QUEST FOR THE LUNATI TREASURE
Episode #15
"The Usual Suspects"
As darkness fell on Silver City, the property belonging to Ian Hartford seemed to convey a completely different atmosphere. Although the moon had chosen its home for the night, the circular driveway in front of the Hartford mansion was well-lit by the stone fountain that sat in the middle of the concrete driveway.
Only a few feet away from the front doors of the home, Spencer Kingston ran a spotless white towel over the body of his black Bentley, practically sparking in the moonlight, mixed with the hazy golden light coming from the lighted fountain. Spencer looked over the vehicle once more, making sure there wasn't a scratch.
He spotted a small droplet of water on the trunk. It had no doubt come from the nearby fountain. Spencer walked over, quickly wiping it away. He smiled as he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Perfect," Spencer said, before turning back to the mansion.
As he entered the house, he didn't bother to close the front doors. Instead, he reached into his pocket and grabbed the automobile's keys, just as he saw Chris Hartford jogging down the stairs. Spencer let out an impressive whistle upon seeing Chris in a black suit and tie. In fact everything on him from his watch to his shoes was black, except for the white cotton dress shirt he wore beneath his blazer.
"Quite debonair, Master Chris," Spencer complimented.
"Damn it," Chris said, feigning disappointment. "I was going for unquestioned perfection."
He threw Spencer a smirk, before reaching the bottom of the stairs and holding out his hand.
"Are those for me?" Chris asked, eyeing Spencer's keys.
"On one condition!" Spencer said, his face evidence of his sincerity. "I want it back in the same condition in which I am giving it. If you return my car with so much as a scratch, you'll never drive again. Believe me, I have friends in very high places."
"Yes, sir," Chris said, saluting Spencer as if he were his commanding officer.
Spencer handed over the keys, as Dr. Ian Hartford exited the elevator that had carried him from the second floor of the mansion. He saw the keys exchange hands.
"You know, Spencer, your invitation still stands. You're welcome to join us tonight," Ian said, as his high-powered wheelchair sped over to the two at the bottom of the main staircase.
"I would, sir, but I would spend the entire night critiquing the food, the quality of the wine and…the company," Spencer said, with a nod. "And you do know how much Mrs. Hill dislikes that."
Ian grinned, before his eyes moved to Chris. He noticed his son's attire and felt proud.
"You look handsome, son," Ian said warmly.
"Thanks, dad," Chris said, politely. "You don't look so bad yourself."
In fact, their suits were identical.
"Well, I may change my mind about going if this love fest is going to continue all night," Spencer said.
"Don't count on it," Chris & Ian both said flippantly, catching each other off-guard.
"That's more like it," Spencer said, smiling.
It was then that he noticed another person making their way down the main staircase. His jaw practically dropped. Chris and Ian both noticed and all eyes turned to Jessica Lorrie descending the stairs. She was literally sparkling in her white satin dress, which flew in the breeze as she made her way down the steps. The dress was equipped with tiny sparkles that seemed to match the diamond hair band that held her curly locks above her head, allowing the curls to flow down the sides of her face.
"Gentlemen," Jessica greeted the men with a smile. "What do you think?"
She reached the bottom of the steps and twirled around quickly, giving them the full view.
"Stunning," Ian said.
"Ravishing," Spencer added.
"Unquestioned perfection," Chris said, with a sigh.
"Thank you," Jessica said. "I think the contacts are really working for me. Are we ready?"
"The gala awaits," Ian said, as he sent his wheelchair rolling towards the rear of the house. "Grab the car. I'll meet you out back."
Chris nodded and headed for the front door, followed by Jessica. Spencer raised a hand, remembering something.
"Wait," he called out to them. "Trackers?"
Chris and Jessica both turned back to Spencer. Jessica reached into her tiny purse, which appeared only big enough to hold her tracker which she showed him was inside. Chris reached into the inner breast pocket of his blazer and showed Spencer he was also packing morphing technology.
"Happy hunting," Spencer said, wishing them well.
The Hartford Historical Society was already buzzing with activity, as the planned art gala was only a few minutes from being underway. Nora Hill, the event coordinator in charge of the society's social calendar, made her rounds quickly. The stocky, white-haired Caucasian woman seemed rather passive to the naked eye, given her age, but to those who knew her she was a force to be reckoned with, especially when things didn't go as planned.
She marched into the kitchen, where the wait staff was assembled. Each of them were dressed in perfectly pressed black pants, along with bright blue dress cotton shirts, each with a distinctive black stripe that traced the opening of the shirt, camouflaging their buttons.
"Listen up, people. This is a very important night," she announced. "Some of Silver City's most prominent figures, including my boss and the owner of this establishment are going to be here any moment. It is imperative that this gala goes off without a hitch. So, keep the glasses full, the food coming and your mouths shut, unless spoken to directly."
The staff, filled with men and women in their twenties all nodded upon hearing her orders.
"This is the first event I've had to plan in almost a year. I don't intend to have it ruined. So, be sure you're at your best. I'll be watching," Nora exclaimed.
At that moment, Nora grabbed the tiny silver earpiece on her ear. Her eyes appeared to search the room, as she took in the information that was relayed to her.
"The guests are arriving," Nora announced to the staff. "Start loading your trays!"
Nora walked off at a brisk pace, headed for the entrance to the building. As most of the staff followed her orders, one of them slowly slipped through the group and made her way towards a waiter who was leaned against the rear wall of the kitchen, seemingly oblivious to everything that had just transpired. Like her, he was young and blond. She leaned over to him.
"Yuki, were you paying attention?" Miko whispered, beneath her disguise.
Evan Yukito, like Miko, was dressed as a server. Given their facial make-up, neither of them even appeared to be of Japanese descent. He nodded his head, but still appeared to be a million miles away.
"Are you okay?" Miko asked.
"I'm fine," Evan said, as his eyes seemed glued on the kitchen staff that was dishing up hors'duevres at lightning fast speeds.
He looked over to see all of the wine and champagne flowing into glasses and the sheer amount of waiters and waitresses with silver trays.
"Just stick to the plan and everything will go off without a hitch," Evan said.
"I was just going to say the same to you," Miko said. "You're the one acting like a space cadet…which is usually my job."
"It's just all this…decadence and greed," Evan said, shaking his head, unable to shake a distant memory.
The lavish home of one of Hong Kong's leading gangsters was in no way simple. The place was adorned with large golden statues, expensive furniture and more cars than anyone could count. If there was one thing the kingpin loved more than his riches, however, it was his food.
As the overweight Chinese man sat at the head of his long dining table, none of the other seats were occupied. The table, however, was so full of decadent delights that every inch seemed to be covered by something edible. Evan Yukito walked in to see his boss planted in his seat, gnawing on a large bone that had once been full of meat. The grease dripped from the man's hands and Evan couldn't remember a time when he hadn't seen the glutton's jaws moving at a break-neck pace.
He walked quickly over to his boss and pulled a ring of keys from his pocket. He held them out to the man since there was no room for the keys on the table. Another figure had accompanied the young thief into the dining room.
"Good job," the crime lord spoke in his native tongue.
He tossed the bone onto a large platter that held the rest of the whole turkey he had been eating.
"Was there much trouble?"
"No," Evan said, eyeing the large pastry at the center of the table. "It was a…piece of cake."
It had taken Evan months to master the Chinese language, but he was now practically fluent. For a twenty year old, it was a tall order, but Evan had endured and come out successful. His boss reached out to take the keys, but stopped as he realized the greasy state of his hands. He nodded to the tall figure who had entered with Evan.
"Lau, take them," he called out.
Evan handed the keys to Lau, who was almost two decades older than himself.
"What's the next assignment?" Evan asked, eagerly.
"I'm sure I'll have something for you to do after we raid their storage house tonight!" his boss answered, before grabbing a bowl of white rice, which he ate with his hands.
"Yan, I suggest we take our time," Lau spoke quickly, stepping past Evan to get closer to their boss, Yan.
"Why?" Yan asked, his mouth full.
"Because, I believe we may have been followed," Lau said, suspiciously.
"I didn't notice anyone," Evan said.
"I've been doing this a lot longer than you have, child!" Lau said, giving Evan the evil eye.
"Calm down," Yan responded to Lau, before glancing past him to look at Evan. "You must forgive Lau. He can be very paranoid. You must not scare our recruits, Lau."
Yan invited Evan to sit down at the table, but he passed, feeling almost like he would be sick.
"My riches can be your riches, if you make the right decisions, Yukito," Yan explained.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity," Evan said.
"It is not often that I invite someone to eat at my table. But, I have a good feeling about you. You're smart and you follow orders. You also have yet to disappoint me. Those in my organization like Lau warned me about taking on someone so…young. But, if you continue to pay dividends with your talents, you may soon find all of my riches to be very familiar to you," Yan said.
Evan politely bowed.
"We must be cautious," Lau said.
"Why be cautious when there is nothing that I fear?" Yan said, boldly.
Yan began to laugh loudly, as he looked over at Evan. He knew when to join in and when to keep quiet. Evan smiled widely, unlike the man who had trained him in the ways of theft. Lau remained silent.
Evan shook his head, knocking himself from his flashback. He locked eyes with Miko.
"Just wait for my signal and be ready to strike," Evan said to her, before walking off to fill up his tray.
The Bentley was the fourth car to arrive at the Historical Society building. Chris pulled up to the entrance, where the valet was waiting. The passenger door opened first and Jessica stepped out, thanking the valet for the gesture. He quickly ran to the other side of the car, where Chris had already exited the driver's seat and was helping Ian get into his wheelchair. Jessica glanced up at the entrance, where there was one photographer, standing beside a reporter who was taking notes. The intellectual society of Silver City rarely garnered much more attention from the press.
Jessica's eyes veered to the entrance where Nora Hill was standing. She appeared a bit puzzled as to Jessica's identity. Next, Jessica saw the two guards posted at the door. The first was a husky man who looked no younger than forty. The second bore a strikingly familiar face. She walked right up to him.
"Moonlighting, Detective?" she asked.
Stephen Garza, who had not been paying attention, turned his head to see Jessica in her dress.
"I heard it was going to be quite a party," Garza said, with a wink. "Since I know how rowdy you rich types can be, I thought you could use the extra muscle."
"I doubt it will be that interesting," Jessica said, with a smile.
Her English accent always gave his ears a tingle.
"You obviously haven't seen your dress, then," Garza said, with a smile.
Nora Hill noticed their interaction and was about to put a stop to it when she heard a familiar voice call out to her. She turned to see Ian and Chris Hartford heading towards her.
"Dr. Hartford!" Nora exclaimed, clutching her chest. "What happened to you?!"
"I was in an accident," Ian said, as he glanced up at Chris. "I fell in a volcano."
"Oh my," Nora said, still stunned. "I've told you a million times to be more careful on your expeditions."
Ian introduced Nora to Chris and also to Jessica, whom he pointed to given her position several feet away from them. Jessica seemed to still be focused on Garza, who noticed the sneer on Nora Hill's face.
"Look, we should probably cut this short," Garza said. "My boss can be a real slave driver, especially if she doesn't get what she wants."
"I like her already," Jessica said, giving him a playful smile, before heading inside with the others.
Nora led them into the main gala room, where several paintings adorned the walls. There were gasps heard amongst the group as Ian entered in his wheelchair. Jessica and Chris walked closely behind him. Ian glanced at Nora, as he greeted the others with nods.
"Has Sebastian arrived yet?" Ian asked her.
"No. Mr. Garrett's car is on the way, though," Nora said.
"Are these all his paintings?" Jessica asked.
"Yes," Nora replied. "They arrived late this morning. I wasn't even sure we'd get them all put up in time. Dr. Hartford gave me very short notice."
"Yet, you still put together a smashing party, as always," Ian said, as he took a glass of wine from the passing waitress, who attentively served all four of them.
"I tried my best," Nora said. "Time will tell if it's a success."
Chris sipped from his glass.
"Well, I have to say, it's already got the thumbs up from me," he said with a smile.
Ian rolled his eyes, before looking back at Nora.
"I want to talk to Sebastian as soon as he arrives. I'll announce him myself," Ian told her.
"Of course," Nora said.
As they continued talking, the waitress who had served them stayed close. Miko smiled beneath her disguise, proud of her work since none of them had noticed it was her.
"You seemed pretty cozy with that dame earlier," Garza's partner for the evening spoke. "Ex-girlfriend?"
They nodded as the guests continued entering the gala, walking through the double doors between them.
"Not yet," Garza said simply.
"So what you slummin' out here with me for?"
"Come on, Lou. You know what a cop's pay is like," Garza said. "How am I gonna afford a girl like her on my salary alone?"
"I hear ya," Lou said. "Personally, I'm here for my kid. His birthday's in two weeks and he's begging for a Wii. I don't know what the hell that is, but my wife's treating it like a federal case. Gotta keep the women happy."
"You said it," Garza said, as he turned around and glanced through the glass entrance and saw Jessica at Chris Hartford.
Chris finished another glass of wine and Jessica shook her head.
"I guess you won't be driving home tonight," she said.
"Don't start with me. You're not my mother," Chris said. "Besides, this is the first night out we've gotten in weeks."
"Still, you should slow down," Jessica said. "Why aren't they carding anyway?"
"Now you sound like Spencer," Chris said. "My 21st birthday is in a week. Cut me some slack."
"Birthday plans?" she inquired.
"Nope," Chris said, flatly as he tried to flag down the waitress who had served him. "But I should warn you, I tend to turn into a spoiled brat on my birthday."
Jessica swatted his hand before Miko could get to them.
"And here I thought birthdays only came once a year," Jessica said sarcastically.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Chris said, annoyed.
Jessica smirked, as they heard the microphone being activated on the small stage at the front of the large room. Nora Hill adjusted it to Ian's height, as two of the staff lifted him and his chair onto the stage.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and welcome!" Ian greeted them all to the sound of applause. "I hope you've been enjoying the food, drinks, conversation and all of the wonderful art that surrounds us tonight. As you all know tonight's gala is to honor one of the brightest contemporary artists of our time."
All eyes were on the stage and Ian's speech. Out in the crowd, even the staff was paying attention, especially Miko and Evan.
"All of the artwork you see tonight belongs to the one and only Sebastian Garrett!"
The crowd cheered once again.
"I'm extremely grateful that Mr. Garrett accepted my invitation to tonight's gala. I've been a fan of his work for many years. From his historical depictions, to his unique art style, I think we can all find something to love," Ian spoke. "In fact, I'm particularly fond of his recycled series, where he's taken old drawings and maps and used them as a backdrop for creating new art. We here at the Historical Society are all about preservation and I'm proud to welcome Sebastian Garrett and his artwork to our family."
The cheers erupted once again, as Sebastian Garrett took to the stage. Chris watched from the floor, next to Jessica. He was surprised at how young Garrett was. He looked to only be in his late thirties, which for a world-reknowned artist was unexpected. Garrett shook Ian's hand and took the microphone.
"Thank you for that welcome, Dr. Hartford," Sebastian said. "I just hope that my artwork is as entertaining as all the hype."
Those in the crowd all chuckled, as he poked fun at his own popularity. But amongst the crowd, Evan Yukito wasn't smiling.
Evan stormed into the kitchen with his empty tray. Amongst the chaos of the kitchen, he didn't see a waiter walking in his direction and Evan bumped right into him, causing their shoulders to collide. The collision managed to get his mind thinking back to his time in Hong Kong.
Evan peeked around a busy street corner, making sure he wasn't being followed. Once he saw no one eyeing him, he sprinted across the street, cutting through a nearby park. When he looked back to check his trail, he never saw the tall man in front of him. The two collided just as Evan turned around.
"Sorry, sorry," Evan shouted to the man as he continued running.
As Evan exited the park, he could hear a small girl yelling to the man. He glanced back to see he had actually run into a father who had been playing with his daughter. Evan shook his head as he slowed down, entering a crowded market across the street from the park.
Evan made his way to a fruit stand, where he nodded to the man in charge. He then knelt down to tie his shoes. As he finished the loop, an envelope was slid across the ground towards his foot. He grabbed it and swiftly placed it under his shirt, tucking it into his pants as he stood back up. He gave a brief nod to the man at the stand, who had slid the envelope to him. Then, Evan walked briskly out of the market towards the street. He cut through the park once again, but this time did so at a much calmer pace.
He passed the man whom he had bumped into before. He was happily pushing his daughter on a swing as Evan passed. Evan took a deep breath, glad that he hadn't done any lasting damage to the man. Almost a half hour later, Evan delivered the envelope to Yan. The fat man quickly opened the envelope and dumped out the cash inside onto his lap. Yan laughed heartily.
"I do enjoy those who pay their debts on time," Yan exclaimed. "Thank you, Evan."
Yan tossed a wad of the cash to Evan, who pocketed it.
"I will be in touch," Yan said, prompting Evan's departure.
Once outside of the room, Evan nodded to Yan's loyal commander Lau, who passed him and entered the dining hall, appearing more unsettled than usual. Evan thought to listen in on their conversation, but decided against it, knowing he was still the rookie and he would probably be killed if he was found spying on any of Yan's conversation.
Back in the present, Evan found himself jabbed in the arm. He turned to the blonde and blue-eyed waitress.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Miko whispered to him.
"Stop asking me that," Evan said.
"Garrett is here and practically glued to the Hartfords!" Miko said, with a frown.
"I noticed," Evan said. "Taiyami?"
"He's in position, waiting for the signal," Miko said.
"Fine. Then leave everything else to me," Evan said, before storming off with his tray.
Miko was left behind. She sighed, wondering what was bothering him. She was so focused on Evan that she didn't notice the tall dark-skinned man walking up to her from the kitchen.
"Excuse me, but those guests aren't going to get their drinks themselves," he said to her sternly.
Miko frowned and stomped off to the kitchen, not caring that she might offend the man who was the head of the kitchen staff.
The man walked out into the gala, with his own tray full of hors'duevres. He walked right over to Nora Hill who was talking with Ian, Jessica and Sebastian Garrett.
"Perfect," Nora said, upon seeing him. "Ian, I want you to meet Raul Crane, the head of our kitchen staff. These hors'duevres are his own personal recipe and they are divine!"
Ian tried one, along with Jessica. Sebastian passed, choosing instead to sip more from his glass.
"That is delicious," Ian said. "I'm sure if my butler were here, he'd want the recipe."
Ian saw Nora roll her eyes at the mention of Spencer.
"Thank you for the compliments, Dr. Hartford," Crane spoke, showing off his Spanish accent. "I'm here to serve."
"So, Mr. Garrett, how about you give me a tour of your artwork?" Jessica said. "I'm particularly interested in your recycled works that Dr. Hartford's told me so much about."
Jessica shot Ian a glance, causing him to smile. Jessica wanted to get a closer look at the hidden map inside of one of Garrett's paintings.
"I'd love to," Garrett said. "But first, if you'll excuse me, I need to use the men's room."
Raul quickly pointed out the directions for Sebastian and he headed off in that direction. Evan Yukito watched from afar and smiled, as he followed Sebastian.
At that moment, Ian looked around curiously.
"Has anyone seen Chris?" he asked, looking at Jessica who appeared clueless.
Inside the men's room, Chris found himself urinating in the stall. He let out a deep breath, fully relieved. As he zipped up his pants, he heard the bathroom door open and someone whistling a tune, which was quickly stifled. The tune was replaced by muffled screams.
Chris pressed his ear to the stall door, as he heard the man's grunts of protest. He whipped the door of the stall open just in time to see Sebastian Garrett being dragged out of the bathroom by a blond waiter.
"Hey! Stop!" Chris yelled, running off in hot pursuit.
Jessica impatiently checked her watch as she stood in the main show room, waiting for Garrett's return. Her eyes soon veered towards the glass entrance on the opposite side of the building. She watched Garza standing there with his back to her. She opened her purse and ran her fingers along her tracker, tempted to buzz him, wondering if he had his tracker handy. But in that moment, he turned to glance inside and caught sight of her. Jessica couldn't help but smile. Garza smiled back.
Their view of one another was blocked in an instant as a large blue curtain fell from the ceiling, blocking the guests from the entrance and concealing what was happening inside from those on the outside.
"What the hell?" Garza muttered, as he reached for the doors, which were now locked.
He tried to push them open with force.
"Something's happening! I can't get in," Garza shouted to his partner.
Lou Morgan rushed over to help him pry open the doors, just as a huge gust of wind blew past them. Garza turned to see a puff of smoke deposit Dark Shadow's hulking ninja warrior Taiyami onto the scene.
"This party is officially closed!" Taiyami yelled, as he brought his hands together at his chin, summoning his ancient powers. "Fierce wind sweep!"
At that moment, a burst of wind shot out of his hands and towards the two guards. Garza flipped out of the way just in time. Lou, however, got caught in the burst and carried into the air, crashing to the ground several feet away. Garza ran to his side.
"Lou, you okay?" Garza shouted.
He could hear a few grunts coming from his partner and left him down on the ground. Garza took a heroic stance to block Taiyami's path towards the entrance to the building.
"You're not going inside," Garza said, forcefully.
Taiyami chuckled loudly.
"Who says I want to?" Taiyami asked.
"Then what are you doing here?"
"Keeping them from getting out!" Taiyami said, as he took to the air and grabbed the double-bladed naginata from behind his back.
He brought the blade down towards Garza, who flipped open his wrist morpher, activating it.
"Silver Ranger, Start Up!"
Before Taiyami could land and strike him, the Silver Ranger had materialized with his Tracking Striker drawn to block the naginata strike. Garza used his momentum to push Taiyami away from him. The ninja master rolled onto the concrete and glanced back up at Garza, stunned by what he saw.
"You!" Taiyami yelled, as he got back to his feet. "I have been looking forward to this since our last encounter!"
Taiyami let out a fierce battle cry and stormed towards Garza.
Back inside the building, Jessica made her way through the crowd, as everyone's eyes were on the blue curtain that had dropped near the entrance and the silver symbol on it. As she got closer, Ian rolled up to her, grabbing her arm.
"Recognize that symbol?" he said, pointing to the silver wings on the navy blue curtain.
"Dark Shadow?" Jessica guessed.
"Nobody move!" the blond waitress's voice shouted.
All eyes fell on her, as she ripped off her wig and facial mask to reveal her true identity.
"Miko," Ian grunted, "They must be after the painting. We have to secure it and Garrett."
"Find Chris. I'll take care of her!" Jessica said, as she stormed towards Miko.
Seeing Jessica coming, Miko's eyes grew wide. As Jessica got closer, Miko reached into her pockets and pulled out two handfuls of white rocks. As they hit the floor, over a dozen Karths appeared amongst the crowd, causing even more panic amongst the guests. They blocked Jessica's way, grabbing her quickly.
Miko walked over, grabbing Jessica's purse, which was still open, exposing her tracker. Miko grabbed a hold of it and pranced over to the stage, grabbing the microphone.
"Now, I suggest nobody move, unless you want to get your pretty clothes all dirty!" Miko ordered.
Jessica, still being held at bay by two Karths, glanced over at Ian who sighed. He turned his head back to the entrance, hoping to see the Silver Ranger bust in, which never happened.
"Chris, where are you?" Ian said in a low voice.
Chris burst into the stairwell, where he had heard Sebastian Garrett's grunting continue. He peered over the railing and saw the abductor had come to a stop at the basement floor. Chris ran down the steps as fast as he could, skipping a few along the way. As he reached the bottom, he saw something strange on the floor. He bent down and picked it up. Chris appeared confused, as he gripped the face mask and attached blond wig.
He quietly opened the basement access door and was met with total darkness. He crept inside, listening for any movement. When he heard the sound of a chair sliding on the floor, he headed in that direction. Taking up a position behind a large service crane, he saw the true identity of the kidnapper, as he tied Sebastian Garrett's hands behind his back and sat him down on the chair.
'Yukito,' Chris thought, as he watched Dark Shadow's leader.
Garrett struggled in his new restraints, as Evan held him down on the chair by pressing on his shoulder. When Garrett refused to stop squirming, Evan applied pressure to his shoulder blade, squeezing tightly.
"What are you doing? Let me go!" Sebastian yelled.
"Listen to me!" Evan shouted. "You have something I want and you're not going anywhere until I get it so I suggest you start talking."
"I don't know what you mean."
"I mean I'm looking for your painting that hides a Lunati treasure map. Which one is it?" Evan said.
Garrett tried to look confused.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Evan wasn't buying it. He slapped Sebastian across the face, causing the man to whimper in pain.
"You better start cooperating. You don't have a lot of time! Now, tell me what I want to know!"
As Evan shouted the orders, he was unable to shake the memories of his time in Hong Kong, when he first witnessed such an interrogation.
Most people in Hong Kong feared the mighty crime lord Yan. It was a luxury that allowed the boss to keep so many of the treasures he had pillaged and gained from less-powerful souls in the city. Because no one dared trespass there, it was also a perfect place for Yan to keep and interrogate prisoners.
Evan Yukito had come looking for his next assignment, only to find Yan missing from his great dining hall. When Evan descended the stairs of the lavish home, headed for the exit, he heard a piercing scream coming from below. Evan followed the sounds and found himself in the basement of Yan's home.
As he got closer to a large wooden door, he could not only hear murmurs of fear, but the sounds of palm hitting flesh. Although he had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach, curiosity pushed him forward, closer towards that door. Just before Evan could reach out to touch the doorknob, the door swung open.
Evan jumped back, startled to see Lau exiting the darkened room. He appeared surprised to see Evan standing there as well.
"What's happening?" Evan asked.
He knew Yan to be an unforgiving man when it came to betrayal. He was curious as to which of his associates had undermined him this time. Lau appeared deadly serious as he pulled the door closed, but did not shut it completely.
"I was right," Lau said. "There was a spy, watching our every move."
Evan's head fell, knowing that if a spy had been found, he was partially responsible for not watching himself more carefully.
"One of us?" Evan asked, still finding it hard to believe that he could be followed.
"No," Lau said. "A professional. We believe he's a cop. Yan is prying the truth from him as we speak."
Evan could hear the man pleading for mercy through the crack in the door.
"Take a look," Lau said to him. "It will be a lesson you will never forget. This is what happens to those that cross Yan."
Evan walked up to the door and opened it a bit more, just enough to see Yan's backhanded slap fly across the bloody face of the man who had spied on his crew.
"Please…I don't know what you're talking about," the man pleaded with Yan, who showed him no mercy, striking him again.
"Who are you?" Yan screamed, spit flying from his mouth and landing on the face of the prisoner. "Tell me what I want to know or you will die by my hand!"
Yan struck the man again in the darkness. Then, Evan watched as Yan brought over a large lamp, shining the bright bulb on the fellow's beaten face. Evan's eyes grew wide, as he realized where he had seen the man before.
Evan turned away from the doorway in a panic, passing by Lau as his breathing intensified. Evan fell to his knees, breathing heavily. The man Yan was beating was the father he had seen in the park, playing with the little girl. For a moment, he felt stupid. How could he not have noticed? Then, he remembered the man's wedding ring, the smile on the little girl's face. That couldn't have been a ruse. It was too real.
Lau stood over Evan, who remained on his knees.
"It is hard to stomach," Lau said. "But it is only the beginning. If Yan does not get what he wants, the torture will get worse."
Lau walked away, leaving Evan on the floor, where he heard the man's screams even louder. Evan shut his eyes tight, unable to bear anymore, haunted by the sight of the man embracing his young daughter.
Evan smacked Sebastian Garrett across the face even harder. Chris winced in his hiding place, hearing Garrett's outburst of pain.
"Tell me which painting it is, or I will guarantee you pain you've never felt before!" Evan shouted.
Upstairs, the Karths freed Jessica from their grip, pushing her next to Ian's wheelchair. Nora Hill was standing at his other side.
"What do they want?" she whispered.
"Shut up!" Miko shouted, hearing it. "We're all going to stay calm and in our place, especially you!"
Miko pointed directly at Jessica.
"If there's anymore trouble, these Karths won't hesitate to act on my word," Miko said, proudly. "Waza!"
She lifted Jessica's tracker into the air, as the fluttering owl Waza flew out of the kitchen and grabbed it, causing more shocked gasps from the crowd. Ian watched closely as Waza activated the tracker's scanning system and began scanning the paintings on the walls. Ian tugged on Jessica's arm, causing her to lean over to hear him.
"They are after the painting," Ian whispered, confirming his suspicion.
"And they don't seem to know which one it is," Jessica added.
"That could explain what happened to Sebastian…and why Evan Yukito is nowhere to be found," Ian surmised.
"We need some help," Jessica said, just as she heard her tracker's communications alert.
Waza pressed the appropriate button to answer.
"Hate to break up the party, Jess, but I could use some assistance out here!" Garza's voice came thundering through the device. "This Taiyami character is a tough one!"
Waza chuckled.
"I'm sorry. The Pink Ranger is unavailable at the moment, but if you leave your name and phone number I'm sure she'll get back to you…never!" Waza cut off Garza's communications and went back to scanning.
Jessica appeared troubled, as she glanced back at Ian and then at the blue curtain that was blocking her view of Garza's battle outside.
Outside the building, the Silver Ranger was fending off Taiyami's naginata attacks, matching him move for move, until the ninja warrior sent a boot right into his chest, causing him to hit the concrete. Taiyami brought his weapon down on Garza, but he rolled away at the last second. Swiftly transforming his weapon into its blaster mode, Garza fired on the blue creature, hitting him squarely in the chest.
"Maybe I don't need backup after all," Garza said to himself.
He took a page out of Taiyami's playbook and took to the air, bringing his weapon down on the villain. But, before he could land, the y-shaped faceplate on Taiyami's helmet glowed a bright yellow.
"Paper crane attack!" Taiyami shouted.
A swarm of brightly-colored paper cranes fluttered around the Silver Ranger, attacking him in mid-air. When the paper cranes exploded, the Silver Ranger's suit did the same, bursting with sparking damage. He crashed to the ground and soon found Taiyami's foot planted on his chest, pinning him to the ground.
"I'd say you definitely need backup!" Taiyami yelled, before let out a loud chuckle of victory.
Garza squealed under his weight. He flipped open his tracker and called out to the only other Ranger he knew on the premises.
In the basement of the building, Chris's tracker alert sounded, instantly alerting him to danger…and alerting Evan Yukito to his presence.
Evan swiftly grabbed the artist into his arm and pulled a knife from his back pocket, holding it to his throat.
"I know a tracker when I hear one," Evan shouted. "Come out, now!"
Chris emerged from behind the crane, with his hands raised, attempting to caution Yukito.
"Evan, take it easy," Chris said, calmly sobered by the situation.
"Shut up!" Evan yelled at him.
"Please, help me," Sebastian cried out in a practical whisper, not wanting to enrage his captor.
"I just want the painting," Evan said. "And this gentleman is going to tell me what I want to hear, aren't you?"
"Please," Sebastian cried out in terror.
"Don't worry," Chris said, keeping his calm tone. "Evan's not gonna hurt you."
"Oh!" Evan shouted. "How can you be so sure?"
Evan could smell the fear in the painter. Why wouldn't he just tell him what he wanted to know? Evan thought back to the last time he smelled such fear in a grown man.
With Yan having his dessert, Evan had found himself on guard duty for the evening. He was standing outside the basement door, despite Lau's orders that he watch the prisoner from inside. He couldn't fight the visions of a terrified little girl, wondering if her father was ever going to come home.
"Help me, please," he heard the man call out in pain for the fifth time since his shift started.
Evan opened the door slowly and walked in. The room was dark, except for the bright lamp shining down on the prisoner's face. As Evan walked closer to the light, he could smell the sweaty stench coming from the man. Evan stepped into the light enough for the man to see him.
"Please, no more. Please."
"Are you a cop?" Evan asked.
The man locked eyes with him.
"Please, help me," the man begged. "I was just doing my job. Just like you were. You're not a killer. I've seen it in your face. Please, just let me go."
Evan could feel his emotions taking hold of him. He turned his back on the man and stepped back into the darkness.
"Please!" the man yelled in a panic. "Please! For my daughter—I beg you. Please!"
Evan ran out of the room at top speed, closing the door and leaving the man trapped.
In the main ballroom of the Hartford Historical Society building, Ian and Jessica both had their eyes locked on their captor, Miko, and the old owl Waza who was floating behind her, eagerly scanning all of the paintings. Ian's eyes veered to a specific painting a few feet away from Waza. He leaned towards Jessica, who was now seated in a chair next to him, as most of the other guests were forced to. He figured that given the loud murmurs from the Karths, their whispers might go unnoticed.
"You were right. They don't know which one it is," Ian whispered to her.
"We have to disarm her," Jessica said, noticing Miko was brandishing Evan's hand blaster.
"We don't have much time," Ian whispered back.
He noticed there were only five more paintings for Waza to scan before he would find the one with the hidden map.
"I can take Miko down, even without my tracker," Jessica whispered. "But with all these Karths…we're going to need a distraction big enough to get me close to her without anyone else getting hurt."
Ian looked around and saw Nora Hill seated at his left and the kitchen staff manager Raul Crane on the floor in front of her. He looked back at Jessica with a mischievous grin.
"I think I know a plan that might just work," Ian said.
Outside the building, Taiyami was still holding Garza at bay with his large boot. Taiyami continued to laugh at the Silver Ranger's expense.
"It doesn't appear you have any help coming, Silver Ranger!" Taiyami said, as he gripped his naginata, pointing it at his prey. "It will be a great honor to destroy you!"
"You'll have to stand in line for that one," Garza said quickly, as he twisted his arm around, bringing his Tracking Striker up towards Taiyami.
He activated the weapon in blaster mode, sending a barrage of laser strikes right into the villain's chest. Taiyami flew backwards, landing on the ground.
Garza got back to his feet, transforming the weapon back into tracker mode. He twirled the weapon around, as Taiyami was staggering to his feet. Garza built up as much energy in the Tracking Striker as he could. With Taiyami in his sights, he prepared to strike.
Then, his fellow guard, Lou Morgan came out of nowhere, trying to tackle Taiyami to the ground. He had him by the waist and managed to knock the warrior to the ground, catching Garza off-guard. He stopped powering up the weapon instantly.
"Hey, get out of here!" Garza shouted to the guard, who did not recognize his voice. "Let me handle this. Go for help."
"This crazy bastard tried to kill me!" Lou screamed, as he mounted Taiyami, punching at his helmet.
His punches, however, did little damage, as evidenced by Taiyami's laughter which steadily grew louder with each punch. Then, Taiyami let out a fierce yell that caused Lou Morgan to pause his onslaught.
Taiyami's faceplate separated, glowing a fierce golden color that almost blinded Morgan. Taiyami yelled something in Japanese that neither of his opponents understood. At that moment, a large beam of energy shot out of the creature's face, aimed directly towards Lou Morgan.
"No!" Garza yelled, as he dived right into Morgan, grabbing him and pushing him out of the way of the beam, which hit a large tree nearby.
The beam struck the tree like lightning, causing it to fall only inches away from the two fallen police officers. Garza's fellow guard was knocked out by the fall, but the Silver Ranger could hear Taiyami's furious laughter getting closer. He looked up to see the blue ninja slowly coming towards him again.
"Tell me which painting it is!" Evan shouted once more, causing more groans of fear from his captive.
Evan kept his eyes on Chris Hartford who was slowly inching closer towards him.
"Back off, Hartford!" Evan shouted.
He pushed his knife closer to Garrett's throat, causing him to scream out in pain.
"Please don't do this," Garrett said.
"Then, tell me the truth!"
"You don't want to do this, Evan. It's not your style," Chris spoke, inching closer.
"You have no idea what my style is!" Evan shouted.
Evan's mind once again traveled years into the past, tapping into more memories of Hong Kong.
Evan walked with so much tension in his feet that they felt like lead bricks. He was headed for his next assignment. This was going to be a big one. Yan was taking no chances given their recent uncovering of a spy watching their public movements.
The unmarked white van had pulled up in front of the warehouse without any fanfare. In fact, the streets were practically vacant, a luxury of an early morning job.
Evan led a team of seven men, including Yan's most trusted associate and Evan's trainer, Lau. Evan had been in contact with their newest clients longer than anyone else and Yan felt that it was time for him to step up to the plate within the crew.
Evan approached the metal door inside the warehouse and stopped, putting an arm up to those that followed him.
"Remember, these guys are jumpy, so no quick movements," Evan said. "Keep your guns holstered, but make sure you can still get to them easily. We don't want to see steel before the deal is done."
Lau and the others all nodded. Evan took a deep breath and opened the metal door. The place was dark, except for a large table in the center of the room, where the light shined down on a Hong Kong businessman, wearing a perfectly pressed black suit. He sat with his hands on the table, clasped together, looking at the doorway. The metal door made a creaking sound that instantly alerted him.
Evan walked quickly into the light, flanked by Lau and the other men. Evan politely bowed. The seated man did the same.
"You're late," the man said, his voice conveyed his annoyance. He showed no fear.
"We apologize, sincerely," Evan said. "You can understand that we didn't want to attract any unwanted attention."
"Of course," the man spoke.
He nodded to his right and another man walked out of the shadows, catching Yan's men off-guard. Evan, however, was unwavering and remained still. The new arrival placed a large briefcase onto the table and the man in the seat opened it, revealing it was full of cash.
"I believe we have a deal," the man said.
"Wait!" Lau said, quickly. "I will inspect it."
"Is that really necessary?" Evan asked, a bit nervously.
"You may trust them, but they have not earned Yan's trust yet," Lau said, as he began to thumb through the stacks of bills. "That is why I am here."
It was all there.
"I trust it is to Yan's satisfaction?" the man spoke to Lau.
Lau smiled to his men.
"It is," Lau said.
"Then it sounds to me like there's only one thing left to do," Evan said.
The seated businessman stood up and extended his hand to close the deal. Evan reached out, only for Lau to move Evan's arm away. Instead, Lau extended his hand.
"On behalf of Mister Yan, I welcome you into official business," Lau said, practically pushing Evan aside.
Evan sneered, as Lau shook hands with the businessman. It was surely the beginning of something new. The businessman refused to let go of Lau's hand, pulling him further into the light. Lau and his men all appeared confused.
Then, out of the shadows guns were pointed at all of them instantly. Several undercover officers stepped out of the shadows. The businessman's associate now had his weapon pointed at Lau.
"Cops!" Lau shouted, but it was too late.
Yan's men were surrounded at every turn. Two more officers came in through the metal door, holding the van's driver in custody as well. Lau could not believe it. He looked over at Evan and it was then that he noticed there were no weapons pointed at Yukito. The lights came on in the warehouse and even more police were seen waiting in the wings with their guns drawn.
"You!" Lau shouted at Evan, who smiled. "You set us up!"
As Lau and his comrades were handcuffed, the businessman walked over to Evan.
"We'll get them loaded up and then we'll make our move on Yan," he told Evan.
"No!" Evan said quickly. "Inspector Ming, we don't have time. Your man is still a prisoner. We have to act now!"
"All right," Ming responded. "But if this is a trick and you're planning on double-crossing us, know that every station in Hong Kong has been given your name and picture. You won't be able to move in this city without being picked up."
"It's not a trap," Evan said, his voice hurried. "We have to go now!"
In the present, things were as intense as ever in the standoff between Evan Yukito and Chris Hartford.
"How dare you assume you can talk me down!" Evan said to Chris, seething, as he held the knife tighter in his hand.
"Evan, he's not going to give you what you want. Just let him go," Chris said.
"Why? So you and your daddy can keep buttering him up?" Evan said, angrily. "They didn't tell you about that, did they, Mr. Garrett?"
"What?" Chris said, looking confused.
"You're planning to take the painting too!" Evan said. "How else do you think we found out about it? You see, Mr. Garrett, the so-called good guys are just as bad as we are! They just do things a little differently. They throw parties and toss cash your way, but they're no better than the crime lords who do the same thing to buy peoples' trust!"
"Evan, listen to me," Chris said. "This isn't the way."
"Get back!" Evan shouted, as the knife pricked Sebastian's throat.
"It's the boat!" he shouted, as he felt the blade pierce his skin.
Chris's face fell as the information traveled through the air, right into Evan's ears.
"The boat!" Sebastian shouted.
Evan loosened his grip on the man, allowing him to fall to the ground, his hands still bound behind his back.
"The Approaching Storm," he said the name of the painting, in between sobs of pain.
"Thank you," Evan said, as he pulled his tracker from his pocket and activated it.
At that moment, Chris Hartford lunged at him, grabbing both of his arms, holding the knife at bay and keeping him from making that call. The two rolled around on the floor, struggling for control of the conflict.
"Get off!" Evan shouted.
"Sure," Chris said, as he slammed Evan's tracker hand onto the smooth concrete floor, sending the device sliding away from them.
Evan let out a scream of anger, as he flipped Chris over, slamming him onto the floor. He tried to send the knife down on him.
"You're gonna pay for that," Evan grunted.
Chris managed to get his other hand free and punched his blue counterpart across the face, knocking him to the floor. Chris got to his feet and glanced over at Garrett to make sure he was okay. He pulled his tracker from his blazer pocket and activated it, just as Evan rammed him from behind, knocking Chris into a large pipe that traveled through the basement. His own tracker fell to the ground and Yukito grabbed it, activating the communications link.
"Miko! Approaching Storm!" Evan yelled, before Chris jumped onto him, cutting him off.
"What?" Miko called out, talking into the high tech watch on her wrist. "Hellooo? Approaching Storm?"
Waza heard her and began fluttering faster around the paintings, reading the title cards beneath each of them. In the crowd, Jessica and Ian locked eyes. Ian nodded to Nora, who began cough furiously, drawing the attention of most of the guests and the Karths.
The older woman clutched her chest and began to pant in pain. Miko looked over at her, just long enough for Jessica to sprint through the crowd, diving onto her. Miko screamed wildly as she was tackled to the floor of the stage, rolling around with Jessica, who quickly took hold of her hand that held the hand blaster. She aimed it at Waza and fired, but the owl fluttered away, causing her to instead blast through one of Garrett's paintings on the wall.
The owl continued on his way, still reading, looking for the right painting. At that moment, Ian grabbed a silver tray and sent it launching into the air like a Frisbee. The tray collided with the owl, causing Waza to instantly fall to the ground.
"Gotcha!" Ian said.
He sent his chair closer to the stage, just as a trio of Karths surrounded him, grabbing a hold of his chair.
"Now!" Ian shouted off past them.
He saw Raul Crane, the head of the kitchen staff, run up to the painting and grab it off the wall. The man sprinted into the kitchen, as the Karths began to go after Jessica, trying to pull her off of Miko. The chaos caused many of the guests to begin running towards the front entrance.
"Everyone out!" Ian shouted.
At that moment, the curtain that separated the guests from the outside world was sliced in half, as the glass entrance was shattered. Taiyami and the Silver Ranger came crashing through, frightening the guests even more. This caught Miko & Jessica off-guard and both started watching the continued fight between Garza and Taiyami. Jessica regained her senses first and elbowed Miko in the head.
Holding onto Evan's hand blaster, she fired on the two Karths closest to her, breaking them apart. She grabbed her tracker on the floor of the stage, next to Waza who was beginning to stir. Jessica slid the device open, ripping it across the stage floor, morphing her instantly.
She got to her stage, with Evan's blaster and now her own, both pointed at the Karths amongst the people. She fired, blasting several of them to pieces. Jessica then focused on Taiyami who seemed to be getting the better of Garza. She fired the weapons, hitting the ninja warrior from behind. He lit up in sparks and smoke.
The Silver Ranger glanced over, giving her a nod of thanks. Underneath her helmet, Jessica smiled, just as Miko dove at her, grabbing her by the waist and taking the Pink Ranger down.
In the basement, the two unmorphed Rangers continued to brawl with one another on the floor. Chris wrestled Evan to the floor, grabbing at his tracker, which fell to the floor, along with them. He reached out for his, just as Evan spotted his own tracker near his other arm. They both looked at each other and then at their trackers. At the same time, they each dove for their morphing device, activating them simultaneously.
"Start Up!" Chris & Evan shouted.
Sebastian Garrett watched in shock as the Red and Blue Rangers each jumped to their feet. Evan went for a kick to Chris's chest, but he blocked it, scoring a punch that caused the Blue Ranger to stagger a bit. Chris grabbed his hand blaster, switching to sword mode. He stood offensively, ready to strike, as Evan went for his own weapon, only to remember that he had given it to Miko earlier.
Evan cursed, as Chris charged at him, swinging the blade. The Blue Ranger used his excellent balance and maneuverability to dodge each of the Red Ranger's strikes. He grabbed the metal chair he had sat his hostage on and he used it to block the Red Ranger's next strike. Evan scored a kick to the Red Ranger's shoulder, sending him staggering backwards. He assaulted the Red Ranger with the chair and Chris used his weapon defensively to block the attempts, but he was still knocked onto the floor.
Evan fought with ferocity, as he thought back to his betrayal of Lau and his men on that fateful day in Hong Kong.
The police had surrounded Yan's mansion. Evan led Inspector Ming directly into Yan's dining room, knowing that would be the place where he was. Evan pushed open the heavy doors, going in first. The peripheral police had already captured Yan's men on the outside.
Evan was shocked to see Yan's dining room empty. Yan wasn't even there.
"Where is he?" Ming asked, forcefully.
"We have to get downstairs!" Evan said in a panic, as he took off at top speed, headed towards the basement.
Followed by a handful of police officers, Evan reached the bottom floor and was surprised he didn't hear the captive police officer's screams for help, given the approaching footsteps. While the police advanced with caution, Evan didn't care. He lunged right at the wooden door and swung it open, only to see his boss, Yan, with blood on his hands, dripping like the greasy food he enjoyed on too many occasions.
The police stormed in with their guns drawn, shocking Yan. Their comrade, however, was already dead. Evan fell to his knees in disappointment, as he saw the officer's blood stained the floor.
"Yukito?" Yan said, appearing utterly shocked, as the police placed him under arrest.
They dragged him past Evan but he forced them to stop right by the twenty year old.
"You will pay for this betrayal," Yan vowed, as he was dragged out of his lavish mansion by the police.
Evan looked up at Inspector Ming who was standing over the dead policeman's body. Evan could see in his eyes that they knew one another.
"I'm sorry," Evan said.
In the present, the Blue Ranger lifted the metal folding chair, gripping it tightly, and ready to release all of his pent up frustrations on the Red Ranger. But before he could strike, the Red Ranger's Power Staff appeared in his hands, slicing through the chair, easily breaking it into pieces.
Evan let out a furious scream as he threw the pieces onto the Ranger and took off running towards the basement access door. As he passed Sebastian Garrett still on the ground, he looked into his eyes for only a moment.
'I'm sorry,' Evan thought to himself, as he exited.
The Blue Ranger entered the stairwell and knew the Red Ranger would be on his tail. Even from there, he could hear the chaos occurring several floors up.
"Hover Strike!" Evan shouted, causing his weapon to materialize on his hand.
The Red Ranger opened the basement access door, just as Evan pointed his weapon at it, causing a strong burst of wind to slam the door shut, knocking it right into the Ranger's helmet. Evan then pointed his weapon at the ground and activated it again. The Hover Strike's fan sent him flying through the air. He reached his destination in seconds.
The Blue Ranger ran onto the first floor of the building and after a few hallway turns, arrived at the gala's ballroom, where the fighting had continued. He saw Miko and Jessica still fighting, but now on their feet. Evan grabbed Jessica's arm, which held his blaster, as she attempted to swipe it at Miko. He sent an elbow into her helmet, knocking the Pink Ranger away. He retrieved his weapon and fired, sending her collapsing to the ground. Miko and Waza joined Evan at his sides.
"The painting is gone," Waza revealed.
"Damn it!" Evan shouted, as he spotted the fight between Taiyami and Garza.
He ran through the crowd of guests and Karths with Miko & Waza keeping pace with him. He pointed his blaster at the Silver Ranger and fired with one hand. His other hand still held the Hover Strike, which he activated. As the laser strikes hit the Silver Ranger he lit up with sparking damage. Evan pointed his weapon, activating it again. The intense wind energy caused the damage to Garza's suit to intensify, as he was blown back outside through the broken glass.
"Hey!" a voice called out from behind him.
Evan turned around to see the Red Ranger come running through the doorway he had entered through moments before. Although neither could tell beneath their helmets, they had locked eyes with one another. They each pointed their hand blasters, causing the guests and Karths to all dive out of their firing range. Before either could blast, Taiyami appeared at Evan's side, dropping two smoke bombs right in front of the faction.
When the smoke cleared, Dark Shadow was gone. Chris cursed, as he opened fire, taking out the remaining Karths in the area, as Jessica joined him, doing the same with her blaster.
With the danger gone, Ian joined the two Rangers in the center of the room.
"The painting?" Chris wondered.
"It's all right," Ian said, proudly. "It's taken care of. How's Sebastian?"
"He'll be fine," Chris said.
As Jessica heard the sirens approaching, she turned to see Garza had fled the area as well. She dropped her head in disappointment.
Hours later, Jessica and the Hartfords had returned home. Chris was half-expecting Spencer to be waiting at the back door for them, to make sure the Bentley had returned unscathed, especially given how late they were.
Jessica unlocked the back door and entered the rear of the Hartford mansion, followed by Chris and Ian.
"Is that you, sir?" Spencer called out.
"Yes," Ian replied.
As they followed Spencer's voice to the front of the mansion, they were shocked to see Raul Crane standing near the front door, holding Sebastian's popular painting.
"I trust you didn't run into any trouble?" Ian said to Crane.
"Not at all, sir," Raul said.
His voice shocked Chris and Jessica, as they realized it was exactly the same as Spencer's. The man grabbed at his neck, removing his own facial mask and attached wig. The thin man of Latin descent was replaced by the familiar stocky frame and face of Spencer Kingston.
"I should have known by the taste of the hors'duevres," Jessica said, with a grin.
"Good job, Spencer," Chris said.
"It was my plan," Ian said, as he reached out, taking hold of the painting.
"I assume Mr. Garrett has signed off on this?" Spencer asked.
"I told him everything," Ian said. "We just need to scan the painting and illuminate the map. It won't actually hurt the artwork at all. He's going to pick it up personally in the morning."
"I guess I'll do the honors," Jessica said, as she slid open her tracker and activated its scanner.
As she ran it across the back of the painting, it picked up nothing. She gave Ian a confused look. It was then that he noticed something else about The Approaching Storm painting. Unlike Garrett's other paintings, it didn't have his initials in the bottom right corner.
"This isn't the painting," Ian said, stunned. "It's a fake."
Across town, the real painting rested on a comfortable bed in a darkened room. Turned on its back, the initials "S.G." were indeed present in the bottom right corner. It was highly ironic that the initials of the painting's creator also happened to be the initials of the painting's thief.
Stephen Garza activated his Tracking Striker in scan mode and ran the large weapon across the back of the painting. In the darkness of his bedroom, he could see the Lunati treasure map illuminated perfectly in a neon blue color.
In the light of the scanner, Garza smiled triumphantly.
"Job well done," he said to himself.
"This is all your fault!" Taiyami yelled at Evan Yukito in the main room of Dark Shadow's lair in Japan.
"You don't have to yell it!" Evan said, furiously. "I'm well aware of my failures."
"Now, another piece of the treasure has been ripped from our grasp," Taiyami said, angrily.
"It'll all work out," Evan said, quietly.
"I'm beginning to wonder," Taiyami said, defiantly, before leaving.
Miko and Waza, who had witnessed the entire encounter, had stood quietly in the corner of the room. After hearing Taiyami's words, they both left the room quietly, not disputing any of what he had to say and not attempting to comfort Evan either.
Left alone, Evan's mind wandered back to his days in Hong Kong.
Even weeks after the death of that police officer and the fall of Yan's gang, Evan was still haunted by what had happened.
He stood amongst the crowd of youngsters, each not much older or younger than himself. They all paid close attention to everything that Inspector Ming was saying, as he addressed the assembled crowd. After all of the words, all of the cheers and all of the congratulations, the crowd had dispersed.
Evan soon found himself inside the police station, staring into a mirror. Inspector Ming entered the room and walked up behind him.
"You cannot blame yourself for what happened," Ming said.
"Yes, I can," Evan said. "I could have come to the police sooner. He might still be alive."
"Maybe," Ming responded.
"You know, you still haven't told me his name," Evan said, as his eyes didn't veer from his reflection.
"Because sometimes names don't matter," Inspector Ming replied.
He handed Evan a black hat.
"We lost a great man, but we've gained many more," Ming explained. "That was what my speech was all about. In this line of work, we do our best to find justice for everyone, no matter who they are."
Ming patted Evan on the shoulder, before leaving him alone. Evan took in all of the Inspector's words. He looked down at the black hat in his hand and finally placed it on his head. Evan looked back up at his reflection in the mirror. As he looked at himself, he realized just how much everything on the uniform matched. The cadet stood at attention and silently saluted the fallen officer, whom today he would have called his comrade in justice.
THE END
Next time on
Quest for the Lunati Treasure
Garza unlocks the secrets of the map, which
leads him on a dangerous quest, and right into
trouble with Drakar. As the Hartford crew plays
catch-up, more danger lies ahead as the Ja'Vey
set their sights on capturing Zel, as part of a
sinister deal with The Ferum leader.