Later that night, as the moon was high, the agent with the black coat, who had been spying on Spirou and Fantasio ever since they both left the Count's home in the countryside, stared at the moon above him. At that moment, he got into a sleek black car as he drove off toward the city. Placing the walkie talkie on the seat next to him, he drove away from the countryside.

Some hours later, after arriving at the city, he stopped at what looked like an old, run-down building. Parking his convertible at the front, the agent then opened the glass door halfway. He then arrived at an elevator that was still functioning. He then began to take the elevator all the way up to the fortieth floor.

After reaching Floor 40, he then walked up to a man, who wore a gray and purple jumpsuit. "Password?" The man demanded. "Black Shark," the agent said. Opening the door, the guard told him, "Good luck."

The agent then entered what looked to be some sort of office. It was dark, but it was illuminated by green and purplish white lights that gave the room a dim glow. He then approached a dark oak wooden desk. The chair was facing him from behind. "Monsieur Evermore," the agent said. "I've returned."

The chair then spun around slowly, to reveal a somewhat middle-aged man with an unruly mop of black hair, with a matching goatee. He seemed to be wearing a green and black colored jumpsuit that almost looked like a formal dress suit. But he had on long, brown boots. He carried with him a baton capped with a small green emerald jewel that was carved into a sharp arrowhead.

"Have you found anything, agent Blackwell?" Mr. Evermore asked. "Not a single thing," Blackwell had told him. "Not one."

Evermore was now furious. "I thought I told you to obtain the intel I asked for!" He exclaimed, slamming his hands on his desk. "I did not ask to be brought nothing in return for your services!" "I tried to get the information as best as I could," Blackwell said. "But some people are too quick to disappear." "Yes! I know that!" Evermore shouted, launching a pair of scissors toward the door. It then stuck to the wooden surface.

After that fit of rage, Evermore rubbed his head and sighed, exasperated. "Just tell me," he started to say," "did you find out more about our two targets?" "I did," Blackwell said, pulling out a tape recorder. "I managed to catch recordings of these two earlier this afternoon." "I see," Evermore said. "And what are their names?" "They're a couple of journalists. They call themselves Spirou and Fantasio," Blackwell said. "But it's not that you'd be interested in them whatsoever..." "I understand," Evermore said. "What is it about those two that you'd say would be intriguing to us?"

"Thought you'd might ask," Blackwell said. He then pressed a button on the recorder, and then the tape inside began to play. The two men then leaned in as they listened:

"...You don't mean THE Alexandre Dufresne?! I've heard he's the youngest person to ever unearth the remains of the tomb of Ahmenhotep!"

"So he's a thing now, this Alexandre Dufresne?"

Fast forward.

"...and he's the reason why Dufresne is the latest subject in our developing story airing tonight."

"That's great! Looks like we're hot on the trail, am I right, Fantasio? Fantasio?"

Click.

"So, these two boys, Spirou and Fantasio," Evermore said. "Somehow they know a thing or two about that Dufresne fellow. Because they heard it well on the news. "This is it," Blackwell had said. "That means they've got some new intel on that man. The one unearthing the Egyptian remains."

"Dufresne?" Evermore's head pricked up at the mention of Dufresne.

"Pretty much," Blackwell said. "Apparently today, the news aired a story on Dufresne. They have no written record of where Dufresne has disappeared to." He then turned to Evermore. "You think they don't know what we know?" He asked. Evermore smiled, brushing the tip of his cane.

"Seems like our plan is going along perfectly," he sneered. "They haven't suspected a thing. At least it's a good thing they don't know. Because if they did, our cover would be blown. The whole operation could be thrown in jeopardy. And it'll ruin our image for good." "Come Blackwell," Evermore said as he gestured him toward the elevator. "Let me shed some light on the matter of this subject."

He then proceeded to walk Blackwell to the elevator. As he pushed a button, the elevator then descended toward the underground basement of the building. As the elevator doors opened, the two walked into an underground hangar and docking bay.

"Watch the beams, George!"

"Tie those rods together! We don't want them blocking the propellers!"

"All right, lower the main thrusters!"

Evermore smiled as he brushed the dust off his cane. "So...now everything is going according to plan," Blackwell told Evermore. "Soon, the expansion will be complete."

Evermore then turned to face Blackwell.

"And the girl?" Evermore asked.

Blackwell smiled. "That kid shouldn't be too hard to track. She's an easy target to follow. Just like those two boys," Blackwell said.

...

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Uurgh...Fantasio, turn the alarm off."

Spirou rolled around in his bed, groaning. It was finally late in the morning. And the alarm clock had been going off, interrupting his peaceful sleep. Apparently, he had forgotten that the alarm clock had already been set. And now it was getting on his nerves this morning.

"Fantasio," Spirou mumbled in his pillow. "Fantasio, why'd you set the alarm?" Mumbling sleepily, Spirou tried to reach for the alarm clock. At that moment, Spirou's hand missed the clock and he fell from his bed. "Agh!" Spirou exclaimed as he rolled off his bed, landing on the floor. "Ugh," Spirou grumbled, rubbing his bruised back. He then looked up and noticed that Fantasio's bed had been made neatly. "Now where did he go?" He mumbled.

Spirou then got up and lazily trudged to the bathroom after pulling the plug off the alarm clock. After running the water to wash his face, he then proceeded to brush his teeth. Then, he went downstairs to make himself some breakfast. Then, he stumbled upon something that surprised him.

"Fantasio?!"

Spirou then found Fantasio sitting at the countertop island, typing away at his laptop. "Oh! Good morning, Spirou," Fantasio said. "I see you're up." "Yea, I see you are too," Spirou said, opening the refrigerator. He then took out a milk carton and began drinking straight from the carton. "What are you even doing up this early?" Spirou asked after swallowing his third drop of milk. "I've been trying to search up a lot of resources on Alexandre Dufresne," Fantasio said.

"You have?" Spirou asked after getting down a bowl and a box of cereal from the cupboard. After pouring some cereal in the bowl, he proceeded to pour the milk. "Ew, Spirou. Don't even pour milk out of the same carton you just drank out of," Fantasio said. "So? It's not the same as pouring water into your cup of coffee," Spirou said as he continued pouring the milk. "Can't believe you're grossed out by one little thing." Spirou then grabbed a spoon and sat next to Fantasio. Meanwhile, little Spip hopped up on the counter, digging into the cashew bowl.

"So, what's on you today?" Spirou asked after shoveling a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. "After seeing that news story on Dufresne's disappearance, I've been trying all morning to search for any related stories on him," Fantasio said, his eyes glued to the screen of his laptop.

"And?" Spirou asked, his mouth full of cereal.

"Came up with absolutely nothing," Fantasio said. "So, as a distraction, I decided to search up some current news stories trending now. And this came to mind." Fantasio then clicked on an article titled "High Concentrations of Magnetized Energy Thought to have Stayed Hidden in Remote Forest Uncovered; Source of Energy Unknown".

"So you just clicked on this article?" Spirou asked. "How is that any close to Dufresne going missing?" "Look at the date they released this story," Fantasio said. "It's dated an entire month AFTER Dufresne was reported missing!" "Still, that isn't any close to actually being related to this mystery!" Spirou said. "Are you sure you're finding the right sources?"

"I'm getting to that!" Fantasio said as he began typing away at his computer. Spirou shrugged as he got up to put away his empty plate. "Well, I hope you're not planning on staying on that laptop for long," he said.

"I know, I know. I'll take a break later on," Fantasio said.

...

Later on that afternoon, after getting dressed and combing his hair, Spirou decided to pay a visit to the Count up in the countryside. After grabbing his coat, Spirou proceeded to walk out the door.

"You sure you don't want to come?" Spirou asked Fantasio. "I'm too preoccupied with this new mystery on our hands," Fantasio said. "Now I can't even stop thinking about it, because if I leave it, it's gonna be gone too soon."

Spirou wanted to protest; but then again, there wouldn't be a problem with Fantasio trying to figure out the disappearance. Maybe he should just go with it and try to track it.

"Okay," Spirou said, giving Fantasio a pat on the back. "Don't stay inside too long. Be sure to go out in the town when you decide to stop." "Okay Spirou," Fantasio told him. As Spirou left the apartment. Fantasio closed the door behind him.

Spirou, along with Spip, had gotten into the car at the downstairs lot exiting the apartments. He then started the car and drove away from the apartment buildings. Driving past the various shops, libraries, and living complexes, Spirou sniffed a bit and drove out of the town.

He was due to visit the countryside anytime soon.

As the car sped past trees and large acres of farmland, Spirou then reached the Count's countryside estate. "Come on now, Spip," Spirou said. "Time to get out now." Spip then hopped from the dashboard of the car and leapt onto Spirou's shoulder. As he approached the house, he heard an explosion. "Oh, confound it!" a voice cried out.

Spirou then rushed inside the nearby stable and found the Count, all covered in a strange blue fluid. The fluid had spread everywhere, on his notes, test tubes, and books. "Are you okay, Count?" Spirou asked. "Yes, yes. I'm fine," the Count told him. "But somehow, I feel that I'm missing another ingredient in my formula." "Formula for what?" Spirou asked. "I'm delevoing a new serum to rejuvenate plants," the Count said. "But for some reason, it's missing another ingredient." "Could it be missing a few more mushrooms, I suppose?" Spirou asked. Spip, meanwhile, was prancing around the test tubes and beakers.

"No no, it's something else," the Count replied. "It's supposed to be this rare ingredient. What do the kids call it these days? Uranium...? Iron...?" "What does the element look like?" Spirou asked, grabbing a cotton swab and wiping up a bit of the blue fluid. He then put it to his nose and sniffed it. It had a strong iron smell. It didn't smell like anything he'd ever seen before.

"I think I recognize this smell," Spirou said. "It smells like...zitronimaxium." "Zitronimaxium?" the Count asked. "I don't believe such an element like that even exists." "No no, this was an element that Alexandre Dufresne discovered," Spirou said. "Dufresne?" the Count asked. "You mean that archeologist? Wasn't he that young fellow who disappeared while en route to Taiwan?" "That's the one," Spirou said. "I assume you've heard of him?"

"Yes, he was all over the news yesterday," the Count said. "He's accomplished many things in his lifetime. Such a shame that he disappeared for months now. He had such potential." "I know," Spirou said. "It's sad to hear that. And Fantasio's been wanting to get in on the case before Seccotine does." "He does?" the Count asked. "Yea, he's hoping to solve the mystery before Seccotine even has a chance to reach it before him."

Spirou then plucked Spip away from a beaker housing some poisonous mushrooms. "Speaking of which," Spirou asked, "I just hope Fantasio's doing okay in his research now..."

...

Later that afternoon, Fantasio was still trying to read up on Alexandre Dufresne while trying to search for any new stories that may have surfaced. So far, he had come up with nothing...at all.

"Nothing. No ideas," Fantasio grumbled as he kept banging his head on the counter. "Stupid, empty, brain!" He then got up. "Ugh, what am I gonna do?" Fantasio said. "I'll never be able to find the story sooner or later. Maybe because Seccotine's already on the case instead of me!"

At that moment, Fantasio's cellphone rang. Eagerly, he picked it up to answer it. "Spirou?" Fantasio asked as he answered. "I was just about to-Oh, it's you again, Zantafio. What so you want now?" As Fanatsio listened intently, he frowned. "No, I don't want to get into your little blackmail scam! You know where that gets you all the time!"

More static responses.

"Well I don't care if you're just trying to scam people from hijacking their emails! Are you trying to land me in jail just to take your place instead? Is that where you're trying to get me?"

Yet again, more static responses.

"Okay, listen to me, cousin! I am not going to take part in any more of your crazy, dumb conspiracies, okay?! I just hope you can sleep well at night, you mailfront schemer!"

With that, Fantasio immediately hung up on Zantafio. "Gosh, he never catches a break," Fantasio grumbled as he went back to his laptop. He was still trying to look up on Alexandre Dufresne. "Okay, let's see," he muttered. "'Dufresne Achieves Highest Honor in Archeology...hmm, no. 'Dufresne to Open New Science and Technology Center in Champignac...not that either. 'Dufresne Receives Astounding-'"

But before Fantasio could click on the article, a small box popped up on the screen. It read, "Sorry, but there seems to be a network error. Please reconnect your Wi-Fi settings and try again."

"Aargh!" Fantasio shouted. "Spirou, the Wi-Fi's down again! Spirou?" That was when Fantasio realized that Spirou had left. Maybe it was time for him to take a break now. A little break and some fresh air would do him good.

"Hmm. Guess I should leave this for now and go for a day out on the town," Fantasio said. He then closed his laptop and reached for his keys. Getting up, Fantasio locked the apartment door and proceeded to walk downstairs and out of the building. Getting outside, Fantasio breathed a sigh of relief. It felt good to finally go outside after being cooped up inside that apartment building. While taking a stroll through the town square, Fantasio then paused to sit down on a bench. He then pulled out his cellphone. "Wonder if Spirou ever got back to me?" he whispered.

He checked his phone. No new phone calls.

"Huh, that's weird," Fantasio said. "Not a single call from Spirou. Not even a text message—"

Fantasio paused. He then began to hear a familiar sound. It sounded like...piano music? "There's that song again!" Fantasio whispered. Now he desperately wanted to hear where the sound was coming from. The first time he heard it, he couldn't figure it out. It was magical. Getting up from his seat, Fantasio circled the town to find the source of the music.

Fantasio had no luck. Every time he reached a new place in town, the sound of the music would grow distant. He just had to find it. But where? As Fantasio kept walking, he began to hear the music grow louder. Stronger. Fantasio then paused in front of a building. The sign above him read "Madame Savignette's Academy of Performing Arts". He could still hear the music. Curious, Fantasio peeked inside.

Walking up the stairs of the building, Fantasio tried to find which room the music was coming from. As he had reached the second floor, he stopped. There were windows! Getting down to his knees, Fantasio crawled along the windows above him and tried to peek inside. There, he saw something beautiful.

Inside the room, a middle-aged woman with almond-shaped spectactles listened intently as a young woman, who looked about Spirou's age, was seated at the piano, gently hitting each key with her girl had brown hair, gathered in two braids, wore round glasses, and had on a rugged outfit. She had her eyes closed the whole time as she was playing. She never bothered to look at her sheet music; she just played as if it had come naturally. She felt free.

Fantasio peered at the girl from inside. She was so pretty...

Finally, the girl hit the last three notes on the piano. Finally opening her eyes, she turned to the woman. "How did I do this time, Mrs. Vancroft?" she asked. "I'm impressed, my dear Margot," Mrs. Vancroft said. "You managed to play each note without even losing the tempo. You have a beautiful gift for playing the piano." "Oh thank you, Mrs. Vancroft," Margot said. "But for the next lesson," Mrs. Vancroft told her, "try not to look so melancholy when playing. You have to imagine that you're up on stage. You have to smile."

"Yes, but," Margot said, "I'm just so worried about my brother." Mrs. Vancroft put a hand on Margot's shoulder. "Oh, honey," Mrs. Vancroft said. "I know how hard it must be to lose a loved one. And it's especially hard to lose someone after a rough time in your family. But I'm sure you'll be just fine. I know your brother will be just fine. He will be." "Thank you, Madame Vancroft," Margot said. "You should be hurrying on home now," Mrs. Vancroft said. "Now run along."

At that moment, Fantasio peeped up and saw the girl heading for the door! "Oh geez!" Fantasio hissed as he made a break for the stairs. "Oh geez!" He hurried down the stairs to the exit of the building. He didn't want that girl to think he was spying on her. As he hurried out the door, he waited by the front steps. At that moment, he felt in his pocket. His stomach flipped.

"Oh man, I lost my phone!" Fantasio muttered angrily. "Maybe it dropped out of my pocket when I was inside. I gotta go get it." Fantasio then darted back inside, when...

CRASH!

Fantasio fell back on the sidewalk, landing on his bottom. "Ow! Oh..." Fantasio groaned, rubbing his head. He then picked his head up, and flinched back in surprise. It was the same girl who he saw playing the piano! "Miss?" Fantasio said, getting up and helping the girl up. "Miss, are you okay?" "Oh no, my glasses!" the girl exclaimed, her eyes squinting. "Dang it, I lost my glasses!"

Fantasio then looked down and noticed round glasses at his heel. He stooped down to pick them up. "Here, I got them right here," Fantasio said as he plucked the glasses on to the girl's face. "Better?" "Thanks, sir," the girl said. Fantasio still could not stop staring at the girl. She looked beautiful... "Umm, are you all right, sir?" the girl asked. "Oh! Sorry," Fantasio said. "I was just, um...I was only looking for my cellphone. Have you seen it?"

The girl then pulled out something from her pocket. "Would this be it?" the girl asked. Fantasio seized the phone from her. "Where di you find it?" Fantasio asked. "It was on the floor outside of the room I practiced in," the girl said. "And apparently, you got a new text message. From some guy named...'Spirou?' You had your phone on silent." "It was on silent?" Fantasio said. "Yea, in a sort of way," the girl said.

Fantasio then eyed the carry-on suitcase in the girl's hand. He wanted to ask what she was doing carrying that around. But he didn't want to irk her. Instead, he decided he wanted to get to know her better.

"Hmm...well. This is awkward," Fantasio mumbled. "Do you want to, um...maybe, I don't know..." Fantasio swallowed. "Doyou wanna stop by the cafe with me?" he asked the girl.

It didn't take long for the girl to answer. "Sure," she said. "Great!" Fanatsio said. "Come on then." He then took the girl's hand and walked her down the street.

...

A little while later, Fantasio had walked the girl to a nearby cafe downtown to treat her to a bit of coffee with a few pastries. But all that time spent there, he was still trying to get to know her better. But there was nothing that a little warm drink and a snack could fix.

The girl sat diligently as Fantasio headed back to their table, with his coffee and a plate of donut holes as the appetizer; he had ordered bagel sandwiches for him and the girl. The girl smiled as she sipped her coffee. "Not too shabby on your politeness, huh?" the girl asked. "You seem awfully calm for a guy who was nervous about losing their phone." "Oh, that?" Fantasio asked. "That's just mud under the rug for now." He sat down and plopped a donut hole into his mouth.

"Anyway," Fantasio said while chewing, "I didn't catch your name." "My name is Margot. Margot Dufresne." Fantasio nearly choked on his pastry; that name sounded familiar! Fantasio began to cough in hacking coughs. "Whoa sir, are you okay?" Margot asked. "Here, let me help!" Margot then approached Fantasio and wrapped her arms around his stomach. "Here, just let me...!" Margot said. Then, with Margot giving him one big thrust, Fantasio managed to cough up the mangled ball of chewed up pastry. He watched as it hit the floor with a thud.

At that moment, the waiter came by the table, with two plates in hand. "Your order, sir," he told Fantasio. "Ugh, thanks," Fantasio mumbled, rubbing his throat. He then turned back to Margot. "No problem," Margot said. "Now," Fantasio said, clearing his throat. "You said your name was Margot Dufresne...?" "Yes," Margot said. "And you are...?" "Oh, right. I-I'm Fantasio," Fantasio said, offering his hand. "Charmed," Margot said, shaking Fantasio's hand.

"I've been meaning to ask," Fantasio said as he bit into his sandwich, "you, um...you play piano, huh?" "I do," Margot said as she cut her sandwich into pieces. "Why you ask?" "I heard music coming out of the building you were playing in," Fantasio said. "I just heard some sweet music from there." Margot stared at Fantasio. "B-But I don't mean it like I was stalking you or anything! Nothing like that!" Fantasio gulped. Instead, Margot simply laughed. "Wow! You really have a way with words!" Margot laughed.

"I-I do?" Fantasio asked. "Of course!" Margot said. "Any guy who appreciates musical talent is such a noble friend," Margot told Fantasio as she dug into her sandwich. "And what about you? What do you do?" "Well, um," Fantasio said as he ate a bit of his sandwich, "I'm a journalist."

"You are?" Margot asked. "Yes, I am," Fantasio said. "I chase a lot of stories, all while going on tons of adventures." "That is so cool," Margot said. "Wish I could go on adventures like you."

"And," Fantasio said through mouthfuls of food, "and while we're on the topic...you wouldn't happen to know a Mr. Alexandre Dufresne, would you?" He sat rigid in his seat., hoping that he didn't offend her in any way. "Of course," Margot said. "I do know Dufresne. He and I go way back." "You're joking," Fantasio said. "That's great!"

For a few hours, Margot and Fantasio talked so much. They learned a lot about each other, and the laughed and enjoyed themselves. And for the first time, Fantasio felt so happy to talk to someone new.

...

A few minutes later, Fantasio walked Margot out of the cafe. They were still laughing from their chatter in the cafe.

"Thank you for that delightful conversation," Margot told Fantasio. "I didn't think I would unexpectedly meet someone so kind and honest like you." "Me neither," Fantasio said. "You really are quite the conversation starter." "Why thank you!" Margot said.

Margot and Fantasio stared at eaxh other for a moment. "Well, I better be on my way," Margot said. "Where are you going?" Fantasio asked. "I'm going to the Moustic Hotel," Margot said.

"By yourself?" Fantasio asked nervously. "Yep," Margot said. "My parents couldn't pay for my air fare to go to Camden, so they're letting me live on my own. Or, at least till my brother gets back...which I hope is soon."

Fantasio felt bad. He didn't want Margot to leave, especially if she was going to leave by herself. He especially wanted to keep track of her. "No, wait!" Fantasio told Margot. "What?" Margot said. "I-If you need a place to stay," Fantasio said, "t-there's plenty of room at my place. You could stay with me."

"And are you sure your little friend 'Spirou' would not mind me staying?" Margot asked. "Because I certainly do not want to be a rude houseguest." "He would totally be fine with you spending the night with us. No problem," Fantasio said.

Margot thought for a moment. Then she smiled. "I'd love to come and stay with you two," Margot said.

"Great! It's a deal then!" Fantasio said, taking Margot's hand. "Come on then!" Fantasio then led Margot down the street, toward his apartment. But somehow, just somehow, he would have a lot of explaining to to when Spirou came back. Lots and lots of explaining.