When Duty Calls (3)
It was almost time, the police had two hours until they were supposed to meet with Snake and his group, and everyone was readying themselves. The plan was to have some of the cops pose as another gang who wanted to partner with the Pit Vipers. Needlessly to say, most of the officers on this mission weren't feeling very optimistic about the idea, but they weren't the ones who made the decisions.
Everyone was on edge, they knew something would go wrong, and they knew somebody would die tonight. It wasn't certain, but the likelihood was so high it wasn't worth questioning. To calm their anxiety everyone decided to stay quiet and focused or hype themselves up with hopeful thoughts. In Lucy's case, it was the former.
"Feeling OK?" Amy asked Lucy as she strapped on her vest before putting on a torn red jacket. Lucy and Amy were going to be part of the group that was going undercover.
Amy had been hypervigilant of her partner ever since that morning. Obviously, Lucy had denied it. She was known for ignoring her own well-being so she could focus, and given the circumstances, Amy couldn't argue with that. But Amy knew something was up with Lucy, and she had a feeling it wasn't just their meeting with Snake that was making her uneasy, and Amy was starting to get worried.
"No," Lucy replied as she donned a pair of blue jeans that had tears in the knees and a winter cap. That was the first truly honest answer she'd given Amy all day.
"Why not?" Amy asked stupidly.
"We're about to go up against one of New York's baddest drug lords," Lucy said with a little sass as she checked her magazines, before sliding one into her Beretta.
"I was just curious. You've been acting strange all day."
"I'll be fine, Amy. I promised you things would change, and they will" Lucy snapped impatiently. She wanted to stay focused, but Amy's constant bugging didn't help. At the same time though Amy was just concerned for her, and she was trying to look out for her partner. Realizing she'd made a mistake, Lucy apologized.
"I'm sorry for snapping at you, Amy."
"It's fine. We're all a little stressed right now," Amy replied patiently. She was obviously irritated. She knew Lucy was a strong woman, both mentally and physically. Amy had once seen her pick up and throw a guy who was at least two or three times heavier with ease. But Amy knew Lucy had her limitations. Although it was a pain in the ass trying to figure her partner out sometimes, she still worried about her.
"No, it's not," Lucy said doing her best to be sincere without attracting the attention of the other officers who were with them. She inched closer towards Amy and whispered, "I think something's been following me around. I don't know who... or what it is..."
Lucy's confession startled Amy, but she did her best not to let it show.
"What?" she asked more out of concern than curiosity, "Lucy are you in trouble? Do you need help?" Amy asked.
Lucy considered what she should say but drew a blank. She wanted to reassure Amy that things would be all right, but Amy could tell when she was lying, so she ditched that.
Lucy could tell Amy was worried about her, and although she wouldn't let it show, Lucy was just as worried about Amy, perhaps even more so. If this was what she thought it was, Lucy didn't want her partner involved. At the same time though, there was little she could do to hide it. Amy would find out eventually, and she thought it was best to rip the band-aid off quickly.
"Lucy, what's going on?" Amy persisted.
"I... I don't know... I think it has something to do with my dream..." Lucy admitted. Amy believed a psychiatrist would be beneficial to Lucy, but she never thought she was crazy. She didn't think she was when she made her confession either... or at least not entirely crazy.
"Do you need help?" Amy continued.
"I'm not sure..." Lucy replied as honestly as she could.
"Lucy, someone is following you. You shouldn't be alone. I can get help," Amy hissed.
"Amy, you don't understand... I don't think you or anybody else can do anything to help." Lucy told her, as she struggled not to let her partner see just how scared she truly was.
She wanted to say more, but she didn't get the chance as Chief Anderson and a couple of officers came into the locker room. The two officers behind the chief were in riot gear, but he was wearing standard police body armor, giving his personage an authoritative look that commanded the attention of his subordinates.
"I'll tell you more later," Lucy whispered quickly before the chief spoke.
"Everyone ready?" Anderson asked. Lucy, Amy, and the others standing next to them all replied affirmatively. "Good. I told you this earlier, but I'll say it again for all to hear and understand," He began, "The D.E.A. has sent some of its personnel to oversee our operation, they'll be in charge. Some of you will be given earpieces and microphones, you are to do as they say no questions asked. Got it?" Everyone acknowledged his instructions with understanding nods and the occasional muted "Yes". "Good, now let's get this shit over with."
"When?" Amy whispered as they made their way to the department's parking lot.
"Amy, we need to focus. I said I'd tell you more later," Lucy said calmly, but impatiently. She wasn't wrong, they had other things they needed to worry about. The thing that was following Lucy would have to wait. Lucy saw the look on Amy's face. Amy was just worried about her, and she'd been putting up with her weird behavior for a couple of weeks. Amy was just as tired of this as Lucy was, and all she wanted to do was help her sister.
"Imouto, everything will be okay. I promised you things would change, and they will." Lucy said with a soft reassuring smile. "Once this night is over, I'll talk to you about it," Lucy said before adding, "We have tomorrow off, don't we? We'll go get breakfast at Denny's, go shopping, enjoy a movie, and have some fun. Just you and me. We'll make a whole day of it." Lucy said in a loving, reassuring voice.
Lucy hated when she had to say stuff like said that, not that she minded having fun, or getting out occasionally, she didn't. She didn't like making promises, especially to Amy. She always felt obliged to honor her promises, but she was never sure she could keep them sometimes. But she couldn't keep her secrets hidden forever, especially from Amy, that wasn't possible. That and she always had fun spending time with her little sister.
"Thank you, Onesan," Amy replied with a smile of her own.
The two were still on edge, but their companionship helped soothe their anxiety. While this was happening though, Lucy began getting a strange feeling about the mission. It wasn't the same as the premonitions she'd been having, although her sixth sense was still telling her that something was wrong. Lucy wasn't an optimist, but there were times when all her focus wasn't enough, and she needed a little bit of faith to carry her forward. If there was ever a time she needed a little luck, it was now.
Lucy wrapped her fingers around her magatama and kissed it. Wish me luck, Dad.
/
"Got eyes on him?" Chief Anderson's voice could be heard by everyone with an earpiece. Lucy hadn't been given one, but Amy had. She was going to be the one who did the talking. Lucy didn't like that, but she didn't say anything about it. Lucy was going to be Amy's "right-hand man" or woman, so she'd be by her sister's side every step of the way.
Lucy watched Amy as she listened in on what was going on. The focused expression on Amy's face was unchanging. She would occasionally from time to time, but that was about it.
"So, Lucy, once this is over, think you might have some time to yourself later?" Daniel Kennicot asked Lucy in a tempting voice.
"I'm doing something," Lucy answered brusquely.
Kennicot was another detective in the narcotics division. The man wasn't the best, but he was pretty good at what he did, and he was also pretty good at wooing the panties off women, apparently. The man was the very definition of a Casanova, and he was not discreet about it. As a narcotics detective, he was okay, but given the fact he thought with his dick most of the time, that was a compliment. Lucy had no idea how he managed to get signed onto the bust, let alone become a detective in the first place. In saying that though, she wasn't surprised, nor was she impressed. This hadn't been the first time Danny tried to get some with her, and she was positive it wouldn't be the last.
Lucy was a very beautiful woman, and although she was in her mid-thirties, she looked like she was still in her late teens or early twenties. Lucy was never interested in forming a relationship with anyone, but that didn't stop others from looking. It wasn't a very big inconvenience whenever she met someone who was interested in her, however, it could get very irritating sometimes, especially with Kennicot. The only problem she had was that she had to work with him, but he was never that difficult to deal with.
"That's okay. How about tomorrow night? Neither of us has anything going on then," Kennicot said, undeterred by Lucy's curt reply.
"I'm doing something tomorrow," Lucy repeated, scowling.
"Next week," he wasn't taking the hint.
"No," Lucy answered.
"So, what's it gonna take for me and you to...?" he was about to ask before Lucy cut him off.
"It will be a freezing day in hell before I even think about it, Kennicot," Lucy replied coldly.
"Fine, be that way, your loss," Kennicot said before glancing at Amy. She hadn't been interested either, but that wasn't stopping him. "What about you Amy, you got anything...?" Kennicot said as he reached out to touch her.
"Touch her and I'll tear it off, Kennicot," Lucy said, putting him in an armlock.
"Shut up." Amy and a couple of other officers snapped, trying to listen to what was going on.
"Bitch," Kennicot muttered under his breath after Lucy let him go.
"All right guys, the feds have eyes on him. Get ready," Amy said after a few minutes of silence passed. "You know he'd stop messing with you if you got out once in a while and met someone." Amy told her.
"Not interested." Lucy said in a candid tone. Amy had wanted Lucy to have a more social life style. She wanted her to find another person who she could spend her time with, someone she could be friends with, maybe someone she could probably share her life with. But given her early life, it was understandable to see why Lucy wasn't interested.
Lucy, out of nervous habit, checked to make sure her Beretta was loaded as she felt the disguised van begin to move. She had done this three times already, but she could never be too sure. In situations like this, it pays to stay on your toes.
This is it. Lucy thought as she held her magatama. They'd put so much time into this, Lucy didn't want to let it all go to waste. She didn't want to disappoint. Lucy's grandparents, as bad as they were, did at least teach her the values of honor, integrity, responsibility, and commitment. For as hard as they had been on her when she was young, those virtues had paid off time and again. Lucy didn't accept failure; she didn't tolerate defeat. Whenever such a thought came to her mind, she thought of her mother and father. She would not dishonor them by displaying such weakness.
Lucy was woken from her daydream when she felt Amy's hand grasp her shoulder.
"We're ready," Amy told her.
Are you? Lucy asked herself. Although she had managed to calm her disquiet, she hadn't been able to suppress it completely. The thought of something going wrong was still gnawing at the back of her mind, but that wasn't going to stop her. There was always uncertainty in every challenge, and that's what made it so exhilarating. It was the unknown that made it so thrilling. Lucy never really knew why it was so enthralling to her as it was, but she never backed down from a challenge and she'd be damned if she started now. Her honor would accept nothing less. Besides they were always such fun.
A smile creased Lucy's lips as she gave her partner a nod. The smile wasn't necessarily meant to reassure, it was more out of anticipation than anything else, but it still helped lift their spirits.
As they stepped out of the van, they found themselves in the Flatlands, but those who'd lived in or around the area simply called it the "Flats". They were in the southern district, not too far from the bay. The place had fallen into disarray over the last five or so years. There had been a major gas escape in the area and the whole place had to be cordoned off. The process took longer than expected, no thanks to the mayor or his city council. Politicians.
While the gas problem was being fixed, the Pit Vipers had made the area one big snake den, forcing a lot of people out of the area. There were still a fair number of people living in the neighborhood, although that didn't help make the place look any more desirable. Some of the buildings in the surrounding area had fallen, while most of the other ones were just rotting away. In the daytime, you could see a few people roaming around, but at night it was a ghost town, and for good reason. Pit Vipers were mostly nocturnal.
After stepping out of the van Lucy began scanning the area around her. Some of the houses were riddled with bullet holes, others had evidence of explosive damage. There had recently been a firefight with the Pit Vipers and the Serviteurs. The fight had ended with the reptiles keeping their territory. The area served as proof of how ugly things could get during a turf war.
Lucy continued looking around, trying to see into some of the buildings. She couldn't see much, but she had no doubt there were snakes hiding in some of the buildings, watching them.
"Hey, let's go," Amy bumped Lucy's shoulder to get her attention as she pointed over to a guy in a cobra hoodie who was standing outside in the alleyway between two houses.
"You Bloody Marys, bitch?" the guy asked.
"I am Bloody Mary, bitch," Amy returned.
"Shit. Sorry 'bout dat," the guy said putting his hands up. "Ay yo, Rick, Diggie! C'mon guys, she's here!" He called for his friends in the back of the alley. "C'mon. The boss is waitin' for ya."
They followed the small pack of vipers over to a dilapidated 7-Eleven. Snake was waiting inside. "Wait here," one of the vipers told them as they went to get their leader, who was in the storage room of the building. "Ay, boss. They here." Lucy took in his image as he turned the corner.
Snake was white but had noticeable Hispanic features. He had a muscular build and stood approximately the same height as she did. He wore a black armless jacket over his bare torso, with camouflage jeans that looked like they'd been lazily painted with a marker, and massive boots. His torso and arms were covered with tattoos of various snake species. He wore white and green face paint that had been applied to look like snake fangs dripping with venom.
Snake acknowledged Amy with a unique hand gesture. Amy responded with a similar approach. It was a sign their gangs acknowledged each other, and that they were willing to negotiate.
"Glad ya coul' make it," Snake said with a sly smile, that Amy mimicked.
"Glad I could come. I'm lookin' forward to this."
"Have a seat there, gorgeous," he invited. "Heard, you's wanted a partnership."
"That's right," Amy began.
"What we willin' ta deal?" Snake asked as he dropped down on an office chair and put his feet up on a lump of debris.
"Depends upon what you and I want, and what we both have. Turf, drugs, guns," Amy had to consider everything before she spoke, thankfully she was very diplomatic in her dealings.
"Truth," Snake said before a short pause filled the air. "So, what ya come here for?"
"Drugs," Amy began, "Pigs just went down hard on one of our suppliers, and we've got some buyers paying top dollar for us to deliver the goods."
"That's bad for business, ain't it?" Snake stated. "But ya right. It all depends upon what we want and what we got. Question is how much ya need, and what's in it for me?"
"I need 20 kilos by next week. You get it to me before then and I'll split the profit with you. And if that isn't enough, I can get you guys some firepower," Amy answered.
"What would I want with guns? I've already got enough heat to take out Manhattan Island if I wanted."
"I'm not just talking about guns, man. I'm talking ammunition, explosives, tear gas, body armor, the works. Heavy shit, more than capable of taking on those pieces of shit Serviteurs," Amy explained,
"I've got some desperate cops on the inside who can get me some tough shit. And I haven't even talked about my contacts."
"Interesting... very interesting." Snake said. There was a lull in the conversation that seemed to drag. "You know I don't like the Serviteurs. But I really, really hate pigs..." he stated.
The foreboding at the back of Lucy's mind suddenly became even worse. Her eyes suddenly went wide as she faintly heard a pistol hammer click. Nobody else heard it.
"I also hate liars," Snake said as he drew a Colt 1911 and pointed it between Amy's eyes. They'd known about the bust the whole time... but how?
Lucy threw herself forward, grabbed the pistol from Snake's hand and ripped it away from Amy's face just in time. Amy jumped away as her partner fought for control of the firearm. The other officers and gang members drew their weapons as it happened - a shot cracked, and one of the officers yelped in pain.
Snake managed to smack Lucy away with the butt of his 1911. As she struggled to get up, she heard more shots pop as the gang members opened fire. The other officers began to take cover, except for one of them. Kennicot. She briefly saw him standing over the body of the officer who had just been killed. It was him; he'd told Snake about the bust!
Lucy snapped out of her stupor just in time to see Snake take aim at her. Thinking quickly, she kicked a chair towards his feet distracting him long enough for her to move out of the way. She stuck low to the ground as she drew her Beretta and began to open fire, counting off her shots as she did so. She downed two vipers as they fumbled with their rifles.
Another snake Lucy hadn't seen aimed his rifle at her. Before she realized what was about to happen, Amy drew her S&W 1026 and blasted him. Before anything else could happen, another viper appeared with an M16 and began spray firing. Amy ducked low to the ground while Lucy rolled behind the cashier counter with a couple of her fellow officers. Once his rifle ran out, Lucy and two other officers gunned the viper down.
Immediately after though, Kennicot shot another one of the officers in the head, killing him instantly.
"Officer down! I repeat, officer down!" one of the cops crouching next to Lucy screamed into his radio.
That bastard! Lucy thought as she saw the fallen officer's eyes staring blankly upwards. Lucy didn't know anything about the officer, only that his name was Larry Morgan, but she knew the man didn't deserve to die. She'd make that turncoat bastard pay for that!
Unfortunately for Lucy, she wouldn't get that chance. One of the officers who'd taken cover in the bathroom clipped the Judas in the side, having managed to miss the plate in Kennicot's vest. The blow was crippling, but not fatal. As Snake and some of his men tried to make a break for it, Kennicot stopped him. Lucy couldn't hear what the bastard was saying over all the shots, but she guessed he was asking Kilgore for help. Instead, the man put one right in his forehead.
"Kennicot, you worthless fuck. You got off too easy!" Lucy screamed angrily.
Suddenly a thought struck Lucy. Amy was still in the aisles on her own! She'd left her partner! Lucy cursed under her breath as the realization dawned on her. Lucy tried to make a run to her aid, but she was stopped as someone began shooting the corner.
Amy saw Snake begin moving towards the backroom. She attempted to shoot him, but her 1026 only clicked. She hadn't been keeping count as her partner had. If Snake got away it would all be over. All the hard work she and Lucy had done would go to waste. She wasn't about to let that happen. You're mine, you bastard! Amy thought as she threw her gun away and charged.
Lucy saw it all happen. "Imouto! Stop!" she screamed, but Amy didn't respond. She watched as her partner tackled the drug dealer to the ground and began beating him, trying to buy time for the feds to come. Despite her best efforts, Snake was stronger than she was. He ripped at her shirt, tearing her bulletproof vest loose, before smacking her off him. As Amy tried to get back to her feet, Snake reached for his 1911, before turning it on Amy.
Time seemed to slow down as the shot cracked. Lucy watched in silent horror as Snake shot her partner. He'd shot Amy in the abdomen. There was a sadistic smile on his face as he did it.
Amy's body slumped to the ground. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was the look of terror on Lucy's face.
"Officer down!" Lucy screamed into her radio. She didn't know if her partner was dead or not. Dear Lord, please don't let this be happening! Not again! Lucy thought, panicked.
Lucy saw one of Snake's subordinates help him to his feet and move towards the back room. Her sorrow and terror turned into an uncontrollable rage as she attempted to shoot him. She couldn't focus on her aim and missed every shot. Lucy rushed out angrily from behind the counter, replacing the magazine in her pistol as she did so. Where the fuck are those feds? Lucy thought savagely as she charged.
Before she could make it ten feet, one of the officers grabbed her by the back of her shirt and pulled back. "What are you doing Ishikawa?" the officer screamed.
"The fucker shot Lucy! He's getting away!" Lucy roared as she fought to get away. Why were they even arguing about this?
"Let him go!" ordered the officer. Lucy couldn't believe her ears when he said that.
"What?" Lucy screamed angrily.
"Feds orders! They told us to let him go!" the officer responded.
Several questions flew through Lucy's mind in that short moment. What the hell were they thinking? Why were they telling them to back down? Why did they want them to let Snake go? They were so close! If they let Snake go, they'd lose him!
"Fuck the feds!" Lucy roared before tearing herself loose.
"The chief-!" The officer tried to say something, but Lucy ignored him. She didn't care what Anderson, or the feds wanted. Snake just hurt her sister. There was going to be hell to pay.
As Lucy charged towards the backroom, Snake and one of his guys stepped out from behind the corner with an RPG. Shit! Lucy slipped and fell as she tried to retreat. She lay on her side in a fetal position as the rocket-propelled grenade shot over her.
Lucy felt the concussive force of the blast as it went off just a couple of yards away from her. It was so great it caused her head and torso to ache and her ears to ring. She felt like she was about to pass out. The explosion sent officers and shrapnel flying. Lucy felt some of the shrapnel enter her skin, but they were only minor scratches.
Snake laughed as he saw the damage. His ears were also ringing, but it wasn't as bad. "That was fun," he said before turning his attention to the crippled police officers. He was about to have his guys waste them up until one of them began shouting, attracting his attention.
"Ay, boss! Its da fuzz! Dey here!"
"Damn," Snake cursed under his breath. His fun would have to wait for another day. "Vamos," he told the remaining vipers as he heard the distant sirens growing closer.
Once the ringing in Lucy's ears had stopped, she tried to shoot him again, but she was too late. Snake was gone.
I just wanted to comment that this chapter turned out a little different from what I originally planned, because I wanted to introduce one of the Predator characters in this chapter but I decided to hold it off for the next entry. Also I wanted to give a special thank-you to my editor ,NeverNeverLady, in the last chapter but I forgot... (Sorry)... But yeah, she's helped me out a lot with this, she's done an amazing job correcting my mistakes, and pointing out some of the details to me. Some of her ideas have also been amazing. Seriously, she's a badass and deserves equal credit for this, which is why I'm mentioning it right now. (Thank-you NeverNeverLady). But at any rate, we're close to finishing the next chapter and we hope you all enjoy.