Hero's Call

Chapter Thirty Three

They were nearly as far south as they could physically go on Manhattan island, but the din of New Year's revelry in Times Square could just be made out if Milo strained his ears. He didn't know if people were ignoring the doomsday threat from Destructo and enjoying their celebrations with the promise of a new year, a clean slate, looming in the back of their minds or if they were just taking the time to get one last party in before all hell broke loose. Either was just as likely, but Milo wanted each and every one of them, even the terrible ones, to see the coming year exactly how the last one had been.

Up ahead, Destructo's warehouse stood menacing in the middle of the bustling metropolis. It looked like any other building around it, calm, placid, and unassuming. In only a few minutes, the warehouse would turn into a veritable warzone that could potentially create enough collateral damage to wipe most of the lower east side of the city. It could be nothing of the sort, however. Neither Bill, Milo, nor Calliope had any idea what was waiting for them inside the warehouse. They could meet no resistance other than Destructo himself, but it wasn't likely.

Milo brought them to a stop a block away from their destination. Bill had refrained from converting to his metal form to remain inconspicuous and Cali had flown overhead just out of sight of anyone not looking for a flying teenager. She had been scouting ahead to make sure they weren't walking into an ambush before they even got to the warehouse.

"Okay, this is it," Milo said once Cali touched down next to him. Both she and Bill nodded to him, but remained silent. "Are we ready?"

Bill nodded.

"Ready or not," Cali agreed, "we're out of time."

Milo nodded his concurrence. "Bill, you bust in through the front entrance. Since you aren't going to get hurt by much, I think you can create a pretty good distraction to let Cali and I slip in and hopefully catch Destructo and his defenses off guard." Bill nodded grimly, and then a small grin cracked on his lips. Milo couldn't help but think his old friend was more than ready to cause a ruckus.

"Cali," Milo continued, "give Bill three minutes and do the same thing through the back entrance. If Bill's distraction works well enough, you should be able to get pretty far into the building without much resistance. Whether you run into trouble or not, make sure your presence is known. I want Destructo to know he's being attacked on multiple fronts."

"What about you?" Bill asked. Milo could detect a hint of fear and confusion in Bill's voice. They had discussed many different plans of attack, but Milo wasn't following any of them. He was, for all intents and purposes, flying by the seat of his indestructible pants.

"I'm going to try and find a way in on the low down," he explained. "If I can find a way to slip in undetected, especially while you two are raising hell, it'll give me more time to search for Xander and maybe put a stop to this whole thing before things get out of hand. I know we're short on time so I won't search for more than five minutes before I join you guys. If I can't find anything in that time, the only chance we have is full on assault."

"I think I saw one of the upper windows open," Cali offered. "That could be your way in. I'll show you when we get closer."

"Thanks," Milo told her. "We don't have much time left. Let's get moving."

Bill was facing, unequivocally, the most important moment of his life. The whole world was resting on his shoulders. He had always had a problem with nerves and courage in the past, but now that it was a do or die situation, he was chomping at the bit to get the show on the road. Bill had never been a particularly violent person, never prone to physical confrontation, but the idea of doling out an ass whooping was more than appealing at the moment.