1
So, this is what heaven feels like, like Erica thought as she and the station wagon went into another world. It looked like an endless slipstream of clouds, which twirled and moved fast and slow almost simultaneously.
Why is the station wagon here? Did we die together? Of course, we died together. This is how it works. You all go, if you die together at the same time.
A thick and fast light appeared as they came out of the void into... an interstate. The station wagon was airborne for a few seconds but hit the road hard and wide as the driver could not believe what they had just gone through.
He broke hard, and Erica could not hold and flew off the room of the vehicle. She landed hard as the rain fell onto her. The station wagon, not maintaining any control, did a tight that knocked Erica further into the interstate with upcoming vehicles that came towards her. Erica barely got her bearings when a twelve-wheeler came towards her.
She looked to her left and saw the grassy plain near the off ramp. She looked at it, hoped that she was there, as there was nowhere else to go. Then time seemed to slow right down to the very essence of time itself.
Again without much provocation she entered into the blue world with swirling clouds all around her and she landed at the very same grassy plain.
The truck beeped at her as it went by. The family in the station wagon just looked like a car just missed what looked like an eventual collision. The family, the perfect two-point-four family, father, mother, boy and girl just looked stunned at Erica who just stood up and felt her chest, her legs, her head. Anything she could touch on herself, she touched.
No this is not a dream. I'm alive and this is happening.
She looked at her hands that shook uncontrollably for a few minutes, but she bowled them both up into fists. She calmed herself.
'Fuck.' She spoke. 'I'm alive.' She looked at the station wagon and the family inside as they just hugged each other and from what Erica saw, cried tears of joy. The happiness of still being on this life. 'They're alive.' It didn't take her long to figure out what happened. 'I teleported us here.' She wanted to laugh. She eventually did. She laughed with so much joy that she figured out what she could do.
Daniel was right She thought. Heightened emotion.
She had to figure out where she was, but before that she walked to the station wagon and tapped the window on the passenger side. The woman, a blonde in her earlier thirties pressed a button and the window came down.
'Are you okay?' Erica asked. 'Are you all,'
'What did you do? Why are we here? We're not dead?'
Erica smiled as the rain continued to fall and got thicker by the second. 'I somehow saved your life. You are alive, blocking traffic on this lane, but you are all very much alive.'
'Do you know where we are?' The woman asked.
Erica brushed back her hair that got drenched by the second. 'No clue.'
'Looks like Patterson.' The husband, also blonde, but looking more in his late thirties, leaned in and spoke. 'Just coming into Patterson.'
'Patterson?' Erica said as she questioned herself. 'Why did I bring us to,' it was at that point Erica Chandler knew what happened or at least how she got here. 'You fine here?'
The husband and wife both said 'Fine.' At the same time, Erica nodded and left them as the cars their station wagon beeped and slowly indicated go into the next lane to carry on their journey.
Erica walked along the grassy path into the sidewalk that led along into a road and that road lead into a business park. The very same business park that was home to Engrave Corporation. 'Oh shit.' She said to herself. 'I must have thought about here for some reason, before we were flying into that building.' She looked around. 'I thought of here and now I'm here. I wonder why I didn't think of home?' She asked herself then she decided since she was nearly an hour away from the centre of Preston, she needed to test out this newfound ability to teleport. She looked straight as far as she could see.
I want to go there.
She almost zipped into the void of blue clouds, but what was once a lingered, slowed down of time experience took less than one second and she was where she had looked at, where she wanted to go. It was almost instantaneous.
Erica wanted to scream, but she kept her composure. She looked at the roof of Engrave and focused on it. A second later, of course she was on the roof of the building. She shook her with a smile. She looked at another roof from behind that looked a quarter of a mile away. She was there again in around a second. She screamed and punched the air.
There was no need to be professional here. This was the most amazing feeling that I have ever felt, Erica thought.
It was here she noticed and realised that she could see what she focused on much further that she could ever see in her life. She looked at a hill, that looked a few good miles away, maybe five or six miles.
I want to go there.
As soon as she thought the word there, she was already on the top of the hill as it almost flew towards her as the teleportation momentum made her feel like she was flying for a moment and had to grab onto the top of the hill as she slipped as the rain made the hill reasonably muddy.
I'm a teleporter, she thought. 'I'M A TELEPORTER!!!' She screamed, but she was too high and too alone for anyone to care. 'Yeah, I'm a teleporter.' She said with less energy, but more pride. That was one for her and for her alone.
She then remembered. 'Daniel. Royce.' The man in fucking black.
Erica had to get back to Preston immediately, but how could she?
I can. I can get there.
Erica had to think of part of town and think of as clearly as if she were standing there herself. Would they be at the scene, or would they be at the police station?
She took a chance and decided to think of the scene. She managed to think of the hallway that she was slammed into the first time by the man in black. She remembered the pain and the agony, but also the adrenaline and how she got up. She remembered the carpet and the walls, the doors and the stairs, She took a deep breath and before she knew it, Erica was flung into the void of clouds again.
2
Royce threw up some more against the wall of a building. He was doubled down and the world span around it a violent motion as he threw up.
'Adrenaline is a hell of a fucking thing.' Royce said as he wobbled violently for a second and kept his free hand on the wall as he made sure that something could hold up him.
It should have been someone, but Daniel Bridgewater would not be thrown up on. 'I did tell you that it was going to happen, when you portaled for the first time.'
'Why?' Royce gargled.
'What?'
'Why does going through a portal make you feel like, like I'm,'
'Discombobulated?' Daniel asked.
'Yeah.' Royce said as he puked more of his guts on the ground.
'Keep your eyes closed, Royce. You open them and you'll feel like you're flying off in a fucking tornado into space.'
'Answer the question, Bridgewater.'
Daniel looked at the commotion on the main street. Ambulances. Fire engines. Police. This was the aftermath that a person would see at the end of a disaster film. 'I think the first time you go into a portal, your molecules go out of whack, the time and space transition is not something you body is used to. It does get used to it. It evolves with the magic and tech, but the first few times, its not the best feeling to have.'
'How long will this last?'
'For a normal person, like an hour. But you came through and faced the man in black almost straight away, adrenaline helped put it back, now your calm, your body is like "fuck my arse is near my elbows" and he to reconstruct itself.' Daniel paused. 'It may take a little more than an hour to get you to how you was before.'
'Fuck,' Royce spat, 'What a day, what a fucking day man.'
'And it is about get worse.'
'How the fuck so, Bridgewater?'
Royce heard hands clap together hard and with a sense of enthusiasm that did not fit here. Royce could not open his eyes, so he wandered who could it be when he heard the voice of,
'Well done gentlemen, what a fucking shit show you managed to star in here.' Larry Anderson said as he walked in with two officers in tow.
'Ah fuck.' Royce moaned.
'Fuck indeed Drysdale.' Larry said. 'You look like how my mind feels right now.'
'Then you must feel like shit is coming out of your eyes and words is coming out of your ass sir.' Royce said.
Larry looked confused. 'No, why on earth would I think or feel like that.'
'You just said,'
'DO NOT CONTINUE ON THIS PATH OF SHEER RIDICULOUSNESS DRYSDALE!' Larry bellowed. He looked at Daniel. 'I thought you were here to make things better, keep these situations in the shadows, but here we are, eastern side of the center of town is in disarray, thirty two in the hospital,'
'Any dead?'
'Excuse me?' Larry asked, genuinely surprised at the audacity. 'Please repeat again, Agent Bridgewater?'
'Did anyone die Chief?'
'And why does that matter Bridgewater?'
'It matters to me.'
'Like you give a fuck Bridgewater. Cause if you did none of this hell would have happened AND WHERE THE FUCK IS YOUR PARTNER?'
'Firstly dickmouth, you yell at me like that again, I'm going to make sure you eat those fucking medals you got on your chest there and don't worry, you'll see them again once you shit them out and secondly, I got no fucking clue where she is and if I did know I'd be there and not be here being chastised by you.' Daniel said with unchecked aggression.
'You're leaving a long trail of death and destruction behind you Bridgewater. Is that what you provide?' Larry said.
Daniel smiled and laughed. 'The worst thing is it could have been a lot of worst. Maybe it should be.'
'What the fuck did you just say?' Larry went red with anger.
'Ah fuck off Larry, I could leave right now and let this man, fucking have his way with this town. Let him tear it down piece by piece and then see how I do things, no one as far as I aware died today, but fuck it, if you want me to leave,'
'Bridgewater!' Royce yelled. 'You ain't going anywhere. Not until we catch, arrest or kill this sonofabitch. You hear me? You ain't going anywhere. You don't want this on your record. You don't wanna look at yourself and let this man win,' Royce gargled and burped and more of his guts hit the ground.
Everyone looked at Royce and the disgust was evident.
'Is he going to be?' Larry looked concerned.
'He's going to be fine in like an hour or so.' Daniel said.
'If I'm not, tell my wife, I still love her…somehow.'
'Shut the fuck up, Royce, you'll tell her yourself, after we speak to her.' Daniel patted Royce's back.
'Ah fuck.' Royce retched again as he reacted to the back pat in not the best of ways.
'Bridgewater.' Came the voice of Erica from the street and she walked into to meet the five.
'Erica.' Daniel said, and he could not hide the relief. He ignored everyone else and even started to raise his arms, but he remembered who he was and brought them down as quickly as he raised them. She got to him, and she looked like she wanted to hug him too, but she kept her hands to the side.
Both could not hide the relief of seeing each other again. Between the two was a moment of silent happiness. Daniel placed his right hand on her left shoulder and gripped it out that relief of seeing her alive again. She, with her right hand, gripped it for a moment before she it let it go and he let go at the same time.
'Glad you could grace with your presence, Agent Chandler.' Daniel smiled.
'Well, when a girl has to come back and check on her boys.'
They both exchanged a warm smile towards each other.
Royce retched harder than the last time and Erica looked over.
'Is that from portalling?'
Daniel nodded.
'Poor Royce. It's hell the first time.'
'I should have been... warned.' Royce said meekly.
'You were.' Daniel and Erica said together, and Royce groaned.
'So now that your partner is back and well. What are we going to do about this man?' Larry said.
'We're going to rest up and get the fucker. As someone we know needs to answer some questions, and they will answer.'
'For fucks sake, don't hassle Harris again.'
'Oh, he's on the list, but we're talking to someone else.' Daniel said.
'No destruction in meantime, Bridgewater.'
'I can't make promises I can't keep.' Daniel said.
Larry just shook his head and walked away with the two officers in tow.
Daniel looked at the blood on Erica's shirt, the open gash on the right side of her face. She noticed.
'I can take it.' She said.
'You shouldn't.'
'It's the game, ain' it? You're going to get hurt. It's the only way you know you are playing it right.'
Daniel couldn't help but smile.
'Plus, you wouldn't believe what happened to me.' Erica said excitedly.
'Try me, because we got some shit to tell you as well.' Daniel said.
'Yeah, the man in black can fl,' Royce threw up again.
'I should tell the story Royce.' Daniel said.
3
As they were driven back to Royce's in a patrol car. Erica, whose gash above her wound was stitched up at the local hospital, could not hide her giddiness at discovering her ability to Teleport. Her only ability.
'You're first.' Daniel interjected Erica's stream of thought.
'First?'
'Yeah. That won't be your only one. People like us discover things we can do well into our seventies.'
Erica looked confused. 'Really, so you don't know all that you can do?'
Daniel nodded.
'Wow.' Erica said she was a little dumbstruck.
The world stopped its constant and drastic spinning for Royce around twenty minutes prior to the drive. His stomach stopped its rumbling and felt like it had not been on rough sea travel. He could if he wanted to move his hand away from his chest, but he kept it there just in case. It was the evening and dusk had started to fall. The rain had finally gestured its way out of the area and almost felt like took a bow after it left.
Dark clouds rose above the hills. Streetlights started to turn in the distance. Same as house lights and break lights as people came home from work.
It dawned on Erica that, despite her excitement, the man in black had a new power level. 'So, he can fly now?'
'Yeah, if it wasn't tough enough, now the guy has an aerial advantage.' Royce said.
'Lucky bastard.' Daniel muttered quietly to himself. He had to be honest with himself; it was one ability that he dearly wished for, had always wanted and never got. Maybe one day.
'Why hasn't he done it before?' Erica asked.
'I think he discovered it there and then.' Daniel said. 'I kicked that shit in the air and he floated, and he looked really surprised.'
'I just can't believe we had him and we just walked away.' Royce bemoaned to everyone. 'I mean we had him.'
'We weren't to know Royce.' Daniel said. 'No point beating yourself up. We gave the sketch artist our best impression of him to be put out there and more importantly, if we see that guy. We got him.'
'He's got us, you mean. He was dangerous before he could fly. Now he can attack us from anywhere.'
'He could already do that. Now he can just drop shit on us.' Daniel said.
'It also means that he called your wife Royce after we saw him.'
'You got your personal number on that shit?' Daniel said.
'Yeah, when I'm out and the reception is shit and don't let all the sheen and gloss fool you in that area, the phone reception is just terrible.'
'I'd say repugnant sir.' The police officer named Craig said.
'Good word officer.' Royce beamed with pride.
'Strong word.' Daniel said. 'Not like phones smell or anything.'
'You ready, Royce?'
Royce looked out at the dark fields to his right. 'I guess I must be ready for it. Just promise me something. The both of you.'
Daniel, Erica and Craig nodded.
'Craig, you didn't have to nod.'
'Got it.'
'I need you to let me take lead in this.'
'Royce. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but she maybe your wife, but right now she's got answers to questions that need to be asked. She's pivotal to all of this. Your emotionally compromised. You can't go where you need to go for this. In fact, I think you should not be involved with this.' Erica said.
'I agree.' Daniel said.
'I can get there. I just need you to let me get there; hell, just give me time to get her there. Please.'
Daniel, Erica and Craig nodded.
'Craig, you really don't have to nod.' Royce said.
'I'm driving so I kinda wanna be involved.' Craig said.
For a moment as they drove along the highway towards Cop Land, they all laughed.
4
They watched Craig reverse out of the driveway and off down the road. At this point it was nighttime, and the darkness descended into its dominance for the next twelve hours.
Both Erica and Daniel noticed how quiet it was on the street.
'This a ghost town?' Erica asked.
'Cop Land is peace.' Royce said as they walked to the front door.
'You say it like it was a mantra.' Daniel noticed.
'One of the few we cherish.' Royce said as they reached the front door, and he took out his keys.
'You good?' Erica asked Daniel as he stepped onto the veranda.
Daniel took the deepest of breaths and that feeling of the wind being knocked from him did not happen. 'I'm good.'
'We're skipping over the part where your wife confirmed that Oliver is in control of magic. So that means. He could have killed Audrey Lange.' Erica said as Royce and Daniel both looked.'
'Circumstantial. Need proof.' Daniel said. 'And that burns the fuck out of me, cause as much as I want to nail the new flyboy out there, I want to bury Harris, but we are reaching with the stars, and we need concrete proof for someone with his high stature in this town.'
The door opened and standing in front of them was Alyssa Drysdale.
'You want proof, I got proof.'
5
The man in black landed on a roof, that was cracked, broken. He landed perfectly.
Fourth time's the charm, he thought. The first few attempts at landing started out disastrous, worked their way up to less damaging, graduated to frustrating, and now finally, because he did think trying to land, but to actually just land. He did with ease.
The building itself, a large disused building, had been condemned by the local government for years. This was in Andersonville, the place the elite forgot.
As he landed, he waved his hand, and the nearby bricks and mortar moved and re-sealed the roof.
When he came here the first time, this whole building was a drug den. Full of murderous depravity, and it took him less than three hours to clear them away. No one spoke about him because no one was alive to speak about him.
For the man in black, the act of killing when you had power like he had was easy. It was the reconciliation of the act and the power that was hard to come by.
He flicked all the nearby light switches on, and he was on the top floor. As he walked into each room, the light in that room flickered on. He checked the fridge he moved from the third floor, the only one that did not have drugs stored in it. The door opened, and he took out a microwave meal of spaghetti Bolognese. He looked at the microwave as the door opened as the meal floated towards him as he took off the label, grabbed a nearby fork and pierced a few holes in it and put it into the microwave and turned the timer to three minutes.
He walked past the TV, as the remote flew into his hand and he switched it on. There was nothing on what happened earlier on the news. Just that, a gas main exploded.
How do they do that? He thought.
He walked into the nearby bathroom. He took off his black hoodie and blood was pouring down from his right shoulder. It was from where Erica Chandler shot him.
Fucker.
The bullet as far as he was aware was still in there and the only way it hurt at this point was that the adrenaline of that situation had wore off and the exhilaration took his mind off the pain. He could stop bullets with ease. The ones he could see.
He could feel the bullet lodged in there, but also knew that his fingers no matter how much he washed them, would not be able to get there. There was no way that he would go to any hospital and there was also no way he could do the movie thing and go to a late-night vet and make their life hell for a few hours.
The man in black knew he was a bad man, but he also knew he was not that bad. He only wated to hurt the people he knew he wanted to hurt. He had to try something though as the three who were looking for him now know what he looked like.
'Stupid fucker.' He spat with anger at himself. 'You had to open the fucking door didn't you.' He gave a pitiful, yet introspective look at himself. 'They were going to break the door down. You got invisibility powers you don't know? Did they give you that?' He then laughed to himself. 'I'm talking to myself. Spent too much time alone. You have.' The laughter stopped as the dawning of what he just said hit him. Then the pain returned.
He looked at his shoulder and he decided to give it a try.
He put his left hand in front of the right shoulder and directly in front of the bloody entry wound. He focused and closed his eyes. His left hand started to shake and then the veins on the sides of his temple started to throb and beat. They stuck out.
The bullet moved inside his shoulder and tears of pain fell down his cheeks, but he maintained his focus and kept his eyes close. He moved his left hand slightly to the left and then again, then slightly to the right as He slowly guide the bullet out. He grimaced some more as he was sure, the bullet just barely touched some sort of vein. He pursed his lips for a few moments as he felt the bullet every so slowly release its hold on the pain on his arm. In his mind, he begged for this to end, and he opened his eyes and moved his left, just has the bullet flew out of his arm and out of the hole it created.
'FUCK.' He screamed. 'FUCKER.' He screamed some more, and he clutched his right arm. The tears fell even more. 'Ahhh.' He blew some air out of his mouth and tried to control his heartbeat which raced as soon as the bullet raced out of his arm. 'Fuck.' He said with a far lower volume then before.
He heard the microwave Bing from the bathroom.
From the above cabinet he look out a wide plaster and put it on his shoulders and then took some painkillers he bought a few days ago. He never truly thought he would use them as now one could get near him, but Royce and Erica did. He handled the one with actual abilities, this Daniel Bridgewater.
He washed the rest of the blood off his arm and dried his arm. He splashed water across his face in the hopes that the pain would be hit with it. It made him more awake, but it did not subside the pain the way he wanted.
He turned off the light and went into the kitchen, opened the microwave door and grabbed his food. The heat did not even affect him. He went to the living quarters and sat down in front of the television.
Pinkman had to die, he thought. He deserved to.
He looked at his hands that had shaken for a few minutes since the bullet left his arm. He looked at both his hands and willed them to stay steady, and they did.
I need to speak to this Agent Daniel Bridgewater.
He started to eat and nodded to himself in agreement.
6
Daniel and Erica sat either side of Royce who was in the middle and he faced his wife.
They were in the living room area with only things being on was the lights and their focus on her.
Alyssa could barely look at Daniel or Erica, let alone her husband's. There was shame across her face, and it was something she could not hide 'I can only tell you what I know.'
'Go on.' Royce said calmly.
'Engrave is not the big player here. It is a group called The Control. They are doing something, something here in this town.'
'What?' Erica asked.
'I don't know. I was told they were doing a whole that the trans-dimensional experiments, they were doing other experiments.'
Daniel sat forward. 'On people.'
Alyssa nodded. 'They did things that scared Taylor.' She paused. 'The man you are looking for. His name is Marco, Marco Reilly.'
'You knew his fucking,' Royce reacted with anger, but as everyone looked at him, he calmed down, 'how do you know his name?'
'Taylor told me. He told me a lot of things about what was going on.'
'And why was he doing that?' Erica asked.
Alyssa looked at her husband. She looked surprised. 'You didn't tell them?'
Royce did not answer.
Daniel looked at him and then looked at Alyssa. 'You had a sexual relationship with Taylor Lambert.'
The shame grew and the tears began to fall. 'I'm not proud of myself, he just got me at a time where I was vulnerable, and sense made no sense. I wanted to feel something again. Not the frustration, not the anger, or the distance, the distance or the arguments. Not the isolation and the loneliness and Taylor came along, and he made me feel something other the self-hatred that I felt, that has only grown worse since that time.' Alyssa wiped some more tears. 'I found out he used me cause Taylor can make you give you anything he needs and it's like you did him a favour, you know?'
'He used you. To get back at him,' Daniel pointed at Royce.
'No, he didn't want or need that. What he needed me to push through planning permission for the location in Patterson.'
'Why?' Erica asked.
'Because everyone thought it was protected land, indigenous land, but after the land was checked, it was available, and I was able to convince the board to give permission for Engrave to build their office.'
'What so special about the land?' Royce asked.
Alyssa shrugged. 'I don't know; I just know it is something that they wanted, and they got it.'
Daniel sat forward. 'You know why Taylor Lambert was there? Why was Giovanni Pinkman killed by Marco?'
'I don't know why Taylor was there, I do know that Taylor was looking to cut ties with Oliver. That he wanted a career in politics and Oliver did not want him to leave. Kept on using the word commitment and that he couldn't escape this commitment. On Pinkman, I, just know he had something on both. He apparently helped with the scientists on those tests.'
'What did he have on them?' Royce asked.
'I don't know.'
'This Control,' Erica said.
'Are the most powerful people on earth. Their influence has no boundaries. That's what he told me.'
'Why did you keep his name quiet? Marco and how do you,' Royce said.
'Taylor could trust me, well, until you went all over town and drunkenly tarnished his name.'
'And you know what? I'd fucking do it again too!'
'Calm down Royce.' Daniel looked at him sternly and gave him a look that said, Not now. Not this time.
Royce nodded to Daniel. The message was received.
'How do you know his name?'
'I overheard Taylor talking to someone, about some project. That one had a psychological breakdown and escaped. Marco Reilly.'
'Where can we find him?' Erica asked.
Alyssa shook her head. 'No clue.'
'What type of project?' Royce asked.
Good Daniel thought. Get your head back in the game Drysdale.
'I don't know.' Alyssa said.
'There's a lot of I don't know's Alyssa.'
'I'm telling you. That's all I know.'
'Why would he kill Taylor Lambert?' Erica asked.
'That Agent Chandler, is the question that we all need to find out.' Alyssa said and she slumped back on the chair. 'You can believe me or you don't, but I am truthfully telling you all I know. I wish I knew more. I wish this whole fucking thing was over, but it is not and I don't know if any of that helped, but it's all I can do. To rectify things.' Those words may have been said to all three, but everyone and their mother knew she directed that to Royce, who looked at Erica and Daniel.
'I'll put out an APB on Marco Reilly.' He said and he looked at his wife with shame. He wanted to shake his head, but that would be too much and his eyes—he knew the glare that she recognised, that she knew all too well would be enough.
She bowed her head for a few moments. Erica looked at Daniel, who nodded to her.
Erica then sat next to Alyssa. 'You did the right thing.'
'But it's going to cost me.'
'Probably, but not as much as you think. You don't just give up all those years. Not him.'
Alyssa looked both Erica and Daniel. 'Even if I keep hurting him? Keep ripping out chunks of him till he doesn't exist anymore?' Alyssa stared at Daniel. 'Would you forgive me?'
'No.' Daniel said, 'but I'm not Royce and I don't think he can just walk away. Not like that and especially from you. I've felt love and I've seen love. He's got that for you.'
'And you can't fuck up anymore.' Erica kept the gravitas high for those words.
Alyssa just nodded to herself and then looked at Daniel again. 'You believe me to be a villain, Agent Bridgewater?'
'No.' Daniel replied.
'How can, you be sure?'
'Cause I would have hurt you already.' Daniel said and he looked at Erica. 'It looks like we need to speak to Bolton.'
7
Royce opened the door and stepped out with Daniel and Erica into the brisk night outside their veranda.
Both noticed that he had a little limp and his left arm looked somewhat lower than his right.
'You are good, Royce?' Erica asked.
'I think my body has finally feeling the beating I took today from that Marco fucker.' Royce said with a grimace as he felt his arm. Then.
CRACK.
Royce stretched and straightened his back. The pain was evidently clear across his face as the colour changed from white to red.
'That sounded painful.' Erica said.
'I'm made of strong stuff.' Royce said and it did not even convince him. The consistently grimaced face also did not help matters.
'You just get some rest.' Erica said and placed her hand on his shoulder.
This caused Royce's eyes to tear up. 'Will do.'
'What are you going to do about Alyssa?' Daniel asked.
'Probably go down to the station and make it official.' Royce said, 'Then maybe get her out of here.'
'She protected here, Royce, there's magic here. Out there, she might get into more trouble. Be in real danger.' Erica said.
'You're saying I should keep her here?'
'Close enough for any of us to get to her.' Erica said out of reassurance.
'Fast enough too.' Daniel said.
Royce nodded in agreement. He did not look convinced, but the nod was enough to end that conversation.
'Get some rest, Royce. You know sleep.' Daniel recommended.
'You can talk, Mr Nocturnal. Why don't you take your own advice?'
'Cause I'm not you, Royce.'
Royce smiled. 'Cause you like this shit, don't you?'
Daniel smiled back. 'Someone has to.' Daniel paused and then looked at Royce with a serious intent. The tone was serious. 'Get some rest. We need Royce Drysdale at eighty percent.'
Daniel and Erica walked away from Royce's house as a portal opened up in front of them.
'I can give you sixty-five percent and no more.' Royce said and laughed, while he held his chest, which screamed with pain as he laughed.
'Then get some rest now, Royce, get that extra fifteen percent. More battles to come.' Daniel said.
Royce watched as they both went into the portal, which disappeared into night.
8
Alexander Bolton paced in front of the mirror to debrief on the day's events. Pacing was one of the things he did very well.
Calories were burnt, suggestions were made and profanity was on its way.
'The Control, you say?'
Daniel and Erica, both nodded.
'I have never heard of them. I'll look into it.' Bolton said. 'I do need to ask about the situation in the town.'
'Unavoidable sir.' Erica said straight away.
'I know that, but with this Police Chief and now the mayor breathing down my neck, the faders working overtime not to create a panic. It's getting too hot.'
'Like you give two fucks about what they say, Bolton.' Daniel said it in a non-jesting manner. 'What can they do to you?'
'Go above my head and speak to my boss to get you both off the case.'
Daniel laughed. 'They don't know your boss.'
'Only those that need to know.'
'They are in that criteria?' Daniel asked.
Bolton was the one that had laughed. 'They have influence, influence goes a long way.'
'So, what are you saying, Bolton?'
'Solve this case, stop destroying shit and get the fuck back, so they don't go over my head.'
'That sounds way simpler than it would be.' Erica said and it actually caused Daniel to hide his chuckle.
Bolton noticed this. 'Well, look who's bosom buddies now? I'm glad. I'm glad you have been the one person, Agent Chandler, Daniel Bridgewater can tolerate.'
'I'm likeable.' Erica beamed a smile.
'Don't push it.' Came the reply from Bolton and Daniel.
'So, how close are you to ending this thing?' Bolton asked as he stopped his pacing. Rooted to the spot and he hoped for a good, swift, positive answer.
'We have a name and we know what he looks like and we also know he's got a hard on for Oliver Harris's head on a stick.' Erica said.
'There's a connection between that and Taylor Lambert. I don't think that was for protection, I think it may have been for something else.' Daniel said.
'Such as,' Bolton asked as the pacing started once again.
'I'm still figuring it out.'
'You are going to sit on Harris?' Bolton asked the both of them.
'I think so, Reilly is going to pop up sometime and we'll be there to get him.' Daniel said confidently.
'Keep me posted.' Bolton said and he then looked at Erica. 'Congratulations on unlocking your first power.'
'Thank you, sir. I just have to ask. This whole first power thing, I thought it was my only power.'
'Not with you, Cross Powers. This is just the start.'
'Cross Powers?' Erica asked. 'What does that mean?'
Bolton stopped pacing once again. He gave a big smile. 'I'll let your partner tell you. Good luck, with the case and not Daniel telling you about what you are.' Bolton rippled away from the screen and the mirror went back to being the reflections of the pair and the room.
Erica just looked at him.
'I'll tell you on the way to Engrave.' Daniel said. 'Could you teleport with people?'
9
Oliver Harris was up late and turned off his computer. The image that was on the computer was a schematic of what looked like motion tracked rifle on a stand, but the design title was Prototype—Laser.
Oliver stretched his back and clicked his neck. The phone rang. Oliver looked at it. He wanted to let it go, but how could he. He knew what this would be about.
No one else called at this time for him.
'Hi sir.'
'Are we on schedule?'
'Yes, sir, the components have been delivered and the laser has been made, sir.' Oliver said and he sat up.
'Is it fully functional?'
'Yes, since two nights ago.'
'How much has it achieved?'
'I would say we are getting close to fifty percent of our target.'
'Good, Oliver. Good.' The voice paused. 'I know I have asked a lot of you.'
'You sound stronger, sir.'
'The longer I'm in this realm. The stronger I become.' The voice said, 'I have asked a lot of you. I am proud of the man you have become. This world will be no more. You and our followers, our loyalts. They will be ready for the new world. A better world and you will prosper and the rest will fall to their bones. Maintain this truth, Oliver and I promise this will be for everything and everything will be worth it.'
'Thank you, sir.' Oliver looked like he needed to hear that. The weight that left his shoulders.
'What about our two other problems, these agents?'
'They are not important, before they figure anything out, it will be too late and they will be powerless to stop us.'
'Said confidently. I like it and the escaper?'
'He is,' Oliver began to say when something caught the corner of his eye. It was not something, but someone. Marco Reilly. In the air. 'Bothersome.'
'But can be handled? You have the Rogue Bracelet?'
'I know, but his powers have increased exponentially.'
'So, you are having successes all over, aren't you, Harris? He was your project.'
'Not just mine, sir.' Oliver said solemnly.
'Well, you are the only one alive, so it is your problem, Oliver. I know that you can handle it. You would not have received that bracelet if you hadn't. Use it. Nothing will stop our plans.'
'They won't.'
'You know what to do if they don't.'
'I do.' Oliver said.
The phone disconnected and Oliver put it down. He looked at Marco as he levitated above the ground. Oliver stood up and walked to the window and faced Marco.
'Marco Reilly. There nothing you can do to get in there, despite all your power.' Oliver said.
Marco nodded. 'I will get you soon.'
Oliver shook his head. 'The other way around, Reilly. You were supposed to be the greatest asset to our cause. We gave you this great power.'
'You did not give me anything. You took it all away from me.' Marco shouted. 'Whatever you got here, whatever you are protecting, you cannot protect you for long. I will find a way.'
'I hope you actually do. Makes it little more easily in ending this whole thing.' Oliver smiled.
Marco just smiled. 'I will kill all that you put in front of me. I want you to do that. I want you to watch your men. Your Greycloaks die in front of you. I want you to feel helpless. Weak. The most vulnerable you have ever felt in your sorry fucking life, Oliver Harris. That your money or your daddy or your now deceased buddy can't help with. When you are at your lowest and you eventually beg for your life. I'm going to punish you. You'll know what I'm going to do. I hope you do and before you realise it, your head will removed from your body and I will punt it to the sun.'
'Big words Reilly.'
'Big promises. One's I do aim to keep.' Marco said and put his finger across his neck and slid it across. 'I'll see you soon.' Marco then flew high up in the night sky and could not be seen.
Oliver smiled. 'You fucker. I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill you bad.' He sighed. 'It would have been better if I had said it while he was there. Now I'm the fucker.' He looked at the rooms around him, all covered in either some lights that were on or darkness that filled the rest.
Oliver was alone on this floor in more ways than one. He took out a bottle of whisky and a glass. He poured more than what a person should, past a quarter depth of the glass and closer to half the glass filled with West Virginia's finest whisky, named Dalton's, as it said on the bottle, it was so good and strong it could wake a dead person up.
Now if that were true, we would all be happy, but we are all not happy, Oliver to himself, Not in this world. That's why we have to bring the new one.
Oliver smiled as thought that and took a big swig of the whisky. It lit up his chest and caused his taste to flare up. He coughed and beat his chest and his eyes went red. 'Whooo.' He said. 'That's some good fucking stuff. Fuck. That could make a lion turn into a fucking eagle.' He drank some more. 'This is living.' He flung the bottle into the wall and smashed, spraying whisky everywhere. 'THIS IS LIVING!' he screamed. 'YOU AIN'T GONNA KILL ME REILLY, MARK MY FUCKING WORDS YOU SONOFABITCH! I'M GONNA KILL YOU. I AM AND I'M GONNA ENJOY IT!'
He clenched his fist which glowed purple and the bottle repaired almost if time rewound itself and the bottle was back on the table. The whisky that was on the wall's surface dripped down to the floor and was all in the bottle again.
'You have no clue who you are facing, Marco. You have no fucking clue.' Oliver smiled as his arm stopped the purple glow. 'I can't wait.'