The Longest Time

[Black Philip]

So the feds were investigating these creeps. That was a good thing and a bad thing in Lacy's eyes. It meant that these assholes were not the government, and that made her feel relief. However, it also meant that the investigation was clearly outside CPD jurisdiction, and Agent Waters had more or less told her this case was out of her hands without actually saying it. Slick bitch. Of course, there was another possibility. This woman could be from the facility and this whole thing could be a cover up, and if she transferred Dreki it would be to his death. She chose her next move carefully.

"If I give him to you," she began, making it sound like she was well within her right to refuse. "I'll need him to report back here in three days time to give me written testimony concerning the wreck. Otherwise, I'll have to hold him and charge him for reckless endangerment among a few other minor offenses."

Local cops could sometimes stay involved by clawing into a particular witness. Then again, she had yet another offer. "Also, my department is interested in bringing these people down, and you'll find our level of expertise useful. Perhaps you could speak to your superior about a joint effort?"

Now she was faking polite, although not with the same degree of success as her guest.

[suneater]

Waters' intense focus shifted slightly, as if she were appraising Lacy in a new light in the wake of her stipulation. She didn't respond for a count of five. Finally her chin dipped in a nod. "That can be arranged. 72 hours. I'll bring him back myself." She tapped the edge of her briefcase, still weighing the woman across the desk from her, considering the rest of her proposal.

A faint smile played out on her lips. "We aren't even sure if they're operating directly in this municipality yet, Detective. Rest assured, though, that we will make use of local law enforcement resources... should it become necessary." She rose to her feet. Once standing she reached into her briefcase again. She withdrew a small silver case and used her thumbnail to pry it open. She offered Lacy a business card before stowing the case once more.

"My direct line... if you think of anything that might help my investigation, of course." The smile was still there, like the flame of an almost-spent candle, somehow persisting. She shifted the briefcase under one arm and smoothed her garments. "Now, let's get our suspect into protective custody, shall we?"

[Black Philip]

It was a don't call us, we'll call you, unless you have stuff for our investigation type response. Typical fed pricks, leaving out the actual folks on the ground who knew the city. Lacy stood, taking the offered card with a quick snatch. She didn't expect to get a rise out of agent stone face, but she hoped for a fraction of a millisecond, she worried her. She started walking them back to the interrogation room, and relieved Officer Vasquez.

"Let me talk to him first. Two minutes."

It wasn't a request, and her body blocked the door. She wasn't planning anything too crazy, but she did have an idea how to help Dreki, even if she couldn't be near him.

[suneater]

Waters nodded slightly. "I have a call to make. Keep him here, please. I might be a few minutes."

She extracted a slim phone from her jacket pocket as she walked further down the corridor. Apparently whatever she was attending to didn't require more privacy than that.

[Maxpphire]

He had his eyes closed and was resting on the table, he was still very much awake given how the position he was in wasn't exactly comfortable, but he couldn't wait for this all to be over. He would have moved into a more comfortable position if he could but being handcuffed to the desk prevent that, and he didn't really move much after Lacy had left the room. He waited patiently and was unaware that Lacy and Waters were just right outside the door.

[Black Philip]

Lacy went into the room once Waters was on her call. She closed the door and moved to grab her chair pulling it close to Dreki. She took his hand again, and started to explain that this woman was going to place him in protective custody, but that she'd have to bring him back in seventy-two hours so that she could make sure he was okay, and even promised to file a missing persons report if Waters didn't come through. She told him what Waters knew about the facility, and that since it was the feds calling she had to give him up.

"I don't like it kid, but the laws the law. I do have something for you though."

She took off her cross necklace. It had been given to her by her Aunt Daphne. Now in her free hand she blew on it, closing her eyes and praying. She thought about all that Wren had shown her the other day, and that she had to believe in her own power if anything was to work.

Protect him from harm.

She felt a small rush, and for the tiniest of moments the cross glowed. She placed it around his neck.

"This will hopefully keep you safe," she said, unsure if the spell worked or if she had the power to do something like a protection charm. However, it made her feel a bit better about sending him off with this agent Waters. "Any questions?"

[Maxpphire]

He held her hand back as he listened to her explain the situation, and her thoughts. A sad smile appeared on his face as he knew, he had an idea anyway. A small chuckle left his mouth.

"I appreciate the charm." He spoke genuinely and gave her whatever insight he could. "If it is them, he won't kill me. I'm not fully sure what he will have done to me, but he's stopped me from killing myself more than what should be worth it for him. He wants me alive. I can't promise I'll remember you, so please don't hold that against me. You know where I live, I'm.not a hard man to find. I can't promise you I can give you much beyond that." He explained to her in hopes that she would find him again, and if she does, to not be too hard on him. He would for sure keep the necklace safe.

"If it isn't them, hopefully I'll feel better in the next few days and maybe we can chat better then." He said with a hopeful smile but at the same time knew it was highly unlikely. That if such a department existed and was investigating this, they would have contacted him ages ago by now. After all, his adoption had to have some legal footprint behind, didn't it? He was convinced that it must have.

[Black Philip]

Lacy listened as Dreki explained the possibilities of what might happen to him.. This wasn’t a perfect fit. She knew it, but this was the best one she had. A final idea popped into her head, but she didn’t have the piece of gear she needed in the room. She rose. “See you soon kid,” she hummed, before uncuffing him from the table and helping him stand up. She’d need to be quick. After opening the door, she waited for agent Waters to finish her call.

“Agent Waters this is the suspect, Dreki. Dreki meet Agent Waters from the Department of Health and Human Services. I’ll see you in seventy-two hours.”

She said all this as publicly as possible, and Officer Vasquez in particular seemed surprised his CO was speaking in this way. Lacy was known as Officer Tight Lips - one of many demeaning names made for her by Ben - and so they wouldn’t be used to the way she was currently speaking.

“Officer, please take Agent Waters to the front desk and have her fill out and sign the discharge paperwork. Dreki go with her. I’ll be right back.”

She smiled and seemed much more pleasant than before. It pained her to paint a grin, but it couldn’t be helped. Once Waters was knee deep in unneeded paperwork, something she’d likely notice as a Fed, Lacy slipped a pen into Dreki’s right pant pocket. She tried for subtlety, and didn’t see the agent look, but was well aware she might’ve noticed. Once the pen was in place she nodded at the group and went back to her office. She could track him now, the pen really being a cover for a GPS device. It wasn’t legal technically, but none of this was normal, and if Dreki’s mind was really going to be wiped, tracking his location in the next few hours might be the only way to find him again.

[Maxpphire]

He had gotten up with Lacy's help, but instantly felt dizzy. After a moment of regaining his bearings, he followed her out the door to meet Agent Waters. Something about her had felt familiar and he already knew that was a bad sign. It could have also just him currently being sick and throwing his senses all out of wack, he would wait for her to speak before trusting his gut.

"Hello" He respectfully said with a feeble tone when Lacy introduced the two of them, and when she spoke back, he did recognize her voice. Not as someone he really interacted with, but as someone he had heard around the facility. Thats when he heart sank to his stomach, he knew he was about to be in for a not good time, and had no way of relaying this to Lacy. The look on his face could easily be taken out of the context that he was sick rather than he heard the voice. He followed her to the front and leaned against the front desk. He didn't even feel the pen enter his pocket, but thats what happens when your clothes are about a size too big for you. He had noticed that Lacy had come by again. He wanted a way to kind of let her know what was going on but had no idea what happened between Lacy and Waters and wasn't sure what would be considered safe, lest whatever punishment he gets grows tenfold.

He stayed quiet while waiting for her to fill out the paperwork, and would continue to unless spoken to. Otherwise he would just move with whomever was asking him to move.

[suneater]

Waters was already finished with her phone call, walking back toward the interview room when Lacy emerged.

One eyebrow arched perfectly as the detective made a public show of the hand-off, but she otherwise remained as poised and nonplussed as ever.

"Thank you, Detective."

Her features remained placid as she regarded Dreki. "We're going to find a safe place to put you until we come back to help the detective close the books on her investigation. That should give us time to find a more permanent arrangement for you."

Her gaze slipped to meet Lacy's. If she was irritated by the power-move of tying her up in one last bit of red tape, it didn't show.

Clack clack clack clack. She moved with sure strides to the desk and dispatched the paperwork with brutal efficiency. It seemed to absorb her focus entirely for the duration, and when she was finally finished, she tucked the pen she'd withdrawn to complete it back into her brief case.

She reached out, laying her hand gently on Dreki's shoulder. "Come with me." Her tone was not unkind, but it was a command rather than a request. She shot one more look to Lacy. "See you in seventy-two hours."

With that she urged Dreki along with her toward the exit.

[Black Philip]

Lacy watched Dreki leave with Agent Waters. She wondered if she'd ever see him again. She hoped her tracker would work, and that her spell would protect him. It was her first attempt at magic without Wren's help. Once the pair was gone, Lacy returned to her office and slammed it shut. The rest of the unit knew now was not the time to disturb her. She started to chain smoke and went over the events of the day. A traffic accident caused by a blind angel who was both not really blind, or at least not in a traditional way, and actually wasn't an angel. This shit was starting to pile up, and now she had the witch to investigate and this facility. Screw Waters. She'd do her own investigation, and she bet she could solve it faster than the feds anyway. She fired up her computer, and used her secure login to the program that managed the GPS trackers. She turned it on.

Show me where to look for you Dreki, she thought, drinking the stale, black coffee that had been sitting on her desk since morning. It was cold and tasted like shit.

/End

[Maxpphire]

He had tensed up everytime she had touched him, but followed her lead, knowing that the rest of his day was likely going to be filled with a not great time. When they got outside, he got into the backseat of her car without issue and layed down the whole ride, refusing to speak much like how he was at while at the police station, already knowing where they were headed. Once they got there, he got out without much fuss and followed her in. Once in they had to pass through security, which was much like an airport's but tighter. He removed everything from his pockets, not expecting the pen but also figured he might have accidentally lifted it from the station when told to put everything back into his pockets by Lacy. Afterwards he stepped through the metal detector to no beeps. They fiddled with his phone making sure location wasn't turned on and if it was, deleted any form of location back data before handing it back to him. Everything else they allowed him to have except for the Pen, one of the guards took it to the back room of their station and started to talk on their walkie.

He was curious as to what that was about but continued forward with Agent Waters until they got to an exam room that Hofflan normally ran out of. He was already in there, expecting them.

"Thanks, I'll take it from here. I'm not worried about the whole 72 hours bit, I already have people working on it all. By the time all is said and done, the only evidence that will exist is that detective's memory. I'll make her feel like she is going crazy, so she won't get further involved." He said with a sly smile. "Now leave us. I have a very sick patient to take of." He said not wanting a response from Waters. Once she left he looked over to Dreki, walked over to him and put a hand on Dreki's shoulder. He felt a low but constant burning sensation, and his smarmy smile turned into a frown. He removed his hand.

"Strip naked, put on the patient gown on the bed and lay down on the bed." He said in a command voice and Dreki followed his instructions. With the cross Lacy having gave him in his pants pocket, when Hofflan put his hands on Dreki, this time trying to find a good spot on where to place an IV. He didn't feel that burning sensation in his hands like he did before.

"Good now we can begin." He said as he hooked up a saline bag to the IV and grabbed some syringes to put medicine in the other opening on the tube. As the medicine flowed in, Dreki began to feel even weaker than he did just by being sick. He felt heavy, and after Hofflan pushed medicine into the IV line, he began to strap Dreki down onto the bed. Hofflan seeing the discomfort on Dreki's face explained.

"Just some setatives to relax you, plus medicine to help you get better faster. The straps are for everyone's safety, now rest a little will you?" As he spoke a few nurses entered the room. "Monitor him. If he needs any meds, you know where to inject. Once his fever goes down, I need 3 workable sperm samples." Dreki heard that last bit, as the nurses began  doing their general checkover on him and writing things down in a chart.

"Excuse me, what?" Dreki managed to say as Hofflan was going for the doors. He turned around to face Dreki and in a very Smarmy and slightly condescending tone, spoke with a smirk.

"Remember how you weren't sure if you wanted to be a dad and how we weren't sure if you'd he made sterile by the procedure or not? Honestly I want something to compare to your old sperm, wonder if that changed at all. Plus there are other things I need it for. I know you're a little slut on the outside so just sit back and enjoy it. You won't remember this or any of today really. Well, unless I decide it's time for you to remember again of course." Hofflan started to laugh as he walked out of the room. Dreki felt uncomfortable not wanting any of this and feeling like Hofflan wasn't telling the full truth with that. Even if he wasn't strapped in, he felt too heavy to move, and hoped his fever would last him to hold that part off as long as possible.

After a few days, Dreki woke up in his room in his apartment at home and not at the facility. He remembered being sick the past few days but that's about it. He checked his email and sure enough, he, or someone for him, called him off of work for the week. He sighed, thankfully, as he got up and started to prepare his clothes and bedding for laundry. After all if he was sick, he wanted to get the sick germs off of them. While emptying out pants pockets, in one of his pants he came across a golden cross necklace that he had never felt or seen before. He wondered where it came from, and guessed it must have come from one of his many partners he had before he got sick, he decided to put it on top of his desk in his room in case they came back for it. After he threw a load in the wash, he decided it was time to go to the library, pick up some new material, and relax for the rest of the night. He felt fine, but didn't want to chance it, particularly since he doesn't remember really being sick other than what it felt like. He assumed he slept it all off.