Phantoms Among Justice

XIV - The Code

                               Segregatio I

Damien was still in his hospital bed. He was heavily dosed, so all he could do was look at Jack, or try to, and drool. Jack was sitting, arms resting on his trembling knees. His gun was resting on the small table beside him, his wallet in his hand. He kept opening it, looking at the badge, thinking deeply. Why am I doing this? Why can't Damien just die? Sometimes... I wish he would. I'd go home, stop this bullshit. I almost got killed three times... for Damien, for Eddie, for Vic, for Dave, for a fuckin' stranger! Guess I'm just good in my heart... One things for sure, soon as Damien's cool? I'm going for Eddie. Jackie-Boy my ass! I'm gonna get L.A.P.D. on him. I've built up a strong enough case on him.

Damien woke again, but this time he didn't look around. He was looking straight at Jack. "Jesus, what are you gonna do if one of my friends come in here?" He only asked this because Jack had his wallet open, looking at his badge.

Jack closed his wallet. "What about it? I'll put it back, how are you today? Shoulder still hurting?" Jack said. Damien chuckled. "What are you? My fuckin' nurse!" Damien laughed. "If you are, you better get over here!" Damien and Jack both laughed, as Jack knew what Damien was implying.

Damien laughed and gripped his shoulder, he proclaimed blasphemy, as his shoulder was paining him. "Y'know, physical therapy helps that?" Jack said, hoping to motivate him. "Dont be cynical with me. If ya want, I can get cynical too? Oh yeah, when'd you start working with me? About... 4 years back? Ah yes, that was. I remember you back then... young, everything to lose, and a fucking cop from the beats. Now? Just the same. Why? Why'd you take this job?"

Jack chuckled and slapped his wallet against his knee. "How's coffee sound? I'm gonna get us a cup." Jack said, trying to get away from Damien's inquiry. "No, no, sit down" Damien said. "I got hypertension. Tell me, why?"

Jack looked around, and smiled. "I guess I just wanted what every other cop wants... smash a head through a window, shoot his weapon in the line, get a near-death experience... guess I got all of those. Know what I've earned?" Damien shook his head. "Not a Goddamn thing!" Jack said. He stood up and went to the window, overlooking Milissa.

It was rainy, and Damien felt as if he'd been conned, he was expecting nothing less than a melodramatic answer, but instead he got logic, truth, and what every police officer he knew, wanted more than anything. Jack felt Damien's eyes burning a hole in his head, and he chuckled while shaking his head. "It always rain in this town? Fucking depressing..." Jack said, trying to get their minds off of the subject at hand.

"I can't say, ask Joanna. She lives here, not far from here actually. I thought you were as good as dead when I put you up as a driver for Eddie." It was apparent that Damien did not want to refrain. Jack raised his brow. "Hey, another thing... why'd you go with those jokers? Y'know their reckless, and wanted in three states... If anybody could find out their names... I've heard 'Vic', but I don't know if that's his last name or Christian. And I don't know Dave's last name, hell if it matters anyway. Prob'ly fakes."

Damien chuckled at hearing this, because he thought Vic and Santiago were determined in their plight, of course why wouldn't they be, considering that Edward had killed what may have been their best friend, Pety Wendell, Dallas Rooker, kidnapped Jezabelle, shot Damien, and wanted to kill them.

"Why do you hate them?" Damien asked. Jack looked at him sternly and with amazement. "Why the hell not?! They have killed not dozens, hundreds of people! Civilians, criminals, fellow officers, all of them! Still people, people with families, people with mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, best friends, all of them who had to grieve because they lost their loved ones at the hands of two-bit, no good gunmen! Y'know one of their 'assigments'? They killed six people. Regular people from all over. An elderly gentleman, two young woman, twin brothers, and a guy who worked at a supermarket in Morgunn, Arizona. All of 'em, drugged and took away from Morgunn. They took all of them to a basement, and shot them. Once they came up from that basement? They went about a mile down the road, released a teenage girl from their trunk, killed and buried her. Do you know what the most frustrating motherfucking part about that is?"