Specials

Of Stripes and Lapses

Jack POV

Strolling through the automatic doors, I nodded to the guards. They ignored me as usual- great start. I hummed a tune, observing the people frowning at me. I smiled at them all, as they went back to their assigned jobs, not before shooting me one last glare. After proceeding to my desk, I logged on to my computer and went to get an espresso from the canteen. I tapped my fingers against the counter while waiting for my drink. Everything slowed down around me, as I took in my surroundings. Girls chatting at the table at 2 o'clock. Must be a new case or love interest. Strong dark coffee at 5 o'clock- all night shift, probably a multiple victim case. Bright red shoes at 7, a new love interest? No. Showing off from the whispers of a sale. The clothes are brand new too, from the looks of it.

A repeated beeping signalling my now prepared beverage interrupted my train of thought, as I focused back to my case. On the way back to my desk, I greeted the detectives entering the doors with a polite nod and a fake smile. No reply once again. No surprise there. Placing my mug down, I clicked on a new file which I received recently, skimming and memorising all the details.
"Sarah Jennings, eh?" I muttered to myself.
" What have you done? Let's uncover all your secrets." I cracked my fingers one by one grinning at the prospect of investigating this case.

Katelyn Moore walked through the doors, with the casings inside a sealed bag. The look of exhaustion was evident on her face; the casings had given her tough time. The desk next to hers, where Wright sat was empty. She paused to look at me and gave me a soft apologetic smile. I sighed and shook my head before replying,
"It's alright, I've had worse."
Her eyes widened, before she dropped her head, strands of hazelnut hair covering her face.

"You probably have, haven't you? But I'm not making it any better. It must be frustrating." She whispered so softly that I had to crane my head closer to her to catch her words. Without any warning she lifted her head up, and her eyes held feelings of hurt and regret. They were losing colour slowly and were becoming blank and lifeless, as if she was in a different realm altogether... Oh. I remember Wright mentioning something along these lines...

"Jack, stay behind. We need to talk."
I was puzzled but did not ask any questions, as everyone else filed out.
The door shut quietly behind the last person. Wright and I were the only ones left in the room. He broke the silence first, " You have heard of lapses, right?"
I shook my head and he sighed in reply.
"Specials have moments where they are affected by their special, mentally and physically draining them. These moments occur when our power has built up to the point where we can't contain them. How the lapses work vary based on the special. Weak specials have lapses once in their lifetime. But rare and dangerous specials like Moore have more frequent lapses. Lapses have ended up killing people, so we have to take precautions."
It was no surprise Moore had a rare special. It was the reason the department avoided her.

He continued, "Lapses are a taboo subject in society, so not many people know of it. If Moore has one of her lapses in public, you must make sure no-one notices. It could damage her reputation. As her partner, I trust you can keep this a secret, as not even Moore knows this herself. You must wake her up, before she goes in to the final stages of her lapse." Slightly put off by the amount of information I had just processed, I questioned him on how to stop it. He replied, "Shock. Getting her back to reality."

Shock treatment. Of course. Her conscious self was rapidly losing itself. I guess this was the only way. I scanned the room, checking for any straying eyes before looking back at the task at hand.
"Best do this fast. Please forgive me, but I promise it'll be worth it," I murmured, tucking stray strands of hair behind her ears. I sighed as I eased myself forward closer to her, my hands reaching forward towards her hips. I apologised once again, trying to think of other ways of waking her. Unable to think of anything else except what I was about to do, I continued. As I inched forward, I checked my surroundings once again. I inhaled softly, and enjoyed the power I had at the moment. I gently whispered one last apology, as I leaned in. My apologies for my future actions were unheard and most definitely untrue. I would never regret what was coming.

A shriek could be heard across the department, as all eyes turned to a soaked, but annoyed detective with a menacing snarl. I was standing next to her, holding a now empty water bottle, snickering with tears in my eyes at the state of the dripping person next to me.
" You were in one of your daydreams and this was the only way to wake you up." I lied, still snickering at the wonderful sight.
" By pouring water on me! You're a jerk, Jack fudging Leyton"
"Your water bottle was sitting on the desk and I thought I should put it to use. No need to get angry." I smiled innocently. Her special was not in control anymore, as I heard her every thought in the moment. While listening to her mental rant, I pretended to be unaware of her anger. I grinned as one of her amusing thoughts projected to me.
"Your shirt is see-through, and I must say it's a wonderful view. Stripes is a bit childish don't you think?" I replied to her mental thought. She growled at me with furious eyes and lunged for me.

A gasp and murmurs could be heard amongst the growing crowd as I struggled to lift my body up. I looked down to see Moore sprawled across me, groaning. Her shirt was spreading water to my shirt, and the cold air was getting to me. I slowly heaved Moore up, before lifting myself up. With the water in the floor, I missed my footing and came crashing down on Moore. I quickly placed my hand underneath her head, hoping I wouldn't break anything in the process.

The position we were in now was very compromising. Personally, I couldn't care less about the crowd around us. Her slowly reddening cheeks was formulating an idea in my head. I raised my hand to touch brush away her hair, but left my hand on her forehead.
" Are you getting a fever from the water I poured on you? You're becoming extremely red." I asked before tilting my head to touch her forehead. The change was instant. I could feel her pulse quickening, and her skin getting goosebumps. I do love the effect I have on her.

I smiled innocently once again, as she realised the ploy I had played on her. Her eyebrows scrunched together in fury as she lost her composure.