"I can't go now, have stuff to do, meeh!", Shakahnna repeated in a mocking voice the same words that Penny blurted out when asked if the older woman could accompany her to the RPD for when Chino's eight-hour shift was over, "And get another chaperone instead of me? How absurd a question is that?…Bitch".

The teenager sighed.

"Well, why not? It's not like this town is lacking when it comes to uptight people", she followed through, talking to herself, "At least Chino said he be'd coming for a visit once he was done for today".

So sneaking out again wasn't an option, not after Penny had lectured her about how much the Warrens' trust in her was waning after the disappearing act she pulled yesterday evening. Instead, she decided to not give in to the temptation of trying to leave without permission and walked out the back door after she decided to explore the gigantic garden that was there.

She hadn't seen the backyard yesterday, either the first time she was driven here by Mr. Meega or the second time by Donnelly, but she gasped as she visually looked over the garden and noticed that she could not see where it ended due to its enormous size. Among over a score of trees, a stable for horses was located about a hundred yards away from the large doorway she stood at as a light breeze greeted her face. Closing the door behind her, the teenager made sure it could be re-opened from the outside without the aid of a key before she ventured out towards the stable itself. But before she even reached the intended destination, she found herself enjoying the soft feel of grass under her feet and thought that this place would be ideal for a workout.

Why not, she decided. Not like she had anything better to do, stuck in the mansion for hours till her friend arrived.

She supposed that she could always go and annoy Penny, but that idea just didn't appeal to her as much as spending time alone in an effort to try to clear her mind. Maybe she'd remember something if she relaxed.

The redhead would've given anything to recollect how her parents looked or what their voices sounded like, or even to understand how her abused face from yesterday looked totally fine today, not that she had a problem with that last situation. And even though the choice was to either be lonely or spend the afternoon with the delightful Penny, she preferred to be alone. Besides, the weather outside was pleasant and it wouldn't be bad to spend all day here.

Instead of going to the stables, she stayed in the middle of a grass clearing and started doing katas, beginning with a combination of two punches and two kicks. She hadn't gotten very far in the workout when she heard a male voice from behind her.

"Seems we've brought ourselves quite a little gymnast into our home", the greeting prompted her to stop and turn around.

She saw a middle-aged man, dressed in a business suite and smiling at her from several steps away.

"Who are you?", she tilted her head towards her own left shoulder.

"I take it you don't read the newspapers", the man chuckled as he came a step closer, even as her cautious eyes always followed his movement.

"Not that I member", her gaze never left him, and he wanted to do away with the suspicion that was on her face.

"Oh, of course", he kept smiling, "I had forgotten what my wife said about your memory. I'm Michael Warren".

Shakahnna said nothing. Her eyes only widened a bit and she smiled at the mention of the name.

"The mayor of our city?", Michael approached the redhead, extending his right hand in a manner that she had to admit to herself was friendly.

"Well, politics I can take or leave, I think", she smiled as she gripped his hand, "But what you did, on the other hand, all I can say is thankies. I don't know what else to do or say. But I'm gonna shut up now before I start rambling".

"Elena _did_ inform me that you were rather high-spirited", the older man

"I can imagine it not exactly being in those words though. Which is understandable. I guess am not exactly the most placid soul in the world", the teenager did not intentionally mean to be skeptical but found herself looking around for cameras or other people.

Her suspicious occurred because here was a man who was acting the total opposite of the individuals she had met in this area so far. Penny was acting like she just plain didn't like her and Elena Warren was never around to begin with. The other employees like Sean Meega and the entrance security were extremely polite, so much so that their effort was over the top, indicating that they definitely weren't being relaxed around her. In contrast to that, here was Michael Warren, probably the most powerful person in this city, and he seemed to genuinely want to talk to her. It felt strange.

"I used to be up to my share of mischief too, when I was younger", the middle-aged man informed her, "But my daughter Joanne, she's nothing like how I was, or I suspect, how you are now. She's the perfect social butterfly. But it's interesting to meet someone who reminds me more of how I used to be during my younger years. And as far as your short record in this fine city goes, I'm sure you didn't mean any harm to those police officers, young lady".

"Uh, thankies", she found herself uttering, "I'm glad someone be's believing me. It's just always nice to know that someone be's on your side. I think I might've upsetted both your wife, Mrs. Warren, and Penny with my disappearing act last night, though".

"Oh?", the mayor seemed to be really surprised.

"I was only leaving to see the police officer who was in charge of investigating my case, that's all I left for", she was quick to point out the half-truth.

"I don't see why there should be a problem with that", Michael added to the conversation, "And sorry I can't stay for longer, but I just saw you practicing from outside the window of my office, so I felt it appropriate to come out and say hello. But if you need anything, don't bother my wife, she's much busier than I am. Instead, feel free to call me or even drop by my office in person. I keep an office in city hall and one right here at home. I _do_ hope, at least until your own parents come forth, that you'll think of here as your home too".

Shakahnna beamed, flashing a wide smile.

"I just can't tell you how much I appreciate that", she informed him.

"I'll see if I can speak to Elena about Penny also", he stated as he nodded and started to turn back around to head towards the mansion, "All this rush to grow up. Kids should be kids as long as they can".

++++++++++++++++

It was amazing how one's perception of the events that were about to unfold directly affected one's sensation of time. Waiting half an hour seemed to last forever when officer Chisholm was nervous.

He never had to imagine himself thinking of doing anything like this before in his life, much less actually carrying these actions out. Making an official complaint against his own colleagues was something that was making him more anxious as the clock winded down to the time he knew he would have to enter chief Irons' domain to speak his mind.

To make things worse, the only person in this building who was supposed to be on his side was hassling him about the events of the previous night, constantly asking him what the teenager was willing to do and how good she was. And no amount of telling Donnelly that nothing had happened seemed to convince his field partner that it was the truth. So Chino eventually ended up having to tell the older man that he should just go ask Shakahnna for a date and then find out how good she was for himself, and if Donnelly didn't stop pestering him, then Chino would just have to tell her that the older man was interested in asking her out.

That seemed to do the job.

Thus, Donnelly had finally regained his serious demeanor and had even informed the young man of the plan for the day. There was a loud argument in chief Irons' office before the weird captain who always wore his sunglasses indoors walked out of the office itself, leaving the door to close behind him. Hoping that he would be walking out of the chief's bureau with as smug a look on his own face, Chino wanted to knock on Irons' door and ask to speak to him personally right away. But Donnelly had stopped him, informing the younger man that the chief was quickly on the phone, having a second loud argument about the captain with whoever was at the other end of the receiver. All either man could make out was an inaudible grunting and a sporadic interlude of 'that fucking bastard' over and over again. It lasted so long that Chino's anxiety temporarily got the better of him and he had to leave the hallway outside of the chief's office and return to his desk as the knot in his stomach was only becoming tighter.

Once at his desk, officer Chisholm asked himself if he could still go through with this. He wasn't sure, and he definitely didn't feel as confident as he had last night. But all he had to do was visualize the scenery from the previous evening when four of his colleagues were beating up on the teenager, as well as the look on her face when she passed out. That was all the incentive he needed to not be scared to go ahead with his original plan of lodging the complaint and seeing what happens as a result.

After fifteen more minutes, Donnelly approached his desk and informed him that chief Irons had finished the phone conversation and, in Donnelly's own words, had seemed to make peace with whatever was previously causing him to use such colorful language in such a loud manner.

"Let's go, then", Chino patted his partner on the upper back before they headed towards the room where their chief of police was located.

"Now, whatever happens here will most likely set the tone with how the brass will treat your complaint", Donnelly explained as they neared Irons' closed door, remembering the last time he had been in this place after the forest incident, "So I'm very curious to see _his_ damn reaction to what we say".

The older man knocked on the door three times before Irons told whoever was standing there to come in. So Donnelly opened the door and both he and his partner walked inside.

Neither officer mentioned the fact that the chief's face appeared much more red than usual.

"Sir, we're here to lodge a complaint against some of the guys who are working in this precinct", Donnelly spoke up first before he subtly took one step back, leaving Chino closer to the chief's desk.

The action prompted the younger man to think to himself that he was definitely going to leave Donnelly alone with Shakahnna one day. And the thought of the teenager made him concentrate more seriously on the task at hand.

"What is this about?", Irons looked uninterested.

"Well, sir", Chino cleared his throat as he momentarily looked to the floor and almost stood at attention with his hands behind his back, "Last night, I observed four of our own assaulting the suspect from the woods. Someone may have reported the fact that a handrail was missing from a hallway on the second floor. That's because they bound her there so she couldn't move and then, when I caught them in the act, I was given the same treatment and hit in the face, which is how I got this".

He pointed to his own blackened left eye as he finished talking.

"Really? Do you have anyone who'll corroborate this story of yours, officer…", Irons had to pay attention to Chino's nametag to know who he was talking to, "Chisholm".

"Well, the suspect only, sir", Chino went on, "But officer Donnelly here saw us right afterwards, and he can verify the injuries on the suspect also".

"The beating of a non-resisting suspect is a serious offense", the chief seemed to calm down from his tirade on the phone as he spoke and rested his elbows on the desk before clasping his hands together, "And who were these alleged officers who took part in this beating?".

"I only recognized officer Merton, sir", Chino informed him, "The other three, their names I don't know. I _do_ know that I had seen them in passing before, as well as they were in Raccoon Forest when the suspect was arrested".

"Well, gentlemen, thank you for bringing that to my attention", the chief stood up from his chair, "I assure you both that I'll look into this matter today, starting with that Merton fellow. Neither he nor the three who were with him will be allowed to get away with such conduct in my building".

Having said that, Irons offered his handshake to Chino first and Donnelly second.

"I'll keep you men informed as far as IA's investigation into this matter", he added.

"Thank you, sir", Chino replied as Donnelly nodded without saying anything.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I _do_ have a lot of work to do, starting with what you just brought to me", the chief motioned towards the door.

Both officers walked out of the chief's office, feeling that the short meeting had gone better than expected, but unsure as to what to look forward to on the long run.

Unknown to them, Irons sat back down as the door to his office was closed. While facing his desk, the chief of police grinned as he placed his right elbow on the wooden surface and rested his chin on his right palm.

"Ah, the rank and file", he smiled wider, "So good to my wallet".

With those words, he picked up the phone that sat on his desk. Dialing several numbers, he waited until the person on the other end picked up.

"William? It's Brian", the chief announced into the receiver, "So what's the latest rate for a guinea pig or two, or even four?".

++++++++++++++++

Elena Warren passed the secretary's desk with a smug smile on her face as she nodded a greeting to the younger woman while holding a briefcase in her right hand and the morning newspaper in her left .

"Leslie", she offered a mock greeting as she then opened the door to her husband's office and walked in without knocking.

"Worked like a charm Michael, as I told you it would", she stated with a confident smile as she first closed the door behind her and then laid the paper down on her husband's desk.

The mayor himself stood up from behind his desk and walked towards his wife before kissing her on the left cheek.

"You're _usually_ right, darling", Michael Warren stated with a smile, "So how did your meeting go?".

"Considering what was said in the paper, it went great", Elena replied.

"I actually met her for the first time this morning", the mayor followed through as he returned back to a seated position behind his desk, "She's not quite what I expected. Seems sweet enough".

"Considering that she's a teenage girl, it doesn't surprise me that you think that", Mrs. Warren put him down, "And while we're on the subject, why aren't you firing that secretary of yours? She's mocking me every time I see her".

"Oh, sweetheart, come on", Mr. Warren countered, "She's a good worker, and it'd take years to replace someone who knows me for so long and knows everything about her position".

"Is that really what's on your mind, Michael? It's not because you're looking to have an affair with her, right?", Elena's voice turned colder still.

Michael Warren thought to himself that he would've liked to have an affair with his secretary. Then again, with his wife being who she was, he would've also liked to keep his testicles where they were, and the latter took precedence over the former.

Of course, he didn't say that out loud.

"You should know better than to think that I would want to cheat on you, sweetheart", the older man shook his head, "Those videos you found were just for when you were away. No one can take your place, you know that".

Elena only nodded her head, knowing full well the reason for her husband's rather forced fidelity.

"But about this young lady who's staying with us", the mayor changed the subject as he looked over the paperwork that he had been signing before his wife interrupted, "Do we really need to have her being followed around all the time by Penny? It seems to be unnecessary. And not to mention, Penny?? That old battleaxe could get under the skin of anyone".

"Don't get attached to the girl, darlin", his wife countered as she finally placed her suitcase on the floor, "We may have to dissect her soon".

Her words stopped what her husband was doing at his desk and prompted him to look back up to her.

"Elena, I don't usually ask, but…", the mayor started.

The look his wife gave him was enough to stop him mid-sentence. Elena Warren said nothing, and it was enough to make Michael remember the arrangement in this city. He didn't ask, and his wife's employers didn't inform him of anything more than he needed to know. That way, both he and Umbrella Inc got what they wanted.

Thus Michael knew to leave the matter alone.

++++++++++++++++++

"Still no luck despite all the effort, huh?", Chino asked her as he was seated at his desk, looking over various documents that scattered its surface.

"Nu uh natta", Shakahnna shook her head as she kept pacing back and forth in a straight line next to the desk itself.

There was a chair available right next to the officer's station, one that was facing Chino's chair, but she was feeling too anxious to sit down at the moment, especially given her inability to remember anything that took place before her waking up at the forest.

"And whenever I be trying, I keep getting that same pain in my head", she added in a frustrated tone, "The same one I gotted back when I was in holding at the basement".

"So that leaves us where we were before", the officer went on, staring ahead as he remained seated instead of looking up at her.

A pause.

"But doesn't change what's gonna happen at trial for you", he followed through as he then stared up to lock eyes with her, "You still _do_ have the option of pleading self-defense. Maybe you were attacked, or maybe involved in an accident. At least that's _my_ guess as far as why you can't remember anything. I mean, nothing was found in your vicinity that indicated who you were or what happened. It's like you appeared out of thin air, almost".

"I really don't understand what was happening then", the redhead finally sat down in her own chair to make conversation easier, "When I saw you guys, I really thought you were coming to get me. And I guess you were, but not the way I thought".

"So after a traumatic event that made you lose your memory, you didn't know where you were and who that couple or the armed uniforms were who were interacting with you", Chino added, trying to make her understand that he wanted her to remember that testimony for her future court date, "Having been awake for such a short time, you might've thought in your own mind that these individuals were trying to hurt you. And the rest of your ability when it comes to fighting back was just instinct, I'm guessing from years of training before your memory went blank".

"You mean I don't be just a natural?", she smirked.

"To be honest, I don't care, Shak", Chino countered, "I'm more concerned with how this trial is gonna go in a few days".

"You really think there's a chance be's a hell that I'll get off without jail time?", the teenager's expression became slightly more serious.

"Yeah, a _chance_", he stated, "That's why your story has to be convincing. Remember what I said. You couldn't make out what the Rune couple or our guys here were saying. You heard them saying things or screaming out orders, but you couldn't make out their words since you had just woken up. And when our guys came at you, you reacted because you thought you were being attacked".

"It's not so much as not understanding", Shakahnna placed a right hand over her own forehead as she recalled, "I did understand. I just didn't trust anyone there to not try something dangerous".

"Well, take my word for it, Shak, you _didn't_ understand a word that the Runes or us said, got me?", his eyes locked with hers as he nodded while asking the question.

"Ah, of course", she nodded back, "So you want me to perjure myself".

She smiled as she asked.

"Shak, do you wanna to be truthful or do you wanna be with me?", the young man countered.

"Come again?", she was confused.

"I've been looking over the necessary red tape. I think that, if it came down to a 50-50 draw, then judge Jackson may be more likely to let you go without sanctions if you have someplace permanent to reside in. That place could be with me at home", he explained, "It'd be good for your case, plus I'd like you to be there. If you want, that is".

"You're fucking kidding, right?", she replied, "Like this is just something to play with my head. Did Donnelly put you up to this?".

"No, actually, he doesn't know anything about this", he smirked back, "As much as I'd love to see his face when he does find out".

"I'm starting to rub off on you, Chino", Shakahnna winked, "That's the kind of thing _I_ would say. Tormenting Donnelly isn't just a hobby, you know. It's a way of life".

"But about what I said?", the officer went back to his original question.

"Are you really serious about this? Because you've not known me for long", she needed to be sure.

"Yeah, I'm very serious", he smiled back, "Besides, it'd cut down on the commuting between my place and the Warrens'".

"Hey rookie", the third voice interrupted the conversation a few feet away from the desk.

Both Chino and Shakahnna looked up to see an unknown officer standing two steps away at his full height. The man's tone of voice alone indicated that he wasn't here for a friendly visit.

"It's people like you who's what's wrong with this fucking establishment", the older man spat out, "How are we supposed to fight anything when we can't be united among ourselves? Ratting out your colleagues just so you can get laid, that's just low".

Before officer Chisholm even had a chance to respond, Shakahnna blurted out a reply first.

"Hey Neanderthal", the teenager countered, "You know that's why your boyfriend doesn't take his cock out of your mouth right? Cause you come out with shit like that every time he does!".

The man appeared slightly shocked at her answer, but regained his composure soon enough.

"Who's your little skank, rookie?", he ignored her and addressed Chino again.

"Dude, I don't have time for this. Get lost", officer Chisholm replied as he began to turn his attention back to the redhead, keeping watch of the other man out of the corner of his eye in case the other man did not leave without escalating the verbal confrontation.

"I'm not the only one you have to deal with, asshole", the older officer didn't leave as was hoped, "There's a lot of talk about all the trouble you've caused. You're kidding yourself if you think you're gonna last here".

Shakahnna was planning to lecture him, but instead saw that he was finally turning to leave, thus she rested her right elbow on the desk and raised that forearm vertically into the air before thrusting her middle finger at the man.

"How long does that have been going on for?", she asked Chino as soon as the other officer was out of hearing range.

"Doesn't matter. Eric told me what to expect as soon as we complained to the chief", the young man answered.

"And it all be's cause of me", she sighed.

"Shak, that's not important now. I'm much more curious about what we were talking before doofus there showed up", the officer added.

"Would that not make things, you know, complicated?", she looked nervous, "And it's not like I don't _want_ to do this. Just that, there isn't gonna be anything expected of me, right?".

"No, of course not. And yeah, I suppose it _would_ make things more complicated", Chino tried to choose his words carefully, "But if it _would_ help increase the odds of you getting out of this charge, and also, you'll need to have a place to stay whenever you're done with the courts anyway, which you will sooner or later anyway".

"Uh, yeah, makes sense", she uttered, not looking him in the eyes all of a sudden.

"Unless of course you'd rather stay with the Warrens, I mean, which would make sense too since it's a huge place and they have maids and stuff", he followed through.

"God no! I don't wanna stay with the Warrens!", she countered, staring back at him again, as if the statement he had made was obviously crazy.

"Oh", Chino laughed, "Then you can let me know whenever you want if you wanna do this, and if you do, then I'll do the paperwork. If you don't mention this later on, then that's the end of it, OK?".

"I don't need to think to make up my mind", she informed him, "Put the adoption application in. Just don't be expecting me to call you 'daddy', that'd just be worrying".

"Great, then we can do that today after I'm done here", Chino tapped the surface of his desk as he leaned back, appearing more satisfied than he felt before he had asked.

"Just to re-iterate, nothing funny, right?", Shakahnna felt it necessary to ask for the second time.

"Only my attempts at cooking, but nothing else, I promise", the young man responded before changing the subject, "So you know when and where, right?".

"Tuesday morning, courtroom 407, be there at 9 AM at the latest, I member", she repeated the information that she had been served on the subpoena, "And I member waking up in the woods and not be'd able to make out anything that was said to me by either that couple or the officers. So I member only reacting when I thought I was being attacked. I felt terrible when I founded out that I had hurted some people by the time I woke up the next morning and I could talk to people".

"Very good, Shak. I feel good about our chances in front of Jackson, then. Especially if I add that you've been cooperating fully since being detained", the officer smiled back.

"By the way, I didn't be lying about that very last part of that little speech I gived. The not understanding part in the woods is a lie, well obviously, but not the part afterwards about waking up in jail", she added.

"Yeah, I know, Shak. Plus I have a final back-up plan in case the trial needs it", Chino sighed as he wasn't sure on how he wanted to word his thoughts, "But the ambush of Merton and his cronies can't be good for the prosecution's case. I don't have a problem testifying that you were attacked by the same civil servants who are accusing you of hurting them to begin with".

"Oh! Geez, Chino, sunshine, that's news", she was surprised, "But… In all honesty … I really _do_ think you have a problem with doing that. I mean how can you not?".

"If I have to, then yeah, I will. Judge Jackson is very strict, but he's also very law and order, I know that much about him. He'll be outraged if he heard what those four assholes were doing, and if I have to use that against them, so be it", he shot back with more resolve that she expected him to have.

Shakahnna gripped his wrist as she brought her face closer to his.

"Sunshine, are you sure about this? This is gonna be catty if Irons doesn't believe you and you seem to be going over his head, thereby insulting his pride and telling a judge who's gonna burn 'em at the stake", she whispered.

Chino only sighed back, but it wasn't in response to her. Instead, it was because he caught a glimpse of two other uniformed officers who approached his desk from behind the teenager's seat. The young man was bracing himself for another verbal confrontation with colleagues whose name he never had time to find out before he became famous by lodging a complaint against four RPD employees. Such news apparently traveled fast within this building.

"Officer Chisholm, is it?", the first man asked even after he had read the first and last names on the small plaque that sat at the front of the desk.

Chino guessed that Shakahnna must've read the expression on his face, as the teenager stood up with an annoyed look on her face and then turned to face the two men who had arrived, glaring at them.

"You must be Shakahnna", the second officer who approached them said, offering his right hand towards the redhead.

The men's action turned out to be friendlier than she expected, so she turned her head back around to look at the officer who was behind the desk, seeing the same surprised expression on Chino's face.

"I had the pleasure of working with officer Merton about a year ago", the first officer explained to them both as the teenager reluctantly shook the second officer's hand, "Just minus the pleasure. I tried to put up with his bullshit till I couldn't take it any more".

"All of a sudden I'm getting the feeling that this isn't gonna be the usual kind of visit I've been getting over here as of late", Chino stood up from behind his desk to greet the two visitors while Shakahnna found it easier to sit back down and relax.

"Yeah, I figured you'd be getting hassle after what you said to Irons", the first officer continued as he extended his own right hand towards Chino, who gripped it tight, "Name's Samuel Yuen".

"Stephen Chisholm", Chino replied with a smile.

"Just wanted to make sure you knew that not everyone here is anally retentive enough to think that you're committing the cardinal sin here", Yuen went on, "In fact, I'm not surprised at all that Merton got himself into hot water like this. It was hard enough to last several months with that loser, so it was all I could do to be happy to leave once my request to be re-assigned was granted".

"I'm David, don't know anybody who's involved, but I partner with Branagh a lot", the second officer added, addressing Shakahnna more so than Chino, "He was telling us both how nice you are and, I don't trust anyone who could hurt such a pretty face".

In an uncharacteristic show of shyness, the teenager blushed as she smiled and placed both hands over her face so she could only see through the space between her thumb and index finger.

"See? I told you that good officers like this existed, Shak", Chino smirked as he pointed towards the two men, prompting her to turn towards him with a mockery of a shocked face.

The only action she could think of doing was to stick her tongue out at him.

+++++++++++++++++++++

"Just sit back on the sofa there and we can start, miss", doctor Stoyanov recommended in his well-furnished office.

"All we be'd doing last time was talk about how things have been since the whole forest thing and how things are at the Warrens' home. If I couldn't member anything after so much trying for ages now, what makes you think I'll member stuff now?", the teenager asked even as she complied with the request.

"Actually, I'm not sure if you will", the doctor admitted, "But we're all here to try to help you regain your memory, I assume, and our combined effort will hopefully prove to be fruitful".

"I for one think that this is a nonsensical waste of time", Penny made her thoughts known as she was standing with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

She relaxed her arms as she turned her face towards the counselor.

"No offense, doctor", she added before she returned to her previous standing position.

"None taken", the elderly man chuckled back, silently wondering why that woman was even there.

It's not like the mayor couldn't sign his personal check and simply send it with the teenager who reported to his office for the scheduled appointment, he thought.

"Maybe it's a waste of time and maybe not", officer Chisholm added as he took a seat on one of the many chairs that were lined up by the wall of the office for anyone who accompanied a patient, "Either way, we're here because part of the bail stipulation required that she have this session".

"Now think of a safe place, miss…", Stoyanov had to take another look at the document that identified his current patient while the teenager was lying sideways on the long couch.

"I'm sorry, I don't see your last name", he informed her as he looked back up towards the patient.

"That's because I kinda don't have one", she lifted her head to make eye contact with him before laying the back of her head back down on the fancy cushion and closing her eyes, "So Shak does fine".

"I want you to try and relax, Shak", Stoyanov went on as both Chino and Penny were watching him from their own points of view.

The experienced therapist began to turn a coin round his index finger and thumb. "Stay focused here" he gently ordered, "When you hear this coin here drop, you'll be back with us here".

The teenager tried to unwind as much as possible, with limited success, as she unintentionally closed her eyes twice before gently opening them again.

"What's your name?", the counselor asked first.

"Shakahnna", the redhead calmly replied.

"Who are you currently living with?", was the second question.

"The Warrens at their home", her answer was slightly groggy, suggesting that the hypnosis was starting to take effect.

Her pale eyelids delicately shut down.

"What day is it today?".

"Saturday", came the mechanical answer.

"Can you tell me what happened 27 days ago?", Mason asked next.

"Cold…Men… Chase… Hurts…", she started mumbling, indicating to him that she was already in a sleepy stance.

"Do you know who the men are?".

"Bad", was the only word she uttered while she hugged herself as if she was cold, "Eyes mean".

"What about before that?".

"Couple angry", she whispered, eyes still closed, but with her head shaking from side to side, "So cold! Burning up!".

"It's OK, Shakahnna, stay with us", Stoyanov urged, "And try to remember what happened before you saw the couple".

"Can't breathe! Tight… Hurts…", she gasped, "Can't breathe… Can't move… Not going to let you do this…Don't touch me!".

"Who is me? Who are you talking to", the doctor followed through as Chino and even Penny appeared to be more interested.

Stoyanov was hoping, and expecting, a clear answer. Instead, he heard the teenager opening her mouth and letting out an ear-piercing scream as she then tried to hide her face behind both hands.

Images of a giant, four-armed creature flashed in front of the teenager's mind's eye. The monster reached towards her, but instead of taking her own life, grasped the head of a person who was unseen next to her. The beast then smiled as it easily took that man's head off by twisting it and then lifting it in its large, three-fingered hand. It then grinned at her as it effortlessly crushed the severed head between those three powerful fingers and watched as blood and bone fragments ran down its hand before spilling onto the ground below.

The scenery was next changed to one where a dark-haired human being was lifting a lifeless body off the ground with just one hand. Whether or not he had killed the deceased individual was irrelevant, but the maniacal look on his eyes was enough to convince her that he was happy the corpse was there. The man kept his hold on the body, making sure it remained dangling a foot above the ground, and then used his free hand to summon a green mystical energy from the victim. The corpse twitched and convulsed for several seconds as the green force emerged from it and entered the man's free hand, and only stopped moving involuntarily when the flow of energy had ceased. By that time, however, the body that appeared to have been recently killed a short time ago was now a withered corpse that seemed to have died years ago. The man finally released his hold on the corpse and, to Shakahnna's horror, the body fell on the ground and shattered into countless pieces of bone and dust.

"I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS!!", she yelled out between indistinct screams, clawing at things that weren't there.

It was enough for Chino to bolt to Stoyanov's side as he was becoming increasingly worried. The surprised look on the doctor's face didn't help answer the young man's questions, so he just placed a hand on Stoyanov's shoulder and broke the counselor's stare towards his patient.

"Dude, can you get her out of this?", Chino asked, speaking loud enough to be heard over her screams.

"Y… Yes, of course", the doctor blurted out as he hurried to take a hold of the coin he had in his pocket and threw it next to his feet on the floor.

The result was that the teenager's screaming stopped and she shook her head, calmly sitting her upper body back up on the sofa.

"Shak, are you OK?", Chino was the first to ask.

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?", the redhead asked with a smile, "Do _you_ be OK? You look pale".

She had no idea why three sets of eyes were looking back at her like she was the one who had seen a ghost.

"You be'd dropping your coin, doc", she pointed towards the floor, "So did I say anything useful?".

+++++++++++++++++++++

Captain Albert Wesker hadn't gotten used to his new rank within the RPD yet.

The promotion that bypassed the titles of sergeant and lieutenant to make him into the captain he was now could've brought some suspicions from the media if he hadn't already been a favorite topic of conversation as far as reporters were concerned. The fate of the officer who survived an exchange of gunfire while his partner died and who then apprehended one of the city's most wanted fugitives was a piece of good news that the newspapers were happy to print.

The relatively short duration he spent as a police officer before being elevated to the high rank of captain also wasn't a surprise to all those police department employees who were first and foremost receiving a bigger paycheck from the largest financial supplier to Raccoon City. For the officers who were not linked in any way to Umbrella Inc and were members of the police department only, the promotion was seen as one given to a man who had plenty of experience in a closely-related field, even if it wasn't strictly with the RPD.

Either way, the room that Wesker's few belongings had been moved into was about as spacious as his previous office in Umbrella's underground facility. He now had a larger desk and the addition of a large sofa, which he never planned to use anyway.

His assignments were quickly changed. He was no longer to go out alone as routine patrol was seen as a task that was below someone of his position. The fact that he was the same person he used to be the day before he received the promotion was one that Wesker did not try to point out as he was sure his statement would fall on deaf ears. Besides, he was a captain for a reason, and that was because Umbrella needed his help. Doing his pseudo job as he only saw fit was one thing, but the more important mission was to protect Umbrella from scrutiny while his original employer guarded the country against biological weapons.

His first maneuver was to take over as overseer of the large amount of anonymous tips that poured into the police district by either phone messages, letters or emails sent through the RPD's web site. Sergeants usually preferred to look over such tips and assign patrol officers to investigate them if the message was deemed credible and its location was within the patrol officers' beat. As captain, Wesker made sure that he was responsible for filtering out every tip that his station received. Every nameless message that even hinted towards a suspicious activity that may need to be investigated at one of the many Umbrella sites around Raccoon City was discarded and only the rest were then given out to the handful of sergeants within the building.

Wesker's paperwork also increased along with his rank and police pay.

He had found the amount of paperwork done by a regular officer to be nearly unbearable, but as captain, he found himself staring at piles of paper that were easily twice as high. His mouth twisted into a disgusted grin as he surveyed the small mountain of documents that were waiting on his desk every time he entered his office.

It was during a typical assault upon the paperwork in a bold effort to reduce it that he heard a knock at his office door. He retained the pen that he was using to scribble down notes on a loose piece of paper with his right hand and kept his left hand on the keyboard that he was using to type a report into the personal computer. He also looked up as he momentarily stopped working and spoke out loud "Yes?".

Joseph Frost opened the door to his office and stepped inside before closing it behind him.

"Captain", he nodded, partly out of respect and partly because he hadn't seen the older man for several days.

"How are you, Joseph?", what may have been a hint of a smile crept upon the older man's face, but was quickly replaced with his smooth demeanor as he kept eyeing the younger man from behind his dark lenses.

"Things aren't bad, I suppose", officer Frost shrugged, "No one's taken over your desk yet. But I see you're making the streets a safer place through paperwork like me. I had today set aside for no field work so I could concentrate on that too".

"Safety, right", Wesker grinned momentarily, sizing up the pile of papers sitting in front of him, "Sometimes I believe the only safety we're guaranteeing is the profit of the timber industry by ensuring they never run out of business".

"Do you even _take_ a lunch break any more, Wes?", Frost approached his desk as he spoke.

"Not unless you want to have the paperwork run so rampant that it'll be too big to allow you to enter this office from outside".

"Well, some of the guys were wondering how you were", the patrol officer told him, "We hadn't see much of you since that prick Bradshell kicked the bucket and you were sent here. You really _should_ come over one day to the lunchroom, the gym or the lockerooms".

"I suppose today is one day", Wesker answered as he stood up.

Granted the mission for his original employer came first, but even he had to admit that it was nice to be social with his colleagues at the police station, and nicer still that he was being invited back to see them. The paperwork wasn't going anywhere, and he could always catch up tomorrow if he relaxed for the second half of today. Besides, the best way to find out what officers know or suspect about Umbrella was to infiltrate their ranks. At least that's what he could tell himself and his superiors from White Umbrella.

"How about if we all get together after hours at...", the older man started to think of the best place for a social occasion with many officers at once.

He was interrupted by an announcement emanating from a radio that was inside his desk. Despite being within a closed drawer, he could still hear the voice of an operator notifying him of urgent news. Both men knew it must be an emergency bulletin if a captain was being notified the same way that all officers in the station were, as it was a general message to every employee within the building.

"Hostage situation at Raccoon First National Bank on Orange Street. Officer down. Multiple suspects, described as being armed and dangerous. Patrol cars on the way. Captains organize the staff to respond", that was followed by a few seconds of static.

Frost's eyes locked with Wesker's as the younger officer waited for orders, if there were any.

"Are we gonna respond or wait to see if the situation's under control by those en route?".

"Do you have your vest on?", the captain questioned.

"Yeah, I never take it off while on the job", Frost told him.

"Good, me neither. We'll take my car".

----------------------------------

Beads of sweat were slowly flowing down his forehead and face as the loud blare of the sirens sounded in his ears. Captain Wesker ardently tried to ignore both factors while he guided the unmarked police car with the attached bright red alarm on its roof through the streets of Raccoon City. The vehicle was speeding down the roads much faster than was allowed by the legal speed limit, and while police personnel were obviously exempt from that regulation during emergencies, it did not make the current endeavor of reaching their destination as fast as possible any less dangerous for him, his passenger or the many people outside.

He swore under his breath at the weather for the day that was much hotter than usual for that time of year, even as both front rolled-down windows blew a steady current of warm wind into his face and into Joseph's face as the younger man was buckled in the front passenger seat. The stress of having an officer down somewhere in the city accumulated with the hazard of speeding through crowded streets was bad enough, but Wesker now also had to contend with the perspiration that covered the top half of his face and threatened to fog his sunglasses. He could've wiped his face and glasses clean with his sleeve if he had a few seconds, but the current situation simply didn't allow that luxury. It was also possible that the constant inrush of air that struck his face would eventually dry the sweat off him, but that was assuming the ride lasted long enough.

Either way, he and officer Frost had more important matters than the relative heat and loud noise on their minds at the moment.

Another full minute of driving passed. Red lights and stop signs were paid no heed before their vehicle came to a sudden and harsh stop. Realizing that they approached their designated street intersection, as well as seeing the small cluster of marked patrol cars that were stopped haphazardly in front of a building, Wesker pressed his right foot against the brake pedal and brought his own vehicle to a halt after the car skidded for five yards before finally stopping. Both he and Frost were roughly pushed forward in their seated position. Instead of coming into contact with the dashboard or windshield, though, they were then pulled back towards the seats due to the seatbelts.

Both men quickly unfastened the seatbelts and exited the vehicle, handguns drawn and not paying any attention to the massive traffic that was building up from behind and in front of the group of police cars. While the arbitrary parking of their automobiles in the middle of the street had left a congestion of dozens of cars that could not pass on either side of the two-way street, the emergency at hand was much more important to every officer there.

Wesker and Frost did not need long to spot a colleague who was wounded. The injured man was partly reclined in the backseat of a patrol car that had all four of its doors open. The man's lower body was protruding out of the right side of the vehicle. The officer's back was also being supported from behind him by one of his colleagues while his right leg was raised at a 45 degree angle to the ground by a third uniformed man. As he was kept in such a position, a woman who was dressed in civilian clothes was busy bandaging his bloodied right foot after she had already wrapped a tight tourniquet around the man's right ankle.

"Captain Wesker", the Umbrella operative identified himself as he and Frost approached a nearby officer, "What's the situation?".

It was only then that he noticed the fact that he and Frost were the only ones who still had their weapons drawn.

"We were told we had suspects who were armed and dangerous?", Frost apparently noticed it too, mentioning to the new man.

"Yes, sir", the man addressed Wesker back, "Seems to be a false alarm. As far as we can tell, that vehicle over there crashed through the front window of that bank and went halfway through its lobby".

He pointed to a dark red-colored car whose front half was invisible from their point of view as it was partially inside a building, while only its back tires and rear lights were still resting on the sidewalk amid broken glass and smoke.

"We think the driver mistook the accelerator for the brake as he was making a U-turn, sir", the officer at the scene explained.

"How does this translate into half the RPD being dispatched here?", Wesker asked in his usual suave fashion without looking at the man, but instead surveying the accident area with his eyes.

"See, then officer Gray there happened to be on foot patrol at the time", the man pointed at the wounded man who was being helped in the backseat of the police car, "He thought it was an attempted bank robbery and rushed towards the scene. But as he was withdrawing his gun, he undid the safety too fast and apparently shot himself in the foot".

"Wha...?", Frost was feeling incredulous.

"You're telling me that this entire call was a mistake?", Wesker's voice became slightly colder as he turned to the officer who was informing them of the situation, "Then who called in the presence of armed suspects??".

The man he was addressing swallowed hard, detesting the fixed stare he was getting from a superior who was much too calm for his liking. He knew he wasn't to blame for the erroneous call, but that didn't keep him from feeling chills down his spine and he tried hard to keep from shaking involuntarily.

"That would be an employee from that bank there, uh, sir", the nervous man pointed towards the building where the crash had occurred, "Someone from inside called 911 after they heard the gunshot and saw Gray on the sidewalk bleeding as the passengers were getting out of the car".

Wesker said nothing. He just continued locking eyes with the officer from behind his dark glasses. Frost was the only one who noticed that the captain's jaw was tightening, revealing how he felt. Although the other officer were aware of the captain's displeasure, Frost was alone in picking up the subtle facial changes which indicated that Wesker might be ready to blow. After all, the captain didn't like wasting time when there was more urgent work to be done elsewhere.

"I think Gray must've yelled out for the passengers to freeze before he shot himself", the unfortunate officer started stuttering, "So the... uh... employee thought he had been shot. Uh...".

The Umbrella spy's facial features finally relaxed.

"Has an emergency medical unit been summoned?", he then questioned.

"Y.. Yes, sir, it's on its way now", the man pointed behind him, not realizing his aim was directing at nowhere in specific.

"And the passengers of that vehicle. How are they?", the next question from his superior followed the first almost before he had finished talking as Wesker and Frost holstered their weapons.

"There were three of them. They're fine, just shaken up. Seatbelts saved 'em. That woman who's helping Gray is actually one of them. She's apparently a nurse at Raccoon City Hospital", the relieved man exhaled.

"Alright, officer...", Wesker leaned his face slightly forward to read the man's identification tag, "... Jenkins. Good work. Let's clear this mess off the street, then".

The captain turned around and looked towards his unmarked car that sat in the middle of the street among several patrol vehicles.

"Joseph, I've been working very hard 24/7 to keep our agency from being something more than a joke to the criminals on the streets. Why am I constantly hampered in my efforts?", he uttered to himself with a frustrated sigh, "Better free the street of this clutter before an ambulance crashes into it".