"It's an unknown statistic sir, we know that this is a serial offender, and appears to be a group, though we can't number them unfortunately-"
"
Why ever the hell not?"
"They know the camera system, sir, victims literally vanish with no trace... we can't say for sure that they're even alive, but there's no body evidence"
The BMW sat back in his seat, grumbling and scowling. He rubbed his hood slowly for a moment, before sighing. "So, we have no leads... no evidence, and the police are immediately calling them cold cases? What the hell happened to the basics?" He growled, the Citroen that was addressing the room swallowing a little.
"Um... well... They've tried to run forensic tests... they try and track vin numbers, study tracks, CCTV, but there's nothing. Whoever is doing this knows the system... they know what we look for, they know our processes... it's over within seconds, it's hidden... and we don't know how to begin tracking something that is invisible" The Citreon argued weakly, the BMW snapping his gaze up.
"This is ridiculous! What fucking shambles has the London Police turned into?!" He seemed to retort now, getting up and driving through the office. The other cars seemed to look to each other and shrink back, unsure what else to tell the head of CHROME. The BMW remained livid, beginning to throw obscenities and shout so loud the walls trembled. Considering most the offices were glass, noise wasn't too conditioned to the room, agents pausing and glancing up to Gearstrips office as a result. Shadow was amoung them, having taken a pause herself to study the pot of pens that flew across the room, making a audible clatter against the glass door, though she couldn't say she was surprised by the chaos. She didn't flinch when a large SuperCorsair approached her from behind, shrouding her in shade as the plane too raised her gaze to watch the 'entertainment'.
"What's got his axles in a twist this time?" Came the equally unvexed response from the Corsair, the Celica scoffing gently.
"Perhaps your budget finally got to him" She mused with a snicker, the plane letting out a chuff.
"About time" She grumbled, though saw the Citreon, as well as his colleagues, duck out the office and speed along the hall. Shadow pursed her lips, pondering a little.
"That's Jefferson... doesn't he work down the station?" Shadow asked now, the plane shrugging.
"I'm guessing that's code for something"
"What? No... I mean the police station"
"...How would I know, I'm stuck in my office with no budget"
"Stop being mopey about money"
"Stop exploding and I'd have more money and not need more budget to be mopey about"
"...Touche" The Celica pulled a face, before she heard her radio crackle.
"Carlisle, my office, now" Came the command of her boss, and she sighed, thumping her hood against her friend for a moment.
"It was nice knowing you" She mumbled to Wren, the place chuffing once more."I'll pick you out a nice burial grave"
"You always know what I need" Shadow smirked, cackling lightly as she turned and took to the ramps, her engine revving lightly as she built up a little speed. She rounded the top, seeing the grand glass office up close now, looking down over the balcony to see the bottom floor far below, making her shiver slightly at the height. It wasn't perhaps the most well designed, but no one had tried to jump... at least to harm themselves. The CCTV had caught her practicing her freefall once, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd landed in that much trouble, figuratively and literally.
She breathed out, opening the door, learning early that knocking only irritated him more.
"You called Sir?" She asked, closing the door behind her. The BMW looked up and nodded, making a gruff 'Hmph', and returned to frowning over paperwork whilst she sat in the chair opposite his desk, waiting for him to start yelling again. She glanced to the clock on the wall, noting how silent it was now... she could actually hear the rain pattering against the window, and the ticking of the clock itself.
"I'm sure you've heard of the kidnappings recently" He said pointedly, and Shadow glanced up again.
"I have sir... Eighteen cars in four weeks... all female, but the police are still looking" She replied, blinking a little. The BMW tossed the paperwork on the desk so it faced her.
"Twenty One now... and the Police have pretty much stopped looking" He said now with a growl in his tone. She took the paperwork, looking over the first page, seeing the cars profile images.
"Stopped? But why?" She asked, frowning herself as she flicked to the next page.
"God fucking knows why. Bunch of useless fat oafs" He spat, moving out from behind his desk and staring out the window to the rain, the weather only mildly reflecting his mood. She twisted her lip as she saw the women didn't have a huge amount in common... perhaps save for being within the same age gap as the others, though that was still pretty lengthy, dipping from as low as 18, to as high as 36, which was a strange age to stop at, to her at least.
"So they handed it to us?" She asked, before he nodded. "Basically" He muttered back. She sighed, sitting in her seat and looking over the papers once again, though knew that they wouldn't spit out any more useful information.
"Sir I hate to ask but, you wouldn't call me up if you didn't want me to do this so... what am I, bait?" She asked with a sigh, to which he tilted his hood.
"Not quite... I need you to witness one... we suspect this is a large group, and we can't afford to lose a good agent to this" He said now, still watching out the window, the Celica grinning.
"Aww you think I'm a good agent?" She asked, to which he snapped a glare to her in his mirror.
"Don't lose focus Carlisle" He said now, but her grin was already wide. "But.. I can't deny you were trained by one of the best in the business" He added, the Celica seeming to blink, and glance down, a forlorn look on her face.
"I miss him" She let herself admit, the BMW turning.
"Turbos death was unfortunate. And we are all still suffering, but I'm positive that you'll take his place" He asserted, trying to ensure the Celica kept on target. She seemed to recover from her moment off guard, and raised her hood again.
"What do we know so far about these women" She asked, tapping her tire on the files. He cleared his throat in response.
"Well, the age differs least of all, but the occupations are all different, makes, models, shapes and sizes are all different... It's a tough one. There's no evidence and it happens all off camera. The chief reckons this was an ex-officer of some kind, they're very familiar with the grid system, and the timings of CCTV switchover" He listed, and she nodded, frowning at the carpet.
"What about the last seen camera locations?"
"Also varied. Times of day are different, there's no system, no regularities... serial offenders usually slip up eventually, but twenty one... it's suspected there must be more than one. Perhaps a whole group" He explained."I want you to go to one of the locations that we suspect the last one was taken from. Perhaps you can search out something that the police haven't trampled over, and get something we're missing... failing that, we're going to get you a team together for patrols... see if we can actually witness one" He commanded, to which she saluted.
"Sounds like a plan sir"
"Dismissed"
He nodded now, and she left, her mind reeling a little. The biggest case that was shaking London by storm... and she was the agent to try and solve it. It was her biggest case by far, and a tremor of excitement settled in her tank. She almost slammed into Wren as she raced back down the ramps, weaving beneath her friend as the plane blinked, half turning to see Shadow shout out her sorry, then race off out the large glass back doors.
It wasn't the streets that Shadow was desperate to get to, however. In the car back of the CHROME grounds, sat the graveyard. She slowed down as she moved through the gate, the aura of the place seeming dark and quiet, in comparison with the rest of London. She weaved inbetween the stones, being respectful as she went, and eventually stopped at one in particular. It was better looked after than the others, for she was really the only one to come, her eyes following the letters that never failed to send shivers through her frame.
Leland Turbo.
She stood in silence, hearing the rain patter against her metal skin, feeling it run down her sides and hood. It was always a place to reflect, though it also made her hauntingly aware that even the greatest agents could be killed, herself included... and sometimes it was hard to wrap her mind around that one day she too would pass, and there was nothing she could do. It was easy to forget she couldn't live forever.
"So, I got a big case..." She spoke softly, looking to the tombstone. "It's huge, I'm sure we would have had a blast figuring it out... though... I'll be honest I don't know where to begin..." She said softly, half chuckling. Silence met her, though she was used to this... even though part of her wanted him to speak back, though honestly she would freak out if he did.
"Is it ok to admit I'm scared, too? I want to help these women and help protect London but... how do I take on a group? Or an experienced officer?" She asked, biting her lip. She waited for a few more moments, reaching to wiped the stone down a little, seeing some dirt had collected in her absence.
"You know they don't talk back, right?" A voice said gently, the Celica not having to turn around to know it was Wren.
"Probably a good thing" Shadow said softly, the water dripping off her fender. Wren watched her carefully, seeing Shadow still so torn up was just as equally upsetting... though she had more come to terms with death, many years ago.
"Do you honestly want to spend your adult life talking to a guy that won't talk back? I know I'm not an expert with relationships but I'm certain this one won't work" The plane mused, rain running off her nose.
"Most women want men that don't talk" She managed a small smile.
"Yes but most women want men that are alive"
"Besides, it wasn't like that. He was my mentor... I just wish I could hear his thoughts... tell me how to improve and get better..."
She sighed, pursing her lips.
"Here's one.. stop talking to dead guys"
"You're stupid"
"Your face is stupid"
Before the Celica knew it, the next morning had rolled around, and so had the beginning of her mission. She cracked an eye open at the sound of the rather irritating and grating alarm, having been deliberately set by Leland many years ago, and she had never got round to changing it. It was the only noise that got her up, after all. She slammed her tire on the top, sighing as she slumped in bed.
Mornings were always the hardest, and in a way, she found that they hadn't gotten better since the Runwells death, the Toyota huffing herself to her tires, shaking herself over to blearily look out at the pink sunrise. She twisted her lip, watching out at the peace, and letting a shakey exhale escape her lungs. It could go so wrong... and she had a feeling that it potentially would. There was a rap at the door, and she was dragged away from her inner thoughts, and meandering to the door, peering through the peep hole, seeing nothing but nose and propeller. She rolled her eyes and undid the latch, seeing the hulking great plane hunched up in the hallway.
"I don't have time to listen about your Lord and Saviour" She muttered, the Corsair raising a brow as she pushed into the Celica's small apartment.
"Oh? And who's that?"
"Plane Jesus"
"So... Plesus?"
Wren grinned a little, to which the Celica giggled.
"No, Jane" She responded, the plane chortling. "But seriously, why are you here?" Shadow asked, moving to get in the shower, leaving the door open as she started the water, Wren setting herself in the living area, the room with the tallest ceiling. She used her prop to knock about a small cushion, entertained by the pattern sewn on.
"I have to sync up your tracker and health monitor before you go... seeing as you aren't going to CHROME first, figured I'd come here" She said now, to which Shadow figured she understood, jumping into the shower.
"But what about your place?!" She called over the rush of water, scrubbing herself down. The plane shrugged.
"You're here. So figured why not. That sorta. Thing" Came the staggered statement, met with silence, before the water shut off, and Shadow stuck her hood out the door, studying the Corsair, before a shit eating grin appeared on her face.
"There's a man at your place"
"No! That's not-No! That is not what's...no" Wren defend, blowing air from her cowling, the Celica giggling and sliding down the doorframe.
"Ooooooooh Wren... was he handsome? Did he rock your world?" She smirked, half drying herself, then sauntering over to where the Corsair sat. She slung her hook round the others props, swinging up to sit on her nose. "Did he show you who's boss? Oh WREN!" She called out now, the plane scowling and shaking her nose so the car slipped off, using her props to flip Shadow and hold her down whilst she took a small plug to her tracker.
"Oh my... never knew you swung this way either. I'm not like your man friend, I want dinner first" She cackled, Wren rolling her eyes.
"Stop talking" She muttered, taking the readings from the tracker, and then shoving the car away, letting her get to her tires. Shadow shook her hood, and smirked again.
"That was quick... Can't have been that bad then"
Wren rolled her eyes. "I've synchronized everything, so I can track your health, major changes in stress, anxiety and emotion in general, plus if you're stabbed" She mused, to which Shadow nodded.
"Yes yes... let me guess... you're expecting that" She huffed, following the plane to the door. Wren half smirked.
"Something like that" She snickered, before turning a little. "But be careful" She added with a more tender tone, the Celica nodding.
"I'm all over it"
"That's what I'm worried about"
Shadow quickly checked the time, noting a couple hours had passed since she had set up her 'camp', hidden within the shelter of a darkened alley, higher up on a shed roof that overlooked a street. She fidgeted, feeling parts start to get sore and cramped, huffing. This was a previous site of a kidnapping, and she'd situated herself out of camera range, noting where each one was, and trying to map a path that had to be taken to avoid being seen. She noted one camera twisted back and forth every few minutes, making the window of opportunity small, but not impossible.
She yawned a little, rubbing her eyes to try and remain focused, not having to wait too much longer, before all her luck pulled out the stops. She could see a lone female, moving along and texting on her phone, too busy to notice her surroundings, and probably ignoring every instinct possible. Shadow kept back watching and waiting, almost hoping for something to happen, though she knew how bad that sounded.
The female seemed to pause, finishing her message, and glancing up, figuring out where to go, as the Celica activated her camera to record. What seemed like a life time, was in theory a few seconds, as the female glanced back to her phone, and drove off again, out of sight. Shadow puffed out, almost certain that perhaps something would happen... though when she thought about it, London was huge... they could strike anywhere, at anytime, and realistically, the chances of her witnessing it on her first day was slim. And they probably wouldn't even return to the same place. Rookie move.
She sighed, realizing how much she could have screwed up already, and how much time she'd wasted, annoyed and frustrated at herself. Leland would never have made that mistake.
The Celica judged her jump, leaping down from the shed, and looking round, taking to the quiet street and driving along slowly, taking in the clouded sky above, yet more rain inbound. She move along the winding cobblestone path, separate to the main busy roads, a nice change to the hustle and bustle. She noted the walls closing in a little, and seemed to falter, contemplating going back to the main roads, haring the patter of rain once more as it started light, quickly turning to a downpour. Water streamed down her hood and back, dripping off her bumper, as she stretched, deciding to back track a little to be in the public eye. She only made it a few feet however, before a black shape rushed past her front, and she stopped immediately, suspicion already taking over.
"Who was that?!" She called, frowning a little, seeing another flash behind her. She turned, trying to catch it in her sight again, before she deliberately backed into the wall, so she could cover all her sides.
"Show yourself, or I'll just have to shoot you still!" She growled a little, seeing the shapes seem to change around her. She huffed, drawing her weapon, and this seemed to cause whatever was stalking her, to take pause. This only lasted a few seconds however, before a rush of activity caused the Celica's mind to spin, having less than a millisecond to react.
A blur raced at her front, hitting her hard and winding her, whilst another rammed into her side, further stunning the Toyota as she half tried to spin, to get a good view at who it was. All she could glimpse was black shapes, piercing eyes as they circled her and rammed her again, a third, and fourth appearing. Who were they? What did they want? She didn't really have the time or mental capacity to properly ask those questions, only relax. She clicked her gun and shot, apparently missing as the shapes rammed her again, pressing her into the wall, metal scraping and sparking along the pavement. She yelped, as she felt her side erupt into pain, gritting her teeth as she twisted her tire and fired another shot, hitting her mark as another car seemed to stop, crying out as he skid to a halt. She could now see his form was covered, nothing showing save for his eyes, the SUV snarling as he glared at her. She took this moment to fire again, and then start on those that surrounded her, though her mind was foggy, and she couldn't understand why. She seemed to become more disoriented, drunkenly moving to the side as she realized they were backing off her for a moment, and she surged forward to ram one, and once again shoot another, catching them on their fender, the Celica falling forward with a heavy thump.
There was a strong smell, and she panted, wildly looking around to those that closed in, realizing they'd drugged her... but how? She shifted her body, desperate to leave, but it wouldn't respond and felt like it wasn't her own.
Her eyes were heavy, and she slumped in place pathetically, heart racing as she feebly attempted one last time to escape, though couldn't, her form paralyzed for her attackers to steal.
Despite her groggy and clouded head, she felt herself being moved, blindfolded and bound, her movements restricted, the only thing she could do was blink, feeling herself being towed, and pushed along. Her tires felt fuzzy, but she could tell she was moving from road to grass, then back again, and then gravel. The voiced around her were muffled, and one apparently making a call, but the Celica was moving through the several stages of being drugged, hardly able to stand, let alone free herself.
She couldn't know what time had passed from the time she was apprehended, to the time they finally stopped, but she was exhausted, and only wanted to sleep. She felt them let her go, before being shoved violently forward, hitting a concrete floor, her chin banging the surface, her teeth slicing into her tongue. She slowly got to her tires, spitting out the blood, realizing her gag had been removed. She was about to call out, when a tire slammed her hood into the floor again, pinning her down. She held the individual stoop to her level, apparent that this was some large truck, despite still being blindfolded.
"You've certainly been some fucking trouble..." He hissed, the Celica snarling in a low tone.
"I'm here to give you a lesson... you're to forget your old life... you're never going to see it again. You belong to us..." She could hear the sick smirk in his voice, the growl rippling and low. She thrashed a little, snarling and panting from the effort.
"Fuck you" She snapped, though it only echoed more dark chuckles from around her.
"For the shit you just pulled... your punishment will be slow... you'll hurt so bad you'll wish for death... but it won't come, only pain, suffering" He snarled into her ear, and she thrashed again.
"I don't think you heard me the first time... Fuck. You" She seethed in anger, the truck lifting his tire and slamming it onto her hood again painfully. Her blindfold was ripped from her eyes, and she blinked quickly, squinting as she hurriedly took in her surroundings. A large grey room, the dark burgundy truck that towered above her blocking the only light source in the room, and she was surrounded by piercing stares, and cruel snarls and snickers.
She was easily outnumbered, a good twenty other cars visible, all males, and all staring at her as if she were a mere dog. She snarled again, the truck sneering.
"You'll learn to fall in line...You'll fucking pay, bitch" He growled, raising his tire to once more strike her, the Celica bracing for impact, before a loud voice called across the room, echoing off the walls, causing everything to pause in it's place.
"ENOUGH!"