4. Taking Your Work Home With You

After the shock wore off a little, Reneca and I took our Jane Doe back to the holding area while the desk decided where she would go. It was 5:20 a.m. now, and the best part of our day was ahead of us: paperwork.

"Got your arrest report, interrogation report, and let's not forget the 'I wish it was my ass that she kicked report'" Reneca barely ducked the paper ball. She should've known better, I always kept at least one in my desk drawer for such occasions.

"Maybe in a few weeks I can show you what happened. What are we going to do with this girl?"

"Don't know. Juvy just doesn't seem right here, and jail's no better. At 17, I just don't see a foster home."

"I've seen too many screw ups in foster situations when the subject is an attractive young woman. The alternatives would be worse. Kid looks like an easy mark, but if we put her in with the animals, she'll kill one by mid-afternoon."

"Sasha, Reneca, get in here." Our superior, Captain Hendricks was calling. He had started when Daddy did. They were tight, and it made him all the harder on me.

"I know that you have four brothers, but do you have to try to do everything the boys do?" He asked with a smile. "I mean, they weren't there to hit, now were they?"

"Thought I was at the precinct, not a comedy club."

"I'll be here all month. You got your reports?"

"No, sir. Just started…"

"Good, throw them out. Nothing happened."

Funny thing to tell someone watching the clock; ticking off the time until she can take the next pain pill. "Care to tell me what did happen?"

"Word from on high. The warehouse owner is willing to forgo pressing charges since nothing was taken, there was no sign of forced entry, and we'll neglect to send the fire inspectors for a day or so while he fixes certain irregularities if he forgets tonight. As for the assault and battery charges, some things just get lost, especially in Go City."

"The Chief knows about this?"

"Who do you think 'on high' is? I don't think this was his idea, though. Somebody, some where, is interested in this all just going away, quietly."

"What about the girl? And the boy?" Reneca had that worried look on her face. She had grown up with too many stories about people being thrown away by officials who just wanted things quiet. It was a good quality, if it did get us into trouble at times.

"Don't know about the girl. Boy's staying at the hospital where Dr. D. will look in on him in a day or two. Bill's already paid."

I'm sure that he was not supposed to tell us that, but Hendricks had learned by now that it would save time, and avoid a few noses getting pushed out of joint, to just let us know. Who could guess cops would be so nosy?

"Unless we want to keep her in protective custody…"

"Which we can't, Sasha. We have no proof that she's a threat to herself or anyone else." He agreed with my shocked expression. "Yeah, we're fixing to have to throw Little Miss Mangler onto the streets of Go City."

"Won't be long until we have her back, then, when she busts up some would-be party boys. Do we have a safe house or anything?"

"Why? She ain't done nothing. She's not in any danger. Hell, she doesn't even exist! If this were the old days, the Sisters might take her in for a few days, but that dried up a long time ago. Like I said, it's onto the streets. Nice days we live in, huh?"

"Sir…" Reneca began.

"I'll take her."

Reneca and Hendricks both looked at me like I was crazy. "After tonight? A kid in the house with a wild woman who can take down my best fighter?" Hendricks was not happy.

"We can't just throw her out. Reneca has a big heart, but her apartment's too small for her ten pound cat, where would she put a grown woman? I've got the room, and I know what I'm up against now."

"Your Dad knew you'd do this. Said there was nothing we could do to stop you. Steve won't be jumping for joy over this, you know."

"I can handle Stevie. As for the kid, will it make you any happier if I keep a panic button on hand?"

Hendricks reached into his desk and pulled out the one way communicator and locator. Once activated, it would call any unit within a two mile range. We put them on witnesses, the worse domestic situations, and anyone who might need a lot of help fast. "Enjoy. Hope this makes up for a few of those stunts you pulled at St. Agatha's in your misspent youth."

"Be nice. Still about a thousand Hail Marys behind."

The rest of the shift was quiet. Paperwork never stops. I could tell Reneca was worried.

"I can handle her. She won't get the drop on me again."

"I'll have my phone with me. You just call if she gets jumpy."

At 10:30 a.m. it was time to go. I went down to the holding area.

"I'm here for the Possible kid."

She was in the holding cell. The usual mob was in there, the hookers, drunks and petty crooks. It was way too quiet. She sat by herself on a bench. Everybody else was in the opposite corner, watching her like pigeons would a falcon.

"You're coming with me."

A half sneer came on that pretty face. "Thought so. Bye ladies."

"You better get that bitch out of here. Don't want anything to happen to the Princess. Hey, Sasha, drop the girl and take on a real woman!"

I looked at her sidelong. "You really put the fear of God into them, Haven't heard anything from holding. Fights?"

"There are ways to get a little respect without leaving marks." God, one second a little lost girl, the next a killer. What have I gotten myself into? "You know that, Shego."

"Still with the Shego. What'll it take to convince you that I'm just Sasha Barkin?"

"Same face, same voice, same words, same moves. You haven't used your powers, though you're really trying to convince me that this is real."

"Powers?"

"Don't play dumb, Shego. You can't keep this up forever." Then she looked away. "Maybe you can. Maybe I'm unconscious and this is a dream. Maybe Drakken has some new mind device. Maybe I'm dead and this is Hell."

"So time with me is damnation? Nice. Look, I don't know who you are. The Possibles say that their girl is at home and they refuse to come here or talk to you." The look in her eyes made me regret that last bit. "Standard procedure would be to dump you on the street, but I'm a softie. You hungry?" She nodded.

"Come on, I'll get you something."

There are a lot of places you can go for lunch. I decided to play it safe and take her out for pizza. Kids like pizza, right? Go City is the center of the deep dish world. The way she dug in, I could tell she had not eaten in a while.

"So, I have powers? Can I fly? Do I throw cars at you? Can I read minds?"

She took another piece and cocked her head. "I am so not believing this game. You do have some strength enhancement, but you don't throw cars. The comet…"

"Wait. How do you know about the comet?" It was something we didn't talk about much at home unless you wanted Mom to go on about God and His Plan. Flattened our tree house, luckily, we were all at the emergency room because Hank had thrown Mike out of it and broken his leg.

"You and your brothers, you know, Team Go? The team you quit? When you became evil?" With some food in her she was more talkative. Too bad it just didn't make any sense. Been a while since anyone had called me evil other than Stevie, but no details there, this isn't that kind of story.

"Evil, huh? So what am I? A thief? A hitter?"

"Oh, you're a thief all right. Labs, mostly, but if there's money involved, you'll be there. You aren't a killer, but not for want of trying…"

The details were exact and lurid. Crazies can be so elaborate. No wonder she went at me like she did. Bombs, sharks, ray guns, a mixer? Don't care that it was giant, a mixer?

It didn't take much longer to finish lunch. I've dated football players who ate less. Girl had to be stressed out. "Look, it's time to go home. I've just started third shift, and I need to catch a little sleep before Stevie brings Marsha home from day care. He's not going to be happy to see you. Just let me handle it."

"Is Barkin ever happy? Be interested to see who's playing his role. Don't want to think about a kid. Maybe a synthoclone."

"Come on. You need some rest too. Then we'll see about getting you in to see your boy."

That got her interest. Girls can get really wound up in a guy at that age. I never did: too many bad choices. But I knew plenty who thought they had Love's mystery figured out by their senior year in high school. Hardly ever works, though. The hospital was still guarded about the boy's condition. She might never get the chance to see if she was onto the right man.

Go City is not the easiest place to find a house, especially when it's a school administrator and cop footing the bills. Once Stevie gets a principal's job, we'll be set, but for now we're just glad to have a reasonably big, if old place. She scoped everything out. Kid's a pro. Looked like something out of a training film.

I showed her the guest room and bath. Then I took her to the kitchen. "Stay out of the beer. Stevie keeps count, some diet thing. The den is just down the hall. It has a t.v. and computer. Maybe that'll show you that I'm no big green meanie."

"As if I'd believe t.v. I still can't figure out your game. There's no security here at all."

"I carry it." I patted my coat. "Now behave. I'm going to get a little sleep. Got to be ready for Hurricane Marsha when she makes land."

It showed a lack of trust, but I locked my door. I took off my jacket, and undid the shoulder holster. The Radom automatic went onto the end table. Lots of rookies looked at my gun like they would a Colt Peacemaker, but no way I was going to get rid of it. It was reliable, hit hard, and was a piece of the homeland. Hell, family still owned stock in the company. Finding one had been hard enough, so how could I give up my Academy graduation present?

I was out the moment I hit the pillow. Not fun dreams. I was kicked all over the place by the girl. For the second time I beat the alarm by five minutes.

She was in the den, a very odd look on her face. "You're not Shego."

"Praise be! What tipped you off? The computer?"

"No."

"T.v.?"

"No, but the coverage of the summit between Tsar Alexei and Pope Magdalene V was freaky."

"What did it then?"

She threw a vcr tape at me. I could see the red dot on it as it flipped through the air. We lock those up. How did she get in? Need to move those soon, then. Definitely something I don't want Marsha to put in and start going "What's that?"

"The real Shego would never do that. Not with Barkin. Not even to take over the world."

"She don't know what she's missing. And don't get so high and mighty on me. I'm sure you and your guy have bounced around the back seat of a couple of cars in your time."

When she turned beet red it became obvious she hadn't. "Didn't think there were any of your kind left. Thanks: gives me ammo to use on Marsha when she gets bigger."

"Look, I'm gonna make some calls tonight and see about getting you into the clean room. You'll have to suit up, and they'll probably have him sedated, but you'll be able to see him. I'll make sure you're there when Dr. D. comes in."

She started to smart off, then remembered that nothing was what she had said it was an hour ago. Tear time.

Part of me wanted to give her a hug. The smarter rest of me wanted to stand clear. At least the crying would help me with Stevie. He may not want to admit it, but he wants the world to smile. Tears really work on him: bad news for Mom when there's a two year old in the house.

A car door slammed outside. I could hear babbling. Everybody's home.

"Time to face the music."