Angels with Newfound Hope
Act 1 Chapter 22: Threat
Alex's Apartment - Day 10, 9:00AM
Alex awoke with a sense of comfort and dread. He'd been dreaming about Bryce and the comet Mongoose mentioned last night. He began wondering just how he'd stop this from happening as he got ready.
The doorbell rang with Sebastian's ever familiar face entering right as the human swapped out his augments, equipping stamina and his shield.
"Hey Alex." The runner greeted right as he stepped in.
"And right on the minute again. I swear, Sebastian, you're like clockwork." Alex half-teasingly commented.
"Clocks are reliable, and that's good in police work." The officer pointed out nonchalantly. The brunette still messing with his shirt chuckled a bit.
"Funny. Chris uses that line all the time to chastise me for being lazy. I can hear him now: 'Clocks are reliable, and you should strive to be one all the time.'" He mocked the horse's voice so horribly, it even got Sebastian chuckling.
"He sounds like a good friend. Before I forget though..." He fished out a letter from the facility and handed it over.
'Ah, the test results for my blood.' Alex thought to himself. 'Let's see... remarkable similarities in genetic makeup, particularly brain structure...' Before he could get any further, the runner cleared his throat.
"Sorry. I take it something else happened... again." The brunette drooped in irritation at the mere thought of another murder.
"The chief will explain everything once we're there. We'd better not keep him waiting." Alex nodded and made sure he had everything ready. One look at his rifle made him consider bringing it along, but that was banished quickly. Him having another gun would probably cause some worry. He met the officer at the door, letting one lead the other into the unknown. He just hoped it wasn't anything major...
Their arrival at a seemingly ordinary house threw Alex for a loop. At least, until he noticed the size. He was worried there was a mass murder scene inside until Bryce finally came over.
"There you guys are. We're almost done here, so I'll keep it short. Reza broke into the hatchery. There's another murder victim: an employee who was on night duty. Her body was found quite a ways away. There's evidence of a struggle, but she covered a lot of distance before it was ultimately over. Loud bangs were heard near where she was found, and there are wounds consistent with previous victims and his gun." Alex let everything sink in for a moment before speaking up.
"So Reza's slipping up. But what was he looking for here?" He asked in all seriousness.
"This is a council owned building, and they like to keep everything related to their sector under the same roof. So besides the hatchery, there's an orphanage and a family clinic inside too. There are also offices related to the administration of those services." Sebastian piped up himself. The human was about to comment on what a mouthful it was until something hit him.
"Wait, if there's an orphanage in there..." He trailed off.
"There were thankfully no other casualties. But Reza made off with another generator as well as a few eggs. Luckily, the power was restored before anything happened to the remaining eggs. But those parents aren't going to be happy." Bryce explained.
"I can handle murders and assault of officers, but kidnapping unborn children? That's stepping over the line. Reza had better pray I don't find him." Alex growled menacingly, creeping the runner next to him out.
"Maybe we should focus on why he'd steal them first. Alex?" The chief butted in before his human companion could go on a tirade.
"I don't know. Maybe he wants them as a bargaining chip? He has to have some sort of leeway if we catch him trying to fix the portal." The brunette theorized. He felt it was a good point at least.
"Maybe he has the required part to fix it, and with it, everything needed to escape. He could trade the eggs for safe passage, fix the portal and leave." Sebastian speculated himself. If that was the case, the human would be having a late night.
"That may not be the only possibility. He may not have been the one who broke it. Maybe he thinks one of you guys sabotaged it, and feels he needs a bargaining chip to get you to repair it." Alex stayed his tongue from the building thoughts of mutilation. He'd get there eventually, and it'll be all the sweeter when he does.
"The sabotage doesn't matter anymore. What's more important is that Reza's actions are growing desperate. He kidnapped defenseless eggs, and even used his gun. Something's clearly going on. With luck, he may slip up soon. He may even have already. In any case, let's head back and decide what to do next. Hopefully some of the test results will tell us something." Bryce started leading them back without another word. That may have been the better half of this dialog to the human. A possible slip up would mean he was that much closer to ending this...
Back at the station, the trio went over the test results. There wasn't really any new or insightful information at all. In fact, it was almost pitiful what little they had to go by.
"So what now, we go over the timeline again?" Sebastian suggested blindly.
"Not yet. There are a few things I'd like to take care of first." Bryce shot the thought down without hesitation. Alex wanted to speak, but was cut off by three heavy knocks almost rattling the door.
"Come in." The chief called. Within a moment, Maverick entered with what looked like a folded map. "Maverick? What are you doing here?" He greeted his worker curiously.
"Chief, can I talk to you? Alone?" The silver dragon looked to Alex and Sebastian.
"We're quite busy here. What's this all about?" Bryce pressed.
"Reza." Was all Maverick said. Now the lone human was intrigued. Could he have found something? And if so, what?
"Well you're looking at his task force. So if you have anything to say, it can be said in front of us." The dull copper dragon encouraged him. He let out a tiny 'harrumph' before explaining.
"I think I know where he is." Now that had Alex's full attention. So much so that he accidentally butted in.
"At this very moment?" He pressed Maverick, to some slight regret.
"Why do you want to know?" The massive dragon groused.
"Because I'm just as much a part of this force as Bryce or Sebastian." The brunette's serious gaze seemed to stir up something in those blood red eyes.
"Don't waste our time, Maverick. Tell us everything. And Alex, Watch yourself." Bryce finally intervened, warning the latter.
"I've been tracking him for a while now. When he was at the portal a few days ago, I almost got him. Managed to tail him for a while before the trail went cold. Based on that, where he's been and where his victims were found, I managed to triangulate his whereabouts." The dragon let his boss clear off the table so he could lay out the map.
"He has to live somewhere, right? Keep a place for the generators and his stolen goods. Prior victims were found here, and here. Today's was here. She was after him likely because she was trying to save the eggs he kidnapped. This is the path from the portal he took the day I tailed him." Maverick drew everywhere mentioned with his claw.
"So we have this as his area of operation. Extrapolate it, and we have it narrowed down to this. Now where in this area could he possibly be hiding? He's certainly not within town limits. So unless he's in the wilderness or a cave somewhere, our only option is here." He pointed to what looked to be a farm of some sort.
"The abandoned farm. When did you figure all this out?" And Bryce confirmed the suspicion.
"Just a few minutes ago. I immediately came here when I did." The wounded officer idly rubbed his side where some stitching lay.
"Damn, Maverick. This may be it." The chief stared at the farm with great interest.
"Should we send an observation team?" Sebastian finally piped up again, garnering the group's attention.
"As if we had one to spare. Fuck it, we're going there now. What about you, Mav?" Bryce questioned.
"I'm still on sick leave. Besides, if I see Reza right now, I may do something regrettable." The aforementioned dragon glowered at the ground: Something Alex appreciated not being him for once.
"What about you, Alex?" The chief looked toward his companion.
"This'll be dangerous. Thankfully, I'm much better prepared now." The latter flashed his pistol and shades. Not like any of them understood much of it anyway.
"Maybe you shouldn't go." Maverick was the first to butt in.
"And why not? If it's about the gun, I have trigger discipline." Alex argued calmly.
"That's the thing. You have that gun in the first place." The silver dragon fired back.
"And I know how to use it and when. If I didn't, you probably wouldn't be here today." The brunette planted the weapon on the table to emphasize his point.
"Do not start with me, human. You've already seen me angry." Maverick squared up.
"And you haven't. So don't try it or I promise it won't be pretty." Alex stayed unfazed, letting his only warning sink in.
"Enough already! Alex, I told you to watch yourself and you didn't. You're going to stay here until I call. Understood?" Bryce snapped at the human, who nodded solemnly. It was like the corpse test all over again.
"And Maverick. While I appreciate the work you put in, you shouldn't have antagonized Alex like that. Keep that up and I'll have to suspend you." His ire now turned towards the officer, who went back to being relatively stoic.
"Understood." Was all he said.
"Good. Sebastian, let's go." Without another word, the chief stormed out with the runner in tow.
"Don't think you'll get away with this just because he considers you a friend." Maverick warned before turning to leave...
Alex kicked himself at first for screwing up again. Then his irritation turned to Maverick. If that damned dragon hadn't egged him on, he'd still be on good terms with Bryce. Not that his stewing got any better. The human eventually had to turn to studying the case files just to keep calm. Eventually, the phone began ringing. He didn't realize the call could've been for Bryce until he'd already picked up.
"Chief's office." The brunette greeted plainly, playing secretary for but a moment.
"Alex, I think you need to come here. I'll give you the coordinates." The chief's voice rang through loud and clear. Inside, Alex breathed a sigh of relief it wasn't anyone else.
"Copy that. Text them to me and I'll put them in my GPS." Was all the brunette said before he was hung up on. Moments later, the coordinates popped up in his message box. There wasn't much mental preparation to do before his boots hit the pavement once again...
"There you are." Bryce addressed the human simply the moment he stepped on scene.
"So what're we looking at?" Alex inspected the building a ways away. It was good at least that they kept a safe distance. God knows what could be waiting inside.
"A whole lot of nothing. No movement to or from the farmhouse since we started observation." The chief thumbed back at the building with the dark siding.
"Inside?" The brunette pointed out.
"Windows are too dirty to check inside without giving ourselves away." The larger dragon shot him down to an unfortunate degree.
"But he mainly operates at night, so he could be asleep." Sebastian tossed his two cents into the conversation.
"In that case, we'd only have to worry about noise. Reza could wake up any moment if we're not careful." Alex speculated further.
"Then we'd also have to go in before he decides he needs a 'late night' piss." Bryce added.
"He could also not be in there anymore. Could've spotted us and slipped away undetected, with time to destroy at least some of the evidence too." The runner pointed out, to which everyone exchanged worried glances.
"That means the eggs... Let's go in, but keep it silent. I don't want to hear a peep out of either of you once we're inside. Speak only when spoken to." Alex commanded.
"Since when are you the one giving orders?" Bryce half joked, mocking a glare.
"Since I became the stealth expert. Now come on, we're losing time here." The human almost left them behind as he rocked up to the house, crouching down as he got within a few meters. The other two followed his movements closely with little other choice.
"Sebastian, go around back. Wait for the door to open to subdue. Kill Reza only if necessary." Alex addressed the runner with a low growl. The latter nodded and disappeared around the side.
"Keep close behind me, Bryce. And don't engage first." The dragon got against the wall whilst the human opened the door cautiously. An odd noise stopped him right then and there. The source turned out to be a red cord, firmly taut against the edge. He drew his knife and got to work.
"What is it?" Bryce asked in a whisper.
"Tripwire. Seems he has some traps set up. Stay frosty." Alex finished cutting the cord and opened the door the rest of the way...
There wasn't much in the main hall of note, besides the trap itself. It was a smaller end table with a modified generator placed on top. It seemed if you opened the door too much, the table would tip over and cause an explosion. That thought terrified Alex. If he let Bryce go through first, then...
He crushed the thought and went back to infiltration. The dragon was already inside and glazing everything over. Not like there was much anyway. A few photos from the previous owner, some spare furniture that was moved around, and plenty of cobwebs.
The occasional floorboard creaked as the duo crept into the living room. Their footsteps became more and more calculated as they progressed. Just as Alex was about to head into the dining room, a noise coming from below caught his interest.
Some strange clatter was coming from the basement. The human motioned for Bryce to stay still and made for the door. Taking extreme caution, Alex forced the door open bit by noisy bit. It finally scraped the last tenth, sending the person below into a frenzy. A glass item was sent crashing to the floor in their effort to hide. One look at the black glove immediately gave away who he was dealing with.
"Mongoose, that you?" The human whispered the moment he was downstairs. She poked her head out and gave a quick look around before emerging.
"Obviously. Reza's not here if you're wondering." The hispanic kept her voice low so as to not alert the dragon above them.
"Shit. Well that saves me some work at least." Alex cursed. That wasn't the first thing he wanted to hear.
"Yeah. Seems he ran off just this morning. I snuck in hoping to ambush him, but fell asleep. You had me at a bad time there." She embarrassingly admitted. it wouldn't have been the first time he caught her like that. She works so hard already.
"Everything alright down there?" Bryce called just barely audible enough for them to hear.
"Yeah. Just a... rat? I don't know what you call these things, but there's one hanging amongst the clutter. I'm going to sweep the area and come back up." Alex said back. He progressed carefully, pretending to survey all the junk for anything useful.
"I haven't found anything of his myself besides a few bullets he dropped. The rest may be where he was sleeping." Mongoose muttered once he was close enough.
"Good to know. Where do you think he went?" The man crouched next to her, questioning silently.
"Beats me. Not like I'll be able to tell. The administrator's still listening." The hispanic sighed. If only she didn't have to maintain her cover.
"Then I guess we're still 'enemies', eh?" He muttered solemnly.
"Just pretend I wasn't here. Maintain the guise there are only two humans." She ordered calmly, to which the brunette nodded. When he got back up, he simply shrugged.
"Nothing down there except some old paintings." Alex started.
"And a lot of vermin. This house is a breeding ground." Bryce added dryly. The human couldn't help but agree: the place reeked of it.
"Maybe one of the bedrooms will have better luck." He offered, to which the chief led him down a hall. Two doors sat on the left and right. They nodded to each other and took one. Alex's creaked open with relative ease, whilst Bryce's had that distinct cord sound. The instant he heard it, he bolted for the other side.
The door was slammed shut without warning by a brightly-lit Alex. His hand remained planted firmly, even through Bryce's struggle.
"Alex, let go!" The dragon whispered angrily.
"This one's trapped! Take the other side." The brunette shot back with just as much fervor.
"What, you saw a cord?" Now he had the officer's attention. He nodded and went to defuse the bomb.
Inside the room was your typical sleeping arrangement. A rusted iron twin bed sat in the corner, dresser across from it, and some generators right in the middle of the floor. This caught the human off guard quite pleasantly.
"Well look at this..." Alex gestured to the items, to which Bryce cocked a brow.
"Good he left them, but why?" He questioned, not even half expecting anything significant.
"I think what matters right now is that we have the generators back. Now for those eggs..." The human pondered a moment before spotting a briefcase tucked away under the bed. He went over and pulled it out, flipping it open in an instant.
"Bingo. Good work, Alex." The chief praised. It even looked as though they were all intact.
"All part of it. I hope this is all of them." Alex inspected the clutch. There were eight eggs in total, all carefully placed so that none crack. At least Reza had that going.
"The hatchery reported eight, so this is it. I'm glad he was careful with them." The dragon let him close it and secure it to his back. The human was grateful his rifle holster was magnetic. Made things a lot easier.
"Okay... if this is it, we'd better meet up with Sebastian. Hate to leave him hanging." He suggested, turning to leave...
The aforementioned runner was waiting when they stepped back into the sun. His scales glistened a tannish beige even with no movement. How did Alex never even notice that? The two were almost exclusively together daily.
"Took you guys long enough. So what all happened?" The officer addressed them the moment he spotted them.
"A couple close calls, that's what. Reza set up some traps for us before leaving." Bryce piped up first, holding up a segment of cord he managed to retrieve.
"So he's not here... You think he ran when we approached?" Sebastian queried.
"Doubt it. He'd have to be cautious opening doors. Not to mention the time it takes to set them up. Strange for him to just leave what he stole behind, though. Literally everything's in there." The stocky dragon replied. He began to wonder again why Reza was throwing caution to the wind.
"You think that trap was for us in particular?" Another question from the officer. One his chief was accepting in closing.
"Probably not. It was most likely just a safety precaution before he bolted. I mentioned the setup time, so any more and he'd have taken the stuff with him." The dragon theorized.
"I did notice the bedroom trap was kind of dusty. Maybe he set that one up first, then the second more recently." Alex pointed out. Now the two gave him full attention.
"So maybe he did bolt earlier than expected. Regardless, I had no clue you could make a bomb out of a generator like that." Sebastian put a hand to his chin in thought.
"Then you just haven't been with us long enough. Once you know how, it's not even that hard." Bryce shrugged.
"And Reza figured it out. Makes him all the more dangerous." Alex butted in again.
"Without a doubt. Does he have any skills pertaining to engineering or electricity?" The stocky dragon addressed him.
"Not at all. Not like he needs any to begin with, only time to get it down pat. Or some instructions." The brunette pointed out.
"At least we have a building's worth of clues now. Can you get to your apartment from here, Alex? We'll be busy with this for a good while." Bryce requested with a hint of irritation.
"Guess all the heavy lifting is done for now. Call me if you need me." The aforementioned human waved them off and started walking.
"Oh, Alex?" The chief called before he could get too far. "Thanks for saving my ass." He gratefully smiled, to which Alex nodded with his own...