Chapter 9

The Worst Kind of Help

"What? What do you want?"

The intercom crackled to life under the pressure of Jim's finger.

"Harry. It's me. Jim Shannon."

"Jim?" The other end fell silent for a few moments, then the pressure lock on the heavy metal door hissed and it swung open, revealing a dimly lit staircase behind it. The intercom buzzed once more. "Come on up."

The two behind Jim exchanged a doubtful look, but the former cop stepped forward determinedly, beginning the steep ascent up the staircase. After two steps, he found a hand on his arm.

"Wait." He looked over his shoulder to find Taylor's scruffy face close to his. "Something about this doesn't feel right."

"We're wanted felons seeking help from an officer of the law. We haven't exactly been invited. What do you expect?"

"Still." Taylor whistled softly and nodded up the stairs. In response, the Kaprosuchus squeezed past Jim and bounded up into the darkness ahead. "He'll see that the coast is clear."

"Yeah, if he doesn't devour everyone in the building first."

"Either way."

Jim rolled his eyes back down at the older man and shook his hand off impatiently.

"May I continue now?"

Taylor politely gestured his blessing.

"Please."

They reached the top of the stairs to find the Kaprosuchus waiting for them, his long tail swishing back and forth slowly, brushing rhythmically against the opposite walls. It was a very narrow space, even by overpopulated city block standards. Jim glanced around, peering into the dim hall. There was no one about. The passage seemed to come to a dead end. He looked over his shoulder again to find Mira and Taylor staring at him expectantly. What now?

"There's a door around the corner." A voice suddenly addressed them, seeming to have no point of origin, materializing out of the foggy shadows like a phantom. "Come right in. I'm waiting for you."

Jim stared around, peering closely at the walls. Naturally, someone must be watching them, but there were no hidden cameras he could make out. Then again, he hadn't even realized the hallway continued around the corner. Maybe he'd lost his touch. Taylor tapped his arm again, gesturing down the passage. Painted in such a way as to make it almost indiscernible to the naked eye, the hallway made a sharp left turn, practically at a right angle.

"Only one way in or out." The older man's voice in Jim's ear was almost as unsettling as the formless one from above them. "You sure you want to do this?"

"Too late now." Jim muttered, setting off down the passageway. Taylor glanced at Mira and shrugged in sarcastic agreement. Regardless, they followed as Jim rounded the corner. They were met with an open door. The home inside was small, but neat. Carpeted and furnished, it seemed as though they'd entered a much-loved living room. No traps were evident from the doorway .. the same could be said for people. Where was the owner of the voice? Was he waiting for them further inside? Concealed around a corner? Well, they'd come this far. No point in turning back. Whatever they were walking into, they'd have to wear it. Jim stepped over the threshold, hands raised preemptively. Looking up, he met the eyes peering out of the ceiling a moment before their owner swung down to land in front of the intruding group, blocking off their access to the rest of the house. Mira took a step back. The man eyed her for a moment before turning his gaze - and his pistol - to rest on Jim.

"Jim Shannon." The balding man shook his head a little, taking in Jim's ragged appearance, his two strange friends, and the unidentifiable beast in the shadows with one sweep of his sharp eyes. "I thought someone was having me on."

"I need your help." Jim replied evenly. "I've run into some trouble, and I don't have many friends left in this part of the world. We were always straight with each other, right?"

"Yeah." The other man's mouth twisted in disbelief as he shook his head again. "Jim, what is going on? The last I heard, you broke out of Golad Prison and disappeared. Now you turn up here. Where've you been?"

"I don't have time to explain all that." Jim took a step forward, but was quickly met by the eye of the gun staring coldly into his face. "Look, Harrison, I was pulled out of Golad to work personal security for a guy that lives far away from here."

"He chose you personally?" Harrison raised an eyebrow skeptically. "And managed to get out of Golad? Guy must have deep pockets. Big player?"

"You could say that." Jim responded, trying to ignore Taylor's curious gaze. "My family was able to join me as well. But like I said, we ran into some trouble. My family was targeted. My youngest daughter was kidnapped. I need your help to find her."

The other cop seemed to be weighing up this information.

"What makes you think I can help?"

"Our last lead brought us back here, to Chicago." Jim continued earnestly. "You're one of the best security guys in the business. I need you to check the camera feeds around the dock and Legacy Park. She has to show up somewhere."

Taylor's insides twisted uneasily as Harrison studied Jim. He seemed to be taking the whole story incredibly well. Either that, or he didn't believe a word of it. The former commander suspected it was the latter.

"Interesting." Harrison said finally. "This new job, just how far away was it?"

"Far." Jim responded, a touch weakly. "I can't tell you exactly where, but we've had quite a trip back here."

"Across the country?" Harrison pressed, tilting his head with interest.

"Something like that."

"Hm." The other man nodded in the direction of Mira and Taylor. "And who are they?"

"Associates of mine."

Harrison chuckled softly.

"Excuse me for saying so, Jim, but you three look more like a traveling circus than a security detail."

Jim laughed as well, but it sounded strained even to his own ears. They were wasting time. Was he stalling?

"Look, we're kind of in a hurry here." Jim muttered, eyeing the other man warily. "My daughter has been missing for weeks already. You're our only way forward. Can you help us or not?"

Harrison folded his arms, holding the gun loosely under his armpit. His wry smile grew as he contemplated Jim.

"Kidnapped, you say? How interesting." His eyes glinted dangerously. "Last I heard, your wife and family were headed out of town."

Jim watched him, shrugging again as he tried to ignore the prickle crackling its way up the back of his neck.

"Yeah, we had some problems. Lots of families do. We sorted them out."

"One-way ticket, they said." Harrison continued, casually examining the pistol in his hand as though he had all the time in the world. Jim's annoyance began to get the better of him.

"As I just-"

"For Terra Nova."

Jim's heart plummeted abruptly as his former colleague's eyes snapped up, boring into his with a thrill of triumph. Jim didn't say a word as the other man studied him.

"What did you think you were playing at, Jim?"

".. I thought Hope Plaza records would've been classified." Jim finally attempted, but he was interrupted by the other man's scoff.

"Yeah." The officer snorted derisively. "About as classified as the precinct's never-ending chain of wagging tongues."

Taylor raised an eyebrow at Mira.

"Almost feels like home, don't it?"

"And you didn't think we'd hear about your great escape?!" Harrison continued, his eyes glittering. "One of our own escapes from prison - from Golad, of all places?! Forget classified, you were all we could talk about for weeks!"

Jim remained silent. There was nothing more to be said. He seemed to have known everything right from the start. Very well. Time for a different approach.

"And you .." Harrison had turned to scrutinise the older man beside Jim curiously. "You must be Nathaniel Taylor. You, sir, have not aged well."

"Thank you very much." Taylor responded politely, but the officer had already moved on to Mira. He eyed her for a second, then turned back to Jim and nodded in her direction.

"Who's she?"

"I told you. An associate."

"Hired criminal, more like." Harrison murmured, whistling softly under his breath. He shook his head in disappointment. "I have to tell you, Jim, I expected-"

His terminated his own sentence abruptly as the Kaprosuchus stepped out from the shadows toward him, summoned by the whistle. Harrison stared in horror and immediately directed the gun in the reptile's direction. The Kaprosuchus' tail swished once as his slitted green gaze assessed the man.

"I wouldn't do that." Taylor's voice warned softly in the background. Harrison was growing pale now. He directed his next question at Jim, though his eyes remained locked on the creature's.

"What's that?"

Jim ignored the question.

"We don't have time for this." His voice had grown colder now, his words dropping crisply into the air like needles of ice. "I'm sorry to do this to you, Harry, but I don't have a choice. I need your help, willingly or not."

"I see." Harrison sighed a little, rolling his eyes back to Jim and attempting to look bored, though the terror in his stare ruined the illusion somewhat. "So that's the way it is."

Jim's mouth pressed into a thin line. No one in the room seemed to be enjoying this little exchange.

"It's the way it has to be. Please. Check the feeds."

"And if I refuse?"

"Taylor, take his gun."

"With pleasure."

Harrison centred his pistol on the former commander.

"Are you people deaf? I'm not-"

Taylor smiled congenially and waved a hand in the direction of the Kaprosuchus.

"Give it to me, or my friend here'll rip your throat out."

The other man shrugged and handed it over carelessly, turning back to Jim with disgust.

"Jim, you were a real good cop, and a good friend. When I heard you'd been arrested, I couldn't believe my own ears. But you're a wanted felon. You know I can't help you."

"You will help me." Jim nodded at Taylor, who raised the confiscated weapon, levelling it at the captive's temple. "Whether you want to or not."

His former friend tilted his head and watched him for a minute, sizing him up.

"I wanted them to be wrong about you, I really did. But I can see now, maybe they were right. Jim, what happened to you? You used to be a great officer. Now you're tearing the streets apart looking for the child you never should have had in the first place." Harrison chuckled in disbelief. "I mean, wouldn't you call it somewhat ironic?"

Jim narrowed his eyes, pulling his heavy coat closer around him. A sudden chill seemed to have entered the apartment.

"My daughter has been kidnapped by terrorists and you're trying to convince me not to look for her, is that what I'm hearing?"

"Look, I know it sound harsh, but you broke the rules. And some way or another, the universe finds a method of righting itself." He shrugged again, holding his hands together automatically as though he was handcuffed. "Maybe you just oughtta accept it and go home. Go back to your real family. Your legal family. Stop trying to steal back what was never yours to begin with."

"You know what .. screw you."

Bristling with anger, Jim charged forward, throwing Harrison aside as he strode down the short hall and entered the back room. Sure enough, the dark cavern the man had been defending was full of screens and computer equipment, set out around the walls in a semicircle. It was identical to hundreds of other surveillance stations set up all over the city, the likes of which Jim had spent many hours in during the course of his former employment. He moved straight to the centre of the desk, pulled his gloves off and began to type.

"Wait!"

He was knocked off balance a second later as Harrison, who had evidently managed to get free of Taylor temporarily, ploughed into him.

"You can't-!"

The noise of the gunshot resounded throughout the tiny apartment. Jim watched as his former friend stumbled and hit the wall, sliding down to sit abruptly on the floor, blood beginning to work its way out of the new hole in his shoulder. Taylor stared at Jim as the former cop slid his hand back under his coat and returned the pistol to the hidden holster, swinging back to the computer without a word. Taylor held a hand out to stop Harrison as he moved to get up.

"Stay down if you know what's good for you. We'll be out of your hair soon enough."

"You'll go down for this, Shannon." Harrison choked from the floor. He tried to get up anyway, but found himself blocked by the Kaprosuchus' large head obscuring his vision. "I backed you up, you know. I defended you."

Jim, busy with his task, ignored him, and his former friend slumped down against the wall again.

"Now it turns out I was defending a dirty cop all along. Well, more fool me."

Jim was muttering something to himself, his eyes locked on the screen.

"Zoe .."

He shifted suddenly, and all four of the other members that were squeezed into the tiny room turned to look at him. Jim swept a handheld transmitter off the desk and held it down to the injured man.

"Call central and ask them where the 4:00 PM train on line 3 was headed on the 6th of November, 2152."

Harrison's eyes slid disdainfully up to Jim. He made no move to take the transmitter.

"You want me to remember all that?"

"Stop playing games and do it or I'll let him bargain with you instead." He indicated the Kap grimly as the other man smiled a little.

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

After staring into the Kaprosuchus' face for a moment - the thing really was too close for comfort - he shook his head and accepted the transmitter with a bloodied hand, holding up to his mouth shakily.

"Get me base command. This is officer 21330410 requesting intel." He waited for a moment, glancing up at Jim rebelliously. "They put me on hold."

"Put it on speaker."

The injured man complied. After subjecting all five of them to the irritatingly repetitive waiting music for a few minutes, a woman finally answered.

"Voice recognition checks out. Officer Harrison, how can we help?"

Harrison sighed a little, but did as he had been instructed.

"Base command, can you pull up the train records for Jefferson Park on the .." at Jim's prompting ".. 6th of November, 2152."

"Of course."

"Thank you." He smiled at Jim momentarily. "Oh, and Edith? Get those records across ASAP. I'm in a bit of a time crunch-"

He laughed as Jim snatched the device and threw it across the room furiously.

"What, you thought I would help you after this?"

Jim charged down and grabbed him by the shirt, pushing Kappy to the side as he began to shake the other man.

"You had one job, you little-"

"What's going on? What did he say?" Mira asked, her voice unexpectedly noticeable in the chaos. Jim stood, dropping Harrison back onto the ground, and causing the man to wince with the thud. He turned to Mira, his jaw clenched dangerously.

"It's a warning. The cops'll be here any minute."

Mira nodded briefly, casting another quick glance around the room.

"One way in or out, remember? We have to get out. Now."

"We haven't got what we came for yet!" Jim screamed desperately, making another lunge for the computer. Taylor and Mira, ready for the outburst, blocked him swiftly, the older man placing a hand on his arm. It was immediately shoved off, but Taylor replaced it just as quickly.

"We'll never get it now. We have to make a run for it."

Jim stared at him for a moment, then wrenched them out of the way with a last burst of strength. It was no use. There was no other information he could think of that might help their situation, no more searches to try. This time, when Taylor took possession of his arm, he allowed himself to be pulled away.

"Jim, we have to go. JIM." Taylor shook him a little, bringing him back to reality with a jerk. "No time."

Jim nodded silently, throwing a look of disgust back at the slumped figure by the desk.

"Let's get out of here."

"You're going down for this." Harrison called after them, emboldened now that the Kaprosuchus was no longer sharing the same square metre of space. He pulled himself up painfully and attempted to dust himself off with one hand. "You won't leave this city unless you're in handcuffs. You're going back to Golad if I have any hand in it, Jim! Enjoy your freedom while you still can!"

As they ran back down the narrow staircase and burst out onto the misty street, Taylor glanced at Jim's face. The stony expression was unreadable.

"You didn't have to shoot him, you know. I had it handled."

"Maybe I wanted to."

"Fair enough."

They paused for breath by a familiar dumpster. The constant hum of machinery and filtering equipment drowned out most distant noises, but if they listened, they could just make out a series of new voices down the street. The cops had arrived and were preparing to search the area. Mira put a hand in front of the Kap's nose, forcing him to take a step back into the shadows. She addressed Jim, her voice barely above a whisper.

"So where are we headed?"

"The monorail at Jefferson Park." He responded immediately. Taylor and Mira exchanged a doubtful glance.

"Shannon, that'll be crawling with uniforms. Uniforms that will be waiting for us specifically."

Jim's expression remained unchanged.

"You don't have to come."

Taylor exchanged another look with Mira, who nodded slightly. He shrugged in resignation as he turned back to Jim.

"Well, what do we hope to find there exactly?"

Jim finally turned to meet their eyes, a determined gleam darkening his own features.

"Our next move."