SSV: Project S.T.A.T.I.C.- Part 2

Chapter 3

Jake stepped out of the shower and grabbed his towel to dry himself off. He'd just woken up from a grueling night of patrol. The better part of his night had consisted of chasing leads on Dr. Murray, busting a drug ring, and a fairly severe beating he'd taken when one of his new gadgets failed. He'd managed to win the fight, but not before taking several blows from bats and lead pipes. His chest and arms were covered in bruises, and a shiner was forming around his left eye. It was nothing he couldn't handle, though, and nothing he hadn't dealt with before. He towled himself off and grabbed a fresh set of clothes to wear.

It was early in the afternoon, and he needed to visit the office before the day was over. Recently, the public eye had turned over to his company in a much more negative light. The mayoral candidate, Meg Myers, was on the warpath and was instigating a potential manhunt for him and the members of his board. That was another thing he needed to investigate on top of Dr. Murray and Amelia. According to Alexis, Meg Myers was dead. However, he couldn't find a death certificate, obituary, or anything to prove that. Worse, he'd personally met the woman once before shortly before Rebecca had taken over the city. The fact that she was running for mayor after those events was bad enough, but something was certainly off about the situation. The timing of it all was more concerning, and the woman was blatantly calling out the fact that Courtney was never officially brought in. He'd have to divide his time up more to investigate her further today.

A knock at his bedroom door came followed by the sound of Bruce's voice, "Master Jake, you have a visitor waiting downstairs for you. She's insisted on speaking with you directly."

Jake sighed as he threw on a button-up shirt, "Tell Alexis that she can wait a minute, and that I was going to call her about our date, Bruce."

"It's not Ms. Hamilton, master Jake," Bruce called back through the door, "A young woman dressed darkly with a, dare I say it, rather Gothic appearance."

Jake's heart skipped a beat and he froze. It couldn't be, could it? He swallowed nervously and tried to button the last button on his shirt. His hands were shaky, though, and he couldn't line it up. "Breathe, Jake," Ashley said, appearing on the bed and watching him closely, "Don't work yourself up before we know who it is."

"What's her name, Bruce?" Jake yelled, more aggressive than he intended.

"It's not Ms. Rebecca, master Jake," Bruce called back, hearing the distress in his ward's voice, "She refused to give me a name, but I know the face of the former lady of the house. Whomever this young woman is, she's quite rude and demanding. I believe she referred to me as a stuffed tight-wad of a manservant."

Jake furrowed his brow, but he slowly started to relax. "She sounds like a charmer," Ashley scoffed, "See, nothing to worry about. Well, at least not about the dead walking amongst us…again."

"I don't know who the hell it could be then," Jake said as he finished getting dressed, "Tell her I'll be down in a moment, Bruce."

"I'll relay the message, sir," Bruce called back before departing.

"You've no idea who might just decide to show up at your home?" Ashley asked, "Perhaps it's one of your many flings from your grief-stricken sex-spree after the witch perished."

"There's only one way to find out," Jake replied as he slid on a pair of black slacks and threaded the belt through the loops, "Let's see who it is."

Jake finished getting dressed and exited his room. It was a short walk downstairs, but he couldn't shake a foreboding feeling that whoever was below would be a problem. He passed Bruce as he headed into the living room, "Your guest seems to be rather impatient, but she's also quite engrossed in her phone. I do hope that she's not going to be a regular in our home, master Jake. Your choices are your own, but this one seems to have quite the attitude problem."

"I heard that, you walking penguin," a familiar and flat voice called out.

"Oh, fuck me," Jake groaned as he realized who it was, "I thought this shit was behind me."

Ashley stood behind him and frowned, "Is this someone from before we met? I'm getting some flashes of some rather compromising situations between you and a young woman. Oh, Jake, tell me that this isn't right."

"I'm not proud of it," Jake sighed quietly, "But, yes, what you're seeing did happen, and it happened more often than I'm proud to admit."

Jake hung his head as he walked into the living room to confirm his fears. Sitting in his favorite chair was a young woman his age with long black hair with green and purple streaks in her bangs. Her hair was down, albeit slightly greasy from neglect, and she wore a pair of black and white striped leggings under a short black denim skirt. He could see the fleece material from where he stood, and she had on a matching sweater to go with her leggins, and a black denim vest that matched her skirt. Bored and uncaring eyes were glued to her phone as he walked in, and she barely acknowledged him as he entered the room. Ingrid Isley, a former obsession of his from years ago, had decided to show herself and let herself into his home. She was probably one of the city's best hackers, an avid tech enthusiast, a hard-core gamer, and a royal thorn in his side. Perhaps one of the lesser members of his rogues gallery, but more dangerous than she appeared.

"Took you long enough, butt-munch," Ingrid greeted him without looking up, "You know it's rude to keep a girl waiting, right?"

"You know I can throw you out, right?" Jake countered, not in the mood for her attitude.

"And I can have your secret identity posted on every social media site with one click," Ingrid threw back at him, "Have a seat, slave-boy, we need to talk."

Jake stood for a moment and seethed with frustration, but he knew he didn't have a leg to stand on. One blunder in his early years of fighting crime, and this woman had managed to both capture, torture, and learn his identity from it. All because he'd underestimated her and assumed she wasn't a threat. It didn't help that she was exactly his type either. Dark, brooding, aloof, and more dominant than she looked, he'd become addicted to her abuse for a long time. He wasn't proud of the amount of times he'd gone to her willingly to indulge his submissive side. He'd been at her beck and call for months, but then he'd started calling and begging for times to meet. Worshiping her ass while she sat on his face and gamed, worshiping her feet while she mocked him, sucking the sweat out of her dirty laundry, and other demeaning acts that amused her and fulfilled her twisted desires. He'd even allowed her to get away with various cybercrimes in exchange for just being a seat or footrest for her; probably the most embarrassing was the number of times he'd been a fart absorber for the Gothic bombshell.

Jake reluctantly took a seat across from Ingrid, yet she still didn't look up from her phone. Ashley ground her teeth in irritation, "I don't like this girl, Jake. Her attitude alone is passing me off, but the way she speaks to you is infuriating. Let me have a word with her, and I'll teach her some proper manners."

Jake didn't respond to Ashley verbally, but he acknowledged her comment with a simple thought. "What do you want, Ingrid?" he asked.

"Good to see you too, Birdboy, or should I say, Raven," Ingrid scoffed as she finally put her phone away, "I thought you'd be happy to see me. We did spend quite a bit of time together after all. Gotta say, my gaming chair isn't near as comfy as your face, and it's nowhere near as good at absorbing my gas."

Jake bit his lip as he felt part of himself long for the woman across from him. It was frustrating and shameful. He wouldn't let her see it, though. "You're up to date on internet rumors, right?" he asked.

"More than you, why?" Ingrid asked flatly with a roll of her eyes.

"The ones circulating about the Raven having a darker side, they're true," Jake replied, "I'm not alone here, and my other half is begging to get out and throttle you."

"Yeah, totally scared," Ingrid scoffed, much to both his and Ashley's ire, "By the way, The Raven is a dumb name. Not as bad as Birdboy, but it's still stupid."

"What do you want, Ingrid?" Jake asked, "You're taking up my time, and I've got better things to do than sit here and be insulted."

"Let me have a go at her, Jake," Ashley said through gritted teeth, "This little girl needs a lesson in respect."

"Jeez, you're in a mood today," Ingrid said with a roll of her eyes, "The way your company and your crime fighting is going, I guess I would be too, though."

"You've got thirty seconds before I throw you out," Jake warned, having heard enough of her barbs, "Go ahead, threaten to reveal my identity. Let's see how well that works for you."

"Cool it, Jake," Ingrid warned, using his name for the first time, "I didn't come here for a fight, or to ruffle your little feathers. I didn't expect you to be so sensitive, but you always were kind of effeminate. Look, I came here for your help."

"My help?" Jake repeated, "Why would I help you? I'm done turning a blind eye to your crimes, Ingrid."

"I'm trying to go legit, dick-wad," Ingrid replied, "Even if I wanted to keep stealing, your psychotic dead ex fried over half my shit when she took over. Motherboards, monitors, custom computers I'd built, all of it either roasted or smashed. Yeah, I know you were dating that lunatic, and I'm not surprised by it."

"Insulting me is a great way to get me to help you," Jake scoffed sarcastically, "You're not answering my question. Why would I help you?"

"Outside of you and your company needing good PR?" Ingrid countered, "I figured I'd sit on your face or something to sweeten the deal. I'm joking, dude, unless that's what it takes. Look, I'm trying to start a business that's based on cybersecurity. I've cracked every system in this city, and I know I can build something better. Thing is, I don't have the equipment to start building on anything. Even if I wanted to jack the funds, I don't have a way to do it. I need capital in order to get started, and I figured that we've got history so why not come to you?"

"Because you can blackmail me?" Jake asked.

"Dude, let it go," Ingrid sighed, "Yeah, I could totally threaten to do that, but I'm coming here and asking for help. I'm even offering to let you get your subby little rocks off as a bonus, but I'm not leading with that. Look, I'll even let your company have the first crack once I get the systems in place."

"You have got to be joking," Jake scoffed, "You think I'd let you be the one to design the security systems for Blackridge Inc.? That's just asking for trouble."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ingrid asked indignantly.

"You'd have backdoor access to my company, and I'm not changing that after everything that happened with Goth," Jake replied.

"From what I hear, you're a fan of backdoor access," Ingrid jabbed, "I got a ten inch strapon in my bag if that'll help sway you. I bet you got a skirt around, and we can slap some makeup on you and a wig."

"Fuck you," Jake said, trying to hide his blush and crossing his legs to hide his erection..

"You wish," Ingrid snorted, "Guessing you like the sound of that from the tent between your legs. Joking aside, my offer stands, but I get your reservations. It's dumb, but I get it. I'm just asking for a chance here, Jake. I'm trying to go straight, well metaphorically speaking anyways. Isn't there some kind of stupid code or something you hero types go by?"

"Things have changed, Ingrid," Jake sighed, "I'm not the same hero I was."

"Yeah, no shit," Ingrid said, "The Feral chick you've been running with is proof enough of that, and the beatings you've been dishing out back that as well. Still, isn't there something I can do?"

Jake thought about it for a minute. "I don't trust her," Ashley remarked.

"My other half doesn't like you, and she thinks I should let her out to have a word," Jake said, openly admitting his binding to Ashley.

"Look, man, I'll be honest, I don't give a shit if you or her like me," Ingrid said, "I know you've got a thing for me, but I'm not here to take advantage of that. Come on, there's got to be something I can do to convince you."

Jake was silent for a minute before he got an idea. "Alright, there's something you can do to help me out," he said, "Two things actually, and they should be simple for someone like you. I need information on Meg Myers and Amelia Ritters. Specifically, anything pertaining to Meg's past, and Amelia's acquisition of Ravenfalls."

"You're talking about that femdom retreat, Smother Ranch, right?" Ingrid asked, "What are you planning a vacation or something?"

"Can you go two minutes without being snide?" Jake asked.

Ingrid rolled her eyes again, "Can you get a sense of humor? Honestly, it's no wonder your love-life sucks."

"Do you want the damn money or not?" Jake asked, growing more irritated by the second.

"Okay, okay," Ingrid groaned, "What do you want to know about them, and why?"

"Anything and everything you can find," Jake replied, "I've got my reasons to be concerned about them, and that's all you need to worry about."

"Guessing it's because Myers is on the warpath to see your ass burned, huh?" Ingrid asked with a smirk, "Trying to get dirt on her to keep her quiet?"

"I don't think that she's everything she appears to be, okay?" Jake replied, "As for Amelia, she's basically been a ghost up until she became a criminal. This should be a cake walk for someone like you, though, and it'll be easy money."

Ingrid ran her tongue along the inside of her cheek as she thought about Jake's offer. "Alright, but I want fifty percent down," she finally said, "I can't do much digging without a proper setup, now can I?"

"How much do you need?" Jake asked, still unsure if this was a smart idea.

"It's not," Ashley scoffed in answer to his doubts.

"Fifteen K up front," Ingrid said without batting an eye.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Jake exclaimed, "What the hell could you possibly need that much capital for?!"

"Parts, casings, coolant, not to mention I'll need a place to set it all up," Ingrid replied as though it were obvious, "Everything I need isn't cheap, and that's also covering my time looking into your little obsessions."

"You're asking me for a total of thirty-thousand dollars!" Jake countered.

"Yeah, I know," Ingrid said calmly, "My time is valuable, and it's gonna take a lot to get my business up and running. I'll throw in a couple hours of playtime for you, if you're that worried about it."

Jake frowned, but he didn't say anything. "Tell me that you are not actually considering taking her up on that," Ashley said.

Jake shook his head. It was tempting, God was it tempting. He'd have to talk to Ashley before he committed to the idea, though. "Fine, fifteen up front," Jake sighed, "Send me the account information where you're wanting the funds wires to. I expect to have information by the end of the week."

"Yeah, yeah, you'll get it," Ingrid waved him off, "Just make sure the money is there before the end of the day. I'll be in touch."

"Great, you can go now," Jake sighed as he stood up to leave, "I've got a busy day ahead of me, and you've taken up enough time. I'll call you if I decide to take you up on your offer."

Ingrid stood up and shifted slightly. It was odd to see her like this, but it was as though she were slightly nervous. "So, uhm, h-how's Beth?" she asked.

It was Jake's turn to roll his eyes. He'd almost forgotten that Ingrid had a massive crush on his best friend. The irony of it wasn't lost on him either. There was a time when Jake would have given anything to have Ingrid show any interest in him romantically. Hell, he still thought she was gorgeous. Clearly, Ingrid didn't know that Beth was dating Pam, and Jake didn't want to be the one to enlighten her. To his knowledge, Beth had rejected Ingrid because she wasn't into girls, and he didn't want to know how the goth girl would react to the news that her crush was out of the closet.

"She's alright," Jake said vaguely.

"Gee, thanks for that update," Ingrid scoffed, falling back into her usual rude demeanor.

Jake sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Beth's still Beth, Ingrid. She's busy, hot-headed, and she's been trying to reconnect with family. What do you want me to say?"

"Just, tell her I said hi, alright?" Ingrid asked with a heavy sigh as she stood up and grabbed her bag, "I'll be in touch, and I better have that money by the end of the day."

"Yeah, I'll mention it when I see her," Jake said, "You'll have your damn money. Just send me the account info."

"Already done, sub-bird," Ingrid said as her boots echoed as she walked out.

Jake exhaled once he was sure she was gone and fell back in his chair. "You're not actually going along with this, are you?" Ashley asked.

"I know what it's like to long for someone," he sighed, "She's just wanting me to tell her hi, and I'm done keeping stuff from her and Pam."

"You know that's not what I'm referring to," Ashley said pointedly, "I'm talking about sending her the money and letting her use you."

"I don't see the harm in it, and it'll free up my time," Jake replied, "I don't see what the big deal is if I take her up on the other part of her offer, either. She's got no interest in me as far as relationships go, and I'm already paying her."

"So you're justification is that she's like a lesbian prostitute," Ashley summarized.

"Not exactly," Jake sighed, "Look, can we talk about this later? I need to get to work, and I need to call Alexis on my way there."

Ashley frowned and crossed her arms, "Very well, but we are going to continue this conversation later."

"Oh, I'm sure," Jake said as he stood up and headed towards the door.

—---------------------

Alexis sat in front of her computer tapping her foot impatiently and looking over new formulas. It had been weeks since she'd pulled any heists or schemes, and she was beginning to grow restless. However, she'd given Jake her word that she'd refrain from acting on her natural impulses. If it meant having a shot with her one true love, then she would find a way to keep her word. That didn't make dealing with boredom any easier. She'd been monitoring police scanners, incoming reports, and all manner of crimes in hopes of finding something, anything, to do to keep herself busy. Outside of the debacle with the clown girl, nothing noteworthy had happened since Courtney Tellar and her nightmares.

Miri was only making matters worse adding to her anxieties. Her little playmate and sidekick was somehow more restless than Alexis. Unlike Alexis, Miri wasn't the most technologically or scientifically inclined. It wasn't that she was dumb, by any means, but she didn't share Alexis' love of chemistry and inventing. Her little madwoman was a doer and a goer, and being cooped up had started to wear on her. She'd done everything she could in their hideout beneath the city, and she smashed the last of her training dummies yesterday. She'd exhausted herself playing various games the day before as well.

Currently, her apprentice was fiddling with a paddleball, and it was beginning to drive Alexis mad. "Two hundred forty-four, two hundred forty-five," Miri counted aloud as the ball bounced back and forth.

Alexis let out a growl as she spun around and snatched the toy from her apprentice, "Would you give it a rest?!"

Alexis grabbed the red ball and ripped it off of its string. Miri recoiled in slight fear as Alexis proceeded to smash the wooden paddle over her knee and stomped on the broken pieces. "Sorry, boss," Miri said quietly with a pout, "I'm just so bored!"

"You don't think I am too?!" Alexis demanded with a hateful glare, "We've been cooped up in here for weeks, and not a damn thing has happened in this city! It used to be that villains would make moves daily, and if they didn't, then I'd shake things up with some fun! What's this city coming to?! Outclassed and outshines by the undead, and the only new blood is a fucking clown who can't even pull off a proper heist! I'm dead for a few months, and everyone loses their fucking nerve! It's downright pathetic!"

Alexis had been creeping forward with every word she shouted, and Miri had slowly been backing away and cowering. She loved her boss, more than anything, but these moments were truly terrifying. Goth had been swift and decisive in her methods, but Alexis was far more unhinged and dangerous. More than once, Miri had ended up on the receiving end of a frustrated beating when Alexis snapped. "This city deserves better!" Miri piped up, hoping that she could appease her mistress, "It's lucky to have people like you, boss!"

"You don't think I know that?!" Alexis screamed as she reared back to backhand Miri, but she stopped short and let out a disgruntled groan, "Ugh, but it's not going to get it right now. I'd settle for helping the heroes at this point, though."

Miri had braced herself for the slap that never came. She was shaking in fear and anticipation, but she was relieved when Alexis stopped herself. "Why don't we go up top and have some fun, boss?" she asked, still slightly worried that her mistress might snap.

"Because, Miri, I made a promise," Alexis said through gritted teeth, "I would think that with that thick skull of yours, you'd at least remember something I said!"

Miri looked away and shuffled her feet slightly, "Sorry, boss, I just hate seeing you all sad and stuff. You deserve to be happy, and I wish I could do something right to help."

Alexis closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Out of all the slaves and toys she'd had over the years, Miri was easily the most devoted to her. It was touching, if annoying at times, and she hadn't actually done anything to deserve her ire today. "It's alright, Miri," she sighed, regaining her composure, "It's not your fault, and you haven't done anything wrong."

"Am I still a good girl?" Miri asked, somewhere between hopeful and sheepish.

"Yes, you're a good girl," Alexis replied with a small smile, "You're needy, energetic, crazy, and constantly needing approval, but you're my good little girl."

"So, what are we gonna do?" Miri asked, the crisis averted for the time being, "Want me to go crack a few skulls to find out about that Babydoll chick?"

"No," Alexis said, "Anna Murray is too good to let herself get caught. I hate that woman, and she's one of the few people that can scare me, but she won't be found until she's ready. If it weren't for the promise of a date, I'd have you break that Myers imposter's kneecaps."

"Whadaya mean imposter?" Miri asked.

"The real Meg Myers is dead, hon," Alexis sighed, walking back over and sitting down in her chair, "Don't forget, I spent a good deal of time in the underworld before I came back. That woman walking around in her skin is nothing like the sniveling little worm I broke down in Hell. She looks identical to her, but her personality is the polar opposite. I don't know who this woman is, but she's ruining my beloved Jake's good name! Between her slandering his company, trashing my best friend, and threatening to crack down on everything fun, I'm about ready to pay her a little visit! If I don't get a date from Jake soon, I'm liable to burn down her shitty apartment!"

"So, wait a minute," Miri said, still trying to understand Alexis' first point, "You're telling me that someone is wearing a dead girl's skin?!"

Alexis sighed and rubbed her temples, "Miri, Miri, simple, little, Miri, you're taking things too literally. It's not that someone dug up her corpse, it's that someone is posing as her. There's a number of different ways someone could do it, but I'm just not sure how this person is doing it. What I do know is that she's pissing me off, and the morons of this city are buying into her bullshit! It's a problem that's going to come to a head, mark my words. I'm almost more angry that I hadn't thought of her plan. Becoming mayor means that she'll have quite a bit of pull and power, and there's plenty that can happen behind closed doors."

"Like my first week with you!" Miri exclaimed in a bubbly tone, "Boy, I was such a misguided mess back then. So, you think this lady is gonna manipulate the system in her favor. Oof, that's not gonna go well for your birdie and friends."

"That's precisely my point, but my methods are too much for them," Alexis huffed, "Nevermind that they'll get results, a few people get murdered and it's suddenly a crime."

"I like your methods," Miri remarked, "They're fun, and they work better than others."

"That's sweet of you, but tell that to Jake and the others," Alexis said before her phone rang and she rushed to answer it, "Hello?!"

Jake's voice came over the speaker and was music to her ears, "Hey, are you okay? You sound a little rattled."

"Me?" Alexis asked with a slightly nervous and mildly insane chuckle, "Peachy, perfect, and doing better now that I'm talking to you."

"Oookay," Jake said, "I was just calling while I had a minute on the way to Beth's. I wanted to apologize for all the delays in us getting together. I was thinking that maybe this weekend we could get together, if you're available?"

Alexis' heart skipped a beat at his question, "Absolutely!" she practically shouted into the phone before quickly trying to play it off, "I-I mean, that would work great for me. A-are you sure you won't be busy?"

She heard Jake chuckle a bit and relaxed, "Nah, I've been trying to make sure that I have a weekend off, and I'll let Beth know what's going on today. That way, she and Pam can plan to take patrol that night. I know it's been tough for you, laying low and all, but I can't tell you how much it means to me."

"You could show me," Alexis purred, already dreaming up ideas for the two of them, "How does a date on Saturday sound, and maybe a night of fun between the two of us?"

"I might be a little rusty, but it sounds good to me," he replied, "Just try to take it easy on me. I haven't been sober and been with anybody since…well, you know."

"I'll try to hold back and still show you a good time," Alexis said with a wry grin, "I'll be on my best behavior from now until Saturday, but I'm holding in a lot of wickedness, Jake. I can promise you, it'll be a night you won't forget."

"That's both terrifying and exciting," he admitted, "Just promise me you'll adhere to a safeword, and I'm all yours."

"You have my word, loverboy," Alexis said.

"Awesome, I'll text you later," Jake said as he prepared to hang up, "I'm pulling up to Beth's now."

"Looking forward to it," Alexis said before hanging up and beaming at Miri, "Why don't we see about getting some new training dummies?"

Miri bounced on her heels and clapped with glee, "Yay! Can I help design 'em this time?!"

"Sure," Alexis giggled as she clapped her hands together, "If you're going to smash them, we might as well make them something you want to destroy."

"Best day ever!" Miri squealed as she followed behind her mistress.

—---------------------

Beth and Pam sat at the dining room table in their apartment. Various papers lay scattered about on the table before them. Maps of the city, files printed off from Zoey, and remnants from their latest campaign session littered the table. They'd spent the bulk of their morning pouring over old case files and missing persons reports. Their hope was to find some clue that might reveal Dr. Murray's position or plan, but they'd yet to find anything concrete. There had indeed been a rise in abductions lately, but many of the cases had been solved and closed. They'd happened throughout the city as well, and there wasn't one location that stuck out. Both Beth and Pam found it odd that there'd been such a drastic spike, yet nearly everyone had been found.

"This is giving me a headache," Pam sighed, pausing to rub her temples, "How on earth did you two manage to do this on your own for so long?"

Beth looked between two files and the map as she replied, "I don't know, I guess we just got used to it. It's like a game, in a way. Trying to find the patterns hidden beneath the surface, deciphering who's who, uncovering the motives, it's like a big game of clue."

"Hmm, I wouldn't have guessed you'd be this good at this," Pam mused as she looked over at Beth's work.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Beth asked without looking up.

"You know I love you, but you're not always the most observant," Pam replied, "Then again, both you and Jake were renowned for solving a multitude of tough cases, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"Damn right you shouldn't," Beth said proudly, "Jake's a better detective than me, yeah, but he's also gotten himself caught a lot. When that happened, it was always up to me to figure out where his dumbass ended up."

Pam smiled as she watched Beth work. "It's rare to see you so focused," she remarked, "Usually it's when you're working on your weapons, tinkering with formulas, or trying to keep me happy in the bedroom."

"It's part of the reason I don't like to work unless I've got time to kill," Beth said, "Well, that or if there's some serious trouble brewing."

"Hello?" Jake's voice called from the entryway, "Beth, Pam, are you two decent? I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"One time he walks in on us, and now he's got to announce himself every time he comes in," Beth sighed before calling back, "In the dining room, come on back!"

Jake walked into the room still wearing his dress clothes and a wide smile. "Take a break, Kitten," Pam said as she nodded at Jake, "There will be plenty of time for us to work later."

Beth nodded and finally looked up from her stack of papers. She shifted the ones she'd been examining to place them in a neat stack before turning around in her chair to greet her friend, "What brings the most hated man in Metropolis to our humble little doorstep?"

"That seems a little extreme," Jake sighed as he walked in and took a seat, "I figured I'd check in with you two and see how things are going."

"Half the city is buying into that Myers lady's bullshit, so it's not as far-fetched as you'd think," Beth countered as she leaned back in her chair, "We're doing, but that's about it lately. I wanted to call you after that broadcast last night, but Pam thought it was too late."

"Boundaries, Kitten, we've talked about this," Pam remarked, "He's here now, so you can ask him in person."

"Ask me what?" Jake questioned.

"How you're holding up," Beth answered, "Between Goth, Courtney, your company, and now this slander campaign, you haven't really had time to catch your breath. Don't sit there and tell me that you're doing fine, either. I know you well enough to know when you're bullshitting me, Jake."

Jake sighed and looked down at the table, "I'm not gonna lie, I've had better months. Everything's just hit all at once, and there's been no signs of stopping. We're doing a full scale investigation at work now to try to root out any other insurgents or problems. I've been having to put Alexis on the back burner too, and I still can't find any possible cure for Courtney's condition."

"A bullet to the brain would take care of that problem with a quickness, just saying," Beth said.

"If I can save her, I need to try, Beth," Jake countered, running his fingers along the table, "She only ended up like she is because of me."

"You need to stop blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong, Jake," Pam sighed as she poured herself a cup of tea, "You can't control the choices that someone makes, and Courtney is no exception to that."

"She only did it because I abandoned this city," Jake said, "I thought that through submitting to Rebecca, I'd at least keep her influence out, but I was an idiot for thinking that."

"No arguments on that one, but you're always an idiot," Beth said, trying to lighten the mood, "I'm kidding, kind of. You've got a big heart, but that just means your brain doesn't fire on all cylinders."

"So, you're trying to root out any other threats inside of your company?" Pam asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Nice segue, babe," Beth laughed, calling out Pam's poor attempt.

"Yeah, I've enlisted a third party company to conduct a full scale audit on all business dealings, and I've been personally reviewing all of their documents," Jake replied, ignoring Beth's remark, "I want to ensure that there isn't anybody else working against me from within the company, and if that means working late to do it, I don't mind."

"Burning the candle at both ends, that's dangerous, Jake," Pam said as she stirred her tea, "What does Ashley think about this? Are you at least sleeping?"

"She understands, and she's been on me pretty hard about resting and eating," he replied, "She knows that these things need to be done, but she does worry about me. I'm still trying to find a balance, but I'm working on it. Speaking of, I have a favor to ask of you two this Saturday."

"And there's the real reason you came to visit," Beth chuckled, "What do you need?"

"I finally managed to clear my schedule, and I want to get together with Alexis Saturday evening and night," Jake explained, "I've been blowing her off night after night, and she's been keeping a low profile like she promised. I figured it's only right that I keep my end of the deal, and I think it'll help me find that balance everyone keeps talking about."

"You're actually going to do it?" Beth asked.

Jake nodded and Pam smiled, "That's surprisingly mature of you, Jake. We can handle a night of patrol that evening."

"I bet she's losing it with excitement right now," Beth grinned, "Good for you, man, we gotcha covered, don't worry about it."

"Thanks, guys, I appreciate it," Jake said before he remembered his conversation with Ingrid earlier, "Oh, I did have a little surprise meeting this morning. You remember Ingrid, Beth?"

Beth's mood shifted and she frowned, "Yeah, what about her? Don't tell me you're going back to subbing for that tech-junkie."

"I'm sorry, who is this?" Pam asked, sensing Beth's mood drop.

"She's a hacker that managed to capture Jake because he's a dumbass and underestimates women, despite how many have kicked both of our asses," Beth replied, "She's also not into guys, but she used Jake as a personal fuck-toy for her own amusement. Total slob, super nerd, and regularly forgets to shower and do laundry. I found Jake strapped to a chair with a pair of socks crammed in his mouth and her ripping ass in his face while she jacked funds from different companies. The saddest part, he ended up begging her to use him for months after. Oh, I was so pissed off when I found out that he'd been letting her get away with cybercrimes in exchange for worshiping her."

"Not my proudest moment," Jake admitted with a blush before adding, "And, no, I'm not going back to that. I mean, she did offer it, but she came to me asking for help starting a business. I guess whenever Rebecca took over, she lost most of equipment, and she's looking to go straight. She needed money for a startup, and she figured that she'd come to me."

"Let me guess, she threatened to reveal your identity if you said no," Beth scoffed.

"Amazingly, no," Jake replied, "She's trying to start a cybersecurity firm, and she offered to let my company have first dibs. I told her there was no way in hell that I'd let her have access to Blackridge information, but that she could help me by looking into Meg Myers and Amelia Ritters. I figured that if anyone could find anything on them, it would be her. Alexis said that Meg died during Rebecca's first endeavor here, and Amelia has been a ghost since she first appeared. My time is pretty divided these days, and I thought it would help take a little off my plate."

"And, by extension, allow you the chance to indulge your kinks," Pam pointed out, "Such a shrewd businessman you are, Jake."

"She doesn't even like me like that," Jake groaned, "Beth's the one she has a thing for!"

"Oh?" Pam asked with a wicked grin as she felt Beth's mood shift again, "Should I be concerned? I thought I was the only woman you'd ever willingly been with, Kitten."

"You are such a dick sometimes, you know that?" Beth asked, "You are the only woman for me, and I turned Ingrid down shortly after the shit with Jake and her. Even if it weren't for that, I wasn't into girls back then."

"Calm down, I'm merely teasing," Pam laughed, standing and moving to wrap her arms around Beth, "You pledged yourself to me, and you belong to me and me alone. I'm not worried about some girl from years past stealing you away from me. I'd rip her to shreds if she so much as tried."

"Did your anger just come out?" Beth asked, looking up at her girlfriend, "That sounds like something the red version of you would say."

"They are all a part of me, Kitten," Pam replied and shrugged, "I'm a bit possessive, but I told you long ago that I don't like sharing my things with others. You are easily my most precious possession, and I'll eradicate anyone who tries to take you from me."

"I don't know if that's touching or unnerving," Jake remarked as he watched his friends, "Anyway, Ingrid wanted me to tell you that she said hi."

"Interpret it however you like, I'm not out to impress anyone," Pam said.

"Yeah, you didn't give her my number, did you?" Beth asked, "I had to change phones like thirty times after I told her I wasn't interested, and I finally got this one memorized."

"No, I told her that we don't see each other as much these days, after she offered to peg me," Jake sighed, "I'm not proud of it, but she still has a way of getting to me. I don't get it."

"Remember when I said you've got a big heart?" Beth asked and continued when Jake nodded, "Part of the reason your brain doesn't work right is because you let your dick do all the thinking. A goth looking girl comes around and offers to jam her foot or silicone dick down your throat, and you're putty in their hands. Sometimes it's not even a silicone one! Remember Hippogirl and when I found you guzzling her fat dick?"

"Can we stop going through my past mistakes?" Jake asked, "All I was doing was relaying a message!"

"I think he's had enough, Kitten," Pam agreed before adding, "If we continue like this, then we'll waste the entire evening. Rebecca had extensive files on Jake's various encounters with everyone from Megabutt, Hippogirl, Footgirl, herself, and many, many others."

"Great, so can we move on?" Jake asked with a sigh, "What are you two even working on?"

"We've been trying to pin down a pattern between missing persons and Dr. Murray, cum-dumpster," Beth replied and held up her hands when Jake glared at her, "Last one, I promise. Don't get your panties in a twist."

"Any luck?" Jake asked, deciding it best to not engage Beth further.

"Unfortunately, no," Pam answered, "Oddly enough, the majority of these cases were solved in less than a week. People from various parts of the city would disappear, and then they would suddenly re-emerge without an explanation or investigation."

Jake frowned as he leaned forward and looked over the map, "That's weird for more than one reason. Crime has been down since Courtney, but these numbers are way above average. Has anyone talked to the families of the missing persons?"

"We haven't, no," Pam said, "It might be a little odd if we just showed up at someone's house, don't you think?"

"Use your badge and credentials," Jake replied, "It's a slim chance, but if their behavior has been different since returning, something more could be going on. I'll reach out to Zoey on the matter, but it's something to consider."

"What are you thinking?" Beth asked, "Maybe these people were brainwashed or something?"

"Like I said, it's a slim chance," Jake repeated with a shrug, "Still, stranger things have happened in Metropolis."

Everyone's phones suddenly went off, and one by one they each pulled their phones out to check them. A news article appeared with a headline that made Jake's heart sink. It read: Sources confirm Jake Blackridge is indeed the son of the ferocious Amazon currently being held in prison! Jake looked down at it and frowned. He didn't remember anything about his mother; he'd always been told that she'd passed when he was still an infant. He'd believed that until he and Beth had come face to face with his alleged mother. The Amazon had been a brutal, barbaric, and demoralizing opponent for Jake. He didn't know who these sources were, but he desperately wanted to find out and interrogate then himself. A picture of Meg Myers speaking with The Amazon behind bars was inside of the article.

"Is this true?" Pam asked with a frown, "I knew there were rumors, but even Rebecca couldn't confirm whether this was accurate or not."

"It's bullshit," Beth said, "You're nothing like that sociopathic cunt, Jake."

"I don't know," he said solemnly, "I never bothered with a DNA test, and I have chosen not to buy into her story. Whoever this Meg woman is, she's really starting to piss me off. It took forever for people to start to forget those rumors, but this is going to make my life a lot harder. I'm already under fire from Meg and the public for what Rebecca did, and now I'll have to deal with this. God, I hope Ingrid comes up with something sooner than later. I need something to use against this woman."

"How much did you pay her?" Beth asked.

"Fifteen thousand," Jake sighed, "It's only half too, so she better have something or I'll he paying her a visit by next week. I'm so sick of this shit going on!"

"Breathe, Jake," Pam said as his frustration began to shine through, "I know this is a lot to deal with, but getting angry won't fix the situation. Why don't you come with me for a little bit?" I can show you some meditation practices that might help to ease your nerves and collect yourself. You've got a lot on your plate right now, and I think you could do with a little extra support."

Jake clenched his fists and stared at the table. "Yeah, why not?" he said after a minute, "I've got some time, and I'll try anything at this point if it'll help."

"You two go on ahead," Beth said, "I'm gonna hang back and make a few phone calls. Jake might be onto something with his idea about the victims. I'm gonna see if I can find out more about them, and maybe reach out to Zoey if she's got time. I'll be here whenever you guys finish up."

"Very well, come along, Jake," Pam said gesturing for him to follow into the spare room, "Beth doesn't do well with meditation anyway."

"I heard that," Beth grumbled with a roll of her eyes.

"I wasn't trying to hide my comment, Kitten," Pam said as Jake stood up to follow her, "You're wonderful at many things, but you've always struggled with meditating."

"Love you too," Beth huffed.

"You know it's not a slight, and that I do love you," Pam sighed, "Don't be melodramatic, pet."

Jake didn't say anything as he followed behind Pam. Beth stayed behind to pour over files and folders. Pam was right, he needed to separate himself from everything going on. Between the media and mysteries, he was feeling overwhelmed. Meditation was something he hadn't done in a long time, and he was sure that Pam's style would be unlike anything he was used to. Still, it was worth a shot. Even if it didn't help, it was at least a chance to escape for a little while. He just hoped that things wouldn't escalate while he was out.