A Long Lasting Case

Allen sighed. He slowly closed the journal that held memories of the past. Not so much his own memories but of events that had led him here today. A member of the underground organization ‘V’ or ‘Five’. A group that held people who were the best of the best in their fields for their age groups. A mysfit group of prodigies- you could say.

Allen leaned back in the swivel chair.

“Was it that bad?”

Allen almost had forgotten that he had company.

“Not bad just makes my brain hurt. I wish I could remember.” He ran a hand over the front of the journal. “It doesn’t seem real.”

“You’re telling me.”

Allen glanced over at his friend. She was obviously rereading the book again.

“Hey Max? Why us?”

“No clue, man.” She flipped to the next page.

Allen closed his eyes. They never get to ask that little asshole.

“There you are!”

Allen didn’t have to open his eyes to know that it was his boyfriend coming to check on the two of them, and Max yelled at him about taking an eternity to get them caffeinated beverages.

To which Ben gave a sarcastic reply but Allen wasn’t listening.

Allen suddenly felt a kiss on his forehead. He smiled as he opened his eyes. Ben was holding out a cup of what smelled like Earl Grey tea.

“Thank you, love.”

“Just the way you like it.”

“UGH GROSS, NOT IN FRONT OF MY FRAPICHINO!”

Ben and Allen laughed. Max stuck her tongue out.

Allen set the drink and the book on an uncluttered space on the table next to him.

“Did you find anything?” Ben asked as then moved a pile of old -now solved- case files off of a box so he could sit.

Allen shook his head. “Not anything new from what we already know.”

“You still can’t remember?”

“No...I’m not even sure if we ever will.”

The two of them were startled by Max knocking over a stack of boxes as she tried to throw out her cup.

“MAX!”

Max grinned widely. “I’m sorry for ruining your very gay moment but I got it into the bin!”

Allen sighed as he got to his feet.

“Let’s pick up some of this stuff so at least we can walk in here.” Allen said he held out a hand to Ben to help him up.

The three of them began to tidy up the room. As they were putting boxes back on the shelves, Ben came across a dusty package wrapped in a brown. It looked misplaced amongst the file boxes that surrounded it.

“Hey guys?” Ben said uncertainty.

“Yeah?” Max said as she was picking up the last of the garbage.

“I think I found something.”

Allen and Max both made their ways over to Ben.

Max took the small brown box from him. She blew the dust off the top which revealed a name written messily in a permanent marker.

Allen coughed as he waved a hand. “A warning would’ve been nice.”

“Who is Aurora?”

……

“And yeah...Wait Em...Em...EMILY!” Max poked her girlfriend, who responded with a tiny snore.

Allen sighed. “Why did you decide that we need to find this Aurora?”

“It’ll be like old times.”Max smiled. “Solving mysteries and kicking butt.”

Allen shook his head and looked at the old sign that said washrooms. “I guess…”

Only they were missing the one person that would make it that way.

They had come to this place often when they were solving cases or being dragged around following Justin’s false leads. It was the first place that the group had unofficially met, before they were sent on a kidnapped/ missing children case. But all of that seemed like years ago at this point. Justin was gone and the only thing left of him was the memories and the journals.

Max’s phone started playing god awful music that was in English, which pulled Allen from having any further thoughts.

“Are you going to answer that?”

“Oh...uh yeah.” Max pulled out her phone and frowned at the screen. “Again?” She muttered.

“Ok this is like the 14th time that’s gone off since we left the basement with the box.”

Max continued to frown at her screen.

“What?” Allen asked.

“Uh do you think people can come back from the dead?” Max asked.

“No.”

“Explain this then?”

Max handed her phone over to Allen. He took it and also frowned.

The number this was from had been discontinued; he was sure of it.

The two of them looked at each other as if they understood something.

It had been Justin’s number.

The package. It had to be about the package.

Allen gave Max back her phone as he started to get out of the booth. Ben grabbed his arm.

“I know what you’re going to say but please just be careful.”

“I always am.”Allen removed his boyfriend's hand from his arm and kissed it gently.

“Hey, Ben? Can you take my wi- er I mean girlfriend, home?”

Ben waved his hand as if to say yes.

Max grabbed the package and the two of them left the store.

…

“I think we’re lost…”

“No! The map says that it’s right around here.”

“We’ve been walking around the same block for 5 hours now.”

Max looked up from her phone and frowned.

Allen sat down on the sidewalk. “We’ve been here before.”

“Yeah I know.” Max angrily shoved her phone in her pocket and flopped down beside him, much to her regret.

“Why did it lead us here?”

“I don’t know.” Allen once again sighed as he looked across the street at the park area. It was the first place that he’d met Justin. “How is it possible that even in the afterlife he can still keep playing games with us?”

“Maybe it was like- you know - one last mission that he needed to be fulfilled for him to pass on.” Max elbowed him.

Allen rolled his eyes. “It just seems so pointless.”

“I miss him,” Max glanced at the package. “But I get the feeling he wanted us to live our lives freely, that’s why he helped all of us.”

“I miss- huh? Isn’t that your brother.” Allen pointed at a young man walking in the park.

“Hey! You’re right! Maybe he can help us!” Max jumped to her feet. “HEY ALEX.”

The person stopped and quickly turned around. He seemed to spot them and then looked like he wanted to run away.

“OMG!!!! Is that my package!”

Max turned around quickly to find a strange looking young girl behind her.

Allen slowly got up. “Wait, are you Aurora?”

“Yes, sir. That is me.” She smiled, her eyes twinkled in an odd way.

Allen heard a sigh from behind him, he turned to find Alex, who looked really pissed off.

“Where have you been! I have been trying to contact you...you know what, I don’t care anymore. What are you talking about, Aurora? What package?”

Max held it up and began to explain about how they found it in Justin’s basement. By the end of which Aurora had snatched the package away and was opening it.

The contents revealed to be a long lost discontinued brand of super spicy ichiban noodles.

Max laughed. Alex pinched the bridge of his nose and Allen shook his head.

Yep this was definitely something Justin would send them on.

“Oh right! Sorry about the messages I was testing out a new form of software.” Aurora hugged the box close as Alex tried to take it from her.

“Well maybe when you figure the software out you could show it to me? It’d be pretty helpful in the future. “ Max said as she and Aurora started to talk about computer programs, all while Alex was still being unsuccessful about taking the box from Aurora.

Allen smiled as he watched the three of them. As he did he noticed something that looked out of place in the package, which made him frown.

“Hey Aurora?”

The girl stopped and looked at him. “Yeah?”

“What’s that?”

The four of them all looked in the package to find a USB drive sitting on the top of the noodles- which was odd that none of them had noticed it up until now. Alex reached for it but Max got to it first.

There was a ‘V’ written on it with a sharpie.

“Looks like another adventure left for us by Justin.” Max grinned widely.

Allen gave a small smile back. “Yeah, it looks like it.”