Sometime later Arc and company finish their meal. Arc looks to his daughter happily.
“Gotta hand it to you, Dinky. Those combinations weren’t half bad.”
Max nods. “Yes indeed.”
Xenos chuckles. “I liked them too!”
Viktor smiles at her. “Perhaps when this is all over, we can celebrate with some more pizza!”
Hugh grins widely. “We should!”
Arc sighs. “A good idea. However, this whole mission is far from over.”
He turns to Viktor.
“Anything from the Internet?”
Viktor nods. “We missed quite a bit of Shard activity.”
Ember sighs. “I was afraid we would.”
Dinky smiles up at her father. “It couldn’t really be helped though, right?”
“Right. What have Frank and his cronies been up to?”
Viktor clears his throat as he and the others take papers out of their pockets. “Looks like a lot of robbery lately. And I mean a LOT!”
Derpy looks confused. “What kind of things are they taking?”
Hugh shakes his head. “Everything that isn’t nailed down!”
Xenos nods. “Literally! They’re highjacking vehicles at truck stops!”
Max shrugs. “What they’re doing with all that stuff is anyone’s guess though!”
Viktor leans forward and hands Arc a few pieces of paper. “I think you’d better see this one yourself, sir. It was in this morning’s news feed.”
Ember rolls her eyes as Arc takes the papers. “Come on! How bad could it be?”
Arc quickly scans the pages. Suddenly, the blood drains from his face!
“This IS bad!”
Sereb frowns. “What is it?”
Arc reads the article quickly. “It says here our local gun store was robbed!”
Ember grits her teeth. “By the Shards?”
“Looks like it.”
Dinky looks to her father, soberly. “How much did they take?”
“Everything.”
Derpy frowns. “Everything?”
Arc turns one of the papers toward they others. It depicts an empty store.
“Literally, everything!”
Ember looks intently at the picture. “That is a whole lot of empty!”
Cherry calls out. “Does Marshal Raynor have any leads?”
Arc shakes his head. “Probably not. Gun theft is handled by the feds.”
Hugh grimaces. “Them again?!”
Viktor rolls his eyes. “How much do you want to bet they’re not doing a whole lot?”
Xenos grits his teeth. “You’re probably right.”
“Well, according to this article, they’ve yet to report any leads.”
Hugh frowns. “I don’t get it! What would the Shards even want with a bunch of guns?”
Max turns to Arc, nervously. “Maybe they’re looking to take their racketeering to the next level!”
Ember calls forth her spear and armor. “Bring em on!”
Arc shakes his head. “Knowing Frank like I do, that seems really unlikely. He’s a bad guy, but not a killer!”
Derpy looks confused. “What else could they be used for?”
“My guess is they’re going to sell them on some kind of black market. Doing so would certainly net them quite a bit of cash.”
Max nods. “We going to do something about this, sir?”
Arc stands up. “That we are.”
Ember sighs and rolls her eyes. “Please tell me you have a plan! I mean, we don’t even know where they have these weapons!”
Max nods. “Or even IF they do!”
Arc nods. “I know. But there’s one place to start,”
Dinky looks confused. “Where?!”
“The Shard’s Hideout.”
Hugh sighs. “First we’d have to find it.”
“It’s just outside town in an old, abandoned factory.”
Viktor’s eyes grow wide. “Wait, what?!”
Derpy turns to Arc. “How in Celestia’s name do you know that?!”
“I’ve known Frank for a long time. While we haven’t spoken in quite some time, as far as I know, they’re still up there.”
Max nods. “Let’s assume you’re right. What’s the plan?”
“I’m going up there late tonight and have a look around.”
Ember glares at him. “Not without me you’re not!”
“Fine with me. I’m planning on going in there cloaked anyways.”
Hugh sighs. “All well and good for you sir. But what about Ember?”
Arc removes a magic cloak from his ring and gives it to Ember. “I knew this cloak Shining Armor left behind when he broke into Light’s Hope would come in handy one day.”
Ember accepts the cloak and quickly slips it on. “Great! We can stay together!”
Derpy smiles. “But if you’re both cloaked, how are you supposed to see one another?”
Arc pulls his helmet out of his ring. “My helmet’s True Sight enchantment should allow me to see Ember. Care to try?”
Ember cloaks. “Good idea!”
Arc puts on his helmet and looks right at Ember.
“I can see you just fine. Now the only problem is how are you supposed to see me?”
Ember chuckles. “Last time we were in Redemption Village I had Mythic Honor put a True Sight enchantment on my own helmet. I should have no trouble seeing you.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Really?! When did you have time to do that?!”
“It only took him about three seconds.”
“Huh… there is more to that guy than meets the eye.”
Max looks to Arc. “What about us, sir?”
“I think it would be best if we kept this group small and stealthy.”
Xenos frowns. “Can we at least drive you there?”
“No need. I took the liberty of placing a sigil on a hill overlooking their hideout.”
Hugh narrows his eyes. “You planned this, didn’t you, sir?”
Arc nods. “I knew we’d have to go there eventually. However, I thought for sure they’d tone down their crimes for Christmas.”
Viktor shrugs. “Perhaps they’re foregoing traditional presents this year in lieu of stolen ones?”
Hugh looks at Viktor. “Presents?”
“I looked up Christmas on the Internet. Seems like a very similar holiday to Hearth’s Warming.”
Arc nods. “We’ll have to compare notes on that tomorrow.”
Derpy raises an eyebrow. “There’s something to do now?”
“Yeah. Ember and I should probably rest up for tonight. Wouldn’t do to have us walking around the Shard’s Hideout half asleep.”
Dinky sighs. “I guess not…”
“Sorry about this you two. But if I don’t get these weapons away from them, a lot of innocent people could get hurt.”
Dinky turns to her father and nods. “I understand. But… can we do something fun together soon?”
“Yes. Assuming there isn’t anything of immediate importance, your mother and I could spend the day together.”
Dinky throws her hands up happily. “YAY!”
Derpy looks nervous. “Isn’t it a bit soon for that, Arc? I mean… I’m still working on walking!”
Dinky helps her mother stand up. “Don’t worry mom! I’ll help you practice all day if I have to!”
Derpy smiles happily. “Okay, let’s do it! I want to be ready!”
Cherry calls to them as he and Ember stand up. “Arc? If you’d let me borrow your armor, I’ll take care of supper tonight.”
Arc nods, calls forth his armor, and steps out of it. “Thanks Cherry. Just be sure there are enough leftovers for us to have something before we leave.”
Eidolon’s Ward nods and waves as the pair head upstairs to bed. “I’ll see to it.”
Max turns to the others. “Well, we should probably get back to work ourselves.”
Viktor nods. “Right! Better too much intel than not enough.”
As Arc’s squad again heads for the basement Derpy and Dinky stand up. Eidolon’s Ward looks over to the pair.
“Shall I help as well?”
Derpy nods. “Thank you. I’ll take all the help I can get right now!”
Dinky looks over to the armor. “Miss Cherry? How did you get so good at walking on two feet?”
Eidolon’s Ward turns to Dinky as Derpy puts her hand in the palm of the gauntlet. “Practice. Sadly, there isn’t really a shortcut to success in this case.”
Meanwhile, Arc and Ember doze as best they can throughout the afternoon. About midnight Arc knocks on the Guest Room door. Ember sits up and turns to him.
“Is it time?”
Arc nods. “As soon as we have a little something to eat, yes.”
Ember steps out into the hallway and the pair walk downstairs. There is a light on in the kitchen. Stepping into the room they find Eidolon’s Ward sitting patiently in a chair waiting for them. Arc smiles.
“Good morning, Cherry. Kinda…”
“Good morning you two! Did you sleep well?”
Ember shrugs. “Kinda. It’s not exactly easy to sleep in the middle of the day.”
Arc nods as he opens the refrigerator and pulls out a couple plates of food covered in plastic wrap. “Especially when you’re anticipating a mission.”
Ember looks at the food. “I guess cold food is still better than no food at all.”
Arc shakes his head. “I’ll stick it in the microwave for a few minutes.”
“The what?”
He puts a plate in the microwave and pushes a few buttons. “It warms food up quickly.”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “How?”
Arc shrugs as he pushes the ‘Start’ button. “I’m not really sure.”
Eidolon’s Ward picks up a piece of paper from the counter and walks over to Arc. “Dinky wanted to stay up and see you off, but she wasn’t able to keep her eyes open. I helped her and Derpy to bed about two hours ago.”
“Thanks. They’re really dedicated.”
Eidolon’s Ward hands Arc the paper. “Dinky wanted you to have this before you left.”
“What is it?”
“Just a little note she wrote before she fell asleep.”
The paper is a hastily drawn picture of Dinky standing between Arc and Derpy happily. There is a message that reads ‘Come home safely, dad!’. Arc smiles.
“Dinky’s such a sweetheart. She wanted to tell me this herself, but couldn’t.”
Ember looks over Arc’s shoulder at the note. “We have to be certain not to let her down now.”
Arc walks over to the refrigerator and hangs up the picture. “That’s a good place for it!”
The microwave beeps and Arc switches out the plates. He then sets the steaming food in front of Ember. She appears amazed!
“What…? HOW?!”
Arc shrugs. “You could have Viktor look it up for you later if you want.”
“I just might have him do that for me.”
The pair quickly eat and put their empty plates in the sink. Arc looks over at Eidolon’s Ward and Ember. “You two ready to do this?”
Eidolon’s Ward nods. “Yes! I’ll do my best to keep you safe!”
Ember calls forth her armor. “I was born ready!”
Arc’s armor opens to allow Arc to don it. Ember and Arc both put on their magic cloaks. Suddenly there is the sound of feet coming quickly up the stairs! Max runs up to Arc!
“Sir, we want to help!”
“I’m sure you do. But until the Hammers finish your new armor…”
Viktor holds up a small crate bearing the royal seal. “Yes, well, this came through from Equestria while you were asleep, sir!”
Ember looks confused. “But it’s not time for another portal to open.”
Hugh nods. “True. But apparently non-living matter is much easier to move between worlds.”
Xenos shrugs. “I don’t get it either.”
Arc walks over. “Okay. So what’s inside?”
Viktor opens the crate and pulls out what appears to be a small television screen and several smaller items.
“According to the notes that came with this, we can use this screen and the enclosed trackers to monitor your progress and, quite literally, watch your back!”
Cherry giggles happily. “Great! How does it work?”
Hugh walks to Arc with one of the sensors. “We put these trackers on your armor. They send a signal back to this screen.”
Arc nods. “Like little cameras?”
Max grins. “Exactly!”
Viktor steps forward and places the small trackers on the front, back and sides of Arc’s helmet. “With this addon we’ll be able to help you with running a mission without having to leave the basement or be in harm’s way.”
Xenos frowns. “Where’s the fun in that?!”
“I’m sorry if it’s a bit boring. But until you guys have armor, I don’t want you in danger. I’m sure there will be plenty more missions in the coming months.”
Max nods. “We understand, sir.”
Viktor quickly plugs in the system and turns it on. “Let’s see if it’s working.”
The screen quickly brightens to show a four-way display of all four sides of Arc’s surroundings. Ember frowns.
“That’s kinda creepy.”
Arc shrugs. “If they can spot something before I see it, all the better!”
Viktor thinks for a moment. “I think I should be able to patch this into my computer screen while the others watch this, sir.”
Ember glares at him. “I don’t like the idea of using a real mission to test equipment!”
“Neither do I. But if this works it will be a valuable addition to our arsenal. But we should get moving. You boys get that thing set up downstairs and we’ll see how useful it really is.”
Viktor salutes and hurries downstairs with the others. “Yes sir! Shouldn’t take much more than a couple minutes.”
Arc nods. “We’ll wait.”
Ember turns to him. “Do you really think this will be THAT helpful?!”
“I do. It will be like having four extra sets of eyes.”
Cherry giggles from within. “Make that five!”
A few minutes later a familiar voice comes over Arc’s earring.
“Sir? Can you hear us?”
“Loud and clear, Max. You guys ready down there?”
Hugh chuckles. “As ready as we’ll ever be.”
Viktor nods. “Go ahead and teleport over, sir. We’ll be in touch.”
Xenos looks at the screen before him. “We got your back.”
He nods. “Okay. Here we go.”
Arc opens a portal. As he and Ember are about to step through, there is the sound of movement behind them. Sereb approaches stoically.
“I would like to come as well. My Cub Form will make me an excellent scout.”
Ember shakes her head. “This is going to be dangerous, Sereb.”
“I am aware of that. However, I am bound to protect Arc, and that is what I wish to do.”
Arc nods. “Both of us will be invisible. How would you follow us?”
“You forget I have heightened hearing and sense of smell. Keeping up with you will be a simple matter.”
“Well… okay. But don’t take any unnecessary risks.”
“Very well.”
The trio enters the portal. In a moment they find themselves on a hill overlooking the Shard Hideout. Arc points to a large building below them.
“There it is.”
Ember shakes her head. “I’m not sure if I should be impressed or disgusted!”
Sereb frowns. “Perhaps we should merely respect their martial prowess. As we seek to end this madness, that is.”
Arc nods. “Agreed. Ready to go?”
“Yup!”
“As am I.”
Arc and Ember cloak and head toward the base with Sereb following closely behind. He touches his earring and whispers.
“You guys read me?”
Viktor nods. “Loud and clear, sir.”
Xenos clears his throat. “Anything in particular we should be looking for?”
Hugh chuckles. “Other than the stolen weapons, that is?”
Arc shrugs. “Anything that could prove dangerous mostly.”
Max turns his head toward the computer desk. “Viktor, can we record this?”
Viktor presses a button on his keyboard. “Way ahead of you!”
Arc smiles. “Good. I may want to review this later.”
They near the building. Several tough looking Shards are on guard duty. Ember whispers to him as she and Arc come together.
“We can take them!”
Sereb frowns. “Yes. And alert others to our presence.”
Ember hisses back. “Not if we act quickly!”
Arc shakes his head. “They have additional guards watching the courtyard.”
Ember frowns. What?! How do you know that?!”
Arc points to a couple windows. “I can see them.”
True enough, Ember and Sereb see silhouettes in several windows.
“Okay, okay! I see them! What’s the plan?!”
Arc thinks for a moment. “Follow me.”
He leads them around to the back of the building. As they approach the loading dock, Arc stops.
“This is as good a place as any.”
Ember looks around. “Why here?!”
“It’s the middle of the night. They wouldn’t be loading or unloading trucks right now. Now then, come closer and I’ll Blink us inside.”
Ember grins as she walks over to him and puts an arm around Arc as Sereb jumps into her other arm.
“I’m liking this plan!”
Arc rolls his eyes. “Here we go.”
In an instant they are inside the building. Arc whispers to them.
“This is where things get dangerous.”
Sereb nods as he jumps down. “Where should we check first?”
Ember looks around. “Think those weapons are around here?”
Arc shrugs. “Maybe. Let’s have a look around, shall we?”
The trio investigates the Loading Docks to no avail. Ember shakes her head as they reconvene.
“Nothing here.”
Sereb nods. “That may be a good thing.”
Ember frowns. “How so?”
“Sereb’s right. If they’re not here, that means the Shards aren’t ready to move them out for sale.”
“What about using those things themselves?!”
Arc turns away from her. “That’s what we hope to avoid! Let’s go this way next.”
Ember and Sereb follow Arc down the corridor as she looks around.
“This building has certainly seen better days.”
“True. But it’s the perfect place for a gang to hole up. Lots of space to house and store their spoils.”
They continue on their way. Soon they come to a makeshift Dormitory. Everyone appears to be asleep as they quickly pass by. Soon they hear footsteps coming toward them. Arc and Ember flatten themselves against the wall as Sereb dives under Ember’s cloak. A few moments later they spot Stingray walking down the corridor with Frank.
“I still don’t get why you wanted all those guns! My sources could have gotten you whatever you needed!”
Frank smiles at her as he hobbles down the corridor. “Think of it more as a backup source of revenue. Should we ever be hurting for cash, it would be a simple matter to flip the weapons. Especially with plenty of ammo. But tell me, is it wise for us to put all our proverbial eggs in one basket?”
Stingray frowns. “What do you mean?”
“No one is infallible. If we rely on your… sources, as you call them, for every vital thing we need, we’ll come to be completely dependent on them. If that happens, they may fail us at a critical phase in my plans.”
Stingray shakes her head. “My sources have never let me down before.”
“I’m sure they haven’t. But I won’t leave the fate of my organization in the hands of those whom do not show themselves.”
“Speaking of which, just what IS the next phase?”
“We can talk about it tomorrow. The night is upon us.”
“It has been for some time, sir. Why don’t you get some rest?”
Frank nods. “Yes, I think that is in order.”
“Shall I wake you at the normal time?”
“One does not get ahead by missing breakfast. So yes, I’ll see you at 6, sharp!”
The pair turn a corner as Arc pulls Ember close. She whispers to him urgently.
“They DO have them!”
Arc nods. “At least they haven’t been sold.”
Sereb points a paw down the corridor. “Let us see to it that remains true.”
They search the hideout for another hour. In doing so they discover the Kitchen, Common’s Area, Offices and finally what appears to be a Training Center. Ember looks around at the various exercise equipment.
“They’ve certainly thought of everything.”
Xenos folds his arms over his chest. “This place is pretty well stocked for a bunch of thugs and criminals.”
Arc sighs. “Yes. Their members rely on Frank for everything from their housing, food and even their income.”
Max frowns. “Like subjects!”
Sereb growls. “That is not a position they should be in.”
Ember shrugs. “Why not? If they weren’t such scumbags, I might feel right at home in here.”
Arc turns to her. “When you rely on someone… or in this case an organization, for everything, you’ll quickly see that you aren’t being helped by them. In fact, you’re owned BY them!”
Sereb shudders. “A frightening thought. An army mindlessly following their leaders.”
“It happens a lot here on Earth. But let’s get back to work.”
Viktor types hurriedly. “I’m doing my best to map this place out as you go, sir. Tomorrow I’ll go over the footage and see if I can’t fill in the gaps.”
“Good. Keep it up.”
The group finishes exploring the immediate area which proves fruitless. Ember looks to Arc.
“Where else can we look?”
“There’s still the factory floor. But it’s probably filled with old machines and mountains of garbage.”
Sereb sighs. “A needle in a haystack.”
“Something like that.”
Ember nods. “That may be, but we have to try.”
Sereb looks down a corridor. “Shall I scout ahead?”
Arc shakes his head. “No. We should go search together.”
Ember frowns. “As big as this place looked from the outside, it’s going to take all of us.”
Max chuckles. “That is, assuming you three don’t want to be there when until morning.”
Xenos nods. “That place is probably bustling come sunrise.”
Hugh chuckles. “Agreed.”
Ember looks around. “How do you suppose we get to the factory floor?”
Arc motions for them to follow him. “This way.”
Sereb looks to him. “How can you be certain?”
“Well, a place this big probably has several ways into the production floor.”
Before long they approach two large double doors. Viktor grins at the sight before him on the monitor.
“There!”
They enter the factory’s production floor. It is poorly lit and full of junk machines and storage. Ember frowns.
“What a dump!”
Arc nods as the slowly move along. “Watch yourselves. There are a lot of places one could hide in here.”
He points up at the old offices above.
“And who’s to say we aren’t being watched!”
Sereb sniffs the air. “I do not smell anyone nearby. However, this place does dull my senses.”
Ember frowns. “How? The dust?”
Sereb nods. “There is that. I’m not sure how, but something in here seems to be… interfering.
Max nods soberly. “Strange. Some kind of magic?”
“Unknown.”
Cherry calls out to Arc. “I can’t quite put my hoof on it, but something about this place just feels… off.”
“You feel that too? I thought I was just imagining it, Cherry.
Ember grimaces. “Let’s finish this up so we can get out of here.”
The group moves slowly around the production floor. Before long they come to a large door. Ember looks up to a sign over it.
“Maintenance?”
Max chuckles. “This place could certainly use some.”
Arc grins. “This looks promising.”
Ember raises an eyebrow. “How so?”
“Maintenance is where they work on broken equipment.”
Hugh looks confused. “Oh? How does that help?”
“This is probably the best place to store something valuable, as these walls look pretty thick.”
Ember nods as she puts a hand on the door. “Sturdy door too. Want me to break it down?”
Xenos frowns. “That would be… loud. Very loud!”
Arc nods. “Agreed. Let me Blink through and open this door quietly.”
He quickly does so. A few moments later her opens the door from the inside and flicks a nearby light switch. Stepping aside, he allows Ember and Sereb to enter.
“See? Much quieter. Although that was much harder to do than it normally is.”
Sereb frowns. “How so?”
Arc shrugs. “I don’t know. It just felt like a really thick door, or something.”
Ember looks around as Arc closes the door behind them. “This has to be it!”
“I suppose we can decloak now.”
Ember turns to him as she and Arc become visible. “Good! The energy needed to run this thing was really starting to wear me out!”
Arc chuckles. “No one ever said being stealthy was easy work.”
The perimeter of the room is filled with large crates. Arc opens one and peers inside as Ember walks over.
“Find anything?”
Arc turns around with a hunting rifle in his gauntlet. “I would say so, yes.”
She looks at the crates around the room. “There has to be hundreds of those things in here!”
Sereb nods. “We should get them out of here.”
Ember rolls her eyes. “Yes. Maybe the Shards have a truck we can borrow.”
Arc chuckles. “Don’t worry about that. I got your truck right here!”
He casts the Matter Compacting spell on the crates. As they shrink down, he pulls them toward himself and quickly puts them in his ring.
“That’s all of them.”
Sereb clears his throat. “Uh, Arc?”
“Yes?”
“What about that over there?”
Sereb points a paw over at something that was, up until a few moments ago, hidden from view by the crates. Ember’s eyes grow wide.
“Is that what I think it is?!”
Before them sits a large moving truck.
Sereb growls. “Isn’t that the truck from the warehouse?”
“I think it is! Let’s find out!”
Arc quickly opens the truck’s back door and jumps inside. Opening a box and peering inside, he sighs.
“No doubt about it. It’s the same truck.”
Ember frowns. “How do you know?”
Arc pulls out a package and points at the label. “All this stuff is the same brand as the company that owns that warehouse!”
Sereb looks confused. “How did they get it inside?”
Arc jumps down and closes the truck’s door. “There’s a large overhead door over there. Easy as pie to just drive it in here.”
Ember nods. “Can I assume we’re also liberating the truck?”
“That we are.”
It takes some time, but Arc slowly shrinks down the truck and its contents. Ember grins.
“That was easy enough.”
The sound of a slow clap can be heard from behind the group. Arc turns around quickly with the others. His eyes narrow as he spots a familiar face.
“Oh great… you again. Thanks for the heads up, guys. Guys?”
Stingray and several burly members of the Shards stand in the now open doorway. Arc taps the side of his helmet.
“I’ve lost the signal. But it looks like we have bigger problems right now.”
Ember calls forth her spear. “I guess we should have been quieter.”
Stingray chuckles. “Not really. You see, when you turned on the lights in this room it sent out a signal to my quarters.”
Arc shrugs. “Clever.”
“Now then… if you two would be so kind as to hand over your valuables, especially that ring, and come with me now…”
Arc reaches down to pick up the miniature truck. “That isn’t going to happen.”
Stingray watches as Arc puts the truck in his ring. Smiling, she removes her whip from her side. “That ring of yours would be worth a fortune to the right customer! Just hand it over quietly or this is going to get really complicated… REALLY FAST!
Ember levels her spear at Stingray. “You want to get to him, you’ll have to go through ME!”
Stingray strikes up a battle stance. “Sure you want to do that? Your boyfriend here didn’t do so well against me the last time we met.”
Arc puts a gauntlet in front of Ember signaling her to stand down as he turns back to Stingray.
“Sorry, but we’ll have to take a rain check on that. Things to do… stolen property to take back. I’m sure you understand, miss.”
Stingray shakes her head as she turns to the Shards with her. “Boys, why don’t you teach these two some manners?”
A pair of guards approach. As they near Arc and Ember, the thugs quickly find themselves knocked against the far wall by two very strong fists. Stingray shakes her head at her unconscious companions before turning back to Arc.
“Good help is so hard to find these days. Guess I’ll have to take you two down myself.”
Arc shakes his head. “Maybe next time. Sereb, NOW!”
Sereb jumps in front of Arc and quickly returns to his full size. Stingray takes a step back, clearly surprised.
“What the…?!”
Arc jumps on Sereb’s back as Ember leaps on behind him!
“GO!!!”
Sereb rushes at Stingray who dives out of the way as the trio blows past the other Shards waiting just outside the room. Cherry calls out to Arc telepathically.
“What are you waiting for, Arc?! Open a portal!”
Arc raises his gauntlet. “I can’t!”
He shakes his head.
“Can you guys hear me?!”
Ember frowns. “It’s no use! Something must be jamming the signal along with some of our magic! How are they doing that?!”
Arc shakes his head. “Why don’t we discuss this later?” Like when we’re not running for our lives!”
As Sereb runs down the corridor, a large group of Shards comes running toward them from around a corner. Jackal and Snake are with them.
“HA! We’s gots them trapped now!”
Snake grins. “Nowhere for them to run!”
Sereb skids to a stop. They turn around to see Stingray and her group quickly approaching from the opposite direction. Ember frowns.
“Ideas?!”
Arc looks around. “Just one… SEREB, OUT THE WINDOW!”
Sereb jumps through a window to the ground below and dashes towards the cover of the nearby woods. They run for some time before Arc looks over his shoulder.
“I… I think we lost them.”
His earring chirps weakly as Viktor’s voice comes through with great amounts of static.
“Sir! Can you hear me?! Come in please?!”
“We’re here.”
Ember glares at the earring as she speaks. “Fine time for you jokers to take a coffee break! Where were you?!”
Max shakes his head. “Shortly after you jumped out of that truck the signal faded!”
Arc frowns. “My gauntlet’s portal magic wasn’t working either.”
Hugh nods. “How about now?”
“Let’s see. Standby.”
He raises his gauntlet. As usual, a portal opens.
“We’ll be back there in just a moment.”
Arc nudges Sereb. He walks through the portal and appears on the sigil in Arc’s basement. Xenos quickly stands and runs over to them with the others.
“Anyone hurt?!”
Ember shakes her head. “We’re fine! I think…”
Cherry breathes a sigh of relief. “That was scary!”
Max shakes his head. “We’re sorry to leave you without our aid, sir! I get the feeling that equipment still has some bugs to work out.”
Arc removes his helmet and sits down. “I get the feeling what happened wasn’t your fault.”
Sereb pants. “That was indeed a close call. I had trouble returning to my true form back there.”
Arc nods as he dismounts. “Just like I found it difficult to Blink through that door.”
Hugh’s eyes grow wide. “How did you get away?!”
Arc grins. “We went old school!”
Max raises an eyebrow. “Come again?”
Ember recalls her armor and sighs. “Arc pulled off an impromptu half-baked plan, which involved us jumping through a window and running away!”
Arc sighs. “Yeah. I really hope no one saw that! It’s embarrassing to have to run from two-bit punks like the Shards.”
Sereb growls. “That one they call Stingray did not strike me as someone who should be trifled with.”
“I guess not. Everything was working just fine until she showed up.”
Max turns to Arc. “Do you think she had anything to do with your magical problems?”
Arc shakes his head. “I don’t see how. I mean, humanity doesn’t even know such things even exist.”
Viktor takes Arc’s helmet and examines the camera addons. “I’ll look these over and make sure it wasn’t electronic failure. Just to be sure.”
Ember nods. “Good idea.”
“How about you, Cherry? Did you feel anything?”
“Not a thing. I didn’t even hear her or the other gang members sneak up.”
Sereb frowns. “Neither did I. Such a feat should not be possible.”
Arc sighs. “Well, nothing more to do about it tonight. How about we all get some sleep now? Morning will be here before we know it.”
Ember yawns. “Good idea. I could go for some shuteye.”
He over to Viktor who is already running tests on the electronics. “Take care of that tomorrow, Viktor. All of you get some sleep.”
“But…”
Arc smiles. “That’s an order.”
“Very well, sir.”
Ember turn to him as she, Arc, and Sereb head for the stairs. “I know you’re just as anxious to figure this out as Arc and I are. But we won’t accomplish much if we’re falling asleep.”
They leave the basement and head for their rooms. Meanwhile, back at the Shard Hideout, Frank walks slowly down the corridor as his men clean up the mess caused by the broken window.
“Stingray, what happened here?!”
“The ‘hero’ from the warehouse broke in here and raided the storeroom!”
“Did they get anything?”
Stingray nods. “All the guns and the truckload of electronics… along with the truck itself.”
“WHAT?! HOW?!”
“We’re not sure, sir. All we know is he has some kind of weird power. Sorcery perhaps.”
Frank shakes his head. “Do you expect me to believe there’s some guy running around with bona-fide magical powers?!”
“Well, that’s the only way he could have gotten that far without being detected. And carry out all that stuff.”
Frank turns to look out the smashed window. “I see. Any chance your ‘friends’ might be able to track him or that loot down again?”
Stingray shakes her head. “I’ll ask around, but I doubt it will do any good. If he does have super powers, he’ll likely have a multitude of ways to stay hidden.”
Frank walks slowly away. “Do try, won’t you kindly.”
“Yes sir.”
She quickly heads for her quarters and picks up the phone. As she dials, Stingray shakes her head.
“What a night!”
Putting the receiver to her ear, she is connected.
“It’s me. We’ve had a bit of an incident over here. Some guy in white armor, a woman in gold armor and their dog broke in and stole a bunch of stuff including the guns and ammunition. They had some kind of strange power.”
She pauses as the person on the other end of the line speaks. Stingray reaches into her shirt and pulls out a pendant from around her neck. Setting it down next to the phone as she nods her head.
“Yes… possibly magic. The item you gave me did indeed work. However, the range was fairly small.”
She nods and listens.
“Yes sir. I’ll let you know if I learn anything more. “
Stingray hangs up the phone and sits down on her bed. Picking up the pendant and looking at it, she mutters to herself.
“I thought this whole thing was just one colossal waste of time. That is, until tonight! Where on earth did this guy and his friend come from?! They can’t really have magic! Can they...?"