Since I've been given no reason to stop, might as well keep goin' right? Right on! This chapter (hopefully longer than the last) is going to be full of fun and possible unwanted excitement when it comes to what's bound to happen next. Though I'm starting to get the impression that my gimmick, if not noticed by now, is startin' to get a bit old when it comes to those who actually read what I post. Yeah okay I like to repeat some of the stuff I do okay? Besides I think it's good to try and introduce one's personal works through that of mixing it with another's. And I think I've done pretty good so far don't you? Well I think I have and I'm gonna keep goin' for the sake of it. Disclaimer: all hail the holy Matoh-sama!

"iii" speech

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Chapter 2: Kijika Comes To The 27th

Golden green eyes blinked in curiosity at the new sights before a certain nameless teen following two NYC cops heading for their offices on a cloudy afternoon. Bikky had already gone to school with Carol, her eyes having widened when she learned of how Kijika, out of panic and a slight misunderstanding, had tackled JJ in a perfect headlock. Quiet as ever; the teen in question had patiently seated himself in the back seat of Dee's car as they drove to the station the next day, staring at the sights outside his window with mild interest. Ryo, being the father-like figure, kept a good eye on the teen as they passed through the doors into the building, hoping he wouldn't jump anyone again. Though his edgy behavior worried Ryo, it didn't appear serious enough to get too anxious over. Shrugging it off, the brownish blond cop led the way to their office, making sure that Kijika entered before Dee did, in case he tried to run off somewhere. He was dressed in his own attire, only now his shirt had been sewn and the stain having been thoroughly washed out so no one would get the wrong impression. Looking around the office, Kijika found an open chair and watched as the two settled in for work.

Ironically JJ came crashing in seconds later with a big grin on his face as he once again, like he always did, attempted to glomp Dee. Unfortunately Dee knew the man was coming and just managed to get out of the way, only to have the ecstatic coworker come crashing down to the floor, twitching like road kill. Kijika tentatively stared at the fallen man, using a pencil he'd somehow gotten his hands on to poke the man, all the while keeping his distance. Ryo just sweat dropped while Dee sighed in relief before smiling in victory to himself over outsmarting his would-be admirer. The man soon rose to leave, crying quietly at his all too clear rejection as he went to his own work that had to be done by his hand. Ted and Drake came by a bit later, telling the two cops of a meeting with the chief that they needed to get to, forcing them to leave the teen by himself in their office. "You stay here Kijika. We'll be back when the meeting's over okay?"

The teen smiled and nodded at Ryo, who smiled back in turn before shutting the door behind them. Office now empty except for him, the teen slowly looked around at his newfound area of exploration. Making sure no one was watching or would walk in on him, he got up and started to sift through papers, files, and cabinets along with drawers, curious eyes memorizing everything there was to be seen or what he'd found. Finishing this course of 'suspicious' activity, he found himself bored again and sitting in a chair doing nothing wasn't hitting the spot. I could leave and take a look around… no I promised that Ryo guy that I'd stay here until their meeting was over. Looks like I'll have to find something to do while they're gone.

Diana Spacey, lovely agent of the FBI, and constant visitor to the 27th Precinct of New York City, confidently walked the tiled halls, heading straight toward Dee and Ryo's office room. Dressed to kill and ready for anything, the blond woman laid a manicured hand on the door handle and swung it open to see something she hadn't expected at all. The shock of the sight led to her screaming at the top of her feminine lungs, bringing all of the men within range (including those meeting with the Chief) running to see what was the matter. What they found only made them anime fall or sweat drop, all but a few walking away grumbling while the rest watched as Diana squealed her head off over an unfortunate teenager. Kijika, the teenager in question, had simply found a book to read amidst all the things in the office and had sat down in his chair to read it only to have some strange but beautiful woman walk in and go fan girl crazy. Now he was being swung around like a rag doll as the said woman squealed and cooed at him, making him dizzy and unable to escaped her clutches. "He's so CUTE!" she squealed again as she swung the poor boy one way then the other in her excitement. Lucky for Kijika, Ryo came to his rescue.

"Diana! Please! Put him down! You're going to make him sick!" the man pleaded even as the woman stopped to obey, only then seeing the error in her actions. Kijika, who was now limp and unbearably nauseous, tried to clear his spinning head as his vision still proved blurry and faded. Trying to stand on his own two feet also proved to be a futile attempt as he felt gravity kick in, causing him to fall to the floor in a daze. But to everyone else, he looked unusually pale and shaky before he fell to the ground in a heap of lifeless limbs. Ryo kneeled down to turn the boy over and maybe pick him up off the floor, only to find a red blotch coming up from underneath the teen's shirt. He froze before turning to Dee in a panic. "Get the first aid kit! And call an ambulance! We need to get him to the hospital!"

The other cop didn't need to be told twice as he ran to find a phone, Ted running off in search of the first aid kit since Dee couldn't do two things at once. Diana could only stand in shock at what'd just occurred. Wasn't the kid just fine a few seconds ago? Was it something she'd done? Or had she only made it worse? Not knowing what to think, Diana could only watch as Ryo picked the boy up off the floor in search of a better place to treat the newly discovered issue.

Floating back to consciousness, Kijika blinked at the white ceiling above him, trying to recall how he'd ended up in what he could smell to be a hospital. Sitting up and looking around, he found himself shirtless once again and Ryo in the visitor's chair next to the bed. An IV in his arm and new stitches in his side, Kijika decided it was high time to alert the snoozing Ryo that he was awake. Much to his amusement, all he had to do was poke the man in the forehead, making him twitch and groan. Blinking sleepily Ryo raised his head to meet gazes with his charge who just smiled in amusement. "Oh you're awake! I'll go tell Diana that you're okay. She'll be thrilled to know how you are."

The teen nodded, the smile remaining as the man left him alone again. He knew this was getting old and fast. People kept leaving him behind and he was tired of it. Hopefully I'll be of better use next time. I hope that no one will leave me in the dust anymore. He thought as he lay back down, reveling in the comfort of the standard hospital bed. Feeling sleepy again even though he just woke up, Kijika felt his eyes slip and close, entering the world of darkness and slumber over light and consciousness.

Meanwhile in the hallway just outside the room, Diana, Dee and various others sighed in relief upon learning that their new friend was all right and would be released some time soon. "What exactly caused him to bleed like that anyway? I know for a fact that I didn't do any real damage to him." The FBI agent demanded, hoping to heaven above that not all of this was her fault to a certain degree. Thankfully Ryo's response calmed her. "According to Dee, he was like that when he popped out of nowhere last night. I didn't meet him until I got home and by then Dee had dealt with whatever kind of wound that is. Why it would reopen like it did I've no idea but I hope that it's not infected or something. The doctors say he just needed a few stitches and some extra sleep to make up for the loss of blood, which surprisingly wasn't much."

"So can they say just what kind of wound it is? It's kinda big to be some weird paper cut and I doubt that some stray dog attacked him. The kid's too big to fall victim to one of those mother fuckers. And by the way he tackled JJ last night I'm surprised that it didn't open back up 'til just now." Drake reasoned with his lazy drawl from where he stood in the hall. Diana, her curiosity perked, spoke up with a confused expression on her face. "What do you mean he tackled JJ? If he'd done that then why didn't he defend himself against me? Why didn't he say anything?"

"Because he can't. We think it's some kind of post dramatic shock or what have you. He's pretty much well behaved for a teenager and the only reason he put JJ in a headlock is because the guy came through the front door uninvited and kinda unannounced thus resulting in his reaction." Dee growled as he sipped his coffee, waving a hand at the woman in his usual nonchalant manner. "Besides, he was waiting in our office for when we came back from our staff meeting with the Badger. I don't think he expected to get attacked by an employee in a public area, let alone a female FBI agent to say the least."

"Huh. So that must mean that his reactions are set on his surroundings? That's one perceptive kid you found there. But the question is: who is he and where did we come from?" the woman pondered aloud while looking into the room, watching as the teen seemed to shift and roll over, presenting his back to them. As the conversation around her moved on, she couldn't help but stare at what was on his back, resting like a second skin on top of his shoulder blades. A pair of silvery blotches marred his pale skin, running from his shoulder line almost to the end of his spine that was hidden by cloth and shadow. Right on top of these strange marks was a tattoo of extreme intricate design, color and beauty done only by a master: a wolf/fox-like creature standing proudly with the speckled wings of a hawk stretching across his shoulder blades, the tail curled in a majestic manner just beneath the nape of his neck. Eyes almost like living fire, standing out from the dark fur in bright yellow, stared off at nothing before she could swear they moved to look right at her.

The day was passing slowly, too slowly for Bikky Goldman's taste. He could swear the teacher was stretching his lecture on purpose and that the clock was busted even when the second hand moved around like it was supposed too. Needless to say, the blond boy was bored out of his mind and he couldn't wait to get out and see out Kijika was doing. Carol had said she'd been worried about his injury that and Lass had already approached him about coming over with Lai to check on the strange teen as a group. He could only smile at how people jumped when the bell finally rang, the teacher yelling out their new assignments for next week. Almost literally jumping through the halls, Bikky scanned the crowds for Carol and Lass who might've already found Lai some time before hand. It took him a few minutes but he grinned and waved, calling out above the din before jumping down from a lower level to zig zag through the crowd with ease, reaching them within seconds. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah dude let's head out already! I want to see if I can't win against him this time!" Lai demanded with a chuckle as they passed the school fences out into the busy street of New York. Clouds still a dangerously dark shade of gray, hanging like solid shadows over the big city as the quartet strolled along the sidewalks toward Ryo's apartment building a few streets away. The wind suddenly picked up, making the girls and several other women around them cry out in surprise, books dropping to the ground in an attempt to keep their skirts from flying up. Bikky and Lai moved to pick up the dropped items, making sure their gazes were pointed away from trouble as they finished. Just as they got to their feet, someone crashed headlong into Lai, sending them both to the ground with a loud thud and a cough. The new person quickly rolled off the other teen, gasping for air as he asked. "Aw dude I'm sorry. You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. You should watch where you're goin' there man."

"I know. Sorry. Here let me—ah!" the stranger yelped when he tried to get up, clutching his leg with a face contorted with pain. It was obvious he'd sprained or twisted it before or during their tumble, the wind still not letting up as they managed to get a better look at him: light brown hair came over his head in lazy spikes, cool grey eyes squinted in pain, marring a smooth face. His jacket was a chocolate brown, t-shirt a sandy tan while his pants were just a pair of baggy blue jeans. A messenger bag hung limp by its strap from his shoulder, thankfully its contents firmly trapped inside. His hat, a black baseball cap with some kind of lettering on it in white, lolled on the ground in the gusts that swept passed them before Lass went to pick it up and dust it off. Letting out a word of thanks the teen stuck the cap on his head backwards before taking Bikky's hand offered in assistance. Pulling himself up the teen managed to hop over to a nearby bus bench where he sat down with a sigh of relief. He watched as they collected their things before joining him at the bench, his eyes questioning them all the way through. "I'm really sorry. Weren't you on your way somewhere? No need to worry about me honest! I'll just flag a cab and get to the hospital that way."

"No way dude. We're gonna get you there ASAP. Besides, the one for the cops is just around this corner so it won't take long to get you there. Right guys?" Lai insisted, looking to his friends for support who instantly responded to the question. Sighing with a tired smile, the teen finally caved. "Since you insist. But I don't think we've introduced ourselves! Should I go first or do you want to?"

"Oh that's okay! I'm Lai, that's Bikky, and those two are Carol and Lass. Who might you be?" the Chinese teen inquired as the opposite's smile widened with sincerity. "Gayle's the name while part-time jobs and crashing into people are my game!"

This, of course, brought them all a good laugh or two as Lai and Bikky moved to support their new acquaintance to the Bronx Precinct hospital, right where our other participants of this interesting story were awaiting Kijika's release from the clutches of the white coats and their fearsome needles. Kijika, who was newly awakened but still a bit on the sleepy side, stood between Dee and Ryo as Diana continued to apologize for her mistake and unnecessary actions upon the wounded teen. Of course the poor guy was only half listening since he was still a bit numb from the sedatives that'd been put into his systems during his much needed operation. Eyes half-mast, his expression obviously drowsy and his step a drunk's stumble, Ryo finally waved the woman off so he could cart the boy to the car where he instantly flopped over in the backseat. Telling the chief that he'd be taking the boy home to watch over him, Ryo started the car and headed toward home just as Bikky, Lai and the girls came around the corner with their new responsibility limping in between them.

Dee, left to deal with what few had stayed behind, soon noticed the quartet with their new charge between them heading toward a room close by. A doctor and a nurse went inside, the nurse shooing the four out as the woman shut the door behind them. The doctor came out a few minutes later, saying something that they seemed to sigh in relief about and thanking the man before walking away only to bump into a certain jet-black haired cop. "What are you four doin' here? I thought you were gonna head straight to Ryo's place after school?"

"We were but the guy we brought it knocked into us and twisted his ankle so we brought him here. Come to think of it, why are you here you pervert?" Bikky asked in a suspicious manner, sticking out his tongue even when the man looked like he wanted to beat the shit out of the kid. "I'm just here 'cause Diana got a bit too rough with Kijika when she met him. Reopened that damn wound of his but no worries he's fine." He said reassuringly, the four sighing their relief as the man continued. "Ryo just left with him to see if the poor kid can't get any real shuteye. Be careful though. Poor dude's not even half awake thanks to that stuff they gave him when they needed to numb him up for stitches."

"Gotcha. See ya at dinner Dee!" Bikky called as the four jogged down the hall and out the front doors. The man could only smile as they left, randomly reminiscing his own teenage years before the chief nearly yelled at him to move since he alone now had to not only finish both their work but clean up whatever mess Diana's ecstatic tumble with Kijika had created. Grumbling at the thought of more work than he cared to receive, the NYC cop stomped his way out of the hospital and back into the Precinct where he silently cursed a certain blond woman of the ever-annoying FBI.

Ryo couldn't help but sweat drop when Kijika walked into another wall, his face blank and sleepy and his eyes unfocused with unnatural fatigue. Though he'd come to avoid things like tables and counters, his bane turned out to be walls and doors, a few of which causing him to fall to the floor in a heap before he managed to pick himself up and keep walking. The cop couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy but decided to let him be as he turned his attention to getting dinner ready. Unfortunately he was distracted again by yet another loud thump, only this time voices followed it. Instantly concerned, Ryo jogged out of the kitchen to the front hall to find Kijika slowly sitting up with a sleepy expression still on his face while Carol and Lass scolded Bikky for not being cautious enough in opening the front door. The culprit, on the other hand, was rightfully protesting to having been guilty in the slightest and how he didn't know the other boy was there in the first place. "Had I known I'd have opened it slower now would I?" he growled, giving both girls a miffed look even though they looked a bit skeptical. "Hey Bikky! Just in time for you to help me with dinner."

"Hey Ryo. Why is Kijika up and walking around? Dee told us he had to get stitches today after meeting Diana." The boy inquired as he helped the fallen one to his feet, whom to his surprise walked away in a drunken stumble in some random direction. "I tried to get him to lie down but for some reason he feels the need to walk it off instead of sleeping it off. I'm pretty sure he knows to collapse on the couch when it all becomes too much for him but right now that's not the issue. How did you find that out anyway? I don't remember seeing you at the hospital."

"Oh Dee said that you'd just left with Kijika when we got there on the way home. You see, this guy callin' himself Gayle bumped into us and twisted his ankle so we took him to the hospital since it was close by in the first place." The teen explained to his guardian as they moved into the kitchen/dining room, their voices fading off as Kijika stood unnoticed around one of the hallway corners. Something about Bikky's story had caught his attention, thus reawakening his drugged brain as he thought back to the odd but all too familiar scent that'd been hanging onto all four of the other teens. That must mean the guys are lookin' for me but they still don't know where I am. The ankle accident is Gayle's favorite m.o. and his routine is too genuine for them to notice anything odd about it. I can only guess that he caught my scent from them somehow and knew I'd get a whiff of it when they got back. I just hope I can send them a response before somebody gets too edgy and gets noticed by the public. Gah. I'm too sleepy. I think I'll worry about this later. Letting the fatigue kick back in and the heavy-eyed expression returning to his face, Kijika stumbled to the living room couch to finally sleep the anesthetics off like he knew he should have in the first place. And as expected, he nearly broke his nose on a wall on the way.

He'd been in the examination room for almost an hour and it was really starting to bite at his nerves. The pain having ebbed away with the crappy magic of time and patience, Gayle couldn't help but feel like banging his head against a wall in frustration about how the doctor who he was destined to meet was taking his sweet old time coming around to take a look at his injured limb. Anger and distaste threatened to take his thoughts in an unwanted direction on what he'd do to the man if he ever showed up at all if ever but he fought off the urge to snap his neck as soon as he walked into the room. It'd been almost a good hour and a half, and the doctor was supposed to have come in some five minutes after he got in there. Seeing an extra pair of crutches sitting in a corner, ready for use, Gayle decided not to turn down the invite. Making sure no one was going to walk in on him, he managed to slip off the table, using his good leg and the table for support as he hopped over, leaning so that he wouldn't fall as he tried to grab the counter with his free hand. Finally grabbing it (even though if can't exactly move) the teen quickly hopped over and brought his weight down on the structure. Careful not to bother his aching leg, Gayle started his annoyingly long journey toward his new goal. It took him a few minutes but he grinned to himself when he finally got a hold on the crutches, getting one then the other before doing something he wished he'd done not an hour ago: leave! Or at least he was about too if not for the stranger blocking his path: tall with jet black hair, eyes of deep green, strong stance, loose but comfortable clothes and a bad boy expression with a cop badge on his belt, to boot. Blinking innocently at this strange occurrence, Gayle decided it was high time to play dumb. "Can I help you officer?"

"Yeah. You can tell me why you really bumped into a few friends of mine before you got here this afternoon. And also why you're attempting to leave this room." Said cop growled with a 'no lying and no trouble' expression that told Gayle to watch what he said or be in some really big shit. "Not too much there sir. Just about to look for a nurse so that doctor who was supposed to show up can look at my leg so we can all go home. Fair enough for you officer?"

Eyes narrowed a bit from suspicion, said cop still nodded with a grunt. "Yeah that's good enough. I'll go find that lazy doctor for you so sit tight will ya?" not in the mood for taking no for an answer, Dee walked away with his hands lazily stuffed into his pockets, down the hall and around a corner, scanning the place for said doctors. Once he was out of sight, Gayle let out the breath that he was holding, looking left and right in search of life. For some odd reason, all of the halls were unusually empty, everything deathly still unlike most hospitals during the day. Just by looking he could tell something was wrong, and letting the cop leave had been a bad idea. Something's up around here… or someone in particular. I just hope all those people are okay. And that cop, I need to find him before he gets himself into something he definitely won't understand at all. This is turning out to be a real headache. Not letting his thoughts stray from the situation at hand, Gayle quietly shut the door behind him and went in search for the cop he hoped wouldn't get into something nasty.

Dee calmly walked the halls of the East Bronx hospital, knowing full well it was too early for the night shifts to start anytime soon. That and his coworkers had vanished a bit too soon which meant either they left him behind and didn't tell him, or they got called to do something elsewhere. Either way he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong considering he couldn't find anyone at all. And he could swear that the p.a. system had been shut off for some reason since no calls were being made like some minutes before hand. A bit suspicious, he felt like it was the Hale bomb incident all over again only this time it was a hospital and not Bikky's school that was gonna blow. His eyes surveyed all within his range, looking over cots, carts of equipment, message boards and a nurse's station that was devoid of anyone except files and phones. A click caught his attention, dodging as scalpels and surgery scissors flew through the air and sticking into the opposite wall. Rolling expertly as more were sent in his direction, piercing the tile floor as a few nurses and a doctor trudged out of a nearby room, wielding scalpels and syringes like daggers, IV poles like spears. "What the hell?" he called to them in anger and confusion, only to be silenced by their expressions: blank and unfocused, as if sleep walking with their eyes open, gazes completely devoid of any consciousness whatsoever. One of them was about to throw some more scalpels his way when something came flying over him and got the woman in the face.

The crutch had scaled the distance shortly and sweetly, Gayle using the remaining one to 'run' to the cop's aid, stopping to bring it up and swing it at the remaining people, getting them all in the sides of the head. A few of them fell while the rest just stumbled like the zombies they appeared to be, giving Gayle time to pick up the lost crutch and head back toward the stunned officer and ask. "You okay?"

Dee was in a state of shock. He didn't know what just happened or let alone why but all that he knew was some strange teen had just kicked the crap out of a bunch of adults without even sweating. Unaware that the kid was talking to him, Dee could only gape at what had just happened to a bunch of innocent people. "Hey!" the teen's voice woke him up, making him look and see a stern face looking down in concern at him, a hand extended despite being barely able to stand himself. "You okay Blue Boy?"

"Uh yeah. I'm fine but… what just happened here? What'd you do to them?" Dee stammered as he accepted the hand and got to his feet while the ones still standing began their trudge toward them. Spotting this, one of the crutches flew again, making them fall like flies to lie on the floor obviously unconscious. The teen was really trying to breathe now. "Damn this is tiresome. C'mon cop. I can't keep this up all day ya know. I'd love to stay here but we gotta get outta here and now."

"What? What for? And why'd you attack those people? Who are you anyway?" Dee growled; standing his ground while Gayle just looked like he was about collapse right where he stood. Glaring back hard enough to make Dee start, Gayle looked him right in the eye, speaking in a stone cold voice. "We don't have time to argue right now but if you want to become one of them fine. You can stay here and become mindless and controlled. But if you want to know what the hell's goin' on then we need to leave. I'd go but I'm not exactly in my best condition to get out by myself. Now grab the crutch and help me walk 'cause dammit I'll be damned if you get just like they have."

Blinking but deciding not to argue, he quickly grabbed the fallen crutch and handed it back to the youth, following him away from the scene just as one or two of the fallen employees started to get back up, their expressions still blank and lifeless. Flinching at the aching pain in his leg but not wanting to slow down, Gayle moved as fast as his arms would allow, Dee walking at the same pace beside him with a questioning look on his face. Stopping in a cross section between halls, Gayle looked in all available directions before turning to Dee. "Hey which way's the lobby? The front doors' out best bet from what I figure."

"What if more of those zombie guys are there? What then?"

"The ones responsible aren't that stupid. From what I can tell they only targeted a single part of the hospital to make things less obvious. Doing more than that would be stupid and noticeable. Besides, surprisingly enough, it's me they're after but their hold here's disgustingly weak so getting out unnoticed won't be a problem."

"Wait. What? Who's after you? And what do you mean 'hold'? Start talkin' kid or I ain't goin' nowhere." Dee growled defiantly, looking really confused now while Gayle just sighed in defeat. This is getting nowhere fast. Gotta think of somethin'. Okay. "Tell you what: if we both get outta this in one piece and without getting too much public attention I'll tell you as much as I can with whomever you trust the most or at least those you think should know about this whole thing. But until then all we can do is bust heads and hope that this whole place isn't totally corrupt. Capice?"

Weighing his options and thinking it over (Dee can think like a human? Who knew?), the cop finally nodded. "Yeah I gotcha. Oh and the name's Dee."

"I'm Gayle. Now let's go." Without another word he started to make his way to the right, where he last remembered the lobby to have been. Dee held back for a few seconds to watch their backs, and upon finding nothing, jogged to walk next to Gayle like before. Much to his surprise and utmost astonishment, he found the lobby filled with people like always, some chatting while others worked on various pieces of paperwork on their way to their stations. Gayle leaned toward him a bit to whisper. "Don't react. They don't know what's happened on our end. Only those where we were got taken over so these people are in the dark. Just let it roll and head toward the door, I'll be right behind you. Nice and slow."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Now move before they think you're sick too." He said and emphasized it with a nudge, nearly making him trip but straightened up enough to look normal. Gayle edged to the side of the room, away from everyone's eyes, moving with expert ease and innocence toward the front doors. Dee, not far behind, made sure no one saw him get right beside the teen again as they exited the building like nothing had happened at all. Just their luck, JJ and Chief Smith were still hanging around the front steps, obviously waiting on Dee to leave the place. Perking at the sight of him, the chief spoke first. "Hey Dee where the hell have you been? We've been waitin' on ya. And who's the kid that's with ya?"

"No time. We need to leave. Now." Dee barked, leaving no room for questions as he headed for his own car, the chief getting in the passenger's side while JJ and Gayle scrambled to get into the back seat. Quickly whipping out his keys Dee started the car and hit the road, making the proper turns toward the precinct some distance away. The teen groaned when JJ hit his leg by accident as they took a hard turn, biting his lip against the pain even as the man apologized. The chief looked back at the teen then at Dee, obviously wondering what the hell was going on but chose not to ask since the man was driving on some busy streets. Yells of surprise filled the car when Dee spun the wheel to avoid getting hit by a wayward car, hitting the gas and speeding off without even bothering to see if the other driver was all right. Turning a few more corners, the 27th Precinct building in the southeastern Bronx came into view, Dee quickly finding a spot, shutting the car off and turning to Gayle. "Will they come here too?"

"Nah. We're good. They can be real dumb asses sometimes but they're not that stupid. I think people would notice if cops just up and started actin' funny, especially in broad daylight. They won't come for us here." the teen said as he moved to get out of the car, wincing as his leg sent him another wave of agony. Exiting the car as well, the chief started to give Dee the fist in the face. "You better start explainin' what the hell's goin' on Laytner or your ass is fired!"

"I would sir but this kid's the only one who can really say. But I can say we gotta get everybody together and fast, or things might get too far over our heads than they already are." Dee said coolly, but the stern expression on his face was the most convincing and thankfully it was enough to get the chief to back off. "All right. Call up your partner and I'll get the boys together. JJ you follow me and you," he growled as he turned to Gayle who was just trying to keep the pain off his face. "You got some talkin' to do."

"No worries man. This bird's gonna sing. No doubt." He confirmed with a nod, sighing in relief as the man walked away and Dee whipped out his cell phone. Much to his chagrin, JJ departed with his usual goodbye. "See you later Mr. Sexy!" smiling innocently as his said it before jogging to catch up with the older man while Dee just stood with a dangerously pissed off look on his face. Gayle looked between them, sincerely confused by this unusual label given to his temporary partner by the obviously quirky officer that he apparently was forced to work with. "Mr. Sexy?"

"Don't even ask. He likes me too much but I hate his guts so leave it be k?" Gayle just shrugged in response, opening his door again to use the back seat as a resting spot while Dee listened to the dial tone on his phone, waiting for Ryo to pick up. Much to his relief he heard it click and a familiar voice came from the other side. "Hello?"

"Ryo! It's Dee. You need to get over to the precinct ASAP. We've got a situation that I think you should come listen in on. How soon can you get here?"

"Oh just give me ten minutes or so. I'll be over there as soon as I can. See you then." Ryo's voice sounded surprised but concerned that something was wrong. Oh very wrong. Dee thought as he grunted and hung up. As he pocketed the device, he turned to find Gayle staring at him with a thoughtful look on his face. "What? What're you starin' at?"

"Your love life must suck if you're pinning over some other guy when another's jumpin' all over ya. Stinks to be you doesn't it?" Gayle said with a playful smirk, Dee trying not to blush as he raised a fist in the teen's direction. "Ryo and me are together dammit and just 'cause JJ isn't givin' up don't mean I'm gonna give him the time o' day okay? Now bug off you!" he snapped angrily as Gayle just lazily waved a hand before grabbing his crutches and getting to his feet. "Chill dude. Just an observation is all. No need to get your pants in a twist sheesh. You're louder than the guy I'm lookin' for right now."

This instantly caught Dee's attention. He's lookin' for someone and dealin' with zombie like people? What the hell? "Who you lookin' for? Someone you wanna kill?"

Gayle just scoffed with a twitching smirk. "He's annoying sometimes but not that annoying. Though sometimes you gotta fight the urge to strangle him ya know? Not like Mr. Lover Boy whom you've proven to hate with a vengeance but like little kid annoying if ya know what I'm talkin' about."

Dee couldn't help but think of a certain black kid with blond hair who was annoying as Hades when he was younger (and probably still is), especially after he first met the brat. Eyebrow twitching and a strained smile on his face, Dee simply said. "Oh yeah. I know all about that."

Gayle, kinda confused by the man's expression, just shrugged again before heading toward the precinct doors, stopping only to look back at the man. "Hey you comin' or not?"

"Yeah, yeah." Dee grumbled as he closed up and locked his car, moving to walk beside the teen in case he needed help walking.

Some distance away, Ryo prepared to leave again for work, telling Bikky and friends to look after the still disoriented Kijika while he was gone. Calling out affirmatives to this command, the teens gathered into the living room with their homework and other things so they could easily deal with their new friend should he need something or go wrong. With some help from Lai and debating on answers, they soon finished within a good half hour of guard duty over the drowsy teen barely conscious on the couch next to them, his normally perceptive eyes staring blankly at nothing. A deck of cards soon appeared and a few games were played, some rounds won, others lost as things flowed casually. When the cards weren't enough, they turned to the television that they kept at a fair volume to avoid irritating Kijika. Choosing a channel that they all agreed on, the four teens settled in, their focus completely on the screen, laughing or arguing over what'd just occurred, simply enjoying themselves. Of course, the foul weather decided to ruin it all by starting to rain and making the image go unbearably fuzzy. Cursing under his breath Bikky got up and started fiddling with the controls only to prove useless. A rustle, though quiet but still not gone unnoticed, brought Carol and Lass's attention to Kijika who'd sat up, looking around a tad bit confused. "Lie back down Kijika. You're not fully recovered yet!" one of the girls pleaded but was met with a blank, sleep filled gaze that showed no sign of hearing her.

Turning to the noisy box however did his expression change: eyebrows furrowing to show confusion, his mouth working even when nothing came out as he seemed to be trying to complain about the TV. Ignoring their protests he got up and headed toward a closet, surprisingly not bumping into any walls there and back with a tool kit he'd somehow tracked down. Apparently only half awake at the moment, Kijika gently pushed Bikky away from the machine and surveyed it amply before shutting it off and going behind it, popping the back off to stare almost sleepily at all the wires and bulbs that made up its mechanic intestine. Showing no hesitation or actual thought, he seemed to dive right in began tinkering around regardless of protests sent his way. Somehow getting the antenna detached and its wires free of nearly all restraints, they could hear buzzes and crackles coming from behind the television, bright lights flashing for seconds at a time before the teen got up and went into the kitchen.

He came back a minute or two later with some wires he'd tracked down before vanishing behind the TV again. Soon after did he appear again, only this time to put the back of the television back on, leave to put the wire and tools away, come back with the same sleepy expression on his face, and turned the TV back on. Ignoring their looks of shock, Kijika trudged past them and lay down on the couch, pulled the blankets over himself before rolling over and passing out cold. Their mouths hung open as the channel they'd been watching came through with surprising clarity and perfect sound as before the rain started to fall. Not knowing what to do or say, they simply sat back down in silence before nervously switching back to their regular routine all the while glancing at their sleeping friend in curiosity.

Meanwhile at the precinct, Ryo quickly walked through the doors and toward one of the conference rooms dressed in the same suit as before, opening and closing the door in haste, nodding to his fellow coworkers and giving his partner (in more than one way) Dee a questioning look. Instead of answering, he gave the person he didn't notice at upon entering the thumb, Ryo quickly switching faces to look the new one over. Deep eyes of cool gray, straight and clean features though a little pale but not tanned, baseball hat positioned to face backwards so all could see him clearly, his short light brown hair sticking out in a natural fashion as he surveyed the room patiently. Finding he had a new observer who was sitting next to Dee no less, he blinked then smirked, waving from where he sat holding a pair of crutches in his hands. Confused at this, Ryo leaned a bit to see the teen's left leg covered by a plastic bag filled with ice, one of his shoes sitting nearby next to a messenger bag flopped limply on the floor. About to open his mouth in question he was forced to shut it and take his seat again as Chief Smith and Commissioner Rose entered with Diana Spacey on their heels, the chief shutting the door with a huff. Making sure all the windows were closed and that the blinds were shut tight, the chief turned toward the teen, stabbing a finger as a vein or two pulsed on the man's forehead as he growled. "Okay you little punk! You better start talkin' or I'm gonna throw you into a jail cell for wastin' our time!"

Not even perturbed by the man's outburst in any manner the teen just looked around the room quite carefully: Dee and Ryo sat next to Ted and Drake, JJ, Diana and Berkeley on the opposite side with the chief on the far opposite side of the table. A bit satisfied somehow but still a bit wary he turned to Dee. "Is this all of them? Every single one?"

"Yup you betcha. So spill before the Badger has a heart attack." He said only to get whacked on the head by the chief's fist as the teen just nodded, his face suddenly grim in nature. "Before I start, do any of you have any questions you'd like to ask other than 'what the hell's goin' on?' or 'who's this crazy ass punk?'."

They sat in stunned silence as the teen just stared back with the same expression on his face, his eyes slowly passing over them all before Berkeley broke the hush with a nervous cough. "You sir?" the teen said, turning his gaze toward the man as he shifted in his seat. "Just what is your name anyway? You've given us so little details on yourself and I think that's where we should start first."

The teen just smirked with a nod as he answered quite coolly. "Well if you must insist on knowing me better, my name's Gayle but I think the pretty Ms. Spacey who's sitting next to you knows me better than anyone in this room. Right Diana?"

All turned to the federal agent as she obviously sat there staring at the teen, waiting for her brain to pull his face out of the many that were trapped inside. The whole room jumped in surprise when she leaped out of her seat, one hand slamming onto the table surface while the other stabbed in Gayle's direction as she stammered in absolute bewilderment. "N-NEWMAN (1)!!"

"Yes hello Diana. How are you? It's been awhile hasn't it? Looking lovely as ever I see. I'd been wondering if you've been told to follow the dress code yet but oh so apparently not. Aw how cute. You're angry. Whatever for?" he said playfully, all the while smirking, still unaffected by the distinct emotional upset being sent his way.

"Like hell I'm angry! I'm PISSED! Where the hell have you been all this time? And what the fuck is you doing here? In NEW YORK! Dammit Newman! You know how to piss a girl off don't ya?"

"Don't we all?" he said coolly before his face turned grim again. "But right now that's not the point. One of my guys is missin' and he was last known to be in this area and this very district no less. The boys back at my place are gettin' worried that he got hit by someone and is lyin' in a gutter somewhere. We had to lock his brother up to keep him from goin' on a rampage and startin' some kind of spree."

"It's really that bad?"

"Lady. With him it's always bad. He's got the fuse of a five second time atomic bomb so he's always gonna be violent one way or another."

"What kind of room did you put him in?" JJ asked, fairly curious now though the answer made him regret ever asking. "A place strong enough to keep King Kong indoors for months. If we're lucky he'll be in there for a week tops."

"He was really that mad? What is he? Goliath's cousin? How was he doin' when you left your place?" Diana inquired, he expression sincerely concerned now that Gayle was willfully chatting away like the bird he seemed to be.

"Tryin' to break it down. Duh. I think he might've put a few dents in it by now since I haven't found squat in almost twelve hours. He's gonna skin me alive."

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that."

"You and me too sister." Gayle said with a sigh, bags starting to appear under his eyes as he slumped a bit in his chair, ignoring the stares he was getting from everyone else in the room. Ryo, curious and wanting to break the new silence, gave Diana an inquiring look as he asked. "Diana? You know him?"

"Unfortunately yeah I do. This guy and a few buddies o' his have been known to be a bit helpful if not troublesome in closing a few of the FBI's cases. He and his friends are a kinda on the secretive side but they have their uses. When you can find them at least."

"Well gee! Sorry if L.A. wasn't all that entertaining. Movin' around a time or two won't kill nobody anytime soon Diana now will you just chill? Damn. And to think my head was just startin' to hurt."

"All right then Gayle. Do tell us what the hell's goin' on here that's soo important for you to be sitting in this room." Diana said in a demanding tone, sitting back in here chair, arms crossed with an expectant look on her face. Sighing, just knowing he was in a corner on this one, Gayle spoke again. "Finding the guy I'm lookin' for is more important right now and that should be our main focus. He can be pretty good by himself but with his mentality I don't think he'll enjoy being alone for long. On top of that, we suspect he's the one they're after. We can't let anything happen to him no matter what."

"Who is this guy and who's they? Sing bird boy. You said you'd sing now you gotta sing the whole number." The chief said, taking his own turn in getting out of his seat in rage, veins pulsing all over his head as Gayle rummaged through one of his coat pockets, balancing the crutches against the table as he fiddled around looking for what they had no idea. Finally pulling his hand out of one of his pockets, he sifted through some folded pieces of paper which he put aside at random before coming across the one thing he needed the most: a photograph. "Here we are! Take a look at this. He should be right in front."

Curious, they all leaned forward to take a gander at the photo, which was still in surprisingly good condition, the scene and its contents oddly simple and without anything all that special. It was just a group gathered in front of classic car, obviously renewed with all new original parts. Surprisingly it was a navy blue Model T 1964 Ford Mustang, clean and ready to roll, a few others parked not too far away in varying colors. But what attracted the most attention was the crowd gathered in front of the new car: one being Gayle, in a mechanic's suit and baseball cap on backwards, another male but his face was covered in oil and such but his eyes were a darker shade of gray and his hair was a bit longer than Gayle's. Another stood close by as well, slightly Hispanic but still pale enough to have other origins. But the last two were what caused the most uproar out of the group: standing side by side, one looking grouchy and ready to kill something, the other smiling his head off, stood two identical teens with short brown hair, golden green eyes and smooth features to boot. All couldn't help but call out:

"KIJIKA?!?"

My god that took forever! I thought I'd never finish this! My fingers! They hurt! The reviews better be worth the work! And much to my surprise, this story's actually more popular than I thought. Either that people are just going 'hey what's this? I wonder what it says? Oh look this is nothing but crap. I'm never clicking on this again'. Seriously people don't do that to me. It's just mean but if people really are interested, then this thing's gettin' 60 somethin' hits and counting! This has got to be really good or some critics must be pretty damn bored to so much as look at what I've posted. Yeah I'm feelin' the love people, I'm feelin' it. Ah geez we have a note to deal with don't we? Damn I rant too much. Oh well. Here it is then:

1) Newman: if I was gonna chose this guys last name (which I honestly forgot to do) then I'd have no other option than this one 'cause all the others I chose sounded crappy and overused by other writers either that or they're just too damn common. So much for those names. But this one fits just fine I guess. Gayle Newman. Sounds about right don't it?

Thank heaven there was just one and only one note to deal with or I'd be screwed! And possibly once again I've jinxed myself. I don't know. I've probably done that enough for them to counter each other a few times by now but who cares. I finished this chapter dammit. And man is it longer than the last one. I hate posting short chapters. Makes me feel lazier than I really am. Okay. Enough rambling.

Next chapter:

Chapter 3: Bikky and Lai Strike Back!

Things may've gotten a little crazy over at the 27th but things are about to get nasty for our favorite quartet plus one. As Diana, Dee and Ryo rush to get answers from Kijika, Bikky and pals are about to get an unwanted visit from the people who just might be hunting both him and Gayle! But what do they want and why? And how do Kijika and Gayle fit into the picture as well as that of past FBI cases? Is there more to this story than any of them are letting on? At this rate, most likely. Will Ryo and Dee get to the teens in time or has the clock run out on them all? And should anyone be wondering just how dangerous Kijika's sibling just so happens to be? find out in:

Chapter 3: Bikky and Lai Strike Back!!