Chapter 26 - Blending In

The criminal is the creative artist; the detective the critic - G.K. Chesterto

Operation Menu: Phase Dinner (D-140 hours)

FRAGO: Operation: Marianne's Vigil (D+2 hours) 

T.C. explained the events of the evening to Estelle and the others over the mental communication channel.

"Keep me posted, White Witch out," Estelle telepathed, rubbing her forehead. "I do detest that name."

Estelle stared at the dangling light, which Tauru had bumped into moments before, that swayed back and forth. She grabbed her tweed jacket and mini cloak. Tauru adjusted his fingerless gloves and tightened the straps around his wrists.

"Break, break, this is D-Rude, good buddy, you got your ears on? Yeah, we got our eye on the Outdoor TV and will be sandbaggin' till we find Chop-Chop. We are 10-10 on the side," Heather said through the telepathy link.

Estelle picked up a deerstalker cap from the table and adjusted it on her head. Tauru kissed his orange calcite crystal on his wrist.

"Any idea what that poodle said?" asked Tauru tightening up his boots.

Estelle shook her head as she made final adjustments to her clothes in a body-length mirror. Then, she removed her Broach of the Spider and attached it to the outside of her mini cloak.

They walked outside of the building, and Tauru scanned the sky. Estelle concerned herself with the empty street. Once she finished her scan, she tucked Lost Battalion under her cloak.

The two nodded at each other and sped down the street.

"Wait up, Boss Kitty," Tauru said as Estelle began to pull ahead. "You worried that Guillotine's going to slip away into someone else's turf?"

"Absolutely not," Estelle said and turned the corner. "Hiding out in another's territory is of little consequence."

Tauru reached into his coat and pulled out a platinum card case. Extracting his Tarot deck, he began to shuffle the cards in his hand. Estelle stopped and checked her map. Tauru took the opportunity and flipped over a card from the top of his deck.

"Rules for how to make a Celtic Cross, what the actual fuck?" asked Tauru and checked the back of the card.

He shuffled his cards again and drew out a card that read: To purchase Madam Tobin's Tarot Cards or receive a free catalog, please send...

"Ignore them; they will be of no use," Estelle said icily.

A message came in through the mental communications from T.C., "Hey Boss Kitty, mind if we switch to the secondary communication line? This mental thing is knocking me for a loop."

Estelle rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. Tauru smiled at her and patted her on the back.

"Not to mention Heather's CB lingo is driving me fucking batty," Tauru added.

Before Estelle could object Whisper thought, "Affirmative, I for one don't like having extra voices in my head like a schizophrenic. I have enough problems without having voices too."

"Fine," thought Estelle. "Keep the messages short and simple in case Guillotine can access the Akashic Record. I'm not leaving anything to chance."

Estelle brought up the screen and tapped a few buttons. A small translucent screen appeared in the lower left of her vision, while Tauru adjusted his screen and color.

"Finally," he muttered.

Estelle:> The tactical communication link has been established, albeit exclusively within this specific context. Please note that this use represents the exception rather than the rule.

TC:> Boss Kitty? This is way easier to use, why don't we use this more often???

Heather:> Because w/ Witch Sight II paired with Atmospheric Analysis any decto-mage can study your eye movement and read your lips. At lvl III, I can pluck your thoughts out of the air, like an apple off the tree.

Whisper:> Short version… it's convenient but are unsecured. So, keep your messages brief!

TC:> Got it, but the whole voice thing in my head is really confusing…

Heather and T.C. began to bicker back and forth, Estelle ignored them and smoothed out the fabric on her dress.

"Perhaps I was a bit rash in my decision to activate the tactical communication link," Estelle said and pinched her fingers above the bridge of her nose.

"I'm sure the two love birds will work it out," snickered Tauru.

A message came through, catching Estelle and Tauru's attention.

Indigo:> Clear the net. Access to police files complete, uploading crime scenes to CS-Map overlay, standby.

Once the files were uploaded, Estelle and Tauru clicked on their screen and opened the Battle City map, then clicked on the overlay. Thirteen bloody guillotine blades appeared and were spread across the city map.

"Dipshit's last vic was left half a block away, just within Baby Blue turf but outside our territory," Tauru said, setting up a route. "I'll message their boss, Cowboy. I'm sure they won't mind us poking around."

"Certainly, it's pertinent to note that this particular scene shares a border with the Suicide Kings," Estelle said. "Despite the fact that T.C. and Indigo managed to subdue six of them, the uncertainty lies in the potential number of remaining Kings that might still be active. We should proceed with the utmost caution."

Tauru moved his orange calcite from his wrist and placed it around his neck. He began sniffing the air.

"Cowboy responded, the Baby Blues got our backs if we run into any problems," Tauru said.

Then he turned towards Estelle and sniffed her. Her cheeks flushed as she looked away.

Estelle:> Indigo, kindly incorporate a secondary overlay of the crime scenes where Guillotine deposited the bodies, with the addition of territorial zones at the time when the bodies were discovered.

Indigo:> Acknowledged, give me a few.

Estelle stepped around the corner of the street and tapped the broach of the spider. From across the street, she saw a bright flash in her eyes, but moments later it faded.

While she rubbed her eyes Tauru asked, "You okay, Boss Kitty?"

"It appears that Red has deployed its electromagnetic spectrum countermeasures earlier than anticipated this season," Estelle said rubbing her eyes. "Our Oracles were incorrect once again."

"You enjoy proving them wrong way too much," Tauru said and snorted.

"I have no idea what you mean by the accusation," she said and pressed her lips together to fight back a smirk.

"Pfft, yeah right, Boss Kitty," he said.

Estelle adjusted the setting on her brooch and stepped out onto the street. She kept close to the walls, staying within the shadows of the residential buildings. Red-themed graffiti adorned the walls of the buildings on the opposite side of the street.

Moving swiftly, Estelle led the way, with Tauru following closely behind her. Upon reaching the corner of the street, they checked the alleyway before darting into the darkness.

Indigo:> CS-Map v2.0 uploaded. I want to point out something I noticed.

Estelle:> Headless cadavers were deposited between territorial boundaries between two or more rival gangs?

Indigo:> Correct...I hope I helped?

Estelle:> You confirmed my suspicions and that we are dealing with a Ronin gladiator and not an NPC side quest. Thornewoods, please maintain the utmost vigilance.

"That bought some silence from the love birds," Tauru said as he waited for communication traffic. "When do you think those two will start going at it again?"

The only reaction was a few drops of rain that fell from the sky. When Estelle didn't respond, he took out a leather bag from his jacket pocket and rolled a cigarette for himself. Then he gave a quick flick of his finger, a blue flame shot from his thumb. A few puffs of smoke rose from the side of his mouth. 

Estelle, meanwhile, had moved to a faint outline in chalk in the middle of the alleyway. To go closer to where the body had been left, she pushed up the side of her dress and knelt. She studied the scene carefully, running her fingertips across the concrete where the body had formerly rested.

A notification appeared and said that files were being uploaded. Estelle ignored it.

"I bet it's pics of Heather and T.C.," Tauru said making a rude gesture with his hand and his mouth.

She continued to ignore him, and Estelle ran her finger along the place where blood had dried on the ground. She pulled out a dagger and scrapped up a bit of the blood.

"Normally you blush like a little girl when I perv out, what gives?" Tauru asked.

"Blood," Estelle said sniffing the dagger. "That parameter was disabled by Upper Management during at the end of the first season. Who are you Guillotine?"

Her voice trailed off as Estelle moved to the other side of the chalk outline.

"It's not about the blood, you're less angry and more obsessed," Tauru said as he stood over her. "Like your sister..."

"I don't have the slightest notion what you are referring to," Estelle said as she stood up. "I must bring this situation to a swift resolution and redirect the focus to the meticulous preparations for the impending assault on Fort Carré. Guillotine, though significant, serves as nothing more than an ill-timed distraction."

"Fuck, listen to yourself," Tauru said placing his hands on her arms. "This dipshit is no pissant amateur. He's been perfecting his methods since season two. He Mickey Moused my cards, there's no way you can lone-wolf this. I need to know why this guy has your panties in a wad."

Estelle placed her hands on her hips and said coldly, "Fine, check the trash cans."

"Right, one dumpster dive coming right up," he said saluting and jumping into the dumpster.

Estelle:> Clear the net. As it stands, Guillotine is an obstacle in our path to accomplishing our overall objectives. Not only has this individual eliminated 13 but is also a threat to the stability of Battle City.

Heather:> How so? He's just doing what are all doing, killing each other.

Estelle:> Allow me to elaborate. When an NPC and/or gladiator are eliminated, they fade blue, the body disappears, and gladiators return to purgatory, NPCs go to back to ADA. In the case of Guillotine, none of the corpses have turned blue.

TC:> Wait…you mean his vics are still alive!?!?!

Estelle:> Specifically, I postulate that their heads are preserved elsewhere, and potentially sustained using a Gansfield generator or similar device.

Tauru:> Great, now my panties are in a bunch.

TC:> I hate being the one to ask this, but a Gansfield generator does what exactly?

Indigo:>It's a banned device that brings a person back from the dead for a fixed period.

Heather:> The issue arises when an individual is revived prematurely by the generator, leading to the occurrence of visual or auditory hallucinations, and in some instances, both phenomena simultaneously. The device was barred by the referees and Upper Management after the Azure Tower massacre.

Tauru:> Thank you Doctor Heather M.D.

TC:> So the thing is still banned, right? Do you think Gill could of stolen it from after the Tower thing?

Estelle discreetly reached beneath her coat and gripped the hilt of her trench dagger, Lost Battalion. She carefully withdrew it, inspected the blade, and then slid it back into its scabbard. Then she tapped the Broach of the Spider.

Estelle:> Rest assured it can be asserted with a high degree of confidence that the Gansfield generator was meticulously dismantled, rendering the device improbable.

Heather:> What do you base those assurances on?

Estelle:> I dismantled it myself…

TC:> I'm sold 😊

Tauru popped his head over the dumpster and waved to Estelle.

"Found something," he said happily.

Estelle rushed over and Tauru showed her a dirty black bowler hat. He began wiping off the stains with his hand.

"Think it fits? I hope it fits," he said as he tried it on for size.

Estelle crossed her arms, and she mumbled something unintelligible under her breath.

"Now that I got my thinking cap on, I need a proper spot so I can build a profile on this shitbird," Tauru said and jumped out of the dumpster.

Tauru had started climbing the fire escape to reach the top of the building when he saw Estelle still on the street. Estelle's purple eyes scrutinized the wall, darting back and forth along the side of the building. She jumped onto the fire escape, skipped to the window ledge, and then jumped to the rooftop.

"Show off," said Tauru finished climbing up and found a spot by ledge. "Now let's see what we have."

Tauru turned his attention to the cloudy sky. A few of the twinkling stars began to poke through. He leaned back and watched a cloud pass by. Estelle watched him from the center of the top of the roof, refusing to move closer to the edge. A chill wind blew through which caused Estelle to shiver.

"Whoever Guillotine is, I doubt that he's team Blue, Red, or Go-home Gold," Tauru said, his focus still on the stars. "Probably ronin from team black. What do we know about them besides that there are only six?"

"Aside from that they mostly keep to themselves and are a minor nuisance during battles, not much," Estelle said and inched closer to the ledge.

He pulled out his Tarot deck again and shuffled the cards.

Indigo:> According to police reports, in the middle of the 3rd season investigators suspected that Gill might have picked up an accomplice.

Heather:> I see what you mean, check out the pics of the corpses. The bodies went from having delicate incisions to jagged cuts along the neck.

As Tauru pulled out a card and quickly shoved it back into the deck, he then put his cards away.

"Happy rabbit again?" asked Estelle.

"The Lovers," Tauru said.

"Oh," she said in a hushed tone and looked away.

Tauru rose from the ledge and moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her and tightening her cloak. Estelle sank back into his embrace. The rain continued to fall, its gentle patter against the roof broke the heavy silence that hung in the air. Each raindrop traced a delicate path down the side of Estelle's face, forming intricate patterns as they merged and split. They muted their notifications. 

Amidst the sound of rain falling, a faint smile played on her lips.

"You know this can't go any further," he whispered in her ear.

Estelle rested her head on his chest, and Tauru placed his chin on the top of her head.

"I'm well aware of the circumstances we are in," Estelle said, closing her eyes.

She didn't know how long she had stood there. Eventually, Estelle lifted her head from Tauru's chest, meeting his gaze. In the quietude, their unspoken words hung heavy in the air, carrying the weight in her heart that could never fully blossom. She started to say something, but Tauru placed his fingers on her lips to silence her.

"We've known all along, haven't we?" he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "We can't be more than this, no matter how much we wish otherwise."

The first light of dawn peeked over the distant mountains. The slivers of light struck the tops of the buildings.

"We'll always have this moment," Tauru said, his voice warm yet touched with a hint of sadness.

"Friends," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "But we have to accept reality, this isn't to be allowed to progress any further."

With a deep breath, Tauru released Estelle from the embrace; his hands lingered for a moment before he stepped back. They stood there, bathed in the delicate morning light. Estelle wiped her face and stretched, while Tauru yawned and rubbed his eyes.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, the words "URGENT" and "PRIORITY" in bright red letters flashed across their communication screens.

Estelle read the previous messages and reread them, searching for any tidbit of information she might have missed.

"I think we might actually catch this shitbird," Tauru said cracking his knuckles.

***