Heya! My computer is still a piece of junk, but at least it works well enough for this. My only problems with it are that it somehow got stuck in airplane mode and I had to restart the whole thing, not to mention how it doesn't seem to like the internet around here a whole lot. The fact a bunch of idiots are also keeping me up at night by screaming at each other in the dorm hallways isn't helping me either.
Well, at least I have enough energy to write this chapter, right?
I waited in the safehouse, simply flipping through the TV channels as I waited for Nick and Judy to get back to us. They'd promised to send us information regarding anyone who might be involved in the bombing... and they also had suspicions that whoever was behind that bombing might also be behind the ray sphere blasts, due to the wall of suspected Conduits. James and Johnny passed the time playing cards with each other as I eventually settled on a newly-released movie called 'Pig Hero 6'. Certainly seemed interesting.
A few hours later, and the dynamic duo finally returned with a manila folder in hand. Each of us stopped what we were doing and gathered around the table as they began laying out the information.
"Forensics swept the rooms for prints." Judy began, showing us several animal prints. "So far, they've been able to determine one raccoon, one snow leopard, one wolf, and one polar bear. They're still combing through some of the other prints; they found some odd ones."
"Odd how?" I asked, taking the picture of the bear's paw print on the table in the 'bomb room.'
"Like the person who left them had some kind of covering on their hands and feet." Nick said, showing us a few pictures. He was right, they did look odd. The potential footprints looked like the one who left them had been wearing a horseshoe or something, judging by the marks left behind; the hand prints had similar markings.
"Only one of the prints so far has actually been positively identified." Judy added, pulling out a file with a picture of the raccoon's prints clipped to the front. "They belong to a known underground information broker known as 'Esus' - any other name, alias, or description is unknown. Wanted in connection with multiples murders, armored car robberies, and government hackings."
"Anything else?" James asked. "What about the bombs?"
"All made from parts you'd find lying around a chemical storage factory." She said, showing us a picture of one of the explosives. "Shards of metal, pipes, reactive chemicals, and so on. Nothing could be traced, though the prints left behind on the devices showed that the polar bear was the one making them."
"Alright, so these guys are professionals - they're hiding their tracks really well." I said, mulling over the information. "What about the pictures on the wall? Any luck tracking them down?"
"So far, no." Nick replied, frowning. "Every animal in those pictures disappeared within the last few weeks before the factory raid."
"Except for one." Judy added, pulling out... a picture of the arctic fox I'd saved a month ago. "Leona Bethers, 14 years old. Currently she's in police custody, just in case these bombers decided to go after her. So far, though, she hasn't really talked to anyone... and she says she'll only talk to you, Riley."
"She did?" I asked, surprised. "Then let's go, we need all the information we can get!"
Two agonizingly slow days later, and Bogo had cleared me for visitation. Johnny and James opted to stay behind, since they didn't know her and there wasn't much need for them there.
I was escorted by Nick and Judy to Leona's safehouse. At the door, we were greeted by another officer, who waved us on through. Leona was sitting at the kitchen table when we walked in, watching a few floating pebbles orbit each other above her palm. She looked up as I pulled up a chair and sat down alongside Nick and Judy.
"You... you were the one who saved me." She said simply, staring at me as the stones continued to orbit.
"That's right." I said, nodding. "And you had told them I was the only one you'd talk to. So, if you don't mind, I have a few questions I'd like to ask."
Leona glanced over at the cops before giving a small nod.
"So... were you ever approached by anyone following the blast? Possibly mentioning anything about a 'Utopia'?"
"Once." She replied. "I was still in the hospital when a ram walked up to me. He said he was part of a group seeking to create a utopia for... people like me." She glanced down at the floating rocks as she said that.
"He said that only people with powers would be allowed to be in this 'utopia', and that any others would be 'taken care of'. I didn't want any part of it, though, but I was scared of what he might do to me if I said no... so I told him I'd think it over."
"Has this ram tried to contact you since? Did he give you any way to contact him?"
"No. He said he'd know when I made my choice."
I glanced over at Nick and Judy, the latter of which was recording everything on her carrot-pen recorder.
"Well... unless anyone else has any more questions, that's all I've got." I said standing up.
"Okay." She said, still staring at the stones... before looking up at me. "Thank you for saving me. I never got to say that before you left."
I smiled back at her. "You're welcome."
Alrighty then, what did you guys think? Good, not good? Let me know!