Chapter 7
The Trail
Compton California
The streets were quiet and calm, and the neighbor hood was a little rundown. All the cars were sitting on the street, and the condition of the houses was poor. There were some houses with all types of junk and items on the lawn and porch. And there were some with no grass or porch. And yet there were many houses that actually looked like they had been in good shape for years.
A black Mustang G.T. drove down the street. At normal glance, no one would think that there were actually two F.B.I. agents driving it. The car belonged to George. He had made the modifications for the car himself. The car had a silver racing stripe down the middle, and also sported a racing fin in the back. Not to mention that the rear suspension was raised a little so that the car's rear tires were a little larger than the front tires.
"Lets see." Travis spoke as he read the house numbers on the houses. "Schaeffer lived in house 156. I think its up here near the corner. Its supposed to be the first house he lived in when he worked for Mal-Tech."
The Mustang stopped at a stop sign as Travis rolled down the window and threw his stale gum out. He watched as a little girl and her mother crossed the street in front of the car. Travis watched as the little girl waved to him. In his mind the girl reminded him of Wendy. He visited her before he left. He usually visited Wendy about once or twice a month. And he always visited her on her birthday, and the anniversary of the time it happened.
"You doing okay there man?" George asked concerned for his friend.
"Yeah. I'm good."
The car drove towards the end of the street next to a old apartment complex. The house they were looking for was right next to it.
"156, that's it right there." Travis confirmed as George parked the car next to the curb. Both men got out as George locked the door and clicked the security alarm.
"So what time is this other agent supposed to arrive?" George asked
"She's supposed to be here any minute. She knows more about the Schaeffer case than any other agent in the F.B.I and the C.I.A. combined."
"What is she? CIA, FBI, what?"
Travis took a piece of gum out of his pocket and popped it in his mouth. "She's a CIA analyst. She helped one of the only CIA agents who investigated the Schaeffer case."
"Why is that? Why only one agent pursuing the case?" George asked as he checked his time.
"His old partner died awhile back. He was hit by a train." Travis said as he he checked his text messages on his cell phone. "And later, he was shot by an unknown assailant."
George looked at Travis as a Pontiac Solstice pulled up to the driveway. "What do you mean?"
"I mean they never found out who killed him." Travis slipped in as a red haired woman stepped out of the car and approached the pair of agents.
In order to access the old house, one of the CIA's analysts was going to assist them, to make sure that everything went well, and that the feds didn't try to pull any tricks. The house was still in CIA jurisdiction, and the case was a joint investigation of the CIA and the FBI. But after the last mishap from the FBI, the CIA wasn't going to let it happen again
"Hello there. I'm Jessica Hillsabeck. CIA." the red head announced as she showed her badge.
She was a short women who wore a gray dress skirt and a matching jacket. She wore black high heels and also carried a small folder with her. She had a very soft face, with dark black eyes and a small mole under her right eye.
"My name's Agent Travis Dalesman, and this is Agent George Knight, FBI. It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise. Shall we?" The red head asked as she walked towards the house.
The house had been closed for years by the CIA so that they could investigate the Schaeffer family's disappearance. It was a short one story house with weather worn red paint. Some of the gutters had fallen off and were nowhere in sight. The grass had died years ago. There were also signs of attempted burglars trying to enter the house, only to find that the windows were barred and locked.
Jessica walked up to the door and unlocked it. The three agents entered the main room of the house, which was the kitchen. Rodents and insects had taken resident in the house. There was water damage from a leaking roof, and some of the tiles on the floor had begun to chip and peel. Most of the ceiling had fallen in, revealing the sky as clear as day. The room was dusty and dry, mold and mildew covering about half of the sofa.
"So what do you know about what happened here?" Travis asked as he gazed at the living room, observing the damage from the elements.
"Waldo met Antea around three years before he went to work for Mal-Tech. He married her a little after they started working on some project for the military. About ten months later they left."
George looked at the bedroom and saw that the bed was riddled with what looked like bullet holes.
"Why does it look like someone was shot at in here? Is this related to the case?"
Jessica walked over to the room's entrance and looked at the bed. "Because we think they set up some pillows to look like there were people sleeping in here. They left, and someone entered and blew the room to hell." Jessica said as she showed a few pictures of the bed after the cops arrived. "The house has been deserted for years. No one ever bought it."
The three agents entered the room as Travis just stood in the door way.
"Mr and Miss Schaeffer slept here when they weren't busy with Mal-Tech. They both worked for the agency around the same time. About ten months later, both Waldo and Antea left Mal-Tech. A day later, Waldo's mother and father died." Jessica said as she pulled out a few photos from her manila folder that she brought with her.
The first picture showed a silver Oldsmobile. It had flipped off into a ditch and caught fire. The frame of the car was scorched and burned.
"His mother, Emily, died the next day from an apparent lung failure. She was found lying in the middle of the floor of their house. The autopsy revealed that she had been suffering from pneumonia for a few years. The report claims that it was her condition that caught up with her. At some point they abandoned the house and fled with one of your agents, I believe. An agent Frank Morse, I believe, came and helped the family relocate to Colorado. When they arrived, Antea became pregnant with their daughter, Aelita Rose Schaeffer. Nine months later, she was born under the alias Aelita Rose Hopper. Waldo changed his first name to Franz, and they used Antea's maiden name for their cover."
Jessica walked over to the torn curtains that hung over the window. The window was cracked and broken. Large white lines covered the window, next to a larger crack in the left hand corner.
"Five years later, Antea was kidnapped. The rest is history."
Travis walked into the room and gazed at the book shelves. There were a few books still in good condition, but some were rotted to the point of mere scraps.
George asked "What's with the cabin in Colorado? Anything we should check for their."
Jessica reached into her folder and pulled out a couple of pictures. "We were there before my partner died. There's really nothing of interest there except the remains of what appeared to once be a nice little family."
Travis reached for a book and watched as it fell apart in his hands. From what he could tell it was a book based on Greek gods. "What about the one in France? Have you been there?"
Jessica stared at him for a while. "Excuse me?"
"Yeah, he had a house in France, next to a boarding school he taught at." George replied
"I'm sorry, but I haven't heard anything about that. Are you sure?"
George looked at Travis. They stared at each other for a second, and then back at Jessica.
"After his wife was kidnapped, he and his daughter moved to France. Are you sure you never heard of it.?"
"I'm sorry, but all records of what happened after Antea was kidnapped ... disappeared."
George stared in disbelief. "Wait. You CIA guys took control of that case and you mean to tell me that the records just disappeared?!"
Jessica stared at George for a while trying to figure out what exactly she should say.
"Well around that time, the records were expunged by what appeared to be a possible mole. It happened around the time Schaeffer disappeared from your witness protection agency."
"And you guys blamed us for the family's disappearance? You CIA guys are full of it." Said Travis
"No one blamed you guys for the mishap. It's possible that the same leak from the FBI is responsible for the data hack."
Travis stared at her for a minute. Then it finally came to him
" That's really the only explanation. And that's also possibly why you don't have the records on Schaeffer moving to France. We have it because it's copied on a regular paper file. But I'm not sure if the computer record at the bureau has been tampered with as well."
"What if the possible mole was working for the group that kidnapped Antea?"
Before Travis could answer he saw something on the bookshelf where the Greek god book once sat. There was something written on the back of the bookshelf. Travis walked over and slowly removed a few books, then threw some of them on the ground, startling George and Jessica.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING??" Jessica shouted as she watched all the books fall on the ground.
"There's something back here. On the bookshelf wall. See." Travis pointed to a red line on the shelf.
George walked over and soon started to help remove the shelves and the books until they got a clear look at the symbol. It was red with what looked like an eye with four lines coming out of it, one on top and three on the bottom.
"What the hell is it?" George asked.
"It's his symbol." Jessica answered as she pulled out a picture from the house in Colorado. "He used it on almost everything he made. He called it The New Dawn symbol."
Travis felt the wood. He rubbed his hand on the hard wood. He felt his hand prick at something. He pulled it back to see that he had a splinter in his hand. He looked at where he got it from and saw a small hole in the wall. He peeked in to see that there was something behind it.
"Hey George, come here a minute."
George walked over and saw what Travis was pointing at. George spotted a metal leg of what used to be a chair and picked it up. He walked over to the symbol and started to swing the metal piece into the wall. Its sharp corners cut into the wall, ripping out chunks of wood at the same time.
After a while they finally managed to see what was behind the wall. There was a blue book stored in it.
"What is it" Jessica asked as Travis reached for the book. It was wrapped in plastic wrap. The book was in good condition. Their was no decay or mold on the cover or what pages they could see. It was as good as the day it was bought.
Travis took the book out of the plastic and read the cover out loud.
"Hansel and Gretel? Must be a book for their daughter." Travis said as he handed Jessica the book.
"Must be." Jessica started to thumb through the book, gazing at the crisp, paint styled pictures.
"Why would someone go to all the trouble to hide a book?" Travis asked as George searched the hole to see if there were any other surprises.
"I think I found why." Jessica replied as she held up an envelope. She opened it to reveal a number and a key.
"The numbers are 4231, Compton bank." George read the slip of paper. "So what's the key to?"
"I know what this is. It's a key to a safe deposit box at the Compton bank just down the road." Jessica answered.
Travis looked at the key. It had the same symbol that was on the wall.
"You know, I need to stop by an ATM machine anyway. Let's just stop by and make a withdrawal."
The clock on the wall displayed that it was 12:30 in the morning. Aelita sat up in her bed, only not as violently as she did before. The same dream again, just like three nights ago, only this time it was different. She remembered it easily.
The monster was walking towards her. She slowly backed up against a tree as the beast drew its blade and stabbed the tree, right above her head. She saw shards of wood fall in front of her as she watched the monster raise its blade and prepare to strike again. Aelita closed her eyes, knowing the end was coming.
Suddenly a pink orb hit the beast in the chest, causing it to fall backwards. It suddenly rose up and roared in anger at the mysterious person. Another orb hit it, causing it to fly a few feet into a pile of burning rubble. The beast vanished into the darkness as the fire and the building around Aelita faded from view.
The mysterious person walked up to Aelita. The figure wore a long black cloak. From what articles of clothing Aelita could see, the person wore a type of white jumpsuit, with the arms exposed. She had a lean and slender physique. The mysterious figure slowly squatted in front of Aelita. Aelita could see the person's lips and chin. This was a woman. The woman placed her hand on Aelita's face. At first, Aelita tried to avoid her hand, but after the person placed her hand on Aelita's cheek, she stopped struggling. She started to feel the same way as when she was with her father, or Jeremy and his family. She felt warm, comforted, almost safe.
The woman had skinny, slender hands. They were soft and warm. Almost like a mother's hands.
The person wiped the tears away from Aelita's face as she hugged her, softly yet enquiringly. Aelita looked at the hooded figure. She was afraid of this person but at the same time she felt safe. Like when she was with her father or Jeremy.
"Who are you?" Aelita asked.
The hooded figure removed the hood from its robe. Aelita gasped as she stared into a pair of soft green eyes. The person had a soft look in her face, almost angelic. She was young with long flowing straight hair. PINK HAIR.
"Mom?"
Aelita's eyes were wide, she didn't believe it. Her mother had been kidnapped years ago. It had to be a trick, it had to be. But...she didn't want it to be, she hoped it wasn't
"Mom? Mom is it...really you?" Aelita asked as she slowly touched her mother's face.
Her mother shook her head as she slowly stood up, holding Aelita's hand. She looked into Aelita's eyes as she raised her other hand. Her hand glowed brightly for a minute. It was so bright that Aelita had to squint to see what was going on. After a few seconds the light vanished and was replaced with a large sphere. It was glowing in different colors, every color of the spectrum glowed one by one. The sphere looked like it was made of diamond. It shimmered and glowed brilliantly. Aelita slowly reached out to touch the sphere. But as she reached for it, it vanished as fast as it appeared. Aelita looked towards her mother she softly faded away from view. Aelita tried to hug her mother one last time as her hands passed through the mist that once was her mother. Aelita cried out but it was to late. It was all over...
It had been a few days since the bizarre explosion occurred at the cafeteria. The school had done their best to fix up the cafeteria. The tables were new, the light bulbs replaced. Some of the outlets along the wall still needed to be replaced, but at least they were serving food again. The school decided to let the students eat outside. The cafeteria workers cooked on a few grills, and served the kids as they sat at what few picnic tables there were, and the others sat next to various trees and walls. So for once the kids were happy to have a actual table and ceiling over their heads, not to mention the air conditioner.
Ulrich and Yumi had already finished their pancakes, while Odd was in line waiting for his second helping. The cafeteria was mostly empty since it was so early in the morning. Jeremy and Aelita where still getting ready for the day, so this was really one of their only moments alone while they were at the school.
"So Hiroki still hasn't asked Milly out? After all the times he has hung out with her, and the way she looks at him, he still hasn't asked her yet?" Ulrich asked finishing off his orange juice.
"No, and its driving me nuts. He's always asking me for advice on how he should approach her, and after all the times I tried to set them up what does he do... he chickens out at the last minute." Yumi replied as he watched Sissi approach Herve and Nicholas outside next to the door.
"I remember the last time when he tried. At first I thought he had it, then he just whipped around and asked her for the time."
Ulrich remembered when Yumi and himself caught the young couple near the library. He remembered how Hiroki looked so calm and cool. He was about to ask Millie, and he could see by the look in Millie's eyes that she was clueless to what he was about to say. He remembered Yumi silently chanting 'Go', the whole time. And finally he backed out and asked if she had the time. He then remembered a distinct slapping noise. He turned around to see a bright red mark on Yumi's forehead and a angry look on her face.
"I mean what's so hard about asking a girl out" Ulrich looked towards Yumi, who had stopped drinking her orange juice and was busy shooting Ulrich a glance in disbelief. "What?"
"You're a fine one to talk." Yumi finally replied. "Exactly how many years did it take for us to get this far?"
"Hey, I tried once and you shot me down, and then I think it was you who finally admitted feelings first. So in reality maybe you're the one who should be getting the look."
"Nah. That just means I'm the one that wears the pants in the relationship." Yumi replied as she giggled at the joke she just made.
Ulrich set down his bottle and looked toward Odd. Their little friend was busy coming back with a stack of pancakes almost as big as him. He sat them down on the table and was getting ready to sit down when he spotted Tanell.
"Hey, there she is!" Odd pointed out as the young blond walked in and stood in line for breakfast.
"Okay guys, here goes Purple Lighting to sweep her off her feet." Odd remarked as he brushed the pancake crumbs off his sweatshirt and proceeded over to the table.
Yumi and Ulrich wished him luck as he walked off. After a second Ulrich faced Yumi with a question on his mind.
"Hey. If you did always have those feelings for me ever since we met, why did it take you so long to ask?"
Yumi stopped staring at Odd and turned to face Ulrich. "No offense Ulrich... seriously. But I don't want to talk about it."
"But why, we shared everything together. From your grandparents' money to my... 'cat' issue. So why not this?"
Yumi looked away from Ulrich and stared out the window as she finally spotted Jeremy and Aelita walking towards the cafeteria. "I'll tell you one day. Just not now. I don't really want to talk about it yet."
"Well I won't pressure you into it. Just tell me when you're ready."
--
Ok so i know this is extremly late. But like the song says. Its never too late.
If Aelita always has nightmares. why not a good dream fro once. Why not something that gives her hope. And so i worte it into that scene. In the scene, pictured children singing in like a choir of some type. And when you read it, you'll understaind. Plus the Symbol has a name!! No longer the Xana symbol. And maybe a few cryptic messages in the first half?
If any one reads this, please leave a comment, A fellow fanfic once said that comments are like medals of Honor. the more the better. So review or Achmed the dead terroist will KEEEL YOU!!