A/N- Hello everyone! Sorry for again taking so long to update. The pollen plague has hit hard where I live and I'm highly allergic to it so needless to say I haven't been feeling very well these past couple of weeks. I've been struggling to find the motivation to write but I absolutely loved this weeks episode of Arrow and it inspired me to push on and finish this chapter so here it is! A couple of things, this is a shorter chapter, sorry for that. Also there is a bit more language this time around, it seemed appropriate given the situation that unfolds. I'll keep a better lid on it in the future. I have gotten some medicine for my allergies now and I feel much better so I will be doing my best to update weekly from now on! Thanks much!
"Detective Lance sighed as he collected the papers on his desk and stood from his chair, he turned around and headed for the hallway that lead to the SCPD'S interrogation rooms. Lance's partner was leaning against the wall arms crossed and tapping his foot, eagerly awaiting his arrival.
"The kids been stewing for hours, can we get in there already?" Slade asked.
Lance quirked an eyebrow and frowned, "You seem a little too eager to talk to this guy."
"You kidding me baldy? He's been toying with us for how long now? Plus he's probably working for the biggest criminal drug outfit this city has ever seen, you should be just as eager to screw him to the wall as I am."
"Still, maybe I should take this one alone," Lance advised suspiciously. "He won't be able to tell us anything if he's got a broken jaw, and the way you're acting makes me think you just might pull that kind of move."
"Screw this guy and screw you!" Slade pointed to the interrogation room and then Lance. He pushed him self off the wall and reached for the door knob.
Lance quickly reached for his wrist and stopped him, "Wait!" The two men shot firm glances at each other, "At least let me take the first crack at him, alright?"
Slade sighed, "Fine, but you remember how cocky he was last time we interrogated him, the second he starts that crap up again, I'm stepping in and lighting a fire under his ass."
"Fair enough," Lance conceded and allowed Slade to turn the knob. As they entered Slade stood off to the side and folded his hands, while Lance headed straight for the table and took the seat across from Machin. All three men were silent as Lance set a folder down on the table and opened it. He removed several papers and arranged them in front of Machin as he drew in a deep breath. "Mr. Machin," Lance spoke up once he had finished. The younger man remained silent and stared down at the floor, "Mr Machin!" Lance repeated, "shall we try this again? You feeling anymore cooperative now that you've had a chance to think about your situation?"
"Not really," the young man mumbled.
"You maybe wanna rethink that answer?" Lance offered.
"No actually I don't," Machin replied and chuckled.
"Lance heard his partner let out a small grunt, he turned to face Slade and shook his head then turned back to the subject of his interrogation. "Look pal, I'm not kidding myself here, I know we've been in this situation before and I know that you managed to get yourself out of it. The thing is we're not letting you get away this time, your stuck, so why don't you just help us out a little and maybe we can do something to make this whole thing better for ya. What do ya say?"
"Machin slowly rose his head, "Oh but of course Detective," he replied sarcastically. "Anything to help the boy's in blue," a dastardly smile stretched across his face.
"Lance frowned but pushed on, "Take a look at these photos," he gestured to the papers on the table. All of these are the results of the work of a man who we think you might be involved with."
"Oh?" Machin replied, "Who might that be?" He asked as he briefly glanced at the photos.
"The Count," Slade interrupted.
"The Count?" Lonnie looked up at him and grinned, "You think I'm working for the count? You're funnier than you look Detective," he leaned back in his chair.
"Slade tensed up and clenched his fist but remained in place.
"Come on now don't play dumb, not with us," Lance interjected hoping to ease the growing tension in the room. " We suspected that you were working with the count when we dealt with you two years ago. You confirmed our suspicions when a band of armed mercenaries attacked your prison transport and you escaped, not to mention the fact that you were arrested for cooking Vertigo. The evidence is pretty damning if you ask me."
"Machin adjusted himself and sighed. He seemed completely uninterested in what was happening, after another deep sigh he spoke up. "Now detectives, while I don't know him personally, I've heard all the rumors going around about The Count. He's a ruthless violent man who won't hesitate to end your life just for looking at him the wrong way. He's a monster. Even if I was working for him, which I'm not, why would I risk my life by telling you?" His smile grew wider.
"You don't have to tell us," Lance smirked. "We ran a drug screen on you when we brought you in," Lance produced another paper from the folder and tossed it on the table. Lonnie placed his hand on it and rotated it so he could read it. "We found vertigo in your system."
"So? That doesn't prove anything," Machin retorted, "there are lots of copycats out there these days. Everyone's trying to get in on the vertigo trade including me, how do you know I didn't make it myself?"
"Because, the vertigo in your system is the newest strain," Lance explained. "The Count's men have been spreading the word that this version is so pure and perfect that no one can replicate it. We've arrested several druggies and even a few competing dealers over the past few weeks, they've all confirmed that if you want the really good stuff you've gotta go to the man himself."
"Lonnie looked away in frustration. Lance rose from his seat, walked around and leaned against the table next to Machin, "Now the fact that we found that particular strain running through those puny little veins of your's leads me to believe that you're not being truthful with us. The only way you could know about that formula is if you bought it or if you were in The Counts employ. Either way we can lock you up for a long, long time. You're finished, so why don't you help us out and we'll do what we can for you."
"And what would that be exactly?" The young man grumbled.
"A reduced sentence maybe, some extra privileges in your cell, who knows?" Lance replied.
"Lonnie was silent for a minute, he seemed to be considering the offer. However a moment later he lifted his head, and his dastardly smile returned. "No dice!" He exclaimed and sat back in his chair, "Like you said detective," he gestured to Lance, "I'm finished, I'm screwed no matter what. So why would I help you with anything while I can just sit back and watch you run around like chickens with you heads cut off?" A smug look came over him and he laughed.
"That's it!" Slade yelled and walked to the table. "Look at these photos! Look at them!" He grabbed Machin by the hair and slammed his head down on the table against one of the photos.
"Slade!" Lance yelled.
"You shut up Baldy, your way isn't working, It's my turn." Slade turned his gaze back to The young criminal. "Look at it!" He pointed at the photo and applied more pressure, "This girl died of a vertigo overdose, she spent the last three hours of her life screaming in agony, hallucinating and terrified. She was only seventeen!" Slade pulled Lonnie's face up and forced it back down onto another photo. "This dumbass burned his family's entire home to the ground when he dropped his lighter and set his stash on fire, he was too high off a vertigo LSD cocktail to do anything about it. Turned himself into a piece of jerky to boot."
"Well that's his own fault," Lonnie chuckled. "He should have known better than to mix Vertigo with other drugs."
"Shut up!" Slade demanded and tightened his grip around the boy's neck. "We know you're working for The Count, so as far we and the law are concerned these deaths along with so many others are on your hands just as much as they are his." Slade lowered his head down to Lonnie's eye level and lowered his voice, "Its already set in stone that your never gonna see the outside of a prison cell again but if you don't want your life to get any worse than it already has I suggest you cooperate you hear me you little son of a bitch?" The two men stared firmly at each other, suddenly a faint beeping sound began chiming.
"What the hell is that?" Lance questioned and looked around the room.
"Lonnie's scowl curved into a grin and he began laughing, "That my dear Detective, is the bug I had implanted into one of my molars.
"A bug, In your tooth?" Impossible, we swept you for bugs and didn't find any.
"This is new untraceable tech, designed it myself actually. Your little magic wand can't pick it up."
"Damnit!" Slade exclaimed and grabbed Machin by the jaw, pulling his mouth open. He looked inside and sure enough one of the teeth in the back of the boy's mouth appeared to be fake. Slade jammed a finger down Machin's throat but the younger man quickly bit down as hard as he could. "Son of a bitch!" Slade exclaimed as he grabbed his hand in pain.
"Lance slammed a hand down on the table, "Enough! How do we turn it off?"
"Lonnie looked up at him and spit Slade's blood out, "Oh it's far too late for that Detective. You see not only is my implant a bug, it's also a tiny wireless speaker. That sound you're hearing is an alarm letting me know that I've distracted you just long enough to execute my daring escape!"
"Really?" Lance asked as he jumped up from his seat and rand around the table to secure Lonnie. "Just how do you plan on doing that?"
The beeping sound suddenly grew more rapid, and Lonnie grinned from ear to ear. "Like this!" Suddenly a loud boom erupted from down the hall followed by gun fire seconds later.
"What the hell?" Slade exclaimed and turned around, he peered out the door's window then turned back to Lance. "Sounded like that came from evidence lock up, stay with the twerp!" He ordered as he drew his side arm and reached for the doorknob.
"Like hell!" Lance retorted and drew his own pistol, but Slade was already out the door and down the hall. Lance started after him but before he could leave the room another explosion sounded and blew out a wall in the main room directly across the hall, Lance quickly turned and took cover as debris struck the wall in front of him. After a moment he peeked around the door frame and watched as a masked gunman stepped through the hole in the wall. The gunman quickly scanned the room and when his eyes connected with Lance's he pointed his gun at the detective. "Oh crap!" Lance had to think fast, he ran back towards Lonnie as fast ah he could and kicked the door behind him attempting to shut it, the gunman opened fire. Lance leaped over the interrogation table and tackled Lonnie, who was still cuffed to the table, to the ground. Both men fell to the floor and the table flipped on its side, providing them with some much needed cover.
As the gunman continued to fire at the door it swung back open and bullets began crashing against the table, it wouldn't hold long. Lance poked his gun around and tried to return fire but had no luck. The metal of the table began to give way and a bullet punched a hole not far from Lance's head.
"Having fun Detective?" Lonnie cackled as he lay on the ground.
"Shut up!" Lance ordered, he drew in a deep breath and prepared to return fire, but as he let the breath out he noticed the gunfire stopped, he heard a magazine eject from the attackers weapon, this was his chance. Lance immediately stood straight up and opened fire, firing off as many rounds as he could as fast as he could. The gunman cried out as Lance's rounds entered his chest and he fell to the ground. Quentin hurried back to the door and stepped out into the hallway, as he did two more attackers entered through the hole. Quinten hit the floor and rolled behind an overturned filling cabinet, he pulled his spare magazine from his belt, reloaded and fired at the intruders. He hit one in the leg sending him to the ground, another officer taking cover behind a desk managed to hit the other one in the neck killing him.
"The room was for quiet for several moments. Quentin could still hear gunfire and cries coming from other parts of the building but it seemed he'd been given a break, for the moment anyway. He drew in a deep breath and checked on the other officer, "You alright?" He called. The officer nodded in response, Quinten could see that he was clutching his shoulder but it didn't look too bad, he'd survive. Quinten motioned for the officer to stay put and carefully stepped back towards the hallway, he had to find Slade. The guy may be a pain in the ass, but they were still partners.
Quinten quickly surveyed the hall, it was empty, he pointed his weapon straight ahead. He cleared each of the adjoining rooms as he proceeded and tensed with each gunshot he heard. "How the hell did this happen?" When Lance neared the end of the hall the last door on the right, evidence lock up, swung open, Slade stumbled out and fell to the floor. Lance started towards him but another gunman emerged from the room and took a few steps towards Slade with his rifle pointed at the detective's head.
"Slade propped himself up against the wall, "Well come on then!" He exclaimed through ragged breaths, "Do it you son of a bitch!"
"Don't tempt me," the gunman replied. Slade responded by spitting at the man's foot, the attacker growled and took another step towards him.
"Hey!" Lance yelled and steadied his weapon.
"Now now detective," a voice called from behind. Lance turned his head, Lonnie Machin walked out of the interrogation room at the other end of the hall, he was escorted by another gunman. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he advised with a sinister smile.
Lance swung his gun around and aimed it at Machin, "You Bastard, what the hell is this?"
"I told you detective, it's my daring escape!" Lonnie laughed. "Now unless you want your partner there to lose his other eye, I suggest you step aside."
Lance tightened his grip on his gun and edged his finger closer to the trigger, he could feel beads of sweat running down his forehead. One ran down into his eye and caused him to wince, he blinked and tried to clear his vision.
"What are you waiting for?" Slade yelled to Lance. "You can't let him get away again, shoot him!"
"Uh uh uh Detective," Lonnie retorted. "Like I said, step aside, or else that nice man will shoot your partner in the head and then this nice man will shoot you dead. Either way I'm walking out of here. It's your choice."
Lance looked from Lonnie to Slade then back to Lonnie, he racked his brain trying to find another way out of this, but there was none. Quinten had to make a choice.
"Damnit bald cap shoot him!" Slade ordered.
Lance stared the villain in the eyes, the two men spent what felt like an eternity locked in a battle of wills neither one wanting to give in. Finally Quinten lowered his gun, he had made his decision.
"A wise choice detective." Lonnie smiled triumphantly as he and his guard walked past Quentin and down the hall. both gunmen kept their weapons trained on the detectives as they walked and when the reached the large opening they had initially blown in the wall Lonnie turned around and smiled. "Oh and Detective, give my regard to Ms. Smoak if you would. Tell her I'll be seeing her real soon, he snickered and disappeared through the opening.
Lance ran to Slade's side and knelt down. Slade turned his head away, "You should have shot them," he groaned and adjusted himself.
"Yeah and you and I would both be dead right now," Lance replied as he put pressure on one of Slade's wounds.
"Can't believe that son of a bitch got away again. Back to square one eh?"
"Guess so," Lance sighed, "But don't worry about that right now." Quinten listened and observed their surroundings, the gun fire stopped and had been replaced by the sounds of feet frantically hitting the floor and sirens blaring from outside. He looked back at Slade, "Let's get you taken care of."
"You guys ok?" A fellow officer called as he ran down the hall towards them.
"Guess you could call it that." Slade groaned and sat up. The other officer peered out of the hole in the wall and scanned for enemies, then turned back and assisted Quinten in getting Slade to his feet.
"What the hell just happened?" The younger man asked looking at the detectives.
"I don't know," Lance replied.
"But we're sure as hell going to find out!" Slade finished.