Shadows and Stardust: A Tale of Ambition & Quest for Recognition

In the mind of a serial killer, there's a twisted logic, a pattern. To catch them, we must unravel their thoughts, anticipate their moves, and delve into the darkest corners of the human soul. – Chief Inspector Hoover

Operation Menu: Phase Dinner (D-144.1 hours)

FRAGO: Operation: Marianne*'s Vigil (D Zero hour)

T.C.'s hands dove into his bag, retrieving a sprawling map of Battle City, his fingers dancing with urgency as he pinned it to the wall. He could feel Estelle’s eyes digging into him. Once he finished, she offered only a subtle nod of approval.

"So, let me get this straight. Some clown is out there loppin' heads off NPCs and scattering their bodies across Battle City?" T.C. questioned, his voice edged with slight caution.

"That's the gist of it," Heather replied, swiftly shedding her jacket, her movements swift and businesslike.

Whisper hunched over her notebook, her pen dancing across the pages as she scribbled notes. Tauru, his fingers deftly shuffling his Tarot deck, kept an eye on the room from his corner.

"And if the police are already on the case, why should we care?" T.C. pressed, his tone tinged with skepticism, yet unable to mask the curiosity that flickered in his eyes.

Before Heather could respond, Estelle strode purposefully to the center of the room and snapped her fingers.

"Because Guillotine isn't just mocking us within the boundaries of our territory," Estelle declared as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “But…”

"Exactly," Heather interrupted while placing pins on the map. "Production at the Iron Mine, has dropped off by 3.14 percent from the graveyard shift because of this Guillotine mess."

Tauru and Whisper shared a suppressed chuckle, their hands quickly covering their mouths to stifle their amusement. Estelle, annoyed by the interruption, clenched her hand into a fist, her glare fixed firmly on Heather who looked over her shoulder and smirked.

"Sure, 3.15 percent," T.C. replied, rolling his eyes dismissively. "But seriously, this punk has been wreaking havoc since S2. Why haven't the police done anything, or for that matter, any of the other crews?"

Whisper, abandoning her usual silence, calmly placed her book down and retrieved a double-bladed knife from her boot. Her eyes glinted mischief as she pushed back the cuticles of her fingernails.

"The contagion of 'what's-in-it-for-me-ism' is easily spread to the apathetic," she remarked, her voice dripping with irony. "Now that Gill is presumably running loose on our turf, we get to end him, Boss Kitty?"

Estelle's sharp, purple eyes flickered between her companions, gauging their resolve and determination.

"Absolutely," Estelle replied, as she cracked her knuckles.

Whisper slammed her dagger onto the table, the sound echoing through the room. Triumph barked loudly.

"About time we had some fun," Whisper said. “Let’s go hunt the hunter. What’s the plan?”

Estelle crossed her arms, her fingers tapping methodically against her bicep as she focused intently on the map before her. Tauru’s head tapped against the light, as Estelle's concentration deepened. Her eyes fixated on the map, the world around her blurred, and the voices of her companions faded into a distant hum. Time stretched thin as her movements became deliberate, her fingers moved slower.

In her mind's eye, translucent words materialized, followed by tracers of images and intricate patterns. The swinging light hung frozen in the air, a mere backdrop to Estelle's calculations. A vivid green diamond appeared in her imagination, intersected by a swift, shifting blue line. It contorted and bent, its form transforming with rapid fluidity until it abruptly halted.

Estelle blinked a few times, clearing her vision and returning her perception back to normal.

The light’s pendulum motion began again. Tauru reached up and stopped the light from moving.

"Heather and Whisper," Estelle stated firmly, "You two are responsible for surveillance retrieval. Access all available CC systems from Guillotine's last crime scene and interview witnesses. Break through the NPC’s wall silence; we need information."

"By hook or by crook," Whisper interjected, her boot knife finding its sheath before she leaped off the table.

Estelle approached the map, rising onto her toes to tap each of the thirteen pins with the tip of her finger and counting to herself.

"T.C. and Indigo," she continued, her voice unwavering, "Your task is data retrieval. We must understand what the police have discovered before we can construct a comprehensive geographic and psychological profile.”

Triumph wagged his tail in agreement.

"And what about me, Boss Kitty?" Tauru inquired, carefully stowing his Tarot cards back into his jacket.

"Crime scene analysis, alongside me," Estelle stated firmly. "Thornewoods, maintain checks every 37 minutes. Guard your thoughts; I won't allow Guillotine to glean anything from our consciousness through the Akashic record. We'll rotate our telepathic paths after each check-in. For tertiary communication, we rely on our cell phones, followed by the radio."

Tauru tightened his fingerless leather gloves and cracked his neck with a loud pop.

"You all heard Boss Kitty, go gear up," Tauru boomed. "Let's find this cunt and fuck him up."

***