AN: Welcome to Act 3, everyone!
We'll still introduce new characters to the scene, but it's far from over. I think Day 1 to Day 3 marks up a third of the story, depending on the length. Anyway, I hope you like this start! This chapter might be a little shorter than the rest, but I feel like it makes a good start.
Chapter 12 - Hear About the New News?
Waking up to a bright morning, many people, especially those waiting for tthe upcoming Million Musical Hearts Awards, turned on their TVs to watch the Butterfly Chain Link show. The chaos in Melbourne made many wonder what 18 Years Till Gone had to say about an event like that.
As the introduction title card transitioned to the newsroom area, there seemed to be more people around in the hotel restaurant. Another difference was that there was a lot of food on the table for the show's hosts. The three vocalists were able to get dressed together, however.
"Rise and shine, everyone!" said Glock, sounding refreshed. "This is 18 Years 'Till Gone coming at you live!"
Black Rose lifted her fist in the air, holding a croissant. "It's us: Black Rose, Glock and Mania!"
"Welcome to our small show 'The Butterfly Chain Link'," said Mania, casually sipping a coffee cup.
Glock blinked, looking down at the food and back at the camera. "Wait, how much did we exactly order again?"
"Not much," lied Mania, trying to push his coffee cup away.
"Thought we didn't eat enough yesterday," explained Black Rose. "So I ordered more. The food's on me!"
Glock raised an eyebrow before gingerly taking a bowl of rainbow cereal. "Well, at least it's not too boring!"
Mania rubbed his head. "Man, I shouldn't be taking caffeine now. It's ruining my sleep…"
"If you add more sugar," remarked Black Rose.
"It's already in my mind. And it scares me." Despite this fear, Mania took a mouthful of coffee. "Anyway, what's hot for today?"
"Wait, you usually say that at the last."
"Oh, right then!"
"Anyway, welcome back to the show where we give you all the juicy bits you never of!" continued Glock.
"You drop in the details, we evaluate them into retails!" said Black Rose, swinging her croissant around.
"We have some breaking news that happened yesterday."
"What may it be?" asked Mania with a nonchalant, amused smile. "Some murder? A robbery? Some new piss on someone's favorite movie?"
The monitor next to them switched to an image. One that presented the flattened Lamborghini the Bad Guys stole last night. It was recorded seconds after their escape, proven by the leftover blue smoke flying around.
"There was a SHOCKING scene at a construction site for an apartment last night," explained Black Rose, oddly casual as she narrated. "Witnesses said that some kind of crazed gang stole and joyrided a priceless Lamborghini car. The list of offenses committed includes theft, dangerous stunts and speeding."
"The owner of the car demands the police to bring the suspects to justice," said Glock with a more professional stance, switching the monitor to an image of the Lamborghini owner pathetically crying. "However, he nearly went out of his way to harass one cop."
Mania's eyes widened, unnerved. "That's…a lot to take in. The funny thing is that we have confirmation of who was responsible. For those who don't know, there were five of them."
Pictures of the Bad Guys laughing in the car appeared on the monitor.
"There was definitely a wolf in the front seat," muttered Black Rose. "There was a snake as well…well, he bought a churro without taking any change for some reason. There's a shark with a spider. Or a tarantula. It was hard to tell. And oh, there's a little fish. Maybe a sardine? Not sure."
Glock's smile faded. "Guys. Do you two know they are the Bad Guys?"
Slowly, Black Rose and Mania turned to their fellow bandmate with frozen smiles.
"Ohhhh, right then," said Black Rose sheepishly. "Sorry, I was following the script."
"I assumed it might not be the case," stated Mania.
"You think so?" asked Glock, her eyebrows raised. "This IS the infamous Bad Guys. The Los Angeles mercenaries and robbers. These five members are here in Melbourne. Surprisingly, not the whole gang."
"There's even confirmation from one of the police cops that it's definitely them," said Mania.
The monitor switched to a live news report at the scene last night with one of the cops explaining to the news reporter off-screen. In the background, two cops were trying to lift the broken Lamborghini, all while the much bigger Milton Gumbo tried offering to carry it.
"You're sure about this?" asked Gumbo politely. "You're gonna need two more pairs of hands to help you."
"Oh please!" said one cop cockily as he tried lifting the car's front. "Everyone knows that the flattest objects are lighter than thick objects."
"That one just got squashed! It might still have objects rattling inside it!" pointed out the crocodile.
"Just watch, newbie. It's not like we need a strong man to-" CRACK!" "Ow! My kneebone!"
"After inspecting the driver's actions and the shades found at the scene," explained the interviewed cop, oblivious to the situation behind him. "We immediately identified it was the Bad Guys. I've seen a couple of dumb joyriders in my experience, but this has to take the cake. After all, it would be Mr. Wolf for doing this reckless behavior."
"Say, guys," said Mania, rubbing his short beard. "Is this something we should be concerned about?"
"It's alright," said Black Rose coolly. "They're not terrorists! If they did, they would have tried running over people with that car, but they didn't."
"I'll say," said Glock. "I'm not sure how to feel about this. I just hope that they don't accidentally cause a fire. Maybe some good manners since the cops are planning a warrant."
"An unwise decision," grumbled Mania. "Driving around dangerously and retaking a suicidal leap over the hill? It kind of sounds like they have issues…?"
Glock inhaled sharply. "Shh, child. There are kids even watching this."
"Yeah," agreed Black Rose. "But I think it's a good surprise, more or less, that they are here."
Her two fellow vocalists nodded in unison.
"Reassuring…" said Glock, concerned.
"Though, don't think it's like they'll meet us," huffed Mania.
Glock just laughed. "It's a possibility. Strange things happen around the Bad Guys."
Mania thought about it. "...true. I once heard that they randomly made a time-travelling machine and saw the dinosaurs."
Glock's eyes widened. "Why does that make a lot of sense?"
"What do you think about this?" asked Black Rose to the camera. "Tell us in the chat if we may be dealing with some real Bad Guys later on." She then remembered something, a nervous smile crossing over her face. "Speaking of bad guys, we might have a more dangerous one. I stumbled upon this in the morning."
She switched to the monitor, showing a dock. It didn't look like much, but upon further inspection, you could see a head peeking out from behind the gigantic craters. A boar's head with brown fur, yellow eyes and a black eye patch.
"People are already saying it's Baron Hoggust," she explained. "It has to be him."
"What? That's impossible!" said Mania. "Wasn't he arrested two days ago?"
"He's an escape artist. A jail wouldn't be enough to hold him. Question is, how was he able to escape and why did he come a long way to here?"
"I don't think we have enough evidence for this," said Glock. "Play by the ear, everyone. Especially for his mob gang."
"Agreed," said all three.
"Anyway," continued Glock. "Now it's story-telling time!"
The monitor next to them changed to the signature letter envelope background. The black envelope was also there, waiting to be opened.
"Last night, we got another letter from Adeline," explained Mania. "Since she still has a huge story to share, we decided to give her a few more times to share."
"It feels like she has the morning spotlight," highlighted Black Rose. "She must be becoming more comfortable with sharing."
The black envelope on the monitor burst open and the letter filled the entire screen. Like last time, it was enlarged so that those watching at home could read the text properly.
"'Hello once again, 18 Years 'Till Gone," read Glock. "It has been an honor to have my story heard by you. Now I understand why my friend recommended this to me. I don't think I'll do this forever since there needs to be space for the underrated ones. Sorry that there was a lot of unpacking. I hope that it won't be that much of a bother since I don't know how to explain this one without toning it down.'"
"'Looking back at when my mother was struggling with keeping our cafe," read Black Rose. "We were in a huge financial debt. Despite the support from our customers, the money raised wasn't enough due to the increasing likelihood of being robbed and authorities saying that our cafe 'isn't what they need'. They never gave another explanation or another chance. As if they find us unreliable.'"
Mania followed up on this. "'In the end, my mother was forced to hold the money. Not like it was enough to stop the cafe from being destroyed and replaced by a shinier-looking restaurant. I'm not sure if those who supported my mother even cared anymore since we barely heard from them. Eventually, my mother used the money to send me to a new school. She said it was for the best to be in a better one, but I felt she was giving too much away just for me.'"
Glock swallowed, actually sounding reluctant to read the next part. "'I nearly failed to notice that during my remaining years in that school, I didn't have many resources for my classes. It kept me behind the other students. Everyone would rather base themselves on how much worth they have with their fancy shoes, relationships, cigarettes. I was turned off the first time I saw them and they just stared at me. I think they knew I was poor…" She stopped, biting her lip. "...they don't want to be involved in my…"
She paused right there, deciding to end the letter. The last word was vulgar, so she wouldn't need to say it anyway. As the monitor faded to black, she tried to regain her composure. Black Rose and Mania turned to her, looking concerned for their friend. This story must have hit hard for her.
"You're OK, Glock?" asked Black Rose, holding her hand gently.
"Sorry, I…I think I might…" Glock stopped again, her eyes nearly teary.
"Aww, it's OK. It's OK! I'm sure that Adeline will be able to find a way from there."
Glock shook her head, wiping her eyes. "I-It's not only that. I feel very sorry for Adeline. Growing up, I sometimes had trouble making new friends and it…didn't always go well. I can understand that some things you don't like about everyone else."
She stopped, taking a moment for a deep breath.
"The fact that it all came down from the loss of her family work and the lack of resources, she struggled with fitting in. Especially when her mother gave her all to provide what she thought was a safe and happy place. That's…something I haven't thought of lately. What I'm curious about is whether her mother has been able to get a job ever since. They couldn't get enough cash to save the cafe and Adeline said she didn't have enough to provide for her."
"Yeah," sighed Mania sadly. "It sounds like her mother was unemployed for a long time."
"That's the thing here," said Glock. "It's even scary what become of her family now. Now that we have full confirmation that her mother lost the cafe."
"Given that the person who recommended her to share this show is taking care of her," reassured Black Rose, patting Glock on the back. "It looks like they are alright now. We don't know, but we hope so."
"I hope you'll be alright, Adeline," said Glock with a sincere smile. "Wherever you may be now, I hope that you'll be able to get through these hard times and find a way to break free. I helped form 18 Years 'Till Gone when I met my best friends. I hope you'll find someone to learn from and guide you and your mother for a brighter future."
"Take care out there, Adeline," said Mania, bowing his head respectfully. "It's brave of you to be sharing this."
"And we'll be supporting you!" said Black Rose. "We pray that you and your mother will be blessed and in good health and support."
Glock sniffed again, wiping her eyes. "We'll come back soon again. Don't worry, as we have more reports for today. There are a lot of things to share with you folks."
"More news will be announced as we speak," said Black Rose, cuddling Glock by the side. "And keep fighting out there."
"As always, keep an eye on our social media platforms for special updates," said Mania, rubbing Glock's shoulder. "Until next time, catch you all later, butterflies!"
Word tends to spread around quickly, much like this story they told. And once public word went out, those mentioned could be vulnerable. This also went the same for us, but the cops could respond much quicker.
Los Angeles, America, Hornet's Detective Agency Building, Morning
[Flux (Poppy Instrumental) - Chic]
[1:13]
Hornet was already buzzing around when he entered his office the next day.
Ever since the attack on Centralway Mall, he couldn't ignore the fact it was Oscar the Great White Shark who was somehow involved with the disappearances of Sunnyside Labs. Maybe not, but the police cops inspected the mall for a reason to find something. Even refusing to let Hornet take one step further to prevent him from knowing more about Sunnyside Labs.
It couldn't be a convenience that Oscar was involved with Sunnyside Labs, but Hornet often preferred to look out for connections just in case.
Already searching through a giant computer, he scrolled through multiple websites. Not just regular news ones. This included many tabs of dark websites. He had to thank Webs for the hacking lessons and VPNs. While his search was unaffected by viruses and attacks, his search was fruitless.
Aside from what he did last night, there was no recent news about Oscar. No association with Sunnyside Labs. Worse, there weren't any leaked files or even juicy gossip about Sunnyside Labs and the increasing disappearances. The internet must be too scared to talk about Sunnyside Labs.
Hornet swore one or two traitors from the company would upload information about their experiments online. However, the government remained dominant in potential shares.
The only sources he found were the public backlashes and ''successes' of Sunnyside Labs Nothing else. He felt stuck, alone.
Already exhausted by this, he softly slammed his forehead against the keyboard.
"This is no use," he groaned. "Even the dark web doesn't know. What are they exactly hiding?"
[1:43]
His helmet nearby rang loudly. The little bug hoped it was Piranha or one of the Bad Guys. But as he pressed a button to answer the call, he was dismayed by the unlikely voice.
"Mr. Hornet of the Bad Guys?" called Luggins' voice. "I expect that you give me answers right now."
Hornet gulped nervously. Just what he needed. His eyes widened, pooled in unwanted dread. "Y-Yes?"
"Last night, a few cops saw you floating in the air as the Great White Shark tore the Centralway Mall into bits! I knew you would make it out alive despite not being seen again! But Ashton suspects you're ready to pry into things."
"W-What?" lied Hornet. "Certainly not! Why would I go into his business?"
"Don't give me that attitude, Mr. Hornet!" snarled Luggins. "I know criminals like you don't lie. You're not so subtle in trying to hide, well, everything." There was a prolonged silence, a sigh on her end. Mutters of needing to keep herself calm. Thankfully, the rest of her tone of voice was neutral. "And for your information, the reason why I still hold onto your number is to make sure that your mean streets are under control."
With Luggins dropping the harsh tone, Hornet felt more confident to be assertive. "Ma'am, Alex Paste has been trying to fill in a missing person case for months and they got blocked off every time. Don't tell me it's from your fraction."
"I cannot go investigate Sunnyside Labs! That place is off-limits, only for the high ranks. The government would think I'm crazy again if I swoop right in there and get my hands on whatever gunk they have!"
Hornet grunted, fearing this limitation would come. "...I hate to admit it, but that's a good point."
"Exactly! That's why you're not allowed to come in further. I mean, should we take the word from a criminal? I trust your department and the Bad Guys for getting to the bottom of things, but I won't take too many chances! Who knows? It's like they are out there, watching us connect. And then, they'll strike…I bet they're hearing us right now…"
"Chief, I didn't call anyone else," said Hornet.
"...they might be able to do so!"
A sweat drop rolled down from the side of Hornet's head. This lady seemed more stressed out than he was. "I'll imagine no pests are listening to our calls. I made sure of that. Anyway, you're a believer in justice, right? Wouldn't you want to help out who's grieving?"
Luggins sighed, torn. "I'm unable to do that. Even a police cop cannot walk into a closed-off area. If I were ever caught snooping around, I would lose my badge and that would make my chances of more snooping slim."
"Then just make sure you're not caught," remarked Hornet. "If you find something, you've got evidence on whether those missing are alive. It would matter a lot for some people than rules."
"It might not be a case I'll be able to handle and neither will you. If the government trust the other police force to deal with this threat, then I trust they know what they're doing."
"No matter how long it takes?" deadpanned Hornet.
"And no matter how much you all overreact."
Hornet was about to argue back, but he took a deep breath. He didn't want Chief Luggins to use him to reinforce her ideals.
"Geez, alright," said Hornet, twirling his finger around his invisible ear since she wouldn't see him anyway. "This better be good. Time might be enough to find the truth."
"Just have the patience that things will go around," said Luggins sternly. "Let them try to do something and then they'll tell you. It's not worth it coming in and ending up in jail for nothing." There was a loud cheer on her end. "Oop! I forgot that they'll be bringing doughnuts. Have to make sure that they don't go nuts over them! I have to go now. Sorry for turning the whole thing down for you."
"Sure, sure," muttered Hornet, looking away.
"Though, if it makes you feel better," said Luggins. "You're not the only one unallowed to look closely at Sunnyside Labs. It's every staff and child from all LA orphanages."
[Pause at 2:31]
Hornet's eyes widened. "Orphanages?"
"Don't know. Probably the authorities are a bunch of weirdos towards orphans. I have no idea what that's about. Unless it's too distressing for them to see."
Without letting Hornet answer, Luggins hung up. Guess she didn't want to hear his opinion anymore. Not like it mattered to him since he was trying to understand why orphanages, out of all groups, weren't allowed to know.
One, Alex and Susan weren't orphans. At least they didn't mention that.
Two, if the government was really covering it up, they would have limited themselves to making sure that close ones to the missing participants would not spread the word.
It sounded bizarre.
But at the same time, it clicked into him what Luggins implied. As he dwelled on the word 'orphanages', he felt a familiar feeling of emptiness. He swallowed, trying to push it down. Hornet closed his eyes, trying his best not even to clutch his head. He wasn't aware that this sense of loneliness, hopelessness, fear dragging him back to…
The door sprung open. Hornet's mind snapped his eyes opened. The emptiness suddenly disappeared and he was reminded he wasn't alone.
[Resume at 1:13]
It was Alex. Moe was in their arms, licking at their jacket.
"You might want to give him an ID card," joked Alex. "I found him…licking a cake in the kitchen. I think he finds me delicious."
"Eh, you will survive," said Hornet, smiling a little. "Wolf trained Moe on what not to eat. I didn't call you here, so you don't have to visit."
"It's fine. I thought…of coming over. In case of anything! I-I don't want to take the back seat and be a bit…useless?"
"I never said you were useless."
"I was the one who called for the investigation. Maybe I should…help out a little."
Moe meowed and hopped off from Alex's arm. As he happily walked across the room to the desk, so did Alex. They noticed from Hornet's laptop that he had been trying to do his research.
"I'm guessing that the research did the trick," asked Alex.
Hornet groaned, rubbing his forehead. "It hasn't yet. I did everything. Casual search, academic search, dark web search. Nothing. None of them relevant to the disappearances nor the Great White Shark."
"What about the old ones?" asked Alex. "Like if they mention…anything at all."
"I looked at a few, but they don't match what we're trying to find."
"I say that I have a suspect."
"Tell me."
"I think it's Chief Ashton and his department behind all of this."
Hornet flew upwards, surprised. "Whoa! Now, hold on a second."
Alex rubbed their fingers together, a conflicted look radiating from inner frustration and embarrassment. "I-I know…it's a bit of a wild guess in the dark…well, he's giving a lot of suspicious vibes."
"What makes you think that?" asked Hornet curiously. "I'm also getting those vibes that they're covering this whole thing up."
"What if it was truly their part in it?" said Alex. It was a sudden change of attitude. They weren't anxious about speaking their mind. Hornet's agreement must have helped them. "Think about it. Chief Ashton came in to take over and didn't want anyone else. Sunnyside Labs was government-supported, right? So what if his team took part in whatever Sunnyside did? What if they were responsible for the disappearances?"
Hornet could see the logic in this. This would make a good bet, given how mysterious the police and the government were acting. However…
"But I'm not sure if Sunnyside Labs provide governors and police cops insight with their projects," he pointed out. "Can't always show experiments without showing successful results."
"True, but they seem to be teaming up to hide anything. Covering them up so bad like a death weapon."
"I don't know about that," said Hornet. "I managed to talk with Officer Gwen and Stefan. They didn't know much about the disappearances, only given orders. And it wouldn't be possible for them to collaborate since Sunnyside wouldn't trust them even to use their experiments."
Alex sighed, shrugging. "It's just…so crazy that they persistently keep their 'investigation' private. Chief Ashton doesn't even like us. Mira might know him better, but it's only a butter spread. I can see his point, but he is making it look personal."
Hornet nodded. "That's true. Either that or they're desperate to finish maintaining order."
"Yeah, it could lean into the latter," said Alex. "But I'm guessing it might be due to me trying to call the shots. It's not like you or Mira were associated with Sunnyside Labs that made them so specific, right?"
[Pause at 3:15]
Those words sent shivers through his entire body. And worse, Alex was unintentionally right.
Hornet slowly touched his chest. Despite it heaving up and down, it suddenly felt too hard to breathe. It suddenly felt so cold. Memories were starting to spin around his head. His hand slowly touched his head, trying to find something physical to feel something in reality. Alex's words as the truth were starting to fade into the 'logic' of this investigation.
It was gonna use him. And it might destroy him like what happened to the people who disappeared.
"It's a success! He is coming to now!"
"Hold on. Would the weapon work on him? On him?"
Hornet tried shaking his head, wanting to eliminate these bad memories. But the whispers kept surrounding him, taunting him. It felt too much and he wanted to just get out of here. Fly away. But flying wouldn't get him away from all that noise.
"Shush, that's for later. We're gonna have another run here."
"Try to keep up, sissy. Common sense-!"
Then, he felt it. The softness of orange fur.
The soft, warm fur like the blanket he could hide himself away from the world.
Moe already crept up to the table, snuggling him.
As Hornet's vision became less dark, he noticed the solemn look on the cat's face. He didn't nuzzle him for attention. He nuzzled him because he sensed Hornet in distress. Seeing the cat nearby somehow was able to bring Hornet back to reality. And feeling his fur close by, Hornet was close to home. Away from whatever was in the past.
The little bug slowly patted Moe, not blinking. In this state, he realized Alex was waiting, staring at him in concern. Guilt literally ridden him, his antennas drooping. He was suddenly tired. Exhausted. And he hated it. Another episode of this again…
"Are you alright, Mr. Hornet?" asked Alex. "Did I…do something wrong?"
"No, no," said Hornet, forcing himself to make a grin. "I'm all good!"
Alex looked upset. "You don't seem…."
Hornet clenched his teeth, shaking his head. "No. Not really. It's just…" He nearly thought of telling, but he felt foolish for wanting to bring it up. A foolish way to put him in hell again. "...I'm unsure if this is a personal case for those cops. It's probably just me."
Alex was confused, their mouth open as if trying to talk to two new heads. "You? What are you talking about?"
"It's kind of obvious, isn't it?" He was thinking about something else but he found himself talking about another unfortunate case. "You came to me, a criminal, and they already mistrust us. How we feel about this or what we will do might not matter to them. Do you think they'll give us a safe chance when we're liable for trouble?"
Hornet paused for a few seconds, remembering what Chief Luggins said to him.
"Though, if it makes you feel better, you're not the only one unallowed to look closely at Sunnyside Labs. It's every staff and child from all LA orphanages."
He felt he should let Alex know about this. They were his client and they would deserve to know what he found. However, something told him it wouldn't be worth telling them this thing. It was confusing. He had a feeling that it clicked somewhere, but it was invisible. He didn't want to bring up a dark memory that turn out to be useless.
"I'm sorry, Alex," said Hornet, trying to keep his fragile voice well-toned. "For now, be careful around the cops. It's the best thing possible if we want to find out what happened to your sister and the people who disappeared."
Alex was shocked. They didn't know at first what Hornet was saying, but he was addressing something else. Maybe it was due to their joke that he wasn't associated with Sunnyside Labs. Now, he was having trouble maintaining eye contact, guilty of his current standing with the police.
Nearby, Moe purred sadly, glancing at the little bug and back at the human. The cat wanted to do something, but he wasn't sure how to keep the bridge steady.
Alex wanted to ask if anything was wrong, but they did not have the right words to say.
"Um…alright then," said Alex, rubbing the back of their head. "Then…I'll leave it to you then."
Hornet nodded. "I'll call if I find anything else."
Once Alex left the office, Hornet couldn't help but sigh loudly. He buried his face into Moe's fur, frustrated by what he said. He didn't mean to lay it all out on Alex like this. This wasn't what they were talking about. They weren't discussing why he was seen as an obstacle to the cops. If anything, Alex might have been saying that they felt terrible for dragging him in and he didn't acknowledge that.
"Why did I have to say that?" he rambled. "Why did I have to say that? Why did I have to say that?"
Moe meowed, turning around to face Hornet. He tried listening carefully to what he said to Alex the whole time. Consider what to say to help. He meowed again, though the little bug didn't seem to hear him. Too busy in his own talk.
"They don't even know me well," he ranted, his fists shaking. "Why should I say something like this? I cannot reveal. I CANNOT reveal this to the others! It cannot be why the police doesn't want me to be involved!"
Moe meowed softly, wanting to call for his attention. Hornet turned to him and the cat tried communicating by tilting his head. However, it didn't seem to do anything as Hornet took a deep breath and puffed up his chest.
"OK, Hornet, you're a criminal," he said to himself, his glassy eyes lost in the box. "That's the only reason there is. And you shouldn't let your clients down." After taking a few more deep breaths, he returned his mindset to his work but he was still frantic. "If what Alex said is true, then is the government afraid of revealing this to everyone? Or does this concern Ashton more than them?"
Moe meowed as if saying that he didn't know as well. He crept up a little to Hornet's face. But the poor Hornet was still in his own ramble like no one watching.
"He didn't inform Alex if they were successful in the investigation," summarized Hornet, flying back and forth. "Didn't keep them updated or if there were any leads. Well, but last night, he knew there was some kind of 'camp' with those two guys in the mall. But was that a stage act? It couldn't be possible that criminals would foolishly take that spot as a picnic."
He flew closer to Moe, sitting between his ears.
"And with Oscar, he took the same thing those two criminals had last night," said Hornet, remembering the box Oscar took. "But if they have the same…I don't know. Powers? Why and how? Oscar clearly was a flesh shark before or Shark wouldn't be born. How many upgrades did he add to himself?"
Moe meowed again, wanting to say that maybe these guys put on make-up. His ears moved around, but Hornet didn't seem to mind. Leaning against one, he let the ear act as his ride, pushing him up and down.
"Piranha later told me that Shark didn't know his father would do this. Is Oscar now like some kind of robot? Is he interfering with the police? Is he on our side or their side or Sunnyside's…?" He groaned, lying back. "I'm so confused. I just wish I had clear evidence to provide."
Moe was silent for a while, taking in Hornet's ramble. The cat wondered if the little bug was actually a test subject at Sunnyside Labs before. He couldn't prove it, but he seemed to be in denial at the start. Hornet was barely focused on anyone, nearly staring in the distance. And he was clutching his head like he was in some kind of trap.
The cat had never seen this before whenever people were upset.
Purring softly, he sat down and tilted his head. Hornet slowly hovered onto the desk and lay next to Moe. The orange tabby cat gazed at him, wanting to find some way to comfort him. Hornet reminded Moe of himself back when he was in Marmalade's hands. Moe wanted to treat Hornet like the Bad Guys did when he joined.
Hornet noticed the cat sadly looking at him. He leaned in close, resting his head against Moe's nose.
"I really said a lot, didn't I?" he said, finally back to the present. "You're not gonna share this, right?"
Moe meowed, but his answer was ambiguous.
"I'll take that as a maybe. We need a miracle now."
Moe nodded, shifting his body around again. As he licked his paws, his foot accidentally pressed onto the keyboard. In fact, it clicked on an article surrounding Sunnyside Labs.
Hornet didn't care much about that at first. But his curiosity grew when he saw the title above a picture of the central laboratory facility. It was about the shutdown of the company. Wanting to get past the time, he decided to have one more read-through of this before he could shut down his computer.
But as he read on, the gears were shifting in his mind.
It was said that Sunnyside Labs wouldn't be destroyed immediately, apparently said to contain experiments were uncompleted. The article was made around the time when the Bad Guys were released from prison. He found the date of when the laboratory would be taken down.
Comparing the date to now, approximately in a week. Its final stage of cleanup would have been finished and the company would fully shut down.
An idea bulb flashed over his head.
"Oh man, why didn't I think of that before?" said Hornet, rubbing his forehead. "Know what? I'm gonna need to be brave for this. Hopefully, I can get there before another police force blocks my entrance to the abandoned laboratory." He turned to Moe, petting him on the muzzle. "Thank you, Moe, for this."
The orange tabby cat meowed. He actually helped Hornet! He smiled, nuzzling against the small bug. Hornet chuckled, patting him affectionately.
"I think for this one, I'll go alone," he said. "Have to make sure that I can get there in time undetected. And…" He checked the time. "Maybe a little later so that they can clear out the more dangerous experiments first. Wouldn't want to get flushed away from slime."
Moe's smile slowly turned into a worried frown, looking like he would scream, 'Wait, what'?
Hornet noticed this. "Don't worry, buddy. It won't be THAT bad. It's not like there was some kind of Satanic ritual there!"
Meanwhile, Alex was wandering through the hallways. They would have tried to return to the waiting room, but they were trying to figure out what Hornet told them. It caught them off-guard as if there was another subject they should know. Alex was starting to feel anxious again. Last night, things went out of hands and now, they seemed to be something they were missing.
And in their lost thoughts, they nearly bumped into Mira rushing through the hallway.
When she noticed Alex, she quickly halted but nearly dropped the candles she was carrying. Oddly, in her hands was a tray of multicolored candles. At least one was already melting with the fire close to the wax. Thankfully, its flame was slowly dying, so it didn't spread to the other candles.
"Erm…sorry, what is this…for?" asked Alex.
"Oh, I'm just…decorating this place!" said Mira, lifting her tray.
But the front blue candle was already reduced to a waxy goop. Seeing this, Mira hastily put the tray aside on a table.
"It's to help lighten the mood," she explained. "Many workers here can get a little loco, so maybe these candle scents will soothe them."
"I…see then…" muttered Alex, stroking their ponytail. "Well, maybe that will help 'cause all of us are on edge…maybe Hornet is more on edge. Wait-I, I didn't mean it that way. I think something is…"
Mira hummed sympathetically. "I'm guessing you're sensing something from Hornet, right?"
"Yeah…I was having a chat with him, but…I think I said something wrong. I said something about you two hadn't worked at Sunnyside Labs before. I think I'll really have to be alert on what I say. W-We're all on edge after what happened yesterday…"
Mira bit her lip. Judging by how upset Alex was, they must have seen Hornet in a minor emotional breakdown. She wanted to reassure Alex that Hornet would eventually be alright, but she didn't have the answer. He made it clear to her that whatever was on his mind was his own business.
"Is there some kind of new secret he is having?" asked Alex worried. "This is serious."
"This is the criminal world we are facing, kid," reminded Mira grimly. "The two of us aren't criminals just yet. It's a huge mystery to 'outsiders', so I can understand how you feel. Hornet may be indifferent, but he's still a nice guy. Trust me on this one. The first time I met Mr. Hornet, I thought he was a heartless criminal like his friends, but he wasn't that. None of them are the heartless monsters everybody thought they were."
"If so, then I should do something in return. I don't want to make him uncomfortable if I'm treating him like everyone used to before they became good."
Mira shrugged. "You know you just met us. There are some things…well, I don't know how long they should be forgotten. Unless we become really close to this kind of life, then they might tell."
"How long have you been friends with him?"
A smile flashed over the journalist. "It all started when I met the Bad Guys. They were really spectacular in their robberies. Sometimes, their clues aren't like typical criminals. I never shared it with anyone, but I admire them. I got into contact with Hornet one day and the rest was…history."
Her smile turned wistful, a familiar feeling that something was still wrong in her progress.
"I'm not sure if I'm friends with him yet. He's more close with the Bad Guys. We're more like regular friends."
Alex nodded in understanding. "Oh. Well…it's…like restarting high school again with the people you look up to?"
Mira chuckled. "That's a nice way of putting it. Or entering kindergarten when you have a few teddy bear heads in the cradle."
"Mira, if you're not a criminal, how come you're…like working here? Are you prepared? Do they even require a resume?"
"Eh, I learned some self-defense skills before. Mr. Piranha taught me a few more fighting skills, but it's rusty." Mira perked up, appearing much younger. "Oh, and I got my collection of pens!"
All Alex could give was a blank stare. "Pens?"
Mira smirked, opening up her jacket to reveal pens inside her pockets. "The whole batch!" She took out one with a spiky top. "This one functions as a needle." She took out another that had several rings flying around it. "This one can act like a lasso." She took out another with the tip replaced with a tiny speaker. "This one can play music."
[Resume at 4:02]
She pressed on the tiny speaker and the pen played a catchy rock song. Despite sounding like gritty rock, it carried a harmonious voice. Mira let this play for a while, bobbing her head to the song. Alex just stood there, dumbfounded.
The journalist giggled shyly, turning off the speaker. "It's custom-made." Storing her pen away, she continued about her experience with the Bad Guys. "You know, I may not be a professional criminal, but the Bad Guys are the only criminals who ever got through to me. They taught me everything. And whenever I'm with them, or at least one of them, I feel safe. That's how I'm 25% prepared for this world."
The question came to mind and she raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"You? Are you prepared to enter this world?" asked Mira. "The young can be either vulnerable or deadly. That's why I never shared this to anyone, not even my own daughter. Hornet, Piranha and Webs are some of those who survive."
"Well…I'm good with guns!" claimed Alex, grinning. "I'm stellar in shooting! I mean, I was taught all the strategies using pistols, close combat, and techniques when out of bullets. Oh, and, um, while this is more video game, it's always important to pick up every weapon in range."
As Alex continued explaining in their excitement of sharing, Mira smiled brightly to see the matching smile from Alex. It was the first time she saw them smiling without looking sorry or scared. Alex seemed confident in marksmanship and confidence was the key.
"That's a good necessity," commented Mira. "It's funny that mob gangs and mafias are using too many guns here."
"But…it's not a bad thing, is it?" asked Alex innocently.
"It's called 'gun violence'," said Mira with a sardonic grin.
Alex chuckled with two hands over their smile, knowing this simple outrageous comment. "You're absolutely right. What about from your opinion? Am I ready for…you know, dangerous heists? Would this impress Hornet?"
Mira had a thoughtful look. "I have no idea. He isn't an easy fellow to open up. He didn't tell me much of his secrets. You just walked in a second time through this crime alley. If you want Hornet to trust him, you must prove your worth to be like an equal Bad Guy. Criminals see eye-to-eye with people who can strategize like one, not just break windows."
Alex didn't know if this would be the right thing to do. Breaking windows could be just nuisances, but thinking like a Bad Guy could cost a part of people's morality. Alex had their ways of making new friends, but they didn't want to show more in case they hurt anyone. And surely, Susan wouldn't let her branch out here.
As Alex contemplated, her eyes brightened at the reminder of needing to find Susan. And as a bonus, Alex might latch onto Hornet after a while and they could become an effective team. They would need to prove that they had what it could take to run in the same experiences he went through.
"Got to get your hands dirty to win one's trust, right?" said Alex with a lop-sided smirk.
Mira sighed, picking up her candle tray. "Yeah. Too dirty."
"Erm, Miss? The purple candle is burning."
They both sniffed and immediately, the purple candle set itself on fire. All over its top. The flame reached a dangerous height, much to both humans' shock. Immediately, Mira used her free hand to grab a fire extinguisher and blew the flames out with it.
It was so fast that all Alex could remember was the absence of smoke and white form splattering all over their face.
"At least they made this place friendly for families," they muttered, muffled by the disgusting foam.
Mira resisted a snicker from seeing Santa Claus this early.
"The friendlier they can be," she joked.
[End of Song]
AN: I really like how this chapter starts off Day 3. It not only tells more of the mystery hidden in the story but also has another moment for Hornet, Mira and Alex to interact before the action. It's a bit short for them here, but they'll still have more moments soon!
18 Years 'Till Gone already got their eyes on the Bad Guys and as Wolf says, people (and police) are more likely to respond. We see this with Chief Luggins calling Hornet, so gather around your theories!
Speaking of Luggins, I decided to include her! I feel like I downplayed the crazy energy we all love from the film. Here, I had her mellow out for some time. That being said, once a cop, always a dirty cop. It reflects on some of the crime fiction where the police are corrupt or need to rely on a shifty private eye. That being said, Luggins serves to a small representation of reasonable police forces only held back by orders.
Mira's and Alex's conversation is one of my favorite scenes in this chapter. We would all feel like we're in their shoes with coming across mysterious yet affable people who seem really different to us. It could be seen as meeting with a celebrity who shows signs they might need assistance. And it's not that simple to develop bonds with criminals.
And of course, I have them prepared with weapons to show they are not naive at a physical level. Mira, in particular, will arguably have a lot more action than the original counterpart since she's engaging closely with a range of criminals in this career.
The candles Mira carries around are a bit random. It's a reference to Encanto (in reference to Mira's potential VA), but it's also foreshadows something significant in the story. You'll see it pretty soon. I just love my colors. And Mira showing off her pen collection is a reference to Thor: Love and Thunder since there's practically a lot of ways to have fun with gadgets.
Thank you for reading this chapter! If you enjoy this story so far, be sure to favorite or follow. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but if any flames, then it's down the drain.
Until next time, keep on rocking!