The Right If Not The Responsibility
A/N: Okay, first and foremost I'm sorry that it took so long to get this chapter finished, I know I said I would be going through a few things before I could work on it, but it really took a lot longer than I expected. Following on from that I'm afraid this chapter is going to have a similar pace to the last one which I understand was a bit slow. I'm sorry about this, and with any luck the next one will go back to the faster pace that the first few chapters had. Its just for the story to work I need to establish a few ground rules otherwise everything won't fit together and make sense throughout the rest of the story.
Of course when I say it will be a bit slow, I don't mean it won't have its reveals or important...well on second thoughts I'll just let you read it and find out for yourselves. Now to make up for me taking so long to write this, I've made this the longest chapter that I've written for this story presently, but don't expect it to hold onto that title for to long.
Now I hope you enjoy reading this, I certainly had a lot of fun writing it. So without further ado please read on.
Chapter Five: Window To The Future
The next morning Amy woke up first, clambering out of her camp bed she was again met with the unpleasant odder that was sadly hers. Sighing she tried her best to ignore it. Still she knew that if they were going to keep staying here they would need to find somewhere they could wash, or this would soon get pretty unbearably.
Rosa and Gina were still soundly sleeping, although looking at them Amy felt sure that their beds had been in the opposite places the night before. Dismissing it as sleepiness, Amy strolled down stairs. She found Holt still sitting at his desk, holding up two of the medical files.
"Ah Santiago, would you care to take a look at this correlation between these two test results."
"Sir you're already up?" Amy asked.
"Never went to sleep, just didn't feel tired." Holt replied. "Now what about these test results?"
Strolling to his side Amy looked at the two files Holt held in his hand, one was his own while the other was Jake's. "Spikes in the levels of several hormones including Testosterone, Somatotropin and triiodothyronine; but apparat from that you look pretty healthy, what's the matter?"
"I can't find the exact correlation, but aside from the dates the spikes were recorded, both Peralta and I have displayed the same order of spikes to almost the same level." Holt replied.
"Well I don't know enough about anatomy or medicine to tell you whether that's strange or not."
"Neither do I, but never the less it still appears somewhat coincidental. No one else has displayed similar hormonal spikes."
"We'll have there been any physical manifestations? I mean have you had any increase in hair or metabolism changes?"
"None that I know of." Holt replied,
"Well I don't know. We would probably have to see a specialist to get any idea what it means."
Holt nodded. "Morning," Terry groaned sleepily walking in, "what time is it?"
"7:30 Am." Holt replied.
"What do you bet that none of the others will be up for another hour?" Terry asked.
No one replied.
Sure enough it took nearly another hour for the rest of the Nine Nine to awaken, except for Scully and Hitchcock who simply didn't. It was unanimously decided to leave them to sleep. No one spoke that much as they ate, and only Jake seemed happy at the prospect of eating snack food for breakfast.
Once again Holt didn't eat anything. Sitting their Amy wondered how long it would be before hunger pushed him to eat, or if his will was just so strong that he would keep resisting having to eat snack food until he died of starvation.
"Okay, now I hope that everyone had a pleasant as possible night's sleep." Holt began, "Now I understand that no one is enjoying these conditions. But for the moment we need to lie low, so I must ask you to endure."
"Endure? I can't endure. This is unbearable." Gina whined. "I haven't washed my hair in days. At this rate it will probably fall out. I can't be bald, what would my followers say?" Rosa rolled her eyes, but Jake silently nodded behind her.
"Unbearable, indeed that is a true assessment of are living conditions, but we sadly don't have a choice in the matter. Unless someone has been keeping quiet, there is nowhere else we can hide."
"Why don't we just stay in a hotel or a motel or something?" Gina said hopefully.
"How do you suggest we pay for that? We can't access our bank accounts, or they will be able to trace them. Which is assuming they still exist, with are reported deaths all are assets either have or will be passed onto are next of kin. And we can not approach them. Not yet, not like this." Holt paused, "I'm sorry but unless anyone can provide any other suggestions there is no other alternative."
No one replied, "very well, in that case I suggest we get straight to work. As none of us are enjoying these conditions, it is best we get it over as soon as possible. Now I have spent the majority of the night going over are medical files, and while it paved the discovery over several seeming abnormalities, unfortunately I was unable to find anything truly useful to our present situation. As such we have to pursue other avenues."
"Well as we're all officially dead we don't exactly have a lot of resources at our disposal." Terry replied.
"Indeed. Likewise I'm sure I don't have to specify that everything we do must be treated with the most absolute discretion."
"What about the missing technician?" Amy asked. "He was the one who sabotaged the experiment. Maybe he knew something about this?"
"How would he possibly be able to predict the experiment would do this?" Rosa asked.
"I don't know. He probably didn't. But he must have thought something would happen, or why would he and the others go to so much trouble to stop the experiment taking place?"
"They could have just been a bunch of quacks that got it right for out of random chance." Rosa replied.
"Indeed Diaz," Holt chimed in, "However Santiago does raise a point and as we don't have many avenues before us, we cannot dismiss this one."
"But how do we find him?" Boyle asked, "We don't have any access to the information."
"We could break into the university and take a look at the employee list." Gina suggested.
"Assuming we could do that, I really doubt a saboteur and potential domestic terrorist would use his real name when applying to be a technician on a project they planned to bomb." Terry replied.
"Indeed, and he did he's probably either been apprehend or the run already." Rosa replied. "I mean I doubt the investigators into this attack wouldn't be able to put two and two together."
"Very well," Holt replied. "For the moment we will have to put that line of reasoning to the side." Amy looked away silently grumbling. "Now are there any other suggestions?"
"Well there is that other member of the group that got caught, he'll still be in custody now." Boyle suggested.
"How are we supposed to get to him?" Terry asked. "We can't exactly go into the police station and interrogate him."
"We could break him out of custody, and then interrogate him." Gina suggested.
"Ignoring the fact that's illegal, how do you suppose we do that?" Holt replied. "No, that avenue is closed until we are adjusted enough that we can reveal we're alive. That is of course assuming we're allowed to continue working this case."
"We need to find out more about what they are doing at that hospital." Jake chimed in. "That's the centre of this entire case."
All eyes turned to him. "We just escaped from that madhouse yesterday. Why the heck would you want to go back there, to all those the mad doctors, insane nurses and creepy soldiers?" Gina groaned.
"Peralta's right, in less than one day we have already exhausted several of our options to no result. Putting surveillance upon the building in question is one of only two potential choices that we have left." Holt replied.
"But sir, it's too dangerous. That's where their army is. If they get us back inside we might never get out again." Terry said.
"We broke out once, we can do it again." Rosa replied.
"Ignoring just how difficult it was to break out." Terry continued "They were unaware of what we could do the first time. By now they will all know. We don't have that advantage anymore. The next time they will catch us, their going to throw everything they have at us to make sure we don't escape."
"Yeah, we'll be drugged and kept unconscious and then they'll go back to doing all those weird experiments upon us!" Charles added. "I've seen what they do to people like us in the movies. They will drain out every single drop of blood our blood. They'll slice us apart until we're little pieces. Putting individual organs and important body parts in carefully marked but still dirty jars. All the while we're still alive, screaming throughout the entire procedure! I don't want to be dissected!"
"Dissected!" Gina screamed. "No, no, I can't die! I'm too young! I'm too important! This world needs me!"
"People!" Holt yelled. "No one is going to die! And Boyle, could you please not mix up reality with a science fiction movie!"
"With all respect Sir," Jake began, "our lives kind of have become a sci-fi movie."
Holt rolled his eyes, and just carried on. "While it is very true that what myself and Peralta are proposing is very dangerous. The facts of the matter is, and please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, we simply do not have any other options. As you said, we have no access to any of necessary resources to follow any other possibilities. We can not at the present come forward as alive to gain these resources, and we have gotten nowhere with any of our other lines of enquiry. Unless anyone has another possible sources of information, what else is there?"
Terry looked at Holt, he clearly wanted to argue some more, but he had to admit Holt was right. "Very well then sir." Jake just resisted the temptation to throw his fist into the air, but his joy was still bittersweet.
"Now this assignment is too dangerous to risk us all embarking upon it. We have a far higher chance of remaining unnoticed in are activities if only one or two people go."
"Okay Sir, so who's going?" Amy asked.
Silence fell. Everyone looked around at each other, and then back around the other way. Charles huddled closer to Jake.
"Well I can't go," Gina said finally breaking the silence, "I'm a civilian. Boyle should go; I mean how are they going to catch the invisible man? He could spend all day there and they wouldn't even notice him."
Charles eyes opened wide, "No! I can't go. I can't even go outside anymore without being blinded. I would be useless. Terry should go."
"Me?" Terry yelled, "Why me? Terry's not dying at the hands of a bunch of freaky doctors!"
"I'll go." Jake said. He stopped forward past Boyle towards Holt.
"What! No you can't go." Amy cried.
"Come on I'm the best candidate, if I get caught I'll just fly out of there. Their never be able to catch me. No one else can do that so I should go."
"And when you crash again?" Holt asked. "Jake, you could have seriously hurt yourself. Trying to…" Holt paused, from the look on his face he was clearly straining "…perform that action again is beyond foolish, especially in a life and death situation. And that's assuming you can even succeed in taking off a second time. And supposing that you do what if the simply shoot you down? You have nowhere near the level of control over it necessity to guarantee anything. Trying to use that as your escape route could get you killed."
"I'll go," Rosa said. She stepped up so she was standing beside Jake.
Now it was Jake's turn to cry out. "No, you can't go." He spun around to face his friend.
"Why not? I could knock those punks around before this. Now I'm unstoppable. Bullets literally bounce of me."
"Small arms do. What about high calibre bullets? Or explosions? Or knock out gas? You still need to breathe after all. You might be invulnerable, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to hurt you."
"I'm still the best candidate for the job."
"No," Jake replied.
"Everyone!" Holt snapped. "I will decide who the best candidate for this job is." Silence fell. "Fact of the matter is that none of us have anywhere close to a satisfactory level of control or understanding over these…abilities for us to declare who would be the best candidate. So trying to sell yourself based upon them is entirely futile. However you raise an interesting point, even if we do solve this case we will not be able to reveal ourselves to until we have these... superior to human attributes entirely under control."
"Well we have only known about them for one day." Gina replied.
"With respect sir, Gina's right, up until yesterday we were all sure that any of this was impossible. We have no idea what we're capable of. " Amy added.
Holt nodded, "That is very true Santiago as such are next objective is to make efforts to correct that. Boyle go wake Scully and Hitchcock. The rest of you get yourselves ready. We leave in fifteen minutes."
As the others prepared, Terry strolled up to Holt. "Jeffords?" Holt asked.
"Sir, I was just wondering, what's the second option you mentioned?"
Holt calmly led Terry over to the window, "I may know someone who can help shed some light on this situation."
"That's great, why not bring up your friend earlier?"
"Cause he's not a friend. And I'm not sure if I can find him. Look I don't want to get everyone else's hopes up, not before I know anything for sure."
"I won't say a thing." Terry replied.
Holt nodded. They joined the others preparing to leave.
Sitting there Wunch took another sip of her tea, and gazed out of the window; it was nearly nine O'clock. Wunch hated sleeping in, she always had and especially this late. But considering the events and revelations of the night before, she allowed it to slide. Sitting there at the table she took a final spoonful of her bran flakes.
Again she looked at the tip of her finger, still it was unaffected. Wunch knew that it should have hurt when she dipping it into the boiling water she had used to make her tea, but it hadn't. It didn't seem to matter the source of heat, nothing burned her anymore. Not boiling liquid, steam or fire. What intensities of heat could she now take? Where there even any limitations? She had no idea.
Getting to her feet she strolled around the room, normally she would have left for work by now. But something told her she wasn't going to work today. It was a shame; she really did enjoy her job. No doubt she would have to make up for her missed three weeks at some point in the future. Still after all the revelations that had occurred in the last 32 hours it was probably for the best.
Sitting in her chair Wunch thought about how much things must have changed. So many good officers died in that attack, inside Wunch felt a slight twinge of guilt, 'I was there and I didn't manage to do anything to save them.' She shook her head, and wondered if any of the blame had been laid at her feet yet. The Commissioner had made her personally responsible for overseeing the events and while the events were completely out of her control, technically speaking she had still failed.
It was probably best she wasn't at work today; after all the last thing she wanted was to be blamed for something she was helpless to stop. "That would be just like that fat idiot," Wunch grumbled, "if there is one thing Deputy-Commissioner Podolski knew, it was how to pass to blame. It's the only way he manages to keep his job, and even then it stretches disbelief." Wunch paused, "When did I start talking to myself?"
She shook her head, 'enough exposition, I must miss human company more than I thought.' Sighing Wunch slumped back into her chair, her condo was pretty big and empty after all. 'I suppose it's okay to miss human company,' Wunch thought to herself, 'after all it has been three weeks since I interacted with anyone else, ignoring the little…' Wunch honestly didn't want to think about what happened back at the hospital.
But then if it had really been three weeks since that accident, then her colleagues must know she was indisposed. Where did they think she was? Something told her that whoever those people back at the hospital were, they weren't the sort to release much information about her.
A sense of urgency seizing her, Wunch reached over to her phone, calmly she dialled the number. She waited with baited breath, "Hello, this is the office of Deputy Commissioner Podolski, please state your name and business."
"Hello, this is Bauer Chief Madeline Wunch, and something tells me I need to talk to the Commissioner."
There was a clunking sound that told Wunch, that the assistant had dropped the phone, and confirmed her feats. "Looks like I'm going to work after all." She murmured.
Throughout the street the squad walked, keeping just enough distance that a not paying attention passer-by wouldn't realise they were together. Captain Holt led the procession, Terry and Rosa walked the closest to him, several steps down the street behind them were Jake and Amy, Boyle and Gina were a distance behind them. And lagging way behind where Scully and Hitchcock.
Jake couldn't help but wonder if Holt was intentionally trying to lose them. Amy was constantly glancing over her shoulder.
"Relax babe," he said softly, "you're only going to draw attention to yourself constantly checking around."
"Sorry," Amy replied, "it's just I'm worried. I mean we're legally dead. Meaning if whoever those people at the Hospital are grab us, no one will come looking for us."
Upon hearing this Jake suddenly froze, Amy stopped as well, "Jake?" she asked. "What's the matter, do you hear something? See something?"
"No...no, its nothing," Jake replied, quickly starting up again. "I mean what do we have to worry about? They don't know where we are. And even if they did, they could never grab us here in front of all these witnesses." Nevertheless he still looked over his shoulder twice as he said it.
"Yeah I guess you're right," Amy replied.
"Besides, if they did attack I'll get us out of here." Jake replied. His voice made it sound like he was speaking more for his benefit than Amy's.
"How do you plan to do that?"
Jake just pointed his finger up at the sky. "No! No! Not that! You can't do that! Can you even do that on command?" Amy quickly cried.
Jake froze, staring at her confused, "Probably." He finally said.
"Sorry, it's just I don't want to watch you fall again." Amy said, hanging her head slightly as she spoke.
"…Yeah honestly neither do I." Jake nodded. "I was just trying to be reassuring."
"It's okay," Amy put her hand on Jake's shoulder. "Oh I don't know, what's happened to us Jake?"
"I don't know," Jake sadly replied, "but we just have to keep moving forward."
However Amy wasn't done yet, "Jake, why were you so against Rosa going?"
"Um…what…well…" Jake spluttered.
"What I mean is, well it's not like you to underestimate her."
"I don't underestimate her!" Jake suddenly snapped.
Amy's eyes opened wide, "sorry, sorry, I don't mean to snap." He quickly added, "it's just this has nothing to do with Rosa's capabilities. I mean I've known her the longest of all us. She's a great detective, she's a awesome fighter, and I've seen first-hand what she is now capable of."
"So what's the problem?" Amy asked, "If you believe in her so highly why are you afraid of her going on this mission."
"Cause its observation and surveillance," Jake replied, "no confrontation involved. Rosa's great but she's also hot blooded, she's arrogant and she's more than a little impulsive. If she sees an opening, she will charge in guns a blazing."
Amy had to admit, that was a fair assessment of Rosa Diaz. "Still Rosa's not stupid; she knows when she's in danger and when to pull out."
"She did," Jake replied, "but that was before she got these powers. She got shot in the chest yesterday, and it didn't even sting."
"So you're worried these powers will make her take unnecessary risks."
Jake nodded, "Your never more vulnerable then when you think your invincible. I've learned that lesson nearly a dozen times now, and it still never sticks. Not to mention that its especially likely if she's forced into a situation that needs her to sit around for several hours doing nothing. I just don't want her to get hurt."
"Wow, that's pretty mature of you." Amy said.
"Hey yeah I guess it is, are you proud of me?"
Amy rolled her eyes, there was the Jake she knew and loved.
Up ahead the Captain took a sudden left turn. Pacing themselves, Amy and Jake calmly followed him. The others uncaringly rushed after them. Walking through the alleyway, Captain Holt took another left turn down another alley. Pushing out the group emerged into an empty street right in front of a reasonable sized warehouse, it stood nearly alone with its back against a large wall.
It was an old grey building, several of the windows were shattered, part of the roof had fallen in and large metal fences surrounded the entrance. The chains were rusted, and the weeds had grown through the cracks in pavement around it. They weren't quite far enough away that the roar of rush hour traffic couldn't be heard.
Turning around, Holt caused the group to huddle; "Now I trust you all understand that what happens next is only done under the specific circumstances that we have been forced into by moirai. Detective Diaz if you would please."
Rosa nodded, turning around they quickly did a sweep of the area. Apart from them the street was empty. No camera's, or real sign that anyone had been here in years. The others crowded around as Rosa crept up to the gates. Gently she rested her hands upon the rusted chains. Then in one quick motion she gave them a sharp tug. The old metal buckled and snapped clean in two.
Grasping the gate, Rosa pulled it open. Quickly the 99 ran inside shutting the gate behind them. The warehouse doors had already rotted beyond repair. With a single kick Holt caused them collapse. The squad just walked through the new gap, Terry took the time to have one final check over his shoulder before rushing through. Heading down the corridor they arrived inside the main part of the warehouse. It was an absolutely huge room, dotted full of rotting boxes, abandoned broken machinery and fallen debris.
Calmly Holt turned to face the rest of them.
"Um Sir, why are we here?" Terry asked.
"If you want us to live here, I'm going to run for it." Gina said.
Holt let out a sigh, "as Santiago pointed out 32 minutes ago, we all have no idea what we are now capable of doing. These…meta-human attributes are as mysterious to us as to everyone else. Up till now we have had no true opportunities to practice what we can now do. This building has been marked for demolition; any damage we cause will be immaterial."
Seeing Holt's logic, the squad did a quick sweep of the building to confirm it was indeed empty, no drug addicts or homeless people squatting in an abandoned building, before regrouping in the main room.
"How did you know about this place?" Terry asked.
"Read the report on a case that was using this place as a base for drug dealing," Holt replied. "Don't worry its been cleaned out."
With that Holt calmly walked over to the far wall; it looked the least water damaged. Taking some chalk he had brought with him, he wrote down everyone's name and beneath it what they presently knew they could do now. He then made a tick by each ability which the entire squad had already seen first-hand. Finally he turned back to the squad "Now who wants to start this exercise?"
Standing in silence they all looked around at each other. Uneasy looks passed around the circle. Rosa rolled her eyes, "fine I'll go first."
With that she walked over to the wall and casually threw her fist into it. There was a great crack as the plaster broke and the bricks behind it shattered. Pulling her hand out Rosa shook off the dust then displayed it before the others "so I'm now super strong. I guess, whatever."
This seemed to get the ball rolling; slowly Jake strolled over to a large pile of rusted machinery. Reaching over until he found two pieces smooth enough to grab hold of. Grasping hold of them he tried to lift it. The weight of the machinery almost pulled him over forcing him to drop it. Readjusting his possession, and this time trying to lift with his knees instead of his back, he tried again. Letting out a groan he hoisted the pile of scrap metal above his head.
Several pieces fell off it on to the ground around him. The rest of the squad watched in silent awe. Everybody already knew Jake's strength had also been enhanced. But up to date all they had seen had been unclear or explainable away as adrenaline. Likewise hearing him talk about it was nothing compared to actually seeing the spectacle. It honestly didn't look real and yet it was. If they had wanted they could have just walked forward and touched it.
Jake Peralta, the same man who needed training to perform a single pull up, was now lifting what must be nearly three hundred pounds of rusted metal above his head. Sweat trickled down Jake's brow; while he showed no signs of weakening, clearly even with enhanced strength it was heavy. "Okay Peralta drop it." Holt said.
There was a crash as Jake happily obliged. He took in a deep breath. "Are you okay?" Amy asked.
"Fine, it's just like trying to lift anything heavy really, only a whole lot heavier, easy enough at first then over time it gets harder. Besides I've never tried to lift anything like that before." Jake gasped.
"Dude, we have to work on your technique." Terry said, "You're wasting most of your energy for no benefit."
"Okay, Captain Holt, you showed similar enhancements yesterday, do you want to give it a try?" Amy asked.
Slowly Holt walked over to the pile of metal; his eyes assessed the pile of rusted metal, parts of it only held together by its own twists and friction; practically the definition of scrap metal. He assessed its size and density. His rational mind told him again and again that it simply wasn't possible. This had to weigh over three hundred pounds. Not even Jeffords could lift this. There was no way he could do it.
Grasping the pile, Holt bent his knees and heaved. Casually he hoisted the massive mound up into the air, until it was right above his head. He stood their silently, before calmly dropping the pile back onto the ground. The concrete cracked slightly under the weight, but Holt wasn't interested. 'It's impossible,' he told himself, before the sad truth dawned on him 'not anymore, it's now my life.'
"Okay," Amy said, "apart from Rosa, no one has displayed any signs of enhanced strength have they?"
No one replied, "Speaking off Rosa, do you want a go?" Jake asked. "It's actually surprisingly fun if you ignore the strain."
Rosa shrugged, "I think my abilities have already spoken for themselves. No need to show off anymore than I need to." She leaned back against the wall.
"Okay, who else wants to give a demonstration?" Amy asked.
Everyone looked around at each other, "I don't think I got any abilities." Terry said.
"I didn't get anything to show," Gina whined.
"How about you: Santiago?" Holt asked. All eyes fell upon Amy.
Amy's big brown eyes widened like a deer in the headlights, images of her utter failure at her last attempt danced through her mind. "Um…well I suppose I could give it a try." Amy gulped.
Slowly she stepped forward. Turning her eyes fixed upon a lone rusty nail lying upon the floor. 'Move!' Amy willed. Nothing happened. 'Come on! Please. I threw a whole bed yesterday. That nail can't weigh an ounce. Move!' Still nothing happened.
Amy could feel the weight of everyone's eyes upon her; they were all waiting for a demonstration. She had to do something, something that could follow up Jake and captain Holt's displays of beyond human prowess. Her focus upon the nail intensified. All she needed to do was cause it to move and inch or two. That would be enough, just an inch.
Still the nail remained stagnant. Looking around she could see the doubt in the other's eyes, they were all starting to wonder why nothing was happening. All slowly coming to the realisation that she couldn't do it, she couldn't do anything. 'Move! Move! Move!' Amy repeated the words as if they were a mantra, her gaze laser focused upon the nail. Still it would not budge. Tensions boiled over. "Move!" she suddenly yelled.
Amy froze, and clasped her hand over her mouth. Blushing heavily she hung her head. "I…I'm sorry." With that she stepped back into the crowd, everyone quickly moved away. Briskly Jake walked up and put his arm around her.
"It's okay," he whispered in her ear. "It's only been one day. Expecting you to have mastered these new powers so fast is unreasonable and unfair." He kissed her gently on the cheek. Amy didn't reply, but did snuggle in closer.
"Okay." Holt said in his normal emotionless tone. "Who wants to try next?"
The elevator doors opened, and Wunch walked back down the corridor. Several eyes turned as they saw her. Several people turned and murmured something to them, but Wunch had no time for their minor conversations. If they wanted to bask in her return, then that was their matter not hers.
Walking into her office, she froze to find the entire room had been cleared. All that was left was her desk, phone and computer. "Um Chief Wunch," a voice said.
Wunch turned on the spot to see her assistant standing there. Jameson was a thin and somewhat scrawny looking man with black hair and blue eyes, he was in his late twenties. "What happened to my office!" Wunch snarled.
"I…I'm sorry sir, it's just as everyone thought you were dead, it was cleared."
"Well in that case I want you to get everything brought back here." Jameson stared at Wunch timidly, he was clearly picturing having to carry every back up. "Is there something wrong with your ears? Go!" Wunch yelled. Frantically he ran out.
Groaning Wunch slumped down at her desk. She slumped her head down against the desk, something told her that her first day back wouldn't be a happy one.
"Sleeping Maddy?" A condescending voice called.
Wunch sat up quickly to see Deputy Commissioner Podolski stood at the door. "Sir?" She gasped. "What do I owe this pleasure?" she quickly added.
Calmly the Commissioner strolled in "Well let's see, I've been swamped in work following the worst catastrophe to hit the New York police force…ever. Then suddenly I get a phone call telling me that the senior officer on the sight not only survived the blast but has been doing fine despite being declared dead three weeks ago."
"Sir, I can explain you…" Poldolski cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"Save your explanations for the investigation Wunch."
"Investigation? What investigation?"
The deputy Commissioner didn't reply and instead went to stare out of the window. "It's so sad, all those poor people killed. Don't you think so Maddy?"
"Sir, I…"
"I asked you a question." Poldolski's tone stayed calm but his eyes narrowed.
"Um…yes, it was terrible. The destruction just happened so suddenly. It was chaos, everyone panicking and screaming; the building itself was shaking. It just all came out of nowhere, one second we were just listening to Professor Hirsch give us a lecture. Then it all went to hell. I...I can't believe so many people died. It shouldn't have happened. I just shouldn't."
Poldolski nodded, "I can only imagine. I read the testimonies of the nearly a hundred officers who made it out alive. But really that doesn't matter, all that matters is the forty-nine…sorry forty-eight who didn't."
"Sir, what investigation?"
Poldolski turned to face her, "why the one I'm holding into you of course."
Wunch's eyes opened wide, "Into myself? Why?"
"Well let's see," Poldolski began, "you were the senior officer on the site, by all reports you were in the viewing booth at the time of the explosion. Meaning you were closest to the explosion when it went off. And yet while multiple officers in the corridors on the other side of the building were killed by the blast, by some miracle, you managed to make it out alive, completely unharmed when virtually everyone else in there with you didn't."
Wunch stared open mouth, surely he couldn't be insinuating…"Which leads me to two possible conclusions. Either you chickened out and ran, abandoning everyone else to their fate."
"I did no such thing! I tried to maintain the evacuation in as orderly manner as I could manage. They just couldn't hear me over the confusion!"
"DON'T INTERUPT ME!" Poldolski shouted. Wunch recoiled. The commissioners straightened his tie and continued. "Or, you were somehow in league with these bombers."
This was too much, but Wunch somehow managed to bite her tongue. In the calmest voice she could manage she spoke "Sir! I can assure you I had no such ties. I am alive purely from random luck of being better covered than the rest when the explosion went off; I just woke up in hospital…"
Poldolski silenced her again, "Whatever. I'll read all about it in the report. Have a nice day Maddy. Oh and glad to hear your still alive, it will make my job in dealing with all this so much easier." And with that he just walked off.
Slowly Wunch got up and looked outside, there was no one in sight. She closed the door and waited until she was sure that he was out of hearing range before letting out a loud yell. She had expected to have some of the blame laid at her feet, an unfair amount. That was Poldolski's best skill after all, but never in her wildest dreams had Wunch considered that he would outright scapegoat her and accuse her of either being a coward who abandoned her subordinates, or in league with the saboteurs. Accusing her of being in league to kill so many of her own colleagues! The men and women who had worked under her guidance and leadership for some many years! How dare he accuse her! Who did he think he was! Snarling Wunch brought her fist down into the desk.
The wood buckled letting out a horrible cracking sound. Startled Madeline stared down at the new hole in her desk. Grasping her computer and shifted it so it now covered the hole then stared down at her hand. Not even a splinter.
Slowly she leaned back in her chair she needed to calm down, she needed to think. 'Leaving me to take the blame for all this? How dare he think I would ever do this! I won't let that fat idiot get away with this.' Rubbing her temples she closed her eyes, letting ever detail run through her mind. There had to be a solution. Had to be someway to get some answers to all of this.
Then it hit her. Slowly reached over for her telephone and dialled the number. "Hello yes, this is Bauer Chief Madeline Wunch, is he still in holding? Good have him put in interrogation. No, no, I'll handle this personally."
Sighing Holt allowed his shoulders to slouch, adopting such a casual position was not normally in his nature. But honestly at this point defeat was beginning to wash over him, making it difficult to maintain his enthusiasm; so far his entire exercise had been a bust.
Santiago's disappointing display had been followed by more of the same. Boyle had strained till he was blue in the face but he remained visible. Scully and Hitchcock had unsurprisingly failed to demonstrate anything, and where presently slumped against the wall eating a bag of potato chips they had somehow smuggled along.
Likewise as much as it pained him to admit it, he himself had failed. For no matter how hard he tried, he could not seem to follow up his previous herculean labour. As he stared at the bottle of water before him Holt felt sweat trickle down his brow, no matter how much he ordered he couldn't make the water freeze.
Really even thinking about this annoyed him, by the laws of thermodynamics and basic human biology it should be completely impossible for him to be able to freeze liquid. Yet twice now he had accomplished this miraculous feat without even trying to. Now when he poured all his efforts into it, he was incapable.
It had been nearly two hours now since he had lifted the heap of discarded metal, in that time no one had accomplished anything else, anything beyond the realm of human abilities that was.
"Why is this not working?" Amy softly groaned.
"Maybe your all just terrible superheroes," Gina shrugged.
"We're not superheroes, we aren't elven." Rosa shot back, "besides you don't even have any real powers."
Gina went to speak, but Diaz shot her a death glare powerful enough that her only response was to slump back against the wall. Jake immediately stepped in between his two friends.
"Come on," he said, "we can't give up; we just have to keep trying?"
"What's the point?" Terry groaned, "I mean who's to say you all even can control these new abilities? Why should they work just because you tell them to? After all why should real life behave like a comic book? Maybe these abilities aren't possible to control. Their just something are bodies can now do. Maybe they only work when certain hormones are released or their entirely dependent upon are situations. Point is we're jumping to a lot of conclusions based entirely on fiction."
"Well that's all we've got to base it on." Jake replied, "Up till recently, reality didn't work like this. Besides we've only been trying for two hours on something we found out about yesterday. With all due respect, it feels like we're giving up way too quickly."
"Peralta is right; we're all taking these initial failures to seriously." Holt interjected "However I also agree Jeffords that we are jumping to conclusions. At the present all nonphysical meta-human attributes appear to be beyond are volition. Still we keep on practicing. If we make no progress in another two hours, then we rethink our stratagem."
A slight collective groan erupted from the Nine-Nine. "We're out of chips," Hitchcock suddenly whined.
However Jake wasn't listening, "Nonphysical meta… meta something or other." He muttered, "Nonphysical…physical…" Then suddenly he yelled "That's the answer. Noice!"
All eyes stared at him, "Jake what's the matter?" Amy asked,
"We've been going about this all wrong." Jake laughed.
"What?" Came the collective cry of the group.
"Peralta, please elaborate," Holt said, he rolled his eyes. Part of him was sceptical, but another part of him had trained himself to see a fraction of the method to Jakes unique brand of madness.
"It's like you said," Jake began, "nonphysical abilities. Of course our superhuma physical abilities work so easily, they are just physical abilities with super powers. I mean lifting something with super strength is exactly the same as lifting it without it. But there is no normal alternative to trying to move things with your mind or freezing liquids. We've spent all this time trying to order them to work. But that's not all the work. We can't force them, we have to feel them."
Silence fell, everyone looked at Jake. "Okay he's gone mad," Rosa groaned.
"Jake are you feeling okay? Does your head still hurt?" Amy asked, she stepped closer to her boyfriend.
"No, no hear me out," Jake replied, "Terry, you yourself said it. Why should these abilities operate just because we tell them to? Well if we can't operate are powers in other ways? According to those medical files, all are bodies have been through several changes, some subtle, some noticeable. Are anatomies have literally changed and at the same time we gained these abilities."
"Where are you going with this Jake?" Amy asked.
"What I'm saying is, these abilities well their part of our bodies now. Are bodies literally altered themselves and now we possess them. Now how many bodily functions happen because we order them to? We don't blush or sweat or cry cause want to. Their all detrimental on emotions and situations; Yet despite this is entirely possible to fake it. People can induce those states; I've seen people who can. As such why shouldn't we be able to do the same with are new powers?"
"Okay even ignoring all the logical flaws in that statement, you're basically saying that all we need to do is believe and feel our way forward for these abilities to work? Surely I can't be the only one who thinks that sounds crazy." Terry replied.
"I have to echo the group's sentiment. While I acknowledge your skill as a detective; these deductions require multiple impressive and frankly unwarranted leaps." Holt calmly said, "Especially with your present lack of any evidence towards your conclusions."
This however only seemed to excite Jake more. "But, I do have evidence."
"What?" Amy asked, "Jake what are you talking about."
"I've done it before." Jake almost squealed.
"WHAT?" Everyone yelled.
"Peralta, are you telling me you have personally used your enhanced attributes in such a manner? And you neglected to tell everyone right up until this very moment?"
Jake's smile faded, he let out a slight gulp, "well…it never occurred to me it could be transferable. I just assumed it only applied to me. I was the only one with the power after all. Its only when you said that it suddenly clicked."
Several people rolled their eyes. "Just elaborate Peralta." Holt groaned.
"Well you remember when I talked about figuring out how to fly in mid-air."
"So you just felt a certain way and that made you fly?" Amy asked. "Jake you do realise how that sounds right?"
"I know, I know, look I'll demonstrate." Jake said. He walked over away from the group into the centre of the room. Pausing for a moment he looked up at the celling and bent his knees.
"Jake? Wait! NO!" Amy yelled.
Jake jumped upwards, only to fall back down again. "Fly," he said calmly. He jumped up again, "Fly," he said this time louder, "fly. Fly. Fly." Each time he increased the intensity of his cry but each time he just fell downwards again.
Losing interest the others looked to the side, Holt and Rosa rolled their eyes. Amy just let out a relieved sigh.
After outright shouting to fly, Jack stopped and straightened his legs. Tilting his neck back down, the sight of his face caused Amy's eyes opened wide. His smile was wide and she knew that twinkle in his eyes.
"Now watch this." Jake said. His face fixed into pure concentration.
"Peralta stop this now!" Holt yelled. But before he even finished the sentence Jake suddenly rose up into the air; his feet just left the ground. Like a rocket he shot upwards, his velocity dramatically increasing by the second. Though the warehouse had a high celling Jake was flying so quickly that he was already a mere foot or two away.
All eyes didn't dare look away; time seemed to slow down. Jake's head was mere seconds away from colliding with the solid slate grey celling. He was moving too fast, and it was too late for him to change direction.
Then suddenly he stopped; just a mere second or two away from colliding, Jake stopped rising and instead fell. Plummeting like a stone down a well, he shot back down towards the ground. Terry and Rosa frantically ran forward their arms out stretched to catch him. But they were too far away. Then when he was just around six feet from the ground Jake suddenly stopped.
For a second he just hovered there, and then he began to rise again. Then without warning his course changed. Now Jake was no longer going upwards, instead he shot forward right at them; all the while he was still standing up right and then he began gently but quickly descending. The squad was too stunned to move. Instead they motionlessly watched this bizarre performance. Then, still rapidly approaching, when he was only about two or three feet from the ground Jake just fell. As his feet hit the floor he stumbled forward, finishing his abnormal performance by falling flat on his face before them.
The others crowded around him. Silence fell, all eyes staring down at Jake's body. Then letting out a soft groan Jake slowly raised himself of the ground so he was now crouching. He looked up. Amy's wide eyes narrowed when she was he was still smiling. He looked like some deranged circus performer, grinning like a mad clown as if he expected an applause. Amy felt rage fill her body. She was just about to let it out all when Captain Holt beat her to the punch.
"Peralta! Of all the stupid and childish antics you have performed, this most recent escapade is in a class all of its own. One which I never even dreamed was possible. I was sure that even you wouldn't be stupid to try this. But once again I've underestimated the limits your audacity is capable of. What the hell were thinking? You could have killed yourself."
Jake's smiled faded; he almost fell backwards from the weight of Holt's words. Looking up lost he tripped over his own words. "I…I just needed to prove my point. I wasn't in any real danger."
"No real danger!" Terry yelled, "Jake, if you had hit the celling at that speed the force would have snapped your neck. You would have been dead before your body hit the ground man. Don't you dare scare me like that again!"
"No more flying! I'll…I'll nail your feet to the ground if you ever try it again." Amy yelled, however she also reached forward and finished helping Jake up. Grasping him, she led him to her side and held him tight, letting him slink behind her away from the angry and worried glares of the others.
The group stood in silence after this as if they were letting the tension of the previous few minutes drain out. Holt cleared his throat. "Now despite the dangerous stupidity of the act, I do feel that Jake's point has been made. So if you would please elaborate further. How did you do that?"
Recovering a bit of his bravado Jake cautiously stepped forward. "Well it's quite simple really all I have to do is focus on a memory that makes me feel like I'm walking on air and next thing I know I am." He only realised how that sounded after he said it.
All eyes stared at him. "Be serious Peralta, how do you do it?" Holt replied.
"I am serious," Jake replied, "look I know it sounds odd, strike that it sounds outright stupid, but that's how it works. If I want to fly, I just need to focus on something that makes me feel like I could. That's how I figured out to fly yesterday, when I was falling with Gina to what I thought would be my grave, I started to focus on the memory of the first time that my mother took me bungee jumping when I was eleven, and next think I knew I was taking off."
"Why were you thinking that?" Gina asked.
"Oh it was just one of many thoughts going through my head, its amazing what you think about when you believe your going to die." Jake replied, "point is that's the thought that got me to take off. Same as the first time I did fly, earlier that same day in the hospital, it was cause I was dreaming about a time when I went on a aeroplane to visit my grandmother, its just my dream confused it with a few of my daddy issues. That also caused me to take off."
"So you are saying that you just need to think happy little thoughts? You realise how that sounds Peter Pan." Rosa groaned.
"Yeah well I do now." Jake replied, "But I'm serious. Do you want me to…"
"NO!" came the resounding yell of the squad.
"I wasn't going to fly!" Jake snapped back. "I was going to say, do you want me to tell you what I was thinking off a few minutes ago?"
"Won't that just cause you to fly again?" Terry asked.
"Not if I don't want it to." Jake replied.
"I thought you said this had nothing to do with what you wanted, it was entirely down to emotion?" Gina asked, "Make up your mind dude."
"Well it is…and it's not. Look it's hard to explain okay, I've only barely got this figured out. Point is I need to focus upon a happy memory to lift me off into the air. But no matter how hard I focus on something happy it won't cause me to take off unless I also allow it to. Not will to you understand, just don't resist it. It's like…it's like…well…"
"Like laying back and letting the current of river pull you along?" Amy suggested.
"Yes, yes like that! If I don't resist the pull I will take off."
"So seriously you have to keep thinking about something that made you happy to fly?" Rosa asked, "I mean seriously?"
"Well not exactly…" Jake began, the others rolled their eyes. "I just need to do that to take off, once I'm actually flying I will say airborne unless I actively focus upon something saddening or shocking. That causes me to fall."
"Wait, yesterday you said you hadn't figured out how to land." Terry said. "Hence why you needed to crash."
"Oh I hadn't." Jake sheepishly replied.
"But you just…" Terry began, only to see Jake was uncomfortably looked away. "Man, don't tell me you didn't know that would work when you tried it!"
"Jake!" Amy yelled.
"Okay I get it, it was a stupid idea!" he snapped. "I won't do it again. In fairness, I honestly had no idea whether I was right about happy memories, and if I could even take off or not. Good thing is it actually worked."
The squad combination of worried or annoyed eyes didn't leave him Jake. Terry and Rosa edged closer; it was almost as if they planned to grab him if he tried to fly again. Even Charles looked more annoyed than shocked.
Holt held his head in hands. Letting a groan he forced himself to look up. "Now that we've established that Peralta has a death wish. Perhaps we can figure out how this information can help us."
"So we have to think happy thoughts for these powers to work?" Rosa asked, "Yeah I'm out."
"Not necessarily happy." Jake replied, "Just whatever emotion you were feeling the last time you were able to activate them. Assuming your powers are the same as mine they're at least in part emotionally activated."
"That actually could make sense." Terry replied.
All eyes turned to face him, "What? If Jakes right and these powers are just part of your bodies now. Which is what all those medical files we stole seem to suggest, then its possible different emotions could trigger responses. I mean at their most basic form all emotions are is different chemical reactions in our brains. Like Jake said these reactions can already create a variety of physical effects. Depending on how you've all been changed maybe these powers are just new ones?"
There was a pause, "Didn't you shoot us down when we made suggestions that sounded like that yesterday?" Amy asked.
"Well yes, but my suggestion sounds more realistic." Terry replied.
"Very well, let's attempt to see if this true." Holt began he turned to Charles, "Boyle, you said the first time you turned invisible it was when you were corned by those soldiers. And the second time was when the assistants tried to grab you in the shop. Would you say that on both occasions that you were afraid?"
"Well, yes sir I was." Boyle replied uncomfortably.
"It sounds like your ability may be tied to your fight and flight response, namely the flight side. So maybe focusing upon fear will stimulate your abilities, can you induce fear?"
"I…I can try, I suppose I could focus on the memory of something that scares me, there is no real shortage of those, like the time when I was…or then there is the… not to mention… you know what really the details are irrelevant, and private. But to be honest I'm not sure if it will work. Likewise supposing it does, how do I…"
At this point Rosa suddenly grabbed him by the throat.
"Rosa!" Jake yelled.
But undeterred Rosa hoisted Boyle into the air with one hand, "JUST DO IT!" She screamed.
Boyle turned white as a sheet; he let out a whimper and suddenly he just vanished. It was incredible to watch; one minute he was there and then suddenly he was not. His disappearance only took a split second. Gently Rosa put him down.
"I thought that would work." She smirked.
"Boyle are you their?" Jake asked.
"Yeah I'm here," he replied, "I'm just a bit shaken."
"Okay," Holt said calmly, "Okay so Peralta was right, emotions do trigger at least some of these new abilities."
"See you can rely on me." Jake said. Smiling he puffed his chest out.
"Do I need to remind you that your method of demonstration was the most stupid risk to your own life that is humanly possible?"
"No sir," Jake replied deflated.
Holt turned back to the squad, "Okay Boyle, can you turn visible again?"
Silence fell. "Boyle?" Holt asked.
"No sir," Charles replied, "I'm trying but it just isn't working. I'm not afraid anymore but I can't turn back."
"Boyle," Jake said, "remembers the initial emotion just triggers the process, it's not enough to let go. You have to actively focus on its opposite to undo it."
"I'm trying, it's not working." Boyle replied.
"Wait," Amy said, "if your invisible how can you see us? Sight only works when light reflects off the cornea's. If light is passing through you, you should be blind."
"I don't know," Boyle replied, "though my vision is black and white when I'm invisible."
"Your eyes must be picking up a non-visible spectrum of light, like ultraviolet waves." Terry suggested, "would explain why you can no longer stand in direct sunlight without being blinded."
"Okay, Boyle just stay…invisible for the moment." Holt groaned, "From what we've seen it will either wear off after an hour or so, or you will find the trigger to turn it off." Slowly he turned to face Amy, "Santiago, now we know the trigger do you wish to give moving that nail another try?"
Amy gulped; initially she was unsure but then another thought went through her mind. This was her chance to redeem herself in Captain Holt's eyes. "Don't worry sir, I'll try one better than that." Walking over to the wreck of machinery, Amy prized a piece of metal out of the pile and left it upon the floor. "I'll move that."
"Babe, are you sure you want to practice on that lump of iron, for your first try?" Jake asked.
"I have to echo his sentiments Santiago, it seems mildly ambitious."
Amy put on the smuggest look she could manage, "I can do it." she replied, 'I can do it.' she reassured herself, after all if Jake could, and Boyle could, why couldn't she? She knew how it all worked now. She had no worries, 'I have no worries.'
Slowly Amy's eyes fixed upon the metal. Now all she needed to do was to focus upon how she felt yesterday when that thug pinned her against the wall. When nothing happened, Amy closed her eyes, 'come one focus upon it. Focus on the pain you felt when body collided with the plaster. On how uncomfortable it was feeling his hot breath against my cheek. How it hurt to have his body pressed against my side. How his hands crushed your wrists.' She could almost see the events replaying through her mind.
Inside she could feel something boiling up; it was like Jake had described it. It was like her body was being sucked up into the current. 'Don't struggle. Don't resist.' Amy told herself, 'let it take you.' She felt the power flow through her veins. Let it flow through her, it felt almost like it was lifting her up into the air. Slowly Amy opened her eyes, once again she fixed her gaze upon the piece of metal.
She could still feel the power building up inside her. Focusing upon the feeling Amy ordered the metal to move. Nothing happened. Confused, Amy tried again. Still nothing happened. Maybe she was doing this wrong, what did Jake say? Not telling feeling. With that Amy instead focused her feelings upon the metal. Letting her pain, her frustration, her humiliation and discomfort all flow out of her straight into the metal.
But once again nothing happened. Inside Amy felt a jolt. 'Come on, come on work!' but it was hopeless, inside Amy felt the power she had touched moments ago simply disappear. Before she could even respond it was just gone. Struggling she tried to focus on her memories again, trying to build it back up. But this time no matter how hard she tried nothing happened. No current, no pull, no power, no anything just bad memories.
Her eyes watering slightly, Amy turned her head away from the others "I'm sorry, I can't do it." She choked. Slowly Amy stepped backwards into Jake's open arms.
"It's okay" he whispered softly into here ear. "This is going to take time. It's only been one day. We only just figured out how this worked a few minutes ago. You won't be the only person not to figure it out immediately."
"Hey Sir," Hitchcock called out, "We've figured out how to get are ability to work."
All eyes turned towards them. Rubbing the tears from them, Amy's eyes narrowed. "Are you kidding me? Come On!" Amy yelled. Irritated she pushed herself away from Jake. Who graciously stepped backwards.
Looking on Holt rolled his eyes; finally at least they had made a step forward. However it did not matter, he had already made his decision. There was only one person he could risk going to do surveillance upon the illegal hospital. That had been clear from the start, only one person who could take on the dangers of this mission.
Still now was not the time to tell the others that. This was their best step forward they had had all day. Interrupting it with the news that he had made his decision was not necessary. After all it might distract them for their progress. It still pained Holt to admit these abilities even existed, the fact his life had become a Science Fiction movie felt in some ways insulting, in other ways it terrified Holt right down to the very core of his being. But this wasn't the first time life had given him a raw deal and he knew it wouldn't be the last.
Regardless it was clear that if they were to have any hope of continuing their lives, they were going to have to learn how they worked. And with that Holt turned to his bottle of water, it was time for him to try again.
Walking into the interrogation room Wunch took a look at the man sitting handcuffed at the desk. He honestly looked less like a saboteur and more like a street thug. He was around six feet tall, reasonably muscular but not overly buff. He had a long black ponytail, and the words "love," and "hate," tattooed on his hands.
Wunch rolled her eyes, 'how original.' "Okay Mitchum, my name is Bureau Chief Madeline Wunch. Frankly, I think you should feel honoured that I'm here, top dogs like me don't normally talk to gutter trash like you. But if I seem a little unprofessional I hope you will be forgiving. I haven't done a personal interrogation in nearly thirteen years."
"My name's not Mitchum," the figure spat.
Wunch rolled her eyes again, but letting it slide she slumped down into the seat opposite him, dropping the file in front of her. "No, indeed it's not, Fredrick Robert Kensley." Freddy looked up at her started, Wunch smiled smugly. "Come on, you really didn't' think we wouldn't place you did you? Come one Freddy try to use whatever is left of that brain of yours."
Wunch leaned back in her chair; she had forgotten how much fun this was. "I've read your file Kensley, boy talk about a sob story. Born into a well to do family, all American Boy Scout growing up, loved to play baseball, always had a passion for science especially chemistry. Graduated as class valedictorian, had your choice of colleges stretching out before you, by all accounts your future looked promising."
Wunch paused, "and then of course it all fell apart. You decided to take a gap year, and never went back." Calmly Wunch opened the file she had before her. "Ah here it is, investigated several times on suspicion of drug purchase and possession. Released each time due to lack of evidence no arrests made. But then really that's not important." Wunch paused as if deep in thought, "oh yeah there was something else. Now where is it?"
She leaned back even further, no longer even pretending to read the file. Freddy was still staring down at the desk, but Wunch spied his hand clenching. "Now what was it? Oh yeah now I remember, a few years ago your name came up as potentially a member of a group of pseudo-scientifically motivated potential terrorists. Got to admit that's one of the bucket list too many terrorists these days are motivated by clichéd things like politics and religion. Hearing an original cause like that, really its the sort of thing that makes my day. Nothing was ever proven of course and the investigation was halted due to lack of evidence, but looking what we have now really things aren't looking good for you Freddy."
Calmly Wunch got to her feet and strolled around the building, "I'm sure you've been informed by now your friends little stunt killed several dozen officers. As such we have you on sabotage, breaking and entering, assault and battery, being in possession of illegal explosives, assistant to mass murder and of course…domestic terrorism."
Wunch turned back so now she was directly facing Freddy. "I'm sure you are grateful that we have presently decided not to charge you as a terrorist or turn you over to the FBI. If we did you would naturally have your rights suspended until such time you were ready to be tried." With each word she took another step forward. "And I know you don't want that Freddy."
Wunch leaned over the bigger man; her smile glinted as she looked down upon him. "Really you're looking at life minimum, honestly your be lucky if they don't want to executed you. Any way you're slice, it doesn't look good. Now of course if you were able to pry open those tight lips and tell us a few more details, I might be able to arrange to for you to be let off easy. So what do you say Freddy, ready to play ball?"
Freddy looked up, at her "Lady, you talk too much." Wunch's smile faded. "I know my rights. Unless you're going to charge me as a terrorist, and you're not going to do that, because if you were you would have done it by now, I'm not saying anything without a lawyer.
Learning back, Wunch's glare turned cold, "I don't think you understand Freddy, I have a personal interest in this case. Frankly I don't care about you and your little bomb throwing anarchist boys club. I want to know why you targeted Professor Hirsch. What was it about him that you wanted to stop? What was he doing that you were so against that you were willing to commit murder to have stopped?"
"He was being dangerous," Freddy yelled, "irresponsible. We tried to warn him but he wouldn't…."
"Wouldn't what?" Wunch barked, "Wouldn't listen? What was so he doing that was so dangerous? What do you know Freddy that the rest of us don't?"
"I'm not saying anything more without a lawyer."
Wunch rolled her eyes, "fine you want to play hard ball. Let's play." Grabbing the keys from her pocket, she quickly undid the handcuffs. "Stand up Freddy." She said, Freddy didn't move, "come on you must be sick of sitting down by now." Slowly Freddy got to his feet.
Wunch's eyes followed him up, "my my, you are a big man." She smirked, "You know Freddy, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. There is no one outside that door. There should be, but there isn't. No one is watching us through that one way glass. I made certain that everyone was gone so we could have a nice private chat together. There is literally no one within shouting distance. Not even the janitor. Believe me I've been very thorough."
"So what happens now?" Freddy smirked, "you're going to beat the information out of me?"
Wunch chuckled, "Freddy, Freddy, Freddy…yes." And with that she grabbed him by his shirt. Freddy let out a yell, as Wunch suddenly yanked him over the table and straight on to the floor. Bewildered Freddy looked up to stunned to react, but before he could even scream Wunch grabbed him again and pulled him to his feet.
Smirking she spun him around and pushed into him, sending him falling backwards into the wall. "What the Hell!" Freddy yelled. Unhesitating Wunch dived at him, Freddy tried to struggle, but Wunch effortlessly held his arms in place. Then grabbing hold of his sides she lifted him upwards. Freddy let out a scream as he rose. "This isn't happening! THIS CAN NOT BE HAPPENING! HELP! SOME ONE HELP ME!"
The sudden change in momentum caused Wunch to sway, she quickly bent her knees and manged to steady herself. Silently she reprimanded herself for not taking into account that she didn't have the necessary inertia to lift him like that. Moving her hands over his body Wunch managed position herself to counteract his momentum. Very carefully she lifted lift Freddy above her head, so he was no lying vertically.
Straining she stood up and let her arms extend as far they would go. To anyone walking in the sight might have seemed comically, if only for how bewildering it was: A petite middle aged woman, holding a large man in his thirties up like he was a dumbbell. Freddy spent the whole time squirming and trying to struggle free.
This proved too much for her, Wunch lost her grip and Freddy fell. Frantically he scrambled away from her, pushing himself to his feet. Freddy ran into the door, only to find it locked. Wunch let out an ear splitting laugh. "HELP! SOMEBODY! HELP ME!" Freddy screamed.
"There is no one to hear you." Wunch said playfully, "it's just you and me, big man." Spinning around Freddy eyes darted on to Wunch. Casually she advanced upon him.
"Y…you get away from me. I'll tell…I'll tell everyone. I'll sue you for police brutality."
Wunch let out a laugh, "really you're going to tell everyone that I, all 116 pounds of me, lifted you up and threw you around the room?" Freddy's face turned whiter. "Really it's just going to be my story against yours; and my story will go that I let you out of the handcuffs, as a gesture of goodwill before starting the interrogation. You in turn took the opportunity to slam your head against the desk for no apparent reason."
"Slam my head against…" before Freddy could finish that sentence, Wunch jumped forward and grabbed him again. Pulling him with her, she stretched her left hand behind his head and forced him downwards onto the desk. Lifting him up, she slammed him down again. Freddy let out a yell, blood began to drip out of his split skin.
Still holding him in place, Wunch's smile was now bigger than any she had sported in years. The sheer power she felt coursing through her veins, it was almost too much to be true. She looked down at the tiny weak whimpering figure before her. "So I'm going to ask you again Freddy, unless you want this to turn into a reported suicide, why were you after Professor Hirsch?"
"Please, I'll talk." Freddy choked.
Letting go Wunch walked back around the desk and resumed sitting in her seat. She gestured for Freddy to sit, reluctantly he complied. "I knew you would see reason. Now tell me everything."
Okay I hope you enjoyed all of that. I'll try to make sure the next chapter is ready sooner than this one was.
Now the next chapter should see a lot of changes, although it will also lay down one or two ground rules. Still I will say no more on the matter.
As always please review.