Hargrove called in the murder of Dr. Benwolf, then went with Cricket and Joe in his delivery van to the Windsor Arms Hotel. On the way, Cricket told them both everything that happened since yesterday; the pawn shop, the trap in the China Gallery, her visit to Louis Smithers, and the strange phone call from Harry.
"Joe, do you know anything about Mr. Smithers...retirement?", Cricket asked.
"Well, there was a rumor going around he was fired for stealing several items from the Industry wing, but the directors flatly denied it."
"And now three of those directors are dead", Cricket said. As she was talking to Joe, she noticed the penndant he was wearing around his next, and asked him about it.
"What, this? It's my life-long good luck charm. My great-grandfather gave it to me when I was about 7. He was on a visit from China. I remember him telling me it was a symbol of protection for the Suko dynasty."
"Emporer Suko? Our Mr. Shang's mortal enemy?", Cricket asked.
"Yeah. He's suposed to be part of the family 'bloodline'. Don't ask me how", Joe shrugged. He didn't seem to believe it. Cricket wasn't so sure.
"Joe, when I was fighting The Warlord, I could see his sword drawn ready to plunge it right into you. But, it looked like something was stopping him."
"Yeah, you Cricket. That was some kick."
"No, I mean just before that. I know it sounds crazy, but it was like someone or something was protecting you."
Camilla chimed in. "How did you see him when we couldn't?"
"His armor turned white....pure white. He's using some sort of device that makes it naked to the human eye. I couldn't see it the first time because the frequency of the device caused interference to my circuts. That's what made me malfunction. But I was ready for him this time."
Calling Inspector Hargrove
"This is Hargrove, go ahead"
About your request. No one matching the description of one Louis Smithers has come into headquaters or contacted any member of the Yard within the last hour.
"Understood. I'll report back when I learn more. Hargrove out." She signed off and turned to Cricket. "Perhaps someone got him too?"
"Maybe", she sighed. "It's all starting to add up. And I don't like the equasion."
The Vanishing Warlord - Part 13.1
-
ButchyBoy
- Posts: 328
- Joined: Tue Jun 18, 2002 7:32 pm
- Contact:
-
DollSpace
- Moderator
- Posts: 2083
- Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2002 6:27 pm
- Technosexuality: Built
- Identification: Android
- Gender: Female
- Location: Charging Terminal #42
- x 96
- x 28
- Contact:
-
ButchyBoy
- Posts: 328
- Joined: Tue Jun 18, 2002 7:32 pm
- Contact:
When the trio arrived at the hotel suite, they were in for another surprise; the room was compleatly ransacked.
"Man, the maid service here is really lousy", Cricket quipped.
"What were they looking for?", Hargrove asked.
"You remember the five dragons I told you about? Harry and I were given the littlest one the night we arrived in London. And before we came to the museum yesterday, we stopped by one of the gift shops and found one that looked just like it, just not made of jade."
"A fake?" Joe asked.
"Yep", Cricket replied. "Harry carried it around as bait. He had me hide the real one. Made me swear NOT to tell him where I hid it."
"He must put a lot of trust in you", Camilla said.
"Yes", Crcket replied as she searched for what she was looking for. "He trusts me with his life, and I'm not about to let him down now. AH-HA!"
The blonde droid found the object of the search; her Peter Pan book. It was hanging from her side of the bed on the brass post at the foot of it. The page with a drawing of Captain Hook and the crocodile was bookmarked. She pressed her left thumb on the bottom of the bookmark, and suddenly the bedknob popped open. The robot unscrewed it, reached her hand into the hollow opening and happily produced a small jade dragon.
Camilla and Joe were impressed. "You are just full of surprises Mrs. Lang", the Inspector said. Cricket smiled back. She was very glad they were friends now.
Just then Professor Peng walked into view. "My goodness, what has happened here?", he asked looking about the trashed room. Joe looked relieved to see him.
"Professor, thank goodness. I've been trying to reach you all day. Have you been to the museum?"
"Yes Joesph. I just came from there." Peng spoke in his usual even-timbered calm voice. "I find it closed, and Scotland Yard all through its halls. They say a man was murdered last night."
"Yes", Joe said. "It was Dr. Benwolf."
"Really? You don't say." The Professor seemed less than shocked. Cricket just looked at him, and spoke matter of factly.
"Really. He does say. Dr. Nigel Benwolf is dead. You remember Professor. You killed him."
That last statement seemed to floor both Camilla and Joe. "What???.....Cricket, what are you saying???" Peng's expression changed little. "Indeed", he said rather flatly. Cricket wlaked right to him.
"You killed Nigel Benwolf, and Geffory Sackler, and Ronald Spencer. But you didn't kill Mr. Smithers. I wonder why? Unless of course, he was a part of all this from the start."
And as if on cue, "he" appeared with a gun pointed right at Cricket. The three of them put their hands up.
"I told you....you should have let me kill her when she came to visit. But ooooooo nooooo. YOU had to be all melodramatic and theatric!" Camilla was making her move but was stopped cold. "Drop your gun Inspector!", Smithers barked. "Don't let the age fool ya, I'm still a crack shot!" The Inspctor reluntently complied. "That's better.......Miranda!! Slacker!! Get in here!!"
Miranda Jenkins and the other man Cricket remembered from the Pink Pony came into the room. "Wait a minute", Cricket said. "Mr. Slacker?? From Old Chicaco??" The rather dirty-looking man smiled and tipped at beat up cap. "At your service little missy."
Cricket rolled her eyes. "Oh perfect, that's all we need. A cameo from another story! What are you doing here? I though you worked for GlobalCon."
"Well, the regular bloke they have got sick, so the union sent me."
"Union?"
"Yeah. Villian Heanchmen and Lackeys Union..... I'm VHLU Local 255 myself."
Cricket looked at Mr. Slacker in disbelief. "You guys have a Union???"
"Enough", Peng said, his voice commanding but still even-timbered. "The dragon, if you please Mrs. Lang." Cricket handed it to him, not taking her eyes off the man. "All right. You have them all. Now where is my husband?"
Peng put his fingertips together and smiled. "Ah yes, the final missing player in our little drama." His voiced raised a little. "Mr. Lang...your wife wishes to see you."
Harry walked in, an eerie smile on his face, his eyes looking blank. Cricket wanted to leap into his arms put the gun Smithers was pointing at the girlbot's abdomen prevented that. Harry was holding someting. It looked like a collar of some sort. "Hello, darling", he said in a trance-like voice.
"Harry??.......Harry what have they done to you??" She glared at Peng. "You basterd! What have you done to him????" The Professor remained calm.
"He is in a very deep hypnotic state....almost coma like. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say...he obeys my every command without question...as shall you now.'
"Go to hell!!!"
"Now now Mrs. Lang.....It that anyway to speak to someone.....who only wishes to bestow a gift on you."
"Gift???".....The collar. It was a control collar!! The kind used on renagade droids, or if someone wanted to abuse a droid so they couldn't fight back, even if they wanted to.
'Here, sweetheart. This is for you. Be a good girl and put it on." Harry walked right to her, the eerie smile, the sleep-like walk. Cricket became frightened. She hated those things more than anything else. And here was Harry, her love, her most trusted friend and ally putting one on her.
"Harry......no.....please!!!........It's Cricket......me your wife......your best friend........Harry please!!!!!!" Cricket started to cry. She wanted to run, even at gunpoint. But she couldn't.....she looked into Harry's eyes....she saw a tear. Harry was in a hell of his own. He put the collar on, and it was activated. Cricket powered down, all her systems locked and frozen. She could only follow and obey commands from the collar's owner, Kiwan Shang.
'What about these two?" Miranda asked, referring to Camilla and Joe who were also being held at gunpoint. The Professor stared at them both. "Bring them.....there is no need for more death.......yet."
"All right, get moving", Miranda shouted to them.
"Get moving where?" Joe asked.
"To where this adventure shall end for all of you and my regin as supreme ruler shall begin." He looked right at Cricket, who was staring blankly.
"Second star to the right.......and stright on till you're dead.....Mrs. Lang."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stay tuned kids: The big rumble will be posted in less than 24 hours.
"Man, the maid service here is really lousy", Cricket quipped.
"What were they looking for?", Hargrove asked.
"You remember the five dragons I told you about? Harry and I were given the littlest one the night we arrived in London. And before we came to the museum yesterday, we stopped by one of the gift shops and found one that looked just like it, just not made of jade."
"A fake?" Joe asked.
"Yep", Cricket replied. "Harry carried it around as bait. He had me hide the real one. Made me swear NOT to tell him where I hid it."
"He must put a lot of trust in you", Camilla said.
"Yes", Crcket replied as she searched for what she was looking for. "He trusts me with his life, and I'm not about to let him down now. AH-HA!"
The blonde droid found the object of the search; her Peter Pan book. It was hanging from her side of the bed on the brass post at the foot of it. The page with a drawing of Captain Hook and the crocodile was bookmarked. She pressed her left thumb on the bottom of the bookmark, and suddenly the bedknob popped open. The robot unscrewed it, reached her hand into the hollow opening and happily produced a small jade dragon.
Camilla and Joe were impressed. "You are just full of surprises Mrs. Lang", the Inspector said. Cricket smiled back. She was very glad they were friends now.
Just then Professor Peng walked into view. "My goodness, what has happened here?", he asked looking about the trashed room. Joe looked relieved to see him.
"Professor, thank goodness. I've been trying to reach you all day. Have you been to the museum?"
"Yes Joesph. I just came from there." Peng spoke in his usual even-timbered calm voice. "I find it closed, and Scotland Yard all through its halls. They say a man was murdered last night."
"Yes", Joe said. "It was Dr. Benwolf."
"Really? You don't say." The Professor seemed less than shocked. Cricket just looked at him, and spoke matter of factly.
"Really. He does say. Dr. Nigel Benwolf is dead. You remember Professor. You killed him."
That last statement seemed to floor both Camilla and Joe. "What???.....Cricket, what are you saying???" Peng's expression changed little. "Indeed", he said rather flatly. Cricket wlaked right to him.
"You killed Nigel Benwolf, and Geffory Sackler, and Ronald Spencer. But you didn't kill Mr. Smithers. I wonder why? Unless of course, he was a part of all this from the start."
And as if on cue, "he" appeared with a gun pointed right at Cricket. The three of them put their hands up.
"I told you....you should have let me kill her when she came to visit. But ooooooo nooooo. YOU had to be all melodramatic and theatric!" Camilla was making her move but was stopped cold. "Drop your gun Inspector!", Smithers barked. "Don't let the age fool ya, I'm still a crack shot!" The Inspctor reluntently complied. "That's better.......Miranda!! Slacker!! Get in here!!"
Miranda Jenkins and the other man Cricket remembered from the Pink Pony came into the room. "Wait a minute", Cricket said. "Mr. Slacker?? From Old Chicaco??" The rather dirty-looking man smiled and tipped at beat up cap. "At your service little missy."
Cricket rolled her eyes. "Oh perfect, that's all we need. A cameo from another story! What are you doing here? I though you worked for GlobalCon."
"Well, the regular bloke they have got sick, so the union sent me."
"Union?"
"Yeah. Villian Heanchmen and Lackeys Union..... I'm VHLU Local 255 myself."
Cricket looked at Mr. Slacker in disbelief. "You guys have a Union???"
"Enough", Peng said, his voice commanding but still even-timbered. "The dragon, if you please Mrs. Lang." Cricket handed it to him, not taking her eyes off the man. "All right. You have them all. Now where is my husband?"
Peng put his fingertips together and smiled. "Ah yes, the final missing player in our little drama." His voiced raised a little. "Mr. Lang...your wife wishes to see you."
Harry walked in, an eerie smile on his face, his eyes looking blank. Cricket wanted to leap into his arms put the gun Smithers was pointing at the girlbot's abdomen prevented that. Harry was holding someting. It looked like a collar of some sort. "Hello, darling", he said in a trance-like voice.
"Harry??.......Harry what have they done to you??" She glared at Peng. "You basterd! What have you done to him????" The Professor remained calm.
"He is in a very deep hypnotic state....almost coma like. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say...he obeys my every command without question...as shall you now.'
"Go to hell!!!"
"Now now Mrs. Lang.....It that anyway to speak to someone.....who only wishes to bestow a gift on you."
"Gift???".....The collar. It was a control collar!! The kind used on renagade droids, or if someone wanted to abuse a droid so they couldn't fight back, even if they wanted to.
'Here, sweetheart. This is for you. Be a good girl and put it on." Harry walked right to her, the eerie smile, the sleep-like walk. Cricket became frightened. She hated those things more than anything else. And here was Harry, her love, her most trusted friend and ally putting one on her.
"Harry......no.....please!!!........It's Cricket......me your wife......your best friend........Harry please!!!!!!" Cricket started to cry. She wanted to run, even at gunpoint. But she couldn't.....she looked into Harry's eyes....she saw a tear. Harry was in a hell of his own. He put the collar on, and it was activated. Cricket powered down, all her systems locked and frozen. She could only follow and obey commands from the collar's owner, Kiwan Shang.
'What about these two?" Miranda asked, referring to Camilla and Joe who were also being held at gunpoint. The Professor stared at them both. "Bring them.....there is no need for more death.......yet."
"All right, get moving", Miranda shouted to them.
"Get moving where?" Joe asked.
"To where this adventure shall end for all of you and my regin as supreme ruler shall begin." He looked right at Cricket, who was staring blankly.
"Second star to the right.......and stright on till you're dead.....Mrs. Lang."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stay tuned kids: The big rumble will be posted in less than 24 hours.
-
DollSpace
- Moderator
- Posts: 2083
- Joined: Tue Jun 11, 2002 6:27 pm
- Technosexuality: Built
- Identification: Android
- Gender: Female
- Location: Charging Terminal #42
- x 96
- x 28
- Contact:
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests