Chapter 23
Screams were the chilling soundtrack for the horrific images my eyes were forced to see. After five steps, my feet sank into the hot blood that soaked the hallway carpet, but I couldn't even express the sheer horror I felt. Carefully, I bent down to remove the card from the victim's face, and I felt a little joy for not recognizing that face. Upstairs, the screams were mixed with the sound of fast, desperate footsteps running away from something. Tears rolled down my cheeks while I returned to my bedroom, and the desperate pleas coming from a distant room made me look for a safe place to hide. However, Scooby didn´t let me stay there, he tugged insistently on my clothes until I returned to the door. Then, he forced me to continue walking through that corridor – and I obeyed him, fearing that he would bark, cry or produce any kind of sound that would call the masked men´s attention. I walked carefully dodging bodies, body parts and puddles of blood, until I found Norville's bedroom door on the floor, visibly knocked over by Scooby-Doo. Fortunately, Shaggy was safely sleeping in his bed and had no signs of violence.
Velma: Shaggy! Shaggy! Wake up, please, we need to go!
Shaggy didn't move, nor did he show any reaction indicating he had heard what I had said. He seemed unconscious, and I remembered that I felt the same way after dinner. Also, I noticed that his body was more relaxed than it usually gets during sleep, so I suspected someone had put a powerful sedative into our drinks. Scooby-Doo was very agitated to see Shaggy in that way, and he walked around crying loudly and making sounds as if he was mumbling. When I realized he was about to bark, I hugged him, looked into his big brown eyes and I did the most irrational thing in my life: I talked to a dog.
Velma: Scooby! Please, listen… damn, I feel really stupid doing this, but I have no choice… well, Shaggy says all the time that you can understand us, so I need you to do this right now, ok?… please, don't make any noise! If you do, the bad guys will find us… Shaggy is asleep and I need help to wake him up, so I´ll have to leave and call Fred and the others… please, stay here and protect Shaggy while I´m out… and if you see a masked man, attack!
My words sounded less stupid when, at the end of my speech, Scooby-Doo stopped crying and sat down next to Shaggy with an angry-dog-expression, showing that he had understood my request to protect his owner. Immediately, I left them and tiptoed to Fred and Flim Flam's room. The door was locked and intact, apparently no masked men had been there. I had no option but destroy the lock box with a fire extinguisher and manipulate the electromagnet wires until the door opened. I was relieved to see Fred and Flim Flam sleeping peacefully in their beds, with no signs of violence. I tried hard to wake them up, but they didn´t even move. Suddenly, someone clamped a hand over my mouth and I shuddered. Fortunately, it was agent Li, he released me and told me to stay quiet. Agent Wang came to the room soon after, and two Asian men were with him.
Wang: We haven't found the killers anywhere. The corridors are safe, and our reinforcements are coming with the ambulances… the other hotel guests are outside, including the wounded ones… only our group is here, so, let's go!
Li: We can´t, agent. I think they were drugged, or even poisoned, we need to rush them to a hospital as soon as possible… let's take Daphne and Flim Flam first, they are lighter and smaller than the others…
Velma: Daphne was taken!… I… I… saw… 3 masked men taking her away during the night… but I couldn't do anything to stop them!
The bad omen invaded my chest with such violence that I burst into tears. The agents looked at each other with concern, and Agent Wang rushed towards my room with the other agents. Li comforted me, and asked me to stay calm. Suddenly, Scooby-Doo appeared in the doorway dragging Norville by the collar of his shirt, as if he were a puppy. When Scooby released Shaggy´s shirt, his head fell and he reacted. Then, he muttered his famous compilation of swear words and crawled uncoordinatedly across the carpet. Shaggy could not sustain his body for a long time, so he ended up falling again and hitting his head very hard – and that made the swear words be said again, this time with more emphasis. Scooby dragged him again, but we ran towards them and we helped Shaggy to sit in bed.
Velma: Good job, Scooby!
Shaggy fell asleep before we could say anything, and agent Wang returned with the other agents.
Wang: Police is removing the bodies of the victims. Let's carry Fred, Flim Flam and Norville, so they can start their investigation as soon as possible. We need to act fast.
Scooby obeyed and roughly pulled Norville out of the bed, making him fall and hit his head again – and repeat the curses. I prepared myself to help them carry Flim Flam, but they didn´t let me do it. Fortunately – or unfortunately, considering Norville's point of view – the fall woke Shaggy up, and he walked to the hotel lobby with no help (in fact, only with the help of the minibars he looted along his way). In the foyer, the scenery was worse than a horror movie set. There were puddles of blood on the floor, bits of crimson flesh that looked like viscera, and red splatters everywhere, as if Jackson Pollock had made a funereal painting by sacrificing several lives. A few uncontrollable tears ran down my cheeks, and the fear made my steps be quicker. I didn´t mean to, but I counted twelve sheets covering bodies on the floor. For a moment, I fiercely wished that some God existed, so I could plead him with all my strenght that none of those bodies were Daphne´s. However, instead of a miracle, the universe sent me an omen that hurt me so badly that I thought I would die. When I reached the main door, I started crying. "Am I really leaving my childhood friend behind?", a thought provoked me, and I tried to return, but some agents stopped me. Outside the hotel, some paramedics helped me and I told them I was fine. I wasn´t injured. At least, not externally.
I can't tell how many hours I spent looking at the void in that hospital's waiting room. After all, my emotional time was passing in a different pace, if compared with reality. I can only remember the constant movement of the nurses and the doctors through the corridors, helping the police officers with injured victims - and Shaggy visiting the food vending machines hundreds of times, after all, the coins he used were all mine. From a distance, I saw Flim Flam staggering out of a room, but I didn't have enough strength to approach. I was afraid of describing to him all the horrors I had seen and I had experienced in the last few hours.
Jin-ri: Miss Dinkley? Velma Dinkley?
Velma: Yes, it's me...
Jin-ri: Your friend Frederick Jones has just woken up…
My body got up so quickly that I startled the nurse. Shaggy looked at me with sad eyes, showing that he didn't want to leave that vending machine before tasting all those South Korean candies. I sighed, handed him a handful of coins and followed the nurse into Fred's room. When I got there, Fred was asleep, he only opened his eyes when the nurse announced my arrival. Then, I approached him and tried to pull him out of that bed.
Velma: Fred, c´mon, wake up! We need to get out of here… we have a lot of to investigate, we can't waste our time!
Fred: Damn, I think I have a hangover, Velma… my head is killing me and I´m about to puke... I need more sleep, and I need to not hear your annoying voice for some hours… so, go back to bed, for God's sake, it must be early as fuck...
Fred's sleepy muttering irritated me and made me feel more nervous than before.
Velma: It's not early, it's almost 3pm! Get out of this fucking bed now! We need to analyze the hotel!
I pulled one of his hands, but he didn't even move. Instead of helping me, he laughed at my stupid effort and released the hand.
Fred: Shut the fuck up, Dinkley, there's nothing to investigate here... don't bother me, please...
Velma: You're not in the hotel, jerk, you're in a hospital! Our drinks had drugs, that's why you're feeling so bad… now, get up, we need to return to the hotel and find clues ASAP!
Fred: Damn, I´m sick in a fucking hospital and you´re barking orders at me! You're the scientist, aren't you? So, go there and get your fucking clues… I'm the captain, I´m the one who orders people around… and right now, I order you to leave me alone...
All that rudeness pissed me off so much that I lost all the morals and the empathy I should have for a semi-conscious person who had just survived an overdose and a violent massacre at the same time. So, I used the only argument that would make Fred Jones get out of that bed.
Velma: Fred, it´s serious, Daphne is in danger!
Apparently, my mind miscalculated the amount of emotional balance needed to verbalize that fact, and I burst into tears. As expected, Fred opened his eyes and sat up in bed immediately. I hugged him and sobbed, he just comforted me in a frightened way and asked me what happened.
Velma: Do you remember those masked men we saw at the Christian association? They took Daphne last night and I couldn't do anything to help her! When Scooby woke me up this morning, the hotel looked like a slaughterhouse, with blood and bodies everywhere! And Daphne was not there! I mean… I really hope she was not there, among the fatal victims…
Fred got up quickly and ripped off the bandages, IV tubes and devices that were in his body. I felt bad for causing such overreaction – after all, he was still in treatment – but I had no other choice. When we left the room, Shaggy came in our direction.
Shaggy: Hey, have you guys puked, like, fifty times too? Damn, my liver is wasted…
Velma: Considering that I've seen you eat more than 50 candies in the last three hours, I think it's normal that your body is trying hard to get all that junk out... as for your liver, relax, if it can handle big amounts of fast food, beer and weed, it'll be fine with some sedatives...
Shaggy: Seems like you´re fine, Velma… like, I don't know how is your liver, but your sarcasm is intact…
Fred: In fact, the sedatives couldn´t put up with her body... she poisoned the poor drugs and they´ve immediately self-destructed as soon as they realized how sweet and extremely nice she is...
Both them laughed, and the small laugh that appeared on my lips calmed me down. I told them what happened at the hotel, and Shaggy shared the information that Li, Flim Flam and Wang had told him. At the hospital exit, a voice stopped us.
Flim Flam: Hey, where do you think you're going?
Flim Flam's question made Shaggy approach him and the other agents with a smile, but Fred didn't feel the same joy to meet them. On the contrary, Fred frowned and treated the agents as if they were an obstacle along his way.
Flim Flam: The hospital hasn´t discharged you, Fred... doctors said you´ve received the largest dose of sedatives, so you´ll have to stay here today until…
Fred: I´ve discharged myself. I´ll go back to the hotel to find Daphne.
Fred's answer wasn't rude, but it was stern enough to make it clear that he didn't want the agents to stop him. However, Shaggy knew Fred´s anger issues enough to recognized that our captain was about to explode into rage again.
Shaggy: Like, relax Fred, Daphne is not there and Interpol is taking care of everything. They´ve even taken Scoob to sniff out the hotel!
Wang: Yes, our reinforcements have arrived as soon as we rushed you to the hospital. Forensics investigation was done, but we´ve found no clues about the killers. We only know the massacre happened at some time between midnight and 2 am, and killed 20 victims with sharp objects… all them were hotel workers who, apparently, tried to stop the killers along their way to Daphne and Velma´s room. So, we believe that their intention was really kidnap Miss Blake…
Li: And your K9 showed us the killers´ trail. Scooby can sniff out Daphne until the nearest corner, then her smell disappears... this suggests that they took her by car, in the same way the Squid Game's victims were caught…
Flim Flam: And, unfortunately, that´s all we know. Cameras and lights were turned off, no fingerprints were left, the footprints are confusing and made by a strange kind of footwear… it was a planned attack …a perfect crime…
Fred: Bullshit. There is no perfect crime, only incompetent policemen… and you, as an Interpol agent, should know this very well…
This time, Fred didn't hold back his growing anger. The agents, though visibly offended, did not respond.
Velma: Fred, don't start!
Fred: Yes, I'll start. Yesterday, Interpol brilliantly took us to a meeting with fake agents, and that ended with the abduction of the most vulnerable member of our team. My point is: HOW THE FUCK CAN WE TRUST INTERPOL AGAIN? IF THE FBI IS WITH THE VIPS, WHY SHOULD WE BELIEVE THAT INTERPOL IS REALLY WITH US?
Li: Captain Jones, all Interpol agents involved are very well-trained. They are reliable people who have been watching this case for a long time and…
Fred: …and, apparently, they´ve done a shitty job, because 20 people were killed and 1 was taken! Dinkley, Rogers, let's go… we need to collect some evidence, we´re racing against the clock!
Flim Flam: Hey, wait a minute, you're not going anywhere! You are the victims, you can´t investigate!
Flim Flam was firm and held Fred's arm, and the captain, as usual, was violent while letting it go, and that was the start of an argument.
Fred: I'm going to conduct the fucking investigation, and I'll break your face if you stop me again and make me waste my time!
Flim Flam: Then you'll have to break not only my face, but also the faces of all Interpol agents, because you have no jurisdiction here!
Fred hit Flim Flam, and they exchanged blows and insults until Shaggy and the agents finally separated them. After the fight, security guards expelled us from hospital, and that made Fred control himself for a while. However, outside, Fred started to offend and threaten again, and Flim Flam replied.
Flim Flam: Let me explain it to you slowly, Fred, so that you can understand: FROM NOW ON, THIS CASE IS NOT YOURS ANYMORE! Damn, a massacre has just happened, can´t you understand that you can´t go on? You don´t work for Interpol, you don´t work for Seul Police, you don´t even work for the FBI! You are just a fucking voluntary who has no authority to lead an international case, nor to conduct an investigation in South Korea! So, tonight, you will take a flight back to your homes and let Interpol solve everything! We will investigate the crime, we will investigate Daphne Blake's disappearance and we will get the VIPs and end this case, do you understand me? Did you get it, fuck, or I´ll have to draw it?
Fred didn't say a word, he just expressed tons of anger on his face and hit Flim Flam again. Obviously, Flim Flam hit him back and, again, we had to separate them before they got seriously injured.
Fred: If you want me out of this fucking country, you´ll have to kill me first! I'm their captain, I decide whether or not they will stay. So, if you stop me once more, I will…
Flim Flam: Damn, I don't know if you´ve noticed, Fred, but in less than 24 hours 20 innocent people were killed! One member of your team was abducted, and she´s probably dead too… can´t you understand that we´ve lost Daphne? Can´t you see that she is one more name on that list of more than 12.000 people who disappeared forever? And all you want right now is to sacrifice your friends to please your ego and solve this case alone? Who will be the next, Fred? Shaggy or Velma? The VIPs know where we are, they know what we're doing, they know what we know, they're just playing with us and waiting for the perfect moment to kill us, can´t you see?
Fred: I'm not sacrificing anyone, I'm trying to finish the case I´ve started!
Li: You haven´t started the case, Mr. Jones, Chinese intelligence service has information about the VIPs and their crimes for years and…
Fred: And you are incompetent enough for not solving the case before!
Flim Flam: This case has no solution because it doesn't exist, Fred, when are you going to fucking understand this? We´ve met fake agents, we´ve found fake clues and a fake survivor, media is spreading fake news… damn, can´t you see that Alan Mayberry has created everything just to destroy Blake and Applegate? He has planned everything, he has left us clues and he has purposely reached out to Daphne! Can't you see that we're doing exactly what the VIPs want us to do? If we keep following their clues, their plan will work!
Fred: We have 12.000 lost lives as an evidence that this case is real! And we're not following the VIPs, asshole, we´re following Gi-Hun! He wants to get rid of the VIPs, just like us… we need to find him and focus on the operation!
Flim Flam: Really, Fred? All Gi-Hun´s clues made us come to Seoul, then he´s just disappeared during a flight… isn´t it obvious that they´ve tricked us into this shit? There will be no operation, they just wanted to kidnap Daphne!
Fred: What if Gi-Hun was kidnapped too?
Li: Mr. Jones, we can´t focus on "what if´s" while our lives are certainly at risk. That's why we emphasize that the intelligence agencies must take over… we will need professional spies to be one step ahead of the VIPs…
Fred: Professional spies must take over? Your "professional spies" were around, and yet we fell into the fake Seoul police trap! Daphne was taken and it´s all your fault! You don't have enough competence for this case… now, get the fuck out of my way and let my team go, or we'll run over you!
Shaggy: No, Fred, we won´t!
Shaggy's words disarmed all Fred's bravery, and he stared at him. Instead of giving up, Shaggy glared at the captain.
Shaggy: Stop with this shit, Fred! I'm tired! Like, Flim Flam's right, man, we're being their puppets! We're doing all wrong, and this shit is getting serious... if we continue, we all will die in a horrible way... just like those people... and Daphne…
Shaggy's voice cracked when he said "Daphne", and I could see that he was looking teary. Instead of being moved by Shaggy´s tears, Fred got angrier and grabbed him by the collar.
Fred: If you say once more that she's dead, I will…
Unexpectedly, Shaggy pushed Fred's chest and released himself. He was not intimidated by the captain´s anger, and continued.
Shaggy: You´ll what, Fred? Will you punch me too? Will you yell at us like you´ve done yesterday when you found out the VIPs have called her? Will you take out on me all the guilt you're feeling for being a total son of a bitch to her during the last ten years? Or will you kill me and Velma just because you´ve finally lost her and you can´t deal with it? YOU´VE LOST HER, DAMN, YOU KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN ONE DAY! And you know damn well it´s all your fault… this case, this trip, all Liberty´s bullshit, ITS ALL YOUR DAMN FAULT! You´ve put Daphne into this damn case! Now, get the fuck over it and do the right thing for the first time in your life!
Shaggy's words increased Fred's anger, but he was so emotionally destroyed that he didn't have strength to do anything.
Fred: The right thing to do is to find her, damn, she´s our friend! How can you just think about your own asses while she´s with a bunch of killers?Don´t you think about all the horrid things they can do with her, don´t you think how scared she must be right now, how can you just give up?
Flim Flam: We´re no giving up, Fred, we are just not taking risks…
Fred: So, arresting the ones who have been killing lots of people for years is "taking risks"? Know what? Nevermind… I can´t convince you cowards… but nobody will stop me! As for you two, Rogers and Dinkley, I´m not asking your fucking help, I´m ordering it, YOU WILL GO WITH ME! And if you refuse, just give me your badges back because you´re dismissed!
Shaggy: Like, yes, sir! It was nice to work with you… do whatever you want with this fucking badge, I'm out!
Shaggy hit his badge hard into Fred's chest, turned his back on us and left our group to smoke a cigarette. Again, his attitude disarmed Fred's anger, since the captain clearly didn´t expect to receive any kind of insubordination. Then, Fred looked at me, instead of the previous anger, I could see sorrow and despair in his eyes, and I confess, I felt sorry for him.
Velma: At your command, captain...
My acceptance occurred without any kind of excitement. After all, I could understand the emotional state that led him to that abuse of authority, but I could not support such attitude. Fred didn't show any kind of relief or good emotion either. Instead, he left us and walked quickly towards the hotel. The chinese agents stared at me for a few seconds, as if they were expecting some kind of explanation from me, but I couldn't say anything. To make things worse, Shaggy came in my direction with an angry, disappointed expression.
Shaggy: Like, that´s why he´s a spoiled motherfucker, you always pamper him!
Velma: Excuse me? I´m not supporting him, I´m trying to save my best friend´s life! I can´t return to New York and just leave her here!
Shaggy: YOU ALWAYS SUPPORT HIM AND HIS STUPID IDEAS!
Velma: BECAUSE HE IS NOT A COWARD!
I regretted those words at the same moment they left my mouth, and I felt tears filling my eyes slowly. Of course, Norville was deeply offended by them, and he left me before I could apologize. Flim Flam tried to comfort me somehow and make me change my mind.
Flim Flam: Velma, that´s suicide, there´s not the slightest chance for Fred´s plan to work… you are very intelligent, you know he´s just overreacting because Daphne was taken and he loves her…
Velma: I know, Flim Flam… but Daphne would take the same decision if it happened to me!
Flim Flam: Please, we need you here! You were the only one who saw the killers… we need your testimony… and we need Fred´s help too… please, calm him down and make him think more clearly…
Velma: I will help you with whatever you need, Flim Flam… but I also need to help Fred… and try to help Daphne… sorry, they are my friends!
I left them before they could see the tears running down my face, and I ran after Fred. When I reached him, he had a desolate, lost look on his face, and his beautiful blue eyes were teary. He tried to speed up his pace more and more to not to let me notice.
Velma: Fred, we can't go back to the hotel… Interpol won't let us in!
Fred: I won´t investigate that shit, I´ll get our belongings… come on, walk faster!
I quickened my pace and tried to stop him, but every time I reached him, he walked faster, so I couldn't look into his face.
Velma: Fred, calm down, wait! You are forgetting something important!
Fred: What?
I finally stopped him, but the expression on his face wasn't very friendly. Among tons of anger and irritation, his eyes had the same sorrow I'd seen earlier.
Velma: You forgot to cry about it… maybe… you should… we don't have much to do right now…
My own eyes couldn't endure the pressure of the emotions and overflowed once more. Fred's eyes remained steady, damming up all the complicated feelings.
Fred: On the contrary! We've got a lot to do… come on, or I´ll fucking drag you!
Instead of comforting me, Fred quickened his pace once more. I followed him, and the few times I reached him, I could see a lone tear glistening on his face.
When Fred handed me my cell phone, there were 42 missed calls from Marcie. My parents texted me asking for news, my in-laws sent photos of Marcie's vacation, Madelyn asked when I would return… and, to my dismay, there was a message from an unknown number. Looking at the profile´s photo, I realized it was Delilah Blake, and she was asking for news about Daphne. My heart froze – due to sadness or to despair -, and "don´t worry, she´s fine, her cell phone is broken" was the best thing I could type.
Fred: That's a crime, Dinkley... obstruction of justice... and it´s also very cruel to lie to her family and pretend she´s ok…
Velma: Then you answer her, smartass, because I don't even know what to say to the Blakes!
I threw the phone into Fred's hands and glared angrily at him, waiting to see him do something. For a moment, he looked at Delilah's picture and at the call button, but before he could dial, the cellphone received a call from Marcie Fleach and Fred handed the phone back to me.
Marcie: Honey! I´m glad to hear your voice, where are you? Are you ok? Please, tell me that you are fine…
Velma: Marce, I'm glad you called… I… I… am… fine…
Marcie: Please tell me that you have nothing to do with this terrorist attack that happened in Seoul last night, media is talking about it all the time…
Velma: What? No! No way! I mean… yes, we are involved, but it was not a terrorist attack!
Marcie: All TV channels are saying that it was a hate crime between two political factions, I don't know, something like that… one faction invaded the hotel and killed everyone… OMG, I'm scared, Velma, when will you come home?
Velma: Yes, we were there and we survived the massacre… but it wasn't a political issue, a bunch of masked men who work for the VIPs broke into the hotel, killed 20 innocent people and took…
Fred didn´t let me finish. However, Marcie understood that something very wrong was going on.
Marcie: Velma, babe, please come home right now… I have a bad feeling about this!
"Me too, babe", was what my heart replied, but I couldn't verbalize it. Instead, I calmed her down and pretended to be OK. Our affectionate talking were interrupted by the startled expression on Fred's face when his cell phone received a call from Miller. Marcie and I said goodbye, and I approached Fred to listen to their conversation on speakerphone.
Miller: All NYPD agents are there, captain... forensics dept. is still investigating the scene, but the first impression is that the victim was not killed there... the body has many signs of violence and torture, many bruises, but I can´t say whether the injuries caused death…
Velma: Miller… what happened? Who are you talking about?
Miller e Fred: Steven Applegate.
Velma: OH MY GOD! Steven is dead?
Neither Fred nor Miller had the courage to repeat the information, but their silence was enough to make me understand the horrible news.
Velma: Where was he found, Miller? When?
Miller: At Applegate Bank… here in NY it's almost 4:30 in the morning now. About half an hour ago, the security guards heard steps upstairs, and when they checked, they found Steven´s body in his office… but the crime scene is clean, doc! No blood, no clues… only a small office was completely ransacked, the others are intact…
Velma: They´ve ransacked an office that has a sign on the door that says "Brayman Leary PhD", right?
Miller: Exactly, doc, how do you know that?
Velma: Because I know exactly what they were looking for...
I showed the card we found at Applegate Bank to Fred, and he nodded.
Fred: Miller, I want you to report it to the FBI immediately… they will take over the investigation and you will help them… Dinkley will return to NY in some hours, and you´ll follow her instructions… agent Rogers will return with the K9 too… I will stay here for some days…
Velma: Jinkies! What are you doing? Are you crazy?
I noticed that Miller also disagreed, but he didn't dare to say anything.
Fred: Miller, I'll call you back in 5 minutes…
Fred ended the call and sighed.
Fred: Flim Flam and Shaggy are right, Velma, it´s all my fault, and I can't sacrifice anyone else to solve this case!
Velma: So you will ask the VIPs´ friends to take over the case and protect us from the VIPs? That´s brilliant, don´t you think?
Fred: No, I will keep you safe and I will do exactly what the VIPs want me to do, while the Chinese agents secretly do their job... that´s the only chance we have to defeat them.
Velma: So, this time, Fred Jones will be the bait and he will fall into the trap instead of doing it with the criminals? THAT´S CRAZY, Fred! It's too risky, it´s stupid, it's… it´s suicide!
Fred: Yes, it is… and it has always been, Velma, that´s how things work at police… and we've always suceeded, we'll do it once more.
Fred typed on his cell phone to call Miller again, but my indignation angrily snatched the phone out of his hands. And I tried not to cry.
Velma: You´ll sacrifice your life in vain, asshole, that´s stupid!
Fred snatched the phone out of my hands and typed again. He didn´t even care about the tears that were involuntarily runnning down my face.
Fred: It´s not in vain, it´s for Daphne.
Fred left me and called Miller again. Anxiety didn´t let me follow him to hear the instructions, so, some minutes after, he returned, and he was typing again on his cell phone. I realized that he was calling Norville.
Fred: Shaggy? I have bad news, man... Steven Applegate is dead…
Shaggy: Like, we´ve already heard the news, Jones, you're not the only one who has reliable sources of information!
I thought the call was on speakerphone, but, actually, Shaggy was yelling. This time, Fred didn´t care about the rude response.
Fred: I´ve just asked the FBI to take over the investigation about Steven´s death, so…
Shaggy: Like, and you´ve called me to let me know you´ve done some shit again, great! Whats fucking new about it? And why should I care?
Fred: Listen, I want you to take Dinkley and Scooby back to NY ASAP. You need to stay away from here and keep an eye on the Blakes, I fear George is the next… and I want Interpol to continue their duty…
Apparently, Shaggy didn't expect that kind of response, so he listened in silence.
Fred: I'll stay and follow our previous plan. I´ll go after Gi-Hun and do whatever they expect me to do. This time, I'll be the bait while you guys investigate. Good luck.
Silence remained and Fred ended the call before Shaggy could respond. Fred turned to me and called me.
Fred: Hurry up, Velma, you have to take the next flight back to NY!
Velma: No!… you´ll need forensics help, won´t you? I´ll stay here with you… I won´t let you do this alone!
That decision made my heart race, yet I knew that was the right thing to do.
Fred: I don´t remember inviting you to stay… nor ordering you to do so…
Velma: I don´t remember following your orders either… nor having any kind of respect for your stupid authority…ever…
My words made Fred smile a little bit, and I smiled back. He tapped my shoulder and thanked me for my support. Then our Uber arrived and I followed him. Even though I knew that would be a one-way ticket.
I only realized that we were heading to Sang-woo's mother's work address when our Uber stopped a few meters from the place. When we approached, we saw two tall, athletic white men, with dark blond hair, and Mrs. Cho was angrily yelling at them. Fred tried to help her and asked what was going on, but she heard him speaking English and immediately kicked him out too. So, I tried to talk with her in Korean.
Velma: Hi! What's wrong, ma'am?
Mrs. Cho: Those bastards! They keep showing up here all the time, asking information about Sang-woo, damn them all!
Despite the fact that I was speaking Korean (in a very mediocre way, but I was), the mere fact that I am a Westerner made the lady kick me out of the place in a hostile manner, muttering words whose meaning I could not understand. Soon after, she closed her small shop and prepared herself to leave and avoid more questions.
Velma: Jinkies, now I know why Interpol and Seoul police couldn´t get much information from her…
Fred: Considering her annoyance level, those men definitely got something from her. Come on, let's follow them!
Fred ran before I could alert him about the possibility of those two men be the masked men I saw during the massacre. Fear held me back, and the grief I was feeling for losing Daphne didn´t allow me to do much. Fortunately, Fred's rude approach didn't provoke any violent reaction in them. On the contrary, they just showed their credentials and identified themselves as Russian Intelligence Service agents. Fred and the russian agents talked for a long time about Sang-woo – and I was too emotionally numb to say anything. Initially, there was some trepidation on both sides about providing the information they were investigating – obviously, a fear motivated by historical grudges from the Cold War. However, when Fred showed them the business card with the geometric shapes, both agents smiled and felt comfortable to say they were investigating the same thing. According to them, their investigation started when they discovered the VIPs´ financial activities in Russia, as well as the disappearance of several russian citizens over the years. After the explanation, Fred looked at me and covertly asked if we should really trust them.
Velma: We´ve reached the point of no return a long time ago, captain… Daphne is missing, Steven is dead, VIPs are stalking us, what can be worse? Any chance to find Daphne is worth a try right now… plus, I think these agents prove that, definitely, Gi-Hun´s operation is true…
My motivational response didn't reflect my real f̶r̶i̶g̶h̶t̶e̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶l̶ mood, but it was good enough to encourage Fred to talk about the hypothetical Cachalot Operation. When he mentioned the name of the operation, one of the agents showed a brown envelope filled with photos of people with russian features. Then, he took a sheet of paper from the envelope, and we could read words written in cyrillic alphabet, the same date and the same geographic coordinates.
Andrei: These are the russian citizens we were looking for… we believe that the answers about them will be revealed today at this location.
Fred showed the piece of plastic we had found, and both agents smiled. Then, Fred indicated the next place that we would check: the address in which the phone number of the cards was registered. Fortunately, both agents decided to join us.
The address that Fred provided was, in fact, an abandoned building. Fred pointed out that the building was in Euljiro area, and Flim Flam had mentioned that the strange couple had asked Sang-woo's mother directions to the same area.
Fred: Maybe the couple is those masked ones, Velma… maybe they´ve brought Daphne here...
Velma: I don't think so, Fred. If they were the masked ones, they would know about this location and they wouldn't need to ask Sang-woo's mother directions...
My comment casted a damper on the small spark of hope that Fred nurtured in finding Daphne in that building. The mention of Daphne's name required an explanation about who Daphne and George Blake were, and also about what had happened the night before. When I finally finished, I noticed that Fred had disappeared, and we panicked. After long, desperate minutes looking for him inside those sinister ruins, we found Fred staring at a trail of blood that showed that a corpse had been dragged to that place.
Velma: You selfish son of a bitch! You left us behing in a place like this! We're a team, damn!
I felt so angry – and, at the same time, so relieved to find him alive – that I gave Fred a slap on his back. However, he didn´t show any reaction, he just stared at that trail of blood with his lost and distressed eyes. Fortunately, one of the Russian agents was way more sensitive than me.
Andrei: There is no visible evidence that this blood trail is from Miss Daphne Blake… seems like it´s an old stain…
I hadn't thought about that possibility when I hit Fred, but after Andrei mentioned it, that was all I could think about. Indeed, the color of the bloodstain wasn't compatible with a recent murder, but I started looking for Daphne anyway. I followed the blood trail carefully, when I turned towards another room, a hand violently clamped over my mouth, while an arm clamped tightly around my neck, choking me instantly.
Vivian: Stop! MI16! You're under arrest for Myeong-dong Hotel massacre!
The distinguished blonde woman that I saw at the airport had a badge in one hand and a gun pointed at my head in the other - and she was really willing to pull that trigger. The shortness of breath made my despair increase. I tried to hit the aggressor who was holding me in every way, but he was so skilled that, at each blow, he suffocated me more and more. When I ran out of oxygen I stopped struggling. Then, I felt a heavy blow to my back and I fell on the ground with the man who was holding me. When I recovered my breath, I got up quickly, but my aggressor remained on the ground, in pain. Then, Fred pinned him down while the Russian agents pointed their guns to the woman.
Andrei: We are agents just like you. Lay down your guns so we can talk.
With no other alternative, the woman dropped the gun and the man got up with difficulty. Even after they surrendered, the Russian agents kept their guns pointed at them. Then, it was Fred's turn to show his badge, and right after him, me and the Russians did the same.
Fred: Velma survived the massacre, and we both are victims, not killers. We work for NYPD, and we came here to investigate the illegal activities of a group of tycoons who call themselves "VIPs". Among these activities, there is a deadly game called "Squid Game", in which innocent people are kidnapped and killed. For the past few days, we´ve been following the clues of a Squid Game survivor named...
Vivian: Seong Gi-Hun?
Fred: Exactly! Seems like you are here for the same reason…
Vivian: Yeah. We´ve been monitoring the illegal activities of some British financial institutions, they use a South Korean institution called Liberty to commit their crimes. However, we´ve never found out how those crimes happened. Until the day when a scarlet-haired South Korean citizen identified as Seong Gi-Hun entered the MI16 building with a package and announced that it was a bomb. After all the panic, the bomb squad opened the package, and inside it, there were photos of missing British citizens , and a sheet of paper…
Velma: With details about "Cachalot Operation"? Yeah, we´ve found something similar… and so have the Chinese agents… Jinkies, I'm tired of hearing that, Gi-Hun should have been more direct when recruiting agents…
The blonde woman was silent and annoyed after my intrusion, so Fred and the Russian agents showed their own "Cachalot Operation" paper to prove that I was telling the truth. After, we talked about our own experiences with the case, and that made the couple trust us and introduce themselves as Vivian and Daniel Crane. I checked my cell phone and winced when I saw a message from Crystal asking about Daphne. Then, she sent me a link to an international Interpol alert about the disappearance of Daphne Blake and Seong Gi-Hun. I had barely started typing a reply when Crystal called me back.
Crystal: Why didn't you tell us that Daphne is missing?
I can't tell if her question was really harsh, or if the guilt and sadness that I was feeling made me feel horrible for being asked about it. At that moment, I wished I had a proper answer to that question. But I didn't.
Crystal: Damn, Velma, you should have told us!
Velma: Crystal, as you must have noticed, I can't even talk about Daphne, so this is a really bad time to scold me about it…
The simple fact that I said "Daphne" made Fred approach me immediately.
Crystal: I'm not scolding you, I'm just saying that now the clues we´ve found at Steven Applegate´s murder scene make sense! On the table, we´ve found earrings, rings, a necklace, two or three female fingernails… but around the scene, there were no signs that a woman had been there... Applegate family didn´t recognize the jewelry, and you´ve mentioned the criminals like to play games with police, so we thought that everything was strategically placed there to call our attention… now we know why, maybe they want to show that Daphne is with them!
Fred and I looked at each other, and I could see some hope in his eyes.
Velma: Crystal, send me pictures of those items, please. Then, send everything to forensics analysis right away…
As soon as I ended the call, Fred snatched the phone and stared at the screen, longing for a clue about Daphne. However, before Crystal could send us the photos, Shaggy called us.
Shaggy: SCOOBYDOORANAWAYVELMAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Shaggy was crying like a small child, and he had to repeat the phrase three times to make me understand that Scooby-Doo had run away. Shaggy was so emotionally out of control that Flim Flam took the phone from his hands.
Flim Flam: Velma, we´ve discovered something important. Gi-Hun didn't disappear during the flight, he was taken by FBI agents shortly before boarding the plane. That's why we issued an international missing person alert for him and for Daphne, certainly he is also a victim of the VIPs. Seems like Fred was right about him and his operation… I´m sorry for only realizing it now…
Velma: He surely was, we´ve met other agents who´ve come to Seoul for the same reason… Gi-Hun was really recruiting help…
Shaggy: ANDSCOOBYDOORANAWAYVELMAAAAAAA!
Flim Flam: Oh, we´ve also lost the dog, he escaped while we were investigating the marina… as you can see, Shaggy is freaking out about it…
Shaggy: LIKE, AND NO INTERPOL SON OF A BITCH HAS ISSUED AN INTERNATIONAL MISSING DOG ALERT FOR HIM!
Flim Flam: … because, right now, we sons of bitches are focusing on finding and helping Gi-Hun, because he is the answer to everything… I want you to focus on finding Daphne and the dog…
Shaggy: THE DOG HAS A NAME, AND IT'S CALLED SCOOBY-DOO! AND HE IS MISSING AND YOU JUST DON´T CARE ABOUT IT!
Crystal's photos confirmed that the jewelry was Daphne's, and that made Fred smile.
Fred: I think Velma can help Shaggy right now, Flim Flam… I'll discuss the new clues with Miller, and maybe the foreign agents can help me find Daphne… it's almost 7pm, can we meet at 10pm?
Flim Flam: Where?
Fred: At the operation´s place… you know, the place Gi-Hun has indicated through geographic coordinates…
I don't know if the worst thing I heard was "Velma can help Shaggy", "it's almost 7pm" or "can we meet at the operation´s place?", but, in the end, all them had the same harmful effect on my poor heart. After ending the call, I saw dozens of messages from Jenkins and Delilah Blake popping on my Whatsapp – yes, Nan and George are heartless enough to ask their butler to find information about their missing daughter -, so I turned the cell phone off immediately. When I got separated from Fred and the others, I felt something strange. I remembered we were on a one-way path and my steps immediately stopped. Then, I ran in the opposite direction and hugged Fred as if I´d never have the chance to do that again. When I released him, he looked at me confused, but with some tenderness.
Velma: Good luck, Fred!
Unexpectedly, Fred took my hands and squeezed them hard.
Fred: We'll surely need it, Vel.
Shaggy and I scoured the area for Scooby, but there was no sign of him anywhere. He was so depressed about losing his dog that he refused all the fast-food restaurants we found on our way. When we gave up, I looked at the clock and shuddered: it was almost 10pm. Messages from the Blakes were popping up on Shaggy´s whatsapp too, and the absence of our friends made us feel worried. Fortunately, less than five minutes later, Flim Flam appeared a few meters away from us.
Flim Flam: We couldn't find Gi-Hun. Any news from Scooby?
I didn't need to answer, Shaggy's sorrow made it clear that the dog was still missing. Then, Flim Flam called agent Li, but he didn´t answer. He persisted in calling four or five more times, even so Li didn't answer. Then, he tried to contact agent Wang, and the same thing happened. Inevitably, we looked at each other with concern, and surely we had the same bad thought. Flim Flam tried to call other Interpol agents, but none of the calls completed.
Shaggy: Like, let's get out of here, I feel that something is really wrong!
We quickly accepted Shaggy´s suggestion, but a few steps later, my cell phone rang and Fred's face appeared on the screen.
Fred: Velma, we are near a park around the marina… a car came towards us and the driver is wearing one of those masks… come here immediately, we need to catch them!
Apparently, Fred was running. The call ended unexpectedly, and he could not give us correct information about where he was.
Flim Flam: I think I know where it is, let's go!
I can't tell how many blocks we ran, or how many calls I made before Fred finally answered.
Velma: Where are you? We need the exact location!
Fred: Me and the russians ran down an avenue that starts near a church, and we lost Daniel and Vivian… damn, we are in a place with cherry trees, I can't say exactly where, I can't read Korean! Right now, I can see the car across a bridge... and another car with a masked driver is behind it…
The anguish I felt was so great that I couldn't even formulate a question. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to say anything, I just heard gunshots and the call ended. After that, I couldn't contact Fred anymore, neither could I complete a phone call. Shaggy tried calling from his cell phone, but the same thing happened.
Flim Flam: Damn, let's get out of here immediately! The police isn´t so far away from here… run!
Flim Flam took the brightest street and we followed him. However, at the end of it, a gray car turned the corner and I could see the driver using a triangle-shaped mask. Immediately, we ran in the opposite direction, but the car sped until it approached Shaggy, and someone threw something at him that made him fall. For a second, I stopped running and returned to help him, but I gave up when I saw that two masked men dressed in red were carrying him into the car. Shaggy seemed unconscious and relaxed, in the same way he was in the hotel, and he didn't show any kind of resistance. Then, Flim Flam yanked me by the wrist and we ran together. We were some distance away from the car that took Shaggy when another car with the same characteristics appeared right in front of us, and three masked men got out of it with weapons in their hands. For a fraction of a second, I saw Gi-Hun bound and gagged inside that car, but the masked men started shooting and we had to run. I ran so fast that I lost my breath and got separated from Flim Flam. Near exhaustion, I found myself in a narrow alley that had no way out. I stopped for a second to recompose myself, and I tried to hide from my executioners. My breath throbbed in the same rhythm as my heart, until someone screamed my name desperately, and it made things become more frightening. When I looked in the direction of the sound, I saw Scooby-Doo, Flim Flam and the red-haired image of Gi-Hun desperately running towards me. Before I could reach them, I felt something hit my chest, and my body collapsed in a few seconds. Flim Flam and Gi-Hun tried to carry my body until a hail of bullets struck Gi-Hun´s body and he fell over me. My body couldn't move, but I could feel his warm blood running through my arms. A second hail of bullets made Flim Flam give up helping us both, he just left our numb bodies on the ground and ran away. Scooby-Doo did the same after biting my purse and taking it with him. Stuck in a state between sleep and wakefulness, I watched my own body being carried into a car full of unknown people. But I didn't feel any kind of bad omen anymore, after all, all the bad feelings that haunted me for days came true in that moment.
Thanks for reading! Thanks for your time!
As always, I apologize for the long chapters, and for the language mistakes.
As I´ve said before, this was the last chapter rated [T]. Next chapter, the story will be rated [M] due to the games. So, if you are reading this story, you´ll have to search it at [M] section.
Chapter 24 - Red Light, Green Light will be posted around March 6. I need to take my creative recess from translations and finish Wicked Game´s Chapter 28 (and Girl, Pitstopped´s Day 2 part 3 too).
Also, I´d love to hear your feedback about the story, the writting, use of the language, etc. It helps me improve my work.
~Love, K Kelnick