Disclaimer: I do not own WOEICS or any of its characters. I do own Deric Storm, Jayson Steadman, and Alberto Rodriguez. Nace Bilby, and the Carlyle family are on loan from SoulReaver. Sections in italics usually denote flashbacks….
Chapter 1: Moving Day
"So, what'd you think of the place?" Deric asked as he and Nace were walking down the corridor leading towards ACME's dormitories. The two had just returned from Deric's apartment building, where Nace was able to take a look at the apartment he would eventually move in to and meet the landlord. The building was about a twenty minute drive from ACME HQ and ten minutes from the nearest beach. In and of itself, the apartment was a great situation. It had a full kitchen, dining area, and even a living room area. Each bedroom even had its own master bedroom, which beat sharing a bathroom with twenty or so other men on the floor of the dormitory. There was even a washer and dryer by the front door. It was more than Nace could have ever anticipated.
"It's incredible," Nace said, as they made the left towards the area where Nace's room currently was, "plus it seems I won't need to buy much in furniture." Both chuckled at that. Deric's last roommate had worked for a credit card company and had recently been transferred to the company's Barcelona office after helping close a big deal with the NBA. The transfer also came with a substantial living expense allowance, so he had left most of his bedroom furniture behind. "Your landlord also seems like a nice bloke."
"Oh, that's nothing," Deric smirked, "just wait until you fully move in. His wife usually makes a home-cooked meal for new tenants, as a way to welcome them to the building." As they approached Nace's room, both noticed that the front door was opened. Nace had locked the door before they left this morning.
Both peered in to see if anything was missing. To their surprise, there was a woman sitting on Nace's bed with her back towards them. Even from their position, they could easily see the swell of the woman's abdomen, indicating pregnancy. A slight groan from the door's hinges alerted the woman to their presence. Once she turned around, it was clear to both detectives who the woman was. Deric could clearly see the similarities between his partner and this woman; Nace knew his sister on sight.
"Rey!" Nace yelped, trying to embrace his elder sister, which turned out to be difficult due to her pregnancy, "What are you doing here? I figured you'd be in London preparing for the birth." Nace helped Rey back to a sitting position on the bed.
"Well, Anthony was going to be in town to meet with the Chief," Rey said, "and I figured I'd visit my little brother. Besides, I'm not due for at least another two weeks." Looking over at Deric, who was still standing in the doorway, trying to give the siblings their space, she said, "I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm going to guess that you are Detective Storm." She then flashed her brother a look which sent Nace scrambling to his feet.
"Sorry," he apologized to his sister, "Rey, this is my partner and soon-to-be roommate, Deric Storm. Deric, this is my sister, Rey Carlyle."
"It's nice to finally meet you ma'am," Deric shook Rey's hand so she wouldn't have to get up from her current position. "You brother's told me so much about you."
"Likewise, Deric," Rey replied, "and it's 'Rey,' not 'ma'am.' 'Ma'am' makes me feel old. You can save the ma'ams for my husband." The trio laughed at that, until another chimed in.
"Do what 'for your husband' now, luv?" Deric and Nace looked towards the source of the voice. Standing in the doorway, now, was Chief Inspector Anthony Carlyle. At roughly six foot tall, and about 34 years old, with mirthful green eyes beneath a mop of curly brown hair, showing some gray around the temples, he had a very calming presence. Both detectives could understand why he was on the short list to replace the Chief when the time eventually came. Carlyle gave his wife a peck on the lips as he sat down next to her.
"I was telling my brother's partner here," she gestured at Deric, to save the ma'am's for you and not for me." Anthony began to chuckle at the statement.
"What?" Rey asked, visibly confused.
"Well, luv," Carlyle answered, "if he called me ma'am, we'd have to have a few words." Looking at Deric, Anthony put two and two together. "So, you must be the great Deric Storm?" Deric nodded and shook the inspector's hand. Lounging next to his wife, he said, "Well, you two sure have made quite a name for yourselves. I actually heard about you in the meeting I just came from."
"Really?" Nace asked, "What did the Chief have to say about us?"
"Not just the Chief," Deric and Nace flashed an unsure look to each other and then to Carlyle, "Colonel Reinhardt also had a few choice things to say as well." The looks between the two detectives grew darker. The commanding officer of CrimeNET had, noticeably, had it in for them for almost two weeks now, due to the fact that Nace and Deric had stood up to Reinhardt's top lickspittle, Jayson Steadman, and his group of bullies. There had been three major confrontations between the two factions, the events of which had obviously been embellished by Steadman in his retellings.
"What did the old tyrant say this time?" Deric asked, running his hands through his hair in exasperation. The last time the Chief had called them in, Nace sat there dumbstruck and Deric snorted back laughter in regards to the claims.
"Just that you two tried to cripple his top soldier. This time, it was Nace that burst out laughing.
"If Jayson Steadman is CrimeNET's best soldier, than they're screwed." Nace commented.
"That's pretty much what the Chief said," Tony responded, "So let me hear your side of the story. You know the Chief's going to want to." So, the two explained the tale…
About three days ago, Deric and Nace were heading into the gym to get a quick workout in (i.e. escape paperwork). Upon entering the gym, they noticed a crowd around the sparring ring. Immediately sensing trouble, they headed over towards where a commotion was obviously occurring. Once closer, they could see two ACME trainees, in ill-fitting sparring gear, being humiliated by three older CrimeNET trainees while a crowd of CrimeNET trainees and soldiers looked on and cheered. There were even a few ACME trainees, probably the friends of the two in the ring, looking on in horror.
"Aren't those two in your self-defense class?" Nace asked. He got his answer as Deric muscled his way through the crowd. Nace was only a few steps behind when they entered the ring. They grabbed the three older trainees and flung them across the ring.
The two ACME trainees looked up, faces red from crying and being hit, and saw who had helped them. Deric was crouching in front of them and asked, "Are you two okay?" They nodded, and Deric then said, "Get outta here and get looked at." He then gave them a sad smile. "I'll see you two at class later." The trainees got out of the ring as fast as they could.
"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Nace yelled at the three trainees remaining in the ring.
"Teaching them how to defend themselves, because they're obviously not learning it in their self-defense class," was the snide answer delivered by Jason Steadman, "It's not our fault they're weak."
"Weak!" Deric was quickly becoming incensed, "They're two 14-year olds going up against three 16 or 17-year olds, you sick bastard." He was leaning against the ropes, staring directly at Steadman. "What happens if they get hurt?"
Steadman just shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe you need to train them better." His cronies started chuckling and patting him on the back. There were even a few chuckles amongst the crowd around the ring.
"Bullshit," Deric swore. "Maybe you should stop sending foot soldiers and do your own goddamn dirty work." Deric sat on the second rope and held the top rope open with his shoulder, blatantly inviting Jayson into the ring. Steadman flashed him an "are you kidding" look.
"I believe you Americans call it 'put up or shut up,' Jayson." Nace said, standing next to his friend. "It's your move…" The crowd's eyes were fixed now on the CrimeNET soldier, who stood up and took a step towards the ring, before turning and heading towards the exit.
"Forget it, Storm," He said over his shoulder. "You're nowhere near my league." Nace, like much of the crowd, was in shock.
Deric, on the other hand, took a chance. "Don't worry about it, Nace. What do you expect from a Texas boy?" Steadman stopped in his tracks. 'Gotcha, sucker.' Deric thought before he continued. "I mean, we all know only two things come out of Texas… I don't see any horns on his head, do you Nace?"Nace shook his head, wondering where his partner was going with this. "So, we know Jayson's not a steer; at least a steer will gore you from the front. Note to self…" Deric started, pretending to write something down, "never bend over in front of Steadman." There were a few chuckles from most of the remaining ACME contingent. Deric decided to step it up. "Oh… wait, wait… I get it now," Deric said, in a playful tone, "you don't want to fight me because I'm older than fifteen. It's so clear to me now…" Deric ticked off the list, "You're from Texas, you're not a steer, and you like kids." Deric looked ahead and shuddered. "That's a little creepy," Deric said, eliciting laughter from both sides of the crowd now, "but if that's how you roll, then I can't judge." Even Nace was laughing at this point. Jayson, seething with anger, stormed into the ring.
"Hold on a tick," Anthony said, red-faced from holding back laughter, "You actually said that? Why?"
"Crowd wanted a fight, and so did I." Deric said, shoulders shrugged. "Seemed like a good way to go about it. Then they continued the story…
Getting right up into Deric's face, Jayson said, "You want a fight so badly, farmboy?"
The grin on Deric's face turned malicious, "You're goddamn right I do, cowboy…" Steadman backed into a corner as the crowd cheered. Deric backed into the opposite corner. Nace took the opportunity to get out of the ring.
Once Nace was out of the ring, he yelled out "Ready…" Both men nodded and took up fighting positions. "Fight!"
Jayson burst out of his corner swinging. His main goal was to beat Deric Storm to a bloody pulp. Deric just put a guard up as Steadman just hammered away on the sides of his arms. Standing outside the ring, Nace was wondering if his partner's confidence had finally bitten him in the ass when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Looking back, Nace finally saw a friendly, and familiar, face in the crowd in the form of Zack.
"Hey Great White Hunter," Zack said, using his nickname for Nace, "I should have known I'd find you up here." He motioned to Deric in the ring. "Please tell me Deric didn't start this…"
"Nope," came a response from another figure that also appeared from the mass of humanity. It was Cpl. Alberto Ramirez, one of the few CrimeNET soldiers that Nace and Deric were friendly with. "Jayson threw the first punch. In fact, I don't think Deric's thrown a single punch yet."
"Whew…" Zack breathed a sigh of relief, "at least he can't get suspended now."
"Suspended? What do you mean?" Ramirez asked. Nace and Zack informed him of a memo from the Chief to all ACME detectives stating that any detective who started a fight with any member of CrimeNET would immediately be given a two-week suspension. Supposedly, Colonel Reinhardt gave a similar directive to CrimeNET.
"This is the first I'm hearing about this." Alberto admitted, "The Colonel's never said anything about any suspensions, but it explains a lot." Zack had a shocked look on his face.
Meanwhile, in the ring, Deric had still not thrown a punch or kick. In fact, he had seemingly been on the defensive for the entire fight. Steadman had thrown just about every kick and punch combination he knew of, but Storm still didn't fight back. "What's the matter coward?" he asked Storm while still throwing, "You can talk a good game, but can't back it up?" Deric said nothing, but just continued to block Jayson's attacks and smile that cocky smile. Furious, Steadman stepped up his attacks to try and get some past the farm-boy's defense.
"Is he nuts?" Zack asked Nace.
Alberto chimed in, "If he doesn't go on the offensive, Jayson's going to pound him." They each had a point. Even though he was a blowhard and a bully, Jayson Steadman was no pushover. He was the reigning men's ACME Open-Weight Martial Arts champion. His skills were considerable, even for a trained soldier.
Nace, however, was confident in his future roommate's abilities. 'Bloody hell…' he thought as he saw how, even on the defensive for the whole fight, Deric had taken very little damage, 'I know what he's up to,' Nace realized. "Trust me," Nace smiled a knowing smile, "Deric's got a plan. This fight is going to end very soon." He then outlined what he figured Deric's plan to be. The best way to defeat your enemy, he had heard Deric tell his self-defense classes, is to have your enemy defeat himself. By first, goading Steadman into the fight with that little speech, and secondly, not throwing a single punch, Deric was making Steadman fight entirely out of anger. This made Jayson swing wildly, therefore wasting all his energy, while Deric conserved his by staying on defense. Both Zack and Alberto could see that Steadman was now just throwing sloppy haymakers. Nace could also see Deric setting up for the strike that would end the fight. "Watch Deric's feet," Nace pointed out to Zack. Deric's left foot was just slightly in front of his right, just like a boxer's. "Deric's going to drop his right arm somewhat from his face, then the right foot's going to move back a little bit more, and almost make an 'L' with the left foot. Then… Wham! Deric's right foot will be upside Jayson's skull." Zack gave him a look of disbelief.
It turns out that Nace was prophetic. About a minute after Nace told them what Deric's plan was, Deric saw the opening in Steadman's guard that he expected. 'Night night…' Deric thought as he moved slightly from a defensive stance to a forward stance. After circling for about thirty more seconds, Deric planted with his left foot, and uncoiled a vicious right roundhouse kick. It connected flush with Steadman's head, knocking him out cold before he hit the mat. There was a stunned silence for a few seconds, before a cheer broke out from the few ACME spectators in the crowd. Three of Steadman's crew entered the ring to tend to their fallen leader. Deric lounged in the corner, while they removed Steadman from the ring.
Once that was settled, Deric exited the ring and met up with Nace, Zack and Ramirez. The latter two still had somewhat of a stunned look on their faces. Zack was the one who broke the silence.
"Dude…" Zack said, still trying to fathom what he just saw, "that was freakin' awesome." Zack bumped fists with Deric as a sign of respect.
"How the hell did you do that?" Alberto asked, still in disbelief.
"It's called 'nine plus years of Muay Thai,' Berto." Deric explained, with a smile. "Plus, having a nearly five inch reach advantage helps."
"Okay, I'll buy that." Ramirez acquiesced. "You know that may have just made things worse though, right?"
"Maybe." Deric shrugged. "When he wakes up, though, Berto, give him a message from me: If he comes near my students again…" Deric let the threat hang in the air. After this, CrimeNET would be looking at him a little differently. The fight over, the crowd dispersed back to their daily routines.
"So, technically," Nace said, "Deric didn't throw the first punch, so he can't be suspended."
"That's basically what the Chief said." Carlyle said, "plus Zack already gave a written statement to the Chief corroborating what you two just said. I would try to be on your best behavior for the next few weeks, though." Looking around at all the boxes, which took up the majority of the room, Carlyle mused, "What's the deal with all the boxes? You're not quitting ACME, are you Nace?"
"Deric's roommate got transferred, so he offered the empty room to me." Nace answered, "We just returned from the apartment so I could sign the lease ad see the place. It's actually very nice. A short drive from ACME and also the beach. We were going to start moving some of this stuff when we saw that Rey was in the room, and the rest you already know."
"Well, as much as I hate to talk and run," Carlyle said, with a snort from Rey, "I have another meeting with the Chief, so I'll let you boys get back to work. Good day, gentlemen." Carlyle rose and kissed his wife on the cheek before heading out the door.
"Well," Rey said, after a minute or two, "you heard the man… Get to work." She said playfully. The boys groaned as they got up to start gathering up boxes to take to Deric's truck. After loading it up, Deric gave Nace his keys to take the truck to the building where the landlord's sons were waiting to help with the boxes.
Taking a break from packing boxes into his truck, Deric decided to grab a quick bite to eat. Grabbing a roast beef sandwich and a bottle of water, he plopped down into a seat at a table with Zack, Josha, Tatyanna, and Cpl. Alberto Ramirez. Zack and Alberto were explaining the details of the fight between Deric and Jayson to Tatyanna, who been in Helsinki at an ACME training seminar for the past week and a half.
"Rough workout?" Josha asked, seeing how Deric was visibly sweaty and a little red-faced.
"Nah," Deric said between bites of his sandwich, "Just helpin' Bilby move out of the dorms, and needed something to eat."
"So, he decided to take the empty room in your apartment?" Zack asked. Deric nodded, as he finished the last of his sandwich.
Josha asked how the move was going. "It would be better if Nace didn't have so much stuff. We have my truck filed to the brim already and there's still a bunch of boxes left." The rest of the table laughed.
After taking a sip of water, Deric said, "By the way," he pointed at Zack, "I appreciate you filling out something about the fight. You probably saved mine and Nace's asses doing that."
"No big deal." Zack said as he bumped fists with Deric. "How'd you find out about that?" he asked.
"Chief Inspector Carlyle told me." The table seemed confused. "The inspector's currently pregnant wife is Nace's older sister and she was hanging out with me and Nace. The inspector comes in and tells us of the meeting with him and the Chief and how Reinhardt came bursting in and wanted out heads. Carlyle asked us for our side after he told us what Jayson had told the Colonel. We told him what happened and he told us that Zack had corroborated the story."
"How are your students, by the way?" Ramirez asked. Deric explained how he had to have a conversation with his group of trainees, about defending themselves against a group, even if it meant fighting dirty. He talked about how he had to spend the entire classes stressing how to attack soft tissue areas, such as the eyes, knees, neck, and groin.
"I was going to teach them that soon, but circumstances kinda put a kibosh on that." Deric spat, eyeing a group of CrimeNET trainees staring at him. Looking at Alberto, he asked, "Berto, I know you're both in CrimeNET, but how can put up with that asshole?" Ramirez just shrugged in response. Shifting his gaze to Zack, he started, "And…"
"Let me guess," Tatyanna interjected, her Russian accent slightly coloring her speech, "what does Ivy see in him in order to date him?" Deric nodded fervently. "Actually, around Ivy, he's very nice. Ivy seems to have a good effect around him. In fact, I believe Jayson's taking Ivy to this fancy Italian restaurant downtown."
"Sorrento's?" Josha asked. Tatyanna nodded in response. "He must have gotten caught then," Josha mused. Everyone looked at him in bewilderment, save for Alberto. "I'm guessing Ivy caught Jayson flirting with Becky in Payroll. This must be the way he's trying to make up for it."
"Nope, that's not the reason." Alberto said.
"Then, why is he taking her to Sorrento's?" Zack asked, "Last time I checked, that place wasn't cheap."
"What's today's date?" Alberto asked.
"August 23rd." Josha answered.
"He's trying to put the moves on Ivy. Jayson figures that if he gets her drunk on enough wine, Ivy'll sleep with him." Deric and Zack did a spit-take, sending water and iced tea in different directions. Tatyanna sat there, jaw slacked. Josha's eyes widened in shock and anger. "He made a bet with some of the guys that he could get Ivy to sleep with him by Labor Day." Now, Zack had the angry look on his face.
"That bastard," Zack seethed, standing up suddenly. "I'll kick the hell out of him."
"Ivy's got to be told." Josha said.
"Yeah, but who?" Deric asked, "She knows that the three of us," he gestured to Zack and Josha, "despise Steadman. Alberto's in CrimeNET, so if he tells, Jayson and his thugs will beat the hell out of him." Everyone at the table glanced at Tatyanna, who flashed a 'who, me?' look. Zack gave her a pleading look, which broke her down.
"Alright, I'll do it." Tatyanna acquiesced. There was an audible sigh of relief from the rest of the table. "I'm sure I'll run into Ivy this afternoon, so I'll talk to her then."
"Cool," Deric said as he finished off his bottle of water. "Well kiddies," Deric stood up and picked up his tray, "as much as I hate to eat and run, I've got a date with a boat load of boxes." The others said their farewells and finished the rest of their own meals.
The rest of the afternoon was spent finishing up with the boxes. Deric couldn't help but think back on what he had learned at lunch. 'As much as a pain in the ass she and I are to each other,' he thought while stacking the rest of the boxes onto a dolly Nace had gotten from the dorms, 'Ivy doesn't deserve what Steadman is doing to her.' As he put the last box onto the dolly, Rey stepped back into the room.
"Is that the last one?" she asked, looking around to see if there were any other boxes in sight. Deric nodded and pushed the dolly out into the hall and headed down the corridor towards the elevator to the parking garage. "Where's my brother?" Rey asked as they were heading down the hall. The plan was that once Nace was moved into the apartment, Rey was going to take the three of them out to dinner. Anthony would have joined them, but a sudden meeting was being called to discuss possible methods to use to capture Carmen Sandiego, including ACME sanctioned additions to security systems on most international landmarks.
"Hopefully finishing up loading the boxes he brought down with him." Deric said with a tired smile, looking forward to being finished with all these damn boxes.
"Yeah," Rey said, offering a smile in sympathy. "By the way," she said after a moment, "I want to thank you again for offering Nace somewhere to really call home, while he's working for ACME. I can't thank you enough for it. Also, how has he been out in the field? Nace says that you two seem to really compliment each other."
Deric paused to think about that for a moment. "Well, there's no one else I'd rather have watching my back than Nace." he said after pondering. "Plus, we never have a boring case." Deric said with a grin, causing both to laugh.
As they reached the elevator, they were joined by Ivy, apparently on her way out for the evening. Deric wondered if Tatyanna had been able to talk to her. She looked absolutely stunning. Her hair was pinned up with a few loose strands framing her face. What surprised Deric most of all was the dress she was wearing; it looked like a designer piece which fit her perfectly. 'Great googly-moogly' he thought, leaning on the dolly, 'that bomber jacket and those khaki pants hide a lot.' "Ivy…" Deric muttered in greeting.
"Deric." Ivy muttered in return, the disdain noticeable. Glancing at Rey, she said, "I'm sorry, we haven't met. I'm Ivy Darren." She shook the pregnant woman's hand.
"Rey Carlyle," Rey responded. "I think we may have met in passing a few years ago, in London." Ivy looked like she was trying to see if she remembered meeting Rey.
"Rey is the wife of Chief Inspector Carlyle," Deric interjected. Ivy scowled at him in response, to which Deric just threw a weak smile. "You look very nice tonight, Ivy," Deric complimented, trying to change the subject. "Are you heading somewhere?"
"Thank you." Ivy said, graciously, "And, if you must know, I'm meeting Jayson at a fancy Italian restaurant. We would have gone sooner," Deric rolled his eyes, knowing where this was going, "if you didn't put him in the infirmary with a concussion." Deric took a deep breath and exhaled, releasing any potential hostility.
When the elevator arrived, all three stepped on and selected their destination. As the doors were closing, Deric looked at Ivy and asked, "By any chance, did Tatyanna talk to you this afternoon?"