I drove back through the metropolis of San Paso for the third time that day. I found Teddy standing next to a ragged group of Mexicans waving his good arm as if trying to shoo them away. I parked and got out. I told the assembled group my broken Spanish to keep walking down the road and they would run into a town, which I thought was a generous description. They seemed to understand and started to move off. One young man stopped by one of the dead bodies and kicked it. He paused for a moment and then took the body's wallet. The rest of them got the idea and started looting.

“No armas!” I yelled after them, telling them in Spanish not to take any guns. Teddy hobbled over. “We have a problem,” I told him.

He gestured toward himself and winced. “Just one?”

“We have problems,” I amended.

“Of course we do. Tell me about them in the car, I need to sit down.” Teddy ambled past me.

“And what about all this?” I extended my arms and turned in a circle.

Teddy raised an eyebrow, “Your big friend should be disappearing.”

I looked back to where I had battled the Flesh Golem. The lump of flesh and bone seemed to be rapidly decomposing. The foul magic that held it together had fled and the natural order of the universe had returned in force.

Teddy made it to the passenger door and took a deep, painful breath, and closed his eyes before slowly lowering himself into the seat with a painful grunt. I jumped into the driver’s seat.

My partner opened his eyes and resumed taking shallow breaths. “I imagine the local constabulary will be back to clean up the rest, lest their duplicity be discovered.”

I looked at him while I parsed the words. “They won’t want anyone looking into this too hard because they were looking the other way during the smuggling?”

My partner closed his eyes again. “Just so.” It was almost a whisper.

“Do we need to get you to a hospital?” I put the car in gear and unassed the area.

“No, no. I will be ok, I think. We've healthcare available back at the office. Magic and otherwise. Just mind the bumps.”

“Really, like magic healing potions, or whatever? Are they red?"

“More like conventional methods with a magical enhancement. I’ll need to have someone set this arm, but I should be back at it in a few days. I figure we bought ourselves some time.”

I frowned and drove around a pothole. “About that. The one that got away was our one-armed friend from the park.”

“The large grey fellow?” Teddy asked.

“Yeah. He told me that Vanessa had contingency plans. This was one of three shipments.”

Teddy sighed and winced at the same time. It was impressive. “So, we are back at square one.” He massaged his temple with his good hand. “I am out of ideas, Cash. Did you kill him at least?”

“He’s dead.”

“Good,” Teddy deadpanned.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

My partner's sudden bloodthirst disturbed me. Our failure must really have rattled him. We were silent and I think he may have dozed a bit as we drove. I tried to force the pieces together. My tip from John had paid off, but he didn’t have the whole picture. We had saved a large group of migrants from a horrible end but lost the war. A small tinder of anger came ablaze in my core. We were always two steps behind, no matter what we did. I felt like we were clinging on to this case by our fingernails and every time we got our feet under us the ground gave way. It was rubbing me raw. My insides demanded that I go on the offensive. The more I thought about it, the more right that felt.

I waited until the next bump jarred Teddy awake. “I’m going to the warehouse. I am going to save those people.”

Agent Ruthersford laughed then winced. He looked at me. “Wait, you’re serious? By yourself?”

“Those people aren’t going to live through the night. Even if we go back and report everything we have found out, and management doesn’t fire us immediately, there’s no way we could mount an assault in time. I have to go. Now.” The tinder of anger had caught fire. I became surer as I spoke it aloud.

Teddy wasn’t convinced. “It is regrettable, but I don’t see a way around it. We need to go back and brief Northcutt and Barnum. If they won’t move, then we go to the Director of Homeland Security.”

“The deaths of thirty people is not ‘regrettable’ Ted. It’s a tragedy. I won’t allow it.”

“You won’t allow it? What are you planning, shooting your way in? We have no idea what we would find inside. And I am in no condition to help.”

“The grey one told me that Vanessa’s pack won’t help the Sleeper after the drop-off is made. They hate him. I’ll wait until the Black Mesa pack leaves and then go in and free them. I’ll kill anyone who gets in my way.”

Teddy gave this some thought and then shook his head. “We are the police, not vigilantes. We can’t just go around murdering people. You have no hope of ending it peacefully. The two of us cannot effect an arrest. Just announcing our presence would be suicide.

I thought about my father. Is this what had happened to him? “He’s going to kill those people, Ted. We can stop him, we have to try.” I tried a different tactic. “Don’t you want to bring the Sleeper in? You heard them at the park, this is the end of it for him. He could leave town after this. We might never get another chance. He's ultimately responsible for Patrick's death."

My partner set his teeth and looked straight ahead. I knew it was low to invoke the thoughts of his partner's erstwhile killer getting away, but I needed his help. This was too important.

“You mean to do this?” He didn’t look at me.

“You know about me Teddy, my Archetype? I don’t think I can not do this.”

“OK.” he relented. “I understand.”

“Great!” I grinned.

“But you need to understand Cash, that this will very likely get us both killed.”

I laughed, “There ain’t no ‘us’ about it. I’ll go in there and get killed on my own thank you very much." I thought of Tina. Where was she?

“I’m going too. I’m not sitting this one out.”

“You said it yourself, Teddy. You got a bum arm and cracked ribs. You’re in no condition to fight.”

He was undaunted. “We’ll stop at a drugstore and get a sling. I can still shoot a gun.”

I explained my plan to him, and his face turned a few shades whiter. “Perhaps it would be better if I took on more of an advisory role.”

I chuckled, “I thought you might say that. I’m dropping you off at the office.”

“Agent Renshaw.” The steel in his voice caught me off guard. “Are you going into the Sleeper’s warehouse to apprehend him and free his prisoners?”

I looked at him. “I am.”

“Then, I am going with my partner. Partner.” He eased back and tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the grimace off of his face.

And that was that. I drove with some urgency now, trying to beat the Black Mesa trucks back to the warehouse. Even if they went directly to the warehouse, I figured we still had a good chance to beat them. More likely though, they would rally the trucks someplace and head over together in a convoy. Grey Daddy's absence would slow them even more. We had time.

We stopped at a drugstore and I picked up a fifth of Wild Turkey 101, an industrial-size bottle of ibuprofen, some Goody’s Extra Strength, and a heavy-duty arm sling. The clerk looked at my items and then at the badge on a chain around my neck, but he didn't say anything. This was Texas after all.

I hurried out into the parking lot and helped Teddy out of the car. I popped open the bottle of painkillers and poured out a few into his good hand. I opened a few packets of the powder and let it settle on my tongue. Ol' Keith Richards had given me a good wallop, but there didn't seem to be any lasting damage, I just hurt like hell. I cracked the plastic cap on the fifth and we took turns mixing alcohol with drugs. I looked around, but no one seemed to be paying us any mind. The last thing we needed was a nosy citizen with a cell phone.

After Teddy took several swallows, I asked him if he was ready. He nodded but said nothing. I never went to medical school, but I had a pretty good idea that his upper arm was what they referred to as 'fucked'. I didn't know enough to set the bone, so I quickly forced it back against his body and bent his arm at the elbow like a chicken wing folded across his body. I fastened everything in place with the heavy-duty velcro straps. Teddy grunted with pain, but never cried out. That had to hurt like a son of a bitch. He was breathing heavily, which I am sure was aggravating his ribs. Teddy was a tough hombre.

Everything looked as secure as I could make it. I helped Teddy back to the passenger side of the Hellcat. I spotted something as I eased him back into the car, and it struck a chord in my soul. Whatever magic I had was reaching out to me, straight into my core. It was time.

“I’ll be right back,” I told him.

Teddy eased the passenger seat back and took another pull on the bottle. He was waxen and sweaty. “Where are you going?”

I pointed across the street at the Boot Grange, purveyor of all things western.

“I’m gonna get my hat.”