-Office Building night shift--
We had just turned onto Hollywood Boulevard when Dispatch had called us for a burglary on progress.
"7-Adam-15, burglary in progress. 609 Hollywood Boulevard."
which so happened to be the building we were just about to pass to Nolan flipped on the lights and we shifted over before turning into the parking garage for the building. When we got to the front door we were met by the night security guard for the building He pointed us to the floor where the suspect was and we set off when we got to the right floor we drew our weapons right before walking into the office.
We spread out and take a different aisle each and start to push forward when we had gotten half way through the 2 set of rows a man popped up from a cubical.
We lit our lights at the same time lighting the man up.
"Police!-" I started to yell at the man but before I finished the man took off to the stairs and started to run down them. we got half way to the man by the time he had opened the door. We chased him down the stairs.
Nolan pulled out his radio trying to use it. "7-Adam-15, in foot pursuit of a 459 suspect. Requesting backup." After not hearing a response he called dispatch but still not getting a response from them. "Dispatch, do you copy?"
"Sometimes these old concrete buildings can block signal." Bishop answered Nolan's question before he even asked it.
We caught up to the suspect as he entered the first floor we got to the door I held it open as Nolan then Bishop entered the then I followed staying by the door.
The door when we got far enough from the door we heard foot steps before seeing the man standing in front of the door.
"Hey!" Nolan called out. causing the man to stop.
"Show me your hands! Do it now!" Bishop yelled with after a second the man followed orders and raise his hands with and the backpack.
"Against the wall." Nolan yelled out before looking at me. "You got it." asking me.
"Yes." I got closer holstering my gun before moving in to cuff the man. "Put the bag down." When I asked he didn't hesitate to drop it to the floor. "Now, give me your right hand." As I was cuffing him Bishop found the light switch and turned it on blinding me for a second before my eyes adjusted. As I was checking the cuffs making sure they were locked and not moving "Ow." Causing me to double check the cuffs confirming they were not tight but not too loose before looking around with Nolan and Bishop.
"Where the hell are we?" Bishop asked.
"This door's locked. No other doors, no windows. What's that?" I said checking the door we came in with.
"A code." Bishop said while reading something on the table. "You've got to be kidding me" Bishop said picking up a piece of thick paper from a table.
"What?" Nolan asked her.
"This is an escape room." She said looking at Nolan then me.
As this was going on I moved the suspect off to the side by a fenced off fake skeleton. staying by him while they were talking.
"A what?" Nolan asked while walking to Bishop to look at the paper too.
"Where hipsters pay to be locked in a room filled with puzzles that they have to solve to get out." I groaned while looking at the suspect.
"Oh, yes. Yes, yes. Oh, that sounds like fun."
"Yeah, maybe on a day off, not after a long shift." Bishop said before she pulled out her phone to check the signal strength. "No signal."
"Guess we're gonna have to solve the puzzles now." Nolan said a little too happy.
"Oh, sorry. Looks like this one requires three or more people." Bishop said after looking over the instructions.
Before I could speak up the suspect added his two cents to the conversation. "The quicker we get out of here, the quicker I go to jail. So I'm happy to spend the night."
"I will help." I sighed before cuffing the suspect around the bars of the fake cell down here.
"Oh. That's okay. You wouldn't have been much use anyway." I said.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Because I am here to."
"oh"
"Don't worry. We can just wait till they open up again in the morning. I mean, eight hours will just fly by." Nolan said shrugging his shoulders at us.
"Absolutely not." I said walking over to Bishop.
"It's a cipher." I said after a minute of looking at it.
"Maybe a Caesar shift." Bishop said finishing my thought.
"Caesar what?" Nolan asked confused.
"Didn't you take Whitman's extra credit class at the academy?" confusing me as he said we was going to take it.
"No, I was gonna but I -" He started to explain before Bishop cut him off.
"The first step towards freedom lies in the last step from captivity."
"What are you, some kind of secret genius?" Nolan sarcastically asked Bishop.
"Oh, it's not a secret. she said looking at Nolan while motioning to the prison cell behind him.
Before speaking louder. "Captivity."
Shortly after he said that there was a click and a curtain on the wall moved revealing a painting of a map.
Nolan walked up to it as Bishop started to call out names waiting for him to repeat them back as he lit little lights on the wall.
"Harbledown"
"Harbledown"
"Canterbury"
"Canterbury"
After they finished the last name another click happened a panel opens, revealing a cobweb- covered skeleton with another parchment attached to it. Bishop walked up to it before reading it off.
""Pallida mors aequo…" she started before stopping being unable to read the rest.
"Is it another code?" Nolan asked.
I walked up to the parchment and started reading it off after doing the translation in my head.
"Pale death knocks with the same tempo upon the huts of the poor and the towers of kings." After I finished reading it I looked up to Nolan, Bishop and the suspect getting a surprised look.
"It's Latin." I said shrugging.
"Okay, but how did you know what it said?" Nolan asked me.
"I got bored while deployed when we had a little free time. So I learned a couple of languages." I answered them getting a slow and surprised nod from Nolan. "I am a certified polyglot." I proudly say to them.
"Towers of kings." Bishop said before turning to pick up an oversized king chess piece. finding a curved stick.
"Skeleton's missing a rib" Nolan motioned to the skeleton pointing it out.
Bishop picked up the rib and handed it to Nolan causing the skeleton to rattle before the jaw drops open spitting out a key which hit Nolan in the chest before falling down to the floor where he picks it up and testing it on the door finding it unlocks it.
"Yes! Nice!" He cheered before high fiving Me and Bishop before doing it to the suspect. Bishop and I almost high fived him before stopping with Bishop adding.
"You are still under arrest." We finally got out and out to signal and Nolan called out to dispatch. "Dispatch we are code 4. One in custody."
We got to the shop and drove back to the station.
--Mid-Wilshire Station Gym--
We are in the stations gym practicing grapple techniques I was over by a punching bag while watching Nolan and Lucy go at it.
"You're holding back." Lucy complained to Nolan when she was able to knock him down.
"I wish I was. I am still sore from going at it with Elena she scares me, you remember she beat the Academy's instructors.
"Yea, no that is like fighting the final boss. The instructors didn't last long against her."
They stood up again going at it this time as Nolan got sent to the map by Lucy again and Jackson came from out of my sight with his phone out recording it.
"I could watch this all day. And now I can." He said while holding his phone.
"Are you recording this?" Nolan asked
"Uh, yeah, just for, uh, teaching purposes." Jackson said trying to find a quick excuse to cover up the recording reason.
"All right. Focus." Lucy said getting ready again for another round with Nolan.
This time Nolan got a chance and took Lucy down to her back on the mat. With his face inches from hers and they stayed there for a minute.
I clap congratulating Nolan on his first take down with Lucy today.
"Ooh! There you go! Nice takedown, Nolan."
"Thanks."
"Lucky move."
--Day responding to call--
We pull off to the side of a connivence store. As we get out of the shop that Nolan parked on the side of the store we start walking to the front along a brick wall.
"Dispatch, show us Code 6 and on location. How many times has this alarm gone off in the last month?" Bishop spoke up before asking Dispatch a question.
"Six that I see." Dispatch responded to Bishop's question.
"Thanks. We'll check the premises and advise."
"You gonna miss all this when you're a fancy detective?" Nolan asked her.
"Not at all."
"What about me? or Alverez."
"Even less for either of you."
As we got to the glass we spot a woman with a gun holding 2 men at gun point. We ducked back to the brick wall and the window stickers while pulling our weapons, to hid from the woman.
Nolan grabbed his radio and called it in. "Dispatch, 7-Adam-15. We have a woman with a gun. Requesting backup."
After he put his radio away we approached the door waiting staging for entry into the store.
"Don't you move." I heard the woman say to the two men. Pausing for a second before speaking again. "Who wants to try me? Don't move."
When Nolan and Bishop I lead us into the building we spread out behind pointing our guns at the woman.
"Put the gun down." Bishop ordered the woman to drop the gun.
"They tried to rob me." She tried to explain herself to us while still holding the gun.
"Drop the gun now." Bishop ordered again when which got the woman to finally put the shotgun down on the counter when she did we started to walk forward to the men and woman, but the two men used the distraction and started to run one of them started running to us while the other ran for the back door. The one running to us plowed into me shoving me back into a shelf and before I could grab him he whipped around and climbed a counter trying to climb into the roof.
"Take the one on the way to the back." Bishop ordered us before running up to the man trying to climb in the ceiling. "Get down! There's nowhere to go."
Nolan got the head start as I had to push a shelf of food off me before getting up to run after them.
"Stop! Drop the gun!" Nolan yelled while chasing the man out the back door. He followed the man up to a house that he ran into due to the door being open.
Nolan getting there a minute before me by the time I got to the door was already at the top of the stairs. When I got there I heard one gun shot then silence causing me to speed up the stairs getting to the top brought me to the sight of Nolan with his gun out pointing into the room and his radio in the other hand.
"7-Adam-15, shots fired. One suspect down. Requesting R.A. and a supervisor."
"Copy. Starting Code 3 fire and ambulance."
I get into the room and see the suspect we were chasing laying down in the room I holstered my gun and approached the suspect to check for a pulse when Bishop got to the room. I look up at her before grabbing my radio.
"7-Adam-15. Negative on the ambulance. Suspect is deceased. Notify the watch commander."
"Copy"
"Time of death?"
"Time of death 09:55 hours."
I spoke to Nolan before he could speak. "We can not discuss this remember, until we get questioned. It could compromise the investigation."
"Right. Of course. So, what's next?"
"Nothing Alverez and I have to secure the scene and preserve the evidence." Bishop speaking straight at Nolan.
"Homicide, right. What should I do?" Nolan asked.
"Nothing. You're the suspect. Wait in the hall." I said while Bishop and I started to secure the scene.
We waited for 5 minutes before the crime scene techs and detectives arrived and started to processing the scene.
W Bishop was in the scene talking to one detective while I stood off to the side in the hallway away from Nolan talking to another detective answering questions he asked me about the time leading up to the shooting then where I was when it happened. While that was happening I saw Grey come upstairs then walk over and talk to Nolan before leaving.
After Grey left another 5ish minutes past by then the detectives were done with me. I stayed and waited then saw The Captain come up and start talking to Nolan.
Before she left I stopped her to ask a question. "After he is questioned is it possible if I stay with him. I mean I don't like men and, and I know what he is going through right now and when it happened to me I almost started to spiral but I got lucky I had of all people this mean old Sergeant Major he helped me get back to my feet and with out him I wouldn't have made it here right now I probably-- " but before I could finish my ramble she stopped me by placing her hand on my shoulder.
"That is fine you can take him with Grey home. So after he is allowed to leave can you take him home." When she finished she nodded then stopped before turning around and talking to Bishop before walking away.
When she got back to me she stopped for a second to speak before continuing to move.
"Come drive me back to the station." It took me a minute to process what she said before I hurried after her finally catching up to her when we got to her specific shop. and she handed me the keys before getting in to the passenger seat I ran to the shop I rode in with Bishop and Nolan and grabbed my bags before heading back to the Captains shop and loading my stuff before heading to the driver side. After I got in I took off to heading back to the station.
After a while we showed back up to the station and as we stepped out she stopped me and told me to shower and wait for the detectives will come and get me for a quick interview about Nolan and then you wait for everything that they need Nolan then I have someone get you to bring Nolan home.
After
My shower I changed back then got back to the bullpen after putting on my street clothes before I headed back to bullpen I waited for someone to come get me to get questioned.
After half an hour a detective came and got me bringing me to a interrogation room. After we sat down she started to question me.
"How would you characterize Officer Nolan?"
"He was the academy father most called him, while everyone worked by them selves whenever someone needed help with something he was there helping who ever needed it even when it almost cost him a test or two."
"Is he on any medication?"
"I mean I remember him mentioning sine allergies back at the academy, but other then that no I don't recall him telling me if he had other medication."
"Has Officer Nolan ever talked about wanting to use force?"
"God, no he would prefer to talk the person down. While that didn't always work when the suspect was too amped sometimes and didn't listen. But he knew when to use it and when to talk then most of the people at the academy."
"Is he going through anything in his personal life?"
"Nothing that everyone else isn't currently going through I know of."
"Anything traumatic? Death of a parent? Breakup? Interpersonal conflict?"
"No only know of his mother doesn't talk about much and breakups, haven't heard about anything."
"Okay that is everything thank you."
She got up to get the next person while leading me out of the room.
I walked to the bullpen before sitting down at the table waiting for Nolan.
After a couple of minute of waiting I got up and went to the break room.
I met up with Lucy, Chen, and Lopez in the breakroom I walked over and poured my self some coffee before sitting with them.
After a moment of silence Lucy started to ask questions.
"I can't imagine what Nolan's going through. Can you?"
I spoke up first. "I it was my first deployment we had set up a small medic station inside an isolated house. It was dark and I guess the team that set it up didn't clear it correctly or there was an area that they didn't find a guy that popped out while I was assisting another veteran corpsman with some one when they snuck in I don't know if I was the only one that saw him or if I was the one that responded first, after hitting him I pulled before he could pull the trigger. I knew if I didn't do it someone might not have made home alone." It was hard for a while.
Then Lopez spoke up after me. "Yeah. My second year as a T.O., a prisoner transport went sideways. My Boot didn't search the suspect properly, lost her gun. The guy would've killed us both if I hadn't pulled the trigger."
"What happened to the Boot?"
"I don't know. She wasn't a cop after that."
"Is there anything anyone said or did that helped you through it?"
"No, I just had to make my peace with it." Lopez said.
"I had someone help me put it perspective which helped a lot. If I didn't shoot we would have had a some go home in boxes." I spoke after thinking for a bit.
"The Captain is letting me go with Grey to take Nolan home." I told them after contemplating for a bit. Lopez and Jackson nodded after some processing. Lucy didn't do anything for a minute before she nodded.
Before we could continue talking I got a text from the Captain telling me Nolan was almost done and that I should head back to the bullpen.
"Okay they are almost done with Nolan they I need to go." I said as I got up making my way to the sink and washing my mug and walking to the bullpen to meet up with everyone.
After I waited in the bullpen for barely a minute they walked out with Nolan.
"Don't leave town. You must be available for questioning within an hour of notification. And remember, you can talk to your fellow officers. But they could be called in to testify about anything you say. So think about whether you want to drag them into this."
"I understand, sir."
I walked over as the Captain walked up with Grey before Percy left and started talking.
"Grey, Alverez will be joining you drive Nolan home." I nodded to Grey then shook Commander Jackson's hand before they walked away.
I turned back to Nolan to see Lucy walking up to Nolan.
"Hey, are you all right?"
"Yeah. Feel like I haven't seen you in years."
Before she could continue I stepped forward.
"I got it Lucy trust us, trust me." I said to her and after a short minute she nodded at me
"Ready Nolan?" Grey asked Nolan after a minute of him standing there.
"Yeah."
We walked away to a shop and we drove back to his house after a short 20 minute drive from the station we arrived I parked in his driveway.
"Everybody will do their jobs. I'm sure it'll be over shortly. Just go get some sleep."
"Thanks"
"Why did you choose me to be your companion officer?" Grey asked
"The rest of them would have told me I did the right thing whether I did or not. I knew if I asked you, you'd tell me the truth."
"So, why haven't you asked me?"
"I don't think I'm ready to hear the answer."
"He had a gun on you. He refused repeated orders to surrender. I would've done exactly what you did."
"Yes, You did what we were trained to do." I said as I patted him on the shoulder before leaving back to the shop.
--Morning after shooting--
We were half way through our shift I was riding with Lopez and Jackson."
"Have you heard from Nolan?" Jackson asked us.
"Not since yesterday. You?" Lucy responded first.
"No."
"Me neither, but I asked the Captain if I could visit him after shift and she said it was fine so I am heading over right after shift and might stay a bit before heading home. Lets not overwhelm him so I will first visit and I will call yall if he wants us to show up."
"I didn't know if I should call. Maybe he needs us to reach out. I don't know."
"He'll tell us what he needs."
"You didn't."
"That was different, okay? I was ashamed."
"Maybe he is, too."
After shift I got to Nolan's house and see Lucy's car. I walk up right when it looks like they just got here.
"No, have sex later don't do it tonight or yall might regret it. and I am not leaving sooooo no." startling them as I walked up walking past them to Nolan's Kitchen.
"God, Nolan you still have the mug I left here last time the 4 of us met up here." Grabbing my mug and making coffee and pouring a bowl of cheerios.
"What are you doing here." Nolan asked
"What Lucy didn't tell you I was coming over for a couple of hours?"
"No, she didn't"
"I mean I might have forgotten." She said before blushing.
"Yep, If I cam just half an hour later yall might have been in the middle of... you know." I finish off by wiggling my eye brows at them getting a laugh out of Nolan.
We sat on the couch for a while drinking beer or coffee. After a bit I look over at Nolan.
"You know you can make a video diary of today for your future self to see where you think you will be in a few years. Hell we can all do it." I finished and moved to the kitchen to clean my dish.
After a couple of minutes of mental debate we agreed calling Jackson to come over and join us and while we waited we started to make a makeshift stand for the phone.
"missing one thing to keep the phone standing or if you have a tripod."
"Oh, I have a tripod in the garage if you and Lucy want to go look for it its should be on the opposite wall from the door. While you two look I'll clean this up and start more coffee and make some eggs or something."
"Sweet. we will go look." Lucy said while we went to find the garage we started found the garage door and started to look for the tripod.
After a while we were still searching.
"Man Nolan needs to organize his garage it is not on this wall." I complained after we had looked twice before we started to dig through containers. Before either of us can say something else we hear Nolan grunt before a thud sounded from the hallway I looked over at Lucy holding up my hand before grabbing my gun from my ankle holster and creeping close to the garage door. Lucy slowly picked her way through the mess we made to me slowly. I turned the light off before slowly opening the door thanking that Nolan keeps his hinges oiled as it didn't squeak and that it opens into the garage I slowly peaked out to see Kyle Montgomery, from the arrest where Nolan shot his brother, dragging Nolan to the living room.
When Lucy got over to me we crept out into the hallway and ducked into the bathroom Kyle dropped Nolan in the middle of the living room before dropping the bat and pulling out a gun and aiming at Nolan Lucy and I spread out I got to the kitchen and Lucy stayed in the restroom. We raised our guns calling out to Kyle.
"Police drop the gun!!" I yelled distracting Kyle long enough for Nolan to kick Kyle as he kicked him his gun discharged hitting the ground next to Nolan before getting launched through a window.
"Lucy get Kyle I will check on Nolan" I said advancing into the room with my gun still trained on Kyle not taking my eyes off him I got to Nolan I knelt down.
"How you feeling" I asked Nolan finally putting my gun away when Lucy and secured the gun Kyle brought with him and tied his wrists together.
"Like I got hit by a bat." he groaned out before laying back down on his back.
I pulled out my phone calling 911. "This is Officer Elena Alverez badge number 45625 we were attacked at 5439 Chautauqua we are in need of RA at and have one in custody unconscious but breathing. Notify watch commander as the attempt was on Officer John Nolan."
"Copy ambulance is responding code 3 watch commander is notified."
"Thank you" I said before hanging up.
I was cleaning Nolan's head we heard knocking. I looked over at Lucy then back to Nolan.
Lucy and I pulled our guns and slowly crept to the door before Jackson spoke up.
"Am I going to stand out here with the food or is anyone going to let me in?"
I sighed when I heard that forgetting we invited Jackson. I put my gun away and started to the door and opened it. He strolled into the house caring food. I left the door open for when the officers and EMS show up. Then I walk past Jackson slow strut getting back to Nolan's head.
"I bring the fo-" He stopped when he saw Nolan and the state of the living room along with a guy tied up on the floor.
"What did I miss. What happened here?" Jackson started to ask as we heard sirens getting closer.
"Ah, Jackson join the party over here." Nolan greeted then waved at him, before continuing. "You missed it this is Kyle Montgomery." he said while pointing at Kyle on the floor. "He is Alex's brother the man I killed."
"Why is he so happy its weird." Jackson asked before backing away.
I sighed as I finished up with his head with what I had leaving the rest to the EMS people. "It will pass he got gonked in the head by a baseball bat." I picked up Nolan's hand and had him hold the pile of gauze I used to stop the bleeding. "Don't let go of that until the EMS tell you too." before sitting down.
"Ah, that'll do it." Jackson said as he set the food down.
As this was happening the first to arrive were officers they came in guns drawn before see us then seeing Kyle on the floor tied up they holstered their guns before making their way over to Kyle and replaced the rope with cuffs.
The EMTs got there a couple minutes later along with the Captain.
She walked in and saw me, Jackson and Lucy eating while the EMTs treated Nolan's head.
"I see we missed the party. You three good." The Captain asked
"Yea it not bad."
"Lucy and I are good Jackson brought us food."
"I got here right after it happened." Jackson said raising his only free hand that didn't have food.
"We are going to wait for Commander West to show. before anymore questions."
After 10 minutes Jackson's dad walks in but pauses when he see Jackson at the table.
"Hi dad." Jackson waved before finishing his food.
"Officer Nolan. I did not expect to see you again so soon. Nor see my son here."
"Me neither, sir."
"Well, can you brief me while it's still fresh in your head?"
"yeah, of course. Earlier about an hour ago Lucy and Elena showed up to check up on me and we ended up on the couch drinking some coffee and we decided to record a video to show our future P2 selves in a few years to see the change and how we were then versus now. We called Jackson right when we decided and then we started to makeshift a phone stand before they asked if I had a tripod remembering I had one I told them that it was in the garage while I started a new pot of coffee and was going to start making food when I heard the sliding door open I closed it and started to the garage to see what was taking them so long. When I got half way down the hallway is when I got hit."
"Why didn't he just shoot you?"
"I think he had something he needed to get off his chest. He was clearly feeling guilty about what happened with his brother."
"He said that?"
"No, not exactly, but that's what he meant."
"How did you overpower him?"
"That's when they come in." Nolan pointed to me and Lucy while talking." They distracted him long enough for me to start fighting with him at that point the gun went off and then I was able to get leverage and kick him through that window."
"And who lives in the big house?"
"My friend Ben. Uh, we were college roommates. He's away traveling."
"Okay, If I can think of anymore questions I will let you know. Jackson, officers." Commander West said then said bye to us before leaving.
"Yeaaa, Nolan don't think you can stay here tonight so if you don't want to rent a room you can crash at my place I have enough beds for two of you and the couch. I yall want to crash. And before yall ask it was my grandparents house they left me before they passed.
"Thank you Elena." Nolan said while nodding.
"Sure don't see an issue." Lucy said.
"same" Jackson agreed
We all got up and said bye to the Captain before leaving.