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Oct-24-2009 18:47

October 24, 1938- Heimlich VonVIctor felt a chill run down his spine. Autumn always had that effect on him. He looked up at the multitude of colors adorning the trees and placed his hands in his coat pockets. The pungent aroma in the air told him that, somewhere, leaves were being burnt. He took a deep breath and looked down, to the place he had visited as many times as he could in the past two years. The cold hard stone hadn’t changed a bit, and never would. It would always be a testament to the man resting under it.

RICHARD CAMBRIDGE
FEBRUARY 10, 1892-
JUNE 15, 1936
“Justice for all. Above all else.”

He took a deep sigh. He never left anything behind, nor did he suspect that Richard would want anything left for him. He leaned down and placed his hand on the stone, “I’m doing alright Richard. Eric and I started up another agency. We’re doing it right this time, and Sergei is getting better at English every day. He’s even solving cases now; you wouldn’t believe how well he’s doing.”

“Excuse me, detective VonVictor?” a voice called behind him

Heim whirled around to find himself face to face with a young uniformed officer, “What do you want?” he demanded, “Can’t you see I’m in a cemetery?”

“Yes sir,” he responded, “and I’m terribly sorry to disturb you, but I’ve been asked to fetch you right away, it’s a matter of life and death!”

Heimlich let out a sigh, and leaned down to touch the stone again, “It never ends Richard, it never ends. I have to go now, but I’ll be back real soon.”

Dec-31-2009 15:56

"Are you going to pick that up?" Greenberg questioned as he walked by Zeo's office.

Zeo looked up and realized his phone had been ringing mad for God knows how long. He pulled the cable out and threw the machine to the ground. Greenberg quickly walked alway, feeling the heat within his colleague. Knowing Zeo, he wasn't going to even ask what was wrong. The man could be more stubborn than bedrock if he choose to be.

The mad detective assembled all the new files he produced and dashed out of his office. Hoover noticed him from the war room. "Hey pinhead! What's happening to the artifacts thief circle case? I though you had new leads to proof that they're involved with the Eye of God."

"No, the DA have got the right person." Zeo replied, holding up the stack of files in his hand without skipping a step, "And I got proofs to help them nail the bastard." He exited from the front door went for his blue Buick. Yes, he was going to make sure his daughter was safe.

Dec-31-2009 18:48

"VonVictor! You got a visitor!" the guard yelled.

"Which one?" Heimlich yelled back, but received no response from the guard. A moment later, two figured appeared, one was a uniformed guard who unlocked the door, and the other chilled him to his very core. He was a tall slim man with pinkish skin and salt and pepper flecked hair. He had deep blue eyes that masked a much more sinister soul.

"Hello Heimlich," the man said with a slight Irish brogue, "I see you're still getting yourself in trouble. As you may have guessed I caught the Barnes case and plan to take him to the chair."

Thomas O'Boyle. A man who would do anything to win a case. He was the one who had gotten Leon Kobetz the death penalty and had called for a public hanging. O'Boyle was well known for being ruthless in his ability to prosecute even the most perfect of souls all the way to the death chamber. He had never known him to lose a case, and had earned the nickname "Hang 'em High O'Boyle" for his tendency to always demand the maximum penalty in those he prosecuted.

"Thanks to your little stunt," O'Boyle said, addressing Albert, "the DA's office needs to clean up this mess and fast. Not to worry though, I don't plan to coddle Graham Barnes like you have chosen to do. No indeed sir for too long Graham Barnes has been a cancer on our fair city and it's high time he paid in blood for the crimes he has committed."

"Coddling!" Albert, who had sobered up by this point, exclaimed, "I did no such thing! I'll have you know that I tried a good case! One slip! That's all I made! One slip!"

"You should have kept your damn mouth shut!" O'Boyle snapped, "Let your brother do the talking. He always was the smarter one of you. The heir and and spare as it were."

Heimlich shook his head. "Tommy," he said, "I think there may be more than meets the eye to this case. Albert's daughter has been kidnapped and we believe they are looking to secure a guilty verdict for Graham Barnes."

Dec-31-2009 19:22

"Well it's a good thing I'll be prosecuting him then!" O'Boyle said smugly, "I'll have Barnes dead before they harm one hair on your little girl's head."

"You can't!" Heimlich pleaded, "You need to get us out of here and hold off prosecution. Don't you see that this proves his innocence? If not it creates reasonable doubt!"

O'Boyle frowned at him. "Heimlich, the only thing this proves to me is that Barnes is a slimeball who will do anything to trick good people into helping him escape prosecution. He's going down." he said coldly. With a nod, he turned to leave.

Heimlich sat down and began to think. Time was running out. What was the importance of the Eye of God? Why would The Order of Socrates, a secular organization be so obsessed with a relic of religious etymology?

He thought back to his notes. All that he had studied. Significant events surrounding anything resembling the eye in history had been in his notebook. Anything! Suddenly he remembered a particular grouping.

"-A man, found guilty of corrupting the minds of the the youths of the state was sentenced to death. He offered no apologies for his efforts and embraced death openly. Days after his execution, a pile of bones and dust were delivered to the home of a boy that had testified against him. The remains were identified as the young man's from a golden tooth.

-Two jewels known as the Eye of Zeus and the Eye of Hades, which belonged to the Archon of Athens, Aristocrates, disappeared and were never seen again after."

Heimlich felt his heart begin beating faster. "No... oh God no!" he shouted.

Albert stood up. "Henry," he asked, "what's wrong?"

"We have to go now!" Heimlich cried, "We have to get out of here. The girls, they're in mortal danger. Oh God please no!"

Jan-1-2010 03:17

"I'm here to see Mr. VonVictor." Zeo announced, showing the guard his Federal Bureau badge.

"Certainly, sir. This way please," the guard replied and yelled down the corridor, "VonVictor! You got another visitor!"

Zeo entered the cell and noticed that both brothers looked as if they were about to burst, but he wouldn't care less at the moment. Heimlich realized who the visitor was and breathed a sigh of relieve. "Joseph, am I glad to see you! We must get--"

"I'm not here to see you, Heimlich." Zeo interrupted and tossed Albert the files. "I know O'Boyle is in charge of the case now, but the freak and I don't see eye to eye. When you transfer the case files over, just slot these in."

Albert opened the folders and read. His eyebrows was about to shoot through the roof. "Mr. Zeo, are these evidence authentic?"

"Does it matter? If Barnes is not found guilty, Valerie and Josee are going to die!"

"Joseph, you got it all wrong!" Heimlich exclaimed.

"It's no time to talk about justice here. The fact that I don't falsify evidences like other crooked cops do, doesn't mean I don't know how to do it. These evidences are rock solid. Heimlich, I know how you feel about this, but we're talking about our daughters' lives!" Zeo replied.

"What did you just say, Mr. Zeo? You mean yours and MY daughters, didn't you?" Albert was utterly confused.

Zeo looked at the two brothers, "Heimlich, you mean you haven't told him?"

"Joseph, get this clear: the kidnapper said that they will kill SERGEI if Barnes is not found guilty. They have other plans for the girls. Deadly plans. You must get us out of here NOW or it'll forever be too late!"

Jan-1-2010 18:55

It was dark outside. And very quiet, which was unusually so for this neighborhood. Then Riza remembered it was nearing midnight. Her boots could be heard clicking on the sidewalk as she walked. She quickly made her way to City Hall to deliver the forged jewel documents to the mayor. Hopefully he wouldn’t ask why she was so late.

She made her way up the steps of City Hall, walked down the long corridor inside, and headed for Hollis’ door. “Hold it right there, Miss,” a man said gruffly, stepping out of the shadows near the door. “No one sees the mayor except by personal appointment.” His dark suit and baritone voice made him look and sound intimidating.

“Hollis is expecting me. Tell him Riza Hawkeye is here, and I have what he’s looking for,” Riza said coolly, holding up a sealed envelope ad waving it from side to side. The man looked at her skeptically before grunting, “Don’t move,” and disappearing inside the office for a moment. He returned a few seconds later, pushed open the door, and gestured inside.

Riza walked into the office, flashing a small smile at the man who closed the door after her. Hollis’s chair was turned around, so Riza could only see the back of the dark leather chair. “Miss Hawkeye,” he said, turning his chair around, “I was wondering how long you were going to take. But I must say that I am impressed by your speed.”

Riza barely suppressed a gasp as she took in the mayor’s appearance. Her eyes widened visibly. It looked like he had been beaten to a bloody pulp. “Nice job, Marc,” she thought. Hollis was dressed in a clean suit, though. His face was all swollen and bruised, but somehow he still had that feeling of authority about him.

Jan-1-2010 18:57

She slowly strode over to Hollis, sat on the side of his desk, and slid the envelope in front of him. “Everything’s there,” she said. “And I don’t joke around where there’s money involved. You want something, I get it for you fast, no questions asked,” she added, clearly annoyed at his underestimation of her abilities.

Hollis smiled, or rather, grimaced. “I’ll be keeping your name in mind for future jobs I need done.” He removed a key from his inner coat pocket and opened the bottom right drawer of his desk. Smack! A stack of hundred dollar bills was slapped onto the table and pushed toward Riza. She reached over to get them, letting her fingers linger over Hollis’ for just a couple of seconds.

Riza stuffed the notes down her shirt, beneath her black jacket, and turned to leave. As she walked out the door, she saw out of the corner of her eye the mayor pulling out the documents from the envelope and spreading them over his desk. Her eyes twinkled.

Outside, the night air rushed at her. Brrr! It was cold tonight. She made her way back to Heimlich’s place, cautiously taking the back alleyways in case she was being followed. “It’s going perfectly,” she thought to herself. “And I got to keep the cash too.” Riza smirked.

Jan-1-2010 20:59

"How much to bail the VonVictors out?" a woman snapped out at the clerk.

"Excuse me?" the clerk drew her glasses down her nose until she was looking over the rims at the woman. Anxious, the clerk thought with a hint of impatience. Weren't they all?

"Heimlich and Albert VonVictor. I am here to bail them out. Immediately. It is, in all certainty, a matter of life and death. How much?" something in the woman's ice cold tone and ridged set of her back made the clerk sit up straighter.

"Follow me, madam. The booking officer is this way."


~Fifteen minutes later~

"VonVictor! You're out!" the guard yelled.

"Which one?" Albert, Heimlich, and Joseph yelled together.

Anais strode in. "Both of you. What the heck are you doing here, Joseph? You said you were out looking for the girls. I don't see them here, do you? No? No."

Joseph's eyes flashed. "Ana-"

"Don't Ana me," Anais' eyes flashed as the guard cautiously slipped around her to unlock the cell.

"Heimlich, did you tell him? Mr. VonVictor, I am glad you don't smell quite like a distillery now. But you still stink," Anais shook her head in disgust.

"Anais? Why aren't you with Katia?" Joseph's eyes flashed.

"Why don't we all discuss this on the way?" Heimlich cut in smoothly as he gently pushed Anais and Joseph ahead of him. Albert stumbled behind.

"You still haven't answered my question, Heimlich," Anais switched her berating from Joseph.

"I'll tell the appropriate people when the time is right, Anais, and not before,” Heimlich responded crisply, and when Anais opened her mouth to protest, he cut her off. “Anais, I know you want to help, but let me do it my own way.”

“Fine. You have an idea of where the girls are?” Anais growled.

“No. We're going back to my place first,” Heimlich replied.

Jan-1-2010 21:08

When Molly told Marc what happened, froze. Everything inside him stopped. It was as though time itself, had stopped. "Who could have done something like that?" Marc thought to himself. Then he knew. It was one of the mayor's henchmen. And he would pay another visit to Hollis again. Sometime soon. Marc opened his mouth to say something when Vulkie spoke up.


Vulkie ordered Marc to call Joseph and he complied. Marc dialed Joseph's office number first. But it kept ringing. Marc hung up and tried again and this time someone else answered.

"I need to speak with Joseph Zeo! It's important," Marc said.

"Zeo? He's not here. He just left his office." The man said

"GREAT!" Marc said as he slamed the phone down.

He called Josephs' house phone and there was still know answer.

No sooner as he hung up the phone, the front door opend and in walked Heimlich, Anais, Joseph, and another man.

Jan-1-2010 22:03

-Earlier-

"He's dead," Eric said, his voice shaking, "he's been dead for..."

"I know," Abby whispered, "and I thought the same until I joined the Order. Long ago, two gems, known as The Eye of Zeus and The Eye of Hades respectively, were stolen from a magistrate in Athens. The Eye of Zeus, which he bore close to his heart during his execution, allowed his body to die, but retain the being inside. I don't know how, but in combination with The Eye of Hades, they were able to revive him. They've done it several times since, and hidden the Eye every time after. Unfortunately in the past hundred years the parts were discovered and placed in separate museums. That's where I came in."

Eric looked in horror at the face that had been revealed. Dark sunken eyes stared out as loose skin hung from a skeletal face. A long white beard protruded from his face punctucated by a fiendish yellow grin. Although the 2,300 years of regenerations and agings had clearly taken their toll on his body, there was no doubt as to the identity of the man before them. Anyone would recognize him from the statues they had seen. The Order was bowing before the great Greek philosopher Socrates.

"Haaaaavvvve theeeeeee chhhhhiiiillllldrrrrreeeennnn beeeeennnnn brrrroooouuughttttt?" Socrates hissed at the figure before him.

"My Lord yes," the hooded figure responded, "the two girls here. They belong to the man prosecuting Graham Barnes and a government investigator. We also have the scapegoat as requested. He is a foreigner and friend of the investigator, and suspicion will fall on him."

"What does he need the girls for?" Eric demanded.

"I don't know!" Abby insisted, "I'm as surprised as you are to see them here. I wasn't told about this!"

"Giiiiirrrrlllllsssssss?" Socrates hissed, as a scowl grew on his face, "Iiiiiiidddiottttt! Thhheeee Eeeeyeeeee wiiillllll nnnnoooootttt wwwoooorrrrk!"

Jan-1-2010 22:59

The hooded figure kneeling jumped back in surprise. "Erm..." he began, then turning to the crowd called out, "Master Eisle!" A hunched over hooded figure made its way to the front of the crowd. Its hands were shriveled and bony, and it held a long gnarled walking stick in one.

"You called, Master Thomas?" Eisle responded in a shaky voice.

"Have female children ever been used as the sacrifice in the ritual before?" Thomas asked nervously.

Eisle reached under his robes and produced a worn tome. He began searching through the pages, running one bony finger along the pages. He flipped what felt like countless pages before stopping. "Four hundred years ago, a young Italian girl was used. The gem did not respond until we spilt the blood of her father on it." he read out.

"Apprentice Marsh!" Thomas called out and another hooded figure came forward, "Get the blood of Albert VonVictor and Joseph Zeo. I don't care how you do it. Just do it!" The figure nodded and departed the room.

As he departed, another hooded figure entered the room in a hurry and approached. He faced Thomas, who acknowledged him and returned to the outer circle. The new figure kneeled down before Socrates.

"My Lord," he said, "the woman delivered the information to me, but searching three of these locations, they were found to be fraudulent. I believe we have been tricked."

"Iiiiii hhhhaaaaavvvve nnnnooottt beeeeeennnn trrrrriiiiccckked, Phhhhhhillosopher Maaaarssssshall Hhhhollllllissssss!" Socrates hissed angrily.

"Of course not my Lord!" Hollis said quickly, "I apologize. How do you wish to procede?"

"Hhhhaaaavvveee hhhhheeeeeerrrrr killllleeeddd!" Socrates rasped out while slamming his fist against the throne, "Weeeeee wiiilllll nnnoooott rrreeeppplllacce theeee Eeeeyeeee wwwiiiiithhh aaaa faaaallllssssee geeeemmmm."