Chapter 5:
Walking down the hall towards Inspector Graves' office, Mike laid out all the things they were going to need. "Need a secure place to store evidence and plan," said he. "Gonna need our own lockup. We're not gonna' want Incurseans in with our usual punks. Need a couple of really good techies out of cyber-crimes, and I need the four officers on this list assigned to plain-clothes work. Today." "Why these four," asked Graves? "They're young," replied Mike. "Their minds are still open."
When the threesome were in his office, Graves shut the door. Settling behind his desk, he turned on the projector and started digging through his computer. "There's an old precinct-house in Flushing Queens. It was scheduled for tear-down, but it's still city-property for the moment. Will that do?" "We'll take it," said Lucy.
"Parking," asked Mike? He knew better than any of his companions just how tough it was for even the police to get parking in New York! "It's got a couple of bays for paddy-wagons," replied Graves. "Cells down in the basement. Two interview rooms upstairs. Before they decided to knock it down, it had been outfitted with hookups for internet." It was everything they needed. All they needed now was the keys.
"I'll have facilities meet you there," said Graves, "and I'll send for these four." "Good enough," said Mike. "One more thing," said Lucy. Graves' eyes fell on her, and it was clear Lucy made him uncomfortable. The alien woman said, "the last time we tangled with Vanos, he had Lenopan spies working for him. It's a safe bet that if he's invested in this scheme, he's got more of them here. We may be looking at infiltrators. We'll need you to restrict access to our activities to the highest levels." Graves gave her a sour look, but he nodded. Rising, Mike thanked the Inspector, took his lady by the hand, and headed out.
Outside, they piled into the beat-up Chevy Astro that Helen had come in. Mike took the wheel, announcing, "anybody for late breakfast?" "I'm game," replied Helen. She'd hot-footed it over here from the West-Coast before sunup. "Yeah," said Mike. "We missed dinner, and Lucy didn't even get lunch yesterday." Putting the van in gear, Mike set off.
They made quite the scene with Helen sitting there at the table with them. Everybody who came in gave the blue-skinned woman the eye. Mike wasn't sure he could have handled that, and he had been very tempted to suggest they eat out in the van. Helen behaved as if she didn't even notice. Mike had been a bit surprised to find out that the black object he'd thought was part of her head was some kind of helmet. The little woman actually had short, dark hair done in a page-boy cut that looked surprisingly attractive.
The little speed-freak was having a lot of trouble talking about nothing just now. All she really wanted to talk about was the case. She was the definition of antsy, like a six-year-old wound up on Coca-Cola and chocolate bars. Lucy, who seemed to be used to this, kept up a steady chatter, deflecting Helen from delving into business in a crowded diner. She'd been talking about meeting Mike's family, though she was a little disappointed at the way she'd met Mike's dad.
"So when are you proposing," asked Helen? Mike blushed to his ears, but Helen got the impression he'd been intending it for a time when they weren't being hassled by the Magister, the NPYPD Commissioner, and the US Federal Government. It wasn't if, but when. His embarrassment made Helen giggle. "What about you," asked Lucy? "When's Manny popping the question?" Helen blushed and looked away. "He's not," she muttered.
At Lucy's frown, Helen said, "he won't commit." They'd been together for several years now, and Helen had finally given him an ultimatum. "Sooo, he dumped me," she admitted. Lucy's jaw came open. Helen nodded. "He was nice about it, but he dumped me," she repeated. "Said I was in too big a hurry..." Lucy wanted to bust his jaw. "I...it's ok, Lucy," sighed Helen. "Some things just aren't meant to be. I'm a freak... That's really all there is to it."
An awkward moment ensued, and Mike tried to paper over the damage, announcing, "you're welcome t'stop by and have dinner with us, Helen. Ma's a good cook." "Thanks, Mike," chuckled Helen. "Thanks for trying." Done with her lunch, Helen got up and headed outside. Mike turned to his lady, who was mortified. Taking her hand, he asked, "how're you holding up, babe?" "Pain's subsided some," Lucy admitted. She was no longer having trouble getting up or sitting down, and she could raise her arm up to shoulder height now. "Give it a day," advised Mike. Done with his own breakfast, he said, "let's get at it."
Mike took the wheel again, driving the three of them over the bridge to Flushing and down to the abandoned precinct-house. As promised, there was a facilities van out front with two jokers inside waiting on them. Mike walked right up, flashed his BPD badge, and asked for the keys. The two men couldn't really help staring at Helen as she and Lucy stood in front of the beat-up Chevy.
Knowing Helen was in an emotional low, Mike decided they could do without that. "Yeah," said Mike. "An alien. Gimme the keys and get lost." "Sure, buddy," said the older of the two as he handed them over. "Heat's on. Electricity's on. Internet's down... Some wise-ass broke in and stole some of the wiring." "We can fix it," said Mike. "Thanks." The two drove off, and Mike got the door open, signaling for his two companions to come in.
The station was a bit of a mess, with graffiti on some of the walls and trash strewn across the floor. Discarded bottles suggested that homeless people had lived here. It wasn't pretty. "Let's check out the lockup," suggested Mike. Together, the threesome headed for the basement. "Phew," whistled Helen in her melodious voice. "If we catch any frogs, they're going to love it down here."
The lockup was in good shape, with fresh-paint on the bars and well-maintained locks. "Why's this place abandoned," asked the hybrid? "This is New York. Left hand doesn't know–or care–what the right hand does, Helen," opined Mike. "Some guy got told to come paint the cells... His job's t'paint iron bars, not to ask questions about how long the place is stayin' open..." Sneezing, he said, "let's get out of here. I think we've seen enough."
Coming off the stairs, the trio came face-to-face with the foursome who'd taken Mike to dinner. "Hey, Stack," announced Nick, "what gives?" "Mornin', fellas," replied Mike. "Welcome to your temporary home." The foursome gave him identical looks of nervous puzzlement. "Commissioner Williams asked Lucy and I to take care of a problem," explained Mike. "I asked for you guys as backup." Seeing how they took that, he added, "strictly volunteer. You wanna' leave, you're free to go..."
Tim, who never rushed into anything, immediately agreed. Nick, who rarely looked before he leaped, spent the second longest stretch thinking this through. Reese took longest of all. She had a three year-old kid. Finally, after an interminable wait, the young mother said, "ok... When do we start..."
Lucy announced, "Monday. I need somebody to take me to the evidence lockup so I can see what the frogs had in their pockets. We also need somebody to look up a gangster with the name Chico. Dump the uniforms. We don't want to stand out right now. Helen? Need this place set up. See if the old man will let us borrow Molly and the Alphas." "Right," agreed Helen. "We may need firepower. I'll borrow Blukic and Driba to set up defenses and the containment downstairs. Should take half a day..." "Which should give us just enough time to get to the graduation," said Mike. Handing Helen the keys to the building, he said, "we'll be back at six to get you for dinner. Call me if something comes up in the meantime." "I'll be ok," said Helen. "I'll pop down the street for something. You guys enjoy the party." "You sure," asked Mike? "Get," said Helen sternly!
Mike managed to get them across town to ESU in just a few minutes. "You're piloting skills have improved," said Lucy as they walked into the auditorium. "I've had a good teacher," replied Mike. Standing at the entry, his sharp eyes picked up his mother and aunts up in the balcony seating. Slipping out to the stairs, they went up to the balcony and were delighted to find that Silvia had saved them seats. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it," whispered Mike's mom. It had been close. They missed most of the ceremony, but Val hadn't walked on stage yet.
Now, as the President of the college gave his closing remarks, the class stood up to get their diplomas. One by one, the names got called, and the students went up to the cheers of their friends and family. Mike and Lucy were focused with laser precision on the little brunette sitting at the end of the fifth row. When Valerie Stack got up, the whole family shot to their feet and gave her a standing ovation. When the last student had gotten his diploma and returned to his seat, the students gave each other a tremendous cheer and hurled their hats into the air.
"Bring back any memories, Lucy," shouted Silvia?! "A little," laughed Lucy! They didn't get caps and gowns at the Plumber academy. As the cheering died down, the graduates had the inevitable scramble to locate a cap and tassel to take home. Then they all came trickling out of the auditorium. While they waited to get out of the auditorium, Bill Sr. asked, "how'd that thing go this morning, Mikey?" "Went alright, pop," replied Mike. "We'll be handling the problem from here on." "We," asked Jr.? "Lucy and I," said Mike. His brother grunted something impolite. He didn't seem terribly happy about that development.
When the crowd had thinned enough, the family slipped out of their seats and down the stairs to the exit. Mike got on the phone and called his sister, who reported she was slipping out of the back door. Silvia met her there with the car, and the whole family convoyed back to Silvia's place. Inside, Silvia started the process of laying out dinner, while her family settled around the coffee table. "Gonna' go help your mom, hon," announced Lucy, as she got up and scooted into the kitchen. Valerie got up and followed, giving Mike a hug and a wink on her way.
"Your girlfriend's smokin'," announced Dick, Val's boyfriend. Mike chuckled. Yes, she was. "So what's she really look like," asked Jr.? At his father's questioning look, Mike admitted, "Lucy's an alien, pop. I was looking for a good time to tell you all, but it kinda' came out yesterday when we took her t'the hospital." Bill Sr.'s mouth came open. "Are you tellin' me dat goil...," he stammered? Mike nodded.
"Mikey, are you crazy," asked his dad? "Toldja', pop," replied Mike. "Lucy's the love of my life. Just like she is. No matter what she looks like." "She looks pretty damned good, if you ask me," opined Dick. "Keep tellin' yourself that, bro," retorted Billy. Mike shrugged that off, changing the subject, "sorry if I was a little nasty last night, pop. I was still upset about that thing in the park." Sr. replied, "I understand, son. If it had been your mom, I'd have been that way too." He had been that way when some guy spat on Silvia's shoes. He'd gotten an official reprimand for punching the guy in the jaw, but everybody patted him on the back for it. Disgusted, Jr. announced, "I need a drink." Without a further word, he got up and headed downstairs to his room to grab the bottle of Scotch he had down there, leaving his brother and father upstairs with Val's boyfriend.
"Is he ok," asked Mike? "He's been better, son," muttered Bill Sr. "This thing with Karen's hitting him hard. He doesn't get to see his kids, and he's angry about it." "What happened with the counseling," asked Mike? "I thought he was going to see somebody?" The terms of the custody agreement required him to take counseling for his anger management issues and to start attending AA meetings. "He's got a lot of me in him, son," sighed Sr. "He doesn't like anybody telling him what to do." Mike let the subject drop for the moment, but he couldn't help thinking that his brother was about to make his problems permanent.
Meanwhile, back at Mike's new office, a couple of his new teammates were getting acquainted. "So your name is Helen," rumbled Nick Luchini. "Yeah," said Helen. "That's right." They were pushing brooms around their new digs, cleaning up the worst of the mess. The other three cops had left not long after Lucy and Mike, leaving Nick here alone with the alien girl. He'd decided that he might as well hang out and roll up his sleeves. This was his hometown and his jurisdiction after all.
"So why that name," he asked? Helen frowned at him. "Well, I figured you'd have some unpronounceable name," said Nick. "What? Do you all just take human names?" Helen found herself wanting to cuss him. Her earlier conversation with Lucy and Mike was still bugging her, even if she had asked for it. "C'mon," persisted the cop. "Answer the question..." Helen glared at him. For answer, he gave her a smile. Turning away, Helen said, "my mother gave it to me. Can't ask her why because she's dead." "Sorry," muttered Nick. Helen waved that away. She just wanted him to shut up.
The two of them swept the mess down towards the front door of the precinct house to be collected later. In the middle of sweeping, a giant rat came darting out of one of the piles and ran straight between Helen's legs. "Jesus," shouted the hybrid! One moment she was standing in front of the Captain's office. The next she was clear on the other side of the room. "Did you just teleport," gobbled Nick?! "I ran," panted Helen! "That was the biggest fucking rat I've ever seen..." "Welcome to New York," replied Nick.
She could still see the fucking thing. "Kill it," she shouted! "Kill it quick!" "It's just a rat," said Nick. "Did you really just run across the room?" "Yeah," muttered Helen. "Watch." In the blink of an eye, she'd crossed the room, taken the broom from his hands, and run back to where she started–after running around him a couple of times for good measure. "What the hell are you," stammered Nick? "Kineceleran... Mostly... Sort of...," said Helen. He quirked an eyebrow and asked, "what does that mean? And thanks for stirring up the funk..." "I started out human," sighed Helen. "I was an orphan. Somebody picked me up off the streets and turned me into... this. It was an experiment... I... learned to cope."
Now he knew why she had a human name, and he really felt like an asshole. Glancing away, he said, "sorry about that question... I just assumed." "Not your fault," sighed Helen. "I'm a freak. It is what it is." He wanted to refute that, but the honest truth was that Helen was a freak. There was no getting around it. "Ah," said Nick. "You should enjoy it. Bet you'd be a riot at parties." Her comlink began to beep, and Helen pulled it from her pocket. "Go," she said.
It was Molly. "We just left Bellwood," said the leader of Alpha Team. "We'll be there in an hour. I got Blukic and Driba–and Fergi to ride herd on the two of them." "Roger that," sighed Helen. "See you when I see you." She signed off. "That was Alpha Team," said the Kineceleran. "They're on their way. Be here in an hour with our equipment." "In that case, I'll buy dinner," said Nick. "There's a place up the street. Looks clean." Helen sighed. She was hungry. "Ok," muttered the hybrid.
The restaurant was one of the charming little mom & pop restaurants that New York was famous for. It hardly looked the part of an ethnic hot-spot, reminding Helen more of one of the nasty greasy-spoons she remembered from Bellwood's mean-streets. She and Pierce had eaten in a couple of those places on the owners' charity once upon a time. Surprisingly this place was an Indian eatery, and Helen's nose was stung by the scent of spices the moment she walked through the door.
The owner came out from behind the counter, announcing, "welcome, my friends! Please come and sit down!" He was a large Hindi man with a barrel chest, bald head, and massive arms. His wife, a portly woman dressed in traditional attire, came out to the dining area to take their orders. Helen had just taken off the traditional Kineceleran pointed hat. Nick was surprised to find she had hair–a surprisingly cute page-boy cut framing her narrow face.
The Hindi woman asked, "is there a convention in town...?" Helen pretended like she hadn't heard the question. Nick took the liberty of ordering for both of them. As the old woman headed out back, Nick opened the conversation with his new coworker. "So we didn't really get introduced," said he. "I'm Nick. Nick Luchini." "Helen Wheels," replied the hybrid. "How long have you known Mike," asked Nick? "A year," answered Helen. "What do you think of him," asked Nick? Which was as good as him asking what she thought of him.
Blowing out a breath, Helen apologized, "look... I'm sorry I snapped earlier. It's nothing personal. I've... got some stuff going on in my life, and it makes me... crabby..." Nick waved that away. "Me and the fellas... We're curious is all," said Nick. "You guys are something we see on TV." "Not anymore we're not," laughed Helen. She had a nice laugh, and he said so. "There's one thing that's not freaky about you." Her face darkened, and he realized she was actually blushing.
The old woman came back with their dinner–Chicken in a spicy curry that stung Helen's nose before she even took a bite. Hope I don't regret this, thought the hybrid. Helen took the first bite and found it burned all the way down, but it burned sooo good! "Good," asked Nick? "Yeah," said Helen. "Where you from," asked Nick? "Bellwood, California's the only place I've really known," replied Helen. "Judging by the accent, you're a New Yorker born and raised." "Guilty," laughed Nick. "Any family," asked Nick? "Adopted brother," sighed Helen. "Deceased." Nick winced. It seemed like she had problems on problems. No wonder she was angry.
Changing the subject, Nick asked, "sooo, how fast can you run?" "Ran across a lake, didn't get my feet wet," replied Helen. "Seriously," howled Nick? Shaking his head, he said, "are all aliens like you?" "No," said Helen. "Enough of them are that we have to have countermeasures." "How long you been a cop," he asked? "Two years," Helen replied. "You?" "Six," replied Nick. "They sure give you guys a lot of responsibility." Helen shrugged, "we're the most alpha of alpha personalities, Nick. Every last one of us. Lucy may seem like a sweet kid–like some giggling airhead–but she's done stuff that would scare the shit out of you. I don't know how that man manages because half the Plumbers at this station think she's gonna' check out in a really ugly way some day." Helen wouldn't have married Lucy on a bet.
"W-what does she do," asked Nick? He was nervous now. With a shrug, Helen explained, "she's the Magister's top undercover agent. She's gone deep undercover in places I'd be afraid of storming with an army. She's my best friend, and I think she's crazy as a loon. We... grow up fast because they don't send us to walk a beat, and all of us are involved in this because we basically fought to be in it." Warming to her subject, she said, "I've flown pursuit-ships across Saturn's rings, chasing slavers after they'd raided a village in the Andes mountains. I've stormed an Incursean warship for crossing into neutral space. Stared down an angry Pyronite." That had been her first six months on the job. "Wow," rumbled Nick. It wasn't like putting in a couple years at the academy.
With a sigh, Helen admitted, "there's just not enough of us. They get us young, and they run us until we're ready to croak. The Magister's in his sixties, and I wouldn't be surprised if they keep patching him to keep him going until he's eighty." Strangely, Nick envied her, just like he'd envied Mike. He was bored here in the Big Apple. He was bored out of his mind patrolling the same streets every day, seeing the same people, and doing nothing more strenuous than writing the occasional ticket.
Done with dinner, the two headed back to the precinct house. Helen was calmer now, and Nick thought that maybe he'd made a difference. That's all most people needed after all–somebody to talk to. Halfway down the street, the sound of jet engines overhead announced the arrival of Mike's cavalry. "They make an entrance," whistled Nick as the strange aircraft landed on the roof. Helen laughed, "try not to drool on Molly..." Nick laughed too. The two wasted no time getting back down the street. Helen did the honors of unlocking the door, and they went up the stairs to find a beautiful young woman with cornflower blue eyes and short straw-colored hair. Now Nick knew what Helen meant because Molly was definitely drool-worthy.
"Nick," announced Helen, "I'd like to introduce Molly Gunther. She leads Alpha Team. They take on the tough jobs. Molly, this is Officer Nick Luchini." The two shook hands. Her grip was firm, and her hands work-hardened. She appeared to be the real-deal. "Let's get the Truk unloaded," said Molly. With a nod and a smile, Nick followed the two women up the stairs to the roof.