Just A Warning/Disclaimer

This story has a lot to do with the Roman Catholic Church.
In no way do I mean any disrespect to them at all by what I write. I have friends and family who are Catholic and I would not want to offend anyone. This is just my imaginings,"If this did happen what would be the results..."
Nor do I mean to offend any of the Christian denominations. I am Christian myself. This is just a story.
So please, read, enjoy. :)
_The Author

Surprises

Ben Cox, Jon Waters, and Daniel Lopez all sat grouped around Daniel’s television. They had all just graduated from the local college and decided to celebrate by drinking beer and playing video games.

Ben felt just a tad bit pathetic as he and his friends ordered the pizza, went through of the selection of games and chilled the beers, but elated whenever he thought about the fact that he was done with school. All three of them were done and had criminal justice degrees under their belts and it was just six months to start worrying about paying back loans.

Soon the boys had gone through half the games, the pizza was gone and they were on the last case of beer.

“So.” Daniel said stretching his legs out under the coffee table. “We’re done. Kinda bittersweet innit?”

“I guess.” Ben laughed.

“Makes me think of High School graduation. Dude I was high as a kite. What were you guys thinking ‘bout? Any of you wasted?”

Daniel laughed “Nah, man, I was just thinking about how I was finally getting out of that hell hole I called “home” and when I got to move into late Uncle Sal’s house.”

Daniel’s widowed and childless Uncle Sal owned a small farm just outside of town. Daniel had spent most of his childhood helping his uncle around the farm so it was no surprise that in Sal’s will it was written that when Daniel graduated from high school he would inherit the property. After graduation Daniel was accepted at the local university he put out an ad for roommates and Jon and Ben answered it and they had been roommies and friends ever since. Jon from the other side of the city and Ben from the town of Cross.

“What about you, Ben? What were you thinking about at graduation?”

Ben fell quiet for a minute. What had he been thinking about?

She was standing alone at the double head stone watching the gravediggers covering the graves with fresh red dirt. Her green eyes swimming with unshed tears and she pushed her dark brown hair from her face Ben watched from a short distance wanting to go to her and give her a hug but he couldn’t get close enough. Too many mourners separated them. She looked up and met his eyes. He could see every bit of pain and fear in them that she wouldn’t let anyone else see. Then a priest came out of the shadows and put an arm around her shoulders and led her off. It was the last that he had seen of her.

“Ben?” Daniel voice came from far away.

“Oh. Yah I was just thinking about just getting outta that prison they called public school.”

Daniel and Jim laughed. Ben smiled and pushed the thoughts of the past out of his head as usual.

“Hey, here’s to this graduation and the rest of our pathetic geek lives!” Daniel said raising his been can. Ben and Jon did the same. “Cheers!”

PING!

The beer can was shot clean out of Daniel’s hand.

“The hell was that?” Daniel said.

More bullets started zinging through the farmhouse.

“Duck!” cried Jon and the three of them sought refuge under the furniture.

The heavy gunfire peppered the walls and bounced off each other and the three young men did their best to stay out of harm’s way.

There was a sudden revving sound and Jon said, “What do they have a chainsaw now too?”

The revving grew louder.

“CHEW ON THIS YOU PUSS FILLED MOTHER---” a voice shouted out through the din.

“I know that voice.” Ben said to himself.

Just then the house was shaken by a sudden blast. The gunfire eased up a bit.

Ben looked cautiously out of one of the shattered windows just in time to see a helmeted rider on a sleek red motorbike fly over a small crater made by the blast. Several of the gunmen lay dead at the bottom.

The rider landed smoothly on the other side, sharply turned, produced a large gun and opened fire on the remaining gunmen who were attacking the house.

“COME AND GET ME YOU DIRTY HOLY BASTARDS!”

Ben quickly ducked. “Nah, can’t be.” He said.

Another blast.

“Who?” Daniel demanded. “Who the hell is blasting my house?!”

BOOM!

The entire living room wall was blasted apart and the motorcyclist was now parked inside of the room doing hand-to-hand combat against the assailants. There were fewer of the dark clad men and soon they began to retreat.

“Get back ye damned bollocks!” the rider shouted.

“Ye be the one damned. You and the rest of that lot!” One of the attackers answered.

“Go to Hell!” the rider shouted back.

And then just as swiftly as they had come they were gone.

The rider stood still facing the outside.

Slowly the three men got up from their hiding places.

“What just happened to my house?!” Daniel demanded. He turned to the rider. “And who are you?”

The rider turned to him and shrugged. “No one of real consequence. Just doing my job.”

“Your job is to wage war on civilian territory?” Daniel said.

“If the occasion warrants it. Quite frankly sir, you should thank me as I just saved your lives.”

The rider spoke with a faint Irish accent but the voice still sounded familiar to Ben.

“What’s your name?” Ben asked.

The rider, slowly turned to him.

“My name?” the rider said.

“I’m asking you to answer me with your name.” Ben said a bit firmly.

The rider sighed. “Well I guess so. Going to have to anyways.”

The rider lifted off the helmet. A mane of dark brown hair fell and framed a pale face with emerald green eyes that seemed older and sadder than Ben had ever seen them. They pierced him, accusing him of all the years wasted and gone.

“Amelia Brady?” Ben asked.

“The same, Benjamin Cox.” Amelia responded.

There was a very awkward pause in which Amelia and Ben simply stared at each other. Ben in amazement and Amelia in cold silence.

“Wait,” Daniel said breaking it, “you two know each other?”

“We’re best friends.” Ben said.

“We were best friends back in high school.” Amelia said.

Ben swallowed, embarrassed and a bit angry at the correction.

“We haven’t seen each other since before graduation.” He said.

“Oh.” Daniel said. He cleared his throat.

“So, Amelia Brady,” he said, “Why exactly did you-”

But he was cut short. More revving announced two more motorcyclists.

Amelia stepped out to meet them.

“Dia duit.” She called out to them.

Both riders, men, removed their helmets.

“Amelia Brady, what are you doing?” one said in a thick angry Irish accent.

“Taking care of business, Declan Flint.” Amelia answered in an equally thick accent.

“Well you were very discreet about it! Now we have three blokes to worry about!”

“Calm down, Dec.” the second rider said.

“Calm down! We got three liabilities on our hands, J.C!”

“Just calm down,” J.C said again. “Amelia, what happened?”

“I saw a party of Poppets heading for this house. I followed them. They started attacking. I jumped into the fray.”

“Why?” J.C asked.

Amelia shrugged. “How should I know? I just came along and did what I was trained to do.”

“Wait a second!” Daniel spoke up. “What is going on? Who are you, what are Poppets, and what has any of this got to do with my house?”

“Any ideas, Amelia?” J.C said.

“Not a one.” Amelia shrugged.

“Should we take these three in for investigation?” J.C asked.

“No.” Declan said.

“Absolutely.” Amelia said.

“Excuse me?” Daniel said.

“Well, lads.” J.C said to the three young men. “How’d you like to see the Green Isle?”

Daniel was speechless. Jon was still drunk. Ben looked at Amelia who was pointedly not looking at him.

Where had time gone and done to her?

“Come along, then.” J.C said, “No, I’m sorry, sir, you don’t have a choice. That went out the window when the Poppets attacked. I promise all questions will be answered when we’re in a secure location. Let’s go. All on a bike.”

“I’ll take the stringy one,” Amelia said seizing Jon’s arm and dragging him to her bike.

Daniel got on the back of J.C’s bike and that left Ben with a surly Declan.

Then they were speeding off toward the airport where a private jet was waiting for them.

Ben looked up at it feeling apprehensive. He glanced at Amelia who was still not looking at him and boarded the plane.

It was all too surreal.

First they were nearly gunned down by mystery gunmen. Then his old childhood friend who now hated him saved them all single handedly and appeared to belong to some Irish espionage group who were now flying them all to Ireland for “further investigations.”

The hell?

“Well,” J.C said as they settled in the small plane. “I expect you will be wanting some answers. But I regret to inform you that you will not get them tonight. Tomorrow we’ll land in Ireland and sometime after that we may be able to satisfy your questionings. Until then go to sleep and let your imaginings run wild. Good night gentlemen." He and Amelia went to the front of the plane. Declan gave them a last surly look and joined his team.

Daniel, Jon, and Ben all looked at each other.

“Boys,” Daniel said, “I think were in some deep--”

“Yeah.” Ben and Jon agreed.

Rebels of the Sacred Heart

It's been seven years since Pope John Gregory was assassinated while he blessed a home in Ireland. Pope Matthew Bones has succeeded him and the people rejoice.

In America Ben Cox and his roommates Daniel Lopez and Jon Waters have just graduated from college and are at Daniel's house celebrating when they suddenly fall under attack. They are saved by a sudden and forceful blast from Ben's past and are swept up in a mysterious and dangerous adventure. But is this phantom from the depths of Ben's childhood the same person he knew all those years ago? And what is this person doing trying to take down the Vatican?
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Inspired by a scene from my own imaginings and Flogging Molly's song "Rebels of the Sacred Heart".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlkx_cIqtE

I would appreciate it if you gave feedback in the comments.