Forty minutes had passed since Mark and Loe began their stealthy infiltration. Now, they were on the top floor, following the trail left by the eavesdropping device. Gustav's intel about suspicious activity on the fifth floor only added to the tension. The information they needed was hidden here somewhere, but whatever it was, it was being closely guarded.
Loe whispered, "I hope it's something important." his eyes scanning the room ahead as he glanced at Mark.
Mark nodded, his expression calm yet serious. "Let's take it slow." he responded, moving cautiously toward the door that stood between them and their target. Without making a sound, they both slipped inside, staying invisible under the cover of the flashlight.
Inside the room, two men stood in conversation, their backs to the door. One was a burly, bald man, while the other had long, unkempt hair. They were clearly guards of some sort, and their stance suggested they were waiting for something—or someone.
Suddenly, they both stopped mid-conversation, a shift in the air making them uneasy. "Who's there?" the bald man barked, looking around suspiciously. His eyes swept the room, but he saw nothing. "Show yourself!"
The long-haired man muttered, "There's no one here, man. Must've been your imagination."
"Imagination, my ass," the bald man growled. "There's something here, I can feel it."
The long-haired man shrugged, though unease flickered across his face. "Yeah, maybe it's a ghost." he said, half-jokingly, but the tension in his voice was obvious.
The bald man scowled. "Don't joke around with me.." he grumbled, but it was clear he, too, felt something was off.
Loe, overhearing this, couldn't resist a grin. He nudged Mark and, in a playful, low voice, whispered, "Let's mess with them."
Before Mark could protest, Loe decided to take things up a notch. Still invisible, he moved closer to the two men, keeping his footsteps light and silent. He then whispered, in the most ghostly voice he could muster, "Leeeeeave this plaaaace…"
The long-haired man froze, his eyes widening in terror. "D-Did you hear that?"
The bald man's face paled, but he forced a scowl. "Stop screwing around. There's no such thing as—"
"Get out… nowwww." Loe whispered again, elongating the words and making his voice echo eerily.
The long-haired man backed up, his face now pale. "I swear to God, that wasn't me!" He looked around frantically, but no one was there. "This place is haunted, man! I told you!"
Mark stood back, suppressing a laugh as Loe continued his ghostly act. The two guards were clearly shaken, the bald one doing his best to stay composed, but his confidence was faltering. Loe, seeing how well his prank was working, took it a step further.
He whispered again, "You shouldn't have come heeere..."
That was the final straw. The long-haired man bolted toward the door, his panic overtaking any sense of duty. "I'm out! I'm not sticking around for this!"
The bald man tried to stop him, but when the door slammed behind his fleeing partner, he was left alone in the room. For a moment, he stood frozen, his fists clenched, trying to convince himself it was just a trick. But the weight of the silence—and Loe's spectral whispers—broke his resolve.
With one last glance around the empty room, the bald man muttered, "Screw this." and quickly followed his partner out of the door, abandoning his post.
Once the coast was clear, Mark finally let out a chuckle. "You really enjoy messing with people, don't you?"
Loe, grinning from ear to ear, shrugged. "Can't resist a good ghost prank. Especially when it works that well."
Mark shook his head but couldn't help but smile. "Alright, let's focus. We've got two hours of invisibility left, and we need to find whatever they were guarding."
Inside the box, there was a strange, old journal and a photograph of an elderly man. The journal's cover was faded, but one name stood out in bold: "Erasmus Kane."
Loe frowned, leaning over Mark's shoulder. "Who the hell is this old man?"
Mark flipped through the pages of the journal, the handwriting shaky but filled with intricate notes, symbols, and diagrams. "I don't know," he replied, "but I have a feeling this is why we're here."
Loe nodded, his playful demeanor now replaced with seriousness. "Let's get this to Gustav. We'll figure it out from there."
As they closed the box and prepared to leave, they couldn't shake the feeling that this discovery was only the beginning of something far more dangerous.
Meanwhile, outside the Chicago Outfit building, Mindy remained invisible, focusing her telepathy as her mental awareness scanned the surroundings. Amidst the sea of thoughts, one strong presence stood out, and it sent a chill down her spine.
It was him.
Mindy's heart raced as she maintained her telepathic link with Mark and Loe. She knew exactly who that old man was—Alphonse Capone, the notorious figure behind so much of the Chicago Outfit's operations. But she couldn't tell them, especially not Loe. Not yet. If Loe knew the truth, if he found out that Alphonse Capone was the one closing in on them, he'd lose focus. Worse, he'd chase after Capone and demand answers about his son, Albert Capone—Loe's former boss who died in New York.
Mindy's eyes widened as she reached out telepathically to Loe. "Loe, Mark," she whispered in their minds. "Someone's coming... he's getting closer."
Loe's voice echoed back through the mental link, his tone sharp. "Who is it?"
Mindy concentrated harder, The presence was powerful, laced with a dark, familiar energy. "I don't know for sure, but... it's an old man. He feels dangerous."
Loe clicked his tongue in frustration. "Tsk."
Mark, sensing the urgency in Mindy's message, quickly grabbed the journal they had just discovered. "We need to get out of here now," he said, his voice firm and urgent.
Loe nodded in agreement, his usual playful demeanor replaced with a serious expression. "Let's move. Whatever we found here isn't worth getting caught by whoever that is."
Without another word, they both turned and slipped out of the room, still invisible, their movements silent. They made their way down the corridor, carefully avoiding any remaining patrols. The eerie silence of the building was only broken by the faint echo of footsteps—someone was indeed approaching, and fast.
Mindy, still outside, tried to maintain her calm, but her heart raced. "Hurry... he's closing in on you." she warned through the telepathic link.
Loe and Mark quickened their pace, their invisible forms darting through the shadows. As they neared an exit, Mark glanced at Loe. "How far?" he asked, referring to the mysterious old man.
Loe closed his eyes briefly, trying to gauge the distance based on what Mindy relayed. "Too close for comfort. We need to move."
Through the telepathic link, she sent them one final message: "Just keep moving. Don't stop, no matter what. You need to get out of there before it's too late."
Loe, unaware of her internal conflict, nodded slightly as they reached the stairwell. "Understood." he replied telepathically. He didn't question Mindy's urgency, trusting her instincts without knowing what was really driving them.
Mark, focused on the mission and the journal in his hand, added, "We're almost out. Stay sharp."
As they descended the stairs, Mindy kept watch from her position outside, her mind working overtime to ensure they weren't caught. She knew Loe's curiosity could get the better of him if he found out who was behind them. The mystery of Albert Capone's death still lingered in his mind, a ghost that could come back to haunt him if he learned too much too soon.
For now, Mindy decided to keep quiet. They had a mission to complete, and if Loe found out the truth... everything could fall apart.
...........
Logan, his teeth clenched, growled, "You think you're some kind of predator? I'm the one who ends you today!" He swung his right claw in a wide arc aimed at Victor's neck, but Creed ducked with unnerving agility, countering with a powerful backhand slash that raked across Logan's abdomen.
Logan grunted, staggering back as deep gashes appeared across his stomach, but they quickly sealed themselves, his healing factor working overtime. "Son of a bitch." he muttered, wiping the blood from his mouth. The pain was sharp, but familiar—fuel for the rage building inside him.
Victor licked his bloodstained claws, a twisted smile on his face. "Jimmy, you never could handle pain like I could. And Saul? He was a joke but he was my brother until you killed him!!" With a snarl, he lunged again, this time going for Logan's legs to unbalance him.
But Logan was ready. He sidestepped the charge, slashing down with both hands, embedding his claws into Victor's back. Creed roared in pain, but instead of retreating, he twisted, grabbing Logan's arm and slamming him into a nearby wall with bone-rattling force. The drywall crumbled under the impact, and Logan gritted his teeth as Creed's claws closed around his throat.
"You ain't got what it takes to finish this, runt!" Victor sneered, tightening his grip. His amber eyes gleamed with bloodlust, his muscles rippling as he tried to crush Logan's windpipe.
Logan struggled for a moment, then, with a primal snarl, drove both sets of claws into Victor's midsection. Victor gasped, his grip faltering just enough for Logan to wrench himself free. Logan, now fueled by pure instinct, pushed forward, driving Victor back. With a brutal uppercut, he sent Creed crashing through the bar counter, shards of wood and glass exploding around them.
Victor, laughing maniacally through the pain, staggered to his feet. His wounds were already knitting together, the sight making Logan's rage boil over. "You can't kill what can't die, Jimmy!" Creed taunted, blood dripping from his mouth as his chest heaved.
...........
Meanwhile Gustav moved cautiously down the dimly lit hallway, his senses on high alert. The building was a labyrinth of rooms and locked doors, and he knew time was running out. As he crept through the shadows, he couldn't stop his thoughts from drifting back to his wife. He remembered her laugh, her smile, the way she always found light in the darkest moments. The thought of her being lost to this organization filled him with a burning determination.
Mindy's voice broke through again, this time more focused. "I'm picking up something, Gustav. There's… there's a name. Vivian Van Doren. It's coming from the lower levels, some kind of restricted area."
Gustav's breath caught in his throat. That was her. "Where exactly?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper as he clutched his ear communication device.
Mindy replied, "There's a hidden section beneath the basement. It's not on any of the blueprints we have, but I can sense a few minds down there. I think one of them could be her."
His hands clenched into fists as he quickly changed direction, heading for the stairwell that would lead him down. Every second mattered now. "I'm on my way." Gustav said, his voice filled with grim determination.
Gustav's tiny wings fluttered as he zoomed through the air in his ant-sized form, heading toward the lower levels of the Chicago Outfit building. His heart raced as he murmured, "Vivian, I hope you're okay." Determination burned in his chest—he couldn't afford to fail, not when he was so close to finding her.
Meanwhile, Mindy, still outside, focused on her telepathic link with Loe. She sensed the urgency of the situation. "I need to tell Loe and the others about Gustav." she thought, as she opened the telepathic channel between them.
As Mark and Loe sprinted through the hallways, Mark glanced at his partner, noticing the change in his demeanor. "Loe, what's going on?" Mark asked, concern in his voice.
In Loe's mind, Mindy's voice rang clearly, "Loe, Gustav is heading toward the lower levels. I found his wife."
Loe's eyes widened, his pace faltering slightly. "What?" he whispered back to Mindy in his thoughts, trying to process the news. It had been months of uncertainty for Gustav, and now there was a glimmer of hope.
Mark, noticing the sudden shift, pressed for more information. "Loe, what's going on? You're acting strange."
Loe quickly relayed the situation to Mark as they continued to move. "It's Gustav. He's headed to the lower levels because… Mindy found his wife."
Mark's expression tightened, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Alright, we'll back him up. But we've got to be careful—this place is crawling with security."
As they rushed toward the lower levels, Mindy stayed connected to both of them, ready to guide them through the building's maze of security and potential threats. Time was running out, and the stakes had never been higher.
To be continue