Caleb 91 - Danny
It was raining again.
I'd parked my truck in the FBI parking lot as normal and headed into the office, looping my ID over my belt as usual.
Rosie wasn't on the front desk. Instead, it was manned by a rather earnest looking young man. I saw him trying to see my ID as I went to walk past. Since I didn't have a 'badge' I guessed he had no idea if I was supposed to be there but didn't want to challenge me in case he was wrong.
I diverted and walked up to the desk, taking off my ID and handing it to him.
"Hi," I said. "I'm Caleb. I'm a consultant attached to this office."
He glanced at my ID and then looked up at me.
"Consultant?" he asked. "I've never met one of those before."
"We just help out from time to time," I said. "I'm just going up to see Dianna."
"Dianna?" he asked.
"SSA Everson," I corrected myself. He nodded.
"Okay," he said.
"Nice to meet you..." I waited for him to give me his name. He didn't.
"You too," he said and looked down.
Shrugging I moved off and to the elevators.
Dianna wasn't in her office when I arrived. I figured that Maggie might know where she was or, if not, she might know who I was supposed to be meeting. I got back in the elevator and went up to Maggie's floor.
Cuthbert smiled at me as I approached his desk.
"SSA Everson is in with ADD Forbes" he said. "She said you might drop by and asked me to tell you to catch up with Agent Drey on four. He's going to go with you."
"Thanks," I told him, heading back to the elevator yet again.
Leaving the elevator on four brought back memories. I'd last been here when I'd come to practice my Telepathy, and read Daisy's mind. That's what had given me my start in the kitchen, and the ability to wow Ness with my culinary skills. Not that it would have made any difference.
I turned left, as I had back then, and walked to where there were a group of interview rooms surrounding a waiting area. There was nobody around. Retracing my steps, I went the other way and came across an open office with several desks dotted about. Several people looked up as I entered the area, one of whom stood.
"Caleb," he shouted.
"Agent Drey," I returned. He grinned.
"Daniel is fine," he said. "After all, we're going to be colleagues.
"That's a while off yet," I said. "I haven't even finished, and passed, the recruitment process."
He snorted.
"They'd snap you up even IF you hadn't done everything you'd done. FIVE letters of commendation in your file and from disparate agencies to boot. The only time we see that level of decoration is when we recruit vets."
"They deserve it," I said. "I'm not sure I do."
"I know several people that wouldn't agree," he said. "Anyway. What's today about? Dianna said she wants me to take you up to the state pen and visit an inmate with you, a Harold Bleasedale?"
I nodded, looking around the office where several agents were working.
"They're all read in," he said. "All agents are."
"Okay," I said. "Harold attacked a friend of mine at my twentieth birthday party. I'd only just found out about powers and that I had some. I hadn't yet figured anything out, yet I stripped him of his powers, and he got arrested.
"I want to make sure that my stripping his powers stuck, because back then I had no idea what I was doing. It would be a nightmare if he got them back without anyone flagging up the danger. He'd be out of jail and in the wind in an instant, likely going back to his old ways."
"So, you're going to check and make sure he's not getting them back?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Okay," he said. "Let's go."
We left the office, this time using the stairs rather than the elevator, and made our way to the parking.
"Want to take my car?" he asked.
"Better my truck," I said. "I don't have a parking permit. If I'm here I can show I'm allowed here but if not, I don't want the hassle of a ticket to fight."
He nodded, and we climbed into the truck. He looked around.
"Nice," he said. "I've always wanted one of these."
"It was a Christmas gift," I told him, "from my father in law."
"Wow," he said. "Does your fiancΓ©e have a sister?" he grinned at me.
"She does," I said grinning back. "And she's my fiancΓ©e too."
He laughed.
"Damn." He said. "I don't know whether to congratulate you or commiserate with you."
"Oh, congratulate definitely," I said. "I'm the luckiest man alive."
He continued to look around the cabin, going so far as to open the center console, exposing the gun safe concealed within.
"Is that a console vault?" he asked. I nodded.
"I can't take my gun into school, but I like to have it with me when I'm out."
"Why?" he asked, "Given your powers?"
"Cover," I said. "If I come across a situation where I have to compel someone to do something, its far more believable that they would obey if I'm pointing a weapon at them, rather than if I just tell them. It gives me some credibility."
"I can see that," he said.
"What's your carry?" he asked.
"Normally a Glock23, but mine is currently still with the PD following the shooting. At the moment I'm have a Wilson Combat 1911 CQB. Matt steel finish."
"May I?" he asked.
I used a trickle of TK to enter the combination and unlock the gun safe. Daniel opened it and pulled out my CQB. He checked the chamber, ensuring there wasn't a round in there, and ejected the magazine. Then he took a close look at the weapon, sighting along the barrel. Finally satisfied, he reloaded the magazine and put the weapon back in the safe closing it and rotating the numbers of the lock to secure it.
"That's a beautiful weapon," he said.
I smirked. "It was a gift for my twenty first," I told him. "From my...
"Father in law..." we both said at the same time. He laughed.
We'd been on the freeway for about fifteen minutes when I saw red and blue lights flashing in my rearview. A cruiser was approaching at speed, and I moved over to get out of its way. It tucked in behind us, clearly intending to pull us over.