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

Footprints

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

1 Message from "Zereph"

Hello. I am waiting back at the hotel. I understand that you don't want to see me, but please reply and tell me how to proceed with our mission. I'm on call. Text me back, please.

Well, he was right about that at least. She did not want to talk to him. She did not want to see him. She did not want to even want to think of him.

'Cody,' Yor adjusted her communicator earrings 'I need any and all info you can savage on this "Child Desomd.' 

'Roger that, Cap S.' Cody said.

The beat of her steps and the Cody's  typing synchronized 'Okay, So I couldn't't find much, as usual.'

'Hacker?'

'Hacker.' Cody agreed 'But I did find a police website about a case that happened about a decade ago.'

"Which means," Yor thought "Around the time Pandora Ye died."

'What does it say?'

'Loid Desmond was the ten year old son of the aristocratic Desmond family, and ten years ago he was kidnapped. The kidnapper was believed to be the family's maid and the boy's nanny. However, the nanny committed sucide before she could be taken to court by shooting herself with the Desmond's personal gun. Sound familiar?'

'No way....' Yor' eyes turned as large as  coins 'The maid's name....'

'Was Pandora Ye.' Cody completed her sentence 'After her death, the search for Loid was closed. Pandora's four sons were then given into foster care.'

'Keep digging.' Yor felt her heart race 'If you truly are as good as Zereph claims, bring me everything you can on Pandora! I want the woman's entire life story by tonight!'

'But that's impossible-'

'Impossible is just another name for possible,' Yor drew a raspy breath, but she kept running though she had no idea why she was running 'By tonight. You hear, Cody?'

'Loud and clear, S.'

'Good.'

Yor disconnected and slowly yet steadily, her  frantic run transcended into a jog, now realizing the running and jogging was an outlet for the adrenaline she was feeling. The words "Pandora Ye" and "Loid Desmond" were taking over her consciousness. 

"Agent Esuba-Mitciv'll take care of that..."

Which meant, that Reyla was near by that night. Most probably, was going to meet up with Gray to stake out the RE Doughnut shop or even break in and end the heist once and for all.

"Which means..." Yor groaned again, she was't usually this irritable "There is no putting it off now. She was at the scene of the crime. Possibly an eye witness. I have to go see Reyla Esuba-Mitciv. Ya! Time for a blast from the past! Soooo excited."

Reyla's house looked like a face. The white front door and the wide windows either side were the house's toothy smile. The mark where the bricks were discoloured, that was its nose. And the two squared windows upstairs were its eyes, staring down at you, sleeping as the curtains were closed.

Yor had barely rang the doorbell when she heard a sliding bolt. The door swung inwards and  a small, frightened face appeared in the crack. A young woman with her tousled hair so white in the thickening twilight that it almost set the air around her aglow, cropped closely to her head and her lips plump and pale paired with tear smudged eyeliner running down her colorless cheeks, in a quite fruitful attempt to cure her albinism. Her big, round pale blue eyes were just as Yor remembered them, wide and teary, looking around  in a trembling perception of the world, far too weak to be an agent. Yet, here she was, wearing nothing but a men's T-shirt two sizes too large for her.