It was another day at work. Not just like any other day, though. Perhaps it would have been better if it was. Norman was tired. It had been a long day. And week, for that matter. All he had to show for it so far was people wanting to beat the living hell out of him, and that is only if they would let him introduce himself first, before running away or pointing a gun at him.
At the moment, he could only stare blank-eyed at anything passing by, not even giving any response other than to give them a distant look. Good thing nobody paid his office a visit most of the time. In a way, it was his private sanctuary from all the horrible things out there.
"Hey, Norman. What's the matter?"
Sometimes, though, he wasn't even safe there either.
"Sorry?"
"You're not looking too good. In fact, you look more like shit than usual."
"Just thinking. Need to clear my head a little."
Jayden's ever not-so-happy co-worker Blake didn't seem particularly impressed by the lack of action that the FBI agent had found himself in. In fact, he seemed more amused by it, than anything. Finding flaws in Jayden's way of working was one of the police-man's passtimes at work. In other words, things were just like they usually are.
"What, you FBI guys get paid for sitting on your ass doing nothing all day? That would explain a few things."
'I'm sure the complaint department would be happy to be of service'. That was what Jayden had wanted to say, but he decided against it. He had picked enough fights with Blake to last a lifetime as it is.
"I take it there is a reason for you to be talking to me, other than to discuss FBI's working methods, Carter?"
Blake scoffed in a way that made him almost seem to enjoy Norman's apparent
disapproval. He probably was, too.
"Oh, I know what you've been up to, Jayden. You were thinking that paying a big-time car smuggler a visit would pay off. But so far, judging by how you look, you've just gotten your shit beaten out of you by the Mad Jack guy, right? So how does it feel? Maybe you wanna be more willing to just let the police department do their own work instead of acting so damn high and mighty now?"
Jayden sighed to himself, almost inaudibly. He really didn't need any more crap given to him when all he wanted was to catch a break for a few minutes.
"Yeah, I'm sure you have all the evidence you need right now. I mean, if I were in your shoes, I'd be closing the case up instead of bragging about my efforts. But I'm not the Police Lieutenant here, am I?"
"Very funny, asshole."
Blake leaned over the table, his hands on the desk, while looking at the sitting Jayden with a stern expression.
"What exactly gives you the right to fuck around like this? You've got jack shit, Norman."
Jayden sure felt like shit, he wouldn't argue with that.
"Well, I have leads. That's more 'shit' than you have."
"As if. Your last two 'leads' turned up nothing."
"Mad Jack told me about the nighclub 'The Blue Lagoon'. Apparently the Origami Killer has some ties with someone called Paco."
After a brief moment of pondering, Blake decided to go along with Jayden's talk. After all, he didn't have much else to go on, himself, save for hunting down Ethan Mars, the only other suspect so far, and his men were already over that.
"Paco? Never heard of the guy. I know about the Blue Lagoon, though. Some of my men talk about it from time to time."
Jayden turned towards Blake, actually looking at him now. He felt they could hold a proper conversation now that they finally got to the part where they exchange proper words, as opposed to just bantering about how much this case sucks or how they dislike each other's attitudes. Which is about 85% of the time, or so it felt to Jayden.
"Well, what do you say? Sounds like an idea you could go along with?"
Blake brought his hand to his chin while pondering for a moment again. But with Blake being Blake, he didn't have the patience to think too much about something like this.
"Eh, why the hell not. Better than just sitting here. Let me just get my coat..."
Jayden followed Blake back into the main part of the police building as Blake got ready to leave with Jayden. On their way out, they saw Captain Perry passing by.
"Heading out, gentlemen?"
Perry seemed like the ever-smiling shepard watching over his flock of mindless sheep. As long as everyone did what they're told, he had fun at work, expressing his authority.
Blake answered him with a shrug.
"Yeah, Jayden's apparently got some lead to the Blue Lagoon. Sounds like a waste of time to me, but I've got no other things at the moment."
Perry gave an amused look, with the idea of the two of them heading to a club together. Jayden recalled Perry's comment about being sure that Jayden would get along fine with Blake as he arrived the first day.
"Ha, enjoy yourselves, then. But I hope you don't get too comfy at the club while you're there. We have a job to do, after all."
Blake replied with an equally ironic retort and gave Jayden's back a pat, grinning.
"Don't worry, sir, I'll make sure our good friend Jayden here will stick to being there for professional reasons."
At that point, Jayden proceeded to fix Blake's tie. Far be it for someone like him to lecture an FBI agent about how to be professional.
"Yes, Blake, speaking of which, your tie is a bit crooked. Let me fix it for you. We don't want to look 'unprofessional', after all."
As Jayden optly straightened Blake's tie for him, Blake himself stood in silence, awkwardly eyeing Jayden's hands. He didn't expect such a move from him, seeing as how he normally tends to not be very assertive, even when provoked.
Captain Perry kept smirking at the sidelines, cup of coffee in hand.
"Well, good to see that you've found a common ground to start off on, at last. Looking friendly, boys. Carry on; I need to get back to work, myself."
Deciding that enough tie-fiddling had been done, Blake reclaimed his tie from Jayden and stretched it a bit by pulling on it.
"Let go, Norman, you're not my mom for fuck sake... Let's head out."
Finally acknowledging their mission, the two law enforcers were on their way. Their destination: The Blue Lagoon.
It didn't take long for them to start the car and be on their way. There was an inital barrier of silence after they seated themselves. This wasn't entirely unusual between the duo, but Blake prefered to control the paces of conversations with his would-be subordinates.
"So, I guess you're gonna have a word with the Paco guy yourself?"
Jayden took a moment to think of a proper answer that wouldn't rustle too many feathers with the police lieutenant. He then looked towards him briefly as he replied.
"I'd prefer it if we'd be able to solve this without the use of force, I'll say that much."
"No surprise there." Blake said with a smug smirk. "Well, I'm not gonna complain, I'll let you do your little research project. Will be a nice chance for me to enjoy some time for myself."
"Not looking to be professional today, Blake?"
"Being professional means taking opportunities to catch a break. Besides, I know you like your ARI-time alone when looking for clues."
"That's assuming there'll be clues to look for."
With that, the two gentlemen kept quiet for the remainder of the car ride. There was an uneasy setting, as Jayden wasn't much of a club person. Blake didn't really party much either, as he's wont to be called "too old to enjoy the atmosphere". Not that he cared, he simply didn't want to bother with nonsense like that when he's busy working. He enjoys working, at least when he didn't have FBI-agents swarming around his workplace, pestering him about how he conducted his methods.
It's not that Jayden doesn't enjoy letting himself unwind, but his previous experiences with alcohol and drugs prevents him from indulging much into it. Especially with Triptocaine being more than he can bear as it is, he tries to not let himself get hooked on other things that can make him regret what he's doing.
The past is a dark thing for a lot of people.
Blake suddenly spoke up.
"Well, time to go. Let's see if we can book ourselves this Paco fella."
Wasn't as far to the place as Jayden expected, after all. Mentally preparing himself for another mission, Jayden took a breath before stepping out of the car.
Music. Loud beats. Dancing people. Couples making out in corners. Jayden suddenly remembered why this place wasn't his sort of area.
There were people in spades in the club. Neon lights were shining upon the walls, and there wasn't an inch without some colorful light shining either from or upon it. Several female dancers where standing on a vertical column, showing off their moves for happy audiences. Alcohol were served in spades at the bar. Everything was a happy workout for all the senses. For others, it was way too much at once.
"This is one fucked up sort of place..." Jayden mumbled to himself. The loud music had already drowned out his voice even before it left his mouth. Jayden couldn't even hear himself.
Blake was right next to him, seemingly unfazed by the cacophany passing as music. Several customers passed the duo by as they tried to get their bearings around the place. Jayden thought he recognized a woman as she went by, but dismissed it as his head going nuts.
There was a bouncer a few yards ahead of them. Blake beckoned towards him, and Jayden nodded in reply. It was time to get this over with.
"We're here to see Paco."
The bouncer was at least a head taller than Jayden, and had a very distinct look of bemusement. Jayden thought he must've worked there several years by the looks of it.
"Paco?" He replied loudly over the music, while correcting the pronounciation of the FBI-agent. "There ain't no Paco here, fella. Get lost."
"Yeah?" Blake interjected. He'd most likely forgotten about Jayden's warning in the car. Or he didn't care.
"I don't think you wanna cause any problems here, big guy. Tell us where Paco is, or you'll be in deep shit."
Jayden had no intention of causing problems here already. He was too damn tired for that right now.
"Back down, Blake." He calmly retorted. As calmly as the music would allow him to do while still being heard, at least.
"Are you absolutely certain?"
The bouncer's face turned into mild surprise and dumbfoundedness as Jayden showed his badge to him.
"He's in his office... Take the stairs over there." He said, realizing there was little he could do to stop Jayden and Blake now. It was up to his boss now.
Saying nothing, the duo did what they were told and followed through the massive crowd of people towards the stairs. Another bouncer kept his watch at the top. Jayden gave him a look at his badge, and they were allowed in.
"Fancy trick, the FBI-badge. Does that work at amusement parks too?"
Finally getting some relieve from the constant earpounding of the club music, Blake offered another of his always insightful comments.
"I dunno, maybe you'd like to try?"
Blake smirked briefly at the conversation.
"Sure, when they sell 'em at the supermarket. Bet they'd go like hot cakes."
After a moment of idle banter, Jayden reconsidered that standing around won't solve the case by itself. Sometimes he wish it would. No time like the present, though.
"C'mon, there's no time to waste. Gotta find Paco."
"He should be in that room over there. No other door around."
Sure enough, the small hallway the duo were in only had two doors; one which they just had entered through. Paco would most likely be behind the other one. Jayden took a small breath and knocked on the door a few times with his right hand.
...
"No answer..."
"Ha, you're not gonna call it quits again, are you?"
"Shh..!"
Jayden slowly pulled down the door handle, and to his mild surprise, the door was unlocked. The two slowly ventured inside the room, leaving the door open. Neither of them knew what to expect. The deadly silence crept up on their senses as they looked around the room.
A slight feeling of disarray hung over the room like a gentle blanket. Papers were strewn on the floor, a table lamp was knocked over, plenty of emptied glasses were seen on the table... Not much was in order in Paco Mendez's room. Only the fishes in their tank seemed to be happy with the state of it. However...
"Christ..."
A dead body. Someone had left a victim of murder sviweling around in the chair. Jayden wondered at first if it was a customer of Paco's who had crossed him. But there was no one else around...
"Well, looks like you have your job cut out for you, and the coast is clear. Time for your treasure hunting, huh?"
Blake had been through his fair share of crime scenes. Jayden was still trying to piece his mind together from what was going on here.
"Yeah... Yeah, you're right."
"Right. I'll be down at the club, keeping watch. Enjoy your playground, Norman."
"You too, Carter..."
Not giving it a second look, Blake quickly left the scene. It was time to investigate. After thinking a brief moment, Jayden reached for his glasses and put them on, as they recorded the scene for him...
The place really was vulgar and dreary. If not for the aquarium, Jayden wouldn't have given the place any points for class at all. The quiet nature still haunted him, however...
Something was wrong. Footsteps, quickly approaching. Jayden wasn't alone after all.
He hastily reached for his pistol, but it was too late. A large, dark man quickly tackled him across the room. Jayden felt himself crashing into furniture, as he bumped into a footstool and the nearby table. ARI-glasses and the gun both flew away from his vision.
The tall man calmly walked away towards the door. He must have been hidden behind it, as it was now closed. Jayden quickly caught his bearings and jumped at the man, grappling him from the back. He successfully managed to hold onto him, but the shadowy figure pushed him back into the wall and shook loose. He tried once more for the door, but Jayden quickly reached with his leg and kicked it closed before he had a chance to leave.
Up and ready, Jayden energized himself with a quick inhale before he swung at the man with his fists. It was no ordinary thug, however, as he dodged the initial swings with relative ease.
Contact. Jayden landed a resounding hit at the shadow's face. However, he got a quick reminder that his opponent was a size larger than him as the man quickly recovered from the punch nearly unfazed. Jayden felt himself lifting from the ground and quickly being pressed against the table. His throat wasn't working, something was gripping him... He had to get free, and fast.
Mustering every inch of strength in his body, Jayden's fist once again landed on his assailant's face, this time to greater effect. One more, while the opportunity lasted. A kick from Jayden landed effectively on the stomach of his enemy, backing him towards the wall, clad with an oriental sword, knocking it from its place.
A sword. Not good. A quick dodge to the right, Jayden quickly avoided the first slash. The second to the left. Downward cleave, Jayden quickly got up, earning him a second as the killer struggled with pulling the sword back.
Backed to the chair with the victim Paco, Jayden had to think fast. It was a chair with wheels. Narrowly dodging a sword thrust, he kicked the chair rolling back. A sandbag. Makeshift shield. It worked. The sword dug into it...
But the killer still had his feet. Jayden was kicked back against the wall. Another downwards cut, Jayden barely dodged to the right. His energy was running out. He couldn't keep this up much longer. Horizontal slice. Emptying all energy he had, Jayden slumped under the attack. The killer's size worked against him, as it made it slightly easier to duck.
Weakly clinging to the shoulder of the killer, Jayden hopelessly attempted to knock the killer into dropping his sword, but it merely resulted in him being shoved away with little effort.
He was backed to the other end of the table now. Two chairs were behind him. Vertical slice again. Hopping back, literally within the inch of his life. Still alive, though. One more. Another hop... It worked. Jayden managed another dodge. He was feeling very warm, though. And his energy was at its limit now. What happened?
Blood. Jayden was bleeding. That last cut had left its mark after all. Staggering back, rapidly trying to catch his breath, Jayden supported himself against the rightenmost chair behind him. His chest had a ripe, wide cut reaching across his waist, side to side. Jayden felt the pain seeping into his adrenaline-filled body. But he had to focus. The killer hadn't finished his job yet.
Was this the end?
Clang. The sword hit the floor. Would it make the wounded prey too easy to kill? A swift kick on the chair; Jayden didn't even have time to think of getting away. He quickly tried to get up, but was met with a quick second strike.
Crash. A showering cascade of glass and fishes mixed on the floor. Jayden had been sent flying into the aquarium, breaking the glass. Various exotic fishes were flailing helplessly around him. Jayden felt like a helpless guppy himself, at the moment.
Everything felt heavy. Hard to see. Hard to hear. Hard to breathe. Hard to even move. But Jayden had to move, or else he'd never move again.
The footsteps came closer again. Now it really must be over. Jayden wasn't even halfway to standing up. He had no fight left. No energy. And a seeping wound on his stomach.
The killer knew it was over too. He delivered a swift kick upon the struggling Jayden, letting him lie. Maybe he decided upon letting him bleed to death, or maybe he found it better to let him fight for his own survival. Either way, he was no match. He headed for the door.
But it wasn't over yet. This fight was vital for Jayden's case, too. For the survival of the kidnapped victim that the Origami Killer had taken. In a final desperate act, Jayden threw himself upon the tails of the killer's coat. He didn't know what it could hope to accomplish, but he had nothing left. It was all or nothing. And he would be damned if he did nothing
The killer had little care for the battered agent. A swift smack was all it took before he was made free from his straggling follower.
It was over. Jayden had reached a dead end, and he was slowly approaching death, himself. There was little he could do to stop the shadowy killer now.
The door slammed shut. Jayden was alone now. Every part of his body was in agonizing pain. He needed to talk to Blake, if he'd have any shot at tracking down this murderer. And if he wanted to get out alive, for that matter.
Clenching his teeth and grunting profusely, Jayden made a last effort to stand up on his legs once more. He had barely caught his balance before he went out through the door as fast as he could. No one in the hallway. That must mean he was already in the club.
The bouncer had a meagerly surprised look as he saw Jayden rushing out the door. He clearly wasn't a fan of the police force. Probably an ex-convict. No shadowy figure in sight, however.
"...Did Paco know the guy who came to see him?"
Jayden kept his left arm over the red line of his clothing as he questioned the guard. Better the people don't get any ideas from the wound.
"Sorry, I don't speak 'cop'."
Everything is blurry. What was going on? What was he even doing?
'Where the fuck is Blake...?'
Slowly staggering down the stairs, not even remembering he was talking to some uncouth bouncer, Jayden went looking for the police lieutenant. He was supposed to keep watch.
"Norman, there you are- Holy fuck, what happened to you?"
"The guy who came out of here... The tall one in a hat and a coat, did you see him?"
"What? Uh, yeah, I did see a shadowy guy. He left in a hurry, though. What, did he do this to you?"
"Blake, we need to find out who that guy is... He definitely didn't want Paco alive, and he's a professional at this stuff."
Jayden was barely staying focused at what was happening. It was obvious to Blake, and to anyone who would be paying attention, that he needed some time to recover. Preferably under medical attention.
"Look, Norman, we can put a manhunt on this guy, but we don't know who it was."
"The bouncer up the stairs should know... He wouldn't talk, though."
"Let's give him some speaking lessons, then."
Blake calmly stepped up to the bouncer, who seemed as unimpressed by the presence of the police as before.
"Hey, who was the guy that visited Paco?"
"You too? I told your friend, I don't deal with cops."
Blake was not about to let this stop him. And for once, Jayden had had enough of dealing with dead-end jackasses who play him for an idiot, too. Gripping the bouncer by the neck, Blake pushed him towards the end of the stairs.
"Okay... Let me give you a deal you can understand, then. Either you let us know what you need, or we let you have a tumble over the edge here. What will it be?"
"...John. He said his name was John... Friend of Paco's, always let him straight up..."
John. Finally a name. The question is if it would lead anywhere.
"Well, Norman? What do you make of it?"
"Probably a fake name. He isn't an amateur."
Jayden took a moment to think for himself, as if he had forgotten something.
"I need to go back in there, again. I left my glasses..."
"I'll go with you. We need some clues."
Jayden weakly nodded in reply, not even feeling like arguing. At least Blake could be professional when he needed to be. They both headed towards the room.
"I seem to spend most of my time getting the shit kicked out of me."
Blake laughed quietly to himself.
"Heh, yeah. Speaking of which, you sure you don't want to leave this for later? Your wound looks pretty bad."
It did look pretty bad. But for some reason, it felt easier when Jayden didn't have to think about it, or when he was busy thinking of something else.
"Let's just finish the investigation up first... It's easier when there aren't tons of people trampling around."
"...Yeah. Alright, but it'll be faster if you let me do it. You're in no shape."
Blake was right. Jayden certainly didn't feel like doing anything right now. He was drained beyond his limits, even if the wounds weren't fatal. He'd be able to miss plenty of clues if he wasn't careful.
"I need to have a look with ARI... It's important. Without looking, I can't piece together the evidence."
"I'll look with your fancy glasses, dammit. I get it, it's important. Just let me know how to do it, and we'll get it done."
"...Sure, I'll just need to get rid of the security system first. You won't be able to use it, otherwise."
Jayden took the glasses that were lying on the table, after having been knocked away from him during the fight with the killer. He put on the glove he uses for ARI, and did some gesticulations that Blake could only guess what they would mean.
"Right, that should do it. You'll need to use this glove to look for clues and the glasses should explain most of it..."
"Gotcha... Sit tight, Jayden, I got this."
Slumping back against the wall with a sigh, Jayden felt the need to seat himself and take a short break. For once, maybe Blake wouldn't be an asshole about this.
After all, it was just another day at work.