"43 degrees outside, raining, windy, this is not May weather!" you think to yourself as you step around the corner of just another street on your way about the day when suddenly your pulled into an alleyway.

All you know is that there is a hand over your mouth and at least 2 big guys on either side of you pinning you against a wall. Suddenly a woman walks in front of you in a fur coat which somehow isn't even a bit wet in all this downpour. She looks right at you with fierce, uncaring eyes "Shush, calm down, nobody is going to hurt you, matter of fact, we might have a deal for you if you're interested. Do you like Chicago? I hope so because that's where your going. Take this..." she opens her handbag and takes out a small wad of bills. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten." she counts as she hands you a stack of c-notes.

"These are for expenditures, you know, making your way over there, sleeping, eating, you know the little things. There won't be any more till the job is done, and we'll be keeping an eye on you in the mean time so just get yourself to Chicago and settle down for a while. We'll be in touch when the time is right."

With that she walks off with her goons in tow carrying umbrellas, leaving you standing under an eve $1000 richer and with a place to go. Just as you make you way out of the alley the rain starts to turn into a downpour. So much for things looking up.

She slid into the backseat of the Mercedes, shaking her head at her bodyguard standing outside still, drenched from the downpour.

You, walk home.  You're too wet to get into this car. She smirked at his dismayed look. Honey, you're not going to melt.  You are not nearly sweet enough.

She leaned back as he shut the door and nodded towards her driver who was looking at her through the rearview mirror.  He pulled away from the curb, leaving her man standing in the rain.  Running her hands over the smooth leather of the new car, she couldn't feel bad about making him walk though.  This wasn't her car, she was only borrowing it, as she did with most of her possessions.  Turning her head slightly, she caught glimpse of Lordian standing under the eve, waiting for God knows what. 

"I sure hope she knows what she's doing with this one, " she thought,  "He seems like a scared rabbit in the middle of a fox burrow.  But maybe she see's something I don't.  In any case, he'd better get to Chicago as soon as possible or it was going to be my ass." 

While sitting in his apartment Confucious' body guard brings him an envelope that was slid under the door. Inside was $1000 and a note that read:

You know the spot on the pier, be there Friday by noon and there will be others waiting. Enclosed is enough to make sure your stay is comfortable.

Confucious looks back to his body guard.

Call the car and ready the plane for a flight to Chicago

His body guard immediately got on the phone and the car pulls up to the front of the brown stone building

After watching the car drive away I look around, and pick my hat up off the muddy ground. "Some people have no sense of decency anymore." I walk out of the alley, and start making my way toward a friends house.

"At least I've got more than I had. Now I have purpose and a means to get there too." I mumble to myself as I bump into a stranger on the street. "Excuse me miss, didn't see you there, was lost in thought." I say as I tip my hat to her.

'Pretty girl.' I think to myself as I continue on my way. I light a cigarrette and hope this rain stops sometime soon. "The car will have to do to get there in time I guess, no plane's taking off in this weather. Maybe a dirigible, but not a plane. Dirigible's are definaetly the way to go, and they'll be more popular in the future too. Sure they might take longer, but so much less noise, smoother ride, and they can fly through anything compared to those dinky planes."

I realize I'm rambling to myself again as I walk up the front stairs and ring the bell. 'But hey, when there's nobody else in the world, might as well.' I think as I shrug and try to pull up the memory of that night at the Shubert for the millionth time in a week.

Confucious is escorted out to the street by his entourage, one of his body guards was holding his umbrella opens the door to the Rolls Royce for him to get in before walking around to get in the other door.

"The Weather is taking a turn for the worse and we are going to have to drive you cannot fly a plane in the weather." The driver said.

Confucious hands the driver $100.

That should cover the gas to get us to Chicago. Now step on it I have an appointment.

JackHenryAbbot recalls a speech given by Lordian some time ago..  He begins to shout, like a mad man...

"Did...  Did Lordian warn us about what he was going to do?"