Chapter 17 - Osmos Fulcrum

The Hunters check their windows nervously that night, expecting to see flocks of birds on their patios, porches and window sills. Instead, the night is calm, although a thunderstorm is brewing.

---

The morning after it is a Saturday and in the breakfast news the local TV station broadcasts an update on the birds alert situation. Sheriff Finley is talking at a press conference.

LIVE FROM GULF HAVEN TOWN HALL
"More bird-related disturbances were reported last night around a private residence in Gulf Haven, that we will not name for confidentiality. Luckily this time no injuries were suffered, although the residents endured repeated attacks at windows and doors, and some damage to their property. I would like to reassure the population that we are looking closely into the matter. We have here Doctor Taylor from Atlanta University, an Ornithologist that is working with the police. Doctor, if you would..."

"Thank you Sheriff. At present we don't have enough data to pinpoint an exact cause for the unusual dangerous behavior of diverse bird species as crows, seagulls and sparrows. It is very unusual that a single trigger event affects multiple species at the same time, and we are looking into the matter, checking the literature and case studies from the past. We however have a working theory that a rare combination of low pressure weather front and perhaps some specific frequency broadcast by local antenna systems may be the cause of the strange behavior. What we are hoping is to identify at least a controllable element of the trigger so to deactivate it. This is all we know at present."

"Until we know more, folks, the advice remains the same: keep doors and windows closed and notify the police immediately if you notice an unusual gathering of birds at your or at a neighboring property. Try to use cars and bus services for your indispensable journeys. Once again we invite all Gulf Haven residents to be patient and co-operate with us as we try to solve this situation. That is all for now, thank you all."

The Sheriff and the Ornithologist leave the room as journalists fire questions at them, then the transmission goes back to the newsdesk announcer and carries on with other local news.

"Hah, those people have no idea," Al comments as she's watching the broadcast with her parents and Benny. Ripper was sleeping in her basket at the side of the room but Al picked her up and put her in her lap, so now Ripper is sleeping there. "Actually, the bird attacks are caused by an evil spirit of death called Solomon who can control birds and who wants the source of his power back. But we hid it and he can't get to us anymore, because we outsmarted him. Anyway, when Ripper wakes up, I'm going to take her for a walk. Don't worry, we'll be safe because we have the bracelets and the collar that can protect us!"

Logan manages to convince Mum that he will be working mostly in the indoors shacks that host the spare parts racks at the Scrapyard, and she eventually agrees to drop him off with the car.



When Logan's Mom asks Uncle Red about the birds, he replies that he hasn't seen any yesterday or today. This seems to reassure Mom, who leaves recommending Logan to call home when he finishes, so Anna or herself can come pick him up.

"Ain't that crazy, all them birds? I think it's some stuff in the air... boy, they get crazy!" he comments to Logan once Mom has gone.

"That poor bastard Josh Harris ain't gonna be able to work again, I heard..." he shakes his head. "Or ride his bike... Used to be a customer of mine."

Johnny had spent the whole car ride back to his Aunts' house the previous day clutching the Fulcrum in his pocket like it would run away if it had the slightest opportunity...and to be honest, they didn't know that it wouldn't. He was nervous about hiding the fresh tattoos from his Aunts, worried about the possibility of Solomon Black coming after the Fulcrum while the Hunters were split up, worried that his Aunt's could get caught up in something they didn't understand. Black was dangerous and Johnny knew that.
Once home, he flipped down on his bed with a heavy pillow over his face hoping the dark would help him think of a good place to hide the weird magic rock so that even if Black came for it, he wouldn't be able to find it. Possibilities swirled in his mind from the practical to the absurdly complicated. What he settled on was sealing the Fulcrum in a ziplock sandwich bag and submerging it in the toilet tank of the upstairs bathroom. Nobody thinks of looking for things in there...

Friday night brought very fitful sleep, vivid dreams waking him up multiple times during the night and frequent trips to the bathroom to check that the Fulcrum was still safely hidden. Exhaustion led to him sleeping deep into the morning but still waking tired. The "bird advisory" let him stay in his room all day drawing, unquestioned by his Aunts. He drew flocks of black birds over a dozen different pages of paper, all circling an object that he intended to be the moon but turned out looking a lot like the Fulcrum. The dozen pieces of paper fit together into a collage that looked darker and more concerning than Johnny meant it to...maybe he shouldn't have taped it up on his wall. He left it up but decided that if things were going to get better, he'd need to find a better hiding spot for the magic rock than where it currently resided and decided to go to the library to maybe find a better spot that the Hunters could all agree on. He asked Charlene for a ride to the Library if she were available.

"Yes, that bracelet as well," Al replies. "But mom, I was going to go for a swim with Ripper. And we need ice cream! It's way too hot to stay inside today!"

"But moooom...", Al continues arguing for a long time but is unable to change her mother's mind, so instead, she just gets up and locks herself and Ripper in the bathroom where they play in the tub for a while. It's not as fun and Al's mom will have to deal with all that dog hair in the drain, but that's not Al's problem.

Afterwards, she heads back to her mother. "Can you drive me to the library, then?", she asks. "I need to research the fulcrum and how to destroy it."

On his frequent nocturnal checks of the Fulcrum hiding place, Johnny does not notice anything unusual. The artifact seems safe in its watery hideaway for now...

---

The morning after Charlene is busy, but Roger, who is around for breakfast, offers to drop Johnny off at the Library.

"Better not risk it, buddy... these birds have gone mad. I bet it's all the fumes from the steelworks up in Calvert. Mark my words, it's birds first, then it might be dogs, then humans..." he says as he drives.


They arrive at the Library and notice a few signs affixed to the doors, saying that several children activities for the day have been cancelled for the ongoing emergency. It is however still open to the general public.

Logan nods his head at Red as his mom drives off. Yeah, I heard he had gotten hurt...pretty bad in fact. I thought that, once things calm down, I'd see if I could help him out somehow.

Looking around at the scrap yard, Logan looks over at Red. What do you need me to do first?

Johnny was still a bit rattled by yesterday's events and was pretty quiet and a bit withdrawn on the rude over to the Library. He distractedly answered Roger's theory, Yeah, there's something behind it but I don't think it's the steelworks... his eyes focused a bit as Roger's offhand comment sparked an idea and returned the liveliness to his eyes. Um, how far away is the Calvert Steelworks?

"First things first, let me show you this engine..." he says, leading him to a dismantled engine on a table, with all components arranged around it like in an exploded view.
"You gotta know what's what, first..."

For the next hour or so, Red points at parts and describes their function. Asking frequent questions at Logan. Logan looks at the parts, trying to memorize their shapes and matching names.

Looks like it will be a while before Logan can be running alone through the scrapyard.

Groucho sleeps noisily in a corner.

---

"Huh? An hour, an hour and a half north of here," he replies. "I once went on a school trip there."

He pulls the hand break in front of the Library, looks around for birds and declares the all-clear. "Here we go, buddy. Watch the skies!"

As excited as Logan is to be finally working on a job...of his choosing, he slows down when he hears Red speak. Yes sir. I'm hear to learn everything. Logan eagerly looks at the parts as Red points them out and does his best to memorize them.

Thanks for the ride, Roger. I'll be as careful as I can but I don't think the birds will be bothering anyone for a while. he opened the door and reflexively looked up into the trees just in case. I'll call the house when I'm ready to come back but it'll be a while, I think.
I've got a lot of stuff in my list to look up. See you later! Johnny took a decidedly bravely lengthy stroll from the car to the Library, waving to Roger as he made it to the door and went inside.
Just here on personal business today. he greeted Ms. Yvonne and Ms. Donna as he passed the service desk headed back into the stacks. Taking a seat at one of the circular tables in the common area, he started a series of frequent trips into the stacks accumulating about a dozen books by the time Alana arrived.

Al runs from the car to the library, not from fear, since she knows her bracelet will protect her, but because of her impatience. She had to leave Ripper at home with Benny, since she's not allowed in the library.
Once inside, she spots Johnny working at a table with a huge pile of books next to him. "Are you looking for how to destroy the fulcrum, too, Vampire Boy?"

Johnny looked up from his stack of books, the lack of sleep obvious by the dark circles under his eyes. He perked up a bit at Alana's greeting, rifling through his research stack to find a particular book. Yeah, I wasn't even sure where to start really. Edd mentioned throwing it in Mount Doom but I couldn't even find where that was on a map...but my Aunt's boyfriend, Roger, gave me an idea when he drive me over here. Look at this!. He turned the book her direction and slid it across the table for Alana. One of the Time/Life series of mini-encyclooedias, the book was a survey of heavy industry and open to a page that depicted a gray factory landscape with a giant industrial pot of molten metal being hauled over the heads of the workers. Roger said there's a steel mill about an hour or so north of here.That looks close to a volcano and it's not that far away. . Johnny looked to Alana for her reaction to his idea.