Saturday; two days ago.
Jackson had awoken early the morning following the blaze, well rested, and glad to find he hadn't developed a cold from the previous night's exploits in the rain. It had been strange for him, waking up in his childhood home knowing that, despite it looking the same, it never would be without his father. Jackson had even chosen to sleep in his old room, which only had a tiny twin-sized bed for a kid, as opposed to the master bedroom that had been his father's. Too many memories and emotions for Jackson to deal with just yet.
He skipped breakfast, knowing that there wouldn't be any food or drink in the house currently, making a mental note to go shopping later. It was his intent to stay in the city until it was returned to its former glory, and from what Jackson had seen so far, it seemed that would take some time, meaning stocking up on supplies would be necessary. But that was a secondary priority for the young man; first he wanted to speak to his aunt. He didn't call her ahead of time as he had left his phone at P.R.C.U. to avoid them from locating him too quickly, and the house was without a working land-line at the moment, but he knew where he could find her just the same.
The trip to Police Headquarters, located in The Spires of New Lillith, took longer than needed as he opted to walk instead of fly. Despite the storm, it was still bright enough for people to notice a man soaring through the air, and while he would never hide his gifts he had no desire to call unwanted attention to himself. Hyperhuman activity attracted H.E.L.P. and S.H.I.F.T., and he wanted as much time before they found him as he could get.
It didn't take him long to find her once he entered the building, he had been directed towards her from the officer who had given him his visitor's pass. Feona Noble was a sergeant of the Crescent City Police Department, senior detective of the Major Crimes Unit, and directly in charge of all other detectives in the squad. She had her own office, though small in comparison to the lieutenant's - the man who oversaw the entire MCU, and Feona's boss - it offered much more privacy and space than the bullpen where the other detectives' desks sat.
Jackson knocked on the frame of the open door, and cleared his voice. "Strange, I was told this is where I can find Sergeant Noble, but all I see is my favorite aunt."
Feona, whose face had been buried in case reports on her desk, jerked her head up, eyes wide. "Jack!" She rushed from behind her desk to embrace him. "You're home! What are you doing here?"
He smiled, and hugged her back. Jackson had missed his aunt dearly. He had never made the return to Crescent City before now, and she had always been too busy with work to visit him in Canada, so all their conversations had been over the phone, or through text. Being able to hug her now, after all this time, brought him genuine joy he hadn't allowed himself to feel in years.
"Saw the news, figured you could use some help." He pulled back from the hug to let her see the serious expression on his face. "With the city like this... Aunt Feona, I couldn't just sit put in Canada twiddling my thumbs. You taught me better than that. And Dad... Dad would have wanted to help as best we can."
Feona took a few steps back to take a good look at her nephew, all grown up. She knew he had been enrolled in the H.E.A.T. program at his school, on the fast track to becoming a full-blown S.H.I.F.T. agent, so she was well aware he could handle himself. However, vigilante activity had been rampant in the city the past month, and although they all had the best of intentions, they often ended up screwing things up more than helping. They tainted evidence, fouled up months-long investigations, ruined any chance of conviction for crimes perpetrated by criminals they apprehended, and more.
"Jack, as your aunt, I couldn't be more proud of that decision, especially since I have no doubt you could do some real good with your... talents. But as a cop, I can't condone such behavior."
"Feona, you ca-"
She interrupted him with a raised hand. "As I said, I can't condone that as a cop." She moved past him towards the door, closing it gently. "Which is why I'm taking my lunch break right now. Talk to me."
She retook her seat behind her desk, leaning back in the chair. Despite knowing that the vigilantes currently operating in the city usually mucked police procedures up, she also knew that they were sometimes able to prevent crimes and save lives when officers weren't available, and Feona had no doubt that her nephew, unlike all the amateurs running around in their ridiculous capes and masks playing hero, would know how to conduct himself seeing as he had been training for this exact situation for nearly a decade.
Jackson smirked, and took a seat across from his aunt. "See, I knew there was a reason you were my favorite aunt."
"I'm your only aunt. Now spill. What did you have in mind?"
"I saw the reports on the news about all the rioting, the flooding, the increased crime rates. I know the police are spread thin, and as much as I respect you guys, you can't handle everything, and you can't be everywhere." Explained Jackson, "we both know there are other hyperhumans out there in the gangs, and with the way you guys are overworked right now there's no way you can muster up the forces necessary if any hype decides to go on a rampage. I'm trained to deal with that. And while I can't do anything about the flooding, I can do more to prevent a major crisis than a beat cop. No offense," he added.
"None taken." She said in a tone that made it clear she wanted him to continue.
He went on, "and I'm going to help. I'll do it alone if I have to, reacting to whatever crime reports I hear on the news or that I see while I'm out, but I was hoping you'd be up for lending me a hand. Nothing that would go against your duty as an officer of the law, I promise. The way I see it, you're in charge of the unit that deals with the big problems, but right now you can't handle them all. I can take some of the burden off your back. You catch wind of something going down that you guys can't react to in time, or just can't deal with at the moment, you can call me. I'm trained for this, Aunt Feona, I can help. But I need your help to make sure I'm doing all I can."
"I don't doubt your ability, Jack. And I'm sure as hell not going to lecture you on the dangers of this type of work, since we both know that wouldn't change your mind. Not even sure I'd want to change your mind. Sad fact of the matter is, this storm has brought more problems for this city than just the rain, and the CCPD just isn't equipped for it all. You're right about that."
She leaned forward over her desk, and used her 'stern voice' that had so often meant a disciplinary talk and/or punishment for Jackson as a child. "But if I go through with this, we do it my way. You listen to me, you report to me. I trust your judgement, Jack, and I know you trained for this sort of stuff, but you're still just a civilian, and even more you're my nephew. I don't want you running off half-cocked to deal with a situation no matter what it is without first talking to me. Got it?"
He was honestly surprised by how accepting she was of this idea. Jackson had expected to have to debate on this matter for some time, he had never thought she would so readily agree.
"So... you're on board with is?" He asked.
"I didn't say that. But I'm open to discussing it more, just not now. As you can probably guess, I'm swamped with work." She stood up to give him another hug, announcing an end to the conversation. "You're coming over to my house for dinner tonight. I've missed you, kiddo, and we've got a lot to talk about. Okay?"
"Okay. I've got a few errands, but I'll stop by in the evening, when do you get off work?"
"Seven." She looked him over skeptically. "Errands?"
"Yeah. Groceries, and... well, you're not the only one I need to pay a visit to." Jackson responded, knowing that the conversation with the other person he planned to go see wasn't likely to go as easy as this one had.
Feona nodded. She understood who he was referring to. "Well, I wish you luck with that one, Jack. Now. I hate to rush you out, but I really do have a lot to do. We'll have more time to talk tonight, and you can tell me all about how things go with her. I love you, kiddo. It's good to see you again. I'm glad you're back."
He opened the door, and paused. "Love you, too, Aunt Feona. I'm glad to be back." Surprising enough, he actually meant that. He had thought returning to Crescent City would be a tough experience, and although some emotions were still difficult to cope with, he was finding he had missed his true home more than he had originally thought.
"Seven o'clock!" She called out as he began walking out of the room.
"I'll be there!" Was the answer in return.
He fiddled with the necklace he always wore, fingers rubbing over the pop-tab at the end of the chain. Right after I see Violet, he told himself.
