Ch 1. Power

Steve Sloan heard the scream before he saw its source, and immediately took off running in the direction of the sound. He was on duty, and investigating his latest case, trying to turn what few leads he had into something to make an arrest stick. He'd been about to enter a grocery store to get the surveillance tapes, when the scream had captured his attention. He rounded the corner at a run, mentally congratulating himself on keeping his balance, and kept going. His feet took him to an alley, and down it, still going at top speed. The scream had stopped, and then risen again, sounding muffled; filled with pain and fear.
He forced himself to pick up speed, reaching for his gun, as he caught sight of two men and a girl down the alley. The men looked up at the sound of his pounding feet, and took off in the other direction: towards where the alley met a busier street. Steve started after them, calling out for them to stop, but one look at the girl stopped him in his tracks. He dropped to a knee beside her and glanced at the quickly retreating forms of the men, holstered his gun, and felt for a pulse. There, but weak. He shook his head slowly, and was just reaching for his cell phone when sudden, white-hot agony blossomed in the back of his head. Seeing stars, but managing to fight off the blackness trying to engulf him, Steve slumped forward onto the girl's legs. Rolling slowly off of her, he turned over and reached for his gun.
Pain exploded through him again as the figure above him lashed out with a kick to Steve's stomach. Doubling over, his fingers going limp as he wrapped his arms around his stomach, he forgot the gun in the pain. The man picked him up by the shirt and threw him into the alley wall. Stars shone against the returning blackness as Steve's head hit, and he collapsed to the ground. He fought off the urge to vomit and looked up. Another kick hit his ribs and he bit his tongue to keep from screaming when he heard ribs cracking. His right arm was grabbed, used to roll him on his stomach, and pulled up. The man yanked suddenly, placing his foot on Steve's shoulder blade, and breaking Steve's arm over his thigh, the break just above the elbow. Steve again stifled a scream, but was unable to mask a whimper. A fist connected hard with his jaw, and this time the stars stuck around longer. Just as the yawning blackness was retreating he felt something hard connect with the back of his head. The dark, which has just moments ago been fading, rushed back to take him in.

//Power! Oh yes, this was power!// The man didn't bother to stifle his laugh. He'd shown that Steve Sloan. Yes, he'd shown him good. The man kicked Steve again, viciously, in his rib cage and something more cracked. He laughed again, reminding himself to keep it quiet. If he were quiet he'd be fine. Sloan hadn't even put up a fight, and had been so busy not showing his pain that he didn't allow himself to cry out for help. The man had seen how Sloan had bit his tongue to keep from screaming. //Pride,// the man thought, and this thought silenced his laughter.
The man sent another kick into Steve's unconscious form, all but snarling in hatred. Pride, yes. Sloan had been proud to kill his son, hadn't he? He had sent his son to his death. His son, only just nineteen, had been arrested for robbing a store and beating the clerk for not relinquishing the money fast enough. And Sloan had been the officer to make the arrest. He, and that father of his, had sent his son to prison where he'd been killed: gang beat by the other prisoners and killed before the guards could break up the fight. And now…
//Now I'll have my revenge. On both of the Sloans.// He smiled as he looked down on the still form at his feet. He was fighting for every breath, but soon he would have none to fight for. Soon...but not quite yet. The man bent, pulled Sloan's cell phone from his jacket pocket, and placed it in the detective's right hand. When he woke up, and he would wake up, the man was sure of that, he would call Community General. He would be rushed to the hospital and his father would be frantically worried about his precious son. And then… The man smiled coldly. //Then Steve Sloan will die, there in the hospital, and his old man will be next. Yes, this truly is power.// In high spirits, the man jumped easily over Steve's still form, and walked away.