Chapter Eleven is here!
While looking through my previous AN, I noticed there were no 10th review digital cookies even though I clearly remember typing them, so Smeagolia: (::) (::) (::)
Phase Two: Lookout
Scarlett Nixon arrived through Tessa's closet at 10:25 the next morning. Tessa, though not expecting this sudden intrusion, greeted her politely and enquired about her mission. Mary was waiting downstairs for her martial arts training, and the sound carried easily down the chimney.
"Oh, Tess, is that all you have to say to your old friend?" Scarlett laughed easily.
Tessa growled internally; she and Scarlett had never got on especially well, but this was important. At least, she assumed it was. Until Scarlett told her, she would have no idea if it actually was. Meanwhile, Scarlett was walking round the room, inspecting tabletop, bedspread, clutter, everything, with a look of faint pity. "How can you stand this dump? Such a mess!"
"Are you going to answer my question or not?" Tessa snapped.
Scarlett gave a dramatic sigh, and complied. "Apparently you need someone to watch the camera feed. I was a little reluctant at first; such trivial jobs are usually below me, but when I was told the entire story, how this is more than one escaped convict, I agreed to it. It seemed as if it needed someone more of my calibre than yours, after all."
Scarlett's expression seemed to imply she knew something Tessa didn't but there was no way Tessa was going to give her the satisfaction of digging deeper. "Well get to work then; I have a student to teach."
"You're teaching your charge stuff? How cute." Scarlett didn't move.
"Well?"
Scarlett gave Tessa a condescending look. "In case you've forgotten, I don't know my way around here; you're going to have to show me to the room."
###
About five minutes later, Mary looked up from her book to see a seriously irritated Tessa walk into the 'hall'.
"What was that about?"
Tessa took several deep breaths before replying. "Oh, not much. Just a colleague who will be monitoring the CCTV from now on.
"You two don't seem to get along."
Tessa started visibly. "You could hear us?"
"Uh-huh."
"Oh." Tessa thought about that for a moment, then motioned for Mary to get into position. They were wearing normal clothes; Tessa had told Mary there was no point learning to rely on certain outfits if she wasn't going to be wearing them when she needed to defend herself.
###
Upstairs, Scarlett, groaned softly, massaging her eyeballs with her tentacles. Though she had nothing in particular against Tessa, their personalities clashed to horribly for them to ever get on. She knew she shouldn't goad Tessa, especially on a mission like this, but she couldn't help it. Tessa's emotionally devoid welcome and the state of the room had left her feeling awkward and out of place. This wasn't a place she could ever belong.
She turned to the monitors covering the top half of the wall above the desk and resigned herself to complete and utter boredom. If only she hadn't botched up That One Mission, she wouldn't even be here, but she had, and here she was.
That was when she saw something move.
###
Rex had decided, more out of curiosity than anything else, to go back to the house he'd found the other day. Sure it was risky, but the security it would offer him it he could stay concealed was just too tempting; it was a small slice of civilization, yet not nearly as daunting as the town.
He encountered a problem, however, when he tried to scale the wall; it didn't matter what gripping techniques he applied, his feet slid right off. Frustrated, he went round to the gate.
###
"What was that supposed to be?"
Mary grinned up sheepishly. "I was trying to do a spinning kick."
Tessa rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you? No unnecessary movement. Not only does it give your opponent and opportunity to intercept, but it also throws you off balance, so even if you hadn't fallen over on your own accord just then, I could have done so for you with ease."
"But it looks so cool!"
"It's meant to be efficient, not cool, and anyway, someone who can beat their opponent in less than a minute with moves so fast they can barely be seen winds up looking way more impressive than someone who insists on twirling around the place, even if they do manage to stay upright."
Mary pulled a face. "Meh."
While they were talking, Scarlett had entered the room. Now she cleared her throat.
"There's something on the monitors that you might want to see."
Tessa straightened up, wary. "What kind of thing?"
Scarlett shrugged. "See for yourself, but it looks a little lizard-like in shape."
###
Tessa squinted at the infra-red screen. "That doesn't look like Randall."
Mary frowned. "Yes it does."
Tessa shook her head. "Randall's bigger than that, and look at the head."
Tessa was right, Mary saw. Instead of three fronds on its head, this creature had only one.
"It could be the angle." she said, but no, the lizard turned a little and still just one frond. "Okay, maybe two of them don't emit heat?"
"They do."
It was Tessa who spoke and Mary rounded on her. "How would you know? It's entirely possible!"
Tessa winced internally at her slip-up. "I mean, how likely is that?"
"Well who else could it be?"
Scarlett coughed. "I've done a search on the MSSS database for lizard-like appearance and camouflage abilities."
Tessa stared. "How did you get clearance?" Even Tessa could access the MSS and CDD databases to search for dangerous humans and monster criminal offenders, but the MSSS database contained the identities of everyone born in Monstropolis.
Scarlett looked haughty. "Let's just say that just because I'm slumming here with you doesn't mean I've lost my high rank privileges."
Tessa kept her face neutral. "Right. Of course. So what were you're results?"
Scarlett lifted her tablet up and read off the names. "Randall Boggs – obviously, Lulu Cork, Kabra Jovanas, Rheanne Martin and Yuan Zane. I haven't got clearance to access minors, though, so it could still be someone we don't know about."
Mary blinked. "So few?"
Scarlett turned to Mary. "Camouflage abilities are very rare, and far less than one per cent of the population have them."
Mary nodded, understanding.
Tessa cleared her throat. "Well I'm going down there. Watch me on the monitors."
And with that, she left.