this story.)
*
The events leading up to the attempted rescue of Edmund Kent and his fellow flashers seemed to occur as if within one single frame of time that rushed by in a dreamy kaleidoscopic montage of faces and landscapes, none of which seemed part of normal time and space. At least that was how Jenny saw it.
The flight to Albany International Airport had taken approximately 16 minutes according to her calculations. It had been an unusually warm day for the first day of March, the temperature hovering around 56 degrees by late morning and the sun shining brightly in a cloudless sky.
She had hardly said a word to either her aunt or Christiana during the entire flight and Jenny was glad that they weren't very talkative either since all she really wanted was to have some time to collect her thoughts. She felt the intense pang of anxiety that comes with the realization of not knowing the fate of a loved one and could only imagine what awaited her once she finally came face to face with the redoubtable Sisterhood leader her aunt had so ardently praised.
On the way to LaGuardia Airport Alice had tried to provide her niece with a condensed history of the Sisterhood; the woman who had founded the Order, the long and often tortuous experiences of some of its more famous members, and other pertinent historical information. It seemed like such an amazing story—one that bespoke more of myth than actual fact. She had found herself thinking more and more about Holly McKenzie, and if this woman was really as magnificent a person as both Alice and Christiana claimed. Could she help rescue Edmund from the clutches of Ariel and her menagerie of fanatical devotees? Or would the attempt to rescue him fail and end in his being harmed or even killed?
The trio had been greeted at the airport by one of Holly's associates, a young and pretty brunette whose name was Alicia. She was tall, athletic, and moved with an almost feline grace as she shook each woman's hand. She wore a pair of faded jeans, hiking boots, and an aviator's jacket that looked as if it had survived many sojourns in unexplored territories. Nothing about her hinted at timidity.
After taking the women's luggage and placing it in the trunk, she had instructed them to get into the limo for the journey to Fort Plain, which was approximately 45 minutes north of their current location.
After Alicia had deftly navigated her way out of the tangled airport complex, she explained why Holly had not been there to greet them.
"She's busy as hell trying to make sure everything goes as planned," she had told them. "She doesn't want to leave anything to chance."
"I don't blame her," Alice replied. "I would have done the same thing."
"She knew you would understand. But she still felt bad about not coming to meet in person. You know Holly."
Alice smiled. "Well, she needn't feel that way. She has a lot on her mind right now. What's our status?"
"We have the whole place under surveillance, but we won't make any moves until this evening."
The girl had refused to give the women any further information, explaining that Holly would fill them in herself. Jenny had found Alicia's reluctance to shed more light on the situation particularly frustrating, and kept plying the girl for answers until Alice insisted she forego the interrogation. Jenny remained impertinent.
"I have a right to know what's going on," she complained to Alice while directing her gaze at the driver. "I don't understand why we have to wait for Holly."
"Two reasons," Alicia stated flatly. "One—she ordered me to say nothing more than what I've already told you. And two—we need to keep silence for security reasons."
"What security reasons?" Jenny asked with barely concealed annoyance.
"Holly believes there might be an operative of Ariel's in our midst, so the less said; the better. Got it?"
Jenny started to feel annoyed at Holly even before she met her.
They had arrived in Fort Plain a little after twelve noon and drove past the center of town for a few miles until they crossed a set of railroad tracks overgrown with vegetation. Alicia had told them that freight trains used to carry lumber from the forests on the outskirts of town to the abandoned warehouse where Edmund and his associates were now being held prisoner. Once they passed the tracks they had taken a left turn onto a narrow dirt road that led to the encampment. There were still small islands of snow here and there but otherwise it felt like a perfectly fine spring day.
The muddy, winding road continued for a few miles until it opened onto a circular clearing within which a dozen or more cars and jeeps had been parked along the periphery. In the center stood a massive tent in which several women were speaking to each other in raised voices—one of them was Holly's.
Jenny would remember her first meeting with the intrepid Sisterhood leader not so much for the woman's fine leadership abilities, but for her striking—almost eerie—resemblance to a young Elizabeth Taylor. The only difference was that Holly was a blonde. Jenny also recalled how famously they got on together once Holly took her into her confidence—the similarities in outlook and experience serving to unite them in common purpose.
Holly had made it a point to introduce Jenny to the members of her immediate staff. There were the stoic-looking Justine and her genial counterpart Estelle, both of whom had served Lenore Marceau—the former Sisterhood leader—with unswerving devotion for many years and were now serving Holly in the same fashion. There was the rather effervescent creature by the name of Janet Walsh, a high-ranking member of the Order who found delight in almost anything but was as tough as nails if she had to be. And then there was the spirited Italian bombshell Felicia Antonetti, a woman who was as clever as she was beautiful. These powerful women, along with Alice and Christiana, formed the nucleus of the legitimate and presiding Sisterhood Order.
In the hours leading up to the planned assault on the warehouse, Jenny had learned that there were only a few dozen women comprising Holly's team. She wondered how such a small force was going to be effective against—from what Holly had told her—a few hundred of Ariel's supporters. But Holly had assured her that she had an edge. Exactly what kind of edge she would not divulge, but the Sisterhood leader seemed confident that her plan would work. And it would work because—as Jenny later learned—it was ingenious.
The buses loaded with women began to arrive at the warehouse just after 7:00 p.m. Secluded safely behind a thick ring of towering evergreens, Jenny, Alice, and Christiana had watched as Ariel's drunken friends made their way into the warehouse, laughing and cursing as they did so. Ariel's sentries were kept busy trying to keep order amongst the drunken rabble and often had to lift one or another particularly inebriated specimen off her feet after collapsing onto the ground in a drunken stupor. Holly had positioned her people so that they encompassed the entire building, armed as they were with automatic rifles that came equipped with fiber optic sights. Holly had told Jenny that she hoped she could avoid violence at all costs, but that Ariel was not to be trusted. Jenny needed no convincing on that account.
And now, after what seemed an interminable amount of time waiting, Holly gave the signal that the rescue was about to commence.
"Why are we waiting so long?" Jenny asked Holly, unable to remain patient any longer. "Edmund could be hurt."
"I have no choice but to wait. I'll explain later."
Holly spoke into her cell phone and issued a series of commands to one of her associates and then turned her attention to Jenny, Alice, and Christiana.
"I want you three to remain here with Justine and Estelle," the Sisterhood leader said to them. "If all goes well there shouldn't be any violence. But you never know."
The three women all nodded at once and then Holly spoke into her phone.
"Did it go in?" she asked.
A reply came back in a few seconds and Jenny could hear a tiny voice confirm Holly's question.
"It will take a little time to take effect. Stand ready."
"What's going on, Holly?" Christiana asked.
"We've just started pumping sleep-inducing gas into the air-conditioning ducts. Hopefully that will put them all to sleep within a little while."
"Crafty," Alice said. "Exactly how long will it take to work?"
"I'm guessing about ten to fifteen minutes. It's a big place."
"And what about those who manage to escape?"
"Whoever makes it outside...we'll be ready for them."
"What if they're one of Ariel's guards? I can't imagine Sisters shooting at one another."