[Fic] Summer Camp: Holding Out - Day 27
Title: Holding Out - Part 18: Tropical Vacation
Characters: America, England, Hungary, Austria, Seychelles, France
Rating/Warnings: PG13, Sorta X-men-universe crossoverish kinda sorta except I call 'mutants' 'supers' so maybe The Incredibles crossoverish kinda sorta? Point is, some people have superpowers. And it's a pseudo-police state.
Summary: Elizaveta wins a free vacation to Seychelles, but after Arthur and Alfred have a fight, things get bad.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17
Elizaveta came home from food shopping that day full of excitement and only about half the grocery list.
“You’ll never guess what I won while out shopping today!” she grinned and continued before anyone could answer, “A free vacation to the tropical island of Seychelles! All expenses paid and everything!”
“If you wanted to take a vacation with Roderich, you could have just asked and I would have paid for it,” Arthur commented as he sipped his tea.
Both his maid and butler blushed, “W-what are you talking about, Arthur? Besides, the trip is for four people, pets too, so we can bring Iggy along too.”
Igaraptor, Iggy for short, both names Alfred’s idea, was lying on the kitchen table, content on having his ears scratched by Alfred, who was looking excited about the trip.
“A vacation sounds awesome! And a tropical vacation sounds even better! How long will it take to drive to Seychelles?”
“Geography lessons,” Roderich sighed as he turned to the next page in his paper, “When we get back, a cram session in geography.”
“Yeah fine whatever,” he waved him off, “When are we leaving?”
“Three days,” Elizaveta beamed at them until she spotted the look on Arthur’s face, “That is, unless Arthur has another idea?”
Arthur blinked as if he had just lost a thought and smiled at her, “Oh, no, I was just thinking. I’m sure we could all use a vacation, and there’s no better price then free.”
“Excellent!” she clapped in excitement, “Then you boys better start packing, because we’re on our way to Seychelles!”
+
They got off the private jet that was sent for them (and Arthur complained the whole time about how his jet was of a higher quality) and where met by a young girl around Alfred’s age.
“Hello,” she smiled, “My name’s Angelique, and I’m going to be your guide for the remainder of your time on our island.”
“We’re not tipping you,” Arthur grumbled as he got off the plane, “if that’s what you’re after. All expenses paid means all expenses paid.”
Angelique frowned and stuck her tongue out at him, “Well I wouldn’t want your money anyway Eyebrows.”
“E-eyebrows? I’ll have you know these eyebrows are a Kirkland tradition! Many inferior men have trembled before the might of-”
“They’re huge, and you’re lame,” she cut him off and turned to Elizaveta with a smile, “you must be Ms. Hedervary, our contest winner right?”
“Yes!” Elizaveta nodded, “and these are my three guests, and a cat.”
“Perfect,” Angelique clapped her hands together, “Why don’t I show you to your hotel rooms so you can get settled in before we tour the island?” she led them over to an idling car while Alfred and Roderich grabbed the bags to load them in. Arthur muttered expletives under his breath as Elizaveta followed him into the backseat of the car. Angelique sat in the passenger’s front seat and when they were done, Alfred and Roderich joined their friends in the back.
“Oh, right,” Angelique turned to face them, her brightest smile yet plastered on her face, “Welcome to Seychelles. I hope you enjoy your stay.”
+
“This room is too small,” Arthur scoffed as he paced around the suite he was sharing with Alfred, “It’s too hot while simultaneously being too cold, the beds are hard, the television only gets 100 channels, you have to pay extra for the video games-”
“You don’t even like video games,” Alfred commented from his spot on the bed, controller in hand, eyes glued to the screen, “And all expenses are paid anyway so-”
“And our tour guide!” he snapped, ignoring Alfred’s comments, “What’s with her attitude anyway?”
“Dude, you came out right off the bat and said you wouldn’t tip her,” he shrugged, still focused on his game, “I can understand if she’s a little upset at you for that.”
“I don’t see why,” he crossed his arms and stopped his pacing to glare at Alfred, who didn’t react, too focused on his game, “This is a free vacation. I shouldn’t have to pay her anything.”
“She’s doing you a service, you should tip people for services,” Alfred rolled his eyes, “Besides, it’s not like you don’t have more money then you know what to do with.”
“Exactly! It’s mine! She can earn her own!”
“She is earning her own,” he paused the game to glare at Arthur, “She’s not tour guiding for free and I’m sure tips are a big part of her income. It’s not like you actually earned your fortune anyway.”
Arthur froze, gaze steadily turning into a glare, “What do you mean by that Alfred?”
“I’m just saying you inherited it is all. You should talk down on people just because they actually have to earn money for a living.”
“I’ll have you know, I did rightfully earn my fortune. Someone has to keep it replenished for when someone else goes on spending sprees.”
“Yeah, because being born is such a feat,” Alfred rolled his eyes, “and I wouldn’t call investing actual work. Face it Arthur, you’re pretty spoiled.”
“Not nearly as spoiled as you!” he balled his hands into fists and stomped his foot on the ground, “You didn’t have to live with my parents for 10 years! You didn’t have to have a decade of ‘this is how a proper Kirkland acts’ shoved down your throat day in and day out. You didn’t have to be torn between the sheer joy of finally having them out of your life for good and being absolutely terrified of being all alone, and you, my dear Alfred, didn’t have to deal with all the accusations, the criticism that came afterwards! So excuse me if I come off as a bit spoiled, or if it doesn’t seem like I earned the right to spend my money however I please!”
Alfred balked, “Th-that’s still no reason to be rude to Angelique!”
“Fine, if that’s the way you feel, why don’t you spend your vacation time with her instead?” Arthur stormed over to the door and threw it open, “I didn't even want to come here anyway!” before he slammed it shut.
“W-well fine!” Alfred shouted after him as he picked up his controller and turned back to his game, “If you’re going to be that way, maybe I will!”
And he set about ignoring that horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.
+
Alfred did as Arthur suggested and spent the whole of the next day with Angelique. She was eager to show him around her island, the best places to fish, her favorite spots, and it was nice. It was great even, but he couldn’t help like feel that something was missing.
Of course something was missing. Arthur was missing. Alfred was starting to think that maybe he was too accusatory to him. Yeah, he shouldn’t have been so judgmental and stingy towards Angelique, Alfred was still in the right on that, but he really didn’t have to say that other stuff, considering Alfred really didn’t have to work to get to enjoy Arthur’s fortune, just show up to school class every day, some of which Arthur himself taught. It wasn’t that big a sacrifice, and Alfred was grateful for everything Arthur had done for him. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted snapping at him.
However when he went back to their hotel room, Arthur still hadn’t returned. That was alright, he probably just needed to blow of some steam; Alfred was content to wait for him to return.
The sun hitting his eyes woke him up the next morning. Alfred had a crick in his neck from sleeping in the armchair, waiting for Arthur to come home. A quick glance around the suite showed that Arthur’s bed, the mini-bar, and their complementary room-service breakfast basket was untouched, and Iggy was curled in his lap, fast asleep. He subconsciously started stroking him as his concern turned into worry that turned into panic.
Where was Arthur? Had he come back last night at all? Was he staying in Elizaveta and Roderich’s room despite the fact that there had been a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on their door since they got there? What if he was lost? What if something had happened to him? What if something happened to him, it would be all Alfred’s fault because he said those things to him and drove him away and-
Alfred stood up, knocking Iggy to the floor with a hiss. He grabbed a bagel from the breakfast basket and ran out the door, not even bothering to change from his grimy clothes from yesterday.
He had a guardian to find.
+
“Alfred!” Angelique stood up as he left his room. From the looks of things, she had been waiting out there for a while, “It’s almost eleven. Ms. Hedervary and Mr. Edelstein have already left on their own so if Mr. Kirkland isn’t joining us, it’s just you and me again today.”
“Arthur’s missing,” he said, catching her eyes and holding them, “Can you help me look for him?”
“Oh, uh,” she looked around nervously before her gaze caught Alfred’s eyes, “Yes, sure, I’ll help you find him. W-where do you think we should start?”
“Oh, well,” in all his urgency to find Arthur, he’d never actually given any thought as to where to look, “How about some place where he could be alone to think? Since he was angry, that’s probably where he went.”
“Ah, okay,” she perked up and started leading him out of the hotel, “I know several places like that.”
Angelique led him to most of the same spots she showed him yesterday, but there wasn’t a trace of Arthur anywhere. No one had seen him since yesterday. They checked pubs and bars next with similar results, much to Alfred’s disappointment, general frustration, and paranoia.
“What if he drowned?” he asked as they left the latest in a line of drinking establishments, “He can’t swim; what if he fell in the ocean and drowned and now he dead and it’s all my fault?”
“I’m, I’m sure he’s already,” Angelique placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled, “Why don’t we take a break and look for him later? He might even be back at the hotel now, wondering where you are.”
“We can’t just give up!” he stared at her with an almost manic look in his eyes, “This is Arthur we’re talking about!”
“Yeah, I know,” she crossed her arms and pouted, “And he’s not a very nice guy anyway, so-”
“But he is. He just doesn’t like leaving his house, so he can be a bit hard to deal with, but he’s…” Alfred buried his head in his hands, “He’s given me…everything. And I don’t thank him enough.”
Angelique bit her lip and squeezed his shoulder tight, “I-I’m sure he’s, fine, wherever he is.”
“But we don’t know that, not for certain. And if anything happens to him, and I can’t protect him…I’m supposed to protect people and I can’t even save him-”
“Alfred?” a new voice asked. Alfred lowered his hands and saw that Francis had just left the bar they were currently standing outside of, “I thought I heard you shouting. Is everything alright?”
“Francis!” Alfred clung to his shirt like a life preserver, “Francis, Arthur is missing! He stormed out yesterday and I haven’t seen him since then and nobody’s seen him since yesterday and he can’t swim and-”
“Calm down, Alfred,” Francis grabbed his shoulder and led him to the wall to lean against, “Tell me what happened.”
So he did. He told him about how Arthur didn’t want to go at first, but Alfred had insisted they all go together, about their fight, although he skimped on the details of what exactly was said, about how Arthur had stormed out and their search so far. As he got further into his narrative, Alfred felt the guilt build up. Angelique, meanwhile, seemed to grow nervous and twitchy.
“I see,” pondered Francis after Alfred had finished, “I’d say he’s just wandered off and is having trouble finding his way back, unless,” he turned to look at Angelique, who squealed and backed up against the wall, “Someone knows more about his location then she is letting on?”
Angelique gasped and threw her hands up in defense, “W-what are you talking about? I h-have no idea what could have happened to Mr. K-Kirkland!”
“Ma cheri,” his smile was kind, but his eyes told a different story, “It’s alright. We’re not going to blame you. Please just tell us all you know.”
Alfred glanced between the two of them, confusion written on his face, as Angelique broke down into little hiccuping sobs, “I-I’m sorry. It’s just h-he’s a Super a-and they said they j-just wanted to keep the island s-safe and they said th-they wouldn’t hurt him and-”
“Arthur’s not a Super,” Alfred’s glare turned hard as he punched the nearby wall, creating a sizable dent. The splinters and cracks spread from the epicenter as the vibrations started to settle, “I am.”
Angelique went white as a sheet as she slowly covered her mouth and backed away. Alfred removed his fist from the wall, scattering the dust everywhere as he stomped towards her. Francis held out an arm to stop him.
“Calm down Alfred,” he said, and Alfred could smell something soothing and citrusy coming off of him, “Can’t you see she’s terrified? She’s our only clue to finding him, so let her explain.”
Alfred closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, inhaling Francis’s citrus scent, before he nodded and backed off a few steps.
“Thank you, now,” he smiled at Angelique again, who seemed frozen to the spot, “Please tell us all you know about who took our Arthur?”
She too took a deep breath before launching into her story. Apparently some men, she didn’t know who they were, had told her about Arthur Kirkland, a powerful and dangerous Super who was coming to the island with some people. Since he was invited as part of a contest package, they couldn’t turn him away, but if Angelique was able to keep the others busy and didn’t ask too many questions, they could take care of him for the safety of the whole island. She would be well paid, of course, but as a result, she had no idea where they took Arthur, what they actually needed him for, or what they were doing to him.
“So call them and find out where he is!” Alfred barked once her story was finished.
“They’re the ones who contact me!” she snapped back, “Not the other way around!”
“And you don’t have any idea who they are at all? Their names, what they looked like, anything?”
Angelique thought about it for a moment, “They said they were with the Bureau, so I didn’t ask them too many questions. There were three of them, Asian, one was a head shorter than the other two, one had glasses, one had a weird curl, they all had dark hair… ” She shook her head, “That’s all I remember.”
“That’s good enough,” Francis squeezed her shoulder lightly as he smiled at her, “Thank you for helping us. Please, go home and lie down. You look like you need it.”
She nodded in agreement before saying her farewells and taking her leave.
“So, now what?” Alfred asked, “We still don’t know who they are or where they took him or-”
“Patience, Alfred,” Francis pulled out a blackberry and started typing something into it, “I know exactly who they are, and we can find where they took him quite easily. So to answer your question,” he looked up at him, mischievous grin clear on his face, “Now we find Arthur.”
Part 19
Characters: America, England, Hungary, Austria, Seychelles, France
Rating/Warnings: PG13, Sorta X-men-universe crossoverish kinda sorta except I call 'mutants' 'supers' so maybe The Incredibles crossoverish kinda sorta? Point is, some people have superpowers. And it's a pseudo-police state.
Summary: Elizaveta wins a free vacation to Seychelles, but after Arthur and Alfred have a fight, things get bad.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17
Elizaveta came home from food shopping that day full of excitement and only about half the grocery list.
“You’ll never guess what I won while out shopping today!” she grinned and continued before anyone could answer, “A free vacation to the tropical island of Seychelles! All expenses paid and everything!”
“If you wanted to take a vacation with Roderich, you could have just asked and I would have paid for it,” Arthur commented as he sipped his tea.
Both his maid and butler blushed, “W-what are you talking about, Arthur? Besides, the trip is for four people, pets too, so we can bring Iggy along too.”
Igaraptor, Iggy for short, both names Alfred’s idea, was lying on the kitchen table, content on having his ears scratched by Alfred, who was looking excited about the trip.
“A vacation sounds awesome! And a tropical vacation sounds even better! How long will it take to drive to Seychelles?”
“Geography lessons,” Roderich sighed as he turned to the next page in his paper, “When we get back, a cram session in geography.”
“Yeah fine whatever,” he waved him off, “When are we leaving?”
“Three days,” Elizaveta beamed at them until she spotted the look on Arthur’s face, “That is, unless Arthur has another idea?”
Arthur blinked as if he had just lost a thought and smiled at her, “Oh, no, I was just thinking. I’m sure we could all use a vacation, and there’s no better price then free.”
“Excellent!” she clapped in excitement, “Then you boys better start packing, because we’re on our way to Seychelles!”
+
They got off the private jet that was sent for them (and Arthur complained the whole time about how his jet was of a higher quality) and where met by a young girl around Alfred’s age.
“Hello,” she smiled, “My name’s Angelique, and I’m going to be your guide for the remainder of your time on our island.”
“We’re not tipping you,” Arthur grumbled as he got off the plane, “if that’s what you’re after. All expenses paid means all expenses paid.”
Angelique frowned and stuck her tongue out at him, “Well I wouldn’t want your money anyway Eyebrows.”
“E-eyebrows? I’ll have you know these eyebrows are a Kirkland tradition! Many inferior men have trembled before the might of-”
“They’re huge, and you’re lame,” she cut him off and turned to Elizaveta with a smile, “you must be Ms. Hedervary, our contest winner right?”
“Yes!” Elizaveta nodded, “and these are my three guests, and a cat.”
“Perfect,” Angelique clapped her hands together, “Why don’t I show you to your hotel rooms so you can get settled in before we tour the island?” she led them over to an idling car while Alfred and Roderich grabbed the bags to load them in. Arthur muttered expletives under his breath as Elizaveta followed him into the backseat of the car. Angelique sat in the passenger’s front seat and when they were done, Alfred and Roderich joined their friends in the back.
“Oh, right,” Angelique turned to face them, her brightest smile yet plastered on her face, “Welcome to Seychelles. I hope you enjoy your stay.”
+
“This room is too small,” Arthur scoffed as he paced around the suite he was sharing with Alfred, “It’s too hot while simultaneously being too cold, the beds are hard, the television only gets 100 channels, you have to pay extra for the video games-”
“You don’t even like video games,” Alfred commented from his spot on the bed, controller in hand, eyes glued to the screen, “And all expenses are paid anyway so-”
“And our tour guide!” he snapped, ignoring Alfred’s comments, “What’s with her attitude anyway?”
“Dude, you came out right off the bat and said you wouldn’t tip her,” he shrugged, still focused on his game, “I can understand if she’s a little upset at you for that.”
“I don’t see why,” he crossed his arms and stopped his pacing to glare at Alfred, who didn’t react, too focused on his game, “This is a free vacation. I shouldn’t have to pay her anything.”
“She’s doing you a service, you should tip people for services,” Alfred rolled his eyes, “Besides, it’s not like you don’t have more money then you know what to do with.”
“Exactly! It’s mine! She can earn her own!”
“She is earning her own,” he paused the game to glare at Arthur, “She’s not tour guiding for free and I’m sure tips are a big part of her income. It’s not like you actually earned your fortune anyway.”
Arthur froze, gaze steadily turning into a glare, “What do you mean by that Alfred?”
“I’m just saying you inherited it is all. You should talk down on people just because they actually have to earn money for a living.”
“I’ll have you know, I did rightfully earn my fortune. Someone has to keep it replenished for when someone else goes on spending sprees.”
“Yeah, because being born is such a feat,” Alfred rolled his eyes, “and I wouldn’t call investing actual work. Face it Arthur, you’re pretty spoiled.”
“Not nearly as spoiled as you!” he balled his hands into fists and stomped his foot on the ground, “You didn’t have to live with my parents for 10 years! You didn’t have to have a decade of ‘this is how a proper Kirkland acts’ shoved down your throat day in and day out. You didn’t have to be torn between the sheer joy of finally having them out of your life for good and being absolutely terrified of being all alone, and you, my dear Alfred, didn’t have to deal with all the accusations, the criticism that came afterwards! So excuse me if I come off as a bit spoiled, or if it doesn’t seem like I earned the right to spend my money however I please!”
Alfred balked, “Th-that’s still no reason to be rude to Angelique!”
“Fine, if that’s the way you feel, why don’t you spend your vacation time with her instead?” Arthur stormed over to the door and threw it open, “I didn't even want to come here anyway!” before he slammed it shut.
“W-well fine!” Alfred shouted after him as he picked up his controller and turned back to his game, “If you’re going to be that way, maybe I will!”
And he set about ignoring that horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.
+
Alfred did as Arthur suggested and spent the whole of the next day with Angelique. She was eager to show him around her island, the best places to fish, her favorite spots, and it was nice. It was great even, but he couldn’t help like feel that something was missing.
Of course something was missing. Arthur was missing. Alfred was starting to think that maybe he was too accusatory to him. Yeah, he shouldn’t have been so judgmental and stingy towards Angelique, Alfred was still in the right on that, but he really didn’t have to say that other stuff, considering Alfred really didn’t have to work to get to enjoy Arthur’s fortune, just show up to school class every day, some of which Arthur himself taught. It wasn’t that big a sacrifice, and Alfred was grateful for everything Arthur had done for him. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted snapping at him.
However when he went back to their hotel room, Arthur still hadn’t returned. That was alright, he probably just needed to blow of some steam; Alfred was content to wait for him to return.
The sun hitting his eyes woke him up the next morning. Alfred had a crick in his neck from sleeping in the armchair, waiting for Arthur to come home. A quick glance around the suite showed that Arthur’s bed, the mini-bar, and their complementary room-service breakfast basket was untouched, and Iggy was curled in his lap, fast asleep. He subconsciously started stroking him as his concern turned into worry that turned into panic.
Where was Arthur? Had he come back last night at all? Was he staying in Elizaveta and Roderich’s room despite the fact that there had been a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on their door since they got there? What if he was lost? What if something had happened to him? What if something happened to him, it would be all Alfred’s fault because he said those things to him and drove him away and-
Alfred stood up, knocking Iggy to the floor with a hiss. He grabbed a bagel from the breakfast basket and ran out the door, not even bothering to change from his grimy clothes from yesterday.
He had a guardian to find.
+
“Alfred!” Angelique stood up as he left his room. From the looks of things, she had been waiting out there for a while, “It’s almost eleven. Ms. Hedervary and Mr. Edelstein have already left on their own so if Mr. Kirkland isn’t joining us, it’s just you and me again today.”
“Arthur’s missing,” he said, catching her eyes and holding them, “Can you help me look for him?”
“Oh, uh,” she looked around nervously before her gaze caught Alfred’s eyes, “Yes, sure, I’ll help you find him. W-where do you think we should start?”
“Oh, well,” in all his urgency to find Arthur, he’d never actually given any thought as to where to look, “How about some place where he could be alone to think? Since he was angry, that’s probably where he went.”
“Ah, okay,” she perked up and started leading him out of the hotel, “I know several places like that.”
Angelique led him to most of the same spots she showed him yesterday, but there wasn’t a trace of Arthur anywhere. No one had seen him since yesterday. They checked pubs and bars next with similar results, much to Alfred’s disappointment, general frustration, and paranoia.
“What if he drowned?” he asked as they left the latest in a line of drinking establishments, “He can’t swim; what if he fell in the ocean and drowned and now he dead and it’s all my fault?”
“I’m, I’m sure he’s already,” Angelique placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled, “Why don’t we take a break and look for him later? He might even be back at the hotel now, wondering where you are.”
“We can’t just give up!” he stared at her with an almost manic look in his eyes, “This is Arthur we’re talking about!”
“Yeah, I know,” she crossed her arms and pouted, “And he’s not a very nice guy anyway, so-”
“But he is. He just doesn’t like leaving his house, so he can be a bit hard to deal with, but he’s…” Alfred buried his head in his hands, “He’s given me…everything. And I don’t thank him enough.”
Angelique bit her lip and squeezed his shoulder tight, “I-I’m sure he’s, fine, wherever he is.”
“But we don’t know that, not for certain. And if anything happens to him, and I can’t protect him…I’m supposed to protect people and I can’t even save him-”
“Alfred?” a new voice asked. Alfred lowered his hands and saw that Francis had just left the bar they were currently standing outside of, “I thought I heard you shouting. Is everything alright?”
“Francis!” Alfred clung to his shirt like a life preserver, “Francis, Arthur is missing! He stormed out yesterday and I haven’t seen him since then and nobody’s seen him since yesterday and he can’t swim and-”
“Calm down, Alfred,” Francis grabbed his shoulder and led him to the wall to lean against, “Tell me what happened.”
So he did. He told him about how Arthur didn’t want to go at first, but Alfred had insisted they all go together, about their fight, although he skimped on the details of what exactly was said, about how Arthur had stormed out and their search so far. As he got further into his narrative, Alfred felt the guilt build up. Angelique, meanwhile, seemed to grow nervous and twitchy.
“I see,” pondered Francis after Alfred had finished, “I’d say he’s just wandered off and is having trouble finding his way back, unless,” he turned to look at Angelique, who squealed and backed up against the wall, “Someone knows more about his location then she is letting on?”
Angelique gasped and threw her hands up in defense, “W-what are you talking about? I h-have no idea what could have happened to Mr. K-Kirkland!”
“Ma cheri,” his smile was kind, but his eyes told a different story, “It’s alright. We’re not going to blame you. Please just tell us all you know.”
Alfred glanced between the two of them, confusion written on his face, as Angelique broke down into little hiccuping sobs, “I-I’m sorry. It’s just h-he’s a Super a-and they said they j-just wanted to keep the island s-safe and they said th-they wouldn’t hurt him and-”
“Arthur’s not a Super,” Alfred’s glare turned hard as he punched the nearby wall, creating a sizable dent. The splinters and cracks spread from the epicenter as the vibrations started to settle, “I am.”
Angelique went white as a sheet as she slowly covered her mouth and backed away. Alfred removed his fist from the wall, scattering the dust everywhere as he stomped towards her. Francis held out an arm to stop him.
“Calm down Alfred,” he said, and Alfred could smell something soothing and citrusy coming off of him, “Can’t you see she’s terrified? She’s our only clue to finding him, so let her explain.”
Alfred closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, inhaling Francis’s citrus scent, before he nodded and backed off a few steps.
“Thank you, now,” he smiled at Angelique again, who seemed frozen to the spot, “Please tell us all you know about who took our Arthur?”
She too took a deep breath before launching into her story. Apparently some men, she didn’t know who they were, had told her about Arthur Kirkland, a powerful and dangerous Super who was coming to the island with some people. Since he was invited as part of a contest package, they couldn’t turn him away, but if Angelique was able to keep the others busy and didn’t ask too many questions, they could take care of him for the safety of the whole island. She would be well paid, of course, but as a result, she had no idea where they took Arthur, what they actually needed him for, or what they were doing to him.
“So call them and find out where he is!” Alfred barked once her story was finished.
“They’re the ones who contact me!” she snapped back, “Not the other way around!”
“And you don’t have any idea who they are at all? Their names, what they looked like, anything?”
Angelique thought about it for a moment, “They said they were with the Bureau, so I didn’t ask them too many questions. There were three of them, Asian, one was a head shorter than the other two, one had glasses, one had a weird curl, they all had dark hair… ” She shook her head, “That’s all I remember.”
“That’s good enough,” Francis squeezed her shoulder lightly as he smiled at her, “Thank you for helping us. Please, go home and lie down. You look like you need it.”
She nodded in agreement before saying her farewells and taking her leave.
“So, now what?” Alfred asked, “We still don’t know who they are or where they took him or-”
“Patience, Alfred,” Francis pulled out a blackberry and started typing something into it, “I know exactly who they are, and we can find where they took him quite easily. So to answer your question,” he looked up at him, mischievous grin clear on his face, “Now we find Arthur.”
Part 19