Chapter 385: Not A Baroness, The Baroness
"What do you mean we can’t enter the dungeon?" Chief Chambers is on the verge of exploding. He’s rushing toward the dungeon site at St. Lucas, and the location alone is already dredging up trauma, he remembers all too well the horror of the last dungeon that opened there.
He’s been prepping himself, same as the rest of his Sentinels. Most of them are St. Lucas "veterans," people who fell into comas for a while after the last incident. Some have only just recently been cleared by doctors to return to duty at all.
Several others are still dealing with severe PTSD and can’t return to field assignments because of it.
And now, when they’re here, they are being told, that they can’t enter the dungeon.
"Who gives you the authority to stop us? We’re from the DCEU! And I’m the Chief! I have the highest authority here! And when I say Alpha Team will enter, it means they will enter!" Chief Chambers explodes.
"Chief Chambers, I’m sorry, sir. But I’m being told—"
"WHO told you?" He looks like he might swallow the poor messenger whole.
"Sir..." The officer cowers, visibly frightened. He’s a regular police officer, the first to arrive on scene, before the report had even officially gone out.
He’d immediately notified his captain, who passed it up to the DCEU. A dungeon appearing out of nowhere falls squarely under DCEU jurisdiction, and they hold the highest authority over it.
"That would be me, Chief Chambers." A low, soothing female voice answers from behind him.
Chief Chambers’s head whips around like lightning, and he freezes.
A tall, well-built woman in police uniform approaches, several officers falling in step behind her. The poor police officer beside them immediately salutes.
"Com—Commissioner Coleman!" Chambers says, caught off guard.
The Captain of Alpha Team leans over to Lieutenant Cole and whispers. "What’s the Police Commissioner doing at a dungeon site? Doesn’t make sense."
Lieutenant Cole whispers back. "I don’t know. And you’re right, it doesn’t. If it were Director-General Weston, at least that would track."
"Hah." One of Alpha Team’s members chimes in from behind them, whispering even lower. "Even Weston never shows up on site."
Lieutenant Cole notices something ahead and gives a light laugh. "Then today is a very strange day. Look." She points.
Following her finger, they see Director-General Marcus Weston himself, Chief Chambers’s superior officer and the head of DCEU nationally, approaching them at a leisurely pace, as if he’s out for an afternoon stroll along the river.
Chief Chambers sees him too, and his eyes nearly fall out of his head.
"Director-General Weston! What, what are you doing here, sir?" His brain stalls completely.
Director-General Marcus Weston looks at Chambers as if he’s something unpleasant scraped off a boot. "What do you mean, Chambers? I can’t be here? I’m still your superior officer, you know."
Then he notices Commissioner Yolanda Coleman standing nearby, and his entire demeanor shifts.
"Ah. The lovely Commissioner Coleman. What are you doing here? Enjoying the beach?" His voice drips with sarcasm.
Coleman sneers. "The same as you, I imagine, Director-General. Here for the view?"
They lock eyes, as if trying to kill each other through pure stare alone. Chief Chambers can already feel a massive headache building.
These two are the highest-ranking figures in their respective fields. And they despise each other. Not dislike, despise, down to the bone.
Their rivalry has run so deep for so long that it’s left the police force and DCEU in Concordia in a state of permanent, mutual friction.
"Director-General..." Chief Chambers tries to smooth things over, he’s in a hurry, his nephew’s life hangs in the balance, and his patience is running out fast.
"Sir, I just got word that DCEU can’t enter the dungeon. Is that true, sir? This is a rogue dungeon. By law, it’s ours."
Without even looking at him, Director-General Weston answers. "That’s right. By law, it’s ours. Which means you need to clear this site of police officers, Commissioner Coleman. You have no jurisdiction here."
Coleman sneers again. "Jurisdiction? Forget jurisdiction. How about we talk capabilities instead? Sixty percent of your Sentinels are either still in comas or not cleared for field duty. That’s not exactly a secret. All of Solarys knows it."
"Those Sentinels received medals of honor for their sacrifices." Weston’s tone hardens.
"And I thank them for that. But, I don’t know that the ones standing here today are actually ready to enter and clear a dungeon. This is a rogue dungeon. Its level hasn’t even been determined yet." Coleman presses.
"Can you guarantee your Sentinels are at one hundred percent?" She ends her argument, crossing her arms over her chest.
"And don’t you dare act all high and mighty with me. I know exactly why you’re here. Don’t pretend otherwise." She mocks him.
"Alpha Team is ready. And if they’re not, that’s none of your concern. DCEU still holds sole authority to enter and clear this dungeon. We can call in teams from other cities, same as we’ve always done. As for the level, my people are still working on it." Weston fires back.
"Police duty at a dungeon site is limited to perimeter maintenance. Making sure civilians stay clear and don’t hinder DCEU’s work. There’s no reason for you, Commissioner, to be standing here in person." He glares at Coleman. "So don’t you dare talk to me about hidden agendas."
Chief Chambers listens to their exchange, eyes squeezed shut against a throbbing headache, his whole body tensing further with each passing second.
Alpha Team and Lieutenant Cole notice, and silently take a few steps back. The entire team, moving slowly away from the three of them.
Even the police officer beside them edges back slightly.
"Hidden agenda? Me?" Coleman lets out a sharp laugh. "You keep forgetting you stole from me, Weston. Stole! As a police officer, I should have arrested you for it!"
"Arrest? You want to arrest me? For what? Stealing what?" Marcus barks.
Yolanda’s eyes widen. She uncrosses her arms, her whole posture shifting like she’s about to swing.
"ENOUGH!" Chief Chambers explodes, his face flushed completely red.
A second later he drops his voice, though his tone stays razor sharp. "Have you two no shame? We’re in public. People were just sucked into that dungeon and we don’t even know if they’re alive. And the two of you, heads of both the police force and DCEU nationally, are standing here fighting over old grievances?"
He scolds them like children.
"Chambers, you dare—" Weston tries to fire back, but Chambers cuts him off.
"Yes, I dare, Director-General. You may be my superior officer, but it’s me and my team putting our lives on the line here. Not you." He turns. "Or you." He says to Coleman.
"If you two want to keep arguing, clear out. Take it behind closed doors and argue until you both run out of breath. See if anyone cares."
Chief Chambers takes a breath. The other two say nothing. They may outrank him, but he’s slightly older than either of them, and right now his own Sentinel presence is pressing down on both of them, hard to ignore.
"Now. My team and I are entering and clearing this dungeon. Try to stop me." He says.
"Chief Chambers." Director-General Weston calls out, visibly trying to bury his embarrassment.
Chambers turns and glares at him.
"You can’t enter. This dungeon has already been reserved by another team." Weston says quickly.
Commissioner Coleman nods beside him.
Chambers turns fully to face them both. "Reserved? How does a team reserve a rogue dungeon? They’d need DCEU authorization for that. We never received anything."
"We did." Weston pulls out an envelope. "I have it right here. That’s actually why I came in person."
Chambers blinks rapidly, several times in a row.
My superior officer, showing up in person, just to hand-deliver a permission slip? Did the sun rise in the west this morning?
Chief Chambers may be rushing to save his nephew, but at his core, he’s a law-abiding man. He believes in the system, in hierarchy, in doing things properly.
He turns, takes the envelope, and opens it.
After reading for a few seconds, his eyebrows pull tighter together.
"The Hunters? Who the hell are they?" He lifts his head, looking between Weston and Coleman.
"Read it again. Slower this time, Chief." Coleman says, her tone noticeably softer now. Like Weston, she can’t quite withstand the pressure of his Sentinel presence up close, so she adjusts her approach instead.
Chambers looks at the letter again. He doesn’t recognize most of the names on it, not until he reaches the last one, and gasps.
"A Baroness?" He looks at Weston, completely thrown. All the fierceness from moments ago has drained out of his face.
Weston puffs his chest out, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
"Not a Baroness, Chief. The Baroness. Baroness Maristella Voss."
Chambers blinks. "No, I mean, yes. I know her. We’ve met before. She visited the office once, looking for the late Chief Alexander Lutherford." He pauses. "Wait, why is she entering the dungeon? She’s not actually going in, is she? Does she even know how dangerous these are? This isn’t a tourist attraction."