Chapter One
"Come on, old man. I don't want to miss the interrogation." Barnaby called over his shoulder to his lagging partner, his hand resting on the door handle to the police station. The older man, with his mask across his eyes, trotted behind.
"We have plenty of time, Bunny." He said as the blonde man opened the door for both of them to go through. He entered first so the younger man would stop scolding him. "The detectives have to let the criminals sweat a little before they can get anything out of them."
Barnaby quickly entered the building behind Kotetsu, choosing not to argue any further. Inside, there were many people moving about at brisk paces, a man or two was even jogging about. Phones were ringing and everyone had notes to exchange or information to trade, so a constant hum was going on even in the main lobby. All the energy must have come from the recent arrest that Wild Tiger and Barnaby had just made. They had handed the offender over to the investigators, but the younger man was interested in the possible connection that he had with Ouroboros, so he insisted to the officers that he attend the questioning.
The blonde man walked up to the front desk where two young women were seated. Barnaby leaned over the high desk to try and get their attention. He pleasantly greeted them and he would have gave them a charming smile, but his quick pulse and the thudding in his ears made it hard for him to be charming. But he didn't need the smile; his looks did all the work for him. The women quickly took notice when he spoke up and they greeted him in a cheery manner. Kotetsu chose to lean against the desk, resting his chin in his hand as if he was bored. He let out a low huff.
"I'm here to witness the interrogation of Daniel Turner, the man I just turned in."
"Oh yes, Mr. Brooks." One of them said, rising from her seat. "We were informed of your arrival. Please, you and Wild Tiger may follow me." She walked around her work space and politely guided them through the police station's many halls, rooms, and offices. Barnaby and his partner followed her closely so as not to be separated.
"See, Bunny? You didn't need to rush." Kotetsu firmly patted his young friend on the shoulder in a reassuring manner, giving him one of his cheesy yet sincere smiles. The man only nodded in agreement, taking in a deep breath through his nose and trying not to appear as restless as he felt. Their nameless guide finally stopped in front of a door that had two, middle aged men dressed in suits standing in front of it. The men were quite taken away in the conversation they were having with each other until the woman interrupted them and introduced the heroes. A man with salt and pepper hair stepped forward to shake Barnaby's hand.
"It's good to see you, Mr. Brooks." He formally greeted, giving the young man's hand a firm grip and a hearty shake. His hands were large and hard from years of hard work. "You've come at the perfect moment. Detective Moor, go get our little detective for the second half." The other man, who had hair graying at his temples, gave a quick affirmative and walked down to hall and out of sight. He then extended his hand to Wild Tiger, which gave the man a little surprise since he was usually forgotten by the media when he stood next to Bunny.
"And you are…?" Kotetsu raised a curious brow at the senior officer shaking his hand.
"I am City Police Commissioner Clarkson. I thought that a criminal who had interested Barnaby Brooks is a criminal that I should look into personally." He unlocked the door he was standing in front of, opened the door and offered for the men to enter. The room inside had very little lighting, with a grey, rectangular table in the middle, several chairs pushed around it and a long, large window on one side of the wall. It was obvious what this room was.
Barnaby and Kotetsu entered the room but didn't take a seat. The atmosphere was heavy in an odd way. When they peered through the window, they saw exactly what they expected to see: Daniel Turner. He was still scuffed up, bruised and with a busted lip from the fight he lost with the hero tag-team just an hour or so ago. He had a bitter sneer across his face and his hands were cuffed to the arms of the chair he was sitting in. He was alone and didn't make any sign that he noticed the men enter from the other side of the one way window.
When the older partner turned to look at his blonde comrade, his brow knitted. His friend held his shoulders awkwardly, a sign that he was tense. His eyes stared forward at Turner, unblinking and held just a little too wide. His breathing was shallow, since his chest barely moved from the short breaths he was taking. Kotetsu's instinct was to reach out and say something to him, try to comfort him and bring Barnaby back. But he knew by now that such an action would be given a venomous response. So he took a deep breath and decided to leave the jittery rabbit alone.
Within a few minutes, the door to the hero's side of the interrogation room opened and Detective Moor walked through. Wild Tiger was expecting someone to follow him, but he shut the door behind him and revealed no second person. The man took a place next to his superior and discretely relayed something into his ear.
"You mentioned starting the second half of something, Commissioner Clarkson." The youngest man said. "Did you already start interrogating Daniel?"
"Yes." Was the short reply. "But the results were ambiguous, at best. Daniel Turner is untrustworthy; his answers are not consistent and he isn't cooperative in the least. Our first round of questioning didn't last long. Which is why it's so good you came early to witness the rest of it."
At that time, the door to Daniel's room opened and two people walked in. One was a young man dressed in a suit, but his tie was loosened and the top of his collar unbuttoned. The second was a girl who couldn't have been any older than a high school student. She wore plain civilian clothes, not marking her as a part of the police force. Kotetsu became a little worried as to why she was there, but became really anxious when the girl pulled a chair over to sit right next to Daniel. He and his partner exchanged a confused look with each other.
"I don't think it's safe to have a little girl in there, Commissioner." Kotetsu remarked.
"Just watch, Wild Tiger." And he urged his guests to be silent and listen while his subordinate handed over a small microphone to him.
The criminal leaned away from the girl at first, eyeing her suspiciously but quickly took to unleashing his foul mouth on her with an insult. The detective took a seat opposite of the offender, seated about two feet away from him, and quickly threatened Daniel to bite his tongue or face more charges in court.
"Because I know being tied to that chair hasn't been fun for you. But if you can't behave yourself, then you leave us no choice but to leave you here all alone for a few hours till you're ready to be civilized. So let's begin with the questions." The young man opened with some very general and easy questions that were routine before easing into the trickier ones. Daniel was in no good mood though and answered everything with a nasty quip and a colorful lie. After a few back-and-forths with the questioning going nowhere, Barnaby gave an annoyed humph. The girl remained seated and silent.
The young officer was getting fed up with it too. He made a wordless gesture with his right hand towards the girl, as if to wave her off but she didn't stand. Instead, she moved a free hand over to Daniel and placed it over his scarred hand, squeezing it tightly. The man flinched and opened his mouth to say something vicious but he paused and sat still. The girl began to emit a familiar blue light around her body and her eyes changed color. Instead of yelling and causing a ruckus, the criminal turned his head back to the detective questioning him. His back slouched in his chair, his eyes lost their fire and his whole body seemed to relax in his seat.
"So let's try this again: State your name, please."
"Daniel Turner." His voice was low and calm, a complete change from the fight he was putting up before.
The questioning continued without another struggle or crass remark from Daniel. He answered all questions faithfully and to the investigator's liking. Even to questions about motive and accomplices he answered flatly and without hesitation. It was kind of creepy to see the change in his personality and watch the answers just roll off of him so easily. Barnaby almost forgot why he came here in the first place. He quickly addressed the Commissioner.
"Sir, you haven't questioned him on his tattoo."
"Excuse me?" The older man seemed to be a little confused by the question and gave the blonde a queer look.
"The circle on his neck." The hero pointed to his own neck on the left side for emphasis. "It could be a gang symbol." The older man leaned in close to the glass to confirm. Indeed, a black semi-circle could be seen poking out through the top of Daniel's grungy shirt collar.
"You have a good eye, Mr. Brooks." Clarkson then spoke into his small microphone, the officer on the other side of the glass put his finger to his ear, and the superior officer instructed the man to ask about the half-hidden ink job.
"So what is that tattoo on your neck, Mr. Turner?" There was a pause and the offender turned his head, a little confused.
"It's a target." He moved to pull down his collar and reveal it fully, but was quickly stopped by the handcuff around his wrist. Barnaby scrunched his nose and furrowed his brow in confusion. Maybe the man was being cryptic.
"Is it a gang symbol?" Another pause.
"No."
"Can you ask him if it's an Ouroboros?" The young man requested from Clarkson. Clarkson gave a casual shrug and asked his man on the other side to ask.
"Is that an Ouroboros?" Daniel gave the detective a confused look as if he was unsure if he said an actual word.
"No?" He answered, hesitantly.
"Have you heard of a group called Ouroboros?"
"No." Kotetsu could see his partner clenching his hands and switching his weight between his feet. Barnaby wasn't convinced.
"I hope you don't mind that I take a look, hmm?" The officer stood up and moved to stand in front of Daniel. The criminal didn't make any sound or movement of protest. Instead, he actually moved his head to the side a little, a sign that he was okay with it. Kotetsu watched from the corner of his eye how anxious his young partner was. The interrogator was standing in the way of Barnaby's view, so even as he moved to take a look at the tattoo, the blonde hero couldn't see it himself.
"Looks painful."
"It was."
Then the investigator began wrapping up. He read the man his crimes and possible convictions that he could face in court, the punishments, and a lawyer being provided for him if he couldn't obtain one. At that moment, the interrogation room's door opened up and two men dressed in standard police uniforms came through, releasing Daniel's restraints from him. The girl calmly stood up and placed herself against the grey wall and out of the way, hands folded behind her back. When the criminal left the room, the detective motioned with his arm for the girl to follow and leave the room. The room was finally empty. Light suddenly burst into the room Kotetsu and Barnaby were in, slightly dazing them for a moment.
"Did you get what you were looking for?" The Commissioner asked the younger man, his hands clasped behind his back.
"No, I'm afraid not." The hero replied, dissatisfaction evident in his voice.
"But that girl NEXT sure was something. So young to be working for the police like this." Wild Tiger interjected. He was very entertained by the whole ordeal he just witnessed. "What is her power, exactly?"
"She's like a truth serum." Clarkson began, heading for the exit and offering the door to his guests. The pair followed him. "When she touches someone and exerts her power over them, the subject is forced to speak the truth. A power like that shouldn't go to waste, so we ask her to come around whenever we need help."
"That's amazing." Kotetsu mused to himself. "How old is she?"
"Sixteen." Clarkson answered. He began to escort Kotetsu and Barnaby from the building since there was nothing else he could for them. "I'm not comfortable letting someone so young work at a police station, especially since she has to be so close to the criminals, but she has a strong sense of justice that needs to be fulfilled."
"Can we see her?" The masked man asked. His partner in red gave a disbelieving look at him.
"Why on earth do you want to see her?"
"I just want to shake her hand and tell her how great she is for doing what she does!" Kotetsu defended. He too had a strong sense of justice. "At her age, I'm sure she must be scared from time to time dealing with criminals, but I think some praise will encourage her down this path, especially from some Heroes."
"Blue Rose is the same age as her, you know." Barnaby countered. Kotetsu stiffened. "Why don't you praise her more often? Or Dragon Kid, for that matter? She's much younger." Wild Tiger tried to shy away by breaking eye contact, scratching the side of his face in embarrassment.
"Blue Rose and Dragon Kid are very strong; I forget that they are just children, I guess. But you're right; I should praise them more often. They work so hard and are so brave despite being so young."
"Do you still want to see the girl NEXT, Mr. Wild Tiger?" Clarkson inquired, stopping his trek to get a firm answer and a sense of where he should go next.
"Yes, Mr. Comissioner!" Kotetsu bounced back to his cheerful self.
"Then follow me."
The two heroes met the high school student outside a back entrance from the police station building. This back exit was more discrete than and not as decorated as the front of the station. It also opened onto a smaller side street of the city, as opposed to one of the main streets that the front of the building faced. On their way, Mr. Clarkson had made a call on his cell phone to another police agent, asking him to wait and not depart home, for Wild Tiger wanted to see their youngest detective. Sure enough, standing next to a black car just outside this back exit were two people: the younger police man who had interrogated Daniel Turner, and the NEXT girl who had extracted the truth from the criminal.
"Mr. Barnaby Brooks Jr. and Mr. Wild Tiger, I would like to introduce Miss Eden to you." Mr. Clarkson opened. The girl gave a slight bow when mentioned.
She had short brown hair cut in a boy's style and big hazel eyes with some dark marks underneath, giving her a slightly tired appearance. She must have stood about as tall as Karina, but she had no other similarities with her. She was even less curvy than her peer. Her clothing was loose on her, and in her hands she carried a small notebook and pen. When she stood up, she moved as if to open her book, but was quickly seized by Kotetsu. He forwardly took her hand into his and began shaking it, catching the girl off guard.
"Hello, Eden!" The middle aged man quickly opened. "I just wanted to say I think it's great what you do at the police station! I know that your work makes a big difference for the department and I just wanted to reassure you of a great job you're doing! Do you think you would like to be a Hero someday? What with your amazing power! But now that I think about it, maybe this behind-the-scenes approach suits your talent best, hmm?" Kotetsu managed to let go of the girl's hand and looked back at his partner.
Barnaby could have melted from the embarrassing display the older man just put on, talking so quickly and excitedly like a little child. But he let out a deep sigh and then realized that Kotetsu had managed to stop himself from blabbering on and was actually looking at him. The slight pause also caused Eden to look at him too. Not wanting to appear unfriendly (he had an image to uphold, after all); the blonde man approached the girl, took her hand in a firm shake and praised her as well.
"Thank you very much for your hard work." He gave the girl a charming smile and felt pleased with himself when a faint shade of pink tinged her cheeks. He paused for a moment, waiting for a response from the girl, but it never came. Her big eyes seemed kind enough, but she remained quiet. Kotetsu was waiting for a response as well, but before either of the heroes could ask what was wrong, the Commissioner said something at the same time the girl pulled her hand away from Barnaby.
"Eden is mute, sirs."
The duo turned around at the same time, giving Mr. Clarkson a surprised look. That information would have been helpful to know beforehand. Now the two just felt like idiots. But the Commissioner just moved his hand to gesture behind them, pointing at the girl they had momentarily turned their backs on. They moved to face Eden again, and she made a gesture towards them. She brought her left hand up, the tips of her fingers touching her lips, and then extended her arm at the elbow in front of her towards the pair.
"She says 'thank you.'"
"Ah! That's so cool!" Wild Tiger exclaimed with a wide smile on his face. He mimicked the motion Eden had made, eager to practice what he had just saw. Barnaby was becoming slightly anxious, unsure if his partner's behavior would offend the girl. Instead, she gave a little smile and made another sign. She held out three fingers, put them up to her lips again and extended her arm forward, making a bounce or tumbling motion halfway through.
"That means 'you're welcome.'" Commissioner Clarkson was smiling.
Wild Tiger continued to mimic the girl's gestures, practicing and giggling like a child. He prompted his partner to give it a try. "Come on, Bunny! Be polite!"
Barnaby's face turned a slight pink from embarrassment, not wanting to mess up and say something rude by mistake. But he carefully and slowly moved his right arm and hand the way he saw Eden and Kotetsu did it, saying 'thank you' as he did so. The girl smiled and nodded her head at him, showing that what he did was correct.
She then took her pen and notebook from her side, flipped the book open in a flash, and jotted something down. She turned the book over for the Heroes to read it. Kotetsu read the message out loud.
"'Thank you for the kind words, but I must be on my way home now.' Okay then, Eden! Thank you for meeting with us!"
Eden placed her hands together, palms touching and held parallel to the ground. She moved the top hand across and way from her, and then she moved her hands so her index fingers were pointing upwards, her left hand close to her chest and her right hand further away. She then drew them together and almost touched.
"She says 'it was nice to meet you.'"
Finally, the schoolgirl climbed into the waiting car and her escort closed the door behind her. Once he placed himself in the driver's seat and turned on the engine, Eden waved out of the car window at the Heroes. Right before the car sped off, she moved her hands in front of her face, fingers curled around her cheeks and she made a motion as if she was clawing at herself twice. And then she quickly moved her hands up and placed them on either side of her head, palms facing away from her face. She bent them back quickly at the knuckle twice as well. She had a big grin on her face before she disappeared into the traffic.
Kotetsu and Barnaby were very confused. The Commissioner let out a laugh and the two men turned around to see what they had missed.
"What's so funny?" The elder partner asked. Mr. Clarkson composed himself quickly, but still had an amused smile on his face.
"It's nothing. She was just saying good bye." The pair seemed dissatisfied with his answer, judging by their flat stares at him. They didn't believe him. "Well, literally, she was saying 'good bye, Tiger,'" he copied the clawing signal she had made, "'and Bunny.'" He copied the hands-on-head backwards wave as well.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who read the story. :)