It was pretty obvious when I first stepped foot into the lumber camp that it was run completely by men. Not men like the ones you see on television: the hot ones with the styled hair and clothes; not even men like the ones in everyday life: at least willing to take a shower. No, these guys were rough. They lived in the wilderness and as far as I was concerned it felt like they were doing everything in their power to be a part of it. Fortunately they put me in an old shack just outside the camp
Now that I was here, I could tell that something was going on. It wasn't just the normal something – Bison slowly destroying the surrounding forest – it was something else. The air felt violent, as if someone was pumping anger into it or as if someone had loaded it down with spice. Some nights the Northern Lights lit the sky in their brilliant show and others they weren't anywhere to be seen. It had to have something to do with that battery they had been talking about. Technology like that was definitely Arpeggio's doing. On the other hand, the other things that felt wrong had to be due in some part to Bison. It didn't matter at the time because there wasn't much I could do without the boys there and they had yet to arrive. I wondered how long it would take them to find me.
While waiting for their arrival, I worked on getting the old wood stove in the shack running again. It definitely wasn't as cozy as the place they had me in back at the town, but they probably didn't have any better options. I cleaned and scrubbed and set up so that when the gang got there it would be ready to go and they could just set up. There was also a disturbing secret for me to learn. Bison had the Clockwerk talons and he was using them for the senseless destruction of the forest. I felt so helpless and finally after days of sitting around feeling that way I remembered that I could use my tracking chip to contact the boys. It was buried in my pocket but once I dug it out I quickly pressed the tiny button and hoped it would work.
"Bentley, Sly? Are you guys there?" I asked.
"Maya" I heard Bentley reply and I smiled.
"Hey" I said. "Where are you guys?"
"We're still about two days south of your location. The transport Bison had you on had a good head start on us" said Bentley. "We also had to wait for things to clear up down there before we could make any moves."
"That's fine" I said. "I have the safe house set up and I'll leave my transmitter here so you can find the location. About a quarter mile south from here there's a cave on the ice that would be well suited to hiding the van. Bison has the talons."
"I know" Sly replied. "We plan to get them."
"I don't know what's going on, but things are really weird here" I said. "It just doesn't feel right."
"We know that, too" Sly said. "Do you know anything about Bison's operation there?"
"To be honest, the lumberjacks I've met so far either don't seem to know much or have been instructed not to tell anyone and they don't trust me and Bison himself is due to arrive tonight" I answered.
"Maya, can you find out about the Northern Lights battery from Bison?" Bentley asked.
"Sure. He knows that I know about it already. I'm sure some well placed questions will get what you want" I replied.
"Good. We'll be counting on you to get some information on Bison's operation before we get there, then" said Bentley.
"Speaking of which, I have to go" I said, looking out the window to find a moose approaching the shack. "I'll fill you in later. Looks like the boss is here."
I didn't wait for a response as I placed the tracker down and hid it under a spare pair of gloves I had laying around. It was only moments later that the moose knocked on the door and I went to answer it.
"Miss Mirage, Mister Bison asked me to bring you back to his cabin" he said.
I nodded and followed the moose out of the shack. Bison's cabin was on the other side of the camp. It was actually bigger and much more decorated than his other cabin and from the outside it seemed roomier as well. The moose only led me to the door, after which I knocked and when Bison asked who it was I said it was Maya.
"Come in" he said from the other side of the door.
"Jean, you asked to see me?" I said as I opened the door and walked inside. The inside of the cabin was as roomy as I thought it would be.
"I wanted to make sure that you made it here okay" he said.
"Everything is in order. I'm already moved in to the place they gave me" I replied. "Jean, things don't feel right to me up here. What's going on, if I may ask?"
"It's Arpeggio's Northern Lights battery" Bison said. "I don't understand all the technology stuff, but it's supposed to do something like collect Northern Lights or something. I just rigged it up the way Arpeggio wanted and he showed me how to fill it up. He's on his way here in his blimp right now. The battery should be done soon so he's coming to get it. In the meantime there's the lumberjack games to keep all us hard working folks entertained, not that anyone around here can beat me." He chuckled and he turned to his window.
"Sounds like things are going to get interesting. What exactly is it you and Arpeggio are going to do with all of that energy?" I asked, wondering if I could drill for more information.
"I don't get all his technical jargon. I just know that he's going to use it for some light-show or something" he replied.
"I take it you want me to lay low in the mean time and when Arpeggio gets here you're going to stick me on his blimp" I said.
"Well, aren't you just the keen one" he said as he turned back to me. "That was the plan, but as usual I'll ask if I need any help with anything and maybe with those claws of yours and your climbing skill you could enter the wall climbing part of the lumberjack games for something to keep busy. Just keep to the guard house and the place we put you in. I don't want to hear about you going into any of those factory buildings. It's dangerous."
"I guess it wouldn't be bad to lay low for a bit" I digressed. "Then I suppose I'll be heading back to my lodgings."
"Watch out for Old Grizzle Face on the way back" he said.
"Old Grizzle Face?" I asked.
"He'd be an old grizzly that wanders these parts. He's blind and all he wants is fish, which he can find anywhere with that old nose of his. If you just ignore him he should be pretty harmless, but don't make him mad" Bison explained.
"Okay, I'll remember that" I replied. "I will take my leave now. Please call upon me if you need anything."
"Sure thing, little lady" Bison replied and I quickly made my way out of the building. As I walked back, I internalized the information that I had gotten from Bison. I had done my job for now and I needed to wait for the boys to get there so I could tell them what I knew.
In the time it took them to arrive, I had written down my information in a notebook and discovered what buildings Sly would most likely have to recon in order to get ready for the coming jobs. It was strange that I no longer felt like I was doing something against the Klaww Gang's interests, but instead I felt as if I was doing my work as a member of the Cooper Gang and the feelings of worry that I had betrayed my gang had faded away almost completely.
They came in the night. I was just getting ready to settle down for bed when Sly appeared at the front door and Murray and Bentley weren't far behind him. Together we carried all of the things needed for the heist into the safe house. The guards had all gone inside and abandoned their posts for the night unless they were inside of the buildings so the move in was easy and quick.
Murray hugged me so tight that I thought he was going to squeeze my insides out. After they got settled in and Bentley set up his computer I handed my notebook off to him. "I managed to do a little extra while I was waiting" I told him.
He looked over my notes and nodded. "Good work, I can make our future plans according to this" he said.
"It was easy" I said. "They don't suspect me of anything so they let me go wherever I want."
"That will also come in handy" Bentley commented. "We need you to get to the places we can't and get information we can't get out of Bison."
"For now I'll go out and do some recon before the sun comes up" Sly said. I looked outside and I was surprised at how much time had passed since they had arrived. The sky outside was starting to get light again.
"Be careful" I said to Sly. "Some of the guards are probably outside again now for first shift of guard duty and the men are going to get ready for work soon."
"Don't worry" he said. "They'll never see me."
"Just wait a moment for me to get some waypoints into your Binocucom" Bentley told him.
"Oh, and be careful of the eagles around here. They don't really like anyone" I said, remembering my earlier encounter with one my first day in the area.
"Got it" said Sly.
"Okay, you can head out" Bentley said to him with a nod.
Sly headed out of the safe house and they immediately linked up with the Binocucom. "Ok, so here's what we know. One, Arpeggio's blimp is on its way to pick up a battery from Jean Bison. And two, the only way we'll get a crack at Arpeggio's Clockwerk brain is by finding a way to sneak aboard his blimp" Bentley said.
"But before we do that we'll need to snag the Clockwerk talons off Jean Bison. Time is short and we've got a lot to accomplish" Sly replied. He sounded impatient.
Bentley, the ever patient planner, took a breath. "True, true… but first things first, this lumber camp isn't on any of my maps. I need you to poke around and take some recon photos, they'll help to get my sensors oriented."
"No problem. Recon photos I got covered" said Sly.
"In anticipation of the icy climate I took the liberty of modifying your cane. It can now separate into two smaller canes… useful for ice climbing. Try ascending to the top of that sheet of ice, just jump and hit the button on your cane to split it into two and dig in" Bentley added with a bit of a proud smile on his face.
They broke communication and I looked at Bentley and said "Do you think of everything?"
"I try" he replied with a smile. "Oh, speaking of everything, I have missed something. It's time for you to get this back." He reached into his laptop bag and pulled out my Binocucom.
"I almost forgot" I said with a smile as I received it from him.
Bentley went back to watching Sly for a moment, seeing him ascend an ice sheet and then commenting "It's good to see that my cane upgrade performed so well in the field. Now scout the area. I could really use the reconnaissance."
"Did you manage to find all the waypoints I thought you should mark?" I asked, remembering what I'd written in my notes.
"Yes, I did" he replied. "The first of the pictures are coming in now." The first image Sly sent us was of Old Grizzle-Face's backside. "This is bear country alright. Interesting, he's putting out a slight radio signature" Bentley commented on the info he got from Sly's Binocucom. The next he sent us was rather comedic, as he was standing in front of an output with saw blades in it and just inside you could see the next log heading his way. I chuckled at the thought of him scrambling for this picture. "Those saw blades look particularly old. I guess this logging camp has been around for a while" Bentley commented. He had to be going somewhere with that. The next picture we received was a nice front view of Bison's cabin. "Jean Bison's house. The lair of the beast, the den of evil, the epicenter of ecological destruction" Bentley narrated and I realized that after listening to him Bison's cabin looked four times as creepy as it had before. Finally he sent a picture of a boat. "Fascinating, my sensors detect a wi-fi link to that boat. It must be piloted by computer" Bentley said. Now I could see the gears turning in the turtle's head. "Ok, that should do it. Now for the real point of interest. Head for that lighthouse and try to find a way to sneak in."
"I see the beginnings of a plan forming in your mind" I said to him.
"I'm starting to formulate a strategy" he replied.
"What about the lumberjack games I was telling you about?" I asked, reminding him of a conversation we'd been having while moving in.
"I think it's a good backup plan, but every step of the way we've had to take on the tough guys and fight through it. At least the others were of average strength and Sly could take them on, but this Bison is a brute. I would rather avoid confrontation" said Bentley.
"I see what you mean" I said. "Still, you took on my father and he was no joke either."
"Still, I don't want to risk it again. Sly was severely injured in that encounter" Bentley said.
"I understand" I said.
"You were hurt, too" said Bentley, looking at me for a moment. "I don't think Sly would risk putting anyone else in danger right now unless there was no other way."
The next picture that came in was that of a room full of light bulbs with a track around it. "Just looking at that spinner makes me dizzy" said Bentley. "I was right, the entrance is barred from the inside" he commented when a photo of a chair shoved against the front door from the inside loaded up from Sly's feed. The last photo that came through was one of a huge red light with a spinning apparatus above it and electricity shooting from it. "That's a battery charger but where's the battery Arpeggio's coming to pick up? Might as well get a shot of ol' Jean Bison." When Sly zoomed in to take the shot, we could hear something coming from Bison just loud enough to catch across the room. "Oh, Sly, listen in. He's mumbling to himself."
Sly adjusted the pickup on his Binocucom so we could hear it as well. "Come on, Jean, ya got it in ya. Those lumberjack games need some more competition, eh? What would attract the participants?" A moment of silence passed while he thought and then he said "Bullseye! I'll post the Clockwerk talons as a trophy… that should bring in the competition… although, who'm I kidding, eh? I'm-a-gonna win just like every other year. Ha! Oh it's tough being this tough, it sure is, yeah…"
I looked at Bentley in what felt like a bit of shock after my suggestion from before was now panning out to be a good idea.
"Head back to the safe house" Bentley told Sly. "We need to talk about these lumberjack games."
"I thought the games were out of the question" I said with concern.
"They were until Bison decided to offer up the talons as a trophy. Now we have a way to get the talons and I assume these games are beginning before Arpeggio is due to arrive" Bentley said.
"I believe so" I said. "Bison wouldn't let Arpeggio ruin an event that he loves so much."
"Then we'll enter the games and win before the blimp comes to pick up the battery. Judging by the size of the charger the battery has to be huge. We'll need to do some scouting before we come up with a real plan and you're the girl for the job. You're the only one who can walk around here without someone suspecting you of something right now, so I'll need you to go out and gather some information that could lead us to the battery and find out some things about lumberjacking because we're not exactly the most learned individuals in the trade. Go around and act interested in what the guards are doing. Given your feminine charms, I'm sure they would be willing to demonstrate a bit for you. In the mean time, if a battery that big can be emptied, then we can use it like a Trojan Horse. We'll stow away inside of the battery and when Arpeggio comes to pick it up he'll be taking us with him onto his blimp" Bentley explained.
"That's a lot of work and the games are tomorrow" I said with concern once again in my voice.
"I know, but if we're going to finish this thing once and for all we're going to have to pull this off…" replied Bentley.
"I'll get moving right away" I said as I stood from the table and pulled on my jacket and gloves.
"Don't you want to wait for Sly?" Bentley asked.
"No need. I can take care of myself and one way or another you're going to need this information so I'm going to head out right away" I replied.
"Be careful" said Bentley, playing the role of Sly for just a second.
"Don't worry. Like you said, I'm the only one around here they won't suspect and honestly Bison sees me a lot like a little sister so he would kick the ass of any man who would have the gall to touch me here" I smiled. "I'll be back before you know it."
I stepped foot outside into the cold and waved to Sly, who was just making it back to the safe house. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Bentley's asked me to gather some information. I'll be back in a little while" I said with a smile as I turned from him and headed down towards the main camp and specifically the guard buildings, knowing that I would be allowed in there and that it would be the best place to find guards. While they were on break they would definitely be more willing to talk than while they were supposed to be doing their jobs. The guard house was due north of the safe house, so I headed up that way first, planning to make a loop around the camp later to ask a few of the men about lumberjacking.
As I opened the door to the guard house and stepped inside one of the guards rushed over and began to speak "Miss Maya, Ma'am, what would you be doin' here?" he asked.
"Just stepping out of the cold for a moment" I replied. "Say, I was on my way to the lighthouse. I've always wanted to see the inside of the lighthouse but I know they keep it barred from the inside. Is there anyone who would be willing to give me a short tour of it?"
"Sorry, Ma'am but all of the lighthouse guards are in the lighthouse right now" he replied. "But they'll be back later tonight. Only a couple of them stay at night and the rest come back to relax."
"Then I can come back tonight" I replied and acted as if I was about to leave.
"No, Ma'am" he said quickly.
"Why not?" I asked as I looked him up and down. He had some gall to tell me no. "And don't lie to me, I will know it" I added.
"Um… well… you can't tell Mister Bison, but there's a secret RC combat club that meets here once a week and it's made up of the lighthouse guards. Only a few of us know about it and they told us to keep it a secret" he replied.
"Makes sense" I said. "Perhaps I will stop by anyway. I am a secret fan of such things, myself, and it would be embarrassing for my fellow gang members to find out about such a thing, so a secret club is the perfect opportunity for me to get it out of my system for a while." Now I felt lame.
"It would be an honor for you to stop by. I'm a member of it, too and I would be willing to let you get in on the action if you wanted" he said and I could swear that he blushed. Great, now the guy was developing some kind of crush on me or something.
"That sounds like a great idea" I said with a smile. "I'll be back later, then." I headed out fast, not wanting to hear his reply, feeling like he would start to think it was some kind of date or something.
My next goal was to find out about lumberjacking now that I knew where and when to find the lighthouse guards. It seemed kind of silly to go around and ask the guards to demonstrate for me but I knew that Bison didn't want me inside of the factories. I guess he felt that I couldn't handle myself around that much wood.
While I planned what I might do inside of my head, figured out how I would approach it, I took a walk around the perimeter of the camp. My head down and my arms crossed as I thought to myself, I barely was paying attention to my surroundings and I was taken totally by surprise when I suddenly ran straight into an ice boulder and fell on my butt. It upset me more than I wanted to admit, and made me more than a little angry that I wasn't paying attention and I growled to myself "Stupid ice" as I brushed my legs off and looked up at it. My anger quickly subsided into curiosity as I realized there was something frozen in the crystal clear ice.
I took a quick look around to make sure no one had seen what I had just done and then I stood up and tried to look at the book. It was an old manual from what I could tell. The boulder was much taller than I had expected and the book was frozen quite a ways up so I couldn't get a good look or see what the title was. Internally, I reminded myself that I had a job to do but there was always that saying… something about curiosity killing the cat… and I was a cat so it all panned out logically. I also remembered what Bison had said about my climbing skills and I didn't know how well it would work out on ice but I thought I would try. Taking off my gloves, I looked down at the claws that I hadn't used for anything in so long. I hadn't even properly taken care of them, but there was nothing I could do about that now.
Reaching up, I dug the claws of my right hand into the ice, finding that they held almost as well as they did on stone. I then used my left hand and before I knew it I was on top of the boulder looking down at the book through the ice and I couldn't believe what I read on the cover. "Log Chopping: A Guide" the front of the book read. Now I couldn't believe my luck. Using my Binocucom I took a picture of the book through the ice and leapt down. It took everything in my power not to run as fast as I could back to the safe house to tell the guys the good news.
It was probably a half an hour after I got back and gave Bentley what I had found that he finally had his slideshow set up and brought us all back to the planning table. He started the show right away and he looked fairly confident in his plans so we all buckled down to listen to what he had to say. The first slides were of Bison.
"Well, guys… Jean Bison has unknowingly thrown down the gauntlet. With the Clockwerk talons as a trophy, we'd be fools not to participate in his lumberjack games." Now there was the picture I had taken of the book. "Fortunately, due to frequent avalanches, a log chopping guide was frozen in a wall of ice not far from our position. Sly, you're in charge of acquiring the book. I'm sure it will prove invaluable." Bentley had thrown in a random picture and now doodled on it as he spoke. "Now we're all aware that Arpeggio's blimp is coming to pick up another battery. To sneak aboard without incident, I'd recommend we pull a Trojan Horse and stow away inside the battery. However, the location of the device is still a mystery." He now switched to a picture of the RC combat club that seemed impossible for him to have attained. "We need some inside information so working together you two will infiltrate the moose guards' secret RC combat club and Maya will be there as your back up in case things get messy. Those guys all work in the lighthouse. If you win the battle, I'm sure they'll talk." Back to a picture of Bison, he commented "Despite his antique mind, Jean Bison's no fool. To keep tabs on him we'll need to bug his house." Now it was that eerie shot of his house followed by a photo of several bears. "Steal the radio tags off local bears and then Jerry-rig them into a sensor array." He turned off the projector and looked over to us with a tired sigh. "It's a challenging set of tasks and that blimp's on its way. Let's get to work."