JFK Airport, 7:15 PM
Elliot Stabler sighed and shifted from foot to foot impatiently. Why Olivia had so many suitcases, he would never understand. They were only going to London for one week; what could she possibly need with so many clothes? Deciding the security line wouldn't be moving anytime soon, he set the blue cases down with a thump and rolled his shoulders, hoping to remove the aching feeling. He sighed again and checked his watch, before a gentle hand on his wrist stopped him.
"Elliot, try to relax. We're not going to miss our plane, there's no point stressing yourself." Olivia soothed.
He grunted, acknowledging the truth of her statement, but still unwilling to submit to the slow line.
The Next Day
Central London, 11:00 AM
It was a mild summer's day, and the park was filled with the laughter and shrieks of children. A small group of them were playing a game of catch with a red rubber ball. A small boy fumbled his catch, and the bright toy bounced and rolled across the grass. Laughing, the child took chase, his own movements almost as bouncy as those of the ball. The ball rolled to a stop at the feet of a young man, and the boy slid to a stop just before he, too, collided with the youth. He was just bending over to pick it up, when something prompted him to look up. The smile slid off his face, and he paused, unsure of what to do. The teenager whose feet the ball had hit was glaring down at him, with an expression somewhere between disgust and fury. He smirked, revealing pointed teeth, and removed a clawed hand from his pocket.
"BRAGO! What are you doing?!" A girl in a purple dress came running up, looking irate.
Brago kept his gaze fixed on the child as he responded, "What does it look like I'm doing? This pathetic little human hit me with this-this thing!" Brago held up the offending object and crushed it in his hand. The child at his feet whimpered, and then burst into tears.
"Brago!" Sherry repeated, sternly, before turning to the child and apologizing. "I'm sorry, he's easily angered." The child took one glance at Brago and ran off still sobbing.
Sherry sighed.
Heathrow Airport, 7:00 AM
Elliot and Olivia made their way off the plane, stretching their cramped legs before joining the shuffling masses entering the security line. Elliot took one look at the queue ahead of them and groaned.
Central London, 11:30 AM
"Why must you be so difficult?" Sherry protested, as the two of them walked along one of the park's many paths.
"If we're going to win this battle and I'm going to be king of the mamodo world, we can't afford to waste time relaxing! It's getting harder to find opponents as they get stronger and fewer remain, and we need all the time we can get to track them down and destroy them!" The dark mamodo responded.
"You don't think I don't know that, Brago! I fight as hard as you do and you know it!"
"Then show it! Lately you've been – Wait! I sense a mamodo nearby!" He took off running.
I'll show him. I can be strong! I have to be in order to save Koko from Zofis. Sherry nodded and took out Brago's black spellbook, following closely behind.
The two dashed through crowds of tourists and busy shoppers, scattering bags and belongings behind them as they went. A gap in the crowd allowed Brago to slip through, but closed before Sherry could follow him. When she caught up with irritable mamodo, he was just stepping into a busy street, paying no mind to the fact that cars were roaring past him on all sides. Suddenly he turned in the middle of the intersection and attacked a taxi. The terrified driver slammed on the brakes, concerned he would badly injure the insane youth. Horns honked and drivers yelled profanity, adding to the confusion, while Brago stood alone in front of the passenger-less taxi in the dead center of the crossroads.
"What were you thinking?" Sherry asked him later in the privacy of their hotel room.
Brago scowled. "I thought I sensed the mamodo in that car. I don't understand what happened, the signal was very strong."
"Well, next time make sure it's there before you terrorize everyone."
He turned, about to retaliate, when he felt its presence again- the other mamodo.
"I sense it again, Sherry."
"Are you sure this time, Brago? We don't have time for any more wild goose chases, you know."
"I'm sure. Let's go!"
A hotel in London, 1:00 PM
Elliot waited quietly by the window for Olivia to return with their lunch, enjoying the peace and quiet of the hotel room after the busyness of the airport and London streets. The dull sound of cars passing below made a soothing sound, and it wasn't long before he fell asleep.
He was awakened half an hour later by the sound of the door opening. Assuming it was only Olivia, he was not concerned and stretched casually, the muscles of his supple but firm torso rippling. Footsteps approached, footsteps slightly too dainty to belong to his partner. Before he had time to react, a girl's voice yelled "Ion gravi-rei!" and an overwhelming pressure pushed him back into his chair. Everything went black.