Mysteries Unlimited

"No, it's not necessary." The Masketta Man had already had a concealed pistol in his sleeve the whole time, some alien kind of one. He had already pulled it out and shot 3 shots at the ski mask-wearing invader. Two in it's legs, and one in it's hand, that was holding the machine gun. He walked over to the now bleeding assailant. He pointed the gun towards his head and squatted over him, then kicked the machine gun away, towards Aster.

"Now, who sent you? You have a minute."

<Aster's House>

*The assailant raised his arms up*

???: "They said they would kill my family!!! Please, don't shoot!"

---

<Roads>

*Rainn continued to call Aster on her cellphone. His car accelerated as he hoped to arrive in time.*


---

<Docks>

Jimmy: "pls respond"

Aster grabbed the machine gun and put it on the kitchen table, safely out of the gunman's reach. "Who told you they'd kill your family? Names, now!" Aster shouted.

Before the gunman could respond, the phone rang, and Aster picked up. "Hey, Rainn? Sorry for not answering, we had a nasty visitor. Good thing Mask over here is very good with a gun. We're interrogating him right now. Anyway, how are you doing?"

<Docks>

Jasper stroked his goatee as he put the pieces together in his head.

"Bluetooth... ah yes, my niece taught me all about those. Would you mind taking me to where the shipment was stored? The culprit might have left fingerprints or other evidence that could help me identify him, or who he was working for. I can show you my badge, if it's required."

<Aster's House>

Rainn: "*through the phone* *sigh of relief* You're safe. He mentioned attacking you, and he referred to you specifically. Don't worry about interrogating him. You follow your lead. Chain him up and I will be there in a few minutes to interrogate him myself. Don't let this stop you! This truly is Mysteries Unlimited."

---

<Docks>

Jimmy: "No worries, I trust ya."

*He winked, and stood up, walking out to the docks. Jasper hopefully followed. In a minute or two, they were near the ship that was robbed. Its crew had been visiting the city as a break to prepare for the long sail ahead.*

Jimmy: "It was one of the crates on this ship. They might have stolen it using the crane nearby, or with a small group. Notice anything?"

*There was a mysterious scratch on the hull of the ship, almost as though it was hit by a grappling hook of some sort. Also, the nearby crane was unmanned.*

"We've already started, though. Come quickly, you can help. Bye." Aster then hung up, and looked over the gunman. "Mask, there are bandages in the cabinet behind you. Get them. I'd rather he didn't bleed out."

Mask nodded his head and then went to get the bandages, but before leaving he kicked the guy in the head to keep him from recovering and trying to leave. Arriving back, he bandaged up his wounds, being disgruntled over this course of action. He also used the bandages to tie his hands together.
"Chains or rope, Aster? These won't hold long, even with waiting for Rainn."

Aster facepalmed. "Please tell me you haven't got chains with you. Use rope, for god's sake." Rolling her eyes, she took the machine gun off the table, and dumped it in a kitchen cupboard.

<Road>

*Rainn slammed the phone on the passenger seat*

Rainn: "GRRRAGH! That woman drives me nuts!"

*He sped up.*

---

<Aster's House>

*The criminal was in pain from the kick that he received. Suddenly, everyone heard a car swerving.*

The guy: "W-what?"

*A mysterious figure ran up to the door, and burst in*

*It was Rainn!*

Rainn: "Can you hack from here, Aster? Mask, you and I will get to work on our new friend."

The guy: "guuuh..."

Rainn: "What happened?"

OOS: Waiting on Kon for the rest.

Mask responded to Aster "No, chains are far too heavy. But there's lots of chains lying around town. I have no idea if you had any. Rope works better though, more intricate styles to tie it."
He then turned to Rainn to help interrogate the man.
"So, Rainn, do you have rope? If not, we can continue without it. The man is clearly not up for running away."

"No, I don't have any chains. Does this look like a medieval torture chamber to you?" Aster said, exasperated. She reached into the same cupboard she had just dumped the machine gun into, and pulled out a length of rope, easily long enough to bind the man's arms behind his back. She handed it to Mask, and then stood up to greet Rainn.

"Hey. Hello. Nice to see you." she sighed. "Anyway, no, I can't hack from here. I need to be near the police station. I was going to fetch my stuff and then call a cab....."

Rainn: "Grab the machine gun you have in your cabinet for protection, and get going. We'll be here if you need us. The sooner we find suspects, the closer we are to solving this case."

*Rainn grabbed the suspect and slammed him into the wall*

Rainn: "Who paid you to grab Ms. Aster?!"

The guy: "They wore masks....."

Rainn: "What kind of masks?"

The guy: "Why should I tell you? They'll kill me!"

Rainn: "Mask, if you please..."

OOS: Waiting on Kon for the rest.

"A machine gun? Rainn, are you trying to get me arrested?" Aster sighed, left the shop, and called someone on her mobile.

"Hey, Branley? Aster here. I need a lift."

Minutes later, a white car pulled up, and Aster got in. It soon drove off again.

"Hey, babe." the driver said in a fake-sounding Australian accent. "Where do you wanna go?"

"Lose the accent, it's me. The police station."

"Ooh. Finally handing yourself in, I see?" he replied, now in a Southern accent.

"I haven't committed any crimes. Not on this planet. But I think I'm about to. Hacking's illegal here, isn't it?"

The Masketta Man, using the rope Aster provided, tied his hands together, then put a noose around his neck, the rest of the rope being held in his hand. He then pulled out his alien handgun for his other hand, and then pointed it at him.

"And if you don't tell us, you'll be killed regardless. Now,"

The man was sweating heavily in fear of the masked man.

"TELL ME ABOUT THE ROBBERS! WHY DO THEY WEAR THE MASKS?!"

Branley's car pulled up alongside the police station. Aster got out, and took the old Nokia phone out of her pocket. She opened it up, and pulled out what looked like the battery. She attached it to the wall, threw the phone in the bin, and returned to the car.

"Take me back home." she said.

<Aster's House>

*Rainn smiled as Aster left.*

Rainn: "Eh, it couldn't hurt if she did get arrested."

*He nodded as the masked man asked about the other masked men*

The guy: "I DON'T KNOW! They were animal masks!"

Rainn: "Lot of loyalty for a hired gun!"

The guy: "*sobbing* They said they would kill my family, but that we had to communicate in secret. Please don't let me out there...they'll find me....."

Rainn: "How would you communicate?"

The guy: "Through the internet! Goggles or something like that! They would draw on an internet page and I had to turn it on to see their message. They told me to find one of you and rough things up a bit, maybe kill one or two if you got too close to the case."

Rainn: "So they hired you before the third robbery?"

The guy: "I-I don't know. It was two days ago!"

Rainn: "Right when the Commissioner requested the help of Sulrai Private Eye.."

The guy: "Please help me....don't hurt me.."

Rainn: "But how did they know we were close?"

OOS: Waiting on Kon for the rest, please.

The door promptly opened, and Aster stepped in, coughing. "Sorry, guys. I think I got it." She took out her iPhone, and opened up a special app. The police database's interface popped up on the screen.

Aster handed the phone to Rainn. "I hid a transmitter at the station. We'll have access until it runs out of power, which will probably take a week or two."

<Docks>

Jasper ran his finger across the scratch on the hull of the ship, then ran to the side of the boat to peer at the crane. It was level with the ship, so the crooks could have fired a grappling hook from the top of the crane and sailing across with a zipwire.

"Hm. I have a theory. Do you have any security cameras facing the crane? I'd like to take a look at the footage if so." Jasper said to Jimmy.

<Aster's House>

*Rainn handed the iPhone back at Aster*

Rainn: "No, no, my dear, this is all you. I've hacked into Cadmus systems before but I think that you're better at this than I am. It's like swimming to you. You just have to put on your Goggles and get to it."

*Rainn smiled and turned to both the hostage and Masketta Man*

Rainn: "Where were we?"

---

<Docks>

Jimmy: "Facing the CRANE?"

*Jimmy nodded, and pulled out a smartphone. He turned on the app that was connected to the security cameras, and focused on one facing the crane. Sure enough, there was footage of someone using a grappling hook to get to the ship from the top of the crane. The individual climbed his way to the ship and stood on a crate. He waved at the crane, which came to life and picked up one of the crates. The crate was lowered to where Jasper and Jimmy were standing. The individual on the boat and the one on the crane both emerged from their locations, and stood next to the box. A pickup truck came by a minute later, and picked up the crate and the thieves.*

Jimmy: "Woah, the footage is working! It had been tampered with before. Can you identify anyone there, or are they wearing masks? My old eyes can't really see well."

*Jimmy frowned.*

"I actually just wanted to show you. You know, in case you didn't believe me." said Aster. She took the phone back, and started to type away on it.

A few seconds later, she put the phone away. "They've got two names. Tyrrell Jones and Jack Thompson. They live at (insert address here) and (insert address here). What say we pay them a visit?"

Rainn: "Excellent! We will go together. Masketta Man, take care of our guest, don't rough him up, turn him over to the police. Make sure the Commissioner knows you've turned him in."

*Rainn held the door open for Aster*

"Ok, Rainn."
Masketta Man then picked up the guy and slung him over his shoulder. "We're going to the police station now, hostage."

"W-what?! Why?! They'll kill me for sure now! And my family!"

As Masketta Man leaves the house, waving goodbye to Aster and Rainn, he turns and speaks to the hostage.

"Then tell me where your family is, and I'll make sure nobody kills them."

"Why the hell would I do that? You're göt deng insane! You shot me instantly and planned on killing me! I wouldn't trust you by my family at all!"

"The difference is I didn't kill you. For you were forced in this situation to save your family. How honorable and sympathetic. Either way, you're being turned in, and you might as well tell me. I serve no advantage killing your family. But if I stakeout where they live, I'll be able to interrogate them and kill them. So tell me."

"Fine, they live at [address of no importance to the story]"

Masketta then hailed a taxi, and told the driver to head to the Police Station.

"I hope this was worth it, Masked Man."

Aster stepped out of the house, and ran into Rainn's car. She waited for him to get in, so they could drive off.

<Bolice Station :DDDD>

*Masketta's cab arrived. Outside the station was Will Billson with his finger and his thumb in a shape of a hook in his belt loops*

*He eyed Masketta, and nodded.*

Billson: "Masketta Man, I'm TPB."

Taxi Driver: "He wasn't alone."

Billson: "Uh, you don't get to bring friends."

---

<Rainn's Car>

*Rainn entered his vehicle, and drove to the first location. Once they arrived, they parked on the other side of a small house in Crimeton.*

Rainn: "Before we continue, we have to talk. I saw that you were having health issues. Listen, I can divert some funds to assist you in travelling to the right expert. There aren't many humans on Earth who know how to treat you, and I bet no one on Task City has even the slightest idea. *He paused* Even if it means buying you a ticket out of Earth....just let me know."

Aster sighed. "How did you-?" she began, before deciding it didn't matter. "Believe me, Rainn. There is nothing you, or anyone else can do."

She blew her nose, and then continued. "Remember Samantha? David Robert Jones's daughter? She put a bounty on my head. If I ever leave Earth, every mercenary within 100 light-years will be onto me. I've made quite a bit of money selling state secrets, but I can't buy them all off."

"My problem is simple, she continued. "A leak in one of the reservoirs. A ZFT engineer could fix it easily, but they have strict orders to avoid Earth now, just to punish me. So now it's getting worse and worse. That's my punishment for betraying the ZFT. A slow death in exile. I've more than earned it."

[Takes place before Klak's post above]
Masketta Man pushed the hostage into the taxi. The driver quaked, then peaked in his mirror view. Before he could ask, Masketta Man told the driver; "To the police station. Civilian arrest." The driver nodded. It should be noted that, while absolutely irrelevant to the story, the driver was Indian.

The drive was long and silent, with Masketta Man staring ahead; the hostage side glancing occasionally.

When they finally arrived at the station, the driver was hesitant. Masketta threw a wad of cash at the driver through the window as they exited. "Thank you, Hasan, but wait here. I'll be back shortly for another ride. This time alone." Hasan had only a slight sigh of relief.

Masketta, then seeing Will Billson, responded[Now after Klak's posts]:
"He's not my friend. He tried to murder me. He's working with the Masked Men. And before you ask, you want him to show them that you can still catch the people they work with. I already pried the information out of him."

<Docks>

Jasper pulled up a chair that wasn't there before and sat in it as he watched the footage again, but even more carefully this time. Both of the criminals were wearing masks - one resembling a gorilla and the other a lion - but towards the end of the recording, the lion-mask-wearing man took it off to scratch an itch. His face was out of focus and slightly blurred, but his haircut seemed spookily familiar.

"Wait a minute. Run the footage back about half a second... can we enhance the picture?" He said to Jimmy, turning to him and raising an eyebrow.

<Rainn's Car>

Rainn: "Damn."

*He slammed his hand on the steering wheel of the car.*

Rainn: "You did the right thing. Good overcomes evil, no matter what ZFT will try to do to you. Remember that. We'll figure something out soon."

*He smiled as he looked into Aster's eyes. He suddenly remembered what they were doing, and cleared his throat. He stepped out of the car with Aster (hopefully) following him to the apartment. Rainn knocked on the door, and a man. He was in his late 30s, and was wearing a button down with the top part unbuttoned. He had a cup of brandy in his hand.*

Rainn: "Jack Thompson?"

???: "Yes?"

*Rainn pulled Jack and slammed him on the wall*

Rainn: "*in a grave voice* I know who you work for. Tell me everything."

Jack: "W-what? What are you talking about?!"

Rainn: "I KNOW YOU'RE INVOLVED WITH THE ROBBERIES!"

Jack: "Are you seriously stereotyping me?"

*Rainn slams him against the wall again*

Rainn: "Cut the crap, I'm the last person who would do that. We found you through the mole. Don't deny the evidence!"

*Jack sighed. Despite his efforts to divert the conversation, he had been exposed.*

Jack: "They threatened my family. I had no choice. I thought I had left the mafia after I finished my time in prison. The past was in the past....yet he brought me in."

Rainn: "Who?!"

Jack: "*He whispered* If I say his name, my wife and daughter won't live through the night. I'll give you a hint. He's the one wearing the bunny mask."

Rainn: "Just as we suspected. Now, are you going to rob the Dank Bank?"

Jack: "I...Yes. That's our next target."

Rainn: "Which mask are you?"

Jack: "I wear the tiger mask."

Rainn: "Aster, do you have any questions for him?"

---

<Police Station>

*Will Bilson was surprised. This private detective was one step ahead of him. Truly, the Masketta Man was in charge here.*

Will: "Get him in."

*Two policemen grabbed the assailant, and took him away. Will smiled at the guy*

Will: "Well congratulations, you got yourself caught!"

*He turned to Masketta, and whispered*

Will: "Now, what's the next step of your master plan?"

*Meanwhile, a text from Rainn arrived on Masketta's phone. It said that they were all to meet at the McYonald's on Main Street once they finish with their investigations.*

---

<Docks>

*Jimmy nodded. He played the footage again, and zoomed into the lion-man*

Jim: "Do you recognize him?"

*Meanwhile, a text from Rainn arrived on Jimmy's phone. It said that they were all to meet at the McYonald's on Main Street once they finish with their investigations.*

"Yes" Aster said. "Why do you leave the maps behind? What game are you playing?"

OOS: Waiting on Nif and Kon for the rest.

<Jack's Apartment>

Jack: "The maps are his way of toying with the police, he wants to confuse them while setting up a pattern."

Rainn: "That's why the maps weren't submitted chronologically."

Jack: "Precisely."

Rainn: "He made a mistake this time, and so did you."

*Rainn lowered Jack. A struggle commenced, but soon, Thompson was tied to the nearest railing*

Rainn: "I sent out a scheduled text to the police. They should be arriving soon to take you in. My apologies to your wife."

Jack: "NO! NO!!"

Rainn: "Good night, Mr. Thompson."

*Rainn walked to his car with Aster hopefully following him. Jack bellowed in the dark night.*

*He sped off, quickly arriving at Tyrell Jones's abode*

*Rainn silently emerged from his car.*

"I thought so. Say hello to the cops for me, Jack." Aster said, and followed Rainn to the car.

"The next step of my master plan is leaving. I want to at least be slightly paid for this arrest, or at least get some information needed. If not, I'm leaving now, Willson."

Masketta Man turned his back on him and started walking back to the taxi. He motioned Hasan to pull up for a quicker leave. He climbs in the car, pulling out his phone to respond to Rainn. He texted back: Not possible at the moment. Holding a stakeout at the Grand Complex Apartments on 337 Beat Street. Meet me there if you want to join, text back first. Not hungry at the moment.

"Now, sir, where do you want to go?"

OOS: Waiting on Kon for the rest.

<Tyrell's Houset>

*Rainn texted Masketta Man saying "ok".*

*Rainn looked at Aster and put his finger to his mouth. He pushed the door of Jones's house open*

Rainn: "He didn't lock it. Something's up."

*The light of the hallway is crimson. At the end there is a small table with a laptop on it.*

Rainn: "What the...?"

*On the other side, there was a live feed. The man in the bunny mask, who appeared to be blonde and in his thirties, was looking straight at the camera.*

???: "Ah! There you are! I assume that this means that you have discovered the identity of one of my accomplices. This is troubling, but I hope you both know what's good for you. You will stay out of this, otherwise...."

*They both noticed a smile under the mask*

???: "We will have to take action. And, assuming you dealt with our other friend, it will be twice as deadly. You could ask Mr. Rostom and Mrs. Delagado, but they're dead! They were our insiders. They wanted a bigger cut, but I explained to them that something like that just will not fly."

*Aster and Rainn noticed the devilish smile once again*

*The man in the rabbit mask picks up a bat*

???: "STAY OUT OF THIS! OR YOU WILL SUFFER AS THEY DID!"

*He laughed sadistically, and threw the bat at the camera, cutting off the footage*

Rainn: "What are we dealing with here...?"

---

<Police Station>

Will Billson: "oh."

*He awkwardly waved at the Masketta Man, and entered the station.*

"He's trying to scare us off. I know the type." said Aster. "We need to know why he needs money so much. I was hoping to ask Tyrell, but I get the distinct feeling he is not here anymore."

"The Grand Complex Apartment at 337 Beat Street, Hasan."

"W-what?! That's one of the best apartments in the city! Why do you want to go there?!"

"To solve a mystery."

"There's unlimited mysteries and legends surrounding that place, are you tracking one of them down?"

Masketta deepends his voice, sighs, and then says "No."

"Ok"

Hasan then started heading towards Beat Street. The car ride was long, silent, and dull. Nothing of interest happened on the way, which pleased Masketta Man. The more calm it is, the easier it will be to get in unnoticed.

Hasan pulled up to the complex, large and resembled more like a modular palace or castle. It had a gothic look to it, with arabic influences of some curvature in it. It stood out from the rancid city, a needle in a haystack, with vivid primary colors, with splashes of white and tan. It seemed much more suited in the desert or mediterranean areas than here.

Masketta Man got out of the taxi, threw Hasan a wad of cash, and then nodded. "I'll see you around, Hasan."
Hasan, gleeful at such a load, nodded and gave a thumbs up. "Yeah, see you around, cyclops!" Masketta Man was slightly irritated at the name, but he knew nobody would remember such a thing. Less so from an indian cab driver.

He made his way for the entrance, scanning around. The entrance was guarded by the stereotypical, red suit cladded, small capped, door-opening assistants. He figured that they would be easy to distract or trick.

After scouting out the area, he realized there was no outside armed guards. Any armed guards would be inside or in higher buildings, possibly already noticing them. He waited for Rainn or anyone else to come on a block adjacent to the complex.

<Docks>

Jasper waited for enhancement process to finish. Halfway through, he thought he recognized the haircut of the lion-mask man. And there was only one other person he knew who would be brave enough to walk around Task City with that kind of do.

"It can't be..." he muttered to himself. Ten more seconds passed, and the picture in front of him became clear as day. He suspicions were confirmed, and he was sure that if he was drinking tea at that moment, it would be spat out in horror.

He then grabbed Jimmy by the shoulder and pointed at the screen.

"I know that man! I must return to my colleagues and tell them what I have learned."

After leaping out the door, Jasper ran down the stairs, skipping two at a time while holding onto his hat. He looked back at Jimmy, and seeing his curious expression, decided to clarify.

"That man is Alex Combes. I knew him well." He said, before taking off into the night.

<Tyrell's House>

Rainn: "You are right. I suppose the mob is preparing for something big to be getting all that money, and our masked friends likely want a huge cut of it. There's no use staying here. Let's go to McYonalds."

*Rainn went to his car*

---

<The Grand Complex Apartment at 337 Beat Street>

*Suddenly, a man with a "Dasitt Mane Industries" brand root beer bottle walked up to Masketta*

???: "Yo, I'mma tell y'all some real ish like I always do. It might be hard to accept, but who the heck you gonna trust?"

*He drank from the root beer*

???: "Anyway, that sound that Rick Ross be making..."

*Sinjon put his hand on the man's shoulder*

Sinjon: "HOH, Alex! We have to finish cleaning the restaurant before we socialize, HOH!"

*Alex shook his head, and left with Sinjon*

---

<Docks>

*Jimmy nodded at Jasper and smiled. He saluted him as he left.*

<Near the Docks>

Jasper was halfway down the street when he suddenly realized that he had no idea where he was going. Wondering whether Emily had given him her phone to use, he rummaged around in his pockets, but it was not to be found. Not that he'd have a clue how to use it anyway.

He decided that the nearest person to him who might be nice enough to place a call to Rainn's office on his behalf would be Jimmy, so he turned around and ran back to the docks. After reaching the stairs which he enthusiastically ran down in my last post, he now climbs back up and sees Jimmy right where he left him.

"Sorry sir," he said while gasping for breath, "do you happen to have a telephone I could use?"

Aster also got into the car, and waited for Rainn.

Masketta Man sighed and then continued to walk off the block. He waited for anyone else to come, and lurked around for any possible hired guns.

<Near the Docks>

*Jimmy smiled, and handed Jasper his cellphone*

*Assuming that Jasper decides to call Rainn....*

--

*Rainn drove to McYonalds, and stepped out of the car. He opened the door for Aster*

Rainn: "Let's enjoy this place before it gets sued out of the planet, haha."

*His phone rang.*

*Rainn pulled out his phone and answered it*

Rainn: "Hello? Ah, Jasper! Listen, come on over to McYonalds and we'll talk."

---

<Masketta's Location>

*Someone walked up to Masketta, and aimed a gun at him.*

???: "My shotgun goes DENG DENG!"

Aster entered the McYonald's. "I'll go order, you go find a free table. What do you want?" she said.

<Near the Docks>

"I hear you Rainn, loud and clear! I'll be there shortly." Jasper said over the phone, then handed it back to Jimmy without hanging up.

He took off down the stairs again and across the street, with not really much idea of where he was going. However, he did know that he had seen many shops and restaurants in the next block from him, so he set off in that direction. On the way there, he accidentally bumped into someone who said "Jeez, Louise!" and stormed off before he could apologize.

Eventually, he arrived at the next block and saw a lit-up sign outside the shop he was looking for: McYeelds Prehistoric Takeaways. At least, that's what he thought he heard on the phone. Rainn said McYeelds, right? Right..?

The LEDs on the sign made a picture of what sort of looked like a cartoon dinosaur, with the caption "party hour". Jasper pushed open the door and walked inside, and three of his five senses were immediately assaulted. His ears began to ache from the blaring, wordless music being played through the restaurant's speakers, with a deformed stegosaurus "singing" over the track across the room. A disco ball shone intense light into his eyes, which he then shielded with his right hand... and to top it all off, some of the dinosaurs inside were smoking an illegal substance, which he immediately recognized as "Yeed" the moment it entered his nostrils.

"My word! What on Earth is going on in this establishment?!" Jasper exclaimed, though he failed to get anyone's attention.

A bipedal dinosaur behind the counter noticed him, but only replied to his statement with "Yee". After waving like a madman, Jasper caught the attention of a bird-like creature, who told him that this was "ssssome partee!". Deciding he'd had enough, Jasper covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve and stumbled out of the joint. He dropped onto the sidewalk outside and spluttered for a moment. After catching his breath, he noticed something in the reflection of the puddle before him. A large, yellow logo which read "McYonalds".

"Of course! I really should have gone to that free aural exam I was offered a while ago." Jasper muttered to himself as he rose to his feet and brushed himself down. He then walked across the road, entered McYonalds, and found it to be a haven compared to the restaurant he had just exited... even if someone was eating a slime-covered pizza on a table near him.

He looked around for a moment, and spotted Aster standing in the middle of the restaurant.

"Ah! I know you! One of Rainn's recruits. Is he around?" He asked her.

<McYonald's>

Rainn: "Ah, Jasper! There you are! What's the matter, you look like you've seen a ghost! Oh well!"

*Rainn handed Aster some money*

Rainn: "Dinner's on me. I'll have a double cheeseburger."

*For a brief moment, Jasper thought he had heard "yeeburger". The gentleman panicked.*

*Meanwhile, Rainn received a glare from Aster*

Rainn: "What? I'm in good shape."

*A few minutes later, they were all at their table enjoying their meals*

Rainn: "Alright, everyone. Let's debrief."

*Rainn called Masketta Man, and put him on speaker so he could hear what they were saying*

Rainn: "My meeting with the mob boss, Alessio Manicelli, was interesting. He denied involvement, but continually warned us to step off. It was at that time that I figured out that he wanted to hurt Aster, and made my way to her house. A hired gun whose family was present had attempted to assault them, but they took care of it. Afterwards, Aster and I met with one of the perpetrators of the robberies. His name is Jack Thompson. Late 30s, family man. Had a past with the mob he was trying to escape, until they made him an offer he couldn't refuse. He's taken care of. Then we went to another suspect's house...."

*Rainn grabbed a french fry/chip, and chewed on it. After swallowing, he continued*

Rainn: "They were expecting us. Instead of finding anyone, we found a computer screen with a broadcast from the man in the rabbit mask. He threatened us, and said that all their inside people were dead. It's safe to say that we're getting too close for their comfort, but I firmly believe that they will strike at the bank tomorrow anyway. What do you have to report, Jasper?"

Masketta Man stood still as the mysterious man held a shotgun to his back. He already was ready for something like this. Reaching into his sleeve, he then talked while doing it. "And my pistol goes..." during the pause, two shots went off. "BANG BANG!" Masketta Man shot two bullets into the assailant's head.

Masketta Man then answered the phone, and began to listen in on Rainn.

<Masketta's location>

*Doug Kugg fell to the floor, and died. His last thoughts before exiting to the afterlife were of satisfaction, as his last action was imitating the family that he loved best.*

---

<McYonald's>

Rainn: "You may inform us of your suspicions as well, Aster. After all, we know where they will strike next: the Dank Bank."

<McYonald's>

Jasper ordered a medium helping of McRasmus-Style Cornflakes to be served with vanilla coke, and pulled up a chair and sat down. He waited patiently for the others to finish their conversations before sharing his findings.

"Well, Rainn, I deduced the identity of one of the robbers while down at the docks. You were right in thinking that communication devices had been stolen from a recent shipment to the city, however, it turns out that only one item was stolen. While examining security footage from the docks taken at around the time the item went missing, I not only discovered that the thieves were from the same gang who have been robbing banks, but that one of them was also an old friend of mine. His name is Alexander Combes, and he was employed in my services on the Shetlands years ago. Since his resignation, I haven't seen him bar from a chance encounter in the street on my way to the docks."

"I think the mob needs this money badly." Aster said, while munching on a chicken Yonnugget. "What I still don't understand is why."

She turned to Jasper. "What can you tell us about him? What did you employ him to do? Did he have a criminal record before he joined them?"

<McYonald's>

Rainn: "Interesting, Alexander Combes. We now know the identity of three of the masked men. That leaves about 6 or 7. We'll find them tomorrow. The mob needs the money to continue operations and satiate their greed through avenues that won't bring the wrong kind of attention to Manicelli's businesses. Still, the volume of cash being stolen means that they're preparing for something massive. A war, perhaps?"

*Rainn realized that everyone else was waiting for Jasper to answer Aster's question*

Rainn: "Ah, right, carry on."

<McYonald's>

A waitress came over with Jasper's order: a cereal box and a can of vanilla coke. No bowls, no cups. For whatever reason, this caused him some bewilderment.

"Am I... expected to eat this from the box? Like a savage?" Jasper asked himself.

Seeing the confused looks from the others, he shrugged and tore the top of the packet open.

"Well I suppose if I am to be living in this country, I ought to embrace the culture. Or so my niece would say."

He poured some cornflakes into his hand in a rather awkward motion, and ate them individually. With nothing else distracting him, Aster's question popped back into his mind, so he decided to answer it.

"When I first met him, he was a paramedic, who had just lost his previous job for being absent too often when he was needed in emergencies. He lived on the Shetland Isles, near my estate, and so would frequently cycle by and chat with the guards during their lunch break. When he heard that I was looking for someone who was qualified to administer first aid on the estate, he came to me for an interview before I had even put the word out. I remember being impressed by his eagerness for the job. When I asked him why he was fired by his previous employer, he said that he was torn between his job and training for a mission... a mission to take down the universe's greatest villain with a select team of martial art specialists. He said that training, and composing a theme song for his new society - yes, I don't know what he meant by that either - had taken up most of his time in the past, but now he was ready to return to being a paramedic. I hired him, and he was under my employ for three years, until he suddenly quit without warning. When I rang him up and asked why, he stated that he had found his team, and they were moving on to defeat the villain he had talked about all those years ago. That was the last time I ever saw or spoke to him, until I bumped into him on the street earlier today, on my way to the docks. I asked him about his team, and he said that they had all died. He put on a polite face for me, but I could tell he was angry and bitter underneath. As for why he would join this gang of criminals, I don't know. Maybe he needs money for something... and he needs it quite desperately indeed."