"So what have you got?" He asked, trying not to sound condescending as he got out of his car, the phone still pressed against his ear.
"Well, I rang a few of my brothers, and one of them knew some heavy, heavy stuff."
"Which was?"
"He says that he and his boys went round to jump some white boys click just last night, when they herd 'em talking. They was saying how big it was going to be, how it was going to knock us niggas back down where we belong. He said they was talking about a big blast too, like a bomb or something. My brother says it sounded like some serious sh!t, so they laid off and left instead of going in for them. Yep, I wouldn't be surprised if those ba-"
"Jay." Jack interrupted, wanting to find out if this was credible in the slightest. "What's your brothers name?"
"We call him Beanie. Don't know about no real name."
Jack struggled not to laugh at his own stupidity, he had thought by use of the term brother that they were family. Obviously this was instead a case of street jargon which he had misunderstood.
"Okay, this friend of yours, has he got a number?"
"Sure man I can fix you with that."
Jack repeated the number after him as he memorised it, before asking more questions. He wanted to be positive the information was real. No doubt the people in C.T.U wouldn't act upon it due to its subjective nature.
"Jay, are you sure, are you absolutely positive that your friend isn't making this up, to try pull one over on those boys?"
"No man, he aint down with that. Even if they is white boys he aint gonna get a cop on them, he only even told me this because I was insistent men, he was going keep his lips sealed. Man, you lucky I managed to get that for you."
Jack laughed down the phone, this kid was some character. "I assure you I appreciate it. I have to go."
Before the kids protests made it down the phone he hung up, no doubt Jay would ring if he did indeed gather anything else that might be useful to him.
Jack pocketed his phone as he entered C.T.U, almost instantly met by Tony who looked furious. He indicated for Jack to follow him, which he did, into his office. Once the door was closed he started shouting.
"Where the hell have you been Jack?"
"I followed a lead. I posted out, what's the problem?" He spoke calmly, ignoring the sensation in his fist telling him to chin Tony there and then. Why the hell was he acting like this, he had followed protocol, so what was wrong?
"The problem, Jack, is you. I can't have my staff running around coming and going as they please. I can't run C.T.U while sorting out your department for you too!"
"What are you talking about?" Jack asked confused, his anger still rising.
"We got a lead. And seen as you were unavailable I had to send a team in, and bend over backwards to correct the authorisation!"
"What lead?"
"We got a tip off, unconfirmed. A warehouse down town. We sent a team in, they arrested 5 people there, and also found a sufficient amount of explosives there to take care of the cathedral."
Jack stood there taking it all in, did this mean the threat was gone? What about the information Jay had given him? A though struck him, which made him feel sick to his stomach. Was this a set up, or was its the governments way of saying, 'sorry we did all we could,' when the bomb does go off? What bothered him most of all was Tony. Why in the hell was he talking to him like this, having a go at him when the damn thing was successful?
"Well, congratulations," Jack stated, before turning to leave the office. Hearing Tony call his name, he stopped angrily and slowly turned to face him.
"The men are bringing the people in for interrogation. You will co-ordinate with them on this and make yourself useful. You got it?" He snapped, making his authority known to Jack, who watched him with a slight smirk forming on his face.
"Sure."
"Good. They should touch down in under fifteen minutes."
This time Jack made to leave, and wasn't interrupted as he left his old office and headed across the building to his own, his head lowered as he tried to figure out what was going on.
