The Curious Case of the Two Dirk Gentlys

53: Playing For Time

The fire continued to roar in the corner and showed no signs of slowing down, yet a sudden chill came over the room with Priest's presence. Everyone knew that Dirk, Bart, and Mona were safe from Priest's gun, they were far too vital to Blackwing's continued existence, but one wrong move risked putting everyone else in danger. Priest knew it, he reveled in it.

"How did you find us?" Asked Todd.

"Well, let's ask Icarus shall we? Icarus, how do you think I found you so easily?" Priest grinned.

"I don't know." Dirk snapped back.

"Then try some deduction. Do you remember when you were little, when you were an iddy biddy child barely tall enough to reach my waist, and we had that conversation about what you wanted to be when you grew up? Do you remember what you said you wanted to be?" He asked.

"A detective. I've always wanted to be a detective." Dirk scowled.

"Now, Icarus, you know that isn't true. No I believe you wanted to be a secret agent like the ones your mummy watched on the TV. Do you remember why I said you couldn't do that?

"I wasn't subtle enough." Dirk muttered.

"You weren't subtle enough." He nodded. "It's hard to believe how right I was. I found these two idiots making a ton of noise kicking our walls down and you were virtually sending me smoke signals."

He pushed Richard and Robert forward forcing them into the tiny space. Farah was right, the rooms were extremely uncomfortable when everyone was crammed together.

"Bart, I know you're confused right now." Started Ken.

"No I'm not. I'm not confused at all." Refuted Bart.

"But if you just take my hand and come will me I promise there won't be any consequences...even though you killed a member of my staff and quite literally stabbed me in the back." He reached out his hand once more. He knew she was unarmed. While he had been far too late to see her lose her knife on the CCTV Enderson, a rare file reader among the gaggle of soilders, had been his relay as soon as he was aware of the problem. If Enderson knew then Ken knew. To say that Bart had only killed 'a' staff member was wildly outdated information.

"I'd stab you again if I could." She hissed. Ken nodded in silent defeat and let his free hand drop down to his side. Why did he ever think he could tame the wild beast twice?

Dirk was paying very little attention to this conversation. Not out of disinterest or rudeness, not entirely at least, but out of a need for a calculated plan. There were two sides to being a holistic detective. The first was the way he liked to be, the way he chose to present himself. It was choas, unpredictability, the feeling of being pushed to and fro by the stream of creation. Then there was the second side, the hidden side, the side that even his closet friends was yet to see. It was the ability to be completely still no matter how fast the world was moving. His surroundings could be loud but his mind would be quiet, the room could be crowded but he would be alone. It would just be him and the universe. Two sides, two competing entities, joined by a silent conversation as everyone argued around them.

There was something coming, that was incredibly clear. It was like a burning light in the corner of his mind, rushing towards them at an amazing speed. He didn't know what it was, he didn't even have a vague idea of what the options could be, but it was coming to save them, or at least attempt to. That just left one question: how to stall?

That instantly resulted in another question. Why hadn't they been moved yet? Blackwing didn't want them in a small room surrounded by smoke. Blackwing wanted the holistics locked away and God only knew what they wanted to do with the rest. So why were they still stood around talking?

The answer was obvious. They couldn't be moved, not yet. Two people couldn't shift a group like them alone, even if one of those people was Priest. They needed backup. The problem was backup had no desire to come. Everyone was running scared, hiding in dark corners and offices and wherever else they could be concealed. Dirk wasn't the one stalling, Priest and Ken were. As long as he could keep them that way they would live and live free.

"They've got no backup." He whispered.

"So?" Farah quietly hissed.

"So...so distract them."

"How?"

"He doesn't know." Todd butted in. "We'll just have to go with the flow."

Farah looked at Dirk and then back at their captures. She couldn't think of a way to get both of their attentions and hold it for an unknown period of time, not in such a small space. All she could think of was making a scene. She could cause a ton of noise and a ton of movement. It probably wouldn't last but as far as she could tell it was her only option. With a sudden fury she grabbed one of the few drawers that still remained in its spot and spun around like a mad woman. She could have hit them both right there and then but the distraction had to last. She released the drawer and let it fly through the air. With Priest and Ken's attention caught she made a break for the exit with no real illusion of getting out. Robert followed suit, much more hopeful of making an escape.

"What the- you stay there." Barked Priest as he gave chase. Ken's head whipped around left to right, his mind running at 100 miles per hour. To stay with his charges or catch his escapees? There was no solution where everyone won.

"Ken, you don't want to do this." Said Bart.

"I'm sorry. I have to." He replied. He was the supervisor. He shouldn't allow himself to be walked all over by a civilian. He sped down the hallway struggling to catch up with the rest. The prisoners, if they could call themselves that, took their opportunity and filtered out into hallway. Dirk stayed quiet. If something was going to come it would come. He wasn't going to risk his friends by sticking around for it.

"What do we do? Where do we go?" Asked Mona.

"Are you kidding? We run. We run in the other direction and fast." Answered Richard.

"No, we have to get Farah and Robert." Argued Todd.

"They put themselves in danger. This was their own desicion."

"That's not the point. They're our friends we have to-" Todd was cut off by the sound of a shout and struggle. Farah was speedy, incredibly so, but Robert was slow and distressed, he was easy prey. Priest grabbed him and pulled him back. He put his forearm around his throat to stop him from escaping. Robert twisted and turned in an attempt to get free yet nothing seemed to work.

"Let go of me you psycho." Robert demanded.

"Shut up or I'll kill you right here right now." Priest barked.

"Leave him alone." Shouted Farah. She doubled back on herself and attempted to rush to his aid. She'd barely moved more than two steps when she was stopped.

"Shut can shut your mouth too, buttercup." He smiled as he brandished his gun towards her. She froze. Satisfied he spun around to the rest of the group. "You three." He directed towards the ex-project. "Get in one of those offices and stay there until come get you. Got it?"

"Hey take it easy a little okay. We don't need to-" Ken started.

"Sir, with the greatest of respect you're way out of your depth. Just let me handle this okay?"

"No. You...you don't have the right-"

"A man who has been here as long as I have has the right to do whatever he pleases. You're soft, you've let everything get out of hand. It's choas. Keep going like this and everyone will get hurt. That's me saying that bare in mind. They'll tear the universe apart, they'll change everything we know, they'll-" His rant ended suddenly with a loud thud. Robert gasped as the pressure on his wind pipe was released and raced to the safety of the large group as Mr Priest crumpled to the ground. Dirk looked up sharply to see what had caused the noise. There it was. The shining racing something that the universe had sent for them.

"Dad."