They stepped into Big John's office, a room sealed off like a forgotten vault. Dust lay thick on the bookshelves. Maps and notebooks were stacked high on the cluttered desk, untouched for years — a museum of obsession.
On the desk, the compass sat open under the harsh light of an old desk lamp. John B had placed it there. Now they hovered around it, staring down like it might suddenly move on its own.
Pope looked around, uneasy."Is there anything here we could actually take to the cops? Something useful?"
JJ shrugged like it was obvious."Yeah. Burly."
Pope frowned."Burly?"
JJ nodded."Yeah, like... burly guys."
Kiara gave him a look."That's not exactly helpful, JJ."
JJ waved a hand, undeterred."No, I mean like the kind of guys my dad's old friends used to work with at the garage. The ones who built secret cargo compartments for drug runners."
Kiara sighed."Yeah. We know."
Pope gave a nod."We know."
JJ sat up a little straighter, sounding confident now."I'm telling you with complete confidence — these dudes? They're square groupers."
Kiara raised an eyebrow."Square groupers? You mean like narco square groupers?"
Pope chimed in, skeptical."Like Pablo Escobar square groupers?"
JJ pointed at them both."Exactly."
Kiara shook her head."Not everything's a cartel movie, JJ."
Pope leaned forward."Okay, then what exactly did this so-called square grouper look like?"
JJ threw up his hands."You weren't there. You don't know what to look for."
Pope gave him a flat look."That's why I'm asking."
JJ sighed, leaning back."Alright, well, sorry I wasn't taking mental Polaroids the whole time. I was a little busy not dying, okay? But judging by how hard Lana was screaming? These guys aren't amateur treasure hunters. They're serious. Serious hombres. Heavy vibes. I'm not loving it."
Kage, silent until now, picked up his phone — a sleek piece of black glass and metal unlike anything the others had seen. On its screen, the words:
"Holographic Display Activated."
A soft hum filled the room. A projection flickered into life above the device: two profiles rotating in clean, glowing detail. Ratter and Cruz. Faces. Names. Backgrounds.
The room fell silent.
JJ grinned in awe."Okay… that's some high-tech shit. Can I get one of those?"
Pope stared at the device."I haven't even seen anything like that in Technology Magazine."
Alexander gave a casual shrug."You won't. It's custom. Mine."
He looked over at JJ and smirked."Maybe. After I give one to John B."
John B smiled, the weight on his shoulders briefly lightening. JJ practically bounced in his seat.
Kiara and Sarah leaned in closer, their eyes sharp now.
Kiara pointed."Those are the guys."
Kage nodded."Cruz and Ratter. Mercenaries. Treasure hunters. They work for Jo Bradock. She's known for hunting treasure and cleaning up messes with a gun. Not exactly someone you want knocking on your door."
Pope frowned at the compass."Why would people like them want this compass? It's junk."
JJ shrugged."No offense, man. I know it's family, but still."
Pope gestured to the office around them.
"I mean, what's here that's worth killing over?"
John B didn't look up. His eyes stayed fixed on the compass."The office."
Pope blinked."What?"
John B finally looked at him."My dad's office. He always kept it locked. Said other treasure hunters wanted to steal his Royal Merchant research. We thought he was being paranoid, like he was chasing ghosts."
He looked around at the clutter, at the maps, the books, the dust."But now that he's gone… I couldn't bring myself to touch any of it. Like maybe he'd come back, pick up right where he left off."
Pope shook his head."I've crashed here a hundred times. I've never seen this door open."
Kiara nodded in agreement.
"Same."
John B pointed to a faded photograph on the wall, its frame leaning against a dusty map.
"Here. Robert Q. Routledge. 1880 to 1920. That's the compass right there."
Sarah stepped closer."What happened to him?"
John B kept his eyes on the picture.
"He was shot. Not long after he bought it."
He started tracing the history aloud.
"Then it went to Henry. He died in a crop-dusting accident while he had it. After that, it passed to Stephen. Vietnam vet."
JJ gave a lopsided grin."Let me guess. Died in action?"
John B gave a weak smile."Sort of. Banana truck. In-country."
JJ blinked."...Okay."
John B shrugged."After Stephen, it came to my dad."
Kiara gave him a look."Kinda seeing a pattern here."
Pope crossed his arms."Sounds like you've got yourself a death compass."
John B shook his head."It's not cursed."
JJ leaned in."You definitely have a death compass. I'd ditch it."
John B ignored them. He flipped the compass over, running his thumb across its edges. Somewhere in the back of his mind, his dad's voice whispered — stories about secret compartments, soldiers hiding messages inside.
Kiara pointed."What's that?"
John B froze. His finger hovered over a faint inscription."That wasn't there before."
He leaned in closer, squinting.
"This is my dad's handwriting."
Kiara looked skeptical."How can you tell?"
John B traced the letters with his finger.
"He always did this weird thing with his Rs. See?"
JJ squinted."Let me see that."
John B tilted it toward him. Scratched into the brass were the letters: REDFIELD.
Kiara read it aloud."Redfield."
Pope gave a half-hearted shrug."Pretty common name around here."
Kiara leaned in, thoughtful."Could still be a clue. Maybe where he's hiding something."
JJ shook his head."A clue? Seriously?"
Sarah, watching them, spoke up."It's possible."
A heavy silence settled over the room. The compass lay between them on the table, gleaming faintly beneath the old desk lamp like it was daring someone to speak.
Everyone seemed tangled in their own doubts until Kage finally broke the silence.
His voice was calm. Steady.
"He was looking for the sunken HMS Royal Merchant. A ship carrying gold worth four hundred million dollars in today's money."
Kage's gaze moved slowly across their faces. "He disappears without a trace… and now we've got mercenaries hunting down his compass. That's not coincidence. It means this compass has a clue. A clue that leads straight to that ship."
The words hung there like smoke.
For a moment, no one knew what to say. The room seemed smaller, the air heavier.
John B swallowed, his throat tight.
"You think… you think he's still alive too?"
Kage didn't hesitate.
"Definitely. Your dad's not the type to die easy."
That hit harder than John B expected. He looked down at the compass again, suddenly seeing it for what it really was — not just a relic, but a lifeline.
Around him, the others were already caught up in a different thought entirely. JJ, Pope, Kiara, Sarah — their expressions shifted fast. Doubt gave way to something electric: excitement. Possibility.
Four hundred million dollars.
JJ let out a slow whistle, eyes wide.
"Dude… that's life-changing money."
Pope leaned in, eyebrows raised.
"We're talking generational wealth."
Kiara crossed her arms, trying to play it cool, but the grin tugging at the corner of her mouth gave her away.
"That's not just treasure. That's history."
Sarah shook her head, amazed.
"And we're sitting right on top of the first real clue."
John B looked up at Kage again, hope creeping in beneath the fear.
"If he's out there… we're gonna find him. And we're gonna finish what he started."
Kage nodded once.
"That's the plan."
Pope rubbed his chin and muttered."Could be an anagram."
John B's face lit up a little."Yeah. Good idea. We need paper."
Without a word, Kage slid a notepad across the desk."Here you go."
They leaned in together, the compass sitting between them like some ancient artifact. For the first time, it felt heavier — like it had been waiting all these years for them to figure it out.