The New York Supernatural Society

A Regular Night At The Office

The elusiveness of the thing called sleep would irritate any normal person. Then again, most normal people didn’t sit waiting to be called into work while distracting themselves with a book and a cup of tea.

Mikael supposed that he was anything but normal.

When the glowing digits of his clock changed to display that it was shortly after eleven at night, he was about to give up and go to sleep. Maybe some rest would be good for him after all.

Then the shrill ring of his cell phone sounded, rewarding him for his patience. Picking it up, he could hear the familiar voice of his coworker Clarisse, a bubbly brunette girl who he knew was in charge of various things, one of them being calling him in when they had detained someone new.

“Tell the chief that I’ll be there in a few minutes, Clarisse.”

After he hung up, he rushed out the door, then quickly returning and locking it. The last time Mikael had forgotten to secure his home he returned to find it trashed; clothes were strewn everywhere, lines of paint streaked down the walls, and wires were pulled out of the walls. A few valuable possessions of his, such as a painting his mother had bought for him, and his TV, had even been taken. He would never forgive the little gremlins that damaged his home and took his things.

Mikael was thankful that the ride to the station wasn’t a long one and he felt a bit more energized knowing that he’d get to encounter another detainee. He hadn’t seen any new faces in a long time, as anyone who could eventually be taken into custody got a lot smarter now that they knew they were being looked for. There were more hiding spots scattered around New York than he’d care to investigate. They ranged from small, muck-filled holes to perilous condemned buildings. Heck, he had heard conversations from the sewer grates, but he’d rather let a rookie take care of anything down there.

Apparently, this new guy hadn’t gotten the memo that if you see anyone even slightly resembling an officer, you run.

Pulling into the parking lot of the plain gray building, Mikael parked his car, looking around to make sure no one was lurking in the shadows. He hadn’t felt safe since he realized that there were beings around that were smart enough to break into his home. When he was satisfied, he strolled through the glass doors, seeing the familiar black decor and the bland white walls.

“Detective Woods.” Upon being addressed, Mikael turned and saw the chief standing there, his arms folded. Chief Stanzen was a man that Mikael had always looked up to. His father used to work in the station, and through his father’s vote of confidence, and sheer determination, Mikael had gotten a job here, climbing up the ranks to eventually become the detective that he was today.

“Chief Stanzen, you really have to change the decor here. I mean, judging by the paintings, it hasn’t changed since it was built!” Chief Stanzen’s face remained the same it always did. His piercing blue eyes gazing at him with a hard look, and his lips remaining in a straight line under his blonde mustache. The chief’s stern nature really went well with his determination, but of course, no one had ever told him that.

“No? Not even that painting of the screaming guy?” Once he saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere, he decided to change the topic.

“So, you have a new detainee for me?” Chief Stanzen nodded, finally moving his eyes off of him, which he was thankful for.

“A few hours ago, we captured a Gamlet. He was trying to con some money out of the mayor and his wife.” Picking up a manilla folder, he threw it over to Mikael, who managed to catch it without dropping all of the files inside.

“That’s it? A Gamlet?” He glanced at the report, seeing the Gamlet’s information, who the arresting officers were, what they found, and all the other things that come with making an arrest.

Gamlets weren’t rare by any means. In fact, Mikael had grown sick of seeing the trouble makers in the station, as they weren’t a very rare breed of visitor. He couldn’t really say what the creatures looked like. They were shape shifters, usually taking on the form of small children to try to con people into giving them something. They may look like humans on the outside, but what child can effortlessly jump a fence and almost outrun a police officer?

“We’ve been informed that that particular Gamlet has ties to the Desartos.” That caught Mikael’s attention. He had been trying to catch the Desarto family for years. They were one of the various families that controlled the Underworld, and one of the most vicious. Each time, he had gotten so close to apprehending them, and they had always managed to slip away.

“He’s waiting for you in Interrogation Room Three.” Chief Stanzen mentioned, and Mikael smirked as he made his way to the aforementioned room.

"He’s not gonna know what hit him.”