Chapter 1

Keith stared blankly at his Commander, the rush of blood in his ears drowning out all sound. Commander Shiro's face was drawn into a sympathetic frown, and his lips moved as he said something, but Keith couldn't quite make out the words through the haze of shock twisting his insides. Behind Shiro, small red lights blinked innocuously around the digital map of the city, looking like cheerful holiday lights even as Keith knew they indicated real time crimes taking place. He couldn't have heard him right.

"I'm not sure I heard you right," Keith said,

"I'm afraid you did," Commander Shiro said, tone regretful, but final.

"You…but, I..." Keith spluttered, unable to harness the roiling in his gut to coherent thought. Images of faces flashed vividly in his mind. Images of the people be'd promised to help and that would never see justice. "You can't do this!" The words tore out of his throat, his anger and desperation almost animalistic in their rawness. Several heads turned toward Commander Shiro's windowed office at the shout, but Keith barely noticed them.

"Detective Kogane," Shiro started, reaching with his still flesh and blood arm to place a calming hand on Keith's shoulder, but Keith jerked away, betrayal adding itself to the confusing mess of emotions he felt.

"I did nothing wrong," Keith growled, "And you know that."

Keith was ready for his Commander to protest, to outline every single mistake Keith knew he'd made in this case leading up to now, but instead, Commander Shiro looked down, lines of regret shadowing his features. When Shiro turned back up, his eyes were burning with carefully harnessed anger of his own. "I know," he said, "I know."

Keith felt like a solar sail ship cut off from its star's light, "Then why…?"

"It's the safest way," he said, "If I let you continue investigating this case officially, you'll be imprisoned. Or worse."

"I don't care about that," Keith snapped, "I care about finding justice for these people."

"I care just as much as you do-"

"How can you say that when you're just abandoning them like this?" Keith demanded.

"I'm not abandoning them." Shiro growled, even his well of patience appearing to wane at Keith's onslaught.

"Then what do you call firing me and dropping their case?"

Shiro sighed, then breathed deeply, as if collecting himself. "I'm not dropping the case," Shiro said, his patience more deliberate.

"Then how...wait? What?" Keith stopped short, his narrow-eyed gaze shifting from anger to confusion.

"As far as everyone knows, you're handing me your badge and gun, and that's the end of things," Shiro said.

"But…?"

"But you'll actually be going undercover for me." Commander Shiro said.

"Undercover…?" Keith echoed, plopping back down into his chair across the desk from Shiro. He hadn't even realized he'd stood up in the heat of the moment.

"Yes," Commander Shiro said, gaze softening as Keith visibly calmed, "You might've heard of it before."

Keith huffed. "Just tell me what you mean...sir." he added belatedly, feeling somewhat guilty for his outburst at his commanding officer. Commander Shiro had been in his corner since Keith had started here, he should've known he wouldn't just cave like this.

"I've recently received a request for a referral from an old family friend at McClain Company." Shiro handed Keith a sheet of paper with the McClain logo as the letterhead. Across the top, Keith read 'Offer of Employment.' "They're looking for a bodyguard for their son."

"They must be pretty high up to merit a bodyguard," Keith said, comprehension dawning.

"That's right," Shiro said, "About as high as you can get."

Keith was scanning the letter, when his eyes finally fell on the signature at the bottom. "Some old family friend you have," Keith looked up, astonished.

"Yeah, it's a long story," Commander Shiro said, "He approached me last week. Said his son was coming back to work and he wanted trustworthy protection for him."

"You mean you know the CEO of the McClain Company?" Keith asked, "The same company we've been investigating for ties in the disappearance of over a dozen Altea City citizens? And you never told me?"

"The less you knew, the better," Shiro said, "I don't know how high this goes, but now I know it was high enough to have the Mayor ask the Chief personally to have you quietly dismissed."

Keith could hardly contain his snort of disgust, clenching his fists, and breathed deeply. He'd already blown up at the one person on his side once today. He wouldn't misdirect his anger again. "Does Mr. McClain know what's going on at his company?" he asked instead.

"As far as I can tell, no. He hasn't...he doesn't seem well lately. He seemed thin and tired when I last saw him. From what I've discovered, he's been remote attending more than half his meetings lately, which is strange for someone who's known for being pretty hands 're keeping this news discreet with surprising success."

Already, Keith could feel his mind working in familiar patterns of thought, considering possible causes and effects based on the little he'd been able to gleen from the situation. "That's...strange. Do you think his illness has anything to do with the disappearances?"

"I considered it," Commander Shiro said, himself falling into a familiar pattern, "The timing is a bit too coincidental for comfort. The disappearances started shortly after his attendance started waning."

"Yet you don't think he has anything to do with it?" Keith asked, incredulous.

"You didn't see him," Commander Shiro said, "He looked severely ill when we met about this open position, even though he tried hard to hide it. I have a hard time believing he could be orchestrating something like this and attending even half his meetings with the state he was in."

Keith frowned, thinking. "So you want me to take this guard position, see what I can find out from the inside?"

"Exactly," Commander Shiro said, leaning forward and lowering his voice, "Nobody can know about this. It can't be official."

Keith gritted his teeth, cold spikes of fear finally inching their way through his muddled emotions. "I understand."

"Which is why I'll need your gun and your badge." Shiro said, and his own struggling in Shiro's face. That, more than anything, compelled him to reach slowly to remove the badge and ID from his breast pocket and the gun from his holster, placing them carefully on Commander Shiro's desk. Already, Keith felt their absence as a paradoxically added weight on his shoulders. His throat tightened at the sight.

He was being ridiculous, he knew. This was only temporary. Just until they could find out who was behind the disappearances and clear his name. But for some reason, it felt like he was losing a part of himself with those two, seemingly insignificant items. "You start tomorrow. I'll send you a few more things you'll need in the morning. You're to pick your charge up from the spaceport at midday." Shiro said, and Keith nodded vaguely, still sorting through his thoughts, then something occurred to him.

"Sir, which McClain son am I going to be guarding?" he asked.

"Ah, well," Shiro hesitated, his tone suspiciously bright, and Keith knew a glimmer of unease, "It's his second oldest. Lance McClain." Keith knew immediately why Commander Shiro had hesitated. Through his preliminary research on the family-owned McClain Company, Keith had looked into the President's family. From what he'd gathered in the innumerable tabloid articles about the second eldest of the McClain clan, he had an appetite for parties and philandering, and an aversion to anything resembling work. He wondered briefly why said son would be returning now to do exactly the opposite of what he apparently enjoyed, but the thought was quickly pushed aside by thoughts of all the preparations he'd need to make before he started his work tomorrow.

"I better get going if I'm going to be ready in time." Keith said, already feeling more centered. He was going to be doing something still. All hope was not lost.

"Right, I'll be as quick as possible about this." Commander Shiro said, then proceeded to brief Keith in more detail. After Keith signed the acceptance of the offer for employment, he was dismissed and he left his Commander's office.

Keith did his best to ignore the stares of his fellow - now former - officers as he left the precinct, but it was easier said than done. As the youngest officer ever to make detective in Altea City, he'd faced no small amount of resentment over the years. His half-Galran blood was even more salt on the wound. Now that he'd fallen from grace, the resentment was manifesting itself as knowing head shaking, vindictive glee, and even some aggravatingly pieous pity. Keith felt like punching something.

Keith scowled, finding it remarkably easy to feign the anger of someone who'd been wrongfully terminated. It wasn't far from the truth. Only his anger wasn't entirely for himself. He thought bitterly of the victims that had been so easily brushed aside. Forgotten. Keith would see this through. For them.

Despite his churning emotions and the oppressive stares, it seemed as if he was going to make it out of the precinct without incident when Officer Kent shoved his smug face in Keith's way. The man walked out of an adjoining hallway with his arms crossed casually, clearly having waited for Keith to approach on his way out. "I'm really sorry to hear about what happened," he said, voice pitched for Keith's ears only. The hallway around them was deserted. Clearly the guy had picked the spot for privacy.

Keith barely refrained from rolling his eyes. "I'm sure you are," he said, trying to shoulder past the man. This was one downside to not being truly fired. He couldn't burn this particular bridge the way it should be. With a well-placed fist to face. Unfortunately, he had work to do before tomorrow's pick-up, and he'd promised Shiro he wouldn't cause trouble.

Officer Kent side stepped, barring Keith's way. Keith glared, finally giving the officer his full attention.

"But really," the man said, all innocence. "Something like this was bound to happen when they made someone so young and inexperienced detective. Not to mention your...family history. It's not your fault, really."

Keith went still. He'd heard much worse than these veiled jibes since starting at the Altea Police Department, but he was in no mood for even polite conversation right now. "Tell me, Officer Kent," Keith said, "Is it inexperience that's kept you from making detective for six years? Or is it just incompetence?"

The man's face flushed red in anger in response, and Keith took the opportunity to try and shove roughly past him. If Officer Kent was a smarter man, he'd've left it there. Instead, he grabbed Keith roughly by the the arm and leaned forward to snarl in his face. "The only reason you were ever detective was because you were the APD's shining example of diversity and all that post-war harmony bullshit. But now the world can see you for the scum you are."

"Get your fucking hands off me, Kent." Keith said, voice dangerously low. No burning bridges he reminded himself inwardly, over and over like a mantra. Don't give this asshole what he wants.

"What's the matter? Not so tough without your Commander to hide behind, are you?" Officer Kent said, sneering, then cocked his free arm back to swing his fist at Keith's face.

The man had scarcely blinked before Keith easily knocked his fist to the side, twisted his arm free of the other man's grip, and punched him square in the face. The man fell like a log to his hands and knees, wheezing.

If he wasn't supposed to burn bridges, Keith decided as he stalked away, people like Kent shouldn't make them out of wood.

AN: Hello, sorry to anyone who was reading the original version of this that I ended up deleting! This version is a bit more well-planned, and, as a result, hopefully better. I'm playing with a trope I love, I only hope I pull it off halfway decently. The plan is to post every 1-2 weeks as I finish editing/writing. I've already got a few chapters written, and I was going to wait till they all were, but I have no patience lol. Please let me know what you think, good or bad. Any input is super helpful and appreciated. Thank you!