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Locker 6

Started by MerchantDeryni, May 24, 2012, 10:37:03 PM

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MerchantDeryni


Locker Six

   They sat in the car all day, watching and waiting. Dorian worked in his garden, cutting the grass, trimming the hedge and weeding the small flowerbed under the bay window. The house looked average. The car was a little sporty for the area, but not excessively so. It was leased, for a year, paid for in advance. Dorian finished his yard work and sat on the porch for a minute drinking a beer.

"If he drives for the deal, maybe we can pull him over for swerving, and smell alcohol on his breath." offered Jim from the passenger seat.

"That would be pretty much everything we currently have to hold against this guy. Jesus, I thought I was boring. This guy is a drone." Mark replied.

"Yeah well the guy in the grow-op book says cut your grass as well. So maybe he's just staying under the radar."

   On the porch Dorian moves suddenly and paws at his pocket. He glances at the screen and taps a reply. He heads inside and closes the front door. His unfinished beer left on the porch.

"Do we get a copy of what he sent?" Mark asked.

"We should get one in a few minutes."

   Dorian returned to the porch after a ten minute delay. He slumped into the chair and picked up his beer. He typed into his phone briefly then pocketed it. He yawned and leaned back and closed his eyes.

Jim's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and gave a hissed "Got him!" He flipped the phone to show Mark

**Grecothan green. 200 pounds, 100 a pound transport fee. You available? Take you 20 minutes for 20 grand. Room 6**

** Sure, gimme a minute, need to pee.**

The time code was 10 minutes ago.

"So we get the stuff and we can tie him to the transport. Now we just need to ghost this guy and catch him transporting it." Jim said.

"Call it in and get more people. We'll cover him around the clock and catch him with the drugs. Maybe we can catch the meet and get both ends of the equation."

Jim's phone buzzed again. He looked at the screen, paused, read it again more closely and then handed the phone over to Mark.

**Did it in ten. Bring me my money bitch, but later, going to have a nap. Want to come over and watch the game tonight?**


**I'll bring pizza. Thanks for the fast service. Customer getting code now. Cash delivered to office here already**


   "Wait a second. The deal is done? Did he send any other texts, make other calls?" Mark asked. Something had just gone wrong in this investigation. This guy had apparently just completed a drug deal for 200 pounds of Grecothan pot while being watched by two of Rhemuth's finest. "What the hell is room 6?"

   Jim grabbed the phone and dialed a number. "Tim, any activity at the yard? Roll in, pretend to go check your locker. See if any other lockers are open, and let me know what number it is. I'll stay on the line, plug in your helmet and roll.

   There was a minute of silence in the car. Then Jimmy spoke in answer to something Tim said. "Locker six is being closed up right now, and the guy looks a little sketchy? Send in the plate number, and get a unit to follow that truck." He turned to Mark. "Locker six was just opened and stuff placed into a van. What do you want to bet that the plate comes up as stolen, rented, or to someone sketchy enough to be involved in pot smuggling?"

"No bet, that was a good idea to check locker numbers. Okay so that is how they deliver and distribute. They use the lockers as blind drops to drop off and pick up drugs. They can leave money the same way, once payment is OK you get the code to the locker. Nobody has to face anyone with drugs in hand. Now for the big question., How the hell did this guy just get locker 6 ready while we were watching him cut his freaking grass? He got asked to deliver 200 pounds, then 10 minutes later he says it is done. I thought we had this guy's life wired?"

"I have no idea, but we better find out if that van has 200 pounds of Grecothan in it."

   They both got busy on their phones to arrange for the van to be pulled over.




*  *  *  *

   "Two hundred pounds of marijuana were seized today when a routine traffic stop turned up the drugs in the back of the van. Local narcotics agents were please to announce."

Mark tuned out the t.v in the corner of the office as it babbled on about the excellent police work. He was looking at the evidence table and wondering where he and Jim had got it so wrong. The marijuana had been identified as a type grown in Grecotha, and the markings on the package were also common to Grecotha. So what did that have to do with the text messages they had intercepted? They had watched Dorian the entire time he had been outside. There was no way he could have had anything to do with that load of drugs. The police were his alibi, embarrassing as that was. The texts might refer to a new shipment coming in, but the timing was just so odd.

It was a puzzle, and Mark was determined to discover what the answer was.

Evie

Ooh, interesting...a modern-day twist on Deryni and their gifts!  Hopefully the investigators have a few Deryni on their side as well who can shed a bit of light on what's going on.  Though in a world where Deryni and humans have co-existed into the 21st Century (at least I assume this is meant to be contemporary?), wouldn't law enforcement be at least aware of the existence of Transfer Portals and what signs to look out for that might indicate a perpetrator is Deryni, even if Deryni are still a small minority of the population and the two investigators in this case happen to be human?  If so, then I'd think Mark would manage to figure out the mystery in fairly short order, maybe after a good night's sleep to clear his thoughts a bit.   :)

On the other hand, if they have very good reason to think (or actually know) their suspect is fully human, and he still manages a "two places seemingly at once" act, then that might provide more of a challenge.  Has he somehow been empowered to use a Portal?  And who is his Deryni accomplice, because surely he's got one, unless Portals have suddenly started materializing out of nowhere for the convenience of humans?   :D
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Jerusha

Nice story - I like the modern twist.  :)

Perhaps by this modern time period, Deryni, who were never that numerous, have been absorbed into the overall population and many of their talents diluted, forgotten and become legend.  But a few might surface with stronger powers, and be able to tap into the old knowledge and use it for their own gain.
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

Elkhound

I once tried to do a crossover between the Deryniverse and Harry Potter, postulating that the Wizardlings of Harry Potter were the modern descendants of Deryni.

It didn't work out, but I think a better writer than I could make it work.  There is one scene that I liked though, which I may re-use, of a conversation in Lambeth Palace between the ABC and 'the Other Archbishop.'  (Parallel to 'The Other Minister.')

MerchantDeryni


Thanks, it's another twist on my Portal for cash thread. Well, same twist really. If you can jump 300 miles a shot, and can make 20 grand doing it, would you?

As for the universe I have the Deryni as a forgotten heritage, assimilated, arts lost etc. Except there are some, and they know Magic is real. So a human policeman (who has always had hunches.. ) is investigating a case of the smuggler who can move anything.


derynifanatic64

Good story!  All we need now is for someone to do a Deryni story in outer space!
We will never forget the events of 9-11!!  USA!! USA!!

MerchantDeryni


I've been thinking about a universe with Deryni using their powers in modern day settings. It makes police work rather simple. Truth read " Did you do the crime?"
"No"

"You are lying." and then ask questions to find out the answers.

or get a court order for a mind scan and find out what they did do that night, project it in the courtroom for the judge and jury to see. So much for alibis.

SO I decided not to write that universe. It could come across as kind of Big Brotherish. Although imagine the fight for privacy rights! "Just say no to Mind Ripping!" Occupy Valoret movements etc.

Another scary idea, which I will use, is the mind control to make someone do something. With mental conditioning you could program regular people to become weapons. Drive cars into lobbies, carry backpacks of whatever substance you want. Confess to crimes they did not commit. (Ony works if Truth read is not available), althughif you create false memories, would Truth read readit as truth if the person telling the story believed they did the crime in a moment of rage.

Hmm, I think I just thought of a story.


As for a space story. I like science fiction, but my latest obsession is transfer portals, and they don;t work in space, no bedrock to anchor onto. And a range of 300 miles so they do not reach anyway. :)

Elkhound

Quote from: MerchantDeryni on June 23, 2012, 12:34:26 AMAnother scary idea, which I will use, is the mind control to make someone do something. With mental conditioning you could program regular people to become weapons. Drive cars into lobbies, carry backpacks of whatever substance you want. Confess to crimes they did not commit.

Done in canon; look what Wencit did to Derry, or what Charissa did to what's-his-face giving the poisoned wine to the King.

MerchantDeryni


You are right about the canon material, although I was thinking of the baptismal salt in the first Camber book. (I read that first, and fell in love with the Camber era). Applied to modern settings you could have obedient drug mules who take the fall for you. Or throwaway assassins with complete deniability. Soccer Moms with Uzi's with no idea why they are doing what they are doing. The conditioning may not last long, but do you care? They are the human equivalent of a hand grenade, throw away weapons.

derynifanatic64

Quote from: Elkhound on June 23, 2012, 07:28:15 PM
Quote from: MerchantDeryni on June 23, 2012, 12:34:26 AMAnother scary idea, which I will use, is the mind control to make someone do something. With mental conditioning you could program regular people to become weapons. Drive cars into lobbies, carry backpacks of whatever substance you want. Confess to crimes they did not commit.

Done in canon; look what Wencit did to Derry, or what Charissa did to what's-his-face giving the poisoned wine to the King.
It was Colin of Fianna who gave Brion the flask of merasha-laced wine, which Arilan later used to expose Kelson and Dhugal to merasha for the first time.
We will never forget the events of 9-11!!  USA!! USA!!

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