CR-5 Fire Lane

Last night, a pair of giant wooden puppets appeared in the street art community. Their magnificence shocked everyone who had the opportunity to see them.

These fine puppets were created by one of the local artists, and during yesterday's rehearsal, they waltzed and fluttered under the moonlight.

We can see from the video how they danced so elegantly under the artists' control. Almost as if they were alive!

The neighborhood is known for violence, gangs, and homeless, contributing to a high crime rate. It's an area that most usually steer clear of. But despite the risks, the performance last night attracted lots of visitors.

Now, let's go to our reporter on the scene and see what the attendees have to say.

Yo, Boss, un helado, por favor.

...

Boss?

Señor, what were you doing when the two puppets showed up?

I was jogging at the time. Suddenly, I saw a huge face between two buildings. I was so shocked, I fell to the ground.

But then I mustered up my courage, walked over there and watched the whole performance...

And when it was all over, my legs couldn't stop shaking. I wasn't scared this time, though. I was stunned.

Okay. Thank you again for your time, señor.

Haha, from the way he's walking, it looks like he was telling the truth. Now let us turn the camera over to some of the artists who live here.

Maybe we can ask them why they made this pair of giant puppets? What stories will they have for us?

Señores, señoras, please place your bets.

Shh...

Excuse me?

Oh, look at the little girl who just walked by. She's one of the main players here. Señorita, a moment, please?

Hmm...?

I hear you're the mastermind behind this performance. For you to take on such a major role at your age...

Yeah yeah, get to the point. I'm busy.

Sure. What's with the two puppets?

Did you go through all that trouble to draw attention to this community?

Heh, a few years ago, two buildings in our neighborhood burned down in a fire. None of you turned your attention to us.

A fire...?

(Quietly) Nobody remembers... I knew it.

The puppet show is to commemorate that fire. It's to commemorate our friends who left us that day. That's why we arranged to open our festival on the same day as the fire.

But Galería Krysztauowa is also scheduled to have its widely anticipated opening ceremony that day. Is there any pressure from that at all?

Maybe a little before the rehearsal, but basically not at all now.

The performance on our opening day will be even more sensational. I don't think an art museum can hold a candle to our performance.

No matter how they spruce up their gimmicks, their opening ceremony is only there to tell us one thing—

That Reynell can do business.

Why did you turn off the TV, Miłosz? I was watching that.

You should get some sleep.

I don't want to. I'm not tired at all.

Sleep.

Miłosz... Why are you frowning like that? Why aren't you happy for me?

Go to sleep, Reynell.

It's been more than a decade. The birthday present that should've been mine is finally back in my hands. I'm delighted.

Really? Look at what a mess you are now. Say what you want, I'm not convinced.

That music box was supposed to be mine... Before my birthday... she said she'd give me one.

But that old bastard wasn't happy about it. How could she have made a piece with absolutely no economic value?

She's a genius, a star. Her works are meant to be sold at exhibitions for high prices. It wasn't meant to sit on a boy's bedside table, never to be known by the masses.

But it's made it back to you. After so many years, it returned to its rightful owner.

I love it. Even though it's been modified beyond recognition, I love it.

What about her, Miłosz? Will she like my gift?

Everything you've given her, she couldn't bear to let go.

...

Why aren't you saying anything?

...I do want to sleep now, Miłosz.

I saw you on TV. You shouldn't have showed off like that for the media.

Papá, you're the one who suggested we make the giant puppets. If you were going to worry about showing off, you should've thought of that sooner.

*sigh*, Tecno. I just got a letter from the government.

The letter says that if the arts festival is a success, a group of Leithanian cultural exchange representatives will come to our puppet show.

You mean... we might get government support?

It's more likely we'll end up at their beck and call.

Warlords, merchants, politicians. There are plenty of men with their eyes on this plot of land. We're getting too much attention in too short a period of time. It's too much pressure.

Maybe this just goes to show how useless I am.

Don't say that, Papá. Before you got here, nobody cared if this place burned for a whole day and night. There wasn't even anyone here to report on it.

It's because you've been here for us that we got to live peaceful lives the past couple years. All of us know the work you've been putting in for our sakes.

Everything you've done, you did so we could walk under the sun again, no?

We're another step closer to our goal now. What are you worried about?

...

Let me think about it some more... Tecno...

I can't let the rest of you walk under the sun without any protection.

Señor Miłosz, have you and Señor Reynell seen the street art community's puppet show?

You chose to hold Galería Krysztauowa's opening ceremony on the same day as their arts festival. Certainly their successful rehearsal has taken away much of the attention that deservedly would have been yours.

Do you feel any pressure?

Please make way, ma'am.

Señor Miłosz, please answer our questions!

Sorry, but we are not planning on taking anything from the press today.

Señor Miłosz, is your silence an indication of the pressure you're under?

That's close enough, señora.

Señor Miłosz!

Is Miss Ela here yet?

Yes. She's waiting in the exhibition hall.

I need to talk to her. Make sure nobody disturbs us.

Yes, sir.

Miss Ela, sorry to keep you waiting. You'll have to forgive me. The outside is packed with reporters.

Mr. Miłosz, why did you call me back from the art community all of a sudden?

You're getting along well with them, aren't you?

Yes, I am.

The people there are vivacious.

And even though some of them are sick, their urge to create is as strong as ever.

People who call themselves artists are a dime a dozen, but I have to admit that the people there truly love art.

What about Reynell? What do you think of him?

He... He's an interesting man.

Is that all?

I'm afraid I can't see any of that in him.

You once told me that Mr. Szczepan's paintings made you uncomfortable. That's because you have never met him. The discomfort that his personal presence brings to others is a hundred times greater than that of his paintings.

If it wasn't for him. You would've seen those qualities in Reynell.

Nothing is beneath Szczepan as Kazimierz's most famous artwork dealer, be it verbal attacks, threats of violence, or economic suppression.

He will do whatever it takes to make the artists working with him follow his every command. Not even his wife, Reynell's mother, could escape this fate.

That's a pain no creator could bear. It must have been an agonizing marriage.

You're right. She even destroyed her own work as a form of protest, but only a week later, the damaged portrait was sold at auction for an astronomical price on account of its so-called profound philosophical meaning.

She should've left.

She couldn't. She couldn't leave her child to the arrogant bastard, especially a child that very much resembled herself.

(Deep breath)

Is there a reason you're trying to get me to sympathize with him now, of all times, Mr. Miłosz?

You're a sharp one, to the point that it's frustrating.

Galería Krysztauowa's opening ceremony is set to be held on the anniversary of Reynell's mother's passing. The day has a special significance to him.

Perhaps you and your team can help him out a little. Just a short while will do. If you could work it so the two events are even just one day apart.

...

I'm sorry, Mr. Miłosz, but I can't.

If you've seen the news, then you know what that day means to the community.

Miss Ela... You should do what you can. This isn't a request. It's a reminder.

It doesn't matter how emotional or stirring their puppet show is. It will be overshadowed on the day the Galería opens.

You're awake.

Were you outside?

Yes, I met with Miss Ela.

What did she say?

She refused.

I'm not surprised.

Why did you ask me to call her back here?

The puppet show would be in good hands if she were to run it... And then, perhaps there would come a day when it forms an iconic performance that represents this place, as they hope it will.

But it won't be on that day.

I almost sympathize with them. They're spending so much time, effort, and energy on this...

To tell the truth, if it wasn't for the scheduling conflict, I would even go see the performance myself. Compared to the junk that the art buyers are gobbling up downstairs...

I'm a lot more interested in their creation.

It's been some years since you last said you liked a particular piece.

Right. Let them be. It's just a shame...

No matter how overwhelming a piece of art is in the beginning, it can't compare to a magnificent death.

The last explosives are in place. I will make the final adjustments tomorrow to ensure that everything goes as planned on the day of the ceremony.

Thank you for everything you've done, Miłosz. For me.

...

No thanks necessary. Did you know, Reynell? When you talked about destruction just now, your eyes were sparkling...

Just like when you used to talk to me about creation.

It's just similar, that's all.

But it's more than enough to me.

Who is it...? Why now?

It's fine. I'll go get it.

How's a single phone call taking so long?

(Mouths) He won't shut up!

(Mouths) Who is it?

(Mouths) That captain!

(Mouths) What does he want?

(Mouths) What else could it be? The community!

Whatever. Give me the phone.

Hello, Mr. Mateo? Yes, I'm very busy right now. If you need anything, we'll talk later.

Booker, is something the matter?

Ms. Candela, the Captain is growing restless.

Reynell's toyed with him for so long, and he's restless only now?

Our man just sent word. He's planning to use violence to deal with the street art community.

Violence in my domain? Where did he find the guts?

Someone in the Coalition government supports him. He has the power to deploy all of the Coalition's military resources within the city.

Well, these bastards are certainly learning to extend their reach...

Should we do something to stop this plan of his?

Let's not, for the time being. That art community's always been a whimsical bunch, making trouble for the city government. They'd be doing me a favor if they managed to take care of our problems there.

But you need to keep a close eye on them. Mateo's a short-sighted and greedy man. With this much power in his hands, I doubt his intentions will stay all that pure.

That aside, Ms. Candela, will you be attending the Galería Krysztauowa's opening ceremony in a few days?

*sigh*... Another boy who loves looking for trouble... I'll pass. Have someone send a congratulatory gift.

Please excuse me, then.

Wait a moment. I have something else I need Ernesto to take care of for me. Remember to pass this on to him.

Reynell, do you remember me? We met a few years ago.

Yes, you're... Hold on, don't remind me. It's on the tip of my tongue.

Mr. Norris, right? We bid on the same Minoan statue three years ago.

Your excellent memory has left a profound impression on me. You kept talking about the statue that night. You recalled even the prior collectors who had owned the piece.

Right. That's one of my qualities... Remembering just about everything.

It's been a while, but you've changed a lot. You're much more like your father, now that you've matured.

It's too bad he left us all too soon, before he could see all that I'm accomplishing now.

Don't be sad. Even if he isn't here to witness it, he's no doubt proud that his son's achievements are exceeding his own.

Heh... I sure hope so.

Mr. Kowalski, I've been looking for you.

Hey, Chetty, how have you been? An Iberian fresco just made it into the exhibition hall downstairs. You've been going all across the world this past year collecting these masterpieces, haven't you?

That was last year. This year, I'm planning on buying as many Yanese ink wash paintings as I can.

I didn't expect your investment outlook to change so quickly.

You're getting the wrong idea, Reynell. It's not our outlook that's changing quickly. It's Mr. Chetty whose mind is changing all the time.

Sounds like fun.

(Quietly) He just remarried this year. From what I hear, the lady is very into ink wash paintings.

On that note, let me get straight to the point, Mr. Kowalski.

I want to get rid of those frescoes, and fast. Do you know a way to clear them out? Mary isn't keen to keep Catherine's collection.

I should be able to facilitate that. I'll do what I can.

Please, don't be so humble. You're Szczepan Kowalski's son. Years ago, your father took less than two weeks to round up all my...

Oh, sorry, Mr. Reynell. I didn't know you were standing there.

What's your problem, woman? Don't you see the three of us?

Gentlemen, this is my bodyguard. I will reprimand her in a moment.

Do you maybe need a change of clothes?

Of course I do. I can't stand around drenched in wine. Please excuse me, gentlemen.

Thanks for that. If one more person had approached me there, I would've suffocated to death.

No need to thank me. Just doing my job.

I thought you wouldn't be here today. The art community's puppet show is tomorrow. There must be lots to take care of there?

Our contract is still in effect.

What a touching spirit of obligation... So, what about after it comes to an end? Where will you go?

What's that on your back...?

Oh, my scars? Nothing to worry about. Just the price I paid for certain betrayals.

Once the contract is over... we'll leave Dossoles and search for our lost teammates.

In that case, I guess it's not likely we'll meet again.

With a stubborn employer like me, if it wasn't for the contract, you would've left long ago, right?

I'm something of a troublesome employee too. I'm pretty surprised that you've managed to put up with me all this time.

...

Thank you for your help. I hope everything works out for you in the future, Mr. Reynell.

You didn't bring me a gift, did you?

Yeah, an album. I bought it from an artist at the community.

The name here seems to ring a bell... Oh, I remember now. He wrote a 27-minute song last year just to curse at me.

I didn't know that... I just thought that you should take a listen to his songs.

No matter. No need to fret. I already got my revenge.

What did you do?

I bought out the rights to a fair number of his songs from his previous company. Then, I gave them to the band he reviles most to cover.

I'll leave the album here. If you want to listen to it, knock yourself out. If not, then so be it.

Yes... He did indeed rip out the phone line when I called a few days ago.

Please give me a little more time. I will do whatever it takes to get my hands on that plot of land... Our development project will move ahead as scheduled.

Sir, I'm sure you know how loyal I am. It's not that I don't care, but this is a little tricky.

The businessman who has development rights there isn't being very cooperative. We can go soft or go hard on him, but it won't matter.

I've tried going straight to the community myself, but the people there are tough to crack. We've tried, and failed.

No, it's not an excuse. It really is where things stand right now. Besides... It seems there is another faction within the Coalition government that's backing Reynell. I don't want to be rash here.

Yes, I'm incompetent for not having found anything on them. This is why, if I may be so bold, I'd like to ask if you have... any clues at all? Say... Who would want to steal this slice of pie from your hands?

No, I'm not questioning your position within the Coalition at all. It's just a possibility.

You want me to proceed without a care to this... I-Is this really okay? If I offend anyone with these actions...

Very well, if you say so. I won't betray your expectations.

Capitán, not even that gentleman knows who they are?

He doesn't, but he also doesn't care. He gave me the highest command in Dossoles, hinting that I must take care of this quickly.

What about Candela?

He says he will take care of her.

If we have his full support, then this will surely be solved without issue, but you... you don't seem very happy?

Think about it. What kind of subordinate needs his superior's full support to finish something?

A trusted one?

Hmph... It's a useless one, of course.

I was hoping to put on a great performance bringing this development plan to fruition, but now he'll probably just think of me as an idiot who needs him to clean my messes.

Once we get that plot of land and all this over with, he might just not care anymore.

I wouldn't be so sure of that. He's got this kid working for him who's been rising through the ranks. Supposedly, he's sending him here.

If I don't want to be replaced, I have to do more than get my hands on that land. I need some extra accomplishments.

Do you have any ideas?

Of course, and I've had this in mind for some time now. Reynell's been jerking me around like I'm a fool. If I don't return the favor, that would just make me a wimp.

Now if I could swallow up his art museum, too...

There are two days until his opening ceremony. With this little time...

Looks like I'll have to take the cruelest, riskiest route for this.

Weird... This is too weird...

Ernesto, I saw the garage lights on. You haven't gone to bed?

Arleta? Come in.

Still working on the community stuff? Everyone's been so busy the last couple days.

*sigh*... If only. I'd be so much more passionate... I'm working on repaying a favor.

The favor from finding the medicine last time? Anything I can help with?

What are you talking about? No, it's a personal thing.

Brother, don't try to do everything on your own. If you need me for anything, let me know before it's too late.

Relax. It's nothing big at all. You should go get some rest.

Whatever... You've always been like this, keeping just about everything to yourself and never showing even a hint of what you're thinking. Nobody can help you at all.

You're overthinking it, Arleta.

How's this overthinking it? You keep acting like that, of course this is what I'm gonna think. I'm going. You get some rest soon.

(Deep breath)

Letting you help out isn't the same as letting you get involved in this mess. Don't blame me for this one.

Weird. How did such a large shipment of explosives disappear without a trace as soon as it entered the city?

There's another shipment on the 28th... and another one on the 3rd of next month...

There were also a few shipments of brewing ingredients around the same time. Is that how they made it in? No, the routes don't match up. There were four inspection checkpoints. There's no way they could've gotten through without being discovered.

Unless... the shipments were never going to be inspected in the first place.

So precious that no one dared to check them?

Luxuries... Fine wine?

That's... not precious enough. Probably something that could easily fetch hundreds of millions of dollars?

(Gulps)

No... I have to go check out this Galería Krysztauowa.

Ugh...

Oh, what's going on? You've been holed up here, crying the whole time?

Luck hasn't been on my side today... I came across all these weird transpositions. What's the bass clef? I'm a trumpeter! What the hell was the composer thinking?

It only occurred to me when the rehearsal began that my score has a long multirest with only a couple notes in between here and there.

Was there a grace note above the rest?

No... It's just a bunch of whole rests over a hundred measures in a row. I counted all the way up, and I realized I must've miscounted because I entered too soon.

It was a very loud note. Everyone stopped and looked at me... Does whoever wrote the music know what a trumpet is?

*sigh*... Get some rest. Tomorrow will be better...

You sure...?

Our arts festival is tomorrow... Gah... I'm so nervous.

If you can't sleep, mind helping me work on my draft?

I thought you finished your draft a long time ago.

Yeah, I did, but the app froze on me when I was wrapping up yesterday. I went out for dinner while waiting for it to unfreeze, and by the time I got back...

Ahhh—! Stop it. That's enough. Say no more!

Stop!

Wait, stop—! Stop moving around so much when you're clutching your head! My tablet's over there!

It's gone... It's all gone... How come I'm so unlucky today...?

Report. The crossbowmen have the high ground. No one has spotted us.

Standing by for orders.

Haah... What a busy day this has been... What time is it? Good, still got time. I'll head to the city for a drink.

Yow!

Who would leave such a big rock out in the middle of the road? So inconsiderate.

Urgh... What's with everything today? Nothing's going right. I gotta find a fortune teller tomorrow and do something about my rotten luck.

Sorry about this, señor, but you'll have to go back. No one is allowed outside.

Who are you? What gives you the right to stop me?

Turn around, señor.

Hey, who are you people? Who sent you?

That's close enough, señor.

What are you doing...?

Señor, this is just a routine fire inspection. No need to be alarmed.

We will... greatly appreciate your cooperation.