Parking tickets.
Felicity never hated anything as much as she hated parking tickets. Rats? Spiders? Heights? Bees? Nope, she still hated parking tickets more than those skin crawling items. She barely got out of bed in the morning nowadays, because this wasn't what she signed up for when she joined the force. She was the first eighteen year old female cop who managed to surpass all her male classmates in everything. For Christ sake, she graduated top of her class and what does she get in return? Parking duty.
It's an insult to all the hard work and effort she wasted.
Maybe the Academy didn't care that she finished high school when she was fourteen, or that she studied cyber security and IT in MIT when she was seventeen. Maybe that's why a majority of idiots thought joining the force was their place to be, mainly because it didn't require any brains. (That's where they're wrong, too. Unless you want to work at the front desk, or stand as a security guard outside the station, then maybe not using your brain might work out for you.)
Felicity sighed, and pushed her foot on the pedal, heading straight to her favorite burger joint on the other side of town. Star-tropolis was a huge city, filled with so many opportunities, and she knew that she could leave this job any second now, and still manage to make a life for herself here. Many huge firms were looking for people who had some IT skills, or anyone who knew how to use programs like C++ (believe it or not, people flinch when you just mention its name, but it's one of the easiest programs out there. Try Malbolge or Brainfuck, and then you'll really reconsider your life choices) and she would be more than qualified for any of those jobs.
But her damn dreams had led her here. Because Felicity had to be one of those people who wanted to do something with their life, as cliche as that sounds. She wanted to save people, and - oh god, she sounds like one of those narrators on those god awful rom-coms she sleeps through.
The joint was shockingly empty, despite the fact that it was rush hour. Felicity normally had to grab her meal to-go and munch on it on the way to wherever she was headed, but for once, she actually had the chance to sit down. Something was very odd about today, and she didn't have a good feeling about it.
Felicity slumped down on her seat and groaned very loudly, only to hear a deep chuckle coming from behind the counter. She slowly lifted her head to find Roy Harper smiling down at her with gleaming eyes. "Tough day?"
"Don't get me started," Felicity grumbled, accepting a cup of coffee and staring at the white mug. "You know, when I first started here, I thought my life would be so hectic I wouldn't have the time to take a breath. I joined the academy to feel the rush and the adrenaline, but the only thing I feel from time to time are bone-chilling glares sent my way when I place a parking ticket on someone's window. Hey, I was only thirty seconds late. Hey, you're the reason why i'm drowning in debt. Remember that the next time you ruin someone's life. Who knew Tropolies were so moany?"
Roy watched her in amusement, and was very thankful his favorite blabbermouth decided to come for a visit on one of the slowest days on earth. "It's obvious you're not from here since you call us denizens Tropolies. Is that what Centralies call us?" Roy mocked, dodging Felicity's punch. "Plus, I wasn't aware of how tough it was to click a couple of buttons and place a paper under someone's windshield."
"Wow, aren't you in the mood to make someone feel better?" Felicity bitterly shot back, not having any of it. This encounter reminded her of why she always took her stuff to-go, and for a millisecond there, Felicity wished Roy's step sister Laurel was here instead. And boy, that's saying a lot since the two of them were never on good terms. After Laurel got kicked out of the Academy for failing one of her assignments, the two never saw eye to eye. It was quite sad, Felicity was actually starting to be rather fond of the brunette.
"I'm sorry, I'll cut it out. But seriously, is that what you call us back in Central City? I've never met anyone from there, since you guys are so full of yourselves, leaving town is like committing a crime."
"You can't help but somehow indirectly insult me in every sentence you utter, huh, Roy?" Felicity raised an eyebrow, watching his features and noticing how he squinted his eyes. Felicity was convinced that everyone was an open book, and the key to reading them is making them feel uncomfortable, which was exactly what she was doing. But the tough part of it all was finding out how to make said person uncomfortable, and that took a lot of time and effort of button pushing to crack the code. "And no. No one even talks about Star-tropolis, believe it or not. We have it all there, with, you know... being the center of the city, so they really don't bring it up."
"Then what brought you here?"
"I got transferred here. Actually - the right term is assigned. Apparently they have more than enough cops to handle parking duty back there than over here."
Roy shot her a smile filled with pity, and Felicity turned away, wanting none of it. The world was harsh, and getting what you wanted didn't happen with the snap of a finger. Nothing ever came to you on a shiny platter. She knew she wouldn't get to be chief or detective on her first day, even though she really wished they would've given her a chance. She knew that if she had the chance to show them what she was capable of, then maybe they would've regretted all the wasted hours she put on parking duty. "So you didn't want to come here?"
"Oh no," Felicity shook her head as Roy placed a chicken burger, fries and vanilla milkshake in front of her. "I was always curious about what happens outside of Central City. Maybe I didn't have Star-tropolis in mind at the time, but a change of scenery is nice. This place isn't as bad as I pegged it to be. But regardless of that - I was actually glad to be assigned here."
"Yeah?" Roy asked suspiciously, not believing any of it. He was obviously a Troopolie, always doubting the words of a Centralie when it came to complimenting or saying anything remotely nice about their city.
"Yeah. Haven't you heard? We have a shitty police department back home." Roy barked out a laugh, and ruffled Felicity's hair. Felicity was about to give him another punch before the doorbell dinged, signaling the arrival of a new customer. Roy's eyes shot up, and he gave Felicity a knowing look before departing.
Felicity turned around, having a horrible gut feeling it might be Laurel, since Roy had that look on his face and maybe even after all this time she wasn't prepared to see her again, only to see a young man with a hoodie on his head and wild cerulean eyes. His eyes met hers for a split second before he disappeared in a long row of booths. Felicity turned back around and ignored the bad feeling, knowing he was nothing more than a normal boy.
"I got you something to eat from Greasy Burgers!" Felicity sang, shutting the door behind her and walking towards her closest friend in the city. Well - as close as you can get to somebody in a time span of three months. Ray Palmer looked up from his laptop and grinned, sticking his arms out for a hug. When Felicity leaned in to give him one, he snatched the bag away from her and held it too close, as if he feared she might eat it. "Gee, what a nice way to greet someone when they go out of their way to get you some food."
"Oh, shut up and stop pretending like you didn't unleash the beast in you at Greasy Burgers. God forbid people at the station see a beast walking their way, with many parking tickets following her as she goes."
"Knock it off." Felicity said, grabbing a piece of his chicken fries and throwing it in her mouth. A good way to hurt Felicity's feelings or ruin her mood was to mention her day job, but Ray didn't have that effect on her, and she was glad. If he did, she'd probably die of hurt feelings. "How's everything going? Did you manage to crack the code?"
"Not yet. I don't know how they're doing all this when they're just a bunch of kids."
"What's the case about, anyway?" Felicity nonchalantly asked, hoping she could pull some information from him. Ray looked back up and gave Felicity a knowing gaze. Of course. "Come on. I'm working for the force, it's not like i'm some outsider who's going to leak everything. I said the oath and all. You can trust me."
"It's not that, Felicity. I don't mind telling you, but you're better off without knowing. I can barely sleep at night thinking about all this, and the last thing I want to do is cause you more distress. Parking duty is a nightmare already, you really don't need another one."
"I can take care of myself pretty well; don't worry about me. I might be able to help. You know - be your ears and eyes in the city. I'm almost always outside and some intel wouldn't hurt, right? Plus, it's not like I have anything better to do. I can chat and feel some people up during my free time."
"Feel people up," Ray repeated, tossing his head back as a laugh rippled right through him. Count on Ray to ignore every serious thing that slipped out of your mouth and focus on something else entirely. "Don't do that. Stick to whatever you do."
"Ray," Felicity moaned, already fed up of his antics. She stomped her foot on the ground and gave him the most serious look she could muster. "I can help you out."
Ray scanned her expression and sighed after a few seconds, shaking his head and cursing to himself. Felicity sat down on the chair on the opposite side of the table, and raised her eyebrows, slowly growing impatient of his sudden quietness. He turned his laptop in her direction and sighed. "There's this group of guys that appeared in Star-tropolis. Don't know who's the leader or who's the assistant. We haven't even figured out who works for them yet, which is unbelievably frustrating on my part, but they're a dangerous group. Are you sure, Felicity?"
"I am," Felicity nodded her head and held his gaze, trying to convince him that this was what she wanted when she joined the academy. Ray clicked a button and numerous documents started appearing in front of her, one pile on top of the other. Iit was slowly becoming hard to concentrate on what was written before another one would appear in front of her. Almost a thousand documents opened before it stopped and a small white page appeared, filled with absolutely nothing but question marks. Felicity scanned the document and furrowed her eyebrows.
Witnesses? None.
Suspects? None.
Locations? None.
It was an empty case, and Felicity finally understood Ray's frustration. They were literally and figuratively chasing a ghost, and there was nothing that could lead them in the right direction. "What am I exactly looking at?" Felicity asked, instinctively playing with the ring on her finger.
Ray sighed and shook his head, running his hands through his hair and messing it up. "Nothing. You're staring at nothing. We have this empty case we're supposed to solve, and we don't have enough time to crack it. Everyone on the force is somehow working on this case, and yet after all that you'd think we'd have a witness, at least, but - nothing."
"So, let me get this straight - we don't know who we're dealing with?"
"Eh… not exactly. We have gathered things up, but they're not enough to be classified as proof or evidence so nothing can really be put on the file. As far as we're concerned, we have a group of… i don't know, thugs, running around and we can't even inform anyone because we might be wrong."
"We're just letting people walk around at night without them being aware of what's happening? How hasn't anyone spoken up about this? How long has this been happening? Ray, we have to do something!" Felicity couldn't believe what she was hearing. The people who were supposed to ensure safety to their citizens were keeping something big from them. What scared Felicity the most was how her fingers were trembling, and she still didn't know what it was.
"We're - I - am trying. I'm doing everything I can, but you don't understand how tricky this entire thing is. I can't go and tell the Chief what I found, because it might be wrong. Many cops found something, and it was a false alarm, and it led to a lot of mayhem. That's what we're trying to avoid."
"Okay, okay. No chaos. Understood," Felicity nodded, partly understanding why the whole situation was under wraps. She didn't agree with the decision, but her opinion was nothing. It wasn't important. This case was important. "What are we dealing with?"
"Muggings, I think. People have been disappearing for the past three months from various parts of the city, and were later placed at the location they disappeared from with severed limbs, a cracked skull, two missing fingers among many other grueling details. But the confusing part of it all was how none of it seem connected. The people they take, the injuries they have… it's like staring at a white paper and trying to decipher some code that isn't there," Ray quickly mumbled, clicking another button on his computer. "But I recently found something, or at least I think I did - I checked all CCTVs, websites, firms to see if they might have anything to do with it all and I stumbled on some piece of information, but i'm not sure if it's related or if i'm just desperate for a connection."
A page appeared on the screen, and it was a month old. It was from a medical center named Q.C.C Labs located in Coast City, which was not too far from Star-tropolis. It was a thirty minute drive from Greasy Burgers. The article mentioned a scientist whose name was nowhere to be found. He wanted to start an experiment on humans to enhance their brain activity. The article was filled with mumbo jumbo, and any Med student would laugh at how absurd the whole idea was, because it was impossible - and that was coming from an IT student who knew batshit about the human's anatomy. (Lie. She got a full grade in AP Biology, and could still babble about any organ as if she were a biology major.)
Felicity turned back to Ray with a confused expression plastered on her face, "I'm a little confused here. Where's the connection?"
"The lab was closed almost exactly around the same time the muggings began, and what this scientist wanted to do at the beginning was to see how fast a person could heal after injecting them with this brain enhancing serum."
"So you think he stole those people, used them as guinea pigs, and then threw them back out when it didn't work out?" Felicity repeated, her brain wanting to explode with all the assumptions she had flying around. "Didn't you have these people tested after they were found?"
"We did. We ran every possible test out there, but the remnants of the serum were nowhere to be found. Thus, the reason why I didn't approach anyone about what I found. No evidence. Just talk." Ray shook his head, chuckling to himself. "Hypothetically speaking, this could be it. Is it too absurd?"
"No, not at all. It almost completely makes sense, if the you throw the no-evidence part aside." Felicity reread the article, memorizing certain words. Maniac. Imprisoned. Coast City. Humans. Enhancement. A better future. She almost shuddered at the way things were phrased. "Coast City - what do we know about it?"
"That's our problem," Ray sighed, grabbing his coffee and completely abandoning the food she got him. "There's nothing we don't know about the city. It's completely normal. They barely have crimes there, because of how poor they actually are. Most criminals in Star-tropolis and Central City originally come from Coast City. They can't be trusted when it comes to anything they say. Even their documents and reports could be false."
"Is it because of their biology?" Felicity quietly asked, already knowing the answer. When the Cold War occurred, the cities weren't divided. They all fell under one large city called Rhode City. But the war was so bad, everything was getting out of hand, and victory was a finger away from us until they released a nuclear bomb to Coast City's side and everything got ruined. That nuclear bomb altered something in people's genetics, and it made them completely untrustworthy. Every word that came out of their mouths were laced with lies, and they were sly people. They only did something if it benefited them in a way. That bomb waged a border in Rhode City, which later got divided to Star-tropolis, Central City and Coast City. Up until this day, no one wanted to come near anyone who was from there, afraid that whatever they did, it was never something good.
"Unfortunately, it is. You'd think after all these years they'd all put that behind us. Maybe over generations the effect of the bomb wore off, and they were no longer like that." Ray tried, but he knew damn well stuff like that didn't happen. Genetic alterations never just simply wore off.
Felicity opened her mouth to say something, before Ray's phone burst to life and his ringtone echoed in the quiet room. He excused himself and took the call outside the room, trapping Felicity in there by herself. She flipped through a couple of documents on his table, reading the names of the victims.
Sandra Ballow. Aria Rutterfield. Jake Maxon. Albert Montgomery.
None of them were big names, and they all led fairly simple lives. Some of them were falling in debt, so money wasn't the issue. Felicity was slowly understanding they didn't follow a pattern, and how difficult it was to understand who they were going for next. Gardener. Accountant. Surgeon. Designer. Student. Eighteen. Fourteen. Sixty-five. Twenty-nine. Forty.
Felicity closed the files, and rubbed her face. This was too much to take in in just an hour, and she wondered what would've happened if she didn't insist on knowing. How many other people would've been kidnapped before they aired it on the news? How many other people would be tortured and dumped on the ground before they had a clue? How many other people would die before they'd ultimately pick her?
Ray entered the room, and Felicity thanked every living spirit and every Greasy burger out there that he came in right before she went overboard with all these thoughts. Ray looked worried, and a little out of it when he entered the room, and Felicity found herself standing up and gripping his face in her hands before she registered it. He uttered five words that sent goosebumps all over her body, and she almost wished she was back at home, simply worrying about how boring her day would be tomorrow when she was on parking duty.
"Felicity, they found another body."