Dreams of the Quill

Night Switch returns after a bit more than two months off. Sorry for the wait. I’ll be updating Mondays and Fridays, but no new installments if there’re no comments on the latest! ;)

“Whaddya mean?” Jason asked, frowning at Dorito George. Jason wondered: how much could he know?

“You’ve got the hoax book El there,” Dorito answered. “I bought it on craigslist out of curiosity and after I confirmed the hoax, I sold it on craigslist. To Marin, in fact—that’s how we were reunited. How did you get your hands on it?”

“DHS?” shrugged Jason.

“Makes sense,” Dorito sighed. “So you went in there, raided her apartment, and took… the book? Why the book? It’s just—”

“I’d like to know, myself,” offered Frog. “But before that, what you were saying about the internet…?” As he said this, LAW1’s van pulled up outside and his colleagues filed out one by one, carrying expensive-looking hardware. They trotted into the Pizza Hut and began setting computers up on every table.

“What the—” Jason was cut short as Inspector Kris marched in with extension cords coiled around her shoulders.

“LAW1, we’re setting up temporary base here.” She glanced at the zombie-like Pizza Hut worker, and, upon seeing that he was in no state to object, added, “looks like there’re no problems.”

“Inspector, what’s going on?” asked Frog.

“We’re quarantining you in this space in order to establish and deal with whatever terrorist threat this meeting represents.” Two men in black suits carrying assault rifles walked into the joint behind the last computer-toting LAW1 employee. “LAW3 is with us, and will continue to be until we’ve heard everything.”

“Who’re the suspects?” asked one of the gunmen.

Kris pointed to the table at which Dorito George sat.

“‘Dorito George,’ M1A0, the dog, and P.T.H..”

“Inspector!” cried Frog. Pablo snickered.

“You guys seem to have been enjoying a nice round of information-sharing,” said the leader of LAW1. “From now on, though, there’ll be a nice one-way flow of information. From the four of you, to me. Got it?”

The LAW3 men fingered their weapons and the three human suspects nodded.

“We’ll comply,” said Frog immediately. Jason nodded, realizing that his colleague was probably trying to save himself at this point. “But I have a question before that, something doesn’t make sense to—”

“Too bad,” responded Kris. “Now. First. Who’s the talking dog, and why can he talk?”

“I’ll answer this one,” Dax said. Dorito leaned in, interested. “And this will be the last question. I am LAW4, a special division of DHS created for the sake of dealing with the current supernatural crisis our country is facing. I was given total discretion by the Establishment, and I will put everyone here under my direct command to make sure you don’t leak my existence. That my operations remain secret is of the utmost importance.”

“I don’t buy it,” mouthed Jason.

“I don’t doubt it,” shrugged Inspector Kris.