Amelia's Blog

While she remembered flashes of time, the previous two days were blank for Alana. When she finally woke up, Hitomi was right there, though sleeping lightly. When Alana groaned, Hitomi’s eyes snapped open and she moved closer to the bed. “Stupid question time. How’re you feeling?” “Like I’ve been shot. How long have I been out?” “Little less than two days. You’re going to be fine. The shot was a through-and-through, missed the bones.” “Lucky me,” she grimaced. Hitomi gave a sympathetic chuckle, “Yeah. Still, just intensive physical therapy, instead of a cast then intensive physical therapy.” She paused, looked down. “I’m sorry, Alana.” “Sorry? What for?” “I should’ve made sure the guy was down and without his weapon. It was stupid and a rookie mistake.” Alana fished around and grabbed the bed’s controls and raised the back so she was sitting up. She looked sternly at her friend and laid her good hand on Hitomi’s shoulder. “Look, you couldn’t know he would shake off the stun so quickly...

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The whine from Hitomi’s gauntlet got louder as she and Alana moved into the room. The man looked belligerently at the two women as then came into view. “Who the hell are you? This isn’t your business. Get out.” “Yeah, I don’t think we can do that. Now lower your gun.” “Or what? Zap me with your ray gun?” The man sneered. “That or I shoot you with a good old fashioned pistol,” Alana chimed in. Joop looked at them blearily, “Oh, thank God.” “Shut up, Patrick!” Veins started sticking out on the man’s reddened face. “I can still kill you and them!” “Do you believe this guy?” Hitomi whispered to Alana. “It’s over Kyle. These women are Interpol agents.” Kyle raised his gun at the women. “Stay away.” “You do realize there’s two of us?” Alana glanced sideways at Hitomi, who shrugged. Kyle didn’t even respond, just reddened more and made inarticulate noises. “Sir, please lower your weapon and step away from Mr. Joop. We will not warn you again.” Hitomi had sl...

A few hours later, Alana and Hitomi were ready to investigate. While they did have their normal black coveralls on, any weapons and equipment were stowed in backpacks. They made their way out the back of the hotel to keep from drawing attention to themselves. Alana joked that they looked mighty suspicious, while Hitomi just dramatically rolled her eyes. As they approached the area near the warehouse, Hitomi shut the headlights off and coasted to a stop. They sat there for a moment before fishing out their gear. Hitomi slipped her gauntlet on and slipped out of the car. Alana checked her pistol before slipping it into a pocket, then called up the blueprints on her mobile as she caught up to Hitomi. “Where did you want to start?” Hitomi thought for a moment, “Let’s go in through the back, opposite the fire damaged windows.” “Right. I’ve got the plans here.” Alana paused, “I think I’m a little nervous.” Hitomi smiled fiercely, “Good. Keeps you alert. I don’t think I’ve gone into a mission...

Lunch was simple, they ate at a small cafe near their hotel. While they ate, they went over their notes of the warehouse. There were more than a few strange things surrounding the building they felt they needed to take into account. “What puzzles me are the small explosions the newsie talked about.” “This whole thing rubs me the wrong way, Hitomi. It’s not just the dream thing. The records of this warehouse show it as being derelict for over two years. Not up for sale, no owner listed. Not even our Mr. Joop.” “What? Really?” Alana nodded and handed Hitomi her handheld. Hitomi looked it over and nodded, “Yeah, this is odd. No record of Joop ever owning it. Could have a partner?” “That would make sense. I’m sure a museum, even a small-ish one like Joop’s would need investors. Should we go back and talk to him?” Hitomi shook her head, “No. I don’t think we’ll have to. Look at this,” she handed Alana’s device back over to her. “See the blueprints?” “Yes, what am I looking at?” “The origina...

“You ever get the idea we’re being led around by the nose on these cases?” “Oh, girl, you have no idea.” Hitomi smirked as they left the museum building. “Half the time you might as well put a leash on us.” She held up the address of the warehouse. “I don’t want to go into the place in daylight. Our badges may fool a civilian, but if there’s FBI there we’re made.” “Right. What do we do then?” “Let’s case the area, see if we can pick up any witnesses or anything.” “Right,” Alana paused, “Mona Lisa.” “I know, I know.” Alana and Hitomi drove down to the warehouse, which was in a slightly run down area of town. They looked at the building, and it looked like most abandoned warehouses, windows broken and boarded up. “Nice. Almost stereotypically abandoned. Let’s walk the perimeter. If anyone asks, we’re looking to buy it.” They took their time circling the building, both of them noting potential entry points for later. There seemed to be significant fire damage in one area facing the alley....

Hitomi whispered out of the side of her mouth, “Stop fidgeting. We’re Interpol.” “Sorry. I’m nervous.” “Don’t be. I’ve done this a thousand times.” “Well, I haven’t,” Alana tugged on the bottom of her jacket again, and adjusted her glasses. “Rookie,” Hitomi growled, smiling. “Oh shut up,” Alana laughed. “How long does it take for a secretary to get someone anyway?” “This is business as usual. Considering how quickly all footage was pulled, this guy was probably told to keep his mouth shut. So he takes his time. Figures out what he wants to say, how to get rid of us.” “I never knew this was so,” she trailed off. “Involved?” When Alana nodded, Hitomi shook her head. “Yeah, it tends to be. No one wants to think the government covers things up. But sometimes they have to, if only to curb panic. Some agents tend to be, shall we say, over-zelous?” “And use intimidation.” “Yeah, it’s not everyone, but enough to give the rest a bad name.” They didn’t need to wait much longer, as a mousy lit...

Hitomi sat across from Alana’s sleeping form, watching her sadly. The younger woman held herself together until they got onto the jet, then let go and cried herself to sleep. Hitomi covered her up with a blanket, then sat back watching. She shook her head and grimaced. She felt for Alana, knowing that eventually C.J. will find a guy. Though different, both situations held strong parallels. Not for the first time, Hitomi thought to herself that she needed to move on. She didn’t want to feel like her friend undoubtedly did. She put it out of her head and picked up Alana’s report. The toy parade originated from a small toy museum’s warehouse. That would be the first stop once they got to the Windy City, after they got to their hotel. The news report they found online didn’t give them much information, and they didn’t find much beyond that. Hopefully, the toy museum’s curator could fill in the blanks. A light above the cockpit pinged to life and the speaker crackled, “We’re making the appr...