San Francisco’s Finest
(Chapter 6)

September 5^th, 10:00am PDT
San Francisco, California
Homicide Division Offices

Nichole Parker placed her palm against Reno Nevada's chest and, with a smile, gave her boyfriend a playful shove. "Why are you staying in homicide? You would rather figure out how someone died than to stop the influx of drugs to keep people alive?" She ran her thumb over the new business card on his desk and read aloud, "San Francisco Inspector Reno Lee Nevada." She glanced over at the new ID card by his keyboard. "This picture of you is pretty good. Maybe you should use it as your Facebook profile pic. I still say you'd have been better off coming with me to the DEA."

Inspector Nevada lifted his hand up and tucked a strand of his girlfriend's hair back behind her ear. "You look tired, Nicky Marie.  Besides, if I wanted to follow you into the DEA, I'd be unable to see you nearly as often as I do now. Let's face it. We wouldn't be working together; we wouldn't be able to take lunches together. They might even transfer me. You know how people get about dating on the job.”

She stared at him for a moment then folded her arms. "But homicide? You couldn't get on Dick Tracey's squad instead? Why homicide?"

"Baby, trust me, this is where I belong.  Did you work last night?  You look exhausted"

“Good deduction, Sherlock.”  Nichole shook her head with a grin. "Reno, I'm glad you got promoted. I just don't understand why you're staying in homicide. This was your chance to get out, branch out and grow. Don't get me wrong – I'm glad you're making more money than before. I'm glad you get more prestige than before. But you could really go places. Why stay in homicide?"

"I'm good at it and I know I can really help make a difference," he said, adding, "Okay that was corny. I know, I know. But nothing feels better, at least for me, than calling up a spouse or parent and telling them we cracked the case. That their loved one has been avenged."

"Avenged, huh? I don't recall any cops in The Avengers."

"Luke Cage was a Private Investigator. Super hero detectives are more of a DC thing. Crimson Avenger, Batman and his sidekicks”

         “DC?”

“Yeah, babe.  DC… Justice League; Marvel does Avengers.” He saw the goofy look on her face.  Reno grinned.  “What?” 

“Boys and superheroes, I swear.  My brother collects that stuff and he’s almost twice my age.  What is the big deal?”

Nevada offered a dry grin.  “Big breasted super-babes in tights.  Truth is, I'm better at what I’m doing than in the field of drugs where I’d have to memorize a whole new list of stuff."

"I cannot believe you still know all that comic book crap. And for me, it's much easier to memorize information about drugs. Besides, I can Google anything I don't know. I don't like examining dead bodies." she told him. Nichole placed a hand on his arm. "Baby, what do you want to do this weekend? We both have off a whole weekend, at the same time, for the first time in six weeks. Let's do something together. You and me, Reno."

“You know what?" Reno stood up and took her hand into his, kissing her knuckles. "Why wait until the weekend to go away? Wanna call out for the rest of the afternoon and get started on packing?"

Nichole raised her free hand and sifted her fingers through his tousled dark hair.  "Forget packing. Let's just go. Boom, just like that."

"That's kinda' hot. No planning, just… boom."

Nicky nodded with a grin, which spread across her lips, evolving into a brilliant smile. "If we have no choice, we'll take that old ass Monte Carlo of yours."

"It's a 2003 supercharged TAZ pace car model!" He grinned in reply. "C'mon, you know I love that car. It's sexy the way it's done up. It's in perfect condition, except for the mileage."

"It's …okay," she teased. "For a V-6.  I don’t know how you got the department to let you use that dinosaur junker.  We can always take my convertible."

"No backseat. How can I take my girl away for the weekend without a backseat?" Inspector Nevada put his hands on her hips then stepped out from behind his desk. "Okay. Let me go tell the Lieutenant I'm leaving for the day. You've convinced me. I don't know how you got away from your office so easily, but around here… well, things are more… you know… formal. Sometimes. Okay, not really. Come to think of it, Lou takes off more than most. I don't know how Captain Sanders deals with it. All right, sit tight and I'll be right back."

He walked away from his semi-cubical, crossed the large room full of desks, and stepped into an office on the far wall. Moments later, he returned, closed the door behind himself and gave her a discrete 'thumbs up' gesture.

The two made it through the precinct and headed out to the parking garage. His Chevy was the second car from the exit. He held the door for her; she eased into the passenger seat.  Reno went back around to the driver side, slid in and took the wheel.

"So what's the most bizarre homicide case that you've ever heard of, Reno?"

He rested his right hand on the shifter and gazed at the pavement in thought as the Monte Carlo moved forward. After a moment he said, "It actually wasn't one I was assigned to… My brother was attacked by this mugger about six weeks ago. Mid July. The guy was going to kill Vincent, and you know how I feel about the kid – he's got a good heart and all... he almost all but refuses to protect himself because that's the type of person he is - I later read a report that came through the department... Someone found the bully dead. I wanted to tag along with the inspector put on that case so I could make sure Vincent wasn't going to be implicated; I figured my brother would be a suspect but the guy who got Vincent's case was stumped to hell. It's technically still an unsolved case. But yeah, Vince didn't do it, regardless of motive. There's no way he could have; the guy died of really strange causes. The thing is, the attacker died in a position of self-defense, so it's been ruled as a homicide."

"What do you mean?" asked Nichole.

Reno ran his fingers back through his hair. "The mugger was killed by something related to radiation and extremely serious skin burns from some sort of rare acidic form of peroxide. It's a long story, but basically the suspect in the mugging had some of his limbs melted for lack of a better term. Now the guy's death is headed towards Cold Cases."

"Wow," she murmured, adding, "Weird."

"Yeah, you're telling me, right?" He shrugged his shoulders and added, "The attacker had a buddy who also died a few days later.” He cut the wheel, pulling out of the parking garage and onto the main road. “That guy had a really, really severe case of sunburn the day he came forward, claiming my little brother, Vincent, killed his pal in self-defense during the mugging. Furthermore the autopsy showed no blunt trauma to the mugger – just the melted skin."

"How'd the second guy die?"

Reno shrugged again. "He felt like we weren't doing anything to bring Vincent to justice. So he tracked down my brother at work and attacked the kid. Vincent didn't have any money that night and the guy scared him, so he ran. He got away. That much is on security footage from Vince's job. The guy ran after him. We found the body of the second guy later on, a mile away. There wasn't much left."

"What?" She glared at her fiancé. "Why haven't you ever told me about any of this?"

"I don't know. Vincent wanted the whole story to stay in the past because it really bothered him. I respect my kid brother, so I left it alone.  He said he didn’t want people talking behind his back, you know?"

Nichole ran her fingers back through her hair. "What caused the second suspect to die?"

"He, uh… exploded. Lab reports showed that a beam of gamma rays, I think the element was called "Cobalt-60," bombarded the second attacker. From the high water content of his body, he burst apart. He wasn't radioactive or anything, however it looked like he was nuked by a microwave but none of the flesh or muscle tissue appeared to have been cooked. He just… burst, so to speak. If you ask me, those guys had a really bad run-in with the Karma Police."

Nicky glanced out the passenger window momentarily then back at Reno. "Sounds like something out of a B-movie or maybe one of your comic books…"

"I have a theory," said Reno. He brought the car to a stop at an intersection, flipped on the turn signal then made a right turn. "I think these thugs may have somehow been involved in something else. And a few days later their symptoms caught up with them after trying to attack Vincent. Both of them died from radioactive related causes, although neither of them suffered from radiation sickness."

"It's not like you can hold up a nuclear power plant."

He offered his fiancée a smirk in reply. "No, but maybe you can try and attack a science lab or maybe these attackers crossed paths with a military weapon research team. The Navy has nuclear stuff all along the coast."

"You're really reaching for answers, hon. I hope you don't do that often. Good detectives use realistic methods of…" Nichole trailed off in reply to his glare. "Okay, okay. I know you're a good cop. But I also know you love action movies and all that stuff. Anyway, maybe you're right. Maybe these guys knocked down a science lab before attacking your brother. But most scientists report attacks on their labs. Either way, I'm glad Vincent is okay. He's a good kid and he really looks up to you."

Reno reached his right hand over and took ahold of her left. "Yeah, he is a good kid. A little lacking in confidence and grace but he's got a good heart and a good head on his shoulders, you know?"

"Yeah, I know.” She gave his knee a firm pat and changed topic. “So what did you have in mind for this weekend? Somewhere quiet preferably. Seclusion sounds nice."

"How about," he blinked then hit the brake. Car horns blared as two sedans passed him on the left. Reno put Monte Carlo in reverse much to the displeasure of angry drivers behind him. "Jesus! Look!" He pointed down an alley where several men in black uniforms unloaded a box truck. A man lay face down near the back wheels, with another man being dragged away by one of the men in black uniforms. "That looks serious."

Nichole's eyes widened. "Reno, the DEA has been trying to follow a guy who has been employing mercenaries in black gear. This IS serious." She reached for her purse and withdrew a handgun and an extra clip. "Do you have anything in the trunk? Pull around to the other side. Let's block the truck from being able to pull through."

"Hell yeah," he murmured softly then floored the accelerator. Reno made an abrupt right then went to the end of the block and made another right. He slowed the car then inched it forward until the Monte Carlo blocked the other end of the alley. The inspector popped his trunk and pocketed his keys then quietly opened his doors and went around behind the coupe. He opened a gun safe and pulled out two Sig forty-fives. "Don't go getting yourself shot, now."

"You got cuffs on you?" she asked. "Call this one in, Reno. I'll take this side." She closed the passenger door gently then hip-bumped it into place. Nicky moved to the other wall of the alley's opening, back against the bricks and nodded over at her betrothed. "You wanna draw straws for who goes in and who covers?"

He pushed a set of cuffs into his back pocket, moved to the other side of the alley mouth and shoved his tie into his shirt. He switched off the safeties on his guns then nodded back to her. "We advance together," he said. "We'll use the front of the box truck as cover then I'll move around the driver side and you follow. Take off those heels."

She kicked off her shoes then switched off the safety on her gun. "This is kinda' exciting, Reno. Never had the pleasure of going into a gunfight with my boyfriend before. Don't go getting yourself shot. You're not getting out of our vacation this weekend."

"Same goes for you," he replied with a grin. "Stay behind me. I'm still wearing my vest under my shirt."

"What?" she asked with a hiss of her voice. "Why'd you have a vest on today?"

"I had to question someone in the field two hours ago. Haven't taken it off yet."

She rolled her eyes. "Jesus. We need to work on our communication skills. I asked you to tell me when…" Nicky stopped abruptly, took a breath then sighed.  “Okay, sorry.  I’m good.”

He smiled.

They spoke simultaneously. "You know I worry," she told him over top of him telling her, "I know you worry." They smirked at one another.

"Okay," she said with a firm nod. "You first. I've got your back, hon. Then you move around the driver side. How about I climb up the front of the truck? I can cover you better from atop the box."

"No," he said.

"Why not?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Sorry hon, women aren't always right."

"The hell I'm not," she replied.

"Don't argue with me."

"You tell me why not? My plan is sound."

"One of these days, Alice. Zam-Boom, straight to the moon."

"Reno, I'm going over the top of the truck."

"No," he replied with a serious expression. "The tops of box trucks like those are usually translucent. They let in sunlight. That means they might see you and shoot you from beneath."

"Shit." She paused for a moment then nodded sideways. “Just move before backup shows and busts these guys before we do.”

Reno took the lead and headed into the alley with confident steps. Behind him, Nichole followed with care and caution, walking in her stockings. She kept her pistol pointed forty-five degrees downwards.

Reno kept one gun pointed up and the other pointed forward. They made it to the front of the truck. Each went to the far corner and peered down either side. Reno nodded back at her then started to come around the driver side quarter panel. She followed slowly.

He glanced beneath the truck then continued forward alongside the box. He came around the corner, pointing his left pistol into the back of the truck and his right pistol towards one of the men moving boxes. "Everyone stop, stay cool and show me your hands. I saw you guys moving bodies and I want an explanation." He blinked then added, "And I want to hear why you guys are wearing military spec gear. Flak jackets and the like."

No one spoke. Everyone froze. Nicky whispered from behind, "Did you call in?"

"No," he replied from the corner of his mouth. "I thought you did."

Nichole swore softly then pulled out her cellphone and dialed her fiancé's office. "I'll do it. Dammit."

"Okay, listen up," Reno addressed the group. "We're going to do things nice and slow. I have places to go and people not to see today." He noticed one of the perpetrators on the left reaching slowly for the gun on their hip holster. Reno raised his voice. "So help me God!!  If one of you makes a move for the guns I see on your hips, I'm going to shoot all of you, fill out the paperwork, then, guess what? I get to take a whole extra week off work. See that? If I shoot you guys, I get a paid vacation then coffee with the office shrink. So don't give me a reason by doing anything stupid."

The man moved his hand back away from his weapon.

Nevada cleared his throat then said, "This is the part where you guys put your hands up, preferably on your heads with your fingers interlocked."

Slowly, the three men in black uniforms raised their hands. Reno cut his gaze from left to right. "Okay, so the guys who carried the bodies out of the alley. Where are those jabronis at, and how many more of you are there?"

"Just the five of us that you saw," said the man in the back of the truck. "Listen, buddy, let's talk about this. You a vigilante? A cop? What?"

"Yeah, I'm a cop alright. Inspector, pal. Now, all of you, get on your knees real slow. After that, we're gunna have you boys get on your stomach. Nobody go for their gun; I'll get'em myself. If you move, I'll put rounds into those vests you boys are wearing and it'll hurt. If you move more, well… I just told you how much I look forward to that paid vacation."

"Just calm down," said the guy in the truck. "We're doing everything you're asking, so just keep it cool. Talk to us and we'll talk to you and everyone lives to see another day, Inspector."

"Wow, nice negotiating skills. Who the hell do you think you are? Don't you know how this works? Ever heard of Ernesto Miranda vs. Arizona? It’s called, ‘you have the right to shut the hell up.’  Talk later, after you've been processed. It's not that difficult." He moved around to one of the two mercenaries on the ground, engaged the safety on the handgun in his left hand and put it into the back of his belt.

Reno pulled out his handcuffs, keeping his right pistol pointed at the man in the truck. "You guys have the right to remain silent. All three of you peckerheads. If you give up your right to silence, anything you say can-and-will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney and to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you free of cost. During your questioning, you may decide at any time to exercise your rights to not answer any questions nor make any statements. Do you three understand these rights as I have explained them?" No one spoke. "Great, I’ll take that as a yes. That's great news. Now… you in the truck, knees. You, other guy, knees."

Reno put the cuffs on the man in front of him. "C'mon, hands behind your back. There you go." He took the man's other wrist back from his head and put the cuffs on. "I need another pair. So you boys are going to stay down until backup arrives. Then we're going to…"

A metal door up near a dumpster swung open. Two men walked out with a pallet jack. Reno turned to face them, pulling out his other gun. He thumbed the safety and kept it trained on them. "Welcome to the party! I guess you boys need your rights read too, huh?"

The mercenary who'd lowered to his knees on the pavement drew his sidearm and fired off a shot and quickly got to his feet. It hit Reno in his vest, causing the Inspector to stumble. The man in the truck withdrew his gun and fired off a shot, also hitting Reno in the chest. "Bullshit," quipped the Inspector in a winded tone.

Another gunshot rang out from besides the truck. The man who fired first took a round in front of his right ear. The force of the bullet spun him about on his left heel. The gunman hit the side of the alley, staggered, and dropped onto his back. His weapon discharged one round into the brick wall.

The two men coming from the building dove back inside. The pallet jack rolled into the alley. Reno fired on the man in the truck, hitting the gunman in his shoulder then his knee. The mercenary fell flat on his face with a cry of agony. His gun skittered across the floorboards of the trailer then bounced out of the truck. It hit the pavement causing Reno to shy away. The gun landed harmlessly atop its slide with the handle sticking up vertically.

Another crack of a pistol filled the air. Reno turned around in time to see a body slump in the doorway. The mercenary fired off two shots towards Nevada then two more towards Nichole. He brought his right hand over his torso, favoring where he'd been hit, then pointed his weapon towards Reno again. Suddenly the gunner threw his pistol to the ground and shouted in pain. A similar yelp came from just inside the doorway, punctuated with the clattering of metal on asphalt.

Nichole came out from alongside the truck. She exchanged confused glances with Reno then followed him towards the doorway. She turned to the man in handcuffs and said, "Stay down."

"What the hell," Reno murmured, adding, "I saw that guy throw his gun to the ground, up there by the door. You didn't shoot him in the hand did you? I didn't hear your gun go off again."

"It didn't. I took cover," she told him.

Reno knelt down by the two men in the doorway. Both of them appeared to have severely burned palms. "Jesus. They're both going to need an ambulance. They've got third degree burns on their hands. The skin is bubbling."

The man in the doorframe looked up with intense pain in his eyes. "My goddamn hand; what the f-"

"Quit your bitching," Reno scolded. "You're alive. Don't push your luck." He engaged the safety on one of his guns, put it into his belt then pointed the other one into the doorway. "How many more?"

"There are five of us," said the fifth mercenary behind the man slumped in the doorframe. "Christ this hurts. I can see the bones sticking out of the skin! I can't feel anything but numbing pain in my goddamn hand!"

"Hey, Contradiction Carl, shut up." Reno turned back to Nichole and said, "Did you get a hold of my office?"

"Yeah, here." She pulled the cellphone up and handed it to him.

Reno blinked then clenched the phone between his shoulder and cheek. "Yeah, this is Inspector Nevada and…" He paused to listen to a voice on the other end of the line. "Captain Sanders? You-… I just… But they… Sir, they shot at us! If you'll let me just… but sir, I… FRANK! Let me talk!" Reno paused to see if his boss had anything else to say. He took a breath then said, "I saw perps dragging bodies. I ordered everyone down on their knees with their hands on their heads. I put cuffs on one guy.  Then, two more came out from a side door… next thing I know it's a battlefield out here; I took two to the torso. DEA agent Parker covered me and called …yes sir, I know you just spoke to her on the phone. Two of these guys appear to have stuck their hands in front of a Bunsen burner; they're going to need serious medical attention. Sir… but sir…" He listened to Frank Sanders ramble for a moment then said, "Here's Agent Parker. I need more handcuffs and more suits. I'll fill out my paperwork then I'm going on… but sir!  How long? …Wait, is it paid?"

A smirk crept across Reno's face. He handed the phone back to his fiancée and said, "Nicky Marie, I'm off until the first of October. Here, hon. You talk to him." He glanced up then paused. "Who the hell?"

A woman walked up the alley, alone, hands behind her back. She wore a kimono and a soft smile. Reno glanced back at Nichole then up at the woman again. "Ma'am, this is a crime scene. I'm going to need you to turn around and head back the other direction for your own safety."

"Nonsense. You needed my help, Inspector," she said with a slight hint of a Japanese dialect. "These last two men would have shot at you had I not burned the guns from their hands. Although I'm not sure how you could take two bullets in the chest without dying. Very impressive, Inspector. Are you a supernatural?"

"A what?" He blinked at her again then said, "Lady, I'm wearing a vest." He saw the way she tilted her head in reply so he rapped his fingers against the Kevlar beneath where his shirt.  Reno pulled his tie from between the buttons. "You shouldn't be back here. If you want to make a witness statement, you're going to have to wait until I have all of these guys in custody."

"Ah! Armor! I did not realize that armor protects against gunpowder projectiles. Very good!" She smiled brightly and added, "Sinopa Crevan, my dear. Then you did not need my help after all, but that is not of any matter. I was glad to assist."

"It, uh… they were firing small caliber rounds; I got lucky. Wait, did you just say you caused these two men to have their hands burnt to a crisp?"

"There are certain things you don't understand, but there is no shame in such." Sinopa offered Nicky a smile, somewhat curious about the device the lady held to the side of her face.  “Your girlfriend seems familiar to me.  Perhaps I am mistaken.”  The kitsune approached Reno and bowed, regardless of the fact she didn't outwardly appear Asian.

"You act like you're Oriental and you dress like it, but you don't…"

Sinopa lifted her hands in a gesture to quiet him. "Asian people dislike the term, 'Oriental,' Inspector. Rugs are 'Oriental'. Furniture is 'Oriental.' People of Europe are European. People of Africa are African. Until you can locate the continent or nation of 'Orient', call the people of Asia 'Asians'. Now, you may see that I do not appear Japanese outwardly but that is of no matter – it is my nationality." She changed the topic. "I am here to help you, Inspector. Do you know from where these men originate?"

Nichole said into the phone, "The situation is under control now. I'll have Reno call you with details after the written statement; gotta go." She ended the call then approached and said, "Ma'am, I suspect they're connected to someone the DEA has been watching. Do you know something about them you can tell me that might help me with my case?"

"Hai. They apparently work for a man calling himself, 'Aris Falcon.' I have learned he is smuggling illicit substances and trafficking them for use in experiments and for financial gain. Miss, if your agency is tasked with the arrest of this man, I would appreciate it greatly if you find him and remove his freewill by any means necessary. He's doing far more harm than good."

"That's about all we know of him thusfar. So how did you know these men work for Falcon?"

"I've seen them. Men dressed like this have recently attacked me.  I am deeply sorry if it has broken your laws, but there is nothing left of these attackers.  They managed to kill an innocent man in my presence.  I could not stand on the wayside and abide such an act.”

Reno drew out a business card and handed it to Sinopa. "I'm a homicide Inspector. Where was your friend killed?"

"It is of no matter. It's being handled and was beyond your jurisdiction. However, I appreciate your offer to help. You're both quite courageous. I must take my leave for now, Inspector Nevada-san.  It would be best that you did not report ‘an Irish-looking Japanese lady set men’s hands afire from the end of an alley.’  I would loathe for your superiors to judge you unfit due to a lack of faith in your word.

Nichole frowned, finding the woman’s face to be oddly familiar.  She remembered something her brother once said, cleared her throat, then said, “She’s right, Reno.  It’s best we just stick to physical evidence.”

Sinopa perked then glanced over her left shoulder. "Your friends have arrived. Several police cars and several ambulances are nearing; the sirens are quite shrill. I should go. I promised Jules I wouldn't take long. I thank you for the business card you’ve given me.

“A wise woman once told me something that you should remember… with great ability comes great responsibility.” She offered a soft smile then added, “Inspector Nevada-san, you knew you would likely be shot yet you put yourself in front of the bullet to ensure that your mate would not be harmed. That proves chivalry is not dead. I was beyond impressed when you then took two without going to the ground."

"Well, uh… no problem." He glanced back at Nichole, grinned a bit, and subconsciously rubbed his chest due to the pain of bruised ribs. He turned back towards Sinopa then said, "I don't hear any sirens."

"I have good hearing. Give it a moment." She smiled and added, "I cannot be here when they arrive. I will only get in the way. Take care of yourself; I will eventually see you again in the future. I'm sure of it." She bowed respectfully, turned about, and then left the alley.

Sinopa Crevan began walking up the street. Several blocks west, she spied a youthful blonde girl speaking to Jules Guillot. She quickened her step instinctually. She approached the two then announced, "Jules, my love, who is your friend?"

"Here she is now, m'amie." He turned from the blonde towards the red headed vixen kitsune. "Chère! This here lady 'sa lookin' for ya, m' belle!"

Sinopa blinked. "Looking for me?" Her amber eyes shifted to the brilliant green hues of the teenage-looking beauty queen. "And you are?"

"Karla Howard," she said. "Nate said I might run into you.  I saw you turn that group of guys into ash – fastest cremation ever.  Then I saw you rescue the cop and Nicky Parker from getting gunned down.  I watch out for Nichole when I can – she’s the little sister of a friend of mine.”

"I'm afraid I’ve had memory troubles. The girl seems so familiar to me, as does her name.  Have you known her long?  Or perhaps, do you know of this man, Aris Falcon?"

         “Falcon used to work as a logistical coordinator for Nicky’s brother back in the early 70’s.  He dropped off the radar then bam.  He’s back and starting trouble in San Fran.  I was surprised to find out he’s behind all this nonsense.”

         “I see.”

         Jules cut in, asking, “You seem t’ know an awful lot, Miss Howard.  Perhaps you know a man named Nathanial Carrington?”

Karla waved for them to walk with her. Jules and Sinopa came alongside of Karla. The trio began walking up the empty San Francisco sidewalk. "Yes, I do. He’s the one who said to look for you.  Hmm, interesting how a few gunshots will clear out a fairly busy street. Anyhow, he and I fought side by side in Tunguska. Leveled the forest that day."

"M'amie, surely if you leveled an entire forest, that sorta' thing would'a been in the paper."

Karla tittered softly. "Oh, darling, it was! The whole world spoke of it; they still do – there’s documentaries and stuff."

Sinopa glanced at her love then back to the teenage-looking girl. "When was your battle, Miss Howard?"

"Well, that depends on the calendar you're using. It happened June 17th, unless you're going by the newer calendar – then it'd be… I suppose it would be the 30th." She glanced back at them, saw the look in their eyes then added, "1908, darlings. Well over a hundred years ago."

"Now, ma'am, I'm meanin' no disrespect here. But Tunguska? Like, in Russia? That was from'a comet or maybe an asteroid, y'know? And the reason I din' jump to that as a conclusion was because you're far too young to have been alive when tha' happened."

Karla laughed again and shook her head. Her blond locks bounced from shoulder to shoulder then back down over the center of her back. "Meteors that cause a blast that famous leave space rocks, dearie - debris. And craters. Comets? No, I assure you it was supernatural. I was there. I'm no spring chicken, dear boy. But thank you for the compliment."

"M’amie, I assure you, it was a comet."

"Trust me, darlings, I'm not proving nor disproving your heavenly body theory, nor will I explain the disinformation fed to the public. I'm just telling you what really caused Tunguska to be flatted. Civil War between factions." The teenage-looking girl smiled again. "Sinopa was it? Were you not there for that?"

"I'm afraid I was not privileged to information on that subject or that it even happened."

"Well," Karla told them, "Long story short, Dayluck was wounded and dying. He was filled with adrenaline and reached his hands up. Some sort of bluish white pillar extended up into the stratosphere. Something came hurtling down. He sought to end the war, both sides, and his own life.

“Everyone freaked.  As a last ditch effort, Nathaniel Carrington struck it with lightning in an attempt to blast it apart. Little did we know it would cause a reaction that leveled two thousand square kilometers with a blast shape resembling an enormous butterfly.  Everytime I hear the whole ‘butterfly Chaos Theory’ thing, I get the giggles; how weird is a butterfly blast shape?" She waited to see if they would chuckle at her joke but neither did.

Karla continued. "I grasped Nathaniel by his coat and we disappeared. I'd not been able to teleport up to that point. I only wielded the power of telekinesis. I didn't actually master teleportation until the 1980s."

Jules rubbed his forehead with a frown. "You's thoughts are a lil' jumbled. Hard ta' follow.  You forget ‘cher Ritalin, m’amie?"

Karla tensed her left hand then closed it into a fist. All three of them disappeared, only to reappear on a rooftop. Jules stumbled but was quick to recover. Sinopa blinked then turned to Karla, delighted. "Karla-san!  That was fascinating!”

The succubus buffed her pink lacquered nails on her chest. “D’aww, thanks.”

“If I may be so bold, I wish you to keep an eye on Inspector Nevada-san and his true love, Nichole Parker. Please."

Karla looked at her for a moment then brought her delicately manicured hand to her chin. "Like I said, I already watch over the Parker family but I have my own agendas." She paused then said, "I promise I'll do what I can."

"Domo arigato." Sinopa glanced at her boyfriend then back to Karla. "Warn the supernatural defenders of this realm. Let them know that Falcon is drawing attention to himself. Between your people and the Inspector's betrothed, perhaps having him put away will solve my problems. I'll try not to intervene anymore."

"Chère, you gunna speak to Tamamo 'bout this?"

"We both are. I'm going to introduce you, Jules. I won't live my life hiding or tiptoeing around because she disagrees with me." Crevan glanced back at Karla and said, "Miss Howard-san, can you teleport me somewhere I can find and access a large mirror? Perhaps a lavatory of sorts?"

"Mm, quite so. I know this hotel that is absolutely darling." Karla closed her fists again. Both Sinopa and Jules disappeared.

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