Deric Storm
Consul
(This takes place about 8 months after the events of Ultramarine. Claire Middleton and Dr. Sydney Freeman are my NPCs)
“I still think it’s a bad idea.”
Deric rolled his eyes and growled as he placed a few more items from his desk into his backpack.
“Gee, Middie,” the farmboy said dryly. “You sure that’s how you really feel?” Deric cast a quick glance at his watch. “It’s only been five minutes since you last said that.”
The blonde forensic tech glared at the detective, though more out of stubbornness than anger. “I’ll keep saying it until it sinks into that thick Irish skull of yours.” Middie placed both of her hands on Deric’s desk as if both bracing herself and barring the path of the larger detective.
To anyone walking by, the sight would almost be comical. Deric was, by most normal people’s definition, a large man; six-foot-four and about two hundred and thirty pounds, give or take. Claire Middleton, the woman staring him down, was almost a foot shorter and probably a hundred pounds lighter.
The idea that that could literally just pick up the blonde woman and move her aside if he wished almost made Deric laugh out loud. It also diffused most of the frustration he was feeling; not that he or Middie could stay mad at each other for long anyway. Being in the same training class at the Academy had engendered more of a sibling relationship. Also, he couldn’t stay mad at her because the farmboy knew she was just trying to look out for him.
Deric was more frustrated with Middie because he knew that she was probably right.
“Jeebus, Claire,” Deric huffed, sinking into his desk chair. “What do you want me to say?”
The shorter blonde glared at him. “What I want,” she said, softening her gaze, “is to know that you’re gonna be okay.”
“Aww hell, Mids,” Deric said closing up his backpack, “I’m not gonna be gone forever. I’ll be back before you know it.” Slinging the bag over his shoulder as he stood up, Deric made his way around his Academy classmate. “You don’t really have to worry about me.”
“We’ve known each other long enough for me to know you’re full of crap, farmboy,” Claire said, falling into step with him. “I just remember how you were the first time and you were not in a good place. I don’t want to see you fall back in that hole.”
Deric put his free arm around the woman’s shoulders. “I know, I know. I appreciate it, Claire. I just feel like it’s something I have to do. One way or another, I need some sense of closure. For my sanity, if nothing else.”
“Sanity?” Claire asked, looking up at him. “That sounds like something you should talk to somebody about. Maybe ring up Sparky, or hell, go talk to Freeman. You two seem to work well.”
“Already did,” Deric answered. Middie stopped short on hearing that. Deric stopped as well, looking back at the woman.
“And he okayed this???” Claire almost went bug-eyed.
Deric chuckled a little bit at her response, which he somewhat expected. In fact, he still remembered when he spoke with Dr. Freeman.
(5 weeks post Ultramarine)
Deric stretched out on the bench near the Academy training fields, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. He let his mind wander while watching some trainees playing soccer and just listening to the background noise around him.
“Interesting spot for a house call.” A voice broke through the reverie.
“Well,” Deric said with a sigh, leaning back on the bench, “recent events have given me an aversion you might say to enclosed spaces.”
The other voice sat down on the bench next to him. “I’d say that aversion’s reasonable. Considering I can count on one hand the amount of times you’ve requested a session… I was curious.”
Deric let his head loll back and almost broke out in laughter. “Thanks for agreeing to meet me like this, Doc.”
Sydney Freeman, one of ACME’s staff psychiatrists, sat down next to Deric on the bench. “Not a problem, Detective. I figured after your mission with Miss Monaghan, I’d be dealing with you soon enough.”
Deric could feel the shrink’s eyes on him, giving him the space to respond in his own time, but encouraging him to respond as well. The ‘mission,’ as Dr. Freeman had called it was both the worst kept secret and greatest mystery in all of ACME. A rescue mission to a submerged temple beneath the waves of the Indian Ocean, working with the top of the agency’s most wanted list, having his brain scrambled by a magic artifact, the end of that farrago with their departure… There were times he wondered what had been real and what was the result of hypoxia. Some things were crystal clear in his memory, though. ‘Hence today’s session,’ Deric thought.
“Yeah,” Deric said quietly. “I’ve been trying to wrap my brain around what happened. I saw and went through some stuff down there and… Hell, I don’t know.” Deric covered his face with his hands and let out a frustrated sigh.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning and tell me what you can,” Freeman soothed, “or at least what you can remember.” Deric pushed himself up from the bench and paced in front of the bench, rubbing his hands together.
“First part of the mission went off without a hitch, for the most part,” Deric began, chuckling at the end. “Next thing I know, things start getting squirrely. Everybody starts acting weird, a flash of light, and then the next thing I know I’m in the living room of my grandparents’ farmhouse having a debate with my evil doppelganger and my missing fiancée.” Deric plopped back into his seat on the bench, visibly frustrated. “Ex- fiancée, fiancée, what-googly-ever.” Recounting the tale made the young detective want to scream in impotent rage. He could feel some of the concern radiating from Dr. Freeman; it had been Sydney whom Deric had been mandated to see when he spiraled into a depression when his fiancée, Calina Corranos, had vanished about two years prior.
He had been moving on, or attempting to in any case. And that googly cave had taken all that and tossed it into the garbage. Deric hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since he had returned from the sea.
“I’m guessing you’ve been replaying that conversation since you got back?” Freeman finally asked.
“Just about every time I close my eyes,” Deric grumbled. Out of the corner of his eye, Deric thought he had seen Sydney’s shoulders sag slightly, as if he too saw all his previous work shatter.
“Normally, I would not even broach this,” Syd said, closing his notepad. “But as your therapist, I am concerned at what your experience on your last mission means for your mental health. I think you need to find Calina and hash out whatever this,” Freeman gestured in Deric’s general direction, “is. Considering the aftereffects, I feel it would be in your best interests to get some sort of closure one way or the other.”
Present Day
“I think Syd felt the positives overruled the negatives,” Deric said shrugging.
“If he says it’s okay, I guess…” Claire started to stammer. Deric dropped the backpack and pulled her into a hug. He rested his chin on the top of her head and he could feel her grip him tighter and start to sob a little.
“Hey-hey-hey,” Deric said, rubbing her back soothingly. “I’ll be fine. I’m gonna go down, ask some questions, hopefully get some answers, and then I’ll be back. Besides, If I don’t come back, who’s gonna feed you on Sundays?”
Claire’s sobs turned into laughs and she shoved Deric a little bit. “You better or I will find you and whoop your butt.”
“Deal,” Deric said with a chuckle as he pushed the call button for the elevator.
“I still think it’s a bad idea.”
Deric rolled his eyes and growled as he placed a few more items from his desk into his backpack.
“Gee, Middie,” the farmboy said dryly. “You sure that’s how you really feel?” Deric cast a quick glance at his watch. “It’s only been five minutes since you last said that.”
The blonde forensic tech glared at the detective, though more out of stubbornness than anger. “I’ll keep saying it until it sinks into that thick Irish skull of yours.” Middie placed both of her hands on Deric’s desk as if both bracing herself and barring the path of the larger detective.
To anyone walking by, the sight would almost be comical. Deric was, by most normal people’s definition, a large man; six-foot-four and about two hundred and thirty pounds, give or take. Claire Middleton, the woman staring him down, was almost a foot shorter and probably a hundred pounds lighter.
The idea that that could literally just pick up the blonde woman and move her aside if he wished almost made Deric laugh out loud. It also diffused most of the frustration he was feeling; not that he or Middie could stay mad at each other for long anyway. Being in the same training class at the Academy had engendered more of a sibling relationship. Also, he couldn’t stay mad at her because the farmboy knew she was just trying to look out for him.
Deric was more frustrated with Middie because he knew that she was probably right.
“Jeebus, Claire,” Deric huffed, sinking into his desk chair. “What do you want me to say?”
The shorter blonde glared at him. “What I want,” she said, softening her gaze, “is to know that you’re gonna be okay.”
“Aww hell, Mids,” Deric said closing up his backpack, “I’m not gonna be gone forever. I’ll be back before you know it.” Slinging the bag over his shoulder as he stood up, Deric made his way around his Academy classmate. “You don’t really have to worry about me.”
“We’ve known each other long enough for me to know you’re full of crap, farmboy,” Claire said, falling into step with him. “I just remember how you were the first time and you were not in a good place. I don’t want to see you fall back in that hole.”
Deric put his free arm around the woman’s shoulders. “I know, I know. I appreciate it, Claire. I just feel like it’s something I have to do. One way or another, I need some sense of closure. For my sanity, if nothing else.”
“Sanity?” Claire asked, looking up at him. “That sounds like something you should talk to somebody about. Maybe ring up Sparky, or hell, go talk to Freeman. You two seem to work well.”
“Already did,” Deric answered. Middie stopped short on hearing that. Deric stopped as well, looking back at the woman.
“And he okayed this???” Claire almost went bug-eyed.
Deric chuckled a little bit at her response, which he somewhat expected. In fact, he still remembered when he spoke with Dr. Freeman.
(5 weeks post Ultramarine)
Deric stretched out on the bench near the Academy training fields, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. He let his mind wander while watching some trainees playing soccer and just listening to the background noise around him.
“Interesting spot for a house call.” A voice broke through the reverie.
“Well,” Deric said with a sigh, leaning back on the bench, “recent events have given me an aversion you might say to enclosed spaces.”
The other voice sat down on the bench next to him. “I’d say that aversion’s reasonable. Considering I can count on one hand the amount of times you’ve requested a session… I was curious.”
Deric let his head loll back and almost broke out in laughter. “Thanks for agreeing to meet me like this, Doc.”
Sydney Freeman, one of ACME’s staff psychiatrists, sat down next to Deric on the bench. “Not a problem, Detective. I figured after your mission with Miss Monaghan, I’d be dealing with you soon enough.”
Deric could feel the shrink’s eyes on him, giving him the space to respond in his own time, but encouraging him to respond as well. The ‘mission,’ as Dr. Freeman had called it was both the worst kept secret and greatest mystery in all of ACME. A rescue mission to a submerged temple beneath the waves of the Indian Ocean, working with the top of the agency’s most wanted list, having his brain scrambled by a magic artifact, the end of that farrago with their departure… There were times he wondered what had been real and what was the result of hypoxia. Some things were crystal clear in his memory, though. ‘Hence today’s session,’ Deric thought.
“Yeah,” Deric said quietly. “I’ve been trying to wrap my brain around what happened. I saw and went through some stuff down there and… Hell, I don’t know.” Deric covered his face with his hands and let out a frustrated sigh.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning and tell me what you can,” Freeman soothed, “or at least what you can remember.” Deric pushed himself up from the bench and paced in front of the bench, rubbing his hands together.
“First part of the mission went off without a hitch, for the most part,” Deric began, chuckling at the end. “Next thing I know, things start getting squirrely. Everybody starts acting weird, a flash of light, and then the next thing I know I’m in the living room of my grandparents’ farmhouse having a debate with my evil doppelganger and my missing fiancée.” Deric plopped back into his seat on the bench, visibly frustrated. “Ex- fiancée, fiancée, what-googly-ever.” Recounting the tale made the young detective want to scream in impotent rage. He could feel some of the concern radiating from Dr. Freeman; it had been Sydney whom Deric had been mandated to see when he spiraled into a depression when his fiancée, Calina Corranos, had vanished about two years prior.
He had been moving on, or attempting to in any case. And that googly cave had taken all that and tossed it into the garbage. Deric hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since he had returned from the sea.
“I’m guessing you’ve been replaying that conversation since you got back?” Freeman finally asked.
“Just about every time I close my eyes,” Deric grumbled. Out of the corner of his eye, Deric thought he had seen Sydney’s shoulders sag slightly, as if he too saw all his previous work shatter.
“Normally, I would not even broach this,” Syd said, closing his notepad. “But as your therapist, I am concerned at what your experience on your last mission means for your mental health. I think you need to find Calina and hash out whatever this,” Freeman gestured in Deric’s general direction, “is. Considering the aftereffects, I feel it would be in your best interests to get some sort of closure one way or the other.”
Present Day
“I think Syd felt the positives overruled the negatives,” Deric said shrugging.
“If he says it’s okay, I guess…” Claire started to stammer. Deric dropped the backpack and pulled her into a hug. He rested his chin on the top of her head and he could feel her grip him tighter and start to sob a little.
“Hey-hey-hey,” Deric said, rubbing her back soothingly. “I’ll be fine. I’m gonna go down, ask some questions, hopefully get some answers, and then I’ll be back. Besides, If I don’t come back, who’s gonna feed you on Sundays?”
Claire’s sobs turned into laughs and she shoved Deric a little bit. “You better or I will find you and whoop your butt.”
“Deal,” Deric said with a chuckle as he pushed the call button for the elevator.
