The Scarlet Phantom: Finding the Light in the Darkest of Times

Footprints

The quaint RE pub was filled with embassy workers enjoying their drinks and lively conversations, patting their boss on the back and wishing him a happy birthday, shedding away all facades of professionalism. A dimly lit atmosphere created an ambiance of warmth and camaraderie, just as Yor remembered from the afternoon. Gray, as the night went on, went from laughing, joking, eating and drinking to sit at a corner table nursing a pint of beer. The chatter and laughter around him drowned in the background as he peered out the window.

Through the fogged-up window, Gray spotted  something that made Yor's heart race just as his. His eyes widened in shock as he focused on something down the road, along the perimeter of the RE Donut Shop. In a flash, Gray shot to his feet and darted out the RE pub at the speed of sound. Yor switched camera angles, squinting her eyes as she zoomed in.

Two figures down the misty road were smuggling crates of dubious origin in front of the RE Donut shop . The figures stood shrouded in shadows, making it difficult to discern any details.

 'Hey! You there!'Gray called, taking a fighting stance at once.

The figures, seemingly startled by Gray's call, slowly turned to face him. They took a step back, hugging the crates of counterfeit money.

'Surrender,' Gray hissed 'Slowly put the boxes on the ground and put your hands in the air.'

The figure's voice was strained and barely audible over the ambient noise of the party going on in the pub 'Child Desmond....'

'Who?' Gray's eyes arched in confusion, though his stance did not waver 'Who is that? What are you talking about? Drop the crates!'

Before Gray could say more, the mysterious figures turned and bolted into the darkness, leaving the boxed abandoned, the green inky notes littered the sidewalk. Money. Gray hesitated for a second, deliberating whether to run after the two figures or to deal with the RE Donut shop.  He hissed under his breath 'Agent Esuba-Mitciv'll take care of that...'

The frustration and determination in Gray's expression intensified as he chased after the elusive figures, his footsteps echoing through the empty street, determined to uncover the truth behind the cryptic  Child Desmond comment. The fog thickened, making it even harder to keep the figure in sight.

Yor's heartbeat bolted into the tops of her ears. There was so much blood behind her face had gone redder than her hair. Leaning down, she played the CCTV footage again.

Click. Repeat. Click. Repeat.

Zoom in. Zoom out.

Click. Repeat. Click. Repeat.

'You can not tell me this is it,' Yor hissed into her burner phone 'It took you so long to get this? There's nothing here! I know there are more cameras down the road, where are the footages of that?'

'Wow, ungrateful much?' Cody said 'I told you, your mystery hacker wiped the rest of the files clean. You are lucky I was able to savage what I could.'

Yor groaned, signing out of the computer in the Internet cafe she was seated in. She plugged out the USB sent by Cody that she had picked up on her way here from Central Park. Yor drew out her Scarlet lipstick flash drive, plugging it in, allowing Cody to wipe her traces from the system. She needed to work. She needed to work desperately. Work meant not thinking. Not reflecting. It meant pragmatism. It meant moving forward. It meant getting one step closer to finding Gray, to being in his warm embrace again, to looking into his kaleidoscopic silver eyes, to be graced by his warm, sunny, heart melting smile.

She put her gadget back under her scarlet trench coat, tipping her scarlet brim hat as she walked out of the Internet cafe. She felt better already, being in her signature look again. Being the Scarlet Phantom and not Yor Scarlet. It felt much better, much more familiar, much more protected and made her feel less vulnerable, as though her scarlet coat and hat were an armor.