Hey, guys! Yes, I know I'm really late in my updates but I have a good reason for this...- I got nothing. Sorry. Well, here's chapter 10 and yet another sticky situation for our agents. Thank you to those who reviewed and who remained patient waiting for me to update (and also to those who reminded me to update). I didn't forget - I swear! - Life just seemed to swamp me with all work and no fanfiction. :(
I think I found hell, I think I found something...
- Female Robbery; The Neighborhood
An incessant buzzing filled up the cramp space of the helicopter, putting the team on edge. The static crested in waves, sounding like the humming of an electric current.
A crackle and then a slight pop.
"Hello, Agents," a distinct British accented voice said in a pleasant tone. "I heard you were interested in knowing my whereabouts."
Merida glanced at Jack who was white faced and consternated.
"Should I put us on?" she whispered.
"Yes," Jack replied in a tight voice. "Put him on."
Merida flipped a switch and the static humming increased.
"Pitch," Jack said, struggling to keep his voice leveled. "To what do I owe your presence? I thought you never made yourself seen."
His voice was amused over at the other end. "Well, no one's ever had much interest in finding me like you do, Agent Overland, so naturally I was curious."
"I wouldn't have too if you would just stay in one country," Jack said breezily though his eyes were murderous. Rapunzel guessed that this call wasn't just because of Corona. It seemed almost personal for Jack. As for her, she wanted nothing more than to destroy the very man who destroyed her own country.
"Now now," Pitch mocked. "That would affect my position, would it?"
"Nobody cares for your position," Rapunzel blurted out through clenched teeth. Jack shot her a look of warning but she was on a tirade, unable to shut it off now that she got started.
"What the hell do you want with Corona, you bastard?"
"Is that the princess I hear?" Pitch asked in a mildly surprised tone. "Or should I say former princess?"
"You despicable, inhumane, son of a-"
"Enough," Jack shot, glaring at her to keep quiet before she could do further damage. "Pitch, give up, this will not work."
"Why, Agent, I don't think you know what I'm even attempting."
"What the hell are you doing with Corona?" Jack demanded. "Why the sudden move across the board?"
"Agent," Pitch admonished in a mock scolding tone. "A true player would never lay down all his moves…he keeps them one step ahead."
"Getting real tired of all your riddles, Pitchener," Jack drawled. "Don't think you've won."
"What do they say in that forsaken land they call Berk? May the dragons guide you by firelight? Good luck, Agent Frost." Rapunzel could just imagine his pompous smirk.
"Oh, and you want to know something else, Agent?"
"What?" Jack bit out, a look of mounting anger coloring his features.
"I've already won, you see, your Queen is with me."
The transmission went dead and Rapunzel glanced at Jack in confusion.
"The Queen? What's that suppose to mean?" she demanded.
Merida frowned, the sky reflecting across her thoughtful blue eyes. "Ah don't know, but with that psychopath, it could be anythin'."
She noticed that Jack was silent, lost in his thoughts with wide eyes staring at the ground. As if he knew what Pitch meant.
"Jack?" Rapunzel asked. "What did he mean?"
Jack seemed to snap out of it and glanced at her impassively.
"I don't know."
She wanted to push the question, but dismissed it. Now that Pitch had made contact with them, it was a race against time to figure out what his next move would be.
"Where next?" Rapunzel asked, determined. "What are we going to do now?"
She and Merida turned to look at Jack, both wearing expectant gazes. He still looked as if something had spooked him beyond speaking but he glanced up, features hard.
"Taiwan. And fast."
~~O~~O~~
Rapunzel was feeling oddly disconnected from the world, although she knew it was probably all the time she spent up in the air. Endless clouds and night passed by as if she were a spectator of the world instead of its inhabitant. She gazed wistfully at the passing geography, wishing that the lands below could offer her the answers as to where her parents were.
She missed them like crazy.
"We're almost there," Merida announced, her eyes never once leaving the skies. "Ah'm trying to get a signal with the local airports."
A squeal of static made Rapunzel look up from her daydreaming and glance at the radio. She shuddered, remembering the Nightmare King's last words.
The Queen is with me…
Did that mean that her mother was there with that psychopath? What about her father?
All this questions and more bounded around her mind, churning her thoughts with different scenarios of 'what ifs' and 'what the heck happened'?
The speakers came back to life, a pleasant voice announcing in a foreign language in what sounded like a question. The red head glanced up at the pensive agent.
"Ah think Ah need yer help, Ah can't speak Mandarin."
Jack walked up and leaned over the seat, face thoughtful. "I can't speak either, but let me try."
"Excuse me, we're from the States coming from France, is it possible if we may land here?" he asked.
"Oh, you're from the U.S? Alright then, air flight registration number?" the voice effortlessly switched from one language to another that Rapunzel felt awed.
Merida informed the flight operator of the plane's registration number and the names of whoever was on the flight. She hesitated for a moment, glancing up at the blonde.
"What do ya want me to call ya?" she asked, covering the speaker so that nobody would overhear.
The princess gave the speaker a reproachful look. "Ella Corona," she finally stated.
Merida repeated the names, making an adjustment to her and Jack's name too in case they were being observed and tracked. They could never be too careful after what happened in France.
They were given the all clear and the red head thanked the flight operator in a curt tone. The runway appeared in the distance and Rapunzel prepared herself for the impending, jarring thud.
The plane landed in a much gentler way and she heaved a sigh of relief. No need to add air sickness to her long list of bad things that happened in one day.
Sun streaming down, the first thing she noticed was the permeating smell of smoke, the rushing sounds of cars passing down a highway adding to the metropolitan feel of the place. Taiwan was completely different from France, the hustle and bustle momentarily surprising her.
Jack noticed her wide eyed look of surprise and smirked. "You okay, Punz?"
"Yeah, just...overwhelmed - this place is way different than Corona ever was," she admitted, tugging the sleeve of her jumper closer to her.
"Think yer could figure out where's the trade's storage?" Merida asked, pushing her sunglasses up to cover her eyes from the harsh glare of the bright sunlight glinting off the airport buildings.
"I could," Jack started. "But I think I'm going to need some internet connection."
~~O~~O~~
They managed to find a quaint yet crowded cafe where Jack could use and sat there in a tense silence, Rapunzel's mind wondering a mile a minute, the same words of Pitch Black haunting her mind. The smell of freshly brewed tea and something exotic she had never smelled before - spices, maybe? - couldn't even uplift her mood.
If it was possible, it only made her gloomier.
I have the Queen...
Several minutes of rumination and she still couldn't figure it out.
"All done," Jack said, triumphantly. He sneaked a surreptitious gaze around the cafe and flipped open one of the modems. With a quick twist of his hand, he pulled out a wire and secretly placed it in his jacket pocket.
An uproar came from the rest of the customers, the same language in that foreign tongue drifting into her hearing. All she could understand was that they were angry, slamming hands on the keyboards, a harried man walking out and trying to placate them. He must've been the owner of this cafe.
Jack pretended to groan while Merida rolled her eyes.
"Come on, damn internet is down," he mumbled and they left the cafe, amidst the sounds of complaining customers.
"What did you do there?" Merida asked, curiously.
"Disengaged the tracking wire and GPS," he stated, eyes scanning the crowd, his mischievous disposition melting in a blink of an eye. His expression was serious now and he gestured for the two women to hurry.
"I've got the place, somewhere up street," Jack said and squinted at the road sign. "Oh, for the love of God, I should've learned Mandarin when I had the chance."
Merida chuckled, a low throaty sound that made passerby's stare. "You and me both, Overland."
Rapunzel smiled at her reply. "Of all the places Hic has a market here too."
"The man's brilliant," Merida stated matter-of-factly and she realized that the red head had more than a begrudging knowledge of the weapons master. She could see that Merida admired him, in the way that she talked about him, the way that her eyes shone in curious wonder when the mention of him came up.
"Yeah, well, look at where his brilliance landed us," Jack grumbled. "Halfway across the world with no more than a weak link."
Merida scoffed. "Now ain't the time for self evaluation, we have a nation to save."
"We?" Jack asked, quirking an eyebrow.
The other agent glared at the brunette. "Shut it Overland, Ah'm helping because this is something of B.O.W's missions too." Jack glanced coolly at her, a retort on his the tip of his tongue before the princess interrupted.
"Guys, just exactly how are we going to get to Tai Yin's place?" Rapunzel asked quickly before they could tear each other throats out.
He clamped his jaw shut and spared Merida one last hard gaze.
"Ah brought two bikes," the red head said archly then glanced at Jack with something akin to smugness. "Courtesy of B.O.W, of course."
The brunette looked like he wanted to argue and for a moment, Rapunzel was worried that he would rather walk than accept her help but he just sighed softly.
"Well, what're we waiting for? Let's get the bikes."
Merida smirked and punched him in the ribs, earning a wince from Jack. He subtly rubbed the abused skin when the red head wasn't looking, elated from her win.
Rapunzel gave him a concerned glance but he shook his head dismissively, rolling his eyes at the thought of what to come.
~~O~~O~~
The wind whipped her hair back, making her eyes stream as she tightened her arms around Jack's waist.
"You alright there, Punz?" he asked over the roaring of the bike's engine.
"Yeah," she reassured, straightening her helmet before it could completely cover her eyes, being a few sizes too big for her small, dainty head. "I'm great."
She could feel him try to suppress a chuckle from the way how his body rumbled and she scowled.
"Hang on, we're almost there," he reassured.
"Jack, I'm worried that these people know something we don't," Rapunzel said, thinking that he hadn't heard her and felt slightly thankful. She couldn't afford to lose her courage now that they were in the thick of things.
"That's why we're here to solve it, Punz," he said, his voice somehow clearer than even with the wind whistling by. Maybe she was just getting accustomed to his answers and the way how he reacted. Somehow, that made her thoughts falter more than the notion of what they were about to do again.
Maybe walking into another trap for all she knew.
"I have a bad feeling about this," she admitted. "Do we even know anything about this woman that we're seeking?"
"Well, besides the basics that she's a trader of some sort, always secretive, never really leaves her mansion," Jack replied, smoothly cutting into a different lane. Rapunzel turned to find Merida a few feet behind them, her expression unfathomable behind her darkly tinted helmet.
"They always are, aren't they?" Rapunzel said. "Secretive, silent, never socializing, it's like a characteristic of evil."
Jack gave a short laugh. "Maybe."
Rapunzel leaned in closer to him and she felt him stiffen slightly. "Are you sure you're okay Overland, and don't lie, I saw the way how you rubbed your ribs when Merida wasn't looking."
Jack huffed, his dual instincts enabling him to avoid the heavy traffic and still keep a conversation with her. He lifted a hand from the handle and patted her hand lightly.
"I'm fine, Punz," he replied absentmindedly. "Don't worry about me."
His touch sent gentle shock waves on her skin and she ducked her head, thankful that his gaze was fixed on the road and not on her furiously blushing face.
"How can I not?" she said, whispering that part to herself.
~~O~~O~~
The atmosphere was intense, all of them silent as they stared at the eerie storage house, the sounds of a nearby river filling the silence with a contrasting calm. Shafts of sunlight filtered in weakly, looking like uninvited trespassers, illuminating the dust motes that stirred from the door being opened. Stacks upon stacks of boxes were pushed against the wall, further emphasizing the emptiness of this place. Rapunzel turned to look at Jack who's jaw was set in grim determination.
"Reckon why there's no one 'ere," Merida said, her voice echoing through the lofty space.
"Maybe we just caught them at a wrong time...maybe no ones here yet," Rapunzel said, nervously twirling her hair. She had hastily put it up in a messy bun, the stray hairs poking out stubbornly. "Maybe nobody's home."
Jack ignored her and walked past, followed by Merida who assessed the place, a frown on her lips. Rapunzel gulped and followed him, her senses hyper aware and her mind wary of any sudden noise. She walked past the various cloth covered boxes when she heard a skittering that made her pause.
"Guys, I think..." she whispered, trailing off when she noticed that Jack and Merida were farther away, leaving her alone with the boxes. She glared at both of their retreating backs in mild annoyance as she cast her gaze back at the source of the sound.
The skittering started again and she jumped back, twining her hands together as she debated whether to remove the coverings or not. Rapunzel swallowed her apprehension and reached out her hand, resting her trembling fingers on the cloth cover hesitantly.
Steeling her nerves, she gripped the cloth, grimly determined, pulled it away...and shrieked.
Wide eyes stared back at her with fear and she instinctively took a step back. It was a glass case, and in the case was the tiniest chameleon she had ever seen in her life. It's strange green eyes were prodding into hers, melting into her soul, making her realize that it looked weirdly...human-like.
Yes, that was what she thought when she first saw its eyes. They were wide with a certain intelligence she couldn't deny.
"Hello, you," she said and watched as it blinked in response, showing her something akin to a...smile?
Rapunzel didn't know if she was starting to lose her mind but she rather found herself drawn to that little chameleon, her heart telling her to let him out and whisk him away from this prison. Her eyes ran over the case, satisfied to note that there was a rather easy unhinging latch that she could pull to open release the top.
The opening was met with some resistance and Rapunzel had to heave to draw the latch open. Once it did, she reached inside and almost as if on instinct, the little chameleon hopped on her wrist and clambered up, tickling her with the cold pads of its feet.
She giggled, no longer afraid and was stun to find that the little guy was actually perched on her shoulder, turning a bright shade of purple that contrasted with her plain, black sweater.
"What should I name you?" Rapunzel cooed to him, using the tip of her index finger to gently stroke its head. "Hmm, what about Paschal? How would you like that?"
Despite not knowing if the chameleon was even male or female – anyway, how would you know if it were a male or female? - she thought this name fitting for it. This was confirmed when Paschal gave a little squeak of excitement.
"Lass, we heard ye shrieking and...what the hell is that on your shoulder?"
Rapunzel turned behind to find an apprehensive Merida looking at her in confusion and a disbelieved Jack. She grinned shyly at them before pointing to her new found friend.
"It's a chameleon, his name is Paschal," she said with a hint of pride, watching as he turned a bright shade of red in response to everyone's stares.
"Huh, what would you know, I think it actually understands us," Jack said as he reached out to pat the chameleon's head. Paschal hesitated under his touch but warmed up to it, stretching his head in contentment.
"This is the most weirdest thing that Ah have ever seen in my whole life," Merida deadpanned, her blue eyes probing the spectacle before her.
"I know, it's almost like he can understand us," Rapunzel added.
Paschal gave a little huff of indignation, confirming what everyone thought.
"Anybody thinking of an experiment on reptiles gone bad?" Merida quipped, earning a glare from the chameleon and his new owner.
Jack scoffed. "That flight must've turned your brain to mush, DunBroch, things like that only exist in sci-fi movies."
Merida rolled her eyes at Jack's insult, returning her gaze to the rows and rows of what was now glass cases, the whole place giving off an ominous aura now that they had an inkling what was behind those covers.
"I wonder..." she said and reached towards another case, pulling back the cloth. A lazy anaconda looked up at her, forked tongue flicking out and slitted green eyes staring at her with an almost human-like weariness.
That wasn't the shocking part though. The anaconda had a set of stumps protruding out from its belly, looking almost like...
"Human fingers?" Jack asked, aghast. He met Rapunzel's wide gaze and noted the fear in them. He stalked over to another case, pulled back the cloth, recoiled.
A lizard sat there, eyes closed, appearing to be asleep. Jack relaxed his stance and shook his head, a shy smirk making its way to his lips.
"I think that's the last one, maybe it was just some radiation and – holy shit!"
The lizard had opened its eyes because of the commotion and the whole group repelled in horror. Blue eyes – very blue, human eyes – were staring back at them from the glass case.
Rapunzel felt nauseated. She stole a quick glance at Paschal, afraid to see what mutated human trait he had about him but was quickly relieve. Whatever those sick people were doing to those reptiles, it was apparent they hadn't infected her chameleon friend.
"What are you people doing here?" a sharp, cutting voice sounded from above them.
Everyone's head whipped up simultaneously, surprised at not being the only one in this strange place.
An elderly Asian woman glared at them from the top of the scaffolding, her black eyes narrowed in surprised anger. She walked down the steps slowly, clinging onto the railing as the long hem of her subdued, strict black gown trailed after her, accentuating her no nonsense stature. Despite her frail walk and the bending of her shoulders, her back was still ramrod straight, eyes calculating with a certain cunning.
"And who are all of you?"
Her eyes traveled over each of them and Rapunzel had the sudden urge to duck her head in shame and return Paschal back to his case. It felt as if a headmistress was scrutinizing them, pining them for their faults and determining what punishment to dole out now that she caught them misbehaving.
Jack recovered first albeit uneasily. "My name's Jackson Overland and these are my...acquaintances, Ella and Merida."
Throughout the exchange, the woman had not once removed her eyes from the open glass case and Rapunzel now felt more of the need to apologize for what she had done.
"And why is one of my pets on the shoulder of your...acquaintance?" she asked, dark eyes boring into the princess's own green ones with a skeptical intensity. Rapunzel realized they were threading on thin ice now, the slightest wrong move sending them splashing into the Arctic depths below.
Merida squared her shoulders and removed her badge. "Agent DunBroch from the Wildlife Sanctuary Department, we had a complain about missing reptiles."
The woman's eyes flared and her expression darkened.
"Officer, I have not a slightest clue as to what you are trying to say," she replied archly. "But you are trespassing within my private property and I cannot have you here."
A sound like boots thumping down the stairs drew their attention and to their chagrin, a group of eight men and women had them surrounded, weaponless yet their hostile stance wasn't hard to decipher.
They were in trouble.
Big trouble.