The Anomaly

[Rodent]

Chapter 9- Cat meets Cat.

Marne was, as usual, crowded. It was hard to find docking room for the Adeline, but at last it was managed. Ansel wiped his brow which was drenched in perspiration. He had come here for a purpose, and no time was to be wasted. First stop, The Local Cab Agency.

He needed a Private Hover-Cab which would be willing to risk some trouble with the police, and looking to make a quick buck out of it. Such men were easy to find. Greed was one trait that certainly had not been eliminated by natural selection. Such men could be identified by their appearance, the glint in their eyes, the slouch in their step that indicated laziness, among a lot of others.

He soon found his man. Standing near the back of the vast room, was a bedraggled looking guy, talking boisterously with two others. He was skinny, and looked like the kind of man that would take a risk. He quickly went over to him and abruptly butted into the conversation.

"Excuse me Monsieur, I need your help" He said.

The skinny man turned. "Oui?"

"It's something private, and involves a lot of money."

Ansel knew he had hit the jackpot when he saw the shine in the other man's eyes.

"Of course Monsieur, come with me" he said.

Finding a secure corner, conversation was resumed.

"So what did you have in mind?" he asked.

"It involves getting to that explosion site" Ansel said evenly.

"Merde! That will be cordoned off currently for the investigation! Please wait a few days Monsieur and then we can get there freely!"

"No, I want to get there now, and I am willing to pay a huge sum for it."

"It's way too much ris-"

"Two million Credits" Ansel interjected in between. He was almost amused as he saw the man's jaw drop, and his eyes go almost wild. His judgment had been good.

".......Alright Monsieur, I suppose there are more terms to this job?" the skinny man said finally.

"Of course. Let's get to the explosion site first though."

***Later***

The Hover-Cab made swift time, but no swifter than the driver's tongue. Ansel was getting really annoyed with his constant blabber and garbage, and longed to smash his head in and put an end to his irrationality. But thankfully, they got there first.

Even from a Distance, the deformation in the land caused by the explosion was clearly visible. Ansel put a high power binocular to his eyes and saw a much better view of the damage caused, as well was various police and technical teams rushing around the spot. He smiled, and put the Binoculars back down.

"Now, get very close to land, and drop me off" He said.

"But...But....that's too risky! What If the police craft spot us!?"

"I paid you two million Credits for a reason" he replied coldly.

"But...But.....Oh well."

They started to descend, Ansel had carefully chosen this point as it was far away to make the chances of being spotted minimal while still being workable. They soon reached near-ground level. The Driver looked at the Young Prodigy for a while, and wondered if he was insane, but soon dismissed the thought. Who cared anyway, his credits were good.

"Now, come back here Tomorrow and pick me up at this point."

".....Oui"

Ansel took a deep breath and jumped out of the hover-cab to the ground. Grunting with the impact, he soon recovered and watched as the Hover-cab speeded quickly out of sight.

It was now time to wait.

***Night, a few days later.***

Darkness had consumed the world, and visibility was minimum. Ansel sat there near his camp, looking at the stars. A few days had passed since he had landed here. The Hovercab promptly came the next day for pickup, but he sent it off, saying "He wasn't ready yet"

Everyday, he had trekked to the Blast site, some twenty miles away. the Police Investigation had long since been concluded, and the area was deserted. He hoped to find what he sought.

Through his thinking, he had concluded that the man who made these explosions, was either a Genius or a mad-man. The old line sprang to his mind. [/i]There is a thin line between Genius and Insanity[/i]. Either way, he would be unable to resist coming back to look at his handiwork personally. That is of course, if Ansel's thinking was anywhere near right.

He refused to believe he was wrong, as he prepared himself yet again for the long march. It took him the better part of three hours, but at last he was there. Hiding in a Rock formation, he prepared to wait.

Night passed, the stars blinked, faded, and shined. The moon fell from it's peak. Night was almost at an end. Ansel sighed, and prepared to move, when he heard a sound, as of a rock falling from somewhere. He quickly hid himself and watched with bated breath.

Soon a shillouted form was visible, striding up the hill. He seemed like an ordinary man, hooded and cloaked to conceal his identity. To Ansel, it seemed like he had at last hit the prize, but he not be sure yet. He waited.

The cloaked man soon reached the very epicenter of the blast, and took out something from a bag he was carrying over his shoulders. Soon he dropped to the earth and began doing -something-.

Ansel could not wait any longer. The odds were overwhelmingly in his favor. He carefully crept up behind the man, who was engrossed in his work, and tapped him on the back.

"So we meet."