Puppy-Walking

by Hypatia

Yes, I know there is very little original material in this story, it owes some of its existence to Bek D Corbin and her style of stories and it also owes a hell of a lot to things from my youth, like Hill Street Blues and The Bill. So yes, I know it isn't all my own ideas, but it is all my own words…that must at least count for something. This story isn't as dark as many that I have written recently it has some humour, a lot less violence and even the language isn't too bad, I do warn you in advance that the TG is incidental rather than central, but I sincerely hope you enjoy it anyway…

Hypatia pboauk@yahoo.com

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Tears For Fears:-Mad World

When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

Arthur C Clarke:-Profiles of the Future.

 

Some notes on my use of the English Language (just a few crib notes).

I don't actually come from Liverpool; I come from the other side of the Mersey, Birkenhead. Despite this geographical inconvenience I do class Liverpool as part of my home and heritage. The thing is in Liverpool area we do talk that little bit differently. Realizing there might be a few foreigners out there reading this (and I am not talking about the Welsh) and that some of these foreigners might not talk proper like us (again I am not just talking about the Welsh), I thought a few explanations might just be in order…I don't write it like I speak it anymore, but a few local sayings might be a little confusing.

Bollocks:-A useful word with many meanings, including testicles…No…Bad…a statement of disbelief…a statement of inevitability…(not to be confused with 'The Dogs Bollocks'…which for some reason is very good)

The Three Graces:-The three buildings dominating the Liverpool Waterfront at the Pier Head, The Cunard Building, The Royal Liver Building and The Port of Liverpool Building.

Paddy's Wigwam:-The Roman Catholic Cathedral in Liverpool, The Metropolitan
Cathedral of Christ the King.

The rest of it you should get the hang of without further explanation…so enjoy…

Hypatia

PS…I have absolutely nothing against Wales or the Welsh, my father is Welsh by birth, due to the fact that Mr Hitler and Mr Goering took a dislike to Birkenhead just about the time he was due to be born. It's just…well if you have ever been there, you will know what I mean; it most definitely is another country.

Hypatia

PPS…Don't tell my father I told everyone, he doesn't like to advertise the fact…

Hypatia

 

AND NOW WITH NO FURTHER ADO, ON WITH OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION…

 

"Can we please have some order here people?" the sergeant shouted again. It did eventually have the desired effect, but I was slightly awed by this demonstration of disrespect to a sergeant. Three weeks ago before my leave at the end of basic training, I would have considered a Sergeant god, or at least his right hand man. Even my awe though couldn't stop me fiddling with the collar of my uniform, it was too new and it irritated me.

"Right now we have a new man on the team, Jason Coleridge. Any preference on a handle Jason?" Sergeant Gordon asked looking directly at me fiddling with my uniform. I resisted the desire for the earth to open up and swallow me; I made that mistake in the sixth week of training and had to be held back a week due to the trauma of being buried alive.

"Most call me Jaycee, Sergeant Gordon," I shouted back.

"Ah Jaycee, fresh meat for the beasts," a female voice whispered from my left, others were making noises about my apparent respect for authority.

"Shut up all of you!" The Sergeant shouted and this time everyone could tell that he wasn't pissing around. "Just Sarge will do, though it is nice to see a bit of respect in here. Some of you could do with taking a leaf out of this young man's book," the sounds of derision following this were proof that they didn't agree. "Jaycee is here as some muscle, he is rated a ten but has a potential of twelve. Give him a few years and I fully expect him to be able to ream the skulls of anyone of you sorry excuses for human beings and that includes you Mary, so be nice to him."

"Mother Mary is nice to no one," someone shouted. "That's why she is hoping for the Immaculate Conception."

"How would you like to spend the next six weeks as a walking arsehole?" a diminutive woman with dark hair and equally dark eyes asked. I realised immediately that this was the person who made the comment about 'meat for the beasts'.

"I'll take you anytime anyplace honey," the man shouted back and I could feel the potentials rising in the room; the hairs on my arms were rising and that tingle just behind my ear was niggling at me.

Someone here had real power.

"Don't even think about it Mary," the sergeant said banging his fist loudly on the lectern he was speaking from. "Adams you keep that lip buttoned or I will personally give you a week as a canine unit."

"Yes sergeant," the man answered but the woman didn't answer. I felt the potentials dropping, playing around with probabilities in such a blatant way needs power and Mary here had power in abundance.

"Now let's get down to business," Sergeant Gordon said. "We have two regulars on the wander, Hempleman our schizophrenic with the divine touch is off his meds again so watch out for anyone answering to the name of Jesus or God. If you do find anyone answering the description and wearing the usual long white robes bring them in and Hempleman will be sure to follow. Alderman is also off the scope…" there was a loud groan from the assembly, Alderman was obviously not a popular customer. "You all know Alderman, a grade three, depressive with paranoid tendencies. He feels the world is against him and thanks to his talent, it is…it shouldn't be hard to find him but when you do watch out. Last time we brought him in, we had injuries, three officers out of action for weeks. That shouldn't be happening for a grade three, that is just carelessness."

"Sarge, how was I supposed to predict a falling tree during a freak tornado in the middle of August, in Liverpool?" someone shouted.

"You should have been working the probabilities Jocko," the sergeant said with little sympathy. "When he lives by the motto, shit happens, you expect shit in abundance."

"Finally on the watch out list is Belmar Kruschin, an illegal immigrant from the Soviet Union. This is a big player people, a grade eight psychotic and nasty with it. This man is a major reality changer and he knows what he is doing at least some of the time…" the sergeant hesitated for a moment or two. "In Manchester he unmade three officers, just as if they had never existed. It doesn't look like they can bend the probabilities enough to bring them back, they took their four children with them too."

There was a hiss from the crowd; you expect to occasionally wake up as the wrong species when you work the Psychiatric Squads, but to be unmade was something that no one deserved…least of all an innocent child of an officer.

"If you should encounter him you call in the muscle, you need back up on this one people and that means Mary and Jaycee here," the sergeant said looking at me directly. "Jaycee, you don't even think about nailing him without Mary too. I can't put you together; I don't have the manpower to have Mary showing you the ropes, but if you are unsure, you wait for backup. Have you got that?" he asked.

"Yes Sarge," I said.

"Good," he said apparently satisfied by my sincerity. "All I ask people is that you finish the shift in roughly the same form that you started it, that keeps my paperwork to a minimum."

"Any day that you go to bed with the same number of legs that you had when you woke up is a good day," an older officer said. "Here endeth the lesson."

"You watch that film far too often," Sergeant Gordon said with a wry smile. "However you are so very right. You should all know where you are people; it has been on the board since yesterday morning so let's get out there and do it to them before they do it to you…Adams not you, I want a word with you…"

I was lost, I had no idea where this board was and everyone else seemed to be keen to get far away from the sergeant and his 'words' with Adams. I stood there waiting, feeling more than slightly embarrassed at having to ask so early in my day when suddenly I was outside, stood by a car.

"I thought translocation was a big no-no?" I said to the older officer stood before me.

"That depends on your point of view," he said.

"How do you mean?" I asked.

"It depends on your point of view before and after you have been caught," he replied. "Don't get me wrong, I have no desire to try to integrate my molecules into a wall, but if it is a choice of leaping or staying around to witness a major reality change first hand I will leap every time."

"I wasn't in danger," I protested.

"Oh yes you were, you were in danger of asking a stupid question of someone with rank. You can ask all the stupid questions you want of me, but for the moment you keep below the radar of anyone above," he said with a smile.

"Here endeth the lesson," someone shouted behind me.

"Ignore the infant," the man in front of me said loudly. "Rated a mere six and with all the finesse of a water buffalo, then again water buffalo are a touchy subject aren't they Kinsey?"

"Fuck you Mercer," Kinsey shouted back angrily.

"I'm sure you would given half a chance. Shall we go, or stand around here talking all day?" he asked me.

"Go of course," I said and he indicated I should get into the car.

"What was that about Water Buffalo?" I asked after a minute or two of driving.

"Never ask questions like that," Mercer said sternly. "If you were there you have a right to talk about it and make all the sarcastic comments you can think of. If you have to ask, you don't need to know."

"Have I done something wrong?" I asked hesitantly.

"No, I just didn't fancy puppy walking our new Doberman. Attack dogs are something that I don't particularly agree with, you are used far too often when other methods could work better," he replied then looked at me for a moment and smiled. "It's nothing against you kid and many times I have called in the dogs myself, but that should be a last resort. Besides being bad policing, if you use the dogs too often it does something to them, just look at Mary, our ice queen."

"I didn't think there were side effects," I said somewhat shocked.

"Not in the true sense of the word," he said after a moment or two. "Most of the bad cases, the people who have really lost it and cross our paths tend to be ex military mauler types. It seems to me that if you play at your peak for too long you screw the wiring in the old noggin. Take a tip from me when you have the option just dart them, forget about anything else take them down then they can dope them up to the eyeballs."

"How am I supposed to dart someone without using some muscle?" I asked unimpressed by his attitude.

"You play them at their own game, you don't need to change reality to divert their attention, then you shoot as if you mean it. You might be a potential twelve but you are rational, an irrational three will ream your skull while you are still trying to figure out what's going on."

"It sort of makes the squad a little pointless doesn't it, any plod could do that," I said.

"Yes they could," he agreed, "but occasionally shit happens, that is when we should be called in, when we are needed. The Plods as you call them do a damn fine job and it should be their job, not ours. We should not be used as a first line unit."

"Most people rate at least a one on the Reichmann Scale, so there is no way we can avoid being front line units," I protested.

"When Reichmann devised his scale most people were one and the scale only went up to twelve. Now the scale tops out at fifteen, until, of course, they find someone with more muscle and the general public is now pushing a two," Mercer said.

"What do you put it down to then?" I demanded. "The human race hasn't evolved in two generations."

"No it hasn't, but in fifty years it has gone from being something that an occasional person can do, to being something most can. What are you a third gen?"

"Yes," I admitted.

"Exactly, things change. My great grandfather was suspicious of the television, my grandfather never could work out how to use a computer and my father protested the banning of petroleum. The world changes and we all tend to learn from the generation before and through that we change the world in our own way. What you can do I doubt anyone could when I was born. My worry is that Reichmann opened a bigger box of worms than he ever could have imagined."

"You're not one of those who say we're impinging on the rights of god are you?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nah," he said with a smile. "I'm not a fundie, I am a miserable old fart with a streak of pessimism a mile wide and if you listen to half of what I tell you, you might just make a half decent officer…it's Mercer by the way, just Mercer."

"Well what is your problem with us, man has always affected his environment, now we just do it a little more directly," I said still feeling perturbed by this man.

"Man was not ready for the power of his mind, while he was ignorant it was no problem, now though he knows what he can do and as always that power will corrupt."

"I would have thought that would mean one of the CID units would be more to your taste," I said trying to lighten the conversation.

"As I said before if you need to ask you don't need to know," Mercer answered with an expression that made it clear I had strayed into forbidden territory.

"Sorry," I croaked, my mouth suddenly very dry.

"No," he replied, "don't be sorry, just remember. We all know you are new so we expect you to fuck up at some point. Until you get your feet everyone including Mary will give you the benefit of the doubt, give it a week or two you will be thinking you were born here."

"I hope so," I said honestly.

"Don't worry that's why you got me as your puppy walker, I've been there, seen it done it and survived the rehabilitation. Stick close and you'll do fine," he replied.

"Two zero…" the radio squawked.

"Go ahead," I said after fumbling with the mike for a moment.

"We have a minor reality flux in progress at St John's Gardens can you attend?" I looked at Mercer, expectantly.

"Go ahead it's your first shout," he said with a grin as he knocked on the blues and twos.

"Two zero responding E.T.A. two minutes," I said eagerly, looking at Mercer.

"Alright then, as it is your first one," he said with a smile pressing his foot to the floor, the silence of the electric engine was replaced by the gentle rumble of the LPG component of the hybrid motor, I could feel the acceleration. "Don't you go telling anyone about this, traffic will have my arse if they know I am off computer control for a minor flux."

We arrived at St John's Gardens in less than two minutes and for the first time that day I was happy, this was what I had joined for, the excitement. The excitement though hadn't finished, it might have been a minor flux but we had a situation on our hands.

"Back off copper?" the small squirrel said as I approached it, the gleaming shard of glass in its paw showed that it was serious.

"Help me please…" a young boy said from his position on the floor. The branch through the rear wheel of his bike showed how he had hit the floor; the seven squirrels with the shotgun trained on him were obviously the cause.

"All we want are his nuts," the squirrel with the shard of glass said menacingly. "Give us his nuts and he can walk, otherwise he's food for the crows."

"Easy there big guy," I said to the creature that I had at least a five-foot height advantage over. "We are all going to play this very gently and no one is going to get hurt."

"You don't tell me anything," the squirrel shouted. "You're a human and a copper and in my book that means trouble."

"I haven't got any nuts…" the boy on the floor said through his tears.

"The little bastards hidden them boss," the squirrel on the trigger said. "Do I waste him?"

"I'll make him talk," the leader said. "If the copper here moves blow the kid away."

I had to act quickly, the problem is when you are playing with sentient entities, however temporary those entities, they will resist. These were highly emotional squirrels and acting directly on them was likely to be resisted quite firmly. Instead, I decided on some third party help or rather lots of third party help and fucked up.

The first shadow was the thing that got their attention, a huge black thing sweeping across the ground; this was followed by many more. I glanced up and saw that it had worked, the sky above Liverpool had suddenly become home to a number of large birds of prey. I expected the squirrels to scatter; the most basic instinctual reactions are just about the most difficult for any newly emerged sentience to restrain. These squirrels were good though.

"You twat," the leader screamed turning around to glare at me. "Waste the brat."

The boy screamed, the squirrel nearest the trigger pulled both triggers and nothing happened. Then suddenly Mercer gave the leader a well-placed kick up the rear and all the squirrels were running for the trees chittering in their agitation. My control released the birds of prey began to scatter and as he helped the boy up Mercer glanced up at them.

"Put them back where you found them," he said dryly. I concentrated for a second and they were gone.

"It was lucky the shotgun didn't fire," I said acutely guilty at how I had inflamed the situation.

"Luck had nothing to do with it," Mercer said. "Crack it and take a look."

I did, carefully opening the heavy firearm. Rather than the usual ammunition, this weapon appeared to be loaded with sausages, rather undercooked sausages.

"Forget all that they taught you, your first priority is to make the situation safe and two sausages are a hell of a lot easier to bring into existence than a dozen eagles," Mercer said, "and a lot more effective when the initial threat was from the firearm."

I considered his words for a moment or two he was right, I had been trying to impress him.

"I should keep it simple?" I cautiously suggested.

"You are learning my child," he said with a smile and lifted up the tab on his uniform lapel to speak into. "Carolyn we need a clean up crew in St John's Gardens, someone has decided to go all Beatrix Potter on some squirrels."

"Roger that, they will be with you in five. How did the Boy Wonder do?" the voice on the other end of the radio asked. I stood there waiting for the reply.

"He kept his head," Mercer said looking in my direction.

"What about the rest of him?" Carolyn asked.

"Oh no problems here, he did ok," Mercer replied and his eyes were fixed on me as he dropped his lapel. "Carolyn wasn't here so she doesn't need to know."

"Thanks," I said and he waived his hands in protest.

"Carolyn had a nasty time a few years ago, that's why she doesn't work the streets anymore. She misses it though and likes to know all the gossip so she can be at the centre of things," he paused and I could tell he was waiting for me to ask what happened. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction though and he nodded in his approval. "Nasty things squirrels and people never think of that when they do the Beatrix Potter on them. It's bad enough with the rabbits and all they think of is shagging, but squirrels are nasty bastards…smart too…a cat would have never thought of a shotgun let alone acquired one."

"What will happen to them?" I asked.

"You tend to find that those who caused it never fully visualised the event, so the results are only temporary at best. Give it a week and Squirrel Nutkin there will be back in the trees and he won't be talking to anyone."

"They don't talk about visualising and actualising events anymore," I said with a grin at such antiquated terms. "What we do is adjust probabilities in the structure of the universe, the more muscle the more improbable an event can be achieved."

"Nah," Mercer said with a shrug. "It's all a load of bollocks…no one knows what they are talking about. Do you really want to know what makes a tree-rat take up a shotgun and start robbing people?"

"Yes," I said eager for his point of view.

He cocked a finger to me, indicating I should come in closer; I did and bent in close.

"It's a kind of magic," he whispered and for some reason seemed very pleased with himself; for the next five minutes he was walking around humming. By the time the cleanup crew turned up, I was starting to wonder if he was right about using the talent screwing with your wiring, he was sat on a wall humming as coloured lights and half formed shapes drifted into existence around him. It did keep the kid amused until the medics got there though.

"Two-zero are you clear yet?" came Carolyn's voice over the radio.

"Go ahead," Mercer said. "We're done here."

"Just about clear," I said into the mike. "Have you got another job?"

"Nice to hear someone who's keen and eager," Carolyn said in a voice that made me feel warm and fuzzy. "Can you assist two-two outside Lime Street Station, they have had an incident?"

"On our way," I said eagerly and I could see Mercer raise his hand to his forehead and shake his head slowly side to side.

"When Carolyn acts like that it means the job stinks and in this city that can mean anything…"

*****

The distance was nothing a mere couple of hundred yards the other side of St George's Hall but the traffic snarl up meant that we were walking it. I was eager to get there Mercer though had other ideas.

"Ease up there Jaycee," he said as I pulled ahead of him. "Never go rushing into a situation, especially if you don't know what is happening."

"But something might be happening," I protested.

"Oh it is happening, have no doubt about that," he said slowing down even more. "Carolyn said an incident, nothing about urgent assistance required and with how Jocko's luck has been running I would say that means he has picked up George Alderman."

"The depressive…is he a problem?" I asked cautiously.

"George is just about the sweetest man you will ever meet, unless we run into Maurice. There isn't a nasty bone in his body, it is just that running at a class three he tends to affect reality around him unwittingly."

"As a class three he can't be doing that much damage," I said.

"Oh he doesn't, it is just as The Sergeant said shit happens to George…"

Mercer was right, shit did just happen to George, Lime Street was chaos, and Jocko was there, holding his nose that was streaming blood. It took a few minutes to get things sorted but as Mercer said none of it was intentional. The sequence of events is still open to debate and theorists are likely to be working the probabilities out for years. The main components of the incident are known and it shows a mastery of working the odds that would confound any conscious mind, a rat, a cucumber, an apple, a nun, at least two hundred and fifty Rocky Horror Show fans, two cars one of which was the police car carrying George Alderman, a cyclist and a lamppost. The result was chaos, six-foot tall students running around in stockings suspenders and high heels an elderly nun in a state of shock getting violent with everyone and a very confused rat. There were only two injuries; Jocko who got the suspected broken nose from a low flying apple and George Alderman who had a mild concussion from a high velocity cucumber. The whole of the city centre was a solid traffic jam due to the position of the problem, regular police could be seen trying to get things moving and I could see the suspicion with which they looked at us.

"Don't worry about it, when all hell lets loose then they are always glad to see us," Mercer said. "Are you ok there George?"

"I'm fine officer Mercer, I'm so sorry about all this," the little man in the back seat of Jocko's car said. It was obvious why the windows had been wide open; George, before he had been picked up, had an incident, probably with a lavatory or sewer. He didn't smell too good.

"Not your fault George, I know these things just happen to you," Mercer said sympathetically. "Do you want to get out of the car, I don't think this one is going anywhere."

"Yes," George said hesitantly. "Do you think the lamppost is safe?"

I shook the lamppost that the car was wrapped around and the glass shade came loose impacting on the roof above George. From inside the car was a muffled 'ouch' as the roof dinted and hit George.

"It might be safer outside," Mercer said gently. "It can't be any worse."

"I didn't feel it," I whispered as George cautiously got out of the car. He had the look of a hunted animal on his face.

"It's not a conscious action, it is there, but far weaker than what you'll be used too," Mercer replied. I concentrated for a moment and felt something like someone tickling my arms with a feather, there was no buzzing behind my ear.

"Was that it?" I asked.

"Yes, now step back," Mercer said backing away from our prisoner, I did rapidly. From the direction of the railway station, there was a sound and a dark cloud in the sky. As it rapidly approached I was able to make out hundreds of pigeons heading in our direction as one they all let loose. Seconds later George and the police car were decorated with bird crap, most though had hit George. The pigeons didn't even slow, they were gone from my sight in a matter of seconds.

"Carolyn I need pick up on one George Alderman," Mercer said into his lapel.

"Can't you bring him in yourself?" Carolyn asked.

"No we are separated from our car due to the traffic and I am under no circumstances risking walking the streets with him, perhaps you think I should leave Jaycee looking after him while I get the car?"

"Err…no," Carolyn said after a moment's hesitation. "Mary and Tank should be with you shortly."

"How do we deal with someone like George?" I asked. "Aren't we supposed to be protecting him and the public?"

"You just look after yourself where George is concerned. His incidents might cause chaos but rarely is anyone severely hurt," from behind us I heard another cry of pain from George. The handbag that the distraught elderly nun had been using as a club against a male Rocky Horror fan, dressed in a Basque, high heels and fishnet stockings, had slipped from her grasp. It had caught George in the groin.

"What about George?" I asked looking at the poor man sinking to the floor bent double in his agony.

"Just don't get involved, if you are his salvation his subconscious just tries that bit harder, then someone might just get hurt…probably you."

As we watched a large rat ran around trying to avoid being stamped on by size twelve high heels. Seeing a dark safe hole, it made for the trouser leg of poor unfortunate George.

"I think enough is enough, don't you?" Mercer said.

"Yes," I agreed relieved that Mercer was going to help him and I felt a build up of power.

"Can I have your attention please," Mercer said quietly. The air though and the buildings around us amplified his voice immeasurably so that even his quiet breathing could be heard by all.

"Everyone who should be in the Empire Theatre, get in there now, your show is about to start…" he said and there was a clattering of male and female high heels as what seemed like the majority of students of both universities rushed away.

"Sister," he said to the rampaging nun and then had to shout. "SISTER PLEASE!" the nun stopped her assault on an unfortunate lad and looked in his direction. "Sister if you will leave the young man alone we will see that you are taken wherever you wish to go." The young man, in rather more daring lace panties than some of his companions, picked up a shoe he had lost and his handbag and ran for his life. It was probably a wise move; the nun was spoiling for a fight.

"Did anyone see what happened here?" Mercer asked looking around the milling people expectantly. There was a lot of mumbling and shaking of heads. "Well move it out people nothing to see here…"

I would have personally disagreed with him, George was trying to remove a scared rat from his underwear and the rat wasn't having it. The people though were moving quickly as Mercer approached them with a notepad in his hand. He left me to intercept the nun bearing down on George who was trying to remove his trousers to recover the rat.

"Nothing like it for clearing a crowd," he shouted to me with disgust as people dispersed rapidly, "especially in this city. Just ask if anyone saw anything…"

"Sister please," I said gently and the old woman kicked me in the shin hard.

"See I told you," Mercer said with little sympathy.

The traffic began moving again, admittedly slowly, but at least things were moving and shortly after Mary and Tank appeared. Tank was the opposite of Mary in all respects a tall muscular blond man who obviously wasn't impressed by a call to pick up George; he was less impressed when he saw the state of him.

"Couldn't you bring him in?" he asked Mercer with unconcealed disgust and anger.

"I couldn't leave the kid here with him while I got the car and Jocko is in no state to watch him…"

"Excuses, excuses, it's always the same with you Mercer," Mary snapped. "That's why you wanted the Puppy-Walking job isn't it?"

"You have never had any issues with the kids I have inducted," Mercer replied in a tone that matched hers. "If you want fuck ups watching your arse then let Adams take him out, if you want someone you can count on let me do my thing."

I could feel the power brewing, tensions were running high between them.

"Try that on me love and you will be sleeping it off for a week," Mercer said. "I won't crack skulls with you but I will dart you without a second thought," his hand moved down to his firearm to emphasise his point.

"You better be worth it," she snapped at me as she turned to George. "On your feet and get in the car."

George did, though he did bang his head on the way in when a gust of wind blew the door closed on him. Mary and Tank cautiously drove off leaving me feeling guilty.

"Don't worry about it," Mercer said. "Mary isn't one for the social niceties, in fact she's a right bitch, but when things get heavy she will always be right there by your side."

"I don't think she likes me," I said miserably.

"She doesn't even like herself, why should you be any different?"

*****

After the initial excitement, the shift seemed to calm down as the evening progressed. Mercer seemed to relax too. I soon realised that most of what he was saying made sense; yes, we would occasionally have to put our lives on the line, but most of the time it could be avoided. The art of being a good copper was in reducing tensions and avoiding conflict, rather than any direct action. Enforcing the law was what others did…our job was to protect reality, a much bigger responsibility.

"What time is it?" Mercer asked bringing me away from my thoughts.

"Nearly nine," I said.

"It'll be starting to kick off soon, always happens as we're approaching the end of a shift," he said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Who knows, I think part of it is that people are just too careless at the end of a shift, they get sloppy. So you watch your arse, understood?"

"Yes," I said.

"Good you keep listening to me and you'll go far…" he replied.

"Here endeth the lesson?" I suggested.

"My god you're getting too big for your boots," he said with a grin. "One day on the force and you are already taking the piss…" he hesitated.

"Can you feel it?" he asked urgently.

I paused thinking this was his sense of humour at work and then I did feel it deep in my gut, a wrongness.

"Yes," I whispered.

"It's coming from somewhere down by the water," he said swinging the car around.

"Down by the water?" I said with disbelief. "That must be a mile away."

"Oh sweet mother of god," he said. "He's here…"

"Who?" I asked.

"The Russian," he snapped. "Feel it, taste it…that's what a nasty psychotic feels like and I don't think I have felt many nastier than that."

I was feeling physically ill with the sensations that were sweeping over me and the sound of the radio was enough to make me jump.

"All units all units urgent assistance required at St Nicholas Place, officers down. I repeat officers down at St Nicholas Place," Carolyn screamed down the radio. "It's Belmar…"

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me," Mercer whispered with a glance up at the Catholic Cathedral which we were passing and put his foot down. The car accelerated and we sped down Hope Street towards the Anglican Cathedral. I was not sure if he was actually praying or pointing out that he was glad he had some muscle with him, however green I might be. My deliberations on this matter were swiftly dismissed as Mercer swung a left at the end of Hope Street bouncing me around in my seat. He didn't seem to be concerned about where he was steering, he was just mumbling to himself. Then I felt his power, he was influencing the decisions of those in our way, making them move so we could pass through the traffic without having to steer. I kept my mouth shut; I wasn't willing to disturb him while he was doing such a subtle operation, while driving. As we came past the police station down toward Canning Place and the waterfront, I was not able to hold back a gasp at what I saw.

"Easy there," Mercer said as we exited the car. "He hasn't even started yet, this is just the general corruption that oozes from him."

The waterfront, so well known to so many, was now a strange place to me, yet I had been here at least four times in this my first shift. The huge buildings dominating the scene were no longer well lit and no longer reassuring. They were ominous gothic monstrosities with shadows that made my skin crawl. I was sure I could see things moving in those shadows. At the far end, near the Titanic memorial, I could see a figure moving.

I cleared my mind ready to take him on.

"Not yet," Mercer said placing a hand on my shoulder. "We wait for back up, there is no way this man is an eight, a high nine at least."

"Carolyn said officers down, shouldn't we help them," I protested.

"Not yet," he said. "We don't need more casualties…"

Even over the distance and the gloom, I could see the man turn to look at us and I knew we had his full attention. He might have been a psychotic but he related to the world around him. The hairs on my arms prickled and the buzz started behind my ear.

"He's up to something," I shouted to Mercer.

"You're the muscle…block him," Mercer shouted back.

I concentrated trying to feel where he was focusing his power, where he was acting. It wasn't on us directly so the feeling was diffuse.

"The sea," Mercer shouted and I turned to my left to find a huge wave approaching us. Without thinking, I slowed the molecules within it, taking the Brownian out of the equation and the wave froze solid, as did a large portion of the Mersey too. I turned to retaliate when Mercer again stopped me.

"He's feeling you out, don't do anything yet," he said. We stood there, the super cooled water cracking and grumbling as it warmed and a mist drifting off it to cover the ground between us. Despite the mist, Belmar was still clearly visible walking slowly, he didn't feel he needed to hide from us and that arrogance was making me angry.

"You ready there sweetheart?" Mary asked from behind me. I turned to see her and Tank walking up to us, Tank was sporting a black eye.

"That's courtesy of George now keep your mind on him," Mary said with none of her normal hostility. "Did you do the trick with the sea?"

"Yes," I whispered, all my attention was on feeling what his next move was.

"Cool," she said. "Truly cool…heads up Hon."

High above us was the sound of movement, I looked up and could see the immobile symbols of a city flap their wings and scream out with the rage of their animator before launching themselves into the air. I instinctively responded, removing the air from beneath one of the Liver-Birds and it tumbled towards the ground beating its wings, a futile gesture in a vacuum. I felt Mary's power and lightening flashed, reducing the second bird to shards.

"You aren't too bad," Mary said with what I had to presume was a smile. "Ok let's nail this bastard…"

I started easy, changing the texture of the ground and molding it into walls around him. Belmar just translocated through them and continued walking as if they had never been there.

"Confine him, confine him," Tank was shouting and Mary tried to bringing roots from the earth to grab at his feet. They incinerated as they touched him and I found myself trying directly to battle against this incendiary defense. Something suddenly appeared close to Belmar, I realized that Mercer had jumped it. He raised his pistol to take the shot and the floor around him erupted in flames. Suddenly he was back by my side coughing and spluttering.

"Jesus he's fast," he said between coughs.

He didn't need to tell me that, I was busy bracing major elements of the Port of Liverpool Building, which Belmar was trying to tumble onto us by unmaking the very fabric of it. He was fast, but there were two of us on his case and after a few seconds more, I had replaced all that he had damaged. The floor beneath us gave way as hundreds of years of erosion took place in a matter of seconds, I could feel Tank behind me though, encouraging gravity to look the other way. I dropped the temperature where Belmar was standing, trying to take it as close to absolute zero as I could get, but again he responded with flames. We held there for second upon second, deadlocked, when Mary suddenly split the earth beneath his feet. This wasn't erosion like the one he had caused this was a localized earthquake that ripped the earth open beneath him and he was gone.

"We got him," I shouted loudly and found the other three officers looking at me with some contempt.

"Nah," Mercer said. "That was just the warm up…"

Other officers were arriving now; our squad and regular police, all were keeping their distance from the Three Graces.

"Jocko and Sisco are alive," Carolyn said over the radio. "There will be nappies and bottles until we get them back to their right age, but they are alive…"

"You heard that people, they are alive and while they are still warm we can rebuild them," Sergeant Gordon shouted getting everyone's attention. "For anyone who is so insensitive that they can't feel it, he is inside the Liver Building and I want an entry team…"

"We know him," Mercer said after a couple of second's of absolute silence.

"And the kid?" Gordon asked indicating me.

"The kid is doin' just fine, don't you go worrying your pretty little head about him," Mary suddenly piped up much to my surprise. "I'll go in with him…anytime."

"Tank?" Gordon said turning his attention to the fourth of our group.

"Whatever she says goes Sarge, me personally I was too busy fighting for my life to see what Jaycee was doing."

"Scream when you see him, I will have teams of three ready to jump in," The Sergeant said.

"Got your breath back yet?" Mary asked her dark eyes sparkling with her excitement.

"Yes, I think I'm ready," I said cautiously.

"You are ready," she said, then she shouted. "Come on lets do it."

"Not too much damage," came the shout from The Sergeant as we strode towards the dark hole that seemed to exist where the building should be.

"Screw you Sergeant," Mary shouted back, "and if you don't like it I resign now."

We made our way towards the building in a two covering two formation, Tank and Mercer created shadows around us and Mary and I just waited for the trouble. None came and we got closer and closer to what appeared to be a building shaped hole in reality.

"Is it still there?" I asked reaching out a hand to try and find the surface.

"It's still there," Mercer replied. "It just isn't reflecting any light at all."

He was proved right as my hand encountered ice-cold stone.

"It's like ice," I whispered pulling my hand away quickly.

"Of course it's cold," Mary said. "It's absorbing everything, now let's get inside."

"I can jump us in," Mercer said helpfully.

"Like hell you will," Mary replied. "Fire in the hole…"

"Wait," Mercer shouted, but we were both pushed to the floor by Tank. There was a loud explosion and light could be seen from the inside the absolute blackness of the building.

"As I was trying to say," Mercer said while brushing his uniform down. "Six foot to the left and you could have walked through the doors."

"Ooops," Mary said with very little conviction in her voice. "Where do you think this bastard will go, underground or is he reaching for the stars?"

"He's a cocky one, he isn't going to put himself in a hole, he is going to assume he can take on the world. He will want a stage to play on…" Mercer replied.

"The roof or the clock tower," I suggested.

"Exactly," Mercer said happily. "See he's not half as daft as he looks."

"He's still a little wet behind the ears, but he's doing ok," Mary said defensively, much to Mercer's surprise.

"I think she likes you," he said nudging me with an elbow.

"No," Mary snapped back at him. "I just don't dislike him."

I just nodded in acknowledgement.

We began making our way up the stairs; the light that was in the entrance was soon left far behind.

"How high is this bloody thing?" Tank asked from behind me.

"Seventeen floors over three hundred feet," Mercer replied. I stumbled on something and Mercer was suddenly there, making sure I didn't fall back down the stairs we had already climbed.

"Thanks," I whispered. "What was that?"

"One second let's see…" Mercer said and a glowing ball of light came into existence above his head, it crackled with energy. However, it only held my attention for a second or two. In the blue illumination, shadows came out of the walls, shadows in the shape of faces screaming in agony, bones littered the stairs.

"Dante?" Mary asked.

"Probably," Mercer replied. "Why do they never get fixated on Enid Blyton?"

"Don't start wishing things like that," Tank said with a shudder. "There was some pretty weird shit in that woman's mind, believe me, you do not want to go there."

"What do you call this then?" I demanded with more than a little panic in my voice.

"This is just another day on the job," Tank said. "Weird shit is normal, it's the really weird you have to watch out for…"

Tank was suddenly silent and I could feel the hairs on my arms rise as a potential built up in the building, Belmar had his attention on us. I turned to tell Mercer and Tank to take cover, but they were gone.

"Elvis has left the building," Mary said. "Don't worry he'll be back but for the moment it's just you and me. Are you ready for this Hon?"

"Elvis?" I said.

"Oh yes," she replied thickening the density of the air in front of us. "Elvis Presley Mercer…god only knows what his mother was doing lumping him with a name like that."

I started working in concert with her, drawing the moisture from the air and freezing it into super-cooled scimitars of ice. I kept them moving ahead of us, just in front of Mary's shield as Mercer's light tagged along with us.

"Elvis Presley Mercer?" I said disbelievingly.

"I swear," she replied ducking as a large python dropped from the ceiling. Before it hit the ground, it changed into masses of flowers. She looked at me suspiciously.

"First thing I thought of…honestly," I said quickly.

"Good, because the last thing I need is some wet behind the ears kid with a crush on me," she said gruffly, though she was still holding one of the flowers that had landed on her.

The floor was suddenly sticky beneath our feet and we were sinking into the very structure of the building. I lifted us clear and Mary slid some of the shield beneath our feet so we were literally walking on air. Something moved above us and I let fly three of the shards of ice causing three loud cracks as they accelerated away. Three loud thumps came a fraction of a second later and a large stone gargoyle fell towards us. Mary adjusted its trajectory slightly and it shattered on the stairs behind us.

"I didn't think this building had gargoyles," I said.

"It doesn't," she replied and blew at the light left by Mercer. It drifted up the stairway ahead of us and we were greeted by the sight of hundreds of the creatures climbing down the walls towards us. I hurled the remaining ice shards at them and three tumbled towards us to again be deflected by Mary.

"Close your eyes," I screamed and poured all my power into the orb of Mercer's. I could feel the heat from it as for a second or two it flared with the brightness of the sun. There was the sound of more creatures crashing to the ground behind us but the majority of them scattered.

"Good thinking Batman," Mary said her smile returning. "And no that doesn't make me Robin."

"I didn't even think it," I lied.

We carried on moving carefully up the stairs, until we got to a point where the stairs obviously narrowed and Mary halted.

"That way stinks of a trap," she said.

"Well lets see what's through here," I suggested and turned to a wall, I migrated the molecules away from a central point and an opening appeared leading out onto the roof. It was raining outside and a flash of lightening illuminated the scene for us a deserted roof. I was a little thrown by this expecting something from the depths of hell having seen Belmar in action so far. I cautiously stuck my head through the hole only to be pushed through by Mary.

"Move it kid, we knock off in an hour," she snapped. "Some of us have a date."

"Who's the brave man?" I asked.

"He is a man, which is far more than most of you children," she replied.

We hugged the clock tower at first, trying not to expose ourselves to the man directly but the view was too limiting. He couldn't see us, but we couldn't see him either. We could both feel him using his power, controlling the storm that was localized at the Pier Head and the electrical discharges from the storm were as impressive as anything I had ever seen in training. We worked our way to the centre of the roof, Mary covering us in shadow while I tried to disrupt the storm to keep his attention diverted. From the ground in front of the Cunard Building I raised a spire from the earth higher than any of the Three Graces, saturating it with salt water direct from the Mersey I had a lightening rod drawing the full fury of the storm. The violence of the strikes was too much for it though and my full attention was on preserving the structure of the monolith I had created. It was only Mary who brought me back.

"Hey kid this isn't supposed to be a sandcastle contest, we do have a job to do you know," she said with a smile.

"Sorry," I said releasing my hold on the structure and watching it fracture as a massive bolt hit it.

"Just remember what we are doing, it's too easy to get diverted," came Mercer's voice from behind me.

"The wanderers have returned," Mary said dryly.

"Who do you think diverted his attention to let you get up here?" Mercer demanded.

"I seem to remember I did most of the diverting," a rather disheveled Tank said from his side. "Stupidest idea since your last one."

"Not quite as stupid as my next one then," Mercer said. "He's up there…"

We actually looked for a moment and saw the stone obelisk that had replaced the southern tower, the clock tower of the Liver Building. We had at least another three hundred feet of jagged cliff face to climb before we would be on the same level as the man. Huge winged beasts wheeled around the peak screaming their fury at the storm.

"No way," Mary replied.

"What?" I said.

"You heard me, no fucking way…I'm not playing his games anymore…let's take him from here," she screamed as she let rip a shockwave, which threw the winged creatures from the sky, as they fell, I could feel the talents of those on the ground dealing with the entities. Now it was just us against him and even just from his silhouette against a cloud illuminated by electrical discharges I could tell he was pissed.

A shockwave of at least the same magnitude as Mary's rolled towards us and I reacted instinctively. I could feel the world around me slow. As the shockwave crawled towards us I studied it for a moment or two and reproduced the same wave, but in the opposite direction. The two met and destroyed each other, only to be replaced with fire from the sky.

"Jesus wept," Mercer shouted dodging for cover.

"Easy," I said changing the fire to rose petals.

"You do have a thing about flowers don't you," Mary said. "Now let's see if you have some real muscle…time to take the fight to him."

I slammed the tower hard with my mind disrupting the molecular bonds that held it together and it began to sag a mere heap of dust blowing in the wind. Belmar though remained in the air, unconcerned by the fact he had nothing to stand on now. Like most amateurs, he liked his theatrics, arm waving announcing each new lightening strike. This though was kids stuff and Tank pre-ionized the air giving it a safe path to earth.

Mary was trying a new attack removing the oxygen around him as I increased gravity below him, he again responded this time with a new tidal wave to dwarf the one I froze. The teams on the ground though had that in a moment, the monstrous wave was soothed back into a calm sea within seconds.

"He thinks he is an elemental force," I shouted through the gale that again engulfed us, threatening to rip us from the high roof.

"What do you suggest then?" Mary demanded, but I could see she was still struggling with her plan to deprive him of oxygen.

I concentrated, feeling the potentials he had brought about to bring this storm into existence and rather than pushing the probabilities further I began bringing them back towards normal. The winds eased, the clouds started to dissipate and the lightening ceased. He was fighting me now, but it is always easier to keep something at equilibrium and he was on the losing end of this battle. The wind died down, the clouds vanished and stars were in the sky. For a last flourish, I illuminated the scene with a fake sun…he was now standing on thin air above his mound, rather than peak of doom, on a pleasant summers day. The birds, confused at all that was going on, began singing loudly to welcome the unexpected new day.

I had all of his attention now and I could feel his hate and anger. Something gripped at the very fabric of my body, I blocked suspecting he was trying to change my form, but again he forced his way through. I could feel energy building up inside me as he forced it into me, I wasn't sure how much of this I could take and started bleeding energy away in great static discharges to rival the now conquered storm. More energy was coming my way; he was throwing everything he had at me now. Force-feeding me that which I had been building up through this battle. I knew what would happen if I couldn't get rid of it quick enough, at some point cellular and molecular cohesion would break down and I would become a rather sticky pink mist. I tried to focus my mind on using the power but it was hurting too much to think.

I screamed and fell to my knees.

Two things happened suddenly at this point. Mary let loose a good old-fashioned fireball that nearly singed his eyebrows before he damped it down and Mercer disappeared.

A fraction of a second later he was in mid air behind Belmar, weapon raised and it was over. Tank caught the unconscious man with his mind as he fell to the ground.

"You ok there Jaycee?" Mary asked coming to my side seemingly oblivious to the discharges I was still producing.

"Yes," I gasped as I brought a garden of flowers into existence on the roof.

"What is it about you and flowers?" she asked with a smile.

"I think he's a fanny ferret," Tank shouted from where he was injecting Belmar with a longer lasting tranquilizer.

"You can keep your thoughts to yourself," Mary snapped back at him. "I happen to think they are very nice," she said stroking my face with a dainty hand. I could feel her drawing power out of me as she did so, despite it's appearances this was no lover's touch. It was almost a rape of the power within my body…it did feel good though, releasing it all to her.

"You did good kid, a pleasure working with you," she said standing up and began walking towards the hole I had created in the tower.

"What happens now?" I asked Mercer.

"Now we finish our shift and leave this to the clean up crews," he replied pulling me to my feet.

"Shouldn't I clean up my own mess?" I asked indicating the sun and the rooftop garden.

"No," he said firmly. "You are one of us, we are the cutting edge of modern psychiatry not some bloody civilian cleaners. Leave it."

By the time we reached the ground again, I was starting to feel a little better. Then I had my first proper look at our adversary. Lying on the stretcher unconscious was a youth in his teens, very undernourished, dirty and dressed in rags.

"I thought…" I started to say but Mercer shook his head and indicated the ambulance drivers.

"You thought he was ten feet tall all muscles and the evilest son of a bitch ever to walk the earth," he said when we were out of earshot.

"Yes," I admitted. "Sort of anyway."

"Never ever forget that who we face are not criminals, they are victims of their own minds. They are not the bad guys; they are just the dangerous ones. But above all else never ever lose your compassion for them," he looked at me trying to tell my response from my face and his smile showed he had found what he was looking for.

"Here endeth the lesson," he said gently.

"Amen," I whispered back.

"When you two sweethearts have finished fawning over each other we do have a city to patrol," Sergeant Gordon shouted over to us.

"Coming Sarge," Mercer shouted back.

"Good," The Sergeant said approaching us. "You still got all your marbles?"

"Yes Sarge," I said.

"Good, have you actually picked anyone up today or have you just been learning from Mercer how to keep well away from anything that looks like work?"

"We have been busy…" I protested, "and there was this…"

"Just another day at the office," Sergeant Gordon said dismissively. "Maurice has been seen near Paddy's Wigwam. Go and pick him up."

"Shit," Mercer whispered as we made our way back to the car. "Shit, shit, shit…"

"What's up you said Maurice was gentle?"

"It's bloody Maurice last thing, I can do without him…especially last thing," Mercer replied.

"What's up with him, is he another George?" I asked.

"Nah, level three or four and a mild fantasist. He wouldn't hurt a fly, he just has a habit of upsetting people," Mercer said.

"How does he upset them?" I asked suspiciously.

"He likes watching people, nothing perverted in any true sense of the word as there is nothing sexual in it. He just likes watching people which makes others very suspicious of him," Mercer said.

"I can pick him up then," I said eagerly. "If he isn't dangerous I can pick him up, can't I?"

"Are you sure?" he asked as we got in the car.

"After this I think I am ready to deal with anything," I said with some confidence.

"Whatever you say," Mercer replied.

We didn't race up to the cathedral, as Mercer seemed to be in no rush to pick Maurice up. He also seemed to know where he would be heading.

"What are we picking him up for?" I asked as I watched the elderly gentleman in a smart, if rather dated suit walk towards us.

"He is banned from the City Center," Mercer said. "He is in breach of a court order that was imposed for his own safety. Are you sure you are ready for this kid?"

"Yes," I said almost impatiently. "You did said he wont get nasty…"

"Nah, he is a real gentleman," Mercer said. "If you ask him to get in the car he will."

"Then no problem then," I said getting out of the car. I put my hat on and walked towards the elderly man who smiled at me.

"Maurice?" I asked.

"Oh no officer," he said raising his hat to me and smiling. "John, John Oswald Clark."

"Do you mind coming with me sir?" I asked somewhat confused and then I felt the power, the hairs on my arms raised and then they didn't. I looked down at my now cold arms and saw that the reason the hairs had stopped rising was that they had gone, as had my uniform. I appeared to be wearing a blue dress with a pinafore and my bare legs were cold in the evening air. I looked up at the tall elderly gentleman who smiled at me warmly and I just knew for some reason that I had blond hair and blue eyes.

"Would you like to come with me sir?" I squeaked at him and he offered me his hand. I reached up and took it realizing how much his hand dwarfed mine and he gave me another warm and reassuring smile as we slowly walked towards the car.

*****

"Why didn't you warn me?" I demanded from Mercer after we got John or Maurice, depending on who we talked to, booked in.

"I thought you were getting a little cocky," he said. "I decided to teach you a lesson, besides you should have been prepared for anything. You are one cute kid though…"

"How am I supposed to go home to my girlfriend looking like this?" I demanded.

"Don't pout, it just makes you look cuter," Mercer said with a giggle. "Give the rehab boys a couple of days working on you and you will be as good as new."

"That will have to be next week," Sergeant Gordon said walking into the crew room behind me. I looked up at the man my face expressing my disgust at the situation.

"Jocko and Sisco have first call on the medics, I can't use them as they are," he said without sympathy.

"What use am I like this?" I demanded.

"You Jaycee, are spending the next few days at local schools spotting new talents. Just because you have lost a few years doesn't mean you get out of working," the sergeant replied.

"Jaycee, I see you met Maurice," Mary said as she entered the room and looked down at me.

"Why do you all keep call him Maurice?" I shouted my temper getting the better of me. "He says his name is John…"

"Its dead easy," Mercer said. "One, two, three…"

"Thank heavens," the whole squad sang in harmony. "Thank heavens for little girls, they grow up in the most 'peculiar' ways…"

"Besides any shift you finish with the same number of legs that you started with is a good shift," Mercer said interrupting the impromptu chorus line.

"Here endeth the lesson," the rest of the squad answered in unison.

THE END

  

  

  

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