Frozen Assets

-Silent Glaciers-

Wearing her white face wrap, polarized goggles, white camouflage jacket, and white winter camouflage pants with white boots, Leona was slogging through the snow in the Silent Glaciers region. She had been hired by Doctor Katrina Miller of Crocus Magicka University to retrieve a scientist who was kidnapped from her home in Capital Crocus and taken towards the Silent Glaciers region before they disappeared into the icy expanse. When asked why the scientist had been abducted, Dr. Miller said only that the scientist was working on "sensitive research." That was certainly a cryptic response. Leona was not getting paid to ask questions... she was getting paid to produce results.

Leona tromped through the frozen wilderness in search of the scientist. She wondered what was could be so important that it was worth the risk of kidnapping someone in the middle of Earthland's largest and most populous city. If it was "sensitive research," it had to be something game-changing like a weapon or a magic book with a rare and powerful spell. Maybe it was a spell that could turn common minerals to gold. Maybe it was a weapon that was linked to an ancient kingdom that was more advanced than anything currently in existence.

Even when wearing all the proper winter clothing, Leona was still cold. Wearing her Argent Gloves did not help matters... the metal plates conducted the cold to the back of her hands. The makeshift white cloth camouflage coverings did little to help, but at least they prevented the metal plates from glimmering in the sun. Where could she start looking? Leona had no idea.

The mage passed by the cave where she and Haley gathered the moss sample and paused. That could not be the hiding place because the Yeti Crabs would deter all but the most determined individuals from seeking shelter in the cave. If someone got past the crabs, the deadly moss spores would finish what the crustaceans started. Leona had almost fallen victim to the spores herself. Only Haley's timely medical aid kept Leona on the right side of the dirt.

Leona paused to look at the delta and its flowing water. The blonde was attracted to its natural beauty. The desert had nothing that could even compare to it. Leona had to struggle to break her gaze on the water and keep moving. The scientist needed her help.

The mage thought about where the abducted scientist could have been hidden. Maybe she was being held in another cave system, possibly even one of man-made origin. Leona decided to pay special attention to any caves she came across during her search. She was walking towards another cave in the distance when she heard a strange sound coming from overhead. It was a loud noise that sounded like a powerful engine.

Leona buried herself in the snow and felt the vibrations in the air as the object passed overhead. She looked up and saw a black jet of some kind fly over the cave, then point its engines down and begin a controlled descent. It lowered itself until it disappeared from sight. Something about that cave was special. Leona decided to take a risk and investigate.

Leona got up and continued walking towards the cave, which did not look special in any way. The only thing special about it was the fact that the jet had just landed there. Why would a jet land there without a purpose? It did not need repairs.

[Word Count: 581]
[Total Word Count: 581/7,000]

Leona trudged through the snow until she reached the entrance to the cave. Something about it felt off. It was too clean for a cave out in the wilderness. She paused for a moment, then ducked inside to avoid the cutting chill of a gust of cold wind.

-Inside the cave-

Leona got out of the cold and began examining the spacious cave for anything else out of the ordinary. She did not have to look very hard because there were several things about her surroundings that did not add up. Where to begin?

She noticed that there was very little ice or snow buildup on the floor or the walls despite the wind blowing in snow by the cupful. There was also not a single stalactite or stalagmite in the cave. Something about the cave suggested that it was altered by humans, but who would go to all that trouble? It was not a research station of Crocus Magicka University because research stations were built out in the open, not in hidden locations. Something was not right.

Leona began checking the floor for hidden panels or pressure plates that might open a hidden door... or trigger traps, whatever the case might have been. She examined the entire floor but found nothing concealed. Leona turned her attention to the walls and began tapping on them. Nothing happened until she tapped on the back wall, a medium-sized section of which gave way and was pushed in a little, tilting as if inviting her in.

Leona placed her hands on the wall and used the strength granted by her Argent Gloves to push harder. She was rewarded with the section pushing all the way in and revealing floor that was definitely made out of rock. It was made out of concrete. That discovery intensified Leona's curiosity. She walked through the new opening and heard the panel flip closed behind her.

The blonde took off her goggles and put them in her backpack. She walked down the corridor ahead of her, looking around at her man-made surroundings. It was all concrete and steel construction and designed much like a military installation with straight corridors, fluorescent lights overhead, and a minimalist look. She wondered who was behind all of this construction and for what purpose. Was it a military base, a prison, or a combination of both?

She would just have to keep going in order to find out the facility's purpose. She reached the end of the corridor and found herself facing a fork in the road. One corridor went left. The other corridor went off to the right. Both corridors ended in solid steel doors that were designed to keep intruders out... or something inside.

Leona weighed her options. Since both doors looked alike, she chose to go left first. She would see what was behind the left door. Maybe she would find some clues as to what this place was. Leona walked down the corridor until she came to the heavy steel door.

Leona put a hand on it and pulled it to the left, opening the door with ease. She peered inside and found herself staring into what looked like a prison cell block. That made the blonde start thinking hard, and what she thought about made her stomach turn. Was she duped into breaking into an Earthland government facility? Or had she stumbled onto something much worse?

[Word Count: 568]
[Total Word Count: 1,149/7,000]

-Inside the prison cell block-

Leona walked with caution. The cell block was dimly lit by flickering fluorescent bulbs and the air was rife with the feeling that a lot of suffering had taken place within these forsaken walls. What she saw inside the cells only reinforced that feeling. Many of the cells were open and had bloodstains splashed on the walls, on the floors, and on the cots with thin mattresses that passed for bedding. Where on Earthland was she?

Leona kept walking and noticed that she was just on the first floor. She spotted a metal staircase leading down and carefully walked down it until she reached the bottom. On the bottom floor was more of the same... more empty cells with bloodstains everywhere. Leona saw a metal door in the front of the room, so she slowly crept towards it. She glanced around, then pulled it open and went inside.

Leona soon found herself in a darker part of the facility, but her natural night vision helped her see through the gloom. She had taken seven steps into the room when she involuntarily dropped to one knee when she heard female screaming. The blonde knelt in place and listened to her surroundings. When she did not hear footsteps, Leona quietly got up and continued deeper into the section. Everything about the place felt ominous, including a strange symbol that she saw on the wall to her right.

It was a dull gold circle with a black border. Inside of it was two black triangles placed tip-to-tip; the triangles vaguely resembled an hourglass. Leona turned away from the unknown symbol and kept moving towards an open doorway down the hall to her left until she heard the screaming again. The blonde dropped to one knee and listened.

"Tell us where the design notes are!" A distorted male voice ordered. A female struggling for breath finally caught her breath and spoke. Her breathing sounded labored, as if she were under duress.

"I told you... I can't tell you that!" The female protested. The sound of crackling electricity filtered out of the room. Pleading was heard before the electricity made contact with the female, who screamed loudly. Leona's stomach turned. She knew exactly what she was listening to.

The electrocution continued for thirty seconds before it relented. Leona was ready to spring into action, but she did not need to barge in without a plan. She needed to know what she was up against. Leona sidled up to the doorway and remained in place.

"Tell us where the design notes are and this will end." The male voice urged the woman.

"Why should I tell you. Anything? You won't let me live. As soon as you get what you want, you'll... shoot me in the head and dump me in the snow!" The female retorted. A sharp SMACK sound of hand meeting face was heard.

"If you don't tell us, you'll definitely die. If you do tell us, you might get to live." The male hinted.

"And be your slave, stuck in some underground prison? No thanks. NO THANKS!" The female shouted in defiance.

"Give her another jolt." The male ordered someone. Crackling electricity filled the air again. Moments later agonized screaming rang out and kept going for a full minute. Leona clenched her fists. Every fiber of her being wanted to rush in and save the woman, but now was not the time.

She needed a plan because she was going up against unknown forces. This was not a dime-a-dozen bandit hideout. This was something a lot more sinister.

Wall Symbol:

[Word Count: 600]
[Total Word Count: 1,749/7,000]

Leona listened until the verbal exchanges subsided before even moving a muscle. She did not know if the next electric charge would kill the female, so Leona had to make a decision fast. Did she wait a bit longer before acting or did she enter the fray? The choice was taken out of her hands because a masked man in a black uniform with black body armor stepped out of the room and spotted Leona.

"Stop right-" The man started before Leona hit him with two jabs to the stomach and a Mach Uppercut beneath the chin. He hit the ground and Leona burst into the room with the female scientist and her captor, another masked man. The pink-haired female had been stripped to her underwear and was bound to a wooden chair with ropes. Her left eye was blackened and her lip was bleeding.

"What? Who are you?" The man asked. Leona did not stop for small talk. She pointed her finger and fired a Wind Bullet that slammed the masked man against the wall and knocked him out. Leona then pulled out her knife and cut the ropes binding the young woman.

"Who... who are you?" The young woman asked. It looked like she had been subjected to the "treatment" for quite some time.

"I've been sent to rescue you." Leona answered as she put the knife away and helped the young woman up. The scientist shoved Leona back.

"How do I know... that they didn't send you in here. As an act? They want my project so badly. I could taste it in the air. Who do you work for?" The young woman asked warily.

"Dr. Katrina Miller sent me." Leona answered tersely. She looked towards the open doorway. She expected more of those black-clad masked men to come in at any time and interrupt their heart-to-heart talk. They needed to get moving.

"Who are you?" the next question came. The scientist still refused to budge.

"Your best friend. Now let's go... unless you want to stay and chat with your friends some more." Leona suggested with more than a little urgency. The sound of boots echoed from down the hall. They were getting closer by the second. The pink-haired young woman quickly got up and shakily walked over to a table where her clothes were. They were a school uniform of some kind.

Leona turned her back and faced the door as the young woman quickly got dressed. The boots were getting closer. The blonde wished that the scientist would hurry up. A minute later a slender hand dropped on her left shoulder.

"OK, let's go. We need to get outta here." The scientist stated flatly. Leona and the young woman sprinted for the exit but were trapped just outside the room by a security team of six of the black-clad men. They had waited too long to get a move on.

"Don't move! Stay where you are!" One of the masked men ordered. The scientist hid behind Leona. Leona prepared to fight. She was not going to let these men take her alive.

Masked Men:

[Word Count: 518]
[Total Word Count: 2,267/7,000]

Leona watched as one of the masked men moved in to apprehend her and the scientist. The mage was not going to let herself be captured because her life would be forfeit. She had seen too much of the facility to be allowed to live. Being held in a secret prison had no appeal to the blonde, so she would fight her way out or die trying.

"Stay where you are!" The man repeated as he edged closer. Leona was having none of this. She raised her hand and fired a Wind Blast that knocked down the men standing in a semicircle. The pair raced past them as they struggled to get up. They had to get out of here fast.

-Inside the cell block-

Leona and the young woman raced for the metal stairs and scrambled up them as fast as their legs could go. They climbed the stairs just ahead of the black-clad men who had burst through the door to the interrogation room. The pair kept going until they reached the metal door leading out, then yanked it open and rushed into the main corridor with the intent on making a quick exit. Their plans were quickly dashed.

-In the hallway-

"There they are!" A knife-wielding man at the head of an eight-man team armed with black nightsticks bellowed, jabbing a gloved finger at the pair. The exit was blocked off by a team of black-armored men with plexiglass riot shields and pistols. Leona was not going to charge at them... she needed a quick way to remove them from the path, but she was not going to have time to get clever. In between the eight men in front of them and the six at their back, the two were heavily outnumbered. Their only hope was to see what was behind the right door and play for time.

"STOP THEM! WE NEED THE SCIENTIST ALIVE!" Another man ordered. The eight-man team went into action, charging at Leona with nightsticks at the ready. Leona blocked the first attack and punched the man three times in the chest before dealing a Mach Straight to the face, knocking him into a fellow guard and knocking both of them to the floor. The third man ducked under Leona's punch and hit her with a nightstick to the ribs. Leona retaliated with a kick in between the legs, which made him drop to his knees and set him up for a Mach Straight to the face that knocked him out.

The next three attacked in tandem, one striking Leona in right after she blocked the attack of the preceding enemy, then retreating before she could retaliate. Leona was losing focus thanks to the succession of hits until the young woman picked up a nightstick and came to Leona's rescue in dramatic fashion. While moving forward the young woman deftly parried their attacks and dodged attempts to grab her, giving the mage enough room to hit back with her Mach spells. Working together in this fashion, the pair knocked out half of the men in front of them and were closing in on the door at the end of the hall. The remaining four rushed down the hallway and quickly wrenched open the door.

"How did you do that? How do you know how to use a nightstick?" Leona asked the scientist.

"I take martial arts in what little spare time I have. I use the tonfa a lot. It lets weedy people like me punch above my weight class." She explained. Leona could not argue with that. The pair reached the end of the hallway and Leona put a gloved hand on the door. With a group of angry masked men behind them, they really did not have much choice but to go inside and hope that they could come up with a plan.

"You ready?" The scientist asked.

"Yeah." Leona answered tersely. She opened the door and fired a Wind Blast that knocked the four men on the other side down. The two rushed in and quickly subdued the quartet with a flurry of martial arts strikes. The room they had so hastily entered was a cell block exactly like the one they had escaped not too long ago. The scientist was not happy.

"Great. I get out of one cell block and end up in another." She snarked. Leona was similarly displeased. They had just trapped themselves in a cell block that was empty... except for a first-floor cell occupied by a blond man with a white bandanna on his head. He was wearing a red vest, white shirt, olive green pants, and boots and was sitting on a cot.

"Hey ladies, can you get me out of here?" The man asked. Leona and the scientist looked at one another. Who was he?

"I heard all the commotion upstairs. They want you guys bad. As it turns out, I can help you, but I need you to help me first. Tell you what. Get me out of here and save my partner and we'll get you ladies out of this hole." He offered with a smile. Leona and the young woman looked at one another. It was not like they had much choice.

Blond Man:

[Word Count: 874]
[Total Word Count: 3,141/7,000]

"OK." Leona said as she approached the cell door. She put her hands on it and began to pull. This action earned the derision of the cell's occupant.

"You might wanna find the key, Miss. Prison cells don't generally open just because you pull on them really hard." He said mockingly. Leona ignored him. She was going to rip the cell door off its hinges just like she had done to the armory door in the slaver camp. Leona pulled until the door began to bend out a little.

"How are you doing that?" He asked, his tone changing from mockery to amazement. Leona did not immediately give an answer because she was too busy pulling with all her might. The mage kept pulling until the metal started to groan and slowly give way to the stress it was being put under. One final effort and the door came off in her hands, freeing the blond man.

"She ripped the cell door off its hinges!" The young woman said in amazement, quickly scrambling away from Leona as she turned around with the cell door still in her hands. Leona casually threw the door aside and the male walked over to the pair.

"The name's Andy. I'm a government agent from another country that's far away from Earthland. You guys are in a Black Triangle base." The blond man explained to them. Leona and the scientist were skeptical. Did they just release a con man?

"Don't worry. I'm the real deal." He said before producing a laminated plastic ID card from his boot that matched his face and appearance perfectly. The females looked it over. After spending a minute they really could not afford to spare, they were satisfied.

"OK, Andy. You said you'd help us out if we saved your partner. Where do we need to go?" Leona asked Andy.

"What's the Black Triangle?" The pink-haired scientist inquired.

"They're an organization my partner and I were sent to investigate. They're a group dedicated to overthrowing governments wherever they go. Earthland's on their hit list." Andy explained. Leona and the girl looked at each other in disbelief. They were in way over their heads.

"So they want to destroy Earthland's government. Why?" Leona asked.

"I'll tell you more after we save my partner. He's behind that door. I'm sure they're interrogating him like they interrogated your friend." Andy said, pointing to the steel door that led to the interrogation rooms. The trio spotted a trail of blood that led from another bottom cell to the door. Judging from the pattern, the "donor" had been forcibly dragged from the cell to the next section.

"They took our weapons. Do either of you have one?" Andy asked. Leona wordlessly bent down and produced the knife from her boot. She handed it to the man.

"Yeah, that'll do nicely." He said. Leona opened the door for him and was about to follow when the entrance to the cell block opened and more black-armored men poured in. Great.

"We've got company!" The scientist said. Leona turned to the man.

"Hold them here! I'll go save my partner!" He said before running through the door. Leona let it close and turned her attention to the enemies streaming into the room. The two of them were trapped with fifteen angry men. This was going to be quite a fight.

"Put your hands up!" One of the men ordered. He wore a black mask with a red stripe on the forehead. Both young women refused. They were not going to surrender to the likes of these goons. After a brief but tense standoff, the

"Take the scientist alive, but kill the blonde!" The same man ordered his subordinates. The other fourteen men slowly moved in on the pair from both sides while brandishing nightsticks, knives, and cattle prods. Leona had left her Nightshade Machete back at the guild hall and Andy had her knife. She would just have to take weapons from defeated guards. There were plenty to choose from.

[Word Count: 672]
[Total Word Count: 3,813/7,000]

One of the men made a move for Leona and she reacted with speed and force. Leona sidestepped the stab and grabbed the man's arm, flinging him into a teammate and knocking both of them down. Another rushed at the scientist and got a nightstick to the face for his trouble. A group of four tried to attack Leona all at once and were knocked back with a Wind Blast. The remaining enemies backed up and spread out to make themselves harder targets and to rethink their strategy.

Leona hoped that Andy could rescue his partner soon. Every moment they stayed in the Black Triangles base was time that the enemy was using to close off the exit and trap all four of them. After a minute had passed, the men began to move in again, this time in teams. Men with cattle prods took the lead, ensuring a shocking rebuttal to any attempts to resort to melee combat. There was not going to be a chance to "divide and conquer" because the armored enemies were moving in small teams of four.

Leona had to deal with one such team almost immediately. They moved in as one coordinated unit, the cattle prod-wielding soldier leading the way and jabbing it at Leona to keep her at bay. Leona soon thought of a counter to the tactic... she leaped into the air and used an Air Burst to knock the weapon away, then rushed in and beat him into unconsciousness with her fists before he could back away. The remaining three men pushed in and came after the mage.

Leona managed to block one stab with her left Argent Glove but could not defend against a nightstick strike to her ribs. Leona retaliated with a Mach Straight when the third tried to grab her right arm, hitting him in the face and knocking him onto his back with a broken right lens to show for his brave attempt to capture the lioness. She soon punched out the last two soldiers and turned to face the scientist. She was trying bravely to hold her ground, but she was getting overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

"Help!" She called out to Leona. Leona had only taken three running steps when a new four-man team blocked her way. She did not have time for this.

"MOVE IT!" Leona shouted, slamming her fist into the ground and generating a Storm Impact that staggered the men, giving her the opening she needed to start beating down the group. She started with the cattle prod user and finished with a knife-wielding man. By the time she defeated them, the hapless scientist had been disarmed and captured.

"Damn!" Leona muttered. The scientist was being hustled up the metal stairs by the man with the red stripe on his mask and Leona was unable to pursue because the remaining men had barred her way. Leona could not let the scientist be taken away or the Black Triangles would get what they had been after.

"GET DOWN!" Andy shouted. A pair of dark green grenades skittered past Leona and stopped at the feet of the men. Leona turned around and dove away from the grenades. Moments later they went off and killed the men in front of the stairs. Leona got up and found that Andy had successfully rescued his partner, a red-haired man in a white shirt with a yellow vest, olive-green pants, and boots.

"Lady, meet Jim. Jim, meet Lady." Andy introduced the two. Jim was wearing sunglasses indoors.

"Hey Lady. We need to save your friend before they get away." Jim said matter-of-factly. The trio ran up the stairs and after the man with the scientist. They could not let him get away!

Jim:

[Word Count: 623]
[Total Word Count: 4,436/7,000]

-Outside the cell block-

Leona, Andy, and Jim found themselves facing down a twenty-man team equipped with riot shields and pistols. Behind them was the soldier with the scientist. The trio could not let them get away, but the force in front of them was a formidable obstacle. How would they get by the enemies now?

Leona noticed that the ceiling was just high enough to call in some air power. She decided to use that opportunity.

"O FABLED HARPIES, O SISTERS THREE! LEND YOUR STRENGTH UNTO ME!" Leona thought. Moments later her harpies showed up. The enemy was not going to let them take to the "skies" unopposed. They began firing their pistols.

"Hey girl, what's-oh." Sylvia commented.

"Fight time." Daphne snarked.

"Looks that way. Let's get to it." Sandy stated. Leona threw a Fast Ball at a soldier who had moved his shield in order to get a better shot. He was hit in the face and knocked back, but not down. Andy and Jim took the chance to throw a grenade at the feet of the guards as the harpies took to the air. The grenades went off and killed four of the men because the rest had caught on and slammed their shields down to block the worst of the shrapnel.

"Well, that didn't quite go as planned." Andy commented.

"It never does." Jim snarked. Leona looked past the shield wall to see the man struggling with the scientist. Leona had to get over there fast.

"Can you fly me over the shield wall?" Leona telepathically asked Sylvia.

"Yeah, I've got this!" Sylvia answered with confidence. Leona cast a Wind Blast and telepathically gave the order to lift her over the men. Sylvia grabbed onto Leona's waist and did so with haste because they would be easy targets while airborne. Leona quickly flew over the men while they were busy getting up from the concussive spell she had just cast and was dropped off without a scratch.

"Keep after the black-armored men!" Leona instructed her summons. She rushed towards the enemy leader, who was busy confronting the scientist. The pair were trading punches when the black-clad man was knocked to the floor. The scientist was clutching a belt buckle in her hand.

The pink-haired young woman sprinted towards her while the man produced a pistol and began shooting at the fleeing scientist. Leona jumped in and pointed a finger, firing a Wind Bullet that knocked the enemy back so far that he slammed into the steel door leading into the cell block. The young woman took shelter behind her.

"I got the device that he took from me!" The young woman informed Leona. She was holding a nondescript silver belt buckle. What was so important about it?

"What's the big deal?" Leona asked.

"I'll tell you what the big deal is when we get out of here!" The scientist answered impatiently. She began to look around for the nearest exit. Explosions sounded behind them. Andy and Jim were cleaning up the enemy resistance in an explosive manner. Leona dragged the young woman towards the blank wall she had used to enter the base.

"Hey, what-" The scientist protested. She was pulling in the opposite direction while Leona was pulling her towards the exit.

"The exit's over there." Leona assured her. Andy and Jim jogged up to the pair.

"So, got an exit plan?" Andy asked.

"Yeah. That wall over there? Push it. It opens up into the cave this base was built into." Leona told him. Andy looked incredulous. Leona frowned.

"I'll show you." Leona said as she dispelled the harpies. She let go of the scientist and went to the wall. She pushed it and it once again turned aside, opening the way into the cave.

"Well... not my idea of an exit, but that'll do." Jim commented. Moments later the sound of boots filled the air. They were going to have company very soon.

"Let's go! Move it!" Leona insisted. Andy ran through first, followed by the scientist and Jim. Once they were through the gap, Leona herself went through. She pushed the wall back just in time to avoid getting lead poisoning... gunfire ricocheted off the wall as it was shoved back into place.

-In the cave-

"How are we gonna get outta here?" The pink-haired scientist asked. She started to shiver. Her school uniform was not meant to withstand the cold. Leona pulled out her desert cloak and handed it to her client's friend.

"Wrap yourself in this. I'll handle the transportation." Leona informed her. There was pounding on the wall behind them. That certainly added urgency to the proceedings. Andy handed Leona back her knife, which she cleaned off in the snow outside and put back into her boot.

"We'll catch up with you guys later. We've gotta report back to our boss. Nice to meet you both, ladies. And thanks for the save." Andy said as he tapped his belt buckle. Jim did the same. A moment later both of them were gone. They had teleported away to wherever it was that they were going.

"How are we gonna get out of here?" The scientist repeated. Leona ran out into the snow, raised her hands and summoned her griffin. The young woman followed her.

"GET ON!" Leona shouted over the whipping wind. The youth obliged. Leona hopped on herself.

"TO CAPITAL CROCUS!" Leona thought. The griffin flapped its wings and the pair was off, narrowly avoiding being caught on the ground by black-clad men with assault rifles pouring out of the cave. The griffin dodged ineffectual gunfire with ease as the pair soared into the snowy skies and towards Capital Crocus. That was a very close call.

[Word Count: 958]
[Total Word Count: 5,394/7,000]

-Capital Crocus, five hours later-

Leona and her companion landed just outside Crocus Magicka University. The pink-haired young woman jumped off the griffin and dropped to her knees. Leona dismounted without an issue.

"I hate flying." The woman complained to Leona.

"I'm sorry, Miss. It was either that or die. I'd rather live." Leona commented dryly. She did not mean to sound insensitive to the woman's plight, but in that situation beggars could not be choosers. The woman soon saw came around to Leona's way of thinking.

"That... that is a fair point." The woman conceded. She stood up and handed Leona's desert cloak back to her. Leona neatly folded it over and put it back into her backpack. The blonde helped the scientist up.

"What's your name?" Leona asked the young woman.

"Doctor Josephine Newman. Call me Jo." She responded.

"Leona Jarnefeldt." Leona gave her name in return.

"Leona Jarnefeldt... I've heard that name before. Oh yes. I remember now." Josephine commented.

"You're the one who helped Dr. Miller and her team in Silent Cemetery! I'm glad that you managed to save most of them. If you ask me, the whole thing was a fiasco. It was also a big waste of resources. That's what happens when you buy into ooga-booga magic nonsense instead of science." Josephine opined. Leona let the young scientist talk. Leona dispelled the griffin and the pair entered Crocus Magicka University to discuss the matter in private.

-Crocus Magicka University, Dr. Newman's office-

"There's plenty of scientific explanations as to why the Silent Cemetery is a haven for zombies and the undead." Josephine continued regaling Leona with her theories. Leona wanted to say something in rebuttal, but the pink-haired scientist kept talking and talking. It was best to let her continue talking to keep the peace.

Striding past surprised students and faculty, Josephine ushered Leona into her office and quickly closed the door. The office was small and cramped. It was also full of academic journals, books, and papers all haphazardly piled on top of one another. On one wall was a diploma from the university awarded to Josephine.

The scientist produced the belt buckle she had taken off the enemy leader earlier. She looked at the door to make sure that no unwanted guests "conveniently" arrived to eavesdrop just as she started to explain what it was. When no one appeared, the young woman turned to Leona.

"What I'm about to say is sensitive." Josephine told Leona. Suddenly the doorknob turned and standing in the doorway was a familiar face. It was Dr. Miller!

"Did I interrupt something?" The older woman asked cordially. Josephine frowned.

"Yes you did." Josephine said flatly. Dr. Miller frowned and her eyes narrowed into garnet daggers. Leona felt like there was a lot of backstory between the two scientists that she was missing out on. Maybe the two were former friends who had a falling out over some research. Maybe they were rivals since their university days who now competed for scarce resources.

"I was about to explain to Miss Jarnefeldt what this device was and why I was kidnapped for it. But please, come in Dr. Miller. You might learn something too." Jo bade the older scientist to enter. Dr. Miller obliged and shut the door behind her. Now it was the three of them in Dr. Newman's office. The mood was getting a bit tense from all the unspoken animosity between the two.

"I'm glad to see you made it back safely, Dr. Newman." Dr. Miller said to her pink-haired colleague. Jo ignored the friendly talk and launched into her explanation.

"I spent the better part of a year researching this device. I spent many sleepless nights designing it... and countless university Jewels. But I finally succeeded." Josephine gave some exposition on the item. Leona was waiting for her to get to the point. What had the mage risked her life for and why did the Black Triangles want the design notes for the item so badly?

Dr. Josephine Newman:

[Word Count: 670]
[Total Word Count: 6,064/7,000]

"To cut to the chase, I'll skip the specifics. They'll take too long to explain." Josephine commented. Dr. Miller and Leona frowned. Josephine continued her explanation without a care as to the feelings of her audience. Leona did not know whether the pink-haired girl was a genius or just a pompous jerk. Maybe the answer was somewhere in the middle.

"It alters people's perceptions. It makes people not remember who you are." Josephine said in simple terms. Dr. Miller and Leona were both surprised by her explanation of what it did. Leona thought that it was something fancier like a personal cloaking device or a

"I'm Josephine Newman. When I activate this device, you won't remember who I am." She asserted. She then tapped a button on the belt buckle. Moments later her audience stared, trying to figure out who she was.

"How did this girl get in here? She's not part of the faculty!" Dr. Miller declared.

"Who is she?" Leona asked Dr. Miller. The pink-haired doctor smiled... she knew that she had proven her point.

"I'm Dr. Josephine Newman. I'm a faculty member and the inventor of this device." The young woman re-introduced herself. Both Dr. Miller and Leona took a few moments to fully understand what had just happened to them. Leona gradually pieced it together. In between what Andy had told her about the Black Triangles and her own experience with Josephine's invention, the blonde was starting to understand the magnitude of things.

"Dr. Newman, that creation is dangerous!" Dr. Miller protested. Josephine frowned.

"You're just jealous of my creation, Doctor Miller. I don't think that magic is the answer to everything. Technology is the future." Josephine proudly asserted. The older scientist clearly did not buy that reasoning. She quickly interjected.

"Technology is what got you kidnapped!" Katrina countered.

"She's right." Leona chimed in.

"That's too dangerous an avenue of research, Josephine. What's to say that the group who kidnapped you won't try again? Next time they'll raid the university. Innocent people could die." Katrina said in an attempt to make her colleague see reason. Josephine stood firm at first. She was not going to yield just because of an emotional appeal.

"Dr. Miller's right. You can't continue to research that device. They'll only try to get you again and they're gonna be smarter about it. If that happens again, I might not be able to rescue you in time." Leona seconded Dr. Miller's opinion. The pink-haired scientist finally relented.

"OK. I'll quit that line of research. But what do I do with it? It's already been made. The university's already sunk so many Jewels into my creation." She lamented. Leona and Dr. Miller looked at each other. Dr. Miller looked at her colleague.

"Give it to Silver Wolf. Transfer the rights and design notes to them. They can protect it a lot better than the university can." Dr. Miller suggested.

"If they attack again, they've gotta get through a guild hall and all the mages in it. I doubt they can get past us all." Leona added. She did not care about glory or prestige. She only wanted to keep Dr. Newman's creation out of the hands of the Black Triangles. It was too dangerous to be allowed to stay in the public.

"We're gonna need an attorney for this." Dr. Newman stated.

-Six hours later-

"It's done. Everything's been made official. Silver Wolf is now the protector of Dr. Newman's device." Dr. Miller announced under the watchful eye of the university staff and a stern-faced lawyer who wore black-rimmed glasses and a black three-piece suit. Leona was handed the legal paperwork and Dr. Newman's device. It was now her responsibility to guard it from the outside world and make sure that it was not misused.

"I'll take this back to my guild hall immediately." Leona solemnly stated before packing the papers away and putting the device securely inside her backpack. Leona then left the university and walked to a clearing in the streets. She summoned her griffin and was soon on the way to Silver Wolf Guild Hall. The ball was in her court now. Silver Wolf's best hope was to keep the technology a total secret.

[Word Count: 703]
[Total Word Count: 6,767/7,000]

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall-

Leona locked the device and the design notes for it inside the guild vault. It was the most secure place to put the object. It was the hardest part of the guild hall to break into, and for good reason. It was designed to contain many guild secrets, including some very dangerous artifacts that had been discovered over the course of the guild's work. One among them was the sword that Desmond had discovered that could cut through any common material without any resistance.

Leona checked the vault for any intruders, then closed the door behind her and locked it again. Leona then walked away from the vault and went to her office. She had a lot to think about. She sat down in her chair and thought about today's events.

The Black Triangles had only been slowed down, not completely stopped. They were still out there, watching and waiting for another opportunity to strike. They most likely had more than one base, so losing the Silent Glaciers base would only inconvenience them. She did not know where Andy and Jim had went... they were her best sources of information on the strange paramilitary organization and they had not told her very much other than the group was bad news. Leona was also not very sure if Andy and Jim could be trusted.

They had kept their word and helped Leona and Josephine escape the Black Triangles, but she was not sure if the two men were real allies or only allies of convenience. Maybe it was the latter. She was sure today would not be the last she saw of Andy and Jim. The blonde only wondered what she had gotten into. Would she be conscripted to fight a war in the shadows?

Leona did not know for certain. She would just have to wait and see. That was the part she did not like, but she had no choice. She would just have to wait and see what the future held. In the meantime, Leona would continue to protect Silver Wolf and all of its secrets.

[Word Count: 352]
[Total Word Count: 7,119/7,000]