The Blue Queen (Part 7)

Finley snapped back to reality when he heard Ciara’s voice next to him. “How long has it stopped moving?” Her voice was loud and clear. He stared at her and watched her move towards the large man. “About half an hour now,” he grumbled back to her, “you think that’s enough time?” Finley watched as Ciara put her finger to her lips, and was deep in thought. “Probably but I think you should come with in case it moves again. Morgreg, that ok with you?” Finley watched the man shift awkwardly before nodding politely. The man stood up and Finley finally saw that he was about 7-8ft tall, and moved rather quickly considering his size. Ciara and Morgreg where already near the end of the entrance hallway when Ciara turned. “Are you coming or not?” She announced her tone reluctant but firm, clearly directed to Finley. Finley rushed down to the hallway to them before they made their way down stairs. “Morgreg Wisebane, internet troll and hacking expert. This is Finley…” Ciara introduced, Finley could feel the roll of her eyes in her voice, “Marvell. Unwanted partner but we have to bring him.” He could hear Morgreg snicker. “Jumped off a building again, you were warned.” Ciara elbowed him playfully. Finley noted that she seemed to be more approachable and nicer than his first meeting. They got to the bottom of the stairs and walked into a large parking garage. There was a mismatch of cars on one side and various shaped vans on the other. Ciara led them to the small white van which said Grimes’ Clean and Shine on the side. Morgreg clambered into the back and Finley was shocked he fit easily inside. He moved towards the passenger side door before Ciara held up her hand. “You’re in the back with Morgreg,” she commanded. Finley stared at her in disbelief. ‘Surely I won’t fit in there with the troll,’ he thought hesitating. Ciara rolled her eyes and moved towards the side door. She waved her hand almost as if she was on a show presenting prizes. Finley poked his head inside. Morgreg was sat comfortably at a desk with numerous monitors and appeared to be transferring data from the computer he was at upstairs. On the back wall, where Finley had expected the back doors to be, was a variety of gizmos and gadgets. Next to that was another long seat, that could easily fit another three people. “Spatial magic,” she announced smugly.

“It’s bigger on the inside,” Finley grinned.

“How long have you wanted to quote that?” Finley shuffled nervously, believing that she wouldn’t have gotten the nerd reference. He climbed into the back and sat next to the wall of gadgets. Before the idea had even popped in his head Ciara warned, “don’t touch anything, you have no idea what it can do.” She closed the door and Finley could hear Morgreg snicker again. She got into the front seat and started the engine. “Morgreg, we good?”

“Yes. All connected and the lift is ready when you are.”

“Good. Hopefully we can catch him before he does anymore harm. Oh and before we go, Marvell don’t disobey my commands again. You wouldn’t even be here if I had a choice but if you don’t listen to me in the field then you won’t be here in the future… wait or do, I can be a solo agent again then.” Finley gulped tightly. As much as she sounded like she was joking there was a seriousness to her tone, one that resembled the Ciara he had met first. Finley felt the van shift but they didn’t move. He watched as the scenery changed and soon they were facing an opening hidden in darkness. “Estimated time of arrival thirty minutes. He got pretty far. Buckle up and let’s see if I can do it in fifteen.” There was an enjoyment in her voice, one that he didn’t recognise. She turned quickly and closed a partition, that he hadn’t seen before.

Morgreg shifted in his seat and turned towards Finley. They stared at each other for a second before Morgreg sighed. “Listen, it’s your first mission. Take it easy, take it slow, listen to her commands and do everything she says and you’ll be fine.”

“What’s with her anyway?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well I know she doesn’t want to be partnered up but she seems a bit of…”

“An ice Queen, a cold hearted cow, a frigid and a prude woman?”

“Not in so many words but yeah, difficult to get along with. Although she seems to have softened since talking to Vanessa.”

“Listen, she’s playing nice because she has no choice. She hopes that the decision will be reversed but doesn’t want to see you get hurt either.” He began to unwrap a large gobstopper and held it inbetween them. “She’s like this.”

“A sweet?”

“No. Metaphorically. She’s a gobstopper. She had this hard outer shell, that will slowly be worn away over time. However, in the centre there is a gumball. It’s not as hard as the first layer but still firm and ultimately begins to be soften and become somewhat gooey.”

“Oh.” The idea left Finley silent and pondering for a second. “I mean don’t get me wrong it’ll take a long time for this to happen, longer than it’ll take me to eat this delicious treat. But it’ll happen if you give it time,” Morgreg continued before popping the gobstopper in his mouth and making loud slurping noises.

“Has she always been like that?”

“Since I’ve known her… yes. I mean she’s opened up to me as I’m her man in the van when she needs it and I don’t know details but I know she’s been through a lot. Like she won’t tell me stories but she expresses a hardness that she’s had to overcome.” Finley nodded. “So what about you?” Morgreg began choking and coughing before clearing his throat and seemingly swallowing the gobstopper whole. Finley’s eyes widened in panic and reached over to pat the trolls back, “are you okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. Most people don’t really want to know about me. I’m expendable in this group. Like not in a if I die it’s no big deal but like easily replaced. I believe for a troll and an internet troll at that I’m quite nice. Most trolls are grown up believing they have to be this stereotypical ugly brute and can’t waste their time on education and brains. Well until the internet age began then the internet trolls began but even then most are mean and horrible and just sit behind their screens bullying others. I mean I’m sure you’ve seen it. Honestly, I like it here. I like my job and proving the stereotype wrong and although at first I made many, many, many mistakes and should have been let go. Ciara took a shine and requested me as her personal techie and go to nerd-sisant. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m thankful to Ciara and that I’m thankful for you actually taking an interest, in me I mean. Hey, hopefully you impress her and she’ll keep you on and we can be a team. I mean she could do with more actual friends…” Before Morgreg could finish speaking, Ciara’s voice came over an intercom. “You’re still replaceable Morgreg, and I have plenty of friends I’ll have you know. Anyway, we’re here now, took me ten minutes, thanks for sorting out the lights for me.” Finley looked perplexed and thought, ‘it might be the middle of the night but it should be still busy in the city district.’ As he looked from Morgreg to the computer, he realised that without taking his focus and gaze off of Finley, Morgreg had hacked the traffic systems and created a quicker route. “Impressive,” Finley said, nodding to the computer. Morgreg handed an earpiece to Finley as Ciara opened the side door again. “Usual,” she said to Morgreg, “I hope you two are done stroking each other’s… egos. Cause we gotta go.” Morgreg handed her a visor, her switch sword and another earpiece. “Let’s go.”

Ciara stood staring at the large, rather ordinary looking apartment building. She noticed a fire escape on one side, with the ladder forced up and a seemingly normal entrance on the other. “Not getting away this time,” she announced, deteremination oozing from her aura. Finley adjusted his jacket and stood next to her. “Morgreg can you hear us?”

“Loud and clear. So let me guess you’re going to go the dangerous route and virgin’s taking the supposedly safer route. Whatever not like I can stop you, the tracker is pinged on the ninth floor, and it’s not moved an inch since arriving here.”

“Yep, me and fire escapes have a history, can’t let them down. Finley you’ll head in through entrance and take the stairs as normal. Ninth floor, got it.” Finley nodded.

“Good. Let’s go.” Ciara took to the alley and Finley marched towards the entrance as he had been told.

The door was metal but ornate, decorated with a floral pattern on the handle. ‘Pretty, but unusual,’ he thought as he looked for a keyhole and didn’t find one. There was black plastic square next to the handle with numerous buttons above. “Erm, Morgreg, I’m stuck at the door with an electronic locking system. Can you do anything?”

“I mean I could come with and bash it down if that’s what you mean?”

“No, no, sorry I didn’t mean to insinuate anything.”

“Nah, I’m just joking, giving Ciara a head start really. You’ll be inside in a moment.”

“Oh, yeah. Hah. Funny. Thanks.”

“It’s called sass, you’ll get used to it.” Finley heard the locking mechanism and the door clicked allowing him to open it. “Another question, the building looks ordinary but this door is quite… unusual.” He stared momentarily at the floral pattern before hearing Ciara’s voice.

Ciara stalked into the darkness and made her way to the ladder. She jumped up and tried to reach it but it was too high. She looked around and smirked as she saw a makeshift path letting her reach the first floor. ‘I’m not jumping off a building this time, just a little parkour for lift off,’ she thought excitedly. The thought of possibly hurting herself sending a chill down her spine. She bounced onto a dumpster and hang from a windowsill opposite the fire escape. She looked behind her and measure the remaining distance. ‘Just another jump,’ she thought prepping herself, making sure to keep her thoughts to herself, ‘one, two and three.’ After three, she curled up tight and did a backflip from one building to the other. She raised her hands in air as she landed perfectly on her feet. ‘And the crowd goes wild,’ she thought making cheering noises in her head. Then she realised the boys were talking. “Another question, the building looks ordinary but this door is quite… unusual.” She cut him off before he could finish. “What do you mean unusual?”

“Erm well it’s metal but the handle is quite pretty with a floral pattern,” he replied.

“Can you describe it to me?”

“Erm well roses, no carnations spread at the top of the handle and what I believe is poison Ivy at the bottom.”

“Specific.”

“Sorry, too detailed?”

“No, just unexpected.”

“Morgreg can you run a check on nature immortals that own buildings in this area and tell me that this isn’t one.”

“Already done Ciara and unfortunately can’t. The carnations and Ivy mean it belongs to…”

“The Ambrosia clan, dammit!”

“Erm, is that bad?” Finley asked, as a door can be heard closing behind.

“Yeah and no. The Ambrosia nymph family aren’t exactly the friendliest of immortals and don’t take kindly to hunter intrusion but if we stay quiet and don’t make too much of a mess then we can avoid any issues and consequences. Hopefully. Vanessa is going to have my head. Silence for here on out. Got it Finley.”

“Erm I’d say yes but I’ve got one more problem for us. This place has an elevator and if he finds us, he might use that as an escape.”

“Okay, Morgreg’s got this. Hope you’re not scared of the dark newbie. Time for a power outage in the neighbourhood.”

“Right, well no power means no sounds to help us sneak. So no communication unless it’s an emergency.”

“Yep,” the boys agreed. In a matter of seconds everywhere went dark. ‘Just how I like it,’ Ciara thought as she looked into a window which had been lit up. She looked out to the other places around her and watched as the lights flickered out further and further away. ‘Maybe a bit too good Morgreg. Oh well, too late now.’ Ciara made her way up the steps and continued to the floor the tracker had been traced to.

Finley waited in darkness until the emergency lighting came on. It was an unusual blue that lit the staircase faintly. He was thankful for the light but wished he had brought a torch. His heart beat hard as he strode his way up to the ninth floor. ‘It’s quiet,’ he thought to himself, ‘I guess everyone must still be asleep.’ He shrugged as continued up the flights, he glanced at the sign lit in the strange blue glow. It read Floor Eight. ‘One more flight,’ his mind told him. He wasn’t tired or exhausted from the stairs but he couldn’t help but feel on edge as he looked at the sign. Before he could continue he heard a door a few floors below creak open. He froze in his tracks before hearing a voice. It yawned and began talking, “time for patrol. Nightglow time to bloom.” The strange blue light seemed to glow brighter from the stairs below him. Finley leaned over and stared down. It was a few flights below him and he watched as it bobbed up the stairs. He knew he could levitate to be quiet and not make a noise as he stepped up the stairs. He hovered for a second and turn towards his final flight when he saw a plant with a glowing blue iris pop out next to him. His eyes widened as it turned towards him and met his gaze. He had never seen anything like this. The iris seemed to scan him up and down before it widened. It’s blue glow turned a deep red and Finley noticed that it wasn’t alone. “Who’s there?” The voice yelled from below. ‘Crap,’ Finley thought before flying swiftly up the final flight.

“Apartment J, it’s on your right Ciara,” Morgreg announced quietly. He had forgotten that he didn’t need to remain silent and began talking to help with directions. Ciara held a middle finger up in front her face, knowing that he’d see the footage from the van. ‘I could have found it myself,’ she thought as she approached an open window, ‘maybe his way in?’ She crouched down and lifted one leg in when she heard Morgreg speak again. “Finley should be there in a second, Ciara, you’ll have to let him in.” Ciara closed her eyes and moved slowly in, placing her foot down and hearing a wet squelch underneath.

Finley yanked open the Ninth floor door after hearing Morgreg’s voice explain which apartment it was. He turned seeing the red iris now floating after him and closed the door quickly. He flew faster down the hallway as move of the glowing orbs began to chase him. He managed to kept ahead and reached the door with a distance between him and the orbs. He was about to knock when he remembered stealth. “Let me in, let me in, let me in…” he begged quickly with panic setting in his voice, knowing he had to break the silence on the communication device. He watched as the door opened and Ciara was stood in front of him. She sighed, “it’s a good job it’s been taken care of.”