Vidare 06: Jhor

The three sat quietly at a stalemate, each of them trying to find a way to compromise. "What if we go talk to The Children of Knowledge?" Jason asked. "Carolyn Brewer came from a long line of them. Maybe some of them know what happened to her."

"To what end?" Ariana looked at them each in turn. "What are we supposed to be getting out for this aside from digging up shit about Derricks past?"

Miles held up the photo from '86. "We need answers."

"No we don't, it sounds like you just want to chase this as far as you can." Ariana's temper started to flare. "It's his birthday tomorrow, can't we just leave this alone for now?" She pleaded bitterly.

Miles set the photo down. "After his birthday, can I continue to dig into it?"

Ariana sighed, folding her arms and rolling her eyes. "Okay. After his birthday, take Jason and Garrett and go talk to the crazy alchemists. If you see his Dad, don't give anything away about Derrick."

"It'll be strictly tactical. Also, we need to check in with Garretts mentor. He took a hard smack to the head last night." Miles added. Miles stared at the card with the records he had copied intently and lost himself in the names. "Hey Ari," Miles looked up at her curiously. "Has he ever talked about his Mom to you?"

"No. As far as I gathered it was just him and his Dad. I don't know if he has any memories of her. His Dad would get angry if they talked about her." Ariana tried to recall anything related to Carolyn.

"Grandparents?" Miles followed the question but she shook her head.

"Yeah all he had was that old ratty teddy bear." Jason said as he munched on chips. Ariana and Miles looked at him slowly. "You don't think..."

"Maybe it's from his Mom. Ari, can you read its history?" Miles asked hopefully.

"I can't do it with objects." She shook her head.

"Jason?" He looked up with stressed and wide eyes.

"Only energy." He shrugged. "It's not like it's a magical bear."

Miles leaned close with a sudden realization. "That's exactly what it is!" He screamed. Jumping up and running to Derrick's room, Jason smiled and nodded as he started working on the theory. Miles returned with the bear and held it out to Jason. "Why would his Dad abandon him on a rooftop and give him a teddy bear?"

"Maybe he felt sorry for the kid?" Jason offered. "Some shitty way of giving him someone to talk to?"

"Okay, that's possible." Miles nodded, his excitement growing. "Or it's a wonder. Jason, you wear that hoodie every day that David gave you."

"Well yeah it's comfortable." He said while shrugging.

"There are a thousand comfortable hoodies that don't stop bullets. You keep it because someone gave it to you. What if his Mom gave him something like a going away gift?" Miles postulated.

"If it's for protection it's a shitty charm. If it's for luck, again, its a pretty shitty charm." Ariana threw her hands up.

"No no, none of that tracks. His mom was an alchemist, maybe a druggie. Please don't slap me okay?" He looked at Ari who had a confused look on her face. "What would you give Derrick if you had to go away forever?" Standing up, he flinched as she reeled back and smacked him anyway.

"Dick." She sat back down. Jason did his very best to keep his lips from curving into a smile. "I'd give him a way to find me, or if I was dead, I'd give him a final message, and something he couldn't do for himself. I'd give him a protector."

Miles gently gripped the bear in various ways until he found exactly what he was looking for. He slipped a finger into an old tear in the stitching, reaching around as he sought the object inside. Miles finally found his prize and pulled a small flash drive out of the bear. "She left him everything he would ever need."