Chapter 5: A Numbers Game

-x-

Its after hours at IMP and the crew is assessing the items they unearthed in wrath.

Everything was laid out on the conference table. Blitzø was evaluating the blessed weaponry and counting the blessed ammunition. Loona and Moxxie were reviewing all the maps and looking up the addresses of the circled locations. The Electrum metal lighter bearing the Knolastname family insignia lay near Moxxie causing him mental distress as to whom in his estranged family its original owner was.

Millie sat at Blitzø's desk with the office laptop and a new phone from Blitzø's broke-my-phone-again drawer. She was copying the contacts from strikers card to the new device and dropping numbers, text logs and call history to the computer. She walked to the printer and retrieved a stack of papers and went into the main room.

"Ok ya'll here's a printout of all the numbers from Strikers contact list. Everyone take a page and review. Im going to go over the text logs.

The crew began scanning pages.

"This is stupid. We dont know what number we're looking for. We need Princey ." Loona said.

-x-

So... You're looking for a number?" Questioned Stolas. On Blitzø's request he had portaled to IMP to assist and was now seated at the conference table with everyone.

"Yes. Specifically the one Stella used to talk to Striker." Blitzø answered. "If we can draw her out, I can kill her."

"Exactly how do you plan to do that? She is a part of the Ars Goetia if only by marriage. That fact does provide her with a certain amount of protection and, according to Via, she is living with Andrealphus who is infinately more cunning than Stella. I'd venture so far as to suspect he has a brain.

"You let me worry about the details, Stolas"

"Very well. She recently purchased a new phone. Give me the papers and Ill look for the number."

Stolas scans the pages looking for the familiar sequence.

"Her old number is on this list, as well as the palace line. It looks like they have been in contact with each other since our first interaction, Blitzø." Stolas continued to review the numbers.

"Do ya mind giving these a walk through also, Yer Highness?" Asked Millie, coming back into the main office with new printouts.

Stolas accepted the new papers and proceeded to lay them accross every raised surface in the room.

"You better clean that shit up later! Moxxie's gonna be here all night otherwise." Interjected Blitzø

"Quiet, please!" Stolas snapped at Blitzø. "Darling, you know I usually enjoy your outbursts of expression but you asked me for my help and I need to concentrate right now."

Stolas completed his layout then toured the space organizing the information as he went.

"In cross referencing this list with the other logs that Millie recovered, I believe Stella may be communicating with him specifically through this older number."

"How do we know she hasn't destroyed that phone? Asked Moxxie.

"She loves that phone. It was a gift from Andrealphus and is created of an Ice Like Stone. She would hardly see it as a security threat. In her arrogance she would never believe anyone could usurp her. "

"Perfect" Blitzø sneered an especially demented smile.

-x-

"Sir?" Moxxie stood in the entry of Blitzø's personal office.

"What is it Moxx. Im busy plotting an avengement."

"I'd like to do some surveillance on Crimson's home."

"What?" Blitzø looked up in suprise. "Why do you want to creep that creep. He treats you like shit."

"To be fair, Sir, so do you"

"Moxxie, I treat you like respectable shit because I respect your talents. He treats you like shit shit because he IS shit." However flawed Blitzø's logic may be, a shaded compliment was still a compliment.

"Thank you, Blitzø, but, the lighter Loona found isn't just a lighter. Crimson doesnt just pass those out. They're reserved for family, Sir. Meaning someone from the family was physically visiting Striker in that cavern. What's more, those maps show locations of Warehouses and businesses owned by Crimson."

"Which means...?"

"Which means, there's more going on here than a hit for hire, Sir."

Blitzø pondered this. "So you suspect he's working for Daddy between hits?"

"EWW! DON'T CALL HIM THAT!! Yes. We need to make sure Stella is not also working with Crimson. If she is, killing her or Striker may prove to be more difficult than anticipated."

"Fine. You and Millie take a couple days to feel things out, and Moxx,..."

"Yes, Sir?"

"Take some of that blessed shit with you. Use it if you need it, then get your asses back here. We got things to do."

"Yes, Sir. Of course."