The Rules of the Game

The life which is unexamined is not worth living.

-- Plato (427 BC - 347 BC), Dialogues, Apology

The Race Has Started

Despite being called "Billy", Bill found himself enjoying Eddy's presence by and by. He had a knack for making Bill laugh and irritating Rani at the same time. Also he seemed to talk a lot, which Eddy claimed was just the "American way of being." Rani had objected at this, as well as José, claiming he was a Northern American and was too thick to see the rest of the land connected to his country that constituted as "America". This only caused Eddy to laugh some more.

And what impressed Bill the most was Eddy's ability around Muggle machines, especially computers. He would whip out his laptop, tap some buttons, and immediately announce that Montanez was setting off for Venezuela. Bill knew his father would love to meet Eddy, and Eddy would probably enjoy the attention.

José was also a good man, who kept mostly to himself and Zorro. He had told them he had grown up in los Llanos, in a small ranch that now served as a tourist spot. He did odd end jobs for Bellamont, and enjoyed working with Rani (Bill was left to believe he was the only one). His English was quite good but was sometimes blurred out through his accent. He had promised to take Bill to the beaches of Margarita once they were done here and if Bill hadn't grown sick of the country.

Rani, on the other hand, was bossy and irritating at times. Bill liked her, she could put up a good fight, but it looked like she didn't believe he was capable of his job. Which was extremely insulting, of course. But Bill knew that he would be in charge of the tombs soon enough, and looked forward to bossing her around a bit.

Bill smiled, and put on his shirt, making sure that his jacket carried his essentials. Looking around for his belt, he could hear Rani turning on the shower in the small bathroom. José anEddy had left for breakfast, leaving the "destructive duo", as Eddy had so kindly put it, alone.

Searching some more for his belt (it wasn't under the bed or behind the night table), he wondered if they would run into Montanez. He wasn't looking forward to get reacquainted with guns, even if Rani carried one around with her. Women and guns looked sexy. Bullets in him did not.

"Bloody hell," he exclaimed, having given up on his belt. He pulled out his wand. This was an emergency, he told his conscious, and clearly said, "Accio belt!"

There was a thick thunk against the bathroom door and Bill groaned. Only his belt would choose to be in a room with a showering Rani, who had informed him if he so much as set one foot into the bathroom, she'd set all the Indian gods on him.

"How many gods are there?" he had asked, curious.

"Too many," was all she answered.

Bill pondered his situation like a proper tomb raider would have. Rani had just started to shower, and he knew that she was a fast one, unlike other normal women. He would have time enough, if he was quiet, to grab his belt. He could do it. He was not afraid of Rani and her Indian gods.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," Charlie's voice intruded his mind.

Bill gathered his legendary Gryffindor courage, and slowly opened the door. Cringing when it slightly creaked, he scanned the floor for his belt. It was neatly placed on top of the sink, and he knew that Rani must have picked it up. Bill Weasley did not know the meaning of the word neat.

Hurrying towards it, he let out a small mental cheer when his fingers grasped the leather. However, he froze when he heard the swish of the shower curtain opening. Rani let out a predictable shriek.

Lucky for her, Bill had already turned around, and immediately froze. "Was getting my belt," he said, waving the offending item.

"Couldn't you wait?" she demanded. He heard her feet hit the cold floor. "Get out!"

"I guess we're even then," he said, and immediately regretted it.

"What?" Rani's voice was cold.

"You saw me, I barge in on you." Bill cleared his throat, and quickly exited the bathroom. In the nick of time, because a bar of soap had just smashed against the wall.

Bill snickered to himself as he buckled his belt. He hadn't meant for any of that to happen, but since it had he was quite please with the annoyance he had found in Rani's words.

"You are an arsehole," she announced once she came out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a blue towel. "I should have your balls ripped off for that. They do it in some cultures, you know."

"Don't you wear anything else?" asked Bill. Rani had come out wearing the same outfit she had the day they met, except instead of a white shirt she had changed it for a khaki jacked much like his.

"I like these," Rani said indignantly. "They're comfortable and easy to move around in." She looked at herself doubtfully.

"It's fine, it's fine," Bill said, knowing well that this would lead to a "do you think I'm fat?" fight. Well, it did with Ginny anyway. "You won't hear any arguments from the boys."

Rani scowled. Bill noticed her gun was strapped to her leg and he wondered if she actually found that comfortable.

"We better get going," Rani said, as she zipped up her bag. "We need to start early. Eddy said Montanez would arrive to Caracas in an hour or so." She handed Bill a small gun. He looked at it suspiciously. He had never really used such a thing. "What?" she asked, seeing his expression.

"I've never used one of these before," Bill said.

Rani rolled her eyes. "You won't need it yet. I'll explain it to you when we reach Amazonas. Come on." She took one last look around the room, and left.

Bill sighed. This was going to one long adventure.

*

If there was one thing that Bill had found out it was that Eddy screamed like a girl. Also, it seemed that any wizard that was associated with Muggle ways hated his way of driving. Why, though, was beyond Bill.

"Dog! Dog!" yelled Eddy, clutching onto his seat belt for dear life.

"Car! Car!" added Rani, grabbing hold onto Bill's arm, in hope she'd be able to take over the steering wheel.

"A la verga!" was all José offered, closing his eyes tightly. Zorro howled pitifully.

Bill took a left, and smiled to himself. For his third time at driving he was quite good. It wasn't his fault this was a Muggle car and things wouldn't jump out of his way.

"Bill, turn!" Rani snapped. She looked like she wanted to shoot a bullet into his bum.

"How much longer is it until this portkey station?" Eddy asked. "Lamp post!"

"I told you Bill shouldn't drive," said Rani. "But did you listen to me? Of course not!"

"I drive like Batman in his Batmobile," Bill said proudly.

"Batmobile?" Eddy died in a fit of snickers.

Bill frowned. "You know, how he had this huge car. And he drove it all over Godham city."

"Gotham city," corrected Rani, hiding a smile. "Yes, Bill, you're Batman." Both she and Eddy went into another fit of giggles.

"And," continued Rani, "if you're Batman, I think we should dub Eddy Robin. I think I have a pair of tights that might fit you."

Eddy puffed out his chest. "I always saw myself more of an eagle, thank you very much. You could be... what's her name? Catwoman?"

"Meow," Rani hissed.

Zorro barked enthusiastically.

"We're being followed," announced José.

Bill peered through his mirror. Indeed there was a black car keeping a distance. "How can you be sure?" he asked.

"These streets aren't common for such cars. Plus it's been behind us since the hotel." José unbuckled his seatbelt, and moved closer to Bill. "Turn right. We'll see if we can lose him."

Bill made the sudden turn, the squeals of the tires making Zorro bark some more. "Bugger, they're still after us," he said. He made the next turn, almost running over a rubbish bin.

"Eddy, get the owner of the license plate," ordered Rani. "It's probably one of Montanez's goons. I just need an a-okay to shoot."

"Shoot?" said Bill. Shooting was not good. When you shot, you got shot back at.

Eddy had flipped open his laptop and was busy typing away. Bill focused on the road ahead of him. He turned left again.

"Come on, Eddy," Rani said, her voice tight.

"Just a minute, doll," Eddy said. "And... we've got it! It's Montanez. Shoot. Bill, keep going forward. I'm going to find the quickest way to the portkey station."

Rani had already gotten two guns from somewhere (Bill suspected from her bra. Surely her breasts hadn't been that big the day before), and hit the button to make the window open.

"Make sure I don't get shot," she told Bill, before easing herself onto the side of the car. Bill heard the now familiar sound of bullets, and tried to maintain his speed. If Rani fell out of the car, she'd have a cow.

She had hoisted herself in sitting position, using her legs to keep her firmly onto the ledge. Her boots clutched onto the chair, and her muscles tightened with every turn. She shot clearly at the following car, trying her best to bring down the windows.

"Turn right," instructed Eddy.

"No!" said José. "There's no way pass. It's bordered up."

"You can break it down," Eddy said. "The computer's telling me it's just blocks of wood. Go on, Billy. It's the quickest way we've got."

Bill swerved right. Rani cried out in indignation, but continued shooting. People kept jumping out of their ways, and someone even cried out, "Chavista!"

"This guy just won't stop!" yelled Rani. "His windows are down, and I can't get a clear shot without killing him."

"Then do it!" Bill yelled back, as he took another left instructed by Eddy and José.

"I can't. Rules of the game." Rani fired some more. She dispatched one gun, and used her free hand to steady herself.

"Ok," said Eddy, "after this right turn you're going to be three-hundred metres away from the bordered block. Hit it with full power."

The black car banged into them from behind. Rani yelped and clutched onto the roof of the car. "Bastards!" she yelled, aiming for the car's tires.

"Rani, get in here!" Bill ordered.

"No, I can get this shot. Slow them down a bit."

"Inside now!"

"No!"

"Zahra, I am your boss on this bloody mission, and I'm now ordering you to get your bloody body into the bloody car!"

The closed-off road was approaching, and Bill sped up the car. Rani reluctantly eased herself into the car, but not before firing off another shot.

"Good girl," Bill said. "You'll get a cookie for that."

"Idiot," she muttered.

The looming wood looked upon them. It wasn't too high, and didn't look to sturdy. Why the Venezuelans had chosen to close off this road was a mystery, but it didn't look dangerous.

"Ok, everyone, buckle up. We're hitting it hard." Bill pressed down hard on the accelerator. The car zoomed forward, and within minutes they had taken down the planks of wood.

"How are Montanez's goons doing?" Bill asked, trying to regain his breath. Rani looked pale, and was covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

"He's not behind us anymore," José said. "We lost him for a bit." He wiped his brow with a handkerchief. "No more shortcuts."

"Now just continue forward," Eddy said. "You'll see a big building. It'll look abandoned, but you can park in front of it. We'll need to hurry. By the way, that driving was spectacular."

Bill grinned.

*

The portkey station was pleasant. There were lines depending on language, where women who looked like live Barbies were busy issuing portkeys to their registered owners. The building itself, from the inside, was entirely made of glass, yet nothing except a faint yellow glow could be seen outside. Plants of different regions decorated the building along with a few statues, who kept talking about the weather.

Bill and his team took the Spanish-speaking line, since it had been with the least people, and José had said the service would be quicker. There was only another woman in front of them, clutching her son tightly. She was talking loudly, saying that she had asked for a portkey to Yugoslavia, but everyone kept telling her to come back. Her husband, she said, was there, and he needed to be found immediately. The Barbie behind the counter had told her to go speak to the Ministry instead.

Bill shuffled his feet impatiently, trying desperately to not let his rumbling stomach sound too loudly. When it finally became their turn (the mother had left in an indignant huff), José quickly explained about their registered portkey to Puerto Ayacucho.

The Barbie looked at the group suspiciously, but gave them no fight, and went to get their portkey. This time in came in the shape of an empty bottle. In Spanish, she explained it was registered as a one-way trip, and they'd have to find their way back. If they needed a portkey, they could always Floo or send an owl. They would, of course, have to have a permission slip from the Ministry. The Barbiexplained some more about regulations, until she finally forked over the portkey.

"Three minutes until it's activated," she chirped, before heading off to her coffee break, leaving the man behind them grumbling in disgust.

José ushered them to a more secluded corner. "It probably wouldn't be wise to go outside," he said. "We have everything here, right?" Everyone nodded. Bill patted his pocket, satisfied when he felt Bellamont's key.

Bill felt a pep talk was in need. "Well, mates, we've come this far. We've been through shooting, bad food and no food, which was worse," he started. "We're slowly meeting ends like a bunch of old school chaps going out for a drink in a bar. And now e're going in for the big stuff. We're going to get this Sphere of whatsit, and getting our earnings. We can do it." He offered them a brilliant smile.

"Touching," Rani said dryly. "Now everyone just touch the damn bottle."

They were gone in less than a second to a place of heat, humidity and acromantula-sized mosquitoes.