Outside the Mirage

#20: A Cold Vacation

"So let me get this straight," Hanson growled. "You want to abandon the Cultist case to go trek through the snows of Alaska?"

"We're not abandoning anything," Merlyn replied. "We believe that Bennett may be connected to the Cultists, probably their leader."

"And if he is, we'll really just be on the case," Vanessa added.

"And why do you believe this? A vision?"

"Yes," Merlyn said. "Right now, he's our best option."

"But in order to pursue this path directly," Vanessa said, "we're going to have to abandon the front line aspect of the case."

Hanson pursed his lips and rubbed his hands together uncomfortably. "This is rather unusual. Sending one of my best out to find a ghost seems like a bad idea."

"I have a solution," Merlyn offered. Vanessa gave him a sideways glance.

"A solution?" Hanson questioned, crossing his arms. "What would that be?"

"Yeah, what would that be, Sheffield?" Vanessa asked.

"During our time away," Merlyn suggested, "you put someone else on the case."

"Like who?" Hanson asked.

"Special Agent John Layfield," Merlyn said. "He's a good agent and he's bored."

Hanson shifted in his seat. "Layfield, huh?"

"Yes, Layfield."

"Alright," Hanson said. "I'm going to give you guys one month. What day is it?"

"January 20th," Vanessa said.

"Alright, so February 20th," Hanson said, "I want you two back in Gunner's Run. In the meanwhile, I'm going to temporarily assign Special Agent Layfield to the Cultist case. If you're not back in time, I'll make their assignment permanent. Understood?"

"Perfectly," Merlyn said. "We'll leave tonight."

"We already bought the plane tickets," Vanessa said excitedly.

"You're taking a plane?" Hanson grumbled. "You could just as easily use the Chant of Akadi and pop through a door straight into Alaska."

"We could," Merlyn agreed, "but Ms. Moreland has actually never been on a plane before. She was very excited to go."

Hanson rolled his eyes. "Get out of here then. One month won't last forever."

The two walked out of Hanson's office and into a ornate circular room. Vanessa looked around at the variety of strange art pieces along the wall, frowning as she realized there was no obvious exit. "Sheffield, where are we?"

"We're at the Directory," he said. "It's the main hub of B.R.O.M. The offices to all thirteen Deputy-Directors are here as well as the offices of the Heraldry, a few big names in education, the Director of the whole of our organization and a few other bits and bobs."

"Right, but how are going to get, ya know? Home?"

Merlyn rolled his eyes. "You've been watching me perform feats of incredible magic for nearly two months now, Vanessa, why do you doubt me so?"

"Because I've also seen you get beat by just a regular dude with a big knife," Vanessa said.

"That's mean," Merlyn grumbled. "I'm still kind of feeling that stab wound."

"Right," Vanessa said. "That's my point, buddy. Maybe you can perform magic feats but Harry Potter never got stabbed in the back. Come to think of it, neither have I."