T.N - Chapter 40

I don’t even know how I managed to convince everyone that the secret passage was just a ventilation duct, but I did. I thought the gig was up when the Justice League man kept on asking questions a bit too close to the truth. However, everyone was persuaded that it wasn’t a secret passage, and I heard much grumbling about Charlie disrupting his or her busy schedule.

Kent being Kent, he was absolutely persistent in knowing every last detail about the secret passage. After I made sure that no one else was around (I know he said that everyone had left, but I double-checked), I told him everything: the different rooms, the mechanical clicks, and the computer that was connected to Grandfather’s homing device. He nodded sagely, and gave me one of his rare smiles.

“Now what were the co-ordinates again?” he asked. I recited them off the top of my head. He jotted them down on one of the various documents strewn across the floor. I had sat at the computer, reading the numbers until they were printed into my mind.

“Great,” he said. “I will get preparations done. In the meanwhile, however, I think you should prepare for Ms. Selene’s birthday party. It is tomorrow, and you still haven’t picked out a present for her, or a dress. You know that this is an important event, Theo.” His voice slipped into a more scolding manner; the one I was familiar with at a young age. When my family isn’t around, Kent still calls me Theo. In fact, he was the one who came up with the nickname when I was young, as I hated my long (and rather pompous sounding) name. Kyle and Mother thought that he’s being too familiar when he calls me Theo, so he never calls me that when they’re around.

“Thanks for reminding me,” I said. Selene’s birthday bash…just a protocol that would be over in a day. After that, I would be free to help Kent and the League to get Grandfather back from the Dragon’s clutches.

“But,” said Kent, “I think you should stay with your friends in the household while me and the men go after the boss.” He said this in a rather regretful tone.

“What?” I asked, surprised. “You know I’m perfectly capable of coming along!”

“I know,” he said, “that you’re more than capable. But this is a dangerous man we’re going after, and who knows what tricks he has up his sleeves? Besides, you’ll need to stay to take care of the household, in case Gable decides to attack the house while I’m away.”

“Why can’t Kyle do it? I know he was stupid with the security and everything, but if he knows that there’s an immediate threat, maybe he’ll wizen up!” I knew I was desperate to go. I was even making excuses for my brother’s actions just so I could go.

“Kyle doesn’t know,” he said simply.

I was taken aback. “He doesn’t know? But surely Grandfather told him—“

“The boss told him that he was going on an urgent business trip. In fact, he doesn’t know that you had been kidnapped a few days ago. He’s ignorant.” Kent sighed and shook his head. “Now you know why you have to stay at home?”

I thought it over for a bit. Once the party is over, I could convince Kent that it would be wise to bring me, and that the house would be perfectly safe if we update Kyle about it. As the future head of the company and the Justice League, it would be best if he knew about this situation. Of course, if I wanted to go, I’d have to be the perfect child for the next day or so. At least to his point of view.

I nodded, and Kent’s mouth quirked up a bit. “I’ll leave you to it, I have to go start planning with the rest of the League. We are pressed for time.” He opened the door, and then stopped. “Promise me that you’re not planning anything behind my back, Theo.”

“I can’t promise anything, you know that. You taught me to never keep promises that could easily be broken,” I smiled charmingly.

He let out a short bark of a laugh. “All right then,” he said, and left the room.

I heard the sound of flipping pages behind me. I was a little startled, and then remembered that Charlie was still here. He was entirely enraptured with Kidnapped. And then I remembered the huge crowd that greeted me as I got out of the secret passage, and got a little mad at him.

“Charlie,” I said, taking the book out of his hands and shutting it. “What on earth—“

I heard a click before I could finish coming from the wall opposite the passageway before I could start my lecture. I was there in a few strides, looking carefully at the wall. I placed my hand and traced along the side, and then near the baseboard. I felt my fingers push into a small, neatly cut hole at the baseboard, placed just so that it was unnoticeable.

My blood ran cold. “Well,” I said out loud. “Appears we have another mole.”

C.N. - chapter 39

Not much had changed in the trashed den. The group of people there, with Mr. Kent and I in the lead, went up to the entrance to the secret passage and moved the pot of plant away. We heard some footsteps.
Soon, Theo emerged from the darkness and was equally surprised to see us all before her as everyone else was surprised to see her. Nobody spoke.
'What is this? I can't see!' Someone at the back of the crowd shouted and the silence was broken.
'You have a lot to answer for yourself, Theo, what is this?' Mr. Kent said, pointing at the secret passage.
'It's...don't you know about this?' Theo said, she had on a stumped expression and was an aftershock of the surprise on her face when she first saw all of us crowded around the entrance.
'Absolutely not, do explain.' Mr. Kent spread out his hands, indicating the full audience.
'Well...this...as you can see clearly...it's a sealed off air duct. That's right, I was wondering where the draft in the room was coming from, behind the bookshelf, so I moved it to check and I found this.' Theo said.
'Actually, I found it.' I said.
'Yes, he found it.' Theo said, perplexed. She gave me a look that seem to project the words: WHAT DID YOU DO? in capital letters.
I returned with a look that said: I told everyone that I found a secret passage and you said Kyle isn't to know anything about it. This look was hard to project and I didn't think Theo understood, so I decided to tell her in words in a little while.
'Don't you realize, this can be how the burglars came into the mansion,' Said one of Mr. Kent's detectives.
'We already knew how the burglars came in, the window was smashed.' Said a second detective.
'You don't know for sure, do you?' The first man responded.
'Well, it's blatantly obvious-'
'Why didn't you tell us you found this?' Mr. Kent asked Theo and the other voices fell silent.
'I don't think it's any news you should be concerned with, I did a little investigating in there, it's just a dead end, and the ground is quite dusty, I don't think anyone has been in there for a long time.'
'Ha! I told you so!' The second detective said to the first.
'That's no explanation,' Objected the first detective, 'Why would there be an air vent behind that bookshelf  that is just the right height for a human to enter? It is too great a coincidence!'
'It is an old house, back in the old days the basement didn't have installed fans, the ventilation ducts had to be wider or else how was the air supposed to circulate?' Theo said, she raised an eyebrow convincingly.
The detective couldn't come up with anything to argue against that point, and the crowd dispersed, mumbling about the misapprehension. Mr. Kent brought up the rear of the crowd and ushered everyone out.
'Remember, everyone! Theo said Kyle shouldn't know anything about this secret passage!' I called out to remind them of Theo's directive.
Theo said, 'It's not a secret passage, just forget about it!'
'But it opened with a lever that is disguised as a fake copy of Kidnapped, why would anyone bother with that if it's just a ventilation duct?' I asked. Theo told me to quiet down.
'And I still didn't find a copy of Kidnapped, the other two copies I found turned out to be fakes too, they didn't open any more secret passages though.' I said, dejected.
'Here's a copy of Kidnapped,' Theo gave me a real copy of Kidnapped, it was in her hand all this time. 'Happy now?'
'Where did you find this?' I asked, pleasantly surprised. Theo didn't get to answer me, because just then, Mr. Kent came back into the room, and in a very hushed tone, he said, 'Okay Theo, everyone is gone, now you can tell me what you really found.'

T.N - Chapter 38

The metal object at the end of the tunnel turned out to be a set of doors. By this time, my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and I could look at its entirety without a problem. There was a small glowing box besides the door, the pulsating light I had seen near the entrance of the passage. On closer inspection, I realized that it was a small fingerprint scanner, and I assumed that was the only way in. Hoping that Grandfather didn’t assume I’d go looking for his fingerprints to copy and use, I place my index finger upon the scanner. To my relief, the scanner beeped its approval and the door slid open to reveal a very small room. The room was maybe about the size of an elevator car.

I stepped in, and found a table, upon which sat a book. I picked it up, and saw it was a copy of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, Kidnapped, the book that was linked to this room. After studying the book for any clues, I heard a click, as if some sort of a mechanism was released. I looked around to see where it came from. Of course, at that moment, the room decided to reveal itself as a hidden elevator. The doors slammed shut, and suddenly I was hurtling towards the ground inside of the ‘secret room.’ I lost balance and fell to the ground, and I had to admit, I did scream out of surprise and terror. The elevator fell for a long time, much longer than it would’ve taken to reach the ground floor. I concluded that this next step was far underground, probably even past the aqueduct. When it finally stopped, I managed to stand up again. The doors slid open again.

It opened onto another hallway, as fluorescent lights lining the wall lighted this one. I decided to keep the book, just in case. This door opened of its own accordance when I approached it. I stepped inside, and the door shut behind me.

I was in a white, perfectly circular room with no apparent clues as to what I was supposed to do next. I tested the door that I came through, and it was locked. “Damn it,” I muttered under my breath. This can’t be the end! I opened the book to see if I could pry anything out of it. I flipped through a few pages, at the beginning, and a few at the end. And then I moved more towards the middle. I have a bad habit when reading books, to open the book wider than is necessary. Grandfather always scolded me, saying I was ruining the book’s spine. Well, as I did that, some handwriting showed up very close to the spine on page 21. I turned it so that the writing was facing the right way up. In Grandfather’s cramped writing, I found the English spellings of each Greek letter. I read all the way down the list, from Alpha to…Psi?

“Wait a second, where’s Omega?” I asked out loud to no one. I re-read the list, and sure enough, there was no Omega mentioned. I thought back to the Omega carved on the back of the shelf. What did the letter Omega have anything to do with this?

I read a few more pages to see if there was anything more to discover. Then, I heard another mechanical click, a quiet one coming from somewhere in the room. There was a loud grating noise, and the room slowly started to turn. The doorframe remained, but the door was being left behind. I walked to the doorway, having an idea as to what was happening.

To my expectations, another door started to appear in the doorframe, and the room slowly grinded to a halt. This door looked identical to the one I had come in from, but there was a keypad embedded on the door. I tried to open the door, but it was locked. There was only one possible password I could think of. I typed in “Omega,” and the door slid open.

I walked in, and found a computer in the middle of a spacious room that was lined by bookshelves. It sat on a table, and a chair was placed slightly off center to it. On the computer screen, there was a flashing dot amidst a digital map. I sat down at the chair and zoomed in the dot. Some symbols showed up along with numbers: 4° 23’ N, 173° 8’ W or 4.390229° N, 173.144531° W.

I smiled as it dawned on me what this meant. “Oh Grandfather,” I sighed, “how on Earth did you manage to keep a homing device with you?” 

C.N. - chapter 37

I didn't find Kidnapped, instead I found a secret passage which Theo decided to enter and instructed me not to tell Kyle about it.
I left the trashed room and decided to go look for an actual copy of Kidnapped, also to spread the word that a secret passage had been uncovered in the house, and that Kyle was to know nothing about it, just as Theo told me.
I ran to Wolfgang's bedroom, knocked and entered and announced, 'I found a secret passage...and Kyle is not supposed to know about it!' Wolfgang did not move, he seemed to be sleeping soundly.
I went up close to him and said into his ear, 'I found a secret passage, and Kyle is not supposed to know about it!' I think I must have said it rather loudly, because his eyes flew open and he leaped off the bed and crashed onto the floor.
'What?' Wolfgang said groggily.
'I found a secret passage, and Kyle isn't supposed to know about it.' I repeated.
'A secret passage?' Wolfgang said, still not fully awake, he was a little confused, 'Are we still at the mountain compound?'
'We're at Theo's house.' I said.
'At Theo's house? What?' Wolfgang looked around him, 'Where...what happened? I...I blacked out.'
'No time to waste,' I said, 'Spread the word that I found a secret passage and Kyle is not supposed to know anything about it.' I ran out of Wolfgang's room to tell the others. Wolfgang said something as I dashed out of the door, but I didn't hear him.
Next, I told a maid who was carrying a stack of towels up the grand staircase.
'Secret passage? What do you mean?' The maid said, confused.
'A secret passage in that room that got trashed, Theo went in and told me not to tell Kyle about it.'
'Miss. Theo is hiding something from Master Kyle again?' The maid asked suspiciously.
'She didn't say, spread the word.' I said, and then I asked her about where I can find a copy of Kidnapped which I had wanted to reread after that last indication in the trashed room, 'Do you know where I can find a copy of Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson?'
'Kidnapped, I should think there is a copy in the library, go check there, it's in the basement.' The maid went on her way.
'Thanks!' I said. I ran towards the basement. On my way there, I passed the kitchen, where I found Heathcliff and two cooks frying fish.
'I found a secret passage, and Theo told me Kyle is not supposed to know about it!' I called into the kitchen. Heathcliff was quite startled by this that the fish in his pan slipped and fell straight into the stove, where it caught fire. The cooks looked up but by then I was gone towards the basement.
I found the library occupied by the men in black suits I had seen earlier at the front of the house; some of them were gathered in a corner, sitting on couches and reading tabloid magazines.
I found Kidnapped on the top shelf of a bookshelf in the corner, I reached for it and tried to pry it loose, but it fell onto its spine and refused to budge further. On closer inspection, I saw that the book was attached to a leverage at the back, and that Kidnapped wasn't actually a copy of Kidnapped, it was another switch. Since no secret passages opened after the mechanical click that accompanied the prying of the book, I thought the switch was probably for nothing. That left me still without a copy of Kidnapped.
I overheard a group of four men talking on the other side of the shelf, so I listened.
'Won't you believe the nerve of Master Kyle's kid sister, the first thing she does when she returns to her burglarized home from a kidnapping is to bar us from the crime scene.' One man said.
'Yeah, and she isn't even a professional.' Said a second man.
'Talk about Kent's soft spot on her, letting her do whatever she wants.' Said a third.
'I knew he shouldn't have taken up the nanny job, that's one task not on the Justice League list of obligations.' The first responded.
'Now we got to wait for Miss. Theo North to finish conducting her own little investigation, and then leave the leftovers for us, and we got here first.' Said a fourth man.
'And don't forget, Mr. North had been kidnapped too.' The third man said.
'Just one more mess for the Justice League to deal with.' The second man added.
'Hey all you people, I found a secret passage, and Theo said Kyle is not supposed to know anything about it.' I said to the group of men, emerging from behind the bookshelf, all of them turned their heads in surprise.
'Where did you come from?' The first man asked.
'And who are you?' The second man added.
'I'm Charlie, Theo brought me here with Heathcliff and Wolfgang. I just found a secret passage in the trashed room and Theo said not to tell Kyle about it.'
'A secret passage!' The four men said in unison.
'Spread the word.' I said, 'And do you know where I can find a copy of Kidnapped?'
'Try the study.' The third man said, 'It's on the second floor.'
'Thanks!' I said, and I sped off to the study while the four men chatted excitedly about the secret passage.
By the time I arrived outside the study, I was short of breath. I saw that the study was already occupied by Kyle and Selene, they were lying in a sofa, kissing passionately and noisily, literally like lovebirds in their nest.
I saw a bookshelf at the other end of the study, where the copy of Kidnapped was probably at, and I figured out that I could go in and retrieve the copy of Kidnapped without disturbing Kyle and Selene. Since I wasn't supposed to tell Kyle about the secret passage, I though it was best not to make my presence know anyway.
I tiptoed into the study and sneaked over to the bookshelf, where sure enough I saw Kidnapped on the top shelf, again. I grabbed it and tried to take it off the shelf, and I heard the mechanical switch noise again.
Aw, not another fake copy, I thought.
Kyle and Selene had heard the sound too, and then they noticed me. I pushed the copy back into place and pretended I was looking for a book.
'Were you eavesdropping?' Selene asked in a teasingly cute tone.
'Woah, easy there sport,' Said Kyle, 'No need to be shy, we like company.' He kissed Selene on the cheek. 
I made something up on the fly, 'I was wondering where that was coming from.'
Kyle and Selene laughed.
Just then, Mr. Kent came into the room, saw us three, and apologized for intruding.
'Take it easy, Kent, what seems to be your concern?' Kyle said, all laid back and relaxed; his coolness reminded me of Mr. Clark Gable during the hostage situation.
'I couldn't hear her in the den, and I couldn't find her anywhere else either.' Mr. Kent said.
A thought came to my mind that I should tell Mr. Kent that Theo had gone into the secret passage I found, but with Kyle present, it was difficult, so I said, 'I know where she is, but Kyle is not supposed to know about it.' I decided that truth was the best answer.
'What's that I'm not supposed to know about?' Kyle asked.
'That's what Theo said, she told me not to tell you about what I think she didn't want you to know, yet, probably.'
'Ooh, is it a surprise for us?' Selene purred, she put an arm around Kyle.
I didn't see why a secret passage couldn't be a surprise for Kyle and Selene, so I said, 'Yes it is, that's why I'm not supposed to tell Kyle about it, and I think the surprise includes you too.'
'Aw, your little sister is preparing a surprise for us, isn't that so sweet?' Selene stroked Kyle's hair.
'Yes it is, my dear, I shall be on the lookout for any surprises.' He smiled.
I went over to Mr. Kent and said, 'I can tell you where she is, but I have to say it while Kyle is not within earshot.'
'Don't mind us, go along, we'll be waiting for the surprise.' Kyle dismissed Mr. Kent and me, so we left the study to Kyle and Selene, and could hear their making out resume as we walked away.
'Where is she?' Mr. Kent whispered.
'She went into a secret passage that I discovered in the trashed room, and she told me not to tell Kyle about it.' I said.
Mr. Kent's eyes widened and he took out a walkie-talkie and said, 'Calling all units, all units, report to the crime scene immediately, I repeat, immediately.' He buzzed off and said to me, 'Son, I think you better come along too.'
I followed Mr. Kent back to the trashed room, where I found Wolfgang, Heathcliff, the men from the library, the maid, other servants, the cooks, and a lot of other people gathering behind the Justice Lines. It looked like I had spread the word well.

T.N - Chapter 36

When I saw the bookshelf open, I had to close my eyes and make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. After the hostage situation that morning, Grandfather getting kidnapped, and having to deal with Kyle, I wouldn’t have been surprised if I was having a mild mental breakdown. However, when I opened my eyes, there was still the gaping hole where the bookshelf was a few moments ago.

“This type of secret passage is straight from a movie,” I muttered to myself. “Typical Grandfather.”

“Wow,” said Charlie, and I could hear distinct awe in his voice. “Did you know about this?” he asked me.

“No, otherwise I would’ve gone in already. I thought about maybe checking, but I thought it might’ve been too obvious.” It was clever. Hidden in plain sight. Obviously, this was part of the puzzle that Grandfather wanted me to piece together. And the only way to figure out what he left for me was to go in. I walked towards the entrance, and stopped when I noticed a small symbol on the back of the bookshelf. It was Ω, the Greek letter Omega carved on the wood, and barely noticeable. Many would pass by without a second thought, thinking it was just a scratch. I peered into the darkness, and saw it was a hallway, and it lead to something large and metallic. There was something small beside it that was pulsating light.

I turned back to Charlie. “I’m going in.”

“What?” he asked, taken quite aback. “It’s pitch-black! How will you be able to see where to go?”

“It would be handy to have a flashlight, but I think I can see well enough with the light outside. As long as the door doesn’t close until I get to the end of the hallway, I’m fine.” It was a little frightening, the long dark hallway, but determination boosted my courage. “Go off and do whatever, I think it’ll be easier with just one person in here.” I paused for a second. “And don’t tell my brother Kyle.” He’d only get in the way, knowing him. “He looks like me, except with blue eyes, and the last I saw of him, he was wearing a tuxedo…”

“Oh, I saw him on the way here. Isn’t he an interesting painter? He was coming from this room, with quite a pretty girl on his arms—“

“Please don’t mention Selene. She and I…are not very compatible with each other. And I guess you could say that Kyle’s paintings are interesting. He’s trying too hard to be avant-garde that he’s lost sight of what it really means to create art. But enough chatting,” I said, shaking my head. I was losing focus. “Just don’t tell him. Ok?”

“Uh, sure,” he said, and he shrugged. “I guess I’ll ask why later, since you seem to be in a hurry.”

“Yeah.” I turned to the darkness and took a few steps in. Then I realized something. “By the way,” I said, stopping for a moment. “Thanks for finding this. I think we’re a lot closer to saving my grandfather.” Before I could lose my courage, I ran into the darkness. 

C.N. - chapter 35

Theo's house had a driveway the length of a 100 meter race track and the front lawn the size of a small stadium. It was a lawn that could be a park all on its own. The grass was uniform in its shade of green, and the hedges were neatly cropped to resemble statues of fauna. The trees were tall and large, so the entire driveway was shaded from the sun and the air was fresh and cool. Theo's house was also surrounded by a tall three-story fence with barbed wires at the top, when I asked Heathcliff about it, he said it was a ten-thousand volt electrical fence, and one of many security components of the house and land that made it practically impenetrable to intruders.
The house itself was magnificent, it was a three-story palace and looked like the Moscow Kremlin. I wondered how many people live in there.
When we arrived outside the front entrance, we saw that a number of men in black suits are going in and out of the house with hurried pacing. Several cars and vans were also parked irregularly on the driveway, effectively blocking the two cars that carried me, Heathcliff, Wolfgang, Theo and Mr. Kent from pulling up anywhere near the front porch.
After Mr. Clark Gable made off with Mr. Damien North who is Theo's grandfather, Mr. Kent chartered helicopters to transport us all here so they can figure out how to rescue Mr. North. Wolfgang was treated of his wounds on the helicopter ride to here, but he was severely weakened, which was why as we drove around the house to the back entrance of Theo's house, he was sleeping on my shoulder on the back seats because Heathcliff refused to allow Wolfgang to lean against his shoulder. Heathcliff sat at the shotgun seat next to our chauffeur. Theo decided to ride alone in the other car with Mr. Kent, she rebuffed Heathcliff's plead to be allowed to ride with her in the same car, she said he wasn't worth her company at the moment.
Wolfgang was very tired and had to be helped by me and the chauffeur into the house. Heathcliff refused to touch him still. We each took Wolfgang by an arm and left him sleeping in a guest room.
The interior of Theo's house reminded me of the sets in period dramas on TV, there was no mismatched furniture, the floor was spotless and shiny and the air was fresh. Theo went with Mr. Kent into a hallway that was fenced off with yellow police tape with the words 'Justice Line, Do Not Cross'. The room at the end of the hall seemed to be the center of the activity. She barred everyone else from entering that room.
I hung around to see what's happening and whether I would be given a directive, then I saw a suave young man in a tux and a flamboyant young woman in a frilly pink dress exit the room Theo and Mr. Kent went into. Mr. Kent exited too a moment later. The young man and woman had their arms around each other and they came in my direction.
'Hello there, sport, are you one of the junior inspectors?' The young man came up to me and asked in a friendly manner.
'I don't think so,' I replied, 'We met at someone's house and then Theo invited me here. I'm an aspiring candy shop owner.'
The young man seemed to be choking back on something, but he recovered and we shook hands. 'So you are one of Theo's new business associates?'
'I don't know, she didn't say anything about business associates, but I'm going to ask her whether she can teach me kung-fu.' I said, remembering how Theo took down four henchmen at Mr. Dragon's compound, I'd like to learn that, so when I get back home I can show off some moves at the fight club.
The young man looked to be choking again, his mouth contorted into a sort of shape that resembled a grin. 'Can we go now?' The young woman pouted, giving the young man a very cute look. I think she wasn't all that interested with the conversation I was having with the young man.
'Wonderful, I'm Kyle North by the way, Theo's older brother, eight years her senior, and this is my wife Selene.' Kyle held out Selene's hand and I shook it.
'I'm Charlie North.'
'A North? Are you sure you're not one of our cousins or a lost brother?' Kyle exclaimed.
'No relations, I think.' I paused, thinking of a good compliment for Selene, who I think wanted some acknowledgment of her presence, 'You look like Molly Ringwald.' I said to Selene. It was the best compliment I could think of at the time.
'Who?' Selene looked puzzled.
'Molly Ringwald, the actress.' I said, to clarify. I didn't know any other Molly Ringwalds, so I assumed she knew the right one too.
Selene stilled looked very puzzled, Kyle said, 'Well it's nice to meet you, Charlie, I'll see you around.' Kyle and Selene left, arm in arm.
I stood where I was for some while longer, admiring the paintings that decorated the white walls. I realized that some of the more abstract paintings where signed Kyle North, the one I had just met. So he is a painter! I thought, he must be avant-garde, because I could not make out the slightest sense of the slashes and scribbles in his paintings, they looked like Picasso's paintings dropped into water while still wet. I guessed they share similar styles.
After observing the paintings, curiosity and boredom got the better of me. Heathcliff said he was going to cook Theo dinner, which he called a 'banquet', and would be occupied for the remainder of the day, and Wolfgang was resting. I tiptoed past the 'Justice Lines' and inched towards the door at the end of the hall. The door was closed, and through the strip of glass panel I saw that Theo was still inside, sitting on the ground. The room was trashed and messy, it looked like a burglar had broken in, though I dismissed that notion, remembering what Heathcliff told me about the security of the house.
I knocked and Theo noticed me outside. She sighed and came over and let me in.
'So what do you want?' She asked, sounding weary.
'I was curious, the yellow tape lines in the hall said 'Justice Line, Do Not Cross' in black lettering, but isn't it supposed to be 'Police Line, Do Not Cross'?' I said.
'Oh that,' Theo laughed, 'It means the same thing, except they're a special division in the police force, and they're called the Justice League, so they use Justice Lines.' An embarrassed smile grew on her have as she said this.
'Justice League, like in the Marvel Comics?'
'Mr. Kent is a comic fan.'
'Does he own a collection?'
'I don't know, I never asked.'
'I'm a comic book fan too, I like Batman the best.'
'You still read Batman?' Theo sounded a little taken aback by this statement.
'I have most of the issues in my collection, the collection used to belong to dad, he was a comic book fan too. Like father, like son.' I said.
Theo smiled, she didn't say anything.
I noticed a small bookshelf in the corner that wasn't trashed like the rest of the room, it was hidden in a tight corner, behind a large pot of plants. 'Do you mind if I take a look?' I asked Theo.
'Go ahead, that shelf is full of grandfather's favorite novels, I don't think you'll find anything there, just worn old copies of adventure books, I checked.'
I went over and found a bookshelf full of Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Rice Burroughs, H.G. Welles, Walter Scott and James Fenimore Cooper. I saw 'Kidnapped' on the top shelf.
'Hey! It's Kidnapped,' I said, 'It's my favorite book!' I reached and pulled at the volume, which didn't come loose from the shelf, instead, there was a click of mechanics, and the bookshelf swung open.
It was just like the plot of an Indiana Jones movie.

T.N - Chapter 34

“What exactly happened in here again?” I asked, surveying the room that was Grandfather’s den. It was a far call from what I last remembered of it, with its neat shelves and papers piled neatly on the desk under paperweights. Instead, everything was knocked off of the shelves, the photos of me, Kyle and Dennis were smashed, and all of his documents were scattered around the floor, marked with dirt and traces of footprints. The window that looked out over the garden was smashed open, and glass glittered in the afternoon sun. I was thankful I was alone, since I needed some space to think. Heathcliff and Charlie were somewhere in the house, and Wolfgang was taking a nap in one of the several guest bedrooms.

“We don’t know for certain, Miss., but an intruder came into the office of the senior Mr. North last night,” said Kent rather calmly behind me. “I heard a noise, and thought to investigate, but by the time I came, the culprits had already left. We assume there is more than one since there are more than one pair of boot prints.”

“And they came by climbing through a fourth floor window? That’s ridiculous.”

“We think that they were possibly spies, already planted into the building. We did have people come and go. You know that is normal in this household.” Kent was starting to get a little nervous. When I was little, he was kind of my nanny, taking care of me when the family was out. Unfortunately, that meant he faced the worst of my temper, and expected me to flip out every time I got agitated.

“Don’t we always do a background check?” I asked. “Has security gone so lax?” Damn, it seems like someone is trying to sabotage Grandfather’s clues to me. Probably the Dragon. He’d be the only one to know about something like this, or at least guess at it. I’m hoped he didn’t succeed; my rescue plan relies on any clues Grandfather left behind.

“Well, Mr. Kyle said that there was no need to worry as no one had tried anything on the mansion lately. He said he needed all the help and energy he could get to help prepare for his spouse’s, Ms. Selene, upcoming birthday.”

I had totally forgotten it was nearly Selene’s birthday. Ugh, and I would have to get an expensive present because it would be “polite.” I really don’t like her. “Goddamn stupid brother…” I muttered under my breath.

“Talking about me?” asked a voice behind me. I recognized it right away.

“Kyle, you know I’m talking about you,” I replied with a smirk, and I turned around to face him.

He looked the same as always. He was 27, 8 years older than me, which he always lorded over me. Many people say we look similar, with our very dark hair and facial features that we take from Father. However, my eyes were a plain brown while his was a striking blue. Many would agree that he looks every bit the heartthrob, although I can no longer see that because of his snarky attitude. “What were you thinking? Did your brain finish processing this?” he asked. Case in point.

“I finished thinking it over a while ago. And I should be the one asking you what you were thinking. How could you let the security get so laid back here?” I poked an accusing finger into his chest.

“I was preparing for one of the biggest social events of the year,” he said. “My darling Selene’s birthday is coming up and everything must be perfect.”

“I don’t get what you see in her,” I said. “Out of all the girls you had your pick of, you chose—“

“Kyle!” I heard a high-pitched, cavity inducing voice sound down the hallway, followed by the clattering of stiletto heels. I won’t say the amount of profanity that ran through my mind at that very moment.

A blur of pink and platinum blonde flung itself into Kyle’s arms. Kyle gave a smile that would’ve stopped the hearts of other girls. “Hello, sweetheart. Did you have fun shopping?”

“Of course,” said the blur, which has slowed down to reveal Selene with her waist length bottle-bleached hair and doe-like green eyes. She was dressed in enough pink to make me gag, and her stilettos made her about the same height as Kyle. “You being there would’ve made it so much more fun,” she purred into his ear, in what she probably thought was a very seductive voice.

“You know I have lots of work to do,” he said, in a gently scolding voice. “In fact, I’m discussing something with Theo here. You’ve heard about the entire intruder thing, right?”

She turns around, seeing me for the first time. “Oh, dearest Theo, I did not see you there! I apologize! Welcome home,” she said in a sweet voice. “I’m sure your time away was pleasant?”

“Yes, very,” I replied. ‘Without you, even getting kidnapped is pleasant,’ I thought in my mind. “Now if you excuse me, I think I’m going to investigate the crime scene a little. Kyle, Kent, you can go off to do whatever. I need some time alone to think.”

“Are you sure?” asked Kyle, merely out of courtesy. I knew that he was hoping that I wouldn’t ask for his help so he could spend time with his bimbo of a wife.

“Yes. You know I work best alone, darling brother.”

He smiled, and then putting an arm around Selene, he left. A moment later, so did Kent, although a little reluctantly. As soon as they were gone, I shut the door to the den and sat down on the floor. I was going to need some Advil later; my head was killing me. 

? - Chapter 33

There was a collective and complete silence in the sound-proof meeting room, followed by the singular sound of a cricket chirping rhythmically.
'What, the hell, is that?' Mr. Wolf said. The heads all turned to Mr. Panther, a very tanned man with long and curled black hair who looked to be half asleep in his chair. He head was tilted sideways and his mouth was open and drooling onto his tux.
'Panther! Did you come here stoned, again!?' Miss. Scorpion threw up her arms in frustration.
Mr. Panther was jolted awake by the sudden call of his name, he raised his head and blinked. When he realized what was happening, he shrugged and said, 'Hey man, I grow this stuff, I can't be not smoking my own crop, can't I?'
'This is a formal gathering made just more formal by Dragon's delivery of the most important captive we have probably ever gotten our hand on, and as of right now you are acting as informal as the pettiest crook in the alleys of the worst slums on this planet, and yet now you still have the indecency to defend yourself of your imprudent actions?' Mr. Shark said, leaning forward in his chair to stare vehemently at Mr. Panther.
'That still doesn't explain the cricket. Where's the cricket sound coming from?' Mr. Serpent, the bespectacled, clean shaven man sitting next to him asked.
'Oh that, that's my new pet, see.' Mr. Panther raised his right arm and in his hand held a tiny plastic cage with a small insect chirping away inside. 'I found it in the hemp fields just this morning-'
BOOM! There was a crack of gunfire. When everyone regained their bearings, all that remained of the tiny cage in Mr. Panther's hand was the lid, the rest of the cage was shattered into the wall behind Mr. Panther's seat and on the floor. Mr. Panther looked shell-shocked, or maybe he was still under the influence of his hemp, whichever it may have been, he did not get a chance to speak again. The cricket chirp ceased and the cricket was surely presumed dead.
The source of the gunshot was from Mr. Cougar, a gruff, slightly bearded man in his early sixties with coarse, rough skin and a shaved head. His arm was raised and the large pistol in that hand was still aimed at the spot Mr. Panther's cricket cage once dangled. 'Enough is enough! I've had it with the motherfuckin' cricket in the motherfuckin' cage! Are we getting down to business or are we?'
'Shit, Cougar! Did you absolutely have to blow that cage in here? By the devil, you almost gave me a heart attack!' Mr. Alligator shouted, but Mr. Cougar did not apologize.
Mr. Vulture, the bearded man with the turban spoke up, 'If I remember correctly, Mr. Alligator, blowing stuff up is my specialty, not Mr. Cougar's.' 
Mr. Wolf snickered, 'Ha, I still can't get over the Alligator part, you just kill me every time. Speaking of which, say Alligator old boy, mind if I call you Killer Croc from now on?'
'YES I DO MIND!' Mr. Alligator said with dignity.
'It's a compliment for Pete's Sakes, you're truly killer, you know.' Mr. Wolf replied teasingly.
Mr. Alligator was about to respond when Mr. Dragon slammed his fist down on the table with tremendous force that the ground shook and everyone's attention was focused on him again. 'I will have silence in this chamber, or I will silence you all, either way, our guest is waiting.' Mr. Dragon whispered softly and turned to face Mr. Damien North.
During the arguments, Mr. North had been struggling and squirming in his seat. He could not speak for his mouth was duct taped shut. His face was extremely red and the look in his eyes was prepared to kill.
The ten people in the room set their sights upon Mr. North for several moments, and at last Mr. Shark said, 'He's much more in shape than I anticipated.'
'Yes, I was pleasantly surprised also,' Mr. Dragon said, 'I had a fine duel with him, hand-to-hand, before I brought him here. It was quite nice to stretch those  muscles with my dear old colleague, and now it's time for us all to formally greet the man who has thus far made all our lives so very difficult on this world. We'll discuss what to do with our distinguished guest, and what credit I shall receive for his deliverance in a while, for now, I want you all to control yourselves and keep the welcome strictly introductory.' Mr. North shook his head even more furiously.
'And what you are saying is?' Miss. Scorpion raised an eyebrow.
Mr. Dragon smiled cunningly, he said, 'For the price of a ten dollar, you will get the opportunity to come up here and say or do what ever you wish to Mr. North, whether it be a punch in the face or a spit in the eye, one act of your choosing. Let us do this in an orderly fashion and line up-'
'Woah, woah, woah, wait just a minute, so we gotta pay admission to punch this old man?' Mr. Wolf exclaimed incredulously.
'Nothing is free in this world, least of all human beings. You should know that, Mr. Wolf, considering your profession in the slave trade.' Mr. Dragon said.
Mr. Wolf's reply was sidelined by Mr. Serpent, he said, 'Ten's not worth it, make it two and I'll pay.'
'It's not a bargain, Serpent.' Mr. Dragon said.
'This is the eastern hemisphere, the land of bargaining. You heard me, make it a two dollar and I'll accept.' Mr. Serpent replied.
'Very well, eight dollars, not a penny less.'
'Three fifty, not a penny more.'
'Six, and later a bonus in addition to the pay for my work.'
'Five, no bonuses.'
'Six, I name my final price.'
Several more exchanges later, Mr. Serpent and Mr. Dragon came to the agreement of the admission price of five dollars and thirty-seven cents for greeting Mr. Damien North in whichever way they desire, and the others thought highly of the reduced price and Mr. Serpent's professional bargaining skills.
'He's really good,' Miss. Scorpion whispered of Mr. Serpent to Mr. Panther, who asked, 'In what?' and got the reply, 'You really are high.' from Miss. Scorpion, shaking her head.
Mr. Wolf went first, after paying Mr. Dragon in coins, he inched his face up against Mr. North and said, 'I'd do something much worse, but I only got one good shot, this five dollars thirty-seven cents better be worth the satisfaction.' He swung his fist way back, and threw his punch.

? - Chapter 32

In a place somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a man strode down a hallway alone, his footsteps quietly echoing off of the pavement walls. He walked with a sense of purpose, and arrogance, as if he had just won a prize or a bet. In fact, it could be said that he had.

As he approached the large set of metal doors at the end of the hallway, he smiled a secret little smile. Besides the doors, he scanned in his handprint and iris. The scanners beeped, and the metal doors creaked to life, opening upon a room that matched the lifelessness of the grey hallways. He smoothed down his graying hair and stepped in.

The 10 solemn occupants of the room looked up from the circular table they sat at. Most of them looked to be past their prime, yet their eyes still glittered with untold plans. Each of them is wearing similar clothing; black formal clothes, with the ladies in dresses and the men in suits. It looked rather like a funeral.

“Late as always,” says a man with slicked down black hair that has visible grey streaks, giving him a dramatic stream lined look. His mouth was quirked up into a smirk, which didn’t quite reach his deep blue eyes.

“This had better be important,” chimes in a young oriental woman, her voice soft and lyrical. “I was in the middle of a deal with a valuable customer when you called me out. I’m afraid I might have to deal with him later in a rather unpleasant manner.” She flipped her long sleek black hair over her shoulder and smiled rather unpleasantly.

“Now, now, Mr. Shark, I am not always late,” said the man, seating himself at the one empty spot at the table. “And Ms. Scorpion, it’s always important when I call such urgent meetings. You, being the only one of your generation, must learn that when your elders call for you, it’s something of great importance.”

“Do not speak to me in such a condescending manner, leader,” Ms. Scorpion said, placing an unpleasant emphasis on the word. “When I lack in age and experience, I make up for it in business skills. Haven’t you seen how I’ve expanded my father’s business? I not only fill in his shoes, I go beyond.”

“Not much can be said about your son,” chuckled another, more rotund man, one with a shock of white hair. Many of the others joined in with soft chuckles except for the leader, who sat there with his hands clenched until the laughter had died down.

“Now that we have satisfied our immaturity, can we please get on with the meeting?” says an elderly woman, her face conveyed that she was not particularly amused. “And you know better than to bring up that subject around our leader, Mr.…what is it today?”

“Alligator,” stated the man that had made the remark about the leader’s son. “It’s Mr. Alligator now. It seems so much more fitting than Spider. And you’re not my mother, Ms. Lynx.”

“You change names more often than a magician changes hats,” remarked yet another member of this odd group.

“Shut up, Wolf,” hissed Mr. Alligator. It looked as if Mr. Alligator was going to get up from his seat and reach over to Mr. Wolf when the leader rapped on the table.

“Gentlemen, please do not create a mess here,” he stated, his voice boomed around the room. “Serpent, Panther, Cougar and Vulture, I assume you gentlemen don’t have anything of important need to interrupt so I will continue.” He snapped his fingers, and a side door opened. Two men dressed in black dragged a third one between them, his head covered in a sack and his feet and hands bound in front of him. They sat him upon a chair and chained his arms and legs on, and then left quickly. The leader stood up and walked leisurely towards the captive.

“I hope you are ready to be pleasantly surprised,” he said, as he got closer and closer to the prisoner. “For I, the Dragon has brought you your nemesis,” he whipped off the sack from the captive’s head, “the infamous Damian North!”

Now Almost Back to the Feature Presentation

Hello, hello, long time no see! About a month if I counted correctly?
Our intermission has stretched out for a long time, rather too long, so G and I are busy planning out the second part of our adventure. We'll get it to you at some unknown time in the near future. I hope you're all ready to be whisked away!

-Kiki