Fan Fiction: Short Stories

The Red Talon
by Corey Christopher

  Meanwhile, as Harry trailed the mysterious visitor, things were about to heat up back at Police Headquarters...

  "I tell you Inspector, this case has got me buffaloed." A swarthy-faced detective was rubbing his forehead in dismay while he sat behind a stack of reports.

  "Don't worry about it too much Joe. If you overwork yourself, it will only lead to more frustration. Besides, I'm sure something will turn up. People don't just disappear into thin air you know. These missing inventors have got to be somewhere."

  Inspector Timothy Klein was trying to calm his friend down. For almost 36 hours straight Joe Cardona had been on duty. His relentless work on this case was commendable, even by Commissioner Weston.

  "If I only had a clue where to start. I've got every stool looking for these men, and so far nothing is up in the badlands. I have a hunch something big is about to happen soon. That's why I've been working overtime on it."

  Joe let out a sigh. He began to rifle through his reports and evidence bags again when his office door opened with a clatter. It was Fritz, the Janitor making his nightly rounds. The two officers perked up at the sight of the 'old mop and bucket'.

  "Say Fritz," Inspector Klein joked, "business is really cleaning up tonight isn't it?"

  "Yah."

  "You're sure a hard worker Fritz." Joe laughed. " You come in here at all sorts of hours."

  "Yah."

  "Just like you, eh Cardona? Come on let's go grab some coffee from the lunchroom. Maybe it will shake the cobwebs."

  With that, the two men left Fritz to his mopping and strolled out of the office. After finishing the corner where the stoop-shouldered janitor had been scrubbing previously, a strange sound lightly pervaded the room. Where Fritz had stood a moment ago, an entirely new being had replaced him. His doubled-over form was become a tall, imposing figure. The shuffling motion of Fritz was replaced with swift strides. Where dull gray eyes had looked on, two burning optics blazed! Fritz had become The Shadow. Garbed in the janitor's clothes, he has posed a perfect double of the real Fritz. So perfect was his masquerade, that even the Inspector and the Detective had no idea that the real janitor was not before their eyes.

  Thus The Shadow had gained access into the protected files of the police. The eyes of The Shadow were scanning the folders. Troves of information passed through the keen mind of The Shadow. He was weeding out the relevant info and discarding the rest. He then moved to the evidence bags. A low laugh shuddered through the office of Joe Cardona. The Shadow had evidently found something that the detective had not. Reliable as Joe was, he could not compare with the sleuthing skills of the Master.

  A sudden pause. In two strides The Shadow regained his mop and bucket. The stooped form of Fritz was wheeling his bucket towards the door of the office when it swung open. The pair had returned with their coffee.

  "All done for tonight?" quizzed Cardona.

  "Yah."

  "Goodnight Fritz."

  "Yah, yah."

  When the shuffling janitor made his way back to the broom closet, he pulled out long folds of sable hue. This enshrouded the tall form, and a black slouch hat was placed upon his head. With the upturned collar obscuring his face, and the turned down brim of the hat, the only thing visible was that of two eyes that shone like fire! The spectral shape turned and disappeared into the gloom of the hall. A grim foreboding laugh echoed through the hall. It presaged danger in the future. What unfortunate events were to happen to the missing inventors?

  Only The Shadow knew...

  Harry motioned to Dr. Longfellow that everything was okay for the time being. He then picked up the telephone and dialed a number that wasn't in any directory. A quiet voice answered on the other end of the line.

  "Vincent speaking."

  "Report." The sibilant hiss of The Shadow authenticated that this was a secure conversation. Harry was to report directly to his Chief this time, instead of going through Burbank, The Shadow's contact man. He began to describe the series of events after the Doctor had arrived, and also the answers to the questions that he had asked him earlier. Then Harry listened intently to the whispered reply, while Dr. Longfellow remained in a silent state of shock after the night's events.

  "Instructions received." Harry hung up the phone.

  "Moe Shrevinitz is waiting downstairs in his cab. I'm to take you to the safe house to meet with Dr. Roy Tam. Tell him everything about the VX Formula and he will help you work on it."

  Dr Longfellow finally spoke. " Who is Dr. Tam?"

  Harry responded, "He is another friend, just like me. But he has also worked in the science field like you have."

  While the Doctor was still contemplating current events, he and Vincent walked downstairs and out to the waiting cab. They got in and were greeted by Moe.

  "You know where to go?" asked Harry.

  "Yes, but I think I was followed on the way here so I asked some friends for a little help getting to the safe house.

  "What do you mean?"

  "You'll see," chuckled Moe as he pulled away from the curb.

  They were traveling down Broadway when a gray coupe started after them, following them at every turn. Shrevie spoke into his radio, "OK fellas, any time now." All of a sudden Shrevie sped up and the gray coupe sped after them. Shrevie quickly cut down a side street and came out on Fifth Avenue with the gray coupe in hot pursuit. Suddenly a taxicab identical to Shrevie's cut off the gray coupe and stopped it from passing. Then another identical cab pulled behind the coupe and two more enclosed it in a box, enabling Shrevie to speed away into the night.

  After a short while the cab pulled up into a dark narrow road leading to a stone mansion. Shrevie stopped in front of the mansion as his passengers exited the vehicle. They walked up to the front door and a small Asian man opened it.

  "Nice to see you again Harry."

  "Good to see you Dr. Tam. May I introduce Dr. Longfellow."

  "Come in gentlemen! I have some nice hot tea ready for of you."

  Meanwhile on the other side of town, back at the hotel room of Harry Vincent, two men were busy searching for some clues on the whereabouts of Harry or Dr. Longfellow.

  "There's nothing in here but a few changes of clothes!" One of them looked angry. They had found nothing at all.

  A second man with a chiseled countenance casually looked under the bed. "Nothing under here either. Let's get back to the boss and suggest a stake out. Maybe they'll come back later."

  This man was Cliff Marsland, an agent of The Shadow. The Shadow had given Cliff instructions to join up with this mob, and report details of their movements back to him. Cliff was very useful since he was known in the underworld as a reputed killer, and could easily be accepted into any outfit The Shadow chose.

  "Yeah, let's go." The other man was disappointed and mad that they had found nothing useful. It would have been easier to find some address scribbled on a piece of paper, or anything else that would tell them where their targets were.

  The two men put the things back in order and left the room. They didn't want to leave any traces of their visit. Then they took the elevator down to the lobby, went outside to a waiting car, and headed back to headquarters to report what they found — or what they had not found — to their leader.

  The whole evening was being recorded by Marsland, undetected and unnoticed by anyone in the car. He was making sure he'd know why they were interested in Dr. Longfellow and report back to Burbank. For all anyone else knew, he was just more hired muscle.