I do not own the Sentinel.
Edited 22 Feb 19
Chapter 6
Blair slammed the van door, for once not caring about the abuse on the borrowed vehicle. He pulled out the key, jammed it into the ignition and over turned the engine before stopping himself. Breaking off the key wouldn't help anything, neither would driving off into traffic in his current state. Grabbing the steering wheel with both hands, he forced himself to take a deep breath and slowly release it.
The day was one of the longest and most frustrating Blair experienced in while. After a promising and exciting morning the day quickly turned into an exercise in futility, starting with Ellison ditching him before the day really began. Then, when it became apparent the detective wasn't returning anytime soon, Blair had tried to interact with some of the other detectives, getting next to nowhere in the close-knit group. As a final effort, he tried helping out with a few computer problems on the floor and suddenly found himself regulated to "computer repair man". One problem led to another and before he knew it, it was well past quitting time. True, it got him farther in his observations than "nosy outsider" but not by much. Now it was half past nine o'clock and he had nothing to show for the entire day except for a floor of updated computers. At least Simon would be happy.
Feeling calmer, though no less frustrated, Blair finally deemed himself fit to drive home. A quick glance at the clock and Blair changed his mind. If he hurried, he could make it to the library twenty minutes before it closed at ten. The information he'd gotten from the internet, while abundant, was also highly suspect. The field of Sentinel studies had its share of crack pots, more even, since there were still aspects of Sentinels' and Guides' abilities and relationship that were unexplained. Added in combination with the uncensored and free nature of the world wide web and you were left with more false and inaccurate information than Blair was willing to sift through. He'd found a few legitimate looking papers, but the library would have more reliable sources.
Decision made, Blair hung a left leaving the parking garage. The streets were quiet at that time of night and it wouldn't take him too long to get to the library. If he just pulled everything he could find on Sentinel medicine and empathic readings then he would have time to go over it later in his apartment. Blair glanced over his shoulder into the rear compartment as he sped through a green light and empty intersection. He had plenty of room. He just had to worry about the maximum limit of books he could take out at once. Blair shrugged to himself as he pulled into the library parking lot. The yellow street lights shown down on the almost deserted stretch of pavement and concrete. If he had more than the checkout limit allowed, then he'd just have to sweet talk the librarian into letting him bend the rules a bit. Shutting the door much more gently than when he initially got in, Blair locked the van and jogged into the library.
XXXXX
Jim wished he had more time. He hadn't realized when he came to the library that their Sentinel and Guide reference section was so large. Considering the GSC headquarters was located several blocks away, he should have expected it. The hour before closing he'd given himself simply wasn't going to be enough. He managed to narrow down his search to a set of three very long and very full bookcases using the library's computer, but hesitated at asking for any help from the librarian. He didn't want anyone to know he'd been there looking in the Sentinel and Guide section. That meant no one could see him come in or out and he couldn't check out any helpful books he may find. Fortunately, being a Sentinel gave him almost photographic memory. He learned that in one of the books he glanced over at the start of his search. He'd never thought about it before, but he did have an excellent memory with almost perfect recall. It could probably be improved if he had a Guide to help him, but that wasn't an option. Unfortunately, in this case having near perfect recall did not mean he understood the things he remembered but that was something he could remedy later.
Running his finger down the line of volumes, Jim scanned the call numbers. The library was blessedly quiet with almost no one remaining at the late hour. The children's section was long since deserted and all but a few computers were shut down, the remaining few active computers standing silently on the main level and scattered over the upper floors with bouncing screen savers. Even the sole librarian on duty was reading her book down on the first floor. Besides the unnatural florescent lights it was actually quite nice. Perhaps he'd come back at the same time later when he didn't have any covert research projects to conduct. The soundproof rooms at the far end of building looked promising.
Finding his intended book, Jim stopped and pulled it from the shelf. It was nowhere near as thick as some of the extensive research guides lined on the shelves, just a basic introduction to Sentinels and Guides. Thumbing through the sections, Jim decided the book looked comprehensible enough. He flipped to the table of contents and scanned the chapters. His eyes moved down the list from "Societal Guardians: An Introduction", past "Sentinels: Protectors of the Tribe" to "Guides: Protectors of the Guardians", page thirty-four. Jim turned to the chapter and began reading the introducing paragraphs.
"The role of the Guide, unlike the relatively consistent role of the Sentinel, has undergone many shifts within recorded history and between societies. In the past and other cultures, it is seen as a purely supportive role, passive and subservient to the guardian position of the Sentinel. However, with a more holistic understanding of the Sentinel/Guide relationship and role, that position becomes equally important. It is the role of the Guide to protect their Sentinel and other Sentinels…"
Jim rolled his eyes as the introduction continued, explaining the importance of Guides to protect Sentinels from their own senses. Ignoring the urge to just put down the book and walk out of the library, he instead scanned the remaining text for any mention of a Guide's abilities. The chapter didn't go into great detail about any particular talent common among Guides. For the most part, it seemed the only real definition of a Guide was a person who was able to establish a deep connection or bond with a Sentinel. However, when it came to defining that connection or bond between Sentinel and Guide the book failed to give any details. It seemed even the experts didn't really understand it.
Jim flipped through scanning pages until a key phrase caught his attention. According to the book, some Guides possessed empathic abilities, able to sense emotions or even intentions of those around them, the strongest signals often coming from Sentinels and particularly their Sentinel. Many Guides seemed to experience some form of premonition, anticipating problems for their Sentinel before they had a chance to arise, though the skill often developed as the Guide grew more familiar with their Sentinel. Jim snorted as he realized that even this was something of a mystery to many "experts".
The most alarming thing in the book was that some Guides had an ability to sense latent and full Sentinels. If that was true, then Sandburg could already know about Jim, which was a problem. If Sandburg knew, he would tell the GSC, but no one had approached Jim all day. There were no messages for him when he returned home and no calls through his nap.
Jim ran through the possible scenarios this new information offered. Maybe Sandburg only thought Jim was a latent Sentinel. If that was the case then they'd arrange tests with the GSC for him to take, a process which could take several days. Plus, Sandburg wouldn't be expecting a Sentinel to hide his abilities so there would be no reason for the Guide hurry. Perhaps Sandburg couldn't sense Sentinels at all, the book said only a select few could, and Jim was spinning himself up over nothing.
Shaking his head, Jim huffed a sigh. He had no doubt Sandburg suspected something, the side glances Jim received and the fact that Sandburg requested Jim for his liaison assignment pointed to Sandburg suspecting something. Now it was just a matter of figuring out how much the Guide knew, how much he suspected, and what he had missed.
Jim was so caught up in turning the problem over in his mind he almost missed it, the gentle thump-thumping that slowly appeared in his peripheral hearing and growing in volume. Even when he first became aware of it, he almost dismissed the sound but the full meaning of the steady beat hit him a moment later. All heartbeats were unique, like a person's voice. Usually, it took a while for Jim to learn a specific person's heartbeat, but he'd been tracking the telltale rhythm the entire afternoon as he avoided Sandburg in the police department.
"Shit!" Jim cursed to himself, his head jerking toward the sound of the approaching heartbeat.
The heartbeat originated from the parking lot. With a little focus, Jim could pin it easily. Sandburg was just turning off his van which meant Jim only had a few moments to get out of the section and out of sight. He didn't know if Sandburg was coming to this particular part of the library, but he didn't want to take chances. He glanced down at the book still in his hand, there was a copier a few rows over against the wall if he hurried he could get a copy of the relevant pages and be out of there in time.
Dashing to the copier, Jim flipped the book on the glass, not bothering with the guidelines for the pages. He copied the first several pages of the Guide chapter, jamming his thumb into the button. He tilted his head listening in to check with Sandburg's progress. The Guide was currently at the front desk trying to talk the librarian into letting him borrow more than the eight book maximum. Making a quick decision, Jim flipped through the book scanning for any other useful information. He copied over the first few pages of the Sentinel chapter, then a couple from the sections dealing with zone outs and spikes as well as syndromes commonly developed by Sentinels without a Guide.
Sandburg was on the stairs, tromping his way past the first floor landing. His steps were slow and measured, echoing off the walls of the stairwell. Jim grabbed the copies he made and headed back for the rear stairwell, leaving the book in the copier. There wasn't time to return it. Sandburg's heartbeat footsteps drew closer, louder than normal thanks to the relative quiet of the library. He could hear the door opening from Sandburg's stairwell just as he slipped into his own escape exit. Jim hoped those psychic radars Guides had didn't work over distances as hurried down the stairs and out of the building. For a moment, he almost thought someone was watching him, but he forced himself to keep walking at a calm pace across the parking lot. If someone was watching him then turning around would only confirm his identity. Hopefully, as far as Sandburg knew no one else had been in that section of the library for the past several hours.
XXXXX
The library was getting ready to close. Blair made it with barely ten minutes till closing time thanks to a red light that refused to turn for no apparent reason. Part of him was almost glad as he dragged tired limbs up the stairs to the Sentinel Studies section. Talking the librarian into letting him take home more than the limit of books had used his last bit of energy and patience for dealing with people. Thankfully, the library seemed almost devoid of all other life besides him and the librarian.
Blair opened the door to the second story, medical science and Sentinel studies, and frowned. There was someone else on the floor, or at least there had been a few moments ago. Blair could feel the urgency and fear. Both strong emotions, radiating in the room the same way a Sentinel could sense lingering body heat. The trail led to the stairwell in the back of the building.
As Blair followed the trail he heard the dulled thump of the emergency exit door closing from the first floor. He went to the window, guessing the mystery person was just leaving the building. The back parking lot was drenched in dim orange light and though Blair didn't have Sentinel sight he could still make out the lone figure moving quickly to a truck parked in a dark corner. Blair frowned to himself once more in confusion. The figure was Jim Ellison.
Ellison didn't look back, just went directly to his truck and drove away, but Blair recognized him nevertheless. Remembering the time, Blair turned from the window, his mind still on Ellison. The man's presence just raised more questions as well as suspicions.
As Blair headed back to the shelves the copier shifted to standby. The sudden lack of sound drew Blair's attention and his gaze fell on the now silent copier standing against the wall. The cover was propped up by a book still pressed face down against the glass. Blair went to it and pulled the book free, scanning the title and a few pages. He could still feel the faintest traces of urgency lingering on the book, which was very strange. Usually, he had difficulty picking up empathic signals after a person left the area, but he had no doubt this was the book Ellison had been looking at and copying from, even without the strong physical evidence of the fact.
The book itself was a simple introduction to Sentinels and Guides. It didn't seem to go into too much detail on any aspect of the subject but it gave a basic overview of the history, roles, relationships, purposes, and other parts of the Sentinel and Guide existence. Perhaps, if Ellison was a developing Sentinel he was looking for information that would help him understand what was happening to him. Ellison did seem like the type to look for answers on his own first. Maybe, if Blair approached him and offered help that could break through the detective's outer shell. Or it could completely piss the older, stronger, larger man off and Blair could find himself beaten into a bloody pulp of Guide smashed on the floor.
Blair was still running the situation through his tired mind when the librarian came up behind him. "Hey, are you coming down? It's ten already and I need to close up and get home."
Blair jumped, spinning to face the woman, "Yeah…just let me get a few books, I'll just be a minute." He sat down at the nearest library computer, relieved when the blank screen came to life with a touch of the mouse.
The librarian frowned, the red of her lipstick accentuating the action. She must have been the youngest and newest employee there, getting the latest and worst shifts. "Ok, but I'll be waiting down at the desk, make it quick, and turn out the lights when you're done."
Blair nodded and waved a hand before typing in his search parameters into the online catalogue. He grabbed the first five books he found on the list plus five more he knew were good sources and hurried down to the front desk. Nearly all the lights were out and the woman stood behind the desk, tapping her foot waiting for Blair to finish. He gave a guilty smile before dumping the books on the counter for her to check them out in the system. All the while he ran his plan of action through his head. Tomorrow, he'd get into the station early, find Ellison and stick to the man like glue. Crime scene or no crime scene, Blair wasn't going to let the man out of his sight. He'd wait for Ellison to come to him first, but if that didn't happen by the end of the day, he'd confront the detective about the possibility of his being a Sentinel. What was the worst that could happen?
TBC…