Chapter 88: Complication
Chuck found Simon within two minutes of Casey and Sarah leaving.
"Red alert," Chuck said quietly, positioning himself beside Simon with the body language of someone having a casual conversation. "Mouser is Fulcrum."
Simon kept his expression neutral. "You're certain."
"Flash. Complete file. He's been embedded in LAPD for at least three years."
Simon processed this. The sequence assembled itself cleanly — Ned appearing, Casey getting shot, Sarah and Casey being released at exactly the right moment. Too many variables landing in the same direction.
"The whole thing was staged," Simon said. "Ned's not a random fugitive. Mouser coordinates the situation to get Casey and Sarah outside. Now the two people inside with operational capability are you and me."
Veronica appeared at his shoulder. "Everything okay?"
Simon looked at her with the easy expression of someone whose internal state was nothing like his external one. "Fine. Should be over soon."
"That would be appreciated," Veronica said, and moved away.
Simon turned back to Chuck. "Casey's on comms. Tell me exactly what the flash gave you."
Chuck relayed it in thirty seconds — Mouser's real name, his Fulcrum handler, the nature of his embedded role. Enough for a confident identification.
Simon keyed his earpiece. "Casey. Mouser is Fulcrum. Confirmed via Intersect. Ned is an asset — the whole thing was coordinated. You and Sarah were the intended extraction."
A pause.
"You're sure about Mouser?" Casey said.
"Chuck's sure. That's enough for me."
"Understood. We'll get a team staged. How many hostiles inside?"
"Two confirmed. Ned and Mouser. Ned is lower priority — Mouser is the one running it."
"Can you hold the inside until we breach?"
"Yes," Simon said. "Give me a signal when you're ready to come in."
"Copy. Be careful."
Simon ended the connection and looked at Chuck. "I'm taking Ned. You keep Mouser talking — use whatever the Intersect gives you about him. Just keep his attention on you and off me."
Chuck looked at Simon the way he looked at things he didn't want to do but had already decided he would. "Ellie's in there," he said. "Morgan. Everyone."
"I know," Simon said.
Chuck breathed out. "Okay. I know what to do."
Mouser was already looking their way. "Chuck. Can I get a word?"
"Go," Simon said.
Chuck walked toward Mouser with the slightly stiff gait of someone performing calm.
Simon found Meg and Veronica.
"Listen to me," he said. "Both of you. Things are about to get dangerous. I need you to quietly tell Ellie, Devon, and anyone else you trust to find cover — behind displays, on the floor, away from the center of the room. Don't make it obvious."
Meg looked at him. "Simon—"
"Mouser is not a police officer. He and Ned are working together. I need to neutralize Ned before Mouser realizes what I'm doing, and I need everyone else low when it happens."
Veronica stared at him. "You're serious."
"Very."
"With what?" she said. "Your—"
Simon angled the gun slightly so they could see it without anyone else seeing it.
Meg made a sound that wasn't quite a word.
"Where did you get that?" Veronica said.
"It doesn't matter right now. What matters is that you get people down before I move." He looked at Meg specifically. "I need you to do this. Can you?"
Meg looked at him for a long moment with the expression she used when she was deciding whether to argue. She decided not to. "Yes."
"Thank you."
"You're explaining everything afterward," she said.
"Everything," Simon agreed, which was a promise he knew he couldn't fully keep and made anyway.
He gave them ninety seconds to circulate, then walked toward Ned.
Ned was near the edge of the Christmas village, watching the room. Something in his posture had changed since the early part of the hostage situation — the confused, slightly overwhelmed energy had been replaced by something flatter and more controlled. The performance had dropped.
"Ned," Simon said, stopping a few feet away. "Quick question."
Ned turned, weapon coming up.
Simon was already moving.
His left hand came down hard on Ned's gun hand, deflecting the revolver sideways before the aim could settle. His right came up and across — an open-hand strike against the side of Ned's face, more shock than force, designed to break concentration.
He caught the revolver before it hit the floor.
Ned recovered faster than Simon had expected — pushing forward instead of back, trying to close the distance and eliminate Simon's reach advantage. Simon let him come, stepped to the outside, caught Ned's wrist, and used his own momentum against him. He spun — one full rotation, Ned's weight at the end of his arm like a counterweight — and released.
Ned hit the floor and slid.
He was trying to get up.
Simon stepped on the back of his knee, which stopped that, and put his weight into it.
"Someone bring me zip ties or rope," he said, loud enough to carry.
Morgan appeared from behind a display unit holding a coil of display cable. He held it out at arm's length with the expression of someone participating in something he hadn't entirely consented to.
"Thank you," Simon said.
He secured Ned's hands behind his back and stood.
"Chuck," Simon called. "Open the security doors. Signal the police."
Chuck, who had been keeping Mouser occupied near the phone station, started moving toward the security panel.
"Hold on." Mouser's voice, and the register had changed completely — the negotiator's warmth was gone, replaced by something colder and more direct. He had the revolver he'd taken from the floor earlier. "Nobody moves. We let the situation settle."
His eyes went to Ned on the floor. Went to Simon.
The calculation was visible in his face — asset neutralized, operation compromised, contingency time.
"Chuck," Mouser said. "Walk to the phone. Tell the officers outside there was an accidental discharge. Everything is fine in here."
Chuck looked at Simon.
Simon looked at Mouser.
"Chuck," Simon said. "Open the door."
Mouser fired into the ceiling.
The sound in the enclosed space was significant. Chuck froze mid-step.
"I appreciate the enthusiasm," Mouser said, to the room, with the calm of someone who had decided on their next move. "But we're going to do this carefully." He gestured at Ned with the weapon. "Release him."
Morgan, who had been in the process of quietly backing away, stopped. He tugged Simon's sleeve once — the universal signal for this might be a good time to reassess.
Simon didn't move.
He was looking at Mouser. Reading the position, the angles, the distance between them, the placement of everyone else in the room.
Casey's team was outside. They needed an opening to breach. Right now, Mouser had the room — armed, positioned, with enough civilian coverage to make a direct entry complicated.
Simon needed to change the geometry.
He stayed where he was and waited for the opening.
[Reader Event Active]
500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter
10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter
Thanks for reading!
20+advance chapters on P1treon Soulforger