Chapter 9-
Disappearances…Poor Alec
Summery:
Alec is having a REALLY bad day…
He runs into an old friend…
Notes:
****CHAPTER NOW COMPLETE****
Okay, so I was going to have a whole other second part to this, but this works too…
The other part will fit better with the next chapter anyways…
Hope you all like it
_Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus_
Okay, so there's still the slightest possibility that he was just delusional…
He was still holding out hope for that…
But either this 'toxin' they had encountered was one of the most powerful hallucinogens ever encountered by man,
Or he was, in actuality, stone cold sober and helping two Magic hunting 'Librarians' (with the aid of another librarian, an immortal former knight of the round table, and a, frankly, terrifying, extremely powerful warlock version of himself) recover four magical objects and apprehend a warlock who apparently read one too many comic books and took the supervillains as a kind of life goal.
Come on delusion…
In the meantime he had a case to solve.
The Magic team (that's what he was calling them, it was a lot shorter) was looking for info on their side on Lidan Campbell, specifically if they could find him going to that Magnus's house for the party a few nights ago.
Meanwhile The Psych Team (it fits okay, either it's the team that has a fake psychic, or it's the team that's in need of a psych evaluation, either way it works)
Was looking into his story on this side.
"Okay, so, how will we do this? How do we find out if this Lidan is the warlock or just some guy with a crush on Magnus?"
Ezekiel asked, somewhat at a loss.
It had been a while since he's worked an actual crime type case.
Especially with someone who was an actual member of the police department.
Well, okay, a fake psychic vaguely defrauding the SBPD, close enough.
He glanced over at Magnus
"Well...hopefully they'll get back to us quickly with a picture, if it's the same man I met, then we know for certain.
In the meantime we need to -" he begins, but is cut off by the bell over the door
"Hey Magnus, everything okay?" Alec called, somewhat cautiously
Oh crap!
He never thought there'd be a time he actually didn't want Alexander around, but he couldn't even begin to explain all of this to him...
The man didn't even buy it when he just said a cat was talking to him (Okay, yeah he was lying then, but that's beside the point)
How in the hell would he even begin to explain to Alec that a delusional megalomaniac warlock from another universe was planning on using a magic feather in order to steal people's essences on the next full moon?
In a way that didn't end in him just nodding than taking Magnus to the nearest mental institution.
For heavens' Sake, Alec already teased him about needing a psych evaluation; he didn't really need to give him actual proof to that effect.
As Alec entered the back room He tried to shake it off and put on his brightest smile
"Oh, hello darling, this is a nice surprise" Magnus said cheerily, crossing the room to stand next to him.
Alec gave him a somewhat relieved smile before casually scanning the room, checking for any anomalies, finally settling on Jake and Ezekiel.
Magnus rolled his eyes,
Fighting off a groan...
Jake looked like a deer caught in the headlights,
He was fidgeting and shifting, giving off so many 'I'm up to something' signals that he may as well be wearing a sign to that effect.
No way a seasoned detective would miss it.
Magnus glanced towards Ezekiel, hoping for some help
Oh good, kid was on it...
Ezekiel looked a bit nervous too, but it was subtle enough it wasn't really noticeable,
Magnus could practically see the just barely contained eye roll at Jake
Ezekiel glanced at Alec, with a kind of playful grin, sending an appreciative once over his way, before smirking at Magnus
"Wow, Magnus, I thought you where exaggerating...
If anything you downplayed how hot he is."
Alec blushed
Jake snapped out of his awkwardness and glared (at least he didn't look so suspicious now...)
Magnus chuckled slightly,
Yeah he liked the kid,
Especially since he's decided to pester him about the whole Jake thing the second they're alone (hopeless crush? No...Clueless crush? ...Absolutely)
"Uhh...thanks" Alec said awkwardly glancing between the two new men and giving a friendly smile,
Though Magnus still saw a slight flicker of suspicion before he covers it, stepping forward
"Hey, I'm head detective Alec Lightwood"
Jake gave a slight smile, seemingly more back on track with the whole subtle thing, reaching over, giving a firm handshake
"Jake Stone, good to meet ya"
Ezekiel stepped forward, grinning flirtatiously.
"Hey detective, Ezekiel Jones. Really great to meet you."
Alec blushes again, giving a slightly awkward smile, before glancing over at Magnus, his smile turning more genuine
He really was just too adorable…
"Yeah, umm…
So, you guys are the investigators looking into the convention case, right?"
Magnus steps closer, ready to jump in if needed
Jake nods,
"Yeah, we've been lookin' into it for a couple of days now."
"How has it been so far? Any leads?"
Ezekiel shrugs slightly
"Actually, we kind of have one…we're waiting to hear back from some friends of ours though,
Honestly, it's been one dead end after another…
At least till we ran into Magnus.
He's been a great help" he finished sending a quick, warm smile at Magnus.
Alec chuckled, nodding,
"Yeah, he is… most of the time"
Magnus gave a slightly exaggerated gasp
"Hey! I am always helpful"
Alec grinned, raising an eyebrow
"Yes, yes you are…
When you're not tricking me into attending a Scifi convention, or doing something completely insane"
"Oh, I did not trick you!"
"Then why didn't you tell me the case was at a Scifi convention?"
"It just slipped my mind…"
Alec rolled his eyes, scoffing
"Sure it did"
"And anyways, it is an actual case now, I would have had to call you in anyways, otherwise you know how you over think it when I make any move on a case without you."
"Not 'any', just the crazy ones…
And, once again, it is NOT overreacting; it's just being prepared for the worst, or with you, the craziest, possibility…
Also, see how he ignored the 'something completely insane' part?
That's because he has no argument against it" Alec said, eyes alight with mirth, sending a smirk towards the other two men
"I just haven't got there, and I'm really not that bad!"
"The cat-"
"Oh come on, don't start that again"
"The assembly at the school?"
"Hey! That worked; and we ended up with a videotaped confession and about 400 witnesses!"
"And the bank-"
"I apologized, and anyways, it worked"
"The sleeping gr-"
"That was on the bank case, we've already covered that!"
Alec chuckled again, raising his eyebrow playfully, shaking his head
"Okay, so, a newer one then?"
Magnus gestured for him to continue; he was trying to look annoyed but couldn't help the slight, affectionate, smile
Yeah, amused, teasing Alexander was definitely he favorite
That smirk should be illegal
"Well how about you trailing a suspicious person around a convention, then, when you find that said suspicious person 'obviously' broke into a locked room, rather than, oh, say… calling for backup or going back later, or, well, anything else…
Break into the room as well?"
Ezekiel gasped
"Hey! I'm not suspicious! And you were following me?"
Jake snickered slightly, raising his eyebrow
"So much for being stealthy"
Alec grinned, shrugging a little
"Actually, he was tailing both of you for quite a while"
"Wait! You were? How long?!" Jake exclaimed
Magnus nodded sheepishly
"Umm, about two hours or so…
Before you guys split up"
They both stared in shock
"Bu-w-h-how the hell did you do that!? It's not like you blend in!"
Alec gave a bright laugh, shaking his head, before turning to Magnus with a warm smile, tilting his head slightly
Magnus fought down a truly embarrassing sigh or giggle,
By now he'd given up trying to keep the racing heart and breathlessness that always accompanied that look in check,
It'd been a lost cause from the start
"Yeah, I kinda wondered about that myself…I can't imagine anyone NOT noticing you"
Dear god, was he actually,
Purposefully flirting?
And he thought his heart was racing before…
Damn, he is SO not prepared for an actual, intentionally flirting Alexander
Magnus blushed faintly, giving a slightly breathless laugh,
"Well, thank you, my darling detective…"
Alec leaned a bit closer, slipping his arm around Magnus
This time Magnus couldn't quite contain the sigh, or from nestling securely against his side,
"So, how did you actually manage to keep from getting noticed?" Alec asked, softly
Magnus grinned "Well darling, I had spotted them first, when you are watching someone it's easy enough to avoid their attention…
Plus, it helped that most everyone there was in some type of costume, brilliant colors and makeup"
Alec chuckled warmly,
"I guess that would help… though I still find it hard to believe"
"Oh, you do, h-"
He was cut off by Ezekiel's phone pinging with a message
Oops, he kinda forgot they had company
Magnus turned slightly,
"Is that the-"
Ezekiel nodded, showing the phone to Jake before coming over to them, holding it for Magnus to see
"Yeah, they found a photo…
Is this Lidan?"
Magnus looked over the picture, nodding
"Yeah, that's him. Can you send copies to me and Alec, please?"
Ezekiel nodded
"Why did you need a picture of the guy who hired you?" Alec asked, glancing at the others
Magnus turned to him eagerly,
"That was the break we needed…
See, we found evidence that Lidan may actually be the guy behind everything.
They have a few friends looking into it back home.
It seems that whoever is behind this first began with stealing a ring during some kind of party…
They were looking into footage from the event to see if the thief was caught on camera and if it was the same man I met in my office."
Alec nodded consideringly glancing between the three men, before settling back on Magnus
"So, I take it it's the same guy?"
Magnus nodded,
"Yes, so at least now we have the suspect…"
Their phones pinged with the message
Alec took his phone out to look over the picture
"Okay, that's good, maybe I could…"
He stopped mid sentence, staring at the photo
He suddenly looked alarmed
Magnus put his hand lightly on his arm
"Alexander, darling, what's wrong?"
He glanced up, shaking his head, before hitting a few buttons on the phone
"The other day at the convention, I saw him-
Damnit, voicemail"
He hit the call button again, somewhat frantically
"Well, wh-"
"No, Magnus, I saw him when I was with Jace…
I'm pretty sure they left together.
And now he's not answering his phone"
He hit the call button again
Ezekiel and Jake were looking on, rather alarmed
"Who's-"
"His brother, he wa-" Magnus explained
"Oh, thank god, Jace I-
This is Head Detective Lightwood of the SBPD,
Who the hell is this and why do you have my brother's phone?" Alec demanded, hitting the speaker button so the rest of them could hear
"Uhh…t-this is Brian…sorry dude, sir, I mean detective, uh I-I just heard the phone ringing so I answered it…"
"Where did you find it? Where are you?"
"I'm at the Santa Barbra Scifi Convention
I-it, sorry dude; it was in a trash bin, right by the door…
I'm not in trouble, am I?
I swear I just answered it cause it was weird and I thought maybe, like, the person who lost it was calling trying to find it or something…
Oh man…"
"Brian? Brian what?
"S-Summers"
"Which door was it by?"
"Look detective, sir, I swear I wasn't up to anything…I jus-"
"Which. Door."
"T-the one on the left…right by the Supernatural booth"
"Okay, you are not in trouble, but stay where you are…I will be there in ten minutes…Do not leave,
Understand?"
"Y-yes, sir"
Alec hung up the phone, zeroing in on Ezekiel and Jake,
He stood up to his full height, crossing his arms, all traces of humor gone.
"I don't have time to question you, but you were both lying,
I don't know what kind of game you were playing or what you're doing here, but you are not PI's.
This is my brother,
You two are going to tell Magnus everything you have been leaving out,
Every. Last. Thing.
Do you understand me?"
They both just nodded, seemingly unable to do anything else
He turned to Magnus
"Magnus, find out everything you can from them, then meet me there, I really need you on this.
I'll call into the station and ha-"
"Wait, you can't call them in on this" Magnus interrupted shaking his head frantically
Alec gave him a disbelieving look
"What the hell do you mean? Of course I'm calling in-"
"No, it's really complicated and the police would-"
Alec looked shocked, and almost betrayed
"W-what do you mean? What aren't you telling me?"
"It's…They have told me why they were lying"
"Well, What is it?"
"I-It's crazy and you wouldn't believe it, but they are telling the truth…"
"Damnit Magnus, I don't have time for games right now, just tell me…and why it means I can't call in back up?"
"I-It's they, oh hell…
They're Interpol agents…
Lidan, they've been tracking him for a while and this is their only chance to catch him…
He's a scientist. He use to work for their government but he completely lost it and went underground
He created a toxin that's influencing the patrons, making them delusional and believe they are whatever they were costumed as…
Along with a whole host of other things…
But when I say he's lost it, I mean completely
He's gotten it in his head that he is actually a warlock from another universe and has the ability to steal people's essences and abilities using, what he believes, is a Magic feather from a siren on the next full moon.
Which is tomorrow…
He won't hurt any of the people until then,
If he thinks he's getting away with it…
But he's also a total sociopath and if he finds out we're onto him, he may very well kill them.
We need to find where he's keeping the people and get them out before then, only without drawing any more attention than absolutely necessary.
He is extremely paranoid and does have control over the event…
As well as the security,
We cannot risk him finding out we know what he's doing, if he does, then it is entirely possible he will kill all of them and just disappear,
And we do not know what else he has cooked up…"
He finished, looking at Alec, somewhat desperately
Alec looked totally shocked, concerned and slightly overwhelmed
"Darling, I- I know how unbelievable it sounds but it is the truth…
They have experience with this
And this is the closest they have gotten to him.
I truly think we can solve this, get them out safely and apprehend him; however, the more people we get involved, the more likely it is that Lidan will figure it out…
Please, Alexander, I know what this sounds like, but I really need you to trust me on this"
Alec shook his head slightly
"Magnus, I- I do, you know I do…
But this is Jace"
"I understand that, I truly do…
That's why it is so imperative that we have no slip ups.
I would not ask if I was not sure that we could do it;
That this wasn't the best chance we have"
Alec took a deep breath, giving a nearly imperceptible nod
"O-okay, Magnus…I trust you, and I trust your judgment. I won't call anyone else in,
but I need to go to the convention and find out what I can.
Work with them, get whatever information you can from them and their team and then let me know…
I'll call you with whatever I find."
Magnus nodded
"Of course, darling"
Alec started to turn, but Magnus stopped him, catching his arm
He turns him around, quickly pulling Alec down into a frantic, desperate kiss
"W-what?" Alec stammered, breathlessly
"For luck, also, I really wanted to…
Darling, Please be careful?"
Alec nodded, pulling him close for a moment
"Yeah, you too" He said, before turning again for the door and striding out
Magnus turned to the Librarians, staring them down and giving a look that would seem much more at home on Warlock Magnus
"Okay boys,
I just assured Alexander that we would be able to solve this and save his brother…
I lied at least once
Do not make me a liar again…"
_Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec_
How could this possibly go so bad so fast?
Yesterday he'd thought this was nothing more than just a few people going overboard at a Scifi convention and some other's overreacting about being ditched by their friends.
Now his brother was missing and Magnus was back at his office working with a couple of Interpol agents trying to get information on an actual, honest to god, mad scientist who was convinced he was a universe hopping warlock, trying to use a feather to steal peoples essences…
If it wasn't for the kidnapped people, random unknown toxins, and the fact that the man sounded deranged and totally willing to kill the hostages should his plan fail, it would almost be so crazy it was funny…
As it was, he just felt sick and verging on panicked.
He really hoped Magnus and their team could come up with something, because this was more than a bit out of his range of experience.
He'd arrived at the convention about half an hour ago, meeting with Brian to find out everything he knew.
That took all of ten minutes, and most of that was spent on him reassuring the panicked kid that he wasn't going to be arrested and thrown into jail over answering a phone.
After that he was rather at a loss…
He couldn't call in back up, he had promised Magnus, and his reasoning did seem sound
At least assuming those two were being honest THIS time…
He didn't think he'd ever meet someone who'd be able to get one over on Magnus, but he'd never seen him go up against actual agents trained for deception.
Still, he had to believe that, even if he wasn't getting ALL the information from them, he'd be able to tell enough to know if he could trust them or not
And he genuinely seemed to.
Magnus did say that Lidan had control over the event, as well as the security, but the only way he could think to get more information was if he actually saw security footage of the event…
If he could see Lidan and Jace leaving maybe he could get some kind of clues…
Or, if not, he could get a copy of it and have Magnus go over it looking for clues.
He was certain he'd be able to come up with something, he always could.
Lidan may have control of the event, but if he's as out there as he seems surely someone would pick up on something
He made his way to the security station
It was located in a room down a hall a ways from the actual convention
He knocked lightly on the door before opening it, beginning to talk before he was even all the way in
"Hi, sorry to bother you, I'm-"
"Detective Lightwood?!" A warm, rich, vaguely familiar voice asked, with a laugh
He froze, glancing up
"Maddie?!" he asked shocked
"Hey, Oh my god! I haven't seen you in years!" She exclaimed moving over to him, pulling him into a quick hug.
Matilda Imari had been a sergeant at his old precinct, before he'd joined the SBPD…
She was sharp, quick, brave and just a really first-rate officer in general.
She'd helped him quite a bit after Hodge had transferred…
Really she was one of the reasons he'd came out shortly after joining the SBPD.
She was one of the first people he'd met on the job that was actually out.
…She didn't constantly talk about it, but she never hid it…
She'd been much like he was now-
Okay, a bit more out than that;
She actually did have a little rainbow flag on her desk.
She'd bought it after another officer made a smartass homophobic comment about a witness that been helpful enough to come in and give a statement...
Hadn't said a word to the guy, just the next day she'd casually placed the flag and a picture of her wife prominently on her desk, before subtlety winking at Alec.
She was really kinda awesome.
She was strong willed, never backing down; she didn't mince words and would never let people's opinions get her to her.
He'd loved that about her,
Others, not so much.
There'd been some drama, a few of the bigots there (there'd been kinda a lot at that precinct) had got together and set to ruin her career.
Always second guessing her work.
They were always just a bit too slow to get there when she called for backup…
They'd constantly accuse her of tampering with evidence,
After nearly two years of it she'd had enough and ended up quitting.
He'd put in his transfer the same day she left.
He remembered hearing that she'd got a job in security
This was definitely promising…
If Maddie was the security here, then he had an in, and they had some help.
He breathed a sigh of relief…
"It's really good to see you too,
So you are the security guard here?" he asked hopefully
She grinned, shrugging slightly
"Yeah, well, actually not just for this place, I've been working with a private security firm for the last few years, we got hired for extra security here for this Scifi thing" She shook her head, rolling her eyes
"Man, these people are out there…Who knew there were so many oddballs in Santa Barbra?" she finished, smirking
"You were a cop here for over a decade, you know how weird they are"
She gave a quick bark of a laugh
"True enough. So, what are you doing here?"
He took a deep breath, shaking his head, the worry seeping back in
She instantly sobered, looking concerned
"What's wrong?"
"I am so glad that you're the security here, I really need your help with something…" He began
She nodded
"Of course Alec. What's up?"
"Okay, so I'm gonna preface this by telling you flat out:
This is all gonna sound completely crazy and I know that, but I swear I am being honest and am not crazy or joking or anything like that." He hedged, glancing at her to see if she believed him
She rolled her eyes slightly
"Alec? I have met you:
You don't really 'joke' much, and quite frankly you weren't really good at it, and you have always been one of the sanest people I've ever met.
Out with it"
He took a deep breath
"Alright, so, this psychic that works with my precinct caught a case here at the convention and asked me to come along as backup,
Well, tricked me into attending a scifi convention with him and a few of our friends/ work partners, whatever.
Up till yesterday we thought it was basically just a bunch of people overreacting or getting too into this thing,
But now he is working with two guys who claim to be Interpol agents and their 'team' back home trying to track down a crazy scientist who went off the rails and created a toxin that is making people forget who they are and believe they are their characters, and apparently a whole host of other things.
Anyways, crazy scientist guy has got it into his head that he is, in fact, a warlock from another universe and is kidnapping people in an attempt to use a magic feather to take their 'essences', whatever that means, on the next full moon,
Meaning tomorrow night…
And I know that sounds crazy and boarding on absurdly funny,
But the guy has actually kidnapped people and the agents and Magnus believe that if he figures out we're onto him he will actually kill all the hostages and as he is kind of in charge of this event and paranoid as hell, we didn't want to call in a lot of other help and tip him off…"
He trailed off, pausing for breath, and to gauge her reaction
Her eyes were wide, she was staring rather uncomprehendingly
"Umm…okay, Alec? I, uh, I know I said I'd believe you, but…
Are you sure you're alright?
This isn't just 'out there' this is like, heavy tranquilizers, padded room, kinda out there…"
He shook his head
"Maddie, I know that, I really do, but it is the truth, and someone I really trust, who can read people better than anyone I have ever met, believes this guy will kill these people if we don't find them before tomorrow night…
I would not lie about this, especially since one of the hostages is my brother."
"Wait, what? How did your bro-"
"My brother Jace, he's an actor, I guess he got a part on some cheesy scifi show and he was here promoting the show and debuting the character…
The last time I saw him he was going over to talk to Lidan and now someone found his phone in a trashcan right by the door"
She stood a bit straighter, eyes going kind of sharp
He remembered that look
He breathed another sigh of relief
He did have back up
"Lidan Campbell? That's your suspect?"
He nodded
She scoffed shaking her head
"Oh man, I knew there was something off about that guy, just didn't know dude was 'wacked out universe hopping Warlock' off…
What do you need?"
"The security footage of the event, over by the left door, that's where his phone was…
When I saw him last it was just after three"
She nodded leading him to the back part of the security office and cuing up the footage, running it through,
"You have a pic of him? It'd be faster if I know what I'm looking for, too…"
He nodded getting his phone out, pulling up a picture of Jace, Max and Izzy
"The blond one"
She nodded starting the footage running on a few of the monitors
"I'll watch the door footage, but check some of the others, see if you can spot Lidan, I want to know where else he went"
Alec nodded watching the footage
"I'm actually gonna call the other guys working the case with us…
They should be around here somewhere; maybe they can help find some information"
She absently nodded, still scanning
He dialed Raphael's number first, it went straight to voicemail
Alec got a bit of a sinking feeling…
Still, Raphael ignoring him wasn't exactly proof of anything.
He quickly hit Simon's number
Voicemail again
Alec gripped the phone a bit tighter
Raphael ignored people…
Simon didn't
Okay, okay, don't panic…
They could just be busy, or 'together' and just don't want to be disturbed…
Still…
He pulled out his phone, opening a picture Magnus had sent him that his friend Clary had taken of them all together,
He leaned over near Maddie
"Hey, keep an eye out for these guys too…
They're my friends that were helping with the case, they should be here, but both their phones are off.
They are a couple, they could just be together and not want to be disturbed, but with this case and Jace already missing I really don't like this"
She nodded glancing at the picture before zeroing in on it again, shooting a look at him, raising her eyebrow slightly
"So…with all the universe hopping warlock craziness, you kinda glossed over the whole you now apparently working with a psychic…
I'm gonna take a wild guess he's the ridiculously pretty guy you're making eyes at in the pic?"
"I-I wasn't, I was listening, he was telling a funny story, that's all"
She gave him a sarcastic look
"Alec, dude, you look half a step away from having Anime heart eyes"
He gave her a blank look
"I don't know what that means"
"It means you are completely gone over this guy"
"I'm not, oh, you know what? We don't have time for this, okay?
Yeah I like the guy, a lot…
He's gorgeous, brilliant, and funny and probably the most incredible person I have ever met.
He's fascinating and he drives me absolutely crazy,
Both in a good way and in a bad way
He drives me crazy because he has an annoying habit of making me blush and it aggravates me but it also kinda doesn't because he usually does it by flirting or complimenting or kissing me so I'm kinda totally okay with that crazy…
Then he drives me crazy because he is brave and fearless, and totally brilliant and can figure anything else…
And he KNOWS that damn good and well,
So he tends to jump into the insanity with both feet and figures he'll find a way out later
But, none of that matters right now, okay?
My brother is missing,
Two of my closest friends, one of which is my partner, may be missing
We need to focus on the case, not my love life, or lack thereof
Please..."
She nodded turning back to the screens
"You're right… check those screens, see if you can find them-
Hey, this is him right? Jace?" She asked, pausing the screen for him to see
"Yeah, that's him"
She started the footage
It showed Jace and Lidan walking to the door, smiling and flirting,
As they exited the door they saw Lidan subtlety toss the phone in the bin…
Alec took a deep breath
Okay, he'd known, but actually seeing his brother leaving with the guy,
Seeing proof that the guy was really up to something…
Up till now he'd been hoping that it was still just some big misunderstanding.
That somehow Jace had just lost his phone and it was all just a big coincidence…that he was okay and just ignoring him because he was bored with the case questions or had hooked up with someone.
"O-okay, so he's definitely up to something, let's find Simon and Raphael.
Simon texted yesterday about 11am, saying they were still looking around but hadn't found anything yet…
He'd mentioned the booth for something called 'the Orville'… do you know where that is? Can you get the footage from then?"
She nodded, all business, typing quickly and pulling it up
"There they are!" he said, spotting them
He couldn't stop a slight smile watching them…
Simon looked beyond happy; he was chattering and bouncing around from one booth to the next tugging Raphael along
Poor Raphael looked like he was nearing his wits end, but then he'd look at Simon and his look would soften, he would get a warm, totally enamored smile.
Maddie chuckled slightly
"Man, your partner must have the patience of a saint…
He looks like he's at the end of his rope."
Alec laughed, shaking his head faintly
"Uh, no, that's Raphael, he works with Magnus,
My partners the one bouncing around like a puppy, dragging him about"
She glanced over surprised
"Really, He's a detective? Kid doesn't even look old enough to be a cop"
Alec shrugged
"Yeah, he's young, but he's good.
Best partner I've ever had."
She smiled
"That's good…you two don't have any trouble with the SBPD?"
He shook his head
"No, actually I've been out since I started there, Simon too, though I think that's just because the guy's pretty much incapable of hiding anything…
Believe me, he tried to learn to lie a while ago, it didn't go well.
But it's actually a really great precinct.
Especially since Luke came in.
He's our chief; he came in about ten months ago.
He's a really great man, very supportive.
Actually, about a month ago during a case some things happen and it kinda started going around that me and Magnus were together,
We're NOT, but it did and I got fed up trying to deny it cause I have been almost since Magnus started with us…
Anyways Luke actually kind of joked with me about it, he believed me, and told me that if anyone gives us any real problems to let him know and he'll take care of it.
He said that if anyone has issues with it then they need to adjust or find another place to work."
She gave an impressed nod
"Wow, that's awesome"
He nodded
"Yeah… hey, I know why you left our old precinct, but if you ever decide to get back on the force, you really should look into the SBPD.
Come by and talk to Luke, I'm sure you'd get on well…"
She shrugged slightly, nodding
"I might look into that…
Hey, what are they doing now?
I thought he was a detective, why is he sneaking his boyfriend into a room that's supposed to be off limits?" she asked, smirking, raising an eyebrow
Alec looked at the screen, seeing Simon tugging Raphael in
He chuckled somewhat, rolling his eyes affectionately, relieved
Okay, so, they snuck into a room to have some time alone…
Maybe they just forgot to turn their phones back on…
"Thank you, Maddie, this was really helpful.
Do you think you ca…"
He trailed off, when something on the screen caught his eye.
"Wait, that's Lidan" he said leaning forward,
On the screen he saw the man in question talking with three other guys. They looked really agitated; they kept bombarding him with questions…
They headed up the hallway…
Alec's heart jumped slightly when he saw Lidan reach for the same door Simon and Raphael had went in.
They hadn't seen them come out yet.
"Damnit" Maddie muttered
The two of them watched the screen, barely breathing, watching the timestamp click by…
About fifteen minutes later, Lidan exited the room; he looked calm and rather smug, with a slightly unhinged smile
No one else left the room
"What the hell?" Maddie asked, alarmed
Alec shook his head
"I don't know, but I'm damn sure going to find out."
She nodded standing up, "I'm coming with you"
She reached in a drawer on the security desk, pulling out a lock box removing her gun putting it in the holster
He raised his eyebrow slightly
She shrugged
"What?
I kept up with my certifications just in case, and I have a conceal and carry."
"Wasn't gonna ask" He muttered as they rushed out of the room towards the hallway
Reaching the room, he tried the door, it was locked.
Maddie stepped forward using her key, before stepping back, letting him take the lead.
He gave her a grateful nod before cautiously opening the door
His heart felt like it was in his throat as he slowly opened the door, dreading what he might find…a whole swarm of horrible images and scenarios springing to mind.
He tried to brace himself for the worst, looking around,
Then just froze…
The room was empty.
There were a few racks of costumes, and a set pieces and the like, but there was no people, and no hint that anything bad had happened.
"What? This is the right room, right?" he asked, glancing over at her
She nodded
"Yeah, this was where they came…
But I don't see anything"
He shook his head; confused…he got a bit of a weird thought, but brushed it off just as fast
This case must just be getting to him
They spread out, searching the room, but could find no real evidence…
Maddie sniffed, tilting her head slightly
"That's weird…does it smell strange to you?"
He sniffed, then nodded
"Yeah, it's kind of like the ozone smell of a lightning storm…
Wait, what's this?" he asked leaning down pointing at some kind of bright orangish powder type residue near one corner
She looked closer, shaking her head, giving a very unsettled look
"I-I really don't know…
I've never seen anything like that.
You did say the agent guys said Lidan was some kind of scientist, that he made some kind of toxin type thing?
Maybe that's what this is…
We probably shouldn't be breathing this.
We need to get out of here, we'll lock the door and try keeping others out, but we don't want Lidan knowing we were here…
I'll watch the door from the cameras"
Alec nodded, following her to the door, pulling out his phone
"Yeah, I'll call Magnus…god I don't want to tell him Raphael and Simon are missing too…
Raphael is like his family and he adores Simon.
But he needs to know"
He hits the call button waiting for the ring…
"Lucky you, you've reached Mag-"
Alec feels his heart stop when Magnus's phone, too, goes straight to voicemail
_End Of Chapter Notes_
Okay, So I wasn't even planning to have yet another OC on top of everything else, but I wanted a way Alec could get the security guard to help him without it getting back to Lidan and this just popped into my head
Hey, at least someone finally realized Simon and Raphael are Missing.
Name Game:
Matilda: Mighty In Battle
Imari: Faithful
I really like how this is going…
Three chapters left
What do you guys think so Far?
