Phoenix

Chapter 14: Stay Put

Max's eyes seemed to spin as we reappeared. I got on my knees as he melted to the floor. I pet him soothing his tense muscles, and waited for his nerves to calm down. Kida walked out of the office and sat beside me while Luke leaned against the door frame. A moment of silence captured the room in its grim claws before Max's tail started to beat against the hardwood.

'He never likes being turned to ashes,' I remembered, staring at his dead-like state.

"We found something," Luke mentioned.

"Good or bad?" I asked, hoping for some good news.

"Police ran Benito's license number and ID, we have them in the system now," Luke explained. A breath of relief filled my lungs before Luke ripped it out of my grasp.

"But we found something else," he added with a heavy sigh. I turned to Kida, her eyes seemed to resemble a deep bottomless pit.

"He warned police that he was armed, and they got his firearm registration," she began explaining.

"I don't see how that's bad," I breathed, confused.

"Perhaps you just need to see it," Luke suggested. As I got up, Max sprang out of his coma-like state and followed us back down into the secret room.

The screens were filled with Benito's information, but at least three of the large scale screens were filled with pictures of guns and their ownership registration.

"Are all these-?" I didn't have the breath or comprehension to finish my question.

"Yeah, they're all his," Luke breathed.

"Is this legal?" I asked, turning around to face Luke and Kida.

"Yeah, due to his military service, he has access to weapons and modifications that civilians don't," Luke explained.

"Shit," I breathed, looking over the assault rifles, suppressors, and modified sniper rifles.

"We need to get the police involved," Kida mumbled, her muscles tensing under her oversized sweatshirt.

"I know, but how are we going to do that without revealing all this," I motioned around the room.

"That's the hard part. I mean, perhaps we just start with an anonymous tip," Luke suggested.

"That might catch someone's attention, but then what?" Kida asked.

"We have the video revealing Mrs. Cyrus as an inhuman," I pointed out. "Hopefully, they jump the gun on facts and just arrest her for being inhuman."

'Knowing from experience how much the NYPD hates Inhumans, hopefully, they'll take the bait and not see the hook underneath,' I prayed.

"And it shows Mike committing manslaughter," Luke added as shivers ran down his spine.

"Let's start there then," Kida determined.

Luke immediately turned to one of the repaired computers and pulled up the anonymous tip line. He typed away at the keyboard and dragged pictures of Benito's guns into the file, the video of Mike's murder, and Mrs. Cyrus's abilities before sending the file off. We all seemed to hold our breath as if we were expecting an immediate response. But nothing happened. No police sirens. No news coverage. No help.

Luke kept himself busy by manipulating the metal Arnda gave us into mesh metal helmets. The thin, lightweight metal wires wove its way around our hair while somehow magically blending into our scalp.

At some point and time, I went to the small bay window in my father's office. My black hood covered my hair while my gaze stuck on some interesting invisible object out the window. Max was laying beside me on the cold hardwood floors when Luke popped his head out of the partially closed bookshelf case, he looked worried.