Chapter Text
SILCO POV pt 2.
October 25 - 9:52pm
“Surprise!” Jinx exclaims as the door is flung open.
She stands on the cusp of the doorway wearing a manic expression that’s extremely worrisome, but Sevika is already fed up with her theatrics. She starts ushering her further into the room, so Silco doesn’t have long to make a fuller assessment.
Jinx isn’t wearing the clothes she escaped the house in, but an oversized sweatshirt and cargo pants. She’s also wearing an absurd, flat brimmed hat that’s far too large for her head. Probably to accommodate the choppy red wig that’s sticking out, straw like, from underneath. She looks almost entirely unlike herself, except for the way she nervously bites her lip when Sevika deposits her unceremoniously before his desk.
Whether she’s more nervous to be around him, or to explain the unnamed, ominous circumstances she’s hinted at, he isn’t sure. Either option feeds the cloud of fear whispering inside his mind.
At least Sevika hasn’t yet invited the Sheriff into the room.
“I left her outside with Haim,” Sevika says by way of explanation before folding her arms to scowl at his daughter.
He’s wearing a deep frown of his own.
Jinx drops from the outside edges of her sneakers to lurch forward and plant her hands firmly on the desk. She looks almost as if she’s going to climb onto it – as she’s done countless times before to his fondest exasperation – but stops short to say in a rush,
“Please don’t get mad! They have a plan, and it’s a good one, and it’s going to work I promise!”
His heart pounds inexplicably.
“You’re telling me not to get angry before you’ve told me what’s going. That doesn’t inspire me to hold my temper.”
What has Ekko done?
What have you done?
Why aren’t you at the festival with her?
Her eyes turn pleading. “Ekko realized his phone was being tapped because the same thing that happened to Toots happened to him.”
“His phone began losing power?”
She nods emphatically. “Like all the time! I guess he got so fed up that he tried taking it apart last night and that’s when he found the bug. So he called me. Or I mean, he left a message. I listened to it when I woke up to pee. He kept saying that he knew what was going on, and that Toots was right about Charles. That he was at the bottom of everything, and that he needed to talk to her. It was a really loud message and I didn’t understand what he was talking about, and he was kinda scaring me.”
“And that’s why you stole out of the house like a thief?” Sevika snarls.
“Well what else was I supposed to do?” Jinx squeaks back. “He wasn’t making a lot of sense and he was tapping his pen really loud. Eventually I figured out that it was a code, and he was asking me to meet him at our secret place…”
Silco rubs at a sharp pain at his temple as Sevika beats him to the punch.
“Your secret place?”
“Yeah.”
After a long pause she asks gruffly, “Care to tell us where that is?”
Jinx scoffs. “No. If you knew it wouldn’t be much of a secret now would it?”
Sevika looks like she’s about to say something extremely petty in response, and to keep the conversation from deteriorating into a childish argument Silco raises his hands and voice, “You heard the code and decided to leave without informing me.”
Jinx’s contrition returns. She brushes off the hat and wig, and her braids come tumbling down. She grabs one and runs it around her hand. “Well I figured you wouldn’t let me leave if I asked, but I knew I needed to go talk to him and figure out what the heck was going on.”
“And?”
“And so I went to meet him, and Viyana was there. You know, my dead sister.”
Silco’s other temple develops a sharper pain.
He begins to massage it.
“Or she’s Vi now I guess,” Jinx continues in a rush, “which I think is lame but whatever. She’s a private investigator, and she’s been hanging out with Ekko ever since she came to town. Apparently they were like, pen pals or something since he was in middle school. Which is a totally weird and freakish coincidence, right? But if Toots were here she’d probably call it fate or something.”
“Jinx,” Silco says from behind his hand, heart full of dread. “What's the plan?”
“The plan to make Charles believe we’re on to him! To lure him out so we can track him back to his lab. He and the old sister had this idea to make a bunch of calls and this, that, and the other, but then Toots texted Ekko about me, and I started talking about how Charles was like, totally obsessed with her. Probably because she took his job…”
“So they decided to fit her into their schemes.”
“They thought it was a pretty safe thing, asking Toots to meet us in the center of the maze and all that. And she agreed to come because she’s an angel and wanted to make sure I was okay. I wasn’t sure about it at first because I didn’t think you’d like it very much…”
“I don’t.”
He raises his head to level at her his weighty gaze.
She looks distressed.
“But it doesn’t matter now, I suppose,” He finishes with a sigh, slumping back in his seat. “What came next, after the decision?”
“Well, um… We discussed things loudly so Charles would overhear... you know, because of the bug?"
She looks like she's waiting for them to indicate they understand. He does so, to humor her. Sevika rolls her eyes.
Jinx continues. "We talked about how she would definitely not tell you that she was coming to meet me, even though I knew she would. She did tell you she was going to the pumpkin patch to meet me, right?”
“She did.”
She looks relieved. “Good. So you have someone tailing her right now.”
Silco rolls his eyes skyward, trying to keep his calm. “I do not.”
“What?” She says in a panic. “What do you mean? You always do that! I banked on it! You always send someone after me.”
“She advised me against it.”
He lowers his gaze to his daughter, who looks dumbstruck.
“She believed it was important that I let you have your space, and that you would return when you were ready.”
“And you… you agreed?”
“Yes. Because I… love you.”
Her eyes have grown wide as saucers. After several beats they fill with crocodile tears, and a misty smile wobbles onto her face.
“I know I don’t say it often enough,” He says quietly. “But you mean more to me than the world. And I don’t wish to be your jailer.”
She sniffles loudly, and he’s pretty sure he hears Sevika clear her throat. When his eyes flicker sideways he catches her blinking rapidly and swiping the back in her hand across her face.
“Fucking dusty in here,” She mutters.
He wishes he could savor the moment, but the dread has already returned.
“What's next?”
She takes a few seconds to sniff, and wipes her nose on the overlong sleeves before saying in a broken voice. “Well, we knew she’d go to the festival to meet with me and Ekko, except it isn’t me waiting, it’s Viyana. We dressed the same, to throw Charles off the scent, and so I could come and talk to you.”
He frowns. He doubts that Viyana and Jinx look the same even in disguise, but perhaps from a distance, in the dark… there’s a chance they look similar enough.
“Go on.”
“They’re waiting for Toots at the center of the maze. But I’m gonna text Vi right now and… and tell her that – that they don’t have backup from you. But uh, that’s okay! She’ll look out for them, and make sure they’re both okay…”
Silco doesn’t feel particularly reassured by the worry on her face as she pulls out her phone and begins to text feverishly.
“Let’s see if I got this straight,” Sevika says. “You let those eggheads lay a trap for Charles using a helpless civilian as bait?”
“Well… yeah. I mean, it isn’t like that! She knows how to defend herself! Kind of...”
She looks at Silco, wet eyes full of apology. He turns away, to hide the sudden onslaught of horror.
“She know what’s going on?”
“No! She’s terrible at pretending, and we didn’t want her to give us away.”
“You sent her into a trap without any warning at all?”
Jinx starts gibbering, voice rising as she continues, “Well I – We know she’s gonna be fine! She has Ekko, and Vi. Even if Charles sets a tail on her, they won’t be a match for them both. Plus Cait has people there!”
“What’s the plan, Jinx?” Silco asks again, with much less patience.
“When the follower follows Toots, and um… listens to the conversation… they’ll eventually leave to report, right? So Vi’s gonna follow the follower. If they call to report to Charles, she’s gonna send that information to the Sheriff, who’s got this whole communications thingamajig set up to track calls. So we’ll track the call to the source. Or if they just leave, Vi will follow them to wherever they go and camp out to watch their movements. Either way will lead us to Charles’ evil laboratory – probably – where Vi will call in backup, punch her way in with fists and guns blazing, kicking ass and taking names! Charles is DONE! Boom, pow!”
Silco gazes blankly out the sea glass window.
“That’s it?” Sevika sneers. “That’s your wonder boy’s plan?”
“Well… yeah!”
Silco leans heavily on the window frame as Sevika’s harsh laughter rattles in his ears.
“I don’t have time to explain to you how many holes it has, but trust me, it’s a helluva lot.”
“No, we –”
“Anything can go wrong, Jinx! And you put the one person who has no ability to defend herself right in the middle of that shit show!”
Silco closes his eye, emotions raging as his family argues with increasingly loud voices behind him.
Three foolish teenagers put the love of his life in danger, all because they think she’s going to be followed by a criminal. Though perhaps they’re right on that account. Charles has shown an uncommon interest in her from the beginning.
It’ll likely be one of Finn’s lackeys, a boy who has grown increasingly unstable in the last year. His obsession with power and disdain for Silco has led him to create a web of crime that is outgrowing his ambition at an accelerated rate.
But Finn must know that Silco is on to him. Marcus has not been subtle about his investigations, and he knows that Marcus is Silco’s man. Finn also has to realize by now that his precious little empire is liable to crumble on the simplest misstep. He wouldn’t dare put a finger on the woman he must have deduced is so important to Silco. Unless he’s desperate – and a bigger fool than Silco thought – and his ego has outgrown the little sense he once possessed.
Yet if there’s one thing Silco knows, it’s that desperation makes men dangerous. And dangerous men make stupid, rash decisions.
But he can’t voice any of these thoughts aloud in present company. He’s not the only one walking on a tightrope.
His daughter’s voice has reached a fever pitch, and though every fiber within him wants to rage and demand what the hell she and Ekko were thinking to pull an innocent deeper into the mire that has always surrounded those in Silco’s life…
He can’t do it.
Because at the end of the day, he’s the one to blame for all of this.
Silco lowers his head.
This is all his doing. It was his inability to keep that infernal woman at arm’s length. It was his selfish weakness that let her compassion seep into the chinks of his armor, to be the answer to his loneliness and despair until he desired her more than he desired to listen to the voice of wisdom and experience.
That anyone who gets close to Silco Spisak gets hurt. That everyone who comes into his life leaves broken.
This is the cold hard truth. This is reality.
He never wanted any of this, but by God he wants her. More to the point he needs her, and he’s not a man who needs anything.
Selfish it may be, monstrous it may make him: he needs her. And he can’t afford to lose her as he almost lost his daughter. Though she may not want him after this…
He winces.
She’s reassured him countless times that she understands the dangers of being in his life, but this will be the baptism of what it truly means to be associated with his name. Neck deep in the petty shit of lesser men, on his behalf.
He’d understand if she chose to walk away after this. He couldn’t even blame her. But until that moment comes, he will do his utmost to ensure she comes out of this without a single scratch.
If Finn lays even a single finger on her...
Silco's face hardens.
Think, Spisak. What’s next?
He needs to deal with the problem right in front of him. Kiramman wouldn’t have come unless she needed something only he could provide. And he needs to provide it, so he can ensure that his most precious possessions are protected.
He takes several deep breaths, running fingers through his hair before turning back towards the explosive tension of the room. Sevika and Jinx are chest to chest, but they stop their glowering as he rounds his desk with clipped steps.
They watch his approach with equal reactions: snarls of frustration.
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” He says to his daughter, forcing calm into his voice. “Though I wish you had come to me first. Perhaps together we could have found a solution that wouldn’t have put our friend needlessly in the crossfire. Yes?”
She nods, an equally contrite and rebellious expression levered between himself and Sevika.
“I would like to speak with the sheriff now. Would you mind making yourself scarce?”
It’s an old code, one that she won’t fail to understand. With a final snort in his lieutenant’s direction (which is returned with equal disrespect), Jinx storms around him to clamber onto the paper strewn desk. With the ease of an acrobat she leaps upward to grab the hidden trailing rope, and pulls herself into the rafters. In a blink she’s lost in the dusk, except for the clouds of dust tracking her progress towards the ceiling.
A faint sniff is the last trace of her before silence reigns.
“Let her in,” He tells Sevika shortly.
Now that his daughter is out of the way, his anger is returning. He finds he has no qualms directing it at the Sheriff, who’s shockingly on board with this disastrous plan that involves not only two minors, but a civilian.
The doors opens for the Sheriff, who steps through cautiously. Her sharp eyes search his office with guarded curiosity as she walks forward to meet him. When she stops, it’s with an aura of deep distrust. As he expects.
What isn’t expected is that she’s wearing swat gear rather than a uniform.
“Kiramman,” Silco drawls.
“Silco.”
“Would you care to provide any further details regarding the plan as outlined by my daughter?”
Her back straightens under his simmering rage, though to her credit she doesn’t flinch. “I was not informed of the plan until roughly two hours ago. Even then, I was not given all the information. If I had, I would have done everything in my power to dissuade them, and remove the civilian from the situation.”
“A fruitless train of thought,” He says sharply. “What I want to know is what you are doing now to remedy the situation.”
“As much as I can,” She answers stiffly. “I am currently out of contact with Ekko and my PI, so I am working off the same information as yourself. Assuming your daughter gave you the full explanation.”
She looks around the room as if she’s only just realized that Jinx is nowhere to be found.
“So your trusted Private Investigator came up with this plan with a minor, and was fully on board with putting a civilian in danger to get to Rodriguez.”
“Believe me, you aren’t the only one who will want to have words with Vi when this is all over.”
Her nostrils flair, eyes flashing with restrained anger.
Silco heaves a sigh.
So Viyana is as dangerous as he believed.
“My daughter believes you have a way to track communications...”
“I do. Thankfully Marcus was at the station, and I was able to recruit him for the task.”
“And you have people at the festival.”
“Ready to mobilize at my word. I also have a swat team at my disposal, but I don’t want to put the civilian in any further danger. I can see no way of ensuring her safety at this time except to let the situation run its natural course, and to be ready with contingencies should things not go according to plan.”
Her grim looks suggests that she understands just how many things could - and likely will - go wrong, and it brings him some level of comfort. She at least seems to grasp the gravity of the situation.
He folds his hands behind his back. “What do you need from me, Kiramman?”
“I’ve heard that you have a list of the warehouses and storefronts that Finn and Rodriguez could be using to feed into their base of operations.”
“I may.”
The Sheriff narrows her eyes. “How long have you had this list?”
“A sufficient amount of time to track Rodriguez’s agents in and out with some regularity. Though I have no concrete evidence that one location is more important than the other. I have been unable to send any of my people in to investigate.”
“Why haven’t you brought this information to the authorities?”
“Because I only have assumptions based on logical conclusions. Charles is knit within my infrastructure, and may have eyes and ears in the ranks. I wished to keep my investigations close to the vest, until I could provide the proper authorities with every piece of the puzzle.”
“Maybe if you had given us this information before, we could have ended this investigation by now. We have resources within the force that you, as a private citizen, do not.”
“I beg to differ. You currently have access to the toxicity reports which should have bought you a wealth of information, like where Rodriguez is sourcing the chemicals, and perhaps even hint at the lab where they’re being created. Yet none of that has been forthcoming.”
She reddens.
“However, if you provide them to my agent, Billings, I will give you the list of potential locations for the lab. I promise full cooperation as a private citizen to pass on any information he is able to determine from the reports, so long as you are willing to inform me when you have narrowed down his possible lab locations. Perhaps together we can make enough progress to have a case against Rodriguez.”
“How do I know that the list isn’t full of false trails meant to lead me on a ghost hunt?”
“Because my desire is to end this madness quickly, and with zero casualties, ” He answers heavily. “same as you.”
They watch each other evenly for several beats before she says, shortly, “It’s a deal.”
Without stopping to think, Silco rounds the desk. He hits a hidden latch, and a small drawer pops open to reveal a secret drawer. He pulls out a file of the reports, along with Billing’s findings.
“And if you could give the toxicology reports to Marcus as soon as possible, he’ll ensure they get into the proper hands.”
She nods, and reaches out her hand to receive the file.
He holds it back at the last second.
“Is Viyana capable at her job?” Silco can’t stop himself from asking.
“Extremely capable.”
“And I suppose I must trust you are speaking as her superior officer, and not her partner.”
Kiramman’s face hardens. “My personal feelings don’t factor into her capabilities. Her case book is full of successful missions before we met, with minimal civilian casualties.”
He nods. “If Viyana is anything like her sister, then she must also be clever and resilient.”
“Not to mention unhinged,” Sevika mutters just a little too loudly.
“She won’t let any harm come to Jinx’s friend,” Kiramman affirms.
He hands her the files. “When do you expect an update from your detective?”
“No later than 10:20.”
Silco looks at his watch. 9:56. His eyes slide down to his cufflinks. The emerald gleams in the light, and he slowly rubs a thumb over it as he considers all the ways EKko and Viyana’s plan can go wrong, and what he can do that’s still within his control.
“Sevika, our crew is at the festival tonight, yes? Inform them of the situation.”
She’s already on her way out, phone in hand.
“I need to go,” Kiramman says. “But I give you my word, I will let you know as soon as I have any further information.”
“I appreciate that.”
Kiramman nods, turns on her heel, and leaves.
He immediately takes out his phone.
“Billings, I have those toxicity reports incoming. I need any information you can give me to narrow down possible lab locations.”
He hangs up, and after a few seconds of thought he dials another number.
“Heath, I need you to do me a favor.”