Ness picked up the receiver. "Hello?"
Maxwell Labs was on the other end of the line. "Ness..... it's me, Maxwell Labs. I have bad news."
"Like what?" Ness said wearily, knowing that it couldn't possibly trump what had already happened.
"I got a call from Dr. Andonuts lab.... by a dog." Ness raised his eyebrows, but went on listening. "When I asked if something was wrong with Jeff, it barked like crazy. So I hurried there as fast as I could.... and Jeff and Dr. Andonuts, as well as Paula, were lying on the floor, heavily scarred by what looks like laser fire." Ness's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. It was this silence that indicated his reaction to Maxwell.
Ness was considerably pale, and his mother looked at him with worry. "But what's their condition? Go on!!"
"I....." Maxwell paused uncomfortably. "I don't think....."
Ness didn't say anything. Neither did Maxwell, not able to complete the sentence. Ness's eyelids drooped heavily. "Thank you for telling me, Maxwell...."
"....... I'm sorry, Ness. Goodbye."
"WAIT!" Mrs. Lee jumped in surprise. Maxwell raised his hand, having heard the shout even as he lowered the receiver. He lifted it back to his ear. "Do you have any idea who did it?"
"This dog that's here saw something, but of course it can't tell me. So..... no."
"Okay, that's all. Thank you, and goodbye, Maxwell."
Ness heard an audible click from the phone, and put the receiver down. Mrs. Lee only watched as Ness trudged back up the stairs, not knowing that the grief, if it could do so, had grown larger. She simply knew that whatever had been said, it was bad news.
A smile.
"Now is the time to send my message. I will use all the power I have currently... which isn't much..." A frown. "To create an illusion for that boy. I will use his darkest nightmares.... and he will know where to come." A laugh, which broke off into meditative silence.
Skulryk took his camera from his pack and trudged down the road. "Stupid marina owner... Says he doesn't remember me... ARG! He really owes me now... this was my chance to make it big!"
He left his tripod in the case, but loaded some film in his camera and held it up, testing it. "If I can't make news from that crash, I'll find something right from the streets of Fourside! There's news in every crevice!"
Coming up to the old Monotoli building, Skulryk saw several hobos sitting about. "Uh... I know what I can do here! A documentary on... uh... the rough harsh city life these people face every day!"
He walked up to one of the women who had a blanket-covered shopping cart. She looked about as if paranoid of the air. She grabbed Skulryk, screaming nonsensical phrases.
Skulryk tugged at his shirt collar, then activated his camera. "This is Skulryk, freelance reporter, here with some of the most disrespected people on the planet. Now, old woman, will you be as kind as to tell the news about your plight? Living day in, day out on the streets, having to beg for people's change? How is it?"
The old woman responded with more nonsense. She turned to Skulryk, and her eyes bugged out of her sockets. She then spit the contents of her mouth, some of it was water, some of it was once canned corn, all over his clothes and face. She uncovered her cart and several cats leaped out, clawing at Skulryk. He ran off screaming as the woman climbed in her cart and talked to the air.
Making sure his camera was alright, Skulryk rewound the tape; it was expensive, and he didn't want to waste it. "I'd better clean up... Maybe I should head towards the old cafe. So much for finding hot stories in the streets of fourside... Maybe I'll just bury my nose in a few cups of coffee...
Covered in canned corn, Skulryk carefully carried his camera as he walked to the cafe.
As Luna and Siris ventured into the Café, a gust of wind blew the door wide open, nearly ripping it off its hinges, then slammed it shut violently, causing the last person in to jump in surprise and tumble to the floor. Harsemhin, Cyan, Cirra, Dan, and Kyle, who were already inside and sharing a large portion of 'Crested Booka', looked up in confusion. Luna took a step towards the door. She reached for the doorknob...when the door suddenly snapped open once again, and she found herself staring into two cold red eyes, framed by a face of unearthly white.
Luna stepped back in confusion. Raltise simply grinned and stepped in. He allowed his gaze to scan the room in passing, then he merely stepped past the others and proceeded to the wall behind the serving counter. Raltise knelt low, examining the surface of the wall. Harsemhin rose from his chair and took a few paces forward. "Excuse me, but may I ask what you are doing?" Raltise simply gave a sideward glance at Harsemhin and returned to his probing.
Eon and Nayc returned from their jaunt into Winters.
"Did you dispose of them?" Mani Mani demanded.
Nayc nodded.
"Nayc almost didn't make it out," Eon squealed. "I had to pull his bacon out of the frying pan."
Nath looked up from the anime he was currently watching. The opening sequence had just finished.
"I am of the utmost certainty that you made a grave error when relating that metaphor, Miss Eon," Nath reported.
"Be quiet!" Nual picked up a pillow with her tractor beam and fired it at Nath.
"Did I have to get stuck with such dysfunctional flunkies?" Mani Mani wailed.
Cyan wandered over to the newspaper.
He opened up the newspaper.
"What does it say?" Harsemhin asked, again edging closer to Cirra.
Cirra looked at Harsemhin, sighed, and pushed him away.
"Look." Cyan thrust the headline for all to see. It related to an article by Geldegarde Monotoli.
The group stood in silence, looking at the article.
The Newspaper
FOURSIDE POST Famed restauranteur Jackie Boruhesu of Jackie's Café, well known for its oft-denied visits by Monotoli a few years ago, failed to return home after work last night.
Jackie Boruhesu missing!
His sister, Ellen Boruhesu, had little to say, save that she was surprised he disappeared.
"He always came home at ten sharp," Ellen told this reporter. "Even back when Monotoli kept visiting. I even remember telling a boy in a red cap that he was too young to start drinking espresso then."
The Montague brothers, George and Gerardo, reported that they saw Jackie leaving the café before they left. The Montagues were in Fourside to seal off the old storeroom, which Jackie had paid them generously to do.
RG had finally arrived in Fourside, but it was getting late, and most of the buildings were locked up for the night, in fact, he couldn't seem to spot one building that was open.
"This is just my luck! Why does this stuff always have to happen to me?"
A café seemed to be open, so that's where he was headed.
When he arrived, he noted that there was a rather large hole in the roof.
"Weird."
Suddenly, a police car screamed past, almost hitting him.
"Where was that guy going in such a hurry?" He asked aloud, not realizing he had just made a complete idiot of himself.
BOOM! He had accidentally run into someone carrying a camera.
"Oops, I'm sorry, can I help you with that?"
"No, it's ok."
They talked for a little while, and decided to get a few cups of coffee.
When they arrived inside, they sat down, not noticing the others, who were already there.
"My name is Skulryk, and you are?"
"My name is RG, nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
After talking for a while, RG found out that this man was a reporter.
"So what are you doing here in Fourside?" RG questioned.
Ness was back in bed. He had cried himself to sleep.
Ness gazed through the thick fog. He was standing chest-deep in water. What..... The water seemed to pulse, and the walls of rock around him glowed slightly. Sea of Eden?Ness woke up screaming, a heavy sweat covering his body. He bolted out of his bed and left the room, slamming the door hard behind him.
Ness walked forward until he came upon a small island with a weird void on it. He raised himself onto the island, and stared into the void. By degrees, a scene faded into the void. A planet.... Earth.
Before Ness knew what was going on, the Earth in the void turned red and exploded in a blast of energy. Ness screamed in terror, even though the world around him had not changed.
Ha, ha! Did I destroy your little planet? Oops.
That voice!
I've been resting in pieces. But someone helped me to leave my prison in the warehouse. Now, I wonder what your friends are doing? The girl? The genius? His father?
They're all.... Ness began to think bitterly. But then the insinuation of the words came to him. YOU....
Be seeing you! One of the most twisted laughs he had ever heard echoed through his head.
The boy had walked a good distance, but saw Ness's house several yards away. I made it. I just hope Ness is home. Before he could reach the house, the door flung open, and a boy in a red cap, appearing hastily dressed, rushed out. TsuramiSea recognized him, and called out. "Ness?!!"
"Maybe we should see if someone's on the other side of the wall?" suggested Dan. "That's a good idea," agreed Harsemhin.
While the others examined the wall, trying to discern what was going on, Cyan and Siris were talking amongst themselves in whispers.Who am I kidding? Cafes are all just filled with boring old guys trying to drink their problems away. I shouldn't have even bothered...
Matt had almost made it to the cafe. The outside walls were weathered and beaten, riddled with poster advertisements. A fluorescent sign boasted the name "Jckis Cae," as some of the letters were broken and never bothered being fixed. He placed his hand upon the doorknob, and entered the building.
What the...
Matt stood there, dazed for a few seconds. The last thing these people were were "boring" and "old."
Something...odd is going down.
A group of them seemed to be probing the walls. One muttered to the others that he heard something behind it.
I wonder what they're doing? I guess there's only one way to find out...
Matt approached them, not knowing what to expect.
Ness rushed right passed right by TsuramiSea. He couldn't hear him. He couldn't hear anything. Only that twisted laugh; the laugh of the monster that had murdered his friends.
He raced off, his mind filled with rage, sadness and hatred. Tears streamed down his face. Though he could barely think straight, he forced himself to focus enough to teleport. He HAD to get to Fourside.
Where all this had begun; and where he was determined to make it end.
TsuramiSea could only watch Ness spiral away...
Mike and Joe had finally made it to the cafe. They stepped in, and the two were surprised to see a large number of people inspecting the walls. They both also noted that there was another person approaching the wall-inspecting people. Joe and Mike decided that it was probably safer to not go near them. At least, for the moment.
"... Joe, go get us some drinks. I prefer water." He chose water because it did little to inhibit his skills.
"Okay. You go get us a-" Joe started. Mike had walked away. "... seat." He finished just as he saw Mike take a seat in the corner.
Joe walked up to the bar. "2 cokes and 2 waters, please."
"Very well." The bartender filled up a few glasses and handed them to Joe. After getting the drinks, Joe walked to the table and sat down.
"So, Mike, what brings you to Fourside?" Joe was trying desperately to start a conversation.
"Well, originally I had planned to get paid. But that's alright, I suppose. It's only money. These papers here could prove... more valuable, I'm sure." He pulled his briefcase up and opened it. He pulled out a piece of paper that appeared to be a short memo. After pulling it out, he handed it to Joe so that he could read it.
The message, adressed to the treasurer of Onett, went something like this: "Recently transfered a large sum of money acquired from the tax people to Jackie Boruhesu of the cafe in Fourside so that he could "deal with" an outsider. Note that this is highly important in attaining the ultimate goals of a certain person. Burn this message at once, for it could have serious effects on our plans. Signed B. H. Pirkle, Mayor of Onett."
"Wow, man, this seems deep." Joe stopped to think for a moment. "Wait, THE Jackie of THIS cafe?"
Mike nodded. He continued to watch the people search the walls. They were knocking along it, and to his surprise, there was someone knocking back from the other side. The searchers then started to break the wall where it was weakest. When they did that, the bartender interrupted.
"Hey, you guys. What do you think you're doing? Stop that or else I'll..." The bartender reached under the counter, as if going for a weapon.
"Not so fast!" Mike leapt up and pulled out a handgun. He pointed it at the bartender. "What do you think you're doing, sir? They're only knocking on the wall. In fact, I think that this establishment is hiding something." The bartender was frozen in place with his hands up.
"What do you think you're doing, Mike?!?!?!" Joe was against the wall, shocked.
"Those people over there may help me figure out a piece of this puzzle. I'm going to assist them. For free, too." He chuckled to himself. "Keep searching, you guys..."
"Whoa!"
RG and Skulryk jumped right out of their seats.
"What do you think you're doing? Trying to kill us?" they both screamed in unison.
Mike didn't seem to answer; he just kept pointing his gun at the bartender while the others searched along the wall.
RG and Skulryk walked over and began to help because, if you can't beat em', join em'!
They all began searching on the wall. Some were even trying to break it down. There were also hushed whispers all around the café. People were trying to guess what it could be.
There was a police car speeding towards the building.
"Lock the doors, no one is leaving until we find what this place is hiding!" yelled Mike to a few people standing by the door.
Raltise laughed and stood up. He elbowed his way through the crowd which had gathered about the wall. Folding his arms across his chest, the one of the unearthly visage chuckled quietly to himself. Cirra looked up in interest. Raltise simply glanced in her direction, then closed his eyes. His voice split the eerie silence of the Café.
"Mmm hmm...yes...well, it appears that the secret has been discovered, no?" He briefly opened his eyes to glance in the direction of Ellen Boruhesu, the hostess of the small establishment. Jackie's sister backed away, and shook her head in confusion.
"I...I have no idea what you're talking about!" she stammered. Raltise smirked, and allowed his hands to fall casually to his sides. He leaned on the serving counter, his bloodred eyes staring intently into the eyes of Ellen, who resided on the other side.
"Now now..." he mused. "It all worked out splendidly, did it not?" Raltise's eyes drifted towards the sealed-up wall, then back to the hostess. "Yes, I see...quite splendidly. Tell me, madam...what did you house in that storeroom, hmm? What did you see in there? Do not try to deny it, I can see it in your eyes."
Ellen's upper lip quivered and she shook her head violently. "No, no, no! All we used to keep back there were broken espresso machines and our reserves of coffee beans! That's all, I swear!" Meanwhile, the others in the Café had turned their attention to the little scene which was playing out, clearly surprised. Raltise's grin widened. He closed his eyes once more.
"Now, madam...why would you wish to seal up that storeroom, then? It must be of some use to you, yes? Are you implying that you no longer need the room which the storehouse possessed in order to hold your supplies? Where do you keep them now?" He inquired.
"Why, I keep them in my brother Jackie's office--" Ellen started. It was a casual slip of the tongue, but a mistake nontheless. Raltise's smirk broke out into a full grin, his yellow teeth seeming more accentuated in the dim light of the Café.
"As I thought." Raltise murmered. He allowed himself to straighten, then simply walked towards the sealed-off wall once again. The others parted before him, obviously curious, and at the same time perhaps a bit confused. Raltise's left hand fell to his side, where he withdrew a small laser gun. He held it causally in his hand, then aimed it at the wall. The others jumped back from the wall in surprise. Raltise's voice rose above the confusion, as if calling to someone just out of reach.
"Sir, if I were you, I would move away from the wall." On the other side, Jackie heard the sound of what seemed to be some sort of firearm powering up. His eyes widened, and he quickly leapt from his spot near the wall and scrambled desperately to the other end of the storeroom. Raltise fired his laser squarely at the freshly sealed-up wall.
Upon connecting, the blast struck a portion of the wall, hurtling it clean into the back of the storeroom in one piece. Raltise smirked with satisfaction, and peered in once the dust cloud had settled. Before he could get a clos einspection, however, a man came rushing out of the hole, screaming. His first action was to rush for the peanuts on the counter, and he slammed them in his mouth at a fatastic rate. He screamed when the first peanuts went down his throat; he wasn't prepared for the spicy flavor. Gasping, he sprinted over to the soda tap, and lay down on the floor, letting the cold fluid gurgle into his mouth. When he had had his fill, he brushed himself off, and stood up. Surrpisingly, several pairs of eyes stared back.
"Help! Statue! Gold! Death! Knife!"
Raltise nodded, his yellow teeth flashing in the light from the jukebox. Since jackie had been sealed away, his sister had made it "more than just decoration".
"I see....it all makes sense...the puppeteer is exactly who I thought it would be..come with me, Jackie." Raltise motioned for Jackie to leave the bar with him.
This was all way too confusing, and was starting to make Luna's head spin.
"This is all way too confusing, and is starting to make my head spin." Luna commented, in a matter-of-fact tone. "I need to sit down.
"Do you need aspirin?" asked Siris quickly. "How about a pillow?"
"I still don't know who you are." said Luna, glaring at Siris.
Luna sat down in a chair and stared at random people. Besides herself, there were three other females in the entire establishment. The bartender lady, a plump lady in the back, and a young-looking girl sitting near the guy that Siris had called 'cyan'. The young girl smiled at Luna, and she scooted over to where Luna was seated.
"Hi." said Luna, blinking slightly. "So, uh. What's going on?"
"Well..." the girl said, taking a breath, then stopping herself. "What's your name?"
"My name's Luna. Yours?"
"Rita."
"That's an interesting name."
"No weirder than yours."
"True."
The shuddering Jackie allowed Raltise to shoulder him and help him stagger out of the café.
"Hey, wait a minute!" shouted Kyle. "You're just leaving now?"
Raltise halted Jackie, and turned with another of his creepy grins. "I'll take care of Mr. Boruhesu. You all have your own parts, but that does not come until later. For now, everyone, I bid you farewell." He resumed carrying Jackie out of the building.
Everyone stared at the door, then at the hole in the wall, then at Ellen Boruhesu. She shook her head in absolute terror.
"Okay.... does anyone understand what just happened?" asked Luna tenatively.
RG stared through the door. "That was one weird guy," he commented. "I think he knows something about all this."
Harsemhin poked his form into the storeroom. There was nothing except stacks of crates in the room, no evidence as to what could have happened. "This must be some type of bad omen... a demonic power must be at hand." He shut his eyes and brooded.
"Demonic?" gulped Cirra.
"Yeah, I felt something earlier," mused Siris. "Something is wrong around here."
Mike, who had had his gun trained on the bartender, now relaxed. He scanned the room, taking in the scene before him. "That didn't work right. I want answers. I'm following that guy." He headed for the door.
"Hey, wait up, Mike!" shouted Joe, wondering what his companion was up to. He rushed to join Mike, who simply sighed and nodded.
Harsemhin drew out of the storeroom. "I must find out what is happening. I shall follow too."
Cirra and Dan both got up. "Wait! Harsemhin.... we'll come with you," pledged Cirra. Harsemhin smiled, and headed for the door.
Cirra looked at Cyan. Cyan glanced at Siris, who gave him a knowing stare. Luna just alternated confused glances between them. Cyan returned his attention to Cirra. "Er, Rita, I think I'll stay behind for a bit. We want to discuss what happened before we follow."
"I understand," replied Cirra with a nod. She and Dan both followed after Harsemhin.
RG looked at Skulryk. "Okaaaay.... now what do we do?"
Skulryk just stared at the hole in the wall wide-eyed. Then he broke out into a wide smile. "Man, what a story! I'll be the first to get it! Let's document what happened here, then follow the others!" RG agreed, and helped Skulryk set up his camera.
Kyle decided to follow Cirra, Dan, and Harsemhin. Matt also felt the need to accompany them, if only to find out what Raltise had been after.
TsuramiSea rushed through the open door. "Mrs. Lee!"
Mrs. Lee was shocked at what had just occured, but she knew what TsuramiSea wanted. And she knew that he could find her son. Skipping the pleasantries, she managed to speak. "All he said was that he had to go to Fourside...."
TsuramiSea nodded. "Don't worry! I'll find out what's going on!" He ran out the door and towards the woods.
"Be careful!" was all that Mrs. Lee called out to the retreating figure.
"Alright!" Skulryk shouted exuberantly. "What luck! A huge top story falls right into my lap!"
Once the tripod was set up, Skulryk took a microphone and hooked it up to the camera. He pointed the camera around, speaking into it. "This is Skulryk, freelance reporter, at the run down Jackie's Cafe. As I was in here chatting with the patrons, there was a problem in here. As you can see..." Skulryk pointed the video tape at the walls. "the construction isn't too great! There was a hole in the wall leading to a secret storeroom! Although the storeroom appears to be empty, as you can see, it is well known that this bar has been running for years! When people began knocking on the walls, hearing strange noises from the other side, the bartender pulled a gun on all of us! However, another shady young man pulled out his own gun. After the wall was opened, the bartender and the shady young man ran out! How could there be a mysterious storeroom in here for so many years, and what would the bartender be hiding? Several of the patrons spoke of a demonic power..."