Prologue
The sun was starting to set by the time we got out of the Dicey Odds branch in South Central District. Kiara and I watched Subaru book Baelz Hakos and what remained of her small but enterprising Rat Pack Gang into a paddy wagon. Journalists and newsies rushed to the scene, hoping to snap up pictures of the biggest raid on Parliament Road since the great crackdown of the Owl Pals, but the snake Kronii Ouro intercepted them.
Just like clockwork, I heard Detective Ouro spin her tale about some special police operation to clear up the infamous back alleys before turning the attention to her favorite topic: herself. To my displeasure, it worked. The media was hooked, as always, hanging on every word of the star detective. For once, her narcissism and star power was put to use for something other than stroking her overinflated ego.
By the time her interviews were wrapped up, the paddy wagons got going and left the scene. Kiara and I took our car and made sure that the journos didn't follow the paddy wagon convoy leading to Central Police Headquarters.
Once we knew that the coast was clear, Kiara and I took a detour to Green Park Crescent. The wagon holding Bae and her gang followed suit.
There, away from the main thoroughfares, Kiara and I signed off on a pre-written report detailing that the Rat Pack fought their way out of captivity and disappeared into the night. Dirty cops in Kronii's pocket may be easily bought, but their penchants for red tape were hard habits to kill.
Every thief has their own standards, I guess.
We signed the papers and let Bae's goons walk. Baelz herself, however, stayed with me and Kiara. Together, we took a short walk down Green Park Crescent towards a certain establishment there - one of the safest places left in the City to hold a meeting.
A place that Ina chose on our behalf.
The Mother Nature Café.
Fauna Ceres, the smiling proprietress, welcomed us with her warm, evergreen smile and her kindly, silky-smooth voice that gave me Pavlovian tingles. I had to fight the temptation to ask for another ear-cleaning session from her. Turned out that she was willing to help just because she thought the War was gonna be bad for business.
She's a shrewd proprietress indeed.
Now that the gang was all here, Fauna promptly turned over the sign on her front door from 'Open' to 'Closed'.
Then, over cups of fragrant chamomile tea, the seven of us got down to business.
Three days later, on a cloudless Sunday morning, we set our grand plan into motion.
-Signed, Amelia Watson
…
Ame closed her notepad and heaved a sigh. She, dressed up as 'Amelon', sat at the driver's seat of the brown, V8 convertible parked in front of the Lemon Shark Fruit Cannery. Her fingers danced nervously on the steering wheel while her blue eyes scanned the scene around the vast expanse of Ocean Street.
Unlike her usual trips to the Northern District, she was there during the daytime - and she was there curiously alone. More than that, she saw a larger police presence patrolling the Northern District's main artery road. Officers were walking the beats - in pairs, of course - and police cruisers plied the roads in force.
"Subaru called in the reserves, huh?" Ame managed a small smile.
Moments later, the rumble of an airplane reached Ame's ears. She raised up her eyes to the cloudless sky and saw a turboprop floatplane dragging a streamer banner through the air.
" Come and Play Dice at the Rail-Road Amusement Train! "
Seeing that banner made the gravity of the situation sink in for Ame. The day had finally arrived.
All of a sudden, Ame heard a joyful exclamation from behind.
"A! Look at that!"
Ame whirled her head around and saw Gawr Gura walking out of the front doors of the cannery with two briefcases in tow. On her way out, she looked up to the floatplane in the sky. The Queenpin of the North saw Ame and smiled warmly at her, urging 'Amelon' to look up at the plane and its sign.
I wonder how she'd feel if she knew I was the one who made that banner.
Instead of airing her thoughts, Ame humored Gura and looked up as well. She did her best to match Gura's enthusiasm, but the sheer radiance on the shark-girl's face made it easy for Ame to do. Gura sauntered over to the side of Ame's car and leaned on the convertible door.
"You ever ride a plane, Amelon?" Gura asked with childlike giddiness.
"During the P-Day invasion, yeah." Ame scratched the back of her head, "Jumped out of one too!"
"No way…!" Gura gasped, absolutely riveted by the thought.
Her chubby little shark's tail wagged happily behind her and she gave Ame a precious, toothy grin. Ame smiled back. That reminded her of what she was fighting for that day.
Before Ame could relish in the shark-girl's infectious glow, however, a lumbering shadow loomed over them both.
It was Bloop, accompanied by a dozen other Shrimp gang members armed with their signature fire-axes.
"Jumping out of a plane is nothing special." Bloop spoke with his deep, low voice and his ever-present scowl, "Paratroopers do it all the time for training - and they don't jump out from tiny floatplanes like that one."
Gura frowned. She promptly slapped Bloop with her tail, but the towering Lieutenant didn't even flinch.
"Way to rain on our parade, Stinky." Gura stuck out her tongue.
Bloop ignored Gura's quip. Instead, he faced Ame and raised his brow.
"Just you today, Amelon?" Bloop asked, "The fraulein isn't coming?"
Ame paused.
"Unfortunately not." She answered, choosing her words carefully, "She had other matters to attend to.
Bloop shrugged.
"One less pest to worry about." He mumbled, making sure that Ame heard it.
Gura pouted, but she let Bloop's comment slide. The Queenpin raised up her hands and showed Ame her two briefcases.
"Say, Amelon - d'ya mind if I put these back in the trunk?" Gura asked.
Suddenly, chills ran up Ame's spine.
"O-oh, the lock on the trunk is broken right now." Ame explained, wiping the sweat forming on her brow, "Y-you can keep those in the back seat with Bloop."
"Okie~!" Gura agreed without hesitation and passed her briefcases over to Bloop.
Then, in one smooth motion, she hopped over the convertible's door and into the front passenger's seat beside Ame.
"We might not get to fly a plane today, but a train's the next best thing!" Gura cheered with unbridled excitement, "Let's-a-go~!"
Bloop heaved an audible sigh. He opened the rear door and took his seat, setting down the briefcases by his feet. The other Shrimps, meanwhile, brought out three hardtop sedans from the cannery parking lot and followed behind Ame's convertible.
"The sooner we get through this farce, the better." Bloop grumbled.
That works for me.
…
With that, Ame drove down the entirety of Ocean Street towards the Seaport.
Going down that road reminded Ame of that evening when she took Gura on a reckless, high-speed joyride. Memories surfaced in Ame's mind too when they passed a certain railroad crossing and bridge by - the ones that led to Gura's 'Strawberry Cove'.
The significance of the location wasn't lost on Gura either. The Queenpin stole fond glances at Ame, watching her locks of golden hair fluttering in the morning sun and the sea breeze. Whenever Gura's eyes met with Ame's, however, Gura shied away and fidgeted.
Cute…
It took Ame every ounce of her willpower to stay focused on the road ahead of them.
If Bloop wasn't breathing down Ame's neck - and if a dozen Shrimp gang members weren't tailing her, she would have probably taken Gura on a detour to Strawberry Cove, but it wasn't meant to be.
Before long, they arrived at their destination: Umisea Train Station on the corner of Marine Drive and Aqua Boulevard near the Seaport. They got there just in time to watch the famous eleven-car Casino Train roll into the station too. Its chaotic livery of red, blue and yellow sprinkled with gambling and rat motifs could be seen from miles away.
"Looks like our ride is here." Ame commented.
Her eyes turned to the small crowd of passengers - well dressed gamblers from all over the North District - trickling into the Umisea Train Station. All of them had fancy masquerade masks that covered most if not all of their faces. Among that crowd, Ame spotted the figure of Senior Detective Kronii Ouro dressed up as a masked gambler herself. She was accompanied by a handful of plainclothes detectives too.
Ame had to do a double take. She wasn't used to seeing Kronii not trying to draw attention to herself.
The masked Kronii saw Ame enter the parking lot and gave her a nod. Ame returned the gesture and parked the car.
"Looks like a really long line." Gura tiptoed and watched the crowd.
"We're VIP guests, Gura, so we won't have to line up with the regular crowd. We get to board on the priority lane." Ame reassured with a smile, "We have three of the eleven train cars reserved for us too. We'll be needing our privacy for today's big conference."
"Right…" Gura's excitement mellowed out, "Calli finally wants to talk after all."
"That, she does." Ame confirmed, "Is something wrong, Gura?"
Gura shook her head and managed to wear a small smile.
"Not at all, Amelon. Let's go!"
Without warning, Gura took Ame by the hand and dragged her to the priority lane. Bloop and the other Shrimps, meanwhile, followed behind them with Gura's briefcases in tow.
…
When the time came for them to board, the security personnel of the Umisea Train Station and staff of Bae's Rat Pack tried to check their tickets. In the presence of the famous Gawr Gura and her Lieutenant Bloop, however, they froze in fear.
It was at that time that Baelz Hakos herself marched out of the Casino Train and shored up the flagging security. The rat-girl walked up to the checkpoint and did the inspections herself, all the while pretending that she had never seen Ame in her life.
"I know you folks are famous, but the Casino Train's my turf." Bae folded her arms sternly, "So, tickets please. And declare your weapons too."
For a moment, Bae and Bloop glared at each other with displeasure but neither of them said a word. Bae's stubborn stand restored the morale of the train station staff and the Rat Pack, allowing them to continue their duties.
The train station staff and the Rat Pack regained their morale and resumed their duties.
Bloop showed off a deep sea fishing harpoon that shimmered menacingly in the sun. He didn't have to say anything - the sheer size and menacing design of the weapon as a declaration in itself. After him, the twelve Shrimp gang members presented their fire axes.
Ame's turn came. She reached for the holster by her hip and brought out the nickel-plated, ebony-gripped pistol named 'Gloom'.
Bae inspected the weapon, once again feigning innocence. Gura, on the other hand, whistled with intrigue.
"Nice gat, Amelon." Gura praised. Then, she wore a toothy grin, "But wait till you get a load of these!"
The Queenpin took one of the briefcases from Bloop and popped it open. Inside, there were twin pistols painted blue with matching shark teeth motifs.
"Recognize these bad boys?" Gura snickered, spinning the guns with impressive skill.
Ame's eyes lit up when she saw them.
"Those are Bazooka Goomba's guns!" Ame exclaimed, "Dante and Vergil!"
Ame and Gura looked into each other's eyes. Then, they said one of Bazooka Goomba's lines together.
" ¡Ahora, estoy motivado! "
The two comic book geeks laughed heartily.
Bloop frowned with displeasure. Bae, on the other hand, snickered.
"Adorable dorks, those two." Bae whispered beneath her breath.
Once they cleared security, Ame and Gura holstered their guns.
"These aren't finger guns this time. They're the real deal." Gura started mellowly, patting the pistols by her hips, "I hope I don't have to use 'em, but the City's gotten tough lately. It doesn't hurt to be prepared."
"That's fair." Ame agreed.
"But until we get to the South District, we've got this train to ourselves, Amelon." Gura beamed, "Let's enjoy it before the Deadbeats stink the whole place up."
Ame smiled back.
"Your wish is my command." She gave Gura a polite bow. Then, she teased, "But don't come crying when I wipe the casino floor with you, sharkie!"
"You wish!" Gura stuck out her tongue.
With that, Ame and Gura stepped into Baelz Hakos' Casino Train. The both of them were eager to let off some steam before the Great Peace Conference began in earnest. They wandered through the cars of the Casino Train that were reserved for them and chatted happily while they searched for something fun to do.
While they did, the Queenpin of the North and her protege henchwoman held hands. The distance between the two had almost completely disappeared.
And yet, Ame still felt uneasy. When she passed by a window of the train, Ame looked out to the parking lot and searched for the brown V8 convertible.
When she saw it, she whispered quietly.
"It's your turn now, Kiara."
…
Queenpins
All Aboard The Rail-Road Amusement Train!
…
Epilogue
Half an hour later, after all of the other passengers had boarded the Casino Train, the train whistle blew loudly. With that, the train began its journey to the South District and silence fell upon the parking lot of the Umisea Train Station. All of the fanfare from earlier had faded away into nothingness.
Almost as if on cue, the trunk of the brown, V8 convertible in the parking lot clicked open. The figure of Kiara Takanashi emerged from within, wearing the attire of 'Hinotori', the protege henchwoman of Calliope Mori. Kiara rolled out onto the pavement and savored in the fresh sea breeze.
"I am totally not doing that again!" Kiara heaved a sigh.
She looked at her own reflection in the side view mirror. Her hair was a little bit frizzy, but it wasn't anything that a little combing wouldn't fix.
Her purple-pink eyes then wandered to the accelerator pedal of the convertible. Underneath that pedal, she saw the keys of the car placed their conveniently just for her.
"It's my turn indeed…" Kiara hummed, "I should find a Gamewell telephone and report to Ina."
She hopped over the door, landed on the driver's seat and bent down to retrieve the keys.
As soon as Kiara raised up her head, however, she heard the click of a pistol safety disengaging.
"Oh hi~!" An unsettlingly sweet voice reached Kiara's ears.
"Mumei… Nanashi?" Kiara asked.
Beads of sweat formed on Kiara's brow. She tried to raise up her hands in surrender, but Mumei squawked like a bird.
"Keep your hands down!" Mumei shushed.
Kiara nodded, following the owl-girl's instruction to the letter.
Mumei sauntered around the car and hopped into the passenger's seat.
"You were headed to the South District, right?" Mumei asked.
Kiara nodded again.
"Good. Give me a ride there. No pitstops. No telephone calls." Mumei spoke with her sickly sweet tone, keeping her gun pointed at the Phoenix. She also showed off the hand hammer under her coat and threatened Kiara with a smile, "If you don't do what I say, then I'll go don~ don~! "
Left without a choice, Kiara started the car.
To Be Continued