“Well, it kinda depends on how you look at it,” Aaron Honeywell spoke up from by the director’s side. “He’s not hurt. His physical therapy is going great and that’s, well, also kind of a problem.”
“Now he’s ready to waltz out the front door,” Merritt grumbled.
“What’s the problem?” I wondered. “If he’s better—"
“He’s better thanbefore,”Merritt clarified. “He’s well enough to not immediately keel over in the middle of the street. John meets the criteria to be released AMA but he’s still nearer to the beginning of his physical rehabilitation than the end.”
AMA? Against medical advice. That meant…
Merritt confirmed my fears. “The doctors can’t hold him if he insists on leaving.”
“Even if they could,” Aaron argued. “Holding a former captive after he’s refused to stay would be disastrous.”
John had made progress physically. While not being officially discharged, he was well enough to insist on leaving against his doctor’s orders. Oh no.
“Did I give him this idea?” I asked Aaron. “I told him to leave—”
“You what?” Merritt growled, steely gaze pinning me in place.
“—when he recovered.” Maybe he decided he was close enough.
“This isn’t anyone’s fault,” Aaron assured. “If anything, you motivated him. He’s been more engaged and outgoing these past few weeks than ever. But John’s an unusual case.”
Merritt gestured for me to have a seat, the only seat left in the cramped office. A small committee had gathered to discuss the situation. Chase sat in the chair next to me, giving me a lazy wave as I joined him. Aaron hovered nearby the desk in the space between his mate the director and the wall. Tough, no nonsense Assistant Director Gabriela Stone paced in the back. Having an agitated wolf behind me meant it took a moment to focus… to focus on the angry wolfin frontof me. Merritt began briefing me.
“John Doe, aka John Davis, becausesomeonerefused to use John Doe—”
“That just sounds too fake and obvious,” Aaron muttered.
“—is almost a complete mystery to us. He’s in the Broker ledgers as ‘acquisition M228.’ We’ve pieced together that he likely came from a low-income area frequented by the homeless after demonstrating ‘unexplained phenomena.’ He was in their custody for about a year and a half, far longer than the others. His collar was also off, so we have no indication of what he is, and as for the who, there’s even less there.”
“How is that possible?” I asked.
“His prints aren’t in the system, human or supernatural,” Stone cut in sourly from the back. “Psychics can’t get a clear read on him, and we haven’t been able to match him to any missing person’s case. No family has come forward, and he’s listing another survivor as his emergency contact.”
“He also won’t say much himself,” Chase added. “Not even his real first name. We’ve heard a few aliases, most of which he either doesn’t seem fond of or doesn’t even respond to.”
Well that… yeah, that was an unusual case indeed. John clearly couldn’t wait to get away yet he also didn’t provide contact information for his next of kin? Maybe he had no family. But why not share his name?
"Not totally surprising,” Aaron added. “Given how long he was held prisoner. He’s wary of everyone."
"That’s one explanation,” Stone muttered from the back.
“Are you freaking kidding?” Chase spoke up, turning in his chair to glare at her. “You think he’s a criminal?”
“The second he reveals his name, we’ll be able to search it and find any criminal record.”
“When you see the half empty glass in your mind, is it filled with arsenic?” Chase snarked at her.
“He might be totally innocent,” she allowed. “Though if his family or associates are involved in illegal activity, he doesn’t want to put them on our radar.”
"So that’s the good option?" Aaron wondered doubtfully.
Merritt raised a hand to stop the discussion. “Stone isn’t suggesting John is a criminal—"
“Implying it maybe,” Stone added.
“Stone.”
