CSI: Across the Pond

Matt entered the building with his hands clasped behind his back. He was trying to hide a smirk, but to no avail. He saw Adam nearby, as well as another investigator he didn’t recognize. Just then, Davey walked through the doors and saw him.

“Glad you could join us, Matt,” he said with a smirk.

“I don’t see Way around here; where is he?” Matt asked, glancing around. Mikey looked up at the sound of his last name, but before he could say anything, a gunshot rang out. They all ducked instinctively. When no more followed, one of the nearby security guards ran upstairs to find out what had happened.

A few minutes later, Hunter was helping a shaking Gerard out of the elevator. He was calling for a paramedic, but Gerard said he would be fine. His eyes narrowed upon seeing Matt. Mikey ran towards him.

“Gerard, what happened? We heard a gunshot; are you hurt?” Gerard was about to answer when Matt began stalking over. The British investigator laughed lightly to himself.

“Not even thirty seconds, and Investigator Way is already trying to kill himself.” Gerard lunged at him, but Hunter held him back. Mikey stepped in front of him and glared at Matt. He wasn’t deterred. “And who might this be? One of your lab rats?”

“Hey, I resent that,” Mikey said, crossing his arms. Gerard stepped away from Hunter and put an arm around his brother’s shoulders protectively.

“This ‘lab rat’ happens to be my brother, Bellamy. I’d suggest you leave both of us alone. I just shot one person, and I’m not afraid to do it again.” Matt conceded and backed away. By one step.

“Ooh, Investigator Way actually uses a gun; I’m shocked,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. Gerard nearly growled at him.

“Never mind, Gee. He’s not worth your time,” Mikey said, casting an angry glance at Matt. Gerard stepped forward.

“I don’t know what you have against us, Matt, but if you’re going to help us with this crime scene, the hostility has got to stop. We don’t really need you here, anyway.”

“Unfortunately, Way,” Matt said with a smirk. “you do.”

“And what, dare I ask, gives you that idea?” Gerard asked. Matt just shook his head.

“You’ll see later on. For now, though, I believe we have a few crime scenes to process.”

And with that, Matt grabbed his field kit and proceeded upstairs. Gerard gritted his teeth and followed the British investigator, all the while trying to keep himself calm. They didn’t need any more murders today.
-
Gerard picked the mushroomed bullet off the carpet and dropped it in a small manila envelope, sighing as he did so. He had noticed a bruise already starting to form right on top of his knee; no doubt he would have trouble walking tomorrow. He managed to stand up and placed the envelope in his field kit, closing it just as Matt lazily walked by and snapped a picture of the now-empty cabinet.

“Was that really necessary?” Gerard asked with a frown. “Both Frank and Jade have been through here already.”

“I have plenty of faith in Jade,” said Matt, turning and taking another picture. “It’s you and your lab rats I don’t trust.” Gerard clenched his jaw, biting back a retort. The British investigator was on very thin ice.

“Get out,” he said in a low tone. Matt blinked once.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Gerard said through gritted teeth. “Get. Out. Go back to the lab, go back to England, I don’t care. Just get away from me and get out of here! I’ve had enough of you and your sick sense of humor!” He shouted the last two sentences, and was now breathing heavily. Matt glowered at him and walked out of the room, leaving Gerard to his thoughts.
-
“You sure you don’t want anything to eat, Gerard?” Mikey asked, glancing up from the scrap of paper he held.

“Nah, just some coffee,” his brother muttered absentmindedly, stifling a yawn. Mikey shrugged and left, also trying not to yawn. It was almost eleven at night local time. He and Jade drove off to get food for everyone. Frank had already gone back to the hotel several hours ago.

“Hey, Gerard, could I get you to take these over to our photo lab?” called Davey. “Jade should be there.”

“Actually, he and my brother just left to go get some food, but I could process them.”

“No, I kind of promised Jade he could do it. Just drop them off for me, will you?” Gerard agreed, took the discs from Davey, and headed off down the hall. Upon reaching the door to the photo lab, he looked inside and gaped at what he saw. This lab was definitely smaller than Matt’s, but it was a lot more technologically advanced. There was a Plexiglass wall on one side of the room, with laser projectors aimed at it from the other side. That wasn’t what surprised him, though.

Matt was standing about ten feet away from the wall, aiming a laser pointer at various photos on the makeshift screen. He rearranged the photos quickly, using the pointer like a computer mouse. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gerard enter the room, but said nothing to greet him. The senior investigator placed the short stack of CD’s on an immaculate desk nearby.

“Was that your idea, Way?” Matt asked suddenly.

“Was what my idea?”

“Having me talk to that Laura.” Gerard shook his head, watching as Matt moved more of the photos around.

“No, she asked if she could. I tried to tell her the only words you know are insults, but she wouldn’t listen.” Matt cracked a smile.

“Smart girl, though I can’t imagine why she would ever talk to you.”

“I told her the same thing about you,” Gerard said instantly, catching Matt off guard. He turned the laser pointer off and sighed, turning to look at the other investigator.

“Look. I don’t like this any more than you do, but we have to work together on this, so I might as well tell you why I’m here.”

“I would’ve liked to have known that a few hours ago, but please, talk.” Matt glared at him and sat behind the desk. Gerard almost rolled his eyes. Matt would be the one to do that.

“I’m sure Iero told you about your evaluations.”

“You mean the six days you spent wasting our lives? Yeah, he mentioned it.”

“Shut up and let me talk, Way. I wasn’t done.” Gerard held back a retort and leaned back in the chair, lips pressed together in a thin line. “When I got the call about the case, I knew it was important. I didn’t want anyone messing it up while I did some undercover work, and since I’d just been certified to administer evaluations, I thought it would make the perfect disguise.”

“But you didn’t count on us, did you?” Gerard asked, letting a smirk play across his face. To his surprise, Matt shook his head.

“Iero is too observant for his own good. He knew I was up to something. Anyway, the hostage really has been released and safely returned home.” He sighed deeply, overlapping some of the photos, turning a few transparent and forming layers. “And if I’m correct in analyzing this, you shot our murderer.”