[REND] B2. 3.3 - The Importance of a Corkboard

“Abandoning…” I repeated. “Like, they’re just leaving La Esperanza? What about their clients? I thought the Adumbrae rich people needed maintenance to stay in their human forms.”

I also wondered how he got this intel. The Professor must have other people lurking in the city. Could also be a mole in the 2Ms’ organization.

“They’re merely moving their operations to the next city over—New Los Angeles,” Dario explained. “From there, they’d have to set up a new way to reach Red Island. The 2Ms will keep a low profile, but they won’t stop. Not with the amount of money coming in from turning people into Adumbrae. I suppose, in that context, we don’t have much to celebrate. Nonetheless, a victory is a victory. Make no mistake that we’ve dealt a heavy blow to them.”

“Hell yeah!” Reo pumped his fist in the air. “We sure did a number on those assholes! Killed a lot of their goons. We’re cleaning up the world, one cockroach at a time.”

We? I mentally smirked. I did most of the work. Deen’s Guardian Angel probably would’ve called the whole thing off if I weren’t around. I doubted that the hero wannabes could get out of the pink barrier trap or even survive Mr. Ogre without me.

“What does this mean for us?” Deen asked. “For the city? Are we… are we safe?”

A good question. The main reason for accepting the artificial Cores was that the 2Ms might attack us. We had to become superhumans to protect ourselves. Yada, yada, yada.

Well, that was the case for Deen. On my part, I was at first hesitant. But then, I realized that the artificial Core might be a way to counter Spooky Erind turning me into a monster. I was just desperate at that time and didn’t think it’d actually work.

“The 2Ms have left a few of their subordinates in the city,” Dario explained to Deen, “to manage the other businesses they have chosen to sustain, both legal and illegal. Turning people into Adumbrae isn’t their only source of funds, though it is their main one. It’s unlikely that these activities would pose any danger to us. In the short term, we’re safe.

“However, it doesn’t mean that there is no danger. Make no mistake about that. The 2Ms will not let our attack at the docks go unanswered. Red Island will send stronger Adumbrae to deal with us in the future. Don’t forget that the 2Ms are just part of this much larger group. They know about you and Erind. They may not know that we’ve joined forces, but we can’t rely on that being the case forever.”

That’s how he’ll spin it? It did make sense. There’d be sequels to our movie since we hadn’t beaten the big bad bosses yet. We hadn’t even met them. We’d probably get a trilogy ending with a huge showdown at Red Island.

And if the trilogy did well, we’d have another movie where I’d be against the Professor and this bullshit secret organization. I might even get a TV series of my life on the run as an Adumbrae.

“At least we can take a breather,” said Myra. “Focus on other important things, like finding Kelsey.”

Reo boomed in an announcer's voice. “The city is safe! Thanks to the Core Slots!” He laughed as everyone shook their heads.

“We cannot say that the city is safer without the 2Ms,” Dario said. “In some ways… in a lot of ways, they maintained organization in the criminal underworld. The gangs that used to do their bidding—from kidnapping people, catering drugs to their rich clients, and providing additional muscle—no longer have jobs. There’s no telling what they’ll do.”

Like Overdrive’s gang? Did that dude get away from the docks in one piece? The last time I saw him, he was driving in his fancy sports car, chased by jeeps with armed men. It’d be great if my first minion were still alive. Maybe I should visit him to boast about how awesome I was in defeating the 2Ms. There was no one I could brag to.

“So… what are we going to do for now?” I asked.

“We must find Kelsey,” Myra said. “It’s easier to move without the 2Ms. About those gangs—we can pay them a visit with muscle. Some of them should know something. My sister didn’t just poof out of existence. We can start by looking for Blanchette. I have a few leads.”

Upon hearing that name, I clenched my jaw to stop myself from smiling. I couldn’t wait to hear what they’d say about Blanchette. But what was that about leads? Was she talking about Overdrive?

“We haven’t forgotten about your sister, Myra,” Dario said in an awkward, gentle tone. It sounded like an alien trying to act nice towards a human child. “As for this mysterious and dangerous Adumbrae called Blanchette, we’ll discuss her after dealing with Erind’s problem.”

“It’s not my problem,” I said. “Um, I guess it sort of is… But it’s also all of our problem.” I narrated my conversation with Tower Cop for the second time. Then, I reached the part about Reo.

“Again? You idiot!” Myra threw another figurine at Reo.

He caught the carved dog and set it on the floor, beside his bean bag. “What? I swear I didn’t do anything!”

“You obviously did something,” Myra retorted. “This is so fucking annoying. I thought we’d have some peace and space to look for my sister. Now, we’d have to deal with this bullshit? A cop is sniffing our trail. What if the BID gets involved? This is worse than the 2Ms!”

“Did you use superstrength in public again?” Everett asked Reo. “That’s what happened last time, right?”

“I’m not an idiot to repeat my mistake,” Reo indignantly replied, jumping to his feet. He paced in front of the muted TV. “I don’t know why that cop thinks I’m not human. I’ll fix this shit, okay? Stop complaining now because I’m on it.”

“Everyone, stay calm,” Dario said. “Reo, take a seat. I won’t allow throwing blame at each other—that won’t help us. And all of us will handle this problem, because we’re a team. Erind, what else did Sgt. Hall say?”

“He wanted me to spy on Reo,” I said. “I’ll report to him if there’s anything suspicious.” I also included Tower Cop’s offer to protect me. And I shared my suspicion that Tower Cop might be doing this on his own.

“Johann, what do you know of this guy?” Dario asked.

“As straight as can be,” Johann answered. “I’m actually surprised he’s still alive because he had interfered with the corrupt cops controlled by the 2Ms a few times before. My guess is that he’s too visible to be taken out. He has a reputation for being very driven and would pursue a case to the end.”

“I never had someone pursue me before,” Reo said. “I don’t like this at all.”

“Anything that we can use against him?” Dario said. “We can’t let him be. But I also don’t want to go for the more drastic option.”

“Blackmail material, you mean?” Johann rocked his head from side to side. “I’ve heard rumors of an issue way back when he misidentified someone as an Adumbrae. That guy or girl took their life because of it. Family and friends became suspicious even if the tests came out negative.”

Is this the mistake that Ramello had mentioned? Excitement welled up inside me. There was a tick of inspiration, a nibble of an idea of using this tidbit for some drama someday. What would Tower Cop’s reaction be if he knew that I was an Adumbrae?

“Oof, that’s a bigger mess up than anything I’ve ever done,” Reo said.

“Your mess might end with all of us—” Myra started to say.

But Johann cut her off, speaking in a louder voice, “That fiasco might be the reason why Sgt. Hall became so thorough in his investigations. Which is a problem for us. I’ll try to find out more about him, but I don’t think money or blackmail will sway him.”

“It’s difficult to threaten a man,” Everett said, “who’s not afraid to die.”

“What about threatening his family?” Myra suggested.

Johann looked up at Myra next to him and shook his head. “I don’t think Sgt. Hall has family. No wife, no kids—”

“Living the dream,” muttered Reo.

“I don’t think his parents are alive,” Johann went on. “Friends? I’m not sure. He’s the type of guy who blurs the line between friends and acquaintances, leaning more on the latter.”

“Sgt. Hall has a nephew,” Deen said, raising her hand. “He’s our classmate—Ramello Staten. Technically, Ramello isn’t Sgt. Hall’s biological nephew. Sort of semi-adopted is what I’ve heard. Is it possible that we can use Ramello to scare off Sgt. Hall?”

What the hell, Deen? She was cool with threatening to kill Ramello? Even I hadn’t thought of an idea like that. Where did the girl who was afraid of killing innocent people went off to? My best friend might be a psychopath.

“This Ramello is too close to you and Erind,” replied Dario. “I’d say we observe things for now. Reacting so soon after Sgt. Hall contacted Erind, who would tip him off that Erind tipped us off.”

“Tongue-twister, right there,” Reo mumbled.

“What we’ll do is to investigate Sgt. Hall,” Dario said, “to confirm if this is connected to an official investigation. This’ll be mostly Johann’s work. I thought of trailing this Sgt. Hall, but there’s a great chance we’d expose ourselves given he’s a seasoned police officer. The rest of us just be as inconspicuous as possible. Though I suggest that we keep meeting with Erind to not make Sgt. Hall suspicious. At the least, Myra and Reo should—”

“Oh, there’s another thing,” I said. “Sgt. Hall mentioned Myra.”

“Yes!” Reo snapped his fingers. “Myra messed up, too. I knew it!”

“Don’t lump me with you,” Myra said. “Erind, what did he say? Does he think I’m not human, too?”

“Nothing like that,” I replied. “He mentioned you because he saw us meeting each other. And he knows about you because of Kelsey’s mysterious disappearance. Yes, he mentioned there’s still no trace of Kelsey. He might know something more if he had kept track of her out of the dozens of victims…”

In truth, I brought up Myra to explain to Tower Cop how I knew Reo. But Tower Cop did know about Kelsey. Not sure if he suspected Kelsey of being the ‘fourth Adumbrae’ or something else, but I could glean from his tone that he thought something sketchy was up there.

Or it could all be nothing, and I was delusional.

Anyway, my goal was to get Myra personally invested and entangled with this mess. This could be my chance to get close to her and Kelsey. Adumbrae should team up!

“Really?” Myra narrowed her eyes while looking at me. “I’ll visit the police again for updates on my sister.”

“It goes without saying to be careful,” Dario said. “Erind, you, too. Don’t contact Sgt. Hall. If he calls you, give him nothing. I believe it’s realistic to sandbag him for a week or so. By then, we’d have a clearer picture of what we’re up against and plan how to proceed. For now, this is in your hands, Johann. Onto our next business, the Adumbrae called Blanchette.”

Why does he phrase it like that? Sounded weird. Was he doubting the name?

I leaned back in my seat, feigning slight disinterest and waiting for someone to bring me into the conversation. Erind Hartwell wasn’t part of the docks mission and barely knew anything about what had happened there. Neither did I see how scary and awesome Blanchette was.

“We’re not sure that we can trust her,” Dario said.

“We can!” Deen emphatically insisted. “She saved us. Twice, in my case. You know that.”

“I also know that she attacked me.” Dario held up his arm and indicated where I had cut off his hand. “I was fighting someone else when this Blanchette suddenly appeared and bit off my hand. Straight away. No conversation. No provocation.”

That’s not what happened, you asshole, I thought. Dario offered an alliance with me. Shocking how fast he did it with no hesitation. Did he not want the others to know how easily he wanted to work with a random Adumbrae if it meant completing his mission? The no provocation part was true, though.

“It must’ve been a misunderstanding,” Myra said. “We’ve talked about this before. It was a messy battlefield. Blanchette thought you were with the 2Ms. She eventually realized that you’re not her enemy and didn’t finish you off. She could’ve if she wanted to. You didn’t see the fight inside the warehouse. She’s an absolute beast!”

“Metaphorically and literally,” Reo said. “She’s pretty terrifying in her humongous werewolf form, but pretty hot before she transformed. I’m digging monster girls now, but still undecided on going full furry.”

Everett mimed puking. “How the hell can you think that after seeing her eat the troll monster?”

“Maybe Blanchette doesn’t like guys, you know?” Reo said. “She only works with girls. Hit it off with Myra. Saved Erind and Deen when they were kidnapped.”

“Blanchette saved me from getting possessed,” said Everett, pointing at his neck. “I agree with Myra that what happened to Dario was a misunderstanding. A painful misunderstanding, I guess. But the important part is no one died.”

“Erind.” Dario stepped closer to me. “Do you remember the appearance of the Adumbrae woman who saved you and Deen from getting killed by the 2Ms' goons? I’m assuming that she didn’t have a wolfish mouth. This means that you’re the only one among us who has seen her human face.”

“I… I can’t really remember her face,” I said, holding my chin while looking at the floor. “Yep, she looked human. Maybe if I’m presented with a picture, it’ll jog my memory. But where will we even get pictures of possible Blanchettes?”

“I might have a lead in our search,” Myra said.

Dario made a stopping motion. “Wait, wait. We still haven’t decided whether or not to contact this Blanchette.”  

“I decided that I should contact her,” Myra said with conviction. “Because I want to find my sister. Who better to ask than an Adumbrae. So, I’ve been snooping around… with the help of Johann.” Johann sheepishly looked to the side. Myra continued, “And we heard of this ‘Red Hood’ lurking around Marsh Row. People say that she’s an Adumbrae. Blanchette was wearing a red hoodie! Coincidence? No. Freaking. Way.”

(Author's Notes: With the 2Ms temporarily out of the picture, we'll have the Overdrive plotline. We'll probably have a weaker enemy for Book 2, certainly not as big a fight as the docks mission. But that's because we'll focus on interactions, schemes, mysteries, and an intertwining plot. Erind’s mom's vacation will be our “beach episode”. Pino will be used here, too, probably with Overdrive. Let’s start Erind’s criminal empire!

Thank you all for your support! I'm feeling better now. Need to catch up with work and write more Smite Happens for the public release next month. We'll have a couple of ExD chapters probably this weekend if I can finish my work early.)