“The Rockies Ripper might be part of a Syndicate?"
Arthur knew the bewildered expression Donald was giving him while he was repeating the Hoplite's words back to him was completely understandable. When Arthur had come into his office that morning to talk to him, about a theory he had about the Ripper that was connected to the anti-gang and Syndicate assignment, he had expected to hear some interesting ideas but this was almost on the tier of a conspiracy theory.
Arthur was serious, however. "I know it's out of left field, but look, OS, I'm not just pulling shit out of my ass here. I can show you the connections if you need me to."
Arthur was, of course, hoping he wouldn't need to do that. The last thing Will-o-Wisp needed was having to extrapolate upon Matthias's deductions back to anyone. The fear of someone realizing that Arthur was simply a parrot — a mouthpiece for a young boy — was very real for him.
"…No. Your theories these past months have usually been 'out there' but they've never been wrong. Marcus Bennett might not have been the Ripper you were looking for, but he was the culprit who killed the previous two victims. I don't know where you're going with this one, Arthur, but I'll assume it's somewhere good. But what exactly is it that you need me to do? Let you in on the anti-Syndicate operations I'm planning with the others?"
Arthur dismissed the idea with a gesture. “Nah. To be honest, I’d probably just get in you guys’ way. I've never been much of a team player. Anything beyond a two-man effort and I'm a liability. I just want access to files you guys have on Syndicate activity throughout not just Denver but the whole Rockies Mountain region of the US.
Donald blinked. "That's a bit of a tall order, Arthur. I can get it done for you, but…"
"Just humor me for a minute, OS. Say I’m 1000% on the money and some Syndicate is in the muck with the Ripper. They’ve done such a good job at covering it up until now that the best way to catch them is to blindside them. They’ll have no idea that someone in ARES has already sniffed out the Ripper connection, and will probably have their guard down. Plus, me digging into it could not only help me track down the Ripper faster, it could help me find a hole you guys could exploit later.”
Donald hummed. He was surprised that Arthur had come up with a plan like this. He didn’t want to say such a rude thing to his face, but the impression he had gotten from him the past few months didn’t give off the aura of such a clever Hoplite, even despite him doing so well with his Rockies Ripper assignment so far. Little did the overseer know that the idea he had just heard had originally come from the lips of the eleven-year-old boy who lived right next door to him.
Donald nodded. “Alright then. I’ll give you access. The others will be surprised to hear you're—"
"Hold up. Don't tell them."
The overseer made a face. "…Why?"
"Like I said, the Syndicate that might be cloaking the Ripper won't suspect me snooping around and looking for him under their nose. I want to keep it that way. And the best way to do that is for us to mum's the word on my involvement as possible. I don't want anyone to even know I had this conversation with you about it."
"A little extreme, don't you think?"
"I'm tracking the slipperiest killer of the 21st century, OS. I need every wheel greased and every bolt tightened if I wanna get this bastard."
"Right. I think I understand what you're getting at."
Arthur felt a wave of relief wash over him as Donald agreed to his request without much pushback. He had been worried the overseer might ask too many questions or demand more details.
As Arthur left Donald's office, he reflected on the 'true' reason he wanted secrecy. Maintaining the element of surprise was secondary to preventing his colleagues from asking him uncomfortable inquiries.
If Renée, Kristopher, Ellie, or the like caught wind of his involvement, they would inevitably start probing him on the Rockies Ripper case or his deductive process. And the truth was, Arthur likely wouldn't have a clue how to answer most of them. The theory he had just presented to Donald itself was the brainchild of an actual child.
The thought of being put on the spot and perhaps even having to come clean about how all his recent masterminding came from an eleven-year-old was too much for him to risk
"Doubt the kid'll care about this extra caveat anyway. He'll probably be glad we're staying incognito about things," Arthur reassured himself as he continued down the hall.
"You seem to be thinking hard about something," a familiar voice said as he entered the lounge.
It was Renée, seated at a table with Ellie to keep her company. Both had coffee in their hands and a small platter of donuts they were splitting between each other.
"Something buggin' you, Will-o-Wisp?" Ellie asked.
"Nah, not really," he answered while getting himself some coffee. "It's just stuff relating to the Ripper case. Shit's got a little stressed is all."
"Why? Afraid you're just chasing another copycat's tail?" Renée jabbed.
Arthur sneered at her, but she ignored him and dunked a donut into her coffee before biting on it. Ellie tried to mediate between her senior Hoplites.
"Come on, Raiju… That soccer coach guy he caught apparently really did kill those two girls, so he technically did catch the killer the police were looking for. Just not the Ripper."
"Yeah, well, the Ripper's caught another body, and I don't doubt it's someone pretending to be him again either," Arthur said. "Bastard should've stayed low while everyone thought he was locked up. This time I'm tracking him down for real."
"Wow, you sound so cool. Like one of those badass hardboiled detective types from those old-school thrillers," Ellie praised.
Renée hummed. "Even I've got to admit that you've 'evolved' a bit in the past few months. It's actually strange seeing you this determined about something. Is it because of someone you've been hanging around while doing your investigating; like a cop or something?"
Arthur scratched at his blonde head. Much as he hated to admit it, Matthias probably had been rubbing off on him a little. He supposed this was inevitable when they communicated every day, and the boy was shockingly intense for an eleven-year-old. Though he could never share this with either of the women in front of him. Even if he scrubbed the parts about Matthias being the actual detective in this investigation, they would still think he was crazy, creepy, or both for being so involved with a child.
"Guess I've just been doing a lot of self-reflecting lately. It's easy to get 'all introspective' when your whole career's on the line," he eventually answered. "No way I've changed that much, though."
"It's not quite night and day, but it's getting there," Renée added. "I'm starting to wonder if someone hasn't just been mind-controlling you."
Arthur snorted. "Now you're just talking out of your ass. Unlike you, Renée, my assignment actually requires me to get shit done on a daily basis, so I gotta go."
Before Renée could say something in spiteful rebuttal, Arthur quickly nabbed a donut and made his way out of the lounge. Ellie giggled as she watched him go. Despite her sharing Renée's assignment, somehow, Arthur had left her out of his slight.
The young Hoplite had a good idea of just why that was.
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Matthias watched as Devin and Leon battled it out on New Age Flow, the arcade's most popular hologram rhythm game. Despite Devin's reputation as their school's top player, Leon's feet were practically gliding across the directional panels beneath him. His feet hit each panel along with the beat flawlessly. While they started off neck and neck, Devin began struggling to keep up as the pace kept increasing. He was sweating, breathing heavily, and missing beats that he would usually hit in sync with perfect precision.
"How is he doing that?" Eli whispered to Josephine. "I've never seen anyone play like this before."
Joey shrugged. "Leon's just got crazy dance skills, I guess."
Eli cheered Devin on from the sidelines, but it was clear that Leon was destroying him. As the song reached its climax, Devin stumbled more, his feet tangling beneath him. He finally admitted defeat and rested while leaning on the railing. Leon finished the song alone, earning a high spot on the Blue Dolphin's leaderboard when he did.
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He then stepped off the platform, a small smile on his lips. Joey had never seen Leon have this much fun. She had grown too used to him brooding in silence.
"Good game," Leon said bumping fists with Devin.
Devin nodded, still catching his breath. "You're something else, man. Nobody's ever beaten me at New Age Flow before.
"Yeah, dude. You're insane!" Eli exclaimed. "You're not even sweating after all that. Joey, Matt, where did you two meet this guy?"
"Leon and I did gymnastics together before summer. Him and Matt met… Well, it's kinda complicated."
"Why's that? Did they get in a fight or something?"
Matthias snorted. "Sure. Something like that. We worked things out eventually though."
The group lingered at the Blue Dolphin for some moments more. As they wandered from game to game, and attraction to attraction, Josephine couldn't help but notice the change in Leon's demeanor since their first meeting. He seemed far more at ease, especially around Matthias and herself. She assumed it had to do with the two of them being the only people aside from his grandfather who knew about his 'secret.' It was a stark contrast to the reserved boy who had initially bumped into her, knocked her down, and didn't even apologize for it months earlier.
Still, there was something about how Matthias and Leon interacted that she caught onto. The dynamic between the two boys intrigued her. She wondered if the two were planning something. She continued to ponder this until the group eventually left the arcade. They parted ways with Devin and Eli, who headed off in a different direction for their homes. After the three boarded the RTD, Matthias gave Leon a look.
"Leon, did you take that medicine you're supposed to take?" he asked.
"Yeah. I took it before I left my house."
"Does it compromise anything for you?"
"Nope. I've completely recovered from that incident too, so I'm basically at 100%."
"Cool. So… where are we going to do this?"
Leon shrugged. "Doesn't matter. It's late enough for us to find a lot of empty places where nobody will see."
Joey furrowed her brow, wondering what the two were talking about.
"If we get off at our next stop, we'll be less than ten minutes walking distance from a park that's usually empty. We can do it there. Did you bring your stuff?"
"Yeah. It's not going to be too much for you, will it?"
"Don't mock me like that," Matthias said with an annoyed look.
"I'm not. It's just this is the first time I'll get to do something like this with someone my age, so I'm… I dunno… Anxious?"
"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Joey asked.
"Nothing for you to worry about. Just stay aboard and keep on home after we get off at the next stop," Matthias responded.
That response both annoyed Josephine and made her more curious. "Wherever it is you two are heading, I'm going to. Besides, your parents will wonder where you went if you didn't go home with me."
Matthias shrugged as they continued their ride. It was a short while later when the three reached their stop and departed together. Matthias and Leon walked quietly to the park with Joey behind them, wondering just what they were about to get up to. The park was empty when they arrived.
The trio arrived at the deserted park, the stillness of the night enveloping them. They all remained silent as they approached a fountain, the sound of water sprayed from the little cherub angel at its top the only sound echoing through the otherwise empty place. After stopping, the boys calmly removed their backpacks. Joey, her curiosity piqued, watched anxiously as the boys rummaged through their bags. Her eyes widened in disbelief as Leon withdrew a pair of gleaming short blades. Matthias, meanwhile, pulled out what appeared to be a pair of steel tonfa.
"W-wait! What are you guys about to do?" Josephine asked.
Matthias raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you think we're about to do? We're about to fight."
"Fight?! But you guys have never even sparred in the gym before? Why now?"
"It started with a question about White Leon," Leon added. "Matthias once asked me how strong he is? If I'm as dangerous as he is. I told him no. White Leon's way more dangerous than I am. Anytime he's ever fought anyone besides Granddad they were either severely hurt… or killed. He uses my body and my psychic abilities, but what I can do and what he can do aren't even comparable. The question after that was, just what can I do without White Leon surfacing? I told Matt he could only see if I fought using weapons in the style Granddad trained me in. And well…"
Leon gestured with one blade at Matthias. "That's why we are where at right now."
"That's it? You just want to see how tough Leon is when he's fighting with weapons?" Joey asked, baffled. "Matt, are you crazy?"
Matthias smiled while he casually while clanked his tonfa back and forth between his hands. "If Leon is going to be hanging around us so much, I want to know what the full scope of his abilities are. Otherwise, I won't be able to let my guard down around him."
"That's just you being a paranoid weirdo!"
"Maybe."
It was all so stupid. Joey herself was no stranger to wanting to get in a good spar with a tough opponent, but they were using actual weapons. She wanted to tell them both to knock it off so they could all head home but from the looks on both their faces, neither was in the mood to listen.
"Just calm down, Joey. Leon said those knives he got are blunted ones he uses to train with his grandfather."
"They're basically oversized butter knives," Leon clarified while twirling one in his hand.
Joey blinked. She sighed while scratching at her red hair. Realizing that nothing she was going to say was going to convince the duo, she resigned herself to watching their dual in silence. She only prayed silently that nothing severe would happen.
"Are you sure about not wanting me to hold back," Leon said as he reversed the grip on one of his knives.
"You can, but it's just going to be you getting hurt as a result," replied Matthias.
Leon and Matthias stared each other down, silence in the air broken only by the gentle splashing of the fountain. Eventually, Leon rushed forward, closing the distance in only a few steps. Matthias still managed to react, his tonfa meeting Leon's blades with a metallic clang. After this parry, the boys exchanged blows. Their footwork and head movement were both amazingly crisp.
Both were using Psy-Tuning at a level that ought to have been beyond what some boys who had yet to reach even thirteen should have been capable of. They Tuned not only their muscles but also the parts of their brains responsible for reaction speed. This made their movements precise.
Still, it was obvious to Joey that Leon's speed was remarkable. He not only seemed to possess better reflexes, his acrobatic style gave a fluidity to his movements that even Matthias found hard to deal with. Matthias thought he had finally found his opening after a parry, but as Matthias was about to deliver a counter, Leon flipped over him. As his blunt blade came down over Matthias's head, Matt spun and deflected it with his tonfa just in time. Leon landed cleanly on his feet before darting after Matthias again.
From their handful of clashes, it had become clear to him that Matthias could not fully match his speed. If he just continued to rush him down, Leon could bring their duel to a speedy conclusion, but as he was lunging forward, Matthias swiped at the air.
For a brief second, Leon wondered just what he had been trying to do. Then, suddenly, a spray of water hit his face. In that small window, Matthias struck at Leon, missing but still forcing the boy to back off.
"Matt, you can use hydrokinesis?" Joey asked, genuinely surprised.
"Only a bit. I can only do super soaker splashes like what I just hit him with," Matt said while pointing.
"I didn't know we were allowed to use PEC aside from Tuning," Leon said, water still dripping from half his face.
"Why would there be an arbitrary limit like that? This isn't training in the gym. So long as we aren't trying to kill or cripple the other, everything is on the table. If you've got some special ability or Virtu, go ahead and use it."
Leon blinked. He then closed his eyes and began taking in a deep breath. He exhaled and then repeated this breathing routine until his breath started to become visible. On his final inhale, he opened his eyes. When he exhaled, he unleashed a gust of frosty breath that wafted over Matthias. It didn't harm him, and it wasn't that cold, but it did obscure his eyesight enough that he didn't notice Leon had gotten so close to him again until it was almost too late.
Matthias parried with his tonfa but before he could counter, Leon vanished back into the frigid debris.
"So, he can use cryokinesis even without White Leon being in control."
Matthias remained vigilant, his tonfa at the ready as he scanned the frosty mist for any sign of Leon. The silence was broken by the occasional clang of metal against metal as Leon emerged from the haze, his blades meeting Matthias's tonfa in a flurry of strikes.
As the pace of Leon's attacks intensified, Matthias found himself struggling to keep up. Leon's movements became a blur, his blades dancing in the moonlight as he pressed his advantage. Just as Leon was about to land the decisive blow, Matthias vanished into thin air. The icy cloud dissipated, revealing an empty space where Matthias had once stood.
Leon blinked, confusion etched on his face. Suddenly, he felt a tap on the back of his head. He spun around to find Matthias standing behind him.
"Good fight. You've got some nice moves," Matthias said. "I didn't think you would be able to use cryokinesis without White Leon."
Leon glanced back at Matthias, his eyes wide. "Did you really just…?"
"Teleport? You can teleport too now?!" Josephine blurted as she approached the boys.
"Only a really short distance and only a few times a day," Matt explained.
"That's still really insane, man," Leon remarked while shaking his head in disbelief. "Teleporters aren't that rare, but ones who aren't even teenagers yet sure are."
"There's this Hoplite at Denver Citadel named Woodie. He's a good teleporter too, but he said he didn't start developing his teleporting abilities until high school," Joey added.
"Sounds like he's just not that talented. Your PEC is advanced for our age too, Leon," Matthias said as he went to fetch his bag. "You can Tune better than I can. Honestly, if it's only Tuning we're using, I'm probably going to lose to you in a fair fight."
"Why specify 'fair'?" Leon asked.
"Because I'm always going to fight dirty otherwise. Anyway, that's enough for now. I got what I wanted. …And you got what you wanted too, didn't you?"
Leon said nothing. He simply smiled a bit as he silently went to fetch his own bag as well. Joey watched them in silence, honestly a bit jealous they were able to share their moment with each other while she did nothing but watch. Matthias had rejected every proposition she made to spar with him, but he offered Leon a full-on duel despite being friendly with him for a fraction of the time.
In fact, he was arguably friendlier with Leon than he was with her at this point. You would think going to the same school and being next-door neighbors would give her a leg up in that regard. Later, after they parted ways with Leon ride the rail to their own neighborhood, Joey was still reflecting on this. While Matthias was taking a brief cat nap, understandably tuckered out after his bout with Leon, Joey stared at his sleeping face.
Just why was it that Matthias was so adamant about keeping a certain distance with her that he didn't with anyone else. Even Marshall he seemed to eventually let in before he did her. Eventually, she shrugged, realizing that she wouldn't figure out on a short train ride. The puzzle that was Matthias Cornejo was far too complex for that.