The air of steam, the constant sounds of clanking and heavy hitting, harmoniously filled the Steam Church's underground workshop.
Melissa Moretti arrived early to work as always. She took out her tools kit and rummaged through the spare parts container, looking for something to do.
This was now her morning routine. Her captain took his sweet time during mornings, only arriving at noon, and at times during the afternoon too.
Some other helpers would join her in one of these mornings, chatting away about their day or new inventions that failed to come to life.
It was orderly, it was monotonous but most importantly, it was peaceful.
She much preferred routines, especially where there's no need to get out of one's comfort zone for anything different.
Well, except today.
The workshop's door swung open, and one of the assistants yelled out her name.
Melissa didn't know what to do, this was the first time someone requested her presence, except for the master.
She carefully wiped off any excess grease off her face with a used towel—which already turned from white to muddy gray, and followed the assistant.
She knew exactly who the man was, as introductions remained engraved in her mind for a while.
"Mister Craig, what needs me?" She asked the middle-aged man, who continued his pace down the long corridors.
"Apparently we had a report coming in today from the police station. A skillful Beyonder has killed another that was hiding in Tingen. We were called to do investigations and clean up the remains."
"A Beyonder? How did they die?" She knew from what her peers told her that Beyonders are skilled, smart and extremely hard to kill. It was hard to believe someone extraordinary would die before losing control by themselves.
"It might've been a direct confrontation, but most believe it was a carefully laid ambush. The victim was a Sequence 6 Beyonder, one of a pathway that has great survivability.
"That's why, our teammates are now in turmoil, they fully believe that the perpetrator will come for them next."
Melissa gasped and then covered her open mouth with a hand. She felt incredibly scared for her coworkers, having known them for a while; but her worries were soon dispelled by the man named Craig.
"Don't worry, this is just standard fear. I believe the one that did that is good, actually!"
Melissa twisted her head in question, prompting him to continue on that hypothesis.
"Ahem! The one who died was a woman that killed many people too. Her pathway is synonymous with disasters and calamity, their sequence 9 is even named Assassin."
"Assassin..." Her voice trailed off.
"That's right! She's not good either, that's why I think the one that killed her is on the good side. But that may just be wishful thinking. Eheheheeh!" He gave a nervous laugh along with his statement, but it was almost unheard by Melissa, who was still in deep thought.
That woman and man who visited me are unofficial Beyonders. Could it be one of them that did that?
I wonder...
She knew that justice couldn't be truly delivered by the official means, but someone working from the shadows brought incredible danger and variables.
I'm still technically part of them too. At least I hope I am!
These guys found out the reason Klein died at an incredible speed, and they were able to use the police forces and the Machinery Hivemind to their fullest potential, while also having an insider!
Her admiration slowly grew, thinking of those people she had met before.
Not long after, the duo arrived in the main Captain's office, the curly haired man stood by his desk, frowning a little.
Looks like he's troubled too. Melissa noticed his expression.
The man clapped his hands and raised his head. "Ah, Melissa! You're finally here! Just what I needed!" His tone seemed to change into a happier one, but his mood remained the same.
At least he's trying to put on an effort. She lampooned inwardly, joking about her captain's lack of an acting career.
"Since you're new here, how about you follow me to this mission, eh? What do you think?"
"I should follow?" Melissa pointed at her chest.
The curly haired captain nodded. "That's right. If you're planning to become a Beyonder, you need more than just knowledge in machinery. You need experience! And what better way to gather that than to witness what others had done!"
You mean, you want me to do the clean-up and investigation for you, while you sip on your coffee and debate whether I did good enough for your own superiors to not clown on you. Melissa was simply ruthless on the poor man.
Luckly, he couldn't read her mind and listen to whatever inner comments she had picked up upon her time on Iron Cross' Middle Street.
However, there was no need to refuse. It was an opportunity.
The last thing I want is to get on his nerves, he already looks pissed off, I wonder just how bad it would get if I showed him any resistance.
"Alright." She nodded eagerly. "I agree."
He clapped his hands one more time. "Great! We're leaving now." He left his spot near the desk and headed towards the door, seemingly wanting her to follow.
"R-right now?!" She was quite taken aback.
"Yes, right now. Let's not waste any time."
Fortunately, the captain was quite the gentleman. He held the door open for the young miss to pass while letting go of it straight into the assistant's face.
A muffled 'Ow!' could be heard from behind said door.
***
Osna Street, Tingen City.
Melissa and Captain Jonathan, whose name was rarely mentioned, arrived at the crime scene by a private carriage.
It was still quite early, as the morning chill gave her shivers. There was no time to grab a coat or anything, so she could only rub her arms in defeat.
Luckily, the captain threw his coat over her, moving forward at a hastened pace and signaling for her to pick up the pace.
They reached the entrance, where a number of servants were still being questioned by police officers, some of them could be seen with blank expressions, while others shivering, not from the cold it seemed.
Melissa threw a look at each servant, taking in their expressions and shock.
Poor people… One day they're cleaning floors and doing laundry and on the other, their mistress is found dead...
She also scanned the police officers one by one, checking the badges on their checkered uniforms.
Just regular ones, no one important from the looks of it.
Her gaze continued to loom over them, until it reached a familiar face.
It's him!
She recognized that man!
It was Dunn Smith!
The man in question also noticed her from across the field, throwing a small smile, warmth visible in his deep gray eyes that usually observed others with indifference.
She wanted to catch up and talk to him, but stopped herself at the last moment.
Wouldn't it be weird if I just ran up to a man like that? She restrained her movements, instead simply waving and walking off to her own Captain.
Once she arrived near the man, he was already talking.
"... and this is Melissa Moretti, one of our new staff members. Although young, she shows promising skills. I'll leave this investigation up to her."
The policemen looked skeptical at first, seeing the new and thin face, but they trusted the Hivemind Captain, so there was no need to doubt his new underling.
Whatever does the job. They're not getting paid enough to care anyway.
Melissa nodded and greeted them by lifting up the corners of her skirt and offering a short bow of her neck.
After the introduction was done, one of the officers spoke up about the details.
"This case is tied to the death of John Maynard, who died only recently. His wife paid two temporary investigators to find out about Maynard's mistress, Madam Sharon.
"The two of them showed up today earlier, requesting to speak with Madam Sharon privately, when the servant entered her bedroom after the woman didn't answer the knocking, she found the dead corpse encased in melting ice."
She immediately understood the situation.
"Can the investigators be trusted?"
"They're here and free for questioning." The policeman signaled for a point further than where they were standing, there a group of other officers surrounded two women as well as other servants."
Once Melissa saw them, she fought tooth and nail to not let the surprise be visible on her face.
It's her! It's really her!
Inwardly she was overtaken by elation, the woman who helped her so much was here!
I need to thank her again!
She almost ran towards them, but forced her feet to keep a steady pace.
Melissa approached the two, making a sign for the others to leave them alone.
The captain and a more important policeman frowned, but soon obeyed.
Once she was sure that they were far enough, Melissa spoke up.
"You're here! U-uhm where are my manners! I mean—good day Madam." She greeted by lifting the corners of her skirt, just like how she did with the policeman.
"Well hello to you too, Melissa! How does the Steam Church have you?"
"Amazing! All thanks to you and Mister Dunn Smith!" She exclaimed.
"You two know eachother?" The woman with deep eyeshadow and dark blue lipstick asked.
"Yes." The other responded. "This is Melissa Moretti, the one that I talked to you about." She avoided adding terms like 'Klein Moretti's little sister' as to not spark any lingering sorrows.
It seemed to work, as the young miss' smile didn't falter.
"Well then good morning, young lady. I'm Daly Simone, Evelyn's friend."
Melissa wasn't sure if she ever heard the woman's name before, so she was glad to know it now.
"Likewise." She responded briefly.
"So what happened here? Captain is too lazy so he left the investigation to me."
Daly chuckled as Evelyn started to explain. "We have been hired to do a thorough investigation on Madam Sharon, with that we found out she was also a Beyonder. A powerful one at that.
"From the record, she has murdered many, and would continue to do so soon had there been no stop to it. So we got rid of her in simpler terms."
"So it was you who did that..." Melissa was glad that they didn't hide it from her, showing trust.
"That's correct but they don't need to know that." Daly Simone added.
"That's what I'm thinking too. What explanation should I give?"
"Well we already did that for you. If you gain access to the abilities of more Beyonders you could put the blame on an unrelated Sequence. The ones we used in this fight vary and can't be pinpointed to our pathway."
All of this wasn't new to Melissa, the education on beyonders she received at the church complemented with what they said. But there was a lot of extra information which she needed to digest.
"What sequence and pathway could I put the blame on?"
"Well for starters, the Vampire Sequence is your best bet."
"Vampire?"
"That's right! Sequence 7 of the Apothecary pathway. Try and search for information about it in the records, it shouldn't be covered up."
Melissa nodded sincerely. "Okay, I will." She fully planned to abide by Daly Simone's instructions.
"Make sure everything is in the correct manner, don't rush your investigation just because you know the answer. Take days or even weeks to complete it. There's no rush." Evelyn added some more instructions and insight.
Melissa did nothing but nod. She didn't do it that eagerly, mindful of the men whose eyes were on her.
In their point of view, Melissa was simply conducting a report, nothing more.
"This is enough. Hurry and ask the testimonies of the other servants before they start being skeptical."
Melissa nodded, this time faking being lost in thought.
"Alright. Thank you!" She made a move to walk away, but stopped mid motion, looking at Evelyn.
The woman looked back questioningly, not getting what Melissa wanted to convey.
The young lady could only sigh in dismay, continuing her walk along the trail leading to the bunch of shivering servants.
Behind her, Daly and Amanises exchanged a look, then turned around to leave themselves.
They still had a paycheck to collect.
***
Some time later at Maynard's mansion.
The widow nearly bit off her nails in nervousness, waiting for the woman to be back with the results. In the end she couldn't uphold her anxiety so she decided to take a stroll outside.
Walking along the railing, the woman's ears became assaulted with the barking of her guard dog, which was a black german shepherd.
Eventually, she got him to calm down enough to open the gates for the guest to come in.
However, neither of the two women stepped inside the property, instead Evelyn extended an envelope stacked with letters and photos.
"Here's your evidence ma'am."
The Maynard widow almost jumped in glee, finally that witch was caught!
"But I don't think you need it anymore." Added the same woman later.
"What?"
"Madam Sharon has been found dead this morning in her bedroom. When we went to investigate, the servants found her. They allowed us to search her room after that and retrieve this."
Amanises gave a good enough excuse for the acquisition of the material, not wanting to cause suspicion.
"That's even better!" What she didn't expect was for the woman to actually jump in glee.
What the fuck? Are you okay, woman??
"Good job! Simply good job!" She extended a thick envelope, the cash was already ready. "Here, take this!"
The woman took the envelope containing the evidence after letting go of the cash and then skipped back to the entrance of the house.
No skipping wasn't the right word—jumping was!
We should be the ones celebrating! We're in literally no bad end!
Amanises extended a hand but Daly put her own on her shoulder. "Let's just take our pay and go, we can do the split later."
"You still think you'll receive something?" Amanises spoke as she retreated with Daly.