Gar and Quark walked through the California Academy of Sciences. Ahead of them was the same docent who was with the children and the head of security. Guests stopped and stared at them as they passed, but no one interrupted.
“We have never had anything stolen like this. And it really is bad we were given the special opportunity to show this before it sat in a laboratory for years.” The docent lamented.
Quark asked, “Why were you given this special opportunity?”
She answered, “The head of the mineral department is close friends with the specialist at the laboratory. They needed time to set some stuff up, so they agreed to let us show it for a few days. Just a few short days, and it’s stolen.”
The head of security said, “We’ve checked every avenue of entrance and escape. Whoever did this was amazing. She disturbed nothing and our cameras never stopped, but never caught her. If we didn’t have a classroom of eyewitnesses, I’d say the stone just vanished on its own. We don’t even know which direction she went after leaving the room.”
Gar smiled. “We brought someone who might help.”
Quark scoffed, “So he says. I think Nova should have sent someone else. Where is that metalhead anyway?” He turned around to find they were missing the third hero.
Before he had a chance to look, everyone lurched forward when an earsplitting roar from a guitar echoing down the hall. It was followed by hi-pitched screeches and then a low rumbling. People throughout the museum covered their ears, some even fled to the safety of the outdoors.
“This way!” Quark pointed.
Gar frowned, “WHAT?”
“THIS WAY!”
They followed the ever-growing cacophony of a shrieking guitar solo up to a huge landing where a faux dinosaur statue. The skeleton towered over a crowd of cowering people holding their ears. Chromatic Death stood before it as he wailed on his guitar.
Quark failed in an attempt to say something through the deafening noise. He finally held up his hand, and the green striped guitar flashed and suddenly Chromatic held a duck.
“WHAT THE HELL!” Chromatic nearly strangled the creature.
Quark and the rest of the people all popped their ears and checked to see how much damage was done. Gar seemed the least affected, but even he poked a finger in his ear as he attempted to dig out the remaining ringing.
Quark said, “What in heaven’s name were you doing? Trying to deafen everyone?”
Chromatic held up the duck. “CHANGE IT BACK, THAT WAS A SPECIAL MADE PRS CUSTOM 24.”
Quark sneered but waved his hand, and the guitar returned. “There. Now, can we get back to work?”
“Fine.” Chromatic walked a few steps and then bellowed, “WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STRINGS!” He wagged around the now broken set of strings on his prized guitar.
Quark snickered, “oops. My powers are not working right.” He left.
Gar gestured for Chromatic to walk and the pair followed Quark back to the waiting docent and security.
Gar asked, “Why did you play that loud thing?”
“Oh, some brat asked me why I had a guitar. I said I like to play music, and it’s one of my weapons. He said, ‘you can’t play that without it being plugged in.’ So I showed him.”
When they got back to the waiting museum officials, there was a moment of explaining, and then they entered the now sealed gem and mineral display room.
After time for the security to detail what little they knew, Chromatic stepped up. “Okay, so it’s my time to shine.”
“And just what are you going to do?” The security asked, still perturbed by the impromptu concert.
“I ain’t called Chromatic just because it’s fun to say. I have special powers over both musical energy and color spectrum. Watch.” He looked around for a moment and then his eyes became like prisms, shining colorful light. The room filled with this display, bathing all the surfaces in swirling hues.
Gar mused, “It’s so pretty.”
“Ya and makes really cool effects when I’m performing for my fans.”
Quark asked, “What’s the point of all this?”
Chromatic stood beside Quark and yanked his head over, pointing at the floor with his other hand. “See that, blue cheese. To you, it’s just a psychedelic coloring, but to me, I see footprints and waves of residual energy. I can see where our friend went.”
Quark pulled away from his grip. “So? How can you tell? They’ve had dozens of people checking this room, and there was an entire classroom of children.”
“Trust me, I can tell the differences. This is our culprit. I just need to follow this.” He walked around the pedestal a few times and then right out of the room. Gar and Quark followed Chromatic, the head of security was behind them, calling ahead so that their path was clear.
After a long walk, up a wall, and to the roof, down an exterior wall, and across the park, they stopped right next to a bus station.
“So, it’s a dead-end?” Gar asked.
Chromatic said, “Nope. We just gotta take the same bus.”
They waited a long time, going through several buses before the right one arrived. A ride later, out of the terminal, and over to the airport, they came to a desk where the Gamma Airlines agent gave them a funny look.
“Can I help you?”
Quark said, “I hope so. We’re looking for a woman who we believe stopped here yesterday and maybe bought a ticket?”
“I see. Well, you will need to contact the police and have an official warrant issued so we can search our files.”
“We don’t...stop it...we don’t...what?” Quark looked up to Gar, who had been tapping his shoulder. Gar pointed away.
Chromatic Death had continued walking and now stood in the middle of a set of seats. He hollered out, “Hey Blueberry Muffin, she sat here and waited a while.”
Quark’s right eye twitched, and then he regained his congenial smile and asked the clerk. “What flight left from that terminal yesterday after 2 pm? I doubt we need a warrant to ask that.”
“Let’s see. Yesterday, we had a flight from that...yes, we had one to Kentucky at 2:30 pm, and then at 5...”
“She wouldn’t have waited that long. She went to Kentucky? Why?” Quark asked.
The agent said, “I don’t know?”
“I wasn’t asking you. Thank you for your help.” He left the desk and ordered Gar, “Go get our friend, I need to contact Nova.”
Quark stepped outside the airport and held up his communicator. The interior of the Operations center on the station came on the screen, with Nova at the center. “Quark, I have good news.”
“What, sir?”
“The President of the US has helped coordinate an international effort and with the help of the UN, they have transported all known remaining ruby shards to United States Soil. This was done in secrecy, though I would liked to have been informed of the operation. However, it was accomplished without any issues. The delegates of the UN were able to transport their shards without notice in the guise of a special UN council meeting.”
“That’s good, sir. Where are they being stored?”
“The President authorized storage space within the deepest secret vaults of Fort Knox.”
“Fort...Knox, as in Kentucky?”
Nova stuck one eyebrow up. “Yes. Is that a problem?”
“We have reason to believe our jewel thief left for Kentucky yesterday.”
“This is not good. Get to Fort Knox at once.”
“Understood.” Quark flicked off his communicator just as Gar came out with Chromatic.
Chromatic said, “What’s up, bluebell?”
“MY NAME’S STRANGE QUARK!”
“Whatever.”
Quark spent a moment considering the amount of trouble he’d get in for turning another hero into a brick. Disregarding this, he said, “We have to head to Kentucky right away. Come on.”
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