The black comero pulled up to a business building that could've existed anywhere else on the face of the world. It was tall, gray, drab, and not the sort of place you'd find children on their way in with smiles on their faces, unless of course it was to see a parent(s) that they never got to see; they'd be smiling then, but it would still be a sad sight. The only difference would be their, the children's, inability to tell just how out of place their smiles were. 
	"Here we are." Dirk said, smiling as he stepped out of his car, and slammed the door closed oh so lovingly. "A home away from home, and a heaven away from all those dreary, holier than though angels, and dull as plain toast god, with a lowercase g." He gave a small shudder at the thought of people with bird wings super glued to their backs, forced to try and play harps for all eternity, while tapped up to a sky so they could watch over all the little acts of nothing that God's most recent failure of a race bumbled about. God, he was happy to be a man instead of an angel, if only for the ability not to have to see the world from the outside. What a dreary affair that must be. 
	"Well enough morning for the state of affairs. There's money to be made, and a work today. If I'm fortunate, there'll be some fun too, but." He looked at his watch and frowned. Someday, tomorrow maybe, or whenever some down time came to him, without having to chase it around and leash it to a fire hydrant, he'd make sure to get a permanent residence closer to one of the his employer's places of business. "Oh! At this rate all the fun's going to be long gone, and everyone will be putting out the fires by the time I get there." He shook his head, hefted the briefcase, and hurried inside. 
	Holmes made it past the door before a group of men surrounded him with guns, and aimed them at his head, which he loved almost as dearly as he did the case in which he kept his brain. "Your late." A dour voice commented form somewhere behind the faceless figures(they were all wearing helmets) said.
	"I resent that remark, good sir. I am not late, nor am I ever late. My time is simply different than yours."
	"Is it so hard to come here, and do business without comments?"
	"Its no more difficult than to let in a guess without aiming a dozen guns at his staff and crystal balls. "
	"Move aside, damn it." The voice roared and everyone at the forefront nearly jumped to make sure they weren't the last one to follow orders. "One can't be too careful with company now a days." The voice of authority didn't look like the voice of authority. He looked like a scarecrow with an expensive suit and sun bleached skin. "What with metas going half cocked all through the news like there's going to be some big show down." 
	"Or anydays." Penderghast mumbled. 
	"I'm sorry?" 
	"I said would you like to do business here or would you rather we take this to your office? " The figure held up a hand. "Let's just do this here." He hefted the suitcase and put it down. "We've done business enough so I trust your knowledge about the dangers of betraying me. Here's what you wanted. Your son is dead, and it wasn't an easy end."
	The scarecrow looked more nervous than relieved. He took a step back and eyed the case like it was a bomb. "What's the deal? Are you going to kill us?"
	"No, not today, or any time in the foreseeable future. I enjoy our business too much to do that. Just make sure I get my payment and we'll be good for the next time." He didn't wait for a reply, but hurried off to get his blood money. 
	It would've been impossible to drive to where he decided the best place to start would be so instead he booked himself the nearest flight, and left the car, a gift from his beloved mother, in the hands of someone who knew better than to care for it less than what he would his wife and children. Which was good, because the lives of his wife and children depended on it. The flight was pleasant enough, except for an air marshal who confused him with someone else. Luckily the mistake was rectified before any inconvenience could be had on the flight, well aside from having to waste a lot of time in the restroom because it takes forever to flush all that ash. All and all, he'd be flying with the same airline in the future.
	Lacking a vehicle of his own, Dirk decided to rent a cab. He could've walked, but he also could have crawled. You didn't just do things cuz you could. He learned that lesson, awhile back, after setting something on fire and freezing his frozen lunch(it made more sense if you were there.) Luckily, for the cab driver, the location was close and the man knew the quickest route, so he was there in a matter of minutes. Without a word, which was strange for pendergast, he gave the man the money he earned, and hurried inside. Flashing an idea at anyone who tried to stop him, or try to stop and talk with the ones he knew, which got them going faster than an ID ever could. 
	"There's something going on." He muttered to himself. At first he wasn't sure, but the way people were acting made it certain there was. Then, he saw a woman being rushed by, obviously hurt., by a couple of soldiers. The urge came to stop him, but it left when he realized he needed to take a leak so he decided to focus on that. Once that was taken care of, he kept going the direction he'd previously followed, certain something would come up and it did, or at least that's what he thought when he saw a couple, who stood out with a sore thumb with an arrow through the nail, a few soldiers, and Bennett (at least that's what he thought the commander's(he got lost on ranks occasionally(mostly)name was.))
	"Lady and "gentlemen, am I in the right place, or is there somewhere else I should be. It's been a rather trying day, so I'd be ever so grateful if you, any one or all of you, told me I was needed in a bath, whichever bath. I'm not a difficult person. So long as it was hot, and there was soap and fresh towels I'm happy.."" He gave everyone a bow.