Chapter Text
Viktor stared down at the empty box. “I really fail to see what the problem is?”
“The jewel is missing!” The bank owner shouted. He was a thin man with an exceptionally bushy mustache; there was sweat running down his temple. “This gem was a 37-karat aquamarine! Completely flawless! It’s priceless!”
“Well, obviously somebody could think of a price for it if they stole it,” Viktor commented casually as he straightened up. “Aquamarines are blue right? Got any pictures?”
“Of course not.”
Viktor stared at the man. “Come again? You want us to track down a missing gemstone with no pictures?”
The owner nodded. “I’ll give you the specifications; those are better than a fingerprint to anyone wanting to buy or sell gemstones.”
Viktor raised a hand to his face in frustration. “Sir, it’s department procedure to document everything, and photos are a part of the deal.”
“Well, I’m sorry Detective Nikiforov, but this is a bank. We don’t take photos of our customers belongings when they put them in their safety deposit box.”
“Then contact them and ask them for a photo; surely they have one for insurance purposes.”
“Are you crazy!” The bank owner balked. “That would ruin our reputation! Who would store their goods at a bank whose vault was robbed?”
Viktor glared at him, hating the man more and more each second. “You tell me.”
The bank owner scowled. “Do you have what you need from me?”
Viktor shrugged. “I guess. It’s not much to go on. No security footage, no alarm, no fingerprints, no signs of a break in, just a missing stone and a list of measurements. How did you even know it was taken?”
“It was like this when we came in this morning. Box open, gem gone. No other signs that anything was amiss. We wouldn’t have even known if they’d put the box back, not until the customer came to collect it.”
“Is anything else missing?”
The owner sighed. “We don’t think so, but we can’t be sure. We are planning to do a full inventory today, but it will be difficult. Leaving a list of their stored items is only optional, so many of these boxes we have no idea what could or should be inside.”
“Sounds like you should contact your customers then,” Viktor said without sympathy.
The owner sighed and nodded. “Yes, you’re right Detective. You’ll find the stone though, won’t you?”
“I’ll do my best.”
Viktor sighed heavily when he got back to his desk at the Detroit PD. “Find a missing gemstone, Viktor, you don’t need anything to go on, do you? Of course not! You’re Viktor Nikiforov!” He grumbled to himself as he checked his email. He was glad they’d put him off in the corner so he could ignore the world for a while.
Cases like this always made him angry. Whatever that gem was worth, the bank’s insurance could easily cover; meanwhile poor families had their life savings wiped out by bad mortgages and predatory loans. He hated helping people who were barely better than the criminals he put in cells. Actually, he liked most of the people he arrested more than he did men like that bank manager.
He computer dinged and he looked at the screen curiously as a message popped up.
<< Good morning Detective. I’m sorry my little game ruined your morning.
A photo followed the message immediately showing an aquamarine sitting prettily in the same box Viktor had been staring at just that morning. Viktor blinked slowly, before frantically typing.
>> Did you steal that jewel?
<< I did, it’s very pretty. But don’t worry, I’ve already returned it.
>> You did? To the bank?
<< Oh heavens no, I returned it to the people they stole it from!
Viktor’s mouth fell open.
>> What are you saying?
<< That gemstone was a family heirloom to a very nice family, and they wanted to keep it safe, so they put it in a safety deposit box at their bank. Only their bank was bought out by that very same bank you visited today. The family was assured nothing would change, but a few weeks later the bank burned down, and despite that room being largely intact, it seems that several very valuable items were missing. The bank’s owner has been selling the stolen items on the black market by conducting online trades and then sending the safety deposit box key and location. I simply intercepted the location of this item and took it before the buyer could collect it.
>> How do I know you’re telling the truth?
A link flashed on the screen and Viktor clicked it, eyes widening as he viewed pages and pages of valuable goods, many of which were sold, including a large aquamarine. A second link flashed on his screen revealing all of the information on the bank fire, and every supposed missing item. A quick glance showed him many of the items were on this seller’s list.
<< I trust you can get someone to run a trace on the seller, or do you need me to do that for you as well?
Viktor smirked.
>> Thanks, but I’ve got it. You know I could run one on you as well.
<< But you won’t.
>> How do you know?
<< Because you agree with me. You’re a good cop, but you hate the way good people can get played by the system. You hate that the law and justice aren’t enough to protect everyone.
Viktor shivered.
>> Who are you?
<< I’ll tell you what, Detective. Why don’t you take a look at all the different robbery cases of the past two weeks? I have no doubt you’ll find some interesting, and dare I say, familiar details. Find them all and I’ll answer your question.
>> I’m going to find a lot more than just a few missing jewels, aren’t I?
<< That depends entirely on you, Detective.
And with that, the chat cut off, deleted from Viktor’s computer before his eyes, as if it had never been there at all. Viktor stared at the opened web pages, the only proof this hadn’t all been just some crazy dream, brow furrowed as he looked over the dozens of stolen items. How did the thief know so much? Could he be trusted?
“Only one way to find out,” Viktor whispered to himself as he set to work.
Three days later, Viktor started the day by dropping a foot-tall stack of files onto Captain Mathura’s desk. “Look at this!”
She glared at him, hand resting on a cup of coffee and head on her desk. “Viktor, it’s seven a.m. and the kids had my wife and I up half the night, so why don’t we just pretend I’ve slept and you tell me what’s in these files.”
“Aw, are the twins still not sleeping through the night? I told you I’d volunteer to babysit on my off days.”
“Like you ever take a day off,” the Captain muttered as she straightened up in her desk. “So what have you got?”
“The jewel case,” Viktor said as he flipped open the first folder. “We traced the auction site back to the bank owner, but when we dug into his accounts we found he wasn’t working alone. He has a partner who was the one who actually burned down the old bank after stealing all the valuables. They were supposed to be splitting the money, only the banker apparently has a bit of a gambling problem and stiffed him at the last sale. The gemstone sale was going to pay back his partner, only it was stolen, so he didn’t get his money. That’s why he called us! I had thought it strange to ask the police helping you find your stolen goods, but he was using our presence as protection from his partner.”
The Captain shook her head in amazement. “Ok, so do we have enough evidence to arrest him?”
“Yes, and I already have him in a holding cell for questioning.”
“And the thief?”
“Nothing on him, but what’s interesting is I did some digging on some other cases and I think this case is just one of many jobs he’s pulled off. Last week the bank on sixth was robbed of 6.718 million dollars. It’s a strangely exact amount of money. When I looked a little deeper, I noticed some complaints about the bank foreclosing on current mortgages. People would pay their bills every month, but the bank would say they hadn’t gotten them and had been trying to contact the owners. They’d demand immediate repayment which the owners couldn’t pay. These are all long-term mortgages which have already more than covered the initial loan, and they’re all in areas where home prices have risen sharply in the last few years.
“I mention this because the day after this robbery, every one of these foreclosed borrowers showed up in person with checks for the total amount left to be paid on their loans, buying their homes outright. Can you guess how much the total repayment was?”
“6.718 million?”
“Exactly! And this one, someone stole a bunch of jewelry from a pawn shop that had been listed as stolen, and it turns out the shop has been laundering money for the mob. This one, the stolen dog? Turns out it was a service dog that had been stolen from its blind owner a month ago! Ma’am, I think we’ve got a vigilante!”
She squinted at the files for a moment. “So, how’s he doing it? All of these places had tight security of one kind or another.”
Viktor sighed. “I’m not sure yet, but could you funnel any unusual robberies to me? I’d love to try and figure it out.”
His Captain regarded him for a long moment before nodding. “Just be careful, Viktor. Something about all this is strange, this may be over your head. Follow the clues and don’t take any risks until we know what we’re up against.”
“Yes ma’am!”
“And Viktor?”
“Yes, Captain?”
She rubbed her temples, eyes boring into him. “Cut your caffeine dosage in half.”
Viktor laughed, as a ballpoint pen came hurling at his face, before heading back to his desk and excitedly reviewing the night’s police reports.
<< You won’t find anything today.
The chat window appeared so suddenly Viktor nearly toppled out of his chair in surprise. He quickly righted himself though, excitement racing through him.
>> Took the night off?
<< Even I need to sleep.
>> So how’d I do?
Viktor’s phone rang and he quickly picked it up, a little frustrated to be interrupted. “Nikiforov.”
“You passed, Detective.”
Viktor nearly jumped out of his skin, ducking down at his desk as if someone was going to know who he was talking to. “You?”
A soft, pleasant laugh tinkled in his ear. “Me. You can call me Eros.”
“Eros...” Viktor whispered.
“I’m impressed, Detective–“
“You can call me Viktor.” He slapped a hand to his forehead. Why on earth was he chatting with a criminal like they were friends?
“Viktor then. Like I said, I’m impressed; you even figured out the dog napping.”
“That was the most heinous one!”
That same melodic laugh rang through the phone and Viktor found a strange urge to hear more.
“Tell you what, Viktor. Do you know the Metropolitan Museum of Art?”
“Of course.”
“They have a special display on loan from Russia, your homeland if I’m not mistaken.”
“You’re not.”
“Excellent. Well, one of the pieces in that collection is stolen, and I plan to return it to the owners. You should go see the exhibit tonight, near closing time. It’s always rather quiet then.”
“Are you saying you are going to steal something while the museum is open...in front of a police officer?”
“Yes, Viktor. I promise you I won’t harm anyone, including you. I was planning to do this tonight, but I want to reward you. Oh, and one more hint. You should try mapping out all those ‘crimes’ I’ve committed. You won’t understand it just yet, but look enough, and you might find something to interest you.”
“And if I catch you?” Viktor breathed.
“You can’t catch me, Viktor. That’s not an affront to your skill, a simple statement of facts. But alright, if you ‘catch me’, we’ll talk, and I’ll let you arrest me, if you’d like. I can’t promise I’ll stay locked up, but I’ll let you get the credit for my capture. Now, if you’ll excuse me I really should go. I have a busy night ahead of me.”
“Wait!” Viktor said a little too loudly. “How will I know it’s you?”
For a moment Viktor thought he’d get no answer, but then he heard, in a soft voice. “I am Eros. You’ll know me when you see me.”
Viktor looked around as he wandered the Russian exhibit. He’d been there for two hours already, worried he’d have missed whatever Eros was planning. So far the only thing he’d missed was work – not that anything was happening there either.
He’d read the placards for every exhibited piece twice and hadn’t spotted anything that particularly stood out or looked stolen. He sighed, taking a seat on a bench in front of a large, jewel encrusted Egg. It was literally from the historical Royal family, so it was unlikely that it was stolen. Still, it was Viktor’s favorite piece; the shell made of baby blue porcelain, accented with gold and gemstones. It was quite lovely, and he found himself feeling a bit mesmerized as he gazed at it.
“You have excellent tastes, Viktor.”
Viktor stiffened as he felt the soft breath against his ear, not daring to move. Eros had gotten the jump on him and he knew it was best to let Eros dictate the terms of this meeting until Viktor regained the upper hand, somehow.
“You don’t have to be nervous,” Eros said, now from a little farther away, and Viktor turned, swiveling his head backwards and forward. The gallery was empty, and a few of the lights seemed to have been dimmed. He could just make out a rope, closing off this area from the far hallway, as if it had been closed early. He turned back towards the Egg and that’s when he spotted him.
His hair was black and slicked back away from his rich, brown eyes. He had on a catsuit; strips of leather and velvet over sheer mesh covered his chest, while a small half skirt covered skintight pants that hugged every inch of his shapely legs. His face was covered in a simple, black mask, which only seemed to accent the way his lips curled into an amused grin as he watched Viktor take him in.
“You’re a Super,” Viktor whispered. He’d only met a few before, but the very feel of Eros screamed Super to him. Though Hero or Villain, that he wasn’t sure.
Eros seemed to flinch before he shrugged. “I suppose the suit gives it away, not many common criminals go for this much ‘look’, do they.”
“No, it’s pretty much just cargo pants and a t-shirt. Rather uninspired if you ask me.”
Eros smirked as he leaned down, studying the case the Egg was housed in and tsked. “Would you look at this? Not even a sensor on the case; just a simple pressure button on the platform itself. It won’t even sound until I remove the entire thing. Do they just want people to steal it?” Viktor hesitated, unsure if he should actually take a look. Eros looked up and huffed, waving him over. “I told you, you won’t catch me.”
Viktor shrugged, standing and walking over to the case.
“You see that little groove, that’s a pressure button, but that kind of just measures any pressure over its minimum amount. Indiana Jones’ bag-of-sand trick would work on this.”
“So, no rolling boulder?”
Eros grinned. “Exactly. Most museums use something much more sensitive, not to mention sensors on the case itself. None of that really matters to me with my Power, but this is just making it easy for me.”
Viktor tilted his head as he studied the other man. He was a bit smaller than Viktor, and his face was serious as he studied the case. “What’s your Power?”
Eros looked up at him, before he smiled and in the blink of an eye he was gone. Viktor looked around before finally spotting him near the end of the gallery, sitting on another bench. He patted the seat next to him with a playful smile. Viktor laughed softly and walked over, ‘chasing’ Eros down once more, sitting beside him. “Teleportation, huh? That’s going to be a pain.”
“Told you,” Eros said as he crossed his legs, smiling up at Viktor.
“I could just grab onto you now.”
Eros tipped his head to the side. “How much do you know about Supers?”
Viktor shrugged. “Basically only what’s on the news. I haven’t had too many cases involving them, and the ones that have have gotten turned over to the Heroes before I could really get into it.”
Eros nodded to himself. “I suppose they would. Well, then you should know that almost all Supers have two powers, not one. Teleportation is just my primary Power.”
“Oh,” Viktor said, tapping a finger to his lips. “So, what’s your second?”
Eros extended his hand out in front of him, palm up. There was a puff of shadow and a long, curled whip appeared. Eros unfurled it slowly and held it out towards Viktor who gingerly took it into his hands.
“You can make a whip?”
Eros giggled, the sound zinging through Viktor’s body like a current. “That wouldn’t be very Super, now would it?” And suddenly the whip fell through Viktor hands, landing in his lap.
He yelped in surprise. “How did you do that?!”
Eros snickered and picked it up, passing the body through Viktor’s arm, back and forth. On the third pass it didn’t give, but gently circled his wrist until Eros snapped it away, leaving behind a thin binding. Viktor tugged at it, noting that it was quite strong. Eros reached over and pulled one of the strings, suddenly extending the chord and attaching it to Viktor’s other wrist, pulling them tight together in an unbreakable bond. Viktor whistled and Eros smiled, before he waved his hand and the binds disappeared.
“That’s incredible,” Viktor breathed. “And useful, I suppose. Tie up any guards who disturb you, and then just release them after you’re away.”
Eros nodded. “Exactly. It’s a perfect skill set for a thief. Lock picking and hacking can be learned but getting in is usually ninety percent of the battle.”
“So, you always wanted to do this?”
Eros shrugged. “I don’t think any kid dreams of being a thief.” He turned and looked at Viktor. “Do you think I’m a Villain?”
Viktor frowned. Legally speaking, yes, Eros was a Villain, but morally… “No, I don’t. So far, you haven’t done anything out of greed or self-interest; you’re helping people. You’re breaking laws, sure, but there’s no evil intent there.”
Eros smiled. “To be honest, I am thinking of being just a little greedy, but don’t worry, I won’t take from anyone who truly needs it. I just am running out of projects to right a wrong. I’m getting ready to move on, leave Detroit, if I’m being honest.”
“And what, do this somewhere else?”
Eros shrugged. “I don’t know, honestly. Maybe I’ll just retire.”
Viktor felt his heart thud as a traitorous thought ran through his mind and straight out his mouth. “But if you retire, I won’t see you again.”
Eros’ mouth popped open in surprise as a sweet blush grew on his cheeks. “You’re a cop, Viktor, you can’t say things like that to me!”
Viktor leaned forward, grabbing Eros’ hand gently, hoping Eros wouldn’t take the action the wrong way. “Technically speaking, I have zero proof that you’ve committed a single crime, so right now I’m just a cop talking to a citizen.”
“A citizen who’s about to steal an extremely valuable Egg,” Eros whispered as he stared at their connected hands. He appeared almost shy in the moment.
“Why the Egg though? It belonged to the Royal family, and now the government.”
Eros grinned, slowly removing his hand from Viktor’s grasp as he stood and stretched, slowly making his way back towards the case. “The Royal family commissioned the piece from a craftsman, promising him a price that would keep his family fed for several seasons. The man accepted the commission eagerly and set to work, creating the masterpiece. On the day he went to deliver the Egg, he was robbed and left for dead. The Royal family upon hearing about this tracked down the thief and did in fact recover the Egg. However, they never paid the man’s family for it, nor did they tell them they’d found the Egg. Without the money promised, and without their main breadwinner to help provide, the family grew poor, and did not survive the winter.”
“That’s awful,” Viktor whispered, standing and moving back towards the case, unsure if he was following Eros out of duty or desire. “But then, who would your return the Egg to?”
Eros smiled up at him and took his hand. He leaned in close and Viktor, not able to believe what was going on, leaned towards him as well, their lips a breath away.
Suddenly, Eros was gone and Viktor’s hand yanked tight against the railing of the exhibit barrier. He whirled around, searching as best he could from his tied position for Eros, spotting him finally, behind the glass of yet another case standing beside an antique doll.
“I’m sorry Viktor; I lied. The story about the Egg is true, but you’re right, there’s no one to right the wrong for. I’m really here for this doll. It belonged to a very nice little girl back during World War II, but she lost it when her family had to flee the fighting. She’s a grandmother now, and when her children brought her to see this exhibit she couldn’t believe they had her doll. She begged to have it back, as it was a gift from her father who died in the war, but they refused.” He picked up the doll and smiled. “It’s not worth very much, to be honest, but it’s worth everything to her.”
Viktor struggled against his bind, giving up and going for his gun only to find that tied tight to his holster as well. “Eros! Wait!”
“I’m sorry, Viktor. Don’t worry, there’s no film of our talk, and I’ll leave you bound long enough for someone to find you. I’m going to be selfish for a while – need to fund my retirement after all – so see if you can catch me, hmm?”
“And if I do?” Viktor questioned, stalling for time, hoping he could figure out a way out of this.
Eros smiled once more. “Then I’m yours,” he whispered, and with that he disappeared.