MillionNovel

Font: Big Medium Small
Dark Eye-protection
MillionNovel > Caste as Dust > Chapter 2

Chapter 2

    BANG! BANG! BANG!


    “Mr. Denter! This is the Police, open up!”


    Noah sprung out of bed, wincing as his legs protested the sudden movement. He quickly threw on a t-shirt and grimaced as he hobbled toward the sliding metal doors. More banging quickened his pace and he soon lifted the latch and pulled open the door.


    “Good morning to you too” Noah muttered as he squinted at the two police officers through the harsh morning light. They looked him over with accusatory scowls before looking him in the eyes.


    “Are you Noah Denter?” The shorter man on the left asked. Noah nodded.


    “That’s me. What is this about?” He asked.


    “Mr. Denter you have been accused of disturbing the peace and we are here to bring you in for questioning. Are you willing to come peacefully?” The much taller officer explained while pulling out handcuffs.


    “I am certainly willing to do that, but are those really necessary?” Noah responded, nodding to the cuffs.


    “We have witnesses saying that you have violent tendencies so we will be taking every precaution.” He responded matter-of-factly. Noah stared into space, his mouth hanging open before he acquiesced bringing his wrists together in front of him.


    Noah lowered himself into the backseat of the patrol car, still baffled by the morning’s developments. He awkwardly rubbed his eyes and attempted to fix his hair but promptly gave up as the handcuffs rubbed uncomfortably against his wrists. The engine was running and the officers barely looked him over before pulling onto the main drag. This is what I get for trying to help people. Noah thought as he stared out the window, recognizing the faces of several street dwellers who had listened to his message. It was making to be a typical summer day for Seattle, the sun was peaking out through some wispy clouds and large patches of blue promised a warm day. In the distance, he could make out Mt. Rainer, only partially covered by the haze. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight, no matter how many times he saw it, it always seemed to produce a sense of awe in him. He had never been one for traditional forms of art, paintings, and the like, but there was something about the majesty of the mountains or the sea that made him wish he was.


    Noah sighed as concrete obstructed his path. Sometimes he wished he had chosen a different path, opting to be an environmental scientist or a fisherman instead of a software engineer. Where was the money in that though? That had been his justification–not that it mattered much now. Now he only hoped that this mix-up would be quickly resolved so that he could get back to training. He somehow doubted that he could keep up his weapon practice in a holding cell.


    Before long they arrived at the station, at which point he was unceremoniously paraded out of the car and into the building where he was then deposited at the desk of a bored-looking clerk.


    “Name please,” said the woman in a nasally voice.


    “Noah” he replied.


    “Your full name, sir” she urged him.


    “Right, sorry. It''s Noah Denter” he said.


    “Good. Now I have a series of questions regarding your background. It will make this process quicker for both of us if you answer them truthfully.” She glanced up at Noah looking for agreement. He nodded.


    “Very good.” She continued. “Do you have family in the area?”


    “I do” Noah replied, “My parents live in Bellevue and my siblings and their families are all in the area.” She nodded.


    “And your parents’ names?”


    “Kaitlyn and Daniel Winters” Noah supplied, drawing out the last name as he braced himself for the clerk’s response.


    “Alright, Kaitlyn and Daniel Winters,” she paused then, her fingers hovering above her keyboard as she turned her gaze back to Noah. She scanned his face with squinted eyes.


    “Care to explain?” Noah took a deep, resigned breath.


    “I am adopted,” He began, “Though I suppose that much would be obvious,” he said as he gestured to his face and stature. “My parents had been waiting to adopt a baby for quite some time, so when the hospital called my family with the news that a child had been abandoned they were ecstatic. The caveat though was that the birth parents had left a note asking that I would retain my name.”


    Noah had gone back and forth on that growing up. It was hard enough looking so different than his family and answering the questions that inevitably arose. The name just cemented what he already felt as the black sheep of the family.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    The Winters were well known, referred to as the Rockefellers of their industry–namely by themselves but Noah had seen the title in the headlines more than once. They thought the name inspired a larger-than-life persona for people to grab onto. Noah knew however that they, particularly his father, were insecure about their lacking height and rotund appearance. Noah of course served to accentuate this with his rather opposing genes. For all their differences though, Noah had been well-loved by his family even if he found it easier to get out of the photo shoots and interviews than his siblings.


    “I see” the woman responded and Noah remained unconvinced that she believed his story. This thought was confirmed when she then proceeded to call someone and question them in about his lineage. A few minutes passed and once she was satisfied she hung up the phone.


    “I apologize for the lack of faith, but it wouldn’t be the first time someone claimed to be adopted by some rich family” She explained.


    The interview continued on and Noah was soon reminded of the circumstances that the officers had found him in as his stomach began to rumble audibly. After the background examination the clerk, Mary–he had learned, led him to another room; one that had the classic one-sided mirror and uncomfortable-looking table and chairs.


    Noah took the transition in stride, happy enough to have things moving along. He followed her instructions and sat in the chair, and she left him to his own devices. Some time passed and the door opened revealing an unfamiliar face carrying what he hoped was a familiar beverage.


    “Mr. Denter. Good morning! I am Detective Billings” The man announced, each syllable clear and distinct.


    “Good morning yourself, Detective. Any chance that coffee is for me?” Noah asked, eyebrows raised. Detective Billings smiled warmly.


    “Yes sir. I’m afraid you’ll have to take it black though.” He replied as he set the steaming beverage on the table. Noah grabbed the coffee without hesitation, though he doubted the station was truly lacking in cream or sugar.


    “Ah. Perfect.” Noah said as he savored the bitter, stale brew. Many assumed he was a snob when it came to the fine substance, but he had come to appreciate it in nearly every avenue. The detective sat across from Noah and began leafing through a manila folder with a photo of him clipped to the top.


    “Mr. Denter, do you know why you are here?” He asked.


    “As a matter of fact, I do not.” Noah replied.


    “I see. You were informed that you are accused of disturbing the peace, yes?”


    “That’s right,” Noah agreed.


    “Any ideas why you may be in the situation then?” The detective asked, fishing for something incriminating. He had half a mind to just let Noah go, given the evidence. But he would do his due diligence, especially considering who the accuser was. Noah tilted his head and squinted his eyes in concentration.


    “No, I really can’t think of a suitable reason for this investigation. In fact, I am starting to think you may have the wrong person. Who would go so far as to claim I have violent tendencies?” Noah considered his martial arts instructors but promptly dismissed the idea. Perhaps if someone was observing my training… Noah shook his head though. It''s not like his warehouse had windows. The detective sighed and made up his mind.


    “Look, I am inclined to agree with you. I need to make a few calls to confirm that I can let you go but if nothing else comes up then you should be out soon. Make yourself comfortable.” The detective said before gathering his documents and getting up to leave.


    “Detective, any chance I could get some more coffee?” Noah asked, holding the cup up in his still-cuffed hands. The restraints having done nothing to slow down his consumption. Billings chuckled.


    “I’ll have someone bring you more,” He said before stepping out of the room.


    Noah allowed his shoulders to sag as he shifted in the stiff-backed seat. He sipped on the last bit of coffee in his cup and regretted it as the cold dregs from the bottom filled his mouth. His morning had been an unwelcome distraction to his routine, and he was already feeling the loss of missing his morning meditation. He remembered then, the events of the previous night. The first gate. The phrase that the strange entity had offered him in their brief exchange. He had made it through this gate, whatever that meant, but nothing had changed. Noah couldn’t help but feel disappointed about that. He had hoped that he would wake up with some superhuman power or maybe a physical boost of sorts but had found nothing.


    Before he could dwell on it too much, the door opened and Mary came in carrying a steaming cup of Jo, a bagel, and to his amusement sugar and creamer packets. With little more than a smile at his thanks, she had left the room again. He didn’t mind enjoying his breakfast in peace and was relieved to find that the coffee was from a fresh pot. Noah finished his breakfast and tried his hand at meditation. Unsuccessful. Well, no time like the present then. Noah thought as he got out of his seat and got into a pseudo-triangle pushup position. One. Two. Three. He managed thirty before he let himself rest. Next came crunches. Then Squats. Repeat.


    Detective Billings watched from the other side of the glass as half an hour passed. He was impressed by the man’s endurance, even more so by his lack of embarrassment at what he was doing. His calls had been unfruitful, the higher-ups wanted to keep him under observation for the night but he didn’t have any legal reason to hold him. Something was off about the whole situation but he couldn’t put his finger on it. For now though, he would avoid the man as long as seemed reasonable and leave the explanations for later.


    Just then, the lights flickered and the room shook. Earthquake? Billings wondered. He never got the chance to confirm before he was plunged into complete darkness.


    Noah finished his last set as the ground shook. But then the lights went out and his lungs failed to fill with air. The voice rang in his head, cold and without emotion.


    [System Initialized.]
『Add To Library for easy reading』
Popular recommendations
A Ruthless Proposition Wired (Buchanan-Renard #13) Mine Till Midnight (The Hathaways #1) The Wandering Calamity Married By Morning (The Hathaways #4) A Kingdom of Dreams (Westmoreland Saga #1)