Soul Walker: #ONC Finalist

Mission 13: The Price of Freedom

**Engaging the Imperial-- "The price of freedom"-- awesome, but unknown metal band :-)** Their lyrics will be interlaced with the chapter. 

Charlie hated working late. Yet, somehow today, was the day every board member had a million questions. He had been trapped in the in the divaricate meeting for hours, and could not even figure out if they had even accomplished a damn thing. 

It was near seven pm before he had even stepped foot outside of the sterile environment of 'e'. His fists opened and closed in hangry irritation with everything. He had plans tonight and now they were delayed even further.  

His fingers itched for the familiar feel of the H.I.V.E. He was getting closer. Joe had given him the next link in the chain and he was slowly creeping his way up the ladder towards the Elementalist.

Charlie slammed the glass door behind him as he exited the building. His crippled foot dragged along the pavement, as his good one stomped toward his car. His fingers itched to press the button on the H.I.V.E, the one thing that made him feel strong again. His aging and crippled body only brought him pain. 

 "Charlie Walker?" The voice was authoritative and accusatory. He rolled his eyes at the intrusion and looked up to see the source of his irascibility. There was a man standing by his motorcycle holding a badge and encased in a cheap dark suit. Charlie groaned, he did not need this today.

"What," He demanded. 

"We have to take you in for questioning regarding the disappearance of Joe Anderson." 

Charlie's heart thundered in his chest. He expertly controlled his expression. "I thought he was out sick, or on vacation, or something?"

"When was the last time you saw Mr. Anderson?" Charlie looked pensive. He knew exactly when it was it, that did not mean he was going to share. Instead, he searched the recesses of his mind for the last time someone would have seen him and Joe together. He came up blank. He had stopped visiting Joe years ago. His bland corporate attitude annoyed him, as they aged their bond had become business only. The last time he had spoken to Joe as a friend was before Bellina died. She was the one that pushed him into sociability. Without her, there had been no point. He would rather befriend the dead they did not waste time with petty arguments and mundane pleasantries.  

It had been almost a week since Joe had passed. The last day he saw Joe alive, he did meet him at the office, but it was not in his current decrepit and weakened form. He controlled his face from contorting into the wry smile it wanted to make at the memory. Everyone loves a good car chase.

***

He had waited patiently for Joe, inside his car, a nondescript economy sedan. Joe had come out juggling a tired expression and an enormous, overpriced,  manicured caffeinated beverage from Coffeebucks. He spoke angrily into his Bluetooth headset to a man he referred to as 'the inquisitor.' Apparently, no one in the Elementalist's sordid gang had any concept of each other's real identities. 

Joe plopped down onto his stained driver's seat, and slowly placed his papers and coffee in the car around him as he argued with 'the Inquisitor'. 

"I already told you, the inventions were stolen." A poignant pause followed by a stern expression. "No I do not know how stolen goods were stolen." he paused again. "That is not my job!" 

"Who cares about the bottom line? He is stealing them from himself for god knows what." Another pause with an angry voice on the other end of the phone. "Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

Then he said the three words that drove Charlie into a vengeful wrath like nothing this man had ever seen. "He wants Meg?" The doors on uninspiring corolla slammed shut trapping one of Joe's fingers between the door. Charlie shoved the gas pedal to the floor as Joe screamed maniacally. The sedan tore out onto the main road. Charlie spun the wheel and allowed the car to do donuts on the slippery pavement. Cars spun and dodged around it slamming into light poles and each other.   Joes eyes were wild the enormous scalding coffee had spilled all over his lap. Joe was screaming with terror and agony as the coffee boiled his skin on contact. 

Then he said, "I thought you were my friend Joe." Joe blubbered and began to sob. Of course, he could not identify Charlie. No one alive, but Meg and her ridiculous friends knew this voice.

Charlie smiled and slammed on the gas. Peeling through several red lights. The car sped out of the city at almost 90 miles per hour. It shook under the strain of the pace. The little Corolla was never meant for the speeds of the superior muscle cars, but Charlie pressed harder. 

Joe's head had lolled uselessly to the side and the whites of his eyes were showing, his mouth was open wide. Charlie slammed on the breaks, whiplashing Joe's face back and forth. He smiled as it slammed hard into the headrest. 

***

Charlie kept his smile to himself. No one messes with my baby girl.  After spending what he thought was a reasonable amount of time, being pensive about the question, he rubbed his neck and forced an exhausted and confused expression on his face. "Man it has been a long week I do not remember. He's a paper pusher, I don't have time for this." Charlie groaned as he lifted his leg over the vehicle.

"Sir, I need you to come with us." The detective said with an air of overbearing authority.

Another two officers approached him and stood on either side of Charlie. They were your typical police brutality grunts. The men the police force hired for intimidation purposes. He was unphased by their cheap tactics but knew he had to play along. There was no way to defend himself right now. The H.I.V.E. was at home charging. Something he would correct in the next upgrade. 

Charlie motioned to his bum leg. "Is this really necessary? Clearly I could be bested by any  over-roided teenage boy. What chance do I have against these 'trained professionals'?" He added a little more sarcasm to that last line than he probably should have.

The detective shrugged, "If you cooperate we can make this quick."

Charlie groaned. "FIne, this better be fast I am hungry." 

The detective forced a cordial smile that more closely resembled bloodthirsty pirate's growl.  "We have food at the station."

"Gross," Charlie said thinking about a meal of vending machine food was not how he wanted to dine this evening. He had simple tastes, but chips were not a meal. "I will meet you at the station after my dinner."

"No, you will come with us now." He said as he stepped towards Charlie threateningly glowering. 

"Am I under arrest?" Charlie asked condescendingly.

"No," He curtly replied.

"Do you have a warrant?" Charlie said smiling, he was winning.

"No," He answered again with more annoyance. 

"Then I am taking my motorcycle, and I am getting food before I go to the station. You can join me if it makes you feel better."

The detective growled, "Be at the station in an hour, or you will find a warrant for your arrest at your door tomorrow morning." 

"My lawyer will happily receive it. I will notify him of the appointment." He could see the anger rising in the detective, an emotion that would not way the scales of fate in his favor. "Look, I am cooperating quit the tough cop attitude, it's not necessary. I will be there at 8 pm sharp and I will even bring you a sandwich, or would you prefer a donut?"

"I am sorry to say I cannot agree to those terms, and you are under arrest for contempt." 

Before Charlie could step onto his motorcycle, he felt a heavy and unforgiving object collide with his skull.   His mind clouded over with pain and his vision blurred. Charlie collapsed to his knees. A large dark palm pressed his face hard into the searing asphalt. He held his silence as he felt his body bludgeoned with the staff of the police issue billy clubs. He felt pain screamed its way through his body. His ribs shattered under the impact of their steel-toed boots and his skin collapsed under the pressure of the weapon.

He looked at the detective one last time and smiled. With the last piece of his conscious mind, he sent a signal directly to Sarah. Two can play the system boys.

He was beaten until his human body could not take it anymore. Blood speckled the pavement around him and he was dragged to the police car.