This took me like, ten minutes to think up, and about another twenty to actually write. At first I wasn't going to publish it as an actual story but eh. This takes place after Red (which is currently in-progress), and is all Nanomemes' fault. If you haven't read Much Like Suffocating, I highly suggest that you do so, otherwise you might be like, "?"

Onward~!

At the age of twenty-three, Blue Mary Ryan was Southtown PD's youngest detective, but also its most dangerous: Her hand-to-hand combat skills were second to none, and, although she wasn't terribly fond of guns, her aim was impeccable. She was well-respected, and even feared by her colleagues, which is why no one batted an eye when she walked straight through the state prison's security, her shoulders squared and her jaw set.

Mary strolled through the halls, exceedingly aware that she was drawing stares, not just from inmates who were being escorted to and from the prison ward, but from the staff as well. She didn't give a single shit, though. She was on a mission, and she was going to see it through to its end, regardless of what anyone said or did.

"Detective..?"

An officer at the end of a short corridor stood at attention as Mary approached. She stopped in front of him, agitated, and pulled a folded sheet of paper from her back pocket.

"This one," was all she said.
"At this time of day? Exercise yard."
"Thanks."

Mary continued her trek through the prison's halls until she found the entrance to the large courtyard. She scanned the area, unaffected by the catcalls of the inmates who had noticed her, until she spotted the person she was looking for. She cracked her neck and made a beeline toward a small bench near the basketball hoop. When she was halfway there a burly prisoner stepped directly in her path; he opened his mouth to speak but was instantly stopped as Mary snatched his hand and broke it without a second thought.

"Stay out of my way," she growled as a general warning to everyone in the vicinity.

Finally, Mary reached the bench, where a tall man was sprawled across it as if it were a bed, his arms behind his head, legs crossed at the ankles.

"Officer Friendly," he exclaimed with an infuriating grin.

Mary narrowed her eyes as the man slowly sat up. He pushed some hair away from his forehead, that stupid, smug grin still plastered on his face.

"What brings you here today, Officer? Does Cécile mi -"

Before he could finish the sentence Mary whipped her gun out and, in one, frighteningly speedy motion, clicked the safety off and fired a single round straight into the man's good knee at point-blank range. The inmate howled in absolute agony; he clutched at his leg while blood began to seep through his pants, a plethora of obscenities clumsily rolling off of his tongue.

Meanwhile, Mary stood over him, stone faced. She quietly watched as he writhed around on the bench, and, although she didn't show it, she took grim satisfaction in knowing that he was going to have to go through rigorous physical therapy just to be able to move his leg again. She stared down, her finger still on the trigger, contemplative. The monster in front of her had taken great joy in hurting her friend - her friend who was still trying to work through the lasting psychological effects of what he had done. While he had no doubt shared exaggerated tales of his "victory," she had cried in Mary's arms on more than one occasion, questioning her worth as a human being while wondering how such horrible things could have happened to her in the first place.

Without a word, Mary fired a round into the man's other kneecap - the one she had previously blown to hell. He screamed again - louder this time - as the bullet went through the scar tissue that had since formed and, once again, destroyed the bone underneath. Satisfied with her handiwork, Mary holstered her weapon and calmly walked away. She would no doubt be in deep shit with the Chief, but it was absolutely worth it.

"Notes" (and I use the term loosely because there are barely any):

* "Officer Friendly" was a program that ran in the 60's - 80's in the United States that was designed to acquaint children with law enforcement. Officer Friendly is not a specific character and is also in the public domain. The more you know.
* "Cécile" = King. Not canon.
* In Much Like Suffocating, Mary kneecaps King's rapist before making her arrest. Word on the street is that kneecapping is about a nine out of ten on the average pain scale.

That's it. Let me know what's up. Cheers~