Fillmore – Partners in Law
Act 1 – An Old Flame Relit
"What's with the interest in my life before the safety patrol all of a sudden?" asked Fillmore as he and Ingrid headed to the Safety Patrol HQ. Ingrid had started asking him about the crimes he'd pulled off before he joined the Safety Patrol a lot recently and he wasn't up to telling her all that much, "Most of it's on the files back at HQ anyway."
"I just feel I should know my partner better," replied Ingrid as the pair noticed the door to the HQ ahead, there was a single girl heading towards it from the opposite direction. She had mousy brown hair and a glint in her eyes Ingrid was sure she'd seen before.
"Hello Cornelius," said the girl opening the door to the Safety Patrol HQ for them.
"You know her?" whispered Ingrid to Fillmore as they walked into HQ.
"I'm not sure," came the reply, "Now that you mention it, she does seem familiar."
They headed to their desks but Vallejo yelled them into his office first, they went in and the girl was there as well.
"This is Selena Denuri," introduced Vallejo, "You already know Fillmore, but this is Ingrid Third, his new partner after Wayne left."
"I never saw Wayne to be the sort to leave X," commented the girl as she shook Ingrid's hand. Fillmore on the other hand had a bemused look on his face.
"I did know you right?" he asked.
"Jeez Cornelius," replied Selena, "We were only partners in crime for two years."
"You're a former criminal?" asked Ingrid, "I thought Fillmore was the only one at X."
"At one time I was," replied Selena mournfully, "I got caught carrying some hot stuff for my partner here and took the blame, Wayne gave me the same choice he gave Corny here and I ended up signing up. My parents divorced and I was shipped across state to live with my dad leaving a spot I see my partner, only fitted in to well."
"You didn't do too well catching your partner though," commented Ingrid.
"I did owe him a lot," came the reply, "I allowed him a bit of leeway when it came to smaller things. I personally busted him for some bigger things like test answers but little things he got away with thanks to me. But I always knew Wayne always had his eye on you after I signed up."
"Dawg," came Fillmore's voice through his confusion, "I remember now, we were the best crime team in X, you got busted when we transported stolen goods for that Sharko guy and I just let you take the rap."
"Well here's your chance to turn the tables and make you pair the best Safety Patrol team in X," yelled Vallejo slamming a file on his desk, "Here's a single file of what we have on this Sharko. You want the others just ask, the only thing we don't have is a name and a face."
"How many files are there?" asked Ingrid picking up the file and committing it to her photographic memory.
"Unfortunately we have files dating back to when the Safety Patrol started," replied Vallejo taking a sip from his mug, "We believe the name is passed down from leader to leader but we've never got close."
"Until now," said Tehama walking in with some photos, "These were taken on the fields this morning."
They showed two thugs carrying what looked like computer equipment across the fields.
"This isn't Sharko," said Selena shaking her head, "Sharko likes intelligent people, those two probably can't even count to two."
"Still, I want you and Fillmore investigating this," replied Vallejo, "Third, I'm afraid you're desk jockeying until this is over."
"What?" yelled all three of them together.
"My hands are tied," replied Vallejo, "Folsom wants you two on it, and Ingrid on desk duty."
Vallejo handed Selena her badge and belt and the three walked out of Vallejo's with Ingrid cursing under her breath.
"I can't believe I'm on desk duty!" she yelled as she sat down.
"Nothing we can do about it," replied Fillmore, "Folsom's been on the rampage about a new spa for the staff so we can't afford to trip up."
"She still threatens to move the Safety Patrol to the janitor's closet?" asked a shocked Selena, "I thought she only did that whilst I was on the force."
"About once a week," replied Ingrid.
"Sometimes once a day," laughed Fillmore.
"Glad to see some things don't change," laughed Selena, "Wish I'd got a look at that file though."
"Be glad you didn't," replied Ingrid, "Some of the stuff is insane."
"You two," yelled Tehama, "Your thugs have just been spotted in the science labs."
"On it!" yelled Fillmore as he and Selena ran from the room leaving Ingrid at her desk. She sat down and looked at the papers that were on her desk. They were the case reports from her and Fillmore. How they'd found who was stealing all the library books, the train convention smash-up, Checkmatey's kidnapping. They were all here on her desk for filing. She placed her radio on her desk and stared at it willing Fillmore to call for backup, she knew he probably wouldn't but she wanted to be out there helping. In the most emotion she'd shown since starting at X, a tear fell onto the reports and blotched the ink.
Science Labs Corridor
"Freeze, Safety Patrol!" yelled Fillmore and Selena when they caught up with one of the goons. As they expected, he ran down the corridor from the Safety Patrollers.
"Tactic 22!" yelled Selena running the other way.
"Got it!" yelled Fillmore chasing after the goon.
Tactic 22 was an old tactic they'd used to herd kids for lunch money, Fillmore herded the goon towards the main entrance. As the kid ran out he was tripped up by Selena's foot and would have fallen down the stairs if it wasn't for Selena catching him.
"You're going nowhere," she sneered.
"Why would I run from the Great Sharko?" smiled the goon as Fillmore ran out.
"Did he just call you Sharko Sel?" asked Fillmore.
"I am not Sharko Cornelius," replied a shocked Selena, "I don't know where he got the idea."
"Sorry," responded Fillmore, "You know the procedure."
She took off the belt and pulled her badge out of her pocket and handed them to Fillmore.
"You're not running?" asked Fillmore.
"You know me better than that," replied Selena, "Take us both in then."
