Lonely Thieves

Act III, Part X

Norah's Side (April 12, 7:00 am)

The blaring of her phone's alarm woke Norah up from her too short nap. She was in her car, having spent most of the night looking for Megumi, with no results to show for it. She stretched as she ran through the options in her mind. She was starting to run out of ideas, and she didn't know how much time she had left.

As if to stress her out even further, her phone rang, signaling a call from Ingrid Hayasaka, who was the whole reason she was going to all this trouble in the first place. She reluctantly picked up the call, knowing that the people on the other side were quickly becoming impatient with her.

"I need good news, Ms. Albert."

Norah sighed. "You try searching the city for one lone girl, Captain. Can you really blame me for having trouble?"

"Then this isn't working. It's been several days since we've started this clandestine operation, and we've had nothing to show for it."

"Well, I'm trying my best. I've had a lot of difficulties myself, you know."

"This won't do. We're going to have to step in."

"What? No! Don't you remember what I told you before? Security police will call too much suspicion!"

"Then we won't act as police. Undercover investigation is a method used by the Twilight Police Department, isn't it?"

Norah tried to argue back, but Ingrid hung up before she could reply. Norah hung up the phone as forcefully as she could manage on a touch panel, then sighed. As if she wasn't already having enough trouble as it is. Now she needed to make sure that her "employer" didn't pull the rug from under her. She was cooperating with them for now, but it wasn't like she had become their dog. If there was even the slightest window of opportunity for her to turn the tables, she absolutely would.

After all, she was under no illusion that Hayasaka Security were the good guys in this situation. They were the powerful side, and they had the authority to assert whatever truth they wanted for the public to consume. Because of that, she had to stay on their good side to avoid having their crosshairs on her. It was simply survival of the fittest, and for now, her best option was to take Ingrid Hayasaka's deal.

That didn't mean that she could do whatever she wanted. Norah started up her car and began driving towards the abandoned apartment that there were last using when they captured her and Daryl. She needed to keep Ingrid from causing trouble for her, even if it put her under suspicion. She couldn't have her taking action and cutting off any possible means of escape.

The location had been saved on Norah's phone right before she left the apartment, so she was able to find the place easily after a fifteen-minute drive. As she drove up to the location, she noticed a young woman in an overcoat stepping out of the apartment. She quickly exited the car and grabbed ahold of the woman as she came down the stairs.

"What do you think you're doing?" The woman asked sternly. Her hair was styled differently and her face was made up, but Norah easily recognized her as Ingrid Hayasaka.

"This is a bad idea," Norah argued. "That disguise won't be good enough to fool anyone who knows your face – and trust me, it'd be hard to find a more famous one."

Ingrid scoffed. "Even as a Hayasaka, I doubt that my face is all that attention-grabbing. So long as I stay inconspicuous and keep to myself, it'll be fine."

"Why are you even doing this? You're the Captain of Hayasaka Security. Is it really your job to be running around undercover like some kind of rookie detective trying to make a big case?"

Ingrid turned to Norah and folded her arms. "In the first place, this whole operation has been under the table. If my grandfather finds out about any of this, even I won't get away scot-free. Since it's come to this, why bother with the usual chain of command?"

"I don't get it," Norah nearly growled. "Why the rush? Are you that insistent on saving face?"

"It's not only about that. It's about the pride and the reputation of Hayasaka. If people lack trust in our institutions, disorder will rise."

Norah scoffed. "Sure. That's the problem."

Ingrid narrowed her eyes as a frown grew on her face. "I see. I suppose you're one of those people who think that the Three Great Families holding power over Twilight is what's ruining it."

"Are you saying that's not the case?"

"I've taken Economics. I know the pitfalls of monopolies. But if one of the families were to fall apart now, even if only temporarily, it would cause the fabric of our current society to collapse in an instant. Companies would crumble, stocks would crash, and millions of people would fall into poverty."

"But that's only because they've ingrained themselves into the system!"

"And? I'm not saying we're saints. But at least we're trying to keep the peace. Revolution might sound appealing to the lower class, but it would bring them more suffering before they saw any benefits."

Norah clicked her tongue and turned away. She couldn't deny that Ingrid had a point, even if she didn't like it. Seeing that the conversation was over, Ingrid checked her watch for the time.

"We're getting away from the main point. Look, you don't have to accompany me. I'll work on my own. I just need you to report in to me when you find anything."

"Will you give me a way to contact you, then? It's not like I've been able to contact you using normal methods."

Ingrid took a notebook out, scribbled a number on it, then handed it to Norah. "Use that number. It's for one of my burners, so feel free to call as much as you like."

Norah took the page and inputted the number into her phone. She dreaded having to work with this woman, but at least she wouldn't have to team up with her. Ingrid gave her a nod to confirm that no further discussion was needed and walked away. Norah wanted to ask where she was planning to go, but ultimately decided against it. The less she knew about her actions, the better.

Ingrid got back into her car and noticed a missed call from Edgar. She called him back as she started up her car.

"It's not going good," Edgar explained as Ingrid drove away from Hayasaka Security's secret base. "No one's seen hide nor hair of her since last night. There's a chance she found her way out of the Horizon district."

"That would not be ideal," Norah groaned. "Anything we can do about it?"

"I can spread the info out to other districts, but it might start to get attention from the media if I do. I'm sure the Three Great Families would take notice of something like that."

"You don't have to tell me! Anyway, this isn't working. I need specialists! People who are skilled at finding people. You know people like that, don't you?"

"I do, but they're not the most trustworthy people."

"Neither are you. Quit being wishy-washy and get me in contact with them."

"Alright, alright. They're based in the Morning Star district. Can you get there?"

"The Morning Star district, huh?" Norah furrowed her brow as she thought about it. The Morning Star district was the biggest district in Twilight, and where Twilight City Hall was located. It was also where the headquarters of the Twilight Police Department was located, and where their officers still had as much influence as the security companies led by Hayasaka and the Overman Foundation. Norah had a few misgivings about going back to her old home district, but it wasn't enough to nix it outright.

"Send me the details on the location and time later," Norah declared. "For now, I'll drive over with my car."

Norah hung up the call and drove off. The Morning Star district would be a twenty-minute drive away, or longer depending on the level of traffic. Even if Edgar couldn't get in contact with everyone before she arrived, it would still give her some time to check out the area and see what was going on.