Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! is copyright AIC/Pioneer Ltd. All respective characters are property of their original owners. All original characters and ideas are property of the author.
Fudan Tenchi Muyo!
Chapter 8: No Need for a Report
The cold ground rushed up to meet Ryoko as she fell face first down onto the metal flooring inside Oda's private quarters. She laid there for a minute, rubbing the place on her cheek where his hand had impacted her. Biting her lip in anger, Ryoko shot back up with a fist clenched and ready to deliver a heavy blow to the pirate lord. Oda, however, easily avoided the punch and slammed Ryoko behind the head with a heavy hand, knocking her to the ground again.
"When will you learn?" he asked as she pulled herself slowly to her knees, "You've never been able to best me."
"Shut up," she muttered.
"I will do no such thing," he grabbed her cyan hair and pulled her painfully to her feet, "You are in no place to ask things of me. All that I've done for you and you repay me with betrayal!"
Ryoko screamed at the pain of him holding her by the hair. Oda was immensely strong, stronger than he let on with the cool, calm demeanor he exhibited around others. He had a power that few had ever seen and even less had survived seeing. He never talked about where his powers had come from, but they were instrumental in both forming his Guild and maintaining control over it. Ryoko was one of the fortunate, or unfortunate depending on viewpoint, to fall into that category.
"I raised you as a child, I taught you everything you know," he flung her onto the bed that occupied the chamber, "I am the only person that has every shown you love and affection."
"That's not true!" she protested in tears.
"Tell me then, why did that boy reject you?" he leaned over her, "Why did he turn his back on you for the princess of Jurai? He didn't even try to come looking for you when I showed up on Earth!"
"He would have come," Ryoko clenched a fist in her hand, "He would have come…"
"Who are you trying to convince, Ryoko?" Oda sat down next to her. Ryoko buried her face in the bed, not wanting to look at him, "You don't seem too convinced."
"I…Tenchi…," Ryoko tried to find the words, "He would come for me."
"I seem to remember him going to Jurai to battle Kagato," Oda scratched his chin as he talked, "Yes, he went to save the princess, leaving you bloody and dying with Ryo-ohki. Is that how all Earthlings show love?"
"It wasn't like that, you weren't there," Ryoko didn't know what to say.
"Think about it, Ryoko," Oda stroked her hair, "Two princesses, a boy who doesn't know he's a prince, Galaxy Police officers, and a well respected scientist. Do you think any of them cared for you? You're just a space pirate. They kept you around for entertainment, to mock you."
"I don't believe you," Ryoko sobbed, his words stinging worse than his hand.
"Ryoko, dear," Oda continued, "You are a space pirate, like me and everyone here on this station. Those pampered fools will never be able to understand you. I do, and it's because you're one of us. This is where you belong."
Ryoko said nothing as she continued to sob into the bedside. Oda sat silently for a moment before standing and striding towards the door. Ryoko picked her head up to look at him as he stood in the doorway.
"When has that boy returned the affections you showed him?" he asked before turning to leave.
Ryoko wiped her eyes with her sleeve before crawling completely onto the bed. She laid down on her side facing away from the door and thought about what he had said. Since returning to the station with Oda, the pirate lord had confined her to his quarters. Two guards, a pair of his most trusted men, stood guard outside to make sure she didn't leave. She was kept completely alone and forbidden from leaving the room or the station or Oda had promised to kill her. She knew she wasn't physically strong enough to fight him and if he had found her once, he could find her again.
Pulling her legs up close to her into the fetal position, Ryoko cried her eyes out and tried to convince herself the things he had said didn't make any sense. Tenchi and the others did care for her, she was sure of it. How could they have known what happened to her after she left Jurai injured? But, she wondered to herself, did they even look? She knew she had been pronounced dead, but she couldn't, she wouldn't believe Tenchi or any of the others would accept that fact. They would have come looking for her if they cared for her. Wouldn't they?
Oda strode down the corridors of his station past the viewing window overlooking the space dock. Noticing a commotion and a gathered crowd of his men, he headed towards the lift that would take him down to the hangar floor. The group of about thirty or so pirates was circled around two men. As the pirates noticed their boss approaching them, the circle gave way to open for Oda to see what the commotion was about.
Guido, his lieutenant, turned and bowed to Oda as the second man, Kenichi Tono, bowed along with him. Oda was surprised to see Tono, as the reports he had gotten from his men said he had been killed after he and his partner had been ambushed by the GP. Of course, his partner had turned up alive and now he was back on the station.
Oda stood in front of the two men and stared each of them down. Guido was cold-hearted and ruthless though not too particularly smart or clever. His temper was something that Oda had looked down upon. Tono, however, Oda felt was one of the most level-headed men that he kept around. The man was smart, though he lacked the ruthlessness of most pirates. He did certainly prick Oda's interest.
"What's going on here?" Oda asked, breaking the tense silence.
"This man is a traitor!" Guido hissed, pointing an accusing finger at Tono, "His partner is a traitor and he is one too! He may even be a spy for the Galaxy Police!"
"A heavy accusation," Oda replied, cocking an eyebrow at Tono. Despite his lack of sheer ruthless pirate lust, Tono had been a very loyal member of the Guild. Of course, Oda reminded himself, Akane had been loyal up until she prevented Guido and Mar from assassinating the Masaki boy and Princess Ayeka, "What say you, Kenichi?"
"This man is a fool," Tono replied calmly, his demeanor never changing as his hands remained hidden inside his cloak, "A barbarian among professional thieves."
"I'll have your throat!" Guido shook his fist at Tono, "Your little bitch attacked me and she killed Mar. How do we know you're not a traitor?"
"I tend to agree with Guido," Oda nodded, the crowd of pirates gathered around cheering in chorus, "Your loyalty is now in question what with Akane's betrayal."
Tono closed his eyes as he pondered the accusation to himself. Oda smiled to himself, the man was up to something.
"He says nothing!" Guido shouted to the crowd, "Proof of guilt!"
"I think not," Tono muttered.
"What?" Guido turned back to face him. In an instant Tono's hand, which had been covered by his cloak, rushed up to Guido's chest area. Guido hunched over as Tono relaxed his fist to reveal a small dagger that protruded from the pirate's chest. Guido choked and collapsed to his knees as Tono composed himself.
"Well, well," Oda laughed as Guido gasped for air on the hangar floor, "It seems Tono has rejected your accusation quite adamantly. I'm afraid I now have to side with him on this issue."
Guido reached up but soon his arm collapsed to the ground as the last ounces of life drained from his eyes. The crowd was hushed as Oda motioned for two of them to come forward and drag Guido's body away to be disposed of. With the incident over, the crowd began to disperse, leaving Tono and Oda standing there facing each other.
"You went through a lot of trouble trying to get back here," Oda walked past him, looking at the small craft he had arrived in, "How come?"
"It's where I belong," Tono replied.
"I see," Oda nodded, "I am curious about your partner though, how is it you two have been almost inseparable for the past five years and yet she then betrays me? It is something I'm having trouble wrapping my head around."
"She was a mole," Tono explained, his expression unchanging, "We were ambushed by the GP and she tried to have me arrested because of my participation in helping you uncover those artifacts a few months back. I couldn't stop her from escaping."
"Interesting," Oda nodded along, "And what of your ship being on Earth?"
"When I got to Earth, she and her GP contacts had already left the planet," Tono continued, "I was too late to stop them."
"Her treachery shakes us to our core," Oda replied, "Guido's lack of subtlety will not be missed, but we will have to go about righting the wrongs she has done inside our organization."
"I'll get right on it," Tono offered.
"Very well," Oda agreed, "It's good to have you back with us, Kenichi."
"It's good to be back among friends," he replied.
"Yagami," the radio crackled to life, "This is control tower Alpha, please be advised your approach vector has been approved, welcome back."
"Affirmative, tower," Kiyone replied, typing on the keypad attached to the pilot's chair and entering the docking instructions into Yagami's computer. All operations for the massive GP vessel were controlled by the main computer system, a complicated system of circuits and commands that Kiyone was a graduated master at.
"I can't believe how busy it is," Mihoshi looked out the viewing window. The docking station attacked to the GP HQ was always full of activity, but there seemed to be even more ships there than Kiyone or Mihoshi had ever seen before.
"It is pretty crowded," Kiyone relaxed in the chair as the Yagami's computer systems interfaced with the space station's docking procedures. Her control over the ship was lost as the computers inside the docking bay took control to guide Yagami the rest of the way into the station.
The docking system for the GP station was a massive computer system that worked in a synchronization that no organic peoples could comprehend. As a smaller vessel flew by outside, the Yagami passed within inches of touching the ship before it moved to a safe distance away. The large metal doors into the hangar bay opened slowly as the giant red ship lurched forward. Docking lasers engaged from inside the hangar and interacted with specifically controlled devices attached to the Yagami's hull and helped to slow the ship and anchor it into place within the bay. The massive space ship settled into the hangar, the doors closed, sealing the bay. The maintenance crews instantly went about locking the Yagami into place.
Kiyone and Mihoshi exited the ship where they were greeted by their regional supervisor. An administrative man, much like Kiyone's former position back on the station, he was surprised by their visit. They saluted their superior as he approached them.
"Detectives Kiyone and Mihoshi," he returned their salute, "I received your communiqué about the attack on Princess Ayeka and Tenchi Masaki. I still don't understand why you have to report here personally."
"That is not of your concern," the three of them turned to see Director Airi approaching them from the airlock. Kiyone scowled at her mother, but was respectful of her rank with another salute.
"Well, my dear," she greeted her daughter, "Finally decided to come back? I wish I could say I have a position open for you."
"Spare me, mother," Kiyone rolled her eyes.
"So what is so important you would come all the way back here?" Airi stood defiantly as the regional supervisor left, "Incident reports are filed electronically."
"This is more than just an incident," Kiyone explained.
"I think that's up to the upper brass to decide," Airi snapped back, "Not a couple of detectives out in the Null Zone."
"Look, can we talk about this elsewhere?" Kiyone looked around. Tono had been clear in his instructions that only Airi and the Grand Marshal were to know about his report.
"Fine," her mother agreed, "Let's go to my office."
It was late at night and most of the station was empty. Most of the pirates in Oda's compound were either asleep or passed out drunk by the time Tono emerged from the quarters he was using. The lights in the hall were still bright as he approached a control panel on the side of the wall and slid the hatch open. He had studied the components long ago and his fingers moved quickly to dim the lights. The station plunged into darkness before the emergency systems kicked in and the station corridors began to glow a bright red. With some darkness and more shadows in the otherwise bright hallways, Tono walked slowly down the corridors.
Oda had left the station earlier that evening though no one Tono had spoken with knew where he was going. Oda rarely traveled alone, and doing so was suspicious in its own right. The guards at the storage vault inside the station looked up as Tono approached.
"Power outage?" he asked.
"Damn fluctuations," the guard shook his head, "Idiots are always breaking something."
Tono laughed to himself.
"Have you inventoried the things here?" Tono asked.
"No, I don't think so?" the guard turned to his partner, "You think we should check it out?"
"It's no matter," Tono waved his hand, "I'll do it."
Luckily for him, he had worked as part of Oda's crew that documented the personal stash that Oda would keep from their various pirating expeditions. The man was rich beyond imagination and Tono was one of the few people with access to the collection. By coming so late in the night, Tono was sure none of the other people assigned to this duty would be around to double-check on him.
"Sure, go right ahead," the guard punched the code into the vault and Tono headed inside.
Once the door was shut behind him, he moved silently to the back of the vault where a large chest was situated among some priceless artifacts they had stolen from museums inside Jurai's territory. Oda was always a man of classical tastes, Tono told himself, opening the large chest. He was surprised to find it empty. The chest, more like a safe, contained the ancient scrolls they had snatched from the Galactic Science Academy expedition. Tono was in the process of translating the scrolls and he wasn't done with them before Oda had given them their assignment to go and find Ryoko. Why would Oda have taken them? The information he had on them was part of the report he had sent along to the GP with Kiyone and Mihoshi. Puzzled by their disappearance, Tono closed the chest and left the vault, giving the two guards a nod as he headed back to the living quarters.
The lights were still dimmed as he moved up to the floor where Oda's quarters were. A highly secure area, Tono leaned against a corner as a pair of guards passed by down the hall talking about the power shortage. Once he was sure they were gone, Tono approached the door and slid the card he had stolen from Oda a long time ago through the reader. The light beeped green and the door opened. He smiled to himself as he stepped inside Oda's personal quarters. The lights were off in the room and there were no apparent emergency lights as Tono closed the doors behind them. He stood silently, letting his eyes adjust to the levels of light in the room.
"Who's there?" a female voice cut through the darkness.
"Ryoko?" Tono squinted.
"What?" Ryoko sat up in the bed, "Tono!"
"Ryoko, thank goodness I've found you," he approached the bed.
"Please, don't come close," she begged, pushing him with an outstretched hand.
"What?" he tried to protest as his eyes became more acclimated and he noticed the bruises on her face and arm.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in a whisper, "If they find you here, they'll kill you."
"Oda's not on the station," Tono replied, "We're working on a way to get you out of here; I'm here to check on you."
"You shouldn't be doing this," Ryoko pulled her knees up under her chin, "You're going to get yourself killed."
"I've been doing this for five years, I can take care of myself," Tono sat down on the edge of the bed.
"I'm not worth you being here," Ryoko explained with a heavy sigh, "I'm a space pirate. I've been one since I was little girl. You could never understand what it's like to be in my position."
"You're saying you don't want to leave?" Tono asked.
"No."
Tono sat silently as Ryoko turned her head away from him. Over the past five years while he had been working undercover, Tono had known of Ryoko only casually. Oda was very protective of his mistress, but with everything he saw of the 'most wanted space pirate in the universe', it was nothing like the depressed woman sitting beside him. She seemed, almost broken emotionally.
"Here," Tono produced a piece of fruit, "It's not much, but you look like you haven't had anything to eat in a while."
"Thank you," she took it graciously.
"I'll come back when I get a chance," Tono stood and headed towards the door. The lights would be coming back on soon and he didn't want to risk being caught in Oda's private quarters with his personal mistress.
Ryoko sat silently and watched him leave. She took a bite of the fruit he had brought her before sitting it down next to the bed and lying back down on her side.
Kiyone and Mihoshi followed Airi through the interweaving maze of corridors and bulkheads that was the Galaxy Police Headquarters before coming to her office. As the head of the Special Operations, Airi's office was tucked away in the upper most levels of the station and was heavily secured. After passing through the checkpoints, they entered the huge office where Airi worked. Kiyone had been to Airi's office on very few occasions, and the officers who worked inside Special Operations were surprised to see Director Airi and her daughter together. Two of the desk officers exchanged concerned glances. Few meetings between mother and daughter ended without a shouting match.
Airi moved to her desk and tapped on a console that sealed the room from outside communications and enabled a transmitter scrambler that would prevent outside recorders from picking up audio inside her office. She then took her seat in her desk chair and leaned back in a resting position.
"Well, let's have it," she demanded.
"This report is for the Grand Marshal only," Kiyone informed her.
"I can give it to him," Airi shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm under strict orders to deliver this personally to Grand Marshal Kuramitsu," Kiyone produced Tono's data disc.
"Damnit, Kiyone, don't be stubborn about this," Airi slammed her fist down on the desk, "Who ordered you to do this?"
"Ken did," Kiyone dropped the bomb. Airi recoiled from her outburst and reclined back in her chair, "You look surprised to find this out, mother?"
"Detective Tono is one of my most protected covert agents," Airi explained calmly, "This report comes from him?"
"He was very specific about Grand Marshal Kuramitsu getting it," Kiyone tucked the disc back into her uniform.
"Very well," Airi stood up, "I'll see how if we can get him out of his meetings."
She stood and walked out of the office leaving Kiyone and Mihoshi alone.
"Kiyone, you and your mother never seem to get along," Mihoshi stated as Kiyone went over to her mother's chair and sat down.
"I know, Mihoshi," Kiyone pushed her teal hair back and sighed, "She's just so damn frustrating sometimes."
Airi returned a moment later. She glanced at Kiyone sitting in her desk chair but said nothing of it.
"Grand Marshal Kuramitsu is coming out of a meeting. He wants us to meet him in his office to discuss this matter," she explained.
"That was quick," Mihoshi commented.
"Well, Mihoshi," Airi smiled at the blonde detective, "It was easy to get him out of his meeting when I told him his favorite granddaughter was back on the station."
Mihoshi laughed as Kiyone sighed to herself. Twenty minutes later they had gathered in the Grand Marshal's large office room. Being the Grand Marshal, the office was large. Two flowing waterfalls created a streaming river that ran around to behind where his large wooden desk was located before pooling at the base of a tree, a gift from the Emperor of Jurai that the Grand Marshal had received long ago.
Airi stood at the Marshal's side speaking quietly with him before motioning Kiyone and Mihoshi to approach them.
"Well, Mihoshi," Minami greeted his granddaughter, "It is such a delight having you here with us again. Airi here tells us you and Kiyone have some news for me."
"Yes, sir, grandpa," Mihoshi saluted and grinned, excited to see the old man, "Show him, Kiyone."
"Sir," Kiyone produced the disk and sat it on the Minami's desk, "This report was delivered to me by an agent in Director Airi's Special Operation division. He asked me to deliver it personally to you."
"Airi," Minami turned to the director.
"Detective Kenichi Tono has been a Class 1 agent of mine inside the Oda Guild for the past five years," Airi explained, taking the disk from the desk and sliding it into the computer. The Grand Marshal's office possessed the same scrambling devices that Airi's office had allowing the data to be safely reviewed.
The Marshal turned up a viewing screen as Kiyone and Mihoshi moved to where they could see the data coming up on the screen. The amount of data was astounding that Tono and Akane had collected on the Guild. The information included smuggling routes for weapons and contraband that Oda and his group were stealing from Jurai and the Megami. Airi skipped through some of the information until she pulled up a file titled Jurain Contact.
"What is this?" Minami asked.
"A good question," Airi opened the file.
The report was almost a year old but had various addendums attached to it. The report was filed based on a heist that Tono had taken part of as part of his cover. Oda and his group had, at the behest of an entity that Tono was unaware of raided a Galactic Science Academy archive of documents that pertained to what Tono detailed as the 'cult of the demi-god Natas'. From the records that they stole, combined with future endeavors that Tono had documented thoroughly, Tono described a cult organization consisting of members of the Jurain government that worshipped the Natas character. The report concluded that despite the amount of information that Tono had documented on 'Natas' there seemed to be no purpose in the information other than general knowledge gathering by Oda.
Kiyone took a moment to think back to her meeting the Science Academy professor who had first told her of the rival Jurai religion. Was this Natas cult the same thing the old man had referred to? What was the connection between Oda and this Natas character?
"I don't like this," Minami stroked his golden beard, "Not one bit."
"Sir, you can't possibly believe in the existence of this 'Natas' can you?" Airi asked.
"I've never been one for Jurai's religious hooey," Minami replied, "But, if members of the Jurain government are conspiring with the Oda Guild, it concerns me deeply. What is the status of your undercover agents, Director?"
"Well, sir," Airi replied, "Kiyone and Mihoshi here were last in contact with them."
"Detective Tono is still undercover within the Guild," Kiyone explained, "His partner; Detective Akane is no longer working undercover but is still out in the field."
"I see," Minami stood, "This is very disturbing information you have brought before me, Kiyone and Mihoshi. Director Airi, what are your thoughts on how we proceed?"
"I will work my sources to uncover more information on this Natas connection, but I can't guarantee much luck. There aren't many records that the Jurains have detailing this subject."
"See what you can dig up," Minami nodded, "In the meantime, we must be cautious how we deal with this new information concerning Jurai," Minami explained, "With Kagato's coup still fresh in everyone's memories, we must tread lightly."
Minami had taken the coup on Jurai personally. He and Emperor Azusa had a good friendship that stemmed from their relationship as heads of the respective organizations. When it became apparent that the GP had been falsely tricked into assisting Kagato in trying to track down the members of the Royal Family, Minami was none too thrilled with the information. The entire endeavor had left the GP and Jurai on shaky ground.
"What about the agent undercover?" Kiyone asked.
"Detective Tono knows the risks of his assignment," Minami replied, "At this point, there will be no direct action taken by the GP."
"But, sir…"
"I understand your feelings towards Detective Tono," Minami rested his chin on his hands, "We can't risk alerting Oda or, if this report is true, allowing his contacts within Jurai's government to slip away. Now, if you will excuse us, Director Airi and I have things to discuss."
"Yes, sir," Kiyone and Mihoshi replied, they saluted their superior and turned to leave the office.
The duo of detectives walked to a promenade where Kiyone stood next to a railing overlooking a lower level. Tono had hoped that his report would be able to get the GP to do something against the Guild, but Kiyone was surprised by what had actually been in it. Oda and his group were the most notorious pirates out there and Jurai, still recovering from Kagato didn't need another scandal or crisis any more than the GP did.
She found herself worried about Tono and Ryoko. If he had indeed found her with Oda, would he be able to get her out without the GP's help?
"Kiyone," Mihoshi sensed something was bothering her partner, "Is Tono going to be alright."
"I don't know," Kiyone shook her head, "I wish we had a way to get in contact with him."
"Kiyone!" the two turned to see Airi stride out of the Marshal's office, "May I have a word with you, in private?"
"Sure, mother," Kiyone rolled her eyes.
"Mihoshi, your grandfather would like to visit with you some since you have been gone from us so long," Airi informed the blonde detective. Kiyone hated how sweet her mother treated Mihoshi. It was just another screw to tighten in their relationship.
As Mihoshi left them to reenter her grandfather's office, Airi led Kiyone back to her office. Once there, Airi stood over the small preparation station and prepared them both tea. Kiyone stood by her mother's desk when she noticed a picture frame. Airi had always been a stickler for professionalism in police work and she saw little need for personal effects. Kiyone silently picked up the photo and was surprised to find herself in the photo. It was her graduation photo. A much younger Kiyone stared out at her older self with a giant smile. The future was completely in front of the young graduate.
"I remember that day," Airi approached her daughter, handing her a cup of tea. She seemed much more relaxed than usual, "Very busy, and very hectic."
"I'll say," Kiyone sipped at her tea.
"I want to show you something," Airi took the picture frame from her daughter and slid the glass cover off. She pulled the photo from the frame and handed it back to Kiyone. Kiyone realized as she held her graduation photo that it was folded in half. She opened the photo to reveal Tono standing in his graduation uniform, his arm on Kiyone's shoulder.
"What's this supposed to mean?" Kiyone asked, a whirlwind of memories she didn't appreciate were revisiting and swirling around in her head.
"Kiyone, when you turned your promotion in and headed back to Earth, it made me do some thinking," Airi explained, sitting on the edge of her desk, "You always had such a bright future here, and I know my pushing you had a lot to do with it."
"You weren't very discreet," Kiyone commented.
"I know," Airi nodded, "I'm sure you're aware now that I've known about Tono and Akane's assignments for some time."
"It was the hotshot assignment he always wanted," Kiyone sighed, "And I bet it made you happy he wasn't there to 'interfere with my career' anymore."
"It's more than that," Airi sighed. The next sentence was going to be tough, "I personally selected him and lobbied Minami to approve him for his duty."
"You what?" Kiyone stood stunned.
"I admit it," Airi continued, "I put him deep undercover with the Oda Guild not only for the information he gathered, but so he wouldn't be around and you could focus on your job."
"I can't believe this," Kiyone was stunned. She sat her tea on the desk and took a few steps away. Her mother was always disapproving of her relationship with Tono during their time in the Academy. When she had found out about their secret marriage ceremony, she had flipped out and lectured her for hours about throwing her life away at such an early age. But, never in a million years would she have expected Airi to intentionally interfere with her marriage. She had hated Tono for five straight years, cursing every memory she had of him, even his very existence. The night he disappeared, he had simply told her he had an assignment and couldn't see her anymore. The pain that event brought her had shaped every moment since then.
"Kiyone…" Airi tried to speak, her voice soft and humble. She reached out for her daughter but Kiyone pulled away.
"Don't touch me," Kiyone demanded, "Why are you telling me this?"
"I…I realized it's not my place to direct your life," Airi explained, "I realized when you left back for Earth that you were an adult and I was still treating you like a kid. It was wrong of me."
"You ruined the one relationship I ever had with someone outside my job," Kiyone cursed her mother, "For my career?"
"Yes, I did," Airi admitted. Her daughter had a tear run down her cheek, "I'm sorry, I wish there was some way I could change it, but I can't."
"I don't believe this," Kiyone stood silently.
"You can hate me if you want," Airi looked away. She couldn't bear to look at her daughter anymore.
"No," Kiyone drew her mother's attention. She stood staring at the wall, having a moment of clairvoyance, "I don't hate you."
"Then what?" Airi asked.
"I quit."
"You what?"
"I resign my commission, effective immediately" Kiyone ripped her GP badge from her uniform and tossed it on her mother's desk. She pulled her weapon from the holster slung under her right arm and tossed it beside the badge, "I don't want to be a cop anymore."