Quintus Fives was a bit nervous as he made his way up to the front door of the Moon Lake Police Department building. It was a bit more modern than many of the buildings in Moon Lake, but that really wasn't what made him nervous. What made him nervous was the uneasy relationship the Luna Brotherhood had with the Moon Lake PD. He and Gustavus had first had to do business with them over the hunt for Dymixious Drake, as the FBI were unravelling the trail that the werekomododragon left behind him and with people still alert over Lionel Ulysses' tail being caught on police cam footage in Seattle, having the FBI track Dymixious Drake down would reveal too many secrets and in too bad a light.
It wasn't that Quintus disapproved of the things Dymixious Drake did. After all, the men that Drake had supposedly killed were all suspected of being rogue weres that were engaging in some form of violent crime. If caught by the law, there was the potential that they'd end up in a jail cell controlled by normal humans and when these prisoners went past the average lifespan of a human and looked to still be in their prime, there would be problem that would risk exposing weres. In that, Drake had actually done the were community a favor, but it was still private vigilante work that was ultimately sloppy. That could attract law enforcement groups that didn't know about weres and thus cause trouble. The Luna Brotherhood with its hidden connections had managed to do the same job, but often with the sanction of law enforcement agencies, often by playing to that of a higher power.
However, Moon Lake was a bit different. The fact that everyone that lived in the town knew about weres and that most of the town's residents were weres made that different, and Moon Lake's Police Chief had to have had some suspicions as to why Quintus and Gustavus had come to help them deal with Dymixious Drake and thus why the two Luna Brotherhood agents were allowed to observe but not officially take part in their department's actions as part of that hunt. That was something that had generated some rivalry that seemed to last. The fact that Tom Herald had likely contacted the Moon Lake PD after they had first confronted him in Seattle added to that tension, even if the Moon Lake PD opposed exposing the were secret. And Quintus kept his eyes on a swivel as he entered into the station, for these officers were likely on some measure of alert as a response to that.
The front desk was quiet as he came in, but there was an on duty officer. Biting his lip for a moment, he approached the area where the window was and then cleared his throat before speaking. That got the officer to look up to him.
"Hmm-hmm..." Quintus cleared his throat, "I'm Agent Quintus Fives, I am here to speak with Chief O'Hara if he has some free time."
He waited and hoped that the desk officer wasn't fully aware of who he was or his connection to the battle with Dymixious Drake or the "threats" made to Tom Herald. In theory he might be able to send his message if arrested, but that would take longer and Quintus wasn't quite sure he could avoid drawing negative attention. Not to mention that it would at least delay any coordination with Gustavus, and while there were times where Gustavus seemed a bit caught up in "the old ways" as it were, Quintus also knew that he would need Gustavus' help to protect the were secret. His only hope was that the word "agent" and his suit might let the local officer think that Quintus was FBI or some other Federal entity.
"Well... I don't believe he's gone to lunch, if you wait a moment, I can escort you to him," the officer spoke and stood up to walk back to the door to the officer's side of the window. Quintus stood by quietly listening until the officer appeared in the doorway that was next to the window. The officer spoke to him, "If you'll come with me."
The officer then lead Quintus through the station, and there didn't appear to be too much going on inside the station at the moment, though Quintus guessed that most patrol officers were on duty with what would be standard patrol and monitoring type duty. It might not be as active as some bigger cities, but if it weren't for Moon Lake's were population, the small town wouldn't need that much attention. Quintus also figured that with Tom Herald's reveal idea and the things that he and Gustavus were trying behind the scenes might also have Moon Lake's Police Chief on edge. Eventually they made their way to the door to Chief O'Hara's office. The officer knocked on the door before announcing.
"An Agent Fives is hear to see you, sir," the officer spoke, "FBI by the looks of him."
Quintus thought he heard a growling groan come from within the office before the answer came to let him in. The officer opened the door and allowed Quintus to enter the room. He entered it to find Chief O'Hara at his desk with a corned beef sandwich sitting on a sheet of wax paper and with the scent of its condiments filling the room. The Moon Lake Police Chief had narrowed eyes and a deep frown as Quintus entered.
"You have a lot of guts coming here, "Agent" Fives," Chief O'Hara said to him.
"Given that my partner and I have broken no law and have only tried to help protect weres, and thus Moon Lake, I would have expected a warmer welcome," Quintus spoke, trying to put on a bit of bravado, but a lot of it wasn't there, "but then... tense times would be bound to make anyone cranky."
"Threats and wild shots do not make matters easier," Chief O'Hara answered, "and the threats... had they been in Moon Lake could have counted as a threatening of physical harm... that would be grounds to draw attention to you, one way or another."
That confirmed to Quintus that Tom Herald had reported the conversation he and Gustavus had had with Tom in Seattle. That wasn't particularly good for Quintus as it would also mean that the Moon Lake Police would at least as an organization oppose any firm measures to protect the were secret, though for the moment the fact that other officers hadn't been called in and that Chief O'Hara stayed at his desk, there was enough that Quintus could hope for with regard to a more peaceful interaction. Though there was a question on what Chief O'Hara had said.
"Wild shots, sir?" Quintus wondered.
"From the battle with Dymixious Drake," Chief O'Hara answered, "only Officer Ryan Connor was in a position to fire any rounds at the werekomododragon, and our own body cam footage confirmed that in our own investigation. However, there was a problem in that the five shots he fired HIT his intended target, Dymixious Drake. Yet, we have the report that there were additional shots... shots that went through the bedroom window of Samantha and Frances Twist and it was profoundly lucky that NO ONE was hurt there. Now we can't confirm it, as no one was looking your way... and we can't be fully aware on whether or not Mr. Drake irritated someone else in Moon Lake for some reason... but the only other people we could have placed at the scene were you and your partner, and I expressly remember saying you were allowed to observe but not take part in the apprehension of Dymixious Drake. Leading me to think that you... or your partner... got trigger happy and fired off a round."
Quintus gulped a bit, as Gustavus, frustrated at being kept from the actual apprehension had drawn his own pistol rather quickly. Fearful that Gustavus might shoot one of the officers in his haste to "be a hero," Quintus had thrown off Gustavus's aim in the hopes of preventing such a thing. However, elbowing his partner had lead to Gustavus accidentally squeezing the trigger and firing off at least two rounds, and they did go into a house that was to the south of the one where Dymixious Drake had been staying. At the time, the pair had been able to write it off as part of the fire-fight when it was revealed that the stray shot did no collateral damage, but there they had gotten rather lucky.
"But then... I can't prove that for sure," Chief O'Hara spoke, "but then... the pair of you show up again and threaten a man in a Seattle diner over this present reveal. Which gets me thinking that you two are behind some of the nonsense that's gone on. People fighting each other, the riot at the college, people protesting outside of the City Council member's homes."
"I assure you we mean no harm to Tom Herald," Quintus spoke, "in fact, if he were to back out of this quietly and let things be... we'd be more than happy to move on to our next assignment. As we really don't want to kill anyone. But the were secret must be kept."
"From the statement he gave my officers, he certainly FELT threatened," Chief O'Hara cut him off.
"Well, he IS a rogue were, out to expose us," Quintus answered, though his tone was a bit weak, "that threat would be enough to anger anyone to say things they may not fully mean... And I would add that my partner and I wouldn't want weres fighting weres. Our primary goal is the protection of the were secret and nothing else. Without which, we could all be in trouble."
"Expose weres... yes, but in a legal way and with reasoning beyond a criminal looking to profit off of someone," Chief O'Hara answered, "and from what I've been told with some good points... that we may be reaching the point of exposure regardless. We have cameras now... and they can do all sorts of things. And that's all been developing. I've had to do some digging online... but we have all sorts of rumored stories of were-beasts potentially being exposed. One supposedly had a werewolf caught on camera in the 1960s in Big Rapids, Michigan. Thankfully the picture was just blurry enough that it can't be told for certain and thus misidentified from a bear. But the technology is getting better. Today, if that were is still living in Michigan and he pulled this stunt again... he might not be so lucky."
Quintus didn't answer for the moment.
"In this... what do you think, Agent Fives, will happen if humanity gets proof we exist some other way... by some fluke accident with evidence that cannot be denied?" Chief O'Hara answered.
"But that hasn't happened... yet," Quintus began.
"The key word is "yet" in that sentence," Chief O'Hara answered, "and that is the problem. Personally, I wouldn't risk it... but at the same time, there could be a real risk of exposure, regardless of what we do, and in that it may not be a bad idea to at least hear Herald's plan out and let the city council tweak it. For if all he reveals is that weres are real, but places like Moon Lake aren't... we'd probably be safe, as would any other were sanctuary."
"Assuming humanity accepts us," Quintus commented, to which Chief O'Hara nodded. Quintus took that as justification to continue, "which means you can't force people to accept this idea."
"And I don't... which is the frustrating part in all of this," Chief O'Hara nodded, "that weres are so heavily divided on the issue. Especially when those 200 and older would want to keep things the way they always were and those under 100 just wanting to love what they are... When they get into it, trouble is bound to come from the disagreement. Thus we have to work to keep everyone safe and keep all sides from fighting each other. Especially while the need to figure this out is still ongoing."
"Well, I assure you, we don't want anyone hurt..." Quintus said slowly, "we just want to keep the secret safe. At least until we know for sure that humanity would accept us and our efforts are with the intent of spreading that message."
"Just remember," Chief O'Hara warned as he looked forward, "If anyone gets hurt because of your antics, be it Herald or anyone else, I will have both brought in and I won't care what government agency comes to rescue you."
"Understood," Quintus said nervously.