NOVEL NEXT Salsa-estigation (2).
[Paradise Mall, America. 0000 Hours]
The entire mall was mostly covered in the darkness of night and was full of solitude, as no people were walking down the aisles, or shopping in various shops as they do in the morning. Only a few security guards could be seen walking around the mall doing their patrolling duty with flashlights in their hands.
One such security guard could be seen walking past the shop Salsa & Salsa. He was listening to songs, waving the flashlight in rhythms. When he passed through the shop, one of the tiles on the floor slid opened and two heads popped out. A Baldhead and Redhead.
"We are stealth ninjas. We make no sound." Gru theatrically said to Lucy.
"Right? Gotcha." Lucy climbs up the hole and closes in for the restaurant door, Gru follows back.
"IIIIAAAHHHH!!!" Lucy front kicked the door open, clearly going against Gru's advice, but he could only sigh as he knew by now how Lucy acts.
"Alright, El Macho. you are going down tonight..."
"Wait!!" Lucy stopped Gru on his tracks.
"Why?"
"We are in Enemy's lair. Booby Traps could be placed anywhere."
"There is no such thing as Booby trap here." Gru walked forward ignoring Lucy's warning but he walked into a string which stretched, ringing a bell.
"HAH!! BOOBY!!" Lucy pointed to the ringing bell.
Gru became vigilant, looking all around to see the rest of the trap.
A door opened up and a huge shadow could be seen walking towards them. Gru backed off a little getting close to Lucy.
The shadow kept coming closer and closer. Both of them got ready and took their fighting stance. Increasing Heartbeats. Sweating Foreheads. Anxious Minds.
Gru was anxious to confront the legendary SuperVillain of Mexico, and Lucy was nervous as this was her first mission. The shadow crept closer and closer,
*PKAAK*
But much to their disappointment, the much-anticipated enemy turned out to be a chicken.
Both the trespassing 'agents' relaxed and looked at the chicken.
"Are you lost, little guy? You must be lost..." Lucy bent down and called the chicken like it was a puppy.
"Some guard dog." Gru made a snarky remark which was met by serious retaliation by the chicken.
The chicken jumped onto Gru's baldhead and started pecking on it.
"Get it off me... Get it off me... Get it off meeeee...AAAAA!!!" Gru started jumping around with his hands flailing around his head, trying to catch the damned chicken.
Lucy also joined her hands in the game of catch the chicken but failed to catch the super agile chicken.
So she pulled one of the tablecloths from the tables and covered Gru entirely. She then landed punches left and right at the approximate locations of the chicken. She then removed the cloth and found a beaten-up Gru and the unscathed chicken.
The chicken jumped off Gru to make some distance and then ran again to attack the duo.
This time Lucy stretched her hand towards the chicken and shot a blue liquid from her watch.
The chicken was unable to dodge the shot liquid and got entrapped in it. The liquid quickly solidified, immobilizing the chicken. The chicken could only cock his head in desperation to attack them.
Gru stood up groggily, after being beaten black and blue it was quite difficult for him to gain balance for some time. He stared at Lucy for some time with half-opened eyes.
"What is wrong with this chicken... Hey...That Pollo is Loco... Hehehe" Lucy tried to remove the awkwardness, but it didn't happen.
Gru moved on his way to the inner part of the restaurant, the Kitchen.
Lucy gives him X-ray goggles to look for some clues. Gru looks around and finds a jar filled with something peculiar colored, up to the brim.
"I knew it!!! I knew it!!! It was El Macho from the start..."
Gru went close to a family picture of Eduardo, his mother, and a chicken which reveals a safe. He removes the painting and plants a device on it, which opens the safe.
"Hahahaha... El Macho goes down... Gru for the win baby.."
He found that the jar was the only thing inside the safe. He quickly picked it up but he found nothing but other than another disappointment. Lucy came from behind and looked at the jar.
"Eduardo's Secret Salsa Recipe." Lucy read the label on the jar.
______________________________________
Eduardo entered his restaurant through the broken door. He was constantly in a state of vigilance, looking all around to find the trespasser. He picked up a knife and walked forward.
*PKAAK*
The immobilized chicken screamed out. Eduardo quickly rushed to the chicken and picked it up.
"Pollito~ Poor little you. Can you hear me Who did this to such a sweet little chicken?"
He then saw that some of the kitchen lights were on.
"Who's there?" Eduardo shouted, alarming Gru and Lucy inside, who eating nachos dipping them in the salsa.
"You coming out or am I go in?"
Gru quickly took out a laser cutter and made a hole in the roof.
"HAH!!" When Eduardo entered the Kitchen, he saw two people climbing up the roof through the hole. Because of darkness, he couldn't see the faces of the trespassers.
Lucy quickly shot Epoxy from her Watch Epoxy Shooter on Eduardo's face and blinded his vision.
Both of them then ran out of the shop.
"Gru... I think it is time to call your Muchkins."
Gru took out a walkie-talkie, "Dave!! We have been spotted. Come. Quick."
______________
Two Minions could be seen waiting outside the mall Minions waiting outside the mall in a small blue car.
Dave: "Le patron a appelé"
Larry: "Prends le vola"
Both of them entered Lucy's car. Dave took the steering and Larry took the accelerator.
______________
A blue car ran inside the mall at very high speed, smashing through the main entrance.
Dave: "Rapide... trop rapide" Dave panicked.
Larry only laughed maniacally and pushed the accelerator more.
...
Gru and Lucy waved their hands in the air, to get the Minions' attention but the car was way out of control to stop for Gru and Lucy. Gru chased behind the car with Lucy following him.
While he was chasing the car, Eduardo comes out of the restaurant.
Watching him coming out, Gru and Lucy hid behind a wall but unfortunately made a cactus replica stumble which caught Eduardo's attention.
"Ho Ho I got you now.." Eduardo pulled out six knives and slowly approached the duo, but after a few steps, he was thrown like a sack of potatoes, as he was hit by a little blue car.
The door opens for the duo. Gru and Lucy quickly entered the car and made their escape.
...
The car smashed out through the glass wall of the mall, then it started to fall, as it smashed the wall of the 3rd floor. During the fall, Lucy pressed a button, and changes started to occur in the car. The wheels got covered, two huge wings and jet exhaust popped out of the car.
The falling car stopped mid-air and then flew off in the dark skies.
___________________________
[AVL Submarine Base]
Lucy and Gru were walking down the corridors to the Conference Hall. Lucy was nervous to meet the Director as this was her first mission, and she executed an infiltration plan which failed- in the infiltration part as well in producing results.
But just outside the hall, they met the partner they left uninformed of the infiltration, Iwao Oguro aka Knuckleduster.
"So~ How was the infiltration? Found something other than Salsa and Nachos?" Knuckleduster made a snarky remark at the duo.
"You knew it?" Lucy asked.
"You were discussing to do that in the middle of the shop and I was in the kitchen. It was clearly audible what were you planning. And I also heard the part of excluding me from the plan but you know what? if you had asked me to join you, I would have refused. Without a second thought."
"Why didn't you stop us?" Gru came forward this time.
"Why would I do that? You claim to be an Ex-Villain and you are an agent. Most importantly You two are adults. Made a bad choice on your own, Face the consequences on your own."
"You know what? I don't like you..." Gru said and went inside the conference hall pushing Knuckleduster aside.
"The feeling is mutual." Saying that Knuckleduster also entered the conference hall.
_____________
The three of them were now sitting in front of the Director of AVL, Silas Ramsbottom. Lucy reported about the 'task' they executed to find the PX-41 sample in the mall. Each and every detail.
"I am sorry, but El Macho? A dead villain of the past? Your suspect on the first day of the investigation is a dead villain?"
"Yes..." Lucy meekly replied.
"And may I know the reason."
"Gru's instincts..."
"*Sigh* What about you Mr. Oguro? Any progress?" Ramsbottom sighed after listening to Lucy's answer. He then turned Knuckleduster.
"Not much progress but a suspect in sight."
"Who?"
"Floyd Eaglesan. Owner of Eagle Hair Club."
Ramsbottom was now interested in listening to the details as the suspect was not a dead villain and sounded a bit reasonable. Taking Ramsbottom's silence as his cue, Knuckleduster went into details.
"Floyd Eaglesan has been eyeing on Gru the moment he has entered the mall. And He visited the shop 3 times but was not interested in cupcakes. Instead, he asked about Gru. There is a possibility that he is the main perpetrator and the presence of another villain in the mall has made him vigilant.
It is unclear whether he knows AVL's Investigation, but I think he is more concerned about Gru. And there is another possibility..."
"And that is," Ramsbottom was pleased with Knuckleduster's report. He wanted to know what the Ex-hero has more to say. But it was just a disappointment.
"Floyd is gay and he is interested in Gru."
"WHAAA...LALALALA!!!!----" Gru who was sitting peacefully jumped off his seat and started screaming, just to take that sentence out of his head.
Ramsbottom sighed listening to the other possibility but couldn't refute it, as this possibility validates Floyd's strange behavior.
"Well, after listening to the reports, I want Mr. Oguro to lead the investigation of the case. Agent Wilde, Mr. Gru. I hope you will cooperate."
Lucy only nodded her head, but Gru protested
"I don't remember agreeing to follow your order, Ramsbottom. You asked for my help as an Ex-Villain. I agreed to it. That doesn't mean I will follow each and everything you say." Gru then left the hall.
Ramsbottom expected something like this. So he didn't try to stop Gru. Instead, he turned to Knuckleduster.
"Mr. Oguro, According to you how long will it take to find the perpetrator?"
"Around 4-5 days."
"Reason..."
"A thief broke into one of the shops of the mall. This news will be circulated among the shop owners and certainly will reach our 6 potential suspects. And the real perpetrator will be now more vigilant than before and may try to destroy evidence."
"Then shouldn't we act as soon as possible before the evidence gets destroyed."
"I want to find the lab and source of PX-41 that was stolen from the Arctic. The perpetrator will bring out the evidence to destroy it. And that is the moment that we will capitalize on. The moment he brings out the evidence, the sensors that I placed around the mall to track traces of PX-41 will notify us but I want you to don't act on the perpetrator now. Let him bring us to the source. And then we can act."
"Certainly a bright plan Mr. Oguro. It seems threatening you to do this work was not bad at all."
"Don't think I am doing this because you threatened me. When the mission ends, I will need some things from you. Things like Information and Resources. I will take them as my reward for completing the investigation."
Knuckleduster said that and left the hall as well.
...
Knuckleduster was walking down the corridors of the AVL Base, with a serious expression on his face.
'Whatever I said in the meeting was bullcrap. I just want to delay the mission for more days so that the team can arrive here. This mission needs to be completed by Night Slash, or we will be dragged around by our nose by these organizations. And we need good relations with these organizations as well.
Gru had the lead in the investigation as he had a suspect but it turned out to be a gut feeling. I have already rejected Gru's help in Giran's mission as I placed my hopes on AVL. If he had completed the investigation, It would be bad.
It is good now that I have the command over the investigation. I can now control the flow of investigation.
Just 3 more days.'