Whip was seated on a chair. She could hardly remember what daylight looked
like, or what food tasted like - even honey.
She was blindfolded and her hands were tied behind her back, but she was not gagged. Whip didn't bother to scream for help. If she wasn't gagged, it meant that no-one could hear her. She simply had to wait for what would come.
Footsteps stopped outside the door of the small room she was in, and the door opened. Then a fist was driven forcefully into her stomach. Whip gasped in pain, trying to catch her breath. Again, the fist slammed into her, and this time she could not help crying out in agony.
The torturer hit her again and again, each blow like a sledgehammer, until she collapsed forward out of the chair, onto her knees, and then slumped forward to vomit a pool of blood. Then she was kicked hard, and someone laughed mockingly.
*
"The first thing we should do is check out Chang and Choi. They were criminals before, it could be them again." Terry concluded.
"And it just so happens that Kim told me where to find them the other day." Kasumi said. "He wanted me to deliver something to them."
"Then we have an excuse to go," Kyo said triumphantly. "Ace."
"Huh?" Chang looked bewildered. "Go ahead and search, but I doubt you'd have any luck finding her here - me and Choi haven't been doing anything like that."
Choi sneered his agreement. "Search, but don't find."
Kyo and Kasumi returned unsuccessful. K' sighed.
"We aren't going anywhere with this," he said. "We need that second clue now."
At this, Jhun Hoon stepped out of the shadows and tapped him on the shoulder, passing him a small piece of paper.
He read it aloud. "THE SECOND CLUE. JOURNEY TO WHERE THE SUN SHINES ALL THE TIME TO RETRIEVE THE THIRD CLUE. " He slammed his fist into the table, splintering it. "Damn it!"
"Where did you find this, Jhun?" Andy Bogard asked suspiciously.
Jhun shrugged. "Came to me," he said. "Found."
"I know where the sun shines all the time," Maxima growled. "It's the arctic."
"Arctic?" Angel asked suddenly. "Kula lives in the Arctic. You don't think she did it, do you?"
K' smashed his fist into the table, this time cracking it. "Don't forget that she is a weapon too."
"Wait a minute, Jhun." Kyo began. "How did you get in?" But Jhun was nowhere in sight.
*
Kula's house didn't have a doorknob on its door. It didn't need too. Andy Bogard pulled it open and tumbled in before the incoming blizzard slammed it shut again. Then the door opened and Terry too was blown in.
Kula looked with some interest at the heap lying on her doorstep, and put the book she was reading down. "Yes?" she asked. "What brings you here?"
"The wind?" Terry suggested sarcastically. "No, we're here for the third clue."
Kula wrinkled her brow. "Clue?"
Andy scratched his head. "You don't have anything to do with the fact that Whip's missing?"
"She is? Now quickly, tell me what happened."
She was blindfolded and her hands were tied behind her back, but she was not gagged. Whip didn't bother to scream for help. If she wasn't gagged, it meant that no-one could hear her. She simply had to wait for what would come.
Footsteps stopped outside the door of the small room she was in, and the door opened. Then a fist was driven forcefully into her stomach. Whip gasped in pain, trying to catch her breath. Again, the fist slammed into her, and this time she could not help crying out in agony.
The torturer hit her again and again, each blow like a sledgehammer, until she collapsed forward out of the chair, onto her knees, and then slumped forward to vomit a pool of blood. Then she was kicked hard, and someone laughed mockingly.
*
"The first thing we should do is check out Chang and Choi. They were criminals before, it could be them again." Terry concluded.
"And it just so happens that Kim told me where to find them the other day." Kasumi said. "He wanted me to deliver something to them."
"Then we have an excuse to go," Kyo said triumphantly. "Ace."
"Huh?" Chang looked bewildered. "Go ahead and search, but I doubt you'd have any luck finding her here - me and Choi haven't been doing anything like that."
Choi sneered his agreement. "Search, but don't find."
Kyo and Kasumi returned unsuccessful. K' sighed.
"We aren't going anywhere with this," he said. "We need that second clue now."
At this, Jhun Hoon stepped out of the shadows and tapped him on the shoulder, passing him a small piece of paper.
He read it aloud. "THE SECOND CLUE. JOURNEY TO WHERE THE SUN SHINES ALL THE TIME TO RETRIEVE THE THIRD CLUE. " He slammed his fist into the table, splintering it. "Damn it!"
"Where did you find this, Jhun?" Andy Bogard asked suspiciously.
Jhun shrugged. "Came to me," he said. "Found."
"I know where the sun shines all the time," Maxima growled. "It's the arctic."
"Arctic?" Angel asked suddenly. "Kula lives in the Arctic. You don't think she did it, do you?"
K' smashed his fist into the table, this time cracking it. "Don't forget that she is a weapon too."
"Wait a minute, Jhun." Kyo began. "How did you get in?" But Jhun was nowhere in sight.
*
Kula's house didn't have a doorknob on its door. It didn't need too. Andy Bogard pulled it open and tumbled in before the incoming blizzard slammed it shut again. Then the door opened and Terry too was blown in.
Kula looked with some interest at the heap lying on her doorstep, and put the book she was reading down. "Yes?" she asked. "What brings you here?"
"The wind?" Terry suggested sarcastically. "No, we're here for the third clue."
Kula wrinkled her brow. "Clue?"
Andy scratched his head. "You don't have anything to do with the fact that Whip's missing?"
"She is? Now quickly, tell me what happened."