Home for the Holidays, Ch 6 (Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, Dying Informant; Miracle)
Title: Home for the Holidays; Chapter 6
Author: Crystal Rose of Pollux (rose_of_pollux)
Claim: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (The Dying Informant)
Table: Do-it-Yourself
Prompt: Miracle
Rating: PG13
Summary: The despairing Informant gets a little guidance from the Voice.
Warnings: seriousness in a light-hearted fandom
Will be cross-posted to my journal, 30_hugs, and the V.I.L.E. Headquarters fanfic forum.
Author’s note: And here’s the rest of it! Any resemblance to It’s a Wonderful Life is intentional, and that was drawn from an RP idea that I enacted with Lucky Ladybug, so a lot of the scene is her idea, too, particularly with the Messenger’s persona and his dialogue in that scene.
*************************
Once again, the Informant was at a loss at what to do. He could only hold on to the freezing agent as he slipped away. And no amount of pleas or tears from the Informant were bringing him back.
“I’m so sorry, Bro,” he said, unable to say anything else. “I was too stupid to see that you were just trying to look out for me.”
He slammed his fist into the ground. He knew that he had been breaking the rules when he started that relationship with Patty. And now he had lost his best friend because of it.
“I’ve brought you nothing but trouble since the day we joined ACME,” the Informant said, bitterly. “You’d have been better off without me and my missions that always end in disaster.”
“Is that what you think?” sighed a familiar, sonorous Voice.
The Informant jumped. It was the same Voice that he had heard the time he had been revived after RoboCrook had waylaid him the first time he had ever tried tailing Patty. How ironic that he was hearing the Voice now immediately after severing ties with Patty…
“Yes… that is what I think…” the Informant said, bitterly. “He wouldn’t be frozen here if it weren’t for me. If I had never joined ACME, he’d be hanging out with the Techie and the Inspector, happy… and alive…”
“I wouldn’t count on that…” said the Voice. “Would you like to see for yourself?”
“Um… sure…” said the Informant, unsure of what the Voice had in mind. “You have a crystal ball or something?”
“Not at all… I prefer more tangible methods,” said the Voice.
And, in an instant, the scene changed. The Messenger had apparently vanished, and the Informant found himself back at ACME Crimenet. But something wasn’t quite right… the halls were normally filed with activity… usually the Messenger causing mayhem from his latest prank, but, regardless, everything was usually warm and friendly. But now the lights were off, darkening several of the corridors. And the holiday decorations that the Informant had seen before leaving for Pennsylvania were now gone.
“How did I get back here?” he asked. “And why is the place looking so… different? Where are the holiday decorations? Isn’t it time for the ACME holiday party?”
“There is no party, and there are no decorations,” said the Voice. “There is neither reason nor time to celebrate. ACME is in the middle of a bitter war with V.I.L.E.; V.I.L.E. has invaded ACME Crimenet.”
“What!?” asked the Informant. “How did that happen!?”
“V.I.L.E. started out as not much of a challenge. But they were eventually emboldened by their successes of some of their earlier heists… the Mona Lisa… the replica of George Washington’s false teeth… a stolen island… stolen waterfalls… the R.M.S. Queen Mary… The Bugatti Royale… the Tran-Siberian railway… the Arch de Triumph… Falling Water… the bee hummingbirds…”
“Wait, wait, wait!” the Informant exclaimed. “But they didn’t get away with taking all of that! I worked on those cases… granted, I messed up and got clobbered each time… but from what I heard, all of that was recovered!”
“‘All of that’ was recovered only because of the valuable information that your so-called ‘failed missions’ provided,” the Voice chided him. “And, in this reality, you weren’t here to provide it. ”
“Oh…” he said.
“And as V.I.L.E grew more emboldened, they began to battle with ACME directly…”
The Voice trailed off as Sarah Nade rollerbladed down the hallway. The Informant stared at her, open-mouthed.
“But… she’s… in here…!?” he stammered. “Where is our security!?”
“You’ll find that ACME is very low on agents (and very high in intruders) at the moment,” said the Voice. “Because of the mission failures, recruiting has been down, and existing agents have left ACME to save themselves. Only a handful of the bravest stuck around. ”
The Informant jumped out of the way as the Techie, the Inspector, and the Messenger dashed down the hallway, apparently chasing after Sarah.
“See, I told you they’d be alright!” the Informant said, with a smile. “Hey, Guys!”
The trio stopped, exchanged glances, and glared back at the Informant.
“Uh… Guys?” the Informant asked.
“Who are you?” the Messenger asked, a deep frown crossing his features.
“Huh!? Guys, come on! It’s me-Infy!”
“Right…” said the Inspector, with a roll of his eyes. He turned to the Techie. “Is he with V.I.L.E. or ACME?”
The Techie checked his laptop.
“He’s not on the database,” the Techie replied.
“So…” the Messenger said, folding his arms. “A freelancer, huh?”
“Freelancer!? Come on, Guys! I’m with ACME, and you know it! Look…” the Informant searched his pockets for his badge and identification papers, but couldn’t find anything.
“You’re not an agent in this reality,” the Voice informed him.
The Informant gulped.
“Uh… I must’ve dropped my badge…” he said to the other three.
The Messenger glanced at him with a cold expression that didn’t suit him at all. He turned to the other two.
“Lock him up.”
“What!?” the Informant cried. “Guys, no! Don’t do this! I’m on your side!”
“Yeah, right…” the Messenger said, as the Techie and the Inspector seized his arms.
“What’s happened to you guys!?” the Informant asked.
“Your friends never got the chance to have you around to lighten things up,” said the Voice. “Times at ACME were hard with all of those failed cases, and hearts have been hardened, too.”
The Informant broke free of the others’ grasps and seized the Messenger by the shoulders.
“Come on, Bro!” he pleaded. “I’m sorry for everything, but please, you have to believe me!”
The Messenger responded by drawing out a pair of handcuffs. Deciding not to stick around and let himself get handcuffed, he chose to flee, heading down the corridor in the opposite direction that Sarah had gone, hoping that the others would decide to continue chasing after her.
He wasn’t that lucky; they were still pursuing him as he fled down the darkened corridor. He had fled some distance when the dim light caught a gleam of metal. A familiar, cold laugh reached the young man’s ears.
“Ha. Ha.”
“RoboCrook!” the Informant gasped, immediately pulling an about-face. He ran back, frantically yelling to the other three. “Turn back! It’s RoboCrook!”
But they did not heed him. The sadistic android had them right where he wanted them. He struck silently, and the Techie and the Inspector both collapsed upon receiving the blows.
“NO!” the Informant and the Messenger both yelled.
“You…” the Messenger fumed, pulling the Informant through a door that led to an adjoining corridor. He slapped the handcuffs on him. “You led us right to RoboCrook, did you!? You knew this would happen!”
“No, I didn’t!” the Informant cried, horrified to see the Messenger act so cold and cynical. “I was trying to help; I would never hurt you guys…!” He trailed off, realizing that he had inadvertently done so with the whole Patty fiasco.
“Those two were my best friends!” the Messenger yelled. “And now it’s your fault that RoboCrook got them!”
“Yes, I know…” said the Informant. “Everything… everything is my fault… all of those failed missions wouldn’t have failed if I had brought the information like I did back in the other reality…”
“So you are with V.I.L.E, then!?” the Messenger accused.
“No; I told you-I’m with ACME!” he replied. “They were my friends, too! Maybe… Maybe they’re just wounded. If we can beat RoboCrook, maybe we can get them some help… You have to believe me; I’m on your side!”
“I don’t know if I can vouch for him,” a female voice purred. “I’ve never seen this kid before in my life, either.”
“Carmen!” the two gasped.
The double-dealing diva merely smirked and vanished down the corridor. The Messenger took off after her, aiming to bring her in.
“Wait!” cried the Informant. “It’s a trap-I’m certain of it!”
The Messenger turned the corner, and the Informant heard him cry out. There was the sound of someone falling to the ground, and a pair of high heels fleeing into the distance.
“No!” he cried again.
He turned the corner now. Carmen had escaped, and now the Messenger was lying, wounded. Once again, the Informant was at his side.
“Get away from me!” the Messenger snarled, struggling to get to his knees. “I don’t need the pity of some freelance agent with no loyalty!”
“I was your friend, too!” the Informant said. “Are you alright?”
The Messenger flinched, falling back to the ground.
“Do I look alright to you…!?” he retorted. “And what are you talking about… ‘my friend’? I’ve never seen you before in my life!”
“But you were… at least, where I came from!” the Informant insisted, trying to help the Messenger up. He held back a sob. “I thought things would be better for you and the others if I had never been around, but… now I see…” he bowed his head. “I can’t do anything right… even when I’m not here…”
“You… you aren’t making a lot of sense…” the Messenger said, beginning to slip away.
“When have I ever…?” the younger detective replied.
“I… I’m sorry…?” the Messenger offered, beginning to realize that the Informant’s concern was genuine.
“No,” said the Informant. “I’m sorry.”
“So… I was your friend, huh?”
“We had so many good times…” the Informant recalled. “I can’t believe I was willing to forget them… to just abandon everything for her…”
“Good times? Us? I wish I was from your world…” the older man replied.
“Not really,” the young detective replied. “You didn’t fare any better there…”
He still despaired; it seemed that no matter whether or not he was here, the Messenger’s fate would be the same. But if that were to be the case, he would have at least wanted things to be as they were supposed to be. At least then, the Messenger would’ve been his friend at one point, and the Techie and the Inspector would be alright.
“I want to go back…” the Informant said.
“I hope you can…” the Messenger said. “And… I think… it’s time for me to go, too…” He glanced up, seeing the spirits of familiar faces. They had come to take him.
The Informant held on to him with his handcuffed hands, still wishing that he could return to his world.
Then, a chill descended upon him, and he was back in the mine tunnels, still holding on to the Messenger, who was just as he left him. The handcuffs were gone from his wrists.
“I hope that convinced you that you were an essential member of ACME,” said the Voice.
“I guess,” the Informant replied. “But that still won’t bring him back.”
“No, it won’t. But you can.”
“What…?”
“It’s not too late; if you can stop his spirit from boarding the ghost train, he might be able to return.”
“Might…?” he asked. Well, he was willing to take a chance on that possibility. He knew of the ghost train very well… it had been on one fateful Halloween that the Messenger had saved him after some of the occupants of the train had turned the Informant into a spirit himself.
The Informant closed his eyes, concentrating, seeking out the aura of the spirits.
“Bro…? Can you hear me? I… I’m sorry… I’m sorry for everything… I didn’t leave. Patty wanted me to, but I didn’t… I couldn’t… I don’t care if you do get me kicked out of ACME, but please, just come back! …If not for my sake, then for the others’!”
He received no reply, and his heart sank. Was he not getting through? Or did the Messenger just not want to come back?
“I’m sorry…” he repeated again.
But familiar voices broke his concentration. He could hardly believe it; the Messenger and the Techie were here!
“Guys!?” he cried out.
“Hey!” the Techie exclaimed, reaching the Informant’s side. “You guys alright?”
“Well, I am…” the Informant replied, looking away. “I stayed right by his side ever since I found him, but it was no use. He still--”
“He’s in bad shape,” said the Inspector, feeling the Messenger’s pulse. “But if we hurry, he should pull through.”
“What!?” the Informant asked, glancing at the Messenger.
He was breathing again.
The Informant closed his eyes and sent a brief prayer of thanks. The Messenger would pull through now. But had he come back on his own, or had he been listening to the Informant’s apology?
“You guys are freezing!” said the Techie, passing them thick blankets. “Come on, I’ll help you to the helicopter.”
“Thanks,” the Informant replied, as the Inspector carried the Messenger with him. “How did you find us?”
“Well, we knew your general location,” the Techie explained. “And when we showed up here, we saw Patty in our searchlight. She said that you two were in here, so…”
The Informant nodded, grateful that she decided to help, even after their breakup.
“What’s that?” the Techie asked, noticing the wrapped present in the Informant’s hand. He frowned. Patty hadn’t… had she…?
“Yeah, she gave it,” the Informant admitted. “Just after we broke up. Well, I was the one who said that we had to end it…”
Both the Inspector and the Techie exchanged glances with each other, and the techie placed an arm around the Informant’s shoulder.
“You did the right thing.”
And the Informant had to admit to himself that the knowledge that he had done so was a relief to know. But there was still one more thing he would have to do in order to set things right.
*************************
For the Messenger, everything seemed to be in a muddled blur. One moment, he had been chasing Patty, the next moment, he had been caught in the blizzard and somehow ended up in the coal mine, and then the Informant had come out of nowhere, and Patty tried to get him to leave. And then everything had gone dark and light and dark again… and then he vaguely recalled the Informant frantically pleading with him to “come back”… had he gone somewhere? He must’ve been out worse than he had thought. But that wasn’t nearly as surprising as the fact that the Informant wanted him to return.
And it was also a surprise when the Messenger awoke to find himself in the ACME infirmary, surrounded by several space heaters. He glanced around to see the Inspector and the Techie, along with the Recruiting Officer and the Chief.
“How did I get here…?”
“Long story short, your younger colleague found you after the Mysterious Woman alerted us to your whereabouts,” said the Chief. “You’ve been here in the infirmary for the past twenty-four hours.”
“And now that you’re awake, the annual ACME Holiday Party can get underway!” said the Recruiting Officer.
The Messenger grinned.
“Lucky I woke up in time for that…” he mused. But something was wrong, and looking around, he realized that someone was missing. “Hey… speaking of my younger colleague… where is he?”
All eyes fell upon an empty chair.
“What…?” asked the Techie. “Where did he go…!? He was right here…”
The Recruiting Officer crossed to the chair, picking up a book that had been left there.
“Wonder what this is…” he said, handing it to the Chief. “He must’ve left it here…”
She glanced at the book, a look of concern appearing on her face.
“What is it?” asked the Inspector.
“The Guide to Self-Hypnosis…” she replied, shocked. She turned to the dog-eared page, handing it to the Informant’s friends to read. “What do you make of this?”
The Techie read the page as the others looked over his shoulder.
“‘Forget the feelings of unrequited love by emotionally detaching yourself from the world around you in just twelve hours through self-hypnosis’…!?” he read, in disbelief.
“Oh, no…” the Messenger said, a pang of guilt rising in him. “I… I know what this is about…”
“I’ll bet you’re right,” said the Techie. “Has he been reading this since we came back from Pennsylvania?”
“I think so; I saw him with that book shortly after we came back yesterday…” said the Recruiting Officer. “But I didn’t know what it was…”
They all exchanged glances.
“Emotionally detaching himself…?” asked the Inspector. “He wouldn’t have just locked away his feelings for her; the side effect would’ve been sealing away all of his emotions.”
“You say he was just here?” asked the Messenger.
“Just five minutes ago…” said the Techie, in disbelief. “You know… I thought he wasn’t acting like his usual self… You don’t think it’s too late, do you!?
“It better not be,” the Messenger replied, hastening out of bed.
“Where are you going!?” asked the Inspector. “You only just recovered!”
“I’ve gotta stop Infy before he makes the most stupid mistake of his life!” he replied. “Even worse than what he’s trying to erase! You guys start the party without us; we’ll be there in just a bit!” He dashed out of the infirmary. “I hope…” he added to himself.
Author: Crystal Rose of Pollux (rose_of_pollux)
Claim: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (The Dying Informant)
Table: Do-it-Yourself
Prompt: Miracle
Rating: PG13
Summary: The despairing Informant gets a little guidance from the Voice.
Warnings: seriousness in a light-hearted fandom
Will be cross-posted to my journal, 30_hugs, and the V.I.L.E. Headquarters fanfic forum.
Author’s note: And here’s the rest of it! Any resemblance to It’s a Wonderful Life is intentional, and that was drawn from an RP idea that I enacted with Lucky Ladybug, so a lot of the scene is her idea, too, particularly with the Messenger’s persona and his dialogue in that scene.
*************************
Once again, the Informant was at a loss at what to do. He could only hold on to the freezing agent as he slipped away. And no amount of pleas or tears from the Informant were bringing him back.
“I’m so sorry, Bro,” he said, unable to say anything else. “I was too stupid to see that you were just trying to look out for me.”
He slammed his fist into the ground. He knew that he had been breaking the rules when he started that relationship with Patty. And now he had lost his best friend because of it.
“I’ve brought you nothing but trouble since the day we joined ACME,” the Informant said, bitterly. “You’d have been better off without me and my missions that always end in disaster.”
“Is that what you think?” sighed a familiar, sonorous Voice.
The Informant jumped. It was the same Voice that he had heard the time he had been revived after RoboCrook had waylaid him the first time he had ever tried tailing Patty. How ironic that he was hearing the Voice now immediately after severing ties with Patty…
“Yes… that is what I think…” the Informant said, bitterly. “He wouldn’t be frozen here if it weren’t for me. If I had never joined ACME, he’d be hanging out with the Techie and the Inspector, happy… and alive…”
“I wouldn’t count on that…” said the Voice. “Would you like to see for yourself?”
“Um… sure…” said the Informant, unsure of what the Voice had in mind. “You have a crystal ball or something?”
“Not at all… I prefer more tangible methods,” said the Voice.
And, in an instant, the scene changed. The Messenger had apparently vanished, and the Informant found himself back at ACME Crimenet. But something wasn’t quite right… the halls were normally filed with activity… usually the Messenger causing mayhem from his latest prank, but, regardless, everything was usually warm and friendly. But now the lights were off, darkening several of the corridors. And the holiday decorations that the Informant had seen before leaving for Pennsylvania were now gone.
“How did I get back here?” he asked. “And why is the place looking so… different? Where are the holiday decorations? Isn’t it time for the ACME holiday party?”
“There is no party, and there are no decorations,” said the Voice. “There is neither reason nor time to celebrate. ACME is in the middle of a bitter war with V.I.L.E.; V.I.L.E. has invaded ACME Crimenet.”
“What!?” asked the Informant. “How did that happen!?”
“V.I.L.E. started out as not much of a challenge. But they were eventually emboldened by their successes of some of their earlier heists… the Mona Lisa… the replica of George Washington’s false teeth… a stolen island… stolen waterfalls… the R.M.S. Queen Mary… The Bugatti Royale… the Tran-Siberian railway… the Arch de Triumph… Falling Water… the bee hummingbirds…”
“Wait, wait, wait!” the Informant exclaimed. “But they didn’t get away with taking all of that! I worked on those cases… granted, I messed up and got clobbered each time… but from what I heard, all of that was recovered!”
“‘All of that’ was recovered only because of the valuable information that your so-called ‘failed missions’ provided,” the Voice chided him. “And, in this reality, you weren’t here to provide it. ”
“Oh…” he said.
“And as V.I.L.E grew more emboldened, they began to battle with ACME directly…”
The Voice trailed off as Sarah Nade rollerbladed down the hallway. The Informant stared at her, open-mouthed.
“But… she’s… in here…!?” he stammered. “Where is our security!?”
“You’ll find that ACME is very low on agents (and very high in intruders) at the moment,” said the Voice. “Because of the mission failures, recruiting has been down, and existing agents have left ACME to save themselves. Only a handful of the bravest stuck around. ”
The Informant jumped out of the way as the Techie, the Inspector, and the Messenger dashed down the hallway, apparently chasing after Sarah.
“See, I told you they’d be alright!” the Informant said, with a smile. “Hey, Guys!”
The trio stopped, exchanged glances, and glared back at the Informant.
“Uh… Guys?” the Informant asked.
“Who are you?” the Messenger asked, a deep frown crossing his features.
“Huh!? Guys, come on! It’s me-Infy!”
“Right…” said the Inspector, with a roll of his eyes. He turned to the Techie. “Is he with V.I.L.E. or ACME?”
The Techie checked his laptop.
“He’s not on the database,” the Techie replied.
“So…” the Messenger said, folding his arms. “A freelancer, huh?”
“Freelancer!? Come on, Guys! I’m with ACME, and you know it! Look…” the Informant searched his pockets for his badge and identification papers, but couldn’t find anything.
“You’re not an agent in this reality,” the Voice informed him.
The Informant gulped.
“Uh… I must’ve dropped my badge…” he said to the other three.
The Messenger glanced at him with a cold expression that didn’t suit him at all. He turned to the other two.
“Lock him up.”
“What!?” the Informant cried. “Guys, no! Don’t do this! I’m on your side!”
“Yeah, right…” the Messenger said, as the Techie and the Inspector seized his arms.
“What’s happened to you guys!?” the Informant asked.
“Your friends never got the chance to have you around to lighten things up,” said the Voice. “Times at ACME were hard with all of those failed cases, and hearts have been hardened, too.”
The Informant broke free of the others’ grasps and seized the Messenger by the shoulders.
“Come on, Bro!” he pleaded. “I’m sorry for everything, but please, you have to believe me!”
The Messenger responded by drawing out a pair of handcuffs. Deciding not to stick around and let himself get handcuffed, he chose to flee, heading down the corridor in the opposite direction that Sarah had gone, hoping that the others would decide to continue chasing after her.
He wasn’t that lucky; they were still pursuing him as he fled down the darkened corridor. He had fled some distance when the dim light caught a gleam of metal. A familiar, cold laugh reached the young man’s ears.
“Ha. Ha.”
“RoboCrook!” the Informant gasped, immediately pulling an about-face. He ran back, frantically yelling to the other three. “Turn back! It’s RoboCrook!”
But they did not heed him. The sadistic android had them right where he wanted them. He struck silently, and the Techie and the Inspector both collapsed upon receiving the blows.
“NO!” the Informant and the Messenger both yelled.
“You…” the Messenger fumed, pulling the Informant through a door that led to an adjoining corridor. He slapped the handcuffs on him. “You led us right to RoboCrook, did you!? You knew this would happen!”
“No, I didn’t!” the Informant cried, horrified to see the Messenger act so cold and cynical. “I was trying to help; I would never hurt you guys…!” He trailed off, realizing that he had inadvertently done so with the whole Patty fiasco.
“Those two were my best friends!” the Messenger yelled. “And now it’s your fault that RoboCrook got them!”
“Yes, I know…” said the Informant. “Everything… everything is my fault… all of those failed missions wouldn’t have failed if I had brought the information like I did back in the other reality…”
“So you are with V.I.L.E, then!?” the Messenger accused.
“No; I told you-I’m with ACME!” he replied. “They were my friends, too! Maybe… Maybe they’re just wounded. If we can beat RoboCrook, maybe we can get them some help… You have to believe me; I’m on your side!”
“I don’t know if I can vouch for him,” a female voice purred. “I’ve never seen this kid before in my life, either.”
“Carmen!” the two gasped.
The double-dealing diva merely smirked and vanished down the corridor. The Messenger took off after her, aiming to bring her in.
“Wait!” cried the Informant. “It’s a trap-I’m certain of it!”
The Messenger turned the corner, and the Informant heard him cry out. There was the sound of someone falling to the ground, and a pair of high heels fleeing into the distance.
“No!” he cried again.
He turned the corner now. Carmen had escaped, and now the Messenger was lying, wounded. Once again, the Informant was at his side.
“Get away from me!” the Messenger snarled, struggling to get to his knees. “I don’t need the pity of some freelance agent with no loyalty!”
“I was your friend, too!” the Informant said. “Are you alright?”
The Messenger flinched, falling back to the ground.
“Do I look alright to you…!?” he retorted. “And what are you talking about… ‘my friend’? I’ve never seen you before in my life!”
“But you were… at least, where I came from!” the Informant insisted, trying to help the Messenger up. He held back a sob. “I thought things would be better for you and the others if I had never been around, but… now I see…” he bowed his head. “I can’t do anything right… even when I’m not here…”
“You… you aren’t making a lot of sense…” the Messenger said, beginning to slip away.
“When have I ever…?” the younger detective replied.
“I… I’m sorry…?” the Messenger offered, beginning to realize that the Informant’s concern was genuine.
“No,” said the Informant. “I’m sorry.”
“So… I was your friend, huh?”
“We had so many good times…” the Informant recalled. “I can’t believe I was willing to forget them… to just abandon everything for her…”
“Good times? Us? I wish I was from your world…” the older man replied.
“Not really,” the young detective replied. “You didn’t fare any better there…”
He still despaired; it seemed that no matter whether or not he was here, the Messenger’s fate would be the same. But if that were to be the case, he would have at least wanted things to be as they were supposed to be. At least then, the Messenger would’ve been his friend at one point, and the Techie and the Inspector would be alright.
“I want to go back…” the Informant said.
“I hope you can…” the Messenger said. “And… I think… it’s time for me to go, too…” He glanced up, seeing the spirits of familiar faces. They had come to take him.
The Informant held on to him with his handcuffed hands, still wishing that he could return to his world.
Then, a chill descended upon him, and he was back in the mine tunnels, still holding on to the Messenger, who was just as he left him. The handcuffs were gone from his wrists.
“I hope that convinced you that you were an essential member of ACME,” said the Voice.
“I guess,” the Informant replied. “But that still won’t bring him back.”
“No, it won’t. But you can.”
“What…?”
“It’s not too late; if you can stop his spirit from boarding the ghost train, he might be able to return.”
“Might…?” he asked. Well, he was willing to take a chance on that possibility. He knew of the ghost train very well… it had been on one fateful Halloween that the Messenger had saved him after some of the occupants of the train had turned the Informant into a spirit himself.
The Informant closed his eyes, concentrating, seeking out the aura of the spirits.
“Bro…? Can you hear me? I… I’m sorry… I’m sorry for everything… I didn’t leave. Patty wanted me to, but I didn’t… I couldn’t… I don’t care if you do get me kicked out of ACME, but please, just come back! …If not for my sake, then for the others’!”
He received no reply, and his heart sank. Was he not getting through? Or did the Messenger just not want to come back?
“I’m sorry…” he repeated again.
But familiar voices broke his concentration. He could hardly believe it; the Messenger and the Techie were here!
“Guys!?” he cried out.
“Hey!” the Techie exclaimed, reaching the Informant’s side. “You guys alright?”
“Well, I am…” the Informant replied, looking away. “I stayed right by his side ever since I found him, but it was no use. He still--”
“He’s in bad shape,” said the Inspector, feeling the Messenger’s pulse. “But if we hurry, he should pull through.”
“What!?” the Informant asked, glancing at the Messenger.
He was breathing again.
The Informant closed his eyes and sent a brief prayer of thanks. The Messenger would pull through now. But had he come back on his own, or had he been listening to the Informant’s apology?
“You guys are freezing!” said the Techie, passing them thick blankets. “Come on, I’ll help you to the helicopter.”
“Thanks,” the Informant replied, as the Inspector carried the Messenger with him. “How did you find us?”
“Well, we knew your general location,” the Techie explained. “And when we showed up here, we saw Patty in our searchlight. She said that you two were in here, so…”
The Informant nodded, grateful that she decided to help, even after their breakup.
“What’s that?” the Techie asked, noticing the wrapped present in the Informant’s hand. He frowned. Patty hadn’t… had she…?
“Yeah, she gave it,” the Informant admitted. “Just after we broke up. Well, I was the one who said that we had to end it…”
Both the Inspector and the Techie exchanged glances with each other, and the techie placed an arm around the Informant’s shoulder.
“You did the right thing.”
And the Informant had to admit to himself that the knowledge that he had done so was a relief to know. But there was still one more thing he would have to do in order to set things right.
*************************
For the Messenger, everything seemed to be in a muddled blur. One moment, he had been chasing Patty, the next moment, he had been caught in the blizzard and somehow ended up in the coal mine, and then the Informant had come out of nowhere, and Patty tried to get him to leave. And then everything had gone dark and light and dark again… and then he vaguely recalled the Informant frantically pleading with him to “come back”… had he gone somewhere? He must’ve been out worse than he had thought. But that wasn’t nearly as surprising as the fact that the Informant wanted him to return.
And it was also a surprise when the Messenger awoke to find himself in the ACME infirmary, surrounded by several space heaters. He glanced around to see the Inspector and the Techie, along with the Recruiting Officer and the Chief.
“How did I get here…?”
“Long story short, your younger colleague found you after the Mysterious Woman alerted us to your whereabouts,” said the Chief. “You’ve been here in the infirmary for the past twenty-four hours.”
“And now that you’re awake, the annual ACME Holiday Party can get underway!” said the Recruiting Officer.
The Messenger grinned.
“Lucky I woke up in time for that…” he mused. But something was wrong, and looking around, he realized that someone was missing. “Hey… speaking of my younger colleague… where is he?”
All eyes fell upon an empty chair.
“What…?” asked the Techie. “Where did he go…!? He was right here…”
The Recruiting Officer crossed to the chair, picking up a book that had been left there.
“Wonder what this is…” he said, handing it to the Chief. “He must’ve left it here…”
She glanced at the book, a look of concern appearing on her face.
“What is it?” asked the Inspector.
“The Guide to Self-Hypnosis…” she replied, shocked. She turned to the dog-eared page, handing it to the Informant’s friends to read. “What do you make of this?”
The Techie read the page as the others looked over his shoulder.
“‘Forget the feelings of unrequited love by emotionally detaching yourself from the world around you in just twelve hours through self-hypnosis’…!?” he read, in disbelief.
“Oh, no…” the Messenger said, a pang of guilt rising in him. “I… I know what this is about…”
“I’ll bet you’re right,” said the Techie. “Has he been reading this since we came back from Pennsylvania?”
“I think so; I saw him with that book shortly after we came back yesterday…” said the Recruiting Officer. “But I didn’t know what it was…”
They all exchanged glances.
“Emotionally detaching himself…?” asked the Inspector. “He wouldn’t have just locked away his feelings for her; the side effect would’ve been sealing away all of his emotions.”
“You say he was just here?” asked the Messenger.
“Just five minutes ago…” said the Techie, in disbelief. “You know… I thought he wasn’t acting like his usual self… You don’t think it’s too late, do you!?
“It better not be,” the Messenger replied, hastening out of bed.
“Where are you going!?” asked the Inspector. “You only just recovered!”
“I’ve gotta stop Infy before he makes the most stupid mistake of his life!” he replied. “Even worse than what he’s trying to erase! You guys start the party without us; we’ll be there in just a bit!” He dashed out of the infirmary. “I hope…” he added to himself.