The Immortal's Reckoning

By Richard Brown

A familiar sounding story takes a sharp twist when a pair of friends from Earth are forcibly taken into an alternate fantasy world. One is tossed to the side and forgotten about while the other is imprisoned in a weird test of her abilities. They ultimately end up on alternate sides of a conflict that has been brewing for centuries and is about to come to a head.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Brown
• Release date: Jun 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9781099395574

Richard Brown

Richard Brown is the author of the post-apocalyptic series, Dead Highways. He has also published a collection of poetry and a short graphic novel. Visit www.richardbrownbooks.com to sign up for new release updates. Connect with Richard: Facebook @Richard Brown Books Twitter @RBrownBooks

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The Immortal’s Reckoning

Book One

Richard T. Brown

Copyright © 2016 by: Richard T. Brown

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Prologue – Plan in Motion

A woman ran through the city streets, desperate to reach her destination as quickly as possible. She wore an old hooded cloak that shielded her identity from the passersby, which was a necessity as her mission was secret. Perhaps her most distinguishing feature was the bag that she wore on her back, within which a baby boy was resting, having been rocked to sleep by the back and forth motion of the woman’s running and the darkness of the night surrounding them.

When the woman reached the next intersection, she stopped to catch her breath, leaning against a wall for support. The cobblestone street, freshly cleaned, gleamed in the light emerging from a nearby window. There was no moon, so the night was pitch black, lit only by whatever light emanated from streetlights and open windows. There was little street traffic other than the young woman, so there was little risk of being spotted. After resting a moment, the woman continued on.

After a while, the woman happened upon a small house, her destination. Walking up the front path determinedly, she knocked upon the door three times before waiting patiently for a reply.

Ten seconds passed before the door opened. Who are you? the balding man who answered inquired, squinting out into the gloom. He looked just about ready to go to bed.

The woman removed her hood, allowing the man to see her face. Your Majesty! he exclaimed in surprise. Indeed, the woman facing him was the Queen of Marisia herself. Her long blonde hair was clearly visible in the darkness while her dark green eyes stared down at the homeowner. Seeing he wasn’t going to move, the Queen invited herself inside, pushing past him roughly.

The Queen sat down in a chair while the man rebolted his front door. If this is about that other thing, I told you I had to give up! he whispered furiously once he was done, glancing around anxiously.

It isn’t, the Queen replied, her voice sharp in the oppressive atmosphere of the man’s blubbering. I analyzed your findings myself and determined that it was indeed a futile effort. There was no more to be done.

The man breathed a sigh of relief. Then what do you need from me this fine evening? Surely this isn’t a simple house call. You could have visited my shop like you always do.

Of course not, she replied, crossing her legs. She removed the baby from her bag and cradled it gently. My reason for coming is because of this child. I do not know if it is possible, but I would like to ask a favor of you anyways.

The man gazed intently at the child. Is that your daughter? he asked.

No, she replied. My daughter Rachel is with Madelaine right now. I know it’s late, but I need a favor. I have taken it upon myself to protect this child from any danger that may befall him. He isn’t Human, but I disguised him as one to avoid suspicion. With a flick of her pinkie, the child’s Human form vanished, showing a rather different humanoid creature, with ruddy brown skin and fiery red hair. He is one of the last of his kind, the Queen explained. "He has a twin, but I decided to keep them separated for their own safety. After all, he is the one that wants them." She waved her hand again and the child’s disguise reappeared.

Whoever he was made the man shiver in fear. Whatever you are planning, I will have nothing to do with it! he snapped, backing into a corner. He’d been on his way to make tea, but had now given up. The Queen placed the baby back into the bag and placed the bag on a table.

Really, this is where you draw the line? the Queen said in annoyance, reaching into her bag and withdrawing a long staff. It was her own personal Royal Staff, but considering it was nearly as long as she was tall, it was a wonder how it even fit in her belongings. It was made of solid gold, with a green glass orb on top.

"Easy for you to say, with you carrying that," said the man. He was eyeing it greedily, mentally gauging how much it would sell for.

The Queen twirled the Staff between her fingers absentmindedly in a well-practiced motion. All the Staff does is keep him from bothering me. I don’t need it to take him on, she replied. Look, I know it’s dangerous, a lot more dangerous than moving around your usual black market goods. Just try to not get caught by the guards, okay?

That’s the least of my worries! he snapped angrily. You’re not just asking me to risk my life and my business! You’re asking me to do something that is highly likely to attract the Emperor’s attention! We both know he’s petty enough to not just kill people outright he doesn’t like! He’ll torture my family!

You don’t say, the Queen replied sarcastically. "It’s not like I used to work for him or anything, so there’s no way I’d know the risks or how to distract him. Please, enlighten me some more."

The guy still looked scared, but from the way she was looking at him, he decided that arguing further about it was pointless. What is it you need? he asked.

Supplies of your usual fare, she replied. If I’m going to get ahead of the Emperor, I have to split up this child and his twin, and I’ll need some things from other worlds that are not easy to find. I’ll make a list; do you have pen and paper?

The man gestured to the desk, and the Queen rose from her chair and walked over. Leaning over the desk, she began to write out a rather long list of supplies. She had a bit of trouble with the quill pen, though, and kept poking holes in the paper. Stupid thing, she muttered after a few times of this happening. Frustrated, she slammed the quill in the ink pot and took out a plastic ballpoint pen she’d brought with her to finish her list. When she was done, she handed it over to him. There, I believe that’s everything. If there’s anything else, I’ll tell you when I return.

This is…asking a lot of us, said the man, scanning over the list quickly. I can’t imagine what you’d need these things for.

Good, she replied simply. If you agree, I’ll allow you to found your own store within my city. Bigger market, more customers, you know. Plus, the capital is right on the coast and nearer the big trade routes. Provided you pay your taxes and don't bring undue attention to yourself, I’ll ignore your side businesses and keep you out of trouble with the law. That should be ample compensation, should it not? Oh, and I’ll pay you for the goods, too, but you already knew that, right?

You’d better keep him away from me, the guy muttered under his breath.

The catch is that you can do whatever you want, but you provide me with a list of all your dirty dealings, she said, bending over and staring him straight in the eyes maybe half a foot in front of his face. "I have enough trouble with contraband as it is, so since I can’t crack down on it if I want this favor done I’m at least going to keep an eye on it. And that means keeping an eye on you Mr. Furango. No money, no payoffs, just intel in return for a better location for trade."

The way she was looking at him said clearly that while he was free to decline, she would be highly irritated if he did and would probably smart off to him again. Look, I’ll think about it, all right? he said eventually, taking a step back from her gaze. I’ll talk to my guys and see if this is feasible or not. That good for you?

For now, she said, gathering up her belongings. After adjusting the pack on her back, she said, You’re lucky because you get to sleep now. I still have to take the child to his new home. Farewell, Mr. Furango. Then she left the house, unbolting and opening the door with a wave of her hand. She put the hood back on and disappeared into the night.

The Queen walked further down the street, then ducked into an alleyway after checking to see if she was being followed. A man was sitting on a bench in a courtyard, and rose when he saw her. Rebecca, he said in greeting.

Eric, she nodded at him. Sorry about the wait, but I needed to take care of something real quick. Here’s the little guy I told you about.

She took the baby out of her bag and went to pass him over. Wait. Tell me something only you would know.

I will always hate you, the guy responded.

And you have every right to, she replied, passing over the baby.

He gazed at it. You said he’s some sort of magical being?

In a sense. He’s not human like us, so on Earth he will excel in ways nobody will be able to predict. I’ll check in on him whenever I can. I appreciate you doing this for me, Eric.

I’ve never been one to let injustice stand, he replied, and I also won’t let a child grow up without a family. He has no living relatives that can take him?

None that I’m aware of.

Then we’ll do our best to raise him, Eric promised. Satisfied, she pointed her Staff at a wall and conjured a fiery opening from nothingness. The man stepped into it with the baby and the opening shut behind him.

Good luck, kid, Rebecca said to herself. She twirled her Staff and vanished into thin air.

Chapter One - Team-Up Time!

Fourteen years later…

Steve stared blankly at the clock, barely noticing it. It was the start of September, a warm Friday afternoon, and he was stuck in English class waiting for the day to end. A fly buzzed in the window while the teacher droned on about the book they were reading, one that Steve didn't particularly care for. He couldn't even remember the name off the top of his head.

A loud chorus of complaining suddenly erupted, breaking him out of his stupor. On his computer screen a pop quiz had appeared about the chapter they'd been discussing. Fortunately it wasn't difficult, since he’d actually read the book.

When the quiz was done, the bell rang and class was dismissed. With the day over, Steve followed his usual routine of heading outside to the bus to go home. His friends all had extracurriculars, so he almost always ended up going by himself. His parents were pretty lenient about letting him stay out late as long as he told them what he was doing, but when his friends were busy he usually just went straight home. Locating an open seat near the back, he sat down and searched the playlist on his phone for a good song to listen to.

As the bus started moving, he quickly saw it was going to be business as usual. People were goofing off, making faces at passing cars, or playing around on their phones. A kid up the bus was tossing the remainder of his lunch at other cars.

The school bus was old, but it had been refitted to be self-driving, so it got a security guard instead of a driver to keep an eye on the kids. The only problem was that the guard couldn’t be in five places at once, not to mention he didn’t get paid nearly enough to handle a hundred unruly teenagers. So when the guard went to discourage the kid from tossing food out the window, it just gave other kids the opportunity to cause mischief.

Do you mind? a kid asked, indicating the vacant seat next to Steve. Steve hadn’t seen him get on, but he figured he hadn’t been paying attention so he just let the kid sit. He seemed to be a nerdy kid since he wore thick glasses and didn’t really speak much to him. After he sat down, he began reading a science fiction novel called The Traveller’s Journey and basically tuned him out. Steve recognized the book as its movie had just come out in theaters the week before, but he didn’t know if he wanted to go see it despite its rave reviews. A movie about an old guy traveling across the multiverse on the run from a shadowy organization didn’t sound very appealing or very original.

Steve began listening to some music, but he’d barely gotten through one song before he spotted trouble. A guy named Arnie Rodriguez, who had a history of bullying, had decided to harass some students about midway up the bus since the guard was still busy with the other troublemaker. The people he was harassing were a trio of African-American girls, from whom he was trying to extort money. People were turning a bit of a blind eye to him, since this type of thing happened a lot, or maybe they were just scared of him. Steve suspected it was the latter.

Two of the three girls had tried to fork over the money Arnie was requesting, but the third, an athletic-looking girl with her hair tied back wearing a tank top, was blocking them. She was sitting next to the aisle, so she got the final say.

I said give me your money! Arnie said loudly, loud enough to carry to the back of the bus. Steve, who couldn’t stand bullying, got up to help, but the nerdy kid stopped him.

What are you doing? the kid asked fearfully. You’ll just make it worse if you interfere!

I’m helping, said Steve firmly, pushing past him.

Wait! the kid called. Don’t you know who that girl is?

Steve had seen her around, but he didn’t know who she was and he didn’t really care at the moment. He just wanted to help. He’d never talked to Arnie before, but as far as he was concerned it was time to introduce himself. As he moved up the bus, using the seats for support, he could hear the entire conversation.

Go away, the girl told Arnie flatly, looking like she was about to punch him out. She didn’t look scared of him at all, which clearly surprised Arnie.

Then Arnie grabbed her by the arm in an act of intimidation, which judging by the girl’s expression didn’t seem to really do much except irritate her. The girl’s two friends screamed and Steve, who was close enough by now, leaped into action. That’s quite enough of that, he said firmly, putting his hand on Arnie’s shoulder and gripping it hard. He gave Arnie a stare that he hoped told him that he wasn’t messing around.

Scram, kid, Arnie growled, glancing at him. That was when the people around him recognized that it was Steve Dodson stepping in, not just some random dude. Well, the kids that knew him from middle school did, the older kids didn’t really know who he was. Instead of cowering, they started taking an active interest in the ongoing events. Some started recording to get some internet cred.

The reason the kids who knew who he was were so excited is that Steve had a bit of a reputation for being a nice guy who would stand up for others. His dad, a cop, had trained him in hand to hand combat since he was a kid, so he knew full well what he was doing.

When Steve refused to step down, Arnie said, Doug! Chris! Can you get rid of this kid?

Two big dudes nearly as large and muscular as Arnie got up from where they’d been sitting nearby and began flexing their muscles menacingly. Steve let go of Arnie and analyzed the odds. The two guys he was faced with were both larger than Steve, so he wouldn’t have a size advantage. They were very muscular and covered in tattoos, which were fully visible since they were wearing matching white muscle shirts. As he thought about it, Steve noticed that Arnie’s two guys were too old to even go to his school.

Steve’s only advantage was the cramped fighting location. Despite the odds, he decided to press it. Doug moved first, attempting to grab Steve in a chokehold, but Steve ducked, leaving Doug to stumble forward into Arnie, who looked confused. Chris went next, trying to kick at Steve, but Steve moved out of the way. Arnie was the one that got kicked in the shin, which made him let go of the girl and howl in pain. The girl took the opportunity to free herself by climbing over the back of the seat in front of her and getting into the aisle on the other side of Arnie with a sweet acrobatic move.

Arnie looked around, saw he was surrounded, and promptly sat down in the girl’s vacated seat, squashing the two other girls against the wall and knocking a red bag to the floor. Doug and Chris split up, with Doug remaining with Steve while Chris went after the girl.

Unfortunately, that was their mistake. Two guys had been barely manageable, but with only one, Steve just knocked him out by kneeing him in the stomach and smashing his face into a seat, barely having to act while using the guy’s own weight against him. He turned around to see the girl laying Chris out with some kind of martial arts move, ending with him getting face-planted onto the floor with a heel-drop attack as the girl used the bus seats for extra leverage. It was over so fast, the onlookers were totally stunned. For the first time in Steve’s memory, the bus was dead quiet. The electric engine’s humming was the only other noise apart from the security guard whispering into his radio, looking just as stunned as the kids.

Arnie looked just as shocked as everyone else, but he quickly recovered from that. He jumped up, saw he was surrounded, and grabbed a baseball bat from a sporty kid nearby. Come and get me then, he snarled, waving the bat around threateningly. Despite the rough talk, he looked scared.

Steve kept his distance, wondering just what he was going to do next. Then the bus stopped and the doors opened. Steve glanced out the window and saw that the bus had stopped in front of the police station. A pair of cops ran on the bus and surveyed the situation. Arnie took one look at the cops, cursed in Spanish, and bolted, pushing past Steve and running towards the emergency exit in the back. Steve and the girl dove out of the way as the cops pursued and tackled him before he could get the emergency door open.

XXX

Steve spent the next hour being interrogated by the cops alongside the girl. And that’s what happened, he said, finishing the story. A video of the fight had already been uploaded to the internet, so he’d shown that to the cops as well, which had cleared him and the girl from any wrongdoing. Normally a kid would still be suspended for getting into any kind of fight period, but given that had never happened in middle school he hoped it wouldn’t happen now. His dad was a well-respected cop, so the other cops were generally more lenient with him than they might otherwise be.

The officer questioning them wrote something down in his notebook before saying, Given the situation, there won’t be any consequences from this, provided it doesn’t become a habit. You two might fancy yourselves as superheroes, but you just got lucky, simple as that. So keep your noses clean. Especially you, Miss Matthews. This could’ve gone a lot worse for you after what happened last time, given who was involved.

Steve was curious what exactly the officer meant by ‘last time’, but he knew better than to ask. Cops didn’t exactly give out information about their job to non-cops. So the two teens were released and sent home. Steve texted his dad for a pickup after leaving the station, but he noticed the girl hadn’t called anyone for a ride.

Do you need a ride? Steve asked her.

Nah, I’ve got one, the girl said. Thanks for earlier, too. I’m Hannah, by the way.

Steve Dodson, Steve introduced himself. He was impressed by how she’d stood up to Arnie without a hint of fear, but was still wary of her because of what the cop had said.

Oh, I know, Hannah said, offering her hand to shake. "I’ve seen you around, and I know your reputation. I just didn’t think you’d help me out of all people."

Steve accepted the handshake. Why, cause you’re good at martial arts?

Well, that. And because I kicked a guy in the nuts last week for talking smack about my friends. I didn’t know if you’d heard about that.

Not really. I don’t really pay attention to school gossip much.

I can respect that, she said. Just do your own thing no matter what anyone else thinks. Except sometimes it’ll come back to bite you, like it did me.

What happened? Steve asked curiously.

I got caught up in a bit of an incident with some criminals over the summer and had to fight my way out. The cops got involved, and then my mama. Not fun. I got grounded for the rest of the summer.

You fought some gangsters? Steve asked in shock.

Yeah, they caught me poking into their business and weren’t too happy about it. I’m fine now, though; all the guys involved that didn’t escape before I could deal with them got arrested. Real easy for the cops, too; all they had to do was cuff up a bunch of guys knocked out on the floor. My martial arts training really came in handy that day.

So, where did you learn martial arts?

I started karate when I was six, and I eventually graduated into starting some other martial arts last spring or so. I guess you recognized I threw some kung fu moves in there, didn’t you?

Uh, sure, Steve lied. I am surprised you let yourself get grabbed, though. You could’ve just messed him up as soon as he grabbed you.

Since we were in close quarters I couldn’t really dodge it. If you hadn’t intervened, I would’ve done just that by headbutting him and showing him why you don’t mess with me.

In all honesty, I would’ve liked to see that, Steve replied.

Hannah laughed. Really? I think that’s the first time anyone’s ever told me that. Well, in that case… Hannah glanced around for any eavesdroppers, but none existed. Lowering her voice, she said, In my spare time, I do a bit of investigative work, like a detective. Sometimes it gets a bit hairy and it would be nice to have backup for a change. Would you like to tag along?

I don’t really go looking for fights… Steve began, but got cut off.

Oh, that’s your dad, isn’t it? Hannah said, looking off down the road where an unmarked police cruiser was making its way towards them.

Yeah, it is, Steve replied, wondering how she’d recognized him from so far off.

So, are you in? Hannah asked hopefully, staring him down again. Steve was wary, but something about the way she was looking at him said that she was really hoping he’d say yes.

When she put it like that, he couldn’t refuse. I guess so, he said eventually. The whole thing sounded a bit dubious, but it did sound like fun. The day had also proven that her martial arts could get her out of any jams they came across, and he could back out if they got in over their heads.

Then we’ll meet up tomorrow to discuss, she nodded. I’m going to scout around tonight, so I’ll send you a message later with details. Then, calmly as could be, she began walking down the street, rented a bike at one of the bike rental kiosks with a credit card, and pedaled away.

Steve wondered if he was really doing a wise thing in agreeing to team up with her. He figured he’d talk to his dad about it later; he’d know from his work if she was up to anything truly dangerous.

Chapter Two - A Wise Decision?

The video that the other students had taken of the fight went viral on the internet overnight, which made Steve into a bit of a local hero. His dad had had to work late that night, so Steve didn’t have a chance to talk to him about it until the next day, after the video had already been up for a few hours.

So, what do you know about this girl? his father, Eric, had asked once Steve had told him the full story. They were seated in the living room of the house, which was small but comfortable. The house itself wasn’t particularly large, but it had two floors, three bedrooms, and all the necessary conveniences.

She looked like she needed help… Steve replied vaguely. His dad wasn’t prone to start shouting matches, so he wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to do.

Did you know that the kid you confronted, Arnie Rodriguez, is part of a gang? Eric asked, staring hard at Steve.

No, Steve replied. He remembered that Arnie had had tattoos, but he hadn’t realized at the time they were gang-related and he wasn’t about to tell his dad that.

"Yeah, well, he was, said Eric, emphasizing the ‘was’. Luckily for you, you interrupted part of his canonization, so he’s the one that’s gotten into trouble with them, rather than you. You lucked out this time. That, plus the video has given them a good reason to leave you alone."

That confused Steve. It wasn’t the MO of any criminal organization to just leave aggressors alone. Why? was all he could muster in response.

Why? Eric repeated, as if not hearing correctly. "Oh you mean ‘Why not tie up loose ends?’, don’t you? Well, some people prefer to stay out of the limelight and avoid bad publicity. Attacking you would be their version of admitting that one of their noobs screwed up and got himself and two of their guys a trip to prison. Taking Arnie out of the picture would be the easier way for them to mop up, if you catch my drift. Besides, they know it’s only a matter of time until the school gets the video taken down for violating school policy. Lucky for you, I convinced the principal not to do anything to you and Hannah greater than detention. I know the guy and he owed me a favor."

Steve said, Thanks for that. By the way, Hannah asked me if I’d be willing to assist her in some investigative work. She didn’t really take no for an answer.

Eric’s face took on an inscrutable expression. Great, he said sarcastically. The last time she got involved in so-called ‘detective work’ it was a major headache for us.

What happened?

Eric sighed. It was my fault, pretty much. I was talking with her about something unrelated, and she overheard another officer telling me about this big case I was working on. Organized crime stuff, specifically about a witness wanting to talk. So she went and staked out the guy’s house looking for info to get involved. Then the guy got grabbed for wanting to talk, and she provided us with key details on what happened. We tracked down the car and were preparing to go raid the place when a civilian called to alert us of a commotion on the premises. Somehow Hannah had tracked them down on her own and snuck in, but they caught her and were prepared to do the same thing to her as their guy.

And? Steve asked after his dad hesitated again.

She mopped the floor with them. All of them. The gang leader fled in the chaos, but she got everyone else. All fourteen.

"Fourteen?" Steve asked, thunderstruck.

Yep. Didn’t have a scratch on her. I’d never seen anything like it. I’d have said it was completely unbelievable if the witness hadn’t corroborated her story. After what happened on the bus, I’m beginning to understand more.

Understand what? Steve asked.

In response, Eric pulled up the video on his computer and showed it to him. Steve hadn’t actually seen the video before. He figured since he’d lived through it, he didn’t need to. Right here, said Eric. Watch her.

The playback started right after Steve had turned away to deal with his guy Doug while Hannah dealt with Chris. Chris attacked first, trying to punch her, but Hannah ducked the blow and punched him in the knee with the base of her palm, making him stagger. Then she stood up and, using seats as leverage, raised herself up as she kicked straight up, getting him right in the chin with all the force she could muster. The guy attacked blindly, still seeing stars, but she easily dodged every attack like she saw it coming. She didn’t even have to block; she just dodged. Then she landed another strong attack with a kick to his stomach, making him double over in pain. She used the time to get up on the seats and finish off with the heel drop attack.

Wow, was all Steve could say. She’s quick.

Yep; her agility is through the roof, his dad agreed, shutting off the video. So she can take care of herself, no problem.

So what do you say about me helping her out?

As an officer, I’m forced to forbid it, he said solemnly. If you want to hang out with her, that’s your business, but just because we both know she can handle herself in a fight doesn't mean you should actively seek them out. If you think she’s doing something reckless or if you’re in danger, call me immediately.

Call you about what? his mom, Ava, asked, walking into the room holding one of their many cats. As a vet, she was an extreme animal lover, which is why they had three cats and two dogs. The cat, upon seeing Steve, tensed up and tried to bolt, but Ava held it firmly against her body, preventing its escape. Then her eyes narrowed. Don’t tell me you got into another fight, Steve! she exclaimed, looking hard at him. Steve hadn’t told her anything because she had a tendency to overreact.

Relax, Ava, said Eric, getting up and relieving her of the still-squirming cat. He was just telling me about someone he met yesterday. There’s no need for alarm.

Ava looked at them, fear still clearly showing on her face. Her dark green eyes stared both guys down as she tried to determine if they were lying to her. Both Eric and Steve knew that telling her the truth was a bad idea, which is why they’d just lied. Well, just don’t do anything rash, OK? she said, apparently deciding to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Steve gave her a thumbs up, so Ava nodded and left the room, leaving Eric stuck with the cat. "Why do these dang cats hate you so much?" he asked irritably, struggling to keep hold of it.

I…should probably leave, said Steve, heading for the door. Once he left the room, he heard a quite audible sigh of relief. He didn’t really care, though; he hated the cats just as much as they hated him. The cats were also pretty smart, which is why he always had to keep his guard up; you just never knew when a cat was waiting on a cupboard or something waiting to pounce. Sometimes they left hairballs right outside his door for him to step in first thing in the morning. Keeping an eye out, he headed upstairs to relax and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

XXX

That afternoon, he sent Hannah a message that he would be happy to help her out. Almost immediately, she sent him a message back asking him to turn on his camera for a face-to-face chat. When he did, he was startled when he saw exactly where she was.

"Is that a crime scene?" he asked, astounded. He couldn’t see anything gory, but he did see cops everywhere. Plus there was yellow crime scene tape surrounding a house.

I never have a boring day, she responded, sounding slightly more cheery than Steve would have expected.

So what’s up? he asked.

I haven’t found out yet, she said sadly, shaking her head. They aren’t letting me in to see, which isn’t anything new, but it’s still annoying. I was just thinking of climbing a tree for a better view when you called. Thanks for agreeing, by the way. I was a bit nervous when I asked, so I thought you might have had second thoughts about the whole thing. By the way, have you seen the video?

Unfortunately, Steve grumbled.

Yeah, well, you’re not the only one getting flak for it, she muttered, picking up on the fact he wasn’t too happy about it. The reason I asked for your help is because I’ve been keeping tabs on a local counterfeiting ring that I think it’s about time to blow the whistle on. It would take another month before I could get any hard evidence just by myself, but I figured with you along I might be able to speed up the timetable.

Wait, I thought you wanted help with something minor. Why would you ask me for help with something like this? Steve asked worriedly. His dad may have been right about her getting reckless and getting into stuff she shouldn't be.

I asked you because you are the son of a cop who makes it his business to look into the criminal organization that runs it, she explained. You know, the Syndicate? She stared at Steve’s blank expression for a moment before saying, in an unbelieving tone, "Wait, don’t tell me you don’t know about them?"

Sorry, but no, Steve replied, feeling foolish.

Hannah sighed before beginning her explanation. "Well, the Syndicate is just the informal name used by the police to identify the collaboration of various criminal organizations, like street gangs, drug runners, and people like that. They all do their own thing normally, and from the outside it looks like nothing is different, but there’s this one guy in charge. Let’s call him the Leader for now. He ignores them mostly and is generally pretty hands-off, but when he asks somebody to do something, they do it, no questions asked, even if they would normally hate each other. The guy showed up out of nowhere seven years ago and just intimidated them singlehandedly. He scares them to death, and nobody has ever seen his face. If one organization goes down, it doesn’t affect him at all, and there aren’t any ties to any of the others except him. That’s how secretive the Syndicate is. The police were distracted for years because they never dreamed that people fighting over turf, money, or drugs all the time would ever cooperate. They only realized he existed within the last year.

Anyways, the guy’s a ghost, but he does take a cut of the money and he does coordinate joint operations. The counterfeiting operation I’m looking into is one of them. It’s run jointly by the three main gangs in town, but only their leaders know it. To the guys in each gang, it’s theirs and theirs alone. They don’t even know the Leader exists, and that’s how he likes to stay. They divide up the days of the week when each of the gangs guards the location, so it’s hard to bust since if you get one gang, the others will pick up the pieces. You get why I need help now, right?

Well, yeah. But it still seems too much for both of us to handle.

Oh, that’s just because you’ve never worked with me before. I’m a lot more capable than you think, Steve. So let me prove it to you! It’s one thing, Steve; you can do that, right?

OK, fine! said Steve, giving in. And I already agreed, so why are you trying to convince me again?

"Oh right, I did. I’m sorry, but I’m just so pumped right now. I’ve been backed into a corner every time I get near them, so I figure that maybe with you along, I might get a shot. You’re pretty badass by yourself, whether you like admitting it or not. That means that we’d be perfect for a team-up. It might be making me a bit giddy, though, so maybe I should just head home for the day since I won’t be able to concentrate."

Wow, she gets riled up easily, Steve thought. Maybe girls were like that, though. So, what’s the plan? he asked, distracting himself from his thoughts.

Hannah began her explanation immediately. The counterfeiters have holed up in the old newspaper building, where the paper newspapers used to be printed before everything went online and they went out of business. It’s a fake money operation, so it’ll be pretty simple to bust them if we can find evidence. The cops know about them, but without proof they can’t get a warrant to nail them. It’ll take at least a couple of months before they get proof, but I thought we could speed up the process. After all, if the police were to receive an anonymous donation of good evidence, they won’t need the warrant to search the premises anymore; they can just arrest the counterfeiters immediately. Let’s meet at 9AM tomorrow in front of the school to go over and look around the building. Bring a flashlight just in case, OK?

Uh, sure, Steve replied. Hannah cut off the conversation, leaving Steve to wonder yet again if what he was doing was particularly smart or not.

Chapter Three - Initiating Stealth Mode

The next day was Sunday, so when Steve arrived at the school, there was practically nobody out and about. Steve hadn’t been raised to be particularly religious, so he wasn’t missing anything important by showing up. He wondered if Hannah had known that when she’d asked him to help out.

Steve only waited ten minutes before Hannah arrived, again riding a rental bike. After hooking it back into its kiosk, she approached him quickly, a red messenger bag slung over her shoulder. You’re early, she noted as she approached.

I didn’t want to be late, he replied, shrugging absentmindedly.

That’s fine, said Hannah, ignoring it. Did I mention which newspaper building I wanted to look at?

"I assumed you meant the old Appleton Gazette building," Steve replied. It hadn’t crossed his mind that she might have wanted to go somewhere else.

"Well, I meant the old Free Press building in the city, she said apologetically. Sorry about that; I should’ve specified."

It’s fine, said Steve kindly. So how do we get there? Are you just going to get some former client to ferry us around for free?

"What do you think this is, a spy movie? We’re taking the bus. Unless you particularly want to walk there, of course."

The bus is fine, Steve replied, not wanting to force the issue. He wasn’t trying to be mean, but her rather snarky attitude was making it difficult to act normal. As if on cue, a bus turned the corner and stopped in front of them.

The bus ride was uneventful, as it was fairly empty. There was no driver; instead the bus was fully self-driving. By the city, Hannah had meant the city center of Magiesville, rather than the suburb town of Appleton where they lived and the old Gazette building was located. They got off in downtown Magiesville near the courthouse, in a fairly affluent portion of downtown. As they moved away from the courthouse and towards the newspaper building, Steve noticed something odd. I was expecting this area to look a bit more run down, Steve remarked, noticing just how clean everything looked. You said that this place is gang run.

What you see here, Mr. Dodson, is the aftereffect of gentrification, said Hannah, using a fake announcer’s voice that made Steve flinch. The Leader had to put the building in a good part of town where the other gang members wouldn’t normally come.

Please, don’t talk like that again, he said quickly. He spied the old brick building standing out like a sore thumb compared to the nearby newer apartment buildings and quickened his pace. They passed a few people out on the street, but they were only jogging or walking dogs. However, they did pass some people going door to door and passing out Bibles. There was also a group of little old ladies that were harassing anybody that was out for daring to do any work on a Sunday morning, apparently ignoring the fact that they themselves were out working.

When they reached the building, they found that it was guarded. There weren’t any physical guards, but there were security cameras at every entrance. Hannah quietly gestured for Steve to join her in a nearby park to scope it out.

What do you see? Steve asked eagerly as Hannah pulled out a camera with high zoom.

Hannah pretended to take pictures of the wildlife and the trees that were changing colors, but was in reality using the zoom function on the camera for a closer look at the security. It’s pretty tight, she began, peering at the digital screen. "Every entrance that I can