Fic
Title: Second Home by the Sea
Fandom: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Main Characters: The Informant, the Techie
Supporting Characters: The Mysterious Woman, various OCs, the Messenger, and the Inspector
Status: Complete; 1 chapter of 1 completed
Rating: PG13
Summary: For Faye. Follow-up to "Home by the Sea." The Informant and the Techie end up trying to solve a late-night mystery when the Mysterious Woman goes missing.
This story will be cross-posted to 10_hurt_comfort, 30_hugs, and the V.I.L.E. HQ fanfic forums.
Author’s note: This fic is a follow-up to my Home by the Sea fic; both this and the other fic were inspired by the Genesis song of the same name. The Casablanca Club is the creation of Lucky Ladybug, who kindly let me use it in this fic. As always, the characters aren’t mine (except for the villains) and the story is.
*****************************
The Techie was close to panicking. He was searching all around the agents’ quarters for his surrogate brother, the Informant. And when he was nowhere to be found, the Techie tore down the staircase.
He couldn’t have vanished…
“Where are you…?” he asked, glancing at the empty lounge.
He couldn’t turn to the Messenger and the Inspector for help; they weren’t even in town. Schwmephf had sent them on solo assignments, and they were due back early in the morning hours; he probably would’ve sent the Informant and the Techie, too, but the Informant was still not in the best shape to go on solo missions, and the Techie’s fury over Schwemphf’s lack of concern for the Informant during the Home by the Sea case was enough to intimidate the vice-Chief into leaving the Techie alone.
His heart in his throat, the Techie headed to ACME Ruff-net, the Informant’s black fedora in hand. The boy was not there, but Borealis, the Siberian husky, was lounging in his bed. The large canine awakened as the Techie approached, and greeted him warmly.
“Borealis… I need you to help me find the Informant,” he said, holding the fedora out to him.
The dog obligingly smelled the hat and immediately picked up the trail. The Techie followed him, hopefully, but his heart sunk as Borealis suddenly made a beeline for the kitchen.
“Borealis! You can have a snack later; right now you need to find…” The Techie trailed off, seeing the Informant asleep, on his feet, slouched against the kitchen counter in front of a sandwich that had a couple bites taken out of it.
“…There you are…” the Techie whispered, gently placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
The boy stirred, awakening. He blinked as he realized where he was, and he stared at the partly-eaten sandwich.
“I must’ve been more tired than I thought…” he said, giving the Techie with a wan smile. “But what’re you doing here… with Borealis?”
The Techie’s shoulders slouched. It all seemed so ridiculous now that the Informant was standing here so confused, but he had been so worried… the thought of losing his brother again…
“Techie…?” the Informant asked, sensing that something was very wrong.
“I thought you had disappeared…” said the Techie, looking away.
“Techie…” the boy said, hugging him.
“I know, I know…” the other said. “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions…”
The Techie just shook his head. He hadn’t been aware of how much his predicament had affected the techie; of course, he knew that the Techie had worried, but not to this extent, even after the curse had been broken and the case closed.
“I’m going to go back to bed…” the Techie mumbled. “You enjoy your snack. But don’t stay up too late; sleep will help you recover much more quickly.”
“Actually…” said the Informant. “I don’t think I want this sandwich anymore… How about you and I head to the Casablanca Club and grab a bite to eat there?”
The Techie perked up almost immediately.
“Really?” he asked.
“Why not? I’m awake, you’re awake… Seems like the most logical thing to do, doesn’t it?” he asked, with a grin. “Come on; I’m starved…”
“You think they’ll be open now?” the Techie asked, grabbing for a trenchcoat. He hardly wore one, but it was particularly cold.
“I don’t see why not; they run on a completely different time schedule… and time…” he added. He blinked as he realized the sandwich was still in his hand. With a smirk, he glanced at Borealis, who stared at the sandwich intently. With a soft chuckle, the Informant held out the sandwich to the husky, who gratefully accepted it and headed back to ACME Ruff-Net with his prize.
“Come on…” he said. “I can taste those buttered scones right now…”
“I’m feeling daring enough to try something new…” the Techie said. “Maybe something that’s been deep-fried…”
“Ooh. Walk on the wild side, eh, Bro?” the Informant grinned.
“I said maybe…” the Techie reminded him, grinning back. Everything seemed might more light-hearted now that he knew the Informant was alright.
*****************************
Dressed in similar coats and fedoras, the Informant and the Techie could’ve almost passed for twins as they headed to the Theatre District. It was a bit of a trek from TriBeCa, so they took a taxi partway up Broadway; experience had told them that even at this hour of the night, a parking place would be a rare find.
The two detectives departed their cab at 44th street, following a small alley near the Majestic Theatre to reach the club. They fit right in with the old 1940’s atmosphere of the place, and so none of the other patrons gave them a second glance. In the middle of the room, a small band was playing an old Glenn Miller hit.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been here…” the Techie said, sitting at a table. “I guess because it’s been a while since we’ve had to speak with the Mysterious Woman.”
“She normally visits us, though…” the Informant said, glancing through the menu. “Hmm…”
“Don’t eat too much; you don’t want to sleep when you’re stuffed…” the Techie said. “Hmm… I think I’ll stick with a salad after all.”
“I thought you were going to be adventurous for a change!” the Informant said.
“I am,” said the Techie. “I’m taking it with croutons and dressing instead of just oil and vinegar.”
The Informant smiled and went back to studying the menu.
“Crackers and caviar…?” he mused aloud.
“Just remember, we’re paying for this out of our own pocket…” the Techie reminded him, before he went overboard.
“Maybe some cotriade stew…” the boy decided, looking for something that could offer more food for the money he was about to shell out. “And how about French pastries for dessert…?” The Informant trailed off as a young lady walked over to their table.
“Excuse me…” she said, smiling at the Techie. “May I have this dance?”
The Techie glanced at the woman, who was all dressed up, and he went red.
“I… I can’t dance…” he mumbled.
The Informant stood up now, with a grin. The girl looked vaguely familiar; she must’ve been a frequent visitor of the Club.
“I can dance,” he said. “I’d be happy to have this dance, my lady…” He trailed off. Wait, what was he doing? He had come here to spend some quality time with his surrogate brother, not to pick up a girl!
But he was spared; she gave him a patronizing look.
“I was talking to him…” she said, coolly.
The Informant sat back down, silently as the girl frowned at him.
I probably deserved that… he decided.
But now it was the Techie’s turn to frown.
“Even if I could dance, I doubt I’d dance with anyone who just insulted my brother…” he said.
“I see…” she said, backing away. “I’m sorry I bothered you…”
The Techie let out a sigh of relief after she left.
“And I’m sorry you had to get insulted…” he said to the Informant.
But the boy shook his head.
“I’m sorry for being so quick to ask her for the dance in the first place…” he said. “I don’t even know why I did…”
“I think I know…” said the Techie. He knew his surrogate brother well. “You still feel guilty about what happened between you and Patty Larceny, so you want to prove that you can find a girlfriend who isn’t one of the enemy.”
The Informant blinked, and then turned back to the Techie with a nod. Perhaps he did feel guilty about that fiasco. The Messenger had suffered the most, but the Techie must have felt terrible to see it all unfold, too. The Inspector, too, though he would never have shown it.
“You don’t have to ask every girl you meet out on a date…” the Techie said. “When you meet the right one, you’ll know it’s her.”
“Same goes for you…” the Informant reminded him, with a smirk.
The Techie just chuckled as the waiter arrived to take their orders. Some time had gone by, and the agents had received their food and were halfway through their late-night snack when the familiar tune of a saxophone reached their ears.
The Techie paused with his fork halfway to his mouth.
“Is that the music I think I’m hearing…?” he asked.
The Informant nodded, glancing pointedly behind the Techie.
The older agent turned to see the Mysterious Woman heading towards them.
“What are you two doing here…?” she asked, though she was clearly relieved to see them. “It’s 2:00 in the morning!”
The Informant was about to put the same question to her, but the Mysterious Woman clearly seemed distraught. Dark circles under her eyes, which she had tried to cover up with makeup, revealed that she had not been getting much sleep these past few nights.
“We could say that we were hungry…” he said. “But you probably wouldn’t buy that…”
“Actually, I think I will tonight…” she said. “I’ve been hiding here for the past several nights… I haven’t been able to go anywhere or sleep peacefully…”
“What’s wrong…?” the Techie asked, concerned.
“I think I’ve been being followed for these past several days…” she said. “I can’t imagine why; I certainly take great effort into making myself scarce. For someone to be able to tail me like this, it means that they probably know who I am, and that I am affiliated with ACME. And that might mean that they might know who you are, especially if they know I’m here. It’s not safe for you here!”
“Then it wouldn’t be safe for you, either…” said the Informant. “Maybe we can help you get to somewhere safe…?”
“That might be best; you need to get back to ACME, too…” she said. “Maybe I can find a hotel in TriBeCa close to you…”
“There’s one a stone’s throw from us; it’s right near the apartment building where Mrs. Pumpkinclanger lives…” said the Techie.
“Oh, you mean that sweet old lady with the cat?” she asked. “Yes, I met her once when I was visiting ACME…”
“…Sweet may not have been the word I was thinking of,” said the Informant. “But we can discuss that later. Come on, Techie; we’ll take the rest of this food to go.” He turned back to the Mysterious Woman. “You’d better get your things together.”
She nodded.
“I’ll just get my coat; I checked it in when I came…” she said, going to claim it.
The Techie glanced back at the Informant.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“Hopefully, it’s just a secret admirer…” the Informant sighed, getting some takeout containers. “But knowing the kind of trouble we get into, there’s every chance in the world that it’s someone from V.I.L.E. intent on stopping her from giving us any more information on their whereabouts.”
“So they’re taking their cruelty to innocent people trying just to help us--” the Techie began, but he was cut off by a scream from the front of the restaurant.
“It’s her!” the Informant exclaimed, running to help the Mysterious Woman.
The Techie was right behind him, but all they found was the pale coat-check girl.
“What happened to her!?” the Informant asked.
“She took her coat back…” the girl said, trembling. “And someone came from behind her and forced her into the kitchens-there’s a secret door right there--!”
The Informant didn’t wait for her to continue; he and the Techie headed through the secret entrance to see a number of chefs gawking out the emergency exit. Just outside, the sound of a car driving away could be heard.
“Lost her…!” the Informant fumed, looking out the door in time to see the car’s taillights vanish amongst the Midtown Manhattan traffic.
“It was the weirdest thing…” a chef was saying to the Techie, who had asked what had happened. “An odd man-we’ve never seen him before-forced that lady through here; we know her very well-she’s a frequent customer…”
“He stuck that note to the stove with a magnet as he ran by…” a second chef said. “And he tossed this paper cup on the floor.”
The Informant returned to the kitchen and pulled on a pair of gloves to inspect the cup, the magnet, and the note.
“No point in wearing the gloves, really…” said a third chef. “He was wearing a pair, too.”
The Informant only gave a grunt of agreement as he frowned at the note.
“Good day, Detectives.
Let’s play a little game.
You had best play along,
To find the missing dame.”
“He’s toying with us!” the Techie exclaimed, disgusted, as he read over the Informant’s shoulder. “Wait, there’s more…”
“There are five riddles you must solve
Before the time is up.
Your first task is to figure out
How to heat this paper cup.
You have five minutes, so don’t dawdle;
You’d better solve it soon.
And one more rule you have to know:
Solve without leaving this room.”
“Terrific…” grumbled the Informant. “Where’s Batman when you need him? We’re clearly up against the Riddler!”
“What would the Riddler want with ACME…?” asked the Techie. “No… Whoever did this knows us well enough to know how much the Mysterious Woman means to us and to ACME. We can do this.”
“Speak for yourself…” sighed the Informant. “Riddles aren’t really my thing, but, thankfully, I’ve got this one figured out-we just toss the paper cup into the microwave; that’ll heat it up…” He looked around. “Let’s see… microwave… microwave…”
“We… don’t have a microwave, Sir,” said the head chef. “All of our food is made fresh.”
“There’s no way we’re getting a microwave in here in five minutes!” the Informant exclaimed. “Oh, Mama… What’re we going to do…!? A paper cup will just catch fire if we try to use a stovetop or oven…”
But the Techie smiled.
“I’ve got this one,” he said. He partially filled the paper cup that their adversary had provided with some of the ice water that the waiters carried around. He held this over the gas range with a pair of tongs and smirked. “Simple thermodynamics.”
The Informant stared dumbly at the paper cup.
“Hey… words are appearing on it…!” he exclaimed. “It must’ve been in invisible ink, and the heat activated it!”
The Techie pulled the cup away from the range to allow the Informant to read it over his shoulder.
“Come on along and listen to
The lullaby-the lamb does, too.
You’ll find the next clue not very far;
It’s in the hands of the brightest Starr.”
“Huh…?” the Informant asked. “A lamb…? Do you have sheepherders here in Manhattan?”
The Techie shook his head, at a loss this time.
“Maybe it’s another restaurant…?” he asked. “But where? And what does a lullaby have to do with it?”
“Wait…” said the Informant, his eyes suddenly widening. “Techie… Isn’t there a song that starts like that?”
The Techie blinked, and softly began to sing under his breath, “Come on along and listen to…”
“…The Lullaby of Broadway… ” the Informant finished, snapping his fingers. “Hey! And The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, too! So the next clue is on Broadway!”
“Where on Broadway, though?” asked the Techie. “Technically, we’re in the Theatre District, where most of the Broadway theatres are. But the street Broadway runs from Lower Manhattan, all the way up to the Bronx!”
“Please tell me you’re kidding…” the Informant said.
“I’m afraid not…” said the Techie. “ACME is a hop, skip, and a jump from where Broadway runs in Lower Manhattan.”
The Informant let out a whimper before regaining composure.
“At least he didn’t give us a time limit; we can just drive up and down Broadway until we find what we’re looking for… What are we looking for?”
“No; there’s another way of going about this,” said the Techie. “There’s more to the clue, which will help us narrow down our search. Now we have to think about this… What does it mean?”
“Well, he misspelled ‘star’…” the Informant observed. “And yet he knows his showtunes…”
“Come again?” the Techie asked.
“Lullaby of Broadway is from the musical adaptation of 42nd Street,” said the Informant. “It’s one of the highlights of the show--”
“Wait…! Say that again…!”
“The musical adaptation of…” the Informant trailed off. “That’s it! We have to go where Broadway intersects with 42nd Street! And that’s…”
“…Part of Times Square!” they said, in unison.
“Let’s go,” said the Techie. “It’s two streets down; we can get there in about five minutes on foot.”
The Informant nodded, running after him.
*****************************
It was the city that never slept, and so the two agents were by no means alone as they hurried to Times Square, receiving weird looks once or twice.
“Well, here we are…” said the Informant. In spite of how many times he had seen the bright lights of Times Square, he couldn’t help but get a little wide-eyed again. “According to the clue, the next riddle ‘isn’t very far’… But I don’t see any stars…”
“You wouldn’t…” said the Techie. “The famous bright lights of Manhattan make any attempt at stargazing impossible. But I don’t think we were dealing with a star at all; he took care to write ‘Starr’… What if it’s a name of a person? When you hear ‘Starr’ as a name, who comes into your mind?”
“Ringo?” the boy asked, immediately.
“Yeah, me, too…” the Techie said, with a sheepish grin. “But last time I checked, he’s still in England; I don’t think…” He trailed off, looking down 42nd Street. A large glowing sign indicated Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. And something clicked in his mind.
The Informant turned to look in the same direction the Techie was, and he blinked, too.
“You know… He didn’t say it had to be the real Ringo…” the boy said, his eyes going wide. “What floor are the Beatles figurines on?”
“I don’t know off the top of my head, but we can easily find out…” said the Techie, heading towards the museum. He paused as he sensed that the Informant wasn’t behind him. He looked back to see the boy staring back at the lights in Times Square. “You can gawk at the lights some other night.”
“I know that…” the younger agent said. “I was just thinking… We just happened to meet that day in Central Park, remember?”
“How could I forget?” the Techie replied, understanding. “And I took you here that evening. And you saw the lights for the first time and you looked… pretty much the way you do now…”
The Informant suppressed a smile.
“And then you and the others brought me here a few days after that for the New Year’s celebration…” he said.
“And you actually started asking people who was going to clean up all of the confetti…” the Techie recalled, with an amused shake of his head.
The Informant shrugged.
“It was an honest question…” the boy said, as he walked down 42nd Street.
“One that only a you would’ve asked,” the Techie said, following him to the wax museum. He placed a hand on his shoulder. “I hope that by this time you consider Manhattan your home, too.”
“Of course I do,” the Informant said, with a grin.
The Techie smiled back, but they both fell silent as they arrived at the museum
As law enforcement, he knew that they had every right to investigate it, and, indeed, the watchman let them in. As they headed up the main stairwell, which had been darkened for the night, they began to discuss the case once again.
“We got in here because we’re investigating…” said the Informant. “How did that creep plant a clue here? He must’ve done it when he was on the tour, but people would’ve seen-YAAAAAGH!”
The Informant flashlight had caught the face of a gigantic wax statue of the Incredible Hulk, leering at them from the top of the stairwell. The boy stumbled backwards into the Techie, who narrowly avoided falling over by seizing the handrail. Something fell from the Informant’s hand with a clatter, which he retrieved after recovering from the shock.
“What was that?” he asked.
“It’s the magnet the creep left in the Casablanca Club kitchen,” the Informant said, holding it out to him.
“You’re holding onto that for evidence?” the Techie asked. But then he blinked; the magnet was cylindrical and looked as though it was made of a metal that was made to look like silver. “I’ve never seen a magnet like that before…”
“I have,” said the Informant. “It’s a cow magnet.”
The Techie blinked again.
“You know, for a moment there, I thought you said it was a cow magnet…”
“I did say that; that’s exactly what it is,” the Informant said. “They have the cows swallow these, so if they consume any iron accidentally while they graze, it sticks to the magnet and doesn’t go any further down their digestive tract.”
The Techie stared at the magnet.
“Well, I’ll take your word for it…” he said, at last. He cast an uneasy glance at the Hulk statue as they walk past it.
“At least we don’t have to find the next clue in the Chamber of Horrors…” the Informant said, staring at the statue, too.
The Techie nodded in agreement
It took a little time for them to find the ‘60s wing of the museum, but they paused as they saw the four wax figures of the Beatles on a bench with their instruments. Nestled in Ringo’s hand, curled around a drum stick, was another piece of paper, which the Informant shined his flashlight on to allow them both to read it.
“Clue # 3-you’re halfway there
Head now into the witches’ lair.
Find the clue hidden in a bubble;
You have 45 minutes before there’ll be trouble.”
“You know, I have a theory…” said the Informant, staring at the paper in disgust. “Carmen loves leaving riddles like these; I bet that it was Top Grunge who took the Mysterious Woman, and he’s left the clues wherever Carmen told him to.”
“No, it couldn’t be him…” said the Techie, as he led them outside. “We’d have smelled him in the Club…”
“Oh, yeah… And the coat check girl said that it was just one man, so it couldn’t be the recalcitrant twerps…” mused the Informant. “Maybe RoboCrook?”
“No again; the magnet would’ve stuck to him and messed up his circuitry…” said the Techie.
“Good point… Well, it couldn’t be Vic or Wonder Rat; the Mysterious Woman would’ve walloped them before she’d let either one of them take her…” said the Informant. “Okay, so… Unless Lee Jordan is working for V.I.L.E. again, maybe it’s not Carmen behind this after all…”
“We’ll find out when we reach the end of the trail, I suppose…” said the Techie. “But we have to figure out where the next part of the trail is. Witches’ lair…?”
“Could be the name of a tavern or club…” the Informant mused aloud. “Bubbles could be referring to champagne; maybe the clue’s on a bottle?”
The Techie immediately began to look up such a thing, but was coming up empty.
“So much for that…” the boy sighed. “Oh, I give up. I know practically nothing about this place except the showtunes…”
“That knowledge helped us out in the last clue…” said the Techie, trying to give him some encouragement. “Maybe you can pull it off again?”
“I’m not that lucky,” the Informant said, with a wan smile. “I’d have better luck defying gravity.”
“And that wouldn’t end well…” the Techie began, and then paused. “You did it again!”
“Did what…?” the boy asked, bewildered. “All I said was--”
“Defying Gravity?” the Techie offered. “Wicked? Witches! It’s talking about Glinda’s travel bubble!”
“And the then the witches’ lair would be…” the Informant began.
“Wherever the musical is playing…” said the Techie. He pulled out his handheld computer again.
“Don’t bother with that, Bro; it’s in the Gershwin Theatre,” said the Informant. “We can get there on foot in fifteen minutes if we hurry.”
************************************
Once the detectives gained access to the Gershwin Theatre, it was, once again, a matter of time before they found the backstage area-and Glinda’s travel bubble.
“I can see the next clue…” said the Techie. “It’s on the top of the bubble, placed there by another cow magnet, by the looks of it.”
“Yep, that’s another cow magnet…” said the Informant. He glanced around, looking at something he could climb in order to reach it. “What a time to forget the levitating shoes…” he mused aloud.
“Well, we didn’t know that we would be dragged into a case like this…” said the Techie. “Here’re some crates; I can hold them steady while you climb; just be careful!”
“Right…” the boy said, clambering up the precarious stack. Prudently deciding not to look down, he kept going until he reached the paper.
The Informant was just placing the paper into his pocket, and the Techie was watching from the ground when a hand suddenly came out of nowhere, pushing him into the stack of crates. The precarious stack, of course, didn’t hold up, and it crumbled under the Informant’s feet. The boy cried out, seizing the edge of Glinda’s bubble and held on for dear life.
“Little brother!” the Techie cried out.
“I’m alright…” he said, grabbing onto a stage curtain and letting himself down with it. “What happened?”
“I don’t know…” said the Techie, relieved that the younger agent was alright. “Something… or someone… pushed me…”
“I’ll bet it’s whoever’s the one leading us on this wild goose chase…” the Informant fumed, moving to take a look behind the other props.
“Don’t…” said the Techie, seizing his arm. “There’s no telling what he’s going to do to the Mysterious Woman if we don’t play his game all the way through. We can’t risk anything happening to her.”
“So we’re letting him get away…?” the Informant asked.
The Techie sighed.
“For the moment, I don’t think we have much of a choice…” he said. “What does the next clue say?”
The Informant shined the flashlight onto the paper.
“Three riddles you’ve solved
And yet time dissolves.
Go to where you can see the bright lights-
Stay on Manhattan, yet see Brooklyn Heights.”
“No fair, it’s 4 in the morning; it’s officially too early to solve any more riddles…!” the Informant exclaimed. “I do know that showtunes aren’t going to help this time…”
“True, but this one’s simple… We need to head to one of the ports along the East River-there are a couple that are right across from Brooklyn Heights.”
“Yeah, I know that…” said the Informant. “There was a greeting card store that I went to near there that time I…” He trailed off, and the Techie froze-the Informant had been searching for a birthday card for him, and that was when he had been waylaid, and had fallen into the river…
“I should’ve been there…” the Techie said, his fist clenched. “I should’ve been there for you… to help you… You had no one. And you wouldn’t even have been out that day if it hadn’t been for me…”
“Nobody told me to get the card for you, Techie; you certainly didn’t…” said the Informant. “I’m not blaming you… And you shouldn’t blame yourself. But you’ll forgive me if from now on, you and the others get handmade cards.”
The Techie did manage a smile at this.
“I wouldn’t mind at all…” he said. “And I’m sure the others wouldn’t mind, either. There’s something so much more personal about a handmade card anyway…” He trailed off. A part of him did not want to go to the riverside-the site where so much hurt had happened… so much hurt that could’ve been prevented if only the Techie had finished that case he had been working on just an hour or two earlier…
The Techie sighed. If he was feeling like this, how must the Informant be feeling? And it seemed that the Informant was willing to go; he was already hailing a taxicab. Perhaps he just wanted to get the whole ordeal over and done with, in which case, the Techie would be with him until it was over.
“Bit of a switch…” the Informant was saying, as the cab took them down Broadway and into Lower Manhattan. “The first three clues were all in the Theatre District; why is the fourth one leading us all the way in Lower Manhattan? And where is the fifth one going to take us--Brooklyn?”
“Hopefully it won’t be too far…” sighed the Techie. “I’m looking forward to finishing this up just as much as you are.” He blinked. Great, he was starting to talk in rhymes now…
“I know… But there’s no guarantee that even if we solve all the riddles, he won’t give back the Mysterious Woman without a fight…” said the Informant. “And then who knows what we’re going to have to put up with?”
“What a misadventure, considering we only intended to have a light snack…” the Techie mused.
“Yeah… We should’ve just stuck with raiding the refrigerator…” the Informant agreed.
But the agents both knew that life at ACME was never that simple.
********************************
“I really wish the Messenger and the Inspector were here, too…” the Techie said, as they searched along the South Street Seaport. “They’d be able to help us find whatever it is we’re looking for…”
“At this rate, they’re going to be back at ACME before we are…” the Informant mused. He sighed, looking around. It was all so very eerie in the dark.
“Techie…?” the Informant asked, bringing him to the present. The girl they had met at the Casablanca Club-the one who had snubbed the Informant and had wanted to dance with the Techie-had noticed them from a shop and was now walking towards them, all smiles as she saw the Techie.
“What a coincidence, seeing you again!” she exclaimed, completely ignoring the Informant.
The younger agent good-naturedly shrugged and walked further ahead, leaving a blushing Techie behind.
“We weren’t able to be properly introduced last time…” she was saying, giving her best dazzling smile. “I’m Celaenia.”
“I… I’m… uh… I…” the Techie could feel his face getting redder and redder. “I’m…”
“It’s alright…” she said, with a smile. “Take your time; I’m in no hurry.”
“I am. In a hurry, I mean…” the Techie said. Ahead, the Informant was giving him a look of pity.
“Oh, forget about him; he can go home on his own,” she said. “How about you and me heading back to the Casablanca Club?”
“Uh… actually… I can’t… We’re… looking for something…” the Techie said. “Maybe some other time…” Though he was hoping that wouldn’t come any time soon.
“Can I give you a bit of advice, hon?” Celaenia asked. “Lose the kid; he’s ruining your style. In fact, how about you send him home and I help you find what you’re looking for?”
She was speaking loudly enough for the Informant to hear, but the boy wasn’t going to dignify that with a remark; he pressed forward, trying to find the final clue.
“Look…” said the Techie, overcoming his shyness to come to his surrogate brother’s defense. “I’m not going to ‘lose the kid,’ okay? He’s like a brother to me…”
The Techie trailed off as he saw that the Informant had suddenly frozen; the boy’s was staring at the last clue, which was taped to the door of a greeting card shop. He quickly waved the Techie over.
The Techie quickly said his goodbyes to the bewildered Celaenia and ran to catch up with the Informant, who had taken the clue from the door.
“What does it say…?” the Techie asked, reading over his shoulder. Celaenia had been instantly banished from his mind.
“The game is now coming to an end-
One more to solve to save your friend.
Head down Long Island, and she’ll soon be free.
You’ll find her waiting in the Home by the Sea.”
The Techie stared at the paper, hardly daring to believe what he was reading. Everyone knew about the Home by the Sea--there had been rumors that until sometime in the 1980s, the house had been violently haunted. And with the Techie having lived in New York all his life, it was very often repeated among youth to never go into the house. Even though the hauntings allegedly stopped no one wanted to test and see to make sure. And the Informant, though being a newcomer to New York, had received the warnings upon his arrival.
“What now?” the Informant asked.
“I don’t want you going into that house…” the Techie said, his mind racing. Who was behind this!? A good number of people probably knew about the curse on the house… What was the reasoning? Oh, it all stopped making sense the moment the Mysterious Woman was taken… Unless the man who took her was disguised, she would be able to easily identify him; why would he just let her go? No, there had to be more to it than that… This wasn’t about the Mysterious Woman at all; this was about ACME! “We’ll just go over there, and I’ll make sure that the Mysterious Woman is freed. I don't want you taking any chances.”
"But I don't want you to go in there all alone!" the Informant countered.
The Techie let out a deep sigh. Whoever was behind this was going to confront him in the house. And as much as the Techie wanted the Informant to back him up, he couldn’t bring himself to ask him to set foot in that house that carried so many risks.
“I need you to cover the outside. End of discussion," he said, firmly. It was a tone he used rarely, but the Informant knew not to dispute it any further.
"Alright," the boy said, quietly.
They spent the cab ride to Brooklyn discussing possible suspects.
“If it weren’t for the fact that Adelo is still in the ACME jailhouse, I’d have guessed it was him…” said the younger agent. “It’s his house; they call it the Adelo House, right? He’d want me going to his property just to spite me.”
“I have to say, I’ve never met someone as detestable as him…” said the Techie. “And after our run-ins with V.I.L.E., that’s probably saying a lot…”
The boy nodded in agreement.
“But like you said,” the Techie went on. “He’s locked up. But who’s to say that someone isn’t doing this for him…?”
The Informant blinked.
"We'll find out soon enough, hopefully," he said, at last.
**********************************
The house stood before them, just as imposing as it had ever been. The cab driver blinked in confusion as they pulled up to the Home by the Sea.
“You sure this is where you wanted to be dropped off?” he asked.
“Yeah,” said the Techie, paying him. “Thanks for your help.”
The Informant sighed as the befuddled cab driver drove off.
“I’ll just… wait out here…” he said, glancing nervously at the old house.
“Right…” said the older agent. “It shouldn’t take long…” I hope…
The Techie nervously opened the front door, quietly slipping inside. He could immediately hear noises coming from upstairs. Hopefully that was where the Mysterious Woman was… But if she was, then she wasn’t alone.
Swallowing hard, he headed upstairs, his heart pounding in his chest. And he only grew more nervous as he realized that he was hearing the noises coming from a room upstairs.
The Techie gently pushed the door open, and he gasped upon seeing the Mysterious Woman tied in a chair, a handkerchief around her mouth. Her eyes widened as she noticed the Techie, and she said something that was muffled by the handkerchief.
The Techie didn’t see anyone else in the room, but headed into the room before confirming it.
“Just a second; I’ll get you out of here…” he said, removing the handkerchief.
The Mysterious Woman gasped as her mouth was free.
“It’s a trap--!” she exclaimed.
But before she had barely finished speaking those words, the room’s door slammed shut. They were, indeed, trapped.
Outside, the Informant was pacing the grounds of the house, trying to ignore the sinking feeling that had crept in. He sighed, glaring at the miserable, old house, as though arguing with himself as to whether or not he should go in. What if the creep wasn’t intending to let the Mysterious Woman go without a fight? Could the Techie hold his own against him? And what if he wasn’t alone?
The Informant looked away, trying to distract himself by looking at the two cow magnets that the creep had left with some of the clues. They gleamed in his hand, unassuming and innocent.
“Cow magnets…” the Informant muttered, with a shake of his head. “What kind of wacko would use cow magnets instead of regular magnets? He’d have to be…” He trailed off, his eyes widening.
It had all been so simple-the answer had been right in front of their eyes all this time, and yet they hadn’t realized it! Cows… Cattle ranchers… Texas… The Phantom Riders case… Lysso Davis, the crooked rancher who had been running a high-tech cattle rustling operation that the Techie thwarted…
This had been personal; Davis had wanted to isolate the Techie-for revenge. That was why he had chosen the final destination as the Home by the Sea-he knew that the Techie would insist that he go in alone to keep the Informant safe! But how had he known about the rumors of the house so soon!? Oh, there was no time to ponder over that!
“Techie!” the Informant cried, running into the house. He winced, shuddering as he crossed the dark threshold.
Inside, the Techie had been just as shocked to see Davis standing by the door.
“You!?” he asked.
“Surprise, surprise…” Davis sneered. “I knew you’d show up to save your lady friend…” He glanced at the Mysterious Woman, who glared daggers at him. She had seen Davis a couple times during her trip along the Grapevine Vintage Railway, but hadn’t made the connection between him and the cattle rustling until she had heard of his arrest. Obviously, he had found out about her, and her connection to ACME. “But where’s that little feller you were solving the riddles with?” Davis asked, with a sneer. “He ran out on you, didn’t he?”
“I wanted him to be safe!” the Techie fumed, his eyes burning. “You knew the stories about this house; I didn't want to risk his well-being be coming here! And that's what you were counting on; you wanted us to separate. You knew we were a winning team!”
“Of course he did, hon,” said another familiar voice. “I tell my daddy everything.”
“Celaenia…?” the Techie blinked, seeing the same girl for the third time that night.
The Mysterious Woman glared at her, too.
“She’s his daughter; her full name is Celaenia Davis…” she said, coldly. “I saw her on the Grapevine Vintage Railway, too, just after the Rookie had come looking for you and the others. She had been carrying evidence with her-evidence that would have revealed her father to be the one behind the disappearing cattle. Unfortunately, I had no power to arrest her. And I did not hear from ACME for so long; I had been intending to return to Manhattan to tell you, but…” She shuddered. “I was told to stay away; otherwise I would find myself being investigated by EMCA.”
“On what grounds!?” the Techie asked, stunned.
“Fabricated grounds; I wouldn’t have worried if it hadn’t been what they said,” the Mysterious Woman replied. “You see, young Miss Davis works for EMCA. I was informed by Conrad Knuckle that because of how partial I am to delivering information to ACME and only ACME, he could have me investigated for withholding evidence to EMCA. I informed him that ACME is a reputable law enforcement organization. His reply is that he would have me subjected to some sort of truth serum…” She trailed off at the look on the Techie’s face.
“Is that so…?” he hissed. He glared at Celaenia. “What were you going to do? Try to get me to go on a date with you and take me to EMCA for interrogation?”
“Oh. You caught me,” she said. “But yes, EMCA has a new serum that we would like your help in testing.”
The Techie paled, but then fumed again. His eyes flared, dangerously, and Celaenia took a step back, intimidated.
“No. I have no intention of going to EMCA. But you're coming with me back to ACME!”
He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and moved to apprehend her, but Davis moved from behind him, throwing an arm around his neck and another around his torso. The Techie gritted his teeth, trying to struggle against his captor, but to no avail.
Celaenia smirked, walking up to him so that he face was an inch from his. And, just to spite him, she kissed him on the lips.
The Techie recoiled, his face burning from anger and humiliation. That was all he needed to fight back. He broke free of Davis’ grasp just as Celaenia drew out a small bottle from her pocket. The irked cattle rustler dealt him a blow on the shoulder. The Techie sunk to his knees, stars dancing in his line of vision.
“Techie!” the Mysterious Woman cried.
“Now,” Davis instructed his daughter. He pulled the Techie up by the trenchcoat collar, pulling his sleeve back.
But things began to happen at once. The door of the room suddenly flew open, slamming into Davis’ face. The devious man stumbled back, blinking in amazement to see the Informant glaring at him.
“You?” he asked, astounded.
“Me,” the boy spat. He wasn’t surprised to see Davis there at all. “Let Techie go.”
“With pleasure…” the cruel man sneered, letting the Techie drop.
“Techie…!” the Informant exclaimed, at his friend’s side.
The Techie blinked, trying to look around through the haze surrounding him. That voice… it couldn’t be…
“Techie, look at me!” the Informant pleaded.
The brunet tried, able to recognize him by voice.
“I told you to stay outside..."
“You didn’t think I’d let you face Davis alone, did you?”
But the Techie groaned, still too out of it, and the Informant glared daggers at Davis.
“What did you do to him!?” he asked, holding his surrogate brother close.
“Nothing, yet…” Celaenia said, the little bottle in her hand.
“You…?” the Informant asked. “Man, when you want to date a guy, you’ll do anything to convince him, won’t you?”
“Be careful…” said the Mysterious Woman. “She’s an EMCA agent and Davis’ daughter! And now EMCA has decided that he wants the Techie as a guinea pig for some sort of serum!”
The Informant paled. What was EMCA planning for the Techie!? Whatever it was, he couldn’t allow it to happen!
“What she says is true…” said Celaenia. “My original intent was to have a dance with him at the Casablanca Club and slip him the serum that way. But you had to complicate things, didn’t you? So Daddy thought of using this woman as the bait to send you all around the city while I tailed you to make sure you were going to the right places.”
“So you were the one who pushed Techie in the Gershwin Theatre…” the Informant scowled.
“Yes,” she admitted. “I was hoping you’d fall and wouldn’t be able to continue with the quest. Fortunately, my father and I decided that this house was the one place he'd insist that you don't follow. And it nearly worked…”
The Techie, in the meantime, was struggling to stay conscious. He had to, for his friend’s sake!
“EMCA has plans for you, too, Dying Informant…” Celaenia went on. “So maybe your insistence on showing up here is a blessing in disguise…”
“Just tell me one thing…” the Informant said, furious and frightened at the same time. “Why me? Why did he pick me!? And why does he want to pick Techie now!?”
“Conrad Knuckle hasn’t told me everything; I’m just his agent,” she sniffed. “You’re going to have to take it up with him… And you’ll be seeing him in person, even if Knuckle won’t like it; I only have the serum for this one.” She stared pointedly at the Techie. “I’ll have to take you to him myself.”
“You will not…” the Techie murmured, his will alone keeping him awake. “You will not hurt him.”
“And what can you do to stop her?” Davis asked. “You thwarting my cattle rustling operation was sheer dumb luck-you only pulled it off because you hit your fool head and thought you were one of those Riders…”
“That’s not true!” the Informant snarled, getting to his feet. “He did it because he was smarter than you were!”
“If he was so smart, he should’ve smelled a rat when he was following those riddles…” Davis replied, unfeelingly.
“Oh, we both smelled rats,” the boy informed him. “But we knew we couldn’t leave our friend with you.” He glanced at the Mysterious Woman.
“What, her?” asked Celaenia. “We don’t need her anymore.” She untied the Mysterious Woman. “You’re free to go, Ma’am. And I’m sure you know enough to keep your mouth shut as to what happened tonight.”
The Mysterious Woman glared daggers at her.
“You’d better do as she says…” the Informant said to her. “We’ll be fine. You just get back to Manhattan and… wait for us.”
“I wouldn’t bother waiting,” Celaenia said. “But go wherever you want.”
Realizing that she would probably continue to be used as a shield by these creeps if she stayed, she reluctantly left, praying for their safety.
“Well, Dying Informant?” asked Davis. “Are you going to surrender quietly? Your friend is clearly in no mood to fight.”
“I’ll fight for him…” said the Informant. “Just like he would for me if the situation was reversed.”
Davis threw a punch at him, which he blocked and countered with a kick by using a depression in the wall as a handhold.
“Daddy, leave him to me,” said Celaenia. “You need to catch the EMCA plane back to the ranch.”
“And what about that woman? What if she talks?” Davis asked.
“Don’t worry about her; she won’t talk,” she assured him. “I’ll keep an eye on her myself. Just go!”
Davis ducked out the doorway. The Informant moved to follow him, scowling, but Celaenia kicked him in the back with her stiletto heel. The boy yelped in pain, and turned to face her, but froze as she held the open bottle to his face.
“He’s supposed to get this,” she said, coldly. “But Knuckle can easily give him a second dose. And you will be there, helplessly watching as our interrogation and retraining of your friend begins. And your so-called friends are in no position to help you. They will all abandon you.”
“NEVER!”
The Techie’s enraged cry filled the room. The Informant and Celaenia looked up, stunned, just in time to see the Techie tackle the woman, pulling her and the wretched bottle away from the Informant.
“Techie--!” the Informant exclaimed
“I will never abandon him!” the Techie hissed. “And neither will the others!”
“Perhaps you should have a little drink then…” she said, bringing the bottle to the Techie’s lips now.
“Techie!” the Informant cried, as the two grappled-the Techie trying to keep the bottle away from him and Celaenia trying to bring it closer.
The cruel woman kicked the Techie in the shin. He gritted his teeth in response, but she chose that moment to tackle him while he would be off-balance. They were right by the door, and subsequently fell through it, out onto the landing, ever so dangerously close to the old wooden stairway…
“Techie!” the Informant cried again, his heart in his throat. He stepped outside to see the both of them fall. “NO!”
The Informant grabbed the Techie by the arm and braced himself. Celaenia screamed, the bottle dropping from her hand and smashing as she teetered precariously over the stairs and then falling…
The Techie glanced into the woman’s fear-filled eyes as she fell past him. Scowling, he reached, grabbing her arm and stopping her fall. She gasped, staring back at the Techie.
“Why…?” she began. “Why on earth did you--?”
“Because you’ll find that there are things I wouldn’t wish on anybody-even on someone I loathe as much as you,” the Techie shot back. “And now I’m going to say something that I’ve been wanting to say for a while now. Celaenia Davis, you’re under arrest.”
It was her turn to scowl now.
But the Informant was smiling as he pulled both of them up.
“You did good, Techie…” he said, so that only his brother could hear. “Just like I knew you would.”
And after the Techie had slipped the handcuffs on Celaenia, he looked back at the Informant and finally smiled, too.
He pulled his surrogate brother close into a hug.
“I couldn’t have done it without you, though…” he said. “But I promise… We’ll bring EMCA to justice, too; we can get more information about Knuckle and EMCA once we interrogate her. And then I’m going to put all of them away for as long as the law will allow.”
“You’re a good friend and a dear brother, Techie,” the Informant said. “I know you’ll do this. But don’t lose yourself in the process.”
The Techie drew in a deep breath. He knew exactly what the Informant meant.
“I won’t,” he promised.
*******************************
The two agents had just barely called for an ACME car when they went outside and were astounded to see one pull up in less than fifteen minutes.
“How did they get here so fast…?” The Informant wondered aloud. And then he blinked. A familiar figure was waving to them from the driver’s seat.
“Hey! Infy! Techie!” the Messenger exclaimed.
The Informant and the Techie could only stare as the Inspector got out from the front passenger seat.
“We just arrived at LaGuardia Airport…” said the Messenger, bounding out of the driver’s seat to greet his friends and glare at Celaenia. “We had an ACME car there for us in parking since they knew we’d be coming back. Well, we were driving through Brooklyn when we got a call from the Rookie.”
“The Mysterious Woman was at ACME, and she told the Rookie quite a story,” said the Inspector. “We didn’t get to hear the whole thing, but he got ahold of us and said that we needed to get to the Home by the Sea as soon as possible.”
“So…” said the Messenger, still glaring at Celaenia. “What exactly happened here? And who’s she?”
“We’ll tell you the whole story on the way home,” said the Informant. “But this young lady is an EMCA agent who tried to deliver us to Conrad Knuckle for questioning and... retraining. Drug-induced, of course.”
The Inspector and the Messenger’s expressions darkened.
“I see…” said the Messenger.
“Techie made the arrest,” the Informant added.
“Is that so…?” asked the Inspector, glancing at the Techie, who gave a nod. The Inspector and the Messenger both knew how much making the arrest would have meant to the Techie.
“Well,” said the Messenger. “You two have been running around all over New York, and the Inspector and I are both jet-lagged… How about we all head home while you tell us the whole story? And then we sleep in until noon tomorrow?”
The Informant and the Techie exchanged glances and nodded. They were both smiling once again.
Fandom: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Main Characters: The Informant, the Techie
Supporting Characters: The Mysterious Woman, various OCs, the Messenger, and the Inspector
Status: Complete; 1 chapter of 1 completed
Rating: PG13
Summary: For Faye. Follow-up to "Home by the Sea." The Informant and the Techie end up trying to solve a late-night mystery when the Mysterious Woman goes missing.
This story will be cross-posted to 10_hurt_comfort, 30_hugs, and the V.I.L.E. HQ fanfic forums.
Author’s note: This fic is a follow-up to my Home by the Sea fic; both this and the other fic were inspired by the Genesis song of the same name. The Casablanca Club is the creation of Lucky Ladybug, who kindly let me use it in this fic. As always, the characters aren’t mine (except for the villains) and the story is.
*****************************
The Techie was close to panicking. He was searching all around the agents’ quarters for his surrogate brother, the Informant. And when he was nowhere to be found, the Techie tore down the staircase.
He couldn’t have vanished…
“Where are you…?” he asked, glancing at the empty lounge.
He couldn’t turn to the Messenger and the Inspector for help; they weren’t even in town. Schwmephf had sent them on solo assignments, and they were due back early in the morning hours; he probably would’ve sent the Informant and the Techie, too, but the Informant was still not in the best shape to go on solo missions, and the Techie’s fury over Schwemphf’s lack of concern for the Informant during the Home by the Sea case was enough to intimidate the vice-Chief into leaving the Techie alone.
His heart in his throat, the Techie headed to ACME Ruff-net, the Informant’s black fedora in hand. The boy was not there, but Borealis, the Siberian husky, was lounging in his bed. The large canine awakened as the Techie approached, and greeted him warmly.
“Borealis… I need you to help me find the Informant,” he said, holding the fedora out to him.
The dog obligingly smelled the hat and immediately picked up the trail. The Techie followed him, hopefully, but his heart sunk as Borealis suddenly made a beeline for the kitchen.
“Borealis! You can have a snack later; right now you need to find…” The Techie trailed off, seeing the Informant asleep, on his feet, slouched against the kitchen counter in front of a sandwich that had a couple bites taken out of it.
“…There you are…” the Techie whispered, gently placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
The boy stirred, awakening. He blinked as he realized where he was, and he stared at the partly-eaten sandwich.
“I must’ve been more tired than I thought…” he said, giving the Techie with a wan smile. “But what’re you doing here… with Borealis?”
The Techie’s shoulders slouched. It all seemed so ridiculous now that the Informant was standing here so confused, but he had been so worried… the thought of losing his brother again…
“Techie…?” the Informant asked, sensing that something was very wrong.
“I thought you had disappeared…” said the Techie, looking away.
“Techie…” the boy said, hugging him.
“I know, I know…” the other said. “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions…”
The Techie just shook his head. He hadn’t been aware of how much his predicament had affected the techie; of course, he knew that the Techie had worried, but not to this extent, even after the curse had been broken and the case closed.
“I’m going to go back to bed…” the Techie mumbled. “You enjoy your snack. But don’t stay up too late; sleep will help you recover much more quickly.”
“Actually…” said the Informant. “I don’t think I want this sandwich anymore… How about you and I head to the Casablanca Club and grab a bite to eat there?”
The Techie perked up almost immediately.
“Really?” he asked.
“Why not? I’m awake, you’re awake… Seems like the most logical thing to do, doesn’t it?” he asked, with a grin. “Come on; I’m starved…”
“You think they’ll be open now?” the Techie asked, grabbing for a trenchcoat. He hardly wore one, but it was particularly cold.
“I don’t see why not; they run on a completely different time schedule… and time…” he added. He blinked as he realized the sandwich was still in his hand. With a smirk, he glanced at Borealis, who stared at the sandwich intently. With a soft chuckle, the Informant held out the sandwich to the husky, who gratefully accepted it and headed back to ACME Ruff-Net with his prize.
“Come on…” he said. “I can taste those buttered scones right now…”
“I’m feeling daring enough to try something new…” the Techie said. “Maybe something that’s been deep-fried…”
“Ooh. Walk on the wild side, eh, Bro?” the Informant grinned.
“I said maybe…” the Techie reminded him, grinning back. Everything seemed might more light-hearted now that he knew the Informant was alright.
*****************************
Dressed in similar coats and fedoras, the Informant and the Techie could’ve almost passed for twins as they headed to the Theatre District. It was a bit of a trek from TriBeCa, so they took a taxi partway up Broadway; experience had told them that even at this hour of the night, a parking place would be a rare find.
The two detectives departed their cab at 44th street, following a small alley near the Majestic Theatre to reach the club. They fit right in with the old 1940’s atmosphere of the place, and so none of the other patrons gave them a second glance. In the middle of the room, a small band was playing an old Glenn Miller hit.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been here…” the Techie said, sitting at a table. “I guess because it’s been a while since we’ve had to speak with the Mysterious Woman.”
“She normally visits us, though…” the Informant said, glancing through the menu. “Hmm…”
“Don’t eat too much; you don’t want to sleep when you’re stuffed…” the Techie said. “Hmm… I think I’ll stick with a salad after all.”
“I thought you were going to be adventurous for a change!” the Informant said.
“I am,” said the Techie. “I’m taking it with croutons and dressing instead of just oil and vinegar.”
The Informant smiled and went back to studying the menu.
“Crackers and caviar…?” he mused aloud.
“Just remember, we’re paying for this out of our own pocket…” the Techie reminded him, before he went overboard.
“Maybe some cotriade stew…” the boy decided, looking for something that could offer more food for the money he was about to shell out. “And how about French pastries for dessert…?” The Informant trailed off as a young lady walked over to their table.
“Excuse me…” she said, smiling at the Techie. “May I have this dance?”
The Techie glanced at the woman, who was all dressed up, and he went red.
“I… I can’t dance…” he mumbled.
The Informant stood up now, with a grin. The girl looked vaguely familiar; she must’ve been a frequent visitor of the Club.
“I can dance,” he said. “I’d be happy to have this dance, my lady…” He trailed off. Wait, what was he doing? He had come here to spend some quality time with his surrogate brother, not to pick up a girl!
But he was spared; she gave him a patronizing look.
“I was talking to him…” she said, coolly.
The Informant sat back down, silently as the girl frowned at him.
I probably deserved that… he decided.
But now it was the Techie’s turn to frown.
“Even if I could dance, I doubt I’d dance with anyone who just insulted my brother…” he said.
“I see…” she said, backing away. “I’m sorry I bothered you…”
The Techie let out a sigh of relief after she left.
“And I’m sorry you had to get insulted…” he said to the Informant.
But the boy shook his head.
“I’m sorry for being so quick to ask her for the dance in the first place…” he said. “I don’t even know why I did…”
“I think I know…” said the Techie. He knew his surrogate brother well. “You still feel guilty about what happened between you and Patty Larceny, so you want to prove that you can find a girlfriend who isn’t one of the enemy.”
The Informant blinked, and then turned back to the Techie with a nod. Perhaps he did feel guilty about that fiasco. The Messenger had suffered the most, but the Techie must have felt terrible to see it all unfold, too. The Inspector, too, though he would never have shown it.
“You don’t have to ask every girl you meet out on a date…” the Techie said. “When you meet the right one, you’ll know it’s her.”
“Same goes for you…” the Informant reminded him, with a smirk.
The Techie just chuckled as the waiter arrived to take their orders. Some time had gone by, and the agents had received their food and were halfway through their late-night snack when the familiar tune of a saxophone reached their ears.
The Techie paused with his fork halfway to his mouth.
“Is that the music I think I’m hearing…?” he asked.
The Informant nodded, glancing pointedly behind the Techie.
The older agent turned to see the Mysterious Woman heading towards them.
“What are you two doing here…?” she asked, though she was clearly relieved to see them. “It’s 2:00 in the morning!”
The Informant was about to put the same question to her, but the Mysterious Woman clearly seemed distraught. Dark circles under her eyes, which she had tried to cover up with makeup, revealed that she had not been getting much sleep these past few nights.
“We could say that we were hungry…” he said. “But you probably wouldn’t buy that…”
“Actually, I think I will tonight…” she said. “I’ve been hiding here for the past several nights… I haven’t been able to go anywhere or sleep peacefully…”
“What’s wrong…?” the Techie asked, concerned.
“I think I’ve been being followed for these past several days…” she said. “I can’t imagine why; I certainly take great effort into making myself scarce. For someone to be able to tail me like this, it means that they probably know who I am, and that I am affiliated with ACME. And that might mean that they might know who you are, especially if they know I’m here. It’s not safe for you here!”
“Then it wouldn’t be safe for you, either…” said the Informant. “Maybe we can help you get to somewhere safe…?”
“That might be best; you need to get back to ACME, too…” she said. “Maybe I can find a hotel in TriBeCa close to you…”
“There’s one a stone’s throw from us; it’s right near the apartment building where Mrs. Pumpkinclanger lives…” said the Techie.
“Oh, you mean that sweet old lady with the cat?” she asked. “Yes, I met her once when I was visiting ACME…”
“…Sweet may not have been the word I was thinking of,” said the Informant. “But we can discuss that later. Come on, Techie; we’ll take the rest of this food to go.” He turned back to the Mysterious Woman. “You’d better get your things together.”
She nodded.
“I’ll just get my coat; I checked it in when I came…” she said, going to claim it.
The Techie glanced back at the Informant.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“Hopefully, it’s just a secret admirer…” the Informant sighed, getting some takeout containers. “But knowing the kind of trouble we get into, there’s every chance in the world that it’s someone from V.I.L.E. intent on stopping her from giving us any more information on their whereabouts.”
“So they’re taking their cruelty to innocent people trying just to help us--” the Techie began, but he was cut off by a scream from the front of the restaurant.
“It’s her!” the Informant exclaimed, running to help the Mysterious Woman.
The Techie was right behind him, but all they found was the pale coat-check girl.
“What happened to her!?” the Informant asked.
“She took her coat back…” the girl said, trembling. “And someone came from behind her and forced her into the kitchens-there’s a secret door right there--!”
The Informant didn’t wait for her to continue; he and the Techie headed through the secret entrance to see a number of chefs gawking out the emergency exit. Just outside, the sound of a car driving away could be heard.
“Lost her…!” the Informant fumed, looking out the door in time to see the car’s taillights vanish amongst the Midtown Manhattan traffic.
“It was the weirdest thing…” a chef was saying to the Techie, who had asked what had happened. “An odd man-we’ve never seen him before-forced that lady through here; we know her very well-she’s a frequent customer…”
“He stuck that note to the stove with a magnet as he ran by…” a second chef said. “And he tossed this paper cup on the floor.”
The Informant returned to the kitchen and pulled on a pair of gloves to inspect the cup, the magnet, and the note.
“No point in wearing the gloves, really…” said a third chef. “He was wearing a pair, too.”
The Informant only gave a grunt of agreement as he frowned at the note.
“Good day, Detectives.
Let’s play a little game.
You had best play along,
To find the missing dame.”
“He’s toying with us!” the Techie exclaimed, disgusted, as he read over the Informant’s shoulder. “Wait, there’s more…”
“There are five riddles you must solve
Before the time is up.
Your first task is to figure out
How to heat this paper cup.
You have five minutes, so don’t dawdle;
You’d better solve it soon.
And one more rule you have to know:
Solve without leaving this room.”
“Terrific…” grumbled the Informant. “Where’s Batman when you need him? We’re clearly up against the Riddler!”
“What would the Riddler want with ACME…?” asked the Techie. “No… Whoever did this knows us well enough to know how much the Mysterious Woman means to us and to ACME. We can do this.”
“Speak for yourself…” sighed the Informant. “Riddles aren’t really my thing, but, thankfully, I’ve got this one figured out-we just toss the paper cup into the microwave; that’ll heat it up…” He looked around. “Let’s see… microwave… microwave…”
“We… don’t have a microwave, Sir,” said the head chef. “All of our food is made fresh.”
“There’s no way we’re getting a microwave in here in five minutes!” the Informant exclaimed. “Oh, Mama… What’re we going to do…!? A paper cup will just catch fire if we try to use a stovetop or oven…”
But the Techie smiled.
“I’ve got this one,” he said. He partially filled the paper cup that their adversary had provided with some of the ice water that the waiters carried around. He held this over the gas range with a pair of tongs and smirked. “Simple thermodynamics.”
The Informant stared dumbly at the paper cup.
“Hey… words are appearing on it…!” he exclaimed. “It must’ve been in invisible ink, and the heat activated it!”
The Techie pulled the cup away from the range to allow the Informant to read it over his shoulder.
“Come on along and listen to
The lullaby-the lamb does, too.
You’ll find the next clue not very far;
It’s in the hands of the brightest Starr.”
“Huh…?” the Informant asked. “A lamb…? Do you have sheepherders here in Manhattan?”
The Techie shook his head, at a loss this time.
“Maybe it’s another restaurant…?” he asked. “But where? And what does a lullaby have to do with it?”
“Wait…” said the Informant, his eyes suddenly widening. “Techie… Isn’t there a song that starts like that?”
The Techie blinked, and softly began to sing under his breath, “Come on along and listen to…”
“…The Lullaby of Broadway… ” the Informant finished, snapping his fingers. “Hey! And The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, too! So the next clue is on Broadway!”
“Where on Broadway, though?” asked the Techie. “Technically, we’re in the Theatre District, where most of the Broadway theatres are. But the street Broadway runs from Lower Manhattan, all the way up to the Bronx!”
“Please tell me you’re kidding…” the Informant said.
“I’m afraid not…” said the Techie. “ACME is a hop, skip, and a jump from where Broadway runs in Lower Manhattan.”
The Informant let out a whimper before regaining composure.
“At least he didn’t give us a time limit; we can just drive up and down Broadway until we find what we’re looking for… What are we looking for?”
“No; there’s another way of going about this,” said the Techie. “There’s more to the clue, which will help us narrow down our search. Now we have to think about this… What does it mean?”
“Well, he misspelled ‘star’…” the Informant observed. “And yet he knows his showtunes…”
“Come again?” the Techie asked.
“Lullaby of Broadway is from the musical adaptation of 42nd Street,” said the Informant. “It’s one of the highlights of the show--”
“Wait…! Say that again…!”
“The musical adaptation of…” the Informant trailed off. “That’s it! We have to go where Broadway intersects with 42nd Street! And that’s…”
“…Part of Times Square!” they said, in unison.
“Let’s go,” said the Techie. “It’s two streets down; we can get there in about five minutes on foot.”
The Informant nodded, running after him.
*****************************
It was the city that never slept, and so the two agents were by no means alone as they hurried to Times Square, receiving weird looks once or twice.
“Well, here we are…” said the Informant. In spite of how many times he had seen the bright lights of Times Square, he couldn’t help but get a little wide-eyed again. “According to the clue, the next riddle ‘isn’t very far’… But I don’t see any stars…”
“You wouldn’t…” said the Techie. “The famous bright lights of Manhattan make any attempt at stargazing impossible. But I don’t think we were dealing with a star at all; he took care to write ‘Starr’… What if it’s a name of a person? When you hear ‘Starr’ as a name, who comes into your mind?”
“Ringo?” the boy asked, immediately.
“Yeah, me, too…” the Techie said, with a sheepish grin. “But last time I checked, he’s still in England; I don’t think…” He trailed off, looking down 42nd Street. A large glowing sign indicated Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. And something clicked in his mind.
The Informant turned to look in the same direction the Techie was, and he blinked, too.
“You know… He didn’t say it had to be the real Ringo…” the boy said, his eyes going wide. “What floor are the Beatles figurines on?”
“I don’t know off the top of my head, but we can easily find out…” said the Techie, heading towards the museum. He paused as he sensed that the Informant wasn’t behind him. He looked back to see the boy staring back at the lights in Times Square. “You can gawk at the lights some other night.”
“I know that…” the younger agent said. “I was just thinking… We just happened to meet that day in Central Park, remember?”
“How could I forget?” the Techie replied, understanding. “And I took you here that evening. And you saw the lights for the first time and you looked… pretty much the way you do now…”
The Informant suppressed a smile.
“And then you and the others brought me here a few days after that for the New Year’s celebration…” he said.
“And you actually started asking people who was going to clean up all of the confetti…” the Techie recalled, with an amused shake of his head.
The Informant shrugged.
“It was an honest question…” the boy said, as he walked down 42nd Street.
“One that only a you would’ve asked,” the Techie said, following him to the wax museum. He placed a hand on his shoulder. “I hope that by this time you consider Manhattan your home, too.”
“Of course I do,” the Informant said, with a grin.
The Techie smiled back, but they both fell silent as they arrived at the museum
As law enforcement, he knew that they had every right to investigate it, and, indeed, the watchman let them in. As they headed up the main stairwell, which had been darkened for the night, they began to discuss the case once again.
“We got in here because we’re investigating…” said the Informant. “How did that creep plant a clue here? He must’ve done it when he was on the tour, but people would’ve seen-YAAAAAGH!”
The Informant flashlight had caught the face of a gigantic wax statue of the Incredible Hulk, leering at them from the top of the stairwell. The boy stumbled backwards into the Techie, who narrowly avoided falling over by seizing the handrail. Something fell from the Informant’s hand with a clatter, which he retrieved after recovering from the shock.
“What was that?” he asked.
“It’s the magnet the creep left in the Casablanca Club kitchen,” the Informant said, holding it out to him.
“You’re holding onto that for evidence?” the Techie asked. But then he blinked; the magnet was cylindrical and looked as though it was made of a metal that was made to look like silver. “I’ve never seen a magnet like that before…”
“I have,” said the Informant. “It’s a cow magnet.”
The Techie blinked again.
“You know, for a moment there, I thought you said it was a cow magnet…”
“I did say that; that’s exactly what it is,” the Informant said. “They have the cows swallow these, so if they consume any iron accidentally while they graze, it sticks to the magnet and doesn’t go any further down their digestive tract.”
The Techie stared at the magnet.
“Well, I’ll take your word for it…” he said, at last. He cast an uneasy glance at the Hulk statue as they walk past it.
“At least we don’t have to find the next clue in the Chamber of Horrors…” the Informant said, staring at the statue, too.
The Techie nodded in agreement
It took a little time for them to find the ‘60s wing of the museum, but they paused as they saw the four wax figures of the Beatles on a bench with their instruments. Nestled in Ringo’s hand, curled around a drum stick, was another piece of paper, which the Informant shined his flashlight on to allow them both to read it.
“Clue # 3-you’re halfway there
Head now into the witches’ lair.
Find the clue hidden in a bubble;
You have 45 minutes before there’ll be trouble.”
“You know, I have a theory…” said the Informant, staring at the paper in disgust. “Carmen loves leaving riddles like these; I bet that it was Top Grunge who took the Mysterious Woman, and he’s left the clues wherever Carmen told him to.”
“No, it couldn’t be him…” said the Techie, as he led them outside. “We’d have smelled him in the Club…”
“Oh, yeah… And the coat check girl said that it was just one man, so it couldn’t be the recalcitrant twerps…” mused the Informant. “Maybe RoboCrook?”
“No again; the magnet would’ve stuck to him and messed up his circuitry…” said the Techie.
“Good point… Well, it couldn’t be Vic or Wonder Rat; the Mysterious Woman would’ve walloped them before she’d let either one of them take her…” said the Informant. “Okay, so… Unless Lee Jordan is working for V.I.L.E. again, maybe it’s not Carmen behind this after all…”
“We’ll find out when we reach the end of the trail, I suppose…” said the Techie. “But we have to figure out where the next part of the trail is. Witches’ lair…?”
“Could be the name of a tavern or club…” the Informant mused aloud. “Bubbles could be referring to champagne; maybe the clue’s on a bottle?”
The Techie immediately began to look up such a thing, but was coming up empty.
“So much for that…” the boy sighed. “Oh, I give up. I know practically nothing about this place except the showtunes…”
“That knowledge helped us out in the last clue…” said the Techie, trying to give him some encouragement. “Maybe you can pull it off again?”
“I’m not that lucky,” the Informant said, with a wan smile. “I’d have better luck defying gravity.”
“And that wouldn’t end well…” the Techie began, and then paused. “You did it again!”
“Did what…?” the boy asked, bewildered. “All I said was--”
“Defying Gravity?” the Techie offered. “Wicked? Witches! It’s talking about Glinda’s travel bubble!”
“And the then the witches’ lair would be…” the Informant began.
“Wherever the musical is playing…” said the Techie. He pulled out his handheld computer again.
“Don’t bother with that, Bro; it’s in the Gershwin Theatre,” said the Informant. “We can get there on foot in fifteen minutes if we hurry.”
************************************
Once the detectives gained access to the Gershwin Theatre, it was, once again, a matter of time before they found the backstage area-and Glinda’s travel bubble.
“I can see the next clue…” said the Techie. “It’s on the top of the bubble, placed there by another cow magnet, by the looks of it.”
“Yep, that’s another cow magnet…” said the Informant. He glanced around, looking at something he could climb in order to reach it. “What a time to forget the levitating shoes…” he mused aloud.
“Well, we didn’t know that we would be dragged into a case like this…” said the Techie. “Here’re some crates; I can hold them steady while you climb; just be careful!”
“Right…” the boy said, clambering up the precarious stack. Prudently deciding not to look down, he kept going until he reached the paper.
The Informant was just placing the paper into his pocket, and the Techie was watching from the ground when a hand suddenly came out of nowhere, pushing him into the stack of crates. The precarious stack, of course, didn’t hold up, and it crumbled under the Informant’s feet. The boy cried out, seizing the edge of Glinda’s bubble and held on for dear life.
“Little brother!” the Techie cried out.
“I’m alright…” he said, grabbing onto a stage curtain and letting himself down with it. “What happened?”
“I don’t know…” said the Techie, relieved that the younger agent was alright. “Something… or someone… pushed me…”
“I’ll bet it’s whoever’s the one leading us on this wild goose chase…” the Informant fumed, moving to take a look behind the other props.
“Don’t…” said the Techie, seizing his arm. “There’s no telling what he’s going to do to the Mysterious Woman if we don’t play his game all the way through. We can’t risk anything happening to her.”
“So we’re letting him get away…?” the Informant asked.
The Techie sighed.
“For the moment, I don’t think we have much of a choice…” he said. “What does the next clue say?”
The Informant shined the flashlight onto the paper.
“Three riddles you’ve solved
And yet time dissolves.
Go to where you can see the bright lights-
Stay on Manhattan, yet see Brooklyn Heights.”
“No fair, it’s 4 in the morning; it’s officially too early to solve any more riddles…!” the Informant exclaimed. “I do know that showtunes aren’t going to help this time…”
“True, but this one’s simple… We need to head to one of the ports along the East River-there are a couple that are right across from Brooklyn Heights.”
“Yeah, I know that…” said the Informant. “There was a greeting card store that I went to near there that time I…” He trailed off, and the Techie froze-the Informant had been searching for a birthday card for him, and that was when he had been waylaid, and had fallen into the river…
“I should’ve been there…” the Techie said, his fist clenched. “I should’ve been there for you… to help you… You had no one. And you wouldn’t even have been out that day if it hadn’t been for me…”
“Nobody told me to get the card for you, Techie; you certainly didn’t…” said the Informant. “I’m not blaming you… And you shouldn’t blame yourself. But you’ll forgive me if from now on, you and the others get handmade cards.”
The Techie did manage a smile at this.
“I wouldn’t mind at all…” he said. “And I’m sure the others wouldn’t mind, either. There’s something so much more personal about a handmade card anyway…” He trailed off. A part of him did not want to go to the riverside-the site where so much hurt had happened… so much hurt that could’ve been prevented if only the Techie had finished that case he had been working on just an hour or two earlier…
The Techie sighed. If he was feeling like this, how must the Informant be feeling? And it seemed that the Informant was willing to go; he was already hailing a taxicab. Perhaps he just wanted to get the whole ordeal over and done with, in which case, the Techie would be with him until it was over.
“Bit of a switch…” the Informant was saying, as the cab took them down Broadway and into Lower Manhattan. “The first three clues were all in the Theatre District; why is the fourth one leading us all the way in Lower Manhattan? And where is the fifth one going to take us--Brooklyn?”
“Hopefully it won’t be too far…” sighed the Techie. “I’m looking forward to finishing this up just as much as you are.” He blinked. Great, he was starting to talk in rhymes now…
“I know… But there’s no guarantee that even if we solve all the riddles, he won’t give back the Mysterious Woman without a fight…” said the Informant. “And then who knows what we’re going to have to put up with?”
“What a misadventure, considering we only intended to have a light snack…” the Techie mused.
“Yeah… We should’ve just stuck with raiding the refrigerator…” the Informant agreed.
But the agents both knew that life at ACME was never that simple.
********************************
“I really wish the Messenger and the Inspector were here, too…” the Techie said, as they searched along the South Street Seaport. “They’d be able to help us find whatever it is we’re looking for…”
“At this rate, they’re going to be back at ACME before we are…” the Informant mused. He sighed, looking around. It was all so very eerie in the dark.
“Techie…?” the Informant asked, bringing him to the present. The girl they had met at the Casablanca Club-the one who had snubbed the Informant and had wanted to dance with the Techie-had noticed them from a shop and was now walking towards them, all smiles as she saw the Techie.
“What a coincidence, seeing you again!” she exclaimed, completely ignoring the Informant.
The younger agent good-naturedly shrugged and walked further ahead, leaving a blushing Techie behind.
“We weren’t able to be properly introduced last time…” she was saying, giving her best dazzling smile. “I’m Celaenia.”
“I… I’m… uh… I…” the Techie could feel his face getting redder and redder. “I’m…”
“It’s alright…” she said, with a smile. “Take your time; I’m in no hurry.”
“I am. In a hurry, I mean…” the Techie said. Ahead, the Informant was giving him a look of pity.
“Oh, forget about him; he can go home on his own,” she said. “How about you and me heading back to the Casablanca Club?”
“Uh… actually… I can’t… We’re… looking for something…” the Techie said. “Maybe some other time…” Though he was hoping that wouldn’t come any time soon.
“Can I give you a bit of advice, hon?” Celaenia asked. “Lose the kid; he’s ruining your style. In fact, how about you send him home and I help you find what you’re looking for?”
She was speaking loudly enough for the Informant to hear, but the boy wasn’t going to dignify that with a remark; he pressed forward, trying to find the final clue.
“Look…” said the Techie, overcoming his shyness to come to his surrogate brother’s defense. “I’m not going to ‘lose the kid,’ okay? He’s like a brother to me…”
The Techie trailed off as he saw that the Informant had suddenly frozen; the boy’s was staring at the last clue, which was taped to the door of a greeting card shop. He quickly waved the Techie over.
The Techie quickly said his goodbyes to the bewildered Celaenia and ran to catch up with the Informant, who had taken the clue from the door.
“What does it say…?” the Techie asked, reading over his shoulder. Celaenia had been instantly banished from his mind.
“The game is now coming to an end-
One more to solve to save your friend.
Head down Long Island, and she’ll soon be free.
You’ll find her waiting in the Home by the Sea.”
The Techie stared at the paper, hardly daring to believe what he was reading. Everyone knew about the Home by the Sea--there had been rumors that until sometime in the 1980s, the house had been violently haunted. And with the Techie having lived in New York all his life, it was very often repeated among youth to never go into the house. Even though the hauntings allegedly stopped no one wanted to test and see to make sure. And the Informant, though being a newcomer to New York, had received the warnings upon his arrival.
“What now?” the Informant asked.
“I don’t want you going into that house…” the Techie said, his mind racing. Who was behind this!? A good number of people probably knew about the curse on the house… What was the reasoning? Oh, it all stopped making sense the moment the Mysterious Woman was taken… Unless the man who took her was disguised, she would be able to easily identify him; why would he just let her go? No, there had to be more to it than that… This wasn’t about the Mysterious Woman at all; this was about ACME! “We’ll just go over there, and I’ll make sure that the Mysterious Woman is freed. I don't want you taking any chances.”
"But I don't want you to go in there all alone!" the Informant countered.
The Techie let out a deep sigh. Whoever was behind this was going to confront him in the house. And as much as the Techie wanted the Informant to back him up, he couldn’t bring himself to ask him to set foot in that house that carried so many risks.
“I need you to cover the outside. End of discussion," he said, firmly. It was a tone he used rarely, but the Informant knew not to dispute it any further.
"Alright," the boy said, quietly.
They spent the cab ride to Brooklyn discussing possible suspects.
“If it weren’t for the fact that Adelo is still in the ACME jailhouse, I’d have guessed it was him…” said the younger agent. “It’s his house; they call it the Adelo House, right? He’d want me going to his property just to spite me.”
“I have to say, I’ve never met someone as detestable as him…” said the Techie. “And after our run-ins with V.I.L.E., that’s probably saying a lot…”
The boy nodded in agreement.
“But like you said,” the Techie went on. “He’s locked up. But who’s to say that someone isn’t doing this for him…?”
The Informant blinked.
"We'll find out soon enough, hopefully," he said, at last.
**********************************
The house stood before them, just as imposing as it had ever been. The cab driver blinked in confusion as they pulled up to the Home by the Sea.
“You sure this is where you wanted to be dropped off?” he asked.
“Yeah,” said the Techie, paying him. “Thanks for your help.”
The Informant sighed as the befuddled cab driver drove off.
“I’ll just… wait out here…” he said, glancing nervously at the old house.
“Right…” said the older agent. “It shouldn’t take long…” I hope…
The Techie nervously opened the front door, quietly slipping inside. He could immediately hear noises coming from upstairs. Hopefully that was where the Mysterious Woman was… But if she was, then she wasn’t alone.
Swallowing hard, he headed upstairs, his heart pounding in his chest. And he only grew more nervous as he realized that he was hearing the noises coming from a room upstairs.
The Techie gently pushed the door open, and he gasped upon seeing the Mysterious Woman tied in a chair, a handkerchief around her mouth. Her eyes widened as she noticed the Techie, and she said something that was muffled by the handkerchief.
The Techie didn’t see anyone else in the room, but headed into the room before confirming it.
“Just a second; I’ll get you out of here…” he said, removing the handkerchief.
The Mysterious Woman gasped as her mouth was free.
“It’s a trap--!” she exclaimed.
But before she had barely finished speaking those words, the room’s door slammed shut. They were, indeed, trapped.
Outside, the Informant was pacing the grounds of the house, trying to ignore the sinking feeling that had crept in. He sighed, glaring at the miserable, old house, as though arguing with himself as to whether or not he should go in. What if the creep wasn’t intending to let the Mysterious Woman go without a fight? Could the Techie hold his own against him? And what if he wasn’t alone?
The Informant looked away, trying to distract himself by looking at the two cow magnets that the creep had left with some of the clues. They gleamed in his hand, unassuming and innocent.
“Cow magnets…” the Informant muttered, with a shake of his head. “What kind of wacko would use cow magnets instead of regular magnets? He’d have to be…” He trailed off, his eyes widening.
It had all been so simple-the answer had been right in front of their eyes all this time, and yet they hadn’t realized it! Cows… Cattle ranchers… Texas… The Phantom Riders case… Lysso Davis, the crooked rancher who had been running a high-tech cattle rustling operation that the Techie thwarted…
This had been personal; Davis had wanted to isolate the Techie-for revenge. That was why he had chosen the final destination as the Home by the Sea-he knew that the Techie would insist that he go in alone to keep the Informant safe! But how had he known about the rumors of the house so soon!? Oh, there was no time to ponder over that!
“Techie!” the Informant cried, running into the house. He winced, shuddering as he crossed the dark threshold.
Inside, the Techie had been just as shocked to see Davis standing by the door.
“You!?” he asked.
“Surprise, surprise…” Davis sneered. “I knew you’d show up to save your lady friend…” He glanced at the Mysterious Woman, who glared daggers at him. She had seen Davis a couple times during her trip along the Grapevine Vintage Railway, but hadn’t made the connection between him and the cattle rustling until she had heard of his arrest. Obviously, he had found out about her, and her connection to ACME. “But where’s that little feller you were solving the riddles with?” Davis asked, with a sneer. “He ran out on you, didn’t he?”
“I wanted him to be safe!” the Techie fumed, his eyes burning. “You knew the stories about this house; I didn't want to risk his well-being be coming here! And that's what you were counting on; you wanted us to separate. You knew we were a winning team!”
“Of course he did, hon,” said another familiar voice. “I tell my daddy everything.”
“Celaenia…?” the Techie blinked, seeing the same girl for the third time that night.
The Mysterious Woman glared at her, too.
“She’s his daughter; her full name is Celaenia Davis…” she said, coldly. “I saw her on the Grapevine Vintage Railway, too, just after the Rookie had come looking for you and the others. She had been carrying evidence with her-evidence that would have revealed her father to be the one behind the disappearing cattle. Unfortunately, I had no power to arrest her. And I did not hear from ACME for so long; I had been intending to return to Manhattan to tell you, but…” She shuddered. “I was told to stay away; otherwise I would find myself being investigated by EMCA.”
“On what grounds!?” the Techie asked, stunned.
“Fabricated grounds; I wouldn’t have worried if it hadn’t been what they said,” the Mysterious Woman replied. “You see, young Miss Davis works for EMCA. I was informed by Conrad Knuckle that because of how partial I am to delivering information to ACME and only ACME, he could have me investigated for withholding evidence to EMCA. I informed him that ACME is a reputable law enforcement organization. His reply is that he would have me subjected to some sort of truth serum…” She trailed off at the look on the Techie’s face.
“Is that so…?” he hissed. He glared at Celaenia. “What were you going to do? Try to get me to go on a date with you and take me to EMCA for interrogation?”
“Oh. You caught me,” she said. “But yes, EMCA has a new serum that we would like your help in testing.”
The Techie paled, but then fumed again. His eyes flared, dangerously, and Celaenia took a step back, intimidated.
“No. I have no intention of going to EMCA. But you're coming with me back to ACME!”
He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and moved to apprehend her, but Davis moved from behind him, throwing an arm around his neck and another around his torso. The Techie gritted his teeth, trying to struggle against his captor, but to no avail.
Celaenia smirked, walking up to him so that he face was an inch from his. And, just to spite him, she kissed him on the lips.
The Techie recoiled, his face burning from anger and humiliation. That was all he needed to fight back. He broke free of Davis’ grasp just as Celaenia drew out a small bottle from her pocket. The irked cattle rustler dealt him a blow on the shoulder. The Techie sunk to his knees, stars dancing in his line of vision.
“Techie!” the Mysterious Woman cried.
“Now,” Davis instructed his daughter. He pulled the Techie up by the trenchcoat collar, pulling his sleeve back.
But things began to happen at once. The door of the room suddenly flew open, slamming into Davis’ face. The devious man stumbled back, blinking in amazement to see the Informant glaring at him.
“You?” he asked, astounded.
“Me,” the boy spat. He wasn’t surprised to see Davis there at all. “Let Techie go.”
“With pleasure…” the cruel man sneered, letting the Techie drop.
“Techie…!” the Informant exclaimed, at his friend’s side.
The Techie blinked, trying to look around through the haze surrounding him. That voice… it couldn’t be…
“Techie, look at me!” the Informant pleaded.
The brunet tried, able to recognize him by voice.
“I told you to stay outside..."
“You didn’t think I’d let you face Davis alone, did you?”
But the Techie groaned, still too out of it, and the Informant glared daggers at Davis.
“What did you do to him!?” he asked, holding his surrogate brother close.
“Nothing, yet…” Celaenia said, the little bottle in her hand.
“You…?” the Informant asked. “Man, when you want to date a guy, you’ll do anything to convince him, won’t you?”
“Be careful…” said the Mysterious Woman. “She’s an EMCA agent and Davis’ daughter! And now EMCA has decided that he wants the Techie as a guinea pig for some sort of serum!”
The Informant paled. What was EMCA planning for the Techie!? Whatever it was, he couldn’t allow it to happen!
“What she says is true…” said Celaenia. “My original intent was to have a dance with him at the Casablanca Club and slip him the serum that way. But you had to complicate things, didn’t you? So Daddy thought of using this woman as the bait to send you all around the city while I tailed you to make sure you were going to the right places.”
“So you were the one who pushed Techie in the Gershwin Theatre…” the Informant scowled.
“Yes,” she admitted. “I was hoping you’d fall and wouldn’t be able to continue with the quest. Fortunately, my father and I decided that this house was the one place he'd insist that you don't follow. And it nearly worked…”
The Techie, in the meantime, was struggling to stay conscious. He had to, for his friend’s sake!
“EMCA has plans for you, too, Dying Informant…” Celaenia went on. “So maybe your insistence on showing up here is a blessing in disguise…”
“Just tell me one thing…” the Informant said, furious and frightened at the same time. “Why me? Why did he pick me!? And why does he want to pick Techie now!?”
“Conrad Knuckle hasn’t told me everything; I’m just his agent,” she sniffed. “You’re going to have to take it up with him… And you’ll be seeing him in person, even if Knuckle won’t like it; I only have the serum for this one.” She stared pointedly at the Techie. “I’ll have to take you to him myself.”
“You will not…” the Techie murmured, his will alone keeping him awake. “You will not hurt him.”
“And what can you do to stop her?” Davis asked. “You thwarting my cattle rustling operation was sheer dumb luck-you only pulled it off because you hit your fool head and thought you were one of those Riders…”
“That’s not true!” the Informant snarled, getting to his feet. “He did it because he was smarter than you were!”
“If he was so smart, he should’ve smelled a rat when he was following those riddles…” Davis replied, unfeelingly.
“Oh, we both smelled rats,” the boy informed him. “But we knew we couldn’t leave our friend with you.” He glanced at the Mysterious Woman.
“What, her?” asked Celaenia. “We don’t need her anymore.” She untied the Mysterious Woman. “You’re free to go, Ma’am. And I’m sure you know enough to keep your mouth shut as to what happened tonight.”
The Mysterious Woman glared daggers at her.
“You’d better do as she says…” the Informant said to her. “We’ll be fine. You just get back to Manhattan and… wait for us.”
“I wouldn’t bother waiting,” Celaenia said. “But go wherever you want.”
Realizing that she would probably continue to be used as a shield by these creeps if she stayed, she reluctantly left, praying for their safety.
“Well, Dying Informant?” asked Davis. “Are you going to surrender quietly? Your friend is clearly in no mood to fight.”
“I’ll fight for him…” said the Informant. “Just like he would for me if the situation was reversed.”
Davis threw a punch at him, which he blocked and countered with a kick by using a depression in the wall as a handhold.
“Daddy, leave him to me,” said Celaenia. “You need to catch the EMCA plane back to the ranch.”
“And what about that woman? What if she talks?” Davis asked.
“Don’t worry about her; she won’t talk,” she assured him. “I’ll keep an eye on her myself. Just go!”
Davis ducked out the doorway. The Informant moved to follow him, scowling, but Celaenia kicked him in the back with her stiletto heel. The boy yelped in pain, and turned to face her, but froze as she held the open bottle to his face.
“He’s supposed to get this,” she said, coldly. “But Knuckle can easily give him a second dose. And you will be there, helplessly watching as our interrogation and retraining of your friend begins. And your so-called friends are in no position to help you. They will all abandon you.”
“NEVER!”
The Techie’s enraged cry filled the room. The Informant and Celaenia looked up, stunned, just in time to see the Techie tackle the woman, pulling her and the wretched bottle away from the Informant.
“Techie--!” the Informant exclaimed
“I will never abandon him!” the Techie hissed. “And neither will the others!”
“Perhaps you should have a little drink then…” she said, bringing the bottle to the Techie’s lips now.
“Techie!” the Informant cried, as the two grappled-the Techie trying to keep the bottle away from him and Celaenia trying to bring it closer.
The cruel woman kicked the Techie in the shin. He gritted his teeth in response, but she chose that moment to tackle him while he would be off-balance. They were right by the door, and subsequently fell through it, out onto the landing, ever so dangerously close to the old wooden stairway…
“Techie!” the Informant cried again, his heart in his throat. He stepped outside to see the both of them fall. “NO!”
The Informant grabbed the Techie by the arm and braced himself. Celaenia screamed, the bottle dropping from her hand and smashing as she teetered precariously over the stairs and then falling…
The Techie glanced into the woman’s fear-filled eyes as she fell past him. Scowling, he reached, grabbing her arm and stopping her fall. She gasped, staring back at the Techie.
“Why…?” she began. “Why on earth did you--?”
“Because you’ll find that there are things I wouldn’t wish on anybody-even on someone I loathe as much as you,” the Techie shot back. “And now I’m going to say something that I’ve been wanting to say for a while now. Celaenia Davis, you’re under arrest.”
It was her turn to scowl now.
But the Informant was smiling as he pulled both of them up.
“You did good, Techie…” he said, so that only his brother could hear. “Just like I knew you would.”
And after the Techie had slipped the handcuffs on Celaenia, he looked back at the Informant and finally smiled, too.
He pulled his surrogate brother close into a hug.
“I couldn’t have done it without you, though…” he said. “But I promise… We’ll bring EMCA to justice, too; we can get more information about Knuckle and EMCA once we interrogate her. And then I’m going to put all of them away for as long as the law will allow.”
“You’re a good friend and a dear brother, Techie,” the Informant said. “I know you’ll do this. But don’t lose yourself in the process.”
The Techie drew in a deep breath. He knew exactly what the Informant meant.
“I won’t,” he promised.
*******************************
The two agents had just barely called for an ACME car when they went outside and were astounded to see one pull up in less than fifteen minutes.
“How did they get here so fast…?” The Informant wondered aloud. And then he blinked. A familiar figure was waving to them from the driver’s seat.
“Hey! Infy! Techie!” the Messenger exclaimed.
The Informant and the Techie could only stare as the Inspector got out from the front passenger seat.
“We just arrived at LaGuardia Airport…” said the Messenger, bounding out of the driver’s seat to greet his friends and glare at Celaenia. “We had an ACME car there for us in parking since they knew we’d be coming back. Well, we were driving through Brooklyn when we got a call from the Rookie.”
“The Mysterious Woman was at ACME, and she told the Rookie quite a story,” said the Inspector. “We didn’t get to hear the whole thing, but he got ahold of us and said that we needed to get to the Home by the Sea as soon as possible.”
“So…” said the Messenger, still glaring at Celaenia. “What exactly happened here? And who’s she?”
“We’ll tell you the whole story on the way home,” said the Informant. “But this young lady is an EMCA agent who tried to deliver us to Conrad Knuckle for questioning and... retraining. Drug-induced, of course.”
The Inspector and the Messenger’s expressions darkened.
“I see…” said the Messenger.
“Techie made the arrest,” the Informant added.
“Is that so…?” asked the Inspector, glancing at the Techie, who gave a nod. The Inspector and the Messenger both knew how much making the arrest would have meant to the Techie.
“Well,” said the Messenger. “You two have been running around all over New York, and the Inspector and I are both jet-lagged… How about we all head home while you tell us the whole story? And then we sleep in until noon tomorrow?”
The Informant and the Techie exchanged glances and nodded. They were both smiling once again.