20 Until I Win

Meanwhile, over at the hospital, Lux was still training with Hunter.

They had gone into the gym together, and Hunter had taught Lux a few new moves, which were surprisingly similar to the ones he had used in the past. Lux was getting stronger every day. Soon, he might even be able to catch up to Hunter.

"Okay," Hunter said. "Let's go for a little bit longer. You can rest when you finish up."

"Wait," Lux said, holding Hunter's hands.

"Huh?"

"I want to test my skills against you," Lux said.

Hunter paused for a moment. He liked to spar against others whenever possible, but he had never tried fighting against Lux before. It would certainly be an interesting challenge. 

Challenge? It was going to be so easy.

"Fine," Hunter said. "How long?"

Lux smiled. "Until I win."

"Good luck then," Hunter said.

***

After leaving the police station, Jay headed down the street toward home. He wanted to get a quick meal, change clothes, and make sure that everything was ready for tomorrow morning.

After finishing dinner, Jay went upstairs, where he changed into fresh clothes and began to set up the equipment necessary to perform his experiments.

When he finished, Jay put on his coat, grabbed his hat and scarf, and headed downstairs to take care of the last-minute details.

As he passed through the living room, he noticed that the door was open, and Evelyn was sitting at his desk. She looked up as Jay came in, and she immediately stood up.

"Hi," she said. "Is everything okay? I heard the front door open."

"Yeah. Everything is fine," Jay reassured her. "Did you want something?"

Evelyn shook her head. "No, nothing. Just making sure that you got home alright."

She walked around the desk and sat next to him. Her hand rested gently on his arm. "Do you need anything else?"

Jay looked into her eyes and realized that she was concerned. She wasn't just being polite; she really cared about him. He hadn't seen that in a while.

"Well," Jay said. "If you insist... I could use a nice cup of tea. How does that sound?"

"Perfect!" Evelyn exclaimed. "Come on."

Evelyn led Jay, by the arm, to the kitchen. She poured two cups of tea and handed one to Jay. Then she took a seat at the table across from him.

"Thank you," Jay said. "This is perfect. What would you like to talk about?"

Evelyn shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. I guess I haven't gotten much sleep this week."

"That's understandable." Jay said. "Have you found any leads on killing Lux?"

"Not yet. There's not much we can do until the lab tests start."

"That will probably be soon," Jay said. "As usual, get a convict for the experiment."

"Understood. So, how has your work been going?"

Jay chuckled. "Work? Well, let me see. This week I've spent most of my time trying to track down that idiot. "The police even believe I'm working with them."

"And what are you planning to do once you find him?"

"Thinking about it makes me boil already!" Jay said as he drank the tea and sent the cup flying across the kitchen, hitting the wall and shattering into several pieces.

"I'll clean that." Evelyn spoke while standing up.

"Don't bother; it'll be cleaned up tomorrow morning." Jay said.

"Whatever you say," Evelyn said. "It's just that things have been a bit rough lately. With the way things are now, I feel like all we're doing is running around chasing our tails."

"It's not too bad." Jay reassured her. "I mean, if it weren't for Lux, things would be worse. At least we have someone to blame."

"I suppose." Evelyn laughed.

"Hey," Jay said. "Why don't you come over here and sit with me? We can watch television together."

Evelyn hesitated. "You really don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind! You're welcome anytime." Jay said, grinning.

Evelyn smiled. "Thanks."

They sat, watched some television, and talked. It was good to have someone who actually cared. Not that he cared, but he knew that there was no question that he could trust her completely.

The phone rang and jolted both of them. They jumped slightly and turned to look at each other.

"What should I answer?" Evelyn asked.

"It might be important," Jay answered. "It's better not to be the police again."

He picked up the receiver and listened. "Yes? Yes. Okay. Thank you." He hung up. "Somebody wants me." That's always fun."

"Who?"

"Some reporter wants a comment or something. I told her to call back later when I wasn't so tired."

Evelyn nodded. "Comment on what?"

"Something about the incident caused Lux to lose his freedom. Apparently, they're calling him 'the Hunter'."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

-----------------

Chloe She got out of the hospital bed as she tried calling Lux's phone number. She had made arrangements to stay overnight because she didn't want to go home alone. After getting a little rest, she'd be able to get up early enough to meet with Lux.

She dialed Lux's number and waited for an answer. Sadly, he wasn't picking up. She cursed softly under her breath before hanging up the phone. She didn't expect him to pick up after hours anyway. Chloe sighed and pulled off her hospital gown, which she left behind. As she dressed herself, she noticed that she still had bruises all over her body from her encounter with Lux.

<How did it come to this?> As tears rolled down her face, Chloe thought. <My whole career has gone down the drain.< p>

Then Chloe remembered something. She looked at her cell phone and saw that it was only 6:00 a.m. She quickly got dressed and ran outside, hoping to get to the station on time to speak with Chief Earl privately. She walked briskly to the front door of the precinct house and knocked on it. She heard footsteps coming toward her. A uniformed officer opened the door.

"Good morning, Detective Chloe." He said it with a smile. "Good to have you back."

Chloe smiled weakly. "Thank you, Officer."

---------------------------

Chloe entered the office and closed the door.

"Do you have a minute?"

Chief Earl said. "Chloe! It's good to have you back. I'm sure you are aware of the situation."

Chloe sat down and looked at the chief. "Thanks. I'm here to join the search team."

"That's good news." He said he was smiling. "We've been looking for volunteers to help us search for the criminal."

"Lux is no criminal." Chloe replied.

"I know."

"Then why do you refer to him like one?"

"Right now, that is what he is referred to as. I know he didn't do it, but there is no evidence that he didn't."

The phone on the desk rang loudly before Chief Earl picked it up. Placing it on the speaker, they all listened as the words, "Hello sir... We've got his location."

Upon hearing this, Chief Earl and Chloe locked eyes.

"Chief, are we going through with this?"