NOVEL NEXT 99. Farewell Thunderclap
Angelo's foot drummed against the inn room floor like an impatient metronome. Outside, daylight was fading fast, painting the walls in dim orange light.
"Neiva!" Angelo called toward the bathroom door, his voice sharp with irritation. "You've been in there for twenty minutes! We need to move!"
"Almost done!" came her muffled reply.
Angelo turned to Sol and the materialized Red with obvious frustration. "What the hell is taking her so long? I want to get this over with."
Red's grin turned absolutely wicked as he jabbed his thumb toward the door. "Want me to squeeze through and take a look?"
Angelo's eyes blazed orange instantly. "Don't even fucking think about it!" He moved too quickly, wincing as his broken arm—now held in simple cloth bandages—protested the sudden motion.
The bathroom door finally swung open. Neiva stepped out with a theatrical flourish. "Ta-da! What do you think?"
Everyone stared. Angelo broke the stunned silence. "You... put on makeup? For this?"
She walked to the mirror, admiring her handiwork—red lipstick, yellow powder on her cheeks and around her eyes. "It's a Wines family tradition. Mom always made us dress up for special occasions—weddings, New Light Festival..." Her voice softened slightly. "Today feels special too."
Sol crossed his arms slowly, favoring his injuries, but his smirk remained intact. "More surprised you packed a makeup kit for this little adventure."
"Come on, people are waiting to worship us!" Red bounced on his toes with way too much enthusiasm. "What are we standing around for?"
"Worship you, maybe. I didn't do shit," Neiva shot back flatly.
Angelo's expression gentled just a fraction. "Your time to shine will come. Let's go." He opened the door, and for the first time since arriving, stepping outside didn't feel like walking into enemy territory.
As they headed toward the cliff, Neiva spread her arms wide, breathing in the cold night air. "God, this feels amazing! Knowing it's finally over!"
Sol and Angelo exchanged meaningful looks before Sol spoke up. "The gem case is solved, sure... but our real mission's nowhere near finished."
Reality crashed down on Neiva like a bucket of ice water. "Oh. Right. GHOST. This case really had nothing to do with them."
Angelo stared straight ahead, his expression unreadable. "Zero progress."
"What a fucking downer," Red interjected, walking with his hands casually behind his head. "So we didn't find those shadow bastards. Who gives a shit?"
Neiva's smile returned full force. "Exactly! Look at everything else you accomplished!"
Red nodded eagerly, gesturing wildly. "We nailed Trinergy, figured out that remote energy bullshit—"
Sol raised one finger with obvious pride. "I evolved." Red pointed at him like a game show host.
"Plus you saved an entire town from gangsters! And remember that refugee camp you helped, Angelo?" She turned to him, her smile infectious. "That counts for something!"
Angelo met her eyes briefly, something uncomfortable flickering across his face before he looked away. "I guess."
They'd already reached the cliff, where workers had erected a massive platform topped with one enormous table loaded with food. Two long buffet lines stretched across the entire cliff edge. Some people were still setting up while others began arriving in small groups.
When an organizer spotted their approach, he rushed over. "Right this way! You'll be seated next to Mr. Reid on the main stage."
Sol was tall enough to notice the man's neck, his eyebrow rising. "'Mr. Reid'? You don't have a Cliffhanger tattoo, so you're not ex-gang. But you're calling him 'Mister'?"
The others matched Sol's confused expression as they all stared at the organizer. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "You'd be right that I wanted him gone. But after hearing him talk today... think he was right. Selling the gem would've brought worse trouble. I'd rather have The Hanger as an ally than an enemy or a corpse."
"A fascinating shift in perspective," Blue observed through their mental link.
"Oh, now you're talking," Angelo muttered under his breath.
"In a way... yeah, I suppose I am." The organizer nodded thoughtfully.
"You... I wasn't..." Angelo gave up. "Never mind. Just show us where to sit." Red cackled beside him as they were led to the giant table with mountains of food spread before them.
"They sure know how to throw a feast," Sol whistled appreciatively.
"Everything looks incredible!" Neiva cheered.
"Looks like everyone's here," a familiar voice announced. They turned to see Joe with his confident smirk alongside Brian, who wore his usual calm expression and gentle smile. The group exchanged greetings as Joe and Brian took their seats. Everyone settled in, waiting for Hugo's arrival.
Finally, the moment came. The entire crowd parted like water as Hugo, Veronica, and the Light Twins made their way to the main stage. Hugo carried a black box in his massive hands. Veronica's expression remained carefully neutral while Zack and Zeke looked uncertain about everything.
Hugo placed the black box on a pedestal. Veronica and the twins sat at the far end of the long table, pointedly avoiding eye contact with Angelo's group.
Hugo grabbed a microphone and addressed the town. "People of Thunderclap Port! Tonight we celebrate the start of something new between the former Cliffhangers and this community! I won't pretend there isn't bad blood—can't just erase years of fear and control."
He placed one massive hand on top of the black box. "But if I'm lucky, I'll get the chance to try! Let this be my first gesture of good faith—proof that we really do intend to change and help build this town into something the whole world will want to see! Hell, maybe someday it'll be Thunderclap City!"
Murmurs rippled through the crowd as people considered his words, heads turning toward neighbors in quiet discussion.
"Without further delay—the Heart of Geovale!" He lifted the black covering.
The gem blazed like captured fire, drawing gasps from every direction. Light seemed to dance within its crystalline depths.
"It's... breathtaking," Neiva whispered.
"Not bad at all," Sol nodded with approval.
"Eh, seen better," Joe dismissed, though his tone suggested otherwise.
Brian adjusted his glasses with scholarly interest. "Fascinating... is this gem also composed of Geodite?" He immediately dove into quiet muttering.
Angelo simply stared at it, his expression giving nothing away. Red looked bored while Blue observed silently through their shared consciousness.
Hugo turned toward Angelo. "With the blessing of our guardian Angel—" he gestured in Angelo's direction "—we'll work together to build bridges toward the brightest future Thunderclap has ever seen!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd, some genuine, others reluctant, with plenty of skeptical and bitter faces mixed in.
"Let's eat!"
The entire town clustered around the massive buffet tables like hungry wolves, while others drifted toward the stage to gawk at the Heart of Geovale—the lost gem that sparkled with impossible fire. The group settled into their meals on the main platform, with Hugo claiming the seat right next to Angelo in the center. He attacked an enormous steak like a man who hadn't eaten in days.
"Solid speech," Angelo commented, picking at his food one-handed due to his broken arm.
"Practice makes perfect. Lead a gang long enough, you get decent at rallying the troops," Hugo chuckled between bites.
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Neiva shifted nervously in her seat. "So... are we friends now? Or allies? I'm not really sure how this works."
"Close enough to either," Hugo replied easily. "If that's what you want."
Veronica hadn't touched her food. Instead, she walked around the table and planted her hands across from Sol. "Hey, about me trying to murder you earlier—we're cool, right?" She threw him a wink.
Sol swallowed his bite and smirked back. "Me? Hold grudges? Nah. If anything, I should thank you. You helped trigger my evolution."
She grinned and laughed. "You're alright, kid. Got spine. Just don't go biting off more than you can chew out there."
Zack scowled at his plate while Zeke took a more diplomatic approach. "So what exactly are you people? Some kind of detective agency? Did somebody hire you to take us down?"
Veronica and Hugo exchanged glances before she looked back at the group. "Actually, I was wondering the same thing."
Angelo caught Sol's eye and nodded toward him.
Sol crossed his arms, careful not to pull his wounds. "Nothing that official. Truth is, you weren't even our real targets."
"WHAT?!" Zack exploded, both hands making every glass on the table rattle. "Then what the hell were you doing here?!"
"Actually," Neiva piped up, something clicking in her brain, "you're a gang leader, right?"
"Former gang leader," Hugo corrected with his trademark grin. "But continue."
"Technicalities," Joe muttered swiveling his fork, unable to hold back.
Neiva ignored him and pressed forward. "Doesn't matter. Point is, do you have connections to the underworld or whatever?"
"She means criminals, not like demons and shit, right?" Zack jabbed.
Hugo chuckled. "If it's the former, got a few contacts here and there. Why, looking to join up?"
Neiva's cheeks puffed out with irritation. "No! God, no! We need information about a group called GHOST!"
Everyone stared at her like she'd grown a second head. Sol cleared his throat. "Let me handle this. My father was investigating them before he disappeared. This case was one of his leads—we thought GHOST might've been behind this impossible heist, fit their M.O and all of that."
"Ah." Hugo stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Can't say I've heard that particular name."
"Maybe under a different name?" Sol offered. "GHOST is just one nickname. Some call them 'The Phantoms,' 'Specters', 'shadow'—"
"You're literally just listing ghost synonyms at this point," Red snickered. "You sure these guys even exist?"
"Some people think they don't."
"WHAT?!" Neiva shrieked.
Hugo's expression shifted from intrigued to amused. "You're an entertaining bunch, I'll give you that." He stared up at the sky, searching his memory. "Feel like I might've heard whispers about something like that... can't pin it down though. Tell you what—I'll reach out to some old contacts, see what turns up. Least I can do after everything."
"Now we're talking!" Red bounced excitedly, slapping Angelo's shoulder. "See? I told you bastards we should've kept him breathing!"
"I believe your exact words were—and quote—'We totally earned that kill'." Blue's dry observation cut through their mental link.
"Nobody asked you, blueberry!" Red snapped out loud, making Hugo and the twins stare at him in confusion.
Angelo sighed heavily. "He was talking to the other one." His lazy explanation only made them more confused.
"The blue one, right? The guy you sent to kick my ass at the end?" Hugo probed. "Where is he?"
"He's—" Angelo started, but blue smoke poured from his body and solidified beside them.
"My apologies for not being present earlier. I'm not particularly inclined toward social—" Blue's formal introduction was cut short as Hugo's massive arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him close.
"There's the man of the hour!" Hugo's grin stretched ear to ear. "Let me tell you something, kid—you are one hell of a fighter."
"I... that is... not precisely..." Blue stammered, obviously uncomfortable with the physical contact.
Red huffed and looked away, clearly not wanting to watch any more of that display.
The cheerful atmosphere shattered when Neiva spotted someone standing directly in front of the stage. "Sam?"
Everyone paused and looked down at her.
She said nothing, just climbed onto the stage and positioned herself across from Hugo at the table. Hugo released Blue and straightened in his chair, his expression turning deadly serious.
"You..." Sam's voice shook with barely contained fury. "Maybe you tricked everyone else into forgiving you..."
Hugo gave her his full attention, waiting.
"But I won't! I'll never forgive a monster like you! You don't deserve to sit here celebrating like some kind of hero!" Tears of rage streamed down her cheeks. Red glanced around, noticing Dave standing back with his face turned away. For just a moment, Red thought he saw a red dot gleaming from one of the building windows facing them. But when he looked again, it was gone—probably his imagination.
"You murdered my husband in cold blood! You deserve the same fate you gave him!" Her scream made Red refocus on the confrontation.
Hugo met her eyes without flinching. He picked up the steak knife from his plate, wiped it clean with his napkin, and held it out to her handle-first. "You're absolutely right. I do deserve his fate. If you want revenge, take it. Right here, right now." He tilted his head back, exposing his throat. "I'm no hero, and I deserve whatever punishment you think is fair. That's the kind of justice I believed in back then. It's what I'll believe going forward."
"I... I... you..." Sam gripped the knife with trembling hands while her son went pale behind her. Veronica and the twins looked horrified, unsure if she'd actually go through with it.
"Sam—" Neiva started forward, but Sol raised his hand, signaling her not to interfere.
Hugo continued in a respectful tone. "Tell me—why did I kill your husband?"
"You..." Sam's rage boiled over. "Because his dream was helping this town succeed! He reached a breaking point and moved to oppose you!" She raised the knife, ready to strike, but Hugo kept talking.
"I understand. Then know this—if you take my life, your husband's dream dies with me."
"What?!"
"Simple truth. I'm the only one with the power and connections to make your husband's vision real. I've got what it takes to protect this town from others like me." He crossed his massive arms calmly. "Kill me if you need to, or let me make that dream happen. Your choice."
Her grip tightened around the handle, the weight of the decision crushing down on her shoulders. Finally, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let the knife clatter to the table. "...I'll never forgive you, Hugo. But you better spend every single day of your miserable life living up to that promise." She turned without another word, dropped off the stage, and guided her son away.
"I will," Hugo said quietly—so softly that only Angelo heard him.
"Ugh, all this heavy emotional crap is killing my vibe," Joe announced, standing up and slinging his guitar across his chest. He strode to the center of the stage with theatrical flair.
"Did you set this up?" Angelo asked Hugo, who just shrugged—clearly he had nothing to do with whatever was about to happen.
Joe looked back over his shoulder with a grin. "Hey, Blood Red! Think it's time to debut that song I've been working on."
Red's smile stretched wider and wider until it matched the twisted grin on his masks. "Fuck yeah!"
Joe's aura blazed to life and evolved, yellow energy crackling around him. "Alright, listen up, people of Thunderclap Port!" His voice boomed across the cliff, amplified by his sound powers. "This one's inspired by my buddy here tearing through a bunch of Infernian terrorists at the New Light Festival. Let's hear it for 'Clown's Revenge'!"
He launched into the opening guitar riff, the music echoing across the cliff.
Paint your smile in shades of red
While you dance through their demise
Every tear you ever shed
This circus turned to carnage
When you finally broke your chains
Now they're all your audience In this theater of pain
Blood red rivers flowing fast
Through your carnival of screams
Watch this tragic clown at last
Tear apart their waking dreams
Dance with me through crimson rain
Till their laughter turns to cries
Every scar they gave in vain
Makes your madness rise
Joe lowered the music, speaking like a ringmaster:
Ladies and gentlemen, gather round and see
The greatest show your eyes will ever be
A tragic clown who turned his pain to art
A jester who's about to tear your world apart
So laugh one final time before you DIE
Because this clown just came to say GOODBYEEEEEEE!
Blood red rivers flowing fast
Through your carnival of screams
Watch this tragic clown at last
Tear apart their waking dreams
Dance with me through crimson rain
Till their laughter turns to cries
Every scar they gave in vain
Makes your madness rise
The curtain's dripping red tonight
As you take your final bow
Trading sorrow for delight
While they learn what you allow
The spotlight's yours eternal now
As their screams become your song
This revenge of the tragic clown
Is where nightmares belooooooooong!
Joe belted out the final chorus with everything he had:
Blood red rivers flowing fast
Through your carnival of screams
Watch this tragic clown at last
Tear apart their waking dreams
Dance with me through crimson rain
Till their laughter turns to cries
Every scar they gave in vain
Makes your madness RIIIISSSSSEEEEE
The crowd exchanged uncomfortable glances throughout the performance. Hugo, Veronica, and the twins all looked slightly disturbed by the violent imagery. Sol and Neiva laughed nervously, while Angelo and Blue practically had a contest to see who could roll their eyes harder. Only Red looked like he was having the absolute time of his life, headbanging to every word.
"Thank you, thank you!" Joe raised his hands triumphantly as the song ended. "Next one's for your very own guardian angel! Novaria's Angel of Death himself! Here's Wings. Of. Judgment!"
As Joe began the next song, Hugo nudged Angelo, making him wince as pain shot through his broken arm. "Damn, kid—you've got your own theme song?"
Angelo rubbed his arm in irritation. "I didn't ask him to write the damn thing, alright?!" Hugo burst out laughing at his reaction.
Joe finally wrapped up the evening with "Eternal Light," marking the end of what would go down as one of the most unforgettable nights in Thunderclap's history.
The next morning, Hugo and his people gathered with other familiar faces at the town's entrance to see Angelo's group off.
Hugo stepped forward, his massive frame casting a long shadow in the morning light. "On behalf of the town and myself personally—thank you. All of you. You put me back on the right path, and I'll never forget that."
"Don't worry about it," Angelo replied, clearly uncomfortable with formal gratitude.
"Come on, people! Time's wasting!" Joe tapped his foot impatiently, then spun around and gestured for them to follow. "Novaria's a long haul from here. Let's move!"
"Goodbye, everyone!" Neiva called out cheerfully. "Can't wait to hear about all the amazing projects you'll build!"
"See you around," Sol said with a casual wave as he turned to leave.
Angelo nodded once at Hugo. "Take care. Don't make me regret giving you this chance." He turned and gave a lazy wave over his shoulder as he walked away with his group.
Hugo and the rest of the town waved goodbye, his trademark smile never faltering even though he knew the road ahead would be anything but easy.
The group made their way down to the base of the cliff and into the forest, where they found Brian had hidden their car behind several massive boulders he'd lifted with his telekinesis.
Angelo, Red, and Blue worked together to create Trinergy ropes, hoisting their oversized bags onto the car's roof. Soon after, they were driving away, heading home.
Looking back, they hadn't been gone that long—just a few months. But somehow it felt like they'd been away for years. They were returning as completely different people, each and every one of them changed by what they'd experienced.
GHOST remained as elusive as ever. Apparently it would take more than a bunch of teenagers solving one case to track down such a shadowy organization.
If they even existed at all...