In Derrick’s first year away traveling the multiverse, he had been forced to learn quite a lot. On his home Earth where everyone could shapeshift but was marked from birth to ensure this incredible gift wasn’t used for evil, crime was handled brutally. The population was kept low. Technological advancements to maintain this watchdog society were well beyond what Derrick ran into in his travels. Transportation was an immediate hurdle he had to overcome. He’d never had a need to learn to drive, all transportation where he came from was automated, an effect of efforts to eliminate road rage, accidents, and vehicular homicide.
Learning to drive had been extremely difficult for Derrick, there was nothing like it in his home universe. Driving simulations had fallen out of style well before he was born. After a year of practicing in arcades of all places, Derrick began test driving vehicles from questionable used car dealerships where a modified clean cut appearance deterred any questions. He moved slowly and studied methodically and finally took and passed his driver’s test in a small town south of Chicago.
From there, Derrick roamed. For a year, Derrick drove all across the United States in a beat up 2000 Chrysler Voyager. Where he’d come from, Derrick had never set foot out of his universe’s Chicago, a city walled and segmented into carefully managed districts. Now, the entire country was his to explore. He learned a great deal during that year. He took a temp job at an accounting firm, very briefly conned his way into a clerk position at a law office in Des Moines, was a fish and game warden in New Mexico, went back to his medical roots volunteering at a clinic in rural Kentucky, but always eventually found himself forced to make money by less than legal means. It led him across universes. It led to a stable job working with Thorn in Paris. It led to less driving and less freedom.
Driving twelve hours in Pinnacle Elaine’s abandoned Nissan brought the memories back and Derrick felt more at ease than he had in the last week. There was something calming about the long stretches between cities. He and Elaine spoke minimally and most of their conversations were limited to whether or not Tango needed a bathroom break and if it was ok to feed him another package of Doritos or if they should splurge for a beef stick. The unease began to return just east of Birmingham. Though Derrick had suggested it to Elaine as their best source for information about where their friends might be, and it was, the rational part of his brain saw it for what it really was. They would need to figure out a means of travel and a source of funds. The Switchboard could offer both if they never heard from Cassia and the others ever again.
Derrick was surprised to find that he actually was hopeful that they’d find a lead. Even in the nearly two years he had spent in Paris, he never formed attachments since leaving his original home. It hadn’t taken more than a few days to find himself enjoying the dysfunctional company of Mel, Cassia, and the others. Derrick continued to drive, glancing into the mirror to check on Elaine who was curled up sleeping with Tango. Elaine hadn’t volunteered to drive and Derrick didn’t ask her to. Despite her reaction, he expected that watching herself get electrocuted to death had probably created some trauma that would need to be dealt with at some point.
As trees gave way to the western edges of Atlanta, Elaine shifted in her seat and she paused with her mouth half open, clearly choosing words carefully.
“How did she find me?” Elaine finally said quietly. Derrick shifted his weight as he got off the interstate.
“They must have something planted on you.” Derrick coughed awkwardly and added, “Or in you.”
Elaine cringed at that but didn’t say anything further. She returned to looking out the window at the passing buildings. They drove along the edge of the city turning southward towards the airport. Derrick had been here once before early on when he started working for Thorn. He jumped from Paris on Earth 53 to Paris on Earth 6, took a series of flights to Atlanta, caught a cab to a dingy business park and delivered an envelope at the front desk then made the whole trip in reverse. Later he learned it was the Switchboard he’d visited and he hoped it was still here.
“Do you think we can get it out, whatever it is?” Elaine kept her gaze firmly out the window.
“If you have an idea of where it might have been implanted, then I can get it out. It might be painful without the proper equipment though.” Derrick followed her lead and kept his eyes forward as he navigated the late night traffic. It was dark, and after midnight by the time they came to a stop in an empty parking lot.
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Derrick stepped out of the car and took in his surroundings. Elaine followed him with Tango circling her. This was definitely the same place he’d been before. It was just as rundown as before. He had wanted to just confirm that and then find somewhere to sleep but he took a chance and checked the door. It pulled open, unlocked.
“I guess they are open through the night.” Derrick pulled the door wide for Elaine and the odd trio stepped up to a security desk in the lobby of the office building. At the desk, a bored looking woman with bright blonde hair glanced up at them from a tablet.
“Delivery?” The woman asked in monotone as she continued to catapult birds across the tablet screen.
“We’re actually hoping to get some information, is there someone we could speak…” Before Derrick could finish his sentence the woman sighed and pulled open a desk drawer.
“Fill out this form, one for each of you. When you’re done I will buzz you through to the ticker.” She passed a pair of clipboards to them and continued playing her game.
“Not the strongest security.” Derrick muttered to Elaine as they sat down across the lobby. He scanned the form and frowned at questions like Designation of Universe of Origin and IPF Species Registration Number before filling in what he could. Elaine wrote silently and Derrick noticed her pausing as though she too was deciding how much to divulge. He whispered reassuringly, “I don’t think it needs to be too detailed.”
Elaine gave him a nod and after a few minutes they were back at the desk. The blonde guard barely glanced at the forms before scanning them and putting them through a shredder. “It’s all digital now.” She offered before gesturing to a hall behind her left shoulder. “Down the hall, third door on the right. There’s a button by the handle, hit it once, I’ll buzz you in.”
Derrick nodded his thanks and they started to head back. “Oh, make sure that thing doesn’t shit on the floor.” The guard pointed at Tango. “On the night shift, the desk handles janitorial emergencies.”
They found the door to what the guard had called the ticker easily enough and passed through into a large open room reminiscent of the stock exchange. Upon entering, they were looking into a sunken, carpeted area that was covered with desks and computers. Above, in the center of the room was a bank of larger TV screens, each with different feeds scrolling across them. The room was occupied by five people, two who seemed to work in the building. They wore lanyards around their neck that had a picture of their face and the words First Floor Access in bold. The others were either seated at a computer or watching one of the feeds going by above. Derrick shrugged at Elaine and stepped down into the main part of the room. Elaine and Tango kept close as he approached one of the Switchboard operators.
“Excuse me, we’re looking for an IPF blotter over the last 48 hours.” Derrick tried to smile like he wasn’t a wanted criminal as he asked.
“IPF arrests, announcements, and persons of interest are scrolling on screen one. You can look up past information from a terminal.” The man gave a weak smile and returned to his own screen.
Derrick turned to Elaine and gestured at the screens. “How about you watch screen one for anything and I’ll see if I can turn up anything in the last couple days?” He moved towards the closest computer station as she nodded her agreement.
Derrick quickly found that the IPF produced a lot of news. He scrolled through endless arrest records, bounty postings, and general news announcements and his eyes quickly became unfocused. He stopped frequently, rubbing at his eyes and forcing himself to take in the information he was scanning. After an hour of searching, he hadn't seen anything about Cassia or Grit and words were blurring together. As he rubbed his eyes again, a name stood out. Tek. He’d heard Grit say that right before they got split up.
Derrick clicked on the headline into a brief statement.
The IPF is seeking any information about missing Detective Tek K’Nani who is deemed missing in action. Detective K’Nani’s last known location is Earth-49 where IPF agents are currently investigating more than one instance of multiple homicide in Earth-49’s United States.
Derrick scratched his forehead. Were Cassia and Grit involved in this somehow? He thought back to the moment before he’d rushed away from the convention center and Dallas. He had moved quickly and heard nothing more of Grit’s conversation. Elaine’ sharp intake of breath from nearby pulled him out of his thoughts.
“Derrick, look!” Elaine was pointing at the screen as words ticked by. He stood quickly to read it before it was gone.
Cassia Moreng is wanted after escaping IPF custody this afternoon. The IPF is seeking Moreng and any known associates. The IPF is opening bounty contracts in reaction to her violent escape.
“Well, the good news is they aren’t arrested anymore. We aren’t the only ones looking for them though.”