Chapter 1
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This is the city, Los Angeles California. More than five million people live here. Some go to school for a good education. Others work hard, an honest days pay for an honest days work. There are any number of recreational activities for their off hours. They can swim in the ocean, see the Dodgers play if they're in town and it's the baseball season, or they can just stay home and watch a movie. Some do all three in one day, and go back to school or work the next day. Others don't believe in fair play, or an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. Some are so caught up in their own hatred that they want to hurt others, and look for an easy target. When they do, I go to work, I carry a badge. My name is Josephine Friday, most call me Joe. My partner is Bill Gannon, the boss is captain Mackey
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It was Friday March 25th 2061, it was cool in Los Angeles.
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4:44 am
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Bill and I were working the early shift out of homicide. We were suppossed to end our shift at 8 am, but if we had to stay longer I wanted to make sure I could still get a decent amount of sleep later. Tomorrow I was getting married, and I needed some rest before then. In the meantime, we were going over reports of rape. Three young women had been raped in as many nights. All three had been of Maldivian heritage, this did not seem like a coincidence. So far this rapist had not killed any of his victims, the fourth might not be so lucky. Bill and I had a theory, that it was Earl Turner, the last known terrorist. Last year it seemed like the terrorist groups had been defeated. Alqueda, the Ku Kux Klan, neo-nazi groups didn't exist except as villains in comic book movies. The Knights of Labor, the Daughters of Liberty, the John Galts had been defeated, but some members had escaped justice and were fugitives. President Burkle, before she left office, offered a form of amnesty to those fugitives who surrendered themselves. Most took it, only four did not. The remaining four, they were the true fanatics, those who would rather die and kill than surrender or face incarceration. Three of them had been caught since then, only Earl Turner remained. It seemed he was using rape to frighten Maldivian immigrants out of his city.
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Bill: You ever hear of Nick at Nite?
Joe: I don''t think so. What's that?
Bill: It was an old network from the 1980s and 1990s. They specialized in old re-runs. I had to watch some old clips when I took a class on pop culture in college. I had this weird dream the other night. Apparently you and I were characters on one of these old shows on Nick at Nite. As best I can remember they were having a marathon before our show left the network. The announcer said "Friday and Gannon are retiring, their work is done." It's a nice thought isn't it?
Joe: The idea that we'll retire someday?
Bill: The idea that they'll be no more crimes for us to worry about.
Joe: Somehow I think we'll retire before that day. Believe me, I would love to think that by the time Teri is a teenager that rape and murder will be extinct, I'm just too cynical to think it will happen.
Bill: We can hope can't we? By the way, I heard you and Michelle stopped doing marijuanna.
Joe: I know it's ridiculous to think that marijuana is a gateway to tobacco. On the other hand I'm a mother now and I don't want my daughter to get any bad ideas.
Bill: I know what you mean, it's why Danny and I don't do any of that. I'm not sure how well it worked but it was worth a try. Sam, sorry Cedar, at least never did that. I'm still trying to remember these new terms for when your child identifies as non-binary.
Joe: Cedar still planning to join the relief efforts in Maldavia?
Bill: Yes, they want to help, and I know that the Maldivian people welcome these efforts. But the island is literally sinking into the ocean, and I worry for my child.
Joe: Worrying about your child, that's never going to go away is it?
Bill: Hope not. My mother used to say about parenting "You know when it gets easy, when you're dead. Even then you'll probably worry a little."
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This conversation was pleasant, but captain Mackey interrupted.
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Mackey: I just heard the call, need you two to investigate.
Joe: What happenned?
Mackey: The three rapes we've had the last few nights, all Maldivian women. All of them survived, number four wasn't so lucky, she was raped and murdered.
