Five years later...
Amelia Yeung and Elise Lau were on the run.
The security guards at the National Museum of History in Cantonesia were no match for the notorious vigilantes. The duo sprinted to the edge of the hallway and bolted down the stairs like lightning. Their black jumpsuits were a blur as they continued to descend the stairs at top speed.
"There will be more guards waiting for us at the bottom," Amelia said as she furrowed her brows.
Elise simply nodded, her expression unreadable behind her white face mask. "Get your shield and your blaster."
"Why wouldn't I? Those are our default weapons—and the shield is mandatory," Amelia muttered breathlessly, her voice muffled by her black mask. She jumped over the last three steps and landed silently on the ground floor.
It was the perfect timing. Five guards advanced toward the duo, gaining curious looks from civilians passing through the museum's front doors. Amelia knew there would be reinforcements, but she couldn't let the guards continue to outnumber her and Elise.
"Deploy the shields!" Amelia shouted to Elise. The pair slapped the black wristwatches on their left arms, and two pink force fields bounced out of the device. The magnetic forces enclosed the five guards and the duo inside a pink bubble, and Elise began to advance toward them.
Ah Kan, the weapons expert of the Bauhinias, had spent over a year perfecting the design of the protective shields before Elise and Amelia's five-year expedition all over China. The magnetic forces would ensure no weapons could travel through the enclosed space and not hurt anyone innocent. Amelia and Elise tried their best to leave their opponents as unscathed as possible. The women had returned all but one of the artifacts the former Governor Lau had stolen.
It didn't mean the Bauhinias didn't need to tread lightly, though—Darling had become the Governess of Cantonesia. Amelia had considered moving the Bauhinias' headquarters to Shanghai to evade her former friend's watchful eye, but Cantonesia was home. She wouldn't leave it for the world. Besides, it would take time for the organization to become accustomed to another city—after all, they'd been in the south side of China for almost a hundred years.
Elise kicked one of the guards in the stomach and punched another one on her left. Amelia shot a tranquilizer blast toward the two women, and they instantly fell to the floor. The white blaster (shaped like an electric shaver) was another weapon that Ah Kan had painstakingly designed, and the Bauhinias were forever indebted to him.
Amelia took aim and fired two more blasts to her right, and they collapsed with a groan. The last guard held a pistol in his hand and stepped toward them menacingly. Amelia and Elise aimed their blasters at the man.
"Surrender, or I'll shoot—" the guard began, but Amelia and Elise were faster. They shot a tranquilizer blast at the guard simultaneously, then ducked and rolled sideways in sync. The man shot a bullet toward the top of the shield before crumbling to the floor, but the shell dissolved as it touched the pink magnetic field.
Amelia glanced at the five guards sprawled on the floor, then at the gaping civilians, and nonchalantly tapped her watch. The shield dissolved into a bauhinia and zoomed into the device.
Then, the pair pulled their hoods over their shoulders and ran behind a wall. Amelia opened the door to the storage cabinet and ushered Elise inside.
"Are the uniforms inside?" Elise whispered in the darkness.
Amelia turned on the light with a snap of her fingers and gestured to the blue pile above the sink.
Three minutes later, two unsuspecting janitors wheeled a cleaning cart out of the storage. They took the elevator up to the fifth floor and disappeared inside another room near the staircases to the roof. A few moments passed, and two women emerged from the room and traipsed down the stairs.
"How was the ancient costume exhibition?" Amelia, now clad in a pink tie-dye hoodie and black leggings, asked Elise. She ran a hand through her short, shoulder-length hair, smoothing her bangs.
"It was fine, I suppose. I preferred the ancient pottery exhibition, though," Elise replied passively. Her long hair was let down, reaching the middle of her back. The blue tie-dye hoodie she wore matched Amelia's, and she wore white leggings.
"Shall we head out?" Amelia asked nonchalantly. Elise nodded in response, and the duo walked out of the building. Nobody, not even the guards who were trying to wake up their colleagues, suspected that the pair was involved in the 'incident' in the lobby only fifteen minutes ago.
Amelia smiled with a satisfied sigh as they stepped out of the museum. All the stolen artifacts had been returned to their rightful places. She'd done it—her caper had officially ended.
The smell of curry fish balls greeted Amelia once she walked out the gates of the museum. Its fragrant aroma brought her back to her elementary school days when Ah Ba let her run around the city after class ended. She'd buy the fish balls from hawkers, along with eggettes—quite similar to waffles, except they were puffy—and egg tarts. The street food in Cantonesia featured delicacies from old Hong Kong and Macau, which the older ones adored and the younger ones embraced wholeheartedly—good food was hard to find.
Amelia impulsively dragged Elise to a hawker's stand. "One stick of curry fish balls, please." She held out a ten-dollar note.
The man grunted, took the bill, then gave her a two-dollar coin in return. He took one stick of the delectable fish balls from the pot before him and shoved it into Amelia's outstretched hand. Meanwhile, Elise observed the interaction curiously.
"唔該*." Amelia nodded in thanks. She handed the stick to Elise. "Eat."
Elise held the stick cautiously and waited until they'd blended in with the crowd. Amelia smiled—they were in the heart of the city's tourism sector, on Jardine Avenue. She knew this place the best; it was an excellent area for heists.
"What is this?" Elise frowned at the stick in her hand.
"You don't know?" Amelia gasped in surprise. "It's curry fish balls. Try it; I guarantee you'll like it."
Elise shrugged, then took a bite. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded in satisfaction. "Father never let me walk in public unsupervised, so I never got the chance to fully immerse myself in local culture as much as I wanted to."
"The disadvantages of living in protected walls," Amelia smirked. "You learn so much more when you mingle amongst the majority."
The women silently crossed the street, taking in the sights of the city. As Amelia noticed a few tourist's wallets carelessly hanging out of their bags, she couldn't help but chuckle. The old Amelia would have reached out a hand to steal it, but not now. The Bauhinias were affluent enough to use their riches from three generations to compensate for whatever endeavors they were pursuing nowadays. And she was grateful for that.
Amelia inhaled the Cantonesian air filled with mouth-watering street food, second-hand smoke, and car emissions. The city still hadn't gotten around to converting all their public transport to electric vehicles—so much for being environmentally friendly. Car horns blared, shattering her eardrums. Neon signs flashed blinding lights at Amelia above her head as if vying for her attention.
It never occurred to Amelia how much she adored Cantonesia, despite its inherent flaws and twisted society. It was where she felt the most at ease, surrounded by familiar sights, scents, and tastes; a genuine home, no matter where she traveled and when she returned.
The Bauhinias' headquarters was never home when Ah Ba was around. It was simply a temporary place to stay, but she'd changed it into a place she could always return to. The people who made it feel that way—Ah Kan, Aunt Yan, Elise—were ones she could depend on.
Amelia couldn't help but feel proud of all she'd accomplished.
***
After Elise and Amelia hailed a cab to the Global Commerce Building in the industrial sector, they took the elevator to the eighty-eighth floor.
"I wonder how they managed with our prolonged absence," Elise mused in the elevator.
"I'm sure they've found a way to manage. We left instructions on how to sell the artifacts and get patents for some of Ah Kan's weapons to keep the Bauhinias afloat," Amelia shrugged. "We'll have to see."
The women stepped out of the elevator and pushed open the wooden doors decorated with bauhinias, ivy, and other intricate paintings of local plants.
"Hello, dears," Aunt Yan enveloped the pair in a bone-crushing hug, her rainbow locks draping over their faces. "Glad to see you're home safe. The valet brought in your eight thousand luggage this morning—oh, it's been five years! My, how much you both have grown!"
"I told you we should have come back two years ago when we were on a break—we can't leave Aunt Yan alone for so long!" Elise glared at Amelia playfully.
"We managed considerably well without you both. Ah Kan and I got some patents for his weapon designs, and I've been selling my artwork and dresses." Aunt Yan gave them a quick update.
"Sit; I'll get some tea, and we can discuss. Dragon Well, like before?" Amelia smiled at her aunt.
"Of course." Aunt Yan grinned. It was great to have the girls back, even if it was just for a few weeks.
After she'd poured everyone tea, Amelia sat on the couch next to Elise. She'd revamped the eighty-eighth floor into a living room and dining room for the Bauhinia members, and the cozy atmosphere also acted as an amiable place to hold discussions.
Amelia tapped her wristwatch, and a pink holographic screen materialized. "What's on our agenda for today?"
A holographic globe began to spin around on the screen. It flashed red at a point in the Northern Hemisphere, on what seemed like the other side of the world...
"Hooray," Elise deadpanned. "Another trip away from home—this time fifteen hours across the planet. Pack your bags; we're going to the United States of America!"
Amelia groaned. "We just got back to Cantonesia a few days ago!"
"It's not my fault—you chose to stay at the Island Hotel instead of coming home straight away," Elise retorted.
"It was closer to the museum!" Amelia argued.
"Girls, let's not waste any more time. You aren't teens anymore." Aunt Yan watched their conversation with an amused smirk. "What's the mission about?"
"It seems that a painting was stolen from a Chinese-Irish businessman. He hired us to help him retrieve it, and he says he believes it is located somewhere in Chicago, Illinois. Let's see how much the heist is worth and if we'll benefit the right people by taking up this assignment." Amelia explained as she read off the details from the holo-screen.
"Yes, ma'am," Elise chuckled. "Should I salute now?"
"Just open your laptop and get to researching!" Amelia rolled her eyes.
Adventure awaited.
*唔該 (mm goi): Cantonese for 'thank you.'
Word Count: 1839
(A/N: THIS BOOK IS OFFICIALLY FINISHED! Thank you everyone for supporting me on this momentous journey :) Shout-out to whoever is the first one to comment on this last part :D)