Kaleb sighed as he glanced out the front window of the dump truck. He had to deal with the two suits watching his car. The two men were drinking their coffee and waiting for him. Kaleb guessed that the HLO wanted to talk to him again. Sighing again, he removed his weapons and armor. If he had to talk to them, it couldn’t look like he had been off doing any vigilante work.

Shaggy watched Kaleb take off his armor and weapons until a thought seemed to spark in his mind. Reaching into a large pocket on his cargo pants, Shaggy pulled out a tiny flask. Saying nothing, Shaggy reached over and dumped the flask's contents on Kaleb’s front and pants.

“What the hell?!” Kaleb asked as jolted from the cold liquid.

“You’ve been out drinking.” Shaggy said screwing the cap back on the flask. “What do you want me to do while you're dealing with them?”

Kaleb rubbed a hand over his wet pants and sniffed it. He recoiled from the sharp stench and blinked his eyes. “What is that?”

Shaggy shrugged. “No idea. I found it in the truck.”

“Of course. You looted the truck.” Kaleb rolled his eyes.

“Seriously, what do you want me to do? I can’t stay parked on the side of the road like this.” Shaggy asked again looking worriedly out the window.

Kaleb glanced down at Daivor who was looking between Kaleb and the mass of weapons and armor he was leaving in the truck. “Can you lead him to the base?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Daivor said before ducking back into the hole in the cab that lead into back-end of the truck.

“You’re leaving me with him?” Shaggy asked surprised.

“You’ll be fine. Just follow where he points or floats or whatever. Once you are there park outside the fence. Don’t enter, my gate guard will obliterate this truck and all our work would go down the drain.” Kaleb explained moving over to his door.

“Got it.” Shaggy said.

“Hold on, boss!” Daivor said as he floated out of the hole and up to Kaleb holding something.

Kaleb reached out and grabbed what Daivor was offering discovering that it was another repulsor flash bang. Daivor nodded and floated back down to the seat saying.

“Just in case.”

“Thanks.” Kaleb said pocketing the device and exiting the car.

Kaleb kept his head down and moved to the sidewalk as Shaggy pulled the truck away from the curb. The truck pulled off down a nearby alley and headed off toward the south. Kaleb jammed his hands in the pockets of his lab coat and trudged forward thinking about how he would play this. He wasn’t confident in his skills as an actor so acting drunk was out. But maybe he could claim that he slept it off somewhere.

He made it around his car and to the driver-side door when one suit shouted. “Professor!”

Kaleb turned trying to look exhausted, which wasn’t too hard. “Yeah?”

The two men in black suits approached and stood shoulder to shoulder in front of him. Kaleb noticed that they were similar height, similar build, and even had similar haircuts. The two men could have been twins. Or clones. Kaleb thought amused.

“Sir, we are representatives of the HLO.” Said the one on the right. Kaleb decided to call him number 1.

“We got a report that you disappeared around here last night.” Said the one on the left. Number 2. Kaleb thought.

“Yeah,” Kaleb said squinting between the two men. “I was going to Under-Town.”

“Is there a reason you entered a known refugee camp heavily armed?” Number 1 asked.

Kaleb snorted. “That question answers itself doesn’t it?”

Neither man looked amused and Number 2 said. “Answer the question, sir.”

“Well, giving my recent LACK of employment it has forced me to liquidate some of my assets.” Kaleb said heatedly.

“Sir?” Number 2 asked confused.

“I sold my shit!” Kaleb shouted loudly.

Number 2 shifted on his feet. “And the large green tub we saw you carrying?”

Kaleb glared back at Number 2. “Is the HLO that bored? Keeping tabs on a Mundane lizard?”

“We keep track of certain elements within the city.” Number 1 said coolly.

“Certain HOSTILE elements.” Number 2 amended.

“Hostile to the HLO?” Kaleb smirked. “You fellas must be busy as fuck.”

Number 2 silently fumed as Number 1 just smirked back at Kaleb. Kaleb licked his lips, trying to pretend that his lips had gone dry. He tried to remember the last hangover he had in the real world. He remembered a getting a dry mouth, a massive headache, and wanting to kill every lamp in the world.

“The tub, sir?” Number 1 prompted Kaleb again.

“AHEM!” Kaleb cleared his throat loudly. “Excess junk from my lab.”

“You sold that as well?” Number 1 asked.

Kaleb just nodded and leaned his back against his car tiredly. He noticed that Number 2 was still fidgeting and clenching his fist. Number 2 took a step forward and asked.

“And what did you plan to do with your newfound wealth?”

“Oh you know, take over the world one corrupt bureaucrat at a time.” Kaleb grinned at them.

Number 2 sneered and tried to move closer to Kaleb. But Number 1 placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled back at Kaleb. Kaleb wasn’t sure he liked Number 1. Number 2 seemed more prone to fly off the handle, but Number 1 was still cool as a cucumber. Kaleb liked to taunt people into being stupid, But Number 1 seemed annoyingly immune.

“Where did you go after selling your items?” Number 1 asked.

“Couple of bars in Under-Town. Made some new lifelong friends, got into a bar fight with some assholes. Forgave them and then went a strip joint with them. Bought some lap dances, but human woman aren’t really my thing, y’know?” Kaleb tried to be flippant but believable as he lied.

For the first time Kaleb saw a reaction from number one. When he mentioned going to a human strip club, the damn guy blushed. Kaleb was taken aback momentarily, and he almost forgot to look bored. Number 1 coughed awkwardly before he continued his line of questioning.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Is that where you got that injury?” He said pointing at Kaleb’s chest.

Kaleb looked down. He had forgotten about the claw wound on his chest. He reached a hand up to touch the wound and winced at it. It was still tender, but his Regen skill was doing a good job of healing it.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Kaleb said, wincing as he pulled his shirt away from the wound. “I don’t remember getting it though.”

“How do you not remember!” Number 2 shouted finally stepping into Kaleb’s personal space.

Kaleb saw Number 2’s nostrils flare as he took in the stench of alcohol on Kaleb’s cloths. He smirked as Number 2 hesitated in taking a step back. Number 2 didn’t want to back down after stepping forward.

Kaleb smiled. “There was a lot of liquor involved.”

Number 2 glared at him as he hissed. “Did you bathe in it?!”

“I won at Foosball.” Kaleb shrugged. “You gotta dunk the winner.”

Kaleb thought he could hear Number 2 clench his teeth. Number 1 pulled Number 2 away from Kaleb and nodded his head amicably. He patted Number 2 on the shoulder and asked.

“And where are you headed now? It’s our understanding that you have moved away from your home.”

Kaleb rubbed his face as he tried to think of something. Exhaling loudly he said. “I got an offer from a friend to watch over some of his property. I figured since I can’t do any real work I might as well take him up on his offer.”

“Who would this benefactor be?” Number 1 asked.

Kaleb thought it over again. On one hand, he didn’t really want to hide behind Obadiah Nova, but it might be a nice little headache for the old cyborg. “Obadiah Nova deeded me the property temporarily.”

Number 2 sucked in a breath in surprise, but Number 1 was back to being unflappable. “You are serious?” Number 1 asked.

Kaleb nodded as Number 2 glanced at Number 1. Number 1 smiled amicably. “We were unaware your relationship was so good. We know you went to visit him but no one informed us that he had given you any property.”

Kaleb shrugged again when suddenly both men straightened up and went silent. Both men seemed to tilt their heads to the side and nod slowly. Kaleb realized that they must be communicating with someone. After a few seconds both men snapped out of it and Number 2 took a half step forward.

Number 1 looked like he was about to say something. But Number 2 beat him to it. “You will allow us access to the property immediately!” Number 2 ordered.

Kaleb could hear Number 1 sigh loudly as he stared at Number 2. Kaleb shook his head. “Sorry fellas, I have strict instructions to keep people off the property. I know how serious the HLO is on violating private property.”

Number 2 took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he glared at Kaleb. Number 1 moved over again and placed a hand on Number 2 arm. Kaleb swore that Number 2’s irises changed color as he stared back at the man.

“Cas.” Number 1 said warningly

Number 2, or Cas’s, body relaxed, and he turned to look at his partner. “You heard what they said, Pol.”

Pol nodded, but kept quiet as he looked over at Kaleb. Kaleb studied the two men as they seemed to hold a silent conversation with their eyes. Eventually Cas backed down and moved back further into the street and paced. Pol moved over to stand directly in front of Kaleb and smiled amicably again.

“Forgive my brother he lacks tact of any kind. They have informed me that the HLO will be eternally grateful if you could give us access to the property. You will be well compensated and HLO upper management will handle any trouble with Mr. Nova.” Pol said.

Kaleb nodded as he pretended to think about it. It surprised him at how adamant they seemed to access the property. He didn’t think there was anything in the hangar that warranted such fervor, but then he thought about the generators. Could that be it? Kaleb thought as he went over everything in the hangar.

Pol stood in front of him smiling warmly until Kaleb eventually shook his head. “I’m sorry. I really don’t want to make the old man mad. This may be my main source of income for the foreseeable future. I can talk to Obadiah for you. See if he will let you on the property.”

Pol frowned in thought for a few seconds, but soon a smile reappeared on his face. Kaleb thought that this smile was far less genuine than the others had been. Pol adjusted his black sunglasses and nodded good-naturedly.

“Of course, we understand. Please discuss things with Mr. Nova.” Pol stuck his hand out and Kaleb took it and the two shook hands. “We will let you get home, Professor. Have a nice day.”

Kaleb nodded and smiled back as Pol moved back to his black sedan. “Will do, you two have a nice day too.”

Pol waved as Cas glared. Kaleb turned to get into his car, but Pol called out to him. “Oh, I forgot. Do you happen to know the whereabouts of Roy Nova? He has gone missing.”

Kaleb spun on his heel and stared at the two men. They both stood by their doors and looked at Kaleb. Both of them seemed completely serious. Kaleb shook his head slowly and asked. “How long has he been missing?”

Cas shrugged, but Pol actually answered him. “Less than a day, but given his identity the HLO is very interested in his health.”

Kaleb nodded as Cas added menacingly. “We WILL find him.”

“I hope you do.” Kaleb said turning back to his car and trying to maintain a straight face.

He got into his car and pretended to fuss around with something on his passenger seat. Cas and Pol got into their black sedan and drove off. Kaleb watched them go through his rear-view mirror and as soon as they turned the corner Kaleb got back out of his car. He gave them another few minutes before he popped his hood and his trunk.

He swept over his car with his eyes and hands. He didn’t for a second believe that the HLO wouldn’t bug his car somehow. He had left it out in the open for several hours. They definitely did something to it. He searched the interior of the trunk and inside his hood and found nothing. He checked the undercarriage and the area around the gas tank, still nothing. He went over the entire outside of the car twice and found nothing.

Eventually he gave up and closed the hood and the trunk. Opening the door to his car he went over the inside. He ran his hands over the car’s interior, doing as thorough a search as he could. Still, he found nothing. He ran his hands over the steering wheel as he thought about how the HLO would hide something. They had some kind of advanced stealth system but he would still feel it, wouldn’t he?

Thinking of the glamor he had placed on the dump truck, Kaleb considered magical means to hide something. He focused his Mana in his hands, but he didn’t know how to cast the spell he wanted. Instead, he focused on the result he wanted and held his hands over his dashboard. The yellow glow around his hands pulsed as he moved his hands around the car. He wasn’t sure it was working until he got to the radio.

The yellow aura around his left hand shot out and attached to something. He followed the trail of Mana with his eyes and found a glowing yellow aura shining from behind where his radio was sitting on top of the unit. Kaleb looked at the screws around his radio, but they appeared to be the same as ever. He wasn’t sure how they placed it there but at least he knew it was there.

Kaleb stopped the flow of his Mana and stared at the disappearing glow. He thought about removing whatever the thing was, but that would alert the HLO and they would probably place another, anyway. But he couldn’t think of how to make use of the device. His instincts told him it would be a microphone of some kind. They already knew where he was so a GPS would be useless. Eventual he left it alone and decided to discuss it with the others when he got back to the hangar.

Kaleb exhaled loudly and started his car. During the drive out to the airfield Kaleb thought about where Roy would have gone. He thought maybe the boy would make his way to Under-Town. The Brute Clan was a sure way to find Kaleb, if that was Roy’s goal. But then again, Roy might have something else in mind. Kaleb tried to remember if he every told Roy the location of the hangar, but he didn’t think so.

Kaleb turned onto the dirt road to the airfield and saw the green dump truck stopped across from the gate. Bob, Shaggy and Daivor were all standing beside the truck and seemed to be talking as Kaleb pulled up behind the truck. Getting out and moving to the others Kaleb waved at Bob.

“It’s fine Bob, he is with me.”

Bob nodded slowly as he glanced at Shaggy. “Yeah I know, boss, but…” Bob trailed off as he moved closer to Kaleb. Putting his face near Kaleb’s ear he whispered. “We have a visitor… in the guard shack.”

Kaleb glanced over at the small shack and gulped audibly. Damn it, Roy. How did you find me? Kaleb thought as he held a finger at Shaggy and moved to the small shack. Bob and Daivor followed as Kaleb entered the air-conditioned shack. The shack was relatively empty except for a chair and a desk facing out onto the street. There was also a door leading to what Kaleb assumed was a bathroom.

As Kaleb entered the shack, he let out an involuntary gasp. The person seated in Bob’s chair by his desk wasn’t Roy. Then man wrung his hand together as he gave Kaleb an awkward grin. Kaleb stared curiously at the worried man.

“Hi, Professor.” Said Hank Nova. “We need to talk.”