Reading Mentalist fanfiction always makes me feel kind of bad for Cho. He's always the 5th wheel. Poor Cho is far too awesome to be a 5th wheel! Anyway, this is my second ever fanfic. I hope you enjoy it! It's still a work in progress, as is Red Letter Day. So ratings, ideas, what-have-you are all very welcome! Oh, and in case you didn't know, a red morning is the shepherd's warning, which is why this is titled what it is. Rated T for language.

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Ch. 1 – Split Second

11:13 PM Cho's perspective:

A solid lead to a big time drug dealer led the team to an old, abandoned warehouse. They had been tipped off on a meeting that would take place there that night, and they would most likely be armed. So the team positioned themselves at the three main entry ways, with the local police behind them, securing the surrounding area.

"In position." Cho announced.

Lisbon had put him in charge of the raid, so he was at the main entrance, and the team would move on his command. Cho was hesitant on taking lead, even if it was just for the raid. Even though he had worked for the CBI for quite a while, he still felt like he wasn't quite good enough or just wasn't ready.

When his dad told him he would never make it in baseball, he quit and joined a gang. But after getting sent to juvenile hall, the gang would leave him out of everything, saying that he would get them all in trouble. So he joined the army. But without a college degree, they told him he wouldn't be able to make officer. After all those years of being put down, he just couldn't shake the feeling that he would never be able to get any higher.

But Lisbon told him that she had confidence in him. And as corny as it was, her statement helped his confidence in himself. After all, Lisbon only gave her trust to those she felt deserved it.

"Ready when you are." Rigsby announced after he and Van Pelt took their spot.

"On your command, Cho." Lisbon stated.

"I don't have a visual, once I do we go in."

The darkness made it difficult for Cho to see anything. He kept a sharp eye out for any movement. He needed to have some sort of visual before busting in there, otherwise one of two bad circumstances could happen: either someone would get shot, or the bad guys would be spooked and slip away. Even with the three main passages guarded, Cho knew they couldn't risk it.

After a grueling five minutes or so, Cho finally saw two figures coming together.

"Go."

Cho charged in, announcing it was the police. But before he knew it, he heard two gunshots, and found himself lying on the floor. The cop he was with shot at a third figure that Cho could barely see. Another shot landed the cop on the ground next to Cho. The three figures bolted before the rest of the team arrived. It all happened in a matter of seconds.

A pair of hands pushed against his shoulder bringing a sharp pain and a dark cloud over his eyes. Cho couldn't figure out how things could be getting any darker than they already were. He tried to speak to whoever was around, but he was struggling to breathe.

"Call an ambulance!" Was the last thing Cho heard before blacking out.

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11:13 PM Rigsby and Van Pelt's perspective:

"Ready when you are." Rigsby and Van Pelt were in position.

"I don't have a visual, once I do we go in."

Waiting was horrible on a normal occasion. Waiting for a raid was even worse. A few minutes seemed like hours, especially for a man of action like Rigsby. He had to do something to pass the time, anything, or he felt like he was going to go crazy. So he broke the silence.

"Jane was smelling me again today. Said I smelled like lavender. It's a bit creepy."

"He did that to me too. He also said I smelled like lavender."

"Ah crap, he definitely knows about us. What if he tells Lisbon?"

"Why would he? Besides, maybe we should just tell them. I hate lying, and they're bound to find out."

"But then one of us would be forced to leave! Neither of us wants to leave the team."

"I know, but maybe we could convince them to let us both stay."

"How are we supposed to do that?--"

"Go." Cho's command was rather soft, and Rigsby didn't even hear it.

"It's in the rules, there's no way around--"

"Crap, that was Cho. Go, go, go!"

The couple stumbled on the wet cement. Their rush to get back to work had caused them to slip and bump into each other. They quickly gathered themselves back up. They heard gunshots in the distance and quickened their pace. All they saw were two men on the ground, and Lisbon running toward the grounded men.

Rigsby ran over to the other man to check for injuries.

"Call an ambulance!"

---

11:13 PM Lisbon's perspective:

"On your command, Cho."

Lisbon offered Cho the chance to take lead on the raid. She wanted to give him a chance to prove himself, because he was a very good agent. Though she sensed his hesitation, so she just patted him on the shoulder and told him that she had every bit of confidence in him. He smiled at that and finally accepted her offer.

"I don't have a visual, once I do we go in."

She knew that was a good call, it wasn't a good idea to blindly run into an abandoned building in the dead of night. So she patiently waited for his command, keeping focused on the task at hand. That is, until she heard someone come up from behind.

"Lisbon, there's something--"

"Jesus, Jane! I almost shot you!"

"I'm sorry." Jane huffed, he was out of breath. Lisbon knew that Jane wasn't any sort of runner and easily got out of breath from even the shortest of distances.

"Jane, we're busy, go back to the car."

"I know, but there's something I got to--"

"Jane! Car! Now!"

"Can't you just let me finish?"

"I'm sure it can wait!"

"There's something I think you need to know before you do this."

"Go." Cho's command interrupted.

"Hell. Jane, no time. Go back to the car!"

"Okay, I'm--"

"Now!"

She pushed Jane towards the car and went inside. But before she could reach her destination she heard several gunshots. Three figures ran off in the distance, but before she even thought of chasing them, she saw two figures on the floor. She rushed over, and noticed one of them was Cho, and he was bleeding.

She quickly put pressure on the wound. Cho winced, and she could hear short rasps as he tried desperately to breathe. Rigsby sat next to the other figure, and she assumed Van Pelt was close by.

"Call an ambulance!"