Chapter Text
FINN'S APARTMENT...
Being forcefully awaken by his annoying alarm clock, Finn groans as he slams his hand down on top of it to shut it up! He rubs his eyes before he rolls back over to lie on his back. He stares at the ceiling, wondering how in the hell was it morning already?! It fell like he just went to sleep! He then looks back over on his nightstand and curiously checks his phone.
He didn't get a phone call, text, or even an email from anybody. Which was kinda odd, seeing how he's gotten used to being rudely awoken in the middle of the night all because some asshole(s) can't not start some shit!
Whatever.
He needed to get up and get ready to go. Otherwise, he was gonna get stuck in morning traffic and be late for work.
After showering and brushing his teeth, Finn grabbed a navy blue shirt and a pair of black jeans. He had everything nice and laid out for him to just grab and go. He got dressed, put on his badge and his gun, grabbed his wallet, keys, cellphone, & keys and bolted for the door.
As he headed for work, he was very surprised to see that Rey hadn't called or texted him last night. Did Rey follow up with his lead? Had she gotten around to looking for Sourblood? Could she find him at all? She would've reached out if she had.
Finn was getting slightly worried about her. Knowing full well that Rey was most likely in the Sun and probably didn't drink a drop of blood before leaving her house. That would've left her in a frenzy. Which would've left her vulnerable.
Only one of 2 possible outcomes could've come out of her getting mixed up with the Griffin Heads:
- Rey would've gone crazy while fighting back against the M.C., getting blood drunk after draining the veins of each biker she got her hands on.
- Or she was so desperate for a drop, she grabbed a civilian. Just to make it through the skirmish.
If it were option #1, then that would be extremely bad for her, for him, and for Cassia and Bree. Local P.D. would've been stomped by the carnage they stumbled onto. If there were any tooth marks left on any of the bodies, it would've looked like a ritualistic murder along with a massacre. Old Sleep P.D. would've reached out to Homicide Detective Galen Marek. Or he would've reached out to them if there was a story this morning.
Either way, chances were pretty good that Finn was gonna have to get involved one way or another.
So, he steps on the gas and floors it to get to work!
PRECINCT 15...
Stepping through the double glass doors of his Precinct, Detective Finn Storm is greeted by the sight of Patrolmen conversing, checking out their radios, grabbing keys for their squad cars, and going about their morning. He's sure everyone's thinking the same thing: It's fucking Monday again! Back to work! Back to the bullshit!
"Hey, Storm!" Desk Sergeant Kolso Bek calls out, getting Finn's attention. "Come here for a minute!" He says beckoning him over.
Finn sighs/groans before he goes over to Bek, resting his arms on the desk. He needs to be upstairs to check on a situation he's got going on with his girlfriend. He doesn't have time to put up with Bek's bullshit. Yet, with one look at the Desk Sergeant, he's suddenly gotten nervous. Judging from the on Bek's face, he sounded like he really needed to get something off his chest.
Yet again, there was an undercurrent of annoyance that couldn't be missed.
"Why do you keep coming here so damn early every morning, Storm?" Bek asks. "Huh?"
Finn's nervousness melts away and he laughs at Bek's new tone, mostly out of relief. "Well, good morning to you, too, Sarge!"
"Don't start with me right now, kid! Alright?!" Bek demands in an angry whisper. "I'm not in the mood for your chippy disposition, okay? It is too early in the Goddamn morning for that bullshit!"
Finn then instantly gets nervous. Something really has him up in arms so early. "What?" He asks.
"Your Goddamn shift doesn't start until 8 O'clock!" Bek swears. "It's just 7:05a.m. You're 45 minutes too early. Why is that? Aren't you getting enough overtime now that you're playing in the big leagues upstairs?" He gives Finn an angry glare, waiting for an explanation.
"So, I get tend to show up an hour before my shift. So what?" Finn asks. "How is that a big deal? Y'know, I would think that if I had an Officer showing up here so early, I would see that he or she is taking what we do very seriously. They're not here to mess around. And neither am I. I've got a job to do just like everyone else. Just like you. Being able to respond to an emergency when called is in the job description. I don't see the harm in getting to work an hour before I need to. Why is that a problem?"
"Maybe you don't see it a big deal. But, the higher-ups most certainly do." Bek says. "They've been on my ass every day last week because of you."
"Oh!" Finn exclaims. "I didn't think the Bean counters were keeping track of my every move. Hell, I guess they really meant it when they said that they were keeping a close eye on me as they were giving me my Detective shield. I just didn't realize that they meant that literally. Who would've thunk it?"
"Well, you were sitting where I am, trust me... you'd try to set your people straight, Storm." Bek says. "I mean, I'd get call after call from my bosses, raising hell about a certain, young hot-shot Detective, abusing overtime. Look, they want you to take it easy on the early arrivals, okay? Maybe show up late every once in a while, huh?"
"Working in the V.C.U. means working crazy hours. Again, comes with the job." Finn says.
"Well, maybe you can explain it to them, then." Bek says. "Because I'm done with it. *Sigh* I've already got a ton of shit on my plate, on top of all the shit revolving around you. And I haven't even taken my first sip of coffee yet."
"Uh-huh!" Finn hums like he's got something figured out. "Haven't had your caffeine fix yet, huh, Sarge?" Finn asks. The desk Sergeant appears to be pretty pissed off. Yet, Finn doesn't sense any real bitterness or bite to his remarks. It's mostly just that the old man hasn't had his caffeine fix yet. "Ahh, come on, Sarge!"
Bek lifted both eyebrows in response to Finn's retort. His eyes are still mad... still staring into Finn's. However, he's still just standing there, waiting to hear Finn out.
Finn shrugs. "I don't know how to get anywhere on time! You know that! To me, 45 minutes is better than 15. Gives me a bit more leeway."
"Leeway?" Bek asks. "Leeway to do what?"
"To improvise!" Finn says as if it was an obvious answer. Bek wasn't buying it. "Think of it this way. Say you're driving to work, going down your usual route. You know things get pretty congested at a certain time. So, you left the house early just to avoid it. And then something happens on that road. Roadwork, accident... whatever. Now, because of this slight delay, you're gonna have to find an alternate means to get to where your going. Or be stuck in traffic. Although instead of wasting your 15 minutes trying to make up for lost time... you now have an additional 30 to take whatever detours and back streets you need to to get to wherever you're going. It's the ideal window of time."
"So, that's your rationale then?" Bek questions, sounding stupefied. "That little tidbit's why you get here before even your Captain does?"
"Hey! Getting in early is better than being on time, as I always say." Finn argues.
Scoffing, Bek shakes his head, scrabbling something on a piece of paper. "You know, it's not just the brass that hates it when you keep showing up like this. Some of the other officers around here don't like, either. Something about Mayor Antilles' comment about the Coruscant Police needing to follow Detective Storm's example seems to rub them the wrong way. I'm pretty sure we've had this conversation before."
Finn rolls his eyes, tapping on the desk. It was his turn to be up in arms! He was so sick of this bullshit! "Oh, of course. It's back to that again. Yeah, yeah! I keep forgetting. 'As Public Servants, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard. If the very Citizens of Coruscant, whom we've swore to serve and protect, are pushing themselves to their limits and beyond just to be able to provide for their families, how can we be satisfied with doing the bare minimum? Detective Finn Storm's strive for excellence should be an example to both the Mayor's Office as well as the Coruscant Police Department.' Y'know, I didn't tell the Mayor to say any of that stuff."
Bek shrugs. "Doesn't change the fact that you're making your brothers and sisters in blue look like a bunch of lazy assholes!"
Finn is visibly wounded by that! It was bad enough that the other Officers were giving him shit for what Mayor Antilles said about him. But, hearing the disgust in Bek's voice, that hurts! Even with him always trying to lecture him about shit! 'That's it! I can't with this old bastard right now!' "You know what? I'm just here, doing my job. I'm gonna do it the way works for me. You wanna give me a hard time about it, you go right ahead. And while you're at it, go ahead and help yourself with as much coffee as you can stomach. It's shitty. But, hey! It's free."
Bek then gives Finn this look like he just slapped him in the face. "Jesus Christ! God! Every damn day, it's the same fucking thing with you! Always so flippant in the mouth. Y'know, one day, that mouth's gonna get you into some serious shit one day, Storm! You better hope I'm not around to see it!"
"Have a nice day, Sarge!" Finn says as he climbs the steps of a nearby stairwell. "Oh! Let me know if you're in need of anymore. I'll see if Kick & Howser are available to get it for you."
"You'll be serving me a cup at Starbucks if you don't quit while you're ahead!" Bek growls. He then looks around to see that he and Finn have created quite a commotion. None of the present Patrolmen are running their mouths as they're too invested in what was going on around the front desk. "What the fuck are you clowns standing around for?! Go do your damn jobs! Go on! Get outta here, ya lazy assholes! Christ Almighty!! SHIT!!"
Finn then flashes his badge in front of a scanner on a security gate. He then punches in a 6 digit code, causing the door to buzz and he let's himself in, slamming the door behind him.
UPSTAIRS IN THE VIOLENT CRIMES UNIT DIVISION...
Finally making it into the V.C.U. bullpen, Finn goes to his desk to boot up his desktop when...
"Detective! Get in here!"
"God!" Finn flinches when he notices that his captain was in his office. He then goes over to lean into the doorway, bracing himself on the door's lintel. "Uhh... G'morning, Captain!" Finn greets.
"Good Morning, Finn." Captain Jango Fett greets back. "I see you're early again."
"Are you even surprised at this point, Cap?" Finn questions.
"No. But, I would be a bit more careful about who hears you arguing with Bek." Captain Fett warns. "Someone might've heard what you said to Kolso and think it was insubordination."
Finn winces at that. "You hear all of that?"
"I did." Captain Fett assures. "And so did about half a dozen Patrolmen who would love to be exactly where you are right now. You know, any one of those officers could use that little outburst as leverage against you. Any smart cop would see it as an opportunity to kiss up to Kolso and get you reprimanded. He's well regarded by the Police Brass and his opinion carries a lot of weight. All it takes is one conversation about your conduct and before you know it, you're back to pulling people over and passing out tickets while another Officer is sitting at the same desk that used to be yours."
Finn lowers his head, biting his lower lip as a worried/upset gesture. He never means to come off as so confrontational. But, ever since he was liberated from the First Order, he's fully embraced his new found freedom and has gladly forgotten about the order for silence his old handler used to shout at him.
"Look..." Captain Fett says. "...there's nothing wrong with you wanting to speak your piece. And if you can do so respectfully, that just makes you more respectable. Just don't let that short temper of yours cost you more than you can pay. Remember to reel yourself back in when you feel that flippant tongue starting to get sharp. Does that make sense to you?"
Finn says. "Yessir. I understand. I do! I just... I just don't understand why he's always on my case. Every single morning, there's another lecture I walk into. I swear it's like he goes looking to find any little thing that I do wrong. Any little misstep... And, God forbid, if he finds one, that's when he gets to give me a hard time. It's unavoidable."
For the first time in forever, Finn actually hears Fett chuckle. That almost never happens. At least, not around him or the others. He's usually pretty stoic. Although, he's known to have a sense of humor.
Still... when he does let a laugh slip out of his mouth, it's usually once in a blue moon.
"Yeah. Well, that sounds like Bek." Fett says. "Always so quick to point out someone else's mistakes. But, never wants to hear how he's falling short. You know, I've known Bek for well over 30 and he's always been the kind of guy who makes himself out to be responsible for making sure everything is done the way it should be. No one applies that pressure on Bek... No one except Bek himself. He's got the utmost respect for the Badge. He loves this Distrinct and the officers who serve here. But, he also sees himself as the face of Precinct 15. To hear him tell it, this is his house. And if he even thinks that someone's mucking it up..."
"...Then that someone catches holy hell?!" Finn exclaimed. 'He's always had a chip stuck up his ass, then, huh?' He thinks to himself. "Well, that explains it, then. He still sees me as that nymphet from 5 years ago. *Sighs* Great! Okay. I get it. I won't make excuses. I know I could've handled things a lot better. But, that's not who I am anymore! That's all over and done with now! It took me long time to get over what I lost. But, I've moved past all that. I've finally put all of that behind me. I just wish he would, too."
Fett shrugged. "Ehh...That's not your fault, Finn. You were only a kid! You were dealing with a traumatic experience on top of having been apart of the First Order. Y'know...Leaving the First Order was brave enough of you. Yet, even joining the Coruscant Police to help fight back is downright Admirable! That makes you every bit the kind of man Mayor Antilles made you out to be!"
Finn looks back up at Fett after staring at the floor for so long. He was so touched by his boss's words that, for the first time since becoming a Detective, he truly felt that one of his own looked at him not with disgust. But, with pride!
In the few years he's known Fett, Fett sort of became this Father figure to him. Praising him whenever he did a great job and scolding him whenever he messed up. He's never pulled his punches with his young Officer.
But, he's never shyed away from lifting him up when he can sense that Finn needs it.
As a father, he was good like that. Fett goes on to say, "Anyone who knows you knows that you are a man doing his best. That's all anyone can expect from any of us. So, when met your lady friend and wanted to have a family, no one could've foreseen you losing that. You were going through a hard time and no one was throwing you a lifeline. You were wading in dark water. And you did what you could to cope. But, the fact that you got yourself through it is another testament to your fortitude. You worked hard to get to where you are now. Even earned the Detective shield as a result. I'm proud of you, kid."
Finn's eyes sting with tears and two manage to stroll down his face before he could stop them. He chuckles happily before he wipes away his tears and looks back over at his Captain through misty eyes. "Thanks, Boss. That's means so much. You could never know. I just wish that Sergeant Bek could-..."
"Kolso will be Kolso." Captain Jango Fett says. "He's a man who believes that the world should be Black and White. It takes him longer than it should to wrap his head around the idea that someone can change. Fortunately or Unfortunately... as a ranking officer, his opinion counts for a lot to the Higher-Ups. That's something you need to bare that mind. Now while you don't have to be a brown nose, you DO have to respect his position. So, just be mindful of that whenever you and he have a... 'heart to heart'. You understand?"
Finn nods his head in understanding. "Yessir. I'll be sure to find a way to smooth things over with Sergeant Bek before the end of the day."
"Good." Fett says. "And if he doesn't appreciate it, you let know. I'll take it from there."
Finn nods with a knowing smile.
"Now, then..." Fett says. "...What are you doing here so early today, Finn?"
That question brought Finn's earlier thoughts back to the forefront of his mind. "Cap, can you turn on the local news?"
Captain Fett frowns at him slightly. But, turns to look around for the remote to his wall mounted T.V. set. It wasn't on his desk. So, it had to been somewhere on the bourbon cabinet behind him.
As he looks for the remote, Finn takes a moment to study the pictures on the Captain's desk. His desk was cluttered with folders on top of folders. It's no wonder Finn didn't see him when he first came upstairs! Aside from his shadow being casted, thanks to the open blinds on the walls,
Out in front of the folders, Finn sees photos he had of his son, Boba, as a little boy. Another one with him as an adult, dressed up in a Naval uniform. And finally, one with him standing in the middle of both his father and his mother, Omera.
And, at that moment, he's saddened. Seeing what he could've had with his own son.
Fett picks up the remote that somehow found it's way into one of the top 3 drawers of the cabinet. He then changes the channel to the local news as Finn suggested. "Take a seat, Finn."
Finn does as he was told and parks it in the chair at Fett's left.
"Now, what are you looking to see on the local news?" Fett asks.
"A friend of mine..." Finn says. "...a C.I. had heard about the whole Sourblood fiasco we had to deal with and that Plutt had threatened him in open court..."
Fett nods, frowning harder. "Uh-huh." He says, encouraging him to go on.
"Well, since ever we got word got out that Sourblood was getting protection from the Griffin Heads..." Finn says.
"Wait... how did they find out about the sick bastard getting protected by the Griffin Heads?" Fett questions, cutting Finn off.
"Cap, come on." Finn says. "Word spreads faster than wild fire. You know that! Most folks'll hear something out there on the street and before you know it, kids are talking about it on Tumblr. It doesn't take much effort for people to pick up on all the things they really shouldn't."
Fett looks at Finn like he was just hit over the head. Dazed and confused. Social media. It really seems to do a lot more harm than good. It was just another disaster coming from someone's good intention. "Huh." That's all Fett can really say.
"Anyway..." Finn continues. "...Since the main charter for the G.H.M.C. is based in Old Sleep, they decided that they would play 'Detective'. And since Old Sleep is my C.I.'s hometown, they apparently took it upon themselves to put an ear out on the street, seeing if they could found out where Sourblood was being held. I only found out about it when I noticed I got a text on my C.I. contact Phone. I tried calling and texting them back. But, they're not responding either way."
Fett begins to see why Finn was so concerned. "When did 'they' send you that text?"
"Last night." Finn lies. "And I don't know what happened afterwards. Are they somewhere safe? Are they in trouble? Did the G.H.M.C. do something to them? I honestly don't know. I was hoping that the local news could give me... something."
Fett nodded his head and looks back up at the screen. Finn follows his gaze.
There were several mentions about several reports. Ranging from homicides to kidnappings. Fires, scandals, politics. Human trafficking and Police involved shootings.
God, the News is so depressing!
There was over 20 minutes of rapid fire stories. But, nothing about the state of things in Old Sleep.
"All this time, waiting for a simple story. And so far, they're not saying anything about what's going on in Old Sleep." Fett says, sounding frustrated himself.
"Well... I keep an eye on what's going on at my desk." Finn says. "The only good thing about there being so many news channels is that they all share the same stories. Thanks anyway, Cap." He gets up to leave Captain Fett's Office.
"Sure." Fett says, watching him walk out. From his demeanor and sudden mood change, he could tell that Finn wasn't acting concerned about someone who works for him. It was more like he was worried about someone he loved. Granted, he didn't grow up with the traditional family. So, whenever Finn considered someone to be his friend, they're essentially his family. But, there was more going on there beneath the surface. "By the way, Storm!"
Finn stops in his tracks immediately and turns on his heels to face his Captain again.
"What's 'they'?" Fett asks. "Your C.I. Who are 'they'? You kept referring to them as they. And I just wanted to keep an eye out for myself." Before Finn could utter a word, Fett asks him another quick question. "It's not that guy, Malone, is it?"
Finn shakes his head. "No. Giovanni's been staying where you put him yesterday. He's officially one of my C.I.'s now. His contract was approved and is in full effect. Uh..." Finn then takes a moment to think of a convincing lie. He's actually surprised himself in the past with how he was able to lie without any preparation or forethought. He guesses that over past couple of years of going undercover helped him lie on the fly. "Well, Captain... they is named Mercy... and they are non-binary."
Fett lifts both of his eyebrows in confusion. "They're what?"
Finn tilts his head uncomfortably as he tries to explain. "Non-binary. They don't see themselves as traditional man or woman. So, they don't identify as he or she. They're... well...'they' are they."
Captain Fett gives him a dead pan expression. Apparently, that went completely over his head.
Finn couldn't read his mind. But, if he could, he'd probably see him wondering what the fuck is up with this modern generation? How is that a thing? Finn chuckles at his Captain's reaction. "I know. I know. Just... just humor me on this." He then raps on the lintel before walking out finally.
Jango just sits there, staring forward at nothing. Slowly shaking his head about the nonsense he just heard. Non-binary? Identifying? What's with this generation's obsession with trying to identify as something!? They oughta be more concerned about what they're gonna do with their lives! "Jesus..." He utters under his breath. "...Millennials..."
SOME TIME LATER...
Finn's at his desk, his eyes glued to the screen of his desktop computer. He was completely zeroed in, hoping to see something about the situation involving the Griffin Heads. Something. Anything! But, so far, nothing!
Just then, as if at one time, all the others in the Violent Crimes Unit: Poe, Temmin, Vi, Ezra 'Slip', Rose, Kaydel, and Jessika all come upstairs, conversating about different things.
- Vi asked 'Slip' about the date he had with that S.W.A.T. chick 'Tallie' . But, Slip said that the details were top secret. Although, he does tell her that they had a very nice evening and an even better morning! "Oh, I'm sure you did!" Says Vi.
- Poe was telling Temmin about the current car he was restoring: a 1964 ford Gran Torino. One he was fixing up to surprise his father. It's the 7th vehicle he's restored and he already has his eye on something else. Temmin teases him, asking if working in the VCU didn't keep him busy enough. Poe responded by simply saying that keeping himself busy kept him out of trouble. Seeing as how he was seeing both a married man AND a married woman, (They weren't married to each other, just be to clear.) that might be ideal!
- Jessika and Kaydel were advising Rose. Rose came to them while they were both having coffee and told them about an old girlfriend, Naia, who was in town and was asking if she could see her. Rose knows that her old feelings for this girl were dead. But, they were good friends before they got together romantically. And she really missed her old friend. But, she was worried about how Jannah might react to that. Jessika tells her not to go and see her, concerned as well about Jannah. She warns that while she may have gotten over her feelings for Naia, it wouldn't take much for them to come flooding back. All it takes are hearing the right words and/or having one of them acting on impulse and doing something Rose might later regret. She was speaking from experience. Kaydel, on the other hand, encourages Rose to go. But, to invite Jannah along with her. By just telling her girlfriend upfront, she would show Jannah that she respects her enough to be open with her. It was better to be honest from the start than appear like you were hiding something. Even when you really weren't!
They conversing pairs and trio all separate to go to their desks.
Poe drops what he was holding... a plastic bag containing a white container from Jettser's down on the desk. "Hey. Good morning, Buddy."
Finn, who had his eyes glued to his monitor since he got there, felt like he had sand in his eyes. He's not sure if he's even blinked once since he sat down. "Morning!" He responded, looking up at his professional Partner briefly. "Morning, guys."
The remaining six all greet him back in various ways all at the same time! "Well, hello!"/"Hi, there!"/"Good Morning!"/"Good Morning to you!"/"Howdy!"/"Top of the Morning to ya!"
"Well, lookie here!" Slip says way too cheerful this early in the morning. His Irish accent on full volume. "The early riser himself! Ever the first man on deck, eh, Brother?"
Rose snorts, shaking her head. "Yep! As per usual, he's gotta be the first one in and always showing up earlier than necessary! It's like he's trying to set some kind of record or something!"
Slip smirks. "Hey, what's going on, Finn? You been here long?"
Finn shakes his head. "Nah. Only for an hour or so."
Slip snickers at that. "Oh! 'Only for an hour or so'? Weren't you just here about a few hours ago?"
"I was." Finn answers. "There were a couple of things that I needed to take care of last night. I needed to check on one of my C.I.'s while having a conversation about contracting a new one. It was a last minute thing."
"Thing?" Kaydel was intrigued by that. "What kind of things?"
Finn wasn't expecting to have to answer that. His reaction reflects that. He was taken aback by K.O.'s directness. But, after he gestures with a shrug of his right shoulder and a raising of his right eyebrow, he answers, "I was... trying to convince a former Sarlacc resident to come in as a C.I., hoping he'll be able to flip on his boss and help us bring him in. I can't say much more than that. Waiting on the paperwork to come through."
Kaydel seems to accept that.
But, Rose stares him down in disbelief. "Could you be anymore vague? What does any of that mean? Who's the guy you needed to talk to?"
"Don't worry about all that." Finn says.
"'Don't worry about all that?'" Rose repeats.
"Is there an echo in here?" Finn asks, looking up at the ceiling. He then addresses Rose again. "Come on, Rose. You know how this goes. We need to maintain confidence with our Informants. What was said between me and the guy... is between me and the guy. It's strictly confidential." Finn says.
Rose huffs. "You are so full of shit, Storm!"
"Whoa!"/"WHOA!" Finn and Slip exclaim! Slip's jaw drops at that!
"Jesus!" Jessika exclaims. "Down, Tigress!"
"Damn, girl! Where'd that come from?" Finn asks, bewildered. "Is this a Bullpen or an interrogation room? I can never tell which is which sometimes."
Rose then gets a little smug. "It's whichever it's gotta be. And since you wanna act like you're on something top secret, right now, it's the latter."
"Huh!" Finn hums while looking Rose dead in the eye. "Well, if this were the latter, this would be the part where one of us tells you to step out and go get a coffee. Because you get far too hot-headed to behave yourself properly."
Rose frowns at Finn, cutting her eyes at him and shaking her head. "The fuck?! What?! What does that mean? How do I act hot-headed?! I was just asking you-..."
"Go get a coffee, Tico!" Poe says, cutting her off.
Slip bursts into a full on guffaw while Rose looks at Poe like he just slapped her in the face.
Finn snickers but forces himself to say quiet. He set up the bait, Rose took it, and Poe delivered the knockout punch! It was beautiful!
Hey, she started it! Finn and Poe ended it.
Vi can see where this is about to go. Rose and Finn don't really get along all that well. She knows that now Finn's shut her down that she's really about to bring it. "So, Finn?" Vi says, cutting in. "How's everything going with you and your girl?"
When Finn faces Vi, he takes a moment to simmer down, lest he approach this conversation with the same energy as he did with Rose. "Things are going pretty good, actually. I can't see her as often as I'd like. But, when I can, it's all about me and her, you know?"
Vi nods her head with a smile. "I do. It's the same with me and Karé. She stays so busy in the Coroner's office. But, once I've pulled her away from her new dead friends, we have a pretty good time."
Finn chuckles happily for her. "That's good. I'm glad to hear that you two are still going pretty strong."
Vi nods again in agreement. "Same with you and Rey. Did you see her last night?"
Finn sighs. "I didn't get a chance to see my girl last night. She was working and... so was I." Finn says. "I saw her Saturday night, though. I visited her club and uh... she invited me to go with her over to a private room." He then sits back in his chair, smoothing out his shirt and flashing the brightest grin on his face. "It was a really good night!"
Everyone bursts into a fit of laughter at that!
"Oh, man! That's good!" Poe says, slowly regaining his composure. "That's good to hear, buddy! I'm happy to see you enjoying a life away from work, Finn. You deserve this. You, Slip, and Jannah all do. It's nice you all getting to live it up a bit. You always seem so weighed down with shit."
"Yeah. And I know partly that's due to the crap we put him through." Slip says. "Brother. About before... You know we were just giving you shit, right?" He asks. "Hey, we all know you're a go-getter. That's why it's okay to show up on time every once in a while. Yeah? Your high score at playing the Early Bird will never be surpassed. Trust me."
Temmin chokes back a laugh. "What? Are you kidding? There's no way this man can't not be early for work. In fact, I wonder if he was birth early."
Jessika, who was headed over to a filing cabinet, punches Snap in the side.
"Ow!" Temmin exclaimed. "What?!"
Jessika gestures by pointing at his head. "Was that really appropriate, Snap?"
"What?" Temmin asks. Seeing Jessika mouth 'Orphans in the house' gave him pause. "Oh. Well, I wasn't insulting him... I was just..."
Finn waves his hand, indicating that it was fine. He got the joke. "It's all good. I know he was just teasing. Hell, who knows? I probably was. Which may explain I can't get anywhere on time."
Seeing that Finn was fine by that remark made Temmin laugh and Jess smile. She then continues on to the filing cabinet.
Poe then looks over at his young Partner. "Yo!"
Finn looks over at him, curiously.
"Got you a little some, Partner." Poe says. "Breakfast from Jettser's."
"Oh!" Finn blurted out. "Thank you! You must've read my mind. I was starving!"
"Yeah, well... knowing that you wouldn't slow down enough to grab something to eat, I figured I better pick something up for ya." Poe says before he sits down. "It's the fully loaded platter. Orange juice, Hashbrowns, eggs, and a sausage/biscuit. Complete with your choice of butter and jam."
"Oh, man!" Finn says, rubbing his hands together happily. "Thank you, Brother! Now, this is the big breakfast McDonald's wishes they had."
Poe chuckles at that before he sips his coffee.
Vi goes over to check out some of the binders on the shelves over at the far wall. She passes by both Jessika and the open door to Captain Fett's office. They either outright ignored Fett or were somehow too blind to notice that he was in there.
"Yep! I'm in here, too, by the way!" Captain Fett calls from his office when Jessika and Vi both fail to notice him. "Just wanted to let you know that I'm here! I'm alive! Since we're all so happy for each other and all!"
"How did we not see him?" Jessika whispered to Vi.
Vi shrugs. "How could we? Did you see all those folders on his desk? How come he did come out and join the conversation?"
"I swear he's a bona fide ninja." Jessika whispers. "Just practicing the arts of patience and assassination."
Vi laughs to herself.
Both women look up in surprise and go to lean inside to speak.
"Good morning, Boss!" Jessika says.
Fett nods his head without looking up. "Pava."
"Sorry if it looked like we were ignoring you!" Jessika says. "We couldn't see you back there!"
Fett scoffs.
Jessika inhales sharply before she looks at Vi, eyes as big as saucers. The awkward silence was seemingly palpable.
"How you doing, Cap?" Vi asks.
"I've been staring at rap sheets and photos for over 3 hours now, Moradi." Fett says. "Shift's just about to start and already it's been a long morning."
Vi nibbles on her lower lip, trying to think of something else to say as the silence quickly grew awkward again. "Say... was Finn already here when you got in?" Vi then asks.
"Actually, no." Captain Fett says. "I beat him here."
Temmin lets out a chuckle. "Huh! How do you like that? Cap managed to beat Finn in early again this time. That's gotta be what... the 11th time now?"
"That's not saying anything." Slip says. "He could show up early everyday for the next 6 months. He still wouldn't come anywhere close to touching the Early Bird's high score."
"Yeah... fair. Fair point." Temmin says, looking over at Finn.
Finn rolls his eyes.
Vi notices that and turns to face Slip. "Y'know, It's kinda funny, you bringing up scores there, Slip." She says.
Slip then looks over at Vi confused. "Huh? Funny how?"
"Funny, seeing you're 0 for 2 right now." Vi mentions, causing Slip to frown deeper.
"0 for 2? What is this, Baseball?" Slip asks. "0 for 2... what... What are you talking about? What does that mean?"
"It means take a page out of both of their playbooks." Vi says. "Instead of talking so much shit about your boss and best friend, how about you do as they do and get your slow ass here on time?!"
Rose and Temmin burst out into laughter.
Slip suddenly feels like he's been put on the spot as Poe, Finn, and Kaydel look at him like he was an idiot all while they all exchange looks with each other.
Fett lowers his head, shaking it while Jess gives him an awkward sympathetic smile before she looks at Vi with an amused scolding face.
Massaging the bridge of his nose, Fett slams his open palm down hard on the table. Which was probably a gesture for his Officers to quit fooling around.
The whole floor suddenly goes quiet again. This time, the silence was intense as the Captain of the Violent Crimes Unit was over all the jokes and laughter. It was time to get down to business.
He then takes a moment to calm him lest he curse somebody out so early in the morning. "I came in early because we have over a dozen of open cases that we haven't even touched yet! Plenty of armed thefts, extortions, sexual assaults, and homicides for us to tackle even before we got involved in that Sourblood debacle. That's not even counting the backlog of missing persons cases that the M.P.U. has been dumping on us. There are a lot of people who want us to do right by their loved ones. We don't have time to fuck around. So, how about we save the shits & giggles for when we don't have a mountain of folders on my desk?! Please?!"
Vi and Jessika nod as they return to their desks.
"Thank you!" Fett says. A bitter bite present in his voice.
"Which cases did you want us to look into, Cap?" Poe asks from his desk.
"I've been reviewing witness statements in regards to the murder of former U.S. Army General Ematt. The only witness was a fatally wounded Gar Saxton. Uhh, a thief identified as 'Aphra' has been accused of imported cars bought and owned by... Heh. Get this. Entrepreneur and self-described 'Concerned Citizen' Cikatro Vizago."
Many of the V.C.U. Detectives groan, shake their heads, and/or scoffs.
"Pss! Right!" Poe says just loud enough for Finn and Temmin to hear him. "'Concerned Citizen' my ass. The only thing that concerns that 'Citizen' is the next buck he's gonna bullshit someone into giving him."
Finn scoffs while Temmin laughs to himself.
Captain Fett goes on to say, "The Mullah... that's Muslim Teacher... Depa Billaba, has been hounding the S.V.U. about her daughter getting snatched up by members of the Collective and sexually assaulted. Katan has been asked multiple times to look into but hasn't gotten around to it. Ms. Billaba has since lost her patience and has taken her complains to the Superintendent, Onyo since Onyo is a close personal friend of hers."
"Yeah. I remember Dune telling me about that one." Vi says. Seeing that Slip, Rose, Kaydel, and Jessika were all looking at her, attentive and more than likely curious about the situation, she elaborates, "The Collective is a crowd who are against 'Foreign Influence'. And they have a real sore spot for Muslims. Sadly, this isn't the first time they've taken a child of a 'Foreign Influencer' hostage and did God-knows-what to them."
"Right." Captain Fett says. "Katan couldn't get around to that one fast enough... not while her Unit's looking into that human smuggling case. She had no choice. She couldn't get around to it in time. So, I volunteered to take it on. Obviously, I wasn't even considering the pile of folders we already had opened. That really wasn't my best timing."
"We all are working with backlogs here, Captain." Kaydel says. "Captain Katan had a timetable she couldn't work in and you took the pressure off of her. You were just trying to help a friend."
"Ehh... I suppose I did." Fett says. "Still..."
"Wait!" Finn says, holding his hands out, gesturing for quiet. "Wait! Here it is!" He then turns up the volume of his monitor.
Fett, Poe, and all the others gathered around his desk to see what he was frantic about.
It was the story about the Griffin Heads M.C. and this supposed All-Out-War they had with a rival M.C. in Old Sleep. The Reporter stated that over a dozen people had been killed and over twice that wounded.
"That's crazy." Rose says. "But, what does this have to do with anything that we're working on, Finn? Old Sleep is miles outside of our jurisdiction. And even if it wasn't, the Griffin Heads are Organized Crime's problem. What, are you trying to assign us more work?"
"Hang on! SHH-SHH-SHH!" Finn says.
The Reporter goes on to say that the attack on the G.H.M.C came out of nowhere and then the rival bikers, possibly i.d.'ed as the Knights of Ren, then came sweeping through town like a wild fire! And attacked the local hospital, shooting wildly at the other members that were already in the I.C.U.
Slip and Poe scratch their heads while Kaydel looked between Finn and the screen. She was trying to figure out why Finn cut off their Captain just so he could hear this.
Temmin, Vi, and Jessika were all tuned in. Though they, like Kaydel, Rose, Poe, and Slip were all in the dark about Finn's sudden and rather out-of-character outburst.
But, from the looks of it, Captain Fett was equally as invested in what was being said on screen.
Finally, the Reporter mentioned that at least 2 people had gotten missing: a young woman named 'Daphne' and a serial Rapist wanted by the Coruscant Police. A Claudius Sourblood!
That answered all their questions immediately!
"Holy Shit. Wait! Hold up!" Vi says. "Sourblood really was in Old Sleep?"
"Yeah." Finn says. "Apparently, an informant of mine, who lives there, took it upon themselves to look into Sourblood's whereabouts."
"What, the 'Daphne' girl?" Slip asks.
Finn, thinking that that could've been one of Rey's covers, nodded, "Yeah."
"Hang on!" Kaydel says. "How did your C.I. find out about Sourblood being in Old Sleep?"
"Old Sleep's a small town." Finn says. "Everybody knows everybody else. I wouldn't be surprised if someone saw him as an outsider. Or, better yet, recognized him from the News surrounding that big Smugglers trial over in the big city and started running their mouths. Hell, it could've been a member of the Griffins' Charter. They were the ones who hit that convey. But, there's no way to know."
"But, there is a way to find out." Jessika says. "Don't the Griffin Heads have another Charter in the Iron Barracks?"
"They do." Temmin says. "I've had several run-ins with their current President, Cobb Vanth, back when he was just a Prospect."
"Wait. You had to deal with them in the Gang Unit?" Kaydel asks.
"Yeah." Temmin says, nodding his head. "They were always seen as a big enough deal with Organized Crime. That is, until they took out the Greedo Cartel. The entire Cartel! That made them high profile for the O.C. boys."
"Huh!" Kaydel says in a mixture of amazement and sounding impressed. "I always thought that they were more of a Federal target. Like the F.B.I. or the A.T.F."
"Well, we've worked with the A.T.F. a lot back when Biggs Darklighter ran the Unit. We tackled a lot of cases together back when Gerrera and I were first made Detectives." Temmin says. He hums a chuckle. "Hmm! Y'know, we were partnered up with the feds so often... by the following year, many of the wives acted as if they were lifelong friends."
Kaydel, Rose, and Slip all chuckle at that.
"Okay, then, Wexley. Since you and Saw are so familiar with these NARCO running bastards, we're gonna have you reach out to the Gangs Unit. See what they've got on file concerning individual Griffins." Fett orders. "We gotta assume that they know about what's been going on in Old Sleep and are gearing up for some payback. We need to get a hold of them before they can get out of town."
"Yessir!" Temmin gets on it, hauling ass back to his desk.
Fett goes on to say, "Connix, Tico! Go and see Judge Krennic! Clue him in on what we have concerning Sourblood possibly dealing with the Griffin Heads in the Barracks. If he's missing in Old Sleep, there's a good chance that he's gone to the Iron Barracks Charter for protection as they're the only ones he can count on right now. 'The enemy of my enemy' situation."
"On it, Boss!" Rose replies.
"And tell him about Storm's Informant. Sourblood could've found out about her and took her hostage. Or he's gonna use her as a bargaining chip. He may not be that bright. But, then again, he might be." Fett says. "Either way, see if he can't put a rush on getting us a warrant to search their Clubhouse! Sooner the better, alright?"
Kaydel and Rose grab their coats and head for the stairs.
"Everybody else, we need to get ready to move on this!" Fett says. "Hopefully, we can get everything we need within the hour. If we weren't already pressed for time, we are now. I want us suited, strapped and read to roll the second that warrant comes in!"
"Hey, Boss!" Slip says as he gets back on his feet. "You want one of us to reach out to the S.V.U.? This was Katan's case before we were pulled in."
Captain Fett takes a moment to think about it. "Yeah. You go ahead and rope them in. We'll keep them on standby until we get our confirmation. I wanna make sure we get eyes on Sourblood before we call in the Calvary."
Slip nods.
"Well, it's gonna be one helluva haul we rake in if Sourblood's in there. And, even now, the charges just continue to pile up: Attempted murder of Police Officers, Escaping from Police Custody, accessory to murder... and the most damning of all...taking a woman hostage!" Jessika says. "Old Claude'll be lucky if he ever sees daylight again."
"Sourblood Himself would be charged with escaping custody and accessory to murder rap. But, the entire Iron Barracks Charter will be taken down for harboring a fugitive... and, on top of that 5 year stretch, just think of all the extra time that's about to be added onto individual members sentences for all the shit they were caught up in..." Vi says.
"The State's Attorney's about to have a field day with those clowns!" Rose says.
"Yeah. And who knows?" Poe says. "Maybe we'll finally get to bring down Unkar Plutt, too! Taking his ass in would be a big haul by itself!"
"Alright, then! Let's get on it!" Finn says. "Let's go to work!"
The other Detectives and Officers of the Violent Crimes Unit all head into their arsenal to gear up and roll out! They won't be able to take action just yet. But, once they have their warrant, they can get to the bottom of this!
DOWNSTAIRS...
Slip, Vi, and Jessika head downstairs and make a beeline towards their Arsenal down in the Lower Level.
Finn and Poe are behind them, stuck in tunnel vision...
"Sir!" Bek calls out. "Sir, will you please calm down?!"
"NO! I-... I can't! I need to speak to Detective Storm NOW! It's urgent!"
...when a shouting match between the Desk Sergeant and an impatient civilian distracts them.
For Finn, in particular, hearing his shifts his attention.
"Well, I can't just let you get up there until you tell me what's got you so worked up!" Bek says.
"Who's that arguing with Bek?" Poe asks. "And why is he looking for you?" He asks his younger Partner.
Finn holds his hand out as both a gesture for Poe to quiet down so Finn could listen in. And to hold up so that Finn could determine if he needs to step in. "Uhh..." He then notices that the man Bek was talking to was none other than Giovanni, Rey's friend. Known on the street as 'Twitch'. His eyebrows knit as he frowns at the unnerved gentleman. "I'm gonna go see what this is about." He then pats Poe on the shoulder. "I'll see you down in the Armory." Finn then makes his way over to the arguing men, leaving Poe completely at a loss.
"...you'll just be wasting his time just like you're wasting mine!" Poe hears Bek say as he watches Finn walks away from him.
"No! Please! Look!" Twitch says in a panic. "You're not listening to me! It's really important! I really need to speak with Detective Storm right away!"
"I understand that, sir." Bek says in a deadpanned expression. "But, I can't just buzz you in up there until you tell me the nature of your emergency."
"The nature of m-..." Twitch looks around in disbelief. "Sir, he knows who I am! He and Captain Fett. I just made a deal with them! I work for him and his Team! Just ask Captain Fett!"
"Then give me something to tell to him if it's such a big emergency!" Bek orders.
"I'm sorry. I was told I needed to tell Detective Storm something very important and that it was for his ears only!" Twitch comments.
Bek sighs, massaging the bridge of his nose and lowering his head in annoyance. "Okay. Listen to me. To be Frank...Right now, I don't think you're here for anything other than to just intrude. Or looking for an attempt to get close to Captain Fett and Detective Storm to do God knows what. Look... If your 'emergency' is as serious as you make it out to be, then tell me what it is. I'll be more than willing to let you upstairs pronto! Otherwise, I won't be able to help you. And you'll have distracted me... just long enough to where I could've assisted someone who really needed assistance and couldn't. All because I had to deal with some John-off-the-street who wanted to hang out with a Police Captain or a Millennial Detective just because he knew them by name! You'll wish you never set one foot in here if I find out that that's the case." Bek says in a warning tone.
"Sir, why are you making this so difficult?" Twitch asks, his voice quivering with fear. "I mean, I would never-..."
Bek looks up in time to see Finn slowly comes up to the desk, a confused frown on his face.
"Twitch?" Finn asks.
Twitch then immediately looks over his right shoulder and sees the face of the man he came to speak with. "Detective!" Giovanni 'Twitch' says upon seeing him. "Thank God!"
Finn shakes his head in bafflement. "What're you doing here?"
"Listen!" Giovanni says. "It's Rey! She really needs you to hear what I've got to say!"
"Rey?!"/"Rey??" Finn and Bek ask in Unison.
"It's about the Sourblood case!" Twitch stresses.
"She called you?" Finn asks.
Twitch nodded his head frantically. "Last night. She sounded so tired. I think she might've gotten hurt."
"Wait. Who's Rey?" Bek asks, now fully engaged in what's being discussed. "What's going on here, Storm?!"
Finn looks over at Bek's direction. But, he wasn't looking him in the eye. It was more of him getting lost in thought while his eyes look around thoughtlessly. He then looks over at a some empty benches over Twitch's left shoulder and he decides that they should talk in private. "Hey. Come over here." Finn rests his hand on Twitch's right shoulder, bringing him over to those benches. He then gestures to the Desk Sergeant that he's taking care of this before he turns his attention to what was in front of him.
Once they're both standing over the benches, Finn pats Twitch on the back, inviting him to take a seat.
Twitch does, burying his face in his hands. His face troubled with worry.
Finn sits down next to him. He then rests his hand on Giovanni's left shoulder and says to him, "Okay. Now, tell me. What happened? What did Rey need you to tell me, Twitch?"
Twitch takes in a deep breath to try and calm himself before speaking. Once he feels his anxiety somewhat subside, he informs Finn on what's going on.
BACK IN OLD SLEEP DURING THE NIGHT BEFORE...
After they wiped out all the Griffin Heads at the Warehouse, the President of the Knights of Ren from D'Qar, Russo, addressed his Crew again. He had his guys check for any stragglers, strip the corpses of their weapons and cuttes, and collect Sourblood himself. Along with all the shit that they were there to collect, including what was inside the Warehouse.
Like true soldiers, they did as ordered.
Finding all the guns and grenades, the K.O.R. present them to Russo, who gets the idea to use them all in his war with the remaining Griffin Heads in Coruscant.
Getting excited by the idea of finally doing away with their sworn enemy once and for all after decades of fighting, he decides that they should be moving out immediately!
He has one of his men, Dolf, stay behind to protect Sourblood and all of their stuff.
Dolf demands to know why his President was keeping him out of the fight! And Russo explains that he needs one of his more even tempered guy keep both Sourblood and all of their shit safe during the raid on Old Sleep. They were prepared to sweep through that place like an unchecked wildfire and they'll be expecting blowback from the Griffins in the Iron Barracks. As soon as they were done with this little bullshit town, they were headed up towards the Iron Barracks to get the jump on their rivals there before they can retaliate. They'll soon be skipping town after that.
And, right now, Sourblood is incredibly valuable. He could be used as a bargaining chip or maybe even a worthy trade for the bent cops in the area.
Dolf understood everything and, reluctantly, he agreed to stay put.
Soon thereafter, his brothers get on their bikes and dashed off towards town, their engines roaring away into the night.
Begrudgingly, Dolf has Sourblood help him in getting all of this junk together so they can be ready for the others to grab it and go!
Sourblood agrees and runs inside the Warehouse.
Dolf then lights up a cigarette and keeps watch out in the surrounding darkness. Trying a slow look around, he's actually pretty surprised to see that it was absolutely quiet out here. Even after they lit up the night and killed close to a dozen people, there was no noise. No birds, no nosy neighbors, no deer...
...nothing.
...Nothing except for the crickets, of course.
He then looks over at all the corpses... at the blood pooling around their heads... and a sick smile slowly spreads over his face. He then puffs as he walks over each of the dead bodies, cursing them all for even being an Eagle Head. He kicks one body. He kicks another, he slaps a dead man's face and spits in another one's hair. He mocks them all for being on the wrong side of this war. Because they would definitely still be alive.
And then, he gets over to the charred remains of that Vampire Kip burned alive. He then kneels down and whispers to it, telling it of all the things he would've done to her had she been smart enough to serve his imitate pleasures instead of being an outright cunt. She was given a chance and now she was just a corpse.
Too bad.
He then kisses the palm of his hand and goes to place on her lips...
...
...but, before he can...
...
...her head then swivels in his direction and her eyes then open wide!!
"Too bad?" Rey asks, startling Dolf. She then grabs his wrist before he can get away. "I wouldn't say that." She then tighten her grip on his wrist causing the bones in his arm to pop and break. She then sits up, getting right in his face, seeing pure terror in his eyes. "No. In fact, I'd say that this is precisely ideal." She then smiles right before she sinks her still exposed fangs into Dolf's neck.
His face contorts...his eyes widen as he feels his body shiver as the Vampire he thought was dead was now draining his veins.
Rey gulps loudly as she swallows mouthfulls of blood. Needing it to live and recover quicker, she makes record time in downs the entire gallons of claret out of the bastard, leaving him a sweaty husk. She then crushes his head to prevent him from turning and t hrows his remains aside.
Rey then gets to her feet, the burnt remains of her cloth slide off of her as the 4th degree burns in her flesh are healed. Her body regenerates all of her burnt organs, blood flows through her own veins, and skin regrows all over her entire body. Stretching, her bones crack as they pop back into place and in just a matter of seconds, Rey was back to looking like her old self again.
Well... her old self that had hot blood popping through her.
Now standing butt naked in the cold, night air, Rey looks around at all of the men who were lying dead all around her. Each one of them were members of the Griffin Heads M.C., all shot in the head. Taking a closer look, Rey can see that the looks on their faces was something akin to fear. There weren't any defensive wounds or any other injuries.
Not one of these men were able to fight back nor defend themselves. They all died...
...because Rey psychically ordered them to not move a muscle, leaving them all completely at the mercy of their enemies.
A wave of sorrow, heartache, and regret washed over her. Even though these men weren't innocent, they didn't deserve to die like this. At least, if they were able to move, they would've been able to hit back and go down, fighting!
In her eagerness to get at Claudius Sourblood, she unintentionally made these men powerless to ensure their own survival. They were victims... just like her beloved Silvia.
Although, she didn't kill any of these guys, she still caused it. And, effectively breaking her promise to Finley of the Old Sleep Charter.
And seeing as how there weren't any of the K.O.R.M.C around, they must've headed into town to take care of the remaining G.H.M.C's.
She'll need to warn the others there.
But, then a sharp gasp and a loud cluttering of metal objects averts her attention. Looking over her right shoulder, she sees Claudius Sourblood looking at her as if he was looking at a ghost.
She cuts her eyes at him, hearing him muttering "You're dead! They killed you! How are you still alive?! They killed you!" He then tries to run. But, Rey uses her Vampire speed to cut him off after he took just 4 steps.
Grabbing him by the throat, she lifts him up about 3 feet into the air. She looks him in the eye and decides to read his thoughts. Seeing everything that transpired after she 'died', Rey could hear what Sourblood heard and saw what he saw.
- She heard Russo mention a Clubhouse that belonged to the K.O.R.M.C in Solitary Square. The one she devastated 25 years ago.
- She saw how Russo taunted all of the G.H.M.C Bikers right before he and his executed them.
- She listens as Russo tells Dolf that he plans to annihilate the Griffins in the Iron Barracks.
- And, she now knows that the K.O.R.M.C are planning to use Sourblood here as some kind of bargaining chip.
With all this information she just acquired, she now has something to give to Finn and his Unit. And she will!
However, first things first...
She then psychically commands Sourblood to return to the old K.O.R.M.C. Clubhouse in Solitary and wait for Detective Storm to get there. She then plants the image of Finn's face into Sourblood's mind, telling him that as soon as he sees him, to demand to be taken to his Precinct and once he's in there to answer any and all questions honestly and confess to everything he's witnessed and everything that the Detectives don't know.
In a trance, Claudius mutters that he understood.
Rey then ordered him to take Dolf's motorcycle and to head there immediately as she throws him aside as well!
Hauling ass to the last Motorcycle, Sourblood starts it and takes off, leaving a skid mark behind him.
Rey then takes her cellphone (Which she left with her skin...) and calls Twitch to relay her instructions to him. And as soon as she was done with that, she then transformed back into a bat and flies back toward town, screeching.
HERE IN THE PRESENT...
"...and as soon as I got off of the phone with Rey, I started heading back this way." Twitch concludes.
"So, she's okay?" Finn asks. "I mean, did she sound like she was in any pain or anything?"
"She sounded tired." Twitch admits. "I don't know for sure if she was hurt. But, she was, at least, coherent enough to tell me everything she told me."
Finn nods his head. "Okay. So, where else did you stop before you came here?"
"Uh... she gave me an adress: 27208 Lucas Street." Twitch mentions. "It's an apartment building where a guy named 'Rian' lives. She said that you'd know who that is."
"Yeah, I know him." Finn says. "That guy's a movie buff. Big trivia guy. Asshole. What were you doing there?"
"Well... turns out that he sometimes works in the Entertainment district as a one man filmmaker... he gets a job shooting and editing commercials for extra cash. We'll run into each other often and he's always had a thing for one of Dryden Vos' girls...
...Daphne."/"Daphne?" Giovanni and Finn say in unison.
"You know about her, too?" Twitch asks.
"Yeah." Finn says. "Red head, green eyes, all smiles. Rarely has a clue. Honestly, her and Rian would be perfect for each other if she wasn't already Dryden Vos' girl."
"It's funny you mentioned him. Because, somehow, ole Dryden found out that Rian and Daphne tend to screw around when he's around Heaven's Darlings. She's the main star of his homemade POV porn videos and clearly Dryden was none too happy to hear about that. Because as soon as I get there this morning, they were wheeling 2 people out and the 3rd person was already in cuffs. I'm not sure who's in the Ambulance and who's in the back of a squad car. But, I know that the two who got hurt were headed to Temple Memorial."
"How'd you find that out?" Finn asks.
"I asked around." Twitch shrugs. "As a guy who escorts people up and down the Strip, one thing I know for sure is that people love to talk. They'll run their mouths about anything if you ask them all the right questions. I just got them an opportunity to run their mouths."
Finn was impressed. "Wow! You've only been my C.I. for about 9 hours and you've already proven to be pretty damn useful. Giving me all the right answers. Y'know... I think we should keep you around. You'll make a fine snitch for us."
"Thanks... I think." Twitch shrugs with an uncertain smirk.
Finn smiled back at him.
"Finn!"
Finn looks over at his left to see that Slip has spotted him.
"Hey, brother!" The young Irishman called out. "Cap sent me up to get cha!"
"Yeah, I was on my way down." Finn promises.
"Well, you need to be moving faster, brother! 'Cause Fett's search warrant just came through." Slip says.
Finn's jaw dropped. "Already?!" He then checks his watch. "It's only been 20 minutes!"
"Yeah. The man did say put a rush on it, didn't he?" Slip asked. "Rose and Kaydel are on their way back now. Come on."
"Okay. Uhmm..." Finn pauses, stroking his chin. Looking over at Twitch, he frowns as he quickly contemplates. "...I was just talking with Giovanni here. And it turns out that we've got some new information. Why don't you head on down? We'll take what we know to Fett as soon as we get down there."
Slip nods. "Sure." He then takes back off.
Finn turns to Giovanni a.k.a. 'Twitch'. "Listen. I need you to come downstairs with me, Twitch. What you know could help point us in the right direction."
"I-I... I don't know if-..." Twitch stutters.
"Don't sweat it. I do, okay?" Finn says. "Listen. Just follow my lead and answer whatever questions you're asked. You're a good guy. Show the others what you just showed me. You'll be fine. Trust me."
Taking a deep breath, Twitch, still unsure, nods his head. "Okay. Okay, I'll go down on you."
Finn started to nod before he looks at Twitch like he had a third eye on his forehead.
Twitch, realizing his mistake, says, "With-...with you. I'll... go downstairs with you."
Finn cuts his eyes at Twitch and sighs forcefully through his nose. The nervous Twitch was once again, living up to his name. "Let's go."
They head off with Finn out front while Twitch mentally kicks him before following.
Twitch knows that he should remain professional. But, he couldn't help saying all some really weird shit sometimes when he's nervous. He never means any harm. It's just that sometimes his mouth and brain operate independently of each other.
Hey, it's not like he doesn't have a reason to be. He's a con in a room full of cops about to meet more cops in a room full of guns.
In times of insane stress, he tries to look for something or try to think of something else to take his mind off of things. Luckily for him, noticing Finn's athletic ass was just the thing he needed.
Damn, he was thicc! Obviously, he's a guy who works out. But, seeing that round ass sashaying from side to side, he couldn't help but imagine putting Detective Storm over his knee and just spank him. He was a superman for sure and he wonders if he would interested at all in letting Twitch have a piece of that.
Hmm! Probably not! He was Rey's boyfriend. He was a straight boy! Shame. Real shame.
Or maybe he was Bi?
Whatever the case, there's no wonder Rey's so into him. He would be, too, if Finn was his man.
Finn must've felt him staring because he beckons him on ahead of him!
IN THE ARMORY...
Captain Fett, Poe, Jessika, Vi, and Temmin were all in the Armory, getting suited and booted for a raid.
Slip then comes downstairs with Finn and Twitch right behind him.
Poe glances up to see them descending down the steps as he slaps a clip into one of his guns. "What took you so long, Partner?" He asks as he tucks that gun into his shoulder holster.
"Giovanni here needed to speak with me." Finn says. "We just got some new Intel."
"We're listening." Fett says, folding his arms.
"It's about Sourblood's whereabouts. We're not gonna found him in the Iron Barracks." Finn says, getting everyone who was present, to stop in their tracks and look over at him, perplexed. "He's holding up in Solitary Square."
Jessika frowns, clearly puzzled. "Solitary Square? But, there aren't any Griffin Heads Clubhouses isn't in that area, Finn."
Finn nods in agreement but states, "No. But, there was one for the Knights of Ren."
Fett frowns.
Poe's eyes widen.
Jessika, Temmin, Slip all exchange glances.
"The Knights of Ren?" Temmin asks. "Wait. Were they the ones who attacked the Griffins in Old Sleep?"
"Yeah." Finn says. "There used to be a Charter of K.O.R.M.C. in the area."
"I never heard of them being that close to Coruscant." Temmin says.
"I have." Vi says, getting everyone's attention. "As someone who grew close there in the Gardens of Hell, I'm well aware that the Knights passed through there damn near everyday. Since they were allies of the Guavian death gang."
"How did I never know that? I've lived in this city my entire life. This is news to me." Temmin says.
"Well, unless you grew up in the South side, Snap, then it's no wonder you haven't." Vi says.
"Well... what happened to that charter?" Poe asks.
"It was rumored that the Red Queen visited it that night, the remaining Knights of Ren moved out. It was later made into a poor man's pub. But, now it houses a bunch of Death Stick addicts, who come and go like Vagabonds." Vi says. "Question is... how did you know that, Finn?"
Captain Fett and Poe both turn to fully face Finn.
"It's just like I said before." Finn says. "Word travels fast. I just didn't realize that it travels pretty far, too."
"What in the World are you talking about, Storm?" Fett asks. "What's different now?"
Finn then calls for Twitch to come down. He does, stomping down the stairs and walking up to stand by Finn. "Giovanni and I just had a conversation and I just found out that my C.I. Daphne is currently in Temple Memorial, being treated for minor injuries. It seems like she managed to get away from Sourblood and somehow made it to the hospital."
Twitch looks at Finn like he was acting crazy.
"She reached out to you?" Slip asks.
"She reached out to Giovanni here." Finn says.
"So, is she conscious enough to talk?" Poe asks.
"Yeah. Like I said. She's being treated for minor injuries." Finn says.
"Ah! That's good." Slip says and Finn nods in agreement.
"Hold up. Why would she reach out to you, Giovanni?" Fett asks.
"Uhh... yeah..." Twitch says unsure. He looks between the V.C.U. Officers and Finn. Remembering to 'follow Finn's lead', Giovanni goes on to say, "...Daphne and I... met in Heaven's Darlings! Yeah! A friend of mine, Randolph, brought me there to have a good time with some of the girls there." His voice then began to crack and tremble. "I was feeling kinda uncomfortable. So, Finn's girlfriend, Rey... Uhh... turned me over to a friend of hers... Daph-... Daphne! We started talking and I found out that she also works for Detective Storm as a rat... I mean... an Informant... and when I told her about my situation, she told me to go and talk to him. Before I left that night, we exchanged contact info. And last night, she called me."
"Why?" Fett asks.
"Uhh... She said that she didn't call Detective Storm until she was sure." Twitch says.
"Until she was sure of what?" Poe prompts, folding his arms.
"Uhmm... well..."
"Until she was sure that Sourblood was the man we were looking for." Finn says impatiently, cutting off Twitch. "Look, you wanna know what I found out or don't you?"
Fett and Dameron both nod their heads.
"Well... while Claudius was hiding behind Daphne, using her as a human shield, they both overheard the D'Qar Knights mention something about the old Death Stick Den that originally used to be their Clubhouse way back when. Apparently, he made some kind of deal with the Griffin Heads which, I would assume, was also brought before their rivals, The K.O.R.M.C. in some attempt to make peace. Some of the Knights must've come down here from D'Qar, interested in G.H.M.C's proposition. And... either it was all a ruse by either Club or it all went South. Whatever prompted the attack, it sent Sourblood back this way. And now he's squatting in an old Clubhouse that used to belong to the Griffin Heads' enemy." Finn concludes.
"Huh! That doesn't make a lot of sense." Fett says. "Why would Sourblood go back there instead of going to the Griffin Heads' Clubhouse in the I.B.?"
Finn hunches his shoulders. "Maybe he was avoiding another possible attack? Or maybe he wanted to disappear and remain anonymous?"
"Yeah. But, why come back to the same city where the cops are looking for you? Why not just leave town?" Fett questions. "Take your chances on the road?"
Finn shakes his head. "You'd have to ask him."
Fett ponders on that for a moment. "Yeah. Why don't you do me a favor and take Poe with you to Temple Med? Ask your C.I. about what she saw?"
Finn sighs forcefully, suddenly nervous. He was just about to be caught up in his lies! He looks over at Poe, who nodded at Fett before he turns his attention to Finn. Finn nodded back and he takes off back upstairs with Poe on his heels.
Once outside, Finn and Poe make their way across the Parking lot to Finn's car.
Finn's heart was pounding so loud that he could scarcely hear anything else. He was giving his team the runaround because he didn't need them to know that Rey wasn't just his girlfriend. She was the urban legend, dubbed the 'Red Queen'. A vigilante whose body count was starting to rival John Wayne Gacy's.
But, more than that, she was a vampire! Possibly the last one! How is that gonna look if everyone found out that not only do they exist but that Finn's be sleeping with one for the last couple of years.
That's a can of worms Finn would prefer not to open.
Just then, two vehicles pull up onto their Precinct's parking lot. A four door Sudan and a four door Silverado.
Both vehicles come to a stop in front of them.
Finn and Poe slow to a stop, eyeing both vehicles warily.
The drivers turn off the engines, and all four of the Silverado's doors and 3 of the Sudan's doors open and swing out.
7 occupants then exit both the car and the truck:
- Captain 'Bo' Katan- Captain of the Special Victims Unit in Coruscant.
- DET. Lt. Din Djarin- Detective Lieutenant.
- DET. SGT. Migs Mayfeld- Detective Sergeant.
- DET. SGT. Fennec Shand- Detective Sergeant.
- A.S.A. Gideon Moss- Assistant State's Attorney.
- DET. Cara Dune- Senior Detective.
- OFF. Davan Strode- Officer.
"So, gentlemen... whose ass do we need to kiss to get a decent cup of coffee around here?" Detective Sergeant Mayfeld asks with a wink.
Both Finn and Poe exhale with a sudden sense of ease. Releasing the breaths they didn't even know they were holding.
They then go to greet the new arrivals.