Fall Down (Stray Kids Seo Changbin)

Six

Cairo, Egypt
A Random Street
18 May 2020
23:48

The usually full streets were quiet... Too quiet. No one walked past the shop and neighbouring businesses gradually closed as the night progressed. Soon the old bookshop was the only shop still bursting with life as it's flickering neon lights read that it was a '24-hour shop'.

"Something's off, " Cassidy uttered as she looked through the bookshop window through her high-tech binoculars. She was sitting a few metres away from the shop, hidden in the shadows. "There are two men at the cash register... Looks like they are arguing about something."

"Give an appearance description, " Kyla's voice was heard through the earpiece. She happened to be in a coffee shop a few streets away, typing away on her laptop. She scanned all the likely workers for Harrison, ready to confirm it based on Cassidy's description.

Nicholas and Janey were also connected to the rest through earpieces. Nicholas was still in Buenos Aires and was working on some other case using girls' discoveries while also trying to hack into the bookshop camera systems. Janey stood not too far from Cassidy, wearing a heavy disguise of a middle-aged woman as she waited for her signal to go in.

"The first one is a brunette with hazel eyes. He has caramel skin, short facial hair, a scar beside his lip and -" Cassidy described.

"Alright, got him. Stephen Abby, thirty-five years old, born in Atlanta but grew up in Brussels. Was imprisoned at twenty for unknown reasons. Next person, " Kyla interjected.

"He has blonde hair, deep blue eyes and long, dark eyelashes, his hair is about a couple of centimetres long. Uhm... He has a Greek nose, his face is full of acne scars and his lips are a dark purple colour-"

"Got him. Iris Oakley, thirty-seven years old. Born in Bruges but moved to Brussels and imprisoned for murder at seventeen years old. " Kyla paused for a second as she scrolled down her screen. "In fact, everyone in this list was imprisoned in Brussels."

"Harrison raided a Belgian prison fifteen years ago. He took the prisoners as his men, " Nicholas explained.

Cassidy shuddered.

"Careful in there, Dave. We don't want prisoners attacking now, do we?"

"I will. Is the argument dying down? Can I enter?" Janey asked.

"Yeah... Looks like it. Don't stay too long from my knowledge, Harrison will be back in an hour. Get as much information as you need."

Janey didn't respond after that, she just adjusted her earpiece so it would be hidden completely then headed to the door.

A soft bell rang as she opened it, making the two men turn to her.

"Hello, " she said in a cheery, American accent as she smiled at the men.

"Hello Miss, " they smiled in return.

"I saw online that you have an Egyptian Scriber's journal copy here," she mentioned while approaching them.

"Are you sure that's what you want to read?" Iris judged her.

"I'm an archaeologist and I heard it has information about the time Hatshepsut ruled Egypt. I need it for research."

"'The Gateway to Death'?" Stephen asked with a side smile while Iris rolled his eyes as went back to reading a comic. "It's my favourite Ancient Egyptian book by far! It contains so much information and makes you think about things differently. It's in the non-fiction section, follow me."

He escorted her to a shelf at the back of the shop. Most of the books here had dust blanketing their surfaces. No one had picked them up in years.

"What are you doing out looking for a book at midnight anyway?" he asked.

"I was out at one of the temples all day and only got back to the city now. I need the book now to prove my predictions right."

He scanned her dusty clothes then nodded.

"But why now? Why not tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow I have to go back to the temples and share my ideas. Now is the only time I have."

"I understand. It happens to me all the time!"

Janey cocked an eyebrow at him.

"You work in a bookshop though."

"I mean, it used to happen to me before I worked here." He sensed that she was going to ask him where he used to work and decided to avoid the question by quickly pulling out the book and handing it to her.

Little did he know that was all Janey needed. A glimpse of his past.