Chapter 18: Authority Figures, Nicholas POV (Patreon)

Chapter 18

Authority Figures

Nicholas POV

The following day, the sky yacht dropped me off outside my manor. Pan apparently earned Tokens whenever I cleared a quest and had sold his Tokens to Tee, because he wanted to go exploring. He had flown off over Europe with a duffle bag full of cash from a dozen different countries, and that was the last time I saw him.

I checked my mail as I walked down the path, and the sky yacht flew off in the distance. The moment I reached the front door, it opened on its own, and the police charged out.

Men and women in police uniforms surrounded me, pointing tasers. Two carried pistols, but they were pointed at the ground. If I’d been paying attention, I would have noticed all the tire tracks in the gravel and the fact that my curtains were closed. I wasn’t, though. I was thinking about how I’d pull off helping Morgan without going insane.

A slightly more official-looking officer with muttonchop sideburns stepped out of the house wearing a frown. “Nicolas Thistlebush, I am Constable Murphy. You’re under arrest for grand theft.”

I stared at the constable as I opened my Domain and blocked the firing pins of the two pistols. “I’ve never stolen anything in my life.”

He gave me what looked like an apologetic smile like he didn’t want to be here. “Parliament passed a bill last night. Grand crimes in the Game are now to be prosecuted.”

I stared at him for a second. “You can’t be serious.”

“I don’t make the laws,” he said, before adding half-heartedly, “I just enforce them.”

“That’s bollocks.”

He shrugged and held out a pair of handcuffs.

I almost laughed. “Those won’t work on me.”

He chuckled. “I’ve heard that before.”

I let the grin I was holding back poke through. “See for yourself then.” I held out my hands.

Murphy placed the cuffs around my wrists.

I willed the internal lock to move and watched his surprise as they fell off. “It’s a game perk I received.”

He frowned. “A game perk that works out here?”

“Yes.”

He held out his hand for those cable ties they sometimes use. I let him put them on, then pulled my hands apart, willing them to break. They broke. While they were distracted, I used my Domain and Power to manipulate my phone to text Morgan and tell him what was happening.

Constable Murphy glanced at me. “Some perk.”

I shrugged. “It gets better. You’ll see.”

“Will a rope work?”

“I highly doubt it. Would you like to take me down to the station now?”

***

Police officers ran past the staff room as I removed the teabag and added the milk and sugar. Having a flying ship that big without a single teabag was almost a crime. I hadn’t had a proper cuppa in nearly a week, and it was beginning to drive me a little mad.

I stirred milk and sugar, using my Domain to sense when the sugar and milk had been mixed through evenly. I’d discovered my Domain was incredibly useful when it came to cooking, allowing me to be far more accurate than in the past, and my tea-making skills had drastically improved.

I tossed the teaspoon in the sink, picked up the plate of biscuits I had borrowed from the cupboard, and walked back to the bland interrogation room, where Constable Murphy was looking around perplexed. “Sorry for the trouble. I’ve been staying with Americans and was ready to kill someone for a cup of tea.”

Constable Murphy turned to look at me, somehow more surprised by my return than my absence. “Doors don’t hold you either, it would seem.”

“Did I not mention that?”

“You realise this is escaping from custody. It’s a crime.”

“That would depend on whether you can prove you can hold me?”

He scratched his head. “Excuse me.”

“Being in custody normally implies that you can detain some. You can’t lock me up. You can’t physically force me to do something, as you’ve already learned. So technically, I am here of my own volition and not in custody.”

He sighed. “Look, I might personally agree that this is a farce and the government is overstepping its bounds, but that’s not for me or you to decide.”

“Which is exactly why I’m here,” I said. I held out the plate. “Digestive.”

He shrugged and took one from the plate. Then he looked at it and frowned. “These are mine.”

I stepped passed him and took a seat. “I appreciate you sharing them with me.”

He took a seat opposite me, eating the whole thing in one bite. “So why did you do it?”

“I wanted a cup of tea.”

“Not the tea, the theft.”

“I was trying to get everyone out of Sector 3 without them losing their class.”

“I suppose that was your ship that started picking people up then?”

“You’re well informed.”

“Someone steals everything in a sector, and then a giant pirate ship appears rescuing millions. It doesn’t take a genius to put it together.”

“Do you think the politicians have worked it out?”

“They might have. You did announce your name to everyone and tell them exactly what you were doing while apologising for stealing from them.”

“Yes, that wasn’t exactly subtle.”

Constable Murphy took another digestive as he chuckled. “The internet is barmy over what you did. So, I’m willing to bet that’s why they made the damn law. Likely thought they could force you to work for them as a plea bargain. They’ve kicked a bloody hornet’s nest, though. Lawyers are up in arms because the new legislation implies that anything in the Game could be classified as a crime. Half the population has killed someone after getting too trigger-happy, so it’s an absolute legal nightmare. There’s even word the King is considering abolishing the government for their stupidity, which is why we don’t have politicians in here trying to strong-arm you.”

I sipped my tea. “That is a predicament.”

“You don’t seem too upset by this?”

“Funnily enough, this is actually how I expected things to go when I stole everything.”