rr (ON HOLD)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Hitch knocked on LB's door.
"Come in," she said, sounding only slightly surprised - she wasn't expecting anyone.
"Hitch, I don't remember organising a meeting with you."
"That's because you didn't. I'm sorry, LB, but as I already was coming in I thought it'd be best to speak to you in person. Redfort's been taken."
There was no gasp, no raise of the eyebrow, no nothing from LB; she stayed calm.
"And what leads you to this conclusion?"
"Ruby's been gone for two days. Two days ago, she met Kaina von Leyden in the Japenese Gardens behind the Scarlet Pagoda. So I assume that von Leyden took her, presumably to the Count."
LB didn't ask any questions about how Hitch knew this; he was one of her best agents and she trusted him with her life.
"Von Leyden gave Redfort a card," Hitch carried on, and showed LB the card. "There's a code on the back, which we'll ask Blacker to decode. I'm not entirely sure why there's a code, but I believe it was somehow von Leyden's doing, though I'm unsure why she'd want to help us find Ruby."
LB nodded, though she sat up straight.
Perhaps Kaina is a fly, after all.

Hitch brought Blacker the code.
"Can you try to crack this?" he asked. "Ruby's in danger, and this might be able to lead us to her."
"I'm on it, Hitch."

Three hours later, Blacker lifted his head.
He'd decoded the code. But strangely enough, there were no words, no explanation; only a smell, an irresistible smell, and the coordinates of a location.
Blacker knew he should tell someone about his findings, but Froghorn was away and the others... the smell told him to stay, to do this on his own, to save Ruby himself, to tell no one of his findings.
The smell would lead him, he knew.
And it was such a lovely smell, too; the scent was so nice, so fresh, so damn irresistible.

Agent Blacker had no chance against the Cyan Wolf Scent.

Blacker found himself in a warehouse, relatively far from Twinford.
"Hello?" he called. He could smell the scent no longer, and suddenly felt very wary.
"You must be the code-breaker," came a calm, rich voice from the shadows.
"Who are you?" Blacker felt confused, and fear was creeping up on him like a cat creeped up on a bird.
"I go by the name of Count von Viscount, but you can call me... well, what can you call me?" the figure gave an amused laugh. "I suppose you can call me the Count."
Blacker's blood ran cold.

He had walked right into a trap.
And worst of all, it was the Count's.

Blacker found himself tied to a chair which looked like it might belong to a vampire - extremely old-fashioned it was.
A young girl peered at him with disdainful interest.
Kaina von Leyden, he realized with a gasp. She had a gun to her side, ready to strike at any moment.
"So, you good at code-cracking?"
He blinked at this conversation-starter. Kaina looked at him impatiently, waiting for an answer.
"Of course I am, if I wasn't I wouldn't be here."
"Ooh, witty, aren't you. You know, you remind me of Ruby Redfort," Kaina circled the chair like a tiger circled its prey. "Agent Blacker, right?" She was about to say something else, when she turned around, as if she could hear something that Blacker couldn't. She swiftly walked out of the door, calling behind her,
"Until we meet again, Blacker. That is, of course, if you actually survive."
And as Blacker was left pondering his fate, Ruby was silent, listening for voices.
An hour ago she'd heard a struggle - had someone from Spectrum figured out where she was and came to rescue her? If so, why didn't he or she bring anyone else?
And now, she had heard two quiet voices she couldn't quite identify, though they sounded alike.
And then it hit her.
Blacker was here.
Of course, it all made sense. Redfort, how could you have been such a duh-brain?
The Count needed someone who could read tricky code. Someone who was an expert.
Someone like Blacker.
So somehow, he'd managed to lure Blacker here. Then, one way or another, the Count would get the unfortunate guy to read Ruby's eyes, quite literally.
And then the Mars Mushrooms would be the Count's.
But it wouldn't grant him -
Ruby shouted out loud.
"Yes! Yes! I get it now. You better watch your back, all of you, 'cause I just figured out your master plan!"
The door abruptly flew open.
"I really don't think you're in a place to make idle threats, bubblegum girl," hissed Lorelei von Leyden. She grabbed Ruby by the arm and dragged her across the floor.
"You know it'd be much less painful for me if you actually untied my arms before dragging me across the floor," muttered Ruby. Lorelei kicked her in the face, and not long after Ruby felt the taste of blood in her mouth.
They came to a door. Lorelei typed in a code and it opened.
In the middle of the room, Blacker was tied to a chair.
"Ruby!" he cried. "You're alive, kid."
"Yeah well, don't think I'll be alive much longer," she murmured in reply.
Behind Blacker was nothing other than the Jade Buddha of Khotan.
"Kid, he's going to get the location of the Mars Mushrooms!"
"You think? Jeez, buster, no fooling you. And do you know how he's gonna get it? By using you."
"I know."
Ruby raised her eyebrows in understanding.
"The truth serum... of course!"
"I'm so pleased you finally figured out my plan. But unfortunately the serum seems to be rubbing off, I had to use some already to ask your dear friend here a few questions, Ms Redfort," an unnoticed figure stepped out of a shadowed corner. "Ms von Leyden, please do unbind poor Ms Redfort's ropes, I'm sure it must be very painful for her."
As Lorelei did so, clearly reluctant, Ruby stood up. The Count walked towards her.
"So," he hissed, and this time Ruby truly saw how his eyes were full of hatred. He wanted to kill her, no doubt about it. "No one can rescue you now, Ruby Redfort."
"What if I told you," Ruby whispered, "that I knew your master plan?"
The Count frowned.
"And what master plan would that be?"
"Your master plan to do with Kaina."
This time, Ruby saw the Count visibly flinch, albeit only a little.
"The Mars Mushrooms," she carried on, "will only halve your age. But you need something stronger. You need immortality. And somehow, though I really don't know how, Kaina can grant you that. But she doesn't know what she's capable of, does she?"
The Count gave a slow smile and even more slowly clapped his hands.
"Of course, I expected you to find out, but not so soon. Clearly I must have underestimated your intellect. Yes, my child has an extraordinarily rare gift. When I found out I had a child, whose mother was boss of Spectrum 8, I realized I had to destroy and kill the spawn immediately, before anyone found out. But when I discovered her gift," he gave a cold laugh, "clearly I had to keep her, unfortunately so. Children are such little aggravating wretches."
"So what happens when I warn Spectrum of your plan, and LB does what she does best - protect all of us agents, including Kaina?" challenged Ruby.
The Count looked at her as if she were quite obviously stupid.
"You won't be warning Spectrum, Ms Redfort, because you'll be dead, very, very soon."
With a swish of his fine elegant suit, he turned to go.
"Speaking of, I must go find Kaina. Lorelei will keep you and Mr Blacker busy, I'm sure," he gave a heartened smile. "Adios, Ms Redfort, I'll speak to you soon."

Kaina was outside the warehouse, leaning against a wall and staring down at Twinford below. She gave a jump when she felt the elegant, cold fingers of the Count on her shoulder. She said nothing, though, and continued to watch Twinford, a wistful look in her blue eyes.
"You'll catch your death out here. Come inside, I need your - assistance in something anyhow."
Still Kaina said nothing, and made no movement.
The Count began to get slightly irritated.
"I don't have time for you to gaze at a city while looking absolutely gormless. I am not paying you to stand here doing nothing." He pulled out a gun.
She turned around and faced him; she looked weary and tired, a scar running down her left cheek and another across her arm.
Giving a demure nod, she followed him back to the warehouse, her eyes trained on the gun he was carrying.

Kaina looked at Ruby and Ruby looked at Kaina.
"Wow, you look awful."
"So do you. Boy do your glasses look stupid."
Kaina stepped back into the shadows, but continued to look at Ruby, tapping her foot quietly. The Count gave her an odd look. She smiled uneasily back at him.
Ruby, who now was also tied to a chair, lifted her head up and looked straight at Kaina. Realizing what the girl was doing, Ruby tapped her foot quickly in reply.
The Count was suspicious now, and remembering the incident from the cave, he grabbed Kaina's shoulder.
"What are you doing?" he hissed. Kaina shrugged her shoulder free and stepped back in fear. Then she ran out of the room, Lorelei giving chase.

Kaina was out of the warehouse, but Lorelei was hot on her heels. She pulled out a gun and shot the air. Kaina froze.
"You better come back," Lorelei spat. Kaina put her hands up.
"You don't understand. Lorelei, just let me go, I'll be back, five minutes at most," at Lorelei's frown, Kaina then added, "think of all the things I've done for you. Surely you have a small sense of fairness?"
Lorelei lowered her gun.
"I loathe you, kid, hope you know that."
Kaina ran down the mountain; she headed to the nearest phone box and typed in a number.
"How have you found this number?" came a sharp, gravelly voice.
"Redfort and Blacker in trouble; warehouse in Trileon, offside mountain westwards to Twinford. Count and Lorelei," Kaina gave an uncertain short pause, " - and myself here. Help, please. Bring back-up. If you come, I'll say 'oops' when you need to attack."
The line went dead.
Giving a sigh, Kaina headed back to the warehouse.

In an entirely white office...

... the woman sat frozen in her chair.
Her child had just phoned her, asking for help - the child had betrayed the Count and she knew it. What would happen to her now was anyone's guess.
The woman wasted no time getting the back-up; they headed off for Trileon mountain as fast as they could, though the woman's head was full of worries for her child - the Count would probably kill her, or do something equally as cruel and unpleasant.