Disclaimer: Don't own.
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Andre Harris wasn't to thrilled to be confronting his cousin about this. Normally, he'd have let this slide, not bother with what he'd learned from his other cousin Cassie, the one obsessed with Blue Steel. She, in her early obsession, had studied everything she could find on the hero, including everyone he'd ever worked with. That included his replacement as the Constable, The African American man who'd stepped into those huge boots and made an impact, only to find she may well have known the latest Constable. A secret she'd shared with Andre.
'I told Cassie it's probably better if we never find out, only now, I kinda, sorta feel I need to know, cause this may well be the reason I've been feeling on the outside with my friends.' He reminded himself, even as he paused outside the apartment his cousin Martin lived in. 'Gran once told me, this kind of neighborhood, mostly cops. At least the one's not living in their own special community…' He smiled. It made sense, if one assumed what Cassie had discovered was true, that they'd pay more to keep him living in the city. 'Nice building, good security, and loads of cops. Just hope I don't get stopped for being black with intent.' The last joke fell flat, given the LAPD's known history of racial problems.
A knock on the door brought a quick response. Dre had texted his cousin to make sure it'd be okay to drop by, not wanting to miss the very eligible man if he was out on the town. 'Used to think he was more of a playboy then I was. However, if Cassie is right, then he may be having himself some dating issues.'
"So, Dre, what brings you round?" Marty asked. "Man, I do kinda miss hanging, even if we hardly ever have time. In fact, I think the last time we were in the same place was at Officer Vega's place. Nice place, BTW. I need to find me a woman who can bring in the big paychecks, so I can afford a house like that."
Andre pulled out his phone, hardly a unique action, given how many of his friends and family had been asked to critique one of his new songs. Only, instead of pulling out a music file, he opened an old photo of when the most recent Constable was debuted to the public. "This guy, he looks an awful lot like you." The young man showed the picture. "In fact, as a part of her odd obsession with Blue Steel, Cassie was looking up his past, and saw this, tagged you as this man. Not saying you're him, even if the timing fits. You joined the force maybe three years before, and then suddenly you're in one of the special units, out doing who knows what."
"It's not me." Martin started. "It's just… Cassie's that obsessed with Steel, huh?"
"Yea." The musician confirmed.
"Last I heard, her daddy wanted me to go straighten her out." The older man noted.
"Yea, she was running with a bad crowd, getting into trouble, that kind of chiz." Andre explained. "Worse then youthful hi-jinx, on the road to something really bad."
"So what happened?" Martin wondered. "Or did she just get smitten by Steels manliness and change her life?"
"She said that Steel stopped her and her group, to make sure they weren't doing anything wrong, only instead of the whole tough cop shit, he went and asked them questions." Andre explained. "It was like, somehow he believed in their ability to make it, without gangs and violence and everything. He was the first person they'd met in a long, long time who made them believe the police could be on their side. Spoke of a future, and how they'd make it. What they needed to do, that kind of chiz. Every word like they were old friends, and he was just encouraging them, worried and honest and that fatherly kind of figure, and she said her friends tried to laugh it off after. Only, the man, she insisted he has a way of making you believe. Made them all believe. And Cass, she went and started her biggest crush yet."
"Don't know how the fuck he does it, but yea, that sounds like the kind of thing he'd do." Martin agreed. "Only, and get this, not Constable."
"How is it we can kinda figure out who you are, but not him?" Andre pushed, reading his cousin better then expected. 'Man is a good liar. Probably has loads of practice. Only, I'm a very good actor, and I can read some of his tells. He's been nervous ever since I brought Constable up. Plus, man makes a little, no, scratch that, a lot more then a police officer of his rank, and he's only been in a few years. What is it, seven? Eight? He shouldn't be living this large. Then, the whole single life chiz, it makes hella more sense if he's just not able to have himself a girlfriend cause of the circumstances.'
Martin watched his cousin for several moments. "Did Cassie put you up to this?"
"I told Cassie to live through fan fiction, and not try and find out who Blue Steel is, cause you really never know, right?"
"Right." Martin deflated. "Makeup. Blue steel used to wear makeup. Had himself a few contacts in the industry, people he could trust, who'd put a touch of makeup on him, make him hella hard to identify. Course, that was before we got us some perception filters. Steel got his from some dud he used to know, while I got mine recently, cause it helps if people can't figure out who the fuck you are."
"So how'd it happen?" Andre asked. 'In for a nickle…' He didn't even care how quickly the older man had shifted, admitting who he was, and opening the door to so much more.
"Promise you don't tell." Martin got very serious. "Moreover, promise you don't ask questions about the people I work with. More then jut my support people, cause of course we have em. I'm talking about no questions about Blue Steel, or The Black Dahlia, or anyone I've been known to work with. And yes, I've been doing some work with The Velvet Phantom lately, girls a hella good investigator. And no, nothing romantic between us. Had me a crush, a little young, only she turned out to be way to complicated. Sigh, my love life, it took a major hit. How the hell did Steel find himself a wife?"
"Sorry for your sacrifices." Dre tried to offer comfort to his cousin. "And sorry, but this feels, I don't know, too easy."
"Trust me, it isn't." Marty sighed. "Sit, talk. See, the one thing they don't mention in the brochure is how isolating the job can be. Cops, we have other cops, people we can talk with. But once you put on the mask, your whole world is different. Take Phantom. She's generational, her mother was the original Velvet Phantom. She understands how hard this life can be. Course, she's still a kid, so no dating her, even if she's kinda cute. But more then that, she knows… Girls can read people like no one else, so she was SO helpful to just talk to. Helped me get through some shit I saw out there, on the streets. See, Steel, he had himself a wife, kids, and they help him stay sane. People who know who he really is, and can be there after a hard day to offer some emotional support. Me, I have my handlers, and sometimes, I have Steel, but that' s about it."
"Wait, his kids know about his double life?" Andre felt like he was playing catch up.
Martin's face was a picture of conflict, as he sought some way of explaining without giving anything away. Seconds passed, and he found what, to him, was the perfect explanation. "Blue Steel is Warpaths father."
"Warpath, as in Warpath?" Andre asked, his hand rising to approximate the tall, intimidating woman's height.
"As in, we wish she'd be more then a part timer, cause that girl was born, literally, for this world." The police meta explained. "She's so gifted as a meta, and yet, she wants… A very different life. And I get it, I totally do, cause she see's the world we live in, I live in. She see's how hard it can be, the strain it's put on everyone to ever wear the mantel of The Constable. I don't blame her one bit if she wants to be anything else. Just, I hope, pray, she never gives up the Warpath name, cause we need her."
"How much, exactly, are you holding in?" Andre wondered.
"That frustrating mix of things I know but can't tell, like identities and motivations, and those things I wasn't supposed to know, but picked up along the way, like what they did to me, it gets in our genes. Warpath is a result of the procedure that made me and Blue Steel, and it looks like the power, some power, is gonna be inherited down the line." Martin sighed, his brown eyes scanning the room, as if maybe he was being listened in on. "Don't go spreading this among your friends, kay?"
"Okay."
Inside, Martin was calculating. 'He's best buds with Tori, who now goes by Wildcard. That places him as a friend to Dahlia. Fuck, man, what the hell has Dre here gotten himself into. Who knows what kind of danger might come after them if anything leaks, and my cousin, he's close to two of V's projects. Fuck fuck fuck. This… it's bad, but maybe it doesn't have to be. Dre here, not a good candidate for enhancement, but he might be my eyes and ears into that world, cause Phantom, she see's right through me. Then again, when you can read thoughts…' His smile worried his cousin as he started to turn this meeting towards his advantage.
"You know, I could use a heavy dose of normal, to help ground me." Martin told his cousin. "Even that high school drama you're stuck in would be a release from the day to day of my world. At least until I can convince Steel to help me find a senorita to help me feel normal."
"So what do you need me to do?" Dre wondered.
"Just fill me in on some of the day to day happenings of your friends." Martin baited his hook. "What're you kids up to these days?"
"Actually, that's part of the reason I came over." Dre shifted, nervous now. "Most of my friends are involved, one way or another, with the probation department. Little Red, er, Cat, a good friend who's usually such a good person, then again…"
"What?" The older cousin urged.
"Cat does sometimes get herself in trouble." The musician admitted. "More so when she's being manipulated, cause the girl, kinda, not sure which word is right? Simple? Not dumb, per say, but she's so naive. It's like she just, everyone knows, if you know how, you can manipulate her. Jade's an expert at it. Others, not that good. I'll admit, I'm amazed more boys haven't taken advantage. When Jade, who's probably my scariest friend, but when she got herself put on probation, I was seriously worried that someone would take advantage of Cat."
"So this Jade looks after her, right?" martin wondered. 'Dahlia has a friend? Who's on probation? I wonder…'
"Yea, but she wasn't there when Cat got in whatever trouble she did recently, out in Venice." Andre confirmed. "About that time that monster attacked the beach."
'Bastion!' Constable thought. "Oh… so, she's doing probation, along with Jade?"
"Probably not, cause what're the odds of having the same probation officer… Though they do ride into the program together most days." Dre's face scrunched. "Though I know Tori, you remember her, right? Officer Vega's daughter… Wait, you said they got you right after your rookie year, right?"
"Where officer Vega often worked with my training officer." Martin clarified. "He's always been a good man, and I like to stay close to the family. His youngest is a friend of yours, right?"
"Do they know?" Dre wondered.
"Strictly need to know basis." Martin insisted. "If your not part of one of the police meta programs, you don't need to know. Hell, even if you are, you probably don't get to know. Need to know basis."
"Oh, okay then." Dre nodded. 'Marty is a good hand to hand fighter, so of course he'd be able to help Tori learn not to lose to ten-year-old's.' The boy smiled, a warm, rich smile based on an inside joke.
"So, the girls are all busy, since Trina mentioned that her sister is dating someone, another girl, and I got the feeling it was one of her friends." The police meta covered.
"But the boys are busy too." Andre griped. "Robbie is teaching puppetry to inmates, while Beck is, I don't know, cause no one bothered to ask. I think he's teaching acting to kids in the system, but I have no idea. I just know, he got involved, and got Rob the job with probation."
"If it's probation, then he won't be teaching inmates." Martin clarified. 'Both of them? As in, both? Are they, could they… I have no idea. I did know they recruited Steel Copper based on his charm, and the belief that he could help contain Dahlia. Is one of them someone she cares about? What about Achilles Junior? Timings close, so maybe…' His eyes studied his cousin carefully. 'Are you really the last normal in your group. Man, makes me regret how unsuited for enhancement you are, cause it sucks to be left out. Sides, that many, in one place, assuming I'm even right about Bastion, and the boys aren't just doing shit, that many will eventually draw some kind of attention. No, I gotta get on top of this, cause I have no idea what V is thinking, recruiting so close to Dahlia.'
"Something wrong?" Andre asked.
"No, nothing." The police meta assured is kin. "Just, things I might need to check out, cause you're right, it does sound fishy, both boys working with probation, and yet, they have teaching, training jobs with very little in the form of war stories to share. I'll do what I can, but this is outside my department. Without some cause, not sure I can find out too much."
"Thanks." Andre smirked. "Now, given how many of them are out and busy, it's amazing we have any time to get into any hi-jinx." He drifted off into a recent story about a boy trying to ask Cat out, only to keep running into everyone else, almost as if they were deliberately interfering. "Course, the guy has himself a bad boy image, which is normally so Tori, but… Wait, you do know Tori had bad taste in guys, right?"
"Yea, I try to warn her off, but you know how people can be." Martin sighted. "But the girls had good luck with everything else, so some bad boyfriends are to be expected. Just glad none of them used her for sex, left her damaged and hurting."
"Or a mother." Andre agreed, as he continued his story. 'Martin suspects something. I think... yea, he's thinking at least two… No, more. He's thinking they're all somehow involved. Plus, he kept friendly with an older, higher ranking cop he only knew a year, despite being put in a special program? No, that doesn't track. Marty's poker face has more holes in it then Rex's excuses about why that Nothridge girl dumped him. Yea, somethings not right, and the more I speak with Marty here, the more I think there's more to Mister Vega then meets the eyes. I mean, who uses theatrical makeup in the police department?'
The two continued, Andre telling stories, and reading his cousin, even as Martin listened carefully, trying to figure out who of Dahlia's friends was now a part of V's initiatives. Neither was particularly happy with what they were learning, though both got pretty much what they wanted from the visit.
Andre left with a new problem. 'Who do I talk to about this? Best to keep it to myself. After all, the secrets I now know, maybe dangerous. Could use them to score me a girl or two, but… I'll keep my eyes open, cause maybe Jade'll know. I mean, her probation makes the most sense, and she's hella smarter then people give her credit for. Plus, if Beck, or Tori, are involved in something, she'll know…'
That next day, Andre entered the school, looking for his friend, hoping to find some answers. 'I just know, Jade'll know. Not the outsider anymore, I think she may well be the linchpin of this whole situation… What is a linchpin?' He stopped in his tracks, pulling out his phone and looking up the definition of linchpin. 'Okay, says here a linchpin is a pin passed through the end of an axle to keep a wheel in position. Okay, I can see why that would be important, cause my car, wouldn't work too well if the wheel fell off all the time…. Wait, I don't recall there being a pin in there anywhere. They have Lug Nuts now, and use them to keep the tires in place. But maybe, back when this saying was started, they didn't, and had to rely upon linchpins to make the wheels stay in place. Let me look up any pictures of linchpins… Okay, yea, I can totally see why they needed them….'
"Andre, a moment please." Meredith cut him off.
"Meri, hi…?" The boy greeted. "Sorry, while you and Beck almost had something, last I saw, you'd been hanging with Trina, and now I'm starting to see a connection." He stepped aside, into someplace more private. "Okay, what did he tell you, and how are you involved."
"He didn't tell me anything, which sucks, cause he should have." The short brunet griped. "But no, I just… I'm good at reading people sometimes, and before you started on some tangent, which I admit, might have distracted you, only I'm not thinking it'd have lasted. So, what're you up to, and how much damage to your friendships are you about to cause."
"So you're not a part of this whole police meta thingy going on?" Andre asked. 'Wait, should have…?!'
"I'm a part of the Vega girls past." Meredith admitted. "Classes, from when we were young, where we got to be kinda, sorta friends. Reconnected with Trina recently, cause we needed each other. And Jade, you were gonna go find her, find out if somehow she's involved?"
"I'm gonna… Wait, she's involved?" He shifted, trying to keep up.
"With Tori, which you already knew, so stop playing innocent."
"I'm not playing." Dre insisted. "I'm just confused. Martin isn't that great an actor. If you know him, are close to him, then you can read him, kinda, and he was trying to get me to tell him about my friends. He wanted to know, AFTER I went to him to find out what was going on in probation."
"And he told you he doesn't really know, cause why tell him, right?" Meredith asked. "Yea, that tracks. Man wants to know whats going on, and he decided to use you, cause you're close to the Vega girls."
"So they are involved?" Andre wondered.
"Not the way you'd think." Meredith said. "Okay, I see, man let too much out, didn't he. Not good choices, not now, so how do we proceed?" She started pacing.
"Wait, you're kinds skipping steps here…" Dre noted. "What're you thinking?"
"Meet me after school." The short girl instructed. "And don't ask anyone about what you've been thinking until I've had the chance to speak to a few dozen people. This is… I need to clarify what we're dealing with. You, just…" She shook her head. "Yea, got a phone call to make, and it's the kind people don't wanna make, so you, please, just go, be with your friends, while I make the call. Just, things, yea, complicated."
'That wasn't suspicious.' Andre thought as he made his way towards his friends, and an uncomfortable day.
He spoke with his friends, all the while trying to understand who might be involved, and what they might be up to. On the surface, not that much had changed. Robbie and Jade being the two biggest. Jade seemed more self assured, which in turn made her slightly less mean. The girl still had a temper, and no hesitance at using her sharp wit and razor sharp tongue to take apart anyone who crossed or upset her. However, she was often softer then she'd have been in the past. Moreover, she wasn't as dark, publicly showing a softness she'd have never exposed in the past.
Robbie, however, was the most obvious, even if it was more subtle. The boy was somehow a lot more confident then he'd been. He still had loads of places where he slipped back into the old Robbie, like any time he chose to carry Rex. But Robbie wasn't as nervous about being himself. Moreover, a lot of his actions, things that people might have made fun of in the past, just didn't seem that out of the ordinary now. It was like, somehow, the nerdy boy was now more confident, and so much of the creepy things he used to do were only creepy cause he came across as desperate. Now, if he approached a girl, for any reason, including wanting to ask for a date, or to ask for her notes from a class, he seemed more natural, confident and in control.
Even Tori seemed a little different. She wasn't as clumsy as she'd been, something she'd only struggled with a little of late, but now she was so much more graceful. Even the times when she did slip up, stumble over her own feet or otherwise have some small problem, it was always when someone was there to catch her. Tori was now gracefully avoiding a lot of the situations that used to prompt the groups hi-jinx, accidents or dealings with boys or many other problems that she used to swim from one to the next. 'Sure, having a relationship helps, and her money problems, everything, they all seem to have solved themselves. So, it's not that obvious. Only now, she's just gliding, moving from opportunity to opportunity. Just, what?'
The last thing he noticed was a change in the way everyone dealt with Trina. Not just Jade, who he'd have expected some small change, but even Beck dealt with Trina in a more friendly way. "Yea, somethings up…'
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Thoughts? Did you really think someone as close to them as Andre, who's related to Constable, would stay in the dark for long? So, what does Meredith have up her sleeves, and will Andre like it? Review, and maybe next chapter I'll let you know.