Chapter 2

I still remembered what movie my mother and I had been watching before she died. It was Hercules, all about the Greek gods and one hero that had to save everyone. Sometimes, I imagined myself as a demigod hero, then immediately discarded the idea because of how ridiculous it sounded.

But it reminded me of that night. That horrible night.

I didn't want to think about it any longer, so I got up out of bed and changed into my daily black secret agent clothes. Then I looked at myself in the mirror, at my messy black hair and sea-green eyes of which my mother said always reminded her of the ocean.

I headed out of my bedroom then downstairs, hoping to get some breakfast, but I noticed that everyone was in a sudden panic. I tried to get their attention but they ignored me, as always.

So I decided to go to General Corral's office, someone who always trusted and spoke to me. However, it was crowded with agents, all trying to ask the general questions at once, but he put up his hand for silence.

Then, pretty surprisingly, he called me forward and told everyone to return to their regular duties before further information was given. Grumbling, the agents dissipated, still giving me dirty looks.

"What's wrong, sir?" I asked my boss.

General Corral was grim. He told me to sit down across from him, in the same chair that I had sat in the night before, though now there was tension in the air.

"A crime has been committed," General Corral explained, "Or, at least, attempted. But the criminal is still on the loose."

I frowned. "What did he do?"

The general sighed. "He tried to rob Frederick Chase."

My first thought was, Wow, that's stupid, considering that Frederick Chase was the richest man in town and was heavily guarded with… well, guards. He lived in a huge mansion at the edge of the city, owning lots and lots of property that was often branded on things. Anyone who tried to steal from him would most likely be dead meat… but General Corral said that this criminal had escaped.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"Police have already investigated the scene of the crime, and the inhabitants of the Chase household said that they only saw a flash of a large man." General Corral started rummaging around through yellow files in his desk drawer, before pulling out a photograph and placing it in front of me. "And we believe that he is Gabe Ugliano, an old criminal that we know."

"Gabe Ugliano?" I repeated, looking at the photograph. It showed a bald, rough-looking, and definitely large man who was scowling at the camera. "What did he do?"

"He has been previously arrested for drunk driving, theft, and assault of which includes throwing beer bottles at people, but he is currently out of jail."

I raised my eyebrow. "And why is that?"

General Corral sighed. "We had to let him out when his time in jail was up. And that was only a couple of weeks ago. Not surprisingly, he's already up to no good."

I looked at General Corral. "So, he tried to rob Frederick Chase, but failed. Do you think he's stupid enough to try it again?"

"One thing we know about Mr. Ugliano is that we know he's -"

"Ugly?"

"Determined. Also, he has been accused of previous stealing, though nothing as major as money. We think that he's going to pull his next scheme tonight at the Chase Industries Grand Ball."

I tilted my head to the side. "The what?"

"It's a ball that Mr. Frederick Chase and his family are attending, held in honour of them. We believe that Gabe Ugliano is going to try to rob Mr. Chase right there, for the man is probably going to be less guarded, and without security vaults to store his money. Whether Mr. Ugliano will try and rob the rest of the Chase family's money, we're not sure.

"But, as for the present, I am assigning you, Percy, to this mission. Go to the Ball and find Mr. Gabe Ugliano, and when you do, call for backup so that we can capture him. Hopefully, this little scheme will then end quickly without anyone, especially Frederick Chase and his family, from getting hurt in the process."

I was a little stunned. General Corral wanted me to find a man who had previously performed criminal act, and who tried to steal from the richest man in town? It must have shown on my face, because my boss smiled.

"Don't worry, Percy, I have trust in you. Though this is difficult to pull off, I believe that you are my best agent for the job."

"T-Thank you, General Corral. I won't let you down."

"Any questions?"

My mind was swirling with too many that I didn't get the chance to ask one. "No," I replied. "I should be good."

"Then you should be off to get ready. You've got a ball to attend."

This was probably the first time that I had put on a suit and got to go to a fancy party. Well, it wasn't like I was invited, but if anyone questioned me, I'd say, "Police matters."

I didn't think that anyone in the F.B.I. had much of a fashion sense, but luckily, General Corral had left me the clothes. After I changed, I looked at myself in the mirror once again - kind of marveling over how I looked.

It was especially different. I was usually covered up in black, lurking in the shadows while I was sneaking up on criminals or hiding from the other F.B.I. agents. No, I never really stood out, though now I got to have a good look at myself in a dark blue, ocean-coloured suit. I had to admit, it matched my eyes.

Though, I knew, that I wasn't supposed to stand out; this was top-secret police matters. Well, I was still pretty excited that I had gotten picked for the job to catch an old criminal who wanted to rob the richest man in town. And I just hoped that I would succeed.