The TALONS Files: the chronicles of telepathic agent Ryan Dart

A Surprise

The Pabst mansion, looming in the darkness of a moonless sky, looked creepier at night.  Its almost medieval architecture provided a chill down Ryan's spine.  "I don't get it?"  Ryan mused.  "Why make the drop in this place?  I can't imagine this house getting a ton of visitors.  How old is this place anyways?"

"Late nineteenth century," Mai replied.  "It was built by a beer baron."

"Looks older, I've heard of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, or PBR.  This is that guy's place, right?

"Yep."

They made it to the entrance of the mansion, and Ryan found the pillar where, according to the VR game, the key would be found.  He wasn't disappointed.  He grabbed the Key and headed towards the door.

Mai, who nearly trembled at the thought of breaking into a spooky place, said, "You know why they call it Pabst Blue Ribbon?"

"No,"  Ryan answered, as he used his flashlight to focus on the keyhole.

"Because it won a Blue Ribbon at the World's Fair in Chi..."

Ryan cut her off as his key rattled in the lock. "Shh...."  He had just sensed a few thoughts.

'Do this quick, don't worry about the mess, eliminate him, the kid's smart.

Ryan whispered to Mai,  "Louie Rhegetti's inside."

Mai stiffened.  Ryan focused on fishing, and said,  "get against the house." Mai did as instructed.

Ryan turned the key and shut off his flashlight.  He then threw the door open and pasted himself to the brick shell of the ancient house.

There was silence for awhile, then...'what the hell is he doing?  Does he know I'm here'

Ryan heard footsteps, stealthily marching around the door.  As they did, a beam of a flashlight clicked on. Louie was carefully striding towards the door. Ryan's stomach did flips, as he heard the methodical footsteps get closer.

Ryan sensed that Louie would look to his left first. That was the side that Ryan was on.

Beyond the beam of Louie's flashlight, Ryan couldn't see a thing.  Louie was hidden in the shadows of the old mansion, as his footfalls creaked a slow monotonous warning.      Finally, the thug was at the threshold, the flashlight swinging to the left.  Before the beam could fall on Ryan's person, Ryan kicked it from Louie's hands and then swept Louie's legs.  Or at least he tried to.  This time, Louie was ready for him, and practically being twice the size of Ryan, planted his feet firmly in the ground.  Ryan's foot thudded Louie's calf, nothing more.

Louie grabbed for Ryan, firing an errant shot through the night sky.  Dogs immediately barked and howled at the sound. 

Ryan, who had been snagged by the collar, grabbed Louie's wrist and twisted it.  He then kicked the man hard in the Stomach.  Ryan could hear a grunt from Louie, it sounded as if the wind was knocked out of the thug.  The goon was doubled over, clutching his abdomen. Ryan then used his watch and shot a tranquilizer dart at the shadow in front of him.  Louie fell to the ground.

Quickly, Ryan went inside and found a chair, it was antique. He drug it to the porch of the Mansion, lifting the weighty thug onto the ancient piece. "Ryan, you really shouldn't put him on that chair."  Mai said, as Ryan struggled to prop the henchman on the valuable piece of furniture.

"We have to,"  Ryan said.  "Tear a large curtain from a window"  Ryan instructed Mai.

In seconds, Mai showed up with a gigantic lace curtain. "Will this do?"  She asked.

"Yeah,"  Ryan was surprised at his partners efficiency.  He then, very carefully, tied Louie tightly to the chair, making sure he bound his hands.  "This guy is not getting away!"  Ryan said.

Ryan and Mai then walked through the mansion, towards the dining room.  As creepy as the agents thought the mansion looked on the outside, nothing could prepare them for the dead of night aura of this drafty house.  Ryan played his beam in the rooms, as long, ghastly shadows accompanied moaning floorboards that loudly creaked with every foot fall. 

Ryan, with the way the demonic sillohettes played on the wall, had no doubt Captain Pabst was watching the teenagers' every move.  "Let's find this thing quick,"  Ryan said in a shaky whisper.

Ryan memorized the house from the VR game, finding his way to the dining room.  And with it, lying in a corner of the room, just on the others side of a gigantic wood table, Ryan found the gold cup. 

His footsteps were quick, as the creaks resonated through the house.  He popped open the lid, fished for the disk and put the SD card in a bag with the other two.  He then smiled at Mai.

Mai whispered towards her friend, "I guess its off to Chicago!"

"First, I have to make two very important phone calls."  Ryan's voice was bolder and louder. It echoed throughout the first floor of the mansion. Ryan couldn't help a fit of goosebumps.

"Do you have to do it from here?"  Mai said, shuddering at the shadows the flashlight's beam produced.

"Yeah, it will only take a bit.  First I have to call the Milwaukee metro police."  Which Ryan did.  Informing them that he was walking by when he discovered an intruder in the Pabst Mansion.  He urged the cops to arrest the man tied to an antique chair on the front porch.

Secondly, he called Declan, and let his instructor know that Ryan was heading to O'hare international airport. The disks were set to be delivered to the Senator.  Declan was reluctant to allow Ryan to do that, claiming he hadn't finished his research.  Yet, after thinking a bit about it, decided that if the senator, if indeed it was the senator, was waiting at the airport for the agents, there would be a large contingent of law enforcement to stop the transfer and arrest the guilty party. Declan would inform law enforcement to stay at least 200 yards away from the perp, ensuring the senator wouldn't read the cops' minds and be alerted to the sting.

Ryan kept this in mind, as he worked his way from the mansion's shadowy interior.  As the teenager's reached the exit, there was Louie Reghetti struggling with the drapes around his wrists, already conscious despite the tranquilizer dart.

While the teenagers exited the mansion, Louie turned towards them and glared, "You'll pay...."

Ryan interrupted, "I know, I know, I'm going to pay for this."  Ryan waved a hand at the henchman, passing him in almost a leisurely fashion.  "Enjoy you're time in jail grease ball!

Sirens in the distance became louder, as Ryan started the SUV from his phone and drove it towards him and his partner.  They were gone before the cops arrived.