T.N - Chapter 46

“So that’s how it is,” said Dennis, tapping his fingers thoughtfully on the coffee table. We were situated in the living room, while everyone else was still in the garden. I, along with Kent (who I had dragged from the party while briefing him on the situation) and Charlie, had managed to piece together a comprehendible story to tell him. Needless to say, Dennis was somewhat angry at me, and he displayed it by ignoring all of my efforts to apologize for lying to him.

“I guess I should tell you then what these notes say, since I’m the only trustworthy person here who can actually translate these. They’re in Arabic, that’s for sure.” He sighed. “Are you sure there’s nobody else around?”

“As sure as I can be,” replied Kent.

Dennis cleared his throat and picked up the first note. “If you have gotten this briefcase, you are now part of an important mission for the Communion. You, and various others, have been handpicked for your speed, stealth, and agility. Be warned, this briefcase contains four high-tech time bomb, fully paid for by the Dragon.” Charlie and I gasped at the mention of our enemy, and Kent grit his teeth.

Dennis placed the first note down and took the second one off of the table. “Here are your instructions. Our informer has told us that there is a secret passage n the den that Wolf’s men had trashed. Go to the bookshelf in the corner and move the book labeled Kidnapped. The bookshelf should swing open. In this briefcase, you will also find a mould of Theodora North’s fingerprint. Use it to open the set of doors at the end of the hallway.” Dennis raised his head and looked over at the briefcase. I opened it, and found a tiny piece of plastic that had my index print carved in it. I nodded for him to continue. “One of your comrades will trigger the elevator moving. Once you have reached the bottom, go down the hallway and through the door. It will lock behind you, so don’t be alarmed. Your comrade will trigger the room to move, and you will find another pair of doors with a keypad. The password is Omega. Once you have reached in the room, set up the time bombs and find the exit quickly. The bomb has been timed precisely so that it will go off as soon as you are out of harm’s reach. Meet up with your comrades in the den, place the last bomb there, and start mingling with the crowd in the garden. When the crowd starts panicking, run out of the garden and come back to headquarters whichever way you can. The Communion is riding on your success. Do not let any contents of this briefcase fall in their hands. Sincerely, Vulture.” Dennis put down the notes. There was a silence, as all of us pondered over it.

“Either this informer somehow stole a glance at my notebook, which is practically impossible, or the informer was there while we were talking. This is extremely detailed,” said Kent. He took out a notebook from his jacket pocket. “This has barely left my side in the last forty-eight hours, and when it has, it’s been in the securest safe in the house.”

“Well about that,” I said. “I discovered that there was a mole in the next room. He…or she, had cut a small little hole at the bottom of the wall so they could listen in.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” asked Kent, annoyed.

“Because you were busy, and I couldn’t find you. Plus, I had to do all my preparations for Selene’s birthday.” Kent looked at me, and his annoyance made me remorseful. “I’m sorry. But you always have your hands busy, and I just want to help out. I thought I had it under control.”

“Wait, so you were talking about a mole?” asked Charlie. “I thought you said it was a rat.” He was thoroughly confused.

“I didn’t bother to correct you back there,” I told him. “When we refer to ‘moles’ or ‘rats’ in the Justice League, we’re most of the time talking about spies. Not actual animals.”

“Speaking of animals,” said Dennis while Charlie was puzzling this out, “why is it that any use of the perpetrators’ names are animals? Like the Dragon who funded the project, Vulture who wrote the note, and Wolf who initially broke into the den?”

“I believe they are pseudonyms, to protect their true identities from anyone. Even themselves,” said a voice, and we all balked. We looked over at the source, and saw Kyle leaning casually against the doorway. “Now, can I be included in this secret planning? I’ve heard everything that you’ve said.”