David Swan sat quietly in an interrogation room. He was the only one there, left to his thoughts.

He didn’t panic, just stared the metal table bolted to the ground. In front of him was a one-way mirror. This wasn’t his first here, and it wasn’t going to be his last.

The white lights in the room were bright, but not to the point of discomfort, and looking in front of him would show him everything about himself. His white singlet he wore now stained from being tackled to the ground. The tattoo on his face he’d gotten as a kid that marked him as a member of the gang he still couldn’t shake off.

He let out a tired sigh, and slumped on the chair.

“Today just keeps getting worse,” he said.

On the other side of the one-way mirror, Naymond Hitchcock stood quietly, looking at him.

His suit was neatly ironed and his hat was placed gingerly on a table that stood between him and the mirror. He watched David Swan but wasn’t very interested in him.

Beside him his supervisor, Detective Firdausi Alfa, watched David Swan with folded arms and a frown on her face.

“I thought you said you haven’t been able to find him for the last month?” she said to Naymond without looking away from David.

They were the only ones in the room and were waiting for one more detective.

Naymond shrugged. “This one’s high value, detective. I very well couldn’t just run around announcing his name.”

“And I take it, running into him today was a coincidence?” There was enough sarcasm in her voice to feed an orphanage.

“Not at all, Detective. I found him two days ago.”

“And you brought him in today.”

Naymond snorted. “I’m a consultant with a reputation in the streets. I don’t do shakedowns and battle rams.” He gave her a half-smile. “I work with finesse.”

“At least tell me the kids had questions and you taught them something from this event.”

“They did.” Naymond nodded, stroking his jaw. “Especially the Faker. That one was all questions.”

Alfa looked skeptical. “I expected Pelumi to be the curious one.”

“Can I just say how impressed I am that you can remember your mentees’ names and bastardize it so confidently. It’s pronounced Kpe-lu-mi. Not Pe-lu-mi.”

“And yours is pronounced Fe-lon. Not Nay-mond. People make mistakes, suck it up. There’s no need to shove it in my face. Where did you even find him anyway?”

“Down old street. Third avenue. He was hanging with some of the Romanian crew.”

“The abandoned projects?”

Naymond looked at her from his periphery. He wondered just how abandoned she thought the place was, because it really wasn’t.

“Yep, the abandoned projects.”

“And you what? Ran him down?”

Naymond chuckled. “You sound so skeptical. You should have seen me, Detective. All dashing heroics and powerful execution.”

Alfa nodded, then turned so that she could lean against the table between them and the mirror, backing the room David was in.

“Dashing heroics and powerful execution.” She shook her head with a smile. “I’m guessing you’ve unlocked a new skill that turns you into two children, right?”

Naymond’s lips were parted to say more but now his mouth just paused, hung open.

“I can explain.”

Alfa bowed her head, looking tired. Then she laughed a little.

“I’m sure you can. Last night you unlocked a new skill and forgot to register it to your handler. This skill grants you the power of duplicity. It allows you split yourself into two teenage kids of opposite gender. And you used it to chase down David over there and tackle him to the ground.”

Naymond opened his mouth, then closed it.

Alfa snorted, sarcastic. “Dashing heroics, my left kidney.”

Naymond played with the top of his hat with a finger. “First, you and I know that’s not what duplicity means. Second, I stand by what I said. My dashing heroics and powerful execution were from a leadership stand point. Leaders can be called heroic, you know.”

“More importantly, why the hell does he think we sent a Basher after him? Did you take Nan’s Warrior?”

Naymond laughed this time. “The gods forbid it.”

“You don’t believe in God, Hitchcock.”

“It will amaze you to know what I believe in,” Naymond said cheerily. “But no. My two kids were the ones that went after him.”

“Dammit, Hitchcock.” Alfa rubbed her forehead like she had a headache. “You’re not supposed to put the kids in any dangerous situation. And you had two B-classes with you. You know how the government feels about losing Gifted.”

Naymond waved her complaint aside. “There was nothing dangerous about their situation, Detective. I was watching at all times. Before and during. Even after.”

“Then how did he get the bruise?” she asked. “I know he’s just an E-rank Crafter. But your kids are intelligence types, so unless one of them magicked a boulder and hit him with it, I don’t see how anyone would bruise an E-rank so thoroughly.”

“That,” Naymond answered, “was our lovely Faker.”

Alfa’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“What I believe is this.” Naymond flipped his hat on the table. “Our amazing Faker has a Skill that somehow increases his physical attributes. I’m guessing it’s only for a set period of time.”

“Why do you say so?”

“Because you should’ve seen him run, Detective. He was almost as fast as a car. He just kept soaring. I almost thought he was going to suddenly start leaping over buildings.”

Alfa turned thoughtful at that. “There’s nothing about that in his files.”

“True.”

“Does it mean he lied in his registration? He doesn’t strike me as the type to lie. Lying about your skills is actually a crime.”

“Or,” Naymond raised a suggestive finger. “We can consider the fact that he has one popular skill, and the registrar just put it down with the details they knew. And maybe said details are a bit different from his own.”

“Or he picked up a Basher’s skill while chasing after them.”

“Unlikely.” Naymond shook his head. “There were only four Gifted in that entire place. and we accounted for three of them. David was the fourth.”

Alfa turned and looked at David in the interrogation room at the mention of his name.

She checked her watch. “You think we’ve kept him in there long enough?”

Naymond checked the time on his phone.

“Two hours seem good,” he said, placing his phone beside his hat. “Let’s give him a third. Just because.”

Alfa thought about it, then shrugged. “I’m fine with that. Just what do you think about the kids. I know today’s the first day you’re taking them out.”

“We spent time getting to know each other yesterday.” Naymond shrugged, nonchalant. “Today was for bonding. And I can say this, that boy knows how to follow instructions. I told him not to be seen by specific people while chasing David down and he obeyed it to the letter.”

“What of the girl?”

“She’s alright. She’ll definitely need some physical training to raise her stamina.”

“You don’t sound impressed, even though you picked her.”

“I didn’t pick her for her physical acumen. Besides, this situation wasn’t designed for her to shine so we can’t blame her. She’s more of a nuclear weapon. She takes out enemies in large numbers in one go. Take her to a battlefield and watch her shine. What about the others?”

Alfa shrugged.

“The Warrior kid is doing just fine. He went on a patrol on his first day and helped them stop a street fight.”

“I thought they weren’t supposed to be in dangerous situations.”

“It was a situation that couldn’t be avoided. Tony’s already trying to convince him that working for the police is going to be good for him.”

“You think it will take?”

She looked at him. “What do you think?”

“He sits like a kid with all the confidence in the world but no direction.” Naymond shrugged. “He’s probably an overactive last born. He’s done enough to learn confidence, not surprising given his size, but I’m fairly certain he only does what his mom tells him to do.”

“Why not his dad?”

“Because his dad works at an oil rig and is rarely around in the family. If his dad was the one giving him his commands while working from an oil rig, it would be one of two things.” He raised two fingers and dropped them as he spoke. “Either he’s the commanding type who somehow rules with an iron fist or he’s someone the boy idolizes and wants to make proud.”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Alfa checked her watch again. “So why can’t it be one of the two?”

“Because if it was the first, there would’ve been a touch of inferiority coming from the kid. The kind only a father can leave on a son. And if it was the second, the boy would either be defiant or very following. Instead, he’s just really nice, even to Thalisa. And Thalisa has said a few horrible things to him.”

“That’s your defense. Nice?”

Naymond shrugged. “A mama’s boy is usually always very nice and polite, especially to women. Or over-spoiled. But it’s not like it’s a hard science. I could be wrong.”

Alfa chuckled darkly. “As if you’re ever wrong.”

“You sure, Detective?” Naymond gave her an amused look. “You guys caught me, so I’m very sure that says I have been wrong at least once.”

When Alfa said nothing, he sighed.

“And you still don’t believe you guys caught me.” Naymond folded his arms and returned his attention to the interrogation room. “Do you really still think this is all a ruse, Detective? That I allowed myself get caught just so that I could leverage something important and strike a deal with the government so I can come and work with you for two years?”

Alfa had the look of a stubborn child on her face. A child who had a feeling that their opinion might be wrong but were too strong-headed to accept it.

“You’re a Sage,” she said. “No one knows what it is with you Sages. And you’ve never once struck me as a prisoner.”

“It’s called a healthy mind.” Naymond shrugged. “And I play a lot of video games. They are very therapeutic.”

“Sure they are.” Alfa turned and made her way for the door. “Come on, let’s go talk to your boy.”

Naymond picked up his phone. “It’s not even been twenty minutes. I thought we were going to let him stew for another hour.”

“Well, it’s either talk to him now, or talk to you for another hour.” Alfa shivered. “I definitely know which one’s less stressful.”

“Fair enough.” Naymond slipped his phone in his pocket and placed his hat on his head. “And while you’re at it, have someone talk to the Caster girl. What was her name, again? Samantha? Have someone that’s not her mentor talk to her. You’ll get a higher chance of her applying for the police academy after she’s done with the mentorship program.”

…………………

“You arsehole!”

David burst from his seat the moment the door to the room opened and Naymond Hitchcock entered.

“I’ll have your hat for this!”

Detective Firdausi Alfa was already inside before he got to the consultant. She caught him by the face with her hand, halting his rushed advance. With his hands not in cuffs, he made a desperate grab at her.

The results were not in his favor.

She stepped back, slipping out of his reach, then stepped into him almost immediately. A simple shoulder thrust into his chest sent him staggering. She stopped him from falling by grabbing his wrist, and swung him face first into the wall.

He struck the wall and she pinned him there.

“I hate the fool, too,” she said. “But we don’t condone enraged violence in my office. Now, I’ll be willing to let you go if you promise to be more civilized.”

Naymond stood off to the side with a smile on his face.

David was scowling at him. He was waving at David.

“Stop provoking him,” Alfa scolded.

Naymond stopped waving.

There was a moment of silence that settled between all three of them before David finally spoke.

“Alright, I’ll behave.”

Alfa released him, and he turned around, grudgingly. He rubbed a palm against his chest as if soothing a pain, before going back to his chair.

When he was there, he sat down begrudgingly.

“Your guy’s an arsehole,” he told Alfa. “You know that, right?”

Alfa nodded, taking a seat on the opposite side of the table. “So what do you have for us?”

“Nothing. Not until arsehole over there apologizes.”

“For what?” Naymond asked in mock hurt. “I didn’t do anything.”

“No, but you sent two kids after me. And a Basher at that. This!” he pointed at a purpling bruise poking out from his singlet. “I didn’t sign up for this when I agreed to work with you guys! Why the hell would anyone send a Basher after their own CI? What the hell!”

Alfa leaned back on her chair. “We didn’t send a Basher after you, Swan. The kid was an intelligence type.”

“Bullshit! I can believe the girl was an Intelligence type, but not the boy. Intelligence types don’t run that fast or hit that hard.” He pointed at his bruise again. “Intelligence types don’t do this with just one hit.”

Alfa looked at the bruise and actually grimaced. “I assure you that he’s an intelligence type, but you’re right. Hitchcock does owe you an apology.”

“For what?” Naymond complained from where he stood.

Alfa looked at him. “For not handling this in a more civilized manner.”

“But I only sent two kids after him. It’s not like I sent a whole squad.”

David was still frowning.

“Alright, alright,” Naymond conceded. “I apologize, Mr. Swan. I should’ve handled this better, and I did not.”

Alfa turned back to David. “Is that acceptable, Mr. Swan?”

David’s frown deepened. He wasn’t looking at her. “Why the hell do you people even keep a child for a consultant? How can someone apologize one minute and stick his tongue at me the next. I swear if you guys weren’t paying me I’d be asking for my lawyer.”

“And we’d be putting you in a cell to rot for a very long time for the crimes you’ve committed.”

David finally looked at her. “Then you’ll never find the drug route for the Romanians.”

Naymond snorted. “Stop posturing, Mr. Swan. We can find it without you. It will just take much longer than we would like. And it’s not like you’re leading us to it. You’re just leading us to the guy who’ll lead us to the guy that’ll lead us to it.”

Alfa shot him a warning look.

“What?” he protested. “It’s not like it’s not true. He’s a very low cog in a very dysfunctional part of a machine. He’s like a loose bolt in the wheel of a car, specifically the wheel with the only flat tire.”

“Mr. Hitchcock, would you like to be a part of this conversation from outside?”

“No, detective.”

“Then let your C.I give us what we brought him in for.”

Naymond pantomimed locking his mouth and tossing the key away. All the while, David checked on his bruise.

“At least it’s a nice touch,” he muttered. “Everyone knows that cops don’t hurt their C.I. So they’ll believe you guys had nothing on me when you let me go.”

“So what do you have for us?” Alfa asked, her tone all business.

David shrugged. “Something big, actually. The Romanians sent in an order today. Some of our boys are supposed to pick up a shipment in a few days. Broad daylight thing. So Navari wants us to bring in new kids for the pick up.”

“An initiation?” Alfa asked.

“Not like that. It’s just a one-day gig. He needs kids with no group affiliation. Wants us to pick up one of those fancy school kids that want that life and think they’re the shit. You know the ones.”

“School bullies and their bullies too weak to talk,” Naymond offered from where he stood. “Since it’s broad day light, they can’t have people skulking around. They need people who can move around freely. Which means they need faces the cops won’t see and suspect immediately.”

“Yea,” David confirmed. “We’ve got about a week or two before the main occasion.”

Alfa looked thoughtful. “So we’ve got a week or two to find which kids are going to end up running drugs on the streets without looking like they’re running drugs on the street.”

David shook his head. “No. These kids will practice the drop off for a week before the actual event. But the kids won’t know its all practice. Navari wants to know its not some insignificant fools we’re bringing in. He needs kids that are timid but smart. Or at least determined.”

“That’s smart.” Naymond thought about it. “He doesn’t want a snitch.”

“Exactly. He also doesn’t want someone who’ll steal the product. The last thing you want to do is cross the Romanians. And they won’t care whose fault it is.”

“So how long do we have to come up with a plan?” Alfa asked.

“Three days. That’s when we’ll be bringing the first set. And he’s going to have some guys with him, just to be sure none of the kids are police related. He knows about the mentorship program and all that, so he knows you guys have kids on your roasters.”

“We also have interns,” Naymond offered.

David scoffed in derision. “Everyone knows your interns. Heck, I know them by name and face. Navari’s got guys hanging around so he’ll be bringing them to screen the kids.”

Alfa frowned. “He sounds very thorough. That’s not the Navari I know.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you deal with the Romanians. You’re either thorough or you die.”

Naymond chuckled. “Kids these days. You do know you can still be thorough and die, right?”

David looked him in the eye. “I don’t like you.”

“I care about you, too.” Naymond shrugged. “But this isn’t a time to talk about our feelings.”

Alfa looked between them and shook her head.

“This is all well and good, David,” she said. “But do you have anything to back it up? You know I can’t take this up the ladder without something.”

David’s eyes narrowed. “You’re serious?”

“As a rollercoaster ride with a loose bolt,” Naymond said.

“I swear sometimes you guys make me feel like you just bring me in so you can see me use my skills. I’m not some freakshow for godssake.”

“And I’m not into open mouths unless it’s a lady’s,” Naymond retorted. “But here we are. Evidence please.”

David frowned but activated his skill.

[Mimickry] was an interesting skill he didn’t like using simply because of how he looked using it.

The way the skill worked was simple, and scaled down to E-rank, boring. With his other skill [Capture The Moment] he recorded a specific event during a period of time, and stored it in his memory.

As a Crafter, he was a creator. There was no Crafter who didn’t create in some way. Most Crafters created tangible objects from weapons to state of the art devices. But he wasn’t like them, he didn’t have the advancements to create things that sophisticated.

What he could create, however, were stories of events.

Another reason he didn’t like [Mimicry] was because it rendered him defenseless.

He opened his mouth as wide as it could go when he activated it, and Alfa and Naymond waited. It was only a moment before the skill took effect.

[We don’t have any new kids,] a voice echoed from his mouth. [Our last recruitment was over a month ago.]

His mouth didn’t move and neither did his throat. [Mimicry] was like an advanced level ventriloquism.

Alfa and Naymond identified the voice immediately. It was Navari. And he sounded worried.

[How are we going to move the shipment?] he was saying.

[We could hit up the schools,] someone said. [Do a mass recruitment. Sudden and quick. How many kids do we need?]

[Not many. But the problem isn’t the kids, it’s if we can get smart kids.] Navari said.

“Gives me the creeps every time I see it,” Alfa muttered. “I know its normal. But it’s just…”

“A strange skill,” Naymond completed for her. “But the form’s beautiful, though.”

[I know two kids from a school nearby,] another voice said. [They basically run the place over there.]

[Are they smart kids? Bullies aren’t usually smart.]

The new voice chuckled. [I said they run the school, boss. I didn’t say they were bullies. They run the bullies that run the school.]

[And how the hell do you know kids that smart, Mamba?] a new voice asked. [You’ve got shit for brains. You sure they ain’t running you, too?]

[I say this with the utmost respect, Yellow face,] Mamba said. [Fuck you.]

There was a sound of scuttling from David’s mouth. Naymond and Alfa were in agreement that it was either an actual quick fight or an escalation that failed to become a fight before Navari’s voice turned up again.

[We’re fucking with the Romanians right now and you fools want to see whose dick is bigger?] He sounded enraged. [Well, if that’s the case you can be patient for it. I’m sure if we mess up, they’ll be more than happy to cut it off for us.]

“He’s scared,” Naymond pointed out while they continued talking. “I don’t think he even wants to be part of this deal.”

Alfa nodded. “You think he was strong-armed into it?”

“Possibly. Maybe the Romanians are trying to move in.”

“I really hope not.”

[How about this, boss?] a new voice asked.

[How about what?]

[We’ve got two weeks before the drop. So how about we gather as many kids as we can from where we can, and we test them.]

[And why would they want to be tested?] Yellow face asked.

[Because we’ll pay them for every test.] the new voice explained. [We’ll pay them a little bit of money to move something important from one place to another.]

[Sounds like a waste of money,] Navari said.

[It is,] the voice agreed. [But for a good cause. The money serves as an incentive to do the job. And we give them practice runs. The ones that actually want to join a gang will see it as an opportunity. The ones that don’t, get free money.]

There was a thoughtful silence, followed by Navari’s voice.

[And it will help us weed out the idiots,] he said in apprehension. [We have men watch them through out the entire process. Anyone that steals from us won’t be invited back for the main run. Anyone too stupid won’t be invited either. Only the smart ones will work.]

[What of the nervous ones?] Mamba asked.

[Not an issue,] the voice that had made the suggestion said. [They’ll be nervous in the beginning. So we’ll keep giving them practice runs for a while until the drop day. That way, it becomes normal and natural for them. By the final day, it will be a routine walk in the park for them.]

[You know we’re sending innocent kids to the hands of the Romanians, right?] Yellow face asked. [It just don’t sit right.]

[It won’t be a problem,] Navari said. [The Romanians will only be interested in any of them that turns out to be unique or anyone that they think is a threat. If Elvo’s idea works well, that will be none of the kids, so they’re safe.]

David closed his mouth after that.

“That’s all I got.”

“It’s plenty,” Alfa assured him. “Now we just have much more to worry about.”

“How?” Naymond asked.

“They are going to be using regular innocent school kids. Which means it could be anyone. We can’t just start jumping school kids on the drop day. We might as well jump everyone. It’s not feasible.”

“I’m still not seeing the problem.”

“Hitchcock.” She turned and looked him in the eye. “We. Cannot. Jump. Kids. We don’t do that.”

Naymond still looked confused. After a while, he just shrugged.

“I believe you.”