Part 56 (1/2)
Bryce snapped out of his trance and looked at the ragged man who blocked his way with a paper cup in his outstretched hand. Bryce looked at what the man managed to gather on his own and felt sorry for him, (seeing as he hardly had five dollars to his name). He fished his wallet out from his pocket, retrieved a ten dollar bill, and told the fellow to take care of himself.
The beggar thanked him with vigor before he discarded the ruse, took hold of Bryce by the shoulder, and swept him off the street and up high to a sky sc.r.a.per above the city.
Bryce took another look at the homeless fellow and realized who it was. ”Twelve, what do you want?”
Twelve wrapped his blanket around his shoulders and asked how much progress Bryce had managed to make on the case.
”None,” Bryce admitted. ”You haven't given me very much to work with.”
”I've given you everything I know,” Twelve reminded him. ”If I knew more, so would you.”
Bryce took a breath and asked if he needed anything specific. ”I've tried to figure out who it could be, but Sara Knowles met a lot of people in her line of work. Not to mention, she attended parties religiously.”
Twelve gazed out over the city and asked when Bryce last attended church.
”What?”
”I'm trying to make a point.”
”I don't know.”
”Then she doesn't attend religiously by your standards,” Twelve told him.
”Does it matter? It's just semantics.”
Twelve took a moment to reply. A single crow flew past him, his line of sight followed after it, and it wasn't until the bird vanished into the night sky when Twelve finally asked, ”How devoted are you?”
”To what?”
”To saving this city?”
Bryce said he didn't understand the question.
”I simply want to know how far you'd go to save someone,” he clarified. Twelve turned and faced him with a tilted head, and asked, ”What are you willing to sacrifice?”
Twelve transported the officer to a dank alley where two young men held a man at knifepoint. Bryce realized he was suddenly in uniform with his gun at his side. He hadn't attracted the attention of any of the three men though.
Twelve landed at his side and whispered softly in his ear, ”Show me what you're made of.”
Bryce felt his heart race and his hands shake, but he called out to the young men anyway and walked toward them. One of the boys turned with gun in hand and shot Bryce through the throat.
Bryce opened his eyes and saw that he hadn't taken a step from where Twelve left him in the alley. The young men and their victim still didn't see him, Bryce was fine, and Twelve returned to his side and repeated, ”Show me what you're made of.”
Bryce walked forward, with beads of sweat on his forehead, as he slowly grabbed his gun, took aim at one of the boys, and barked, ”Drop the gun and the knife, now!”
The two whipped around, the one with the knife didn't relent and his comrade with the handgun only took aim at Bryce again. Neither of them made a single move though. Bryce repeated his order and midway through the last word of his command the boy shot him in the head.
Bryce opened his eyes and saw that he hadn't taken a step from where Twelve left him in the alley. The young men and their victim still didn't see him, Bryce was fine, and Twelve returned to his side and repeated, ”Show me what you're made of.”
”What am I supposed to do d.a.m.n it?”
Twelve didn't answer though. He only repeated, ”Show me what you're made of.”
”What do you want from me?”
The two boys heard him and shot him for a third time.
Bryce opened his eyes and saw that he hadn't taken a step from where Twelve left him in the alley. The young men and their victim still didn't see him, Bryce was fine, and Twelve returned to his side and repeated, ”Show me what you're made of.”
Bryce finally retrieved his gun, walked over to the young men, and pressed his gun to the back of the gunner's head and told him to drop his piece. ”I swear if either of you screw with me now I'll blow your d.a.m.n head off.”
He opened his eyes and found himself back on top of the sky sc.r.a.per with Twelve, who looked at him sideways and asked if he really would have killed the young man.
”Wasn't that what you wanted?”
”I didn't want anything other than to know how much you love this city.”
”Then why didn't you just ask?”
”I did, twice actually.”
Bryce looked away from him and asked who he really was. ”How the h.e.l.l do I know you're not Cladis or that you don't work for him?”
”I would have killed you by now and been on my merry way.” Twelve looked Bryce in the eye, ”I'm not your enemy.”
”Then why are you so d.a.m.n secretive?”
Twelve gripped his cape tightly and muttered that things weren't as safe as he'd originally thought. ”You need to watch yourself too. Don't mention these meetings to anyone.”
”Why?”
”Because I'm Deep Throat and you're Woodward,” he told him. ”Things aren't what they seem and I don't trust everyone.”
”Then why do you trust me?”
Twelve looked him in the eye and said he knew he was incorruptible. ”I need someone like you to keep things in perspective.”
Bryce only looked at him, perplexed.
Twelve returned him to the street, resumed his guise as a beggar, and vanished into an alleyway.
7:32 PM.
Bellevue, Was.h.i.+ngton Mizuno trained Nick, as it was the final opportunity to do so before their mission the following day. Mizuno cut their session short though, which Nick believed was to allow enough time for him to make it to Drake's house for the small gathering Drake had planned.
They walked out to Mizuno's car and Nick's motorcycle where Mizuno stopped him. ”Do you think you're ready Nick?” he asked.
Nick only shrugged and asked if Mizuno thought he was.