In the middle of the afternoon at Graheels police headquarters, Joe was at his desk looking through documents and videos. He was desperately looking for any lead.


    It had been a week since Rob Anvil was murdered under his watch, and he was pissed. Joe couldn’t stomach the thought of someone under his protection dying. For someone to have the nerve of infiltrating and murdering a witness at the police headquarters was unthinkable.


    What little chance he had for bringing justice to his dead friends also died with Rob. He wasn''t mentally stable, but Rob still could have provided enough information to find evidence of his former gangs wrong doing. Allowing Joe and his team to criminally convict a bunch of former members. But now, that was all thrown out the window. He was now pursuing a murder case with Rob.


    The only problem was that it wasn''t being dered a murder.


    He had watched the recording of the interrogation a thousand times to try and understand what happened, but the recording ends a few seconds after both he and Mike left the room. So, he couldn''t see what had happened to cause Rob''s death.


    When they examined the interrogation room, there were countless sh marks all over the walls and furniture. The camera in the room had also been cut clean in half and destroyed. Exining why the recording cuts out.


    An autopsy was done and the body was examined. A strange wooden disk-like object was found on Robb''s body. The object had strange writing on it and was split perfectly down the center in two. The ult researcher division within the police identified the object as a kind of suicide device. Something that members of the nameless cults carry and use when they''re caught. They theorized that it worked by releasing air pressure that would slice the user and anything nearby into pieces. It would exin the sh mark on the wall and camera if true. Combined with Rob''s mental state, it looked very likely that he just killed himself. As a result, Rob''s death was dered a suicide.


    However, Joepletely rejected that. His experience just before Rob''s death told him it was something else. That unsettling feeling both he and Mike had didn’te from nowhere. He believed that there was something that he was missing.


    Following that gut feeling, he questioned the ult researchers about the wooden object. He found that those investigators from the ult division couldn’t actually confirm the wooden object was a suicide device, only that it had a lot of simr aspects to other devices they''ve seen. Following that line, he took the object to some enchanters. Joe suspected that object was enchanted at one point. Unfortunately, they didn''t give him much information either. They said if it did have an enchantment, it was long gone.Coming to the end of that line of investigation, he was looking over everything, trying to make sure he didn’t miss anything.


    He suddenly heard his partner calling out from behind him.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “I''m back.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Good, where were you?” he said, without looking at Mike and continuing to look over papers in front of him.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “I told you already. I was asked to help look for Renny. I’ve been busy with that.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Renny? Who’s that?”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Y’know Renny. It’s the guy that’s good with invisibility magic.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Oh, right. What happened to him?” he said, while briefly pausing his work, before going back to it.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “By the light, you did forget,” he said followed by a long sigh. ”Renny went missing somewhere near the red-light district. A bunch of us have been asking around if anyone has seen him.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “If he went missing around there, he’s probably sleeping at the bottom of the river.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “C’mon, man. Don’t say that.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Sorry, I''m just being honest. If you''re a cop, you don’t go anywhere near there.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “I know. We’re all thinking it, but you don’t gotta say it.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: "Anyways, did you get a hold of the Witch Hunters?"


    One of the experts that Joe wanted to get a hold of were the Witch Hunters. Experts in the affairs of Cult matters, they would be the perfect people to ask about the nature of the object they found on Rob. They would be able to confirm for sure if it really was a suicide device of cult origins. That organization had always been easy to get a hold of, buttely Joe was having trouble contacting them. So, he asked Mike to try and contact them while he went through the evidence.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Went to the Hand of Light himself to ask for the Witch Hunters help. Said there were a bunch of administration problems with the Witch Hunter, and that''s why they''re so hard to get a hold of. The Father said he would try and expedite our request. So, we’ll just have to wait and see.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Hm, I was hoping for something more immediate. I guess we’ll have to approach this a bit differently,” he said as he finally put down the paper and turned towards Mike.


    He was about to exin their next n of action, when he noticed someone standing right behind Mike. It was a young individual who looked to be in his early twenties. He had brown hair and blue eyes and was wearing the full ck and blue uniform of the police force. The doe-eyed young man still had a pure look of innocence to his eyes.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Um, who’s this?”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Oh, right. Let me introduce you both. This is Joe, he’s the leader of our unit," he said, while gesturing to Joe. ”And, this is Dan, a new hire to the force that just graduated the academy.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Hello. Nice to meet you Mr Joe.”


    Joe cringed a little hearing “Mr” in front of his name.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “OK, but why is he here?”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Light help me. You forgot that too,” he said while rubbing his temples. “Remember what I discussed with Chief Murdockst week, about certain conditions we had to agree to.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Certain conditions…Oh light no! No, please not that! Anything but that! No! Light! Nooo! Light help me! Nooooo!” he shouted while freaking out and being extremely dramatic. A demonstration of how upset he was.


    Joe was remembering the condition he had to agree tost week. That he would be allowed to pursue the case with Rob. Under the condition, he was to take on a trainee into his investigation unit.


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Um, did I do something wrong?” he said while turning to Mike.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “No, it’s not you. Joe is just a little…” Mike paused for a second to think politely about what he was going to say, but then gave up.” No, Joe is just an asshole. Don’t take him too seriously, because I definitely don’t.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “I’m forced to take on a recruit, and you bad mouth me!”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Well, maybe if you acted more professional I wouldn''t have to bad mouth you.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “I''m sorry if I''m causing a fight between you two,” he said while looking between the two arguing men.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “No! You don’t have to apologize. It’s this jackass that should apologize,” he said while pointing towards Joe.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “What do I have to apologize for?”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “You''re the leader. It’s your job to make your teamfortable working with you and each other. Something you''re failing to do at this very moment.”


    Both Mike and Joe red at each other. The tension in the office was palpable. Dan and all the other onlookers could feel the intensity from the stares of these two. It was eventually Joe that looked away from Mike first, a subtle gesture that signaled his defeat. Joe then turned his attention toward Dan.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “For making you feel ufortable, Im s-s-so-s-sorry, ugh,“ he said in a way that made it sound like he was almost vomiting.


    Mike red at him and shook his head.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Even when you apologize, you''re an asshole,” he said with a look of disbelief.


    Joe looked back at Mike and raised his hands and made a gesture that could bemunicated as: “What do you want from me?”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Fine, whatever. I’m going to grab a bite to eat with Dan and teach him the ropes. You can stay here and look over video footage on repeat for twelve hours, like you’ve already have.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “No way you are training him alone. I don’t need you training this kid to be another Mike. You''re already on my ass enough that I don''t need two of ya.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “OK. If you''reing, you''re buying.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Whatever,” he said while rolling his eyes.


    Both men proceeded to leave the police station with the newbie in tow.


    ??????????????????


    Joe and crew drove fifteen minutes east from the headquarters to arrive at both senior investigators'' favorite restaurant. Benny’s Diner.


    The all day breakfast diner was wedged between a bar and another restaurant. The building was at one point in time an old movie theater, a fact that was reflected in the exterior of the building. However, the inside waspletely redone into a proper eatery.


    Both Joe and Mike came here often to eat. They liked the food and it was affordable.


    All three of the officers had just gotten out of their vehicle and were currently standing in front of the diner.


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Is this the ce you guys were talking about?”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Yup, best food in this part of town.” He said as he pushed forward into the Benny’s with the others following behind him.


    He entered the restaurant with a ring from the door, alerting the waitress who was working behind the countertop to Joe''s presence. This was Jenny. She was a blond hair mutant girl with blue slitted eyes like a cat. She wore a blue uniform with a white apron. Both Mike and Joe had developed a friendship with her from constantlying here to eat.


    <strong>Jenny</strong>: “Oh, hey Joe. Hey Mike. You''re guys gonna have the usual,” she said cheerfully.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Yup, and make that three of the usual. We have an extra body with us.”


    <strong>MIke</strong>: “Actually Jenny, can you change two of those orders to a full Benny’s golden breakfast.”


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “That''s like one of the most expensive things on the menu!” he said while turning to Mike in disbelief.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Exactly,” he said with a smug grin.


    <strong>Jenny</strong>: “OK. That''s one regr and two golden breakfast, correct?" she said while ignoring the confrontation that was going on between Mike and Joe.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Yeah…” he said with a groan.


    <strong>Jenny</strong>: “OK. Take a seat anywhere and I''ll have your orders in a minute.”


    The group made their way to Joe and Mike''s usual spot they like to sit. At a table in the corner away from any other customer that might try to eavesdrop on their conversations. They each took a seat at the table. Taking a quick look around, they were the only people here today.


    Noting that there was nobody here today, Joe opted to speak more openly with Dan. Not worried that this conversation would be secretly listened to.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Anyway, I haven''t heard anything about you yet. Why don’t tell me about yoursel… Are ya listening to me?” he said while snapping at Dan.


    Dan was looking away and not paying any attention to either Mike or Joe, before his attention was immediately brought back from Joe snapping at him.


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Oh, um sorry. What were you asking me?”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “What were you even looking at?”


    Both senior investigators looked toward the direction Dan was looking. There was nothing there. Just empty tables and Jenny quietly working away behind the front counter.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Got a thing for blond girls or something?”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Better question is, are you from the countryside?”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Oh, uh yeah. Why?”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Of course Murdock would give me a country boy,” he said while rubbing his eyes to relieve the stress that was building in him.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Don’t listen to him. He’s just going to try and gaslight you to try and make you apply to a different unit.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Mikey. He’s staring at Jenny cause he’s never seen a mutant.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Whoa. How’d you know,” he said, while not heeding Mike''s warning.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Country people don’t usually interact with mutants. So, you being from the countryside meant there was a good chance you’ve never seen one.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “OK. Good job Joe. I’m sure you’ve impressed Dan with your skills of deduction. Now can you stop gaslighting the kid.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “How''s he gaslighting me?” he looked at Mike with a bit of concern.


    Mike let out a long sigh.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “He is going to try and impress you with his skills as a detective while berating you. He’ll demoralize you and make you feel too inadequate to be a part of the team, causing you to apply for transfer out of our unit. He’s done this for thest three people that tried to join our team, along with a bunch of other methods to make them leave.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: "A fair assumption on your point, but I''m just asking the important questions. It’s what the leader is supposed to do."


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Uh huh. I''m sure whether or not Dan is from the countryside is so important,” he said sarcastically.


    Joe raised an eyebrow in response to Mike''s sarcasm. He then turned his attention back to Dan.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Tell me Dan. What was it about Jenny that interested you?”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Oh um. Like you said, I''ve never seen a mutant before. So, I was surprised to see one working here. I didn’t think the unhumans would work at a ce like this.”


    Mike had a shocked face at Dan''s answer.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “As opposed to what. How do you think mutants make a living?”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “I don’t know. Don’t they usually sell drugs?” he said while shrugging.


    Upon hearing that, Joe put an elbow on the table and leaned his head into his hand while looking at Mike with the biggest shit-eating grin. Joe''s questions had pointed out a massive w about Dan, and Joe was enjoying the fact that he was proving Mike wrong.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “My questions don''t seem so pointless now, do they?” he said, with a suffocating amount of smugness.


    Mike could only bury his face in his palm in frustration. Upset that Joe was proving him wrong in the assessment of the situation.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “You fucking knew, didn’t you?”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “I suspected as soon as he said he was from the country.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Um, did I do something wrong?”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Dan, please take no offense when I say this, but you gotta unlearn everything you’ve ever heard about mutants.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Huh?”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “What you just said was extremely racist. If you said that shit around certain mutants, there''s a good chance you’ll get your ass beat. ‘Unhuman’ is an extremely offensive racial slur that no one uses anymore. ”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Except for those old-timey kinds of racist,” he smugly stated.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “And don’t even get me started on ‘all mutants are drug dealers’ crap,” he said, without acknowledging Joe’sment.


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Oh, um. I-I''m sorry. I-i didn’t know.”


    <strong>Mike: “</strong>That’s fine. Just ask me first if you have any questions about mutants. But, really. What kind of ce did yae from to still spout that kind of shit.


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Sorry, I really didn’t know. I only heard about mutants from my vige elders in Starkvall.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Starkfall? Where is that?”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “It’s a small isted vige up north in the mountains. There are less than a hundred people living there, so I would be surprised if you’ve heard of it.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Wow. That really does sound like you came from a backwater.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Um, Mr Mike…”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Dan, don’t put ‘Mr’ in front of either mine or Joe''s name. Just call us by our first name.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “OK, um Mike,” he said while looking around to make sure no one was listening. “Is it safe to eat food that mutants handle?” he whispered to Mike.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: "Wow. That’s REALLY old-timey racism."


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “No. You don’t turn into a mutant by touching them, or touching the stuff they touch. You can only be one from Krimson. Don’t they teach you that at the academy?”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Mostly only how to handle the drug, and what to do if you''re exposed to it.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Well, since your understanding of mutants is pretty old and outdated, let’s go over the basics to ensure we don’t miss anything. As I hope you would know, Krimson is the main illegal drug that causes mutations. They taught you that much I hope.”


    Dan nodded his head in response to mike.


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Yeah. They showed me pictures of it. It’s a red liquid that you inject into yourself to be a mutant. In its distribution and manufacturing process, I''m pretty sure I read that it was still unknown.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “That’s right. I think it’s like, ny percent of all mutants are created by Krimson.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “If we''re being honest, it’s probably closer to one hundred percent, because I''ve never met a mutant that wasn''t created by Krimson.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “So, does that mean there is some validity to them being drug addicts.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “OK, where is thating from? That idea that all mutants are drug addicts or dealers.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Well, I always heard that it was mostly junkies that took Krimson.”


    <strong>Mike “</strong>What? Krimson is not addictive. No one takes that shit to get high.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Well why would anyone take it then?”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Oh wow. I knew the academy was bad, but they didn’t even teach you the most basic shit.”


    Mike was shaking his head in disbelief at how uniformed Dan was, despiteing straight out of the police academy.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Dan, people take Krimson to gain the ability to control aether.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Really? It can turn you into a mage? They didn’t say anything about that at the academy.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “If you aren''t born with the ability to control aether, there is a small chance that Krimson can cause you to develop that ability. Although, It is more likely to turn you into a mutant than to do that.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: "Chances are better if you are a Krim-Kid. I assume you haven''t heard about that either," he said, directing hisments towards Dan.


    Dan just shook his head.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Well, I''ll say this, and then we can stop talking about mutants. Krim-kids are people that got injected with Krimson when they were kids or younger. They do that, because children have a slightly better chance of developing aether control than if an adult was to take that drug. This is almost always done without the child''s consent. And, Krim-kids make up the majority of mutants. So, any racist ideas or moral arguments about why mutants are bad be moot, when the majority of mutants didn’t even choose to be like this.”


    There was awkward silence that followed Joe''sment. Dan was looking down feeling a little awkward.


    <strong>Dan</strong>: "They give that stuff to kids? How do parents allow that to happen?” he said in disbelief.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Orphans, money, and desperation. There’s a ton of reasons why it happens, but I don''t really want to get into it. After all, our meal is here,” he said, while pointing off to the side.


    Both Mike and Dan turned their heads towards where Mike was pointing. Approaching them was Jenny with a tray of food in her hand.


    <strong>Jenny</strong>: “OK, got your order here," she said as she sat the tray down on another nearby table before beginning toy out the food.


    The te of food that wasid out in front of Joe was: two eggs, home fries, few strips of bacon, two pieces of toast cut down the middle diagonally, and a cup of ck tea with cream already in it. Mike and Dan got the same thing, except it was on a big golden te, and in addition to what Joe had, their te contained: tomahawk steak, three different kinds of sausages, pancakes, golden hash browns, an egg benedict, something resembling peameal bacon, smoked fish, and some roasted vegetables on the side.


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Whoa! That’s a lot of food,” he said in surprise to the tter of food set in front of him.


    <strong>Jenny</strong>: “Will all this be separate bills?”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “No, it’s all on Joe''s tab.”


    <strong>Jenny</strong>: “Ohhh. I see why you ordered this now. If that was the case, you should have ordered the tinum tter. That meal has some really expensive meat on it.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Woman, are you trying to steal my wages for the month.”


    <strong>Jenny</strong>: “I assume that this whole thing is some sort of punishment from Mike. Which, if Mike is punishing you like this, he must have a good reason.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “So, you''re just going to automatically take Mike''s side!”


    <strong>Jenny</strong>: “I don’t want any involvement in your guys'' arguments,” she said, dismissing Joe''s usations. “Anyways, enjoy your meal. I know Mike will,” she said, while winking at Mike.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Thanks Jenny.”


    The cat eyed mutant nodded her head and then left them to go back to cleaning dishes behind the countertop near the kitchen.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Anyways, kid, I rmend that you transfer out of this unit,” he said while stuffing a piece of bacon into his mouth.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Please, don’t listen to him.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Why are you so insistent on keeping this kid in our unit?”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “OK, I''m going to level with both of you,” he said while chewing on a piece of steak. “I have too much work on my te and I need help. And, I know I''m not gonna get that help from you,” he said while pointing his fork at Joe. “So, I was hoping Dan could be my assistant and help me out a bit.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “But he’s like the greenest greenhorn you could find.”


    Thement made Dan visibly depressed and it looked as though he was sinking into his chair.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Dan might be young and inexperienced, but he’s got passion and spunk. And, that goes a long way in my books,” he said while looking over at Dan. Making sure Joe''sments weren''t getting to him too hard.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “I give him a month.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “You''re not doing this again. I’m not gonna let you berate Dan for no reason.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Fine. I won''t do anything this time. But, I will be honest with him. It will be up to him whether or not he can handle it and keep up.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “That''s all I''m asking. Dan’s a good kid. I think ya got a bright future ahead of you,” he said while patting Dan’s back. “Anyways, do you have any questions for either of us Dan?


    Dan was chewing some food before he quickly swallowed to answer


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Um, just the basics. What is expected of me and what, if any, investigations are we working on.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “It’s gonna be mostly helping me with the backlog paperwork for a while, I''ll show you how to handle it when we get there. As for case''s, we’re not on any right now. Well, technically we are, but it’splicated because of this guy,” he said while pointing at Joe.


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Complicated? Um, could you exin?”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Joe here is keeping the Rob Anvil case open.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “I thought it was dered a suicide. How can you keep a case like that open?”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “It’s not that hard. Since I''m the leader of our unit, I have to sign off on a finished case. As long as I don''t do that, the investigation will remain open.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Yeah. The case with Rob and his Skull Crusher gang has been forced to remain open for ten years now thanks to Joe.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “You can do that, and the higher ups don’t care?”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Oh no. They do care. Chief Murdock had been trying to make Joe drop this case for years. The only reason we’ve gotten away with it for so long is that we still do our other duties and investigations we’re given.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “That, and I''m a pretty good investigator. So, Murdock doesn''t want to piss me off too much, and doesn''t say or do too much about it.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “More like he knows you’ll make a big scene and possibly embarrass him if he forces you to close the case. But, I hate to say it, Joe is a really good detective and Murdock definitely recognizes it. So, that probably also helped us keep the case open for so long.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “But how do you keep it going when the target of the investigation is dead?”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Well, I had to change the scope of the case from investigating Rob and his gang, to a murder case instead.”


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Murder? Wait, you think Rob was murdered? But, the others at headquarters said he killed himself.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Trust me Kid. If you were there like me and Mike just before his death, you wouldn''t think it was suicide.”


    Dan looked towards Mike, expecting him to rebuke Joe. Instead, Mike was staring down at his meal with a serious look on his face. Mike was recalling the unnerving moments leading up to Rob’s death.


    <strong>Dan</strong>: “Well… If it’s murder, do you have any leads? Did you see who killed him?” he nervously asked.


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “No on both ounts.”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “Actually, I may have a lead.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “You have something?”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “I’m going to get that wooden object properly analyzed by an expert. But, I might need your help doing that Mikey.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “I thought we were waiting on the Witch Hunters to help us analyze it?”


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “We are, but in the meantime I wanna ask someone else to look at it.”


    <strong>Mike</strong>: “Who? I thought you already talked to the ult researcher division and enchanters. Oh, wait. You''re going to go ask the University to look at it, aren''t you,” he said with dread in his voice.


    Mike was recalling all the times he interacted with the university, and every time it was a headache. They were difficult to deal with and anytime the police tried to make a request to them, they made you do so much paperwork. Getting a response to a request would take months, with no guarantee that you would receive the assistance you asked for. It was a bureaucratic nightmare to deal with the university.


    <strong>Joe</strong>: “No,” he shook his head. “The ult division identified it as a cult rted object, so who better to ask about it other than a cultist.”