Leonard Horgan, gun in hand, scuttered after the businessman, turning corners of office buildings, down the busy streets and across the roads. His brow furrowed as he lost sight of his target.
"Damn it!"
But he could not let it go. Not now. He had been chasing it for ages. The man was walking so briskly now, he struggled to keep up. The back of the man's shirt bore a huge patch of perspiration, from the heat or from the anxiety, Leo could not be sure. With his bulky briefcase in one hand and his smartphone in the other, the man swept his way through the crowd, eyes glued to the screen.
This isn't necessary, Leo remembered. I'm late, and that is an understatement. But he had to finish this. He just had to. The man took the escalator underground and he followed without hesitation. Once at the concourse level, the man headed blindly for the lift, still texting furiously with his thumb. Leo leapt over the gantries to join him inside, just in time before the doors slid shut. As they descended, the man glanced at his watch and tapped the floor nervously with the tip of his shoe. Leo aimed his pistol at him, watching in anticipation.
Sure enough, a black-haired feline jumped out from the briefcase and onto the man's shoulder, flashing its green eyes at Leo and hissing dangerously.
He fired.
The cat gave out an ear-piercing screech before flaking away and disintegrating into a thick, black vapour. The wisp disappeared through the tiny crack between the lift doors, not to be seen again.
The businessman's eyes widened. He ceased the nervous tapping, pocketed his smartphone and began to whistle to the tune Bridge Over River Kwai. Leo raised an eyebrow triumphantly before reappearing on the street. Hastily, he made his way to Stein's Café, which was just a block away, barely noticing that someone had joined him by his side. Startled, he turned sharply to face the person, only to exhale in relief. She wore a blue tunic top, black leggings and her signature blue boots, an outfit more casual than her usual. Her luscious golden hair fell neatly over her shoulders, and her keen eyes were sparkling blue. She smiled at him, and he could not help but smile back mildly.
"I wonder what the old bird's up to today," Leo remarked with a hint of annoyance.
Clarisa shrugged and silently laughed. "What have you been up to today?"
Leo grinned in embarrassment, remembering that he was dreadfully late. "Got caught up in a chase. It was worth it in the end," he said as he pocketed the pistol he had been holding.
Such dedication, Clarisa thought.
It was the dedication that she liked about him.
He looked at Clarisa skeptically. "Well, you don't appear very punctual either."
"I arrived long ago. Just went out to fetch a thing or two. We've been waiting for you."
"How considerate," Leo commented. "It must be something important."
The cafe was dimly lit by amber ceiling lamps, the tables of mahogany and the background music soft and jazz. Only Jonas would conduct a briefing in such a setting. They found a burly man slouching in one of the cushiony seats, rudely shaking the right foot propped up on his left knee and holding in his hand a large mug.
"You're late, young man," he greeted cheerily in his booming voice. "How do you like the place I chose? Cosy?" He proceeded to take a slow, noisy slurp of his mocha before settling the mug down with a thud.
"Jonas," Leo mumbled as he motioned uncomfortably to a wooden chair. Clarisa gracefully plopped into the one next to him.
"Of course, coffee's not my thing, but I'll make do," Jonas went on. "By the way, Leo, I ordered you an espresso. Your favourite."
"Thanks," Leo said dryly. "Now what is this about?"
"What is what about?" Jonas regarded him with wide, innocent eyes.
"Why did you gather us here?"
"For tea-break, of course!"
Leo frowned. Jonas was not one to simply invite someone to tea. "Surely you wish to discuss something."
"No no, nothing to discuss."
"Come on, Jonas. Tell us."
"One espresso with no sugar, and one upsized beef burger with extra fries and sauce," the waitress dished out the orders swiftly and left.
"I didn't order a burger," said Leo.
"I did," said Jonas as he lifted the huge burger with his hands and took an enormous bite. With his mouth full, he told them, "Shee? Wer her to njoy oshelfs. Y'guys sure y'don wannything?"
Leo's turned to Clarisa, who looked just as perplexed as he was. They sipped their drinks impatiently as they waited for the man to finish his food, which did not take very long. The burger was gone within two minutes. Once the last morsel of fries was down his throat, Clarisa told him, "Alright, Jonas. Out with it."
Jonas began to laugh, so heartily that the man at the next table shot him a dirty look. He took no notice. "You guys won't ever give me a break, will you?"
Leo cleared his throat. "Excuse you, the one who called us here-"
"I know, I know, is me," Jonas finished. "And you're right, I do have something important to tell you. Two things, actually."
Leo rolled his eyes.
"I have bad news and I have bad news. Take your pick."
"Jonas," Leo said as he snapped his fingers repeatedly. "We need you in serious mode. Please."
Jonas smiled cheekily at him. "You asked for it."
In a second, the smile had vanished, and was replaced by a most somber expression. What worried them was that it was real. Jonas revealed grimly,
"Francis' funds are running out."
Leo's face twisted in disbelief, while Clarisa's face fell.
"What!" Leo cried. "But… how is that possible?"
"We don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?" Leo angered.
"I mean what I say, Leo. We don't know."
"It shouldn't be running out if Francis didn't take any from it," Clarisa pointed out.
"Precisely," Jonas affirmed. "But no further details were given about it. It was simply stated that there isn't enough money."
"So now what?" said Leo. "We all go looking for jobs?"
"Right now that appears to be the only solution."
Leo buried his chin in his chest. Clarisa stared at the table in deep thought. Jonas allowed them both some time to take in the situation. Finally Leo asked, "Do the others know about this?"
"They will," said Jonas. "But later."
"What, so you're gonna wait till the well runs dry?"
"Technically, yes," Jonas admitted. "I'm sure we all have savings in our accounts. I've no doubt we can survive on that while we're out finding new work."
"When does transference end, exactly?"
"I don't know," Jonas replied. "In maybe a year. Or a half. Or a quarter. I have no idea at all."
"Could you perhaps ask the higher-ups how this is happening?" Leo said upsetly.
"Tried," Jonas shrugged. "But they're more silent about it than a graveyard."
Leo held his fingertips to his temples, while Clarisa remained in her pensive disposition. The implications of this problem were so detrimental, they could not even begin to consider the consequences.
"You… said there was another piece of bad news?" Leo groaned.
"Oh yes," Jonas remembered. "There is about to be a new perceiver."
Clarisa's eyes lit up.
"Surely that can't be a bad thing?"
"Most unfortunately, it can," Jonas replied gravely. "She has been diagnosed with depression."
Worry spread across Clarisa's fine features. "She hasn't seen the Darkness yet, has she?"
"Not yet, and that's why I'm assigning the both of you to curb the situation before her abilities manifest. This will be your last official assignment before Francis' funds are out." Jonas paused and tapped his lip thoughtfully. "If it doesn't get too dangerous, only you, Clarisa, will have to go for the subsequent sessions. After all, counselling is more of your territory."
Clarisa gave an affirmative nod.
"I'm sensing a 'but'," Leo piped up.
"There is no 'but'. I've laid out all the facts," Jonas said matter-of-factly. "It's just that this new perceiver is potentially very dangerous. Your task won't be an easy one," he eyed the blonde concernedly.
"I'll manage," Clarisa reassured him.
Jonas relaxed a little, knowing that Clarisa would not let him down. He sighed and glanced at the bottom of his empty mug. "We'll follow up on the two issues at our next meeting, when more information is made available. With that said, you are both dismissed."
Before they could move out of their chairs, he quickly added, "And please, do not disclose what I've just told you about the funds. That is privileged information for you both only."
Appalling information, Leo thought bitterly. He nodded in agreement as he rose from his seat. [You coming?] he asked Clarisa telepathically.
[I need to speak with Jonas. You go on ahead,] she urged, then turned to Jonas, "Could we have a word in private?"
Leo understood and left the café promptly. Jonas raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What is it, Clarisa?"
Clarisa brushed a lock of hair behind her ear as she collected her thoughts, before looking Jonas in the eye and saying, "I know that Francis' funds do not concern me, but I am truly, very concerned."
"I can imagine why," Jonas sympathised. "You're going to be alone in the business."
"No, that's not it," Clarisa said softly. "Jonas, do you know why I keep my own job and refuse Francis' funds?"
"Because you… don't need the money?" Jonas guessed.
"Because I believe in what I do and don't need the money to motivate me," Clarisa said, her eyes sparkling with passion. "I help to fight the Darkness, because I love to do it, and have the ability to do it."
Seeing that Jonas was intrigued, she continued, "I think that evil stems from two things- ignorance and emotion. Through my career in counselling I hope to fight ignorance, while in this line of work I fight the physical manifestation of negative emotions. I aim to defeat evil, which is impossible, but by being a part of this I get closer to my goal each day. And now that we're running short of funds, I'm going to be alone in this business because I'm the only one who is willing to do it without getting paid. And that…" her voice trailed off in disconsolation.
"…is sad."
Jonas was tongue-tied, too impressed to comment. He was beginning to see Clarisa in a whole new light. He had always admired her brilliance and passion for the job, but he never would have guessed she held such strong values.
"I see," Jonas nodded slowly. "But as of now, nothing is confirmed. We still don't know why exactly the funds are running out, and whether we can restore them."
"But you just assigned us our final official mission," Clarisa pointed out, "which means after that we are all relieved of duty."
"For now," Jonas corrected. "Everything is tentative."
"Are you planning to stay on, Jonas?" she asked. Jonas half-expected her eyes to be pleading, but it turned out to be an earnest question, one that he did not have an answer to.
He shook his head. "To be honest, Clarisa… I have really no idea."
Clarisa dismissed the question with a kind smile. "Thank you so much for your time, Jonas."
"No problem," he said brightly, propping his right foot onto his left knee again. "Oh, and just in case you wanna have a head start, the girl's name is Kathryn."
Confused for a moment, Clarisa froze, then smiled knowingly before disappearing in her involuntarily flashy style. Jonas stared at the bottom of his mug once more and signalled with his hand for the waitress. "Could I have another mocha?"