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May-9-2012 18:06

The office door slammed against the wall with a bang, and papers swirled restlessly across the desks of the darkened room. He looked up from his bottle of gin, bleary eyes just registering the figure outlined in the doorway. It was tall, and from the cast of the hips and tucked in-waist silhouetted in the black trench, it was a woman. She stood on black stilettos, and a black snood concealed her hair from view as surely as the netted veil did her face.

"Who is that?" he asked nervously, squinting his eyes. There was a pause, and then the figure moved forward, legs, hips rolling smoothly in an unmistakable way. He paled; rearing back in the chair so that it almost fell. He righted it with a clatter, fingers shaking.

"A ghost?" he breathed, suddenly terrified. Was the moonshine bad? Giving him the jake- was he hallucinating? The black ensemble of the woman suddenly seemed more foreboding than chic. "You...I thought you were dead!"

She moved forward, just inches away from him in the dim lamplight. Slowly, black satin-clad hands lifted up, grasped the edge of the veil, and pulled it back. Her glossy red lips shone in a vulpine smirk in the light.

"I never die. Nine lives, you know." Molly Maltese breathed in her sotto voice. "I've been to the end of the world, my dear, and I've brought back the case to end all cases for you."

Jul-21-2012 20:10

"Are you all right, Miss?" asked Zeo, once they were sure the coffee shop was a secure place.

The woman was still sobbing when she nodded.

"We need some information." said Corelli, trying to light a cigarette with his trembling fingers.

"We need to return to Riza and Vulkie, we don't have time, Molly needs our help--." Marc was walking from one side of the place to another, exasperated.

"Calm down, Marc." Zeo continued talking to the woman "We need to know what happened back there, that man, Boyle, he was worried about you."

The woman started to cry, Marc let out a frustrated sigh.

"You are his wife, right?"

The woman nodded.

"We are looking for someone, a dear friend, and what you know may help us to find her, do you know what happened back there?"

"There's no way she knows where Molly is." said Marc, Zeo looked at him, angry.

"Fred... told me that they were expecting something like that, it was a deal gone wrong, a man approached Fred with a business, and he needed some money to start an operation, something about a relic..."

"The ankh." added Corelli.

The woman nodded "Yes, I think he called it like that. The man was supposed to sell the relic to another organization, one morning Fred didn't returned home and when I saw him he told me the deal went wrong and that we needed to hide for a while." the woman covered her face with her hands and started to cry.

"Why would Billings ask another faction for support? I thought he had enough money to bank an operation like that." Corelli's voice was almost a whisper.

"Maybe that's the point." said Zeo.

Jul-21-2012 20:11

"That would explain why Carla Kane was surprised to know that the ankh was a fake." added Marc.

"Thank you, that will be all, do you want us to take you somewhere?"

"I'll do it, you'd better return to Miss Hawkeye and Vulkie, I feel useless with my arm in this state." said Corelli.

Once on the outside, Corelli called a cab, before the woman could get into the cab, he stopped her.

"Hmmm... Madame... Maybe your husband told you something about one of our friends... she has wavy auburn hair, green eyes..."

"Sorry, he never mentioned someone like that."

"Thanks."

Corelli returned to Zeo and Marc.

"It looks like the lady wants to be alone."

"Ok, then let's return to Riza and Vulkie." said Marc.

On their way to the abandoned church, they were almost ran over by a black car.

"What the--?" said Marc, and everyone took cover and pulled their guns.

"Move out of the way!" shouted a familiar voice.

"Vulkie?"

"What are you doing here?" the car stopped, screeching and leaving marks on the pavement.

"We--"

"C'mon, now we know where Molly is, let's get moving."

Jul-22-2012 03:37

As Vulkie drove through traffic and looked out for pedestrians crossing the road, she saw a trio of men crossing the road. Vulkie shove her head out of the car window and shouted "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!". The trio duck back to where they came from and Riza screamed "STOP!". Vulkie pulled the car to a halt, while the car tires were still running hot. The car screeched and left marks on the pavement.

"We.." began Andrew, but Vulkie interrupted him by shouting "C'mon, now we know where Molly is, let's get moving!". Joseph, Marc and Andrew jumped into the back of the car and Vulkie immediately took off towards the center of London.

Riza tossed over Vulkie's note to the trio sitting in the back and began to explain what she and Vulkie had discovered. In the meantime, Andrew also began to speak about what they had been up to.

"Faction wars.." Marc mumbled. "Yes, that is what we think is gonna happen. If you look at the list..." Riza said, while pointing towards the notes, "you can see that Vulkie also scribbled down a few other targets from other factions. But first, we must get Molly back. That's the most important for now. If we're too late, they'll use her to flush out Jack and then all is lost." Riza added.

***The Montgomery Hotel, entrance***

As Vulkie pulled the car up to the entrance, a valet showed up and knocked on her window. "Shall I park you car ma'am?" the valet asked politely. Vulkie and the detectives shook their heads and got out of the car. "We'll only be here for a few minutes, 10 at the most" Vulkie replied, while the detectives went into the majestic Montgomery Hotel. As the detectives entered the Hotel, they gazed at how it was decorated. Paintings were hanging everywhere, a large chandelier was hung up on the ceiling at the middle of the room and red carpet was everywhere on the floor. As they went straight for the elevator, the manager shouted: "Ma'am, are you a guest?"... (cont)

Jul-22-2012 03:44

Marc gave the manager a stare and replied coldly with: "We have now checked in and will be leaving in 10 minutes. Don't worry, we're here to visit a friend of ours". As Joseph pushed the button for the elevator, he urged Riza to wait at the car, in case the police decided to show up. She could easily move the car out of there in case there was any trouble. As the elevator doors opened, they could see that the elevator was also decorated in the most rich way one could imagine. Vulkie, Joseph, Marc and Andrew got in the elevator and Marc slammed his fist on the "4" button.

***4th floor, room 458***.

Loud music could be heard from inside the room, so the detectives could easily talk. "I heard from this Barber guy, a guy in a green suit, that the Earthly Sponsor is here. He was very quick to give it up, knowing I'd end his life if he didn't tell the truth" Vulkie said and once more pulled her leather "wallet" out from her pocket, and began to fumble with the lock. In 30 seconds, she got the door open and gently pushed the door open.

As the detectives entered the hotel room, they could see a bathroom to the right, with the door shut, and at the end of the room, a balcony. To the right, at the middle, was another room, probably leading towards a kingsize bed. Andrew shut the door and shoved the lock on it, making sure no one could get in OR out and the detectives seated at the main "living" room of the hotel room, waiting for the Earthly Sponsor to come out of the room.

***10 minutes later***.

The door from the bathroom opened and a woman came out of the room, dressed up in a blue dress and her hair all stuck up in a knot.

"Who on earth are you...?" the Earthly Sponsor began, but Marc jumped up from his and grabbed the Sponsor and threw her against the wall.

"We, dear lady.." as he began to closely observe the Earthly Sponsor, "are friends of Ms. Maltese and have reason that YOU might know where she is..." Marc added...

Jul-22-2012 20:26

"But Marc jumped up from his" -> should've had seat after it

Jul-23-2012 14:39

"Where are we, anyway?" Molly asked the shrouded figure, who seemed content to sit there and contemplate her own greatness, or whatever it is shrouded people think about all day.

"Unimportant." The figure said, and resumed her silence. Molly huffed and twisted at the ropes binding her hands behind her back, to no avail. Instead she looked around. The room they were in was very, very bare. Cracked white plaster for walls, covered with a thin sheet of white paint that bubbled and blistered grotesquely. Pipes ran along the ceiling, dripping here and there. Concrete was under their simple wooden chairs. It was lit by industrial lighting.

"Basement?" Molly ventured a guess. The woman didn't respond. For once the silence was less uncomfortable than it was illuminating. If she strained her ears, Molly could hear the distant murmur of voices. Lots and lots of voices.

Jul-29-2012 20:17

"You're crazy!" the Earthly Sponsor said.

"Crazy?" Marc asked, holding her against the wall. "I'm more than crazy. I'm insane," he whispered to her. "And I won't hesitate for one second, to break every finger on your poor, pathetic, rat claw of a hand until you tell us where she is!"

The Earthly Sponsor smiled. "You are just too cute," she said. "I like your brute. We can use a guy like you. Have you ever considered organized crime?"

Marc inhaled deeply. Raising his fist he punched a large hole in the wall next to her head. "WHERE IS SHE?!" he screamed.

Her demeanor changed immediately. Joseph, Andrew, Riza and Vulkie formed a semicircle around the two people. Marc grabbed the woman and slammed her down into a chair, which collapsed under the force of her weight.

Marc then placed his foot on her throat and pulled out his revolver and fired a round next to her head.

"Where is she?!"

The sponsor coughed and grabbed his foot, trying to push it off of her throat. Marc let off just enough to let her breathe and talk. "You cannot stop us now," she said. "It's too late. Things are falling into place."

Marc cocked the hammer back on his revolver and fired again next to her head. "I don't care. Tell us where she is, and I may let you live."

"Why should I tell you? So you can kill me? Killing me will not stop us. There is always someone to take the place of the earthly sponsor."

"What's your plan with her?" Marc asked, pressing his foot a little bit harder.

"She will die with her no-good husband."

"Her husband is mine to kill," Marc interjected.

"You are too late," she whispered.

Marc pressed a little harder and fired a third round next to her head.

"Next time I have to ask, I will not miss," he said. "Where is she?"

"Behind the bookcase in my office is another room where you will find her."

Marc looked at Andrew and nodded. Andrew kicked open a door and walked into the office.

Jul-29-2012 20:18

It took only seconds for him to find the lever which spun the bookcase around, revealing Molly Maltese tied to a chair. He cocked the hammer back for a fourth shot, meant to kill the earthly sponsor.

The sponsor smiled again. "If you kill me, our Universal Aspirant will take my place."

"Who is that?" Marc whispered.

"Why don't you ask her yourSELF!" the sponsor wheezed underneath Marc's boot. Her eyes pointed toward one in the group. He held the hammer as he squeezed the trigger slowly, putting the safety on so the gun would not go off.

Marc turned and looked in the direction in which the Sponsor was staring. Right before his eyes, Marc looked at the Universal Aspirant to the Circle of Light. He slowly cocked the hammer back.

"Vulkie? Is there something you want to tell me?"

Jul-31-2012 11:58

As the last words of the Sponsor echoed in Vulkie's ears, she began to think. "Why don't you ask her yourSELF?" the words were, and Vulkie knew what that meant. The detectives would suspect her of being involved too.

"Vulkie? Is there something you want to tell me?" Marc asked, while staring at Vulkie. The other detectives also began to stare. "What is there to tell? I mean, it's not like I did a bad..." Vulkie began, but was slammed against the wall by Joseph, who pulled his gun out of his jacket and placed it careful on Vulkie's head. "If I were you.." Joseph began, while cocking the hammer, "I would choose your next words VERY careful." he ended.

"I did a few favors for my contact in Delhi. And they gave me some fancy schmancy title, but that's all!" Vulkie shouted, while Marc joined Joseph. The two detectives stared right at her and small drops of sweat began to develop on the front of Vulkie's head.

"What could convince us that you are telling the truth, eh?" Marc whispered, while Molly and Andrew were holding their eyes on the Earthly Sponsor.

"For the love of god Marc, don't you still trust me? You are the most arrogant mistrusting son of a b*tch that I know! I've made up my mistakes from the past, still you don't trust me? You trust that b*tch that's lying on the ground over there?!" Vulkie shouted in his face, while pointing towards the Sponsor.

Tension was rising and everyone could feel it. It wouldn't take much to blow up the whole mission the detectives were on, and this wasn't looking good.

"If you don't trust me, I'll leave this place and you'll never hear from me, you HEAR ME?" Vulkie shouted. "I'm so sick of this sh*t, each and everytime that you don't trust me! So, what you gonna do about it? You gonna pull that trigger already Joseph, my dearest friend?" Vulkie said taunting, while waiting what was going to happen next...

Aug-3-2012 14:25

So much had happened. So much had happened in these last few days. The fake ankh. Professor Dumbleton. The explosion. Molly missing. Vulkie’s nauseating car ride. Faction wars. Molly found. Enough to set anyone’s mind reeling.

It seemed like a quiet life could never be an option. The momentary comfort Riza had been able to glean from a night with Joseph sleeping beside her was something she could not describe. That night, her worries had been sapped right out of her, but by morning, the worries had flooded right back, underscored by her own unsureness of how to act…how to feel.

Riza was snapped out of her thoughts by Vulkie near-screaming, “You gonna pull that trigger already Joseph, my dearest friend?” She looked to be on the verge of tears.

Just as the men started to retort, Riza yelled, “Stop it!” Heads turned in surprise to look at her. “This is absolutely ridiculous! We don’t have time for this.” Riza snatched the gun from Joseph’s hand.

“Don’t fall for it,” she said, narrowing her eyes at the Sponsor. “She’s playing mind games, trying to drive us apart.”

“Riza,” Marc interrupted, “What if Vulkie’s really--”

Riza turned, pointing the gun at Marc, and fired a shot. He froze.

Behind him, a man was propelled backwards into the wall, clutching his chest as he slid down.

“We gotta go,” Riza said in a tone of finality. She was starting to feel like her old self again.

Andrew strode over to Molly and with the flick of a knife, freed her from her restraints. He unceremoniously threw her over his shoulder.

“What about the Sponsor?”

“Bring her too.”