The Cat and the Canary in the Coalmine

[afraid_of_my_shadow]

He worked hard to get his position. He fought through so much and finally got away from his father, but with every day that went by he could hear the accursed man's laughter in the back of his head. The corruption ran deep. The whole thing had gone rotten. Systems that had been put in place had been eroded by nepotism, under-the-table money, and blind loyalty to the other boys in blue.

Alex had enough. He could feel his skin burning with his rage, as even now his reports have been 'lost'. If his bosses think they had cowed him, they made the common mistake of underestimating him. He sat in his cubicle or went out to investigate, keeping his head low and biding his time.

Meanwhile at home he worked on a different investigation. He remembered stumbling across a rather interesting hitman some years prior, one of the many with rules about who they would not hunt. This man, however, had a discount on scum, even if that hadn't been exactly the same wording used. He'd taken mental note about it and moved on at the time, doubting he could afford that since he decided to take a job in something extremely dangerous with awful pay that generally kept him too drained to do much in the way of coding at home. Having certain reports ignored was taking it's toll, and he knew he wouldn't last much longer under so much corruption; he spent too many sleepless nights staring at his service pistol, not sure what impulse felt stronger.

 

He started spending those nights tracking down that one hitman again. It took entirely too long, but finally he sends a message.

 

I need your help. Police corruption is blocking investigation on a Mr. Furest. Children are involved.
 

He signs with his contact information, none of which are traceable back to any real, or at least living, person. He made sure to cover his tracks, just to prove he at least isn't some random kid trying to cause trouble. He steps away from his laptop in his small apartment to drop on the couch and check the news of the day, hoping there would be a ping alerting him of a response sooner rather than later.

Comments

[afraid_of_my_shadow]

I wouldn't be putting myself in this kind of risk if it didn't. He starts considering the different options he has, still ruminating them as he fell asleep.

In the morning he messages Felix back, Do you know the Grand Central Whispering Spot? It is his favorite poorly kept secret other than Rat Rock. 9 P.M. tomorrow. I will whisper into the wall, "What comes with great power?" Reply, "Great corruption." You know my face already, so you know when to approach. He can feel his hands shaking as he waits for a reply. Why was this making him so uneasy? Was it really uneasiness, or was it butterflies of nervous excitement? It hovered in his core, nestled right between his ribs making him both want to puke and laugh. He takes a deep breath, trying to find a quiet place in his mind, but it felt like every neuron was buzzing with some kind of encoded message, making the entire atmosphere static.

He shakes off the anxiety by pulling out his suit, a smartly tailored tough jersey fabric with leather shoulder and elbow patches, ensuring it could last much longer by just replacing those after getting into something physical and stretch enough it wouldn't split the seams. He sets it aside to be put on before his shift, and then starts going through his closet, picking out clothes he could hide a knife in- just in case things went south. Bringing a gun seemed an insult, but he didn't want to be unarmed. He also didn't want to look like a hobo, his usual off-duty appearance. He might not generally care about appearances, but even he could recognize that first impressions have lasting effects. He wasn't good at this, but Loretta taught him enough he could do it, and it would take enough focus that he wouldn't work himself into a senseless panic attack waiting for a reply, or even just for time to pass.

[monsieurnoir]

I know. And I wouldn't be willing to meet you otherwise; however, here we are. Let me know in the morning. Goodnight, Alex.

He was signing out, moving around his office, putting things away, stripping away his corsetvest, undoing his cufflinks so on as he readies for bed. He's a little bit tipsy so mp shower he'll do that in the morning.

In the morning he's waking up to Alex's message and reading it as he makes his coffee. Nine. Does he have anything to do at nine? No. No, he's usually done with things before that late. So then he's nodding to himself after doing a quick check of his schedule, just to make doubly sure.

I do. That works for me. I'll see you then, Alex.

He's moving about his day. He checks in with Teddy then checks his email and things. There's nothing much for him to do today so he's just puttering around his house. He's not getting his shower til three since Felix honestly just relaxing and doing little things here and there. By three he's picked out and gotten everything ready for his meeting with Alex before hopping into that shower.

Freshly clean and dressed, it's only then he's heading out. He's going to get a trim and get something to eat out rather than cook for himself. Killing time til 9 really. Then he's heading out to where they'd agreed to meet. He's approaching the wall and Alex - he knows it's Alex but he's careful not to approach too closely. He's giving a subtle nod, waiting for Alex to prompt him.

When he does he's answering, properly, his voice hushed as he comes closer. "Great corruption." Then he's coming to a stop a foot from him, extending his hand forward - there's a silver ring on his middle finger of his left hand a matching black one on his other hand the right. "Hello, Alex."

[afraid_of_my_shadow]

He settled on a well fit print top Loretta had bought him. It is one of his favorite shirts because of how comfortable the high-quality cloth is. It at least is fashionable, and he wears it with a pair of jeans one of Loretta's friends had designed using him as a mannequin, tailor fit jeans as payment. He left the hoodie at home, instead slipping a knife into an inside pocket on a replica Starlord jacket.

He doesn't arrive too early, and pretends he doesn't see Felix nodding to him. He was casually standing by one side of the arch, and only when Felix is on the other side does he whisper the question. He takes Felix's offered hand and shakes it with his own jewelry-free hand, offering a strong grip- a tip another officer had given him when he was a rookie. His voice breaks as he speaks to respond, "Good to meet you." He clears his throat and continues, "I know a great karaoke place nearby." They could rent a private room, put on some songs and no one would be able to hear them, or even question it. It wasn't strange for business partners to do as much, though they were usually surprised to see an American partaking in the hobby in the same way.

He couldn't help but notice how well dressed Felix is, and how much he would love to wear such clothes himself. It was the first time he saw something that looked both feminine and masculine being worn by a man, and it seemed perfect. He pushes a smile and starts leading Felix towards the exit. The middle of a terminal wasn't the best place to discuss their business, afterall.

[monsieurnoir]

Okay, so Felix thinks Alex is adorable. It's cute how his voice breaks. He's taking that hand in a firm steady grip and shaking it. To anyone walking by they're just two guys meeting. Maybe for work, maybe a date, maybe for a reunion of some kind. He smiles and it's a playful kind of smile - open, warm, amused. "That sounds like fun. I think I know the one you're talking about but I'll let you lead the way."

He's drawing his hand away. Alex is cute. He'd clearly dressed with both comfort and style in mind; likely an effort to impress Felix. Just like how Felix had dressed down a bit - slacks replaced with form-fitted black designer jeans, the short-sleeved shirt under his less elaborate corset vest; he does have a blazer in hand but he'd intentionally left it off so that Alex would know he wasn't carrying a gun or anything.

Felix is letting Alex lead him, keeping at his side - not ahead of him, not behind him beside him, and making idle small talk as they go so as not to seem suspicious. "I'm glad you could meet me. It's been a while and we've both been so busy." Mundane boring chat like that that wouldn't draw attention if overheard. And once they're there he'll be ordering a handful of drinks for each them; some regular drinks, others alcohol - after paying for four hours of time alone in a room. That way they'd not raise questions - They'd have more than one drink so no one would come and ask if they wanted more and ample time so that no one would buzzing them with any time warnings or anything like that.

[afraid_of_my_shadow]

Alex plays along, complaining about the damn wind the way a Londoner might tut about the rain. He seemed to be old hat at filling the air with conversational nonsense, saying nothing while speaking a normal amount.

Alex does his best to not scrunch his nose over the order for alcohol. He doesn't really judge people for it anymore, but it was hard to resist that gut reaction. He is glad to settle into the room, pushing in some numbers as soon as they enter so there is something better than the terrible stock music playing. Finally he can ask the handsome man, "So, uh, i-is there something I c-can call you besides 'hitman'?"

[monsieurnoir]

Felix is taking the drinks and putting them on the table after hanging up his blazer and locking the door. He's reaching for one of the drinks. Alex might not have noticed yet but none of them are strong. They would be the kind that would take drinking double digits to get even a weak buzz. And it's obvious he doesn't expect Alex to drink if the way he nudges a glass of soda toward him gently.

He's settling into the couch and offering Alex a smile. "Felix Agreste. You'll find out soon enough now that you've meet me. You can call me Felix. It's only fair you be able to find as much information about me as I can about you - That way we're both on even footing here."

[afraid_of_my_shadow]

Alex smiles a little, relaxing a bit with how casual Felix is. He takes the soda and opens it, taking a sip before relaxing back into the couch. "I'll admit it makes me feel better having at least that." He quickly verifies the name is legit on the burner phone. It's a normal smartphone, but a Japanese model running an unrecognizable OS. A pop up notifies him that it would create a report for him on this individual after he double-taps the image. He puts it away and takes another drink.


"Where should we s-start?"

[monsieurnoir]

"Trust me. You'll find more than enough. Though to be fair, it's all rather clean and mundane. I'm good at keeping my lives separate." He shrugged and sipped at his drink watching Alex. Where should they start? That's a good question but honestly, Felix doesn't know where they should begin. Alex had been the one to say he had things to tell Felix. Things that couldn't be shared like they had been communicating.

"I believe that's your call. This meeting is on your terms."

[afraid_of_my_shadow]

"I'll admit I'm rather nervous," he says with a silent stutter and nervous laugh. It's the first time anything illegal digitally had turned into an in-person meeting. He didn't want to slip on his other actions, that blackmail would either mean his actual name went on the most wanted list or he did whatever Felix asked of him. It isn't hard to just pretend that fear was from being a good, clean cop who never thought he would be doing something so illegal.

He readjusts himself and takes a deep breath, "So, I need to know. How thorough do you want to be?" He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Opening them again he meets Felix's gaze, "Because I have a theory, call it an investigator's hunch, but to explain it there's some information I would need to reveal that I'm not so keen on talking about with just anyone. I need to know I can trust you."

Felix might feel a sense of something unusual in the air, like it had just been ionized. Some people could feel shadows, even if their senses weren't nearly as acute as the shadow eaters had evolved to become. Or been engineered to become. With any luck, it should stand out that the CRP files had any overlapping with an international child trafficking ring investigation.

[monsieurnoir]

"Only natural really. We're putting a lot of trust in each other rather blindly. After all, you're a cop who took an oath to protect and serve upholding the law. But I think you realize that that oath can be a hindrance - especially when some people can find ways around the law and punishment. In this way, we're the same. We both want what is right I'm just not hampered and bogged by the laws written by rich men and instead answer to something a bit closer to true justice; unable to be corrupted by money or other incentives."

It was just easier for Felix to explain it that way. He had money he didn't need it. Hell, most of what he 'earned' on a job went to charities it was just his way of having proof and security because hiring someone like him wasn't legal and if the person that reached out to him turned out to be shady or willing to double-cross him - well Felix knew how to handle things.

"The more information you give me on what I'm dealing with the more efficiently I can do my job." There's a shrug of his shoulders, "I don't know how you show you you can trust me. If the fact that I'm here and obviously am unarmed isn't enough I have no idea what you'd want. Words are cheap and given my performance last night at the party it's obvious I'm something of an accomplished actor so -"

There's a shrug of his shoulders. "You don't know that you can. I could say that til my face was purple.." He trailed off at that shift of the room around them he can feel - for a second there's a prickle of unease in his eyes then he's putting the drink aside and sitting up; just a bit on edge as those silver-blue eyes scan over the room.

[afraid_of_my_shadow]

The feeling fades as Alex appears satisfied with Felix's answer. He shakes his head, "You got one thing wrong. My Oath says nothing about upholding law."

"On my honor, I will never
Betray my integrity, my character
Or the public trust.
I will always have the courage to hold
myself and others accountable for our actions.
I will always maintain the highest ethical
standards and uphold the values of my
community, and the agency I serve.

"The agency I serve does not uphold the values of my community internally anymore. I will do what I must to fix that." Sure, he's talking semantics, but those semantics are very important to him, and even while he speaks calmly, there's an undertone of intensity, pride in his word, disgust at all those who would break their oath and the whole system that supported them.

"How much do you know about the organization I asked about, The Children's Rehabilitation Program? CRP?" He pulls out his phone again and pulls up some documents, a report, home-made but with more detail than most police files on known criminals, though it was far more interested in the daily life and actions, not just connections and criminal actions. He doesn't pass them to Felix yet, not wanting to get ahead of himself.

[monsieurnoir]

"Mm, close enough honestly. All police forces take some variant of that oath, I certainly don't have the time or inclination to memorize them all verbatim for every place I work from." But there's a little smile at that. Good. That's definitely good.

"I showed you most of what I found so I know that. But I have a sinking feeling that with a name like that it's a hell of a lot shadier than I thought." His brows furrow and he's rubbing at his chin. "It just seems like it goes a fuck ton deeper than trafficking kids and all that. I'd almost say that that's some kind of a perk of whatever is deeper under the surface."

He shook his head. "Whatever it is I know I won't like it and I also know that their protection goes pretty far up the chain - and is in multiple countries. It seems like a pretty wide web honestly but it's centralized here which is why you're here if I had to take a guess.."

[afraid_of_my_shadow]

Of course Alex had it memorized. He took it far more seriously than most- he was pretty sure he was quite possibly the only officer, even among the ones that follow the spirit, who actually has it memorized. He hands the phone over to Felix, a screen showing a number of names he would recognize as involved in this ring, and everything he had collected on them.

"It's a mass human-experiment, t-the CRP, that is." He swallows hard, "Any product of this program stays quiet. If we didn't, we wouldn't get our supply of these." He pulls out a pill bottle and offers Felix one of the pills. "Without it, something goes wrong in our DNA. It's..." he shivers. "and if that doesn't help, they fall back on the claim that the DNA tests were to test for mental illness triggers as a preventative program. But it's easy to lock people up if the rest of the world will call you insane if you bring any of this 'conspiracy' forward." He looks up to Felix, anxious to see if he would believe him, or if he wasn't familiar with the heavy local and targeted political propaganda.

But the USA wouldn't do that, it's illegal, and the CRP 'patients' are all unstable, of course they would be, that was the point. The number of normal people that come out is clearly an indicator of success, right?

"I'm not here just because I want to fix this, but because Furest is my father. I'm also a victim of the CRP.

[monsieurnoir]

He's leaning forward to take that phone when it was offered to him. Those icy blue eyes are scanning over the names. Idly, Felix is ticking off the ones that he knows and has been before in his other files. Right.

"I knew to was going to be something shady that I didn't like. Goddamn it." Teddy was right. He did always find the weird and over the top cases to take on But at leat Felix will never ever be bored. "Genetic modification and manipulation then. On kids. Fucking kids.." It makes his stomach churn and feels sour - And the parents. The parents were complicit? And he thought that his father was a monster.


Holding his hand out he's taking the pill. "So you need this then? This pill and they withhold it if you act out?" He's staring at the pill gaze intense. "Can I take this one? If I take this all down you will I need this won't you? It would be better if I could figure out the composition of the medication and see if I can find a way to produce it for you and the other victims - I know a few people in this kind of thing; very hush, hush that has been on my payroll for nearly a decade."

Felix is blinking at that anxious look. "Well, yeah. That's usually how it works. Granted, there are some things that are obvious bullshit - but these files are in front of me, you're in front of me. I found some of this information independently from valid trusted sources."

The blond tilted his head. "Well, yeah. While I wanted to hope that it wasn't the case no matter how slim, I know the look of someone who has been betrayed - your anxiety, the way you were when we were first talking. There are signs of you being betrayed by people who were supposed to take care of you - and that it's deep so it couldn't have been just your captain or anything like that - the hurt is deep; one that deep? It can only be family."

[afraid_of_my_shadow]

"of course," he says as he gives the pill to Felix. He still had a bad habit of putting off taking them, enjoying the bit of time he could grab without seeing other's shadows before it began to make him really sick.

He didn't expect Felix's simple, truthful words to hit him in his core. He looks at his hands for a moment to see they're shaking. He diverts, "They should be replicable. It's a patented protien, however, so not legally. And if one us the resistance were to start giving them out, well, it's far too dangerous. They haven't even caught a scent of our actions." And it meant it was taking years, but with how powerful weapons they made to the government they could not risk someone getting dragged off, and force to spill everything they knew one way or another.

"From what we've gathered, there's at least some tacit involvement between the two groups. They have much more control over the newer 'patients', and I recognized one of them years ago while I was still sometimes working for my father. They've also moved to provide boarding as well.

"Parents, well, most of them, aren't entirely complicit. They're made to sign a non-disclosure before getting the test, and the technicalities in the contract say that the test meant agreement to program participation. If they didn't qualify or they believed the parents to be a risk after the observation stage, a part marked as a part of the required testing needed to determine eligibility, they are denied. Only after that is anything mentioned, and it's still framed as a wonderful new technology. They never mention that it would change DNA enough to disqualify us as humans after the International Animal Rights agreement of 2015." He sighs, "and all reports to international human rights groups seem to disappear as well."

His voice cracks, "And of course there's nothing to do by US laws. We're nothing more than dogs."

[monsieurnoir]

He's moving to get his coat and taking out a cigarette case that he puts the pill in so it won't get lost or crushed. He's moving to sit down.

"The question is will it hold up and if so can it be replicated in a different manner or can one be made that is similar enough to be just as if not more effective. Their patent is for that specific arrangement of molecules - if it could be recreated with one or two different or made more effective with a couple added in their patent wouldn't hold up. And if they're all dead or taken under arrest for these kinds of crimes that patent could be up for grabs."

He shook his head. "I wouldn't be you giving them to them directly. I would just need someone to let them know the name of the supplement it would become and so on..."

That helps marginally that helps. He doesn't want to kill a lot of people but.. It help him to know that. "Alex..." A frown tugged at his lips and he moved to sit next to him reaching out to pet his hair gently.

"Sh... Shush of course you're all more than dogs. All of you are people. Different people from me or anyone but that' always been true. Even without altered DNA - That doesn't change anything at all. You're still human just a different kind."

[afraid_of_my_shadow]

Alex looks confused when Felix sits next to him, but when Felix's hand lands on his head Alex jumps, moving back, hand going towards the knife hidden in his jacket- though he could have just as easily been going to the place he usually kept his holster and gun. He blinks and takes a breath, relaxing. "I'm sorry," he says, shaking his head and relaxing. He allows Felix to comfort him this time, "I know. I-I know." He sighs again, "But it does not feel that way, usually. We don't have human rights. We can't even vote."

He takes another drink, "We may be able to get the older shadow eaters to help, but with the younger ones, even if we were able to free them, most would probably need to be deprogrammed still." He looks into the drink, "If... if there's anyone who would have insight into how the trafficking ring 'trains' it's victims and would gladly share all the details on that, it would be me." He worked alongside his father before he had the capacity to know how wrong it was, and then after trying to do anything he could to help the victims. Advice on how to stay strong, ways to ease pain, anything at all to help them survive. He kept waiting for one of his reports to be listened to, for something to be done, but that help never came. "When I started my police training, my father changed the locks and his number, but he hasn't even bothered moving or selling the building, or anything most in his position would have done." He grips the drink harder, "The two years since, I c-couldn't tell you how many... I often find myself wishing I hadn't wasted my time."

[monsieurnoir]

"Easy. Easy, Alex." He's holding his hand up as he reached. "I'm unarmed, remember? I'm just trying to help. You look upset..." Felix is petting his hair gently, just lightly petting him and letting him calm down and get his emotions under control again. He's just going to quietly be here and let him work through this and listen patiently.

"Then that's what we'll do. I'll handle everything and when we free them you'll have to help them learn and adjust. Don't worry about your father and his locked doors or changed phone. I'll handle him soon enough. I'm just digging into this a bit deeper for a while before I get started." It's part of Felix's process. Dig into the person, investigate a bit - figure out his method of murder and the intricate details of clean up, that way the person that hired him won't know when he's going to act or how; and Felix leaves no signs of himself behind. It's just easier that way.

So Furest is a shitty dad all the more reason to fucking kill him. "You haven't wasted your time. You tried to do things the right way. In a just and good world that would have been enough but money and favors dirty hands and corrupt those who are weak and selfish."

[afraid_of_my_shadow]

"I know, I know," he reassures Felix. Having your head pet isn't something that really happens too often and remained a remnant of his PTSD triggering whenever he was touched. He wouldn't have been approved for patrol if he hadn't gotten it under more control, but he doubted he'd ever be over that trauma. He lets Felix reassure him, though he guides Felix's hand to the back of his head and neck. When he relaxes enough to be able to enjoy the feeling of having his hair stroked there's a noticeable difference in his posture. His shoulders drop, his back lengthens and bones click.

"I already have that info. It's just how brazen he is that upsets me." He shakes his head, "And even if we do free them, it won't do much if we don't rip out the rest of the infection as well." He looks back to Felix, "But if we focus on the trafficking ring, we'll destroy their supply of new blood. They would have far fewer people available to use to build an army." He looks into Felix's eyes, making sure to emphasize the scale of what else is going on. "Let me focus on the CRP for now. We need to cut them off before we can think of handling them."

[monsieurnoir]

Letting Alex guide his hand he's petting and kneading there gently. Deceptively soft fingertips digging lightly into tensed up muscles. "That's better. There we go. You feel better now? See? Perfectly fine." He can't help but fall back on old habits from when his brother used to have panic attacks.

"I know you do but I need to do a bit on my own. No offense but I can get to places you might not be able to. I can dig deeper into the dark and not worry about anything like my job or anything like that. Right now, I'm going to need you to act like you're doing absolutely nothing - Act like nothing has changed. Go back to being a good officer maybe even resubmit some of your reports and things about this just to keep up appearances that you don't know anything is going on. Play dumb."

Felix nods. "We are starting there. Why do you think my associate and I went to that party last night? We're making connections and playing into their game for now so I can gut the old house from the inside. I just need time to find the support beams I need to take out to make it all fold like a house of cards in a hurricane first. It's delicate work and I want to dig into that connection between them and the CRP - There has to be one. A bigger than that some fleeting overlap."

He felt it in his gut. ANd his gut was usually never wrong. "I'll let you handle it for now but we need to openly communicate about this, alright? I'll be going to more of their parties with my associate. I will likely be coming out with names and even pictures of the people involved."

Felix had been smart and wore his glasses last night and on all his documentation he was slated as needing glasses due to poor eyesight. Technically, true he however, had a tiny little camera implanted into some of his sets. Alex had told them no wires or weapons so they hadn't done that but they had ways of getting things in undetected. Who would notice a camera the sizes of a grain of salt hidden in glasses or a watch or a shirt button? Who would notice a mini-mic in a lapel or tie pin?

[afraid_of_my_shadow]

"I have some contacts I can connect you with a dealer specializing in military top-secret grade spy equipment. You'll need devices that can cloak the fact they are powered if you happen to run into the wrong person or enter the wrong room." He hesitates for a moment, but decides, "And I know someone who can get you just about any weapon you can think of, possibly even make you one." Some people he knew via his persona as Hackrat, others had been recruited quietly to their side while fighting the CRP.

He gives Felix a weak smile, "I can keep you more than informed." He wasn't sure why his heart was fluttering, Felix was basically already on board. But Alex's lack of skill in judging people up until just the last few years meant that he, out of an excess of caution, would not open up their digital archives without one last test. "If you can meet with Mikel, one of his powers allows him to make certain you cannot share the names of the other people involved. That's what we've asked of everyone. He's the only one who doesn't have it, but only because he can't use it on himself."

He hoped Felix didn't think it monstrous. It was a personal intrusion into one's mind it was only natural to recoil from it. But they needed that kind of defense with the powers the CRP surely had under their control. "I'll go back to doing my usual. That's been my whole life. If any officer out there can act like nothing's changed, it's me. I've been helping lead r-rebellion for the last 7 years."

[monsieurnoir]

"That might be helpful. Yeah. I don't really need a weapon guy but if I do it'd be nice to have extra contact in case my current guy is out of pocket." His head tilts a bit. "Hm, it might be worth it for something custom. Teddy would definitely like that."

The blond frowns a bit his eyes narrowing slightly. "So you're asking me to let this guy into my head? To make it so I can't tell anyone what happens if I get caught or something?" Leaning forward he's picking up his drink and taking a sip. "So then it won't mess with anything else that's in there? And you won't be finding out anything I don't want known that's all in my head?" Because he has secrets to protect and he's not going to just let some dude go prodding around in his head without asking a few questions first.

"Good, then that won't be a problem. Though I should warn you when you go diving into my background you're going to find a few connections I have that might be a bit surprising. Interpol for one. A few other things like that - It's nothing to worry about we're all on the same side." It was a connection they hid very, very well but if Alex managed to find him as a hitman he might find that.

[afraid_of_my_shadow]

"I had a feeling already. There are some databases that you can't hack into." Like some of the interpol data Felix sent him. It's impossible to hack a system that had no extranet connections without accessing one of the computers on the network, and even then you would only get a snapshot, not be able to access updated information. If you had a connection in Interpol, however, it doesn't take a hacker to use a photocopier. It does, however, take someone who has up-to-date confidential data as well as a familiarity with how leaks of the type are obtained to recognize it.

He smiles,"I mean, I'm police, so who am I to judge other criminals for legal affiliations."

His expression gets a little more serious to address Mikel, "I swear he will not mess with anything else." While most would not trust someone swearing to something in the modern day, Alex rarely spoke to people he didn't know well, and those who do know how seriously he took such vows. "He c-can mess with other things in theory, but you would know. You c-can feel the intrusion." He takes a drink and lines up another song with a chuckle, "When I w-was younger he used that power on me 'c-cause he thought I was doing drugs or something from how sick I looked. F-found out about Father instead."

He looks to the side, the shame creeping up on him, "He's not stupid enough to hurt an ally. He's been the one asking to shed some blood. He'll be glad we're letting him off the leash." Mikel was a military trained German Shepard in a human body. He is disciplined, but more than eager to take someone down. "I can have him join us, if you want."

[monsieurnoir]

"That is true. It's helpful to have connections like that." He has more than just Teddy as a contact, Felix has contacts in a lot of countries. Anything like that that will help him do his job, he's managed to pull together a pretty decent network.

Felix is considering for a long moment. "Call him. Have him come. I'll do this but I have conditions. I'll explain when he gets here so he knows the line that way I don't have to do it twice." There were things Felix won't allow anyone to dig into. He has secrets from his life in Paris and London. Things that aren't his to share but that he must protect at all cost...

[afraid_of_my_shadow]

Alex sends Mikel a quick message and smiles, "Of course. We don't want to dig. We just also don't want to be found out." He lays back into the seat, "Since that was my main question, we can just wait. He should be here soon. Do you want to sing?"

Alex was considering having just enough of one of those drinks to not be so nervous about singing that he loses his voice trying. Thirty minutes of just letting someone else sing, with only him sitting there was just too awkward. But he couldn't think of any idle chatter, he had always been bad at that. Then what drink would be just enough without taking long enough to hit him it would be almost as awkward to start as it would be to keep sitting there quietly. He silently hoped that Felix started talking about something at least vaguely interesting where he didn't have to figure out how to not make things really weird, all while offering him a microphone.