Coffee and Criminals

An infamous mass murderer is on the loose, but it’s not that simple.

Jieqiong x Eunwoo/Im Nayoung, featuring members of Pledis Girlz/Pristin

BREAKING NEWS: This just in, Brutus Nightshade, charged with the murder of thirty-seven civilians and counting, was sighted on the London Underground tracks by commuters on the platform. The announcement for an incoming train ceased when Mr. Larry Stonewall saw a faint light from the tunnel.

“It was just a speck at first, but it started wobbling towards the platform. I walked forward, bent over the edge a bit, and when the bobbing light came closer, I saw it was a man! ‘Get off the tracks!’ I screamed, the train was about to come in. But he just laughed. Awfully creepy. So I called security over and he starts yelling, causing a panic. ‘It’s Nightshade!’ he says. I don’t do well with faces, but that name rung a bell, so I call the police and people start stampeding out of the station. We tried to keep an eye on him, and then the train comes in, nobody told it in time to stop at the previous station. Security runs on and tells the conductor, but the bloke says he sees nothing on the tracks. Got big bright lights shining down the tunnel, and nothing.”

Shortly after Mr. Stonewall’s tip-off, the police flooded the station and ushered the passengers off the train and into the main streets. The station was barred off and all incoming trains terminated service. A search was initiated for all three connecting stations as well as the tunnels. Chief Officer Fenton said they found nobody walking the tracks, despite blocking off all entrances as soon as possible. They did hear a loud disturbance echo through the tunnels, but no explosions of any sort were discovered. The tunnels remain structurally sound.

Had Nightshade disappeared into thin air, or was this a fabricated sighting? Despite criticism about Mr. Stonewall’s seemingly careless report, Chief Officer Fenton believes he is telling the truth in this time of crisis. Regardless, constant vigilance is advised for the public. Do not go out alone or at night, be aware of your surroundings, and report any suspicious activity.

We now return to your regularly scheduled—

“Good morning, how may I help you?”

Jieqiong tore her eyes away from the large screen mounted on the wall and stepped forward.

“Two medium green tea lattes. Hot.”

“Name, please?”

“Jieqiong. Thanks,” she said, handing the cashier her pre-counted money. She stepped aside to follow her cups to the barista’s station and the next customer walked forward.

“One medium hot coffee, cream and sugar. And a…”

Jieqiong looked over, sensing the awkward pause in speech. A very tall and very beautiful woman stood in front of the counter, rustling through her coat pockets for a crumpled piece of paper. The woman flattened it out and squinted at it so closely, it barely touched her nose. Jieqiong could see from afar the chicken scratch of an order. Clearly the person didn’t bother writing on the provided lines.

“Venti mocha chai macchiato, double espresso shot, vanilla froth, topped with extra whipped cream,” the woman struggled to read slowly. “And nutmeg dust.”

She sighed in relief at having survived the bump in the road of ordering that godforsaken drink. That is until she looked up to pay and saw the cashier staring back at her, jaw threatening to unhinge itself.

The woman’s shoulders drooped. “You don’t serve that, do you?…” She trailed off, slightly slurring her words dejectedly.

Adorable, Jieqiong thought. The barista fixing Jieqiong’s second latte walked briskly over to the counter.

“Not exactly, but I think I got what you mean,” he said kindly.

The woman straightened up again with a glint of hope in her eyes. Jieqiong saw the corner of her lips curl up, just barely, but enough to distinguish between satisfaction and indifference. The barista instructed the cashier on what to punch into the register before returning to finish the latte.

“Name, please?” Asked the cashier.

Jieqiong tuned out of the conversation. She was intrigued. The woman was clearly blessed in the height department. Her aura seemed mosaic in nature. She exuded maturity and calm. At the same time, Jieqiong sensed a child-like innocence and purity. It wasn’t until the woman approached her at the pick-up counter that she realized she was staring seconds longer than what was socially acceptable. Jieqiong casually ran her fingers through her hair and checked the television for news. The report from earlier scrolled across the bottom of the screen in bolded letters as the regular program played in the background.

“Shame, isn’t it?”

Jieqiong returned her attention to the woman who had spoken. “Pardon?” She said.

“That Nightshade fellow. Been hearing stories all over London about his misdoings,” said the woman.

“‘Misdoings’ is quite the euphemism,” Jieqiong scoffed. “It’s much more descriptive to call them what they are. Mass murders and cold-blooded killings.” She realized belatedly that she might have sounded a bit too passionate about this subject in front of a stranger.

“And he makes a point to be very public about it. It’s not just about him, it’s about people knowing what he’s done.” The woman seemed to share Jieqiong’s sentiments judging by the small grimace marring her features and the slightest spitting undertone concealed by her casual, uninterested voice.

Jieqiong couldn’t help noticing the tickle in her brain. To anyone else, the woman had merely stated a common conclusion. Makes sense, they would think and go on their merry way. The odd thing was that most people wouldn’t make that conclusion in the first place. Nobody thinks about crimes below the surface. Nobody ever asks why. Well, nobody except…

“Yes, he does…”Jieqiong eyed the woman suspiciously. “You seem fairly interested in this. Have you been following the news closely?”

“Well, yeah. He’s all over the Daily Pr—” Nayoung stopped talking abruptly. Her eyes widened ever so slightly.

Jieqiong narrowed her eyes in response. But before she could ask anything else, her name was called at the pick-up counter.

“Two green lattes for Jieqiong? Have a good day!”

Jieqiong thanked the barista but didn’t pick up the cups. Instead, she placed her bag on the counter and pulled out a crisp white card with the number of an anonymous hotline printed neatly on the front.

“You don’t have to do anything, but please,” Jieqiong leaned in closer, “if you have any information, please contact his number. Even the smallest details are important.”

The woman hesitated, then took the card and put it directly into her pocket without a glance. “Thank you, Jieqiong was it? I’ll keep my eyes peeled and my ears open,” she said politely.

“Wonderful, Miss…?”

“Im. Im Nayoung. I mean I’m Nayoung. Well, I’m Im Nayoung. Or Nayoung Im. I— um, just Nayoung is fine…” Said the woman, scratching her reddening nape.

Simply adorable. Jieqiong cracked a smile on this bleary morning and let out a weak chuckle, her wariness of Nayoung fading immediately. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Nayoung. I’ll see you around.”

Jieqiong grabbed the two green tea lattes and walked out the door, traveling three blocks down the main road.

“Coffee,” Eunwoo groaned with relish, nearly tackling Jieqiong as soon as she walked through the station doors.

“Calm down, you look like a crack addict,” Jieqiong sneered.

Eunwoo grumbled but brightened up once she took a sip of her beloved latte. She followed Jieqiong to the offices in the back and plopped down in her cushioned chair.

“Morning,” their cubicle-mates chimed in unison.

“Morning, Sungyeon. Morning, Kyla,” greeted Jieqiong. “Did you see the news yet?”

“Yeah, sighting on the Underground,” answered Sungyeon, drumming two pens on her leg, one with a pineapple cap and the other shaped like an apple.

Kyla swiveled her chair around. “It’s weird. It’s like he’s letting himself be seen to ensure he’s still relevant despite no reports of attacks for the past month.”

“Always the same pattern. Civilian sighting, he’s calm as a statue, then poof! Disappears into thin air without a trace. No sign of entering nor leaving the scene. Nothing. Zilch. He’s there, then he’s gone,” finished Eunwoo, rifling through the new files on her desk with her latte clutched tightly in her left hand. “Here.”

Jieqiong took the folder shoved into her hands, scanning the papers for information. “Profile analysis complete, ready for press release. Forensics found residue at two sites, soil samples show the he was… Halfway across the country?”

“Too big of an area, we don’t have the resources to efficiently scan all of London to the countryside,” Sungyeon said dully.

“A villain doesn’t have the ‘luxury’ of legal procedures and paperwork,” sighed Kyla.

Jieqiong turned to the most recent forms. “We got a warrant to search a potential accomplice’s residence. Eunwoo, we’re taking a trip.”

“Suit up!” Eunwoo shouted dramatically, raising her green tea latte like the Olympic torch.

“We don’t have suits. Stop lollygagging and get moving,” said Jieqiong sternly, smacking Eunwoo on the back of the head with the folder as she walked past.

“See you later!” Sungyeon and Kyla waved at the pair.

~|~|~|~

“Mr. Ralph Tyranno, are you home?” Jieqiong banged on the apartment door. “Mr. Tyranno, we are detectives with the London Police. We have a search warrant for your home. You are ordered to open the door now.”

A minute of silence passed. Getting impatient, Jieqiong moved to knock again. Eunwoo’s eyes widened and her hand flew up to grab Jieqiong’s arm, fist an inch away from the splintered old wood. Eunwoo held a finger up to her lips and mouthed “listen.” Not daring to breathe, they carefully leaned closer to the door, ears straining for any sound from within.

Creak!

Eunwoo and Jieqiong simultaneously stepped back and pulled out a gun from their concealed holsters. Eunwoo twisted her body and kicked her solid-heeled boot at the door near the knob. With a loud bang, the door swung open so forcefully that it rebounded off the wall inside. Jieqiong rushed in, gun raised, eyes flitting everywhere. Eunwoo followed soon after with her back to Jieqiong’s. They moved quickly and quietly around the sofa and tables. Checking the wide-open kitchen, they found no one. Eunwoo swept through the cupboards and pantry while Jieqiong kept alert at the entryway. At the clear signal, they moved toward the bedroom with Jieqiong in the lead. A swift kick at the door opened it effortlessly.

“The bastard’s escaped!” Jieqiong shouted, gun still pointed at the open window, its curtains flowing mockingly in the breeze.

Eunwoo side-stepped into the adjoining bathroom. “Clear,” she confirmed.

Jieqiong rushed forward to peer out the window. The fire escape ladder was pulled down to the ground. She punched the windowsill in frustration.

“There’s no point in trying to track him down with only us two, he could be anywhere. Nightshade and his companions have a knack for disappearing on the spot. Come on, let’s search the place,” suggested Eunwoo as she moved toward the dresser.

Jieqiong examined the desk, papers sprawled everywhere. “Were they planning a heist of some sort?” She pulled out a pocket camera and took a few pictures of the desk and drawings in situ.

“Doesn’t fit his character. Power-hungry maybe, but not for riches. He doesn’t steal, he kills,” replied Eunwoo. “What on earth are these?” She muttered to herself, pulling out a drawer filled with various bottles and packages of plants, powders, and crystals. A flash from her own camera illuminated the room.

“Wait, look at these closely. Schematics, all detailed as if he was an architect. You don’t worry about exits and entrances or guards unless you’re breaking into somewhere.” Jieqiong walked over to Eunwoo with the large blueprints spread out.

“Diagon Alley. The Ministry,” Eunwoo read aloud, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Those look nothing like any of our governmental buildings. Are these even legitimate? To the best of my knowledge, there are no major renovations going on.”

Jieqiong shrugged. “What are those?” She nodded at the strange substances Eunwoo placed on top of the dresser.

“No idea, can’t recognize any of them. My first guess would be drug dealings, but I’ve never seen any drugs like these. It’s so old-fashioned with all these bottles and purified liquids. But these,” she gestured at the dry packages, “look like ingredients. Medicinal if anything. This might be powder, but it’s not . And again, not really fitting for Nightshade’s character.”

“Maybe they use them to kidnap and confuse hostages. It’s not uncommon to use drugs in clubs on unsuspecting victims. We’ll take it back for Forensics to look over,” said Jieqiong.

Eunwoo nodded and left to retrieve a storage box from their car parked on the street. Jieqiong flinched when Eunwoo presumably bumped into a large piece of furniture in her haste to get downstairs. Jieqiong paused at the unusually gruff “ouch” from the living room. Eunwoo soon assured her in a much higher tone that she was alright and would be back in a jiffy.

While waiting for her partner, Jieqiong walked into the bathroom, examining the small space. It was clean but felt oddly detached. Bending over the edge of the bathtub, she turned the faucets. They creaked and squeaked, but no water flowed out. The bottom of the tub was dry as bone. The toilet bowl to the left was empty of water as well. She took a small square of toilet paper and lifted the lid of the tank. No water. Straightening up, she turned and opened the cabinet behind the mirror. Nothing. Not even a razor or toothbrush in sight.

“A non-functional bathroom. A kitchen with a barren pantry save for the food already on the open counter and barely any dish-ware. What’s the point of buying a place downtown and not living in it?” She pondered. “Unless it was a safe house. Or a center of operation out of the public eye and close to the city. Convenient but temporary.”

Jieqiong stopped speaking to herself, but still heard someone whispering in the background. She slowly closed the mirror cabinet and noticed something move in the corner. The reflection of the bedroom door in the background displayed a shadow on its bottom edge, at the perfect angle from where the living room was. It flickered and had an orange glow. Like fire, Jieqiong thought. She pulled her gun out of its holster again and side-stepped along the wall.

“Master, they’re here! They found the drawings of the Ministry. No, no, there’s nothing else here. Just healing— What? Yes, Master, but— I know, but—”

Jieqiong didn’t just hear one man, she heard two. Did they sneak in through the open front door? But they sound like the inhabitants of this apartment. Bracing herself for the confrontation, she placed one foot out of the room.

“Can you help me with the box? This ‘steel-reinforced’ stuff doesn’t help when there’s no elevator in this place!” Eunwoo hollered up the empty stairs, her panting reverberating off the walls.

No! Jieqiong mentally shouted and panicked. She rushed out into the living room with her gun cocked and poised. There was a blinding flash in the room and a deafening crack. Thinking a bomb had gone off, Jieqiong dove sideways back into the bedroom and shielded her head with her arms.

“What the bloody hell was that?!” She heard Eunwoo cry, followed by her heavy stomping up the wooden stairs.

Realizing no debris had covered the area, Jieqiong pushed herself off the floor and ran into the living room. She strained her arm muscles, keeping them steady as she pointed her gun toward the living room. In the doorway to the apartment stood Eunwoo mirroring Jieqiong’s stance with her own gun held high. They lowered their weapons in sync and looked around the room. Nothing had exploded and there was nobody except the two of them.

“Christ, are you alright?” Eunwoo sighed, striding over to Jieqiong’s side and inspecting her closely.

“I’m fine. Did you see anyone outside? In the corridor? On the stairs?” Fired off Jieqiong.

“No, nobody passed me. I would’ve known if they ran up the stairs too. There’s a clear view of the other landings from a floor above and below. Why, did you see someone?“

“I heard them. They were right here in the living room, speaking.”

“Tyranno and Nightshade?” Eunwoo gasped.

“Most likely, but they’re gone without a trace. I didn’t see them, nor did you.”

“We can’t tell anyone that without sounding like lunatics or incompetent detectives. Probably both,” said Eunwoo quietly.

Jieqiong couldn’t fathom the situation. She had to find something, something solid and indisputable. She briskly walked over to the fireplace and examined every inch of it.

“What are you doing?” Asked Eunwoo.

“Fire. Shadows. Light. Not an explosion, it was fire,” muttered Jieqiong.

“Uh…” Eunwoo looked at her apprehensively. She wondered if Jieqiong’s head was okay, but the girl was one of the more collected members of their squad. “Anything I can do to help?”

“This fireplace. Put your hand here.” Jieqiong dragged Eunwoo down by the arm and pulled her hand into the fireplace, hovering it over the ashes.

“It’s warm,” Eunwoo said in surprise. She moved her hand further in. “But not in the center? How is that possible?”

“It’s not,” said Jieqiong, straightening up. She visually scanned the mantel and stared hard at the right corner.

Eunwoo stood up and followed her line of vision. “What is this? Powder? Residue? There’s a perfect circle embedded…” She trailed off.

“There was an urn on top of that shelf before.”

“How do you know?”

Jieqiong met Eunwoo’s eyes directly. “I saw an urn on the mantel when we came into the apartment. Its surface was so polished and shiny, I almost shot it before realizing the reflection was just me moving through the doorway.”

“How did two people manage to come into the apartment, have a meeting, steal something, and disappear without either of us noticing? We blocked the only exits!” Eunwoo exclaimed, ruffling her hair in frustration.

Jieqiong shook her head in disbelief and walked away to survey the apartment again. She must have missed something, anything. As she paced around, she failed to notice Eunwoo’s shocked expression.

“Did… Did you just walk through that area where a coffee table used to be? The one I bumped into earlier? Where did it go?” Eunwoo said

She frantically looked around for the missing piece of furniture. Upon closer inspection, she saw large muddy stains characterized by zigzagging tread where two of the table legs should be. Two oddly patterned imprints were preserved in the soft tufts of the carpet in place of the other legs. The centers of the imprints were round and deep, the furry carpet matted and squished under the weight of something. Eunwoo thought the table legs were much skinner though. She then noticed each rounded design had five small dots around it, four evenly spaced from the center and the one closest to the other imprint was at half the distance as the other dots. Eunwoo randomly thought of bear paws. But bears weren’t normally found in London apartments. Nor did their hind paws have tread. But shoes do, she thought.

Jieqiong, on the other hand, hadn’t heard her. The senior detective froze mid-step in her search just outside the bedroom doorway. “The urn wasn’t the only thing taken,” she said grimly.

Confused at Jieqiong’s sudden change in demeanor, Eunwoo strode to her side and followed her line of sight. The blueprints and bottles that littered the bedroom were missing.

“Jieqiong! Eunwoo!”

Sungyeon and Kyla slammed their car doors shut and walked over to the two senior detectives standing outside the building. Soon after, three more cars and a small truck parked in the street. Officers lined the end of the block with tape, barring entrance to and from the main street.

“What happened? It was supposed to be a quick interview and search,” questioned Kyla, voice raised over the sirens.

When everyone had gathered around, Jieqiong and Eunwoo explained what had occurred half an hour prior. Once briefed, the officers began combing the complex up and down while the forensics team went to collect evidence from the scene. Eunwoo followed one of the members inside, her request to test the residue left on the mantel and dresser drawers fading as she climbed up.

The hustle and bustle of the investigation was exhausting and stifling. Jieqiong walked to the end of the block. The officer patrolling the area nodded as he let her past the weak barricade. She breathed in deeply, letting the afternoon sun warm her face. The cars rushing by and the shoppers walking the streets made for calming background noise.

“Bad morning?” A soft voice broke through the peace.

Jieqiong turned her head to the right, surprised to see the woman standing next to her. “Nayoung?”

Nayoung smiled softly and offered one of her coffee cups to Jieqiong, the shop’s familiar name printed on the cardboard hot drink sleeve.

“No, I couldn’t. Isn’t it for a friend of yours? The one with the really long order?” Asked Jieqiong.

Nayoung laughed. “It was supposed to be, but I guess the afternoon staff didn’t want to deal with it. They gave me a green tea latte instead. My friend isn’t too fond of it.”

“Oh, um, thank you then,” said Jieqiong, carefully taking the hot drink from the woman. Taking a sip, she felt the warm liquid course down , spreading calm throughout her veins.

“So what’s the party for?” Nayoung gestured to the police tape and flashing lights of the cars.

“Just a break-in of sorts,” Jieqiong lied, feeling guilty about repaying her coffee debt in such a way.

Nayoung leaned down slightly and whispered in Jieqiong’s ear. “Nightshade?”

Jieqiong tensed at the correct guess and turned her head to look up at Nayoung. Then her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Just because I asked her about it this morning?, thought Jieqiong.

“Don’t be alarmed. I swear I’m not part of it,” Nayoung held her hands up in mock surrender, one of them holding her own drink. “But if anything happens, the first thing people usually ask is if it involved Nightshade. I won’t tell, leaking information to the press isn’t my area of expertise.”

Jieqiong considered her for a moment. Nayoung sounded genuine and kind, not the least bit threatening. Yet there was something about her tone that bothered Jieqiong. There was a certain change. When the woman offered her coffee, her voice sounded completely casual, even reminiscent of childlike innocence. Once she brought up Nightshade, it was still soft but had a particular confidence about it. Her tone felt like it had a backbone. Her words were solid and purposeful, a bit more articulated. She knows something. She’s fishing for information. Maybe not for the press, but for someone. And that’s dangerous, Jieqiong concluded.

“We’re not sure yet,” said Jieqiong. “Like you said, most people will jump to conclusions. We can’t afford to do that though. This could be Nightshade’s work or an isolated event. That’s what investigations are for.”

Nayoung knew the matter was no longer open for discussion.

“What were you doing in the area? Do you work here? I mean the coffee’s good, but it’s not fantastic,” Jieqiong laughed and changed the subject.

Her laughter died when she saw the serious look on Nayoung’s face. Her rounded jaw was clenched tight, her small mouth pressed into a thin line. Her long, slender fingers gripped her coffee so tightly, Jieqiong thought it would spew out of the top any second. Nayoung finally decided to respond but they were interrupted.

“Detective Zhou, they’re calling for you,” said an officer.

“I’ll be right there,” Jieqiong responded. The officer nodded and walked back to the apartment. She turned to Nayoung. “Well, it was nice meeting you again. Thanks for the coffee, by the way, I really needed it.”

“Any time. Good luck with the case.”

Nayoung waved awkwardly as Jieqiong stepped around the corner, then shifted her gaze to a store across the street. Through the squeegeed window dripping with suds, a young woman with wavy black hair looked up from the cooking utensil display. They locked eyes before giving a single nod. Nayoung walked down the street and disappeared into the nearest alleyway. The other woman exited the store, crossed the road, and followed Nayoung behind the row of residential buildings.

~|~|~|~

“Kyla, what’s your position?”

“We’re coming in northbound.”

“We’re four blocks east. Update on the situation?”

“The officers on site have evacuated everyone and have blocked off access. Three casualties, injured but no deaths. They were rushed to the hospital immediately.”

“What about the team? Any progress?”

“From what we’ve heard, nothing found. They’re raking over it a second time—”

“Eunwoo! Watch out!”

Jieqiong braced herself, one hand clutching the radio transceiver, the other shooting up for the handle attached above her window. The car swerved violently and screeched to a stop in the middle of an abandoned road.

Eunwoo looked wildly around. “What?! We’re in a hurry! What if Nightshade’s hiding in a nearby building?! He could be escaping!”

“That doesn’t mean you can recklessly mow down civilians!” Jieqiong yelled back. But taking a second glance, the place looked deserted.

“There’e no one here! The road was closed seven blocks back!” Eunwoo shouted, stomping on the accelerator impatiently.

“I swear I saw someone standing in the middle of the street. We would’ve run them over with how fast we were going,” said Jieqiong. She glossed over exactly who she thought she saw.

“This is a stressful situation, everything’s chaotic, you’re bound to see things that aren’t there. Let’s just refocus and sweep the area,” breathed Eunwoo as she pulled the car up behind the row of bulletproof trucks.

An officer came running up to them as they stepped out.

“The bomb squad is doing a second sweep of the southeast quarter. If they find nothing, the area is clean,” he reported.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Time for quick thinking,” said Jieqiong, initiating their routine of bouncing ideas back and forth. “Angle of the marks?”

“Suggests the origin of the explosion was in between the two buildings, projecting further in and away from the street,” finished Eunwoo. “Odd if he wanted to harm civilians.”

“Bookstore is damaged, shaken up badly. Books are strewn everywhere and the display window is cracked, extending to the brick and foundation,” continued Jieqiong.

“The record store on the other side is intact. Explosive was placed closer to the bookstore then.”

“Assuming a distant signal trigger, maybe a kilometer radius?”

“This is a business area, but residential streets aren’t far.”

“He’d want to see the destruction, witness it in person.”

“But nothing is actually blown up. And invading a house is more trouble than it’s worth.”

“A bombing requires intensive planning for a minute’s worth of action. Implementation, performance, escape. It has to be premeditated.”

“There’s a border ‘round back of the alley.”

“Explosion’s nearly in front of the gate. Was he trying to break through?”

“Normal people would just jump over. Besides it’s just a normal alley, isn’t it? There are other ways,” Eunwoo said dismissively.

“But Nightshade isn’t a normal fellow. So what if this isn’t a normal alley?” Pondered Jieqiong.

Eunwoo looked at her profile suspiciously, but let it go. Jieqiong was always much more attuned to details than her so perhaps she was onto something. At Jieqiong’s insistence, Eunwoo followed her partner to inspect the alley more closely. They stopped at the edge of the sidewalk, taking in the entirety of the scene.

“Tell me, what do you notice specifically about the explosion marks?” Asked Jieqiong suddenly.

They’re from an explosion, Eunwoo thought. She bit back the sarcastic remark. Of course Jieqiong wouldn’t be kidding around at a time like this. She followed the woman’s line of sight to the center of the alley. And that’s when Eunwoo saw it. Her eyes widened in confusion.

“How could they be discontinuous? It’s like someone took the radiating pattern, cut a circle around the center of the marks, then rotated them around. Marks end abruptly and start where they shouldn’t! What kind of evidence is this?! It’s like… It’s like…” Eunwoo couldn’t finish.

“Like a chunk of the explosion is missing?” Suggested Jieqiong reluctantly.

A still silence fell over them. It was impossible, but considering the impossible it was the only thing that made sense to Jieqiong. A whole neighborhood wouldn’t fake an attack nor would anyone plant such unusual evidence. But how? How could this happen? Nightshade wasn’t an average man at all.

“Let’s take a closer look,” muttered Jieqiong.

They stepped forward across the line separating the light gray cement of the sidewalk from the buildings’ black tar foundation. And then just as quickly, Jieqiong found herself walking away from the alley out into the street. She saw Sungyeon pull her car up to the site, but didn’t really process that her fellow detectives were there. Eunwoo moved to greet and update them.

“—just checked it, but nothing’s out of the ordinary,” Jieqiong heard Eunwoo say.

“What do you mean ‘nothing’s out of the ordinary’? Everything is! That’s why we have to check it!” Said Jieqiong shrilly.

All three detectives stared at her in concern.

“But Eunwoo just said you two checked the area and found nothing,” said Kyla, hand poised over her notebook in mid-scribble.

“We— What? No, we didn’t. We were about to. Right now,” said Jieqiong. “Let’s go.”

A hand firmly gripped Jieqiong’s elbow. “Are you feeling alright?” Asked Eunwoo, her tone uncharacteristically serious but gentle.

“Honestly, who’s ‘alright’ when we’re chasing a mass murderer on the loose and have nothing to show for it?” Jieqiong rolled her eyes and stepped forward, but Eunwoo tightened her hold.

“Listen, I think you should take a break. We can finish up here, I’ll go back with Sungyeon and Kyla. You take our car,” Eunwoo whispered.

Jieqiong looked at Eunwoo sternly. “What are you going on about?” She snapped.

Eunwoo glanced over her shoulder at the other two detectives, who furtively glanced back at her but didn’t interfere. Eunwoo leaned in closer to Jieqiong.

“I think you’re a bit stressed lately. That weird, crazy encounter we had last week at the apartment. Today, you thought we ran over someone on the way here but all the nearby residential areas were evacuated. And now you insist on checking that alley again? Yes, I know there can be mistakes when searching for evidence!” Eunwoo whispered harshly to avoid Jieqiong interrupting. “But leave that for Forensics. We went in there, looked at it, we found nothing that can help us at the present time. Our job is done.”

Rather than looking convinced like Eunwoo expected, Jieqiong looked even more puzzled. She was however much less aggressive, which Eunwoo preferred.

Jieqiong considered Eunwoo for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Eunwoo, we didn’t check the alley yet. All that other stuff, fine, maybe I’m overworked and stressed out about this. But this explosion could be some clue, rich with information that we have yet to examine. The discontinuous marks—”

“What discontinuous marks?” Eunwoo cut across.

“The— We were just talking about it. Before Kyla and Sungyeon came,” said Jieqiong.

“No, we weren’t,” Eunwoo said, eyeing her suspiciously again. “All we said was that we’d take a look, and we did look.”

“No, we said we’d look, then we turned right back around to the street. Then you go and lie to Kyla, having her report that we found nothing when we didn’t even investigate it yet?” Jieqiong was getting defensive again.

“I didn’t lie. You’re confused. And I’m worried,” Eunwoo argued. “Really, go home and rest. We can start fresh tomorrow. This case is important, but so are you. This isn’t up for discussion. Go, now.” Without another word, she pushed the car keys into Jieqiong’s palm and walked towards the rest of their detective squad.

Jieqiong’s head was reeling. She needed to sit and think about this, so she went to the car and hopped in the driver’s seat but didn’t start the engine.

We didn’t look at the explosion site up close. Eunwoo isn’t lying, she’s just… mistaken. Yeah, that’s it. Or am I mistaken? I could have zoned out while we were searching. But that’s so unlike me. Not just that, it means I failed to do my job. Maybe she’s right, I’m imagining things. I’ve got too many things on my plate, Jieqiong thought while rubbing her eyes. I need sleep.

Jieqiong inserted the key and revved up the engine. Waving tiredly at her team, she reversed the car and leisurely drove off the way she came.

Despite her resolution to leave it behind for today, her thoughts drifted back to the alley. My mind was clear though. I wasn’t distracted by anything, least I can remember. She paused as she came up to a stop sign. Remember. Memory is malleable. Malleability, uncertainty, it’s all dangerous. It compromises the case.

Jieqiong struggled with her thoughts. The line between objective and subjective truth were blurring and she didn’t like ambiguity. She to the main street with a scowl on her face.

I don’t know if I’m right or if Eunwoo is, but something is off. Something about that alley on Charing Cross Road is unusual and I need to find out what.

With a bit of self-persuasion, Jieqiong signaled at the next intersection and to a quiet residential street.  Navigating her way around the dead ends and roundabouts, she found Rolfsen Boulevard which ran parallel to Charing Cross Road. She parked the car a few blocks down from the explosion site, hidden behind a curtain of drooping willow tree branches.

A few officers patrolled the area to make sure no civilians were left behind or to catch any lurking characters. Jieqiong promptly excluded herself from the latter bunch. She wasn’t lurking, she was investigating. Huge difference. She ducked behind a row of bushes separating two front lawns. Once the officers had passed, she weaved her way through the plants and turned into the back alleyway. Halfway down it should intersect with the alley that cut perpendicularly through Charing Cross Road and Rolfsen Boulevard. It sounded petty, but Jieqiong needed to physically confirm that she had stood in the middle of that explosion site and concluded herself that nothing was amiss. It was almost an injustice, an insult, to her years of experiences not to do so.

She flattened against a nearby tree when she saw Kyla peering down the space between the bookstore and record shop, jotting down notes meticulously. Jieqiong allowed herself a moment of pride for their youngest but talented team member before slipping out from her hiding place. She carefully opened the back gate without making the hinges creak and crept through the opening, thankful for being blessed with a slim figure. There was more space behind the buildings than was visible from Charing Cross Road. The small alley converged with a sort of open back patio laid with cobblestones that spanned three stores to the left and right of Jieqiong.

Visually scanning over the area, she noticed strange smudges on the stones close to the alley exit. She knelt down to get a better view. At just the right light, she could see a faint pattern. There were small indents and clumps of dirt and soot, dragged through with some large oval textured object. A footprint, Jieqiong thought. The harder she stared, the clearer the pattern seemed. While the stains on the cobblestones faded as she walked away from the alley, she could still recognize the faint footprint pattern. She followed them while crouching low to the ground until her path was blocked. The bottom edge of a door came into view.

What horrified Jieqiong was what lay on the other side of the glass. Through the darkened window pane, she spotted two large black shoes polished on top and crusted with dirt on the soles, toes pointed in her direction. Her eyes panned upwards as she stood and backed away slowly. Brutus Nightshade pushed the door open and glided across the threshold towards Jieqiong with a malicious grin plastered across his face.

“Apologies, Miss, but the bookstore’s closed for the day,” he cackled quietly. “Snooping around doesn’t suit a pretty woman such as yourself. Better be careful, I hear there’s a murderer on the loose.”

Snapping out of the initial shock, Jieqiong reached under her coat to the back of her belt. She froze with one finger on her gun.

“Ah, ah, ah! I wouldn’t do that if I were you…”

Nightshade’s deep voice would have been soothing, charming even, if he didn’t make it so creepy and chilling on purpose. He tilted his head in mock concern, his hand fiddling with something in his own pocket. Jieqiong couldn’t make out the shape of the object, but she could only assume it was a firearm. Neither moved.

“You expect to get away with London’s police force and a bomb squad just ten meters away?” Jieqiong scoffed. She shifted her weight to her toes in case she had to flee. But if she had to shoot, that was fine with her too.

“Haven’t I already?” Nightshade gestured grandly with his free hand and bowed a little.

Jieqiong’s eyes flickered to the gate. She was standing almost in front of the opening to the alley. “You’re sick and twisted, barely human if at all. What pride do you have in killing innocents?” It sounded like a line out of a bad soap opera in Jieqiong’s opinion, but the comment did his ego a bit and that’s all she needed.

She backed up a few steps and Nightshade followed. The sunlight penetrating the gap between the buildings now shone directly on her face. If only she could get someone’s attention.

“Aw shucks, you’re too kind,” he laughed. “But I’m not heartless like everyone thinks. No, I don’t kill for pleasure.”

This caught Jieqiong off-guard. This whole time, they had been profiling Nightshade as a sadist, an exhibitionist, someone who needs attention and glory in the most horrific ways. Well regardless of his motive, she needed to keep him talking. Nobody from her team had passed by the alley again.

“Why kill at all then? Seems like a waste of resources and time. Drunk on fame?” Jieqiong growled. She inwardly cringed at the lack of creativity, though the involuntary gruffness of her voice stemmed from a very real disgust she held for the criminal standing before her.

“Simple. Collateral. Influence. You can lose your hostages. But deaths… Deaths can’t be refunded, no matter the world you live in. And there are some very stubborn, very powerful people who crumble at that very concept. The kills mean nothing to me. The deaths could be avoided, but as time goes on, it’s becoming necessary. The kinds of casualties there are, well, to me they’re expendable. But to those in power, all life is valuable. And what’s valuable to my enemies is valuable to me,” Nightshade hissed, taking a sudden step out of the shade of the bookstore.

Jieqiong jumped back out of reflex. “Stay where you are!” She warned, finally pulling out her gun, loaded and aimed at Nightshade’s chest.

He just guffawed like a maniac. The noise bounced off the brick walls of the back alley. The volume seemed to triple. Surely someone would have noticed. But then Jieqiong heard the distant boisterous chuckles of the patrol officers. They blended seamlessly with Nightshade’s cackles.

“You honestly think that’s going to stop me? Your kind really is something,” Nightshade sneered.

Jieqiong was momentarily surprised that someone could speak so lightly of a gun pointed at them. But who’s to say this man wasn’t actually insane? She was about to respond, but she caught movement from the corner of her eye. Her only hope.

“Eunwoo!” She shouted down the alley.

Over the gate, Jieqiong could see Eunwoo standing right in front of the gap between the two buildings, just past the sidewalk out on the street pavement. But Eunwoo didn’t look up, she didn’t turn around. She didn’t give any sign that she heard Jieqiong at all. The bit of hope in Jieqiong died. With one eye on Nightshade and one on Eunwoo, she called for her partner again. Nothing.

“Eunwoo! Help! Nightshade! Get backup!” Jieqiong shouted at the top of her lungs. They burned from the dryness but she kept screaming for Eunwoo’s attention.

“Are you done?” Said Nightshade conversationally.

He had made himself comfortable by leaning against the bookstore’s backdoor while watching Jieqiong’s futile attempts to get help. His hand was still hidden in his pocket, no doubt ready to pull out his weapon. He pushed himself off the door and walked toward Jieqiong, who again matched his steps backward.

Nightshade sighed. “I really didn’t want to kill you or your little friend. It was quite fun watching you two trying to catch smoke. Oh, but is it really fair to gloat on outsmarting your kind? It’s just the way things are.”

Then he faced Jieqiong directly, eyes locking with hers. Jieqiong felt paralyzed. It was as if her feet were made of lead. When he spoke next, his tone became sharp, biting, and serious.

“I’m afraid you’re getting a bit too close for my liking. Even that imbecile Tyranno couldn’t hold off two Muggles, so I’ll have to dispose of you myself. Just one death should suffice. I’m sure your partner would be too devastated to continue the hunt for me. They’ll be too busy looking for your body when it’s just right here, in this gap that they can never access. If I can’t enter the Alley, neither will your lot.”

Nightshade finally pulled his hand out of his pocket. He was holding a sturdy, beige-colored stick with what looked like blood-red Viking runes engraved along its length. Jieqiong had a second to consider whether this man was absolutely mental. But in the hands of someone so dangerous, anything ridiculous could be a weapon. He raised it and shouted something like the childhood chant of “abracadabra.” Jieqiong didn’t hesitate and pulled the trigger of her gun, eyes trained on Nightshade’s right shoulder in the hopes of injuring his arm holding the weapon.

It happened so fast. Jieqiong couldn’t process what unfolded in front of her eyes. A flash of green light exploded in the area. At that same moment, the sound of her gun firing echoed down the deserted street. Jieqiong expected to be electrocuted by whatever Nightshade was holding, perhaps a new kind of taser. She expected to hear Nightshade groaning on the ground while holding a shoulder wound.

What Jieqiong didn’t expect was an intricate wall of records, layered like fish scales, to come shooting out of the store behind her to defend her from the blow. The combined impact of the emerald lightning on one side and Jieqiong’s bullet from the other shattered the records into billions of shards. As quickly as they had broken up, they reformed in mid-air. Nightshade kept shooting various sparks at the records in all directions. Every time the barrier was shattered, it came together again.

Jieqiong stood rooted to her spot, unable to comprehend the situation. How was she not writhing in pain on the ground? How was Nightshade still standing without a bullet wound? How was this mass of records suspended in the air, seemingly protecting her as if it was conscious?

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand with long, slender fingers gently squeezed her shoulder. Jieqiong craned her neck to see who had touched her. Then the world spun around her, or rather she was spinning. She couldn’t really tell. All the colors and textures of her surroundings blurred together. She felt like her body was condensed, as if she was being squeezed through a very narrow tube with no room to breathe. The urge to hurl grew exponentially. One excruciatingly long second later, she was wobbling on her feet and fell forward, her arms shooting out to catch her weight against her car.

Her car? When Jieqiong steadied herself a bit, she looked around only to realize she had somehow teleported from the alley of Charing Cross Road to where her car was parked. She tried to stand up straight and turn around, only to falter in her steps. Someone wrapped a secure arm around her waist. Jieqiong’s head was swirling. Nothing would stay still. She heard the door of her car click open and she felt the person guide her hastily but carefully into the driver’s seat, the engine already on and warmed up. They pulled the seatbelt over Jieqiong’s body and clicked it in before slamming the door shut. Jieqiong blinked hard and saw the trees through the windshield shift in and out of focus. Her head rolled to the side facing the opened window.

“Na…young…?” Jieqiong groaned. Her head felt like it was splitting in two.

The tall woman froze. Her wavy, long, silver hair fell over her shoulder in slow-motion like a veil of vapor thanks to Jieqiong’s pounding headache. From what she could see, Nayoung looked down at her with extreme concern. Nayoung slowly raised a shaking hand and gently tucked a few loose strands of hair behind Jieqiong’s ear.

“You’re safe,” Nayoung whispered, more to herself than Jieqiong.

Then Nayoung backed away from the car. Her gaze hardened. Suddenly, everything came into focus with striking clarity. Jieqiong’s ears were no longer ringer. They strained to listen to the woman’s next words. Nayoung spoke with the most articulation Jieqiong had ever heard from her.

“Go! Get out of here! And don’t come back!”

Nayoung took off down the street where Jieqiong heard a drawled out cry of anger, various loud bangs, and saw flashes of bright sparks. She didn’t need to be told twice. The tires of her car screeched as she sped down the empty road with only one destination in mind - her apartment. Her safe, titanium-walled, prepared-for-an-apocalypse apartment that she shared with Eunwoo.

Given that the neighborhood was evacuated, Jieqiong didn’t bother stopping at every intersection. She couldn’t even if she wanted to. All of the streets looked the same as they blurred past. The bustling main road was visible just up ahead. Civilians milled about unconcerned with the chaos she left behind. Five more blocks. Four blocks. Three—

Jieqiong slammed her foot on the brake as someone streaked out into the middle of the street. She knew she wouldn’t stop in time. She let go of the brake and forced the steering wheel completely clockwise, hoping to swerve the car off-course rather than having it roll over and crush the bystander. When the car came to a halt, she searched wildly around for a body. Nothing was visible through her windshield. Nothing in the rearview mirror either. She turned to the right and saw the dark, empty houses lining the block.

She turned to the left. Before a single squeak could leave , a feminine hand poked through the open window and pointed a thin, polished, ebony rod at Jieqiong’s temple.

“Obliviate,” said a soft voice.

Jieqiong’s head tipped forward and her vision faded to black.

~|~|~|~

Jieqiong woke up in a dark room. The familiar softness of her bedsheets and pillows calmed her down, but from what she didn’t know. Her back ached as if she slept on a rock slab. She had a splitting headache. She was sweating but shivering. Her stomach felt painfully empty yet there was an urge to spew out anything edible. Is this what a hangover felt like? Jieqiong wouldn’t know, she never had a drink in her life. She sat up to head to the bathroom, but paused as all of her joints cracked and popped simultaneously, rendering her limbs fairly useless for a good minute. With a final sigh she willed herself to get up.

“Morning! I thought after yesterday you’d like some bacon, so I— Gah!”

Eunwoo leapt back in shock at the sight of her roommate and partner, her back slamming hard against the edge of the counter. Rubbing her sore back while pushing around the bacon in the pan with a spatula, she stared at Jieqiong with a mix of restrained disgust and worry. She ended up looking constipated, but she didn’t need to know that.

Jieqiong wobbled into the kitchen and plopped down at the table, head cradled in her arms on the smooth wooden surface. She heard the clink of a ceramic plate and a fork and knife next to her head. The smell of crispy bacon, over-easy eggs, and toast wafted to her nose. She felt a comforting pat on her back and cracked an eye open to see Eunwoo peering down at her with a small smile.

“Eat up. You look famished, among other things…” Eunwoo muttered under her breath.

Eunwoo stuck the fork upright in Jieqiong’s closed fist, attempted to comb out her friend’s disheveled hair, then assembled her own plate.

“Coffee?”

Jieqiong groaned lifelessly in response.

“Coffee,” Eunwoo affirmed.

She rushed to the stovetop and ladled a green liquid from a pot into two mugs. Jieqiong lifted her head at the concoction.

“Excuse me, what exactly is that?” Jieqiong said hoarsely, her voice cracking on the last word.

Eunwoo looked at the pot, then at Jieqiong. “Green tea latte,” she shrugged. She shook a can from the fridge and out came two dollops of whipped cream.

“What?” Jieqiong said, mustering up the energy to squint her eyes at her roommate.

“Don’t ‘what’ me. You brought home two green tea lattes yesterday then just left them on the counter. You’ve been locked up in your room since I came home, so I put them in the fridge figuring we’ll just have them for breakfast.” Eunwoo placed a mug in front of Jieqiong before settling down at the other end of the table.

“So you boiled them?” Jieqiong asked, poking the golden yolk of her egg and letting it drip onto the toast underneath.

“You get grouchy when your latte is cold. And you ‘don’t believe in microwaves,’” Eunwoo dramatically curled her fingers into air quotes, “so I boiled them in a pot to heat it. It worked, didn’t it?”

Jieqiong just nodded. Eunwoo smugly bit into her toast, then slouched over the table and pointed the corner of her bread at Jieqiong.

“What happened to you last night? I haven’t seen you this wrecked since final exams of our second year at university.” Eunwoo shuddered in jest at the thought of their awful philosophy core requirement.

Jieqiong opened to answer, but then closed it. She didn’t know what happened yesterday. They got a call from the station about a bombing, potentially from Nightshade. They rushed to the scene, searched the alley, and found nothing. Then she went home. Alone. Why had she gone home alone? Something was strange. Jieqiong could remember all of this with extreme clarity. And that was the problem. It didn’t sit right that she could recall yesterday’s events in such detail and certainty. It felt artificial and practiced. It felt fake.

Eunwoo took Jieqiong’s expression to be emotional defeat and physical exhaustion. “Hey, you know I wasn’t trying to be tough on you yesterday…” She said slowly. “I’m really worried. This case is taking its toll on everyone. Our duty is to keep the public safe. But you’re my best friend and I’m not losing you. Not to a bullet, not to a madman, not to insomnia, not to hallucinations. I don’t want you working on any of this until you feel healthy enough to continue. I’m sure the boss will understand if you take a sick day or two. We’re no help to the people if we can’t even function properly.”

“According to you, I’ve slept for nearly fourteen hours. I can work,” Jieqiong said simply.

Eunwoo flinched at her unusually cold tone. For a few minutes, there was nothing but the clatter of forks and knives against plates. Eunwoo waited for Jieqiong to take one last bite of her breakfast before sweeping their plates and cutlery off the table and putting them in the sink to soak. She lifted Jieqiong out of the chair and carried her bridal style to the couch in the living room. She went back for their mugs of coffee and handed one to Jieqiong before plopping down next to her. She smiled as bright as possible at her friend, who raised an eyebrow back.

Eunwoo’s smile softened. “Talk to me.”

It wasn’t a demand. It was a plead. Jieqiong prided herself on understanding the world around her. Eunwoo prided herself on understanding the people around her. Maybe this was their chance to help the other where they lacked. This wasn’t Detective Jung interrogating her, it was her best friend Eunwoo. So Jieqiong spilled all of her thoughts without the fear of judgment.

Eunwoo listened patiently and didn’t dare interrupt. Where Jieqiong paused to check if Eunwoo was still paying attention, she gave the appropriate nods and uh-huh’s. Throughout the entire conversation she kept one thought in mind. Jieqiong is looking for understanding. Even if it sounds ridiculous, she’s being honest.

And it did sound ridiculous. Eunwoo clearly remembers the events Jieqiong is telling her and she had no doubts about their occurrence. The only part that could be valid is that Jieqiong felt something huge was missing in the time she left the scene and the time she actually arrived at their apartment. At one point, Jieqiong felt so paranoid that she wanted to check their car’s GPS to find out when and how far she had driven it. But then she remembered a past case that involved an expert hacker, so their whole team disabled their cars’ tracking systems and wiped the caches clean.

“Eunwoo, something is very off here. I can feel it and you know how I hate drawing conclusions from gut feelings. For a starting point sure, but not to get answers. There are gaps in my memory. My body shouldn’t ache as much as it does if all I did was show up at the scene, walk around with you, then go home and sleep. It’s like I defied death and escaped to tell the tale, except someone’s taken the story from me and now I’m left clueless.”

Jieqiong looked exasperated and confused. Eunwoo felt sorry at the distress her friend was in and she couldn’t even share how she felt with an adequate description. But Eunwoo tried to understand Jieqiong’s frustration. She wanted to believe her friend, but she didn’t know how to possibly help. There was no way to prove anything Jieqiong said. There was no way to falsify yesterday’s events either. They didn’t know what the problem was, just that there was one.

As the two sat in silence absorbed in their own thoughts, Eunwoo’s phone buzzed on the coffee table.

“Hello? Yes. Right. She is. Ok, I—”

Eunwoo eyed Jieqiong, who sat up straighter despite her back cracking three times. Jieqiong had looked drained of her energy all week, but this is the brightest she’s seen her friend’s eyes glow. She sighed into her phone.

“We will be there right away. Yes, Sungyeon, both of us. See you guys soon.” Eunwoo hung up.

“What are we doing?” Jieqiong asked, sounding like a child as opposed to the mature, charismatic, breathtaking woman she usually was.

Eunwoo stretched out her hands for Jieqiong to grab and pulled her up from the couch. “Better take those latte’s to-go.”

Jieqiong offered to drive to the station, feeling a lot better after breakfast and teasing out her thoughts with Eunwoo. They strolled through the doors, greeted the officers at the front, and made their way to the back cubicles where Sungyeon and Kyla were waiting for them.

“Hey, so what’s—”

Jieqiong stopped short when her colleagues shot her a look and stiffly shook their heads. Eunwoo glanced sideways at her and shrugged but went along with it. They heard the office door at the end of the hall open and everyone stood in a straight line.

“Afternoon, Chief Detective Warren,” they greeted in unison.

“Good afternoon,” he nodded. “Detective Zhou, I’m sorry to hear about your health. We can discuss your break as well as how the rest of the team can cover for you in your absence.”

A flood of realization swept over Jieqiong and Eunwoo at the tone of his voice. To anyone else, he would seem nonchalant yet caring like a father-figure. But the four detectives knew their boss was lying. He suspected a bug. From what evidence they didn’t know, but they would find out soon.

“Let’s fill out the forms.”

Like a family of ducks, the four women followed Warren in a single-file line down a set of metal grated stairs. He pulled out an old clunky key and unlocked the door, holding it open for his team. They sat down in a nearly empty, very sterile looking room with a single lightbulb overhead. Nobody spoke until the door had been resealed.

“I truly am sorry about you feeling ill yesterday. You seem to be doing better now though,” he turned to Jieqiong.

“Absolutely, Sir. I’m focused and ready to go.”

“Excellent. I’ll get right to it. We have reason to believe we’re being watched. Like the last case, we don’t want to take chances of being bugged. But we’re also close to a breakthrough. I want to set up a stakeout for Tyranno. He’s moved locations and we’re close to tracking him again.”

“And the sources?” Asked Jieqiong.

“One and the same. We’ve received an anonymous tip-off about Nightshade’s plans. They believe after this killing drought, he’s going to claim another victim. This person had somehow intercepted communication between Nightshade and Tyranno, though they wouldn’t tell us how or from what evidence they had to believe it.”

“Seems shady,” remarked Sungyeon.

“It is. But we can’t sit back and do nothing. We’ll just have to take precautions.”

“So all four of us are on the lookout for Tyranno?” Questioned Eunwoo.

“Not exactly. You two will be, you’re more experienced. You two,” Warren pointed at Kyla and Sungyeon, “will be coming with me.”

“With you, Sir?” They tried to hold back their gasps. They had never gone on an assignment with their boss alone. All of their training was administered by Jieqiong and Eunwoo.

“Like you said, phoned-in tips have a shaky foundation. We don’t know if this person is on the other side. This could be a distraction. Interestingly enough, our own sources have a bit of intel on the circumstances of Anonymous. We’re going to be looking into it.”

The four detectives looked at each other for reassurance and chorused, “Yes, Sir!”

~|~|~|~

For the next week and a half, they spent their hours planning in the station basement. It was specially built to cut off all signal so it was the safest place to meet. In the logbooks, their boss had put Jieqiong on desk duty, filling out papers and forms so as not to tire herself while still contributing to the station. With her fake work shoved aside on a lone desk in the corner, the five detectives hunched over the table with schematics of a business area downtown.

Some buildings were being remodeled and would serve as a perfect vantage point for Jieqiong and Eunwoo to observe the district from. Warren, Sungyeon, and Kyla would be on the other side of the city, where they believe the call originated from. Despite the call being made to an anonymous hotline, it came from an old police station on the outskirts of its district. All calls coming from stations were documented to an extent. While not very updated, they thought it was worth a try to investigate the place.

Next Saturday at dawn, the five detectives gathered in the station basement to go over their plans one last time. Jieqiong and Eunwoo packed up a sniper’s telescope, a stable radio system, and high resolution cameras into mundane briefcases. Kyla and Sungyeon were fitted with microphones and hidden cameras on their person. When everything was set, they made their way upstairs and to the attached garage one-by-one. They filed into their respective cars and parted ways at the end of the driveway.

“How do you feel?” Eunwoo broke the silence.

Jieqiong tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “Good isn’t the word I’m looking for. But something’s going to happen today. Something big. I think we’re going to find out a lot more than what we’re expecting.”

“You really believe this anonymous person then?”

“Can we afford to doubt them?”

Eunwoo shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “No, we can’t. And that’s what worries me.” She bit her lip and stared out the window, watching the lamp posts flicker off as the sun rose higher.

“We just have to get through today. If Nightshade doesn’t show up, he just bought more time. If he does, we’ll get him,” said Jieqiong. They both knew it was more of an attempt to convince themselves than a goal.

Jieqiong pulled into a back parking lot filled with construction materials, the gigantic yellow cranes looming overhead. She parked the car in the midst of fifteen-meter high piles of cinderblocks and planks of wood. After unloading their equipment, they draped a gray tarp over the car so that it blended in with the dusty worksite. They each grabbed two cases and began hiking up the stairs of the vacant department store framework.

Finally reaching the fifth floor landing, they shuffled over to the far wall with their equipment. The windows were just squares carved out of the wooden wall and covered with plastic sheets to keep construction debris from floating out into the streets. The complex was in an odd yet convenient position. On either side of the building was 74th and 75th Street, two narrow parallel roads lined with local vendors setting up carts, stands, and product displays outside their shops. Directly to the north was where the two converged into one large street called Heston Avenue, similar to an upside down Y with their current building being the rectangular branching point. The street along the windows they settled by intersected all three roads perpendicularly. Thus Jieqiong and Eunwoo had a vantage point overlooking all four streets.

Eunwoo set up cameras along the windows of the west side of the building, just in view of three shops that sold chocolate, toys, and electronics respectively. A stereo set in the storefront played a soft classical tune from a local radio station to ease everyone into their morning routines. Jieqiong took care of the east side where the enticing aroma of fresh baked goods wafted up and down 75th Street. Finally, they set up the sniper scope in front of the window that directly looked down Heston Avenue to the north.

Eunwoo toggled the knobs and switches on the radio set up on the floor. A high-pitched screech made her wince and Jieqiong plugged her ears with her fingers. Eunwoo turned a dial all the way down before meekly apologizing. Once she tuned it correctly, she flipped the on switch and soft cracks echoed through the headset.

“Testing,” Eunwoo said into the microphone, watching the sound wave dance across the tiny screen.

“Warbler with chickadees,” came a low muffled reply. “Taking flight.”

“Hawks have nested,” she reported.

“Excellent, make sure to document the hatchlings if any.”

The line went silent. Eunwoo turned off the mic and put the box into power-saver mode. She looked up at Jieqiong with a sigh.

“And now we wait,” said Jieqiong as she leaned against the wall, face concealed from the window by the plastic covering.

Daybreak turned into late morning with no progress. Then again, no progress meant no victims. Eunwoo restlessly paced around the open floor. Sometimes she checked that the cameras were still operating, though she knew they all had a full battery and were fine the ten times she checked previously. She drained the last of her room temperature latte as slowly as possible.

Jieqiong stood up and walked around a bit too. Her bottom was sore from sitting on two stacked equipment cases for the past hour and a half. She looked down at the shoppers shoving their way through the crowds. A man snorted and spat on the ground, which disgusted a group of elderly women walking behind him as well as Jieqiong who was observing the scene from above. Another man stopped in the middle of the crosswalk to argue with a taxi driver who was honking and swearing at him, despite the walking pedestrian signal glowing brightly.

Jieqiong rolled her eyes at the nonsense and peered into the scope. The apartment it pointed at was void of life. The curtains had been drawn open since they set up at seven in the morning and nobody has passed the window since. Jieqiong could practically see the dust settling on the furniture.

“Fancy a game of Concentration?” Eunwoo asked and chucked her empty cup on the floor by her makeshift chair.

“No,” Jieqiong drawled and side-eyed Eunwoo. They laughed weakly until Jieqiong stopped abruptly. “Wait…” She muttered and kneeled by the radio box.

“They’ve got something,” exclaimed Eunwoo, pointing at the flashing green light on the corner.

Eunwoo put on the headset and flipped the switch from power-saver to active. A second solid red light . But she didn’t speak.

“What—”

Eunwoo clamped her hand over Jieqiong’s mouth. Silently, she removed the headset and held it between their ears to listen together. There was a distinct crackling that meant someone was playing with the box on the other end of the line.

“How… Thing… Why would… Damn snooping Muggles… Pay for this—” The raspy voice cut off and they knew the line was dead.

Jieqiong and Eunwoo stared at each other in shock. The mission was compromised. Eunwoo slammed all the buttons and dials at once and shut down the radio box.

“Tyranno! He’s got the Chief and the girls! He knew!” Shouted Eunwoo angrily.

“But how did he plant that information? He can’t just stroll into a police station and make a call without someone noticing,” said Jieqiong, trying to remain calm.

“Does that matter right now?! We have to go help them!”

“Yes, it matters! Everything matters! We could be found out too!” Argued Jieqiong. She grabbed Eunwoo by the shoulders. “Listen to me. We need to think this through. We can’t speed across the city, guns ablaze. We need a plan. We—”

In Jieqiong’s haste to formulate coherent thoughts, her head whipped around to view the streets below. Naturally when one was in an intense situation, everything about the environment seemed to be action-packed as well. And that’s when she caught sight of it. Off in the distance down Heston Avenue, there was an unusually empty patch in the middle of the crowded street. It was as if an invisible force kept people away, as if they actively avoided walking there. Even the cars simultaneously swerved to the side to avoid the pedestrians who veered onto the street instead of remaining on the sidewalk. Under normal circumstances, that intersection would be a mess of citizens yelling and honking at each other. But everyone moved silently and eerily in sync.

Jieqiong strode over to the sniper scope unintentionally dragging Eunwoo along. She bent down and adjusted the angle towards the corner shop. There in the dim window was a grinning Brutus Nightshade, hands clasped respectfully in front of him. He stepped aside and waved an arm out to gesture at the rest of the empty shop interior. Crouched on the floor was a man and his two children with their hands tied behind their backs and connected to each other’s restraints. The children were crying and the man was visibly pleading with Nightshade, who ignored him and continued to smile right at Jieqiong.

Jieqiong frowned deeply and pushed Eunwoo in front of the scope, who gasped at the sight.

“How does nobody notice an infamous murderer holding a family hostage inside that store?!” Roared Eunwoo, her eye still glued to the lens. “They’re just passing by like they can’t see it!”

“I think that’s exactly the point. They can’t see it. And we can. Because he wants us to see it,” whispered Jieqiong shakily.

Eunwoo reared on her partner. “How—”

“I don’t know!” Jieqiong interrupted, emphasizing her desperation. Eunwoo shut down at her tone.

“Well we can’t call the boss. Who knows what happened to them.”

“Call the station,” Jieqiong demanded.

“But they don’t know what we’ve been doing,” countered Eunwoo, though she still pulled out her phone.

“Doesn’t matter. We need backup immediately. We aren’t prepared for this,” said Jieqiong.

Eunwoo dialed their station and bounced frantically on the balls of her feet, whispering “pick up” over and over again. Jieqiong opened one of her cases and took out a small, black box. Inside was a delicate camera lens that fed into a thick cord attached to a very heavy hard drive. Jieqiong ran over to the scope, looked through it to check on Nightshade who was scanning the crowd outside, and screwed on the camera lens to the ocular lens of the scope. She pressed a button and a beep signaled the camera had begun recording on the hard drive. Just as Jieqiong looked behind her, a voice echoed through Eunwoo’s phone.

“Hello? This is Detective Jung. I need Chief Officer Fenton and his team! Nightshade is in London! I repeat, Nightshade is here! He is holding three civilians hostage inside Frank’s Fantastic Frozen Favorites at the corner of Heston Avenue and…”

“Lewis Drive!” Jieqiong shouted into the phone.

“We need backup immediately. We do not have the resources to confront and apprehend Nightshade.” Eunwoo paused as she heard voices jumbling together in her ear. “They’re coming,” she informed Jieqiong.

“Not soon enough. I’m going down.”

“What?! No! You can’t negotiate with him! That’s not what we do! Just stay here and keep an eye on him.” Eunwoo yanked Jieqiong back by the elbow and they almost tripped over the cases scattered across the floor.

“Well maybe I can at least stall. He seemed to think it was amusing last time,” Jieqiong blurted in frustration.

Eunwoo paused but kept her hold on Jieqiong. “Last time? You had a run in with him before?”

“I— No, I didn’t.” Jieqiong’s tone turned up at the end so it sound more like a question. “Never mind that. I’m not going to just stand around idly. They need our help.”

“We can help by keeping watch. We’re no good to that family if we run in there and ruin their chances at survival or if we lose Nightshade altogether. We need to relay what’s going on to the station,” Eunwoo insisted.

Jieqiong struggled momentarily. “Fine,” she grunted.

She slid over to the scope and looked through the camera lens peep hole. Nightshade focused his attention toward the sky. Jieqiong lifted her head and scanned the skyline for any peculiarities. There on top of the complex across the street from the dessert shop was a man standing right on the edge. He raised his hand in a sort of salute. Looking back through the scope, she saw Nightshade nod and smile right at her through the window in triumph.

“Keep watching the man on the rooftops, opposite Nightshade’s position,” Jieqiong told Eunwoo, pointing in the general direction of the buildings.

“What man? Nobody’s there, just some pigeons.”

“What?!” Jieqiong whipped her head around to check the building and as Eunwoo said, the man was gone. “Unbelievable,” she growled, fully implying both senses of the word.

There wasn’t any time to waste. Eunwoo would dig into the matter later. “They’re asking for updates.”

Jieqiong bent forward and hovered near the eyepiece. “He’s circling the hostages. The father is speaking to him but is being ignored. He— Wait.” Jieqiong’s tone became very urgent.

Eunwoo stared at the back of Jieqiong’s head expectantly. “What? Spit it out!”

“I think Nightshade is armed,” said Jieqiong stiffly.

Eunwoo pushed the phone closer to and spoke clearly. “Suspect is armed. He pulled his gun out and is—”

“No, not a gun,” Jieqiong interrupted. “It’s a sort of stick?”

“Excuse me?” Eunwoo asked incredulously. While she knows Jieqiong wouldn’t kid at a time like this, she couldn’t hold back the biting tone.

Thankfully, Jieqiong understood. “It looks like one of those electrocution batons. Only it’s made out of wood.”

Eunwoo relayed this observation, albeit a bit reluctantly. She thought if Nightshade had a short-range weapon that required physical contact, maybe they should go confront him. They would have the upper hand from a distance. It wasn’t difficult to shoot through glass if they couldn’t reach the shop in time. “What else?” Eunwoo asked.

Jieqiong squinted hard as if this would automatically magnify the scope and make it spit out useful information. “Is that…? Yes! There’s someone approaching Nightshade! An unknown civilian, not a hostage!”

“They see him from outside?” Eunwoo said, pushing aside the plastic tarp covering the window. The crowd still gave the shop a wide berth without realizing it.

“No, they’re inside the shop. They’ve stepped out from the area obscured to the right of the front entrance.”

“I need more info than that.”

“Female, looks to be around 1.75 meters tall, but a promotion banner and this angle of view is blocking her head and profile…” Jieqiong trailed off.

“Thanks for making it difficult,” Eunwoo snidely remarked to no one.

“She’s got a weapon too, also looks like a shock tool. He’s on his guard, but his focus is off the hostages. She’s distracting him,” Jieqiong narrated in a flurry. “He’s walking towards the woman, they’re talking. The family is scooting away slowly. He noticed. He’s shocked them!” Eunwoo gasped in response. “No! Wait, he aimed at the floor in front of them as a warning. There’s a blast mark.”

“From a baton? When he’s not even next to them?” Eunwoo asked.

“Maybe it has projectile capabilities, I don’t know!” Jieqiong snapped. “The hostages are unharmed. Nightshade and the woman are actively confronting each other. They’re holding up the batons, pointing them at throat or chest level.”

“She’s got no chance…” Eunwoo whispered as the emergency operator typed away.

“Wait, I think I see… Yes, there’s another person on the scene. A woman, shorter than the first but above 1.5 meters tall. Long face, soft features. Black hair.” Eunwoo repeated everything as Jieqiong spoke. “She’s come out from behind the counter. She has a baton too, she’s pointing it at the back of Nightshade’s head. He hasn’t noticed or he can’t afford to turn around.”

“They’ve got him,” Eunwoo said hopefully.

“He’s dangerous. No assumptions. We don’t even know who these women are. For all we know, this could all be an elaborate set-up planned by him to distract us from something else happening,” Jieqiong said and smoothly transitioned back to describing the scene. “Nightshade is backing the first woman into a corner.”

As Eunwoo spoke rapidly into her phone, Jieqiong observed through the eyepiece with bated breath. The woman had backed up to the window pane next to the front entrance. Jieqiong’s brain was itching at the familiarity of the woman’s back view.

“Long, silver hair…”

Just as she said the words, Nightshade inclined his head to his right in Jieqiong’s direction and grinned broadly. This prompted the woman to turn her head up to her left, thus revealing her profile in the afternoon sunlight. Jieqiong’s jaw dropped as she recognized the woman whose face changed from stoic determination to confusion, and then to fright and worry.

“Nayoung,” Jieqiong choked with a sudden surge of emotion.

“What was that?” Eunwoo shouted over her shoulder in the middle of speaking with the operator.

Jieqiong didn’t answer. She couldn’t. She felt paralyzed, unable to tear her eye away from the scope. Was she more concerned about a woman she barely knew than a family of innocent civilians? It sounded wrong but she knew she was right as soon as the thought articulated itself.

“Please be safe,” Jieqiong chanted quietly to herself.

She gasped when she saw Nightshade lunge forward while Nayoung was distracted. Thankfully, the woman had quick reflexes and side-stepped to avoid a blast of sparks and lightning. The window behind her shattered yet still no pedestrians or drivers noticed the chaos within. The crowd just shifted as one into the street to avoid walking on the glass shards. There was now a very obvious bulge of Londoners avoiding the sidewalk bordering the dessert shop.

“What the bloody hell was that?!” Eunwoo shrieked, again streaking towards the square cut-out of a window frame in the wall they were settled near.

Jieqiong saw the woman from behind the counter move forward and grab the collar of Nightshade’s coat. She waved around her baton and Jieqiong expected him to seize on to the floor from being electrocuted. Instead, his body flipped off the ground and ricocheted through the air into the back of the shop. There was an exchange of words between the women. The one with black hair crouched down to the family’s level and spoke to them. Nayoung stepped in between where Nightshade had flown and the others. Jieqiong couldn’t believe what happened next. One second the unknown woman and the family were there. The next, they were gone without a trace.

“Jieqiong…” Eunwoo prodded annoyingly at her partner’s arm. “D-did I just see that? It m-must have been a t-trick, right? It’s probably b-because I’m looking s-so far away-y,” she said shakily, not really understanding the words spewing from her lips.

Of course it frightened Jieqiong. How could four people just disappear into thin air? But Nayoung was still there. As unexplainable as this was, Jieqiong hoped Nayoung would have disappeared with them. She saw Nayoung jab her baton in the direction of some tables and chairs. The furniture whipped around the room and interlocked in a messy, complicated wall in mid-air just in time to absorb a forceful blast coming from Nightshade’s end of the shop. The chair and table legs broke apart and everything dropped on to the floor.

“Backup is here! They’re turning into our parking lot but I told them to turn around and go for the shop. Honestly, these idiots! They’re wasting precious time!” Growled Eunwoo from Jieqiong’s left side.

There was a flash of green light immediately followed by an explosion of red and yellow sparks. The shop filled with what seemed like a billion ignited fireworks. Jieqiong was temporarily blinded. She blinked and refocused her vision through the scope. The shop was empty.

“No!” Jieqiong shouted and punched the wooden wall which vibrated from the force. She frantically shifted the scope by millimeters, searching for any sign of life in the destroyed shop though she knew inherently that it was futile.

“Let’s go,” Eunwoo said somberly, though with an aura that demanded obedience and calm.

Choking on her words, Jieqiong moved silently and deftly. In no time the sniper scope was packed into its case and they rounded up the cameras installed around the room. With everything secured, they hauled the black cases down the stairs as fast as possible. Eunwoo dug into her pocket for the car key. Jieqiong lifted the floor panel of the trunk and stored the cases in a hidden compartment while Eunwoo started the car. Jieqiong slipped into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. They were off to the crime scene.

With the police flooding the area and the high density of shoppers, Jieqiong and Eunwoo made it to the dessert shop a few blocks down from their stake-out complex with great difficulty. It took nearly twenty minutes of rerouting around desolate roads to circumvent the crowds blocking the main district. Left with no choice, they pulled into a side alley and parked there.

When they emerged from the alley and waded through the assembled spectators, they were dumbfounded at the scene. All around the dessert shop were police officers scratching their heads, speaking angrily into their shoulder radios, scoffing and rolling their eyes at each other. A few of them threw their hands up in annoyance. Jieqiong and Eunwoo would have shouted at them to do their jobs properly, but they completely understood their frustration. They had been called to the scene seemingly on false information, thus wasting valuable resources, time, and money.

Jieqiong and Eunwoo slowly walked forward to survey the area, disbelief flooding over them. There were no glass shards on the sidewalk. The window panes of the dessert shop were fully intact. The lights were turned off inside. Eunwoo pulled her coat sleeve over her ungloved hand and tugged at the door handle. The locking mechanism thudded in resistance. They scanned the interior. All tables were evenly spaced throughout the sides and back of the shop with exactly four chairs positioned around each, all of their legs sturdily connected. There were no blast marks on the floor. There was no sign of a struggle. There was no sign anyone had been in here all weekend. The glossy window reflected the detectives’ gaping mouths.

“Zhou. Jung.” A stern voice from behind pulled them back to the present. They spun on their heels to face the speaker.

“Sir!” They said and stood stock-still.

“You called the station for backup? You reported that Nightshade was armed and holding a family, a man and his two children, hostage in this shop?” Chief Detective Warren nodded at the unlit sign behind them.

“Correct, Sir!” They said in unison. Both of them could feel the tension in the air and knew they had to stick together. They didn’t know what to make of this situation but they couldn’t afford to lose their cool.

Warren paused and looked them over. “I think you two can garner from your surroundings the seriousness of the current situation.”

Jieqiong’s and Eunwoo’s eyes simultaneously flickered to the officers standing at a distance.

Warren stepped closer and bent his head down, the brim of his hat shielding his eyes. “You two are very respected detectives under my wing. There’s no doubt about that. But by this one incident, you have made a laughing stock of our team as well as the London police force,” he whispered severely.

They refused to be shaken. “Sir, with all due respect, we were not lying. We put our blood, sweat, and tears, all of our time and energy, into this very case. We would not joke about it. The people of London are our priority and we strive to keep them safe. We did witness Nightshade inside this very shop holding three people hostage and two female civilians stepped in to defend the family,” Jieqiong relayed. Her hand drifted towards Eunwoo’s and they gripped onto each other for moral support.

“Regardless, there’s no evidence.” Jieqiong opened to mention their camera footage, but Warren continued on. “Look, I don’t want to berate you. You two are not children. But I think it is time to put this case to rest.”

“Sir…” Eunwoo sighed in frustration. “We’ve been so close to catching Nightshade thus far. We cannot let the people down by giving up the search. He needs to be caught for everyone’s safety.”

“Close?” Warren scoffed. “Jung, please detach your personal emotions from your work. No matter how close you two think you have gotten to the end, the fact remains that there has been no development.”

Jieqiong and Eunwoo shared a look but didn’t speak.

“The Nightshade case has been stagnant for over two months. The force believes it should be closed indefinitely until there is such sufficient evidence to reopen it. We’re done here. Reconvene at the station within an hour.” Warren nodded at the two and offered an apologetic look that seemed more pitiful than anything.

Jieqiong watched their boss walk away and speak to Chief Officer Fenton, who then instructed his team in crowd control as there was nothing to be done about the shop. The shutter of cameras and murmurs of the bystanders faded to a low buzz in Jieqiong’s ear. Just a week prior, they had a solid plan for dealing with Nightshade. And now their work dissolved before their eyes. It was done and they couldn’t do anything about it.

“That’s it…” Jieqiong stated lifelessly.

There was a pause. “No, we’re not done.”

Jieqiong’s head snapped towards Eunwoo so fast that her neck cracked. Eunwoo looked determined. She looked angry. There was a fire in her eyes but her outward appearance was calm and collected. She spoke with a low, serious tone.

“You told me you felt something wasn’t right about Nightshade. I listened to you, I tried to understand. But now I know. I know something is very wrong here. We’ve been together this whole morning. We haven’t made contact with anyone. Somehow we remember everything that has happened the past two months. Wild goose chases, random sightings, attacks. We know what happened. And God forbid both of us are crazy in the exact same way.”

Jieqiong was stunned into silence, awed by Eunwoo’s sudden vehemence.

Eunwoo squeezed their interlocked hands. “Nightshade needs to be behind bars. We’re going to figure this out, even if it’s us against the world,” she declared.

“Sure seems that way,” Jieqiong smiled weakly.

“I’ll take that as consent. Let’s get cracking.”

Eunwoo pulled on their hands and led the way to the car.

“Detective Zhou, Detective Jung. Please have a seat,” said Chief Officer Fenton as he opened the door.

The women skirted around the tables to two empty chairs next to Sungyeon and swiveled to face the center. The conference room was packed with nearly all of the officers in the force, as well as Forensics, the analysts, the emergency operators, and Warren’s team. Even the staff in charge of managing case files were lined up against the back wall. Some people cast furtive glances in Jieqiong’s and Eunwoo’s direction. They ignored the stares and whispers. When everyone had piled into the cramped room, Fenton took his place at the podium with Warren standing next to him.

“If I can have everyone’s attention please.” The chattering died down. “Thank you. We are gathered here to discuss the Nightshade case. No doubt several of us have been working tirelessly to monitor the progress and ensure the capture of the prime suspect and his accomplices. However, seeing as there have been no developments in the case thus far, we will  close it. We just do not have the resources or time to keep investigations running any longer. Of course our jobs are to do anything and everything to protect the people from such a criminal. However, we have our limits as well. Until further notice, this case will be sealed. Tomorrow, we will distribute new files to everyone and begin with cases that have been put on hold.”

There was an uncomfortable air of agreement. Looking around the room, Jieqiong saw forlorn faces and eye bags rewarded from late nights. Nobody seemed to have the will to continue the chase for Nightshade except for two people. Eunwoo squeezed Jieqiong’s hand under the table. Fenton and Warren addressed various questions and comments about the case, but Jieqiong nor Eunwoo heard any of it. They fixed their eyes downward at the table. Sungyeon reached over to give each of them a comforting pat on the shoulder, her left arm rubbing Kyla’s back. It was times like these, when everyone was down and discouraged, that brought out the youthful detective’s motherly nature.

But Mama Bear Bae didn’t catch on to their true intentions. On the outside they appeared solemn. On the inside their chests swelled with anticipation. The gears in their heads whirled into action. They both looked up at the wall-mounted clock in sync. Fifteen seconds until the meeting would end. Their bosses liked to be punctual. Ten seconds. With the current mood, everyone would most likely desert the station and cheer themselves up with a hearty lunch. Five seconds. Jieqiong’s hand began to sweat, but Eunwoo didn’t mind one bit and kept her grip firm. Tick. Tock. The clock struck one o’clock.

“Thank you for your understanding everyone. Let’s all get something to eat,” rang Fenton’s voice.

It was time.

A/N: So I've noticed my tendency to expand on the story that preceeds the events of my intial ideas. I end up with pages of notes to begin with and a desire to include everything in tens of pages of actual one-shot material. Evidently, since I've got a lot of "[1/?]" in the chapter sidebar. And I feel like one-shots shouldn't be that long, but I feel bad for not updating after a month so I've got to put something up. I'm concerned. Is this a good or bad thing? Is it better to have shorter stories? I've also had a lot of ideas that involve a Muggle being pulled into the Wizarding World. Is that not enough magic though?