Evie drove her blue motorcycle down the road, desperate.
She had lost track of Basil Iskov as soon as he drove his motorbike into the Hallow Woods shopping area.
Her heart was racing in her chest, her breath ragged.
She thought he had died when the Hunter Academy collapsed.
He was a ghost from her past who came back to haunt her.
She had to find him.
Her hands were numb and stiff around the leathery handlebars of her motorbike.
There was no sign of Basil. He and his bike had vanished into thin air.
He was a master of evading monsters and other hunters alike.
Evie was once on the top five best hunters list, right behind her fake blonde sister, but one spot above BC-13. Being number four was an honour, but now it made her feel ashamed of her past.
But Basil? He was always number one.
He never lost. He never failed.
He always survived.
Evie skidded her motorbike to a stop at an intersection, turning from left to right under the traffic light.
"Great, I lost him."
"Looking for someone?" A voice said to her right.
She turned her head slowly.
He was standing there in the crosswalk with his arms crossed, tapping his foot, looking her up and down. And unlike her, he wasn't wearing a battle suit, but rather casual clothes: tennis shoes, black and green sweatpants and a black, sleeveless shirt with a green viper printed on it.
"Nice bike," Basil said, "A Harley-Davidson Nightster special. A very good bike for a not so good hunter"
"It's been a long time, Basil." Evie said.
"Not long enough." he replied with a certain air of resentment, "Why were you following me?"
"What were you doing at the university today?" She asked, and then she looked down. In a leg holster he had a classic hunter grapple gun. In the other, he had a combat knife, always his favourite weapon.
"My job," Basil grunted.
"Did you want to kill my boys?" Evie held the handlebars of the motorcycle hard.
"Don't make me laugh. I'm not interested in killing shouty pop stars, I was there to look after my own boys."
"Your boys?"
"Anton's parents paid me to be a babysitter. It's fashionable to go from hunter to bodyguard these days. You know about that." He pulled out his grapple gun from the holster on his leg, "By the way... Your fake blonde sister? She told me about your relationship with Rubinstein. Correct me if I'm wrong but, you and I already had something when you started dating him, didn't we?"
"Don't you dare mention Kasey as a form of emotional blackmail," Evie said, "And I was just doing my job. I was told to seduce Frank, and I did."
"Ah! Yes, of course. And it was your job to write his name everywhere. Your fake sister told me everything about your relationship with Rubinstein this morning when we met at the Operman Residence. In fact, she has a new Ducati so I recommend you take your bike to the limit if you see her." He fired the hook of his gun at a nearby roof, "Quick word of warning. mind your own business." And then he pulled the trigger, moving up fast, landing on a roof with a flip, disappearing with a quick jump.
"As if I'd give up so easily," Evie said, pointing her EMF visualizer at a traffic camera, quickly downloading the latest videos, "Well, if you came to me voluntarily, all I have to do is a reverse search. I just hope I don't have to hack cameras all over Hallow Woods to find this guy." Evie checked the video, and in a flash, she sped off, the bike roaring.
She hacked every street camera that had filmed Basil, twelve in total, until number thirteen near the town's restaurant area took her right to where she wanted.
"Papa Louigie's Italian restaurant, I should have guessed." The street camera had recorded Basil entering and leaving in less than two minutes. Surely something happened in there, an exchange of some kind. "I'm not going to sit back and wait for bad news." Evie whispered, and then her phone rang. With one hand, she steered her bike, and with the other she answered. "Evie here, what's going on?"
"Nothing new, but I have my doubts," BC-13 said on the other end of the line, "The boys just met with a band called Fifth Octave at the cafeteria, a bunch of snobby kids. No casualties, although Alex went berserk, and Everett said something about atomic wedgies, luckily Draco was able to calm the waters."
"And your doubts are about what exactly?" Evie asked, turning off her motorbike once she parked outside the Italian restaurant.
"To be honest I was surprised that the boys didn't fight, and Zeth wasn't present during the meeting in the cafeteria so... Do you think there was a fight and nobody remembers it? Do you think Zeth used his powers and erased all of our memories?"
Evie, sitting on the bike, chuckled.
"I can bet a year's salary on that. He must have panicked at the thought that the band's image would be damaged. I'm pretty sure he first asked Frank to use his bionic arm to fire an electromagnetic pulse but then reconsidered his options."
"And you know this how?"
"I know Zeth well enough. He asked me to cover up his actions, and look after him while he recovered, a couple of times. Last time I had to tell the guys that a truck had parked next to the tour bus and that Zeth was stuck."
"Wait, that wasn't long ago. It was when Draco sang Zeth's part on 'I've Seen the Darkness' wasn't it? The video of that concert went viral."
"Exactly," Evie replied, "And the other time was when Alex ended up in hospital when the band first started. You know what I'm talking about."
"Yes, you called me in a panic, you were afraid that Alex would never wake up."
"That's why no one covered the news," Evie said. The fear was still there every time she thought about it. The fear of losing Alex forever. It was that day when she became so paranoid and obsessive.
It was the first time she understood everything that was at stake.
"You know, I think you should hurry up," BC-13 said and Evie laughed a little.
"Are you already stressed out? Babysitting is tough, huh?"
"No. I mean you should tell the boys how you feel," BC-13 said and Evie clenched her fists, "This Jade girl has everyone going crazy, and I don't think she should steal your boys."
"They are not my boys," Evie grunted.
"You know very well that is not true. And you know well that they love you." BC-13 assured her, "I don't understand why you complicate everything."
"Because the boys say that Frank still loves me, and I don't want to turn everyone against each other."
"Well, this Jade girl? Everett and Zeth just left with her. I think they still want her to be the star of their next video." BC-13 laughed, "Just saying. Is it almost love?"
"It's not love. You can't love a person you just met. Call you later." Evie then hung up the phone, sighing, already a little tired from going around in circles playing cat and mouse.
Evie swung her leg over the motorcycle and walked toward the front door of the restaurant. There was a 'closed' sign hanging on the glass, but the handle moved smoothly.
"Closed? Of course," Evie soon enough pushed the glass doors, entering the golden and black place. It was fancier than she had imagined. The restaurant was empty, and Evie immediately recognised the person sitting in a booth at the end of the place. "Dirty Louigie, why am I not surprised?"
Two guards and Louigie, this would be easy.
"We are closed!"
"Even for an old client, Louigie?" Evie laughed and the man clapped his hands.
"EV-13, long time no see! Welcome! Take a seat," said Louigie, the black market dealer, a man who could get anything you ever needed, from weapons to secret codes, some even said he had the bullet that shot Kennedy in his living room, but enough of rumours, Evie was here to get something far more important than just a myth: Information.
"I am in a hurry, Louigie," Evie said, sitting down, placing both hands on the table, a discrete smile present on her face, "So I'm gonna ask you this once. What did you sell to Basil Iskov?"
"Who?"
"Don't play dumb." Evie warned, "You know who I'm talking about! Basil Iskov. VI-93. The green-haired idiot. I don't care what name you know him by! What did you sell him?"
"So you didn't come to buy, just to ask questions," he said, his guards were closing in, Evie could recognise the clicking sound of a machine gun anywhere.
"Listen," Evie began, leaning closer "I am not in a mood today, ok? So, talk or I..."
"I can't tell you anything, In this business, confidentiality is everything," Louigie laughed and shook his head, "Go back to your babysitting job and let me live my life."
"Listen, Louigie," she began, her voice low, "You give me the info, I leave without a fight and let you do whatever you please, got it?"
"Sorry, I can't talk about my clients." he replied, "Boys, show this fine young lady the way out." Louigie waved at his men, who aimed at Evie with their machine guns.
Evie smiled, nodding her head.
"Okay," she whispered, moving away from the table with her hands up, "If you want it the hard way, then let it be."
Evie spun around, kicking the face of the black-haired bodyguard, ducking to dodge the fist of the blonde one, sending him backwards and over a table with a strong kick.
"Louigie! Tell me what you sold Basil, now!" she ordered, and pot-bellied Louigie could only raise his hands in surrender, shaking his head with his eyes full of terror.
"I... This is not what you think," Louigie whispered.
"Then talk," Evie held him by the throat with her fingerless gloved hand.
The black haired bodyguard stood up. Evie groaned and let Louigie go, rolling on the ground and standing up with a fist up, giving an accurate blow to the bodyguard's jaw.
"Louigie!" she yelled when she saw him running away.
The blonde bodyguard was getting up already, so Evie jumped onto a table to be high enough to place both legs on his shoulders. She swung while carrying the man with his head between her thighs, turning and slamming him against the floor.
"Why do we always have to use force in this business?" Evie ran after Louigie, jumped and kicked.
Louigie fell on his chest with a grunt.
"Tell me what you sold to Basil now," Evie said before taking a fork from one of the tables, walking calm and collected toward the dealer, "You can tell me the good way or... The hard way." Evie inspected the fork as if it were some relic from a long forgotten ship underwater.
"Ok! Ok! I will tell you!"
"I'm listening."
"I sold him some collector's Zeth Rahman doll, his boss's sister couldn't get it and was desperate!" he shouted, his forehead sweating, his eyes fixed on the fork in her hand.
"Now you sell dolls? I don't believe you!"
"I've changed, EV-13. Since you ruined the Hunters, I now make a living from this restaurant and reselling merchandise, particularly toys, to collectors!" Louigie was almost crying.
"Fine. Thank you for your cooperation," Evie nodded and dropped the fork, her stiletto boots echoing in the silence of the restaurant as she approached the door, "I'll send the police to check this place though."
"Wait! Please!" Louigie said and she looked over her shoulder, "I swear I'm telling the truth. I don't want any trouble! So please! Don't call the cops! I'll do whatever you want!"
"Whatever I want?" Evie put a finger to her chin, and after a second of thinking, she snapped her fingers. "There's a girl my friends know. She wants the Monster Mash dolls but couldn't get them because they sold out quickly. If you can actually get them... I'm going to believe you and you won't see me ever again."
"You want me to get you some dolls?" Louigie raised an eyebrow.
"Just to make sure that you're not selling weapons and viruses to despicable people anymore."
"I can get you special editions of the Monster Mash Dolls if you want," Louigie said, standing up with a grunt, "But they'll be expensive. They will be in your hands this week if you want to."
"Sounds like a good deal to me," Evie nodded, "Why are you so afraid of the police though?"
"I don't have a very good relationship with the health department. You don't want details."
Her bracelet beeped then, and she quickly answered it as she left the restaurant.
"EV-13 here."
"EV-13, it's Sapphire." Zeth said, "I need you to do some research. The band is called Fifth Octave and they're filming some music video here on campus. I want to know everything about each and every single one of them."
"Got it, I'm on my way to the campus," she replied.
"Opal and I are going to the mall, needless to say we don't need an escort," Zeth said, "I want you to keep an eye on Emerald and Aquamarine while you investigate the Fifth Octave boys. Amethyst and Ruby are going to Devil's Tango club, send someone to look after them."
"I'll send BC-13." Evie said as she moved a leg over her motorbike, "Hey Sapphire, this girl, Jade... She wants the Monster Mash dolls and I have someone who can get them, special editions in fact. The pickup point will be Papa Louigie's Italian restaurant."
"Well, I'll pay for them and ask my right hand to pick them up."
"Good, but if the reseller doesn't get them... I want to know." Evie looked up. Louigie was looking at her through the glass door, making an 'okay' sign with his hand after texting someone. His two bodyguards were already getting up from the floor. "The girl also wants an iPhone 14, in case you want her to move to Lyonfort."
"Copy. Sapphire out."