Fearless Leader (Juxtapose City) (8 page)

Kneeling before the safe, Black quickly spun the dial and opened the heavy door. The scent of gardenia momentarily gave him pause but he told himself to get a grip. He opened the silver case and looked grimly at the rows of Bliss tabs lying there like innocent candy buttons. The guidelines for distribution of the drug had been uploaded to Black's PRU this morning.
Here's your prescription for fun
, Dickerson had written in a twisted attempt at humor. Black hadn't laughed.

The top layer of tablets was intended as Starr's reward for good behavior and to keep him from going into withdrawals. Beneath the narrow sheets he found the bandage-like tabs that Dickerson had offered to Jake and him last night. Black pulled out four and then shut and locked the case. He placed it carefully inside the safe, avoiding looking at the safe's other contents.

He had just spun the dial when his PRU buzzed from within his jeans pocket. He pulled out the unit which was the size of a bar of soap and as thin as a credit card and turned on the screen. The urgency on Bee's face had Black running out of his room.

"There's been an accident," Bee told him, his voice coming in clear over the earpiece Black wore clipped over the shell of his ear. "Starr's and Sola's crafts struck each other a block up Provident Street."

"I'm on my way," Black replied curtly. The screen went black as he shifted to All Send, which would transmit his message to all of JC2's PRU's. "Everyone meet me on the corner of Provident and Hastings."

Once outside the Clubhouse he ran up Hastings Street. He could hear a man shouting up ahead but he couldn't see anything. Possibilities ran through Black's head. Had someone from the street known of Starr's transfer and tried to take him out? Or had both Starr and Sola been targeted with the intent of keeping JC2 short-handed?

He found his teammates on the corner as he'd ordered. Black reached into his pocket and held out the tabs. "Here, you'll be wearing these on a daily basis for as long as Starr is a member of the team. It's twenty-five milligrams of Bliss. Wear it behind your ear."

Haney looked at the tabs in his hand with wide eyes. "The department's giving us Bliss?"

Black gritted his teeth. "If you don't wear them Starr will be able to feel all of your emotions. This is not official policy. We have not been ordered to use these so the choice is ultimately yours. I will warn you though: Starr likes to play head games. He may take advantage."

"Use 'em," Jake told his teammates as he reached for a tab. He quickly applied it to his skin. "Starr'll try to fuck with you otherwise, believe me."

Looking doubtful, Bee nonetheless took two tabs and handed one to Haney. "Twenty-five mil -- that isn't too strong. We'll barely notice it."

"It's just to blur your readings," Black confirmed. He closed his fist around the remaining tab but Jake saw it.

"What about you?"

Black shook his head. "You know how I feel about this." Ignoring Jake's scowl of disapproval, Black urged the other men up the street. "What's happened?"

"Got a call from the driver of Sola's craft," Bee said as they neared the two vehicles sitting in the middle of the street. The cruisers looked as though they'd collided. Fortunately they had done so on a stretch of Provident that was lined on either side by junk-covered fields of brown grass. Besides a homeless man who lay sprawled beside a tire there weren't any other on-lookers in sight.

"Holy shit," Haney breathed as they slowed to a walk.

"Step away from the craft!" Sola yelled. The large man had his gun out, pointed at the other electro-craft where an officer lay slumped against the steering wheel. Starr was leaning casually against the fender.

"Make me," the empath purred.

Bee gaped. "Tell me that's not--"

Jake laughed darkly. "It is."

Black ignored them both as he approached the vehicles. He had expected as much from Starr and therefore wasn't surprised to see the empath dressed in red leather pants and a silver chain link vest over a white T-shirt that read, '
I support the men and women of the JCPD
'.

Starr's long pale hair was still tinted purple at the ends and that same lack of disregard for orders was evident as he nonchalantly lit a cigarette and brought it to his lips. "You need to have your yearly psych test re-evaluated, sweetheart," he said, blowing a stream of smoke over his head. "Either that or someone at the station apparently doesn't fully appreciate the term 'psycho'."

"Fuck you," Sola growled out, cocking his weapon. "Step away from the craft, junkie. And keep your hands where I can see them. "

In complete contrast to the empath Sola was dressed in black canvas pants and a long-sleeved black turtle neck. Heavy combat boots were spread wide in a shooting stance. His severely cut brown hair was uncovered, his pale ice blue eyes boring into the man in front of him.

"Sergeant Sola."

The agent took a step back, angling himself to cover both Starr and Black and his men as they cautiously approached.

"It's Lieutenant Black from JC2," Black identified himself.

After a pause, Sola’s tense posture eased but he kept his gun trained on Starr. "Sir, my apologies for being late. My craft was struck en route. It's clear that this subject overpowered the man behind the wheel resulting in a loss of control."

Black looked to Starr who was staring at him with amused green eyes. "We meet again, sweetheart."

Black sighed inwardly before turning back to Sola. "Sergeant, this man is also a member of JC2. There must be another explanation for what's happened here."

Sola blinked in surprise. His gun arm lowered as he looked at Black. "He's -- he's a cop?" Sola asked, incredulous and not bothering to hide his disgust.

Starr smirked and flicked his cigarette over his shoulder. "Mmm, spare me. You're no better than I am, sweetheart. You're just a little more... dangerous." He twirled his finger beside his head and mouthed "crazy".

Bee snickered beside Black. "Oh, man, this is gonna be interesting."

Black raised his eyes to Starr's. Interesting wasn't the half of it.

An ambulance took away the driver of Starr's craft. He'd suffered a mild concussion when the two cruisers had collided. Starr's explanation for the accident was terse:

"He asked me if the rumors about me and Captain Dickhead were true." The empath shrugged. "I told him to open his pants and find out. Guess the poor boy couldn't unzip and steer at the same time."

Jake snorted and headed up the stairs to the second floor of the Clubhouse. Bee and Haney, unsure how to react, looked anxiously at their commanding officer.

Sola narrowed his eyes. "Sir, may I speak with you privately?" he asked of Black.

Black nodded and led the man into the computer room. Once inside Sola shut the door. His face was tight, his lips pinched.

"Sir, with all due respect, being asked to join JC2 is an immense honor. Throughout my career I have been working towards joining a Special Forces team as effective as JC2 in combating gangs and drug lords. But this--" he waved a hand in frustration towards the door -- "is this a joke? Do you honestly expect that junkie to contribute in any possible way to what we're attempting to do? Does he even know how to handle a gun?"

Black crossed his arms. "Agent Starr is rated for both the faze whip and a handgun. I understand your concerns. They have been noted. Captain Dickerson personally recommended that Agent Starr be included in this team and I respect that decision. I expect you to as well."

"But what good can he possibly do? He's probably on drugs as we speak. If I am to entrust my life and the lives of my teammates to a drug abuser--"

Black held up his hand. "Agent Starr's drug use is being handled. Don't concern yourself with that." He reached into his pocket and held out the Bliss tab. "I should have mentioned this last night but I neglected to. Starr is an empath." He nodded as Sola stiffened. "He can't read minds but he can sense emotions. Therefore on the orders of the captain I have been given regulated doses of Bliss to distribute to those members of the team who feel uncomfortable being exposed in his presence. I can’t force you to use this but the other men are already doing so."

To his surprise Sola reached for the tab immediately, sticking it behind his ear. "I wish I'd known this beforehand, sir," Sola mumbled. "Having that freak in my head all this time..."

"He can't read your thoughts," Black reminded him impatiently.

Sola didn't appear to care. He glared at the door as if he could see Starr through it. "Is he here for a special assignment, sir?"

"That has yet to be revealed to me," Black said, somewhat reluctantly. He didn't like being kept in the dark and disliked even more having to admit to his ignorance. "Will you have a problem working within this team, Sergeant Sola? If so, tell me now and I will arrange for your transfer back to R&R."

Sola looked back at him and the hardness Black had sensed in the man was paired with a steely determination. "No problem, sir. I want to be a part of JC2, no matter who it is I'll have to work alongside. I've dedicated my life to eradicating the scum of Juxtapose City. Nothing and no one will stop me."

It was a more impassioned answer than he'd been looking for but Black was willing to take what he could get. "Alright then. I'll show you where you're staying."

The one who looked like he was a kid was staring at him unabashedly. The big one with the baby face was trying not to look as obvious as he glanced over from the corner of his eye. Calyx smiled slightly, amused by the reaction of Black's teammates. Thanks to the tabs he saw the men wearing behind their ears he couldn't sense them but instinct told him that these two wouldn't be as difficult to deal with as the psycho he'd just encountered or Black's lapdog from last night.

The latter man, after returning Calyx's grin with a challenging sneer, had retreated upstairs.
Laying booby traps,
Calyx thought with a private laugh. Definitely a lover, Calyx decided. The look the lapdog had sent Black before heading upstairs had been purely possessive.

Calyx came out of his musings as a hand tapped him lightly on the shoulder. The younger agent who'd been staring at him now had his hand extended.

"I'm Haney Wilkes and this is Bee Mathers." Haney gave a tentative smile as they shook hands. "The guy who went upstairs is Jake. Jake Cole. He's the second-in-command."

Starr let his lashes drift down, hooding his gaze. "I'm Calyx. I think your boss wants to call me Agent Starr so I'll let him. It makes me sound rather mysterious and sexy, don't you think?" He smirked at Haney's stammered agreement. "We'll see how long that lasts before the rest of you break down and start calling me 'asshole'."

Haney's green eyes widened before he burst into laughter. He half-turned and smacked the big guy in the chest. "He's funny! This won't be so bad, Bee."

Bee rolled his eyes, his face pinkening slightly. "Cut it out, will you, Haney?" He reached for Calyx's hand and engulfed it in his. "We were expecting something else, to be honest. We've never dealt with an empath before. Well, besides arresting them."

Calyx's lips curled. "Hmm, is someone spreading naughty rumors about me already? I'm shocked. Don't tell me-- was it the lapdog?"

"Lapdog?" Haney's confusion lifted into an expression of shocked hilarity. "Oh, Jesus. You don't mean Jake do you?"

"You'd better not let him hear you say that," Bee warned, glancing anxiously up the stairs.

"Why not? It's what he is, isn't he? I'll bet he trails after Black wherever he goes." When the other two men looked at each other uncomfortably, Calyx laughed. "I hope he's housetrained. Now that I'm here he may try to mark his territory."

Bee groaned, throwing a hand across his eyes. Haney just stared at him in morbid fascination.

"You're gonna be trouble," Bee declared. "Thank God we're in the other house, Haney."

"There are two houses?" Calyx asked.

"Yes. The other place is called the Dugout. It's me, Haney and Jake. This house is the Clubhouse. You're with Sola and Black."

So Darkness would be sleeping in the same house as him. Interesting. Calyx leaned back against the wall as the door to the computer room opened and the psycho and Black came out. The empath smiled in delighted surprise at the peace in his mind.

"Thank you for putting an end to all of that," he said to Black, tapping his head meaningfully. "You're the only one I enjoy 'feeling' that way."

Black barely glanced at him, making Calyx's lips curve wider. Like the other members of his team Black was dressed casually in jeans and a sweater. The teal blue color of his sweater set off his dusky skin. In the light of day he looked younger. But the firm set of his expression showed that he was determined not to act like it. Calyx watched him walk past to the stairs. He wished the other man's jeans were a little tighter. Black had a nice ass.

Black had already shown him and Sola the downstairs level. Besides the tactics and computer rooms there was a small kitchen and more interestingly a door that opened into a long room that had been converted into the team's training room. Thick mats covered the floor and walls and various training dummies were lined up against one wall.