So, I've been asked to continue this, I've had ideas and plans for more than a month ( make that 2 months ), and I FINALLY got to write it.
Hope you enjoy.

And, sorry for the "second" publication, but I've been thinking, and that' what made the more sense: keep my OS collection an OS collection + first chapters, and publish another story. Just in case it happened again with something I hadn't planned to continue at first, like this story.

There'll be 5 chapters of this.

Chapter 2

It was a coincidence. If someone asked, it was a coincidence. John had definitely not planned to eavesdrop on the two people who had come to take care of the Burkhardt case.

How could he have known that they'd go to eat lunch at the very the same place he used to go? The obvious answer was, he couldn't have known. So, it was a coincidence.

The detective glanced at the booth behind his, where the man and the woman were talking quietly.

Maybe not so quietly, considering he could more or less manage to hear what they were saying. And yes, perhaps he was trying a bit harder than he should, but well. It wasn't as if the two were totally doing their best to be discreet about how strange their part in the investigation was.

John couldn't really help it if he was curious, now, could he?

First, the weirdest case in all his life, Nicholas Burkhardt's disappearance and the wiping out of the North Precinct, and now that? Two detectives, sorry, two agents, sorry, what were they exactly?, who came out of nowhere and just seemed to know things about what had happened, but didn't tell half to the detectives working on the case? They had all but proclaimed it Top Secret.

John McClee didn't particularly reveal in poking around when it wasn't his business, but this? It had been his case, and Kolt and Parker were being way too secretive about the whole thing. There was a point where even John's non-curiosity just fell flat.

As such, now that he was eating lunch all by himself, but right behind the two, he really, really couldn't help but to try and listen in.

So far, it seemed more and more like there was something much grander at play here, from what he could hear...

A voice cut the detective's thoughts short, and maybe John paled a bit.

"Detective McClee, why don't you stop pretending not to be here, and come eat with us?"

Now, his face wasn't white as a sheet, but red as a tulip. He silently left his own booth and joined the two... let's say agents for now. For all he knew, they had known he was here all along.

Farley Kolt and Annie Parker had entered the precinct in black, discreet, but tailored suits two days ago. The captain had immediately allowed them into his office, looking disgruntled. John had been reviewing his notes about Burkhardt at his desk, and had noticed the captain closing the shutters for privacy. After ten minutes or so, the strangers and the captain had joined McClee at his desk.

He had been expecting the Internal Affairs. And maybe they were. But they didn't look like it, first of all because the captain hadn't even said where the two were coming from when he had told him they'd be working the case with him. John had absolutely no idea what was the agency, bureau or whatever the two were working for. And he had been told not to ask. Which was suspicious.

As about everything else about the Burkhardt case.

He couldn't even pretend to be surprised at that point.

Annie Parker was a young woman with glasses and long black hair held into a ponytail. She looked like the nerd of the team, too naive for her work, perhaps, but John guessed she could handle herself. Even if Kolt was obviously the one to look out for. Military training, maybe. The detective couldn't really get a read on him, as if he was missing key elements.

Which was nothing new these days.

Parker stabbed at her lunch dispassionately as she went back to the case. Kolt was squinting out the window, strangely focused on the crowd passing by. Apparently they weren't planning to tell him more than he already knew. John guessed they had allowed him in only for more precise info on what he had found out so far.

But maybe he'd hear something new that way, so he wasn't going to complain. Yet.

Farley Kolt turned back to his partner, cutting her review of the case with a question.

"What about Captain Sean Renard? I heard HQ found some strange discrepancies in his records."

Parker nodded, eyes on her files. McClee wondered how Renard had made it to captain if there was something possibly wrong with him... And even if it wasn't blatant, how he had deceived the police department and his superiors, but not whatever group the two officials were working for.

"Sean Renard... As in, House-of-Kronenberg Renard, if you believe it. Apparently he's the illegitimate son of the former King who died about a year ago. The former Queen had apparently ordered to get rid of the bastard child, and his mother managed to take him to the USA."

"He was under political asylum?"

"No. His mother managed to get complete new and unsuspicious identities, as well as the american nationality, and he just disappeared from the Royals' view for about a decade. Then the Queen died. That's how a blue blood from Austria became an american police captain in Portland."

Just when John thought it couldn't become stranger... He had first believed there was a complete organization of corrupt cops in Portland, no matter how much it hurt to admit, and now he discovered there could be a political side to it too? What would be next, global terrorism?

Parker looked up from her files, and stared at her partner. After a moment of silence, she finally asked.

"You think Black Claw recruited him? Because Renard would probably want to get the power his family denied him, and he's one of your people too. It wouldn't be so far-stretched that an extremist group would want to use him."

Kolt shrugged, just as John's brain died. He probably shouldn't have wondered about terrorism, because now it was there too. He really made an effort not to become paranoid and delude himself with potential biological war threats. Just in case it came to be true too.

"It wouldn't surprise me. Renard didn't seem to be interested by the place of mayor until very recently, after his friend, the former candidate, was shot to death by Black Claw."

Parker snorted before taking a sip of her drink.

"What a friend..."

McClee was still stuck on the mention of Kolt's and Renard's "people". He couldn't find anything very distinctive about them, no obvious religious affiliation, white men, normal attitude. Whatever this Black Claw group was, it was clear that its members came from the same "people" as the agent and the former police captain, though... Which could explain why Kolt was on this case with Parker, who wasn't part of it. Insight and neutrality.

It also made John wonder about the more local aspect of the case. Was Burkhardt part of that subculture too, or were the policemen from the North Precinct? Both, perhaps?

For once, he decided to speak up. As Parker and Kolt had allowed him in, the detective guessed they wanted his help, at least about some things. But to help, he needed to know the basics. Because he had too many interrogations to focus right now. Too many half-shaped guesses. And he couldn't help if he didn't know what to look for, what was important to say.

"Wait a minute. Just for basic knowledge, but I have questions."

Kolt stared at him for a moment, and John had the disturbing impression the agent was reading into his soul. There was something about the man's gaze, as if it could see past human abilities. It made the detective uncomfortable.

Eventually Kolt looked away, and at his partner. McClee couldn't help but note that she was calling the shots, at least about information. There was a weird dynamic to this duo, but it seemed to work.

And from the look John received from Kolt, he just knew there were things that'd be left out.

Not that it surprised him much.

Parker sighed, put her files down, and looked McClee dead in the eyes.

"You have to understand, Detective, that half the threats faced by this country are never made known to the public. You literally have no idea of how many extremist groups there are out there, and you wouldn't imagine what some of them figth for."

John waved his fork as he reached for some bread. It was lunchtime, after all. He needed his meal, and no terrorist group would take that away from him.

"Yeah, I get it, I swear. You will tell me only what I need to know. But I can't help you if I look at this case like at a problem of corruption or at a weird political struggle when it isn't. I only need confirmation that's it what I think it is."

Annie Parker pushed her glasses back up her nose, eyebrows raised. She seemed to appreciate that he wasn't pushing his luck too much. John sure would have liked more details, but well. He understood the need for secrecy when it came to terrorism, and he knew he'd get more info if he didn't actually try too hard.

"Yes, it's a problem of terrorism, Detective McClee. And corruption as a side-effect too, considering they probably got to Sean Renard, made him Mayor of Portland, which allowed him to regroup all the policemen with a possible interest in Black Claw at the North Precinct."

Kolt turned his knife between his fingers as he added to his partner's speech.

"Not all of us would follow Black Claw, but there are enough of us, in the whole world, to find a few willing. And it's all it takes to start a terrorist group. It doesn't help that unless you are one of us, there is no way to tell who is one of our people... or a member of Black Claw. I'm pretty sure you've heard about the latest bouts of violence in various countries the very same day, Detective?"

"You don't mean..."

Kolt shrugged as an answer. He didn't need to say more.

John still considered that maybe the government was just growing paranoid. After all, the CIA and all the others spying organizations were so deep in such shit on a daily basis, it had to lead them on a few false alerts from time to time. Like, seeing conspirations in random violence.

The detective didn't manage to convince even himself, though.

He was pretty sure it had to mean something.

Parker finished her drink, ready to leave. Kolt was done too, and had gone back to observing the passersby. Now John was wondering if the agent was keeping an eye out for possible enemies.

"I'll just tell you this, Detective. The government created our... agency not so long ago, only to deal with this threat. You are not to talk about it to anyone, not to share the slightest bit of info with a colleague. Your captain doesn't know more than you do and there's a reason for that. So please, keep in mind that you aren't just a police detective on a case this time."

Parker looked so serious, so grave, he wouldn't even have thought of considering to share any of that. He doubted he'd be taken seriously, if he did, anyway. At this point, he wasn't even sure his dreams wouldn't censure themselves not to be about the Burkhardt case.

John took a deep breath, and stared at what was left of his french fries for a moment. Not much. He guessed it was time to leave the dinner. They had work to do, after all. Such as, finding where the hell Burhardt had disappeared to. What he knew. Where to find this Black Claw group...

The case. Nicholas Burkhardt, Portland detective. Focus.

The two agents and the detective left the diner, and Kolt ushered the other two into a grey car. Apparently he had spotted someone dubious outside the place, and he didn't like that. Parker either didn't seem to be very happy with the news.

"It makes sense. Whatever happened here, it decimated the Portland cells, both on their side and on ours. There wasn't anyone left to clean up, and the slaughters at Burkhardt's and at the North Precinct didn't exactly go away quietly. Black Claw is bound to be watching, making sure there aren't any loose ends which could lead us to them... It just took them some time to come."

Which was oh-so-reassuring. The detective wondered if he classified as a loose end of sorts. After all, he had been the most involved with the case. He didn't want to be eliminated or tied to a chair and interrogated fistfully...

John frowned, as it suddenly hit him.

"What does Burkhardt have to do with this? Did he just, what, stumble into the whole thing, or..."

He was Kolt grimace in the rear-view mirror of the car, but it was Parker who answered this time.

"Nick Burkhardt is... He isn't part of their community per se, but they had to mind him nonetheless. He's not a regular cop, but not in the way you may be thinking. He... Amongst Farley's people, he's like a natural authority. His family has always been tasked with... controlling these people. They fear him on principle. And he was working for... No, with us. I'd say Black Claw left him one last chance: to go to their side, or to get put out. They wouldn't be the first ones to try and sway him. The Royals from Renard's family tried to get their hands on him some time ago, for exemple."

John chose not to question what "controlling these people" entailed.

A car honked violently to their left as Kolt took a turn rather quickly. The agent didn't like the looks of the black cruiser two cars behind them, and he was adamant he'd shook it off. Also, he didn't like the sound of the last part of the conversation.

"What do you mean, the Royals tried to get him?! You never told me that, Annie!"

The woman pushed her glasses up her nose once more, and with the reflections McClee couldn't see the look in her eyes, but her tone was detached as she spoke.

"Should we have?"

Kolt glared at his partner through the raer-view mirror.

"He's my former fiancée's nephew, and you know that! And unlike you I've already met him!"

"Which means you have no legal ties to him, and if I remember well you were trying to steal the coins the one time you two met. From what I know, he put you out of the race. So I don't see why I should have told you about him. If anything, I'd have thought you'd rather not hear about him."

Kolt said nothing, and looked back at the road, but he didn't seem very placated for all that.

As always, John felt like he was left out of the story, but well, it certainly felt so because it actually was the case. Whatever those coins were about, he wouldn't know.

But he was a bit surprised to hear that the agent had a link, though tenuous, to the missing detective. Burkhardt truly was at the heart of the matter, it seemed.

Kolt stopped the car shortly after that. The three men and woman got out, Kolt went to check no one had followed them this time, and soon they were back to brainstorming. The agents didn't want to go back to the precinct, considering there could be some leftover members of Black Claw in the Portland police. So for now, they had taken residency in a cheap hotel room without the Precinct's knowledge. Which meant only John was privy to where Parker and Kolt disappeared to when they weren't collecting files at his desk.

Parker pulled out Burkhardt's file, her thoughts on how much Black Claw would have liked to get the guy in their ranks. She had seen the medical results McClee had found, and she had to say, she was impressed. Of the half-dozen of people like him working for Hadrian's Wall, none were really like Burkhardt. From what she knew, his enhanced abilities resulted from a few incidents and from the man's remarkably adaptable physical constitution.

His only problem was that he was too much of a cop. He relied too much on the laws, and played by the rules unless he was forced not to. He was too kind, in a way, and he had let Black Claw bully their way into Portland for too long. So of course, when he had found it to be enough, everything had gone to hell, and here they were. Two public slaughters, and Burkhardt on the run.

Kolt snatched the file from her hands. Parker frowned at him, but the man wasn't paying her any attention. She glanced at McClee, but the detective was busy with his notes, certainly rearranging them for it to match what he now knew.

"Farley..."

The guy literally shushed her without even looking up from the file. She knew he hadn't read it yet, but it didn't mean he could just take it out of her hands and shush her, damn it!

Parker waited patiently, biding her time.

Eventually Kolt handed her the file back, eyebrows arched high. He had read the medical file three times over, but it still said the very same thing. And the agent was certain half of what was on the report wasn't supposed to happen, not even to someone like Nick Burkhardt. Marie certainly hadn't been like that, and none of the guys he knew through this government initiative presented the same enhanced abilities. Burkhardt and his ilk were fearsome enough as they were, and now this?

"I'll be honest with you, Annie, it just seems like Burkhardt is on steroids to me. Even for... someone from his family, it's ridiculous. What the hell are these stats, anyway?"

The mention of steroids got McClee's attention, even if he knew for a fact that his colleague from the Central Precinct was as clean as someone could be. When he had heard the rumors, and when he had seen the medical file, he had wondered too. But no, nothing. Nicholas Burkhardt was simply insanely strong... and a bunch of other things. Spidey senses, probably.

Annie Parker smirked at her partner, obviously pleased to see him dumbfounded by what he had just read.

"You know how they are, people like Burkhardt. If something happen to them, their body react quickly and efficiently to balance the change. And even if they do get better, usually the balancing that has been done sticks around. A lot of things happened to Burkhardt. Just from the enhanced hearing, I'd guess he suffered from temporary blindness at some point."

Kolt shook his head slowly, as if not believing it.

As for John, he wasn't daft. It was obvious there was something special about the missing detective, that it wasn't just a matter of social place in a secret community. Not that being part of a secret community wasn't a big matter too, but it wasn't the point here. Maybe genetics were the point. But as always, he guessed he wouldn't be told about it.

Top Secret, you know.

"No need to wonder why Black Claw wanted him on their side, even if they never really bothered with the others like him... The guy got a reputation with my people, Parker. On many points, he isn't regular. More comprehending is only the nicest thing we say about him."

Parker sneered a bit at that.

"The good it did them... They wanted him because he was the best of his kind, but obviously he was also better than a whole cell of them, underlings included. Maybe if they had left him alone, they'd still be polluting the Portland Police Department."

John wasn't sure either solution was good, but he hadn't been asked when this Black Claw group had decided to go all kamikaze against Burkhardt, and it had happened nevertheless. With this outcome, Black Claw had been wounded, but Burkhardt was on the run... If they had left him alone, the man would still be free to live, but there would be a bunch more of terrorists running around.

The detective was happy to only have to deal with the consequences, and not with the decision making. Ethic problems such as this one were never his forte.

Reason why he was first of all a homicide detective. The cases he usually delt with had already happened, the victim was already dead, and he only had to put the pieces back together. He didn't envy people like Parker and Kolt, who worked against terrorism, and sometimes had to choose between one death or another.

He could be of use to the two agents, however. If only because Portland was his city. He knew the place, and some of the people. And perhaps it would help to uncover what had really happened to Nick Burkhardt, and to find him wherever he had disappeared to.

Hopefully he wouldn't have to put the other detective in jail for the double slaughter. There had to be a reason for it to happen, and it was possible that Burkhardt hadn't initiated it. Portland was a bit short-handed in its number of policemen, lately.

Hopefully he wouldn't have to remind Burkhardt of that too. After all, the man was the very reason the Police Department had been this diminished. Even if he had possibly not asked for it to happen.

John put down the file he had been reading, and sighed.

"So, I have no idea what you two have been doing for the last two days, but I'm guessing it wasn't usual police work."

Kolt smirked a bit at the guess.

"You could say that... Let's keep it at our checking of another crime scene the police knows nothing about, the place where one of our teams was working until Black Claw annihilated them not long ago, and doing other stuff related to both our organization and Burkhardt."

Oh-so enlightening... But John McClee had come into the investigation knowing full well that he wouldn't be told much, he had accepted it, and damnit all if he wasn't going to try eluciding this case nonetheless!

"Right. My point was, Oh Snarky One, that if we want to know more, we'll have to do actual detective work from now on. Whatever Bukhardt did during his free time, he's still a normal human being who knows people and who is probably known back by these people. If you want to find him before this Black Claw group does, we need to search for him the good old way: investigation."

"Detective McClee is right, Farley. That's why I thought of letting him in in the first place. You're good when it's about tactical warfare, and I'm good at analyzing the situation, but here we need to make it look like a normal investigation. Most of our enemies are already down, at least in this city, but we've got to secure Burkhardt. McClee knows what to look for when in search of a police detective."

Kolt rolled his eyes at his partner.

"Fine! Let's do some police work. Who are we interrogating first?"

Now, that was an interesting question...