(During Issue 11: Principal Knickerbocker's announces the students)
Nigel recalls what Ray said about Martin amidst the disarray of rowdy noises of the students in the cafeteria as the bell rings suddenly during lunch time. The next day school has started once again in Sheffield Institute and just like any normal school day, another chapter begins after the Christmas break.
"What's going on?" Nigel asks to his classmate of his as he chews on a donut. "We do have ten minutes before class right?"
"Knickerbocker's got an announcement to make and she requires everyone to be at the front garden right now." His classmate said.
'This is a first…'Nigel says to himself as he finishes his donut. 'An announcement within the day huh? Though this could be an important matter, what I should I think about now is how to deliver my trainees to the Ye Olden Bookshop by tomorrow!'
At the front garden of the school where the students gather, Knickerbocker stands sternly before the students on the entry porch that acts as an elevated stage, with her by her side, is a gloomy and down student.
"Something very serious has happened, kids! Someone has truly disappointed me!" Knickerbocker's clear and loud voice says throughout the garden. "Someone has stolen a watch from your classmate, David Berlin. Nothing like this has ever happened before in my school! I should call the police to report on the incident, but I'm not going to do that!"
'Such a privilege! Many stealing incidents have happened in this school! Why does David deserve such a treatment?' Nigel says to himself. 'Come to think of it, I heard his family owns a rich business firm here in Heatherfield and his mother is a dear friend to Knickerbocker…"
"I would like to hope that the person responsible for this will think carefully about what he or she has done and will see to it that the given back to its rightful owner!" Knickerbocker announces. "I want that watch on my desk tomorrow morning! I've always had great trust in all of you and I would like to continue to do so…but this doesn't depend on me! And remember that if anyone knows and seen something and doesn't speak up, they are just as guilty as the thief!
"You are now dismissed!" she finally says as she goes in the entry door with Davd.
'Well, I'm not part of this am I?' Nigel says to himself as the students disperse and goes back inside the school through the entry in a hurry as the others are now late for the next class. 'If I were the thief if I wouldn't mess stealing an expensive watch from a son of a wealthy family!'
Nigel passes through the rowdy and crowded hallways where the lockers on sides are located, as he too rushes to his own locker to retrieve the books his needs for the upcoming and next class. 'And it's because of this announcement that we all got ourselves a ticket way to the Principal's for being late! Flames! I'm already three minutes late!'
"Everything that happens around here is always our fault!" A familiar voice says as Nigel turns around to see Uriah, who complains as he removes his things from the locker and Principal Knickerbocker by his side. The students gradually surround them to see the commotion happening.
'Seems like Knickerbocker accused my friends again…' Nigel says as he passes by them and heads out to his locker which is only a fifteen lockers away from Uriah's.
"I didn't want to offend you and I apologize if you thought that—" Knickerbocker apologizes.
"No, ma'am!" Uriah cuts her off with a stern tone in his voice. "If you suspected me, then you have to suspect everyone! Come on you guys! What are you afraid of? Open up your lockers!" he says.
The students then begin to look to themselves with the different opinions about Uriah's request but they soon finally give in and open their lockers. Knickerbocker and David, then searches the lockers one-by-one.
'Finally!' Nigel finally reaches to his locker and begins to encode and rotate the lock. 'Sorry! But I'm not going to join in your inspection because really I'm not—!" Nigel opens his door locker quickly in full swing as suddenly an object falls off from the top of the locker shelf.
He then turns his head on the fallen and unknown object. Stunned and shocked, his body pauses for a long pause. '—the thief?!'
"That's my watch!" David exclaims and points to the fallen object.
(During Issue 11: After Nigel is sent to the Principal's Office)
"Flames! Why does this come down to this? Why me of all people!"
Nigel irritates to himself as he rambles his body on the seat before the Principal's large wooden table, after all, he was alone in the room after Principal Knickerbocker leaves the room to call up someone.
After he, the 'thief', was identified when David recognizes the fallen watch from Nigel's locker. Principal Knickerbocker sent him to her office and it where there she lectured him. He tried to explain that he was falsely accused and the whole was a set-up to make him the thief. Yet in response to his explanation, she still doubted and denies him.
"What's bad about it is that I'll return to community service! I don't have the slightest idea on how to transfer the rebels by tomorrow afternoon!" Nigel covers his face in hesitation. The punishment given to him is janitorial services after class, and one absence would cause him an extension of his services or further punishment.
"What's worse is that Taranee saw the whole thing!" Nigel trembles and slouches to the seat as he recalls how Taranee witnessed the incident. His heart shunned in fear as he saw in her the shock and disgust on her face. She then turned around and dashed away without him to say anything. "I guess I should call her later about it…"
"The worst about is—" Nigel cuts when he hears the door of the Principal's Office swings open. A large stout blue-uniformed man with the gray hair covered by a police peaked cap. '—they even called the police to investigate me further because of my records!'
The policeman closes the door behind him with him and Nigel only the individuals in the room. "And I thought you said, after you learned your lesson from the community service and being a legionate, you don't have to be like your brother."
"Officer Lair?!" Nigel surprisingly says as he sees the police officer gets in the room. "Why are you here?"
"Hello Nigel." He sarcastically says as he sits the chair across him by the large table. "I shouldn't be until I heard word about you that got around the station, so I decided and volunteered to come here since I was the one responsible on two of your former cases." He says as he crosses his arms and gazes with a disappointment look on his face.
Nigel sighs in humiliation as he feels uncomfortable in his situation right now. "Look Officer Lair, can you at least hear me out? Because I'm telling you, from the bottom of my conscience, it was not me because I've been pranked or framed-up."
"You don't have to explain me anything, because I already knew what happened. I read written testimonies from yours, Berlin 's and some witnesses' and I think I read enough because they're actually the same thing." Officer Lair explains.
"And so? What's your verdict?"
Officer's Lair's response is but a long silence that awkwardly and kicks as the tension and the lack of oxygen becomes harder to breathe. With the tick of the clock as the only echo in the room, he just sits and ponders on the chair as he observes Nigel uncomfortably. After a minute of intense pressure, Nigel finally asks and breaks the silence between them. "Sir?"
"You're telling the truth, it seems." Officer Lair makes a responsive smile at him with relief.
"You do?!" Nigel excitedly and happily replies as he cannot believe of what he just heard; when someone finally believes in him.
"I heard that the opening of the lockers is optional to the students present and not required by the whole student body. If I were the thief, I wouldn't just voluntarily open my locker during inspection. And I hope you're not that dumb to do that?" Officer Lair explains with a slight joke. "Besides, I'm a detective. I can read people's gestures if they're lying or not."
"So you can actually get me off the hook then?" Nigel asks.
"I'm sorry, but no can't do." Officer Lair replies. "I'm here to investigate and further my research on you, especially based on your records in the station. Until the real culprit is found, you'll still be the main suspect."
"Flames!" Nigel desperately swears as he covers his hands with his face.
"Calm down son. I'll try to talk with your principal on your situation, but don't take my word for it." Officer Lair tries to appease him.
"Well it's a good thing you, specifically came to my aid, and I should thank you for that." Nigel eases somehow from the tense situation is in.
"I'm not actually here only for your sake, but for—" He turns his head around and checks the large and open-space principal's office. He then finally concludes that they were alone in the room. "—the Guardians'." He says as he shoves out folded papers out from his pocket and gives it to Nigel.
"And what is this?" Nigel asks as he unfolds them.
"Photocopied intel and more information on those agents that I found from the Commissioner's office." Officer Lair replies sternly. "It's not only their personal data though that I found but these are just detailed information about their do's and don'ts and some other useful long contracts that they signed."
Nigel scans through the five wordy pages given to him. "Never knew you'd be so reluctant to barge in your boss' office. Yet as of now, the legion's busy planning to prepare on the upcoming battle—and what's this?" Nigel reads at the bottom of a certain contract with a red penned signature over a peculiar and odd name."...Signed the Xerxes Project?"
"Even I didn't know what it is, but I believe they're here not because of Brown's disappearance anymore." Officer Lair replies in a stern and anxious voice.
"You mean the case was just a cover-up from what they intend to do?"
"Exactly." Officer Lair affirms.
