Chapter Four


"I've recovered a DNA sequence from our thief," said Teela. She and The Sorceress of Grayskull were gathered in The Sorceress's quarters at Castle Grayskull.

"And…?" The Sorceress interjected.

"I've been combing through his records," said Teela. "Criminal records, military records, school records, birth certificates…"

"And…?"

"Nothing," said Teela dejectedly.

"I see…"

"He's not from Eternos … or any of the surrounding provinces," said Teela. "Unfortunately, that leaves the rest of the planet." Teela paused. "Since you seem to have taken a personal interest in the case, I was hoping I could pick your brain."

The Sorceress cradled her chin with her thumb and index finger, deep in thought. "Let's backtrack a moment," she said finally. "Perhaps we should begin by answering the question of when … and HOW … our thief acquired his … paranormal powers." The Sorceress paused. "It could very well provide a clue to his identity."

"Okaaay…" said Teela.

"As a rule, burglars are MADE … not born," said The Sorceress. "They're usually career criminals. They usually start out as juvenile offenders, committing petty crimes: purse snatching, pickpocketing, shoplifting … what-have-you."

"That means our thief would've had a record long before now," said Teela.

"Exactly," said The Sorceress.

"How does this tell us when our thief acquired his powers?" Teela inquired.

"He may well have acquired them as a grown man," said The Sorceress. "Having been unable to secure a so-called 'honest living' by virtue of his being perceived as a mutant-slash-'freak' by society, he may well have been driven to crime by desperation."

"I see…"

"As I said earlier, he's clearly deriving a financial gain from these robberies," said The Sorceress. "In each robbery, he's targeted the study and the bedroom."

"He doesn't waste time hunting around for whatever he can grab," said Teela. "In-and-out."

"To me, that indicates a very controlled, disciplined manner of operation," said The Sorceress. "Ex-military, perhaps?"

That would explain how he was able to shoot that dog in cold blood, Teela thought. As far as our thief was concerned, that dog was little more than a furry, four-legged obstacle that needed to be overcome. "I've searched military records," she said finally. "Nothing."

"He may well have served in a local militia," said The Sorceress.

Teela's face sank. "Each province maintains their own records…" she said.

"By law, every member of a regulated militia is required to register their weapon with the Crown," said The Sorceress.

Teela's face brightened. "…And they have to turn in a DNA sequence as part of the registration process!" she exclaimed happily. "I think you may be onto something there." Check gun registrations, she thought, making a mental note to herself.

"This may also tell us the means by which our thief acquired his mutagenic powers," said The Sorceress. "He may well have picked them up during his time in the military." The Sorceress paused. "Given our thief's ability to manipulate matter at an atomic level, he may well have acquired them as a result of being exposed to radiation."

"In all of Eternian history, there's only been one recorded incident of a wartime use of radiation weapons … the Battle of Culfannon," said Teela. "Every schoolchild knows that." Teela paused. "The battle left no survivors."

"Did it now?" asked The Sorceress with an impish grin. "The history books have been shown to be wrong in the past."

"Wait," said Teela. "You're saying our guy survived CULFANNON?"

"What I'm saying is … he may have acquired his mutagenic powers during his time in the military," said The Sorceress. "He may have acquired them during battle … or he may have acquired them as a result of an accident involving radiation." The Sorceress paused. "Given that a person serving in a militia wouldn't have had access to radiation materials, it's far more likely that he would've acquired them … in battle."

Teela stared dumbstruck at The Sorceress, trying to take all of this in. A Culfannon survivor! Who'da thunk? she thought. At the same time, there's no escaping … her logic. "I'll check the gun registrations," she said.

"I hope you find him," said The Sorceress.

"You've been a big help," said Teela. "You've just given this investigation a shot in the arm," she said with a grin. "Thank you, Sorceress."

"My pleasure," said The Sorceress with a smile.


Back in her quarters, Teela - armed with the lead she received from The Sorceress of Grayskull - once more engaged her computer with its attached docking port and Lucite cube containing the thief's unknown DNA sequence.

"Computer," Teela commanded. "Access weapon registration database, subheading 'militia'. Match unknown DNA sequence to record containing unknown DNA sequence."

"One record found," came the computer's electronically digitized feminine reply.

YESSS! Teela cheered inwardly. "Open record," Teela commanded.

Teela sat down at her desk as the file appeared on her monitor. "Name: Amadeus" … "Place of Birth: Noella." Hmm, my mother's from there, Teela thought. "Current Residence: Noella".

It was at that moment that Teela had a flash of insight. Now that I know where he lives, I can pull up his service record, she thought. "Computer," she commanded. "Access provincial militia records database. Regiment: 'Noella'. Name: 'Amadeus'."

"One record found," came the computer's reply.

"Open record," Teela commanded once more. Amadeus's gun registration record disappeared from the screen, replaced onscreen by his service record.

A full-face photograph of Amadeus appeared in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. For the first time, Teela was able to stare into the face of her thief: a slightly built young man in his early twenties with a wiry face, blue eyes, and close-cropped dark hair.

"Current Residence: Noella," said Teela as she read the file out loud to herself. "Spouse … Teela-Na." What the…? she thought as a chill ran down her spine. "Status: Killed In Action … CULFANNON?"

Teela, said The Sorceress telepathically, trying to get Teela's attention.

What's going ON here? Teela thought as she stared wide-eyed at the screen.

TEELA!

Startled, Teela gasped and jumped in her seat. "Sorceress," she said.

Examine his death certificate, said The Sorceress.

"This is insane!" Teela interjected. "This doesn't make sense! Corpses don't rob houses!"

Living people who have been presumed dead … DO, said The Sorceress telepathically. The odds of another person sharing our thief's exact DNA sequence … are nothing short of astronomical.

"Wait," said Teela. "You're saying he's alive, but he's been presumed DEAD?"

If I may quote the great Terran detective Sherlock Holmes, "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains … however improbable … must be the truth."

Teela let out a sigh. May as well, she thought. "Computer," Teela commanded. "Access death records database. Match unknown DNA sequence to record containing unknown DNA sequence."

"One record found," came the computer's reply.

"Open record," Teela commanded. Teela slouched in her seat as Amadeus's service record was replaced by his death certificate onscreen. Name: Amadeus. Surviving Spouse: Teela-Na. Surviving Children ... Teela, daughter. She then let out a breath. Ancients! THIS guy … is my FATHER!