Chapter 5: Azathoth Strikes Back

Seville. Thursday, September 19, 2005.

On Wednesday, Sara and Neal flew to Seville with fellow musketeers Richard, Travis, Aidan, and Keiko. The hard work of completing the Red Sands trailer was over, and Sara resolved to put thoughts of Rolf behind her. After the stress of the past few weeks, she and Neal both needed a break.

They spent the next day visiting the palaces and gardens of Seville, liberally interspersing sightseeing with visits to tapas bars. They were staying in the Santa Cruz neighborhood in a charming house within easy walking distance of the sights. That evening they went to a restaurant famed for flamenco dance performances.

At the end of the evening, the six of them gathered in the living room for nightcaps.

Keiko sighed expansively as she dropped onto a couch. "We need to do this more often. I realize that the number of cons we'll be able to participate in as the Black Diamonds will be limited, but nothing prevents us from creating shared adventures."

Everyone enthusiastically supported her idea. Soon they were all tossing out ideas for future trips.

"We could connect them to Red Sands expansion packs," Travis suggested. "Mozzie has a long list of planets to be explored in addition to Mars." He turned to face Sara, and added enticingly, "Some of them are water worlds."

She raised her wine glass to him. "You're speaking my language. How many are interested in a scuba diving vacation?"

Helped along by the excellent wine, the musketeers were all ready to sign up even though she and Neal were the only ones who knew how to scuba dive.

"Add Paris to the list too," Aidan said. "As musketeers, it's high time we returned to the scene of some of our most famous adventures. I don't even care if it doesn't have a connection to another planet."

Richard smiled. "I'm sure Mozzie could dream up something. Besides, isn't Paris known for tunnels?"

Neal nodded. "Vast underground regions await the intrepid explorer. Catacombs of ancient tombs, subterranean mines—"

"All excellent sci-fi source material," Travis interrupted. "I'm sure you remember the Star Trek episode of the Horta."

"Speaking of which," Richard said with an affectionate smile at his husband, "we'll need to allocate time for Comic-Con next year."

Keiko's mouth dropped. "Do you think Red Sands will be ready for a demo by then?"

"That's Ian's goal," Richard confirmed. "What we've been working on is simply the first iteration. Our version of a Mario game. But Ian hopes to start promoting a much more advanced video game at Comic-Con with a teaser trailer."

Aidan turned to Neal. "Does Mozzie know about this?"

Neal nodded. "He's already planning a future TV series. Mozzie's convinced Red Sands will have the success of Doctor Who, and he should know."

"If we return to Comic-Con, this won't be like two years ago," Travis declared. "No tricks from Rolf allowed."

Aidan frowned. "I can't believe we still have to deal with him. He's beginning to assume aspects of a supernatural foe. I'm sure he'll be eventually captured, but won't he just escape again?"

Sara sighed inwardly at how Rolf had slipped into the conversation. But maybe it was for the best Travis brought him up. She knew he was in the back of everyone's minds. Venting might make them feel better. "Two years ago, you didn't have me along," she pointed out. "Rolf won't dare try anything now."

"My knight in shining armor," Neal said, squeezing her waist. "Rolf doesn't stand a chance." He turned to the others. "We should go ahead and plan for Comic-Con. Mozzie would point out that the last time wasn't official since he wasn't there. This time he will be."

As the group eagerly began to discuss the success that would inevitably come Red Sands' way, Sara was reminded of Mozzie's exuberance. And why not? This was the time to dream big. Neal seemed as positive as the others, refusing to allow Rolf to cast a cloud over their project. For his sake, she did as well.

When Neal's cell phone rang, she assumed it was Mozzie. He was staying at the launch site and had been invited out to a dinner with several scientists that evening. They planned to catch up with him tomorrow, but perhaps his schedule had changed. After a week at a testing facility, he might have acquired a role in mission control. She smiled at the thought, imagining him leading the countdown.

Neal looked up. "It's Peter. I'll take it in our bedroom."

Ice cubes swept down her spine. Peter wouldn't be calling unless something was wrong in New York. And even then, he probably wouldn't reach out unless it affected them. That meant Rolf.

She followed Neal into the bedroom and closed the door behind them as he answered the phone.

"Peter, I'm on speaker with Sara. What's happened?"

"Henry has disappeared. He never showed up for a scheduled meeting with an investment bank. When they called, Anna pulled up his GPS information. We found his watch in a trash can on Lexington Avenue."

The color drained from Neal's face at the mention of Henry's name. Sara gently nudged him to sit on the edge of the bed. "Did you find the taxi Henry used?" she asked Peter.

"No, and so far, we haven't found any witnesses on the street. Jones offered to stay with Eric. A Bureau agent is also in place with monitoring equipment." As Peter reviewed the FBI protocol for what was undoubtedly an abduction, she was grateful he was so experienced in such matters. But that also filled her with anger. Neal and Peter had both been abducted. Now Henry. Would Rolf strike at Danny next?

Neal cleared his throat. "Henry and I discussed the probability of him being targeted. I thought he was the most likely, especially after what happened to Klaus. Rolf holds me responsible for severing his hold on his brother."

"A brother for a brother?" Peter said.

"Yeah. Henry disagreed. He thought you or Diana stood a higher risk."

"I've spoken with Tricia," Peter said. "She reminded me that Rolf probably has Henry stashed somewhere that holds a special significance to us. He likely will have built in a chance for us to rescue Henry. She assumes Rolf will adhere to the sick pattern he's used before."

Tricia had served as the Bureau's profiler for Rolf since he first surfaced as a threat two years ago. It was reassuring to hear she was on the case. Neal's face looked haunted, and Peter sounded equally bleak on the phone. Aidan's comment about Rolf seemingly having a supernatural ability to mess up their lives was prescient.

"We outwitted Rolf all those other times," Sara said. "And we'll do it again. Marta's in no position to help him. We've uncovered his safe house. We have his files and we'll find Henry."

"I hope you're right," Neal said. "We have to end this vicious cycle."

"And we will," she insisted. "We're smarter than him, and we have a team."

"Sara's right," Peter said. "You're the one who likes to say there's always a way. We just need to find it."

Neal didn't debate the point but she knew he was thinking they were simply empty words.

"I'll look into flights and get back to you," he said. "I expect there's an early morning flight I can take."

"Don't," Peter said. "There's nothing you can do here. You're much better off—and safer—by staying with your group."

"But I can't help from here," he protested.

"You are already," Peter insisted.

Neal's shoulders sagged as he shook his head in clear disbelief.

"Listen to me," Peter added as if he could see him. "Rolf thrives on making grandstand plays. He wants us to jump through his loops. By pretending to ignore his actions, we force him to reveal himself. He wants to get your attention. He wants to see you suffer."

"Do you think he's monitoring us?" Sara asked.

"It's certainly possible. He may be planning another even more dramatic move in Spain. We know about his interest in Space Horizons. You should alert everyone in your group to be on the lookout."

#

Neal doubted Peter believed Rolf would try for an encore in Spain. His plan had always been to focus on one target at a time. But with nothing to go on, Neal would be spinning his wheels in New York. Worse, he could distract the others from focusing on Henry.

So he gave himself a hard shake. Sara went to the living room to tell the others while he called Klaus. It was close to midnight. He knew Klaus and Chantal would be up, but Marcel might not be. He left a text message for him.

As for the main person he needed to contact, no hour was too late. Mozzie had returned from his dinner with the scientists and was back in his on-site lodgings. He'd requested to stay in the dorm-like accommodations used by the personnel, claiming it was valuable research for future games.

"Blast, I knew I should have brought a board game along," Mozzie muttered. "How am I supposed to solve this conundrum without my toolkit?"

Henry was probably lying unconscious somewhere—Neal refused to consider more dire possibilities—and Mozzie wanted to discuss games. But he knew why. Mozzie realized he needed to compartmentalize his emotions. Sara told him that Mozzie had helped her cope when Neal was a prisoner in Hungary by using Clue to strategize.

"You're surrounded by astrophysicists and engineers," Neal reminded him. "Surely someone has a chessboard you can borrow."

"More likely 3-D chess from Star Trek. Not ideal." Neal heard the sound of a drawer opening. "I'll make do with a pad and paper. When Rolf sends us a clue, we must be prepared."

"What makes you think he will?

"Because he always does."

"He didn't when he abducted me last summer. When Peter was placed in a replica of the TARDIS on an underwater stage, Rolf didn't send any messages."

"He didn't need to then," Mozzie pointed out. "You don't have your head in the game yet. Picture that chessboard in front of you. Focus on the squares. Imagine origami chess pieces. You relate well to them. Those examples you brought up are instructive. When Rolf hid you in an apartment in New York City, Peter and Henry tracked you to the art gallery within a day of your abduction. If they hadn't, I posit Rolf would have sent Peter a clue. His behavior can be traced back to the initial house of horror in New Jersey. It was the first time he kidnapped you and Peter."

"And it's now become an addiction," he muttered.

"Precisely! You're focusing on your origami pieces, right?"

"Yes, and Rolf's an octopus."

"Of course, he is. His behavior in his future gambits can be traced back to that original house. The traps he set were deadly, but he also provided a slim chance of escape. Rolf could have easily killed you in that New York apartment, but he didn't. Why is that?"

"Because he likes prolonging the agony," Neal grumbled.

"That goes without saying," Mozzie said complacently. "He genuinely enjoys playing the game with us. For two years, he's been in the penalty box. What does he do as soon as he's released? Take Klaus as his pawn."

Neal began to be intrigued by Mozzie's theory. Where was he going with it?

"What origami piece did you make for Klaus?" Mozzie asked.

"What else? A leopard."

"Excellent choice. I suspect that in Klaus's case, Rolf's desire to reprogram him was only part of his motivation. He knows how close you two are. He wanted to see if you could solve the puzzle. And thanks to Diana, you did. So now he's tossed you the grand master's challenge by taking Henry. What origami is he?"

"A tiger."

"I can see it on the chessboard. Rolf won't have hurt him because you've yet to appear on his game board. I predict he'll send you a clue shortly."

"We can't count on him not harming Henry. Remember the Czech detective who was found killed in a swimming pool in Prague?"

"I haven't forgotten and I have a theory on that. Unfortunately for the detective, his skills as an opponent weren't up to the challenge. You and Peter could have been found lacking as well, but when you succeeded, Rolf placed you in a higher category. He's treating Henry the same way. He won't summarily execute him without first giving you a slight chance to save him."

Mozzie probably thought his explanation was reassuring, but Neal wasn't that optimistic. Mozzie believed Rolf would have eventually alerted Peter to the apartment where Neal was held prisoner just like he would have rescued Peter from the TARDIS at the last moment. But in those earlier incidents, Rolf didn't hate them for severing his hold on Klaus. Revenge was a new element in the equation, and Neal feared it would have deadly consequences.

#

Sara had already explained the situation to the others by the time Neal rejoined them in the living room. "What was Mozzie's take?" she asked as he sat down on the couch next to her.

"He feels Rolf's love of the game aspect will propel him to send Peter or me a clue."

"He knows you're here?" Keiko asked, looking dismayed.

"We need to assume so," Travis said. "He knew about Klaus. From Marta's correspondence, it's clear he was keeping tabs on all of us."

Richard frowned. "I wonder if Rolf or Marta hacked into Space Horizons."

Travis turned to stare at him, puzzled. "For what purpose?"

Richard made a face. "I don't know, but they specialize in hacking. They could have some purpose in mind."

Aidan nodded thoughtfully. "You could be onto something. Rolf hacked into Parastone Pictures in an attempt to get a Lovecraft movie made. But what he'd hope to accomplish by hacking into a space agency escapes me."

Keiko bit her lower lip worriedly. "Mozzie mentioned Rolf might send you a clue. If he were a villain in a superhero movie, I could imagine him making a grand gesture around the rocket launch."

"Like planting something about Henry in a press release," Sara suggested, her mind starting to spin out other possibilities.

"Mozzie feels the timing of the abduction isn't a coincidence," Neal said. "He's confident the rocket launch dictated the timing of Rolf's prison escape."

Richard scratched the side of his head. "Then he is planning a grandiose gesture of some sort."

"Keiko's right to point out Rolf's similarity to a villain in a superhero series," Sara said. "The key to saving Henry and capturing Rolf might be to think of this as a crime such as the Joker would plan."

"Or the real Azathoth, as in Lovecraft's creation," Neal said and turned to the others. "The therapist who worked with me after San Diego also treated Klaus. Over the past six months, he had several sessions with Rolf."

Richard frowned. "Getting into that man's head is the stuff of horror tales."

Neal nodded. "He's a dangerous psychopath whose hold on reality appears to be steadily weakening. Doc Jacob discussed Lovecraft with him. He believes Rolf equates himself with the Outer Gods. Rolf complained that Diana denigrated them when she turned them into an alien species. Rolf described them as entities who transcend our normal notions of physical species."

"What does that imply in the present situation?" Travis asked.

"Honestly, I don't know," Neal admitted. "That's one of the most frightening aspects of this situation. Someone that delusional is unpredictable."

"Not completely," Aidan declared. "Whatever he pulls will have a cyber component. I'm glad I brought my programs on my laptop." He tossed Neal a smile. "You have your lock picks, Travis and I have our electronics. Rolf doesn't realize he's about to face the Black Diamonds. He might as well go ahead and admit it's game over."

During the amber music box con, Henry had named their crew the Black Diamonds. Aidan, Keiko, Richard, and Travis were all enthusiastic members. The life-and-death situation with Henry was the polar opposite of that lighthearted escapade.

As the night lengthened, the Black Diamonds strategized various options—from hacking into Space Horizons' computer system to employing some of the techniques from the diamond earrings con. Fowler's attempt to frame Neal for the theft of Marie Antoinette's earrings had given birth to the musketeers.

Neal was an enthusiastic member of their plotting. He'd managed to compartmentalize his concern for Henry, and that was the best result of all.

#

Mozzie was at the visitors' center to greet the musketeers when they arrived at the spaceport in a rental van. Members of the press were converging from across the globe.

Neal had been on the phone with him off and on throughout the night. Mozzie continued to be convinced that Rolf had planned something in conjunction with the rocket launch, and Neal agreed. But Rolf could easily be in New York or another remote location, waiting for the right moment to stage his grand gesture.

Since Rolf had invested heavily in Space Horizons, it seemed illogical that he'd do anything to tarnish the rocket launch. On the other hand, he couldn't be counted on to act rationally.

"Musketeers, we should maintain our schedule," Mozzie advised. "Act as if Azathoth is monitoring our every move. For all we know, he is. If we appear unconcerned about the disappearance of Captain Tréville, Azathoth may be provoked into revealing himself."

"You'd mentioned we'd have a full day," Sara prompted.

"Yes, you're slated to attend a media presentation followed by tours of the lab. I've offered to escort you on some of the tours. My week here has been inspiring. The discussions I've held with my fellow astrophysicists were enlightening."

Neal smiled as Mozzie slipped seamlessly into his Arkham Files astrophysicist persona. For the next few hours, Neal and his fellow musketeers were treated to an overview of Space Horizons' ambitious enterprise. He concealed his jumpiness better than some of the others, especially Richard and Keiko.

Everyone was convinced Rolf would convey some sort of message. They tended to view every lab they visited as a giant puzzle with hidden clues, but Neal was sure Rolf's gesture would be a blatant slap on his face.

After lunch, they were scheduled to have a short meeting with Prestini. That was the last official item on their agenda, but Mozzie wanted to take them on an "insider's tour" of what he'd experienced for the past several days.

During lunch in the cafeteria, their plans came to an abrupt halt. Mozzie received a message that the meeting with Prestini had been canceled. He was hosting a group of investors and no longer had the time.

Sara's eyes widened at the news. "Rolf's an investor. Is he meeting with Prestini now?"

Mozzie's mouth dropped in his excitement. "I bet you're right!" He turned to the others. "En garde, mousquetaires! Our mission awaits!"