It was a beautiful morning. The weather was nice and clear. Kin sun rays were coming through the crack of the window. Pushing the curtains aside, Daniel stretched his arms and groaned. He couldn't sleep well last night. Considering his situation, no one could. Nightmares of the past haunted his sleep last night. Opening the window, he let the cool breeze wash away the stress. He's been too busy packing his stuff for the last two days. It's not like he had many things to pack. It was mainly just separating useful stuff from trash, and then burn all the evidence of him being here along with the trash. He burned his burner phone and the fake documents, anything that could lead back to him. He walked around the neighborhood and made up excuses for them. "Ah! It would've been nice if I could meet with Mrs. Jones for the last time." Despite having this wish to meet that kind lady, Daniel didn't budge. He shouldn't get his personal feelings mixed up with work again. Once was just enough.
Standing by the window for a few moments, Daniel breathed into the fresh air to his heart's content. Because once he's back in New York, the air won't be this fresh anymore. He still doesn't know anything about his new assignment. After Jessica left that night, he tried to contact his superiors regarding his transfer but all he got was an order to keep his transfer a secret from the other department. This cannot be a good sign.
Making a 'tch' sound with his tongue, the brunette closed the window, took his trolly bag in one hand and his leather jacket in the other. Yes, he is leaving this sub-urban area today, never coming back unless ordered to. Taking a last look at the empty apartment, Daniel turned around and got out, closing the door behind him with a loud thud.
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After changing the flight twice and 5 hours of traveling, Daniel was finally in New York. Worn out from the long journey, all he wanted was to go to a business hotel, book a cheap room, and roll around in bed for the rest of the day. But things seem to never go according to his wishes these days.
"Hey, salted fish! Over here!" Honestly, she is the last person he wants to deal with now!
Jessica Hawklin, her face beaming with mockery; just like a mischievous teen. For a moment, Daniel had this strong urge of looking away and walk in the exact opposite direction, pretending not to know her. But as if caught onto his intention, she quickly walked up to him; grabbing his arm with her own.
"You better not be thinking of not knowing me or walking away without greeting me" Rolling her eyes, she pulled him along to the exit of the airport. "That bag looks heavy. Want me to carry it for you?"
Sighing to himself, he tried not to glare while answering, "I'm not a damsel, Ms. Hawklin. Imma grown-up, healthy man who can carry his own luggage. Thank you for your worthless concern."
"Pfft! Well, suit yourself." She let go of the arm and walked in front of him.
After a few steps, a question came to the brunette's mind. "Were you actually gonna carry it if I said yes?"
"No." A quick reply.
"Then why ask in the first place?"
She stopped in her track, turned around; "I get a certain pleasure from saying 'no' to someone's request in their face!" and made a face which can be considered a mocked version of politeness.
This woman….is so…. freaking annoying!
Daniel gave up on conversing with her and just followed her to the parking lot. He wanted to ask her where they were going but eventually threw that thought in the trash can. Having any kind of normal conversation with her is just impossible. So, he just followed her quietly. The garage was underground
and spacious. So, before they could reach the gate, Jessica again stopped in her track.
"You don't have to go down there with that heavy bag of yours. Stay here and wait. The car is far up at the end so rather than walking down there, I'll bring it up here."
That's unexpectedly thoughtful of her. Or is she cooking up something again? Before he could even refuse, Jessica had already left. She comes, she goes; just like the wind. Having nothing else to do, the brunette leaned on his trolly bag and continued sightseeing. JFK Airport; sure, brings back memories. Some pleasant, some very unpleasant. Unwilling to recall both of them, Daniel took out his smartphone, turned his data connection, and started scrolling through his newsfeed. However, he couldn't scroll much further before a news article caught his eye.
"Star of the Music Industry Finally Makes a Comeback!"
"...….. What the-" He clicked on the title to read the full news.
'After a year-long hiatus, Adellai Dawson finally came out in public with a surprise concert! On September, XX day, Adellai posted on her social media about her comeback which left a huge uproar on the internet. Due to her last incident, her whole fanbase was worried about whether she would be making a comeback. And she didn't disappoint them. With a new single coming out this month, she slapped all the antis in the face. Although she didn't reveal the name of her latest song yet, it's bound to be great given her natural talent as a songwriter and singer. Adellai Dawson is now trending as the topmost searched topic on the internet.....'
Daniel couldn't read the next lines properly. His hands were shaking from excitement and he felt a tightness in his chest. Adellai; Adellai Dawson; AD; THE STAR OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY; it's been so long since he had heard that name. She made a comeback. She'll be on stage, on tv shows, on interviews; she'll be doing concerts again. Daniel can finally... He can finally see her in person. Not her old photos, not her old videos, not her old songs. Adellai in person, live. Daniel felt like he had never been this happy in his entire life. Adellai; how has she been? A whole year of no public appearance, nobody had any news on her.
Daydreaming in his own fantasy world, Daniel failed to notice some stranger approaching him from behind. And before he knew it, a hand rested on his waist and pinched him. "Woah!" Surprised, he almost dropped his phone. Collecting his being, Daniel turned around to look for the perpetrator. And to his surprise, it wasn't Jessica.
"Are you lost baby boy? Wanna hitch a ride with us?"
"Damn that ass!"
Daniel couldn't believe his own eyes and ears. Random teenage girls were catcalling him? In his entire life, he had never faced any situation like this one. Were girls always this daring towards strangers? Are they not even a little bit intimidated by his size? So shocked, Daniel was left there hanging while those girls continued their snickering and so-called compliments.
"What are you looking at? I'm complimenting you. You should be grateful."
No, they are intimidated by him as they are crowding together at a distance from him. Is this some kind of new trend among girls now? Catcalling some random dudes and see their reaction? Daniel could see one of the girls were holding her phone towards him. Must be recording him now.
Realizing the situation now, Daniel got off his trolly bag and slowly walked towards them. Five girls, one black, two cumins, two whites, seeing him walking towards them, made a stone expression.
"W-what is it?"
"Are you going to hurt us?''
The black girl tightened her grip on the phone. They look like high school seniors, or at most college freshmen. They were all below his chest. For once, Daniel thought of scaring them off by showing them his badge. But then threw that idea in a trash can again. Nothing good will come off by provoking some mere students. So instead, he walked up to them, wearing the most polite face he could muster, and said as he crouched down to meet their eye level.
"Ladies, I don't think it's a good place to play pranks on some random stranger. You should play around with people you know and trust and at a safer place."
"Are you saying this because we are girls and we're not allowed to do stuff we want?"
"....."
'Oh, I see. You guys are here looking for trouble.' Racking his brain for a good comeback, Daniel opened his mouth to refute. But like a savior, another woman called out to them.
"Yo Jane, Martha! Whatcha girls doin' there? C'mon, we're gonna miss the flight!"
"Tsk, later asshole!"
"Fucking patriarchal sucker!"
"The world wishes you died in your mother's womb!"
And just like that, they ran with the wind leaving him behind with dust and an unpleasant experience.
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"Bwahahahaha Oh My Gosh! That was so hilarious!"
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Geez!"
Jessica was laughing her ass off while driving at the same time. While bringing out her car, she saw what was going on with the brunette. She bid her time till those girls left and came to him and has been laughing since then, asking him for details. Daniel, on the contrary, kept a poker face.
"Anyway, I'm taking you to your apartment to drop your luggage. And then we're heading out again."
"My apartment? But I don't have one yet."
"I managed one for you."
"???" Daniel didn't know that the SPD was this generous to their staff!
"Why is the SPD treating me so differently? Or is this for every staff?"
Jessica gave him a look. "This is not from the SPD. It was me."
The brunette was surprised even more. "Why?"
"I need you to start working as soon as possible."
"Okay, stop the car!"
"Hmm?"
"I said stop the damn car!"
The car stopped with a screeching sound. The dark-haired woman looked at the man in the passenger's seat. He had his fingers pressed Against his temples, rubbing on them.
"What's with this childish tantrum now?" She asked, clearly irritated.
"Unless you answer my questions clearly, I won't be going anywhere." he deadpanned.
"Oh c'mon. We're not playing this game now!"
"Yes, we are! And until I get the proper answers, I'm not moving an inch!"
"..."
"..."
"You do get that you're in my car with locked doors while I'm driving it?"
"...That's not the point here!"
"Argh! You're so annoying!"
The dark-haired woman took off her hands from the wheel and put them in her pants pocket, her composure lazy but irritated.
"Okay, princess! What do you wanna know? But lemme tell you this first. I won't answer if they are confidential."
Daniel took a deep breath and sort out all the questions in his head. Then started with the obvious one.
"What is it that the SPD wants from me?"
"SPD is currently short on members. They need someone capable enough to crack a case."
"How come?"
"Confidential."
"What type of situations does SPD handle generally?"
"Confidential."
"What is this SPD? Is it a part of the police force?"
"No. Just how FBI isn't a part of the regular police force. SPD, as its name states, is built upon special personnel with exceptional talents. Its existence is kept secret from the public for confidential reasons. And when you meet an SPD Officer, you can safely assume that their ranking is higher than the Chief of stuff from the FBI."
Daniel was taken aback at this. If this is true, then this mess is bigger than he thought. As if caught on to his inner thoughts, Jessica leaned on the driving wheel and made leisurely gestures.
"And since you are so smart, you can guess my ranking as an active officer, right?"
"...."
"???"
"You can't be the head of the department, huh?"
"Pfft no-no. That's way too high. I'm just second-in-command. Or that I used to be."
"Used to be?"
"I gave up that position to someone more capable at doing desk work. I just like being on the field more."
Daniel didn't want to say anything at this point. Some people have it too easy for them while people like him die to just have a raise in their salary. So without further ado, he continued his questioning.
"Why did the SPD choose me then? There were plenty of capable men in the FBI."
This time, she didn't reply at once. Mulling over whatever facts and logic in her head, she took her sweet time before finally answering.
"It's true that they needed a capable man to crack this case. But the SPD also needs a man with no power background. Someone they can use and then throw away when done. SPD is stupidly extra cautious when it comes to recruitment. They have their own requirement policies. And you just happened to be the perfect candidate. An orphan with no link whatsoever. But capable indeed. What could the SPD ask more?"
''....."
"Do you finally get what I'm saying?"
Yes, he does. The higher-ups just sent him to another death sentence since the first one failed. Will he
ever get out of this boomerang effect?
"So.... so the SPD sent you to spy on me for a month to see how capable I am?"
"Don't lose your cool from nervousness, idiot. Didn't you figure it out a few days ago that I was working alone? And to be frank, the current authorities don't have the power to order me around. I was there of my own volition."
The brunette was not too sure if he should be relieved by that. but then again, who knows?
"Ms. Hawklin?"
"Hmm?"
"By any chance, do have a beef with the SPD?"
"What makes you think that?" she asked, perking up an eyebrow.
"Just... a gut feeling."
"Just a gut feeling?" A sharp look like a knife as if she could pierce through his soul.
"Oo mn." no, not a gut feeling. From the very beginning, Jessica had been addressing the SPD as the third person. As if whatever the SPD does has nothing to do with her or rather she is not a part of it. In fact, she even said earlier that the current authority doesn't have the power to order her around. If SPD is, as she said, an organization of utmost secrecy, they won't possibly let one of their officers roam free, no matter the rank. If what she has been saying is true, she is risking her own life in bringing me here.
There can't be just one candidate for recruitment. SPD must have been looking out for other men as well. Judging from what happened three days ago, it must have been her who manipulated the process and brought him here. She must have some ulterior motive. Daniel cannot blindly trust her.
"Don't worry. I won't let you die this easily." Jessica said as she started up the engine, with the sound similar to a growling beast, the car started to move again.
Was he imagining things or did her voice really sound soothing and gentle? Is she trying to comfort him? Daniel again had the strong urge to ask her. Ask her why she went out of her way to recruit him? But then again beat that urge down because she always changes the topic which makes one thing clear. Jessica doesn't trust him either. She is still testing the water.
He gave her a thorough look. Jessica was wearing black pants with a white button-up shirt. With the light of the evening sun, she gave off a handsome radiance. But her waist-long black hair was somewhat running that handsome image. The car was going at a moderate speed, the front driver's side window was open, which let the evening air rush in. The whole atmosphere became awkwardly quiet. Jessica also didn't bring up any odd topic to humor herself. Just the growling of the car engine and whistling of the wind filled his ears. The dark-haired woman turned the car to an unknown path, a path the brunette has never been before despite living in New York for more than 10 years. The speed increased and all Daniel could see was the blurry image of the highway he left behind.