"Old friend." The old man said to Read with a kind tone as he moved his next piece, "Why have you actually come here. You didn't come to entertain me." Read looked at him with a calm gaze before looking down at the board and studying it for a second.
Picking up his knight, he moved and got one step closer to check, "David..."
"That's his name. Use my real one." The old man said, moving his next piece to delay the checkmate that was coming. Read looked the man in the eyes.
"Navdis." Navdis smiled and nodded, "Will you help me. The situation isn't great and..." Read paused and chuckled, "My hands are tied, but more importantly, I'm old. I can't do field work anymore."
"Old." Navdis smirked and shook his head, "What does that make me then? And you have the audacity to ask for my help making such an excuse." Read smiled thinly.
"You know what I mean." Read moved and placed Navdis in check. Staring at the pieces available to him, he moved his rook to block, knowing it would be taken next turn.
"I can't help you, Jacob." Navdis said with an apologetic tone, "I locked myself away for a reason. When it's David's turn to be awake, you know what happens if he walks freely. Need I remind you of Traytown, or is that now only black ink on paper?"
"Traytown couldn't be stopped even if he had no involvement." Read said with certainty, taking Navdis's rook and putting him in check again. Staring at the board, Navdis sighed and toppled his king.
"But he accelerated it, making it what it became." Shaking his head, he fiddled with the ring around his middle finger, "I want to help you, I really do, but my very existence is a paradox, Jacob. No matter what I do, David... I always plan against myself. Chaos and Fate were never meant to mix, and yet they have." Read sighed, knowing it was a long shot to get his help, and stood up.
Just as he was leaving, Navdis cleared his throat, "If you want my help, it will have to be David's. He hates everything related to time and will move against it. In that small window where he acts, I won't be there to clean up. Just be careful, if you do, he is unpredictable." Staring at the wall, he remade the chessboard and played himself
Slamming his first pawn on the board, he made Read stop again and got his attention. "I think he already did something before we met, actually."
"What was it?" Navdis sat in silence, deep in thought, and moved the second pawn on the other side. After a while, he spoke.
"I don't know. I just know he did."
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James stepped out of his car and looked at Newport, taking in a deep breath, smelling the air of the city. Although it was a short time away, he missed everything about it, from the smell to the endless downpour on his skin. Taking out his phone and seeing amessage from Jeremiah, he narrowed his eyes and called him back.
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"Sir, you must..." Jeremiah paused and looked at his phone. Seeing James calling, he quickly answered and placed the call on speaker, "James, what the hell did you poke?"
"Jeremiah." James calmly spoke, "It is good to hear from you, too."
"Cut the bullshit." Jeremiah said supressing his anger, "I need you to be honest with me. What the hell is that man? Infact do you even know who he is?" Jeremiah said, rubbing the back of his hand where he had been cut. He could still feel the reaper's syth on his neck from that moment, knowing that if they really wanted to, they could have killed him without anyone even knowing.
"James." The captain spoke, "This man Jeremiah is going on about, the one with red eyes. Who is he?" Looking up at Jeremiah with a hard gaze, the Captain hid his fear. If Jeremiah was terrified to the point of wanting to end their operation, he knew everyone else was far outclassed.
"You saw him." James voice shook, "Are you alright?"
"You know." Jeremiah said, gulping, "James, don't tell me you hid this from us as well. That man, that monster."
"Of course not." James nearly shouted down the phone in anger, "I saw him last week, when I was away." James paused, making an audible gulp, "Tell me what happened." Jeremiah hesitated for a second, unsure if he could trust him, but he couldn't help but want to share. So far, the Captain had been treating him as strange, not understanding anything, but James had seen it firsthand. It was the only person who could understand his fear and maybe had an insight into what happened.
His hesitation only lasted a few seconds before he divulged everything over the phone, starting with his stakeout to the moment he sped off. James listened to everything and chuckled when he was finished.
"He let you live as well?" Jeremiah's heart stopped for a second.
"He used his power on you." Jeremiah's mouth quivered, "What is his ability?" Despite his feelings, if there was one person he could trust to know a person's abilities, it was James.
"Time." James quietly said, leaving the room silent, "He can stop time." Jeremiah's eyes widened in shock as he looked to the Captain. Seeing him frozen in place, he wanted to laugh at not having been believed previously, but couldn't, still hung up on James words.
Swallowing the saliva that had built up in his mouth, Jeremiah licked his dry lips and moved around, going to the Captain's hidden cabinet. Pulling out a glass, he grabbed the bottle of strong liquor and poured himself a drink, downing it in one gulp and pouring a second. Dowing that he took a deep breath and chuckled in disbelief, "You're.... your fucking with me."
Nothing followed Jeremiah's words as the glass in his hand vibrated, shattering after a few seconds. Looking to the Captain, Jeremiah shook his head and reached into his pocket, taking out his badge. "End this investigation or I walk. I... I can't do anything against that."
"Jeremiah."
"No, sir. James may be suicidal enough to go for this, but I'm not." Jeremiah's voice shook. His lips curled into a nervous smile as he raised his fist to the side of his head, remembering, "I could do nothing in that moment. You don't understand yet, but mine, yours, the entire forces' strength is meaningless in front of that."
"Jeremiah, calm down."
"DON'T!" With Jeremiah screaming, the windows around the Captain's office shook. Taking a deep breath, he realised he was letting his ability react to his emotions and calmed himself, "Don't tell me to calm down. Maybe you need to see for yourself to understand, but I will try my best, so maybe you can get it through your thick skull."
The captain's eyes hardened as he rose. Taking a step towards Jeremiah, he shook his head, "Watch. Your. Tone."
"Then listen to what I am saying. He could walk in this room right now, and slit our throats, and no one would have known he was here. This isn't an ability that leaves evidence. That gives you a chance to fight another day." Jeremiah took a step forward to the Captain, "We are at the mercy of a force of nature. How do you stop that?"
The captain had no words. James voice cut through the tense silence, "Jeremiah. It's not all-powerful." His words were like a bucket of cold water being dumped over his head. Resisting the urge to laugh, he waited for James to explain himself, "No human can wield such a power without damage to themselves. And those who have the power of time are resistant to his ability."
"Oh, that's great. We have so many people who wield it here, James." Jeremiah scoffed, "So what, I pray he kills himself with his own ability before he gets to me. Sure, great plan."
"Jeremiah." James calmly spoke. He understood that Jeremiah's confidence had been shattered. He had always been the apex within Newport, the person who could handle anything. To have that so utterly destroyed would have been a massive blow. "Did he have a woman by his side?"
Jeremiah paused the insult he had on his tongue and nodded. Relaisng James couldn't see he spoke, "Yeah, why?"
"Because she was the one who moved instead of him. As I said, his power is a blessing and a curse. On such a large scale, if he moves within the stasis field he made, then his body breaks down quickly. From what I saw, it was a minute. That's all he could muster when he actively moved. Tell me. Within a minute, could he have limped to you, open your door, cut you and write, then return to his place?"
Jeremiah thought about it for a second and shook his head, "No. But he showed no sign of injury. Your theory is wrong."
"Maybe he gets injured when he fights against the time stop. If he stands still and does nothing, it's fine. As for why the woman could do it, she has an Aretfact that controls space. I saw it firsthand. She could have done it with minimal movement, not letting herself get injured."
Jeremiah closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Somewhere within James theory, he had clammed down and regained a small fraction of his confidence, but even still, he couldn't bring himself to carry on with Operation Canary. "It's meaningless still. Without a way to know when time has been stopped, I can't fight back. They gave me a warning. I am smart enough to take it."
There was a momentary silence before James spoke, "What if I could get an Artefact to help you. Would you still be willing to fight?"