The next morning, Jacob woke before Allison. He watched as the sunlight traced a path across the sheets, eventually warming her shoulders. She stirred, then her eyes fluttered open, meeting his gaze with a sleep-softened smile.
"Morning." She said, stretching.
"Morning, love." Jacob replied with a grin, kissing her forehead before getting up. "Come on, let's grab breakfast before Lydia eats everything."
"Did she come back from her mom's?" Allison asked.
"Yeah, she's already in the kitchen with Malia."
They went downstairs and found Lydia and Malia already at the dining table. Malia was sitting by Lydia's chair, her tail wagging lazily as Lydia fed her bits of bacon.
"Good morning." Lydia greeted cheerfully. "We were just about to start without you."
"Good morning." Jacob said, kissing her before sitting down.
Allison patted Malia's head. "Morning, Malia." The coyote barked softly in response.
As they ate, Jacob thought. 'System, sign in.'
[Daily Sign-In Successful. Rewards Obtained:
-Mr. Ping's Secret Ingredient Noodle Soup x50 bowls (Kung Fu Panda)
-A Gameboy Advance SP AGS-101
-A Black Leather Bomber Jacket]
Jacob smiled faintly. 'Not bad. The noodles look good; I wonder how they taste. I should try them later. As for the Game Boy, I had one before and loved playing Megaman on it. Maybe I'll play with it later.'
After checking the rewards, Jacob looked at Cogman and said. "Cogman, bring the masks."
Cogman nodded and went to the guest house, returning with a sleek black case. He opened it to reveal several silver, paper-thin masks that shimmered faintly like liquid metal.
"These are nano masks." Cogman explained. "They can mimic anyone's face. You can control them through your phones; I already installed the app for that before I gave them to you."
Jacob picked up a band made of the same nano-technology. "What's this for?"
"That's a nano-vocal band." Cogman said. "You wear it around your neck, and it will become fully disguised as your skin. I wouldn't bore your little reptilian brain with the details of how advanced the technology I used in it, sir, as I doubt you would understand any of it. But all you need to know is that the band can change your voice and mimic other people's voices. Microscopic speakers are embedded in the mouth and jawline area of the mask to project the newly synthesized voice."
Jacob smiled as he played with the band. "I'm too happy with these toys you made to be angry that you just called me stupid."
He then looked at the girls. "We're going to Vegas in disguise. Cogman will change his appearance, too."
Lydia raised an eyebrow. "Why do we need disguises?"
Jacob put his mask and vocal band on, then took out his phone and changed his face to the Joker's. White paint appeared on his skin, complete with an ugly, smile-like scar. Even his hair turned green as the nano-particles mixed with it, changing its color.
With a crazy smile, he stood up and came face-to-face with Lydia, licking his lips. In the Joker's voice, he said. "Because it's all part of the plan."
Lydia pushed his forehead away. "Eww, stay away from me. The face you chose is ugly."
Jacob inhaled sharply as if offended. He placed a hand over his heart. "That's rude. I'm not ugly." He licked his lips and kept shaking his head, muttering. "I'm not, I am not."
Allison let out a snort of laughter, quickly stifling it behind her hand.
Jacob's attention snapped to her for a moment, and he gave her a nod with a smile, acknowledging the appreciative audience, before his focus returned to Lydia. He leaned in so close their noses almost touched, touching her cheek with his hand, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial, gravelly whisper.
"Do you wanna know how I got these scars?" He said.
Lydia, thoroughly unamused, rolled her eyes. "You got them because you just disguised yourself as the Joker."
The energy vanished from his posture. The performance was over. He slumped back into his seat and said. "You're boring, Lydia. You should've played along."
Allison stopped laughing and said. "Alright, be serious, Jay. Why do we need to disguise ourselves?"
Jacob took the mask off. "We're going to cause chaos and destroy that auction, so I'd rather no one know who we are."
Cogman added. "He is right to be cautious, Lady Allison. The people behind the auction have connections to the government, to legal and illegal organizations, and to hunter families, witches, wizards, and all kinds of supernatural people."
Lydia nodded. "Then we should be careful and not let anyone know who we are. I don't want our lives to become chaotic with all kinds of people coming to Beacon Hills looking for us and trying to kill us."
Allison sighed. "You're right, that would be troublesome." She looked at Cogman. "Make sure no cameras or recordings trace us back."
Cogman gave a courteous bow. "Don't worry about that, my lady. I will take care of it."
Jacob said. "Alright, girls, take your masks and put them in your rings. Go get ready; we should hit the road."
Both Lydia and Allison nodded, took the masks, and went upstairs.
Jacob looked at Malia. "We can't take you with us since you're still stuck in your coyote form, so you look after the house."
Malia whined softly. Jacob patted her head. "We'll only be away for two days. I'll leave the TV on for you, and I'll leave some cooked Sea King meat in the fridge. We'll bring you all kinds of food back, I promise."
He gave Cogman some Sea King meat. "Cook this for her and leave it in the fridge."
Then Jacob went to his room, took a shower, changed his clothes, and waited for the girls in the gazebo while playing with his new Game Boy.
After an hour, Lydia and Allison finally came out of the house. Jacob joined them, giving them a look.
"What?" Allison said. "We got ready as fast as we could."
Jacob raised his hands innocently. "I didn't say anything."
"You didn't say anything, but you're giving us a look." Lydia retorted. "On second thought, Allison, I think our hair and makeup still need some touches."
Allison smiled. "You're right. Let's go back inside."
Jacob panicked and caught both their arms, dragging them toward a silver Mercedes-Benz G 550 parked in front of the mansion. "No, no, no! No one is going back inside!"
Cogman opened the doors, and Jacob shoved a laughing Allison inside, then he got in and pulled Lydia in after him. "Cogman, let's go!"
"Since when do we have this car?" Lydia asked.
"This is Cogman's transformed body." Jacob explained. "We can't use the Rolls-Royce; it's traceable."
"I see." Lydia said.
She cranked the window down and called to Malia, who was watching from the door. "Bye, Malia!"
Jacob leaned over. "Don't go back to the woods; it's dangerous. Wait until I come back, and I'll go with you if you want to stroll in the woods."
Malia barked and went inside, closing the door behind her. With that, they left Beacon Hills and drove to Vegas.
---
Ten hours later, they were driving through the neon-lit streets of Las Vegas.
Lydia leaned forward, her eyes shining as they passed glittering casinos and crowded sidewalks. "This is going to be fun!"
Jacob smiled. "Indeed. But first, let's put the masks on. Cogman, change your face, too."
The girls put their masks on, and Lydia started looking through the faces in the app. "What face should I choose?"
"Choose a face that looks over 21." Jacob instructed. "And don't choose a celebrity; just pick something random."
They all chose random faces, and Cogman helped them check into their hotel—a luxurious suite at Caesars Palace.
After a quick bite, they went to see the Mystère show at Treasure Island. Saturday morning was spent in the serene, underwater world of the Shark Reef Aquarium. That afternoon, after lunch, Allison and Lydia dragged a reluctant Jacob on a shopping spree. In the evening, with a little time to spare, they watched the elegant dance of the Bellagio fountains.
But as the night deepened, Jacob's demeanor shifted. "Alright." He said, his voice low. "It's almost time for the auction to start. Let's get Lydia back to the hotel."
"No." Lydia insisted, turning to face him. "Take me with you, please. I promise I'm ready. I want to help the people who are being held captive and sold there."
Jacob studied her face. "Are you sure?"
Lydia nodded, her expression resolute. "I am. I can't say that I will kill anyone, but I will, at the very least, protect myself. I promise."
"Alright, you can come with us." Jacob agreed. "Now, let's find someplace to change our appearance again."
They went to the bathrooms of a busy casino. The girls changed their clothes and faces again in the women's bathroom, putting on black suits.
In the men's bathroom, Jacob tapped his phone, and the nano-mask shimmered across his face, reshaping his features into those of the Joker.
Cogman changed his face into that of a bald man with a goatee.
Jacob looked at him and smirked. "Oh, you're going as Heisenberg. I love it! I should call you Walter for the rest of the night. Let's go meet up with the girls."
Jacob and Cogman waited for fifteen minutes before the girls joined them outside.
"You girls look gorgeous in those suits." Jacob said, his voice now carrying a dark, playful tone that matched his new face. "We're definitely doing some role-play when we get back home."
Allison teased. "Do you like our suits or our new faces?"
Jacob shook his head. "I like you girls, the real you, in suits. I don't care about your fake faces."
Lydia looked at Cogman but didn't recognise his face wich was Walter White's face. "You look scary. Do you have to choose a scary old man's face every time you change your appearance?"
"I think I look good, my lady." Cogman replied.
"No, you look like you're up to no good." Lydia said.
"But aren't we up to no good tonight, Lady Lydia?" Cogman countered.
"Alright." Jacob said, slipping on a purple coat. "We're going to be late. Let's go."
The four of them got into a limousine Cogman had rented online while they were changing. They drove to the edge of the city, to the building where the auction was being held.
To be continued... 😊