~*~
From across the street, Faith watched as the blue unmarked police car pulled up in front of Sara's building. A blonde gentleman, who she assumed was Jake, Sara's partner, got out of the car and walked into the building. Giving Faith the opportunity to place one of the many tracers Ian had provided for her. Faith rushed across the street and planted the bug beneath the bummer of the car. Quickly making her way to back, Faith got into her car and turned on the GPS device mounted on the dashboard. The red dot on the screen indicated the location of the tracer, hence the car.
Moments later she watched as Sara and Jake exited the building and entered the car. "Time to go to work, Faith." She started up the car and from a safe distance followed the two detectives. After a 15-minute drive across town, they finally arrived at the crime scene. Yellow police tape cornered off the area and the bustle of police officers swarmed around. Faith hid behind some of the early on lookers and intently kept her eye on Sara. Suddenly the blade on Sara's wrist briefly glowed, giving the wielder a subtle nudge someone was watching her. She looked up from the body and started to search the crowd with her eyes. Faith blended back into the background, averting Sara's eyes.
Faith squinted her eyes as she stared at Sara. She couldn't help but grin when she noticed what hung around Sara's neck. It was Ian's ring, hanging from some sort of chain. Sara reached up and grasped the ring in her hand as she continued to search the area. She sighed when she did not spot the familiar black coat that belonged to Ian. Yet, she could not help but feel that she was being watched, the same feeling she got when Ian would be around.
"Hey you okay, Pez?" Vicky, the medical examiner, had sneaked up behind her.
"Yeah Vick, I'm okay. Just a little tired. Didn't get much sleep last night."
"You do look like shit, Pez. And I assume you have yet to get your first cup of coffee too, am I right?" Vick grinned.
"Gee, thanks for the compliment Vick."
Vicky chuckled, "You're welcome. Hey what you got there?" She pointed to Sara's hand that was still clutching Ian's ring. "Oh, uh, its nothing. Just some old ring I had lying round the apartment. Thought I might accessorize it with my morning ensemble." Sara joked, not wanting to explain the real reason behind it. She was missing Nottingham and this piece of jewelry was all she got. And until she found out what happened to him she was not going to take it off. Though it was a constant, remind of the dream. It was still vivid and the trepidation was still there lingering deep in her mind.
Vicky leaned closer to inspect the ring on Sara's neck. "Wow, it beautiful, Pez. Where did you find it?"
"Actually it belongs to some guy I know. He left it behind and I'm just safe keeping it till he wants it back." It was close to the truth she would get.
Vicky's eyebrows rose and a smile widen across her friend, "A guy, huh?"
"Its not what you think, Vick." Sara informed. Vicky stared intently at her friend, surprisingly she seen the sad look in her eyes. 'Oh, I think it is and more' but instead Vicky said, "That's too bad," and headed off towards the van.
Sara watched Vicky walk off, absently rubbing the ring in her hand. Jake's voice pulled her out of her trance, "Hey just found out the vic's name."
"One Prospero McQueen. Yeah, I know, Jake." Sara added.
"Yeah, so what do we do now?" Jake questioned.
Sara sighed, "Looks like we'll be spending our morning rounding up his girls. Someone is bound to have seen what had happened."
"That's a start. But you honestly think they are going to talk even if they knew what went down?" Jake asked sounding a bit skeptical that they were going to find the murderer.
She shook her head and rubbed her temple with her fingers, "I don't know, Jake. All I know is that we got a dead pimp on our hands with no witnesses. It's going to be a long day and I need coffee. So let's get a move on, Rookie."
From across the street, concealed in her car, Faith lowered the listening the device. She had quickly retreated to the safe haven of her car after the blade had warned Sara of her presence. Faith moaned as she pulled off the headphones. She contemplated on whether to continue her surveillance over the wielder. Faith knew that the journey would turn out to be a long and tedious one after hearing of their plans to round up the victim's 'employees'.
The time spent following Sara was time well spent on something more productive. 'A quick shower and a change of clothes would be nice;' she thought, 'and I need to check on Ian. See how he has recovered since I left him with Gabriel. Not to mention I need to make sure Gabriel is all right too. Being alone with Ian must be freaking him out.' Decision made, Faith started her car.
Weaving in and out of morning traffic was easy as she drove down to a well undesirable part of town. Down to an area where most people made sure to avoid. The neighborhood was bleak and unwelcoming. Nothing but the homeless and the addicts resided in the area. Abandon warehouses and boarded up old buildings with their condemned signs hanging crookedly on chained fences or painted on wooden planks lined the streets. Making it the perfect location for the warehouse Faith called home.
She drove up the empty and filthy alley, stopping a few feet in front of a large boarded up entranceway. She got out of the car and headed towards a rusty old metal panel set against the building wall. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a small black device with three buttons. Pressing one of the buttons, the metal panel slides upwards revealing a numeric keypad. It made no sound as she entered the password, only a tiny green light flashed and the hissing sound of locks unlocking was heard. Faith pressed another button on the tiny device and the metal panel slide shut.
Faith walked back to the car and got in. She sat patiently as the once boarded entrance way lifted to reveal a large garage. Putting the car into gear, she drove forward. She parked the car next to the black hummer. Getting out of the car, she walked of to another panel and punched in another set of codes and the disguised garage door closed. Immediately, as the door closed, florescent lights turned on, illuminating the room. Walking back to the car Faith spotted, in the corner of the room, a beige tarp draped over something. Having no time to inspect it, she ignored the bulky tarp and opened the trunk of the Jag. While reaching for her bag, she eyed the videotape and the initials 'S.P.' on the plastic cover and a small envelope underneath. Curiosity getting the better of her, Faith grabbed the items and brought it along with her bag. She climbed up the metal stairs, and exited through the door.
Faith moved into the freight elevator, pulled down the wooden grates, and with a sigh started to punch in more codes into the metal panel. She knew security was highly important, especially in her life, but she could not help but complain once in awhile on how annoying it could get. And the fact that it was a constant reminder that her life was far from normal. After entering the code, she pressed for the fourth floor.
Leaning back, she watched as the elevator passed the empty and open levels of the second and third floors and its blackened windows. Finally, the lift stopped as it reached its destination. Quickly, Faith lifted the wooden grates and stepped out. She approached the elaborately designed doubles doors and reached for the silver knobs. Pushing the door open, Faith stood on the threshold. She could not help but smile, happy to finally be home. It was not as fancy as the mansion, and she did not need nor wanted the lavish surroundings. Yet, occasionally she would indulge herself.
From the few expensive tapestries and paintings that adorn the walls. To the expensive set up of the entertainment system positioned against the wall near an archway that lead to the sleeping quarters. The furnishings were simple yet comfortable. The three large plush sofas and pillows that boxed in the glass coffee table sat in the middle of the living room all atop European rugs. Standing lamps in each corner, a black leather reading chair, and three bookcases filled with leather bound books. All read and re- read by both Ian and Faith.
Just a few feet away was the kitchen or what Ian would tease her the 'steel' kitchen. Because nothing save the wooden worktable and four counter stools were made up of stainless steel. Everything from the large industrial refrigerator and range cooker to the counter tops.
Though she had spent years away from her home, the place was unsurprisingly immaculate and dust free. Thanks to Ian no doubt. Not only was this her home but also it proved to be Ian's safe haven, a respite from Irons. And from the looks of things, he has been here quite often. Nothing was out of place but she could just sense it, feel it in the air.
Faith stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Walking over to one of the sofas, Faith deposited the tape and envelope onto the cushions. Planning to watch it after her shower. She walked through the archway and turned left towards her room. On the opposite end of the hall were Ian's room and an extra spare room right next door. At the other end of the hall was a metal spiral staircase that disappeared into the ceiling, up above the next floor. Best known as the training room.
Faith dropped her bag the moment she stepped into her room. She headed straight to her bathroom, shedding her clothes, and weapons along the way. A half an hour later, Faith emerged room the shower feeling clean and rejuvenated. Continuing to dry her hair with the extra towel, Faith made her way to her walk in closet, pulling down a pair of black slacks and another turtleneck sleeveless silk blouse this time in a dark red color. She laid the articles of clothes onto her bed, sat down in front of the vanity mirror, and quickly started to brush out her hair. After tying it up in a ponytail, Faith quickly changed. Donning not only her clothes but the weapons she had shed earlier and her leather jacket.
She grabbed her bag, dumped out her clothes into the hamper, and headed towards Ian's room. Ian's clothes from last night were ruined and he needed something to wear. She doubted Gabe and Ian were the same size. Even if they were, Gabe's sense of fashion was definitely not Ian. She stuffed the bag with a set of clean clothes and headed out for the living room.
Faith picked up the tape she found in the car and slipped it into the VCR. While waiting for it to play, she opened the envelope and scattered what looked like newspaper clippings of old murders onto the coffee table.
"My name is Officer James Pezzini. New York Police Department, badge number 7945." Faith looked up as she heard the voice. It was Sara's father. Faith watched the video with great interest.
"The date is February 22, 1984. If you're watching this ... it means that I'm already dead. And if I am, the likely reason is I've been working to expose a corrupt secret society within the New York P.D. They call themselves the White Bulls. I believe the White Bulls have been operating in the department for decades. They rule by intimidation. They, they abuse the badge in every possible way. And this," He held up a shell casing of a bullet with a bull engraved on it, "is their trademark.
They use this round when the Bulls want to assassinate one of their enemies. If one of their members finds this shell at a murder scene, he'll desist in his investigation of that crime. And they're currently in a renaissance, led by this deadly band of new young recruits ... most notably this rising young sergeant by the name of Bruno Dante. And they go way up the ranks. Too far for me to solve the problem by any internal means."
Faith leaned back into the sofa watching as the video neared its end. Stopping the tape, she pressed rewind on the remote control. She looked down at the newspaper clippings, then back up when the tape had stopped rewinding. She stood up and ejected the tape from the VCR. "Ian what were you planning on doing with this?" she said aloud tapping the video into her palm. "Guess I'll just have to find out."
She gathered the news clipping and tape and stuffed them into a manila envelope. Picking up the bag she rushed out of the door and down to the garage. She got into the car, throwing the bag into the back and the envelope under the passenger seat. While waiting for the garage door to lift, she wondered about the video. She had only heard of the White Bulls but there was never any evidence of their existence. Until now that is. So, how is Ian involved in this?
With the car in gear, she drove the car forward, enough to clear the door. She got out and walked over to the metal panel, entering the code and locking up her home. Getting in, Faith quickly sped down the alley, heading quickly for Gabriel's place.
From across the street, Faith watched as the blue unmarked police car pulled up in front of Sara's building. A blonde gentleman, who she assumed was Jake, Sara's partner, got out of the car and walked into the building. Giving Faith the opportunity to place one of the many tracers Ian had provided for her. Faith rushed across the street and planted the bug beneath the bummer of the car. Quickly making her way to back, Faith got into her car and turned on the GPS device mounted on the dashboard. The red dot on the screen indicated the location of the tracer, hence the car.
Moments later she watched as Sara and Jake exited the building and entered the car. "Time to go to work, Faith." She started up the car and from a safe distance followed the two detectives. After a 15-minute drive across town, they finally arrived at the crime scene. Yellow police tape cornered off the area and the bustle of police officers swarmed around. Faith hid behind some of the early on lookers and intently kept her eye on Sara. Suddenly the blade on Sara's wrist briefly glowed, giving the wielder a subtle nudge someone was watching her. She looked up from the body and started to search the crowd with her eyes. Faith blended back into the background, averting Sara's eyes.
Faith squinted her eyes as she stared at Sara. She couldn't help but grin when she noticed what hung around Sara's neck. It was Ian's ring, hanging from some sort of chain. Sara reached up and grasped the ring in her hand as she continued to search the area. She sighed when she did not spot the familiar black coat that belonged to Ian. Yet, she could not help but feel that she was being watched, the same feeling she got when Ian would be around.
"Hey you okay, Pez?" Vicky, the medical examiner, had sneaked up behind her.
"Yeah Vick, I'm okay. Just a little tired. Didn't get much sleep last night."
"You do look like shit, Pez. And I assume you have yet to get your first cup of coffee too, am I right?" Vick grinned.
"Gee, thanks for the compliment Vick."
Vicky chuckled, "You're welcome. Hey what you got there?" She pointed to Sara's hand that was still clutching Ian's ring. "Oh, uh, its nothing. Just some old ring I had lying round the apartment. Thought I might accessorize it with my morning ensemble." Sara joked, not wanting to explain the real reason behind it. She was missing Nottingham and this piece of jewelry was all she got. And until she found out what happened to him she was not going to take it off. Though it was a constant, remind of the dream. It was still vivid and the trepidation was still there lingering deep in her mind.
Vicky leaned closer to inspect the ring on Sara's neck. "Wow, it beautiful, Pez. Where did you find it?"
"Actually it belongs to some guy I know. He left it behind and I'm just safe keeping it till he wants it back." It was close to the truth she would get.
Vicky's eyebrows rose and a smile widen across her friend, "A guy, huh?"
"Its not what you think, Vick." Sara informed. Vicky stared intently at her friend, surprisingly she seen the sad look in her eyes. 'Oh, I think it is and more' but instead Vicky said, "That's too bad," and headed off towards the van.
Sara watched Vicky walk off, absently rubbing the ring in her hand. Jake's voice pulled her out of her trance, "Hey just found out the vic's name."
"One Prospero McQueen. Yeah, I know, Jake." Sara added.
"Yeah, so what do we do now?" Jake questioned.
Sara sighed, "Looks like we'll be spending our morning rounding up his girls. Someone is bound to have seen what had happened."
"That's a start. But you honestly think they are going to talk even if they knew what went down?" Jake asked sounding a bit skeptical that they were going to find the murderer.
She shook her head and rubbed her temple with her fingers, "I don't know, Jake. All I know is that we got a dead pimp on our hands with no witnesses. It's going to be a long day and I need coffee. So let's get a move on, Rookie."
From across the street, concealed in her car, Faith lowered the listening the device. She had quickly retreated to the safe haven of her car after the blade had warned Sara of her presence. Faith moaned as she pulled off the headphones. She contemplated on whether to continue her surveillance over the wielder. Faith knew that the journey would turn out to be a long and tedious one after hearing of their plans to round up the victim's 'employees'.
The time spent following Sara was time well spent on something more productive. 'A quick shower and a change of clothes would be nice;' she thought, 'and I need to check on Ian. See how he has recovered since I left him with Gabriel. Not to mention I need to make sure Gabriel is all right too. Being alone with Ian must be freaking him out.' Decision made, Faith started her car.
Weaving in and out of morning traffic was easy as she drove down to a well undesirable part of town. Down to an area where most people made sure to avoid. The neighborhood was bleak and unwelcoming. Nothing but the homeless and the addicts resided in the area. Abandon warehouses and boarded up old buildings with their condemned signs hanging crookedly on chained fences or painted on wooden planks lined the streets. Making it the perfect location for the warehouse Faith called home.
She drove up the empty and filthy alley, stopping a few feet in front of a large boarded up entranceway. She got out of the car and headed towards a rusty old metal panel set against the building wall. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a small black device with three buttons. Pressing one of the buttons, the metal panel slides upwards revealing a numeric keypad. It made no sound as she entered the password, only a tiny green light flashed and the hissing sound of locks unlocking was heard. Faith pressed another button on the tiny device and the metal panel slide shut.
Faith walked back to the car and got in. She sat patiently as the once boarded entrance way lifted to reveal a large garage. Putting the car into gear, she drove forward. She parked the car next to the black hummer. Getting out of the car, she walked of to another panel and punched in another set of codes and the disguised garage door closed. Immediately, as the door closed, florescent lights turned on, illuminating the room. Walking back to the car Faith spotted, in the corner of the room, a beige tarp draped over something. Having no time to inspect it, she ignored the bulky tarp and opened the trunk of the Jag. While reaching for her bag, she eyed the videotape and the initials 'S.P.' on the plastic cover and a small envelope underneath. Curiosity getting the better of her, Faith grabbed the items and brought it along with her bag. She climbed up the metal stairs, and exited through the door.
Faith moved into the freight elevator, pulled down the wooden grates, and with a sigh started to punch in more codes into the metal panel. She knew security was highly important, especially in her life, but she could not help but complain once in awhile on how annoying it could get. And the fact that it was a constant reminder that her life was far from normal. After entering the code, she pressed for the fourth floor.
Leaning back, she watched as the elevator passed the empty and open levels of the second and third floors and its blackened windows. Finally, the lift stopped as it reached its destination. Quickly, Faith lifted the wooden grates and stepped out. She approached the elaborately designed doubles doors and reached for the silver knobs. Pushing the door open, Faith stood on the threshold. She could not help but smile, happy to finally be home. It was not as fancy as the mansion, and she did not need nor wanted the lavish surroundings. Yet, occasionally she would indulge herself.
From the few expensive tapestries and paintings that adorn the walls. To the expensive set up of the entertainment system positioned against the wall near an archway that lead to the sleeping quarters. The furnishings were simple yet comfortable. The three large plush sofas and pillows that boxed in the glass coffee table sat in the middle of the living room all atop European rugs. Standing lamps in each corner, a black leather reading chair, and three bookcases filled with leather bound books. All read and re- read by both Ian and Faith.
Just a few feet away was the kitchen or what Ian would tease her the 'steel' kitchen. Because nothing save the wooden worktable and four counter stools were made up of stainless steel. Everything from the large industrial refrigerator and range cooker to the counter tops.
Though she had spent years away from her home, the place was unsurprisingly immaculate and dust free. Thanks to Ian no doubt. Not only was this her home but also it proved to be Ian's safe haven, a respite from Irons. And from the looks of things, he has been here quite often. Nothing was out of place but she could just sense it, feel it in the air.
Faith stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Walking over to one of the sofas, Faith deposited the tape and envelope onto the cushions. Planning to watch it after her shower. She walked through the archway and turned left towards her room. On the opposite end of the hall were Ian's room and an extra spare room right next door. At the other end of the hall was a metal spiral staircase that disappeared into the ceiling, up above the next floor. Best known as the training room.
Faith dropped her bag the moment she stepped into her room. She headed straight to her bathroom, shedding her clothes, and weapons along the way. A half an hour later, Faith emerged room the shower feeling clean and rejuvenated. Continuing to dry her hair with the extra towel, Faith made her way to her walk in closet, pulling down a pair of black slacks and another turtleneck sleeveless silk blouse this time in a dark red color. She laid the articles of clothes onto her bed, sat down in front of the vanity mirror, and quickly started to brush out her hair. After tying it up in a ponytail, Faith quickly changed. Donning not only her clothes but the weapons she had shed earlier and her leather jacket.
She grabbed her bag, dumped out her clothes into the hamper, and headed towards Ian's room. Ian's clothes from last night were ruined and he needed something to wear. She doubted Gabe and Ian were the same size. Even if they were, Gabe's sense of fashion was definitely not Ian. She stuffed the bag with a set of clean clothes and headed out for the living room.
Faith picked up the tape she found in the car and slipped it into the VCR. While waiting for it to play, she opened the envelope and scattered what looked like newspaper clippings of old murders onto the coffee table.
"My name is Officer James Pezzini. New York Police Department, badge number 7945." Faith looked up as she heard the voice. It was Sara's father. Faith watched the video with great interest.
"The date is February 22, 1984. If you're watching this ... it means that I'm already dead. And if I am, the likely reason is I've been working to expose a corrupt secret society within the New York P.D. They call themselves the White Bulls. I believe the White Bulls have been operating in the department for decades. They rule by intimidation. They, they abuse the badge in every possible way. And this," He held up a shell casing of a bullet with a bull engraved on it, "is their trademark.
They use this round when the Bulls want to assassinate one of their enemies. If one of their members finds this shell at a murder scene, he'll desist in his investigation of that crime. And they're currently in a renaissance, led by this deadly band of new young recruits ... most notably this rising young sergeant by the name of Bruno Dante. And they go way up the ranks. Too far for me to solve the problem by any internal means."
Faith leaned back into the sofa watching as the video neared its end. Stopping the tape, she pressed rewind on the remote control. She looked down at the newspaper clippings, then back up when the tape had stopped rewinding. She stood up and ejected the tape from the VCR. "Ian what were you planning on doing with this?" she said aloud tapping the video into her palm. "Guess I'll just have to find out."
She gathered the news clipping and tape and stuffed them into a manila envelope. Picking up the bag she rushed out of the door and down to the garage. She got into the car, throwing the bag into the back and the envelope under the passenger seat. While waiting for the garage door to lift, she wondered about the video. She had only heard of the White Bulls but there was never any evidence of their existence. Until now that is. So, how is Ian involved in this?
With the car in gear, she drove the car forward, enough to clear the door. She got out and walked over to the metal panel, entering the code and locking up her home. Getting in, Faith quickly sped down the alley, heading quickly for Gabriel's place.