The Trial of McKeen

This is my first fan fiction story, so please be nice

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CHAPTER ONE

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The Las Vegas Police Department Forensics Division sat in the Conference Room, waiting for Catherine to give them their assignments. All except Nick looked forward to this, although his new bed was to blame for his tiredness.

"Did you get a good rest last night?" asked Riley.

"No" replied Nick. "Stupid bed..."

Catherine entered the room and everyone sat up.

"OK, guys, here are your assignments" she said. "Nick, Riley, there's been a prison escape at Las Vegas State Prison, two guards and one inmate killed, I need you down there."

"Sure thing, Cath" said Nick.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Catherine repeated Riley's question.

Nick gave her a sarcastic smile and walked out of the room with Riley. Catherine finished giving out the assignments.

"Greg, Ray, there's been a shootout in West Las Vegas. Two dead...and I've got a stolen car in Winchester..."

The last of the CSIs headed off to their respective crime scenes.

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When Nick and Riley arrived at Las Vegas State Prison, they were amazed at the destruction caused. The thick concrete wall that should have towered over them lay in a crumbled pile. It gave them a further view of the mesh fence cage the prisoners were restricted to at Exercise Time. That too had been ripped off its supports and felled to the ground.

"What could have done this?" said Riley. "It looks like a tank or one of those army helicopters..."

The signs of an explosion were clearly visible, as soot covered the walls and ground among flaming bits of rubble.

A correctional officer ran over to them. He had a bruise on his head and is uniform was covered in rips and tears.

"We're from the LVPD Forensics Division" said Nick. "What happened?"

"We're not too sure" the guard explained. "We were taking the prisoners back inside when it happened. This loud bang and then the walls just...fell on us."

"Do you want to see a medic?" asked Riley.

"I've seen one" said the guard, continuing. "The coroner is in the yard with the bodies. It's pretty bad. The wall fell on top of them."

Nick and Riley went into the yard. Super Dave watched the paramedics take one of the bodies away.

"Super Dave, what's going on?" asked Nick.

"The inmate and one of the guards were badly crushed by the rubble. They're completely unidentifiable. The other guard is here." He led them behind the pile. The officer had several burns across his hands and was covered in blood.

"The burns suggest he was near the cause of the explosion when it went off" said Riley, taking a sample. "Perhaps he even set it off..."

"You think he was a crook?" asked Nick. "If he did set it off, there wouldn't be anything here."

"How do you blow up a prison wall and kill three people just for one prisoner to escape?" Dave asked.

"I don't know" said Riley. Out of nowhere, Brass appeared. They hadn't seen him around.

"Brass, where did you come from?" asked a surprised Nick.

"Nick, Riley, I've spoken to the Warden. All the prisoners except one have been accounted for..."

"Which one isn't?" asked Nick. "Is it the dead one?"

"No" said Brass. He looked nervous, almost hesitant to say it.

"Who was it?" asked Nick again.

Brass spoke. "Jeffrey McKeen."

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"Today, a prisoner who escaped from Las Vegas State Prison by orchestrating an explosion killing three people has been identified as Jeffrey McKeen, the disgraced former Deputy Chief of Police of Las Vegas. McKeen, arrested for shooting Warrick Brown, a police CSI, was to go to trial this month. A manhunt commissioned by the Governor of Nevada has begun. People will notice most highways, airports and harbours have heavy security and will probably be closed until further notice."

In a motel in Alamo, Nevada, Jeffrey McKeen smiled as he watched the news report. Those dumb guards didn't see it coming. Lou Gedda may be dead, but his friends sure aren't. Soon, he'd find Nick Stokes, the one who made him suffer for the last two months in a dark jail cell and do to him what he did to Warrick: One in the neck and one in the chest.

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Back at the lab, Catherine had finished her stolen car case. A car thief taking it to be sold for parts cut his hand on the broken window, and they soon found him at Las Vegas General Hospital receiving several stitches.

The doors to the lab swung open and Nick, a vengeful look upon his face stormed into Catherine's office, followed by Riley and Brass who were trying to calm him down.

"Nick, listen, McKeen is going nowhere!" Brass said. "He's not leaving Clark County, let alone the state of Nevada..."

"Nick, are you OK?" asked Catherine.

"McKeen..." gasped Nick, trying to calm himself. "McKeen...escaped! He's out there!"

"What...?" Catherine was trying to grasp the situation herself.

"Nick..." Brass repeated.

"Jim, tell me what happened."

"There was an explosion at the prison. When I arrived, the warden gave me a list of all the prisoners they had. All had been counted except for McKeen. We think he planned the escape with Gedda's people. It's the only way."

"Who's on this?" asked Catherine.

"Every police officer and prison guard in the state" said Brass. "McKeen is like Public Enemy No 1 now."

"Nicky, we'll find McKeen. Riley, you go to the lab. I'm taking everyone off what they're doing and putting them on this."

The door opened. Ecklie added himself to this small group.

"I know tensions are running high" he said. "We know what Jeffrey McKeen has done, and as Deputy Chief, I'm taking Night Shift off the case."

"What?" Nick yelled.

"Sorry guys, but you were the ones who caught McKeen, so I insist you take a break from this. I've spoken to the Day Shift and they're happy to do it..."

"I'm going to Berwick" said Nick. "You can't do this! I found McKeen, and I'm finding him again."

Before Ecklie could protest, Nick stormed out of the office.

Catherine knew Ecklie had a point. Nick was about to kill McKeen in that forest. She knew if Nick got his hands on McKeen again, he'd do it this time.

"Fine. Give it to Day Shift, but any evidence they find goes to us, OK?"

"OK" said Ecklie. He left.

Riley sighed, as did Catherine. Jeffrey McKeen had power when he was a cop, and he still had it now if he was able to pull off such a brutal prison break. To do Warrick's memory proud, their job was to find McKeen and stop him for good.

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Hope you liked it. A couple of notes

X I know the rank of deputy chief is Undersheriff in Vegas, but to me, it's the same thing since the sheriff of Clark County is also the chief of the Las Vegas Metro Police

X Throughout the series, the CSIs do not refer to themselves as police officers (unlike Miami and New York), yet they carry guns, help other officers with arresting or searching for suspects and are sometimes called officers when talked about over the radio, If they say 'Police' instead of Crime Lab, don't take offence. It's one of the things on the show I never understand

I do not own CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. It is owned by CBS