Chapter 3: The Crossroads

Of course it was going to end up here at some point. Arendelle Constabulary. It was necessary to finalize the details of their trap assembled over the last week. And it wasn't so much that Elsa hated the building as the memories it dredged up. So it was as she dragged herself through its halls, shrugging off gestures of acknowledgement, that Elsa felt an intangible weight on her shoulders. Not much longer. That was all she needed to tell herself.

She went into the chief's office without bothering to knock, finding it conspicuously empty. Had he not thought to secure it? One look at the state of the room gave her the answer: there probably hadn't been time. The layout of the office was as she had remembered, but the state was decidedly not. From the coffee mug that had long since stopped being white on the inside, the clutter on the desk and the overloaded "in" and "out" pile, Elsa drew the conclusion that in spite of her advice, her old boss had been running himself ragged.

A few seconds later, chief Roe came through the door. "Please, take a seat." She could see he was trying to maintain the 'business as usual' demeanour, appearance and hygiene be damned. "So, what's the current status on the exposition plan?"

She really wanted to chide his overzealous work ethic. It was a stupid stereotype anyway. But they had both invested far too much into this. "The movers have already finished assembling the art works." It had taken a fair few generous donations and silver words to part the owners from their prized possessions, even for just three days. "As for the security, we have secured any access points at their in-house surveillance. We also set up our own wired network, just in case." It has been a unique challenge, as the wires would look very conspicuous. In the end they disguised the wires as cables for the additional lighting. "I recommend we switch the positions of the cameras each day after the exhibit closes." They needed to deny their mysterious opponents of every advantage they could get. "That mainly leaves our personnel, which you agreed to look into."

Roe cleared his throat. "Of course. My primary concern is the way the personnel were incapacitated during the previous theft. We identified the chemical used as one that would need to be either ingested or injected. Since several of the guards we questioned have no injections recently it's mostly likely the former. Therefore I am assigning a small detachment of officers to watch the premises at night. We're strictly regulating their diet to ensure they can't be taken down the same way. I can only commit five of our people. Hopefully that will be enough."

Elsa gave the slightest smile. "You mean six, don't you?"

Roe gave a laugh, one Elsa assumed to be the first genuine one of the last couple of days. "See, that's what I always liked about you. So efficient. Yes, I'd like you to stake out the exhibit at night, particularly where we're displaying the Scarlet Star." He looked out the window briefly to the busy street. "No matter how much we do, I can't escape the feeling of dread that we'll still be one step behind. You're honestly our best shot at catching our perpetrator before disaster strikes."

She closed her eyes, grimacing. Elsa knew in some ways she was right. It didn't matter whose fault it was. If these thieves got away unscatched, faith in the security might break, and the criminal element would almost certainly grow bolder. Heads would roll for sure, and the chief would take the brunt of that fallout. "We may have lost the battle, but I will do everything in my power to ensure we win the war."

The chief. "Well, while we're on the subject of power, there's one more thing I'll think you'll need to see this through." He pulled open a drawer and pulled out a small wooden case.

Elsa's heart skipped a beat. "No, you- I-. I can't possibly, it's not legal."

"The paperwork has been filled out already." He pushed the box towards her. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. You look me in the eye and tell me you won't possibly need this."

Elsa took a deep breath. She didn't want to. She shivered at the idea. But he was right. The stakes were too high. She unclicked the latches and lifted the lid. There it still was, lustrous as ever. Her old peacemaker revolver. Shaking, her left hand took the handle and relieved the case of its burden. It was the same weapon, wasn't it? So where was this dread coming from? She thought back to her father's words: only those who rightly fear power deserve to wield it. Deep breaths. Nice and slow. She replaced the weapon and resealed the case. "So be it."

"Thank you, Elsa. I know this is difficult for you. What happened before wasn't your fault." Elsa looked up to him. He was really bringing this up now? "I just, I just might not get a chance to say that again."

"Now's not the time to be getting sentimental, sir." She got back up. "The storm clouds are gathering. We best be ready."

The next two days were a whirlwind of triple checks, reviewing the footage that they had from the daytime and internal calculations. To her, the fact that every single individual who had come to visit the exhibit being suspicious was not some paranoid delusion but a sad indictment on the state of the world. No one was beneath suspicion. Which only made the burden of finding the true bad apples an insurmountable task.

Elsa had tried approaching from a different angle, considering whether their mysterious thieves would try and make an attempt on the Scarlet Star. That too only served to highlight the sheer number of variables on the situation. They had to at least suspect that it was some kind of trap. A trap you know about is one you can disarm. Could they though? She had been thorough enough. It all depended on what tricks they held in reserve.

Ten minutes to six. The same time she had arrived the two days before, like clockwork. This time it was going to be different. It had to be. This wasn't just the ideal opportunity. It was quite possibly the only one. She could finally stop chasing phantoms. At least, the ones that weren't quite real. She felt a familiar vibration. Adam was calling.

"What's the situation?" There was honestly no situation on his end, but he probably wanted something all the same.

"Holding down the fort for my favourite boss as always." Elsa rolled her eyes. Charming as always. "I did a little more research, you know. Turns out, this isn't the first time the gems have been stolen. Not by a long shot."

"That's hardly surprising, given their immense value. And I severely doubt it will be any consolation to Arendelle's security forces, either."

Adam gave a rather loud sigh. "Would you let me finish? The interesting thing is that they never managed to catch the thieves, and yet the jewels always managed to end up back in public hands, if not their original owners. Stranger still, no one's ever been made to pay for their return, despite their immense value."

This was news to Elsa. It sounded like the heists were simply for the sport of it. Damnit, why did he have to come along with this information now? If that really was the case, what little ground she had gained was now meaningless. "It doesn't matter now. I intend to ask the culprit myself after I apprehend them."

"Ooooh, confident I see. Well, I won't keep you any longer. Best of luck." Elsa would never admit that she needed any luck, but that was what this would all come down to. Time to prepare.

Red walked back and forth her little room. Too long. This was taking waaaay too long. Didn't they know that this was the last night? They'd promised she could go get the star. What was taking them? A knock on the door. She couldn't open it fast enough.

"Is it time?"

Rex nodded. "It's time."

Elsa reviewed all of the surveillance cameras. All of them were responding as expected. With the all clear, she checked all of the possible weak points. All of them were physically secure. No way any would-be thief could break in without getting unwanted attention.

Red put on her outfit of pure black. Last time. Also the last time she would have to ruin her hair. Always clung onto the blasted hat. That was one thing she wouldn't miss.

All the officers on duty were accounted for and correct. They would take the same formation as the two previous nights, except this time there would be no switches or rests. Elsa vaguely regretted it, but any downtime could prove fatal.

The belt was next, filled with the tools and fancy gadgets Red had become used too, along with a couple of new toys from Rex. The people guarding the star weren't taking any chances, so apparently neither were they. It would be fun to see what the team had come up with.

Finally, there was the matter of her peacemaker. Elsa spun the cylinder. No signs of deterioration. All save one of the chambers was loaded. There would be no misfires on her watch. As long as the cylinder still turned, she could still get the first draw, so long as she wasn't jumped first.

Red looked in the mirror. This was it. Her last great performance, to an audience of none. Oh well, it wasn't like she was doing this for free.

"Ready?" Rex asked.

"Ready."

"Everything is in place, ma'am." Elsa nodded at the officer's report. All of their planning came down to this.

"I appreciate your efforts." Elsa managed to force a smile, hoping it wouldn't look that way. "Let's hope it pays off."

Everything was in place. Rex had made sure she had taken in the whole briefing. They had learned a thing or two from the Tear heist and put that to work. But they were more ready than they could ever expect. She checked her watch. Ten minutes to midnight, on the dot. Right above her, a window leading into the exhibition. Open just the tiniest crack. To anyone else, nothing. She cracked a wide smile, not that anyone would see under her outfit. Now this was her kind of ladder.

Left. Small hand hold where a brick was loose. Easy enough. Right. A fresh metal bolt. Her smiled widened as she latched on. It was like they wanted to be infiltrated. She shook it off. Task at hand. Left. Hole in the wall just above. Right. She cursed quietly. The window was just above her, out of reach. It was times like this it paid to be prepared. She whipped out a small hook on a wire and latched it onto the opening. Her heart pounded. She cursed again. This was the easy part, after all.

Over the edge, she scanned. Three cameras. One above as she knew. The other two had been moved. For anyone else, a sign to slow down. Not for Phantom Red.

Three. She pulled the hook out of the window ledge. Two. Then flipped it around to grip from the other side. One! She jumped down into the room shimmied to the floor. No alarms. She snorted, stopping just short of laughter. One erratic camera movement and she would be done for sure. But no, all they ever did was pile on more security and hope there was one net she wouldn't slip through.

The cameras were moving again. With a deep breath, Red swirled around, weaving the camera's blind spots. Window camera stopped turning. She dashed forward. Top corner was moving again! Steadying her nerves, she thought of something.

The camera turned, seeing an ancient statue in its robotic eye. It may never have required rest, but it couldn't see through solid objects. Red wiped her brow, once again staying out of sight. She turned the corner, and her eyes lit up.

Time to open the new box of tricks. Reaching for her belt, she pressed a button, making the tube bleep to life. Now for the leap of faith. She walked forward into the paths of the cameras. Nothing. The eyes in the sky were now blind. Good old Rex had come through.

Now it was time to- there was a light drawing in. Guard! Red raised to the balls of her feet and leapt forward.

A middle-aged man in a blue uniform rounded the corner, flashlight in hand. Had he heard a noise? The exhibit looked as dull as ever. Sighing, but keeping his eyes peeled. he shone the light around. As soon as he stepped forward, he trained his light onto something.

Red froze stiff, her heart and lungs trying to outdo each other. If she just had a little more-

"Bloody woman," the guard grumbled. A couple of seconds of fiddling later, and he was back walking the way he came. The area was quiet once more.

Red finally released her grip from the underside of the bench she had been clinging onto. She retracted her shaky arms. A few more seconds and it all could have been over. She peeked out from under the bench, and got back up and dusted herself off. The hiding place had left her quite dusty. Onwards through the dark.

She reached the end of the hall. From the corner, she could see the entrance to the room she was headed for. She could also see two men standing guard. Back to the wall, she crossed her fingers with one hand and picked up a detonator with the other. After a short click, she counted. One, two, three.

Fifty-eight, fifty nine, sixty. She slowly took a glance back around to the door. Both the guards were slumped on the floor. There was no time to lose. The moment one of them was discovered, all hell would break loose. She rushed forward, stopping at the entryway to the small display room.

Red had to stop herself from dashing forward and grabbing the prize. The Scarlet Star. Her 'helpers' must have checked a hundred times for traps. But never at night.

The security guard slumped over in his chair probably meant there were no pressure alarms. She quickly scanned the area and saw no sign of any trip lasers. No, nothing. She paused. Was it really this easy? Only one way to find out.

She took slow deliberate steps, each footfall echoing throughout the room. Barely noticing the velvet ropes surrounding the display, she reached out a slow, shaking hand and delicately picked up the jewel. It appeared to be clear, ball shape. No way to make out the colour. Red gazed intently into it for a few seconds, before pocketing the prize. It really was this easy. That was, until the room's floodlights came on. Red turned around to find a gun in her face. She reared back, almost knocking over the display.

Elsa paced the hall in front of the display room, unable to abate the swirling storm in her mind. There were far too many possible scenarios. There was but one chance. One chance to catch the perpetrator, and discover the truth. That was, unless this whole thing proved to be a waste of time.

No, now was not the time to think about that. There was more to this than just her. The chief was relying on her. She took a drink of cold water, her nerves feeling more soothed with each breath. Anyone who came here tonight uninvited would-

A sound barely registered on the edge of her hearing. A beep? It sounded unalike to anything they had in place to keep the star secure. She approached one of the patrolling guards. "I may have heard something suspicious. Be on your guard."

"Yeah, yeah." The man grunted, before pulling out a flashlight and heading into the darkness. She knew he wanted to put his feet up for just a few minutes, but now more than ever was not the time.

A few minutes later, he returned looking no worse for wear. But no better, either. "Anything?" Elsa asked.

"Bad nothing. No need to get so jumpy." The man sighed. "Sorry, it's just-"

"Go get some water. I can keep watch for the next few minutes." It was the only real solution. If she really forced them to keep going, they would inevitably lapse anyway. As the man walked away, she considered. Was that beep really nothing? If the pattern lined up, then the thief could have already-

Elsa whipped out her phone and mashed the number for the security hub. There was a chance the cameras had already been compromised. The ringing tone hung . Why wouldn't they pick up? Then, she heard it. The two guards watching the entryway had collapsed. That confirmed it. They were here.

Elsa's mind became a flurry of thoughts, worries and possible decisions. She couldn't check on the guards, or she'd risk sharing their fate, or worse. The alarms were ready and waiting. No, that would only make the trespassers flee. She could stand guard and keep the Scarlet Star safe. No, number of intruders was still unknown. She needed every advantage she could get. She retreated around the opposite corner, keeping watch for anyone attempting to complete their heist.

There he was. Was it a he? It was hard for Elsa to make out in the darkness, but the figure was far too slender to be masculine. The figure was cloaked in black, making any other features impossible to discern. The only other thing Elsa noticed was the pieces around the waist, possibly suggesting the individual was armed. She checked her revolver. Still there. As quietly as possible, she spun the cylinder into the next, loaded chamber. No chances. She advanced, the intruder now out of sight. Step by step, she edged forward. Gun now drawn, she looked in on the room that housed the star. This was it. She pressed a button bringing the floodlights in the room to life, before raising the revolver in her left hand.

To even the casual observer, and especially to Elsa, this development had fallen well outside of this thief's plans. She hopped back, only the elaborate display that had not a minute ago held the star prevented a complete fall. "Hands where I can see them," Elsa ordered. "No sudden moves." Without the darkness, the intruder's feminine features became more apparent. The only part of her body that wasn't concealed was her green eyes. Elsa found herself almost sucked into them, and she couldn't figure out why. No, this woman was a criminal.

"Hey! You scared me!" Elsa wasn't even sure what to say. The hundreds, if not thousands of things she had imagined the thief would say or do were all way more intimidating. Hell, they all had a much stronger grasp on reality, at the very least.

"You're under arrest for attempted larceny. Hands where I can see them. This is your last warning." Elsa pulled the hammer of the gun. Benefits to her accuracy aside, maybe this would give the thief the wake up call she clearly needed.

The woman lifted her hands. "Alright, alright! Geez, you're so bossy."

Elsa scowled a bit. Did this girl think she had been caught sneaking out after curfew? Apparently she would have to be dragged back into the real world kicking and screaming. "Let me see your face. Once I take you back to the station, perhaps you'll see that you're little more than a criminal."

At first, she appeared to lower the veil covering her face. As soon as Elsa finished though, she fumed at Elsa. "Hey! I'll have you know that I'm not just little more than a criminal. You see, I am Red. Phantom Red."

This kept getting more and more bizarre. Did this girl imagine she was in some kind of graphic novel? Clearly it would take someone greater than herself to snap her out of it. Perhaps there was some kind of opportunity in this. "You're not Phantom Red. You don't fit the profile. Besides, the real one wouldn't be caught so easily."

Red stamped a foot. Elsa suppressed a smile, knowing she had touched a nerve. "I am Phantom Red! I got all the other treasures of Albernon without anyone seeing me, much less catching me. Someone was bound to come close sooner or later. You should consider this an honour."

"And who exactly does Phantom Red steal in the name of?" Elsa had to steady her breathing. She was close. So close.

Red shook her head. "Uh-uh, I'm not telling." Elsa squeezed the handle of her gun much tighter. "Ooh, I know. How about you let me go and then I'll tell you. How does that sound?"

Elsa took a step closer, now levelling the barrel at the intruder's head. "I have better idea. How about I take you to a cell, we figure out how long we can sentence you based on your confession just now, and then you see if you feel like cooperating."

Red rolled her eyes. "Aww, you're no fun. Besides, you're not going to be telling anyone about what you saw here."

Elsa now gripped the gun with both hands. "Is that a threat?" Maybe a bullet to the arm or leg would snap this woman awake. She took a deep breath. She was letting her emotions cloud her judgement. Sure, this woman was an intruder and acting rather insufferably, but she had not given her a just cause to use deadly force. The ramifications against both her and the security forces would surely-. BAM. Something stung her shoulder.

She tensed up. Her moment of hesitation had cost her everything, as her opponent had a trick up her sleeve. Literally. A small dart and found its way through her coat into her shoulder, and now she felt the numbness. She had maybe a minute of consciousness left.

"Well, it's been fun, but I gotta run. Don't worry though, you'll wake up in about twelve hours, but man, I wouldn't want to be you then. Nighty-night!" Red pulled her veil up and darted round Elsa back the way she came.

Elsa's fury barely managed to penetrate the dizziness coursing through her. The alarm button was only a few strides away, but it may as well have been a thousand miles. No. She would make it. If it was the very last thing she would do. To let that blasted woman win was unthinkable.

Left. Her feet lagged well behind her brain, almost refusing to move. Right. Another wave of dizziness pored over her. It wanted her to give up. Never. Left. She almost toppled. Just a little closer. Right. Right! She couldn't do it. Just one step. She finally gave out, falling forwards, her anger fading. But from hell's heart, she slammed the button, sending the sirens far and wide. That would have to do. She lay there quietly, no longer able to move.