REVERSE: 1999 STORY LOGS

Introduction | An Old Photo

Melania: All of our memories are here in the album.

…

Melania: Do you remember this? Four years ago, we won our first trophy.

Ms. Acey: Sure.

Melania: Mainedonty … the antique coin unearthed at the Maine site in 1957. People only treated it as a quirky trinket, and a scribe got it for just a hundred pounds. It’s probably the best deal he has ever made in his life … Its mystery hasn’t been solved by the arcanist academy so far. In the early 1960s, it fetched a whopping £13,000 and was on exclusive exhibition at the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster. This was where it all began. At that time, Ramirez had not been dissolved, and I was … just a student.

Disc of Turin

[Interview of the “New Humans”]

Iverson: Friends of the London security industry, I can now prove to you we are facing an unprecedented crisis. Just as The Times criticised, we are bamboozled by the flashy arcanum, and deceived by the so-called imagination of a security officer. We racked our brains to predict what the thieves were thinking, trying to keep up with their imagination. In the past five years, we almost turned security officers into thieves.

Iverson: But what have we achieved? Defeat! The Rimet Cup was replaced by a counterfeit during the exhibition! While exhibition security is just the most basic work of security! We concentrated too much on the show, on the cat and mouse game with the thieves.

Iverson: But we forgot our foundations: strict security checks, sound plans, and advanced equipment. The lost Rimet Cup was not only a failure of Ramirez, but a humiliation to the entire industry.

Iverson: Fortunately, it’s all over now. Because we, New Humans Security, have recovered the real Rimet Cup! I, Iverson Edwards, solemnly declare. We will retrieve the tradition of rigour and rationality in the security industry, and bring it back to the path of rules and regulations! We will publish Guidance on Security. All the security flaws will be strictly checked! All the ways to commit crimes will be documented! The tragedy of the Rimet Cup shall not happen again! The grandstanding arcane security will be eliminated! We must save the industry from the humiliation of Ramirez!

…

The impassioned speech is not necessarily welcomed by some people. Say, the target of this criticism.

…

Melania: Ms Acey, why have you had the magazine? I haven’t finished it!

Ms. Acey: Nonsense.

Melania: Are you worried about me? Trust me. I don’t care anymore. At least the report represents what the public expects from the security business.

Fiennes: Glad to see you are still paying attention to the security business, Melania.

Melania: Mr. Fiennes …!

Fiennes: Don’t, just call me Uncle Fiennes like the old times. Look at you! Last time I saw you, you were still a little girl. Now already a grown up.

Just like every relative you are not familiar with will do, the first thing he does is to take an awkward small talk. Melania grasps the handle of her shoulder bag firmer.

Melania: I assume you’re not here to catch up with me, are you?

Fiennes: … Then I’ll just come to the point, Melania.

Fiennes sits in front of Melania with a serious look.

Fiennes: I’m thinking that you can take over the Ramirez. I know you’ve suffered tons of pressure after your father committed suicide …

Melania: …

Fiennes: But, please listen to me, Melania. Ramirez needs you. Our reputation collapsed after the Rimet Cup case. I took over your father’s place but can barely maintain the business. For the past six months, New Humans was taking absolute advantage and we cannot even compare to them.

Melania: People no longer trusted Ramirez, as was to be expected.

Fiennes: No, that’s not the problem. We still have some regular customers who still trust us … It is the direction we lost. Your father─he had a special style in the security field─unique may be the better word. After his death, no one can match his place in Ramirez. We in no way will follow Iverson’s style. That would smear Ramirez’s reputation. And you know that your father wanted you to be his successor …

Melania: Why not make a transformation, Mr. Fiennes? As long as the exhibits can be guarded. Arcane security or traditional security, they’re all the same.

Fiennes: … Have you watched Iverson’s speech? He said we are a humiliation.

Melania: Yes, I’ve read it all. But you have to admit that part of Mr. Iverson’s idea is correct. Father never made any security plan, nor did he let anyone know what he was thinking. He just let the worst happen, and then miraculously caught the thief and recovered the exhibit. It was thrilling, exciting, and full of drama. It made him a hero of the media. But what if miracles don’t happen every time? What if we had registered visitors … What if we had a sound security plan … What if Father had not been so conceited about his imagination … “Rimet Cup” wouldn’t have been stolen! And we wouldn’t have to say these to his ashes!

Fiennes: Melania …

Melania: I’m sorry, Mr. Fiennes. That’s too harsh.

Fiennes passed his handkerchief to her.

Fiennes: No … I’m the one who reminds you of the sad things. I know it’s not for me to say this, but … As your father’s friend and colleague for years, I’d like to say this for him. Ramirez was everything to him. He didn’t mean to put it in this way. It was his choice to survive. I wouldn’t put the pressure all on you. Just … your joining may bring us new energy.

Melania: Thank you for the afternoon tea. But please forgive me for declining, Mr. Fiennes. I am not interested in the security business.

Melania stands up. It is the time to end this conversation.

Fiennes: … What if you are the one to lead Ramirez? You can decide everything. Customers, orders, security plans and patrol route … It’s all your call.

Melania: No, Mr. Fiennes. This is crazy … I’m still just a student …

Fiennes: Melania, you are our last hope. If you abandoned Ramirez too, Ramirez no longer has to exist. It’s just some random traditional security business company like any other one, even the New Humans. And your father’s legend will fade with its reputation. Are you going to let this happen? Let one failure defeat you forever. Never have the chance to rise again.

Melania: …!

Fiennes: Melania, if you think your father made a wrong decision, then prove it. Prove you’re different to him. Prove that you can do better than him! You will be the leader … of the new Ramirez.

…

Ms. Acey: You never forget it.

Melania: Of course. I always remember what Uncle Fiennes said to me. He really fulfilled his promise. I was the one to lead the new Ramirez. It was a great time … Wonderful, but short.

Mainedonty

[Methodist Central Hall]

Melania: … You’re right. We have never ordered these before. But I guarantee they will all work! The security companies on King’s Road have all introduced CCTV monitoring system. As long as the tapes are changed continually, everyone coming through the door can be recorded and …

Security Guard A: These are useless to Ramirez. Melania, you are too young. This is not how Ramirez works. The only thing your dad would do is to put a broom at the door. We hear the sound of it falling down, we go catch some thieves. That’s how security works.

Guards of the Ramirez start laughing. Melania has to wait till they stop before she talks.

Melania: Mr George, of course I remember that legendary broom which helped us catch the Great thief, Johnny … Father applied an auto-reset spring on it and covered it with flashlight cruciate flower pollen. You checked everyone touching it and caught him in the tube station. But the little trick won’t work for another time. We can’t tell the clients that our security plan is about a broom!

Their laughter only grows.

Security Guard A: No no no, those fancy “plans” are not what we need … The name of Ramirez speaks for itself, miss. Don’t waste your money on devices! Just use your brain and put some brooms.

Melania: Of course! As an arcanist, of course I could imaginatively put the sticky balls in the ventilation ducts to gum up every thief who tried to invade … and I did that too! Yet do you know what the world is saying about us these days?

Ms. Acey: Unplanned, unprofessional, sensationalism. Values their performance more than the safety of custody.

Melania: Thank you for the prompts, Ms. Acey. Ramirez desperately needs to shake off the negative image from the last failure. We need more conventional means and more rigorous planning. We need CCTV, cameras, and 24/7 patrol rotation …! Gentlemen! We can no longer rely on brooms!

Fiennes: What’s happening here?

The guards shut their mouths immediately. They turn back to work in a haste. Meanwhile, a person walks across Fiennes out of the blue. Even his footsteps sound cocky.

Iverson: Well, the professionalism of your staff needs to be improved.

Melania: Mr. Iverson from the New Humans …?! Uncle Fiennes, why …

Fiennes: He had to come in here.

Iverson: Humph … Don’t tell me you didn’t get my mail. I’m here to give you this.

…

Iverson takes a handbook out of his briefcase.

Melania: Guidance on Security?

Iverson: First edition. Ramirez’s transformation speaks for itself. As the union representative for the private security industry, I am glad to see you finally wake up and go back to the right path. I heard that you even received an order to protect “Mainedonty” …?

Fiennes: You jealous?

Iverson: *Chuckling* Don’t get me wrong. New Humans will never be interested in such an arcane exhibit of unknown origin. I am here to invite you … invite Ramirez to join the editorial board of Guidance on Security.

…

Melania: Editorial board …?!

Sadly, her surprising face looks inappropriate among all people in Ramirez.

Fiennes: Fantastic. A new job falls into my lap, even before an unemployment claim. Is it possible to have pennies from heaven?

Iverson: No worries. There are experts to review and compile. All you need to do is to provide some references for the entries to be complete. For example, your security plan, ordering channels … and strategies to deal with unexpected situations.

Fiennes: Sounds like trade secret to me.

Iverson: Peer assistance. Our plans will also be documented in the Guidance. If you have a basic understanding of the word “sharing”, you should know it’s fair.

Fiennes: But what can we learn from your useless plan? When Ramirez was here, you paid countless efforts to steal it from us. This is just another excuse. Save the paper to wipe your arse, Iverson.

Fiennes snores, waving his arms trying to throw the handbook of Guidance on Security in the air - - But he gets interrupted.

Melania: Wait, Uncle Fiennes.

Fiennes: Leave it to me, Melania, I know how to …

Melania: You asked me to decide, didn’t you? Ramirez needs more peer support, rather than getting angry about the past.

She takes one step forward.

Melania: Mr. Iverson, I think your proposal makes a lot of sense. I would like to join your editorial board.

Iverson: … Huh, who are you? A relative of Finnes? Is Ramirez running out of talent like this? Put a bird in charge?

Her hand awkwardly stops in the halfway.

Ms. Acey: Should I bite him, Melania?

Melania: It’s okay, Ms. Acey … Mr. Iverson, I really like your vision for Guidance on Security. It reminds me of Hilbert’s axioms of geometry. To build an unbreakable theoretical edifice, where there is no loopholes for thieves to exploit. A rigorous security plan is born out of countless hours of liberation, and we do need peer review. I’m looking forward to work with you.

She reaches her hand further.

Iverson: … Couldn’t believe it, I’d hear of “rigorous” and “plan” in Ramirez one day. You’re determined not to repeat the mistakes made by the last head of security. Am I right, Miss?

Melania: … Yes, I am. I will lead a new Ramirez.

Melania gets that handshake from Iverson. What a seemingly good ending to a story.

Iverson: Fantastic, young lady. I believe it would be a pleasure to work with you. I can’t wait for the day Guidance on Security is published, with your name on the cover.

Melania: …Wait a minute. Published? You mean, you’re going to publish the guidance?

Iverson: Of course! It is necessary to let the public know how rigorous and pioneering our private security industry is. It will also raise the profile of the industry.

Melania: But it also allows everyone to buy it. If a thief gets it, he or she will have an idea of the security plan of all the security companies, right?

Iverson: No. Guidance on Security is flawless. Even if the thieves know … they will have to surrender to the strict security measures. Publication is a deterrent for them.

Melania: But there are flaws in every system. Even the most rigorous mathematicians and logicians face the challenge of the first incompleteness theorem. Mr. Iverson, I think …

Iverson: Enough! Don’t act as a student. We are security officers, not armchair strategists. There’s no way that a thief can compete with Guidance on Security … Just like a prisoner could never escape from the Gatling machine guns and the cold waters of San Francisco Bay, even if he had a map of Alcatraz.

Fiennes: But what if that kind of thief really exists? Like the one who committed two crimes in London and in Paris simultaneously … the international thief, Sean?

Fiennes comes back with a newspaper in his hand─this devoted security officer has already taken a patrol in the exhibit hall.

Iverson: Huh? Are you talking about that little arcane thief? Wasn’t he caught five years ago?

Fiennes: Clearly, according to the newspaper, he was not. Melania, you better check this too.

…

Melania takes the newspaper from him, confused. The headline catches her attention immediately.

Melania: “Silent for five years, the international criminal ‘Sean the Great Thief’ comes back … More than ten media outlets have received warning letters of crime simultaneously … He is going to steal the Mainedonty on display at the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster.”

…

That news stuns her. She puts down the newspaper.

Melania: Isn’t that … the exhibition we need to protect this time?

…

Melania: One week to go before the exhibition ends … Ms. Acey, we caught a lot of thieves, burglars, and copycats these days, but none of them was Sean. Is he really coming? Or is it just a prank?

Biting her nails, the new person in charge of the security company walks back and forth. The shoulder bag gently pecks at her student.

Ms. Acey: Calm down, Melania. He is waiting for us to make mistakes.

Melania: I know. I can’t panic. But the more I tell myself that, the more nervous I am!

Ms. Acey: You’re reinforcing it. Some sleepy popping beans may be helpful. You’ve been awake for too long.

Melania: No. I prefer a green fluffy balling excitant, the maximum dose. I keep thinking about where Sean would intrude, and where to escape … but even if I exhaust every corner of the hall, I always feel like something is missing. I heard about Sean.

Melania: Five years ago, he stole all over Europe. Only Father could stop him. Nobody knows how Father made it … but he predicted every move Sean made.

Melania: But I … I can’t even think as Father did! I could come up with a plan and another, but they’re all dead. I can’t breathe life into them, and make them go beyond imagination. They’re just too common, too mediocre. They won’t stop Sean! Gosh. We’re dealing with an arcane thief who can be in London and in Paris at the same time!

Melania: What if he finds the blind spots in CCTV? What if he breaks through the magnetic-inductive line of defence in the drains? What if he escapes the trap of sticky balls in the ventilation ducts? What if he casts an arcane skill that we don’t know? Like …

Melania reaches her hand into the shoulderbag.

…

When she takes back her hand, an antique coin lies quietly in her palm. However, the Mainedonty in the exhibition case behind her is nowhere to find. Instead, a pack of Walnut sleepy popping beans lies on the silk surface in the case, looking at her with the funny face on the pack.

Melania: Like … a telekinetic arcane skill?

Clap, clap. Applause rings out in the hall without warning.

Fiennes: You could have won it if you were Sean the Great Thief, Melania.

Melania: Uncle Fiennes! My apologies … I, I was just checking if the exhibit is safe …

She stuffs the antique coin into her shoulder bag. The Mainedonty goes back where it belongs─the cabinet, safe and sound. She is lucky. The security guard didn’t pay attention to her but focusing on the outside.

Melania: … Would … would you like a sleepy popping bean …?

Fiennes: Thanks, but no thanks. I brought you coffee.

Fiennes passes her a paper cup. It does somehow reduce the awkwardness in the air. However …

Fiennes: Was that your arcane skill, Melania?

Melania almost spills all her coffee into Acey’s mouth.

Melania: I … *sound of drinking coffee*

She gulps down the coffee as if this can help her escape from this situation. Obviously, she failed. It only ends up with a scalded tongue.

Fiennes: Don’t be nervous. I’m just curious. The exchange incantation the Ramirezs passed down through the bloodline …

Fiennes: I watched your father pulling the trick many times in the past. He tried it with many things, like his peer’s wig, a staff’s lunch bag, or the sugar cube in an unfortunate business partner’s coffee cup. As you can imagine, your father wouldn’t give us any explanation on how he did it or why. He would hate to diminish his image as a genius. But I’m glad to see you doing the old trick, Melania. Increasing your incantation’s range through a handbag … That’s clever.

Melania: Please don’t joke about me, Uncle Fiennes.

She clears her throat awkwardly.

Melania: It’s been years since I cast this arcane skill in front of others … The last time was before Ramirez was founded.

Fiennes: That should be five or six years ago. Weren’t you young back then?

Melania looks down with her heel rubbing the ground as if a stain on the marble tile suddenly became the most interesting thing in the world.

Melania: At that time … I used to play the game of treasure hunt with Father. I would hide and he would find, just as an arcane skill exercise. But not a single time did I win. When I checked the hiding place nervously, all I could find was a note left by Father. It read, “You lost!” He was always proud, “You’re ten years too early to defeat me, Melania!”

Fiennes: … Classic Ramirez.

Melania: But as Ramirez’s business grew, we seldom shared these moments. He stayed in front of the sandbox all day, simulating various incidents. I could do nothing but watching him through the window. It was Ace- A mentor who spent most of the time with me as I grew up. I could never defeat him. Never keep up with him. Not even know what he’s thinking. And Father was always immersed in his own world … Uncle Fiennes, as a friend of Father, you must be tired, right?

Fiennes: I’m just a businessman.

This businessman can’t help sighing when mentioning his old friend.

Fiennes: Your father has led a high-profile life. It had nothing to do with his arcanist identity. He was born this way. A performing artist might be the right word. He has nothing similar to the regular security guards. He outshines all other peers and outstands all ordinary people. Thus he got a bad name in the industry. After all, the existence of genius will only bring comparison and hurt others’ feelings.

Melania squeezes the paper cup in her hand.

Melania: That’s why I agreed to join the editorial board. I make plans, to try to be rigorous, and careful in all things … I do not want to … be like him again.

Fiennes: Don’t push yourself too hard, Melania. You’ve already done a great job. Iverson will also be shocked if he has your plan. It is a plan that his stupid brain can never think of even with all life long efforts.

Melania: But for Sean …

Fiennes: He is also nothing but a thief. Have faith in yourself, your plan and all you have devoted into, Melania.

Melania: …Well. Thank you, Uncle Fiennes. I am not a child anymore. I have to protect everything of Ramirez, in my own way … Going to check the cameras again right now!

Fiennes: Anything for you. I’m heading back to the monitoring room. Another tough night.

…

The two in charge of the security company force themselves to gather strength and go back to their position. Another tough night suffering from the mental torture brought by that thief who took forever on the way here.

…

A breeze, so tender that could hardly be noticed, quietly blows in the empty hall. It is not supposed to be noticed, if everything goes well.

Melania: …? Something’s wrong. Why is there wind … Sean?

She runs to the cabinet the moment she noticed it. But in the next second …

Melania: Um … Oh my … I’m tired …

…

Ms. Acey: … Melania, Melania!

Melania: Um … Ms. Acey … Don’t bite …

…

Melania: … I fell asleep?! When?!

She stands up, stunned. The hall is still clean, bright and tidy. The only difference is the empty cabinet where the Mainedonty should be placed in. That glass cabinet reflects Melania’s face, panic-stricken.

Melania: Impossible! … Where did he come in? The drains? The ventilation ducts? The front door? What trick did he use? Hypnotic spray? Invisible hat? Hover shoes? Why was there no alert? Is it because I took Mainedonty out once … but I did put it back … No way!

The alarm finally works but an inappropiate time. Guards rushed in with panic faces.

Security Guard B: What happened?!

Security Guard C: The cabinet is empty! Sean took away the Mainedonty …?!

Security Guard B: I was at the front gate all the time! There was no suspicious person!

Security Guard C: Miss Ramirez, what on earth has happened here?!

They all turn to Melania, don’t know what to do. The young head of security stands there, like a deer in the headlights.

Melania: I … I don’t know …

Security Guard B: How? You are the one nearest to the cabinet!

Melania: … I … I have no idea … I … saw nothing …

Melania stumbles backwards hastily, grabbing her hair.

Melania: Sure enough. Even with all my planning, something was still missing. I have completely no idea what tricks he used and where he intruded … I … can never think as Father did … There is nothing I can do …

Crystal Skull

Sonetto: Regulus’s ship was sunk. Landed … Good. They landed safely. Caspita! The rioters are still after them! If it goes on like this … My apologies, Timekeeper. Are you feeling better now?

The Football Match | Perfect Answer

Sonetto: Regulus’s ship was sunk. Landed … Good. They landed safely. Caspita! The rioters are still after them! If it goes on like this … My apologies, Timekeeper. Are you feeling better now?

Epilogue

Sonetto: Regulus’s ship was sunk. Landed … Good. They landed safely. Caspita! The rioters are still after them! If it goes on like this … My apologies, Timekeeper. Are you feeling better now?