“You call that a knock, Vance?” Krowe pounded on the door.
Bella slid the device Spant gave her under her pillow before saying, “Come in.”
Sergeant Krowe entered first, followed by Detective Vance. Vance walked up to her bed and squeezed her foot through the bedding. “Welcome back to the living, officer.”
Krowe nodded to the newspaper. “Word travels fast.” He had a bandage on his forehead.
Bella rubbed her head. “I think one of the nurses left it,” she said, turning the paper over.
Vance leaned against the wall next to her bed. His jacket flapped open revealing his detective badge attached to his belt. “You scared the hell out of us, Bella,” Vance said quietly, folding his arms. “But what you did back there… most officers would’ve run. One did. You didn’t.”
“Precinct 13 is my family, and I don’t run out on my family,” she said, meeting his eyes then shifting them away from him. Her past life of doing just that crept into her memory.
Krowe walked to the foot of her bed. He lifted her medical chart. Bella watched him as he read it.
“Listen up. The precinct is a wreck, but we’re not done. The Commissioneris at City Hall right now, breaking heads to get us permission for a fortified site. This will not be allowed to happen again.”
He met her eyes. “You saved our lives and countless others, Officer Sparks. We lost many, yes, but many were saved because of your quick thinking. The Mayor has promised us a better way to contain these super powered freaks.”
Vance straightened. “Because this ‘Swarn’ is still out there and after you, you are under protection until it is caught or killed.”
“But—” she began.
“No buts, Sparks,” Krowe barked. “There is a guard at your door at all times. You are being released into protective custody.”
“Is that why you’re both here, sir?”
Krowe nodded to Vance. They both walked to the door. “We’ll give you privacy while you change into your clothes.” Vance quietly watched her as they left the room.
Bella eased from the bed and walked to the window, leaning against it.
She dropped her head sighing. The thought of being watched made her stomach tighten.
***
From the hospital window, Bella watched as Spant’s motorcycle disappeared into the afternoon rush of traffic.
With Carrow PD very short-staffed, Spant rode a little easier today. He circled the block once to make sure no one was trailing him.
Traffic crawled as Spant rode past the honking horns and flashing traffic lights. His bike took a right turn into a dark alley. He cut the engine and rolled it toward the very back. He pressed a button on the dashboard. A hidden entrance opened along the brick wall and he pushed the bike inside of it.
Spant removed his mask and walked through the darkness. At the center of the room was his command center / small lab. Three tall monitors hung from the ceiling. Andre placed his mask on the table next to a computer keyboard. He turned on the monitor which illuminated his face.
Andre leaned against the desk, typing into the keyboard. “INSERT SPECIMEN” pulsed in amber text on the center monitor.
A faint hiss escaped from the desk as the intake tray slid open like a drawer.
Andre reached into a pocket on his utility belt and pulled out the vial. He slotted it into the tray's circular groove, and with a soft mechanical whir, the hatch pulled the sample back into the machine. The "Insert Specimen" prompt vanished, replaced by a rapidly climbing progress bar: ANALYZING...
Andre studied the early data stream and frowned. “Synthetic proteins.”
“I wish I had my hands on that bio tech you were forced to steal, LJ,” he mumbled to himself.
While the bio-scanner analyzed the tissue sample, he typed into the keyboard again. Another monitor came on. On it was an image of the man who blackmailed LJ to steal the bio tech. “And you,” Andre smiled, “thought she was wearing that scarf because she was cold.
He pressed a key marked ‘enter’ and the words “SEARCHING ALL DATABASES” flashed on the screen. “If you’ve been caught on camera anywhere in this world,” Andre said, “I’ll find you.”
His phone pinged with a text notification. He opened it. The message from Zayden read. “Just Made It Home. All Doors Are Locked. See You When You Get Home Dad.”
He typed his response. “I Will Be Home Soon. Had To Make A Stop.”
Before he could place the phone on the desk, he received another notification from LJ. “Hope you had a great day today. Getting ready to go in to work. I enjoyed our date, Sugar. Can’t wait to see you again, Andre. LJ.”
Andre smiled and responded. “Can’t get you off my mind tonight, LJ.”
***
On the edge of town, Jason closed the door to his office at Pharma and pulled on his trench coat. He waved to his fellow office mates as he did every evening, hoping none of them noticed how fast he was leaving. He walked down the hallway and into the elevator. The doors opened to the garage, and he stepped out. Horns blasted when a driver cut off another driver.
After he pressed the car alarm on his key fob, he opened the driver’s door of his modest car and got in. He locked the doors before dropping his head onto the steering wheel. He mumbled something to himself when a voice from behind him startled him.
“You really don’t have the stomach for this job do you?”
Jason looked in his rear view mirror and saw a dark figure sitting behind him. “Who are you?! What are you…” he said reaching for the door handle.
“Calm down friend,” the figure said. “I am not here to hurt you. Start your engine and drive.”
Jason stared at the figure. “Are you here to kill me? Did Mr. Cole send you to kill me?”
Another car drove by. A spotlight from the car fell on Jason as the mysterious figure sank low into the back seat. It was security.
“Act normal. Drive,” the figure said. “Or we’re both dead.”
Jason’s hand shook as he turned the ignition. He waved at the security car and drove off. The security car followed Jason out of the building before turning toward the main gate.
He followed the man’s instructions. A mile outside town, he pulled into the first rest stop he saw. Jason killed the engine and the mysterious figure rose, revealing himself. It was no one Jason knew. The man handed him a large envelope. “Someone is doing you a favor, Jason. This is your way out of Pharma alive. Take this and leave town.”
Jason looked through the envelope. Fake ID. Cash. Hair dye.
The man exited Jason’s car, walked to the passenger window and leaned in. “Cole was going to kill you soon, Jason. Soon like tomorrow. Heed this warning. Start a new life somewhere else.”
Jason nodded as he stepped back. With the turn of switch, he drove off.
The man lit a cigarette and watched until Jason’s taillights disappeared into the dark night.
A dark vehicle pulled up behind him and he got in. In the back seat, sat Angela. She looked at the man and handed him a small envelope full of money. “Thank you,” she said.
“I don’t get it, Angela,” he said placing the envelope in his jacket pocket. “Why did you help him?”
She looked down at her hands. “This isn’t what he signed up for.” She looked at the man. “I wish someone had done the same for me before I got in too deep.”
The man exited her car and watched as it disappeared back toward Carrow.
***
Andre stared at the monitor.
There was a hit on the mystery man.
MATCH FOUND appeared on the screen.
No name yet, but the man had been found in another photo with someone Andre was familiar with.
He leaned against the desk, staring as the image on the screen sank in.
“How are they connected?”
He rubbed his chin and frowned.
“Does he even know what he did to her?”
Andre printed the image and stared at it for a moment before folding it and sliding it into his pocket. He told the computer to continue searching for the man’s true identity.
Skateboard in hand, he checked the perimeter before exiting the building.
His phone rang.
Selene Kade.
“Ms. Kade,” he said, answering the call.
“Andre, so sorry to bother you. I was just checking in to see if you were still coming in next week. It has been three weeks, and your office is complete.”
“Yes, Ms. Kade,” he said. “I will be there next week as agreed.”
“Andre, please call me Selene,” she said. “After all, we will be working as partners at Beacon.”
Another notification popped onto his screen.
An emoji of a kiss being blown from LJ.
Andre smiled, instantly distracted.
“LJ... Forgive me.” He cleared his throat. “Ms. Kade, you are my employer. I prefer to keep our relationship formal.”
“Understood, Mr. Brooks. Well, have a good evening. I look forward to working with you.”
“Good evening, Ms. Kade.”
He dropped his skateboard, stepped onto it, and pushed off down the street.
You are up to something, Ms. Kade, he thought. I will not drop my guard with you.
Andre didn’t know Selene’s exact motives but he was going into this situation with his eyes wide open. No one offers a plain everyday delivery driver a serious job opportunity like this without something being in it for them.
He checked LJ’s message again and smiled before he realized it.
Wind cut across his face as pedestrians blurred past. Voices snapped at him, but he didn’t slow down and found himself whistling the ride home.
A few minutes later, Andre was at his front door about to walk into his apartment. Something felt different to him but he ignored it as Zayden hadn’t called or mentioned anything wrong.
Still whistling, he entered his home. “Zayden. I’m home. Are you alright?”
Thirsty from the ride, he went to the refrigerator first and grabbed his water bottle. Andre took a swallow but stopped, looking over his shoulder.
A shadow crept behind him. A familiar presence moved silently—before he could react, he was locked into a headlock.
He knew from the perfume—it was his friend Meva Stringer, also known as Grave.
“Grave,” Andre said. “Let go.”
Grave rubbed his head with her knuckles. “Getting sloppy, Andre.”
Zayden peeked his head around the corner, smiling.
“Zayden,” Andre huffed, “Didn’t I tell you not to open the door to anyone? You’re grounded?”
Grave released him. “Don’t go getting mad at the boy, Andre. You know he knows me.”
He straightened his shirt and shot Zayden a sharp look. “He knows what I said.”
“Dad,” he started but stopped when Andre stared at him.
“Who is she?” Grave asked him, leaning one shoulder against the refrigerator.
“Who’s who?” he asked.
She stalked up to him. “You came in the door whistling, Andre. You forget I know you. Someone has got you happy. Did she give you any?”
“Meva!” he said. “Zayden is in the room.”
She folded her arms. “He’s old enough to know about sex. Don’t be such a …”
Andre cut her off. “Such a what?”
“Yeah dad, they taught us about s-” Zayden began.
Andre silenced him with a pointed finger. “Finish that sentence and you’ll be grounded until you’re thirty-five.”
Zayden swallowed hard.
“Why are you here, Meva?” Andre asked, walking into the living room. “Last time I heard you joined a team of Gen-O’s down south. Are you on the run? Your problems had better not come knocking on my front door.”
Grave placed her hands on her hips. “No, I am not in trouble. I am on vacation.” She turned her head. “Honestly Andre. Do you think I would bring trouble Zayden’s way?”
Andre raised an eyebrow in response and walked out to the balcony. Grave followed him out, nodding to Zayden. “I’ll talk to the grouch, Z.”
Andre leaned against the brick wall watching the sun set.
“What’s got your britches in a bunch, Andre? This isn’t like you.”
He watched Zayden through the glass doors. “I’m not upset or anything. I’m worried my secret life is having the wrong effect on him.”
Grave met his eyes. “Because he wants to be just like you? He told me when we talked earlier.”
“I don’t want him to be like me.”
His voice dropped.
“I want him to be happy.”
Grave touched his shoulder. “I saw what happened on the news. That’s why I am here. I know how overprotective you-”
Andre cut her off. “I am not overprotective.”
She glared at him.
“Okay. Maybe I am a little over protective of Zayden.”
“Andre, you have every right to be. I was there when you lost your family, remember? I took you in. In the back of your mind, you think you’re going to lose him, like you lost your parents, your sister.”
Andre looked up at the sky. “He had to come to my rescue recently. I was proud of him.”
“Let me guess,” she said. “You didn’t tell him that did you?”
He looked at her.
“Well, I’m hungry. I’m going to make us some food. Have a man to man talk with him while I cook,” she said as she walked back inside. “You’re a good father, Andre. Your son admires you.”
A few moments later, Andre walked back inside. Zayden sat on the couch watching the news. He stepped between Zayden and the television. “Grab your shoes. We’re going to the roof while Meva cooks.”
Zayden glanced at Grave, then back at Andre. “Yes, sir,” he said walking to the shoe rack.
Grave placed a skillet on the stove. “It’s okay, Zayden,” she mouthed to him. She stuck her head inside the refrigerator. Then looked at Andre. “Where’s the meat?” she paused, “I need meat with my meals. How do you maintain that physique of yours on rabbit food?”
“Very well,” Andre smiled as he held the door open for Zayden.
She shook the skillet at him. ‘I’ve got your “very well” right here.”
“We’ll be back shortly,” Andre said.
***
Across town, Angela stood in front of a tall containment unit filled with green fluid. Inside it was an unconscious male human subject. Some scientists in white lab coats monitored data at computers while another looked through a microscope.
She placed a hand on the glass and watched as a female scientist walked up to her. The woman held a metal clipboard in her hand. “Dr. Langley,” Angela said. The woman pushed her eyeglasses up.
“How is he?” Angela asked Dr. Langley.
“His body seems to be accepting the process very well,” Dr. Langley said. Her tone shifted. “We just discovered he has a stinger. Care for a demonstration, Angela?”
Angela smiled, watching the man in the containment unit. “Of course,”
Dr. Langley walked to a computer and began typing. She turned to Angela, “Watch.”
The man’s hands formed fists and began to tremble.
The water rippled around his hands and the shaking grew more violent.
Angela stared.
Just as she opened her mouth to say something, a stinger shot out from his wrists.
Angela’s smile widened. “Now we are getting somewhere.”
***
Bella Sparks had been released from the hospital. She rode in the back seat of Sergeant Krowe’s car that was driven by Detective Vance. The drive home during rush hour was uncomfortable to her. Vance checked the rear view mirror often, keeping an eye on Bella.
Sergeant Krowe stepped out of the passenger side once they made it to her apartment building and opened the door for her. “We’re here, Sparks. Let’s get you inside.”
Two other officers were already there and waiting for them. They kept one hand on their pistols as they formed a line behind her.
Vance and Krowe walked ahead of her. Bella watched the sky as they walked into the building. Her eyes landed on a small drone hovering outside one of the windows in her apartment. Spant, she thought. She remembered his words to her in the hospital “Your apartment is secure,” and let out a sigh of relief.
“I feel like this is a waste of resources, sir,” she said as Vance held the door for them while they walked into the building. He scanned the streets before closing the door.
“Quit your complaining, Sparks,” Krowe barked. “You are under guard and will be until that monster is captured or killed.”
Vance looked at Bella. Her right arm was in a sling and her hair was a mess but she was alive and they were alive because of her. He smiled.
The men escorted her to her apartment. They instructed her to wait in hallway with another office while they checked her apartment. “It’s clear,” Vance’s voice came from the inside of her apartment. “Bring her in.” She could hear her dog barking at the men inside of her apartment.
When Bella walked in she was greeted by Storm, her dog. She knelt down by his dog bed. Storm jumped onto her, wagging his tail. “I’m so sorry I was away. I’m home now,” she said as she rubbed his head “I missed you too,”
After Bella was settled, Sergeant Krowe left but not before informing her that there would be an officer outside her door at all times. “Don’t be a hero, Sparks. Scream out if something happens.”
She promised she would as she walked him to her door. Bella waved to the officer, “Do you want anything, David? Water, tea something to eat?” He nodded. She smiled and closed her door. Bella leaned against the door, slowly exhaling.
When she heard Storm bark, she opened her eyes and saw Vance, with his back towards her, staring out of her living room window. He looked across his shoulder at her. “I’ll take the couch.”
She looked at him, “There is an officer outside my door, Jaden,” she said as he closed the window curtain, “You do not have to babysit me. You are a detective now. Go detect.”
Vance smiled, walking up to her. “I think I am.”
He walked into her kitchen, checking her cabinets. “What do you feel like? Homemade or ordering out? Whatever you decide, remember we have to feed David, too.”
Somewhere in the city… something had just been born.