Danger Close

Protocol 1

This chapter is from CONNOR'S perspective.

With newfound instructions, Connor approached the door to Jimmy's Bar with urgency.

The silence of the midnight streets quickly sparked into the bustling sound of ambient voices when the door was opened. Various Officers still remained despite the time of night, but the two people who were most important sat at the main bar, being seen to by Jimmy himself.

"Another round!!"

"Geez Barker, you've had twice as much as I have and you're not drunk yet?"

"Hey HEY. The night's still young! And... This stuff's pretty light! ANOTHER, JIMMY!"

Connor beelined for the pair, sidestepping the other patrons and clasping his hands behind his back upon reaching the Lieutenant and clearing his throat.

"Excuse me, Barker." Connor straightened his posture upon interrupting the conversation, ignoring the obvious look of annoyance from Hank.

"Kid!!!" Barker reached a hand up and slapped it against Connor's back, pulling him into a tight side-hug and shaking at his shoulders. "You just... Up and disappeared!!!"

Leaning back a little, Barker looked behind Connor and around the bar.

"Where's the other kid?" His grey brows furrowed once he let Connor go, tipping his head a little and looking around once more. "I though you grabbed her on the way out?"

"She's..." Connor paused, taking a moment to glance back at Hank before returning his attention to the Captain. "Recouperating."

"Right, right right... Was probably a bit much for Davis and Droz to come by," Barker took his entire drink with one mouthful, holding it in bloated cheeks before swallowing and slapping the glass down on the benchtop.

"I need to ask you something, Barker." Connor cut the silence, straightening his posture again and waiting patiently to gain his attention.

Hank stiffened in his seat, though Barker simply smiled and grinned lazily up at him. "Sure kid! How.... How can I be of service?"

"We require assistance on our case, and the Pilot has a substantial amount of relative knowledge we need. Would you be able to convince her to share some information?"

The mention of you had the Lieutenant scoffing, the old man shaking his head before standing up out of his seat and hobbling over to the bathroom.

Barker however, dropped his expression to one of... concern.

"Huh..." Barker slid his glass towards Jimmy's side of the bar, tapping it expectantly and resting his elbows on the counter. "What makes you think she knows what you need to know?"

Connor furrowed his brows, LED flickering yellow as the vibe that the Captain gave clearly had shifted to a more somber one.

"She recognized the Marvin unit and it's model. And even seemed to know more about them alongside Spectres."

"That doesn't sound like she knows what you want to know, kid."

"Well, I understand that she's experiencing Degradation, and-"

"-What do you know about Degrading?" Barker slapped a hand on the counter, eyebrows creased with suspicion and a hostility tensing up in his shoulders.