Fan Fiction ❯ Red Scarlet ❯ Ruby ( Chapter 4 )

Red Scarlet

Episode 4- Ruby

Seen: Scarlet's Apartment.

Scarlet paced side to side. She still remained in her bed clothing. A cigarette hung from her mouth. The ash try on the living room coffee table is filled with cigarette buds. A cup of coffee was spilt on the table, dripping onto the rug.

Scarlet (talking to herself): "Let me go over this again."

Scarlet continued pacing. She waved her arms and cigarette around as she talked.

Scarlet: "Cashus is knocked off. But he isn't dead. He's a demon. He's just banished to Hell for the next hundred years until he could be summoned again. Damn. A hundred years, I'd be dead."

A Wraith enters the room and sits onto the couch.

Wraith: "Or senile in a nursing home."

Scarlet: "That too."

Scarlet pointed the hand with the cigarette in his direction. She then took a draw on it.

Scarlet: "The bastards that done it called here. They probably don't know who I really am, they just saw the number in his book under `Layton' and called."

Wraith: "Suppose it is someone that is trying to get after William Layton?"

Scarlet: "They are not going to even find THE William Layton if they are trying that rout."

Wraith: "True. But they did find this number through Cashus."

Scarlet: "Bill no longer exists."

Wraith: "They are chasing phantoms then."

Scarlet finished the cigarette and put it out on the pile in the ashtray. She soon lit another and started drawing on it.

Wraith: "You'll hack up a lung if you keep smoking like that."

Scarlet: "It lets me think. I solved some toughies in my day this way."

The smoke came from her mouth as she spoke.

Wraith: "Your life. You can die early."

Scarlet paused in her pacing.

Scarlet: "What if it was someone that had an agenda with Cashus?"

Wraith: "Then why call you and tell you that they hit him?"

Scarlet: "I'm getting to that."

Wraith turned his robed head to the side.

Wraith: "Oh?"

Scarlet: "Not now. Maybe after another pack or two."

Wraith sank through the wall.

Wraith: "I'll be back after that second pack."

November 1, 2012. 9:38 PM.

*

Seen: Cashus's office. The door was partway open, unusual for it to be. Two dead bodies, bodyguards of Cashus, lay in the hall. The Police and Homicide unit were taking pictures and marking off areas with yellow tape.

Scarlet flashed a P.I. badge to the Captain on seen, and was let by.

Scarlet stepped over one of the bodies to enter the room.

A photographer followed behind her.

Seen: Cashus's body was hunched over the desk. A silver sword's blade protruded through his back. Black blood was spilt out on the desk and floor around the chair.

The photographer started to snap pictures.

Scarlet put on latex gloves and walked over to the desk. She reached under the body to the belly of the desk. With a click the drawers unlocked.

Scarlet opened one of them. Inside was a button. She hit that. Across the room a panel opened up with more switches.

The photographer started taking pictures of the panel.

Scarlet pushed the young man aside and hit a security code on the panel. On the far wall a door opened.

Police officer: "Hey, Miss. What do you think you are doing?"

Scarlet turned to look at him. She flashed her badge and a contract.

Officer took the contract and read it. He then left the room to give it to the Captain.

Captain entered the room.

Captain: "Ma'am. Why didn't you show this when you walked in?"

Scarlet: "Get me all the photographers you have taking pictures in this building."

Captain: "I want a strait answer, before anything is done."

Scarlet: "I am the personal detective of the late Mr. Cashus. I am demanding that you bring every photographer and any evidence you carried off back here now."

Captain: "Now we can't do that, Madame. You can work with the Neo City investigators, or you can step out."

Scarlet: "This case is obviously out of your hands. Leave it to those that know what they are doing, and are not on corporate pay-roles."

Scarlet turned away from the Captain and Officer.

Scarlet: "Now if you excuse me. I have something that needs to be done."

Scarlet turned away into the secret passage, the door closing quickly behind.

Seen: There is a dark room. A pentagram is drawn on the stone floor, a candle on a stand at each point. The room looked like something from a medieval temple.

Scarlet took her lighter and lit the candles in a clock-wise pattern.

A demon arose from the center.

Demon: "Why have you summoned me, Mortal?"

Scarlet: "One of your kind's body hasn't moved back to his realm. Mortal affairs had slued him and some curse causes it to remain."

Demon: "Very well, we will dispose of things. Depart from the building."

Scarlet bowed.

The Demon vanished in flames.

November 2, 2012. 8:37 AM.

*

Seen: Scarlet's apartment.

Scarlet sat on the living room couch, her feet propped up onto the coffee table. The TV was on.

Wraith sat quietly in the far corner of the room.

News: "In a strange turn of events the investigation to Rudolf Cashus's, the CEO of the multi billion credit Paranormal Industries, murder was brought to a stand still. While investigators were gathering evidence in the main office where the businessman was slain, a massive fire broke out on the first five floors, trapping everybody in the building. Fire Fighters are still trying to keep the blaze controlled. The cause is still unknown."

Wraith: "Nice touch."

Scarlet: "I let the demon decide."

Wraith: "Maybe you should bring him a present the next time you see him."

Scarlet: "They are happy with their work."

Wraith: "It was a good idea though. If the Underground gets exposed pandemonium will follow."

Scarlet: "'Grounders need to stay in the legends."

Wraith: "Do you think that the police would have gotten a lead on his murderers though?"

Scarlet: "No. They were very clean. Cashus had jump boards that made all his calls un-traceable. But his number books were missing."

Wraith: "So they could have called you outside his building, but scrambled it to where it looked like it called from there?"

Scarlet: "That's a theory and a half."

Wraith: "I try."

Scarlet: "What I truly think is that they have his cell-phone. One of them at least."

Wraith: "That's more plausible."

Scarlet: "I try."

The Wraith crossed his arms.

Wraith: "Fine then. I'll head to the grounds and see if I can dig up more stuff with Cashus's old connections."

November 2, 2012. 5:15 PM.

*

Seen: Bar.

Scarlet sat at the counter; bourbon was before her. She slowly smoked her cigarette.

A woman enters the bar.

Scarlet darts a look in her direction.

The woman takes a seat next to Scarlet.

Woman: "Scarlet?"

Scarlet nodded.

Woman: "Oh, thank God."

Scarlet: "Do you have the info?"

Woman: "He was apparently working on an extensive operation involving Genitech. That compound you took from Watts last month was only one piece of it."

Scarlet: "He told me that much of it."

Woman: "Genitech has an identical compound in the works, this one involving less components then the last. Foiling the last attempt only made them evolve and adjust."

Scarlet: "Is there any clue to what this thing does yet?"

Woman: "No. This round we gathered more intelligence inside Genitech. With Cashus's demise we had to evolve as well. He has been running underground operations for the past two centuries ever sense the industrial age. The new head is trying to gather up what is left of Cashus's and bring in outsiders."

Scarlet: "Outsiders as in another guard? Or is that outsiders as in Outsiders?"

Woman: "Outsiders as in Outsiders."

Scarlet: "Damn. Undergrounders never worked well with Outsiders."

Woman: "Genitech is a common enemy to us both. We pulled both of our intelligence together. We should be able to get more information now then what we could get a month ago. Have the Wraiths been in contact with you?"

Scarlet: "More then normal with Cashus away. They practically moved in. One leaves an other comes over."

Woman: "Any idea if they came up with something new?"

Scarlet: "They kept information to themselves. But they started telling me what to do."

Woman: "Oh well. I guess you'll have to adapt to them. We can't loose them at this point of the game."

Scarlet: "You can't afford to lose me at this point."

Woman: "Are you planning on leaving us?"

Scarlet: "Genitech has too much over my head. I have to stay with P.I."

Woman extended her right hand.

Woman: "Welcome to the new Paranormal-Incite Corporation, Red Scarlet."

Scarlet grasped her hand.

Scarlet: "And what may I address you as?"

Woman: "Gracie Blain."

November 11, 2021.

*

Seen: Cashus's office.

Guard inters the room.

Guard: "Boss, there's some bitch out here that said you have brought a proposition to her."

Cashus closed a file he was looking at and replaced it in the drawer of the desk.

Cashus: "What does she look like?"

Guard: "She's dressed in a suit, short hair, yellow eyes, about five eight. She's waving an invoice with your name on it at us, demanding to come in."

Cashus: "Bring her in then."

The Guard left. A short time later he returned with Scarlet and a few other Guards.

Cashus stood.

Cashus: "And who may you be, Young lady? You come into my business, demanding my company. What makes you so special?"

Scarlet: "You had a Rep come to my office eight months ago. She brought me in on this cockamamie scheme involving the largest corporation in the world. And this is the price I paid."

Cashus: "I have no clue on who you are. Buzz off if you know what is good for you, dame."

Scarlet: "You wouldn't have done this to Bill Layton if he was standing here before you!"

The guards held Scarlet back.

Cashus waved them away.

Cashus: "Give me the invoice."

Scarlet smacked it down on the desk.

Cashus looked through the papers.

Cashus: "Very well. Welcome back. Let's have a drink. There you can fill me in sense the last time you stood before me. I will supply you with what ever you need. Clothing, weapons, a new job."

Scarlet (bowing): "Thank you."

December 20, 2008