"Well geez, that's what happened?!"

"Yep," Bell replied flatly. "Some goons tried robbing my store of games at first before they tried to go after the cash. Needless to say, they got wasted, with only light property damage and lost merchandise to say about it." Bell paused as the pair continued walking the streets of inner Conderica, marked by the prevalence of tall loud buildings and vehicles seemingly every couple of feet. With people and noise everywhere, Bell found it hard to find her own moment, either in person or in her mind.

'... I'm starting to hate city life,' Bell sighed as she wiggled her newsboy cap she chose to wear today. Cog leaned in, slightly curious.

"So uh, what's with the gettup?"

"I figured it'll be a bit of a disguise," Bell explained. "After what happened last night, who knows if those punks are still out there somewhere." She glanced around; so far, no one around them seemed to be vaguely suspicious. They were in the thick cloud of pedestrians amid the buzzing cacophony of the city. In the hands or arms of most people were shopping bags, loaded with goodies no doubt.

And no doubt it's still clear that Bell need to seek out the Bumble Club.

The pair continued walking slowly down the street, passing by posters and flyers of all shapes, size, and vandalism. "So what's the plan, Bell? How're we supposed to find somethin' that don't wanna be found, unless they conveniently pop in to help us squeeze outta a situation tighter than some uptight's B-hole like last time."

"In fact… that's the idea. Or at least, part of it."

Cog turned her head to Bell. "Wow, really? Where're we gonna find some rats of unusual size to fight so that they'll pop out like some rodent genie from hell asking what kind of three wishes I'd like except it's a rodent like those gophers that make potholes so there's no way I'd entrust something like to deliver wishes (as if!) and then -"

A smack lurched Cog's head. "No, not like that, silly," Bell chided. "We just have to find where the secret entrance is and get their attention - without blowing something up."

Cog huffed as she rubbed the back of her head. "Okay, jeez… So let's find this secret entrance of theirs. Now where was that fancy 'lil diner we went last time? Y'know, that one place we got kicked out a while back..." It didn't escape Bell's notice that Cog quietly mumbled the last part.

The alleyway was exactly as Bell remembered it. Well, exactly except for the daylight lighting, the trash cans and bins being in different places, and all physical evidence of any divine skirmish having occurred here long removed.

But even then, revisiting the same exact place never gave Bell a comfortable feeling.

She glanced around in all directions. It wasn't the hidden entrance she sought, but rather making sure that no one was watching. Snooping around in winding alleyways wasn't exactly a crime, but not being seen was something Bell preferred; made things a lot less awkward.

Cog tapped a random segment of the brick-layered walls with her shoe, miffed and tired from trying to examine every possible crack and indentation. "So, uh, where was it again? In fact, how're we supposed to tell where the heck it is? I don't see no door."

Bell paused. Then a small idea struck her. "Wait. I might have an idea." Lifting her cap, Bell dug a small card from underneath. Gripping the card between her fingers, Bell checked the card's face: "The Bumble Club" written with a stylish cursive against a solid background, devoid of any other inscription or graphic. A business card Bell was given the last time they bumped into them. Bingo.

"Huh. Forgot you had that darned thing. So what's the plan?"

Bell gently nudged Cog off to the side. "Just make sure no one's watching, alright?" As Cog stepped away quietly mumbling under her breath, Bell approached a random segment of the wall, the organization's business card in hand. Taking a deep breath in (and hoping like hell that this pays off or else Cog would never live this down), Bell made her move.

"Hello. I'm - we're looking for the Bumble Club. If you're out there, can you give me a sign?" Bell waited, keeping her eyes and ears keen for a response of some kind. A second passed without incident, and Bell sighed. "Hello? If there are any Bumble Club members in this alleyway, please talk into the figurative recorder."

Again, nothing.

Muffled laughter slowly intruded the silence. "Belly! You - you're honestly talkin' to nothin'! Nothin'! And - and you're standin' there like a -"

Pinching fingers suddenly found themselves pulling Cog's cheeks apart before she could say anything other than "Ow-owowowowowowowow!"

"Don't. You. Dare," Bell warned, her glasses suddenly bright and opaque against her darkened face. "You spill the beans and I'll remind you of the you-know-what."

"Naw, naw!" Cog whined as she wiggled ineffectually. "Anytin' buh that! Pweeze anytin' buh that! Ah've already pwomised nevah to use yer computah fer po-"

Her cheeks (and by extension her face) snapped back into place and immediate relief came as Cog nursed her reddened cheeks. Back to normal, Bell sighed, scratching her head. "Well, I tried the direct method and that didn't pay off. I mean, there has to be a way to get their attention without getting any unwanted attention on ourselves! What, we have to play a game of 'Marco Polo?'"

"Marco!" Cog jokingly called, stretched face immediately forgotten.

"Polo!" Instantly, the pair whirled around to find a pair of eyes staring at them from a void on the wall that neither positively remembered there being a moment ago. Around the eyes lay a dark domino mask, the color contrast seemingly making the wearer's eyes illuminate. Aside from the mask, nothing else seemed out of the ordinary for the wearer's appearance.

But the mask was all Bell needed to see.

A moment pass before the masked stranger realized she had brought all attention to herself before immediately shrinking away out of sight. "O-oh! I'm-I'm sorry for the intrusion. I-I thought I heard -"

A pair of hands flashed to the stranger's arms before she could retreat from the opportunity. "Wait, wait!" Bell interjected. "You're with the Bumble Club, aren't you?"

"Um-um, I c-can neither confirm nor deny that!" stammered the masked girl, the domino mask doing nothing to conceal her embarrassed expression or the validity of her claim.

Bell produced the card between the two of them, the emblem and brand in clear sight to the stranger. "Relax, I brought this with me. Just head back to your hideout and let your, uh, leader know that we're here. Someone named 'Bell'; she should recognize me."

The girl could only stutter incomprehensibly before lightly nodding in uncertainty. "Um… sure." And without another word, she departed, the empty void suddenly being filled with the wall that blended perfectly with the rest of the scenery.

Brief silence fell upon the alleys as Bell and Cog simply waited. "... Next time some secretive organization helps us out, I'm just gonna ask for their phone number..." Bell quietly muttered.

The faint clanging of unfastened locks could be heard before the door opened forth.

The sight of a blond-haired girl, also wearing a domino mask, was what greeted Bell and Cog as they entered, her golden eyes brightening as she recognized the two. "Hey, long time no see, Bell!" she happily greeted.

"Er, I don't think we've been away for that long, JR," Bell replied, taking JR's outstretched hand for a quick handshake. "But hey, it's still good to see you too."

Out of nowhere, Cog popped forth in between them. "Yo yo yo yo! Whatta 'bout me?"

The surprise quickly wore off as JR simply patted Cog's head with a wide maternal grin. "Oh, yes. Who could forget about you too, Cog?"

The warmth was returned with Cog feebly wresting the hands out of her hair, grumbling beneath her breath. As Bell quietly smirked at seeing the Bumble Club's leader play with Cog's pigtails, a cursory glance up revealed something that caught her attention. While the hideout was the same as Bell remembered back when the organization helped them out of a tight situation, the atmosphere within was different. The long rows of tables were filled with game copies and merchandise just as she had seen before, but now they were really loaded to the brim. And what items they couldn't find space for on the tables and displays, Bell could see clutters of boxes alongside them, their contents obvious. And for an organization that pledged to sell games as discreet yet honorably as they could, the Club's many masked members moved with all haste as they frantically walked in all directions, hands full both figuratively and literally.

It was something that Bell hadn't seen before (having only seen the inside of the hideout once, that's not much). And yet, it already confirmed her suspicion.

"Hey sis! Quit standing around and help us out, will ya?" called a fiesty voice. JR turned and both Bell and Cog's eyes were greeted to the sight of someone indignantly marching in their direction, a masked girl whose curly but fiery-red hair and red eyes already spelling out her personality with the only irregularity being the single blonde streak in her hair.

"Relax, JG. I'll be right with you. I was just greeting some familiar faces," JR replied cheerfulness.

"Familiar faces? Wha -" As JG wondered, she automatically glanced to the side where Bell and Cog were, the former waving awkwardly.

The redhead, though recognizing them, did not share her sister's attitude as she placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, it's you two again. Look, we've got our hands full here, so you're gonna have to make it quick. We're real busy with the whole Festivities thing - getting all the goods, finding trustworthy buyers, and covering our tracks the best we can."

"Oh, so it definitely couldn't have been you guys," Bell noted. The remark drew a curious look from JR and JG. "What the heck do you mean by that?" JG demanded, drawing close to Bell. "What do you mean that it wasn't us guys?"

Bell adjusted her glasses. "Guess I'll start from the top..."

As they listened, both JR and JG's eyes widened with surprise and worry. "So, yeah, that's what went down last night," Bell finished. "I figured there's absolutely no way you all could be involved in that and coming down here, my suspicions were spot on."

"Oh damn," quipped JG. "Of all the game stores to get robbed, I honestly didn't expect yours…" Further comment was swiftly cut by JG silently muttering something under her breath, avoiding eye contact with Bell.

"Yeah, what she said," JR added. "The timing's too convenient: first, video game pirates running rampant enough to be noticed by the media, and then your store almost got robbed. I mean, it's bad enough that we get associated with piracy, but having the blame be pinned on us is another thing!"

"Well, if it's not you, then any idea who could be doing this?" Bell asked. "I mean, last time we met, you and your group just so happened to know where some video game pirates were hiding out like it was no trouble at all. So if there's anyone I could ask, I figured it be you guys who might have an idea."

JR turned aside, humming with thought. "Hmm… Unless we have a positive ID on those pirates, they could just be anyone. But there's also the factor that there's been multiple reported robberies and vandalism among game stores. And get this: many of those stores that have been targeted happened to be Genesis Stations."

Cog leaned forward, butting her head in the midst of the conversation. "Ha! Serves 'em right I guess."

The comment was met with a slap at the back of her head. "Idiot!" spat JG. "There's more to than that! Today's also the day that the Genesis Stations release their newest hit title to the market! And if you haven't been living under a rock, that game and the people associated with it already have bad rep."

JR nodded. "It seems pretty clear that there's a relation between that, the Genesis Stations being targeted, and the uptick in piracy." She paused. "And, uh, how did you say the robbery went down?"

Bell tried to recall the exact details. "They were hooded, wearing bandanas around their mouths or something. Seemed focus on stealing just the games until credits got involved. Most of 'em were armed, mostly with bludgeons."

JR frowned, an expression shared by her sister when the two later glanced at each other. Immediately, Bell knew something was up - the shared look of something they knew but quietly didn't want to admit to themselves. Before she or Cog could say a word, JR turned back to face them, her expression, while serious, bore disquieting concern.

"Okay, based on everything that we know, we might have some idea. But there's something we'd like to know before we can confirm it." From what little she knew of her, Bell had thought JR to be a chipper person, more so than her sister. But the way she was now… Bell couldn't help but feel something was out of place, that something has gone terribly wrong.

Bell and Cog exchanged a glance. "... So, uh, what do you want us to do?"

Unlike the dense part of the city that was filled to the brim with life, energy, activity, and lights, the downtown area was more more somber by comparison. Drab concrete were everywhere, cracked in many places where nature could reclaim its domain. What color there was was more muted, more restrained than the bright neon lights. Gone were the buzzing and blaring of music and people - the folks who inhabited the downtown district seemed ill-content to display any exuberance. The place was far from dead - but compared to the liveliness of the inner city, it may as well be.

Bell and Cog stood on the cracked and dirt-littered sidewalk in front of an alleyway: a filthy chasm between identically-drab buildings mired by unswept trash, practically burying the real floor.

The place that, according to JR, some local video game pirates could be hanging out. If they want any leads, then this would be a good place to start looking. With the sorry state the infrastructure was, it was perfectly natural to start here.

'... Why can't we ever find pirates hiding out in a 5-star hotel?' Bell squinted down the darkened corridor. The sun was still high, but the alleyway remained shrouded in darkness. With that kind of environment, who knows what they could potentially run into. Or what they could step on, judging by the poorly-maintained dumpsters and bins along the sides.

Cog glanced around, seeing nothing but the crumbling buildings, rusted signs and light posts, and the odd apathetic pedestrian that milled about to seemingly give this part of the city the slightest sign of life. Peeking to her left and to her right, Cog figured that they could take a chance. "Hey, Bell, lets -"

"Yeah yeah, I know," Bell interrupted, "let's just waltz right into a place that totally looks innocuous and secure with no real plan since we'd be on their turf. Anything I missed?"

Instead of a response, Cog simply skipped into the maw of the alleyway. "Last one in's the ugly skag-sucker!" And with that, she dashed off, oblivious to the grime on the ground, the cracks on the walls, and the obvious "here be dragons or whatever"-esque low lighting. With only a sigh, Bell could only jog after her; might as well get this over with as soon as possible.

Cog remained ahead at full tilt, uncaring about any potential hazards she could run into (or step onto). 'Freakin' Cog… You'd think I'd be able to catch up to her because she's got shorter legs - her strides should be smaller! That and rushing face-first into trouble.' As Bell delved deeper into the alleyway, she was able to see its exact conditions: the brick and mortar walls were cracked in many places, with some aged and quite deep ('Talk about lax maintenance. Or getting a building contract from the lowest bidder.'); the gap above was cluttered with all manner of obstructions, ranging from exterior air-conditioning units to tarps that gave the alleyway its shaded atmosphere ('Clearly not for decorations or anything.').

"Cog! Slow down, will ya?" Bell could only see Cog's bright short pigtails as she continued her pursuit. Panting, Bell tried to keep up. Even if it meant diving headfirst deeper in an unfamiliar place, there's no way she could leave Cog behind and do this entirely on her own (...Well, maybe she could). Bell ran past some graffiti-covered brick wall until Cog finally slowed down.

"About… damn… time!" Bell panted. But as she approached Cog, she took no notice of Bell, instead bending down. Confused, Bell got closer in time to see Cog turn around. "Hey, Bell! Check this out!" And before Bell could respond or ask, a grimy cardboard parcel was thrusted before her.

"Augh, jeez! Don't stick that thing at me!" Bell shouted, recoiling away from the oil-ridden aged box. Out of reflex, she shot her hands out in front of her, knocking the package out from Cog's hands where it flopped onto the floor with a curious thud. Against the ground, the flimsy box gave way and its contents spilled out…

… A loose collection of dusty plastic toys and laundry clamps.

Bell and Cog stared down at the contents, part relieved (mostly Bell), part disappointed (mostly Cog). Bell quietly glanced around, but nothing seemed to suggest that anything else was within earshot. She tried to relax a bit - at least they're not in immediate danger nor did she have to touch the package. Speaking of which…

"Oh. Huh, thought there'd be pirated games like last time..." Cog muttered with dissatisfaction ('Yeah. Freakin' deja vu and all,' Bell thought). Then, as though remembering something, she glanced down at her fingers now marked by oily streaks. Cog glanced further down at her overalls, but as she cast her gaze towards Bell's orange parka, an impulsive idea popped in her head. In a flash, her hands swiftly latched onto the jacket, smothering the spot where they landed.

A quick smack to the top of Cog's head put an immediate end to that. "Argh, dammit Cog!" Bell shouted. The bright orange had now been blemished by a streak of black smudge across the front, courtesy of Cog's hands which were now a little cleaner. Despite the clear danger she was now in, Cog could do nothing but giggle like mad against Bell who stayed agape.

"Oh you-!" Before Cog could evade, Bell had grabbed Cog into a headlock and to give her a vigorous noogie. "Here, you like that, huh?!"

Despite the position she was in, Cog couldn't help but continue giggling. "I'ma keep touchin' ya! I'm keep touchin' ya!" she teased, her grimy hands clutching Bell's jacket spreading the smears more.

"Oh come on, Cog!" Bell whined with frustration before finally releasing Cog from her grasp. She looked down at her jacket to see the stains and bars of black and gray across the front. Bell quietly seethed to herself.

"C'mon Bell. It's not like it's been dashed by perma-marker or anythin'," justified Cog. "Just wash that off an' it'll be as right as rain."

"Like hell it will!" Bell shot back. "I don't even know what this crap is exactly! It's either sludge, mud, oil, or some kind of unknown alien pathogen for all we know! The kind that'll probably give us third-degree cancer after a long period of incubation due to genetic incompatibility!"

Anxious, Bell looked around and found an overflowing trash can right beside her, scraps of paper spilling from the lid. Gingerly, she tore the cleanest of the papers she could find to try wiping her parka clean. As she did so, Bell noticed that the crumpled sheets were pamphlets and small posters of various game stores, often from the Genesis Station. Wrinkled and a little torn on the edges, the sheets had no other damage: no vandalism. If anything, they looked fairly recent.

Bell looked at the trash can again. Its overflowing content was practically nothing but identical pamphlets, one of which littered by its base, preceded by a trail of identical items that snaked its way to where they had arrived from. Only the abundance of other trash and dirt had camouflaged it from either eyes all this time, but now that Bell noticed them, she wondered how on earth she missed them. This far in the alleyway, was someone intentionally tearing them off from public spaces and…?

*... Cling-a-ling!*

The distant but sharp intonation of something metallic falling over made Bell and Cog perk up, everything up to that point swiftly forgotten. Eyes cast to what lay ahead, neither could see what caused the noise. Nothing but darkness and the stretching alleyway greeted them.

Wordlessly, Bell and Cog immediately departed in the perceived direction. Though they picked up the pace, Bell made sure not to run too fast - they were now in the part that began to branch off, and in unfamiliar territory like this, anything could literally be around a corner.

"What up with the skiddadlin', Bell?" Bell glanced back to see that Cog had stuck with her this time, but now she had her machine gun in her hands. The boxy beat-up contraption she wielded as her go-to weapon was as long as Cog was tall, if not slightly longer. "Let's get in there and mess some crap up!"

"Hey!" Bell hissed as she forcibly grabbed the gun down. "First, we got to figure out where that sound came from. And second, these pirates have got to be people this time. I'm not gonna perform a one-time crime busting act with a potential murder charge on our heads!"

Cog rolled her eyes. "Don't know what the problem is, Bell. They could try that stunt on us for all we know! Hey, out of curiosity or whatever, how'd you know they're here?"

"Well, JR said they'd be here, and she hasn't been wrong before," Bell explained. "Plus, you seen that trash can I was next to? That thing was filled with a bunch of advertisements from the Genesis Station; remember that whoever the pirates are might also be connected to the string of attacks on the store brand. The stuff in that can looked relatively new so there's a good chance that the pirates we're trying to look..."

Another clang rang out, similar but now in another direction as this time.

"... have got to be nearby!"

In an over-energetic flash, Cog bounded forward towards the source much to Bell's surprise. "Cowabunga ya mother-humpers!"

"Cog, wait!" Bell tried to run after her, but Cog was speeding far ahead of her. By the time Bell even got halfway into the alley, Cog had already arrived at the end before promptly dashing off out of sight elsewhere. Bell panted as she ran, freely kicking over any loose debris that stood in her way that Cog hadn't already kicked on her way.

Having her companion run off heedlessly was on thing to worry about. But right when Bell couldn't think that the day could get worse, indecipherable scuffle could suddenly be heard ahead of her. She had no clear idea what was going on, but she could definitely hear Cog's voice among them.

That was bad.

Bell whipped out her own weapon, a crowbar that spontaneously appeared in her right hand. She tried to skid to a halt as she turned the same corner Cog had turned, the faint commotion now louder.

"Cog!" And as if on cue, the very individual Bell had been chasing after found herself being careened straight at her before she could even react. Colliding with her shoulder, Bell fell with a thud as Cog finally fell to earth some feet behind her, her weapon suddenly absent. Groaning in immense unexpected pain, Bell tried to sit up. In front of her, she caught a split-second glimpse of their assailant striding tall towards them. The usual dark lighting of the alleyways shrouded much details.

'Who the… Is that…?'

Before Bell could react (again), she suddenly felt herself be yanked skyward. She tried to move, but strangely found herself constricted. Whatever got hold of Bell shook her about like a doll, albeit one that yelled at each swing. The shaking, though brief, was forceful enough for Bell's vision to suddenly blur.

'Ah! My glasses…!'

By now, the tossing had ended, and though the world was a blur to Bell, she could see and feel that she was being lowered. Good news: no longer being shaken around and having blood rush to the head now that she was orientated upright. Bad news: she was blind and the person - or one of them responsible - was in front of her.

"... hey, hey! Ease up, will ya?..."
"No you! The shorty ran right up to me! All I did was give her a light tap!"
"Well, regardless of who did what, did we get the pirates?"

Bell couldn't squint hard enough past the blurred vision, but she frowned. Were these people not video game pirates? If not, then who? Something about this seemed off to her. Particularly the-

"... Hey, wait a sec!"

Something moved in her blurry vision - a person - and before Bell knew it, something was pushed onto her face. But it wasn't forceful or anything, and her vision immediately cleared up. Peering through lopsided lenses slightly speckled with dirt, Bell blinked her vision clear as she could finally see the world with clarity.

And more so, see just who they ran into.

A/N:

HistoricHippos:
About time there was an update! Apologizes for the wait - school work last month killed what time there was to make significant progress and other IRL stuff over summer break will probably affect the rate of updates even with the free time.

Thank you for your patience and keeping up with the story. Act I of the story is about to kick off!