Tom had arrived at his home earlier today to witness a scene of devastation. Without context, it would look like the oceans manifested a low-pressure zone just to wreck him. The garden that he had spent so much time setting up, had burrows dug all over. The painstakingly trimmed plants that he wouldn't even allow his girlfriend to tend to, were uprooted from the ground. Inside the house was the same sore sight. He had lost count of the expenses that they had to bear for renovating and mending things by the month. The interior decorators were happy to get paid handsomely for doing the same job over and over again. As an employment guarantee in uncertain times, some were so thankful as to offer a discount to them.

A real tornado would be devastating for sure. It might last a week or two – a bit longer if worse. But they had been victimized by this walking and incessantly barking tornado for years. The terrier, Jack, was a gift they had brought for themselves when they moved in together. It was all fun and games in the beginning, not to mention cute. The puppy consumed all of their time and they were more than happy to give him their all.

Jack had a healthy diet that they thought was better than what they got as kids, was taken to the vets promptly, groomed with an above average budget. Jack was their king until the rule became more literal than figurative. Often, tyrannical. It was a problem of love. Jack developed separation anxiety. Whenever Tom wasn't there, Jack ripped the whole place to shreds... couch, stolen food... pee on the floor... you name it.

Jack's digging instinct was the bigger problem. If the economic wreckage wasn't enough, this had started to wreck him emotionally as well. Jack had grown possessive of him by the day, refusing to eat without him at times, and his guarding tendencies locked out his girlfriend from their room. They had fought over Jack many times to the point that she suggested that that she would move out if Jack wasn't given away.

They had recently brought in an expert dog trainer who had suggested that the girlfriend take charge of Jack's food so that her status in the herd would rise. The trainer emphasized the need for positive enforcement while training Jack by using clickers and treats. It was suggested to get a sand-pit for Jack to better exhibit his instincts. They were taught to issue basic commands to Jack. It was all going well and the trainer was to return to evaluate their progress. It had all turned into dog poop the past week.

When Tom met his girlfriend today, it was not as cordial as he hoped. She stressed that she was doing her best on training Jack and he was slacking away on a trip. He was asked to prioritize them over his work once in a while and she was running out of patience. He had assured her that the things will be better and he would make a concerted effort. He said that he needed rest as he was tired. It was only then she relented.

Tom made sure Jack stayed behind the doggy gate, the stop-gap solution for some privacy. He didn't have it in him to deal with Jack, on top of everything he already was.

Tom shielded his eyes with his hands from the light through the window. The ivory white of the room appeared a tad bit brighter to him than it used to be. He even missed the mundane conversations he had with his girlfriend. He couldn't bring himself to face her and that had nothing to do with the secret he was keeping. The difference a week could make. He needed a break. The sleeping pills he had bought from the medical store on the way was just going to be the start. A vacation would help as well.

He had known and experienced that after staying in the dark for some time, the pupils adjust and things appear a bit clearer. But he couldn't have predicted that he would have to rely on this for a week straight. After a day, he could manage to walk without bumping into the dining table chairs or the bedpost.

Tom saw the light three times a day just when food and water was delivered in his room through a vent in the door. The food wasn't bad but the whole arrangement was something he was sure that Jack would find revolting. He liked walking, even to his detriment. He played sports. The fact that his movements were restricted had sunken his mood. He felt like he aged a decade each moment. He was removed from reality itself. Loneliness did not affect him much, though it could've if this ordeal lasted much longer. As he consumed the sleeping pills, he ran his hands around the neck. It still stung.

They had a simple question. They wanted to know who sent him out on his last job. He had resisted for a whole week without uttering a word. Every morning the same question was asked, he denied the urge to answer knowing full well that his agony will be prolonged. But he had given up. They got the best of him. They made him tell his girlfriend that he had to go away on a work assignment and that he would be unavailable to contact most of the time as the work was secretive. She had always respected his work and it was not that uncommon for this to occur.

He wasn't physically threatened for the most part. But the punishment for his silence was effective. There was a smartwatch that he was forced to wear. He used to chuckle when commercials played for these where the manufacturer hyped it up to a point that one would be dead without it. Whenever he began to sleep, white strobe lights flashed right on his face from near the bed. And then there was a shock color, just to make sure that he dreaded falling asleep the next time, which he tried as much as possible to avoid.

In hindsight, he was proud that he lasted as much as he did. In the familiarity and monotonous nature of his home, he found a sense of relief. And within ten minutes, he was going to have the rest he thought he reserved. He thought to himself not to worry about the consequences for his failure until it was time to worry about it. He was only human.

All Tom did was to do what he was ordered to do. He had perused through the wrecked room of that teenager's apartment. He was to search for any evidence of a drone attack. If any, he had to seize it. The report had to conclude that it was an electrical fire. As a policeman, he knew he had all authority over information coming in and out while a scene is being investigated and he utilized it to remove photographs taken by a rando who claimed himself to be a witness. Dereliction of duty was nothing compared to an actual death threat any day of the week.

***

"You have been sloppy these days, Trevor" reminded Daniel's voice.

"You have seen better days as well, Dan" he replied

"Oh... it's nothing. Just some issues you normally associate with old age... nothing special... but I'm afraid that you are getting senile already... for you age" Daniel chuckled

"You know very well that being a police chief is no easy job, my man. "

"And you know very well that this call is not to exchange pleasantries."

"I have a limit to what I can do. It's not like the old days anymore. I have more people to answer to. You know that I've gone out of my way to influence the committee to get things done for you. I don't have the free hand to get things done. All stupid paperwork. People here are morons, most of them. These are the types of people who we trust law enforcement with. We are fucked. Somebody can blow us up and these guys will worry about the protocol for appropriate response. A bunch of p-"

"What about the mansion?"

"Well Dan, that was a fuck up on your part. It was a shootout; the whole place's a mess and some team is seriously looking into it. I dug up some stuff on the property. Alex is a smart guy. The type to not pay taxes. Add encroachment into government property. I'd have moved to get the thing demolished... controlled explosives... but you guys were too flashy for that... I tried."

"What about the team who's looking into that... can we change a few things perhaps?"

"I've run out of men who would work for you... It has not been easy for me. Who would've thought one of your guys would take out the suits of a major corporation on fucking live TV? The fuck were you thinking? It has been an administrative nightmare for me over that... plus, the shit we run in the cellars... give me a break... We've spent considerable resources to get one investigation out of the way... it's not only the money... it's also time..."

"I do not pay my service provider to hear you whine Trevor. I might not be as influential as I was but there are still people who answer me. Do not forget how we all got there in the first place. I just enquired about the mansion. It's not a big priority for me now. Looking at it one way, Alex was good riddance. He was just a liability."

Daniel continued, "The fuck are they going to do to me? It's true that I did not expect to be matched by Mark. We had it in our hands that day. We should've closed it out. But he did have me shaken for a moment. I hate that feeling... don't we all?" Daniel continued.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"That's me every single day. I know how we got here Dan. But I don't want to lose this job"

"When he used my men as mere bait that day, it shook me. But you know as well as anybody, I am a survivor. I have always taken my sweet time... I've always bounced back... Look at me, a poor old guy who lost his men. Yeah, it does pain me that Will and Jaimie might be facing setbacks... but it is what it is... We are people who get things or used to get things done... need to cut our losses when situation demands it."

"Speaking of Will, the incident in his home... I've planted my men on the investigation... it's almost out of our way... what's interesting is the higher ups are also interested in keeping this quiet... so it works out in our favor... but the guy is out of station at the moment. His report is perfect though... no evidence."

"So, everything is not bad news. But I will concede to you on this... this one is on me. I had August in my palms like an obedient little kitten. They were so intent on digging up stuff and collecting records from back in the day, you know what I mean... I trapped her so well that she did not make a move. Who would've thought after all these years, that would come back to bite me... right under my nose... should've been a bit more ruthless back in the day when it was easier to do so... I regret sparing her... I got carried away."

"It's hard to believe that you got duped Daniel. Was a costly mistake... But thanks to the late Alex, the new report did not gather much political traction..."

"Getting rid of their license was one thing... but the think-tank thing really brought us some much-needed time."

"Advertising the NGO's efforts for lobbying for voting rights for felons as being soft on crime worked too well ... that's money well spent I guess... and that is not something that's hard to sell..."

"True that... the opposition is hell bent on getting us murdered on the streets anyway." Trevor remarked.

"Whatever... What I did not see coming is that Magnus Motors will prop it up... they even managed to get the drone strikes authorized... on people like us... We have to be careful..."

"And fuck up less." Trevor sighed before continuing "I've arranged for what you asked last time."

***

Jaimie was in quite a pleasant mood even though he was in company of a stranger whom he couldn't get a read of. She got them both a light snack and drinks. He was not complaining. She wasn't exactly friendly. She was treading a fine line between hostility and whatever that she was trying to do. He wanted to wait it out. It would be such a waste to be woken up way before his usual time for this.

He might as well offer courtesy for some free food. He had heard of her from Will. It was after the 'incident' when she had attempted to track him down by rigging his car with one. She lived up to her reputation when they were almost caught before the sad-sack saved the day. But she had said to him in the call that it was important they meet in person and it was about Will. He did not find any reason as to why he shouldn't go through with it. The news of her suspension was pretty public anyway.

"So, tell me, I'm Jaimie... nice to meet you" as he extended his hand.

"Kelly, yeah, let's get through the formality, we spoke earlier today... you might have heard," as she shook hands.

"If you are wondering how I found out about you, it's not because I've seen you before... trust me..."

"Can I though?" Jaimie smiled.

"For all its worth, I am turning over a new leaf. Being a cop is nice and all... I don't regret that or anything I did... but I'm angling for a detective career... the mainstream doesn't suit me that well."

"That's great I guess" Jaimie was confused. "What are you getting at?"

Their order had just arrived. Jaimie waited till the waiter arranged their table.

"Thanks," said Kelly, waiting for the waiter to leave the vicinity.

"So, as I said, this is about Will. What happened at his house. It was no accident. A witness had remarked how he had seen evidence of gunshots all over the room. I have my sources which can confirm that it was a drone attack."

"Are you sure this is the place to discuss this?" He asked in a whisper.

"Took a look around and I knew this was not going to flourish." Kelly remarked about the place. Jaimie did not like her insulting the venue he had suggested. But she was fair, the bar had remained the same since the phase where he had blacked out every other day. The bartender had greeted him unenthusiastically.

Kelly held out her phone. "Please take a look."

Jaimie saw a collage of articles, newspaper cuttings and the sort. Those were related to how regulations related to owning and using drones were getting relaxed due to the new legislation that was recently.

"Magnus's money is behind this. They are lobbying for this. I see their suits in fundraisers with all these politicians of all sorts."

"It's even suggested by analysts that a defense contract might be on the cards for them," Jaimie remarked as he scrolled through. "Interesting."

"Exactly. So does any of this ring a bell to you?" Kelly enquired.

"What do you mean?" Jaimie was deliberately testing her patience.

"I will do this the hard way then, Jaimie... you could be a little nicer, you know... Well, first how I found out about you. It's the hospital registers. It's a good thing that they ask for your identity cards while entering. Only other people who had visited them were some neighbors, one of whom registered a complaint, few relatives and then you... I presume you two are not related."

"We have worked together... that's the right way to put it."

"Work as in, kidnapping a convict and trashing other's mansions?"

Jaimie almost choked. But he didn't let her know. There was no way she could've actually known that he was there. It should be an obvious bluff. He needed to not lower his guard and keep calm. He was going to try.

"I don't know what you are talking about. I think you might have mistaken."

"Murray's polygraph test came out positive. The murders were on live TV and your friend was in the same venue. A little later in a road scuffle, we had all of our crew fall asleep in the middle of day nowhere. Do you think us in the department sit idly and chit-chat all day? Our brains are not as smooth as you think.

"The Magnus press meet footage might not have proof of your friend's crime. But it is sufficient for me. I had a hunch that something had happened out of the ordinary when your friend made eye contact with the victim. He had worn a hat that obscured his face. But the line of sight is not that hard to deduce. He must've had accomplices. I don't think he had the means to put everybody in a snooze fest. I mean even if he could, somebody had to drive the car... that model in the road incident was no EV. It couldn't be self-driven."

Jaimie said nothing. Kelly took this as a license to continue. They both were trying to enjoy the food that was being served. There was also this tension as to who would get the better of each other.

"Weeks ago, there was a lawyer who was found murdered in an old lighthouse. Not exactly a tourist spot, mind you. Coincidence or not, just on the day where the lawyer's mansion was taken apart. There was this brief period where we – I mean the cops – couldn't get hold of CCTV footage from the road leading to the horror house. Yes, it is relevant to our discussion." Kelly stopped midway reading Jaimie's expression and continued.

"There was an accident, an oil spill. A broken fuel tank. The car stopped in the intersection, causing a series of crashes. We got calls from insurance companies several times related to cars affected by that. Guess who verifies these claims and clear the claims for processing?"

"It might be tough to fight with a coward who sits on a seat fiddling with a keyboard with one hand and doing who-knows-what with the other, but it is pretty easy when things happen on the field. It's only a matter of time. We have photos which were submitted as proof by one of the claimants. Look who shows up." She was winning the game.

There was no mistaking it. He could see Will coming out of the car. He didn't need her to spell this out.

"The face is hidden. But I can tell your friend apart in the middle of the night, no questions asked."

"Are you implying my guilt based on association and out of your hypothesis?" Jaimie asked.

"There are forensics analyzing the crime scene at the mansion. They have identified many prints. One of them they are guessing could be from a teenager. Others from middle-aged men, hair samples of a woman... so on... it's sad that biometric data is protected under the law and not available in public records. "

"It's not going to be long before the police would get clearance to cross-check those with who they suspect. Looking at your history in our files, I reckon you think of yourselves as a street-smart hero of some sorts."

"I wished I was, even if a little less messy. Even though that is flattering, that is not true."

Kelly was serious and trying to stress the point. "Your game's up. Whatever that you are doing. The warrants are going to come and when they do, you will never see the light of day. I am offering you a chance. You and your friend are in danger. If you cooperate with us, we'll make a fair deal and arrange for a pardon when the time comes. This is your friend's only way out. If you don't want him to die that is."

"What should I do?"

"What is your schtick, I know your friend's is limb movements. "

"Induce stress." There was no point in hiding.

"Luck is on my side today. About time..." said Kelly, beaming. "There is something I need your help with."

This again?

***

Clara was ecstatic as he heard the ping in her laptop. It was true that she had received the finalized wireframes for the user interface for her website and the incredible news that her first batch of shipments for her merch was successful, but it was something that she would definitely celebrate. But today it was not the top priority.

She had paid off the cab driver's hospital expenses directly to his account. She also personally invited Judy to their big event which was now delayed. She assured her that whatever the arrangement was between her and Mike, was going to stay the way it was.

She asked Judy the details that were being kept from Mike to be delivered to her right away. She was going to contact the ex-cop and try for a bail plea for Morgan. The cop had told her during the interrogation session that the man who was responsible for the sentencing was murdered and she suspected Mike for this and others. Turns out the team investigating was turned down access to Morgan as well. The two parties agreed to come together to take this forward.

Convincing Mike was easier once she explained that what he feared has already happened and what he was doing to prevent it did not work. Mike has spent all his life resenting his father for the way his life was turned upside down as a teenager. Hearing corroborating statements regarding his defense from the evidence that Judy presented, excerpts from August's drafts, did offer him a glimmer of hope.

Even though he spent a big portion of his life distancing himself from Morgan's legacy, he had not completely thrown out the idea that their estranged relationship might find a new course. They were anxiously waiting for the closing arguments tomorrow.