Again, thanks for the reviews and comments. If you're having trouble understanding the GTA element of my story, feel free to voice it out. I'd be more than happy to devote an extra chapter on it.

Anyway, it's fine if I don't get a lot of reviews. The hit counter shows 223 and counting… so at least people read my little story.

Thanks!

Once again, I'm a poor college sophomore.

ARCHIE

Why do I suck so much on stealth games? The 10-year-old boy next door got my character Snake across the enemy plain faster than I did an hour ago. Dan, the kid, would even munch of chips on his lap while hiding above and under army trucks and crates. He would kick my ass anytime on stealth games.

"Archie, I have to head back," he said putting the controller down. "Mom's going to have my head if I'm late for lunch. Thanks for letting me play." And he's out the door before I even say anything.

I saved the game and cleaned up the crumbs off my small couch. One of my sisters gave me that automatic vacuum cleaner last Christmas, Roomba. Being the tech guy that I am, I modified it a bit and now the battery lasts longer than the ordinary units. I kicked it open and put the mugs in the sink. I didn't notice someone enter my apartment.

"Since when did you become domestic?" my co-worker and friend Greg Sanders said leaning on my dining table. "You left the door unlocked so I let myself in."

Filling two mugs with iced tea, I led him back to my living room and tossed him the controller. "Had some sleep yet?" He nodded. "Really? Or should I be asking how many cups did you drink?" Greg held out four fingers. I gave him my new games but his hand headed straight to GTA: San Andreas. "That again? I'm telling you man, I'm not willing to cheat to finish this game…"

"Shh…" he said putting the game on and loading our save file. "Did you know, that there is someone in the lab that is way better than you and me and your kid friend, Dan put together?" My eyes widen in disbelief.

"Come on, Greg – don't tell me Grissom and Ecklie have this game hidden in their drawers," I laughed. Being the youngest ones working in the LVPD crime lab, when everybody's pouring on crosswords during their free time, Greg and I would play video games with Nick and Warrick. He shook his head while finding another tag to paint. "Not Catherine." He snorted. "Sara!"

"Archie, my boy…" he said handing the controller to me. A taxi mission is my thing. "Wendy Piper. Ring a bell?"

"Dayshift A/V tech, the Post-It girl, right?" I asked. "What about her?"

Greg took a sip of his tea and answered. "Before I left the lab today, she and her shift were observing this game. The perp, I think used the game for reference – Wendy was playing. And you should see her play! She went from six wanted levels to one in about five minutes… inside a rhino tank!"

No way! "Rhino tank?" I almost screamed. "And she's… she's a girl." I have seen a handful of girls play GTA but just two or three have finished it – with the help of a brother or a male cousin. Greg kept on playing, using the jetpack to locate the graffiti places. "And she showed you those spots?"

"Happily," he answered as he handed the controller back and letting me fly the stunt plane. "She's a genius, man. One of these days, you have to have her here."

"In this dump? No way… this is not a place to take a girl for a date," I said merely dodging a building.

"Dude, who said it'll be a date?" he chuckled. Oh yeah. Nice going, Johnson. "With all the games and peripherals you have here, not to mention the ones you modified, the look of the place would be the last on her list. And besides, I thought you're not ready for a new girl."

"Yeah, I'm not," I sighed, "yet."

He downed his glass and said back, "But when that time comes, Wendy's a good choice." My fist collided with his arm. "Kidding! You barely know anything about the girl; you just use the same laboratory and do the same job. It's like sharing your stuff with a stranger."

"Greg, my friend… you know how crazy our schedules can become. And we're not like you CSIs; your reach goes beyond shifts. We lab rats are isolated from all the chaos in the lab… not that you haven't felt that before." He smiled. Yeah, he somewhat felt that during doubles – there are times that you just want to be left alone. But my lab, the A/V lab, it's usually the quietest place in the lab. It's just the technician and the technology. "Plus, fraternization within the office is prohibited."

"You're right but…" he said with a mouthful of chips, "you're not from the same shift so you can go through the loop. I reckon if Nick and Sara are from different shifts, they might have taken the offer the alien guy at Intergalactic gave them in their Area51 case."

I didn't answer anymore. It's not that I'm thinking about possibilities; I'm serious about not being ready yet. Well, eventually I will be but it's too early to tell, to look for somebody new. Greg left after he had lunch (pizza with tons of pepperoni and no anchovies) and was about to do something else when my phone rang. I let the machine answer it.

Hey, it's Archie. I might not be home or I might be busy. Either way, leave your name and number. I'll get back to you ASAP. Thanks!

beep "Johnson, it's Ecklie. I need you to come in and cover for the swing shift A/V tech. Piper's on field work with Anders and Jefferson. She won't be back until after hours. I know it's your day-off. I'm sorry for the short notice but the extra pay is already written on your check. Call back if you're coming or not." beep

It's too early for swing shift to start. So I'll be working technically a double today. And when Ecklie says 'extra pay' – it's overtime plus. And by the looks of my apartment, I might be needing it. His words ring in my ears, "If you want to be noticed, take initiative."

Sure, I'm coming in.