The medics declared there was no need for Don to go to a hospital, as all damage he'd sustained had been superficial. Besides, he wouldn't have let them take him away anyhow; Not when there was so much more excitement to be found.
'Where are the others?' he wondered, not seeing anyone else from the group there. 'They must've gone back.'
He got out of the ambulance truck and was about to turn into a hawk, but then noticed officer Norm walking toward him.
"That was good work you did in there," the man told him, looking like he expected to instill some pride into Don - something he wasn't interested in in any way. "If that was me in there, I definitely would've died. I owe you." He took out a piece of paper, then scribbled something down and handed it to Don. "If you ever need a favor, don't hesitate to ask. Sean will likely get on your ass about a lot of things. Even if it's something as small as calming him down, give me a call." The captain then did something Don didn't see coming; He saluted him, then walked away.
Was he above the police now? Is that how Helter Skelter worked?
'One way to find out.' Don used Polymorph to turn into a hawk, then took off toward his office. The bandages put on him fell off, but he didn't mind. 'A little blood never hurt anyone. Well, unless they're a hemophiliac. A hemophiliac would be pretty screwed. Good thing I'm not a hemophiliac. Why am I thinking about that word so much? Hemophiliac. Hemophiliac. He-mo-phi-li-ac.'
He was so lost in thought that he just narrowly avoided flying into a pigeon. Taking that as a sign of being pumped on adrenaline, Don tried his best to remain careful for the rest of the trip.
Once he got back to the office, he walked in on Jordan getting dressed. She was doing it at the bar. Dean was in the room, too.
Don was neither shy nor embarrassed, because he just wasn't interested. "So are you two a thing?"
Dean smirked at first, but it turned into a sulky frown after Jordan burst out laughing.
"No chance in hell, kiddo. I've got standards."
The two seemed to have compatible personalities to Don. Neither one took things too seriously, and both were fairly friendly and social. Dean was undoubtedly the better looking of the two - which was was always the case when you compared him to someone else - but she was pretty attractive, too. This could all only mean one thing.
"You're a lesbian?"
Dean looked taken aback, but Jordan just laughed again. "You're a pretty smart kid, y'know that?"
"So I've been told."
Then she got in his face. "The last guy who tried to analyze me was my shrink, and his car wound up mysteriously being set on fire afterwards. Don't do that shit again."
Don just nodded. 'She's got a tragic backstory she doesn't want me learning about. Maybe in a later chapter.'
The woman's smile returned. "Good, good. We're all caught up now. Well, not really." She gestured toward the room from which the phone had rung earlier that day. "Bossman wants us to figure out who was behind the trap right away. Man, doing two things in one day is exhausting."
'Just how little do you guys actually work!?' Don thought, but, once again, decided not to voice it.
"You can rest if you want to," Dean said. "Sean's gonna take a few hours to theorize about all the possibilities. He's going through the list of espers we've dealt with in the past to try and see if this big bad mastermind could be one of them. You can do whatever til' then."
Don nodded, then realized something. "How come you're not hurt?"
Dean smiled. "One of Sean's abilities is the healing factor his blood provides. The more you drink, the better you feel."
Don made a face, and the other two laughed. "You drank his blood?"
"It's not as gross as you think," Jordan reasoned. "Well, after you get used to it. Actually, it's still pretty gross. It's even grosser when you do it after lots of moving, so his skin gets all sweaty." She shuddered, then laughed at herself.
Dean's phone rang. After looking at it for a few seconds, he smirked. "I'll be back in an hour. Gotta go recharge."
"What do you mean?" asked Don.
Jordan swung her arm around his shoulder, which he quickly deduced was a habit of hers. "He's gotta work on his sexy-vibes, don'tcha, Deanie?"
"Well, I'd do it here, but apparently someone's too good for me." The blonde shrugged, smirking at his small victory, then started leaving again.
The door slammed open before he could, and a teeny tiny Asian girl walked in. Her skin was as white as Sean's, and she had her black hair styled in twin-tails. Her black eyes were cold and uncaring, and she was dressed like a schoolgirl.
'Oh, great,' Don thought. 'A stereotypical character joins the cast.'
The girl looked from Dean to Don, then to Jordan, and made a sour face. "Why does it smell like little bitch in here?"
'Or not.'
The newcomer looked Don up and down, clearly analyzing every bit of him, making him feel completely nude. She had the same judgmental eyes as the boss. Suddenly she didn't look so small.
"Who's this?" she asked.
Dean was clearly uneasy around her. "Don Dellinger, the newbie Sean talked about. Remember?"
The girl shrugged. "Lan Li. Pleasure and all that."
"Yeah, hi."
"So what's this about a bomb I heard about? Didn't even think to inform me yourselves, huh?" She started walking toward Dean, who shrunk back as a result. "Had to get it from the news. Is that how you treat colleagues?"
"W-Well, I figured Sean would do it."
"Well, he didn't, either. Where is he?"
Jordan threw her thumb over her shoulder, gesturing for what Don could only assume was the man's office. "He's on a roll, though. Don't go interruptin' him until it's safe."
Lan nodded.
'So even she's scared of him?' Don figured. 'If Dean's allowed to leave, does that mean I am, too?'
"Don't even think about it," Lan said, glaring at him. "You're staying here and helping me go through the paperwork I got. Consider it a lesson from a higher up."
"We've actually got the same position."
"Are you talking back to a superior, kid?"
"We actually look the same age."
"Are you calling me old, kid?"
"Well, you keep calling me a kid, so no."
"You've got an answer for everything, don't you?"
"And you've got a stupid question about everything, don't you?"
Dean just quietly sneaked toward the door while the two went back and forth. Jordan just enjoyed the show, smiling the entire time.
"Paperwork, now," Lan insisted.
'I really wanna break her neck right now, but I can't afford to disobey after being late.'
"Fine, but only because I want to."
Jordan gave him a thumbs up as Lan took him to one of the other rooms, mouthing the words "good work".
Don just looked deflated, and was stuck in the stuffy office for the rest of the day. The paperwork was about the bank heist-turned assassination attempt, and he tried to give as many details as possible, from the men's vapors to the explosion at the end.
When it was around 3 PM, Sean opened the door. "I've got a lead. To the meeting room now."
The meeting room, as it turned out, was the bar area. Jordan was tipsy again, and Dean had returned at some point. Lan silently went over to the couch and sat down, leaving one of the armchairs for Don. When everyone was seated, Sean picked up a piece of paper form the coffee table.
"Just to clarify," he started, "have any of you seen an actual bomb go off at the bank?"
Dean and Jordan shook their heads, and then all eyes fell to Don.
"Well, I actually saw some red mist coming from one of the guys. I thought you would've seen it, too. My bad."
Sean glared at him, while Jordan whistled, impressed. "You actually paid attention in a high-tension situation like that? Damn, kid. You've got balls."
"You should have mentioned that before," Sean stated. "To make sure you learn from your mistakes, I'm putting you on cleaning duty."
'Motherfucking cock-sucker bitch cunt,' Don raged inside his head, but his smile never faltered. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."
"I wasn't able to find anything about a bomber like this in our previous cases. The only ones we've worked with so far are either dead or still incarcerated," Sean continued, staring at the paper. "I did remember something else, though; Something similar to this happened in London a few months ago. You all remember Unbound's first failed case, right?"
Unbound.
Everyone knew that name. He was the most powerful and most famous esper on the planet, with a unique vapor that allowed him to create and control a special type of darkness. He was practically a superhero, and was the leader of the Esper Rights Movement. Almost every young esper aspired to be like him.
'They're all clearly impressed,' Don thought, noting the rising excitement in the room. 'Overrated idiot.'
"You mean this is related to that?" Dean asked, barely keeping himself in his seat, looking like a middle school boy in front of his idol. "I hope you're about to say what I think you're about to say."
Sean nodded, and Dean and Jordan both pumped their fists into the air.
"Oh my god. I can't believe this is really happening," the woman cheered. "We're actually gonna meet him."
"Oh, man. What should I wear? Would a suit be too boring? Or is it just professional enough? Man, this is like a dream come true for me."
"Dude, should I actually wear a dress for this? Would a suit be too much for a woman? I don't wanna come off all stiff."
"Maybe a shirt and an office skirt?" Dean suggested.
'They look like they're having a meaningful philosophical debate.'
"That's enough," Sean demanded without raising his voice. He didn't need to; The man practically radiated authority.
When he wasn't wearing an apron, that is.
"Sorry, sir," the two muttered, sitting back down, looking dejected.
"But yes, your assumptions are correct. I've contacted London's own Esper group, and they put me in touch with Unbound. We won't exactly be in the field together, but he's gonna come here to personally give us as much info as he can. Try not to embarrass us. If we makes a good impression, Helter Skelter could get all sorts of financing, and we could definitely use some funds." He definitely looked at Jordan when he talked about the embarrassing part. "That's all for today. You're dismissed. Unbound will be here tomorrow; Try to behave."
"Yes, sir," the all said in unison, then started packing up.
Don hadn't brought anything, so he just went straight home.
"Hey, need a ride?" Dean offered, fiddling with his car keys.
Don smiled. "Is that all you're offering?"
Dean smiled right back. "Depends on whether or not you play your cards right."
Though plenty good-looking himself, Don had to admit Dean had him beat. He wasn't used to having to be the one to try.
"I actually live on the outskirts. Wouldn't wanna make you go out of your way. Thanks, anyway." He turned around and started leaving.
Dean, as insulted as Don had predicted he'd be, hurried to keep up. "It's not problem; Really, I was just going there myself."
Don smirked. "Oh? And where exactly are you going?"
"J-Just a friend's place." Dean was nervous. Good.
"Well, then you better go ahead and not keep your friend waiting."
Blowing a kiss Dean's way, Don left him in the dust, then hitched a cab home.