"Come down to the station." James heard Jeremiah's voice over the phone as soon as he answered. His lip twitched as he took a deep breath.
James hesitantly spoke, "I don't think that's a good idea, Jeremiah. You know-"
"You're asking me to stop being a coward and fight a man who controls time, and yet you are too scared to walk into your old place of work." Jeremiah cut him off, "You can't even do this, then forget even talking to me again. Besides, the Captain wants to speak to you, and that shitty Prophet is here and says you will pick him up."
Jeremiah said, not giving James room to counter. With a sigh, he agreed and changed the direction he was driving. Pulling up outside the station, James looked at it and took a few deep breaths, trying to work up the courage to get out of the car. Taking out a cigarette, he slowly smoked it to calm down his nerves before stepping out and holding his chin high.
Stepping in, he felt everyone's gaze turn to him. Each one's gaze hardened, releasing who they were as they spoke to one another, loud enough for him to hear.
"He actually came back?"
"Don't we have a warrant for him?"
"Scumbag."
"Who does he think he is?"
James looked at everyone for a second. No one turned to avoid his gaze, showing their disdain for him. Walking deeper across the room, he saw Peter, one of the few people who didn't show outright dislike. But within his eyes, he saw confusion, saddness and apprehension. Looking at one another for a few seconds, Peter looked away, focusing back on his computer.
'Should have expected this.' Even if everyone knew he didn't personally kill George, they all would have known it was his actions that got George killed. Alongside that, given that he hardly had any friends before and had been the one to leak the news about Charles, it wasn't a surprise that he didn't receive a welcoming party.
Making his wya to the captain's office, he calmly knocked, pushing the looks people gave to the side and entered after being allowed in. Jeremioah sat staring at him with crossed arms as the Captain hunched over his desk, coldly looking at him. "It seems you no longer want James?" The Captain siad with a mocking voice, "I thought you hated that type of thing."
James looked to the seat and, getting a no,d sat down, "When you're the one on the receiving end of false charges, it makes you see things in a different light." The Captain scoffed but said nothing. Looking at him, he smiled, "Is Rose in?"
"James, you wouldn't be able to step foot in here if she were." Jeremiah answered in reply, "She isn't like everyone else in here. She actually hates you. The moment you stepped in that door, she would have tried to kill you and I don't think anyone would have stopped her." James's fists curled. Taking a deep breath, he bitterly smiled and nodded.
"Why am I here then?" Jeremiah looked to the Captain. The man turned his screen around, showing the wall of suspect James that he had made in his apartment before Unit 13.
"I am having no part dealing with this time stopper you spoke to Jeremiah about, but as for the rest, I will look into it. If they are criminals, then they can be pursued under normal law. Jeremiah, however, is different." James looked to him. Jeremiah sighed and sat up.
"Can you honestly get me what I need to help?" Jeremiah asked with a cold voice. James thought for a moment before shrugging.
"Maybe. The ISD assigned me to handle this and said they would support me behind the scenes. Whilst that means they likely won't send any manpower, they will provide me with equipment, knowledge, you name it." Jeremiah nodded.
"In that case. Get me an artefact that can suppress a time ability." Jeremiah siad with anger. It wasn't directed at anyone other than himself. "Even if it only means I can use my ability but not move, that is enough."
"You're willing to help me then?"
"Don't misunderstand, I'm doing this for the city. I am a weapon, as you said, one that belongs to the NPSD. Your life means nothing to me, but I have a job to do. And I can't do that job without this." James smiled, finding it enough. Taking out his phone, he called Parker.
"Mr Graham. What is it?" Her emotionless voice spoke.
"Is it possible to get me an Arefact that can suppress Abilities related to time?" Parker didn't answer, staying silent. James patiently waited as she thought through it. After a minute, she spoke.
"It's possible, but we need to know who will use it, where it is at all times and where it will be kept. These things are neither cheap nor easy to come across. As for its nature, I will need to speak to the Director. Only he can sign off on such things. But do not expect something to the calibre of that man's ability." Parker quickly said. James nodded each time and smiled, thanked her before hanging up. Repeating everything back to Jeremiah, he relaxed, finally knowing James wasn't playing with him.
"Let me know when you have it." Looking down at his watch, he smiled, "You should leave now. Someone has probably called Rose, and if she hasn't been called out, she is coming back. Take Mr Taylor with you, you know where to find him."
James smiled and got up. Leaving the room, he walked to the holding cell and saw Xavier calmly sitting there. Meeting James ' eyes, she lifted his hand and playfully waved with a small smirk on his face. An officer unlocked the door and let Xavier out, handing back everything he had when he first entered.
Leaving the station, the officer's gaze hardened, seeing James with Xavier, their dislike being reinforced. Xavier knowingly stayed silent until they got into the car. Once the door was shut, he spoke. "I missed you, dear Detective."
"Shut up." James quickly sped of tkaing Jeremiah's warning to heart, not wishing to see Rose, "It seems everything worked out well for you."
"Well, other than the hit to our PR, it all wrapped up nicely. But with this." Xavier spoke with his usual calm. Lifting his hand, he flicked his finger over the dashboard, knocking over an invisible domino, "The Gentleman has started a chain reaction. That favour I called in was a poison chalice. Sadly, it was the only way to cleanly remove New Horizon from the public's hate."
"What's going to happen?" James asked, staring at the road ahead. Xavier looked to the ceiling and sighed.
"I made a deal with that man. Because of what I did for him, he promised to stay away from where I operated until I called in a request. He was wildly chivalrous for a nutjob and felt a favour wasn't enough. Of course, this only applied to me and not New Horizon as a whole. But now that I called it in, that deal has expired." James's hands tightened around the steering wheel.
"You didn't answer my question." Xavier smiled and looked ahead.
"From what I have seen so far. A war between the Gentleman and me is inevitable. But we aren't the only players; others, including those freaks in the brotherhood, will come and get involved. As for its scale, I can't be sure; it's always subject to change. All I know is that the ISD will be forced to intervene at some point. When they do. Well, it depends on how much I change." Xavier looked at James and, seeing his worried look, playfully flicked his head, "Don't dwell on the future, that's what I do. Focus on the present."
---------------
Rose stormed into the station, her eyes raging with a murderous look. Charging towards the captain's office, she threw the door open without a care and walked over, slamming her fist into his desk, "You let him come here?"
"Rose, know your place. I'll let this slide once." Rose ground her teeth before laughing.
"Why was he here, sir? I think everyone has made it clear. He doesn't belong. Does he need to kill everyone in the station to make you understand?" The Captain got up from his chair and looked down at her.
"He was here to collect Mr Taylor. Whilst I would rather not have him anywhere near this place, I can't refuse a request from someone awaiting collection." Rose scoffed and bit at her fingernail, drawing blood.
"Why didn't you arrest him?" Rose pulled he rhand down and stared into the Captain's eyes. Looking into her eyes, he could see she was struggling to keep herself together; the deep bags under them and her messy appearance showed how little she had been sleeping and how little she had been looking after herself.
"His charges have been dropped." The Captain said with a tired voice and sat down.
"What?" Rose looked at him in disbelief. Seeing he wasn't lying, she smiled at the absurdity of the situation. "You didn-"
"It wasn't me." The Captain took a deep breath, "He made a deal with the ISD. James now works for them." Rose stared at him with twitching lips. Her body shook in rage as she processed what she had been told.
"You're lying. You can't be serious." Covering her mouth, she tried to stop her giggle as rage built up in her eyes, "He caused all this because he refused to work with them and now gets to run free because of them." Her laughs became lower, getting trapped in her throat. For half a minute, she was like that before calming down. Looking at the captain, her rage was gone, replaced by an emptiness, "Sir." Her voice was quiet, lacking any motivation.
The Captain stopped himself from sighing. He could see in Rose that the final strand of rationality had snapped. "What's the point in any of this? I did everything by the book, everything. And he wins."
"Rose." The Captain got up again and went around the table. Resting his hand on her shoulder, he took a deep breath, "Good people can't always win. But even then, we must never stoop to their level. If you do and win, it won't be the victory you want." Rose shook her head.
"But we never win. So why bother anymore?"