The Illicitor's Code #1

007: Monsters in New Hampshire

"What I really hate about teamwork is—yeah, you know—the other team," said a man in Clarinassa's team, whom Dim-Dim knew as Icaros Alexandrovich. The Class A Venator had a large and sturdy body, though not as big as Damian's, and his bald head was covered by a black beanie. As he strapped a belt of bullets around his large, muscular arm, he looked at Dim-Dim and smiled. "Didn't mean to offend you, Kid."

"No, I'm not offended," Dim-Dim replied. He did not feel offended, but somehow it feels like there was an unfriendly meaning in Icaros's sentence.

All the Venators around him put on their camouflage-patterned faded blue uniforms and loaded their fire weapons.

The thing is, Dim-Dim did not have a uniform. He wanted to ask Damian what he should do if he didn't have one. But as he watched his brother slip various sharp knives, daggers, and a revolver into his belt holster without looking at Dim-Dim, he realized his older brother was ignoring him.

"Here, I'll lend you my old uniform," Clarinassa suddenly spoke next to Dim-Dim, and handed him a pile of light green Venator uniform clothes. "Now put it on. We're running out of time."

"Alright. Thank you, Ms. Clark." Dim-Dim quickly put on the uniform, feeling its tough and thick surface on the outside, but quite warm and comfortable on the inside. The uniform pants were slightly too long for his legs, but he folded the excess part, and it was fine.

After the Venators were ready, they headed to the courtyard where two vans were already waiting. "Hurry up, Venators," one of the van drivers grumbled. "We need to get there before dark."

Damian, Oriyan, Charlotte, and Dr. Valee got into the first van. While Clarinassa, Icaros Alexandrovich, Florence Taslim, Xavera Mathers, and Jay Oliver got into the second van.

Dim-Dim hesitated for a moment between the two vans. He looked at his brother who stared back fiercely, and then decided to get into Clarinassa's van.

*****

"Dim-Dim, I didn't expect you to choose us," said Clarinassa as their van trailed behind Damian's team van.

"Her brother looked at him like that. Of course, he's scared," grinned Jay Oliver. He was a tall, black-skinned man with horn-rimmed glasses, and despite his goofy face, Dim-Dim was sure he was actually very smart.

"Guys, maybe we should introduce ourselves," said a woman with a soft and beautiful voice. Her black hair was cut in a wolf-cut style. "I'm Florence Taslim, by the way. Sniper on team Clark," she shook Dim-Dim's hand. "You can call me Flo."

"Xavera Mathers, Venator and paramedic," said a tall, pale-skinned man. His long black hair hung over his shoulders. "I kill monsters with a high sugar injections, fired from this." He then briefly showed Dim-Dim the crossbow he used.

"That's awesome!" exclaimed Dim-Dim as he examined the crossbow up close.

"Jay. Monster trapper," said Jay Oliver. "I play with passive and infrared weapons. If I'm on the team, you better wear infrared goggles if you don't want to get speared."

Clarinassa quickly reached into a small box beside her and handed Dim-Dim a pair of black goggles with camera-like devices attached. "Here you go... don't lose them. Jay's passive weapons are pretty gruesome. Once you cross his infrared line, well... you can imagine," she said, reluctant to explain in detail.

Dim-Dim nodded quickly and tucked the goggles into his uniform pocket. There was a piece of paper at the bottom of the uniform pocket, but Dim-Dim ignored it and looked back at Clarinassa. A question arose in his mind. "So, Ms. Clark—"

"Yes?" Clarinassa responded gently.

"What differentiates Venator A and B?"

Jay and Flo exchanged glances briefly. "Physical strength and speed, perhaps?" Flo answered.

"Clarinassa, Icaros, Damian, and Oriyan all defeated Type A monsterbots. They mastered the simulation test and scored above average, then were promoted to Class A Venators," Jay explained.

"Monsterbots?" Dim-Dim asked again.

Clarinassa nodded. "Nightmare robots," she clarified. "Designed to mimic the real monsters. Except, the stings on those robot legs don't give us sepsis, just itching."

"For a few hours," added Flo and Jay simultaneously. Their eyes conveyed to Dim-Dim how traumatic the class upgrade test was.

"Moreover, the mouths of those things, which are supposed to have thousands of super sharp needles like Type A monsters, are made of rubber sticks," said Xavera. "But it still hurts and leaves marks on the skin."

Dim-Dim fell silent. He unintentionally remembered the monster that appeared in his house in Toronto, a monster with hundreds of needles in its mouth, something perhaps to kill the prey.

"I know what you're thinking," Clarinassa said softly. "The monster that appeared in your house is indeed a Type A monster."

"Ah, remembering what happened in Ottawa and Toronto, I realize that Parenzee is a disgraceful Venator," Icaros, who had been silent until now, suddenly looked at them and said so. "He can only rely on speed. But he lacks strength and burdens everything on Damian. His passing the test was also just a coincidence. If I hadn't been sent to Florida, maybe I could have joined the Ottawa mission and caught that monster before he arrived in Toronto."

"Caros, it's better not to say bad thing about their team," Flo softly reprimanded. "Valee Campbell will open the inter-team discussion forum soon."

Just as she said that, suddenly, all Venator's phone screens lit up and vibrated, and they all put on hands-free devices in their ears. Clarinassa lent one side of her headset to Dim-Dim, and Dim-Dim put the device in his ear.

"... can you hear me?" Dr. Valee asked, and Clarinassa responded loudly and clearly.

"Yes. Can we discuss our tactics now?" Clarinassa asked.

"Yes," Dim-Dim's older brother responded hoarsely, and Dim-Dim briefly felt a spark of excitement in his chest upon hearing his brother's voice. "First, I want to say that Mew is not in good shape. She fainted this morning and still feels weak. That's why I ask Oliver or Taslim to join me and Dr. Valee to intercept the largest monster later. Taslim is better, I and Valee usually work together with a sniper."

"Fine," Flo replied.

"So... I will work with Jay Oliver, and Charlotte Mew can join us. We will focus on the smallest monster," Clarinassa said. "Icaros Alexandrovich will work with Xavera Mathers and Oriyan Parenzee, right? You three focus on the most aggressive monster."

For a moment, they were silent. As if waiting for something.

"Oi, Oreo!" Icaros suddenly snapped, making everyone jump for a moment.

"What?" Oriyan asked, his voice as cold as ice.

Icaros cursed, while Damian said hoarsely, "Parenzee, I think you can join Alexandrovich and Mathers. And you guys focus on the most aggressive monster."

Silence again.

"We don't need him," Icaros said. "He's just a burden."

His statement drew much criticism from Damian's team.

"Don't be arrogant, Icaros," Dr. Valee said.

"Do we really need to bring personal matters into a moment like this?" Charlotte grumbled. For a moment, Dim-Dim wondered what personal matter Icaros had with Oriyan.

"If this mission fails, I will mention your name to the judge first, Icaros," Damian said. "Parenzee, you can join us—"

"Damisch, you forget that we have that kid," Oriyan said, and everyone fell silent for a moment. "We should let him participate. No need to chase monsters anymore. Dim-Dim can attract the attention of that monster to stay away from the city. Oliver can set traps, A Class Venators will ensure that the three monsters do not deviate from the path and focus on chasing Illicitor. I will escort Dim-Dim to the monster trap safely. The snipers can wait around the trap. Come on, this plan is more effective, Damisch." Dim-Dim adjusted his sitting position. He had been waiting for someone to discuss his role since earlier.

"No," Damian and Clarinassa said simultaneously. "Dim-Dim hasn't received Illicitor training. I thought for today he's just observing us?" Damian said.

"I will watch over him. Don't you trust me?" Oriyan asked.

Icaros snorted. "What can you do if that kid's life is threatened, Oreo, huh? Run around in panic?"

"I'm not as foolish as you," Oriyan said harshly. "That kid can transform into an eagle, and the only one who can match his speed is me." The man fell silent for a moment. "Damisch. Do you trust me?"

"I trust you," Damian said shortly afterward. "Give the hands-free to my brother. He needs to join the discussion."

"He's been participating all along," Clarinassa said.

"Oh, good," Dr. Valee said, relieved. "Dim-Dim, do you have a plan? Do you want to transform into an eagle, like Oriyan suggested?"

"He doesn't have to be an eagle," Oriyan corrected. "But at least the animal you choose have wings and be able to fly high, 'cause the monster can't fly."

"What animal comes to your mind first?" Clarinassa asked softly. "The monster is a typical nocturnal hunter, which means they're only active from dusk until dawn, so you still have time to consider this for a few more hours, Dim-Dim."

"Can I just be an owl?" Dim-Dim voiced his thoughts. "Eurasian eagle-owl."

"Night vision," Oriyan seemed impressed. "Alright."

"That's the largest and most powerful owl in the world," Damian said. "But I just want you to fly, not fight the monster, Dim-Dim. Peregrine Falcon, maybe? It's faster."

"Or I will be the great-horned owl," Dim-Dim muttered. He didn't feel falcons were superior to owls at night.

"You both really like animals," Charlotte suddenly said.

"Our father used to be a wild animal veterinarian, and our mother used to be a fable book illustrator," Damian explained. "Their knowledge passed down to us a bit."

"Okay, then," Clarinassa said hesitantly. "Oliver, can you make a trap big enough for three monsters?"

"Leave it to me," Jay Oliver said. "But I have to warn you that killing three type A monsters at once is not an easy task. Do alittle mistake, and our team could end up like the team in Kalimantan."

"But there are four class A Venators here," Damian said. He sounded very calm. "I'm very confident this time—"

"Three," Icaros suddenly interjected. "Parenzee doesn't count."

"Oh, let's end your silly feud," Charlotte grumbled.

"We should end our discussion now and continue when we arrive at the location," Dr. Valee said. "Agreed, Clark?"

Clarinassa sighed. "Alright."

"Okay. See you at the monster gathering place!" Charlotte exclaimed, sounding eager to rest.

"See you at the monster gathering place, guys," Dr. Valee added somewhat belatedly, before ending the discussion.

*****

They arrived in New Hampshire at 5 o'clock in the evening, and by then the area around the forest where three type A monsters were detected had been evacuated of residents. After attaching communication devices to their ears and tracker bracelets to their wrists, Oliver and Dr. Valee immediately entered the forest to find a suitable location for the monster trap, while Florence and Charlotte followed them behind.

Dim-Dim, pale from the crazy speeding of the van during the journey, vomited behind some bushes. Clarinassa waited for him not far away.

"It's okay, take it easy," she reassured the pale Dim-Dim. His stomach was churning violently and painfully. "There's still time..."

"Clary?" Damian suddenly called Clarinassa, and she startled and turned around.

"Yes, Damian?"

Through the gaps in the bushes, Dim-Dim could see his brother walking towards Clarinassa, his expression hesitant. "Miller said you gave him a report that—uh... surprised him about the performance of my team. What's the essence of the report?"

Clarinassa momentarily looked taken aback by the sudden question. "Oh," she said softly. She scratched her elbow for a moment, then answered while glancing towards the bushes where Dim-Dim had vomited. "About that... I think we should discuss it after this mission," she replied with a belated and doubtful reassuring smile.

Oriyan, who was tying his shoelaces near Damian, sighed half-laughingly. "How kind of you not to burden our minds during the mission, Clark," the young man said, smiling sweetly. He straightened up and then put his hands on his hips. "Who do you think deserves to be fired by Miller this time? Me? Champbell? Mew? Damisch? Or are you going to get us all fired, just like you did with Suzuki?"

"Not now, Parenzee," Damian said quietly. "I want to ask Clary peacefully—"

"All of you," Clarinassa suddenly interrupted, and now she stared straight at Damian. Damian blinked, not understanding. "All of you are the ones I think deserve to be fired. In case you forgot, two days ago you didn't contact me when the monster in Ottawa managed to escape from you and ran to Toronto."

Oriyan threw his hands up in the air in surrender gesture, and Damian clenched his jaw.

"We'll see how your defense goes in court, when I tell the Society that you couldn't protect the old man across my house from a type B monster," Damian said. "Type B, Clary. That should've been easy for an A class Venator like you."

Okay, enough eavesdropping. Their argument made Dim-Dim uneasy.

Why can't adults who are nice to us get along?

Dim-Dim wiped his mouth with a tissue and stood up. The three Venators momentarily looked at him in surprise, as if forgetting that he was there.

"Are you okay, Dim-Dim?" Damian asked, calmly passing Clarinassa and walking towards Dim-Dim, casually glancing at Clarinassa as if he had no problems with her. "Do you want to eat something to replenish your stomach?"

Dim-Dim wasn't easily distracted. But his stomach felt empty and sore, and he knew he had to eat something before embarking on his first mission.

"I remember Charlotte had some bread," Damian said. He went into the van and returned with two slices of toast. At that moment, Clarinassa sighed, put one side of her hands-free device in Dim-Dim's ear, and then turned to walk into the forest following the others. Her machine gun gleamed in the light of the sunset.

Dim-Dim had just taken a bite of the bread when suddenly they heard the sound of an explosion from the forest, followed by the screeching sound of a monster. It was loud, high-pitched, and made small animals like birds fly away from the forest, while foxes and squirrels run away.

Seeing the animals fleeing from the forest, Dim-Dim's first instinct was to run away. He trusted animal instincts completely, and it seemed foolish not to trust them.

But the sound seemed to elicit the opposite reaction from Damian and Oriyan, who both immediately ran towards the forest. Then, a faint, stuttering cry of a child could be heard from the earpiece embedded in Dim-Dim's ear, and the cry made Damian and Oriyan furrow their brows.

"Wasn't the forest supposed to be evacuated of residents?"