by Mhiko Kihonae
The Scarlet Angel, escapists extraordinaire and thief of the hearts of many. The poster child of the Angelics and the thorn in the side of the police.
Was stuck.
Scarlet Angel beat against the self-locking door that had closed on his red scarf. It was bad enough that the silk would be wrinkled, but to be caught by the police in this state would forever ruin the legend of the Scarlet Angel. He almost cried out in rage, wanting very badly to scream at the cursed door, but he bit it back. He wouldn�t let himself be caught on account of losing his temper. Finally Sapphire Wings managed to get the door to open again. Angel glared at her silently, and she shrugged. He was positive that she had taken her sweet time on purpose.
�Look, just go disable the motion sensors, ok?� Angel whispered. �I�ll take care of the cameras.�
�With your wall run?� Sapphire asked slyly. Angel pointed stiffly in the direction of the security room and remained pointing until Sapphire flounced away.
He snuck to the window, looking out carefully. His now calm, collected gaze swept over the crowd. He searched for Andrea, finally spotting her yelling at a police officer as she tried to get inside the museum. Takeshi stood beside her, looking as if he wanted to disappear into his shirt rather than be seen with Andrea.
�Good old Takeshi,� Angel murmured to himself. �What a guy.�
He turned to face the room, pulling out a spray canister from his belt. He shook it a little and then sprayed the clear liquid by his feet. Sure enough, red lines lit up the floor around him.
�How are you doing with that, Sapphire?� Angel whispered, the communications device on his ear transmitting the message to his partner.
�Almost�� came Sapphire�s reply. The red lines blinked out.
�Good girl,� Angel commended her quietly. �And the cameras?�
�You�ll have to do it manually,� Sapphire answered. �The switch is keyed.�
�Alright then,� Angel replied. Stupid police never thought to actually put guards inside the building. Sometimes he thought that the special force designed to combat the Angelics was open only to morons.
�The blue idiots are still outside, Sapphire,� Angel whispered. �You should see the trouble that Andrea is giving them.�
�We�re not rooting for Andrea, Angel,� Sapphire reminded him. �She�s��
�What?� Angel interrupter her. �A smart young woman? An ace reporter?�
�No,� Sapphire replied.
�Then what would you call her?� Angel asked.
�Yes, Alex,� Sapphire responded, �I�ll take �Major Threat� for 500.�
�Oh be quiet,� Scarlet Angel snapped. �She is not.�
��You like her.�
�I-I do not!�
�Doesn�t matter what costume you�re wearing; underneath you�re still just a simple freshman, aren�t you?�
�I�m disabling the cameras, so you can just shut up and let me concentrate now.�
�Whatever, lover boy.�
Angel turned the com link off, disgusted. He muttered angrily to himself as he leapt on top of the desk, cutting the cord of the main camera.
�Dumb Sapphire, what does she know?� Angel said crossly, crouching. He ran along the desk, then planted his feet on the wall and ran parallel to the floor. He ran straight under the second camera, his knife cutting the wire as he slipped by. He landed on the floor almost silently, jumping onto a display next to the wall and slicing the wire of the camera directly above him. Using the camera as an anchoring point, Angel swung himself up and shot a line into the ceiling. He dangled for a moment by his right arm, then kicked his feet in unison. Swaying in the air, he avoided the view of the fourth camera. He let go as soon as he had swung far enough, somersaulting in the air and landing gingerly on the camera�s wall mount. He reached down quickly and pulled the wire out. He counted mentally, keeping his balance with one hand.
�Four cameras,� Angel said to himself, smiling beneath his silk scarf. �Perfect.�
He grabbed the mount with both hands and let himself tip over, swinging up side down. He stretched out his legs slowly and let go, dropping to the ground.
�I didn�t come up on the monitors, did I?� Angel asked as he turned the com link back on.
�No, you didn�t,� Sapphire replied. �I saw a little of your scarf, but we should entertain the police somehow, right?�
�Right,� Angel affirmed, grinning like a madman. Just the briefest flutter of his famous red scarf would keep the police on their toes for weeks.
�I love this job,� Angel whispered.
�You would,� Sapphire replied dryly.
Scarlet Angel strode over to the Scroll of Integration, his pace confident. He bent over the display like he was hugging it, his fingers feeling the seam of the glass. He stopped, his finger finding a nearly imperceptible crack. Keeping one finger on the crack, Angel reached into one of his pockets and retrieved a screwdriver used to repair his father�s reading glasses. He pushed the tip into the space, and then rested one hand on the top of the display as he pushed up.
He was rewarded with a loud, sharp crack as the glass began to give way. He withdrew the screwdriver and flipped it around, holding it by the tip, pressing his hand down on the top of the display intensely. With mild force, he smacked the handle into the center of the now considerably large crack, pushing on the top with much of his weight. The glass became a web of fractures, and it only took a little more pressure for the glass to shatter. Most of the pieces sprayed outward, leaving one side of the display case cleanly missing. Angel reached inside and grabbed the scroll, rolling it up gingerly and putting it inside a protective plastic tube between four posters that came off his own bedroom wall. He commended himself for a splendid puzzle. Let the police wonder how he managed to break the glass from the inside.
�Scarlet, let�s go!� Sapphire whispered. �The blue idiots are coming!�
�Right,� Angel replied. �I�ve got the scroll.�
�Good,� Sapphire answered. �Meet you on the roof.�
�Got it.�
Angel slipped the tube into a holster-like area on his belt. Footsteps flooded the hallway, and he knew it was time to go. He jumped on top of another case, leaping at the line that still hung from the ceiling. He pressed a button on the line�s mechanism, and the chord began to rewind, pulling him up.
�Hold it right there, Scarlet Angel!� a policeman shouted from below. Angel just grinned at the man, saluting him with his free hand.
�Stop, or we�ll shoot!� another threatened.
�Love to help, boys, but I�ve got a date tonight,� Angel replied, swinging his legs. He gathered momentum, then pressed the release button, holding his arms up to shield his face. He went flying though the air, crashing through the tall windows and into the glaring beam of the searchlight. The people below screamed and cheered as Scarlet Angel burst into view, his red silk scarf whipping behind him. He twisted in midair, shooting out the line again. It stuck in the side of the building and he pressed the rewind button. He was immediately jerked towards the wall. He planted his feet firmly against it, looking as if he was crouching sideways. He twisted to look at the crowd, squinting against the blinding lights.
�We love you, Scarlet Angel!� a voice screamed above the others.
Angel winked and saluted casually, drawing a renewed round of excited screams from the onlookers. He grabbed the edge of the roof with one hand and vaulted himself over it, landing just out of sight. He stood and sighed, his scarf letting off a bloody glow as the light shone behind him, fluttering in the wind.
�It would be a dramatic silhouette if you weren�t my brother,� Sapphire Wings said, arms crossed and hips tilted in a cocky, feminine manner. �But I know you too well for that, now, don�t I?�
�You�re a spoilsport,� Angel replied, his eyes sharp as he gazed at her over his scarf. Sapphire stood just outside the light, her navy blue shirt and pants broken only by her sky colored masquerade mask and blue wing-like patterns on the back of her shirt.
�Do you have the scroll for me, Scarlet?� Sapphire asked a little impatiently, holding out her white-gloved hand.
�Here,� Angel replied, tossing the tube to Sapphire lightly. She caught it and holstered it in her belt, smiling at him.
�Good job,� she looked over the roof, frowning at the police. �Now let�s get out of here.�
�Right,� Angel nodded. �Oh, uh, I�ll catch you later, Sapphire, I have a previous engagement.�
�Whatever. Just be home by twelve or Dad will have a heart attack,� Sapphire took a few tentative steps backwards, then leapt off the roof�s edge. Angel knew that the van was below, and that Sapphire would get home safely. Sure his dad would flip, but he deserved it after giving them so little time to plan. He crouched and crept towards the crowd, avoiding the spotlight.
�Move, Takeshi,� he warned in a quiet voice. �Move now.�
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
�Takeshi, do you see him?�
Takeshi�s eyes were wide as he stared at the edge of the roof where the Scarlet Angel stood with his back to the crowd. The blood red scarf flowed behind him dramatically, and his platinum blond hair whipped in the wind. He handed something to a shadowed figure�probably Sapphire Wings�and vanished from the searchlight�s view. Andrea had momentarily stopped arguing with the police officer that had kept her at bay for the past half hour to gaze in awe as the Scarlet Angel had come shooting out of the window, fragments of glass shimmering around him in the bright light like sharp-edged rain. He had sat on the wall like his feet had glue on them, gazing out over the crowd.
�Stupid kid acts like he can defy the laws of physics, too,� the policeman had growled as a girl behind them screamed �We love you, Scarlet Angel!�. The Scarlet Angel had winked slyly and saluted to the crowd with two fingers before jumping to the roof. Now Andrea stood beside Takeshi, barely breathing as she scanned the rooftop for any sign of the Scarlet Angel. She pushed her glasses up on her nose and turned back to the police officer.
�See?!� she demanded, pointing accusingly at the rooftop. �You�re letting him get away! If I was up there, this wouldn�t be happening!�
�You look here, miss,� the police officer yelled, trying to control his temper. �I�m just trying to��
Takeshi glanced up at the roof just in time to catch a glimpse of a light blonde head of hair pop up over the lip of the roof, then disappear again.
�Andrea, we should go,� Takeshi said suddenly, tugging on Andrea�s sleeve. �I got this feeling��
�I�m not leaving until I see the Scarlet Angel up close and personal!� Andrea pulled her arm away from Takeshi. �I won�t take one step!�
As if the night had spit him out of the air, the Scarlet Angel dropped directly between Andrea and the police officer. He couldn�t have been more than an inch from her face, his eyes showing the cocky grin that his famous scarf hid.
�Hi,� he said casually. Andrea stammered incoherently, fumbling for an explanation for the sudden appearance of the very person she�d been ranting for.
�Close enough for you?� Takeshi managed, feeling pretty shell-shocked himself. He felt like he was in the presence a prince with the self-assured, mysterious Scarlet Angel standing not two feet away from him.
�Mind if I borrow your date?� Scarlet Angel asked Takeshi, putting his hand on Takeshi�s shoulder. �Bye then.�
He lifted Andrea into his arms and leapt into the air, the night swallowing him up as suddenly as it had revealed him. The policeman rushed off, shouting orders to his men, leaving Takeshi standing alone on the stairs. Dazed, he put his hand where the Scarlet Angel had touched him, and felt something that had not been there before. He withdrew his hand and, sure enough, there was a slip of paper in his palm. It was written in a flowing script befitting the Scarlet Angel�s fluid mannerism:
We will be awaiting you at the top of the Rosefeild Belltower. Don�t keep us for long.
~The Scarlet Angel
Takeshi stared at the paper incomprehensively for a moment, then glanced around nervously. The police had been swallowed up by the excited crowd, and no one seemed to notice that he was standing there alone. He gripped the paper tightly, hurrying in the direction of the belltower.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was all that Andrea could do to cling to the Scarlet Angel as they made their way through the alleys, darting crazily to and fro. Andrea closed her eyes against the reeling world around her, burying her face in the Scarlet Angel�s chest. She heard him chuckling softly.
�Hold on,� he said, �we�re almost there.�
They took a steep dive, drawing a scream out of Andrea. They stopped sharply, and Andrea realized that they were hanging from a nearly invisible line. Scarlet Angel�s right hand gripped the wire while his left arm wrapped around Andrea. He looked down at her, his eyes glimmering softly.
�Don�t be afraid,� he told her. �I�ve got you.�
Andrea nodded mutely, and he pressed a button on the line�s control mechanism. They were being pulled up slowly, higher and higher. Finally they stopped, and he swung them into an arched window. When they landed�lightly thanks to the Scarlet Angel�s agility�he set her down gently. Andrea immediately fell to her knees.
�Can�t find your legs?� Angel asked, a smirk in his voice.
�G-give me a minute,� Andrea replied, trembling. Angel took a seat on the windowsill, one foot on the ledge and the other hanging comfortably. He rested one elbow on his knee and leaned his chin on his knuckles.
Andrea wasn�t even looking at him and she could feel his warm brown eyes on her, smiling at her with both kindness and mockery. She shivered under his stare.
�So I heard that you have a few questions for me,� Angel said after giving her a little time to recover her composure. She looked up at him, astonished.
�How did you know?� Andrea asked.
�Is that a question for your article?� he made no effort to hide his amusement.
�N-no, not really,� Andrea replied. �But how?�
�I�m just cool like that,� Angel replied, his eyes dancing.
�I-�
�Should get out your notebook,� Angel reminded her. Andrea fumbled, pulling her notebook out of her purse with clumsy fingers. She realized that she was shaking badly as she held her pencil.
�I didn�t expect to really meet with you like this,� Andrea admitted.
�Some of the most wonderful things are unexpected,� Angel cocked his head to the side, the moon shining behind him.
�Y-yeah,� she nodded. �Uh, first question��
�Come in,� Angel said suddenly.
�Huh?� Andrea blinked.
�Tell your friend to come in,� Angel repeated. �He�s outside the door.�
The door opened suddenly, and Takeshi stood breathless in the doorway.
�You-you left me a note,� Takeshi panted.
�So glad you could come,� Angel nodded towards him, smiling under his silk scarf. �Sit down.�
Takeshi didn�t need to be told twice. He dropped to the floor beside Andrea, breathing hard.
�You were going to ask your first question,� Angel said to Andrea.
�Oh yes,� Andrea nodded. �So tell me, is it very difficult to be a famous thief?�
�Being a thief or being famous?� Angel laughed. �Both have their ups and downs.�
�Let�s start with being a thief,� Andrea had apparently regained her reporter�s manner to her. She pushed her glasses up on her nose, writing his last answer.
�Being a thief is a lot harder than it looks,� Angel replied. �It takes a lot of advanced planning and careful consideration. Being famous doesn�t make it any easier.�
�Of course, for someone like you who has been doing these sorts of things for a while it must be second nature, right?�
�Mm, you could say that. It�s more like a developed skill.�
�So what�s it like to be a thief with your own fan club?�
�Fan club? It�s not all that rough considering no one harasses me when I�m off duty.�
�Meaning of course that no one knows who you really are.�
�Except for a select few, no.�
�I�m supposing you�re not going to drop us a hint concerning that, are you?�
�Not a chance,� Angel�s eyes were dancing again. �But it was a nice try.�
�So what do you do when you�re not thieving?�
�Please, thieving is such an ugly word. I prefer �expert treasure-hunting.��
�Ok, then what do you do when you�re not �expert treasure hunting�?�
�I go to school,� Angel laughed, �like other teenagers.�
�So could I guess at your age?�
�You can guess, yes, but I won�t tell you for sure,� Angel slid down so that he was lying on the sill, head tilted towards Andrea. She pushed up her glasses, a determined look in her eyes.
�Seventeen?� she asked.
Angel let out a sharp bark of laughter.
�No,� he chuckled.
�Eighteen?�
�Not even close.�
�Sixteen?�
�Closer,� Angel lay so that his head reclined backwards, looking at Andrea and Takeshi up side down. A mischievous light shone in his eyes.
�Fifteen?�
�Warmer��
�Fourteen, thirteen, twelve?�
�Two?� Takeshi put in.
�Yes!� Angel said suddenly.
�Yes to what?�
�All of them,� Angel laughed. Takeshi and Andrea exchanged confused glances and Takeshi shrugged. Andrea scribbled it down.
�Do you have any siblings?� Andrea asked.
�Don�t we all?� Angel replied.
�Not some of us,� Andrea said. �I�ve known children who had no siblings.�
�I know that.�
�So then why did you say that?�
�Say what?�
�That all of us have siblings.�
�I didn�t say that.�
�Yes you did.�
�No, I asked you if we all did.�
�Well not everyone has a sibling.�
�I told you that I already know that.�
�Then why did you ask me if you already knew that answer?!�
�Because I wanted to confuse you,� Angel grinned beneath his scarf, and Andrea realized that he was thoroughly enjoying himself. She paused, trying to think of a reply.
�You�re strange,� she said after a minute.
�Thank you. Are you going to write that in your report?� Angel asked her.
�No, I guess not,� Andrea sighed. �You�re making this hard for me.�
�Got to make you work somehow,� Angel replied. �You wouldn�t appreciate this if you didn�t have to work.�
Andrea couldn�t think of a reply to that.
�I have a question,� Takeshi said, �How come you hide under a scarf?�
�Would you rather me hide under a rock?� Angel chuckled.
�No, I mean, why do you hide your face?� Takeshi shifted his position, stretching one leg out in front of him. �If you feel so confident that you won�t get caught, then why hide?�
Andrea glanced at Takeshi sharply. That was a mean question. Why not hide? He was a thief after all; he needed to protect himself. She looked back at the Scarlet Angel and, to her surprise, he was sitting up. His head was titled down as he stared at the floor. His eyes looked sad.
�I hide because I have to, Takeshi,� Angel sighed. �If I didn�t then I�d be dead. I�ll live the rest of my life as an outlaw and I�ll never be able to rest. I�ll always be thinking that the police could break in at any moment and take me and my sister away, leaving my family with nothing. What would I do then? I�d give anything to protect her. I can�t let them hurt her. If I take off my scarf, if I let anyone know who I really am, then I�ll sign my sister�s death warrant. She wouldn�t survive in jail,� he put a hand over his eyes at the thought. �That�s why.�
�Then stop stealing!� Takeshi shouted. �It�s that easy! Stop stealing and all of that could go away!�
�I could go my whole life without so much as looking at another artifact and still be haunted,� Angel looked into Takeshi�s eyes, solemn reality in his gaze. �I�ve done what I�ve done. Nothing can change that. Have you ever heard of a man known as the Night Phantom?� Scarlet Angel stood, the breeze catching his scarf. �He�s still plagued by the things that he did, even though he tries to hide it, and he retired nine years ago. I am a criminal. No pretty title or glamorous attention can change that.�
�How do you know about the Night Phantom?� Andrea asked.
Angel looked away, his right arm holding the side of the window gently.
�I know because�� he cut himself off. �I just do.�
�Wait, I have more questions!� Andrea cried.
�I have to go,� he said. �It was lovely talking to you.�
He jumped from the window and vanished into the night. Andrea and Takeshi rushed towards the window, but he was already gone. They stood there for a few minutes, blinking in disbelief.
�That was awesome,� Andrea breathed.
�He� knew my name,� Takeshi frowned.
�What?� Andrea asked.
�He called me by my name,� Takeshi repeated. �How did he know my name?�
Andrea found herself at a loss for an explanation.
�I don�t know,� she said. �Maybe he�s someone that you know.�
�Yeah right, like who?� Takeshi scoffed. �Miki?�
�Miki?� Andrea laughed. �That would be funny!�
�Yeah,� Takeshi laughed. �You must have called me by my name sometime tonight.�
�Yeah,� Andrea agreed. �Anyway, let�s go home. I have an article to write!�