HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
Chapter 6: The Hunters Show their Face.
Feral found himself looking over his shoulder constantly whenever he was forced to leave the building. It left him exhausted and tense all the time. He still hadn't dared to go to his apartment, but he needed some of his things, so with trepidation, he went during the day with his Sergeant in tow.
He had told the Sergeant he needed a few things before they went to city hall. Mayor Manx needed to see him for something. They arrived at his apartment without incident. The Sergeant waited in the cruiser while Feral quickly hurried through the apartment lobby and to the stairs. He didn't want to use the elevator and get trapped.
Barely panting for breath from his run up four flights of stairs, he peered out into the hall before stepping into it and walking to his apartment. Keeping his eyes peeled, he quickly unlocked the door and entered. He relocked it while he quickly and methodically went to each room checking to insure nothing had been disturbed. Nothing had.
Sighing in relief, he went to his bedroom and pulled out his overnight case from the closet. Opening it up on his bed, he began to pack. When he was finished, he stood before his closet. One side of it held male clothes and had a dresser and on the other held female clothes with another dresser there. On the female side, he pulled the dresser out. Behind it was a hidden door. Opening it Feral reached in and gathered some rather unusual things. He held them carefully in his paws and placed them in his case, wrapping clothes around them to protect them. He closed the case then he returned to the closet, replaced the dresser and stepped back.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he formulated the spell he wanted to cast. When he was ready, he raised his paws and chanted. Moments later the female side of the closet vanished, hidden behind a camouflage warding spell. It made the closet appear small and full of just male clothing.
Satisfied, he quickly picked up his case, secured his apartment once more and hurried back downstairs. He tossed the case in the back seat and climbed into his seat once more. The Sergeant eased them into traffic and headed for city hall.
Arriving at city hall some minutes later, the Sergeant parked the cruiser in the spot reserved for it. They climbed out and went up the stairs and through the lobby. Feral punched the button in the elevator for the top floor. Seconds later, they were walking down the short hall to the Mayor's office. He gestured for the Sergeant to wait for him in the Deputy Mayor's office.
Stepping to the next door, Feral walked in and saw standing not far from the Mayor's desk two strangers. Feral immediately wanted to flee and had to fight his body's automatic reaction.
'Red Force hunters!! What are they doing here?' He asked himself frantically.
"Ahh, Feral! These are colleagues of yours from our neighbor, the Wakanda Province. They want our help to find someone that has escaped their country and sought refuge here. I told them you'd be able to help them." Mayor Manx explained.
Feral swallowed his fear and was proud he was able to present a disinterested face.
"I can't really spare anyone to help with a Kathunt. The recent attacks by the omegas has stretched my enforcers thin." He said flatly.
"We understand Commander. We only wish to leave some flyers with your officers and ask that they just keep an eye open for the culprit. We'll take care of the rest." One of the pair assured him.
'Oh, I just bet you will!' Feral thought bitterly. "I suppose I can allow that. I don't promise a quick response, this is a very large city." He said blandly.
"Yes, so we've noted and it's why we haven't found our quarry yet." The other male said sourly.
"You've been searching my city without coming through my office first?" Feral said, faking his righteous anger.
"Please forgive us sir. We meant no offense. We had hoped to be here a very short time and gone without interfering with you authority, unfortunately, things have not worked the way we hoped. Our quarry is proving most difficult to locate hence our unhappy choice of making contact with your government." The first stranger said unctuously.
"I don't appreciate other police forces trying to conduct a hunt in my jurisdiction without checking in with the legitimate police of the area. It's poor manners, however, what's done is done. Give me the description of your escapee and I'll have it distributed at each of the shifts." Feral said with a grunt of annoyance. He had no intention of doing it though.
"Thank you, Commander. Here is the picture we have of her. It's a few years old though." The first stranger said quietly, as he handed over an old image.
"How long has she been on the run?" He asked wondering how they would explain the lengthy time period.
"Ohh, a few years. We've been searching everywhere for her. You are the fortieth city we've been to looking for her." The second stranger said flatly.
Feral raised his brows in fake consternation. "That's a long time to keep searching for someone. Usually it's a cold case by now and only occasionally checked on when there's a lead. You must have a very good budget to continue a case this long." He said, commenting without really asking a question.
"We do and she's important enough to warrant a long search." The first stranger said solemnly.
"Hmm, so what is she guilty of and how dangerous is she?" He asked as a good police officer would.
The first stranger frowned unhappily but answered. "She killed a prominent leader and she is considered very dangerous."
"Humph! Alright, we'll do what we can!" Feral said noncommitally.
"Excellent, Feral. I hope your search will bear fruit for our guests. I hope Mr. Lins that you are able to enjoy our city during your stay even though the reason is not a happy one. If you have any problems, please don't hesitate to contact my Deputy Mayor, Calico Briggs." Mayor Manx said politely.
"Thank you, Mayor Manx. We appreciate the assistance you've given us. If you'll excuse us, we have some leads to follow up on." The first stranger, Mr. Lins, said, making a move to leave.
"Just a minute! I have not given you permission to continue to search in my city. I will have to insist that you check in with me on a periodic basis. I will need to know where you are and how many people you have with you." Feral demanded.
"Surely that won't be necessary, Commander?" Lins objected. They didn't want the mortal world interfering with them anymore than they already were.
"Sorry, you have no choice. Besides, it's for your own safety. The omegas have a distressing habit of attacking the city without warning and I wouldn't want to be responsible for one of your people being hurt or even killed by them." Feral said with an uncompromising stare.
"I'm afraid he's right, Mr. Lins. I'm sorry to say, those pesky omegas do make a mess of my city on a fairly regular basis. It's not good for future relations between our countries to have visitors harmed because they went to areas known to attract trouble." Mayor Manx said, surprising Feral by supporting him.
Growling mentally, Lins was really unhappy now. "Very well sir, I bow to your experience in this matter. I will give you a list of my operatives and will check in with you once a week. Will that be sufficient?" He asked trying to remain civil.
Feral snickered inwardly. He could see Lins was seething inside and he knew for certain, the soldier would only give him his most visible operatives but not all of them and the report he would receive would be distressingly bare of information but he didn't care. Whatever he could do to hamstring Lins' activities, he would do.
"No, but it will do for now." He conceded, pleased that he got this much from the Red Force officer.
Lins nodded his head jerkily then he and his companion departed quickly before Feral could stop them with something else.
Feral waited a few minutes before leaving himself. He was grateful that he'd left the Sergeant in Ms. Briggs' office. He didn't want word to get out about the hunters or the image of himself being handed out to his officers. He kept it all to himself.
He looked down at the picture again for a moment. It was a picture of his true self a year before the hell descended on the Green Way Sect. Shaking his head, he tucked the pictures inside his coat and went to collect the Sergeant and return to his office.
The only good thing that had come of the meeting was he would at least know who some of the hunters were and he'd managed to stonewall Lins as much as he dared. Feral knew it wouldn't stop them hunting him though. He prayed that Razor would be able to come up with a way to find them and to have gone on to figure out a way to neutralize them.