Thursday Summer Quarter 2016 Week 7

“What do you mean Jacque got captured?” I stared at Shigetzu.

“Uh, well…. yeah, I can’t bullshit my way out of this one,” the gravity manipulator replied.

“Tess, we’re rescuing him, right? He barely has any powers,” I questioned.

“Yes, we must devise a rescue plan. Time is of the essence,” Tess agreed, pulling out a rolled up piece of paper.

“Seriously, what did you do?” I confronted Shigetzu.

“Jacque wandered off and we weren’t able to locate him. Next thing you know, there’s a ransom message,” the man explained.

Tess unfurled the paper to reveal an intricate map. She lifted up the glass from our conference table, sliding the map underneath it. The Gatekeeper pulled out a marker, circling various locations.

“Where do you even get all of this?” I stared down at the table.

“There are just personal records I’ve recorded throughout my various travels in different dimensions. It is during emergencies that they are of the utmost assistance,” Tess replied.

“You’re thinking about a preemptive strike?” I realized Tess’ plans.

“Correct. If we end up meeting them, then we’re already at a disadvantage. Best to rescue Jacque before negotiations begin,” Tess confirmed.

“What’s the plan?” I inquired.

“Three teams. One heads to the meeting place if our initial rescue fails. Another strikes at their base of operations. The final team traverses this roadway, attempting to cut off the kidnappers,” Tess revealed, pointing at the circled locations.

“How can you be so sure that they’re operating from there?” I asked.

“A preliminary examination of the ransom note indicates a magical residue originating only from this area. Using relevant filters, this spot is the most likely,” Tess explained.

“I have no idea what you just said, Tess, but I’ll trust you like I always do. What are the teams looking like?” I asked.

“You’ll be with the team examining the roadways. Shigezu, you’ll meet up with the kidnappers. Darryl and Lionel will back you up. Yuki, Jin and Lau will accompany you. Jen, Kuan, and Zhang will storm their base,” Tess laid out the assignments for everyone.

“No Long?” I pointed out.

“Unfortunately, he is busy with something important. If needed, Feng and Lilith’s team will be called in. Let’s head out. I’ll discuss the logistics on our way there,” Tess replied, rolling the map back up.

Dimension E-9, Backroad 18e

“See anything?” Jin questioned, glancing at the rearview mirror.

“Nothing showing up on our radar. Not even a trace of magic,” I answered.

“Hopefully something shows up. Are you gonna check in with Kuan and Jen?” Jin asked, turning left.

Tess plotted out several possible navigation paths. We already surveyed two of them with nothing showing up. Shui ran communications, keeping in touch with the other teams.

“Hear anything useful, Lau?” I asked.

“Kuan scouted the place, quite a few people inside. He’s waiting on Tess to see if they’ll go in or not. Shigetzu’s team is almost at the meeting place,” Lau updated me.

“Hey, I see something up ahead. Get ready for a fight,” Jin warned, slowing down our vehicle.

He pointed at a large truck ahead of us. Two people, wearing tactical vests, sat in the back of the vehicle chatting. Jin conjured a small orb and flicked it at them. It floated upward and dissipated once it was within a few feet of the target.

“Well shit, they’re carrying magical weapons. Damn, that’s annoying,” Jin reported.

“What’s the plan then?” I whispered.

“Simple, I’ll jam their weapons. You guys take care of the rest,” Jin decided.

Jin walked toward the truck, a nonchalant expression on his face. Leave it to him to play the fool. He was the perfect person. Lau and I waited, waiting for his signal.

“Hey, was wondering if there was some kind of accident up ahead? Trying to get some deliveries done, you know?”

“Turn around and find another way. It’s gonna be awhile before anything clears up.” One of them sneered at Jin.

“That’s not really an option for me. The place I’m trying to get to, thing is, this is the only way. Mind if I take a look at what’s going on? Maybe call the right people to get it all sorted out?” Jin suggested.

“Mind your own business and get going, okay?” the companion suggested, pointing at their belt.

Jin grinned and moved his left hand behind him. I grabbed Lau, teleporting the both of us, and ambushed our targets. Lau shot down icicles and cut them off from any backup. They reached for their weapons. Thanks to Jin’s assistance, nothing happened. I slammed my palm into their vests and disintegrated it with my magic. Lau then froze their legs.

“So, I think you might have something of ours,” Jin chided.

“The fuck are you talking about? You three ambushed us and you think we’re the bad guys? Don’t make me laugh.”

“Yuki, go check.” Jin pointed at the truck.

Finding a key, I unlocked the back door and found cardboard boxes inside.

“Nothing, just a bunch of weapon parts and cash,” I reported.

“What do we do with them?” Lau questioned.

“Put them to sleep,” Jin answered, snapping his fingers.

The two men crumpled to the ground, eyes closed. We couldn’t rule out Jacque was in a different vehicle but he was most likely at their base.

Potential Base of Operations, Outskirts

“You detecting Jacque in there?” Kuan stared through his sniper scope.

“Can’t risk using my magic to alert them. I’m not that good,” I replied.

“Preliminary recon indicates about twenty people. A lot for just a temporary hideout. There’s been movement outside, looks like they’re searching around. Could be Jacque escaped,” Kuan updated me on the situation.

“That’s bad and good. If he escaped, where would he be?” I stared ahead.

Zhang, silent for our entire conversation, tapped Kuan and Jen. He gestured forward. Jen pulled out a metal stake, stabbing it into the ground. She plucked her bowstring and we all turned invisible for a short duration.

An armed cat man appeared in our sights, scouring the area. Zhang disarmed and knocked the enemy out.

“Communicator, this will come be useful,” Kuan said, searching the beast’s body.

Kuan eavesdropped on their communications. Jacque escaped but no one noticed until after the vehicle carrying him departed.

“That still doesn’t tell us where he is. Kuan, is it possible to ambush them?” I inquired.

“Sure, Zhang and I can handle everyone inside. Jen stays outside, taking care of any stragglers,” Kuan answered.

“I’ll locate Jacque and get him out of here,” I said.

Kuan and Zhang traveled to their base and entered through a backdoor. Jen remained at our current position, assuming Kuan’s sniping role. I scanned the surrounding area with my grioire and a small star popped up in the upper lefthand corner.

I arrived at the spot and found a crumpled piece of paper on the ground. Picking it up, there was a sudden surge of magical energy. The forest landscape vanished, replaced by a junkyard filled with broken mechanical parts. Jacque sat in thecorner, holding a sketchbook.

“Did you do that, Jacque?” I stared at him with both confusion and amazement.

“I… think so?” the artist responded.

“Okay, let’s not worry about that for now. Follow me,” I directed.

I led Jacque to Jen. She informed us Zhang and Kuan already took care of everything. I teleported to the ransom note location to check in on Shigetzu.

Meeting Spot

Shigetzu slammed a man face down into the ground. Lionel and Darryl watched five tied up men. Shigetzu tossed the fallen man into a nearby fence. The false archer bound him with rope, reuniting him with his comrades.

“Heard the good news. Glad Jacque’s safe,” Shigetzu said.

“Yeah, you guys were busy. Find anything useful?” I questioned.

“They were hired by a buff cat. Thing is though, doesn’t seem like Ace knew,” Shigetzu revealed.

“You’re saying that the buff cat is working for a different client,” I realized.

“Yeah and they knew about Jacque’s powers. They’re trying to get him to their side,” Shigetzu conjectured.

“I’ll try asking around,” Lionel offered.

“Just tell Tess whatever you find out. We’ll handle the rest, Yuki. You can go back and check up on Jacque,” Shigetzu suggested.

“Alright, see you guys later then,” I said.

Training Facility

Tess held her tablet, glancing at a piece of paper on the ground. She spun around after hearing me arrive.

“Welcome back, Yuki. I am glad no harm was done to Jacque. Care to assist me in conducting tests?” Tess requested.

“Sure, I’m free. What do you need me to do?” I agreed.

“Just blast your magic at the paper,” Tess directed.

“Hold on, you sure that won’t hurt him?” I questioned.

“Do not worry. Just concentrate on low dose magic,” Tess assured me.

I followed her orders. Jacque held up surprisingly well even after multiple attacks. The paper finally caught on fire and a tiny pile of ash remained. The Gatekeeper pulled out a pair of tweezers, transferring the burnt remains into a sealed container.

“Thank you for your assistance, Yuki. The ash contains pertinent data for Shane and Emily,” Tess informed me.

“Um, where’s Jacque? Shouldn’t he be here now that the paper is gone?” I questioned, confused about his whereabouts.

“He’s right there,” Tess replied, pointing at the locker room doors.

The artist, wearing a monitoring device on his right wrist, walked out. He unstrapped it and handed it over to the Gatekeeper. She nodded and departed.

“Shit, your powers keep on surprising me every time,” I exclaimed.

“Nah, it’s not that impressive, especially compared to what everyone else can do,” Jacque denied, shaking his head.

“If you put it like that, of course it isn’t. Come on, Jacque, you’re pretty useful,” I disagreed.

“Fine, you have a point. I’ll stop being a little bitch and actually make myself useful,” Jacque agreed, giving me a slight grin.

“How does the paper work?” I inquired.

“It’s a substitute, takes damage for me, but breaks down after a certain amount of damage. Sorta like the Portable Monstah move,” Jacque answered.

“I get that but shouldn’t you appear after it’s destroyed?” I inquired.

“Tess told me that there’s variations. The time you found me, I was doing a quick sketch of the area and it activated. Hides me and the place I’m in. When I escaped, the substitute kicked in and I used my 2-D traveling skills to get out,” Jacque revealed.

His powers were intriguing, no wonder he was a target. While not an offensive force, Jacque proved valuable for reconnaissance missions and defensive support.

“Did you hear anything useful while you were being held captive? We suspect a third party was involved,” I asked.

“Not really, got thrown into a bag and I couldn’t hear anything. Let me think, oh, there was one thing. They mentioned whoever hired them had a special request. Leave behind art supplies for me. They were ones I’m pretty familiar with, like they’ve seen me draw before,” Jacque revealed.

Besides us, the only other people who saw Jacque draw regularly were either his classmates or people at the student lounge. That narrowed the list of suspects but so many people came in and out of that area. Kinda tough to get good grasp of anyone supsicious.