Double Helix, Issue 2

Morning Run

Waking up in the broom closet he calls a room, Shillelagh wonders how real the last evening was. The whole day makes no sense. There was a million dollar transaction in an alley by the docks involving a laptop and a mouse (not the electronic kind). Not to mention how he was shot, and this morning he feels barely hurt. Life never made a lot of sense, and that is going double now.

Out in the gym he tells Vic Stravinsky about his evening, and his cohort is more than a little suspicious. During their conversation Shillelagh notices an exterminators van loitering across the street, with two overall clad men combing the streets and alleys. Vic and Shil agree that this is not the neighborhood for this kind of shenanigans, and they head out to confront the suspicious characters.

As they suspected, these guys are clearly not exterminators. They also have thick accents and no knowledge of pricing or business. The confrontation nets Shillelagh a business card, and a healthy dislike for the Russians for both.

Back inside, they compare notes. Vic steps away for a moment and what does Shillelagh see? A mouse, and a strangely familiar one. Cleverly he throws his trademark headwwear over the mouse, who continues to push it forward. Undeterred, he grabs a metal water basin and covers the hat with that. Not to be outdone, the mouse defiantly pushes forward. With a shake of his head Shillelagh puts a 10 pound weight on top and surveys his work. With a scratch and a strain, the contraption barely inches forward. Having enough, Shillelagh picks up his phone and calls Maria Reyes.

News From Abroad

Upon arriving at the office Maria is greeted by a call from Shennong. Given what he has learned over the past day, he had to catch a red eye to Guangdong. After collecting his travel info and setting a schedule for communication she immediately gets another call: Shillelagh. She flashes a wry smile after hearing his unbelievable anecdote. Get that mouse over here. She prepares the lab and calls scientists and techs. Nobody likes a work call on the weekend. She doesnt care.

After bothering virtually every employee on the payroll at 8 am on a Saturday, Maria waits for Shillelagh and Parker LaCroix to arrive. Also getting an early start, James Milligan has been following up leads since 6 am. After a few calls and some tips, he finds himself at the scene of a car accident. As expected, its a a 2014 Vovlvo XC90. He approaches the policeman on duty and uses his connections to get some looks around. His sharp senses uncover some vital clues, including the suspected location of an apartment he might be using as a secondary residence.

Showing no emotion, he calls Maria and heads over to Zymogenetics to meet the crew and get the investigation moving forward. When he arrives, he learns that Shillelagh and Parker have found that a homeless man was paid $1000 for a cellular phone by a man in a Lexus with a Russian accent. James listens while the team discusses a collection of tangents, then leaves for the address on his own.

From Beyond

Carefully James scouts the location before heading to the apartment. Once inside he ensures that there are no surveillance cameras and utilizes his lockpicking skills and quickly gains entry. Inside he finds the worst case scenario: Dr Akerfeldt is dead, hanging from a chandelier. After carefully examining the scene he determines this was not a suicide, as it seems at first. With a shake of his head he dials Maria again.

In barely a few minutes the crew arrives and sees the grisly scene. As they enter James notices his phone had accidentally been turned off. With a glance he notices a message, and listens. Before the group can recover from being struck dumb James replays the message on speaker, so they can all hear. Its Dr. Akerfeldt, discussing his research but ominously cut off before he can complete his message. James calls the police and reports the scene. Everyone else leaves.

While James waits and eventually converses with the cops, Parker gets a latte with Shillelagh in tow. Unbelievably they notice the homeless guy from this morning buying a coffee with a $100 bill. They follow him outside and gather crucial info about the encounter. When James arrives he wishes to ask a few more questions, Shillelagh was perfectly prepared for this and hands him a coffee just like the one the man ordered. James deftly uses a ruse to spill the mans coffee, then offers his own. He builds some goodwill and gathers even more information.

Lunch time.

Each one she passes goes AHHH

They know that the Russians frequent Ipanema, so they head down for some tasty Brazilian steak. The place is packed, but after greasing a palm they have a decent seat. In the dark recesses of the restaurant they notice some Russians in nice suits. Shillelagh and Vic head toward the bar. On the way they make some comments toward the Russians and get little response. While at the bar the two exterminators from the morning arrive and head over to sit with the Russians. On their way back to the rest of the group. Vic antagonizes the Russians and almost starts a fight. The older Russians seem calm. Back at the table, Maria figures out that they can use Apple LoJack to find where the laptop is. She makes a call and finds out it is near Gasworks Park.

They jump to their feet to pay, but are told the Russians have paid for them.

The Quarry

The LoJack signal was moving along the water toward Fremont, so the group drove for that location. When they arrive nearby, they park two blocks away and alight the vehicle separately, with Maria hanging back to provide support. Shillelagh and Parker sprint forward, with Vic not far behind. James, as is his style, moves forward casually at a measured pace. Arriving at a building between them and the target, Shillelagh and Parker use their abilities to climb to the roof. Vic goes around the south side of the building. James continues to stroll.

Arriving at the edge of the building roof, they spot a parked Escalade with a suit wearing gentleman standing outside near the street. Itching for action, the two engage the man standing outside. Parker throws some rocks from the roof while Shillelagh leaps from the building to the top of the SUV. Four more suits step out from the Escalade just as Vic rounds the corner. He slips under the belly of the vehicle. The man with the derby grabs at the first suit, while Vic crawls forward to attack his leg.

Then everything changed.

The man in the front of the SUV called out a word and the men pull hoods from beneath their collars and cover their faces, followed by slipping gloves from their cuffs. As Vic shoots a calf, a red dot draws a bead on Parker and she is winged. Shillelagh knocks the phone from the mans hand. On the roof of the Escalade a melee ensues between Shillelagh and one of the former occupants which ends with him being pushed off the front. The lead suit calls 'Bogey' and the SUV plows forward over Shillelagh, drawing a gasp from Parker, who disarms him with a slick rebound from the wall.

Parker shimmies down the wall and the SUV steams ahead. The men fall in and jump aboard the vehicle, but Vic is not content to let them escape. He runs and jumps aboard, and brawls with them until being forced off the roof.

Knowing they could lose their opportunity, Shillelagh calls for Maria who nudges the driver and speeds to the intersection to grab the group. Once everyone is aboard they attempt to catch the enemies, but traffic lights do not cooperate. Maria, knowing they still have the LoJack in their pocket, helps them trace the vehicle to a parking lot in Interbay.

Who was the quarry, again?

Denouement

Cautiously they approach the vehicle, but find it empty. The laptop is inside. But just as they close a police car enters with its lights blazing. Thinking quickly, James formulates a ruse to send the police on a wild goose chase after the occupants. With the police gone, and out of view of the dash cam, the laptop is recovered along with the first real clue: a gold cufflink with VI inside an inverted triangle.