Chapter 2! Took a little longer than I had hoped but at least I was able to post it today. Thank you in advance for sticking with my story and any reviews are greatly appreciated! Happy reading my fellow Irrelevants :)
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Chapter 2 - One of Them
The art of pursuit is a tricky one, but it's an art with which John Reese has a lot of practice. Sadly for John, their private investigator had quite a bit of experience himself. Empty sidewalks made the already difficult task even more dangerous- if Reese got too close he risked being made, but if he stayed too far back he risked losing his mark.
The ex-operative managed to find a balanced distance after about a block. He stayed on Miles for a little more than two blocks before something went wrong. Nilton, Miles' target, took a quick turn into an ally- a dead end. Reese quickened his pace to catch up when his boss decided to check in.
Mr. Reese, you've been quiet. What's going on? Finch asked, worry evident in his thought.
Miles just followed his target into an isolated ally way. I think I just found the threat, Finch.
At this point Reese was in a full sprint. As he approached the ally where his number disappeared, he heard a very distressed voice shout, "Who are you? Why are you following me?"
Reese could only assume that Miles' tailing skills weren't as good as he had first thought. When the Man in the Suit turned the corner, he saw a scene that was all too familiar to him: a man with a gun pointed at another man's head.
"I'm a private investigator,¨ Miles answered calmly with his hands up. ¨I was hired by your wife to track you down."
Nilton shifted the gun in his hand as if he was debating whether or not to pull the trigger. With limited options, Reese opted for the one that ended without bullets.
¨Hey,¨ Reese said as he approached the two men.
Nilton panicked and turned his aim to Reese. "Who the hell are you?" he asked.
"Consider me a concerned third party," Reese answered. He took another step forward so that he was within striking distance of the distressed man.
"Stay back!" Nilton warned. "I'll shoot you!"
"No you won't," John responded confidently. "You're safety's still on."
Nilton's look of confusion only lasted for a second before Reese grabbed the gun by the barrel and twisted it from the smaller man's grasp. Reese didn't even hesitate before he pistol-whipped Nilton with his own gun, sending him crumbling to the ground.
"Crap, what the hell was that?" Miles exclaimed.
Reese bent down and started zip-tying Nilton's wrists behind his back, "A troubled man on the edge that was about to snap."
"No, I mean what the hell was that," Miles reiterated while mimicking a punch.
"He was going to hurt someone. I had to stop him somehow," Reese answered while propping Nilton up against the wall.
"Ok, so what now?" Miles asked.
"I have a friend in the NYPD who can take care of this."
"You're a cop?"
"Not exactly…" Reese hesitated.
"What the hell are you, then?"
"A guy who was at the right place at the right time," Reese responded, phone in hand. He dialed Detective Carter's number and waited for an answer.
"Hello?" Carter greeted.
"Good morning, Detective. I need a favor," Reese stated.
"A legal one, I hope?"
"This time."
"I'll ignore that. What do you need?"
"I have a suspect here in Queens I need you to pick up."
"A suspect of what?"
"He tried to kill someone we're helping."
"I can't send someone out there until you have proof that he tried to kill your guy."
"You'll be called in to a shooting."
"Did he shoot at anyone?"
Reese lifted the gun he took from Nilton and shot two bullets into the brick wall behind him before field-stripping the weapon and dropping it on the ground.
"Jesus Christ!" Miles shouted.
"John…"
"He did now," Reese answered.
Carter sighed, "Alright, I'll get someone to pick him up. Just try to keep your head down, John- although I know that's practically impossible for you. This paragon incident has the whole city on edge."
"I'll be careful. Take care, Carter," Reese promised before hanging up.
After talking to his friend on the force, John turned his attention back to his employer for an update, Finch, I apprehended the threat. I'll be back at the Library soon.
Not so fast, Mr. Reese, the billionaire warned. I'm not sure that Nilton was the only threat.
What makes you say that?
The Machine only detects acts of premeditation. This crime wasn't thought through at all, it was an act of self-defense. Whatever ' situation is, something tells me it's ongoing.
Alright, I'll stay with him a little longer, Reese resigned.
By the time Reese zoned back in from his thought conversation, Miles was gone. Emerging from the ally, Reese found that Miles hadn't gotten very far.
"Hey!" Reese shouted, trying to get his attention. Either Miles was ignoring him or he didn't know that John was talking to him. Reese decided to discard the cautious approach, "Miles!"
That got his attention. The PI stopped dead in his tracks and turned around, "How do you know my name?"
Reese caught up to him before answering the question with a question, "Do you want me to answer that or do you want me to help you?"
"Help me? I don't even know you!" Miles exclaimed. "Who are you?"
"Who I am isn't important right now. I have information that your life could be in danger."
"Danger? I'm sorry, did you not just see the lunatic waving a gun at me? I could always be in danger! I never know who my clients are going to ask me to track down, but it's the job I signed up for," Miles insisted.
"I understand that, but trust me, my source of information is never wrong," Reese pushed.
Miles hesitated for a second before asking, "You're not gonna leave me alone until this 'danger' goes away, are you?"
"Probably not," Reese admitted.
"Fine. I'll stick with you for now," Miles grumbled. "But only because you helped me with Nilton. Speaking of which, what's going to happen to him?"
"The NYPD will pick him up and probably question him for a while."
"Ok, I guess I'll inform my client to the situation," Miles sighed.
"Good idea. Meanwhile, we have to figure out why you're in trouble," Reese urged.
"Like I told you, my cases could always lead to trouble. I never know what I'm getting myself into until I start investigating."
"Are any of the cases you're working now particularly life threatening?"
"Not exactly. Although…" Miles trailed off.
"Although what?"
"I do have one case that I'm not sure about. This guy, I think his name was Duncan something, asked me to track down a paragon for him. I usually don't take jobs that involve paragon but business has been really slow. I needed the money."
"Do you have any leads on this paragon case?"
"Yeah, one. There's a bar not far from here that's very popular. It's owned by a paragon so a lot of them hang out there. Normally I wouldn't be caught dead in a place like that but it's my only lead."
'A place like that'? Reese thought to himself. What's that supposed to mean?
"Ok, let's go check it out," Reese encouraged, trying to hide his doubts.
"Wait, 'go'? So now you're working this case with me?" Miles wondered.
"If this case is the reason you're in harm's way then yes, I'm working this case with you."
"Alright, fine. Whatever. But I'm not splitting the payout with you," Miles asserted before storming off.
"Where are you going?"
"To follow up on the lead," Miles opened the door to his car. "You coming or what?"
Without another word, Reese followed Miles and climbed into the passenger side of the car. He then proceeded to use the short drive as an opportunity to update Finch.
I have Miles, Finch. He took a little more convincing than I thought he would. We're headed to a local bar to follow up on a lead for one of his cases.
I'm aware, Mr. Reese. I can still hear your conversations through the paired phone, remember, Finch chided.
Right, I keep forgetting about that. Have you found anything useful in those files I sent you?
Not quite. Most of these cases are pretty thin. I was, however, able to find out the name of the target in the case you're working. Her name is Jane Aldridge. She's a paragon from the Bronx. I'm gathering more information on her now, the hacker informed.
Ok, well work fast. This guy doesn't seem to like paragon very much, the trained soldier remarked.
I've gathered that from your previous conversation with him. In the meantime, I suggest you stick to your traditional firearm. Something tells me Mr. Miles wouldn't be too fond of accepting help from us if he knew what we were.
Way ahead of you on that one.
Be careful, Mr. Reese.
As conversation ceased, Miles parked the car on the left side of the street across from a seemingly average looking bar. The two men got out of the car as Reese asked, "So this paragon of yours. Do you know for a fact that they come here?"
"No, that's why we're here. I need more information on this girl."
Considering it was eleven thirty in the morning on a Tuesday, business was good. There were five people sitting at the bar as well as a few small parties taking up the booths. Reese and Miles took the only table against the wall facing the door so they could survey incoming patrons.
"I'm going to ask the bartender a few questions," Miles suggested.
"Ok, you go. I'll stay here and watch the door," Reese decided.
Miles nodded before standing up and making his way over to the bar. Eyes glued to the door, the Man in the Suit quickly realized that he didn't know who he was looking for. He knew the girl's name but he had no clue what her appearance was. Luckily for John, Miles came back before anyone else came into the building.
"That was quick," Reese observed.
"Yeah. The bartender recognized the girl by name. I didn't even have to elaborate. Apparently she's a regular, comes in every day at noon for lunch," Miles reported.
"Did he give you a description?" Reese hoped the answer was 'yes.'
"Sure did. Said we could probably recognize her by her bright red hair and forearm tattoo of angel's wings. Shouldn't be too many people who fit that description," Miles added.
They had their target, they had her ETA, the only thing left to do was wait. This unfortunately allotted Reese a lot of time to psych himself out. His mind started to wander, worrying that their current situation was mostly likely going to end poorly. Hypothetically, it was possible that this whole thing would simply be conversations and getting information- basic recon.
Of course, there was also the chance that this Jane Aldridge would not be willing to talk to a private investigator which would lead to a more dangerous encounter, to say the least. But in this case it wasn't the fight itself that made Reese uneasy, it was how the fight was going to play out.
What if Jane pulled out her arma or tried to use her element? Would Reese be able to protect himself and Miles with just a simple .45 and close quarters? What if he couldn't keep up the act and he was forced to show what he was? Would Miles react with as much hostility as Reese feared? The seasoned mercenary was about to find out.
"Here comes our girl," Miles observed.
The bartender greeted their target as soon as she walked in. She immediately took a seat at the bar and simply asked for her usual. If there was a time for conversation, it was probably now. Miles gave Reese a subtle "come with me" look before getting up and joining their target at the bar. Hesitantly, the ex-op followed his man and sat on the opposite side of the girl from Miles.
"What the hell do you want?" Aldridge asked as soon as Miles sat down. There was a specific tension in the air that Reese noticed. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he could tell something was off.
"What do I want? Preferably a drink," Miles answered. "Can't a guy go to a local restaurant for a drink?"
"Sure he can. But out of all the places in the city, you had to pick here?"
"Why not?" Miles responded coyly.
"You know exactly 'why not,' Warren," She added his name as if it was a curse word. "I know who you are, and I'm not gonna tell you jack."
Reese only had a split second to ponder how Aldridge already knew their PI's name before their target pounced. She swiftly elbowed Miles in the face, sending him falling straight back off his stool. He looked dazed and in pain, but he'd live.
Aldridge then quickly turned her attention to Reese and kicked her stool out of the way before shooting a softball-sized fireball at her assailant's chest. It burned through his white dress shirt but dissipated when it hit skin; you can't fight fire with fire. Seeing the attack of opportunity, Reese tried to throw a punch to the side of Aldridge's face. The fire paragon blocked the attack with ease but it left her midsection vulnerable, allowing John to kick her in the stomach and send her stumbling into empty bar stools.
John attempted to make his next move when he felt a force keeping him in place. It wasn't a physical force, it was a mental one. When Reese looked to his right he saw the bartender with his hands up, pointed at Reese and Aldridge.
I hate psychic paragon, Reese thought to himself, careful to make sure his connection to Finch wasn't active.
"I don't tolerate fighting in my bar," the man stated. "You two either figure out this little argument without violence or I'm calling the cops."
Before Reese could respond, he heard the door open and saw Miles rushing out of the restaurant. He quickly responded, "There's no need for that. My friend and I were just leaving."
The bartender gave Reese a dirty look and responded, "Fine, but if I see you in here again, I won't be so generous," before releasing his mental grip on him.
The Man in the Suit then raced after his number. He came out of the building and spotted Miles across the street about to get into his car. John shouted, "Miles! Hold on!"
The PI turned around and answered, "You lied to me. The way her fire disappeared when it hit you? You're one of them. I knew I shouldn't have trusted you to begin with. I'll solve this case myself. Don't even think about following me." He then climbed into his car and drove off, leaving John standing in the middle of the street with no lead and no way home. The trained soldier started walking to the sidewalk as he updated his employer.
Finch, I just lost Miles. The encounter at the bar got a little messy. He figured out that I'm a paragon, Reese recalled.
Any idea where he's headed?
Presumably to continue this case. I should probably change shirts before I go looking for him…
What? Why?
I'll explain when I get back to the Library. See you in thirty minutes, the ex-op said briefly. His toughest challenge now would be finding a quick way to get there.