Gods and Monsters

III

Charlie Quinn's apartment - Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire

Hearing the water boil and the click of the kettle, Charlie sat up from his chair and made his way to the kitchen of his apartment where a waiting mug enticed him over. Despite the debate that coveted this particular part of making a cup of tea, Charlie always poured the milk into the mug first with the teabag and then followed that with the boiling water. As he stirred the liquid in his Infinite Comics mug, Charlie caught a glimpse of his reflection in the chrome kettle that he had now placed back on the side. Running

his fingers through his messy beard and greasy shoulder length hair, Charlie decided that enough was enough.

After finishing his tea, Charlie made his way to the bathroom with a pair of scissors and clippers he had acquired from a hairdresser friend a few months back. Charlie began with the mess on the top of his head, initially snipping away smaller chunks, but as he got into the rhythm of it, inch by inch Charlie trimmed his hair back down to a more suitable length. Now for the clippers. Charlie had only done this a couple of times so had to ensure that the correct guard was placed on the clippers before he shaved the back and sides, hair falling down into the sink by the second, but Charlie knew that it needed to be done.

The task force was the first thing to get Charlie excited in months, a new adventure and opportunity, and it certainly beat sitting around in his dressing gown getting drunk and/or high by himself every weekend. Although the Embankment Incident wasn't the ideal opportunity for Charlie to meet all the others, he had a good feeling about them but was yet to meet Yates, only speaking to him quickly on the phone to arrange the specifics of Charlie's deal with the task force. Obviously, things would be uncomfortable with Peggy after Nick's death, but Charlie hoped she wouldn't hold any resentment towards him after what had happened.

Quantum Technologies involvement in the last case raised eyebrows for Charlie. Regardless of being one of the world's largest companies, and, therefore, having their fingers in more than a few pies, they oozed corruption and suspicion, and Charlie had a good feeling that the Embankment Incident wouldn't be the last the group heard from them. In fact, he had even begun making a file on them and their activities for future reference.

Charlie looked back up into the mirror and smiled at his new haircut. For an amateur, he thought he had done a pretty good job, a short back and sides and trimmed on top. A quick wash now before Charlie rubbed some hair gel between his palms, running it through his hair with a comb to keep it slicked back. Now the beard. Picking the clippers back up from the side of the sink, Charlie thought about what to do with them and his facial hair.

"Maybe some other time." He said to himself as the clippers were placed on the side and the scissors picked up as Charlie trimmed the beard down to a more reasonable length.

After washing the hair down the sink and ensuring that he was happy with his new look, Charlie made his way to the bedroom to change his wardrobe for the day ahead, just one of Yates' requests so that he appeared more professional now he would be working with the police. Removing his current T-shirt, Charlie picked out a smart white shirt and black trousers which he put on with a loose black tie over the top. The weather was unusually cold for late summer, so Charlie also grabbed a black Crombie jacket from the hanger, placing that tightly around him just in time before his phone vibrated with a text from Peggy letting him know she was waiting outside.

Rushing down the steps to the outside and into Peggy's car, Charlie couldn't help but display a beaming smile to his new partner, keen for her approval of his new look despite her clearly not being in the mood after the funeral.

"Have you done something different with your hair?" Peggy sarcastically asked with a slight smile of her own, keen to avoid talking about Nick and the funeral. "So is this one of the demands that Yates gave you then?"

Checking himself in the rear-view mirror, Charlie responded. "The outfit, yes. Although I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with it myself. The haircut, whilst suggested by Yates, was my own choosing. The long hair was too...90s grunge."

As they pulled up to a red light, the large line of traffic ahead on their way to the hospital slowing them, Charlie passed a list of his own demands to Peggy. "This is what I requested in return for my services." Peggy knew they would be stuck here for a little while so had a quick read:

To whom it may concern,

I, Charlie Quinn, am writing to let you know my demands that will need to be met for me to take part in any operations alongside Metropolitan Police and any other police forces that may require my assistance.

1. I am only to be referred to as a civilian consultant, if anything at all, by the police force when statements regarding my involvement, in particular, cases are needed. This is to preserve my anonymity and enable me to be the best asset I can be for the police.

2. I am allowed full use of any tea making facilities at any and all police stations across the UK.

3. A lifetime subscription to Infinite Comics with the magazine being sent to my home address via post each month. In the rare occurrence that Infinite Comics cease to be able to keep up their end of the deal, I am allowed to choose a new magazine for a subscription.

Not entirely sure what to make of Charlie's demands, Peggy passed the list back to Charlie. They seemed simple enough, and nothing was particularly demanding about them, so Peggy had no problems. Taking a deep breath, she was also pleased to find that Charlie has also washed since their last meeting and she wouldn't be relying on her jelly bean air freshener to keep their relationship amicable.

As the lights remained red and traffic stood still, an awkward silence filled the car which Charlie was desperate to quash."So, how was it..." Charlie asked warily.

"Let's not, eh?" Peggy replied dryly, instantly shutting Charlie down. She didn't hold Charlie responsible for what had happened to Nick, but equally she didn't want to talk about it, at least not yet.

The light turned green and traffic began moving once again so Charlie turned the radio on, Come Together by The Beatles blasting out of the speakers as the duo made their way to the case.

Continued in Part 4