Vixen and the Gang In: Das Blassreiter Fur Gute
Somewhere in Kiel, Germany, 11:39 am, June 19th, 2016
"Did you really have to jeopardize this entire trip for a bag of doughnuts?!" Vixen roared, punching Murray in the shoulder as hard as she could.
"I'm sorry Carmelita, 'The Murray' was hungry, and I wasn't able to have my afternoon fruit," Murray argued, tossing another of the confections down his throat. Vixen pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. After traveling for four days, these two buffoons was beginning to wear on her.
"How did Cooper ever put up with you two?" she huffed, rubbing her eyes to stay the dull ache of her head.
"We're family Car… sorry, I mean Vixen." Bentley called, still reminding himself to use her chosen alias, which she had thought of during the trip.
"In the last 13 hours, we're broken nearly 450 laws! How can…" Vixen stopped her rant mid-sentence, realizing that she also had broken laws in stealing food and other supplies for them.
"I'm sorry guys; it's just, this thieving thing is a lot harder getting used to then I thought it would be." she huffed, putting a hand over her eyes and leaning over in the seat when she felt Bentley's hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry Vixen, we're all in this together, and we'll help you all the way," he said. But as Bentley spoke, he thought he could see her lip quivering just under her hand as she tried to cover her face.
"What's the matter?" Bentley asked, turning her seat around and taking her hand down to wipe away the tears welling up in her eyes.
"I can just hear my father's voice now, saying how disappointed he is in becoming the very thing he fought against, what I fought against. And now I'm one of them. How could I even face my father's grave again?" she whimpered, quickly wiping her tears away to try and regain her hard composure. Bentley was about to speak when something flashed across the windshield of the van. Murray jerked the wheel in response, carefully straightening out the van on the icy roads.
"What's the matter?" Vixen asked, pulling up her hood and getting ready for a fight.
"I didn't see it. It just came and went." Murray answered.
"MURRAY STOP!" Bentley shouted, pointing to the front where. Murray slammed on the brakes, trying to keep the van in control on the icy roads, sliding towards the ever closing figure dressed in white. All three of them braced for the impact that was sure to come until the van's tires found some grip and came to an abrupt halt.
"Did we hit him?" Bentley asked, pulling himself upright in his chair and spinning his hat in the right direction.
"Um… I think you mean 'her.'" Vixen pointed out, looking up to get a better look at the tall, fit figure standing before them dressed in a pale outfit.
"How can you tell it's a 'she'?" Murray asked, keeping his hands on the wheel. Vixen looked over at Murray hard, slowly reaching into her back pocket and pulling out the card Ryu had given her as she stepped out. The one standing before the van watched her every move with a piercing red gaze, the shadow of her sweater hood obscuring her face.
"I was told by a friend to come here and see you," Vixen said, holding out the card. The woman reached for the card, pulling it firmly from Vixen's grip and looking at the front of it.
"Zees has seh seal of zeh great Dragon seef Ryu. Are you a friendoff hiss?" she asked with a German accent, her tail waving behind her slightly.
"In a manner of speaking. We were directed here following…" The girl held her finger to her lips before rushing Vixen, grabbing her and running into a nearby alley. Murray instantly followed but came to another abrupt halt when the girl held up her hand and thumped on the corner of the hood with her fist immediately shutting off the van. Murray tried to restart it but was quickly met by the girl drawing her hand across her neck. Vixen struggled against her strength, trying to get free when her ears perked up, hearing what sounded like guards. They spoke in German, but Vixen could tell they seemed to be agitated and looking for something or someone. When the Guards seemed to be out of earshot, the girl let Vixen go and let out a sigh of relief.
"What do you think you are doing?!" Vixen seethed.
"I'm sorry for not introducing myself, but seh gahds heya don't take too kindtly to strangehrs valking aroundt vissout seh proper clearance. If you have ziss cart, zen you must be in goodt standing viss Ryu. Come, vee must get you out of ziss colt." She said, waving her hand for them to follow her as she walked off into the distance. Vixen's heart quickened as she followed, her fingers and arms tingling. Something felt wrong, but she followed after the woman in white. Murray finally started the van and followed. The four of them stepped into an old warehouse where the girl pulled the door down and turned on the dim lights.
"Now, you may speak freely vissout zeh gahds hearing. Vie are you heya?" she asked, taking on a much more aggressive stance as some kind of bladed weapon silently appeared in her hand.
"We are following a lead in search of something. We were told by Ryu to see you when we got here, and that you would find us once we were in the area. I was told to show you that card when you found us." Vixen answered, keeping an eye on the woman's left hand.
"Und how do I know zat you aren't heya to trick me?" She asked, lowering her stance as though ready to charge.
"I'm not, I'm simply following the clues that led me here to this point found by my friend," Vixen answered, pointing to the back of the van when Bentley pushed open the door, looked around and adjusted his glasses a bit.
"Bentley? Is sat you?!" She asked, standing to her full height once again and sheathing the weapon.
"I'm not really sure how you know me, but if you could step into the light…"
"It's me, Adora." She said, stepping into the light more and pulling her hood back to reveal an albino red panda.
"Adora?! What in the world…" But his sentence was cut off as she ran to him, picking him up out of his chair and hugging him tightly.
"Oh, eet hass been far too long since I saw you last. Vere iss sat Sly Cooper you tolt Jing and I so much about?" she said, holding him at arm's length before setting him back in his chair.
"That's kinda why we're here Adora. You see, he went missing after a long battle with a skunk named La Paradox. That stinker tried to erase Sly all together and make himself the king of thieves. But now we think we have a clue that will lead us to Sly."
"Und vat clue brought you to ziss part off zeh verlt?" she asked when Vixen interrupted.
"Hold on one damn moment. You know this Amazonian?" Vixen asked, motioning up and down her tall figure. Bentley smiled and pushed up his glasses before answering.
"Actually yes, for much longer then you think. It was after the Dr. M. incident when Sly faked his lost memories. After Sly had taken up living with you, Murray and I made sure to visit The Panda King from time to time to check up on Jing, and sometimes Adroa would be there. She's Jing's cousin." He answered as the panda put a hand on her hip and pulled her lips to the side.
"So you must be zeh 'Carmelita' sat I have heardt so much about. I didn't recognise you viss zose close you are vearing." Adora said as she took a small bow to her.
"But, vaht ees it sat brings you here? For certain it can't be zeh meny snowstorms." Vixen smiled under her mask, pulling it off and relaxing a bit once she knew that Adora wasn't going to be a problem.
"I'm actually going by the name Vixen since I'm trying to break into the thief circuit," Vixen answered.
"A fitting name, but becoming a seef iss such a big change for you," Adora answered when Bentley spoke up.
"We actually came here following a lead on Sly. As I said before, he's been missing ever since the Le Paradox incident 3 years ago." Adora raised an eyebrow, interested in their adventure and where it might take them.
"Oh? Und vaht kindt of lead dit you findt?" she asked as Bentley brought up a hologram of the atomic make-up and a picture of some metal shavings next to it.
"This; it's some kind of metal alloy that was found on a fragment of an ancient Egyptian artifact that depicted Sly on it. Ryu directed us here to Germany to talk to you saying that he had done some work with you some time ago." Adora took a closer look at the atomic makeup, rubbing her chin as she looked over each of the elements used.
"I know zis metal; it's calledt Damascus Steel. It was saidt to be a lost alloy from many years ago. During Vorldt Vor two, zare ver many places researching different metals for zeh U-boats to make zem stronga. Zis alloy was one off zeh many brought to bear. But it is not entirely impossible sat zere is still some exseesting vissin zees oldt factories heya." Vixen lowered her brow, cradling her chin and trying to figure out what it was that Hunter was doing with Damascus Steel. She had heard of this fictional alloy before but never imagined that it was actually real at one point in time.
"So tell me, Miss Adora, how did you come to know Ryu and how is it that I've never heard of you before?" Vixen asked.
"Zose are questions better left unaskedt for zeh moment Miss Vixen. As you are no doubt avare, you are still new to zis vorldt of tiefs und have yet to make a credible name for yourself." Vixen grit her teeth but nodded; she wanted answers, but they weren't coming as quickly as she'd hoped. She felt like a first-year cadet again!
"Alright, fine. Can you at least help us get to a safe house? I want to find out who's been making this stuff and what it has to do with Cooper." Vixen asked with a huff. Adora nodded and beckoned them to follow her to an old factory's main office. It was situated on the edge of an alley overlooking the harbor as well as some old factories that were still working, belching dark clouds of smoke into the air.
"That's odd." Vixen thought, helping Bentley and Murray bring in some technical equipment for their stay.
"Vile you are here, couldt I trouble you to help me viss somsing?" Adora asked. Vixen was getting ready to turn her down but then remembered her time with Sly and how he would get the things he needed by helping others with their problems first, or find what he needed while helping.
"Sure, what is it that you need?" Vixen asked, setting down a box and leaning against a wall to listen. Adora reached into her sleeve and pulled out an old weathered picture of a kind but robust looking red panda.
"My fazer Merdoth vas taken by zeh forces sat have recently come, forcing him to verk in one of zeh many factories sey restartedt. I don't know vere he is or if he is still alive, but in eiser case, I vouldt like your help in findting him." Carmelita took the picture, feeling a tiny sting in her own heart remembering how for weeks after her father's death she would have given anything to have him back just one more day. With a careful wipe of her eye, she handed the picture back and further agreed to her request. Bentley called out to them as he cracked open one of his many laptops.
"I'll be setting up our equipment here with Murray. Why don't you and Adora go and scout out the surrounding area to find anything that you can," he suggested, holding out one of Sly's old binocu-coms. Vixen huffed and took it, strapping it to the side of her belt as she and Adora climbed up to the rooftops where there was less chance of being spotted. After a few minutes, Bentley's voice came over the small communicator in Vixen's ear.
"Bentley to Vixen, can you hear me?" he asked. Vixen skidded to a stop on an icy roof and pressed her finger to her ear.
"I read you, Bentley, what's your status?" She asked, watching Adora as she stepped to the edge of the building and looked down at the street, almost as if she were watching someone.
"I've just got the com system running at the moment, but I should have the rest of the equipment set up in a moment. Grab your binocu-com and show me what you see." Vixen made sure that she had a sound footing before grabbing the device and holding it to her eyes, pressing a button on the top and activating the systems within it.
"Alright, from this vantage point, I can make out three spots that should be good places to start checking out. That factory off to the west seems to be the place making the most smoke at the moment, so it could be where they are doing the most work, whoever they are." Bentley stated as Vixen panned over to another point where a group of guards was standing in front of the building.
"What about them; I don't think they will be that easy to take care of," Vixen said, jumping back when Adora filled her field of vision and dropped the device.
"Vat is sat you have zare?" she asked, kneeling down to pick up the binocu-com, then looked through it.
"Zis iss nossing more zan a glorifiedt pair of binoculars. Zeh resolution is mediocre at best und seh zoom iss only 15 times at most. Ziss vill not do. A pair of zese iss vat you neet." Adora said, reaching into a pocket on her suit and producing a pair of sleek, red-framed shades. Vixen took them but looked up at Adora with a disappointed look on her face.
"You don't trust me?" Adora asked, holding up the binocu-com.
"It's not that I don't trust you. But that binocu-com was Sly's. It's one of only a few things I have left of him." She answered. Adora nodded and handed the binocu-com back to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I understandt, but if you are to make your own mark, you neet to move on to what makes you, how do you say, different." Vixen nodded, putting on the shades and finding that the tinting actually helped to clear away the foggy air from the snow. From one of the arms, a small earbud sprung up and slotted into her ear, allowing to hear Bentley's panicked voice once again.
"…Vixen, what's going on?! Are you alright?" Bentley called. Vixen smiled and pushed her finger into her ear, cueing her mic.
"Everything's fine Bentley," Vixen answered when her glasses cued on, digital readouts appearing all around the edges of her vision ranging from target distance, temperature, short-range radar, GPS position both horizontal and vertical, and a small picture with 5 times zoom in the upper left corner.
"What did you do Vixen? What am I looking at?" Bentley said worriedly, another small picture appearing in the upper right-hand corner showing Bentley madly typing away on his computer.
"I didn't do anything," Vixen answered as Adora smiled as she slipped on her own white-rimmed shades and pressed the side of the arm.
"Don't vorry Bentley. I gave Vixen a spare set of my own personal Shade Scanner. My set found an unrecognized signal and tracked it to zeh binocu-com. Iss now synced vis your sicknal und vill transmit all zeh data sat you see." Adora explained while Vixen was trying to get used to the amount of data displayed to her.
"I know a vay to get aroundt zose soldiers," Adora smirked, turning around and jumping from the roof, grabbing onto a nearby drain and sliding to the ground. Vixen followed close behind, keeping a close eye on the guards as the two of them snuck to a manhole cover. Looking around, Adora picked it up and motioned for Vixen to get in. She didn't want to go in because of the smell that often accompanied said places, but she needed to get into that factory. So, taking a hold her breath, Vixen jumped in.
To Vixen's surprise, the giant pipe was dry, and the air was just as clean as above ground. Adora joined her after lowering the cover, putting a finger to her lips and waving her hand forward. For a few minutes, the two of them wound through the underground tunnels until Adora pointed up to another cover where both of them could hear the sounds of machinery thrumming above. Vixen motioned for Adora to stay put and clambered up the ladder to peek in.
The data in her shades came up, sometimes locking onto different pieces of equipment while zooming in to specific areas that Vixen would stare at for a short time. When she was sure that there was no one around, she slipped out of the drain and disappeared into the shadows. As she thought of her next move, Bentley's voice crackled over the headset.
"Vixen can you read me?" Bentley said. Vixen flinched from the volume being too high and pulled the earbud out. She quickly looked around, hoping that no one heard the static-filled transmission.
"Yeah Bentley, I hear you." She answered after putting the bud back into her ear.
"Don't scare me like that Vix! I lost your signal for a good 10 minutes!" Bentley almost shouted.
"Adora showed me a way into the factory. But honestly, I have no idea what I'm supposed to be looking for." Vixen replied, surveying the area from her perch in the shadows.
"Well, we're looking for anything that gives us a clue about where Adora's father is, and who it is that has been making this Damascus Steel. Perhaps in looking for her father, we'll find what we need. Try looking for an office of some kind; that may be where worker or prisoner files may be kept." Vixen nodded and jumped down to begin her search. The strange part about this particular factory was the fact that every machine was being operated by itself. There was no personnel interacting with any of the devices. As Vixen passed by some of them, a feeling of irritation would well up within her only to die away when she walked by it.
Sometimes, patrolling guards made Vixen duck into the shadows in the rafters to avoid being caught by their flashlights. Fifteen minutes later, she found a corridor where a few guards stood near a single door marked 'personnel only.'
"Bentley, are you seeing this?" Vixen whispered as the camera zoomed into the guards.
"I sure am. Golly that has to be it." Bentley said as he tapped away on his keyboard when the image of Bentley on the right split and showed a picture of Adora.
"I don't doubt zaht you have goot fighting skills, but even you are no match for zat many guards. If I'm not mistaken, zose look like seh guards of Benedict Schwartz, zeh leader of seh Tod Strae gang. You don't vant to take zem het on."
"A few lawbreakers don't scare me," Vixen said confidently.
"You don't get eet. Zeese guys are not like zeh criminals you are used to. Zey vill make sure you die one way or anoser." Vixen growled in the back of her throat, thinking through her options that might get those guys away from the door. But there was nothing that she could think of.
"What would I do?" Sly's voice said in the back of her mind. She looked up, half expecting Sly to be crouching next to her, disappointed when she saw dark shadows instead. But Sly's voice was right: what would he do in a situation like this?
"A distraction!" she thought, looking back to the machinery.
"Bentley, can you see a console of some kind?" Vixen asked, making sure that she could see as much of the machinery as possible.
"There is a control console straight ahead. What are you thinking of Vix?" Bentley asked as he tried to find schematics.
"If I can mess with the machinery, I think that I could get those thugs away from the door," Vixen answered, creeping through the overhead corridors to the console.
"Are you sure you don't need back up?" Murray asked excitedly.
"Stand-by big guy. I may need some help, but not right at this moment." Vixen answered, slowly making her way to the floor so as not to make any noise while Bentley helped her wirelessly. Just as she was getting ready to finish with the modifications, a voice coming down the hall made her abort her attempt and immediately jump back into the shadows. With sharp hunter's eyes, she waited and watched as she could hear the silhouettes coming down the hall talking about something. As the voices became more understandable, her Shade Scanner zoomed into the shadow profiles and amplified the sounds coming from them. To her dismay, they were speaking in German.
"Damn I wish I'd paid closer attention in that class." Vixen thought when the word 'listening' scrolled across her vision. Three dots after the words scrolled through a few times until the word 'translating' flashed into sight. The word being spoken slowly translated into something that Vixen could understand.
"Ich habe dir gesagt, können wir nicht tun anything until we've completed the first batch! This isn't like the standard alloy you can mix and dump." The first voice said. The sound of a second person started speaking in German when the translator kicked in: it sounded familiar. But there was an overtone of someone else speaking as well.
"And I am instructing you to use what you have created and finish this part. Don't let there be any further delays: you have the schematics, so I expect results, Rousseau." With that, one of the shadows slid away while the first continued to come closer, pulling out a cell phone and checking a text. What rounded the corner was a distinguished looking lion, with streaks of black in his mane. The soldiers guarding the door let him pass without so much as a nod while he went in when Bentley crackled over the com system.
"I think I can find who that was. Just gimmie…"
"I know who it is Bentley. His name is Leon Rousseau; a small-time forger I busted in France about a year ago. What's he doing all the way over here in Germany?" She asked rhetorically, a stab of guilt washing over her when she thought about the life of Law Enforcement Vixen had left behind. Once she was sure that Leon was inside the office, she snuck down to the console and began to mess with the controls, finishing within a few seconds. The changes she made caused a chain reaction within the machines as the production rate started to spike, then pistons began to heave and buckle until something made a loud metallic thump. Vixen had already run into the shadows near the door, watching with a smirk as the guards ran to see what the problem was. While they were busy, she began to pick the lock on the door when a hand wrapped around her mouth and pulled her up into the shadows while holding her still.
"Don't move." a voice said, holding her tightly when Vixen looked down to see Leon come out of the door with someone else, the appearance of which sent chills down her spine.
"When do you think the next shipment can be ready?" Leon asked as he escorted who Vixen thought to be The Contessa from the room.
"I told you that I need a few more days. Some of the new machinery you brought me is being a bit more stubborn than I previously thought." Vixen out of habit reached for her Shock pistol but stopped when she took a closer look at the spider. She sure looked similar to Contessa, but it was now obvious it wasn't her.
"Duchess Alcina, our master is getting impatient. I doubt that he will hold back his growing agitation much longer." Leon answered as Alcina turned back to him, lowering her height and putting her arms on his shoulders.
"Now now, there's no need to fret. Once I can bring them under control, the shipment will be ready in a matter of hours," Alcina answered, smiling sensuously before giving Leon a quick peck on the lips.
"Also, I think our scientist will be much more cooperative once we have the girl." She hummed as they disappeared around the corner in into the shadows. Inwardly Vixen shuddered as she watched them leave when the hands around her let her go.
"You shouldn't be in such a hurry. You missed zem coming out!" Adora hissed, wagging her finger in Vixen's face before jumping down and opened the lock herself while Vixen followed, searching the desk and filing cabinets for any kind of files.
"Vixen, Adora can you hear me?" Murray said, sounding a bit concerned.
"I hear you Murray, what's up?" Vixen answered, opening a folder and checking the contests before putting it back and looking for another.
"How are you guys coming along? 'The Murray' is getting worried."
"Don't get excitedt Murray; vee are looking srough everysing here to findt a folder zat…"
"Adora, I got it! Merdoth Hark; it looks like whoever is pulling strings here has had their eye on your dad for quite some time. They were after his metallurgical knowledge to create the Damascus Steel. According to this though, he's been pretty stubborn in making the alloy's formula. And look, they have a picture of you." Vixen turned the folder around and showed Adora the picture of her as a child smiling at the beach.
"So zis is vaht he was after. Zey're planning on using me to get my faser to do zere bidding. That picture iss from well over ten years ago, so I don't sink zey are expecting me. Does it say vere zey are keeping him?" Vixen read through the folder, trying to find a tidbit of information, scanning through page after page to find something that would indicate where he was being held. As she was coming to the end of the last page, she saw what appeared to be a note with the words 'Factory A3, Wing 4' scrawled across it.
"This has to be it," Vixen said. Taking the note, she and Adora quietly left the room and ran back to the drain cover they had used to get in. Just as they were rounding the last corner before the manhole cover, they slid to a stop and clumsily jumped back to hide from the dozens of guards patrolling the area.
"What happened? There weren't this many guards before!" Vixen hissed.
"Maybe your messing wiss zeh machines put zem on a high alert," Adora answered, pulling Vixen into the shadows so as not to be spotted.
"Hey, Murray? I think we could use that help now." Vixen radioed. Murray could be heard running around over the mic, grabbing his gloves and putting on his mask before jumping out of the door. But in his excitement, he forgot to grab a coat, putting his arms around himself and running through the drifts to the factory.
"Bentley, 'The Murray' needs a little help. What should I do?"
"Just do what you do best Murray, we need to get them out of there fast! There's no telling how many reserve soldiers there are!" Bentley shouted. Murray cracked his knuckles and neck, making a huge grin spread across his face, repeatedly slamming his fist into his palm as he approached the factory.
"That's all 'The Murray' needed to know." He grinned, rushing to the first of the guards, grabbing him by the collar and hurling him into the other. No sooner had he finished then he was already running into the building for the next set of soldiers. Inside the building, Vixen and Adora could hear the sounds of Murray's destruction, patiently waiting for their lovable hippo friend to come into view. Within a few minutes, Murray cleared the room and looked around for them. Adora and Vixen melted out of the shadows, running with Murray back to the entrance of the factory. As they were clearing the building, Darius Hunter stepped out from behind the wall with a few FBI agents standing around him.
"Well, well, well, it appears that you've decided to take a different road in life." He said with a pompous swing in his words. Murray was about to retort when Vixen grabbed his arm, shaking her head to him.
"It looks like I've caught myself a huge haul. We have Blassreiter Adora, Murray the Muscle, and the newest of thieves, Vixen. Or should I say, Inspector Carmelita?" he asked haughtily. Vixen clenched her jaw hard; she managed to slip past Darius without him finding out who she was in Egypt, but Vixen knew that it would only be a matter of time before someone found out who she was.
"How about this; you come with me, and I'll make sure that none of what you've done in the past week will ever come to light. I'll even make sure that you can be reinstated as an Interpol Officer." Darius offered, but there was something amiss in his yellow eyes.
"What's the catch, Darius?" Vixen asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Adora, Murray, and Bentley all give themselves up," Darius demanded. Vixen clenched her jaw tighter, thinking about all she had given up, and all that she had gained up to this point by giving up her life in law enforcement.
"I'll pass." She said with a growl. Darius snickered and looked up into the sky while shaking his head.
"I was hoping that it wouldn't come to this. How the mighty have fallen. Carmelita Montoya Fox, I now place you under arrest for…" Vixen charged him, crouching low and launching her leg up to his chin. But Darius moved with incredible speed, bending backward to avoid the hard kick. Adora leaped at a guard, pinning him to the ground before knocking him out. Murray reached out his hands, grabbing two of the soldiers and slamming them together.
Vixen narrowed her eyes as she began thinking through her moves, progressively speeding up her movements until she felt a stiff kick in her gut from Darius. Adora reached out as Vixen was thrown back, keeping her from hitting the ground. As Darius brought his kicking leg back down, Murray threw one of the officers into him and knocked them both into the wall.
"Let's go!" Murray shouted, Adora and Vixen behind him when a loud pop thundered in the alley. Pain seared through Adora's calf and brought her to the ground. More pops cracked in the air and hit the ground or zipped past Adora's head. Murray turned around and slammed his fist in the street. The earth-shaking hit caused Darius to lose his footing and topple to the ground. Vixen put herself under Adora's arm and began helping her away as fast as she could while Murray kept Darius off balance long enough for them to get away. As soon as Murray was sure the girls were safe, he ran as fast as he could, disappearing into the snowstorm that had been brewing. Darius was finally able to stand after that giant hippo stopped his assault, holding up his pistol ready to fire when the whiteout covered his existence. Darius threw his gun against the wall and let out a livid scream so loud that his throat hurt.
"Captain, what do want us to do?" one of the soldiers asked.
"Set up a perimeter, seven miles. Call in support if you need it. Nothing gets away from us." Darius growled.
"What about the factory? If Carmelita and the others were in there, it has to be relevant to our…"
"Leave it. I'll take care of it personally." Darius huffed, walking into the factory with purpose as though looking for something.
"Master, what are you doing back here so soon?" a sensual female voice asked. Darius stopped, turning to where the sound was coming from to see a shapely spider woman creeping towards him.
"How can you call yourself superior to your teacher Contessa when you allowed Vixen to slip past you?" Darius asked, his eyes creating a faint yellow glow around them as he spoke.
"Wasn't the plan to allow them in and grant them access to the information?" Leon asked, walking up to Darius in a smoking jacket with a glass of fine white wine in his hand. Darius' lips curled as he growled in his throat.
"While you were trying to make the office appear important, you forced them to shut down a vital alloy processing machine. You, Duchess, are the only one with the power to make these machines. As it stands, it appears that you are having trouble bringing the machines under control." Darius looked to Alcina, reached for his spare pistol and holding it to her head, cocking back the hammer.
"You have one week to finish, or I will finish it myself." he sneered, pulling the trigger as the hammer fell on an empty chamber. Alcina smirked as Darius lowered his gun and walked out of the building when a pain filled scream echoed through the building.
"Are you sure that you can't find a way for them to be any quieter?" Leon asked, taking a sip of his wine.
"The re-purposing process isn't always pretty, and it is never quiet," Alcina said with a smirk, chuckling under her breath as she turned around and began walking back into the shadows of the factory.
Vixen and Murray came running into the factory with Adora over Murray's shoulder, setting her down in a chair as Bentley came over and began assessing her wound.
"I should have made you stay put while I set up the equipment." Bentley sighed as he wrapped Adora's leg once he was sure that the bullet was no longer in her flesh.
"There was no way to know that something like this was going to happen Bentley." Vixen comforted.
"There is always a way to plan for something like this Vixen. Things like this happen when you run in without a plan."
"Zat's vwhy you always must be flexible, Inspector." A voice said while a looming shadow walked into the room. Vixen brushed her hand against her thigh, missing her pistol while Adora jumped up and took a fighting stance.
"Easy Blassreiter, I'm here to help." The voice said, coming into the light and revealing Ivan holding his hands up.
"Meister Ryu, it iss goodt to see you again." Adora smiled.
"Ivan, what are you doing here?" Vixen asked, relaxing once she was sure that she was not in danger. Ivan put his hand down and into the pocket of his black jacket
"Not long after you left my home, a gentleman calling himself Darius Hunter came and paid me a visit asking if I had seen you. He vwas especially interested in your friends, Murray and Bentley. I tried to get here before he did to warn you sat he was on your trail, but it looks like he beat me to it." Ivan said, motioning towards Adora's leg.
"I was sure that I scrubbed everything and left no trail as to where we were going from Egypt," Bentley said, going back to his laptop to check the encryption codes on the routers and portable mainframe in the van. Ivan shook his head.
"I don't sink zat your normal messods are going to work Bentley. I did some checking on zis Agent Hunter. Apparently, he has four degrees in computer science and programming. It vwould take sree of Bentley to slow him down."
"Then what would he be doing near Damascus Steel?" Vixen asked, thinking about what it was that she saw in the records for Adora's father and what she heard Leon and the Duchess talking about.
"I do not know, but if we're to get any answers, vee neet to get my faser back," Adora stated, wincing a bit when the adrenalin wore off, and the pain in her leg came back. Ryu raised an eyebrow but didn't press any further when his eyes happened upon the note that Vixen had brought with her resting on a nearby table.
"Vere did you get zat note?" Ryu asked, picking it up and looking over the writing.
"It's the only clue I've found leading us to Adora's father right now," Vixen said. Ivan handed the note to Bentley, who then began hacking into a surveillance satellite in the area to map out where they were. Within a few minutes, he was jacked in and zooming into the city before announcing his plan.
"Alright, I have most of the layout of this city, but I can't get the finer details. There appear to be some troops near the facility on the north end of the city. Car… I mean, Vixen will take some surveillance photos of the front of that factory. Murray and Ivan will be scouting soldier movements and shift changes while Adora and I will be here watching you from the satellite."
"Zat sounds good to me." Ivan chimed when he happened to notice the hesitation in Vixen's face.
"Vhat's the matter, Inspector?" he asked, putting a hand on her back for reassurance.
"Is this… is what I am doing right?" she asked. Bentley and Murray both stopped their preparations and looked back at her, the entire room becoming thick with silence.
"Zis vas your choice vas it not Vixen?" Adora asked, sitting down in a chair next to Bentley.
"Yes but…"
"Is life on zeh run not vaht you vere hoping for?"
"That's not it. I…"
"Zehn vaht iss it? Vie are you hesitating like zis?" Adora drilled until Ivan faced her and put his hand out to stop Adora's malicious questions.
"When I started all of this, I just wanted to get Sly back. But in the past week, my rap sheet has become so long that even a deal with the F.B.I. wouldn't be enough. I just feel like I'm sacrificing too much of myself." Vixen lowered her gaze to her ring and hugged herself as the war within her mind was becoming too much. Ivan sighed and sat down beside her, folding his legs over one another and patting his knee.
"Come, sit, malenʹka dytyna*." Ivan said with a smile in his voice. Vixen looked at him with questions in her eyes but sat on his knee as Ivan put a hand on her shoulder once more.
"Vhen a butterfly goes into its cocoon and comes out again, do you sink zat it is an easy journey?" he asked. Vixen slowly shook her head.
"It is not. But who zeh caterpillar was before it vwent into zat cocoon and who it is vwhen it comes out as a butterfly never changes; you too are going sroo a transformation. I know you must be at vwar vwiss yourself between your former life and your current one." Ivan held out a finger, touching the tip of his claw to her chest.
"But who you are in here, is vwhat vwill never change. From yesterday to tomorrow, you are still going to be zat hot-headed justice loving fox vwe all know. You vwill just be using zose same tools for a different line of vwork. You aren't giving up anysing, Inspector, you are who you are." Vixen let the words Ivan had told her sink in and thought back to when she and the Cooper gang had gone to the old west. It was there that she realized both she and Sly fought for justice, just on opposite sides of the law. Now, she was still fighting for that same justice, only not in her usual capacity.
"Does zat give you some clarity?" Ivan asked, watching as Vixen nodded and stood with a huff. Everything in her being was screaming at her that what she was about to do was very wrong; breaking and entering, vandalism, and even theft. But it was all to get Sly back, and Vixen hoped in the back of her mind that Sly would take her with him once they were reunited.
Slipping on her shades and grabbing a camera that Bentley held out to her, she scampered up the roof, disappearing into the night. Ivan and Murray secured their supplies headed out, watching every corner for signs of soldiers that would hamper their scouting.
As Vixen jumped from rooftop to rooftop, she would sometimes stop and hide in the shadows when a searchlight would pass her way. Once she was sure the beam had gone by, she began running for the next bit of cover. While she waited, Bentley's voice came over her com.
"Vixen, see what you can do about those searchlights, they're making it harder for Murray and Ivan to move around." he crackled. Vixen huffed, knowing that her photos were going to take longer to get, but also knew that their part was just as important. With a silent leap, she jumped to a guard tower, kicked the guard unconscious and quietly shut off the light. Just as she was about to leave, the guard's radio crackled with an angry sounding voice coming through. Vixen turned back to the spotlight, swinging her leg hard and yanking the power cord from the back of the case.
"That should keep them from turning it back on." She thought when she saw one of the other lights swing in her direction.
"Crap!" she whispered, hiding behind the casing and keeping as still as she could hoping the light would simply just go away. But as the minutes dragged on, she could hear other voices over the radio, and it sounded like they were coming her way. No sooner had the radio transmission ended, then she could hear footsteps on the metal ladder coming up. Shutting her eyes, she wondered if her adventure was going to end just as it had begun with her no closer to finding Sly when a thought struck her.
"Wait! What about that Night Walk trick Ryu taught me during his training?" she wasn't sure she'd be able to pull it off, but with only a few moments to spare, she crouched into a running position and then shot into the dark just as the Guard was coming up into the tower.
"Ok, If I'm going to keep cover better, I need to wait to turn off the lights until the Guards are down." She thought running along the rooftop until she came to the second tower, swiftly knocking the guard out, along with the third and fourth towers before going back and shutting the lights off.
"Vhat took you so long?" Ivan asked over the com.
"I ran into a little problem, but it's been taken care of," Vixen answered, jumping into the night and heading for the front of the factory. She clicked off a few photos before turning back for the hideout when she heard a shout of commands in German coming towards her.
"Vixen, Murray, Master, you neet to get back to base now! A battalion of soldiers is headed your vay! Somesing tipped zem off, move, move, move!" Adora shouted over the com. Vixen reached for her leg and her shock pistol but froze. She remembered what had happened when she tried to stand up to Agent Hunter and how Adora was injured. A whole Battalion would be something that she couldn't take on. Turning tail, Vixen began running as fast as her legs would move through the streets back to the hideout. Before reaching it though, the thought circling around before getting to the safehouse to shake any possible tails struck her. It was one of the most prominent lessons Ivan had taught her. Once she was sure that nothing was following her, she made her way back.
"Alright, now that we're all back, I'll start with the plan. Between the pictures Vixen got and the patterns Ivan and Murray were able to tack, I've come up with the plan called 'Operation Metal Head.'" Bentley said, wheeling over to more open space as a holographic projection popped up.
"Now, for this to work properly, we'll need well-timed precision on all fronts. The guards move in a grid-like pattern, starting east to west and then north to south. We'll have to use the streets instead of the rooftops since there are too many searchlights being used. We should be able to avoid contact with them if we start our moves at midnight, just after the guard change. Be careful not to get into a fight with them at all costs; these guys aren't playing around with their Assault rifles." Bentley warned, pulling up a picture of the rifle being used.
"Once we get moving, there won't be much time to turn back. I caught a radio transmission from Darius Hunter while you were taking pictures, and he's called in additional forces. They should be here about 10 minutes after midnight." Vixen sighed as she looked over the plan.
"That doesn't leave a lot of room for error Bentley." She commented, to which Bentley slyly smirked and flicked the rim of his hat.
"Oh, ye of little faith Vixen. Murray will head to the far side of town to cause a major distraction should we need it. I'll be here monitoring your progress through the security system of the factory to help you navigate. Once inside the factory, you'll need to head to the west wing, which, according to my scans, should be Wing 4 where Adora's father is being held. Once there, you should be able to open the doors and escape the same way you came with her father in tow." Ivan raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.
"Zis all sounds a bit too easy Bentley. Are you sure you've sought of everysing?" He asked.
"I would like to be able to plan more, but with Darius Hunter baring down on us there isn't enough time. We have to move with what we know." Bentley answered, disappointment in his voice.
"I'll be sure and run interference if you need it." Ivan offered.
"Thank you, Ivan. Now, get your things ready. We move in 15 minutes."
Outside the Safehouse, 23:59 hours.
"Alright, final coms check. Ivan…"
"I'm here Bentley."
"…Murray…"
"'The Murray' is ready to go!"
"…Vixen…"
"I copy Bentley."
"Alright, the guard change is complete, begin operation on my mark. Go!" Swiftly Vixen trotted through the streets, occasionally pressing her back against a wall in a shadow as a searchlight would go by. Tapping her shades revealed she was a few seconds ahead of their time table, so found a hiding spot and waited for her proper cue.
"'The Murray' is in place." Murray radioed.
"Good work, big guy," Vixen whispered.
"Alright Vixen, wait for my signal. Go." Just as Vixen was about to jump from cover and tumble across the road, her shades pinged a bright red dot on her Radar. Quickly she scrambled for the shadow and calmed her breathing when three more red dots pinged on her radar.
"Vixen, vat iss wrong? Vie haven't you moved?" Adora asked. Vixen dared not speak as two armed guards walked past her, aiming their rifle mounted light down the street before moving on. Carefully Vixen peered around the wall she hid behind to see a guard standing before her. Her mind raced through the training that Ivan had given her, but she couldn't remember how to take down an enemy silently, that is if she had ever had the lesson. She was about to attempt it on her own when a large shadow rushed past her. It grabbed the guard around the mouth and slammed the side of its hand into the guard's neck, knocking him out instantly. The shadow stood and walked over to where she was before kneeling before her, revealing that it was Ivan.
"I'm sorry Inspector for not giving you zeh Silent defeat lesson. I shall teach it to you once we have seh time. Go, I'll watch from here." Ivan said, watching as she silently jogged to the building only to be stopped again.
"Drat!" She hissed, activating her mic.
"Bentley, can you hack the lock on this door? It looks to be a key card lock." She said, looking around to ensure that no one was coming.
"Sorry Vixen; that lock is on a closed system. I have no way of getting to it without shutting down power to every factory. Maybe one of the guards has a key card." Bentley suggested. Vixen sighed with a hiss; more pickpocketing? But without that card, there would be no way of getting into the building. Sneaking around the compound, she picked a few pockets of the guards and found the key card, but as she was walking back to the door, she heard a familiar voice laughing. With a single leap, Vixen jumped to a nearby balcony to see the voice had come from the spider woman she had seen before, The Duchess, who swiped her own card and entered the building.
"Now why would she be going in there?" Vixen wondered. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, she jumped down and made her way to the door, swiped the card and ducked in before anyone could see her.
"You do know you're now 2 minutes behind our…"
"Can it turtle, I'll make it up somewhere. Now, which way is the west wing?" Silence followed for a few moments. Vixen could imagine Bentley madly searching through the building schematics for what she needed.
"It's to the right. Are you sure that you don't need help from here?" Bentley asked. Vixen took a breath before answering.
"No, Bentley, I'm good." Clicking off the com while slinking through the shadows of the factory. Many times she would freeze within the darkened areas to avoid the guards patrolling the area. When the shadows were too far apart to sneak through, she would use the Night Walk technique, flitting through the light into other shadows. As she went further into the building, she began to hear screams and a rising irritation coming over her.
At last, Vixen saw what appeared to be the center of the operation. No guards were present, allowing her to step into the area. What she saw surprised her, and gave her a slightly uncomfortable flashback. In the center of the room stood a table with someone strapped down, writhing in agony. The Duchess held her hands over the person, his screams slowly becoming hollow until they stopped. When the duchess stepped aside, instead of a person, a piece of machinery sat in his place. No sooner had that happened, then someone wheeled the machine part out, and another person was brought in to be strapped down. The Duchess caressed the terrified man's face with the back of her hand after the last strap was put in place
"Don't worry, I'll help you to never have your life of crime anymore." She whispered to him, reaching to a control board beside her. Images of when she was strapped to The Contessa's table to have her mind controlled came to her. The memory caused her legs to become weak, her hands shake, and her heart beat faster. Clenching her fist and taking a breath to calm herself, Vixen jumped down, startling The Duchess and keeping her from pressing the button.
"It seems that we have a little lost puppy here, Inspector." She said smoothly, turning around and crossing her arms. Vixen said nothing, slowly reaching down to her leg, but once again reminding herself that she no longer carried her shock pistol.
"I don't know exactly who you are, but it is of little consequence." Vixen grit her teeth and clenched her fist when she saw the man strapped down. His eyes were wide with fear and panic as he tried to quietly struggle free. The jingle of the man's prisoner's I.D. bracelet caught Vixen's ear, grabbing her attention.
"What have you been doing to these people?" Vixen demanded. The Duchess grinned and looked at the man from over her shoulder.
"Oh him? Ha! Your inferior mind can't comprehend what is being done here. My master has plans far beyond what you could imagine." The Duchess haughtily replied. Vixen stood up straight and shifted her weight to one leg, placing a hand on her hip.
"Indulge me." Vixen smiled under her mask. The Duchess sighed with an irritated breath, walking to the far side of the room, allowing Vixen to silently step to the table in the center of the room.
"Very well, I'll dumb it down so you can understand. I had heard of The Contessa's conquest while she was part of Interpol. When I heard she had retired, I wanted to take her place and so looked her up at her real-estate firm. It took some time, but I eventually wore her down to teach me her methods. I took what I learned, and enhanced the techniques with my own powers of transformation. Not long after that, my master found me and introduced me to Leon Rousseau. Rousseau's forging affinity allowed us to find prisoners that were being transferred and redirect them here." The Duchess turned around sharply, startling Vixen as she straightened, hiding away her hand from trying to undo one of the straps.
"Those prisoners were then given to me, and I turned them into machines for making Damascus Steel. But we need more of this steel quickly, and if you interfere, my master will be very put out." Duchess ominously raised her hand, the sharp claw-like fingers ringing as she opened it wide.
"So before that happens, I'll make sure that he never knows you were here in the first place." Almost before Vixen could react, the Duchess was upon her, bringing down her hand hard. Vixen barely managed to jump back, avoiding the sharp claw as it slammed into the ground, pits forming in the concrete where her fingers hit. Using her Night Walk, Vixen flashed to another part of the room, jumping back when Duchess' claws came down again. Duchess swung back hard, her nails whistling. Vixen jumped back again to avoid them but ran into the wall and ducked down. Sparks sprayed into the air as Duchess hit the metal where Vixen's neck had been a moment before. The huge spider-woman was sent flying when Vixen drove her feet into her chest from the round, tumbling on the floor into the opposite wall.
Duchess' legs scratched and scraped against the floor as she got up. Just as she was standing, Vixen swung her leg hard into her head, throwing the spider across the room. Duchess tried to get up again, but in her dazed state didn't see Vixen come at her back. Once again, Vixen unleashed a powerful kick hurling Duchess into yet another wall. With a loud, frustrated shout, Duchess caught her footing and rushed Vixen, swiping her claws down hard. Vixen managed to avoid the first swipe, but the second caught her off guard, grazing the top of her arm, tearing through some of the fabric and leaving claw marks on Vixen's bicep. The sting made Vixen caudle it when her arm began to feel heavy and stiff.
"What did you put on those blades of yours?" Vixen hissed, trying to clench her hand but to no avail. Duchess laughed and held up one of her arms.
"On them? Darling, please, that is no ointment; that is my power. With just a touch I can turn you into a part of a machine. But this will be quicker!" Duchess shouted, her eyes becoming wide as a beam of energy came shooting out. Vixen dove out of the way, but the bottom half of her right leg was caught by it. Just like her arm, her leg began to feel stiff and heavy as if it had fallen asleep.
"I can't let that beam hit me." She thought, noting that for a short time Duchess was using her beam, she couldn't move.
"I'll have to get her while she uses that beam. It's my only shot." Vixen struggled to get to her feet once again, especially with her numb leg. Duchess came rushing as Vixen many more times, and when she began using her beam once more, Vixen used her Night Walk to get closer, despite her leg not working. She did manage to get close enough in time to plant a hard kick into Duchess' head, throwing her to the ground. Dazed, Duchess struggled to her feet once more, but her moves were slower and not entirely accurate. The Duchess tried to hit Vixen with her claws or beam, but each time she would be thrown to the ground.
With one final solid hit from Vixen, after both her arms were utterly useless and her right leg began to look like a steel 'I' beam, Duchess was knocked out. Instantly, the effects on Vixen wore off, and she could finally move again.
"I'm glad that's over with, now to find Adora's father." She said to herself, walking through the double doors she had seen the previous inmate be taken through. As she walked, she could hear the sound of machinery slowing down, replaced with pained groans and shouts. Rounding the corner revealed row upon row of bubbling vats containing molten metal. Beside them, hundreds of machine parts looked to grow faces, arms, legs, and torsos. Some breaking free from their mounting points and running away while others lay on the ground, slowly regaining their previous forms. Vixen took a wide stance at the door and reached to her thigh.
"Alright all of you, put your hands…" But she stopped herself when her hand once again missed her pistol, reminding her that she was no longer the agent she had known.
"All of you get out of here as fast as you can. The cops will be here soon." She shouted instead, cringing at her words as so many international criminals ran past her.
"Vixen, come in! Whatever you are doing you need to move fast, those reinforcements are almost here. Murray tried to stop them, but he had to run. Ryu too tried slowing them down, but he only got one truck."
"I know, I know! I'm moving as fast as I can, but I don't see Adora's father anywhere!" She shot back when a metallic voice echoed through the entire building.
"Adora? You know vere my daughter Adora ees?" Vixen lowered her stance and shot into the shadows, looking around to see where it was the voice had come from. The voice chuckled and spoke once more.
"Don't vorry, I'm not going to hurt you. I heard you talk about my daughter and vas surprisedt zat you knew her. I've never seen you before, und any police database I have access to doesn't show you." the voice said. Vixen swallowed hard as she came out from her hiding spot, still looking around for where the sound was coming from.
"Sat's my Fazer! See if you can findt vere he ees!" Adora shouted over the com, making Vixen wiggle her pinky in her ear.
"I am in zeh back. Keep followink zah aisle you are on. I'm behindt zeh last vat." The voice said again as light flickered a the end of the row. The sound of a metal door clapped open behind Vixen, urging her to move faster. What greeted her was almost enough to make her gut turn; embedded in the wall was a red panda surrounded by and infested with wires and metal tubes. Circuits and plates stuck on his face, and one of his eyes had been replaced with a camera. His hand stuck out of the wall at the wrist, and what skin remained was infested with wires.
"Hello zere. I take it you are sah one zat knows Adora?" He asked, his head turning to her with the sound of actuators humming.
"Yes, I actually came here on a mission of my own and was asked by Adora to find you. Are you Merdoth Hark?" Vixen replied, looking over what he had become.
"Ah, zat sounds like Adora. Yes, I am he." He smiled, looking away from her seeming to be rooted in thought.
"Vixen, let me talk to my Faser. Just put zeh shadts on his face." Vixen agreed, taking the shades from her face and placing them on Merdoth and passively listened as the two of them talked in German. Something in the distance caught Vixen's ear, curing her to slink back into the shadows away from the door's vantage point. As she waited silently, she could see rifle mounted lights swaying back and forth on the floor and the organized sounds of boots trampling through the storage area. When Merdoth was satisfied, she caught Vixen's attention allowing her to take back the shades.
"Vicksen, eet hass a nice ring to eet. Listen, zeh moment you entered zis facility, sere hass been a self destruct sequence in motion. I have done my best to keep it from countink down as I vatched you knock out Duchess." Vixen's eyes went wide when she heard the news of a self destruct and began frantically looking for a way to move him.
"Listen Merdoth, I came here to get you out, and that's…"
"It's no use Vicksen. I vas Duchess first attempt at transformation. As you c'n see, eet vas not zeh best of outcomes. Ven I vatched duchess go down und zeh ozers begin to regain zere form, I hopedt sat I vood too. But as you can see, zat is folly. Most of vat you see heya vass an attempt to keet me alive." Sounds of the soldiers moving closer made both of them look over as the lights came nearer.
"I can't leave, but take zis." He said as a disk spit out from what appeared to be a disk drive.
"Give zat to Adora. Now go, run! I can only holt off zeh self destruct for about 20 more seconds! RUN!" he urged. Vixen took the disk but hesitated before running. This isn't how Sly would have dome things! He would have found a way to bring him home! But the sad realization that she couldn't do anything about it struck her when Merdoth looked at her with bitter rage and shouted.
"FUHREN SIE DUMMES MADCHEN!" he shouted. Vixen didn't understand his words but understood his feeling, turning and running as fast as she could back through the factory. She darted from shadow to shadow, knocking out guards and she ran to keep from getting slowed down. Merdoth grinned darkly as the soldiers neared him, their rifles trained on his face as the countdown on a small screen beside his head neared zero.
"Live auf Blassreiter, live auf." He muttered, closing his eyes as the counter hit zero and a high explosive charge detonated on one of the vats. A flood of molten metal surged from the tank, enveloping the nearby soldiers. Vixen felt the ground shake and dared a glance behind her to see the river of molten metal coming. Her legs were already tired from her fight with Duchess, her lungs burned, and her chest left like it would explode. But she had to keep running! As she rounded the last few corners, Vixen remembered the door needed a keycard to open from both sides. But with a river of death behind her, there wouldn't be time to grab the card and open the door. She did the next best thing she could, charging one of the guards running with her, grabbing his rifle and began shooting out the keypad.
As she ran, Vixen felt a rush come over her, and everything seemed to slow to a crawl allowing her focus to the extreme on the keypad. Six well-placed shots shorted out the pad and unlocked the door as time sped up once again. Bursting through the door, she ran a few steps before collapsing in the snow. Nearby, Ivan saw her collapse. He picked her up and ran back to the safe house. Not long after he disappeared into the snowstorm, Darius and a team of trained SWAT members walked through the snow up to the front of the building. Within seconds, the footprints left by Ivan had filled in with snow.
"Team one, Team four, spread and on search. Team two and three, go in the last direction we saw. I'm sure you'll find something. If not, get to the roads leading out and stand guard. Nothing in, nothing out!" Darius commanded as the SWAT gave a grunt and left for their assignments. Meanwhile, Darius walked up to the cooling slab of swirled black and grey metal, swinging his hand through the outer layer and hurling a glob at a nearby sign, ignoring searing pain and peeling flesh of his hand.
"I thought I told you to be finished within the week." He growled, turning his eyes to the left as Alcina Duchess walked up to him, part of her clothes tattered and burnt.
"The little wench was getting in the way. Besides that, she has a wicked right kick…" Duchess' words became nothing more than grunts as Darius grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the wall near the bubbling puddle of metal. Leaning in close, Darius sneered between his teeth as something looked to rise from his shoulders in the shape of wings.
"I don't want to hear your excuses! I asked you to make me a large order of Damascus Steel. But you've only given me enough to make one! Now all of this is in ruins all because you couldn't take care of one little fox!" He seethed, dropping her to the ground causing two of her legs to step into the metal. Duchess shrieked in pain before Darius slammed his fist into the side of her head, throwing her away from the building and knocking her out. With a hard breath, he calmed himself, straightened his hair and tie, then drug Duchess out to the street and into the swat truck, a pair of cuffs firmly around her arms.
"Leon may have escaped for now, but I'll catch him sooner than later." Darius sneered to himself, slamming the doors shut and patting the side of the truck. If one was all he had the materials to make, then one was all he was going to use. After a minute or two, the sting of his hand began to irritate him, calling to one of the SWAT members for a bandage and pain killers.
Ravensburg, 3:06 AM, June 20th, 2016
The gang scrambled as best they could, deleting all their programs and wiping the routers before getting Vixen and disappearing from town to hide. Vixen and Adora sat in the cold on top of a roof while Bentley decoded the disk given to Vixen by Merdoth.
"Adora, I'm sorry for not…"
"Vixen, don't. I know you didt all you couldt searchink for my faser. I sank you viss all my heart. He toldt me zat there was no way he'dt be able to return. Somesink in Duchess experiment hadt gone vrong und turned him into zeh sing he vas. He vas more machine zen anysing, and cutting him from zeh power supply vood have kilt heem." Adora said, closing her eyes as tears stung the edges. Vixen sighed and set a hand on her shoulder as Ivan came walking up to them.
"Bentley has cracked it," He said as then came down to where Bentley was typing away. Murray was already asleep in the driver's seat, sometimes snoring loud enough that the sides of the van would vibrate.
"Your father was a genius, Adora. But I managed to get past his encryptions and found this packet for you." He said, pushing up his glasses and tapping enter. What appeared to be short movies began playing across the screen, each of them from a first person's view. Some depicted Adora as a child while others showed her, her mother and her father doing something else, or playing in a field.
"What are these?" Vixen asked.
"Zey are hees memories." She said, wiping a tear away as each of the movies played, all of them staying silent until Merdoth's face alone came up. But this time it wasn't the twisted horror that he had become, it was his face speaking in perfect English.
"Hello to you. If you have successfully decoded this disk, then you should see these memories. I know I may seem strange, but this was all I had time for. From what I had access to, I was able to find that whoever is running this facility is trying to build a machine of some sort. Within my capacity, I found this machine requires huge amounts of Damascus Steel. Additionally, numerous orders for high-end technology were made to an unlisted tech firm." Images of order sheets came up on the screen, some including orders for circuit boards, chips, processors, and capacitors.
"I was made into the main computer regulating the production of this alloy because of my extensive metallurgical knowledge. Some of the components listed on these sheets were installed within my body as well." Bentley crossed his arms and huffed.
"Well, for everything that he's saying, he hasn't told us anything about what he's trying to get at!" he shouted, making Murray snort, adjust himself in his seat and return to sleeping.
"Let heem keep talking, I'm sure he will make his point soon." Adora urged, listening to the recording.
"I performed a self-diagnostic only to find that the components within my body were custom made and designed to harness not only massive amounts of computing power but also something else that I couldn't identify." Diagnostic scans came up on the screen, making Bentley sit up and look them over, rubbing his chin.
"Again, I only have limited access in this body, but I did manage to find the company making these components is a few miles south of Tokyo, Japan. I'm sorry if this information is rudimentary at best, but it was all I had to offer. Farewell, Adora, you will have these memories and so much more for as long as you keep this disk." Merdoth's face winked off the screen, leaving the pictures and diagnostic information on the screen. Bentley searched the disk for any sign of the video file that he had just seen to replay it. But scan after scan revealed that no such video file ever existed on the disk.
"Well, that was strange. I've never had a ghost file like that. I've heard of a ghost drive, but never a ghost…" Bentley was stopped when Vixen put a hand on his shoulder, pointing him to where Adora was standing with the disk in her hand, holding it to her chest.
"eet waz my fazer just saying goodtbye." She said, tucking the disk away in her pocket.
"Vwhat do the Diagnostics say, Bentley?" Ivan asked, trying to make sense of the line upon line of technical words displayed on the screen.
"Well, let's have a look here. Yes… well, that goes there… Oh, it's a Sub-net root with a trojan… no no no, that can't be right… but…" Bentley looked closer at the code as he scrolled through it, taking in everything that he saw until he reached the end, staring at the final line of the diagnostic: Ki_Transference=true_Amplify_root_6. Bentley sat back in his chair, pushing off his hat as he rubbed his head.
"This isn't any ordinary tech. Someone is trying to create a computer that can use magical abilities. The only time we had any kind of magic encounters was when The Contessa tried to wipe Vixen's mind, or when the mask of dark earth attached itself to her face."
"Why would anyone need a computer that could do that?" Vixen asked, moving her hand across the screen to a photo of an order form with a shipping address in Japan.
"Zis is all getting very strange for me," Ivan said, leaning away from the screen and holding his chin as he thought.
"I still have a contact in Japan that might be willing to help us. In the meantime, we can use my old safe house here to rest." Ivan said, walking to the street to make sure no one was around.
"How far away is it? I doubt Murray would be able to get us there." Bentley asked, pointing his thumb at Murray as he slept in the driver's seat.
"It's not far, just down this alley a bit. We could even push the van there." He said. Vixen, Bentley, and Ivan pushed, while Adora steered them to their resting place. They had a long journey ahead of them, and they would need their rest whenever they could get it.
*Translation for Ivan - malenʹka dytyna = small child or "little one"