Chapter 12 - Visions of the Past

The Englishman let out a heavy, exasperated sigh as his tranquil night was abruptly shattered by a determined woman. He retrieved his keys from his pocket and reluctantly reopened the warehouse door once more. Amber gestured for Jason to follow her, prompting him to turn off the car's engine, pocket the keys, and trail behind them, with several of his gods in tow. The warehouse appeared largely empty save for a handful of wooden boxes huddled in one corner and a solitary forklift parked at its heart.

"There's hardly anything worth stealing in here, unless you plan on squeezing a forklift into your boot," the Englishman remarked, his British accent lending an air of sarcasm to his voice.

"I don't want your crappy forklift, I just needed to see the space," Amber retorted, her tone curt and to the point.

"Hey, it's not just any forklift; she's in almost mint condition," the Englishman defended his prized possession.

"Shush! The more you talk, the longer this takes," Amber snapped, her patience dwindling rapidly.

Another loud sigh escaped the Englishman's lips. By this point, Amber had lowered her guard, confident that the Englishman was unlikely to pose any further threat. If he did, Amber was sure she could outmanoeuvre him again anyway. Amber stood in the room and focused, trying to pinpoint the event six months ago, amid the multitude of occurrences that had transpired in this space during that time. Jason lingered near the entrance, discreetly observing both Amber and the Englishman, while a few of the gods loitered nearby.

"Malcolm, do you possess any other abilities that might prove useful in this situation?" Jason inquired in a hushed tone.

"Who are you talking to, lad?" the Englishman interjected, unable to contain his curiosity.

Jason sighed, attempting to ignore him. 

"I have a small trick up my sleeve that could be of assistance. If Amber can pinpoint the memory, I can project it so that everyone can witness it," Malcolm explained with a glimmer of optimism.

"Great," Jason replied instinctively, momentarily forgetting he was under scrutiny.

"Seems like the kid's conversing with ghosts like a madman," the Englishman mocked Jason.

Amber snapped back to the present and turned to Jason, beginning to speak.

"Okay, I've got it, so--" Amber began.

"Before you describe what you saw, may I test something?" Jason interrupted, piquing Amber's curiosity.

"Let me guess, he's going to chat with his ghosts again," the Englishman sneered.

"Would you like me to scare the pants off him?" Malcolm inquired with a sly grin.

Jason subtly nodded at Malcolm, who enthusiastically rubbed his hands together, performed a little jig, and shook his shoulders, psyching himself up. He stood behind the Englishman and materialised. Jason had told his gods to only become visible in public only when absolutely needed, hence the rest of them stayed translucent, but the intriguing happenings had drawn six of them out. The only one who was missing was Liz, who was still Missing since Friday night's action. Malcolm grabbed the Englishman by the hips and yelled loudly. The Englishman nearly leaped out of his skin, reaching for his gun that Amber had confiscated, only to realise it was just a dwarf in a hat.

Malcolm collapsed in laughter at the Englishman's reaction. "Bahaha! you shit your pants," he laughed, kicking his legs in hysteria. 

"Shut up! You came out of nowhere," the Englishman retorted, clearly embarrassed by being the butt of the joke.

"Anyway... what were you going to do?" Amber interjected, her impatience growing.

"I can project your visions so that we can all witness them," Malcolm explained. "I just need you to visualise it."

"Do you know this guy?" Asked the Englishman, to no response.

Amber nodded, allowing Malcolm to approach and take her hand. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Suddenly, the room came alive as a car penetrated through the roller door. The Englishman jumped out of the way, but it was only a manifestation of the images and not the real thing. Malcolm stepped back, and they all moved to the room's periphery to observe as the car parked in the middle of the warehouse. The windows were pitch black, making it impossible to see inside, and the car was of a common make and model, with no visible registration due to the prevalence of holographic number plate readers.

"You're a bit of a pussy," Malcolm teased the Englishman.

"Shut up!" he exclaimed, clearly embarrassed to have been startled twice in a minute.

The car door swung open, and an androgynous figure in full black robes, a golden hood, and a golden mask emerged. They circumvented the car and opened the trunk, revealing the lifeless body of Laquita, draped in a golden sheet. They placed her on the floor, still shrouded in the sheet, before returning to the car and exiting through the roller door once more.

"Is that how you found her?" Amber inquired, receiving an affirmative nod from the Englishman. "What did you do with the gold sheet?"

"I washed it and gave it to me mum," the Englishman replied proudly, pleased with his resourcefulness.

"May I see that sheet?" Amber asked, her tone leaving little room for refusal.

"But mum will be upset; she adores that sheet," he replied with a hint of disappointment.

"She can keep the damn sheet; I merely wish to examine it," Amber insisted.

"What if I say no?"

"I will break into your warehouse by torching through your roller door and take your forklift for a joyride," Amber declared, deadly serious.

"Fine, fine, I'll retrieve it tomorrow and call you," he acquiesced, flicking his holo-card toward Amber, containing his phone number. Amber accepted the exchange, closing her phone.

"Well, Derek, we best be off. Thank you for your hospitality," Amber smirked, having discerned the Englishman's actual name from the contact information he had provided.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine. I can still taste the fucking sand," Derek retorted. 

The journey back from the outskirts of the city was mostly silent, well for Amber at least. In the backseat of the car, Talon and the professor engaged in a heated debate over whose ability they should bestow upon Jason. Both being proud individuals, neither was willing to concede. Eventually, like children they each refused to talk to the other. Jason realised he would need to mediate between them once he returned home, as he wasn't ready to reveal all seven of his gods to Amber just yet. As he contemplated who should empower him next, Amber broke the silence.

"Tomorrow, I'll visit the alleyway and retrace Laquita steps on the day of her abduction. Could you go with Danika to see the girl? Unfortunately, my ability doesn't work on living beings, so you'll be more useful than I am. See if you can use 'origins' to glean any insights from her," Amber requested.

"Why are we splitting up? We have six months to figure this out," Jason questioned.

"If Mr. Bass's information is accurate, our adversaries will make a move as soon as they see us delving into the case. I want to get ahead as much as possible in identifying who we're dealing with and be prepared for a counterattack. That's why we need to split up and gather as much information as we can," Amber explained.

Her reasoning was sound to Jason. Fortunately, he had no close family he cared about, so they couldn't leverage him in that regard. As for Amber, he had no knowledge of her family situation.

"What do you think they'll do to attempt to force us to abandon the case?" Jason inquired.

"The person we saw was a member of the Upper City Illuminati; I'd recognize that costume anywhere. Once they realise they can't threaten my family, they'll probably confront me directly and threaten to make me vanish or something," Amber elucidated.

Jason was now convinced that Amber had a history with the Upper City Illuminati, although the specifics remained elusive. Nevertheless, he was certain that he would uncover the truth soon enough.