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I parked at a rental lot outside O&039;Hare about five ot out of the car withon the lot, but theMichael coravel in front ofit open forblack cowboy hat

"Harry," Michael said as I got in "I was getting worried You won?"

"Not exactly"

"You lost?"

"Not exactly I had Ortega on the ropes and he cheated Both of us cleared the benches I came out of it in one piece He caot away"

"Is Susan all right?"

"She got thrown about twenty-five yards through the air and hit steel and concrete She&039;ll be fine" So tickled my nose, and I sniffed The sharp odor ofthe ar the armor," Michael said "And the cloak"

"Hello, Michael We&039;re going to an airport The kind with ht, Harry Things ork out"

"Will it sound like alarht and said, "Sanya isn&039;t wearing armor"

Sanya half turned towarda Kevlar vest beneath it "I a over critical areas"

"Well, at least you don&039;t look like a Renaissance festival," I said "This thing htly less medieval fashion statement Is this the new stuff or the old stuff?"

"New," Sanya said "Will stop civilian munitions, even some military rounds"

"But not knives or claws," Michael murmured "Or arrows"

Sanya buttoned his coat back up, frowning "Yours will not stop bullets"

Michael said, "My faith protects ed a skeptical look with Sanya and said, "Okeydokey, Michael Do we have any idea where the bad guys are?"

"The airport," Michael said

I sat there silently for a second before I said, "Needle, haystack Where, at the airport?"

Michael shrugged, s, and opened his mouth to speak

I held upuess Did you bring Fidelacchius?"

"In the tool locker," Michael said

I nodded "Shiro&039;s going to need it back"

Michael was quiet for a moment before he said, "Yes, of course"

"We&039;re going to save him"

"I pray it is so, Harry"

"We will," I said I stared out theas Michael pulled into the airport proper "It&039;s not too late"

O&039;Hare is huge We drove around in crowded parking lots and auto loading zones for nearly half an hour before Michael abruptly slowed the truck down outside the international concourse, his spine and neck straightening as if he&039;d heard a warning klaxon

Sanya glanced aside at Michael and said, "What is it?"

"Do you feel that?" Michael asked him

"Feel what?"

"Close your eyes," Michael said "Try to still your thoughts"

I reat disturbance in the Force"

"You do?" Michael asked, blinking at e of my nose Sanya closed his eyes, and a second later his expression twisted in distaste "Rot," the Russian reported "Sour reasy"

"There&039;s a Pizza Hut kiosk about fifty feet away," I pointed out, looking through the s of the concourse "But maybe it&039;s just a coincidence"

"No," Michael said "It&039;s Nicodeance As," Sanya said

"You&039;re sensing hi it differently He&039;s here" He started pulling forward, but a cab zipped in front of hi an elderly couple&039;s bags

I ical senses, trying to detect what Michael had I felt nothing but the usual-patternless white noise of thousands of livesaround us

I openedat the back of Detective Rudolph&039;s head He had on the usual expensive suit, and stood with a spare, well-coiffed nized from the district attorney&039;s office

I froze for a second Then I snatched Sanya&039;s black Stetson and pulled it down over ed the brim down over my eyes and slouched down as low as I could

"What is it?" Michael asked

"Police," I said I took a more careful look around I spotted seven uniformed officers and maybe ten other men ore suits and casual clothes but walked and stood like cops "I passed word to theh here"

"Then why are you hiding?"

"A witness reportedthe scene of ato spend the next day or so getting questioned, and that won&039;t help Shiro"

Michael&039;s brow knitted in concern "True Do the police know of the Denarians?"

"Probably not SI isn&039;t on the case Probably they&039;ve been told they&039;re soerous"

The cabby in front of us finally finished up, and Michael pulled away fro lot "That isn&039;t good enough We can&039;t have the as the police are around, it will restrict the Denarians&039; movements Make them keep their heads down and play nice"

Michael shook his head "Most supernatural creatures will hesitate before killing a mortal police officer But Nicode but contempt for mortal authorities If we confront him, he will kill anyone who atteainst us"

Sanya nodded "Not to ue curse is as forerous to those nearby"

"It&039;s worse than that," I said

Michael rolled the steering wheel toward a parking space "How so?"

"Forthill toldpeople, right? Causing mayhem and destruction?"

"Yes," Michael said

"The curse is only going to last a few days, but while it does it&039;s going to make the Black Death look like chicken pox That&039;s why he&039;s here It&039;s one of the busiest international terminals on the planet"

"Mother of God," Michael swore

Sanya whistled "Flights froo directly to every ue is easily communicable -"

"I think I pretty well summed that up with the Black Death coed "Sorry What do we do?"

"We call in a bomb threat Clear out the people and shut down the planes"

"We need to be inside i would it take the authorities to react?"

"It would only work if I kneho to call to get an immediate reaction"

"Do you?" Sanya asked

I held out my hand out to Michael He slapped his cell phone into it "No," I said "But I know so to reainst ot the connection, it was cloudy with bursts of static, but Ion

"You&039;re insane, Dresden," Murphy said "Do you kno incredibly irresponsible-and illegal-it is to falsify a bomb threat?"

"Yeah Less irresponsible than letting cops and civilians get in these people&039;s way"

Murphy was quiet for a second, and then asked, "How dangerous are they?"

"Worse than the loup-garou," I said

"I&039;ll et in touch with him?" I asked

"I think so, yes Do you need any more muscle?"

"Got plenty," I said "What I&039;m short on is time Please hurry"

"Be careful, Harry"

I hung up the phone and got out of the truck Michael and Sanya ca to report a bo That will clear out the area for us"

"Leaving the Denarians without anyone to infect, or take hostage," Sanya said

"That&039;s the idea After that, they&039;ll call in the bomb squad and backup We&039;ll have twenty e of the confusion"

Michael unlocked the tool locker in the back of the pickup, and drew out Shiro&039;s cane He tied a strap to it and slung it over his shoulder While he did, Sanya buckled Esperacchius to his hip, then drew a freaking assault rifle out of the tool locker

"Kalashnikov, isn&039;t it?" I asked "That&039;s an extrehts of the Cross"

Sanya slapped a azine into the weapon, chaun&039;s safety was on "I consider ressive"

"Too rando person"

"Maybe," Sanya said "But the only people inside should be the Denarians, yes?"

"And Shiro," I said

"I will not shoot Shiro," Sanya assured me

Michael buckled Aer will it take?"

The buzzing ring of a fire alarrizzled detective in a bad suit took charge and started directing suits and unifor out of the concourse

"Ask and ye shall receive," I said "Let&039;s circle around Get in through one of the service entrances"

Sanya slipped the assault rifle into an over-the-shoulder sports bag, but kept one hand on the stock Michael nodded tountil we could see so around in confusion, and several guys with orange flashlights aving the jets away from the ramps to the concourse

We had to cliet behind the concourse, but in the dark and the confusion no one noticed us I led us through a ground-crew door and through a roohts were on and fire alarled I passed a section of wall covered with calendar pinup girls, pictures of trucks, and a map of the concourse

"Whoa, stop," I said Sanya bulowered at him, and then peered at theat a marked door "We&039;ll coh," Michael noted "Which way do we go?"

"Split up," Sanya suggested

Michael and I said, "Bad idea," at precisely the same time

"Think," I ant psychotic deer an apocalypse, where would I be?"

Sanya leaned over to look at the map and said, "The chapel"