The Resistance Kids and the Haunted House, Part 2

They always hung up their tools and closed the doors at 6, as soon as rush hour was over. The moment the hands on the Ford truck clock on the wall pointed straight down, Hank would turn the sign in the door to “closed,” lock all of the doors except for the one in the back, and take the hamper of greasy rags upstairs to be washed as well as he could in his tiny apartment. The kids shelved the tools, swept the floor, and gathered their things. Hank would give them all a half-joking “Get outta here, you little rascals,” sending them into the back kitchen area to get their coats and purses before heading out the back door.

Dr. Kalonia's office on Canal Street was three doors down from Hank's Garage. They always stopped and picked up Kaydel Ko Connix on the way home. Kay was a cute-as-a-button blond...but while her face and body said “young Betty Grable,” her mind had more in common with Florence Nightingale. Kaydel wanted to be a nurse and was saving for nursing school. She did office work for Dr. Kalonia, the only female doctor in the Bowery, and claimed to be learning a lot.

Today, she came bouncing down the steps and into the bright late-evening sunlight. “Hi, guys,” she gushed. “You'll never guess what Doc and I did today!” The sun glowed on the gold hair, pulled back into fancy curls and hidden under her brand-new earmuffs, made from real rabbit fur. Kay thought they were so stylish, she seldom took them off. “She showed me how to inject penicillin into a patient. I thought the kid was going to cry, but he didn't. He was really good.”

“That's great, Kay!” Rey turned to the others as they made their way further down Canal, past flophouses and at least six different restaurant supply stores. “Hey, why don't we go look at the Skywalker Manor? We'll need to know where to put up the decorations.”

The others all stopped in their tracks. Snap's eyes widened. “Now?”

Jess's dark almond-shaped eyes slid up to the rapidly dipping orange-gold sun. “But it's getting late!”

“The Skywalker Manor? On the end of Canal?” Kaydel pulled her wasp-waisted tan coat further around her shoulders. “But it's haunted!”

“And even if it isn't, we'd probably need a flash light to figure out our way around,” Finn added.

Rey crossed her arms stubbornly. “If you're all going to be bloody chickens, I'm going in by myself.”

“I'll go with you.” Finn stepped up with her. “Hank would never forgive us if a ghost killed his favorite mechanic.”

“We'll all go.” Jess flanked Rey's other side. “Buddy system and all. If one person sees something, the others will yell.”

The sun was nearly down by the time we made it to the end of Canal Street. Skywalker Manor was one of the oldest remaining houses on the block. Most of it was flophouses, bars, tattoo parlors, and very old homes that had been made over into cheap apartments. For some reason, Skywalker Manor had remained untouched.

Skywalker Manor might have been beautiful, fifty or sixty years ago. If you squinted. Rey thought it looked more like an ancient castle from the English countryside with gingerbread trim. Peeling greenish paint gave it an eerie glow against the fading late-afternoon light. Smashed cathedral windows showed jagged, dusty edges. Dark turrets and towers stabbed into the blue sky. Two long bits of trim hanging off the porch looked more like the teeth of a monster, ready to devour all that entered. Every single object in sight was covered in dust, cobwebs, or broken bits of wood.

Snap gulped. “Who wants to go in first?”

Jess bit her lip. “Maybe we should shoot for it.”

“For heaven's sake!” Rey stomped up the steps. “We only have so much time here. If I let all of you decide, we'd be here all day!”

Finn jumped as a car backfired behind him.”Rey, wait!” He bounded in after her, his heavy steps nearly rattling the remains of the porch.

The main living room was just as spooky as the outside. The cobwebs had been cleared, probably by the real estate people, but it still had a desolate, abandoned look. There were only a few sticks of furniture, most of which appeared to have been chewed on by rodents with exceptionally large teeth. A huge fireplace gaped open to moth-eaten Oriental carpets and once-beautiful bookshelves filled with musty-smelling books.

Finn shuddered. “This place feels like The Room That Time Forgot. It's like an episode of Inner Sanctum.” He jumped as the front door swung open. “And there's the creaking door!”

“Pipe down, Finn.” Jess rolled her eyes as the other three stepped gingerly into the room. “It's just us.”

“Well,” Rey started, “it could be worse. We'll just need to do a little dusting.” She reached over to inspect a beautiful stained glass lamp. To her surprise, it switched on when she turned the nob. “At least it won't be dark in here.”

Kaydel strolled around the room, her wrists behind her back, her big blue eyes taking everything in. “It might not be so bad, at that. It certainly looks the part of a haunted house.”

Finn was checking the walls. “I don't see any mice. Maybe they already moved out, or we scared them.”

Snap was about to peer into the fireplace when suddenly, a fire seem to come up all at once! He jumped back quickly. “Whoa! Ok, the fireplace works.”

Jess joined him. “How did you do that?”

“I don't know.” Snap rubbed his arms nervously. “Suddenly, this doesn't seem like such a good idea.”

Rey was about to reach for a book on the coffee table when it seemed to jump into the air! She leaped back. “Uh...that book just moved.”

Kaydel let out a screech. She'd run into a what appeared to be a curtain of bats! “Get 'em off of me!” She hurried across the room, as far away from the bats as possible.

Rey raised her eyebrows. “Something funny's going on here.”

Finn gulped. “I don't see what's so funny about it.”

Jess went up to the bats. “Wait a minute.” She pushed the bat. It swung into the others like a pendulum. “Kay, these bats are fakes. It's hard to tell in the dark.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Kaydel let her breath out in a great whoosh! “I thought they were going to give me rabies or something.”

“This is probably a fake, too.” Rey yanked at the floating book. It came into her hands after some pulling. She showed the others the thin wire tied around it. “It's all magic. Illusions.”

Snap waved his hand at the fire. “That's not an illusion! I can feel the heat from over here.”

Jess nodded. “The light Rey turned on isn't an illusion, either.”

Finn shrugged. “At least we know the fireplace and the lights work.”

Rey's eyes dropped to the book in her hands. “Guys,” she said, “this is a photo album, or some kind of scrapbook.” She blew the dust off it as Jess and Snap gathered around her. She read the name in faded gold script on the cover. “'Patricia Amidala Waller.' Hey, this belonged to...” She stopped reading, her eyes wide.

“Andrew Waller's wife. The lady who died.” Snap looked around nervously. “Do you think her husband attacked her in this room?”

Jess shuddered. “Maybe. Hank didn't say which room it happened in.”

Finn was inspecting some of the framed pictures on the walls. Most of them were typical paintings of fruit baskets or people in fancy dress. One, though, was of a man in a black suit, his heavily scarred and burned face covered in pipes and a mask that looked more like it belonged to a robot from a Ray Bradbury story than a human.

“Who's this good-looking guy?” Finn grinned and took the photo off the wall. “And what horror movie did he walk out of?”

Kaydel shuddered, peering around his shoulder. “That's Darren Veder, the most corrupt police commissioner in the history of New York City. He was in charge of the police in the first two decades of this century. You name a crime – graft, kidnapping, theft, racketeering, arson – and he probably had a small piece of it.”

Jess looked up from the scrapbook. “My mom told me he and his boss killed each other in 1920. His boss shot him in front of his own son. He managed to toss his boss out the window of a 12-story building before dying in his son's arms.”

Finn quickly hung the photo back on the wall. “Man, I wouldn't want to get on that boy's bad side!”

That was when they all heard the noise. The eerie moans and cackles, crackles and pops, seemed to fill the whole room. Snap's face went pale. “Did all of you hear that?”

Rey nodded, putting the book down. “It's coming from that door.” She pointed towards the door at the very end of the room. It was barely a door at all, more a rectangle cut into the wall, with an ornate, tarnished brass handle.

“Um, Rey,” Kaydel started, “someone put that door there for a purpose, and I'm not sure you should, you know, open it.”

“Oh please. It's probably just a closet. I'll bet there's nothing in there scarier than a broom.” Rey cautiously tip-toed to the door. The others followed closely behind her. They all watched intently as she placed her slender finger on the door. The soft, slightly tanned fingers grasped the knob...they turned it...she pulled the creaky door open...

All five screamed at once as a white, floating apparition drifted into the hall. It had two ragged eyes that seemed cut into its round, balloon-like head. Wisps of cloth sailed along behind it on the breeze blowing in from the windows. “Abandon all hope,” it screeched, in a voice that sounded like a cat being stepped on, “all those who enter here! Flee! Leave! Or ye shall face the consequen...sequen...sequen...”

“Wait.” Rey ducked into the closet. She came out, dragging a tall, slender boy with heavily pommaded red hair by his ear. An old gramophone record player could be seen skipping behind him. “I knew it.” She yelled into the room. “The rest of you can come out now. We know you're playing a dirty trick.”

“Owww!” Armitage Hux finally managed to dislodge his earlobe from Rey's grasp. “You didn't have to be so rough!” He spoke in a rather snooty British accent that was quite different from Rey's more clipped tones. “It was just a joke!”

“Yeah,” muttered Jess, “a bad one.”

Gwen Phasma came out of another door, nearly laughing her head off. “You all should have seen yourselves!” Somehow, the blond girl managed to tower over everyone and everything, even while doubled over with guffaws. “You really fell for it!”

“Except Rey.” Baby-faced David “Dopey” Mitaka emerged from the porch. He was covered from groomed head to meticulously shined oxfords in cobwebs. “She knew what we were doing. I told you she's the only one who isn't that stupid.”

“Hey!” Jess glared as more kids began to emerge, from other rooms and under furniture. “We're not stupid!”

“You're the ones who are stupid,” Kaydel added angrily. “Playing around in an old house! We could have all gotten really hurt. Did you even get permission to be here?”

“Who needs permission?” Tasha Umaro, one of the older members, tossed a crowbar in her gloved hand. “We go where we want.”

“You traitor!” Jerry “Zeroes” Zukowski shoved his fist at Finn. “I ought to slug you right here.”

Finn dodged him. “If you think that'll make me join you guys again, your jockey shorts are too tight. There's no way I'm going back. I have real friends here. People who care.”

Gwen sneered at him as she managed to straighten all six feet, five inches of her. The wide-legged gray pants and loose man's jacket she wore only made her look even more intimidating. “How very touching.”

Hux rubbed his ear. “You know this is the First Order Gang's territory. You're not supposed to be here.”

Rey rolled her eyes. “Since when did you care about some rotting old house?”

“Since it belonged to my grandfather, until a few days ago.” Even Rey stepped back as Kylo Ren strode into the living room. “The guy who bought it knew him personally. He used to work for the city.”

Kylo Ren was the head of the First Order Gang. He always wore all-black, including a black leather jacket that would have cost Rey at least three months' salary. Like Phasma, he was above-average tall, with a deep voice that sometimes tried for raspy and menacing, but usually sounded obnoxious. A knife with a garnet-trimmed handle rested in a black case on his hip. He hid behind a black motorcycle helmet. No one in the Bowery had ever seen his face.

“Your grandfather?” Rey crossed her arms. “Then your name is Waller?”

“It's my uncle's name.” She swore the brown eyes under the mask were glaring at her. “And Grandfather Andrew's. Professor Snoke told me he was the greatest police commissioner in the history of New York City. He really cleaned up the Bowery.”

Snap and Jess exchanged confused looks. “Professor Snoke?”

“I know who he means.” Finn turned to the other kids. “He's the head and chief scientist of Starkiller Industries. He's the one who gives the orders and does a lot of the really big experiments. He used to teach at Columbia University, until they fired him for unethical practices and crazy experiments.” He shuddered. “On humans. New York hired him to help battered police officers after he left Columbia, then fired him for the same reasons.”

“Yeah, and this is his place.” The tall boy in black jutted a finger over his broad shoulder. “So hit the pavement, dorks.”

“Wait a minute!” Rey pushed to the front. “We were told by Starkiller Industries that we could have our Halloween party here!”

“Yeah!” Kaydel put her hands on her hips. “We have more right to be here than you do.”

That was when they all heard the wailing. A long, low wail seemed to emerge from every crack and crevice. The wail was followed by the sound of cackling, and then a long screech, like nails on a chalkboard.

Phasma tried to look tough. “It's just the wind.” But even she moved a little closer to the others.

This was followed by thumping, pounding against the once-elegant wooden stairs. Rey had to listen carefully to make sure it wasn't her heart drumming in her chest. There were more creaks, and another groan, and the sound of a dog howling.

“Er, someone nearby owns a dog.” Hux nearly jumped when the howling became louder. “A rather big dog.”

The last screech nearly rattled the windows. It was followed by long laughter, the most evil, insane laughter Rey ever heard. She suspected that if she ever heard the Joker from the Batman comics laugh, that's what he'd sound like.

The laughter was too much for Mitaka. “I'm sorry, Ren, but...I'm gone!” He dashed out the door before Kylo could grab him.

“Uh, yeah.” Snap started after him. “I, uh, left the oven on.”

Finn gulped as more screeching was heard, followed by a strange, almost demonic caterwaul. “I need to iron my underwear.”

“It's getting late anyway,” Jess added. “I promised Maz I'd help her with her apple pies.”

Kaydel nodded. “So did I.”

Rey rolled her eyes. “Jess, you don't bake.”

Phasma leaned against a chair. “I can't believe you're all buying this! This is kid's stuff. Absolute nonsense. I...I...” The moment the chair seemed to lift into the air, she was out the door as fast as her long legs could carry her, followed by most of the First Order Gang.

Rey turned her not-amused hazel eyes to Kylo Ren. “Don't look at us, doll face.” He put up his leather-gloved hands. “We only set up jokes on the first floor. And I know for a fact that none of us can laugh like that.”

Her hazel eyes widened. “So, if you're not doing it, and we're not doing it...”

It only took one exchanged look of shock for the two of them to race out the door after their friends.

Rey was the last person out the door. As she looked up, she swore she saw someone watching her from an upstairs window. The figure was silhouetted by the rapidly fading light. The shadows were too dark to make out any facial features...but she thought she saw something flash gold and red. A black-gloved hand reached out and pulled down the cracked shade, obscuring any other views.

“Guys!” Rey hurried to catch up with the others. “You're not going to believe what I just saw...”

~*~*~*~*~*~

He gazed out the window as the kids took off down Canal. Normally, he loved kids...but he couldn't let anyone know what he was doing. Even the local hoodlums. Especially the First Order Gang. He recognized “Kylo Ren.” He'd know his nephew's voice anywhere. What was that boy up to now?

“Threepio,” the small man with the gray beard said, “I want you set the lights back on schedule. No one can know we're here. I'm going to make the school work this time.” He sighed. “I don't want any other kids to end up like Ben.”

“Master,” the faintly electronic-sounding British accented voice began, “why don't you at least contact your sister? I have heard that she's quite concerned about your welfare.”

“I will. When I buy this place and re-open my school.”

Threepio took the record of spooky sounds off the player. “Master, there are men residing in the basement. I believe they're doing some kind of...experiments, or something of that sort. I have heard them talking. Something with human minds. This is of no concern to me, but I thought you might like to know, being human and all...”

A small hand covered in a black leather glove went over the robot's rectangle-shaped voice box. “Thank you, Threepio. I'm trying to find out more about them. I need to call the real estate agency and see if I can buy this place from them. I think Mother would have wanted to this old mausoleum to be a school. I've read about all the fun she and Father had taking care of Ashoka and Rex and the rest.”

“Very well, sir.” The mechanical man bent over to gather a basket of laundry. The sunlight glinted off his one red arm. “I'll take this out to have it done.”

“Thank you, Threepio.” He looked up as the robot made for the door. “And Threepio?”

“Yes, Master?”

“Try not to be seen.” The man gave him a sunny grin. “And if you are seen, tell people you're dressed as a robot for Halloween.”

“Yes, Master.” The robot left with the old wicker laundry basket.

The Resistance Kids and the Haunted House, Part 3

The next day, while the other Resistance Kids were working at Hank's or filing patient records at Dr. Kalonia's office, Poe was meeting with his boss, Mrs. Leia Organa-Solo herself. Leia was a small woman, barely five-one in her stocking feet, but she was known for tenacity. Her gray-brown hair was wound around her head in a thick braid. She wore a fashionable purple wool jacket with a nipped waist and a black pleated skirt that was just long enough to show off her still-trim legs.

“I'm going to talk to Lor San Tekka again today.” Poe leaned over in her chair. “I think I'm onto something really, really big. San Tekka told me he had some kind of map or clue to Mr. Waller's location. If I can just get this piece. I think it'll make a big difference in this case.”

“I hope so.” Even Poe noticed how haggard Mrs. Solo had been looking lately. He knew she'd been through hell and back in the past decade. Her son Ben, once a promising young member of the police academy, was arrested for burning down several major police departments and correctional facilities...including taking part in the destruction of Luke Waller's school. Luke took off shortly after. Hank moved out after Ben was sent to reform school. Ben had since gotten out, but Leia hadn't heard from him in months.

With all that, Leia kept pushing on. She was one of the officials who insisted on the removal of Professor Roland Snoke for unethical practices after reports of police officers killing people and themselves after taking part in his “experiments” filtered back to her. She was instrumental in ending the gang wars that had rocked the area in the early 1900's, too. After she quit the police force, she opened her own detective agency. Poe could only hope to be half as strong as she was.

“San Tekka claimed he actually saw Luke in the Bowery.” Poe leaned over her desk. “He said he was willing to tell me or give me some kind of a clue to where. Some old house, I think.”

She handed him a photo. “This was the last picture we took of him, before he vanished.” Luke Waller was a handsome man, smaller than typical, with fine features for a man who was likely in his fifties. He had short gold hair streaked with gray and a big, sunny smile. He wore suit trousers with the jacket of a World War I fighter pilot.

“What happened to his hand?” Poe tapped the gloved appendage.

Leia frowned, her face looking far older. “My father cut it off around 1917. He arrested Hank and me in what was then known as the Cloud City Club on false charges. Luke came looking for us. He sliced off his hand as a warning to anyone who would dare to defy him.” The older woman shrugged. “Losing limbs seems to run in my family. Father lost an arm in the Battle of San Juan Hill. He had to have it reconstructed.”

Poe rubbed his own wrist. “Ouch. Now I'm glad I got out of the last war with all my limbs intact.”

“I wish I knew what Luke was doing.” Leia shook her head fondly. “It isn't like him to be so quiet. Usually, the problem is getting him to stop talking. When we were younger, he was such a chatterbox. He used to drive Hank crazy. You should have heard him imitate half the residents of the Bowery. He was an amazing mimic. I always thought he could have gone into radio, if he hadn't been so dead-set on following in Father's footsteps.”

Poe chuckled. “I think he'd get along well with Finn. Finn can be a talker, when you get him going.” He coughed. “Mrs. Solo, I saw your husband at his garage yesterday. Finn and two of the girls in our group work for him. I think he wouldn't mind seeing you again.”

Leia sighed. “I do miss Hank. Him and Ben. I miss him coming home and seeing him every day, grimy from being in the garage. I miss bouncing around in the Falcon. Charles still comes in to say 'hi' every now and then, but Hank is never with him.” She shook her head. “We always argued. We've been arguing ever since we met. But that last one, after Ben was sentenced to reform school...it ended with Hank walking out. He thought we were being too easy on him. Ben should have been in jail, he said. I said there's still good in him.”

“You know,” Poe started slowly, “Mr. Solo is going to be at our Halloween party on Canal Street, at Skywalker Manor. I'm going to invite you, too. Maybe it'll give you a chance to talk to him.”

“Skywalker Manor?” Leia's eyebrows went up in surprise. “I thought they tore that eye sore down years ago.”

He shook his head. “Apparently not. In fact, I heard Starkiller Industries bought it.”

“Hmm.” Leia leaned back in her chair, her face furrowed in concentration. “I wonder why they would buy the old family homestead? Surely there are houses in better shape in far nicer parts of the city if they want to set up offices in New York.”

The young man grinned. “Do you want me to look into it, Mrs. Solo?”

“No, you concentrate on finding my brother.” Leia reached for a small, leather-bound black book. “I still have connections in this town. I can find out more about this myself.”

“All right.” He stood, taking his hat from the rack near the door. “The party starts at 6 tomorrow, Mrs. Solo, as soon as the little guys are done trick-or-treating. The Resistance Kids are going as Wizard of Oz characters. I'll be the handsomest scarecrow there.”

There was a twinkle in Leia's brown eyes. “I'm sure you will be.” She waved her hand. “Now, you run along. Tell Lor I say 'hi,' and if he knows where my brother is, to make sure to smack him over the head for me for running out.” But she was grinning.

Poe couldn't help grinning back. “I will.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Detective Lor San Tekka met Poe by the docks near the Manhattan Bridge. The warehouses were grimy and probably not the safest, but the elderly detective said what he had to tell him was important. He didn't want anyone on his regular beat to hear it.

“Did you bring it?” Poe looked around furtively.

San Tekka pulled a wrinkled piece of paper out of his pocket. “I have part of it. If you want the rest, you'll need to talk to ol' Artie Baker. He and Chief Waller were best friends, back in the day. Artie always knows where Waller is.” He quickly scribbled something on a slip of paper. “This is his address. He's a mechanic and an inventor, of sorts. Lives on Hester Street. Doesn't get out much.”

“Thanks.” Baby let out a bark. He wished the silly dog hadn't followed him here, but she wouldn't leave him. He was afraid someone would try to steal her, or she'd get run over. “I've got to get this to Leia fast.” The smaller man swept the puppy into his arms.

They both stopped as they heard footsteps and gunfire. “Go!” San Tekka shoved him onto a fire escape. “I can handle these hoods.”

“But...” Baby growled as a knife embedded itself into the warehouse wall between them. It was a familiar knife, one he'd seen several times before. One that had a garnet-studded handle and a long, sharp black blade. “You be careful, Detective.”

“Don't worry about me, son.” Gunfire rocketed over their heads. “Get going! Now!”

He didn't need to tell Poe twice. The younger man raced down the street, Baby whimpering and yipping over his shoulder. Poor thing didn't like that noisy gunfight! Her owner wasn't a fan of it, either. Leia Organa had to get that message!

He had just made it to Canal when he saw the three youths in white and black zoot suits on his tail. Poe dove into an alley, letting the trio run past them. “Baby,” he insisted, pulling the papers out of his pocket, “I want you to get this to the Kids. Or at least Rey. They'll bring it to Leia or Hank.” He wound the paper around her orange and white collar. “Don't lose it, ok?”

Baby yipped and rubbed him. “I'm sorry, girl, but you have to go. Go get Rey!” She barked happily at the mention of her second-favorite human in the entire world. He pushed her into a hole in the wooden fence at the end of the alley she just fit under. “Get going! Rey! You have to find Rey!”

He got her just in time. The boys in white and black streamed into the alley, all holding guns on him. He put up his hands, grinning. “Hi, fellas. I have no idea what's going on here. I was just talking to a nice old man. How about we discuss this over a root beer float at Ackbar's Soda Shoppe?”

The largest responded by slamming him hard in the gut. “Maybe not,” he gasped as he dropped to his knees.

He saw the heavy black boots walking up the alley before he felt the gloved hands yank his hair forward. Kylo Ren breathed heavily in his face for a few minutes before he got sick of looking at a black visor. “Ok, so who talks first? Do I talk first? Probably better me than you. You usually sound like you smoke ten packs a day.”

A gloved hand smacked hard across his cheek. “The First Order Gang wants something from you, Dameron.”

Poe glared at him. “Nice try, but the Organa Detective Agency won't be intimidated by the likes of you.”

Ren nearly dropped him. “Organa?” There was what he believed was a snort under the visor. “Mother. I had heard she had some foolish idea of becoming a detective.”

“She's a damn good one.” Poe struggled in the two goons' ham-sized arms. “Don't you even think of touching her. She's got enough problems without you showing your ugly puss around her office.”

“I wouldn't touch her. None of my gang would ever touch her. As long as she keeps to her business and stays out of mine.” He backhanded Poe again, this time across the lips. “Take him to the Starkiller Manor. Snoke was asking for some...experiments. His mouth might actually be useful for something.”

“Experiments?” Poe struggled. “There's no way I'm gonna cut open by some mad scientist!”

“Oh, this works a little...differently. Snoke's more interested in that sharp little mind of yours.” He gave Poe's curls one more good yank. “Take him away. And find that dog. He must have sent the map with it.”

Poe could only hope as they lead him away that Baby was on her way to the other kids...and that he hadn't put them in as much danger as he was.

The Resistance Kids and the Haunted House, Part 4

Finn was worried. Poe hadn't come home last night. No one had seen him at all since he went to Mrs. Solo's office yesterday afternoon. Snap called Mrs. Solo, and she hadn't seen him, either. Even worse than that, Lor San Tekka, the guy Poe was supposed to be interviewing, had been killed the night before in a shootout by the docks.

Hank brought the New York World-Telegram over with the news as they were working on the Falcon the next morning. “Didn't your buddy say he was interviewing this guy?”

Finn grabbed the paper first. “Oh man.” The others all leaned over his shoulder. “What if he's a wet spot on the pavement right now?”

“We should go out looking for him.” Jess pointed to a slightly blurry photo of two men, one of whom was obviously about to run away. “I think that's him. He might be lost, or hurt somewhere.”

“Aw, come on, guys.” Snap shook his head. “Poe's lived here for most of his life. He knows this town like the back of his hand. He's probably hiding from the bad guys and will show up when the heat's died down.”

Rey nodded. “I don't think we should worry just yet. If he's hasn't arrived by the time of the party tonight, then we'll worry.”

“I guess so.” Finn returned to the Falcon's engine. “I still don't like it. Something doesn't feel right. What if the cops want to talk to him? After all, one of their own died last night.”

“And who would have killed Lor San Tekka?” Jess poked a finger at the front page. “The newspaper only says it was a local gang. San Tekka was one of the nicest cops in the area. He never hurt anything worse than a jelly donut.”

“I only hope Poe's ok.” Finn banged on the radiator. “He's my best friend. He got me out of the First Order Gang and offered me the room with him and Snap. I sorta owe my life to him.”

The bell on the back door rang. The group looked up as big Charles strode in. He was a huge old Russian with a grizzled gray-brown beard and long graying hair. You could barely see his blue eyes under all that hair. He carried a shivering Baby. “Hello, children,” he said in his thick, booming accent. “I think this mite belongs to one of you. I found her huddled in the alley behind the garage.”

“Baby! Oh, you poor girl!” Rey jumped up and gently took the frightened puppy out of Charles' hairy arms. “Let me check you over.” She gently rubbed her fingers around the dog for bumps, cuts, or bruises. Baby seemed to be ok, just scared. She was pressing her fingers around her collar when she found the scraps of paper.

Her eyes widened as she read it. “Ohhh...ohh!” She turned on her heel to Hank. “We have to get to Mrs. Solo's office!”

“Leia?” Hank looked over her shoulder. “What's so important?”

The others crowded around her. “Only someone who might know where Chief Luke Waller is.”

“I know Artie Baker.” Hank turned the sign on the front door to 'closed.' “Charles and I can take you there. He's an old buddy of ours.”

Jess washed her hands. “I think we should go to Mrs. Solo first. She ought to know that Poe's probably in trouble.”

“Don't forget the party.” Rey tucked Baby under her jacket. “We have to set up for that around 4.”

“Maybe one of us ought to call Mrs. Solo.” Finn grabbed his jacket. “It might be kind of shocking to have all of us in there at once.”

“Nahh.” Hank pulled on his own brown leather jacket. “She's been subjected to worse things. Did I ever tell you about the time we drove from here to Buffalo in a snow storm, trying to out-run her dad? The Falcon must have broken down twenty times on that trip.” He sighed, his eyes far away. “She kissed me under the hood, when we were working on the engine together. It was our first kiss.”

“I remember that.” Charles laughed, his booming guffaws rattling the shelves. “It took you long enough, Solovich. I thought you were never going to do it.”

Finn grinned as the kids climbed into the back of the truck. “Could you tell us about it on the way to Mrs. Solo's place?”

“Why not?” Hank plucked the keys off the back table. “It all started when Darren Veder invaded Echo Base, what we were calling the 39^th Precinct at the time. He was the most corrupt Chief of Police ever in New York City. He didn't like how we were taking out his rackets...”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Leia wasn't surprised to see her soon-to-be-ex husband, his massive best friend, four young adults, and a puppy crowd into her office. The Kids happily noted that Leia couldn't take her eyes off Hank...and he couldn't do anything besides stare wistfully at her. “Mrs. Solo,” Rey began, “we have news about Poe.”

The older woman's still lovely mouth turned down. “I heard. I've made calls all morning, trying to locate him.”

“We haven't been able to find him.” Rey handed her the paper. “But we did find this. Baby had it on her when she showed up at the Garage this morning.” The puppy barked at her name. The girl scratched her between the ears.

Leia unfolded it and read it, then dropped it into her purse. “Artie Baker was a close friend of Luke's, going back to the late teens. He knew my father before that. He knows everything that goes on in the Bowery. I could call him and see if he would mind us appearing on his doorstep. I thought he died years ago.”

It only took one tense phone call for Leia to convince this Artie to let them come. All she needed to do was mention Luke's name, and the next words out of her lips were “we'll be right over.” She looked up at six hopeful faces. “He's open. He said we can come, but not for long. He's working on something big, and it's very hush-hush.”

“Oh, wow!” Snap opened the door to let the kids out first. “I wonder if it's something for the government?”

“Maybe he's creating a secret ray gun or a laser,” Finn added, “like in the movies?”

Rey rolled her eyes. “You boys have seen way too many Saturday afternoon serials.”

“Shhh!” Jess put a finger up to her lips. They all poked their heads in the office – even Baby. “I think Hank and Leia are going to make love!”

They stood at opposite ends of the office. Hank got a little closer first. “You changed your hair.”

Leia had a little smile on her face. “Same jacket.” She ran her perfectly manicured nails down the battered leather.

“No, new jacket.” Hank's loving smile changed to concern. “Leia, I saw him. In the newspapers. I saw our son.” He took her hand. “He went back to that gang of his. He was one of the ones who killed Lor San Tekka last night. I didn't want to tell the other kids. They're upset enough about Dameron.”

“I don't want to lose Poe the way I lost you, Luke, and Ben. Poe's a good boy. He doesn't deserve that.” She gathered her purse. “I'll meet all of you on Hester Street. I have to stop somewhere first.”

“All right.” Hank went to open the door for his wife...and had to jump aside as four bodies and one dog toppled in. He gave them his famous little smirk. “Hear anything interesting, kids?”

Finn rubbed his knee. “Man, warn us the next time you want to leave!”

Hank rolled his eyes. “Warn me the next time you decide Leia and I are a peep show!”

Rey cuddled the warm, furry body in her arms. “Are you ok, Baby?” The little corgi barked and nodded, almost as if she understood. Rey looked up at Hank and Leia. “Your son is a killer? Is that why he was in reform school?”

“We'll explain some other time.” Leia looked at her watch. “I have to get going.” She ducked out the door before anyone else could ask questions.

Snap made a face. “It was just getting good! Aren't you going to kiss her?”

“Maybe later.” He shooed the group downstairs. “Come on. Let's catch Artie before he gets cold feet.”

“You should kiss her.” Charles brought up the rear. “I've said that for years. One good kiss, and she'll be back in your arms. You're just damn afraid, Solovich. Ever since you walked out, you been afraid. Maybe it's time you stop running away.”

Hank glared at him as they made for the stairs to the garage. “Shut up, Charles.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Yeah, mate, I know Luke.” Artie Baker was the smallest and oldest man any of the Kids had ever seen. He barely came up to Rey's knee, and Rey was pretty short. “Known him for years. Ever since he came here from Omaha, seeking his fortune. Don't think he was expectin' to find it as a cop, but he was a good one.”

Artie's place was filled with junk in every possible size and shape...and every last bit of it looked like it was being made into a robot. “Luke wanted me to make a bunch of these for the force, before he left. He said they'd help with smaller tasks, like giving out parking tickets.”

“You haven't changed a bit.” Leia pushed a pile of nuts and bolts aside and settled gingerly on the torn plaid couch. “You're still the biggest pack rat in New York City.”

“I like this one.” Jess leaned over a robot that looked like a little black box and squeaked like a mouse. “It's cute.”

Finn looked up – and up – at a tall turquoise robot with a medical symbol on its chest. “I think Kay would like this one. He could give injections to really tall people.”

Rey inspected a small, squat blue and white device that had a million tools on small arms. “This one looks like a Swiss Army Knife on wheels!”

“This is my favorite.” Artie patted the dome-shaped Swiss Army Knife. “I call him R2-D2. He only looks like a Swiss Army Knife.” He pressed a button. A red light flashed on his dome, and a small drawer popped out. “He can also carry secret information and signal to other robots about approaching danger.”

Rey had her arms around him, her eyes shiny and hopeful. “Can we keep him, Hank? Please? He'd be great around the Garage! Think of what all those tools could do for cars!”

Hank tugged the girl off the robot. “Sorry, kiddo, but he's not a pet.”

Artie was inspecting R2. “He's blinking.” He ran his hands over the shiny white and silver dome. “He only does that if there's another robot in the area. None of my robots are activated.”

Leia was inspecting the small paper that came out of the drawer. “Skywalker Manor.” She shook her head. “Do you really think he's there, Art?”

“He's there, miss, if he's anywhere.” Artie opened a panel in the back of the robot and pushed a few wires aside.

Rey stuck her head in. “This is fascinating!”

Artie took a wrench and twisted a bolt inside. “You like robots, miss?”

“Well, I like building things.” Finn peered over her shoulder. He liked messing around with cars, but not to the degree that Rey did. He couldn't understand a word Rey and Mr. Baker said for the next ten minutes.

Jess looked at a clock on a coffee table. “I think it's time we got going. We have to get ready for the party.”

Leia looked up from the paper. “Isn't that party of yours at Skywalker Manor?”

“Yeah.” Finn finally tugged Rey reluctantly away from R2. “Maybe we'll see Mr. Waller there tonight!”

“I get first crack at him.” Leia gathered her purse. “And by 'crack,' I mean I'm going to crack him in his jaw so hard, that idiot will be eating his dinner through a straw for a week! He could have told me where he was. I've been worried sick about him for three years.”

Hank grinned and put his arm around Leia's shoulders. “If you get first crack, I call second. I love the guy like a brother, but he shouldn't have taken off. We needed him here.”

Leia shook Artie's hand. “Thanks again. I'll get Luke to call if or when we find him.”

“Please do that, Leia.” Artie patted his head. “You know where R2 and I will be.”

The kids watched the two as they headed for the stairs. “Hey, do you have a date for this shindig the kids are cooking up yet?”

“Uh, no.” Leia grinned up at him. “I was just invited yesterday morning. I don't even know what I'm going to dress as yet.”

“Mind going with me?” He gave her that lopsided grin. “Charles will be there, too. I could get him to bring his wife Malla, and we'll double-date.”

She finally gave him a grin of her own. “Why not? I'll be doing business and pleasure. Maybe by the end of the night, Luke will be joining us.”

“The three musketeers, together again.” Hank took her arm. “Some things never change.”

His wife kissed his cheek. “Thank goodness for that!”

They were too busy looking into each others' eyes to notice that they had an audience. “Would you look at that?” Jess nudged Snap's arm. “They'll be living together again before you know it!”

“I knew it.” Charles might have been beaming somewhere under that woolly beard. He hugged Leia and Hank. “That is more like it, you two.”

“We should do something special for them at the party.” Finn leaned over Rey. “Maybe we could do a slow dance just for them, or set up a fancy Halloween dinner in a separate room.”

Rey nodded. “I wish Poe was here. He's such a romantic. He'd probably be great at coming up with ideas.”

Finn frowned at the mention of their friend. “I hope he's ok.”

Rey squeezed Finn's shoulder. “If he's not home by the time of the party, we'll call the police as soon as it's over, ok?”

“All right.” Finn rubbed his stomach as they climbed into the back of the Falcon. “I can't help it. I have this feeling in my gut like something's wrong. I don't know what it is. Some kind of...force, I guess.”

Rey put her hand on her slender middle. “So do I. It's probably just nerves about the party tonight.”

“Yeah. That's all it is.” Finn groaned as the Falcon started. “I hope.”

As they bumped down Hester Street, Finn swore he saw a golden figure, one that glowed metallic against the afternoon sunlight.. He was tall, with one red arm, and moved stiffly. His eyes even flashed red. Must be some kid practicing for Halloween tonight, he told himself. That's a great costume. He really looks like one of Artie's robots!

The Resistance Kids and the Haunted House, Part 5

All of them except for Poe met at the front of their apartment building a few hours later. Rey was glad Kaydel got off early. She'd been able to help her apply the green makeup she was using as the Wicked Witch of the West. She wore an old black dress she found at a thrift shop and a tall hat made from cardboard. The long broom with the cornstalk bristles belonged to Maz, who wanted it back intact by the end of the night.

Jess tugged at her braids. “Where's Hank? I thought you guys said he was coming with the Falcon.” She had Baby in her slightly dented wicker basket.

Finn zipped up the jacket with the thick fur collar and hood he borrowed from Poe. With the hood up, it really did make him look something like a lion. Jess had drawn whiskers and a cat's nose with makeup. “Did anyone call the cops? Poe still hasn't appeared.”

“We will after we get home.” Snap shrugged into his silver jacket and tipped his silver-painted funnel hat at the right angle. “He might already be at the party.”

“Could someone help me with this?” The sequin-covered tiara and old pink prom gown Kay borrowed from a friend of hers was barely visible behind the boxes of orange crepe paper and construction paper pumpkins and ghosts. “You'd think we were decorating the Majestic Theater on Broadway, instead of the living room of some old house!”

“Here, let me take a few.” Finn pulled two boxes off the top.

Kaydel's blue eyes peered over the remaining boxes. “Thanks, Finn. I needed that.”

The sound of the Falcon backfiring could be heard throughout the Bowery. Most people usually thought there was an explosion, or a Russian invasion, or something. “Here she comes!” Rey pushed Kaydel and Finn out of the way. “She's getting here someday!”

The Falcon finally just sort of rolled to a stop. A familiar head with thick silver hair and a big lopsided grin poked out. “You kids need a lift?”

“Funny, Hank.” Rey raised her eyebrows at Hank's battered brown fedora and the old khaki bush shirt under his usual leather jacket. “Who are you supposed to be?”

Hank pulled out what looked like an authentic bullwhip. “I'm Indiana Jones, the archaeologist who finds all those lost treasures.”

“Oh wow, I've heard about him.” Snap helped Finn and Rey load boxes and containers of food and Kaydel's portable record player into the back. “Wasn't he the guy who went looking for the Ark of the Covenant, years ago?”

Kay dropped her boxes next to Snap's, dusting her hands off on her pearl-pink bodice. “I heard he went looking for the Holy Grail, like something out of an ancient history book.”

Leia poked her head out the passenger side door. Her thick gray braids were topped by a wreath of fake pink and white flowers . Rey could glimpse a soft white nightgown with a high waist and a floaty skirt under a leaf-trimmed wrap. “Are you kids ready to go? We're going to meet Charles there. He had to get his costume from some friend of his.”

Jess pulled a blanket over Baby, who shivered in the chilly October wind. “What are you supposed to be, Mrs. Solo?”

The older woman smiled. “I'm Thumbelina, from the Hans Christian Anderson story. That was always one of my favorite fairy tales.”

Kaydel sighed dreamily. “Oh, I love that one! I like the end, where she marries the fairy prince.”

Hank shoved the last crate in the back. “Are you kids coming, or what?”

Rey pulled her black knitted shawl tighter around her. Dark clouds gathered around Canal Street. She could hear pipes banging together in the distance. “We're coming, Hank.”

The older man sniffed at the wind. “There's a storm brewin'. It's a good thing you kids are too old for trick-or-treating. This ain't gonna be a good night for getting' candy outside.”

Finn was the last one in. He was checking the sidewalk to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. As he looked around, he swore he saw a tall, thin man made all of gold – with one red arm – shuffling stiffly down Canal Street. He was fussing over Master wanting his clown costume cleaned for tonight.

“Rey,” Finn started as she put out her hand, “I think I just saw a robot!”

“A what?” Rey stuck her head out. “I don't see anything.”

The man was gone. The sidewalk was empty.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The skeletal old man stared sharply at Kylo. “Did you lock the door, Ren?”

“Yeah. No one's gonna come in here without our say-so.”

Phasma stood at attention in her armor. “And if they do, we'll be ready for them.”

Hux tugged his tan wool jacket around his shoulders. “We should get upstairs. I hear voices.”

“Yeah.” Mitiaka pulled up his fancy black skirt. “I think there's people at the door.”

That was when they heard the laughter. The strange, cackling laughter. It was what they'd heard the other day. Kylo wasn't going to let it scare him this time, though.

“What is that?” Thiasson rubbed at the fake wrinkled skin. “We've heard it a couple of times since we got here.”

“Don't say it's the wind.” Umaro tugged at her black and blue velvet skirts. “The wind doesn't sound like that.”

“It's this old house.” Rubber gloves snapped as the old man tugged them over his bony fingers. “Old houses make noise.”

Mitaka shuddered. “Not like that! That's like...like...like a call of a killer clown or something.”

Phasma lifted her metal visor, rolling her eyes. “You boys read too many horror comics.”

Kylo was reaching for a black velvet cape when a familiar voice reached his ears. “Dad...” He whispered. “What's he doing here?”

“Most of the Resistance Kids work for him.” Mitaka played with a ribbon on his old-fashioned, high-necked yellow blouse. His boyish face was covered in pale makeup. “He's sort of like a mentor to them.” He straightened the wavy brown wig.

Hux could have sworn he saw Kylo turn even whiter than usual as he reached for the old breathing mask on the table. A woman's deep, throaty voice reached them. “Mother?” He groaned. “Not her, too! Why can't she just stay out of my way?”

“Do what you want with the children.” A long, dead white arm covered in deep purple veins reached for a strip of metal on wires. “I'll tolerate their merriment as long as they don't disrupt my experiments. Bring the adults to me. They may be useful.”

“I'll deal with Hank Solo.” Kylo turned to the rest of the First Order Gang. “You guys handle the others. Don't hurt anybody, unless they're really asking for it. What happened with Lor San Tekka the other day was bad enough.” For the first time since Hux had known him, he actually sounded scared. “Besides, if I let anything else happen to those kids or Hank Solo, Mother will kill ME.”

“Good.” The bony fingers waved in their faces. “You're dismissed.”

He turned to the operating table as the First Order Gang trooped upstairs. The young man laying on the table was bruised, battered, and disheveled, but to his surprise, more angry than frightened. His brown eyes glared daggers. The arms and legs flailed wildly, despite being tightly strapped down to the cold steel table. He tried to yell under the thick towel being used as a gag.

“Oh, don't worry, Mr. Dameron.” The bony man placed the wired metal band around Poe's forehead. “I won't harm you. I'm just going to re-adjust your mind.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Rey groaned as she dropped the crates of paper chains on the splintered remains of the porch. “Why is the door locked?”

Kaydel looked up from trying to heft her portable record player and not stumble over her pale pink Glinda gown. “Maybe someone forgot to unlock it.”

“It wasn't locked when we were here the other day.” Finn put the box of cookies and cake on the crate of paper chains and crepe paper. “Maybe it's just stuck.”

Rey tugged at it, then Leia. The older woman shook her head. “I'm afraid it really is locked. We'll have to find another way in.”

Charles shook his head. He looked more imposing than ever in the uniform of a pre-Soviet Russian officer. “I've tried. The back door is stuck. I think it's warped. And the door to the basement is locked as well.”

“I have this.” Hank came back from the Falcon with a bent wire. “Watch and learn, kids. This is your first lesson in how to pick locks.”

“I don't know if this is a good idea.” Kaydel looked around nervously, expecting to see cops around every corner. “Isn't this breaking and entering?”

“It's only illegal if you're not supposed to be there.” Leia gave the girl a reassuring grin. “Who do you think taught me how to do it? Hank is the master at this.”

“We'll be fine.” Jess held Baby's leash, trying to keep her from sniffing at every single crack and crevice on the porch. “It's not like we're trespassing.”

Most of the kids leaned over Hank as he jimmied the lock. “Ok, so you need to keep pushing it up and down. Not too hard. It'll break.” He nearly bonked into Rey as he turned around. “Want to give it a shot, kid?”

Rey's face lit up. “Sure!” She pushed the wire around a bit, then Snap. Finn was the one who finally got the wire to make that tell-tale 'click.'

Hank slapped him on the shoulder as the other kids filed in with the boxes and record player. “And you get an 'A' for the course, kid. Where did you learn to jimmy locks?”

“Kind of a requirement with the Force Order Gang.” Finn's face fell. “We used to break into warehouses and empty buildings all the time. Broke into a few stores sometimes, too, but I never stole anything. I couldn't bring myself to do it. I felt sorry for the shopkeepers who were just trying to make a living. I was stealing because I thought I had nothing else. I wasn't like the others.”

“No, you're not.” Hank put an arm around the young man. “You're a good kid. You should be proud of yourself for gettin' out of there.”

“Yeah.” Finn's big, dark eyes followed Rey as she and Leia hauled pitchers of punch and apple cider into the living room. “I just wish Rey would notice me. I mean, she notices me. She's a great friend.”

“But you want her to be more.” Hank smirked at the youth's surprise. “You think I haven't seen you mooning over her whenever you work on engines together? Trust me, I went through this with Leia. At least you two aren't arguing over every single little thing.”

“I'd take that.” Finn shrugged. “I don't think Rey notices anything that isn't a car part.”

Hank put an arm around his employee as they headed inside. “Let me tell you all about how I got Leia. It all started when Luke, Charles, and I rescued her from her dad's old office downtown. It was really more like a fortress of death...”