Justin, Karen and Master Naka dropped Fr. Colin off at St. Lad’s rectory. And when they got home, Master Naka said ‘goodnight’ and drove back to his hotel.

David wasn’t home yet, but there was a message on the answering machine from Leigh. David’s meeting was going well, and the people he was meeting with didn’t want to cut it short. So they were going to put him up at the hotel, and she and Tony had gone home for the night, feeling that he was safe enough at the casino.

At lunchtime the next day, Justin called around to get everyone who was available to meet at the clubhouse for dinner.

David didn’t answer his phone, so Justin called the hotel desk and was told that they would take a message for him. He’d been in his meeting half the night, and didn’t want to be disturbed until he woke up on his own.

Justin called Master Naka, and he said he would be there. Then he called Fr. Colin.

“Hello, Justin!” Fr. Colin answered. “What can I do far ye?”

Justin invited him for dinner.

“I’m in th’ middle of a chess game wi’ Jerzy right na,” Fr. Colin told him. “Sa I’ll have ta take a rain check on it. I’m t’inkin’ ‘a takin’ a couple mar days ‘a R ‘n R befar they figure out where I am an’ call me again.” He chuckled. “But call me if ye need me”

“You could always take one of the bunks at the clubhouse, if you really want to be completely incommunicado,” Justin offered.

“But I’d still have to bring th’ cell phone wi’ me,” Fr. Colin sighed.

“Right. Oh, and just a warning...he doesn’t cheat, even though it might seem like it.”

“Who doesn’ cheat?”

“Uncle Jerzy...at chess,” Justin said, laughing.

He called Tony and Leigh, next, and both said they’d be there.

When Justin got to the clubhouse, he found Tony making more measurements around the fire pole. “Just who are you getting to dance on it, anyway?” Justin asked him. “It’s a private club.”

“Den I’ll get private dancers.”

“You can’t bring civilians in here,” Justin warned him. “They’ll just be bait.”

“Or snack food,” Leigh agreed, getting out of her car. Karen and Master Naka pulled in moments later.

“So, Justin.... Whadda we hangin’ on da outside ‘a da door ta indicate dat da dance club part is... ‘occupied’?” Tony asked with a wink.

Justin rolled his eyes. “Nothing, because it won’t be.”

“Wanna know da tag-line for da club? ‘You’re only a stranger here once.’”

There was a unanimous “NO!” from the others.

“Come on! Elevated stage! T’ink about it!” Tony tried to garner support from Justin...unsuccessfully...and was left practically speechless as he was rebuffed again and again. He couldn’t help but think to himself ‘Oh...yeah...he WAS a truck driver in da Army.’ “Dude! You’re...you’re an old married guy now!” he finally blurted out.

“The bar is actually well made enough for people to be on it,” was all Justin would concede.

“I don’t think so,” Karen said. “We put food on that.” The bar also happened to be an extension of the kitchen counter, and it was where they laid out the food when there were too many people eating to put it on the table.

Master Naka went over and knocked on it thoughtfully, as if sizing it up.

“And a really good barricade,” Justin continued. “Teak...less splintering.”

“That’s good,” Leigh agreed.

“On da receiving end, sure,” Tony grumped. He was just being disagreeable, since the others kept shooting down his dance pole idea.

The discussion made Master Naka look at the place a little differently than he first had. Though the metal shutters should have been his first clue, he had thought they were just because the old fire house was not in a very good neighborhood. Now he realized that these people really did expect to be attacked here.

The fences and lighting weren’t just for appearances. The exterior and grounds were outfitted with an extensive security system.

And though it wasn’t plainly visible from the outside, upon further consideration, he realized that the door to Mr. Leonetti’s ‘lab’ must lead to a room that was actually located under the large yard.

The building’s roof didn’t have grass and plants on it just for the ecological benefits. On closer inspection, he found that some of the plants, in a small greenhouse until the weather got warmer, were for food, and others were protective herbs. They were all useful as well as beautiful.

And inside.... The walls were cream-colored, and there was a hand-painted trim around the ceiling in all the rooms. But the design wasn’t just decorative. It was made up of runes and other protective warding symbols from a variety of cultures, primarily European and Native American. Those must have been done by Mrs. Sorenson and Mrs. Kazotchek.

The kitchen had a full, institutional-style set-up, with large, fully-stocked freezers, refrigerator and pantry. There was enough food for many people to survive a long period. And there was a generator large enough to provide as much electricity as they would need for everything...and more.

Master Naka wondered if their fears and preparations were justified.

Tony had finally given up arguing about the dance pole idea, and the group ordered take-out food for dinner. While they were waiting for it to get there, a discussion started about which super hero each of them would be. Justin had been joking about wanting a belt with all kinds of cool gadgets, like Batman had.

“Dat’s fine. You can be Batman. I’d radder be Superman,” Tony told him.

“So does that mean you’re Robin?” Justin asked Karen.

“But he was a guy,” Tony objected.

“I dunno. I always kinda thought Catwoman was really cool,” Karen replied.

“So did I,” Leigh agreed.

“No offense, hon, but I think Leigh is more like Catwoman,” Justin said. “You know, with the martial arts and all. What about you being Wonder Woman?”

“You’re right. I’m not very good at that kind of stuff,” Karen admitted. “Hey! What about the girl from the Fantastic Four? The one who had that force field thing?”

“The Invisible Girl,” Justin said, “Sue Storm.”

“Susan Richards, you mean,” Leigh corrected.

“That’s right, after she married Reed,” Justin agreed.

The discussion continued over dinner. Both were interrupted at one point by a call from David.

When he’d finally gotten up, he went looking for lunch and drifted into the poker room. Now he was in the middle of a hot game and wasn’t sure when he’d be done. Karen told him to call whenever he needed to be picked up, and wished him luck.

Karen was hanging up the phone when Drew crawled out of the pocket of Master Naka’s coat, which was hanging on the back of his chair while he ate, and onto his lap. Master Naka didn’t seem at all fazed by this. In fact, he offered Drew a piece of food.

“So, what’s the story behind those ‘lucky cats’?” Justin asked him, noticing Drew. “Why is the paw up like that?”

“They are called Maneki Neko,” Master Naka said. “It means ‘Beckoning Cat.’ The legend is that the priest of an impoverished temple was very poor, but always shared what little food he had with his cat. During a storm, a very rich man took shelter under a tree near the temple gate. He saw the little cat beckoning him to come to the temple. He went closer to have a look at this unusual cat. No soon had he left the tree than it was struck by lightning. Thus, the rich man became friends with the priest, and neither the priest nor his pet cat went hungry again.”

When the five finished eating, Justin popped “Worst Case Scenario” in the DVD player, a horror movie with Zombi Nazis in balloons attacking England. He played the previews for the others, and Tony thought it looked hysterical.

Master Naka was now convinced that the team really were just the best amateur cinema enthusiasts/film-makers ever.

Karen thought the movie looked kind of stupid, so she went ‘surfing’ for documentaries on another TV. After a few minutes, Leigh and Master Naka joined her.

And everyone settled in for a quiet few hours before heading home for bed.