The Bean Brigade #4
"An American Dragon in New York"
Secret mountain HQ, 9:20 a.m.
The members of the Bean Brigade were readying themselves for a trip to New York. All of them knew that it wasn't for a vacation; their boss no doubt had some sinister scheme up his…well, you know. Still, a free trip to the Big Apple wasn't a bad deal. They could commit some wholesale destruction, do the mission, and maybe have time to sightsee. One person who was looking forward to the trip was Weather Vane. When she was a young girl, her parents had told her stories of how New York used to be. She was hoping to see the greatest city in the world, so she could rain her powers down upon it. She was unfamiliar with this old-fashioned world; luckily, she had Ember to show her what's what.
"I appreciate you talking your boss into letting me stay here," WV said.
"It wasn't that hard" Ember replied, "when he found out you could control the weather, he was hooked. Besides, you and I are pals."
"You don't have many friends do you?" WV asked.
Ember hung her head, "being a ghost and plotting to rule the world doesn't make me all that popular" she said, "but there are a couple of ghost guys I run with. Plus there's Kitty; she and her boyfriend sometimes come to my concerts. They hate old people as much as I do. Maybe I'll introduce you sometime."
"I'd like that" Weather Vane replied, "but first, let's get to New York. I'm looking forward to causing some trouble."
"Me too" Ember said, "wait till they get a load of me!" The two girls giggled evilly before leaving the room.
New York City, 1:45 p.m.
After a long flight, the Bean Brigade finally arrived in the Big Apple. Hannibal had taken the precaution to set them up in an old depot near an abandoned subway station.
"Nice digs bro" Ed said, "but they're, like, all slimy and junk, seriously."
"Well I'm sorry I couldn't set us up at the Waldorf Astoria, but this place is secure enough that my plans can proceed uninterrupted" Hannibal replied. "Speaking of which, Control Freak my boy, I have a job for ya."
"Name it" CF replied.
"Get some of the Brigade together" Hannibal instructed, "I need ya to pick up somebody for me. But first, I need ta figure out where they're hiding."
Magus Bazaar, 2:01 p.m.
If anyone in New York had bothered to take the subway to the end of the line, they would discover that it would lead them here. This was a place where all the magical creatures in New York could interact, with no disturbance from the humans. Many of them lived in this area, free of the threat of human discovery. Two of these individuals are the Oracle Twins, young seers of the future.
The chipper and upbeat Sara can predict negative events in the future, while her moody and pessimistic sister Kara can predict positive ones. And soon, these two oracles were going to get a prediction that would change not only their lives, but the lives of their friends as well.
"I just got a prediction that we're about to be kidnapped" Sara said, in her bubbly voice "too bad for us."
"Great, this would have to happen to us" Kara replied, "come on, we'd better call Jake and his grandfather."
Sara opened the door and found herself grabbed by a pair of muscular arms. Kara barely had time to react before she too was grabbed.
"Well, well, looks you like you girls aren't as tough as I thought." The girls craned their heads to see the source of the voice; it was a round headed, fat kid who looked like he'd just walked out of a sci-fi movie.
"Who are you? How did you find us?" Kara asked, struggling against the grip of her captor.
"You're the oracles, you tell me" Control Freak replied, "Okay guys, drug 'em."
Kara barely had time to process what that meant before a sweet smelling cloth was placed over her face. She tried to fight it, but the chloroform achieved its' effect; before she closed her eyes, she saw Sara suffer a similar fate. And she wondered if someone would notice they were gone; then there was only darkness.
As she came to, Kara had no idea how long she'd been unconscious. Once her senses were regained, she took stock of her situation. She was tied tightly to a chair, with her hands bound separately behind her back. Her booted ankles had been tied together and a thick white cloth was tied around her mouth as a gag. She turned to her left and found Sara in the same predicament. Kara took a look around the room; it was dark and dirty, possibly an old subway tunnel or a secret catacomb beneath the streets.
Whoever kidnapped us knew exactly what they were doing she thought I don't predict us getting out of this one.
Kara then began to struggle with her bonds, but they held fast. Suddenly, she heard a number of loud, muffled noises and turned to see that Sara was now awake and struggling for all she was worth. Kara wished she could talk to her sister and tell her it was okay, but she knew Sara could put a positive face on anything. Suddenly, Kara heard footsteps approaching; both Oracles mmmmphed for all they were worth, hoping to attract the attention of the mystery person. Then they saw him; a huge armored figure, and realized he was no savior.
That armor…it can't be…! Kara thought.
She certainly hoped she was wrong about the identity of their mysterious abductor, or they were in big trouble. The armored man reached down a hand and pulled Kara's gag down around her neck.
"I wouldn't recommend screaming" the man said, his voice possessing a Southern twinge "nobody will hear ya down here anyway."
"Hannibal Roy Bean, I presume?" Kara asked, testing her hunch.
"Well, I'm glad my reputation precedes me" Hannibal replied.
"Don't flatter yourself" Kara said angrily "when Sara and I were young, our grandmother told us all about the atrocities you committed. I can't believe we didn't get a vision of your return."
"Well, I have been working outside of the city" Hannibal replied, "but I'm sure ya no doubt know why I'm here."
"You want to steal the Amulet of Amon" Kara replied, "it's on display at the Museum of Fine Arts. And let me guess, you kidnapped us to predict if you'd get it?"
"I care nothing for yer little foolish predictions" Hannibal replied "I already know that I'm gonna be victorious. No, they reason I abducted ya is ta keep ya from spreading the news about my return."
"I see" Kara said, "so you don't want us to warn the American Dragon of your arrival?"
"Such a clever girl" Hannibal said, "and speaking of our old friend the American Dragon, he ain't gonna be able to save ya. No one knows yer down here, 'cept for me and my posse. Now how about being a good girl and telling me the true identity of our little dragon friend?"
"Forget it" Kara replied, "nothing you can do will make me talk!"
"That may be true for ya" Hannibal said, "but is the same the case for yer sister? I'd hate ta see something 'unfortunate' happen to her" he said, cupping Sara's chin in the cold hand of his armor.
"Leave Sara alone!" Kara said, "she's done nothing to you!"
"Then tell me the identity of the American Dragon!" Hannibal ordered.
Kara didn't want to betray Jake, but she had to protect Sara. Just then, she had an idea. "You win," she said, hanging her head in defeat, "I'll tell you."
"That's a good girl" Hannibal said, an evil grin stretched across his tiny face.
Uh-oh, looks like the Oracle twins are in quite a pickle. Will Kara betray Jake's identity to the fiendish fava? And what is so special about the Amulet of Amon? Answers to these questions will be revealed in the next chapters of this story.