Hide and Seek Part 1 (Nathayen POV)

Actually finding a tracking device made it clear, that we had to find the person, who was hiding behind Jonas Krewood as his frontman. It was hard to tell, how exactly they were connected to the painting and to us. But the earlier we’d be able to solve this conundrum, the earlier we’d know if our mission was at risk. Our task on earth was too important to leave anything up to chance.

Unfortunately, there was no possible way to reactivate and track the transmitter. Whoever built that thing must have been quite skilled. Even though human technology wasn’t wholly new to us, our analysis of the device did not yield any helpful clues. However, the fact that this thing was created with such finesse already proved as a hint to us. Such complex mechanics, as they were used within the tracker, couldn’t be produced by just anyone.

The following days, me and Lyras went straight to working through our list of contacts, calling each and every one who could possibly provide further information about this kind of technology. We obviously couldn’t hand the original tracker over to them or risk anyone catching on that we were trying to hunt someone specific down. Our questions had to be masked as a specialist discussion between colleagues. So in the guise of technical consultations concerning one of our future projects, we managed to swindle the needed intel out of them without a problem. Especially when Lyras was dangling his checkbook like a lure in front of their noses.

The list of businesses we managed to compile through our investigation ended up rather slim. Only two US-based companies owned manufactures advanced enough to produce components of the quality that we had found. At first glance, neither of them had anything suspicious about them. Both had official CEOs and passed our legitimacy checks. Digging deeper, however, some information and connections we managed to dig up indicated otherwise. While the companies‘ main office was based in Miami, the branch office was located in New York. In theory, we could have gone ourselves, but that would have been just a waste of time. 

We already had people and connections in every big and important city at our disposal. One call was enough to let our contacts make further, on site investigations. While waiting on their reports, we continued with our daily business. Regardless of the clues we had already compiled or the unanswered questions we were still trying to find answers to, our main goal was following a fixed schedule. A schedule we had to keep a priority.

It took our contacts one day to call back.

„Mr. Walker, I’ve looked into the matters concerning a certain New York company.“ It seemed strange to me, that the dark elf on the other side of the line was calling me by that name. But in the unprobable case our calls were monitored by someone, it was better to be cautious and follow our security protocol. Certainly Myro who worked under the alias Mr. Miller, felt similar.

„Well, Mr. Miller? Are there any indications that there is something suspicious going on?“

„Yes, you could say that. While we are still missing some puzzle pieces, the company is acting dodgy. With other, similar business, it’s usually much easier to get your hands on reliable data and information.“

I perked up. Obscure business practices weren’t definite proof that we were on the right track. Still, it was possible that the company was simply trying to protect themselves against industrial espionage and sabotage. Especially considering the highly advanced technology they were working on.

„Are there further leads in our matter?“, I inquired.

„Nothing definite. The company seems highly exclusive in the way they present. Usually, businesses focus on buying and producing cheap while making the highest possible profits. But there is no notice that they are operating like that. Maybe that’s because they only sell their products to high-profile clients under the highest safety precautions. Or maybe there are different reasons“, Myro contemplated.

In conclusion, there was no way to be sure that this specific company any direct connection to our own business or if the tracker we were trying to trace back had been used by one of their privileged customers. Still, the company and the tracking device were the only solid clues we had. There was no other choice but to continue to investigate in that matter. Even if only to rule out some options.

„Understood. It’s less than I had hoped, but at least it’s something“, I huffed. „Thank you, Mr. Miller. Your work was still helpful.“ With this information, we had gained a valid starting point. While I was still waiting for a call back from my contact in Miami, for now, we had enough information to work with. As time was of the essence, waiting around any longer was not an option.

„Lyras, we have a new clue. Let's pack small travel bags and go on a nice little trip to New York.“ I didn’t waste any time with useless formalities. „Looks like the New York office is acting suspiciously secretive about their activities and clients. Doesn’t that basically sound like an invitation to you?“ The anticipation of going on the hunt again made me smile.