The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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TennyoCeres84
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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"Huh. That would explain why Gammell couldn't just pick the locks his captors kept him in. Gammell's being controlled by something deeper than just keeping him chained up," Aislinn mentioned. "This incantation's some code I can't decipher."

***

Ciaran nodded. "I sure as hell will. Bye," he said, heading out the door. He looked over at Bucky. "Need to get someone over here. I think we should then check in with the others."

***

"I see. The whole thing's a pity," Neasa replied, frowning.
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IamLEAM1983
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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Three put a knee to the floor and started transcribing the symbols. "Welp, we'll just ask Mandrake the Magician what he thinks of that when we see him, I guess. Either that or it's back to the Institute and we go pester d'Aubignier..."

As he worked, his eyes wandered a bit. He eventually zeroed in on a little something that was poking from underneath the cot's pillow. Another tooth.

"Hey, Katherine," he called. "I've got another chopper. Ten bucks says it matches our DNA non-signature."

***

Bucky nodded. "I'll make the call on the way, you give the others a ring, see where they're at."

***

Ernest nodded. "I forget how many times I told him to consult, but-"

He sighed in a clear indication of powerlessness. "I'm just about done, I think. I'll need you to come back in two weeks for the lapels and the button placement."
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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"Right," Ciaran said, then dialing Three's phone.

***

"Alright, thank you. Who did you try to get Eric to consult, though?" Neasa inquired, not wanting to leave any stone unturned.

***

"Yeah, at least we have some puzzle pieces to really figure out what's going on," Aislinn agreed, then hearing the human's ringtone. "Your phone's ringing."
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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Katherine picked up the tooth to give it a look-over, but Three's phone rang before she could get into it. She repressed a sigh and put the object down on the desk, leaning against it to wait out the call.
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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Three answered his phone while remaining crouched, his eyes still on the sigils he was transcribing.

"Yeah, Ciaran?"

***

Ernest shrugged. "Nobody in particular; I'm not exactly versed in psychiatry, you know? I told him to check himself in, thinking of Hope General. They've got a Psych ward there, so I figure they'd spot his obvious problems."
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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"Hey, Three. Bucky and I are done checking out our end of the case, for now. Thought it'd be good to see where you guys are at and what you've found out," the male selkie answered.

***

'I really doubt this idiot went anywhere near Hope General,' Neasa thought to herself. She nodded and pursed her lips. "Hopefully, he can get himself some help," she replied, then glancing down as he was finishing up "I'm really looking forward to seeing the suit once you're done."
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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"We're good," replied the soldier. "We're at this office park in Mertown," he said, citing the address. "The place looks like it served as a sort of staging ground for some sort of engineering project. There's cubicles, old-ass computers, but recent blueprints covered in details that don't match up with any measurement system, plus more of these sigils we found.

They held Gammell captive here for a while, though. We've got a cot, a desk, an old chain and a manacle - plus a tooth, like the one we found in Romanov's gallery. Some tools were left behind. Looks like your typical watchmaker's kit to me. Precision manual screwdrivers, little tweezers, a bunch of small copper gears - some of them are really fricking small, too. Like, way too small for any wind-up watch to use. Drop them on the floor and you're stuck looking for them for two weeks kind of small. Like some of Archie's gears. I figure our hostage is well acquainted with Clanks."

He paused for a moment and observed the bit of bone he'd picked up. His thumb brushed against an odd indentation, something driving him to look down at the tooth.

Initially, it looked like damage caused by a dental drill, as if someone had tried digging into the enamel to try and get at a piece of organic debris that would have become encased in the tooth's growing outer shell. It was deep, though, and it didn't quite look like a cavity; almost as if that depression had been drilled into place after the tooth had been removed.

Drake wedged his phone between his ear and his elbow, standing up and heading for the desk as he did so. "Hold up a sec, I think there's something here..."

He rummaged around the tools on the desk and eventually found a jeweller's monocular, which he wedged against one eye. He pressed the tooth against it, the hole facing towards him. It didn't take long for Three's facial features to sag a bit.

"Holy shit," he breathed. "Someone carved gears into that tooth's pulp! How the hell would anyone manage that?! I don't think Archie has gears that are that small!"

He handed the tooth and monocular to Katherine, making sure Ciaran could still hear him. "He's definitely baiting us - look at that," he told her. "This isn't just a breadcrumb trail, it's a calling card. He's letting us know he can make things operate on that small a scale, but how does that help us?"

A quick look around allowed him to answer part of his own question. "That confirms the manacles' use. A lock doesn't mean squat to anyone who can make rotating gears out of enamel on that small a scale. Take that ability away, somehow, and your average physical lock becomes relevant again."

***

"Then I've already done my job well enough," lightly joked Ernest.

Although his tone didn't exactly suggest suspicion, he went over the last hour or so of his life. "It's rare that I meet someone who's so interested in the problems of others. Is there a reason why you were so curious?"
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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Neasa sighed. "Well, I'm with Shield. We found your address and name at a crime scene. My partners felt it best to see what was going on here. You're not really tied to any of it, but your brother seems to be. The suit was just a side thing, but I do still want to purchase it."

***

"Okay, um, glad to hear Gammell's at least in contact with us. Bucky and I talked with the owner of the Sin Bin. Looks like the perp has been periodically paying him a visit. Bucky's called in a patrol car, so they can keep an eye on our witness for his protection," Ciaran answered.
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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"Good idea," confirmed Three. "Erasmus killed before, he could probably kill again if he knew we're on his trail. Come to think of it, I'm really surprised he hasn't noticed Gammell leading us by the nose..."

***

Ernest took a look at his handiwork and his eyes did briefly grow darker, but he seemingly cleared up immediately. "That's - That's alright. If he's done anything or harmed anyone, he-"

The tailor sighed. "He needs to be stopped. For his own sake."
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Re: The Toy-Maker's Dilemma

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Ciaran snorted. "Don't jinx it. He probably will; he just hasn't acted on it yet," he said.

***

Neasa nodded. "We're working to catch him. Thank you for the information."
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