A/N: It's been long awaited, so here's Chapter 21. Keep in mind I've been doing revisions on past chapters to add more content and correct several issues. It may be worth checking some out. You can determine if they are revised or not by looking for a revision marker at the bottom of the post. Thanks for reading!

Every private detective novel essentially has the same setting: an always dark city where crime is frequent and the people are interestingly suspicious. The city of Crussius fit the bill quite perfectly. It seemed to be dark quite a lot, though this could be attributed to the many tall buildings blocking out the sun, and the air pollution swallowed up the sky "like a delicious booty swallows up a tiny black G-string" as former mayor Hunter Rutledge put it. His poor choice of wording may have led to the criticisms that put him out of office. That or his poor decision making that essentially drove Crussius' economy and political environment to shambles—he wasn't sure which, a side-effect of his poor decision making skills.

Hunter Rutledge spent his free time browsing Myspace and ordering things on eBay, and he grew his beard out so thick nobody could recognize him. This was for his own personal safety.

Another thing about private detective novels that is quite very common is the persistence of one particular client that stands out and ends up creating the plot with their urgent matter, and Hunter Rutledge was the persistent client on this particular New Year's Eve.

#21: CRIMINALS OF CRUSSIUS

Several months had passed since Edd, Mitsumi, and Marudo had left the other Guardians to begin training themselves to face the Guardians of Evil. While much time had been spent doing combat training, Edd had more recently been doing his fair share of research on the Guardians. In order to fund his endeavors of internet browsing and book purchasing, he needed money, and thus found himself a job at P. C. Bolton Private Detective Association. It was impressive how Edd managed to not only get the job, but also excel at it. He often spent long days in his office, waiting for only the most important of jobs to come to him from the front desk. His stubble was beginning to thicken into a full beard, and he had definitely aged over the course of the months. Mitsumi had told him he appeared about twenty, though he affirmed that he was only now going on eighteen.

At 11:50 PM on December 30, Double D was packing his things into a suitcase atop his desk. Mitsumi was laying down on the loveseat across the room, exhausted but still awake. Meanwhile, Marudo floated about, carrying various outfits from the closet to Edd one at a time. The office would be closed up for the next two days, what with holiday observance. As Edd sealed up his last shirt, he snapped the locks on the briefcase shut and looked over to Mitsumi. She smiled.

"You know, I wear the same outfit just about every day," he said to her. "I may need to change my look a little."

"Well, the beard's definitely a start," Mitsumi replied.

"I may shave it," he said. "What do you think?" She sat up and got to her feet before walking over and wrapping her arms around him.

"Keep it," she said, kissing him on the mouth with a grin. He chuckled and kissed her back. It was then Edd noticed the man speaking to Carol, the woman at the front desk, had begun to raise his voice to audible levels.

"Please! It's a dire emergency!" he insisted. "I absolutely need The Tempest!" The Tempest was the highest priced dish on the menu at P. C. Bolton. It was code for Edd's services, and it was for only the most difficult of cases. "The things these kids do! It's not like what normal people do!"

"Sir, we are closed for the night and we won't be open until the twenty-sixth," Carol told him.

"You hear that?" asked Edd to Mitsumi. "What he said about the kids?"

"Yeah, it's not like what normal people do," she repeated. "Do you think he meant Guardian powers?"

"I'm going to find out," he said. "Marudo, closet."

"Yeah yeah," grumbled Marudo, floating into the closet and pulling the door to. Edd opened the door to his office and stepped out front.

"You need The Tempest?" asked Edd to the bearded man out front.

"Yes, yes," he answered hurriedly.

"Step into my office," said Edd calmly, motioning through the door. The bearded man stumbled into the room, and Edd shut the door behind.

"What's your name?" Edd asked. He motioned to a chair in front of the desk.

"Hunter Rutledge."

"What seems to be the trouble?" asked Edd.

"There is a gang, see," the man revealed. "Boys about your age. Very frequent shoplifters. Very good at what you do. Police are utterly stumped. Can't find them anywhere, yeah."

"And why is this trouble to you specifically?"

"They took a precious relic of mine," he said.

"What relic?"

"Is it important to know that?" asked Rutledge.

"If you want my services, it is," said Edd coolly.

"Very well," answered Rutledge. "It's a white stone that used to sit in Town Hall. A rock known as the Energy Crystal to those who know about it. The material is considered extremely rare, and its properties are… well, interesting. Plenty of urban legends surrounding it." Edd glanced at Mitsumi across the room.

"This group," Edd said. "You said they do things others can't."

"Yes."

"What did you mean?"

"One of them set a building on fire. With his hands," claimed Rutledge.

"What else?"

"A girl lifts things with her mind."

"Anything else?"

"Nothing I know of," said Rutledge.

"Very well," said Edd, standing up and stretching his legs. "I'll take your case. Any leads that might help me out?"

"Well uh, just one," said Rutledge.

"What is it?"

"One of them is my son."

Grant Rutledge was a short and shy misguided blond kid with no idea what he was doing with his life. Running with a gang and stealing thousands of dollars' worth of items was part of his lifestyle, and it didn't fully appeal to him, but it's what he was dealt. And from what he could tell, it was too late to turn back now.

His gang was very abnormal. There was Jericho, the dark and aggressive leader of the group. He was very short-tempered and he made sure to cause trouble anywhere he went. Cassie was a nice girl most of the times, but she was just as prone to making mischief as Jericho when the time called for it. Harley was Grant's old friend, and the only one in this group he really trusted. Grant was the whole reason Harley was here at all. He came to Harley when the other two started to pull him in, and being a good friend, Harley chose to stick with him. Harley was very casual and calm, usually spectating and helping others rather than leading the charge. It was almost as if he was one of the few people in the world who didn't see themselves as the main character in their own movie. He was the Stan Lee of Crussius: a supporting role here and there and everywhere.

One other thing that may have been interesting about the gang was the fact that Jericho and Cassie were superhuman. Jericho could create fire with his body, causing destruction and chaos wherever he went. Cassie was telepathic, and capable of lifting objects with her mind. Grant had only recently learned she could do this, and he was thoroughly impressed by this ability. Jericho, on the other hand, revealed his fire abilities to anyone and everyone pretty much immediately. He was bold like that.

It was New Year's Eve, 12:01 AM, and Jericho was planning something big. The way he explained it led Grant to believe that it was his biggest heist yet. A large ball was being set up inside Endendevitz Hall in the town square, and that meant the annual tradition of a bunch of rich people crowding into an enclosed area doing pretentious things only rich people do only in crowded enclosed areas surrounded by other pretentious rich people while the rest of the world rolled their eyes and pretended they were okay with not being a part of it while also legitimately not wanting to be a part of it. Jericho simply wanted to get in and pick some pockets, but he insisted some setup was in order. Grant really didn't know what setup was involved, but Jericho told him to stay on the roof and keep watch with Harley while Cassie and Jericho go inside to do their work.

With a simple phone call, Edd managed to locate Grant. By asking Grant to pick up some milk on the way home, Hunter was able to give Edd enough time to trace the call. It was with this knowledge that he managed to find himself on a nearby roof, watching Grant and his friend. They didn't seem to be up to much, and so Edd reasoned they were standing watch while their friends got their hands dirty.

The rooftops of Crussius were even more crowded than anybody realized, for behind Edd on yet another rooftop stood Thaddeus Flintlock in his leather jacket. For reasons known only to the Guardians of Evil, he watched Edd, watching Grant and Harley, watching the city, watching college football on TV.

The screaming civilians running out of the building was not at all planned, and so Harley and Grant were a bit confused by what exactly had happened inside. Edd had no time for such a thing, and instantly sprang into action, throwing himself off the building and landing four stories below, completely unscathed. He wasted no time rushing through the doors past the screaming people, and into the large ballroom area, where there were several flaming tables and curtains torn to the floor.

"Evening, Guardian," said the dark male of the two standing in the room. The pasty skinned female was smiling as Edd took in the chaos.

"What are you doing?" asked Edd.

"Looking for you, obviously," said the man. "Honestly, did you think the Guardians of Evil would sit idly by when they heard a Guardian was hiding out in Crussius alone?"

"Who says I was hiding out?" asked Edd. "I didn't waste much time coming here, now, did I?"

"Who says I was talking about you?" asked the man in response. He stretched out his arm and set it alight. "You, however, well, I don't think I'll have much trouble dealing with you."

"You'd be surprised," Edd responded. Jericho quickly hurled a fireball, twirling around in a half-circle and throwing forward a second with his other hand. In a flash, Edd had wordlessly donned his Guardian uniform.

"Wave," Edd said, throwing forward a small wave of water that completely snuffed the flames. Cassie pulled a knife from her pocket and threw it straight for Edd's face. Effortlessly, Edd ducked down and caught it overhead, before throwing it sideways at Jericho. Jericho blasted it out of the air with a fireball and charged towards Edd, while Cassie mentally lifted the hot knife from the ground and tossed it at Edd once more. Throwing himself into the air, Jericho flipped over and began to bring down a flaming kick onto Edd's shoulder. Edd ducked to the side and punched Jericho in the stomach, knocking him to the floor. The knife flew past him, though it made a return trip with Cassie's intervention. However, Edd grabbed it from the air and overpowered Cassie's mental tugging. Before Jericho could even react, the knife was plunged through his forehead. Sparks shot out, and his face swung open on a hinge, revealing mechanical parts on the inside.

"I thought as much," Edd said, looking at Cassie. "His voice is just as electronic as yours." With only psychic intervention, she ripped the knife from Jericho's face and began to swing it at Edd. Edd easily stepped backwards to avoid every slice, before finally grabbing it and charging at Cassie. He slid across the ground and then chucked the knife at her neck.

"Wave!" he yelled, throwing forward a tsunami that took her off her feet while she was busy processing the incoming knife. Cassie fell on the ground, and Edd grabbed the knife as he neared. She began to try to pull it from his hand, but he quickly stabbed her through the forehead in the same fashion as he did Jericho. Like Jericho, Cassie's head opened up to reveal mechanical parts.

"Russo Moriarty again," he read on a small disclaimer in the corner. He then noticed the small shimmering light in the back. "And crystallized Guardian energy." Edd pulled the stone shard from the steel casing holding it. When he heard the running footsteps behind himself, he vanished his Guardian uniform and stood to his feet, turning around. Grant and Harley came barreling in, and they stopped in the doorway with mouths agape when they saw what had happened to their friends.

"Did either of you realize?" asked Edd.

"R-realize what?" asked Grant.

"Look at them," said Edd. "Robots. Could you not hear it in their voices? Luckily for you I dealt with them." Harley began slowly stepping back.

"They were… robots?" asked Grant.

"Obviously," responded Edd. "I'm still not sure what exactly they were up to, though. You two, on the other hand! Why were you with them? The crime sprees? The shoplifting? Thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise! How have you managed to stay out of jail, Grant Rutledge?"

"You know my name?"

"Yes, I know your name," said Edd. "I'm sure the police know your name, too. It's only a matter of time, now."

"Let's get out of here," muttered Harley to Grant. He turned on his heel and sprinted out the door, with Grant close behind. Edd groaned to himself and took off after them. They instantly turned the corner as they neared the road, and made their way along the sidewalk and then a block later traveled into an alley that resembled literally every television alleyway. While Edd was hot on their heels, Grant and Harley were very quick. The two made their way up a steel ladder and onto the roof of a two-story building before throwing themselves across a gap to another. With ease, Edd matched the jump and stuck the landing. All the while, the two began hopping up several obstacles of increasing size until they reached a third story rooftop on the same building, and hurled themselves across yet another gap to yet another building. Edd stayed close behind.

A more dangerous maneuver of theirs involved jumping and grabbing onto a pipe to scale the side of a building, all the way up to a sixth story. Edd begrudgingly followed behind all the while, his days of clumsiness obviously behind him. When he neared the top, Grant attempted to step on his fingers so he would let go of the edge.

"If I fall, I'll probably land on my back and die," hissed Edd, retreating down the pipe a bit. "Is that what you want?"

"A little," retorted Grant, whirling around and running across the roof. Edd pulled himself to his feet and watched as Grant and Harley began to scale a large crane overlooking the city. It came extremely close to the roof of yet another building, and it was evident they were planning to jump from the crane to the other rooftop.

"Get down from there!" Edd shouted. He noticed the crane wobbling beneath their combined weight as soon as they began crossing. "It's unstable! Get down! GET DOWN!" Harley jumped from the crane to the edge of the roof, grabbing ahold and pulling himself up. The force of his jump shook the crane further, and Grant lost his balance. He nearly tumbled backwards, but then threw himself forward to jump towards the building. His fingers scraped the edges, but little more.

"Harley!" he shouted as he plummeted into the alleyway below. Edd rushed to the edge of the building and looked down, just in time to see the unfortunate collision with the ground.

"Grant!" shouted Harley from above. Grant was unmoving. Edd knew by the force of the fall that Grant's fate was less than desirable. It was less than anything. It was the least a person could be: no more.

"Harley!" Edd yelled up to the building. "This has gone on long enough!"

"Leave me alone!" Harley yelled, turning and running. Edd shook his head to himself and then threw himself across the gap.

"Surface Tension," he said mid jump. As he hit the edge of the building, he began to stick. Quickly, he climbed towards the top of the building, and rolled across the ground towards where Harley had run. He had not gotten far, as there was essentially nowhere left for him to go but down.

"Harley," Edd said, coming to a stop. Harley looked at him. He was obviously disturbed by Grant's fate.

"Harley, it doesn't have to be like this," said Edd. "Those two you were with before. They were made by some bad people."

"Leave me alone," said Harley again. Edd was taken by surprise and tackled to the roof.

"Get out of here!" yelled the man on top of him. He slammed Edd's face into the roof. Edd retaliated with an elbow, throwing the man off of himself. It was then that he finally saw the man: one with a leather jacket and perfectly sculpted hair. Whom he was was unknown to Edd. Harley was priority at the moment.

"Poison Power!" Edd heard. He turned around and saw Harley in a purple blazer and a white V-neck that he was not wearing before.

"Slimy Rope!" Harley launched a long purple protrusion of sludgy goop from his palm at high speed, towards a building across the street. The goop hit a billboard on the roof and stuck to it, and Harley jumped from the building. He swung across the gap and caught the wall with his feet. Releasing the rope, Harley stuck to the wall and began to climb with no aid from anything other than sheer stick.

Edd said, "Harley's a Guardian?"

TO BE CONTINUED

In the next chapter… Edd deals with the man on the rooftop and attempts to find out more about the mysterious Harley.