Chapter 16: Watch Your Back

[Author's Note: Before we get started here, my surgery went well and I've been getting better and better every day, so I'll be back to posting chapters more regularly. Also, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the state of the world that we're in yet again. Police violence, racism, and other tragic things like that are NEVER okay. My college background is in Criminal Justice, so it hurts my heart to know that there are still people out there that take advantage of the authority, privilege, and honor that comes with positions in law enforcement. I write these stories for the fans, of course, but I also want people to know that I write these stories as a tribute to the real-life law enforcement officers and other first responders who genuinely regard the oaths they took and do their best to uphold them every day. The type of people who really do care and make sacrifices for our safety. So, to all of you, I'd like to express a very heartfelt "thank you"!]

CPD District 34
A Few Hours Later

Harrison met Aiden Pearce at the back entrance of CPD's District 34 as he was discharged from custody. Pearce promptly walked out as the security door was elevated, and he was surprised to see the detective waiting for him.

"What are you doing here?" Pearce asked.

Harrison stood up from his leaning position against the building's brick wall, putting his blue Fedora hat back on his head as he walked toward Aiden, his face being illuminated by the light coming from inside. "Relax, Mister Pearce", he said, "Detectives Dobbs and Brooks tell me that you were upfront about the situation with your sister, so in exchange for that cooperation, I've been authorized to show you a little leniency in regards to your various hacking exploits."

A now intrigued Pearce nodded. "Okay", he said, "What exactly does that mean?"

"It means that you are dually registered as an informant with both the Chicago PD and the CtOS Task Force", Harrison began to explain, "Any viable information you provide us with will result in the leniency I mentioned."

Though apprehensive at the proposition, Pearce grinned. "I may be a lot of things, Detective" he said, "but I don't think 'snitch' is a title that appropriately describes me."

"I understand your hesitation with this, Aiden", Harrison said candidly, "But we both know that criminals hide out on the internet more and more these days. People who have committed way worse deeds than noble white hat hackers like you could ever fathom doing."

Pearce sighed. "So", he said, "What you're saying is, you're not really interested in busting me personally, but if I were to come upon anything in my work that you or your law enforcement colleagues would find appealing, I get a pass."

Harrison nodded. "Somewhat of one, yes", he clarified, "The State of Illinois does, of course, frown upon cold-blooded murder."

Pearce scoffed. "Duh", he said, "So does that make you my babysitter?"

"More like your handler", Harrison replied, "I'm making it my job to watch your back as best I can from this moment on. I promise that I won't invade your space too much, but if you happen to find yourself in any majorly life-threatening situations, I will have to intervene."

Pearce started to walk out of the alley and toward the sidewalk, with the detective following right beside him. "Understood", he said as he looked up and down the street for an available taxi, "I have to go meet one of my contacts. You're welcome to follow me if you feel you have to, but please do your best to maintain a distance."

A yellow taxi soon pulled up, at which point Pearce opened the backseat door and climbed in. As he shut the door, Harrison briefly stuck his head in the open window. "You got it", he said, "I'll be right behind you."

Per Aiden Pearce's request, Harrison was able to sustain a considerable distance as he tailed the taxi in his unmarked Chevrolet Impala police car. The taxi soon stopped near of a set of metal stairs that lead down into an underground train station. The detective watched as Aiden exited the taxi and briskly walked down the steps into the station.

Not wanting to arouse neither Pearce nor whomever it was he was meeting, Harrison hurriedly exited his own car, crossed to the trunk, and discreetly opened it. He quickly took off his blue suit jacket and Fedora hat, haphazardly tossing them both inside the trunk, before removing a digital camera with a 140-millimeter zoom lens, putting the camera's neck strap around his neck. He then grabbed his leather jacket from the backseat of the car and put it on, cleverly hiding his badge and gun holster with one side of the jacket. He then quickly closed the trunk.

Harrison then crept down the stairs in a very inobtrusive manner adjacent to Pearce and watched as his newly-minted informant approached a man clad in a very nondescript dark jacket and baseball cap.

"Bad Boy?" Pearce asked the man.

"What?" the unidentified man asked, confused.

"Bad Boy Seventeen?" Pearce asked in an equally baffling manner.

The nondescript man scoffed. "What the fuck, man?" he said before walking away.

The next that Harrison knew, Pearce was looking behind him. Standing at the bottom of the stairs was a very overly tattooed and pierced woman with a dark Mohawk-like haircut. "Who the hell is this?" Harrison asked himself under his breath as he discreetly shot a few images of Aiden and the intriguing yet still unknown woman.

"Bad Boy Seventeen?" an equally perplexed and flabbergasted Pearce inquired to the woman.

"Clara", the woman clarified for him, speaking with a very prominent French-Canadian accent.

"Clara", Pearce parroted.

Harrison couldn't make out the next few parts of the pair's presumably awkward conversation from his perspective, but kept on shooting photos of their interaction all the while. Aiden and Clara's conversation soon ended, as indicated to Harrison when he saw the latter head back up the opposite set of steps.

"…And you're exactly as I expected, Aiden", Clara said as she left.

Pearce then walked up and stood next to Harrison, whispering in his ear as not to draw attention from the various bystanders milling about the station.

"I have to go handle something with my new friend", Pearce said candidly, "and I'd appreciate if you didn't follow me this time."

An apprehensive Harrison let out a nervous scoff. "Well", he said, "As luck would have it, I've been awake for fifteen hours straight and I'm damn near dead on my feet. I'm going to head home, but if you run into trouble, you call me. I'll have a car to your location as soon as possible."

"I work better alone, Detective", Pearce replied in a stoic and very matter-of-fact tone.

"I'm serious, Aiden", Harrison said with a very solemn tone in his own voice, "Just because I'm a cop doesn't mean I'm your enemy."