//------------------------------// // The First Case // Story: Canterlot City Police: Major Crime Task Force // by Shadow Storm 44 //------------------------------// Storm arrived at Precinct 17 just after 6:00 am. He wasn’t scheduled to work today or do paperwork. He had a secret meeting with Sapphire about this task force being formed. It’s been two weeks since Storm found that robbery ring. The news ran with it for a solid two days. Sapphire has been in multiple closed-door meetings with the higher-ups for days after the fact. It wasn’t till four days ago when Sapphire stopped Storm before he was about to leave for the day and asked to meet her early in the morning tomorrow about the task force. Storm had more questions than answers about the whole task force. Storm still didn’t know why he was picked for this. Many other officers with more experience would be a better pick for this position. Storm arrived at Sapphire’s office she was at her desk looking at papers. She noticed Storm right away and gestured for him to take a seat and closed the door. “Morning Sapphire,” Storm greeted. “Morning,” Sapphire replied. “Sorry for such an early time on your day off. This was the only open time I have and this is pretty urgent.” “It’s fine. I have chores to do anyway.” Sapphire put the papers she was looking at aside. Opened her desk drawer, took out seven files, and plopped them on her desk. “Storm,” Sapphire begins. “I’m going to be blunt and brutally honest about this whole thing. Hold all your questions till the end. Understand?” Storm nodded. Sapphire sighed. “Governor Drip is our mystery man. He’s the one who gave you that temporary promotion and approved the task force. The police commissioner agreed having seen your work and is willing to give you this chance. Governor Drip has also given you full immunity from charges as long as you get your target.” As much as Storm wanted to ask a question he knew shouldn’t say a word. When Sapphire gives you an order you follow it to the letter. If you don’t you’ll pay the price. Storm has seen it before when a rookie or even a veteran doesn’t follow through. It didn’t end well. “I’m not happy about this,” Sapphire continued. “Giving anyone that type of power is a bad idea. Storm can you be trusted with that power along with the officers you selected?” Storm knew what Sapphire was talking about. A few months ago there was another unit like this one in Shad City, a few hundred miles from the city. They were accused of painting evidence on multiple arrests they made from traffic stops to raids. THUGS WITH BADGES. That was the headline. The news ran with the story for weeks. Sapphire was right to worry. The public would see it as corruption. Especially anti-police activists. There have been times when Storm wanted to take the gloves off and go after the one responsible for the heinous crimes he’d seen through the years as a patrol officer. However, he knew that wasn’t right not everything is what it seems at first. There could be all kinds of twists and turns. Storm looked back at Sapphire. “You have nothing to worry about. I will use immunity only when necessary.” Sapphire nodded and padded the files. “Good, now I pulled the files of the members you wanted on your team. “I have a question. Why these six?” “We’ve all worked together before on the street and come up in the academy together. So, we won’t waste time introducing each other, risk of bad blood, and just full-on drama.” “Fair enough,” Sapphire said. She took the first three files of the pile to the side. “This is yours, Stars and Bucks career file. Since you three were under my command I know what you all are like. Sapphire opened a file. “What I want to know is about the other members your picked, Comet Strike, HTR why her?” “She’s AR certified,” Storm said. “Also, she’s one of HTR’s best officers. She’s been a part of multiple high-risk raids. I don’t know what we're gonna get into, but if we have a shootout I want her on my side. Me, her, and Buck destroyed a group of Marines at the paintball field.” “That explains why that Marine unit wanted a rematch,” Sapphire said pushing the file aside. “Next, Lucky Clover also HTR.” “Clover is a little green, but she’ll be a welcome addition to the team. She knows how to handle life-or-death situations and she’s trilingual. English, Spanish, and Russian. She isn’t as skilled with an AR as Comet or the other officers in HTR. Her talents are with a rifle. She broke the rifle shot record at the academy. She can also get people to talk. Especially man.” “A sniper, closer, and trilingual. She will be a welcome addition.,” Sapphire opened the next file. “Now this one is interesting. Phantom is a part of the crowd control unit. Enlighten me. Why him? He hasn’t seen much action.” “Phantom is a detective in the making. He knows what to look for at a crime scene. He could have been a detective if his area wasn’t so heavily based on crowd control. Also, as a member of crowd control, he knows the area and the public pretty well.” Sapphire nodded and stared at the last file from the pile. “And this one?” “I’m not a desk person,” Storm said. “I want to be out on the field. Blue Night can have a leadership position. If that means I’ll lose the whole immunity thing so be it. She knows how to lead a team. Also, didn’t you and her work together during the district riots?” Sapphire was silent again. She turned around in her chair and stair out the window. “You’ve picked an interesting pack of officers,” Sapphire finally said completely ignoring Storm's question. “What’s the name of this task force?” “Intelligence.” (PRESENT DAY) “Lame,” Star said in a bored voice while rolling his eyes. “You got to name the team and you gave us that? It should have been something like Ghost Squad, Delta Force, or 141.” “Were cops Star not soldiers in video games,” Storm reminded. “It’s just a name. It won’t make us better.” “Yeah, but it sounds kick ass. Intelligence sounds so boring. Can we at least have code names?” “Why would we… Never mind.” Storm opened the door to their new office. Storm and Star had just arrived at their new precinct. Precinct 20. Located just beside the highway that divided districts 3 and 4. Precinct 20 was a bit bigger than the last one. While it was only two stories, the building was long and it had a large parking lot in the back of it. It even had a gate for cars coming in and out. An upgrade from Precinct 17. In the new office, everyone was already there unpacking their belongings at their desk. Storm and Star were the last ones to arrive there. They dropped the boxes they were holding on the two open desks. “Your late,” Buck said. “You guys left ten minutes before me. What took you so long?” Storm gestured to Star. “This guy made me stop so he could get 20 corndogs.” “It was 50 cents corndogs, I had to get them,” Star explained. “It only happens twice a year.” Phantom looked up from his box. “Wait, that was today?” “How do you guys eat that stuff?” Clover asked. “I heard they drown their food in grease for days on end. Their food is a heart attack waiting to happen.” “You worry too much Clover,” Star said taking out the bag from the fast food restaurant. “Were young…ish. Well, be fine. Catch buddy.” Star tossed a bag to Phantom. Phantom caught the bag and gave him a thumbs up. “Many thanks!” “Your carefree attitude hasn’t changed since the academy,” Comet said with a smile. “I figured being out here with possible life-or-death situations would change that and you’ll be more cautious.” Storm rolled his eyes. “It hasn’t, he’s even more reckless when he drives the car with the lights and sirens going.” Night came out of her own private office to hear the conversation going on. “Nice to see you all are getting along again. I was worried you all would forget about each other since we haven’t worked with one another for so long.” “We stay in contact with one another,” Comet said. “After all the stuff we’ve been through together during the protest we felt like family.” “Definitely,” Night said. “I’ll cut to the chase. We are now a part of the Major Crime Unit, Intelligence. Our target cases will range from Murders, Drug rings, High-end thieves, Terrorist threats, and Terrorist Attacks.” “So pretty much we going after the worse criminals our city has to offer,” Clover asked. “That’s it,” Night confirmed. “We have four unmarked cars. Three are Sedans and one is a pickup truck. They're not in great shape, but they work so be gentle with them.” Everyone turned to Star who was stuffing his face with Corndogs. “Are you the one in command Night?” Buck asked. “Yes, I am,” Night confirmed. “I do need a second in command. Comet how about you?” “What?” Comet asked surprised. “Why me?” “You were one of HTR’s best. I also heard you were the lead officer of multiple high-risk raids.” A phone started to ring from Nights personal office. “Excuse me.” She said before leaving the main room. “I’m not taking that position,” Comet surely. “I’m not fit to be second in command. How about you Buck? You were a Sergeant back at your old station right?” “Oh no,” Buck howled. “I was assigned a unit during the protest. Been there, done that, not doing it again. That squad was incredibly high maintenance.” “Wait a minute,” Clover said. “Buck we were that same squad during the protest. Everyone in here.” “I rest my case.” Storm laughed quietly. This was the other reason why he picked this group. There was hardly a dull moment with them. They joked on and off the job about their own lives and even went to bars downtown now and then. They were like his work siblings. At the same time when the time comes, everyone is ready for action. Night returned to the room. “Looks like we have our first case.” She announced. “That was fast,” Phantom said. “This happened not even five minutes ago. I believe that this is going to be a test run to see if we can handle this.” Night said dropping three car keys on the Storm’s desk. “Pair up and take a car to 1204 Desert Street. I need that second in command to report back to me.” “I nominate Storm,” Star suggested. “I worked with him before. He’s a born leader and a top-tier detective. He won’t let you down.” “I second,” Buck added. “He’s right-hand man material.” “Wait what?” Storm asked. “I didn’t…” “I have no objection,” Phantom said. “Same here.” Comet and Clover said. “Alright, that saddles it. Storm you are second in command. Keep me updated on the case progress.” “We're not an hour into this and you throw me under the bus like that,” Storm said deadpan to Star as he drove to Desert Street.” “Don’t be like that buddy,” Star said with a smile. “You’ll be a great leader everyone knows that.” “You said it because you know you were next to be called on for the position. Buck added on because he know he was going to get it since he had a leadership role for longer than a year. Comet, Clover, and Phantom dogpiled on just to confirm the kill. Am I wrong buddy?” Star’s smile turned into a nervous chuckle. “You are a top-tier detective.” Storm rolled his eyes. He knew he had to let it go. This is most likely for the best anyway. Storm gets the final say if they get to raise the black flag or not. Being second in command is the perfect way to see who or what needs to be leaned on to crack the case. Turning on Desert Street there wasn’t much to look at. Out of all the buildings, 5 of them are operating. The rest are foreclosed or being renovated to be used. It’s nowhere near the worst block in the city, if anything it might be the safest in District 3. Most calls here are fights and or a passed-out person laying in the middle of the street. Desert Street was anything but Desert on any given day. The street is between two blocks that have constant traffic coming and going through it. One side has multiple businesses that have delivery trucks and semi trucks taking and delivering packages from the early morning to the last afternoon. The other block is filled with nightclubs and sports bars that close at 4 am. People normally park their cars in the empty lots at Desert Street so they don’t have to pay to park. A crowd was gathered near three squad cars. An ambulance just pulled off with its lights and sirens. Storm parked the car and got out and stood by the car. Star did the same while fixing his shirt. The rest of the team arrived soon later and without behind told grouped up. “Alright guys,” Storm said when everyone assembled. “This is our first case. Let’s not act like rookies. Stay in your lane and let’s find out what happened and bring justice to the victims and punishment to the persons involved.” Everyone nodded in agreement. Storm led the way to the building. The building had multiple animal pictures on the window along with a sign. CANTERLOT CITY ANIMAL HOSPITAL “You're the investigators?” Sergeant asked. “That’s us,” Storm confirmed showing his badge. “What we got?” “Looks like a robbery gone bad. Come on I’ll show you.” Everyone followed him inside the building. “The place was closed for lunch. The delivery guy went inside the store and placed it on the front counter. He said this was normal they always leave it open for him when he gets near. When he was about to leave a person, a man wearing a yellow hoodie, with a bandana covering his face pointing a gun at him.” “He killed the food guy?” Star asked. “No,” Sergeant said. “He ran out. Units arrived a few minutes and checked the building.” He continued walking. “They found three people. An elderly woman and two teenagers were in the back. The girl hid in the supply closet, and the boy tried to fight him, but he didn’t win. The old woman didn’t make it.” Everyone grunted. “Yeah.” Sergeant said. She took a header in her office at the corner of her desk. The boy got it bad near the back.” “Was any money stolen?” Comet asked. “Doesn’t look like it,” Sergeant said. “The register looked untouched. Same as the safe.” “Alright, thanks,” Storm said dismissing him. “We got it from here.” “Could be a stick-up gone wrong,” Star suggested. “Robber wanted an easy score, ended up killing one and severely injuring another. Got spooked by the delivery guy and left.” “Interesting, but I doubt that,” Buck said. “It looks like he targeted the workers from the start, he must have known they were alone around this time if they unlock the door for their lunch, both the register and safe were untouched and he left when the delivery guy arrived. This wasn’t random or a junkie looking for a quick score. This was personal. He was looking to harm or kill everyone in here.” “Great hypothesis Buck,” Storm said. “We're going to need evidence to prove all of this. Me and Star are going to look around a little more. Clover, you and Comet go to the hospital and check up on the witness. Maybe they saw the attacker or something he was wearing. Buck and Phantom talk to everyone outside to see if they saw anything around the building. Maybe somebody saw something or a camera caught our attacker fleeing from the scene. Meet back at the office. Everyone nodded and went their separate ways. “You think what Buck said was accurate?” Star asked when everyone left the waiting room. “About this being a personal thing?” “Maybe,” Storm replied. “If the cash is untouched then yeah, I do agree with him. This is more than a basic robbery that’s for sure. This person went through way too much trouble.” “We’ll were not going to solve anything by just standing here. I’m going to check the front desk and the computer.” “I’ll check out the rooms in the back.” The backrooms of the Animal Hospital were similar to regular doctor’s offices. Multiple patient rooms, a supply closet filled with medicine, bandages, and other items for animal care needs. All looked to be untouched. Storm didn’t see anything of intestate till he entered what looked to be an office meant for the doctor. The office wasn’t anything special. A single desk, a chair, and two chairs on the other side of the desk for the visitors. Multiple pictures and degrees hung on the wall behind the desk. Taking a closer look Storm stared at them closely. The degrees were from an out-of-state college Storm had never heard of before. As for the pictures they were of people and multiple different animals. One of them stood out from the rest. A large group of people were lined up and held a large banner with red letters on it that said ASPCA. Beside it was a newspaper article. Another win for the ASPCA. Storm took the picture off the wall and intended on taking a closer look at the news article. Storm skimmed the newspaper cutout looking for keywords in the story. Based on the article, it seems like the ASPCA assisted the CCPD in locating dog fighting rings and animal abusers in the southern part of the city for almost 3 months. Storm did remember hearing something about this. He couldn’t remember what it was for or where it was exactly, but this rings a bell. Maybe Comet would know. She did work for a while in District 6 maybe she’ll know something about this. Back at the office Comet and Clover were already there. Storm went straight to Comet’s desk and showed her the article for the doctor’s office at the Animal hospital and asked her if she know anything about it. “Dog fighting?” Comet asked. “That does ring a bell, but I don’t think I took part in any of them. How long ago was it?” “Based on the article it was almost 5 months ago,” Storm explained. “It said that the ASPCA assisted in finding the homes and buildings where the fights were taking place. It went on for three months.” Comet tapped her finger on her desk. “Let me get back to you on that.” Storm nodded and walked to the whiteboard Phantom was working on since they’d been here. The board was covered with photos from the crime scene, pictures of the victims, and the evidence they have. “Phantom,” Storm said. “What am I looking at?” “This will be our evidence board. We’ll have everything here from our victim, crime scene photos, and evidence. All teams need something like this.” Phantom explained. “You got this from TV shows didn’t you?” Buck asked. “Yeah,” Phantom said. "It looked cool." “Well I like it,” Clover said smiling. “It will be easier to see what we have on our cases.” “Speaking of which, who’s the teenagers?” Storm asked. “Were they able to talk?” Clover shook her head. “The boy got it bad, but he’ll live. He said it was the attacker was a male. He had a red hoodie and a mask covering his face. The girl took advantage and hide in the supply closet and called 9-1-1.” “The boy said he saw a glimpse of his face during the fight,” Comet added. “A sketch artist is with him right now.” “That’s something,” Storm muttered. “Phantom, Buck anything?” “The suspect seemingly worked alone, he enter the building from the front entrance through the unlocked door and forced his way to the back where the three workers were. We have him on camera at the corner store just up the street waiting for almost an hour, he walked in the direction of the animal hospital. After the fact, he bolted out and either took the bus or had a car.” “Can we make out his face?” Star asked. “No, he still had the hoodie up. I doubt he had the mask on when he was at the store. The only thing we have is his right arm. It has a tattoo of a K and G with a drawing of a crown. Buck is running it through the database now.” “Wait a minute,” Buck said out loud while looking at his computer screen. “Phantom, what was the tattoo again, and what arm was it on?” “On the right arm. The letters K and G, along with a crown in between.” “So, that’s who it is.” Buck turned his computer screen around to face everyone. “These tattoos belong to the Gold Kings. They are one of the lower-level gangs in the city known for running multiple illegal fighting rings. Mainly in District 6.” “Illegal fighting rings?” Storm asked. “Didn’t think that was still a thing.” “It is, but it wasn’t high on the city list. They made the list when they added dog fighting and robbery to their resume. Along with a few run-ins with the Blackhearts.” “That makes more sense,” Storm said looking at Buck’s screen. “The only question I have is why did he target the animal hospital?” “I can answer that,” Comet said from her desk. “I remember now what this article was about. Months ago most of the neighborhood was bought out by multiple real estate agents. However, most of the property wasn’t vacant like it said it was. Our dear mayor and some very close friends of his funded most of the property and they wanted to start on their project now.” “Oh yeah,” Phantom said. “Wasn’t that the gentrification project that was rushed?” Storm remembered that story on the news. Owners, tenants, and renters were forced to move out due to the high prices that continued over the years. Tenants and renters were evicted with little to no notice. “Yeah, that’s the one,” Comet confirmed. “Illegal evictions, landlords weren’t keeping up with maintenance causing poor living conditions for their tenants and unlivable conditions.” “Nobody went to the police or complained about their tenant's rights being violated?” Clover asked. “On the record no.” “What does this have to do with the animal hospital?” Star asked. “No property on that street wasn’t bought when that was happening let alone an eviction.” “I was getting to that,” Comet said. “Moxie, the old woman who was killed during the attack was a member of the ASPCA and had close ties with the HTR captain running the operation at the time. She gave him tips on locations where wanted criminals are betting on dog fights.” “So, the locations that were given not only had gang members but abused dogs being forced to fight? Clover asked. “Pretty much,” Comet confirmed. “I also found out the gang leader was arrested in one of the raids. He was sent to a correctional facility upstate where he died from rival gang members during a riot a few months later.” “So, this is personal,” Buck said. “The attacker knew what he was doing and who he was going after. We know why, but what we don’t know is who did it.” “How about we lean on a few King members?” Star suggested. “That’ll be a good way to start.” “Easier said than done,” Phantom said. “The Kings lost alot of territory, man and money thought out the years thanks to other gangs and the raids. I heard there still in the southern part of District 6. They're pretty much a skeleton crew now.” Storm rubbed his chin. “A gang member attacked staff members of an animal hospital that was responsible for not only destroying the gang but getting the leader sent to prison where he died in a riot. There is a possibility that he lives in the southern part of District 6. The only question I have is who is this guy?” Clover snapped her fingers. “Wait a minute. He got away by possibly taking the bus right? Didn’t the city install cameras at the bus stops and on buses a few months ago?” “They said they did,” Buck said skeptically. “It’s only been a few months since then. I doubt that all of the city buses and bus stops have cameras. There’s almost 100 of them all over the city.” Phantom got up from his desk. “It’s an idea thought. Come on Buck.” “Where are we going?” “To the bus station headquarters. If they do have video we’ll catch him and see where he went.” “Good idea, Phantom,” Storm said. “Well head down to District 6 to get started on the search. If the attacker is a member of the Kings then he’s got to be there.” Star jumped out of his chair. “Sounds like a plan. Let’s do it.” District 6 is easily one of the worst areas in Canterlot City. While the North and West areas have had a major improvement over the past few years the same can’t be said for the East and South. The District is split down in the middle by a two-way road running from North to South. Pretty much dividing the District. One side had nice homes, businesses, and a nice park for kids. While the other side had foreclosed homes, little to no business, and empty lots filled with trash and abandoned cars. It was truly a sad sight to see. “This place has seen better days,” Star said looking out the window. Multiple homes were either boarded up, destroyed, or had foreclosed signs in the front yard. “Families build a life there.” Storm shrugged. “Gangs controlled the area. It wasn’t all nice back then. The kids that were born in this neighborhood were a part of the Gold Kings, whether they like wanted to or not.” “It’s better now, right? I mean it’s not perfect, but it’s a start.” “The North and West side did get better and the South is making progress. The east side however will ways be a mess.” Star looked at Storm with a puzzled look. “Didn’t take you as a stereotype, Storm.” “Watch the road,” Storm said pointing ahead. “We need to keep our eyes open.” “Yes sir,” Star said looking back at the road. Star continued to drive and turndown random streets hoping to find any clues to their suspect. On occasion, there were a few people on a street corner watching them closely as they drove by. “Do responders even come to these areas anymore?” Star asked as they were being stared at by two men. “The police and fire station are on the other side of that two-way road. So that would be a solid maybe.” Storm said. “People do still live here after all.” “Not only are you a stereotype, but you're a hypocrite as well,” Star said. “Nowhere near as much as you.” Storm shot back. Storm’s phone begins to ring from his pocket. It was Clover. “You're on speaker Clover,” Storm answered. “What’s up?” “A detective from precinct 9 told us about a possible location where our suspect might be hiding. He said it’s been a hotspot for months on end and wanted to kick the door down for a while now.” “What’s the reason?” Storm asked. “He said that multiple informants have been getting drugs from the home. People keep coming in and out at all hours of the day and night for months. You would think that would be enough evidence to get a search warrant.” “Are we going to find our suspect there?” Star asked. “We can drive by and check.” “1457 Blue Lane, I wouldn’t recommend it. The chief said they have spotters all over that block. Also, Phantom called me and told me they got a perfect shoot of our guy. His name is Strips. His brother was the gang leader that died in prison. “Seriously?” Storm asked. “Seriously?” Clover replied. “He did get off near the house the detective wants a warrant for. We can’t be sure that he’s even there.” “I say we risk it,” Star suggested. “We drove by that block. It looked deserted, but we saw the bus stop and all the homes on the block were burned down or had heavy damage that was unlivable. Only one looked to be semi-livable.” “Can’t do anything without a warrant.” Clover reminded. “Let me handle that,” Storm chimed in. “Call back Phantom and tell him and Buck to meet at Precinct 9. I’ll have the warrant ready. Just have everyone ready who’s going when we get there.” “Got it.” Storm ended the call and dialed Night’s office number to get the warrant ready. After regrouping at Precinct 9 it was decided that Intelligence and officers in the precinct will conduct a no-knock raid on the house where the suspect is possibly located. The precinct chief agreed to the idea and gather a squad of officers immediately. He also was impressed by how fast Storm was able to get a no-knock warrant so quickly with the very little evidence they have on the address. Storm made up a lie that they’d been watching a person of interest for quite a while now and he frequents this house very often. He also add that an informant had bought drugs from a dealer in the house multiple times before. Since the task force wasn’t unofficial yet it was best to make something up. The precinct chief agreed with the answer without a second thought since this location had been a problem for months now. Knowing the block would scatter like ants the second multiple police cars come into view, Comet suggested a pincer attack. Buck and Comet lead a team on the West side of the house while Phantom and Clover lead another team from the East. Storm and Star will be in the back. Plainclothes officers would arrest the lookout before they could report back. They waited till it was pitch black to drive to the location. For obvious reasons, they did drive in marked police cars and vans. Instead, they drove unmarked cars and work vans with fake business stickers on them. After being dropped off behind the target Storm, Star, and the 11 officers with them headed to the backyard of the house. A gap in the fence made it easy to access the backyard. The street lights are out and a fallen dead tree made for the perfect cover for them so they can’t be seen from the porch, the neighbor, and the street behind them. Now they have to wait for the single. “You think he’s in there?” Star whispered to Storm. “It’s a long shot since we didn’t see him go in there.” “I know,” Storm admitted. “It's all we got. I doubt there will be anyone willing to talk to us about where this guy is.” “If he isn’t in there this will still be a good bust. The house has been vacant for months. There was way too much foot traffic in and out for it when we passed by.” “Agreed,” Storm said not taking his eyes off the house. “I just hope my lie doesn’t bite us in the ass.” “ALL TEAMS.” Come from over the radio. “LOOKOUTS ARE IN POLICE CUSTODY, CARS ARE A MINUTE OUT. BACK TEAM, MOVE IN ON THE DOOR.” Storm readied his AR and checked their weapons and equipment one last time, along with the others knowing this raid was about to begin. “On me,” Storm said standing up. “Line up on the fence and watch the windows. When we get to the door stack up and wait for the single. Star, you and the other three are playing goalkeeper. If anyone tries to leave from the windows grab’em.” “Got it, buddy.” Everyone did what they were told and line up on the fence on the edge of the backyard while Star and the others stayed back. The line of officers moved at a quick and quiet pace. Being the lead, Storm had to be careful not to trip over something or step on anything that might give away their position. If he failed either of those two they would lose the element of surprise at best. There are 24 to 30 officers armed with ARs taking part in this raid on a two-bedroom house with no garage. This may seem like overkill to alot of people and in a way it kind of was. However, Storm always wants to have the advantage, especially in a gunfight and no one can predict how a raid will go. When the team arrived at the door. Two officers moved in front of him. One with a ballistic shield the other with a battering ram. They waited for a solid 30 seconds before the sound of cars coming to a stop and doors opening. Everyone knew what was going to happen next. 3…2…1…HIT IT The officer swung the battering ram in the door completely knocking it down on the floor with a loud crash. The officer with the shield took the lead slowly entering the house. Holding his shield with one hand and pointing his pistol with the other. Storm followed behind him along with the others. Shouting and bright lights from the officers filled the room. As predicted everyone in the house tried to get outside, surrender, or just had froze in place. A few tried to escape through the windows. Having Star and a few others stay back was the right choice. They definitely wouldn’t have caught them in time. In less than a minute it was all over and everyone in the house was detained. “House cleared.” The Captain shouted. “Star to Storm,” Star called from the radio. “Got a positive ID, we got our suspect. He kicked out the window and tried to run for it. Everyone ok in there?” “All good Star,” Storm replied. “No injuries. How’s everyone else?” “A-ok from the other side,” Comet said. “Me and Clover are good out here too,” Phantom said. “No injuries to report.” “Good work all.” THE NEXT DAY “Sovled your first case the same day you got it. Great start.” Night prised. “The evidence, suspects, and locations were right in front of us the whole time,” Storm said unamused. “Don’t get too excited.” Night folded her arms. “Sapphire wasn’t kidding when she said you don’t like receiving compliments.” “It was an easy case. Not something that should be bragged about really. I’m just glad we got our guy. We don’t even go after these kind of cases. It’s only going to get harder from here on out.” “Well, keep up the good work. It's good to start on a win and have no injuries to anyone on the first case. Also, nabbing 8 on outstanding warrants.” Storm stood up. “Yeah, guess it is. I’m heading out now.” “I have work to do,” Night said tapping the paper in front of her. “Can you double-check everything is secure so I can just lock up when I’m finished?” Storm give her a thumbs up and closed the door to her office. Night leaned back in her chair and signed. She’s glad the task force's first case was successful. The Police commissioner and governor were also pleased to know everything was solved in under 24 hours. However, Storm was right. It’s only going to get harder. Night turned to the picture frame on her desk. It was the day she graduated from the academy. She was dressed in her police uniform. Beside her was Sapphire wearing the same uniform. In the end, a piece of the picture was torn off. The only evidence of another person there was part of an arm and half of a leg. “I wonder if we're going to meet again, Minus.”