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 Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 12:42 pm
At three in the morning, there were plenty of things that Jeremy would rather be doing. Especially given that it was his lunch break and he’d pushed it off so late because of the development.
He’d thought the most worrying part of tonight was going to be calling in to file his report about Chad. He hadn’t expected him to disappear. There were police all over the neighborhood looking for him. As soon as the call came in, Jeremy had gone straight to Michael’s place.
But, he was gone.
At midnight.
He hadn’t answered when he knocked, but Jeremy hadn’t exactly had time to wait around for him to show up. He’d had other calls. He didn’t file the report. He didn’t call back.
Instead, he showed up again.
This time, there was a light on.
This time, he wasn’t leaving until he got an answer.
Jeremy parked his car in the driveway without any fanfare. It was late enough that he wasn’t worried about anyone seeing him. He didn’t waste any time crossing the distance from his car to the front door, nor did he feel bad about knocking on it at this hour. “Michael. Open the door, we need to talk.”
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 1:07 pm
Michael knew it would only be a matter of time until something was reported about Chad. Maybe his dad would be mad that there wasn’t a corpse left in the house. It was a thought that had Michael’s blood boiling, but he couldn’t exactly get too involved without being concerned about the Negaverse.
“What’s wrong?” Michael asked, innocently enough as he opened the door for Jeremy. He’d seen him on the security camera of course. He’d already sent a message to Devyn to test how fast the signal worked, but hadn’t received anything back yet.
Soleiyu was busy working on disabling the noise on the pager, which Michael was grateful for. He would rather obsessively check it every five minutes than it beep loudly or suddenly.
Well, hopefully he wasn’t currently working on it while someone was at the door.
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 1:23 pm
Jeremy breathed a little sigh of relief when Michael answered the door because he’d already prepped himself to expect the worst. “Let me come in, I don’t want to stand out here. Where were you an hour and a half ago? –And where’s Devyn?”
He didn’t push his way in, but it was obvious that he didn’t want to be seen standing on his doorstep, and he didn’t want to be here any longer than absolutely necessary.
Soleiyu had been annoyed at a disruption, but he wasn’t going to be caught tinkering by anyone. He needed a break, anyway, so he abandoned his project–temporarily, at least–and bolted into the kitchen so he could help himself to some water and freshen up just a little bit.
It wasn’t fast enough for Jeremy not to catch the hint of a white blur in the distance behind Michael but he wasn’t thinking about that right now.
He was just thinking about Chad.
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 1:30 pm
While Michael considered Jeremy a friend, he was also a cop, and he was momentarily concerned about the possibility of Jeremy knowing and working with the Negaverse as well.
“Come on in,” he said, holding back the question on whether this was for official police business, or as a friend.
“Devyn couldn’t stop thinking about Chad. Said he had to get away for a few days before he did something that might mess up the report. So I drove him to the train station so he could stay with some friends up in Boston,” Michael explained, and while he was typically good at lying when he wanted to, he didn’t really want to lie to Jeremy.
All he did was want to protect not just Chad and Devyn, but the Reids and Jeremy, in addition to the rest of his family and friends.
“Why, did something happen?”
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 1:40 pm
Jeremy came in and was quick to close the door behind him. He looked a bit rattled–frustrated, but not at Michael. The collection of tools and oddities on the table made him do a double take before he looked at Michael.
He didn’t see white cat fur there. He hadn’t seen a cat here. Or at Chad’s place.
“Yeah, he’s missing. More than missing, looks like he was attacked. His father says he was out and someone broke in. The lock was picked on the front door, the bathroom door’s wrecked. Blood all over the bathroom. Kid’s bedroom was torn apart. I’m surprised you haven’t seen the police cars all over the neighborhood. Everyone’s looking for some greasy, black haired guy who got a little handsy with him in the park. Trent’s beating himself up, saying it’s his fault. That he should have done something. That Chad’s such a good kid, he’s got such a big heart and he’s just so trusting. Putting on a real good show. Did you buy that ticket with a card or with cash?”
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 4:47 pm
“I saw the police cars, but I just assumed it was a break in, not Chad going missing. s**t,” Michael frowned, obviously concerned about a missing teenager. The same kid they were planning on filing a report for.
“Of course the b*****d would blame Devyn. Is he being investigated? Where the hell was he, leaving a kid at home alone? And I didn’t buy his ticket. He bought it in cash. Had we known ahead of time that we would need to establish an alibi for him we would have used a card. I’m sure there’s video at the train station. Oh… they were talking about funding being cut for public transportation. Hopefully that didn’t include cameras.”
Michael knew he wouldn’t have had time to get anything to prove where they were. Not unless he had to. He had family up in Boston. Although his grandmother was apparently not doing well after the loss of her arguably favorite son.
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 5:12 pm
Michael told a believable story, at least. Jeremy wanted to trust him.
But that wasn’t going to be enough and he knew it. As soon as they figured out who he was, they’d be investigating him. They’d want answers, they’d want proof. Video from the train station.
“A bus is more believable. There’s not cameras at every bus stop. Just saying.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the table again. Looked at everything laying atop it.
He knew Michael was an engineer, knew he studied it. Couldn’t tell what he was making, though. Looked like something fancy.
Felt something rolling in his stomach, something he couldn’t quite place. He wasn’t anxious. Or maybe he was, and the adrenaline was just too overwhelming for him to notice.
He couldn’t ignore the fur on the couch. On the table. There wasn’t much, but he saw it. Couldn’t ignore it.
Had to know.
“Is it your cat or his?”
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 5:26 pm
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Michael asked, his eyes narrowing slightly at Jeremy’s comment about bus stops and cameras. He knew Jeremy was intelligent. He knew Jeremy would want to help them. But he also didn’t want Jeremy getting caught up in something where he would be in over his head.
“Stray. Found it wandering around outside. I was going to drop it off at the pound in the morning,” he continued to frown, his arms crossed over his chest. “Why, do you or your brother want a cat? Probably want to check if he’s chipped first. I don’t think he’s fixed either, so there’s that to worry about.”
Hey, if Soleiyu was going to be leaving fur all over and making people question why he suddenly had a cat, well. That was his own fault.
No… Michael obviously wasn’t going to drop him off at the animal shelter, but he was a little exasperated about the vacuuming he would have to do later.
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 5:37 pm
“Yeah,” Jeremy answered too quickly. “I am looking for a cat, actually. Big, white one. Long fur. Long tail. Is that what you brought home?”
He didn’t explain what his comment was supposed to mean, didn’t clarify why he was so interested in the cat.
But, he wasn’t kidding around.
Jeremy looked serious; he was frowning now and a wrinkle had formed on his forehead from how tightly his brows had knitted together.
“Where’s he hiding?”
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 5:43 pm
Michael wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Jeremy that serious before. They met for drinks. Talked about their brothers. They filed reports on a*****e abusive parents.
They didn’t talk about cats.
“If he’s yours, call for him,” Michael suggested, since he wasn’t going to drag Soleiyu out of wherever he was hiding if he didn’t want to see Jeremy. Michael almost wished he’d kept the backdoor open for Soleiyu to slip out if he needed to. Maybe he could find a window to escape through if he was desperate.
“I didn’t know you had a cat. Or is he someone else’s? Weird that you’re looking for a cat and not a missing boy.”
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 5:50 pm
“Don’t talk to me about weird,” Jeremy muttered. “Soleiyu, I’m not even ******** around right now. Someone needs to come clean and just tell me what the hell’s going on. I saw the cat at Chad’s. I don’t know what you did,” he looked at Michael, “But I know you did something. And the faster you give me the truth, the better off we’ll all be. I don’t have time for lip service. Because if you didn’t have something to do with Chad, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s dead.”
He was serious. He was frustrated. Not at Michael. Maybe. Not at Michael yet.
Soleiyu hadn’t come out yet but neither had he made any sound to announce that he’d heard–or that he was even still there.
So, Jeremy turned to Michael again. “So tell me you know something. I was there, earlier. They were having ice cream and watching a movie. For Chad’s birthday. I tried to keep a low profile and I left him there. So if you know he’s safe somewhere, tell me.”
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 6:00 pm
Michael froze and stared at Jeremy for a few moments, as though trying to decide what he wanted to believe. Him knowing Soleiyu was… well, Michael wasn’t sure if he should be concerned or if it was enough to warrant trusting Jeremy with the truth.
But what stood out to Michael more than Jeremy knowing Soleiyu’s name was--
“It was his birthday?”
His shoulders had visibly deflated and there was a certain sadness in his voice that he couldn’t keep out. He had no idea.
Or maybe he hadn’t had time to process that it was his birthday. The Reids had planned on Chad going over for dinner, and Michael stopped by the Reids that night as well just to see how they were doing after telling them what happened at the park. It didn’t occur to him that any decorations that had been put up were for Chad.
He let out a heavy sigh and lifted a hand to rub through his hair in frustration at the whole situation. It made things even shittier knowing it was his birthday.
“He’s safe. His dad wanted him dead.”
He hesitated. He knew he should tell Jeremy more. He should warn him. But that meant potentially threatening his family and friends’ safety.
“Have you… heard of the Negaverse?” he asked.
His hand was around the orb hanging from his neck. He needed something to help him stay calm when his anxiety was high like it was now.
“Chad was attacked by one of them. Apparently there was an arrangement between them and his dad. He was stabbed. Bitten by one of their y--... youma. He’s stable now. Safe. And… yes, Devyn is with him.”
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 6:06 pm
For a second, Jeremy just stared at Michael. He looked at him for a long moment, like he needed to size him up, and then–
He relaxed.
He tipped his head back for a second and exhaled, and when he’d emptied his lungs of worry and stress, he nodded and finally looked at Michael again.
“Okay. Yeah, I’ve heard of them. You’re not one of them?”
“No, he’s not,” Soleiyu muttered, finally shuffling into the room. “You’re so nosey, Jeremy. You’re going to get yourself killed. What if he was in the Negaverse? You were just going to bust in here? You don’t even have your gun out, please.”
“I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to hang out with a Negaverse agent,” Jeremy snapped, maybe a little irritated that Soleiyu took so long or hadn't just given him a heads up. “I texted you, too. You ignored me.”
“I’ve been caught up in things, I had places to be. I’m busy, you’re not the only one who needs me.”
Soleiyu didn’t seem worried; he was huffy, but that was more in his nature. He was comfortable enough to go back to work in front of Jeremy, at least.
Jeremy watched him for a few seconds and still couldn’t seem to wrap his head around what the cat was doing. “I had a run in with some a while back. Actually–I ran into you a little while afterwards. When I was trying to figure my life out after all of it.”
He hadn’t talked about the details of it, it hadn’t been more than ‘almost died on the job’ whenever he mentioned it. He didn’t like to talk about it. Wasn’t really sure how you were supposed to describe it to someone without sounding like you’d just lost it.
“You’re sure absolutely sure Chad’s safe? Is he going to know he’s safe with Devyn?”
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 6:16 pm
“You could have told me you knew him,” Michael frowned at Soleiyu. Of course he would go to hide when someone was there, and then pretend like he got to discipline either of them for not being careful about interacting with the Negaverse.
“Well, be careful with Chad’s dad. He’s in league with them, somehow.” Although for what purpose, Michael wasn’t sure. The usual seemed logical. Power. Money. Greed. Cruelty for fun.
“Devyn had helped Chad out a couple times already. Our tech wiz over here made Chad a pen for emergencies. It gave Devyn his location and if he was in trouble,” Michael explained, still a little exasperated by Soleiyu’s participation now.
“Not that Chad knows it was made by a cat,” he added. “But yes, Chad is safe and being looked after very well. I’m glad you made it out alive. Dealing with the Negaverse is… not ideal,” Michael frowned. “I told you I lost my father a while back…? It was their doing.”
Again, Michael didn’t like talking about how his father had been killed, but he wanted to prove to Jeremy that he understood at least a little bit about what it was like to deal with the Negaverse.
“Wait, so… if you know about them are you…?” he squinted at Jeremy, and then glanced at Soleiyu.
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Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2022 6:30 pm
Soleiyu shrugged once but he was focused enough on his projects and seemed to be keen on finishing them before anyone else stopped by to visit. He wasn’t going to tell anyone someone else’s secrets; he didn’t know who might accidentally use that information incorrectly.
Or worse, who might choose to.
“No,” Jeremy answered quickly. “No, I’m just–seriously, just me. What you see is what you get. But I know a couple Senshi. Couple Knights. I mean–you run into them on the job, you can’t not. Soleiyu made my phone. As a favor. And,” he seemed a bit gruff, but he added, “I’ve been doing a lot better since then. I had, uh. Got stuck somewhere. For a couple days. Couldn’t reach anyone. It’s not a big deal.”
He said it too quickly, it was a big deal.
“So he made me a phone that gets service anywhere. And I haven’t found a place yet that it doesn’t.”
“His was an easy request,” Soleiyu said, “No ‘long distance communication’ out of stick and straws.” He was enjoying the challenge, though; his tail kept twitching like he was more than happy to have projects.
Briefly, Jeremy watched him again, probably so he didn’t have to look at Michael when he said, “I’m sorry about your father. They’re pretty ******** up. And I can’t tell who’s in with them and who isn't. I was going to leave. I wanted another job, I wanted out of all of this. But.”
He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
“Kept worrying about not being able to do anything. So,” he shrugged. “Couldn’t make the jump.”
For the best, maybe.
“I’m guessing Chad’s not anywhere near Destiny City. Do you have a plan for getting him back? He and Devyn can’t hide out forever. I don’t think this is going to just blow over anytime soon, though.”
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