Hawkins, dumbfounded, gazed at Inspector Greyson. After everything that had been going on that day, this was hard to accept.

"You’re suspending me?"

"Not exactly, Jim," Greyson said, "I just think you need to rest a bit is all. Masked men and thinking I called you up here." The portly, older man shook his head ruefully. "Somebody might say you were nuts but...."

"I get it," Hawkins ground out before his chief could say anything more, "What you’re saying is I’m not fit for duty. Fine. Here’s my badge and ionizer."

He stomped out of the office, past the lift that he had been certain was broken just a moment ago and out of which Inspector Lestrade was exiting, clutching her head, and started down the stairs.

As he made his way past the retaining rooms, he noticed that the two girls were missing. Great. Maybe the chief was right. Maybe he did need some time off. Still, just to be on the safe side -- and just because he knew what he’d seen and heard -- he asked the constable he’d left on guard earlier.

"They musta escaped, sir," the constable said sheepishly, "when the accident occurred. We was occupied, ye see. We got a search out on ‘em though, soon as we noticed they was gone."

Feeling much relieved, Hawkins nodded and continued down the stairs. Stopping only to grab a DNA scanner and a spare ionizer (he told the desk sergeant that he’d dropped his during the accident), he left the yard premises. Something very strange was going on, and he was certain those two girls had something to do with it. He’d have to hoof it, at least until he got to his apartment and his brand new hovercar. It was a luxury model, and one he’d been saving for since he was ten. He needed to change out of his uniform anyway.

---

Lestrade glared at Greyson. "Whadaya mean, there’s nothing wrong with the lift? I was zedding unconscious!"

"I don’t know! There was an accident earlier. Some idiot ran into the building."

Lestrade sighed and glanced down at the desk as the chief began mumbling about American freight drivers and their lack of a sense of direction. "You suspended Hawkins?" She asked in surprise as she noticed the badge and ionizer, "But he’s such a 'by the book' type. What’d he do?"

"And if you were more a by-the-book type you’d know I couldn’t legally answer that Lestrade." Greyson answered, more than a little peevishly.

"Fine. Look, there’s been some strange things going on and...."

"You’re not bloody kidding! And where were you when young females were falling out of windows and having car crashes! At the ruddy opera!"

Lestrade winced and then shrugged. "I got Jim to fill in for me...is that why he...."

"Lestrade!"

"Look, Barnes said he had found one of the two girls. And I found a third. His suspension could affect my own investigation, so...."

"Fine, he’s been seeing things and imagining things. So I sent him home on sick leave. In a snit, he threw down his badge and weapon. Happy? Has absolutely nothing to do with...Lestrade! Where are you going? Zed that girl."

---

Heh, not very long but eh I wanted to see if this could get the story moving along a little bit more...