Gene Hunt growled angrily. He wasn't just angry, he was steaming. Never before had his beloved Cortina been in such a terrible accident. He laid his hands on the wheel, tears appearing in his eyes. He sniffed. He's never had the experience of crying in over 20 years and he wasn't used to it. Chris shuffled up behind him and tapped his back.
"Guv," he began. Gene spun around and lifted him up by his lapels, a picture of pure hate on his face. He squirmed in pain.
"Find Tyler… now. I want to watch him burn in hell for what he's done." He threw Chris to the floor and turned back to his darling car.
"That's what I was meaning to tell you," Chris replied brusquely, reaching up for a hand up and realising that he wouldn't be offered one. "We don't know where Sam's gone. Ray said that he saw him and Annie leave in the Cortina a few hours ago, and now they're no where to be found." The only words that passed through Gene's mind were 'Ray said that he saw him and Annie leave in the Cortina'.
"Ray saw them leave?" he shrieked. Shoving Chris out of the way, he marched over to Ray almost ready to bite his head off. He seized the back of his coat and dragged him backwards towards the car. He threw him towards the car and cried: "Look what Tyler has done to my car. My car. You saw him leave this morning. Why didn't you tell me?" Ray stared at the floor. "Well?" he screeched.
"He is always borrowing your car. I thought you let him or something." Gene sighed and buried his head in his hands.
"Just… go find him. I'm going back to the station."
"The Guv's definitely gonna kill Sam isn't he?" began Chris. Ray ignored him. "I mean, I can't believe he'd just nick the guv's car like that." Again, no reply. "You really should've been looking out though…"
"Will you just shut up Chris." Ray shouted sternly. Everyone seemed to be on edge, paranoid and aggressive today. Chris seemed to be the only relaxed one amongst them, tentative, naïve and immature. He smiled to himself optimistically only knowing that everything should get better and that this is all just one big mistake. "What the hell are you smiling at you twat?" Ray sneered.
"Nothing," replied Chris frowning. It was just like a playground and they were re-enacting the bully and the weakling. The car trundled along the road, Chris looking out for either Sam or Annie to bundle into their car and advise them to run.
"Where the hell are they? They've really mucked everything up this time; I don't think the guv's ever going to forgive him. They'll both be dead if we take them back." Chris nodded, still keeping a look out.
"Yeah… but the thing is, I don't think Sam would do that. Maybe it got taken over by joy riders or… maybe you didn't actually see them go out in it this morning. Maybe they were driven off the road, you never know." Ray slammed his foot on the brake driving the car onto the footpath.
"Get out Chris."
"What?" he replied, stunned. "Why?" Ray sighed.
"Ever since that nonce of a DI appeared on the scene all you've done is follow him around. Oooh, Sam said this and Oh, but Sam does this and I'm sick of it. Just go… I don't want to ride in a car with you anymore."