Chapter 3.3: On equal terms

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From Leo's diary

Luke is a really good baby, he doesn't cry often and both Claire and I are losing far fewer hours of sleep than we anticipated.

This is really helpful to us right now, as it allows us to both get used to our new lives as parents more easily, and also to face the new challenges that we are both encountering in our professional lives.

???: Miller, the new Captain wants to talk to you.

Last week the old Captain retired, and this very morning the new Captain has taken his place at the chief's office. He is holding talks with everyone here in the police station, and I'm curious (but also a bit anxious) to understand what kind of boss he is...

Captain: And here is our famous alien agent... In the administrative offices there was a lot of talking about you, you know?

Leo: ...

When I started working here I was still wearing a human disguise, the fact that I was reinstated despite my whole family having been sued for illegal disguising was a scandal there at the police station. A lot of colleagues are still a bit salty with me, to be honest, and the only reason I was allowed to remain was the goodwill of the old Captain. Which side will his successor take instead?

Captain: You have to know that this station has been assigned to a quite large case, I think you are the best person to lead the operations.

Leo : (surprised) What? Direct operations? About what?

Captain: We have a few shreds of evidence pointing to a group of aliens involved with drug dealing activities in the suburbs, they are incredibly difficult to catch because every day they change their disguise and meeting point. They also wiped the memories of a large number of agents on their trail, in fact.

Leo: ... I see... But why should I be the one working on this case? 

After all, I am an agent like many others, I have participated in investigations but I have never made any decisions whatsoever. Why, in the first place, does this new Captain want to give me all these responsibilities just like this, out of the blue?

Captain: Since you have, how to say, some experience with said disguises, we think you are the person with the best chances to track them down, and then arrest them.

Leo: Ah.

As the Captain spoke, my head was milling thoughts at a remarkable speed. He wasn't wrong, I was still quite good at recognising disguised aliens from any hint of a glow (and I'm probably much better than my colleagues at it). But ...

Leo: Don't you think that an agent like me would be a little too conspicuous for such an operation? I mean, how long could it take for them to notice that the only alien in the police station is looking for them?

Captain: We have already thought about this too. I have had to have a lot of documents signed that you can't even imagine, reinstate you was trivial in comparison, but I firmly believe it would be stupid not to try to fight them on equal terms!

Leo: (confused) On... equal terms?

Having said that, the Captain passed me a very thick folder full of documents. For the duration of the investigation, they gave me permission to disguise myself in case of need, as well as read the suspects' minds with telepathy or, in case of extreme necessity, even erase their memory.

Captain: You still remember how to do it, right?
Leo: Well, yes, but ...

That said, the Captain sent me away with a satisfied smile on his face. Apparently, he seemed to consider me his ace up the sleeve. 

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That new case, which had come so suddenly, had left me a little confused. On the one hand I certainly hadn't decided to join the police to arrest other aliens, but this seemed like a group of real criminals, why should I want to help them? On the other hand, the new Captain was giving me the opportunity to demonstrate that even an alien like me could be indispensable in stopping dangerous criminals, I could really make myself useful to society as a whole, aliens and humans.

So, loaded with responsibilities like never before, I started working on my first, real, case.

I started to put the evidence together...

... and I went looking for the first suspect.

The Captain has suggested from now on to always use a disguise when investigating this case. This way, those in the criminal group should not be able to associate "the only alien in the Barracks" with the agent who is looking for them. Having been given the order to change my disguise a bit every time also helps me muddy the waters even further. Basically, they told me to "fight them on equal terms", and so we decided to adopt their same tricks.

Today my name was Lenny, and I was blond.

It didn't take me long to locate the prime suspect, she was slightly glowing with a green tint.

Leo: Well, Mrs Brennan... If this is your real name, of course.

Suspected: ...

Leo: 25 g of drugs and several thousand §§§ were found on you.

Suspected: ...

Leo: I'm also sure that yours is just an alien disguise. I mean, you seem to fit the profile of the drug-dealing organization we're investigating. The evidence seems overwhelming to me.

Suspected: ...

Leo: Your are under arrest, but your situation could improve if you decided to give us some information about the rest of the gang...

Suspected: Um, I'm just a little fish. Do you really think they told me anything important?

I know the Captain is watching me from behind the glass, hopefully he is satisfied with me. He has probably risked quite a lot too by deciding to leave me the freedom to use my alien abilities for investigations, this is a bet for us both. And I don't have any intention to waste this chance to show what I'm capable of.

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Leo: (tired) Is Luke already sleeping?

Claire: (yawning) Yes, he fell asleep a little while ago.

Claire these days is spending a lot of time at home with Luke, after the meeting with Orion on Sixam I have not seen her protesting in the streets again. I think she is taking some time before deciding if she really wants to get involved in politics, as my brother and those other guys on Sixam suggested her to.

Claire: What did you do today at work, have you arrested many people?

So I told her what happened lately at my workplace, from the new assignment to the interrogation of my first real suspect.

Claire: (amazed) So they really let you keep a disguise at work? I'm surprised, it seems a too clever tactic for them!

Leo: That's true, and then it's much easier to investigate without being noticed, like this.

Claire: Actually I'm also a bit jealous, I want permission to wear a disguise again too!

Leo: Well, it's just at work, on...

Claire: (interrupting him) I'm curious, what kind of disguise are you using?

Leo: (laughing) Well, today I was blond.

Claire: Blond, really? I'm curious, let me see it for a moment!

I haven't thought about it that much, after all we are at home alone. Even if I had changed my appearance for a few seconds, who could have noticed?

Claire: (amused) No joke, you are really blond-blond!

Leo: (laughing from the tickle) Hey, slow down, slow down!

Claire: It's unfair, I want my hair back too! It's freezing cold in winter with this bald head!

I thought about it for a moment. Claire had been wearing a disguise for much longer than me, and she had always kept her hair long. She never seemed like the type to pay too much attention to hairstyles or whatever, but now that she found herself forced to look like a bald alien she comments on how much she missed having hair on her head and so forth.

Come to think of it, the law prohibited "using alien disguises with the aim of making oneself totally unrecognizable." However, on the other hand...

Leo: What if you let your hair grow a bit, then?

Claire: (confused) ... What?

Leo: If you only use the disguise just on your head you should be able to make your hair grow the way you want, right? I don't think that would be illegal, it is not very different from wearing a wig after all.

Claire: (thoughtfully) Uhm ... I've never thought about it, but in theory it could work... I could also try it right now, you now?

After that I went to sleep, I was just too exhausted to do anything else, while Claire had spent a lot of time in front of the mirror, thoughtful.

After all, changing a disguise didn't seem so different from choosing a hairstyle or a new dress, isn't it?

Claire: Hey Leo...

Claire: Oh, sorry, I didn't want to wake you up!

Leo:  (yawning) Ah, don't worry, it's fine. 

Just then I managed to focus on what I was seeing, and to comment:

Leo: Ehi, you really managed to grow your hair back! 

Claire: Well, yes. I've tried quite hard, but I can't make it grow more than that... And it's also a bit weird in colour, isn't it?

In fact, there was still some shade of purple in the middle of the hair. It was very different from the hairstyles usually seen on humans' heads, no doubts about it. Yet...

Claire: (undecided) what do you think?

Leo: Claire...

Leo: It looks great on you.

And she seems to agree with me after all, because from then on she had always kept that hair on her head.

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Meanwhile Luke grows up, the more time passes the more I'm convinced he really looks more like Claire.

He is also an extremely tidy kid, I was surprised when I saw him putting his toys away when he finished playing!

On the other hand, it is becoming more and more difficult to get him to go to sleep. Stories aren't enough anymore, we often have to read him two before he falls asleep.

And this is also the week of Love's day, even if we don't have much spare time at all we decided to celebrate it somehow. So, while Luke was in kindergarten, Claire and I took the chance to go out on a date. Now that we live together and even have a child it may seem almost stupid, but it's always nice to spend some time together alone.

And then I also absolutely wanted to talk to her about something that has been buzzing in my head for some time now...

Leo: Claire, I wanted to ask you something... What do you think about marriage?

Claire: Honestly? It seems outdated to me, nowadays there is really no reason to get married anymore, right?

Leo: ...

Claire: And then it would take a ton of money, and in any case we would have hardly anyone to invite, don't you agree?

Which was exactly the answer I would have expected from her, I think to know her well after so much time.

Leo: However the ceremony is not the most important thing, isn't it?

Claire: Leo...

Leo: All I need is to be with you and Luke.

There were still many things I'm unsure about in my future. But I just couldn't imagine a life without her, and I was sure it was the same for her too.

Claire hesitated a few moments longer, we both realized that this was an important choice. Then, in response, she just hugged me tightly.

We got married shortly after, in the town hall, notifying only my brothers of the event with phone calls and e-mails. That was the right thing for us, and this is what really matters.

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