Stepping under the tape, James took his hat off and finally shook off the worst of the downpour, drying it. "James." A young officer, happily called out upon seeing him, and stepped aside from the body. "Seeing as how you're here, it means we're done." Putting his hat back on, James chuckled and shrugged.
"Alright, Peter." James looked at the body, "I wouldn't be too sure. Someone still needs to clean up afterwards." James walked over to the body and knelt, putting on a pair of nylon gloves. Examining the boy, he quickly looked around to try to find something.
"Behind the ear," Peter said, making James look. Pulling the ear aside, he saw a small tattoo of the globe with a ring around it. James couldn't help but groan. The situation was already messy enough as it was, but seeing the tattoo, he couldn't help but feel it was much bigger than he thought.
"New Horizon..." James' words trailed off, staring at the small image.
"Yeah. A bunch of the guys were quite annoyed when they saw it. It's strange, though. These fanatics usually blow up buses or post offices." Peter looked around, focusing on the briefcase full of money, "Things like this aren't their business." Looking at the body, James blinked, the world around him changing as he did.
The world seemed to light up as hundreds of colours floated around him, merging into a thin rainbow fog. On the body, he saw a faint orange colour nestled where the heart would be. "He's an ability user. A weak one, however." James rose and stretched, trying to see something. The faint residue of an ability surrounded the immediate area of the alley. James easily linked it to the barrier he saw deployed earlier.
Despite that, he couldn't find any sign of the power the woman used; the residue was blown away alongside what remained of the man she killed.
"Did you count the money?"
"400k", Peter said, "If that's the official number when it gets put in the system, however," James smirked, knowing what he meant. Looking around, he saw residue from where the shadowy man had lingered, but other than that, he was at a dead end.
"Able to identify him." Peter nodded and walked away, returning with a ziplock bag containing a wallet. Taking it out, he handed it to James. James opened it up and frowned. It was surprisingly empty, only carrying his driving license.
"John Smith." Shaking his head, he handed it back, "Of course it's a fake name." Peter chuckled and took the wallet back, sliding it back into its ziplock bag.
"You done here?" James looked around, trying to see if he could find anything more. Remembering the aura of the ability the white gloved man used, he nodded and looked back down at the corpse. Taking his phone out, he took a picture of their face.
"I'll pay a visit to those fanatics."
"Be careful up there." James nodded, took off the gloves, and handed them to Peter.
"Stay safe," Telling Peter, the young man replied, using the same words, and watched as James left the scene. He got into his car and sped off, blaring the sirens and cutting through traffic. "Call Captain." The phone rang for a second, and the man on the other end picked it up instantly.
"What have you got?"
"New Horizon are involved. The body is one of their members. An ability user." There was silence on the other end as the captain tapped on his desk. James paid it no mind, speeding up, seeing the lights about to turn red.
"What's your plan?"
"I'm heading to Auroura. Those fanatics rarely do deals like this. It got me thinking why he did it in the first place and why he would double-cross it. I guess that what he was trying to sell wasn't his in the first place. He just wanted a quick payday." James bitterly chuckled at the fate the man found himself in. It was apparent he came prepared, but underestimated his buyers. He also assumed the reason he didn't use his ability was that it would draw too much unwanted attention.
"You sure about that. I don't doubt you, James, but that place isn't somewhere you can come and go as you please."
"What choice do I have. My gut is telling me there's more to this than something as small as drugs. The Gentlemen's Society have no need to do these back-alley deals for that stuff anyway. We both know that."
"So what?" The captain's voice turned grave, "An artefact?" James narrowed his eyes, hearing the captain's conclusion. In the world, it wasn't only people who had abilities but also objects. Some were naturally formed from the earth, but others were created when something was exposed to an ability over an extended period.
"Maybe. I don't know. I just don't feel too good about it." The captain sighed.
"You want this off the record?"
"If it's possible."
"I can't send support if we do it like this, and can only buy so much time. Eventually, it will be logged, and someone will be sent down officially."
"Do you trust me?" James asked. There was a small silence before the captain made a noise. With a slight chuckle, he replied yes and hung up. It was enough for James to know and, slowing down, he controlled the wheel with his knees, setting a ten-minute alarm on his watch. He knew he didn't have much time.
James sped up and arrived at Auroua in a minute, parking outside it. Stepping out, he looked at the grand cathedral, the headquarters of New Horizon within the city. Its grand entrance radiated a mystical air as singing in an old language came from within. Atop the wide double doors, the symbol of New Horizon, the world surrounded in a ring, watched the street.
Stepping in, he was bombarded with warmth that was the polar opposite of the weather outside. Every pew was filled with people as a choir sang at the front of the stage. In the centre of it, a man in pure white robes looked out at the people, holding a censer, swaying it back and forth as he spread the smoke around.
James activated his ability and looked at the man. The numerous colours the world would usually be filled with were dwarfed by the overwhelming orange inferno that raged within the priest, flooding every inch of the room. Inside his body, it looked like a thick liquid splashing around, trying to break free from its prison, only allowed to seep out slowly.
James froze for a second, rarely having seen such a thick amount of power from a person and quickly averted his eyes not to make anyone suspicious. He also realised the source of the warmth in the building and chuckled at how much the church was saving at having a human furnace to keep everyone warm. Without deactivating his ability, he walked over to another clergyman, dusting a nearby statue.
"Excuse me." Pulling out his phone, James held it out to the man with the picture of the corpse. "I was hoping you could help me with one of your members." The priest looked at the photo, froze, then fixed his appearance and smiled. Although he was quick in hiding his panic, James saw it.
"Follow me." Leaving the main prayer hall, the organe aura that filled the room vanished, instead replaced by a denser silver that only got thicker as they made their way deeper into Auroua. Stopping before a room, James held his breath, resisting the urge to lift his hand and try to touch the thick aura that had created a small fog. "Grand Prophet."
"Enter." A flat voice called out, and the priest opened up, revealing a man in a silver suit. With brown hair and eyes, he had a face that was hard to remember. Yet James wished to avert his gaze. If the man in the prayer room could be described as an inferno, then the one before him was a blinding silver light, comparable to looking at the sun itself. Quickly deactivating his eyes so he could look at him, James took his hat off and smiled.
"Leave us." Before he spoke, the man ordered, offering the seat before him. "Detective. A pleasure."
"You already know who I am?" James didn't stand on ceremony and took the seat.
"James Graham. Detective of the NPSD. Stellar record, I might add." His voice betrayed his words, remaining the same flat calm it always was. Holding his hand out, he smiled, "Xavier. I don't expect you to call me Grand Prophet this whole time."
James didn't take the hand, knowing some abilities only activated on touch. Xavier took no offence and pulled back, leaning in his chair. "So, why the visit?" James looked at his watch, 'Seven minutes.'
Clicking his tongue, he nodded and took out his phone, sliding the picture over to Xavier. "For now, this is off the record. We have about seven minutes before someone official comes."
"So anything I say can't be used." Xavier's tone changed for the first time, showing a hint of joy. James rolled his eyes but said nothing. "Yeah, I know him. A thief. Stole something quite important. How he did it, I don't know. I had people tracking him, but he somehow shook them. Didn't make sense, with his abilities."
"Then. Do you know someone who could become a shadow or manipulate them?" Xavier frowned and shook his head.
"Can't say I do. Why? Did he have help?"
"Maybe. I'm sure you'll get your hands on the footage soon enough." Xavier smiled, it being enough of an awenser. "My only concern was who he was selling to. The Gentleman's Society." Xavier's frown deepened, hearing that, a flicker of anger in his eyes.
"Where is the thing he stole. If your department has it, I would appreciate it if it were returned to me."
"What was it?"
"So you don't have it either." Xavier got up and let out a deep groan, "It's just an old relic, hardly important, but very valuable. Something I know the Gentleman has wanted for a while."
"If it wasn't important, why would they want it?"
"I don't know. I just know they wanted it. They tried to buy it off me when I first found it, but when I declined, they kept trying to steal it. Each one failed until now." Xavier took a deep breath. Falling into thought, he looked at James and smiled, "How long are you off the record for?"
"Depends. Have you got something for me?"
Xavier smiled and sat back down. Leaning forward, he looked into James' eyes. James saw a silver flash in them and knew he used his ability in the split second. "If the Gentlemen are involved, it's only a matter of time before this is closed without anything happening. I can delay that, after all, they aren't the only ones with connections." James clicked his tongue, hating the reminder of how corrupt his system was.
"I'm not for hire." Denying the assistance, he was about to get up, but was stopped by Xavier's next words.
"No, of course not. But you won't solve this case without outside support." As much as he hated to admit it, he knew there was some truth to it. "I don't want to start a war in the city to get it back, and I'm sure you don't want that. So," Xavier reached into his desk and pulled out a slip of paper, writing an address and phone number on it. Sliding it over, he smiled, "Go there. Give me a call if you agree. Shall we say ten minutes? I get nothing, and I solve it my way."
James looked at the paper and picked it up. Without a goodbye, he left the room and rushed back to his car, slamming his fist into the steering wheel as soon as he sat down. "These fucking people."