I was surprised, actually, by the appearance of the man that I assumed to be Jonathon Sykes. He was a large man upwards, which didn't matter much to me, but he was also a scruffy man. His hair was short, yet unkempt, and he was unshaven, too. I suppose, though, that it fit the look of "older police detective". He held himself in a powerful manner, however - upright and straight, which was more than could be said for some people I had seen recently. His appearance, however, wasn't as surprising as his house was.
The first thing I notice after walking inside, was that while his house seems bland Iand common from the outside, the inside decorations are anything but. Expensive vases, large paintings, even fancy chandeliers are scattered about in the living room and, I assume the rest of the house. It seems to be a common trend with these people - bland corridors, expensive furnishing inside. Maybe it's a thing about keeping a secret identity, who knows? Either way, it bothers me somehow. But, I can at least commend Sykes for keeping his entry corridor lit. Points to him, I suppose.
Sykes motions for Anchor and I to sit down. Anchor is the first to do so, while Sykes follows. Anchor, naturally, chooses the couch - which would likely be the comfiest place to sit. Sykes, however, picks a chair in the corner of the room, and I go along with Anchor on sitting on the couch.
"Good morning to the two of you." Sykes greets us with formality and hospitality.
Hang on. Aren't "older police detectives", especially those in the vein of Sykes', supposed to sound gruff? He doesn't seem like that at all! I feel betrayed. So very, very betrayed... Honestly! What is wrong with him? He isn't a REAL detective! He's a fraud! I fraud, I tell you! I bet he isn't even old!
"I'm thirty-two, young lady."
And I forgot he was a telepath. Oh my god, he was listening to my thoughts. He heard me. He heard me calling him a fraud. Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. This is absolutely awful! I didn't mean it, I swear! I mean... I was just joking, that's all. Of course I was, why would I insult you like that?
"Young lady... first, what is your name?"
I'm Joanna. Wait. Maybe I should say that out loud.
"I'm Joanna. I'm a telepath, like you... So, uhm, you should forget about all of that!"
I turn to Anchor and practically beg him. "He should forget about that, shouldn't he, Anchor?" But Anchor looks absolutely clueless.
"The fuck are you on about, kid? I'm fucking confused, the hell are you doing?" Good old Anchor has my back!
"No he doesn't."
I sigh, my shoulders lowering. "Mr Sykes, please... Can you tell us about the Barranax drug? What do you know?"
I mean... if Anchor will not get to the point, I might as well. It may seem like I'm trying to change the subject to save my own hide, but... I assure you, that really isn't the case. I just want to get on with THIS case. Sykes nods, and he stands up, beckoning for the both of us to do so, too. Again, Anchor is the first of us to do so, and I follow him. As we do this, Sykes begins to walk out of the living room, and up the stairs; we follow, and he takes us into a room that itself is rather empty. The only thing of note would be a board in the corner of the room with an abundance of notes on it. So, I guess this is the room where Sykes keeps all his information on his cases. That isn't too shabby, Sykes. The man in question walks over to the board, and flips up the first sheet. Behind it is a sheet with even more notes. Anchor flicks on the light switch, giving a dim, flickering yellow tint to the room, making it ever so slightly brighter. I myself study the notes on the board, and then look to Sykes.
"The Barranax drug. It's a drug that enhances one's magical capabilities, as far as we are concerned. You can see why this would be dangerous, no?"
I shake my head. I haven't been aware of this part of the world long enough to really understand the true intricacies of magic, so I cannot see why this can be entirely all that bad. I guess I'll have to find out. "I'm afraid magic isn't my strong point."
Sykes nods back, before turning to Anchor. "Anchor, your power is what, exactly?"
Anchor looks back to Sykes, a painfully confused expression on his face. "Johnathon, you already kno-- oh. I see. Why didn't you tell me sooner? My power is water-based magic. I can draw water from almost anywhere, use it as a weapon, the like. Yes, even the damn human body."
Even the body? I suppose that would make Anchor quite dangerous. I can see why he's an agent, now. But I wonder if there are any drawbacks to that? Perhaps not - he might be more trained than I am. Ah, I maybe could have mentioned that. My telepathy... I can't use it too much, or else I'll get a super bad headache, and... it isn't great, you know?
"I ain't gonna show you, else I'd probably wreck something, but you'll see it soon enough."
Magic is dangerous in general, then, I would assume. That would make sense.
"So... Barranax is a problem because it means magic can become even more dangerous?" I inquire, looking to the board. Sykes shakes his head, however, and flips the page again.
"Barranax is a problem because magic is quite unstable. There is a chance that Anchor may not be able to control the water he draws; there is a chance his power could mess up, in any number of ways. Take a fire hydrant, for example. If Anchor goes wrong in even the slightest way, it could explode because there would be too much pressure."
I see. So magic is dangerous, powerful, but also unstable. Magic users have to be careful in what they do.
"And the stronger magic is... the more unstable it becomes. And the more people get hurt?"
Sykes nods. "Bingo. And Barranax is becoming a problem because the dealers know how to sell it in abundance. We're talking large-scale trading across the streets of London, across England. Maybe even further afield. So far, there are no reports of Barranax in America, in Europe, in Asia... but there could be. We just can't tell right now." He sighs, and turns to face a map on the wall - a map of London, with some areas marked in red.
"These are the areas that are a hotspot for Barranax dealing. We have reason to believe a gang called The Diamonds are at the forefront of this trade. This means you'll need to keep your wits about you if you are going to investigate further."
I look at the map, trying to memorise the areas that are marked. Sykes carries on with his speech. "I'd recommend that, for now, you try and obtain some Barranax. That way, we can figure out exactly what it is... how to identify it, what is in it. All that, it can be important to an investigation. We won't be able to track the source, or, I don't think we will, but it doesn't mean we cannot figure some of the biggest mysteries here."
I nod, then look to Anchor. "How are we going to go about doing this?"
Anchor turns to me, a glare on his face. "Told you, there ain't a 'we'. There's me, there's you, and I don't want to accept that yet."
I sigh, and turn back to Sykes. "Do you have a plan?"
Sykes closes the door to the room. "I do. The three of us will pose as Barranax customers at a pre-negotiated trade. The trade is set to take place at midday, twelve o'clock. I'll take you two there, and you'll try to complete the deal. Got it?"
#project hail mary
#lana del rey
#photography
#azzi fudd
#heated rivalry
