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 Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2022 7:48 pm
Takes place after Protocol
He’d called Jeremy and briefly started to explain what was going on when Jeremy suggested they meet in person. Michael was fine with that, and it meant Devyn could explain what he witnessed as well.
There hadn’t been any notification from Chad yet, although Michael wondered if Devyn would get whiplash from checking his phone so frequently.
They’d explained as best they could, and Michael had to make the decision to message Asher to let him know Chad would likely be missing dinner that night. He didn’t want to alarm Oliver or Elliot, so he figured letting Asher know was best.
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:02 pm
Devyn had politely recalled everything he could about what Chad had said, what he did. What he’d seen. Not now, but earlier, too. He’d said a dog attacked Chad instead of a youma, but it didn’t change the experience beyond that.
Michael had given his record of everything, they’d mentioned that Asher and Oliver had concerns, explained why they hadn’t intervened. Jeremy had listened. To everything.
He’d shown up in most of his uniform and explained that his shift started later tonight and that it had just worked out best that he stopped by before going in. It gave him enough time to hear what was going on, to try and figure out what to do.
In most situations, this would have been easy. It would have been straight forward.
But, nothing was ever easy in Destiny City.
It didn’t help that he knew Chad’s father. Didn’t like him, made that clear from the beginning, but knew him. One of the few cops that had managed to stay alive and remained on the force for this long. Which, usually meant they were in someone’s pocket, or they were up to no good. Or, they were lucky. He didn’t know, he suspected the worst, like always. It was just safer that way.
But it meant that he had to treat this with more caution because there were laws, and then there were people who knew how to get away with breaking them, and then there were people who could pull your starseed right out of your chest and that was the end of that.
He’d taken notes the whole time, asked questions. Made it clear that he was treating it like a real report, but at the end of everything he was looking over all of his notes.
“There’s things to do,” Jeremy answered, finally. “I’ve got a list of CPS people that I like to work with, but if we’re going to do this by the books it means I’ve got to call the hotline when I work this report.” He figured Michael knew how this worked–he was a teacher, he was a mandated reporter. He’d probably had to call in about concerns in the past so Jeremy didn’t bother explaining the process to him. “If you’re worried he’s in immediate danger, they’ll send someone over. I don’t know how backed up they are, but someone has to see him within twenty four hours. The most likely thing that’ll happen if I call it in right now is that someone’ll take my report. I can give them all of the information, I can give them your names and phone numbers if they need more information. I’ll want to talk to the other two that saw him if you think they’ve got anything else they can contribute. I’m going to have to need a full report on everything, I mean. All of the information I can get. They’ll do that before they send someone out, the only way I can get over there right now is if I’m on duty and someone’s calling 911. Otherwise, if you’re doing this through the system, they’ll take my report overnight, make any calls they need tomorrow morning–and if you’re all teachers, you’re going to be in school and not able to take their calls, so I need all of the information now so we’re not wasting time. You only legally have a few chances to talk to a kid, so it has to be done right.”
He reached for the lemonade and took a sip before he continued, “So he’d probably get a CPI–a specialist investigator,” he clarified for Devyn, “who’ll show up to the school and talk to him. Where he can feel safe, where we can tell him that he’s not going to get in trouble, they just want to make sure he’s okay. I’ve gotten calls to go with the CPI just to make sure they’re safe and all, it’s normal. But if he doesn’t say anything, that’s it. And teens are notoriously secretive.”
All things he suspected Michael knew already, he worked in a high school.
“His dad’s a bully, I’ve seen him get pushy, in your face, real shitty alpha personality. But he doesn’t have a bad record. That’s going to make it hard, he’s got resources to defend himself, and they’re probably going to take his side. I mean–a decorated officer or a troubled teen? I’m not saying it’s right. I’m just saying if we don’t have Chad telling us there’s a problem, we might not be able to do much about some of this. The food, that's something I think they can do something about. I mean, there’s gotta be a negligence charge there. They can go look around for living conditions and write a report. But I’m thinking the earliest they can get someone to see him is going to be tomorrow.”
Devyn looked agitated, because he didn’t want to wait, but he sat there quietly. He hadn’t touched his lemonade and was trying very hard to deal with bureaucratic nonsense when there was a really easy solution.
Maybe Jeremy saw this, because he sighed and looked at Michael. “But I can stop by tonight when I’m on duty. I’ll come up with something, I’ll make a reason to be around. I know where he lives, I’ve dropped his father off before. I’ll say there were some weird reports and I wanted to make sure he locked up. And if something weird’s going on, I’ll make something of it. But I can’t just go in there and take him right now, that’s grounds for getting all this thrown out if he thinks it’s some sort of personal attack.”
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:13 pm
Michael didn’t have to look at Devyn to know that he was doing his best to hold himself back from going out immediately to do something. Anything. He didn’t even need the necklace to know how Devyn felt about things, and a part of him wondered how it was possible for him to be able to read Devyn just as well as Devyn could read him.
Still, he didn’t like it and was leaning closer and closer to agreeing to whatever plan Devyn had. He wanted to trust the system, wanted to trust that it was there to make the best out of a horrible situation, but he couldn’t help but wonder if they were running out of time.
He didn’t know Chad as well as Devyn did, but he knew enough. He knew what kids were like, and that they kept to themselves. Chad’s wandering around at night would probably be used against him, rather than deemed negligence by the parents. And the longer they waited, the more likely Chad’s father could have fixed anything in their house that would draw suspicion.
“What I don’t understand is the motive to even keep Chad,” Michael grumbled, trying to process it in his mind. “If his dad makes it so miserable for him then… what? He wants to keep him to control him? He could just give up custody if he didn’t want him around.”
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:29 pm
Jeremy was expressie sometimes, even when he didn’t want to be. His brows raised and he appeared visibly unhappy with all potential options.
“Some people think they’re helping their kid. You know, toughen ‘em up, mold them into a better version of themselves. Some don’t think they’re doing any harm. Or, because they were raised that way, they think it’s fine. It’s not, I’m not agreeing with that. Nobody’s perfect, but you have to try and be better for your kids than your parents were for you.”
Wasn’t that what everyone hoped?
“We’re not friends, he and I. We’re different routes, different circles, different everything. We’ve run into each other on a few calls, met at some functions–I don’t know the guy. I mean–I know he’s got a son, he’s never had anything good to say about him that I heard. I think I heard that there was some financial trouble a while back? He was picking up some extra shifts, but it wasn’t anything abnormal. I mean, I’ve done that. Destiny City’s always got something going on so,” he shrugged and seemed to be raking through his thoughts to try and find any crumbs of interest.
“There was a funeral a few years ago? I remember he was on the phone with lawyers for a while, something about the will. He was in a bad mood about it. I don’t remember the details, it was a while ago. He’s had a few charges against him, but–you know. Doesn’t mean much. Nothing enough for him to lose his job. I’d have to go dig around for more. Some guys say he can be a bit much, some guys look up to him. I don’t think he’s ever caused any bad waves in the department, I think he’s got a lot of friends.”
Which was bad for Chad, of course.
It just meant that they needed to be really careful with all of this.
“I’m not close enough to know why he’d do anything. Maybe he hopes Chad’ll hit puberty and live up to his standards. Maybe he likes having someone to boss around. Maybe he thinks he’s making him stronger. Could be anything, I can’t guess. But that’s what they’ve got the professionals for, they can come in and figure all that out and make sure Chad’s somewhere safe and that he’s got all the resources he needs to flourish.”
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:46 pm
Michael stubbornly clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth, and went to try and not pace around by leaning heavily against the counter. They were still limited on their options, but no matter what, he knew they needed to do something.
“I don’t suppose we can stake out the place? Just to make sure nothing suspicious is going on.”
He had to ask, because he definitely didn’t want to do anything that would make things worse for Chad. He wanted the kid out of there, and he wanted to make sure Chad wouldn’t have to go back.
“Alright, I guess if that’s the best we can do for now… Yeah, if you wouldn’t mind stopping by, just to make sure things are okay? I appreciate what you’re doing. You’d understand why we’re concerned once you meet Chad. Sweet kid. Hard working. Very grateful for any kind of compassion he’s shown. It sounds like he’s nothing like his father.”
Then again, a lot of children weren’t like their parents. Elliot was a perfect mix of Oliver and Asher, in Michael’s opinion, but it seemed as though Chad was the complete opposite of his dad.
“I’m just worried that Chad is going to keep things to himself,” he admitted with a tired sigh. And from Devyn’s expression, he still hadn’t gotten any ping on his phone.
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:56 pm
Jeremy almost immediately gave Michael a look. “I don’t know if staking out a cop’s house is a good idea, someone might get the wrong idea. I mean, if you can come up with a way to make it not creepy, sure, but I don’t want you to get tagged with trespassing.”
A charge Devyn didn’t care about in the slightest–what was the worst that happened–they’d try to put him in jail? He’d just power up and leave. He wasn’t bound to their rules, and he wasn’t going to follow them if they were so ridiculous they couldn’t help anyone.
And Chad still hadn’t messaged him, so he was worried about him. Maybe everything was okay. Or maybe he was in trouble.
His stomach was churning with the infinite possibilities and the perpetual frustration of not knowing.
“I’ll stop by,” he promised. “And if anything looks out of place, I’ll make sure it’s taken care of. He sounds like a good kid, and if you’re sure it’s not a cry for attention or anything, I’ll take your word for it. Not that I’m trying to be dismissive,” he clarified, “I’ve picked up a lot of runaways, or kids with problems. He doesn’t sound like he’s out getting into trouble or making bad decisions, so if I can help it, I’ll make sure he’s got some good people on his side. I’m not supposed to keep you updated on things, but.” He’d known Michael enough to trust him, even if he wasn’t the kid’s family or anything, and it sounded like Chad needed someone looking out for him. “I will. I’ll want to go talk to the others before I have to head to work, I want full statements so I can take care of this when my shift starts so we’ve got a paper trail and everything’s solid and by the books. You might want to give them a call and give them a heads up that I need to talk to them. And after all that, if there’s nothing else we can do tonight…”
Well, he shouldn’t tell them what to do, he shouldn’t try to intervene in any investigation. But, he thought about his brother and what Myles would have done if he was in Chad’s shoes and he knew Myles would lie if anyone asked. He knew he’d lie to protect literally anyone, especially if he was scared and didn’t know what was going to happen to them, or him.
“I want you to think about if it’d be better for an investigator to show up at Chad’s school without him knowing, or if he’d be better off with a little preparation tomorrow morning. I don’t want him coached, I don’t want anyone to tell him to say anything, but if he needs to be told that it’s okay and that we’d protect him and his best interest is our priority, do that. I don’t know him like you do, I don’t know what he might have been told, but the whole system is supposed to protect kids. We’re not going to do anything that could hurt him. So, I’ll do whatever I can tonight and if I don’t think he’s safe there tonight, I’ll step in. If it can wait until tomorrow, we’ll get all this moving tonight.”
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2022 9:09 pm
“Yeah I can call them and give them a heads up. What about Elliot? He’s close to Chad. Probably knows him better than the rest of us, but he only just turned fourteen,” Michael frowned. He knew it got more difficult the younger they were, but maybe something Elliot could tell them would help. Or maybe his word wouldn’t be good enough against a cop who apparently had a lot of friends.
“I don’t do anything to get caught trespassing,” Michael sighed. He’d just been venting. He knew there was little he could do without getting everyone involved in more trouble. Especially since he mentioned it to Jeremy. He wouldn’t expect him to lie if Jeremy was asked if that was what Michael said he was thinking about doing.
“Want me to call them now?” he asked as he pulled out his phone, just in case Jeremy was in a hurry to head over. He knew Elliot would be upset about Chad possibly being in trouble, but they were doing the best they could.
No…
No, they were doing things the legal way. The way with many loopholes that a cop would know how to get around. But if they did take Chad for themselves, what then? They couldn’t possibly hide him forever. They couldn’t exactly leave without being suspicious, either. And where would Devyn go if he took him? And would Chad even be happy?
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2022 9:21 pm
“Yeah, you go ahead and do that. I’ll get a few more things worked out here and make sure I’ve got all my ducks in a row before I head over.”
He pulled out his phone and glanced at the time, did some math in his head and then nodded. “I’ll have plenty to make sure this gets done the right way. I’m not going to drop the ball and I’m not going to make any mistakes. Just don’t do anything reckless, and if you hear from him or think there’s a problem, call me. You’ve got my number, I’ll take care of it as soon as possible. I’ll call you when I’m done talking to the Reids. If Chad and Elliot are close, that might be a good idea to let them talk. Kids are a little more honest with each other than they are adults, so that sounds like a good bet to me. Especially if Chad’s already got a problem with authority. I can’t imagine you can trust other cops if your dad’s abusing his position as one.”
He didn’t want to think that was the case. He’d have loved to hear this was all just some big misunderstanding.
But, he wasn’t going to make the mistake of hoping if the facts didn’t line up with that. He wasn’t going to let wishful thinking get someone hurt.
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2022 9:28 pm
Michael nodded, knowing that Jeremy would do his best, and hoping it would be enough to ease some of Devyn’s worries. Probably not, because while he knew they were doing everything by the book, it might not be enough.
“Thanks, Jeremy. I appreciate it. And if there’s anything else we can do just let me know. Next round of drinks is on me,” he promised, even though his mind was far from the next time they would meet up for a drink. Obviously he would be bringing Devyn with him. Hopefully it would be to celebrate rescuing Chad from a bad situation.
To give Jeremy some time to figure things out and finish up whatever he needed to, Michael nodded his head to the hallway once he caught Devyn’s eye.
“We’re going to step out for a bit, but yell if you need anything,” Michael said to Jeremy as he waited for Devyn to follow.
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2022 9:52 pm
“Will do,” Jeremy said, already combing through the papers he’d been taking notes on; he’d pulled out his phone and seemed to be referencing something, so it was clear that he was doing his best in all of this, even if it was a shitty situation.
He wanted it done right. He didn’t want any holes for mistakes.
It only took one to ruin an entire investigation, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to make any.
Devyn was quick to stand, almost mechanically so. Like he’d been waiting for an excuse to get up.
It wasn’t like him to sit perfectly still, and when he wasn’t speaking, that’s all it was. Careful, controlled. He checked his phone, but that was almost entirely it.
Jeremy didn’t question when he got up, or when he and Michael seemed to be taking a private moment.
Probably for the best; he didn’t know what they were getting into, but he’d given his warning and everything else was up to plausible deniability.
As soon as they were out of sight and earshot, Devyn leaned in so he could quietly announce, “No one would notice a cat doing surveillance.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2022 5:52 am
There was absolutely nothing to smile about, but Michael’s lip twitched and he turned more fully to stare at Devyn. Sometimes he really did wonder if Devyn could read his mind.
“And if Chad isn’t sending any messages, he should be able to track his own inventions,” Michael suggested, because what was the point of having that technology if Soleiyu couldn’t even keep an eye on where it went somehow.
“We’ll make sure he’s safe,” Michael promised. “Somehow… I know you can’t safely bring him to Alastor, but Sessrumnir is safe. If we have to keep him there until we figure things out here…”
For a moment he questioned what he was even saying. He knew what it meant, and he knew the risk he would put himself in. But if Devyn was going to risk his identity, then Michael wasn’t going to let him do any of this alone.
“We could end up completely turning his life around,” Michael warned, but his voice was gentle, because what other choice did they have, besides hoping that the system worked. But they had more at their disposal than that. “He might not understand. He might hate us for it. Would you be okay with that?” He didn’t know that for sure, but he wanted to cover all the possibilities.
He took a moment to send a quick text to Asher. He would call him in a little bit if he wanted more information that wasn’t in text, but for now at least he had a heads up.
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2022 5:59 am
“That’s not new to me. It doesn’t matter as long as he’s safe.” Devyn said it honestly, and it didn’t matter if there was a part of him that might have been hurt by the boy hating him. If it kept him safe, fine. If it gave him a better chance, fine.
Devyn’s eyes caught the necklace Chad had made him, still wrapped around his wrist. Still heavy enough that he couldn’t just forget about it.
He didn’t look for long; his attention was back on Michael almost immediately. “He’d still have Elliot, and the Reids. He doesn’t have to know that they’re speaking to Jeremy, too.” He couldn’t imagine Chad being upset at Elliot. Couldn’t imagine Chad being upset at him either, but he knew it was a possibility.
If it was the right thing to do, he wouldn’t regret it.
If they were wrong–somehow–then he’d just find a way to make it up to Chad.
Devyn’s resolve was firm; he wasn’t going to shift his beliefs any time soon and he’d already made up his mind. “If we had to go to Alastor for a little while, I’d make it work. As long as he doesn’t run off, I could keep him safe. We’d be better off on Sessrumnir, if we could borrow a ride. I doubt anyone would know I was gone if we had to hide out up there. I could probably get some good cleaning done up there if I had a few days, too.”
A distraction. A reassurance. “Chad would probably like it up there.”
If he wasn’t too distracted hating Devyn.
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2022 6:08 am
“It might be difficult for the Reids to see him, if we have to get involved outside of the system that’s set up,” Michael sighed, because he could tell that Devyn seemed likely to run out at that moment and kidnap Chad. “If he was in hiding, he wouldn’t have a normal life.”
But Michael also knew that if he was in hiding, he would be safe.
“I trust you, Devyn. You’ve got better instincts than I do,” he admitted, although he didn’t seem too upset about it. There were a lot of things about Devyn that impressed him, including his resolve. “Let’s try to get in touch with Soleiyu first. See if there’s anything he can do to help.”
Michael hadn’t missed Devyn’s glance to his wrist, and it wasn’t difficult to figure that Chad had made the string of beads for him. They matched Alastor’s colors well.
“You know I’d give you a ride. I’ll even leave Princess there, if I have to come back.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2022 6:13 am
It occurred to Devyn suddenly in that instant that if he was going to be separated from Michael he would miss him very much, and even if he had Chad, even if he had Princess, even if he had Sessrumnir, he wouldn’t have him. He’d gotten used to this comfortable normal of their life and after everything already, he didn’t want to give it up.
…But he wanted to make sure Chad was safe.
They had options. They had a lot of options. If one didn’t work, they’d move to the next.
If he could be patient long enough to see if anyone else’s plan worked first.
“If you’re going to talk to the Reids, I’ll call Soleiyu. As soon as Jeremy leaves we can set something up with him.”
He didn’t ask if that was what Michael wanted, he just trusted that their hearts were in the same place and if Michael had a better idea, or concerns about anything, Devyn trusted him to voice them.
“I don’t want to take him away from the Reids. I want to do whatever’s going to give him the best chance. It’s just. If there’s not a system to protect him in place here, I want to do something else.”
Which, Michael seemed to understand. Seemed to support.
It was typical of him, and Devyn was more grateful than ever.
He didn't want to do something that was going to take him away from Michael anymore than it would have taken Chad away from the Reids.
“We’ll figure it out,” he said, as much to Michael as he did himself.
He trusted in himself. Trusted in Soleiyu. Trusted in Michael.
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2022 6:22 am
Michael knew some uncomfortable thought was going through Devyn’s mind, if only for the strange tightness from the orb resting against his chest. He would have asked him if everything was okay, but knew they didn’t have much time, and he didn’t want to worry about Jeremy getting ready to leave while they were still talking.
He would just have to make sure everything was okay later.
“Sounds like a plan,” he nodded, because he trusted Devyn, and while he trusted Jeremy too, he knew that they needed a back up plan, just in case.
“I’m going to get some supplies ready… just in case,” he said, his voice still quiet. If Devyn did have to go to Alastor, or even be brought to Sessrumnir, Michael wanted to make sure they would have everything they needed to last until he regained enough energy to meet up with them again.
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