Felix sat at his desk, clutching a styrofoam cup. He was sipping water, even with a half-can of Vault on his desk. Every time an officer walked by, Felix got a pat on the shoulder. A few sips later, Felix heard someone come up behind him, but he didn’t get a pat. “Clayton Iron-Horse?”
“Good guess. How are you doing?”
“I’ve been better.” Felix sipped some more water.
“I take it getting shot at isn’t something you’re terribly used to?”
Felix sipped some more water. “Honestly, if it wasn’t for my computer skills I don’t think I could handle this job. Most of my co-workers either like or tolerate being out there. I’m most comfortable here, doing what I can to help from the safety of these four walls.”
Clayton walked around to the side of his desk. “So, why be a policeman at all? I’m sure with your skills you could get a nice job involving computers?”
“I could, but I like to think I help people. I want to serve and protect the citizens, as corny as that sounds. As long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a cop. My dad was a cop, and so was his dad. It’s what I always wanted.” Felix finished the water and sat the cup on his desk. He grabbed the Vault can and chugged what was left. “I just kinda suck at it…police work anyway. The captain keeps me around for what I can do in research and digging on-line.”
“Do you still need to put on the full uniform then?”
Felix looked down at his uniform. He reached up to his badge and fumbled with it for a second. “No, not really.”
“Listen Felix, I need anything you have so far that the Captain wanted you to find. I know he probably asked you to find it on the QT, but anything you can spare about these other agents on this case I can use.”
“That? Oh, that’s no problem.” Felix double-clicked his scroll lock and the screen flickered. He moused over to a few open windows and maximized them. “Agent Garrett is with the N.R.O., and agent Lewis is with the N.G.A., and they’ve both worked for the C.I.A.”
Felix bent down and looked closely. “Typically, the N.R.O. and N.G.A. don’t send out agents to harass local law enforcement. This must be a C.I.A. matter.” Clayton pulled out his phone and pressed three.
“Agent Iron-Horse, do you need anything else?”
Clayton looked down at his phone, then at Felix. He looked so young, and his enthusiasm told Clayton the world hadn’t ground its heel into his spirit yet, and he didn’t want this case to be the cause. “Not right now. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Hale is lucky to have someone like you on the force.” Clayton started to walk away, but turned around after a few steps. “By the way, I don’t say sorry for ending hostage situations, but I am sorry if I did you any undue harm.” Clayton started walking away again. Felix shook his head and resumed another search.
What secrets are you hiding Mr. Iron-Horse?
