Half Submerged Hideout

September 17th X288

A silhouette took up the computer screen. Veiled in shadow, a man leaned back in his chair with his knuckle supporting his cheek and his boot resting on his knee. He wore a tuxedo and a black fur mantle over his shoulders. His black hair darted out, flowing like a flame. His skin was as pale as his sinister eyes.

Florian squinted at the monitor, seeing part of his soul out of frame.

The footage was hazy, but the audio was clear.

The boss spoke in a deep hoarse voice. “Florian Lilly Cobblestone. When I read Miss Lantern’s message before the call of a young girl finding our hideout. . . My best guess was that it was you.”

Florian couldn’t breathe. “It” began to seep through the laptop’s screen.

“Don’t be surprised; you’re quite famous for saving the mayor’s daughter.”

“It” was fleshy, meaty, protruding, and immense. Skulls grasped one another along its decaying, pulsating, parasitic brain swell. Whatever “it” was, “it” resonated with the others in the gang. The sewn appendages of the soul stretched through the computer screen and into Florian’s head. Veins of pulp, fibers, and cartilage melded with each member of the gang, spirits entwined. Florian’s vision blurred; she couldn’t bear to see “it” any longer.

She covered her eyes, yet the soul phased through her attempts, searing its presence directly in her mind.

“Say, Florian Lilly Cobblestone. . . Do you believe in ghosts?”

Florian puked. Everything within her oozed to the floor. She fell, throwing up, panting in a cold sweat, and fainting in her excrement.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” the boss said.

“What’s wrong, Florian?” Ronaldo said.

The gang resuscitated Florian and cleaned up the mess.

🙠🙢

“Pack it up; we’re leaving. I know we were preparing for the big one, but luck was against us this time. Everyone! Salvage the most important tools and supplies, as much as the boat can carry. Burn everything else to the ground. Lay low outside Tarot Tori City until further orders.”

“Yes, sir.” The gang nodded.

“Boss. What about these three?” Juke asked.

“I know the arrangement, Mr. Lucas. If we kill them, we’ll never be able to set foot in this city again. Luckily for us, we’ve got time on our side. Nevertheless, we can’t afford them interfering with our plans in the future. Leave them to me,” the boss said.

“Okay, you heard the boss. Travis, make the call on what to take with us and throw everything down to me. Sticks and Sophie, load the trailer with everything from the garage. The rest assist as best as you can,” Juke said.

With stitches in his back and sedatives in his system, Juke ripped out floor panels with his bare hands. Inside the half-submerged apartment was a huge boat docked on the second floor.

Juke hopped down to the vessel and caught the boxes and tools tossed down to him. Working through the hole in the wall that Sophie had been thrown through helped speed up the process.

“Miss Halt. Distract the police with a few stunts,” the boss ordered.

“Vait, you’re saying—”

“Make as much noise as you can. I’ll message you a rendezvous point later. Don’t hold back,” the boss said.

“Thank you, sir.” Irina ran off in excitement. Her cheetah spirit ran beside her, slipping a bit. Sophie and Sticks followed not far behind.

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Irina opened the garage, uncovering one of her favorite custom-made motorcycles. She was ready to test out her best work yet, the Fire Wheel. Her mission was to be the decoy.

Sophie and Sticks emptied the garage, loading essential equipment into a trailer hitched to a large truck. Irina started the motorcycle’s engine.

Echoing back to the apartment was a boisterous roar that shook the room. The sound of the revving chariot was furious, clean, and full of pride. Flame flickers shone through the window as Irina drove off.

Carissa Lantern kept an eye on the hostages as she boxed papers and maps, setting aside what could be burned.

The computer display lit up the faces of the three guests.

The boss raised a glass. “Dr. Ronaldo Von Nirvanas. . . Is that really you?”

“What? How do you know my name?”

“It’s been a long time. You’ve grown. You may not remember me, but I’m sure Dr. Steinsbrook mentioned me at some point. Does the name Selucius come to mind?”

“I don’t know. I can’t remember anyone going by the name Selucius.”

“That’s a pity. Have you ever heard of what happened to Dr. Steinsbrook?” Selucius asked.

“What? Do you know where he is? Tell me!”

“You don’t know? I was hoping you would have some leads. I’m looking for him myself.” Selucius drank from his glass.

“I don’t know where he is. . . Wait. Why are you looking for him?”

“Can’t say. I’m finished conversing with you, Dr. Ronaldo Von Nirvanas. It’s clear you haven’t done your homework. I most certainly have done mine. Among the three of you, you’ve disappointed me the most. For costing my team so much, I was hoping you would be able to answer at least some of my questions. I’ll accept my losses and move on.” He turned to the police officer. “Officer Keen, you’re new and making a quick name for yourself.”

“Wait, I’m not done! Answer me! What do you want with my mentor?” Ronaldo interrupted. His dark urchin aggressively quivered with anger.

Selucius continued. “Officer Keen, you’ve done fairly well. However, you’re trespassing on private property without a warrant. As such, you were attacked by my guard dogs. No hard feelings. I look forward to more cat and mouse with this stigma over your head. When you are fully recovered, of course.”

Officer Keen, blindfolded and muzzled, nodded, mumbling sarcastic groans. His fox was growling and snarling at the computer.

Florian was dazed and motionless, staring at the soul that engulfed the room.

“Now then. You truly are interesting, Florian Lilly Cobblestone. First, you impressed me by interrupting that kidnapping job. No surprise that the damn mayor rolled with it without any issues. But then you made that small job almost blow our cover. You even somehow tailed my crew to our hideout. I won’t ask you how you did it, but lucky for you, we have bigger plans. You sure are a crafty one, having someone else call the police to report if you go missing. Not bad. You really did test us tonight.”

Florian sat up and looked Selucius in the eyes. He had devilishly white eyes, cold and fearless.

“All of you are terrible. Why did you try to kidnap the mayor’s daughter? Blythe’s just a kid. If you have beef with the mayor, why not just abduct him instead?”

“Why did you want to track us down? You knew there would be danger and risks. Yet, you still pursued us. Why?”

“So I could stop you from kidnapping Blythe or anyone else again. All of you keep saying you don’t harm civilians, yet kidnapping kids is okay in your book. What a load of shit!”

“It’s called tact. Before you start preaching to me about morality, you must first realize you know nothing. Notwithstanding, you clearly have zero concern for your own safety or of those around you. That sergeant friend of yours, your classmates, or that sister of yours could’ve gotten hurt.”

“If you lay a finger on them, I will—”

“You will what? What can you do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing because you’re just a girl. A girl who doesn’t value her own life, playing superhero. It doesn’t matter how special you think you are. Without a firm grasp on your own life, what gives you the right to tell others what to do?”

Ronaldo put his foot down, as dazed as he was. “Florian did the right thing. Her actions are justified, whereas yours are nothing but rotten.”

“Her actions were suicidal. Nothing justifies suicide. This entire situation is your doing, Florian. Whatever happens, it’s your fault. If anyone dies tonight, if families get torn apart, it’s all on your hands.”

“That’s not true,” Ronaldo said. “Don’t listen to him!”

“Oh, you’re to blame too, Doctor. You didn’t stop her. You enabled this narcissist into action. Now she’s seeking danger like an impulse. Some counselor you turned out to be. One failure after another. Disappointing.”

Florian and Ronaldo went silent.

Clarissa Lantern intervened. “Boss. Travis did try to recruit her. His appraisals are always worth the investment. It would be a waste to lose a golden goose.”

“This girl’s not the type. I can see it in her eyes,” Selucius said. “If you dive into our world, you have to be prepared to risk everything. We’re prepared to risk everything, every day, in fact, and we enjoy every second of it. Report us; it won’t matter. We’re ghosts after all, and no one can catch a ghost.” He paused. “Let them go as soon as the police scanner pings any officers headed our way.”

The team worked quickly, almost as if rehearsed.

Florian and Ronaldo didn’t acknowledge one another. Florian sobbed, soon Ronaldo did too.

The gang members noticed the waterworks, glanced in their direction, and were awkwardly concerned.