Prologue Part I

DCI Tyler sent a PCSO on duty, it seems to confirm DS Gene Hunt's worst nightmares, PCSO Chris Skelton kept looking troubled when he was asked to be dealing with a road rager suspect who is suspected to have caused their boss's road traffic collision and DCI Sam Tyler gets significantly injured during the heated pursuit.

The road rager punches DCI Sam Tyler "It's a simple enough question, DCI Tyler!" the suspect punches him again, Sam stumbles backwards but the reprieve is short lived. Gene unfortunately is on a Traffic assignment; Sam is grabbed and pushes him face first against the blue Vauxhall Cavalier, arms twisted on the back.

Finally Sam starts to struggle back, but it's too late. It was just the same when his friend Gene Hunt used to have to work with awful DCIs, back when he was first starting out in the Eighties.

"It matters if it's whiter than white Sam Tyler with your big tall mate of a rozzer me nephew Eugene Hunt who's named after a glam rocker's stupid song from the Seventies!" The suspect yells punctuating each of the last few words with another shove and twist of DCI Sam Tyler's arms, until he chokes into a scream.

"That's ex DCI Hunt!" Gene's nasty uncle hisses putting more pressure on Sam Tyler's arms and back with every word. Sam, you're too late. The former Detective Chief Inspector revealed to be the road rager and related to Gene Hunt can't see past the red mist much anymore.

Gene's nasty uncle doesn't let DCI Tyler finish, kneeing him dangerously in the gut instead.

"A set up, eh? And you're a bloody naive little tit, is that it?!" his knuckles starting to dig into Tyler's throat, but the retired former Detective Chief Inspector doesn't care.

The next moment, a sharp stab of pain shoots up from Gerry's leg, and he cries out with pain and surprise stumbling backwards and crashing down to one knee.

Sam kicked the old DCI. Tyler actually kicked a former bent police officer. He's standing above Gerry now, breathing heavily holding his side in a protective way.

"For God's sake when Gene and I were children; you were involved in anything with false evidence, sloppy statements with an obvious motive and it's all textbook!"

Gene stares up at his former ex police uncle from inside the traffic car making DCI Sam Tyler's blood boil "If you accepted that you were retired. If you'd investigated all these now cold cases just a tiny bit more throughly, you would have seen it was all circumstancial, vital and important; but no you ran Greater Manchester Police poorly." Gene Hunt and Sam Tyler never liked their predecessors way of policing as things like this went against everything the boys believed in since they were children in the 1970s-1980s era. Being this much larger Gene bravely defends his childhood friend and colleague from being cut off, deflecting the now elderly man "But no, you had to do it your way, act like a bloody cowboy all high and mighty without so much as one glance at the statements, threatening people in interrogation!" as Gene's nasty ex copper uncle is a suspect to DCI Sam Tyler's road traffic collision.

Unfortunately even with Gene Hunt's legendary status as a police officer to defend Sam, DCI Tyler is thrown off balance in no time and is on the ground, the old former policeman on top; he hits him, face, chest, arm; then pins Tyler's wrists down and punches.

So Gerry Hunt stomps on Sam Tyler's side finally drawing a pained scream from the young DCI.

The suspect is shouting; his voice sharp and uncontrolled sending wild swirls through the red mist. A kick. Old cream loafer shoes, the tip buried in DCI Tyler's side, midriff and finally against the head.

Gene blinks back at the incident scene, he slips his Nokia out immediately calling for an ambulance to pick up DCI Tyler.

"999, how can I help you Detective Sargeant Gene Hunt?" asked the lady operator typing the details for the ambulance team dispatchers to be informed of a road rage traffic incident on the Manchurian Way motorway. Gene knows his old friend needs to be taken to Accident & Emergency straight away. There's one Sam Tyler and he's covered in blood. Sam is coughing up blood. Gene's view of the crime scene is obscured, but does his best to relay the incident as much as he can. PCSO Liz Cartwright is adminstrating first aid on the scene - kneeling down next to DCI Tyler trying to turn him on his back, but Gene's childhood mate cries out in pain even though the PCSOs had barely touched him. Sam curls up afraid of the old school coppers.

"DCI Sam Tyler was driving after an ex Greater Manchester Police CID officer who just so happens to be related to me, the pursuit went pear shaped as he had seven bells knocked out of him." Gene swallows his tears, so the operator could clearly hear his description of the injuries sustained.

"DCI Tyler's symptoms are: coughing up blood, black blue bruises, twisted but sprained broken wrists, cracked bones and I think he has a nasty large red mark on his back and in several areas." said DS Gene Hunt who was multitasking the ambulance call out and holding Sam's hand tightly but gently with PCSOs doing first aid on the scene until paramedics arrive.

"OK, DS Hunt; where would you like the ambulance to be dispatched to?" asked the 999 call handler who wanted details of the scene of the emergency immediately.

"Manchurian Way motorway; it's the shape of a spaghetti junction in Central Manchester by the traffic lights underneath the bridge and you will see a blue Vauxhall Cavalier, registration E599 SRJ in GL spec with a tatty roof rack. That's where my injured DCI colleague is." with a few formalities he waits for further instructions. As there isn't anything else that needs doing on the other line of the phone, the kindly lady finishes the 999 telephone call.

"Just hang on in there with your PCSOs until paramedics can collect your DCI Tyler to St. James NHS hospital." she replied cheerfully to DS Gene Hunt who then says thank you. It was since his Police Cadet days that he got to understand of the need to focus in serious emergencies.

It went even quieter as the paramedics, Gene and the uniform PCSO voices sounded muffled to Sam Tyler's ears as he slips into unconciousness "Boss, talk to me DCI Tyler!" inaudible when the paramedics put him on to the stretcher and transfer safely to the waiting ambulance closing the doors. Gene witnesses DCI Tyler breathing raspy and irregular, blood dripping down his chin as he coughs, eyes rolling in the back of his head as he slips into a coma. Gene was fearful he may have had an epileptic fit brought on through the injuries that his nasty bastard of a uncle since he was a DCI once a upon a time caused and did such a callous thing to his colleague.

Ex DCI Hunt turns around walking away from the crime scene leaving bloody tracks in his wake, no empathy that his nephew's esteemed friend and colleague had been injured without a single word. How could the ex copper walk away as if nothing happened? It was time for Gene Hunt to get justice for DCI Tyler.

PCSO Chris Skelton was looking sick and vomited in reaction to the incident; Gene had to get a biohazard bag and bowl for Chris to finish his throwing up into, Gene relaxes him by holding Chris inbetween his knees with the bowl held "Just take a deep breath son, try not to be sick on my trousers please." said Gene as PCSO Chris Skelton is getting over his shock of such a bloody incident. Liz Cartwright was pale as a ghost and hands clasped over her mouth.

Gene accompanies the medics sitting in the big flourescent van with DCI Tyler wondering how did this happen? He watches Tyler stone faced to the world as the doctors and nurses rush his esteemed colleague into the Accident & Emergency wing of St. James NHS hospital to be placed , into the ward.

DCI Tyler survived. Due to the 1984 and 1998 Data Protection Act regulations this much the doctors and nurses can tell Gene. He is in a coma, there is no definite date given as to when DCI Tyler will wake up; but the psychologists are confident it'll happen in a week. Detective Sargeant Gene Hunt doesn't even nod. He instead warns the on-site doctors and nurses that should an elderly ex copper with a nasty grudge show up at the hospital, under no circumstances is he to be allowed through to visit DCI Tyler "Don't you dare reveal confidential details and don't tell my former ex copper evil uncle which room Sammy's in."

Standing by DCI Tyler's bed with machines beeping away, looking down at his body wearing an oxygen mask and hospital gown. Much of his body is obscured by the hospital blanket, Tyler's head is bandaged heavily, both eyes shut into a medically induced sleep. However the surgeons managed to clean Sam up so now the bruises stand out like neon signs on his now pale skin.

Gene knows he must get justice for DCI Sam Tyler and wants to keep his promises, but feels scared to leave his colleague alone in the A&E hospital ward. There was a good reason why Tyler had to pursue his ex police uncle.

Finally, Gene sits down in the chair feeling a sense of duty that's keeping him there playing Grand Theft Auto on his Gameboy Advance unit and watch over DCI Tyler for over the next few hours until the ward manager pops by explaining visiting hours would be finishing for the day.

CID is very quiet and subdued within the PC terminals, DCI Sam Tyler won't be able to turn up for work due to the nature of the injuries he received in the road rage traffic collision.

Gene had anticipated it, so he isn't really surprised, but it hurts all the same. He dodges any e-mails, phonecalls and questions about DCI Tyler's current state of health; telling everyone that, no DCI Tyler can't have visitors yet.

When Liz Cartwright catches DS Gene Hunt getting changed into some protective police clothing in the locker room alone, they talk for a few minutes. The aspiring PCSO is a lot more collected than yesterday, he notices with respect for a fellow colleague. Cartwright doesn't even shed a cry, not even sniffling. "You can go visit DCI Tyler at St. James's if you feel up for it, but not to expect too much from the boss." he says, she nods falling silent for a moment.

"Gene ...how did this happen?" Gene can't explain it either, not to himself, and even less to others.

Hunt stays at the station all day doing the ordinary drudgery, and only in the late afternoon does he realize that it's because he's waiting for the Boss. The Jamaican Railway Arms landlord asks "is DCI Tyler alright?" Gene says no and puts down his finished lager.

Somehow at the end of his shift after signing out, Gene finds himself back at the boss's hospital room.

"I'll be out there making a difference and finding the ex copper scum who did this to you, Sammy..." Tyler doesn't reply. Doesn't even twitch. "My uncle would just attack one of 'is own."

Sam's lower left arm and hand are in a cast – crushed bones there or some-such. His skin seems to consist only of bandages, surgery patch ups and plasters now.

"... how did this 'appen, Boss?" asked Detective Sergeant Gene Hunt desperate to know what's happened, it's the first time he hasn't had DCI Sam Tyler talking and seemed weird in their years of friendship.

No answer.

An hour later, Cartwright shows up. She's brought a few flowers, chocolate bars and grapes. They don't talk, but after a while they share the grapes. Tyler shares their silence.

When they both leave, because visiting hours are over, Gene thinks they have to do something.

But what would that exactly be? Gene doesn't know where to start from.