The Mystery Mirror has begun to teach me many things…occult secrets I could never have guessed at. Should never guess, were this in fact a sane world.
Experiences in these few short months have assured me it is not.
This time our Patron sent us into the Dark Continent, the primeval jungles of Africa. Sam, Irina, Michael, Nikita, Ito & two strangers were also present. One was a towering Hispanic…I don't have an ear for Spanish. The name escaped me. Obviously a formidable force, if rather dense at times. Apparently Michael had worked with the Behemoth before, so I was less concerned. The other was an American senator's son…Richard Rochmont, I would find out later. I'd heard some of the scandals involving this dilettante on CNN…I asked the others if we should simply execute him before he betrays us. The words came foreign to my mouth…yet they stood all the same. It would turn out unnecessary, a fact I am grateful for.
Local tribesmen provided us with a wealth of misinformation, & a gut-string wooden harp. Woefully unprepared, we made our way into the jungle interior. Quickly, we found obstructions of a decidedly unusual nature: Metal items, even small ones, became impossibly heavy after passing under the canopy. Forced to discard them we ("We" now including the aforementioned Hispanic wearing a brightly coloured Spanish wrestlers mask) we made our way through the jungle. Evening gave way to true night, & all but Sam (apparently experienced with such regions, God knows why) experienced a truly miserable night in the bug-infested hell hole. Fortunately I had thought to include malaria treatments in my medical stay before leaving the Netherlands. Morning would find the jungle encroaching, our trail obliterated, & the lot of us hopelessly lost.
Following a sickly river fouled with chemical sludge, we came across a suspiciously verdant clearing. A parasitic vine with lovely (later proven to carry a soporific pollen), purple flowers & long barbed thorns blocked our passage. The vines proved capable of launching the thorns with some force, & apparently with intelligent direction: that is, after Richard mocked them & exposed himself, I can only imagine it was intelligent design that launched a volley of thorns at his crotch. Matters worsened as it became apparent that the thorns carried a deadly neurotoxin. While unprepared to eviscerate the young man, the poison had to be removed before it reached an arterial junction. Fortunately, I was spared performing this makeshift surgery by M.s Jones, who valiantly sucked out the poison.
Painful hours hobbling in circles through the undergrowth followed. Whatever forced cast a miasma over our reason continued to herd us into danger. It wasn't till Sam played the harp that the fog of confusion lifted, & we successfully followed the river to a fenced industrial facility patrolled by armed guards. After reviewing our resources & collecting data, we hatched a daring plan: Sam would approach the guards claiming to be a lost reporter. Secreted on her person, she would carry the small mirrors I had managed to bring along. If all went well, there would be no need for violence. If not, I would rupture the Mirror Wall through the mirrors to explosive effect. Simultaneously, the Hispanic wrestler would hurl Ito & Nikita into the fray (If you had seen him you would not doubt his ability to do this).
All went well…at first. The guards accepted Sam's story, but summoned the director of the facility. A pale man dressed in a conservative black suit. Upon hearing Sam's tale, he began to draw a pistol & without a glimmer of emotion prepared to execute the young man. I felt a chill then: Is this what I too shall become. A glint of reflected light brought me back to my senses…Sam had raised the mirrors, & I had scant moments to save his life. Directing the icy winds beyond, the mirrors exploded in a storm of blue-white energy & splintered glass. My focus was so complete I did not notice Richard hurl a knife from behind the assailants, nor see Nikita & Ito thrown until they landed like acrobats within the melee. The fight was not truly over till the Big Man entered the battle, however. Vaulting into the air, the giant of a man landed on the Man in Black with bone-crushing force. The remaining guards quickly surrendered.
Sam, Michael, Richard & I managed to identify the facility as some sort of waste-dump. Tracking through shell companies, Michael & I identified the perpetrator as a multi-national holding corporation named "Pentex". The purpose of the facility remained unclear…why contaminate the river, & thus the jungle? The costs alone to manage such an operation must surely outstrip even the most lucrative illegal dumping scheme. This corporation, which even Lassiter described as "Nefarious", may bear watching in the future. Regardless, we destroyed the facility & achieved our objectives.
Some of the others have exhibited strange powers, though different than mine own. I'd like to believe a faerie tale where using these odd talents for just causes would see my frozen heart healed. I am not quite that mad just yet however, so I will continue searching for a rational explanation.