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[secretlabtech]

[ He's not believing any of this. Any of it. Either everyone's cuckoo or he's on some kind of drugs, and Dexter isn't certain which of those sounds more plausible. ]

Someone mind telling me where I can get a plane ticket back to Miami? I'll settle for a freighter at this point. A helicopter? Seaplane? [ Pause. ] A yacht?

I get it. First thing everyone asks is how to get home, but I'm not the kind of guy to kick up my heels and take it all for granted. Crime scenes to get to, work to do, and there's my son--he needs me.

...

How about a kayak?

Comments

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[cowboycop]

[Howdy Dexter, have a Texan drawl on the other end of the line.]

Funny thing 'bout this place, hombre - folks 'round these parts can come from lots of places in time. Y'might meet someone you know, but they're from years down the road than you are. [It's happened to him and his best friend, who's two years in the future compared to him.] Yer kid's fine. If you ever leave this place, you'll be goin' right back to the same time, the same place y'left from. Least, that's how it seems to have worked for most folks who've left and come back.

[There's a pause on the other end of the line.] You said crime scenes. That mean you're a detective back in the States?

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[secretlabtech]

[ It's almost nice to hear a Texan accent, but not the news it brings. Years separating them? His son frozen in time? ]

I wish I could believe that, but it sounds like it's come out of a trashy pulp sci-fi novel. Real life doesn't work like that.

[ In real life you don't wake up in Canada either but there's a first time for everything. Everything except magic. ]

I work with Homicide. Miami Metro PD.

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[cowboycop]

Heh. Sure does, don't it? But bein' here a year now, well, I've seen some pretty strange things. Darkness is the worst of 'em. When I first came here from L.A., I didn't believe none of it it neither.

[Dexter can almost detect some delight in Jake's voice at hearing that news.] Well fancy that! I'm a homicide detective myself. Was with the LAPD, then I get sent to this lil' island and I work fer the department here. Ain't sure how long you're gonna stay here, but if you find yerself here and lookin' for a job, well... reckon we could always use your talents, if you're up fer it.

[secretlabtech]

[ He's good at being flexible, going with things as they come, and in this case he tilts his head and latches instantly onto the topic. Opportunities can't be ignored, and there's a reason he does the work that he does. He needs his routine, and if getting out of here isn't an option then he has to go for option two. ]

Might as well keep an open mind. Don't suppose there's a pamphlet or something? Or do I just drop in?

[cowboycop]

Heh, naw, nothin' like that. Reckon if you wanted to come on in, you can any time. Name's Jake Marshall, if you ever need to talk about it, but I reckon it's the same procedure an' the same test in Miami as it is in L.A., and fer the most part, it's the same way here in the Port.

... hate to ask personal questions so soon into meetin' someone, but - yer son. How old?

[secretlabtech]

Oh good. And I was worried I'd be taken to a crime scene and given a stopwatch and a checklist. Solve the crime in under three minutes and you're in.

[ He does have a sense of humour. ]

[cowboycop]

[Thankfully, Jake seems to like his sense of humor, because it elicits a snicker from the other man.] Heh, naw, nothin' like that. Might be fun to haze the greenhorns with, though.

... reckon it's pretty tough to solve crimes in three minutes in this town. Funny things happen 'round here all the time, not just at night.

[secretlabtech]

I think I'd be alright with it, most of the time. Easier if there's blood.

[ Man he is a forensics pro, it helps that he can get right into the head of killers, really. ]

What kind of funny things?

[cowboycop]

You think you can solve cases that quick? Hot damn. [Jake gives him a bit of a grin.] Well, you got moxie, I'll give ya that much. It's what we need 'round these parts.

[Jake has the ability to get into their heads too - or their pasts, anyway. He's still working on it, but, he's getting better with his power.]

Lotta odd things show up at night. Take fer instance the Bitter Children an'-- well, you gotta search function on that NV of yers? Look up the name "Darwin". He'll tell ya more 'bout the Darkness and the things that go bump in the night better than I ever could, hombre.

[secretlabtech]

Moxie? [ That's...almost charming. In a backwater kind of way. ] My record is fifteen seconds. But hey--I'll look it right up.

I didn't get your name?

[cowboycop]

I'd like to see you repeat that, I reckon.

Just a quick sum up, though, since you shouldn't really mess with the Darkness 'less you know what you're doin'. Stay inside when the Sirens go off, don't come out 'til the morning Siren comes on. You might hear things out in the Darkness - some are real, most are fake. Some monsters are gettin' pretty good at fakin' people's voices, so don't get tricked. Last, don't go doin' stupid stuff unless you really can handle it. Seen a lot of people die because they thought they could beat just this one, even with their powers. If you get stuck in the Darkness on accident, yeah, it's best to either run or fight, but if you can get somewhere safe? Go there.

[It's only then that he realizes he didn't give his name.] Oh! Uh, sorry 'bout that, pardner. The name's Jake Marshall. You already heard it yerself, I'm a homicide detective. Don't s'pose I got yer name either?

[secretlabtech]

I'm sorry--with their powers?

[ He's just going to be stuck on that one for a second, and just sort of trip over his own name when asked. ]

Dexter. I'm Dexter Morgan.

[cowboycop]

I know it sounds harder to swallow than a pound of dirt. Some folks around here, they've got powers, superhuman abilities they might not've had at home. It can be somethin' as simple as taking a bigger beatin' no problem, or it can be somethin' stranger. I've seen a few things in my time here that I'd never dream of back home.

Well, it's a pleasure to meet ya, Dexter.

[secretlabtech]

[ He still looks disbelieving, but he gives his head a little shake and rolls with it. ]

A pleasure to meet you too. I hope the next time we see each other we're working a crime scene somewhere.

[cowboycop]

I hope so too. You take care now, y'hear? And when them Sirens go off, you make sure you get yerself inside somewhere.