Enter Sandman Part 8: The finale

 Part eight

I can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like for Jade to see Jester and I walking with this disheveled man to our home base. From what I have been told it’s not something that has ever been done. We are never to be seen. I had to take a chance. Jade’s mouth was open as she stared at us. “Is Damon awake yet?” I asked.

“Nope, still out cold.” Jade said finally closing her mouth. “Uh, what’s going on?” I filled in vague points. Her mouth twisted into a frown.

“Jade, what I’m going to do is about to be a gamble.” I walked over to our kit bags and pulled out my phone. I punched in a code to Phipps. “The less you know the better. Maybe you can feen ignorance.” A few beeps went through and then a voicemail message. “Hi Phipps, this is Trinity. We’re on the Sandman stake out and a unique scenario popped up. Please call me back before the next team is dispatched.” I hung up and turned to the sandman. “I’m sorry, I just realized that I never asked your name.”

“It’s Joel.”

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m-“

“In trouble.” A cold voice rung through the air. “Mrs. Smith, can you enlighten me as to the words ‘surveillance duty’ mean?”

“I-“

“Because it looks to me that you took matters in your OWN hands.”

“Yes, no… Kind of?”

“Do you not have an answer for me?” He mocked coyly as he plucked each word from the air in his German accent. The moon came out and glinted off his silver hair. His stillness unsettled me deeply.

“I have answers for you! They are just not easy ones. How did you get here so fast?”

“I move in mysterious ways. I don’t have to answer to the student.” He was calm cool and collected. God, that irritated me about him.

“You don’t have to answer to me?” Anger bubbled up. “You’re absolutely correct you don’t have to answer to me for anything. But I did something that none of your active agents were able to do over the time span of a couple of months.”

“And that gives you the right to go off script and in danger your entire team?”

“The only person that was in danger was me. I was the one who made the call. The others left me to my own devices. If there is anyone to blame, it’s me.”

“Oh, it was only you?” Jester stepped forward.

“No sir, I assisted. I could have stopped her at anytime and I didn’t. Jade and Damon had nothing to do it. We kept Jade on surveillance while we chased a lead.”

“And Damon had nothing to say about this?” Jester and I both looked at the lump of clothing and glitter.

“Well…” we said in unison.

“On the other hand, I don’t want to know.” He straightened his cufflinks. “An interesting story, I’m sure. I’ll get to him later. Failure to follow rules has consequences.”

“Then I’ll turn in my badge. But please help this man, he doesn’t understand what he’s going through or what he did, he just needs help. It wasn’t his fault.” I know I’m going down. I must help the sandman. Not all the vampires are guilty monsters.

“Just that easy for you? This is supposed to be a learning experience.”

“And we’ve been learning.” I defended.

 “Strange since, I’ve been listening through your com pieces. Why don’t you inform me on what exactly you’ve been learning?” Jester took a double take at Phipps.

“So, you could have at anytime stepped in and stopped us?” Phipps didn’t blink. “Then why are you reprimanding us when you could have stopped at any time?” He tilted his head a moment.

“I wanted to see what would happen.”

“I still defend; we learned.” I put my hands on my hips. I am not going to budge until I get this man some help.

“And what did you learn Smith?”

“I learned to make a choice and break down logic evidence and find a lead.” Phipps blank face cracked to reveal a smile. “How many of the other teams have done that?”

“None,” he said politely. “That’s why they are still in training.”

“So why are we in trouble?”

“You’re in trouble because you are no longer in surveillance. Which retrospectively is more me in trouble than you.”  Jester’s mouth dropped open and he looked puzzled. I looked at Jester and then waved my hand in front of his face.

“Great sir, I think you broke him.”

“Gets confused easily, does he?” Phipps German accent leaked through in a lilt. Phipps Shrugged lightly, “I mean to say, maybe these exercises aren’t challenging enough for you and- uh.”

“Jester.”

“Yes, Jester. I have a specialized program for agents in training who show problem solving potential.”

“So, you don’t want my badge?”

“I do actually. But I have a new one for you both with higher security clearances.”  He pulled out two badges that had a light blue tinge. Jester snapped out of his confusion and snatched up the badge.

“OOO! SHINY!” Jester said as he bit into it. “Oh shit, Trin! I think it’s real!” I pulled my badge out and handed it to Phipps.

“So can we help Joel?” He handed me my new one. Phipps eyed Joel who had been chatting with Jade. Jade was explaining that Damon was going to wake up soon.

“Yes, as a matter of fact there’s a group of people already on the way to help him.” I pocketed my badge. “Good call by the way, offering him help.”

“It’s not a good call, it was the only call. He didn’t know and maybe we can help Cami get better sooner.”

“Other agents would have just offed him and called it a day.” I paused for a moment. He could very well been right but how many other people would have suffered.

“Going to bed with a clean conscience is important to me,” I remarked. “If I pull a trigger it will be because I had no other choice, not because I couldn’t tell the difference between a monster and someone who needs help.”

“Good mind set to have.”

“Suckers don’t have to be the monsters we make them out to be if we can only listen long enough to stop them becoming that.” He reflected on my words.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT!!!” Damon’s voice rang out as he stumbled out in a pink dress.

“So, why exactly is he dressed up like princess peach?” Phipps remarked quizzically.