The Case of the Gold Thief-Part Three
by HA
"What the...?" Bo asked as Bart ran out of the cafeteria.
"After him!" Shirley ordered. Her friends and the two Strangers joined her getting out of their seats and running after Bart, leaving their schoolmates to ponder how their Jello changed colors. No one tried to stop the young detective and her friends. The lunch monitors were trying to stop the students from eating the Jello.
Meanwhile, Bart was running after the boy he saw. The boy turned a corner and Bart followed suit. He found himself at the back of the school. The boy stood there and smiled, his hands in his pants pockets.
Despite the Sussex Academy uniform, Bart knew the boy was no student. He spotted the long scar on the boy's right cheek. "It is you," he said.
"But of course," the boy said with a sneer.
"How...?"
The boy wagged his finger. "Never underestimate us, Bart. Never."
"You're the one who did the Jello color change," Bart declared.
"Good guess," the boy said.
"Why?" Bart asked, reaching into his pocket.
"Oh, that's for me to know and your detective friend to find out," the boy answered. "I think she'll be catching up with you any moment now." He started to pull something out of his pocket. "In the meantime, we should try to settle our little score."
Bart found what he was looking for and started to pull it out. "We don't have to do this," he said, pulling out a pen-like object.
"But we have to. Defend yourself!" The boy took out his weapon. After a moment of inaction, Bart fired.
It was Shirley who first heard the strange noise in the distance. "Huh?"
"Sonic boomer fire," Rika concluded.
"Sonic boomer? You mean that pen-like thing?" Bo asked. He knew what one was. He saw one in action.
Rika nodded. "It came from there," she said, pointing
"It's definitely Bart," Katrina said. "His thoughts are distinct."
"What exactly is he thinking?" Blake asked.
"He was trying to be rational with someone a while ago," Katrina answered. "Now he is thinking survival."
They ran to where the sound came from. Once they reached the back of the school, they saw two boys rolling in the grass.
"That's them," Blake said, speeding up.
"Wait for me." Bo dashed after Blake.
"You hesistated, Bart," the boy said with a sickly grin, pinning the young paranormalist. He held the metal claw on his hand to Bart's face. "You could've killed me with one shot. All you did was sting me."
"I'm not you," Bart answered angrily, trying to catch his breath.
"But you are. You've got to be mad enough to kill me after what I've done." The boy got into Bart's face, showing the scar. "Look at it! It's your fault I have it! You ruined everything! Everything!"
Bart kicked the boy off him, then got up. "I didn't mean to."
The boy picked himself up and glared at Bart, then laughed. "Come on, Bart! Let's continue our little dance." He charged, his claw ready to strike.
Bart dodged the swing of the claw, then another. "Hold still, Bart! I just want to give you a gift! The same one you gave me!" the boy shouted, still swinging.
Bo tackled the boy from the side. "What's your problem?" Bo demanded, struggling to hold his prisoner.
The boy tried to take a swing at Bo, but Blake showed up and pinned the claw to the ground. "Better answer the man," he suggested.
"Why don't you ask Bart?" the boy said, grinning. He slipped his hand out of the claw and cold-cocked Bo in the face. Bo fell back and before Blake could subdue the boy, he received a sweep kick, sending him to the ground. While Bo clutched his head in pain, Blake and the boy got up and faced each other.
Blake made the first move and threw a punch. The boy sidestepped it and grabbed his arm. He delivered a punch to Blake's stomach. As he clutched his stomach, his opponent knocked him down with a kick to the face.
Bo and Blake groaned and tried to get their bearings back. The boy looked at them with disgust. "Pathetic," he said, almost spitting the word out. He looked at Bart. "You mean you never told them, Bart? They're your friends, right? Don't they have the right to know about that little swim you took? Don't they want to know what I did to Daddy?"
Enraged, Bart aimed his sonic boomer and fired repeatedly. The boy dodged all the shots, then pulled a laser gun out of his pocket. He returned fire, which Bart dodged.
"I'm surprised you didn't use that first," Bart said.
"I wanted to cut you first, Bart. Guess I'll just have to kill you the easy way." The boy was about to fire again when the gun flew out of his hand. "What?" he exclaimed.
The gun flew into Katrina's hand. Shirley and Rika ran to the fallen Bo and Blake. "Are you two okay?" Shirley asked.
"Besides the small headache and the pain in my body? I'm fine," Bo quipped as Rika helped him up.
"I'll live," Blake said as Shirley helped him up. Bo could not help but glare at him.
"So, the detective's here," the boy said, seeing Shirley. "The one Mr. E wants dead."
"Mr. E?" Blake said.
"You're an ENIGMA agent?" Shirley asked, surprised at his youth.
"One of ENIGMA's best," the boy boasted.
"Guess that explains the train," Bo said.
"Oh, that's just the beginning," the boy said, grinning. He looked behind him, then at the other kids. To Shirley, it seemed he was waiting for someone. "When we're through, you'll wish you kept your nose out of our business, little girl."
"You're really cocky for a guy who's clearly outnumbered," Rika pointed out.
The boy looked behind him again. "Where is he?" he fumed.
Bo managed to look at the boy. "What's wrong? Your ride not here yet?"
The boy growled at Bo. Rika started walking up to him, ready for a fight. "Be careful! He's stronger than he looks!" Blake warned.
"Tell me about it," Bo said, wincing from the pain and hoping nothing was broken.
"I can handle him," Rika said.
The boy faced Rika, then saw a gray car drive up at a quick speed. "Another time, I'm afraid," he said, reaching into his pocket. "My ride's here."
"Get back!" Shirley shouted as the boy pulled out something small.
"I'll kill you and your detective friend later, Bart!" the boy shouted, throwing the object to the ground. It exploded and released a large cloud of dark gas. Everyone coughed and gagged. Shirley heard a car door open and slam shut, then the sount of a car engine at full speed. The smoke cleared long enough for the young detective to see the car take off.
"Is everyone all right?" Shirley asked as the gas dissapated.
"We are all right," Katrina answered.
"We're still here, so we're okay," Bo answered, waving away some smoke.
Blake saw Bart watching the car make its high speed getaway. "Bart?" he asked.
"That was him?" Rika asked her fellow Stranger.
Bart kept his intense stare at the car. "That was him."
Rika pulled out her comlink. "I'm telling Arthur." She dialed the right number.
Bo saw the claw the boy left behind. "At least we have a clue," he said, reaching down for it. He failed to notice the flashing light on it.
Katrina noticed. "Get away from that!" she shouted. With a wave of her hand, Bo was flung a safe distance away in time, for the claw exploded. Seeing the same thing happening on the gun, she tossed it skyward. The weapon exploded in the air harmlessly.
"Bo!" Shirley ran up to her friend, who picked himself up from where Katrina flung him. "Are you all right?" she asked with concern.
Bo brushed himself off. "Well, my mom's going to wonder why my pants are so dirty," he replied. "You could've just thrown the rigged weapon instead of me," he said to Katrina.
"I'm sorry, but saving you came first to my mind," Katrina said.
Shirley watched the smoke clear in the sky and on the ground. "Apparently ENIGMA doesn't want any of their little toys to fall into enemy hands."
"That's a definite," Rika said in agreement.
"Bart, who was that guy?" Blake asked, facing the young paranormalist. "He seemed to know you."
Bart said nothing to his friend. "Well?" he asked Rika, who was finished talking on her comlink.
"Arthur's informed everyone who's not off on a case," Rika replied. "Problem is, almost everyone's off on a case. We got two of the Think Tank still in Redington, but not much."
"Is Susan on a case?" Bart asked.
"Yes," Rika answered. "She's went with Lucy to investigate a ghost sighting in Texas."
"When did they leave?" Bart asked.
"An hour ago," Katrina answered, checking her watch.
"That's good. At least she'll be safe," Bart said. "Better to face a ghost than him."
Shirley and Bo walked up to Bart. "What's going on, Bart?" Bo asked. "Who was that guy?"
Recalling something, Bart gave Shirley a serious look. "I have information on ENIGMA that you'll like," he said. "It's very important."
"Information on ENIGMA?" Blake asked. "My dad would be interested."
"Um, can it wait?" Bo said urgently. He saw people heading their way. He recognized the forms of Ms. Stratmann and two other teachers. "I really don't want to explain what just happened here."
"You won't," Katrina said. The silver-haired psychic closed her eyes, then opened them after a minute. "Problem solved."
"What do you mean by that?" Shirley asked.
"You'll find out," Rika said, grinning.
Ms. Stratmann arrived on the scene. Standing in front of the kids, she spotted the burnt spot where the claw was once. "What in the world?" she exclaimed. "I guess that's where the explosions happened." She scanned the area. "And no one in plain sight. How typical. They always leave the scene of the crime."
Bo blinked. "'No one in plain sight'? What is she talking about? She's standing right next to us."
"Maybe it was some juvenile delinquents with firecrackers?" one teacher asked. Shirley noticed he was unaware of their presence.
"Could be," the other said.
The kids watched as Ms. Stratmann huffed and paced. "First all the gelatin turns yellow, then this. Oh, what I wouldn't give for a normal day."
"We should leave," Katrina recommended.
"We should," Shirley agreed.
"Good idea," Bo said, a little creeped out. "Let's go."
As they left Ms. Stratmann and the two teachers to ponder what happened, Blake looked at Katrina. "What did you do?" he asked.
"I clouded their minds so they couldn't see and hear us," Katrina answered without looking into Blake's face.
"You what?" Bo exclaimed.
"She placed a thought in their heads to make them believe no one was here," Rika explained.
"It isn't the only time she did this," Shirley pointed out.
"Huh?" Blake said, confused.
"Ms. Stratmann is a stickler for order, and I doubt she approves of your real hair color," Shirley said to Katrina. "I've observed how normal she acts around you while everyone stares. Therefore, you planted a suggestion in her mind your hair color is normal."
"To be accurate, black," Katrina responded.
"Why not make the entire school think that your hair is black?" Blake asked. "It might avoid all that staring."
"I got used to it," Katrina replied. "Besides, Ms. Stratmann's the main problem."
"Ever heard of hair dye?" Bo asked. Katrina responded with a cold stare. "Um, guess that's not an option," he said, a little unnerved by the girl's icy-blue eyes.
"Let's go," Rika recommended. "Katrina can't keep both illusions up for long."
"I can," Katrina assured her.
"Still, we can't stay invisible to everyone for long," Rika reminded her fellow Stranger.
"True," Katrina acknowledged.
Shirley, her friends, and the Strangers left the scene of the fight. Once out of the area, Katrina deactivated the mental illusion and all of them returned to the cafeteria as if nothing happened. They found their schoolmates still studying the changed Jello. Shirley grabbed a Ziploc bag out of her backpack and dumped hers inside.
"Take-out?" Bo joked.
"Sample for analysis," Shirley answered.
"Let's hope no one got poisoned," Blake said.
Bart looked around. "You and me both, Blake," he said with a seriousness unlike him. "You and me both."
In the getaway vehicle, the boy glared at the driver. "You're late," he said angrily as he put away the self-destruct device.
The ENIGMA agent behind the wheel gulped. "I'm sorry, Number Nine-Nine, but traffic was difficult to navigate through."
"Excuses, excuses," the boy grumbled.
Both heard a beep. The ENIGMA agent touched a button on the panel. "Sir, it's a transmission from Number Nine."
"Patch it in to my monitor," Number Nine-Nine ordered.
The ENIGMA agent obeyed, and the metal-masked face of Number Nine appeared on the monitor before Number Nine-Nine. "ENIGMA forever!" he saluted.
"Did you accomplish your task?" Number Nine asked.
"Oui, Uncle," Number Nine-Nine answered. "The Jello changed color, just as you predicted."
"A little hint for our resident detective. Were you spotted?"
"An old acquaintance recognized me. The detective saw me as well."
"Hmmmmm...you do know the Red Zone Directive, correct?"
"Oui, but I was outnumbered, Uncle. I had Bart all to myself, then his friends had to show up and ruin everything."
"Don't lose your focus, Number Nine-Nine. The detective is a greater threat to ENIGMA than some budding ghost chaser. Rendezvous with me so we can carry out the next part of our plan."
"Oui, Uncle," Number Nine-Nine answered.
"As for the James boy, deal with him after we complete our objectives. Consider it a perk." The screen went off.
"Nnnnnnnngh!" Number Nine-Nine doubled up in pain suddenly. He clutched his chest and increased his breathing. Sweat squeezed out of his pores.
"Sir, are you all right?" the ENIGMA agent asked.
"I'm fine!" Number Nine-Nine reached into his pocket and pulled out a medicine vial. Snapping off the cap, he shook a number of blue pills out. Not caring if he was over the recommended dosage, he tossed them into his mouth and chewed them like they were candy.
"Sir?" the ENIGMA agent asked.
Number Nine-Nine took deep breaths, relieved the pain had subsided. "I am fine," he answered as he gasped for air and wiped his brow. "Take me to my uncle at once."
"Yes, sir," the ENIGMA agent said.
Regaining his composure, Number Nine-Nine stroked the scar, his eyes widening with each touch. "Oh, it won't be long, Bart. We'll get rid of your detective friend and I'll make you pay for ruining my beautiful face. Oh yes, you'll pay dearly." He giggled madly as he continued to stroke his scar.
Unnerved by his superior, the ENIGMA agent tried his best to focus on the road.
"It's called the Red Zone Directive," Bart said to his friends in his dorm room after school. Shirley and the others went there to get the information Bart had. The junior detective listened as the budding paranormalist continued. "ENIGMA sees you as a big threat to their operations, Shirley, so they authorized their top agents to handle assignments in Redington and the surrounding area. That's the Red Zone. They know you love mysteries, so if you show up to interfere, they'll kill you."
Shirley remembered the last ENIGMA agent she encountered. The dragon-masked man who identified himself as Number Eight had said that if he failed, then the others would carry out their leader's order to kill her. These top agents had to be them.
"In other words, ENIGMA's painted a big bullseye on Shirley," Bo said.
"They're going to send their best, huh?" Blake said. "Any info about them, Bart?"
"They're powerful and are known as the Elite Eight. They make up ENIGMA's High Command and answer only to Mr. E and Number One," Bart replied. "They're the only ones who know who Mr. E is."
"Well, that's wonderful," Bo remarked.
"That's not the worst part," Bart said solemnly.
"There's more?" Bo said.
"ENIGMA has files on everyone, Shirley," Bart informed the budding sleuth. "You, Bo, Blake, Stink, Alicia, Molly, your family...they have files. Very extensive files. They know everything about us."
"Not a good sign," Blake said.
"You got that right," Bo agreed.
"Who was your source?" Shirley asked. Bart bowed his head and said nothing, which told Shirley all she needed. "It was that boy, wasn't it?"
Bart broke his silence and faced Shirley. "He was bragging to me how the Elite Eight would kill you. How they'd present your head as a trophy to Mr. E at Shadow Axis."
"Shadow Axis?" Blake wondered.
"The code name for ENIGMA's main base," Bart explained.
"That's nice. Now if only we knew where ENIGMA's main base was," Bo said snidely.
"And who Mr. E is," Blake added seriously. "I have a score to settle with him."
Shirley looked at her friend with concern. She could not blame Blake for being angry with the criminal mastermind. ENIGMA did try to kill his father. She returned her attention to Bart. "Who was that boy?" she asked again. Getting no answer, she turned to Rika, who had accompanied them. Katrina had gone home, citing that something needed her attention. "Do you know who he is?" she asked the Stranger.
Rika nodded, then looked at Bart. "Bart, Shirley is your friend. You have to tell her and the others what happened."
Bart hesistated. "Bart, what happened on that case?" Blake asked kindly.
Bart looked at Shirley, then at Blake, and lastly at Bo. He sighed. "I guess I should. Besides, you'll find out sooner or later, Shirley."
"Who was that boy?" Shirley asked.
Bart took a deep breath. "His rank is Number Nine-Nine. My group encountered him while we were helping the Bigfeet."
"Bigfeet?" Bo realized something. "You mean as in Bigfoot?"
"That's correct," Rika said. "Bart and his group helped them escape some hunters looking to exhibit them for their own profit." She smiled at Bart. "He was the hero of that case."
"Bart? A hero?" Bo was astonished. "Our Bart?"
"I did what I had to do," Bart said.
"What happened?" Bo asked.
Bart took another deep breath before starting his tale. "My first case as a member of the Strangers' Club was to assist in helping a family of Bigfeet migrate to the northern mountains. Unfortunately, one of the kids was spotted by a camper, and soon a lot of hunters showed up. One of them was Number Nine-Nine, who was hired to bring at least one Bigfoot to some rich guy in France."
"You succeeded, right?" Blake asked.
"Yeah, but not before things got complicated," Bart answered.
"How?" Shirley asked.
"Well, we were able to get the family out of there and thwart the hunters. We managed to get rid of most of them."
"Most of them?" Bo asked.
Shirley understood. "Number Nine-Nine remained."
Bart nodded. "ENIGMA had a base underneath the nearby lake," he revealed. "Number Nine-Nine wasn't happy he didn't catch a Bigfoot, so he sent out agents to catch one. From what I've seen, he doesn't like to fail."
"How do you know all this?" Blake asked.
"Because I snuck into the base by myself," Bart said.
"And why would you do a stupid thing like that?" Bo asked, amazed Bart would take such a risk.
After a pause, Bart spoke. "Because he took Susan."
END OF PART THREE
