Chapter Twenty-Two
“Well, it's nice of you to visit, Miss Lawson, and I hope you don't think I'm being rude, but... why exactly are you here, again?”
Nadia forced a smile onto her face. Facing the other occupant of the medium-sized, fairly straightforward office, she cleared her throat before replying. “Oh, uh, well my mother always spoke well of you, Chief Roman. I thought I would drop in so I could tell her you were doing all right.”
Daniel Roman, Chief of the Ottawa Police Department, chuckled softly and moved from thumbing through files on one side of the room to sit behind his desk. He was a past-middle-aged man, but looking good for it; a life of protecting and serving had kept him in top form. His ice blue eyes were as sharp at almost-sixty as they had been at twenty; it was a common remark by those who knew him that he could spot a criminal before they had committed a crime. The fact that he was nearly bald did betray his age somewhat, but the only visible signs of age on his dark-toned skin were the crinkles at the corners of his eyes; these suggested a man that knew how to laugh more than one of advanced years.
Facing his young guest, he clasped his hands together and joined the tips of his index fingers in a sort of tower-shape, while his thumb-tips also met, sticking out from the base of his steeple at a nearly right angle. It was an old habit he had adopted to keep his hands steady when at rest, as he had a tendency to fiddle with things. Nothing serious, but he had always felt that his office demanded a certain serenity. A bit self-aggrandizing, perhaps, but everyone had their personal affectations.
“I do appreciate your concern; and I'm always glad to have some contact from your mother since her retirement, but... Well, see, the thing is that I spoke to her just a few days ago. She calls at least once a week, just to catch up.”
Nadia blinked, blushing faintly as she was caught in her white lie. “Oh.”
Still smiling his quiet smile, the Chief leaned forward. “So, why not tell me why you're really here?”
Smiling sheepishly, she nodded. “I was curious about the Burgess case. I asked around in the lobby while I was waiting to get in to see you and learned they were searching his apartment today, so...”
He chuckled again. “So you thought you might see what we found, eh? Well, you always were a curious one.”
She blushed again. “That's me.”
Becoming more serious, he continued. “Actually, I'm waiting on the team I sent out there, they should be back any time now; and I must admit I'm as interested to know what they found as you are. I don't trust the man at all. And the way those corporate jackals... pardon me, lawyers, have been defending him at every turn just reeks of self-interest.”
Nadia swallowed her smile down; she knew she couldn't tell the Chief what she knew, but she loved that he was on the same page as her even without knowing it. “A gut feeling, then?”
He shrugged lightly. “I suppose you could call it that. It's more that I know when someone is scrambling to cover their own ass after so many years of seeing it happen.”
She nodded. “Well, Sir, I'd like to think that, as far as criminals are concerned, the OPD does its best to make sure that the correct asses are exposed and remain uncovered.”
“Damned right we do.”
They each maintained a straight face for a moment longer before breaking down into a short bout of laughter; Nadia had always taken a certain pride in the fact that the officers who had known her as a little girl could be natural with her, the Chief in particular. It was nice to just sit and talk with him, like an uncle, she supposed. Before they could get back on track, however, there was a knock on the door.
Acknowledging the new arrival, Chief Roman shouted to let him in. “It's open!”
The door opened and an officer entered, bearing a large plastic container with some labels attached to it. Coming in from behind her, it wasn't until he was handing the container over her shoulder that Nadia got a reasonable look at the man; blond hair, blue eyes. She blinked for a moment; chasing visions of Thomas out of her head and saw he looked older than her friend had. Not quite middle aged, but definitely in his early thirties.
The man gave a salute once his hands were free. “Officer Baldwin, Sir, delivering evidence from the motel room of Mr. Tyrone Burgess on behalf of the forensics team.”
The Chief nodded. “Thank you, I've been waiting for this. I assume the paperwork is taken care of? I'll not have Icarus Development's lawyers citing breaches in our chain of evidence as a reason to ignore whatever we've found.”
The younger officer nodded. “Yes Sir, the paperwork to add in your own signature and such is inside the container.”
“Very good. Return to your duties.”
Saluting again, the man turned to go; Chief Roman, frowning, interrupted him before he could reach the door. "Hold on a minute, son."
The officer turned, blinking. "Yes, Sir?"
Holding up the paperwork, the Chief held up the logs detailing who was minding the evidence, what evidence had been added to the container and, of course, the times relevant to this information. "You've signed your name twice; once for watching the container and again for adding evidence found at the scene. You only needed to put in one entry detailing both. Being thorough is appreciated, but you don't have to take up extra space doing it."
The officer smiled sheepishly. "Oh, sorry, Sir. Official paperwork makes me a little nervous, I'm always afraid I'll mess it up somehow. It won't happen again, Sir."
The Chief smiled reassuringly. "It's nothing damning, son, no need to come down on yourself; dismissed."
The officer nodded his smile a little less nervous; Nadia, for the briefest of moments, saw Thomas in him again. Frowning, she turned back to Chief Roman as the younger officer exited the room, trying to re-focus herself. Seeing the Chief tugging forensics-style gloves onto his hands, she was vaguely aware of him asking her to step out for a few minutes; for the purposes of keeping the evidence confidential, of course. Nadia did not hear him, however, as she was still struggling to shake the impression of Thomas she had gotten from the officer.
She shook her head, frowning. It couldn't be him, he was too old. But then, she heard herself rationalizing, what was age to a shape-shifter?
Feeling a sense of urgency taking hold, she began to stand, planning to say her farewells to the Chief properly before leaving; as she stood, though, she saw the first item in his box. A simple, brown folder that she was very certain she recognized as one of Burgess'. With her sense of urgency transitioning into more of a need, she bolted from the room, chasing after the officer with a hasty apology flung over her shoulder to the surprised Chief. Skidding out into the front hall and past the receptionist's desk, she saw Officer Baldwin exiting the building, framed against the light coming in through the tinted glass panels making up the wall around the door and most of the ceiling. Following in hot pursuit, she emerged from the building to find him getting calmly into his patrol car, waving to a fellow colleague who was also exiting the building.
Stopping and blinking, Nadia realized she had fooled herself; he hadn't been Orion in disguise. He couldn't have been; he knew people, something that even a perfect disguise couldn't fake. Admonishing herself for her paranoia, she sighed as she realized just how jumpy all of this was making her. She missed being able to rely on someone; heck, she missed Thomas. Trying to let her worries go, she watched Officer Baldwin pulling out with a wave and a smile to his other colleagues, either on their way home or out on patrol as well. A falter in his manner as he looked at a spot just out of her sight around a corner to her right drew her attention, however; and he seemed to drive away just a little too quickly, at that.
Frowning, she stepped forward a few paces, attempting to act casual while straining her peripheral vision for a glimpse at what had made the officer balk. The vague impression of a dark silhouette caused her to forget her facade and turn fully to face the man instead. She recognized Black immediately. The trim, dark suit was new, she had last seen him in an o
fficer's uniform, but she couldn't mistake those arrogant, hazel eyes peering out at her from under his bangs, which were cut just short enough to to keep his field of vision clear. He looked rather like the mobsters she had seen in the movies, in all honesty, but without a fedora to complete the look. Leaning against the wall, he smirked slightly as he saw her and turned to go, beginning to saunter away down the sidewalk that ran alongside the building.
Well, Nadia wasn't having any of that; breaking into a light jog, she caught up to the man and seized him by the sleeve. Spinning him around to face her, she put her finger practically against the tip of his nose and locked eyes with him as menacingly as she could.
"All right, how are you involved?"
He smiled that infuriatingly superior grin of his. "Why, if it isn't the lovely Lawson. Whatever do you mean? I don't get 'involved', it complicates matters when I'm expected to be certain places at certain times. I suppose there are certain advantages to having a lady-friend, but I just can't be bothered."
She took a deep breath, barely suppressing the urge to smack him. "You know very well what I'm talking about, smart ass. One of Burgess' folders was in with the evidence when Chief Roman opened it up. I happen to know that folder wasn't anywhere near the apartment the police were searching; it was in the I.D.I. building. So I followed the officer back out of the building, wondering if he had something to do with it, when lo and behold he gives a nervous glance your way."
Nadia did her best not to give away that she had fibbed about her reasons for following Officer Baldwin; it was probably best Black not know of Orion's involvement in this, but even if he already did, she would rather not let on how frazzled she was getting.
Black smirked, nonchalantly dusting his shoulder off to remove some dust it had picked up from the wall. "Quite the remarkable coincidence that I was here, wouldn't you say? But I'm much more interested to learn how, exactly, you know anything of what may or may not have been in the Icarus Development building?"
She rolled her eyes. "You were the one who wanted Thomas and I to put Burgess away, Black. You know very well what we would have had to do to have a chance at doing it. Now, are you going to stop fooling around and talk this over properly?"
The man paused, for just a moment, as though mulling over what she had said. Shrugging, he smiled quietly. "All right. But not here, if you don't mind? I do so hate having my business overheard."
Glancing around, Nadia saw an apartment building directly across the street from the police station; neither of them were tenants, she assumed, so that wasn't going to help them. Looking across the street perpendicular to the one between the station and apartment, Argyle Avenue according to the sign, she saw a community of older houses; all facing inwards, to form a sort of semi-isolated community that blocked out the noise of the streets. The entrance to the neighbourhood was a sort of tunnel-like alley; it was indeed more private, but also open enough that she felt confident that those passing by on the street would hear a cry for help should she need to make one.
Indicating the alley to Black, she put it to him. "How about over there, then?"
Nodding silently, he began walking across the parking lot to the side-walk, giving brisk nods to the officers he passed. Joining him, they crossed Elgin Street at the lights with their fellow pedestrians, specifically a couple and their two children, and then crossed Argyle to reach their more secluded destination. Picking up the pace a little, Black edged around the four-person block of people ahead, making it into the alleyway first. Nadia, half-expecting some manner of trouble, followed cautiously. Once they were both inside, Black surprised her; she had expected him to attack her, or at least be his usual sarcastic, arrogant self. She had not expected to find him leaning against the wall like it was the only thing keeping him standing. Raising an eyebrow, she moved to the opposite side of the alley, to put at least a little room between them, and watched, unsure of how to proceed.
Breathing heavily, Black's fingers dragged across the brick wall like the talons of a bird trying to dig a worm from the dirt. Finding his grip, he pulled himself upright and turned to face her and her breath caught in her throat. Even in the slightly dimmer light of the alleyway, crammed in between the old houses the way it was, she could see one of his eyes had become blue. His hair was also beginning to lighten from its usual dark brown to a dirty blonde; even the structure of his face was changing, but slowly. He was fighting the shift, that much was obvious from the set of his jaw. Taking all of this in, Nadia found herself dumbstruck; there was only one person who could do something like this. Just one.
Black's voice, rasping from the effort of speaking, startled her out of her thoughts. "You're going to help me, Lawson."
She laughed shakily; whether it was because of the man in mid-transformation before her or because of the things Orion had not told her, she wasn't sure. She had to admit, some part of her was hurt that he hadn't trusted her enough to mention this. "What, more help? You'll have a hard time selling that pitch, Black. I'm not too fond of you or your alter-ego just now."
He doubled over again, coming back up slightly taller than he had been a minute ago. "I'm not thrilled about having to ask, woman, but I don't have any choice. I've been trying to fight this for over an hour, since I took the reins in Burgess' office."
Nadia bristled. "Don't you 'woman' me; the least you can do when asking for a favour is be polite. If you're this bad off, how did you get the evidence from the I.D.I. building into police hands without getting caught, anyway?"
Clenching his teeth, there was a popping sound as his shoulders re-set themselves just a little bit wider. "Pulled... a few... strings," he wheezed, his chest cavity beginning to realign itself to fit his new shoulder-span. "I've been in town... for a while... pays to have some dirt on some... of the local authorities."
She smiled thinly. "Well, that certainly sounds like you. I suppose I should be grateful you got it done, at least, but I'm still not seeing any reason to help you. Because, see, I recognize those pretty blue eyes of yours and that hair; it means the only part of your and Orion's deranged psyche I actually like is the one taking over. And I'm really fairly okay with that."
Any response Black may have had in mind was lost as the finishing touches of the change overtook him; his face finished restructuring into Thomas', while his arms and legs grew to match his slightly-taller build. His clothing, however, did not change; perhaps that was the only parting remark Black had left to make, or perhaps Thomas was just the only one not to consciously know of his ability. Either way, Nadia was fairly beaming when his expression shifted from Black's barely restrained anger to Thomas' open confusion.
“N-Nadia?”
She blushed as she realized she had leaped upon him with a hug, but only pulled back far enough so there was breathing space between them. “Oh, Thomas! You have no idea how badly I've needed to see you these past few days.”
Frowning in only slightly mitigated confusion, he tilted his head. “Oh. Well, then, I'm sure I don't. Um, is there any particular reason I'm wearing a suit? And where are we, anyway?”
She giggled quietly, her friend's familiar presence pushing her stress aside for the first time in days. “We're at the Elgin and Argyle intersection. And yes, there's a reason why you're wearing the suit, but you're not going to believe me when I tell you.”
He blinked again, his confusion apparently a fixture in this particular conversation. “Oh. Okay. Uh... why, exactly, is that, then?”
Nadia sighed then looked him straight in the eye. “You trust me, right? You'll listen to me when I tell you, even if it sounds insane?”
The angle of Thomas' head tilt grew too steep, so he tilted it the other way instead. “Yes? I mean, if you tell me it's because I was abducted by aliens I might be a little sceptical. Or if it was because of pink elephants or something, then I might not, but other than that, sure?”
She giggled quietly again; she had missed his nervous ramblings more than she had realized. Taking a deep
breath, she nodded. “Okay; here goes. You are Orion. Or... part of him, anyway. He is a shape-shifter who, apparently, can create alter-egos to drive his body around while he naps, for whatever reason.”
The blue eyes her green ones were connected to had begun widening the moment she said 'Orion' and now looked rather like a deer's, caught in the middle of the road staring down a truck. “That's... but... that can't be. I'm me. I can't be someone else, that doesn't make sense.”
She hugged him again, resting her head against his chest. “I'm sorry, Thomas. I didn't want to believe it either. But you're real and separate from him and I'm so thankful for that. Maybe we can find some way to keep you in place all the time and...”
His voice, slightly cracking, echoed hers. “And?”
She felt her face reddening, but took a deep breath; maybe now wasn't the best time for this, but she wasn't going to waste the opportunity. “And, I don't know, grab dinner sometime, or something? I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been getting pretty attached to you, mister.”
“What a lovely sentiment. I am afraid I do not know you quite so well, Miss Lawson.”
Feeling ice running through her veins and fire in her chest, she rocketed back from the man she had been embracing; she saw Thomas rapidly vanishing, once again utterly unprepared for what was coming over him. His blue eyes became purple, and then red and his hair shaded itself from a dirty blond to an utter black; before long, the frayed, macabre spectre that was Orion stood before her anew.
“You.” Was all she could muster, though the emotions mixed up in it would have been enough to make even the most narcissistic of people wonder if they had done something wrong.
His neutral expression, newly settled back into its place, remained unflappable. “Do not look at me that way, Miss Lawson. I did not purposefully interrupt whatever it was you and Mr. Carmichael were doing; I simply saw an opportunity to reassert myself. Which, after the... shall we say 'incident', earlier, I was not going to allow to pass me by.”
Turning, Nadia very nearly hit her head against the nearest wall; she thought better of it only as she admitted how much the aged brick would make that hurt. Turning back to Orion, she smiled thinly. “What, didn't you like having Black take you over? He certainly didn't seem to like Thomas doing it to him, and I know I don't like it when you do it to Thomas.”
He sighed quietly. “Then you know. Of Black and his involvement, I mean.”
She nodded curtly. "Oh, I know all right. And you're going to explain it to me in excruciating detail, because I am done playing this demented game of rock-paper-scissors."
He fidgeted slightly. "I can explain it to you, if you wish, but it will take some time."
Feeling an impulsive idea coming on, Nadia grinned widely. “Good. Save it then. I've had it up to here with you today. I am going to a bar. I am going to drink until I can actually stand to look at you. Maybe I'll go dancing; I've never been dancing. And you are going to be the perfect gentleman and look out for me. No letting me go home with random men, or women for that matter. No leaving me sprawled out on a street corner or watching me waltz into traffic. And do you know why you'll do all of this?"
The man attempted to open his mouth, but she held up a hand, still grinning in a slightly alarming manner. "Yes, that's right, it is because I said so.”
Blinking his ruby eyes in a twisted parody of Thomas' confusion, Orion was unceremoniously seized by the scruff of his frayed shirt. Any objection he may have had was cut off as the frazzled reporter began hauling him down the sidewalk towards the cross-walk; it was all he could do to adopt a new appearance before anyone noticed him. Smiling thinly, Nadia closed her declarative rant with a succinct, inarguable finish.
“Good talk, let's go.”
In Icarus' Shadow Page 36
