Mission Flesh Mechanic: The Books Hit Back (Backdated to 1:30 am)

[x-scarletwitch.livejournal.com]

Late into the evening, Wanda and Amanda finally have to admit defeat.  The research so far has hit a massive deadend.

"Ta, Doug. See you later." Amanda flipped her cell phone closed and looked over at Wanda. They'd spent what felt like unending days chasing up every possible mystical permutation, and things just weren't clicking. "Another one," she continued, moving over to where several more sheets of paper and a map of Russia had joined the first. With the blue marker, Amanda carefully drew a small dot on the map. "Right about... here. Which is nowhere near any of the mystical sites we found." She sounded disgruntled, as if the mystery was remaining one to spite her. "I just about give up, Wanda. If there's a mystical element, I'm not seeing it." 

"And, really, it is simply looking like random places since I certainly do not see a pattern to the locations."  And Doug would have spoken up if he had seen it.  Wanda popped another aspirin and took a sip of water.  "Stephen has not heard of anything on his end, either.  So we are back to square one on this if it is mystical in essence.  But I am starting to doubt that." 

Sighing, the witch sat on the end of the bed, staring moodily at the various things tacked to the wall, some with bits of string linking them to other parts. Photographs of the bodies, the maps, sheets of butchers paper covered with both Amanda's scrawl and Wanda's neater handwriting, suggestions, information, crossings-out... "We've gone over everything," she said tiredly. "Checked and double-checked and triple-checked. Gone through all the sources, all the books, the fucking archives..." 

"And golems would have fit so nicely," Wanda bemoaned, thumping her head on the wall which did nothing for her headache.  "Mystically altered beings would have tied up this case very nicely, don't you think?" 

"Too bloody right they would have. And I thought I was so smart, thinking of that. Didn't reckon on there not being that much mystical power in the world. Or the bit where the body would fall apart in a day." Amanda's tone was almost mournful. Her eyes smarted from too little sleep and too much reading, red-rimmed and bloodshot. 

Rousing herself she replied firmly, "Well, at least we eliminated it.  That is something even if it does not feel like it.  It means we have one less thread to chase after in this case, after all, and we can focus more of our resources elsewhere."  She grimaced.  "Granted, we are not quite sure what that elsewhere is yet..." 

Flopping backwards onto the bed, Amanda closed her eyes. "Hopefully one of the others has had the breakthrough. 'Cause it sure as hell isn't going to be us." 

"What time is it?" Wanda asked, rubbing her eyes.  "Because I feel like we have not slept in, oh, ages and the information is starting to seep out of my nose.  Shame, that, I liked that information." 

Amanda brought up her arm to peer at her watch. "Um... one-twenty? In the morning?" She groaned and let her arm drop limply back down. "Okay, that's it. I'm calling it. This angle of inquiry is now officially Dead. And so 'm I. Wake me up when the miracle gets here." 

"All I can say is that the Miracle had better be bringing coffee.  Shove over, you're on my side of the bed."