It's not unusual for crime to occur... The severity is what determines the rise it causes in the public and media. You get a shoplifting or a mugging, people shrug it off.

No big deal.

Now murders, bank hold ups, rapes... Those are the sorts of things that get you talking. And coming from me, a trained officer in the police force, I see this sort of thing a lot, as I specialize in the investigation for these sorts of crimes, as horrible as it sounds, I mean the ones that people actually care about. But someone has to do it, and other than flying, investigation is my favorite field of occupation.

My name is Hoagie Gilligan, and I'm here to try and put the bad guys away. And back not too long ago, when I was twenty four, I thought I was invincible, that the world could do what it wanted to me, but I would come out on top. And don't think just because I'm still here to tell you my story means that I was right... It's quite the opposite. I'm very much a vulnerable person, as most people are, and I found that out the hard way...

It takes a lot to shake a man up, however, some people know exactly how to do it. Some people, as you may know, don't function like the rest of us do. While you and I may be repulsed by the thought of taking another human being's life, there are some sick people out there who don't care. It's no skin off their bones, so why worry about it?

It's my job to put people like that away.

So here's where my story begins: I moved into a remote town, not one that much happens in, it goes by the name of Raritan. A harmless name, and for the most part, it was a relatively harmless place. The thing about small places like Raritan is that it attracts those who want to live a quiet, friendly life. One where you can walk anywhere and know everyone who crosses paths with you.

I was attracted to the thought of it because it meant less action. I became a cop so I can be there if needed, but that didn't mean I wanted to be needed at every hour of the day. I used to work in the city, working all day, and night. That's not who I am, I like to have some set times to rest, or I'm never in a good mood. So when Raritan offered me promised hours that ran no earlier than six p.m. and no later than two a.m., in addition to the absence of constant crime, I eagerly took the position and didn't look back.

I was used to the lonely life in an apartment all on your own, so when I transfered here, I took similar quarters in a small building not far from the center of town, and the station. It was the only building that housed people, everyone else owned their own house in various locations throughout Raritan. And even those who weren't right in town still benefitted, as it was a rather cramped area, so you were always close to the action. This also turned out well for me, a smaller town meant faster rounds patrolling.

In the way of acquaintances, I was sort of lacking, but I solved this in the city. I made friends with those who were of use to me when it came to investigations of crimes. It was a flawless win/win situation, one where I could have company in addition to having invaluable sources. Is that selfish of me?

Meh, I don't care.

Regardless, I was all on my own when I first moved in to Raritan, and it wouldn't be until my first major crime that things would change for me. But more on that in a moment...

I followed a strict routine: wake up at noon, eat lunch, play Halo for several hours, shower, work, repeat. Not really the most productive schedule, but hey, it was something I could rely on to constantly stay the same, until that aforementioned day where my life would change forever.

Straying from my consistently mapped out day was something that only happened once in a blue moon. I'd have to have gotten a work call, or have a lady friend over, to put some pants on before four in the afternoon. And July 17th was one of those rare occasions, and to my disappointment, it was not for the latter reason...

It was a quiet afternoon, about four o'clock and I was in the middle of making love to a pizza and beer. My apartment looked as though a tornado had ran through it, which was unfortunately not so uncommon. So when my phone started ringing, I searched desperately for it. Clothes were thrown about, my closets were raided, couches lifted, anywhere that phone should NOT have been was a prime location.

So needless to say, when I found my cell phone lodged in a bag of unfinished chips, I wasn't too surprised. I dropped the device seeing as it was covered in chip grease, and I hurried to see who had called. And I nearly shit myself when I saw that I had three missed calls from my new boss, Patton Drilovsky. The man was the same age as I, but damn... Was he scary... His hair was the same color as his heart, black. The man had no soul, I was convinced, and my new job as a cop of Raritan would have been perfect, had I not been working for this man.

But now that my rant is done, redirect back to the part where I freaked out and nervously dialed my phone, and each tone rung out in my head for what seemed like an eternity... Was I in trouble? Did he need me at the station? What could have driven Patton Drilovsky to call my while at home? This was clearly a first for me.

And then, the deadly dial tone was cut off, mid ring... "Gilligan?" I heard the voice of Patton Drilovsky growl at me... "There's been a murder outside of the train station. Get over there... NOW!" And then silence... Okay... That was most certainly not the call I was expecting... I was wondering how many murders he dealt with to sound so nonchalant about it?...

Regardless, I quickly changed into uniform and ran to the parking lot.

I was clearly called over seeing as I lived minutes away from the train station, so when I got there almost immediately, I was surprised I had been beat by so many other cops and medics. Lights were blaring all throughout the area, and I saw the taped off section directly in front of the train station...

Climbing over the tape, I looked around and saw my coworker, Lee. He was about two years younger than me and was obviously new to the force, because he was relieved to see me, someone with experience. "Oh thank goodness!" He said desperately, "We got one pronounced dead already, and one of them is still alive!"

Patton's phone call didn't describe multiple victims, but you don't have time to worry about such things when you've got a murder on your hands. So I looked around and saw one body covered up by a blanket, and medics surrounding another body. I approached the lifeless body and looked around the crime scene. I lifted the blanket up slowly to get a look to see if the victim's face had a place in my memory. However, when I checked, the victim didn't have a face to recognize...

"Shot 'em in the face... Whoever did this has impeccable aim..." Lee groaned, not able to look at the body. "The other one was shot in the shoulder and leg... she's alive, but they're suffering from shock, the medics are trying to help." The kid was not happy to be here, and he was definitely waiting for me to take over, so I figured I'd offer some relief.

"Step aside kid, let the pro handle this..." I hissed, pushing him aside. I surveyed the scene for a bullet or a knife... Anything I could have labeled a weapon, but I didn't find a thing... This murderer wasn't a pushover... They definitely knew their shit about the work that goes into post crime investigations... Figuring I wasn't going to find out anything from observation alone, I figured I would go see the surviving victim.

I looked at the woman, she had fiery red hair and freckles all over her face... I assumed that she was usually pale, but it's never easy to tell with these shock victims... I saw a medic attending her, he had her sitting on the curb, wrapped snugly in a blanket, and her attendant had a bottle of water in hand. He was fairly tall and had messy blond hair, and looked exhausted. "Here ya go, drink up. It'll help you get past the shock..." He offered the bottle to the woman, who looked completely unresponsive.

I walked up to him and said, "It's like she can't hear you..." I scratched my nose in an unnecessary manner. "Shock can do that to a person..."

The medic looked seriously pissed at my sarcasm and gave me a glare that I wished I didn't have to look at, "Thanks... I think I would know that..." His australian accent was obvious.

"Sorry!" I soon regretted trying to lighten things up, "I was just saying... So what can you tell me about her?" I pulled out my badge and he observed, "It'd be appreciated."

He scratched his head and laughed, "Please! I've been trying to get to her for an hour now! It's not worth your time yet, trust me. I can let you know where she'll end up in the hospital, the wounds were tended to, but she needs to stay with us for a while. You're more than welcome to visit her when she's back to talking."

This wasn't what I wanted to hear, but I figured I shouldn't try to talk to her now, she did seem pretty unresponsive... However, I wanted a little more than an invitation to come during visitation hours. "How about you let me come with you to the hospital?... I need to talk to her as soon as she's ready."

The medic was clearly not amused, "Pff! Yeah right! How about you let the professional handle the situation, you can talk to her tomorrow, like I said."

I took my badge and pushed it into his chest, "I'd say I'm about as professional as they come, pal." I didn't try to hide my frustration with his stubborn attitude.

He gave me a glare, but he knew I had authority, so he proceeded to help the woman up and guide her to the ambulance, he turned around and growled bitterly, "Just don't get in my way... Got it?"

I smiled at my small victory, and happily jumped into the back of the truck as my new 'friend' went to the front of the vehicle and started it. And we began our trip to the hospital located a couple of miles south.

A/N So yeah, I may be juggling three stories at the moment, but I feel like the best thing for me to do while I have writer's block is to write more for another story, so hopefully I'll at least be productive now... I hope? Well either way, I had fun writing this one, I enjoy the more serious writing, it's a nice break from comedy fics, so expect this when I'm on One Happy Island breaks. With that said, enjoy!