Confusion

by adromir

After Steve is brutally attacked at the AC-12 headquarters, Kate and her MIT team has to investigate to catch the perpetrator.

1. 1

SUMMARY: After Steve is brutally attacked at the AC-12 headquarters, Kate and her MIT team has to investigate to catch the perpetrator.

A/N: Hello, hello, everyone! Still enjoying the series 6 finale? I do, and I'm re-binge watching the entire series over and over again, I love it so much! It left so many doors open, so I'm praying for series 7!

Anyway, back to the story. For those who hasn't seen series 6, STOP RIGHT NOW. That's because this particular story has major spoilers. It takes place right after Season 6 finale. I also suggest you read the other stories first to better understand the characters and for plot continuity. Enjoy, guys. Or not…

-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-

Like poker players sizing up their opponents, the two women faced each other in uncomfortable silence with only a work desk separating them.

Finally, after almost a full minute, DCS Patricia Carmichael—the head of AC-3, and currently the interim leader of AC-12 now that Superintendent Ted Hasting was on enforced retirement—emitted a wry smirk and said, "Well, I knew this day was coming. Can't carry on without your old partner, can you?"

In response, DI Kate Fleming managed a thin smile. "If you say so, ma'am."

"Yes, I do say so. From what I gather, you and DI Steve Arnott are as thick as thieves. Partners for many years, before you transferred to MIT a year ago. But now you've requested to return here." Carmichael leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. "Tell me, DI Fleming. What's so extraordinary about the both of you that the DCC approves your application without creating much of a fuss?"

Kate easily shrugged. "Steve and I are specialists, ma'am. We made the best team. We've cleared up quite a number of big important cases for AC-12. I believe the DCC knows we both work better when we're together rather than separated."

"Hmm…" With a slight frown, Carmichael tapped a perfect manicured nail against her forearm. "As the endorsement came directly from the DCC, I guess it's my obligation to accept this latest arrangement."

"Of course, ma'am."

"As stated in the notice, you are to resume your position here by the end of the week. What about your current workload in MIT? Any unresolved cases?"

"We have several opened cases pending further inquiries, but nothing major. For the time being, DS Chris Lomax has taken over until the new DI arrives to take over my place," Kate explained.

"As smooth and simple as that. Efficient," the older woman commented, a tad cynical. "By the way, I understand that Steve knows you're coming in to see me today."

"Yes, he does." Kate tried hard not to let her growing irritation seep into her voice.

I must have lost my mind, she told herself inwardly. I decided to return to AC-12 to work under this effing bitch?

But then she thought of Steve and his present predicament, and how he needed his best mate's full support as he battled with his medical problems. The Occupational Health was yet to announce their final ruling, whether to bench Steve to desk duty for an indefinite time or to retire him altogether from the force on medical reasons. Steve had already surrendered his firearms and pursuit driving license over a month ago, though he was still allowed to lead the current investigation on an extortion case involving several patrol officers.

Carmichael caught sight of DC Chloe Bishop who happened to walk by outside the door, carrying a bundle of folders in her arms.

"DC Bishop," she called out.

The younger women instantly halted and turned, before coming to stand at the opened doorway. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Is DI Arnott still in the major incident room?"

The major incident room was actually Discussion Room 4, where Steve's team had put up a white board that listed down the names of suspected patrol officers along with their ID photos, also some info graphics describing their connections to multiple victims and witnesses. It was also the room where Steve led his team on daily briefings and documents read-through over the extortion case.

Chloe glanced at her wristwatch. It was already a quarter past 1.00 in the afternoon, but Steve had previously told her that he might skip lunch that day.

"I'll go check, ma'am."

"Do that. And please tell him I want to see him right away."

"Of course, ma'am."

Chloe went off, and Carmichael turned her attention back to Kate. "Right. Where were we?"

"You mentioned about Steve knowing that I'm coming in today."

"Ah, yes. So you tell each other everything, I believe."

"Things that matters, yeah."

"No secrets between you two, then?"

Tilting her head slightly, Kate regarded the other woman with a slight frown. Where the hell is she going with this?

"Ma'am, I don't understand what you mean—" Kate words were abruptly cut off when they heard Chloe's alarmed cries from the other side of the office hall.

"Help! I need some help!" the young DC shouted again, dumping the folders she carried onto a nearby desk. "Someone needs to call an ambulance!'

Startled, both Carmichael and Kate leapt out of their chairs before rushing out of the room.

Upon seeing them, Chloe hurriedly came over and said, "Ma'am, it's DI Arnott."

"What's wrong with DI Arnott?" Carmichael asked, taken aback by Chloe's clear distress.

"I found him unconscious on the floor," the young DC quickly explained. "He's bleeding real badly from a wound to his stomach."

"What?!" Kate cried out in shock and started to run ahead. "Major incident room, you said?"

Carmichael and Chloe also hurried after her towards Discussion Room 4 which was situated at the back of the office at a corner between the pantry and the janitor closet. Like all other discussion rooms on the floor plan, the walls were constructed of clear glass, but all the blinds were currently shut close. They learned about Steve's true state only when they arrived at the opened doorway.

"Jesus Christ…" Kate gasped out loud the moment she saw her partner, lying flat on his back in a pool of blood. "Steve!"

Rushing to kneel at his side to swiftly check his vitals, she was aghast to see the amount of blood still leaking out of his body, a glaring red against his crisp white shirt. Even the light blue carpet underneath him had turned magenta.

"Shit!" Kate cursed out loud after she inspected the wound. Steve had been stabbed in the upper left part of his abdomen, deep enough to penetrate all kinds of internal organs from the look of it.

"Is he breathing?" Carmichael calmly asked, turning quite pale herself as she viewed Steve's unresponsive form.

Kate nodded, pressing her palms firmly against the stab wound. "He still breaths, but his pulse is irregular. And the bleeding won't stop, god damn it!"

Carmichael looked at the doorway, where a crowd had quickly gathered. "Alright, people. This is a crime scene. Everybody, go back to your station! Chloe, issue an urgent lockdown on my authority. No one is to leave or enter this building without may say so."

"Yes, ma'am," Chloe responded before rushing away.

"Fletch," Carmichael then turned to a male DC hovering nearby. "Put up an incident tape around this area. Keep everyone away, except for the paramedics. And the ambulance, can somebody find out its ETA?"

As everyone else ran off to follow her orders, Carmichael went to kneel on Steve's other side. "How is he?"

Kate swallowed hard, her eyes already swimming with tears. "He's fading fast. He has lost too much blood."

With a curt nod, Carmichael said, "Move your hands. I'll take over."

Kate hesitated, and so Carmichael asked, "You are still MIT, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then this is your latest crime scene. Work it, DI Fleming. Catch the bastard who did this."

After a full heartbeat, Kate took a deep breath to compose herself before she agreed, "Ma'am."

Carmichael immediately placed her palms on Steve's bleeding wound after Kate removed hers. She kept the pressure firm and study, even though she was not a fan of blood.

"So," Carmichael said, keeping down the bile that suddenly rose up her gullet. "What do you make of all this?"

Already in investigative mode even though her best friend lay dying on the floor behind her, Kate gave the room a critical look. She glanced at the informative white board and the large desk covered with piles of documents, finding nothing peculiar there. She then noticed Steve's favorite mug—the one with "I'm A Waistcoat Wonder" stenciled outside, which she had given him for his birthday several years ago—lying on its side several feet away, its content of black coffee spilled over. There was one thing in particular she couldn't find, though.

"This looks like an inside job," she told Carmichael. "And another thing is bothering me."

"What do you mean?"

"Where the hell is the weapon?"

-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-

DCS Patricia Carmichael glanced at her watch for the umpteenth time.

Over two hours had passed since Steve was brought into the hospital. As she was his gaffer, Carmichael had rode along inside the ambulance, sitting by the foot of his gurney. She had watched in fearful fascination as the medical technician worked hard to bring Steve back to life when he suddenly flat lined halfway during the trip.

It was touch-and-go mostly, with Steve's condition still undetermined. He was now undergoing a trauma surgery in Operation Theatre 1, while Carmichael had to wait outside with increasing anxiety as if he were her own kin, surprising herself with the level of concern she had towards him.

Her first impression of DI Steve Arnott when they met two years ago was that he was a womanizing scoundrel and an arrogant know-it-all SOB with a worrying sense of loyalty towards Superintendent Ted Hastings. But a month after she had taken control of AC-12, she noticed how diligent and meticulous Steve was at his job. Not only was he sharp and insightful, he was also a hardworking workaholic despite the constant and intense back pains he desperately tried to hide from his co-workers.

Oh, yes. Carmichael already found out about Steve's struggles with painkiller addiction. She had received a copy of his medical record from the Occupational Health. Nevertheless, as long he got his work done without affecting the job itself, she chose to close one eye on it and leave him to deal with his problems in his own time. The pains aside, Steve was clearly a natural born leader, with his team always willing to follow him and carry out his instructions.

But then this happened.

Poor bastard couldn't even catch a break.

Sudden rapid footsteps that announced a new arrival broke Carmichael out of her reverie. She turned to see DI Kate Fleming rushing down the corridor towards her.

"Ma'am," said Kate, slightly out of breath after the long walk from the hospital carpark. "Any updates on Steve yet?"

"Still in surgery. How's the investigation going?"

"My team have just finished interviewing everyone, ma'am," Kate explained. "Nobody saw anything suspicious. Some of them mentioned that they noticed Steve working intently on his laptop when they walked past the room, so nothing unusual there. Chloe told me that the last time she saw him, Steve asked her to go and dig up some old files from the archive. She also insisted that Steve was alone, and she kept the door opened when she left. But when she returned to the room with the folders and message from you, the door was firmly closed."

Carmichael pondered this. "Someone else could've entered the room after her and closed that door, so no one could know what just happened to Steve. Wonder how long he has been lying there after the attack before he was finally discovered by Chloe?"

"The forensic team is still in situ, doing a thorough examination of the entire room. But a wild guess, based on the amount of blood found on the floor?" Kate sighed. "Approximately ten minutes."

"Hmm…So this person, whoever they are, has more than ten minutes window of opportunity to carry out the attack and made their escape. Well, that gives you the time frame. CCTV?"

At this, Kate looked incredibly upset. "We've checked. There's only one covering the doorway to that room. It has been malfunctioned for three days, and the contractor is scheduled to fix it tomorrow! Can you believe it? Of all the shitty luck—"

Kate then realized whom she was talking to. "Sorry, ma'am. Got carried away there."

"I don't blame you," said Carmichael with a shake of her head. "I feel frustrated myself. This happened under my watch, on my turf. It's my duty to ensure the safety of my fellow officers and I failed to do that."

Kate opened her mouth to respond, but the other woman was already distracted by something she saw behind her. Turning around, Kate's sight landed on a familiar figure heading towards them. Tall and muscular, he looked resplendent in his military uniform, his countenance expressionless. But she knew him enough to understand the inner turmoil he was hiding under his perfectly calm visage.

"Shane…"

Carmichael whipped her head around and stared back in surprise. "You knew him?"

"That's Steve's older brother," Kate said, coming forward to meet him. She restrained herself from leaping into his strong arms, what with Carmichael watching her every move.

"Kate, I got here as fast as I could," Shane said in a low voice. "How is he?"

She indicated the door that led to Operation Theatre 1. "I don't know, Steve is still in there. It's bad, Shane. Really bad. I can't…"

When Kate began to choke with barely contained emotion, he placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "We wait, then. That's all we can do for now. But I still don't understand. He was attacked in the office? How is that possible?"

"Let's go meet Steve's new gaffer," she replied. "And I'll explain more."

Shane followed, as Kate returned to the other woman and started making the introductions, "Ma'am, this is Major Shane Arnott. Shane, Detective Chief Superintendent Patricia Carmichael."

As they shook hands, Shane commented, "Ma'am. I've heard about you from my brother."

"How did he describe me then? A heartless bitch?" Carmichael asked, smirking slightly.

"Actually, he told me that you're the first woman that manages to keep him on his toes, so unpredictable a character that you are."

Carmichael blinked, feeling wrong-footed. "Oh. Well, I guess I have to take that as a compliment."

Shane acknowledged that with a slight tilt of his head but said nothing more. Meanwhile, Kate tried to keep a straight face over the exchange. A somewhat flustered Carmichael was indeed a rare sight.

"Anyway," she said, turning back to Shane, "Like I told you through the phone earlier, Steve was attacked in one of AC-12 discussion rooms."

She proceeded to tell him about the ongoing investigation, the missing weapon, and how they still had no clear suspects in mind.

"But you already presumed that he or she is one of your own?"

"Looks like it, unfortunately. The office is a really secure building. Access is restricted. No one can simply enter without proper authorization." Kate then added, "Right now, my team at The Hill are looking through the personnel files of all AC-12 officers. Their background, their work records, disciplinary notices, everything. We might find some clues eventually."

"That's right," said Carmichael. "That's why the MIT is looking into this, not AC-12 itself. The investigation needs to be objective with clear impartiality. In other words, everyone at AC-12 is a suspect, myself included."

Shane nodded, fully understood. "Everyone? As well as the support staff?"

"Yes," Kate replied. "No one is left out, including the civilian officers."

"What about the private contractors?"

Kate frowned. "What exactly are you suggesting?"

"Well, he or she could be the people you frequently see at the office. Someone insignificant, the least person you would suspect to carry out this kind of attack. The building maintenance technician, for example. Maybe the office stationery suppliers. Or a caterer for the meeting refreshments, something like that."

The two women exchanged looks, before Kate hastily took out her phone and started dialing. The moment the call got connected, she said, "Chris? Listen. You've already got the full record for today's every entrance and exit at AC-12? Right, good. Widen the search. You need to reconcile the ID registration numbers. Separate the civilians from the non-civilians. And from the civilians' list, extract the list of individuals that are not the direct employees or staffs of AC-12. We need to go through this new listing urgently, find out their personal details and backgrounds. Call me the moment you get something."

While Kate spoke to her DS at The Hill, Carmichael turned to Shane. "Where are you based, Major?"

"Hereford," Shane replied, and sheepishly added, "I broke all kinds of traffic rules to get here this quick."

Carmichael broke into thin smiles. "That's between you and the Roads Policing Unit. Hereford, you say? SAS?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Impressive. Steve never mention you to me, though."

"As you must know by now, my little brother is a real private bloke. The only person he openly talks to is Kate."

Carmichael looked at the other woman who had just ended her call. "Yes. I already gathered that much."

"Okay," said Kate, pocketing her mobile phone. "DS Lomax is onto it."

"Very good." Carmichael nodded. "Hopefully we'll get some useful leads then."

"Shane, as part of the investigation I need to ask you this," Kate said, "When was the last time you saw Steve?"

Shane didn't hesitate to answer. "Last weekend, Saturday night. We share a pint at the Red Lion before I left for a routine exercise at Brecon Beacons. I talked to him on the phone yesterday, discussing about what to get for our Mom's birthday present."

"Did he seem off to you then? Did he mention about anyone threatening him, or maybe if someone is stalking him or something?"

"If that's the case, he would've already told you that himself, Kate. But, no. He seemed fine to me, like his usual self. Only that he looked a little subdued that weekend."

"Why is that?" Carmichael was curious to know.

Shane responded with a slight shrug. "If you must know, ma'am, it's about his medical assessment. Steve is worried that he will be pensioned off much earlier than expected due to his back injury."

At that moment, the door to the OT suddenly slid open and a bespectacled man in scrubs stepped out. It was Dr. Gibbons. Both Arnott brothers had been his patients before. The three of them waited expectantly for him to start speaking.

"Well," the doctor began, "That was…truly challenging."

Her heart sinking, Kate looked to the person on her left. Shane's face was still an inscrutable mask.

"He lives, though?" Shane tentatively asked.

The doctor nodded with a kind smile. "A stubborn chap like your brother? Yes, he lives, Major."

"Thank god…" Kate exclaimed, while Carmichael briefly closed her eyes in relief.

"However," said Dr. Gibbons, "The blood lost is massive. And the stab wound was deep enough that it ruptured his spleen. So we had to remove it through emergency splenectomy."

"Christ." Shane's veneer began to crack then. He turned away, running both hands through his thick dark hair.

Placing a comforting palm against Shane's back, Kate asked the doctor, "But Steve is going to pull through, right?"

"I have high hopes for him. Steve is a strong young man. He can still live a normal life without a spleen, only that he is at increased risk of becoming sick or getting serious infections."

Dr. Gibbons then gave the two lady coppers a telling look. "This is an attempted murder on Steve's life, so I understand you have lots of questions for him. But he is still very weak due to the blood loss. We will placed him in the ICU ward for further observation. The anesthesia will take another hour to wear off. Even then, I insist that you keep the questionings at minimum. Don't distress him too much in his delicate condition. He needs to regain his strength."

"Yes, of course, doctor," Carmichael solemnly promised.

"They will inform you when Steve is ready to receive visitors." With a final nod, Dr. Gibbons swiftly left to tend to his other duties.

There was palpable silence for several moments until Kate grabbed hold of Shane's hand, giving it a squeeze as she asked, "Hey, you okay?"

He swallowed hard several times before he could answer. "Yeah. I just…"

Sighing out loud, he shook his head. "I need to inform our parents. Give me a minute?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

As Shane headed to somewhere more private to make the call, the two women were left staring at each other.

"Ma'am, I promise you this," Kate finally said, "I will not return to AC-12 until the perpetrator is caught."

Despite her initial misgivings, Carmichael nodded in agreement. "I'll keep you to your word, DI Fleming."

-AC12AC12AC12AC12AC12-

Steve surfaced to consciousness in stages.

First, he heard hushed voices around him. There was also the familiar beeping sound of a vital monitor machine close by. Next, he felt the soft bed under his back and the warm blankets covering his body. He felt some pain too, but most of it were kept at bay for now. A real heavy duty analgesic must be at work then.

Finally, his eyes fluttered open to a dimly lit room. Outside the window, the day had already turned dark. Maybe it was six in the evening or six in the morning, he couldn't exactly tell. He didn't know how long he had been out. The last thing he remembered was a blinding agony, the pain so cold and deep he thought he had already died and gone to heaven. Or hell, depending on his luck that day.

His throat felt scratchy and smarting, as if something had been pushed down it recently. Must be the ventilator tube then. He was relieved to discover that he was already off it, and that they had hooked him to a nasal canula instead.

"Stevie?"

Shane's rugged face suddenly appeared in his line of vision. His older brother's bright blue eyes were a little misty, the soft dafty.

"Hey…" Steve croaked in reply, albeit shakily. "You look…like hell."

Shane laughed. "You should look into a mirror, you little bugger. Scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry…"

"Not your fault, mate." Kate came to the other side of the bed, with Carmichael standing next to her.

"DI Arnott, welcome back to the living."

"Thanks, ma'am. I would've risen, but…"

"Don't be absurd." Carmichael brushed it off. "Listen, Steve. I'm sure you realized what has happened to you. Let's cut to the chase, then. Who did this?"

Steve blinked. He instinctively grabbed a fistful of the blankets covering him, as if holding on for dear life.

For several seconds, they all waited for him to reveal his attacker. So you can imagine their surprise when he swallowed hard before saying, "I…I can't remember."

Kate and Carmichael glanced at each other in confusion. Shane, meanwhile, was eyeing his brother a bit more closely.

"Wait, Steve. You're saying, you really can't remember?" Kate had to ask for confirmation.

"Honestly, I don't know. What happened?"

"You were stabbed, mate. Someone attacked you in the office."

Steve tightened his squeeze on the blanket. "I can't recall any of it. I'm sorry…"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

He shuddered involuntarily. "Sitting in the major incident room…and then nothing."

Carmichael was pursing her lips, clearly disappointed. "Well, that's fine. I'm sure it'll come back to you, given time."

"You must be awfully traumatized by the incident, Steve. A repressed memory," Kate said, rubbing his arm, up and down. "Get some rest, mate. You need to recover. Leave the attacker to us. We'll find him. Or her."

"To ensure your safety, I have arranged a team of AFOs to stand outside the door in rota," Carmichael added. "Besides, your big brother is here. I'm sure no further threats can reach you."

Shane managed a crooked smile at that, though he never took his eyes off his brother. Steve was behaving real strangely.

Kate's phone suddenly chose that moment to ring.

"Aw, shit. Sorry." She fished it out of her pocket to answer. "I need to take this. It's DS Lomax."

As Kate stepped out of the ward, Carmichael reached down to pat Steve on his shoulder. "I wish you a speedy recovery, DI Arnott. AC-12 still needs you."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Now, I need to get back and see how far along the investigation is going." She nodded at Shane before leaving. "Major. A pleasure."

"Ma'am."

When the Arnotts were finally left alone, Shane leaned over his brother and quietly asked, "Stevie, what on earth is going on?"

"What are you on about?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"Piss off…" Steve turned his face away, but Shane took hold of his chin and held it steady so that he had no choice but to look straight at his older brother.

"Don't give me that. I've known you since you were in diapers. I can tell when you're hiding something. What is it, Stevie?"

As tears slowly welled up in Steve's eyes and started trailing down his pale cheeks, Shane began to fully understand.

"Dear God…You knew who attacked you?"

Steve tearfully nodded.

"But why didn't you tell them? Why all the lies?"

"I can't…I just can't…Don't ask me more. Leave it alone, Shane. Please…"

Thoroughly shaken, Shane sighed and leant down until his temple brushed against Steve's feverish forehead.

"Bloody hell, Stevie. What the fuck have you gotten yourself into?"

.

TO BE CONTINUED…

.

A/N: The story is not over yet. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

"Extreme Circumstances - an unexplained disruption of the chain of command." – DI Steve Arnott

* ABBREVIATIONS:

AC - Anti Corruption

AFO - Authorized Firearms Officer

DC - Detective Constable

DCC - Deputy Chief Constable

DI - Detective Inspector

DS - Detective Sergeant

ETA - Estimate Time of Arrival

ID - Identity

MIT - Murder Investigation team

OT - Operation Theatre

SAS - Special Air Service