Revelio

by Godslittleprincess

Chapter 1: The Ride-Along

Author's Note:

WARNING: This and the next installment are the darkest stories I've written to date, and both feature sensitive subjects.

So, I had this idea in my head for a while but didn't start writing it until the end of January when I found out that January was Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Yeah, this story is about three months late for that.

Also, for both this story and the next one, I looked up a bunch of laws and practices for the sake of accuracy, but I had to take some extensive artistic license on some of them because the story I wanted to write either wouldn't be possible or wouldn't flow right if I didn't. For example, I'm not exactly sure how open container laws work in other states, but here in Texas, just having an open container of alcohol in the driver's portion of the vehicle is grounds for arrest. All I know about other open container laws is that their more lenient outside of Texas. How open container laws are handled in this chapter may not be how they are actually handled in real life. Just a fair warning to people who are sticklers for real-life accuracy.

Also, all the profanity is censored because I didn't feel comfortable writing it out, and replacing them with milder alternatives didn't quite fit the character I was trying to portray.

Flash Sentry let out a whistle as he took in his surroundings.

“Wow, I’ve never been inside of a cop car before,” he said to the older man next to him at the driver’s seat.

“Good,” Shining Armor replied, starting the car, “because if you had, well, I’d be having second thoughts about letting my baby sister marry you.”

Flash chuckled at that.

“Remember,” Shining sternly continued as he pulled out of the police station’s secured parking area, “don’t touch anything except what I explicitly say you’re allowed to touch and follow all my instructions. You make my job any more difficult than it already is, and you won’t get to do this again. Got it?”

“Got it,” Flash replied with a nod.

For the first few minutes of the drive, the two soon-to-be in-laws just sat in silence with Flash looking out the passenger window and Shining looking straight ahead out the windshield. Shining Armor decided to be the first to break the silence.

“So,” he began, “what made you decide that you wanted to look into police work?”

“Well,” Flash answered, “I figured that with me and Twilight getting married in the not-so-distant future, I needed to be more intentional about figuring out what I want to do for a career. I was leaning towards a job that involved protecting people, and I narrowed my choices down to either this or the military.”

Shining Armor nodded approvingly. “You wouldn’t be half-bad in the military. I just hope that you’re prepared to have your hair cut shorter than it already is.”

The two of them laughed again before Flash replied, “My aunt and my grandmother think so too, and I actually thought about just joining straight out of high school but decided against it.”

“Oh?” asked Shining.

“Yeah, I didn’t like the idea of having to be away from home a lot and potentially having to always move from place to place,” said Flash. “Now that I’m about to get married, that kind of a lifestyle is looking even less appealing to me.”

“Yeah, I getcha. The long periods away from home are probably the biggest reason why I decided not to reenlist after my tour of duty was over.”

“So, you decided to become a cop instead.”

“Yep,” Shining replied. “Okay, I don’t know what you’re expecting out of this ride-along, but more than likely, today’s going to be a pretty routine day, going out on patrol and maybe a few traffic violations and such, so don’t be too disappointed if you don’t get to see a lot of action.”

“I’ll try,” Flash said with a smirk.

For the first hour and a half or so, everything seemed to go as Shining Armor had predicted. Flash didn’t mind. The peace gave him time to get to know Shining Armor better and gave Shining Armor time to teach him about all the equipment in the car.

“So, how’s fatherhood treating ya?” Flash asked as Shining Armor drove along the freeway that lead into the woods.

“Oh, it’s great,” Shining replied with a proud yet lopsided smile that only a new father can give. “I mean, don’t misunderstand. It’s hard, like insanely hard and unbelievably stressful. Cadance and I don’t get as much sleep as we used to, and the little pink macaron makes quite a mess for someone who does nothing but eat, sleep, cry, and poop all day, but somehow, just seeing her happy and healthy every day makes all of that worth it.”

Flash snickered knowingly as he gestured to the teeny tiny bottle in Shining Armor’s cupholder, “I’m guessing that the 5-Hour helps you cope with the less sleep.”

Shining Armor just rolled his eyes as he pulled up at the shoulder and rolled down his window. Just as he finished positioning his speed radar, a small moving truck passed. Shining raised his eyebrow at the number on his radar, sighed exasperatedly, and turned on his lights and siren, pursuing the truck.

---

Meanwhile, inside said truck, a young man in his mid-20s was behind the wheel. He had golden brown skin and soft, fluffy blue-black hair styled with a forelock that fell just short of his eyes. He had a patchy beard and mustache that was a darker shade of brown than his skin tone and wore an equally patchy, red trench coat and a pair of khakis. His most notable feature were his eyes. His sclerae were tinted a light green, and his irises were also green and eerily luminescent. From a close enough distance, one could look into his eyes and see that his pupils had a slight slit-shape to them.

On the passenger seat was a similarly aged man with the same unusual eyes, except that the his were blue instead of green. He had light gray skin with black hair and immaculately trimmed black sideburns and wore a dark gray hoodie with shredded jeans.

“Chummer, I have a bad feeling about this job,” the driver said to the passenger. “Let’s just turn back and tell Verko that we can’t do it.”

“Capper, we can’t pull out of this job,” Chummer replied. “Verko said that if whatever is in this truck doesn’t get to the location by the designated time limit, we’re paying for it with our lives. Besides, we’re getting paid good cash for it, so what’s the problem?”

“Chummer, knowing Verko and The Swarm, we’re probably doing something incredibly illegal. I know we’ve pulled jobs like this for them before, but something about this one just feels extra wrong. Besides, we might have dodged the police before, but how long do we have before our luck runs out?”

Chummer smirked menacingly as he took a handgun out of the pocket of his hoodie and loaded it. “That’s not going to be a problem.”

Capper’s pupils widened as he nearly screamed, “Are you serious?!”

“Hey, Verko said, ‘Don’t get caught, whatever it takes.’”

“I can’t believe you’re actually even considering using that.”

However, before Capper could continue, his and Chummer’s conversation was interrupted by the sound of sirens. Capper checked his mirrors and saw red and blue lights flashing behind him.

“Keep cool,” Chummer hissed as he put the gun back in his hoodie. “Maybe they’re going after some other car.”

“Who? There’s nobody out here but us and them.”

The police cruiser continued to follow them, sirens wailing and lights flashing. Capper sighed dejectedly as he pulled the truck over at the shoulder. The cruiser pulled up behind the truck and turned off the siren. However, the lights remained on.

Capper saw Chummer reaching for the gun and sternly commanded, “Don’t even think about it. Let me talk us out of this first. Maybe we can get out of here without anybody getting hurt.”

Chummer scowled at his partner but complied. Capper nervously bit his lip as he watched the officer exit the car. The cop did not look like someone who could be easily persuaded into giving him leniency.

---

As Shining Armor stepped out of the car, he turned to Flash and ordered, “Just stay in the car, alright? Don’t get out unless you’re dying, or you’re dead. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Flash replied.

Shining Armor shut the door behind him and went up to the truck’s driver.

“Sir, the speed limit on this road is 65 miles an hour. Do you have any idea how fast your vehicle was going?” Shining Armor said to the driver.

“Oh, many apologies, Officer,” Capper purred. “You see, my buddy and I were transporting some time-sensitive goods for our boss, and I was in a bit of a hurry. We won’t let it happen again, on my honor.”

“As good to hear as that is, I’m afraid that I’m still going to need to see your license,” Shining replied.

Capper sighed as he pulled the plastic card out of one of his coat pockets, complying with Shining’s request. He felt relief wash over him when he realized this was nothing but a normal traffic stop, which should be over quickly.

“Alright, Mr. Dapperpaws, you have ten days to go to Canterlot PD and pay the fine, and—,” Shining Armor saw something from the corner of his eye as he was handing Capper the speeding ticket. “What is that?”

Capper followed Shining’s gaze toward the truck’s cupholders and mentally facepalmed himself. Stupid open container laws!

“Oh, that?” Chummer answered, also taking notice of the open green, glass bottle with the two red Xs on the neck. “Must have been from the last guy who used this truck. We swear it’s not ours, Officer.”

Shining Armor raised his eyebrow skeptically as he glanced from the bottle to Chummer to Capper and back the other way.

“Officer, come on, be a pal,” Capper continued to sweet-talk. “It’s still pretty early in the day. Besides, do the two of us even look like we’ve been drinking? Do we SOUND like we’ve been drinking?”

Shining Armor’s face remained stern even as it softened ever so slightly. “All the same, Mr. Dapperpaws, I’m going to have to ask you to step out of the car.”

“Officer, this really isn’t necessary.” Capper knew that none of his attempts at charming Shining Armor have worked so far, but he had to diffuse the situation quickly before Chummer’s itchy trigger finger decided to do the talking for them.
“Besides, I’m sure a busy man such as yourself has other responsibilities to attend to, like a bank robbery or some vandals or maybe a wife who needs a kiss from her big, strong man.”

“Mr. Dapperpaws, it is imperative that I make doubly sure that it’s safe for me to let you drive this vehicle,” Shining insisted, his face and voice unmoving, “for both you and your friend’s safety as well as the rest of the public’s.”

Before Capper could get another word, however, some banging noises were heard from the back of the truck.

“What was that?” Shining Armor questioned, again raising his eyebrow in suspicion.

“Oh, probably just the cargo settling,” Capper replied. “Between you and me, Chummer and I don’t really know what’s back there. Our boss didn’t tell us.”

“Where am I?” a small, muffled, and clearly human voice cried out from the back of the truck. Both Shining Armor and Capper’s eyes went wide at the sound.

From his peripheries, Capper saw Chummer reach into his pocket and whip out a small, black, handheld object.

“Chummer, no!” Capper cried as he pushed Chummer’s arm to the side. The sound of a gunshot burst through the air. Thankfully, Capper’s push caused Chummer to completely miss Shining Armor. However, the sudden attack was enough to startle Shining into stepping away from the truck.

“Drive, you idiot! Drive!” Chummer screamed, wanting to take advantage of Shining’s current confusion as much as possible. Capper shifted the truck into drive and slammed his foot on the gas, speeding the truck away.

Shining quickly regained his bearings and raced back into the police cruiser. He buckled himself in, turned in his siren, and sped after the truck in pursuit.

Flash watched with wide eyes as Shining Armor grabbed the radio and began barking a string of words that he didn’t understand into it.

“Shining, what’s going on?” Flash asked once Shining Armor was finished with the radio.

“I’ll tell you the long story later,” Shining Armor panted. “The short story is that we’re chasing a couple of criminals. They’ve got something in that truck that isn’t supposed to be there, and one of them just tried to shoot me.”

Flash’s eyes practically popped out of their sockets at what Shining just told him. So much for a routine day.

Shining Armor caught up with the truck and said to Flash, “Kid, you might want to keep your head down.”

Flash turned from Shining Armor to the front of the car and realized why Shining was telling him to keep his head down. The truck’s passenger had stuck his head and torso out of the window and was pointing a gun at them. Flash wasted no time putting his head between his knees and covering his ears with his hands. He could just barely make out the sound of bullets ricocheting off the cruiser’s hood and windshield. After a few seconds, the terrifying sounds stopped.

“Okay, kid, you can get back up again,” Shining said to him.

Flash sat up in time to see the gunman angrily throw his gun down into the road before slipping back into the window. The nutjob must have wasted his whole clip trying and failing to hit Shining Armor. Thank God.

---

“Crap!” Chummer cursed as he sat back down in his seat. “I couldn’t get a good shot, and that lousy cop is still on our tail!”

Capper didn’t respond. He barely registered Chummer’s exclamation over the sirens ringing in his ears and the shrieks and whimpers coming from the back of the truck. Whoever he and the officer had heard earlier did not sound like she was alone. Gosh! What are Verko and The Swarm even doing with—?

Capper felt utterly sick as realization dawned on him. Now more than ever, he wanted nothing more than to just quit this job, run as far as he can, and never look back. However, the sirens screaming from behind him and the flashes of red and blue in his mirrors told him that simply quitting and forgetting this experience just wasn’t an option anymore. It was his freedom or his conscience now.

“I want to go home!” Capper heard a different yet also clearly human voice cry from the cargo area. The cry was followed by a series of sobs that he somehow managed to hear over the chaos. That was all it took for Capper’s conscience to win out over his survival instincts.

Without even thinking, he took his foot off the gas, veered the truck towards the shoulder, and pressed the brake.

“What the [censored] are you doing?!” Chummer screamed at him.

“I can’t do this, Chummer! This is not what I signed up for!” Capper screamed back as the truck came to a stop.

Enraged, Chummer pulled a switchblade out of his other hoodie pocket and pointed it at Capper menacingly.

“You [censored] start this truck back up right now, or I—!” Chummer threatened.

“FREEZE!” Shining Armor’s voice interrupted Chummer before he could finish the threat. The two men looked up to see the young officer just outside the driver’s side door pointing a gun at them.

“Drop the weapon and put your hands where I can see them!” Shining continued.

Capper complied and raised his hands in the air while Chummer tightened his grip on the knife and scowled at Shining Armor.

“Drop the weapon, or I shoot!” Shining Armor emphasized.

Reluctantly, Chummer did so and raised his hands as well.

“Now, slowly step out of the vehicle and put your hands on the side of the vehicle,” Shining ordered in a much calmer tone.

Capper let out a mewling groan and did as he was told. Chummer reluctantly followed suit. Shining Armor cautiously approached them, and once he was close enough, he handcuffed Chummer first and Capper second. Within five minutes, three other police cruisers had arrived at the scene.

---

“Uh, hey, Officers, aren’t you going to read me my rights?” Capper said as Shining and another officer brought him and Chummer to the back of one of the cruisers. “I’m not telling you nothin’ until I get my rights read to me.”

Shining Armor glared holes into him. “Oh, you’ll have your rights read to you alright! Once you get to the station right before we interrogate you!”

He slammed the door behind Capper and walked away as the cruiser drove back to the station.

“Geez, Armor, ticked off sure doesn’t look good on you,” the other policeman joked.

“That snake-charmer wannabe tried to sweet-talk me,” Shining replied, still scowling. “I don’t know why, but something about guys acting cute to get me to let them off just makes me sick.”

“Probably because it’s not a girl doin’ it,” the other officer laughed.

Shining just rolled his eyes.

“So, you wanna check on your ride-along while we check what’s in the back of this truck?”

“Yeah, I guess I should do that.”

Shining Armor approached the passenger side of his police cruiser and opened the door.

“Hey, kid, you okay?” Shining asked Flash.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Flash replied, “but I do have a lot of questions though. I still have no idea what’s going on.”

“Well, we’ll have a better idea once we get that truck open.”

Flash and Shining watched as the other officers broke the lock to the back of the truck. When they opened it, Shining Armor and Flash’s jaws hit the floor, and their eyes exploded.

Comments

[Foxhelm]

This why most trucking companies require and most self employed truck drivers almost religiously clean the driver area before and after use.
I kind of feel bad for Capper, not as much for Chummer.
That being said... well this is a introduction to actual law enforcement Flash will never forget.

[SuperSonicHeroes]

This is certainly an interesting start. Not only do we get Flash and Shining interacting together as future brothers-in-law Flash is getting a job with the police. I have a good guess of what’s going on so far, though I feel bad for Capper. He clearly has a conscious during this and as seen when he stopped driving during the chase can at least tell what the right thing is.

[Sciflashfangirl]

Lol! Amen to Larry!

[Ro994]

Oh my gosh! Only one chapter in and it's already intense. I wasn't expecting Capper and Chummer to be here, but it's a welcome surprise! Poor Cappy though. I feel bad for him. Let's see how this continues...