Chapter Twenty-Five
Trucy's ears were ringing. The music might have been loud, but she couldn't hear any of it. She also couldn't see a thing. It was as if the place was designed to look as confusing as possible.
She swore under her breath. Why did everyone have to be taller than her? Scouting the situation would be impossible, from her height. Whose idea was it to give her this job? Not that Kay or Ema could have done better.
She took in as much as she could. As expected from a show featuring a (female) stripper, most of the patrons were male. She'd been approached by a college boy a few minutes ago, but no one else seemed to have noticed her. Thank goodness.
She wished she knew where Kay was. They'd entered the Underworld together, but the plan required their targets to think she was alone. Trucy hadn't seen her since they arrived, and Ema didn't even walk in with them.
Unconsciously, she reached into a hidden pocket on her borrowed club dress. Her fingers touched an object, sending shivers through her spine. Trucy knew what the plan entailed. Her chance to object had come and gone.
She had to do this.
Alright, if I were Kristoph Gavin, where in a strip dance club would I be found?
Trucy snorted instantly at the thought. If I were Kristoph Gavin, I wouldn't be caught dead in this place. I also wouldn't pretend I was drunk. Or strip a corpse.
Not your plan, huh?
It worked out for him, in a way. The less likely he was to do something, the less likely he was to be suspected of it. That line of logic wass exactly why he had to be here. Kay and Ema had been confident about it.
But where?
Out of nowhere, an electric guitar and drum blasted over the speakers, replacing the dance music that had been playing. It sounded like metal.
Hearing the change, the crowd cheered loudly, shouting words Trucy couldn't make out. Her ears were overwhelmed. She couldn't hear the lyrics of the song, once they started. The singer's voice was rough and male. It sounded more like talking than singing.
At least she could make out the chorus:
"She's a dwelling place for demons.
"She's a cage for every unclean spirit,
"Every filthy bird,
"And makes us drink the poisoned wine to fornicating with our kings.
"Fallen now, is Babylon the Great."
Oh. Trucy understood now. It meant the show was about to begin. She ought to consider doing something like that, for her shows. Picking out a theme song might be fun. So long as it wasn't this song.
She had to wonder, though: had Calisto/Shih-na/Raina/Belladonna/Selina/Lady Justice/Babylon chosen the song because it matched her stage name, or her nickname because of the song?
The club's patrons were racing towards the foot of the stage, but Trucy hung back. She'd have a better view from the outskirts. Still no sign of Kay.
The woman herself didn't appear until the bridge began to play. Clad in a red trench coat, heavy makeup, and dangerous heels, she appeared to be lip syncing the last part of the song. Her brown hair fanned out behind her, not looking completely natural. The same could be said for the rest of her. Her red gloves gripped the pole at the center of the stage, eyes glinting dangerously at the men who raged around her.
Wrapping one leg around the pole, she danced as the bridge hit. Her voice joined in at the end:
"I don't believe in fairytales,
"And no one wants to go to hell.
"You made the wrong decision, and it's easy to see.
"So if you wanna serve above,
"Or be a king below with us,
"You're welcome to the city where your future is set, forever!"
The woman on stage shed her coat, throwing it out into the crowd as an offering. Trucy didn't mean to stare at her, but... how did that outfit come off? All Trucy could see was the black chains and hooks next to the devil's red gloves. The bonds wrapped around her body, tighter than a Magatama's.
It was confusing her. Wasn't the point of this show to take off clothes? Did it also feature an escape act?
Still, it was at that point that the teenager willfully stopped watching. She needed to search the crowd again.
It wasn't a minute later Trucy bit her lip in frustration. Skirting the area would be impossible with everyone like this. Had it not occur to any of them that he might be in disguise?
She needed to change her strategy. If she had no chance of noticing Mr Gavin... what could she do, to make him notice her? There had to be some way she could trick him into revealing himself.
Feeling a touch bolder than she should, Trucy danced about the edge of the crowd, almost laughing as people threw money onstage. As she neared the backstage area, she saw the shadow of someone pacing through the crack in the doorway.
Waiting backstage, huh? I could see him doing that.
She couldn't hesitate now. Not when she was so close.
Trucy turned the knob on the door, watching it slide open without protest. As Trucy stepped in, someone turned the far corner of the hall. She took in the heavy shadows and forgotten props that hid in every corner. No one else was there.
Trucy followed the sound of footsteps, trying to ignore the raging crowd. She timed her footsteps to the sound of her target, doing everything she could to remain silent. Before she forgot, she pulled out her phone, dialing a number once she got closer.
Something wasn't right. Why wasn't anyone back there?
Suddenly, she picked up on the sound of voices, one far more muffled than the other. The louder of the two was a male voice. A... Trucy froze.
She recognized that voice.
Inching closer, she turned the phone to speaker.
"...will be there by sunrise this morning. I can assure you, Babylon will be ready to begin work as early as that evening, just in time for your poker competition... No, I am simply her manager. Call me Lucius."
"I hope I got all that." Trucy whispered into the phone when the conversation paused. Getting slightly louder, she began to give instructions. "Reminder: send message to the police ASAP."
"Her show is almost over. I'll get her on the phone as soon as she comes back... Yes, thank you for your time."
The magician was terrified .Every instinct was telling her to run.
But she wasn't going to do it. Stage presence, come on. Put your magic face on...
She wasn't just the daughter of an attorney. She wasn't your typical magician. She was the Yatagarasu.
Gathering the courage, she uttered her last words into the phone call, not long after the crowd fell silent. "I've found Kristoph Gavin. When you get this message-"
"It will be gone."
The phone fell to the floor, sending a crack across the screen. Next to it appeared a gloved hand.
A red, gloved hand.
"Of course. This was just a misunderstanding... No, we know the girl's parents. My manager and I are driving her home as we speak. We don't know how she got in... Oh don't worry: I'm still gonna make my flight. Yes, of course. Hope you find a replacement soon."
Trucy heard the sound of a phone hanging up before she was fully conscious. Her head hurt so much, and... why was she in a car? Where was Kay? Why were there strange locks on all the doors?
The magician shot up in her seat, alarmed. Unbidden, a single memory came back to her.
"Hm. I was hoping you'd remain asleep," the man in the driver's seat commented. "This night would have ended much better for you, had it been the case."
It took a minute for the man's words to process. Her head still hurt from whatever had knocked her out. "What?"
"Well, had you remained unconscious, I would have been perfectly fine dropping you off on the way. You'd wake up, know nothing, and return home unharmed."
What did he mean? Why couldn't Trucy... Wait. Who was talking to her?
It was that very moment her brain put it together. "Kri- Mr Gavin!"
A chuckle. "Indeed. I find it shocking, a teenage girl managed to locate me before the police had even a clue. I don't know whether to praise you, or insult the others."
"Why choose, when you can have both?" the woman next to him asked. The magician's eyes locked on her... her red gloves, sending a wave of fear through her. She was the one who'd knocked Trucy out!
The lady turned around, and even in the lack of light, Trucy knew. She was the one who'd been on stage. Babylon the Great.
"Lady Justice," she breathed. The woman began to laugh. And laugh. And laugh. It wasn't a pleasant sound.
"Sure, I'll go by that name," Lady Justice turned to her partner. "Who's the kid? Looks like she knows you."
Kristoph spoke before Trucy had the chance. "Her name is Trucy Wright, and she's the adopted daughter of my old friend. The one I spoke to you about."
That got her to laugh again. "Oh... that kind of friend. I know the type: don;t worry. They almost never cross identities. Still..." she studied the magician in the rear view mirror. "What are we gonna do with her? Last time I met an old friend's daughter, I shot at her. Twice."
"Well, my original plan's out the window. I'd say that leaves us with two options: is she luggage... or trash?"
Come on, Kay. You better still be following me.
Trying not to dwell, Trucy made sure she kept her end of the banter going. "I'm right here, you know," she crossed her arms, trying to slip into a stage persona. "If you're gonna plan my murder, can it at least go the way yours did?"
"Hah! I like this one," Can she go a single sentence without laughing? "Sorry sweetie, I only offer that service to friends. Kris and I go way back."
"Hmph. You have been a recurring thorn in my side for nineteen years. About time it served me some use."
"So rude," she bounced off of him like they were partners in a comedy duo. "You're always acting like you're better than me, just because you were born rich. Even half naked and fake drunk, you-"
"Was that really needed? I don't understand the necessity of drunkenness in that plan."
"Of course it was necessary," the lady turned to Trucy, mouthing the rest of the phrase: "to my amusement."
Trucy wanted to laugh, but then she realized what the lady was doing: distracting her. She felt around her clothes, searching for her belongings. "Where's my stuff?"
"I wiped your phone the second I found you. It's still in the Underworld." Lady Justice replied. "Can't have you calling the police on us. Oh, and Kris? You'll never believe what I found on this girl."
Trucy's heart sunk as she pulled the gun out. She thought she'd managed to hide that thing.
He chuckled. "A police issued handgun? Now, how did you get your hands on that?"
"I bet she stole it. I mean, what sort of police officer would send a girl to do their dirty work?"
"I didn't steal- that's none of your business!" Trucy clenched her fists, bringing them to her chest. Without her magician's gloves, she felt naked. "I only brought it as a last resort."
"And that's where you fail. Trucy, you did a lot of impressive things, for a girl on her own," he lectured her so calmly. It felt like she'd traveled back in time. "But you're still just a child. You think any other criminal would keep you alive, had you been spying on them?"
"So we are keeping her alive?" his accomplice looked at him from the passenger's seat. "I thought-"
"Naturally, we need to leave this city at the approved time. We will take the quickest course of action." Kristoph Gavin smiled at her through the mirror.
"You know, every time I imagined myself in Vegas, you weren't there. And for good reason." Trucy knew she shouldn't annoy him. But if he'd already decided to keep her alive... "Have you ever won a game of poker?"
"Calisto, who's the best trafficker in that city?"
"Hm... I gotta say, it's been a while. Half the people I knew are probably gone."
So he calls her Calisto, even though Kay said it wasn't her real name. I wonder why.
And trafficking? Really?
"We're here," he called out, parking the car in front of... the Grand Tower? "The helicopter is waiting."
"You're got a helicopter up there?"
"Of course. After air balloons, helicopters are a piece of cake. Now hold still," Lady Justice pointed the gun at Trucy, pulling another pistol out of the glove box. "Kris is gonna tie you up."
Before Trucy knew it, she was being transported to the top floor of one of the tallest buildings in the city. It only had fifty official floors, but rumor has it there were several extras to be found within. If the stories could be believed, some of the craziest criminal schemes of the century had occurred inside the Grand Tower. Maybe it was fitting, the two of them had brought her here.
Kay had been here before. She'd know what to...
Wait: the second they boarded the helicopter, Kay wouldn't be able to reach her. Kay probably didn't even know she was gone. There was no way Ema could find her without Kay's help.
The magician froze.
They wouldn't save her.
How could she have wasted so much time? She needed out of here, fast!
Heart pounding, Trucy "innocently" fiddled with her bonds. They weren't as rigid as police cuffs were, and the chain broke easily with friction. Still, she had to be careful to not move her hands. No use in letting them realize her freedom.
The doors slid open. There was no time to waste.
"Out of my way!"
She pushed ahead of her captors, ignoring their outrage. A bullet sailed above her head, striking the fake tree. And with that shot, it all came back to her.
"Beneath the tree on the right side, there was a hatch leading to a secret floor. I fell down there and lost consciousness. And memory."
She pulled at the trap door with all her might, mind whirring in the silent air. But it-
No. She just had to pull harder. It couldn't possibly...
It was locked.
She was dead.
A gun slid next to her head, almost in answer to her thoughts. She gulped, feeling the cold plastic against her ear.
"Come along, Trucy. I only shoot if you fight."
A gasp. From Calisto. "You-"
"Be quiet. And remember: we only shoot if you do."
A/N's: You have no idea how hard this chapter was to write. I swear, I rewrote it five times. And school's been a pain in the ass.
That said, enjoy. This is Rebirth's finale, part one, in which none of the excitement happens. Sorry. I saved it all for next chapter. Expect it to probably be the longest, since I have to not only end the action, but resolve the hanging threads.
Still, I hope you've enjoyed the ride with me. I can't believe it's almost over. This is the first story I've never felt forced to write a part of. I was excited the whole way through, and I hope it showed. Still, this IS my first full on AA fanfic (or mystery fic, for that matter), so constructive criticism is more than welcome.
On an unrelated topic... has anyone here ever been on AAO? It's this amazing site where people post fancases, and I'm obsessed. My favorites are: Turnabout Valley, Turnabout Proxy, The Broken Turnabout, Turnabout Nightmare, and The Virtual Turnabout, in that order. I suggest you play all of them.
But even if you don't... Thanks for reading, leave a review below, and I'll see you in part two!