Ener-D Thieves

Chapter 5-People of Interest

Morning arrived, and Kalin's hair was covering his face for some reason. Radley stirred and stared blearily at Kalin's hair. He tried to brush it aside.

Kalin mumbled out loud. "Whadayya doing?..."

"Your hair is on my face," Radley chuckled.

Kalin finally brushed his hair away.

"Oh, sorry about that..." his face blushed with embarrassment.

"That's alright," Radley said.

"So, the plan today is to visit the restaurant first?"

"Yeah, probably," Radley said.

"I'll let the others know," Kalin said. He then took his phone and texted. The others would be ready after breakfast.

"I'm going to get changed now."

"Okay." Radley went to fix breakfast.

Kalin looked at his phone and checked for any messages. Everyone had already sent messages about gathering after breakfast.

"I hope today we'll finally get answers about who these thieves are."

Radley nodded. "Me too." He soon had breakfast ready.

"Plus, we still don't know who the third bearer of the Dragons of the Ice Barrier is."

"Yeah, that's a puzzle," Radley said.

"Let's ask the others at the garage if they have a clue."

"I'm sure they don't," Radley said. "I'm surprised Yusei or Jack or Crow wasn't chosen. I'm surprised I was."

"Maybe it was because they were Signers in the past? But you? I also don't have a good answer," shrugged Kalin.

"The only explanation I got is that you and I work well together, which is true," Radley smiled.

"Yes, that's correct. Let's head to the garage now," the blue-haired man returned the smile.

"How about we eat first?" Radley chuckled.

"Alright. Can't work on an empty stomach now, can we?"

"I would certainly rather not," Radley said as he brought food over.

Kalin helped himself to some orange juice. "I wonder how the Bunch is taking in all this drama."

"They probably think it's cool that you and I have new dragons to help save the world," Radley said.

"Yeah, but we can't just rely on just on our dragons alone. We have to work as a team if we want to find these thieves."

"And they'll be by our side every step of the way," Radley said.

"Yeah. Are you ready to go to the City, Radley?"

"I am now," Radley said as he finished eating.

Kalin nodded at him and cleaned up the dishes. He then packed some drinks in his backpack. Radley helped with the dishes too and then was ready. Kalin stepped out and revved up his motorcycle. The engine made a bit of a rigid sound that surprised Kalin. He sighed and hit the side a few times.

Radley frowned. "That doesn't sound good."

"It must be cause of yesterday. That duel was the fastest I've ever driven this bike."

We'd better have it checked out before we go," Radley said.

"Alright, Radley," Kalin nodded.

He drove off, being very careful to not accelerate or brake too hard. Radley led him to the shop. The Bunch saw and followed.

"My motorcycle is need of some repairs," Kalin told the Bunch.

"Uh oh," Scotch said.

The mechanic came out to look at it.

"It must be because I pushed it too far dueling our battle against those thieves."

The mechanic examined it for problems.

"Gee, I hope it's not too bad," Scotch said.

"I hope not. Cause I'm certain there's more battles to come."

The mechanic looked back up at the Bunch and sighed. "You overheated the engine, Mr. Kessler."

Kalin gritted his teeth. "Darn it...how bad is it?"

"I'll have to work on it for a while," the mechanic said. "You'd better hope you don't need a new engine."

"Thanks. How long will it take? We were supposed to go to the City now."

"It'll be at least a few hours, and that's if you're lucky!" the mechanic said.

"Ah, that's a relief." He turned to Radley. "Do you think we should wait until repairs are complete. Or rent a car and drive to the City in that?"

"You could ride with me," Radley said.

"Alright, thanks Radley. Let's go then."

Radley smiled and they started out. Kalin gripped Radley's waist as he rode on his friend's motorcycle. Radley was happy to ride with him, and they all arrived safely.

"Well, that was a rough morning, but I'm glad we could make it," Kalin said as he walked up to the doorbell and rang it.

"Definitely," Radley said.

Yusei answered. "Hey, Kalin, everyone."

"Hey Yusei," Kalin smiled. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm great," Yusei said. "How are you guys? I saw you riding in with Radley."

"We had a bit of a rough morning. You see, when I turned on my motorcycle, it started making strange noises. So we sent it in for repairs."

"Uh oh," Yusei frowned. "Is it bad?"

"The mechanic said it'll take just a couple of hours. I hope he's right. Anyway, are you ready to go to the precent again?"

"Yeah, let's give it a go," Yusei said.

"Is Bruno ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Bruno appeared. "Let's go!"

"Let's hope that worker and her thugs can give us the info we need."

"Let's hope they're willing to," Bruno said.

They drove to the prescient and Crow asked the receptionist if they could speak to the restaurant worker they arrested.

"Yes, go ahead sir. "

Crow led them there. Once there, they met up with the rest of the team.

"Hey guys," said Leo. "How are you all doing?"

"We're fine," Bruno said. "Just ready to see if these guys will talk yet!"

"They better start talking! Or else!" exclaimed Jack.

An officer stepped forward.

"Are you the group that requested an interrogation?"

"That's right," Crow said.

"Alright, follow me," gestured the officer. He led them to the room with the former restaurant maid and her boss. The crooks glowered when they saw Team 5Ds.

"Okay, we want some answers!" Crow said.

"What's your connection to the dessert place?!" demanded Jack. He was furious that his favorite sweets shop was tainted by crooks.

"What do you mean? I worked there," the waitress snidely answered.

"Yes, we know. But why do you also work for this gang?" asked Jack.

"Why else? Being a waitress doesn't pay much," she retorted.

"And you think stealing other people's things is the right way to make money?" asked Luna.

"It doesn't bother me," she shrugged.

Kalin was slowly starting to lose his patience.

"Don't you realize what you are doing is wrong? These documents are meant to help New Domino City. Not ruin it!"

Radley laid a hand on Kalin's shoulder, but he was annoyed too.

"Us using the tech too shouldn't hurt the City," she said.

"The documents belong to Yusei. If you want to come up with a different type of tech, write your own documents," retorted Kalin.

"That's right," Yusei snapped. "Or hire someone to do it."

They didn't respond to that.

"Well?" asked Jack as he glared at them.

"We don't have to answer that," the waitress said. "It's not like us answering that would help you any way."

"I feel like we are running out of options..." whispered Luna.

"Where's the rest of your gang hiding?!" yelled Jack.

"You've got most of us, but we're not the only ones who want the tech," the boss growled.

"Who are the others?" asked Crow."

"We don't know. Others like ourselves."

"I did see multiple posts of people who would pay to get the tech," Bruno said. "We need to find the people who hired the original thugs to attack the garage. Unfortunately, they don't know who hired them!"

"That's right, Bruno, you did mention that yesterday!" exclaimed Leo.

"I guess we got all our possible answers from these two," said Akiza. "Perhaps it's time to go back to the garage and do more researching."

"I think so," Yusei agreed.

Radley was glad to leave.

"Geez, that was rough..." sighed Crow.

"My throat is parched from talking to those idiots," ranted Jack.

"Well, we've still got a long road ahead," Bruno sighed. "I wrote down all the places where those posts were made."

"How many places did you find?" asked Kalin.

"About half a dozen," Bruno said.

"That's a lot of places of interest," groaned Kalin.

"How are we supposed to find them all in a timely manner?" asked Jack.

"We can't and shouldn't do it all alone," Bruno said. "Sector Security can help."

"Bruno's right," nodded Crow. "I'll notify Chief Simington and Officer Trudge about what our suspects told us."

"Good idea," Yusei said. "They can help us look into all these places."

"Alright, I'll see you guys later," said Crow. He then waved to them, boarded his motorcycle, and departed for the precent.

"What do we do in the meantime?" asked Leo.

"We can check out one or two," Bruno said.

"What is our first location?" asked Kalin.

"A cafe downtown," Bruno said.

"Alright, team, let's go!" said Kalin.

They headed out. Once they entered it, the cafe looked peaceful and busy.

"Wow, this place is busy," said Luna in a surprised tone.

"Keep your eyes peeled at all times," warned Kalin.

Most customers seemed normal, but a couple seemed too seriously glued to the screens.

"Hey, guys, check out those people over there with the computers," said Leo. "They look intense."

"They could be legitimate businessmen," Radley said. "But we should investigate to be sure."

"I agree with Radley," nodded Kalin. He turned on his cell phone's recording app to capture everything the men were talking about.

The first man seemed to be having a legitimate conversation. The second was another auction-watcher.

"You know, they could have legitimate businesses and be looking to expand into the shady side of things," Radley said.

"It sounds like they are auctioning something related to technology," said Kalin. "I wonder what it could be..."

"Hmm." Radley looked more closely at the second person's screen. "... I think he's auctioning the documents for the reactor improvements! Even though he doesn't have them in hand!"

Yusei's eyes darkened. "Then we have to stop him."

"Wow, you have a sharp eye, Radley," said Akiza.

"It's why I made him my secretary," smirked Kalin. "Now let's put an end to that man's plans."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Jack.

"Yeah! ... But how?" Leo wondered.

"Good question. It'll be ill advised to just rush in there..." stated Akiza.

Radley nodded. "Maybe we should wait and see who's biting. We might be able to catch them too."

"I think we should make our move when he leaves. That way, no one will get hurt," said Luna.

"Yes, we'll wait," Radley agreed.

Eventually the guy got up and headed out.

"Let's go," Yusei said.

The team all hurried out of the cafe and rushed after the businessman. He got in his car and drove off. The others followed. He went to a big house and through the gates.

"Oh great, check out the guards outside..." muttered Jack.

"How do we get inside?" asked Leo.

"We still have the same problem that we could be considered trespassers and get arrested if we make the wrong move," Radley said.

"Do you have an idea, Yusei, Bruno?" asked Akiza.

"We could confront them with the truth of what we saw on the screen," Yusei said.

"I took a picture!" Scotch said.

"I took a video as well," said Kalin.

"Great! Let's go with that then." Bruno led them to the gates.

Everyone followed closely behind him. Kalin was reminded of the old days of when he was the leader of the Enforcers.

"What do you guys want?" a guard frowned.

"We need to talk to your boss," Yusei said.

"Why?" a second guard demanded.

"We believe he has something we need," replied Akiza.

"That doesn't tell me enough," the guard grumped.

"We also would like to know about the business your boss works for," added Kalin. Part of him wasn't sure what to say without giving the team's goals away.

"He's a very successful graphics designer," the guard said. "Which you should already know if you think he has something you want."

"Hmm, I was thinking of hiring him to make some new posters for my upcoming concert," said Kalin. He sweated a bit, hoping the guard would buy it.

"You're a singer?" the guard frowned. "Who are you?"

"Oh, he's very promising," Radley smoothly said. "The amazing Kalin Kessler!" He laid his hands on Kalin's shoulders from behind. "If you don't know him, you're living under a rock!"

"That's right. My new album is set to be released next year. I hope it'll satisfy my fans."

The guards grunted and exchanged looks.

"I'll tell the boss you're here," one said. He got out his phone and conversed for a moment. "... You can go in."

"Why, thank you!" Radley said. "He won't regret it!"

"Thank you, very much, sir," smiled Kalin.

When the guards granted them permission, Kalin breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Wow, that was awesome, Kalin!" smiled Leo.

"Yeah, you guys are great," Yusei smiled.

"Thank you," Radley said.

The man came out when they were inside. "Alright, what is this about?"

"Hello sir," waved Kalin. "My name is Kalin Kessler, leader of the band 'The Bunch'. We came here today to request a commission from you."

"What kind of commission?"

"We were wondering if you could help us design posters for our upcoming concert."

"I certainly can," the man said. "But I'll need to know more. What kind of music do you do?"

"I specialize in rock n' roll," answered Kalin.

"Old school stuff? I can make retro posters."

"Sure, that would be great. What is the cost?"

"There's different prices depending on how elaborate you want." He quoted different prices for various levels.

Kalin examined the various styles and prices. He wasn't sure how to pretend to be interested in commissioning this suspect, so he turned to Yusei and Radley.

"Ok, we go this man excited. What's our next step?"

Radley examined everything too. "Somehow we need to get into the real topic..."

He smiled. "This one here looks like what we're looking for." He held one up.

"Is this all you do?" Yusei asked. "Do you also sell merchandise?"

"Like personalized merchandise for your concerts? Sure," the guy said.

"What about something like ... sensitive documents people would pay a lot for?" Yusei asked.

The guy froze. "What?!"

"I might be interested, if you do," Yusei said.

"That would be illegal," the guy huffed.

"We want to know if you have any knowledge of such people," said Akiza.

"If I did, would I tell you?" he retorted. "What can you give me to prove you're not just trying to get me in trouble?"

"How about this?" Radley took a wad of bills out of his pocket.

"... Yeah, that helps," the guy said. "So what are you looking for?"

"We're looking for the leader of the organization," said Luna.

"Do you have any clues that can help us?" asked Leo.

"If you want documents, why go to a hypothetical leader?" the man frowned.

"We've had people fail us before," Radley said smoothly. "We want to talk to the head honcho to make sure he understands we won't tolerate another one."

"I'm just a buyer," the guy said. "There's no one above me."

"Are you certain?" asked Kalin. "I guess we have to trust your words. If not, there will be dire consequences." Kalin's expression darkened.

The guy looked mad rather than intimidated. "This is my house! Where do you get off threatening me? I could have you all gunned down, say you were caught trying to rob me, and just take your money."

"Yes, you certainly could," Radley said. "Well, as long as we understand each other."

"So. We'll talk business," the guy said. "What documents do you want? The ones everyone's after right now, for the Ener-D reactor?"

"We're not after any particular documents," said Jack. "We just want a way to stop the criminals from using them. There will be dire consequences if they fall into the wrong hands!"

"That's the pot calling the kettle black," the guy snorted. "Aren't you guys all crooks too?"

"No, we're superheroes!" said Leo.

"Superheroes?!" The guy looked incredulous.

"Yeah, a fan of us said so!" smiled Leo.

"So ... you want to catch the crooks, and you'll pay me to help you?" the guy blinked.

"Yes, exactly," Radley said.

"Are you in?" asked Kalin.

"It's probably dangerous," the guy frowned.

"This is nothing compared to what we've dealt with before," scoffed Jack.

"But can you protect me?" he demanded.

"Of course we can, sir," smiled Luna.

He didn't look so sure, but he just grunted. "Well ..." He looked at the money. "Alright. So how do we do this?"

"Advertise that you've got the documents and you'll sell to the highest bidder," Yusei said. "Get them all to come out."

"Do we have a deal?" asked Kalin.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll try it. But you'd better protect me! They're going to get angry when they realize it's a trick to catch them!"

"Don't worry sir, we'll keep you safe. You can be sure of that," stated Akiza.

"We may need that third dragon," Radley said in concern.

"I wonder if the dragon has found a bearer?" wondered Kalin.

"I also wonder how Officer Trudge is doing?" asked Luna.

The man hmphed but went to place the announcement on the dark web.

"It seems they would have shown up if so," Radley said.

"We should tell him about all this," Yusei said, and moved to call.

Trudge was staking out another of the places where a message had originated.

"Did Trudge get the message, Yusei?" asked Jack.

"I really hope we can stop these criminals in time for New Years," said Leo.