[June 29] [Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?/Legend of Zelda] Centennial Lady, chapter 9

[rose-of-pollux.livejournal.com]

Title: Centennial Lady; Chapter 9 (Epilogue)
Day/Theme: June 29; You don’t know what it’s been like, meeting someone like you.
Series: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?/The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
Character: The Dying Informant (and company), Veran
Rating: PG13

Will be cross-posted to my journal


The Informant wasn’t sure for how long he had remained unconscious. All he knew was that he was coming to in a soft bed, the voices of his friends talking amongst him.

“I think he’s waking up…” he heard the Messenger say.

“Well don’t lean over him; give him some air…” he Inspector said. The Informant didn’t have to open his eyes to tell that the Inspector was probably rolling his eyes.

“Well, he’s had it rough…” said the Recruiting Officer. “I mean… I’ve never been haunted by a spirit of a wicked witch, but I can imagine… Did she really want to rule the world with him?”

“By the looks of it…” said he Rookie. “I just hope he’s alright…”

“You’re telling me,” said the Messenger. “But I think he should be alright…”

“Then why did he faint when I woke up…?” a very weak voice asked. “What if something’s still wrong?”

“Hey, you should be sleeping…” the Messenger chided him.

“How can I sleep when something might still be wrong with him…? Little brother, we’re all right here… I’m right here… Just wake up and see that, please…”

The Informant forced his eyelids open, seeing the Messenger, the Inspector, the Rookie, and the Recruiting Officer by his bedside. He stared at them, bewildered. Where was he…?

“You’re awake…” the weak voice said. It wasn’t any of them…

The boy turned his head to the side, seeing he Techie smiling at him weakly from the bed next him. And that was when he realized that he was in the ACME infirmary.

“How’re you feeling, Infy?” the Messenger asked, softly.

“Why… Why am I here, if I just fainted…?” he asked. “Shouldn’t I just be in my room? Or is there something serious…?”

“Not to worry; you’re just fine,” the Recruiting Officer assured him. “You’re here because we thought it’d be perfect for the moment. See… we’re doing some renovations to some of the agents’ suites upstairs, and yours is one of them.”

“Renovations?” the Techie asked, from his bed. This was news to him.

“Yeah,” said the Rookie. “Apparently, there’re a lot of incoming Gumshoes and Rookies like me, and we need a place to stay.” He shrugged. “So some of the dormitories are being fixed up with bunks to save lodging space.”

“They should be ready by tonight,” said the Messenger. “We’ve already been reassigned. The Inspector and I will be sharing a room. And as soon as Techie here gets well enough, you two will be sharing one, too. We decided that I’d be too messy for Infy to put up with, and the Inspector would probably be the only one who could.”

The Techie managed a smile, and the Inspector remained deadpan.

“That’ll be great…” he said, quietly. He yawned, closing his weary eyes and said nothing more.

The Informant just glanced at the Techie with an unreadable expression.

“Oh, he’s going to be just fine,” the Messenger assured him. “He just needs to be here for a few days to regain his strength.”

“Dark magic really takes a lot out of you…” said the Inspector, with a sigh.

“Tell me about it,” the Messenger yawned. “Oh, and Infy? Patty said she’s really mad at you and won’t speak to you again for a long, long time. I told her you wouldn’t care anymore.”

The Inspector managed a weak smile now.

“Something tells me you didn’t say it quite like that…” he said, his eyebrows arched.

The Messenger just whistled innocently, prompting the Inspector to shake his head. But the both of them stared as the Informant got to his feet.

“What’re you doing…?” asked the Recruiting Officer, concerned. “You should be in bed…”

“I know…” said the Informant. “I’m going straight upstairs; I just want to get my stuff set up…”

“And the Purveyor of Neatness strikes again…” the Messenger cracked. “Sure; you may as well check it out. I say you should get set up tomorrow, but if you really feel up to it, then you should set up something, since I know you won’t sleep peacefully unless something is perfectly organized…”

The Rookie suppressed a smirk.

“Need a hand getting upstairs?” asked the Inspector.

“No; I’ll be fine…” the Informant said, slowly going to his new dormitory. His and the Techie’s things were placed in their suitcases for them to rearrange at their leisure. But the Informant stared at the bunk beds, his heart sinking.

No… This was not right. He could not room with the Techie. He did not want to even be in the same room as him. Something deep in his heart was repulsed by the idea. He shuddered, involuntarily. The Techie was going to be in the infirmary for three days, wasn’t he? Well, that gave the Informant three days to find an apartment.

“Infy?” the Messenger asked, sticking his head in the room. “You alright…?”

“Sure,” he lied. “I’ll be fine.”

***********************************

The Informant tried to act normally the next couple days. He buried himself in his work, requesting solo missions from the Chief. She was reluctant to give him them, but thinking that all he needed was something to get his mind off of what had happened with Veran, she decided to give him some simple, non-dangerous missions around Manhattan.

The boy would complete these missions easily and without incident, after which he would search for vacant apartments around the area. The search wasn’t bearing much fruit; a couple places came up, but he knew he would never be able to afford them.

But he was desperately searching. He was determined that he would not share a room with the Techie.

He kicked a wall in frustration, not even understanding why he held this newfound contempt for him. But he could not even bring himself to do so much as go down to the infirmary and visit him while he was in there.

The Informant was late to lunch one afternoon, arriving just as the rest of his friends were finishing up.

“Hey, Infy!” said the Messenger, clapping him on the back. “Techie’s getting released from the infirmary in just a few minutes!”

“That’s nice for him…” the blond said.

The Inspector frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

“I know you’ve been busy with your solo missions, but you really should stop in to see him…” he said.

“I have another mission right now; I’m going to eat and run,” the Informant said. He suppressed a sigh and decided to lie again. “And I just chatted with him just before I came here; we had a long talk last night, too, when I came back.”

The Inspector blinked. He hadn’t been aware of that, as far as he had known. The Techie hadn’t mentioned it, but he supposed that they may have been discussing something personal; after all, they had seen the same vision…

He, the Messenger, the Rookie, and the Recruiting Officer headed to the infirmary in time to see a very sullen, upset Techie get released.

“What’s the matter?” asked the Messenger, throwing an arm around him. “You’re finally getting out of here! …Though I’m sure Infy already told you about that when you talked, right?”

The Techie looked at him, drained.

“What are you talking about…?” he asked, his heart squeezing at the mention of the Informant. He was badly hurt by the fact that the blond had not even bothered to visit him. He couldn’t even fathom why—that was the worst part about it!

“Wasn’t Infy just with you now?” the Messenger asked, blinking.

“No…!” the Techie said, wondering what sort of joke this was supposed to be.

The Inspector froze at the tone of the Techie’s voice and the look on his face. Something was wrong… terribly wrong…

“He said he spoke with you five minutes ago,” he said, calmly. “And that you two had a long chat last night.”

“No!” cried the Techie, his voice cracking. He was past his breaking point. “I haven’t seen him in three days! He hasn’t come here… He hasn’t even spoken to me over the phone or by message!”

The other agents just exchanged glances.

“But he just said that he…” the Rookie trailed off. “He lied…!”

“I wonder if he’s lying about those solo missions…” said the Recruiting Officer, horrified at the thought. “I know the Chief said that she was giving him small missions to keep his mind off of Veran, but they weren’t supposed to take all day…!”

A visit to the Chief’s office confirmed that the Informant didn’t even have a mission today. The Messenger just sat in a chair.

“Why would he lie…?” he asked. “Infy’s never lied before…”

“And he’s always sure to visit whenever one of us is in the infirmary…” said the Inspector, folding his arms.

“Veran isn’t controlling him still, is she?” asked the Rookie.

“No; she can’t! She’s powerless for the moment now that her stone is gone…!” the Messenger said, getting up to pace the room.

“I’m going to tail him,” said the Techie, quietly. “I’ll go alone; he’ll notice all of us for certain.”

“Be careful,” said the Recruiting Officer.

The Techie nodded, approaching the mess hall in time to see the Informant leave. He immediately began to follow his oblivious friend through their familiar alley and up and down the Manhattan streets.

The boy didn’t really go very far. He went to Central Park, sat on a bench with a stack of newspapers and began calling people. But who… and why…?

It was a mystery to him, but the Informant seemed to be tirelessly absorbed in his quest. Hour after hour went by until it was nearly seven in the evening. The poor Techie was about to faint from hunger by this time; he had not eaten lunch, after all.

Suddenly, the Informant stood up from the bench.

“Only how much…?” he asked over the phone. “Is that for everything? Really? I’ll be right over to take a look!”

The Techie shrunk back, hoping that the Informant wasn’t going to call a taxi. Thankfully, he didn’t, and it was dark enough for the Techie to follow without having to worry about being seen. But his jaw dropped as following the Informant led to a shoddy-looking building with a sign reading “Rooms for Rent” over it.

No… What is he thinking…? He Techie mentally asked, staring at the place.

He blinked as a heavyset man greeted the Informant.

“Are you the landlord?” asked the blond.

“Yeah, Kid…” the man replied. “So you want a room? It’s like I told you… One-bedroom apartment with furnishings and utilities included at an affordable price. The roaches are free of charge.” He laughed, thinking he had made a hilarious joke. He boy just stared at him.

“Look,” said the blond. “I’m just here until I find somewhere else I can afford.”

“You won’t find a place with this price and all these conveniences. Oh, and by the way, Kid… Don’t ever touch the lightswitches or stand near the wall sockets during a thunderstorm. Just to let you know…”

“Uh-huh…” the boy said, eyebrows arched, following the man up the stairs.

The Techie crept silently behind him, stifling a gasp as he saw the condition of the apartment. The wallpaper was peeling from the walls, revealing mildew deposits all over the place. A smell of rodents and roaches lingered in the air, and the lighting fixture buzzed and flickered.

“Oh, boy…” the Informant sighed. “Well, at least it’s somewhere…”

“Yeah, ain’t it?” the landlord asked. “So you want me to bring you the lease?”

“No, he doesn’t!” the Techie fumed, storming into the room. “He already has free room and board; I don’t even know why he’s even considering this!”

“And who’re you…?” the landlord asked.

“I’m supposed to be his roommate!” the Techie informed him. But the fight in him faded as he saw the bitter look on the Informant’s face. “Little brother…?”

“I want the lease,” said the Informant, coldly, ignoring the Techie altogether.

And now, the Techie understood. The Informant was trying to get away from him. The poor brunet stood there, broken.

“I’m going to go get my things,” the Informant said. “And I’ll be back to sign the lease.”

“No, he won’t!” the Techie said, running after him. “Will you just talk to me for a second!?”

But the blond was not stopping to talk. He Techie ran ahead, blocking his path.

“What did I do to you to deserve this, huh!?” he demanded. “I know about how you lied to the others, saying that you visited me in the infirmary. Do you know how much that hurt!? Are you even listening to me!?”

The boy roughly shoved him aside, heading for ACME. The Techie kept on screaming and pleading to him, his words falling on deaf ears.

In his room, though, the Messenger heard the commotion outside. The Inspector looked up, too, awakened from his sleep.

“Guys?” the Messenger asked, opening the door in time to see the Informant shove the Techie out of their room and locking the door. “Infy!?”

The Techie, who had immediately begun to pound on the door, turned back to the Messenger, hysterical.

“Stop him! He’s moving out!” he howled. “He won’t even talk to me! He’s moving out because of me to the seediest apartment building in the state!” He sunk to his knees, sobbing.

The Messenger’s eyes widened.

“Infy? Infy! Open this door right now!”

The Informant did so, glancing at the Messenger as though nothing had happened.

“What’s up, Bro?” he asked.

The Messenger stared at him in disbelief.

“Um, gee, I don’t know…” he said, sarcastically as the Inspector came to place a hand on the Techie’s shoulder. “Maybe something about this recent bout of lying and this poor traumatized Techie by your threshold? Maybe I’m missing something here, but Techie goes and nearly dies to save you from Veran, while I did absolutely nothing of value to help you, and yet you’re alright with me, but have disowned and shunned him!? How does that work?”

“I don’t know how it works,” the Informant fumed. “All I know is that I cannot bring myself to share a room with him. I’m never speaking to him again as long as I live!”

“Why!?” the Messenger asked, shouting to be heard over the Techie’s sobs. “Don’t you realize what the man has done to free you from Veran!? Wait… or is this the double taking over you!?”

“Believe me, I’m fine,” said the Informant. “But I cannot room with someone so… so…” He kicked his suitcase, trying to find the word he was looking for. “Noble!” he snarled at last.

The Messenger stared at him, stunned.

“Was that supposed to be an insult? You just called Techie ‘noble’… Why would you…” The Messenger trailed off. “Oh, Infy… That’s what this is about. You’re not mad at him at all… You don’t hate him.”

The Informant glanced at him, all anger fading from him.

“You… You’re right…” he rasped, falling to his knees. “I don’t hate Techie… I never could. I… I hate myself.”

“You don’t think Techie should have to hear the sound of your voice after everything you put him through; that’s why you won’t talk to him. And this whole thing is also why you’re so dead set against rooming with him, isn’t it?” asked the Messenger. “You were trying to punish yourself…”

“And instead I made him feel a hundred times worse!” the boy cried, slamming his fist into the ground. “I tried to stay away from him for his own good…”

The Techie could no longer keep silent as the Informant broke into sobs.

“Little brother!” he cried. He enfolded his arms around the tormented young agent, sobbing, too. “I… I thought it was something I’d done…”

“I’m sorry, Techie…” the boy said. “I’m so sorry…”

“Don’t blame yourself; don’t you ever blame yourself!” the Techie cried. “And most of all, don’t you ever leave!”

The Informant looked up at him, touched that the Techie still was willing to room with him. The boy then turned to the Messenger.

“Bro… Thank you…” he said. “If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t ever have figured out what was wrong with me…”

The Messenger blinked.

“Glad I could help,” he said, meaning every word of it.

“I think you two need to discuss this,” said the Inspector, placing a hand on the Messenger’s shoulder now. The Messenger nodded, and the two retreated, leaving the others.

The Techie glanced at the suitcase and could not hold back the sob.

“Please don’t go…” he said, hugging the younger agent close. “I… I realize why you must blame yourself… But what happened to me is not your fault! I don’t know how I can get you to see that, but it’s true! Just… don’t go…” He shuddered. “I’d be nowhere if you hadn’t helped me this far. And I’ll be going nowhere without you.”

“I don’t want to go,” the Informant said. “But I have to--”

“No, you don’t!” the Techie cried back. “You don’t have to punish yourself for this! And… And if you go… You may as well be punishing me. That’s what I thought you were doing all this time…”

The Informant shook his head.

“Techie, I don’t understand you…” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “I treated you so badly during this whole fiasco. I didn’t listen when you told me not to set Veran free; I even snapped at you. And then I just kept pushing you away until you finally nearly died from Veran’s attack. And even now, I’m hurting you. So why on earth do you still want to know me…?”

“For the same reason why you still wanted to know me after I hurt you and pushed you away during the Phantom Riders case,” said the Techie, softly. “The good times far outweigh the bad. And I know that I can withstand any amount of hurt if it means that you’ll still be my brother. I know I’m a better person for knowing you… I don’t know where I’d be, or what sort of person I’d be if I hadn’t met you.”

The Informant just hugged him back.

“I know I’m lucky to know you, too,” he said. “You know it took me a long time to finally warm up to the Messenger. But I got along with you right away… You were my first best friend. If it hadn’t been for you, I’d have been this cold, mistrusting person who wouldn’t have even considered freeing Veran…” He trailed off, wondering if things might just have been better that way.

“That’s not really you,” said the Techie, as thought he was sensing the Informant’s thoughts. “The real you is the kind, trusting person that we all care about, and who cares about us in return. That’s why you were able to defeat Veran this time.”

The Informant cracked a smile. That made sense.

“And you know what else…?” asked the Techie.

“What…?”

“I think… No… I know that was why I’m still here now…” the Techie said. “I… The pain was so great when she got me; I thought I was a goner for sure. I was drifting further and further away… I could just barely hear a voice pleading to me and sobbing. And that was when I realized… It was you…”

The Informant just hugged him.

“It was so painful and difficult, following the sound of your voice. I… I didn’t think I’d be able to do it at first… But then I thought about you, and how you kept going up that mountain, though it was just as impossible for you… And I kept going…until I came back…”

“Techie…” the boy said, softly, hugging him close.

“It was because of you that I’m still here…” the Techie said again, and they both fell silent, reflecting on how close they came to losing each other. “I’m grateful for having you as my friend and brother,” he added, at last.

“Me, too; I’m grateful that I know you, too. You know how I knew we were going to be best friends?” the Informant asked.

“How?”

“When you laughed during that snowball fight…” he said. “I knew you were laughing with me, not at me, and… I just knew.” He smiled. “Thanks for laughing.”

The Techie smiled now, hugging him.

“So you’re going to stay?” he asked.

“…If you’ll help me set things up…”

“You’re on!” the brunet grinned.

The two brothers had just started when the Messenger and the Inspector arrived back with the Rookie and the Recruiting Officer.

“Guys?” asked the Recruiting Officer. “If everything’s alright, you all have a phone call from San Francisco…”

The Messenger blinked.

“It’s not Aranea Vulsor again, is it…?” he asked, getting ready to flee.

“No; it was a man’s voice… Here…”

He handed the Messenger the phone, who placed it one speakerphone.

“ACME Crimenet…” he said, with a shrug.

The agents all flinched as a shrill voice of Mr. Chan chided all of them over the line.

“You did not bother to tell us Veran was vanquished! One more thing—you did not thank me for the Chi spell! One more thing—the flight back was terrible! One more thing--”

The Informant couldn’t help himself—he cracked up. The Techie glanced at him and lost it, too, prompting the others to crack up, as well.

Their friendship started with a laugh, the Informant realized. Laughter would forever be a precious commodity between them, but one that he knew would always be there in their future.

And that was more than enough for him.