Chapter 35: Train Of Consequences
At Cassie's residence, everyone arrived back. The main thing that everyone immediately got to work with (minus Nolan), was clearing up space on the first floor for Taven. Cassie's father already knew the general plan of where to place Taven's space. He spent 15 minutes organizing the space for Taven; as he was assisted by Ezekiel in the process. Once they wrapped up the process, Ezekiel went up to his room, while Cassie's father stayed to discuss things with Taven.
"So, will this space satisfy your needs?" asked Cassie's father.
"It will." responded Taven, as he laid down onto the bed, and placed his phone onto the small-sized counter next to bed. "After all, you promised the pay would be more than enough compensation, right? Or was that bullshit?"
"Never you worry. Once we have concluded, you shall have enough money for your own house, should you decide to acquire one in your future." stated Cassie's father. "Keep focus on our objective, which is locating Jane Kanker, as soon as possible, and retrieving what she stole from me."
"The job is all for you personally, for me, whether or not you get what you what, the bill's gonna be sufficient." said Taven, which made Cassie's father narrow his eyebrows.
"So be it. Keep focused, and you shall receive it." said Cassie's father, who sighed in annoyance. "But nevermind that, it's a damn shame Akira was so damn stubborn to listen. At least his power going out should tell him something."
"About the whole power thing, something seemed fishy about that to me." stated Taven.
"What?" asked Cassie's father, curious.
"Something tells me that it wasn't just a random short circuit, or a wire that unplugged. Think about it, how could the power go out at such a convenient time?" explained Taven. "I don't buy it. I will also add on, we didn't schedule anything with Akira, so it's not like he knew we were coming."
Cassie's father found it near impossible to believe the points that Taven had brought up. It was true, the power had gone out a bit too conveniently once he started to get more aggressive with Akira. Add onto that the fact that Akira would've been seen by someone, should he attempt to shut the power down.
"You are right Taven... does that mean we were being spied on by someone or something?" asked Cassie's father.
"I'm not sure, but you might be correct on that front. Got any suspects?" responded Taven.
"Hmm... I can only guess Cassie being a possible perpetrator, as she was the only one of our group not to be present." stated Cassie's father.
"No, I severely doubt your daughter is capable of pulling off such a feat. Besides, according to you, you only brought her along to convince your girlfriend that you going on a trip to Peach Creek, yes?" said Taven. "So your daughter is unlikely to be the one responsible. Do you have anyone else in mind that could be the one?"
"I don't. Everyone else was present." stated Cassie's father, as he looked upward. He then got an idea to figure out who it was. "Stay down here, I believe I've created a way for me to figure out who's responsible."
Cassie's father then made his way upstairs, heading towards his room with his daughter. Once he entered inside, he witnessed his daughter reading whilst listening to music. He only gave a quick glance at her, before then redirecting his attention to his laptop, which was still open; but with its screen completely dark. He walked on over, sat down, and entered in the password. To his surprise, the document that he created to write down all his entries and plans regarding the days was open, and seemingly read through by someone.
Cassie's father, getting an idea, decided to conduct a plan of his own to discover who it is. Before he put his idea into action, he first decided to ask his daughter some questions.
"Cassie, can we talk?" asked Cassie's father.
Cassie, who was wearing headphones that cancelled out noise, barely heard her father's voice. Even though she barely understood, she took off her headphones to more clearly understand him.
"What did you say?" asked Cassie, who was still reading.
"Can we talk for a moment?" responded her father.
"I suppose so... what's the deal?" said Cassie.
Her father took a deep breath before asking what he planned to ask.
"Do you believe, in all honesty, that there's a chance of your sister ever coming back to us? Of course, I say that as... she was only there once before, in a different lifetime, but do you still think there's a chance?" asked her father.
Cassie felt a rush of adrenaline flow through her brain; as if she were to be blunt about how she believes that his methods of returning her lost sister are bound for failure, she'll face his unpredictable temper. At the same time, she though that if she lied to him strictly to appease, he'd only become even more delusional. There was only do or die in this situation in Cassie's perspective.
In the end, she found a way to express her thoughts in an indirect manner.
"Well father, it's complicated to answer that one. Because for all I know, my sister could just enjoy being with your ex." said Cassie, attempting to sound as calm as possible. "But at the same time, maybe if we offer something to her that isn't overkill, or something that is simply too much, she might come around. However, it's important to see that your logic is in check."
"Hmm... I'm not sure I fully grasped the point you made there, but I guess you're saying maybe?" asked her father.
"Yes, I'm saying maybe. But again, just be logical about your decisions, okay?" responded Cassie, as she resumed reading to book, and listening to her music.
Her father could only sigh slightly in disappointment at the thought of his missing daughter still wanting to live with Jane Kanker. This was something he would simply refuse to tolerate, no matter the circumstances, so he continues on forward with his plans. He typed his next entry into the document, which detailed his plan to catch who could be the mystery person behind the shadows.
After he typed up his entry, he went back downstairs to further discuss things with Taven. Once he made it back to Taven, he pulled up a chair from the table, and placed it near Taven's bed.
"I've just set a plan for us to discover who this mysterious person is." said Cassie's father.
"What have you planned?" asked Taven.
"All I can say is, be prepared tomorrow at 6:30 PM or so to follow someone to the location of Jane Kanker. I'd suggest having Ezekiel accompanying you in this trip, as he is the most qualified to be keep concentration. Nolan can still do the job, but he'll make you suffer through endless jokes and quips." explained Cassie's father.
"While Nolan's cornball attitude is mildly annoying, you gotta admit, he does do a good job to keeping himself entertained. I guess he's the jokester of the group, but as long as he can still prove his part, it's fine with me." stated Taven. "Enough of that, the plan sounds interesting, but how exactly are you going to plan for us to follow someone? Also, how are you so sure that we will find the location?"
"I am positive we shall find the location of Jane Kanker, as I doubt that this person has another motive besides defending her." responded Cassie's father. "The basic plan is for you and whoever accompanies you to park near a location that will be close to where I shall be heading. Then, once you've found the persona, we shall follow them to get the location of Jane Kanker."
"Right, and once we find Jane's little place?" asked Taven.
"Destroy it, to ashes, to pieces, to whatever you have in mind." responded Cassie's father, which made Taven get curious.
"Alright perhaps I'm not getting why you're so obsessed with this Jane woman? Mind explaining what she did to get on your shit list?" asked Taven.
Cassie's father then explained for 10 minutes to Taven the major details of how Jane Kanker had, in other words, made his life a living hell, and practically stole the daughter they had away from him.
"It haunts me everyday, nothing is stopping me from saving her from Jane." stated Cassie's father, as Taven looked at him, unsure of what to say without setting off a fuse.
"Well, calm that energy down, and save it for when you actually begin your confrontation or whatever against Jane." said Taven, somewhat reluctantly. "Besides, you should be acting onto your ideas, not just saying them, you understand what I mean?"
The last statement gave Cassie's father an idea, however he'd require the assistance of Nolan to do said idea.
"I believe you've given me an idea that shall prove very much useful." said Cassie's father. "In fact, I think a good thing for you to do would be to have a conversation with Ezekiel regarding possible plans you can secure yourselves. More specifically, for what I have in mind tomorrow."
"Not bad of an idea boss. Alright, I'll see what he and I can do. Make sure the clown, or Nolan, can pull his weight." responded Taven.
The two made their way upstairs to the second floor, where both doors to Nolan's and Ezekiel's rooms were shut. Cassie's father and Taven made their way into the respective rooms, with both of them having a clear idea of what to do.
In Nolan's room, currently the man himself was occupied was testing the drone's laser, that he carelessly shot at the wall to the left of the door. Thankfully, it missed Cassie's father by quite a bit, as it left a burn mark on the wall, but he couldn't help but get annoyed regardless.
"What the hell do you think you're shooting!?" yelled out Cassie's father.
"Oh relax boss, I didn't think it was going to shoot! In fact, I thought that it wasn't prepared for that yet." responded Nolan, chuckling slightly. "In fact, I believe that since the shot left a mark on your precious wall, it's all ready for action!"
Nolan then turned himself to the other drone on his table, which lacked a laser dispenser, as its purpose was entirely different.
"And so is the spy drone aswell!" said Nolan, as he stated proudly at his work.
"Spy drone you say?" asked Cassie's father, as walked on over to the work table.
"Shall I demonstrate it?" said Nolan, as he turned the drone on, and it went up into the air, just barely touching the roof. Nolan used a remote control to bring it down slightly, and point it towards him and Cassie's father. Once done, Nolan took out his phone, and showed that the two of them were in the camera's view. Nolan also took the time to ensure the quality of the camera was of the highest quality he could make, so the two of them appeared crystal clear.
Cassie's father, a hard man to impress, couldn't help but be impressed with this creation; as it would be of great benefit to all of them, especially for his grand plan tomorrow.
"Whatever James Bond fantasy you've got, the drone can do it! Haha!" stated Nolan, laughing.
"Excellent work. The spy drone shall prove useful for tomorrow's plan." said Cassie's father, which got Nolan curious.
"Tomorrow's plan? Do tell more boss." stated Nolan.
"You will bring the drone near to the small field that is located near Peack Creek High School, and get a good view of the area." explained Cassie's father. "Is the drone capable of capturing photos or recording video?"
"Please! That was one of the things that came to it first!" responded Nolan, adopting a grin as he did so.
"Perfect. You will capture a recording or photo of the possible perpetrator that Taven has gotten suspicious of." said Cassie's father. "Then, when they escape, we shall track them down to Jane Kanker's residence:"
"Apologies if I sound rude, but why not use the laser drone instead? It can simply be set to a stun mode, as to avoid any serious harm we could do." asked Nolan, as he held up the laser shooting drone.
"No. That won't work. We want whoever it is to run away to the area they live in, so that we can then trace the address. You understand now?" responded Cassie's father.
"That's an amazing idea!" stated Nolan. "And with the spy drone, I can simply lead it to where this person retreats to, and search with the drone for Jane!"
"Perfect. Everything's all coming together..." said Cassie's father, with a small grin across his face.
Meanwhile, in Ezekiel's room, the man himself was surprised to see Taven, but was thankful to be talking to someone that wasn't Nolan.
"Something you require?" asked Ezekiel.
"Yeah, the boss wants us to talk some strategy for tomorrow, as he's got a big plan." responded Taven, as he took a seat on the couch inside the room. Ezekiel reluctantly sat down onto the couch aswell.
"Do you have any idea what he plans to do exactly?" asked Ezekiel, dreading the possibilities that are in the cards.
"Not really, but I told him that I think that someone; or something, was there at Akira's place, seeing as how the power to the house went off a bit too conveniently, don't you think? Anyways, he's got a plan to snuff this person out, and make them spit out some information about this Jane Kanker woman." explained Taven. "I'll be honest with you, I don't care at all for his family and all that sad tragic shit that happened. I only care how much this jobs pays."
"Is money the only reason you're here right now?" said Ezekiel, who raised his voice to be louder.
"It's not like him getting that daughter back gives me a raise. Besides, caring about his family troubles won't pay the bills, and that's a fact." responded Taven, as he rolled his eyes at Ezekiel.
"Fine. Whatever. But how are we going to help in this plan?" asked Ezekiel.
"As far as I know, we're gonna get this person or whoever it is to indirectly help us find Jane Kanker's residence. Once we do, I'm sure you know what the boss plans to do:" stated Taven.
"Yeah, it's madness. I can't believe that he thinks that destroying the home of his missing daughter is somehow going to get her to comeback to him." responded Ezekiel:
"I mean, the boss is the boss, right? Just follow what he says, and don't try to change his mind, that guy is hell bent on getting his revenge. Not even a bear or something would scare him into quitting." said Taven.
"The thing that worries me is... how far will he go? Like, I understand he is pissed, he wants revenge, he wants all this shit. But is there a limit?" asked Ezekiel, which made Taven think for a quick second.
"I'd think so, considering how the boss appears to be making us ensure that whoever we find during this plan doesn't get hurt, otherwise we might be stuck in a hard roadblock. Plus, it's best to avoid making the boss mad, as... he is the main leader, so to say." explained Taven.
"I don't know, I honestly think it'll take very little for him to break and go rogue." responded Ezekiel.
Taven got fed up with the constant second guessing and questioning from Ezekiel, so he decided to say something that he felt was appropriate for the current situation.
"Listen, if you don't want to do any of this crap, that's fine, you can drop out whenever you like. Just make sure the boss doesn't have a way to find you. Or that you become allies with Jane." stated Taven.
"I'd sooner believe Nolan would become allies with her, seeing as he constantly refers to how attractive she is." responded Ezekiel. "But I'll stick around, if nothing else to ensure that our boss is kept in check, and so is everyone else."
"Alright then. If it makes you feel any better, you aren't directly doing any of the stuff we plan out." said Taven. "Oh yeah, speaking of planning out and whatever, you're gonna join me tomorrow in conducting the plan that our boss has made . Just wait until he gets us together, and we'll got more organized, alright?"
"So be it I suppose..." stated Ezekiel.
On the other side of things, Cassie paused her reading to check the document that her father had typed into. To her surprise, the computer was still open, albeit with the screen completely black. After briefly moving the touchpad, she entered the password and entered the laptop. Cassie then finds the most recent entry.
"Week 3, Day 4.
The next meeting we shall have with someone of utmost importance. It may have gone poorly in regards to enlisting Akira, but nevertheless, I must remain focused. The next meet up we shall have will be at a small field located somewhat close to Peach Creek High School. It is of high note that we must NOT fail, if we do, we run the risk of the operation being a failure.
Remember, DO NOT FAIL."
It surprised Cassie how the entry wasn't nearly as detailed nor clear as the previous entry; but she dismissed that thought for the current moment, as she had a task to do.
In an instant, Cassie got her phone from her bed, and sent a text to everyone in the group conversation regarding her most recent discovery.
"Heads up everyone, my father is meeting someone near Peach Creek High School. According to what I read, he claims that this person is of utmost importance, and if he fails here, he'll most likely have to quit. You know what to do." read the text that Cassie sent out.
Afterwards, Cassie immediately switched the window to show something different; as to avoid giving a clue to her father that she looked through it. However, Cassie doesn't realize it, but that's something about the entry that might not be obvious to her from first glance.