Chapter 27
MIRA SUMMARIZED the story so far:
Johan the alchemist was creating the material used in anti-spirit equipment, despite knowing that it was being used for evil. He continued doing this for the sake of his kidnapped wife and daughter, who were being held hostage to guarantee his cooperation.
“In short,” she concluded, “your decision would be easy if your family came back safely?”
If his family were rescued, he could cease working for Chimera and live a life of virtue. That would leave Chimera without their source of anti-spirit equipment, a critical tool that gave them the power to fight spirits. If production stopped, the enemy would be nigh instantly crippled.
Furthermore, bringing Johan to their side and using his knowledge could potentially help them discover weaknesses in the equipment. Isuzu would no doubt be desperate to have an ally like him.
Johan understood the truth of Mira’s words and replied, “If my family is returned to me, I swear, I’ll gladly help your organization.” A note of hope could be heard in his voice.
“We will do our utmost,” Mira promised.
“We’ll find them!” Scorpion chimed in.
“You’re the only chance I have. To seal our deal, I’ll give you a few documents,” Johan said happily as he sat down in the chair by his desk.
“Oho, documents? Sounds fascinating…but what sort of documents?” Mira found a chair to sit in as she sipped at some of her all-season au lait. This was a new flavor she’d happened to find at Isuzu’s headquarters.
“Everything I have on the black mist ore. Depending on how you process and mix it, it can do more than just eat spirits. Knowing its properties in advance should help you fight them when the time comes.”
“Oho. That would be useful indeed.” His explanation satisfied Mira.
“Awesome! So, we’ll get to know all of those secrets?!” Scorpion was truly excited to get to the bottom of Chimera Clausen’s evil weapons after they’d been shrouded in mystery for so long.
Isuzu had little to no information on black mist ore. And in her run-ins with it, Scorpion had struggled against its troublesome effects, and ended up letting enemies slip away as a result.
If an elite like Scorpion struggled against it, foot soldiers of Isuzu would end up sustaining major injuries or worse. But if they could exploit this knowledge, the pendulum might swing in the other direction.
“If you bring my wife and daughter home safe, I’ll give you a list of transactions I’ve had with Melville Commerce. All the times we’ve purchased materials to make their weapons. Use it wisely, and I bet you can bring them both down.”
Johan offered a handsome reward for a successful mission. Mira and Scorpion knew that such information would tie Chimera Clausen directly to Melville Commerce. It was perfect. There was only one problem.
“We appreciate that, but…are you sure? You may end up being implicated alongside them.”
No matter the reason, if Johan’s name was on those documents, he would be in the line of fire. There was room for extenuating circumstances, but the materials derived from Johan’s work had led to far too many deaths for sentimentality to explain. Even if the law did not find him guilty, someday, somebody might seek personal revenge.
“I don’t care; I know what I’ve done. But if my wife and daughter are safe…well.” Johan sat up straight and bowed to the duo.
Mira and Scorpion faced Johan and replied sincerely.
“I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Same!”
“Thank you both.” Johan looked up, nodded in satisfaction, and smiled wanly.
***
But how exactly would they save his wife and daughter? Unfortunately, Johan did not seem to know where they were, but he was certain the handwriting on the letters was his wife’s. She had to be alive…at least he hoped so.
“A wife and a daughter. Hmm, where would you lock up two women? Hmmm…” Scorpion mumbled to herself, arms crossed and tail swishing back and forth.
Mira finished her all-season au lait and put a finger to her chin, muttering to herself as well. Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration.
“Incidentally, how old is your daughter?”
“She’ll be eight this year.” Johan looked off into the distance. It must have been difficult, not being able to see his daughter grow up.
“Hrmm. Eight years old, you say?” The corners of Mira’s lips curled into a grin. “I think I might have an idea of where they are.” If she was eight, then it all matched. Mira compared this new information to her memories and, satisfied with the result, smirked.
“Do you, Mi—?” Scorpion tried to speak, but she was cut off by Johan jumping out of his seat.
“Where are they?!” His tragic desperation was proof of his love.
Scorpion closed her mouth and let Mira speak.
“There’s a storage compound managed by Melville Commerce. We found a warehouse with women’s laundry next to the entrance to the War-Torn Burial Ground. If two women were being held there, that explains a lot,” Mira replied. She put a hand on Johan’s shoulder and urged him to sit.
“O-oh, you mean those little girl’s panties!” Scorpion remembered the most striking part of that discovery.
“It’s worth investigating.” Mira puffed her chest out proudly, as if it was all but confirmed. She was the very image of confidence.
The compound where Melville and Chimera conspired had tight security and numerous patrolmen. It was the ideal place to watch over someone they had confined.
“They’ve been in a place like that, all this time…?” Not the best of situations, but at least he had a clue to their location. That was wonderful news for Johan. He put his trembling hands in his lap and gritted his teeth, muttering, “But how am I supposed to save them?”
Melville Commerce’s compound was famous for being the most tightly-guarded place in all of Roslein. Even the most cunning thieves couldn’t pilfer anything under their watch.
“What good will sitting there in despair do?” Mira tried to lift his spirits by explaining just how they’d learned that his family was in the compound.
“You infiltrated that place?!” Johan cried, eyes gleaming with hope. He jumped out of his seat, prompting Mira to gently push him back once again and remind him to calm down.
“We have our ways. Anyway…it won’t be difficult at all to go and bring them back.”
“It’s kind of cheating,” Scorpion added. “The hardest part will be getting into their quarters. If they’re trapped, then the door must be locked. I hope it’s the kind I can pick, but…” She frowned down at the lock-picking tool in her pouch.
The warehouse containing the hidden entrance to the catacombs had been secured with a lock used in royal vaults, so the room where they were being held might be just as pick-proof. If so, that was a serious wrinkle in the plan.
“If we must, we will resort to force. But we’ve barely begun to explore our options. If we can, I’d prefer to do it with stealth.”
The lock might be impenetrable, but the building itself was not. If needed, they could simply break a window. But if they did that, the enemy would be alerted to the hostages’ escape and come straight for the mansion. If they spirited Johan away first, or if the people in the room happened to be a different family, Johan’s own wife and child would end up in grave danger. Even if they were almost certain, these were human lives in their hands; they couldn’t be too cautious.
“Maybe you can use this.” As Mira and Scorpion discussed the problem, Johan suddenly stood up. He opened a strongbox in the corner of the room and lifted a smaller box from within it. This he placed on the table. He opened the lid.
“What is this?”
Mira and Scorpion peeked into the box, both craning their necks to peer in. Inside were a smooth, black metal rod about fifteen centimeters long and a sheet of paper.
“My father made this. It’s a lock-picking tool with special magic in it.” Johan took the metal rod from the box and held it out for Mira and Scorpion to see. A few seconds later, lines of light ran across the rod, and the tip split into dozens of branches.
“Ooh!” the girls gasped in unison.
“Dad told me you can crack any lock if you use it skillfully. As you can see, it’s…complicated. So much so that it’s hard to use. But I think someone with enough skill should be able to draw out at least some of its features.” Johan returned it to its normal state, deposited it back into the box, and stared into Scorpion’s eyes. “It’s got an instruction manual. Take it. It might help.”
He handed the box to Scorpion.
Difficult it might be, but it was an awesome piece of equipment that could be the very thing to break into the locked containment room. The fact that he had given her something so valuable was proof that he was willing to risk it all on them.
“Thanks. I’ll use it well.” Scorpion accepted both the box and his hopes.
***
“By the way, I’ve got a question for you. How did you know I was working for Chimera?” Johan asked. “Even my apprentice didn’t know, and she’s with me all the time.”
By now they had warmed to one another and established a rapport. He was right; Millene hadn’t even realized that Chimera Clausen existed, let alone that he was in league with them.
“Actually, we traced your apprentice to you,” Mira began. She summarized all of the events that had led them to him.
In the course of their investigation, they had hit upon the idea that Chimera Clausen might be connected to the Melville-managed War-Torn Burial Ground. They guessed that the entrance might be in the storage compound, infiltrated it, and discovered the site. There, they found Millene. She’d worn powerful spirit equipment, so they’d assumed her to be among Chimera’s elite leadership and captured her.
But when they interrogated her, they learned that she wasn’t even a member. She claimed that her teacher worked with black mist ore for Melville Commerce, so they set their sights on him instead.
“And that leads us to now. We happened to find the room where your family might be held during the very same infiltration,” Mira added to close out the story.
“I see,” Johan muttered in understanding as he looked sharply at the pair. “Where’s Millene now? And she should’ve had a mask on—she still has that, right?” Johan stood as he spoke, approached the window, and peeked out through the curtain.
“We’ve got her confined in our hotel room. I used the mask for a…prank. But I think it should still be next to the bed?” Scorpion answered. Why did Johan care so much about a mask?
“This is bad,” he replied, then rushed to the bookshelf. He retrieved a bundle of papers, returned to his seat, and held them out to Mira.
“Here’s the deposit I promised you for saving my wife and daughter. But listen: Millene’s mask has magic that tracks her location. Chimera’s goons are probably on their way to your inn room as we speak. You must go, now,” Johan insisted, struggling to keep calm.
“Goodness!” exclaimed Mira.
“I had no idea…” Scorpion was also surprised—they had been too focused on the spirit equipment. They both rushed to stand up.
Snake was with Millene. She wouldn’t be bested easily, but there was no knowing who she might be up against. Scorpion believed in Snake’s abilities, but she still couldn’t hide her worry.
Mira, on the other hand, had a different reaction. She was more interested in this GPS-like magic she’d never heard of.
“They’ve probably sent at least two members. If you can, I want you to keep hiding her for now.” Johan sidled over to the window again and peeked outside as he asked them to protect his apprentice.
“Yeah, no prob. We’ll take care of her,” Scorpion answered firmly. That had been the plan since the start.
“Thanks. My wife’s name is Angelique, and my daughter is Anne. I’ll get the transaction documents together. Come pick ’em up once you’ve saved my family.”
“Angelique and Anne, understood. I promise we’ll see them returned to you,” Mira replied, bringing a smile to Johan’s face. It was the expression of a relieved husband and father.
Mira and Scorpion left, bolstered by Johan’s determination. They ran from the mansion without sound, sign, or trace.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login