"There's been a call out in Coal Lane, a couple of blokes shouting at each other. A young lady heard and went out to investigate, she claims that she was threatened with violence. I want 54 and 202 to deal, 202 you've had dealings with the girl, Roxy Westall."
"Heard and understood." said Kerry into her radio. Smithy turned the car down a side alley so that they could avoid the worst of the traffic. Smithy flicked the sirens on as they emerged onto a busy street.
The patrol car stopped outside a large block of flats. "Kerry, you find the girl, I'll try and find the guys." said Smithy as he and Kerry vacated the car.
"Yes, Sarge." said Kerry.
Kerry saw the girl beckoning from an upper storey window, she pounded up the stairs after Smithy. The girl opened her door and came out into the corridor. Smithy paused beside her and asked her where the men where. "They're outside number 816 on the floor above." said the girl. Smithy ran towards the stairs flicking out his ASP as he went.
"How long d'you reckon they'll take to get here get here?" slurred a man's drunken voice in the darkness.
"Probably here now." said another, "Keep it down or the pigs'll hear you."
Smithy went round the corner and saw the door to 816 swinging off it's hinges. He advanced cautiously, he entered the room and saw a large bank of beer bottles, the majority of them empty. Then he heard running footsteps, he wheeled round to face the corridor. Kerry stopped dead and let out a strangled cry of warning as she saw a man approach Smithy from behind and smash him round the head with a golf club. Kerry backed away and ran calling for immediate back up.
"Get after her you fucking drunk sods." bawled the man with the golf club. A couple of the drunkards teetered out and gave stumbling chase.
"This is 202, urgent back up required. Repeat urgent back up required." Kerry glanced back over her shoulder and saw one of the men behind her keel over, his fellow was obviously less drunk because he jumped his fallen friend and sped up after Kerry. Kerry flicked her radio onto automatic and concentrated on running as fast as she could down the stairs. She could hear the man gaining on her.
"202, sit rep." came Gina's voice over the radio.
"I'm being chased by a drunk down some stairs, it's pretty dark. He's gaining on me." gasped Kerry as her lungs cried out for air.
The man behind her yelled "Come back, your friend needs you."
"Kerry? We can't get hold of Smithy, is he with you?" asked Gina.
"No, he was attacked I think he's out cold." said Kerry as she felt the thud of impact as the man threw himself at her. He caught her foot and clung on tenaciously, Kerry panicked and flicked out her ASP, striking at any part of the man she could reach. Then she ground his fingers under her heel, he released her with a yell of pain. Kerry could hear the sirens as police cars swarmed into the area. She felt confidence flood her system, she took out her handcuffs and secured the man reading him his rights as she did so.
Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, "Come along then piggy." said a man's voice. She struggled calling into her radio "I've been caught, a white male.."
Then the man put his hand over her mouth and said "That's enough squealing." as he flicked off her radio. He reached into her handcuff pouch and removed the keys tossing them to another man. "Get him free and put the cuffs on the pig." he ordered.
Uniform flooded into the building, they raced up the stairs and reached the corridor where Kerry had arrested one of the men. They pounded up the stairs and saw a post-it note stuck to the railings. "Advance with caution." it read.
Kerry saw the door to 816, they passed it and shoved her into room 825. She took in the room with a glance and saw Smithy sitting watching her, his hands were tied behind his back with his own handcuffs and the cut on his head was seeping blood in a steady flow down onto his shirt. Smithy looked at her and she saw the swelling around one of his emerald green eyes. It was swollen shut and the bruising was already purple he also had a split lip.
One of the men pushed Kerry over to Smithy and shoved her down next to him. Smithy turned so that he could see her and said "Did you alert uniform?"
Kerry nodded and said "Sorry I didn't warn you."
Smithy shook his head but stopped, wincing as the pain in his head threatened to make him black out. "Wasn't your fault. Nothing you could have done."
Kerry tried to hear what was going on outside but she couldn't hear anything over the sound of drunken laughter coming from the next room. Then the leader came in, "Hi, I'm Michael. You can call me Simon." he said unhelpfully. "I would shake hands but you'd only refuse." he said as he paced towards the front door. He patted Smithy on the head and said "Nice to meet you old chap." ignoring Smithy's muttered obscenities as pain exploded in the policeman's skull.
"Hello, gorgeous." said Simon leaning down and kissing Kerry, Kerry turned away. Smithy looked up and said "Don't you fucking touch her!"
Simon turned his face to Smithy, "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you." he leaned forward and tried to kiss Smithy who promptly drew his head back. Simon put one hand on Smithy's shoulder and the other hand behind his head to stop him retreating. Smithy head-butted Simon squarely in the face, Simon recoiled swearing and glared reproachfully at Smithy. Smithy stared defiantly back.
Simon felt his nose, swearing as he felt the tender point where Smithy's head had collided with his face. His eyes glittered and he hit Smithy, knocking him sideways onto the floor.
"No stop!" Kerry shrieked as Smithy's head hit the floor.
"Shut it, sweetheart. The pig wants a fight, he'll bloody get one." said Simon vindictively. He kicked out and caught Smithy on the jaw, he kicked out again, a loud crack from Smithy's side cut through Kerry's continued protests. Smithy shouted out, his wide vocabulary of swear words coming into play.
The policemen outside heard Smithy's shout and came running towards flat 825. Simon panicked and beat Smithy round the head trying desperately to shut him up. Kerry started yelling adding her screams to Simon's yells of "Shut up! Just fucking shut it!" and Smithy's now incoherent swearing. Then Smithy was mercifully knocked out, Kerry shrieked even louder to make up for it but Simon ripped down one of the curtains and gagged her with it. Kerry choked on the folds of dusty material, she heard Simon rallying his men, and women she realized as she heard a high giggle.