06 Nov To the Grand Palais
To the Grand Palais
The Totem went into hibernation. This was bad news for the mission, as it was never known when the Totem would come out of it. Now Tom was freaking out inside. The girls wondered what was going on.
“A little technical trouble I suspect,” Tom said as calmly as he could, “We will have to get the Totem to Grand Palais tonight.”
“Tonight?” Angel said, “why tonight?”
“The Totem needs to be moved…someplace with a different psychic signature to help break it out of its hibernation.”
“OK, but the truck is only available tomorrow, how we will move it tonight?” Angel asked.
Tom thought for a moment – he didn’t want to involve HQ; they would have questions. And he didn’t want things to get out of hand.
He turned to Aurora, “Do you have access to a vehicle?”
“Yes, my sister’s Citreon.” I can ask her to come over.
“Perfect,” Tom said.
Aurora’s sister Léa arrived an hour later, driving a vintage Citroen 2CV. She also brought her little dog, Bijou.
Bijou was constantly barking at the Totem, which annoyed Tom. The situation was getting on his nerves. Eventually, he managed to ignore the dog to take control of the situation.
“A 2CV!?” Tom said, “the car is too small to carry the Totem…and it has a soft top!”
Aurora apologized, explaining it was all she had to offer on short notice. Her sister Léa, however, was not impressed with Tom’s lack of gratitude. She took a pull off her cigarette and stared at him, “N’est pas problème.. I have used the car several times to move very large things; couches, refrigerators, even a coffin once.”
Tom remained silent.
Léa continued, “Besides, I am very good with ropes, y’know… to tie things down securely, as you Americans say, ‘everything will be A-OK’. Est-ce que tu comprends ?”
Tom nodded and said, “Allons-y !”
The Totem was loaded.
It looked awkward, but stable enough to travel.
Unfortunately, with the ropes going through the window frames, it kept the doors from opening. This forced everyone to climb in through the windows. Tom was not impressed.
However, he was now wholly resigned to the situation, climbed in, and made his way to the back.
Léa, however, was having a good time of it. It reminded her of the wild road trips she would take with her friends around Europe. It was worthy of a photo, she thought, and Tom’s sulking was just a bonus. So, she reached into her purse, produced a camera and snapped a quick shot.
“Smile s’il vous plait !” she teased Tom, but he further slumped into the back seat, not wanting to be in the picture.
The car was loud and clunky; it creaked and swayed around the corners, leaving a trail of blue smoke behind it. Tom was seated in the back with Bijou in his lap; it was priceless. Bijou barked the whole way.
Angel, feeling sorry for him, tried to lighten the mood, “What a spectacle we are huh? An oversized statue lashed to the roof of small car, noisily motoring through beautiful Paris with a barking dog. Nobody would believe we were working undercover for the CIA!”
Tom brought himself to nod, “Well, I guess that is one good thing.” He said.
~CJ~