Underwood and Johnson pulled up outside the restaurant, finding that all the signs were still unlit, but the interior was. It was now Friday, and the restaurant would still be closed at least another week awaiting inspection, missing one of the busiest weekends of the year, the reason they were sure that Marcus Costaz had taken the decision to exact vengeance by shooting Brenda in a parking lot.

Encouragingly, the lights were on inside, meaning that someone was likely inside. As they approached, they saw a waitress cleaning up. Underwood held up his badge, and gestured to her to open the door.

She did so, allowing them inside.

"Detectives Underwood and Johnson." He said, gesturing to his partner and himself. "We're here to speak to Marcus Costaz."

"Mr. Costaz is in his apartment upstairs." She informed them. "He said he's not to be disturbed. He's doing some paperwork..."

"He'll make an exception for us." Johnson replied. "Stay here."

As they made their way into the back, and started going up the stairs, Johnson checked on his gun.

"Let's just try and get him to come quietly." Underwood told him.

"This is his apartment." Johnson reminded him. "We already suspect he has a gun, we don't know what other kind of tools he has up there."

"That's just one of the reasons I'd rather do this quietly." Underwood replied. He knocked on the door, which was answered a short time later by Costaz. He seemed a little edgy, and was making an effort to keep the door between the officers and himself.

"Mr Costaz, we'd like to talk...!"

Costas immediately slammed the door shut, staggering them. Johnson and Underwood pulled out their guns.

"So much for the quiet approach!" Johnson commented as he kicked into the door. It stood firm, and took a couple of attempts to kick in. The two men made their way inside, checking the room carefully for Costaz, prepared for an ambush. It didn't come though.

"Underwood!" Johnson called out. Underwood looked around as he came in, carrying a blood-stained shirt. "Look what I found by the laundry. Even odds says it's Hamilton's."

"Blood stains do take a few runs to get out." Underwood stated. Just then, he saw the window open. He ran to it, in time to see Costaz running down the street, having dropped down from the fire escape. Underwood ran from the apartment and down into the restaurant in hot pursuit. He got onto the street, seeing Costaz heading down the street and ran after him.

"Suspect Marcus Costaz is heading North on Grove. All units report, Detective Underwood in pursuit on foot!" He announced into his radio. The chase did not last much longer though. Taking a wrong turning, Costaz found himself in a dead end. Underwood only just ducked as he picked up a glass bottle in his right hand and threw it at his head.

He picked up another, preparing to throw it, but Underwood trained his pistol on him.

"How do you think this is going to end Costaz?" Underwood asked him. "Put the bottle down, and get down on the ground!"

Costaz was in a complete panic as he thought about his options.

"I didn't do it!" He screamed. "I swear to God...!"

"Just put the bottle down and get down or I will shoot!" Underwood reiterated a little more forcefully. Costaz finally dropped the bottle, and holding his hands behind his head, started to lower himself to the ground. As he got onto the ground, Underwood approached him slowly, keeping him covered. A couple of patrolmen arrived at the end of the street.

"Detective Underwood, I've got the suspect under control." Underwood stated. "Cuff him!"

One of the patrolmen did as he was told, before they pulled Costaz back to his feet. Once he was confident that the prisoner was contained, Underwood put his gun away.

"Marcus Costaz, I am arresting you on suspicion of the attempted murder of Brenda Hamilton. You have the right to remain silent..."

"I didn't do it!" Costas yelled at him. "I'm telling you..."

"...Anything you do say may be given in evidence. You have the right to an attorney..."

"I'm telling you, you're making a huge mistake!" Costaz screamed at him."

"...If you cannot afford one, then one will be appointed to you." Underwood completed his rights. He then stepped forward. "Mr. Costaz, that last art about an attorney, I would really advise you take that seriously, because right now, things aren't looking good for you. Take him to the station and detain him until I get there."

"Yes detective." One of the patrolmen replied, dragging him down the street. "So, what is it tough guy? Does shooting a woman make you feel really macho?"

Underwood though had another thought. Something seemed really odd to him about Costaz's attempted flight. Straightening himself out, he started to make his way back to the restaurant.

Over at the Shiba House, the Rangers had gotten back to training. They were trying their best to use the loss of Stephen, to convert it into fire and get back into training in full strength. They weren't quite there yet, sadness still creeping in and taking their concentration, but at least they were getting back into it.

Jayden was working with Emily, and he was finding it hard going. Although his own mind kept spinning with thoughts about what had happened, but Emily was clearly very distracted, and was taking a bit of a hammering, even despite Jayden going easy on her.

As she hit the mat again, nursing a painful red mark across her left arm, Ji just sighed.

"Alright, everybody stop. That is enough for today." He told them. None of them were working at full capacity, and their minds were clearly all over the place. They spent as much time on the floor as they did on their feet, and while they had made some headway, he could see that by now they were only succeeding in risking seriously hurting each other, something that they could ill afford at this time. "Go and get cleaned up. Jayden, can I have a word with you please?"

Jayden came over as the others went into the house slowly to get washed up and changed. Jayden approached him.

"I think I know what you're going to say." Jayden began, looking at the door. "I'm worried about Emily..."

"Emily has a lot to concentrate on, that is true." Ji agreed. Not only did Emily have to worry about her own mourning, she was also deeply concerned about Serena. Her older sister had lost the man she loved, and while she had been brave about things so far, she was also clearly finding it hard. She hadn't left the house since Stephen had died, and had barely even left her room. He knew that Emily was struggling. Something else was bothering him though. "I was actually going to ask how you were doing."

"I'm fine." Jayden returned quickly. Ji just nodded.

"Well, that is remarkable." Ji told him. "I do not know many people that would be fine under the circumstances. I know I am not."

"Ji, it's my responsibility..."

"It is your responsibility to lead the team, I know that. I was the one that raised you for that." Ji reminded him. "However, that will not be possible if you are not honest with yourself. You need to be strong, and part of that is to acknowledge your feelings and get them under control."

"Ji..."

"You were going easily on Emily, and I understand why." Ji told him. "But you know that eventually that will not help anyone, least of all your team if that continues."

"What do you want me to say Ji?" He asked. "Do you want me to say I'm sad Stephen got killed? That I'm angry? Yes, I am! But I don't have the luxury of..."

"There is one more thing you must acknowledge and deal with." Ji stated. "And you know what that is."

"I screwed up Ji." Jayden sighed, leaning against the wall, sliding down to the floor. He held his head in his hands. "I was so focussed on Eyescar...I was...I..."

Ji sat with him as he struggled to form the words.

"I left Stephen and Brenda alone." He recalled. "I could have asked one of you to stay with them, but I didn't."

He looked to Ji his eyes beginning to tear up.

"It's my fault." He stated. "The team relies on me, puts their trust in me. I screwed up, and Stephen paid the price."

"It is only natural to feel guilt when we survive and one of our friends does not." Ji told him. "It is much harder for you though. You are responsible for the others' lives in the field. You know that you must place them in danger, and that weighs heavily upon you."

"Stephen isn't...wasn't a Samurai." Jayden told him. "He wasn't like us; he shouldn't have been in there...!"

"Neither should Brenda." Ji reminded him. "Sometimes casualties will occur that we cannot control. I am as much to blame for Stephen's death as you are. He only left the Shiba House because I asked him to. However, neither one of us took his life."

Ji pulled a bit closer.

"This is just between us, Serena can never hear this, you understand?" Ji asked. Jayden just nodded. "When Serrator had both Brenda and Stephen, I thought he would choose her. He had his weapon at the ready. He had it ready to strike, and for a moment, my heart stopped still."

"Ji..."

"When he chose Stephen, when he broke his neck, I was as stunned and distraught as all of you." Ji told him. "However, if I am truly honest, there was a part of me, even if only for a moment, that was relieved that he did not choose Brenda. For a moment, I was happy that it was Stephen."

Jayden looked shocked at what Ji had said. Stephen was as much a friend to Ji as the rest of them. How could he say that?

"I too have felt guilt over that." Ji told him. "I shall have to find a way to live on and do my duty. After all, if I allow this to consume me and it affects the war, then Stephen truly will have died for nothing. That is the only way I can dishonour his memory."

"So you're saying I should just stop feeling guilty?" Jayden asked. Ji shook his head.

"No, I know that would not be possible." Ji assured him. "Just be mindful of it, and try to remember that in time it will become easier."

With that, he patted Jayden on the shoulder and got up, before helping him to his feet.

"Do what you need to; you are entitled to grieve as much as the others." Ji told him. "Tomorrow is another day, and time is one thing I fear Xandred is unlikely to give us. The sooner we are back to strength the better. That means, we may have to push the others more than we are comfortable to."

Jayden just watched him leave, and composed himself before heading into the house. He knew Ji was right. For now, they would do what they could, but they did not have much time. Xandred was undoubtedly already planning his next move, and they needed to be ready for it.

Underwood arrived back at the apartment above the restaurant, finding Johnson there with a few uniform officers, just finishing securing the scene. Johnson was casually smoking as the officers worked around him.

"So, I hear you did your best Ussain Bolt impression and caught the scumbag." Johnson said with a smile. "Well, I guess that just about wraps things up here."

"Not quite." Underwood stated. "I want to make sure this sticks. Something doesn't feel right about all of this."

Johnson just rolled his eyes and threw up his hands.

"God, don't you want to arrest anybody?" Johnson asked him in exasperation. "For God's sake, what do you need, a signed confession and a smoking gun?"

"I don't believe in easy arrests." Underwood told him. "I'm not going to nail some guy's ass to a cross just to have someone nailed there. I want to be sure we've got the right guy."

"Look, we know he had the gun, he bought ammo, he had motive, he has blood-stained clothing that's on the way to his lab as we speak, and while you were out playing track runner..." He pulled out his notepad and showed it to Underwood. "I called R&I and got his jacket. His wife divorced him three years ago on...guess what grounds...domestic abuse!"

"There's also a conviction here." Underwood read. "Assault, 200 hours and court mandated anger management therapy."

"Pretty steep don't you think?" Johnson asked. "Something tells me it was more than just a black eye. So, he also has form for violence against women."

"Sergeant." Underwood called out, gesturing over a man taking notes. "Are you the one taking inventory?"

"Yes Detective." He answered, handing him the report. Underwood checked the list, and frowned as he checked the list of items. "Have you finished yet?"

"Not yet, but we should be finished soon." The Sergeant replied. Underwood just handed him back the report.

"Let me see it when it's done." Underwood told him. He turned back to Johnson and gestured to the door.

"Let's go to the hospital, I want to talk to Brenda Hamilton if she's up to it." He told him. Johnson just groaned.

"What? We've got the guy!" He reiterated.

"No, so far we've got a lot of circumstantial evidence." Underwood reminded him. "It's looking good, especially if we can pressure him into a confession, but..."

"Then let's do it!" Johnson stated. "Let's go to the station, confirm the blood on the clothes is hers, get the confession, then when we talk to Ms. Hamilton; it'll be to tell her we're putting the son of a bitch who shot her in prison for the next twenty years!"

"I only have one problem with that story." Underwood stated. "It took us almost thirty seconds to get into the apartment. He had all the time he needed to grab the gun, but when I cornered him, he tried to fend me off with the contents of a trash can. If he had a Hardballer, why did he choose to use Budweiser bottles to drive off a pursuing officer?"

"Maybe he didn't want to add shooting a cop to the list of charges." Johnson suggested.

"We didn't find a gun on him when we searched him." Underwood continued. "The inventory of the items in the apartment doesn't include the gun."

"So he tossed it!" Johnson yelled. "He'll probably crack and tell us where he disposed of it in interrogation! What kind of dumbass keeps the gun they just used to shoot someone anyway?"

"The kind of dumbass who doesn't dispose of blood stained clothes?" Underwood replied sarcastically with a shrug as he opened the passenger door of their car. Johnson just paused. "So, he tosses a gun that's practically an antique without a thought to get of direct evidence, but keeps a two hundred dollar shirt and tries to wash it?"

"God, I hate it when you do that." Johnson groaned. "Alright, the hospital it is."