Chapter XIII

Call to arms

The sounds of a rapidly printing fax machine disturbed the hooded one’s layer.

Considering the undisclosed location of their hideout, and the peacefulness of their area, they knew for sure whatever the message may be, it was urgent.

Wellit, a man in his late twenties, who admired his master more than anyone ran with the paper dangling in his hand. He barged into Master Puppet's office, disregarding the consequences of such disrespect. Puppet looked up, taking off his reading glasses and putting down the crosswords he was solving.

“I apologize for the disturbance my Master, but you need to read this!” Wellit fell to the ground guilty, not even looking up for a second as the disappointed gaze of Puppet would be as painful to him as a knife to the chest. Puppet tore the paper out of his hand without saying a word. He stared at the message silently as his face slowly tensed up.

“The inspector could be here any moment sir!” Wellit said with his head still down.

“We sent the charred remains of a child when they asked for proof that we eliminated the Fire Without Light. It was only a matter of time before they send someone.” Puppet put the paper on a desk and walked out of his office signaling to Wellit to follow.

“You know what to do. Close off any secret passages, alert Anvil, and Secretary to ready the whole team; and call in Mantis. The inspector will require every family member to be here.”

“And what about you sir?” Wellit looked at him curiously.

“I’ll look for a wine for the occasion.” Puppet let a smile show in the corner of his mouth as he separated from his underling.

Not long after the alarms at the entrance were sounded, an old metal door slowly opened and with hasty steps a frustrated looking man made his way into the hideout. The first person he saw was Puppet who welcomed him with open arms.

“Inspector Nasitas! What a pleasant sur-“

“Cut the bullshit Puppet! I might be called an inspector, but I’ll be your judge today!” Nasitas walked past Puppet without a handshake, barely regarding him at all.

“What makes you so disturbed sir?” Puppet’s slimy grin faded by the animosity of the inspector.

“You know it damn well! Now show me around in your facility.” Nasitas took his time completing an exhaustive investigation in every room. In some paperwork was done by yellow striped hooded ones. In a different one Anvil was training some orange family members. “How many Ever Family members are here?”

“Forty. I promoted Chainsmoker to fill Turtle's position, and recruited a young man named Pearl to fill the gap." Puppet explained as they walked down the hall.

“I heard of Turtles death. Still, it's peculiar that you only keep the minimal number of subordinates. Usually, some extra orange and yellow ones are expected.” Nasitas checked a box on the paper as he looked at the man from the corner of his eye.

“I like to keep to the rules. Makes things simpler.”

"It sure does.” The inspector kept eye contact with Puppet for a while before moving on. “Now let’s have a discussion in your office. After that you are to be judged.”

“Of course.” Puppet led the way to his office with an inviting smile. They sat down. Puppet leaned back in his higher more comfortable chair, while Nasitas tried to find a position in his chair that didn’t feel like the wood was digging into his flesh.

“Wine?” Puppet poured out a glass of red wine for himself and was ready to do the same for Nasitas.

“No. And I’d prefer if you did the same.” Nasitas pulled the empty glass away in refusal.

“Come now inspector! A little wine won’t make a difference. At least let me have a glass.”

“Well, if it helps things go quicker, I suppose you can have a glass.”

“Thank you, sir.” Puppet took a small sip, barely enough to make a visible difference in the wine's level. As Puppet was sipping the wine the inspector noticed the tattered label on the bottle. The place of origin for the wine said Mundas.

"Is that some kind of threat? Or maybe a way of buttering me up?" Nasitas asked flustered by the writing.

"I beg your pardon?" Puppet acted innocent as he traced the inspector's vision back to the bottle. "Oh! Mundas? You've been there?"

"You know my answer Puppet! That's my hometown. What are you trying to gain from this play? An ally? Or perhaps blackmail?" Nasitas slammed the notepad on the desk as he leaned forward to provoke Puppet. He on the other hand remained calm in his seat. The only thing that changed was the oblivious smile he put on slowly fading away.

“I had no such intentions inspector Nasitas. I wanted to see your reaction. You see, I take great pleasure in solving the puzzle of emotions. What makes one angry? What brings one joy? What makes one lie? Observing others is my favorite pastime activity. Someone who tries to deceive has to orchestrate every muscle on their face and body to work for a believable story. You could call it the melody of a lie. If you can make someone angry, or happy, or sad, you control their emotions. If you control their emotions, you pull the strings. No physical might can protect you from your emotions.” Puppet explained swirling the wine in front of Nasitas. “Now ask what you need.” Puppets eyes pierced through the man sitting in front of him. His last words were not a request but an order. Rebellion was quickly and severely punished by the Ever Family, but Puppet chose his words carefully. It was nothing more to him than politics.

Nasitas collected himself, sat back in his chair and pulled out a folder. He steadied his hands and pulled out the first paper. “On November 27th a wave struck giving powers to people in your area. You reported the appearance of the Fire Without Light in the village of Youren a week after that on December 6th. You took matters into your hand and eliminated the FWL on December 7th. Then sent the body of a fourteen-year-old child in as proof that you did your job as a member of the Ever Family, eliminating the greatest threat to us all.”

“Precisely.”

“First observation: The neighboring village Younen has also experienced some new overhuman activity. Have you confirmed that the Fire Without Light is not one of them?”

“Mantis, my right-hand man has spent a week observing the new overhumans. They are disappointing to say the least and mean no threat to us at all. In contrast the Youren orphanage was full of dangerous overhumans. The fire brings danger. As our hooded guidebook says on page one hundred and seven. Acting on that principal, and with the knowledge that the Fire Without Light has always been a teenager with light hair I was certain that I needed to neutralize every possibility.”

“Second observation: When the suspicion of an FWL rises you are to send a letter to the headquarters first. Then an outside team comes and eliminates the FWL retrieving the body in a recognizable state.” Nasitas put emphasis on those last two words.

“Yes, and I do apologize for my improper actions. I deemed it necessary to eliminate the threat as fast as I could. And knowing that Whitestone stands between us and the headquarters, slowing down the arrival of an outsider team, I took matters into my own hand.” Puppet acted flustered by the comment.

“Third observation: When you eliminated the FWL, you burnt down the entire orphanage of Youren. Do you have a reason for this seemingly unnecessary act?”

“I wanted to be thorough. And it is a good alibi that lifts the blame from us. It was nothing more than a tragic accident.”

“Understandable. But you weren't thorough enough!” Nasitas put down the notepad feeling some authority in his grasp again.

"I beg your pardon?" Puppet smiled in disbelief.

"A girl survived the attack. And one boy's body has not been found in the wreckage. So, your mission has two gaping holes in it, making it at best a blunder and at worst sabotage against the core value of our organization." Nasitas squeezed the armrest as he raised his voice.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"I'll get right on it! I'll send my men to kill the girl, and I'll start a search party for the boy." Puppet was caught off guard by the information but tried to remain calm. How the hell did they fuck up so bad?

"The girl is currently in Whitestone hospital. You won't get to her unless you burn the city to the ground. Meaning, that ship has sailed. As for the missing boy, we looked into his records, he cannot be the FWL, because he got his powers in the prior wave, seven years ago. Still, you should look for him."

"Is there some other benefit to finding this boy?" Puppet inquired leaning back in his chair.

"Are you familiar with the story of Benjamin Mehor?"

"The wonder-maker? Yes."

"He was living in that orphanage under the alias Ben Frederick Peter. He is the missing boy. If you could find him, he would be a useful asset to our Family."

"That is a powerful ability to have on our side. Would that gain your trust back?" Puppet moved forward in his chair.

“It would be a step in the right direction. But! We are not done with the inspection. Send in all your green ones one at a time. I want to ask them a couple of questions. Obviously, you cannot be in the room.” Nasitas ordered Puppet, who didn't act surprised by the request for a second.

“I wouldn’t dare.” Puppet walked out squeezing his fist behind his back. He sent Anvil in first looking at him bloody fury in his eyes. I need to think of a punishment for his inadequate work. As Anvil left Puppet turned to Secretary. “Is Mantis back yet?”

“He is on his way. Could arrive at any second.” Secretary said straightening her posture as he stood next to her.

“Good.” Puppet took a second to look at her, the wound on her neck caused by Julia had fully healed, leaving three lines on her skin as a reminder.

“Sir? Do you think we’ll be alright?” She asked averting her gaze from the man she admired.

“Follow the rules I gave you and nothing bad will happen.” Puppet answer was cold, with a hint of annoyance as he observed her.

“That should be the motto of our life.” Secretary smiled softly as she tried to alleviate the situation with a joke.

“Don’t smile when you are afraid Cindy, the clash of what you feel and the expression you try to force on yourself makes me puke!”

“Understood.” She hardened the look on her face.

Meanwhile inside his office Nasitas sat in Puppet’s chair waiting for Anvil to sit down. “I won’t sit if it’s possible. My ass barely fits in that tiny chair.”

“That’s fair. I could barely squeeze mine in.” Nasitas chuckled. “Now tell me Anvil, what does Puppet plan on doing?” Nasitas crossed his legs and looked up at the burly man.

“Excuse me?” Hook looked confused by the question.

“He clearly tried to muddy the waters around the Fire Without Light incident. Now I trust that a strict follower of rules like yourself can see through whatever he’s trying to pull. You swore loyalty to the family, not to him, right?”

“I can assure you sir, you shouldn’t worry about Puppet. I don’t know a more rule-obeying and by the book man than him. Whatever mistakes he made with the incident, he made them, not to hurt our organization, but to solidify its survival.”

Nasitas followed every movement of his facial expression and after exhaling a deep breath he felt a tad bit defeated. “Well, it is admirable when a worker respects their superiors this much, but you must consider how far you look up the ladder. You might find yourself changing sides.”

"As a man with military background, I know how ranks work. And on the field, you rely on the man who stands with you. Now that is not an admission of treason or ill intent. It is merely an observation. When you are at death’s door you can wait for help from higher-ups, or you can trust your team and survive."

"That is one way of looking at it..." Nasitas turned his gaze at the paper, dissatisfied by the man's loyalty.

“Do you have any more questions for me sir?”

“No…no. Send in Miss Cindy.” Nasitas buried his face in his notebook for a second. The tapping of soft heels approached him, with the last two steps sounding sharp, like gunfire. Secretary slowly lowered herself into the uncomfortable chair as a delicate feather would. She crossed her legs and leaned forward.

“Cindy Shibe, Secretary. Age thirty-six. Height one hundred and eighty centimeters. Black hair green eyes, left handed, been a part of our family for twenty one years-“

“Excuse me for interrupting, before you get to my bra size, but could you tell me what all this data has to do with your investigation?” Cindy's voice was completely different from the pitch she used to talk to Puppet. It was confident, deep and calculated.

“I was trying to remind you that we know you, we’ve known you for a long time. Lying in front of me won’t help you in any way. So tell me what is Puppet guilty of?” Nasitas pressed the question on her. He saw some cracks forming in her confident demeanor.

“Oh fine! I’ll admit it!” She leaned back in the chair dramatically holding her head.

“Finally, someone with a moral compass!” Nasitas pointed his pen to the paper, ready to write down what Cindy was about to say.

“He broke my heart!” Cindy cried.

“What?” The pen slid in his hand from the sudden confession.

“I am in love with him. Always been. But he is just so cold!” Cindy broke down crying, taking the pocket square out of Nasitas' suit and blowing into it.

“You cannot be serious…”

“Oh, but I am. He is the sole reason I joined the Ever Family. But the love I feel… I’m afraid it won’t ever be reciprocated!”

“Bunch of clowns.” Nasitas muttered disappointed. “Send in Mantis and let’s get this over with.”

Secretary walked out with a certain joy emanating from her steps. What he did not see was the bright smile painted on her face. As she left the room Mantis just ran past him entering the room with haste.

“So, you are Mantis…” Nasitas looked up to see Mantis leaning over him, with his arms behind his back and his sunken dark eyes staring into his soul.

“And you are Nasitas the inspector.”

“Y-yes.”

“What suspicions do you have that are so important, that an entire department should halt all its operations?”

“Mantis. Need I remind you the authority in this situation is in my hands? You can try to intimidate me, but all you’ll do is sign your death sentence. But answering your question, treason.”

“Treason entails the other side suffering, being betrayed, misled. Did we cause any of those?”

“I believe you misled me.”

“I do apologize if we gave you that impression, but you see when you do fieldwork, sometimes you cannot afford to wait for confirmation. Of course, it must be hard to understand from behind a desk.” Mantis provoked the inspector.

“Hmm. Maybe I do spend too much time behind the desk. This advice would certainly mean more if it came from someone who doesn’t kill just for their own enjoyment.”

“Everyone has a hobby sir.” Mantis let a chuckle slip.

"It's not a hobby, for you, I'm afraid. It's an addiction." Nasitas looked at him disgusted. “Send in Puppet. I am ready to conclude the inspection.”

Mantis nodded and turned around, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his regrown arm. He turned his head to see Nasitas squeezing it.

“I might have a more docile approach to serving this organization, but do not forget, Not. For. A. Second, that I have the same rank as your boss. Disrespect me like that ever again, and you’ll lose more than an arm.”

“Y…Yes…” Mantis twisted his arm out of the hold and left the room. Before the door could even fully close, the hand of Master Puppet pried the door open.

Puppet walked past Nasitas like he wasn't even there and sat in his chair.

“Was that necessary?”

“Well, if I were to be judged I’d like it to be in a comfortable position.”

“After today's inspection I did not find any clear sign of treason or malevolence. On the other hand, I did experience resistance from the leader and some of his subordinates. This does not warrant complete termination, but some sort of punishment is due. I will send a request for a new addition to your team."

"That is not necessary inspector Nasitas. We already replaced Turtle.”

"I'm not talking about him. You need to be observed. I'll request a hooded one to transfer to your hideout. They'll be a blue ranked like you, and they will answer to the HQ, not you. Do you understand?"

“I understand. It fills me with great shame that I've failed in your eyes. I am ready to cooperate with you on this one.” Puppet shook his hand, channeling the anger he felt into a firm handshake.

“I hope so. This time I had a reason to come by anyway, but I don't plan on coming here after every mistake you make.” Nasitas pulled his hand away, rubbing it.

“What do you mean, you had a reason?”

“Here. A letter from the higher ups. Now I can finally take my leave. Don’t worry about me. I’ll find my way out.”

“A letter? So formal! Is it an invitation?”

“Yes. To Hell.” Nasitas showed a malevolent smile to Puppet before leaving the room. “Farewell Puppet.”

As Nasit as left Puppet's smile faded, and a mix of frustration and worry took over him. He tore the letter open after the ominous goodbye. Reading the contents of it as fast as he could. Beads of sweat ran down his face as he thought of the worst outcomes this message could entail and all the ways he could survive. His subordinates stormed in one by one surrounding him with concerned gazes.

“What is it, Master Puppet?” Secretary asked peaking over his shoulder. He wasted no time regarding them in any way. His eyes darted from one side of the paper to the other until he let go of the paper.

Puppet began quietly chuckling which soon turned into cackling, and finally maniacal laughter.

“I don't know what caused him to make such bold move! Maybe the death of Kim Kang-Dae? Oh, I'd kill to know what he's thinking, but this couldn't be more perfect!”

“What is it?” All three of his direct underlings looked at him concerned. Losing his composure like this was unheard of.

“It’s a mobilization letter. With a date set on December 2025.” Puppet walked back to his desk and grabbed the glass of wine.

“Where are we being mobilized to?” Anvil waited eagerly for an answer.

Puppet drank the wine, letting a bit trickle down on the side of his face. “To war! This letter is a call to arms! Next winter the Ever Family will declare war on the seven great nations!!!”