The Case of the Gold Thief--Part Four
by HA
"What?" Bo responded.
Bart continued. "He took Susan while we were talking outside the motel we were staying at."
"What were you talking about?" Shirley inquired.
Bart bowed his head. The young detective noticed a creeping blush on her friend's face. "Um, anyway, we were talking, then I was hit on the head from behind. The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was Number Nine-Nine and some ENIGMA agents taking Susan away." He closed his eyes. "I can remember his exact words as he took Susan away. 'Can you save her, Bart? Can you?'"
"So you just went after them by yourself?" Blake asked.
"As soon as I was up," Bart answered. "Hiroshi was the one who found me."
"How did you find the base?" Shirley asked. "I don't think this Number Nine-Nine told you directly."
"Yeah, Bart. ENIGMA agents aren't exactly direct," Bo commented.
"He told me," Bart said. "He used a riddle."
"Do you remember it?" Shirley asked.
"I can't forget it," Bart said, then recited the riddle. "'It can give life and take it away. It can change shape and form. It can be comfortable or not. What is it?'"
"Water," Shirley answered without a second thought. "It's necessary for people to live, but it can be poisoned or people can drown in it. It can be a liquid, a gas, and a solid. It can be comfortable if hot and uncomfortable if cold."
Bo scoffed. "That was an easy one."
"I believe that was the point," Rika remarked.
"What happened next?" Blake asked.
"Well, I went alone after making Hiroshi promise not to tell anyone," Bart recalled.
"And why would you do a stupid thing like that?" Bo asked. "I think if you're going to storm an ENIGMA hideout, you'll need a few Strangers to back you up."
"On further reflection, that would've been a good idea," Bart sighed. "However, I wanted to prove to the others I could handle myself, especially after everyone else kept saving my life. I wanted to prove what I did wasn't just a fluke. Besides..." He bowed his head and spoke in a barely audible voice. "It was my fault. I should've been ready for them."
"They took you by surprise, Bart," Rika said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "You couldn't have known."
"We can't know the future until it happens," Shirley said to her friend.
"At least not you," Bo said. "I can't say the same for the other Strangers, though."
Bart cracked a smile. "Well, none of us can see into the future. Not even Katrina."
"I presume you were captured," Shirley stated matter-of-factly.
"Yeah," Bart admitted. "I found the entrance to the lake base. They were waiting for me."
"What did they do to you?" Blake asked.
Bart took a deep breath. "Besides the constant bragging I endured from Number Nine-Nine while I was tied in a chair, I had to watch him torture Daddy with a cattle prod."
"'Daddy'?" Shirley asked, blinking.
"The Bigfoot father," Bart explained. "ENIGMA caught him straggling. They locked him in a cage for transport to their employer." He sighed. "He just kept shocking him. Zap, zap, zap." With each "zap," Bart pretended to thrust something. "He kept taunting him. Laughing at him."
"A sadist," Shirley observed.
"Definitely loves his work," Bo commented.
"What happened to Susan?" Blake asked.
"They had her blindfolded and tied up in a dark room," Bart answered. "They didn't do anything to her. They just left her there. I found her after the other Strangers stormed the place."
Rika rolled her eyes. "Hiroshi was never good at keeping his mouth shut. In this case, it was a good thing."
"So you and the Strangers kicked ENIGMA butt, huh?" Bo asked excitedly.
"Yeah," Bart said. "We freed Daddy and we tried to get out, but Number Nine-Nine tried to stop us."
"By himself?" Blake asked, a little surprised.
"From what I've seen earlier, Number Nine-Nine's tougher than he looks," Shirley recalled.
"Tell me about it. I'm still feeling the pain he dished out," Bo said, feeling the places where he was hit. "How'd you get away, Bart?"
"I didn't," Bart answered gravely.
Bo's ears perked up. "Come again?"
"I became a decoy," Bart explained. "Since Number Nine-Nine hated me so much, I drew him away from the others while they escaped. I lured him to a faraway place, but I was trapped. Then he fired a missile..."
"A missile?" Bo asked.
"Take my word for it. It was a missile," Bart said. "Unfortunately for him, the wall behind me kept the water out. Also, one of the Strangers went back for me and got me out of the way in time..."
"And the explosion broke the barrier between the base and the lake, causing a flood," Shirley concluded. "You were caught in it."
Bart forced the words out of his mouth. "It happened too fast. We tried to get away, but we were overwhelmed." Shirley noticed that Bart was shaking a little. "I felt my lungs fill up with water and I blacked out."
"But someone rescued you and your fellow Stranger," Shirley said.
"The Bigfoot and Damian rescued them in time," Rika stated.
"Damian? As in Lucy Knight's cousin? The creepy guy in black?" Bo asked. He pictured a tall boy with pale skin wearing a black coat and gloves.
"The one and the same," Rika said with a smile. "Good thing Susan knew CPR, right, Bart?"
Everyone watched as blood flooded Bart's face. "Uh, right," he said nervously.
"Well, that was a great way to come back to life," Blake said with a grin.
Shirley looked at Rika, but it was Bo who gave voice to what she had on her mind. "He could have been killed."
"But he wasn't," Rika said reassuringly. "We Strangers stick together and we've never lost a member."
"It better stay that way," Bo said, giving Rika a look.
"I'm fine, guys," Bart said.
"Until you saw Number Nine-Nine," Shirley pointed out. "You thought he drowned in the flood."
Bart nodded. "Some of the other Strangers thought he survived. I sure didn't. At least until he showed up in the cafeteria."
"Why has he exhibited such feelings of animosity towards you?" Shirley asked.
"Did you see the scar on his face?" Bart replied.
"Yeah," Bo said. "It was a nasty one."
"I gave him that scar," Bart revealed.
"You?" Blake said, surprised. During the time he lived in Redington, Blake did not see Bart as being the aggressive type.
"It was an accident," Bart said. He dug into his pocket and showed his sonic boomer "I had this. He had a bigger one. I fired just as he was about to. My shot hit his. His weapon exploded and a piece of shrapnel made that scar."
"So he wants you dead because of an accident," Bo stated. "The guy needs help from a shrink. Major help."
Rika studied Shirley's face. "You don't look surprised about the existence of a boy being an ENIGMA agent."
"Blake's father mentioned once ENIGMA employed young people in their crimes," Shirley recalled.
"Yeah, but they were usually dupes," Blake added. "In the cases my dad researched, he never found any instances of child ENIGMA agents."
"There's got to be a first time for everything," Bo quipped.
A low beeping sounded off. Shirley searched for the source and noticed it was coming from Bart and Rika. Both Bart and Rika reached into their pockets and pulled out their comlinks. Bart was the first to answer. "Bart here," he said.
"Ah, Bart." Everyone recognized the voice of Arthur Kingston. "There's something that might interest Shirley. She's with you, correct?"
"Y-yes," Bart said with some surprise. "She's right here."
"May I speak to her?" Arthur asked.
Bart held out his comlink to Shirley. "He wants to speak to you."
Shirley took the comlink and found herself looking at the bespectacled face of Arthur Kingston. "Hello, Shirley," the president of the Strangers' Club greeted, his red pipe in his hand.
"Arthur," Shirley said with a nod. "What is it?"
"You may want to go to the middle of town," Arthur replied, adjusting his glasses. "There's something there that might interest you."
* * * * *
After thanking Arthur, Shirley and her friends rushed to the middle of town. On their way, they passed backed-up cars filled with impatient drivers. Some honked their horns. Others swore. One yelled at a nearby policeman, "Hey, what's going on?"
Shirley observed the policeman was as baffled as everyone else. "Believe me, sir, I'm trying to figure that out," the teen-age sleuth heard the policeman reply.
"Man, talk about a traffic jam," Bo complained over the noise as he and the others walked on the sidewalk.
"Indeed," Shirley said.
"Reminds me of Tokyo traffic on a bad day," Rika commented as her gaze fell on the long lines of cars.
Blake followed Bart. "Hey, Bart," he said to his friend.
"Yes, Blake?" Bart asked.
"Just out of curiosity, where did you get that jacket?" Blake inquired. The new Stranger was wearing a gray-and-black sports jacket with alien faces on the front and back.
"Susan gave it to me as a welcoming gift," Bart answered.
"You two have really hit it off, huh?" Blake said.
"You could say that," Bart said, blushing again.
"Oh boy," Bo said, rolling his eyes.
Rika pointed to the front. "There's the source of the problem."
The kids hurried to the spot and saw the cause of the traffic jam. "Looks a lot bigger than it did on the comlink screen," Bo commented.
A large platform with a dome on top sat in the middle of the intersection. Cars surrounded it from all sides. The drivers honked endlessly at it without any response.
"I'm seeing a pattern," Shirley stated, noticing the vehicle's golden hue.
"I'm seeing the local law," Bo said, pointing out the number of policemen surrounding the mysterious vehicle. Two men in suits were directing the officers in examining it and keeping onlookers from getting too close.
"Dad?" Blake said, recognizing one of them.
"And Detective Tremain," Bo said, recognizing the other.
"Know him?" Bart asked Bo.
"Yep," Bo answered.
"Come on," Shirley told her friends as she advanced towards Inspector Christopher Hewitt.
A policeman spotted the junior sleuth and her friends. "Hold it right there! This scene is off-limits!" he warned.
Inspector Hewitt spotted them. He looked relieved upon seeing the great-grandniece of Sherlock Holmes. "Let them through!" he shouted.
"Sir?" The officer looked at his superior with a puzzled look.
"It's my son," Inspector Hewitt said, pointing to Blake. "He's bringing me something I asked for. Isn't that right, Blake?"
"Sure, Dad," Blake said, playing along. "You forgot your...um..." He dug into his pocket and yanked out the first thing he found. "...your lucky...handkerchief!" He held up a green handkerchief decorated with shamrocks.
"Thanks, son!" Inspector Hewitt turned to the officer. "I'll handle this. You help the others keep the passers-by away from this thing."
Once the officer joined the other policemen, Shirley and the others joined Inspector Hewitt. Detective Tremain walked up to the group. "Why is it that you always show up when there's trouble, Princess?" he asked Shirley.
"What's going on?" the teen-age sleuth asked the Interpol inspector.
"Apparently this thing came out of nowhere and landed in the middle of this intersection," Inspector Hewitt explained, pointing to the domed platform. "Witnesses said it just drove up out of nowhere."
"I can see that," Shirley said, eyeing the tank treads on the platform's sides.
"Hold on a minute," Bo said, holding up his hand. "This thing just rolled in here? Why? To tie up traffic?" Bo had to raise his voice over the shouting and honking.
"They're doing a good job so far," Bart said, observing the large number of angry drivers and curious bystanders.
"I assume you know who's behind this?" Inspector Hewitt asked Shirley and her friends.
"Who else would?" Shirley said matter-of-factly.
"Just the friendly folks down at Shadow Axis," Bo quipped.
Inspector Hewitt blinked. "Shadow what?"
"Come again?" Detective Tremain asked.
"Shadow Axis. That's the name of ENIGMA's main base," Blake explained to his father.
"Interesting." Inspector Hewitt rubbed his chin and looked thoughtful. "You guys really have to let me know where you get your information."
"No kidding," Detective Tremain grumbled, wondering how a few kids knew more about a secret organization than the police.
"We'll tell you everything, Dad," Blake said. "Right?" he asked Bart.
"Definitely," Bart answered with a nod.
Thanks, guys. I'd appreciate it," Inspector Hewitt said.
"Look!" Rika exclaimed, pointing to the dome.
All eyes watched as the dome rose from the platform, revealing a column with four circles. The top of the dome opened, followed by the column's circles. The sound of turning gears preceded cannons rolling out of the holes.
"I don't like this," Bo said, wide-eyed at the sight.
"I'd better take care of this," Bart reached into his pocket, but Rika shook her head.
For a while, silence dominated the intersection. It was broken by a loud ticking sound. Shirley was the first to hear it. "I think it's time to evacuate," she recommended to Inspector Hewitt.
The police inspector nodded. "Get out of your cars now! It's about to fire!"
"Run!" Blake shouted.
Detective Tremain started waving in the air. "Everyone get back! Now!"
Shirley and her friends did not need a second warning. They ran as far as their legs could take them. Drivers abandoned their cars and bolted off. Pedestrians ran away. Detective Tremain and the policemen tried to maintain an orderly evacuation, but it was no use. Still curious, some people chose to hide behind the cars and anything else that could pass for a barrier.
To Bo's surprise, Shirley stopped running. "Are you nuts?" he yelled to his best friend.
"We have to find out what it is," Shirley said. "This could be it."
"You mean this could be ENIGMA's puzzle?" Inspector Hewitt asked.
"It has to be," Shirley said.
"Behind there!" Rika shouted, pointing to a car located a good distance from the machine.
Shirley, her friends, and Inspector Hewitt stopped running and took cover. The machine stopped ticking. Its side cannons tilted upward.
"This is it," Bart said.
"The moment of truth," Blake said.
"Yeah," Bo said. "I hope we're still around to see it."
The machine's cannons roared to life at once, launching tiny egg-shaped projectiles into the sky. Once reaching a high-enough altitude, they exploded, releasing clouds of gold dust.
The people held out their hands and studied the fine particles raining down on them with awe. "Hmmmmmmmm," Shirley said as she examined the minute golden specks in her hand. "Nothing but gold-colored glitter."
"That's a relief," Bart said.
"Unless they poisoned it," Rika mentioned.
"Gee, thanks for the comforting thought, Rika." Bo started to brush gold dust out of his hair only to get more. "What was that all about?"
"Guys, the dome!" Blake pointed at the machine. The dome's side panels fell off and landed on the street with a loud clang.
"There seems to be some sort of markings on the dome," Shirley said, perceiving something through the golden rain. Before anyone could stop her, she ran towards the machine. Inspector Hewitt followed suit.
"Shirley!" Bo shouted with concern. He ran after her reluctantly. Blake, Bart, and Rika dashed after him without a second thought.
Brushing gold glitter off his balding head and suit, Detective Tremain marched up to the machine. "Stay back!" he shouted to the bystanders. "Let the police handle this!"
Reaching the machine first, Shirley and Inspector Hewitt studied the markings on the dome. "Stick figures?" Inspector Hewitt exclaimed.
"Upside-down stick figures," Shirley stated upon taking a closer look. The drawings in question were engaged in various activities. As Shirley and the inspector walked around the machine, they saw stick figures engaged in running, wrestling, discus-throwing, and other sports.
Bo and the others reached the machine. "Stick figures?" he said upon seeing the dome.
"That's what I said," Inspector Hewitt commented.
"Shhhhhhhh." Shirley's ears picked up a tiny noise from the machine. "Listen."
The machine came back to life, but this time in audio form. Everyone was treated to a loud "Wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Everyone covered their ears. "What was that all about?" Bo asked, wincing.
Before anyone could offer an answer, the machine spoke again. "Wwwwwwaaaaaaahhhh! Why did I lose? I was in the lead, and then that jerk cheated! Yeah, that's what he did! He cheated! Cheated! Cheated!"
As the message repeated itself, Shirley studied the machine closely. "This thing is an interesting clue," she muttered, trying her best to maintain her hearing.
"Weird is more like it!" Bo said, trying to speak over the message. "Whoever came up with this had a strange sense of humor!"
"Wwwwwwaaaaaaahhhh...!"
"This is worse than that banshee we faced in Ireland!" Rika shouted to Bart.
"This is worse than Hiroshi's snoring!" Bart shouted back.
"What are you looking for, Shirley?" Blake asked the young detective.
"Anything extra!" Shirley answered. "With ENIGMA, you have to examine things very closely." She gazed on the drawings and tried to figure out their significance. Around her, people watched as the gold glitter continued to snow down on them.
* * * * *
Number Nine watched the scene from a rooftop. His left eye focused on the young detective as she examined the golden dome while the gold dust continued to fall. "Ah, perfect. Just as I calculated," he said. Perched on the ENIGMA agent's shoulder, Mojo beeped its excitement. "Yes, Mojo. Now we may begin."
"Indeed, Uncle," Number Nine-Nine agreed as he put down his binoculars. He was dressed in a dark blue uniform reminiscent of the Napoleonic wars, white pants, and black high boots. He wore a white helmet with a face mask that covered his eyes. The scar was exposed. "We've got them," he said, rubbing his gloved hands together and grinning evilly. "Bart and Shirley Holmes together. We can get rid of them both."
Number Nine turned to his nephew. "Remember, the Holmes girl is our main target," he told him sternly. "Never forget that." Mojo added its own beeps of disapproval while wagging its little finger.
"Of course," Number Nine-Nine said with his head bowed.
"Is everything in place?" Number Nine asked a nearby subordinate with a remote control.
"Yes, sir," the lesser agent answered.
"Good." Number Nine looked down. "Everyone will be too busy to notice. That is, until it's too late."
"That is correct, Uncle," Number Nine-Nine agreed, studying the people below. "They're too busy wondering about their unexpected rain of glitter."
Number Nine touched the side of his mask, activating a two-way microphone. "Take care of the target now."
Standing unnoticed in a nearby alley, a cloaked figure with a cowboy hat brought out a rifle. It aimed the crowd and got Shirley in its gunsight. Its finger was about to pull the trigger.
Number Nine-Nine looked at the teen-age sleuth through his binoculars. "Bye, bye, Shirley Holmes," he said, giggling.
Mojo beeped with joy. Knowing that Shirley was oblivious to the danger she was in, Number Nine grinned behind his mask. "Adieu, ma jeune detective."
The shooter pulled the trigger.
END OF PART FOUR
by HA
"What?" Bo responded.
Bart continued. "He took Susan while we were talking outside the motel we were staying at."
"What were you talking about?" Shirley inquired.
Bart bowed his head. The young detective noticed a creeping blush on her friend's face. "Um, anyway, we were talking, then I was hit on the head from behind. The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was Number Nine-Nine and some ENIGMA agents taking Susan away." He closed his eyes. "I can remember his exact words as he took Susan away. 'Can you save her, Bart? Can you?'"
"So you just went after them by yourself?" Blake asked.
"As soon as I was up," Bart answered. "Hiroshi was the one who found me."
"How did you find the base?" Shirley asked. "I don't think this Number Nine-Nine told you directly."
"Yeah, Bart. ENIGMA agents aren't exactly direct," Bo commented.
"He told me," Bart said. "He used a riddle."
"Do you remember it?" Shirley asked.
"I can't forget it," Bart said, then recited the riddle. "'It can give life and take it away. It can change shape and form. It can be comfortable or not. What is it?'"
"Water," Shirley answered without a second thought. "It's necessary for people to live, but it can be poisoned or people can drown in it. It can be a liquid, a gas, and a solid. It can be comfortable if hot and uncomfortable if cold."
Bo scoffed. "That was an easy one."
"I believe that was the point," Rika remarked.
"What happened next?" Blake asked.
"Well, I went alone after making Hiroshi promise not to tell anyone," Bart recalled.
"And why would you do a stupid thing like that?" Bo asked. "I think if you're going to storm an ENIGMA hideout, you'll need a few Strangers to back you up."
"On further reflection, that would've been a good idea," Bart sighed. "However, I wanted to prove to the others I could handle myself, especially after everyone else kept saving my life. I wanted to prove what I did wasn't just a fluke. Besides..." He bowed his head and spoke in a barely audible voice. "It was my fault. I should've been ready for them."
"They took you by surprise, Bart," Rika said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "You couldn't have known."
"We can't know the future until it happens," Shirley said to her friend.
"At least not you," Bo said. "I can't say the same for the other Strangers, though."
Bart cracked a smile. "Well, none of us can see into the future. Not even Katrina."
"I presume you were captured," Shirley stated matter-of-factly.
"Yeah," Bart admitted. "I found the entrance to the lake base. They were waiting for me."
"What did they do to you?" Blake asked.
Bart took a deep breath. "Besides the constant bragging I endured from Number Nine-Nine while I was tied in a chair, I had to watch him torture Daddy with a cattle prod."
"'Daddy'?" Shirley asked, blinking.
"The Bigfoot father," Bart explained. "ENIGMA caught him straggling. They locked him in a cage for transport to their employer." He sighed. "He just kept shocking him. Zap, zap, zap." With each "zap," Bart pretended to thrust something. "He kept taunting him. Laughing at him."
"A sadist," Shirley observed.
"Definitely loves his work," Bo commented.
"What happened to Susan?" Blake asked.
"They had her blindfolded and tied up in a dark room," Bart answered. "They didn't do anything to her. They just left her there. I found her after the other Strangers stormed the place."
Rika rolled her eyes. "Hiroshi was never good at keeping his mouth shut. In this case, it was a good thing."
"So you and the Strangers kicked ENIGMA butt, huh?" Bo asked excitedly.
"Yeah," Bart said. "We freed Daddy and we tried to get out, but Number Nine-Nine tried to stop us."
"By himself?" Blake asked, a little surprised.
"From what I've seen earlier, Number Nine-Nine's tougher than he looks," Shirley recalled.
"Tell me about it. I'm still feeling the pain he dished out," Bo said, feeling the places where he was hit. "How'd you get away, Bart?"
"I didn't," Bart answered gravely.
Bo's ears perked up. "Come again?"
"I became a decoy," Bart explained. "Since Number Nine-Nine hated me so much, I drew him away from the others while they escaped. I lured him to a faraway place, but I was trapped. Then he fired a missile..."
"A missile?" Bo asked.
"Take my word for it. It was a missile," Bart said. "Unfortunately for him, the wall behind me kept the water out. Also, one of the Strangers went back for me and got me out of the way in time..."
"And the explosion broke the barrier between the base and the lake, causing a flood," Shirley concluded. "You were caught in it."
Bart forced the words out of his mouth. "It happened too fast. We tried to get away, but we were overwhelmed." Shirley noticed that Bart was shaking a little. "I felt my lungs fill up with water and I blacked out."
"But someone rescued you and your fellow Stranger," Shirley said.
"The Bigfoot and Damian rescued them in time," Rika stated.
"Damian? As in Lucy Knight's cousin? The creepy guy in black?" Bo asked. He pictured a tall boy with pale skin wearing a black coat and gloves.
"The one and the same," Rika said with a smile. "Good thing Susan knew CPR, right, Bart?"
Everyone watched as blood flooded Bart's face. "Uh, right," he said nervously.
"Well, that was a great way to come back to life," Blake said with a grin.
Shirley looked at Rika, but it was Bo who gave voice to what she had on her mind. "He could have been killed."
"But he wasn't," Rika said reassuringly. "We Strangers stick together and we've never lost a member."
"It better stay that way," Bo said, giving Rika a look.
"I'm fine, guys," Bart said.
"Until you saw Number Nine-Nine," Shirley pointed out. "You thought he drowned in the flood."
Bart nodded. "Some of the other Strangers thought he survived. I sure didn't. At least until he showed up in the cafeteria."
"Why has he exhibited such feelings of animosity towards you?" Shirley asked.
"Did you see the scar on his face?" Bart replied.
"Yeah," Bo said. "It was a nasty one."
"I gave him that scar," Bart revealed.
"You?" Blake said, surprised. During the time he lived in Redington, Blake did not see Bart as being the aggressive type.
"It was an accident," Bart said. He dug into his pocket and showed his sonic boomer "I had this. He had a bigger one. I fired just as he was about to. My shot hit his. His weapon exploded and a piece of shrapnel made that scar."
"So he wants you dead because of an accident," Bo stated. "The guy needs help from a shrink. Major help."
Rika studied Shirley's face. "You don't look surprised about the existence of a boy being an ENIGMA agent."
"Blake's father mentioned once ENIGMA employed young people in their crimes," Shirley recalled.
"Yeah, but they were usually dupes," Blake added. "In the cases my dad researched, he never found any instances of child ENIGMA agents."
"There's got to be a first time for everything," Bo quipped.
A low beeping sounded off. Shirley searched for the source and noticed it was coming from Bart and Rika. Both Bart and Rika reached into their pockets and pulled out their comlinks. Bart was the first to answer. "Bart here," he said.
"Ah, Bart." Everyone recognized the voice of Arthur Kingston. "There's something that might interest Shirley. She's with you, correct?"
"Y-yes," Bart said with some surprise. "She's right here."
"May I speak to her?" Arthur asked.
Bart held out his comlink to Shirley. "He wants to speak to you."
Shirley took the comlink and found herself looking at the bespectacled face of Arthur Kingston. "Hello, Shirley," the president of the Strangers' Club greeted, his red pipe in his hand.
"Arthur," Shirley said with a nod. "What is it?"
"You may want to go to the middle of town," Arthur replied, adjusting his glasses. "There's something there that might interest you."
* * * * *
After thanking Arthur, Shirley and her friends rushed to the middle of town. On their way, they passed backed-up cars filled with impatient drivers. Some honked their horns. Others swore. One yelled at a nearby policeman, "Hey, what's going on?"
Shirley observed the policeman was as baffled as everyone else. "Believe me, sir, I'm trying to figure that out," the teen-age sleuth heard the policeman reply.
"Man, talk about a traffic jam," Bo complained over the noise as he and the others walked on the sidewalk.
"Indeed," Shirley said.
"Reminds me of Tokyo traffic on a bad day," Rika commented as her gaze fell on the long lines of cars.
Blake followed Bart. "Hey, Bart," he said to his friend.
"Yes, Blake?" Bart asked.
"Just out of curiosity, where did you get that jacket?" Blake inquired. The new Stranger was wearing a gray-and-black sports jacket with alien faces on the front and back.
"Susan gave it to me as a welcoming gift," Bart answered.
"You two have really hit it off, huh?" Blake said.
"You could say that," Bart said, blushing again.
"Oh boy," Bo said, rolling his eyes.
Rika pointed to the front. "There's the source of the problem."
The kids hurried to the spot and saw the cause of the traffic jam. "Looks a lot bigger than it did on the comlink screen," Bo commented.
A large platform with a dome on top sat in the middle of the intersection. Cars surrounded it from all sides. The drivers honked endlessly at it without any response.
"I'm seeing a pattern," Shirley stated, noticing the vehicle's golden hue.
"I'm seeing the local law," Bo said, pointing out the number of policemen surrounding the mysterious vehicle. Two men in suits were directing the officers in examining it and keeping onlookers from getting too close.
"Dad?" Blake said, recognizing one of them.
"And Detective Tremain," Bo said, recognizing the other.
"Know him?" Bart asked Bo.
"Yep," Bo answered.
"Come on," Shirley told her friends as she advanced towards Inspector Christopher Hewitt.
A policeman spotted the junior sleuth and her friends. "Hold it right there! This scene is off-limits!" he warned.
Inspector Hewitt spotted them. He looked relieved upon seeing the great-grandniece of Sherlock Holmes. "Let them through!" he shouted.
"Sir?" The officer looked at his superior with a puzzled look.
"It's my son," Inspector Hewitt said, pointing to Blake. "He's bringing me something I asked for. Isn't that right, Blake?"
"Sure, Dad," Blake said, playing along. "You forgot your...um..." He dug into his pocket and yanked out the first thing he found. "...your lucky...handkerchief!" He held up a green handkerchief decorated with shamrocks.
"Thanks, son!" Inspector Hewitt turned to the officer. "I'll handle this. You help the others keep the passers-by away from this thing."
Once the officer joined the other policemen, Shirley and the others joined Inspector Hewitt. Detective Tremain walked up to the group. "Why is it that you always show up when there's trouble, Princess?" he asked Shirley.
"What's going on?" the teen-age sleuth asked the Interpol inspector.
"Apparently this thing came out of nowhere and landed in the middle of this intersection," Inspector Hewitt explained, pointing to the domed platform. "Witnesses said it just drove up out of nowhere."
"I can see that," Shirley said, eyeing the tank treads on the platform's sides.
"Hold on a minute," Bo said, holding up his hand. "This thing just rolled in here? Why? To tie up traffic?" Bo had to raise his voice over the shouting and honking.
"They're doing a good job so far," Bart said, observing the large number of angry drivers and curious bystanders.
"I assume you know who's behind this?" Inspector Hewitt asked Shirley and her friends.
"Who else would?" Shirley said matter-of-factly.
"Just the friendly folks down at Shadow Axis," Bo quipped.
Inspector Hewitt blinked. "Shadow what?"
"Come again?" Detective Tremain asked.
"Shadow Axis. That's the name of ENIGMA's main base," Blake explained to his father.
"Interesting." Inspector Hewitt rubbed his chin and looked thoughtful. "You guys really have to let me know where you get your information."
"No kidding," Detective Tremain grumbled, wondering how a few kids knew more about a secret organization than the police.
"We'll tell you everything, Dad," Blake said. "Right?" he asked Bart.
"Definitely," Bart answered with a nod.
Thanks, guys. I'd appreciate it," Inspector Hewitt said.
"Look!" Rika exclaimed, pointing to the dome.
All eyes watched as the dome rose from the platform, revealing a column with four circles. The top of the dome opened, followed by the column's circles. The sound of turning gears preceded cannons rolling out of the holes.
"I don't like this," Bo said, wide-eyed at the sight.
"I'd better take care of this," Bart reached into his pocket, but Rika shook her head.
For a while, silence dominated the intersection. It was broken by a loud ticking sound. Shirley was the first to hear it. "I think it's time to evacuate," she recommended to Inspector Hewitt.
The police inspector nodded. "Get out of your cars now! It's about to fire!"
"Run!" Blake shouted.
Detective Tremain started waving in the air. "Everyone get back! Now!"
Shirley and her friends did not need a second warning. They ran as far as their legs could take them. Drivers abandoned their cars and bolted off. Pedestrians ran away. Detective Tremain and the policemen tried to maintain an orderly evacuation, but it was no use. Still curious, some people chose to hide behind the cars and anything else that could pass for a barrier.
To Bo's surprise, Shirley stopped running. "Are you nuts?" he yelled to his best friend.
"We have to find out what it is," Shirley said. "This could be it."
"You mean this could be ENIGMA's puzzle?" Inspector Hewitt asked.
"It has to be," Shirley said.
"Behind there!" Rika shouted, pointing to a car located a good distance from the machine.
Shirley, her friends, and Inspector Hewitt stopped running and took cover. The machine stopped ticking. Its side cannons tilted upward.
"This is it," Bart said.
"The moment of truth," Blake said.
"Yeah," Bo said. "I hope we're still around to see it."
The machine's cannons roared to life at once, launching tiny egg-shaped projectiles into the sky. Once reaching a high-enough altitude, they exploded, releasing clouds of gold dust.
The people held out their hands and studied the fine particles raining down on them with awe. "Hmmmmmmmm," Shirley said as she examined the minute golden specks in her hand. "Nothing but gold-colored glitter."
"That's a relief," Bart said.
"Unless they poisoned it," Rika mentioned.
"Gee, thanks for the comforting thought, Rika." Bo started to brush gold dust out of his hair only to get more. "What was that all about?"
"Guys, the dome!" Blake pointed at the machine. The dome's side panels fell off and landed on the street with a loud clang.
"There seems to be some sort of markings on the dome," Shirley said, perceiving something through the golden rain. Before anyone could stop her, she ran towards the machine. Inspector Hewitt followed suit.
"Shirley!" Bo shouted with concern. He ran after her reluctantly. Blake, Bart, and Rika dashed after him without a second thought.
Brushing gold glitter off his balding head and suit, Detective Tremain marched up to the machine. "Stay back!" he shouted to the bystanders. "Let the police handle this!"
Reaching the machine first, Shirley and Inspector Hewitt studied the markings on the dome. "Stick figures?" Inspector Hewitt exclaimed.
"Upside-down stick figures," Shirley stated upon taking a closer look. The drawings in question were engaged in various activities. As Shirley and the inspector walked around the machine, they saw stick figures engaged in running, wrestling, discus-throwing, and other sports.
Bo and the others reached the machine. "Stick figures?" he said upon seeing the dome.
"That's what I said," Inspector Hewitt commented.
"Shhhhhhhh." Shirley's ears picked up a tiny noise from the machine. "Listen."
The machine came back to life, but this time in audio form. Everyone was treated to a loud "Wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Everyone covered their ears. "What was that all about?" Bo asked, wincing.
Before anyone could offer an answer, the machine spoke again. "Wwwwwwaaaaaaahhhh! Why did I lose? I was in the lead, and then that jerk cheated! Yeah, that's what he did! He cheated! Cheated! Cheated!"
As the message repeated itself, Shirley studied the machine closely. "This thing is an interesting clue," she muttered, trying her best to maintain her hearing.
"Weird is more like it!" Bo said, trying to speak over the message. "Whoever came up with this had a strange sense of humor!"
"Wwwwwwaaaaaaahhhh...!"
"This is worse than that banshee we faced in Ireland!" Rika shouted to Bart.
"This is worse than Hiroshi's snoring!" Bart shouted back.
"What are you looking for, Shirley?" Blake asked the young detective.
"Anything extra!" Shirley answered. "With ENIGMA, you have to examine things very closely." She gazed on the drawings and tried to figure out their significance. Around her, people watched as the gold glitter continued to snow down on them.
* * * * *
Number Nine watched the scene from a rooftop. His left eye focused on the young detective as she examined the golden dome while the gold dust continued to fall. "Ah, perfect. Just as I calculated," he said. Perched on the ENIGMA agent's shoulder, Mojo beeped its excitement. "Yes, Mojo. Now we may begin."
"Indeed, Uncle," Number Nine-Nine agreed as he put down his binoculars. He was dressed in a dark blue uniform reminiscent of the Napoleonic wars, white pants, and black high boots. He wore a white helmet with a face mask that covered his eyes. The scar was exposed. "We've got them," he said, rubbing his gloved hands together and grinning evilly. "Bart and Shirley Holmes together. We can get rid of them both."
Number Nine turned to his nephew. "Remember, the Holmes girl is our main target," he told him sternly. "Never forget that." Mojo added its own beeps of disapproval while wagging its little finger.
"Of course," Number Nine-Nine said with his head bowed.
"Is everything in place?" Number Nine asked a nearby subordinate with a remote control.
"Yes, sir," the lesser agent answered.
"Good." Number Nine looked down. "Everyone will be too busy to notice. That is, until it's too late."
"That is correct, Uncle," Number Nine-Nine agreed, studying the people below. "They're too busy wondering about their unexpected rain of glitter."
Number Nine touched the side of his mask, activating a two-way microphone. "Take care of the target now."
Standing unnoticed in a nearby alley, a cloaked figure with a cowboy hat brought out a rifle. It aimed the crowd and got Shirley in its gunsight. Its finger was about to pull the trigger.
Number Nine-Nine looked at the teen-age sleuth through his binoculars. "Bye, bye, Shirley Holmes," he said, giggling.
Mojo beeped with joy. Knowing that Shirley was oblivious to the danger she was in, Number Nine grinned behind his mask. "Adieu, ma jeune detective."
The shooter pulled the trigger.
END OF PART FOUR
