Chapter 09

Gustav checked his watch. Nighttime was about to fall, and his shift in at the precinct would be over. He rarely punched out, however, this time he had a good reason to end his shift. Not that he was going to home. But to check on someone.

He called a cab and ordered the driver to stop a few blocks before his actual destination. As the cab drove away, Gustav drew out a compass like device from his pocket. A device that Ansem had given him.

It was in the glass sphere with a gyroscope-like device inside. Ansem had informed him that the gyroscope-like device inside the glass sphere would assist him in finding his workshop, which was concealed. It was amusing to watch the device work. It would swirl and turn on itself. Strange symbols skated across the glass sphere. Then held it in his open palm. It swirled and a triangle shaped symbol pointed down the street.

Gustav followed the symbol until it shifted shape and direction. He didn't remember taking so many twists and turns when he left Ansem's workshop that first time. The explanation was that in order to protect the workshop from unwanted visitors, Ansem had written sigils on various points of the city block, creating a maze designed to disorient and trap unwanted visitors. Hence, the device Gustav was holding in the palm of his hand.

At the end of the 'maze,' Gustav saw the storefront that lead to the workshop. 'By Midnight, Antiques stores.' was the name. The store displayed several artifacts through its window. Old record players, lamps, old jewelry boxes and other assorted junk Gustav had no interest in knowing what it was.

For ordinary people, this was just a normal antiques store. Nothing suspicious.

Gustav stepped inside the store. The sound of a small bell welcomed him. Old swords and flint weapons were also on display inside the store. The swords were rusted beyond repair, and it did not consider the flint weapons firearms under the current law. It was a strange loophole. Those things still had plenty of kill left in them.

"Ansem, you in here?" He called out.

No reply. The store was dark, and the only light source came from the street lamp outside. Slowly, he made his way to the back of the store until he reached the door that lead to the workshop. Turning the knob, he stepped inside.

Gustav arrived at the anteroom. The fireplace was roaring with a large flame. But the room was empty. He tucked the glass sphere in the pocket of his coat and set the bag he was carrying on his other hand on the floor. Set out to explore the rest of the workshop when one of the doors opened, and a blur dashed forward towards Gustav.

"Welcome back!" the blur said as both fell to the floor.

Gustav opened his eyes and saw the girl he had rescued from that strange facility. Her delicate arms wrapped around him and a bright smile appeared on her face.

"Natalya," he groaned. "It's not polite to throw yourself at people like that."

Natalya was the name Gustav had given the girl. He thought it was a good name, though he didn't know he came up with that name. But the girl seemed to like it, so it became her name.

Natalya sat on her knees and gave Gustav a perplexed look, then looked a little sad.

It amazed that this girl, an artificial being, could have such human-like expressions. Unlike those other homunculi, who could only snarl, grin and behaved like violent beasts.

"I... just... missed... you..." she finally said.

Ansem walked into the room with a mischievous grin on his face.

"She's really affectionate, isn't she?"

"You're supposed to be looking after her," Gustav stood up, then helped Natalya get on her feet.

"I was," replied Ansem. "Then she heard you come in and rushed through the door to greet you. That should make you happy, right?"

Natalya looked at him with bright eyes and didn't know how to respond. This situation was very new to him. He was used to dealing with criminals, liars, dead bodies and the rest of the underbelly of human society. But not dealing with affection, especially if it was coming from someone like Natalya. Despite her human form, to him, she was a monster.

"Something... wrong...?" she asked.

"There's nothing wrong," Gustav replied, hiding his emotions as best as he could.

Then he noticed she was wearing an over-sized shirt and hopefully something underneath. What she was wearing wasn't modest. So he grabbed the bag and drew out clothes he had picked for her, then handed them to her.

"For you," he said. "Get dressed."

"That's very thoughtful of you, detective," Ansem commented. "You're almost acting like a real parent. But you know, those things are not really suitable for a girl."

"Just shut up," Gustav chided.

Gustav had picked up a shirt, pants, a pair of socks, slippers and a hoodie, and had Natalya changed in the next room.

"I just picked up the first things I saw," Gustav explained. "But I didn't come here just to give Natalya some clothes."

"You weren't?"

"No," Gustav answered. "I came across a new lead on the case. Could prove useful."

This caught Ansem's attention.

"Oh, you did? What is it?"

Gustav showed the video he got from one of the missing girl mothers. Ansem watched it closely, analyzing every frame of the video.

"IT found some irregularities in the video analysis and identified a possible IP address from where it was sent." Gustav explained. "I know the video is fake because the girl is dead, but to go to such lengths. That's just despicable and cruel."

"I agree," Ansem adjusted his glasses. "That's why they must be stopped."

"Do you know who these people are?" G"

"Do you know who these people are?" Gustav asked.

Ansem stepped closer to the fireplace, his back turned towards Gustav. His silhouette against the amber color of the flames made him look more mysterious and imposing.

"I don't know exactly who they are," he began. "But I know about them. They're the ones who you hear in conspiracy theories, running the world from the shadows. I've had a few run-ins with them in the past."

"And what do they want with Natalya? What makes her so important to them?"

"They call themselves the Council, and my guess is that Natalya plays an important part in some kind of ritual. A Blood Moon is drawing near." Ansem explained. "It doesn't bode well for Natalya or the world."

Each time Ansem began to talk about the esoteric, Gustav listened with skepticism. But everything he had seen so far pointed to some kind of conspiracy. But how it would affect the city would be something he would eventually unravel.

"You mentioned she could be part of some ritual," Gustav said. "What would they do to her?"

"That I don't know." Ansem replied. "In ages past, rituals that involved the Blood Moon require some sort of sacrifice, spiritual or physical."

Somehow, the idea of Natalya being sacrificed made Gustav sick to his stomach. He would think that being a homicide detective dealing with death every single day would have steeled his nerves. But that reaction was the realization that whoever the Council was brought, a living, thinking creature just to sacrifice it. The other girls that didn't survive the experiments on them had no appreciation for human life. He had to stop them.

"Careful detective," Ansem warned, almost as he had read his mind. "Tread carefully. You're in the company of wolves now."

"I'm not afraid of them," Gustav replied. "And I won't allow Natalya to be made a sacrifice to their crazy schemes."

"Sa...cri..fice..."

Gustav and Ansem turned towards the door. Natalya was standing there, a look of abject horror on her face.

She let out a scream and ran towards to the door. Gustav and Ansem tried to stop her, but she was fast. Not that she was fast. She had phased through them before disappearing.

"Natalya wait!" Gustav said as he also crossed the door where Natalya would've used to escape.

**

Natalya ran and ran through darkened alleys, not paying attention to where she was going. She only knew that she had to get away, and fast. The word sacrifice triggered something inside her. Since the moment she woke up, she had forgotten what her true purpose was. She 'heard' them when she was inside that cold tube, neither alive nor dead.

She was thankful to be rescued. But maybe nobody rescued her. Just playing nice with her until the moment they no longer needed her. Maybe out there, far away, she would find the warmth she was looking for. The warmth 'he' had told her about.

But that man, the one she called father. He was nice. He had given her new clothes, something to call her own. While she was in the tube, they told her that she was a derivative and that they had decided her true and only purpose. Not to fight it. Just to accept it.

Natalya stopped to catch her breath. She was alone and had nowhere to go. Perhaps she should go back and run in another direction.

"Found you at last."

The voice came out of nowhere. It was like that of a beast. Guttural and unnatural.

A cloaked figure jumped from one of the rooftops and landed a few feet away from Natalya, forming a crater where he landed.

"Who... are you?" Natalya took a few steps back.

"I came to take you home," the cloaked figure extended its hand. It was large and clad in a dark glove with chains. "Do not resist."