Sheldon
"So we don't know the place, the exact person or even if a thing is involved, we just know that my shitty ex, a guy who can slow down time, and Webspun are all involved in it somehow."
My hands were pressed together and I pointed them toward Haresa who sat on the couch. I was sitting in the armchair across from them and the coffee table was between us. The living room of their home evolved into the plan discussion room and their dad would bring some snacks for us to eat every so often. The conversation lasted the whole walk from school and they still weren't fully grasping all of my concerns.
"Your ex also tried to flirt with me as a security guard, don't forget about that."
I smoothed out the wrinkle on my forehead with my thumb and sighed. "Yeah, he does that when it comes to his jobs."
"Well, whatever he was doing it was suspicious he was there so we should go back to investigate Webspun headquarters."
"No, they'll be expecting that since you didn't hide your identity."
They threw up their hands. "I can't hide my identity. I'm legally not allowed to."
My hands were preoccupied with fixing my watch and I glanced at the little pieces in front of me. Haresa watched me with intense interest as I continued with my shuffling.
"This is the headquarters," I said placing the tiny screwdriver in front of us. "This is you and this is me."
"Why am I a screw and you're a crystal?"
"Because that's all I have right now."
"Why do you even have a crystal for your watch repair?"
"Just because I'm a robot enthusiast, it doesn't mean I don't like having stylish things." I point to the glasses on my face. "These look cool and they aid me with a number of things."
"Like seeing?"
"No, I don't have a prescription for these."
"You have perfect vision?" Haresa exclaimed.
"Keep on track, hare." I tapped the table. "We need to focus."
"Right," they redirected their gaze to the coffee table with my makeshift diorama.
My finger pushed around more pieces and I pointed at my still very broken watch. "That's what we're aiming for."
"And what exactly is that?"
"The place where they're hiding everything. Secret projects, data, people, maybe even other things we can't even guess," I said. "When the creator had specific plans, he always rented out a new warehouse or underground bunker to make it harder for anyone searching to find any real evidence."
"How do you know that Webspun would do this?"
My eyes met theirs for a split second and my throat went dry. I could only move my finger around the watch for a few seconds as I tried to gather my thoughts.
"Rich people copy each other all the time, it's how they stay rich," I managed to spit out.
"Sheldon. We're a team, right?"
"Just barely."
"You told me a good amount of information about Reynard. How to identify him, possible weaknesses, powers," Haresa laced their fingers together. "But we need everything we know about this. We can't hide things from each other."
"It's not relevant."
"You got really nervous when Webspun was mentioned."
"If this goes to shit, we will be the ones in trouble. This isn't a villain organization situation," I said. "Needless to say, I'm not going to stick around here if this plan fails."
"Okay, fair. I know the hero organization will protect me so maybe the team up licence should extend to you?"
"I'm not counting on it." I turn their attention back to the table to divert their attention away from my discomfort. "We know they used a phone call with Goosette's pre-recorded voice messages, right?"
"Yes."
"And did you attempt to track the source of the call?"
"I found the purchase of the pre-recording."
"That doesn't answer my question."
They sat there with a pout on their face and I searched their face for any signs of an answer. The more I stared at them the more sheepish I felt. I ended up averting my gaze and letting out a disgruntled huff.
"So?" I asked.
"No, I don't know how to do that stuff."
"We should check back and try and track that then."
"The place is demolished, there's no way we can do that now."
"You know the exact location, day, and time you got the call?"
"Yes, yes, and sort of. I have records on my hero app with the time I was called to the job."
"Good, extract that information for me and write it down on a piece of paper. I shouldn't be present in the room if you do that."
"Why?"
"If Webspun was able to call you over for a hero mission, who knows what else they can do? I rather not take my chances," I picked up my watch and put them in the appropriate bags for each part. "I'll be in my room and slide the paper underneath my door for good measure."
"Can't be too careful, huh?" Haresa said with humour in their tone.
"Never," I said. "Looks like our discussion has ended. We'll circle back tomorrow."
Before they could say anything, I made my way toward my room and locked the door behind me. For good measure, I grabbed my chair and propped it against the handle. I laid my stuff on my bed and grabbed a bag of chips from the pile in my room. I naturally gravitated to my closet and shoved all the clothes out of view to reveal my safe.
Now, to work on my main goal.