Chapter I:
- Interrogation -
"Tanner!" Sergeant Bilkins called as he spotted the fire-haired Sergeant stalking past his office. Tanner stopped in his tracks, and poked his head in the Sergeants door, raising an eyebrow in question.
"O'Connor is in interrogation room two... awaiting debriefing." He took a sip of his coffee and set it down on the desk with a thunk.
Tanner sighed, the tone in Bilkins voice indicated something was wrong.
"And?" Tanner inquired, lifting both eyebrows now, awaiting what he had feeling was going to be bad news.
"They think he flipped."
Tanner frowned and leaned up against the doorframe "Who's they? And Why?".
Bilkins sighed loudly, "Toretto had no restraints on him. O'Connor was using no means of controlling him."
Tanner tilted his head slightly, and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose thoughtfully. "That's a pretty subjective account to use as evidence of an office flipping." He didn't seem highly impressed.
"Toretto had the keys to the Supra, and was one step away from getting into the vehicle when the squad cars pulled up. O'Connor was standing on, watching, his gun holstered." Bilkins added flatly.
Tanner sighed heavily, "I'll talk to him." He replied, trying, at least for the moment to avoid the implications of Bilkins last sentence. Tanner pushed off from the doorframe heading down towards the interrogation rooms.
-
Brian sat solemnly in the cold, uncomfortable steel chair in the depressing starkness of the interrogation room. His arms were handcuffed behind his back... like a criminal. He slouched in the chair, his long legs stretching out before him, underneath the table that sat in front of him. The only other thing in the room was a chair exactly the same as the one he was seated on. The room was enough to make someone talk just to get out of it's oppressive air. He raised his haunted eyes from the bleak table top to gaze across at the wall he was facing and was greeted with his own reflection. He knew what lay behind that, another face would be peering out at him behind the 'looking glass' as they had named it.
On the other side of the mirror, two officers gazed back at Brian watching his behaviour as if he was animal in a zoo. Everything he did was watched and noted, as if it was proof itself of what he'd done.
Suddenly the door to Brians left opened, which made him turn his head to regard the intruder. Tanner.
Tanner sighed as he entered, and walked directly to the chair facing Brian. He sat down and rested his arms on the tabletop and gazed directly at Brian.
Brian held his gaze for just a moment, then the guilt suddenly sunk in and he looked away.
Tanner watched his movements, reading the look on his face.
Tanner knew Brian more then Brian thought he did. He'd read his file many times, read and reread his psychological review, his personality profiles and looked over his answers the intelligence quotient tests he'd been required to sit upon applying for the force, and again when applying for consideration for a detective position. He knew why they had placed Brian on his own team, so that he could lead Brian, could instruct him... get inside his mind and build him up. Their personalities were complementary, but more then that... Tanner was trained to exploit personality traits - and Brians was no exception. It was evident from Brians psych profile that he had 'absent father syndrome'. He'd search for someone to give him solidity, to give him challenge, someone to build him up when he needed it and someone to pull him back to earth when he got too far above it all. That's what Tanner was supposed to be, and HAD been. Brian had always been eager to please. It was common among new officers, but Brians eagerness didn't fade after the first 6 months. In fact, the longer he worked with Tanner, the more he wanted to do things to please him. It wasn't conscious, Brian didn't even realise what he was doing, or why. But Tanner could see it so obviously, Brian always did things HIS way.
Brian had found a surrogate father in Tanner, Tanner had succeeded in his job in getting Brian wrapped around his finger so he would be an effective team member. Some days, he felt bad about it - but other days, he would see Brian didn't mind... and maybe he was doing him a favour. Besides, Tanner had grown quite fond of Brian himself, and sometimes let him get away with more then he should.
But here he was... his fake son, sitting in front of him full of guilt. He had tried to betray him... and everything Tanner had taught him.
"What happened Brian?" Tanner finally spoke, tired of watching Brians guilt-ridden face avoiding his eyes.
Brian didn't answer immediately. He didn't even know how. 'What happened? WHAT HAPPENED?' he asked himself, 'WHAT DID I DO?' he added, trying to find the answers inside his bewildered mind. 'I didn't actually DO anything.... Nothing happened.. Dom is in custody... case closed.' He answered himself. Not knowing how he felt about Dom being in custody, he was having a hard time feeling just now. The blood inside his veins seemed to be leaking numbness all through him.. that was the only thing he could right now. Numbness.
"I... I didn't do anything." Brian suddenly answered, his voice coming out hoarse at first.
Tanner raised his eyebrows, "What do you mean you didn't do anything? You didn't do anything to.. to stop Toretto?" he inquired, tilting his head forward slightly.
Brian frowned slightly, not knowing if that was what he meant or not, but in essence - it was true. He sighed, "No... I.. I didn't do anything wrong. Dom is in custody. The case is finished. Over. Done..." he raised his chin now to look Tanner in the eye like a man, "Closed" he added.
Tanner watched the man-child in front of him. Brian was right... it was over. The case wasn't closed just yet, but it would be. But he hadn't answered his question.
"What happened Brian? Why didn't you restrain Dom? Why didn't you have control of the situation?" he tried again.
Brian looked down again. 'Why didn't I have control?' he asked himself, almost on the verge of laughter, 'Me? Have control...? Over DOM? That's.. that's just wrong. I can't control Dom... even when I had a gun aimed at him... I couldn't control him then.' He thought to himself, seeing the images in his mind.
--
"MOVE YOUR CAR!" Dom yelled at Brian, glaring at him hard, pumping his shotgun, ready for fire.
"NO, BULLSHIT DOM. PUT THE GUN DOWN" Even with a gun... and as a police officer, Brian had no control over Dom. If they hadn't been interrupted firstly by Mia then Jesse the situation could have become a lot worse. Worse mostly for Brian, as Dom ultimately would have won control.
--
Tanner sighed, watching expressions come and go across Brians face. He knew what was going on. In the last couple of weeks Brian had become more distant, wasn't as needy towards Tanner. Wasn't as inviting. And Tanner knew why... Brian had been stunned by Dom. Looked up to him... and adopted him subconsciously as his new father figure. Out with the old, in with the new, so to speak.
Tanner knew why Brian didn't have Dom in restraints, or under his control. He looked up to Dom, Dom was his father figure.. the one with the power. It challenged all sense of reason for Brian to try and control Dom.... Because he wanted Dom to control HIM. It was also obvious Tanner that Brian was letting Dom go... and had the squad cars not shown up, Dominic Toretto would be a wanted fugitive.
A wanted fugitive driving an orange Toyota Supra, courtesy of Officer Brian O'Connor.
Review please!!!!! Come on, that chapter was long.. so you have to!
~Ice
- Interrogation -
"Tanner!" Sergeant Bilkins called as he spotted the fire-haired Sergeant stalking past his office. Tanner stopped in his tracks, and poked his head in the Sergeants door, raising an eyebrow in question.
"O'Connor is in interrogation room two... awaiting debriefing." He took a sip of his coffee and set it down on the desk with a thunk.
Tanner sighed, the tone in Bilkins voice indicated something was wrong.
"And?" Tanner inquired, lifting both eyebrows now, awaiting what he had feeling was going to be bad news.
"They think he flipped."
Tanner frowned and leaned up against the doorframe "Who's they? And Why?".
Bilkins sighed loudly, "Toretto had no restraints on him. O'Connor was using no means of controlling him."
Tanner tilted his head slightly, and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose thoughtfully. "That's a pretty subjective account to use as evidence of an office flipping." He didn't seem highly impressed.
"Toretto had the keys to the Supra, and was one step away from getting into the vehicle when the squad cars pulled up. O'Connor was standing on, watching, his gun holstered." Bilkins added flatly.
Tanner sighed heavily, "I'll talk to him." He replied, trying, at least for the moment to avoid the implications of Bilkins last sentence. Tanner pushed off from the doorframe heading down towards the interrogation rooms.
-
Brian sat solemnly in the cold, uncomfortable steel chair in the depressing starkness of the interrogation room. His arms were handcuffed behind his back... like a criminal. He slouched in the chair, his long legs stretching out before him, underneath the table that sat in front of him. The only other thing in the room was a chair exactly the same as the one he was seated on. The room was enough to make someone talk just to get out of it's oppressive air. He raised his haunted eyes from the bleak table top to gaze across at the wall he was facing and was greeted with his own reflection. He knew what lay behind that, another face would be peering out at him behind the 'looking glass' as they had named it.
On the other side of the mirror, two officers gazed back at Brian watching his behaviour as if he was animal in a zoo. Everything he did was watched and noted, as if it was proof itself of what he'd done.
Suddenly the door to Brians left opened, which made him turn his head to regard the intruder. Tanner.
Tanner sighed as he entered, and walked directly to the chair facing Brian. He sat down and rested his arms on the tabletop and gazed directly at Brian.
Brian held his gaze for just a moment, then the guilt suddenly sunk in and he looked away.
Tanner watched his movements, reading the look on his face.
Tanner knew Brian more then Brian thought he did. He'd read his file many times, read and reread his psychological review, his personality profiles and looked over his answers the intelligence quotient tests he'd been required to sit upon applying for the force, and again when applying for consideration for a detective position. He knew why they had placed Brian on his own team, so that he could lead Brian, could instruct him... get inside his mind and build him up. Their personalities were complementary, but more then that... Tanner was trained to exploit personality traits - and Brians was no exception. It was evident from Brians psych profile that he had 'absent father syndrome'. He'd search for someone to give him solidity, to give him challenge, someone to build him up when he needed it and someone to pull him back to earth when he got too far above it all. That's what Tanner was supposed to be, and HAD been. Brian had always been eager to please. It was common among new officers, but Brians eagerness didn't fade after the first 6 months. In fact, the longer he worked with Tanner, the more he wanted to do things to please him. It wasn't conscious, Brian didn't even realise what he was doing, or why. But Tanner could see it so obviously, Brian always did things HIS way.
Brian had found a surrogate father in Tanner, Tanner had succeeded in his job in getting Brian wrapped around his finger so he would be an effective team member. Some days, he felt bad about it - but other days, he would see Brian didn't mind... and maybe he was doing him a favour. Besides, Tanner had grown quite fond of Brian himself, and sometimes let him get away with more then he should.
But here he was... his fake son, sitting in front of him full of guilt. He had tried to betray him... and everything Tanner had taught him.
"What happened Brian?" Tanner finally spoke, tired of watching Brians guilt-ridden face avoiding his eyes.
Brian didn't answer immediately. He didn't even know how. 'What happened? WHAT HAPPENED?' he asked himself, 'WHAT DID I DO?' he added, trying to find the answers inside his bewildered mind. 'I didn't actually DO anything.... Nothing happened.. Dom is in custody... case closed.' He answered himself. Not knowing how he felt about Dom being in custody, he was having a hard time feeling just now. The blood inside his veins seemed to be leaking numbness all through him.. that was the only thing he could right now. Numbness.
"I... I didn't do anything." Brian suddenly answered, his voice coming out hoarse at first.
Tanner raised his eyebrows, "What do you mean you didn't do anything? You didn't do anything to.. to stop Toretto?" he inquired, tilting his head forward slightly.
Brian frowned slightly, not knowing if that was what he meant or not, but in essence - it was true. He sighed, "No... I.. I didn't do anything wrong. Dom is in custody. The case is finished. Over. Done..." he raised his chin now to look Tanner in the eye like a man, "Closed" he added.
Tanner watched the man-child in front of him. Brian was right... it was over. The case wasn't closed just yet, but it would be. But he hadn't answered his question.
"What happened Brian? Why didn't you restrain Dom? Why didn't you have control of the situation?" he tried again.
Brian looked down again. 'Why didn't I have control?' he asked himself, almost on the verge of laughter, 'Me? Have control...? Over DOM? That's.. that's just wrong. I can't control Dom... even when I had a gun aimed at him... I couldn't control him then.' He thought to himself, seeing the images in his mind.
--
"MOVE YOUR CAR!" Dom yelled at Brian, glaring at him hard, pumping his shotgun, ready for fire.
"NO, BULLSHIT DOM. PUT THE GUN DOWN" Even with a gun... and as a police officer, Brian had no control over Dom. If they hadn't been interrupted firstly by Mia then Jesse the situation could have become a lot worse. Worse mostly for Brian, as Dom ultimately would have won control.
--
Tanner sighed, watching expressions come and go across Brians face. He knew what was going on. In the last couple of weeks Brian had become more distant, wasn't as needy towards Tanner. Wasn't as inviting. And Tanner knew why... Brian had been stunned by Dom. Looked up to him... and adopted him subconsciously as his new father figure. Out with the old, in with the new, so to speak.
Tanner knew why Brian didn't have Dom in restraints, or under his control. He looked up to Dom, Dom was his father figure.. the one with the power. It challenged all sense of reason for Brian to try and control Dom.... Because he wanted Dom to control HIM. It was also obvious Tanner that Brian was letting Dom go... and had the squad cars not shown up, Dominic Toretto would be a wanted fugitive.
A wanted fugitive driving an orange Toyota Supra, courtesy of Officer Brian O'Connor.
Review please!!!!! Come on, that chapter was long.. so you have to!
~Ice