Christian ignored the stares he received as he strolled through the nerve centre of Steel's underground database centre. He wasn't sure if he recognised some of the people there or not, but he couldn't think of why it would matter anyhow.
It wasn't long before he was found by someone important.
"Chris?" came an unfamiliar voice.
Christian froze, his gaze to his left, as he eyed a man in his mid-thirties standing up.
"What are you doing here?"
"Who are you?" Christian frowned.
"Joel."
"Joel? Eye-in-the-sky Joel?"
"Chris?"
Christian looked ahead to where he finally saw a familiar face.
"Steel," he mused, ignoring Joel and stepping forward.
"What brings you here? Don't you still have a case agent?"
"I check in from time to time," Christian shrugged, "they've pretty much given up on keeping track of my whereabouts though."
"So what brings you here?"
Christian glanced around the room at the spying eyes, before raising his eyebrows at Kirk. He took the hint and led him into a nearby office. Once the door was shut, Christian took a seat and lifted one of his boots onto the desk.
"I want to check up on a guy from rehab. Or rather, two guys," he revealed.
"Made friends in there, did you?"
Christian held his hand in a so-so gesture.
"Half and half. One I want to see how he's doing, the other I just want to check if he's still alive."
"Like that is it?" Kirk mused as he sat behind the desk and logged in to his computer, "names?"
"Drew Humphries and Shane Brunner. Drew mentioned he had a sister in Chicago so the YIRAAS may have placed him there."
"Or both could have new identities," Kirk pointed out.
"That too."
"How long were they in?" Kirk frowned as he typed.
"Drew left shortly after I got there. Couple of months maybe," Christian shrugged as he clasped his hands together in his lap, "Shane was a while longer. A year maybe."
"Got their YIRAAS profiles. Shane is listed as 'missing' but that could just be a cover..." Kirk grabbed a nearby sheet of paper with a list of codes and copied some into a new login.
There was a sharp knock on the door before it opened suddenly. Chris looked up in time to see a very pregnant Chloe step in. She froze when she saw who was there.
"Chris?" she frowned.
"What, not happy to see me?" Christian smirked, "that's a first."
Chloe looked to Kirk who just ignored her and went on with his business.
"So congrats," Christian raised an eyebrow, "who got you knocked up?"
"None of your busi-"
"I did," Kirk's eyes didn't leave the computer.
Chloe scowled at him.
"So when were you going to tell me about Darcy, anyway?" Christian returned his gaze to Kirk.
Kirk gave him an awkward glance before carrying on.
"When the moment was right. I take it that means you've checked up on Emily?"
"Oh yeah," Christian squinted pointedly, "just in time for Christmas, even. Merry Christmas kid, your Dad just got out of serial killer rehab!"
"So she knows?" Kirk raised an eyebrow.
"If she does I didn't tell her," Christian shook his head, "Emily introduced me as a friend of hers. Talk about awkward. Not to mention the kid has brown eyes."
"I noticed that," Kirk smirked, "guess she has yours then."
"Yeah whatever," Christian looked back up at Chloe who'd just stopped in the doorway.
"So you two, huh?" he raised an eyebrow, "isn't that kind of... incestuous?"
"What?" Kirk scorned.
"Like you can talk," Chloe hit back, "you and Avery Hanson? Seriously?"
Christian had to stop and think about that one.
"Chloe and I are a hundred percent definitely not related," Kirk assured, "in fact most of the clan thought it was about time we got together."
"You know technically..." Christian began to Chloe, but cut himself off and scratched his head.
"This should be good," Chloe folded her arms.
"It's not incest," Christian said decisively, "besides, I had a different face at the time."
"You what?" Kirk finally turned away from the computer.
"I was shapeshifting," Christian shrugged.
"Well that explains why you haven't been able to keep track of him," Chloe smirked.
"Okay, are you pissed at me for something?" Christian turned to look up at her again, "what's with the attitude?"
"Oh I don't know. Maybe because you've been back for a year and haven't bothered contacting anyone?"
"Steel had my number the first time I ran out of money."
"And you couldn't even-"
"Settle," Kirk insisted as he turned back to the computer.
He scribbled something onto a notepad.
"I have an address for Drew," he revealed after an awkward silence, before handing the address to Christian, "but best I can tell? Your other friend's probably dead."
"He wasn't a friend," Christian murmured as he took the address and committed it to memory, "but he was worried about someone waiting for him on the outside. Guess his worries were justified."
"I could try hacking the rehab database but it could take a while," Kirk offered, "might give us more answers?"
"Sure," Christian nodded, "thanks."
"Can you get Kristy on that? Please?" Kirk looked to Chloe.
Chloe looked disgruntled.
"Fine."
She closed the door and left. Christian took a deep breath.
"Ever get the feeling she 'settled'?" Kirk almost laughed.
"Sorry about that," Christian pulled a face, "but me and her? It was never gonna happen."
"Yeah I get that. So..." Kirk logged off and turned back to him, "headed for Chicago?"
"Guess I am," Christian sighed before standing up.
"Thanks for your help. Oh and..." he stopped to turn back, "the money you keep depositing. Don't think I haven't noticed."
"Figured you'd need it," Kirk shrugged.
"I have," Christian nodded, "I still haven't deciphered all of Craig's accounts. Granted I haven't had the time."
There was another moment of silence.
"See you 'round," Christian decided to leave before it got awkward.
Kirk watched him go, before running his fingers through his half-hawk with a sigh.